The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Cracks widen in Bihar BJP, leaders meet Bhagwat Patna, July 22 Stung by rebellion within the party, Bihar BJP top leaders today met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat here and discussed the political situation in the state. The BJP state unit has accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of orchestrating the revolt. While one MLA has been suspended for six years, nearly a dozen BJP MLAs reportedly have complained against party leader Sushil Kumar Modi. S K Modi, party general secretary, in-charge of state affairs Dharmendra Pradhan, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav, state party president Mangal Pandey and others met Bhagwat over breakfast and discussed the the latest developments. Though the leaders were tightlipped about what transpired at the meeting, senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh told reporters, “Of course, when we sit together there will be some talk on prevailing political situation.” Pandey, who has his roots in RSS, however, said it was a courtsey call. The meeting between the top BJP leaders and Bhagwat is important considering the widening cracks within the Bihar BJP with some more party Legislators openly venting their anger on the inner party democracy and charging S K Modi with ‘hijacking’ the party. The revolt was triggered by Amarnath Gami, BJP MLA from Hayaghat in Darbhanga, who was suspended for six years. Gami has claimed that a dozen BJP MLAs shared his view. This claim has been dismissed by the BJP. Vijay Kumar Mishra, BJP MLA from Jale in Darbhanga, has supported Gami. “Injustice has been done to Gami who has been suspended from the party without show cause notice,” he said. Rana Gangeshwar Singh, party MLA from Moiuddinnagar in Samastipur, praised Kumar and said if the JD(U) gets 20-30 MPs in the 2014 parliamentary elections, he would definitely become the prime minister. — PTI Trouble brews The meeting between the top BJP leaders and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat signals trouble within the state unit of the BJP Some party legislators have charged Sushil Kumar Modi (in pic) with ‘hijacking’ the party The revolt was triggered by Amarnath Gami, BJP MLA from Hayaghat in Darbhanga, who was suspended for six years
	bihar Mid-day meal horror Arrest warrant against school principal Chhapra/Patna, July 22 A local court today issued an arrest warrant against the absconding principal of a government school in Bihar’s Saran district, six days after 23 children from her school died after eating midday meal. The state government has terminated the services of Block Education Extension Officer Satyendra Kumar Singh, who was responsible for monitoring the midday meal scheme at Dharmasati Gandaman primary school in Chhapra. Chief Judicial Magistrate Narendra Mohan Jha issued the arrest warrant for principal Meena Devi after being approached by the Saran police in connection with the midday meal tragedy last Tuesday. Meena Devi, who has been suspended, has been at large along with her husband ever since the tragedy. Saran District Magistrate Abhijit Sinha, while announcing the termination of Satyendra Kumar Singh from service, said the process of terminating the school principal’s service was also under way. — PTI
	SC panel for caution on approval to GM crops Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, June 22 In what may come as a setback to propagators of Genetically Modified crops in India, a technical expert committee of the Supreme Court has recommended a cautious approach in granting approval to their field trials till there was a more definitive information on long-term safety. Pointing to serious inadequacies in the existing regulatory system, the committee, in fact, suggested withholding of field trials of genetically modified crops till a revamping of the system with biosafety as the main mandate was done. “Nowhere are Bt-transgenics being widely consumed in large amounts for any major food crop that is directly used for human consumption. The TEC could not find any compelling reason for India to be the first to do so. The TEC therefore reiterates its recommendation made in the interim report that there should be a moratorium on field trials for Bt in food crops (those that are directly used for food) intended for commercialisation (not research) until there is more definitive information from sufficient number of studies as to the long-term safety of Bt in food crops,” said the committee. On Herbicide Tolerant (HT) crops, it said such “crops would most likely exert a highly adverse impact over time on sustainable agriculture, rural livelihoods and environment. The TEC finds them completely unsuitable in the Indian context”. On the genetic modification of crops for which India is a centre of origin, TEC recommended “that release of GM crops for which India is a centre of origin or diversity should not be allowed”. The report comes amid a raging debate on the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, 2013. The legislation, currently being reviewed by a Parliamentary Standing committee, has come under widespread criticism from activists who allege that it was meant for easy approval of GM crops. What the committee says Pointing to serious inadequacies in the existing regulatory system, the committee suggested withholding of field trials of genetically modified crops till a revamping of the system with biosafety as the main mandate was done Moratorium on Bt brinjal’s release The first GM food crop to be approved for release in India was Bt brinjal, in 2009. The then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had placed a moratorium on its release.
	'84 riots: HC notice to Sajjan on acquittal Legal Correspondent New Delhi, July 22 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar seeking his response to a CBI appeal challenging his acquittal in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case relating to the killing of five Sikhs in Delhi Cantonment’s Raj Nagar area. Besides the CBI, two family members, Jagdish and Nirpreet Kaur, of the victims have also come to the HC appealing against the May 30 verdict of the trial court. A Bench of Justices GS Sistani and GP Mittal will hold the next hearing on August 27. In all, a trial had been conducted against six people -- the others being ex-councillor Balwan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal, retired naval captain Bhagmal (all given life term), former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokkar (both given three-year sentence). The fatal victims of the mob fury were Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh. All of them were from one family. The trial court acquitted Sajjan, observing that the key witness Jagdish Kaur had not named him as an accused in her statement to the Justice Ranganath Misra panel in 1985. CBI’s Contention The CBI challenged Sajjan Kumar’s (pic) acquittal in a case relating to the killing of five Sikhs in Delhi Cantonment’s Raj Nagar area The agency insisted the trial court ignored the fact that Sajjan had instigated the mob to go on a rampage following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984
	Dutt develops arterial disease Shiv Kumar/TNS Mumbai, July 22 Actor Sanjay Dutt who is serving a jail term for possessing illegal weapons when Mumbai was rocked by communal riots in 1992-93 has developed health problems, officials have said. Dutt, who is lodged at Yerwada Jail in Pune, has been diagnosed with hypertension and peripheral arterial disease by a team of doctors who examined him last week. Sources say Dutt is finding it hard to walk as blood supply to his lower body has been impaired causing tremendous pain. The doctors treating Dutt have attributed his problems to excessive smoking. Sources say a report has been sent to the state home department to shift the actor to the state-owned JJ Hospital where he could undergo angiography to assess the extent of damage. The actor was shifted to the Pune jail as authorities feared a threat to his life. — PTI
	Will look to ratify boundary pact, India tells B’desh Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 22 India has assured Bangladesh that it will look to ratify the pending land boundary agreement by bringing it up for Parliamentary approval. Bangladesh brought up the matter at the four-day meeting between Home Secretaries of the two countries. The meeting concluded today with a formal joint statement which, however, did not mention the agreement. Bangladesh senior secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Cqk Mushtaq Ahmed, reminded Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami about the pending ratification of the protocol to the 1974 agreement signed on September 6, 2011 by Prime Ministers of the two countries in Dhaka. The Indian side assured the visiting delegation that it will be taken up again in Parliament, confirmed sources. India agreed that issues like preparing strip maps of adverse possessions along the 4,096-km border could be taken up; even signing of a protocol to the agreement in 2011 was seen as a high point in India-Bangladesh relations, but opposition from AGP and the BJP stalled it. The border cannot be demarcated without ratification of the agreement and this includes swap of enclaves - small pieces of land which either country has in the other’s territory. A joint statement issued late in the evening said the Home Secretaries noted the outcome of the meeting of the 13th Joint Working Group on security issues. The meeting on July 18 discussed issues such as security, border management, incidents of death due to firing on the border, implementation of agreements, ratification of the land boundary agreement, visa and consular related matters, capacity building etc. “Both sides expressed satisfaction at the smooth operation of Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) and agreed to increase the frequency of coordinated patrolling with a view to curbing criminal activities along the border,” said the statement.
	Army may send more troops to LAC in Ladakh Ravi Krishnan Khajuria/TNS Jammu, July 22 Alarmed at frequent Chinese incursions in Ladakh, the Army may contemplate increasing the density of its troops along the 700-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region. “Given the frequent incursions, the Army is likely to contemplate increasing the density of troops for effectively guarding the LAC in Ladakh,” said an Army source. But he termed the Chinese misadventures as transgressions and not incursions or intrusions, attributing these to differing perceptions of the LAC, which has not been delineated between the two Asian giants. Another Army source, however, said under the garb of differing perceptions of the LAC, the Chinese were in fact probing India. “They want to see how India reacts to their manoeuvre. And going by their heightened activity, it would be logical to assume an increase in the density of troops in the region,” he said. Chumar, which has witnessed the maximum number of intrusions by the Chinese, will get more “focused” attention, he said. In a belated response to China’s ever-increasing military might, the Union Government has recently given its approval to raise a Mountain Strike Corps along the China border. The corps will come up in seven years at a cost of Rs 64,000 crore. “China is mightier than us in military capabilities but it is time for India to give a serious thought to its Defence budget,” he said. The 4,057-km LAC between India and China runs along J&K, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. PLA came close to Indian posts Chinese troops came as close as 2 kms to Indian posts in eastern Ladakh last week. Fresh details suggest the latest incident happened as recent as two days ago in the Chumar area. This was fifth such incidents in the past 11 days.
	Govt releases fourth advance estimates Pulse production peaks, foodgrain output falls Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 22 The country achieved a record pulse production of 18.45 million tonne (MT) during 2012-13 crop year ended June but the total foodgrain output fell by 1.5 per cent due to poor monsoon in Maharasthra, Karnataka and Rajasthan. The Agriculture Ministry today released the fourth advance estimates of foodgrain production for 2012-13, which says India produced 255.36 MT foodgrain in 2012-13 compared to 259.29 MT last year. The government revised the pulse output upward to record 18.45 MT as compared to 18 MT in the third estimates released in May. The rise in production of pulses is heartening considering the country’s dependence on imports to meet the shortfall of around 3 to 4 MT every year. Besides, the ever-rising demand and weakening position of rupee are making matters worse for the planners. The record pulse production augurs well for the country as higher supply means reduced imports and prices of the commodity. The foodgrain output remains the same as the last estimates, but is lower than the record 259.29 MT achieved in the 2011-12 crop year (July-June). In the foodgrain category, rice production was revised upward to 104.5 MT from 104.22 MT in the third estimates, but the output is lower compared to 105.3 MT in 2011-12. Coarse cereal production estimates have also been revised upward at 40.06 MT in 2012-13 from 39.52 MT in the third estimates, but they are still lower than previous year’s 42.01 MT. The output of wheat has been revised downward to 92.46 MT from 93.62 MT in the third estimates. The production stood at record 94.88 MT in 2011-12. While foodgrain output in 2012-13 is lower than the previous year, officials expect the production to rebound on the back of good monsoon. The statement released last week said sowing of kharif crops had picked up further. The total sown area as on July 19 stands at 620.20 lakh hectare as compared to 506.21 hectare at the same time last year. Haryana, Chandigarh still rain deficient The downpour over the past three days has improved the situation in the northwest region, but Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh still remain 4 per cent deficient. The northwest region, including Punjab, is showing a positive departure of 34 per cent, says the Meteorological Department. It has predicted rain or thundershowers at many places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and east Rajasthan.
	SC to hear appeal against summons to Ambanis in 2G case Legal Correspondent New Delhi, July 22 The SC today agreed to hear tomorrow an appeal filed by Reliance Telecom Ltd (RTL) challenging the summons issued to Reliance ADAG chairman Anil Ambani and his wife Tina Ambani by a trial court asking them to appear as prosecution witnesses in the 2G scam case. A Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said the matter would be heard by an appropriate Bench. The urgent plea is expected to come up before a Bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi, which is hearing PILs relating to the scam. Meanwhile, the trial court of CBI special judge OP Saini today asked Anil Ambani to appear in the court on July 26. RTL has come to the SC bypassing the Delhi High Court as the apex court has directed that 2G scam cases should be heard only by the special trial court or the SC. In its appeal, RTL said the trial had reached the closing stage and as such summoning additional witnesses at the instance of CBI would not be of any help and would rather delay the adjudication of the case. “What makes the application of the CBI incongruous is that the same contains no explanation for the inordinate delay and the mala fide nature of the application is evident from the fact that the witnesses now sought to be projected as essential for a just decision of the case were all within the knowledge of the CBI and were consciously not cited as witnesses at the time of the chargesheet” or in the past 20 months. The case Reliance Telecom has challenged the CBI trial court's summons to Reliance ADAG chairman Anil Ambani and his wife Tina Ambani asking them to appear as prosecution witnesses in the 2G case The urgent plea is expected to come up before a Bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi, which is hearing PILs relating to the scam, on Tuesday
	Salary earners up to Rs 5 lakh need to file I-T return, says CBDT New Delhi, July 22 Unlike the past two years, salaried persons earning up to Rs 5 lakh annually will have to file income tax returns, the CBDT said today. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had exempted salaried employees having total income of up to Rs 5 lakh including income from other sources up to Rs 10,000 from the requirement of filing income tax return for assessment year 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively. "The exemption was available only for the assessment years 2011-12 and 2012-13...the exemption provided during the last two years is not being extended for assessment year 2013-14," the CBDT said in a statement. Earlier in May, the CBDT had made E-filing of income tax return compulsory for assessment year 2013-14 for persons having total assessable income exceeding Rs 5 lakh. The CBDT said the exemption was given considering paper filing of returns and their processing through manual entry on system. It said the exemption has been not been extended as the facility for online filing of returns has been made "user-friendly with the advantage of pre-filled return forms". These e-filed forms also get electronically processed at the central processing centre in a speedy manner, it said. "Taxpayers are encouraged to file their returns electronically. E-filing is an easy, fast and secure method of filing of income tax return. Moreover, digital signature is not mandatory for these taxpayers...," the Ministry added. — PTI
	Apex court restores ban on cigarette ads at retail shops R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent New Delhi, July 22 The Supreme Court today restored the ban on large advertisements on cigarettes and other tobacco products at the retail shops by vacating a stay granted by the Bombay High Court in 2005. Under a law enacted by Parliament in 2003, the size of such advertisements should not exceed 60 cm by 45 cm and one third of the area should carry the statutory warnings such as “tobacco kills” and “tobacco causes cancer.” Manufacturers moved the Bombay HC in 2005 and got an interim stay in December 2005, which was made absolute on March 27, 2006 due to non-appearance of the Central Government counsel. The Centre also stayed away from challenging this order in the SC which allowed the manufacturers to promote their products at the point-of-sale (retail shops) in a big way by displaying huge advertisements without carrying any statutory warnings. Ultimately, the HC order was challenged in the SC by an NGO, Health for Millions. During the hearing today, a Bench headed by GS Singhvi was critical of both the HC and the Centre for allowing the violation of the restrictions clamped under the Cigarrettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distrubution) Act, 2003 and the relevant 2004 rules without any concern for people’s health. The Bench said the HC ought to have considered four aspects — public interest, irreparable loss, prima facie material and balance of convenience —before granting stay. It pointed out that one million people were dying of oral and lung cancer caused by tobacco and its products every year and by 2015 about 8.5 million would meet with a similar fate. HCs should be extremely loath to passing interim orders in matters affecting public. “The court can’t put on hold any legislation without recording comprehensive reasons. The HC did not apply its mind to any of the ingredients,” the SC said and made it clear that the Centre’s attitude was also intriguing. “We are sure that the government will take remedial measures to engage only those counsel who espouse public cause,” the Bench said while directing both the Centre and the states to enforce the restrictions rigorously. Bench raps Centre, Bombay HC z Under a law enacted by Parliament in 2003, the size of advertisements on cigarettes and other tobacco products must not exceed 60 cm by 45 cm and one-third of the area should carry statutory warnings such as “tobacco kills” and “tobacco causes cancer” z Manufacturers moved the Bombay HC in 2005 and got an interim stay in December 2005, which was made absolute on March 27, 2006 due to non-appearance of the government counsel Health Ministry welcomes order The Health Ministry on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court order vacating the stay granted seven years ago by the Bombay High Court on the rules that restricted the scale of advertisement of tobacco products in warehouses and at points of sale such as shops and showrooms. “We will now write to all state governments to implement the rules that had veen stayed by the Bombay HC and now stand reinstated by the SC order. It means at the points of sale whereas you can write - cigarettes are sold here, you cannot write ITC cigarettes are sold here. Also, the board advertising cigarettes is supposed to be in the margins and the one displaying anti tobacco statutory warnings has to be bold,” said a health ministry official.
	CHANDIGARH TECHNOLOGY PARK Apex court quashes land acquisition notifications R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent New Delhi, July 22 The Supreme Court today quashed two notifications of the Chandigarh Administration for acquiring 128.76 acres for the Chandigarh Technology Park on appeals filed by sprinter Milkha Singh, Gurbinder Kaur Brar and others. "The notifications dated October 1, 2002, and September 29, 2003, are quashed insofar as the same relate to the lands of the appellants," a Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and V Gopala Gowda said. Through the 2002 notification under Section 4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, the Administration had sought to acquire 71.96 acres for various purposes, including the Chandigarh Technology Park. Another 56.76 acres was acquired through the 2003 notification. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had dismissed the petitions of the three affected parties on March 18, 2011, prompting them to approach the SC. In related appeals filed by Surinder Singh Brar and others, the SC had already quashed three notifications issued on June 26, 2006, August 2, 2006 and February 28, 2007, for acquiring land for the Phase III of the Chandigarh Technology Park. Like in the earlier appeals, Singh and two others had challenged the acquisition contending that the proceedings were vitiated by non-consideration of the objections filed by the landowners. In today's verdict, the SC noted that the Chandigarh Administration made a "valiant effort to convince us" that the view taken in the Surinder Singh Brar case on the interpretation of the 1987 Act required reconsideration. "But we do not find any valid ground to accept the submission. In our view, Section 3(1) of the 1987 Act does not empower the Administrator to delegate the functions of the appropriate government to any officer or authority specified in the notification issued under that section because the Presidential notification does not provide for such delegation." "We also agree with the learned counsel for the appellants that the report of the LAO was vitiated due to total non-application of mind by the concerned officer to a large number of substantive objections raised by the appellants under Section 5A(1). He mechanically rejected the objections and senior officers of the Chandigarh administration accepted the report of the LAO despite the fact that the same had been prepared in violation of Section 5A (2)."
	Yellow fever vaccine to be available from next week New Delhi, July 22 The health ministry today said the yellow fever vaccine, which had been in severe shortage, would be available at all government-approved centres by next week. "The supplies have arrived at the Mumbai port and sample for quality control certification has been sent to the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli on Thursday (July 18). Regular vaccination at all centres is expected to be normal within this week," an official release said here. It said the vaccine had been supplied to all the yellow fever vaccination centres in the four metros today. Yellow fever disease is endemic to 44 countries, of which 23 are in Africa and 11 in South America. India is free from the disease. People visiting these endemic countries can get protection by immunisation against yellow fever through vaccine. Total annual demand of yellow fever vaccine in India is 1.8 lakh doses, the release said. — IANS
	Explosives recovered Koraput (Odisha), July 22 In two separate incidents, huge cache of explosives planted by Maoists were today recovered in Odisha's Koraput district by security personnel belonging to BSF and Odisha police. According to the police, a search operation was launched on Siriguda-Dandabadi road under Narayanpatna police limits this morning and the explosives, kept in a steel container and left half-buried in a bushy area, was recovered. The explosives were defused at the spot as it was risky to transport them to the headquarters. — PTI