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Those in jail can contest elections; RS okays Bill
Naxals kill 6 securitymen in Odisha, Chhattisgarh
Sonia stable, discharged after tests
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Cong wary of amendments to Food Bill in RS CBI to
register cases to probe LTC scam
HC admits CBI appeal against Sajjan’s acquittal
Probe blames police for Bengal SFI leader’s death
Coal block allocations justified: Centre to SC
Wanted for assaulting wife, Puri still missing
Demand for Asaram’s arrest grows; Cong mum
Jagan’s mother meets PM, wants Andhra’s division halted
Radia Tapes
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Those in jail can contest elections; RS okays Bill
New Delhi, August 27 Sibal elaborated on how politicians were the most accountable class in the country, but because of an environment of "mistrust" they were viewed with suspicion and even dubbed criminals. "Politicians are accountable to Parliament, to the Election Commission, to the country, to the people, to whom we go after every five years. We are the most accountable set of people in the country," he said. "It is we who passed the law to make us accountable. It is us who have decided to disclose our assets. Which other institution has taken such steps to make itself more accountable," Sibal questioned, obviously the judiciary. While he also stressed upon the need to internally address the problem where politicians were looked upon with suspicion, Sibal added that institutions too must be careful about implications of their decisions on the polity of the country. "We are a young democracy, barely 63-year-old, but the expectations are that of a 200-year-old democracy," he said, stressing that India as a young democracy would continue to "make mistakes", but that does not mean that all politicians are painted with the same brush. Although Rajiv Pratap Rudy initiated the debate on behalf of the BJP, his senior colleague Arun Jaitley (the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha) pitched in to support Sibal. Earlier, Sibal asked courts to be "extremely careful" while delivering judgments impacting on the polity of the country. "There is a general negative perception in the country that all politicians are criminals...Courts are enthusiastic to prove us so, even if we are not so," he said. The Bill provides for a change in the Act of 1951. The amendment to sub-clause 5 of section 62 of the RPA, after it is cleared by the Parliament, will come into effect from July 10, 2013, the day the Supreme Court gave its judgment that those in jails cannot contest election.
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Naxals kill 6 securitymen in Odisha, Chhattisgarh
Koraput, August 27
A convoy of three BSF vehicles carrying 18 personnel was reportedly ambushed while it was crossing the Patangi and Sunki axis in the district. The troops were moving from Malkangiri in the state to Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh when the incident occurred. The IED exploded as the first vehicle crossed the route, leaving a subordinate officer and three jawans dead. A group of Maoists then began firing on the personnel who retaliated. The two injured personnel have been rushed to the nearby hospital in Sunki while the gunfight has stopped, the officer said. In Chhattisgarh, the incident took place in a forest area while a joint party of the STF and the local police was returning after an operation, Bastar SP Ajay Yadav said. Those killed were identified as Company Commander Lav Bhagat and constable Selestian Kujur. The patrol party was on a combing operation for the past two days in the bordering areas of Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Bastar districts of Bastar division.— PTI
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Sonia stable, discharged after tests
New Delhi, August 27 She was then rushed to the emergency of AIIMS’ Cardio Neuro Centre where doctors observed her before discharging her. Azad said Sonia was fine and had returned home. She was, however, not present in the Parliament today with the Congress spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das, saying her condition was stable and she would return to the House soon. Sources said Sonia had taken some medicines on empty stomach because of which she suddenly felt weak and was taken to AIIMS where Congress leaders made a beeline to inquire about her health. She had viral illness since day before yesterday.
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Makhan’s widow given Rs 5 lakh
New Delhi, August 27 Makhan Singh’s wife and son Perminder Singh expressed their gratitude to the ministry for the gesture as the family was leading an indigent life due to financial crunch. BC Tripathi, CMD, GAIL, and president, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), was also present. Moily said when he learnt about the plight of Makhan Singh’s family, he asked Tripathi to consider releasing immediate relief to the family. Accordingly, the PSPB promptly agreed to pay a sum of Rs 5 lakh to the family. The minister said those sportspersons, who have done the country proud, “should be taken care of”.
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Cong wary of amendments to Food Bill in RS New Delhi, August 27 The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on Monday through a voice vote after negating amendments moved by the Opposition, including some through division. The UPA parliamentary managers are wary since the ruling coalition is not exactly comfortable in terms of numbers and would cross the half-way mark only with support of the Janata Dal (United) and some Independents. "We are not exactly sure as to what kind of amendments the Opposition is planning to move. We have to wait and see but it will not be as easy as the Lok Sabha," a senior Congress leader said this evening. D Raja of the CPI said the party would formulate the amendments it would move after studying the Bill as passed by the Lok Sabha. The Opposition is not against providing food security but wants to refine the Bill with the Left parties advocating universalisation of the scheme. The government is scheduled to bring up the Land Acquisition Bill for consideration and passage in the House on Thursday. This Bill has greater support with BJP president Rajnath Singh also in favour of its early passage.
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CBI to register cases to probe LTC scam New Delhi, August 27 The CBI is examining the documents in this regard received from the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which has referred the case to the investigating agency for probe, official sources said today. The CVC, which carried out a preliminary investigation into the scam, will be handing over more documents soon, they said. The agency will register cases to probe alleged involvement of some Rajya Sabha MPs and Central Government employees, sources said. Lakhs of rupees are said to have been fraudulently claimed from the government through fake LTC claims availed by government officials to get concessional tickets The incident came to light after the vigilance department of Air India (AI) was alerted about the arrest of a man in March at the Kolkata airport with 600 blank boarding passes of the airline. Smelling a rat and an alleged criminal nexus between air travel agents and government employees, Air India got in touch with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) which has now asked the CBI to look into the matter One of the cases to be probed is the LTC facility availed on December 13, 2012 when seven tickets of 'Executive Class' were purchased for travel on the Delhi-Kolkata-Port Blair route and back. The AI in March got a letter from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat asking the airline to conduct an inquiry into this case after it got LTC claims from seven individuals in this regard. — PTI how it began The scam came to light after the vigilance department of Air India was alerted about the arrest of a man in March at the Kolkata airport with 600 blank boarding passes of the airline
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HC admits CBI appeal against Sajjan’s acquittal
New Delhi, August 27 A Bench of justices GS Sistani and GP Mittal also asked Sajjan to appear before the Registrar General of the High Court to furnish bail bonds on September 2 in the case. It asked the families of the victims, who also filed similar appeals against trial court's May 30 order letting off Kumar in the 29-year-old case, to withdraw their pleas and add their arguments to the CBI plea. "Grounds raised by victims in their appeals are treated as additional grounds in the CBI appeal and victims given right to argue there," the Bench said in its order and fixed October 31 for hearing the case. The probe agency, in its appeal to the high court, has said the trial court erred in acquitting Sajjan Kumar as it was he who had instigated the mob during the riots that broke out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. A special court had on May 30 let off Kumar saying he deserved the "benefit of doubt" as key witness Jagdish Kaur did not name him as an accused in her statement given to the Justice Ranganath Mishra panel in 1985. The trial court, however, had held five others guilty in the case and awarded varying jail terms to them for being part of the mob that killed the Sikhs. — PTI
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Probe blames police for Bengal SFI leader’s death
Kolkata, August 27 The commission has asked the state government to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the bereaved family of Sudipta within 60 days. It has also recommended Rs 3-lakh compensation for another student, Joseph Azam Hossain, who was accompanying Sudipta while being taken to the Alipore jail in a van after their arrest from the Esplanade area. Joseph lost his hands after sustaining severe injuries during their journey to the jail. A full bench of the rights panel that met during the day pointed at the responsibility of the police in the incident, saying such “unfortunate” happenings could have been avoided had the law-keepers been “more alert”, “careful” and acted in a “professional manner”. The panel said the police was squarely responsible for the safety and security of the arrestees since they were in its custody. “The life of a bright young man was cut short in the prime of his life for no fault of his own. The commission does not think that it is an incident to be trifled with,” said the commission headed by Justice Ashok Kumar Ganguly (retd). “Sudipta Gupta was sent (to a correctional home) in a bus driven by a driver who did not have a licence for driving a bus,” the panel said, while pointing out that the police had not arranged for adequate number of buses, and 70 agitators were put in one bus. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has, however, trashed the inquiry report saying Sudipta’s death was merely an accident. She also rejected the WBHRC’s recommendation of paying Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the bereaved family.
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Coal block allocations justified: Centre to SC
New Delhi, August 27 In an affidavit filed in response to the SC order for “justifying” the allocations, the ministry said these had “significantly contributed to the economy.” This conclusion had been arrived at by a committee set up by the ministry with representatives from various government departments and statutory bodies. The ministry, however, admitted that several documents sought by the CBI, which was probing the alleged irregularities in the allocations, were missing and yet to be traced. The missing documents included seven files and 173 applications. An inter-ministerial committee had been set up to trace these documents “as far as possible in a month’s time,” the affidavit said. The Supreme Court had sought the affidavit on a bunch of PILs pleading for cancellation of the allocations made to private companies and the joint venture agreements signed between the government and private companies for “diverting” the coal blocks to the private sector. The government “has been constantly reviewing and monitoring the progress made in respect of each block allocated for captive use,” the affidavit said. In respect of the allegations relating to the allocation of 108 blocks through the Screening Committee route, the ministry said the process “has to be understood and judged with reference to the applicable guidelines at the relevant time…The minutes of the meetings of the Screening Committee show that the guidelines framed by it were continuously evolving in the wake of fresh concerns coming to light.”aIn a separate affidavit, the CBI rejected the Centre’s contention that the agency was required to obtain permission from the government to question or book officials in the rank of joint secretary or above even in corruption cases booked or monitored by high courts or the SC.
Documents yet to be traced
* The ministry admitted that several documents sought by the CBI were yet to be traced *
The missing documents included seven files and 173 applications * An inter-ministerial committee
had been set up to trace these documents * As far as possible, these may be traced in a month's time, affidavit said
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Wanted for assaulting wife, Puri still missing
Mumbai, August 27 Om Puri's wife Nandita lodged a complaint against him on Aug 23 at the Versova Police Station. "When Nandita Puri had come to the police station, we sent her to Cooper Hospital and she also submitted a medical report post the check up," the police officer from Versova Police station said. "In her statement, she said that she had been hit with a stick by her husband. Ever since she had filed the case, we have been looking for him. There have been no developments so far as we are still looking for him," the officer added. The couple had been facing problems in their relationship since Nandita come out with a biography on her husband - "Unlikely Hero: The Story Of Om Puri" in 2009 highlighting some of his most private sexual incidents. The revelation in the book had upset 62-year-old Padma Shri winner, known for his work in films like "Aakrosh" and "Ardh Satya". He also entertained viewers with his comic timing in
"Hera Pheri".
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Demand for Asaram’s arrest grows; Cong mum
New Delhi, August 27 Asked today why the party was not taking a stand on the Asaram issue, Congress spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das said the matter was under investigation and the facts in the case were not clear. “It is not proper for us to comment on saints. Things are not clear and the investigating officer alone can throw light on what happened,” Das said. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, however, said this was not the first time Asaram was facing a charge of sexual assault. “In the cases of assault where women are complainants, the onus of proving innocence lies on the accused. Asaram Bapu should cooperate with the police,” Digvijay said. Though both the main political parties exhibited restraint, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav launched a scathing attack on Asaram calling him a land grabber. “Is Asaram above the law? He is a land grabber who has spoken untruths all his life. His sermons are full of regressive stuff. Asaram must be arrested. If action is not taken, we will storm the House,” Yadav said. BSP president Mayawati said the Rajasthan government should have acted. “The state should have acted against Asaram,” she said finding support from Left parties which termed the failure of Jodhpur police to arrest the accused as “shameful”. Jodhpur police had yesterday delivered summons to Asaram’s representative in Ahmedabad asking him to appear before it by August 30. Asaram has been booked under sections 376 (rape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insult the modesty of woman) of the IPC; and under the recently enacted Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
Look-out notice sought
Jodhpur: The Jodhpur police has written to the Immigration Department to issue look-out notice against Asaram Bapu to ensure that he does not leave the country. A team of Jodhpur police has delivered summon to Asaram in Indore on Tuesday. Asked what the police will do if the accused failed to appear within the given time-frame, DCP Ajay Lamba said, “We will later decide what step we have to take if Asaram does not come.” — PTI
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Jagan’s mother meets PM, wants Andhra’s division halted
New Delhi, Aug 27 Vijayamma, the widow of former Andhra CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy, called upon the Congress to stop the process of formation of Telangana until an expert committee found a workable solution to the problems of people of Telangana, Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. She said the July 12 decision of the Congress Working Committee to grant Telangana was “irrational and arbitrary” and the agitation back home against this decision was “apolitical and voluntary’. YSR Congress will tomorrow hold a daylong agitation at Jantar Mantar to press their demands. Although Vijayamma had sought time to see Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the meeting did not fructify given Sonia’s ill health. Vijayamma, a legislator in Andhra Pradesh, in a representation to the PM, accused the Congress of misreading the nature of the anti-Telangana agitation as political. The meeting came on a day some Congress MPs met the AK Antony committee to press for a united Andhra. “The agitation going on in Andhra against the decision of Congress Working Committee is voluntary and apolitical. The division of a large state like Andhra with a population of over 8.5 crore and which has been in existence for over 57 years without any valid basis is complicated. Considering Andhra was the first state to be created on linguistic basis the Government should have taken every stakeholder into confidence,” Vijayamma said.
2 TDP members again suspended in RS
New Delhi: Two Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members were suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the second successive day on Tuesday as they yet again disrupted the proceedings of the House to protest against the proposal to bifurcate Andhra
Pradesh.
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SC to hold in-camera hearing
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, August 27 A Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and V Gopala Gowda passed the order after going through the government’s inquiry report into the leakage of the intercepted phone conversations corporate lobbyist Niira Radia had with politicians and industrialists. The hearing on the inquiry report would be held in-camera on August 29 to prevent further media publicity to the conversations, particularly the details unrelated to the purpose for which the tapping was ordered. The Income Tax department had intercepted her conversations on the basis of an intelligence input on the rapid growth of her wealth in a short span of time.
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Actor Om Puri, who is wanted by the police for beating up his wife
Nandita, is still missing, according to the police. Senior Inspector Harishchandra Parmane of the Versova police station, where the case is filed against the actor said, the authorities were still looking for him. "We have visited his flat and are questioning his friends," Parmane told this reporter.
The short debate after Law Minister Kapil Sibal moved the Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013, saw law-makers from different parties advocating self-introspection to improve their sagging image in the public and need to check growing "criminalisation" in politics while supporting the government move. 