Chandigarh, October 29
India's richest woman and legislator from Hisar, Savitri Jindal, and Nuh legislator Aftab Ahmed were today inducted into the Haryana Cabinet by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Governor Jagannath Pahadia administered the oath of office and secrecy to them at a function held at Haryana Raj Bhawan here. Jindal took the oath in Hindi and Ahmed in English.

While the portfolio of Urban Local Bodies has been given to Jindal, Ahmed gets the Transport Department.

With today's expansion, the number of ministers in the Hooda Cabinet ihas gone up to14 — the upper limit for ministers in the state.

The resignation of OP Jain and Gopal Kanda, both belonging to the Aggarwal community, for their involvement in criminal cases had left two slots vacant in the Hooda Ministry.

For Jindal, non-executive chairman of the OP Jindal group having interests in the steel and power sectors with personal fortune pegged at $ 5.1 billion, it would be the second stint as minister. She would represent the Aggarwal community in the Hooda ministry.

First-time MLA Ahmed from the backward Mewat area of the National Capital Region(NCR) is the only Muslim face in the Hooda ministry.

Though Hooda tried to strike a regional and caste balance in the "new-look" Cabinet ahead of the parliamentary and assembly elections next year, the exercise seems to be "half-hearted".

While there is no representation to a substantial area comprising Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Karnal, Sonepat, Sirsa and Jind districts, certain castes and communities are inadequately representated, which may prove costly for the Hooda Government in the forthcoming poll.

For instance, Brahmins are inadequately representated in the Cabinet as Shiv Charan Lal Sharma (Independent) is its only representative in the ministry.

Similarly, the Punjabi-dominated Panipat-Karnal belt has no representation in the Cabinet. Though the name of Panipat (Urban) MLA Balbir Pal Shah, a prominent Punjabi leader, who earlier resigned for lack of development in his area before being 'won over' by Hooda, was doing the rounds for the ministerial berth, Shah told The Tribune that he had already apprised the Chief Minister that he did not "want to be a minister for one year".

Hooda hoped the new ministers would serve the people with dedication. Both Jindal and Ahmed said their priority would be to work for development of the state.

The last Cabinet reshuffle had taken place on January 28, 2011, when HS Chattha, Kiran Choudhry, Rao Narender and Satpal Sangwan were inducted as ministers.

Chandigarh, October 29
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed the process of selecting HCS (Executive Branch) officials by way of nominations from state government employees.

The orders were passed by a Division Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant after the state government failed to produce record pertaining to the decision- making process and application of mind to initiate the process for making selections to these posts.

As the matter came up for resumed hearing on Tuesday, Haryana produced the entire record pertaining to the selection process. After perusal of the record, the Bench was of the opinion that there was nothing on record which showed the reasons that led the state to initiate the selection process.

Responding to the observations, counsel for the state sought additional time to seek instructions from the government on the issue. Taking note of the assertion, the Bench granted time to the state. At the same time, the Bench restrained the government from carrying out the selection process. The selections came under the High Court scanner after a petition was filed by seven tehsildars serving in Haryana. They had alleged that the state government had advertised only 20 posts of HCS (Executive Branch) to adjust their favourites.

New Delhi, October 29
The Supreme Court has ordered the trial of Haryana’s top official Yudhvir Singh Khyalia, now posted as Commissioner, Hisar Division, for allegedly barging into the house of a married woman in Panchkula at 10 pm in 2001 (when he was SDM) along with a police team and two video cameramen just to check as to whether she was living with another man.

If found true, the behaviour of the official “can only be held to be a high-handed one bordering on indecency of the highest order, wholly abusing his status as SDM and can never be held to have acted within the statutory framework of law,” a Bench comprising Justices FMI Kalifulla and TS Thakur held in a 55-page judgment.

The SC delivered the verdict on an appeal filed by the woman challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s July 20, 2011, judgment that had gone in favour of Singh.

Since the complaint made by the affected woman pertained to 2001, the SC directed the trial court to hold the proceedings on a day-to-basis and conclude the trial expeditiously preferably within three months.

On the woman’s complaint, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Panchkula, had on July 30, 2001, summoned Singh to face a trial under Sections 323, 354, 389, 452, 458, 500 and 506 read with Sections 34 and 120B, IPC.

On July 4, 2007, the CJM rejected Singh’s application for recall of the summons. However, the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) allowed Singh’s revision petition on March 10, 2008, and set aside the CJM’s two orders. The ASJ held that an SDM could not be summoned to face a trial without obtaining sanction under Section 197 CrPC. The HC upheld the ASJ’s ruling.

Accepting the contention of advocate Rishi Malhotra, who argued for the woman in the apex court, the SC said whatever Singh was alleged to have done could not be construed as part of his official duty and as such prior sanction was not necessary for his prosecution.

“Entering the house of a woman after sunset with a posse of police force, carrying video cameras, conducting an unwarranted search of the house, humiliating and invading the privacy of the complainant, insulting and humiliating RC Chopra by asking him to undress and dragging both of them to the police station for medical examination against their wishes...all remain unsupported by any lawful justification and have no connection with the duties that were cast upon the respondent as a public servant, even if a complaint alleging an adulterous relationship between the appellant and Chopra had been received by the SDM,” the SC held.

Karnal, October 29
Farmers of Lalupura and four other villages, demanding probe into tampering of land records during 1999 consolidation of land holdings, were on warpath again as the “truce” arrived between the rival groups of farmers with the intervention of the administration on October 17 died a premature death.

Villagers of Kalram, Araipur, Bharatpur, Lalupur and Amritpur, accompanied by Sant Gopal Das resumed an agitation yesterday and staged a dharna at Mini Secretariat at Karnal and threatened to show black flags to Chief Minister BS Hooda during the Shakti rally of the Congress in Gohana on November 10.

Pradeep Kalram, spearheading the agitation, said this year black Diwali would be celebrated in these five villages.

They demanded cancellation of an FIR against the villagers booked for allegedly demolishing three structures in the village on October 15 after their land was harvested by the rival faction in their absence.

The villagers served a 15-day ultimatum on the administration to cancel the FIR, transfer patwaris, who allegedly connived with the opposite party and became instrumental in altering the revenue entries and changing the ownership of land during April 1999 consolidation.

The villagers would organise a march to Delhi to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi residence to lodge their protest.

Sirsa, October 29
Kin of a youth, who died under mysterious circumstances of poisoning last night, blocked vehicular traffic on National Highway-10, near Chattargarh Patti in Sirsa today. They were demanding the arrest of a woman and her sons, whom they held responsible for the death.

However, the woman, too, consumed poison today and was shifted to a private hospital in a serious condition.

Munish, alias Billu, died of poisoning late last night.

His father alleged that the victim had been frequenting to a middle-aged woman, whose husband is serving imprisonment in a case and who has two grown-up sons.

“When Billu came from her house last night, he was vomiting and his condition was very bad. When we shifted him to General Hospital, doctors declared him as brought dead,” said the victim’s father Balbir Singh.

Manish’s family alleged that the woman as well as her children had poisoned their son.

Balbir Singh alleged that as per a slip found in Manish’s pocket, he had sold his motorcycle yesterday and gave its proceeds to the woman.

Family members placed Munish’s body on the NH-10 and blocked the vehicular traffic for several hours resulting in a lot of harassment to the commuters.

Faridabad, October 29
Residents of Bharat Colony blocked the Old Khedi road here yesterday in protest against the alleged "indifference" on part of the authorities which led to the death of a three-year-old girl after she fell into a manhole.

The victim Kajal fell into the manhole while she was playing alone.

Residents along with her relatives kept her body on the Khedi bridge and refused to cremate it. Rather than taking the body home after the post-mortem on it, they blocked the road.

They relented after half an hour when Faridabad SDM Dharmender Singh met them and assured them of action against the contractor who was in charge of road repair where the manhole was located.

He also gave in to their demand for financial compensation from the government. The SDM said an FIR was registered against the contractor related to repair of the road.

Ambala, October 29
Mukesh Ahuja, Additional Deputy Commissioner, who was entrusted magisterial probe into the custodial death of Ram Kumar, a Dalit youth of Ambala city, has stated in his report that the police had committed atrocities on two Dalit youths. They were kept in illegal confinement in the police post No. 2. Ahuja has submitted his report to DC KM Pandurang in this regard on Monday.

Ram Kumar (23) was found dead on the rail track. The other youth Vikram was tortured by the police.

JMIC Mohit Aggarwal has also conducted a judicial inquiry into the matter. Sources said he had already submitted his report to the Chief Judicial Magistrate.

Sources said Ahuja had stated in his report that the accused were police officials. Therefore, policemen should be deployed near the victims' houses to ensure that their family members feel secure.

He said Vikram’s mother was dependent on his son and had no means of earning. He recommended financial assistance for Vikram.

The state government has given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of deceased Ram Kumar. Vikram’s family had also not been granted any compensation so far.

Union minister and MP from Ambala Selja had asked the state government to pay Rs 10 lakh to Ram Kumar’s family and provide a government job to Vikram. President of the Bahujan Sandesh Party Kanta Aladia had also demanded Rs 20 lakh for the deceased's family. 

Chandigarh, October 29
Mining is all set to resume in Haryana following the Supreme Court's clarification that the environmental clearance for mining projects would have to be obtained by the project proponent.

Sources in the government said following the clarification, Haryana was all set to issue a notice for auction of its mines. Though a copy of the order was yet to be received, the Department of Mines and Geology had already begun work.

A majority of the mines are in Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat and Faridabad (sand)) and Rewari, Palwal, Mahendergarh and Bhiwani for boulder, stone and gravel.

The ban on mining had substantially raised the prices of construction material coming from the neighbouring states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Work on a number of government projects, too, had slowed down owing to escalated costs and uvavailability of material.

While the price hike was essentially owing to the gap between the demand and supply, the construction material coming from the adjoining states was hiked owing to the huge transportation cost.

Sources said once the auction notice was given, the process of making these mines operational would be set in motion. A notice period of 21 days was mandatory under the rules after the publication of the notice.

However, though the process will be set in motion, it is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the cost of construction material since the parties which get the mines on lease or on contract will initiate the process of getting individual environment clearances. This will take another eight to nine months, implying that any dip in the rates of construction material can be expected only once the mines are operational.

Rewari, October 29
Ashok Kumar (50), a security guard in a company at Bawal and a resident of a nearby village in Alwar district of Rajasthan, was run over by a train on the Rewari-Alwar track, near the Rudh over bridge, about 17 km from Rewari, this morning.

The mishap took place when he was crossing the track. — OC

Fatehabad, October 29
A case of siphoning off of Rs 8.50 lakh against a fake bill for rice and dal has come to light in the Women and Child Development Department here. The police has registered a case on a complaint by Asha Setia, Project Officer of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).

Sources said the matter came to light when an official of the Women and Child Department, who went to the local mini-secretariat was told that a bill cleared by the treasury did not bear Setia’s signatures.

Setia later noticed that while the bill for withdrawal of money was unsigned, her signatures had been faked in the stock register.

Surprisingly, while the bill carried an invoice raised by a local trading firm, the money had been transferred to the individual account of Varun, who transferred a major amount out of this money to some other account on the same day.

Setia said there was no question of purchasing rice and dal from a firm by her office. “We invite annual tenders at the beginning of the year and lift goods from time to time as per demand,” she said.

Gaurav Sharma, SHO, said that the police had raided Varun’s rented accommodation in Hisar but he was not found there.

He saidthe police would identify the person, who had presented the bills in the bank from the CCTV footage available there.

It is suspected that such swindling of government funds might have been continuing for long.