New Delhi, November 6
The Supreme Court has quashed the Haryana government’s 1989 declaration for acquisition of 13 kanals of land in Panipat for HUDA as the order had been issued without waiting for the Collector’s report on the landowners’ objections and ignoring the fact that there were buildings on the land.

A Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and C Nagappan passed the order on an appeal filed by Ashok Kumar (since dead) and others, challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict rejecting their plea.

The HC had dismissed their petition on the premise that the land acquisition officer (LAO) had already passed the award and symbolic possession of the acquired land had been taken and was delivered to the beneficiary - Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

Holding that the HC had committed a “serious error,” the SC said both the state government and HUDA had not produced any document to show that possession of the acquired land had been taken from the appellants.

Further, the Additional Director, Urban Estate, Haryana, had acknowledged that the landowners had raised constructions before the issue of the notification on May 2, 1988, under Section 4 and the declaration on May 1, 1989, under Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act 1894, the apex court noted.

The state government and HUDA had also failed to explain as to how the declaration under Section 6 could be made five months prior to the submission of the report by the Collector on September 25, 1989.

Besides, the compensation award was passed on December 28, 1999, much after the two-year deadline from the date of declaration, the apex court held.

The state government had issued a notification on December 15, 1982, for acquisition of 13 kanals and four marlas of land belonging to the appellants and made the declaration under Section 6 on February 23, 1985. After two years and eight months, the state government withdrew the acquisition proceedings. However, it issued a fresh notification on May 2, 1988.

Chandigarh, November 6
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered stay on the arrest of former Union Minister Arun Nehru's daughter Avantika Nehru Madan and son-in-law Gulbir Singh Madan in an FIR registered against them by the Gurgaon Police.

Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate RS Rai contended that Brahma City Private Ltd., an accused in the case, had a licence to develop a colony. After getting the licence, the company was in a process of selling plots.

Two plots were sold to the complainant, who paid 10 per cent amount. His complaint was entertained by the Magistrate against the company and the FIR was ordered to be registered.

Rai added Avantika resigned as a director of the company in February, 2010. Since the petitioner company has a licence and the complainant is aggrieved that his 10 per cent amount has not been given back, the initiation of criminal proceedings for recovery of the amount against the petitioner, who is not even a director now, is an abuse of the process of law, he argued.

The Gurgaon police in all has registered two FIRs. The first FIR was registered on October 3 at Sadar police station on the order of a local court on a complaint by Mewa Singh. The second FIR was registered on the allegations fraudulently grabbing 151 acres from farmers and later selling it to investors.

The case for cheating and other offences was registered, alleging that the accused took 151 acres from farmers of Ulhawas and nearby villages. They obtained a licence to develop residential colonies in the name of Krrish Buildtech Pvt Ltd in 2010. Later, their other company, Brahma City Pvt Ltd, sold the land to more than 1,000 buyers.

Chandigarh, November 6
After weeks of a deadlock over land acquisition for a logistics hub in Rewari, talks between the Haryana government and the Bhoomi Adhigrahan Virodh Samiti made some headway with the constitution of a joint committee of farmers and officers to work out the compensation details.

Adamant on accepting compensation only as per the new land acquisition policy, the farmers today also pleaded with Randeep Singh Surjewala, chairman of a committee constituted for the purpose, that the police cases against them be dropped.

The cases were registered in July, 2012, after a protest against the acquisition proceedings turned violent.

Ram Krishan Mehlawat, a member of the samiti, said the minister had agreed to constitute a committee comprising six members of the delegation and officials of the Haryana government

“This sub-committee has been given a month to work out the land award under the new acquisition policy. The committee under the minister will meet again to discuss the additional burden if payment is made as per the new policy. The minister will put up the demand for dropping all cases against the farmers to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda,” Mehlawat said.

“The committee will submit the compensation demand as per the present offer and the new legislation. This being a time-consuming exercise, the next meeting has been slated for December,” an official said.

Sirsa, November 6
A thunderstorm accompanied by a slight drizzle today brought down temperature in Sirsa and its surrounding areas.

The storm disrupted power supply and blew off many hoardings installed on the highways in Sirsa and Fatehabad.

Since crop harvesting is in progress and crops are also lying in grain markets, the strong winds carried paddy straws and dust. 

Sirsa, November 6
Basmati growers are making hay as prices of its leading varieties, PB 1121 and Muchhal, have registered a leap this year. The Pusa Basmati (PB) 1121 variety of paddy sold for Rs 4,125 per quintal while the Muchhal variety fetched Rs 4,025 per quintal at the Sirsa grain market today.

These prices are almost double compared to last year’s rates when these varieties were sold between Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000 per quintal.

The PB 1121 and Muchhal are the two most common varieties grown in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts and these varieties registered an increase of Rs 400 per quintal when the grain markets opened on Tuesday after a four-day holiday on account of Diwali.

Market sources said the increase in the prices was due to a rise in export demands in countries such as Iran, Saudi Arab, Middle East and Europe.

“Growing Basmati has proved a wise decision for us this year. Earlier, we used to opt more for Parmal varieties because the government used to purchase these varieties,” said Om Prakash, a farmer at the Sirsa grain market.

He said with the per acre yield being 28 to 30 quintal, the crop was offering them returns of over Rs 1 lakh per acre.

In contrast, the farmers who had sown cotton and those who went for guar in hope of its prices escalating like last year, are at the receiving end this year.

With the price of cotton hovering near Rs 5,100 per quintal and the per acre yield being 8 quintal, it is difficult for farmers to recover their money spent on pesticides and other inputs.

Karnal, November 6
Appeals of Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and Baba Ramdev to the BJP and the INLD to form a broader alliance to defeat the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha polls notwithstanding, BJP and HJC leaders today asserted that the "alliance was solid like a rock" and going stronger. The presence of leaders of both parties to welcome the "Vijay Rath Yatra" here today indicated that BJP leaders were not enthusiastic about severing ties with the HJC and forge an alliance with the INLD.

Senior BJP leaders, including former Union Minister of State for Home, ID Swami, state BJP spokesperson Jagmohan Anand, state secretary Chander Prakash Kathuria, former minister Shashi Pal Mehta and Karnal district BJP chief Ashok Sukheja accompanied HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi when the yatra arrived here.

Addressing the workers, Kuldeep Bishnoi blamed the government for rising prices, corruption and unemployment and claimed that the yatra" was getting a tremendous response from people. BJP leaders said the alliance was solid and the ruling party was shaken by increasing acceptance of the alliance as an alternative to the Congress.

Chandigarh, November 6
With an eye on the forthcoming parliamentary and state assembly elections next year, the Hooda Government has unveiled another bonanza for the special backward classes and poor among the general category. Now, these categories would be able to avail the benefits of quota in government jobs which fell vacant even before February 28, 2013.

The state government’s U-turn on the quota for pre-February 28 jobs is seen as a move to woo the special backward classes comprising Jats, Bishnois, Rors, Tyagis and Jat Sikhs and economically backward classes in the general category. Earlier, in its order dated June 21, 2013, the Haryana Government had said the benefits of the quota for these categories would be applicable for only those jobs which were vacant from February 28 onwards.

A senior official, however, claimed that the new decision had been taken in public welfare in consonance with the advice of the Legal Remembrancer.

The new decision has to be seen in the backdrop of recent announcement by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda that about 65,000 vacant posts, including 25,000 of teacher, would be filled in the state soon. A majority of the posts to be filled had been lying vacant before February 28, 2013, sources claimed.

While the new decision would prove beneficial for these two categories, it would be a jolt to the general-category candidates.

“The retrospective implementation of the decision was against natural justice and fair play in government recruitments,” alleged Roshan Lal Arya, president of the Haryana Sarvajan Party.

Early this year, the Hooda Government had announced a 10 per cent quota each for the special backward classes and economically backward classes in the general category, taking the quota in government jobs to a whopping 67 per cent.

Meanwhile, terming the decision as “ethically and legally” wrong, Ravi Sharma, an advocate of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, said that the new decision could not override the existing notification.

Karnal, November 6
The Railway Police has arrested 83 persons, including Sant Gopal Das and 40 women, following a crackdown on protesters of Kalram, Araipur, Bharatpur, Lalupur and Amritpur villages who squatted on a track at Karnal railway station yesterday.

These persons were booked for rioting, obstructing railway traffic and damage to property under Sections of 147 and 148 of the IPC, Section 174 of the Railway Act and relevant Sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act on the complaint of the Karnal stationmaster.

The arrested persons were produced in a local court, which remanded them in 14-day judicial custody.

The villagers alleged that the police and the administration were biased against them and the arrests have been made as they had threatened to lodge protests at the Gohana rally to be addressed by AICC president Sonia Gandhi.

Narinder, a villager, said the police had failed to arrest the culprits who killed a bull and resorted to ruthless repression when they protested against police inaction.

The villagers threatened to intensify their agitation if the accused were not arrested within two days.

They today submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, through the City Magistrate, alleging that a rival group of farmers tried to crush the protesters under tractors and molest the women. The memorandum said the police had not acted against the culprits even after the villagers identified and named them. 

Jind, November 6
The Kandela khap panchayat has served an ultimatum on the police in the murder case of a 20-year-old youth, demanding arrest of the accused by November 12 and action against the police officials responsible for negligence in the case.

It said if the police failed to arrest the accused by Tuesday, it would then launch an agitation.

The youth’s body was found dumped near a canal on October 5.

Reports said, the victim identified as Amit Kumar, a college student, had gone missing on October 3. His parents received a ransom call on the same night, demanding Rs 10 lakh for his safe return. They lodged a kidnapping complaint with the police.

Interestingly, the police recovered the body of a youth and cremated it considering it as an unidentified body. Later, the clothes lying at the police station led to a revelation that the body cremated was of Amit Kumar.

Relatives of the student protested against police inaction and met the district police chief and other officials. They urged them to take action against the officials who did not take any action against the kidnapping complaint and later did not inform the family about the recovery of the body.

Though the police later managed to arrest three youths on the basis of phone call records of the victim and his friends, it is claimed that two accused, including one Parveen, were still absconding.

Sources said it was a group of friends of the victim who planned Amit’s kidnapping to draw money from his father who was a business man.

“With the police failing to arrest all the accused and no action taken against the SHO and other staff of the Sadar Police Station, the Kandela khap held a meeting here on Tuesday to discuss the issue,” said Dalip Singh Kandela, a member of the Kandela khap. He said the khap had demanded suspension of the police officials allegedly responsible for the murder and arrest of the two remaining accused by November 12.

Karnal, November 6
Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda today called upon lawyers to join the Gohana rally.

Addressing members of the bar association, Hooda said most of the leaders who spearheaded the freedom movement were lawyers.

Congratulating the scientists of ISRO for the Mission Mars, he said a medical college was being set up in the memory of Karnal-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Rice Millers Association has extended full support to the rally and announced a holiday for workers on November 10 so that they can attend it. 

Gurgaon, November 6
Haryana is fast emerging as a global golfing destination and Gurgaon, the corporate capital, has become a hub of golf. Gurgaon attracted nearly 30,000 golf tourists last year and their number is increasing steadily.

This was stated by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was here to attend a golf award ceremony here last evening. Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia was also present.

Hooda said he had been told that Gurgaon district has nine golf courses, the highest number in the country.

"Haryana Tourism Department has a plan to promote golf in a big way. The state government had created infrastructure by building various golf courses over the past few years," he maintained.

Hooda asserted that the Haryana government had given employment to 482 outstanding players under the employment guarantee scheme and Rs 50.85 crore as cash awards to outstanding sportspersons.

He claimed Haryana was the first state in the country to introduce a scholarship scheme for players belonging to the Scheduled Castes. Under the Fair Play Scholarship Scheme meant for sportspersons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the medal winners are given award money as well as a monthly scholarship for one year, Hooda added. 

Kurukshetra, November 6
Nikhil Gajraaj Deputy Commissioner urged people to help eradicate female foeticide. He was addressing students after administering them a pledge to curb it at Agrasen Public School, HUDA, Sector 13, here today.

He said everybody should take a pledge to curb this social menace. Civil Surgaon, Shiv Kumar, also addressed the gathering. 

Sonepat, November 6
A case of dowry death has been registered against Kuldeep of Chhapra village, his father Suraj Bhan, mother Ompati and younger brother Pawan after the death of Kuldeep's seven-month pregnant wife, Shushma, in suspicious circumstances yesterday.

The case was registered on the complaint of Shushma's father, Jai Bhagwan of Dairy Mohalla in Rohtak.

In his complaint, Jai Bhagwan stated that after receiving information from her in-laws that Shushma was not well, he along with other persons reached Chhapra village and found that she was dead.

He alleged that his daughter was strangled by her in-laws who used to harass and torture her for dowry since marriage in June last year.

In another case, Rakhi (24), mother of two children, committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance in her in-laws' house yesterday.

On the complaint of her father, Shamsher of Rohat village , a case has been registered against her husband Vikas, father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Kaithal, November 6
The CIA branch has recovered 12 stolen motorcycles from five thieves who were on police remand. They were today produced in a local court which sent them to judicial custody till 
November 20.

Police spokesperson Roshan Lal said the accused had confessed to stealing motorcycles from neighbouring districts. The police had been told to take further action in this matter. The accused had kept the stolen vehicles at their homes.

In the past three months, they had stolen motorcycles from Kaithal Judicial Complex, multi-speciality hospital, Habri Safidon, Nissing, Kurukshetra Park and other places. All the five accused Sonu, Ravi, Rahul, Bablu and kingpin Vikas were belong to Ardana village. 

Kurukshetra, November 6
A proclaimed offender, Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Vikas Nagar, Panipat, has been arrested.

He was booked under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A, IPC, at Shahabad on December 27, 2009. The court had also declared him a proclaimed offender on May 28, 2013.

He was today produced in a local court, which remanded him in judicial custody.

Jind, November 6
The police has arrested three persons in connection with the rape of a married woman.

In another incident, a youth has been nabbed for attempting to rape a teenaged girl at Dhamtan village.

The police said the three accused stopped the victim (35) while she was on her way to bring fodder from the fields on Monday noon. The complainant alleged while Virender forced himself on her in the nearby sugarcane fields, his accomplices, Sandeep and Navin, stood guard. She alleged that Sandeep and Navin who photographed the crime also attempted to rape her but fled after some people reached there as she raised the alarm.

In another incident, Gurmukh Singh was nabbed for attempting to rape a 15-year-old girl in his shop at Dhamtan village on Monday evening. It is alleged that the accused accosted the girl and closed down the shutter of his shop after pulling her inside. As the girl cried for help, people managed to open the shutter and rescued the girl. The accused who ran a barber shop was beaten up and handed over to the police. The police has registered a case.