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Furore in Parliament over JPC report on 2G allocations
House panel for Constitutional status to judicial commission
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BJP’s two Punjabi candidates win in Sriganganagar
Snooping, access to Headley to top India-US talks agenda
Ahead of Karzai visit, Kabul seeks military hardware from Delhi
House committee for review of golf courses on defence land
Sonia seeks report from state units on poll drubbing
Lesson from Delhi: BJP to select candidates carefully
telangana row
UP CM presents supplementary Budget
Meghalaya seeks Rs 31 cr in damages from agitators
SC to hear contempt case against Subrata Roy
kudankulam plant
AFT relief to Army docs not granted service extension
DRDO losing its trained scientists, says Antony
8 Pakistanis nabbed, boats seized
Trouble for M’rashtra tiger reserve
Anna on fast from today
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Furore in Parliament over JPC report on 2G allocations
New Delhi, December 9 Since this morning, issues of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh and pitiable conditions of children in relief camps for the Muzzafarnagar riot victims had dominated the proceedings with MPs holding placards and shouting for justice. At noon when the Lok Sabha reassembled after the first adjournment, the JPC report on 2G spectrum issue was tabled in the House by JPC Chairman P C Chacko. Speaker Meira Kumar disallowed any debate on the report at the presentation stage during Zero Hour, prompting members of the DMK, the UPA’s erstwhile partner, and Opposition members, including those from the BJP, Left, Trinamool Congress, the BJD and Shiromani Akali Dal, to stand up in protest. Yashwant Sinha, Harin Pathak (both BJP), Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) and Kalyan Banerjee (Trinamool) shouted that the report was a “fraud” on the Constitution, while the DMK members walked out of the House. At one stage, even BJP senior leader LK Advani got up to speak, but did not get a chance. Disallowing any debate, the Speaker said there no provision in the rules permitting a discussion or raising of objections before presentation of a report adopted by a JPC. “I am, therefore, not inclined to allow any debate or permit raising of objections at the stage of presentation of the report of the JPC,” she said as opposition members rose in protest. Even after the adjournment, members on either side continued to trade verbal volleys. The report of the JPC had given a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the 2G spectrum scam saying he was “misled” by the then Telecom Minister A Raja. DMK members, including T R Baalu and former Telecom Minister A Raja, later returned to the House and trooped into the Well as one of their members tore some papers. The JPC report rubbishes the figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss estimated by CAG, saying it was “ill-conceived”. Opposition members in the JPC have termed it as a “bundle of contradictions”. In the Rajya Sabha, BSP members trooped into the Well demanding dismissal of Uttar Pradesh government as they displayed newspaper reports saying children had died in Muzaffarnagar relief camps. SP members were on their feet raising the issue of price hike, but they could not be heard in the din. TDP members - C M Ramesh and Y S Chaudhary - too were in the Well displaying placard in favour of a united Andhra Pradesh. Chairman Hamid Ansari repeatedly asked members not to display banners and return to their seats. As members did not heed his request, he adjourned the House till noon. When the House re-assembled, Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP) wanted to raise the issue of the death of 50 children in Muzaffarnagar relief camps due to cold. As Deputy Chairman P J Kurien asked them to raise the issue later, BSP members, who were already on their feet, trooped into the Well shouting slogans and seeking "removal" of the Akhilesh Yadav government. PM was 'misled'
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House panel for Constitutional status to judicial commission
New Delhi, December 9 Acknowledging that the collegiums system had inherent deficiencies and problems of opacity and non-accountability, the Standing Committee of Parliament on law and justice said the structure and functions of the JAC should be defined in the Constitution itself. The commission should also be vested with the power to transfer judges. These changes would allay the apprehensions of the judiciary and legal luminaries that the executive would tamper with the composition and powers of the JAC at a later stage, the panel said in its report tabled in Parliament today. Panel chairman Shantaram Naik said that none of the democratic countries in the world had a mechanism on the lines of the collegium system by which Judges appointed Judges to the high courts and the Supreme Court. On the other hand, the commission system was there in the UK, South Africa, Russia, Canada, Sri Lanka and Japan. Introduced in the Rajya Sabha on August 29, the JAC Bill 2013 had been referred to the panel to suggest improvements in the legislation through wider consultation with all the stakeholders and the general public. The Rajya Sabha has already passed the related Constitutional Amendment Bill that is necessary to change the Collegium system of appointment introduced in 1993 by the Supreme Court through its two judgments by its Constitution Benches under which the selection of candidates for the post of judges to the high courts and the SC lies solely with the judiciary. Under the proposed Act, the JAC would have three Judges of the SC - the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and two senior-most judges, -- the Union Law Minister and two eminent persons who would be selected by a three-member panel comprising the Prime Minister, the CJI and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Under the collegium system, the CJI and four senior-most judges of the SC recommend to the government the names of candidates to be appointed as judges of the 24 HCs and the apex court. The government can raise objection and return the file to the collegium for a re-consideration. But if the collegium refused to withdraw the candidate, the government is bound to forward the name to the President for necessary appointment. Collegium system 'opaque'
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Spurred by Delhi win, AAP looks towards Mumbai
Mumbai, December 9 “We are enthused by the success in Delhi and will contest the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra,” AAP leader Mayank Gandhi said. Office-bearers of AAP’s Mumbai unit said they would soon kick off a membership drive in Mumbai, Pune and other cities of Maharashtra. The party is also expected to announce its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections ahead of other parties. Even before the victory in Delhi, AAP activists in Mumbai led by activist Anjali Damania have been collecting data on usage of funds by MPs and MLAs of the Congress and the BJP in Maharashtra. Damania, who blew the whistle on land-grab by several politicians of the Congress and the BJP in Maharashtra last year, has promised to come out with revelations in the coming months. Damania and her colleagues have already embarrassed senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari over his Purti group of companies, which has been accused of cornering plots of land using fraudulent means. From the Congress-NCP camp, the AAP has put Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and water resources minister Sunil Tatkare on the mat over the escalation of costs regarding projects undertaken by the state irrigation department. Gearing up for LS poll
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BJP’s two Punjabi candidates win in Sriganganagar
Abohar, December 9 The saffron party lost Sriganganagar seat to newly floated National Unionist Zamindara Party (NUZP) even as its prime ministerial candidate Narinder Modi had addressed public meeting here. Kamini Jindal, married to an IPS officer Gangandeep Singla, recorded win in Sriganganagar. Four-time legislator and Punjabi Arora community leader Radhey Shyam of the BJP had won in 2008 with a margin of 12,044 votes. But this time he lost to Kamini Jindal by a record margin of 37,068 votes. The NUZP recorded another significant win in Raisinghnagar as Sona Devi Bawri defeated Balveer Singh Luthra (BJP) by a margin of 21,553 votes. Former minister Gurjant Singh Brar (BJP), who had lost his traditional Sadulshehar seat bordering Abohar in 2008 by 2,875 votes, won by 4,808 votes. Party rebel and independent candidate Dr Brij Mohan Saharan got 27,967 votes.
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Snooping, access to Headley to top India-US talks agenda
New Delhi, December 9 Sujatha Singh, who is in Washington for Foreign Office consultations, is likely to convey to the American authorities that Indian security agencies need to interrogate Headley further in connection with the Mumbai mayhem. Informed sources said Washington has so far exhibited understanding of New Delhi’s position to interrogate Headley. “Our demand for access to Headley is on the table... it will be reiterated during the Foreign Secretary’s visit,” they said. Appreciating the cooperation received so far from the US Department of Justice in the issue, sources said New Delhi was fully aware of the plea bargain Headley has entered into with the US Government. India’s concerns over electronic snooping would also figure during talks between the two sides, sources said. “Our views on snooping were made known to the US authorities at a high level... what the disclosures and surveillance of our embassies mean to us. We have not got a satisfactory response and that is why we will raise it once more,’’ they added. India is determined to take up the snooping issue despite the National Security Agency (NSA), the US Intelligence Service, saying its tracking of cellphones overseas is legally authorised under a US presidential order. According to latest documents provided by former NSA employee Edward Snowden, who blew the whistle on Internet snooping by the US, the NSA gathers as many as five billion cellphone recons every date by tapping into cables. The US side is likely to brief Sujatha Singh on the differences that have delayed a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Washington and Kabul.
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Ahead of Karzai visit, Kabul seeks military hardware from Delhi
Addressing a press conference, Afghan Ambassador to India Shaida M Abdali noted that Kabul had given to New Delhi its ‘wish-list’ of the military equipment that his country needed on a priority basis. ‘’Discussions in pursuit of our list are going on...technical teams of the two countries have been meeting on a regular basis,’’ he said. The Afghan envoy said India had promised to provide all necessary assistance to Afghanistan to stand on its own feet. The Afghan National Security Force (ANSF), which would be tasked with ensuring the security of the nation after the withdrawal by foreign troops, required both equipment and training. India could play a major role in this task. He noted that nearly 350 Afghan Army personnel were undergoing training in India currently and many more were expected to be in this country in the coming months. Abdali said Afghanistan has also sought India’s assistance for reviving a maintenance factory of the Soviet-era which was in a shambles. Karzai's visit, his 14th in 12 years, comes at a time when his country is facing the drawdown of NATO troops, uncertainty over its signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US and just few months to go for elections. "The President is coming to India in this crucial period of history to apprise the Indian leadership on the current situation in Afghanistan, ground realities and to think far ahead, given the significance of the ties now, in 2014 and beyond," Abdali said. "It is imperative for the two countries to cooperate in all areas, including in security and defence," he said.
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House committee for review of golf courses on defence land
New Delhi, December 9 The PAC, headed by BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, in its report on “Defence estate management” tabled today said, “The committee deplores the gross misuse of golf courses and recommends that the entire policy of the golf courses be revisited comprehensively and appropriate remedial action taken to ensure that the recreational facilities needed for the armed forces are not misused or abused in any manner.” Terming it an ‘unauthorised use of defence land for golf and other activities’, the PAC said, “Golf cannot be considered a military activity. Under the Cantonment Land Administration Rules, 1937, the recreation grounds which are not strictly reserved for the use of troops alone can’t be used for golf courses.” The committee said it was surprised to note that in 2004, the Chief of the Army declared golf as a sports activity. The Chief had directed that no commercial activity would be undertaken on the golf courses such as sponsoring golf tournaments by corporate entities. The committee said, “It was shocked to find that defence authorities had been offering membership of the golf courses to civilians on payment basis so much so that in places like Delhi, even foreign diplomats were being given membership. The revenue generated from the civilian membership was not being credited to the government account.” Commenting on the management of leases, the committee said that as on March 2010, some 2,500 acres valuing Rs 11,033 crore was on lease for an annual rent of Rs 2.13 crore which is a pittance considering the market value of the land. “There are no visible efforts to renew 3,780 cases of lease renewal. In 1,800 cases, no requests were received for lease renewal and in 1081 cases, the status of leases was unknown”. Separately dealing with the issue of encroachment on defence land, the PAC said non-mutation of land records and non-utilisation of vast tracts of defence land only encouraged encroachment. These encroachments had increased from 6,903 acres in January 1997 to 14,539 acres in July 2009. The committee found that clubs and parks established for the benefit of defence personnel and their families are exploited by civilians for organising parties, marriages, exhibitions, etc. “Worse, the proceeds from such events are not being credited to the government’s account. There are instances of illegal constructions on such parks”. The PAC has asked the MoD to set up an inquiry in the matter. The audit scrutiny had centred around: Lacunae in application of land norms, variations in records of actual land holdings, computerisation of defence land records, mutation of defence land, non-utilisation or underutilisation of acquired land, commercial use of land, encroachment on defence land, unauthorised use of defence land for golf and other activities, defence land being used for schools, unauthorised use of defence land for parks and clubs, payment of compensation, dismal state of management of leases, cases of delay in renewal of leases and irregularities in management of old grant sites.
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Sonia seeks report from state units on poll drubbing
Sources said most of the 27 sitting MLAs who lost elections in Chhattisgarh today wrote emails to Sonia and Rahul complaining about internal sabotage at the hands of party leadership in the state. References were made in the emails to Congress leader Ajit Jogi putting up challengers in major constituencies where top Congress men were in contest. One such seat was the Sajja segment in Raipur area from where Congress Legislature Party chief Ravindra Choubey lost the election. The party leadership in Madhya Pradesh, in its initial assessment of losses, has blamed "new election techniques (read possible EVM tinkering)" for the humiliating loss in the state. "Even MLAs who got 91,000 seats lost elections in Madhya Pradesh. How can any candidate in an Assembly poll assume that someone with 91,000 votes would also lose?" asked a top Congress leader about losses in MP. The reference was to Pankaj Singh, Congress' sitting MLA from Indore who lost by 14,000 votes despite polling 91000. "EVM tinkering is an issue. There have been cases in MP where upon pressing the Congress symbol, the BJP button was flashing. We complained to the EC, but nothing happened," said a senior Congress leader pinning the blame on EVM tinkering. Sonia also received reports from Rajasthan general secretary and observer in charge Gurudas Kamat and Harish Rawat, respectively, and from general secretary in charge of Delhi Shakeel Ahmed on the terrible defeat in Delhi.
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Lesson from Delhi: BJP to select candidates carefully
New Delhi, December 9 Keeping in mind the growing importance of public perception, it is now also contemplating following party ideologue RSS’ principle of “chaal, charitra aur chintan” (behaviour, character, face and ideology) more assiduously while selecting candidates. Senior leaders admit that in the past issues were raised about identity-related problems in the party's internal meetings. Old timers and those with RSS affiliations attributed it to the increasing presence of “people with deep pockets” and "lacking commitment to the party's original ideals" on the party platforms. They say the rousing response to Arvind Kejriwal's image and ideology and his threat to launch AAP at the national level had set the thought of a more careful candidate selection procedure. “Observations have been made about the increasing presence of people with deep pockets on party platforms. There are also observations about a large number of people connected with real estate and property in state' organisation, including in Delhi,” said a senior party leader “There is nothing wrong with being associated with these businesses but as on date perceptions matter, especially with large number of youngsters involved in the poll process.” This is one of the biggest lessons that the BJP has learn from the Delhi experience. The AAP' experience has shown that detailing on work, image and background of a candidate can make a whole lot of difference. Had Harsh Vardhan been projected earlier, the situation might have been different in Delhi," added the leader. Interestingly, like the Congress, the BJP had also not expected AAP to win anything more than a couple of seats. Sources though say that senior leader Arun Jaitley had warned one week in advance about AAP making major gains, by then, it was already too late. To follow RSS principles strictly
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6 Cong MPs express no trust in govt
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 9 Four MPs of the Telegu Desam Party and three of YSR Congress Party also gave similar separate notices spelling fresh trouble for the beleaguered Congress which could land itself into trouble if the agitating MPs manage the support of 50 MPs on the no confidence notices. The move comes close on the heels of the Cabinet approving the bill to create a separate state of Telangana - something the Seemandhra MPs of the Congress, the TDP and the YSR Congress are opposing vehemently. Congress' own CM in Andhra Pradesh Kiran Kumar Reddy continues to rebel against the party stand openly. The no-confidence motion notice to fructify must be supported by 50 MPs of the Lok Sabha. Also in the six months period before such a motion is adopted, no similar motion should have been moved in the same House.
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UP CM presents supplementary Budget
Lucknow, December 9 A symbolic beginning to the ambitious metro project for Lucknow has been made in the Budget which allocated Rs 20 crore for setting it off. The Rs 90-crore already paid from the emergency fund towards the rehabilitation of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli riot victims has been allocated for reimbursement. The Rs 126-crore promised by the Akhilesh government to the sugar cane mill owners towards the exempted society commission of Sahkari Ganna Samitis has also been allocated in the Budget. Besides these measures a massive Rs 450 crore has been set aside for acquiring land for the Agra-Lucknow expressway and Rs 200 crore towards the Ram Manohar Lohia Gram Vikas scheme, a poll promise of the government for the underprivileged. Fallout of the Himalyan Tsunami was the supplementary Budget earmarking Rs 218 crore for the state disaster relief fund. The state’s share of Rs 900 crore for the Rajiv Gandhi rural electrification scheme has been made in the supplementary Budget along with Rs 100 crore for farmers insurance scheme. The House also paid glowing tributes to former South African President Nelson Mandela and observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the anti-apartheid icon whose struggle against tyranny and injustice was recalled by the members after which the house was adjourned for the day.
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Meghalaya seeks Rs 31 cr in damages from agitators
Guwahati, December 9 The on-going ILP agitation has caused frequent disruption of normal life and functioning of business organisations, education institutions, etc, besides precipitating violence and damage of property by miscreants. The damage suit of Rs 31 09 50 158 was filed by the state government against 14 pro-ILP pressure groups to ensure that they compensate the damages caused during the ILP-related agitation. The suit was filed in the special court of judicial magistrate R Rymbai. The damage suit was filed by B Khongwir, Under Secretary, Political Department, stating that the government incurred loss of Rs 31.09 crore during bandhs, picketing and blockades called by the pro-ILP groups since September 2. Criminal acts such as arson and violence took place, he said. The court held the first hearing on Tuesday. None of the pro-ILP pressure groups barring the Civil Society Women Organisation deposed before the special court on the first hearing.
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SC to hear contempt case against Subrata Roy
Roy is already facing another contempt case filed by market regulator SEBI in the SC in which he has been restrained from leaving the country without providing property documents worth Rs 20,000 crore as surety for the investors’ money the Sahara group had raised through fully convertible debentures floated by two of its real estate companies. In the 2G case, Roy had questioned the maintainability of the contempt plea raised by ED officer Rajeshwar Singh, contending that the ED should have taken the consent of the Attorney General before approaching the Supreme Court. Mounting troubles
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SC notice to Centre, AERB over fresh concerns
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, December 9 A Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra issued notice after hearing the plea that AERB had given clearance on July 4, 2013 for the commissioning of KKNPP without ensuring that all the safety measures had been taken. On May 6, 2013, the SC had given the green signal for the commissioning subject to meeting 15 requirements, covering radioactive effects and human rights. It had directed the AERB, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to oversee each and every aspect of safety, impact on environment, quality of various components and system before commissioning the plant. A safety compliance report should be filed in the SC before commissioning the plant, the Bench clarified while issuing the 15-point rider.
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AFT relief to Army docs not granted service extension
Chandigarh, December 9 Disposing of a bunch of petitions, the Tribunal has held that the impugned policy was bad in the eyes of law and could not be sustained. Holding the petitioners eligible for grant of extension in terms of the earlier policy that was in vogue before the impugned policy, the Tribunal has also quashed the release orders of the doctors and directed the Defence Ministry to consider their cases for grant of permanent commission. The petitioners had claimed that the extension of the tenures of short service medical officers would be automatic subject to fulfillment of laid down criteria, which they all complied with. They had also received a letter in 2001, informing the same. In 2012, however, a new policy was issued, stipulating that the extension would not be automatic but selection based and also changing the eligibility criteria. In November last year, the cases of 97 short service officers were commissioned and 47 were rejected. They contended that they had joined the Army Medical Corps (AMC) on the specific assurance that their extension was automatic as long as they fulfilled the earlier criteria and that the new policy, which was made effective retrospectively by linking it with merit-cum-availability of vacancies, operated unequally among short service officer who were similarly placed. They added that even though the vacancies were available, the respondents, on some arbitrary reasoning, decided to release experienced officers. The vacancies in the AMC for short service officers had been reduced by 50 per cent and there were to be replaced by fresh recruits. The observations
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DRDO losing its trained scientists, says Antony
New Delhi, December 9 Actually, there is a healthy decline in the number of scientists quitting over the previous five years. In April 2008, Antony had told the House that a whopping 1,107 scientists had put in papers between 2003-07.
Antony revealed that the scientists have cited personal and domestic grounds as the reasons for quitting the
DRDO. “However, it is assumed that the increased opportunities and incentives available in other organisations and industries is the main reason of such resignations,” Antony’s reply said. He listed the incentives announced to discourage the exodus. These include two additional increments on promotion to each grade, up to six variable increments on promotions granted on fast track and professional update allowance to all scientists.
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8 Pakistanis nabbed, boats seized
Kutch (Guj), December 9 The operation was carried out today afternoon by hovercraft launched from the Jakhau Coast Guard Station, official sources said. The BSF and the ICG have also launched search operations to trace five other suspected Pakistani nationals, who managed to flee. Nothing incriminating has been recovered from them and, prima facie, they seem to be fishermen, officials said. They will be brought to Koteshwar, subjected to medical tests and then be taken to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC).
— PTI
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Trouble for M’rashtra tiger reserve
Mumbai, December 9 The Navegaon-Nagzira tiger reserve notified by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) less than two weeks ago needs to be formally set up by the Maharashtra Government. Sources say the formal notification is pending as the 1980 MW coal power plant belonging to the Adani group is located less than 9 km from the boundary of the reserve. Apart from the power plant, National Highway 6 also passes close to the boundaries of the reserve. "The state government will have to declare a buffer zone around the tiger reserve," said a forest department official. The tiger reserve comprises five protected areas (PAs) - the Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, Navegaon National Park, Navegaon Wildlife Sanctuary and Koka Wildlife Sanctuary. |
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Anna on fast from today
Ralegan Siddhi, December 9 He said the government and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had promised to pass the Bill. “I will sit on an indefinite fast demanding that the government should bring the Bill in the winter session of Parliament as the country is suffering from corruption,” Hazare said. — ANI
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New Delhi, December 9
New Delhi, December 9
New Delhi, December 9