Thursday, August 6, 1998
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N A T I O N |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Apex court comes to
student’s rescue |
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 Mrs Geeta Mukherjee, MP, leading a group of women in black sarees to Parliament to register their protest against the government’s failure to introduce the Women’s Reservation Bill in New Delhi on Wednesday. — PTI |
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HC rejects plea
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HC rejects plea to postpone report MUMBAI, Aug 5 (PTI) — The Mumbai High Court today turned down a petition apprehending "reopening of old wounds and fresh violence" and seeking direction to restrain the Maharashtra Government from tabling the report of the Srikrishna Commission of Inquiry into the 1992-93 riots and subsequent serial blasts in the state legislature until Divali. A Division Bench headed by Mr Justice B,P. Saraf, rejecting the petition, said it was totally misconceived. The petition, filed by the Brashtachar Nirmoolan Sanghatana, contended that unrest in the state following the riots in the city during 1992-93 had now settled down and that the relations between the Hindus and Muslims had become cordial. Citing press reports, counsel for the petitioners, Shakuntala Joshi contended that if the Srikrishna panel report was now made public there was a possibility of "reopening of old wounds resulting in fresh riots". Moreover, Ganpati and Divali festivals were fast approaching and, therefore, the government be directed not to make the report public till then. The judges noted that the petitioner was not even aware that Justice B.N. Srikrishna had submitted his report to the government on February 16 last and that the latter was under statutory obligation under the Commissions of Inquiry Act to table it in the legislature within six months. Also, the petitioner was not aware that many petitions had been filed before the high court urging for direction to the state to table the report early, the judges said. The petition first came up for hearing before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M.B. Shah and Mr Justice Mr Y.S. Jahagirdar. However, the judges directed the petitioner to mention its case before a Division Bench headed by Justice Saraf which was already seized of the matter concerning the Srikrishna Commission report. Later, the court took on record the statement made by Advocate-General C.J. Sawant that an announcement had been made in the state legislature this morning that the Srikrishna panel report would be tabled before both Houses tomorrow. The Advocate-General made this statement in view of an undertaking given by him to the high court on June 25 last that the Srikrishna panel report would be tabled by August 5. The petitions, filed by
the Bombay Aman Committee, the All-India Milli Council,
the Ulema Council, Mr Nasim Akhtar of Muslim Youth
Federation and the People’s Union for Civil
Liberties, seeking early release of the Srikrishna
report, would now come up for hearing on August 10 |
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Send more forces to J&K: MP NEW DELHI, Aug 5 (PTI) — Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, BJP MP from Udhampur-Doda of Jammu and Kashmir, today demanded the raising of special battalions of paramilitary forces from Jammu to combat the recent spurt in militant killings in the region. Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Gupta said the measure would help in effectively containing militancy in the region because of the inhabitants’ familiarity with the topography. The battalions thus raised would also be useful in checking infiltration from Pakistan. Lashing out at Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, the Lok Sabha member said he being the head of the joint security command owed an explanation to the people as to why nearly eight battalions of the Army were withdrawn from Doda district. He also charged that the civil administration in the state had totally collapsed due to non-availability of the Chief Minister, who is away in London. There is nobody to listen to people’s grievances, he said. Stressing that Doda district had strategic importance, the MP from the area said the militants, if allowed to entrench themselves there, could pose a serious threat to the security of the nation. He urged the Centre to immediately rush additional forces to the area and also to find out as to how the terrorists were able to maintain supply after their entry from the border, which is almost 3 km away. He also demanded
strengthening of the Village Defence Committees (VDCS)
and equipping of at least one member in each VDC with
automatic weapons. |
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File FIR against Karunanidhi, demands Jaya CHENNAI, Aug 5 (UNI) — AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalitha today demanded the filing of a first information report (FIR) and framing of a charge sheet against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on the basis of the final report of the Jain Commission, which she said indicted him on several counts. In a statement here, she alleged that as the final report of the commission, which probed the conspiracy aspects in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, had indicted Mr Karunanidhi on 13 counts, there was no need for an investigation by the multi-disciplinary monitoring agency (MDMA) of the CBI as recommended by the government in its action taken report (ATR) on the final report. She alleged that Justice M.C. Jain in his report stated that Mr Karunanidhi had abetted the killers of Rajiv Gandhi and also helped the assassins of EPRLF leader Padmanabha to escape to Sri Lanka. She said the report also stated that six of those involved in the murder of Padmanabha returned to Tamil Nadu and had played a significant role in the assassination of the former Prime Minister. The final report while referring to Mr Karunanidhi in 13 instances, had pointed out that he had "lied" before the commission, Ms Jayalalitha alleged and added that Mr Karunanidhi had committed an act of "perjury". Mr Karunanidhi had also
submitted, what she alleged, a forged letter written by
former state Home Secretary Nagarajan, before the
commission. It had been proved that the letter was not
written by Mr Nagarajan, she claimed. |
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Apex court comes to student’s rescue NEW DELHI, Aug 5 (PTI) — The Supreme Court has come to the rescue of an aspiring doctor by making it clear that a student appearing for an entrance examination should not suffer due to an invigilator’s mistake in providing a wrong answer paper and the resultant loss of time in rectifying the same. Ms Tulasi Priya contended in the apex court that she could attempt only 170 out of 200 questions bearing a mark each while appearing for the engineering agriculture and medical common entrance test (EAMCET) in Andhra Pradesh in 1996 as she lost 20 minutes of the three hour test between the invigilator’s mistake and its subsequent rectification. She said though she got 160.75 marks which constituted 94.55 per cent marks of the 170 attempted questions, these were not enough to get her a seat in a medical college in the state. A Division Bench comprising justice S.P. Bharucha and Justice K. Venkataswami ruled yesterday that she could not be held liable for the invigilator’s mistake and her percentage in the entrance examination should be taken as 94.55. "In the circumstances and to do complete justice, it is necessary to direct that Priya shall be considered for admission to a medical college in the state of Andhra Pradesh in a seat from the quota of the state for the academic session upon the basis that she has secured 94.55 per cent marks at the EAMCET," the bench ordered. The A.P. State Council of Higher Education had contended that the mistake in supply of the answer paper "was discovered very soon after the students commenced the examination and within a few minutes of the starting of the examination, a correct answer book was delivered to Priya". Rejecting the contention, the Bench said, "the case that Priya has put forward seems, in any event, to have the ring of truth. It is unlikely that the invigilator would have immediately replaced the wrong answer paper that she had supplied Priya without consulting one or more colleagues .... and this would have taken quite sometime." The High Court while dismissing her petition had observed that if there had been a delay there was a genuine grievance. But Priya, without protesting, had continued to answer and had submitted the answer paper after the examination was over." The apex court, disagreeing with the High Court, said, "it is unrealistic to expect a young and, no doubt, nervous student in the midst of an important examination to think of submitting written protest there and then." "The refusal of the
High Court to interfere on this ground, has regrettably,
compounded the injustice done to Priya," the Bench
said. |
Lt-Governor reviews security scenario Tribune News Service NEW DELHI, Aug 5 — The Lt- Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor, today reviewed the security scenario in the Capital. A meeting with Police Commissioner V.N. Singh and other senior officers, he was apprised of the possibility of attempts by some militant organisations to create trouble during this month. According to a Raj Nivas press release, several important functions are going to take place in the next 10 days. These include the Urs at Nizamuddin, Janamashtami celebrations and the Independence Day celebrations, which this year will be on an extended scale. At the meeting an assessment was made of all available information and areas requiring special arrangements were identified. Stress was laid on the collection of specific intelligence reports. The Ministry of Home Affairs has been requested for additional central forces to supplement the resources of the Delhi police. Home Guards, civil defence personnel and the watch and ward staff of organisations like the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) are being pressed into service so that the extent of vigilance and regulatory arrangements may be maximised. The Lt-Governor reviewed various measures of fire safety in cinema halls, high-rise buildings, guest houses and discussed mechanism for reducing the response time of the fire-fighting machinery in the city. Among other things, it was decided at the meeting that the response time would be reduced by establishing new fire stations and exploring possibilities of smaller and more mobile quick response vehicles and the Delhi Fire Service will establish contact with the Defence Institute of Fire Research for finding out more suitable state of the art equipment for the Capital. The Lt-Governor asked the
Home Department to issue guidelines for ensuring safety
in temporary pandals and shamianas and to make efforts to
ensure its strict compliance. |
Six kids’ death to be probed Tribune News Service NEW DELHI, Aug 5 — The Delhi Government and the Delhi Police will inquire into the death of six children in South-West Delhi, who drank contaminated water allegedly supplied by the Delhi Jal Board. The inquiry for the Delhi Government will be conducted by the Deputy Commissioner of South-West Delhi, Mr K. Narsimhan and the report will be submitted on August 7. Addressing a press conference the Delhi Chief Minister, Mr Sahib Singh, today said the death of six children had been confirmed in the Bharat Vihar jhuggi cluster in the Kakrola area. The deceased are Parvez, Laxmi, Neha, Rahul, Bankeshwari and Radha. However, unconfirmed reports put the death toll at 11 and said more than 50 persons had fallen ill after drinking the contaminated water. Mr Sahib Singh denied that the contaminated water, which led to the deaths, was being supplied by the Delhi Jal Board tankers. "The water in the area is supplied by a private water tanker hired by the Delhi Development Authority," he said. The initial investigations have revealed that the contaminated water was being supplied for the last couple of days. The Delhi Jal Board had started supplying water to the area as the private operator was not able to meet the demand, Mr Sahib Singh explained. Mr Narsimhan will probe into how the contaminated water was being supplied, whether any quality checks had been carried out and who were responsible for the incident. The Deputy Commissioner would also find out whether prompt medical attention was extended to the children. Mr Sahib Singh said the financial compensation to the next of kin would be decided upon only after the probe. Senior officials of the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Delhi Jal Board and
the Delhi Development Authority visited the Bharat jhuggi
cluster this morning to make an on-the-spot assessment of
the situation. |
Bihar seeks help to counter floods PATNA, Aug 5 (PTI) — The Bihar Government has sought the help of the Army to intensify relief and rescue operations as the overall flood situation continued to be grim, affecting nearly six million people in northern parts of the state. Chief Minister Rabri Devi said she had asked the state Relief and Rehabilitation Department to seek two columns of high speed boats and helicopters from the Army to speed up relief measures for the affected population in Darbhanga and Purnea divisions of north Bihar. The state government, she said, had constituted a cabinet sub-committee to review the flood situation on a daily basis as also keep a close watch on the distribution of foodgrains, polythene sheets, kerosene, readymade foodpackets and medicine among the flood-hit people. The Chief Minister, who reviewed the overall flood situation at a high-level meeting here yesterday, warned the state officials against any lapse on their part in providing relief. The meeting was attended, among others, by Water Resource Minister Jagdanand Singh, Agriculture Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui and senior state government officials. Urging the Centre to
provide "adequate funds" for relief operations,
the Chief Minister said the state government had so far
spent Rs 20.50 crore as flood relief. |
Demonstration by Kashmiri Pandits Tribune News Service NEW DELHI, Aug 5 — Kashmiri pandits demonstrated near the Pakistan High Commission here today to protest against the continuing massacres by Pakistan-aided terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Raising slogans against Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and fundamentalist Islamic outfits, the activists of the Panun Kashmir submitted a protest note to the Pakistan High Commission. Pakistan was responsible for the ongoing proxy war and violation of human rights of Hindus, Panun Kashmir chairperson, Shakti Bhan said, and urged the US government to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. Kashmiri pandits also asked the Centre to declare Doda, Rajouri and Poonch as disturbed areas and protect the life and property of citizens.
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NEW DELHI, Aug 5 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today reserved its order on a suit pertaining to certain allegations against Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) Trust saying it would have to be seen whether certain portions of the plaint were to be deleted for either being "unnecessary or scandalous". Justice S.K. Mahajan reserved the order after he was not fully satisfied with certain averments made by lawyer P.N. Lekhi, who filed the suit. The court said arguments on the maintainability of the suit would only be heard after the pronouncement of the order on deletion of the "unnecessary" portions in the plaint. Mr Lekhi sought the
removal of Ms Sonia Gandhi as the chairperson of the
trust, examination of the trust deed and removal of
paragraph 9 of the deed. |
Woman to get award for saving 22 kids CHIKMAGALUR, Aug 5 (UNI) — A woman plantation labourer, who saved the lives of 22 children who were caught in a fire, has been selected for the President’s Jeevan Raksha Award. Official sources said yesterday that the woman, Sunanda, hailing from Mandarthi village in Udupi district, had showed the presence of mind and acted quickly to save the children who were caught in a fire in the Ramphal coffee estate near Jayapura, in Chikmagalur district, on February 14, 1997. Two children were charred to death in the mishap. Sunanda, who was working
in the estate, rushed out on hearing the cries of the
children and dragged them out. |
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GUWAHATI, Aug 5 (PTI) — Former Assam Chief Minister Kesab Chandra Gogoi died at his residence in Dibrugarh today, family sources said. He was 76. Mr Gogoi was the Chief Minister for three months between January 13 and March 19, 1982. He also served as the Revenue Minister under his successor, Mr Hiteshwar Saikia. The former Chief Minister had represented the Dibrugarh Assembly constituency for four terms from 1978 to 1996 on a Congress ticket. Before joining politics, Mr Gogoi was the Principal of Kanoi Law College in Dibrugarh, a designated senior advocate and Chairman of the Assam Board of Revenue. He is survived his wife,
three sons and two daughters. |
Concern over delay in scribes' pay revision THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Aug 5 (PTI) — The Kerala Assembly today unanimously expressed concern at the delay in the submission of the report of the Manisana Singh Wage Board set up for journalists and non-journalists. Echoing the concern of the House, Speaker M. Vijayakumar said the state government should take the matter up with the Centre. The matter was raised by government Chief Whip T.K. Hamsa during zero hour through a submission. The earlier Bachawat Wage Board was set up in 1986 and its recommendations were implemented in 1989, said Mr Hamsa. The next wage board should ideally have been constituted in 1991. The Chief Whip pointed out that newspapers in Kerala were economically sound with revenues from advertisement and circulation and that there would not be any problem in implementing the wage board recommendations. The issue was a special case, the Speaker said and he would allow Leader of the Opposition, A.K. Antony, also to speak. Mr Antony said the wage
board was dragging on unreasonably. Steps should be taken
to prevent any further delay in the submission of the
report, he added. |
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NEW DELHI, Aug 5 (UNI) — Congress President Sonia Gandhi today appointed former union minister Jagdish Tytler as one of the vice-presidents of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) along with 11 others, Mr M.M. Aggarwal as the treasurer and 18 general secretaries. AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes in a release said 40-member executive committee of the PCC would comprise seven other members, apart from already appointed DPCC chief Sheila Dixit, 13 vice-presidents and 18 general secretaries. Former Lok Sabha members Sajjan Kumar and Mr Jai Prakash Aggarwal, local MLAs, Mr Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Ms Krishna Tirth and Subhash Chopra are among the newly appointed vice-presidents and Ms Anjana Kanwar, Mr Jai Kishen, Mr Deepak Bhagat, Mrs Kiran Choudhary, Mr Ramesh Sabharwal and Mr Hassan Ahmed as general secretaries. The executive will also have permanent invitees in the form of AICC office bearers, all former presidents, leaders in the state assembly and the Delhi Municipal Corporation and heads of frontal organisations. There would be 42 special
invitees in the executive committee, besides a six-member
disciplinary committee with Dr Roshan Lal as the chairman
and five-member ethics committee headed by Mr Brij Mohan. |
| In
brief 8 activists
arrested in Manipur Goa Youth Congress
dissolved Banana stems 'can
remove N-wastes' Glory of Dwarka to be
restored Idols stolen from Jain
temple |
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