Sunday, January 17, 1999
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CJI disagrees with President NEW DELHI, Jan 16 — The Chief Justice of India, Mr Adarsh Sein Anand has asserted that merit alone is the criterion for the appointment of judges even as a news magazine reported today that the President Mr K.R. Narayanan favoured due representation to weaker sections like SCs and STs in the judiciary. PM's
remarks anger Sena |
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 BHOPAL: Devotees offering prayer on the occasion of last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, at Tajul Masjid in Bhopal. — PTI
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Gul is Miss India PUNE, Jan 16 — A twenty-year-old girl, Gul, won the Femina Miss India Universe ’99 crown at a glittering ceremony here tonight. Thakre allots party work NEW DELHI, Jan 16 — In a move to strengthen the party, the BJP President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, today allotted work to his colleagues and made the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Sunderlal Patwa Vice-President in charge of Uttar Pradesh. Ajay, Kajol bag Screen
awards Punjab
Police harassing editor Scouts
and Guides conference in India
Sangam
of dance & music |
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Judges' appointment NEW DELHI, Jan 16 (PTI) — The Chief Justice of India (CJI), Mr Adarsh Sein Anand has asserted that merit alone is the criterion for the appointment of judges even as a news magazine reported today that the President Mr K.R. Narayanan favoured due representation to weaker sections like SCs and STs in the judiciary. "Our Constitution envisages that merit alone is the criterion for all appointments to the Supreme Court and high courts. We are scrupulously adhering to these provisions," Mr Justice Anand was quoted as saying in the latest issue of India Today. The President, according to the weekly, had recorded his views in an official file that "it would be consonant with constitutional principles and the nation’s social objectives if persons belonging to weaker sections of society, who comprise 25 per cent of the population, and women are given due consideration." "Eligible persons from these categories are available and their under-representation or non-representation would not be justifiable," Mr Narayanan commented. These comments were forwarded to the CJI by the Law Minister M. Thambi Durai. The CJI told the magazine, "All eligible candidates, including those belonging to the SCs and STs, are considered by us while recommending names for the appointment as Supreme Court judges. The Law Minister, as reported by the weekly, supported the President saying that "personally I am for reservation. The spirit of Constitution should be followed in all fields including the judiciary." However, he refrained from taking an unequivocal view on the issue and said, "My job is just to forward the President’s suggestion to the CJI and the collegium (of judges) for their consideration. Now it is up to them to take a view on this." In the interview, Mr Justice Anand expressed concern over the delay in judicial appointments saying that some of the high courts are working with less than half their sanctioned strength. A nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had on October 28 clarified certain doubts raised by the President on the consultation process involved in the appointment of judges. A month thereafter, the President while appointing four judges to the apex court, had recorded his views in the official file, the magazine said. Mr Justice Anand had the opinion that the recommendation of the collegium of judges and the CJI was binding on the government "unless a very serious charge (against the recommended person) comes to the notice of the government." However, the Law Minister
said, "the President can refer back any appointment.
He is not a rubber stamp." |
PM's remarks anger Sena NEW DELHI, Jan 16 (PTI) — The Shiv Sena today joined issue with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee saying party activists were willing to "fight on the border" as "suggested" by him yesterday provided the government equipped them with sophisticated weapons. "We are not cowards. We are patriots. We accept the Prime Minister’s suggestion. We are ready to go and fight the killers of Kashmiri Pandits and other innocents but the government should provide us with sophisticated weapons," Sena’s Delhi unit chief Jai Bhagwan Goyal told PTI. Rebuking the Shiv Sena, Mr Vajpayee had told a delegation of eminent persons yesterday that "there is nothing brave in digging up the pitch under cover of darkness. If they want to fight, they should go and fight on the border." Mr Goyal, who went underground following the crackdown in the wake of the digging of the pitch at Ferozeshah Kotla, dismissed media reports about self-immolation plans by Sena’s suicide squads as "rubbish." Attributing the statements to "self-styled leaders working without party supremo Balasaheb Thackeray’s authorisation", Mr Goyal said, "we are not cowards to commit suicide. We have our own style of registering a protest." He also reiterated the party’s resolve to disrupt the Pakistani bus on its return journey to Lahore tomorrow. Meanwhile, the BJP today condemned the Shiv Sena for its continued opposition to the forthcoming Indo-Pak cricket series and said there should be no obstacles in the way of people to people contact between India and Pakistan. "We condemn the digging up of the pitch in Delhi by Shiv Sainiks," party spokesman K.L. Sharma told reporters here. On Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s retort to the Prime Minister, Mr A.B. Vajpayee, that Shiv Sainiks would go and fight on the border as suggested by him if they were given sophisticated arms, Mr Sharma quipped. "They did not need weapons for digging up the pitch at Ferozeshah Kotla". On the dismissal of
Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat and his charges against the
government, Mr Sharma said "the government’s
decision is final. However, he can go to seek any remedy
he wants and is free to do so".
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Sonia's Iftar party low-key affair NEW DELHI, Jan 16 — The Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, today hosted an Iftar at the party headquarters which was attended by a host of dignitaries, including members of the diplomatic corps and political personalities of several parties. Prominent political personalities who attended included former Prime Minister, Mr Chander Shekhar, former Union Home Minister, Mr Indrajit Gupta, former Railway Minister, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, the Janata Dal President, Mr Sharad Yadav and BSP’s Mr Akbar Ahmed "Dumpy". Former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and his wife, Ms Sharmila Tagore, former Indian hockey captain Zafar Iqbal and film star Akbar Khan were also present. The Congress President personally went around exchanging pleasantries with the invitees while refusing to take questions from media. Incidentally, the Congress party’s Iftar clashed with the one hosted by the Samajwadi Party chief, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, who too was invited by the Congress. Mr Yadav had expressed his
inability to attend the Congress Iftar. The Rashtriya
Janata Dal chief, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, and the Prime
Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee were also not present.
No CPM leader was seen at the party. |
Gul is Miss India PUNE, Jan 16 (PTI) — A twenty-year-old girl, Gul, won the Femina Miss India Universe ’99 crown at a glittering ceremony here tonight. Yukta and Shivangi, both from Mumbai, won the Miss India World and Miss India Asia-Pacific titles, respectively. Of the 29 girls participating in the contest, nine were selected for the semi-final and the number was then pruned to five for the final round. Actresses Sridevi, Urmila Matondkar, Karisma Kapoor, former Miss World and actress Aishwarya Rai, former captain of West Indies Cricket team Vivian Richards, tabla maestro Zakir Husain, industrialist Anil Ambani and journalist Vir Sanghvi were the judges. |
Thakre allots party work NEW DELHI, Jan 16 — In a move to strengthen the party, the BJP President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, today allotted work to his colleagues and made the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Sunderlal Patwa Vice-President in charge of Uttar Pradesh. While most of the states have been allotted to the central office-bearers, in charge of the Delhi and Madhya Pradesh units would be announced later, BJP spokesman K.L. Sharma told newspersons here. Although Mr Patwa replaced Mrs Mridula Sinha as the Vice-President, who took over as Chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board, another Vice-President, Mr Karia Munda, was not allotted any work. Mr Munda, who was a minister both in the Janata Party government of Mr Morarji Desai, was likely to be inducted into the Union Cabinet, party sources said. Mr Thakre also appointed the former UP MLA, Mrs Jyotsna Srivasatva, as secretary. The BJP Vice-President, Mr K. Janakrishnamurthy, was given charge of the headquarters. Mr Kailashpati Mishra, another Vice-President, was given charge of Bihar and West Bengal and Mr Bangaru Laxman would be in charge of Tamil Nadu. Mr J.P. Mathur would look after the media cell and the workers’ grievances redressal cell. Among the General Secretaries, Mr K.N. Govindacharya was given charge of Rajasthan and the training programme of party workers. Surprisingly, Mr Thakre kept with himself the charge of the organisation which he held even as a general secretary during Mr L.K. Advani’s time. Sources said the secretary holding charge of the organisation was an important post and Mr Thakre decided to keep the charge with himself as he did not want a message to go that either of the four general secretaries was superior to the others. Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu would be in charge of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and coordinate between the party and the government apart from being in charge of elections and the Parliamentary Board. Mr Narendra Modi would look after Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Chandigarh and the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. Mr Sanghpriya Gautam would look after Maharashtra, Goa and the Scheduled Caste Morcha. Mrs Sumitra Mahajan, who was being tipped to be included in the government, was made in charge of Gujarat and the Mahila Morcha. Mr Ved Prakash Goyal, party treasurer, was made in charge of Overseas Friends of BJP. Among the secretaries, Mr Padamnabh Acharya would look after Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram. Mr Rajeveer Singh would have the charge of the Andamans and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim and the Kisan Morcha. Mr Pyarelal Khandelwal would look after Assam, Orissa and the Aajeevan Sahyogi Scheme and Mr Basavraj Patil would be in charge of Kerala. Mr Tanvir Ahmed would continue to look after the Minority Morcha and Mr P. S. Kulaste would be in charge of the Scheduled Tribe Morcha. The National Executive Committee member, Mr Bansilal Soni would be in charge of West Bengal and Tripura. Mr Thakre appointed Mr Naidu, Mr Sharma and Mr Mathur as party spokesmen. Earlier, Mr Sharma demanded the resignation of the Orissa Chief Minister, Mr J.B. Patnaik, on moral grounds and said that if he was reluctant to do so then the Congress Working Committee should intervene in the matter. "The situation in Orissa is serious and there has been a demand within the Congress as well as from the Opposition for Mr Patnaik’s resignation", Mr Sharma said, adding that either the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, should have personally visited Orissa or sent a fact-finding team. The BJP spokesman said Mrs
Sonia Gandhi, instead, preferred to visit Gujarat, where
the state government had taken steps to maintain law and
order and arrest the culprits behind attacks on
minorities. |
Ajay, Kajol bag Screen awards MUMBAI, Jan 16 (UNI) — Star Ajay Devgan and Kajol bagged the best actor and actress awards at the 5th Screen Videocon Award held at Andheri Sports Complex in north-west Mumbai tonight. Kajol won the award for her role in the film "Dushman" while Ajay Devgan bagged the award for "Zakhm". The year's biggest blockbuster "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" won in the director, best film, best comedian, best music categories. Noted actor Sunil Dutt was conferred the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award while Asha Bhosle was given the Special Jury Award for her contribution to Indian music in the international arena. The four-hour programme
which celebrated romance on the celluloid was compared by
actress Renuka Shahane And television anchor Cyrush
Broacha. The highlights were performances by Rani
Mukherjee, Govinda, Rekha, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan,
Shilpa Shetty and A.R. Rahman, Mamata Kulkarni, Javed
Jafri and Raajeswari. |
Punjab Police harassing editor NEW DELHI, Jan 16 (PTI) — Delhi Press group of publications today accused the Punjab Police of “unnecessarily harassing” members of its editorial board in connection with a contempt case pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Addressing a press conference here, the group’s Managing Editor Paresh Nath alleged that nearly 40 Punjab Police personnel from Rajpura raided his house in a south Delhi colony on January 12 in a bid to arrest him, his brothers Naresh Nath and Rakesh Nath and their father Vishwa Nath. He claimed that the Punjab Police came to their house to arrest them in connection with a contempt of court case filed by a Rajpura citizen Anand Narain Sharma accusing the group of publishing a “religiously inflammatory” article in its magazine ‘Sarita’ in May last year despite a restraint order by a court. However, Mr Nath said “there is no immediate provocation for the Punjab Police to arrest them as their petition for quashing of the contempt case is pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court .” He said the police action was “politically motivated” as the complainant was a close associate of a top BJP leader in Punjab. The act of the Punjab Police had put a question mark on the “freedom of speech and expression” granted by the Constitution Mr Nath said. He claimed that the group
had already obtained stay on the arrest of its editorial
board members from a Sessions court in Punjab on January
14. |
Scouts and Guides conference in
India NEW DELHI, Jan 16 — The Bharat Scouts and Guides (BS and G) will organise the 20th Asia-Pacific Region (APR) conference in New Delhi. The National Commissioner of Bharat Scouts and Guides, Mr L.M. Jain, said it was for the first time that India will be organising the conference where various issues on the movement would be discussed. Mr Jain said “We succeeded in the bid to host the 20th APR Scout conference against a tough contest”. The Bharat Scouts and Guides is a voluntary, non-sectarian and non-communal organisation with the membership of more than 29 lakh in India out of which there are 19.5 lakh Scouts and 9.5 lakh Guides. The objectives of the Scouts and Guides movement are based on the principles, purposes and methods propounded by Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the movement. It is devoted to the development of character of the new generation and selfless service to the country, Mr Jain said. He pointed out that they hold jamborees at national and state levels. The 13th national and third SAARC jamboree was held at Khurda, Orissa in last January in which more than 25,000 youth participated from India and abroad. The national- level jamboree is held once in four years. The (BS and G) is
affiliated to the World Organisation of Scout Movement
(WOSM) and the World Association of Girl Guides and Boy
Scouts (WAGGS). The representatives from BS and G have
been attending international conferences and
participating in various international jamborees. |
Bertolucci’s film livens up fest HYDERABAD, Jan 16 — Italy’s ace film director Bernardo Bertolucci’s presence at the venue of IFFI ’99, and the screening of his latest film “Besieged,” has had an electrifying impact on the otherwise dull proceedings of the festival, Bertolucci, known for an impressive range of filmography spanned over four decades, including “Last Tango In Paris” (1973) which earned him a two-month prison sentence in Italy for obscenity, and the nine-Academy Award winner “The Last Emperor” (1991), was given the first lifetime achievement award, instituted this year by the Government of India, last evening at an impressive ceremony. The maestro’s latest venture, “Besieged,” followed the occasion. Since his arrival at the festival venue, Bertolucci who wrote poetry before walking into films on the bidding of Italy’s legendary director Pasolini at the young age of 22, has spoken eloquently on a vast range of subjects, including the challenges the art of film-making faces today. He said the language of cinema was undergoing dramatic mutation as there were other languages with images as mode of expression, particularly the television. “Television is live image, therefore impermanent, but its existence cannot be denied. It is there like the cloud and the rain,” he said. This new reality about the images was going to change the scenario of the cinema in the next century, he added. Speaking of his own approach to making films, he said he never liked to repeat himself; he was obsessed with the idea of change. Normally, a good film-maker reached a position of height from where he repeated his success. That was not his idea of film-making. The larger epic canvas in “The Last Emperor” was never repeated in later films and in his newest offering, “Besieged,” he had opted for the micro lyrical setting. A really good film director would always let the doors of his set open for reality to burst in. That was why he believed in improvisation and in times of crisis his intuition had a precedence over reasoning. Similarly, in films, fantasy expressed more about the truth of the human situation than the mere presentation of gross reality. It was this ability of the cinema which, as against TV’s role of capturing the live, would enable it to survive. Cinema was sure to absorb and subsume what TV had to offer and maintain its unique artistic character. There always would be a certain kind of telling the story, a new way of approaching reality, Mr Bertolucci said. Speaking of the recurring role of dance sequences in his films, Mr Bertolucci very pertinently said for him such sequences were a visa to fantasy. Dance and music sequences were a suspension of reality where anything could happen; they constituted hyper-realism. “Besieged” is a specimen of cinema at its sensitive and lyrical best. Two lonely souls from very different cultural and political milieu, one a white English-man and the other a girl from Africa with memories of brutal political experience, her husband having disappeared through a police raid, come into contact with each and a certain relationship between the two develops. The young man Kinsky lives in his own shell, completely withdrawn, and buries himself literally behind his piano with the music of Bach, Mozart and Grieg. The black girl, Shandurai, a refugee in Rome is studying medicine and cleans the big house owned by the young man in exchange for a room to stay. The Englishman, possibly in his quest to find an answer for his loneliness, comes out, unexpectedly for the girl, with sudden desire to be loved by the girl. Shandurai, who has yet not got over the trauma of her husband’s disappearance, hysterically rebuffs the advances, and asks Kinsky to help her get back her husband instead. As a true lover, he spares no efforts and sells off nearly all his belongings, including his dearer-than-life piano, to fight the case for the freedom of the girl’s husband. As the piano is being carted away by the buyer, the girl is moved no end. Her husband is arriving as a freed man. But she has secretly started loving Kinsky and discovers that it is now impossible for her to leave him. Her traumatised memories have gradually faded away, and the woman in her has undergone a change. The moment her husband arrives and stands at the door Shandurai already has confessed her love for Kinsky. The union of a white man
and an African girl in the setting of Rome, said
Bertolucci after the screening, was what he envisaged the
scenario of new Italy would be in 30 years to come. A new
social order, particularly in European countries, was
taking place where the people from other lands and
cultures would be the source of change.
“Besieged” is a film that anticipates this
change. |
Sangam of dance & music NEW DELHI, Jan 16 — Gayan, Vadaan and Nritya touched its new scales in Delhi on this year’s Makar Sankranti when the trinity of Jagjit Singh, Pandit Birju Maharaj and Ustad Zakir Hussein got together on one stage for the first time creating a sangam of sangeet, never experienced in the recent past. The marvel that descended on Taj Palace’s Darbar Hall and enthralled every one present there, defied even the best levels of success expected with such legends coming under one roof. The performance of the by now 70-year-old profusely-sweating Maharaj Birju was simply amazing as he continued with his elegant dance emoting the Bhavaas until the concluding Punjabi number, “Balle Balle” by Jagjit Singh, had him raise his hands and the evening ended on a loud and clear “Balle Birju, O, Balle Birju” from the audience as a richly deserved ovation! The effects created for the “Baarish kee boondein, barsaat kee tip-tip, Kharey honein ke andaaz, naad (sound), the sculpturing of the diamonds and offering these in space, demonstrating Ustad Zakir as a male companion for Birju Maharaj’s feminine portrayal, then his enactment as a “naika” of a tender age in six beats, tightening of the time-cycle, the fight between a snake and mongoose also in rhythm, the dialling of telephones followed by the joyous dance of a peacock amidst rains with Birjuji’s dancing grace at his best, various styles of walk and the Vasant song left an indelible imprint on the space around the artistes. The jugalbandi between Zakir and Panditji, each starting from where the other stopped, was another highlight of the evening. For Jagjit this performance carries him beyond the excellence attained in his recent live telecasts for his soulful “Chithee na koi sandesh, na jaane kaun sa desh, jahaan tum chale gaye..” And Naya Saal...” rendered recently for TVSRGM’s episodes as his composition, also featuring Mehdi Hasan, Farida Khanum, Ghulam Ali and many other international artistes. Although the programme had already been delayed by almost one and a half hours due to mild indisposition of Zakir Bhai, another over 20 precious minutes were lost in Zakir’s bouts with the monitor. The sound controls kept Zakir as well as Maharajji distracted, as along with a mighty genset these had bogged Jagjit Singh too at DLF Gymkhana where he had given his usual solo performance last fortnight. The stage layering was
below the exacting standards of the great musical ears as
Birjuji was forced to remark at one point that
“Dhin” was sounding as “Bhin”. One
wonders if only the acoustics were also in perfect
harmony with the legends together, what kind of a sangam
it would have been! — T.S. Bedi |
Bhagwat begins memoirs MUMBAI, Jan 16 (PTI) — Former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, who on Thursday charged the central government with “spreading a tissue of lies” against him to justify his dismissal from service, yesterday began writing his memoirs here to refute the allegations. “I have started writing the book”, the Admiral told PTI when contacted on telephone at his residence in Colaba in south Mumbai. However, he gave no details. Admiral Bhagwat, who was
sacked from service on December 30 last for allegedly
defying the Cabinet, stated on Thursday that the charges
against him were “a tissue of lies” and he
would not allow his “honour to be besmirched in this
manner”. |
Zee Education plans expansion NEW DELHI, Jan 16 — Zee Education has chalked out an extensive plan to widen its network — Zed Career Academies (ZCA) — in nothern India. Zee Education plans to establish a network of around 150 franchisees in North India by the end of 1999. ZCA network is spread across 75 locations throughout the country. ZCA offers courses in the
areas of computer programming and application studies,
computer-aided design courses, product and fashion
designing, multi-media, internet and graphic designing. |
Basra new SAC chief NEW DELHI, Jan 16 (UNI) — Air Marshal Darshan Singh Basra was today appointed as the new Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the southern Air Command while Air Marshal M. McMahon will take over as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Western Air Command. In another high-level appointment, Air Vice -Marshal S. Asthana will be the new Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in charge of operations at the Air Headquarters. Air Marshal Basra, who was the SASO Western Air Command, is replacing Air Marshal K.N. Nair who has already taken over as the AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command. Air Marshal McMahon, who has just been promoted, was earlier Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations). AVM Asthana was the AOC, Advance Headquarters at Chandimandir. Commissioned as a fighter pilot in 1962, Air Marshal Basra is a graduate of College of Air Warfare and Inter Armies Paris in France. He has logged more than 3700 hours as a fighter pilot and has flown a variety of fighter aircraft both in India which include MiG-21, 23 and 25, Jaguar, Mirage and F-86 (Sabre). He has the rare
distinction of participating in all the three operations
— 1962, 1965 and 1971 — and has held various
command and staff appointments. He is one of the founder
members of the prestigious tactics and combat development
and training establishment (Tacde). |
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| WB R-Day tableau row CALCUTTA: West Bengal Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said his government would have withdrawn the state’s anti-nuclear blast tableau which is scheduled for display at the Republic Day parade in Delhi, had the Centre asked for a change. “We have not changed the tableau except for some minor technicalities,” Mr Bhattacharya told newsmen here. He said the tableau — two pigeons flying over black mushroom cloud — would indicate that the country had been divided on the issue of nuclear blasts. Mr Bhattacharya said a US-based Bengali association had decided to organise World Bengalee Conference here in the year 2000 to be held between December 25 and January 7. — (UNI) New
scales for UP college teachers 2 elephants
electrocuted Harsh Vardhan is
Dy Leader HC rejects AINSA
plea Gawli aide shot
dead |
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