Monday, May 24, 1999
|
N A T I O N |
|
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
 |
|
|
Sonia’s foreign
origin to dominate poll: Advani HC directive on arms sold to MPs
dirt cheap |
 |
Be cautious about revision of poll
rolls, CEOs told NEW DELHI, May 23 — The Election Commission has "directed" the Chief Electoral Officers to "thwart any attempts at manipulating revision of electoral rolls on the basis of fictitious applications" for including and deleting names.
|
|
Coterie around Sonia
denied People divided over origin issue Plan to allow LPG use in vehicles Cook’s murder: 4 acquitted Plea against death sentence fails India to spend more on AIDS than
defence? University to boost Indian
‘sanskriti’ More youth with gray hair! |
|||||
 |
||||||
Sonia’s foreign origin to dominate poll: Advani AHMEDABAD, May 23 (PTI) — Union Home Minister L.K.Advani said today the issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin would haunt the ensuing polls, and the Congress by expelling three senior leaders had sown the seeds of unforseeable crisis for the party. Though developments within the Congress were its internal matter, "they are not devoid of national ramifications and could well become the turning point of the mid-term polls in September," Mr Advani said virtually kicking off his election campaign in his Lok Sabha constituency, Gandhinagar. By expelling Sharad Pawar, P.A.Sangma and Tariq Anwar, the Congress "has pushed the party into a trough from where it cannot hope of ever escaping". By asking Mrs Sonia Gandhi to give up her aspiration of holding the Prime Minister’s chair, the expelled Congress leaders "had not committed any crime or indulged in anti-party activity to warrant their expulsion", he said. The Minister said the Congress leaders’ expulsion had "sown the seeds of unforseeable crisis for the party". The Congress had not seen such a "direct questioning of its leadership even in 1969 or the 1977 split," he added. Calling for an amendment to the Constitution to check foreigners from occupying top public posts in India, Mr Advani said "we will think of setting up a commission on constitution to look into this and other aspects". He also said frequent elections were imposing a heavy burden on the exchequer. Mr Advani said the 1999 elections would be vastly different from the earlier ones because there would be no anti-incumbency wave against the BJP-led coalition. He said he did not see a hung Parliament and claimed that the National Democratic Alliance formed by the BJP would secure over 300 seats in the Lok Sabha. Mr Advani also disclaimed any rumours of differences between him and Mr Vajpayee and said "they are works of pure imagination". The manifesto of the National Democratic Alliance, which was an update on the agenda of governance, would be out shortly, he said. Mr Advani said the Pokhran blast, improvement of ties with Pakistan, an economy-friendly Budget and the containing of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir were among the high points of the BJP-led coalition government. He claimed that the
Sardar Sarovar Narmada project controversy would be
amicably settled and suggested the Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat government should initiate a dialogue between
them on the issue. |
HC directive on arms sold
to MPs dirt cheap NEW DELHI, May 23 — The Webley Scott revolver purchased by former Union Minister Venod Sharma, father of Manu Sharma, the main accused in the Jessica Lal murder case, has been cited as an example in a case filed in the Delhi High Court regarding the sale of foreign arms seized by the Customs authorities to Members of Parliament at a nominal price. The Delhi High Court has sought details from the Centre and the Delhi Police about the sale of foreign arms to 168 present and former MPs at a nominal price. A Division Bench, comprising Mr Justice Arun Kumar and Mr Justice Man Mohan Sareen, while issuing notices to Ministries of Home Affairs and Finance and the Delhi Police in a recent order asked them to file a detailed reply by August 5 about the arms sold to the MPs at five per cent of the market value. The petition filed by Mr Ozair Husain, an activist of People for Animals, an NGO, through counsel Raj Panjwani alleged that the arms purchased between April 1995 and December 1998 were "invariably used for purposes other than protection from conceived threats" by these MPs. "Guns have always been used for purposes other than self defence like — intimidation during elections, disputes over landed property, religious fanaticism, family feuds, poaching and theft of forest produce," the petitioner alleged. Citing an example, the petitioner alleged that former Union Minister Venod Sharma had purchased a "Webley Scott" revolver for Rs 9,000 as against a market value of Rs 2 lakh. The petitioner asked whether the then government was justified in selling the sophisticated weapons exclusively to MPs at five per cent of the cost and claimed it violated the Arms Act. The petitioner said the court should seek details from the government whether it had followed "just, fair and proper norms" for sale of the arms seized by the Customs and the licences to the MPs were issued after proper inquiry or in a "mechanical manner without application of mind". The petitioner asked whether the licencees were entitled to possess the guns even after they ceased to be the Members of Parliament and the authorities examined material to their satisfaction when they (MPs) applied for renewal of their licences after the mandatory period of three years. The direction of the Ministry of Finance authorising sale of the guns in the absence of any guidelines to the MPs at a much lower rate was "arbitrary", the petitioner alleged and claimed it had resulted in "substantial" loss to the exchequer. Submitting that 52,348
arms had been registered with the licencing authorities
in the Capital till October last year. The petitioner
claimed that many of these were of prohibited bore
including 530 carbines and over 4,000 rifles of different
models. |
Bofors gun deal kickback case NEW DELHI, May 23 (PTI) — The CBI has once again approached the Swiss authorities for speedy transfer of the final set of Swiss bank documents relating to the alleged kick-back in the Rs 1,437 crore controversial Bofors gun deal. The CBI recently contacted the Swiss authorities concerned to ensure early delivery of the last set of Swiss documents pertaining to a "mysterious" sixth bank account into which a major part of the Rs 64-crore kickback was alleged to have been deposited, agency sources said. The judgement of the Swiss court on the matter is expected to be delivered any time clearing decks for the documents to be handed over to the CBI, they said, adding "these crucial" papers were likely to throw light on certain "key" recipients of kickback and help complete probe in the case. Though the CBI was yet to get an indication as to when the Swiss court would give its verdict, the sources said the papers were likely to reach the investigating agency by July. The agency, however, had no immediate plans to depute any team of officials to Switzerland to expedite the process, they said, adding once the legal hurdles were cleared it would decide on whether to send a team to bring the documents or to get them through the embassy. Though documents pertaining to five Swiss bank accounts were brought in 1997 by the then CBI Director Joginder Singh, the agency is yet to get the remaining documents due to protracted litigation by some of the accused in Swiss courts against their transfer to India. On the basis of the first set of Swiss documents the CBI had named Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, his wife Maria, former Bofors agent Win Chadha, his late wife Kanta and son Hersh as alleged recipients of kickback in the Swedish gun deal, signed during the prime ministership of Mr Rajiv Gandhi. Quattrocchi, at present living in Malaysia, was allegedly paid at least $ seven million for clinching the deal in favour of AB Bofors. The CBI recently "reactivated" the red corner and look-out notices issued in 1997 against Quattrocchi through Interpol in the wake of the Supreme Court upholding the arrest warrant against him. Though Quattrocchi reportedly expressed willingness to be interrogated by the CBI either at Kuala Lumpur or in Italy, the investigating agency was not in favour of sending its officials for questioning before filing charge sheet against him as well as other accused in the case, the sources said. The agency had decided to file two sets of charge sheets shortly in the controversial Bofors case following recent presidential sanction to prosecute former External Affairs Minister Madhavsinh Solanki and government's permission to charge sheet former Defence Secretary S.K. Bhatnagar. A separate charge sheet
would be filed against Solanki, who allegedly had
delivered a letter to his then Swiss counterpart in 1992
in a bid to scuttle the probe, the sources said, adding
he could be charged under Section 193 of the Indian penal
code (IPC) for preparation of false evidence. |
Be cautious about revision of poll rolls, CEOs told NEW DELHI, May 23 (UNI) — The Election Commission (EC) has "directed" the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to "thwart any attempts at manipulating revision of electoral rolls on the basis of fictitious applications" for including and deleting names. Asking the CEOs to be cautious, the commission has said they must also frustrate any attempts at including names of non-eligible persons and deleting the names of eligible voters from the lists.Such efforts are likely to be made by some vested interests to get electoral gains. The commission has revised the statutory forms for the special revision undertaken all over the country except Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Bihar.The commission has asked the CEOs to keep strict vigil and personally supervise the work relating to revision of electoral rolls. If in any consituency, an unusual number of forms for inclusion or deletion of names are received, the CEOs should collect all data from the electoral registration officers and send detailed statement to the Election Commission. If the number of
applications relating to claims and objections in respect
of any consituency is more than the average of the state
concerned, the district electoral officers and the
eletoral registration officers should be directed by the
CEOs to be cautious in scrutiny and disposal of the
applications and must act in accordance with the relevent
laws, the commission said. |
Coterie around Sonia denied NEW DELHI, May 23 — AICC General Secretary in charge of Punjab and Haryana, Pranab Mukherjee, today pooh-poohed the possibility of a split in the party. Reacting to Mr Pawar’s charge that Mrs Sonia Gandhi was "surrounded by a coterie", he said that first no such coterie existed. Secondly, it seems Mr Pawar’s dictum is "a coterie is good once I am in; it is condemnable when I am out". Reminding Mr Pawar that the Congress Party in Parliament, of which he was Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had unanimously chosen Mrs Sonia Gandhi before she went to meet Mr K.R. Narayanan to discuss government formation last month. He said that he could recall many occasions when Mr Pawar had come out in the support of Mrs Sonia Gandhi "as Prime Minister", saying she was the natural choice for the post. Commenting on the debate on the issue of foreign origin, he said that the matter had come up before the Constituent Assembly which had decided that there should not be any discrimination between two citizens of the country. If the demand for
debarring an Indian citizen of foreign origin was
accepted then no person in Sikkim and Goa born before
1974 and 1961 respectively would be able to hold high
offices, Mr Mukherjee pointed out and said in a democracy
it is for the people to decide as to who should be the
Prime Minister and the issue was best left to the mandate
which is due in September-October. |
Prime ministership NEW DELHI, May 23 (PTI) — Expulsion of three senior Congress leaders notwithstanding their challenge to party President Sonia Gandhi has raised a nationwide debate on whether a person born abroad should be barred from aspiring for the country’s top jobs. Even as it rakes up dissidence in the Congress and the BJP decides to make it an election issue, legal experts say the Constitution does not differentiate between a citizen by birth and one who adopts the country as his home. Both are equally entitled to run for the highest offices of the land. While former Lok Sabha Secretary-General Subhash Kashyap says it is more of a political issue and it is for the people to decide whom they want to elect in a parliamentary system, Prof Harbans Mukhia of Jawaharlal Nehru University here says: “It does not present a very good image, especially when the person in question has no political credentials.” Had it been a person like Annie Besant in question, no one would have even raised the issue, says he feeling a “a little unhappy” at the prospect of a first generation immigrant becoming the Prime Minister. “According to the Constitution, anybody who is an elected member of the Parliament can become the Prime Minister. “As far as our Constitution is concerned, it can also be interpreted that this also provides for a natural born citizen,” he says, citing debates in the constitutent assembly to drive home his point, which he says are even recognised by the Supreme Court to interpret an Act. “In 1949, when Article 5 relating to citizenship was being debated, reference was made to the American Constitution since we have to elect members of various legislatures, including to the Lok Sabha as also to high public offices, thus the provisions of natural born must be made,” he says, arguing that the text should be read in reference to what is good for the country. Agreeing that persons of foreign origin occupy higher posts in other countries like Fiji and Peru, Mr Lekhi says: “Nationality is different from ethnic origin. These people are third generation immigrants, born there and acceptable to people.” The issue of foreign origin of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi came to the fore last week when three party leaders suggested that she should not be projected as the party’s prime ministerial candidate in view of her foreign origin which “affects” the security, economic interest and international image of India. However, Mr Kashyap says as far as security is concerned, it all dependes on a person’s character and his commitment to the country of adoption, which of course would vary from person to person. “But then it is for
a particular party to elect their leader and if they find
a person capable of heading them and people also vote for
the same, then various interests of the country should
not be at stake,” he says. |
Plan to allow LPG use in vehicles NEW DEHI, May 23 (PTI) — The Government is considering a proposal to promote LPG as an alternative to petrol and diesel run vehicles in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling banning the registration of all private non-commercial vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR) not complying with Euro -I and Euro-II emission norms. Official sources said the proposal was being actively considered by the Surface Transport Ministry. Although at present compressed natural gas (CNG) is being used as fuel in some vehicles, LPG is banned for use. However, commercial vehicles in the country have already begun using this fuel unofficially. When contacted, Surface
Transport Ministry officials said they were only looking
into such a feasibility and a decision would be taken to
either allow either it or turn down the proposal. |
Cook’s murder: 4 acquitted NEW DELHI, May 23 — A city court has acquitted four persons accused of killing the head cook of a gurdwara in Delhi in 1992. Additional Sessions Judge Sharda Aggarwal recently acquitted Gurmeet Singh, Avtar Singh, Paramjeet Singh and Narenderjit Singh as the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence against them. “The prosecution has failed to lead any evidence good, bad or indifferent to that the accused persons were the members of the Babbar Khalsa International... and that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy or they had meeting of mind at any to commit the crime,” the court said in its order. According to the prosecution, the then head cook of Rakabganj gurdwara Manjit Singh was shot at by Narenderjit Singh on March 10, 1992. Narenderjit Singh had fled with the help of the other three accused. The head cook was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The Babbar Khalsa on March 30 that year had claimed responsibility for killing the head cook in a newspaper. The accused were
chargesheeted for murder the Terrorist and Disruptive
Activity (Prevention) Act (TADA) and violation of Arms
Act. |
Plea against death sentence fails NEW DELHI, May 23 (PTI) — The Supreme Court has ruled it was appropriate to award death sentence to a man who murdered another and carried the victim’s head along with the blood dripping weapon to a police station in Guwahati. On April 24, 1996, Mahendra Nath Das alias Gobinda Das murdered Hara Kanta Das, who was having tea at a stall, and cut off his right hand before severing the head of the victim. According to the prosecution “with the head of the deceased in one hand and the blood dripping weapon in the other, he moved majestically towards a nearby police post.” The Sessions Judge at Guwahati sentenced the accused to death and the high court confirmed the conviction and the sentence passed by the trial court. Rejecting the appeal of Mahendra Nath Das against the sentence, a Division Bench of the apex court comprising Mr Justice S.S.M. Quadri and Mr Justice D.P. Mohapatra said “the circumstances of the case unmistakably show that the murder committed was extremely gruesome, heinous, cold-blooded and cruel.” The Bench said in its view the way the accused severed the head of the victim and carried it to the police station with the weapon depicted “extreme depravity on his part”. The leniency pleaded by counsel on the award of sentence to the accused on the ground that he was only 33 and had three unmarried sisters did not find any favour with the apex court. The Bench said “these circumstances when weighed against the aggravating circumstances leave us with no doubt that this case falls within the category of the rarest of rare cases.” “The trial court has correctly applied the principles in awarding the death sentence and the high court committed no error of law in confirming the same,” the Bench observed. The apex court examined the case from every aspect to arrive at a conclusion that it was such a crime that the sentence of life imprisonment would be inadequate and called for the award of death sentence. It said the manner in
which Mahendra Das committed the crime and his activity
thereafter was “atrocious and shocking.” |
India to spend more on AIDS than defence? NEW DELHI, May 23 (UNI) — The report by a parliamentary committee, doubling the number of HIV positives in India to 8 million cases threatens to upset projections regarding the cost of management. According to the report submitted in both Houses of Parliament before its dissolution, India now has 8.13 million HIV positive cases out of which 4,725 have developed into full-fledged AIDS cases. Estimates released by UNAIDS, a United Nations body, places the cost of managing a single case at around $ 11,000 and cumulative aggregate costs at $ 11 billion or Rs 46,200 crore. But the new figures will
double those costs and India could soon be spending twice
what it spends on defence, managing HIV cases, according
to experts. |
University to boost Indian
‘sanskriti’ HARDWAR, May 23 — In order to revive the ancient Indian culture, tradition and medical system, Dev Sanskriti University was inaugurated here today with much fanfare. The varsity, first of its kind on the revival of spiritualism in the world, was opened at Shanti Kunj. Over 30,000 persons from all over the world attended the ceremony. The inauguration took place amid recitation of vedic mantras and a havan. The campus of the university will be spread over 70 acres, said Mr Kirti Singh Chauhan, media adviser of the university. In the initial stage, Rs 6 crore would be spent to raise the infrastructure. The university would have four main faculties, including a faculty of ancient medical system of India and education. Disciples of Shanti Kunj, numbering over 2 crores, made donations to complete the project. It would provide education which would strike a balance between scientific thinking and the tradition of the Vedas and the Puranas. The former Shankaracharya and other speakers stressed the need for the revival of Indian traditions, simplicity and noble thinking in order to counter the “bad impact” of Western consumerism and the Western way of life on the Indian society. The university would also focus on the yoga tradition as enunciated by Rishi Patanjali, the literary works of Maharishi Ved Vyasa and Tulsi Dass and religion and politics as taught by Maharishi Vashishta. A large number of saints
and sadhus of various maths attended the ceremony. |
More youth with gray hair! NEW DELHI, May 23 (UNI) — In the near future, you are quite likely to see more youth with gray hair than the elderly. A recent study has found that hair graying is prominent in the age group of 23-25 years, and the reason attributed to this is the intake of junk food and the lack of proteins in the diet, particularly vitamin D. The stress factor also plays an important role in premature graying, it adds. A study conducted by haircare experts and beauticians in collaboration with a noted haircare research institute suggests that this situation can be remedied if the youth lead a stress-free life, besides taking proper care of their hair. To combat the growing entry of foreign dye brands into the Rs 160-crore Indian dye market, beauty technologists and cosmetologists, with the help of research bodies, have planned to launch a website and a real time phone-in facility to educate the masses on haircare. The Mumbai-based
Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, affiliated
to the Zurich-based world body Cidesco, is planning to
organise special training courses for beauty parlours to
be conducted by experts from abroad. |
| H |
|
||
| Surgery cures hernia in
baby CALCUTTA: In a rare surgical intervention, surgeons here have cured at eight-and-half-month-old baby of lower abdominal hernia, a condition arising from abnormal protrusion of an organ from the wall of its cavity. The baby boy was born with bilateral hernia around the groin, very rare in premature infants, which kept increasing in size in the left side of the body and got repeatedly obstructed. Operation in such low birth weight child is unique and the first of its kind in India. — PTI SI, driver killed in
blast ‘Kidnapped’
lawyer produced in court Sangeet Natak
Akademi chief IGNOU to
collaborate with Army BDO held for
contempt of court First open
university in UP Public-funded
airport Man kills
himself over form |
 |
 |
| Punjab
| Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | Chandigarh | | Editorial | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
