EDUCATION

2 city schools in quiz final 
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 13 — Two city schools are among the four schools from the region which have qualified for the finals of the Aero Quiz 2000 during the semi-finals held here today. 

A total of 12 teams had participated in two rounds of semi finals. 

In the first round, DAV School, Sector 8, Chandigarh, and Sacret Heart School, Ludhiana, qualified, while the second round saw Bhavan Vidayala School, Chandigarh, and DAV Public School, Faridabad, making it to the finals.Air Marshal K S Bhatia, former Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance at Air Headquarters, will be the chief guest on the occasion. 

COURTS

IOA now to meet in Delhi: counsel
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 13 — The petition against the change of venue for holding the Indian Olympic Association’s annual general meeting from Pinjore to Pune was today disposed of by the Punjab and Haryana High Court after counsel for the respondents stated that the meeting would now be held at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on November 3.

Describing the decision to change the venue, allegedly at the behest of association president Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, as totally arbitrary, besides being a “colourable exercise of power, in violation of the IOA constitution”, the Haryana Olympic Association in its petition before Mr. Justice Amarbir Singh Gill and Mr. Justice V.S. Aggarwal had earlier stated that the Pune was the IOA chief’s hometown.

Counsel for the IOA had added on its behalf that the decision to hold the meeting at Pinjore on November 3 was unanimously taken by it. He had added that elections to the post of office bearers were to be held during the meeting.

Seeking directions for quashing the letter issued by the association’s General Secretary from Sydney on September 23 regarding the holding of the meeting at Pune, counsel had also sought directions to restrain the respondents from changing the venue.

Plea against Bhadana: evidence closed

The High Court today fixed November 3 for arguments on a petition for declaring void the election of Haryana Cooperative minister Kartar Singh Bhadana from the Samalkha Assembly constituency after evidence was closed by his advocate.

In his petition before Mr. Justice A.S. Garg, Mr. Hari Singh Nalwa of the Indian National Congress had earlier stated that Mr. Bhadana was disqualified to be a candidate for the elections as, according to the provisions, persons having “subsisting contracts with the government were not qualified”.

The voters, the petitioner had added, were informed that Mr. Bhadana was not qualified to contest the elections after he came to know about five contracts between the returned candidate and the Haryana Government .

Claiming to have secured the highest number of valid votes after Mr. Bhadana in the election, the petitioner had also asked for directions to declare him elected. Mr. Nalwa had added that 37,174 votes were polled in Mr. Bhadana’s favour, while he had received 25,159 votes.

Deposing before Mr. Justice Garg, Mr Bhadana stated that he had never entered into any contract for supplying mining or any other material to government agencies.

Court orders removal of shackles
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Oct 13 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered the removal of shackles of Harbhajan Singh, a resident of Gagarwal village in Khamano tehsil of Fatehgarh district in Punjab. He was allegedly in illegal custody of Kheri Naur Singh police station and escaped from there with his left leg shackled.

In the High Court this morning, Harbhajan Singh accompanied by his wife Gurinder Kaur, appeared there with his counsel Harnesh Singh Gill. One of the legs of Harbhajan Singh was in shackles

On inquiry he told this correspondent that he had escaped from the custody of Kheri Naur Singh police station on Wednesday night.

Harbhajan’s counsel appeared before the Chief Justice, Mr Arun B. Saharya, and got his client’s petition listed for today and Mr Justice Saharya listed the Harbhajan” case before Mr Justice Amar Dutt.

Mr Justice Dutt after getting Harbhajan’s statement recorded ordered Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chandigarh to remove his shackles after getting the petitioner photographed in shackles.

Mr Justice Dutt directed the SSP Chandigarh to get the petitioner medically examined from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Chandigarh , after taking photograph of the petitioner in shackles and make arrangement for his lodging in Burail jail till October 17.

Mr Justice Dutt also gave the custody of petitioner’s wife to the SSP directing him to lodge her in Nari Niketan till October 17 and put extra security there so that no harm could be caused to her.

Mr Dutt has directed DSP Khamano and SHO Kheri Naudh Singh to appear personally in his court on October 17.