EDUCATION

More star performers of class X exam
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 29
Vatsala Singla and Niharika Bubber, students of Carmel Convent School, have secured 92 and 90.8 per cent marks, respectively, in the Class X examination conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Malvika Sood, a student of GMSSS, Sector 35, has scored 93.2 per cent marks. Atika Sehgal of Army School, Chandi Mandir, has scored 91 per cent marks. Ramanpreet Singh Pahwa of Shishu Niketan Senior Secondary School, Sector 22-D, has scored 90.8 per cent marks. Sukhm Pannu of Sacred Heart Convent has scored 90 per cent marks. Amanpreet Singh of St John’s High school has got 90 per cent marks.

Anshul Bansal (90.2), Kanika Puri (92.4), Sonu Mahajan (91.6), Roopsi Jindal (94.8) are the top scorers of Manav Mangal School, Sector 11, Panchkula. Vivek, a student of Army School, has scored 91.4 per cent marks. Kriti Sharma, a student of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16 has scored 92 per cent marks. Gurneet Singh of St Johns High School, Sector 26, has scored 91.8 per cent marks.

Students upset over PU decision
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh May 29
The Panjab University’s decision to conduct a re-examination of BA II geography (paper B) has met with widespread criticism from university Senators and affected students.

The PU Examination Branch had stated yesterday that the said examination would be conducted again by the university on June 19 and the examination held on April 12 would be declared null and void as the question paper had been tampered with.

But this decision has caused a furore among the students. Most of the students feared that it would not be impossible to inform all candidates since many would have left for vacations by now.

In case some students fail to appear in the examination how is the university going to declare their result?, they asked. However, the university authorities-maintain that they will give another chance to these students in September supplementary examinations.

The college authorities too are not very happy with the decision of the university. Conducting another examination in the middle of vacations has its own set of difficulties. The college teaching and non-teaching staff has to be called back on duty and requisite arrangements made.

The matter had come up for discussion in the Senate also but no solution could be found. A Senator, Dr R.P.S. Josh, asked the university to explain why the candidates should be made to suffer because of a mistake of the university? He also asked the authorities to find out the level at which the question paper was tampered with and fix responsibility for it.

Meanwhile, the answersheets of the students who appeared in the said examination have also been checked. The checking started on April 19 and was completed some days back.

Lecture on children’s rights
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 29
A lecture on ‘Child’s rights’ was delivered by Mr Prakash Sharma of the department of English, GGDSD College, Sector 32, as part of the ongoing series of lectures by educationists and academician for primary teachers being held at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sector 29, here today.

The effort is aimed at creating a sense of awareness and sensitivity among the participating teachers about children’s rights which include their right to survival, food, education, drinking water, sanitation, equity, justice and freedom of expression.

A psychologist, Dr H.B.L. Vohra, had delivered a talk on ‘’Developing emotional competencies’ in children on May 24. The course will conclude on May 30 with an exhibition of work undertaken during the course and a valedictory address by Ms Manju Lata. 

NIIFT show to be held today
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, May 29
Choreographer Tanya Lefebvre along with her team of models from Delhi and Mumbai has reached the Punjab-run Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT) here for “Anukama-2001” to be held in Chandigarh tomorrow.

Addressing a press conference here today, Ms Vijay Sharma, Director of the NIIFT, said “Anukama-2001”, a design collection by students of the institute, will be held at a hotel in Chandigarh and will feature 28 collections on different themes.

Ms Sharma said the show was being partly sponsored by Oswal Woollen Mills, which would use the opportunity to launch its summer wear. Ms Ruchika Oswal, vice-president of the mill, would give away the awards.

Ms Prabhdip Brar, coordinator for the show, said the students, while making their designs, had taken inspiration from maps, illuminative materials and European collections. The list of models comprises 15 girls and eight boys.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Judge’s date of birth correct: HC
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29
Allowing an appeal, Mr Justice V.K. Jhanji of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today set aside the judgement and decree of the courts below holding that the date of birth of a District and Sessions Judge was September 5, 1943 and not August 30, 1941.

The Judge, Mr M.L. Malhotra, at the time of entry into the PCS had specified his date of birth as August 30, 1941. In a representation submitted subsequently to Panjab University, he had sought the correction of the date. The representation was, however, rejected. The Judge then had filed a suit before the Trial Court which was decreed in his favour. The judgement was later affirmed by the Appellate Court.

Ex-ASI’s bail plea

Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Trial Court to consider the application for regular bail moved by former Assistant Sub Inspector of Punjab Police Rajpal Singh without taking him into custody in an alleged custodial death case.

Rajpal Singh earlier was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a murder case registered after the body of Balbir Singh was recovered from a canal. His father, in a complaint, had earlier alleged that Balbir Singh was tortured by the police after being arrested on July 22, 1996 in a theft case. He had added that injured Balbir Singh was taken in a police vehicle before his body was tossed into a canal from over a bridge.

During the proceedings, counsel for the CBI Mr Rajan Gupta had stated that the petitioner had been appearing regularly only because non bailable warrants of arrest against him could not be executed.

Today, issuing the directions, Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar observed: “The petitioner is directed to appear in the Trial Court on July 3 and submit an application for regular bail. The application, if submitted by the petitioner, shall be considered by the Trial Court without taking him into custody”.

DEATH OF ITBP TRAINEES
Commandant found not guilty
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29
A senior Indo-Tibetan Border Police officer being tried by a General Force Court (GFC) for being responsible for the death of eight ITBP trainees has been found not guilty.

The seven-member GFC being held here acquitted Commandant G.S. Kapoor after the prosecution failed to prove the charges levelled against him. The verdict has been sent to the higher authorities for confirmation.

Following an incident in October, 1998, in which eight ITBP trainees were killed and eleven others injured, disciplinary action had been initiated against Kapoor, who was then the Commandant of the ITBP’s Mountaineering and Skiing Institute in Uttar Pradesh, and two other officers, Deputy Commandant A.S. Rawat and Assistant Commandant Tshering Dawa.

While the court had, in April, accepted the special plea to jurisdiction raised by Rawat and Dawa, it had rejected a similar plea raised by Kapoor and had proceeded to try him on five charges under various provisions of the ITBP Act.

The court’s decision to accept the plea to jurisdiction of the two officers is still awaiting confirmation from the higher authorities. If confirmed, the trial of these two officers will not proceed further. They had raised the plea on the grounds that the convening order of the court was improper and pre-trial investigations and procedures were not conducted in the prescribed manner.

The said incident had occurred at the Khullia Garbia glacier near Joshimath in Uttar Pradesh in October, 1998. A team from the Mountaineering and Skiing Institute at Auli had left Mana on October 15 while on a glacial training course.

It started snowing heavily, which continued till October 17. Owing to the inclement weather conditions, training officer, Tshering Dawa ordered the trainees to return to Mana on October 17. However, eight of the trainees died while 11 others were injured during the period, allegedly due to inadequate facilities provided to them.

Dawa had reportedly deposed before the court of inquiry that the incident was a natural calamity, which could not have been anticipated. Both Kapoor and Rawat had maintained that the snowfall had been unprecedented and they had done all that was humanly possible.

Soli Sorabjee to take up Anandgarh case
Nishikant Dwivedi

Chandigarh, May 29
The Attorney General of India, Mr Soli Sorabjee, has been contacted by the Punjab Government, to plead before the Supreme Court regarding construction of Anandgarh, said highly-placed sources in the Punjab Government. A Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the cancellation of Anandgarh notification by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, is likely to be filed next week.

Highly-placed sources said the government had requested the Attorney General of India to plead the case in the court. However, the government was said to be waiting for a written commitment from him. A senior government official said verbal confirmation had been received from the AG’s office. A senior Punjab official was recently in Delhi to finalise the filing of the SLP.

The government wanted to do some home work before moving the apex court and explore ‘‘all options’’ before moving the SC. An official in the government maintaied that the HC had not termed the project ‘‘as illegal,’’ but it had merely quashed the notification on procedural grounds.

On March 28, the High Court had set aside the notifications for acquiring 10, 522 acres in 29 villages to develop Anandgarh — a new town adjacent to Chandigarh. The Anandgarh Hatao Sanjhi Sangharsh Committee, which challenged the Anandgarh notification, had now filed a caveat before the Supreme Court. The SC would have to hear the counsel of the committee if the Punjab Government challenges the HC judgement.

According to sources in the Punjab Government, one of the grounds on which the SLP would be based was that there were two distinct approaches to urban development as envisaged in the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995. One by way of acquisition of land and undertaking development and disposal of land, for which sufficient legislative framework had been provided under Chapter V and VI of the Act. The second by way of planning areas and town development schemes without actually acquiring the land.

In case of Anandgarh the government was following the approach as dictated by Chapter V and VI of the 1995 Act, which was akin to provisions of the Punjab Urban Estates (Development and Regulation) Act, 1964, instead of provisions of Chapter VIII, IX, and X and others relating to the second approach of planning areas.

A senior official said the area to be acquired for Anandgarh was earmarked for future expansion of Chandigarh and therefore the selection of the site could not be disputed, a factor which would also form part of the plea.

Court issues notice in fake encounter case
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 29
A local court today issued a notice on the application moved by the Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), Punjab, for the release of salary accounts of Intelligence Wing of Punjab for May 30. The ADGP has moved application in the court of Civil Judge (Junior Division), Ms Dimple B.J. Sharma.

On May 25, the local court had issued a warrant of attachment of moveable property in execution of decree for money of the state of Punjab through the Secretary of Home Affairs, Punjab Civil Secretariat, BSF headquarters, for non-payment of compensation to the widow of the deceased, who died in an alleged fake encounter.

The complainant, Ms Surinder Kaur, alleged that the Punjab Government had not paid her compensation even after a number of notices had been served on it by the court.

On November 23, 2000 the District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, had granted a compensation of Rs 2.68 lakh in case of a fake encounter in 1984. The petitioner, Ms Surinder Kaur, wife of the victim, had filed a suit against the Union of India, State of Punjab and eight others for recovery of Rs 5 lakh as compensation on the account of the alleged murder of her husband, Sube Singh, in a fake encounter in 1984. Sube Singh was a resident of Talwandi village in Gurdaspur tehsil.

It was pleaded that Sube Singh, a JBT teacher in Government Primary School, Gurdaspur Bhaian, was whisked away by the police from his house on October 10, 1984. The police party led by SHO Jaimal Singh, also took away Jaspal Singh.

Justice Aggarwal shifted to Delhi
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29
Mr Justice Vinod Sagar Aggarwal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been transferred back to the Delhi High Court after spending seven years in Chandigarh. According to sources, Mr Justice Aggarwal joined the High Court here in November 1994 after being transferred from the Delhi High Court.