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Tuesday,
June 19, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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13
electrocuted in Bihar Relatives of the
victims who were electrocuted when they came in contact with a
high-tension wire at Gopalpur village on the Patna-Gaya road on Monday.
— PTI photo Jaitley
blames HCs for vacancies Sadhus
clash over woman, 6 dead |
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VHP
threatens nationwide stir CM sees plot in Dalits’ killing Lok Pal
Bill’s future uncertain
Blast rocks
Indian Consulate in Iran MoD wary
of media
Cong CMs
not to respond to panel missive DMK MP moves HC for CBI probe against Jaya Dailies’ telecom bills unpaid
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13 electrocuted in Bihar
Patna, June 18 The Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Mr Sunil Kumar, said that the overhead electric wire was snapped when a truck dashed against a roadside pole and overturned on the Gaya-Patna road near Sampatchak last night. When locals gathered at the accident site this morning, there was sudden supply of power through the wire due to which 13 persons were electrocuted. RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav, who visited the spot soon after the incident, said the state government would inquire into it and guilty persons would not be spared. Meanwhile, one person who suffered burns was admitted to Patna Medical College Hospital in a critical condition. State Energy Minister Shyam Rajak said bodies of 11 had already been identified and handed over to their relatives. Mr Rajak said Mr Yadav distributed cheques for Rs 1.35 lakh as compensation among dependents of each of the deceased. He said cattle transported by the truck were also burnt alive.
PTI |
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Jaitley blames HCs for vacancies New Delhi, June 18 “If the high courts send the recommendations months and years after the vacancies arise, the vacancies will keep mounting up,” Law Minister Arun Jaitley told PTI. Of the total sanctioned strength of 647 judges in the 21 high courts in the country, over 180 posts of Judge are lying vacant, having a serious impact on the lakhs of cases pending in the high courts. Mr Jaitley said the only solution to get rid of the vacancies was that the high courts should prepare a road map of future vacancies and send their recommendations six months before the vacancy arose to facilitate the government to do the necessary paper work in time. “Under the present system, we have a defined procedure under which the initiative has to be first taken by the high court collegium,” he said, adding that “there is no alternative but for the collegium to recommend a case six months before the vacancy arises.” “We must look at the road map and the vacancy arising and be ready with the appointment by the time the vacancy arises. If we recommend months and years after, the vacancies will keep increasing,” the minister said. Asked whether it was the general trend among the high courts to send the recommendations late, Mr Jaitley said: “To a large extent, yes. I have, therefore, been requesting the Chief Justices repeatedly in my letters. The Chief Justice of India has also been requesting them for recommendations. “About eight to 10 months ago, the number of vacancies was a little alarming. But now, as a result of repeated requests, I have fortunately received a large number of recommendations,” he said. On the two vacancies of the Supreme Court, the Law Minister said he was yet to receive recommendations from the collegium of the Supreme Court. “I hope to receive them soon”, he said. “With regard to the Supreme Court, the process of appointment is much faster because one layer of consultation is not there,” he said. On the constitution of the controversial National Judicial Commission, which has been on the agenda of the NDA government, Mr Jaitley said: “Personally, I am a supporter of the idea. It is proposed that the commission would have powers to appoint and impeach the judges”. “The NDA is committed to the idea. We have a national commission reviewing the working of the constitution and I understand this is one of the items which the commission is considering,” he said.
PTI |
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Sadhus clash
over woman, 6 dead Hardwar, June 18 Five
sadhus, including a Nepalese girl were hacked to death by unidentified assailants in the holy city on Sunday. One sadhu was injured who later died in the hospital. Four of the victims have been identified as Rakesh Chopra, alias Ganju (30), Kala Baba (35), Mahadev Baba (38) and Vishnu Giri (32). Although the motive of the crime was not known but the police suspect that the woman who was killed in the murder spree, could be a reason of the clash between the sadhus in which sharp-edged weapons were used for attack. The bodies of three sadhus and the woman were recovered almost nude. The crime occurred on the banks of the Ganga in a small hut where these victims use to stay in the night. Many senior police officials of the state, including Mr Kaviraj Negi IG (law and order) visited the sight and ordered investigations into the murders. According to the district police six sadhus were arrested for interrogations. It is believed that the woman was the keep of Rakesh Chopra and they often visited this hut to stay during the night, a senior police official said. More than 40 persons have been murdered alone in Hardwar since January, this year. The holy city is fast becoming hub of criminal activities. The sadhus are even involved in illegal business of selling drugs like
charas, ganja, sulfa and home made liquor. |
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VHP
threatens nationwide stir Thrissur, June 18 “In no other country in the world, minorities enjoy special rights that are denied to the majority”, VHP Central Secretary Mohan Joshi told reporters here. Mr Joshi, who is here to participate in a two-day workshop of the VHP, said necessary amendments had to be carried out in the Constitution to abolish the special rights granted to the minorities as “in a country like ours equal rights had been given to all.” The VHP proposed to go on a nationwide protest if these provisions were not withdrawn immediately as they (the provisions) were being used for “political bargaining”, he said. Accusing Christian organisations of carrying out largescale conversions across the country, Mr Joshi alleged that thousands of illegal churches, schools, hostels and orphanages had come up recently in the country where priests and nuns, besides the management, were engaged in forcibly injecting Christianity into the minds of innocent people, including students. Mr Joshi alleged that orphanages and child homes run by Christian organisations, where over one lakh children were living, were being used as “infant-selling business centres”. “The recent episode of child-selling in Andhra Pradesh is an example to cite”, he said. “Spreading of superstition and employment offers are the main weapons for the purpose of conversions”, he said. Several non-governmental organisations, managed by Christians, were receiving lots of money from within the country and abroad for carrying out largescale conversions, he alleged. Christian terrorists and Pakistan’s intelligence service ISI were running a parallel government in Nagaland in the name of “people’s government of Nagaland”, Mr Joshi alleged and said such actions posed a serious threat to the country’s unity and integrity. “These illegal conversions have severely affected the country’s social harmony and the Centre should ban conversions by law”, Mr Joshi said, adding that the property and lives of common men were no more safe due to the “atrocities of Christian militant organisations”.
PTI |
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CM sees plot in Dalits’ killing Lucknow, June 18 Home Department spokesman today said Ramakant Bajpai was taken into custody by the police following a search operation launched to nab the accused. The search for the other three is still on. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh alleged that there was a conspiracy behind the recent spurt in the killings of Dalits in the state. “We have certain information about the conspiracy behind the killings before the Assembly poll,” Mr Rajnath Singh told reporters here but he did not identify the particular political group behind it. In second case of caste conflict within a week, five members of a Dalit family were brutally killed in Hasanganj village under Husainganj police station area of Fatehpur district yesterday. They were identified as Sijaniya (60), her daughter- in-law Asha (35), and her three grandchildren Lalita (11), Pooja (six) and Ashish (one-and-a-half). The spokesman said an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5.25 lakh had been granted to the next kin of the deceased, at the rate of Rs 1.50 lakh to the adults and Rs 75,000 to the minors. Earlier, seven shepherd were kidnapped and strangulated to death in Fatehpur last week.
UNI |
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Lok Pal Bill’s future uncertain New Delhi, June 18 The issue of corruption has of late attracted unprecedented public attention after the appointment of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, “although the phenomenon is nothing new”, says eminent jurist A.G. Noorani. “The deepening public concern on corruption after the Bofors, hawala, fodder, telecom scams and the Tehelka revelations need to be utilised to pressurise law makers to give an early passage to this Indian ombudsman which can combat this cancerous evil”, says Noorani. The Union Cabinet’s clearance in April, of the long pending Lok Pal Bill, meant to bring probity in public life, has once again raised hopes although certain issues remained unresolved, he notes. According to former member of Parliamentary Committee on Lok Pal Bill Som Pal, the Bill, conceived 35 years ago and tabled in Parliament seven times, is a victim of lack of political commitment on the part of successive governments. Uncertainty prevails over the Bill getting parliamentary approval in the near future, given that the lawmakers are sill debating on various aspects of the proposed law. “Whether the forum should concentrate on Grievances or allegations? Should it include MPs also? Would the Prime Minister come within its ambit? who is the competent authority to receive the report? The constitution of selection committee which will select the Lok Pal members, question of parallel enquiry after the forum takes up an issue were among the unresolved issues standing in the way of the Bill’s passage” says Sompal. The Lok Pal as a body to check corruption and bring about probity in public life was first suggested by the Administrative Reforms Committee in 1968. A bill ‘Lok Pal and Lok Ayukta’ was introduced in Parliament in 1969 and was considered by a joint committee of both Houses, after which the Lok Sabha passed the Bill. The House was dissolved when it was under the consideration of the Rajya Sabha. The Bill was re-introduced in 1971 and then in 1977 but lapsed again as the Lok Sabha was
prorouged. In 1985 the Bill was re-introduced and was withdrawn owing to differences among members. Once again in 1989 the Bill came up for discussion and for the first time it sought to include the Prime Minister within its purview, but lapsed as the House was dissolved. “One of the major reasons why the Bill has failed to be passed by successive governments is over the question of inclusion of the Prime Minister within its ambit, with those opposed to the idea arguing that the Prime Minister will face too much frivolous litigations” observes Sompal. In conformity with the general political consensus, the new draft Bill has placed the Prime Minister and his office within its ambit. But the extension of Lok Pal’s writ on mps is likely to raise hackles of a large number of parliamentarians. The Bill which was scheduled to be introduced in November last got bogged down because of demands to leave MPs out of it. “At present, the parliamentarians can be hauled up for their acts of malfeasance under the normal anti-corruption law as applied to public servants,” says Noorani. “This flows from the April 17, 1998 judgement of Supreme Court wherein MPs have been placed at par with public servants and made liable for trial and punishment under existing anti-corruption laws”, notes Noorani. “The proposed Lok Pal Bill makes it binding for MPs to declare their assets when they enter Parliament for the first time. The punishment will be under the provision of Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988,” says Sompal. Under the new Bill the institution of Lok Pal is to consist of a chairman and two members who are to be appointed by the President on the recommendations of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Home Minister, minister in charge of personnel, public grievances and pension, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Speaker of Lok Sabha and the Chairman of Rajya Sabha.
PTI |
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Pant hints at fiscal package for J&K New Delhi, June 18 Mr Pant, who held a meeting with former Defence Minister George Fernandes and apprised him of the talks with various leaders he had during his visit to the valley, said the Centre’s package to the North-East is being studied. Asked about the talks between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Mr Fernandes, who was in charge of Kashmir affairs in the National Front government, said: “It is too premature to predict on the outcome of the meeting between the two leaders.” Mr Pant, who had more than an hour’s discussion with Mr Fernandes, who resigned following the Tehelka arms expose, said: “I had a fruitful discussion with Mr Fernandes. He offered incisive perception on Kashmir as he has long experience in dealing with the issue.” He said a detailed list of issues for the development of the state was being prepared including setting up a solar power plant in Kargil and Leh, encouragement to tourism and horticulture and revival of two public sector undertaking units in Srinagar. He asked
industrialists to come forward and invest in the state. |
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Proposed
talks exercise in futility, says Thackeray Mumbai, June 18 “There will not be any concrete outcome of the summit talks and we should not expect much from it”, he was quoted as saying in the party mouthpiece “Dopahar ka Saamna” here. Mr Thackeray, whose party is a coalition partner in the NDA Government at the Centre, said: “Gen Musharraf is indulging in double-speak on the Kashmir issue by sending out conflicting signals.” “In one posture, he was trying to project himself as a messiah of peace while in another the Pakistani Chief Executive was articulating a rigid and uncompromising stand on the Kashmir issue”, the Sena supremo said. The 54-year-old Kashmir issue would continue to defy a solution if Pakistani rulers stuck to their old policies, Mr Thackeray added.
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Summit dates on PM’s return New Delhi, June 18 A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said today that the dates for the summit are likely to be announced simultaneously by New Delhi and Islamabad. However, this would happen only after the return of Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Mr Vijay Nambiar, who has been in Delhi, holding consultations with senior government officials. The spokesperson said that Mr Nambiar, here since last Wednesday preparing ground for the summit, is expected to return to Islamabad on June 20 after getting a final go-ahead from the Prime Minister. Only after his return to Islamabad would a simultaneous announcement be made in India and in Pakistan. Mr Nambiar has had meetings here with the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra and Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer. As per reports here, the Vajpayee-Musharraf summit was expected to take place sometime in mid-July. |
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Blast rocks
Indian Consulate in Iran
New Delhi, June 18 Asked if there could be a Pakistan hand behind the blast, she said New Delhi was in “close touch” with the Iranian authorities which were investigating the matter. The blast damaged the outer wall and windowpanes of the Consulate, which is headed by Consul V.K. Mahajan and has a five-member staff strength. “No one was hurt” in the blast, the spokesperson said. India, she said, had sought adequate security for the Indian officials at Zahedan.
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MoD wary of media New Delhi, June 18 Lately the MoD has chosen only the media organisations known to be sympathetic to the National Democratic Alliance, especially the BJP, to accompany the minister on important tours abroad. The MoD has also been organising special briefings on various aspects of Defence to the favoured few. Incidentally in the process the MoD has been ignoring not only certain organisations with mass reach but also some premier news agencies leading to strong protests. In an effort to project the effort being put in by the ministry officials and the minister himself, the MoD seems to have forgotten to treat all media organisations on a par. The MoD officials have been at a loss to explain this trend of according special treatment to those well disposed to the government of the day. The officials say such decisions were being taken by the new ‘information consultant’ for the ministry who was appointed after Mr Jaswant Singh took over the additional charge of the Defence Minister. This post was created specially following the Tehelka expose on the ground that the ministry needed a specialist to handle information dissemination. Vital gaps were noticed in this area along with the need for reducing the regidity of the three forces in disseminating information. However now it seems that the entire agenda has been ignored and the stress is only on projection through those organisations which are known to be sympathisers of the BJP-led NDA government. The ministry has its own publicity department headed by a senior official from the Press Information Bureau
(PIB). The Additional Principal Information Officer (PIO) has full-fledged department, including the Public Relation Officers appointed by the three services under him for handling information needs of the ministry. But according to reports there was not much work with the department now with most issues being handled by the
ministry's new consultant. The selection of organisations for special briefings by ministry officials is also apparently being handled at the same level. |
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Cong CMs not to respond to panel missive New Delhi, June 18 Referring to the meeting of Congress Chief Ministers on Saturday, party chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy said some Chief Ministers had raised the issue of invitation by the Constitution Review Commission. He said the Chief Ministers said they did not went to respond to the invitation due to vehement opposition of the Congress to the review commission. Mr Reddy said Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Ms Ambika Soni endorsed the Chief Ministers’ viewpoint. Asked if the party was boycotting the commission, Mr Reddy said he did not want to use any harsh words. |
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DMK MP moves HC for CBI probe against Jaya
Chennai, June 18 The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption
(DVAC) is investigating the London hotels case and the SAF Games case while the CID is handling the granite scam case. In a public interest litigation, Mr Kuppusamy prayed that the investigation by the CBI be directly monitored by the high court, under the powers of judicial superintendence vested with it. Stating that Ms Jayalalithaa was the prosecutor and the prime accused in all three cases as she held portfolios of Home and the Vigilance Department, he contended that cardinal principle of natural justice viz-a-viz “nemo
jude in causa sua” (no man can be a judge in his own cause) stood violated.
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Dailies’ telecom bills unpaid Sriganganagar, June 18 Sources said the Chief General Manager, Telecom, Chandigarh circle had sent a letter to his counterparts in this regard. The papers in the list include the Indian Express and Jansatta (Rs 9 lakh), Punjab Kesri (Rs 42 lakh), Divya Himachal (Rs 9 lakh), Chardikala (Rs 3 lakh) and Akali Patrika (Rs 552). Similar orders have been received by all telecom centres in Rajasthan. It was not known whether similar restrictions had been issued to telecom offices in Punjab or rest of the region. |
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2 OFFICIALS CAUGHT TAKING BRIBE AGARTALA-DHAKA BUS LINK SOON INFERTILITY GENE IDENTIFIED BUS PASSENGERS LOOTED UP TRANSFERS IAS OFFICERS VAJPAYEE TO BE DISCHARGED TODAY SEVENTH CENTURY SHIVA IDOL FOUND MAN, 3 SONS JUMP TO DEATH MAN MURDERED BY IN-LAWS |
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Patna, June 18
