S P O T L I G H T

Militants' offices sealed in PoK
Muzaffarabad, January 17
The police arrested scores of suspected militants in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and sealed several more offices of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed — here as well as in several other cities and towns of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a senior police officer said requesting anonymity. AP

Gangsters sentenced
Mumbai, January 17
Seven persons belonging to the dreaded Chhota Shakeel faction of the Karachi-based Dawood Ibrahim underworld syndicate were today sentenced to jail for a murder attempt in 1999. The Civil and Sessions Court handed down a seven-year rigorous sentence on Ajit Sewan, the mastermind of the murder attempt on an estate agent in Andheri. UNI

Plea against PM’s election dismissed
Lucknow, January 17
The Allahabad High Court today dismissed the petition against the election of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee from the Lucknow parliamentary constituency in 1999. The election petition was filed by Mr H.K. Lal, a candidate for the Lok Sabha from the same constituency. Mr Lal’s nomination was rejected by the Returning Officer. PTI