LSP moves court for ‘two candles’ symbol
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 11
The Loktantrik Samajwadi Party today moved the court urging it to pass an order for the award of “two candles” symbol to the party for the forthcoming MCD polls. The Delhi High Court, while issuing notice to the Delhi Election Commission, refused to pass any interim order.

Justice Manmohan Sarin issued the notice, returnable on March 19, refused to pass any interim order on the LSP counsel G. S. Sharma’s plea that directions should be given to the State EC to allot the symbol to the party for the MCD elections. The counsel for the Election Commission of India, Mr P. R Chopra, said that out of about 80 electoral symbols available with the EC, only about 50 symbols had been selected for use in the MCD elections by the State EC.

“Among the given 50 symbols, the ‘two candles’ symbol may be not there, so the same might have not been given to the party,” he said. Even so, a party cannot claim as a matter of right that a particular symbol be allotted to it, Mr Chopra added.

Mr Sharma, however, objected to the State EC choosing less number of symbols than what were available.

Five new members in Delhi Legal Services Authority
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 11
Lieutenant-Governor Vijai Kapoor has, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, nominated five new members to the Delhi Legal Services Authority.

The nominees are Mr B. B. Pandey, Professor of Law, University of Delhi; Dr Rajinder Bali, Medical Director and consultant physician; Ms Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhry, social worker; Ms Mukta Gupta, standing counsel (criminal), Delhi High Court; and Ms Seita Vaidialingam, advocate, Supreme Court of India.

According to Mr Kamlesh Kumar, Additional District and Sessions Judge, there are now 15 members of the authority that was constituted in 1996. They include Justice S. B. Sinha, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court; Justice Devionder Gupta, Delhi High Court judge; secretaries of law, finance and social welfare of the Government of NCT of Delhi; Commissioner of Police; District and Sessions Judge; Judge in charge of the Patiala House Courts; and Judge in charge of Karkardooma Courts.

Sufi notes enchant Delhiites
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 11
The second three-day music festival of Amir Khusru dedicated to peace, titled Jahan-i-Khusru or Realm of Heart, ended today with the lilting notes of Sufi music by well-known exponents from Sudan, Iran and Bangladesh.

The backdrop was Humayun’s tomb in Nizamuddin. Hundreds of people, taking advantage of the pleasant spring weather, assembled at the lawns to listen to the music of peace and love.

The event was organised by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation at Arab-ki-Sarai and conceived and produced by eminent painter Muzzafar Ali. The event was inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Diksit. The festival saw the coming together of groups and artistes, including Abdul Karim Al-Kably from Sudan, the Rumi group from Iran, Pakistan’s Abida Parveen and some of the most noted names from India like Aditi Mangaldas and Shubha Mudgal. The merging of renditions created a vibrant display of the quintessential oneness of all philosophy or in Rumi’s words ‘’root of the root.’’

The beauty of Sufi compositions was inspired by the masses, who became admirers of the saints and their philosophy to overcome religious dogmatism and fundamentalism, creating a common cultural tradition from Delhi to Iran.