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Wednesday,
April 10, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Afroz freed, chargesheeted
Delhi schools to reopen today, crisis continues President’s no to Bill on Lokayukta Japan builds health centres for Gujarat Hijack accused alleges torture |
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FIR against Bihar minister Top policemen, scribes figure in coal racket CBI books Railway, LIC officials Vice-President’s
post: 3 Cong bigwigs in fray Lok Janshakti seeks Modi’s dismissal
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Afroz freed, chargesheeted Mumbai, April 9 Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam filed the charge sheet before the designated Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the 26-year-old Afroz for waging war against the Union of India and hatching a criminal conspiracy to blow up important international landmarks, including the Indian Parliament House. Afroz was chargesheeted under the provision of Sections 120 (b), 121 (a), 126, 467 and 468 of the Indian Penal Code. The police had, on March 1, charged Afroz under provisions of the erstwhile Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO), but 25 days later moved an application before the special court to drop the said charges, admitting that there had been a mistake in booking the accused under the anti-terrorism ordinance. Judge A.P. Bhangale had then asked the police to file a charge sheet, subsequent to which he would rule whether POTO is applicable or not. After his release and the court proceedings, he was taken to the office of the Bombay Aman Committee, its president Fareed Shaikh confirmed. The committee had put up his bail amount of Rs 1 lakh. Shaikh said that since there is a threat to Afroz’s life, it is planned to lodge him somewhere near Crime Branch-CID office instead of his residence at Cheeta Camp in Trombay in north-east Mumbai. Judge Bhangale, presiding over the designated MCOCA court, asked Afroz to cooperate with the investigating agency and regularly attend the Crime Branch-CID office at the Police Commissionerate here for investigations. The release of Afroz has come as a major setback to the Mumbai police and even Police Commissioner M. N. Singh has proceeded on leave since Sunday after the court granted bail to Afroz on April 5. Mr M. N. Singh’s office here confirmed that he is on leave till the 15th of this month. According to sources, he has gone to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh for family engagements. Earlier, Afroz was taken to the court under tight security arrangements. He was accompanied by his father Abdul Razzak along with activists of Mumbai Aman Committee, who had arranged the bail amount. Afroz had earlier refused to be out on bail, saying that he was undergoing a meditation course at the jail and till it was over, he would not like to come out. The course is scheduled to end today. Afroz, after the court proceedings, left for the office of the Bombay Aman Committee. Assistant Commissioner of Police Ramakant Padwal was present at the court when the charge sheet was filed. The charge sheet ran in 395 pages. Mr Nikam told the court that the police did not intend to file a charge sheet under POTO or MCOCA and it had filed the charge sheet under the provisions of the IPC. He admitted that it was a mistake of the Mumbai police to book him under POTO. |
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Delhi schools to reopen today, crisis continues New Delhi, April 9 After an hour-long meeting with the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, the Union Petroleum Ministers, Mr Ram Naik, said the Centre was ready to bring a Bill in the current session of Parliament for introducing an alternative fuel in the Capital. Mr Naik ruled out promulgation of an ordinance as Parliament was in session and it would meet again for business on April 15. The two former Delhi Chief Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, and Mr Sahib Singh Verma, who had stated that the Centre would promulgate an ordinance to provide relief to the transporters and the harried commuters, today virtually somersaulted their stand. They said transport was a state subject and the initiative on any issue pertaining to the present transport crisis should by taken by the Delhi Government. The two leaders said the Union Petroleum Minister would meet the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, to ascertain if the Congress government in Delhi wanted any Bill for the introduction of ultra low sulphur diesel in the Capital. The Centre’s decision has disappointed the transporters, who had expected some concrete decisions to be taken at the meeting, which would have provided relief to the transporters and the commuters. And, the Delhi government’s decision to re-open the schools, after two-day holiday, without any alternative tangle solution or adequate additional transport vehicles is worrying parents. |
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President’s no to Bill on Lokayukta Bhopal, April 9 The Right to Information Bill had the pernicious provision that “no court shall entertain any application or petition in respect of any order passed under this Act.” It is simply not within the jurisdiction of a state Assembly to put an order passed by a bureaucrat beyond the judicial review. Similarly, the Bill amending the Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayukta Act of 1981 had the provision for giving powers and authority of the High Court to the Lokayukta and the Up-Lokayukta in matters of their contempt. There, too, the Assembly overreached itself. A High Court derives the “power to punish for contempt of itself” from Article 215 of the Constitution. The procedure for use of this power has been laid down in the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, which was passed by Parliament. Can an Assembly bestow the powers of High Court on an institution or organisation by ignoring the Constitution and the Contempt of Courts Act which is a Central law? The Raj Bhavan here believes that the amendment Bill was drafted at the suggestion of, and in consultation with, the present Lokayukta. That should be a little surprising because the present Lokayukta is a retired judge of the Supreme Court. The legalities apart, such an amendment would be an absurdity per se. Presumed that the Lokayukta gets the same powers of punishment for contempt as enjoyed by the High Court and it finds a person guilty of contempt and sentences him to 10 days’ imprisonment. What if the government of the day refuses to comply with the Lokayukta’s wishes? The Madhya Pradesh Government has just ignored most of the orders of the Lokayukta. At least in one case, the Lokayukta had found the conduct of a Minister of State holding an independent charge irresponsible and had recommended that the minister be placed under some senior minister. Chief Minister Digvijay Singh simply promoted the Minister of State and made him a Cabinet Minister with the same portfolio. |
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Japan builds health centres for Gujarat New Delhi, April 9 The CHCs have been built with the Japanese Government grant assistance as reconstruction support for the massive earthquake disaster that struck Gujarat in January last year, a statement from the Japanese Embassy said here today. The Anjar CHC comprises a hospital building, support facilities buildings and staff residential quarters, covering a floor area of 2,735 square metres, while the centre at Mundra comprises maternity and generator house buildings, covering a total floor area of 300 square metres. The entire reconstruction project, together with these two CHCs at Anjar and Mundra, also includes the construction of five schools at Dhamka, Mathak, Bhadreshwar Kumar, Bhadreshwar Kanya and Sumarasar Shekh. The school buildings are nearing completion. The reconstruction project is being executed under the Japan International Cooperation Agency at a total cost of $ 1.2 million. The total financial and material assistance extended by the Japan Government thus far amounts to approximately $ 9 million. |
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Hijack accused alleges torture Patiala, April 9 Appearing before the designated court of Mr S.N. Aggarwal, under the Anti Hijacking Act, Bhujail submitted an application to Mr Aggarwal, saying that he feels unbearable pain in the chest and spits blood whenever he speaks owing to torture by the CBI. Following this, Mr Aggarwal has ordered a medical examination of the accused and consequent treatment if required. |
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FIR against Bihar minister Patna, April 9 The Bagaha police last night registered a case against Purnamasi Ram, Food and Civil Supplies Minister, and two of his supporters, Jhoti Paswan and Amarnath Mukherjee, on a complaint by Mr Dwivedi. In the FIR (Case No 66/2002), Mr Dwivedi has alleged that the minister, accompanied by his securitymen and several supporters, stormed his house, dragged him out and assaulted the Leftist leader in full public view till he fell unconscious. Mr Dwivedi was also arrested on the complaint of a supporter of the minister. The CPI(ML) leader, who had become an eyesore for the minister ever since he filed a case in the Patna High Court on the red card scam, alleged that he was bodily taken away by Ram’s supporters in a jeep to a nearby inspection bungalow where he was mercilessly beaten up till he fell unconscious. The minister, however, brushed aside the allegations of the CPI(ML) leader. Ram is already in the thick of controversy for alleged bungling in distribution of red cards which facilitate people below the poverty line to draw rations at subsidised rates. Ram’s supporter, Jhoti Paswan, also lodged an FIR (Case No 65/2002) against Mr Dwivedi, accusing him of scuffling with him and threatening him. Paswan has also been arrested.
PTI |
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Top policemen, scribes figure in coal racket Ranchi (Jharkhand), April 9 The CBI probe pertains to illegal acquisition of wealth by the cops allegedly by helping the coal smugglers in the state. The state government has also initiated action against the coal smugglers in the state. Departmental actions against the cops are also on the anvil. Giving these details, the Chief Secretary of the state, Mr. V.S. Dubey, said the coal smuggling racket was spread to Bihar, Orissa and Delhi and West Bengal and that was why the CBI was asked to take over the probe. The cops helped smuggles of these states in whisking away the illegally mined coal in large areas of Jharkhand. The racket was unearthed following an income tax raid in Ranchi on the premises of DIG K.B. Singh, an Inspector and two coal smugglers. Some diaries and other documents were seized that hinted at the inter-state nature of the coal smuggling. Altogether 20 policemen of the Hazaribagh and other areas are in the list of possible culprits in the racket, Mr Dubey said. At least 10 journalists have been accused of taking money from the smugglers and cops for not reporting stories about the coal smuggling. |
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CBI books Railway, LIC officials New Delhi, April 9 The allegation against the accused is that they entered into a criminal conspiracy with several Railway employees and other persons and arranged for plots in Jodhpur for the said persons and obtained finance for house construction from the LIC and Bank of Baroda Housing Finance. The finances were obtained for the Railway employees on the basis of their forged salary certificates who were not otherwise entitled and eligible for the same, a CBI press note said here today. In almost all cases where loans were obtained, no construction work commensurate to the loan amount has been done. In a large number of cases, no construction has been done despite the fact that the total loan amount has already been disbursed. In many cases the persons who obtained the said loan amounts have become defaulters, the main reason of the same being the fact that the higher loan amounts then their actual entitlement have been sanctioned and disbursed, making it difficult for them to repay the instalments. In a follow-up action, searches were conducted on the premises of the accused and the CBI seized incriminating documents. The CBI investigation has so far revealed that a total amount of Rs 2 crore had been sanctioned and disbursed by the two financial institutions to more than 60 persons, including Railway employees, without proper verification. |
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Vice-President’s
post: 3 Cong bigwigs in fray Kolkata, April 9 Though nothing has been decided so far about the candidatures for the posts of President and Vice-President either by the NDA or the Congress, the three Congress aspirants for Vice-President’s chair are reported to have started canvassing. The Congress is likely to chose Dr Karan Singh as presidential candidate while the BJP might project the Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah as their candidate. The CPM and other Left parties might project Mr Jyoti Basu as their presidential candidate, whom three former Prime Ministers, Mr V.P. Singh, Mr I.K. Gujral and H.D. Deve Gowda, had openly supported. |
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Lok Janshakti seeks Modi’s dismissal New Delhi, April 9 Addressing mediapersons here today, senior national Vice-President and party spokesperson Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said, “Gujarat is facing a crisis of governance.” “The law and order machinery and the administrative functioning has come to a standstill and anarchy prevails in the state. President’s rule should be imposed in the state. Government should book all those who took part in the riots under POTA.” Condemning the attack on mediapersons at the Sabarmati ashram in Ahmedabad, Mr Bidhuri said the state government had tried to muzzle the freedom of the Press and it had no moral right to continue in office. |
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National policy on occupational safety New Delhi, April 9 Inaugurating a 'national conference on health, safety and environment challenges in the era of globalisation' here today, Labour Minister Sharad Yadav said the government would also enact a general legislation on occupational safety and health for work places. Mr Yadav said the extension of the legislative cover would be ineffective without creating a mass awareness on safety and health issues. |
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Lone’s attacker calls himself “fidayeen” Shirdi (Maharashtra), April 9 |
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