EDUCATION

Engineering students stage dharna
Our Correspondent

Dera Bassi, April 23
In protest against the authorities, students of Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology staged a dharna in front of the institute and boycotted internal examinations for the second consecutive day here today.

The protesters raised slogans against the college authorities.

The protesters — first year students — complained that the authorities were demanding an annual fee from the next academic session over two-and-a-half months earlier. They criticised the authorities for demanding the fee even though the final examinations were due in June.

The students said the authorities had displayed a notice asking the students to deposit their fee by May 22. The authorities displayed the notice demanding fee in advance so that the students who either fail or leave the college could be forced to stick to the college, alleged a student.

According to sources the students were boycotting classes since April 15 to press their demands. They were demanding that the annual fees should be deposited only after the declaration of results of the final examinations.

The college authorities were not available for comments.

Amravati Public School valedictory function
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, April 23
The prize distribution and valedictory function of Amravati Public School was held here to mark the conclusion of two-week-long talent search activities in the school.

Mr Bakshi Ram, Inspector-General of Punjab Police, was the chief guest on the prize distribution function. Students who had participated in various activities related to academics, painting, singing and other creative arts were given prizes by the chief guest. The police officer asked the students to be disciplined, hardworking and sincere in their efforts to become good citizens of the country.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
AG told to look into polythene scam
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 23
In an alleged multi-crore scam pertaining to the purchase of polythene sheets by Markfed to cover foodgrains, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked Punjab’s Advocate-General to “personally look into the matter so that those playing fraud with the state agency may not go scot free”.

In a ruling, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Ms Bakhshish Kaur, also fixed July 15 as the next date of hearing in the case for enabling Markfed to finalise the proceedings of an inquiry already being conducted.

Taking suo-motu notice of a report appearing in an English daily alleging that a test conducted by a Chandigarh-based laboratory on polythene sheets had exposed a scandal apparently having financial implications running into several crores, Mr Justice A.S. Garg of the High Court had directed the issuance of notices to the state of Punjab and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Observing that the matter was of a serious nature, Mr Justice Garg, in his detailed order, had also asked the respondents to tell why the matter should not be investigated by the premier investigating agency to ensure that the actual offenders, who had misappropriated and embezzled the money, causing financial loss to Markfed, should not be prosecuted by registering a case.

The report, it may be recalled, had alleged that Markfed had sent samples for testing to a local laboratory after complaints were received from all over the state regarding sub-standard polythene sheets supplied by a Rajkot firm for Rs 7 crore. As per the report, nearly 40 per cent of the samples were found to be defective. The report had further stated that another batch of sheets delivered recently to Markfed by two firms from Delhi and Rajkot after a fresh tender was invited were also found substandard. It had further claimed that the facts indicated the involvement of senior Markfed officials.

Poll plea turned down with costs

Dismissing a petition challenging the election of returned candidate Bhagwan Sahai Rawat from Hathin Assembly constituency, Mr Justice R.L. Anand of the High Court today imposed costs of Rs 5,000.

Pronouncing the orders on a petition filed by Mr Harsh Kumar of Palri village in Faridabad, Mr Justice Anand ruled: “In view of the findings against the petitioner, I have no hesitation in dismissing this election petition. Ordered accordingly. Counsel fee is assessed at Rs 5,000”.

Chander Mohan’s plea dismissed

A Division Bench of the High Court today dismissed a petition filed by Mr Chander Mohan, MLA, and others seeking direction for quashing and setting aside the allotment of land in Gurgaon to Orbit Resorts Limited belonging to former Union Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

In their petition, Mr Chander Mohan, Mr Dharam Vir, Mr Jai Parkash, Mr Rao Narinder Singh all MLAs, and former minister Shakar Ullah Khan had also sought directions for ordering an inquiry by the CBI or any other independent agency into the allotment of land, besides the violation of rules and the role of other state functionaries.

Orders reserved on ITs’ dissolution

A Division Bench of the High Court today reserved orders on two petitions challenging notifications issued on April 4 declaring the dissolution of Amritsar and Bathinda Improvement Trusts. The court, on the last date of hearing, had ordered the maintenance of the status quo in the matter.

Delivering the verdict the Bench headed by Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi, also ordered that the administrators of the Improvement Trust would not take any policy decision. In one of the petitions, Municipal Councillor Bakshi Ram Arora and six other Amritsar residents had earlier sought directions for quashing the impugned notification.

He had asserted that the notifications were issued under Section 103 of the Act by the state of Punjab declaring the Amritsar Improvement Trust dissolved. Similar notifications were simultaneously issued dissolving all the improvement trusts in the state, he had concluded.

Proceedings stayed

Issuing notice of motion for May 10 on a petition seeking the transfer of a case allegedly involving police officials, from the court of Ambala’s Additional Sessions Judge to any other court in Haryana, Mr Justice M.L. Singhal of the High Court on Tuesday stayed further proceedings.

In his petition, Ashish Kunar had contended that his brother, Vinod Kumar, along with his brother-in-law, Ashok Kumar and driver Mukhtiar Singh, had been declared dead by the Central Bureau of Investigation. For their disappearance, the CBI had found four Punjab Police personnel responsible. The Judge was now offering a chair (as against rules) to one of the accused during proceedings, besides asking his counsel to stay back and meet him after the case was over, the petitioner alleged.

Pre-arrest bail plea rejected

Mr Justice R.C. Kathuria of the High Court had dismissed anticipatory bail application filed by a former Sub Divisional Magistrate of Gurgaon in an alleged forged arms licences case.

The officer was apprehending arrest in a first information report registered on February 22 by the CBI under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B, IPC. As per the allegations, those whose names figured in the FIR got arms licences renewed from the petitioner’s office while he was posted as SDM.

HIGH COURT
Unlicensed vendors’ plea dismissed
Legal Correspondent

Chandigarh, April 23
A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising the Chief Justice Mr A.D Saharya and Mr Justice J.S. Kehar, dismissed the plea of unlicensed vendors namely Mansa Ram alias Balwant Singh and others, who had sought restraining the Chandigarh Administration from removing them from the Subji Mandi in Sector 26, Chandigarh, without allotting them alternate sites.

The Bench, relying upon the judgement in Jaggi Lall and others v/s, Chandigarh Administration, decided on March 16, 2001, observed that their prayer for alternate sites could not be accepted. Their prayer for grant of licenses was also rejected, as the Market Committee, Grain Market, Chandigarh, pleaded that a saturation point had been reached and it was not possible to accommodate the petitioners.

The Bench, in another set of writ petitions, filed by the licensed vendors of Sabji Mandi, Sector 26, Chandigarh, directed the administration to frame a scheme for the rehabilitation of the licensed vendors and till such time that the booths stalls are made available, they would not be dispossessed from the present place of work, provided they do not contravene the conditions of license and operate within the sites, ear-marked for them, the court directed. This order was passed on the basis of another case decided on December 3, 1997, issuing mandamus to the Chandigarh Administration to frame the above noted schemes.

The writ petition filed by the Market Committee Subji Mandi was however, dismissed as infructuous, as their plea in case of unlicensed vendors has been accepted by the court.

Cheema told to appear in court
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, April 23
Just a month after Mr J.S Cheema, CIA Inspector with Chandigarh police, who was booked by the CBI in a corruption case, a local court today directed him to appear before the court on May 30.

The court has also directed issuance of the proclamation process against him. The order passed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr C.L. Mohal, was also pasted outside the court in the afternoon.

The magistrate stated in the order that ‘‘the complaint has been made before the court that Mr Jasbir Singh Cheema, Inspector, Police, CIA staff, Chandigarh Police, a resident of Police Colony, Sector-17, has committed the offence of demanding and accepting an gratification of Rs 10, 000 through a conduit, which is punishable under Sections 7, 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988’’. The order also states that ‘‘ J.S Cheema had been absconding and was concealing himself to avoid the service of warrant. Therefore a proclamation is hereby made that J.S Cheema appear before the court on May 31’’.

Cheema had been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act by the CBI on March 13 and has since been absconding. A complaint against Cheema had been lodged with the CBI by Ajay Kumar, proprietor of a Sector 22 coaching institute, that Cheema was allegedly demanding Rs 60,000 from him.

The CBI had also arrested a local chemist, Sudarshan Kumar, who was allegedly acting as a conduit for Cheema. The CBI team also seized a large cache of currency from Sudarshan’s shop. The haul included $ 2810 (US) £ 1700 and 150 Euros, besides Rs 5 lakh in Indian currency in. The accused, Sudarshan Kumar, had already been granted bail in the case by a local court.

EO summoned in dairy case
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 23
Taking up a petition filed in public interest, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked Panchkula’s Estate Officer to be personally present in the court on the next date of hearing for considering the shifting of the dairies outside the Urban Estate of Panchkula.

In his petition taken up by the Bench, comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Ms Justice Bakhshish Kaur, Mr Lalit Gupta of Buddanpur village in Panchkula district had earlier sought directions to the state of Haryana and other respondents for the removal of illegal encroachments from the Housing Board area, besides the removal of ‘rehris’ from the roads. Directions for making Panchkula free from the menace of stray cattle was also sought.

Arguing before the court, counsel for the petitioner had contended that the presence of ‘rehris’, besides stray cattle, was in violation of the Housing Board Act of 1971, besides the bye-laws framed for dealing with the stray cattle menace. Giving details, he had submitted that any animal without an owner, straying within the municipal limits, was liable to be seized.

Regarding the problems being created by the presence of ‘rehris’, he had argued that a major part of the roads had been encroached by them. Their presence near the Sectors 7 and 18 crossing was not only disrupting the traffic, but was also causing accidents. The case will now come up for further hearing on August 20.

CULTURE

Photo show opens today
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 23
Pictures of some of the ace photo artists of the country will be displayed during the five-day photography exhibition to open in the city tomorrow. To be inaugurated at Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16, by the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob (retd), the exhibition will feature works of seven prominent photographers of the country.

Stating this, the president of Friends of Photography (FOP), Mr Adit Agarwala, said the annual group show titled 3rd Foto Show will have works of Benu Sen, C. Rajagopal, C.R. Sathyanarayana, K.G. Maheshwari, S.R. Mandal, Surendra R. Patel and Sushant Banerjee.

The works of a Japanese photo artist Sunao Masuda will also be displayed.

The members of the FOP whose works will be on display include Adit Agarwala, V.S.Kundu, Deep Raman Bhatia, B.S. Sodhi, O.P. Gupta, Subhash Sapru, BSN Reddy, Bharat Gupta, Amardeep Singh Samra and Neatynder Khanna.