 |
Sunday,
January 12, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
Dulina case: DSP to be
charge-sheeted Swami goes
aggressive on nuclear issue Case against Tribune dismissed SFI decries KU decision on
women Central grant for
Haryana Yamunanagar may have world class
hospital, college |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Missing panch case: wife’s hand
suspected Motor cyclist robbed of
Rs 2 lakh 2 nominated Daya Chaudhry appointed
|
|
Dulina case: DSP to be
charge-sheeted Chandigarh, January 11 The state has also claimed that certain other officials were also charge-sheeted on the recommendations of Rohtak Division Commissioner R.R. Banswal, appointed to inquire into the episode. The officials included Sub Inspectors Rajinder Singh and Chhotte Lal, Head Constables Ved Prakash, Hoshiyar Singh and Tej Pal, besides Assistant Sub Inspector Dharamvir, along with Constables Karambir, Rajbir Singh and Sarif Khan. The names of EHC Mohinder Singh and Om Prakash, along with UGC Ran Singh, were also included. In an affidavit submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Jhajjar Superintendent of Police Mohd. Akil, it was added: “The Commissioner recorded the statements of as many as 115 witnesses... and concluded that the policemen and the magistrates could not save the precious lives of five innocents”. He added that the “government had also sanctioned and given Rs 5 lakh each to the victim families and had promised a job to one member from the family of the each deceased. The process of giving jobs had since been commenced”. He asserted that two first information reports had also been registered. Thirteen arrests were made in FIR registered on October 15 last year under Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act, besides other sections of the Indian Penal Code. Twenty four arrest had been made in the other FIR. “Some more accused persons were still to be arrested as they were absconding”. In his petition, advocate Hari Singh Nagra had earlier claimed that the writ petition was being filed as the poor Dalits had no means of approaching the High Court. Furthermore, their lives were in danger. Giving details, the advocate had added that the Dalits residing in the area were receiving threatening letters asking them not to pursue the case. The advocate had further asserted that the people had lost confidence in the Haryana police and were not expecting fair investigation in the matter. He had added that the Haryana police was directly involved in the episode and as such was not expected to conduct the investigations in an impartial manner. Otherwise also, the murders were against the provisions of the Constitution of India. |
|
Swami goes
aggressive on nuclear issue Ambala, January 11 Mr Swami was addressing farmers at a function organised by SD Trading Company, a tractor dealer, here today. He warned Pakistan that it should not dare to threat an unconventional war. He said if India used its nuclear power, Pakistan would be eliminated from the globe. He said India favoured peace, but it should not be treated as its weakness. He said Pakistan was engaged in a proxy war against India and was targeting temples and killing innocent civilians and Army personnel in Jammu and Kashmir. He said India had been facing the proxy war for the past two decades, but now it would not be tolerated any further. He said there would be no lowering of vigil in Jammu and Kashmir and the Army would continue to assist the government in restoring peace there. He said India was surging ahead in the right direction under the leadership of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. He said the Pokhran tests had placed India among the most powerful countries in the world and the credit should go to Mr Vajpayee. He said earlier Prime Minister could not dare to conduct nuclear test, although as our scientists were prepared for the same. About the role of farmers in the development of the country, he said farmers were the real builders of the nation. He said the present government had taken various important steps, including crop insurance and farmer credit cards, for their welfare. The Union Government had directed state governments to spend at least 60 per cent of the Central grant on rural development schemes, whereas earlier it was only 15 per cent, he added.
|
|
|
Case against Tribune dismissed Rohtak, January 11 Mr Nandal, in his complaint, had alleged that a news item published in The Tribune on June 16, 1996, regarding his suspension was defamatory and had harmed his reputation. The complainant said he had suffered pain and humiliation as false news had been published maliciously without properly verifying the facts. He had also stated that the final report of inquiry into allegations against him had not yet been submitted. Rejecting the plea of the complainant, Ms Madhu Khanna said, “If a reporter or Editor is under threat or fear of criminal prosecution for an offence of defamation, he is not likely to report or publish anything regarding those who have indulged in undesirable activities till at least the investigation is over. This may take months or years and by that time the news will become stale and cease to be worth reporting.” “If the news published by the Press is substantially correct, the persons responsible for reporting or publishing the same cannot be held liable for defamation merely because it is not true on some minor matters”, she said. The Tribune had on June 16, 1996, published a news item on the basis of a letter dated June 14, 1996, written by the Deputy Commissioner-cum-President, Zila Sainik Board, Rohtak, to the Secretary, Rajya Sainik Board, Haryana, regarding the undesirable conduct of Capt Surender Singh Nandal, Secretary, Zila Sainik Board, Rohtak. The news item is only a summary of the letter. There is no exaggeration or deviation in the news item from the letter. It is mentioned in the letter that the Deputy Commissioner had directed the Secretary, Zila Sainik Board, to stop officiating as the Secretary. Mr Purshotam, an official in the office of Chief Secretary Sainik Board, Panchkula, and a witness produced by the complainant, admitted that after the issuance of the letter of the Deputy Commissioner, Capt Surender Singh was suspended and Capt V.P. Dahiya was given additional charge in his place. This witness verified the authenticity of the news item and stated that in June, 1996, the complainant was found consuming alcohol in the rest house of the Zila Sainik Board in the company of a woman who was subsequently found to be an unauthorised guest. However, he admitted that the inquiry report had not yet been received by the department. The order said on the basis of evidence, it was quite apparent that the news item published in the newspaper was an accurate and true report of the proceedings initiated by the Deputy Commissioner-cum-President, Zila Sainik Board, Rohtak. Section 499 of the IPC defines defamation, which is made punishable under Section 500 of the IPC. The first exception to Section 499 lays down that it is not defamation to impute anything which is true concerning any person, if it is for the public good that the imputation is made. Whether or not it is for the public good is a question of fact, the Judicial Magistrate observed. The second exception lays down that it is not defamation to express in good faith any opinion whatsoever respecting the conduct of a public servant in the discharge of his public functions or respecting his character, so far as his character appears in that conduct and no further. Freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed by Article 19 (I) (a) of the Constitution, is one of the most cherished right of a citizen in a free society. The Press has an important role to play in a democratic society like ours and the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution depend a good deal upon the freedom of the Press, Ms Khanna said. She observed that in the case in question, the accused, believing the version of the Deputy Commissioner to be true, published the report in good faith and therefore, it could not be said that it intended to harm the reputation of the complainant. It was a report in respect of the conduct of a public servant. The consumption of alcohol in the Sainik Board rest house was prohibited and therefore, proceedings were initiated against the complainant by the Deputy Commissioner-cum-President, Zila Sainik Board after an inspection made by him on the premises of the Zila Sainik Board, Rohtak. “It is a legitimate function of all newspapers in a democratic set-up to act as a champion of clean administration and sentinel of public interest and as such they are well within their rights to expose and bring to the notice of the general public any lapse or malpractice in the administration, including that of nepotism and favourtism, and by doing so they will be acting for the public good,” the Judicial Magistrate said. In view of the long passage of time since the enactment of the penal code, changes in the pattern of society and instances of corruption, misappropriation of public funds and favouritism, etc being brought to light very frequently, the development of law in leading democracies like the UK and the USA should be taken notice of, Ms Khanna observed. |
|
SFI decries KU decision on
women Fatehabad, January 11 In a press note here today Subhash Sokhal, secretary of the SFI said it was ironical that the government which came to power on the promise of providing education free of cost to women had forgotten its promises. He said the government had also promised to allow election of college unions, but now it had forgotten even that. He said the decision of the university was anti-women and would affect women’s education in the state. |
|
Central grant for
Haryana Chandigarh, January 11 An official spokesman said here today that major components of the scheme included providing financial assistance in the shape of subsidy on the seeds of wheat, barley, rice and bajra crops, sprinkler irrigation sets as well as steps for checking soil erosion and reclamation of degraded alkaline and saline soils. He said special campaigns had been launched in the state to divert areas under cereal crops to high-value cash crops so that the challenge posed by WTO could be met. In order to provide assured market and remunerative minimum support prices of perishable commodities, the State Government was also initiating steps for establishing five food parks at Saha, Dabwali, Narwana, Rai and Jhajjar. |
|
Yamunanagar may have world class
hospital, college Chandigarh, January 11 The Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation (HSCC), a Government of India enterprises, has signed an agreement with Saiba Health Care, Yamunanagar, to set up such a hospital at Daurang village on the Yamunanagar-Kurukshetra road. As per the agreement signed between Dr M.L. Gupta, Managing Director of Saiba, and Mr A. Kumar, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the HSCC, the 300-bedded hospital and institute of medical sciences and research would be constructed in 105-acre area at a cost of Rs 355 crore. Mr Tejpal Singh Mannslaria, Executive Director of Saiba, said here today that the hospital would provide speciality services. He said the hospital would have the best technology, which would make it truly film-less and paperless hospital. |
|
|
Missing panch case: wife’s hand
suspected Kaithal, January 11 Karamveer, who left his village for Kaithal on December 26, has not returned since then. Surjit, brother of missing panch, said he suspected the hand of his sister-in-law behind the disappearance of his brother. He told mediapersons that his sister-in-law had stated that some divine power had told her that her husband had been murdered and the body thrown in the nearby in Sirsa branch canal. Villagers went to the site but could find nothing. A case has been registered. |
|
|
Motor cyclist robbed of
Rs 2 lakh Yamunanagar, January 11 Nathi Ram, a resident of Fatehpur village, near here was going on his motor cycle when he was stopped by them near Tejli village. They broke the head light of his motor cycle and hit him with an iron rod. Nathi Ram said he had taken a loan to start his own business. The police has registered a case. |
|
2 nominated Chandigarh, January 11 Mr Yudhvir Singh, Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner, has also been nominated to the IAS. The formal notification is expected shortly. |
|
Daya Chaudhry appointed Chandigarh, January 11 Mrs Chaudhry has been asked to constitute the state-level body of the cell as well as to appoint Chairmen of the district units expeditiously. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
