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Wednesday,
August 27, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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SC draws line for probe panels Pak’s new strategy: shelling down, infiltration up Help build temple, Naidu asks Muslims
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Tribune staffer gets fellowship
NHRC signs MoU to protect rights of disabled Laloo’s plea to club trials rejected Manu Sharma’s bail extended Scientists fear SARS may strike back Traders
step up efforts for Vidarbha Gurdwara workers move labour panel
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SC draws line for probe panels New Delhi, August 26 “A commission should confine itself to the terms and reference and to the object of the inquiry. It cannot go haywire in tarnishing the image of a person... should take into account the ground reality and the political fallout of such matters,” a Bench comprising Mr Justice Brijesh Kumar and Mr Justice Arun Kumar observed, reserving its judgement on the Bihar government’s petition. The high court had accepted Mr Advani’s plea for expunging the “objectional” remarks and ordered the quashing of the same from the report of three-member inquiry commission set up by the state government in 1992 to go into the causes of the 1988 Bhagalpur riots. The high court had said: “The offending passage had no nexus at all with the ultimate findings of the commission. Mr Advani was not even remotely connected with subject matter of the inquiry.” The report was submitted to the government in 1995 and Mr Advani had challenged the “adverse and reckless remarks” made about him by two of the panel’s members, who had “even described him as second Jinha, held him responsible for spreading communalism by misusing the official position while he was the Information and
Broadcasting Minister in the Janata Party government and by writing articles in ‘Panchjanya’, the RSS magazine,” Mr Advani’s counsel told the court, reading out the portions of the remarks in question. The Bihar Government counsel described the high court’s
intervention as “uncalled for” when the report was only under consideration of the government, which had not taken any action on it. The court asked the Bihar Government counsel what harm would be done if the remarks were expunged. “Can’t we take a
realistic approach to it considering the political fallout,” Mr Justice Arun Kumar asked, adding that “can the members of the inquiry commission write anything on earth in their report rather than confining themselves to the subject matter of the inquiry. |
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Pak’s new strategy: shelling down, infiltration up New Delhi, August 26 The move is aimed at pushing more and more terrorists into India for hitting at political, economic and infrastructural targets while enhancing the deniability factor in the eyes of the international community, sources told The Tribune today. The latest Pakistani directive is indicative of a bloodier phase ahead and demonstrative of Islamabad’s designs to step up terrorist activities as India and Pakistan are smoking the peace pipe presently. It is bound to have an adverse impact on the ongoing Indo-Pak peace process. The reaction of the Ministry of External Affairs today drops subtle hints that continued terrorist acts may rock the peace boat and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s peace
initiative was under serious threat. "Action to eliminate terrorism cannot but have positive bearing on the normalisation process. That is why we are stressing again and again that the dossier of terrorism cannot be overlooked,” the ministry said. Sources said that the Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had completely revamped their proxy war tactics and given strict instructions to militant commanders on how to fool American spy satellites focussed all along the 740-km LoC. The militants have been instructed to travel in small groups comprising five or six persons only. “The logic is that bigger groups are far more visible. They have to necessarily light bigger fire. More cigarettes are lit. Their movement is far more visible and even audible. A bigger group cuts a bigger swath and makes it easier for the satellite to pick up”, the sources said. American satellites deployed to monitor the LoC are equipped with powerful cameras that can pick up a cricket or a grasshopper in the fields down below, the sources elaborated. The sources said there had been a perceptible decline in shelling and firing incidents and explosions along the LoC since June this year. As against the average of 15 such incidents per month, in the month of June, only 10 were reported and in July the number had come down to five. While the LoC shelling is decreasing, the infiltration is going up. The present infiltration rate is between 180 to 190 terrorists per month. |
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Help build temple, Naidu asks Muslims New Delhi, August 26 “We are happy over the ASI report. It was a matter of faith for us. We stand vindicated. We welcome the development and call upon both sides to create a positive atmosphere through give and take,” party President M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters after a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Board here. “Now since all doubts about the existence of a temple at Ayodhya have been cleared, it is up to both parties to help settle the issue,” he said. The solution of the problem had now become easier after the excavation and the ASI report confirming the existence of the temple there, he said. The court during the hearing of the Ayodhya case had directed the ASI to carry out excavation at the site and submit its report. The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had given one month’s time to the contending parties to file their replies. While the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board had termed the report as “vague, self-contradictory and politically motivated”, the RSS said the “ultimate proof that our secular friends wanted is finally there. Now, they should all come forward and help in building the temple.” |
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Tribune staffer gets fellowship Shillong, August 26 Each inward awardee will receive Rs 15,000, besides travel expenses, and the outward fellows are entitled to Rs 35,000 each plus travel costs. The inward fellows included Sudhir Kumar Pal, staff reporter of the Ranchi Express from Ranchi, Peeyush Agnihotri, Sub-Editor with The Tribune, Chandigarh, Rinku Pegu with the Economic Research Foundation, Delhi, and Saptarishi Bhattacharjee, staff reporter with The Hindu, Chennai. Outward fellows are Gurumayun Bhabesh Sharma, Chief Sub-Editor of Imphal Free Press, David M. Thangliana, Editor, ‘Newslink’, and ‘Thurawn’ from Aizawl. The latter will study the phenomenon of women journalists in Chandigarh. —
UNI |
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NHRC signs MoU to protect rights of disabled New Delhi, August 26 The project seeks to address problems of discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion of persons with disability through building capacity of legal practitioners, disability rights and human rights activists. Manuals, guidelines and reference material in an easy-to-use language will be produced and the documents evolved under the project will clarify the application of international law and national laws and their logical application to the human rights of the disabled. In a statement issued here, the NHRC pointed out that the endeavour was to introduce training modules using face-to-face and distance education modes to help people committed to the rights of the disabled enhance their knowledge and awareness. It would also help them to play a more effective role in the promotion and protection of the human rights of the disabled. It was pointed out that the ultimate objective is to incorporate disability rights perspective in the education of lawyers, judges and social workers to ensure the building up of a cadre of disability sensitive professionals and activists. Under the project, the NHRC, CHRC and IGNOU have agreed to exchange expertise, information and documentation for raising the awareness about the human rights of persons with disability to improve the technical and project management capabilities of both the commissions. A proposal has been made for the development of three manuals for legal practitioners, academicians and disability rights activists. While the first one would seek to explore the domestic legal framework with a view to establish its relevance for the persons with disabilities, the second deals with the complaint and redressal mechanisms available to the disabled under the domestic laws. The third manual would serve as a step-wise guide on international norms and standards, including reporting and remedial procedures, available under the various international human rights instruments. The NHRC Secretary-General, Mr P.S.S. Thoma, and IGNOU Vice-Chancellor H.P. Dikshit signed the MoU in the presence of commission Chairperson Justice A.S. Anand and members Justice Sujata Manohar and Virender Dayal. It would now be sent to the Canadian Human Rights Commission for the signature of their Secretary-General NHRC press note said here. The project will be jointly managed by both the commissions, which will also co-chair the Project Advisory Committee. IGNOU will be the nodal agency for executing it and in that capacity, it will receive, disburse and manage funds as indicated by the Canadian and Indian commissions. |
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Laloo’s plea to club trials rejected New Delhi, August 26 A three-judge Bench comprising Mr Justice S.N. Variava, Mr Justice P.V. Reddi and Mr Justice Ashok Bhan also rejected a similar petition by former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra and some other accused. The court did not agree with the contention of Mr Laloo Yadav’s counsel that all five cases were the fallout of the same alleged conspiracy and the charges in the CBI chargesheet were of the “common general nature”. Mr Laloo, Mr Mishra and the other accused had filed appeals in the apex court against the Ranchi High Court order rejecting their plea for clubbing the trial in this regard. Accepting the CBI contention that all cases related to “different transactions by different people at different stages,” the apex court said there was no need for it to interfere in the high court order. The court said if the accused apprehended that the evidence recorded by one court against them would be used in the other cases, they would have the liberty to object to this before that particular judge. The Additional Solicitor-General who had appeared for the CBI had objected to the clubbing of the cases, stating that any attempt to hold a single trial would defeat the cause of justice. |
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Manu Sharma’s bail extended New Delhi, August 26 Mr Justice J.D. Kapoor extended Manu’s interim bail till October 23 after his counsel R.K. Naseem submitted that the police was yet to produce witness Dinesh Kumar from Nepal. Earlier, the court had on July 15 issued a notice to the Delhi police on a regular bail plea of Manu, who was granted interim bail on January 25 last year on the ground that the recording of evidence in the case was yet to be completed. As per the interim bail conditions, Manu would not enter Delhi except on the day of trial and not influence witnesses. He was also restrained from going abroad without the court’s permission and asked to surrender passport to the Delhi police. The police had sought more time to produce witness Dinesh Kumar from Nepal before the trial court. Dinesh Kumar was working as watchman in the house of Manu’s friend Amardeep Singh Gill, where he had allegedly taken shelter after the crime. —
PTI |
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Scientists fear SARS may strike back New Delhi, August 26 Not only are the local administrations of some of the affected cities undertaking extensive research programmes to check the possible return of SARS, but have also undertaken programmes to verify the sources from where the virus started. Both Hong Kong and China, which were the two most affected regions, are developing diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines in case SARS struck again at the turn of autumn. Although officials in Hong Kong are tightlipped on the administration’s view, reports suggest that efforts are on to tackle SARS, if it struck, at a bigger level. According to reports, the assumption that SARS may strike back is based on theories that viruses that have infected humans have not disappeared soon after. Further, there is also a thinking that the virus disappeared during the months with higher temperatures and may return, like influenza, during colder months. In fact the Far Eastern Economic Review has come out with a special edition on SARS this month. |
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Traders
step up efforts for Vidarbha Mumbai, August 26 A number of prominent businessmen in the region, who were supporters of the Congress so far, are helping mobilise support for a public meeting called for September 2 on the issue of a separate state. According to reports reaching here, a new outfit called the Vidarbha Pradesh Sangharsh Samiti would be floated at the meeting. Prominent newspaper owner and former Member of Parliament Banwarilal Purohit, who has long been campaigning for a separate Vidarbha, has been meeting political leaders to build up a support base for the movement to be launched on the occasion. A large number of Congress workers from the region are expected to join the new outfit. Former Union ministers N.K.P. Salve and Vasant Sathe who resigned from the Congress last week are expected to formally take charge of the new outfit at the meeting. Observers here say the political activity on Vidarbha is aimed at putting pressure on the ruling Democratic Front government in Maharashtra. Of the 71 MLAs in the ruling Congress party, 27 are from Vidarbha. In addition, there are five legislators from Vidarbha in the Nationalist Congress Party, that is part of the ruling coalition. The Congress is also hoping to benefit from the Vidarbha wave in the forthcoming Assembly and national elections. Vidarbha has 11 seats in the Lok Sabha and 66 seats in the state legislature. |
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Gurdwara workers move labour panel New Delhi, August 26 Seeking the intervention of the Labour Department, they sought the regularisation of their services, pay and emoluments as per law, besides provident fund, insurance, and identity cards. In a petition, Mr Vichlar Singh Kalonar and 50 others urged the Labour Department to intervene in the matter and help secure minimum wages. Stating that there were over 300 “akhand pathis” in the Capital, they said they were not in a position to protest against the “high-handedness” of the DSGMC officials as any protest could result in the termination of their services. However, the general secretary of the DSGMC, Mr Bhajan Singh Walia, said these akhand pathis could not be made permanent employees as there was no assured guarantee of minimum demand each month. |
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India following EU-US at WTO, say former PMs New Delhi, August 26 Mr V.P. Singh said as long as earlier issues such as subsidies, medicines and TRIPs were not settled, new issues such as investment, competition policy, government procurement and trade facilitation could be relegated to the background. |
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