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New Delhi, April 16 IIM, Ahmedabad today softened its posture on the fee-cut issue and urged the Supreme Court to defer the hearing of the matter to facilitate its dialogue with the Union Human Resource Development Ministry to resolve it. 
In video (28k,
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SC summons UP Chief Secy
SC issues notices on Chandigarh judge’s plea in Burail jail
case
SC notice to Centre, EC on ‘negative’
voting
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Mamata in the dock for defying HC, EC
order
BJP rebukes Cong, allies on
CMP
Cong to launch attack against
Mulayam Cong announces names for two
more Haryana
seats We will realise our dreams, PM tells
Sonia Red Fort shootout accused alleges
bias Govt agrees to make CVC protector of whistle
blowers Warrants scam: CBI probe puts Magistrate in
dock
Third accused
in paper leak
case held
Husain pulls Meenaxi out of
theatres
Army orders probe into nurses’ uniform issue
Writer-director Abbas
dead
Lone crusader of pure melody in age of
remixes
First train runs from Jammu to Udhampur
16 J&K detainees to be
released
Bengal relief for 2 custodial deaths
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Defer hearing on fee cut, Ahmedabad IIM asks
SC
New Delhi, April 16 “We have passed a resolution. We want a dialogue with the government,” IIM, Ahmedabad’s counsel Anil Diwan told a Bench comprising Chief Justice V.N. Khare, Mr Justice S.B. Sinha and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia. The institute, however, said it would continue to charge the fee at the rate of Rs 1.5 lakh and keep the
amount above the Rs 30,000 as fixed by the government in a separate bank account while trying to resolve the issue. A similar plea was made by the counsel for IIM, Bangalore and Calcutta, also. At the same time they said the institutes were more concerned about any interference in their autonomy. Acceding to the IIM counsel’s request, the court put off further hearing in the matter till the coming summer vacation to enable all six business schools to
discuss the matter with the government. Mr Diwan said in view of this the IIM, Ahmedabad, did not want any specific order from the court at this stage and would prefer adjournment of the case. However, senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for the three petitioners, who had challenged the government decision to slash the fee from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 30,000, accused the government of pressurising the IIMs to accept its decision. He alleged that the government was not giving the regular annual grants since 1994 to the IIMs but was giving only the ‘’block assistance.’’ At this stage the Bench asked how a corpus of Rs 100 crore had been created during the past five years by the IIMs. The court said a balance had to be struck between the financial needs of the IIMs and the fee charged by them. Mr Salve said it was strange that IIM, Ahmedabad, which had opposed the government decision in its affidavit was taking a different stand before the court today. Additional Solicitor-General Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the Union Government questioned the locus standi of the petitioners, stating that when the IIMs had not challenged the government decision, what was their role in the matter. |
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SC summons UP Chief Secy
New Delhi, April 16 Directing the Chief Secretary, Mr V.K. Diwan, to appear in person on April 26, the apex court gave six weeks’ time to the state government to complete departmental inquiry against former Principal Secretary Environment R.K. Sharma. Similarly two months time was granted to the Centre to finish the departmental inquiry against former Environment Secretary K.C. Mishra and National Project Construction
Corporation (NPCC) Chairman N.C. Bali. The UP Government counsel told a Bench of Chief Justice Mr V.N. Khare, Mr Jusice S.B. Sinha and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia that former Chief Secretary D.S. Bagga, former Environment Secretary V.K. Gupta and P.L. Punia, the former Principal Secretary to the then Chief Minister Mayawati, had been exonerated in the departmental inquiry. Meanwhile, the CBI filed its fifth status report on the progress of investigation in a “sealed cover” today. After perusing it, the court expressed surprise on reinstating the three officers, saying “the CBI has a lot of evidence against them”. The UP Government was also directed by the court to submit a copy of the departmental inquiry report before it along with an affidavit explaining the circumstances under which the three officers had been exonerated. Mayawati had to resign as state Chief Minister after the court had ordered the CBI to register a case against her, her Cabinet colleague Nasimuddin Siddique and the six top officials on September 18 last year. The court today gave three months’ time to the CBI to complete the investigation. The court asked the state government counsel whether the CBI was consulted before giving clean chit to the officers when its investigation was continuing against them. |
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SC issues notices on Chandigarh judge’s
New Delhi, April 16 A Bench of Mr Justice Shivaraj V Patil and Mr Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari issued notices to the Chandigarh Administration and two persons who had filed a PIL in the High Court for a CBI probe in the Burail Jailbreak case, leading to fleeing of four under-trials, including three alleged assassins of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Fresh notices were issued after the apex court was informed by Bhalla’s counsel Rakesh Dwivedi that the earlier ones issued on April 16 had not been served on the parties. The court gave a week’s time to serve the notices so that the respondents could file replies by April 30. The apex court had on February 16 stayed the High Court order to the extent of making the DSJ as party. Dwivedi told the Bench that only a very short question was involved in the Special Leave Petition filed by Bhalla whether the DSJ could be made a party in the PIL by the High Court on a suo motu order. Dwivedi said Bhalla was the senior-most judge of the lower judiciary in the Union Territory of Chandigarh and impleading him as party in this manner was unwarranted. When the Bench asked whether the DSJ’s promotion was due, his counsel replied in the affermative, saying such an order by the High Court might affect his promotional avenues. Bhalla, in his SLP, had alleged that he was impleaded as party in the case only for his role as a “visiting judge” to the jail to hear the complaints of prisoners. “It transpires that the show-cause notice was issued on the administrative side on the basis of the observation of the (HC) Chief Justice alone, without the matter ever being placed before or being considered by the Full Court, as is mandatory required by the Constitution,” the SLP said. The other officials impleaded as parties by the High Court included Chandigarh Inspector General of Police, Deputy Commissioner, SSP and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate concerned. |
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SC notice to Centre, EC on ‘negative’
voting
New Delhi, April 16 The notices were issued by a three-judge Bench, headed by the Chief Justice, Mr V. N. Khare, on the PILs by the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), which raised the “negative” voting issue and Disabled Rights Group seeking facilities for the physically-challenged in polling booths. The court converted into a PIL, the letter of the Disabled Rights Group to the Chief Justice regarding the difficulties being faced by the handicapped in casting votes. The court sought replies from the Centre and the Election Commission to both the PILs by April 19. Activists of the Disabled Rights Group had been sitting on dharna for the past few days in front of the office of the Election Commission here demanding proper facilities for them in the polling booths. The court asked them to end their agitation in view of it taking cognizance of their plea. The PUCL, in the PIL, said there should be a provision for a person to cast “negative” vote if he did not prefer any of candidate listed in the EVM or ballot paper. |
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Mamata in the dock for defying HC, EC
order
Kolkata, April 16 On the other hand, the TMC has brought charges today against the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Basudev Banerjee, for “siding with the ruling CPI (M) and acting as its agent”. Accordingly, the TMC has been sending a delegation to the CEC, T. S.
Krishnamurti, triggering off another controversy on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections. The TMC chairman of the party’s policy-making body, Mr Pankaj Banerjee, alleged that they had certain specific complaints against the CEO of ignoring them and thereby helping the CPI (M) in preparing for large-scale rigging during the elections. He said they had submitted complaints to the CEO, which he had ignored. Now they would send a memorandum to the CEC against the state CEO. On the eve of the filing of nomination, the Trinamool Congress supremo was accused of flouting the HC’s order on holding election meeting and the use of microphone during the ongoing higher secondary and ISC examinations. Ms Banerjee held a poll meeting last evening in the Tangra area in central Kolkata and used microphones at high pitch. The police has registered a case against her and other TMC leaders for violating the order of the high court and the Election Commission’s guidelines. |
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BJP rebukes Cong, allies on
CMP
New Delhi, April 16 Highlighting three such issues — the foreign-origin issue, Kashmir Women Bill issue and Women Reservation Bill — BJP spokesman Arun Jaitley said Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar’s statement at Nashik yesterday had clearly pointed out the differences in ideology and principles between the Congress and its ally on the foreign origin issue. Similarly, the ruling coalition of the PDP-Congress in Jammu and Kashmir was clearly on opposite tracks on the Kashmir Women Bill which bars Kashmiri from inheriting property if they married a non-Kashmiri. The Congress was facing the same problem with the RJD government in Bihar on the Women Bill, providing 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, he said. These disparities in their approach to different issues “expose” their alliance, he said. |
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Cong to launch attack against
Mulayam New Delhi, April 16 Since the Congress is making a concerted effort to wean away the minorities from the Samajwadi Party, the thrust of its attack will be on exposing Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav’s tacit understanding with the BJP. A series of posters, pamphlets and a chargesheet against the SP leader, giving specific instances of an SP-BJP pact, are to be distributed in Muslim-dominated constituencies. The Congress will also be equally unsparing in its criticism of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress strategists stated. They admitted that their campaign would be handicapped by the fact that the Congress was supporting the government which they were attacking. Given the situation, Congress leaders said they would go hammer and tongs at the Mulayam Singh Yadav government but stop short of withdrawing support to it. The Congress campaign, aimed specifically at the minority vote, will be formally kicked off in Lucknow on Sunday when leaders of several Muslim social, religious and cultural bodies will issue a joint appeal in support of the Congress. Among the organisations which have pledged support to the Congress include the two wings of Mushawarrat, Momin Conference, Muslim Majlis and Jamat-e-Islam. CWC leaders Birendra Singh and Salman Khursheed will also be present in Lucknow on the occasion. The party election manifesto in Urdu will also be released on the occasion and the next day about 100-odd representatives from these organisations and party leaders will fan out into the constituencies where polling is due to take place on April 26.
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Cong announces names for two
more New Delhi, April 16 Industrialist Naveen Jindal, who joined the Congress only recently and was out of the reckoning till two days ago, is to contest from Kurukshetra. Mr Jai Prakash has been nominated for the Hisar seat. The decision on Faridabad and Karnal is still pending. Although Mr Jai Prakash’s candidature was finalised two days ago, the formal announcement was witheld following a revolt in the party. Mr Randeep Surjewala, Youth Congress chief, who was also a claimant for this seat, had resigned from his post in protest. A placated Mr Surjewala
subsequently announced that he would abide by the Congress President’s decision
and work for the party. |
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We will realise our dreams, PM tells
Sonia Korba, April 16 Addressing a BJP election rally at Korba in Jhangir, where his niece Karuna Shukla is the party candidate, the Prime Minister
criticised the speeches of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. What kind of speeches is she making while terming our dreams as “Mungere Lal
Ke Haseen Sapne”. Whatever dreams we see, we would realise them,’’ he said. |
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Red Fort shootout accused alleges bias
New Delhi, April 16 Additional Sessions Judge O P Saini also directed the Tihar Jail authorities to produce the accused before District Judge J.P. Singh at 10 am tomorrow, when the matter is likely to be taken up. Earlier just when proceedings were about to begin, Pakistani national Ashfaq shouted that he did not want to face trial before a court in which he had no faith. —
UNI |
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Govt agrees to make CVC protector
New Delhi, April 16 Mr Raval informed a Bench comprising Justice Ruma Pal and Justice P.V. Reddi that the Union Government had accepted his proposal and a notification making the CVC the sole authority on protection of “whistle blowers” would be enacted before April 26. —
PTI |
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Warrants scam: CBI probe puts Magistrate in dock
New Delhi, April 16 After perusing the status report, a Bench comprising Chief Justice V.N. Khare, Justice S.B. Sinha and Justice S.H. Kapadia observed that “the role of the Magistrate was quite revealing.” Sources told PTI that the CBI in its fresh probe report suggested that the Magistrate had ordered issuance of arrest warrants without the complainant being examined and without verifying the authenticity of the complaint. —
PTI |
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Third accused
in paper leak
case held
New Delhi, April 16 Tyagi has been charged with conspiring in the crime by providing his premises for marking right answers to questions in the test papers on April 10, before the paper leak came to light. The sleuths said Tyagi was an associate of Ranjeet Verma and the latter had allegedly brought two teachers to his premises from coaching centres to mark answers to physics, chemistry, biology and zoology papers of the All-India Pre-Medical Entrance Examination. Tyagi was being questioned about Ranjit, his brother Satinder and Bhani Singh Gautam, who have been in hiding since the paper leak was detected last week. |
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Husain pulls Meenaxi out of
theatres
Mumbai, April 16 “I have told my sole distributor Yash Chopra to withdraw the film from public shows with immediate effect,” Husain said in a statement today. Husain who was visibily upset, however, refused to provide any reasons for his action to reporters. “I have not made the film to make money, nor have I sold it to anyone. Therefore, I need not give any reason for the withdrawal of the screening of the film to public,” Husain said. Yesterday, the All-India Ulema Council kicked up a row by terming the qawwali number in the film, ‘Noor-un-Ala-Noor’ as blasphemous. The council claimed that the song featuring the film’s main protagonist, Tabu, contained words directly lifted from the Quran. The council’s statement was supported by Muslim organisations like the Milli Council, All-India Muslim Council, Raza Academy, Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind and Jamat-e-Islami. The organisations had demanded that Husain change the words of the song. The organisations had even filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police Commissioner A.N. Roy. “For us, the term Noor-un-Ala-Noor is very sacred. It shouldn’t be used to describe the physical beauty of a heroine,” Maulana Abdul Quddus Kashmiri, general secretary of the All-India Ulema Council said in his statement. Maulana Kashmiri, however, admitted that he did not see the movie. Responding to the allegations, Husain’s son and associate producer of the movie, Owais, had said there was no intention to create a controversy. He added that the words Noor-un-Ala-Noor was meant to describe the divine beauty. Meenaxi — A Tale of Three Cities, featuring Tabu in three roles has been critically acclaimed but opened to poor response in theatres across the country. However, Husain had claimed that he had not made the movie to earn money. |
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Army orders probe into nurses’ uniform issue
New Delhi, April 16 An Army spokesperson here said an inquiry into the incident would be carried out by the officials of the respective centres at Delhi, Lucknow and Chandigarh where the nursing probationers refused to wear the new beige-colour uniform for the ceremony which had been specially organised. The only centre where the ceremony went without any hitch was Kolkota but at the other three centres, the ceremony had to be cancelled. The officials at the three centres have been asked to submit the report at the earliest. Incidentally, Army rules say that defiance can be construed as insubordination even before someone is drafted into the force. The problem started yesterday when the probationer nursing staff was asked to wear the new beige-colour uniform instead of the traditional olive green. The colour of the uniform was changed as the Army wanted to distinguish between the auxiliary cadre of nurses from executive officers in the Medical Corps. The change was to be effected from May 10 but the Army authorities decided that rather than having two sets of uniforms for the probationers they would implement the change immediately. While the probationers alleged that they were placed under detention, the Army denied the charges and said the probationers were instructed to report to their respective wards after the ceremony was cancelled. |
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Mumbai, April 16 A writer of several Bollywood blockbusters, he leaves behind a legacy of such works as ‘Parvarish’ starring Raj Kapoor, ‘Satta Bazaar’, ‘Poornima’, Shashi Kapoor starrer ‘Hasenna Maan Jayegi’, ‘Kahani Kismat Ki’, ‘Kab Kyon aur Kahan’, ‘Chor Machaye Shor’ starring Shashi Kapoor, ‘Santaan’ starring Jeetendra, ‘Paaras’, ‘Fakeera’ and the Dharmendra starrer ‘Gazab’. —
UNI |
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Lone crusader of pure melody in age of remixes
Kolkata, April 16 Far from jarring notes, inconceivable lyrics and vulgar videos, Shaan has made a distinct, but welcome aberration -that which brings back the soulful, pure and fresh genre of music back in style. His new album ‘Aksar’, which like all his earlier albums is not for the party-goer, but for that serious listener who would rather sway to the lyrics all alone or in the company of like-minded friends on a rainy evening, reflects his commitment to stick to this genre. With Aksar, Shaan collaborates with three international groups — Blue, Mel C and Moroccan star singer Samira Said. The album with six original songs penned and composed by Shaan retain his original flavour. While movie numbers like ‘Musu musu hasi’, ‘Kuch to hua hai’ and ‘Yeh hawaayein’ have earned him rave reviews, rhythmic beats like those in ‘Koi kahe’, ‘O re kanchi’ and ‘It’s the time to disco’ have got a young fan following hooked to his music. Currently on his 10-city stage show tour to promote ‘Aksar’, Shaan says he is averse to getting branded. “During Durga Puja when Bengalis look forward to the best in regional music, I and my sister would cut an album of songs written and some composed by my father,” he says. About films, he says “I did enjoy acting. But shooting means a lot of hard work and takes away precious time from my schedule. After all, I am a singer first. Though I have been approached by a few directors, none of the roles seem to be what I can actually do justice to,” he says. But for the right kind of role, which reflects his ethics in life, Shaan is still open. “I could take a break from music for something which seems to be close to my heart”, he says. —
PTI |
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First train runs from Jammu to Udhampur
New Delhi, April 16 It was like a dream come true for the people of Jammu and Kashmir when a goods train, which left Jammu at 2 pm passed through the 77-m high bridge over the Gambhir river to reach Udhampur at around 5 pm today. The first passenger train will run on the route in the last week of April, a Northern Railway spokesperson said here. The 53-km-long Jammu Tawi-Udhampur line is part of the 340 km long Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway line, which has been declared a national project and is to be completed in four phases. The spokesperson said two traction machines ran on the Jammu-Udhampur line this morning before the goods train was cleared for journey. Passenger services would begin between the two cities after the Commissioner, Railway Safety, inspected the tracks for passenger services on April 19, 20 and 21, he said. The 53-km line has many firsts of the Indian Railways. The 102-km long bridge over the Gambhir river is 4-m taller than the Qutab Minar and is the longest constructed over two pillars. The unique railway line has been constructed in the seismically active Shivalik Himalayas. In the three other phases of the project, railway lines will be constructed between Udhampur and Katra, Katra and Qazigund and Qazikund and Baramulla. The work on the Udhampur-Katra line, which consists of 40 per cent tunnels, was progressing fast. —
UNI |
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16 J&K detainees to be released
New Delhi, April 16 A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Joint Screening Committee of state and the Centre in Jammu last evening, official sources said here. The list includes some second-rung leaders of the Hurriyat Conference who had been detained under the Public Safety Act, the sources said. The release of some of the close associates of the Hurriyat which included Shabir Dar and Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh, was not cleared as they were booked under POTA and their trial was on in designated courts here. —
PTI |
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Bengal relief for 2 custodial deaths
New Delhi, April 16 |
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