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Plea in Uma case
dismissed
Godhra probe intended to help the NCP to contest 130 seats in
Maharashtra
Bangladesh outfit training
militants
15 TMC workers hurt in clash with cops |
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Vohra briefs Patil on Kashmir Panel opposes reopening of mines in Aravali
hills
NHRC seeks report on boycott of women
SC notice on lawyers' strikes
PM’s press meet today
National map policy likely
soon
Cong laughs
off BJP shadow cabinet
Bombay HC stays blast trials
Ved Pal to head Nationalist Kisan Congress
Amarjit Singh appointed ASG
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Plea in Uma case
dismissed
Hubli, September 3 Refusing to interfere with the discretionary order of the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Hubli, the court said when the Magistrate was seized of the matter pursuant to the high court directions, it was not proper to interfere with the conduct of the proceedings “unless manifest illegality, perversity or error of jurisdiction is pointed out”. However, having regard to the submissions made by the public prosecutor and with intent to secure full compliance of the high court orders, Judge J.M.D. Cunha ruled that the Magistrate receive and consider any written comments and reasons or material, if filed by the public prosecutor at 11 am tomorrow. The order said depending on the material, the trial court would afford suitable opportunity to both parties for their say and thereafter, proceed to pass orders in accordance with the law in the light of the high court directions. In the revision petition, the public prosecutor had expressed apprehension that by denying opportunity to file written submissions and reasons, as directed by the high court, there was likelihood of miscarriage of justice. The Magistrates, Mr Mohammed Ismail, on Wednesday deferred till September 4 the pronouncement of his final order after the additional public prosecutor decided to challenge his order, refusing to grant a week’s time to submit his written comments. Bangalore: BJP General Secretary Rajnath Singh and at least 1,000 party workers courted arrest on the third day of the party sponsored satyagraha here on Friday to press for the withdrawal of false cases registered against Ms Uma Bharati. After Mr L.K. Advani and Dr Murli Manohar Joshi on the first two days, it was the turn of the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to lead the agitation at the Puttannachetty town hall junction. Addressing the satyagrahis, who included 17 MP’s from Rajasthan and party members from Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, Mr Rajnath Singh asserted that the BJP would not call off the agitation till Ms Bharati, who had resigned as Chief Minister over the issue, was released and tainted ministers were dropped from the Union Cabinet. The arrest of Ms Bharati, lodged in Dharwad in connection with a criminal case filed against her after she defied curfew to lead the 1994 Idgah Maidan flag-hoisting agitation in Hubli, was an attempt by the UPA government to shield tainted ministers, he claimed. Prominent leaders who took part in the satyagraha today included Mr Kalraj Mishra, Mr Lalith Kishore Chaturvedi, Mr Nandakumar Sahay, Mr Tatagath Ray and Ms Kiran Maheshwari. — PTI |
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Godhra probe intended to help the accused:
BJP
New Delhi, September 3 “It reflects a callous disconcern towards the victims of the barbaric incident. It is also direct encouragement to those who commits such acts by signaling that the UPA government will protect those who are responsible for such acts,” BJP spokesperson and former Law Minister Arun Jaitley told newspersons here. Attacking Dr Manmohan Singh, the BJP leader said, “That noises of this kind were being made by union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and some others was worrying enough. But such a move to acquire the stamp of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet is a challenge to the rule of law and an interference with the course of justice.” Wondering whether the Chief Justice of India was consulted in the matter of appointment of this committee, Mr Jaitley said, “It surprises us that a retired judge of the Supreme Court should consent to head the in-house committee constituted for the collateral purposes.” Questioning the terms of reference of the fresh inquiry, former Law Minister said, “The inquiry headed by two justices is already going into these facts. It is holding a transparent public inquiry. It is against this that the terms of reference of the high powered committee under Justice U. C. Banerjee to ascertain as to why the said train, including the S-6 coach, was overcrowded with passengers, many of whom were without reservations and if their behaviour in any manner contributed to the fire.” “It is not surprising that the Railway Minister has already pronounced, even before setting of the in house committee that the karsevaks, members of the majority community and Sangh Parivar, are responsible for the incident,” Mr Jaitley charged. “The constitution of this high powered committee and its terms of reference are clearly intended to help the accused, who had indulged in the barbaric crime,” he added.
Nanavati questions Lalu’s claim on Godhra issue
New Delhi, September 3 “The Commission of Inquiry Act is very clear. We are autonomous of any state or Central government pressure. We have been working under no interference from any political authority. No one in the Gujarat government can influence us,” he said in an interview to the NDTV. While accepting that the Railway Minister was free to appoint any committee, Justice Nanavati pointed out that there was an overlap in terms of reference on the Godhra train incident. “We are also inquiring into the facts and circumstances leading to the Godhra train incident. Naturally, there will be some overlap and confusion. But I am not worried. We will submit our own report based on the facts before us.” —
UNI |
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NCP to contest 130 seats in
Maharashtra New Delhi, September 3 “The NCP will contest between 125 and 130 seats in the state. Most of the sitting MLAs will be given ticket to contest,” said the party’s chief spokesperson D.P. Tripathi. The party has 59 members in the 288-member Assembly. The Congress, which has 76 members in the outgoing Assembly, will contest the poll in alliance with the NCP. Mr Tripathi said the two coalition partners had agreed to have an understanding on the final number of seats to be contested by each party. The principle was that there should be maximum unity among coalition partners to defeat communal forces, he said. The seat-sharing formula was that each party would retain those seats where it had sitting MLAs and those Assembly segments where either of the party had performed well in the Lok Sabha poll, he said. Given this formula, he claimed that the two parties would have to sort out only between 10 and 15 seats, which would be amicably settled within a week. Emphasising the two parties’ resolve to fight the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, Mr Tripati said the NCP and the Congress would not only issue a common manifesto, but campaign jointly. “Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra Gandhi and other leaders will campaign for the NCP in Maharashtra,” he said. A section of Congress leaders had left the party on the question of persons of foreign origin holding constitutional posts and formed the NCP. Just before the Lok Sabha poll, the NCP had split, with the P.A. Sangma faction holding to the stand on foreign origin issue and the Pawar faction deciding to align with the Congress-led UPA. The NCP made its displeasure to government policies public by stating that it had not been consulted by the government before making the foreign trade policy public. |
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Bangladesh outfit training
militants
New Delhi, September 3 Prominent Bangladeshi newspaper “Prothom ALO” (First Light), in a recent five-part article series has reported that HUJAI has established an active network through madrasas and local NGOs to carry out its activities . The estimated strength of HUJAI, according to the Bangla newspaper, is 15,000 and its main aim is to bring a Taliban-type Islamic revolution in Bangladesh. The HUJAI has been declared a terrorist outfit by the US State Department for its Al Qaida and Taliban connections. The outfit is also suspected to be behind the recent attack on Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina’s rally in which 20 persons were killed and 200 injured. The HUJAI maintains its links with and gets funds from Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Osama bin Laden-financed outfit “Servants of Suffering Humanity International”, Al Farooq International Islamic Trust and Pakistan-based groups Harkat-ul Mujahideen and Harkat-ul Jehad Islami. The areas, where the newspaper sent its reporters to investigate the camps, are Bandarban, Naikhangthari, Ukhia, Dailpara, Chandgaon and Khatunganj in Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh. The Central Command Headquarters of ULFA and northeaster insurgent outfits like NFT and NDFB are based in these areas. To carry on its activities in these areas, the HUJAI is reported to be using its clout with certain Bangladeshi Islamic political groups like ruling Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote (Islamic Unity Forum). NGOs from several West Asian and Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya and UAE have been sending large amounts of funds for aiding Rohingiya refugees. The same funds are being spent on imparting arms training to the militants. Top HUJAI leaders like Mufti Abdul Hannan Mufti Qamaruzzaman and Mufti Saleh Ahmed, who have fought in Afghanistan and Chechnya, have gone underground. The newspaper said the HUJAI had started eliciting overt support of certain Islamic extremist outfits as well as political parties like the Jamaat-I-Islami. The base of its operations, the “Prothom Alo” said was in Chittangong’s Chandgaon and Khatunganj areas where it was imparting training to the Rohingiya Muslim extremists. The locals are also aware of the arms training being imparted in these locales, which are generally about two to five kilometers from the MyaNmar border. |
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15 TMC workers hurt in clash with cops
Kolkata, September 3 The hotel is jointly owned by Avtar and his MP wife, Ms Jyotirmoyee Sikhdar. The hearing, however, could not take place as TMC workers and the police were involved in a pitched battle inside the court premises, which lasted over an hour. During the clash, brickbats were thrown at the policemen, who responded by bursting tear gas shells and a lathi charge. The SDJM fixed September 9 as the next date of hearing. Two TMC MLAs, Mr Jyotipriya Mallick and Mr Tanmay Mondal, who sustained severe injuries in the lathi charge, were brought to Kolkata for treatment at a private nursing home. Some 15 TMC workers and supporters taking part in the demonstration against Avtar’s bail prayer move and six policemen including the local SDPO and the officer in charge of the local thana were also injured in the clash.
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Vohra briefs Patil on Kashmir New Delhi, September 3 Mr Patil, who is in the process of chalking out the final details of his visit, including meeting with people’s representatives, political leaders and senior officials, reviewed the status of the Centre’s proposal for talks with the various sections of the Hurriyat Conference with Mr Vohra, official sources said here. Besides discussing the overall situation in the valley, Mr Vohra also briefed the Home Minister about the continuous threats being received by moderate separatist leaders in the valley. The Centre’s point man also discussed issues pertaining to the release of some of the political detainees who have been lodged in various jails under the Public Safety Act, the sources said.
— PTI |
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Panel opposes reopening of mines in Aravali
hills New Delhi, September 3 The region specified comprised Faridabad, Gurgaon and Alwar districts of Haryana and Rajasthan. The three members - Bhure Lal (Chairman of the panel), Valmik Thapar and Dilip Biswas - who had been nominated to the committee by the Supreme Court keeping in view their contribution in the environmental matters, in a report placed before the apex court today said they had “wide difference of
perception” with official members about the reopening of mines in the area. The three members recommended that Union Environment and Forest Ministry’s notification regarding saving the Aravali Hills be extended to the whole of the region to save the fragile hills. “We have seen the bomb-scarred mining landscapes of Faridabad and Gurgaon with their ‘horror impact’ on this land. We believe it is the duty of all parties concerned to restore these lands to their original shape and look,” the three panalists said. They further recommended that the money for the restoration of environment of the region should be mobilised from the mine owners and work on the project should be started immediately by involving them. A Bench comprising Mr Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Mr Justice Tarun Chatterjee sought replies within four weeks from the
government agencies concerned and other parties. The court had appointed the committee on March 18 last to asses the overall impact of legal or illegal mining in the region and the ways to restore ecological balance in the area. While recommending a total ban on mining
activities, the committee members have classified the region into two categories - prohibited areas for mining and prohibited areas for colonisation. It has also clearly laid down the guidelines about how the mining activities in the specified zones should be regulated. The areas identified for total ban include the zones notified under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), area which was earlier covered under the Act, the new plantation zones, safety zone of 500 meter around prohibited area under PLPA, area 500 meters of either side of the national and state highways, district and village roads and the notified green belts. They also said the mining activity should be banned in areas where ground water level has fallen three meters below the normal. |
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NHRC seeks report on boycott of women
New Delhi, September 3 Taking cognisance of a news report titled “Tribals boycott women fearing AIDS infection”, the commission has asked the authorities to send the report within four weeks. According to the report, Bhanot Samakka employed as a cook in a school and Bhukia Vimala, a health worker in the Aangwanwadi have been boycotted by the community in a tribal hamlet in Warangal district as they had helped a pregnant woman suffering from AIDS, in her delivery. According to the report, the community panchayat decreed that these women could not enter the village for four months. The women had been prevented from attending to their work. The Chairperson of the commission, Justice A.S. Anand, has observed that if the contents of the report are true, it raises the issue of violation of human rights. |
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SC notice on lawyers' strikes
New Delhi, September 3 A Bench comprising Mr Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice S.B. Sinha directed the BCI to suggest ways and means to curb the tendency among lawyers to go on strike on the slightest provocation, affecting work in the judiciary. The notice was issued during the hearing of a PIL in the wake of the recent strike by Tamil Nadu lawyers in protest against the Madras High Court devising a code of conduct for them. Though the high court had withdrawn the 25-point code under pressure from the striking lawyers, the Supreme Court said a similar situation was simmering at many places in the country on one or the other pretext, requiring the BCI to come forward to with its suggestions. The BCI was also asked to take reports from state Bar councils about the steps taken by them to curb the tendency among lawyers to go on strike. |
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PM’s press meet today
New Delhi, September 3 According to a press note, after taking over as Prime Minister in May, Dr Manmohan Singh had received dozens of requests for interviews from Indian and international print and electronic media. “Given his extremely busy schedule, and the fact that during the Budget session of Parliament, he could not grant media interviews, the Prime Minister was unable to meet all those mediapersons who had sought individual interviews. Hence, he has decided to address the press conference”, the press note said. The press conference will be broadcast by All India Radio and telecast live on Doordarshan and other television channels. |
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National map policy likely
soon
New Delhi, September 3 Addressing a press conference, he said the draft policy had been circulated among the ministries concerned, which was likely to get a Cabinet clearance shortly. “In this connection, a high-level meeting of the secretaries of the departments concerned is slated for the 23rd of this month,” said Mr Sibal. He admitted there were some differences with the Defence Ministry on the proposed policy, which would be resolved at the meeting. The policy would have to get Cabinet clearance before it came into force, he said. The meeting would be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, officials said, adding a national spatial data infrastructure and a national map policy were needed for the country. Mr Sibal said in about two years from now, the government would map every village of the country. Discussions were on with different agencies engaged in mapping work in this connection, he said. By January 2005, the government would provide GPS systems installed in all metros. It would enable vehicle drivers to know their location and directions to reach a particular destination. The system would be extended in all cities in a phased manner, he said. Stating that so far there was no clear map policy and the current policy restrained people from accessing maps, while these were freely available on the Internet, he said the new policy would allow individual to access maps through the Net. |
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Cong laughs
off BJP shadow cabinet
Dehra Dun, September 3 The BJP has launched a shadow cabinet of 17 legislators against Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari’s Cabinet of 12. The shadow cabinet would monitor the work department-wise and put forward its report every three months, said Leader of the Opposition Matbar Singh Khandari. The idea was to check corruption and scams in various departments, Mr Khandari said, citing the example of irregularities in hiring the SIs, six of whom were sacked last month. The government maintained an uncomfortable silence on the officials behind the case, he said. |
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Bombay HC stays blast trials
Mumbai, September 3 The Division Bench comprising Mr Justice H.L. Gokhale and Mr Justice V.K. Tahilramani today referred the matter to the larger Bench, after it differed with the Nagpur Bench of the court, which had held that a statement of co-accused is inadmissible. —
UNI |
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Ved Pal to head Nationalist Kisan Congress
New Delhi, September 3 Mr Virendra Singh Danda and Dr Narendra Kumar Reddy have been appointed general secretaries of the Kisan Congress. |
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Amarjit Singh appointed ASG
New Delhi, September 3 Mr Amarjit Singh, based in Chandigarh, has been Deputy Advocate-General of Punjab for the past six years, assisting the state government in legal matters both in the Punjab and Haryana High Court as well as the Supreme Court. His appointment is with immediate effect, a Law Ministry press note said. |
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Distinction
for college lecturer Sriganganagar, September 3 Professor Kaswan, who attended 30th International Geographical
Congress held at Glasgow (U.K.) from August 15 to August 20, got lot of
appreciation for his two research papers entitled " Globalisation
and Universalisation of education: contextual paradigm shift in policy
making in India" and "Delimiting biosphere: anthropocentrism
versus geocenterism", which were presented in that congress.
Earlier, he has attended 27th and 29th International Geographical
Congress held at Washington in 1992 and at Seoul in 2000, respectively.
He attended these conferences on the invitation of the International
Geographical Union (IGU), which has been organising the same at regular
intervals. The college authorities will honour Professor Kaswan on the
Teachers Day to be observed on September 5.
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The Additional District and Sessions Court here today dismissed a revision petition filed by the public prosecutor, challenging a lower court’s order, refusing to grant time to submit written arguments on withdrawal of cases against former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharati.
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