Lucknow, September 4
The showoff between the police and lawyers continued to dominate the scene with both BSP and BJP demanding the resignation of the Mulayam Singh government for its callous handling of yesterday’s incident.

Former Prime Minister and local BJP MP Atal Bihari Vajpayee however, took a moderate view and advised caution. He air-dashed to his constituency on Saturday to express sympathy with the lawyers. Speaking to the press Mr Vajpayee said he was distressed to see the barbaric beating of the lawyers on the electronic channels. Questioned about the beating of the police by the lawyers, he said that all he saw was the lawyers being chased with “lathis”. Such tension between the police and lawyers was not a good omen for maintaining law and order, he remarked. He was scheduled to meet the Chief Minister later in the day.

Commenting on state BJP President Keshari Nath Tripathi’s demand for the dismissal of the Mulayam Singh government the former Prime Minister said often the same issue was responded to differently by the national and state level leadership.

Earlier Governor T.V. Rajeswar called the incident “unfortunate” and decried the tendency to take “law into one’s own hand”. Refusing to comment any further on yesterday’s incident he said a judicial probe had already been ordered and it would not be appropriate to say anything more. Mr Rajeswar and Mr Vajpayee visited the Civil and Balrampur hospitals to meet the injured.

Addressing a Press conference BSP General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Satish Chandra Mishra demanded the resignation of the Mulayam Singh government for trying to cover up the administrative lapses. He said that if the government could not protect the upholders of justice then the fate of the common man can well be imagined.

Meanwhile, in a fresh clash between the lawyers and roadways employees near the Qaiserbagh police station a bus conductor shot a lawyer in the chest reportedly. The incident occurred when the striking lawyers stopping buses from plying. The lawyer has been admitted to Balrampur hospital.

Lucknow police has lodged seven cases against the lawyers in various police stations across the city, including a named FIR against former President of the Avadh Bar Association L.P. Mishra and 500 other lawyers for violence and causing damage to public property.

According to the SSP, Mr Kamal Saxena, not a single case had been filed against the police as no lawyer had come forward to do so. Contradicting the police version Joint Secretary of the Avadh Bar Association Upendranath Mishra said since yesterday several attempts had been made by the lawyers to file a formal complaint but the police has refused to do so. Nursing a fractured arm he said with the injury of their President, Mr Ashok Nigam, who has suffered a head injury as well as several fractures, they had become rudderless. “The strike today was a random reaction to yesterday’s police brutality. Our future strategy will be decided when the General Body meets on September 7”, he announced.

Hubli, September 4
The release of BJP leader Uma Bharti may lead to a serious law and order situation in Karnataka, said Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) N. Nagendrappa today before Judicial Magistrate First Class-II Mohammed Ismail, who posted for September six the final orders on withdrawal of the decade-old Hubli rioting case against the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.

The APP, in his written submission before the Magistrate, made on the direction of the sessions court, said prior to her surrender on August 25, Ms Bharti had indicated that she would hoist the national flag at the controversial Idgah Maidan here and launch a nationwide ‘’Tiranga yatra’’.

Mr Nagendrappa submitted his comments on the government’s 2002 decision to withdraw the case in a sealed envelope after the high court asked the Magistrate to decide on the issue while dismissing a public interest litigation seeking its intervention for the release of Ms Bharti last week.

In his comments in Kannada, the APP also stated that Ms Bharti had shown disrespect to the judiciary by not seeking bail, despite the high court permitting her to do so. She had chosen not to seek bail to take political advantage of the issue, he added.

Bangalore: BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha courted arrest along with 1,000 workers on the fourth day of the party’s satyagraha on Saturday to press for the withdrawal of cases against former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti.

In his speech, Mr Sinha claimed that the only person responsible for the delay in the resolution of the Uma Bharti case was Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Those who courted arrest were from Orissa, Jharkhand and the North-East, besides some districts of Karnataka. — UNI, PTI

New Delhi, September 4
M.J. Akbar, President, Editors Guild of India has constituted the Executive Committee of the apex body.

According to a Press statement issued by the Editors Guild of India here today, the members of the new body are the elected members, the nominated members and the Ex-officio members. The elected members are President, M.J. Akbar, Secretary-General Om Thanvi and Treasurer, Y.C. Halan.

The nominated members are Kuldip Nayar, Inder Malhotra, Aroon Purie, Dileep Padgaonkar, T. Venkattaram Reddy, Malini Parthasarthy, Madhu Kishwar, Barjinder Singh Hamdard, Kundan Vyas, Gulab Kothari, Asoke Dasgupta, Shobha De, Alok Mehta, Tarun Vijay and Jaideep Bose.

Senior journalists who have held the post of President in the past are ex-officio members. They are Mammen Mathew, Ajit Bhattacharjea, Vinod Mehta, D.N. Bezobourah, K.N. Harikumar, H.K. Dua, Ramoji Rao, B.G. Verghese and Hari Jaisingh.

New Delhi, September 4
Former minister V.C. Shulka, who left the Congress in a huff on the eve of last year’s Assembly elections, is keen on returning to the party fold. Although a final decision on his readmission has not been taken, indications are that the party may not be averse to his return.

On his part, Mr Shukla has been sending feelers to Congress leaders about rejoining the party for the past several weeks. Mr Shukla met Mr Salman Khursheed, AICC General Secretary and in charge of Chhattisgarh today, in this connection.

This meeting comes a few days after his ostensible “courtsey call” on former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi. A month ago, Mr Shukla had met Mr Ahmed Patel, Congress President’s political secretary. Given the bitter political rivalry between Mr Jogi and Mr Shukla, their meeting is being viewed as an attempt at reconciliation.

Mr Khursheed admitted that he had met Mr Shukla but maintained it was not connected with the latter’s possible return to the Congress. At the same time, he did not deny that Mr Shukla was inclined to rejoin the party. Although Mr Shukla’s readmission to the Congress was still uncertain, it was becoming increasingly clear that he was all set to leave the BJP.

A final decision on Mr Shukla would necessarily be taken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi after she receives all inputs from the Chhattisgarh party unit and other senior leaders from the state. Mr Khursheed himself is slated to visit Chhattisgarh on September 18 when he will guage the mood of the state unit and also assess the possible impact of Mr Shukla’s re-entry into state politics.

Mr Shukla, who never reconciled to Mr Jogi’s appointment as the Chief Minister, had walked out of the Congress shortly before last year’s Chhattisgarh Assembly elections and joined the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Although he did not win many seats, Mr Shukla did spoil the scene for the Congress by garnering 7 per cent of the vote share and cornering a chunk of the upper caste support. This helped the BJP romp home to a comfortable victory.

Subsequently, Mr Shukla joined the BJP. However, it is learnt, that he is not comfortable in the party and is now keen to leave it.

Ahmedabad, September 4
Two British women, who had sought damages to the tune of Rs 22 crore from Gujarat Government for the death of their husbands during post-Godhra riots, today urged a Himmatnagar court not to allow Chief Minister Narendra Modi and six others to file written replies to their suit.

“We have filed an application that Modi and six others must not be allowed to file their written statements as the stipulated period of 90 days is already over,” advocate A.M. Malek, appearing for Shameema Dawood and Sheeren Dawood, said over phone from Himmatnagar, about 80 km from here.

Civil Judge M.M. Kayastha fixed September 23 to conduct hearing on this application.

Besides Modi, the suit seeking damages to the tune of Rs 22 crore had named 13 others, including the then Minister of State for Home Gordhan Zadafiya, Vigilance Commissioner Ashok Narayan, ex-DGP K. Chakravarthi, IG (Armed Units) Amitabh Pathak, Sabarkantha DSP N.D. Solanki and those six persons, who had allegedly killed the two UK nationals.

The court also asked Modi and Zadafiya to file a written statement on the compensation suit by September 13 but said whether this statement could be taken on record or not would be decided on September 23 only, Mr Malek added.

The five accused in the murders had questioned as to whether the British citizens were entitled to file a compensation suit in India.

“The British nationals are legally allowed to file a compensation suit in India”, advocates Anand Grover and A.N. Malek, appearing for the plaintiffs said.

The victims — two UK nationals Saeed Safik Dawood and Shakeel Abdul Haid — were burnt alive inside their vehicle and their driver was injured when a mob attacked them near Prantij in the district while going to Surat from Jaipur on February 28, 2002.

The plaintiffs had alleged that their husbands were attacked as a part of statewide attacks on members of a particular community from February 27, 2002 after Godhra train carnage.

Six persons, Mukesh Patel, Chandubhai Patel, Rameshbhai Patel, Manoj Patel, Rakesh Patel and Kalabhai Patel were accused of the murder. — PTI

New Delhi, September 4
An important question whether the East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act (EPURRA) and its extension to Chandigarh by a 1974 legislation would be applicable to tenants in the city paying a monthly rent of Rs 1,500 or less has been raised before the Supreme Court in a special leave petition (SLP).

A Bench of Mr Justice B. P. Singh and Mr Justice P. P. Naolekar has stayed proceedings in a case before the Rent Controller in Chandigarh following the SLP by a tenant raising the question of the applicability of the Act in such cases.

Advocate Rajiv Kataria, appearing for tenant Pradeep Bhanot, contended that the provisions of the General Clause Act would not be applicable to the EPURRA where the monthly rent exceeded Rs 1,500.

The Finance Secretary, Chandigarh, had issued a notification on November 7, 2002, whereby the provisions of the EPURRA read with the East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction (Extension to Chandigarh) Act, 1974, had been exempted from application to the buildings and rented lands of which the monthly rent exceeded Rs 1,500, he claimed.

Dehra Dun, September 4
In a bid to woo the upmarket pilgrims visiting the shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath the Uttaranchal Government is all set to start a chopper service to these shrines. The pilgrimage choppers would fly to Kedarnath four times a day from September 10, officials said.

The helicopter service to Badrinath would closely follow from September 14, officials said. Even as the helicopter service to Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines would take off from September 10 and September 14, respectively, helicopters to Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers are next on the cards, said Tourism Secretary N.N. Prasad.

Dehra Dun, September 4
Police and Forest Department officials have locked horns over the seizure of illegally felled kher trees in Hardwar. Teaming up against the police and the administration, the forest officials have alleged that the police encroached upon the department’s jurisdiction by raiding the Chiriapur range on Wednesday. A high level committee to be headed by the Commissioner has been constituted to look into the matter.

A joint team of the police and the SDM raided the Chiriapur range after a tip-off and recovered 40 quintals of kher wood. according to SSP, Hardwar, Abhinav Kumar. Following the recovery, the police registered cases against certain forest officials who connived to reportedly steal the government property, the police added.

The forest officials in turn alleged that the role of police in the felling episode was suspicious and aimed at sullying the forest department officials.

Taking serious exception to the police action, Chief Wildlife Warden B.S. Barfal said the forest officials had brought the matter to the government’s notice and sought an appropriate action. A delegation of the forest officials submitted its demand of action against the police officials concerned to Chief Secretary R.S. Tolia today.

DGP Kanchan Choudhary Bhattacharya said even as it was unlikely that the police did anything outside their jurisdiction, investigations were being made into the matter.