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Petition against Laloo to be placed before Special
Bench
Cauvery waters:
SC reserves judgement
Christians have highest sex
ratio
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UP compensates victim on NHRC
order
Sonia unhappy with Shivraj
Patil
Dalits seek special courts
Cop rapes woman,
suspended
CITU attacks govt on NSSN scheme
TN slaps ban on PWG
India dismayed at Bangladesh minister’s remarks
ITC gets
Rs 803 cr relief in excise case
Kalam leaves for Tanzania today
Maninder Pal Kohli, accused in the rape and murder of Hannah Foster in Britain, being taken to Metropolitan Magistrate’s court by the CBI in New Delhi on Friday. — Photo by Rajeev Tyagi
Indian aids for Tanzanian
disabled
Chowdhry is
Special Secy in Home
NRI Affairs Ministry renamed
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Petition against Laloo to be placed before Special
Bench
New Delhi, September 10 A Bench of Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Mr Justice A.R. Lakshman ordered the transfer of the petition to the three-judge Special Bench, headed by Mr Justice S.N. Variava, in view of it being nominated a “monitoring bench” in the fodder scam cases. Mr Yadav is facing trial in six conspiracy cases of the fodder scam. The petition was filed jointly by the NDA MPs — Sushil Kumar Modi (BJP) and Rajiv Ranjan Singh (JDU) — alleging that Lalu after assuming the charge of Railways Minister in the UPA government had started “interfering” in the fodder scam cases and got the public prosecutor (PP) changed within a week of his taking oath. Former Additional Solicitor General Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that the “monitoring bench”, while granting bail to Mr Yadav in the cases, had given liberty to the CBI to initiate the proceedings for the cancellation of his bail if he was found to be interfering in the case. “Since this gentleman (Laloo) has been using his office and position to interfere in the trial court proceedings in the case, in which he is a key accused, his bail should be cancelled,” Rohtagi contended. “The bail is granted to him with a right to the CBI to get it cancelled if certain events take place that require interference by the agency,” he argued. “The PP who was conducting trial in the fodder scam cases for the past 10 years has replaced a retired police officer, who has only a five years’ experience as a lawyer,” Rohtagi said. The court while transferring the matter to the Special Bench, observed that “the change of PP is a matter of concern.” Rohtagi said the CBI had “suppressed many facts about the interference” from the Supreme Court, when Laloo and his wife Rabri Devi’s petition on the question of sanction was last time listed for hearing. He also alleged that Laloo had got the Rs 45 lakh disproportionate assets (DA) case against him and his wife Rabri Devi adjudicated in their favour recently by getting deputed P. Mohan, a special officer of the Income Tax Department to Patna from Delhi, before he retired from the service. Mohan only picked up Laloo and Rabri’s case from among hundreds of others to hear and concluded the proceedings in a fortnight on “expected lines, passed the order in their favour, holding that the tax assessments against them were correct,” he contended. The Patna-based member (judicial) of the Income Tax Tribunal, Mr R.K. Tyagi, who had spoken his mind against the husband-wife duo, was sent out on deputation for a week so that Mohana could adjudicate in the matter, Rohtagi alleged. He said Sushil Modi and Rajiv Ranjan Singh were the original complainants in the DA case against Lalu and his wife. Therefore, they had a right to raise the issue through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the court. At this the Bench directed that the matter be listed before the “monitoring bench” at the earliest. |
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Cauvery waters:
SC reserves judgement
New Delhi, September 10 While reserving its order, a Bench of Ms Justice Ruma Pal and Mr Justice Arun Kumar vacated the stay on the two members of the Tribunal having inspection of various reservoirs in the river basin to assess the availability of water with Karnataka. The Bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Karnataka-based social organistion — Gandhi Sahitya Sangh Trust (GSST) — seeking the quashing of the Tribunal, claiming that it had “broken down” due to differences among its three members on the spot inspection issue. The court had stayed the spot inspection by the Tribunal members on August 20, after the GSST had filed the PIL. Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for the GSST, alleged that the two members of the Tribunal had passed an order on August 18 without the consent of its Chairman regarding their proposed plan to visit various reservoirs for spot verifiction which, according to him was without their having a jurisdiction to do so. “The Tribunal is represented by all three members, excluding its Chairman, it is not a complete Tribunal,” Mr Jethmalani said. The Karnataka Government counsel G.L. Sanghi, who supported the PIL, sought the reconstruction of the Tribunal. But this was strongly opposed by Tamil Nadu’s counsel, senior advocate K.K. Venugopal, claiming that the Tribunal Chairman had no objection on the two its members having the spot inspection. |
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Christians have highest sex
ratio
New Delhi, September 10 According to the report, the Christian population has the highest sex ratio of 1,009 women per thousand men at the 2001 Census as against the national average of 936. Although a majority of the Christian population (6,057,427) reside in Kerala, Goa with a Christian population of 3,59,568 has returned the higher sex ratio of 1,107 over 1,000 population among the Christians followed by Pondicherry (1,101) and Delhi (1,076). Christians have also reported the highest child sex ratio (0-6 age group) of 964. In 20 states and union territories, including Uttaranchal, Delhi and Rajasthan, the Christians have reported child sex ratio above 951. Literacy rate, which is one of the most important yard stick to measure the progressive nature of any community, is 13.5 per cent higher among the Christian community than the national average of 64.8 per cent. The report clearly reflects that the literacy scenario among the Christian population is quite bright as 21 states and union territories have more than three fourth of their population as literate in the 2001 Census. Lakshadweep (97.4 per cent), Kerala (94.8 per cent), Delhi (94 per cent), Mizoram (93.1 per cent) and Maharashtra (91 per cent) have recorded a Christian literacy rate of over 90 per cent. The national average of Christian literacy rate is high at 80.3 per cent and as many as 19 states/union territories are placed above this mark. Only Arunachal Pradesh recorded literacy below 50 per cent among Christians. As regards women literacy rate too, the Christian community has recorded a high 76.2 per cent rate as against 84.4 per cent for men. Thus, the gender gap in men-women literacy among the Christians is less than 10 per cent. Significantly, 13 states and union territories are having women literacy rate above 80 per cent among the Christians. The women literacy rate among the Christians is the highest in Lakshadweep (96.4 per cent) followed by Kerala (93.5 per cent) and Mizoram (91.4 per cent). |
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BJP scoffs at Census panel
New Delhi, September 10 Terming as “illogical” the exclusion of Assam from the current Census, BJP Spokesperson Arun Jaitley said the state happened to be the hub for illegal migration and the border districts had a record density of population in the country. “If a similar logic was applied for the calculation of the GDP, exclusion of Bihar would see a 9 per cent increase,” Mr Jaitley said in a sarcastic manner, adding that “excluding Assam is as illogical as this.” Stressing the need for attitudinal change among the political parties on the population growth, he said they need to understand more population explosion meant more pressure on land, infrastructure and more poverty and not necessarily more votes. The non-BJP parties should stop defending demographic growth just because the BJP has opposed it, Mr Jaitley said. Meanwhile, the VHP accused the UPA government of pressuring the Census Commission to issue the ‘adjusted’ census figures under pressure from “the Muslim League, maulanas and the maulvis”.
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UP compensates victim on NHRC
order
New Delhi, September 10 In response to the notice issued by the commission, the UP Government confirmed that Usha Kiran Vajpayee was on duty during the pulse polio programme on October 10, 2000, when she was fired at by policemen of the Dakor police station. The victim’s leg had to be amputated due to the firing. The respondent government further stated that a chargesheet was filed in the court against the delinquent officers. The commission had issued a show-cause notice to the state government. When the state government did not reply to the notice, the commission observed that the UP Government had no cause to show against the award of immediate interim relief to the victim. It further observed that the victim was 37-year-old at the time of the incident and had to suffer permanent disability because of the amputation of one leg. The commission asked the state government to pay an award of Rs 5 lakh to Usha Kiran Vajpayee. The Secretary, UP Government, reported to the NHRC that Rs 1 lakh had already been paid to the victim on March 21, 2001. It said the amount of Rs 5 lakh recommended by the commission appeared to be excessive and requested the commission to reconsider its direction. In May last year, the NHRC rejected the request made by the Chief Secretary, UP Government, to reduce the amount and reiterated its previous decision of payment of Rs 5 lakh to the victim. |
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Sonia unhappy with Shivraj
Patil New Delhi, September 10 Mr Patil met Mrs Gandhi today ostensibly in connection with next month’s Maharashtra Assembly elections. However, Congress sources maintained the Home Minister had been called for a special briefing to explain the goof-up by the census commissioner on the data on religion and give the latest on the Manipur situation. Mr Patil, it was stated, had not met the Congress President since his three-day visit to the troubled state. Mr Patil was handpicked by Mrs Gandhi for the Home portfolio even though he was defeated in the Lok Sabha elections. However, Mr Patil’s handling of the Ministry has embarrassed the UPA government and the Congress party. Party sources admitted that things would not have gone so far had Mr Patil not been so inflexible. It began with the unnecessary controversy over the removal of the BJP-appointed Governors but it is the worsening situation in Manipur which has really worried the party leadership. The state has been in turmoil for over a month with angry protestors demanding that the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives the Army wide-ranging powers, be withdrawn from the state. There is a view in the party and the government that the situation could have been controlled had the Home Minister visited to the troubled state much earlier. As it happens, Mr Patil’s much-delayed visit did not help ease the tension as his talks with the leaders of the agitators failed to yield any results and the 32 organisation spearheading the agitation are continuing with their protests. While the Home Ministry is still grappling with the Manipur situation, the government and the party were put to great embarrassment over the incorrect interpretation given by Census Commissioner when he released India’s first-ever census report on religion. The Census Commissioner’s office falls under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry. The initial report had said the figures reveal a high growth of Muslims at 36 per cent, an increase of 1.5 per cent over the 1991 census while the Hindu population declined by 4.8 per cent to 20.3 per cent. It subsequently came out that the report’s introductory chapter had failed to mention that the 1991 figures did not include Jammu and Kashmir as no census was conducted in that state. The 2001 census, however, includes the 68 lakh Muslim population in the state where Muslims are a majority. If the J&K figure are excluded from the 2001 census, the growth rate of Muslims from 1991-2001 would only be 29.3 per cent. The error was subsequently rectified but the damage had already been done. The BJP and the RSS expressed concern over the high growth of Muslim population, raising fears about Hindus being outnumbered in the future. BJP leaders even went as far as to advocate a two-child norm to achieve population stabilisation in view of the latest census figures. |
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Dalits seek special courts
New Delhi, September 10 Dalit representatives coming from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan had gathered to participate in the national consultation on “Challenging Untouchability and Caste Discrimination — National and International Policies”. Speaking on the occasion, Mr V. Manoharan, General Secretary, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), said,”the government should appoint Dalits and Dalit sympathisers as officers in all departments responsible for welfare schemes meant for Dalits”. He said a high-power committee should be appointed for the implementation of the SC/ST (POA) Act and special courts should be set up in all districts to try cases of untouchability and atrocities on Dalits. |
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Cop rapes woman,
suspended
Kolkata, September 10 The woman was found on the wayside in the morning in an awkward condition. The incident sparked a widespread agitation in the village when several hundred persons, including women, demonstrated in front of the thana, demanding immediate arrest of the culprit. The agitated crowd threw stones and brickbats at the thana, making the police resort to a lathi charge, teargassing and firing in the air. The local SDPO and the officer in charge sustained severe injuries and were admitted to a local hospital. The police later arrested the accused constable who was placed under suspension. An inquiry was also ordered by the district police at the instance of the Home Department. Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has directed DGP. S. Dutt to personally visit the village and pacify people. Meanwhile, the Congress(l) and the Trinamool Congress held a joint protest march in the village, demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister, who also looks after the Home (Police) Department. |
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CITU attacks govt on NSSN scheme
New Delhi, September 10 “The scheme had been introduced without legislative backing or budgetary provision,” said CITU secretary Dipankar Mukherjee. “Even the high office of the President of India was dragged in this unauthorised venture of issuing the NSSN at a function organised on the occasion of golden jubilee celebrations of the EPFO,” he said in a letter to PM Dr Manmohan Singh. He demanded probe into the so-called social security scheme for unorganised sector workers, launch of national social security number and unauthorised role of EPFO in allotment of the NSSN. |
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TN slaps ban on PWG
Chennai, September 10 A state government press statement said: “The Government of Tamil Nadu has decided to declare the Communist Party of India – Marxist-Leninist (PW) and its front organisations as unlawful associations by invoking the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1908.” Among all Naxalite groups the PWG is the one, which is active in the districts of Tamil Nadu bordering Andhra Pradesh and 26 of its sympathisers, including six women, are detained in two jails in the state under POTA. Among them 15 are on fast demanding the withdrawal of cases under POTA against them. After the Congress Government was formed in Andhra Pradesh it decided to lift the ban on the PWG and paved the way for talks with its leaders. The Tamil Nadu Government today held a review meeting which held that “It has been assessed that there is very likelihood that cadres of the CPI-ML (PW) will attempt to infiltrate into Tamil Nadu to indulge in acts prejudicial to public peace and slip back to Andhra Pradesh.” The review meeting was informed that the PWG was active in Krishnagiri district of the state and its members were undergoing arms training there with a view to mobilising cadres for an ultimate armed struggle. It noted that PWG cadres had committed various acts of violence in Tamil Nadu and criminal cases for possession of arms and ammunition, extortion, abduction and bomb blasts had been registered against them. |
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India dismayed at Bangladesh minister’s remarks
New Delhi, September 10 The Ministry of External Affairs said the High Commissioner was requested to convey to his government that the remarks of the Foreign Minister could have a negative impact on Indo-Bangla bilateral relations. The Bangladesh Foreign Minister had accused India of making wrong statements about Dhaka nurturing terrorists on its soil. |
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ITC gets
Rs 803 cr relief in excise case
New Delhi, September 10 A Bench of Ms Justice Ruma Pal and Mr Justice P.V. Reddi quashed the CEGAT order while allowing the appeal of the ITC. The court had yesterday recalled its judgement after its copy was unauthrisedly taken out of the court room by a counsel for the ITC when Mr Justice Reddi had not even signed it after the order was pronounced by Ms Justice Pal. The excise authorities had imposed the duty of Rs 803 crore on the ITC for the company selling its various cigarette brands at a higher price than the rates printed on the cigarette packets. The case had been lingering on for the past several years after the ITC had challenged the CGAT order in an appeal. The department had alleged that the wholesale and secondary dealers’ margin was compressed by the tobacco major in a manner that the cigarrettes had to be sold by the retailers at a higher price. The court yesterday had taken strong exception to the ITC counsel taking the copy of the order out of the court room without it being signed. The ITC counsel had later apologised for his mistake. |
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Kalam leaves for Tanzania today New Delhi, September 10 The tour, though reciprocal in nature, is in continuation with India’s ‘focus on Africa’ policy and will mark the ongoing intiatives for cooperation in a host of fields, including economic and commercial, educational, health, internet communication technology and defence. “The President’s visit will be substantive rather than only ceremonial. His visit especially to South Africa, which will be for the first time by any Indian President, is a springboard for reaching out to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa for increased cooperation,” an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said here today. One of the hallmarks of Dr Kalam’s visit will be his address to the Pan African Parliament—for the first time by any non-African leader—where more than 40 heads of states are expected to meet in South Africa, she said. Besides, meeting his Tanzanian and South African counterparts, Benjamin William Mkapa and Thabo Mbeki respectively, the President will also address a joint session of South African Parliament and hold a meeting with former South African President Nelson Mandela. |
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Judicial remand for Kohli
New Delhi, September 10 He remanded the accused in judicial custody pending the extradition proceedings and fixed September 17 for hearing the Centre’s evidence against the fugitive. The court has also asked Kohli’s counsel C.S. Bakshi to file his reply to a plea by the Union of India for handcuffing the fugitive during transit to and from the jail. |
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Indian aids for Tanzanian
disabled
New Delhi, September 10 Dr Kalam will be accompanied by Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar and a delegation of MPs and officers during his eight-day tour of Tanzania and South Africa. Sources in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment told TNS here on Friday that persons with disabilities would be screened on the spot for determining suitability of aids and appliances which would then be distributed to them for rehabilitation. These include wheelchairs, tricycles, calipers, prosthetics, other orthotic appliances and crutches and calibrated walking sticks. Aids and appliances would also be provided to persons suffering from visual and hearing handicap. These aids and appliances have been manufactured by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) working under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. An exhibition of products and tools available with ALIMCO will also be held at the one-day camp on Tuesday. Other organisations participating in the camp are the National Institute for Rehabilitation, Training and Research (NIRTAR) and the National Institute for Visually Handicapped (NIVH). Ten computers with talking software, Braille textbooks for English learning from Class II to Class X and miscellanepus leisure books on audio tapes are being gifted to the UHURU school for the disabled near the camp. |
Chowdhry is
Special Secy in Home
New Delhi, September 10 He is likely to take over the Jammu and Kashmir assignment and Internal Security, a post which was lying vacant after Mr B. B. Misra moved to Orissa. The Centre also appointed Mr B. B.
Wanchoo, a West Bengal IPS officer of 1976 batch, Director of Special Protection Group
(SPG), which handles VVIP security, including that of the Prime Minister. |
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NRI Affairs Ministry renamed
New Delhi, September 10 |
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Raza Murad joins Cong