New Delhi, December 6
The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Best Bakery case key witness Zahira Sheikh, seeking her reply whether her retraction in a public statement about her affidavit filed in the apex court, amounted to contempt of court.

While making amply clear that it was not expressing any opinion on the “contempt” issue at this stage, a Bench of Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice H.K. Sema also issued notices to the National Human Rights Commission and the Gujarat Government seeking their replies by January 3.

The notices were issued on a petition by social activists Teesta Setalwad, who had sought a CBI probe into the circumstances under which Zahira had retracted her statement made in the affidavit. Zahira in a recent press conference at Vadodra, had said the affidavit was filed under pressure from Teesta, accused her of intimidating her and of obtaining her signatures on blank papers.

When Zahira’s counsel, senior advocate P.N. Lekhi pointed out that any word from the apex court about the alleged contempt would send a wrong signal to Mumbai Special Court, holding retrial in the Best Bakery case, the Bench said till the issue of contempt is decided, the apex court will not express any opinion on it.

“An impression should not go from this court vis-a-vis Teesta’s application that it has certain legal consequence as it will affect the trial proceedings. We (Zahira) should be given ample opportunity to file her reply,” Lekhi said.

The Court also sought specific reply from the Gujarat Government as what was its stand on the contempt issue.

The Court further said its today’s order would have no affect or bearing on the ongoing trial in the Best Bakery case in the Mumbai Special Court in any manner. Lekhi said it was strange that Teesta had chosen to distribute the copies of her petition to “all and sundry” but failed to serve it on Zahira against whom we sought contempt action.

Teesta in her petition had said that Hindi translation of the contents of Zahira’s affidavit were read out to her before she had signed it. Her counsel Anil Diwan said there was need for a CBI probe in the entire episode to bring to light the circumstances under which Zahira made such allegations against Teesta. It has to be noted that Zahira had earlier stated that she had resiled from her statement in Vadodra trial court under threat and her brother had also become hostile before Mumbai Special Judge, Diwan said.

New Delhi, December 6
Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan and top Pakistan Army Generals were hand in glove, first in smuggling nuclear technology and materials from the global black market and, subsequently, becoming part of the clandestine nuclear supply chain, according to a report published by well-known public policy think tank, Observer Research Foundation.

According to the report, “Pakistan’s Nuclear Underworld”, the Pakistan Army’s involvement with the nuclear development programme is well documented and needs no repetition except for a few less known milestones.

Khan, for instance, was introduced to Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto by his Military Secretary, Brigadier Imtiaz, and second is the setting up of a Special Works Organisation (SWO) under Brigadier Zahid Ali Akbhar in 1975. The SWO was the nodal organisation for Pakistan’s nuclear development programme which, in most parts, remained clandestine fearing possible Western sanctions.

The earliest available evidence of Pakistan army’s knowledge about A.Q. Khan and his activities dates back to 1988 when a senior scientist from the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) met Lieut-General Hamid Gul, the then chief of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, Pakistan’s external intelligence organisation, and complained about Khan’s clandestine activities and his visibly growing wealth.

Though Gul apparently did not take any action, his successor, Lieut-General Shamsur Rehman Kallue, wrote a detailed report on Khan’s activities and forwarded it to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the Chief of Army Staff. Kallue’s successor, Lieut-General Asad Durrani even knew about Khan’s travels to Iran in 1991 and 1992. Iran was, at that time, quite keen to work out a partnership with Pakistan on nuclear development programme.

According to a report in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn on December 20, 1994, Iran, in fact, offered $3.2 billion to finance Pakistan’s nuclear programme in return for nuclear technology. The offer was, however, declined.

The second evidence is the four-tier security ring that the army provided around the KRL, under two separate Brigadiers reporting directly to the army headquarters, and the existence of two departments — the Directorate General of Combat and the Directorate of Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs — which closely liaisoned with Khan.

It would have been impossible for Khan to carry out his clandestine activities without the army getting to know about it. A widely read English daily published from Islamabad, The News (January 28, 2004), quoted an ISI official as saying that “if General Durrani didn’t know what was going on between the KRL and the Iranian scientists in 1991 and 1992, then it was a terrible miss for the ISI.”

The reports point out that Feroze Khan, a former Director of the Directorate of Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs (writing in Financial Times (London), March 8, 2004), said the army was aware that Khan had tapped into `` an international blackmarket for nuclear secrets and materials. As a result, they often associated with shady businessmen and financiers. Operating with unlimited resources and scant control, Khan’s group was corrupted and turned the proliferation network on its head. As well as acquiring components, it began selling nuclear information and technologies``.

The third evidence is the fact that several army officers were deputed to work with Khan in various capacities since the ’70s. Brigadier Sajawal Khan worked with Khan from September, 1976, to 2001 when he retired as the Director General of Maintenance and Construction at the KRL. Brigadier Iqbal Tajwar, a Military Intelligence officer, was till recently the Director General, Administration.

However, the key to Khan’s clandestine sales to Iran is his close associate, Dr Mohammad Farooq, Director General, Science and Technology, KRL, the only nuclear scientist under detention since November, 2003. Farooq, a centrifuge expert, travelled to Libya and Iran on behalf of Khan and networked with possible buyers or agents working directly or indirectly on behalf of the Iranian government.

New Delhi, December 6
Top NSCN (I-M) leaders Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chishi Swu, who arrived here late last night, are expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil here tomorrow to carry forward the “Naga Peace Talks”.

The two leaders are expected to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader A.B. Bardhan later this week.

The Naga leaders are also likely to meet Ms Rama Pilot, wife of late Union Minister Rajesh Pilot, who had played a crucial role as Prime Minister’s special emissary to the Naga peace talks, and former chief negotiator Swaraj Kaushal.

This would be the first meeting between the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the NSCN (I-M) leaders in India.

They had last visited India in January 2003. Since then Mr Muivah and Mr Swu have held nine rounds of peace talks with the Centre’s interlocutor K. Padmanabhaiah on various foreign locations.

The NSCN(I-M) Chairman Isak Swu and General Secretary T. Muivah are expected to stay in India for a couple of months to hold sustained and intensive dialogue to find an amicable and honourable settlement to the protracted issue.

They would be travelling to Nagaland after spending a week here and celebrate Christmas there. They are expected to stay in the north-eastern state for nearly two months where they would interact with the Nagas across the political spectrum and gauge their ground support.

Thereafter, they would be back in New Delhi to hold negotiations with Mr Padmanabhaiah and top Central government officials.

New Delhi, December 6
In an obvious embarrassment to the UPA government today in the Rajya Sabha, its Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat deferred a question on “explosives in imported metal scrap” following the failure of the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Mr E.V.K.S. Elangovan, to provide “satisfactory reply” to supplementary questions posed to him during question hour.

The minister after having read out from the statement prepared in reply to the question moved by Mr Lalit Suri, read out the same statement when another member Rama Muni Reddy asked supplementary question prompting Mr Shekhawat to defer the question to enable the minister to prepare fully on the subject.

Interestingly, earlier replying to another question asked by former Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha Najma Heptullah on whether or not the government has a “Pushkar project” for the promotion of export of roses, the minister said “we will consider”.

Mr Shekhawat then made a sarcastic comment saying: “How can the minister reply to questions beyond what has been given to him by way of written statement?”

Later, the Opposition termed the deferring of the question as the “censure” on the government.

“The deferring of the question for reply is a censure on the government, which has occurred after 20 years,” Deputy Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told newspersons.

She said this kind of incident had occurred in the House way back in 1984 in a question relating to Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier replying to the main question posed by Mr Suri, Mr Elangovan said new guidelines and procedures had been laid down for the import of metallic scrap and waste in the wake of recent loss of life and property in explosions caused by shells in imported scrap.

According to these procedures, the import of all kinds of metallic scrap and waste in unshredded, compressed or loose form will be accompanied by a pre-inspection certificate to the effect that the imported consignment does not contain any ammunition or other explosive material or radioactive material irrespective of the source of such imports, he said.

Such imports would also be subject to 100 per cent examination according to the procedures laid down by the Customs, he said, adding the imports would be restricted through 15 ports only.

The minister said tighter security and intensified inspection had been ordered at the ports to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

New Delhi, December 6
Pointing out that media can contribute towards national development, President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam has urged the Press to “know the dreams and aspirations of our people, particularly the youth of the nation”.

Exhorting the media to refrain from sensationalising and commercialisation, he said it should play the “role of Brahma, the creator”. Citing the example of the US media that desisted from showing bodies of those who died in the 9/11 tragedy, he said respect should be shown to the dead and rued the fact that sometimes events as gory as hangings have been covered live in some sections of the Press.

Expressing concern over the 260 million people who are below the poverty line, Dr Kalam said, “We all know that the media is today concentrating on the 300 million people who are living in the urban areas. But I visualise that media should become media for one billion people.”

Dr Kalam was speaking at a function to present the IPI-India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2004, to NDTV for its reporting on the baby-swapping scandal in Hyderabad and the Telgi stamp scam here.

The President through a computer-aided presentation on “Can media be a partner in national development”, put forth seven missions that he would like the media to take up, including a media movement: developed India by 2020, media becoming a development partner in the programme of PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Area), celebrating every aspect of the success of the nation, from any part of the country, and the evolution of corruption-free India before 2010.

He proposed promotion of an enlightened society, which meant education with value system, transforming religion into a spiritual force and building economic prosperity of every nation based on its core competence. He added that media should bring honour to womanhood.

He also stressed for the need to scan and digitise all old issues of the print media since its establishment and store in a digital library to preserve the national heritage and make it available for research.

Dr Prannoy Roy, NDTV president, received the award comprising a citation and a cash purse of Rs 2 lakh. Former Chief Justice of India A. S. Anand, who chaired the IPI-India jury that selected the winner, IPI-India chairperson Shobhna Bhartiya and IPI International vice-chairman Philip Mathew were also present on the occasion.

In his speech Dr Roy lamented that India was a country with two systems, socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. Calling for a need to change the present scenario, he stressed on the benefits of a free media, which “could prevent famine and communal riots”.

Justice Anand in his speech made a particular reference to the reporting of sub-judice matters, which, he said, might prejudice the trial and affect the accused and sometimes the prosecution too.

He said comments in the media could be prejudicial when evidence was still being gathered, influencing even the witnesses, who gave statements on the basis of Press comments, which did irreparable damage to the accused.

Mr Mathew and Ms Bhartia also highlighted the need for commitment in protecting the freedom of the Press.

New Delhi, December 6
Criticising the Congress-led UPA government for “price hike,” the Indian National Lok Dal today said the Congress had failed to live upto to its election promises.

The INLD, which held a demonstration against rising prices at Jantar Mantar, urged the President to dismiss the UPA government if it fails to check rising prices.

Addressing party workers, senior INLD leader Ajay Chautala, MP, said the Congress had promised to protect the interests of the common man but its rule of the past few months had shown that the party was not concerned about their interest. “The Congress hand was sucking blood of the poor,” he said.

The INLD leader criticised Haryana Congress leaders for keeping quiet on the issue of price rise. Referring to the recent hike in cost of petroleum products, Mr Ajay Chautala said the Centre should withdraw import duties on these products.

He said international prices of crude oil had fallen but the Central Government was justifying hike in their price.

Mr Chautala, along with 35 party MLAs, four MPs, five former MPs and hundreds of activists courted arrest on Parliament Street. They were later released. 

New Delhi, December 6
Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran today said Maoist violence in Nepal needed to be tackled both as a security challenge and as a socio-economic problem for which the political parties and monarchy must work together.

Opening a two-day seminar on “Restoring Peace and Stability in Nepal” here today, the Foreign Secretary said Maoist violence was a challenge to India as well as to Nepal.

Presenting a roadmap for tackling the Maoist problem, Mr Saran who was India’s Ambassador to Nepal before taking over as Foreign Secretary, said two countries must work together with India being seen as a “partner” and an “opportunity”.

He said Maoist rebels need to be convinced that they cannot go very far. Mr Saran said rebels should get to know that the longer they wait for a political settlement, the lesser would be their bargaining power. “Currently they (the rebels) are not convinced that they are losing out and the perception should be changed,” he said.

Mr Saran said Maoist violence cannot be contained by military force alone and people need to be offered socio-economic benefits. A section of population has faced deprivation not only in Nepal but also in places in India, he said. “Nepal should begin to look at India as an opportunity. There are many development activities which we can exploit.”

The Foreign Secretary called for pro-active approach and aggressive patrolling by security forces in Nepal to build sustained pressure on the Maoist rebels. He said Intelligence sharing between the two countries had yielded some results.

Mr Saran said it was for Nepal to see how to improve the political situation in the country. “Maoists continue to see a fractured polity in Nepal.” The Foreign Secretary said political parties in Nepal did not seem to rise above the usual manoeuvring “but the situation demanded that they looked above so that the system survives.”

He said there was an apparent lack of trust in political parties and monarchy in Nepal. He said monarchy had a constructive role as a symbol of national unity providing a degree of stability in a time of change. Mr Saran said Maoists were neither friends of monarchy nor of the political parties and it was logical for the two to work together.

The Foreign Secretary said Maoists were not an overwhelming force “to which you have to surrender. Nepal has advantages as India also looks at Maosits violence as enemical and destructive.” He said Maoists should be persuaded to join the mainstream by convincing them about a level-playing field and certain other assurances.

Chennai, December 6
The Madras High Court today reserved orders on Kanchi Acharya Jayendra Saraswati’s bail plea in connection with the Sankararaman murder case.

Mr Justice R Balasubramanian reserved the orders, without specifying any date, after hearing extensive arguments by Acharya’s counsel Mr I Subramaniam, and senior counsel K.T.S. Tulsi, appearing for the state government, when the case was reopened for arguments on December 1.

The judge, who had earlier reserved orders on November 30, had to hear arguments again the next day, when Mr Subramaniam sought to furnish additional points and clarify his stand that the bar on granting bail in cases of grave offence should be properly understood.

Complaining that “unsual practices were being adopted” in the hearing of the bail application, Public Prosecutor K. Duraisamy wanted the hearing to be adjourned to enable Mr Tulsi, who had earlier argued the case, to reply to the clarifications offered by the defence. After his extensive arguments today, the judge reserved the orders.

Meanwhile, the Principal Sessions Court adjourned to tomorrow the hearing of the seer’s bail plea in the case relating to the attempt to murder auditor and former devotee of Kanchi mutt S Radhakrishnan. — UNI

New Delhi, December 6
Amid bumper onion crop this year, the Government is planning to export 10 lakh tonnes of onion while the production is poised to cross last year’s figures of 50.7 lakh tonnes.

India is expected to achieve record export of 1 million tonnes of onions this year while their production is poised to cross last year’s figure of 5.7 million, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar informed the Lok Sabha today.

So far, 5.98 lakh tonnes of onions has been exported as against the export of only 5 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period last year.

Total export of onions last year (2003-2004) was 8.40 lakh tonnes, valued at Rs 821 crore.

Most of MPs from onion producing states other than Maharashtra were cut up over the fact that all onion export activities were centred in that State and wanted to know why UP, Bihar and Rajasthan, which too have a sizeable production, were ignored in this respect.

Responding to the demand of members to provide support price for onion, Mr Pawar said due to limited crop, the government was not providing any support price for this crop.

However, he said, the state governments were free to provide market support and Centre could provide necessary funds.

He said this scenario emerged because no marketing federation in the public and private sector in the States other than Maharashtra had come up for exporting the commodity.

He also justified withdrawing onion from the list of essential commodities saying it had been done to facilitate free trade and marketing of onion of which the country has surplus production. This would help the farmers to take up production for domestic consumption as well as exports.

Mr Pawar, however, admitted that the country was yet to develop and undertake the processing of onions with a view to enhance their shelf life and storing them for a long period in case of shortage in production.

New Delhi, December 6
The CPI(M) today trained its guns on Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Chairman Pradip Baijal demanding his immediate removal on the grounds of “criminal connivance” for failing to exercise powers vested with the regulator in the case of illegitimate international calls.

“Trai Chairman Pradip Baijal should be removed immediately on the grounds of criminal connivance. He failed to use the powers vested with the Authority”, CPI (M) leader Nilotpal Basu said.

Demanding a full-fledged investigation into the whole issue of international calls camouflaged as local calls, Mr Basu said that the investigation should also see how the Department of Telecom has acted beyond the law by issuing a show-cause notice to Reliance Infocomm.

He charged telephone operators of illegally routing international calls as local calls in order to avoid making payments under the Access Deficit Charge (ADC) mechanism.

ADC is system under which private telecom operators have to pay a portion of their revenues to the government, which is utilised by the state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to meet rural telephony obligations.

According to Mr Basu, the private players have avoided payments under the ADC to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.

“How can Baijal say that he is not a policeman.. he does not have powers to investigate. The Trai Act empowers the authority to ensure compliance of terms and conditions licence”, he said.

On being asked whether the party would press for a JPC probe or a CBI probe, Mr Basu said it is for the government to decide.

Dehra Dun, December 6
Nearly 2000 animals, including buffaloes, sheep and goats, were sacrificed during the Bunkhal fair in Pauri Garhwal on Saturday even as the district administration and activists continued to make tall claims about preventive measures. Over 100 buffaloes were slaughtered and dumped at the hilltop while people waited to grab pieces of goats and sheep.

Defying the claims made by the district administration and voluntary organisations of having made extensive efforts to check the animal sacrifice, the killings began early in the morning amidst chants and prayers and continued late into the evening. Some 1800 goats and sheep were sacrificed, besides buffaloes.

According to Mr Harish Chandera, Joshi, District Magistrate, Pauri, even as there was no official estimate available so far of the animals sacrificed at the fair the number was decreasing by the year. The district administration made appeals to the villagers through the panchayats and held meetings but it helped little to curb the traditional practice, he said.

The administration would register cases against the guilty under the Cruelty Against Animals Act, officials said.

During the fair, fights broke out among the devotees over the severed heads of the animals. The melee continued till the end of the fair even as the policemen on duty preferred to stay away.

The religious fair, held annually at the Kalika Devi temple dates back to the Gorkha rule in the region around 1802, attracts devotees from the whole of Garhwal. The animals are brought to the temple in a procession on the fair day and the villagers, in an inebriated state, sacrifice them after forcing the animals sometimes to consume alcohol, social activists working in the region said.

Dehra Dun, December 6
A primary schoolteacher allegedly molested and attempted to rape an eight-year-old girl of Government Primary School in Karnprayag block of Chamoli district yesterday. The teacher, who was caught red handed by students of the school, managed to escape, the police said.

A criminal case has been registered against the teacher.

According to district officials, the victim’s father has alleged that the girl from village Gahrkudi village, studying in fourth standard, was taken to an isolated part of the panchayat building on top of the school. The teacher, Kayum Baksh, molested the child and attempted to rape her during the school hours. When she shouted for help, the students came up and caught the teacher in the heinous act.

It was later learnt that there were complaints of sexual harassment against the teacher earlier also. Even though these complaints were referred to district education officials, no action was taken against him.

The police is conducting raids at various places to nab the teacher. A probe into the matter is on, the official said.

New Delhi, December 6
With the success of technology mission on cotton, launched in 2000, India is all set to emerge as major cotton producer in the world market as the total cotton production is estimated to cross 213 lakh bales this year as against 177 lakh bales during previous year.

Farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are witnessing a bumper cotton crop though complaining marginal fall in cotton prices. Recently, President A P J Kalam also appreciated the contribution of technology mission on cotton in raising the quality and yield level in the country especially in Bathinda belt in Punjab.

The government and the textile industry are enthused that increase in cotton production will help the country to reap benefits in the global textile market, once the quota regime comes to an end on January 1, 2005.

The technology mission on cotton is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Textiles and Agriculture. One of its ingredients is cotton-processing facilities by upgrading existing ginning and pressing facilities and setting up of a new market yards and improvement of existing markets.

In fact, the concerted efforts of the agricultural universities, technology mission and farmers have helped the country achieve steep rise in cotton production that was just 136 lakh bales in 2002-03 and 177 lakh bales during 2003-04. ( one bale = 170 kg) The cultivation of BT cotton has also helped raise the yield besides bringing down the cost of pesticides for the farmers.

During the past three years, the cotton consumption by the textile sector has also increased from 171.76 lakh bales in 2001-02 to 173.25 lakh bales in 2003-04. This year it is expected to increase to 193 lakh bales.

In a written reply, Mr Shanker Sinh Vaghela informed the Lok Sabha that country was all set for a bumper cotton crop this year. He said the technology mission on cotton has projected production of cotton for 2005-06 and 2006-07 at 198.41 and 215 lakh bales, respectively. The cotton cloth production in the country may go up to 16,850 and 17,500 million square metres during 2005-06 and 2006-07 respectively.”

Mumbai, December 6
Former Karnataka Chief Minister S. M. Krishna was sworn in as the Governor of Maharashtra this morning. He was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Dalveer Bhandari.

Mr Krishna succeeds Mr Mohammad Fazal, an appointee of the earlier NDA Government.

Among those present on the occasion were the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka, Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh and Mr Dharam Singh, respectively; Congress leader Margaret Alva, liquor baron Vijay Mallya and Zee TV chief Subhash Goel. Conspicuous by their absence were all Shiv Sena MLAs and Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil of the NCP.

The Shiv Sena and the NCP had strongly objected to Mr Krishna’s appointment since he had made remarks against Maharashtra during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Karnataka regarding the boundary row between the two states.

Aware of the bad feelings Mr Krishna told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan that he would go by the advice of the state government on the matter. “The Governor does not decide on the Maharashtra Government’s stand on the boundary issue with Karnataka or any other matter,” Krishna asserted.

New Delhi, December 6
“Sex tourism” is no longer confined to countries like Thailand and Malaysia. It is slowly spreading its tentacles to cities in India. Speaking to The Tribune, the National Human Right Commission Chairman (NHRC), Dr Justice A.S. Anand, said the problem needed to be tackled with a firm hand so that it do not acquire dangerous dimensions.

India, he said, had become a major transit point for trafficking of women and children, as a supplier and a recipient, in the annual $-8 billion flourishing “business” the world over.

Stressing for urgent need to chalk out a national action plan against the strong network of trafficking existing in the country, he said every police station should have a specialised unit to tackle with this type of crime for which the government, law enforcement agencies and civil society should act in unison.

The findings of a joint action research report of the NHRC and the Institute of Social Sciences, presented today at the national seminar on trafficking in 
women and children, also point towards the fact that “sex tourism” could no longer be hidden under the carpet.

The report by Mr Sanker Sen and Mr P.M. Nair has urged the need for coordination among state police agencies, central law enforcement agencies, including the immigration authorities and related departments like tourism and urban development, to deal with the problem.

Preventive steps should include wide dissemination of the legal provisions and preventive strategies by involving tourism departments, corporates, hoteliers, tour operators, and other stakeholders. Dr Justice Anand said trafficking as an organised crime had gained wider dimensions and even surpassed the illegal drug trade with as many as 450,000 persons from the Asia-Pacific region being involved in it.

Lamenting that India was slowly becoming a psycosick society, he said in 2003, as many as 14,809 rape cases were registered in the country under the Section 376 of the IPC and 7,000 rape cases being registered alone in the past five month. Women, he said. were now being exploited and treated as commodities more blatantly and prostitution, earlier restricted in remote corners, was now being openly practised from precincts of five star hotels in the garb of massage parlours.

Calling for the sensitisation of judicial officers, prosecutors, medical experts and lawyers, he said as often measures taken against combating trafficking resulted in suppressive action against victims.

The focus of the research is on the process of trafficking, based on a study carried out in 13 states by the research teams and the National Study Team in Delhi. It brings out initiatives by individuals and institutions across the country. Distortions in justice delivery is pointed out by this study as most of the persons convicted are victims who are charged with the offence of soliciting.

The delay in trial, the inability to produce witnesses by the prosecution, repeated requirements of appearance of the victim in the courts, add to the victim’s problems.

The research also exposed the deficiency in the law enforcement machinery.