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SC seeks injury report in Shankaracharya
case
Setback to Andhra peace
initiative
2 Bihar Cong leaders withdraw from
contest |
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Give judges higher pension, SC tells
states
UAV to be highlight of Republic Day
parade
Indo-Persian cultural heritage lectures
Fungus damages FIR on Gandhi’s assassination
Mother, Subbulakshmi inspired me, says Kalam
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SC seeks injury report in Shankaracharya
case
New Delhi, January 17 A Bench comprising Chief Justice R. C. Lahoti and Mr Justice G. .P Mathur issued the direction to this effect after Tamil Nadu Government counsel K. T. S. Tulsi the sought deferring of hearing on its appeal for cancelling seer’s bail in the Radhakrishnan case for two weeks stating that the police wanted to place on record some more documents. “Has the injury report been filed?” the court asked the counsel specifically. When the counsel said it had not been filed, the Bench directed him to file it along with other documents the state government intended to place on record. The report of the doctor about the nature of injury in the attempt to murder case under Section 307 is vital to determine whether it was caused with an intention to kill that person. If this was proved then the punishment would be either life sentence or death penalty otherwise the maximum sentence would be 10 years jail term. The Tamil Nadu Government had challenged the Madras High Court’s order of December 3 order granting bail to Shankaracharya. His bail was sought to be cancelled on the ground that an accused arrested in connection with a conspiracy to attempt to “kill” a person could not be given bail till the prove has been completed. The state government alleged that the conspiracy was “hatched” by Shankaracharya to murder Radhakrishnan in 2002 and the assault on him was a result of it. It had cited levelling of certain allegations against the seer about financial affairs of the mutt by him. This case of the Tamil Nadu police is also based on confession of other co-accused. The police had booked the pontiff in the Radhakrishanan case on November 23 after his arrest in the Sankararaman murder case though the complaint was filed by the former with the police in July 2002. |
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Jaya defaming Kanchi Mutt, says BJP
New Delhi, January 17 Likening the situation in the state to “Emergency”, the BJP accused Ms Jayalalithaa of using the police against Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati and the Kanchi Mutt for a desperate purpose of trying to revive the shrinking base of the ruling AIADMK in the state. The BJP also demanded shifting of all cases relating to the Shankaracharya outside Tamil Nadu so that the judiciary and the police could work in “bias-free atmosphere”. “Any further action by Ms Jayalalithaa would further lawlessness,” BJP General Secretary and spokesperson Arun Jaitley told newspersons here. He also raised questions over the absence of a “clear and categorical” stand by the Congress and other political parties on “this major issue”. Reacting to Jayalalithaa’s statement issued yesterday in which she said no religious head was above the law, Mr Jaitley alleged that the Chief Minister was “defaming the Kanchi Mutt and meting out injustice to a religious head in the name of secularism.” “Discrimination is no enforcement of rule of law,” he said, charging that Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati and Junior Shankaracharya Vijayendra Saraswati were being subjected to such a treatment. Likening Jayalalithaa’s rule to Emergency, he said that this was clear by her actions like arrest of the junior Shankaracharya when the Supreme Court released the Kanchi Seer on bail and issuance of warrant against Jayendra Saraswati in a third case immediately after the Apex Court’s decision. Rejecting Jayalalithaa’s charge that the BJP was raking up the issue to strengthen its base, Mr Jaitley said “for us it would have been better if such a situation had not arisen. The developments are condemnable and unfortunate and the BJP will be in the forefront of opposing these.” The BJP spokesman said yesterday’s statement of Ms Jayalalithaa was a “clear indication of bias which has been institutionalised in government and police of Tamil Nadu.” He said there was “no doubt” that the Tamil Nadu police action was not based on investigation into some crime and said there were several indications in this regard. He listed these as-”arrest of the Shankaracharya in a case of no evidence, choosing Diwali eve to arrest him, inventing evidence when there was none, trying to assassinate the seer’s character through baseless allegations and arrest of junior seer when the Supreme Court ordered release of the senior Seer on bail.” Ms Jayalalithaa had, in her statement, “condemned the entire Mutt” and there were several question marks on her future course of action, the former Union Law Minister said. Talking about Jayalalithaa’s ‘bias’ against the Mutt, the BJP leader noted that normally anybody granted bail was asked not to leave the state whereas in the Shankaracharya case, the state government was seeking a bar on the Seer’s stay anywhere in southern states. When referred to VHP’s charge of “connivance” between Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Ms Jayalalithaa on the Seer issue, Mr Jaitley evaded a direct reply but said “it is unfortunate that many political parties, including national ones like the Congress have failed to take a clear and categorical stand on this major issue.” Chennai, January 17 Mr Sudarshan made the disclosure after calling on Kanchi Acharya Jayendra Saraswati at Kalavai, where he was staying since January 11, after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the Shankararaman murder case. The name of the third acharya and details of his background were not immediately known. —
UNI |
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Setback to Andhra peace
initiative
Hyderabad, January 17 “We are withdrawing from the talks after seeing through the gameplan of the Rajasekhara Reddy Government to crush the revolutionary parties in the garb of negotiations,” top Maoist leaders of CPI (Maoist) and CPI (ML), Janashakti said in a joint statement. The dramatic announcement came soon after the state Cabinet decided to continue the peace talks, even while asking the extremist groups to refrain from carrying arms in villages. The Maoist leaders claimed that 10 of their comrades were killed in fake police encounters since January 6, which amounted to blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement. “It is clear that the ruling classes will not solve people’s issues through peaceful political means like negotiations. In the circumstances, we have decided to withdraw from the talks. We call upon the people to join the mass struggle for solving the basic problems,” the two-page statement said. The first round of talks were held from October 15 to 18 last year, during which both sides had kept a side the contentious arms issue and instead focused on the main agenda that included land reforms and rural employment. The Maoists claimed that the Congress Government which initiated talks under public pressure, soon exposed its true colours by continuing with fake encounters and combing operations, arrests and harassment of Naxalites and their sympathisers against the spirit of the ceasefire agreement. “The government has not only failed to address the issues raised by us during the first round of talks but also changed its tack by insisting on our giving up arms,” the statement said, adding that the “Fascist regime” chose not to extend the six-month-old ceasefire beyond December 16. There was an initial euphoria over resumption of talks with Naxalites after the Congress stormed to power last May, as this initiative was seen as a serious attempt to end the three-decade-long extremist violence in the state, especially in the backward Telangana region. However, after the first phase of parleys, the government hardened its stand on the issue of Naxalites carrying arms, and made it a precondition for subsequent round of talks. The situation was further compounded by recent police actions in Karimnagar, Warangal and Prakasam districts, where several guerillas were killed by the anti-Naxalite squad Greyhounds. The statement was signed by the state CPI (Maoist) secretary Ramakrishna, his senior colleagues Sudhakar and Jampanna and CPI (ML) Janashakthi leaders Amar and Riyaz. |
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2 Bihar Cong leaders withdraw from
contest New Delhi, January 17 An
embarrassed Congress was groping for answers as two of its senior leaders in Bihar withdrew from the electoral battle even before it had begun and in Jharkhand, former AICC office-bearer Sarfaraz Ahmed, joined the RJD. This clearly indicated that despite the Congress decision to go it alone in 80 seats in Bihar, its state leaders are not confident about battling the RJD. Mr Ram Jatan Sinha, President of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC), refused to file his nomination papers from the Warsaliganj constituency while another senior leader Awadesh Kumar Singh, who was to contest from Gaya Town, also backed out and instead filed his papers as an independent from his old constituency, Gaya Mofusil. Today was the last day for filing nominations for the February 3 election. Mr Sinha, it was stated, had wanted to contest from his old constituency, Mukhdampur, but the Congress decided not to field anybody for this seat since it was held by the RJD. In the process, the Congress has not fielded anybody from Warsaliganj, which was won by Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in the last election. These developments were particularly galling for the Congress as Mr Sinha had led a campaign against RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and had been demanding that the Congress should break its alliance with the RJD and go it alone. Moreover, the Congress-RJD seat-sharing talks collapsed because the AICC negotiating team had insisted on tickets for these same senior leaders.It is learnt that Mr Arjun Singh had especially backed Mr Awadesh Kumar Singh’s claim for a ticket. If the electoral picture in Bihar is confusing enough, it is no better in neighbouring Jharkhand. The Congress got a jolt today when a former Bihar PCC chief and AICC Secretary Sarfaraz Ahmed filed his nomination papers from Gande constituency on an RJD ticket.
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Rahul leaves Amethi
behind
Chitrakoot, January 17 No slogans when Rahul enters. A flurry of questions are hurled at him. When he provides an example of Amethi he is corrected by a youth leader from Jaunpur: “ You don’t belong to Amethi alone. You belong to the entire country and people are waiting everywhere to meet you and be inspired by you”. Vijay Kumar Singh, a dalit leader from Lucknow points out to Rahul:“ Welcome the dalits if you want them around. Don’t place them at a disadvantage for some of them will join Mayawati”. Rahul is all ears for the next two minutes as the dalit leader rolls off his perception of Congress’s shaky grip on the backwards and dalits, With a very serious face Rahul listens and moves from one study group to another spending sufficient time with each group to make every delegate feel special. Till late in the evening, Rahul goes around monitoring his 10 Study Group who have settled down to an interactive session at the sprawling hall at Ramayan Mela Parisar hall . He is not always a smiling face pampering the young budding leaders he wants to groom for future challenges in Uttar Pradesh. Spotting a young leader following him to more than one group, Rahul sends him back to his group , “ Why are you hanging out everywhere?”. His stern face makes the overenthusiastic young man scampering back to his group. The interactive session was an eye opener to this first time MP from Amethi. He heard how no change had been made during the last 20 years in the youth bodies . When this interactive session ends this evening, the leaders would have been instructed to prepare an agenda for future action. By the end of the session the mentors would have also made a mental note of the potential of each delegate. Rahul too has a lot of homework to do on this, insiders said. Before starting this session, Rahul Gandhi had visited Kamtanath temple perched on Kamtagiri hillock on the UP-Madhya Pradesh border. He was accompanied by Salman Khurshid and Satyavrat Chaturvedi. |
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Give judges higher pension, SC tells
states
New Delhi, January 17 Since only four states — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — had implemented the commission’s recommendations about higher pension to judges so far, a Bench of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti and two seniormost judges of the apex court, Mr Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, warned that the Chief Secretaries would be personally held responsible for the delay in the implementation of the report. The court said it would be “constrained” to seek the personal appearance of Chief Secretaries of the defaulting states to explain the reason for the delay in the implementation of the report within the stipulated period. The direction was issued by the Bench after amicus curiae, senior advocate Fali S. Nariman said except for the fours states, others had failed to implement the scheme as recommended by the commission. The court was, however, informed by Nariman that the commission’s report regarding higher pay scale to judges had been implemented by all states and Union Territories. Counsel for some states cited pension rules as a major hindrance to the implementation of the pension scheme, saying that the state governments had put a cap on hiking of the pension to its employees beyond a certain limit. |
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UAV to be highlight of Republic Day
parade
New Delhi, January 17 Although, it has been in service with the IAF for the past nine years, the Israeli-manufactured remotely piloted vehicle-capable of carrying high-resolution day-night electro-optical payloads and transmitting imagery in real time to its ground control station by day as well as by night. It will be displayed to the public for the first time. The Searcher has a fully automated flight mode where it can fly out to any designated location and accomplish the mission. For this, it has very sophisticated and rugged on-board computers controlled from its ground control station through a robust data-link. Also finding place on the IAF tableau this year is the versatile Mi-25 helicopter the attack version of which has been in service for the past 21 years in support of our troops and for neutralising enemy armour. Also returning to the Republic Day flypast after a gap of one year would be the Big Boy formation by the five transport aircraft. |
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Indo-Persian cultural heritage lectures
New Delhi, January 17 The second lecture of the series-”Art and Craft of Mughal”-was delivered on January 14 by Dr Neeru Mishra, eminent art historian and Senior Programme Director, Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). |
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Fungus damages FIR on Gandhi’s assassination
Patna, January 17 The FIR, which was brought here three decades ago, was lodged on January 30, 1948, at 5.30 p.m. at the Tughlaq Road police station in New Delhi under the supervision of deputy superintendent of police Jaswant Singh and constable Mobab Singh. A retired police official, Mr G.M. Prasad, took personal interest and chemically treated the copy to save it from total damage. Dozens of rare historical documents, dresses and other materials associated with police system extending from ancient India to modern period have been damaged by fungus. No move was made to conserve them. —
IANS |
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Mother, Subbulakshmi inspired me, says Kalam
New Delhi, January 17 Interacting with girls from different schools at a function organised by the National Commission for Women, Vision for Women of Tomorrow, here today, the President said, “Womanhood according to me is beautiful creation of God. I have always looked up to two great women-my mother and Bharat Ratna M. S. Subbulakshmi.” |
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