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Uncertainty continues to dog MCF mayor’s election
UPSC clerk-to-IAS officer case:
Delhiites fall in love with the metro, |
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Wanted: A new V-C for Delhi University
DU third list falls short of expectations
Sri Ram College vandalised by agitating SC/ST students
Nepali domestic help held for theft
Ramdev denies allegations of using animal extracts in his medicines
New bus stand to decongest city
Maninder Pal Singh Kohli’s wife summoned
Man elopes with neighbour’s wife
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Uncertainty continues to dog MCF mayor’s election
Faridabad, July 4 Although two months have passed since the elections of the civic body, there is no saying when the elected members of the MCF would start their work and when the city will get its new mayor. Though these elections are not contested on party symbols, most of the parties extend their support externally to the candidates. As the Congress returned to power in the last Assembly polls in the state, the majority of the elected corporators of the MCF have Congress affiliations. But there has been a polarisation due to various camps led by an MP and at least two MLAs of the party. The situation became even more complicated after it was declared that the seat of the mayor was meant for a woman this time. Though there were about 12 woman members out of the total of 35 elected members of the MCF, there is none in whose name a consensus could be reached. The problem deepened with the undue interest shown by the local Congress leaders, including an MP and two MLAs from here, to have their protégé installed on the mayoral chair. While the Haryana Municipal Act-1994 states that the meeting to elect the mayor must be held within 30 days after the election, the first meeting called by the Divisional Commissioner on May 30 had to be cancelled when just two members showed up at the meeting. A quorum of at least one-third members must be present to reach a decision. The authorities since then have failed to convene a meeting to do the needful. Meanwhile, the lobbying of various groups has been going on, with a group stated to have the support of about 15 members who were taken on a tour to various places, including Chandigarh. It was claimed that the leader of the group wanted to parade the members before the Chief Minister. However, the Chief Minister reportedly declined to interfere in the issue and wanted it to be sorted out among MCF members themselves.
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UPSC clerk-to-IAS officer case: Charges upheld
New Delhi, July 4 Dismissing the petitions of Rati Pal Saroj, a former section officer (SO) with the UPSC – now posted as an Under Secretary at the Centre – Desh Raj Chugh, section officer, Pramod Behari Mathur and Inder Nath Uppal (both clerks), Justice Manju Goel said, “Keeping in view the evidence available on record, I am constrained to hold that the trial court has rightly framed the charges against the accused.’’ Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke had framed the charges on March 2, 1998 on the basis of the charge-sheet filed by the CBI against Chugh, Mathur and Uppal for allegedly helping Saroj by replacing his original answer papers with duplicates mostly copied from the model answer sheets produced by examiners, CBI alleged. Saroj cleared the examination with a high rank. The accused had allegedly inserted the inner pages in the original answer sheets of General Studies, History and Philosophy papers with fresh answer sheets with the answers copied from evaluated answer papers. The blank pages were stolen from the store of the UPSC. During the investigation, the CBI found that the ink on the cover page and inner pages of the answer sheets of General Studies paper was different and the punching holes of the cover and inner pages did not match. The examiners also testified that accused Saroj had allegedly bribed other accused with gifts such as carpets, refrigerator etc which were recovered by the CBI. The CBI had also recovered the copy of the answer sheets from the house of Saroj during a search. All the accused had been booked under sections 120-B, 420, 468, 471, 201 of the IPC and 5 (2) and 5 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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Delhiites fall in love with the metro, all over again
New Delhi, July 4 People thronged the metro stations the whole day to have a first hand experience of what the all-new underground segment of the metro rail was all about. The Sunday rush spilled on to Monday. While on a normal Sunday, around 1.5 lakh people travel by the metro, yesterday’s head count was 2,66,000, mostly joy riders out for a spin on a cool and pleasant Sunday. The majority of the rush was of course on the new section and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation raked in a cool earning of Rs 29 lakh. Today being a working day, office-goers also had the chance to experience the cool comfortable metro over the ram-shackled blue line and DTC buses, though joy riders still dominated. The metro is also certainly keeping the Delhi police on its feat. Yesterday, the police had a tough time controlling the traffic at the stations and also India Gate, where close to 25,000 Sunday revelers came visiting its lawns. With the euphoria continuing today as well, the second day witnessed 1.4 lakh persons using the metro links from Shahdara to Rithala, Delhi University to Kashmere Gate and the brand new segment between Kashmere Gate and Central Secretariat till 4 pm. The DMRC earnings till 4 pm was 21 lakh. In fact, yesterday, as well as today, the DMRC had to increase the number of trains on its Line –1 from 14 to 18. In all, 28 trains are now operating with a frequency of five minutes. Incidentally, the five-minute frequency is meant only for rush hours of the day. Considering the fact that metro trains run till 10 pm from 6 in the morning, today’s commuter as well as earning figures will go up considerably by the time the cash registers close. For now, all stations are bursting at seams with hanger-ons and joy riders, with Chawri Bazar in the heart of the city and the Capital’s commercial hub Connaught Place being the busiest. The mad rush is expected to continue for the next few weeks till the novelty lasts and things finally settle down.
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Wanted: A new V-C for Delhi University
New Delhi, July 4 Prof Deepak Nayar, who relinquished office as the Vice Chancellor after five years in May, was succeeded by Prof C R Babu who was officiating as the VC till he retired on June 29. Currently Dr Kiran Dattar is the officiating VC. A three-member search committee appointed to scout for eligible candidates for the VC’s post is yet to submit a fresh list of names to the President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who is the Visitor to the university. The first list of names was reportedly sent back by the Visitor with the instructions that more names should be proposed. “There were four names in the first list. These included two names from the Delhi University and two from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. But the list was sent back and the Visitor asked for more names,” said sources. Citing the reason for the delay, sources said that two of the search committee members are travelling abroad. Incidentally, the third member is also scheduled to leave for abroad later this month when the other two members are likely to return. “The whole process has been delayed because first the search committee comprising, Justice P N Bhagwati, Prof Romilla Thapar and Abid Hussain were asked to prepare a fresh list and now because these members have been travelling. The list will most likely reach the President only in August,” sources said. And even as the speculation on who will be chosen and when continues, it is the university which is facing the brunt. “Procedures like policy decisions and appointments are affected in the absence of a Vice Chancellor. The Acting VC cannot take any decision that requires the deliberation of the Academic Council,” said a University official. A senior faculty member pointed out there are many appointments that need to be made especially in departments and colleges where there is a shortage of teachers. “This should preferably be done before the session begins on July 16, but since there is strong possibility that the VC will be appointed in August, these appointments will have to wait.”
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DU third list falls short of expectations
New Delhi, July 4 To cap it, admissions to many courses in most colleges are already closed. The cut-off BA Programme in Hansraj College is 84 per cent aggregate for General, 82 for Philosophy option and 73 per cent aggregate for Sanskrit option. In Aditi Mahavidyalaya, it is 62 per cent. It is 67 per cent in Deen Dayal Upadhaya College, 64 per cent in Deshbandhu and 84 in Hindu. The cut-off for BA Hons. Economics is 90.75 per cent to 91.75 per cent in Hansraj, 82-87.99 in College of Vocational Studies, 86.75- 91.75 in Hindu and closed elsewhere. Admissions to BA Hons. English and Hindi in Hansraj are closed. Cut-off for BA Hons. History is 76 per cent to 82 per cent in Hansraj, 55-60 in Bhagini Nivedita, 63-68 in DCAC and 58-64 in Dyal Singh. The cut-off for BA Hons. Mathematics in Hansraj is between 87 per cent to 85 per cent; 68.25 in Dyal Singh. For B. Com. Hons. the cut-off is 91 per cent to 95 per cent in Hansraj, 69 in Aditi Mahavidyalay, 84.5-89.99 in CVS, 91.25 to 96.25 in Hindu. B.Sc. General ‘A’ Group Physical Sciences has a cut-off of 79 per cent in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in Hansraj, 68 in Deen Dayal, 70 in Maitreyi, 77.67 to 78.99 in Kirori Mal,70 in Motilal, 69-69.9 in Zakir Hussain and 63 in Swami Shraddhanand. B.Sc. General ‘A’ Group Applied Physical Sciences has a cut-off of 83 per cent in Hansraj, 80 in SGTB Khalsa, 69 in Maharaja Agrasen and 71.33 in Dyal Singh. B.Sc. General ‘B’ Group Life Sciences has a cut-off of 78-78.99 in Kirori Mal, 71 in Maitreyi and 69-69.99 in Zakir Hussain. B.Sc. Hons. Computer Science has a cut-off of 80 in SGTB Khalsa, 70 in Deen Dayal Upadhayay, 71.33 in Dyal Singh and 83 in Hansraj. For B.Sc. Hons. Botany in Hansraj, it is 77 per cent, in Deshbandhu it is 69, 80 in Hindu and 73 in Maitreyi. In Daulat Ram College, admissions are closed for all courses while in IP College, SPM Khalsa, Lady Sri Ram College, and Gargi College, admissions for all Science courses are over. In Sri Venkateswara, the cut-off for Biological Sciences is 88.75 per cent. Eligible candidates have been advised to complete their admission formalities in the colleges concerned by the 8th of July within the stipulated time.
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Sri Ram College vandalised by agitating SC/ST students
New Delhi, July 4 “The college has put up a notification indicating that admissions for the SC/ST candidates will be made on July 5 and 6 where as all other colleges have begun the admission process on July 2. July 6 is also the last day for admissions and the DSW seeks a feedback of all admissions made through the reserved quota on July 7. If the students are not admitted by then, their admissions stands cancelled”, said the convenor of the organisation, K S
Saroha. “There are students who come from far off places and the college is making it difficult for them by not completing the admission formalities on time. There are so many things like fees and documents that need to be taken care of, if the procedure is delayed, then the students may stand to lose a year,” he went on to add. The Principal of the college DK Mittal said the police had to be called in when the students went on a rampage breaking window panes. “None of these students have tried to get in touch with me. I have not heard from any one and as far as refusing admissions go, we have admitted whoever came today, whether they were from reserved category, physically challenged or foreign quota,” he clarified. Meanwhile, the National Student’s Union of India (NSUI) also staged a protest outside the DSW office against incorrect allotment of courses to students. “There were a few cases where the computer had misread the numeral, because of the way it had been written. So some students have been allotted wrong course. But this is something which will be rectified”, said the Proctor, Dr Gurmeet Singh. “Students have been assured that they will be given the courses they are eligible for and there is no need for them to worry”, he said.
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Nepali domestic help held for theft
New Delhi, July 4 The accused have been identified as Inder Kumar (36) and Pawan (name changed). Pawan was working as a domestic servant at the house of 70-yr-old Brigadier YR Behl (Retd) at his west Punjabi Bagh residence. On the ill-fated night, Pawan allegedly administered some sedatives to him and his wife Malti. After they fell unconscious, Pawan decamped with cash and valuables from the house, said the police. Next day at around 9 am, the police got the information that Brig Behl and his wife were not opening the doors. The police reached the spot and broke open the doors with the help of some local residents. Both the husband and wife were found lying unconscious in the bedroom. They were admitted to Maharaja Agarsen Hospital. The investigation revealed that Pawan was introduced to the family by another domestic servant Anil Bahadur on the grounds that he was also a Nepali and was in need of money. During interrogation, Pawan revealed that he committed the crime with the help of two persons, Inder Kumar and Ramesh. The police have recovered four watches, 2 golden chains, 4 pairs of earrings, one gold coin and Rs 23,500 cash from Inder Kumar’s possession.
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Ramdev denies allegations of using animal extracts in his medicines
New Delhi, July 4 Swami Ramdev, who is setting up Patanjali Yogpeeth at Haridwar for treatment and social and scientific
research in Yoga and Ayurved, lays stress on pranayam being a cure for several such diseases to which modern medical science has no answer. Terming as “totally baseless” allegations about animal extracts and human skull being used in some of the medicines manufactured by Divya Pharmacy, Swami Ramdev said that medicines were manufactured under proper licence and approved procedure. He said certain people whose interests got hurt due to his campaign against fast food, cold drinks and MNCs were unhappy with him and could be behind the allegations. He said an Ayurvedic officer had inspected the Yogpeeth pharmacy recently but found nothing objectionable. About the labour issues concerning people working in the Patanjali Yogpeeth, Swami Ramdev said they were volunteers and not workers. “They are paid for their labour. All of them are happy and satisfied,” he said. Swami Ramdev said a conspiracy had been planned by vested interests to damage the reputation of the Yogpeeth. “They could have infiltrated in an effort to create problems,” he said. Swami Ramdev said he laid stress on pranayam and Yog and not on medicines. “Making medicines is not my aim. These cannot provide a permanent cure to diseases. But they serve a useful purpose in certain situations,” he said. Swami Ramdev said his campaign against the cold drinks, which also draws on the JPC report, had drastically affected their sales. He said nearly 50 crore people all over the world were suffering from hypertension for which Yog had a cure. Swami Ramdev said sale of certain pharmaceutical MNCs was more than the annual development budget of India. “They spend crores on research and than keep huge profit margins,” he said. Swami Ramdev said he did not have a personal bank account, or an inch of land in his name. He said collections being made from people were being channelled for scientific research in Yog and Ayurved “to make India and the world free from disease”.
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New bus stand to decongest city
Gurgaon, July 4 Besides, the government has also sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the renovation of the old bus stand, located in the middle of the Old Gurgaon area. The new bus stand would be only for the long-route buses. According to the plan, the long-route buses will not have to enter the city, but ply on the highway skirting the proposed site. The new bus stand is meant to decongest the city roads. This would help lessen the air and sound pollution besides beautifying the city. A senior official of the district administration said that the plan may be approved by the headquarters within a month. With regard to the old bus stand, its area will be reduced and the remaining land would be put to other use. A commercial plaza may be constructed to help boost the revenue of the Municipal Council. The site for the new bus stand was making headlines about two years ago, when the then government in the state closed the Krishi Vigyan Kendra functioning there. The government wound up the Kendra, spread over more than 40 acres of prime land, without clarifying on the further use of the land. This had led to apprehension in certain quarters that the state government wanted to dispose of the land to private parties to set up casinos.
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Maninder Pal Singh Kohli’s wife summoned
New Delhi, July 4 After hearing the arguments of both the prosecution and the defence, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Ravinder Dudeja issued summons to Shailendra Kaur, a defence witness in the case. The court, in its order earlier, rejected the application of Kohli which asked for summoning the prosecution witnesses for cross-examination. There were about 20 prosecution witnesses living in the UK. Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, facing extradition trial for allegedly raping and murdering British schoolgirl Hannah Foster in Southhampton, UK, on March 19, 2003, was arrested on July 15, 2003 from Panighata in Siliguri sub-division’s Naxalbari area under Darjeeling district while he was trying to cross over to Nepal. Kohli had earlier pleaded in the court not to extradite him to the UK, saying he could be racially discriminated there. He is facing extradition proceedings instituted on a request by the UK. After his arrest, he was taken to Punjab on July 27, 2003 to face charges. Later, the CBI had got Kohli’s judicial custody till his extradition is processed. The accused was arrested under Sections 376 (Rape) and 302 (Murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The next date of hearing has been fixed for July 11.
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Man elopes with neighbour’s wife
Faridabad, July 4 According to available details, the accused had often quarrelled with his neighbour over this liaison in the past and his neighbour had also raised the height of the wall dividing both the houses. However, this morning, members of both families were stunned to find that Amar Singh and his neighbour’s wife had vanished.—TNS
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Two held for cases of auto theft
New Delhi, July 4 They have recovered eight stolen motorcycles and one Toyota Qualis from their possession. The two accused allegedly targetted Toyota Qualis vehicles plying for call centers during late night hours. On June 5, they robbed a Toyota Qualis at Chhattarpur red light. The vehicle was attached to a call center in Gurgaon. In another incident near Badarpur, a Qualis was snatched from a driver who was later thrown out near Mathura. That vehicle was also attached to a call center in Gurgaon. The police have also recovered a .315 bore pistol along with two live cartridges from their possession.
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Palwal petrol pump looted
Faridabad, July 4
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