New Delhi, July 16
A rival group of lawyers in Bar Council of Delhi, which had challenged the September 2003 election to the body, has approached the Chief Justice of India for an early disposal of their election petition by the Delhi High Court.

In a July 12 representation to Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti, advocate Harish Sharma of the rival group contended that the Supreme Court in its June 21, 2004 order had clearly stated that their petition should be disposed of latest by July last year by the High Court, but it is still pending. The group accused their opponents of delaying the proceedings on one pretext or the other.

Since the apex court had further stated that the September 2003 election to the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) would be subject to the outcome of the writ petition, the opponent group was trying to delay the proceedings, fearing an adverse order from the court, Mr Sharma alleged.

The bone of contention between the two groups was giving the voting right to 492 advocates who allegedly had not deposited their annual subscription and fee with the BCD before filing and withdrawing of the nominations as required under rule and were not entitled to vote.

The rival group, headed by Adish Aggrawala had further alleged that the names of nearly 13,000 advocates, who were genuine voters, were illegally excluded from the voters’ list.

The group had moved the Delhi High Court after the BCD allegedly refused to correct the list.

Since the process of election had been set in motion, the High Court’s single judge refused to stay the same and the group filed appeal before its division bench. Not getting any interim relief from the division bench, it had approached the apex court, which gave the direction for disposal of the matter by July 2004, the representation to CJI pointed out.

But unfortunately, the hearing before the High Court’s division bench had not been completed even after a year, it said.

New Delhi, July 16
Moments before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was to leave on a three-day summit meeting with US President George W Bush today, a peacock broke into a dance on 7 Race Course Road creating a security hassle.

As the cameramen present there tried to capture the fascinating sight, the peacock was not in a mood to pose for the ‘strangers’ who had just been let in after a stringent security check-up.

A few minutes later, the lone peacock again gave an opportunity to the disappointed lensmen on the sprawling lawns of the Prime Minister’s residence. But the security personnel soon got cracking, asking the shutterbugs to honour the ‘commitment’ of not shooting the premier’s residence.

Unable to resist the rare sight, a few lensmen gave the go-by to the commitment for a while and captured the feathered creature in its best. To end the drama, a junior cop was deputed to chase the bird away and it finally took refuge in a nearby bush. After a few minutes, the peacock was again on the same spot unleashing its plumes.

As if in a fairy tale, a cat appeared from nowhere and began enjoying the dance of the national bird. This again provided a richer opportunity to the cameramen for a rare frame.

Now it was the turn of the security personnel. The same cop tried his hand second time to scare away both the bird and the feline visitor.

The 30-minute drama ended when the peacock retreated to the bush after it was joined by two peahens, giving a respite to the security personnel.

New Delhi, July 16
With the arrest of five persons of the notorious gang of Wasim after an encounter, the South-West district police today claimed to have solved at least five cases of robbery and carjacking. The police also claimed to have recovered one Maruti car, three motorcycles, one country-made pistol along with four live cartridges, gold rings and cash worth Rs 20,000 from their possession.

The accused have been identified as Wasim, alias Mohammad Hussain (20), resident of Patel Nagar; Subhash, alias Ashok (26), resident of Kriti Nagar; Ashish (22), resident of Vikaspuri; Ram Lochan (29), resident of Anand Parbat; and Rajbir (45), resident of Kriti Nagar.

Acting on a secret information that the members of Wasim gang would come to Inderpuri to commit some crime, the police laid a trap on July 15 and spotted a white Maruti car moving in a suspicious manner near Patel Nagar roundabout.

When the police started chasing the vehicle, the occupants started firing at the police personnel. However, they were soon overpowered.

New Delhi, July 16
For those hoping to catch a fresher gyrating to the latest Bollywood number or even a quick-fix wedding were in for disappointment, for ragging was conspicuous by its absence on the first day of the academic session at Delhi University.

And the first day was not just about ragging either as students were equally excited about the ride on the Metro. “My father insisted on dropping me, but I was adamant about going in the Metro. I live in South Extension and the nearest Metro Station for me is New Delhi, but I chose the detour and finally reached the campus,” said Rakhi, a student of Ramjas.

While Metro was the high point of her first day in college, the absence of ragging was the “low”. “We have grown up listening to tales of ragging…we were barely ragged. It was quite a let down. While we do not look forward to being physically or mentally harassed, but singing and dancing would have been fun,” she said.

And while Ramjas did not offer Rakhi a chance to exhibit her vocal and dancing prowess, it was Hindu where she, “joined her friends for an interaction with the seniors”.

Bhavna, her friend, was made to, “sing a little and generally asked questions about herself”. Though Hindu College strictly follows the anti-ragging diktat, an occasional voice trying to get the notes right and an awkward dance step summed up ragging, which is traditionally at its best near the college’s famous ‘Virgin Tree’.

With the university having spelt strict action against those found ragging, the scene in most colleges was similar. Cautious seniors tried “interacting” with the freshers under the watchful gaze of the authorities.

“We know our principal is watching us…we have CCTV’s in the college. But we are just asking them a little about themselves to break the ice. No one is being harassed,” said a second year student in Kirori Mal College.

While for the senior “caution” was the buzzword, it was the freshers themselves who seemed to be missing out on the fun. “We were looking forward to meeting our seniors. Ragging, when its healthy is fun and we get to make friends, but everyone here seems reluctant to rag,” said a group of freshers in Kirori Mal.

The university authorities on their part kept a strict vigil. Police pickets and anti-ragging squads could be seen in all colleges. The Ambedkar Students Union also deputed an anti-ragging squad.

A senior university official who was inspecting a college on the campus said, “Sometimes students actually stage an act. You will see them singing and dancing for the benefit of a TV channel. Otherwise, ragging is on the decline, besides there is a Supreme Court order to follow,
so authorities have to be vigilant”. 

New Delhi, July 16
Elections to the Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA) will be held on August 31 for the office of the President and 15 members of the executive committee.

The last date for filing nominations is August 23, and for withdrawal of nominations is August 24.

New Delhi, July 16
The sixth book in the Harry Potter series had an unprecedented launch in the national Capital today, just like the unusual start of the teenage magician’s sixth year at the Hogwarts.

Bookshops opened at 6 am across the city to hand over copies of ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’.

‘’Children came along with their parents to the shop sharp 6 a.m,” said Mirza Asad Baig, owner of the Midland Bookshop at the posh South Extension market. The bookshop sold out all its nearly 2,000 copies before noon, he said.

‘’We are now trying to get more copies,’’ says Baig, who is sending back people asking for the 607-page book priced at Rs 895.

According to Penguin India, which is distributing the book in India, an unprecedented 130,000 copies have been delivered to bookshops across the country.

‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ begins with the anxious wait of Harry for Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is visiting him at his uncle’s home. “Harry’s sixth year at the Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start as the world of muggle and magic start to intertwine,” says the cover of the book maintaining the suspense the publishers have built ever since its author J K Rowling announced the title of her new book.

As many as 275 million copies of Harry Potter books have sold since Rowling wrote her first book ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ in a cafe with her baby by her side.

According to Harry Potter trivia, only the Bible has sold more copies. The sales have also made her richer than Queen Elizabeth.

Even ‘Da Vinci Code’ author Dan Brown, the newest phenomenon in the literary world, pays his tribute in the book when a publisher says, though wrongly, that Harry Potter books have sold more than the Bible.

Three of the first Harry Potter books have been made into movies and the fourth, ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ is slated for release next month.

Noida, July 16
A manager of an export company was shot at by two persons riding a bike. The manager was rushed to Fortis Hospital in a serious condition, while the assailants sped on their bike.

The incident took place in Sector-59 Noida on July 15 when the export company manager Sanjay Bhatia was going back home in Mayur Vihar, New Delhi from his factory Radhika Exports in D-45, Sector-59 Noida in his car DL 2C-8600.

Bhatia had just driven a short distance away from his office, when two men on a bike came from the opposite direction and fired at him. The bullet passed through his cheek bone after cracking the wind screen of the car.

After being wounded, Bhatia was somehow helped by his factory colleagues. His colleagues informed the police and rushed Pankaj Bhatia to Fortis Hospital, Noida.

The Noida police were groping for the possible motives of the assailants till late in the night. The police have interrogated Pankaj Bhatia and some of his colleagues to know about the assailants and their motives.

Noida, July 16
A commotion was created when a Noida authority squad had started removing goods from a well-known sweetmeat shop in prestigious Sector-18 market in Noida yesterday.

The shopkeepers came on the road and raised slogans against the authority. All the traders downed their shutters and sat on dharna in front of the police post, Sector-18.

When an anti-encroachment squad of Noida authority started removing goods from the verandah of Nathu Sweets, the workers opposed it. A slight scuffle also ensued. The goods and furniture were loaded onto a truck and the squad headed for their godown in Sector-34.

Owner of Nathu Sweets Rohit Garg alleged that S.C Arora of Noida authority had come to Nathu Sweets a day earlier and demanded Rs 10,000. When he refused to give the amount, Arora left in a huff, saying “I shall fix you.”

When Arora’s anti-encroachment squad started removing goods from Nathu Sweets, the news spread like a wild fire in Sector-18 market and in no time the entire trading community assembled in front of police post. Trader leaders like Sunil Gupta, Chiranjeev Mahajan, Vinod Saluja, SK Singhal and Anil Gupta, all rushed to Nathu Sweets. There was tension in the market.

Livid traders were demanding action against SC Arora. After three hours of slogan shouting, the traders ordered all shops and business establishments to be closed.

It was then that Noida authority Adm. Officer Arun Kumar Sharma and Inspector Harsh Vardhan Singh Bhadoriya rushed to the site where they were mobbed by the traders and questioned as to why only Nathu Sweets had been singled out for action.

Arun Kumar Sharma pacified the crowd by saying in future such action will not be taken without consulting Sector-18 traders association. He did not say what was contemplated against SC Arora who had allegedly order this drive against Nathu Sweets.

New Delhi, July 16
Six cases of dengue have been reported in the Capital and one person has died of the disease this year, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said.
Out of the six cases reported from the city’s hospitals, four have come from other states, including the case in which the person succumbed, the MCD said.

A 10-year-old boy, who had come from Hyderabad, died due to dengue this week.

The disease has shown a decreasing trend over the years in the capital, with 2853 cases reported in 2003 and 606 in 2004 compared to the six so far this year. While there were 34 deaths due to the vector-borne disease in 2003, three people died due to it last year. As for malaria, 81 cases have been reported this year and there have been no deaths due to the disease, the MCD said.

Meanwhile, noisy scenes were witnessed in the meeting of MCD’s Standing Committee on the issue of the civic body’s preventive campaign against dengue, with opposition BJP’s Vijender Kumar Gupta clashing with the ruling Congress councillors.

A verbal duel was witnessed during the short duration discussion when he charged the MCD with not dealing with the issue seriously.

An angry Gupta even banged his mike against the desk and spilled tea over fellow BJP councillor Narain Singh as he swept things off the table in a fit of anger.

Interestingly, Singh had, in contrast to Gupta’s contentions, said the MCD had taken adequate measures to fight the disease in his area.

Noida, July 16
The UP Government has ordered a judicial probe into the rigging of a residential scheme draw of Noida authority on July 2. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav announced on Friday that retired judge Justice A.N. Gupta will conduct the inquiry into the fiasco.

The Allahabad High Court has meanwhile dismissed a PIL demanding a CBI probe into the allotment of plots.

Mr Mulayam Singh said his government had viewed very seriously the reported improprieties in the draw. All those found guilty will be proceeded against strictly under the law of the land irrespective of their status. — OC