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New CJI opposed to judicial council
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Cong, RJD hammer EC
Women sidelined in Bihar politics
Bengal CM, 2 MPs skip party meeting
Kutty dies at 71
Flood warning in TN districts
Natwar to make statement on Volcker report
Digvijay’s advice to Uma
Call for more weightage to physical education
Flying skills of IAF pilots to be on test
60,000 teachers to be recruited in MP
Indian biscuits for Iraq
India to remain in touch with Africa
Portraying Vajpayee since
he was 10
Priya to resume campaign after Id
1 chargesheeted for threatening Sunjay Kapoor
Toy train to run for tourists again
Examine torture cases in Nepal,
UN panel urged
Delhi experiences cleaner Divali
Somnath pays tribute to Amrita
Delhi blasts: Kasuri expresses condolences
CPM protest
Power generation begins
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New CJI opposed to judicial council
New Delhi, November 2 “We can do without the NJC. There is no lack of enforcement and control of corruption (in judiciary) if it is at all there,” Mr Justice Sabharwal said in an interaction with media, a day after he was sworn-in as theCJI by Pesident A P J Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday. In a veiled opposition also to the proposal that the CJI himself will be brought under the purview of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Mr Justice Sabharwal was of the view that if the country did not have “faith in the people holding high constitutional posts, then whom should we rely upon.” But at the same time he was quick to add that it was the domain of the Legislature to pass any law. The role of the Supreme Court would come only after the Act is passed its constitutional validity is challenged. “We will definitely examine it, if it is challenged,” he said. The report was sent by Justice Lahoti only two days back, he said. On the nature of comments included in the report, Justice Sabharwal said he was not aware of the final report. “Justice Lahoti had called for suggestions from us and we have given it. Our view point might have been included as Justice Lahoti was known for doing every thing meticulously,” he said. “I don’t want to contradict any of the suggestions made by my predecessor to the Law Minsiter in his report. In the existing framework it is not (not) difficult to control the misconduct (of a judge),” he said. He gave the example how former Chief Justice V N Khare had forced two of High Court judges to resign against whom there were allegations of corruption and misconduct. Mr Justice Sabharwal also sent a strong message to the Judges in high judiciary that any misconduct on their part would not be tolerated, saying “I have no policy of appeasement to any person”. He said some members of the Bar had come to him and complained about a particular judge that he was favouring his staff by appointing its members of court inquiry committee when such inquiry is required in a case. “I have asked them (Bar members) to show me the records. Any staff working with a judge should not be given such assignments. On this account message should be loud and clear,” he said. To a pointed question about corruption in high judiciary, he said “If there is corruption… it is for their (judges’) peer to probe it. I am not able to find anything on record or any data placed before my predecessor to show that such a percentage of corruption exists in the judiciary.” “But if we talk of corruption, we certainly have to first clean our own house. If something have to be done, it will be done”, he asserted. |
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Plans to tone up judiciary
New Delhi, November 2 “I have called for the data of nature of cases in which court they are pending. The cases involving petty offences will be segregated and assigned to special magistrates for their expeditious disposal as in some of such offences the punishment is merely six months’ imprisonment,” he said. Regarding serious crimes like terrorism, corruption, rape and atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, he said priority would be given to their speedy disposal as they would be put on “fast track” as the courts would be required to dispose them on day-to-day basis under strict monitoring of the high courts and Supreme Court, if required. In most probable circumstances, a two-year time limit would be fixed for deciding such cases involving serious offences and in corruption matters against “higher ups” there would not be “unlimited” stay if review petitions were filed in the high courts or the Supreme Court, he said, while replying to media queries on his priorities. A mechanism would be laid down that the stay would be automatically lifted after four or six months and would be extended by three months only in cases where there would be “strong reasons” for its continuance, he said adding similarly in civil matters if interim injunction was granted, it would not mean that it would continue for an unlimited period. To make the functioning of the judiciary at all levels more effective, every step would be taken to make maximum utilisation of existing manpower and at the same time efforts would be taken to fill all 188 vacancies of High Court judges and at the State Governments would be asked to ensure that no vacancy remained in lower judiciary, Justice Sabharwal said The process of appointing judges whether in High Court or lower judiciary would be initiated much in advance to ensure that when a judge retired, the post was promptly filled up, he said. When his attention was drawn to his predecessor Justice R C Lahoti’s statement that all files pertaining to appointment of High Court judges had been cleared by the Supreme Court Collegium, Justice Sabharwal said “I will talk to the Law Minister to find out the reasons for the delay on the Government part.” He also said that filing of frivolous Public Interest Litigations (PILs) would be curbed but such petitions in important issues like environment, encroachment of forests and illegal constructions would be given due importance if they were filed by genuine persons. The provisions of PILs had served the nation a lot in matters of environment and saving the forest wealth as Government’s own study reports had “acknowledged the contribution of the Supreme Court in saving the forests from depletion,” he said. |
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Cong, RJD hammer EC
New Delhi, November 2 Election Commission’s pointsman in Bihar, K.J. Rao, came under fresh attack with the RJD-Congress alliance demanding his immediate apology for alleged attempts to humiliate a particular community. A delegation comprising of senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh and Union Minister Prem Chand Gupta of the RJD and AICC secretary Ranjit Thomas met the commission and complained against Mr Rao over the issue. Talking to reporters, Mr Digvijay Singh said during inspection of Bhagalpur town and Nath Nagar areas Mr Rao had reportedly said the area was a “Pakistani mohalla.” “This statement was received with anger and anguish among Muslims and they decided to boycott the election until Mr Rao apologises and take back his words,” he said. He also urged the EC to order repolling in three booths in the Bhagalpur Assembly segment where the voters had boycotted the poll. On the other hand the LJP praised the commission for being totally fair and ensuring for the first time that, ‘’free and fair elections are being held in the state in which to poor are coming forward to vote.’’ Talking to reporters here, Mr Paswan charged the RJD with fielding criminals as its candidates, due to which it is ‘’making accusations against the commission. The commission has done excellent work this time and kept away criminals and money-power from booth capturing.’’ On the commission notice, he said, we got the notice and replied to it. But this does not mean that people should start charging the commission for being biased.’’ He said his party, which has fielded 58 Muslims during the four-phase Bihar Assembly poll, would stick to its Muslim Chief Minister plank and would not compromise on the issue. Meanwhile, elections to the two Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats, which became vacant earlier this year are to be held on December 2 and not November 28 as announced last week.
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Women sidelined in Bihar politics
Patna, November 2 This is evident from the candidate list of different parties for the February poll, and also from the list of the first two phases of the ongoing poll. Compared to national parties, the regional parties, like the RJD, JD(U) and the LJP are more fair. Out of about 4,000 candidates who had contested the last February poll, the number of women candidates was just 164, which was less than 5 per cent. This shows the negative attitude of the parties in giving ticket to women. Even though all parties talk about women empowerment, they are defaulters if one sees their track record. In February, the BJP gave ticket to eight candidates out of 105 seats it contested, and the Congress just one out of the 80 seats it fought. Sources in the Election Commission said the regional parties like the JD(U), RJD and LJP were more compassionate towards women. They had fielded 6, 9 and 15 from respectively. The CPM had fielded one out of the eight seats it contested and the CPI(ML) six. Moreover, out of the 164 seats contested by women, 72 had tried their luck independently. Even in the first two phases of the ongoing poll, out of about 954 candidates, about 60 were women. The sidelining of women could be attributed to the feudal mindset of Bihar. They are also considered misfit for politics. Ms Kiran Ghai said representation of women in state politics could have increased if the panchayat poll was held regularly. She said women were better represented in the BJP. |
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Bengal CM, 2 MPs skip party meeting
Kolkata, November 2 Both Chief Minister and the two MPs left the party office only a few minutes before the beginning of the meeting, which Mr Biswas had called for discussing how fast and better the MPs’ funds could be spent for development works on the eve of the Assembly elections. Accordingly, all party MPs and the Chief Minister were present at the party office well in time. But as soon as the meeting began, the Chief Minister and the two MPs were seen hurriedly leaving the place, which surprised Mr Basu and other leaders. The official reason given for this was that the Chief Minister and the two MPs had prior engagements which made them leave the party meeting. But according to party sources, Mr Bhattacharjee and the two MPs left the meeting following differences with the party secretary on calling of the meeting. After the meeting Mr Biswas said the MPs had been asked to immediately finalise various development programme in their respective constituencies to spend the MPs funds before the elections.
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Kutty dies at 71
New Delhi, November 2 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several other political leaders condoled his death. His mortal remains were consigned to the flames this afternoon. Madhavankutty, who survived an aircrash in 1974 in which Union Minister Mohan Kumaramangalm and many others were killed, breathed his last at the Escorts Heart and Research Institute following a massive heart attack. The cremation took place after the body was kept at the Kerala House for nearly three hours for public homage. External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were among those who placed wreaths on the body. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee expressed his condolences from London. A doyen of journalism, he began his career with the popular Malayalam daily “Mathrubhumi” in 1952 after he left his village in Palakkad in Kerala and rose to become its Chief of Bureau in Delhi. He retired as the Editor of the newspaper.
— UNI |
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Flood warning in TN districts
Chennai, November 2 The state has already been facing problems due to the absence of heavy rains for the past three years, leading to a water crisis. However, it is good news for people here who spend at least Rs 1,500 a month to buy water. Chennai’s water supply board, Metrowater, stopped water supply in December 2003, and the city had to depend on borewells. When this was not enough, residents purchased water from private suppliers. For those who could not afford borewells, the government supplied water through tankers. For those buying water, the bills used to be higher than telephone and electricity charges. The situation improved when Ms Jayalalithaa’s scheme the New Veeranam Project involving the supply of water from a lake far away from the city was implemented in October 2004. It began to deliver 180 million litres per day, enabling the authorities to introduce piped water supply on alternate days. She also made rainwater harvesting mandatory in all households and Water management in the state has always had problems. During the recent floods, an This happened because once Mettur overflows and the channels carry the water through all delta districts, the surplus inundates surrounding villages. Similarly, Chennai roads are waterlogged, but only a small portion of water gets into the reservoirs.
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Natwar to make statement on Volcker report
New Delhi, November 2 Sources said Mr Natwar Singh, who has already issued a statement trashing the UN’s Independent Inquiry Committee’s report, has decided not to speak through the media on the subject. One of the points mentioned in the Congress rebuttal is that the Volcker Committee never issued any notice to the Congress or Mr Natwar Singh — like it did in case of other entities worldwide — and thus did not provide any opportunity of defence or clarification. |
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Digvijay’s advice to Uma
New Delhi, November 2 He has suggested that she should not be impatient to get back into power and instead offered free consultancy to her if she is really keen on dislodging her successor and present Chief Minister Babulal Gaur. He has left it to her to take up the offer. Replying to Ms Bharati’s letter in which she objected to Mr Digivijay Singh’s public remarks about her, the former CM has taken the liberty of counselling her on the plea that she regards him as an elder brother. Besides, he said, he also has the experience of having been in power for 10 years. Writing in his inimitable style and reflecting the “love-hate relationship” between the two political arch rivals, Mr. Singh advised Uma Bharati that she should stop parading her loyalist legislators in her efforts to reclaim the CM’s gaddi as the BJP leadership will never accede to her demand because no political party acts under pressure. Mr Digvijay Singh has, therefore, suggested that she lie low for sometime and instead highlight the present dispensation’s unkept promises and force the leadership to meet these commitments. Her present behaviour, he said, had only ended up alienating her from the Sangh Parivar and the BJP. Adding fuel to fire, the Congress leader has commiserated with his political rival for the manner in which the Sangh Parivar and the BJP drafted her for her oratorial skills and invariably discarded her on completion of the task on hand. Continuing in the same vein, he said there was no reason for not reinstating her as the Chief Minister after she was cleared by the courts and reminded her about how her own party colleagues conspired against her. In this, Mr Digvijay Singh also blamed Uma Bharati. You must, he said, decide whether you want to be a sanyasin or a politician. A sanyasin, he said, can be a social worker but displaying a hunger for power is bound to dent your image.
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Call for more weightage to physical education
New Delhi, November 2 Secretary in the Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs Meenaxi Anand Chaudhry, who will soon take over as Chief Secretary, Haryana, said the suggestions on giving more weightage to physical education had been made by the Sports Ministry to the Human Resource Development Ministry. Ms Chaudhry said sports should be seen as a career to sustain attraction of youth. She said the Ministry had drawn performance-based schemes to give boost to sports in the country and was encouraging corporates to come forward with funding. “Much larger exposure is being given to top sportspersons,” she said. Ms Chaudhry, who served as Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs for about one-and-a-half years, said the accounting system in SAI had been improved and audits completed. She said organisational structures were in place for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi in 2010. About the steps taken to create awareness among youth on social issues, Ms Chaudhry said draft of National Plan for Action for Youth had been finalised as a follow up of the National Youth Policy. She said the ministry was reaching out to the student community through the NSS and to “non-student youth” through Nehru Yuvak Kendra. Descrbing her work in the ministry as “very satisfying,” Ms Chaudhry said the NGOs had also been involved in career counselling apart from creating awareness about AIDS. Ms Chaudhry, who will be the first woman Chief Secretary of Haryana, did not take questions on her new assisgnment, saying that she will answer queries after she has taken over.
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Flying skills of IAF pilots to be on test
New Delhi, November 2 Although the IAF pilots have proved themselves earlier against the F-16s, billed as the world’s most advanced flying killer machines, these exercises will go a long way in preparing Indian pilots in operating AWACS. It will be the first time that Indian aviators will be matching the Americans in an AWACS environment. India is to induct its own AWACS system by 2007. The US air force will for the first time be fielding a complete squadron of the Falcons to practice missions on dissimilar air combat manoeuvering (ACM) and large force management in the beyond visual range regime, according to US officials here. IAF spokesperson said the 12-day exercises would entail day and night flying. While, the US air force would fly in their F-16s from bases in Japan, the IAF would like to match most of its front line fighters against the Falcons by fielding SU-30MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-27 and the upgraded MiG-21 Bisons. This will be the second series of Indo-US exercises involving fighter aircraft over the Indian skies. |
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60,000 teachers to be recruited in MP
Bhopal, November 2 He told mediapersons that as part of the state’s employment generation programme, 60,000 teachers, 1,000 thanedars and 2,000 police constables would be recruited during the year. Adult members of the families living in the 15 districts covered by the Madhya Pradesh Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme would be provided employment for at least 100 days in a year. Works valued at around Rs 1,500 crore would be undertaken under the scheme during 2006-2007. He said 25,000 buildings of Anganwadi Centres would be constructed under various schemes during the next 18 months. Buildings would be provided for all primary schools by March 2007 During the golden jubilee year, 170 hospitals in the state would be equipped for providing 24-hour obstetrical and neo-natal services. In rural areas, 500 hospitals had been identified for providing emergency obstetrical and neo-natal services. As many as 200 of these would be made operational during the year and the remaining during 2007. The diet/food amount per patient would be increased from the present Rs 8 to Rs 20. The year-long celebrations would start with the honouring of former Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, Mr Gaur said. |
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Indian biscuits for Iraq
New Delhi, November 2 External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh will formally hand over the biscuits to the Charge d’ Affaires of the Iraqi Embassy here on November 8 in the presence of the WFP Representative in New Delhi, the Foreign Office announced today. India has contributed around 15,000 metric tonnes of wheat worth approximately Rs 15 crore for manufacturing the fortified biscuits. The World Food Programme has made arrangements for the manufacture, transport and distribution of the biscuits to Iraqi schoolchildren.
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India to remain in touch with Africa
New Delhi, November 2 The Ministry of External Affairs said it was for the African Union countries to decide on their further steps on these issues. It assured these countries of India’s positive and supportive approach in that process.
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Portraying Vajpayee since
he was 10
Panta, November 2 For 20-year-old Satish Agarwal of Ranikhet in Uttaranchal, Mr Vajpayee is more than god to him. “I am a devoted disciple of Mr Vajpayee and he is like a god to me”, Agarwal said. For the BJP candidates in Gaya, Araria, Madhepura, Kishanganj, he represents Mr Vajpayee. Even former Union Minister Shahnawaz Husain apperciates his oratory skill. Agarwal’s actions, style of speech, body movements and other gestures symbolise Mr Vajpayee. “He is drawing good crowd in his door-to-door campaign” said Mr Sanjay Mayukh, media coordinator for the state unit of BJP. Presently Agarwal has been campaigning in Kishanganj. He has been portraying Mr Vajpayee ever since he was 10 years old. He was being used by the BJP earlier also to fill the vacuum following Mr Vajpayee’s non- availability due to his busy preoccupations in elections in Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and other places. Going by his certification as “mini Atal”,the former Prime Minister perhaps can bank on him to boost up the morale of the party workers on his behalf. |
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Priya to resume campaign after Id
Mumbai, November 2 Dutt, who was discharged from hospital yesterday, is expected to take rest and look after the baby for a while, before she joins hectic campaigneering for the bypoll, necessitated after the demise of her father and MP Sunil Dutt on May 25. The bypoll will be held on November 19, with Dutt taking on Shiv Sena candidate and former MP Madhukar Sarpotdar. — PTI
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1 chargesheeted for threatening Sunjay Kapoor
New Delhi, November 2 Raj Kumar Vazirani has been accused of committing offences under Section 386 (committing extortion by putting any person in fear of death) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC in the chargesheet filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Reena Singh Nag. In a bid to make the case water-tight, the police had brought from Mumbai cyber cafe owner Sarvesh Kumar, along with the accused after his arrest on August 30 and made him depose before the Magistrate on September 1. Kumar told the court that the accused had used a computer in his internet cafe in the Mulund area in suburban Mumbai on August 25 during the time when the e-mail was sent. In the mail, which he allegedly sent under the name Sameer Kulkarni, Vazirani had said he was writing on behalf of underworld don Ravi Pujari, associated with Chotta Rajan till recently, and threatened to kill Kapur if he did not pay Rs 50 crore within a fortnight.
— PTI |
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Toy train to run for tourists again
Siliguri, November 2 Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) assistant chief commercial manager and in-charge of the DHR Taraknath Bhattacharya today said the special trip for tourists would soon begin from this month, on every Saturday and Sunday. He, however, could not give specific date for the resumption. nor say why the tourist specials that began on October 2 were suspended suddenly. The tourist specials of the DHR from Siliguri junction to Gayabari, about 32 km above Tin Dharia, and back was highly successful and brought large revenue to the Railways. The fare has been fixed at Rs 125 per person. This time a second-class chartered trip would also be available, said Mr Bhattacharya. But the catering service would be withdrawn, he added. — UNI
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Examine torture cases in Nepal,
UN panel urged
New Delhi, November 2 The ACHR has suggested a visit by the UN committee in its shadow report ‘Torture in Nepal: A Case for Investigation by Committee Against Torture.’ According to the ACHR, the UN committee will examine the report of the Nepal Government during its 35th session beginning in Geneva on November 7. In a statement issued here on Wednesday, ACHR Director Suhas Chakma has said Nepal is the only country in South Asia where torture is not defined as a criminal offence under any domestic law. “The systematic use of torture has further aggravated since the Royal takeover on February 1. It is a fit case for a visit by the committee under Article 20 of the Convention”, Mr Chakma has observed. The shadow report states that the 1996 Compensation Relating to Torture Act of Nepal has failed to combat torture, which is authorised by higher authorities. The report has pointed out that compensation has been paid only in one case since the Act came into force in 1996. |
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Delhi experiences cleaner Divali
New Delhi, November 2 Both Central Pollution Control Board and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) figures released by the Delhi government revealed that air and noise pollution this Divali was much less than what it was recorded previous years. Thirtyeight sites out of 40 places where the DPCC monitored the ambient air quality showed a decline in SO2 level, 38 showed decline in suspended particulate matter (SPM) level, 31 showed decline in NO2 level, 28 showed decline in respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) level and 25 showed decline in CO level, the Delhi Environment Minister said here today. Twentyfive out of 30 locations where sound levels were recorded also showed decline in noise pollution, he added. — UNI
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Somnath pays tribute to Amrita
New Delhi, November 2 In a condolence message sent from London, Mr Chatterjee expressed his heart-felt condolence at the death of the Punjabi writer. He said she had strengthened the secular fabric of the nation through her long literary saga. A Jnanpith awardee, Pritam was a prolific writer, both in Hindi and Punjabi, and had nearly 100 books to her credit that won her international acclaim. —UNI
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Delhi blasts: Kasuri expresses condolences
New Delhi, November 2 Mr Natwar Singh has also received calls expressing condolences from the Foreign Ministers of many other countries, including UK, South Africa, Senegal and Canada. |
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CPM protest
Kolkata, November 2 The state party secretary, Mr Anil Biswas, said over a lakh party workers and supporters would encircle the air-base and stage a demonstration. Mr Biswas alleged that the UPA government was pursuing a foreign policy at the instance of the Bush administration, which the Left parties were not endorsing. |
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Power generation begins
New Delhi, November 2
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