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SC dismisses PIL by VIP sex racket victim
Lanka Foreign Minister briefs PM
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PM, Sonia making effort to refurbish image Delay in labour laws’ amendments worries PM Lalu aims at complete image makeover
Centre’s steps insufficient to check rising prices: BJP
JD (U)-Apna Dal tie-up in offing
Bench stays single judge order on poll
Cabinet unveils programme
for minorities
Pvt medical colleges can hold separate entrance test: SC
Paswan to launch anti-NDA agitation in Bihar
NHRC asks HP to report on substandard drugs’ sale
Best Bakery convicts appeal to Bombay HC
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SC dismisses PIL by VIP sex racket victim
New Delhi, June 22 The victim, a 21-year-old woman from Pithoragarh in Uttranchal, who had been deserted by her husband who is in the Army, after filing the petition giving graphic details of how she had been sexually exploited since December 2005, today moved an application seeking withdrawal of the PIL. “In view of the changed circumstances, the petitioner does not wish to pursue her writ. Hence, the same is required to be withdrawn…” the application said without divulging details about the “changed circumstances.” The victim, who had approached the NCW on December 12, 2005 after being deserted by her husband, had named NCW member Ms Yasmin Abrar, Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Shahid Akhlaq, an MP from Meerut, as the persons who allegedly had repeatedly exploited her sexually. Claiming that she was brought from “Snehalaya (a protected home for destitute woman)” where she was sent by the NCW, to the house of Ms Abrar, who forced her to entertain these politicians and several other MPs at different places. After a brief hearing, a Bench of Mr Justice A.R Lakshmanan and Mr Justice Altamas Kabir, in its order recorded that since the counsel for the petitioner stated that the investigation in the matter has been transferred to some other agencies and the victim did not want to “pursue” the case, the petition should be treated as “dismissed and withdrawn”. The victim had named Union Government, Chairperson of NCW, Ms Abrar, Ahmed Patel and Shaid Akhlaq as respondents in her PIL. The victim said “Ms Yasmin Abrar, member NCW, forced the petitioner to be exploited sexually by various MPs and other politicians and influential persons. Petitioner was sexually exploited/assaulted by Ahmed Patel, MP, at the house of Ms Abrar repeatedly (and) was also sent to Sainik Farms, South Delhi, owned by Abrar to be exploited by Shaid Akhlaq, MP from Meerut.” She also alleged that she was taken by Ms Abrar to Jaipur where she was again “sexually exploited by another person named Ashok at Malviya Nagar.” “Along with petitioner one more minor girl, aged about 14 years was also brought by Ms Abrar from Snehalaya. She was also exhibited by her before several MPs and influential persons, however, fortunately since she was a minor, all persons before whom she was exhibited refused to have sexual relations with her,” the petition said. “The petition is being filed by the petitioner to highlight the sex racket being run by a member of a statutory body like the NCW to satisfy sex-starved politicians,” the victim said adding “young, orphaned and helpless girls and women, lodged in protected homes like ‘Snehalaya’ situated at Karkardooma, East Delhi, and being run by an NGO, are being physically, mentally and sexually exploited by the member of the NCW and these young girls are presented to Cabinet Ministers, MPs and other persons of high profile.” In her affidavit, the victim had stated, “I am the petitioner in the above stated case, hence I am fully conversant with the facts and circumstances of it.”
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Lanka Foreign Minister briefs PM
New Delhi, June 22 The Prime Minister raised the issue of the influx of increasing number of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka to India. Mr Samaraweera told Dr Manmohan Singh that the Sri Lankan Government remained committed to the ceasefire agreement despite grave provocations and violations by the LTTE. The Sri Lankan High Commission here said Mr Samarweera told the Indian Prime Minister that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had reaffirmed his government’s commitment to a negotiated political solution based on democracy and human rights. At the same time, Colombo will continue to take all measures necessary to protect the security of the people and the country. The tenuous peace process has received several setbacks due to several developments in the past couple of weeks. These developments included the intensified violence from the LTTE and the refusal of the LTTE to participate in discussions at a meeting in Oslo (Norway). The meeting was convened in the beginning of this month by the Norwegian facilitator. Mr Samaraweera also discussed with Dr Manmohan Singh the current progress in the All-Party Conference, including the appointment of a multi-ethnic committee of experts to develop legal provisions for the realisation of President Rajapaksa’s vision of a negotiated political solution based on maximum devolution of power in an undivided Sri Lanka. He also briefed the Indian leadership on the ongoing development work in the North and East to which a substantial amount of government and donor funds have been committed. Mr Samaraweera stopped here on his way back from London. The Indian authorities appreciated the visit of Mr Samaraweera which enabled consultations involving the highest levels of leadership of the two countries.
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PM, Sonia making effort to refurbish image New Delhi, June 22 Both leaders will undertake trips in the coming days to “reconnect with the rural masses” to dispel the widespread impression that the UPA government and the Congress have forgotten their electoral pledge to work for the uplift of poor farmers and underpriveleged sections. Dr Manmohan Singh will travel to the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra, which has recorded one of the highest number of suicides by farmers, from June 30 to July 2 to get a first-hand account of the agrarian crisis in this belt. Ms Gandhi will visit Rajasthan on June 26 and 27, where she will take stock of the functioning of the drought relief programme being implemented by the state government. Ms Gandhi will also use the opportunity to address a convention of party workers in Jaipur, after which she will visit Jaisalmer for an assessment of the drought relief programme in that region. She will also get a feedback on the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which is one of UPA government’s flagship programmes. While putting the state government in the dock, Ms Gandhi’s visit is also aimed at galvanising party cadres into playing a more proactive role in monitoring the implementation of these programmes. While Ms Gandhi has chosen an opposition-ruled state for her “back to grassroots” foray, the Prime Minister has opted for the Congress-ruled Maharashtra to study the crisis in agriculture there. During his three-day stay, Dr Manmohan Singh will interact with farmers to understand their problems and oversee the implementation of the UPA government’s social programmes like the Bharat Nirman, the Rural Health Mission and the rural employment guarantee scheme. He will follow this up with visits to Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh as she seeks to reassure the rural masses about his personal commitment to the “pro-poor” agenda of the Congress. While the Prime Minister and the Congress President are making an attempt to fend off criticism that they have let down the “aam aadmi”, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is being activated to convey the UPA government’s achievements to the people at the grassroots level. The Press Information Bureau has chalked out a publicity programme in mofussil towns and districts, which will highlight the government’s social agenda and pro-poor programmes.
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Delay in labour laws’ amendments worries PM New Delhi, June 22 The direction came after Dr Manmohan Singh reviewed the progress by various ministries in the past two years while addressing the issue of women empowerment, both social and legislative, Media Adviser to the Prime Minister Sanjaya Baru told newspersons here today. There is a long list of labour laws, amendments to which have been sought by the National Commission for Women (NCW), including the Equal Remuneration Act, the Maternity Benefit Act, the Factories Act, the Interstate Migrants Act, the Child Labour Act and the Bonded Labour Abolition Act, he said. Observing that enhancement in women’s status in society and protecting her rights were among the priority areas under the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the UPA government, Dr Baru said various legislations pertaining to both areas had been taken up from time-to-time. Giving the details of various legislations, which were either enacted or were in the process of being introduced, he said while the Domestic Violence Act was legislated in September 2005, amendments to the Sati (Prevention) Act had been referred to the Cabinet by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD). Dr Baru said the WCD Ministry was in consultation with the Law Ministry about various amendments to the Indecent Representation of Women Act, adding that this would include the portrayal of women in advertisements, films and TV programmes. While the Cabinet had approved amendments to the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act as suggested by the ministry, a draft had also been prepared on sexual harassment of women at workplace, which would be taken up in Parliament, he said. On the legislations prepared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, he said amendments had been notified to the MTP Act, 1971, and the Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques Act. A Bill had been forwarded by the NCW seeking the compulsory registration of marriages, he said.
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Lalu aims at complete image makeover Patna, June 22 The special CBI court on Monday had lifted the ban on him to even before the hearing on the multi-crore fodder scam allegedly involving him was complete. Sources close to Mr Prasad disclosed that given a choice ,the RJD supremo now did not approve his so -called populist humorous image which had recently prompted a fodder making company to brand its product as “Lalu pashu ahar”, or for that matter the famous “Lalu dolls” which had hit the markets before the October-November assembly polls. It was learnt that after leading the transformation of the biggest public sector unit, Indian
Railwys, as a growth-oriented organisation, lined to profit and accountability, from the front in past two years in his capacity as Railways Minister, Mr Prasad now
desperately wants to reposition himself on a “positive note” after his serious drubbing in October-November assembly polls. Sources claimed that the “growth and development” oriented image of his bete
noire, Chief Minster Nitish Kumar, apparently prompted Mr. Prasad to relook at the mistakes committed by him in the past by sticking too much to cheap publicity measures like “Lalu dolls” or “Lalu pashu ahar” which in reality had positioned his brand as a “non-serious politician”. Sources said: “Gone are the days when Mr Prasad would subscribe to the applause-Jab tak samosa mein rahega
alu, tab tak Bihar mein rahega Lalu”. In private conversation, Mr Lalu Prasad nowadays acknowledges at the way Prime Minister Manmohan Singh guided him to grow on a “positive track” ,instead of attaching much importance to gimmicks and populism. Sources in the Railways said that during his fortnight-long proposed trip to Britain, France, Italy and Germany, Mr Lalu Prasad was scheduled to participate in the meeting of Union of International Railways in Paris and was likely to sign an agreement in Rome with the Italian National Railways. Mr Prasad, leading a high-level team of Indian Railways, reportedly also planned to take a close look at the railway set-up in these countries and how the facilities available
there, both in the form of infrastructure and technical expertise, could help modernisation of Indian Railways. Last month, Mr Lalu Prasad had decided to send nearly 100 top railway officials abroad for training to sharpen their managerial skills. Sources close to the minister further stated that 25 general managers of different railway zones and 60 divisional railway managers would go for training abroad soon. The Indian Railways operates over 15,000 trains daily, including some 9,000 passenger trains. Around 14 million people use its 63,000-km network daily.
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Centre’s steps insufficient to check rising prices: BJP
New Delhi, June 22 In a statement issued here, the BJP also wanted the government to control the National Commodities and Derivatives Index (NCDX) speculations, increase the PDS quantity and reduce the prices through “effective intervention” to defuse the crisis following unhindered steep price rise in almost all commodities. “The Cabinet’s decisions to stop export of pulses and allow private parties to import wheat and sugar were insufficient to meet the situation without the complete rollback of fuel price hike and an effective control on the NCDX,” the BJP said. The party said the price rise was not the result of any natural calamity but was a manufactured crisis by the UPA. The government failed on both counts by not taking timely decisions and pursuing anti-people policies. It said while the Congress and high prices were synonymous as whenever it was in power prices had gone northward, its allies at the Centre, Left parties, were shedding just “crocodile tears” on the matter. Charging that there was no coordination between the Food Ministry and the Finance Ministry to contain the prices on essential commodities, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said Mr Sharad Pawar was a “cricket mantri” and not an Agriculture Minister. On the wheat front, Mr Javadekar said the government was fully aware that the TPDS requirement of wheat was 160 lakh MT every year, but it procured from farmers only 95 lakh MT, a shortfall of 75 lakh MT. He alleged that the government had offered ‘low price’ to the farmers and allowed multi-national companies to purchase from the market. This, he claimed, had resulted in hoarding of the commodity resulting in rise in prices by almost 70 per cent. He said the government announced a bonus of Rs 50 to the farmers only after the procurement season was over and did not act against the hoarders. It chose to reduce the food grain quantity under the PDS.
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JD (U)-Apna Dal tie-up in offing
Patna, June 22 Mr Kumar is going to attend JD (U)-Apna Dal joint meetings in three districts of eastern UP, namely Varanasi, Mirzapur and Jaunpur, on June 25. Skipping direct reply on the possibility of JD (U)-BJP electoral adjustment in the UP Assembly elections, Mr Kumar says he is optimistic that the proposed JD (U)-Apna Dal combination can emerge as a strong force after the UP elections, which has nothing to do with the idea of a third front mooted by the former Prime Minister V.P. Singh, who recently organised a rally in Lucknow under the banner of the Janmorcha. The move to explore the tie-up by Mr Kumar is, however, not a development in isolation. Soon after assuming the charge of the party chief, Mr Sharad Yadav too spelt out his plans to expand in states like Jharkhand, UP, and Karnataka. Incidentally, in all these states the BJP is a force to reckon with and the JD (U)'s plan to expand its base in these states through means, excluding the BJP, clearly reflects its intention not only to exert tactical pressure on the BJP for better deals within the NDA but also to keep other possible options open outside the NDA. Geo-politically, eastern part of UP, having 159 seats of a total 403, has many similarities with Bihar, which further justifies the party’s move. Besides, both parties are known to be close to the same caste composition i.e. Kurmis and other backwards, which is an important factor to ponder in the complex caste-based socio-political fabric of UP and Bihar. In fact, after the Apna Dal was formed on November 4, 1995, the BJP managed to secure the covert support of the party, which helped the saffron brigade in as many 25 seats in the 1996 Lok Sabha elections. But over the years the Apna Dal had distanced itself from the BJP and the party fought on its own in the 2002 Assembly elections by fielding candidates in 308 seats. Interestingly, before the party was formed by Mr Sonelal Patel, he had close ties with BSP chief Mayawati between 1991 and 1995. Going by the 2002 Assembly election outcome in UP, besides damaging the BJP and the BSP, the Apna Dal also ate into the Muslim vote bank of the Samajwadi Party. Against this backdrop, the impact of the move by Mr Kumar to tie-up with the Apna Dal might prove to be crucial keeping in view of the present fluid political situation in UP.
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Bench stays single judge order on poll
Hyderabad, June 22 The single judge had on Tuesday last quashed the notification saying it was illegal, arbitrary and discriminatory as the state Election Commission failed to stop manipulations in the electoral rolls. Allowing the operation of the single judge order would create constitutional vacuum and also constitutional crisis, the division Bench consisting of Chief Justice Ganpat Singh Singhvi and G.V. Sitapati said in its interim order. The stay has come as a great relief to the state Election Commission and the Congress government as the administration was forced to be on a pause mode after the stage was set for the two-phase poll, slated to be held on June 28 and July 2. Quoting the Supreme Court observations in a series of cases, the Bench said the election process was sacrosanct and could not be meddled with at the instance of a splinter group. Under the Panchayati Raj Act local bodies cannot remain in office for more than a day beyond their elected term. Besides, the state government had spent Rs 45 crore towards making arrangements for the polling, the Bench noted. Referring to the complaint about irregularities in voters' lists, the Bench said the genuineness or otherwise of these objections could be considered even after the completion of election. The Bench, however, said these observations were tentative and made without looking into the order of the single judge. Hence, the validity of the election would be subject to further adjudication on appeals.
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Cabinet unveils programme
for minorities
New Delhi, June 22 The recast programme focuses on enhancing opportunities for education, providing greater resources for teaching Urdu and modernising Madarsa education and providing scholarships to meritorious students from minority communities. Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told mediapersons here after the meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the revised programme is also aimed at preventing communal riots, speedy prosecution of communal offences and rehabilitation of riot victims. In increasing opportunities for education, the programme will ensure equitable availability of ICDS services, improving access to school education and improving educational infrastructure through the Maulana Azad Education Foundation. On equitable share in economic activities and employment, stress will be laid on self and wage employment for the poor, upgrading skills through technical education, enlarging credit support and ensuring recruitment to state and central services. The programme also draws attention to improving the living conditions of minorities through equitable share in rural housing scheme and improving the condition of slums where they live. Mr Chidambaram observed that the programme has been recast to focus action on issues intimately linked with the social, educational and economic uplift of minorities. It provides for earmarking outlays in certain schemes so that the progress is
monitorable.
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Pvt medical colleges can hold separate entrance
New Delhi, June 22 A Bench of Mr Justice A. R Lakshmanan and Mr Justice Altamas Kabir gave the clarification while allowing the Federation of Private Medical and Dental Colleges in Rajasthan to hold common entrance test for admission to the private institutions not getting any aid from the state government. The apex court set aside the order of Rajasthan High Court, rejecting the petition of the federation for holding the independent entrance test than that held by the state government. The state government had contended that the private colleges would have to follow the common entrance test conducted by the Rajasthan University for all medical and dental institutions whether in government or private sector. Disagreeing with the government stand, the apex court said the order of the High Court was “contrary” to the Constitution Bench judgement and, therefore, could not be sustained. A seven-judge Constitution Bench in Inamdar case, while defining earlier judgement of a larger Constitution Bench in TMA Pai case on medical admission, last year had laid down that an association of unaided private medical colleges could hold entrance test under the supervision of monitoring committee set up in each state under a retired High Court judge.
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Paswan to launch anti-NDA agitation in Bihar
Patna, June 22 Talking to the media here, Mr Paswan, who is a member of the UPA, said even though there had been a decline in murder, rape, kidnapping and other criminal activities, the Nitish Kumar government was yet to establish full command of "law makers" to send a message to the potential investors whose participation in the state's development was crucial. Mr Paswan said his party would organise rallies from July 20, and hold demonstrations from August 9 across the state, as part of an agitation to apprise the people of the "failures" of the state government. Based on his interaction with private entrepreneurs, Mr Paswan claimed that they were still hesitant to make an investment in Bihar, while in Haryana and Punjab a number of big industrial houses, including the Ambanis, had committed to invest more than Rs 1 lakh crore. "The Nitish Kumar government should tackle the criminal elements in a more determined manner, as well as improve the infrastructure conducive to investments", he said. Mr Paswan, however, said he would continue his efforts to help the state government in mobilising funds for accelerating the pace of development.
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NHRC asks HP to report on substandard drugs’ sale
New Delhi, June 22 Quoting the findings of a voluntary survey, the report ‘Sale of substandard drugs rampant in Kangra’ had pointed out that most of the substandard drugs were being sold in Bhawarna, Dharamsala, Dehara Gopipur, Nagrota Bagwan, Nurpur, Palampur and Kangra on the prescription of medical officers posted in government hospitals. The report had quoted chemists as saying that profits to a company on substandard medicines ranges from 200 to 300 per cent and part of it goes to the doctors. According to the report, the companies manufacturing substandard drugs were located in Amritsar, Delhi and Mohali. The commission had said if the contents of the report were found to be true, they raised serious issues of the violation of right to health, a basic human right.
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Best Bakery convicts appeal to Bombay HC
Mumbai, June 22 The nine persons—Rajubhai Dhamirbhai Baria, Pankaj Virendragir Gosai, Bahadursinh, alias Jitu Chandrasinh Chauhan, Jagdish Chunilal Rajput, Dinesh Fulchand Rajbhar, Shanabhai Chimanbhai Baria, Suresh, alias Lalo Devjibhai Vasava, Shailesh Anupbhai Tadvi and Sanjay Thakker—were found guilty by the special court hearing the Best Bakery case in Mumbai. All were found guilty of burning 14 persons alive when the Best Bakery was set afire shortly after the Godhra train incident. Nine of those who were burnt were from the family of Zahira Sheikh.
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