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Cabinet approves amendment to CrPC CPM’s U-turn on nuclear issue resolution
Ministry pulled up for ignoring SC order
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Violence in Mau after murder of BJP leader’s son
Subgroups cite reasons for staggered quota implementation
Mumbai Police cracks down on hawala operators
Appeal of Pak mole in Indian Army dismissed
Minister for sops to freedom fighters
RS nod to Human Rights Amendment Bill Statutory minimum price for sugarcane fixed at Rs 80.25
PIL on farmers’ suicides moved in SC
NBA satyagraha from Aug 5
Ramadoss’ removal sought
Blasts: Raj Thackeray threatens lawyers
10 coal miners feared drowned
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Cabinet approves amendment to CrPC New Delhi, August 3 A meeting of the Cabinet, presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the Bill that aims at giving the right of appeal to the kin of victims of a crime and strengthening the liability of witnesses to depose correctly before the court. The Bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament during the current session, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told mediapersons after the meeting. He said the proposed amendment to the CrPC were based on three reports of the Law Commission to make the criminal procedure more effective, result-oriented and humane. “Since Parliament is in session, I can not elaborate further, but amendments will also provide an opportunity to the accused to take help of lawyer at the time of arrest, besides making a provision of informing his family,” he said. The proposed Bill was understood to have provisions to give right of appeal to the kin of a victim of a crime, which hitherto was only the prerogative of the state. It would reduce the possibility of harassment of people sought to be arrested by the police during the investigation in a case. As a deterrent against false deposition before the court, the Bill strengthened the provisions for prosecution of such witnesses for perjury. It made mandatory for the investigating officer to record the statement of witnesses before the magistrate while under the existing provisions the statements were recorded only by a police officer, the Finance Minister said. On allegations of Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and other Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha made against him regarding connivance with Vedenta Group, which has stakes in the company bidding for Balco, the minister said, “I have not received any notice from the Chairman of the House, and will submit my reply within a hour if got a notice in this regard.” On the credibility of allegations, he said laughingly, “These are the occupational hazards of a Finance Minister.” Allaying allegations of former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh regarding his pressure on Enforcement Directorate, Mr Chidambaram said, “The directorate is a statuary independent body and will complete the probe soon about the allegations made in the Volcker Committee report. It has already clarified that it is not working under any political pressure.”
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CPM’s U-turn on nuclear issue resolution New Delhi, August 3 This was decided at the meeting of the Rajya Sabha’s business advisory committee that met this evening to decide next week’s agenda for the Upper House. Earlier during the day, the House witnessed noisy scenes and two adjournments when the CPM, backed by the BJP, the Samajwadi Party and the Janata Dal (U), pressed for the adoption of a resolution. However, this issue was not on the Lok Sabha’s agenda for the next week. The CPM case was weakened substantially as the CPI dissociated itself from the move, saying it would not go with the BJP “in any way” on the Indo-US nuclear deal. In fact, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had told the Left parties that the UPA government would collapse the day they joined hands with the BJP. Putting up a brave face, CPM leader Brinda Karat, however, insisted that their demand for a resolution had not been abandoned. She said they would decide on future course of action after hearing the PM’s reply to the debate. The CPM is insisting that the PM gives them specific assurances on nine areas of concern that they have listed out in their letter to the government. The government and the CPM have been locked in a tussle on this issue as it has been insisting that Parliament should adopt a unanimous resolution conveying the “sense of the House” against the additional conditions incorporated in the US legislation on the nuclear pact. The Prime Minister and Mr Pranab Mukherjee, who have held a series of meetings with CPM leaders to sort out the issue, have offered to debate the issue in Parliament and respond to their queries but have put their foot down on their demand for a resolution. In fact, the PM had a lengthy meeting with CPM Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury this afternoon after he raised the issue in the Upper House. Although UPA ministers are not saying it openly, they are furious at the CPM for hobnobbing with the BJP. The government, it is learnt, has made it clear that the Prime Minister’s assurance to Parliament should be seen as the final word and any effort to bring a resolution will only diminish his image. “If they don’t trust the Prime Minister, they might as well move a no-confidence motion against him,” said an angry UPA minister. Besides, the CPM leaders have also been told that the US legislative process is yet to be completed.
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Ministry pulled up for ignoring SC order
New Delhi, August 3 The Bench comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr Justice C.K. Thakker and Mr Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan was more perturbed because the proposal to set up the committee was forwarded by the government itself in its affidavit filed in December. “We hear that NPA is going up and up despite the order passed eight months back. The meeting of the proposed committee did not take place. The Finance Ministry has not filed the affidavit… the entire purpose of a public interest litigation (PIL) in the matter seems to be defeated,” the Bench told Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati. The court directed the Finance Ministry to convene the meeting on August 10 to be attended by the Solicitor-General and submit an affidavit by the end of the month on the outcome. In an order of December 8, 2005, the court had recorded in its order a statement of the government that each bank had been asked to constitute committees of high ranking functionaries, headed by an executive director and two general managers and deputy general managers to determine whether the NPA accumulation was due to wilful act of the managers in charge of a branch or not. The government had further stated that another committee comprising high officials of the RBI would be set up to assess the findings of the committees in respective banks whether the amount exceeding Rs 1 crore given on loan by a branch manager was a wilful act or not. Despite such explicit commitment given by the government, the Finance Ministry had not just bothered to convene meetings of these committees even after eight months, the court said. As per the latest financial data available, various nationalised banks have written off NPA worth Rs 30,000 crore advanced as loans to nearly 8,000 companies that had become defunct and there was virtually no trace of them on records. According to the Finance Ministry’s own estimates, up to March 31, 2006, the NPA with nationalised banks was estimated to be nearly 3 per cent of their total assets. If the written off amount of Rs 30,000 crore was taken into account, it would be over 5 per cent. A PIL filed by a private organisation, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, had sought court’s direction to the government to take effective steps to recover the NPA of banks and financial institutions, estimated to be Rs 1 lakh crore and fix responsibilities for plundering of the public money.
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Violence in Mau after murder of BJP leader’s son
Lucknow, August 3 Describing the situation as tense but under control, Secretary, Home, R.M. Srivastava said today that an FIR had been lodged at Kotwali police station against two unknown persons who reportedly shot down 16-year-old Ankit Kumar Soni, a Class XI student of Talimuddin Inter College, near the Chanaha crossing. The police was present in heavy numbers on the streets of Mau with few people venturing out on the streets. While curfew has not been officially imposed a curfew-like situation prevailed in most parts of the city. As news of the death of Ankit, the son of local BJP leader Triveni Prasad, an aspirant for the chairman’s post in the coming local bodies election, spread like wildfire yesterday students and BJP supporters came out in a procession raising slogans against the killers and the district administration. The protest turned violent with the mob torching a jeep in the Kotwali compound in full view of the police and setting ablaze a liquor and furniture shop and damaging vehicles on the way as they took over the streets of the city. The police, taking time to react resorted to lathi charge injuring 24 persons Additional force was rushed in from adjoining district to control the situation. The Inspector General of Police Varanasi Zone, A.C. Sharma, DIG and Divisional Commissioner rushed to the spot. Later, students and BJP activists blocked the main Ghazipur-Mau-Azamgarh, Ballia-Varansai highway. State BJP president Keshri Nath Tripathi has condemned the murder of Ankit and accused the local police of inefficiency in controlling the violence that followed and bringing the culprits to book. “Despite the city being sensitive to violence, there was not enough police force to take control of the situation”, he charged. In October, 2005, the city had witnessed large-scale communal violence during the Bharat Milap festival. At least 12 persons were killed and property and powerlooms worth several crores completely gutted.
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Subgroups cite reasons for staggered quota implementation
New Delhi, August 3 The reasons cited for a staggered implementation range from inability to meet the infrastructural demands to difficulty in filling up vacant teaching posts. In the interim report submitted to the Oversight Committee, the subgroup on Agriculture Education Institutions has said, “Implementation of 27 per cent OBC reservation in one go is possible only if the additional requirements of student hostels, classroom, laboratories, equipment and faculty is in place, before the start of the academic session.” Of all the institutes and colleges under this category only four can implement the required 27 per cent in the next academic session. The rest have proposed nine per cent quotas for OBCs in the first year and 18 per cent in the next year to reach the sum total of 27 per cent. All educational institutions will be required to increase the total intake by 54 per cent to be able to meet the requirement of providing 27 per cent quota for the OBCs without disturbing the existing number of seats for the general category students. The subgroup of medical institutions has put forth that the “manner and sequence in which the capacity expansion of 54 per cent will take place will be in a phased manner over a period of two years i.e 2007-08 and 2008-09, but it is likely to be carried forward to 2009-10.” Though some institutions have perceived “great opportunity in the present scenario for institutions to strategically reposition themselves in the new context and to reorganise and restructure themselves with new innovative programmes,” they have been quick to point out the flip side. The subgroup on engineering and technological institutions has pointed out that “an enabling provision may be put in place for those institutions that have special constraints, limitations or difficulties to enable them to undertake implementation in a phased manner over a not more than three years.” The management institutions citing their constraints like not being able to fill vacancies have also sought more time. “The group felt that this (implementation in one go) is an unrealistic goal since only less than a year is available to deal with the complex constraints,” it has submitted to the Oversight Committee. The group for Central Universities suggesting a phased implementation in its report has said, “It should be sequenced to start with the departments where the demand for seats is extremely high. The expansion can be extended to other departments in phases. In other words, the universities should be asked to prioritise the implementation process.”
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Mumbai Police cracks down on hawala operators
Mumbai, August 3 Faisal Shaikh, under investigation for organising LeT’s network in Maharashtra, is alleged to have obtained huge sums of money from his brother based in Saudi Arabia through this channel. The money was routed through Shaikh’s aunt Khaleda Khan, a school headmistress. She is now under detention. Efforts are on to extradite Faizal’s brother from Saudi Arabia, according to officials here. The hawala operator who delivered the money to Shaikh’s kin at Dongri is being interrogated, inform police sources. In a bid to unveil the terror networks, the police is cracking down on the major hawala operators based in Mumbai’s neighbourhoods of Pydhonie, Kalbadevi, Zaveri Bazar, Crawford market, Abdul Rahman Street, the red-light areas of Foras Road, Shuklaji Street etc. The hawala trade here has been in existence since colonial times with the operators having established operations across the world through the generations. The hawala operators here have established ties with political parties and prominent businesses and are known to pay off the local police. Investigators are using these links with the hawala traders to take them in for questioning. “Many of the smaller guys operating in Mumbai’s extended suburbs are only dealing with old clients since money supply is getting tighter,” a hawala operator in the North Mumbai suburb of Borivli said. Some of the big hawala operators, who deal in crores of rupees per day, are under pressure to break with tradition and reveal the names of their clients to the authorities. Funds transferred between India and the West Asian countries are under scrutiny. Nearly a hundred hawala traders from the Old Mumbai areas have been questioned, according to sources. Reports say the hawala operators here handle as much as Rs 40 crore every day. All of them operate via front business like scrap dealers and old newspaper sellers.
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Appeal of Pak mole in Indian Army dismissed
New Delhi, August 3 The accused, Romesh Kumar Sharma, a havildar clerk in Ladhak Scouts with 17 years of service, was caught by the Military Intelligence (MI) for spying for the enemy country in 1984, along with some other persons. After a detailed investigation by the Court of Inquiry, he was found guilty and dismissed from the service. His appeal against the dismissal, which was approved by the Chief of Army Staff, was rejected by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Sharma had filed an appeal against the high court order in the Supreme Court, which dismissed his plea holding that the Chief of Army Staff and any other competent officer under him were empowered to remove any personnel found guilty of such a grave offence. Moreover, the Chief of Army Staff took the decision after entire record was placed before him in this case, a Bench of Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia held. The apex court rejected Sharma’s contention that the inquiry relating to the espionage incident was not brought to the logical conclusion and left midway after his arrest. It said the dismissal could not be faulted on that ground. “In any event, the inquiry was not abandoned midway as claimed. The basic facts were revealed during the inquiry,” the court said. The court also rejected the contention of dismissed personnel that approval of the Union Government was necessary for dismissal, saying as per Rule 17 under the Army Act, 1950, the only requirement was that of an intimation to the government, which was done by the Army authorities.
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Minister for sops to freedom fighters
New Delhi, August 3 In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, Mr Ashwani Kumar suggested that the government should announce a package of meaningful financial rehabilitation for freedom fighters in recognition of their contribution. In keeping the Congress commitment to the welfare of freedom fighters, he proposed that the government provided them with the same facilities in terms of medicare and travel as was available to former MPs and MLAs. Other suggestions made by the minister who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab pertained to: (a) in the event of demise of a freedom fighter, the same pension should be made available to the surviving spouse or to any of the children of the freedom fighter in case they do not have any source of income equivalent to at least Rs 10,000 per month. In case some independent income is available to the next of kin of the freedom fighter concerned, the government should pay the balance to make up for the remaining part of Rs 10,000; (b) the quota for admission in educational institutions for the descendants of freedom fighters should be enhanced at various levels of education; and (c) state governments should be encouraged suitably to commemorate the sacrifices of freedom fighters in and around the place of their residence or in areas where they devoted their life during the independence struggle.
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RS nod to Human Rights Amendment Bill
New Delhi, August 3 Winding up discussions in the Rajya Sabha on the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2005, which was passed by a voice vote, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said he agreed with the members’ suggestion that appointment of a former Chief Justice to the post added to its prestige. He said when retired Chief Justices were not available, any other retired judge of the Supreme Court could be appointed NHRC Chairman. Members were divided on government’s move to change the selection criterion of the Chairman of NHRC and state human rights commission. The Bill was passed after incorporating some amendments suggested by BJP leader Arun Jaitley and CPM leader Brinda Karat. Mr Tarlochan Singh (Independent) said the case of 2000 persons having gone missing in Punjab had been with the NHRC for the past nine years and only 700 had been provided compensation.
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Statutory minimum price for sugarcane fixed
New Delhi, August 3 Finance Minister P. Chidamabaram told reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs that the rate had been fixed for a basic recovery point of 9 per cent subject to a premium of Rs 0.90 for recovery of 0.1 percentage point increase in the recovery above that level. The SMP in 2004-05 sugar season was Rs 74.50 with basic recovery percentage of 8.5 and the price in 2003-04 was Rs 73 with the basic recovery rate of the preceding season. The SMP in 2005-06 was Rs 79.50 which was Rs 5 increase over the previous year. The SMP of sugarcane was fixed on the basis of recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). The government also gave a go ahead to ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) to acquire a share in an oil asset in Colombia. The OVL would fund the acquisition from its own resources or from resources of its parent company, ONGC. The committee approved 1300 MW Gandhar-11 Gas Based Power Project (GBPP) to be executed by the Power Grid Corporation of India at a cost of Rs 653.21 crores, which would provide additional power to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other states. It also approved a Rs 2,317-crore investment by allowing Cayman Islands-based Software Development Systems and its subsidiary SDC Mauritius to acquire 100 per cent share capital of Kappa Investments Ltd.
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PIL on farmers’ suicides moved in SC
New Delhi, August 3 A public interest litigation (PIL) said the gravity of the situation and the high number of countrywide suicides by farmers burdened with debts had been conceded by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi but no effective steps had been taken to stop the deaths of farmers in distress. “It is reported in various media reports that more than 10,000 farmers have committed suicides in various parts of the country during the past five years,” the PIL by advocate Sanjeev Bhatnagar said. The petitioner has sought a direction to the government to modify its agriculture policy with more focus on the interests of farmers and immediately stop tragic incidents of suicide, which is a shame on the nation. The PIL said the government should be asked to set up a committee of experts to go into the root causes that led to such a situation and lapses on the part of government agencies in the execution of the existing agriculture policy and welfare schemes for the farmers. “The price-fixation policy of the government is discriminatory towards the farmers who do not get right price for their produce, while the cultivation cost is not correctly assessed with regard to labour involved until the crop matures,” the petition said, adding that disparity between poor and rich farmers was widening due to faulty price-fixation policy, which was more tilted towards the traders and businessmen. It said the government had failed to protect the lives of farmers and improve their lot as its agriculture policy had virtually collapsed.
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NBA satyagraha from Aug 5
New Delhi, August 3 Ms Patkar said Adivasis, farmers, workers and activists in the Narmada valley would wait and confront submergence in three places. The satyagraha would start in Rajghat on August 5 followed by Bhitada in Madhya Pradesh on August 6 and at Chimalkhedi in Maharasthra on August 7. “We are awaiting what the Central Government or the Supreme Court can do. Beyond all that, we are determined not to leave our land, villages and the beautiful, bountiful Narmada valley,” Ms Patkar said, adding that the people had decided to protect democracy, the Constitution and people’s rights and their sovereignty. Inviting people to come to the Narmada valley, she said, “You will see the valley, its beauty and the horrible nature of the impending submergence and people’s determination...”
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Ramadoss’ removal sought
New Delhi, August 3 Taking note of a fresh petition filed in the High Court on behalf of the governing body of AIIMS, regarding institute’s Director P. Venugopal, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V.K. Malhotra said the members of the governing body had not been consulted at all. “I am also a member of this body. It is strange that a fresh petition for vacating the stay for removal of Mr Venugopal has been filed on behalf of the body. It is nothing but cheating and hence objectionable,” he stressed. Prof Malhotra said the Health Minister had made AIIMS’ affairs too personalised and was adopting very unconstitutional methods to remove Mr Venugopal and take away the autonomy of the institute.
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Blasts: Raj Thackeray threatens lawyers
Mumbai, August 3 Over the past few days Thackeray has warned in public fora that his supporters would not allow lawyers who represent those arrested in
the blasts cases to live in Mumbai. “Would the lawyers have represented the accused if any of their relatives had died in the blasts,” Thackeray asked at a party function on Tuesday night. Now a section of lawyers in the city have come together to take on Thackeray. The lawyers have sought the state advocate general’s permission to file a case against Thackeray for contempt of court.
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10 coal miners feared drowned
Patna, August 3 Sources in the district administration in Dhanbad could only confirm that about 10 persons in the nearby villages
located on the Jharkhand-West Bengal border had been reported missing since yesterday
after they went to the condemned mines to lift coal. The administration said no FIR was lodged till the filing of this report as there was a dispute between the Jharkhand and West Bengal
governments over the jurisdiction of the place of the occurrence of the tragedy. Unconfirmed reports put the death toll over 30.
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