New Delhi, September 16
In a major relief to farmhouse owners in the national Capital against the imposition of house tax by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Supreme Court, in an important judgement, has ruled the owner is to pay tax only for that portion of land covered for building a dwelling unit and not the entire farmland.

“We direct that only the extent of land on which the dwelling house has been constructed, together with the land appurtenant thereto in terms of the building bylaws, would be exigible to general tax under Section 115 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act,” a Bench of Mr Justice S. B. Sinha and Mr Justice Dalveer Bhandari said.

The decision came on the appeal of the MCD against the Delhi High Court judgement of 2004 holding that the dwelling unit in a farmhouse could not be equated on par with the dwelling unit in a residential area for assessment of house tax.

The MCD had imposed house tax on a local citizen, Mr Rishi Raj Jain, for his farmhouses under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act on the ground that once a dwelling house was built on agricultural land the entire area become exigible for levy of tax in the event it was found that the land was not being used for agriculture purposes.

But the high court gave him some relief and said that for appropriate and convenient enjoyment the dwelling unit in a farmhouse of a minimum size of 2.5 acre and above should be half an acre. Any area, either lower or higher, would not be in consonance with the concept of living in a farmhouse.

The high court had directed the MCD to adopt this norm for assessing general tax by any authority concerned as contemplated under Section 115 of the Act. It said that for the remaining land action could be taken under the Delhi Land Reforms Act and the Income Tax Act if the land was found to be used for non-agriculture or commercial purposes.

Aggrieved by the high court order, the MCD had appealed in the apex court, contending that if the land of a farmhouse was not used for agriculture purposes the entire land became exigible to levy of general tax.

But the Supreme Court did not agree with the high court ruling and held that only the “dwelling house was not within the purview of the exempted category”.

The court said buildings on an agricultural land might be constructed for different purposes like agriculture related activities but a dwelling unit had different connotation and was, therefore, liable to levy of general tax.

“What would be the extent of land, which, however, would be exigible to tax, would, in our opinion, be the extent of land upon which it (dwelling unit) has been constructed and the land appurtenant thereto,” Mr Justice Sinha, writing the judgement for the Bench, said.

For imposition of house tax on all buildings in a farmhouse set up on a common compound and forming part of one complex could be treated as one unit, the court said, adding that it was thus not for the high court to issue any direction in this regard.

New Delhi, September 16
Even as the Delhi Government notified mixed land use areas and commercial roads, the MCD continued sealing properties in the posh A and B category colonies coming under the ambit of the court-ordered action. Channel S-1 office located in Siri Fort area has also been sealed.

About 200 properties were sealed in all MCD zones. The maximum properties were sealed in Karol Bagh and Rohini. The A and B category colonies had so far been spared in the drive that resumed on September 1.

MCD personnel began sealing commercial establishments in posh areas such as Greater Kailash, South Extension, Green Park and Golf Links, an MCD spokesperson said.

The action began in the upmarket areas amid anti-government sloganeering from traders. As many as 40,000 commercial establishments, whose owners had given affidavits for voluntary closure, would also now be sealed, the spokesperson added.

The Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee had yesterday directed the civic body to continue with the sealing operation.

The MCD is, however, getting the observations made by the monitoring committee legally examined, sources said.

So far, the MCD’s drive had been focussing on hazardous trades but was today expanded to other commercial activities not allowed in residential areas. 

Gurgaon, September 16
In two separate communiqués, the Haryana Chief Secretary has directed every department of the state to decide the sanction for prosecution of the arrested government employee within 90 days and nominate Chief Vigilance Officer to speed up drive against corruption.

In Haryana State Vigilance Bureau (SVB), there have been numerous cases pending for the last seven to eight years for trial where various departments have not sanctioned the prosecution of the arrested employee.

The Chief Secretary has observed in his letter, addressed to all heads of departments, commissioners of all ranges, deputy commissioners, boards and corporations that “the progress of the investigation of the cases registered in police stations of the SVB and the cases under trial in different courts is slow”.

He lamented that one of the reasons of slow progress of investigation and failure of court cases is that sanction for prosecution of the officers/officials involved in these cases is not issued in time by the competent authorities.

However, he clarified that the sanction for prosecution was required under Section 19 of Prevention of Corruption Act and the Section 197 of Cr. P.C within 60 or 90 days of the arrest of the accused.

Delay in issuing sanction for prosecution leads to delay in submission of the challan cases in the courts, wrote the officer, adding that this results into failure of a case which was a serious matter.

Mr Rajbir Deswal, Superintendent of Police, SVB, Gurgaon Range, informed that 13 cases were still pending for prosecution in different courts in his range involving the fate of two tehsildars, one XEN, three inspectors, secretary, municipal council, patwari, clerk and other employees of different departments for the last seven years.

In his other letter, the Chief Secretary mentioned that the anti-corruption work which is the prime responsibility of every office, should form an integral part of their day-to-day duties.

Every department should nominate a Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) to examine all aspects of work with a view to looking into the points where opportunity for corruption is likely to arise. The incharge officer would devise means for minimizing scope of corruption, added the officer.

The CVO would ensure that all complaints relating to corruption are looked into promptly, warned the chief bureaucrat of the state.

The newly appointed CVO would review all pending vigilance inquiries and help the investigation of cases registered in police stations in the SVB and cases under trial in the courts, added the officer.

Mr Deswal opined that such steps would certainly not only act as deterrence to corruption but would also win the faith of the masses. 

New Delhi, September 16
Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Shoaib Iqbal, who was injured in an attack by unidentified persons, was today discharged from hospital. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident and the arrest of the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid.

His security guard, Noor Mohammad, who sustained head and hand injuries, was also discharged and had gone on leave, the MLA said.

Iqbal, who sustained minor injuries in his hands and chest, was admitted to Sanjivini Hospital in Central Delhi late last night.

The MLA alleged that he was attacked by “supporters of Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Ahmed Bukhari”.

The attack came as a sequel to a clash earlier yesterday between followers of the Shahi Imam and his supporters outside the historic mosque during a protest against Pope Benedict XVI’s criticism of Islam and the Holy War, said Shoaib Iqbal, Janata Dal MLA from Matia Mahal.

Four persons, including two policemen, were injured in the stone pelting between the two sides. Rapid Action Force had to be rushed in to prevent the situation from going out of control.

Shoaib Iqbal said when he was addressing the gathering at Jama Masjid crossing a number of goons interrupted his speech.

He alleged, “I was attacked with weapons and bottles. At least 25 of my supporters were injured in the attack and admitted to various hospitals”.

Imam Bukhari was unavailable for comment.

New Delhi, September 16
Students at the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences continue to remain divided over the issue of caste. First, it was the anti-reservation sentiment that kept the institute in the news and now it is complaints of caste-based discrimination that are emanating from here.

Students from the reserved sections, accusing the government of “sitting pretty” over complaints of increasing caste-based discrimination and violence, have expressed dissatisfaction over the tardy pace of investigations.

“They have crossed all limits…apart from setting up a committee there has been no tangible action so far. We were promised that action will be taken within 24 hours,” said Dr Vikas Bajpai of the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum (PMSF).

Pointing out that they are not seeking “any punitive action that would adversely affect the academic careers of those involved”, Dr Bajpai said, “They can debar them from the hostel for six months. While we do not want severe punishment, we think there should be some deterrent”.

Mr Ajay Singh, also of the PMSF, said, “There is no action, not even information on the progress of the inquiry”.

It was pointed out that “cases of caste-based discrimination against the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students are on the rise and are not limited to AIIMS alone”.

“These incidents are spreading to other educational institutions and people from the reserved categories are finding themselves directly at the receiving end of this discrimination. What is worse is that the government is doing nothing to stop it or punish those involved,” said Mr Bajpai.

Upset by the continuance of caste-based discrimination, the PMSF members said they would have to think of alternate ways to register their complaints and protest. “We have not decided anything yet, but we might have to resort to dharnas in the future,” said Mr Singh.

Students from the reserved categories had complained they were “abused, asked to vacate rooms and even locked up” by students who are anti-reservation.

In a letter to the AIIMS Director, a student had alleged that he was locked up in his room several times and kept away from classes.

Meanwhile, medical students and resident doctors from the reserved category at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital (GTBH) and Maulana Azad Medical College too have submitted complaints against caste bias.

Students here have pointed out that they have become the target of caste-based discrimination and are being “forced to stay in isolated groups”. 

New Delhi, September 16
Taking note of the rise in the number of suicides committee by students, the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, today urged parents to have “reasonable expectations from their children”.

She was inaugurating a day-long seminar organised by an NGO, Sumaitri, on “Suicide — A Cry for Help.” It was pointed out that at least 2,000 children committed suicide every year because of scoring badly in examinations, tension due to pressure of studies and other family reasons. They were found to be in the grip of fear because of their parents’ high expectations. Ms Dikshit expressed deep concern over the increasing cases of suicide, adding that one lakh people were forced to commit suicide due to different reasons.

In the Capital, more than 1200 cases of suicide were reported in 2004 as well as 2005. Out of the actual figures of 1257 and 1236, respectively, cases of female suicide were 468 and 422. She stressed on the need for increasing public awareness towards preventing suicide.

Advising people to develop strong will power to overcome all difficulties, she urged them to refrain from getting disheartened while facing challenges. The Chief Minister said that micro level analysis of suicide was required to curb the incidents. Noted psychologist, Dr Nivesh Desai, and social worker Nafisa Ali also spoke. 

New Delhi, September 16
Webster University Thailand, the only residential American University in the South East Asian region, today announced an enrolment programme to attract more Indian students to attend Webster’s Cha-Am/Hua Hin and Bangkok Center campuses in the Kingdom of Thailand.

The announcement was made during a visit to Delhi and Uttaranchal, India, by Mr Stephen R. Beaver, Director of Admissions, Webster University Thailand. 

New Delhi, September 16
For book lovers, Pragati Maidan is the new hotspot as the nine-day-long Delhi Book Fair commenced in the Capital today. Bibliophiles will get a chance to browse through millions of books from seven countries. For the first time, foreign buyers have been invited to attend

Inaugurating the 12th edition of the fair, which will be on till September 24, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said books left a lasting impression and efforts should be made by publishers to bring out good books.

About the fair, she said, “Its great for people who like to read,” confessing that due to a hectic schedule she did not get much time to read the books in her room.

Poet lyricist Javed Akhtar, who was the special guest at the function, said, “The book fair is like a temple for me. I love it.”

He said even in this age of information, when Internet, television and media were bombarding information, it was only books which imparted wisdom.

Taking a critical look at the much loved cartoons by children, Javed Akhtar said books enabled the children to participate and imagine with the narrative. He said he believed good works of literature could never be turned into good cinema as the film could not imitate and capture the imagination of the readers.

Fiction, non-fiction, books on education, languages, cookery and religion. There are racks and racks of literary works at this fair just waiting to be devoured by book lovers.

A major attraction at the fair are online booksellers like Google and A1books.com as shopping on the Internet gains popularity.

Organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP), the fair has the participation of over 300 publishers from India and abroad.

The fair is of particular significance to the entire publishing industry at this juncture when the global demand for Indian books and textbooks is on the rise.

Foreign participants in the fair include publishers and distributors from the USA, China, Iran and Pakistan.

There are booksellers and dealers of teaching aids and computer software from these countries. National and international publishers, distributors, librarians and researchers besides academicians, writers, teachers, students and book lovers are expected to visit the fair.To make the fair more significant, conferences, seminars, buyer-seller meets, book releases, book launches and painting competitions have been organised.

New Delhi, September 16
A series of events have been planned across the National Capital Region to create awareness about preventive heart care and commemorate World Heart Day on September 24. Several heart institutes and hospitals have come together to organise awareness programmes aimed at police personnel, bank employees, teachers and women.

A community lecture on “Ways to keep your heart young” on September 18 will kick off the events scheduled for a week culminating on World Heart Day.

Free heart check-ups, ECG and ECHO tests and laboratory examination of blood sugar and blood pressure will be held through the week in and around the Capital, the organisers, the Indian Heart Foundation, said.

The programmes are being organised in association with Kalra Hospital and Sri Ram Heart Institute. The Young at Heart Week will also see experts telling high-risk groups how to prevent heart ailments.

A day has been specially earmarked for corporate executives, who face huge pressure at work, the organisers said. Renowned heart surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan, Executive Director, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, will speak on the concluding day at a ceremony to be held at Kamani Auditorium where Union Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken will be the chief guest.

Outstanding doctors and NGOs will receive Ceour d’Or (Heart of Gold) Awards on World Heart Day. 

Noida, September 16
The UP Roadways has started direct air-conditioned bus services from here to Rishikesh, Agra, Dehra Dun and Jaipur.

A/C buses would leave daily for Rishikesh at 7.30 am, 12 noon and 8 pm, and for Agra at 7.30 am and 6 pm. The direct bus service to Dehra Dun would start at 11.30 am, while for Jaipur, the departure time of the bus is 1.30 p.m. Besides, two buses will also be available for Bijnore.

Fares that would be charged per passenger on the buses is Rs 233 for Rishikesh, Rs 200 for Agra and Jaipur, and Rs 195 for Dehra Dun.

The manager in charge UP Roadways in sector 35 said the bus that would leave for Rishikesh at 7.30 am would start for return journey at 1.30 pm from there. From Dehra Dun, the buses would leave for Noida at 11.30 am. For Jaipur, the bus would leave at 1.30 pm from Noida bus stand and will reach Jaipur at 8 pm.

New Delhi, September 16
A special court was set up in Tihar Court Complex here today to dispose of cases of petty offenders languishing in jail. The court took up cases of 58 prisoners who had confessed. As many as 35 cases were disposed of. The remaining 23 cases have been referred to regular courts.

These cases were screened by the fingerprint bureau of the Delhi Police to eliminate the habitual offenders. This was the 70th time that such a court was set up. Till date, 3,816 cases of petty offenders have been decided by these special courts. These courts are being set up in the Tihar Jail Complex on a regular basis to dispose of petty cases of undertrials who are willing to confess their crime.

These courts are proving very useful for the prisoners as they have the opportunity to settle their cases at an early stage rather than wait for years before the regular courts, said the spokesperson of Tihar Jail.

Ghaziabad, September 16
Some labourers trying to construct a boundary wall around Reliance Project land were made captives by the farmers in Kandaula village of Dhaulana area.

Hundreds of farmers had rushed to the site in tractor trolleys, armed with lathis and clubs etc on learning of the construction work. The workers had started harvesting the crops on acquired land to make boundary wall for the project on Friday morning.

On seeing farmers coming, company contractors disappeared from the site. The farmers then caught hold of some 15 labourers and took them to Dharna site Bhijore. Even the police did not enter the village and spoke to the farmer leaders on phone only.

Later, the farmers freed the captive labourers but warned the authorities that they would not allow construction activity on the acquired land unless proper compensation is paid to them. The farmers then drove to the dharna point in tractor trolleys when the Addl DM, SDM Hapur and police came to speak to the farmers.

Gurgaon, September 16
The Haryana State Vigilance Bureau today caught a clerk of Zila Parishad red-handed while he was taking bribe from someone in the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Mr S.S. Dalal.

The accused was posted in the ADC sometime back but was not associated with it now.

The clerk, Balakishan, got himself positioned in the office cabin staff of the ADC office and accepted money from a private person when the Vigilance Bureau raided and caught him.

Today was Saturday, holiday of the Haryana government. But the ADC office was functional as Mr Dalal and his staff were busy giving final touches to the preparations for holding the second national-level “SARAS mela” to commence here from tomorrow.

The clerk had asked for Rs 10,000 from a person from Mewat for getting him a stall in the mela as well as vendor’s licence.

The accused is not in any way associated with the office of the ADC and had no business to be there. For the past five years, he had been on deputation with the Zila Parshad. He was originally an employee of Command Area Development Agency (CADA).

According to Mr Dalal, inquiry reveals that the clerk had been absent from duty for 64 days. He reported for duty in the Zila Parshad two days back.

Incidentally, the office of the Zila Parshad and the office of the ADC are in the same sprawling Vikas Sadan complex.

New Delhi, September 16
A CBI court today summoned the Investigation Officer (IO) of the July 1999 case concerning the arrest of an inspector and a head constable of the Narcotics Cell (Delhi Police), fixing September 23 as the date for him to appear before it with all related documents.

CBI Special Judge G. P. Mittal issued the order after examining the third “closure” (of the case) filed by the central agency in order to protect the police officials — Inspector Satbir Singh and Head Constable Surender — despite them being caught red-handed accepting the “first instalment” of the bribe on July 22, 1992.

Accused Sajjan Ali, caught on June 19, 1992, with one kilogram opium and 100 gram heroin, had accused them of asking for Rs 20,000 towards “not opposing his parole plea.”

The CBI had first asked for “closure” on October 27, 1993, saying that there was no case against them, which the court rejected, ordering further investigation into the case on October 18, 1995.

Greater Noida, September 16
The Greater Noida police are again in the dock this time for having brutally attacked a couple, going to see their ailing father in Kasna police station area early yesterday morning.

SSP R.K.S. Rathore has suspended two constables and also recommended the suspension of a homeguard involved in the incident. The SSP has also apologised to the injured couple in the hospital for the deplorable behaviour of the constables.

A police Gypsy had almost brushed the motorcycle being driven by Susheel Kumar with his wife Savita on the pillion when the couple were on their way to Delta Sector to see her ailing father at 4 am.

The constables accused the woman of being a prostitute. When her husband objected to it, he was brutally attacked with lathis, which broke the bones of his right hand and feet. The woman was molested and her clothes torn by the cops. With the man badly injured, they even attempted to kidnap his wife. When she raised the alarm, some passers-by came to her rescue.

Susheel Kumar is admitted to Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida. Both the husband and wife are traumatized. Susheel Kumar is an ex-havildar of PAC. Though a case has been registered against Yog Raj Sharma and Suresh Chand and homeguard Lila Ram, all of them have reportedly absconded.

Earlier, cops on duty at Expressway had detained a couple and snatched Rs 10,000 from them a few days ago.

These cops were also suspended later.

New Delhi, September 16
A city court today sentenced a man to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for the abduction and rape of a school student.

Additional Sessions Judge B. R. Kodia also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on Anthony, a resident of Kishenganj. The court examined 16 witnesses in the case.

The victim, a 14-year-old girl, was on way for her tuition class on February 23, 2004, when Anthony offered her a lift in his car. 

New Delhi, September 16
The Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Crime Branch, Prashant Vihar, today claimed to have arrested a notorious robber, Ezaz Ahmad (28), gang leader of the notorious Raju–Amir gang. The arrest of three members of this gang earlier had led to the busting of this gang and a sensational case of robbery in Rajouri Garden being solved. A motor cycle, purchased from his share of the looted booty in the Rajouri Garden robbery, has been recovered.

Ahmad was arrested from the Nangloi area. A police official revealed he gained notoriety when he was arrested in a murder case by the Sarita Vihar police in 2000. Prior to this case, he was involved in several cases of robbery. After getting bail in the murder case, he had been involved in several cases of attempt to murder and motor vehicle theft. 

Ghaziabad, September 16
A man was murdered allegedly by the lover of his second wife in Loni yesterday.

The victim, Hanif, was living in Prem Nagar colony, along with his wife Mumtaz and children. Two years ago, he had married to his second wife Ameena, who later developed illicit relations with one Nasir from Delhi’s Sunder Nagar colony. She deserted Hanif to live with Nasir, who was running a painting and dent-beating shop near bus stand II in Loni. At about 2 pm yesterday, Hanif along with his 5-year-old son reportedly reached the bus stand in search of his second wife Ameena. Seeing Hanif, Nasir hit him with an iron rod on his head and fled away.—OC

Bulandshahar, September 16
A dock cadet in Merchant Navy, Sunny, a native of Bulandshahr, has been murdered in Dubai.

Sunny was reportedly thrown from the ship’s dock into the sea. His body has been recovered.

Sant Kumar Singh, 22, alias Sunny, a resident of Veer Enclave in Bulandshahar, had gone to Dubai on November 11, 2005 as Dock Cadet for one year. He was likely to return home in November this year.

An operation manager in Advance Shipping Company LC Dubai informed the family about Sunny’s death on phone on September 13. Sunny is reported to have gone for shopping along with some colleagues on Tuesday.

A day after his dead body was found floating in sea at Fort Dubai. Sunny was the youngest of three brothers.

His father D.S. Chaudhary said his son had been murdered.

Dubai police have arrested Sunny’s two companions, he added.

New Delhi, September 16
The North-West district police today claimed to have arrested an impostor from the Sultanpuri area. Sanjeev Kumar used to pose as a CBI officer. Many cases of fraud of more than Rs 10 lakh have been solved with his arrest. False documents, blank stamp papers and other objectionable materials have been seized from his possession.

A trap was laid by the police team. The accused had come to collect the money from a victim in the Sultanpuri area when he was arrested.

“On sustained interrogation, he revealed that he had taken lakhs of rupees from many people by posing as a CBI officer”, said a police officer.