 |
|
|
Rental perquisites taxable, says SC
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Iran, Pakistan links in Mumbai train blasts
’93 blast: Shaikh convicted
2 cops die in landmine blast in West Bengal
Lalu’s brothers-in-law spell trouble for RJD unity
PM to review education schemes
Foeticide: Takht’s intervention sought
Judges’ pension hiked
NHAI eyes global markets
Paddy procurement from Sept 25
Tribune Impact
Police custody for ABVP workers
Kidnappers release doctor
95-yr-old commits sati
New law mooted to end child marriage
Rs 5,742 cr for rural centres
More refugees arrive from Lanka
|
|
Rental perquisites taxable, says SC
New Delhi, September 21 But the court gave some concession to employees by providing them an option to contend before the tax authorities that the perquisites in the form of rental accommodation was not a “concession” given by the employer and was, therefore, not covered under Section 17(2) (ii) of the Income Tax Act because no “deeming” provision had been made by Parliament in the said legislation. “Whether or not Parliament could have in the exercise of legislative power created a ‘deeming fiction’ as to concession in the matter of rent in certain circumstances (for which we express no final opinion), no such deeming provision is found in the Act,” a Bench of Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr Justice C.K. Thakker and Mr Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan ruled. So far as the validity of Rule 3 of Income Tax Rules, as amended in 2001, Mr Justice Thakker, writing the judgement for the Bench, said there was no force in the arguments of the employees either those from the government or private sectors that the amended rule was arbitrary and unconstitutional. But the court made it clear that the applicability of Rule 3 for calculating rental perquisites as part of salary for tax purposes would apply only in a situation where it was proved that it was a “concession” given to the employees for rental accommodation. “We are of the view that Rule 3 would apply only to those cases where concession has been shown by an employer in favour of an employee in matter of rent respecting accommodation…unless the liability arises under Section 17(2)(ii) of the Act, the rule has no application and the method of valuation for calculating the concessional benefits cannot be resorted to,” it held. The ruling came on appeals by various employees in private sectors. As per the changed rules, the valuation of perquisites relating to rental accommodation should be 10 per cent or 7.5 per cent of salary for the applicability of the rule.
|
|
68 held for Seelampur rioting
New Delhi, September 21 Those arrested have been sent to judicial custody till October 5. The police received secret information that some anti-social elements were armed with pistol and fired at the police yesterday, resulting in violence. “At present, minor charges have been slapped on them and investigations are continuing to verify other facts,” a police officer said. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended its sealing drive for a day in view of the tension and violence yesterday. The decision to suspend the drive was taken at a meeting of the Municipal Commissioner, Mr A.K. Nigam, with senior police and security officers. MLA Matin Ahmed took out a peace march in the area to pacify residents. Deputy Speaker of Delhi Assembly Shoaib Iqbal and Nationalist Congress Party MLA Rambir Singh Bidhuri also visited Seelampur and the adjoining areas. Mr Vijay Goel, BJP leader, also visited Seelampur and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Even as two companies of the BSF have been deployed in the Seelampur area, the police announced an inquiry by the Crime Branch into yesterday’s firing by the police on the mob which resulted in the death of four persons. The Delhi Government, meanwhile, has announced a compensation for the families of the deceased. While family members of the adults killed would get Rs 2 lakh , those of minors would get Rs 1 lakh. The injured will get Rs 50,000. Senior police officers who toured the area to supervise the arrangements said the situation was fast returning to normal. However, some markets were closed in protest against the killing of innocent people, including children. The roads have been cleared of debris and burnt vehicles have been removed. Broken streetlights have also been replaced. A senior police official said yesterday that the situation worsened after a Bangladeshi fired at the police with a country-made pistol. “'We are trying to identify him,” he said. “Among the deceased are 15-year-old Mohammad Ashraf, Qasim (16) and Wasif (27). One more person has yet to be identified,” Additional Commissioner of Police (General Administration), Mr Deependra Pathak, said. The postmortem of three persons, including two teenagers, today confirmed that they succumbed to bullet injuries. The police has handed over the bodies to the family members.
|
|
Iran, Pakistan links in Mumbai train blasts
Mumbai, September 21 The probe has led members of the Anti-Terror Squad of the Mumbai police investigating the blasts to several organisations, according to sources. While the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba’s sleeper cells provided the logistics, the actual bombers came from the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India. The bomb-making technology and even a few bombers are believed to have come from the Al-Qaida, according to sources. Several of the suspects arrested since the blasts have provided links between various international terror groups, the sources said. Officials said Iran had emerged as a major transit point for home-grown terrorists. Several youths who were questioned by the ATS had gone to Iran on short visits from where they went to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir for arms training. Interrogation of several youths revealed that the handlers of the LeT cells in Mumbai arrived from POK to coordinate with the bombers and left India days before the blasts. The local bombers remained in touch with their handlers over the Internet and e-mail, according to the police. Some of those arrested following the blasts have also told the police that Azam Cheema, LeT’s No. 2 operative was in Mumbai before the blasts. The police say several youths from Mumbai have also left for Bangladesh after the blasts. It has identified one of the bombers who carried out the blasts. The bomber perished in the blasts and his body was left unclaimed in the city morgue, according to
the police. Forensic experts have reconstructed the face of the bomber. Some of those arrested have told the police that the dead bomber could not escape and was caught in the explosion.
|
|
’93 blast: Shaikh convicted
Mumbai, September 21 Shaikh was charged with parking a scooter having RDX at the Katha Bazaar. The blast killed four persons and injured 21 on March 12, 1993. He also checked into Hotel Searock and left behind a suitcase stuffed with an explosive device. He was also found guilty of participating in landing operations of arms and ammunition, which had arrived at Shekhadi coast in Raigad district on February 3 and 7, 1993. The TADA court also found him guilty of filling RDX in vehicles used to carry out the blasts. However, the court acquitted Shaikh on charges of participating in arms training at Sandheri and Bhorghat villages in Raigad district prior to the blasts. He was also found not guilty of transporting weapons into Mumbai before the
blasts. Shaikh is the ninth accused to be convicted in the blast case. The others convicted include four members of the Memon family. He faces punishment ranging from five years to life and even death. Meanwhile, Abdul Ghani Turk, a driver of Tiger Memon pleaded for leniency. “I am not a terrorist and was misguided and dragged into the conspiracy by the co-accused,” Turk told the court during arguments over the quantum of sentence to be awarded to him.
|
|
|
2 cops die in landmine blast in West Bengal
Kolkata, September 21 Of the injured, two policemen succumbed to the injuries, while the condition of the two reporters and a photographer who had been admitted to the district hospital, was stated to be critical. The DGP and the range IG also left for the district in the afternoon. According to a report reaching the state government at Writers Buildings, the mediapersons were escorted to the Lalghar jungle area for experiencing an on the spot flush-out operation against the Maoists and other extremists, who had built a training camp inside the jungle. But before the police and the Press party could enter the jungle on foot, some landmines planted on the road suddenly exploded, injuring policemen and mediapersons. This led to chaos and the policemen along with the mediapersons started fleeing the area. Some other police personnel who were following the advance party soon began firing indiscriminately towards the jungle in the apprehension of any further attack from the Maoists. The CPI(M) leadership and the state government have decided to jointly launch a massive combing operation in the jungle from tomorrow. Two CPI(M) ministers had been also sent to the area for meeting the local party workers and supporters. Ms Mamata Banerjee in the evening met the Governor, Mr Gopal Krishna Gandhi, and alleged that instead of properly rehabilitating the poor people in the area, the CPI(M) with the help of the police had been pursuing a policy of torture towards the so-called Maoists. The CPI(M) secretary, Mr Biman Bose, however, accused her of encouraging the Maoists.
|
|
Lalu’s brothers-in-law spell trouble for RJD unity
Patna, September 21 The RJD national spokesperson, Mr Shivanand Tiwari, and another senior leader of the party, Mr Bhola Prasad Singh, have asked Mr Prasad to get rid of his two “troublemaker” brothers-in-law, Sadhu Yadav and Subhash Yadav, if the party has to be put back on the track in state politics. The salvo by the two senior leaders of the party came at a time when Mr Prasad was apparently basking in the glory as a “kingmaker” by dislodging the Arjun Munda-led NDA government in Jharkhand last week. Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Tiwari said: “Mr Lalu Prasad should get rid of his brothers-in-law, Sadhu and Subhash, if he
really wants to revive the party in Bihar.” Popularly known as “Baba” in the RJD, Mr Tiwari took a strong exception to the manner in which Mr Prasad had recently sought public apology from the senior party leader, Mr Bhola Prasad Singh, for criticising the RJD MP, Mr Jabir Hussain. Launching a tirade against Mr Prasad, Mr Tiwari questioned the “double standards” of the RJD chief, who had asked Mr Bhola Prasad Singh to apologise for his utterances against Mr Jabir Hussain. “Did Laluji initiate any action against his brothers-in-law when they spewed venom on us?” asked Mr Tiwari. He further pointed out that Mr Prasad did not take any action against Mr Subhash Yadav when in the recent past he had made derogatory reamrks against Mr Jabir Hussain. Mr Tiwari charged Subhash and Sadhu with campaigning for the defeat of the RJD candidates in the last Assembly polls. “Danapur Assembly seat candidate Ramanand Yadav had complained to you (read Laluji) in front of me that Subhash was working for his defeat,” he alleged. Mr Tiwari made no bones of the fact that Subhash and Sadhu were responsible for the party`s debacle in the last Assembly polls. Mr Tiwari, who played a key role in
building up the RJD in Bihar, had maintained a studied silence for the past few months ever since he was ditched by Mr Prasad in the race to the Rajya Sabha polls. The senior party leader, Mr Bhola Prasad Singh, while threwing down a gauntlet, said: “One who wants to teach me a lesson is yet to be born.” The outburst came when he was asked by Mr Prasad to apologise to Mr Jabir Hussain for criticising him. Mr Singh said: “I have always raised my voice against corruption and have no qualms in reiterating that Mr Jabir Hussain is a corrupt leader whose misdeeds have been exposed by the Accountant-General. Now, no one can save this Lalu acolyte from going to jail.”
|
|
PM to review education schemes
New Delhi, September 21 A recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has indicated that the key elements of the SSA — textbooks, classrooms, teachers and learning equipment— are either missing or seriously lacking. The report, in a highly critical tone, found that even after four years of the implementation of the SSA and utilisation of almost 86 per cent of the funds available with the implementing agencies, targets had not been met. The CAG came down heavily on both the Centre and state governments. It found that a shocking 40 per cent of children between the age group of 6 and 14 years were out of school as on March last year.
|
|
Foeticide: Takht’s intervention sought New Delhi, September 21 Akal Takht should issue hukamnamas, boycotting those indulging in female foeticide, as was done in the case of those killing their daughters condemned as “kurimars”, experts said at a lecture organised by the Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan in the Capital. Prof Ravinder Kaur of IIT, Delhi, while presenting her paper on “Gender Imbalance in Punjab: Alarming Trends”, said the government, community leaders and academicians should take into account the grim situation. Making a strong plea to the authorities not to manipulate the data pertaining to girl child. She linked the declining sex ratio with societal attitudes and usage of advance medical technology. The 1991 census reported the child sex ratio of 945 girls per 1,000 boys, which further declined to 927 during 2001 census. Over the years, this ratio has fallen from 976 in 1961, to 964 in 1971, and 962 in 1981. Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Gujarat were shown to be the worst offenders. In Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Gujarat, this ratio has declined to less than 900 girls per 1,000 boys. There are 70 districts in 16 states and union territories that have recorded more than 50-point decline in the ratio during the decade 1991-2001. Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, with 754 females per 1,000 males had the lowest ratio. Kuruskshetra in Haryana was almost as bad with 770. Other experts pointed out that the strict laws have not acted as a dampner for people to continue with female foeticide.
|
|
|
Judges’ pension hiked
New Delhi, September 21 The Cabinet today approved a proposal to amend the Supreme Court Judges Rules, 1959, allowing a consolidated amount of Rs 14,000 per month to retired judges, increasing it from the existing Rs 4,000. The government in 2002-03 had rejected the demand to increase the allowance for orderly and secretarial staff. While the judiciary had sought an increase, the government had stated that the judges enjoyed the facilities of Cabinet rank Ministers and, therefore, were not entitled to any such facilities after demitting office, sources said. As post-retirement benefits, the judiciary had demanded a house with maintenance allowance, expenses for running an office, including engaging a secretary, a clerk, orderly and driver, the sources said. Other demands of the judiciary included an increase in the retirement age of the judges on the ground that the average life expectancy in the country had increased and in several countries the tenures of judges lasted up to 75 years, the sources said.
|
|
NHAI eyes global markets
New Delhi, September 21 As a part of this endeavour, the NHAI Chairman, Mr Satyanarayana Dash, will address global CEOs and senior institutional investors at the forthcoming third Annual Investment Forum in New York on September 25. Invited to speak on the “Development of India’s Roads and Highways”, the NHAI Chairman will address over 350 global institutional and direct investors. The NHAI has plans to raise funds through borrowings in the overseas markets and through various instruments such as domestic bonds, LIC loans, term loans from financial institutions and banks. Apart from this, loans from multilateral agencies like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank may also be considered.
|
|
Paddy procurement from Sept 25 New Delhi, September 21 The advancement of procurement was for the three states of Punjab, Haryana, and Kerala. The minimum support price (MSP) operations for paddy/levy rice would start from September 25 and remain valid up to March 31 next year. The MSP operation would also include incentive bonus of Rs 40 per quintal, an official spokesperson told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). This proposal would benefit the farmers, she added. The decision follows a request from several state governments seeking advancement of the date on the grounds that paddy arrivals have already commenced.
|
|
|
Cabinet to set up law panel
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, September 21 The commission comprising a Chairman and three full-time members will have a three-year tenure. The commission will also have a permanent member secretary with the option to have more part-time members depending on the nature of issues it would handle. The government has neither named the Chairman, nor any member yet but they are expected to be appointed soon from among serving or retired judges of the Supreme Court or High Court, or legal experts, jurists or professors of law in any university, mediapersons were informed today.
|
|
Police custody for ABVP workers
Ujjain, September 21 The police today produced the trio in the court of Judicial Magistrate R S Madia, who remanded them to police custody till September 26. Hemant Dube, Sudhir Yadav and Pankaj Mishra were arrested by the police yesterday after the state CID named them as accused in the alleged murder of Sabharwal, who died following violence during student union polls on August 26. Earlier, the police had arrested former state ABVP president Shashiranjan Singh Akela and former secretary Vimal Tomar for their alleged involvement in the murder case. — PTI
|
|
|
Kidnappers release doctor
Patna, September 21 Bhojpur SP Umesh Kumar said due to intense police pressure, the kidnappers set the doctor free and fled. The IMA (Bihar chapter) had called a 24-hour strike from midnight last night against the kidnapping but deferred it following the Chief Minister’s appeal and talks with state Health Minister Chandramohan Rai. Advising restraint to doctors, the CM said,“The administration has taken the incident as a challenge and we are determined to enforce the rule of law in the state.”
|
|
95-yr-old commits sati
Chhatarpur (MP), September 21 Kuria Devi’s sons — Baldu Singh, Kripal Singh, Kubeer Singh and Drigpal Singh — were arrested under the Prevention of Sati Act, District Collector Ajatshatru Shrivastava said. SDM O.N. Pandey has been asked to probe into the incident, he added. Kuria Devi, 95, allegedly jumped onto the pyre of her husband Siyaram Rajput last evening and committed “sati”. Cases were also being registered against those instigating the woman to commit the act, IGP (Saga range) Swarn Singh said.
— PTI
|
|
New law mooted to end child marriage
New Delhi, September 21 A meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today gave its approval for undertaking parliamentary legislation to prohibit child marriages and repeal the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, an official spokesperson said. A Group of Ministers, which went into the issue, recommended that the Bill may be termed as Prohibition of Child Marriage Bill 2006.
|
||
|
Rs 5,742 cr for rural centres New Delhi, September 21 The project, cleared by the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is expected to create about 4 lakh jobs in the rural sector and proposed to start by March 2008. “The CSCs are expected to create one lakh direct jobs and 2-3 lakh additional indirect jobs,” an official spokesperson told reporters.
|
||
|
More refugees arrive from Lanka
Chennai, September 21 According to Tamil Nadu officials, more than 13,000 refugees had arrived since January. Today, 62 refugees arrived and after interrogation were sent to the Mandapam camp. In view of the visit of the President, Mandapam has been sealed. Vigil is being maintained in Rameswaram island.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Videos
