The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	AIIMS Director can’t hold two posts: HC Tripti Nath Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 29 The Delhi High Court today partially sealed the professional fate of the controversial AIIMS Director and Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, P. Venugopal, by pronouncing that he “cannot hold and have lien on two posts, that is, tenure post of Director as well as post of Professor and Head of the Department in his own speciality”. Much to Professor Venugopal’s relief, a Division bench of Justice Swatanter Kumar and H.R. Malhotra, however safeguarded his position as Director of the premier medical institute of the country ruling that “Director is an employee of the institute and is appointed by the institute body. The post of Director is a tenure appointment and incapable of being curtailed except for justifiable reason and with notice to the Director, that too in accordance with law”. The verdict pronounced on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, a non-government organisation, in 2005, further clarifies, “On his appointment as Director, his lien on the post of Professor should be terminated and steps should be taken to fill up the vacancy without delay in the larger public interest.” The PIL had challenged the terms and conditions of Professor Venugopal’s appointment letter on the ground that he was appointed for five years or till further orders at the age of 61 when the retirement age for AIIMS employees is 62 years as per law. The petitioner organisation had also challenged Professor Venugopal holding two posts of the Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director, AIIMS. Reacting to the verdict, the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum comprising doctors and researchers of AIIMS and other Delhi medical colleges and affiliated hospitals, wondered why the court did not declare the 64-year-old Professor Venugopal’s continuation as Director illegal when the retirement age as per AIIMS Service Rules is 62 years for AIIMS employees. “The court has allowed the poster boy of anti-reservation agitation, Professor Venugopal to continue as Director of AIIMS in defiance of its own observation that he is an employee of the institute and is governed by the AIIMS Service Rules. He was appointed as Director at the age of 61 for a period of five years,” the Forum said in a press statement issued here today.
	controversy JNUSU protests against SC ruling on OBC quota Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 29 JNUSU has taken to the streets against the Supreme Court verdict stalling 27 per cent reservation for OBC’s in higher education. A vigorous protest march was taken out on the university campus today evening and a protest demonstration against the verdict has been scheduled for Friday morning at Jantar Mantar. In a strongly worded note, Sandeep, general secretary of JNUSU, said that “JNUSU strongly opposes the Supreme Court’s stay on the implementation of the OBC reservation in higher education. Continuing with its long series of anti-people verdicts, the Supreme Court has stayed the central law of 27 per cent reservation for OBC’s and 54 per cent increase in seats.” The JNUSU has accused the Supreme Court of supporting casteist and elitist propaganda. “It is the existing caste-divide itself which divides society and nation in the most violent and discriminatory way and not reservation, aimed to reduce this gross social injustice. It also ignores the fact that with 54% seat in crease, it was no longer true that students from general category would suffer due to OBC reservations,” the note said. The JNUSU leadership further announced that, “The Supreme Court’s verdict is also highly illogical and inconsistent, since the same SC has earlier held OBC reservations in jobs, based on the same data.” There is considerable anger within the JNUSU on this reservations issue and within the student community at large and they are determined to not take this lying down.
	SC stay on reservations hailed New Delhi, March 29 Youth for Equality, a student grouping which spearheaded the anti-quota stir, today welcomed the Supreme Court stay on a central law providing 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in elite educational institutions. ”It is a victory of the people and a victory for the common man against politicians, who had tried to divide the society on the basis of caste,” Kumar Harsh, president of AIIMS Residents Doctors Association, said. He said the Supreme Court stay was the beginning of a process for scrapping of the controversial law that aimed at providing reservation for OBCs in institutions like IITs and IIMs. “The politicians wanted to create caste-based vote banks. This is definitely a setback to them,” Harsh, who is also the spokesperson of Youth for Equality, said in his reaction to the SC stay. He also demanded a thorough review of the reservation policy in a scientific manner. There should a criteria; it could be economic or anything else, but certainly not caste, he added. Youth for Equality had gained prominence after its sustained and at times violent protests against caste-based reservations last year after the Centre announced its decision to provide reservation for the OBCs. Ordering a stay on implementation of the central law, the court has held that the 1931 census could not be a determinative factor for identifying the OBCs for the purpose of providing reservation to them. —PTI
	special report Dialogue with Pakistan at significant stage: Vohra Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 29 Maintaining that his party’s demand for autonomy was not a ‘magical, ideal solution’ to the Kashmir problem, National Conference president Omar Abdullah has said it was a way forward for a dialogue which talks about furthering the ability of the state within the Constitution and deciding how much the legislature can decide for itself. Mr Abdullah, MP, who was in the Capital to release a Report of an international conference in Srinagar organised by Institute of Social Sciences, said he was “more optimistic” about the situation in the state. Pointing to “greater hopes” raised by a speech of Mirwaiz Omer Farooq about two weeks ago, he said moderate section of Hurriyat Conference had talked more like a mainstream political party and was seemingly willing to look for a role within India. “He raised issues of water, roads, electricity in his speech,” Mr Abdullah said. Answering queries, the NC president said his party had never suggested that restoration of autonomy will overnight solve the problem of Kashmir. “The problem is largely political. No economic package can solve it. We have suggested starting point of a dialogue...Jammu and Kashmir can be used as a test case for other states in India,” he said. Referring to the international conference ‘Indian Federalism at Work’, held in Srinagar from August 25 to 27 last year, he said it had broken away from stereotypes. Speaking on the occasion, Centre’s interlocutor on Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra said the international conference had provided an opportunity to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to express their opinion about the ground situation in the state. He said there was a need to address concerns of youth so that they do not have a different perception of the trustworthiness of the relationship between the Centre and the state. Referring to creation of smaller states from undivided Punjab after Independence, he said measures within the Constitution had provided satisfaction to people. “If you allow diversity to grow, bring happiness, give productivity and harmony, that is federalism,” he said. Replying to queries, Mr Vohra said the internal dialogue process and that with Pakistan had reached a significant stage. On the AFSPA, he said the Army was deployed in states for their assistance only in a serious situation. He said the media, NGOs, human rights commissions were playing a significant role in raising issues concerning any aberration by security forces.
	40 Gurgaon schools get HUDA notice Abhay Jain Gurgaon, March 29 Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has issued notice to 40 schools for not providing admission to the students belonging to the weaker sections of society. As per allotment letter issued to the schools on freehold basis, it was clearly mentioned that “the educational societies/institutions/trusts should reserve 10 per cent seats in the school for students of the economically weaker sections of society and the same fee will be charged from them as is charged by government schools”, informed the administrator, HUDA, Gurgaon zone, Mr S P Gupta. He said that the department had conducted a survey and found that most of the schools, allotted land on subsidised rates, were not following the prescribed guidelines. He further informed that there was another clause in the allotment letter which states that 10 per cent seats in the schools should also be reserved for merit students and the fee will be determined on the basis of their means. “The management committee of the school should have one representative of the HUDA as its member,” added the administrator. Mr Gupta said that 40 schools were violating these three rules just to earn money as most of these academic institutions had turned themselves into commercial ventures. Stating an example, Mr Gupta revealed that there are a total of 1189 students in Col Central Academy Public School, Sector 4. Out of total strength, only 27 students of the weaker section of society and 32 are meritorious students. The school management took the plea that more students of EWS did not turn up for admission. The school’s stand seemed to be incorrect, opined the administrator. Another school at Sector 14 makes the excuse that the school is conducting part-time classes for EWS in the evening on the school premises, added the officer. The administrator clarified that the school must follow the guidelines to fulfill its social responsibility as the land was given to them at cheaper rates.
	Discom advisory on impostors collecting money Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 29 Power discom BSES today cautioned its customers to remain alert about a gang of impostors posing as BSES officials who are reportedly going around the city collecting thousands of rupees by threatening them of legal action for meter tampering or power theft. It has reemphasised that all enforcement related payments (fines and penalties) are to be made at designated BSES offices only. It advised consumers to ascertain and verify the identity of persons asking to be shown the meter from the nearest BSES office or by calling telephone numbers 399 99 888 and 399 99 777. Two such recent cases were brought to the notice of the BSES, from Chandni Chowk and Dilshad Gardens, which were reported to the police. An impostor by the name of Sandeep Kumar is said to be active in the Chandni Chowk area. According to the complaints received by BSES from customers, he is going from house to house, telling susceptible customers that they have tampered their meter and deliberately made it slow. In Lajpat Rai Market alone, the gang has contacted over 100 customers and managed to make many pay him. Sandeep has been posing as an employee of a BSES contractor and giving 9811620117 as his contact number. Recently, a woman in Dilshad Garden area became a victim of impostors who visited her and told her she had Rs 1000 as outstanding dues against her bill. They asked her to immediately pay the pending bill in cash or else her electricity would be disconnected. Fearing disconnection, the woman paid the ‘pending’ amount. The impostors apparently even gave her a ‘proper’ receipt acknowledging the payment, which bore a logo not of BYPL but of another distribution company in Delhi.
	Realtor shot dead in Loni Our Correspondent Ghaziabad, March 29 A property dealer in Loni was called out from his residence in Sunder Vihar Colony by three persons and later shot dead by them. After killing the realtor on Wednesday evening, the assailants sped away on motorcycles while firing gunshots in the air. The police are investigating the crime. Chetan Bahtti, 36, was a property dealer in Sadhulaband village. At about 7 pm on Wednesday, three persons came to his residence and told him that they were interested in buying a plot and asked him to show them some plots in nearby Sunder Vihar Colony. As Bhatti reached his office, the criminals pulled out a revolver and shot him twice in the head. As Bhatti slumped into a pool of blood, the assailants, finding themselves surrounded by a large number of people who had rushed in on hearing the gunfire, mounted their bikes and sped away firing gunshots in the air to scare the people away. On getting the news, Chetan’s family came and rushed him to Delhi’s Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. SO Loni police, Ajit Singh Chouhan soon reached the spot with his force and started a combing operation. But despite all their efforts, police could not trace the culprit.
	12 criminals held; guns, daggers seized in Ghaziabad Parmindar Singh Ghaziabad, March 29 With the election round the corner, the Ghaziabad police have stepped up its campaign against criminals who could create unrest during the days of polling. As a result, the Mahanagar police have arrested 12 criminals including three young boys. The police have also recovered guns, cartridges and daggers from their possession. According to SP City, the interrogation of these criminals has helped police solved a number of crimes that took place recently. Their other accomplices will also be nabbed soon, said the SP. He added that police had been getting complaints for the past many days that some thieves used to steal or lift bags, brief cases and other valuables from various vehicles. The Kotwali police had yesterday got the information that some criminals were hiding in Sai Upvan. In a sudden swoop, police nabbed Sunder, Shiv Ram, Promode and Sonu. They told the police that they were involved in lifting cash, bags, brief cases and cell phones of passengers from tempos, buses, etc. They used to employ small urchins for this task. Three boys caught along with them were from 12 to 15 years of age. They used to break the windowpanes of vehicles parked on roadside to steal the items. The police also recovered two revolvers and four daggers from their possession. Another four thieves were arrested from near the railway station last night by the Kotwali police. Sanjay, Mange, alias Manoj, Vipin, alias Nanak, and Vinode told the police that they had been involved in cheating, frauds and loots for past many years. On their bidding, police arrested some more criminals near Sai Upvan and seized some firearms too. The police have also arrested Quasim for having shot dead Iqbal three days ago along with a local revolver used by him in the crime.
	Another policeman commits suicide New Delhi, March 29 A head constable of Delhi Police allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a plastic wire in the Capital today. Kanwar Pal Singh, 44, allegedly committed suicide at about 8.30 a.m. in an isolated barrack. No suicide note was recovered. Singh, who hailed from Meerut was a driver with the operations cell of Civil Lines police station. He joined the force in 1982, police said. “Initial investigations suggest that for the past few days he was under stress and tension, which forced him to take such step,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Delhi) Divesh Srivastava said. The family of the deceased has been informed and further investigations were on, police added. On March 16, Brij Pal, a Delhi Police constable had allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself. He was posted in the Teen Murti police station.—TNS
	Heroin worth Rs 12 cr seized Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 29 The Delhi Police today claimed to have busted an inter-state gang of drug traffickers here with the arrest of two persons and seizure of heroin worth about Rs 12 crore in the international market. Mohammed Isrefil and Chattar Singh were nabbed by the narcotics branch of the Delhi Police on the basis of a tip-off about their movements. Around 12 kg of heroin was recovered from them. According to the police, Isrefil had smuggled in the contraband from West Bengal, from where he hails, and was delivering it to Singh at an abandoned petrol station near Dhaula Kuan in South-West Delhi at the time of their arrest last week.