1,300 snap ties with Sacha Sauda sect
Sangrur, June 1
As many as 1,300 followers of Dera Sacha Sauda from 26 villages and Sangrur town today snapped ties with the sect at a religious function held at Gurdwara Gurparkash Sahib at Kherri Sahib village, about 7 km from here. Those who left Dera Sacha Sauda were from Kherri, Nagri, Kanoi, Lad Banjara, Chhajli, Sandoha, Mehlan, Mangwal, Aklian, Uppli, Rangian, Kattu, Kular Khurd, Dhanaula Khurd, Kaulserri, Batuha, Bhaini Jassa, Nihalgarh, Dhandoli Kalan, Kotduna, Kalabula, Kila Hakeema, Gaggarpur, Khetla, Kila Batuha, Kammo Majra villages.

 

POLITICS

Hanspal’s charge
Barnala, June 1
Former PPCC president H.S. Hanspal has alleged that the law and order in the state is in a poor shape. Goons are on the rise. This can be proved with the apathetic attitude towards his nephew Mahinder Partap Singh who is battling for life at the Civil Hospital here.

Vasundhara’s effigy burnt
Hoshiarpur, June 1
The unrest in Rajasthan over the Gujjar community’s demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list spread in the district today with a protest taking place in Garhshankar town, 40 km from here.

Dissolve MCs, demands BJP
Pathankot, June 1
The district unit of the BJP has demanded the dissolution of Municipal Councils, Pathankot and Sujanpur. It was alleged that these had become dens of corruption.

COMMUNITY

MC charged with misuse of funds
Sangrur, June 1
Did the Sangrur Municipal Council (MC) misused Rs 2 crore earned from the sale of municipal land of the old truck union?

Mentally ill? Go to prison: jail manual Chandigarh, June 1 Incredible it may be but the Punjab Jail Manual, drafted in 1996, provides for detaining “non-criminal lunatics” in district prisons, even though the Mental Health Act, which came into existence nine years earlier, clearly says mentally ill patients can be admitted only to psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes. This is not all. The word ‘lunatic’ was replaced by ‘mentally ill person’ much before the manual was drafted. Yet it has a complete chapter devoted to ‘lunatics’ in violation of the Mental Health Act of 1987, and the Supreme Court of India’s directions.

Centre allocates power to state
Chandigarh, June 1
The union government has allocated 270 MW of power from its quota to Punjab.

PSEB to launch VDS scheme
Patiala, June 1
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has decided to introduce voluntary disclosure scheme (VDS) for the regularisation of unauthorised extension in the load of the tube well consumers in the state. PSEB chairman Y.S. Ratra said this scheme had been introduced for a period of 2 months extending from May 15 to July 14.

COURTS

High Court
Chahal’s plea for pre-arrest notice allowed
Chandigarh, June 1
In a lengthy hearing enlivened by animated arguments, Justice Uma Nath Singh of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed that B.I.S.Chahal, media adviser to former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, cannot be arrested till July 4 without a four-day advance notice in any case, other than Ludhiana City Centre case, to be or likely to be registered against him.

Lok Adalats’ schedule released
Chandigarh, June 1
The Punjab Legal Services Authority (PLSA) has released a schedule of Lok Adalats to be organised in Punjab from June 1 to September 30.

SDM initiates criminal proceedings against father
Ludhiana, June 1
A woman PCS officer, posted as SDM (West) here, has initiated criminal proceedings against her father, a stepmother and two stepbrothers and another person, for allegedly making false certificates of stepbrothers to usurp the property owned by the SDM’s family.

Advocate fears threat to life
Amritsar, June 1
Fearing threat to his life and members of his family an advocate of Baba Bakala has urged the state government to provide security to him besides arresting the accused who had allegedly assaulted him and four others on March 11. Addressing media persons here today advocate Navtej Singh and member Baba Bakala Bar Association said the police had failed to arrest SAD worker Jasbir Singh, who was roaming freely in the area along with his two gunmen. He alleged SAD MLA Manjinder Singh Kang was sheltering the accused against whom a case had already been registered.

Court without judge for 18 months
Patiala June 1
The Labour Court, Patiala, is without judge for the past 18 months. This has hit the justicial system, especially in cases of labourers that have been pending in the court.

AGRICULTURE