Amritsar, August 7
After his installation ceremony here today, Giani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar of Akal Takht, emphasised the need for bringing uniformity of “maryada” (Sikh code) in all Sikh institutions and the accomplishment of the desired goals as per the age- old Sikh tenets.

“The distinct identity of the Sikhs should be a source of inspiration for the world,” he said.

Seeking immediate arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the newly installed Jathedar asked the Central and Haryana governments to seal his dera in Sirsa and its branches.

Answering a question, Giani Gurbachan Singh said he would discuss with other Sikh clerics in case the dera chief offered to appear before Akal Takht as a humble Sikh.

To yet another question whether he would ask Shiromani Akali Dal supremo to get baptised, he simply said: “We will try”. He, however, said he would personally monitor the movement of “Amrit Parchar”.

Sikh clerics from Takht Patna Sahib and Hazoor Sahib, SGPC chief, Nihang sects, Akali factions, student federations and Nirmala Sants, etc, presented the Jathedar with “Dastars” (turbans) in the presence of a moderate gathering. SAD general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra hoped that the new Jathedar would be instrumental in resolving all the pending issues of the Sikh community.

However, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, the outgoing Jathedar, was conspicuous by his absence at the installation ceremony. Giani Puran Singh, who had been unceremoniously removed as Jathedar of Akal Takht by the SGPC eight years ago, presented Dastar to the new Jathedar. Vedanti succeeded him then.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh said former Jathedar did not turn up at the function though Harbhajan Singh, manager of the Darbar Sahib visited his residence yesterday to invite him for the ceremony. He said Vedanti had tendered his resignation due to “ill-health” and the committee appreciated his services as Jathedar and Granthi of the Golden Temple. When asked that Vedanti had told the media that he was forced to quit, he said it was an afterthought.

The SGPC president said strict action would be taken against those officials who had locked the Akal Takht secretariat with a view to stopping the entry of Vedanti into it.

The SGPC president said the long-pending matter of appointing a religious adviser to the Jathedar of Akal Takht would be made if Jathedar Gurbachan Singh desired so. Former Jathedar Vedanti had sent a number of reminders to the SGPC to appoint religious adviser to streamline the functioning of the Akal Takht secretariat.

Chandigarh, August 7
Less than a month after the Supreme Court stayed the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders on the CBI probe into alleged elimination of proclaimed offenders (POs) in the Saini blast case, an affected party, Davinder Singh Bhullar, has got back, stating Punjab misled the apex court.

Bhullar, on death row for another offence, had earlier moved the high court alleging torture and elimination of his father and uncle, as he was an accused in the blast case. After the 1991 attack on now vigilance chief Sumedh Singh Saini, the police had booked several persons, including Bhullar. But, an additional sessions judge had acquitted him and at least two others.

As the UT challenged the acquittal orders, the high court noticed some accused had been declared POs. UT was, subsequently, asked to detail upon the steps taken to procure their presence. Expressing dissatisfaction with the UT police’s efforts to bring them to justice, the high court had subsequently ordered a CBI probe. Punjab appealed against the orders in the apex court and obtained a stay.

Seeking stay’s vacation in an application filed before the apex court, Bhullar claimed the state misled the court that “its officer Sumedh Singh Saini had conducted some inquiry against a member of the Division Bench, which passed the order for a CBI inquiry and so the orders passed by the Division Bench are prejudiced”.

He asserted the case was listed before various division benches and was placed before the particular Bench. “Moreover, the state, even in an application, filed before the Division Bench on May 19, through which it had sought to become a party to the pending litigation, never mentioned this aspect that the main accused, Sumedh Singh Saini, had at one stage conducted an inquiry against one of the judges of the Bench that had passed orders for the CBI inquiry, and did not make a prayer for the Bench to recuse itself from the case”.

Elaborating, Bhullar added the state had sought leave to “place some material in a sealed cover or as may be permitted by this court and has averred that the material would reveal reasons indicating why a particular Bench, which passed the impugned order, should not have heard the matter.

“These averments are not only misleading, but also incorrect. The petitioners have not revealed what investigation was conducted by the senior officer and how that has relevance to the CBI investigation. “There is no question of the CBI targeting Saini and there is no basis for any reasonable apprehension. The question whether a particular Bench should have heard the matter or not is distinct from the merits of the investigation done by the CBI”.

Bhullar also quoted the high court orders to trace the circumstances leading to the CBI probe. Accusing the state of withholding Saini’s background, Bhullar stated the officer was facing trial for abduction and murder of three individuals. “It is further submitted that even Justice V.K. Jhanji of the high court, who had ordered CBI inquiry (in the other matter), had made observations against Saini in his order dated December 22, 1995”.

Chandigarh, August 7
Punjab government will have no objection if Panjab University is declared a central university by the the Union government. Sources today said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had approved the proposal.

The draft of the letter to be written to the Union government had been approved by the authorities. The state government had laid down two conditions in this regard — no change in status of all colleges affiliated to Panjab University in the state and the Union government will not scrap the two central universities to be set up in the state. The Union Government had approved two central universities for Punjab. One world-class central university is to be set up in Amritsar, another is likely to be set up at Bathinda.

Every year, Punjab government contributes Rs 16 crore as its share to Panjab University which has been earning Rs 5 crore from the various professional and other courses allowed in the colleges and regional centres affiliated to it.

Recently, the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) launched an agitation urging the Union government to give status of central university to it. Apprehending political fallout of the decision, the state government had not made any commitment to the PUTA but had promised to look into the matter.

Sources said the state government had no control over Panjab University. Its vice- chancellor is appointed by the Centre and its chancellor is the Vice-President of India. It has no say even in the selection of the faculty. It has just been making a financial contribution to the university.

The state government sources said, had concluded with the declaration of Panjab University as a central university, Punjab’s claim over Chandigarh would not be affected in any manner. 

New Delhi, August 7
To save environment and raise awareness against female foeticide industrialist and philanthropist, Harpal Singh, plans to distribute saplings and carry water from the sarovar to all the villages in Punjab from the premises of Sri Harmandar Sahib ji in Amritsar from August 27.

Brainchild of the chairman of Ranbaxy Laboratories, who has been a social worker, saplings will be offered to people visiting the gurdwara from galiara as “Buta Prasad” to be taken home by daughters and daughters-in-law so that people realise the importance of saving the girl child and at the same time contribute to improve environment, explained Singh here today.

“We request people to come to the gurdwara and take a sapling home within 12 months of the birth of a girl child or when a daughter-in-law joins the family,” said Harpal Singh. The initiative will be twice a year in February and in the monsoon season.

Like all other journeys that start from holy places, this initiative also took off from the premises of the Golden Temple. The idea started taking shape from galiara almost 10 months ago. “I decided to take a stroll in galiara around the gurdwara. I was appalled to see the state of such a significant place. We spoke to the deputy commissioner, who was very helpful and took the responsibility of maintaining the area,” said Harpal Singh.

It took a lot of work but after the transformation, the shopkeepers around galiara wanted to thank him for providing them with a pleasant view. “However, I was thinking of utilising the space for broader social purposes,” he said.

He thought of associating the critical issue of saving the environment with an issue he was brooding over since three years. “Both mother and trees nurture the families and planet without asking for anything in return. They are embodiment of seva. We must protect them,” said Harpal Singh.

The initiative becomes even more important considering the decreasing sex ratio in some north Indian states. “We can not ignore the repercussions of it. There would be chaos in society. Crime against women would increase manifolds,” he said. The initiative will involve religious and political leaders of the state. Appreciating the response from all sections, Harpal Singh said religious leaders would be requested to invoke participation of people.

“Harsimrat Kaur, wife of Sukhbir Singh Badal, has extended support for the initiative. We are going to ask for permission from the religious leaders at the gurdwara if we could take some water from the sarovar and sprinkle it on the saplings,” he said.

This endeavour aims at engaging with society on emotional level. “Women would be associated and respected along with the plants as they would grow in their houses,” he said.

Harpal Singh spends more than 70 per cent of his time on fulfilling his social commitments.

Moga, August 7
Former minister and sitting Congress MLA from Baghapurana, Darshan Singh Brar is likely to lose the post of managing director, Moga, Central Cooperative Bank .

The Cooperative Department, allegedly under political pressure, has initiated a process to dissolve the Cooperative Society through which he filed his nomination papers for getting elected director of the bank.

After winning the election of the Board of Directors during the Congress tenure, Brar was elected managing director of the bank, a post he held even after the change of guard in the state.

Deputy registrar of the Cooperative department, D.R. Sharma, said the state government had decided to tighten noose on the Cooperative Societies not working properly and surviving in name on papers only.

Although he was not able to give details of the Cooperative Society through which Brar was elected as director, he said his society could be one of the defunct societies that was not working properly.

Assistant registrar of the Cooperative D epartment Manjit Singh, confirmed the ‘Fruit Vegetable Marketing and Processing Cooperative Society’ got registered by Brar with the department was in the winding up process. “I have written to the higher authorities to dissolve this cooperative society”, he added.

The assistant registrar claimed this society was not working properly for many years and there were many audit objections against it. “It is not the only one society, many more societies have been put under the process of winding up”, he added.

Brar alleged senior Akali leaders of the area influenced the official machinery to bring this society ‘under the winding up’ process without any reasons to dissolve it so that he could be removed from the post of MD.

After dissolving the society the department would serve a notice on the MD seeking an explanation from him. After hearing him, a decision whether to remove him from this post or not would be taken.

Meanwhile, Brar has decided to move the high court after receiving the notice.

Patiala, August 7
Following rain in the region for a week, Bhakra, Dehar, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dam reservoirs are gushing with water in their catchment areas, making the power- deficit Punjab State Electricity Board heave a sigh of relief.

The PSEB, for the first time in summers, claimed there were no power cuts and started giving round-the-clock supply to domestic consumers and more than 18 -hour supply to the farm sector.

However, rural and domestic consumers are still having “unannounced cuts” or “maintenance account”, though for shorter duration, ranging between half an hour to over two hours daily in certain areas of Punjab.

Rain in the region raised the water level of Bhakra dam to 1650.13 feet on Wednesday, which was the highest not only this summer but also surpassed the mark of last year when it touched 1613.61 feet on the corresponding day. Water inflow in the Bhakra reservoir has touched 48842 cusecs as against 41330 cusecs of the corresponding period last year.

The Dehar dam reservoir, Pong dam reservoir and Ranjit Sagar dam reservoirs also witnessed considerable rise in water levels.

It was for the first time in summer so far the PSEB had surplus power on Wednesday when it even returned 45 lakh units of electricity to the north grid from where it had drawn power under the banking system. “No power cuts are being imposed by the PSEB. There are no instructions from the PSEB headquarters to impose power cuts and if these were there, these might have been effected at the local level or for maintenance purposes. The demand was around 1400 lakh units on Wednesday and we had enough power to meet the demand but we also returned 45 lakh units of surplus power. There is no demand-supply gap now. The PSEB, is providing farm sector with minimum of 18 hours of supply daily,” said a senior PSEB official. He said the peak load restrictions have also been done away with in case of industry.

Meanwhile, people alleged they were still being made to bear with “unannounced” power cuts.

Chandigarh, August 7
At the “Shiromani Sahitkar Puraskar” function, which will be held at the Law auditorium of the Panjab University tomorrow by the Punjab Languages Department, there will be a special guest. She is Virendra Sindhu who flew from London to Delhi and reached here late this evening to be present at the function. 

Virendra is the niece of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. At the function, she will be given the Shiromani Hindi Sahitkar Award by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for her book, “Yugdarshata Bhagat Singh” ( Visionary Bhagat Singh). She had authored the book in the late 1960s. It was, in fact, the first authentic book on Bhagat Singh written by a family member.

Virendra Sindhu is the daughter of Kultar Singh, the younger brother of Bhagat Singh. She studied in the Hindi medium because her father had settled in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh in 1950.

Born in 1940, Virendra, settled in London with her husband Naresh Arora, who worked with BBC for about 40 years as a freelance journalist. She grew up meeting her father and uncle Kulbir Singh in jail. During World War II, both Kultar Singh and Kulbir Singh remained behind bars in various jails, including Lahore, Deoli Camp jail and Gujarat for about six years. “Until I was six, I used to go to jail to meet my father and my uncle”, says Virendra.

At the residence of Gulzar Singh Sandhu, Punjabi writer and journalist, Virendra said “My book is a personal as well as historical account of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. I have based my book on several documents, including case files which were available at home, besides the stories narrated to me by my grandmother Vidyawati, aunt Amar Kuar, father Kultar Singh and uncle Kulbir Singh. I was born nine years after Bhagat Singh was hanged to death”, says Sindhu.

She is conscious of belonging to the family of an Indian icon. “Yes, we try to live up to the goals set for us and Indians by Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who was not only a revolutionary but an intellectual who had read Marx, Lenin thoroughly while in jail”, says Virendra.

Chandigarh, August 7
Just over 24 hours before the presentation of awards for excellence in literature and journalism by the Punjab Government, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion for September 17 to the state and other respondents.

The awards are to be presented during a function scheduled to be held at the Panjab University Law Auditorium. Challenging the awards, Panchkula-based petitioner Pradeep Joshi alleged the selectors had chosen themselves for the awards.

The petitioner contended height of moral sickness was reflected from the fact that all awardees were members of the screening committee, the advisory board and the panels constituted to pick up the deserving for the awards for 2007 and 2008. Seeking a stay on the presentation of awards, he asserted that the action of the awardees was against the basic principles of justice and fairness as nobody could be judge in his own case.

Citing instances from the past, he contended, earlier a member would resign from the advisory board, if his name was to be considered for the award.

However, the time-tested traditions were this time thrown to the winds, and the non-official respondents, in an undignified manner, became part of the selection process and ultimately got themselves selected for the awards, the petitioner argued in the petition filed in public interest.

Quoting examples, the petitioner asserted noted writer Jaswant Singh Kanwal and Dr Dalip Kaur Tiwana were selected for “Punjabi Sahit Shiromani Puraskar”, the prize money for which had been doubled from Rs.2.5 lakh.

The petitioner's counsel referred to Supreme Court ruling in A.K. Kripak versus Union of India, 1970, matter where the court had laid down that the selection of a candidate, who was a member of the selection board, was clearly against the principles of natural justice.

The apex court, in the case, had set aside the selection as the selected candidate happened to be a member of the selection board.

Taking up the matter, the Bench of acting Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal also issued notices to state education minister Upinderjit Kaur and others, including Jaswant Singh Kanwal, Dr Dalip Kaur Tiwana, Dr Karnail Singh Thind, Chhotu Ram Maudgil, Dr Ravinder Kaur, G.S. Sidhu Damdami, Dr Jaswinder Singh and Dr Chander Trikha.

Chandigarh, August 7
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice, M.M.S. Bedi, has directed the in-laws of Depinder Kaur Hundal, a Canadian NRI, to bring the 10-month-old infant before the court tomorrow.

The petitioner, Depinder, had filed a habeas corpus petition in the court seeking secure release of her 10-month-old son, also a Canadian citizen, from the custody of her in-laws, an influential Lapoke-based family related to a former Rajasansi MLA. Depinder’s father-in-law Jagir Singh Aulakh’s brother, Veer Singh, is a former MLA, and his son Rashpal Singh is the SHO of the Lapoke police station.

Earlier, the court had directed the respondents to bring the child on August 7. However, the respondents didn’t bring the child on the plea that their counsel was out of station.

Depinder got married to Jatinder Singh Aulakh in November 2006 and had a son, Aviraj, who was born in Quebec, Canada. On March 30 this year, Jatinder died in an accident and Depinder came here to attend his last rites.

It is alleged that on June 22, a day before Depinder was to fly back to Canada along with her son, she found him missing. Her father-in-law informed her that the grandmother, Davinder Kaur, had taken him to a gurdwara. But when they did not return, she was told that they wouldn’t let Aviraj go with her.

When she objected, they asked her to leave and allegedly threatened to get false case registered against her. On July 4, the Lapoke police registered a case against her for deserting her child on the basis of a complaint by her in-laws.