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Charges Against Suspended HPSC Members
BJP a divisive force: Gehlot
Gautam quits as MLA
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Hard work will see Tanwar through: Wife
Won’t target Oppn: Hooda
210 left in fray
EC biased, says Chautala
UPA govt’s days numbered, says Ganeshi Lal
Price rise major issue
BSP nominee plays south Haryana card
Engineers given benefit of revised pay scale
Illegal Detention of Minor by Cops
Vikas Parishad in demand
Deepender harps on development
Officials’ negligence costs student dear
Tanwar gets notice
Sarita Case
Non-teaching staff to join KU stir
Impersonator in police net
Traders block traffic
Radio Ecology Centre for Hisar varsity
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Charges Against Suspended HPSC Members
New Delhi, April 22 The suspended members would be at liberty to raise their objections at the time of final hearing of the case that had arisen from a presidential reference to the court, a three-Judge Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan said. The Bench, which also included Justices Lokeshwar Singh Panta and P Sathasivam, posted the next hearing for July 21. President Pratibha Patil had, on July 31, 2008, referred the charges against the nine to the SC “for inquiry and report” whether they could be removed from the office. Under the draft charges, explained to the court by senior counsel Harish Salve, Saini faces the maximum number of nine allegations, followed Dungar Ram, Chattar Singh and Om Prakash Bishnoi (six each). The remaining five members face five charges each. They are Yudhvir Singh, Satbir Singh, Ranbir Singh Hooda, Santosh Singh and Ram Kumar Kashyap. The presidential reference had listed three charges--lack of qualification for occupying their respective position and serious irregularities, non-cooperation in the investigation and misbehaviour. The charges, however, talked about additional lapses, to which senior counsel Shanti Bhushan, appearing for the accused, took exception, stating that the state could not go beyond the presidential reference. Salve, however, said the new charges were an offshoot of the primary allegations. Saini’s appointment, after obtaining the resignation of the then chairman, was aimed at ensuring that he would “further the objectives of the political party then in power. By, thus, conniving in the subversion of the Constitution, he is guilty of misbehaviour under the Article 317 (1) of the Constitution, the draft charges said. Shanti, however, argued that the Article 317(1) had not properly defined misbehaviour. Salve maintained that the charges of misbehaviour, favouritism and nepotism had been framed in order to protect the integrity of the institution. Another main charge against Saini pertained to recommending one Pradeep Sangwan for the post of drug inspector on the basis of a bogus certificate. In this case, Saini was arrested and released on bail. The final investigation report has been placed before the trial court.
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BJP a divisive force: Gehlot
Sirsa, April 22 Hooda, who has been campaigning these days on his Vijay Rath, an air-conditioned luxury bus with a lift to reach its roof, was received on the boundaries of the Sirsa parliamentary seat by Tanwar and a large number of Congress supporters at Bhoda Hoshnak in Fatehabad. HPCC president Phool Chand Mullana, working President Kuldeep Sharma, Virender, a former political secretary to the CM, state Planning Board Deputy Chairman Ranjit Singh, Industries Minister Lachhman Dass Arora, sitting MP Atma Singh Gill, Dura Ram, parliamentary secretary, and several other leaders accompanied Hooda during his road show. The Vijay Rath stopped at Kharakheri, Baropal, Dhangar, Fatehabad, Dariyapur, Gillan Khera, Ding Road, Bhawdin, Moriwala, Bajekan and eventually reached Sirsa, where Hooda addressed rally on the Rania Road, where Gehlot had delivered his speech an hour earlier. Gehlot had left for Jaipur when Hooda reached there and after addressing people, Hooda, too, left for other parts of the district for his road show. Addressing people gathered at stopovers during his road show, Hooda said he had tried to provide the best governance during his four years in office. Talking to The Tribune in his Vijay Rath, Hooda vociferously denied allegations of his opponents, particularly the INLD, that he had discriminated against Sirsa during his regime. “What have they done for Sirsa? They could not pay heed to the old demand of a railway overbridge. The Ottu Lake has also been built in my tenure and they had left Chaudhary Devi Lal University starving for funds, which were eventually released by me to ameliorate its condition and ensure its recognition,” Hooda maintained. Earlier, addressing the rally, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi have big hopes from Sirsa people and it was due to this reason that they have fielded an educated and hardworking person, Ashok Tanwar, from here. Terming the BJP as a divisive force, Gehlot said Congress leaders on the other hand had always made sacrifices for the unity and integrity of the country. |
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Gautam quits as MLA
Jhajjar, April 22 He tendered his resignation to Speaker Raghuvir Singh Kadian, who had come to the rest house here today. Though Gautam did not disclose any reason behind the resignation, he told The Tribune that he had submitted his resignation on his own desire and was still a member of the BJP. His resignation had been accepted by the Speaker, he added. Gautam had been removed as leader of the BJP legislature party after he criticised the poll tie-up with the INLD and wrote several letters to LK Advani demanding that he scrap the alliance. Earlier, the Haryana BJP had demanded the removal of Gautam from the leadership of the BJP legislature party and urged the high command to take strict disciplinary action against him for his public utterances against the party. |
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Hard work will see Tanwar through: Wife
Fatehabad, April 22 Avantika, who has been campaigning for her husband for the past 10 days, was here today to campaign for Tanwar. Avantika says Ashok is so hardworking that he can never fail in whatever field he tries his hand at. “I have known Ashok for years now and even before marrying him, I have been his colleague in the NSUI in Jawaharlal Nehru University and later in the Indian Youth Congress. He is so hardworking, honest and dedicated to his goals that he can never fail,” she says. It was because of his commitment to the party as well as his honesty that AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi has reposed faith in him by nominating him from Sirsa. Avantika is no novice in politics herself. Daughter of a former MP, the late Lalit Maken, she is a granddaughter of former President Shankar Dayal Sharma and has been active in student politics and later in the IYC as its general secretary. |
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Won’t target Oppn: Hooda
Hisar, April 22 Hooda said he was only concentrating on what his government had done for the people of Haryana during the past about four years. The government achievements were enough to carry the people along in the Lok Sabha polls. So, he would not waste his time and energy by harping on opposition parties who had no agenda. The Chief Minister said the government was doing its best to get the SYL canal completed. A separate high court for Haryana was also on its agenda, he said, adding that Chandigarh legitimately belonged to Haryana. Terming the INLD-BJP alliance as “opportunistic, self-seeking and anti-people”, Hooda said the people of Haryana would reject the tie-up hands down.
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210 left in fray
Chandigarh, April 22 The candidates include 14 women with a maximum of three from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, two each from Karnal, Gurgaon and Faridabad. Ambala, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Hisar and Sonepat have one women candidate each. Now, seven candidates have been left in Ambala, 14 in Kurukshetra, 24 in Gurgaon, 29 in Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, 38 in Hisar, 23 in Karnal, 16 in Rohtak, 15 in Sirsa, 23 in Faridabad and 21 in Sonepat. |
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EC biased, says Chautala
Hisar, April 22 Chautala said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was an equally worthless institution which was serving no national interest. He said the CBI had never solved any important case referred to it because it was manned by incompetent and dishonest officers who only carried out the diktats of the political masters. He said the INLD-BJP alliance would sweep the Lok Sabha polls. He said the two parties were natural allies and the tie-up was working smoothly. He said the people of Haryana wanted to get rid of the “corrupt” Congress government. He cautioned people not to miss this opportunity to throw it out lest they regret later. |
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UPA govt’s days numbered, says Ganeshi Lal
Sirsa, April 22 Addressing an election meeting in the Prem Nagar locality of this town today, Ganeshi Lal said the days of the UPA government were numbered now and many of the erstwhile allies of the UPA had already started leaving it. Terming the Congress as the “mother of all corruption”, the BJP leader alleged that the Congress leaders had recently accepted bribe of Rs 600 crore in a Rs 10,000 crore deal of missiles. He called upon voters to cast their votes in favour of NDA nominee Sita Ram on May 7 so that a government headed by Lal Krishan Advani could take over at the Centre. Meanwhile, former MLA Abhey Singh Chautala today visited the Sirsa grain market, where some traders had held a demonstration against the alleged high-handed attitude of the authorities in lifting of the procured wheat and shortage of gunny bags. The traders had also accused officials of government procurement agencies of demanding bribe for lifting the bags of wheat. Deploring the state government of failing to come to the rescue of traders and farmers, Chautala alleged that the Sirsa’s case was not an exception and traders had been suffering due to mismanagement of the government throughout the state. Meanwhile, Rajinder Dhanak, nominee of the HJC (BL), today sought votes in the local grain market. Dhanak was accompanied by Veer Bhan Mehta, district president of the party, and several party workers.
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Price rise major issue
Kurukshetra, April 22 With the incumbent Member of Parliament, Naveen Jindal, having carried out a lot of development work here, his challengers, especially Ashok Arora of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Gurdiyal Singh Saini of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Jaswant Singh Cheema of the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) have so far had no major issues to challenge him on. But with the sudden increase in prices of most food items, Jindal’s opponents finally have something to blame the Congress. With Jindal being widely appreciated for bringing about development in this constituency - not just through his MPLAD funds, but also through his non-profit organisation, his opponents had nothing much to say against him except for pointing fingers at his lavish lifestyle or his emphasis on setting up of gyms, toilets and sports centres in villages rather than providing employment to the youth. Jindal has done pioneering work in getting 80,000 toilets constructed in rural areas here and converting wasteland into public parks through his NGO, the OP Jindal Grameen Jan Kalyan Sansthan. But now, as the other candidates go about their election campaigning, the issue of rising prices is finding many listeners among the electorate. Blaming the Congress for its “wrong policies”, leading to price rise, they are making an emotional appeal to the masses to vote for them so that “they and their parties are able to check hoarding, control prices and bring prosperity to all’. With prices of sugar having shot up to Rs 30 per kg (almost double in a year), pulses to over Rs 60 a kg (up by 25 per cent in a year) and tea leaves at Rs 125 - Rs 160 per kg (up by over 50 per cent ), the issue of rising prices is finding quite a few takers. Said Sushma Rani, a farm labourer in Markanda village on the fringes of Shahabad, “Our incomes have not gone up, but the prices of all commodities have shot up. People like us cannot afford to have two meals a day - considering the high cost of most commodities”. Joginder Pal, an auto-rickshaw driver in Pehowa, said with sugar prices having gone up, they could not even afford two cups of tea a day. “As against Rs 2 per cup, we now have to pay Rs 5 per cup”. |
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BSP nominee plays south Haryana card
Gurgaon, April 22 Hussain said parties, at the time of the elections, made big promises and forgot these later. By ignoring southern Haryana in their regime, these parties did not have moral right to make an appeal to voters. He said the people of the region would teach the Congress and the BJP-INLD alliance a lesson in these elections and their candidates would lose the security deposit. Hussain reiterated, “INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala does development works only in Sirsa, while Bhupinder Singh Hooda takes care only of Rohtak and Jhajjar and former CM Bhajan Lal couldn’t reach beyond Hisar,” and added that its share can only be achieved if BSP supremo Mayawati comes to power at the Centre. He mentioned that if Mayawati becomes the Prime Minister then the people of southern Haryana wouldn’t have to look at the state government and all development works would be done by the Central government. He said his family was in the politics for three generations and his father late Ch Tayyab Hussain had won the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat in 1971, defeating Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and industrialist Nanda. Both candidates lost their deposit and after 38 years the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat has again emerged and this time the people of all communities were giving him support. |
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Engineers given benefit of revised pay scale
Chandigarh, April 22 In their petitions placed before Justice Hemant Gupta, Anil Kumar Aggarwal and other petitioners had earlier contended that the employees were granted the pay scale equivalent to their counterparts in other government departments since the very establishment of the board. On June 2, 1989, the state government decided to revise the pay scale of engineers and doctors. In terms of the state government circular, the board in its meeting held on August 9, 1989, approved the placement of its engineers in the revised pay scale. The board’s decision was referred to the government for authorisation. But, it did not authorise the grant of higher pay scale to the employees of the board and similarly situated employees of some other boards and corporations. The petitioners contended the engineers with other boards and corporations under the Haryana government, including the Haryana Urban Development Authority, the municipal committees, the Improvement Trust and the Haryana State Electricity Board had been granted benefit of revised pay scale with effect from May 1, 1989. The benefit’s denial to the petitioners was wholly illegal and arbitrary. After hearing rival contentions, Justice Gupta asserted: “I do not find any merit in the stand of the respondents in the written statement that revised pay scale has been found admissible to the employees of the board with effect from April 4, 1993, as against May 1, 1989, granted to Subdivisional Engineers of the three wings of the PWD of the state government and some other boards and corporations. “Though the stand of the respondent in the written statement is that revised pay scale has been given keeping in view administrative factors and financial constraints, the details of any of such administrative factors and financial constrains have not been disclosed”. Allowing the petitions, Justice Gupta directed: The decision of the state government in granting revised pay scale with effect from April 4, 1993, is set aside. “The respondents are directed to grant the benefits of circular dated June 2, 1989, as modified, to the Subdivisional Engineers of the respondent-board with effect from May 1, 1989, as in the case of employees of the state government. |
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Illegal Detention of Minor by Cops
Chandigarh, April 22 In an affidavit placed before Justice Rajan Gupta, SP Vikas Arora also denied the allegations of illegal detention. Throwing the blame on the petitioner, the officer said he had not come to the court with clean hands and had concealed material facts. The petitioner, he added, was an accused in an abduction and rape case and had filed the petition just to pressurise the police. Taking on record the affidavit, Justice Gupta also took note of state counsel’s undertaking that the girl, escorted by women police, would be produced in the court on the next date of hearing. The case will now come up for hearing on April 27. In a habeas corpus petition, it was earlier alleged Assistant Sub-inspector-cum-chowki in charge of Bilaspur police station in Yamunanagar district Yashpal Singh had taken the girl in custody in violation of the court orders, and was subjecting her to physical torture. She was, rather, being forced to sever ties with her husband. Counsel for the alleged detainee’s relative had alleged that the protection orders passed by the court were brought to the cop’s notice. Yet, the detainee was taken away. Hisar DC told to take action
Justice Sabina today directed the Hisar Deputy Commissioner, also the returning officer of the parliamentary constituency, to take appropriate action in accordance with the law on the complaint of Subhash, alias Channi of Dewan village. His wife Bateri Devi has filed her nomination papers from the constituency. The petitioner alleged the police has been harassing, humiliating and implicating him in false and frivolous cases ever since his wife Bateri Devi filed her nomination papers as a candidate on April 18. |
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Vikas Parishad in demand
Ambala, April 22 Headed by three-time MLA from the cantonment Anil Vij, hints are being sent across to him for support. The party, which is centric only in the cantonment, will play a crucial role as the cantonment boasts of around 1.33 lakh voters. Vij won the by-elections and was elected as the MLA in 1990. In 1991, on the BJP ticket he lost to the Congress by 9,000 votes. However, in 1996 and 2000 he won as an Independent from here beating candidates of all major parties. In 2005, he lost by a narrow margin of around 600 votes. His party, which is now registered, enjoys popularity in the cantonment. All major parties are now leaving no stone unturned to woo him and his workers. In 1998, he and his workers had extended their support to BSP candidate Aman Kumar Nagra, who had won that time. Since then Vij says they have maintained a neutral stand. However, he still maintains that he will decide at an ‘appropriate time’. Interestingly, though Vij maintains neutral ground here, yet he is helping in the campaigning for BJP-INLD candidate Ashok Arora from Kurukshetra. According to Vij it is purely because of his ‘personal relations.’ However, he is quick to disclose that in the cantonment all parties except the BJP have approached him. Vij’s argument that he is yet undecided as after six months he will be contesting against all parties for the MLA seat and he was not keen to confuse his voters by asking them to vote for any party now and then. |
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Deepender harps on development
Jhajjar, April 22 “This parliamentary constituency has earned a special recognition due to the rapid development of the region. Prestigious projects like the second AIIMS at Badhsa village, the Rohtak-Jhajjar-Rewari Railway Project, etc are indicative of the winds of change blowing in this region,” said Deepender, adding that it had been his dream to transform this area into an active hub of commercial and industrial activities on the pattern of Gurgaon. He said he had made efforts to bring renowned educational institutions like IIM to this parliamentary constituency so that the younger generation can get quality education. Further, the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has put Haryana on the fast-track of development. Ridiculing the opposition parties for their lack of vision vis-a-vis the future development of the state, Deepender said these parties had cobbled up an opportunistic alliance. He regretted that the opposition parties were playing upon casteist, communal and divisive issues. The Congress is the only party which has an all-inclusive agenda taking care of every section of society, he maintained. Former minister Dhirpal Singh, who recently joined the Congress, said the opposition parties were opposing important public interest measures taken by the state government. He described these parties as an unprincipled lot.
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Officials’ negligence costs student dear
Karnal, April 22 Meenakshi did not receive her roll number and got a “duplicate Roll No” issued for appearing in the examination, but the varsity officials put the date of examination as April 24, 2009, whereas the examination was to be held on April 21. Ishwar, grand father of the girl, said it was not a mistake but a serious act of omission and callousness which had cost her grand daughter dearly. Who would be responsible for this loss and how the varsity would compensate it, he asked. Meenakshi, who was in tears showed the duplicate slip with Roll No 507920 and April 24, 2009, as date of the examination in the admit card, said she was not in a position to know that who was responsible for this goof up and what was the remedy. |
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Tanwar gets notice
Fatehabad, April 22 SK Chahal, SDM, Ratia, and assistant returning officer for the Ratia Assembly segment of the Sirsa seat, has served a notice asking him to show cause why action under the model code of conduct be not initiated against him. The SDM has sought reply from the Congress nominee by April 24. |
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Sarita Case
Ambala, April 22 The CBI had filed an additional chargesheet in the Sarita suicide case last month in the CBI court in which it allegedly held responsible five police officials, including then DSP Dheerj Setia and CIA inspector Pawan Kumar for the suicide of Sarita. Sarita, a resident of Rohtak, had committed suicide outside the Police Headquarters in Panchkula on June 9 last year. |
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Non-teaching staff to join KU stir
Karnal, April 22 The university teachers boycotted the classes and other administrative work for the third day today and staged a dharna and demonstration to attract the attention of the authorities towards their demand. President of KUNTEA Karan Singh announced that the non-teaching staff would also boycott the work in the university tomorrow and participate in the demonstration. Prof NS Kaushal, President, KUTA and HFUCTO, said the insensitive attitude of the government was making the teachers restive. The teachers are prepared for a long drawn battle and the government should not test their patience and implement the UGC scales in toto immediately, he cautioned.
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Impersonator in police net
Panipat, April 22 In his complaint, Satprakash had stated that Yashpal told him that he should give him Rs 2,000 monthly or face dire consequences as he held an important position in the North India Anti-Corruption Cell and could initiate strict action against him. After receiving the complaint, the police started investigations and found that no North India anti-corruption cell existed now. The police said the registration of the North India Anti-corruption cell had expired on January 31, 2008, after which it had not been renewed. Following this, the police registered a case against Yashpal and placed in under arrest. He was later produced before a local court which sent him to police remand till April 24. According to the police, another similar case, registered in 2007, was also pending against him when he had impersonated as general secretary of the All-India Youth Congress and a relative of senior officials in the government and had demanded Rs 3,500 from Gulshan Kumar Bhatia.
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Traders block traffic
Sirsa, April 22 Long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the road as the traders refused to lift the blockade till their demand of smooth procurement of the wheat was met. Gurdial Mehta, a senior INLD leader and former president of the Grain Market Traders Union, alleged that farmers had been waiting for the procurement of their crops for the past 20 days, but the authorities had not been doing anything to mitigate their woes. |
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Radio Ecology Centre for Hisar varsity
Chandigarh, April 22 The DAE has sanctioned Rs 5.11 crore for the project, out of which Rs 3.41 crore has already been received by the university, an official spokesman of the university said here yesterday. Research on demographic research, water and air quality research, base line studies on radiations, radiation dose due to natural and fallout radioactivity, radiological assessment of exposure to terrestrial and aquatic non human biota in the vicinity of future nuclear power plant sites, would be done at the REC. The research work would be conducted in association with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Board of Research in Nuclear Science, and Nuclear Power Corporation Of India, all of which are based in Mumbai.
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The election campaign of Congress nominee from the Sirsa (reserved) parliamentary seat Ashok Tanwar received a twin-booster today through a road show of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda
Fatehabad, April 22
Former Haryana minister and senior BJP leader Ganeshi Lal today alleged that the Congress had treated the Sirsa (reserved) seat as an “orphan” and has thrust upon its electorate a candidate, who was not only an outsider but also had a “criminal background.”
Addressing an election meeting in the Prem Nagar locality of this town today, Ganeshi Lal said the days of the UPA government were numbered now and many of the erstwhile allies of the UPA had already started leaving it.
