Chandigarh, August 18
Even though an official word on early Assembly elections in Haryana remained elusive, the first pre-election meeting of the Congress turned out to be a learning experience for its tribe.

For every speaker played teacher to the class of Congressmen, together at the office of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, here today. There was some plainspeaking, a little caution, clash of egos, a dash of advice and loads of praise with the underlying get-ready-for-election message.

Central leader and in charge of Haryana affairs Prithviraj Chavan, urging the Congressmen to be prepared for elections, said the challenge was to wipe out regional parties and those who played politics of caste.

“Earlier, there was one alliance, now there are two and they have to be dealt with. Lots has been done but there’s still more to be done. Let’s begin to create the India of Rajiv Gandhi’s dreams from Haryana,” he said.

Particularly appreciative of Haryana’s efforts to supply power to farmers despite huge cost, he added that the “social ills which ail Haryana, too, need to be done away with”.

Another Central leader, BK Hariprasad, cautioned, “Be wary of overconfidence. Learn from examples of other states and go to your people.”

Discouraging ticket seekers from camping in Delhi, he said, “The ticket is not decided in Delhi. Recommendations come from the state. Those who don’t get the ticket should focus on the sacrificing spirit of our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi,” he stated.

The most fiery speech, however, came from Finance Minister Birender Singh. “There’s no anti-incumbency, only positive vote for us. However, it would do us well to remember that in 1982, we won all 10 Lok Sabha seats and won only five in the Assembly. We ‘lost 31 Assembly seats’ in the recent parliament elections.

The poor are with the Congress but this election comes as an opportunity to give greater representation to them - the Scheduled Castes and the Backward Classes. We lack leaders in this group,” he said.

The minister said the ticket should be given on the “winnability” and loyalty factors. “Each candidate should be tested for loyalty to the UPA chairperson. If we address these issues, the INLD will have to struggle to get even two or three seats. These, too, will be because of our mistakes rather than any advantage they have,” Birender Singh maintained.

Earlier, setting the ball rolling, Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala credited the Congress with changing the political culture in the state, rife with politics of vendetta, corruption and crime in the previous regime.

“The coming of senior leaders from other parties substantiates this. However, there’s no threat from new entrants. There’s no doubt Congress workers and these leaders will go an extra mile to lend support to each other. The Congress will come back to power if you work,” he said.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda summed up for all speakers, emphasising that an election should be fought like any election and the workers should not let complacency creep in. “We must not only guard against outsiders but insiders as well. Our performance in the state speaks for us and is the outcome of teamwork. Besides, a good performance in the General Election reflects in an even better election in the Assembly. However, we must not rest on past laurels and become lax,” he urged.

Chandigarh, August 18
The Supreme Court has stayed a judgement of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) to maintain a proper record of interviews conducted by it.

The commission had declared the result for the posts of headmaster and headmistress on July 7, 2002, after holding a screening test and interviews. The selection was challenged by Anu Radha before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A Division Bench comprising Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Jitendra Chauhan dismissed the petition on July 1, 2009, but issued certain directions to the commission on how it should conduct the interviews in future.

Justice Goel, writing for the Bench, directed the commission “to ensure that proper record of interviews conducted by it i.e. of questions and answers, is maintained in an appropriate form, such as video recording or otherwise, as may be decided by it in all future interviews.”

The commission was further directed to consider the service record of inservice candidates while considering their candidature for appointment to the post of headmaster or any other like post in future selections.

The commission filed a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court, which stayed the operation of the high court judgement.

The SLP contended that the high court’s directions were arbitrary and contrary to the facts and law and these impinged upon the duty and functions of the commission. It further contended that the high court “committed a grave error in wrongly relying upon the Supreme Court judgement in the Ajay Hasia’s case.” It said the apex court had come to the conclusion in this case that the interview held for admission to the Regional Engineering College, Srinagar, was wholly vitiated and admissions made were arbitrary. It was in this context that the Supreme Court had expressed the desirability of taperecording of interviews.

In the present case the high court had not found any fault with the viva voce criteria laid down by the commission. 

Chandigarh, August 18
The high court today ordered the holding of fresh MBBS entrance examination at two centres in Rohtak. The entrance examination was held on June 14, but following the allegations of irregularities during the test, an inter-varsity committee of three professors was constituted.

As the matter came up, Justice Permod Kohli ordered the respondents would hold a fresh examination for the students appearing from centre number 108 and 113 within a week; and fill up the seats provisionally depending upon the merit of the candidates. The centers are in Jat College and Pd NRS Government College.

The Judge also directed the committee to submit its report by September 15 and added the selected candidates already admitted or to be admitted to the MBBS and BDS course from centers other than 108 and 113 shall continue with their studies.

Justice Kohli added the students, who appeared from the two centres and have been admitted to any of the MBBS and BDS course would also continue with the studies provisionally. The vacant seats in any of the MBBS/BDS courses shall not be filled up till further order.

The directions follow a petition by a Bhawani resident, Preeti Sangwan, against Pandit Bhagwant Dayal Sharma Health University at Rohtak and other respondents.

A candidate, she had alleged just 20 minutes after the commencement of the test, a solved question paper arrived.

She claimed one sub-inspector Wazir Singh was on duty outside the centre, while his daughter was taking the test; and the question paper was solved in connivance with two lecturers. The question booklet was later found to be with Wazir Singh, instead of his daughter.

Karnal, August 18
Agitated over the alleged failure of the UPA and the state governments to contain the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and deteriorating law and order situation, BJP workers today held a protest demonstration in front of the mini-secretariat and raised slogans against the government.

Blasting the Congress government for alleged discrimination against northern Haryanvis in recruitment in government jobs and developmental schemes, district BJP president Chandra Prakash Kutharia said the authorities concerned had become immune to the miseries of people.

The people would give a befitting reply to the ruling Congress in the Assembly elections and its dreams to bounce back to power would be shattered, he added.

He said in spite of several announcements, the government had failed to set up Kalpana Chawla medical college in Karnal and added that a medical college was being set up in Jhajjar in place of Karnal to insult the people here.

Rohtak, August 18
A constable of the Haryana police has been arrested on the charge of raping a 15-year-old girl of Bhaini Chanderpal village of Meham subdivision in the district, about 26 km from here.

The cop identified as Surender Kumar is a resident of the same village, but has been posted at a PCR in Gohana town of Sonepat district.

A case under Sections 363, 366 and 376 of the IPC has been registered against the accused.

Sources said the accused cop living in the neighborhood of the victim had an “affair” with the girl. However, he allegedly tried to abduct her on Sunday night.

Police sources said the cop could not succeed in his attempt to abduct the girl due to the intervention of the family members of the victim and locals.

The accused cop fled the spot leaving behind the girl at a spot in the village. He has been reportedly absent from duty since then. Sources said the girl was recovered after being “missing” for a few hours from her house. Later, the girl was sent for a medical examination, which confirmed that she had been raped.

Sirsa, August 18
District and Sessions Judge HP Singh has proceeded on a week’s leave after the District Bar Association passed a unanimous resolution asking its members not to appear in his court.

In a general meeting held on August 12, the District Bar Association had unanimously resolved that “no member of the association and their clerks would appear in the court of HP Singh henceforth”.

The resolution said “the Punjab and Haryana High Court may be requested to withdraw the work from the court and a thorough inquiry may be held regarding his conduct and working”.

The meeting was chaired by Suresh Mehta, president of the association.

The association had written to the Chief Justice of India, the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Inspecting Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard, said Mehta. Members of the association stopped attending HP Singh’s court after the meeting.

“We have demanded transfer or withdrawal of work from the judge and a thorough probe into his conduct,” said Suresh Mehta, while talking to The Tribune.

The judge, who has proceeded on a week’s leave since Monday, however, denied allegations levelled against him and maintained that he had been targeted because he refused to oblige some advocates in certain discretionary matters in the course of his court work.

He said he had a clean record and had proceeded on leave as there was no use of sitting in the court without disposing of court work.

He said he was open to negotiations if the members of the Bar had some genuine grievances.

Chandigarh, August 18
The Union Government has promoted M.L. Sarwan, a retired member of the Haryana Civil Service (HCS), to the IAS with retrospective effect. Sarwan, who has already attained the age of superannuation, will be considered notionally promoted. However, he will get all his retirement benefits as an IAS officer.

Sarwan’s name was included in the zone of consideration for promotion to the IAS for 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998, 1999 and 2000. But the selection committee did not recommend his name for promotion.

On August 5, 2008, the Haryana Government informed the Union Government that the annual confidential report (ACR) of Sarwan for 1994-95 had been upgraded and adverse remarks against him had been expunged from his ACRs for 1997-98 and 1998-99. The state government also requested the UPSC and the Union Department of Personnel and Training to convene a meeting of the review selection committee to reconsider the promotion case of Sarwan.

However, the state’s request was declined.

The Governor had upgraded the ACR of Sarwan and expunged the adverse remarks against him following the directions of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The officer approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which directed the Union Government and the UPSC on December 23 last to convene a meeting of the review selection committee for considering the promotion of Sarwan within three months.

The review meeting recommended that Sarwan should be promoted from 1999. 

Panipat, August 18
The authorities of the main branch of Punjab National Bank today faced a peculiar problem when a woman alleged that valuables worth over Rs 10 lakh had gone missing from her locker which, she alleged, lay open.

Indu Pasricha, a resident of the Tehsil Camp area, alleged that gold (50 gm), the registry of her house and a fixed deposit slip had gone missing from her locker. She, along with her son Kunal, raised the alarm, which brought the working of the bank to a standstill.

However, the bank authorities maintained that it was not possible for anyone to have opened her locker and remove the contents as the locker could only be opened with two keys, one of which remained with the owner and the other with the bank staff.

However, the contentions of the bank staff failed to convince the woman, who alleged that when she checked her locker, she found that it was already open.

The matter was reported to the police following which a team of officials reached the spot and started investigations.

Later, senior police officials, including the SP, reached the spot to look into the matter. The SP asked the city SHO to look into the matter after the Indu submitted a written complaint. The police stated that it would examine the CCTV camera footage to find out any irregularities.

Meanwhile, the bank authorities also ordered a parallel inquiry into the matter to bring the truth to light. The bank manager said strict action would be initiated against anybody found guilty.