New Delhi, September 27
The Supreme Court has ruled that circumstantial evidence can, in some cases, “constitute a chain even stronger than an eyewitness account” despite the absence of any motive for the crime, facilitating conviction of the accused.

“It is true that in a case of circumstantial evidence motive does have extreme significance,” but it was not correct to say conviction cannot be made on circumstantial evidence in the absence of motive, Bench comprising Justices Harjit Singh Bedi and JM Panchal observed.

The Bench made the remarks while confirming the death sentence awarded to a person convicted for murdering his wife, four minor daughters and a son on August 19, 2005.

Recalling the circumstantial evidence in the case, the court said all factors “are undoubtedly circumstances, but they are so evidently categoric that they constitute a chain even stronger than an eyewitness account.”

The convict and the victims were the only occupants of the room at the time of the crime and, therefore, it was incumbent on him to have tendered some explanation in order to avoid any suspicion as to his guilt, it explained.

The Bench said it was “therefore, of the opinion that conviction of the appellant on the charge of multiple murders is fully justified.”

Dismissing the convict's appeal, the Bench, however, underlined the need for the government disposing of mercy petitions within a reasonable time. Keeping mercy petitions in a limbo made it difficult for the convict and his kin to “get on with life”, the court explained.

New Delhi, September 27
In a verdict that will benefit landowners across the country, the Supreme Court has ruled the government cannot reduce the compensation amount to owners of narrow strips of land on the plea that these have no “development potential”. Such a contention “is illogical and cannot be accepted”, a bench comprising justices RV Raveendran and B Sudershan Reddy observed in an order dismissing a petition filed by the Goa government.

The state government had contended it had acquired 2,175 square metres of land along the highway, but it was narrow in width and fell within the 40-metre margin from the centre of the road where construction was prohibited. Hence, it said, it would pay the owner less compensation as the land had no development potential.

The government should determine the value of such land after annexing or merging it with the land to its rear, the bench said.

“In that event the strip of land will become the access to the rear-side land from the main road and will also become the frontage of the aggregate land, thereby enhancing the potential and value”, the apex court explained.

The bench also rejected the state's plea that statutory benefits like solatium under section 23(2) and an additional amount under section 23(1A) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and interest should be factored into the compensation amount. If this was not done, the “compensation would bloat up having severe financial implications”, the state had argued.

Hyderabad, September 27
Over three weeks after the death of Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, the battlelines are being drawn between the “Jagan-for-CM” campaigners and their detractors in Andhra Pradesh Congress over the succession issue.

With the party high command maintaining stoic silence over the demand for anointing YSR’s son Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy as the Chief Minister, his supporters are growing restive.

A group of activists, claiming to be members of “Jagan Yuva Sena”, torched two RTC buses in the coastal city of Rajahmundry today. Such is the level of desperation among Jagan loyalists that they have been disrupting the party’s membership drive across the state.

The reports of party workers going berserk, ransacking the offices, confronting the district level leaders and obstructing the membership drive in various districts have come as a major embarrassment for the central leadership.

The attack on Khammam district Congress office by supporters of Jagan yesterday has triggered an open confrontation between supporters and critics of the young MP. During the attack, the posters of the party President Sonia Gandhi were damaged.

Taking a serious note of the development, the AICC General Secretary and Rajya Sabha member K Kesava Rao demanded immediate arrest of the attackers and action against the party leaders who engineered the trouble.

Rao, a known detractor of YSR, assailed pro-Jagan lobbyists for trying to blackmail the high command. “Sonia Gandhi is supreme in the party. It is because of her encouragement and support that YSR could become CM,” he said.

Another YSR critic and AICC secretary V Hanumantha Rao also condemned the Khammam incident and warned Jagan’s supporters against indulging in blackmailing tactics.

“Let them plead their case before the high command. We should all abide by the decision of the high command,” he said.

Two Congress MPs Madhu Yashki Gowd and Harsha Kumar, who are also opposed to Jagan’s candidature for CM’s post, made it clear that the leadership issue would be decided by the high command.

“The party is more important than Jagan or any individual. All those who are pressurising the high command to make Jagan the next Chief Minister should realise that they have won on the Congress symbol and because of Sonia Gandhi’s blessings,” Harsha Kumar said.

After snubbing the “Draft Jagan” campaigners, the party high command appears to be slowly tightening its grip over the state unit.

On one hand, it is sending out strong signals that Chief Minister K Rosaiah is here to stay and on the other giving a free hand to the APCC Chief D Srinivas on organisational matters.

Mumbai, September 27
Central intelligence agencies have warned of a major terrorist attack in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, ahead of the Assembly elections. Following an advisory issued to the state government, security has been tightened at all major installations in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, police sources said here.

According to officials here, senior state and Centre-level politicians of all the major parties have been warned to take adequate precautions.

Politicians are most vulnerable when they address rallies back to back during the election campaign. The warning issued to the state noted that terror organisations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) could carry out attacks on the lines of the November 26 attacks of last year. The Navy and the Coast Guard have also been asked to remain vigilant in case of a sea-borne attack.

Last week, John Brumby, the Prime Minister of Victoria, Australia, skipped Mumbai after being warned of an imminent terror attack in either September or October. Similar warnings have also been issued by the government of Israel.

As a precautionary measure, traffic restrictions have been re-imposed outside certain railway stations in Mumbai.

New Delhi/Raipur, September 27
Airport authorities are on the lookout for Chinese nationals who have fled from a Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) plant in Chhattisgarh, after an under-construction chimney collapsed killing 45 persons, but no one has been detained till now, officials said today.

“About 70 Chinese nationals, mostly engineers, have left Korba town amid rising death toll of workers,” a police source said.

The Chinese nationals were employed in Korba town, 250 km north of Raipur, by Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO) - a China-based company that was given the contract to construct a 1,200-MW thermal power plant.

SEPCO, in turn, had given a contract to Gannon Dunkerley and Company Ltd for construction of a 275-metre-high chimney for the plant that caved in. So far, 45 bodies have been retrieved from the debris of the chimney scattered over a large area.

Several workers are still feared to be trapped in the rubble. — IANS

Jhargram (WB), September 27
Tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato, who was arrested yesterday near Lalgarh where he had been leading an agitation against alleged police excesses since last November, was today remanded to police custody by a special court till October 1.

The Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate also remanded eight others to police custody. Mahato, an alleged ally of the Maoists, was booked for three offences, including setting fire to Jhargram police outpost and torching of several police stations.

Mahato, chief of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities, who had evaded police arrest ever since he started the anti-police stir in Lalgarh, was caught at Pirka while he was giving an interview.

Mahato, who was kept in the Midnapore police lines after his arrest yesterday, was brought to Jhargram amid tight security this morning. Initially, he was taken to Jhargram police station from where he was taken to the court around noon. — PTI

New Delhi, September 27
“Broken dreams and a wrecked marriage” sum up the nightmarish predicament of many young Indian women who tied the knot with men residing abroad and were later abandoned, and who are still trying to come to terms with their shattered lives. 

Though scattered instances come to light many others are suppressed due to upsetting the conservative social mores in the country.

The NRI cell of the National Commission for Women (NCW) now plans to sensitise people about the pitfalls on marrying their daughters to NRIs, which has become a trend among most Indian families.

Complaints received by the cell suggest Gujarat, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh to be the most affected, refuting the existing notion that Punjab leads the country in such cases.

According to the NRI cell’s Ajay Kumar, since divorce in the former states is not considered to be a taboo, most women try to start anew by remarrying after their marriages with NRIs fail. However, in Punjab and Haryana most women still prefer to avoid drawing attention to their plight due to fear of social ostracism, he told The Tribune.

Attesting to this fact are several cases like that of Gurdeep (name changed) hailing from Mohali and married to a US-based Indian from Faridabad in 2006, who had the least idea what destiny had in store for her.

She lost her father in 2008 due to her in-laws’ continued harassment, as alleged by her and, in 2009, was thrown out of the house in America as there was nothing more that she could offer as dowry.

Gurdeep, who now lives with her mother in Mohali, has been battling for her rights with the support from an NGO, SEWA, back in the US. “She was here for counselling yesterday and we’ve taken up her case with the concerned authorities,” said Ajay.

NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said the NRI cell would function as a nodal agency for dealing with complaints regarding NRI marriages. “The body has been nominated as the coordinating agency at the national level for dealing with issues pertaining to NRI marriages by the overseas Indian affairs ministry,” she said.

Since its inception the cell has received 25 complaints of women who had married NRIs residing in the US, Britain and Europe. This year, before the cell was launched, 16 such cases came up, while in 2008 44 cases were registered with the NCW’s complaint & investigation cell.

Earlier, such cases were dealt by a multiciplity of agencies - the ministries of external affairs, overseas and Indian affairs, home affairs and law & justice - due to which unnecessary delays were incurred in resolving them. To remedy this the NCW has been mandated to take up the task.

Guwahati, September 27
The Arunachal Pradesh government has clarified that there was no restriction in force on movement of civilian traffic to the high altitude Monastery town of Tawang near Chinese frontier from Bhalukpung at Assam -Arunachal Pradesh boundary and tourists are welcome as usual.

The period of October-November is the peak tourist season in Tawang which remains snow capped during December-March. “The inflow of tourists has already gained momentum,” said Tokem Pertin, the District Information officer in Tawang.

The official informed the administration in Tawang has been flooded with inquiries regarding ‘restriction’ on that movement of traffic between Bhalukpung and Tawang because of movement of Army vehicles in view of ‘looming threat’ from Chinese Army along the frontier near Tawang as reported in the media.

“But the ground reality is that there is no such restriction on movement of traffic along the Bhalukpung-Tawang Road. There is hectic booking of hotels by tourists and the district is expecting visit of large number of tourists during this season,” he informed.

Agriculture and animal husbandry are the fundamental means of livelihood for local Monpa tribe in Tawang region.

Meanwhile, the Centre is showing urgency in rapid economic development of the people in Tawang district over which China is known to keep a hawkish eye.

According to sources in the hill state, the Centre desires for proper implementation of NREG in Tawang district having a population of over 40,000 living spread in 2,085 square kilometer area.

The Deputy Commissioner of Tawang district, Gamli Padu, recently held a review meeting on implementation of NREGA in presence of the block development officers (BDOs) and project directors (PDs) of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).

The BDOs were instructed to plan the implementation of NREGA in such a way that 60 days employment could be provided to every registered rural household in the district during the remaining part of the current financial year so that maximum fund under the programme from the government of India could be received in the next financial year. The block officials have been instructed to prepare labour budget for the next financial year (2010-11).

New Delhi, September 27
Eight decades and 30,000 songs later her voice continues to inspire a nation. As Lata Mangeshkar turns 80 tomorrow, everyone in Bollywood queued up to wish her.

The Bharat Ratna awardee, who has lent her voice to songs in over 20 Indian languages, is known for her quest for perfection and undying spirit.

From light classical music to film songs and from ghazals to bhajans and pop, she has sung a variety of numbers. Having worked with almost all top music composers and singers in the industry, Lata has also featured in the Guinness Book of Records from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. — IANS

Jaipur, September 27
Even as the expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh is planning to garner support of the Rajput community by holding meetings in Jodhpur and Barmer in the next few days, his efforts already seem derailed especially after the snub that he received from former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

The way Shekhawat cold shouldered Jaswant Singh when the latter paid a visit to him early this week has not only raised many brows in the state’s political circles but has also divided the Rajput community over the issue of supporting the BJP leader.

Shekhawat minced no words in telling Jaswant not to drag the community into politics. He also asked him and his supporters to raise the issue of his expulsion at the “proper forum.” He even urged Jaswant to introspect and consider returning to the party fold.

Many of Jaswant’s sympathisers were taken aback by Shekhawat’s volte-face on the issue. Interestingly, a few days ago the latter had met Jaswant in New Delhi to express his solidarity.

The meeting between the two leaders had sent ripples in the BJP, which apprehended that if the duo joined hands they would make a severe dent in the party’s Rajput vote bank. However, Shekhawat’s snub to Jaswant has fuelled speculations about changing equations in the party.

There is a feeling in the BJP that Shekhawat’s advice to Jaswant of not involving the community in his expulsion issue is a move aimed at reviving the sagging political fortunes of his son-in-law Narpat Singh Rajvi, who is an MLA and a contender for replacing Vasundhara Raje Scindia as the Leader of the Opposition.

However, this is not the first time that Shekhawat has refused to support the community. At the time of Roop Kanwar sati incident in 1987, he had not only spoken against the sati system but had also declined to support or defend the accused who belonged to Rajput community, earning the wrath of the community members.

What has also come as a surprise is the former Vice-President’s indifference to the BJP affairs. It was after a long time that he didn’t openly criticise the party decisions and instead turned down each query related to the party affairs by simply saying, “I’m not a member of the party”.

On the other hand, a section of Rajput leaders are unperturbed by Shekhawat’s refusal to support Jaswant and say they would rally around the latter while dubbing his expulsion as “another instance of discrimination against a Rajput leader.”

“It is not only about Jaswant Singh. The BJP has not been treating other leaders of our community well. While Raje has been asked to step down, Rajendra Rathore and Devi Singh Bhati have been served notices,” rued Mahavir Singh of Pratap Foundation, a Rajput body.

Patna, September 27
Concerned over the growing inflow of fake currency notes into the country from across the border, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), a paramilitary outfit deployed to guard the porous Indo-Nepal border, has installed fake currency note detecting machines on all its border outposts (BOPs).

The SSB men had seized fake Indian notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination to the tune of Rs 5.9 lakh between January and September 21 this year from the border areas. Other than fake currency, the SSB had also made substantial seizure of contraband goods, narcotics, explosives and arms and ammunition, besides banned forest produce and wildlife articles being smuggled into the country from across the border.

According to Shyam Singh, IG of SSB's Frontier Headquarters located here, the facility to detect fake currency notes was also being offered to the locals, including businessmen and traders residing in the bordering areas free of cost.

Any one wanting to verify the authenticity of his/her currency notes could contact the SSB personnel at any of its BOPs or sector and battalion headquarters, the IG said.

In order to create awareness about this facility available at all the BOPs of SSB, the organisation was also arranging special camps at different cattle fairs being held in the bordering villages where these machines are installed for the benefit of people buying and selling their cattle.

Altogether 11 battalions comprising over 11,000 personnel were manning the 726 km-long Indo-Nepal border spread across seven districts of Bihar through its 191 BOPs.

The average distance between two BOPs is about 4 km. Besides, the SSB had recently deployed two companies of its newly raised woman battalion in two of its sectors in the state. Their job is to frisk the suspected women passing through the border.

The SSB plans to increase its concentration on the border by setting up more BOPs, improving its infrastructure, including mobility and communication system. The state government has already provided land to the SSB on payment for establishing permanent structures at 53 of its BOPs and three battalion headquarters. The process of land acquisition was on for the remaining BOPs and Battalion HQs in Bihar, the IG informed. 

Meanwhile, nomination papers of 58 Congress, 19 BJP 35 NCP, three Janata Dal United, 27 Trinamool Congress, 11 People’s Party of Arunachal and 14 independent candidates were found to be valid after scrutiny. 

New Delhi, September 27
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) should involve its employees in any petition against the Employees State Insurance Corp's (ESIC) demand for making contributions to health insurance.

Any employer filing a petition under section 75 of the ESI Act, 1948 should not only implead ESIC but also include some of the workers concerned or the trade union in the case, a bench comprising justices Markandey Katju and AK Ganguly clarified.

"If that is not done, and a decision is given in favour of the employer, the same will be in violation of the rules of natural justice. After all, the real concerned parties in labour matters are the employer and the workers. The ESI Corp will not be in any way affected if the demand notice sent by it under section 45A/45B is quashed."

The bench made the ruling last week while setting aside the judgments of the Delhi High Court and the ESI court. The Supreme Court remanded the matter back to the latter for deciding the case afresh after impleading the BBMB workers or their union.

The ESI court had decided the case in favour of the corporation, but the high court had on November 14, 2202 ruled that the board "is not liable to make any contribution towards the ESI Corp" as its substations "are not factories within the meaning of the ESI Act."

It must be remembered that the act was meant for giving medical benefits to the workers as per section 46 of the relevant law.

"Hence the principal beneficiary of the ESI Act is the workmen and not the ESI Corp. The ESI Corp is only the agency to implement and carry out the object of the act and it has nothing to lose if the decision of the Employees Insurance Court is given in favour of the employer," the apex court explained.

Lucknow, September 27
Following the footsteps of party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh have decided to spend time in Dalit localities.

“On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2, all district committees have been directed to organise conventions in Dalit localities and community lunch in slums,” party’s chief spokesman Subodh Srivastava said.

He said district-level leaders have been asked to visit Dalit localities and interact with the people regarding their problems. “The leaders have been asked for a night stay in dalit localities,” Srivastava said.

Similarly, block level leaders have been directed to organise ‘chaupals’ in Dalit-dominated villages in their respective areas. Rahul Gandhi recently undertook a surprise visit to certain eastern UP districts and spent a night at the house of a Dalit village head in Shravasti district. — PTI

New Delhi, September 27
There are no takers for Varun Gandhi in this round of Assembly elections. BJP Pilibhit MP and the scion of Nehru-Gandhi family, who created a sensation in the last general elections by using aggressively derogatory language against Muslims and attained overnight fame, causing considerable confusion in the BJP, was much in demand then and the BJP candidates from across the country were sending in requests for Varun to campaign in their respective constituencies.

This time, however, there seems to be no takers for Varun Gandhi, perhaps because he is still facing court cases in respect of those inflammatory speeches and the candidates appear to be wary of inviting trouble via Varun Gandhi.

In any case, Varun Gandhi is currently touring the USA. Interestingly, the man in charge of election campaign is none other than BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the man who had reacted immediately to Varun’s indiscreet language and had asked the BJP to take note of Varun’s vituperative utterances.

Naqvi on Friday listed the leaders, who are in demand for campaign in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh. The greatest demand is for Sushma Swaraj, who is slated to address five meetings in Maharshtra and three in her home state Haryana. Next in the line of popularity is Gujarat Chief Minister Narednra Modi, who would also address five rallies in Maharashtra and two in Haryana.

Rajnath Singh is the president of the BJP and this is going to be his swan song as the party president. So, he got the largest piece of the cake with four rallies in Maharashtra, four in Haryana and two in Arunachal Pradesh.

So far, there had been a lot of speculation whether LK Advani, on a notice to vacate the front row of the BJP, would also be invited to campaign for the party. But he is going to do it and would address four meetings in Maharashtra, but just two in Haryana.

Arun Jaitley would address three rallies in Maharashtra and three in Haryana and M Venkaiah Naidu three in Maharashtra, two in Haryana and two in Arunachal Pradesh.

Asked about Varun, Naqvi said on Thursday, “If need be, he can be asked to campaign” but added in reply to another question that so far no one has made a request for Varun Gandhi.”

The BJP is going to these polls in a considerable demoralised state, beset as it is with infighting among its top leaders and pressure from the RSS to effect an immediate change in the party.

Chennai, September 27
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s much-publicised World Tamil Conference scheduled to be held in January next year, is in danger of reducing itself into a DMK conference, with the opposition parties as well as Tamil nationalist groups opposing it, citing the pathetic condition of Sri Lankan Tamils who hosted the fourth conference in 1974 as the reason.

As the principal leader of the opposition and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa questioned the timing of the conference, the state unit of the BJP threatened to hold a protest before the conference venue at Coimbatore, if the plight of the island Tamils remained unchanged.

Tamil nationalist outfits including “Naam Thamizhar” (We are Tamils) led by popular film director Seeman too opposed the move saying that it was not necessary at this time.

Joining the Tamil nationalist groups, Jayalalithaa said the announcement had come at a time when Tamils all over the world were in extreme grief over the bitter end to the self-determination struggle of Sri Lankan Tamils.

The island Tamils were living in refugee camps in their own homeland and their struggle for self-determination had been ruthlessly crushed by the Lankan government with military aid and moral support provided by the Union government, in which Karunanidhi's party was a major component, she said. Karunanidhi did not raise his voice and did nothing to stop the genocide, she charged.

“Karunanidhi’s son Azhagiri, who is a Union Minister, is not able to speak in Parliament, since he is not allowed to speak in Tamil. Karunanidhi is still backing a Central government which has heaped such a indignity on the Tamil language and Tamil people”, she said. "Karunanidhi is not able to do as much for Tamil as he has done for his sons and grand nephews", she said.

BJP State president L Ganesan, said Tamils living in internment camps in Sri Lanka should be settled in their native places before Pongal Day (celebrated on January 14 or 15). The party would hold an agitation before the Tamil Conference venue, if Tamils were not rehabilitated.

P Nedumaran, the convenor of the Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement and MDMK leader Vaiko, who wield considerable influence with Tamils living abroad have not expressed opposition to the conference. 

Agra, September 27
A 62-year-old Australian who counts Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda as his gurus is leading a campaign here to turn the Taj Mahal city of Agra sparkling clean. Remco van Santen, who has been motivating and leading cleanliness drives with school children across India, says the time has come to overhaul Agra, India's most popular tourist destination.

Of Dutch origin, van Santen feels it was unfair to expect the authorities to do the cleaning job. Citizens need to chip in too.

"My Clean India campaign is all about empowerment and creating grassroots democracy through active involvement of youth," van Santen told IANS.

"Through community campaigning, discussions and other group activities, we want to drive home the message that cleanliness is everybody's business. Without waiting for governmental agencies' intervention, people voluntarily and spontaneously learn to act on their own to change the state of affairs," he said.

The man quickly added: "Mahatma Gandhi is (my) inspiration."

Agra, about 200 km south of New Delhi, is home to one of the most beautiful monuments — the 17th century Taj Mahal built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz. The marble marvel is a must see for virtually every tourist visiting India. Even in sweltering heat, the Taj attracts hundreds of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists.

Yet, Agra is a complete opposite. Critics say it is one of the dirtiest urban centres in India.

Agra has expanded rapidly without much planning, leading to residential and business areas that lack civic amenities. Diesel generators, diesel vehicles and numerous tanneries add to high levels of air pollution.

As it flows into Agra, the river Yamuna is hugely contaminated —because 80 per cent of the city's sewage flows into it. Choked drains and piled up garbage are common sights.

Van Remco said: "Each one of us should resolve to not only reduce garbage production but also learn to dispose 
it of in a proper manner. Let us learn to live in a clean and healthy environment. My Clean India 
campaign is about helping people empower themselves through community service."

Van Remco has already been to more than a dozen Indian cities including Nainital, which he says looks a lot more greener now, Ajmer, Lucknow, Allahabad, Chennai and Haldwani.

The second phase of My Clean Agra campaign was launched Friday. Asked why he chose India for community work, van Remco said: "I have wasted my life running after material gains, running after the carrot dangled before us without satisfying the soul.

"In Australia, there is only anger and depression, no soul. People in India I can relate to. There is so much work to be done here."

In Agra, van Remco has one message for the young. On Friday, 
he told an attentive audience at St Peter's College: "Agra is your city, you have a stake in it. If you don't act now, it will 
be too late.

"The city of the Taj should send out a message to the whole country that filth and garbage in our neighbourhood and in our minds will not be tolerated any more.

"Agra is a pearl, but the shell is dirty. You dust and clean the outer layers, and the real sparkling pearl would be there for the world to see." — IANS

New Delhi, September 27
Adherence to Indian laws, including on reservation, would be one of the pre-requisite conditions for foreign universities interested in setting-up their campuses, says HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, who favoured 100 per cent ownership for these international institutes.

The ministry has already prepared a draft bill dealing with the issue, which it expects to put before the cabinet soon. Giving details of the draft bill on Foreign Education Providers, Sibal said they also needed to take clearance from the accreditation committee for quality control.

“Reservation laws, as applicable to Indian institutes, will be applicable to the foreign institutes. There will be no discrimination,” Sibal said when asked if these universities are expected to implement quota. The Central Educational Institutions, except minority institutions, have quota for Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the ratio of 27 per cent, 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent, respectively.

Asked whether the international universities will have 100 per cent ownership of the campuses, Sibal said "why not". "If there is 100 per cent ownership of private sector here, why not 100 per cent ownership of foreign universities," he said.

Sibal has also made it clear that no foreign institute will be allowed to take back home the surplus income generated at their campuses in India. The surplus has to be spent for the expansion of the campus within the country. Asked if there will be objections from political parties to the provision of 100 per cent ownership to the foreign universities, Sibal said objections are welcome on any issue. — PTI