New Delhi, November 3
Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel had to indulge in some active fire-fighting in the Capital after very contrary signals from Mumbai over the participation of the NCP in the Maharashtra government, courtesy party colleague Chhagan Bhujbal.

Hours after Deputy Chief Minister-designate Bhujbal brought the till-now discreet battle of portfolios between the Congress and the NCP in the open, saying his party will extend outside support to the Congress government if the 1999 coalition formula was not continued, senior NCP leader Praful Patel held a press conference here to clarify the party’s stand.

Patel said the NCP will “definitely” be part of the Congress-led government in Maharashtra, but asserted that the NCP will stick to the 1999 berth-sharing formula. According to the 1999 formula, major ministries like Home, Power and Finance were with the NCP. Besides these portfolios, the NCP is also unlikely to part with the Speaker’s post. Interestingly, some Congress leaders have been saying the NCP had conceded the Speaker’s post to the party.

Stating that the NCP had every intention to be a part of the coalition government in Maharashtra, Patel said, “Bhujbal never said we do not want to be part of the government”

“The NCP understands its responsibilities and is ready to work with the Congress to form a government in Maharashtra. We want to work together in the same way we are doing at the Centre. We will soon find a solution (to the standoff),” Patel said, adding that the delay in the formation of the government was only because the two alliance partners wanted “complete agenda to be spelt out so that in the next five years people can enjoy good governance”.

Earlier in the day, Bhujbal said if the Congress did not agree to the power-sharing formula decided in 1999, the NCP would offer an “outside support” instead of joining the government. “We will join the government as soon as the problems are sorted out,” he said after meeting with the Maharashtra Governor SC Jamir. It was a statement that was perceived as a pressure tactic from the NCP to make its senior ally, pressing for more portfolios than last time and important ministries like Home, Finance and Power, take a step back.

Bhujbal and Chief Minister-designate Ashok Chavan held separate meetings with the governor today. The meetings assumed significance as the outgoing Assembly’s term ended on Tuesday and there were also speculations that the NCP leaders were in conversation with other parties. The BJP has already stated it would approach the Maharashtra Governor, demanding imposition of President's Rule in the state.

Patel said the Governor had been informed that the NCP was ready to give all support to the Congress. “We told the Governor that the Congress CM should be sworn in soon. The NCP will support it,” he said, adding that “There are rumours about the NCP talking to other parties. We want to be a part of the (Congress-led) government. There are no two ways about it”

Congress sources say the issue will be resolved as soon as the party’s Maharashtra in charge AK Antony is back in the Capital on November 5. Party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said the issue will be resolved and the two parties will form the government together.

The Congress with 82 seats and the NCP with 62 seats in the 288-member Assembly are locked in a bitter squabble over allocation of portfolios, causing a delay in the forming of the new government. NCP sources indicated that while a consensus had been reached on numbers with the CM’s post plus 21 portfolios for the Congress and Deputy CM r and 20 ministers for the NCP, talks were stuck on some portfolios. “At least 80 per cent of the Cabinet will be the same as the last time. As a junior partner, the NCP has no issues over the so-called propionate representation, ” they added. 

New Delhi, November 3
It is now official. The NC-led coalition in Jammu and Kashmir wants the Central University of the Valley to come up at Rakhe Kujar, close to the state capital and in the heart of Ganderbal, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s home constituency.

The only other site the state has zeroed in for the Kashmir central university is Tulamulla, also in Ganderbal (which has returned the Abdullahs to the assembly except once when PDP wrested it). But the preferred location is Rakhe Kujar, which offers plenty of state government land (4800 kanals) and one that is in the nature of degraded forestland. Tulamulla has little state-owned land.

Sources in the state government today told The Tribune that the preferences would soon be indicated to the Centre, which is urgently awaiting action on the front, with the ordinance to allow two varsities in the state in place for a fortnight now. The Tribune had reported the matter yesterday.

There is, however, still some time to go before that happens and the fact that the zeroed-in locations would have get state cabinet clearance.

“We would be in a position to indicate the sites to the Centre by mid November,” said state sources, adding that the three locations for Jammu Central University - Samba, RS Pora and Nandini Tunnel - had been indicated to Human Resource Development Ministry and central teams awaited for inspection.

But in Kashmir, the sites have been just finalised and would have to first get the cabinet stamp before the intimation is sent to the Centre and site inspection teams invited. The delay, so far, is being blamed on the movement of Durbar from Srinagar to Jammu and the fact that the state had to hunt for the best possible site to avoid loss of time.

“We wanted degraded forest land to avoid diversion of irrigable land for the university. Also, we were searching for state-owned land to prevent the hassles of acquisition,” said state officials.

With delays marking the move, the Centre would certainly face flak for issuing an ordinance when it could have brought a Bill to Parliament, whose winter session commences November 19.

New Delhi, November 3
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also Chancellor of the prestigious Vishva Bharti University, Santiniketan, today stepped in to save the institution from the crisis that has befallen on it. He is slated to meet the institution’s Vice-Chancellor Rajat Kanta Roy for resolution of the issues tomorrow.

Today, the Prime Minister, in an emotional reference to the ongoing agitation against the Vice-Chancellor, said he had been “deeply pained by the turn of events at the Vishva Bharati during the last few days leading to the disruption of academic activities and normal life in the campus.”

The institution has remained shut since October 24 after professors, teachers, staff and students joined hands to seek a high-level inquiry into alleged theft of the CD that contained Tagore’s paintings and unpublished documents. The agitators, spearheading the “Save Visva Bharti” movement, are alleging that the missing CD was illegally handed over to a publishing house in return for a blank cheque, which a senior institution official received.

The PM, for his part, today appealed to the protestors to pull back, and said he would get the matter probed once they allowed normal activities at Vishva Bharti to resume. “I appeal to the agitators to withdraw the agitation. Thereafter, I ensure that an impartial inquiry will be conducted into the circumstances that led to the agitation and the allegations leveled against the university authorities and other concerned entities,” the PM said in a statement.

Professor Roy is, meanwhile, at the centre of the controversy, with the teachers and employees accusing him of corruption and nepotism. The Vice-Chancellor will update the Chancellor on the matter tomorrow.

PM’s intervention in the matter was earlier sought by top academics and political leaders including West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

When Roy meets the PM tomorrow, he is expected to bring along the resolution which executive committee, the highest decision making body of Vishva Bharti, has adopted on the issue.

New Delhi, November 3
China has fired a fresh salvo against the proposed visit of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh from November 8.

“China’s stance on the eastern section of the China-India border is consistent, and we firmly oppose the Dalai Lama’s visit to the region,” Chinese official news agency Xinhua quoted Foreign Minister spokesman Ma Zhaoxu as saying at his regular press briefing.

He went on to say that the Dalai Lama’s decision to visit Arunachal Pradesh exposed his “clique’s anti-China and separatist nature.” Ma said the Tibetan spiritual leader had kept on lying and was engaged in damaging China’s relations with other countries. But he would “not succeed” in all these attempts.

Though New Delhi did not comment immediately on the latest statement from Beijing, it is being seen in diplomatic circles as yet another attempt by China to stall the Dalai Lama’s visit to the north-eastern state. China claims about 90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh along the border as part of its territory.

In the run up to the Dalai Lama’s visit, China has raised the issue with India at almost every forum. It was recently taken up by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao when he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Thailand on the margins of the ASEAN Summit.

Singh, however, categorically told the Chinese leader that the Dalai Lama was an honoured guest of India and was free to go anywhere in the country. He, however, was not allowed to engage in any political activity on the Indian soil.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman also called on New Delhi to reconsider its new visa policy which has driven thousands of Chinese workers on business visas to leave India. Some 25,000 Chinese workers in sectors such as power, communication and petroleum in India are likely to be affected by New Delhi’s new visa policy.

New Delhi, November 3
Rukhsana Kausar, who shot into fame by killing a self-styled commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba recently, has turned down the state government’s offer to join as a special police officer (SPO). Instead, the 20-year-old girl of Shahdra Sharif area in Rajouri, whose bravery act earned her the enmity of the militant group as her house was targeted with a grenade later on, has sought to join either the Army or paramilitary forces.

Demanding permanent employment to accomplish “her mission to serve the nation”, Rukhsana said there was nothing special in SPO’s job as the state government had been offering it frequently to police informers. Moreover, the compensation in the job was meagre, she said.

“Terrorists want to separate Kashmir valley from India, a dream that will never come true. For, Kashmir is an integral part of India and will continue to remain so. We will fight for this cause all through our life,” she said.

Rukhsana along with her brother, Ejaz Ahmed, and parents, Noor Ahmed and Rashida Begum, was on her way to Mumbai to receive ‘Jhansi Ki Rani’ award (instituted by an NGO) when she was asked to stop in Delhi due to security reasons. In Delhi too, the Rajouri girl exhibited her mettle by turning up to address the media despite running high fever. Maninderjit Singh Bitta, the president of All India Anti-Terrorist Front, accompanied her.

After the (militant-killing) act of September 27, said Rukhsana, she and her family faced constant threat from terrorists. The ultras, said she, even attacked her house on October 28 to eliminate her brother Ejaz, who was not home then. “The lives of my brothers and parents are in danger,” she said, urging the government to increase the “inadequate” security provided to her.

Asked why she was only interested in Army or paramilitary job, Rukhsana said :“I’m not asking for Central police force job in lieu of my bravery act. But, I want to serve the nation and lead by an example so that other girls can follow.” 

New Delhi, November 3
The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a chargesheet against a retired Indian Army major general and his wife for possessing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs.3.37 crore.

“The country’s premier investigation agency has filed a chargesheet against Major General (retd) Anand Kumar Kapoor, whose last posting was at Southwestern Command in Jaipur, and his wife Mirdula Kapoor before the special judge in Patiala House Court here on October 26,” a CBI official said.

Kapoor, it was found, had allegedly acquired assets either in his name or in the name his wife - even though she did possess any ostensible source of income - and two children.

According to information, the CBI had registered a case against them in September last, leading to searches at 12 places in Delhi, Gurgaon, Shimla, Jaipur and Mumbai.

Kapoor, during his service of 35 years, had acquired assets that were found “hugely disproportionate” to his known sources of income. 

New Delhi, November 3
Indian Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor today warned of attacks that could be similar to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks last year. While separately he wished that Pakistan was peaceful and stable lest the ill-effects spillover to India.

General Kapoor was talking to reporters after inaugurating the new building of the Directorate General of Information System (DGIS) here as he said: “It is necessary that we take all steps to ensure that another incident similar to Mumbai attacks do not take place again”. The possibility of such an attack cannot be ruled out, he added.

Kapoor opined that a peaceful and stable Pakistan was necessary to India’s security. He refuted Pakistan’s allegations on India’s involvement in aiding terror in Balochistan. “I would just like to say that we want that Pakistan should be peaceful and stable so that its spillover effects are not felt in India”, the General added.

Pakistan has been consistently alleging that Indian spy agencies have been fomenting trouble in restive Balochistan province. Recently US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said there was no evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan.

The new building of the DGIS will finally bring under one roof all the major units which were till date spread all over Delhi. The DGIS, created in 2004, is spearheading the transformation of the Indian Army from conventional warfare to information-enabled warfare. 

New Delhi, November 3
After failing to check the illicit trade of spurious drugs, the Centre today invited commoners to blow the whistle on such practices in return for hefty rewards. Anyone who furnishes information on the malpractice could make up to 20 per cent of the value of consignments seized or Rs 25 lakh per case.

Announcing the features of the “Reward scheme for whistleblowers regarding spurious, fake drugs, cosmetics and medical devices” today, the Health Ministry said the scheme would apply to both informers and officers of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), who wish to nip the evil.

But the reward won’t be a free run, with the Centre clarifying that the money would be paid only if there is a confirmation of the seizure of adulterated and misbranded drugs or cosmetics and medical devices by the designated officers of the CDSCO.

To prevent witnesses from turning hostile in the courts, the government has inducted a rider — 50 per cent of the reward amount would be paid only after the case has been finally disposed of in favour of the government and no appeal is pending in any other court of law in the country.

As for the reward, it will be a maximum of 20 per cent of the cost of goods seized but not more than Rs 25 lakh per case. The government informers will be paid less — not over Rs five lakh per case or a maximum of Rs 30 lakh entirely.

To ensure that the informers are not made to wait till the final disposal of the matter, 25 per cent of the amount would be handed over at the time of filing of the charge sheet in court.

Another 25 per cent will be given to informers after disposal of the case in favour of the government in the first court of law. The remaining will not be paid until the case is favourably decided, sans scope of appeal.

New Delhi, November 3
The BJP replaced Arun Jaitley with Sushma Swaraj as a mediator even as the crisis facing the party and its first-ever government in Karnataka showed no signs of abating today.

Yesterday, Jaitely and party general secretary Ananth Kumar tried persuading, throughout the day, the two brothers Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy, ministers in the government of Chief Minister BS Yedyurappa to give up their demand for the replacement of CM. Reddys want Speaker Jagdish Shettar to be the new CM.

After day-long confabulations, the issue was discussed threadbare by top BJP leaders, including party president Rajnath Singh, Jaitely, Ananth Kumar, Sushma and Ram Lal with Leader of Opposition LK Advani at his residence on Tuesday. Even as Advani reportedly suggested replacing Yedyurappa with Shettar, Rajnath suggested a compromise formula wherein the lone woman minister Shobha Karandlaje, handling rural development portfolio be dropped and a minister of Reddy brothers’ choice be sworn in. BJP insiders allege a close proximity between Shobha and Yedyurappa, whose wife died in mysterious circumstances just before the state Assembly elections last year.

But Reddy brothers, who were instrumental in converting a minority BJP government into a clear majority by buying up MLAs from the Congress and the JD-S, appeared adamant. They denied having agreed to any compromise short of Yedyurappa’s replacement.

“I am firm with my demand... we need better leadership... no one has told me from the party that there will be no change,” said an incensed Janardhana Reddy, while talking to mediapersons. 

New Delhi, November 3
A Delhi Court today issued a bailable warrant against Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh for failing to appear before it to depose in a two-year-old cheating case instituted by him.

Taking a strong view of Singh’s non-appearance before the court, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja issued the warrant against him with a bail amount of Rs 10,000 for December 22 after noting that he had earlier on October 3 and July 13 failed to appear before it for various reasons.

The court’s order came after additional public prosecutor Naveen Kumar submitted that Singh was a complainant in the case and repeatedly failed to appear for recording of his statement.

“He has made a mockery of criminal justice system by not appearing in the court due to one or the other reasons. Coercive action must be taken against him,” Kumar submitted.

Singh’s counsel today deposited cost of Rs 5,000 which was imposed on him on February 20 for his non-appearance. The court had earlier granted him exemptions from personal appearance due to his poor health.

The medical documents in this regard, however, were filed today and those documents bore the date of September 25, a month prior to the date of hearing.

Singh had registered a case against Barun Kumar Verma on June 4, 2007, alleging that he tried to extort money from him in connection with hearing of a case in the Supreme court relating to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Meanwhile, Verma through his counsel Anoop Kumar Sharma filed an application in the court requesting it to dismiss the criminal case on the ground that the complainant had failed to appear before it despite several opportunities. — PTI 

Deoband (UP)/New Delhi, November 3
A top Muslim body today asked members of the community not to recite 'Vande Mataram' on the grounds that some verses of the national song were against the tenets of Islam, sparking condemnation from the BJP.

The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind’s opposition to the recitation of the song came when it supported seminary Darul Uloom's 'fatwa' (edict) which opposes any prayer involving the song.

“The fatwa of Darul Uloom (opposing recitation of Vande Mataram) is correct,” said one of the 25 resolutions passed today at its 30th general session in Deoband in the presence of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

Darul Uloom's fatwa department had issued the edict in 2006, describing recitation of Vande Mataram as anti-Islamic. Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said the resolution was not acceptable and it was against Constitutional provisions.

"During the freedom struggle, it was a motivational song. It should be sung by every patriot," he said The resolution, which was adopted by over 10,000 clerics from across the country, said, "The judgement of the Supreme Court also clearly states that nobody can be compelled to sing Vande Mataram.”

"Patriotism does not require singing of Vande Mataram. We love our country and have proved this several times, but Vande Mataram violates our faith in monotheism that is the foundation of Islam," the resolution said.

The BJP also seized on the approval of resolution to attack Chidambaram, saying his presence has legitimised Jamiat's decision. BJP’s national vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the presence of Chidambaram at the programme "gave legitimacy to the resolution...it is a matter of concern".

Naqvi demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh explain the compulsions behind Chidambaram to attend the programme after the resolution against singing of Vande Mataram was passed.

"We begin our programmes by singing Vande Mataram. But the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind function started with a protest against the national song," Naqvi told reporters in New Delhi.

Naqvi said Chidambaram should have at least said something about the resolution in his speech. "I have a copy of his speech. He has mentioned about Babri mosque demolition and communal riots, but there is no mention of the resolution against Vande Mataram." The resolution sparked a sharp reaction from some groups, which burnt the effigy of Darul Deoband at some places.

In Lucknow, BJP state unit president Ramapati Ram Tripathi said the protest against Vande Mataram was "anti-national and the presence of the Union Home Minister was condemnable".The Jamiat resolution said, "We love and respect the mother, but do not worship her… The house demands that the issue of Vande Mataram should not be deliberately raised for causing communal discord and threat to law and order." The resolution also condemned what it called the exploitation of Vande Mataram for targetting Muslims. — PTI

Deoband, November 3
Terming the demolition of Babri Masjid as an act of religious fanaticism and extreme prejudice, Home Minister P Chidambaram today held communalism in all its forms as deplorable.

Addressing the 30th general session of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind at Islamic seminary at Deoband, the Home Minister hailed the 'fatwa' against terrorism issued by Darul Ulloom at Deoband on February 25, 2008. “I regard that decree as a call to duty to not only Muslims but to all right thinking people. I would urge that more voices be raised, loudly and clearly, against terrorism and all forms of violence."

Asserting that it was the duty of the majority community to protect the minorities, Chidambaram at the same time said adopting the path of violence in the name of religion was equally deplorable.

According to the Minister, a nation could ignore its minorities only at its peril. “The golden rule in a democracy is that it is the duty of the majority community to protect the minority, be it religious, racial or linguistic.”

Elaborating the golden rule, he pointed out that a minority in one place could well be the majority in another place, like Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir or Sikhs in Punjab. "It is a self-evident rule rooted in the universality of human rights. Hence, we have no hesitation in invoking it when Tamils are denied their rights in Sri Lanka or Indian students are assaulted in Australia," he substantiated.

Chidambaram said no one could view Islam as an alien faith as the Muslims were honoured citizens of the country. He urged upon everyone to fight communalism whenever and wherever it manifests itself in word or action, as according to him communalism was the negation of pluralism.

“Communalism also opposes modernity, rejects the idea of civil society, and opposes political freedom to the people,” he said.

“India thus became the most diverse multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-lingual society in human history. That is a matter of pride, especially when we see some countries struggling to come to terms with their new-found diversity,” he said.

He even advised Muslims to take up mathematics and science, and “that fruit of a historical conjunction, English, that will equip our children to build a modern India”.

He said the implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, especially the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM) and Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutions (IDMI) and the setting up of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) provide the best assurance of quality education to Muslim children. 

Patna, November 3
The revelation of Rs 4,000 crore scam in Jharkhand enacted during the tenure of Independent Chief Minister Madhu Koda has put the supporters of his government on the defensive. Koda, an Independent MLA, could don the mantle of Chief Minister of this newly carved state and rule for two years only because parties like the Congress, the RJD and the JMM supported his government whole heartedly. Whenever his government came under a crisis, these three parties bailed him out.

Now that Koda has been branded as the most corrupt Chief Minister, parties opposed to the Congress, the RJD and the JMM are charging them with being hand-in-glove with the ex-chief minister of Jharkhand.

As the raids were carried out against Koda by the central agencies like Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate, the Congress, in a way, has come out of this controversy. The statement of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee saying ‘no one is above the law’ lends further credence to this theory.

On his part, the JMM Chief Shibu Soren has already expressed regrets for having supported the Koda government. Taking lessons from the mistake made in the past, the JMM patriarch went on to suggest that no Independent MLA should ever be supported by the political parties form the government. He has also advocated that no Independent candidate should be allowed to contest elections.

But the RJD and its chief Lalu Yadav who was an ardent supporter of Koda government all along had been maintaining a mysterious silence over this issue all this while.

It was only after the senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi charged the RJD chief with being a beneficiary of the scam enacted by Koda and demanded a parallel investigation into Lalu’s property and assets that Lalu opened his mouth on this issue here today.

Reacting to the charges leveled against him by Modi, Lalu said Modi was trying to take political advantage by tarnishing his image on the eve of Jharkhand assembly elections. Continuing in the same vein, the top boss of RJD said Modi should not forget that Koda was first made a minister by the BJP government led by Arjun Munda. 

Nandigram (WB), November 3
With CPM accusing the Trinamool Congress of having links with Maoists, its chief Mamata Banerjee today dared the West Bengal government to arrest her if the charge is true. “The government should arrest me if I have any link with Maoists. I challenge them,”Mamata told a public meeting here at Sonachura here.

She said, “We don’t want to oust CPM through imposition of President’s rule. The people will do so through democratic means.” Banerjee, who visited Nandigram for the first time after assuming charge as Railway Minister claimed, “The Marxist government will be wiped out in the next assembly election in the state.”

She accused the Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of being the leader of both Maoists and Marxists.“He is the biggest threat to democracy. The state is witnessing a joint venture between Maoists and Marxists.”“The government had given free passage to six Maoists in Nandigram in 2007 and TC leader Nishikanta Mondal was killed by Maoists at behest of CPM last month,” she alleged. — PTI 

Hyderabad, November 3
Alarmed over the poor state of physical fitness among the field staff, the Andhra Pradesh police authorities have decided to impart special training on war footing to improve agility of their policemen.

Those who are on the wrong side of the Body Mass Index will be asked to shed their extra weight in a time-bound manner and get trim or face departmental action.

In a survey on the fitness levels of its personnel, the department found that over one-fourth among them were overweight. Of over 8,000 policemen, nearly 2,000 cops were found obese and suffering from overweight-related problems. When asked to participate in a running race, a majority of them failed.

As a first step in the strategy to improve their fitness levels, a special orientation programme would be held for all constables, head constables and assistant sub-inspectors across the state next month.

Later, teams of 50 to 70 policemen from each district will be given physical training on weight control. They, in turn, will train their colleagues in their districts. A constable from each police station and a head constable from each police circle will be selected for this purpose.

“After the preliminary training, the officers will be given a six-month time to cut their flab and get fit. Otherwise, memos will be served on them,” a top police official said.

The training curriculum for fresh recruits into the police department would be changed to lay more focus on physical fitness, personality development and computer training, state Inspector General of Police (Training) Vinaykumar Singh said.

As part of fitness awareness programme, it has been proposed to deploy weighing machines at all police stations. 

Chennai, November 3
A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking an order to the education authorities to reduce the weight of bags carried by school children to about 10 per cent of their body weight.

Petitioner Vanishree Gnaneswaran said school children were carrying bags weighing more than 50 per cent of their body weight. She said the excess weight exert pressure on the nerves in the neck, which may lead to muscle spasms as well as neck and shoulder pain.

When the child grows up this could lead to major back problems, besides backache and posture problems, the petitioner said.

Heavy school bags were also a cause behind a number of accidents. While getting in or out vehicles, children lose their balance owing to the heavy load upon their shoulders and they are exposed to a greater risk, the petitioner contended.

The petitioner sought a direction to the authorities to instruct all schools not to force children to carry schoolbags with all their books irrespective of their timetable.

She also sought to modify the timetable for students so that they need not carry all books and notebooks daily.

A Division Bench comprising Justices R Banumathi and N Paul Vasanthakumar admitted the petition and ordered the notice. The government pleader took notice on behalf of the official authorities. The court ordered that notice may be given to the Central Board of Secondary Education also.