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BARC boss in trouble over scribes’ visit
Fatwa against Shoaib, Sania for ‘un-Islamic’ acts
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Tintin tales now in Hindi
Domestic Violence Act
Jagan embarks on mass-contact programme
B’desh pledges to evict N-E insurgents from its soil
Justice Khehar’s transfer to Karnataka HC put on hold
Lawyers meet CM over Dinakaran’s transfer
Sikh body for withdrawal of blacklist
Maya rehabilitates ‘powerful’ IAS Pandey
Defence Ministry for better facilities in residential areas
Senior booked in scientist suicide case
LTTE supporters introduce Tiger as party flag
Rangali Bihu
Big defence budget necessary, says PC
Sonia gives up plans
to visit Kumbh
Bomb scare on Jet Airways flight
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BARC boss in trouble over scribes’ visit
Mumbai, April 11The visit of two foreign journalists to the high-security Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) here has raised the hackles of the security establishment.The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked BARC Director Srikumar Banerjee to explain how the journalists were allowed to photograph the facility during their visit and whether formal permission was granted for filming, official sources said. In his reply, Banerjee has reportedly said that formal permission was neither sought nor granted but explained that the journalists were allowed to take photographs only from the outside and that they were accompanied at all times by BARC security officials. Banerjee has explained that photographs of the building are easily available on the Internet and that the scribes clicked only the external view of the reactor building. This explanation does not seem to have satisfied the ministry, nor is Banerjee's contention that the authorities should not be overly sensitive about commonly available photographs, the sources said. Banerjee, when contacted, refused to comment on the issue. Government security agencies have been concerned over the vulnerability of BARC after it was listed as a possible target of the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba. US terror accused David Headley had admitted during interrogation that he had carried out reconnaissance of the BARC facility and handed over its Global Positioning System co-ordinates to his handlers in Pakistan. Fortynine-year-old Headley, who has been under arrest in the US since October last year, had travelled to Chembur and Trombay several times and filmed the exit and entry points of BARC besides the movement of employees, the sources said. He is reported to have hired a boat from the Gateway of India and videographed the atomic research centre from the sea side. The Mumbai 26/11 attackers had also arrived by sea and landed near the Gateway of India. Headley is being prosecuted by the FBI on several charges, including for being part of the conspiracy in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Investigators, including officials from the National Investigation Agency, who are probing the role of Headley and his Pakistani-Canadian accomplice Tahawwur Rana in India, suspect that during his boat ride, Headley may have surveyed the mangroves along the coastline. The security around the nuclear installation and the mangroves has now been tightened, the sources said. — PTI
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Fatwa against Shoaib, Sania for ‘un-Islamic’ acts
Hyderabad, April 11 Religious scholars slammed the Indian tennis star and Pakistani cricketer for “mingling freely” and living in the same house before the wedding is solemnised. The board, a group of religious scholars, lamented the two sportspersons were bringing disrepute to Islam and the Muslim community through their actions. “The kind of actions the two are indulging in, like living together in the same house and addressing the media together, are “haram” in Islam,” Maulana Haseebul Hasan Siddiqui, a religious scholar, said. “Muslims should stay away from such gatherings where men and women mingle freely in violation of Islamic principles,” he said. The former Pakistani captain has been staying at Sania’s Jubilee Hills residence here ever since his arrival last week to clear the air surrounding the controversy over his first marriage to a Hyderabad girl, Ayesha Siddiqui. What has angered the traditionalists is the television footage showing the couple dancing and doing workouts together. “Islam permits a man and woman to see each other only once before the marriage and it does not allow them to live together and indulge in this sort of activities before marriage,” Siddiqui said.
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Gadkari dares PM for debate on price rise
Chennai, April 11 “Farmers have not received remunerative prices, while the consumers are paying double the amount for essential commodities. Who are the beneficiaries then?” Gadkari asked. Blaming speculative trading and mismanagement of food distribution, he said only a few multi-national companies, corporates and people were benefiting from the present situation. In Punjab and Haryana, lack of sufficient number of godowns had resulted in the wastage of wheat. There were reports that the storage facility was available for only one-third of the wheat produced and the rest of the grain got wasted. Since, the wasted wheat was unfit for even cattle consumption and was being auctioned to distilleries for manufacturing liquor, said Gadkari, who is on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu. Coming down heavily on the UPA government, he said agriculture growth was negative and the people from rural areas were migrating to cities. The UPA government had totally neglected agriculture and the prices of fertilisers and seeds had gone up, he alleged. “Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi should come forward for an open debate with the BJP leadership and let the people decide whether their programmes and actions have actually fulfilled the election promise of bringing down the prices of essential commodities in 100 days,” Gadkari said. Dismissing charges that the BJP was “communal and anti-minority”, he said his party was only against terrorism and appeasement policies of a few parties. “The politics of the 21st century is the politics of development and progress,” he said. Dismissing Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s opinion that the interlinking of major rivers was not possible, he said, “Rahul does not know about infrastructure development issues. But, the BJP has expertise in planning huge development projects and implementing them. When voted to power at the Centre again, we will interlink the Ganga and the Cauvery. The project will provide 4,000 tmc of water to Tamil Nadu, besides generating 5,000 MW power.” The water and power problems faced by Tamil Nadu people could be solved only by the BJP, he asserted. The party was planning to expand its base in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and was not thinking of alliances for the Assembly elections, he added.
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Tintin tales now in Hindi
New Delhi, April 11 After winning the hearts of readers in the US and Europe, this Belgium born cartoon character's comic book will be launched in Hindi here next month. “We will launch the Hindi version of Tintin in the second week of May. The launch would mark the presence of the character physically, especially from Belgium,” Ajay Mago, publisher and CEO of Om Books International, the publishing company that has obtained the copyrights of Tintin's Hindi version, said. Fans would also get a chance to physically meet the hero of the series, a young reporter, who sets out on solving mysteries, with his furry friend Snowy, a dog. Well, bringing Tintin's Hindi version to the Indian readers was no cakewalk! “Since last five years I have been pursuing Casterman, the publishing company that holds the original copyright of Tintin. But it was only after three years, in early 2008, that they gave a nod and since then I have been working on its translation,” said Mago. “It surely was a tough task because of the inherent and vast difference between the cultures, society, language and sensibilities. The jokes practically can't be translated, as the phrases and certain references may be common in Europe but are not known to our readership. So while the basic narrative remains unchanged, wherever required, I tried to use a similar phrase or joke if available in Hindi, or modified it for the understanding of the Hindi readers,” explains Mago. — PTI
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Domestic Violence Act
New Delhi, April 11 “Section 2 Clause (q) of the Act which provides that 'an aggrieved wife or female living in a relationship in the nature of a marriage may also file a complaint against a relative of the husband or the male partner'. The provision includes both male and females,” the judge said. The judge, however, noted that the different High Courts have taken "conflicting views" on the issue of whether the female members of a family can be covered under the Domestic Violence Act or not. “A view which is in consonance with and fulfils the objective of the Act has to be followed. A meaningful interpretation has to be given so as to ensure that the purpose of the Act is not defeated,” the court said. It, however, noted that there might be cases where the provisions of the Act are abused by roping in all members of the family who may have no concern with the matrimonial disputes between the husband and the wife. The court noted that in this regard the view of some of the High Courts is that such an application filed against the female members is not maintainable. However, the Kerala High Court has held that the first part of the definition would cover only the adult male persons, but the provision to the same would cover any relative of the husband, both male and female. It shall be open to the trial court in such cases to direct the deletion of such parties, the judge said. The court passed these observations while rejecting a revision petition of certain women members of a family who challenged an order of a Metropolitan Magistrate dismissing their plea to remove their names from a complaint filed under the Domestic Violence Act. — PTI
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Jagan embarks on mass-contact programme
Hyderabad, April 11 Soon after the death of YSR in a helicopter crash in September last year, an emotional campaign was launched by a section of Congressmen to anoint Jagan, an industrialist-turned-politician, as his political successor. However, the party president Sonia Gandhi snubbed the young aspirant and unequivocally backed septuagenarian leader K Rosaiah for the top job. Grudgingly accepting the high command’s directive, Jagan’s supporters have not been comfortable with Rosaiah, a veteran who has vast administrative experience but lacks mass appeal. In a subtle message to the party that he cannot be subdued for long, Jagan kicked off a statewide tour, christened as “Odaarpu” (consolation), ostensibly to meet the bereaved families of those who either committed suicide or died of shock after YSR’s tragic end. Though, for the record, the MP maintained that his sole intention was to personally meet the families of the victims, the tour has all the trappings of a political show of strength. Huge crowds have been greeting the young leader all along the route. The local Congress leaders have been vying with one another to be in his good books. Jagan as been greeting people in a style that is reminiscent of his charismatic father.
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B’desh pledges to evict N-E insurgents from its soil
Guwahati, April 11 Bangladeshi High Commissioner to India Tariq Ahmed Karim said both countries were victims of terrorism and non-state actors against whom Bangladesh had declared a war. “We shall not allow our soil to be used for any activities inimical to Bangladesh as well as India. Because of strong actions being taken by the present government in Bangladesh, various terrorists groups have either gone into hiding or are on the run,” Karim said in reference to North-East India-based terror groups setting up sanctuaries in that country in the recent years. The Bangladeshi diplomat was here last night to deliver a lecture on “India-Bangladesh Relations: Beyond barriers” before a select gathering of intellectuals. The even was organised by the Centre for Development and Peace Studies (CDPS). Regarding the Bangladesh government’s stand on unabated illegal migration from that country to India, he said, “Migration is not the problem, but economics is. Any human being will hate to leave his home and hearth if not to improve the economic condition. It is because Bangladesh has lagged far behind India in economic growth. Both countries need to address the problem through intense bilateral economic ties,” Karim said. He said the Bangladesh government was going to reopen all road, railways and waterways connecting North-East India. These have remained closed since 1965 India- Pakistan war.
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Justice Khehar’s transfer to Karnataka HC put on hold
Chandigarh, April 11 But with the Sikkim Bar Association opposing Dinakaran’s transfer, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice is reportedly in favour of having all transfers reconsidered. As per procedure, after the apex court collegium clears the transfers, the file is sent to the Union Law Ministry before eventually being cleared by the President. The decision to transfer Justice Khehar to the Karnataka High Court, instead of elevating an acting Chief Justice, was reportedly taken to expedite the process. The routine transfer of a Chief Justice from one high court to another does not require the consent of the state government concerned. But the same is mandatory for appointing a new Chief Justice by elevating the senior-most judge of a High Court. It is believed that the Law Ministry is getting in touch with the Supreme Court collegium following the Sikkim Bar Association’s opposition. As a result, the entire process is likely to be delayed by some time. Available information suggests Chief Justice Khehar’s transfer to Karnataka, as and when it takes place, will be followed by the elevation of Justice Tarun Agarwala as the Acting Chief Justice. At present, he is the senior-most Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court at Nainital. As of now, no formal communication of any sort on the issue of transfer has been received at Nainital. The Supreme Court collegium had cleared Justice Khehar’s name for transfer as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court on Friday. Justice Khehar was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 8 February, 1999, and was further elevated as the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court on 11November, 2009. His elevation was soon followed by the transfer of another Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, Justice Nirmal Yadav, to the Uttarakhand High Court. She currently ranks sixth in seniority. Justice Yadav’s transfer had followed the surfacing of her name in the cash-for-judge scam, currently being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
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Lawyers meet CM over Dinakaran’s transfer
Gangtok, April 11 "We met the Chief Minister and submitted to him yesterday a copy of the resolution adopted by Sikkim Bar Association members against the transfer of Justice Dinakaran here and solicited his support for the campaign on the issue," said its president D R Thapa. “We also explained to the Chief Minister how the transfer of Justice Dinakaran, who has been mired with land grabbing and other charges, may affect the integrity of the judicial institutions in Sikkim,” he said. Thapa said the Chief Minister received a copy of the bar association resolution but did not make any comment. The association members will also meet acting Governor M K Narayanan on April 14 to seek his help to stall Dinakaran's transfer to Sikkim. —
PTI
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Sikh body for withdrawal of blacklist
New Delhi, April 11 “The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara managing committee should take up the issue with the Indian government,” said Kuldeep Singh from New York, adding that the blacklist was also coming in the way of those having similar names getting the Indian visa. Representatives from America, Canada, the UK, Belgium, Sweden and Pakistan took part in the conference. Talking about the attacks on the Sikh community in Vienna last year, Sukhdev Singh said the community was trying to help the Sikh youth against whom cases were registered. Denouncing the divisions within the Sikh community on caste and sect lines, the convention called for a single identity for all Sikhs. Punjabis in the country must register Punjabi as their mother tongue in the ongoing national census, it said. Delegates from Pakistan said they stood by the community while fighting against all odds that faced the religion. “Scientifically prepared and Panth-approved Nanakshahi calendar has been followed since 2003, and changes that have been introduced now should not be accepted,” said Mahipal Singh from Nankana Sahib, Pakistan. He pointed out that many Sikhs were now cutting their hair and giving up other religious practices. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara management committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna said Sikhs, with Panthic consent, should lay down the qualifications, procedure, terms of reference and tenure for the appointment of the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht as well as the mode of retirement. “We strongly condemn the ban on turbans in France and other Sikh code of conduct in other countries and demand that the Indian government protect the interests of NRI Sikhs and provide them dual citizenship,” said Sarna. The convention also passed a resolution against the capital punishment awarded to Davinderpal Singh Bhullar in the case relating to the attack on youth Congress leader MS Bhitta and sought its revocation.
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Maya rehabilitates ‘powerful’ IAS Pandey
Lucknow, April 11 Pandey has been appointed principal secretary Food and Drug Control with additional charge of Secretariat Administration to be attached to the CM’s secretariat at her residence. Barely a month ago Pandey was unceremoniously removed from the post of additional cabinet secretary and principal secretary information in the CM’s secretariat. However, a section of Brahmin leaders had reportedly told the CM that this move had not gone down well with the Brahmins in the party who view it as Brahmins being cut to size by her government. Observers feel that the unprecedented move of having a full-fledged secretariat at her residence would lead to two potentially opposing power centers - one in the fifth floor office in the secretariat and the other at the CM’s residence. To counter a likely scenario of Pandey taking over as the CM’s secretariat at her residence another senior Dalit IAS officer JN Chamber was also posted today at the CM’s secretariat at her residence.
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Defence Ministry for better facilities in residential areas
Chandigarh, April 11 The proposal, falling under the ministry’s major works programme, is aimed at co-locating facilities like shopping arcades, schools, hospitals and vocational training centres with the upcoming residential complexes. Divided into three phases, the MAP is a mammoth project envisioning construction of 1,98,881 dwelling units across the country for all ranks. The first phase, which began in 2002 called for construction of 61,658 units, which was later scaled down to 58,391. In some stations, construction earmarked for this phase is lagging by over three years and till the end of 2009, a little above 41,000 units had come up. As families began moving into complexes that were complete, issues like inadequate provisions for schools, utility shops and medicare facilities in the vicinity of these complexes began to crop up. In fact, the defence services have also requested the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for providing more schools and allied facilities under the MAP. The ministry, on the other hand had maintained that the MAP was being implemented with the sole objective of providing accommodation to defence personnel and diversifying into other activities may dilute the focus on the main objective of the project. Since it may not be possible to include auxiliary services within the scope of the MAP, a separate proposal has been mooted. Availability of married accommodation at military stations has been a major issue with the services. In some high-pressure stations like Delhi, the waiting period for officers runs into almost a year. According to the MoD figures, the availability of accommodation in the Army is just 45 per cent, while that of the Air Force and the Navy is 67 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively. The ongoing second phase, which began in 2008, has a target of 66,727 units with the proposed date of completion being March 2012. To address quality concerns and overcome certain deficiencies observed during the construction in the first phase, structures coming up in the second phase are being planned in accordance with the latest technical data and design parameters devised for earthquake-resistance buildings.
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Senior booked in scientist suicide case
Indore, April 11 Tirumala Prasad Tenka, 30, a bachelor, was found hanging at his house in Rajendra Nagar last night, the police said, adding the deceased left behind a letter holding his senior, GS Lodha, responsible for the extreme step. Lodha, a senior officer of RRCAT, was today booked under Section 306 of the IPC that amounts to abetment of suicide, the police said. The letter alleged that Lodha had mentally tortured Tenka, the police said. Tenka, hailing from Andra Pradesh, was working with the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)-run centre for the last five years. “We have lost a talented scientist and it was a big jolt to us,” RRCAT director PD Gupta said. “It is hard for us to understand right now under what circumstances Tenka took this extreme step,” he said. Gupta said RRCAT was providing all help to the police in the investigation. After doing his bachelor’s degree from training school of RRCAT in 2005, Tenka joined its Indus Synchrotron Utilisation Division as scientist officer (Grade C). He was promoted in two years, officials said. —
PTI
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LTTE supporters introduce Tiger as party flag
Chennai, April 11 “The tiger is the flag of our fathers,” popular Tamil film director Seeman who introduced the flag at Thanjavur in the eastern region of Tamil Nadu said. “The tiger is the symbol of Tamil culture and the courage of our forefathers. It is the flag of our courageous leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. No one can prevent us from holding the tiger flag,” the director who was arrested many times for his open support to the LTTE said. He said most of the people who opposed LTTE would get equal rights for Sri Lankan Tamils after the Tigers were defeated. Where are those people now? One year after the war had ended, Tamils do not have rights. They are living like dogs and beggars on the island. Displaced Tamils have not been rehabilitated and a political solution is nowhere to be seen. Now, people of Tamil Nadu should understand that LTTE is the only hope. Tigers alone can win equal rights, dignity and security for Tamils,” he said. “Our party, Naam Thamizhar, will be launched on May 18, the same day, when the Sri Lankan government declared that it had won the war against the LTTE. The war has not ended. It will continue from May 18. The racist Sinhalese government should know that Tamil Nadu will always be the nearest place to Sri Lanka and the hands of seven crore Tamil people will not remain tied forever,” he declared. Recalling that tiger was the flag of the Chola kingdom, one of the three dynasties, which ruled Tamil Nadu during the third Sangam age (500 BC to 200 AD), Seeman said, “The tiger flag is closely linked with our history. It will make people of Tamil Nadu aware of their identity. Through the flag, our youths will understand that Tamils living in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka belong to a single nationality.”
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Rangali Bihu
Guwahati, April 11 There is a huge demand for traditional dresses and delicacies, especially in urban centres. Pre-Bihu trade fairs are being organised in almost all urban centres not withstanding the escalating prices where these women traders are dominating the scene. “We thank the state government for increasing salaries of employees before the Rangali Bihu,” says Lakhi Kuli, who runs a shop of ethnic wears at NEDFi Haat here. Born and brought up at a village in Dhemaji district, she started the business in 1996 and now owns a house here. Hasna Shyam, a resident of Shyam village in the Jorhat district, attends trade fairs across the country with her team and sells Assamese silk, handloom products and fusion items. An expert in application of natural dye, Hasna is doing well in her business. For these women, Rangali Bihu is not just a festival for merrymaking and flaunting the culture of dance and melody, rather a golden chance to make moolah.
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Big defence budget necessary, says PC
Puducherry, April 11 "Had the neighbouring countries been stable, peaceful and were oriented in a friendly manner towards India, our allocation of such a big fund for defence in the budget would not have arisen," he said at a meeting organised by the Puducherry PCC last night. —
PTI
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Sonia gives up plans to visit Kumbh
New Delhi, April 11 In a message, Gandhi, who is also the UPA Chairperson, underlined the importance of the
Kumbh, saying that the society has deep faith in the age-old festival. “I was invited to attend the holy festival by people of Haridwar and saints for which I thank them. I wanted to come, but I decided against attending it keeping in mind the inconvenience it would cause to other visitors,” she said. She hoped that people would continue to get inspired by the path shown by saints and philosophers centuries ago.— PTI
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Bomb scare on Jet Airways flight
Varanasi, April 11 The flight was cleared for departure to Khajurao after extensive checking of the aircraft. A Jet Airways spokesperson said the flight was delayed due to questioning of “certain guests” on security concerns by the airport authorities as well as security agencies. —
PTI
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With the spring fervour sweeping a few days before ‘Rangali
Bihu’, the spring festival celebrated here, women entrepreneurs are dominating the market of ethnic dresses and food items.Unlike their predecessors, they don’t depend on their spouses financially; and are independent. Rangali Bihu - which marks the beginning of a new year in the Assamese calendar - gives these women a chance to test their selling skills as many people indulge in shopping at this time.
