Amritsar, July 28
Batala MLA Jagdish Sahni is in thick of controversy again. The CPI today alleged that the MLA has reportedly written a letter to the Director General School Education (DGSE) to hand over the possession of a prime land where a government school has been running for last more than six decades, to his close relative one Subash Chander of the Basant Avenue area here, who claimed himself to be the owner of the prime property.

The DGSE has asked Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu here to look into the issue.

District CPI secretary Amarjit Singh Asal said the property belongs to Dharamchand Kapoor, who died in 1991.

“Kapoor had rented the property to the government for running a school. However, after his death a number of persons attempted to grab the property fraudulently. But they could not due to the intervention of judiciary,” said Asal.

Asal alleged the ownership rights of the property came under controversy again after the letter sent by the MLA in favor of one of his accomplice. On the other hand, MLA Jagdish Sahni maintained that he had never recommended anybody’s name regarding the ownership of the land.

“It appears that such a letter might have been dispatched from my office under routine but I cannot recall if I had recommended any letter about the occupancy of any land,” said the MLA while showing total ignorance about the person in question on whose name the alleged letter have been dispatched from his office.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Pannu said the DGSE has asked about the status of the school. He said he has deputed the SDM-II and the District Education Officer (Elementary) to scrutinise the issue.

It is to mention here that Government Secondary School, Karampura, has been under the possession of about 1950 yard prime land situated on the Circular Road, Basant Avenue, for last more than 60 years. The secondary wing of the school has already shifted to a government school building at E-block of the Ranjit Avenue area.

Bholath (Kapurthala), July 28
BSP leader Tilak Raj, his two sons and four other associates have been booked on the charge of attacking and injuring three policemen posted at the Bholath police station on Wednesday.

Tilak Raj, his sons William and Happy and their four other associates Saabi, Roda of Bholath, Balbir Singh and his son Sonu of Nadala allegedly attacked Additional SHO SI Kulwinder, ASI Jaskawal Singh and HC Rupinder Singh with sharp edged weapons near the Bholath police station.

SHO Gurwinder Singh Sandhu said the seven persons were booked under various sections including 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC in this regard. While Tilak Raj has been caught, the other six accused are still at large.

Police sources said Tilak Raj allegedly slapped a Dalit shopkeeper Chetan in the police station itself today when both of them, from two different disputing parties, had gathered there to reach a compromise.

Subsequently, the police came to know that Tilak Raj’s sons and their other associates, armed with sharp-edged weapons, had gathered near the police station to teach Chetan and his companions a lesson.

At this, a police team, led by Additional SHO SI Kulwinder, reached near the Bholath taxi stand, where they had gathered.

Surprisingly, instead of surrendering or dispersing from the spot, they attacked the police party with sharp-edged weapons in which three cops were wounded.

Meanwhile, agitated persons of the area staged a dharna outside the Bholath police station. Several shopkeepers alleged that Tilak Raj’s sons had created terror in the area for the past some time. DSP Inderjeet Verma reached the spot and an FIR was registered on his direction.

Hoshiarpur, July 28
On account of regular abstaining from the court, Chief Judicial Magistrate Gurjant Singh has issued bailable warrant against the Secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) here today in a civil suit filed by the National Vice-President of Socialist Janata Party Balwant Singh Khera against President of SAD Sukhbir Singh Badal under sections 465, 467, 468, 471, 191 and 192 of the IPC in February 2009. Names of other senior SAD leaders, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Rajya Sabha MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder, SAD Secretary General Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Surinder Singh Chinda, President of the district unit, Hoshiarpur, had also been mentioned in the said case.

Senior Assistant of the Gurdwara Election Commission Malkiat Singh today appeared in the court and presented the record relating to the case. He also submitted a copy of SAD constitution printed in Punjabi and copies of letter of November 29, 2003, duly attested by Parkash Singh Badal, in which list of office-bearers had been mentioned.

It may be recalled that representative of the Election Commission of India (ECI) had already produced the relevant record and copy of SAD constitution, printed in English, submitted to the ECI by the party, in the court.

In the case Balwant Singh Khera had alleged that office-bearers of the SAD had two contrary constitutions of which one had been submitted to the Election Commission of India and the other to the Gurdwara Election Commission (GEC).

The SAD had obtained recognition for the party from ECI by submitting that anyone can become its member and on the other side it had submitted constitution to the GEC in which it stated that only Sikh men and women can become its members. Balwant Singh Khera had also filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court (DHC) against SAD for its derecognition by the ECI. The bench headed by Chief Justice of the DHC would hear the case on July 30, 2010.

Jalandhar, July 28
For the first time in the past decade, the officials of the Punjab Technical University (PTU) have decided to closely monitor the filling of the management quota seats in its affiliated colleges.

The decision has been taken by the officials after they received complaints regarding accepting of high capitation fee up to Rs 4 lakh. There also have been complaints of admitting students with lower merit and denying seats to eligible candidates. While officially the filling of management quota seats started from July 12 onwards, many colleges had initiated the process much before that.

Chief Coordinator, PTU, Dr N.P. Singh, claimed to have even issued warnings to the colleges and asked them to get the admission records checked. He said some colleges had even been told that the further admissions would be conducted only in the presence of nominees from PTU.

As per the norms regarding admission, the order of preference for filling seats is merit in state-level entrance test, merit in All-India entrance test and marks secured in qualifying examination.

Even on the issue of fee, PTU has clearly mentioned in its prospectus, “The fee of management quota seats shall be the same as the latest uniform rate of fee already notified until it is revised in accordance with procedure established by law, subject to the condition that there shall be no profiteering or charging of any capitation fee, directly or indirectly.”

Meanwhile, the Punjab Unaided Technical Institutes Association (PUTIA) with the support of PTU officials are planning to move to various states and help them fill up the management quota seats. While the teams for the same have been sent to Mohali, Hamirpur, Jammu, Delhi, Patna and Kolkata, the process for the same is somewhat online, including registration and choice filling scheduled for July 30 and 31. The admitted candidates would have to make a part payment of Rs 20,000.

N.P. Singh said since July 31 is the last date for reporting in colleges allotted to the candidates in the second counselling, the remainder seats would also be handed over to them.