New Delhi, August 2
Serving women army officers won their first round of legal battle with the government today assuring the Supreme Court that it would consider giving them permanent commission in legal and educational branches.

However, the officers demanding permanent commission in combat, infantry and other wings of the Army will have to wait for a longer period to get this recognition.

Seven years after the protracted legal battle, the government, which was at the receiving end in the apex court, gave an undertaking that women serving officers of Short Service Commission will be considered for permanent commission in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) and educational branches of the Army.

The undertaking in this regard, which stated that the exercise would be completed within two months, was submitted by Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium before a Bench comprising Justices JM Panchal and Gyan Sudha Mishra.

The Bench recorded the undertaking that said, “The Solicitor General on instruction states that women short service commission officers in service shall be considered for permanent commission in the JAG and educational branch of the Army.” The court also recorded the undertaking that the case of Major Lina Gurung, a short service commission officer, who is retiring in August, will be considered on priority, subject to requirement.

After the SG gave the undertaking, the Bench stayed contempt proceedings against the Army till further orders for not complying with the Delhi High Court directions to grant permanent commission to women serving in the armed forces.

“In view of the statements made at Bar by the Solicitor General, the contempt proceeding is stayed till further order,” the Bench said.

In all, there are 2,200 women officers including 1,200 in the Army, 750 in the Air Force and 250 in the Navy, according to Defence Ministry figures.

The Bench asked the government to file an additional affidavit, elaborating the nature of duties assigned to the officers getting permanent commission.

The court said after receiving the details from the Army, it would further examine the issue of permanent commission to women Army officers.

Earlier, as soon as the proceedings began, the Bench said, “If you can’t give permanent commission, why at all give the short service commission to the women in the Army.” The Bench said, “Why do you give short service commission at all, if you don’t find them eligible for permanent commission. Why then in the Air Force, the permanent commission is given?” Subramanium replied that permanent commission was given in the Air Force as the women officers were not asked to be in a combat position.

The Bench wanted to know if no women officer had ever been sent to the battlefield so far. — PTI

Mumbai, August 2
The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, which are sharing power in Maharashtra, have begun yet another round of shadow boxing with both sides trying to pull down the other.

This round saw the Congress get off to a flying start with its leaders going hammer and tong at NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who also holds the portfolio of Food and Civil Supplies in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet.

Media reports on grains rotting in Food Corporation of India godowns amidst severe shortage are coming in handy to attack Pawar personally. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Manikrao Thakre hit out at Pawar over the weekend for rotting foodgrains and demanded that the Ministry for Food and Civil Supplies come up with a food policy.

Another Congress leader Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, who heads the consumer cell of the MPCC, told reporters that the Union Agriculture Ministry needed to prepare a comprehensive food policy and put it before the Union Cabinet. “Apart from Pawar, we had written to the group of ministers, including Defence Minister AK Antony, Home Minister P Chidambaram and the PMO. The ministers have told us that our proposal has been forwarded to the ministry, which must now prepare the national food policy,” Gidwani said.

According to the Congress’ state unit, 16 million tonnes of wheat was lying unused even after distribution in the Public Distribution System and allocation for buffer stocks.

The attack on Pawar from his own allies follows criticism from Opposition parties like the Shiv Sena over the Maratha strongman’s preoccupation with cricket. The low-key campaign by the Congress’s state unit over several weeks has gone high decibel with party bigwigs talking to the media on the issue. This has rankled Pawar, who along with his colleagues in the NCP are now waiting to get their own back.

Ahmedabad, August 2
The CBI today moved a court seeking five-day custody of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah in the Soharabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer KTS Tulsi, representing the investigating agency in the special CBI court of Judicial Magistrate AY Dave, demanded five-day remand of Shah giving reasons for it in a sealed cover.

“We did not seek remand earlier because it was expected that Shah would recognise his obligation to assist the CBI in the case. But it has not happened,” Tulsi said.

The agency’s step to seek custody of Shah comes after his three-day interrogation by the agency in the Sabarmati jail where he reportedly did not cooperate in the investigation.

Shah is represented by another senior Supreme Court lawyer Ram Jethmalani. The hearing in the case is on at present in the court.

Shah, a former Minister of State for Home and close aide of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, was arrested by the CBI in connection with the fake encounter case and charged with murder, extortion and kidnapping.

The CBI had on July 30 submitted a status report in the Supreme Court after a six-month investigation. — PTI

New Delhi, August 2
Vibhuti Narayan Rai, Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya in Wardha, will arrive in the Capital tomorrow to explain to the Human Resources Development Ministry his position on the alleged sexist remarks he made in an interview to a Hindi journal.

Following an uproar over the statement he made -- “there is a race among women writers to prove who among them is a greater ‘chinaal’ -- HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has asked V-C Rai to explain himself.

The Ministry is likely to ask the V-C to apologise for what he said. The former IPS officer said that the Ministry had no power over him as he was a writer and could say what he wanted. He added that ‘chinaal’ was not derogatory as it was made out to be. “Munshi Premchand used this word several times in his writing,” Rai said. Sources said the Ministry wanted Rai to decide what he wanted to be -- writer or V-C.

The Ministry is also said to be consider issuing a show-cause notice to the V-C. For an internal probe against the V-C, a Presidential assent is required as the President is the V-C’s appointing authority. Sources said that the ministry did not favour disciplinary proceedings against a V-C as it would bring the institution a bad name besides eroding academic credibility in general.

Mumbai, August 2
The verdict of the trial court awarding death sentence to Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab in the 26/11 terror attack case today came up for confirmation before the Bombay High Court that adjourned the matter to August 12.

Justices Ranjana Desai and Vijaya Tahilramani deferred the matter after public prosecutor Pandurang Pol said the state would file an appeal within a week against the acquittal of Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh in the same case.

The trial court had acquitted the two, charged with conspiracy in the Mumbai terror attacks, on the ground that evidence against them was “doubtful”.

Kasab, who was not produced in the high court today for security reasons, had written a letter earlier following which the Maharashtra state legal services authority had appointed Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah to defend Kasab at state’s expenses.

Solkar was not present in the court while Shah sought two months’ time to file an appeal on behalf of Kasab. However, the judges said they would hear Solkar and the state before passing further orders on August 12.

The trial court has already forwarded its judgement to the Bombay High Court for confirmation of the death penalty to Kasab. — PTI

Guwahati, August 2
Another spell of economic blockade by Nagas is looming large on troubled state of Manipur that is still recuperating from the earlier one that ended just about 45 days ago.

The United Naga Council (UNC), banner organisation of Naga tribes from hill districts of Manipur, has stated that it would resume its suspended economic blockade along Dimapur-Imphal highway (NH 39) and Jiribam-Imphal highway (NH 53) from the morning of August 4 for 20 days as its five-day ultimatum served to the Centre failed to evoke any response so far.

UNC general secretary A Ashohrii stated: The United Naga Council (UNC) is compelled to resume the temporarily suspended economic blockade with effect from 6 am on August 4 for 20 days, as the ultimatum submitted on July 27 to the Prime Minister has evoked no response till date.