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Decision to move SC
final: Waqf Board
Temple on mind, VHP head meets Akhara chief
MEETING AFTER 24 YEARS: Former MP Ram Vilas Vedanti meets chief of Nirmohi Akhara Mahant Bhaskardas to discuss the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya on Tuesday. — PTI |
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The AYODHYA verdict
SC: Corrupt officials taking us for a ride!
Headley’s ghost casts shadow on Games
Centre ends disparity in disability pension
Review WW-II veterans’ pension
New salary scheme for paramilitary troops unveiled
AP sisters accused of injecting mother with HIV+ blood
Food-for-Oil Scam
Bumper sugar
crop dreams may go sour
Storm hits flights at Kolkata
airport
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Decision to move SC
final: Waqf Board
Lucknow, October 5 Speaking to mediapersons, chairperson of the board Zafar Ahmad Farooqui said that the board had called an emergency meeting today after some reports in the media claimed that Muslims were not interested in pursuing the matter in the Supreme Court. “In the meeting, the decision to move the apex court was taken. The board has authorised me, as the chairperson of the Sunni Waqf Board, to participate in any settlement meeting so that all avenues remain open. However, no other organisation has been allowed to speak on behalf of the Board”, said Farooqui. Board counsel Zafaryab Jilani, who would continue to represent the board and may be assisted by another senior counsel, said that he is already in the process of preparing the petition and it would be filed in the Supreme Court by the end of the this month or latest by November first week. Jilani clarified that the decision to approach the apex court was not to be cleared by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board in its New Delhi meeting of October 8 or the Lucknow meeting scheduled for October 16. “The only issue that the AIMPLB has to decide is if it would like to file a Special Leave Application (SLP) in the apex court. As the AIMPLB is not a party to the suit, it cannot decide if the Sunni Waqf Board should or should not approach the apex court”, said Jilani. Meanwhile, responding to the board’s decision to approach the apex court the oldest surviving petitioner 85-year old Hashim Ansari said that he would continue his endeavor for an out-of-court settlement till his last breath.
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Temple on mind, VHP head meets Akhara chief
Lucknow, October 5 The two religious heads represent the two Hindu parties, which have been given 1/3 of the disputed land (September 30 verdict). The two sides had earlier appeared to be at loggerheads and were contemplating approaching the Supreme Court against each other. Today’s meeting, that was described as “cordial” by both parties, is significant as the Nirmohi Akhara’s representative said it was their first meeting after 1986. “In 1986, VHP’s Ashok Singhal, Dr Vedanti and Vinay Katiyar had approached me urging me to drop the court case in the title suit and join hands to strengthen the mandir movement, a proposal which was turned down by the Akhara,” said Mahant Bhaskardas . Emerging from the meeting ,Dr Vedanti declaed that the meeting had cleared the way for building a grand temple at Ayodhya. The details of the settlement are being worked out”. Describing the meeting as a preliminary one, the Nirmohi Akhara chief said that there was no need to rush. “We would go slowly step by step to work out an understanding so that we can work together.” he, however, refusing to spell out other details.
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Pressure mounts on Muslim Law Board
Faraz Ahmad Tribune News Service
Notwithstanding the consternation in Muslim circles over this judgment, with most AIMPLB members inclined to push for appeal against it, the “reconciliation lobby” too has found friends in the Board, including noted chartered accountant handling Waqf affairs Kamal Farooqui and Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangimahali, who chided Mulayam Singh Yadav for saying that “Muslims felt cheated” by this judgment. He has claimed that nearly three quarters of the AIMPLB members were ready to be invited to the negotiating table over the Ayodhya dispute. Similarly the All India Ulema Mashaikh Board of Barelvi School and the All India Shia Personal Law Board too have also announced their support for opening negotiations with the Mandir camp. On the other side RSS chief Mohanrao Bhagwat too has asked for reconciliation, rather than prolonging the ordeal through one more round of litigation in the Supreme Court. Sources said while his men in the VHP had managed so far to prevent it from raising the pitch too high on their pet slogan, “Mandir wahin banayenge” mediators from this side had also approached amenable members in the Muslim camp. In this context they mention the All India Shia Personal Law Board, which was formed during the NDA regime through the efforts of a senior BJP leader from Lucknow. ‘Give Padma Vibhushan to Ayodhya litigant’Hyderabad: A Congress leader in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday came up with a curious proposal: A civilian honour for one of the Ayodhya litigants! State Congress general gecretary Ananda Bhaskar said: “Mohammad Hashim Ansari, the oldest litigant in the Ayodhya title suit, deserved Padma Vibhushan award for his initiative to resolve the issue through negotiations.” As part of efforts to find an out-of-the-court settlement, 90-year-old Ansari had met Mahant Gyan Das, president of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, and held talks over ways to explore an amicable solution. “
— TNS
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SC: Corrupt officials taking us for a ride!
New Delhi, October 5 Their modus operandi is simple. After losing such cases at the first instance in the high courts, they file appeals in HCs and then in the SC, much after the deadline is over with the sole purpose of getting these dismissed on the technical ground of delay. Once the appeals are dismissed, they claim legitimacy for their misdeeds. “This racket has been going on for a long time not only before the Supreme Court but also before the high courts. Now the time has come that this racket should come to an end and the officials responsible for this be given severe punishment,” the Bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and TS Thakur said in an order. The Bench made the observation in a case in which the Jharkhand Government had filed the second appeal before the HC after 501 days and in the SC after a delay of more than one year. Noting that the officials were mostly citing the delay on the part of the “higher authority” in granting approval for filing the appeals, the SC said it strongly felt that “files are suppressed for a long period”. The apex court directed the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand to file an affidavit specifying the action taken against the officials who caused the delay. In case no action had been taken, the reasons for the same should be explained, the order said. Pointing out that the practice was often adopted by officials of various state governments and had thus become a “regular feature”, the Bench directed that copies of the order be sent to the Chief Secretaries of all states for taking effective action. The Bench also issued notice to all Chief Secretaries of states and UTs in the country. Further, it appointed Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium as amcus curiae in the case to assist the court. The Solicitor General, however, said he and Attorney General GE Vahanvati had already dealt with the problem at the
Centre. As a result, officials at the Centre had started filing appeals much in advance. In several cases, such petitions were filed even before half the deadline was over, he said. Nevertheless, the SC Bench said it was “high time that this malpractice” was rooted out and an effective mechanism put in place across the country.
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Headley’s ghost casts shadow on Games
Headley, one of the key suspects of the Mumbai attacks, is under arrest in Chicago. During his numerous visits to India as an LeT operative, he had filmed several targets like the National Defence College in Delhi, the Israel Embassy, the Indian Army headquarters, an oil refinery on the Gujarat coast, India Gate, a few atomic energy sites, and the Chabad houses in Pune and Goa. Security was beefed up around 36 markets in the national capital that includes Sarojini Nagar, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, Khan Market and Chandni Chowk, among others. Certain western intelligence agencies have also shared information. Apart from this, the Home Ministry has access to data of the Interpol by which all persons arriving in India or departing from India are being matched. The data is like a directory of suspected names which flash in case any match is found. Visitors to all guesthouses and hotels in Delhi are also being screened. Further, 1,200 security personnel from a central force have been added in Delhi. Acting on specific inputs, the Home Ministry has asked all states to heighten vigil in crowded places, markets, religious places and all other sensitive installations as terrorist groups might strike these, sources said, adding that the stadiums were like fortress.
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Centre ends disparity in disability pension
Chandigarh, October 5 Orders issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions on September 30 state that after the pension has been calculated in accordance with the new rules, the new pension would be paid. The new benefits would be granted with effect from January 1, 2006, the date of implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission. Since the aforementioned ministry is the nodal authority for formulating pension policies for all Central government departments and agencies, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Railways are also expected to soon implement these orders with relevant. With this, the pension of all pre-2006 retirees in receipt of disability, extraordinary or liberalised pension will be fixed as a percentage of the new post-2006 scales, rather than the old formula entailing basic pension multiplied by 2.26. The new rules would also be in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court in D.S. Nakara’s case, which ruled that the formula of pension calculation has to be the same for all employees irrespective of the date of retirement. Under the new rules, the family pension of a deceased employee who was not holding a pensionable post would be 40 per cent of the pay in the pay band plus grade pay or minimum basic pay, while in cases where the deceased was holding a pensionable post, the pension would 60 per cent of the pay in the pay band plus grade pay or minimum basic pay. Disability pension would comprise a service element of 50 per cent of the minimum pay in the pay band plus grade pay or minimum basic pay plus disability element of 30 per cent of the same minimum basic pay for 100 per cent disability. The service element would be reduced proportionately if an employee does not have qualifying service for full pension.
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Review WW-II veterans’ pension
Kochi, October 6 "It is only just and proper that the government should consider the whole issue afresh considering the fact that the veterans of World War II are a vanishing class," the bench held. The bench, comprising Justice K Padmanabhan Nair and Lt General Thomas Mathew, in a recent order, ruled that even if they were not entitled to pension, "the Union of India should consider some financial assistance so as to enable them to lead a respectable life." — PTI
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New salary scheme for paramilitary troops unveiled
New Delhi, October 5 Under the new scheme, the spouses of these men and women in uniform will be provided with free “add-on ATM cards” which will enable them to withdraw money and carry out financial transactions while the earning member of the family is posted far away along the border or in Naxal-hit areas of the country. The country’s largest banker, the State Bank of India, recently launched a unique paramilitary salary package on the lines of a similar facility for the armed forces - the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. The new scheme will entitle paramilitary jawans to enjoy “charge-free” facilities like zero balance account, free ATM-cum-shopping card without an annual maintenance fee and freedom to draw their salaries from the nearest SBI branch or an ATM of any bank, while being deployed away from their parent units.
— PTI WHAT THEY GET
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AP sisters accused of injecting mother with HIV+ blood
Hyderabad, October 5 The incident came to light in the coastal city of Guntur yesterday. In their complaint to the Superintendent of Police DS Chowhan, Bharathi and her husband Ranga Rao alleged that their daughters and son-in-law had been pressuring them to part with their property. According to the police, Ranga Rao, a retired employee of the state electricity department, married Bharathi after the death of his first wife Kameswari long ago. He had one daughter each by the two wives. A few months ago, Bharathi fell sick and was admitted to a private hospital where his first wife’s daughter Durga (35) worked as a nurse. In the hospital, Durga administered her saline. When Bharathi noticed that the saline was red in colour and pointed it out to her daughter, Durga told her that it was mixed with some antibiotic to enable her to recover fast. After a few weeks, the old woman started complaining of severe weakness. On October 2, she got her blood tested at a free medical camp in her locality and was shocked to find that she was HIV positive.
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ED get SC nod to proceed against Natwar, son
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, October 5 The Bench noted that the father-son duo’s appeal was a move to further delay the investigation initiated by the ED four years ago. The name of Natwar had figured in the UN-appointed Pual Volcker Committee as a beneficiary of the scam. The government-appointed inquiry committee headed by former Chief Justice of India RS Pathak had, however, given a clean chit to Natwar.
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Bumper sugar
crop dreams may go sour
Mumbai,
October 5 According to Naiknavare, fields are flooded and marshy,
making it difficult for farmers to harvest the crop and transport it to
the factories for crushing. It’s only in the districts of Sangli and
Kolhapur that sugar factories opened for crushing as the rains have
ebbed there. Other sugar producing centres in Maharashtra affected by
the rains are Solapur, Satara, Ahmednagar and Pune. Earlier,
Maharashtra was hopeful of crushing 825 tonne of cane to produce a
record 95 lakh tonne of the sweetener.
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Storm hits flights at Kolkata airport
Kolkata, October 5 Flights were affected between 12.30 pm and 1.15 pm due to thundersquall. The Met had issued a warning in this regard. An Air India flight from Guwahati to Kolkata circled over the airport for about 45 minutes before it was permitted to land at 1.20 pm. Three private airlines on different routes hovered in the sky before they were permitted to land after the storm. — PTI
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Lucknow, October 5
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New Delhi, October 5