New Delhi, October 22
The Supreme Court today stayed the trial of Abhay Chautala and Ajay Chautala, sons of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala, in corruption cases filed against them by the CBI.

A Bench comprising Justices VS Sirpurkar and Cyriac Joseph also issued notice to the CBI on the petitions of the two brothers challenging their prosecution for political reasons without getting approval from the government.

The stay was an interim measure, the court clarified. Their counsel Mukul Rohatgi contended that his clients were MLAs when they allegedly accumulated assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Under Section 197 of the CrPC, the CBI should have obtained sanction from the competent authority before proceeding against them, but did not do so.

The Bench had earlier agreed to advance the hearing by a week and posted it for today.

Rohatgi had argued that an urgent hearing was necessary as the trial court was about to frame charges against his clients.

The counsel said an apex court Bench hearing a corruption case against former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran had accepted the contention that sanction was necessary to prosecute former MLAs, even if they had ceased to be members of the assembly but had been elected to Parliament at the time of filing the case.

Abhay contined to be an MLA till date, he said.

On July 8, the Delhi High Court had dismissed the brothers’ petitions challenging the trial court’s order summoning them to appear before it.

The CBI had filed the charge sheet in December last year, estimating Ajay’s wealth at Rs 27.74 crore which was more than three times his income during 1993-2006 and Abhay’s assets at Rs 110 crore, five times his declared income during 2000-05.

Chandigarh, October 22
The state government has cracked its whip on overloaded vehicles with strict directions to all Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police and secretaries and the regional transport authority (RTA) to ensure that no overloaded vehicle plied on state roads.

The action has been initiated following a large number of complaints to the CM that the transport authorities have been lenient with owners of overloaded vehicles, which were not only one of the main reasons for road accidents but also damaged roads, on which the government spends crores every year.

Roads in Yamunanagar district are in a very bad shape because overloaded trucks have been using these roads for the past several years to carry stone and sand to Delhi. Sources say a 15-tonne truck will invariably carry 40 to 45 tonnes.

Over the years, the overloaded trucks have become a major source of corruption among transport officers, who have given the responsibility of checking the menace.

Sources say in many districts, the RTAs are on monthly payrolls of big transporters, whose vehicles are seldom challaned. In some districts, the authorities have “outsourced” the money collection. Private persons carry laptops, which keep an account of the money received by them from the transporters. The laptops also carry details like truck numbers, for which the officers had been paid on monthly basis. Whenever such trucks are sighted on the roads, no one stops them. Other vehicles for which no financial arrangement has been worked out between the owners and the officers are apprehended and challaned.

The post of secretary, RTA, has become so lucrative that many politicians keep pestering the Chief Minister to post their men on it. Obviously, the fruits are shared by the officers with their patrons. The post was once abolished by the Hooda government and the work of the RTA was entrusted to the SDM concerned. However, this overburdened the SDMs, who are to also look after hoards of other works, including law and order. The exigencies of the administration compelled the government to revive the post of secretary, RTA.

The drive against the overloading of trucks has hit the mining lobby of Uttar Pradesh hard. The miners of Uttar Pradesh, who have certain Haryana politicians as partners, were sending overloaded trucks of stone and Yamuna sand to Delhi and other regions through Haryana. The practice has come to a halt for the past few days, sources say.

Some say the drive against the overloading will hit the state exchequer, which was getting about Rs 150 crore per annum from the challaning of the overloaded vehicles.

However, the state will save much more it has to spend on the repair of roads. Also the driver is in consonance with the Supreme Court directions.

Bhiwani, October 22
The Akhil Bharatiya Jat Mahasabha has demanded withdrawal of all cases registered during the stir for reservation.

Members of the mahasabha submitted a memorandum in this regard to the state government through the DC here today. Earlier, they staged a demonstration outside the residence of the DC and raised slogans.

State president Om Prakash Mann, who led the delegation, said attempts made by certain elements to create divisions within the Jat community would not be akkowed to succeed.

He said the demand for reservation would be raised at the Jat Ekta rally to be held in Jind on December 5.

“The Gurnam Singh Commission report has not been cancelled and it remains with the government. It can be implemented as and when the government desires,” said Mann.

Mann demanded that all cases registered from September 13 to 15 be withdran immediately and land measuring an acre be allotted for construction of memorial of martyr Sunil who was killed in police firing in Mayyad village.

Akhil Bharatiya Jat Mahasabha state president Om Prakash Mann submits a memorandum to the DC, Bhiwani, on Friday.

Chandigarh, October 22
The state of Haryana’s action of withholding retirement benefits of an “exonerated” employee has failed to find favour with the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justice Ranjit Singh has asserted once an employee has been exonerated and no charge is proved against him, the withholding of amount due to him may not be justified.

The directions came on a petition by Dharam Singh Hooda, a member of tenders’ opening committee for printing and supply of books. He was placed under suspension on November 11, 2002. The director, treasuries and accounts department, was asked to carry out the initiating proceedings against him. However, it was later asserted that no charge was made out against him.

Just as he was nearing the age of superannuation, he was reinstated on June 17, 2005. Hooda retired on November 30, 2006, on completion of 55 years. When he approached the court, the state took the stand that “it was difficult to take a decision on the regularisation of the suspension period in view of a pending CBI inquiry”. The state added that delay in release of remaining benefits was due to the loss of the service book. After the CBI intimated the state on July 28, 2008, that no evidence could be collected against Hooda, he approached the respondents for pensionary benefits.

Kaithal, October 22
Alleging foul play, kin of an accident victim of Siwan resorted to road blockade at two places for over four hours here today.

Suspecting it to be a murder case, the protesters demanded inquiry and sought arrest of the guilty. They blocked road in Siwan and near Khanpur village on the Kaithal-Patiala road.

A large number of vehicles were caught in a traffic jam for hours. Heavy police force was deployed to control the situation. The blockade was lifted in the afternoon. Aman (23), electrician from Siwan working in Kaithal, was waiting near the Kaithal drain for a vehicle to go to Siwan on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Gholu, son of Mehar Chand of Siwan, and another boy arrived on their motorcycle and Aman took lift from them. Later, family members of Aman received a message that he got injured in an accident near Khanpur village after a speeding vehicle hit the motorcycle.

The victim was rushed to the Kaithal Civil Hospital. The victim succumbed to his injuries while being taken to Chandigarh.

Sirsa, October 22
Congress leaders here are crying foul as the INLD-ruled Sirsa Municipal Council postponed the opening of tenders for several important projects of the town for the second time on Thursday.

Local leaders of the Congress allege that INLD-supporter municipal president Suresh Kuku wants to get the works done without following the normal procedure of going through tenders.

However, the INLD leaders maintained that the opening of tenders had to be postponed because the tenders received in the office created some doubts about collusion between contractors, who had submitted their tenders.

Kuku has now announced November 19 as the fresh date for the receipt of tenders.

The municipal council is to initiate some prestigious projects in Sirsa town. The projects include the construction of a trade tower on the site of the old municipal council office, construction of boundary wall and net on the waste management plant at Bakrianwali village and cement concrete road leading to the cremation ground of the town.

Among these, the trade tower is a very prestigious project initiated by the efforts of minister Gopal Kanda and its foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on April 3. The project is to be set up by the municipal council on 2.5 acres at a cost of Rs 9.97 crore.

“The INLD-ruled municipal council does not want to observe any transparency in the construction activities. That is the reason Kuku absented himself on October 18, when the tenders were to open and when the DC asked him to open the tenders, Kuku cancelled the tenders and issued a fresh date,” alleged minister’s younger brother and Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee delegate from Sirsa Gobind Kanda.

However, Kuku maintained that the tenders had been cancelled, as there were several irregularities. He maintained that the envelops of the tenders were found open when these were brought to him for opening.

“The tenders had clearly been fixed by some ruling party leaders in collusion with some unscrupulous officials of the municipal council,” Kuku alleged. He alleged that some people wanted to siphon off the municipal council funds by getting their “collusive” tenders approved from him and maintained that he would not allow that to happen. DC Rajini Kaanthan said he would look in to the matter.

Rohtak, October 22
The guest teachers have decided to hold demonstrations at the divisional commissionerate level to press for their demand for regular jobs.

They took this decision at a state-level rally here today.

Visibly discouraged by the continued indifference of the authorities and the recent High Court decision, turning down their plea against the appointment of JBT teachers, the rally today was a tame affair.

The enthusiasm visible at the Rohtak rally last month was missing.

The administration had made heavy security arrangements in the town in view of the rally, which remained peaceful.

The teachers agreed to hold the rally at Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex as directed by the district administration to avoid inconvenience to the people. They had intended to hold rally at Sir Chhotu Ram Stadium.

The president of the Guest Teachers Association, Jitender Ghilaur, said they would stage demonstrations at all divisional commissioner headquarters.They had no objection to the recruitment of teachers by the government, but their services should be regularised too.

The teachers said they would not withdraw their agitation, even though the government had increased their remuneration.They submitted a memorandum of demands to the district administration, addressed to the Chief Minister.

The police had requisitioned 5,000 police personnel from neighbouring districts and other units of the Haryana police for the rally, fearing that the teachers’ protest could get violent.

Faridabad, October 22
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today laid stress on the ideals of good health and education for the people of Haryana. This was stated by the CM while inaugurating the 24th Haryana State Games. Hooda said Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, also focused on these two key social sectors.

Addressing a function in connection with the inauguration of the Haryana State Games organised under the aegis of the Haryana Olympic Association, he said it was a matter of great satisfaction that Haryana had evolved as sports powerhouse in the country.

Sportspersons of Haryana have given the state a name in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games. Giving all credit to the medal winners for the success he said it was their sheer hard work, with the Haryana government and the Haryana Olympic Association merely acting as facilitators.

Hooda announced a sum of Rs 25 lakh for the Haryana Olympic Association.

Earlier, making a visit to the Rattan Convent School at Sikri village, where the 14th Kumar Surender Singh All India Interschool Shooting Championship was underway, Hooda announced that coaches of the medal winners in the Commonwealth Games hailing from Haryana would also be given cash awards.

Chandigarh, October 22
CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday announced free-of-cost travel facility to litterateurs above 75 years of age in Haryana Gaurav buses of the state roadways. The decision was announced by Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Dr KK Khandelwal, at the Sanskrit Sahityakar Samman Samaroh organised on the occasion of Maharishi Valmiki Birth Anniversary at Haryana Raj Bhawan here. Free-of-cost travel bus facility in ordinary state roadways buses is already admissible to the aged litterateurs.