Chandigarh, November 12
The disgraced former Director-General of Police, SPS Rathore, today walked out of the Model Jail in Burail village here this evening with smile back on his face.

Rathore, languishing in jail for over five months, appeared to be a man relieved as he walked out of confinement. His wife and counsel, Abha Rathore, had come to receive him amid the glare of cameras. Mediapersons jostled with one another to capture Rathore’s facial expression.

Rathore, in a white shirt and black trouser, was whisked away by policemen and jail security staff to his car at 6.30 pm.

At about 5.45 pm, the jail staff put blankets on the main gate, which they said was routine and had nothing to do with Rathore.

Rathore did not speak to mediapersons. He sat in his car and drove away.

Sources said being almost sure of his release, Rathore had packed his baggage yesterday and was eagerly awaiting his release.

He had his lunch with dal and chapatti and met Additional Inspector- General (Prisons) Sunil Bhatia before leaving. Earlier in the day, Abha fulfilled the legal formalities and furnished a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate JS Sidhu. She reached the court at about 12.30 pm but could furnish the bond only at around 4 pm.

She submitted an application at 12.45 noon to furnish the bail bond as per the Supreme Court’s orders, along with a copy of the orders. She was asked to come back at 2.30 pm as the court had to verify the Supreme Court’s.

She waited till 4 pm till the formalities were complete before rushing to the Burail jail. Rathore was lodged in jail on May 25 and was staying with undertrial Baba Pritpal Singh in barrack number 10. Two parole applications of Rathore were earlier turned down by the Panchkua District Administration.

Chandigarh, November 12
The apex court’s green signal to the removal of the suspended chairman and members of the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) comes as a big boost to the Hooda government, which had all along maintained that they had bungled the selections for various government jobs.

These persons were appointed to the august office by the INLD government just before it was voted out of power in 2005. The timing of their appointment and the manner in which these were made had left none in doubt that the party had tried to ensure its grip over the HPSC for the next six years, even if voted out of power.

Those INLD-appointed members whose tenure would have expired within a few years, giving an opportunity to the new government to appoint its own men, were made to resign by the then government.

The INLD strategy was obvious. In case the party was voted out, the HPSC would remain under its control during the tenure of the next government. The INLD strategy is a reflection on the functioning of most of state public service commissions. Their members do not apply their mind while selecting candidates for government jobs, they just do the bidding of the powers that be.

The Hooda government spoiled the INLD gameplan by taking out most of the jobs out of the purview of the HPSC. Even those posts which remained with the HPSC, no requisition was sent to it. This prompted the INLD to accuse the Hooda government of subverting constitutional authorities like the HPSC.

The Hooda government made out a case for the removal of Saini and eight other members and after nod from the President, placed them under suspension.

The Supreme Court’s observation that Saini and his colleagues failed to “maintain the required standards of integrity and rectitude in performance of their constitutional duties” is likely to have a bearing on various cases pending in courts.

Perhaps, it is the first case where the apex court has given its approval to removal of the entire Public Service Commission.

The apex court’s decision on the HPSC has put an added responsibility on Hooda. Now he will have to prove that his selection of the HPSC members is impeccable.

Gurgaon, November 12
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said here today that Rs 1,500 crore would be spent on improving the health infrastructure in the state.

“A decision has also been taken to establish a “Swasthya Kosh” (health fund) to provide modern health services to the poor,” he said, adding that the amount contributed to this fund would be exempted from income tax.

The Chief Minister was addressing the participants at the 20th annual conference of the North Zone Chapter of Urological Society of India (USI), which commenced here today.

During this three-day conference, nearly 450 urologists from different parts of the country will deliberate on the topic “Urological Advances in Indian Perspective and Future Direction”. Five urologists have also come from the USA to attend the conference.

The Chief Minister assured the urologists that he would consider their proposal for providing space to set up the headquarters of the USI in Gurgaon.

Hooda maintained that the issue of shortage of doctors was being addressed and large-scale recruitment had been made to ensure that there were adequate doctors and paramedical staff at the level of Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres and general hospitals.

Organising chairman Dr NP Gupta was presented with the lifetime achievement award by the Chief Minister. 

Chandigarh, November 12
Furnishing false travelling claims? Apply the brakes. For the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled furnishing false travelling allowance claims is a misconduct which may entail severe punishment.

The ruling by Justice MM Kumar and Justice Ritu Bahri came on an appeal filed by Balwant Singh Bhandair, a retired protocol officer with the HC, against the Punjab and Haryana High Court Registrar.

The Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice Ritu Bahri asserted: “The appellant was found guilty in a regular departmental inquiry for falsely claiming travelling allowance in respect of journeys to Mussoorie on March 31, 1988, April 9, 1988, April 22, 1988, April 25, 1988, May 7, 1988 and June 4, 1988.

“He was awarded punishment vide order dated December 20, 1991, reducing him in rank from the post of translator to that of senior clerk.

“He was to get minimum of the time scale of the pay of a senior clerk and was to rank juniormost in the cadre of clerks”.The Bench observed: “Against the order of punishment, he filed an appeal before the appellate authority, as per the High Court Establishment (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1973.

The appellate authority vide order dated April 26, 1996, reduced the punishment and awarded him the punishment of withholding of four annual grade increments with cumulative effect”.

In its detailed order, the Bench said: “We have heard the counsel for the appellant at a considerable length and find that there is no room to interfere in the order of the appellate authority as upheld by the Single Judge.

False claim of travelling allowance is certainly a misconduct, which may entail even severe punishment”.

Dismissing Bhandair’s appeal, the Bench said:

"The punishment of stoppage of four annual grade increments with cumulative effect cannot be regarded as a harsh punishment or disproportionate to the misconduct committed by the appellant. There is, thus, no merit in the appeal”. 

Sirsa, November 12
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh appeared before the CBI court through video conferencing from here today. His devotees lined outside the court complex.

The court recorded evidence of witnesses in the murder case of scribe Ram Chander Chattarpati.

The dera chief entered the district courts complex in the morning and remained there till afternoon.

The case was later adjourned to December 11. 

Sirsa, November 12
The “unceremonious removal” of the principal of the local DMA College of Education run by the town’s prestigious Sirsa Education Society has sparked a row.

A former president of the society has gone to the extent of demanding that the post of president be handed over to the Deputy Commissioner, a practice followed till 1999.

Dr Shakuntala Gupta, principal of the self-financed college, was reportedly informed on the telephone on November 8 that she has been removed from the job with effect from November 4.

When she went to the college on Tuesday, she found her office locked. She was told by the office staff that an office-bearer of the governing body had done so.

She waited till evening to retrieve her personal belongings from the office, but none turned up, despite several calls. “I am among the few teachers approved by experts of the National Council of Teachers Education (NCTE). I joined the institution during its infancy in 2005. My efforts brought the college additional BEd seats and as per the Kurukshetra University norms, I became eligible for Reader’s grade, which I politely sought from the management,” said Dr Shakuntala.

She alleged she had been targeted because she had objected to undue interference by an office-bearer of the governing body in the college functioning.

The termination letter issued by the college management reads: “The tone and tenor of your letter manifestly convey that you are no more interested in the service of this college.

“Hence, it has been decided not to retain you in service with effect from November 4, 2010.”

Bhim Jhunthra, a former president of the Sirsa Education Society and member of the Lok Adalat, Sirsa, said he was ashamed at the manner in which the prestigious society, of which he is a patron, has come to function.

Terming the action as “whimsical”, he said only recently the principal of a school run by the society had been “forced” to resign.

“The society functioned smoothly when it was headed by Deputy Commissioners as its ex-officio presidents till 1999 and I demand that the old practice be revived again,” Jhunthra said. Parveen Baghla, president of the society, denied the allegations.

“Dr Shakuntala Gupta was on probation and the management decided to remove her from the post as she was not found suitable for the job,” he maintained. 

Chandigarh, November 12
The Congressmen today took to the streets burning effigies of RSS ideologue KS Sudarshan at several places in the state.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress president Phool Chand Mullana in separate statements said only a person who had lost his mental balance could make such allegations. Sudershan had accused Sonia of handing a hand in the murder of her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi and later her husband Rajiv Gandhi.

They accused the RSS of having always worked for “communalising and dividing the country”. Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh Yadav and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala also took strong exception to the remarks . — TNS

Kurukshetra, November 12
The court of Dr Neelima Shangla, Additional Sessions Judge, Kurukshetra, in a judgment announced here today awarded life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 50,000 to Ashok Kumar Paswan of Kishnu Ganj village of Bihar for raping a 14-year-old girl.

The victim was a friend of the daughter of Paswan, who used to live in her neighbourhood in a rented house. The incident took place when the victim went to Paswan’s house to play with his children. However, his children had gone to a park to play. Finding her alone, Paswan raped the minor.

Paswan’s daughter Dolly used to study with the victim in the same class in Government Girls School, Chhotta Bazar, Thanesar.

Later, the accused took her to Bihar and married her in a temple. The victim’s parents lodged a complaint, following which Paswan was arrested.

He has also been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 10 years along with a fine of Rs 10,000 under Section 366-A of the IPC and five-year rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 50,000 under Section 363 of the IPC.

Meanwhile, in another case, Shangla yesterday awarded life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 50,000, to Sanjit Kumar of Bihar for raping a seven-year-old girl.

The girl was playing in a park near her house on November 28, 2009, when Sanjit Kumar, a taxi driver, raped her.

Sirsa, November 12
A local court has sentenced a liquor contractor and two clerks of the Excise Department to three years imprisonment each and imposed a fine of Rs 26,000 each in a case of duping the department by committing a fraud to the tune of Rs 4.5 crore.

The decision of the court has come after 11 years of the registration of a criminal case and the three of the accused have already died.

Former minister Vinod Mariya, his brother Raj Kumar Mariya, Krishan, Radhey Sham, Sadhu Ram, Dev Karan, Surja and two clerks of the Excise Department Keemti Lal and Surender were booked under Sections 420, 406, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC. — TNS