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CBI grills Kalmadi again
Gujarat Riots
WikiLeaks disclosures rock Rajya Sabha
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Booth scam: Bansal, Shergill seek to salvage reputation
Chiranjeevi’s son-in-law held in dowry case
Malegaon: Bail plea of nine
accused rejected
New breed of T-72 tanks to have more roar, safety & comfort
Japanese N-crisis raises fears in AP over Kovvada project
Four MPs seek Speaker’s
protection
Watchdog for pvt TV channels soon
Jaswant slams govt for US tilt
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CBI grills Kalmadi again
New Delhi, March 15 Kalmadi was first questioned by the CBI on January 5. On March 11, a five-member CBI team had conducted a search of his locker at the Parliament Street branch of UCO Bank in New Delhi. The CBI had visited branches of the ICICI and Saraswat banks in Karvenagar in December 2010, when officials raided Kalmadi's homes and offices in Pune and Delhi. Kalmadi, who has been in the eye of the storm ever since the conduct of the Games, received a fresh blow on February 11, when the CBI arrested Shekhar Mukund Deorukhkar from Pune. Deorukhkar has been accused of hiding facts about transactions and contract papers, which were eventually recovered during raids conducted by the CBI. In a related development, the CBI also slapped three fresh charges of fraud, forgery and cheating on former Organising Committee topshots Lalit Bhanot and VK Verma, in custody for alleged irregularities in awarding lucrative logistic provisioning contracts to a Swiss firm. The judicial custody of the duo, arrested on February 23, has been extended till March 29. Senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, appearing for Bhanot, said all the decisions, taken for procuring the Timing, Scoring and Result (TSR) System from the Swiss firm, were taken by various committees of the OC. “Bhanot has not taken the decisions on his own to award the contracts for TSR. It was taken by the various OC committees,” Gupta said. The CBI is also probing alleged irregularities in the hiring of Swiss firm Event Knowledge Services (EKS) as CWG’s technical consultant. The document is expected to help the CBI establish the alleged role of Kalmadi and Bhanot in connection with scams surrounding the Games. The CBI has so far registered eight cases of which three are related to restoration work of two sporting venues, two are related to Queen Baton's relay, while one each is related to overlays, contract given to Swiss Time Keeping, and contract given to SIS live for the coverage of the Games. Bail for businessman
Businessman Binu Nanu, held for allegedly paying kickbacks to various CWG Organising Committee officials to secure several lucrative contracts for providing logistic support for
the Games, was on Tuesday granted bail by the Delhi High Court. — Agencies
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Gujarat Riots
New Delhi, March 15 “Your inferences don’t match the findings,” a three-member Bench headed by Justice DK Jain told Raghavan. Nevertheless, the Bench, which included Justices P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam, asked the SIT chief to give his comments within six weeks on the observations of amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran on the status report. The SIT had questioned Chief Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the case after the SC directed the team to probe the allegations of Zakia, wife of Jafri, that Modi had deliberately allowed the riots to go on unchecked in the wake of the Godhra train fire in which 59 people were killed. A trial court in Gujarat recently convicted several persons in the train fire case. Today, the Bench also expressed shock when senior counsel Shanti Bhushan, arguing for Zakia, quoted the findings of the SIT. “How are you citing the report? We have not given you a copy.” In fact, the SIT report was kept in a sealed cover, the Bench told Bhushan. Bhushan said he had read the report in the Tehelka weekly. At this, the court asked as to how the senior counsel had assumed that the report was true. Bhushan said he presumed it to be true. “In such matters, don’t presume,” the Bench shot back. The counsel, nevertheless, maintained that the leak “is in public interest.” The Bench clarified that the SIT could “re-examine the entire evidence” if necessary and collect further evidence. The recent media report on the SIT report is somewhat contrary to earlier reports, according to which Modi has been given a clean chit in the case. The allegation against Modi had been made on the basis of frantic calls made by Jafri and other Congress leaders to top officials of the police and the administration seeking protection at the Gulberga society, mainly comprising members of the minority community, immediately after the riots had broken out. Jafri was burnt to death by the rioting mobs in the absence of any police protection. The case will now come up for hearing on April 27. Sohrabuddin case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a plea for handing over to the CBI the investigations into the killing of Tulsiram Prajapati, a close associate of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, in a fake encounter in Gujarat on December 28, 2006. Ram Jethmalani, appearing for former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah, contended that there was no legal provision for taking away the investigation from the state CID as the chargesheet had already been filed.
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WikiLeaks disclosures rock Rajya Sabha
New Delhi, March 15 Raising the issue in the House during Zero Hour, CPM member P. Rajeev demanded a response from the government on the WikiLeaks’ alleged disclosures on the Mumbai terror attacks, Cabinet reshuffle and other issues. He was joined by his party colleague Brinda Karat. The Left members said the WikiLeaks cables quoted then US Ambassador to India David C Mulford as saying that there was “undeniable pro-American tilt” in the Cabinet reshuffle undertaken by the UPA regime. In this connection, he drew attention to Mulford’s statement that change in the petroleum portfolio was to ensure that the India-US relations continued to move ahead quickly. Mani Shankar Aiyar, seen by the US as “contentious and outspoken Iran pipeline advocate”, was replaced by “pro-US” Murli Deora. He said a chain of US embassy cables revealed the pro-US position of the Indian government on several issues. As Opposition members shouted “shame, shame”, Rajeev said the US felt the net effect of the Cabinet reshuffle was “likely to be excellent for the US goals in India (and Iran)”. The CPM member said there was also a reference in the cables to the inclusion of Saifuddin Soz, Anand Sharma, Ashwani Kumar and Kapil Sibal “with strong pro-US credentials”. They revealed that India was not ready to share the details of investigations into the 26/11 Mumbai attack with Pakistan initially. But after continuous pressure (from the US), the Home Minister agreed to share the information, he said. The WikiLeaks’ reference to “Kerala mafia” in the PMO also provoked members to demand a response from the government. Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan, citing rules, said he could not direct the government to respond to Zero Hour mentions.
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Booth scam: Bansal, Shergill seek to salvage reputation
The Minister told The Tribune today that he was interested in letting this matter reach its logical conclusion. “I will go after the issue till I prove the BJP’s role in it. What can explain the fact that while I am yet to receive the official copy of this report, most BJP leaders had it in their possession yesterday,” Bansal said. While the minister today wrote to the Chandigarh Home Secretary asking him for the official and authentic copy of the report in question, he reiterated that he never had access to the report or its contents. PS Shergill, who conducted the inquiry, however maintained, “Two of the minister’s aides, Harmohinder Singh Lucky and Pawan Sharma, had admitted on a TV channel on March 7 that they had copies of the report. If they have it, how can the minister not have it?”
Alleging that Bansal had a hand in his repatriation to Punjab, Shergill alleged, “When I was recording evidence, witnesses told me that Rajeshwar Pathak, a close aide of the minister, had openly been saying that he had spoken to the minister, who had assured him of my transfer.” Shergill also claimed that his report that ‘the booth mafia seemed to have the minister’s patronage’ was based on his personal experience. In October last year, he said, Pathak assaulted some of the witnesses when they were returning after recording their statements. When the SDM learnt of it and called up the police, he was told that the ‘victims’ had been charged with breach of peace and not the prime accused. And, finally, when the victims were bailed out, the then UT Advisor, Pradeep Mehra, asked him to explain -- at the behest of Bansal -- why the ‘victims’ alone were bailed out and not the others. The Bansal camp, meanwhile, is questioning the authority of Shergill, who even after being repatriated to Punjab on January 13, carried the report with him and submitted it to the UT Administration in February.
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Chiranjeevi’s son-in-law held in dowry case
Hyderabad, March 15 After a fairytale wedding in October 2007 when teenager Srija had eloped with engineering graduate Sirish and accused her parents of curtailing her freedom, the couple developed serious differences, leading to a break-up. Srija, now 22, lodged a complaint with the central crime station women police in Hyderabad yesterday, alleging that her husband and mother-in-law were mentally and physically torturing her, demanding a dowry of Rs 1.5 crore from her parents.
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Malegaon: Bail plea of nine
accused rejected
Mumbai, March 15 The anti-terrorism squad of the Maharashtra police which investigated the case had arrested nine persons -- Salman Farsi, Shabir Ahmed, Noorulhuda Doha, Rais Ahmed, Mohammed Ali, Asif Khan, Javed Sheikh, Dr Faroogue Ansari and Abrar Ahmed - for their alleged involvement in the blast. The blasts had taken place near Hamidia Mosque in the Bada Kabristan around 1.15 pm on September 8, 2006, killing 37 people and injuring over 100. —
PTI
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New breed of T-72 tanks to have more roar, safety & comfort
The Indian Army has asked global vendors, this includes other countries than Russia, for information on better explosive reactive armour (ERA) that will provide protection against incoming enemy anti-tank missiles and projectiles. The Army is also looking to have an auxiliary power unit on board that will operate the tanks newly installed night vision devices, besides the gun control equipment, laser range finder, gunner sight and radio sets. For the crew, the Army is looking to have an air-conditioner that will keep temperatures inside the hull at a comfortable level. During the summers, the temperatures inside a tank can go up to an energy-sapping 60 degree Celsius. With better anti-tank missiles having being developed, the Army wants that the T-72 tanks should have an advanced ERA that will keep out the 125mm Fin Stabilised Armour Penetrating Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) and other kinetic energy projectiles and tandem-shaped charge warheads. The technology of an ERA is such that it is explodes in the face of an incoming missiles, thereby making them ineffective or less lethal. This is a huge plus in battle when incoming missiles kill the crew and destroy the tank. The next in line is the engine upgrade of the T-72. It runs on a 780 The development of the Arjun Tanks has had a few spin-offs that have application in the T-72. These include the armour, laser warning system, the fire detection and suppression system besides the combat net radio. Army has some 1,600 tanks of the T-72 variety and these have been inducted in phases in the past 30 years. Strategic planners have, in the past, questioned the move of the upgrade instead pitching in for faster inductions of the T-90 tanks and the indigenous Arjun tanks. The T-90 is being produced in India under a license agreement with the Russians and the DRDO’s factory at Avadi in Tamil Nadu had so far produced 124 Arjun tanks and another 124 have been ordered. The total expenditure on the T-72 tank, the Army under its plans has stated a figure of nearly Rs 5000 crore for total upgrade of the tanks. A small portion of this has been spent on fixing night vision devices and the major component will be the engine upgrade.
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Japanese N-crisis raises fears in AP over Kovvada project
Hyderabad, March 15 Environmentalists, local villagers and opposition parties are up in arms against the nuclear power project at Kovvada on the grounds that it would cause environmental pollution and large-scale displacement. The villagers have been resisting land acquisition for the ambitious Rs 60,000 crore project, being taken up by the Nuclear Power Corporation Limited (NPCL) with US technical know-how. The project, involving construction of six nuclear reactors with the capacity of each unit varying from 1,000 MWe to 1,250 MWe, requires a whopping 9,000 acres. With media reports from the earthquake-hit Japan projecting a major damage to the nuclear power plants and radiation fears, local Congress “The nuclear reactors proposed at Kovvada are untested, thus leading to serious safety concerns,” said noted environmentalist and former Union Power Secretary EAS Sarma. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the retired IAS officer said the country must learn lessons from the Japanese nuclear emergency and revisit the ambitious nuclear power programme. Incidentally, Kovvada was among the first set of four sites identified by the UPA government in 2009 for setting up nuclear plants as part of the civil nuclear agreement with the USA. The other three sites are Pati Sonapur (Orissa), Haripur (West Bengal) and Kutch (Gujarat). The local farmers and opposition parties have raised issues of radioactivity, pollution, and the effects on fish and groundwater. “India has embarked on a nuclear adventure by opening the floodgates to foreign reactors, without ensuring that matching arrangements exist for an independent regulatory oversight. The Centre has shown utter disregard to public opinion,” Sarma said. Referring to the strong earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Sarma said the details of the damage at each of the Japanese nuclear power plants would unfold in due course but “the damage could be more than what has been reported so far”. While the cooling system at Fukushima nuclear plant failed, forcing Japan to declare a “nuclear emergency”, fire broke out at Onagawa, leading to evacuation of thousands of people. Pointing out that many major and minor nuclear accidents had occurred in Japan in the past, the former civil servant said an accident at the Tokiamura nuclear power project in September 1999 had resulted in an uncontrolled chain reaction that led to serious radioactive exposure to 439 persons in the neighbourhood. “Locating a nuclear plant at Kovvada can be a suicidal move,” another environmentalist T Sivaji Rao warned.
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Four MPs seek Speaker’s
protection
New Delhi, March 15 While Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav gave a notice of question of privilege against the District Magistrate and DIG, Lucknow for forcibly detaining him and arresting his son Akhilesh Yadav a few days ago, the latter gave a separate notice. The BJP member from Lucknow Lalji Tandon also rose in the House to narrate how the Lucknow police recently broke into his house and damaged furniture just because he had sided with some people protesting corruption in the state. Congress’ Jamnagar MP Vikrambhai Maadam alleged that a local corporate mafia in Gujarat, along with the district authorities, were repeatedly threatening to kill him.
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Watchdog for pvt TV channels soon
New Delhi, March 15 The mechanism would be in the form of an independent regulator consisting of 13 members who would be assigned the responsibility of content regulation and time-bound resolution of complaints made by anyone who objects to any content on television. “We plan a body headed by a retired Supreme Court or a High Court judge and comprising stakeholders from the TV industry, civil society, National Commission for Women, National Commission for the Protection of Children, the SC, ST and the Minorities Commission. This body will deliver judgments on matters involving the quality of TV programming. Where they are unable to resolve the issues in time, the Ministry will step in,” Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni today said in the Lok Sabha when members raised concerns about vulgarity being aired into Indian homes through television. The government said it was taking time to finalise the structure of the body to avoid running into trouble with the courts later on. The minister was speaking in reference to the Bombay High Court striking down the government order to the makers of reality TV show Big Boss. The Regulator It would likely consist of 13 members who would be assigned the responsibility of content regulation and time-bound resolution of complaints The group is expected to be headed by a retired Supreme Court or a High Court judge and comprising stakeholders from the TV industry & civil society The govt said it was taking time to finalise the structure of the body to avoid court trouble later
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Jaswant slams govt for US tilt
New Delhi, March 15 Singh, who referred extensively to Wikileaks documents, began by saying, “I do not know whether to treat the document of Ministry of External Affairs as fiction, if I read the Wikileaks documents along with what the MEA has given out.” The former Foreign Minister was most charitable to the present incumbent S.M. Krishna admitting that he too failed saying, “I do not hold the minister (responsible). I tried to change the methodology and I did not succeed.” Expressing concern over growing US guidance of India’s foreign policy, Singh remembered for his camaraderie and bonhomie with the then US Deputy Secretary of State of US Strobe Talbott, told the government, “I appeal to you not to bank on the US for anything as far as Pakistan is concerned,” he said.
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Adarsh Scam Notice to Jagan Pirate ships
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today quizzed former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi for the second time in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the sporting event.
New Delhi, March 15
Shergill said that he was contemplating legal action against Bansal, who in a recent statement had allegedly called him a “tyrant and a product of a sick mind”.
New Delhi, March 15
