New Delhi, April 6
In a major embarrassment to the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh government, the Supreme Court today quashed the allotment of 20 acres of land at a throwaway price in 2008 to a trust named after late party chief Kushabhau Thakre, holding the notification in this regard as “illegal”.

A Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly observed that although the objectives of the Kushabhau Thakre Training Institute, to which the land was ultimately transferred, “are laudable” and would benefit “an important segment of the society, the fact remains that all its trustees are members of a particular party”. Trustees include senior party leaders LK Advani, M Venkaiah Naidu and Murli Manohar Joshi.

The entire exercise for allotment of land in Basvadiya village of Bhopal district and waiver of major portion of the premium was undertaken because the “political functionaries of the state wanted to favour” Kushabhau Thakre Training Institute, the Bench stated. Officers of the state at different levels “were forced to toe the line of their political masters” for ensuring the allotment, the apex court noted.

The land was allotted without issuing an advertisement or inviting applications from eligible persons. Unfortunately, the Madhya Pradesh High Court overlooked the fact that the entire process of reservation of land and allotment, therefore, “was fraught with grave illegality and was nothing but a blatant act of favouritism on the part of the functionaries of the state and summarily dismissed” a petition that had challenged the allotment, the Bench ruled.

The SC’s ruling came on a petition filed by Akhil Bhartiya Upbhokta Congress, a consumer society registered in Madhya Pradesh. The society had challenged the allotment, contending that it had been done in total violation of laws. It had come to the apex court challenging the high court verdict. Thakre was BJP President between April 1998 and August 2000.

New Delhi, April 6
The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict on Punjab’s petition challenging a high court order for a CBI probe into the Moga sex scam. A Bench comprising Justices RV Raveendran and AK Patnaik indicated it might allow the trial in both the cases, one registered by the state police under FIR No. 82 in 2007 and then by the CBI, relating to the scam involving local politicians and senior police officials. However, there would be a single judgment.

Additional Solicitor General Harin Rawal, appearing for the CBI, defended the December 2007 HC order asking the investigation agency to conduct the probe, contending that the HC had special powers to order reinvestigation if it felt the state police had failed to prosecute the accused for the main offence.

Questioning the logic of the state government coming in appeal to the SC, the ASG wanted to know as to whether it was trying to bail out the accused in the case. He said of the three policemen accused in the case, the Central government had granted sanction for the prosecution of an SSP (an IPS officer) while the state government had denied permission in the case of an inspector and a sub-inspector citing the petition pending in the SC.

The ASG contended that the HC had ordered a CBI probe as the state government had failed to bring to the court’s notice that the police investigations had been completed and the Moga Sessions Court had framed charges marking the commencement of the trial.

Senior counsel Anoop Chowdhry and Rishi Malhotra, appearing for the complainant, Manpreet Kaur, said their client would prefer the trial at the Moga court, not the trial at the CBI court at Patiala.

The state government contended that the HC had passed the order taking suo motu notice of newspaper reports, including that of The Tribune, and without substantive and adequate material.

New Delhi, April 6
The Union Cabinet today approved the Comprehensive Mission Document of the National Water Mission aimed at conservation of water, minimising wastage and ensuring its equitable distribution both across and within states through integrated water resources’ development and management.

The Cabinet, at its meeting chaired by PM Manmohan Singh, also approved the opening of Consulate General in Perth, which will benefit the growing Indian community in Western Australia. There are about 40,000 to 45,000 Indians living there.

The Water Mission is one of the eight National Missions, which form the core of the National Action Plan for Climate Change. The Mission Document for National Water Mission was drafted by the Ministry of Water Resources through consultative process with full involvement of state governments, Central ministries concerned, non-governmental organisations, academicians and other stakeholders.

The five goals identified in the mission are comprehensive water data base in public domain and assessment of the impact of climate change on water resources; promotion of citizen and state actions for water conservation, augmentation and preservation; focused attention to vulnerable areas; increasing water use efficiency by 20 per cent and promotion of basin level integrated water resources management.

New Delhi, April 6
Starved of research publications when compared to Asian giants like China, the government is considering rewards for universities that are generating good research outputs.

The first meeting of the Council for Grand Initiative Alliance between the HRD and Science and Technology Ministries yesterday discussed the provision of “performance based revolving funds”.

“The performance of universities can be assessed through some transparent criteria and the good ones may be nurtured by providing financial support, freedom in accessing external funding and total autonomy. To kickstart this initiative, revolving funds can be considered for performing varsities wherein a seed fund is released in the beginning of the year in the form a plan research grant, which can later be adjusted against funds released at the time of providing extra-mural fund support,” said discussion papers for the meeting held between HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Science Minister Pawan Bansal.

New Delhi, April 6
The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on a PIL seeking an investigation into reports of alleged tax evasion and money laundering by trustees of Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai.

The advocate-petitioner, Harsh Raghuvanshi, contended that his family spent a fortune on the treatment of his brother at the hospital after a major accident. He said he was “pained and outraged” by the embezzlement of money in the medical sector at the cost of hapless patients who spent their lifetime savings.

A Bench comprising Justices B Sudershan Reddy and SS Nijjar also sought the response of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and SEBI as senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, appearing for the petitioner, sought a directive to the agencies to go into the issue.

The Bench tagged the PIL with the similar petitions filed by Jethmalani and others seeking the court’s directive to the government to unearth black money and bring back billions of dollars illegally stashed in secret foreign bank accounts by Indians.

Quoting media reports, the petitioner said Lilavati Hospital had siphoned off Rs 50 crore in the past few years. “On an average, the hospital collects Rs 1 crore in cash from patients, of which Rs 25-30 lakh is simply taken away,” the petition said.

The trustees of the state-supported Charitable Trust of the hospital even owned the Kochi cricket team of the Indian Premier League, the petitioner said.

Sonaripara (Assam), April 6
This village in north Assam shot into the media glare when miscreants hoisted a Pakistani flag during the bloody riots in October 2008 that left scores of houses reduced to ashes and several dead. Fear drove hundreds of villagers to refugee camps.

Located about 15 km away from the Udalguri district headquarters, electioneering is nowhere to be seen in this village inhabited by Bodo tribals on the one end and immigrant Muslim farmers on the other. Security is a bigger concern here than any other issue here.

The village comprises four hamlets - three inhabited by immigrant Muslims and one by Bodo tribals. Though none of the nine candidates in the fray from the Kalaigaon constituency has held any election meeting in the communally sensitive village, the voters from both communities are preparing to cast votes at the same polling station at Jhargaon LP School on April 11 in an apparent gesture to leave behind the days of hatred and violence.

“None of the political parties has actually tried to restore confidence between the two communities after the riots, though the administration had tried to provide assistance to the riot-hit to rebuild their houses. At least 19 affected families are yet to receive the quota of CIC sheets allotted to them. They have, however, got the meagre financial assistance of Rs 10,500 each,” said Binaram Bodo, a local leader of the All-Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU).

Similar views were expressed by Abdul Sattar from a nearby hamlet of immigrant Muslims. He said the riot-hit families were yet to be adequately compensated by the administration even after almost three years.

“It is the time and patience of the people that have helped restoration of normalcy in the area over the past three years as all political parties have chosen to maintain a safe distance from both communities,” said Sumer Boro, an ex-serviceman.

But the tension is still in the air as an eerie silence descends in the area just before the dusk. The wounds of riots are yet to heal. No wonder, the communities have remained perturbed over non-fulfilment of their demand for a permanent police outpost in the village.

Kolkata, April 6
Trinamool supremo and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said here today that she would hold joint election meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (in Kolkata) and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi (in north Bengal) for the Assembly elections in the state. A campaign programme was being chalked out accordingly, she added.

Addressing a press conference at her Kalighat house this evening, she said the Congress and the TMC would hold joint election meetings in all 294 constituencies so that they could defeat the Left Front. She would start addressing poll meetings from Malda on April 10 in the wake of Calcutta High Court’s order today in withdrawing restriction on the use of microphones in north Bengal (except Darjeeling) from April 9. From April 13, however, the EC’s imposition of the restrictions would be automatically lifted.

The elections in north Bengal districts would be held on April 18. The TMC chief would address meetings in Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar and Siliguri before returning to the city on April 15 for celebrating the Bengali New Year Day function (Nabavarsha Utsab).

Mamata advised TMC and Congress workers not to fall into the trap of the CPM’s designs. She alleged hired musclemen and rifle-slinging CPM cadres were already in the streets for attacking Opposition candidates. Already, six TMC workers and four Congress men had fallen victim to CPM attacks. She said several such incidents could take place in various districts as the poll dates drew near.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi at an election meeting in Kozhikode on Wednesday. — PTI

The anti-talks faction of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) has backtracked on its call for the Assam bandh as and when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hits the campaign trail in Assam. The faction now just plans to protest against his visit, blaming him for engineering rift within the outfit by facilitating talks with a faction of it. The outfit has reasoned that it doesn't want to annoy people of Assam before Rangali Bihu (spring festival). However, people are wondering if the outfit has learnt a lesson after thousands of people defied ULFA bandh call to attend PM's rally on April 2 last. Whatever be the reason, the Prime Minister can now expect that his proposed rallies in the state will be a smooth affair now.

Women ignored again

While two women can emerge as chief ministers of their respective states after the Assembly elections, the representation of women remains abysmal among candidates. The percentage of women MLAs in the five outgoing Assemblies was a paltry 9.5 per cent. And in keeping with the trend, the highest number of women candidates has been fielded by the Left Front in West Bengal ( 15.8 per cent) though the number remains far below the 33 per cent reservation for women that the Left parties support. While just 8 per cent of the AIADMK candidates happen to be women, the DMK is only marginally better at 9 per cent. Even Mamata Banerjee has put up 34 women candidates, constituting 14 per cent of the total.

ULFA boss’ Army link

While the ULFA, the once-dreaded insurgent outfit, is engaged in peace-talks with the Centre, it has clarified that its cadres would boycott the Assembly elections in Assam but would not 'disturb' the poll process. Its fugitive 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Barua, widely believed to be operating from China and Myanmar, is believed to have engineered the bomb blasts at the Congress office in Guwahati just before the polls. He is opposed to both peace talks and the election. But Barua's mother cast her ballot in Dibrugarh. Her youngest son, Bikul Barua, who is a school teacher, was a polling official. His family members also exercised their right to franchise along with her. Even more interesting is the fact that another brother of Paresh Barua is an employee at an Army Supply Depot while the youngest brother is also an Armyman.