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Bhullar can seek mercy afresh: Experts
SGPC forms panel to pursue case
He belonged to educated group of militants
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BJP opposes mercy plea
Chandigarh, May 30 The rejection of the mercy petition of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar by President Pratibha Patil has put Punjab’s political parties in a fix. 
KPS Gill opposes clemency
Vote bank politics to the fore
Freed by UAE court, 3 youths return today
Shanta rules out change in BJP’s state leadership
Congress objects to stay in Guv’s room
Under-construction bridge over Sirhind canal falls
DC wants flood-control measures in place
Sikh high priests want traditional turbans for cops
Govt chided for not shifting jail official for 23 yrs
‘Land donors’ threaten to launch protest
Concerted efforts must to end smoking menace: IMA
HC seeks report on pvt de-addiction centres
A mere Rs 100 fine for using red beacon illegally!
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Bhullar can seek mercy afresh: Experts
New Delhi, May 30
Bhullar’s mercy petition was rejected by President Pratibha Patil last week on the advice of the Home Ministry. The decision came a couple of days after the SC issued notice to the government seeking its response to Bhullar’s plea for commuting the death penalty to life. The grounds on which Bhullar can apply afresh for mercy are the nine-year delay in the decision on his mercy petition and his mental status arising from solitary confinement for several years, the experts say. Constitutional expert CS Vaidyanathan, however, made it clear that the fact the SC had upheld the death sentence through a 2-1 split decision and not unanimously and that the conviction was based entirely on the basis of his confessional statement could not be grounds for challenging denial of mercy to him. While exercising the power to grant pardon, the Rashtrapati Bhavan “does not sit in judgment” over the SC verdict to decide whether “the conviction is correct or the sentence is correct or whether the judgment is unanimous.” The President, he said considered certain parameters such as the health condition of the convict and the family circumstances. Any person suffering from a terminal illness such as cancer or gone insane was not sent to the gallows, Vaidyanathan explained. In his petition filed in the SC, Bhullar has maintained that he has become a mental wreck due to solitary confinement and is being treated at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Science at Shahdara, near here, for the past two months. Senior advocate KV Viswanathan cited the case of Kehar Singh, who was executed for his role in the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The then President R Venkataraman had rejected his mercy petition, stating that he could not go into the merits of the case. But the SC had remitted the issue back to the President, stating that the merits could be one of the considerations while taking a decision on the mercy petition. Nevertheless, his mercy plea was rejected again and he was hanged to death. Mahabir Singh, senior advocate at SC, said the apex court had in some cases commuted the death sentence to life on account of delay in the execution for no fault of the convicts. Another criminal case expert and senior advocate Raju Ramachandran said Bhullar had a strong case for approaching the SC, challenging the rejection of his mercy plea. The convict could seek enforcement of the apex court guidelines for commuting the death penalty to life. According to the guidelines, undue delays in the execution for whatever reason, be it the time taken for deciding the mercy plea or any other factor, are strong grounds for saving the convict from the gallows. The President’s decision could also be challenged if it had been vitiated by factors such as non-consideration of relevant material, the experts opined. The SC had issued notice to the government on May 23 on the latest plea of Bhullar that he had been kept in a 7x9 feet cell in the Tihar Jail since August 25, 2001, when he was convicted. The agony of waiting to be hanged had made him a mental wreck. Further, he said he was afflicted by depression, hyper- tension, arthritis and spondilitis.
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SGPC forms panel to pursue case
Amritsar, May 30 “They will prepare a panel of top Supreme Court lawyers to initiate steps to save Bhullar from the death penalty,” Makkar said. He said a meeting of Sikh organisations has been called at Teja Singh Samundari Hall here tomorrow to mobilise support for Bhullar. To a query, he said the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) had also been invited.
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He belonged to educated group of militants
Chandigarh, May 30 Bhullar, an engineering graduate, studied at Guru Nanak Engineeering College. He was a contemporary of young Khalistani protagonists Daljit Singh Bittu, Ranjit Singh Gill and Pritam Singh Sekhon. After finishing his studies, he taught at a number of technical institutions while being lured into the militant movement. He owed allegiance to the Khalistan Liberation Force. Named in some criminal cases, the police went hunting for him. While he could not be nabbed, the security agencies, including the Punjab Police, allegedly took his father, brother and a close friend, Balwinder Singh Multani, into custody. The whereabouts of all three are still not known. Bhullar was booked for the bomb attacks on the then SSP, Sumedh Singh Saini, in 1991 and the IYC chief, MS Bitta, in 1993. He managed to leave the country but was held at a German airport.
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BJP opposes mercy plea
Chandigarh, May 30 It was the DSGPC that first stood up for Bhullar after the President rejected his mercy plea. The SGPC soon followed suit and so did the Akalis with the CM seeking the “direct and immediate intervention" of the PM. With the issue drawing a lot of comment in public and on social networking sites, PCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh too has backed the demand for commuting Bhullar’s sentence, making it clear that he has done so in his personal capacity. But BJP leader Shanta Kumar said in Jalandhar today that the party was against terrorism and would never back the mercy plea of any militant.
KPS Gill opposes clemency
New Delhi: Former Punjab DGP KPS Gill has opposed mercy to Khalistan terrorist Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar saying no leniency should be shown to those who commit acts of terror. “As far as terrorists are concerned, there should be no mercy and the death sentence against them should be executed expeditiously,” Gill said. —
PTI
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Vote bank politics to the fore
Chandigarh, May 30 It was the DSGPC that first stood up for Bhullar after the President rejected his mercy plea. The SGPC soon followed suit and so did the Akalis with the CM seeking the “direct and immediate intervention" of the PM. With the issue drawing a lot of comment in public and on social networking sites, PCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh too has backed the demand for commuting Bhullar’s sentence, making it clear that he has done so in his personal capacity. But BJP leader Shanta Kumar said in Jalandhar today that the party was against terrorism and would never back the mercy plea of any militant.
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Freed by UAE court, 3 youths return today
Chandigarh, May 30 Notably, it is for the first time that any expatriate worker from India, convicted and sentenced to death in the UAE, has taken the benefit of the “Diya” provision in the Shariat law to walk free again. The three youths — Pardeep Kumar of Fateh Ghar Naira (Hoshiarpur), Kashmiri Lal of Bhar Singh Pura (Nawanshahr) and Tarlochan Singh of Sakroli village (Hoshiarpur) — were convicted by a Sharjah court for the murder of their fellow expatriate worker, Bikramjit Singh of Dayalgarh village in Gurdaspur, following a drunken brawl in October 2008. The trio was sentenced to death. The victim, Bikramjit Singh, belonged to a poor family and it was on the intervention of a Dubai-based businessman-cum-hotelier, SP Singh Oberoi, that the families of the victim and the convicts were brought to a negotiating table. Of the Rs 17 lakh paid as “blood money” to the family of Bikramjit Singh, Rs 11 lakh was paid by SP Singh Oberoi while the remaining Rs 6 lakh was contributed by the families of the three convicts. The agreement was accepted by the court on September 21, 2010. On October 27 last, the court formally waived their death sentence and ordered them to undergo three years’ rigorous imprisonment. This sentence was subsequently reduced on March 14. SP Singh Oberoi, who frequented Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Gurdaspur last year, ultimately got the settlement papers prepared in accordance with the Shariat law. After getting them attested and approved through the UAE Embassy in New Delhi, the papers were submitted to the Sharjah Appeal Court, which approved the settlement. Though the court waived the death sentence of Pardeep Kumar, Kashmiri Lal and Tarlochan Singh, they still had to undergo imprisonment for various offences, including bootlegging and violent clashes. It was on May 17 that they were finally ordered to be freed.
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Shanta rules out change in BJP’s state leadership
Jalandhar, May 30 Shanta Kumar said this while interacting with mediapersons here today. Even as he reflected the hard stance of the party on corruption issues, the BJP state incharge said that Tikshan Sud (sitting alongside him during the press conference) had been given a clean chit on the corruption issue raised by a forest official. He ruled out any probability of change in the party leadership in the state in the wake of protests by former minister Master Mohan Lal’s supporters against state president Ashwini Sharma, who too was sitting besides him. Shanta seemed to be fumbling for words as he was asked questions on his favouring Tikshan Sud. “It is not my decision. All allegations are seriously looked into by party seniors who then pass on their judgement,” he clarified. On the issue of dropping of three ministers, he said that it had nothing to do with the CBI probe in the land deal in Rajpura. “We had been planning a re-organisation in the Cabinet since long. It was just that we committed a mistake by executing the changes soon after the issue was raked up, which has now led to such an impression,” the former Himachal Pradesh CM said. When reporters asked him, “Had the performance of the dropped ministers dipped too low that you had planned to remove them?” Shanta found himself short of words for a while, but soon handled it saying, “Let me make it very clear that we have not dropped any ministers. We have just given them some other assignment within the party.” Asked about the absence of former minister Manoranjan Kalia, Shanta clarified, “Kalia ji was here for the core committee meeting in the morning.” Congress objects to stay in Guv’s room
Jalandhar, May 30 PPCC secretary Virendra Sharma said the Congress had submitted a memorandum to Divisional Commissioner SR Ladhar to lodge a complaint as to why rules have been flouted for Shanta Kumar’s stay. District Congress president Arun Walia demanded that action should be taken against the DC and all concerned officials. — TNS
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Under-construction bridge over Sirhind canal falls
Ropar, May 30 As the 450-tonne heavy structure fell into water, there was chaos in the nearby markets and residential areas. Being built at a cost of Rs 8.60 crore, the 134-metre-long bridge was almost 70 per cent complete. The bridge is being built using free cantilever technology. SS Dhindsa, XEN, Public Works Department, said of the total length, 90 meters of the bridge was erected in free cantilever span. “It is a complete steel structure. Using false launching nose, the bridge was to be connected at the other end. Due to technical reasons, while launching today the structure lost its balance and the launching nose was damaged. The loss has been negligible and the contractor will bear the cost of damage,” he said. He added that the company, which was awarded the contract for construction of the bridge, has summoned experts from Delhi. Within a week, the entire structure would be lifted from the water and placed back to its original position. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had laid the foundation stone of the bridge on February 24, 2009. The bridge was to be completed within a span of 18 months. However, delay in getting clearances from the forest and removal of electricity poles, extended project by June 30. With today’s incidence, it is expected that work might be further delayed. Tech adviser to CM to visit site today BS Dhaliwal, technical adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister, will visit the site on Tuesday. “I can’t say anything off hand at the moment. I will ascertain facts when I visit the site and only then I will be able to comment,” he said. Kiratpur Sahib bridge too suffers damage The Ropar district currently has four bridges constructed using cantilever technology. This includes bridges at Rangilpur, Ghanauli, Lohand Khad and Kiratpur Sahib. Two months ago, the Kiratpur Sahib bridge too had got bent two months ago.
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DC wants flood-control measures in place
He said the government did not want a repeat of last year when the floods had caused severe damage. He said: “The departments should chalk out a plan to handle flood-related problems and also prepare a detailed list of required items so that in case of an emergency, the government does not fall short of basic necessities”. The DC also instructed the Health Department to keep proper stock of medicines and told the departments to work together so that the people did not face any problem. Also, list of safe buildings, veterinary hospitals, specialist doctors and paramedical staff should be prepared and sent to the district administration at the earliest. ADC-cum-nodal officer APS Virk directed officials of the Drainage Department to visit all main rivers of Patiala — the Ghaggar, Pachi Daraa, Satluj Yamuna Link, Bhakra and Hansi Butana —to ensure that there were no breaches in the embankments. A representative of the Natural Calamity Cell, Punjab, said the government had made a three-phase plan for flood control. “Administrative cell will prepare a form in which all duties to be carried out during flood will be listed,” he stated. The strategy... l
Chalking out a plan to handle flood-related problems l Keeping proper stock of medicines l Preparing list of safe buildings and hospitals l Visiting all main rivers of Patiala to ensure that there were no breaches in the embankments
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Sikh high priests want traditional turbans for cops
Amritsar, May 30 Addressing the media after the meeting, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said: “It should be ensured that the Punjab police officials and staff members should tie turban as per Sikh traditions and not in the current form (turban tied after putting a “kula” on head), which is a symbol of slavery.” He asked the SGPC to immediately initiate talks with the state government in this regard. The high priests said: “The turban is pride of the Sikhs, but these days disrespect is being shown towards it even in the police stations across the state, which is a dangerous trend. We have written to the SGPC chief to hold a dialogue with the government and make sure that such incidents do not recur.” Meanwhile, the high priests have summoned Harwant Singh Daduwal from Italy to seek his clarification for allegedly committing sacrilege on the arrival of 400 “birs” there recently that were recently shipped to Italy from Mumbai via sea route. Taking a serious note of disputes breaking out in management committees of gurdwaras in the country and abroad, the Sikh high priests have directed the managers of the gurdwara committees to ensure that decorum is maintained on the
gurdwara premises and all religious symbols are given due respect.
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Jat quota panel begins yatra
Amritsar: Members of the All-India Jat Arakshan Sangarsh Samiti started their nationwide sankalp yatra after performing ardas at Golden Temple on Monday. Led by AIJASS president Yashpal Malik, the aim of the yatra is to consolidate the samiti’s base among members of the community spread across different states of the country. The yatra’s route has been chalked out according to the community’s concentration in the states and districts. —
TNS
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Govt chided for not shifting jail official for 23 yrs
Chandigarh, May 30 Taking suo motu cognisance of his inordinate stay in a single district, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has now directed that he would not be transferred back to the holy city till the completion of his tenure at a new place of posting and without the permission of the court. The development is significant as the committees, set up by the High Court for recommending means of improving the conditions prevailing in the jails across Punjab and Haryana, have all along been favouring frequent transfers of jail officials to avoid the creation of vested interest.
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‘Land donors’ threaten to launch protest
Amritsar, May 30 Dejected by the “unmindful” and “atrocious” attitude of the management against the teachers who sat on chain hunger strike, the residents of Kot Khalsa village under the banner of “Save Khalsa College Action Committee” led by Sawinder Singh today announced that they would be forced to take to protest path if the management
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Concerted efforts must to end smoking menace: IMA
Patiala, May 30 Chopra said: “Smoking is recognised as a chronic relapsing health disorder due to addiction and is responsible for damaging every system of human body. Only strong willpower, continuous
counselling, motivation and regular use of medicinal therapy can make a smoker to quit the habit.” President of the Patiala IMA Jatinder Kansal urged the medical professionals to make a concerted effort to curb the menace of smoking. Chairing the programme, physicians like Dr RS Bedi, Dr AP Kansal and Dr BS Sidhu discussed various ways to facilitate the chronic smokers to quit the habit. President of Punjab Academy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Dr DS Bhullar has urged the government to put a blanket ban on smoking scenes in movies and serials in order to ensure that youngsters do not fall prey to smoking. — TNS
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HC seeks report on pvt de-addiction centres
Chandigarh, May 30 The directions by Justice Rajive Bhalla came after “the deputy commissioners pointed out certain deficiencies in drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres being run by private parties”. Taking up the matter, Justice Bhalla asserted that the State of Punjab and other respondents “shall grant the de-addiction and rehabilitation centres six weeks’ time to comply with the norms. The deputy commissioners shall, thereafter, carry out a fresh inspection and submit a fresh report”. Before parting with the order, Justice Bhalla also directed the director, social welfare, Punjab, to file his response to the issue. The case will now come up on July 13. Already, Justice Bhalla has directed the States of Punjab and Haryana to prepare a plan for allocation of funds and manpower for post-cure support to the addicts and their families. The matter was brought to Justice Bhalla’s notice after a petition was filed by a few rehabilitation centres challenging Punjab Government’s orders on closing down the wards.
Takes note of toxic water report
Taking suo motu cognizance of a news report ‘Bathinda facing toxic water threat’ that appeared in The Tribune on May 27, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice to the State of Punjab and other respondents for July 18. The matter deserves to be looked at in the PIL jurisdiction, Acting Chief Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asserted.
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A mere Rs 100 fine for using red beacon illegally!
Patiala, May 30 “This is too less an amount for such a serious offence,” said a traffic cop. According to sources in the Police Department, the issue had been discussed in detail with senior transport officials. Also, a recommendation to empower the duty officer to impound such vehicle and further raise the amount of the fine is on cards. “The orders to raise the fine amount were issued last year. There have also been complaints from various other districts where people have started illegally using red beacons and got away after paying the fine,” they added. As per present government orders, first-time violators will have to pay a fine of Rs 100 for offences such as jumping red light, driving without seat belt or helmet, talking on mobile phone while driving, triple riding, wrong parking and unauthorised use of sun film, red or blue beacon while the second-time violators will pay Rs 300. A police officer not below the rank of an Assistant Sub Inspector could issue these challans. ADGP (Traffic) RP Singh told The Tribune that recommendations were made to the authorities concerned to tighten noose around such violators. “Soon, fine amount will be increased and also the officer on duty will be empowered to impound such vehicle,” he said.
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Devenderpal Singh Bhullar, sentenced to death for the 1993 bomb attack on Youth Congress leader MS Bhitta, can file a fresh mercy petition with the President or approach the Supreme Court seeking commutation of the sentence to life imprisonment, according to constitutional experts and senior advocates of the SC dealing with criminal cases.
An under-construction bridge over the Sirhind canal collapsed today morning injuring one person. About 50 workers were working at the site at the time of the incident. The injured labourer was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him out of danger.
In Punjab, you can get away with a red beacon atop your vehicle illegally by paying a fine of Rs 100. The government has notified 11 offences that fall in this category where the offenders can pay on-the-spot fine and get away easily.“This is too less an amount for such a serious offence,” said a traffic cop.According to sources in the Police Department, the issue had been discussed in detail with senior transport officials. 
Patiala, May 30