New Delhi, June 13
Observing that corruption “is the worst kind of human rights violation,” the Supreme Court today issued notice to the CBI and directed the agency to file its response within a week to DMK MP Kanimozhi’s plea for bail in the 2G scam case.

A Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar made the observation in response to the contention of senior counsel Altaf Ahmed, who argued for Kanimozhi, that keeping his client behind the bars was in violation of human rights.

The Bench, however, acknowledged that Kanimozhi could not be kept in jail for two-three months. Under detention since May 20, the 43-year-old daughter of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi is a 20 per cent stakeholder in Kalaignar TV that allegedly received a kickback of Rs 200 crore in the scam.

Rejecting the CBI’s plea for two weeks’ time to reply to Kanimozhi’s petition, the Bench directed the agency to file its response within a week and posted the next hearing for June 20, when another vacation comprising Justices P Sathasivam and AK Patnaik will be in place.

In the petition, Kanimozhi has maintained the Delhi High Court passed its June 8 order denying her bail “on untenable grounds.”

The CBI chargesheet itself had acknowledged that Kalaignar TV had received Rs 200 crore from Cineyug Pvt Ltd on December 19, 2008 for allotment of shares. Since the share consideration did not materialise, the TV company returned the Rs 200 crore with 10 per cent interest between December 20, 2010 and February 3, 2011.

“The entire transaction was transparent and made only through the bank. There was no attempt to conceal the same” and this showed that it was “purely a genuine business transaction and not by way of illegal gratification,” the petition maintained.

The CBI has maintained that DB Realty, a telecom company that benefited from the spectrum scam, had routed the amount through Cineyug. Former telecom minister A Raja, the prime accused in the case, is also a DMK leader.

Panaji, June 13
The monsoon is advancing as per its “normal pattern” and is likely to cover most parts of the country, including the northwestern regions of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and western Uttar Pradesh, by the end of this month.

Speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of a function at Dona-Paula-based National Institute of Oceanography, Minister of State for Earth Sciences Ashwani Kumar yesterday said, “The monsoon currents are normal and on track. The overall situation of the monsoon is expected to be normal in June. By the end of this month, seasonal rains would have covered most parts of the country.”

There are concerns that the monsoon may be less generous over northwestern and northeasters areas this season. The northwest in specific has been lashed by a steady stream of thunderstorms and rain, keeping temperatures down. Besides, certain key parameters have also gone off the mark, making meteorologists apprehensive that the monsoon may be delayed or derailed in key food grain producing states in the country.

Currently, the northern limit of the monsoon (NLM) passes through Porbandar, Veraval, Dahanu, Nashik, Gulbarga, Rentachintala, Narsapur, Kalingapatnam, Puri, Dhubri and Gangtok. Here in Goa, having hit the coastal state two days in advance, the monsoon is reigning full force. Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon over some more parts of the Arabian Sea, south Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, east India and remaining parts of the Bay of Bengal during the next 2-3 days.

There is some possibility of advance of monsoon over some parts of central India towards the end of the week.In the subsequent week between June 18 and 24, the monsoon is expected to advance over most parts of central India. Slight decrease in rainfall activity may occur over east India, however, fairly widespread rain is likely along the west coast and northeast.

Hyderabad, June 13
Nearly 47 years after the split in the Communist Party of India, the move to bring together the CPI and the CPM appear to be gathering momentum with CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury today hinting at the possibility of merger of the two parties.

“While we cannot give a time table (for the merger), all well-wishers of the Left want the process to be completed as early as possible,” Yechury said. He was speaking at a programme organised by Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) in Hyderabad.

The Marxist leader said though the merger of the two Left parties was desirable, it had to go through a certain process. “One way of doing it is through the unification of various mass organisations and joint activities at the lower level, which will then spread to the top,” he said, adding that no time frame, however, could be set for the process to be completed.

“I think that is a more sustainable path, rather than the leadership coming together. So that is a process that is on. The parties are working together now at the mass organisation level,” Yechury said.

The talk of merger is gaining ground in the backdrop of the poll debacle in West Bengal and Kerala. The drubbing in West Bengal is particularly humiliating for the Left Front that had been in power there for 34 years. The CPI leaders have already spoken in favour of the merger of the two parties.

Meanwhile, Yechury said that his party was committed to fighting corruption in high places. The party had demanded comprehensive anti-corruption measures including an effective Lokpal legislation bringing the office of the Prime Minister under its ambit, setting up of a National Judicial Commission to oversee the judiciary and electoral reforms to curb the use of money power.

New Delhi, June 13
The alleged rape and killing of a minor Muslim girl by policemen in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, today prompted angry reactions at the Centre, with Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD) Krishna Tirath advising state Chief Minister Mayawati to put investigations on the fast track.

The Centre’s case-based concerns apart, the moot question everyone needs to ask is: What happened to the UPA’s much-touted scheme for the relief and rehabilitation of rape victims, minors included? In 1995, the Supreme Court asked the NCW to “wipe out the tears of unfortunate rape victims” by evolving a scheme to provide them restorative justice.

It took 10 years for the Ministry of Women and Children to consider the matter and evolve guidelines for preparing a plan to disburse compensation to rape victims. Eventually, the NCW readied a draft on which the ministry called a national consultation on March 4 last year.

Ever since, one hasn’t heard of the scheme. Already budgeted for to the extent of Rs 149 crore in the current financial year, it is nowhere near implementation. Enquiries by The Tribune today revealed that it was delayed for months on account of disagreement on the funding structure between the Planning Commission (which wanted a dedicated fund for rape victims) and the Finance Ministry (which wanted it to be a centrally sponsored scheme).

“We have now sent it back to the Planning Commission for ex post facto approval, and also written to states to create heads of account and criminal injuries compensation boards to enable us to release the available funds,” top sources in WCD Ministry said.

Mumbai, June 13
The Mumbai police today released a sketch of one of the four killers of senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey on the basis of description given by an eyewitness to the shootout.

The alleged killer is in the age group of 20 to 25 years and of medium built, with a height of 5.5 feet. His complexion is dark and he was wearing a blue raincoat at the time of the incident, the police said.

Police officials said that were questioning a number of people, including criminals and underworld informants, for clues to Dey's murder. Investigators have taken possession of Dey's laptop, pen drives and a home computer.

Dey's colleagues at Mid Day want that the investigators also look into the possibility of senior police officials being involved in the murder. The newspaper published a write-up in today's issue demanding that the CBI probe the police-mafia nexus Dey had reported on in recent times.

Earlier in the day, around 500 journalists marched from the Mumbai Press Club to the Secretariat demanding that Dey’s killers be brought to book. They also demanded that the government enact a law making it difficult for those assaulting journalists to be released on bail.

The law, mooted earlier this year following a series of assaults on journalists in the interiors of Maharashtra, was put on hold at the suggestion of the Nationalist Congress Party, which is part of the ruling alliance in the state. Chavan assured the journalists that a note would be prepared for discussion at the next meeting of the Cabinet this week.

The journalists, who are planning to hold a relay hunger strike at Azad Maidan from Wednesday, also demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil and Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra CM Prithiviraj Chavan told mediapersons on Monday that there had been some headway into the investigations.

Lakhimpur (UP), June 13
A fresh post-mortem on the 14-year-old girl found hanging in a police station here, today revealed she was murdered but ruled out rape even as the Mayawati Government ordered a CB-CID probe, removed a top police officer and suspended three doctors.

“The second post-mortem conducted by a panel of doctors from Lucknow has concluded that the girl was strangulated but ruled out rape,” Special Director General of Police (SDGP) Brij Lal told reporters in Lucknow.

He said Lakhimpur Superintendent of Police DK Rai has been removed and Amit Chandra, a PAC Commandant in Lucknow, has been posted in his place.

“The SP has been removed as prima facie laxity in supervision of the investigation has been detected. As a senior officer, he should not have relied solely on the (first) post mortem report,” the SDGP said. The SDGP said the three doctors, who performed the autopsy earlier -- AK Agarwal, SP Singh and AK Sharma -- have also been placed under suspension.

The second post-mortem was performed by a panel of doctors from Lucknow after the body of the girl was exhumed from Nighasan town here. “The doctors have been suspended as they mentioned asphyxia as the cause of death which was entirely different from the findings of the new report,” he said.

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission on Monday sent a two-member team to probe the minor girl’s alleged rape and murder. It has also sought a detailed report from the Uttar Pradesh DGP on the matter within four weeks. — PTI

New Delhi, June 13
The Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan will be held in Islamabad towards the end of the month, official sources said today.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will discuss with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir the progress in the dialogue between the two countries on outstanding issues.

Asked about the exact date of the meeting, the sources said it was being finalised. However, the meeting would be held after June 20.

New Delhi is expected to raise the issue of the ISI’s links with the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, based on the confessions made by Pakistan-born Canadian terrorist Tahawwur Hussain Rana. It is also likely to inquire about the progress of the trial of the seven people in the custody of Pakistan for their involvement in the Mumbai attacks.