New Delhi, July 25
Yoga guru Ramdev today claimed that from the very beginning the government was trying to crush his movement to get declared the black money as national property and bring it back from foreign shores.

Addressing a media conference, he alleged that the government was trying to the crush the movement by using “unethical, unconstitutional and undemocratic means”. “The government is using the CBI, the ED and other agencies against me,” Ramdev said.

“When the government found nothing against me, it started harassing my supporters, including Acharya Balkrishna by laying baseless allegations”, he said. Refuting the allegations that Acharya Balkrishna’s degree is fake, he said that he completed his study from Radhakrishan Sanskrit Vidyalaya. “The institution has made it clear that it has issued certificates and degree to Balkrishna and the documents are original,” Ramdev claimed.

New Delhi, July 25
The Supreme Court today refused to make Home Minister P Chidambaram a party to the case relating to the midnight crackdown on yoga guru Ramdev and his followers at Ramlila Maidan here on June 4, but directed the Home Secretary to file an affidavit on the incident within three days.

A Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar also said it would watch on August 5 the two-hour video recording of the Delhi Police action against the gathering, which included women and children, before hearing the case again on August 8 and 16.

Ramdev was on an indefinite fast at the maidan to press for acceptance of his demands --- death sentence for the corrupt, fast track trial in corruption cases, declaration of black money as a national asset, promotion of organic farming, owner-friendly land acquisition policy and better returns for farmers.

Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Ramdev, pleaded for making Chidamabaram a party to the case contending that the Home Minister was directly responsible for the police excesses. The Bench, however, said it did not want to expand the scope of the case on hand. If necessary, it would consider the plea later, the court clarified.

Nevertheless, the Bench said the action was unfortunate and should not be repeated again under any circumstances.

Taking suo motu notice of the crackdown, the Bench had issued notice to the Delhi Police on June 6 and the Centre seeking their explanation for the drastic step in the middle of the night when the protesters were fast asleep.

The court had then raised questions on the need for resorting to the use of lathicharge, teargas shells and water cannons for dispersing the crowd.

New Delhi/Haridwar, July 25
A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s aide Acharya Balkrishna for holding a fake Indian passport, the agency today issued a lookout notice against him. The agency has alerted all the international airports in the country to prevent Balkrishna from fleeing out of country.

“We have issued a look out notice for Acharya Balkrishna and alerted all the airports and border areas,” said a CBI official, adding that case was registered against him after investigations revealed that he had obtained the passport after submitting forged university documents.

With the CBI closing in on Balkrishna, it is being speculated that he will be arrested very soon. It was during the probe into his fake passport that the CBI came to know that the documents attached to prove his date of birth were bogus. The investigation further found the degrees of Balkrishna were also fake, sources in the CBI informed.

The CBI has registered a case under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120 B of the Passport Act. Meanwhile, rubbishing all charges, Balkrishna claimed that an attempt is being made to malign his image.

On his ‘fake’ degree, the Ramdev aide, said: “Even the principal of the Sampurna Nand College has confirmed that I was a regular student. I don’t so why am I being targeted. I never violated any law of the land or acquired illegal means to procure educational degrees.” (With inputs from Sandeep Rawat)

New Delhi, July 25
The government draft on Lokpal Bill, which is expected to be considered by the Cabinet this week, does not include the Prime Minister in the purview of the Ombudsman but the final call on the ticklish issue will be taken by the Parliament and its Standing Committee.

Disclosing this, Home Minister P Chidambaram said the Bill will be introduced in the Parliament in the monsoon session starting on August 1. The government's draft has been prepared by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which is the nodal ministry, and the issue is likely come up before Cabinet this week or early next week.

"Once the Cabinet approves the draft, with or without changes, that is the government's draft that will be introduced in Parliament. So we will introduce the Lokpal Bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament," he said. On the controversial question of bringing the Prime Minister's post within the ambit of Lokpal, Chidambaram said, "According to present thinking, and subject to change by the Cabinet, the government's draft keeps out the Prime Minister. ...Our considered view at the moment, subject to change by the Cabinet, is that the PM should be kept out of Lokpal."

The Home Minister noted that there are several arguments for and against keeping the Prime Minister out of the ambit of the anti-corruption watchdog.

"Each one is a reasonable point of view. Ultimately, it is for the government to adpot a point of view and introduce it in Parliament. The Standing Committee can change it, Parliament can change it," he underlined. "I am willing to acknowledge your point of view is reasonable. But I have got reasons why I take a point of view. And if you are in government, you take that view and introduce it in Parliament," Chidambaram said in apparent reference to Anna Hazare-led civil society activists who insist on inclusion of PM in the ambit of Lokpal.

"I am not able to understand why people should say my point of view is the reasonable point of view and yours is unreasonable. That I don't agree at all," he said. — PTI

New Delhi, July 25
Samajwadi Party MP Rewati Raman Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ashok Argal were on Monday questioned in the 2008 parliamentary cash-for-vote scam. The SP MP was questioned on the alleged calls he received from former BJP Yuva Morcha member Suhail Hindustani to strike a deal with BJP MPs before the trust vote in the Lok Sabha.

While Singh was questioned in the morning, Argal, who was allegedly offered the bribe, arrived at the Delhi Police Crime Branch office at 4 pm.

Singh was questioned for around 90 minutes by the Crime Branch team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Chand. The Samajwadi MP stressed that the “conspiracy” behind the scandal should be “exposed”.

He said later that his response was the same as that before a parliamentary panel which probed the alleged bribe to some MPs during the 2008 Parliament trust vote.

“I have told police what I had said before the parliamentary committee. The conspiracy behind the cash for vote has to be exposed,” Rewati Raman Singh said after the questioning.

The BJP MPs had claimed that Singh first contacted them on behalf of the then Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, whom they met later. Sanjeev Saxena, a former aide of Amar Singh, then delivered an advance sum of Rs 1 crore.

Both Saxena and Hindustani are in jail in connection with the alleged scam. Rewati Raman Singh had told the parliamentary committee that the BJP MPs met him on account of wanting to join the SP.

Singh, an MP from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, arrived at the inter-state cell of the Crime Branch in New Delhi's Chanakyapuri at 11.45 am. from his residence on Copernicus Marg. He left the police office at 1.30 pm.

BJP MP Ashok Argal, one of the three party MPs who were allegedly bribed during the trust vote, was also questioned at the Crime Branch office, police said.

Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh was grilled for nearly four hours on July 22 over the alleged bribery of three BJP lawmakers during the 2008 trust vote.

Saxena alleged that Amar Singh, then with the Samajwadi Party, had provided Rs 1 crore for buying the support of three BJP MPs in the trust vote the Manmohan Singh government sought in 2008. Wads of currency notes were shown in the Lok Sabha July 22, 2008, minutes before the vote was to take place.

Hindustani, who allegedly played the liaison man between the SP leader and the BJP MPs, also levelled the same allegations against Amar Singh. — IANS 

New Delhi, July 25
India will take the first step tomorrow to dematerialise academic certificates and qualifications and end the era of fake certifications.

The first to be available in the electronic format will be the academic awards of the Central Teachers’ Eligibility Test 2011 whose results the CBSE is slated to announce tomorrow. Also available in a dematerialised format on specially designed portals under the newly developed National Academic Depository (NAD) from tomorrow will be the CBSE’s Class XII Board Exam results, complete with the marksheets of students as issued by the Board.

These two awards have been dematerialised as part of the pilot project the HRD Ministry commissioned in January this year to determine how degrees and qualifications in electronic formats can be made available in India.

The exercise was undertaken ahead of the introduction in the Parliament of the National Academic Depository Bill which seeks to store academic degrees in a dematerialised format (like share certificates) and enable interested agencies to conduct online verification of the candidates to find out if the degree has actually been awarded by the authority being claimed, say the CBSE in this case or any other university. The Bill has been cleared by the Cabinet.

Anyone wanting to verify degrees online would, after three months, have to pay some money for the job.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal hailed the move and said anyone interested in verifying the authenticity of the two academic awards in question can now do so by going to the depository.

“They don’t have to go to the CBSE. Once the Bill is passed, all Central universities and state boards can become part of the system and the academic awards they offer can all be electronically stored and no one would be required to physically store the qualifications,” he said.

New Delhi, July 25
The Supreme Court today approved the proposal for holding a common National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions - both graduate and postgraduate courses.

Under the proposal mooted by the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct the test for the MBBS course. The modalities for conducting the admission test for MD/MS courses and super specialty courses are still being worked out. The NEET will be in place for the next academic session (2012-13), the MCI informed the apex court.

A Bench comprising Justices RV Raveendran and AK Patnaik gave the green signal for introducing the new system after being informed that the Union Health Ministry, which was initially against the MCI suggestion, had agreed to the change as the relevant institutions and other stakeholders were in favour of it.

The core syllabus for the NEET for under-graduate admissions would be based on the subjects taught by various school boards. This would be posted on the MCI website by next month, seeking the response of the stakeholders, the MCI told the apex court.

The question paper for the NEET was possible only in English and Hindi in view of the problem arising from leakage of such papers as had happened recently, the CBSE has said.

New Delhi, July 25 
Attacking the BJP for demanding resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram on the 2G issue, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today said submission by an accused, former telecom minister A Raja, in a court cannot be construed as an evidence.

Raja has said in the court that the matter (dilution of equity by two licencees Unitech and Swan Telecom) was discussed between the Prime Minister and the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

"At the outset, submission by an accused before a court at the time of framing charges cannot be construed as evidence. In any case, this issue has nothing to do either with grant of licences or the pricing of spectrum," Sibal said.

He, however, asserted that as far as the alleged sale in Swan and Unitech are concerned it is clarified that what  occurred was "not sale of the equity but issuance of additional equity". In October, 2007 Swan issued additional equity to DB Infra and in February, 2008, issued additional equity to Etisalat. The additional equity issued to Etisalat was less than 49 per cent, and hence entitled to automatic route as per existing FDI Policy.

In the case of Unitech, the additional equity issued to Telenor was given FIPB approval in August, 2009. It was also cleared by the CCEA on October 19, 2009, Sibal said. It is clarified that in both these cases what occurred was dilution of equity and not the sale of equity. — PTI 

"A Raja has himself disclosed and admitted in court that the Prime Minister and then Finance Minister were in the know of all this and the entire transaction had their consent and approval. The two must resign forthwith as they have no legal, political and moral authority to remain in office," BJP President Nitin Gadkari told a press conference here.

He insisted that since Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said there would be no compromise on corruption, the BJP wants to know her opinion on this "revelation". — PTI

New Delhi, July 25
Sonia Gandhi confidant Pulok Chatterjee is set to be appointed as the next Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The 1974-batch IAS officer will replace present Principal Secretary TKA Nair, who will be re-designated as adviser to the Prime Minister, well-placed UPA sources said today.

A formal announcement on these top-level changes is expected by the weekend.

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had issued orders last week that Chatterjee be recalled from his assignment with the World Bank and “be put at the disposal of the PMO”.

Since the ACC order did not specify Chatterjee’s responsibilities, the UPA sources had surmised that he would be appointed secretary in the PMO. However, it is now learnt that he will be the PM’s new principal secretary.

The Uttar Pradesh cadre officer has worked in close proximity with Congress president Sonia Gandhi as her private secretary when she was the Leader of Opposition during the NDA regime. Chatterjee was inducted into the PMO when the UPA government came to power in 2004 and was known to be a bridge between Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh’s office. He had moved to the World Bank in 2008.

UPA insiders said Pulok’s re-induction into the PMO would improve communication and bring about greater synergy between the two offices.

New Delhi, July 25 
The Noida Extension Flat Buyers Welfare Association, which represents nearly 30,000 affected flat owners, today invited customers of the entire Noida and Greater Noida to join its protest and also decided to rope in other parties hit by court order to quash land acquisition.

In two separate orders, the High Court has quashed the acquisition of about 750 hectares of land from farmers by the Greater Noida Development Industrial Authority (GNIDA), affecting more than 30,000 flat-owners and about 20 realty projects of developers, including Amrapali and Supertech.

In Noida Extension, an estimated 2.5 lakh houses are planned and out of that about 1 lakh units have already been sold by builders.

“By associating affected persons of all regions and categories, we will certainly widen our support base and shall be in a position to carry forward our movement and also present our case in a more effective manner,” Noida Extension Flat Buyers Welfare Association (NEFBWA) President RP Tyagi said in a statement. He urged everyone associated with the recent land issues in the area to become members of the organisation as early as possible. — PTI

Guwahati, July 25
With the demand for a separate “Frontier Nagaland” state gaining ground in four eastern districts of Nagaland under the banner of the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO), the Nagaland Cabinet has adopted a resolution recommending to the Centre to create an autonomous council comprising eastern districts of Tuensang, Mon, Longleng and Kiphire having border with Myanmar.

The four bordering districts are considered backward as compared to other districts of Nagaland. Presence of Naga rebels is considered a major hurdle in the development of these areas. These districts have a strong presence of the Naga rebel group NSCN-K while another rebel faction NSCN-IM has also been trying to gain foothold there.

Even as the negotiations between the Centre and the NSCN-IM have reportedly entered their final phase, he demand for a separate state comprising these four districts is getting louder.

The Cabinet resolution proposes that the autonomous council comprising four districts should have the authority to administer the area with legislative, administrative, executive and financial powers.

The Cabinet had earlier, on November 25 last year, discussed in detailed a note from the Prime Minister seeking the state government’s views on the memorandum submitted by the ENPO, demanding a separate state, comprising Tuensang, Mon, Longleng and Kiphire districts.

According to an official source, the state Cabinet took note of the resolution adopted at a joint meeting of MPs and legislators of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) held on July 10 last that had recommended to the Cabinet, the creation of an autonomous council for areas falling within the jurisdiction of the Eastern Nagaland Public Organisation (ENPO).

The Cabinet proposal mentioned that the recommendation of the cabinet had a “certain historical background” that was reflected in the provisions of Article 371-A (2) of the Constitution of India. 

Mumbai, July 25
Last week's triple bomb blasts have forced the authorities to reconsider security preparations during the 10-day Ganesh festival in the city which begins on September 1. Local-level organisers who are busy seeking permission to install idols of Ganesh across Mumbai speak of strict verification by local police stations.

“The police has requested us to tone down the festival following the bomb blasts,” says Raju Shinde, an organiser from Dahisar in suburban Mumbai.

According to Shinde, his mandal had sought permission to hold the festival for all 10 days but was asked by the authorities to immerse the deity on the fifth day itself. “The police said it was having problems allocating people for the immersion on the last day,” Shinde said.

Jayant Patil, Maharashtra's Minister for Rural Development who is the guardian minister for Mumbai, had earlier appealed to political parties and other organisers of the Ganesh festival to tone down celebrations following the blasts.

Patil noted that most of these celebrations are organised by political parties and it would be easier for the organisers to keep a low profile.

However, the minister's request has angered organisers, who have told the government to clean up its act instead of advising the mandals to tone down the celebrations.

“While we are doing our utmost to maintain security, it is the government's responsibility to ensure that terror attacks do not take place,” says Rajendra Lanjwad, treasurer of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, the biggest Ganpati mandal in Mumbai.

The city's biggest idol is installed by this mandal in Lalbaug in central Mumbai. The mandal will be installing closed circuit televisions around the venue and restrict parking of vehicles. Other mandals have already announced that they would be hiring private security guards. 

Mumbai: The death toll in the July 13 triple bomb blasts in Mumbai has risen to 24 after one more victim died in the hospital on Monady. Mankeshwar Vishwakarma, 48, was undergoing treatment at KEM Hospital after sustaining injuries in the blast at the Kabootarkhana in Dadar. — TNS

Hyderabad, July 25
It was yet another day of resignations in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana issue. All 11 MLAs of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) submitted their resignations afresh to mount pressure on the UPA government to concede the demand for a separate state.

The development came two days after the Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar rejected the resignations of all the 101 legislators from the region, across the political spectrum, on the grounds that the resignations given in an emotionally surcharged atmosphere were not acceptable.

While TRS MLAs faxed their resignation letters to the office of the Speaker, the Telangana Congress legislators were divided on the question of putting in their papers again. The ruling party leaders

would take a call on the issue after their meeting with party in-charge of AP, Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi today.

On their part, the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party MLAs from Telangana region decided to re-submit their resignations to the Speaker after he returns from London in the first week of August. The TDP leaders also said they would move the court, challenging the Speaker’s earlier decision to reject the resignations

Four rebel TDP leaders had yesterday submitted their resignation letters. The Telangana region accounts for 119 seats in the 294-member Assembly. On July 4 and 5, as many as 101 MLAs from Congress, TDP, TRS, BJP and CPI had put in their papers early this month. They included 12 ministers.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) set August 1 as the deadline for the Centre to announce a favourable decision on creation of Telangana state or face non-cooperation from all sections across the region.