Fatehabad, July 28
Close on the heels of the detection of the supply of rotten wheat to ration depots for distribution among poor at Sirsa, some officials of the Food and Supplies Department were found watering wheat bags stacked in a storehouse at Bighar Road in Fatehabad last night.

The wheat bags were to be supplied to ration depots in the district today for their distribution among poor under the PDS chain today.

An anonymous caller informed the SDM, Baljit Singh, at 10.30 last night that five persons were busy sprinkling water on the wheat bags stacked on the local Bighar Road. The SDM, who immediately rushed to the spot, found that a rubber pipe with a 2-inch wide bore drawing water from a submersible tubewell was placed on the stacks of wheat.

The exercise was evidently being done to increase the weight of the foodgrains.

Those involved in the exercise tried to escape on seeing a government vehicle, but the SDM’s gunmen managed to catch them. One of them was later identified as Naresh Sharma, a guard in the Food and Supplies Department.

The other four were labourers engaged by some official of the department on wages.

The five reportedly named an inspector of the department on whose directions the wheat bags were being watered. They said the bags were to be lifted on Thursday for supply to the ration depots under the PDS chain.

Baljit Singh intimated the matter to the Deputy Commissioner, Ashok Meena, who reached at the storehouse at 11 in the night.

The Deputy Commissioner constituted a joint team of the police and the Food and Supplies Department to inquire into the matter and fix responsibility for the act.

The team had not submitted its report till the filing of this report and a local consumer body alleged that efforts were on to hush up the matter by the Food and Supplies Department.

The Deputy Commissioner said that the SDM had already given a written complaint to the police for registering an FIR. Rajvir Singh, the District Food and Supplies Controller, however, said that he had taken samples of wheat from different stacks of the plinth where the wheat bags were stacked.

He said the samples were sent to laboratory to ascertain the moisture contents of wheat and maintained that these had been found within the parameter allowed by the government.

However, sources say watering the wheat bags during this part of the year was nothing but a scam to siphon off extra wheat by increasing the weight of entire stocks artificially.

Chandigarh, July 28
Embroiled in controversies since the very beginning, Justice Nirmal Yadav case today witnessed a verbal spat of sorts between the Bench and her counsel.

Her counsel indicated that a fair hearing would be denied to his client, if the record submitted to the court by the Union of India was not made available.

The apparently perturbed Bench, on the other hand, gave the counsel the option to seek the transfer of the case to some other Bench.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s former Judge, Justice Nirmal Yadav, had earlier moved the court against the prosecution sanction order.

Acting on her petition, Justice Permod Kohli had on the previous date of hearing summoned the entire record in the case, including documents with the Union Department of Legal Affairs.

As the case came up for resumed hearing this afternoon, Assistant Solicitor-General of India Anmol Rattan Singh Sidhu, along with Central Government counsel Ajay Kaushik, submitted to the court “most record available” with them from the Union Department of Personnel and Training, and from the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Sidhu submitted that some more record from the Union Department of Legal Affairs may be allowed to be produced.

Adjourning the case for August 11, Justice Kohli made it clear that the court may draw an adverse inference against the Union of India and other respondents, if the record was not produced on the next date of hearing.

But before parting with the case, Justice Kohli asked Justice Yadav’s counsel KTS Tulsi to continue with the arguments.

Tulsi then sought the record for enabling him to complete the arguments. Taking a note of his request, Justice Kohli asked him to refer to the specific issues and portions of the record so that they could be made available to him.

But Tulsi insisted on continuing with further arguments after consulting the record. He even referred to the principle of natural justice in an apparent attempt to impress upon the court that it was his right to obtain the record.

After Tulsi referred to issues such as fairness in hearing, Justice Kohli left it open for Justice Nirmal Yadav to seek the transfer of the case to some other Bench.

Chandigarh, July 28
A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today recused itself from hearing Haryana’s former top cop SPS Rathore’s matter. So far, four Benches have refused to hear the matter.

As the case came up for hearing, the Bench of Justices SK Mittal and AN Jindal today referred the matter to some other Bench, after obtaining orders from the High Court Chief Justice.

On July 7, the Bench of Justices MM Kumar and Gurdev Singh had issued similar orders. Earlier on May 13, the Division Bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and AN Jindal had also recused itself from the case. Even before that, the Bench of Chief Justice and Justice Surya Kant had refused to hear the matter.

The case is at the stage of final arguments. In fact, the Bench headed by the Chief Justice had earlier made it clear that the case would come up for final arguments on the issue of granting promotions to Rathore.

Despite facing allegations of molestation by the family of his daughter’s classmate, Ruchika Girhotra, he was promoted.

The Bench had also made it clear it was for the trial court to deal with the issue of closure reports submitted by the CBI in two cases against Rathore.

The Bench had observed: “Under the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, it is the trial court which should deal with the matter and pass appropriate orders on the report of the investigation.”

New Delhi, July 28
The Supreme Court today ruled that there was no justification for condoning any man for tormenting his wife for not giving birth to a child, but reduced the sentence of a Haryana man from seven years to five years.

“We see no justification to condone such an act of harassing or tormenting a woman just because she did not give birth to a child. It may not be the fault of the wife that she did not have a child. At any event, that is no justification for tormenting or beating her, and this reveals a feudal, backward mentality,” a Bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and CK Prasad held in an order. The Bench pointed out that it was natural that everyone wanted children. “But if a woman does not have a child that does not mean she should be insulted or harassed. In such a situation, the best course would be to take medical help, and if that fails, to adopt a child. Experience has shown that an adopted child gives as much happiness to the adoptive parents as any natural child does.”

The apex court made the remarks while confirming the conviction of Sudarshan Kumar from Haryana and the seven-year rigorous sentence awarded to him for bashing up his wife time and again for not conceiving. His wife, Sudesh, had committed suicide in February 1989.

“We uphold the conviction of the appellant recorded by the courts below but keeping in view the fact that the appellant has already undergone about five years RI out of seven years, we deem it appropriate to reduce the sentence to the period already undergone by him,” the court ruled.

Chandigarh, July 28
The Haryana Government has constituted the State Police Complaint Authority to conduct independent and impartial investigations into the cases of misconduct by police personnel.

An official spokesperson said today that the authority would have all the powers of a civil court trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.

The office of the authority has been set up in the old building of the Public Works Department in sector 19-B, Chandigarh, he added.

The authority would entertain complaints sent by the victims or their relatives, but it should be supported by an affidavit. Anonymous complaints would not be entertained.

The complaints could be sent either through post or handed over in person in the office during working hours, he added.

Chandigarh, July 28
The government today transferred 24 HCS officers.

Sanjeev Verma, ADC-cum-CEO, DRDA, Panchkula, and Jagdeep Singh, CAO, Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation Ltd., Panchkula, will swap their respective places of posting.

Sunita Verma goes as MD, Cooperative Sugar Mills, Palwal; and Yash Pal as SDO(C)-cum-Additional Collector, Faridabad, in place of Pradeep Godara, who has been posted as SDO(C)-cum-Additional Collector and Estate Officer, HUDA, Bhiwani.

Jai Kishan Abhir goes as SDO(C)-cum-Additional Collector, Dadri in place of Hoshiar Singh Siwatch, who has been posted as SDO(C), Firozepur Jhirka.

Anil Sharma has been posted as SDO(C)-cum-Additional Collector, Hathin, in place of Mukesh Kumar, who goes as Estate Officer, HUDA-II, Gurgaon. Vatsal Vashisht has been posted as City Magistrate, Faridabad, in place of Manjeet Singh, who has been posted as MD, Cooperative Sugar Mills, Panipat. Geeta Bharti has been posted as Controller, Printing and Stationery, against a vacant post. Dinesh Singh Yadav will be the ADC-cum-CEO, Yamunanagar. Narhari Singh Banger goes as SDO(C)-cum-Additional Collector, Palwal.

Om Parkash will be the new GM, Haryana Roadways, Hisar; while Parvesh Kumar takes over as Joint Labour Commissioner (Administration), Joint Director, ESI, Health Centre and Joint Director(Administration), Ayurveda, against a vacant post.

Pardeep Kumar, Estate Officer, HUDA, Karnal, has been given additional charge as SDO(C), Indri.

Manita Malik, awaiting posting, has been posted as SDO(C), Kalka,while Vandana Disodia will take over as City Magistrate, Panchkula. Satbir Singh has been posted as City Magistrate, Yamunanagar, while Naveen Kumar Ahuja goes as City Magistrate, Kaithal.

Sirsa, July 28
A youth died of poisoning under mysterious circumstances near the old building of the Dera Sacha Sauda here today.

Rohit, a resident of Ferozepur Cantt in Punjab, was found unconscious near the old dera building at noon today. Krishan Pal Chauhan, a manager of the dera, shifted him to the local General Hospital . The youth later died in the hospital. Chauhan said dera followers coming from Punjab had established the youth’s identity. He, however, maintained that the victim was not a follower of the dera.

Gurgaon, July 28
The police has arrested six persons in connection with the murder of Rakesh, sarpanch of Hayatpur village in the district. Rakesh was gunned down while he was coming from his fields on June 23.

Another Rakesh, a resident of the same village, was the prime accused in the case while supari killers were hired for the murder.

The arrested persons include prime accused, Rakesh, son of Leelu Ram of Hayatpur village, Hetram of the same village, Mahesh of Nawada, besides alleged supari killers Ajay of Saharsa in Bihar and Vikram of Najafgarh in Delhi; and Ajit, son of Surajbhan of Hayatpur village.

Gurgaon Joint Commissioner of Police Alok Mittal said here today that the contract killers had also been booked under the Arms Act. They have been booked for possession of illegal arms as two countrymade .315-bore pistols and 20 live cartridges had also been seized from their possession.