Teja Ruhela (Fazilka), August 4

Why no norms for appointing PPSC head, asks High Court
Chandigarh, August 4
Going deep into the issue of framing guidelines for the appointment of members and chairmen of the public service commissions, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today questioned as to why executive instructions could not be issued by the state governments?

Chandigarh, August 4
The Gurdwara Election Commission has instructed commissioners to look into complaints pertaining to SGPC elections, scheduled for September 18, within 24 hours of receiving these to ensure there was no violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

All candidates and parties have been barred from holding any election-related activity within the premises of a gurdwara.Chief Commissioner Gurdwara Election Commission Justice HS Brar said all preparations were in place and the commission had written to various states to supply names of secretary-level officers to be appointed observers.

The SGPC elections will be held simultaneously in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. The filing of nomination that started today will continue till August 11. The list of applicants will be displayed on August 12 and the scrutiny will take place on August 16. Justice Brar said that objections to nominations would be accepted on August 18 and all DCs had been asked to take a decision by August 23. The withdrawals will be on August 26 and the final list of candidates will be displayed on August 29. The election will take place on September 18 and the results declared on September 22.

The commission has sought a detailed report from all the commissioners about sensitive booths. Justice Brar said if required the commission could ask the Union Government to deploy central forces to prevent violence or booth-capturing. Voter I-cards were not mandatory for exercising franchise.

He clarified that the commission would not take any suo motto action against any wrongdoing.

“The commission will act only on specific complaints sent to the commission in writing”. There is no limit on election expenditure. The Elections to the SGPC are conducted by the Gurdwara Election Commission as per the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925. At least 55 lakh Sikh voters will cast their vote. For the first time, only “keshdhari” Sikhs will exercise franchise. In all, 190 members are elected to the SGPC. Thirty seats are reserved for women, 20 for SC candidates and 15 members are co-opted.

The SGPC manages most gurdwaras and is involved in “dharma parchar”, besides running educational institutions. It has an annual budget of over Rs 652 crore.

Chandigarh, August 4
The SAD (Delhi) chief, Paramjit Singh Sarna, today suffered a setback when the president of the SAD (Delhi), Gurmeet Singh Mundian, along with supporters joined the SAD in the presence of the president of the Youth Akali Dal, Bikram Singh Majithia.

Addressing a press conference here, Mundian accused Sarna of being a Congress agent “bent on creating a division in the Sikh community on the directions of Sonia Gandhi.”

He accused Sarna of being hand in glove with the Congress and said Sarna had arranged meetings of his supporters with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM Shiela Dikshit, Capt Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and several other Congress leaders where plans to destabilise the SAD government were discussed.

He also accused Sarna of arranging meetings with Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar where ways to form a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana were discussed. Majithia expressed confidence that the SAD would sweep the SGPC elections. He accused Sarna of double standards and said on the one hand he called himself Panthic and on the other hand worked for people whose hands were “smeared with the blood of innocent Sikhs.”

Chandigarh, August 4
Going deep into the issue of framing guidelines for the appointment of members and chairmen of the public service commissions, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today questioned as to why executive instructions could not be issued by the state governments?

Hearing arguments on a petition challenging the appointment of Harish Rai Dhanda as Punjab Public Service Commission Chairman, a Full Bench observed there were no qualifications, no rules, no regulations, only a vacuum. Under the circumstances, “anyone from the street could be picked up and appointed”.

The petition has been filed by Salil Sabhlok through counsel DS Patwalia. Punjab was represented by Additional Advocate-General VK Jindal.

The Bench, comprising Justice Hemant Gupta, Justice Permod Kohli and Justice K Kannan, also wanted to know what steps had Haryana taken for framing a statute and whether the direction of the Apex Court in a case pertaining to the appointment of members and chairman of a commission was “not a law”.

Referring to the case, the Bench also questioned whether the States of Punjab and Haryana had acted on the Supreme Court directions and framed regulations?

The Bench further wanted to know whether a writ of quo-warranto could be issued? Quo-warranto is a legal proceeding during which an individual's right to hold an office or governmental privilege is challenged.

The Bench also questioned whether it could direct the states to frame guidelines, if it did not wish to frame the guiding principles? The queries were made orally in the open court. The Bench also verbally observed it did not wish to lay down the guidelines and would be more than happy if the states would did so on their own. But inaction on the part of the states was compelling it to adjudicate the issue.

The queries were posed to Haryana Advocate-General Hawa Singh Hooda. Hooda insisted the person to be appointed should be of impeccable integrity, lest there was a moral values crisis. Hooda said the High Court may not have the jurisdiction to lay down the guidelines.

Hooda elaborated the Supreme Court had refrained itself from issuing guidelines and was of the opinion that the issue fell in the domain of the legislature, and not the judiciary.

He added that guidelines would tantamount to amendment in the Constitution. The case has now been adjourned for August 8.

Ludhiana, August 4
Condemning Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal for keeping mum on the death of a Mansa farmer on Tuesday, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh lashed out at the BJP which, he said, had been crying hoarse over land acquisition elsewhere in the country but had maintained a criminal silence in Punjab.

Addressing a press conference after meeting workers of the three assembly segments of Jagraon, Sahnewal and Khanna, Capt Amarinder said, he was surprised at the manner Badal and Sukhbir had chose to remain mum when the state was ‘burning’. He said the farmers’ agitation was spreading fast. “ The Chief Minister and the Deputy CM are silent over the matter. Either they are feeling guilty for cheating the farmers and beating them up brutally, or they are totally insensitive to their plight,” Capt Amarinder said. “Badal should have at least expressed sympathy with the bereaved family,” he remarked. To a question, the former Chief Minister said he did not believe in the politics of vendetta politics. However, that did not mean that the “misdeeds” of those in authority in the government would be overlooked if and when the Congress formed government in the state. “Take the Mansa issue where Indiabulls has been favoured for reasons best known to the Badals. The matter will need to be probed and whosoever found guilty will have to face the music,” he said.

The PCC President reiterated his party’s stand that the Director General of Police, PS Gill, and the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, DS Guru, must spell out if they would contest the assembly elections. “If so, they ought to resign from service.” He said he had already brought the matter to the notice of the Election Commission as also the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister.

Gurdaspur, August 4
Elected representatives of people in villages, the sarpanches, who were allegedly victimised by the SAD-BJP combine and were not allowed to take oath following the panchayti raj elections held in 2008 have now something to cheer about, following a Punjab and Haryana High Court order.

The Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Mohinder Singh Kainth, acting under orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, today administered the oath as sarpanch to Jagir Singh of Joian village. Three years ago, Jagir Singh was not allowed to act as the village headman. This was despite the fact that he enjoyed a clear majority.

A Congressmen, Jagir Singh was feeling harassed and approached PS Bhinder, the husband of former Gurdaspur Member Parliament and Union Minister Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder who, in turn, asked senior Congressmen Ajay Verma and Raju Gharalla to take up the beleaguered Jagir Singh’s case in the High Court. Last week, the Punjab and Haryana High court finally directed the Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner to appoint Jagir Singh as sarpanch “after satisfying himself about the candidate’s majority, shall declare him as sarpanch immediately after recording the proceedings.”

Ajay Verma today produced Jagir Singh in front of the Deputy Commissioner along with two other panches-Gurnam Singh and Paramjit Kaur-of the same village. The DC, after satisfying himself of Jagir Singh’s majority, immediately pronounced him as sarpanch of Joian village.

Ajay Verma said that he had a list of scores of such sarpanches who were not allowed to join following political pressure in 2008. He added that this judgement had opened the doors for these elected representatives to move the court to get justice. He also disclosed that he would be taking up cudgels on their behalf and would petition the Punjab and Haryana High court to ensure these sarpanches get justice.

Jalandhar, August 4
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has launched a drive to tighten the noose around environment degraders. In an effort to do so, it has decided to rope in an NGO, Friends of Environment, for getting information about the polluters in their respective areas.

The PPCB authorities have dedicated a mobile phone no (56263095) and an e-mail ID: eco.sampark@ppcb.gov.in for receiving complaints and information from general public through SMS and complaint format.

With roping-in of the general public, the board authorities feel that the drive against environment degraders would get accelerated. Besides, inside information would also help in curbing the environment degradation.

Deputy Director, PPCB, Charanjit Singh, claimed that the Board had set up a control room at its Patiala-based office for the purpose and the authorities would get back to the informers within 24 hours after receiving the information. “To safeguard the informers, the board will keep their identities confidential,” he added.

He said the complaints would be forwarded to the member secretary and chairman of the board as soon as it reaches the control room. The control room was flooded with queries on the very first day today, he claimed.

The board has already asked its officials at the district levels to pull up their socks and conduct surprise visits to the locations after going through a complaint against an industry of the institution that falls under its jurisdiction.

Patiala, August 4
In a significant development in the medicinal herb scam, the documents in possession of The Tribune reveal that one of the firms from which the Government Ayurvedic Pharmacy purchased sesame oil, did not actually exist.

The Health Department had purchased the oil from AK Trading Company, A-5, Anaz Mandi, Chand Pol Bazar, Jaipur, Rajasthan. A local businessman, Jeet Singh, had filed an RTI application with the health authorities, in which he had sought details of the firm that had supplied the oil.

In the wake of this RTI query, Medical Superintendent of the Government Ayurvedic Pharmacy Shiv Raj Singh wrote a letter to the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Jaipur, and the Union Ministry of Agriculture on July 15, requesting them to provide details of the firm and also whether it was an authorised packer for grading and marking of the sesame oil under the Agmark. He also sent a 15-kg pack of sesame oil.

The directorate on July 29 confirmed that the manufacturer, mentioned on the Trade Brand Label (TBL) of the sesame oil, was fake and using the word Agmark on the TBL unauthorisedly.

The letter further revealed that when the directorate sent an officer to the manufacturer's address to find out the actual position, they found out that no such company existed at the above-mentioned address and instead, Raj Road Lines office was functional at the said premises.

Chandigarh, August 4
With leftist farmer organisations having taken control over the Mansa land acquisition agitation, the Punjab Government is trying to defuse the situation by offering families, who had refused to accept the compensation, an equal patch of land in an adjacent area.

Though the families who possess 80 acres of land according to the government and 171 acres according to the leftist farmer unions are still to agree to the proposal, the Mansa Deputy Commissioner is still pursuing the case with them. The government has already acquired 700 acres for the Indiabulls proposed 1,320 Mega Watt thermal plant at Gobindpura village in Mansa for which compensation has been awarded at the rate of Rs 24 lakh per acre.

SAD spokesperson Prem Singh Chandumajra refuting the claims that the land was being acquired at low prices said, “If this was so, the families who had already given their land for the refinery will not have passed resolutions thanking the government for the same.”

The Akali leaders claim that they are being done in the conglomeration of the leftist farmer organisations who have made the issue of the land collection an anti-government issue which they want to exploit in the assembly elections.

He said the same unions had earlier led the agitations by unemployed unions and against privatisation of the PSEB. Official sources also accused these unions of acting as fronts for Naxalite organisations, something the latter virulently deny. Meanwhile, official sources claim that the farmers in Mansa have been given a fair compensation, as the value of their land is not more than Rs 12 lakh per acre.

Amritsar, August 4
Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa and other Panthic bodies have called for a complete overhaul of the SGPC.

Talking to The Tribune, senior Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh said they had prepared a document on “SGPC mismanagement and malfeasance” which would be released on August 13- the foundation day of their organisation.

“We will point out the serious lacunae in the working of the SGPC. This document will highlight the role of politicians in eroding the supremacy of Akal Takht”, he said. The document would also list various issues not resolved by the SGPC in the past seven years.

Kanwar Pal said: "The SGPC holds two sessions of the House, but hardly any matter related to the Sikh Panth is ever tabled for debate and discussion.

“Also, members consider the SGPC a launch pad to enter the state assembly or Parliament.”

The co-author of the document and party general secretary Dr Manjinder Singh said the mushrooming of deras was a threat to the Sikh religion.

Patiala, August 4
The Punjab Medical Colleges Parents Association (PMCPA) today demanded that all vacant and left out seats under NRI quota in all medical colleges should be transferred to general quota and these should be filled through centralised counselling by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS).

President of the PMCPA Gagandeep Singh here today criticised BFUHS's move to extend the date for MBBS and BDS courses in all government and private colleges of Punjab under NRI category.

Talking to The Tribune, Gagandeep said by doing this, BFUHS was acting against the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, under which the court had clearly directed the university to fill vacant NRI quota seats from the general pool.

"The court in its decision, dated March 29, has scrapped the special management quota for NRI seats, under which private medical colleges were free to fill NRI vacant seats by charging Rs 5.5 lakh per annum fees. They have been clearly instructed to fill all vacant and left out seats from the general quota, even then the university has extended the last date of admission," he added.

"The university should also upload the status of vacant seats in private colleges under NRI quota on the university website, which so far displays the vacant seats in government colleges alone. Moreover, they should also withdraw the extension of date under NRI quota so that these seats could be made available for the second counselling," he further said.

He alleged that extending the date for NRI left out seats would encourage corruption and students from well-off families would get admission rather than the meritorious ones.

Notably, BFUHS had extended the date to apply for vacant seats for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in government and university colleges of Punjab under NRI category till September 2. Earlier, only 46 candidates had applied for MBBS against the total of 123 seats in nine university-affiliated colleges, including three government colleges.

Chandigarh, August 4
In a major embarrassment to the Punjab Government, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ruled that the police machinery has apparently lost its “verve” and failure to arrest a market committee chairman, who was nominated as a proclaimed offender in 2004, not only mirrored protection and patronage of the political system, but also the breakdown of law and order.

Holding that the lookout notices and special investigating team, constituted after the court took notice of the matter, were an eyewash, Justice Mahesh Grover directed the DGP to “take over the case” and ensure Gurdip’s arrest in three days. A DSP and Tarn Taran SP have also been placed in the dock.

The directions came on a petition by Major Singh Dhariwal of Tarn Taran. He had alleged that Patti Market Committee Chairman Gurdip Singh and his co-accused “were under the shelter of Akali leader Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, who was a cabinet minister.”

Going into the background of the controversy, the petitioner claimed that his wife Randhir Kaur was contesting the panchayat elections for the sarpanch’s post on March 26, 2003, when Gurdip Singh and several others reached the spot. In the firing incident that ensued, the petitioner and his wife sustained serious injuries and another person Chanan Singh was killed.

Justice Grover asserted: “The police has failed to arrest a person, who not only roams directly under their nose, but is also being cradled by the same person who is supposed to arrest him…. The fact that Gurdip Singh, declared a proclaimed offender since 2004, was nominated as a Market Committee Chairman, reflects brazen manner in which the state is bestowing honours on a person, whose complicity in the commission of the offence has been established.”

Coming down heavily on the DSP, caught in the camera with Gurdip Singh, Justice Grover asserted his presence is “more telling than the facts themselves”. The fact that “this very DSP files an affidavit to say he has been unable to arrest the accused reveals his complicity in protecting the accused and also shows he has failed to discharge his duties fairly and efficiently.”

Jalandhar, August 4
The former District Youth Congress Committee (rural) chief and Congress councillor, Sukhmeet Singh (alias Deputy) and his five accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment by a city court in the sensational kidnapping case of the son of a local businessman around four years ago.

The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge S K Singla also found the accused, Jasbir Singh, Harpal Singh, Harpreet Singh, Jatinder Singh and Surinder Singh, guilty as charged under various sections of the IPC and Arms Act for kidnapping Gagan ‘Mickey’, the son of Subhash Mahindru from Jandiala village in January, 2008.

The court also acquitted Rupinder Singh. Another accused, Gurvinder Singh, died as an under-trial.

The accused had been charged under Sections 364 -A, 34 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27, 54, 59 of the Arms Act at Nurmahal police station on January 11, 2008. The sensational kidnapping had hit the headlines at that time as the kidnappers had adopted a dexterous modus operandi to kidnap Mickey. Not taking any chances, the family had preferred to not to lodge an FIR and had preferred to pay a Rs 1-crore ransom to the kidnappers.

Fatehgarh Sahib, August 4
The Patran police has registered an FIR against two members of a gang, who were involved in duping people through their ATM cards in Patiala, Ludhiana and other nearby areas.

The police is conducting raids to nab the accused.

The police had identified the accused as Rakesh Singh, a resident of Kaithal, and Raju from Pehowa. Preliminary investigations confirm that the two accused moved from one ATM to another and cheated people who could not operate the ATM with ease.

“They offered help by operating the account for the victim. During that time, an accused involved the victim in a conversation, while the other exchanged the ATM card,” said the police.

“Later they used the same password and withdrew money from the account and disposed of the card,” it added.

Investigating officer in the case further said the accused were yet to be arrested, but the complaints suggested that they were active in parts of Patiala and Ludhiana.

“The amount of money usurped by them and the number of people cheated by these two accused is yet to be verified and it is only possible after they are arrested,” he stated.

An FIR under Sections 379, 420, 120-B of the IPC pertaining to cheating and conspiracy has been registered against the accused.

Ludhiana, August 4
Three jewellers have been booked for stealing 85 kg silver worth nearly Rs 40 lakh meant to construct the dome of a Durga temple.

The suspects have been identified as Anup, Anuj and Raman of Sarafan Bazar.

While Anup has been arrested, Anuj and Raman are still on the run.