The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Uproar in Rajya Sabha over freedom fighter Avantirai Girja Shankar Kaura/TNS New Delhi, August 29 The reply of the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry over inclusion of contribution of freedom fighter Avantibai in school textbooks today irked some members of the Rajya Sabha forcing its adjournment for 15 minutes. The HRD Ministry in its reply had said the move will increase the burden on schoolchildren. The issue was raised during the Zero Hour by Ganga Charan of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), who took strong exception to the ministry's reply. He was joined by several other members, including those of the Bharatiya Janata Party. They said it was an insult to freedom fighters. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla, who was present in the House, said he will convey the feelings of the members to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal at the earliest. But this did not pacify the members who advanced to the Chairman’s podium and started raising slogans, following which the House was adjourned for 15 minutes. Avanitbai Lodhi was the wife of Vikramaditya Singh, who ruled the state of Ramgarh in what is now Madhya Pradesh. When he died leaving no heir, the British placed Ramgarh under their administration. Avantibai vowed to fight the British to regain her throne. She raised an army of 4,000 and personally led it against the British in the first war of Independence in 1857. After a few months' struggle, she saw that her defeat was imminent and killed herself with her own sword March 20, 1858.
	Right to recall: Congress says it’s not practical, BJP differs New Delhi, August 29 The Congress today said the right to recall elected representatives and reject candidates as demanded by activist Anna Hazare is "not practical" as "50 per cent of people do not vote" in the country, while the BJP said the issue should be given serious consideration. "Right to recall is not practical in India. 50 per cent people do not go for voting. Candidates win elections by getting only three crore votes out of 13-14 cr voters, so I do not think it is possible in the country," Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi told reporters outside the Parliament House. On the demand for right to reject candidates, he said, "Similarly, this will be applicable when maximum voters will come forward for voting. First, we should try to ensure that 80-90 per cent voters go for voting. Otherwise right to reject is also not feasible." Soon after he ended his 12-day fast on the Lokpal issue, Hazare said yesterday that his fight would now be for Right to Recall and Right to Reject as part of the electoral reforms so that corruption could be reduced. "While Right to Recall would be for those elected, the Right to Reject will be a column in the ballot paper which would ensure the voter has a right to say that he does not like the listed candidates. We have to reform the electoral system. We need Right to Reject. You should be able to reject your candidate in the ballot paper. We have to do that," he said. Backing poll reforms, BJP leader Rajnath Singh said, "As far as change in the system is concerned, we are in favour of it. There should be changes in the electoral system, the administrative system and the economic system." Recalling the Janta Party movement, Singh said, "When the JP had given the call for complete revolution in the country, the issue of right to recall and right to reject was raised. The issue should be taken up seriously." — PTI
	Probe handling of Anna issue: Cong MP to Rahul Anita Katyal Our Political Correspondent New Delhi, August 29 The divide between the Congress and the government over its handling of the Anna Hazare issue has further deepened with party MP Pravin Aaron writing to AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi seeking a thorough probe into the entire matter. Questioning the role of senior ministers, Lok Sabha MP from Bareilley Aaron is learnt to have gone as far as to suggest that it was not a mistake but a deliberate attempt to derail Rahul Gandhi’s chances of acquiring a larger role in party affairs. Aaron’s letter has essentially drawn attention to the angry churning that is going on in the party, which was first articulated in the Rajya Sabha by senior leader Satyavrat Chatruvedi who had hit out at his own government for its handling of the Anna Hazare fast. Stating that the decision to arrest the social activist showed the government’s disconnect with ground realities, Chaturvedi did not hesitate to criticise his colleagues on Hazare. He was referring to party spokesperson Manish Tewari who accused Hazare of being corrupt while Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal had described his fast as “undemocratic and unconstitutional”. Aaron, whose views have found widespread support in the party, pointed out that the government’s crisis managers were well aware that the movement spawned by Team Anna was not an innocent one. Senior ministers, his letter said, had repeatedly maintained that the movement was being backed by the RSS, which was subsequently proved when BJP president Nitin Gadkari wrote a letter of support to Anna Hazare. Despite this prior information, the government failed to read the writing on the wall and bungled by arresting Anna Hazare, the letter said. Endorsing Aaron’s views, angry Congress MPs privately maintain the government’s handling of the entire issue left a lot to be desired and could even impact the party’s chances in the next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, which would be a direct reflection on Rahul Gandhi’s charisma and leadership. They have not openly blamed any single person, but they have raised questions about Home Minister P Chidambaram’s role in the entire episode. Younger MPs are particularly bitter as the Anna Hazare phenomenon has found widespread resonance among the youth, who turned out in large numbers across the country to support the social activist’s anti-corruption movement. This is the constituency they were building on. It is also the constituency the party was banking on by projecting Rahul Gandhi as a youth icon. Calling for quick corrective measures, party MPs point out that they are unable to visit their constituencies as they have no ready answers to the questions being raised by their voters over the Anna Hazare issue.
	Privilege motion against Om Puri, Kiran Bedi Aditi Tandon & Girija Shankar Kaura/TNS New Delhi, August 29 Actors are seldom called in to explain their antics. But this time, Om Puri and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi would have some tough defending to do for the anti-MP histrionics they passionately displayed in the Ramlila Maidan where Anna Hazare had been fasting until yesterday morning. The Privileges Committees of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will soon summon the duo to explain their conduct after nine Members of Parliament - seven from the LS and two from the RS - moved notices against them for having breached their privilege. Presiding officers in both the Houses admitted these notices and referred them to the committees concerned. While the aggressive former cop Bedi staged a parody, in which she used a borrowed veil to show how parliamentarians hid their faces every now and then and could never be trusted, Om Puri put his finest foot forward to berate MPs as “ganwaar (illiterate) and naalayak (useless)”. He also used his dialogue delivery skills to recreate “inside-the-Parliament scene” where, he said, MPs routinely throw chairs and mikes at each other. Though Puri has apologised for his utterances which were heavily slammed by socialist leaders Sharad Yadav of the JDU and Lalu Yadav of the RJD in the Lok Sabha which debated Anna’s Lokpal demands this Saturday, Bedi today hid behind technicalities to say she would respond when she received a notice. LS Speaker Meira Kumar said in the House that notices for moving a Privilege Motion against Puri and Bedi have been received. Puri apologises Om Puri has apologised for his remarks against politicians and said he was ready to appear before Parliament if summoned. "I was very emotional and I regret using those words, which may have hurt some sentiments. I could have opted for better words," he said. "If I am called, I am ready to go before them and clarify. I will wait and see what happens," he added. Bedi says no Kiran Bedi has said that she is not going to apologise and is prepared for any punishment. "Sorry no apology for being demonstratively a voice of public anguish. Prepared for any punishment," she tweeted on the microblogging site Twitter.
	Plane skids off runway, passengers safe Kochi, August 29 Over 140 passengers and crew of a Gulf Air plane from Bahrain had a narrow escape today when the Airbus A-320 skidded off the runway into a muddy area while landing at the international airport here amid heavy rains. The plane, with 137 passengers and six crew members, veered off the runway at 3.55 am breaking its nose-wheel. One person was hospitalised with fractures and six with minor injuries were discharged after first aid, airport sources said. Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) Managing Director VJ Kurien said strong winds and heavy rains, which lashed Kochi early this morning, could have been the cause of the mishap. The runway had not been damaged and the pilots had not asked for emergency landing, he said. Kurien said the pilot had told him that he could see the runway clearly when he was six nautical miles away from the airport. Heavy rains and winds lashed the area and the pilot could not see the runway when the flight was just above 532 meters, which is below the decision making height after which the only option was to land, Kurien said. Most passengers coming home for Eid said they were taken unaware and claimed that the crew did not inform them of any emergency. Only after the emergency doors opened, did they realise that the plane had strayed off the runway. "We all jumped from the plane. It was only by God's grace that we are safe," a passenger said. Air traffic went haywire as flights were diverted to Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Bangalore. Consequently, the runway had to be closed for nearly eight hours. The Director General of Civil Aviation has ordered an enquiry into the mishap. The runway has now been partially opened for smaller aircrafts with three flights already landing, said airport director ACK Nair. An Oman Airways flight diverted to Bangalore landed at around 11.30 am, followed by a Sri Lankan airlines flight at 12.35 pm. A Kingfisher airline had also landed, he said. The airport officials said there were no cancellations and but delays and diversion of aircrafts. Kurein said sand and mud might have entered the engine, making it impossible to tow the aircraft to either the taxiway or the isolated bay. A two-member DGCA team, led by Assistant Director Durai Raj arrived here, inspected the aircraft and took evidence from the airlines and the airport authorities. An Air India ferry flight, with rescue operation equipment to lift the nose wheel system and tow away the plane, is expected to reach from Mumbai this afternoon. About 12 international flights were either diverted or delayed due to the runway closure. In the domestic sector, 15 services were disrupted. — PTI Minister blames bad weather New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi said today that rain and wind appeared to be the reasons behind a Gulf Air plane skidding off the runway while landing at the International Airport in Kochi even as the DGCA had ordered an inquiry into the incident. He said initial reports suggest the incident took place due to the weather conditions and the runway is "long enough". — PTI
	Yeddyurappa, kin appear in court Shubhadeep Choudhury/TNS Bangalore, August 29 Hours after the High Court rejected his bail application, former Karnataka Chief Minister Yeddyurappa responded to the summons by the Lokayukta special court and appeared before it. While Justice L Narayana Swamy of the High Court dismissed Yeddyurappa's bail application, a division Bench, comprising Justices KL Manjunath and HS Kempanna, also “dismissed as withdrawn” another petition seeking quashing of Chapter 22 of the Lokayukta report on illegal mining that had indicted him. The Lokayukta court had asked Yeddyurappa to appear before it today after granting him a day’s exemption on August 27. After Yeddyurappa, his son BY Raghavendra, son-in-law Sohan Kumar and others appeared before the Lokayukta court and filed regular bail applications, judge NK Sudhindra Rao asked petitioner Sirajin Basha to file objections and fixed September 7 for the next hearing in the case. The Lokayukta court had, on August 8, issued summons to Yeddyurappa and 14 others on a complaint alleging irregularities in de-notification of government lands, seeking their appearance on August 27. Yeddyurappa had moved an application seeking exemption from personal appearance on health grounds, which the court rejected and directed him to appear today. The former Karnataka Chief Minister, who resigned after being indicted by former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde in his report on illegal mining, was admitted to a private hospital on Saturday to get treatment for high fever, diabetes and hypertension. He returned home this morning. The complaints filed by advocate Sirajin Basha alleged that Yeddyurappa had de-notified several acres of land when he was the Chief Minister, causing an estimated loss of Rs 124.37 crore to the state exchequer. He also alleged that the de-notified lands were subsequently purchased by “benamidars of Yeddyurappa's family members”. Basha’s other complaint against Yeddyurappa, his son and son-in-law, sitting BJP MLA Hemachandra Sagar and former minister SN Krishnaiah Shetty and four others is on alleged illegal land de-notification of 2.14 acres in Agara village and 10 acres in Uttarahalli, causing a loss of about Rs 175 crore.
	HC to examine jailed Kalmadi’s right to attend Lok Sabha New Delhi, August 29 Against the backdrop of jailed Suresh Kalmadi seeking permission to attend the Lok Sabha, the Delhi High Court today said it will examine if an MP arrested in a criminal case is entitled to attend the House. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna decided to examine the issue while slating for hearing tomorrow the petition of Kalmadi, the Congress Lok Sabha member from Pune and the sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief, for a permission to attend Parliament. Kalmadi has moved the division bench of the high court, challenging the order of the single-judge bench of Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, who had rejected his plea for such permission, saying it was "an attempt to get fresh air outside the prison". The bench asked senior counsel Ashok Desai, representing Kalmadi, to make his submissions on "whether an MP is entitled to attend the Parliament session when a criminal case is pending against him and he is also denied bail by the trial court." Desai submitted to the Bench that it is the constitutional duty of a parliamentarian to attend the House and the duty is also linked to some privileges conferred on them under Article 105 of the Constitution.— PTI
	HC drops murder charges against 12 accused in Pandya case Ahmedabad, August 29 Slamming the CBI for its "botched up" and "blinkered" investigations, the Gujarat High Court today dropped the murder charges against the 12 accused in the killing of former minister Haren Pandya eight years ago. The court while acquitting the 12 persons of the murder charges, however, upheld the trial court's decision to convict them for the criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder and offences under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Pandya, who was a former minister of state for home in the BJP government and was once close to CM Narendra Modi, was shot dead on March 26, 2003, when he was out for a walk. According to the CBI, Pandya was murdered to avenge the 2002 communal riots. — PTI
	Coastal Security Antony demands definite deadlines to install electronic ‘eyes and ears’ Ajay Banerjee/TNS New Delhi, August 29 Angered over the inordinate delays in the post-Mumbai-attacks coastal security plan, Defence Minister AK Antony today did some plain speaking and asked for definite timelines for major projects and unresolved issues. Sources said Antony chaired a meeting of all the 18 or so stake holders in the coastal security architecture and asked them for detailed explanation on the delays in setting up electronic ‘eyes and ears’. He was not happy at the way MT Pavit sailed into Juhu, Mumbai, undetected earlier this month and let his displeasure known. This was the second review of the security plan within three weeks. On August 10, Antony was informed by the Navy that no critical equipment had been okayed post Mumbai attacks without which it was impossible to pick out such ships. The Navy is heavily dependent on other agencies for coordination and even basic flow of information needed to tackle threats to the coastline. Sources said Antony - who is all-powerful in the ruling UPA setup - made it clear that the equipment should be in place as it was the only way to watch the 7,500-km Indian coastline. At the meeting today, Antony was apprised that shore-based radars and electronic surveillance to track rogue ships approaching the Indian coast was non-existent. A Rs 132 crore project to have 84 automated identification system (AIS) stations to electronically track incoming ships and boats is making progress. Trials of the first phase are scheduled along the Gujarat coast next month. It will take another eight months for the entire lot to be fitted by a European company and this is handled by the Ministry of Shipping. The critical issue is having uniform transponders on all boats of fishermen that are less than 20m in length. Antony wants the cost-sharing (Rs 5,000 each) sorted out between the Home Ministry and Agriculture Ministry (Fisheries Wing). A transponder will constantly emit a signal for the ground based AIS receivers to pick up. At present, ships that are more than 20m in size have transponders. Another key issue is that coastal states do not have adequately trained staff to man the 380 or so marine police boats. The states wanted a dedicated training academy as the Navy and Coast Guard have their hands full. During Antony’s review, the lack of coastal radars emerged as the biggest sore point. The chain of coastal radars was originally cleared in February 2001 by a group of ministers. Fast-changing technology ensured the requirements kept changing over the next few years without the radars ever getting installed. Post-Mumbai attacks, the project was revived. The Rs 602 crore project is yet to kick off on the ground.
	Land Acquisition HC asks UP to file counter-affidavits to farmers’ pleas Shahira Naim/TNS Lucknow, August 29 Suspense continues in the land acquisition cases of Noida as the full Bench of the Allahabad High Court today asked the state government and the Noida authority to file their counter-affidavits on the 491 odd petitions filed by the farmers of Gautam Buddha Nagar challenging the massive land acquisition in the Greater Noida and Noida Extension areas. The court has fixed September 12 as the next date of hearing. A full Bench of the High Court comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, SU Khan and VK Shukla heard over 491 petitions filed by the farmers. The petitioners have challenged the land acquisition charging that their land was acquired by the state government by invoking the ‘urgency clause’. While the court has passed no order on the applications, it has observed that all the allottees of the acquired land are free to file their affidavits by September 12.
	I-T Commissioner held for taking bribe Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, August 29 The CBI today caught Income Tax Commissioner (Appeals) Daya Shankar red handed while taking a bribe of Rs 2 lakh in order to settle a tax appeal by a company. Speaking to reporters here, CBI Joint Director Rishi Raj Singh said Daya Shankar had demanded the bribe from a copper wire manufacturer who had filed an appeal before him. "Daya Shankar was arrested this morning from his office in Bandra for demanding and accepting bribe for settling and issuing a favourable order in an appeal matter pending before him," Singh said. He added that the copper wire manufacturer had filed its return for assessment year 2008-09 which was taken up for scrutiny after which the Income Tax officer passed an order levying additional tax on the company. Following procedure, the company filed an appeal before Daya Shankar. According to the CBI Daya Shankar demanded bribe from the company for issue of a favourable order. The Income Tax official went on to warn the company that he would confirm the order for higher taxes passed by the junior official if the bribe was not paid, the CBI said. However, the company's officials approached the anti-corruption wing of the CBI which laid a trap and caught Daya Shankar red handed while accepting the bribe. Following the arrest, the CBI searched the residences of Daya Shankar in various places including Delhi, Ghaziabad, Lucknow and Mumbai, Rishi Raj Singh said. Orders passed by Daya Shankar are also being scrutinised to check if he had taken bribes from others in the past. Daya Shankar will be produced before a CBI court on Tuesday.
	2G: Framing of charges to be decided on Sept 15 Sandeep Yadav/TNS New Delhi, August 29 After the conclusion of the CBI’s argument relating to framing of charges against the 17 accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, the special CBI court today fixed September 15 as the next date for orders. Judge OP Saini will decide then whether to put former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi, and 15 others on trial for their alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. “The matter is now fixed on September 15 for orders (on framing of charges),” said judge OP Saini today after CBI’s special prosecutor UU Lalit wrapped up his final argument and pleaded to frame the charges of corruption and other penal offences against all the 17 accused and put them on trial. Lalit, who had begun his arguments on July 21 said it was Raja, who had approved the grant of dual technology, 2G spectrum licences to telecom firms like ADAG's Reliance Communication and others, a day before formally inviting the applications for it. The CBI claimed that there was sufficient evidence to frame charges against the 17 accused under the provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
	2 dead as heavy rain lashes Mumbai Tribune News Service &PTI Mumbai, August 29 Heavy rains today lashed Mumbai and some other parts of Maharashtra, leaving two persons dead and paralysing normal life, the police and fire brigade officials said. One person died and three others injured in a landslide caused by heavy downpour near Haji Ali in central Mumbai, according to the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Several houses collapsed due to heavy rain. The victim, Nagappa Guntur, a migrant from Andhra Pradesh was putting up in one of the houses, which collapsed, the police said. Another man was washed away in flood waters in Khed town of Konkan region which has been receiving incessant rains. The deceased was identified as Vishwas Shankar Pawar, the sources said. Acting on the advice of the disaster management cell, the Maharashtra government asked the police and fire brigade personnel to evacuate several slum-dwellers living on the banks of the Mithi, as a precautionary measure. The Mumbai’s civic body has warned of high tides measuring 4.63 metres in height to hit Mumbai later in the evening, which could inundate the low-lying areas. The administration has also ordered the closure of all the schools in the city. Incessant rain for the past three days today resulted in utter chaos as train services were disrupted. The train services on the suburban section and the Harbour Line of the Central Railway were halted after the tracks were completely submerged in water. Elsewhere on the same route, a portion of the track was washed away because of which services were suspended.Western Railway’s suburban services were also disrupted in the morning, but were partially restored as the intensity of the rain slowed down, officials said. Meanwhile, the administration had to deploy naval divers to rescue a group of tourists, who were stranded at a resort on the outskirts of Mumbai. According to the police, 80 people were rescued from a resort on the outskirts of Mumbai.
	Technical fault defers trial of Agni-II Balasore (Orissa), August 29 The trial of nuclear capable Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile, slated for today from the Integrated Test Range off the Orissa coast, has been deferred due to a “technical problem”. “The launch of Agni-II mission is postponed due to a technical problem,” a senior ITR official said here. The indigenously-made surface-to-surface missile with a strike range of 2,000 km was to be test-fired from the ITR at the Wheeler Island in the Bay of Bengal, defence officials said. The mission was part of a user-trial by the Army and the Strategic Forces Command would have conducted the test. However, the next date for the trial has not been decided, they said. — PTI
	HC extends stay on arrest of Acharya Balkrishna Sandeep Rana/TNS Dehradun, August 29 The stay on the arrest of yoga guru Ramdev’s close aide, Acharya Balkrishna, was extended till September 15, by the Nainital High Court today. Balkrishna is presently facing a CBI probe for allegedly using fake educational degrees for procuring an Indian passport. CBI officials said an application was filed by the CBI in the court, pleading that their lawyer, Arvind Vashisht, could not come to the court, thus the hearing may timely be deferred. On the other hand, Balkrishna’s lawyer also pleaded to the court to extend the stay on his arrest. There were reports that the CBI officials had yesterday reached Haridwar to keep an eye on Balkrishna, as the officials believed that he might go underground, if the court cancelled the stay on his arrest, for the CBI was likely to arrest him. The CBI sources said they would contend in the court to cancel the stay on his arrest, based on two issues. First being, Balkrishna did not cooperate with the investigators during the questioning, which he skipped twice. Second, the CBI’s case will get stronger on the grounds that Balkrishna could not produce documents pertaining to his education.