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HC nod to shift Gikki case out of Jalandhar
Govt gets two more months for Vienna shootout probe
Enough to suggest Harbhagwan was engaged by
Centre: HC |
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September 1 notification on Sehajdharis withdrawn
SAD leader Lally suspended, his aide expelled
BJP may swap a couple of seats with SAD
A lesson for all parties
Caste census proves to be a non-starter
Batala NRI murder case: Suspension of SHO revoked
Adopt Centre’s policy on relief: Capt
24 teachers found absent in Faridkot
Badal to give away cycles at Sangat Darshan
Govt fails to use central funds for farm projects
Waterlogging triggers violence
Mansa farmers to step up stir from Sept 24
2 diagnosed with dengue in Patiala hospital
Five Addl AGs quit
PCMS Association threatens agitation over quota
10-year imprisonment for cow slaughter
HC seeks status report on release of jailed woman Sarabjit’s counsel gets nod to meet him in prison
Patiala BDPO beaten up, YAD leader booked
Four hurt as student groups clash outside Patiala varsity
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HC nod to shift Gikki case out of Jalandhar
Chandigarh, September 20 An hotelier's young son, Gikki was allegedly murdered by SAD MLA Sarabjit Makkar's nephew Ram Simran Singh Makkar, alias Prince, who is also a SAD councillor. The victim, Gikki, and Prince were childhood friends as they had studied together. As the case came up for hearing, Justice Rajan Gupta made it clear that the case was being transferred out of Jalandhar. As a detailed order was not yet available, it is not certain where the case stands transferred. The High Court, on the previous date of hearing, had issued notice to Jalandhar Commissioner of Police, complainant in the case and other co-accused. They were asked to explain why the trial shall not be stayed during the pendency of the petition for transfer of the case. The notices were issued by the High Court during the resumed hearing of a petition filed by Ram Simran Singh Makkar, prime accused in the case. On August 10, Makkar moved the High Court for transfer of trial out of Punjab. The petitioner contended fair and independent trial could not be expected in Punjab as there was a very strong hate campaign against the accused in the case. Alleging complainant Rajbir Singh was playing an active role in the hate campaign, the petitioner submitted that the district administration, too, had become paralysed to protect the accused.
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Govt gets two more months for Vienna shootout probe
Chandigarh, September 20 Taking a note of the assertion, the Bench of Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Sabina granted further time of two months to the investigating agencies to complete the investigation in all the 75 cases registered at Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Ludhiana in May 2009. Appearing on behalf of the State, Punjab Advocate-General Baldev Singh filed the latest status report by way of an affidavit of Punjab DGP PS Gill. Baldev Singh asserted five special investigation teams had been constituted. Three of the teams were headed by Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar commissioners of police. In all, 445 persons were examined as witnesses and about 58 accused were arrested. Efforts were being made to arrest the remaining accused for the completion of investigation. The Advocate-General further submitted that reports or challans under Section 173 CrPC have been filed in 11 cases in Jalandhar district, two each in Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala districts and one case in Amritsar district. The Advocate-General said the police had to face practical difficulties in the investigation of such cases as persons from the public were reluctant to come forward to depose. Although the Punjab Police was occupied with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committed elections, the special investigation teams still made best efforts to complete the investigations. On the Advocate-General’s request, the Bench granted time till November 21 to make further efforts to complete the investigations. As the case came up for hearing, Punjab DGP and the Home Secretary were present. A petition in public interest has been filed in the matter by Phagwara-based General Samaj Manch. Guru Sant Ramanand was attacked by six men armed with knives and a pistol during clashes at a religious ceremony at a temple in Vienna. He later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.
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Enough to suggest Harbhagwan
was engaged by Centre: HC
Chandigarh, September 20 The assertion is significant as just more than a fortnight ago, the Centre had categorically told Parliament that “neither the Ministry of Law, nor the Ministry of Home Affairs, had given a vakalatnama to Harbhagwan Singh”. The observations validates the investigations carried out by The Tribune. The paper was the first to report that the Centre may not have given a clear picture to Parliament on Harbhagwan Singh’s engagement in the case. The statement given to Parliament, on the face of it, had given the impression that Harbhagwan Singh was not authorised to appear before the Punjab and Haryana High Court for arguing the case as he had not been given a vakalatnama, though the “Ministry of Law and Justice had written a letter dated September 1, 2011, approving the engagement of Harbhagwan Singh in two of the three cases before the High Court ”. As the case came up for resumed hearing this afternoon, the Full Bench of Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar, Justice Alok Singh and Justice Gurdev Singh said in the open court: “Indications are available that Harbhagwan Singh was engaged”. The Bench based its observations on an office memorandum on his engagement placed on record by Ashwani Chopra, counsel for Sehajdhari Sikh Federation. The assertion came after Additional Advocate-General MC Berry, appearing on behalf of the State of Punjab, asserted that Harbhagwan Singh’s presence was necessary to reply to averments made in an application moved by the Union of India for the withdrawal of High Court’s September 1 orders. The Full Bench on that date had disposed of a bunch of three petitions after Harbhagwan Singh told the High Court he was appearing for the Centre and the impugned notification debarring Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections stood withdrawn. The Centre the very next day had clarified that the notification was still in force. Speaking for the Bench, Acting Chief Justice asserted this afternoon that Berry’s stand need not be taken to a logical end in view of the available indications on Harbhagwan Singh's engagement. Moreover, the Bench had already dismissed an application for initiation of proceedings against Harbhagwan Singh. Chopra also told the Bench that the Centre had not come to the High Court with clean hands on the issue. The Centre had claimed he was neither given a vakalatnama, nor briefed. The Bar Council rules, in fact, made it clear that a senior counsel was neither required to be given a vakalatnama, nor briefed.
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September 1 notification on Sehajdharis withdrawn
Chandigarh, September 20 The order had disposed of a bunch of three petitions filed by the Sehajdhari Sikh Federation after senior counsel Harbhagwan Singh told the Full Bench that he was appearing for the Centre and the impugned notification debarring Sehajdhari Singh from voting in the SGPC elections stood withdrawn. The following day, the Centre had clarified that the notification was still in force. The case will now come up on Thursday before a freshly constituted Full Bench. As the case came up for resumed hearing his afternoon, the Full Bench of Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar, Justice Alok Singh and Justice Gurdev Singh asserted in the open court that “their thinking had been afflicted” by the talk shows. Asking the lawyers to abstain from appearing in television debates, the Bench said it had decided to recuse itself. “We are not going to hear the case, and that is our resolution,” the Acting Chief Justice observed while speaking for the Bench. Pronouncing the order, the Bench added that a notice had been issued on various averments made in the application moved by the Centre for recalling the order “alleging one thing or the other”. Counsel for two of the petitioners, Manjit Singh Khera and Mansur Ali, have at the very onset stated that they have no objections if the Centre’s prayer for recalling the order is accepted without going into the correctness of allegations made in the application. Before parting with the order, the Bench asserted that “without going into the correctness of the allegations in the application or counter-allegations in the reply by the petitioner and the respondents and to enable the court to decide the controversy on merit,” it was recalling the order. The initial order of September 1, disposing of the petition, would have paved the way for the Sehajdharis to vote in the SGPCpoll — TNS
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SAD leader Lally suspended, his aide expelled
Sources said SAD district president Jagdeep Singh Cheema had suspended Rajeshpal Singh Lally for anti-party activities during the just concluded SGPC elections. “While Lally stands suspended, his confidant Kulbhushan Malhotra, president, Municipal Committee, Bassi Pathana, has been expelled on similar charges,” Cheema said. Despite infighting, the SAD candidate, Randhir Cheema, has bagged the Bassi Pathana seat, defeating Khalistan protagonist Simranjit Singh Mann and Harpal Singh Cheema. A meeting of SAD workers was held at Bassi Pathana last evening. It was attended by district planning committee chief Satwinder Kaur Dhaliwal, SAD district chief Jagdeep Cheema and SGPC candidates Randhir Cheema and Avtar Raiya. Cheema told the party that he had enough evidence against Malhotra and Lally. The meeting decided to expel Malhotra and suspend Lally. Lally said he had been an active member of the SAD for over two decades and termed the allegations against him as baseless.
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BJP may swap a couple of seats with SAD
Bathinda, September 20 Refused to say which were the seats on which negotiations were on, he said a decision in this regard would be taken soon. Sharma along with party’s state organisation secretary Ajay Jamwal and incharge of the Bathinda district unit (Urban) of BJP affairs Neeraj Tayal, was attending a ‘Shardhanjali Samaroh” at the Teachers’ Home here to pay tributes to BJP leader Hit Abhilashi, who was killed by militants on September 19, 1988. Sharma said the chairpersons of the five Improvement Trusts would be appointed in a week. He denied there was a split in the BJP at any level. He announced that the state executive of the party would soon discuss a resolution to observe the birth and death anniversaries of BJP workers and leaders who had died during the period of militancy. Paying tributes to Abhilashi, Sharma emphasised on the need for unity and peace in the state.
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A lesson for all parties
Chandigarh, September 20 The first and foremost is the outright rejection of the Panthic Morcha, formed just before the poll by half a dozen parties.The Sikhs in Punjab have made it clear that they will not tolerate opportunistic forces or “outsiders” trying to interfere in their religious affairs. The Morcha had the direct support of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee leader and SAD (Delhi) president PS Sarna and the tacit support of the Congress. With the group winning just one seat, the Morcha is bound to go into oblivion. For the hardline Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann), the message is clear- that if does not change its stand, it will perish. Though the SAD (Amritsar) won the three seats of Dhuri, Dhuri SC and Joga, its leader SS Mann and his son have been defeated. Manpreet Badal and his PPP did not contest the SGPC elections directly, but he actively supported Roop Singh for the Dodha seat. The latter contested against Navtej Singh Kauni of the SAD. Roop Singh, though a candidate of the Panthic Morcha, lost. Nevertheless, it may seem that the PPP-supported candidate has been defeated in Manpreet’s home constituency. A careful review of the result shows that despite the efforts by the SAD patron and its president, the party lost in 23 of the 44 villages in this SGPC constituency. It was the voting in Muktsar and Malout villages that helped Kauni win. In the ensuing assembly elections in the Malwa belt where the PPP has some hold, the results are bound to be fragmented and could throw up several surprises. For the Congress, which did not participate in the poll, there is a message too. If it continues to seek the support of persons like Sarna to target Sikh votes, the results can be disastrous. The Congress can take advantage of the chinks in the SAD that came to the fore during the SGPC poll to strengthen its position in the assembly elections. For the SAD, it is time to sit up with seven of its rebels having won against the official nominees. Losing these many seats in the assembly elections could see the party seated on the Opposition benches.
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Caste census proves to be a non-starter
Jalandhar, September 20 While the hardware for the purpose was received by the administration a few days ago, the details of the Census, which was conducted three months back and was to provide the database in the second round of Census, were yet not available with the officials. The enumerators, who were to start the job today, were conveyed the message in this regard by the incharge officers this morning. ADC (D) Sarojini Gautam Sharda and Assistant Commissioner of Municipal Corporation DP Bhardwaj confirmed the task could not take off owing to non-availability of the data. The officials kept on waiting the whole day through for the data but to no avail. Nodal officer for the entire exercise in the state, KS Pannu, who is the Commissioner, Joint Development Corporation, Rural Development and Panchayat Department, said there could have been some hiccups at the local level. “I have got reports that the exercise has begun at other places. There still are 39 days ahead. There of course would be some teething troubles in the beginning but things would streamline by next week,” he said. Asked about non-inclusion of certain questions like those on chronic diseases in the rural area questionnaire, Pannu said, “The questionnaires have been finalised at the Union Government level. We cannot make any changes on our own”. Stickers to be pasted outside houses It has been decided that stickers would be pasted outside the houses from where the data has been collected. Pannu said the format of the stickers had been sent to the Principal Census Officers so that they can get these printed at their own end. Manual for urban Census now available While the manual for the rural Census was available for the past over a week, there was no booklet available for the urban Census. The Municipal Corporation office, which is conducting the exercise, got the copy on Monday evening. Data to be entered into public domain While the individual Census data collected in the first round has not been publicly given out, it has been decided that the data on the caste, socio-economic and religious data would be put on public domain for anyone to access.
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Batala NRI murder case: Suspension of SHO revoked
Batala, September 20 Notably, the SHO was placed under suspension a day after Gurinder Singh was gunned down in broad daylight by a local councillor, Rajbir Singh Bhullar, in front of the local courts, barely 50 metres away from the SSP’s residence on September 9. The police had registered an FIR against six persons, including Bhullar. Two of the accused, including Rajbir’s brother Yadvinder Singh, were still at large. The SSP said an inquiry had been initiated into the SHO’s role by SP (headquarters) Narinder Singh Bedi and his conduct was found to be “unimpeachable in all respects”. However, this claim is being contested by senior Congress leaders, including former Minister and Gurdaspur District Congress Committee president Sukhjinder Randhawa, who has alleged that the police in general and the SHO in particular were sheltering Yadvinder. “Ten days have elapsed after the brutal murder and the police are still groping in the dark. The role of the SHO has come under scanner and I will be petitioning DGP PS Gill to conduct a fresh inquiry into his conduct,” said Randhawa. On why the police had failed to arrest the remaining two accused, the SSP said the cops were busy in the SGPC elections over the past few days. DSP (City) Sakattar Singh echoed the same views. Meanwhile, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman Ashwani Sekhri has demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder.
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Adopt Centre’s policy on relief: Capt
Chandigarh, September 20 “Returning the 91 acres will not solve the problem. Rather, in his characteristic Badal style, he is running away from the problem”, he said. The PCC president expressed surprise as to what prevented the government from adopting the policy that had been approved by the Union Cabinet. “Does it need another agitation to compensate those farmers who were coerced into accepting the compensation earlier”, he asked. Amarinder also said the need to “glorify SGPC results” betrayed the Deputy Chief Minister’s nervousness with the assembly elections just months away. “Sukhbir’s situation is like that of a drowning man trying to cling to a twig”, he remarked. He claimed that out of the total 1.8 crore voters in Punjab, only 57 lakh had participated in the SGPC elections and that only 15 lakh voters had polled in favour of the SAD.” “On the one hand Sukhbir Badal is accusing the Congress of interference and at the same time claims to have “You do not have exclusive rights over Panthic leadership and opposing you does not mean opposing the Panth”, he told the
Sukhbir.
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24 teachers found absent in Faridkot
Faridkot, September 20 “In a simultaneous inspection of 65 schools on Tuesday, 24 teachers were found absent from duty, 52 teachers were latecomers and 11 teachers were absent for the last many months, even for years in three cases, without assigning any reason,” said assistant project director, Director General of School Education office, Sat Pal Sharma. The 10 teams of supervisory staff from Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Mansa, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Muktsar, Barnala and Moga conducted the inspection in the morning hours today. These ‘long-absentee’ 11 teachers are believed to be in foreign countries. With their desire to settle abroad, these teachers went on six-month-leave, but once they landed in foreign countries, they neither reported back.
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Badal to give away cycles at Sangat Darshan
The government will give away 1.50 lakh cycles to girls studying in Class XI and Class XII in the first phase of Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme. The authorities have placed an order for 1.03 lakh cycles for now and the Finance Department has released Rs 30 crore for the purpose. The government has in all earmarked Rs 75 crore for the purchase. The earlier plan was to distribute cycles at the August 15 functions in various parts of the state. However, this could not be done owing to the code of conduct for the SGPC elections. Sources said each cycle would carry the photo of the CM on the basket. The earlier plan to have the picture of Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla appears to have been dropped. This is likely to create ripples in the BJP circles.The government has borrowed the populist programme from Bihar.
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Govt fails to use central funds for farm projects
Chandigarh, September 20 Sources said the Centre had released Rs 69 crore to the state under the scheme for initiating various agriculture projects. But the latter has not yet released the money to the departments concerned. At the review meeting, the officials concerned would have to explain the lapse. The Centre has allocated Rs 139 crore to the state government for the current fiscal under the scheme. It released the first installment in June. However, that money has not been utilised. The next installment can’t be release till the money released earlier is
utilised.
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Waterlogging triggers violence
Muktsar, September 20 Mohana died on the spot, while over 12 farmers from two neighbouring villages, Nandgarh and Pakan, sustained serious injuries during an exchange of fire that ensued after a brief brawl. Armed with sticks and guns, farmers of these two villages, from last few days, were on a round-the-clock vigil to check the flow of rain water towards their fields. The trouble reached its peak today evening when the farmers of Nandgarh objected to the flow of rainwater from Pakan village towards their fields. The injured, including Bhupinder Singh, Gurlal Singh, Nanak Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Zora Singh, Daljit Singh, Swaran Singh, Gurtej Singh and Sukhdev Singh, are reported to be in a serious condition and are under treatment at the Malout civil hospital. Besides, nine other injured have been admitting in the Fazilka civil hospital. Meanwhile, tension is also brewing in Bhai Ka Khera and Baloch Khera, two adjoining villages in the Lambi area as over 100 farmers of these villages are on round-the-clock vigil on the periphery of their villages to check the flow of rain water from the neighbouring village towards their village. Similar situation could be witnessed in Deon Khera and its neighbouring village Tappa Khera. As both these villages are flooded with rain water and farmers in Tappa Khera want to drain out the rain water from their fields downwards, but as this water will further swamp the inundated fields of the Deon Khera village. “The cops are taking precautions and are not allowing any farmer to make waterway from his field to the neighbouring fields or village as it may led to clashes,” said Muktsar SSP Inder Mohan Singh. Police teams are making rounds-the-clock patrolling of seven sensitive points in Muktsar, added the
SSP.
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Mansa farmers to step up stir from Sept 24
Bathinda, September 20 The decision was taken this afternoon in a meeting at Moga which was presided over by president of the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) Joginder Singh Ugrahan. The meeting of the farmer leaders and farm labour unions was held as a sequel to their yesterday’s meeting with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Chandigarh where they rejected the offer of the government to de-notify only 91 acres. BKU leader Sukhdev Singh Kokri said the action committee would accept nothing short of de-notification of the 186 acres out of the total acquisition of about 880 acres in the area. He said it has been decided to organise a rally of farmers of the Malwa region at Mansa on September 24 against the forcible acquisition of land. Thereafter, the farmers would also go to Gobindpura village to express solidarity with those who have refused to accept the cheques of compensation. Kokri alleged that the Badal Government was trying to suppress the farmers in a bid to protect the interests of the Indiabulls that would construct the thermal power plant. He said the agitation would simultaneously be resumed in all the districts of the Majha and Doaba regions where the farmers will burn effigies of the state government. The farmers had suspended the agitation last month when the CM offered to hold talks with them on the contentious issue. Yesterday was the second round of the meeting after the initial one held at Ludhiana. Bhagwant Singh Samoan, Bhupa Singh Burjgill, Jagmohan Singh Patiala, Daljeet Singh Rode, Mohan Singh Dalla, Surjeet Singh Phull and Manjeet Singh were present in the meeting at Moga.
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2 diagnosed with dengue in Patiala hospital
Patiala, September 20 Amrit Kaur was admitted to the hospital 3-4 days back after she got her tests done from a private laboratory that confirmed that her platelet count was merely 70,000. Since then, she has been under treatment in the dengue ward of the Rajindra Hospital. District Health Officer Dr Bhupinder Singh informed that as many as two cases have been found positive out of seven that were admitted to the hospital in the past few days. The final report confirming that their samples were found positive was declared today. All the tests were done at Government Medical College’s laboratory itself, he added. Head of Medicine Department of the Raindra Hospital, Dr HS Sandhu confirmed that Amrit Kaur was found positive for dengue but the final report of the man from Patran was yet to be confirmed. “He got his tests from a private lab and a portion of it suggests that he has dengue but I will be able to comment only after we get the reports of test done in our lab,” Dr Sandhu added. Principal of Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital, Dr KD Singh said, “We are well equipped to combat any kind of emergency and therefore dengue was no threat for us. In fact, the condition of patients who have been found positive is totally stable,” he added.
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Five Addl AGs quit
Chandigarh, September 20 As many as five Additional Advocates-General have put in their papers over a two-month period. With their resignation, the Advocate-General’s office now has nothing less than 65 Additional Advocates-General. Each Additional Advocate-General gets a salary of approximately Rs 90,000 per month, along with other benefits. To begin with, Madhu Dayal submitted her papers on August 6. She was followed by Salil Sagar. He resigned on August 20. Soon after, Puneet Gupta and G.S. Attariwala resigned from the Additional Advocate-General’s posts on September 15. Chetan Mittal, too, submitted his resignation this morning. Available information suggests personal and professional reasons have been cited by the advocates while quitting the office. — TNS
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PCMS Association threatens agitation over quota
Ludhiana, September 20 He said,"When the government started the quota system, the logic was to encourage doctors for the rural service and secondly to produce highly skilled doctors for secondary and tertiary-level clinical services to the poor people of Punjab.” He said if Rural Medical Officers (RMOs) are also covered under 60 per cent quota, they will not be able to give benifit to the people of Punjab as they are not in clinical services. On the other hand, Dr Aslam Pravez, State President of the Rural Medical Services Association, Punjab, said,"There are 1,186 RMOs in the state. We should be given 60 per cent quota in post graduation (MD/MS) in all the government medical colleges of Punjab. We represent the rural area and are giving preventive health care services in the peripheral rural areas and it is our right to obtain the benefit of rural job." He further informed that also met Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Ranjeet Singh Brahmpura today, who assured to give all the benefits to the RMOs on a par with medical officers of the Health Department." Meanwhile, Dr Rakesh Vig, State President of the IMA, Punjab, said,"We will discuss this issue with RMOs and PCMS doctors in the state council meeting and decide about the matter. So far, no decision has been taken.”
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10-year imprisonment for cow slaughter
Mohali, September 20 After chairing the third governing body meeting of the Punjab Gau Sewa Board here, Kimti Bhagat said to check smuggling of cows for slaughtering, special ‘cow protection’ cells were being set up in the Punjab Police. At the district level, the cell would be headed by a DSP-rank officer, who would act as a nodal officer to check the offence.To rescue abandoned stray cattle, two ambulances have been purchased and a central control room was being established. The chairman said to catch the stray cattle and relocate them at registered cattle sheds, the Punjab Government has sanctioned Rs 6.32 crore. The board would engage animal catcher on contract and pay them Rs 300 per animal.
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HC seeks status report on release of jailed woman
Chandigarh, September 20 Taking a serious view of the lapse, the High Court expressed its “displeasure” and again called for the status report, while adjourning the case to October 14. Miffed over the delay, Justice L.N. Mittal had on the previous date of hearing directed Punjab Chief Secretary to carry out a probe for fixing responsibility of district magistrates and district police chiefs. Justice Mittal had asserted: “The case of petitioner Kailash Kaur presents a very disturbing state of affairs. As per reply, premature release case of the petitioner was initiated on June 14, 2007. But has not been finalised in spite of lapse of more than four years. This is not the only disturbing feature of the case. “The criminal appeal filed by the petitioner was dismissed by this court on January 6, 2005. But in spite of that, the respondents wanted her, vide observation dated May 15, 2009, to file an affidavit that she would withdraw the appeal/court case before receiving order of her premature release. The appeal already stood decided more than four years prior to it”. As the case came up for resumed hearing, Justice L.N. Mittal asserted: “The latest status report regarding the case of premature release and fixing responsibility of the officers concerned for the delay in the case of the petitioner has not been furnished in spite of detailed order on the preceding date, including some serious adverse observations. “The state counsel stated the inquiry officer to fix the responsibility has been appointed and the cases for premature release have been sent to the Governor of Punjab on September 8. “However, it is not explained as to why the necessary status report to this effect has not been filed in spite of specific orders passed on the preceding date of hearing. This court expresses its displeasure for not filing the report in compliance with the order. Latest affidavit on both the aspects shall be furnished positively on or before the next date.”
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Sarabjit’s counsel gets nod to meet him in prison Talking to The Tribune, Sarabjit’s sister, Dalbir Kaur said: “Following the permission of the High Court, our counsel in the case will meet Sarabjit Singh in two or three days.” Sarabjit Singh’s Counsel Awais Sheikh in a communiqué to the family reported that the High Court had issued directions to the Home Secretary to arrange a meeting between Sarabjit and Sheikh. The court had also rejected a petition by Rana Ilamuddin Ghazi, Additional Advocate-General of Punjab province, seeking direction from the government that President Asif Ali Zardari should not pardon Sarabjit Singh. Dalbir Kaur told The Tribune that though the court has granted permission for a medical examination of his brother, it has turned down the request for teaching yoga to him. Convicted for 1990 serial bomb blasts, in which 14 persons were killed, Sarabjit is facing a death sentence in Pakistan. His family, however, has all along been maintaining that Sarabjit is wrongly convicted for the bomb blasts and his case is of a “mistaken identity”. Though Sarabjit was to be hanged in 2008, his execution was put off indefinitely following intervention of Pakistan Prime Minster Yousuf Raza Gilani. Appearing for the state, Additional Advocate-General submitted a report from jail’s Medical Officer and Superintendent regarding Sarabjit’s health.
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Patiala BDPO beaten up, YAD leader booked
Patiala, September 20 Meanwhile, SSP Patiala Gurpreet Singh Gill said the police was yet to arrest anyone and claimed that arrests would follow ‘only after proper inquiry’ into the incident. According to the FIR registered at the Civil Lines police station, the victim, BDPO Rajinder Gupta, claimed that YAD president Harmeet Singh Dhillon and his cousin Amandeep Singh, who is Pathanmajra village sarpanch, thrashed him in his office. Others booked along with the two leaders include Balwinder Singh and Jatinder Singh. “The accused barged into my office and shouted at me that since Dhillon was going to contest the assembly election from Patiala, I should not ask his supporters to vacate encroachments on government land”, Gupta alleged in the FIR. “They slapped, kicked and dragged me in my office without any provocation from my side”, he added. As per the FIR, Gupta alleged that he was earlier threatened and abused on August 16 in his office by the same people and he had informed his seniors, including Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, senior officers and Patiala ADC (D). “We have no power to suspend a chairman and though I had got a copy of the complaint by the BDPO in August, where he alleged being verbally abused by the Block Samiti Chairman Harmeet Singh Dhillon, I had forwarded the same to senior authorities”, claimed ADC (D) Anandita Mitra. Members of the Punjab Development Officers Association met Rural Development and Panchayat Minister in Chandigarh pressing for strict action against the accused leaders. Meanwhile, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Capt Amarinder Singh today condemned the incident of thrashing of Gupta by “the Akali goons led by the District Youth Akali president Harmeet Singh Dhillon”. Capt Amarinder Singh has asked the local police to ensure immediate action against the culprit. “Our officers are there to serve the people and not to be manhandled and beaten up mercilessly by the Akali goons patronised by their president Sukhbir Badal”, he said. The former Chief Minister said it was not for the first time that an officer was brutally intimidated by the Akalis. Earlier also, a Tehsildar was almost lynched in Ludhiana by the Akali goons who have been honourably rehabilitated by the Badals. He said, while the main accused has been made the district youth Akali Dal president another has been rewarded with the SGPC membership. Meanwhile, at a dharna held here, supporters of Harmeet Singh Dhillon demanded that the BDPO was “a corrupt officer posted in their area and all his allegations against everyone were a bundle of lies”.
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Four hurt as student groups clash outside Patiala varsity Patiala, September 20 Police officials said members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) had an old dispute with the Harinder Singh Chintu group. “When Chintu was spotted in his vehicle outside the university, he was challenged by NSUI activists. He escaped only to return with armed supporters”, a police official said. Onlookers claimed at least 40 rounds were fired. The police said a vehicle was damaged and two university students were injured. “Punjabi University BTech students Abhishek and Bharat, who were standing near the university gate, have been injured. One of them was hit in the eye,” claimed Inder, who rushed the injured to a nearby hospital. An NSUI member alleged two of their supporters had been injured by Chintu members Harvinder Singh of Shamashpura village and Inderjit Singh Jinda. Patiala SSP Gurpreet Singh Gill said prima facie it appeared to be a case of political rivalry and a probe was on.
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Patiala, September 20
Patiala, September 20
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