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Probe Naidu’s assets, Andhra HC tells CBI
Chandrababu Naidu
Judicial custody of Reddys extended
Approach govt first, SC to sceptics
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Jessica murder: Police gives nod for parole to Manu Sharma
Amputee Major set for half marathon
Major DP Singh
Furore over Rahul’s Uttar Pradesh migration remark
Gujarat to set up task force to probe 21 ‘encounters’
Cong core group meets to discuss
Telangana, AFSPA
HC slams CBI; Maderna skips questioning
Maoists withdraw ceasefire; kill two TMC workers
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Probe Naidu’s assets, Andhra HC tells CBI
Hyderabad, November 14 A division bench of the court, comprising acting Chief Justice Ghulam Mohammed and Justice N Ramamohana Rao, directed the CBI to conduct the inquiry into the alleged illegal assets of Naidu and submit a report within three months in a sealed cover. The court order was based on a writ petition filed by YS Vijayamma, widow of former Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Vijayamma, who is also the honorary president of YSR Congress Party, alleged Naidu had amassed huge wealth by misusing power during his tenure as Chief Minister between 1995 and 2004. “We are of the opinion that the petitioner made out a case of misuse and/or abuse of power and also actions of indulgence by the respondent (Naidu) warranting admission of the writ petition,” the court said in its order. It also asked the Enforcement Directorate and SEBI to join the probe into the allegations and submit their reports independently. In her 2,400-page Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed on October 17, Vijayamma alleged that Naidu, who had a humble beginning in politics, owning just two acres of agricultural land, went on to become one of the richest politicians of the country through misuse of power. Citing several instances of quid pro quo deals and violation of laws, she alleged that the offences could attract provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, FEMA, Representation of the People Act, the AP Land Grabbing Act and the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act. The petitioner had also named 20 respondents in the petition including Naidu, his wife Bhuvaneshwari, son N Lokesh, Rajya Sabha MP YS Chowdary, Naidu’s family-owned Heritage Foods, media baron and chairman of Eenadu Group of publications Ramoji Rao and other close associates of the former Chief Minister. Significantly, another division bench of the High Court had ordered a CBI probe into Jagan’s assets in August. It was also based on a PIL filed by some TDP leaders and a letter by Congress leader Dr P Shankar Rao, who is now a minister in the Kiran Kumar Reddy Cabinet. Meanwhile, Naidu expressed surprise over the court coming out with the order without first issuing a notice to him. However, he asserted that his political career had been impeccable and he would come clean. “The previous regime (of YSR) had ordered over two dozen inquiries against me. But nothing came out of them,” he said.
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Judicial custody of Reddys extended
Hyderabad, November 14 The court also granted permission to the CBI to take custody of V D Rajagopal, the third person arrested in the case. Rajagopal will remain in custody till November 21. The proceedings were conducted through video-conferencing from the Chanchalguda Central Prison, where the accused were lodged. Rajagopal, former Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation between 2004 and 2009, the period during which, the lease of mining in OMC, was given to Reddy. Rajagopal was arrested by the CBI on Saturday evening and was taken to the residence of a magistrate yesterday, who directed the investigating agency to produce him before the special court today. — PTI
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Safety of Nuclear plant
New Delhi, November 14 A Bench comprising Chief Justice SH Kapadia and Justice Swatanter Kumar gave the advice to two NGOs, Common Cause and Centre for PIL (CPIL), which have approached the SC seeking a directive to the government for assessing the safety and cost aspects in the light of concerns expressed by nuclear experts and the people living in the vicinity of the proposed nuclear power plants. Counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the PIL petitioners, contended that the government had embarked on the expansion programme without addressing the genuine concerns raised by various sections of people in the light of the recent accident at the Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan. The CJI asked Bhushan as to whether the petitioners had taken up the issue with the concerned Ministry or the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The counsel said the issue had been in public domain for many years and during this period A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, had written several letters to the Prime Minister over lack of adequate safety at nuclear installations. However, he sought time to produce copies of all this communication, prompting the Bench to adjourn the matter for two weeks. During today’s hearing that lasted more than half-an-hour, the Bench also made it clear that the court would entertain such petitions only if the response of the government to their concerns was found unsatisfactory. If there was any complaint against a specific nuclear facility, then the High Court concerned should be approached first. The Bench also explained that it did not have the expertise to go into the safety aspects or to assess the country’s power requirements 10 years down the line and how this demand could be met. Bhushan, however, contended that the Supreme Court was responsible for ensuring people’s right to life and safe environment. This could be done only by having the safety aspects of nuclear plants reviewed by an independent body, he argued.
— Farooq Abdullah, Union Renewable Energy Minister
— APJ Abdul Kalam, former President
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Jessica murder: Police gives nod for parole to Manu Sharma
New Delhi, November 14 The police, which had been opposing his plea, took a U-turn before a single-judge bench of Justice V K Shali Sharma. Justice Shali reserved his order on Sharma's plea after hearing arguments. Delhi Government's Standing Counsel (Criminal) Pawan Sharma told Justice Shali that the police will have no objection to the grant of parole to Sharma if he gives an undertaking to the court that he will not leave Karnal and Ambala where the marriage ceremony and the reception are slated on November 22 and November 24, respectively. In an affidavit submitted to the court last week, the police had objected to Sharma's plea for parole, saying his past conduct does not entitle him to it as he was found indulging in brawl in a discotheque, when out on parole to visit his ailing mother in Chandigarh and to attend the last rites of his grandmother. Earlier appearing for Sharma, the son of an influential Congress leader Venod Sharma, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani sought parole for him asserting that visiting discotheque, when out on parole, is not illegal and not a crime. Jethmalani claimed Sharma had also been awarded prizes by jail authorities for his good conduct in the prison. "I have been prized by the jail authority for my good conduct and discipline and the jail authority has even recommended for parole to me," he said. "To maintain the family ties, the convicts are entitled for parole. They should not get alienated from the society," the counsel said. Submitting the schedule for marriage ceremonies, Jethmalani said his client should be allowed to attend the pre-marriage function of 'ladies sangeet' on November 21 at Chandigarh, marriage at Karnal on November 22 and reception at Ambala on November 24. — PTI
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Amputee Major set for half marathon
New Delhi, November 14 Major DP Singh, whose family hails from Ambala, lost his leg as a young Lieutenant on July 15 1999. Belonging to the 7 Dogra Infantry Regiment, Maj Singh was on a forward location in the Chammb-Jaurian sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir when a Pakistani shell exploded virtually at his feet. He was rushed to Akhnoor with little hope for survival having lost his right leg had nearly 40 splinters embedded in his body. “I weighed just 28 kg when I first landed at Pune for rehabilitation nearly 40 days after the incident,” the officer recollected as he narrated the life-changing incident that occurred in the wee hours that fateful day. Coming out of his post battle-injury life, the young man opted out of the Army. He is now working with a leading private bank as the administrative head for branches in the National Capital Region. Talking about his colleagues the Major says “they have a different kind of respect for me and back in my achieving goals”. His only child is studying and was born after the crippling injury. Thankfully, the rules of the forces allow full pension in the cases of battle injuries and he did not have to wait for the mandatory 20 years of service to be eligible for his pension. On November 27, he will run the 21.4-km half marathon with a special leg provided by the Army’s Pune-based Artificial Limb Centre. The leg is lighter than the 3.5-kg apparatus he is using at present. The one provided by the Pune centre is designed for running. The Major has motivated 12 other differently-abled in the 18 to 44 age group to run the half marathon. He has launched a Facebook page “the challenging ones” to motivate more people.
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Furore over Rahul’s Uttar Pradesh migration remark
New Delhi, November 14
Rahul’s remarks, his party explained here in Delhi, were aimed at invoking the self-esteem of the denizens of Uttar Pradesh. The “spirit” behind the remarks needed to be understood, party spokespersons insisted. Lashing out at the BSP government, Rahul today alleged that there was rampant corruption in the state and the money being disbursed by the Centre was pocketed by BSP leaders. “For how long will you beg in Maharashtra or work as labourers in Punjab? When are you going to change the government here? Let all of us join hands to bring about a change,” Rahul said. BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain called this an insult to the people of Uttar Pradesh. “How many times has Rahul Gandhi gone to Maharashtra and seen people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar begging there?” he said while insisting that Rahul had hurt the sentiments of the residents of the state. The Congress dismissed the Opposition’s reaction as its discomfort over the existing ground realities in Uttar
Pradesh.
Maintaining that there was nothing objectionable in what Rahul said, AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said the reaction of Opposition parties to what Rahul said proved the impact of his words. “It is evident from the restlessness of the Opposition that they have now begun fearing the rise of the Congress in UP,” he said.
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Gujarat to set up task force to probe 21 ‘encounters’
New Delhi, November 14 Additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta made the assurance to a Bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and SJ Mukhopadhaya during the hearing of two PILs filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar and eminent journalist BG Verghese seeking an independent probe.
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Cong core group meets to discuss
Telangana, AFSPA New Delhi, November 14 Home Minister P Chidambaram is learnt to have briefed the core group on AFSPA even as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met him, Defence Minister AK Antony and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to plead his case for the revocation of the controversial law in some districts of the state. Today’s 90-minute meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s official residence, also took note of the pending demand for a separate state of Telangana, which is threatening the longevity of the Kiran Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh. It had led to a serious law-and-order situation last month when a prolonged strike by government employees had paralysed life in the Telangana region. Although no final decision was taken on either of the issues, the party leadership plans on calling a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to discuss this issue and will soon consult UPA allies before moving ahead on Telangana. While indicating that the Centre is unlikely to concede to the demand for a separate state, reliable Congress sources said the party was keen on arriving at some decision before the winter session of Parliament commences next week. Expectedly, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to yield on Telangana as it would immediately revive the demand for Gorkhaland in her state. The series of deliberations will eventually culminate in an all-party meeting. But before it approaches the other political parties, the Congress has to first firm up its stand. The party is caught in a bind as the issue has created deep schisms within its own ranks. On one hand, its MPs and legislators from Telganana are pressing ahead with their demand for a separate state and on the other hand, representatives from the Rayalseema and Coastal regions are opposed to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
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BHANWARI CASE
Jodhpur, November 14 Giving the CBI 10 days to submit its progress report in the matter, a Division Bench of the high court said the “credibility of the agency was at stake and it should speed up the investigation”. As the agency sought four weeks from the court, the Bench said, “You are repeatedly asking for more time. The same was done in the case of Aarushi Talwar. You were given one year then, what did you accomplish?” The court was referring to the case of teenager Aarushi Talwar, who was brutally murdered in her house along with servant Hemraj in May 2008. The CBI had in December last year filed a closure report in the case. A CD purportedly showing Maderna, who was sacked by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot from the Cabinet last month after his name cropped up in the case, and nurse Bhanwari Devi which was aired on a news channel, was also sent to the high court registrar by the channel. Maderna, who was admitted to Mathura Das Mathur government hospital on Saturday night and is undergoing treatment for “marginal rise in blood pressure and mild chest pain”, did not appear for questioning. — PTI You (the CBI) are repeatedly asking for more time. The same was done in the case of Aarushi Talwar. You were given one year then, what did you accomplish? — Rajasthan HC Bench
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Maoists withdraw ceasefire; kill two TMC workers Kolkata, November 14 Suspected Maoists tonight shot dead two Trinamool Congress workers of the party at Balarampur in Purulia district, a party MLA said. The attackers, who came on a bike, called Ajit Singh Sardar (56) and his son Baku Singh Sardar (26) from their house to a nearby jungle at Ghatbera and shot them dead, Trinamool Congress MLA from Purulia KP Singhdeo said. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today dismissed the Maoist letter on their ceasefire withdrawal and said joint-operations would be intensified against the ultras. “Murderers would not be spared. Joint operations would begin,” she said.— PTI
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After YSR Congress President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, it was his bête noire and Telugu Desam Party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s turn to face the CBI probe into his assets following an order by the Andhra Pradesh High Court today.
New Delhi, November 14
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Only clean power is the solution. Solar, nuclear, bio and hydel are clean power. We are a power hungry nation and 2000 MW of clean power is ready to be pumped into the grid. If it is clean power you must go for it.