Chandigarh, December 2
In a significant development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today summoned the entire record from the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker on the disqualification petition filed by MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi.

As the case came up for hearing this morning, Bishnoi’s counsel asserted the Speaker was deliberately deferring the hearing on one pretext or the other. Taking a note of his assertion, the Bench headed by Justice MM Kumar directed the production of the entire record. The case will now come up on December 7 for further hearing.

During the course of hearing, the Bench made it clear that it was not convinced by the claim of the Speaker’s counsel that efforts were being made to complete the proceedings.

The Bench had earlier also expressed strong disapproval of non-compliance of an undertaking given to the High Court by the Speaker of holding at least four hearings a month on the disqualification plea.

The “defecting” MLAs -Satpal Sangwan, Vinod Bhyana, Narender Singh, Zileram and Dharam Singh - joined the Congress in November, 2009.

The matter was placed before the Division Bench after the Single Judge’s order fixing a four-month deadline for the Speaker to decide Bishnoi’s plea was challenged.

The Single Judge had also ruled that judicial intervention in the matter was justified. “It can be concluded that the substantive right of petitioner — Kuldeep Bishnoi — to have his lis (dispute) decided is being defeated by the procedural facet of extension of time to file replies by the respondent MLAs.

“Consequently, this court is of the considered opinion that the present is a case where judicial intervention is justified even during the trial of the petitions, filed by the petitioner, and issue a direction to the respondent Speaker to decide the petitions within a fixed time frame”.

The MLAs have been arguing in their petition that the Single Judge “has gone wrong and has decided the case against the mandate of the apex court when he said judicial interference by the High Court was justified because some adjournments were granted.

Chandigarh, December 2
The three main contestants of the Hisar Lok Sabha byelection, Kuldeep Bishnoi of the HJC, Ajay Singh Chautala of the INLD and Jai Prakash of the Congress, have been issued notices by the District Election Officer for not truly reflecting the expenditure incurred by them on electioneering.

While Chautala and Jai Prakash had replied to the notices, Bishnoi had not responded, according to Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana Sumita Misra.

Misra said Bishnoi had not mentioned helicopter or chartered plane expenses of Rs 2.40 lakh incurred on account of the visit of the BJP president and other leaders to Hisar on October 9, 2011. The total expenses were estimated at Rs 32,08,547, whereas he had shown expenses of Rs 20,67,843.

Similarly, Chautala had not mentioned helicopter or chartered plane expenses of Rs 2.40 lakh incurred on account of visit of TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu on October 11, 2011. The total expenses were estimated at Rs 32,50,003, whereas he had shown expenses of Rs 24,23,491.

In his reply to the notice, Chautala said that he had spent Rs 24,23,491 and his party had spent Rs 9,03,559. His total expenditure came to Rs 33,23,050 and was reflected in the final account.

However, Misra said, the amount spent by the party was not shown in the abstract of account.

Jai Parkash had shown expenses of Rs 14,66,342 on account of advertisements, whereas the estimate as per the shadow register was Rs17,52,695. The total expenses were estimated at Rs 39,64,484, whereas the candidate accounted for Rs 27,02,529.

In response to the notice, Jai Parkash replied that he had filed the truthful account of expenses. However, if the amount shown in the shadow register was within the limit, it was acceptable to them.

Misra said no candidate submitted the certified copies of the bank statement.

Fatehabad, December 2
The District and Sessions Judge, Raj Kumar Tewatia, inaugurated a Mediation and Conciliation Centre (MCC) in the district courts complex here today.

The centre has been set up under the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as a mode of Alternative Dispute Rederessal Measures.

Tewatia said at a time when courts were overburdened with countless pending cases, mediation could serve as a viable alternative dispute redressal system.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mahender Singh and Judicial Magistrate Ajay Parashar, nodal officer of the court for the MCC, said the court could send any case to the centre before the beginning of the trial, where the judges found scope for mediation.

Cases of civil nature, matrimonial disputes, motor vehicle accident claim cases and several other kinds of cases come under the purview of these centres.

The CJM said that the provision for mediation and conciliation was enshrined in section 89 of the Civil Procedure Code.

Five advocates of the district court --- Ramesh Monga, Prem Paramjit Kaur, JS Rana, Rakesh Garg and Gushyant Gera --- have been empanelled to the MCC and they have been given proper training for this purpose under the aegis of the high court.

Earlier, Tewatia administered oath to the advocates/mediators.

Chandigarh, December 2
The Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Samiti has given a call to the Jat community not to vote for the Congress and its allies during the Assembly elections of five states due next year in protest against, what it termed as, betrayal by the ruling party at the Centre.

The decision was taken at a rally held in Mathura today to celebrate the birth anniversary of legendary Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh.

President of the Samiti Yash Pal Malik told The Tribune on the phone that the community would appeal not only to the Jats but also to the Muslims not to vote for the Congress.

He said the Congress had not only broken its promise to the Jats but had also been betraying the Muslims for the past 64 years.

Malik said in February next the Samiti would launch a three-stage agitation. In the first stage, simultaneous demonstrations would be organised in about 200 districts of 12 states. During the second stage, the supply of essential commodities like milk, water, vegetables and petroleum products would be obstructed. During the third stage, the Samiti would appeal to the Jats and the Muslims not to vote for the Congress and its allies.

He said the rally “conferred” the “Bharat Ratna” on Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh in recognition of his services in the field of education. 

Chandigarh, December 2
The Haryana Government is set to give a major relief to the cotton growers in the state. Close on the heels of reducing the market fee on cotton from 2 per cent to 0.80 per cent, the rural development fund is also set to be slashed — a development that will go a long way in checking “diversion” of state’s cotton to the neighbouring states and fetching more income for the farmers.

“The decision to reduce the rural development fund from 2 per cent to 0.80 per cent had already been taken by the state government in principle and a notification to his effect will be issued soon,” a senior state government official said here today.

In the wake of protests from different quarters, including the Haryana Cotton Ginners Association, the Haryana Agricultural Marketing Board had reduced the market fee on cotton recently. The decision to reduce the rural development fund is to be taken by the Rural Development and the Panchayat Department, notification for which will be done shortly, the official said.

Kurukshetra, December 2
Kurukshetra was abuzz with cultural frenzy and festivities as the week- long Geeta Jayanti festival got off to a spectacular start with Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia opening an exhibition of development of the state and lighting the lamp marking the inauguration of the cultural extravaganza.

Police band from Madhuban, cultural troupes from Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand and other states accorded a rousing reception to the Governor, who also visited the craft exhibition and "Saras mela".

A tastefully decorated and illuminated Braham sarovar was the main centre of activities and specially improvised and decorated battery-run autos were in service to ferry the visitors to keep the area pollution-free.

While there was a huge rush at the stalls selling woollens at the craft exhibition, a pashmina shawl weaved by a state awardee weaver from Jammu and Kashmir, Yussof Bhatt, was the main attraction. It took Bhatt nearly four years to weave the shawl, which carried a price tag of Rs 4 lakh and has been recommended for the national award.

Besides costly pasmina shawls from Kashmir, attractive woollen shawls from other states, ranging from Rs 350 to Rs 3 lakh also caught the eyes of the visitors and the winter chill gave a boost to the sale of these items.

The "Saras mela" was also a big draw while a "Hasya Kavi Sammelan" made people burst into laughter. A nine-foot long "Punjabi Juti" made in nine days also added to the excitement of the people.

Chandigarh, December 2
With the fate of contesting candidates from the Adampur and Ratia Assembly constituencies sealed in the EVMs, political circles of Haryana are busy discussing what direction state politics would take after the results are out on December 4.

The three major parties, the Congress, the INLD and the HJC-BJP combine claim victory in the byelections. But the mood in the Congress and the HJC is upbeat, with both claiming victory at one seat each. The HJC is confident about Adampur, the pocket borough of its patron, the late Bhajan Lal. However, its alliance partner, the BJP, which contested the Ratia seat, does not seem so confident about its performance in the reserved constituency. Even HJC leaders, on condition of anonymity, concede that the BJP is on the slippery wicket in Ratia.

INLD leaders prefer to remain silent on the possible outcome. All that they say is that the party has done well in both constituencies.

If the HJC-BJP combine fails to win both seats, it may impact the future of the alliance. The BJP leaders would minutely scrutinise the voting trends in Ratia to know how much HJC votes were transferred to their party nominee. In the 2009 Assembly elections, the BJP and HJC candidates had jointly polled about 17,000 votes. If the BJP fails to get as much votes plus the corresponding percentage of the increased voter strength, the HJC would become a suspect in its eyes.

If the Congress was able to snatch even one seat from the Opposition, which had won both Adampur and Ratia in 2009, it would be a big breather for Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as well as Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana. Both had been under attack by their own party men after the humiliating defeat of the party in the Hisar Lok Sabha byelection just two months ago. A victory would not only raise the stock of Hooda with the high command, it would also silence his critics in the party. The failure of the Congress to snatch even a single seat would bring Hooda and Mullana under increased pressure of the dissidents.

A less-than-expected performance would be alarming for the INLD leadership, which had been on cloud nine after a narrow defeat in the Hisar Lok Sabha byelection. The party would have to rethink its strategies to remain on the forefront of state politics.

Sirsa, December 2
A MiG-21 fighter plane of the IAF crashed near Mangalia village in Sirsa minutes after it took off from the Air Force Station, situated on the Dabwali road, here today. The pilot, Squadron Leader Jaideep ejected safely and he has been shifted to the Air Force hospital.

Eyewitnesses said the pilot suffered minor injuries and was unable to stand on his feet after the crash.

The incident occurred at around 1 pm and the district authorities said that no loss to life or property had occurred on the ground.

The fighter aircraft caught fire immediately after crashing.

Six fire tenders from Sirsa reached the crash site to extinguish the fire.

The Deputy Commissioner, Sameer Pal Srow, and the SP, Devender Yadav, rushed to the spot immediately after the incident to take stock of the situation.

An official spokesperson of the district said that a 19-year-old girl Rano, who was working in the fields at the time of the accident, had been shifted to the General Hospital, Sirsa, as she was terrified after the incident.

Wing Commander NK Chabba, the public relations officer in the Air Force Station, Sirsa, said the fighter jet took off for a routine training mission from the Sirsa airbase and within minutes, the aircraft encountered a technical snag.

The pilot, Squadron Leader Jaideep, who was flying over the Rania road at that time, manoeuvred the aircraft to avoid any damage to life and property on the ground and he himself ejected out to safety.

He said the pilot was completely safe.

An inquiry into the crash has been ordered, he added.

Rohtak, December 2
Terming the youth as the most powerful resource on the earth, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a former President of India, today called upon the students to take the flight of imagination and make the world a better place. This was not possible till the citizens of tomorrow dedicated themselves to the values of hard work, integrity and dignity of human life.

The chief guest at the inaugural function of the Science Conclave organsied by the MDU, Dr Kalam said that “science provided us with the vision to remove mental blinkers, solve scientific problems, and build a better world”.

Citing the works of famous scientists like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, C. V. Raman, S. Ramanujan and Mario Kapachi, he said that students must take a leaf from the life and achievments of eminent people. They must realise that a questioning mind was essential to be a scientist.

Administering a pledge to the students to work hard with a clear goal, he also released a commemorative souvenir. later, he visited the science exhibition.

The Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who presided over the function, said that no progress, growth or innovation was possible without basic science. He said the green revolution, which benefitted the nation, was possible due to the pioneering efforts of scientists. Highlighting the importance of science in eradicating diseases, he called for a culture of scientific literacy.

The Haryana Minister of Science and Technology, Randeep Singh Surjewala, said the fruits of science must benefit the common man.

The Education Minister, Geeta Bhukkal, also addressed the gathering.

Kurukshetra, December 2
The Kurukshetra University Vice-Chancellor has not presented the teachers’ justified demands in the right perspective, said KUTA president Pradeep Chauhan after an emergency meeting of the executive council here yesterday.

The teachers felt disappointed in the manner the demands were referred to the government when these had already been approved. The VC now should ensure the endorsement of these demands at the earliest by the government.

Meanwhile, the KUTA leadership met the Vice-Chancellor and submitted a draft letter to be sent to the government. Dr Chauhan appealed to the state government to ensure justice to the university teachers.

The KU Executive Council, which met on November 29 to discuss the KUTA demands for a five-day week and allowing promotion to posts of professor in university-maintained colleges under the career advancement scheme (CAS), did not take any decision and referred both demands to the government.The EC maintained that the government alone was competent to allow promotion to posts of professor.

Regarding the demand for a five-day week on the pattern of central universities, offices of Haryana Government and non-teaching employees , the EC decided that this demand should also be referred to the government as it concerned a “common calendar” for all universities.