Kathal , March 29
Following directions from a local court, the city police has registered a criminal case against former Haryana Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dillu Ram and 50 others.

In a complaint filed in the court of Kaithal CJM Rajesh Garg, local resident Rajeev Kumar has alleged that Dillu Ram, accompanied by over 50 persons armed with deadly weapons, entered Mata Mandir located in the Mata Gate area here on the night of March 22.

The miscreants forcibly took away Rs 20 lakh in cash and animals worth Rs 2 lakh in a four-wheeler, the complainant alleged.

The complainant alleged that though the police was present there, it took no action against Dillu Ram and others . Rajeev Kumar filed affidavits from 24 persons in support of his claim

Acting on the complaint, the CJM’s court directed the SHO (city) to register an FIR and investigate the case as per law.

However, Dillu Ram, who is a former MLA of Guhla in Kaithal district, has denied the charges and convened a meeting of his community elders here for April 2 to clear his position.

Chandigarh, March 29
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today put on notice Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on a petition for security filed by two dera followers claiming threat to life and liberty from the dera head.

One of the petitioners, Vishwas Gupta, has alleged sexual exploitation of his wife by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The petitioners, Vishwas Gupta and his father, Mohinder Pal Gupta, had alleged that the Baba was “very powerful and resourceful and his fanatic followers and shooters trained by a retired military officer having unauthorised weapons may kill the petitioners at any time”.

The High Court has already put on notice Haryana Home Secretary, the DGP, Panchkula SP and another respondent in the petition. The Bench was told that the petitioner’s father, Mohinder Pal Gupta - son of former MLA from Gharaunda Rulia Ram Gupta - got associated with the dera in 1970. Later, the petitioner too associated himself with the dera.

The Bench was informed that petitioner Vishwas Gupta’s father was lured by the dera head to sell off his agricultural land and property. The proceeds were deposited with dera factories, with a promise to return the amount as and when asked for. But the dera head refused to return the funds.

The Bench was further told that the dera head selected a girl of his choice from Fatehabad for marriage with Vishwas Gupta and solemnised the marriage on February 14, 1999. The very next day, the dera head changed the petitioner’s wife’s name.

On December 30, 2009, the dera head declared in the presence of sadhus that he has adopted Gupta’s wife. The petitioner alleged after that his wife has not been allowed by the dera head to stay with him “even for a day and she has been kept by him all the time in the dera “ knowing well that she is a legally wedded wife.

“The petitioner’s belief was shattered when one night when the petitioner was in the dera and he happened to enter the room (guffa) of the dera head, he saw the dera head and his wife in objectionable state,” alleged the petitioner.

Gupta further alleged he was assaulted by the dera head and threatened not to open his mouth. The petitioner and his family decided to shift to Panchkula on July 16, but his wife was still with the dera head, the petitioner alleged.

Chandigarh, March 29
Haryana’s litigation policy has started showing results as there has been a nearly 48 per cent decline in both civil and criminal cases involving the state in the Supreme Court in 2011 as compared to 2010.

The data compiled by the Haryana Legal Cell, New Delhi, showed that the number of civil and criminal cases filed in 2010 stood at 1,052. The figure came down to 635 last year.

The data showed that only 427 civil cases were reported last year as against 657 cases in 2010. However, the number of criminal cases came down from 244 in 2010 to 208 in 2011. Of the 427 civil cases in 2011, while 267 cases were filed against the state, the state government led the way in the decrease of litigation and filed only 160 cases against individuals. In 2010, the state had filed 405 civil cases against individuals with 252 cases being filed against the state.

The cases filed against the state was the only category which registered a marginal increase (252 in 2,010 to 267 in 2,011). On the criminal cases front, the state filed just 32 cases as against 176 cases filed against individuals in 2011. In 2010, the state had filed substantial 160 cases and 235 cases were filed against it by individuals.

Advocate-General (AG), Haryana, HS Hooda said the reduced litigation was the result of the steps taken by the state and the AG Office since the Haryana State Litigation Policy came into force on December 17, 2010.

Jind, March 29
A murder convict was shot dead in Pillukhera village of the district last night by two armed assailants. A case has been registered in this regard.

He was in jail for his involvement in the murder of his wife a couple of years ago and was released on parole a few days ago.

Police sources said the victim, Naresh (32), of Rajanakalan village in this district, had gone to Pillukhera village in connection with some work last night when two armed youths on a motorcycle intercepted him near a petrol pump and opened fire on him from close range. He died on the spot.

Naresh, his sister and his mother were arrested in connection with the death of his wife Suman in 2008. The couple got married in 2006. While it was charged that the woman had been murdered by her in-laws for more dowry, the accused were convicted and sentenced to 10-year jail on charges of dowry death.

“Naresh and his kin are released on parole a couple of days ago,” said a police official.

He said the victim and his kin had reportedly received threats after his arrest in the case.

Meanwhile, in another incident the police has registered a similar case against three members of a family of Shamdo village in the district in connection with the alleged suicide by a married woman.

It is reported that the victim who had been married in 2009 to a resident of this village died after she consumed some poisonous substance in the house of her in-laws on Tuesday night.

Rohtak, March 29
The Haryana School Teachers Association has asked the state government to regularise the service of all those teachers in the state who had completed two years as a guest or contract faculty.

A memorandum submitted by the association said the state government should adjust teachers meeting the required norms for appointment.

Saying that the association would be forced to launch a stir if guest teachers were shown the door after March 31, it expressed concern over the fate and future of thousands of students in government schools already facing acute shortage of teachers.

Alleging exploitation of thousands of teachers, the teachers’ body said the government ought to absorb teachers having two or more than two years of service to fill posts lying vacant for the past several years in the Education Department

The Sarva Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, has also supported the demand.

Chandigarh, March 29
The second 660-MW unit of the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project (MGSTPP) at Khanpur Khurd in Jhajjar was successfully synchronised with the grid at 07.13 hrs today thus raising the total installed generation capacity within the state to 5050.5 MW.

While giving details about the landmark achievement, Haryana Power Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav said here today that this unit was the second 660-MW unit to be commissioned in Haryana, which is based on the latest state-of-the-art super critical technology.

He said the super critical technology was advantageous because of higher efficiency, lower fuel consumption, less emissions and quick response to grid requirements. The foundation stone of the project was laid by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on January 10, 2009, and the first 660-MW unit of the project was synchronised on January 11, 2012, in exactly 36 months.

Congratulating the project developer, CLP Power India Pvt. Ltd., he said this was also the first coal-based power generation project set up by an independent power producer in the state.

He added that these two units would provide about 270 lakh additional units of electricity daily to the state, when operating at rated capacity. He said with the commissioning of this unit, the total installed generation capacity within the state had now gone up to 5050.5 MW from 4390.5 MW.

Regarding background of the project, Anurag Agarwal, Managing Director of Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL), said the HPGCL was nominated as the nodal agency by the government for setting up of this project. A special purpose vehicle, “Jhajjar Power Limited (JPL)”, was incorporated by the HPGCL for implementing the project.

The project was awarded to CLP Power India Pvt. Ltd. by the HPGCL through a tariff-based competitive bidding process under the Case-2 mechanism of the Union Ministry of Power and is one of the first projects in the country to be commissioned on schedule under this mechanism.

He said due to additional power supplied by the HPGCL, the state was able to supply 986 lakh units (LU) daily on an average during the current year as compared to 885 LUs during the previous year, which is a substantial increase of around 12 per cent.

He added that the 600-MW unit-2 of the RGTPP, Khedar, was expected to commence generation shortly and the HPGCL was geared up to meet the power demand of the state.

Members of the Swarankar Association burn an effigy of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Gurgaon on Thursday. Tribune photo: Sayeed Ahmed

Chandigarh, March 29
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has taken up the issue of levy of excise duty at a rate of 1 per cent on all non-branded gold jewellery with the Centre and asked the government to reconsider this decision.

In a letter addressed to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today, the Chief Minister said a number of measures had been announced in this year’s Union Budget relating to jewellery transactions, but the decision to levy excise duty on all non-branded gold jewellery had seriously agitated the entire community of jewellers in the state.

Hooda further wrote:“Most of the unbranded jewellery manufacturers and retailers are in the unorganised sector. Moreover, workers engaged in this trade belong to the backward classes and are not very literate.

This new levy would put them at a serious disadvantage viz-a-viz the organised branded jewellery sector.”

Chandigarh, March 29
Indicting an Assistant Collector for “harassing poor farmers” and showing scant regard for judicial orders, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today described it as a fit case for taking severe action before imposing costs of Rs 25,000. The amount is to be recovered from the officer.

Taking up a petition filed by Ram Singh of Yamunanagar and two other petitioners against Rajpal Surjewala, Justice Surya Kant asserted that the court vide orders dated November 25, 2010, had issued categorical directions to the Assistant Collector (grade II), Radaur, for assessing the value of a defunct tube well and a “kotha”. The entire exercise was to be carried out in three months.

Justice Surya Kant asserted: “The direction was not complied with causing immense harassment to poor farmers…. The needful was not done despite several opportunities granted by this court in the contempt proceedings also”.

Justice Surya Kant said: “It was only when he was directed to remain present in the court vide February 14 orders that he came out of his slumber and passed an order dated February 21…. The deliberate inaction of the respondent shows that he has scant regard for the court orders.

Justice Surya Kant observed: “He has compelled the petitioners to approach this court for no reason. It is a fit case to take severe action against the respondent. Having regard to all attending circumstances, I impose a fine of Rs 25,000, which shall be recovered from him.There shall be no reimbursement from the state…. He is directed to pay the fine/costs within a month from the receipt of the order’s certified copy”.

Hisar, March 29
The executive council of the Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology has kept in abeyance a decision by the university to lower the minimum pass percentage for various courses run through distance education from 40 to 35 per cent.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the council held here today. Vice-Chancellor ML Ranga presided over the meeting.

The academic council of the university had decided to lower the minimum marks required to pass an examination through distance education by 5 per cent a fortnight ago.

It came under severe criticism from academicians who said the decision was aimed at attracting more students, which, in turn, meant more fee deposits. It had no academic purpose.

The council approved the guidelines suggested by the government for appointment and promotion of teachers. It authorised the VC to appoint a panel to deal with any stumbling blocks in the way of promotions under the new guidelines.