The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	INSIDE BABUDOM All IAS cadre changes put on hold Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 5 Faced with crippling shortage of officers in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Centre has put on hold all requests for inter-cadre transfer on grounds of marriage between two civil service officers. Each year dozens of cases are processed by the Union Ministry of Personnel to carry out inter-cadre change for officers who get married to their colleagues in the services. Sources confirmed to The Tribune that "all cadre changes have been stopped till fresh policy measures are put in place by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister". An inter-cadre transfer on the basis of marriage is one of the few concessions allowed to IAS officers to change their cadre. A cadre is allocated after a person clears the all-India civil services exam. Cadre changes are also allowed on extreme health grounds and danger to an officer's life - these are rarities and allowed after a long procedure vetted by government and independent individuals at each stage. An administrative order issued in August said "officer couples" would be allocated the cadre facing "deficit". The couple seeking transfer would be given a choice of three deficit cadres. It has been observed that nobody wanted to accept "tough postings" like in Nagaland or Tripura. Even states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are facing a problem. Sources said the ministry has held back all inter-cadre changes till the ACC decides what will "define the maximum deficit" in a cadre. At any given point in time, there are 22 to 25 per cent vacancies in all deficit cadres. These \|re largely the cadres which are perceived to be "tough postings". The North-Eastern states have a perpetual shortfall. Naxal-hit states also have a similar position. As per the data made available in Parliament in August this year, the country faces a shortfall of 1,777 IAS officers against the sanctioned strength of 6,154. Not a single state has full strength of officers, the data shows. Almost 50 per cent of these posts are vacant in Jharkhand. This year, the countrywide intake of directly recruited IAS officers will be 180, the Union Public Service Commission has been informed by the Ministry of Personnel. The figure has been arrived at following recommendations of a committee headed by BS Baswan, a former Director of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). This suggested a cap of 180 IAS officials per annum to effectively manage future promotions and postings. Retaining IAS talent is already a serious issue. The charm of the red beacon-fitted white Ambassador car and power to decide future of millions of people is no more sufficient enough to hold back bureaucrats. Figures show that 181 IAS officers left their jobs between January 2002 and June 2012, mostly for the corporate-MNC sector.
	Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari takes over First challenge: To get world heritage status for rejected Rajasthan forts Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, November 5 With the Himachal Pradesh elections over and out of the way, the newly inducted Culture Minister and member of the erstwhile royal family from Kangra, Chandresh Kumari Katoch, today took charge of her new assignment at the Centre and listed liberating India’s magnificent monuments from encroachments as the top priority. Chandresh’s concerns include to bring in limelight her otherwise low-profile ministry and securing better allocation in the 2013-14 Budget, promoting classical and folk arts by expanding beyond the realms of Rajasthan and securing world heritage status for Rajasthan forts, which are due for UNESCO inspection following India’s strong protest over their rejection. “It is the folk art of Rajasthan that the world largely associates India with,” said the Culture Minister with roots in the desert state. Chandresh is the daughter of late Maharaja of Jodhpur Hanwant Singh. The first challenge before the Jodhpur MP, who has served as minister in the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, is to get the rejected Rajasthan forts in the coveted world heritage site list. Based on an inspection report submitted by a Korean expert, an evaluation committee of UNESCO earlier this year declined India’s claim for world heritage status for five Rajasthan forts -- Ranthambore Fort, Gagrone Fort, Jhalawar Fort, Chittorgarh Fort, Amber Fort and Kumbhalgarh Fort. Taking a strong view of UNESCO’s negative response, India launched a tough protest with the Paris-based organisation. Officials say UNESCO has since then apologised for rejecting India’s claim and agreed to send a new evaluation team to Rajasthan sometime later this month for fresh inspections. The Culture Minister is also aiming at inclusion of the Jaisalmer Fort in the list, but the rampant encroachment of the fortress’ premises may pose a challenge. Chandresh is clear that the monuments need to be protected but in such a way that interest of the people living around it are also looked after. The challenge will be to preserve historical legacy while ensuring environment for development of evolving cultural spaces. “The Archaeological Survey of India came into existence only 150 years ago. But there are people who have been living near monuments before that. We need to match their interests as well and at the same time we need to protect the monuments from getting disfigured,” she said.
	Plea against retail FDI Supreme Court to wait and watch till Parliamentary nod Legal Correspondent New Delhi, November 5 Observing that the government had taken a risk while allowing 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, the Supreme Court today made it clear that it would keep a PIL on the issue pending until the new FDI policy was approved by Parliament. The government would find that “they have formulated the new policy at their own peril” if it was not approved by Parliament, a Bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and Anil Dave remarked while hearing the PIL. Acknowledging that policy making was the sole prerogative of the government and the Judiciary had no role whatsoever in it, the Bench, however, said: “We are here to strike down any policy being implemented breaching Constitutional provisions.” The petitioner, advocate ML Sharma, contended that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had amended its regulations, issued in 2000 under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999, removing the bar on FDI in multi-brand retail only after SC’s intervention in the light of his plea. The RBI move, which in fact should have preceded the government order allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, was necessary to enforce the new FDI policy, the petitioner said. But this alone was not enough. The government could implement the policy only after getting Parliamentary approval as mandated under Section 48 of FEMA, he contended. The Bench asked him as to why he was presuming that that the government would not follow the due procedure. At this, counsel Sharma said the government was yet to table in Parliament a stock market regulation policy of 1999. During the arguments, Attorney General GE Vahanvati handed over to the Bench the gazette notification relating to RBI’s amendment on FDI in retail. Counsel Sharma pleaded with the Bench to restrain the government from issuing FDI licenses until Parliament’ss approval. But the SC was not inclined to allow the prayer. The petitioner also pointed out that a Parliamentary committee had opined that FDI in multi-brand retail would be against the interest of crores of small traders. The Bench said nobody could take away the Executive’s right to formulate policies. Further, the judiciary would be very reluctant to interfere with policy matters unless of course it was apparent that the policy was in violation of Constitutional provisions. “Every policy must match the spirit and music of the Constitution,” it clarified. The Bench asked the petitioner to see as to whether the new FDI policy was being tabled in Parliament during the month-long winter session from November 22. The PIL would be taken up for next hearing on January 22.
	SC quashes rape case against film director Bhandarkar Legal Correspondent New Delhi, November 5 The Supreme Court today quashed the criminal proceedings against Bollywood film director Madhur Bhandarkar on the charge of raping actress Preeti Jain. A Bench comprising Justices HL Dattu and CK Prasad pointed out that the victim did not want to pursue the case and the Mumbai police had in fact given a clean chit to the accused. The Bombay High Court had endorsed the trial court’s decision to pursue the case, prompting Bhandarkar to approach the SC. Preeti had lodged a complaint with the police in July 2004 alleging that Bhandarkar had raped her 16 times between 1999 and 2004 after promising her that she would get a chance to act in his films. He had also assured her that he would marry her.
	HC dismisses pleas against Maya in Taj corridor case Tribune News Service Lucknow, November 5 The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court today virtually let off former state Chief Minister Mayawati in the Taj Corridor case by dismissing a set of petitions on grounds that these were devoid of merit. The Division Bench of Justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and Ashwani Kumar Singh upheld the June 2007 order of the special CBI court which had dropped the criminal proceedings against Mayawati and her Cabinet colleague Naseemuddin Siddiqui for want of then Governor TV Rajeswar's sanction to prosecute them. The court today dismissed the petitions seeking the prosecution of the BSP supremo and her lieutenant Siddiqui. The 69-page order states: "The order passed by the designated court is perfectly in accordance with law. The petitioners are not entitled to any relief as claimed. All the writ petitions being devoid of merit are hereby dismissed.” The June 2007 order of the special CBI court had said that in the absence of sanction to prosecute the two it had no jurisdiction either to take cognisance of the case or to proceed further in respect of both the then Chief Minister Mayawati and Siddiqui. Six Public Interest Litigation (PIL) had been filed in the HC challenging the trial court’s order. The petitions had sought the High Court’s direction to the trial court for starting of criminal proceedings against Mayawati and Siddiqui over the reported financial irregularities in the Taj corridor project. Mayawati's counsel and senior BSP leader Satish Mishra welcomed the court’s decision. The petitions were pursued “with malafide intention.” It was during her third term as the Chief Minister in 2002 that Mayawati had launched an ambitious corridor project to give a face-lift to the areas near the historic Taj Mahal in Agra. A year later, the matter became a major controversy costing Mayawati her seat and forcing the Supreme Court to direct the CBI to conduct an inquiry into the alleged scam. Relief for aide too The Division Bench of Justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and Ashwani Kumar Singh upheld the June 2007 order of the special CBI court which had dropped the criminal proceedings against Mayawati and her Cabinet colleague Naseemuddin Siddiqui for want of then Governor TV Rajeswar's sanction to prosecute them.
	Dimple in trouble over Kannauj bypoll Tribune News Service Lucknow, November 5 There seems to trouble in store for Chief Minister’s better half Dimple Yadav. Allahabad High Court today directed Etawah district judge to paste a court notice at her Sefai residence for failing to respond to a petition challenging her election. The single-judge Bench of Justice DP Singh has directed the district judge to inform the High Court after pasting the notice seeking her response in the petition challenging her unopposed election in the June byelection of Kannauj. The court has also taken a strict view of a major Hindi newspaper not printing the High Court notice summoning Dimple Yadav to court today. The court has now directed the High Court Registrar to instruct the newspaper’s editor to print the notice summoning Dimple Yadav failing which the newspaper would be served with contempt of court notice. Way back on September 11, 2012, the High Court had accepted the case filed by Voter Party International candidate Prabhat Pandey and had sent notices to Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav, and the then Kannauj DM giving them six weeks time to file their replies before the court on November 5. Today, the court reacted by issuing these instructions when it found that the Kannauj MP had not filed her response nor the notice was published by the said newspaper. The Allahabad High Court has now fixed November 22 as the next date of hearing. Gets court notice The Allahabad High Court on Monday directed Etawah district judge to paste a court notice at her Sefai residence for failing to respond to a petition challenging her election.
	Sharmila completes 12 years of fast Imphal, November 5 Irom Sharmila, Manipur's 'Iron Lady', today completed 12 years of indefinite fast demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Sharmila, who is force-fed through the nose to keep her alive began her fast till death after ten persons, including a boy who received the national bravery award, were shot dead in an alleged encounter with Assam Rifles personnel at Malom near Imphal airport on November 2, 2000. A newspaper columnist and social worker then, Sharmila, went on fast on November 5 that year demanding repeal of AFSPA. She was arrested a day later and charged with attempt to commit suicide. Since then she has been produced in court from time to time, rearrested and produced again in court.She is force fed at a government hospital at Porompat here where the ward she is in has been converted into a jail. Sharmila has received several global awards and several prominent personalities from different parts of the country have visited her in support of her demands. Her brother and spokesman Irom Singhajit said social organisations including Just Peace Foundation would hold candlelight demonstrations in Imphal while public discussions would be held during the day. Official sources said security and police forces would be deployed in various parts of the city as a precautionary measure. — PTI
	German woman raped at knife-point in Mumbai flat Mumbai, November 5 A masked intruder entered the flat of a German woman in suburban Mumbai and raped her before escaping with valuables like a handycam and cash, the police said here today. In her complaint filed to the Bandra police early this morning, the 27-year-old woman alleged that she was woken up between 3.30am and 4am by a man who climbed into her flat from an open window. The man who had a cloth wrapped around his face held a knife at her throat and raped her, the woman said in her complaint to the police. According to the woman, the intruder then fled with a video camera and some money. After hiding in the bathroom for a while, the woman approached the police. She was sent for a medical examination after which an FIR was registered. The woman has been living in Mumbai for the past two years and was working as a musician. The police has prepared a sketch of the alleged intruder based on the description given by the woman. “We have alerted all our informers to help trace the accused,” the duty officer at the Bandra police station said. — TNS
	Bal Thackeray firm on disrupting cricket series Shiv Kumar/TNS Mumbai, November 5 Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has threatened disruption of the forthcoming India-Pakistan cricket series, saying the series amounted to insulting the memories of those who lost their lives in the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008. In an article in today's issue of the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray accused the UPA government of betraying the country. "This government is an enemy of national pride," he wrote. "By allowing them (Pakistani cricket players) to play, we are not valuing the blood spilled by the martyrs who fought Pakistani terrorists," the article said.
	Bhupen Hazarika’s first death anniversary Assam remembers its ‘Bard’ Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS Guwahati, November 5 On the first death anniversary of the multi-faceted artiste and legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika, whose colossal presence continued to dominate the cultural scene in the region through timeless melody even after his death, a sense of void and nostalgia gripped his fans and people in general in Assam. Organisations of different hues and nomenclature organised programmes in various corners of the state in different styles to pay tribute to the 'The Bard of Brahmaputra' where people from various walks of life and ages participated to take the opportunity to pay respect to the artiste and singer of their heart. Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury, protem vice-chancellor in Tezpur Central University in Assam and a researcher on Bhupen Hazarika's creations, said, "This singer (Hazarika) has a river in him. A river of sa-re-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni-sa . He sings like a river. Now when our times bleed, when it threatens one's identity, his songs are relevant more than ever. So let the river sing. Let it connect old to the new, communities to communities, nation to nation. Let it usher in a world where we are all in peace." "He was an amazing singer who fetches his melodies from the breezes of our land. From the currents of our rivers. From all that is Assam. Yet at times the muse in him brings tidings from far off lands. Like the monsoon winds carrying the waters of distant seas!" Dr Choudhury said. Such is Hazarika's influence on the younger generation in the state that many of them have taken up various initiatives to give dimension to the iconic musician's creations. One such young fan, Pronami Bhattacharyya, a research scholar in a university in Assam, has translated 21 selected songs of Hazarika to a collection English poem titled "Let my songs be the door to a new dawn". It was released on the eve of the singer's death anniversary here. Pronami said, "Though I never met Hazrika personally, I gave my heart to his timeless songs when I was very young. The news of his death last year left me numbed for many a days. It is my humble attempt to pay tribute to the legendary singer of our land." The Cultural Affairs Department of Assam Government in collaboration with KK Handique Open University and Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) has organised a lecture in the memory of Hazarika besides a mega cultural programme to pay tribute to him. This is just one of the numerous such functions organised all over the state today to mark the death anniversary of Hazarika. "It is an occasion for soul searching. His colossal presence as musician was soul stirring for all of us. Now in his worldly absence, we need to do some soul searching in his music that vouches for world brotherhood, national integration…" says editorial in an Assam government's periodical that has run a special issue on Hazarika.
	Screening of ‘Tin Kanya’ banned in WB Subhrangshu Gupta/TNS Kolkata, November 5 Controversy persists over the decision of banning the screening of ‘Tin Kanya’ (three daughters) in the cinema halls on the allegation that the Bengali feature film has maligned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government by wrongly depicting the Park Street rape incident with political interests. As per penal action, the screening of the film was banned at the government-run Star Theatre in north Calcutta. The owners of all private cinema houses in the city and the districts were also told not to screen the film. The decision once again reflects Mamata's intolerance of the criticism against her wrong decisions and official activities. But the management of the private cinema houses had ignored the official direction and shown the film in their respective halls with a “house full audience”. According to the producer and distributor of the movie, Gautam Kundu, the Star Theatre despite had agreed for screening the film for a week starting November 3 and accepted an advance of Rs 60,000 as exhibition charge and Rs 22,000 on the digital projection cost. But the theatre suddenly took the decision of stopping the screening of the film on the plea that it was against the interest of the government. Kundu, owning a regional TV channel and a cheat fund company, said they would go to the court for seeking justice.