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Left to move resolution opposing retail FDI
Time between discharge, reinstatement counts for retirement benefits: SC
On multi-member CAG, govt finds itself alone |
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Pak Interior Minister’s visit uncertain
Mooted after Kargil, coastal radar net to be ready in 2013
MoD failure on apex court orders invites contempt
No relief: Army man dies on way to loo
Vaidya: Modi behind anti-Gadkari tirade
Police wants CCTVs in pubs, hotels; gets flak
Rakhi Sawant to sue Digvijay for
Rs 50 crore
Thackeray tells media to stop speculating about his health
One killed in Imphal blast
One more killed in Kokrajhar
Temple row: MIM pulls out of Centre, Andhra govts UPA stable despite MIM walkout: Cong
Rs 6.5 cr found in rickshaw; Bala Sai Baba’s Trust under I-T lens
Maharashtra farmer protest turns violent
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Left to move resolution opposing retail FDI
New Delhi, November 12 With the winter session scheduled to commence on November 22, at a joint meeting here, Left party leaders said the Parliamentary party will formalise the details ahead of the session. The strategy of the Left parties is that besides the four parties in its fold, the resolution can garner support from the Telugu Desam, Janata Dal (Secular) and even the Samajwadi Party. CPI national secretary D Raja, MP is of the view that even allies of the UPA such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam that declared its stand against the move should not find it difficult to support the resolution. In fact, calculation is that even the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition can be part of it. However, these is a catch to the move since the Left parties MPs will table a resolution under a rule that requires voting [Rule 184 in the Lok Sabha and Rules 168-170 in the Rajya Sabha] but the Central Government is unlikely to accede to it. One it will open the Government to a test of strength and two, if carried it would tie the government down to the text and virtually mean that Parliament overrides an executive decision. Considering the not-so-healthy internal condition of the ruling coalition at the Centre, the move could force parties to take a stand that may show the Government in poor light. Meanwhile, to mount pressure on the Government for an early passage of the food security legislation, the Left parties decided to intensify its struggle and collect signature of 5 crore people during December this year and January next year. Besides demanding universalisation of public distribution system and 35 kilogrames of foodgrains at not more than Rs 2 per kg, the parties are against cash transfer scheme in the PDS. Those who attended the meeting today included Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury, S Ramachandran Pillai, (CPM), A B Bardhan, S Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja (CPI), Debabrata Biswas (AIFB) and Abani Roy
(RSP).
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Time between discharge, reinstatement counts for retirement benefits: SC
New Delhi, November 12 A Bench comprising Justices P Sathasivam and Ranjan Gogoi delivered the verdict on a petition filed by Havildar Satbir Singh. Satbir had joined the Army in August 1982 and was promoted as Lance Naik in 1985, as Naik in 1986 and as Havildar in 1990 when his tenure of service was extended to 24 years. However, in December 1988 the Army Headquarters, Adjutant General Branch, issued a letter laying down a procedure for removal of “undesirable and inefficient” candidates by way of discharge or dismissal. On the basis of the procedure, a show-cause notice was issued to Satbir in 1995 as his service record revealed four “Red Ink Entries” during 12.5 years of service. After a perusal of his reply, he was discharged from service in April 1995. The Delhi High Court directed his reinstatement in May 2008 with no benefit of salary and other allowances for the “intervening period”. However, the SC said that having found that the “discharge/termination is legally unsustainable, we are of the view that the incumbent, namely, the appellant, ought to have been provided relief at least to the extent of counting the intervening period for the purpose of terminal benefits. It is true that during the intervening period, the appellant, admittedly, did not work, in that event, the Division Bench was justified in disallowing the salary for the said period. However, for the terminal benefits, in view of the categorical conclusion of the HC that discharge/termination is bad, ought to have issued a direction for counting the intervening period at least for the purpose of terminal benefits.” The apex court rejected the HC reasoning for not considering the intervening period -- that Satbir had four red ink entries. “We hold that the said reasoning adopted by the Division Bench of the HC cannot be sustained in view of its own authoritative conclusion in setting aside the discharge/termination order.”
Case file
Havildar Satbir Singh had joined the Army in August 1982 and was promoted as Lance Naik in 1985, as Naik in 1986 and as Havildar in 1990 when his tenure of service was extended to 24 years In December 1988, the Army Headquarters, Adjutant General Branch, issued a letter laying down a procedure for removal of “undesirable and inefficient” candidates by way of discharge or dismissal and he was discharged in April 1995 The Delhi HC directed his reinstatement in May 2008 with no benefit of salary and other allowances for the “intervening period”
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On multi-member CAG, govt finds itself alone
New Delhi, November 12 The controversy ignited by the statement of V Narayanasamy, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office grew today with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Left joining the issue even as the minister attempted to retract the statement he made during an interview to news agency Press Trust of India. On its part, PTI released the audio tape of the interview that television news networks played to underscore that the minister had indeed stated that the recommendation to make the CAG into a multi-member body was under the government's consideration. The BJP, the principal party in the Opposition, fired the first salvo suggesting the move was an attempt to reduce the authority of the body mandated by the Constitution. “The BJP takes serious objection to this disturbing attempt by the government. We seriously apprehend that this remark of the minister is not an off-the-cuff remark,” party chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Speaking separately in Chennai, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu condemned the government and Congress leaders stating that in the past too, the party had attempted to weaken institutions. The Samajwadi Party, which supports the government from the outside, and the Left parties questioned the timing of the proposed move coming as it does after the country's top accounting body published reports pointing out irregularities in Commonwealth Games, 2G allocation and coal block allocation issues. Conveying its opposition, SP general secretary Mohan Singh said the talk of making CAG a multi-member body was born either out of ignorance or the government wants to destroy the Constitution. CPI’s national secretary D Raja said the timing of the statement was both “questionable and deplorable”, stating that the CAG with its commendable work exposed a number of major scams that took place under the Congress-led
UPA-II.
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Pak Interior Minister’s visit uncertain
New Delhi, November 12 This is expected to be conveyed by New Delhi to Islamabad soon, official sources said. Malik had indicated to Shinde, when they had met in Rome on the sidelines of the Interpol General Assembly last week, that he would travel to New Delhi to formally launch the new visa regime. — PTI
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Mooted after Kargil, coastal radar net to be ready in 2013
Chandigarh, November 12 The CSS is a chain of ground-based static radar, electro-optics and meteorological sensors located along the eastern and western coastline for monitoring the movement of ships and small boats. The data and images obtained through these sensors are transmitted to the centralised control hub through a hierarchical reporting system comprising regional centres. The culmination of the CSS, which was launched by Defence Minister AK Antony on August 25, would come over a decade after it was recommend by a group of ministers as part of the national security revamp that was initiated after the 1999 Kargil War. The project got an impetus only after the 26/11 terrorist strike in Mumbai. “We have already completed the installation of CSS sensors in three sectors — Gujarat, Maharashtra and Kochi,” said HN Ramakrishna, Director, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which is executing the project. “As per the schedule, the work will be over by September,” he added. The CSS, which will be operated by the Coast Guard, comprises a network of 46 manned sensor stations and 11 remote operating stations. These sensors would be mounted on top of light houses wherever feasible, while at other places, these would be housed on 30-m-high towers.
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MoD failure on apex court orders invites contempt
Chandigarh, November 12 In January, the apex court had upheld a decision by the Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal granting the CI allowances to regular Army personnel posted to the BRO. Sources said the appeal against this decision was filed in the Supreme Court on the insistence of the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB), brushing aside initial legal advice by the Ministry of Law against filing of such an appeal and despite the fact that military pay and allowances are not a subject matter of the BRDB. Taking up a petition filed by Lt Col KK Nair, contending that this amounted to contempt of court, the Tribunal today issued notice to the MoD, the BRDB and the BRO.
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No relief: Army man dies on way to loo
Chandigarh, November 12 Lakshman Kumar of the Dogra Scouts was the quarter guard commander on duty from in August 2009 and while on duty he was relieved by the guard second-in-command so as to enable him (Lakshman) to refresh himself. While moving to the toilet, Lakshman slipped on ice and suffered a head injury. He died four days later. The death was declared while on duty and was attributed to military service, but since then his widow, Dakshina Kumari, hailing from the remote Kinnaur region, has been struggling to get the ex-gratia payment. After her claims were rejected by the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (PCDA), she moved the Armed Forces Tribunal, seeking judicial intervention to redress her grievance. The Tribunal’s Bench comprising Justice Rajesh Chandra and Air Marshal SC Mukul on Friday issued notice to the Central Government. The PCDA has maintained that Lakshman was not on duty at the time of the incident, stating that he came on duty from 7 am in the morning till 8 pm in the night on the said day and not from 6.60 am in the morning to 6.30 am the next morning as mentioned in records. Terming the PCDA’s rejection of her claim not only to be illogical, but illegal, unethical, against principles of humanity and also without due authority, the petitioner has contended that she has been granted Special Family Pension by treating him on duty, as such, the respondents cannot have different parameters for ex-gratia by declaring that he was not on duty at the relevant time. The petition also states that the PCDA cannot, by any logic, expect a person not to use the toilet while deployed on guard duty for long hours and such an action “beats logic to morbidity”. Terming the PCDA’s claims about her husband’s duty hours as incorrect, the petitioner has further contended that even if her late husband had not been on duty and had merely been in unit lines, still the death was fully on duty since the entire unit is deployed on active duty on the border. A soldier in such circumstances is expected to be on duty 24 hours a day.
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Vaidya: Modi behind anti-Gadkari tirade
Nagpur, November 12 This could be because Modi apprehends that Gadkari could cause hindrance to his
(Modi’s) ambition of becoming the Prime Minister, said 87-year-old
Vaidya, a former chief editor of RSS mouthpiece Tarun Bharat. Vaidya, who is based in
Nagpur, said, “I do not think Modi has any chance of leading the BJP in the next election.” Writing in his blog in Marathi, Vaidya has argued that the roots of the campaign against Gadkari have to be in Gujarat-when BJP MP Ram Jethmalani demanded Gadkari’s resignation, he also wanted Modi to be declared as the party’s prime ministerial candidate. “LK Advani and Nitin Gadkari have already made it clear that they are not in the race for the post of the prime minister. However, Modi who seems to have strong prime ministerial ambitions, has said nothing on the issue,” Vaidya
said. Vaidya suspected that Modi might be using Jethmalani to boost his plans (to become prime ministerial candidate) as Gadkari could thwart his attempts to bag the top
post. Vaidya also gave an earful to Rajya Sabha MP Jethmalani for revolting publicly against Gadkari and said he should have refrained from expressing his angst against the BJP chief in the open. — IANS
What the RSS ideologue said
Modi apprehends that Gadkari could cause hindrance to his
(Modi's) ambition of becoming the Prime Minister Roots of the campaign against Gadkari have to be in Gujarat, when BJP MP Ram Jethmalani demanded Gadkari's resignation, he also wanted Modi to be declared as the party's PM candidate Modi might be using Jethmalani to boost his plans to become the PM candidate
Gadkari: Remarks unfounded
NEW DELHI: BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Monday termed as “unfounded” remarks of RSS ideologue MG Vaidya that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was behind the campaign to make him quit as the BJP president. He said all party leaders were working unitedly for the
organisation. In a statement issued here, Gadkari also rejected Vaidya’s attempt to link recent comments by party MP Ram Jethmalani with
Modi. — PTI
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Police wants CCTVs in pubs, hotels; gets flak
Mumbai, November 12 The suggestion to install CCTVs at these venues came after a pub in south Mumbai was raided for staying open beyond the 1.30 am deadline. The raiding policemen picked up managers and patrons, including women, and kept them in custody for several hours. The incident which sparked off allegations of violence by both policemen and party-goers has kept the celebrity columns of newspapers abuzz for nearly a fortnight. “We suggested installation of CCTVs at pubs and restaurants so that we could keep track of establishments which stayed open beyond the permissible time limits,” says a police officer at the Colaba police station. As per the plan, local police personnel would also collect footage every fortnight to keep an eye on possible illegalities at these places. A number of party-goers felt such measures were an invasion of privacy. Many of them told local newspapers that they would not be able to let their hair down at pubs and discos if they were being tracked by CCTVs. However, others felt that electronic monitoring was becoming a part of daily life and CCTVs were already installed at several pubs. "We already have CCTVs monitoring the dance floor to help us deter people who misbehave with women," says the manager of a pub in central Mumbai. The matter of sharing the footage regularly with the police would be an issue, he added. Despite privacy concerns, the association of hotel owners has come out in support of this measure. "We would like all establishments to be monitored due to the presence of security threats in cities such as Mumbai. But we are worried that sharing footage with someone regularly would amount to violation of privacy," said Sudhakar Shetty, president, Association of Hotels and Restaurants.
Keeping vigil
Party-goers and pub owners are crying foul, saying such measures are an invasion of privacy The association of hotel owners has come out in support of the measure as it would enhance security
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Rakhi Sawant to sue Digvijay for
Rs 50 crore
Mumbai, November 12 Singh had in his tweet yesterday compared activist-turned-politician Kejriwal with Rakhi saying they both try and expose but without any substance. "Arvind Kejriwal is like Rakhi Sawant. They both try and expose but with no substance. Apologies to Rakhi Sawant I am an old fan of hers!" Singh tweeted. Rakhi shot off letters to Mumbai Police Commissioner and Maharashtra Home Secretary asking them to book the Congress general secretary for "outraging" her modesty. Claiming to be "deeply aggrieved" by Singh's comments, Rakhi has said she has also asked her lawyer to issue a defamation notice to the Congress leader and seek Rs 50 crore in damages for attacking her "noble character".— PTI
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Thackeray tells media to stop speculating about his health
Mumbai, November 12 A write-up in party mouthpiece Saamna attributed to Thackeray warned the media against speculating about his health. "Those who are speculating about me being put on a ventilator will themselves be put on ventilators shortly," the front page editorial warned. The article specifically named a Marathi daily published by a major publishing house for allegedly spreading misleading information about his health. The Saamna article noted that Shiv Sena activists had attacked the newspaper offices last year after it put out a report of senior party leader Anandrao Adsul leaving the party for the NCP. "If they have forgotten that attack we will hit them on their head yet again," the piece warned.
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One killed in Imphal blast
Imphal, November 12 One of the dead was a labourer who was returning from work when the blast took place at around 5.45pm. The identities of the deceased and the injured are yet to be established. Earlier, yet another powerful IED, suspected to have been planted by militants, was recovered from a road in interior Thoubal district of Manipur by para-miltary forces, official sources said. A boy playing in the area detected a suspicious object, weighing more than 3.5kg, and informed others who reported the matter to the nearby Assam Rifles personnel of 28th battalion post at Tairen Makhong. The IED was later defused by experts. A remote-controlled device was also fixed with the explosive which was planted by suspected militants to attack security personnel passing through the area, the sources said. — PTI
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One more killed in Kokrajhar
Guwahati, November 12 The killing sparked strong protest from villagers who clashed with the police forcing the latter to resort to blank firing. The villagers then snatched the body from the possession of the police and resorted to blockade of trains for about an hour at Choutara railway station in Kokrajhar district. It is the third incident of murder in Kokrajhar district in the BTC since Saturday. Two more persons were killed in two separate incidents on Saturday. A high-level official-level meeting chaired by additional chief secretary PP Verma today took stock of Kokrajhar situation.
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Temple row: MIM pulls out of Centre, Andhra govts
Hyderabad, November 12 The MIM, an influential Muslim party with seven MLAs and an MP, pulled the plug after accusing the state government of failing to “rein in communal elements” responsible for undertaking expansion works at the disputed temple adjoining the historic Charminar in the city. The communally sensitive old city areas have been witnessing communal clashes over the past few weeks following “erection of a canopy” over Bhagyalakshmi temple abutting the 422-year-old Charminar, the cultural symbol of Hyderabad. Announcing the decision, the party chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that he had already faxed a letter the President’s office, conveying his party’s decision to withdraw support to the UPA. Later, a delegation of MIM legislators drove to Raj Bhawan and submitted a similar letter to the Governor ESL Narasimhan. The development marks the end of a 14-year-long alliance between the two parties and aggravates worries for an already tenuous Congress government in the state. Though the withdrawal of support by the MIM will not immediately destabilise the government, it is likely to further expose the ruling party’s vulnerability in the face of growing internal squabbles and migrations to the YSR Congress headed by the jailed MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. In fact, the MIM is also likely to gravitate towards YSR Congress ahead of the 2014 elections. An indication to this effect was given by Owaisi himself when he described Jagan as his friend. “Let the elections be announced and then we will take a call,” the MP said. The MIM, which has been the sole political platform for Muslims, had, on several occasions in the past, expressed its gratitude to Jagan’s father and former Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhar Reddy for introducing reservation policy for Muslims in the state. "We are disappointed with the present government's inaction over several minority issues. Our first priority is to bring down this government, expose its anti-people and anti-minority policies,” Owaisi said. At present, the Congress has 155 MLAs in the 294-member Assembly, just seven more than the magic figure of 148 required to stay in power. The ruling party circles fear that several of its members were waiting for an opportunity to jump the ship and join hands with YSR Congress. Besides, there is growing resentment among the Telangana leaders of the party over the delay in the formation of a separate state. The government could be in trouble in the event of a no-confidence motion supported by the entire Opposition. However, the 86-member Telugu Desam Party appears reluctant to join the move to destabilise the government because it is not prepared to face mid-term polls. Moreover, the regional party has been struggling to keep its flock together in the face of migration of its MLAs to YSR Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Meanwhile, the MIM chief accused the Congress government of “pandering” to the Sangh Parivar activists and allowing them to have a free run in “expanding the temple structure” at the Charminar. “The attacks against the Muslims have been increasing since 2010. Despite being alerted, the government is doing nothing to stop them,” Owaisi alleged.
UPA stable despite MIM walkout: Cong
New Delhi, November 12 Party spokesman Sandeep Dikshit also said the UPA has "got the numbers required" in Parliament and would prove its majority whenever required. He said that the Congress-led coalition will get support of various parties when government puts forth positive reforms initiatives. "We already have the support of the parties. We will continue to have the majority. We still enjoy support of 280-300 members (in the Lok Sabha). It is a strong and stable government and I have no doubt it will remain a strong and stable government," he told reporters. The strength of Lok Sabha is 543. Dismissing charges by the MIM that the Andhra Pradesh Government has taken a communal stand and was giving a free run to Sangh activists, he said the basic principle of Chief Ministers in Congress-ruled states is secularism and any allegation contrary to it was denied. Refuting suggestions that Congress was bad at running coalitions, he said the withdrawal of support by MIM as also Mamata Banerjee's party was for "local reasons" and had nothing to do with any policy issue. — PTI
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Rs 6.5 cr found in rickshaw; Bala Sai Baba’s Trust under I-T lens
Hyderabad, November 12 The police stumbled upon the huge consignment on Wednesday when the auto, transporting the cash, broke down right in front of the state DGP’s office in the busy Saifabad area. While the mode of transportation of cash was mysterious, what followed the accidental recovery was more intriguing. The auto driver and the mystry passenger gave the police the slip, leaving the policemen stumped. Even as the authorities struggled to trace the owner of the cash, the manager of the Bala Sai Baba Trust, T Rama Rao approached the police yesterday, claiming that the money belonged to the Trust. “The Trust official told us that the amount was withdrawn from a bank in the city and was meant for purchase of property in Mysore for the ashram,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Tarun Joshi said. The seized cash has been handed over to the Income Tax Department. The I-T officials were now quizzing Rao to extract more details regarding the source of the money and financial transactions of the Kurnool-based Trust, of which Bala Sai Baba is the chairman. A look-alike of the revered late Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, Bala Sai Baba has followers across the country and abroad. However, several controversies surround his ashram in Kurnool and Baba himself faces allegations of land grabbing and dubious business deals. He divides his time between his ashrams in Kurnool and Hyderabad. The state High Court had recently admitted a writ petition seeking a direction against the Trust and its managing trustee not to alienate an extent of 86 acres of prime land at the upmarket Kondapur area in the city. The petition was filed by one of the former devotees of Baba, alleging large scale financial irregularities by the Trust. The Trust manager told the police that one of his staff members was transporting the cash to the ashram office at Madhapur in the city when the vehicle broke down, triggering a chain of events leading to the seizure of the amount. “Out of panic, the auto driver and my associate Vamshi may have fled the scene,” he told the police. “We are trying to locate Vamsi and ascertain his background,” the police official said. It has emerged that Rao was entrusted with the task of fixing land deals on behalf of the Trust in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. “He is the right hand man of Baba and handles all key affairs of the Trust,” the police said.
How it happened
The police stumbled upon the money when the autorickshaw transporting it broke down in front of the DGP's office Bala Sai Baba Trust manager T Rama Rao later approached the police, claiming that the money belonged to the Trust The seized cash has been handed over to the I-T Department, which is quizzing Rao on the source of the money A look-alike of Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, Bala Sai Baba (pic) has followers across the country and abroad
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Maharashtra farmer protest turns violent
Farmer killed The farmers’ six-day stir turned violent on Monday when police arrested their leader Raju Shetti. Angry farmers pelted stones and attacked a police van, while law-enforcers burst teargas and fired in the air to control the mobs. A farmer was killed in the violence. Incoming and outbound traffic on the Pune-Bangalore highway was completely halted.
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The simmering dispute over a place of worship in Hyderabad today triggered a full-blown political crisis with the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
(MIM) withdrawing support to the UPA at the Centre and the Congress government in Andhra
Pradesh.
The Andhra Pradesh Police is looking into the financial transactions of controversial godman Sri Bala Sai Baba following dramatic seizure of over Rs 6.50 crore cash, stuffed in bags, from an auto rickshaw in the city.
The police stumbled upon the huge consignment on Wednesday when the auto, transporting the cash, broke down right in front of the state DGP’s office in the busy Saifabad area. 
Prasad warned that the party would oppose both in Parliament and outside any attempt to reduce the authority of the CAG and compromise the constitutional integrity of such institutions.
The police suggested to install CCTVs at bars, pubs, discos and restaurants after a pub in south Mumbai was raided for staying open beyond the 1.30 am deadline
The seven-member MIM has been a source of comfort so far for the beleaguered Kiran Kumar Reddy government in the face of growing threat from the fledgling YSR Congress.