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Strike has lawyers on the wrong side of the law
India diluting resolution against Lanka: Rights body
CBI ex-chief is Nagaland Governor
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Ram Singh’s inclusion in national camp under lens
Slain DSP’s widow turns down OSD job offer
War heroes seek additional facilities
‘Brutal assault’ on lawyers in Jaipur & Chandigarh
Crackdown on sex determination centres in Andhra Pradesh
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Strike has lawyers on the wrong side of the law
Chandigarh, March 9 On August 7, 2002, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had held strikes by lawyers and doctors illegal. Describing strikes and boycotts by professionals, including lawyers and doctors, as “unethical methods of redressing alleged grievances totally unmindful of the grave injury caused to the common man”, the Bench had asserted that the lawyers were “not entitled to abstain from work”. Delivering the verdict, the Bench, comprising Justice GS Singhvi and Justice MM Kumar, had ruled: “No advocate, whether he is a member of the Bar Association or not, is entitled to go on strike or abstain from work.” In their detailed 38-page order, the judges had observed: “Bandhs, strikes, boycotts, picketing and dharnas are hallmarks of the modern social setup in urban India. There is a complete lack of work culture, sense of duty, civic sense and responsibility. Unfortunately, these features are fast becoming normal traits of an ordinary individual. Professional bodies, including lawyers, doctors and chartered accountants, are not immune from this syndrome which is eating into the vitals of our nation’s foundation. Rather, strikes and boycotts by professionals like lawyers and doctors are becoming routine. They resort to these unethical methods of redressing their alleged grievances totally unmindful of the grave injury caused to the common man. This is certainly not the society dreamt of by the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi”. The judges had concluded by saying: “No advocate can be punished by the statutory or non-statutory representative body of the Bar on account of his having violated the call given for the strike or boycott of the court or abstention from work.” The Supreme Court is also of the view that lawyers cannot resort to strike. It has been held by the apex court that any strike by lawyers is illegal. In Capt Harish Uppal versus the Union of India and another case, a six-judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court held that lawyers had no right to go on strike or even token strike or to give a call for boycott. A former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court says once orders declaring strikes illegal have been passed, any action to the contrary can be viewed seriously by the Bench.
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India diluting resolution against Lanka: Rights body
New Delhi, March 9 Representatives of the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), a community building organisation, which has special consultative status with the UN and is participating in the ongoing 22nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, accused India of trying to dilute the US-sponsored country resolution on Sri Lanka and made a written submission in this regard at the UNHRC today. The US and a substantial members of the UN are sponsoring the resolution called “Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka” at the ongoing session of the UNHRC. Back home, both the Dravidian parties from Tamil Nadu — the DMK and AIADMK — have demanded answers from the government on its response to the resolution. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Parliament that India’s stand on the resolution would depend on the final text of the resolution moved by the US. Suhas Chakma, Director, ACHR, told The Tribune from Geneva, “The Government of India has been urging the US and other sponsors of the resolution to water down the resolution on the promise of obtaining Sri Lanka's consent for unanimous adoption of the resolution. This attempt of India is undermining the resolution's provisions especially those relating to accountability for the crimes committed during the war and the time-bound implementation of the devolution package for national reconciliation in Sri Lanka.”
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CBI ex-chief is Nagaland Governor
New Delhi, March 9
Ashwani Kumar, a former Himachal Pradesh-cadre officer, is currently associated with OP Jindal University at Sonepat and is the only new appointment made by President Pranab Mukherjee. “It is an honour for the state and me,” Kumar told The Tribune. Kumar, who originally hails from Nahan in Sirmour district and later moved to Shimla, had served as the Director of the CBI between 2008 and 2010. Nikhil Kumar has been shifted to Kerala. Bihar Governor Devanand Konwar will swap places with Tripura Governor DY Patil. Former Nagaland Chief Minister SC Jamir has been appointed the Governor of Odisha in place of Murli Bhandare.
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Ram Singh’s inclusion in national camp under lens
Patiala, March 9 Sources in the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) say Ram Singh secured a berth in the Indian core camp as he was close to Vijender. He is believed to be Vijender’s favourite sparring partner and a close friend. “There are many young pugilists who have performed exceedingly well in the past. They were ignored for the national camp despite good performances at the national level,” a source said. A senior Indian pugilist said international boxers usually choose sparring partners based on their young age and lower weight category so that they can to work harder and improve their reflexes. “In case of Vijender, who recently switched to the 81-kg weight category, his sparring partner Ram Singh competes in the 91-kg plus super heavyweight category,” he said. Abhishek Matoria, president, Indian Amateur Boxing Federation, said he was unaware of whether or not Ram Singh made it to the national camp on someone’s recommendation. “The sole criteria for anyone to get into the national camp is performance and talent,” he said. “A sparring partner is usually younger than the boxer and belongs to the lower weight category. But this doesn’t seem to be the case here. I will ask IABF secretary general Rajesh Bhandari to conduct a probe and submit a report,” Matoria said. The Sports Authority of India spends around Rs 1,000 daily on each boxer at national camps. This includes their daily diet. Ram Singh is employed with the Punjab Police from where he draws salary but does not attend duty as he is part of the national camp. He last won a prominent medal, a bronze, during the 60th All-India Police Men’s Boxing Championship in 2012.
Cleaner to drug peddler
Anup Singh Kahlon (43) Key accused in drug racket The India-born Canadian NRI lived in Jhedusinghwala village of Jalandhar before migrating to Canada. He joined Punjab Police in the sports quota as a shot put player after leaving his BA course mid-way
— Sanjay Bumbroo & Surinder Bhardwaj
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Slain DSP’s widow turns down OSD job offer
Lucknow, March 9 Four days after her husband’s burial, the state government had managed to extend appointment letters to both her and Haq’s brother Sohrab in the state police. While his brother had been appointed as a constable, a special DSP-rank post has been created for the wife carrying the same pay scale of Rs 15,600-39,100. While earlier she had offered to accept any post equivalent in stature to her husband’s, today she refused to accept the job offered to her by the state government saying that she was not prepared to accept anything other than a DSP’s post. Her slain husband was holding that rank and was posted as CO Kunda in Pratapgarh. Determined to continue her struggle, the widow claimed that her fight was to ensure the dignity of the police service so that in future no one would have the courage to raise a finger against a person in khaki. When CM Akhilesh Yadav had visited the slain officer’s family on March 4 for his last rites, he had promised among other things, two jobs to the dependents of Haq. By the evening of March 8, the appointment letters had reached the bereaved family through the district administration. While there was no reaction from the family, soon after Rahul left after offering his condolences and assuring her of the support of the Congress in her struggle for getting justice, the widow came out with the decision to refuse the job offer.
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War heroes seek additional facilities
Chandigarh, March 9 Speaking at their triennial convention-cum-reunion here today, WDI president Brig NS Sandhu said in the revised notification issued in 1972, the term “special pension” was arbitrarily substituted by “allowance”, thereby cutting off the dearness allowance element associated with pension. While seeking enhancement of monetary benefits to the war decorated from 1948 onwards, the WDI has also sought that recipients of Mention-in-Dispatches, a gallantry award, also be given appropriate benefits. Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Bikram Singh and the GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, were among those who attended the convention. Two Param Vir Chakra winners -- honorary Capt Bana Singh (Siachen operations, 1986) and havildar Sanjay Kumar (Kargil conflict, 1999) -- as well as the parents of Capt Vikram Batra, who was decorated with the Param Vir Chakra posthumously in the Kargil conflict, and daughter of naib subedar Nand Singh, recipient of the Victoria Cross and Maha Vir Chakra (J&K 1948 posthumous), were among those present. Speaking on the occasion, Bansal said the validity of the complimentary rail travel cards issued to gallantry awardees would be extended to three years. He also agreed to consider other demands raised by them, including the facility of e-ticketing and online booking for the card holders and upgrade to travel first AC and executive class on all trains. A large number of gallantry awardees from across the country, their family members and war widows attended the meet, which serves as a platform to air their grievances and address issues affecting them. There are 21 Param Vir Chakra recipients of whom only three are surviving, 219 Maha Vir Chakra recipients and 133 Vir Chakra recipients in the country. Many of the awards are posthumous. The Army Chief also honoured decorated soldiers and their widows.
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‘Brutal assault’ on lawyers in Jaipur & Chandigarh Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 9 Available information suggests that Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association president Kulbir Singh Dhaliwal, vice-president Sapan Dhir, secretary Ranjivan Singh and the executive members are in touch with the Bar Council of India on the issue. It is being felt that the HC lawyers have already observed a strike on the issue; and the General House of the Bar Association has resolved to resume work from Monday. Under the circumstances, exemption from strike should be sought from the Bar Council. Already, Delhi lawyers have been exempted from the strike because of the same reason. The issue kept Bar Association office-bearers on their toes throughout Saturday, and meetings continued till late in the evening to decide the issue. The BCI on Friday decided to give a call to lawyers across the nation to abstain from work on Monday. In a notification, Bar Council Secretary JR Sharma asked the lawyers across the country, except Delhi lawyers, to abstain from work. Delhi lawyers have been exempted as they “have already observed the abstention on March 7”, the notification said. It also asked the lawyers to ensure that “the protest should be peaceful and in most dignified way”. The controversy in the alleged advocate slapping case is otherwise heading for an amicable end. Both the advocate and the policeman have made it clear that they do not want to pursue the matter. Their statements have already been recorded by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Registrar, Vigilance, Shekhar Kumar Dhawan, in pursuance of a High Court order. It is believed that Chandigarh police head constable Ramesh Chand and Punjab’s former senior Additional Advocate-General Rupinder Singh Khosla narrated the sequence of events to the Registrar during the fact finding inquiry. Indications are they told the Registrar that they wanted the controversy to come to an end. Dhawan is expected to submit his report by March 11.
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Crackdown on sex determination centres in Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad, March 9 The authorities have conducted 6,560 inspections and 226 search and seizures as part of the drive to ensure effective implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act. Recently, toll-free number ‘104’ was activated to enable people to report any instances of violation of the Act. State Family Welfare Commissioner Poonam Malakondaiah has been authorised to initiate criminal action against erring hospitals, medical centres, doctors and individuals. “We will not allow any political interference in this regard. The District Medical and Health Officer has been authorised to initiate action at the district level,” she said. The state’s gender ratio in the 0-6 year category has declined from 961 girls against 1,000 boys in the 2001 Census to 943 girls against 1,000 boys in the 2011 Census. In Warangal district of the Telangana region, the child gender ratio is the lowest at 912 girls against 1,000 boys. The state has the poorest gender ratio in the South. An estimated 352 genetic counselling centres, 197 genetic laboratories, 390 genetic clinics, 2,781 ultrasound machines, 57 mobile clinics, 191 other bodies are registered under the PC&PNDT Act in the state to conduct diagnostic tests. Despite rampant violation of the Act, only 73 cases have been registered in the past one decade. Of them, 31 cases were disposed of without any action and the remaining are pending. Not even a single conviction has been awarded so far.
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Meerut Cheruthony (Kerala)
Bhopal Itanagar Chennai Jorhat (Assam)
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Civil rights organisations today accused the Government of India of working to “undermine” the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka for the latter’s record of human rights violations.
The UPA government effected five gubernatorial changes today, appointing former CBI chief Ashwani Kumar as the new Governor of Nagaland. He will replace former police officer Nikhil Kumar, who has been made the Governor of Kerala.
Patiala, March 9
