The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Delhi HC upholds law allowing jailed ‘netas’ to contest elections
R Sedhurman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, February 6
The Delhi High Court today upheld the constitutional validity of the newly amended law allowing jailed candidates to contest elections, observing that keeping the poll arena out-of-bounds for them would lead to “vendetta politics” by ruling parties.

“All that a politician/ruling party-in-power would need to do to prevent rivals from contesting an election is to ask the police to file a case and arrest the rivals,” a Bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justice Manmohan pointed out while dismissing a PIL challenging the validity of the law.

The HC ruled that the petitioner’s plea to “bar any person who is in jail or in police custody from contesting an election on the ground that it would lead to criminalisation of politics is a case of the remedy being worse than the disease.

“Extending curtailment of the right to vote of a person in prison to the right to stand in election would, in our opinion, leave the door open for practice of vendetta politics by ruling parties.”

Citing the debate in Parliament ahead of the passage of the Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Act 2013, the court said police “cannot become the final arbiter as to who can contest and who cannot contest.”

The HC rejected the contention that the amendment had been brought to nullify the July 10, 2013 judgment of the Supreme Court, holding that since jailed persons were not entitled to vote they had no right to contest as well.

Parliament had merely widened the definition of “elector” which was more in the nature of “curing the defects pointed out by the Court(s) and to obviate any difficulties that have arisen during the course of implementation of the provisions of the RP Act of 1951, post the judgment of the Supreme Court,” the HC held.

The HC Bench also ruled that the right to vote was not a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution and was rather subject to the limitations imposed by law.

The HC also noted that the amendment had nothing to do with convicted persons, who stood to lose their status as MPs and MLAs automatically upon the court verdict in the wake of another SC verdict which was also delivered on July 10, 2013.

“In our opinion, one must distinguish between convicted prisoners on the one hand and the under-trials on the other. Further, as our criminal justice system is based on the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty,’ we cannot presume our undertrials in custody to be guilty as far as right to contest elections is concerned,” the HC held, rejecting the PIL filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma.

Aseemanand’s ‘interview’ kicks up a row
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 6
Claims by Swami Aseemanand, an accused in the Samjhauta Express and other blast cases, in an “interview” that the top leadership of the RSS “sanctioned” these terror acts has sparked off a controversy. The Congress and Mayawati’s BSP have demanded a probe into the “serious” matter, while the BJP and ally Shiv Sena dismissed it as “Congress-sponsored exercise”, blaming it on the “dirty tricks” department of the Congress party for diverting attention from the real issues before elections. The Sangh Parivar too questioned the veracity of the “interview”. Meanwhile, Aseemanand’s lawyer JS Rana termed the report a “bundle of lies”.

In a statement, Aseemanand denied having given any such interview and threatened to take a legal action against the magazine and its correspondent, if they failed to prove the allegations. However, demanding a thorough probe, Congress leader Salman Khurshid said the truth must come out in what he called a “matter of national security. His colleague Rajiv Shukla urged the Home Ministry to take cognisance of the matter and ascertain the truth. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde was quoted as saying: “Let us go into what he had said. If he has made some expose, it may be true”. BSP leader Mayawati also called the allegation of RSS leadership's role in the blasts a serious case.

The “interview” quoted Aseemanand alleging RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s involvement in Samjhauta Express, Hyderabad Mecca Masjid and the Ajmer Dargah blasts in 2007. However, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad termed it a Congress-sponsored exercise. “The Congress knows they have no answers for the burning issues in these elections, therefore they are using diversionary tactics. First it was the Prime Minister’s ‘disaster statement’ against Narendra Modi. The second was Sonia Gandhi’s zehr ki kheri remark and the Rahul Gandhi interview and this is the third attempt where the RSS chief is being targeted,” he said.

Shiv Sena too maintained that the Congress and its agencies were working against them and pressuring people to give any kind of testimony. “Ahead of elections one can expect more such lies from the Congress’ dirty tricks department,” it said.

This is for the first time Bhagwat’s name came up in relation to the Hindu terror conspiracy. As per the magazine, the interview was recorded in four instalments over two years from a jail, where Assemanand is lodged. However, as per Prasad: “This is the first time we are hearing that an interview was held in a span of two years. Even the NIA has disowned it.” RSS spokesman Ram Madhav alleged a “well-planned conspiracy” was behind bringing these things out now. Aseemanand had earlier too issued a statement before a magistrate that no such thing had ever happened, he said.

RSS ideologue M G Vaidya said: “Since elections are round the corner many such things will crop up.” “Authenticity of the interview and whether Aseemanand has said these things or not have to be ascertained, he said adding that the “Congress would not benefit by this false propaganda”.

War of words

The Congress and the BSP demand a probe into the “interview” claiming that Swami Aseemanand said the top leadership of the RSS “sanctioned” terror acts

The BJP and ally Shiv Sena dismiss the interview, saying it is a “Congress-sponsored exercise” to divert attention from the real issues before elections

Aseemanand denies having given any such interview and threatens to take a legal action against the magazine and its correspondent, if they failed to prove the allegations

SC: Graft case trial to go on even if accused public servant dies
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, February 6
The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the death of public servants booked on corruption charges would not affect the trial against other accused.

“On death, the charge against the public servant alone abates and since the special judge has already exercised his jurisdiction under sub-section (3) of Section 4 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, that jurisdiction cannot be divested due to the death of the sole public servant,” a Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and AK Sikri held in a verdict.

Pointing out that Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, was enacted to effectively combat corruption, the Bench said abandoning the trial would defeat the very purpose of this law.

“We can visualise a situation where a public servant dies at the fag end of the trial by which time several witnesses might have been examined. To hold that the entire trial would be vitiated due to the death of a sole public servant, it would defeat the entire object and purpose of the PC Act,” the apex court explained.

The purpose of the Act was to make anti-corruption laws more effective in order to expedite the proceedings, while provisions for day-to-day trial of cases, transparency with regard to grant of stay and the exercise of powers of revision on interlocutory orders had also been provided under the PC Act, the Bench noted.

“Consequently, once the power has been exercised by the Special Judge under sub-section (3) of Section 4 of the PC Act to proceed against non-PC offences along with PC offences, the mere fact that the sole public servant dies after the exercise of powers under sub-section (3) of Section 4 will not vitiate the proceedings pending before a judge,” the apex court ruled in a case involving one Jitender Kumar Singh of Delhi.

BJP slams Rahul over ISI remark
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 6
The BJP today lashed out at the Congress, calling it “habitual liar” after the Home Ministry virtually contradicted Rahul Gandhi’s controversial claim that Pakistan’s ISI had tried to recruit young Muslim men in Muzzafarnagar after the communal riots in September last. Responding to a question by BJP leader Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State for Home Affairs RPN Singh told Parliament: “Information provided by the Central Intelligence Agency says they do not have any input to suggest that the Pakistan ISI had contacted youth of the minority community who were affected during the recent riots in Muzaffarnagar.”

The government’s response means a certain embarrassment for the Congress whose 2014 election campaign was being spearheaded by Rahul. The BJP saw this as an opportunity to pull down the Congress scion, saying “falsehood is hallmark of the Congress”.

“To my specific question whether the government has taken note of newspaper report that the intelligence input was shared by intelligence officials with a political personality and if so what action the government has taken in this regard, the response was: ‘questions do not arise’,” Javadekar said.

In a public speech, Rahul had attributed his allegation about the ISI contacting riot victims to an intelligence official. While Muslim leaders denounced his remark, claiming that it questioned the patriotism of a minority community the BJP clamoured for an explanation on why intelligence officers were briefing Rahul who was not a part of the government.

Tight security ahead of Modi’s Guwahati rally
Tribune News Service

Guwahati, February 6
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the public rally to be addressed by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi here on February 8.

A team of Gujarat Police officials has arrived in the city to coordinate security arrangements for the rally with the Assam police. At least 150 commandos of the Gujarat police will provide cover to the BJP leader who is guarded by National Security Guard (NSG) commandos. Modi is scheduled to address two rallies in the North-East the same day - one in Imphal in Manipur at 11 am and the second in Guwahati at 1 pm.

After arriving at the Guwahati airport from Imphal, Modi will be taken to National Games stadium by a helicopter. From there, he will take a car ride to the rally venue 4 km away. BJP’s Assam state unit general secretary Santanu Bharali said four lakh people are expected to attend the Guwahati rally.

MC water for Mumbai’s illegal slums
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, February 6
The Maharashtra Government has decided to provide water connections to residents of illegal slums in Mumbai ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

A decision in this regard was taken by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan earlier this week ordering the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to provide water connections to slums that came up after 1995.

Congress MPs such as Priya Dutt, Sanjay Nirupam and Amin Patel whose constituencies have a huge slum population have been pressing for water connections for illegal slums ahead of the elections.

“Residents of unauthorised slums often break pipelines to draw water thus increasing the chances of contamination. Once they are provided with legal connections, they won't have to damage pipelines,” said South Mumbai MP Amin Patel.

State government officials say around 20 per cent of the five million slum dwellers in Mumbai live in unauthorised dwellings. Often residents have to purchase water and power from the mafia to survive.

The Mumbai municipality, which is controlled by the BJP and the Shiv Sena, has also backed the move ostensibly on the grounds that legal connections would halt water pilferage. Sources say Chavan has cleared the move that had been pending for several months.

Kanpur IIT student found dead
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, February 6
A third year BTech student of Kanpur’s Indian Institute of Technology was found dead in his hostel room on the campus. This is the fourth such case in the past two months. The wheel-chair bound student of computer engineering, Manjunath Nekar, belonged to Raichur in Karnataka.

Manjunath used to study at night and sleep during the day. When he did not emerge from his room on Tuesday night, other hostellers knocked at his door and called him on his mobile. On getting no response, the hostellers informed the administration.

Security Officer Sanjiv Yadav broke open the door and found Manjunath unconscious with foaming at the mouth. He was taken to the IIT hospital where doctors declared him dead. No suicide note has been found from the scene.

Rafale deal deferred, probe on: Antony
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 6
In what could mean a delay in the Indian Air Force modernisation plan, Defence Minister AK Antony today said the government was probing complaints on the procedures of calculating the life cycle costs of procuring the 126 Rafale fighter jets from France.

Significantly, Antony also said the government had no money and the deal could not be signed in this financial year. But he said the deal was in progress. The deal will be finalised in 2014-15.

Replying to queries, Antony said, “The Government is looking into complaints against the procedure of calculating the life cycle cost. The issue is not yet settled. Before bringing the deal before the Cabinet Committee on Security for final approval, we would like to get clear on this aspect”.

Life cycle cost is the cost to operate the aircraft, its spares, engines and wear and tear to various parts.

French Rafale fighter aircraft was the lowest bidder in the medium-multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal, which is valued at nearly $ 11 billion (Rs 66,000 cr approx).

Asked if the government would buy more Su-30MKI combat aircraft from Russia if the deal with the French aircraft manufacturer did not fructify, Antony said, “The MMRCA deal will materialise next year.”

On LoC ceasefire violations, Antony said “After the talks (between DGMOs), there has been a dip in the number of such incidents. But real test will be in the summer months”.

Antony said cancellation of contracts sometimes led to delays in modernisation of armed forces but the government would continue to take such actions to end malpractices and corruption in military acquisition process ”.

Big guns on display at Defexpo India
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Ser vice

A 155mm OFB gun on display at the Defexpo India in New Delhi on Thursday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

New Delhi, February 6
International gun-makers have made a strong presence at the 8th Defexpo India-2014 that started in New Delhi today. It is a loud knock at the doors of an indecisive Indian Defence establishment, which has a chronic shortage in artillery guns, severely impacting readiness.

Indian Army’s field artillery rationalisation plan has projected the need to buy some 1,985 artillery guns of various types that will bolster attack capabilities in varied terrain across the country. The contracts once done will run into billions of dollars and all guns have the same 155 mm barrel but will have different movement ability and weight.

The DG Artillery of the Indian Army and his team today went around checking the offerings. Some of the guns on display will be put on trial while other producers await a final nod to sign the contract. On show is the Indian version of the Swedish produced Bofors. It is based on design and drawings of the original gun and has been produced by the Ministry of Defence owned Ordnance Factory Board.

The prototype of the gun will go for winter trials in Sikkim this month. The DG’s team and the OFB have been working closely and the Army has expressed satisfaction at the gun. It may see it as possible replacement of the Bofors. At least 144 will be made in the first lot.

On the purchase list is the BAE produced M777 ultra-light howitzer, also of the 155 MM variety. This will equip the newly raised mountain strike corps. A decision is pending at the highest level in the Indian Government. A US congressional notification deadline, allowing for the sale of 145 such artillery pieces to India at a cost of US $ 647 Million, expired on October 15 last year. John Brosnan, Mangaing Director BAE India said” The sooner India decides the better”.

Larsen and Toubro, which is majorly into defence, it had produced the hull for the Indian nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant, has tied up with French gun-maker Nexter and has two offerings. A gun mounted on truck and named ‘Caesar’. This is for the autonomous gun systems needed by India. These can be moved around independently.

Tata, which has stepped into the defence sector, has tied up with South African gun maker Denel to bring about a truck mounted gun. The gun could go for testing in the coming weeks to a firing range in central India.

The list of must-do for the artillery includes 145 pieces of the ULH, 1,580 towed guns of 155mm/52 calibre, 100 tracked guns of 155mm/52 calibre, 180 wheeled and self-propelled guns of 155mm/52 calibre.

BJP promises Telangana within 100 days of assuming power
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 6
The BJP is looking to cash in on the stalemate surrounding Telangana’s formation besides other issues. Parliamentary proceedings were washed out for the second day today following uproar over the issues.

The saffron party today promised Telangana within 100 days of the NDA coming to power with party spokesman Prakash Javadekar blaming the Parliament logjam on the Congress. “The Congress is not committed to creating Telangana, which is why we are witnessing scenes in Parliament,” he said.

Javadekar said the Congress was playing a “double game” with the people of Telangana and Seemandhra. It would boomerang on it in the forthcoming elections.

“We will deliver Telangana in 100 days of coming to power,” the BJP leader promised. The BJP, which is facing criticism for some “change in stance” over the Telangana issue, says it is the duty of the Congress to ensure that Parliament functions properly and the Telangana Bill is cleared.

“Instead of bifurcating Andhra, the Congress has ended up dividing the state. We are opposing the division of people, not bifurcation of the state. The BJP is all for Telangana but it is for the ruling party to ensure that all their members are with them on the issue,” Javadekar said on the day when two members from Andhra Pradesh, including one from the Congress, gave notices for a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha.

Telangana Rashtra Samitithi (TRS) president K Chandrashekar Rao called on BJP president Rajnath Singh and requested his party’s support for the Telangana Bill in Parliament. Though the BJP supports Telangana it is sensing political gains if the credit of its formation goes to it.

The Rajya Sabha, too, failed to transact any business for the second day today after uproar by members over the Telangana issue, killing of a student from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi and plight of Tamil fishermen.

BJP members highlighted various scams, including fresh revelations by a middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper dead, while those from AGP and others raised the issue of safety of Northeast students.

Mumbai blasts: ATS gets Bhatkal’s custody
Tribune News Service

Mumbai. February 6
A special court today granted custody of Indian Mujahideen member and accused in the 2011 Mumbai blasts case Yasin Bhatkal to the Anti-Terrorism Squad.

Batkal and his associate Asadullah Akhtar, alias Haddington, were produced before special judge YD Shinde who sent him to custody till February 18.

The two were arrested by Indian agencies in Nepal last year and were handed over to the ATS, which brought them to Mumbai on Wednesday.

Accused of being one of the masterminds of the IM, Bhatkal and his associate were brought to court in handcuffs after the prosecution told the court they could attempt to escape from custody while in transit. Clad in a green shirt and grey trousers Bhatkal appeared cheerful, police said.

Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the court that Bhatkal and Akhtar were responsible for assembling the crude bombs that were set off at Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar, the hubs of India's diamond trade apart from another location at Dadar in Central Mumbai.

In all, 27 persons died and 127 others were injured in the blasts, the prosecutor said.

Bhatkal did not have any lawyer to represent him and the state government's Legal Aid Cell had assigned a counsel to represent him.

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, a Muslim social organization, has arranged for Akhtar's defence.

Kiran Reddy on his way out?
Suresh Dharur
Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, February 6
The rebellious Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is likely to be shown the door soon. Sources in the ruling Congress said the party high command was "extremely upset" with the "confrontationist approach" of the Chief Minister who has openly revolted against the leadership on bifurcation issue.

“There could be change of guard in the state after the Rajya Sabha elections," sources said. Kiran, a cricketer-turned- politician who is strongly opposed to the creation of separate Telangana state, may be asked to step down ahead of the introduction of the Telangana Bill in Parliament.

“The Chief Minister is likely to be asked to quit voluntarily so that the constitutional process of the division can be completed smoothly," sources said.

Ever since the Congress Working Committee (CWC) announced its decision on July 30 to carve out a separate state to fulfill a long-pending demand of the region, Kiran, who hails from Rayalaseema region, has been openly opposing the move and had even threatened to quit politics if the Centre introduces the AP Reorganisation Bill, 2013, in Parliament. The Chief Minister was also instrumental in moving a resolution in the Assembly, rejecting the draft Telangana Bill and urging the President Pranab Mukherjee no to allow its introduction in the Parliament. The resolution was passed by the House by voice-vote on January 30.

What came as a last straw was his protest dharna in Delhi on Wednesday along with his Seemandhra colleagues. The street protest came in the midst of feverish activity in the Congress camp to give finishing touches to the Telangana before it is sent to the Union Cabinet for its approval.

The trigger: Open revolt

Kiran, who is strongly opposed to the creation of separate Telangana state, may be asked to step down ahead of the introduction of the Telangana Bill in Parliament

The CM’s open revolt has caused acute embarrassment to the party leadership and created hurdles in the way of the smooth bifurcation of the state

There could be change of guard in the state after the Rajya Sabha elections, sources said

Visa on arrival will boost tourism: Govt

New Delhi, February 6
Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi today said the decision to extend visa-on-arrival facility to tourists from 180 countries would provide a major boost to tourism in the country.

"This is a very good step. The visa-on-arrival for 180 countries will definitely boost the foreign tourist arrivals in the country. It will help growth in tourism sector," Chiranjeevi told PTI here.

India decided to extended visa-on arrival to tourists of all nations barring eight, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Iran, as it looks to boost tourism.

"We have decided to extend the visa-on-arrival facility to tourists from 180 nations. It will take 5-6 months for the respective departments to put the required infrastructure in place. We hope to implement this from the next tourist session beginning October," Planning Minister Rajeev Shukla said yesterday. India currently offers visa-on-arrival to tourists from 11 countries like Finland, the Philippines, Singapore and Japan.

This facility is now being extended to 180 countries. The only exception to this rule will be nationals from Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Somalia, he said without giving reasons. Following a high-level meeting with representatives from various ministries, he said the electronic visa would be valid for 30 days from the date of the tourist's arrival in India.

The move, aimed at boosting country's tourism sector, would not need Cabinet's nod, Shukla said, adding that Home Ministry would notify the same at an appropriate time. "The facility will provide a major boost to the country's tourism sector. This is historic," Shukla said.

A separate website would be set up for extending the facility to foreigners intending to visit India as tourists.

To get visa, they would need to apply in the designated website along the required fees. They would be granted an electronic version of the visa within three days. — PTI

edit: Incredible India

India warns US on visa reforms

Washington: India has warned the United States of consequences for its companies if lawmakers tighten visa rules on high-tech firms as part of an immigration overhaul. Ambassador Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said India would see a decision to restrict certain temporary visas for skilled workers as a sign that the US economy was becoming less open for business. "We think this is actually going to be harmful to us. It would be harmful to the American economy and, frankly, it would be harmful to the relationship" between the two countries, Jaishankar said. — AFP

SC orders release of 11 tribals on life sentence
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, February 6
The Supreme Court has ordered the release of 11 life convicts of the Santhal tribe who had killed a person for stealing a hen.

“It is an unusual case where a trivial incident led to a murder...They are tribals. They come from a very poor strata of the society and appear to be untouched by the effect of urbanisation. They live in their own world. They are economically so weak that possession of a hen is very important to them,” a Bench comprising Justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Madan B Lokur held.

Though there could be no justification for their action, their anger and reaction to the theft of the hen must be viewed against the background of their economic and social status, it said.

School learning remains low: Report
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 6
For fifth year in a row, Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) published by NGO Pratham has shown continuing poor levels of learning in schools, particularly government, across India adding that private enrolments in the 6 to 14 age group are rising every year on account of lack of performance in government schools.

The report released today in the capital reveals only a marginal increase in the children’s ability to read and attributes that to increase in private school children. The same kind of improvement in maths and basic subtraction is attributed again to private school children, stating that outcomes in government schools are poor and stagnant. The survey is based on interviews with five lakh children in 15,941 villages; the sample is rural and not urban - something the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has objected to.

“At the all-India level for Standard III, the proportion of children able to read at least standard I text has risen slightly from 38 per cent in 2012 to 40.2 per cent this year. This increase is mainly coming from improvements among private school children,” the report says.

The only two states which have shown steady improvement in reading ability among Standard III students since 2009, the first year of report’s publication, are Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir as per ASER data. Nationally, the proportion of all children in Class V, who can read Class II text, remains virtually the same as last year - 47 pc. The proportion decreased each year from 2009 to 2012 dropping from 52.8 pc in 2009 to 46.9 pc in 2012. This indicates a steady decline in reading abilities of children.

ASER asys among Class V children enrolled in government schools, the percentage of children able to read Class II text decreased even more steeply - from 50.3 pc in 2009 to 43.8 pc in 2011 and 41.1 pc this year.

Hyderabad elated over Satya Nadella’s success
Suresh Dharur
Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, February 6
From a humble boy next door to the CEO of the world’s largest software company, the journey of Satya Nadella has been as amazing as it is inspirational for the young Indians.

Hyderabadis recalled with a sense of pride Nadella’s schooling days in the city and his passion for his home town. His alma mater, Hyderabad Public School (HPS), held a special assembly and paid tribute to the achievements of its ex-student.

Born in 1967 in Hyderabad, Nadella went to HPS at Begumpet, after which he obtained a degree in electronics and communications from the Manipal Institute of Technology in Karnataka in 1988. An avid cricket buff, Nadella played for the HPS team.

“We would call him to the school to share his views at an appropriate time,” said Faiz Khan, secretary of the HPS Society and a classmate of Nadella. The teachers recalled that Nadella was an attentive and sincere boy who always stood among the top 10 students in his class.

“He is very humble. During his last visit to the school, he told students that they should never give up on their dreams,” Khan said.

Nadella’s father BN Yugandhar, a 1962-batch IAS officer who had served in the Planning Commission, lives here. He refused to speak to reporters who approached him for his reaction and requested the media to respect the family’s privacy.

Another HPS classmate M Chandrasekhar and a former CEO of an infotech company in the city, said he and his friends felt very proud of Nadella. ”This is a fantastic moment for all of us. We all cherish and hope that Microsoft would scale greater heights under his leadership,” he said.

BVR Mohan Reddy, chairman and managing director of Infotech Enterprises, said, “We are very delighted that somebody who is an Indian has become the CEO of the largest software company in the world. It proves the point that people with merit and those who put in hard work are successful. We wish him all success.”

HPS alumnus Apollo Hospitals CEO Hari Prasad said, “I am extremely proud that Satya Nadella has been appointed as the CEO of Microsoft. Being HPS alumni, it makes us feel that one among us has been chosen to head the largest corporation in the world. HPS and Hyderabad deserves to be applauded on this momentous occasion.”

Nadella is married to his childhood friend Anupama, daughter of another retired IAS officer KR Venugopal. Incidentally, both Yugandhar and Venugopal belong to the 1962-batch of IAS and were colleagues in the PMO during late PV Narasimha Rao’s regime.

New Microsoft CEO’s roots

Born in Hyderabad in 1967, Nadella did his schooling at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet

Later, he obtained a degree in electronics and communications from the Manipal Institute of Technology in Karnataka in 1988

His father BN Yugandhar, a 1962-batch IAS officer who had served in the Planning Commission, still lives in Hyderabad

Tussle over Mumbai police chief

Mumbai, February 6
A tussle between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra has delayed the appointment of a new Police Commissioner for Mumbai by around a week.

Satyapal Singh, the last man on the job, quit the force suddenly to join the BJP. Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan and Home Minister RR Patil, who are from the Congress and the NCP, respectively, haven’t been able to decide on his successor. “Hectic lobbying is on by several senior officers and both Chavan and Patil have their favourites,” says a state government official.