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24,000 litres of spurious milk reaches consumers
Badal was party to decision to flush out militiants, says Capt
EC notice to Dhillon, Preneet
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Gurdaspur’s political turf all set for triangular contest
Sukhbir calls Cong ‘sinking ship’
SAD formed cartels for personal gains: Soni
Bitta: My party has betrayed me
CPI to contest 5 seats in state
Manpreet seeks votes in his old constituency Gidderbaha
Akali candidate Ayali in tape row
Bhagwant no match for
Dhindsa: Badal
In Amritsar, real issues take a back seat
Jaitley’s daughter violates code, seeks votes from ITI students
EC asked to reconsider ban on ‘Atta Dal’
Bhullar’s village rejoices with dhol and sweets
BJP will set up SIT to probe 1984 killings, says DSGMC chief
Earth dug out from historic well to be immersed in Ravi
Pendency of cases down 33% in subordinate courts
CJ inaugurates ADR in Fatehgarh Sahib
Teachers’ promotion: Secy rapped for referring case to EC
Medical students, docs for drug-free elections in Patiala
Youth needs to develop
perspective: Experts
Complainant against Sukhbir seeks voting rights for jail inmates
Govt employees await
salaries, protest in Muktsar
Illicit relations led to 554 murders in five years: RTI
HC orders CBI probe into bungling of rice subsidy
Singer let off in six-yr-old drug smuggling case
Bus driver who ‘crushed’ pump owner held
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24,000 litres of spurious milk reaches consumers
Moga, March 31 The police had seized the milk last Tuesday in two tankers belonging to a processing company, 'Today Milk'. The milk was handed over to the Health Department for testing and preservation. After collecting three samples, the health authorities — due to lack of preservation mechanism — returned the milk to the plant, owned by Varinder Kumar Dod and Rakesh Kumar Dod The plant owners allegedly sold the milk even as the reports of the samples were awaited. The reports — the tests were conducted at a government laboratory — came in today and all the samples were declared unfit for human consumption. Senior Superintendent of Police KJS Dhillon said three samples were taken by the Health Department in the presence of the police. “All the samples failed quality tests. The first sample reportedly had foul smell, the second contained dead flies whereas the third had lumps and foreign material. All were declared unfit for human consumption,” he said. The police said the milk was allegedly seized from Longiwind village sarpanch Kulbir Singh's house in Dharamkot sub-division. Three persons, including Kulbir Singh, were arrested whereas the plant owners and two others are yet to be nabbed. An FIR under relevant sections of the IPC and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, has been registered at Kot-ise-Khan police station. On how the spurious milk reached the market, Dhillon said it was “unfortunate” that the Health Department released the milk to the plant, which further sold it in the market”. “We have closed the Today Milk plant,” he said. Local MLA and senior Akali leader Tota Singh has demanded a magisterial probe into the incident. "It is a serious matter. Those behind the racket should reach behind bars," he said. Risking lives
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Badal was party to decision to flush out militiants, says Capt
Talking to The Tribune here today, Amarinder said the final decision to launch Operation Bluestar was taken at a meeting in New Delhi on March 28, 1984, where other than Badal, PV Narasimha Rao, then External Affairs Minister; CR Krishnaswamy Rao, then Cabinet Secretary; PC Alexander, then Principal Secretary to Indira Gandhi, and MMK Wali were present. He said all this was on record and it was time that Badal revealed the truth to the people. Badal has consistently denied that such meetings were held. He has said that Amarinder is lying. But a copy of the government’s White Paper on the issue shows that Badal was present at the secret meetings with the Centre. At several other meetings, Akali leaders Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Ravi Inder Singh, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia and Surjit Singh Barnala were also present. Five of these meetings were held in New Delhion November 16-17, 1982, January 17, 1983; January 24, 1984; March 28, 1984, and on May 26, 1984. Three such meetings were held in Chandigarh on March 27,1984; March 29, 1984, and April 21, 1984. Then Home Minister PC Sethi, Union Ministers R Venkatratnam and Shiv Shankar, Rajiv Gandhi, an MP at that time, and Capt Amarinder Singh were present at these meetings. The Akalis keep raking up the issue of Operation Bluestar every elections to wean away voters from the Congress. But Badal forgets he was part of the deliberations that led to Operation Bluestar. He was as much responsible for it as were the Congress leaders,” he said. Amarinder, who will be in Patiala for the next few days to campaign for his wife Preneet Kaur, said other than Operation Bluestar, he would raise the issue of illicit drug trade in Amritsar, which is a border district. “Amritsar residents are fed up with the Bikram Majithia-Anil Joshi duo. This is my 10th election whereas Jaitley has always played safe and taken the Rajya Sabha route. People’s hostility towards Jaitley’s two confidantes will result in his defeat at the hustings,” he claimed. Why mum on farmers’ issue, Jaitley asked Amritsar: Amarinder Singh today questioned Arun Jaitley's "sheepish silence" on the plight of Punjabi farmers in Gujarat .He said: "Jaitley owes an answer not only because he is contesting from Amritsar but also because he has been a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat for the past 14 years.” In his Facebook post, Amarinder called Jaitley a "political mercenary". — TNS Captain is wrong again: Jaitley Jaitley wrote in his Facebook post: "There is a report in the media today that Capt Amarinder Singh says that I am an extremely busy lawyer in the Supreme Court who charges exorbitant fee. He has further stated that I would be unwilling to lose my lucrative practice to serve the people of Amritsar. The Captain does not check facts. I stopped practising five years ago when I became the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha." — TNS
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EC notice to Dhillon, Preneet
Patiala, March 31 Meanwhile, the Congress said Dhillon misused his authority and continued to woo voters with the ‘chairman’ tag. “As the DPC is an important body in the district. Several developmental works with regard to panchayats and the municipalities are passed by the DPC,” claimed a senior Congress leader. The SAD-BJP government appointed Dhillon chairman in 2013 after he had joined the SAD. Preneet Kaur said, “He (Dhillon) should seek votes on the basis of his party’s performance and not try to lure voters through the posts he has held.” VK Singh, Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, said he would seek a detailed report on the matter. “Dhillon has violated the poll code,” he said. Dhillon said though he had resigned from the post almost a fortnight ago, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had not accepted his resignation yet. How they violated the poll code
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Gurdaspur’s political turf all set for triangular contest
By the virtue of having 14.72 lakh voters, the constituency is one of the biggest in Punjab and, surely, holds the key to this high stakes battle. The Congress has re-nominated sitting parliamentarian Partap Singh Bajwa, while the BJP, after many hiccups, decided to field former Union Minister and filmstar Vinod Khanna. They are pitted against Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Sucha Singh Chhottepur, a former state minister. The main fight is between Khanna and Bajwa, while Chhottepur is expected to play a spoilsport by eating into the vote bank of both Congress and BJP. AAP’s move to announce its nominee earlier than the Congress and the BJP has given the new party an edge, but it has to be seen how much this translates into votes. Analysts claim that going by the intense campaigning by the AAP, the party will snatch a major chunk of Congress votes in the urban seats of Pathankot, Gurdaspur and Batala, while the SAD-BJP combine will be hit the most in the rural and semi-urban seats of Fatehgarh Churian, Dera Baba Nanak, Qadian, Bhoa, Sujanpur and Dinanagar. Khanna and Bajwa
kick off campaign
Both Khanna and Bajwa started their campaigns today. The filmstar visited the house of former state BJP treasurer Balkishen Mittal, whose mother passed away a few days ago. Khanna was away to Mumbai to collect some documents pertaining to filing his nomination papers. Today, he was back among people as he drove from Chandigarh to Gurdaspur to be by Mittal’s side. As for Bajwa, he approached senior leaders who, over the years, have been inimical to him. His supporters sent feelers to former Pathankot legislator Ashok Sharma and Naresh Puri, son of former minister Raghunath Sahai Puri. Both Sharma and Puri had contested as Independents from Pathankot and Sujanpur, respectively, during the last assembly elections and put up an impressive performance. There are other disgruntled leaders who are being extended the olive branch by Bajwa. Observers claim that it will be imperative for Bajwa to have all five party MLAs from the area by his side. “Bajwa will move ahead with vigour once he reaches out to ‘dissatisfied’ Congressmen,” a party leader said. The MP held a meeting of the office-bearers of the District Congress Committee today and urged them to put their best foot forward. Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed will visit Pathankot on April 2 and many leaders are expected to join Congress in his presence.
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Sukhbir calls Cong ‘sinking ship’
Hoshiarpur, March 31 He was addressing a public meeting at a grain market in Garhshankar in the support of Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, the SAD candidate from the Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency. “The Congress’ rule at the Centre has not benefited the state, while the Punjab Government is dedicated to the state’s development. The Atta-Dal Scheme for the poor, free electricity for farmers, the Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme for school girls and various infrastructure projects are examples of the state’s development agenda,” Sukhbir said. Flaying Congress’ nominee from Ludhiana Ambika Soni, the Deputy Chief Minister said: “The Congress leader is contesting and asking for votes here, but will she please explain that what she, being a Union Minister, has done for Punjab.” He termed the Congress a sinking ship. “Congress leaders are running away from the elections. They are not ready to contest, but the party is forcing them to do so. What they will do for people if they are reluctant to contest?” Sukhbir urged the people of Garhshankar to vote for Chandumajra to help BJP’s PM pick Narendra Modi reach the top post. The SAD nominee claimed that Soni would be defeated by a huge margin as people would vote for development. Unoccupied chairs greet Deputy CM Garhshankar: Rows of chairs were seen empty during Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s address at a rally here on Monday. The organisers had made a seating plan in such a manner that the “pandaal” seemed occupied to full capacity. Party workers were seated after every five unoccupied chairs. The organisers expected a huge gathering, but when people did not turn up in large numbers, they started reshuffling people. — TNS
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SAD formed cartels for personal gains: Soni
Chandigarh, March 31 After inducting two SAD leaders and a BSP leader from Anandpur Sahib into the party fold, she said the people of the state were suffering as the Akali leaders went about forming cartels in each business for personal gains. “As the Information and Technology Minister, I had explored all legal options to prevent the Badals from monopolising the cable industry in the state. It was then decided that digitisation was the way to go, and I started the process,” she said. Soni said she would take on the SAD on issues such as illegal sand mining and collection of ‘gunda’ tax in her constituency. “People are so fed up with the lawlessness that they are leaving the SAD and joining the Congress,” she said. The three leaders who joined the Congress today were Kewal Krishan Chouhan, who contested the 2009 Lok Sabha election on a BSP ticket and later joined Akali Dal; Shiv Ram Singh Chouhan, who contested the 2012 assembly election from Balachaur on the BSP ticket; and Arjun Singh Kansal, an Akali leader. Their induction into the Congress was made possible by Barnala Congress MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon and Ferozepur MLA Parminder Singh Pinki. Several top Congress leaders, including MLAs Laal Singh, Jagmohan Kang and Charanjit Singh Channi, were present on the occasion.
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Bitta: My party has betrayed me
Chandigarh, March 31 Bitta, a former Youth Congress chief, attacked the party leadership over the government’s stand in the Supreme Court that it had “no problem” if Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar’s death sentence was commuted to life sentence. Talking to The Tribune on the phone from Delhi, he said: “The party leadership has connived with agencies to weaken the case against Bhullar. The party has, in fact, honoured Bhullar’s lawyers, including Kapil Sibal and KTS Tulsi. One was made a Cabinet Minister and the other a Rajya Sabha member.” In a bomb blast in Delhi in July 1992, Bitta was injured and 13 were killed. Bhullar was held guilty of masterminding the attack. “I have never sought personal favours from the party. It should have respected the work that I have done under its banner,” he said. He challenged the “mentally unfit” certificate given to Bhullar. Without naming anybody, he claimed: “Top officers of intelligence agencies had approached me from time to time, asking me to go easy on pursuing cases against terrorists”. Bhullar’s wife Navneet Kaur said: “Our prayers have been, finally, heard. I appreciate the role of the media in pursuing the case.” To Bitta’s outburst, she said: “He is unnecessarily creating a noise because he has been sidelined by his party.”
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CPI to contest 5 seats in state
Chandigarh, March 31 Speaking to The Tribune, CPI state secretary Bant Brar said the party had nominated Kashmir Singh Gudhiyan from Faridkot (reserved) constituency. Kashmir Singh belongs to Nabha area and had also contested the last assembly elections. The nominee from Amritsar is Amarjit Singh Asal. From Patiala, the CPI has fielded Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal whereas in Gurdaspur, it has nominated advocate Barinder Singh. Dhaliwal is a trade union leader and has remained active in Patiala area for the past several years. In Sangrur, the party has shown faith in Sukhdev Sharma. Bant said the party would support CPM candidates Balbir Jadla in Anandpur Sahib and Kulwant Singh Sekhon in Ludhiana. “We have put up our candidates in the constituencies where we have good presence,” said Bant. The CPI leader said the party had decided to support the AAP candidate in Chandigarh as she had remained a social activist. The Congress reportedly was keen on an alliance with the CPI in Punjab and had even offered the Faridkot seat to the party. On support to PPP-Congress candidate in Bathinda, Bant said, “We have worked with Manpreet for the past some years and have decided to support him despite our opposition to the Congress.”
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Manpreet seeks votes in his old constituency Gidderbaha
Muktsar, March 31 Addressing the public in a joint meeting organised by the Congress and PPP, Manpreet trained guns on his uncle, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, saying, “He (Parkash Singh Badal) often says that Manpreet could not become loyal to his uncle and how can he become loyal to public of Punjab. I ask him the same, the uncle who could not become loyal to his nephew, how can he become loyal to the public?” Manpreet said he left the SAD for its “wrongdoings” and proved that he did not love any post but wanted to work for public welfare. Manpreet’s father Gurdas Singh Badal was also present in the meeting. Punjgraian said, “The SAD-BJP leaders fear the Congress-PPP alliance. It is the right time to teach them a lesson.” He assured them of all possible development of the area after getting elected as the MP. Senior leaders of the Congress, including its district chief Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Gursant Brar and Harcharan Singh Sotha, were present in the meeting. As the Congress and PPP have come to a poll pact, first-time Congress MLA from Gidderbaha Amarinder Singh Raja Warring today addressed the Congress workers, saying, “The vendetta cases against Congress workers in this area were registered at the behest of Manpreet’s supporters, not by Manpreet himself, who are still in the SAD.” Earlier, the Congress leaders had been accusing Manpreet of committing atrocities on them. Even Capt Amarinder Singh had, as state Congress president, during his visit to Malout town during assembly elections accused Manpreet and his relatives of registering vendetta cases against Congress workers in
Gidderbaha.
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Akali candidate Ayali in tape row
Chandigarh, March 31 The Election Commmission of India (ECI) has sought a detailed inquiry into the incident. The Akali candidate is an MLA from Dakha. Simarjit Singh Bains, another sitting MLA, is contesting the Lok Sabha seat as an Independent. Bains sent the tape to the ECI which referred the matter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab. The CEO has asked the district electoral officer and the Ludhiana police to conduct an investigation. Sources said that Ayali, in his reply to the police, maintained that the recording had been tampered with and that the meeting was not related to the Lok Sabha elections. “The reply was sent to the Chief Election Office that has now sought a more detailed inquiry,” said an official. Bains says he will furnish a copy of the original recording to the ECI. Meanwhile, the CEO has asked the district election officer of Amritsar to send the video-recording of the election rally addressed by Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, proclaiming that he would “twist Capt Amarinder Singh’s neck”.
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Bhagwant no match for
Dhindsa: Badal
Dirba (Sangrur), March 31 The Chief Minister was addressing a rally in favour of SAD candidate from Sangrur Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa here today. “The Congress is staring at a certain defeat. As such, the party did not consider it worth projecting Rahul as the PM nominee. For, the defeat would have meant political suicide for the Congress’ heir apparent,” he said. Badal claimed even the fielding of Capt Amarinder Singh from Amritsar was no challenge to the SAD. “Amarinder was not even interested in contesting the elections. He was forced into the contest by the Congress high command,” he said. After lashing out at the Congress, the Chief Minister took on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann: “He does not even have a learner’s licence in politics. Still he is dreaming to become a Member of Parliament,” he said. About AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who addressed a rally in Chandigarh yesterday, Badal said in a democracy, everybody had the right to contest or canvass. Badal also hit out SAD (Longowal) patron Surjit Singh Barnala and PPP president Manpreet Badal: “Both Barnala and Manpreet have finally expressed their hidden liking for the Congress.” Dhindsa alleged that Mann delivered speeches against him and the Badal family even though he had never spoken against the AAP leader.
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In Amritsar, real issues take a back seat
Amritsar, March 31 The constituency is grappling with a number of problems such as lack of civic amenities, drug addiction, unemployment, decline in trade and industry and utter neglect of border areas. But these are yet to find place in the ongoing debate between the two main parties. A rather combative SAD launched an attack on Amarinder a day after his name was announced for the Amritsar seat (March 22). Party leaders led by Majithia targeted Amarinder for his “inaccessibility”, successive electoral defeats and poor attendance in the House. Majithia went on to describe Amarinder as a “Maharaja without a kingdom”. The latter retaliated by calling him as the "most undistinguished person of a distinguished family". Amarinder hit back, warning Majithia against “victimisation” of Congress workers. “Enough is enough. Don’t be under any illusion that you are going to be in power for ever,” he cautioned the minister. In a “veiled references” to his personal life, Majithia targeted Amarinder during a rally at Majitha on Sunday. “Captain Saheb ji, if you visit Majitha, we will show you respect and offer you food. But if you act smart, we will hold you by the neck,” warned Majithia. Hitting back, Amarinder called his “Imran Masood” of the ruling alliance. Jaitley too is engaged in a bitter war of words with his rival. War of words
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Jaitley’s daughter violates code, seeks votes from ITI students
Amritsar, March 31 Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat confirmed, “Campaigning in any educational institution, government or private, is a clear violation of the model code of conduct.” Sonali along with BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh reportedly reached the ITI this morning for canvassing. They distributed pamphlets and tied friendship bands on the students hands, seeking their support for Jaitley in the coming Lok Sabha elections on April 30. The students were reportedly urged to vote for Jaitley to facilitate the development of Punjab, particularly Amritsar. The students, it is learnt, were also made to pledge their support to the BJP. Acting swiftly on the matter, Congress leader and advocate Sandeep Gorsi filed a complaint with the Chief Election Officer, Punjab, accusing Chugh and Sonali of violating the code of conduct. Talking to The Tribune, Gorsi alleged that the duo even went inside the classrooms of the ITI for campaigning. He said a number of news channels had got the video footage of their campaign, adding that they would produce it before the Election Commission, if asked, to corroborate their charge. He said a copy of the complaint has also been sent to Deputy Election Commissioner Dr Alok Shukla, who is the Punjab in charge. He said he had filed another complaint against the SAD-BJP candidate from Amritsar for allegedly putting up hoardings in the city without permission.
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EC asked to reconsider ban on ‘Atta Dal’
Chandigarh, March 31 Talking to mediapersons, CEO VK Singh said, “The government, after taking legal opinion, has sought that earlier supply schedule of distributing ration of six months be restored. Moreover, the scheme was not any fresh announcement but an ongoing public welfare measure under an Act. Giving food under the Food Security Act was not any special favour to the public.” Singh pointed out that it was “practically difficult to have monthly camps because of which the state government gave advance supplies of six months”. The EC has only allowed one-month supply.
Criminal case sought
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman Sukhpal Khaira, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath, has sought registration of a criminal case and immediate arrest of Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia for allegedly trying to incite violence against former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, who is contesting from Amritsar, and also for “intimidating” Congress workers. Khaira said the Revenue Minister, at a rally in Majitha on Sunday, had been shown saying that “he will teach a lesson to Congress workers by twisting their necks if they dare to support Amarinder Singh”. He alleged the speech had been made in the presence of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and BJP’s candidate Arun Jaitely. Khaira said Majithia had said similar things in 2011 in the Punjab Assembly where he had gone to the extent of saying that he was ready to chop off Amarinder Singh’s head and put it in Badal’s feet.
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Bhullar’s village rejoices with dhol and sweets
Bathinda, March 31 He said efforts should now be made for Bhullar’s early release in view of his deteriorating health.
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BJP will set up SIT to probe 1984 killings, says DSGMC chief
New Delhi, March 31 He said if the BJP came to power, it would ensure justice for the Sikhs. “When the NDA Government comes to power, the accused will be punished,” he said. He denied that the SAD wanted to contest one Lok Sabha seat in Delhi but was refused the same. “The Congress tried to create differences between the BJP and the SAD on the issue, but without any success,” he alleged. Delhi BJP election campaign committee chairman Prof VK Malhotra said Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal would address public meetings in Delhi. Delhi SAD unit chief Manjit Singh GK said Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) members were campaigning for BJP nominees. “If the BJP comes to power, it will set up a special investigating team (SIT) under the supervision of the Supreme Court to investigate the 1984 killings,” he said. He said the BJP would also set up a university for the Sikhs in Delhi which would be funded by the Central Government. He said Punjabi was accorded the second language status in Delhi in 2003 but the decision was not implemented. The BJP would ensure that this decision was enforced, he added.
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Earth dug out from historic well to be immersed in Ravi
Amritsar, March 31 In a release issued here today, researcher Surinder Kochhar, who is associated with the digging work of the well, said they had extended an invitation to social organisations and all patriotic people to participate in the procession in which the dug-out earth would be taken to the river for immersion. He said it would be immersed in the Ravi at the same spot from where the soldiers had swum across the river before being caught by the soldiers of the British government and killed. Kochhar has also hit out against the central government and the state government for the delay in initiating any steps for the preservation of the mortal remains unearthed from the well. He cautioned them that they would be responsible if any damage was caused to the remains due to the delay.
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Pendency of cases down 33% in subordinate courts Chandigarh, March 31 The pendency rate is expected to go down further in the High Court also with the collegium recommending elevation of three more advocates - Anupinder Singh Grewal, Hari Pal Verma and Sunil Chadha. With this, the total recommendations made by the collegium for elevation have gone up to eight. The collegium has already suggested the names of advocates Deepak Sibal, Amit Rawal, Jaishree Thakur, Raj Mohan Singh and BS Walia. Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul says the High Court initially identified about 3,000 decade-old cases before the subordinate courts. But the special efforts put in by the judiciary resulted in the disposal of about 1,000 cases. Chief Justice Kaul says the exact number of cases disposed of would become evident soon as the High Court would now be taking stock of the situation following the expiry of March 31 deadline to deal with such matters. The development is significant as the High Court is not only looking at the problem of pendency before it, but also beyond it; and is making attempts to bring down the number of cases awaiting judgments before the subordinate courts. The problem with a sizeable number of the cases before the subordinate courts in Punjab and Haryana is that many of the litigants are no more there to pursue their grievances. When some of these cases are suddenly listed, the counsels are often at a loss in the absence of complete records or instructions. Available information suggests until recently 11.51 lakh cases were pending in the district courts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. But, the disposal was more than the institution of cases. No less than 16.31 lakh cases were disposed of in district courts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, while 15.80 lakh new cases were filed. Chief Justice Kaul adds they are also in the process of fast-tracking the justice delivery system by making the scheme of alternate disputes redressal all the more effective. As a part of it, training and refresher courses for mediators were also being organised by the High Court. High Court now has 7 women Judges
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CJ inaugurates ADR in Fatehgarh Sahib
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 31 He was here to inaugurate the second Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) centre. He was accompanied by 18 High Court judges, including Justice Jasbir Singh, Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Paramjit Singh. The ADR centre at Fatehgarh Sahib will bring all the modes of alternative dispute resolution under one roof. The centre will have a Mediation Centre and a permanent Lok Adalat. It will also house a childcare centre. Justice Kaul said the ADR centres would be opened in every district of Punjab . He said the number of pending cases had reduced as the number of judges in the HC had been increased.
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Teachers’ promotion: Secy rapped for referring case to EC
Chandigarh, March 31 The directions came on contempt petitions seeking action against Principal Secretary, Department of Education, Anjali Bhawra, and Punjab DPI Kamal Kumar Garg. In the petitions, Iqbal Singh and other adversely affected headmasters had alleged non-compliance of order dated July 23, 2013. In the order, a Division Bench had directed the state government to carry out promotions of eligible headmasters as principals of senior secondary schools by January 31. As the contempt petitions came up for hearing, an affidavit filed by Bhawra was placed before Justice Mahesh Grover stating that the selections had been finalised. But “since the orders of promotions of approximately 300 employees are to be issued and at present the model code of conduct is in force, permission to release the orders of promotions has been sought from the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab. The promotion orders will be issued immediately as per the permission of the Election Commission, if granted.” Taking exception, Justice Grover observed that this was another attempt on the part of the officer to delay the compliance of High Court orders, as reference to the Election Commission was not required for complying with orders. Justice Grover deprecated the conduct after Law Officer told the court that the Education Department was advised on non-requirement of permission by the Election Commission. Case file
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Medical students, docs for drug-free elections in Patiala
Patiala, March 31 Hundreds of medical students and representatives of these NGOs, while participating in the march, appealed to the people to discourage the use of drugs during general elections. They urged the people to vote for the candidates on the basis of their credentials and pro-people policies. Dr DS Bhullar, Secretary General of the Red Cross Society said it was their moral and ethical duty to raise public awareness against the short-term and long-term consequences of selling one’s votes for drugs. He further said they would honour
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Youth needs to develop
perspective: Experts
Patiala, March 31 In all, 39 papers on various themes were presented at the conference, which was conducted by the School of Behavioural Sciences and Business Studies, Thapar University. “The human mind is complex and an understanding of the human mind and the changing perspectives in business are critical to success,” said Dr Dheeraj Sharma of IIM Ahmedabad, the keynote speaker. Dr Sharma said today’s youth needs to read books and develop a perspective. Dr Ravi Kiran, Head, School of Behavioural Sciences and Business Studies, said due to globalisation there was a sea change in the way business was conducted. “New rules and regulations with stronger intellectual property rights (IPR) norms and removal of restrictions on trade have given rise to a new order,” she said. Thapar University Director Dr Prakash Gopalan spoke about the importance of leadership in taking the world forward. He said experts needed to follow the changing dynamics of the business environment. Dr Padmakumar Nair, Director, LM Thapar School of Management; Dr Rajender Kumar, Head, NIT, Kurukshetra; and Dr Kanwaljeet Singh, Director, Computer Centre, Punjabi University, Patiala, also spoke at the conference.
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Complainant against Sukhbir seeks voting rights for jail inmates
Faridkot, March 31 Punjab jails have more than 15,000 undertrials. The complainant, Naresh Kumar Sehgal, is lodged in Central Jail, Faridkot, after he was arrested on the charge of abetment to suicide on October 14, 2013. He has accused the Punjab Government of implicating him in a false case to build pressure on him to withdraw cases against Sukhbir. Sehgal has now alleged that he is being stopped from filing the nomination papers from the Bathinda parliamentary constituency, from where Sukhbir’s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal is contesting. The district and sessions court in Faridkot has, however, permitted him to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Demanding voting rights for all jail inmates, Sehgal said: “It is ridiculous that convicts or undertrials lodged in jails are eligible to contest elections, but they are barred from voting.” “To bar jail inmates from voting is an infringement of their rights,” he said. In January 2012, days before the assembly elections in the state, the District Electorate Officers (DEOs) in this area had conveyed to the jail authorities that undertrials had the right to vote. That time, the jail authorities were directed to submit the details of undertrials’ postal addresses. It was conveyed that prisoners had to submit their postal ballot papers to the jail superintendents and then they would send the ballot papers to the area election returning officer concerned. This practice was mooted because in every jail, the inmates are from different states. But due to confusion, the directions could be implemented. This time again, the competent body is silent on the matter. Yadwinder Singh Bhalla, electorate officer, said: “Jail inmates are not allowed to participate in the electoral process. However, I need to check it thoroughly.” Rajpal Meena, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Prisons, said: “The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked the jail authorities to submit the list of the prisoners under preventive detention, as only they inmates are eligible to vote.” The complainant
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Govt employees await
salaries, protest in Muktsar
Muktsar, March 31 They raised anti-government slogans outside the district treasury office and met the Deputy Commissioner (DC). The protesters threatened to intensify the agitation if the government failed to clear their dues soon. Democratic Employees’ Front district president Pawan Kumar said, “The leaders of the alliance government have no right to be on their positions, as they have failed to give salaries to government employees in time. Some employees have not been paid for the past three months. The financial year ends today (Monday), but employees still await salaries.” ETT Teachers’ Union block president Manpreet said the DC admitted that the teachers were a harried lot, as most of them were not receiving their salaries in time.
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Illicit relations led to 554 murders in five years: RTI
Bathinda, March 31 Amritsar recorded the highest murders due to illicit relations. Altogether, 63 cases came to light in the district from 2009 to 2013. Next on the list is Ludhiana with 62 murders, followed by Ferozepur with 53 such cases. The information was procured under the Right To Information (RTI) Act by Advocate Shahbharat Sidhu. The police say extramarital relations and deteriorating relations of couples, especially among the newly wed, are the causes of murders. “In most of the cases, one of the partners murder his or her spouse after learning about the illicit relation,” said Ravcharan Brar, a senior Punjab Police officer. “It has been observed that the mobile phones prove instrumental in revealing the illicit relations. Apart from long conversations, the call history becomes the bone of contention between couples and lead to the suspicion of infidelity,” the police said. “Baseless or false allegations, mostly in love marriages, cause dispute in a couple, leading to the murder,” Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Bhullar said. Advocate Sidhu, who deals in matrimonial disputes, said the data procured under the RTI Act was not complete as many cases went unreported due to social stigma attached to the illicit relations. “Factors such as changing social values, extra-marital affairs, unemployment, communication gap and use of mobile phones to disseminate information lead to differences in couples,” he added.
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HC orders CBI probe into bungling of rice subsidy
Chandigarh, March 31 The order came on two petitions by Manpreet Singh and other rice millers from the state. Counsel Sartej Singh Narula submitted that the Union Government sanctioned Rs 190 crore to compensate rice millers for the upgrade of damaged crop. The rice millers had, in fact, suffered great losses due to PAU-201 crop in 2009-2010. But many persons, rice millers and FCI officials placed PAU 201 of 2009-10 with other rice varieties produced in subsequent years to cheat the central government and dishonestly claim the amount payable under the central government scheme. Taking up the matter, Justice Surinder Gupta asserted: “The matter relates to the funds made available by the Government of India to the State Government for the upgrade of paddy PAU-201 variety…. “As to where, whether and to what extent, if any, the Central Government grant has been mis-utilised requires to be thoroughly investigated by an agency, which could probe the case and look into the role of all the agencies involved. “As per the allegations, the misappropriation had taken place in connivance with the officials of the state procurement agencies, private rice-millers and officials of the FCI. The CBI has already conducted a preliminary investigation. The funds belong to the Government of India and it will be in the interest of justice and fair investigation of this case to entrust the investigation of the matter to the CBI, as it relates to the embezzlement of public money. “The matter if inquired by the agencies of the State of Punjab may not yield proper results as government officers of very high rank may be involved. Considering the gravity of the offence and with a view to ensure free and fair investigation, this court feels that the inquiry/investigation should be entrusted to the premier investigating agency of the country, which is already seized of the matter”. Justice Gupta added the inquiry was being marked to the CBI “for the preliminary inquiry at the first instance, register a case if the allegations are prima facie found to be made out and then file final report as early as possible”. The CBI had earlier told the court that a compensation of Rs 200 per quintal was to be awarded by the Government of India “only on the basis of the certificate given by the district food and supply controller concerned and the procurement agencies of the state government to the effect that the rice millers have actually spent the amount on the upgrade of PAU-201 rice….”
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Singer let off in six-yr-old drug smuggling case
Jalandhar, March 31 The other three persons are Hardeep Singh alias Kaka
(Makhan’s younger brother), Mandeep Singh alias Money and Dharampal. The quartet was facing trial for the last six
years. Makhan said, “The truth has finally prevailed and I have been declared innocent. I was never part of the drug-smuggling racket. I was framed on flimsy grounds by the Punjab Police.”
Makhan was charged with operating a drug racket from Canada in 2006. He and two Canadian citizens, Lakhwinder Singh Lakha and Raja
Boparai, have been accused of sending money to Makhan's brother Hardeep Singh through hawala route to procure heroin from
smugglers. Makhan, who was already out on bail, is a resident of Shankar village in
Jalandhar. His name had surfaced in the case following the arrest of an alleged drug smuggler, Raja, by the Chandigarh Police. He was booked under the NDPS Act on August 1, 2006, by the Nakodar police. It was alleged that
Makhan, Raja and Lakha were sending money to Kaka for procuring drugs from smugglers in Jalandhar and Nakodar areas.
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Bus driver who ‘crushed’ pump owner held
Barnala, March 31 He has been booked under Sections 304-A, 427 and 279 of the
IPC, Station House Officer (SHO) of the Tapa police station Baljinder Singh Pannu said. To protest against Ramesh Kumar's death, shopkeepers observed a bandh in
Tapa. They downed the shutters till the he was cremated. At the cremation ground, Tapa residents and politicians, including Finance Minister Parminder Singh
Dhindsa, legislator Mohammad Sadique, and Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla’s political secretary Ashwani Sharma, were present.
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Hoshiarpur, March 31
Chandigarh, March 31
Amritsar, March 31
Bathinda, March 31
New Delhi, March 31
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 31
Patiala, March 31
Muktsar, March 31
Chandigarh, March 31
Patiala District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Gopal Krishan Singh said the Congress leaders were served the notice on the complaint of Nardev Singh Akri, office in charge of Dhillon. He alleged the Congress leaders were promoting their candidate in Patiala through an eight-page booklet. Akri said the Congress had not sought a permission to print and distribute the booklet. The publisher of the booklet has also been served a notice. 
Gurdaspur, March 31
