The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Muzaffarnagar Mayhem SIT chargesheets one in gangrape case Muzaffarnagar, April 20 The Special Investigation Team probing the Muzaffarnagar riots has filed its first charge sheet in a case of gang rape that took place during the communal violence in the district. The charge sheet was filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar by the SIT last evening against one of the accused Vedpal who was found involved by the the SIT. A complaint of gangrape was registered by a victim against Vedpal and four others in Phugana village here, police said, adding, the remaining four accused identified as Sachin, Sunny, Ajit, and Yogesh are absconding. Chief Judicial Magistrate Kumar earlier on Friday had extended the judicial custody of Vedpal till May 2, in the case. Six cases of gangrapes during the riots were registered against 27 people. However, one victim turned hostile and police closed her case leaving the number of cases to five. As many as 22 people were found involved by the probing agency and 20 out of them are absconding, SIT sources said. Earlier, an accused Roki in another gangrape case was also arrested by the police. Meanwhile, the SIT has declared the names of the 20 absconding gangrape accused and the court has initiated attachment proceedings against them. At least 60 people died and thousands were displaced during the communal violence which hit the western part of the state including districts of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, last year. — PTI
	CJI Sathasivam retires this week R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent New Delhi, April 20 Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam, who retires this week, will be remembered for his landmark judgments that gave crucial interpretations to fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution to the people, be it death-row convicts, voters, differently-abled or riots-affected. During his brief 10-month tenure as the CJI, Justice Sathasivam delivered dozens of verdicts, the most significant being the ruling that those sentenced to death were entitled to commutation of their capital punishment if there were inordinate and unexplained delays in the rejection of their mercy petitions or they suffered from mental illness. This interpretation of the Constitutional right resulted in the commutation of the death sentence awarded to about 20 convicts, including Devender Pal Singh Bhullar, three assassins of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and slain forest brigand Veerappan’s accomplices. He authored a verdict in a PIL case forcing the candidates contesting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections to disclose all the particulars about them in their nomination documents. The voters had the right to know the antecedents of the candidates seeking to be their elected representatives, a Bench headed by him ruled. As a result, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged for the first time in his nomination that he was married. Justice Sathasivam was also instrumental in giving the voters the option to reject all the contesting candidates by pressing the NOTA (none of the above) button on the electronic voting machine. The Election Commission has begun implementing this directive. He headed a Bench that upheld the legal provision for adoption of children under the Juvenile Justice Act (JJ Act) irrespective of their religion, caste or creed, holding that personal laws of Muslims and others could not stop this. “Personal beliefs and faiths, though must be honoured, cannot dictate the operation of the provisions of an enabling statute,” the Bench clarified. He was also part of the Benches that issued a series of directives to the Uttar Pradesh Government for relief and rehabilitation of those affected by the riots in Muzaffarnagar district and to Jammu and Kashmir for protecting the rights of those hit by violence in Kishtwar and Ramban districts. He had also authored the judgments on the rights of visually-challenged persons and safai karamcharis, besides upholding the government notification for enhancing the wages of print media employees.
	Gun charge: ‘Probe’ Congress candidate Varanasi, April 20 Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh today demanded a probe into the alleged involvement of Congress candidate from Varanasi Ajay Rai in illegal gun trade, a day after BJP made similar demand citing a media report. The AAP also slammed BJP and said: "Before making such allegations, BJP should introspect as a number of candidates with criminal backgrounds are there in the party". Singh was addressing a press conference here, along with party leader Gopal Rai and journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh. On BJP leader Amit Shah's comment that Modi wave will convert into a tsunami after April 24 when Modi files his nomination, Singh quipped tsunami brings a lot of destruction. "It seems that he (Modi) is coming to make destruction of this holy city," Singh said. — PTI Rai threatens to move EC Varanasi: Congress candidate Ajay Rai today termed the allegation of illegal gun trade against him by BJP leader Amit Shah as a "conspiracy" to malign his image and said he will quit active politics if the charge is proved true. He threatened to move the Election Commission against the BJP.
	Army moves to procure new air defence guns Vijay Mohan Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 20 Faced with growing obsolescence of its air defence systems that has led to its formations becoming vulnerable to enemy strikes, the Army has initiated the process of acquiring new anti-aircraft guns. In a request for information issued earlier this month, the Army has sought details from prospective vendors about guns, ammunition, maintenance and transfer of technology. The Army is looking at acquiring guns having a calibre of 30 mm or more that can engage aerial targets both during day and night using fire control radar and electro-optical fire control systems. These should also be capable of engaging aircraft without a fire control radar. Army Air Defence (AAD), one of the youngest arms of the Army that was established 21 years ago and mandated with providing tactical air defence cover to Army formations during war, has long suffered from lack of modernisation and upgrade. It has a mix of surface-to-air missile systems and anti-aircraft guns. Despite induction of a few new systems, the bulk of its weapons and equipment are obsolete or nearing obsolescence. In fact, a letter written by former Army Chief General VK Singh to the Prime Minister that was leaked into the public domain had stated that 97 per cent of air defence equipment was obsolete. The Bofors L40/L70 guns that equip a number of air defence regiments, for example, are almost five decades old. Similarly, the ZSU 23-4 self-propelled radar-controlled guns belong to the 1970s. Some indigenous projects to upgrade the existing guns and to design a new gun in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Ordnance Factories and Defence Public Sector Undertakings are also under way. The AAD’s missile regiments are also in urgent need of upgrade. Urgent need The bulk of Army Air Defence's weapons and equipment are obsolete or nearing obsolescence. In fact, a letter written by former Army Chief General VK Singh to the Prime Minister that was leaked into the public domain had stated that 97 per cent of air defence equipment was obsolete
	Only Modi to lead NDA govt: Rajnath New Delhi, April 20 Only Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister of an NDA government irrespective of its tally in the new Lok Sabha, BJP President Rajnath Singh made it clear today. "Modi will be the Prime Minister of an NDA government under any circumstance," he said in an interview to PTI on board his chartered campaign aircraft. The BJP leader's categorical assertion came in response to a question about the possibility of NDA falling short of a majority and any new ally insisting on a different leader, other than Modi. "The country cannot be ruled only by the laws but by a leader who has moral authority. Only a person who has been projected as the PM candidate or CM candidate will have that moral authority," he said. The BJP president dismissed as "unnecessary controversy" Narendra Modi's refusal to wear a 'skull cap' (worn by Muslims). "This is an attempt to make an issue of a non-issue in a planned manner by our political opponents. I wear dhoti-kurta, he (Modi) wears kurta-pyjama, you wear shirt-pant. Is this an issue? They (opponents) want to communalise the country," he said. He endorsed the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate's refusal to appeal to any particular community for votes. "There should be no appeal to any caste, creed or religion to vote in a particular manner. Everyone has the freedom to exercise franchise and it should be free. We issue appeal to all sections of the society without any discrimination," the BJP chief said. On addressing the concerns of the Muslims, Singh said, "We are gradually removing the apprehensions... Their fear will be removed through dialogue." — PTI
	Modi camp cautious as Rajnath puts on a moderate face Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 20 The Narendra Modi camp, it seems, is keeping a close watch on party president Rajnath Singh's pursuit for a new moderate image acceptable to all faiths and communities. While leaders close to Singh say the photographs (where he is seen wearing a traditional Muslim skull cap at a shrine in Lucknow) are at least a month ago, the time of their surfacing - the day Modi explained his stance against making such symbolic gestures - has raised many eyebrows. "I will not wear any symbol of appeasement for a photo op. Does Sonia Gandhi wear a skull cap," Modi said in a TV interview. BJP's PM candidate said he respected traditions of all religions but not believe in appeasement for the sake of politics. "This is why I cannot fool people by posing for photographs wearing a cap," he said. However, the sharp contrast between Modi and Singh turned speculations on whether what the BJP's PM candidate cannot do and what its president can do can cost one dearly and become the other's plus point. It is not just the case of one "coincidence", as Singh's aide prefer to call it, the fact is he is the leader in the BJP who has been able to hold his own amid the "Modi wave", sweeping the party at least. Arun Jaitley is the other one. Consider this: Apart from sending messages for the press conferences held in party headquarters, the only other messages that the BJP's media cell sends are of Modi and Singh rallies. Party's media managers may go blue in the face explaining how state counterparts are taking care of the other senior leaders' campaigns, the fact is that the central office in Delhi also communicates about Jaitley's blogs even though he is camping in Amritsar. Apart from holding a sizeable number of rallies, if not as many as Modi, across India, the conscious effort on Singh's part to build a moderate image began a weeks back when he told a Muslim gathering that the BJP would apologise for any "mistake" or "short coming" in the past. "Please note that whenever, wherever if there has been any mistake and shortcoming on our part, I assure you that we will apologise to you by bowing our heads," Singh had said. Analysts, in fact, suspect that Singh may be playing a "dual game" by supporting Modi as PM candidate while building himself up as the moderate, tolerant face of the party. Modi had refused to wear a skull cap offered to him by a Muslim leader in 2011, an incident which drew him flak from critics who called it as a sign of his hard line stance. Singh's willingness to don a skull cap along with endorsement from Muslim religious leaders further adds to his potential as an alternative in case the BJP falls short of numbers. Image makeover Rajnath Singh recently told a Muslim gathering that the BJP would apologise for any 'mistake' or 'shortcoming' in the past Analysts suspect Singh may be playing a 'dual game' by supporting Modi as PM candidate, while building himself up as the moderate, tolerant face of the party
	Ramdev: Cong a party of mother & son Mumbai, April 20 Yoga guru and supporter of Narendra Modi Baba Ramdev today launched a frontal attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family and criticised the Congress, calling it a party of 'Maa-Beta' (mother and son). "Supreme Prime Minister is Sonia and her son Rahul Gandhi. Yeh maa-beta party desh ko chala rahe hain (The party of mother and son is ruling the country)," he said addressing mediapersons. "This Maa-Beta party has no sympathy towards the people in the country. They are not concerned about the woes of the people," he alleged. Ramdev said the time had come to bid adieu to Congress adding that the BJP-led by Modi would get a thumping victory. FIR against Ramdev Fathepur (UP): An FIR has been lodged against Yoga guru Ramdev for alleged violation of the model code of conduct and prohibitory orders. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vivek Srivastava said Ramdev addressed a press conference at the residence of a yoga centre coordinator after participating in a 'yoga diksha' programme on Saturday. — PTI
	It will be a disaster if Modi becomes PM: Buddha Lalbagh (WB), April 20 It would be a "disaster" if Narendra Modi becomes prime minister of the country, Senior CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said and called for a non-BJP, non-Congress government at the Centre. "What will happen if Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister and after that riots take place? Disaster will occur," Bhattacharjee said at an election rally here in the Murshidabad district. "He has never apologised for the Gujarat riots during his tenure as the chief minister," he said. "Never has such allegations risen against any chief minister. But he is saying he won't apologise," the former West Bengal chief minister said. Training his guns also on the Congress, the CPI(M) Politburo member said, "Congress has to be removed as it is a party of the rich, while BJP has to be prevented as it is also a party of the rich as well as that of riots." — PTI
	Three Cong workers held for post-poll violence Kendrapara (Odisha), April 20 Three Congress workers were arrested from the Aul area of Odisha's Kendrapara district today in connection with post-poll violence that left a man dead and four injured even as prohibitory orders remained in force in the district. The police have also launched a hunt to nab those responsible for the assault on a block development officer Sushant Kumar Pati and vandalising his house after EVMs were found stockpiled in a vehicle in front of his official residence here. Kendrapara Superintendent of Police Rabi Narayan Behera said the three Congress supporters were taken into custody in connection with Friday's post-poll violence between BJD and Congress workers at Badiha village. Search is on for the 12 others who were also involved in the incident, he said adding police have also launched a simultaneous manhunt to nab persons who had triggered mob violence and roughed up the BDO, he said. Meanwhile, the district election office today stored 388 unused electronic voting machines in a specially created strongroom in the district headquarters town under armed security following the detection of stockpiling of EVMs in front of the residence of Marshghai BDO's residence. Suspecting tampering of EVMs, which had Kendrapara Lok Sabha and Mahakalpada Assembly written on them, a mob that included common people had beaten up Pati after protests. Kendrapara Collector Nitin Bhanudas Jawale said the 388 reserve EVMs which were not used for voting were brought from all block headquarters and stored in a new strongroom in the presence of representatives of all political parties. "Tight security ring has been provided at the place and the 28 unused EVMs that were found loaded in a vehicle parked at the BDO's official residence have been handed over to the police. A case has also been registered," he said. — PTI Odisha polling Kendrapara Superintendent of Police Rabi Narayan Behera said the three Congress supporters were taken into custody after BJD and Congress workers clashed after polling at Badiha village in Odisha. Prohibitory orders remained in force in Kendrapara district after a man was killed and four injured in the violence
	Insurance pool to address nuclear liability soon New Delhi, April 20 In a bid to address the liability issue that has held up deals with various countries, the government has decided to form a Nuclear Insurance Pool. It will have a number of stakeholders to meet the requirement of huge financial cover in case of a mishap. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is pursuing the matter with the Ministry of Finance for creation of the pool after no single insurance company, including the General Insurance Company, expressed its ability to provide financial cover to the nuclear plants considering the huge monetary requirement. Under the Liability Law, compensation of up to Rs 1,500 crore will have to be paid in case of a mishap involving a nuclear plant. At present, India has 20 nuclear plants and their number is expected to grow as the industry expands. The move indicates the urgency to insure reactors, especially units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), under the Civil Liability Nuclear Damage Act (CLND), 2010. An agreement with Russia for setting up units 3 and 4 was signed only a week back. This will also pave way for insuring big-ticket projects like Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP) where French firm Areva is constructing 6 EPR reactors of 1650 MW each as also future atomic energy programmes. In a letter last week to the Ministry of Finance, DAE has said the formation of Nuclear Insurance Pool should be "expedited" on "priority basis" as suggested by GIC. The volume of the pool will depend on how the government contributes to it for every project. In Canada, the nuclear liability law caps liability to an extent after which the government takes the responsibility of the remaining liability The DAE and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) had approached GIC for insurance. However, the public sector undertaking has said it does not have the capacity to insure the reactors in view of the high cost and also the number of reactors involved. In response to an RTI filed by Greenpeace, an organisation working in the field of environment, GIC had said it was not offering any insurance to KKNPP units 3 and 4. Sources claimed the reason for this was that the insurance company did not have the resources to insure such big-ticket projects. The DAE has an option of bringing in foreign insurance companies. The atomic agency is, however, strongly opposed to foreign insurance companies because with them come foreign inspectors whom the department does not welcome. — PTI Expedite process: Dept of Atomic Energy The Department of Atomic Energy has written to the Ministry of Finance saying the formation of Nuclear Insurance Pool be ‘expedited’ on a ‘priority basis’ Under the Liability Law, compensation of up to Rs 1,500 crore will have to be paid in case of a mishap involving a nuclear plant India currently has 20 nuclear plants and their number is expected to grow as the industry expands
	MoD forwards Lt Gen Suhag’s name for Army Chief New Delhi, April 20 Notwithstanding objections by the BJP, the Defence Ministry is going ahead with the process of appointing the new Army Chief and has recommended the name of Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag to the Prime Minister’s Office. The recommendation of the Defence Ministry will have to be approved by the appointments committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, official sources said. As per tradition, the government announces the name of services chiefs-designate two months before the retirement of the incumbent. Sticking to that, it is expected to announce the name of the new Army Chief by May 1, three months prior to the date of retirement of Gen Bikram Singh. The appointment of incumbent Chief Gen Singh was also done three months prior to the retirement of his predecessor Gen V K Singh, who had a turbulent relationship with the Defence Ministry and even dragged the government to the Supreme Court over his age controversy. The Defence Ministry has taken the step even though the Opposition BJP has said the outgoing government should not appoint the new Army Chief and should leave it to the next government that is expected to take over towards the end of next month. The party has even petitioned the Election Commission to halt the process. VK Singh, who is now a BJP member and contesting from the Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh, has said the UPA government “should not be in a hurry” to appoint the new Army Chief. “I don’t understand why the UPA is in a hurry to make the present chief ineffective by announcing his successor’s name,” he has said. — PTI
	Exam apart, poor facilities test NDA aspirants, kin Mehakdeep Grewal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 20 Parents of National Defence Academy (NDA) applicants, who accompanied their wards to the city today for the NDA entrance test, alleged that they were forced to spend the entire day on the roads and pavements as there were no seating arrangements for them at the examination centres. Vijender Singh, who had accompanied his son from Ganganagar, Rajasthan, said, “The authorities should have realised that people come from far-flung areas of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to take the test. They should have made arrangements for seating and for basic facilities like drinking water.” The exam was conducted in two phases - the first paper of mathematics was held from 10 am to 12.30 pm and the second paper of general awareness was from 2 pm to 4.30 pm. The students who were not accompanied by their parents fared no better. The authorities refused to provide them space for keeping their bags and cell phones. Kuljeet Singh, a candidate from Amritsar, said, “The authorities refused our request to keep our bags and mobile phones under their watch. So, we had to keep our possessions outside the school boundary -- in the open.” Even after spending the entire day in the sun, the ordeal wasn’t over.Three-wheeler drivers took advantage of the situation and overcharged them for dropping them at their destinations. Ruchi Kunagpa, sister of an applicant, said, “After spending the day in the sun, it is the autodrivers’ turn to harass us. Normally, they charge Rs 5 to take us to the bus stand. Today, they are demanding Rs 30.”
	Youth shoots FB lover, himself Jabalpur, April 20 A 22-year-old youth shot dead a woman twice his age and then committed suicide after realising she had cheated about her looks, age and marital status on the Facebook. The accused, Vineet Singh, from Muzzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh befriended Jyoti Kori (44) on Facebook two-and-a-half years ago. Jabalpur Inspector General Upendra Jain said Jyoti never revealed that the photograph she had put up on the site was not hers, and that she was a married woman with three children. On April 18, Vineet arrived in Jabalpur to meet her in person for the first time. The two went to Bhedhaghat on the banks of the Narmada, where after learning the truth he shot her dead and then shot himself. — PTI