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Sumitra Mahajan elected LS Speaker
PMO wants list of defence officers under a cloud
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Don’t touch my feet: Modi to MPs
After maiden visit to Bhutan, PM to visit Japan next month
Now, another Cong leader hails Modi
Assets case: SC relief for Jaya
AFT can’t adjudicate all cases under Army Act: SC
Chinese Foreign Minister to meet Sushma tomorrow
9 shown hostel door for beating up J&K student
Delayed by five days, monsoon hits Kerala
Kejriwal put on trial on defamation charges
2 acquitted in Akshardham terror case
Tribal ultras gun down SP, cop in Assam
NHRC serves notice on Punjab, Haryana over ‘dirty’ Ghaggar
Akhilesh shifts police chiefs of five districts
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Sumitra Mahajan elected LS Speaker
New Delhi, June 6 Among the assurances that soft-spoken Mahajan gave after assuming the charge was “equal treatment to all members,” irrespective of their party and its strength in the House. Describing her new assignment as a challenging task, Mahajan said she would try to give justice to all parties. Considering the BJP-led NDA’s formidable strength in the House, giving equal space to all parties will be her biggest challenge. She promised to live up to everyone’s expectations. “I assure you I will not disappoint you,” she said. Her voice broke when she referred to Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Holkar — her “inspiration and an ideal” in life. Apart from smooth coordination in the House, other issues on her mind are increasing efficiency of the Parliamentary business while ensuring quality and excellence. She pointed out that the Lok Sabha has more number of new members than ever before. Modi had also emphasized that “there are 315 new members in the House. This means we can leave some old traditions behind and start some good new traditions, this new blood has the opportunity to present a strong democracy before the world”. The Prime Minister, incidentally, is one of the first time MPs. Meanwhile Tai, as she is endearingly referred to and which, incidentally, is also part of her official name as per the Lok Sabha records, said she was open to suggestions. On whether she would be a tough or a lenient Speaker, considering the turbulent times seen by the last Lok Sabha, she smilingly replied: “You have seen my behaviour all these years. What I feel is if you are positive the people you meet will also be positive. You know, how I have conducted myself and maintained discipline for the past 25 years in the House. You draw your own conclusions”. The longest-serving woman MP was elected after a motion moved by Modi and seconded by BJP veteran L K Advani was adopted by voice vote called by pro-tem Speaker Kamal Nath. She was led to the Speaker’s chair by Modi, Advani, NDA allies Anant Geete and M Thambidurai and several Opposition leaders. Modi thanked all parties for electing her as Speaker and keeping up the tradition of electing the presiding officer without a contest.
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PMO wants list of defence officers under a cloud
Chandigarh, June 6 According to sources, a detailed letter sent by the Vigilance Department of the Defence Ministry to the three Services and other establishments like the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the National cadet Corps, the list of such officers is to be sent to the PMO by June 12. This move comes in the wake of another directive issued by the PMO that decision making in matters concerning the armed forces would not be the exclusive domain of the bureaucracy and that military leadership is to be involved in and consulted on all related issues. The list would include officers who have been convicted by any criminal court, officers against whom repeated complaints have been made but could not be proceeded against due to lack of evidence, cases involving proven lack of integrity or moral turpitude where an individual has got away due to technical infirmities is prosecution and people who are known to have committed wrongdoing but have got away due to political patronage or shielding by senior officers, sources said. The exercise would cover all armed forces officers from the junior most to the top. Over the past years a number of controversies have cropped up over promotions as well as the professional and personal conduct of some officers at the senior level.
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Don’t touch my feet: Modi to MPs
New Delhi, June 6 Interestingly, one of the messages that Modi is said to have given to the MPs was to not succumb to the temptation of touching either his feet or that of other leaders, which is a norm in political circles. “Don't touch my feet,” is what he is believed to have told the new MPs at the closed-door meeting in the Central Hall. While some saw it as a dig at the Congress, which the BJP often targeted for the alleged “sycophancy”, party leaders said the Prime Minister wanted to curtail the culture within the party as well. “He was referring to new MPs touching his feet when they met him,” they said. He is believed to have also asked his MPs to spend more time on their seats in the House and the spare time in library researching on issues rather the Central Hall while the session is on. “Work hard and study hard is what he said,” sources said. He also asked them to be well prepared before speaking in the House and get the “right perspective” on issues.
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After maiden visit to Bhutan, PM to visit Japan next month
New Delhi, June 6 After his maiden overseas trip to Bhutan in mid-June, Modi will travel to Japan on a bilateral visit in July, a clear indication that his government will accord high priority to strengthening economic links with the East Asian nations. Talking to reporters here today, MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said there were several multilateral engagements in the coming months in which India usually participates at the highest level. These include the BRICS Summit in Brazil in July, The United Nations General Assembly session in New York in September, the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Summit in October, the G-20 Summit in Australia in November and the SAARC Summit in Nepal in November. In addition, India has nearly 20 strategic partners with whom it regularly conducts dialogue. Confirming reports that Modi would also visit Washington to meet US President Barack Obama in September, the spokesman said Washington had proposed a specific date for the summit between the two leaders. ‘’We are in constant touch with the US to work out a convenient date for the summit in Washington.’’ Asked if External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj would accompany the PM on his trip to Bhutan, the spokesperson said the composition of the delegation was being worked out. However, Swaraj’s first independent visit would also be to a neighbouring country, he confirmed. It is learnt that the Foreign Minister would travel to Bangladesh on July 25 or 26.
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Now, another Cong leader hails Modi
New Delhi, June 6 Meanwhile in a letter to AICC today, Tharoor said his pro-Modi comments, made in an article written the US website Huffington Post had been "misrepresented in the media".
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Assets case: SC relief for Jaya
New Delhi, June 6 A Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices JS Khehar and C Nagappan passed the order to this effect on Jayalalithaa’s plea for suspending her trial in a Bengaluru court till a related case was disposed of. The Bench posted her petition for final hearing on June 16. The AIADMK chief has pleaded that her trial was closely linked to a case filed by a
Chennai-based company, Lex Property Development (P) Ltd.
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AFT can’t adjudicate all cases under Army Act: SC
New Delhi, June 6 Merely because a litigant “is subject to the Army Act would not by itself be sufficient to conclude that the tribunal has the jurisdiction to deal with any case brought before it by such a person,” a Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and AK Sikri clarified. “It would depend upon the subject matter which is brought before the tribunal and as to whether it fell within the definition of ‘service matters’ as contained in Section 3(o) of the AFT Act,” the Bench held. The apex court made the clarification while setting aside a judgment delivered by the AFT’s Chandigarh Bench in a case filed by Col GS Grewal, posted (on secondment) at the office of the Director General of Quality Assurances (DGQA) of the Department Defence Production. Col Grewal had approached the AFT challenging the Defence Ministry’s April 23, 2010 order that no further promotion would be given to the officers permanently seconded to organisations such as the DGQA and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) unless they returned to the Army. He had contended that the 2010 order ran counter to the Permanent Secondment and Promotion Policy issued by the DGQA on November 16, 2007, under which “officers once permanently seconded will continue in the organisation till they retire and will be considered for promotion to higher grades against their vacancies.” The Defence Ministry had opposed his plea before the AFT on merit and other aspects, including the tribunal’s jurisdiction to entertain the case. The government had cited the April 9, 2010, verdict of the AFT’s Principal Bench in a case filed by Maj Gen SB Akali seconded to the
DRDO.
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58 graduate from Army Cadet College
Dehradun, June 6 Of the 58 cadets, 29 were from science stream and the rest from humanities. These degrees were conferred on the cadets by the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Brig AS Chahal, Commander ACC Wing, while presenting the College Report highlighted the high standard and admirable academic performance displayed by the cadets of the graduating course. Lt Gen Manvender Singh, Commandant, IMA, congratulated the cadets for completing their training. — TNS
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Chinese Foreign Minister to meet Sushma tomorrow
New Delhi, Jun 6 The Chinese leader, who is visiting to formally establish contacts with the NDA government and deepen ties between the two countries, is likely to call on PM Narendra Modi the same day. The spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry said since Parliament was in session, the ministry would try to complete all meetings on Sunday. The Ministry had earlier said, "The visit’s objective is to establish contact with the new Indian Government. The visit is an important element of the Year of India -China Friendly Exchanges." — PTI
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9 shown hostel door for beating up J&K student
Ghaziabad, June 6 A 12-member panel of the institute, constituted to probe the matter, took the decision to expel the nine students, including the victim, from the hostel. Of the expelled students, three are from Kashmir. Besides, the institute has warned two other Kashmiri students of strict action if they are found involved in such practice in future,” said an official of the institute. The 22-year-old Kashmiri student was allegedly beaten up on Tuesday night by seniors when he screamed after suffering an electric shock in the hostel’s washroom. — PTI
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Delayed by five days, monsoon hits Kerala
MD officials admit that its march henceforth is expected to be “slow and sluggish”. So the people up north may have to wait for longer than usual for their quota of rains, which is also expected to be less than normal this time. Normally, monsoon covers half of India by mid-June and the entire country by July 15. So far the rains have been “fairly widespread to widespread” for the past 48 hours in Kerala. Out of the 14 rainfall monitoring stations for monsoon onset in Kerala, more than 70% of stations reported rainfall higher than 2.5 mm for last two consecutive days. But its progress is expected to be slow and the chance of dry spells this year has been put at between 40 and 45 per cent compared to the usual 33 per cent. After four consecutive years of normal and above-normal monsoon, India is expected to have below normal monsoon this year because of El-Nino effect, which is generally associated with the warming of ocean water. The problem is that the possible El Nino is only expected to have an impact later in the four-month rainy season. Meanwhile, rainfall occurred at many places over Kerala and at a few places over Lakshadweep and north interior Karnataka. It further advanced into most parts of south Arabian Sea and Kerala, remaining parts of Maldives- Comorin areas, some parts of Tamil Nadu, most parts of southwest Bay of Bengal and some parts of west central Bay of Bengal.
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Kejriwal put on trial on defamation charges
New Delhi, June 6 "After careful consideration of the entire material on record , in my opinion, there is sufficient material to establish a prima facie case against accused (Kejriwal) under section 499/500 (defamation) of the IPC," Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha said. The court framed the notice under section 251 of the CrPC (dealing with trial of summons cases by magistrate) against Kejriwal, former Delhi Chief Minister, after he refused to heed to the magistrate's suggestion to amicably resolve the matter with Gadkari. "Since the offence under section 500 IPC is compoundable, therefore the complainant (Gadkari) has been asked whether he wishes to compound the offence. However, despite efforts, no compromise could be effected between the parties," it said. After the court framed the notice, Kejriwal pleaded not guilty to the offence and claimed trial.
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2 acquitted in Akshardham terror case
Ahmedabad, June 6 The Special POTA Court judge Geeta Gopi acquitted Majid Patel, alias Umarji, and Shaukatullah Ghori pointing out that they were not involved in the conspiracy leading to the suicidal attack on the famous temple by two Pakistan-based terrorists on September 24, 2002, in which 32 persons were killed. Both the terrorists too were killed on the spot by Black Commando forces after a night-long shootout. The Ahmedabad crime branch police, who had investigated the case, had accused Majid and Ghori of being an integral part of the conspiracy and they were lodged in jail for six years. Following the Supreme Court order, the POTA court rejected the testimony of witness Ashfaq Bhavnagari. Majid Patel, who was charged with organising money for the attack, was arrested in Broach district in South Gujarat in 2008 while Ghori was later picked up from Hyderabad. Last month the Supreme Court, while acquitting six persons, who were convicted by a trial court and later confirmed by the Gujarat High Court in the case, had castigated the investigating agency for a shoddy job and had also criticised the then Narendra Modi government for no application of mind before invoking the POTA Act.
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Tribal ultras gun down SP, cop in Assam
Guwahati, June 6 A source in the state police headquarter here said Hamren SP Nityananda Goswami was leading a police team while carrying out an operation against the KPLT in the Rongphur area in Jaintia hills areas of the district bordering Meghalaya, about 20 km from Hamren town. As many as 18 personnel from the Hamren police station were divided into three teams during the operation. The officer, who was leading a team, and his PSO Ratul Nunisa were killed when KPLT ultras, hiding inside the thick forest, fired upon them from automatic weapons late last night.
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NHRC serves notice on Punjab, Haryana over ‘dirty’ Ghaggar
New Delhi, June 6 The notices have been issued to the functionaries of the two states after the NHRC took suo motu cognizance of a media report highlighting the pollution in the river. According to the report, the river has turned into a polluted water body in the past several years. It further said that 20 villages in Mansa district of Punjab, situated alongside the river, are witness to the water changing its colour from blue to black which makes tough for anybody to even stand near the river, let alone using it for irrigation or drinking purposes. The commission has observed that the contents of the report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of right to pollution-free environment of the residents of the area. The functionaries of the two states have been asked to respond to the notices within two weeks. Reportedly, the Punjab government had failed to take any initiative to tackle the menace. The chairperson of Punjab Pollution Control Board claimed that it was an inter-state issue and the pollution was mostly coming from Haryana whereas there was ‘zero’ pollution from Punjab.
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Akhilesh shifts police chiefs of five districts
Lucknow, June 6 According to the Department of Home, the CM removed Moradabad SSP Ashutosh Kumar, Bijnore SP Anis Ahmed Ansari, Hapur SP Mahendra Pal Singh, Saharanpur SSP Manoj Kumar and Auraiya SP Saiyed Wasim Ahmed, attaching them to the DGP office in Lucknow. Senior IPS officer Sujit Pandey has been made the IG of STF, replacing Ashish Gupta who has been put on the waiting list. Fire Service DIG Vijay Kumar Garg has been made Jhansi DIG and Etah SSP Amit Pathak has been shifted to the STF in the same capacity, while Traffic SP Ajay Mohan Sharma has been sent to Etah as
SSP.
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New Delhi, June 6