Wednesday, July 10, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Alexander quits
Kapoor may take over as Maharashtra Governor
New Delhi, July 9
Apparently annoyed over not getting the ticket for the Presidential post, Maharashtra Governor P. C. Alexander has tendered his resignation. The 81-year-old Alexander sent his resignation to the President yesterday, but did not meet Mr Narayanan personally, sources said today.

Nitish threatens to quit
Advani to take up railway issue with PM
New Delhi, July 9
Union Railway Minister Nitish Kumar’s stout resistance to referring the bifurcation of Eastern Railway to an experts committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani has the portends of blowing beyond a Samata Party-Trinamool Congress confrontation in the ensuing monsoon session of Parliament.

High Court says no to panchayat poll
Existing members can continue till August 2003
Chandigarh, July 9
Nearly four months after coming to power, the Punjab Government today suffered its first major setback when Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Mr Justice N. K. Sud of the Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled, “the mere fact that the Congress party has won the elections to the Assembly cannot mean that the elections to gram panchayats have to be held afresh”.

Israeli sensors along LoC
Jammu, July 9
Israeli equipment has succeeded in detecting infiltration of militants from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir. The thermal images system, imported from Israel, has been installed at several places in the Poonch, Rajouri, R. S. Pora, Samba, Uri, Kupwara and Kargil sectors to detect ingress.

Charge sheet against Sidhu soon
Patiala, July 9
The state Vigilance Department is likely to file a charge sheet against suspended PPSC Chairman Ravinderpal Singh Sidhu by the end of this week. Disclosing this, sources said a decision had been taken by the Vigilance to file the charge sheet as soon as it was able to get more lead in the case after the arrest of former PPSC Secretary Pritpal Singh. They said the department was able to make connections that Pritpal had acted at the behest of the suspended Chairman.

Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab, listens to the grievances of ex-servicemen and serving Armymen during his visit to a forward position of the 2nd Sikh Regiment somewhere in the western sector on Tuesday. — Tribune photo Rajiv Sharma

Bhutto gets 3-year jail for graft
Islamabad, July 9
A Pakistani court today convicted former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of graft and sentenced her to three years in prison and ordered the confiscation of her property, officials said. 

• Plot to kill Pervez: Rangers officer held