Saturday, December 18, 1999
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CBI team returns from
Malaysia Vajpayee consults Cong on CTBT |
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 Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Union Home Minister L. K. Advani at the All- India Conference of Director Generals and Inspector Generals of Police in New Delhi on Friday. — PTI
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Advani lauds police role Pranab, Jaipal outstanding
parliamentarians Oppn walkout over disinvestment
policy ‘Withdraw’ proceedings
against TADA accused PF scheme under consumer Act: SC SC upholds conviction of 2 in
riots case Women’s Bill to be tabled
next week Judicial remand for Abhishek Alliance Air slashes fares |
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CBI team returns from
Malaysia NEW DELHI, Dec 17 — Even as a CBI team left here last night for Berne to collect the crucial last set of documents in the Bofors case, another team returned here around the same time from Kuala Lumpur after a weeklong visit to Malaysia. The CBI has sent DIG Vivek Dubey and SP, O.P. Ghalutra to collect the last set of documents which were handed over by the Swiss authorities to the Indian Ambassador in Switzerland, Mr K.P. Balakrishnan. Releasing the documents, the Federal Department of Justice and Police noted that the authors of the request (against handing over the papers to India) were unable to bring forth either concrete proof or clues to back their claims and noted that their approach appeared rather to be a strategy the purpose of which was to delay the Indian authorities criminal investigation. Meanwhile, the CBI
Special Director, Mr P.C. Sharma, returned from Kuala
Lumpur where he had gone along with another official to
seek cooperation in extradition of Mr Quattrochhi. |
Quattrochhi ‘ready’ to confess NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — Former CBI Director Joginder Singh was today quoted as saying that Italian businessman Qttavio Quattrochhi wants to confess his role in the Bofors case in which he has been chargesheeted by the CBI. In an interview to
Doordarshan’s news channel programme
“Rozana”, Mr Joginder Singh said “I have
come to know that Mr Quattrochhi wants to make full and
complete confession. An influential person is mediating
on his behalf in this connection”. |
Vajpayee consults Cong on CTBT NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today initiated the process of evolving a consensus on the question of the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) by holding consultations with the Congress on the issue. Mr Vajpayee met a high-level Congress delegation headed by Ms Sonia Gandhi and outlined steps taken by India since the Pokhran nuclear tests in May last year which included a voluntary moratorium on further nuclear tests. He asserted that New Delhi remained committed to total global disarmament. Mr Vajpayee explained that discussions on a range of issues including the CTBT were in progress with the USA and other key interlocutors. He reiterated that his government remained ready to bring these discussions to a successful conclusion. Mr Jaswant Singh said it was a ‘candid discussion’ covering all meters involved with the CTBT, including technical, political and international issues, was had with the five-member Congress delegation. He said the second round of the consensus meetings would be held on Monday. Though he declined to state who would be called for discussions, the indications were that the Communist Party of India (Marxists) would be invited as it is the second largest party in the Lok Sabha. India had refused to
fall in line with the West on the issue of signing the
CTBT, on the grounds that it was
‘discriminatory’ and would go against Indian
interests. |
Pranab, Jaipal outstanding parliamentarians NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (UNI) — Congress MPs Pranab Mukherjee and S. Jaipal Reddy today received the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian Award’ for 1997 and 1998, respectively. The Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman, Mr Krishan Kant, presented the awards in the Central Hall of Parliament amid applause by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Union Ministers, MPs and other dignitaries. Mr Vajpayee said such awards would enrich the contribution of the members to debates in the House besides further encouraging the talent. Presenting the awards,
Mr Krishan Kant said eminent parliamentarians could
sensitise the nation with their rich contribution to
debates in Parliament and the conferment of the awards to
the two proved the exceptional, excellent and inspiring
services rendered by them. |
Musharraf letter reaches jail JAIPUR, Dec 17 — Rajasthan Government has despatched its Director,Prisons, Mr Kalyan Mal Sharma, to Jodhpur to inquire as to how the letter from Pak military ruler General Pervez Musharraf reached All-Parties Hurriyat conference chief Syed Ali Shah Gilani who is currently lodged in Jodhpur Jail. Dainik Hindustan, a leading Hindi daily from Delhi, had carried a front page story on December 14 alleging that the General’s letter was delivered to Gilani despite tight security in the Jail. Jodhpur Central Jail has been housing dreaded terrorists from all over the country because of its tight security. At present, Yasin Malik, Maulvi Abbas Ansari and Prof Abdul Ghani Bhatt are lodged there. The three-paragraph letter from General Musharraf to Gilani expresses sympathy with him for “being subjected to undignified and degrading treatment. The letter expresses great admiration “for the valiant struggle of the Kashmiris led by the APHC”. The General also expresses confidence that under Gilani’s “inspiring and courageous leadership, the people of Kashmir would eventually throw away the yoke of tyranny and occupation.” The Chief Executive assures the imprisoned APHC leader that he is “intensifying efforts to sensitise the world community about the unjust imprisonment of the APHC leaders and the need for their early release.” It is presumed that the letter reached India through the diplomat channel first and was subsequently passed on to some one to deliver to Gilani. The Director of Prisons on reaching Jodhpur started investigating as to how the letter reached Gilani in jail while a team of senior officers invariably remains present whenever anybody comes to meet him. Another point of inquiry is how the letter got leaked from the four walls of the prison. Inquiries reveal two Kashmiri leaders Abdul Ghani Lone and Mir Waiz Umar Farooq Ghani Lone — had met Gilani in Jodhpur jail on December 2. These leaders are reported to have met other terrorist leaders also there. A PTI report from
Islamabad (published in the Hindustan Times of December
14) has further complicated the matter which refers to a
letter written by Gilani to the Pak military ruler. The
news item says the policy on Kashmir was drafted under
the guidance of General Musharraf “after taking into
confidence leaders of Pak-occupied Kashmir” in light
of letter written reportedly by Hurriyat president Syed
Ali Shah Gilani to the military ruler. |
Oppn walkout over
disinvestment policy NEW DELHI, Dec 17 — The entire Opposition staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha today charging the government with resorting to distress sale of shares of public sector units and ignoring workers’ interests. The walkout came soon after the Disinvestment Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, replied to a two-day debate initiated under Rule 193 of the Rules of Procedure raised by the CPI member, Mr Indrajit Gupta, on the government’s policy on disinvestment. Mr Jaitley in his reply stated categorically that the workers’ interests would not be ignored even in PSUs where the Government planned to bring down its equity to 26 per cent. He said the disinvestment policy was aimed at reviving the PSUs. Mr Jaitley said best public interest, maximum value, transparent process and protection of workers interests would guide the government’s disinvestment policy and assured that it would continue to be a majority stake holder in strategic public sector units. The minister said the disinvestment policy was a continuation of policies initiated by the previous Congress and United Front regimes, which had started selling equity in navratna companies like VSNL, SAIL, GAIL and Indian Oil. Refuting the Opposition
charge that the government was using the proceeds of
disinvestment to bridge budgetary deficits, Mr Jaitley
said, “in fact the government has been ploughing
more money into the sector than what it received from
dividends and sell off process”. |
Advani lauds police role NEW DELHI, Dec 17 — The Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, today lauded the police for its role in countering terrorism. He specially mentioned Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East in this connection. The Home Minister, who inaugurated a three-day annual conference of Directors-General of Police/ Inspectors-General of Police here, praised the role of the Punjab police, stating that it acted as the pivot of anti-militancy operations. He also hailed the efforts of the police in tackling left-wing extremism, maintaining law and order, particularly on the communal front, and peaceful conduct of Lok Sabha elections. Sharing his concern on national security, Mr Advani described 1999 as a watershed year which would be remembered as the year of “Kargil” and said it would assume the same importance in the country’s history as the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars. Dwelling on the involvement of Pakistan in instigating and controlling violence in the country, he said terrorism in India had its genesis in the victory of the 1971 war. In an apparent reference to the coup in Pakistan, he said those who had manipulated from behind the scenes had now come to the fore and were calling the shots. He urged the participants to remain alive to the threat. Describing the resilience of the democratic structure of the country, he said despite threats from various quarters people turned out in large numbers to take part in the electoral process. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee cautioned the people against separatist forces, saying they were out to destabilise the country by fomenting caste and communal hatred. Addressing the
conference, he said no tolerance should be shown to
terrorists and disruptive forces, he emphasised. |
‘Withdraw’ proceedings against NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI, UNI) — A strong plea was made by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha for withdrawal of all legal proceedings against those accused under the lapsed Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) as BJP members sought the introduction of an anti-terrorist law before these proceedings were withdrawn. Moving a Bill to provide for withdrawal and prevention of legal proceedings under TADA, Muslim League’s G.M. Banatwala said it was contradictory that cases were pending even after the law had expired. “It seems we are following the British way of saying ‘the king is dead, long live the king’. In this case, the law is dead but long live the law,” he said, adding that despite the law having expired in May, 1995, there were 14,446 pending cases and 1,022 persons were languishing in jails under TADA. He said if the authorities felt that some of the accused were actually guilty of committing a crime, “they should be tried under normal laws of the land.” Describing TADA as a “blot on Indian democracy”, he said it was allowed to expire only after a majority of the people felt it was being misused and innocents were being harassed. Mr Banatwala said a review of TADA cases, carried out following a Supreme Court directive, had resulted in 23,863 cases being dropped. Therefore, it was necessary that cases pending under this law which is against jurisprudence and democratic norms be allowed to lapse,” he said, adding that terrorism had not been checked due to this law. Mr Anadi Charan Sahu
(BJP) said there was need for a stringent legislation to
deal with secessionists, terrorists and others who tried
to weaken the unity and integrity of the nation. |
PF scheme under consumer Act: SC NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (UNI) — In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court has held that an employee-member of the employees’ provident fund scheme is a “consumer” and the scheme a “service” under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The court has also held that the delayed payment of provident fund to an employee-member amounts to “deficiency in service” under the Act. “The provisions of the Act can, therefore, be invoked against the Provident Fund Commissioner by a member of the scheme for the delayed payment of provident fund,” the court added. The ruling, which may act as a deterrent against lethargic functioning of officials of the Provident Fund Commissioner, was handed down by a Division Bench comprising Mr Justice S. Saghir Ahmad and Mr Justice R.P. Sethi while dismissing an appeal by the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner against a judgement of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. According to the facts of the case, respondent Shiv Kumar Joshi, who was a member of the scheme, applied for the payment of provident fund on July 15 ,1992. It was found that the application filed by him was not complete as required by para 72(5)(D) of the scheme. The claim of the respondent was settled on August 24, 1992 after verification obtained by the area Inspector from the factory of the employee-member. However, the respondent filed a complaint before the Faridabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum on August 26, 1992, alleging deficiency in service of the appellant and claimed damages to the tune of Rs 65,000 along with costs for the alleged delay in payment. The district forum by its order dated November 11,1992, directed the appellant to pay interest at the rate of 18 per cent on the amount and other expenses of Rs 1,000. The order of the district forum was upheld in appeal by the Haryana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and the National Commission. The Supreme Court in its
judgement said a combined reading of the definition of
“consumer” and “services” under the
Act and looking at the aims and objectives for which the
act was enacted, it was imperative that the words
“consumer” and “service” as defined
under the Act should be construed to comprehend consumer
and services of commercial and trade oriented nature
only. |
SC upholds conviction of 2 in riots case NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — Fifteen years after four members of a Sikh family were burnt alive during the anti-Sikh riots in the Capital, the Supreme Court today upheld the conviction of two for being part of a mob which committed the killing but commuted their sentence to life imprisonment. A Bench comprising Justice K.T. Thomas and Justice D.P. Mohapatra in its nine-paged judgement upheld the conviction of Jaggu and Mannu, who as part of the mob first looted Harbai’s house in Trilokpuri on November 2, 1984, and then doused her four sons with petrol before setting them afire. The trial court had
awarded capital punishment to both and the Delhi High
Court had confirmed both the conviction and sentence
given by the trial court. The accused filed appeals
against the High Court order in the Supreme Court. |
Women’s Bill to be tabled next week NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (UNI) — The Opposition in the Lok Sabha today forced the government to commit itself to introduce next week the women’s reservation Bill which has been put on hold for the past three years. The Opposition got exercised when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan while reading out the list of business the House would take up next week excluded the women’s reservation Bill. The House witnessed
noisy scenes when AIADMK Parliamentary Party Leader P.H.
Pandian raised the issue and charged Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee with going back on his commitment to get
the Bill passed. |
Judicial remand for Abhishek NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — Abhishek Verma, son of Rajya Sabha member Veena Verma, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, was today remanded to judicial custody till December 30 in a Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) violation case involving several crores of rupees. Abhishek was arrested by the ED officials after prolonged interrogation at the Directorate headquarters here last night. The accused was today
produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate
Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal, who remanded him to judicial
custody. |
Alliance Air slashes fares NEW DELHI, Dec 17 — The Indian Airlines subsidiary, Alliance Air, has announced a steep cut in the fare between Delhi and Agra and a one-way ticket in the sector would now cost Rs 700 instead of Rs 1,450. A round trip would cost only Rs 1,200. Fares have also been reduced in the Mumbai-Mangalore sector and a one-way ticket in the sector would cost Rs 3,610 instead of the normal Rs 6,530. Alliance Air officials
said the new fares would help increase passenger load
factor in the sector and give a boost to tourism,
especially in the Delhi-Agra sector. |
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| Navy’s millennium
celebrations MUMBAI: The Indian Navy will usher in the new millennium with “Ahoy 2000”, a New Year-Eve naval ball, which will have a wide range of entertainment on display, including performance by Mumbai’s hottest pop bands and breathtaking choreography from an international troupe of dancers. For the first time this year, entry has been thrown open to civilians also, in an effort to bridge the gap between the armed forces and the public, Commodore F.H. Duhash, Commanding Officer and also the chief organiser of “Ahoy 2000”, said at a press conference held at INS Hamla to announce the event. — UNI Special trains to Jammu VHP meeting on
Christmas NCP splits in
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