Haryana ex-ministers' plea dismissed
CHANDIGARH, July 23 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today dismissed a petition filed by former Haryana Ministers Charan Dass Shorewala and Vinod Kumar Marya, seeking a stay on the operation of the High Court judgement disqualifying them from the membership of the state assembly.

Protest against robbery
HISAR, July 23 — Lawyers of the District Bar Association here today observed strike in protest against the looting of Rs 39,000 from a petrol station situated on the Hansi-Jind road, 28 km from here, last evening.

BJP distrusts INLD
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, July 23 — Although the possible tie-up between the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the BJP for the coming Lok Sabha elections in Haryana is yet to be formalised, both have developed mutual distrust on the issue.

According to sources, distrust was the reason for the BJP being noncommittal on the issue of support to the INLD in its effort to form a government after the resignation of Chief Minister Bansi Lal. It is an open secret that the BJP had withdrawn support to the Bansi Lal government on account of pressure of the Chief Minister-in-waiting and Chief of the INLD, Mr Om Prakash Chautala. Among others, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was reported to be in favour of the withdrawal of the support.

Although BJP circles are tight-lipped on the issue, a section in the party feels that the INLD "suddenly" became cold on the number of Lok Sabha seats that it would leave. The sources said Mr Chautala had indicated to the BJP that his party would leave four Lok Sabha seats to it in the INLD-BJP alliance for the parliamentary elections. This commitment was made before the Congress withdrew support to the Bansi Lal government after it bailed it out in the June 25 trial of strength.

However, during the run up to the Governor’s intervention for convening the assembly for fresh trial of strength by the Bansi Lal government, Mr Chautala changed his mind and decided to allot only three seats to the BJP. In fact, at a meeting of district presidents of the party on Sunday, Mr Chautala made known his mind to his party leaders. Mr Chautala named Ambala (reserve) and Faridabad seats that the INLD would leave for the BJP in the possible alliance. For the third seat it could be Mahendragarh or Karnal. Incidentally, former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhajan Lal, represented the Karnal seat in the last Lok Sabha and is likely to be his party nominee in case the parliamentary elections do not coincide with assembly elections in the state.

According to sources, a section of the BJP feels that the party was in a better position to bargain for five of the 10 Lok Sabha seats from the INLD in the present political scenario. The seats on which the BJP has laid stakes are Rohtak, Ambala, Mahendragarh, Karnal and Faridabad. While the Haryana unit of the BJP has sentimental attachment to Rohtak district on account of its former president, late Dr Mangal Sein, it has won from the remaining seats in the earlier elections. Also, the BJP has increased stakes on the Rohtak parliamentary seat as the INLD has made it known that former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal will not contest the elections. The Faridabad seat was represented by the party in the 12th Lok Sabha.

The line of thinking in favour of five seats took shape in the BJP after it sensed Mr Chautala’s desire to become Chief Minister following a spate of resignations by the HVP MLAs and ministers from their party. The BJP’s support to Mr Chautala was essential for him to form a government.

Although the support of the BJP to the INLD’s efforts to form a government was a foregone conclusion, the party’s senior leaders are reported to be smarting under the rebuff to them by Mr Chautala after it severed ties with the HVP and withdrew support to the Bansi Lal government. Mr Chautala, who had earlier taken the stand that any electoral understanding with the BJP was possible only after it snapped ties with Mr Bansi Lal and his HVP, he started blowing hot and cold on the issue a couple of days after the party withdrew support to the Bansi Lal government.

Man held for killing wife, daughter
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, July 23 — The police today arrested the husband of Saroj Vasisht for having allegedly murdered her and her daughter on July 21.

Saroj Vasisht was the secretary of the state units of the Haryana Sarv Karamchari Sangh and the Aanganwari Workers and Helpers Union.

According to police sources, the accused had confessed to having committed the crime and the police had recovered the blood stained clothes of the accused and the stick used in the crime.

Saroj Vasisht and her 6-year-old daughter, Vishakha were found dead in their bed. It was made to appear by the accused that the ceiling fan fell on them resulting in their death.

It is alleged that the accused used to harass her for not bringing adequate dowry. He also reportedly did not like the frequent meetings of his wife with the employees and the union leaders.

Following the complaint of Mrs Dhankaur, mother of the deceased, the police registered a case under Sections 302 and 498 A of the IPC and started investigations.

Meanwhile, several unions and associations, including the Haryana Karamchari Maha Sangh, the Haryana Sarv Karamchari Sangh, the Aanganwari Workers and Helpers Union, the CPM, the Janwadi Mahila Samiti, The CITU and the Haryana Government PWD Mechanical Workers Union have condemned the incident and demanded stern action against the culprit.

Some of the unions have decided to observe July 27 as ‘shok divas’ all over the state and hold demonstrations at district-level in protest against the incident.

Admissions to pvt dental college halted
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, July 23 — The Vice-Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University has directed the Director, Pt B.D. Sharma, PGIMS not to make any admissions to Baba Mastnath Dental College, Asthal Bohar for the 1999-2000 session.

The Vice-Chancellor has informed the Director that the college was neither recognised by the Dental Council of India nor had it sought renewal of the provisional affiliation granted by the university.

The Baba Mastnath Dental College was set up in 1997 and the first batch of 30 students for the 4-year BDS course run by it were admitted in December that year.

The university further told the Director that the institute had also failed to submit a compliance report towards fulfilment of the conditions imposed by its Inspection Committee.

Dr P.K. Verma, Principal, Baba Mastnath Dental College, however, told TNS that the Dental Council of India had approved their institute at its general body meeting held a couple of weeks ago, after the college fulfilled all its conditions.

Moreover, he said, the university had not sent any instructions about the inspection for the second year. Though inspections are to be held every year, the university had so far conducted only one inspection, he said.

Dr Verma said he had requested the Commissioner and Secretary, Health, Mrs Komal Anand, who was here today to preside over counselling for admission to various medical institutes, to oversee admissions to his college also as the formal letter of approval from the Dental Council of India would be available in due course. She has reportedly assured to take up the matter in the next counselling session in September.

Criminals adopting novel ways
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, July 23 — The local police has taken a series of measures to check the activities of criminals engaged in lifting passengers' luggage from the buses and committing thefts by adopting novel ways.

The Senior Superintendent of Police told mediapersons here today that criminals belonging to the Sansi caste had been active in various parts of the district and committing thefts of the luggage kept on the roofs of the buses. He said instances have come to the notice of the police where such criminals engaged passengers in friendly discussions and their associates took away the luggage. He appealed to the passengers to take care of their luggage.

He admitted that thieves had struck at some places where Bhagwati jagrans were going on.

He said the police was taking steps to deploy policemen in plain clothes at strategic points for keeping a close watch on the activities of the criminals.

Haryana ex-ministers' plea dismissed

CHANDIGARH, July 23 (UNI) — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today dismissed a petition filed by former Haryana Ministers Charan Dass Shorewala and Vinod Kumar Marya, seeking a stay on the operation of the High Court judgement disqualifying them from the membership of the state assembly.

A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice H.S. Brar and Mr Justice V.M. Jain handed down the order this afternoon.

The Bench ruled that application filed on behalf of Mr Shorewala and Mr Marya, seeking a stay on the operation of the judgement for two weeks to enable them to file a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court was dismissed.

Mr Shorewala and Mr Marya had in their petition submitted that they intend filing an SLP before the Supreme Court against the High Court order as some important points of law needed to be adjudicated on the scope of judicial review of the order passed by the Haryana Assembly Speaker and whether merely on joining the Council of Ministers by members of another political party would ipso facto had the effect of relinquishing voluntarily membership of the other party.

The petition said: "political circumstances in the state have undergone dramatic changes during the last two days and the deponents’ right to vote in the fortcoming assembly session is of great importance in shaping political set-up in the state".

Protest against robbery
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, July 23 — Lawyers of the District Bar Association here today observed strike in protest against the looting of Rs 39,000 from a petrol station situated on the Hansi-Jind road, 28 km from here, last evening. The petrol station belonged to Mr Ishwar Lamba, state General Secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, and member of the association.

The association also expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

Lawyers of Hansi also observed strike today on the same issue. They demanded immediate arrest of the robbers.

All petrol stations in Hansi also remained closed.