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Punjab moves SC against Delhi HC order
Bhopal
Tragedy
India committed to
N-deal: Pranab
Parliament nod to Finance Bill
Parliament adjournment before UP poll results?
No arrests after SP candidate’s ‘reign of terror’
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Assam: 5 killed in clash over land
15 injured in blast
Airports BA flight makes emergency landing
China mulling alternative route
‘Irregularities’ in KBC SC blames graft for current mess
Babies’ deaths: Case against Kerala minister
Tamil man killed in Iraq blast
TN to retrieve abducted fishermen: Karunanidhi
5,000 blocks, panchayats get Nirmal Gram Awards
NEWS ANALYSIS
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Punjab moves SC against Delhi HC order
New Delhi, May 4 In three sets of special leave petitions, the government has raised the question of jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court entertaining the petitions of the officials of Today Homes and its subsidiary, Today Hotels Ltd, stating that the case essentially fell within the jurisdiction of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as the case was registered in Ludhiana. Justice Reva Khetrapal of the Delhi High Court in two orders passed on March 28 and April 3, while taking cognizance of the petitions of Today Homes and Today Hotels officials, had issued the direction and put up the hearing for July 17, which restrained the VB from proceeding against them further. The five officials of the two companies include vice-president Vinay Subhiki, general manager Sunil Sharma, director Gulshan Kumar Gambhir. Two of their officials - Amit Sardhana and Kamal Verma - are already in judicial custody, the petitions said. The Punjab government has accused the company officials of registering a “frivolous complaint” on March 26 in the matter with the Connaught Place police station, New Delhi, to make it a basis for invoking the jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court. Such an attempt was termed by the Punjab government as the “abuse” of judicial process. “By merely having their registered office in New Delhi, the company officials could not under any circumstance, confer the jurisdiction on any courts in New Delhi for hearing a case registered in Punjab”, said the petitions, filed through the secretary (Home), Punjab, and the SSP (Vigilance Bureau), Ludhiana. The Punjab government said it was a serious case in which the state ex-chequer had suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 crore and five public servants, including former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, former local bodies minister Jagjit Singh and former Ludhiana Improvement Trust chairman P.S. Siba, were facing charges of corruption, hence the Delhi High Court could not act in this manner. While seeking quashing of the high court’s twin orders, the Punjab government said the orders were in fact passed ex-parte without hearing the VB, which is the prosecuting agency in the case. The Supreme Court registry has listed the matter for hearing for April 11.
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SC helpless in enhancing relief
New Delhi, May 4 Since a five-judge Constitution Bench had given its approval to the out-of-court settlement on $ 470 million between the Union Government and Union Carbide in 1989, a Bench of Justices C K Thakker and H S Bedi rejected a petition for enhancing the compensation after almost 18 years. The enhancement was sought by the Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sanghathan, an organisation of gas- affected women. — TNS
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India committed to
N-deal: Pranab
New Delhi, May 4 External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee this evening made some important observations from a public forum with regard to the nuclear deal, a significant development considering New Delhi’s stony silence on the subject for months. What should not be missed is the fact that the minister made these remarks while addressing a conference on “Business in and between India and the US: Legal and regulatory framework” where it was not at all incumbent upon him to talk about the Indo-US nuclear deal. The central point made by Mukherjee was his assurance that “India remains committed to implementing the understanding expeditiously in a way that it adheres as closely as possible to the framework of the July 2005 Joint Statement and the March 2006 Separation Plan.” And then, ignoring the well-known anti-American stand of the Left parties on whose support the UPA government is dependent, Mukherjee talked of natural affinities between India and the US. He said, “The natural affinities between us have never before been so closely supplemented by a strong political convergence. I am hopeful that industry will continue to provide the lead in this area. We, in the government, remain committed in the role of a facilitator.” Mukherjee took pains to explain how former US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill’s erstwhile description of Indo-US trade being “as flat as a chapati” was now a thing of the past. The US is today India’s leading foreign investor and largest trade partner. India is now the fastest growing export market for the US with our bilateral trade growing by over five times in a period of 16 years from a modest $ 5.6 billion in 1990 to $ 31.92 billion in 2006. In the area of foreign investment too, US foreign direct investments since 1991 has been more than $5.5 billion, accounting for more than 13 per cent of the total FDI in the last 15 years.
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Parliament nod to Finance Bill
New Delhi, May 4 Earlier, replying to the debate on the bills, finance minister P. Chidambaram admitted to income tax laws being complicated and assured the upper house that the government would table the new income tax code in the monsoon session of Parliament. “We are in the last leg of drafting the new income tax code. I shall be able to introduce it in Parliament by the end of the monsoon session,” Chidambaram said. With the Lok Sabha having already cleared the bills, Parliament has completed this year’s budgetary business. The minister argued that if he were a “high-tax minister”, investment rate would not have been so high. “If compliance improves, tax rates will be moderated or exemptions revisited,” he said. On the concerns expressed over high home loan rates, Chidambaram said 80 per cent of borrowers took loans below Rs 10 lakh and he had asked PSU banks not to raise the rates of loans up to Rs 20 lakh. Pointing out that savings rates in the economy grew to over 34 per cent and investment over 33 per cent in 2005-06, Chidambaram expressed hope that these rates would further increase.
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Parliament adjournment before UP poll results? Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 4 Malhotra said there was speculation that the house may be adjourned on May 8, three days ahead of the UP election results so that centre can impose President’s rule in the state in the event of a hung assembly. “There is no connection between the UP elections and running of the house. It is an established practice to announce only the coming week’s business,” parliamentary affairs minister P.R. Dasmunsi said. Backed by leader of opposition L.K. Advani, the senior BJP leader persisted with the issue and demanded an assurance from the government that the session would go on till May 22 as scheduled. Intervening in the issue, Advani said Dasmunsi had approached him a few days ago suggesting that the finance Bill could be taken up in the Lok Sabha on May 3 or 4 in view of finance minister’s upcoming foreign visit. “I agreed to it. But, if the objective was something else, then it is a serious. It is a question of trust,” Advani said. Malhotra’s assertion brought UPA and the Left grouping MPs on their feet. In the heat of the moment, the two sides had sharp exchanges. As Malhotra refused to relent, the minister disclosed that he had already shared with BJP leader the items coming up in the house till May 15. “There is a big communication gap between the leader of opposition and his deputy,” Dasmunsi said. Interjecting at this juncture, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said the matter was between the government and the leader of opposition. “We proceed on the basis that the house will continue till May 22. There is no indication to the contrary so far,” he ruled.
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No arrests after SP candidate’s ‘reign of terror’
Lucknow, April 4 While the home department sources admitted that the cause of the MLA’s wrath was “poll related”, all that the state government has done is filed an FIR and assured to “take quick and stern action”. On Wednesday night Singh, also erstwhile feudal lord of Tiloi, arrived at Phoola village under the Mohanganj police station, attacking a village along with 24 supporters, who fired in the air to scare the hapless villagers, informed secretary home R.M.Srivastava. The supporters then sprung into action and fired in the air to scare people before they burnt down the house of the gram pradhan Man Singh after sprinkling petrol. Singh, as head of the revenue council, holds the status of a minister of state. He is one of the six MLAs who were suspended from the BJP for anti-party activities and sat in the treasury benches for the last three years as “unattached”. He was now contesting from his personal fiefdom of Tiloi as the SP candidate.
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Assam: 5 killed in clash over land
Guwahati, May 4 Nalbari district SP D.K. Dey informed that two groups armed with fire arms and other weapons, clashed over the possession of a plot of land. One of the groups was from Guwahati while the other was a local group. In the incident, five people were killed and few others were injured. Sources say that senior police officials from the district headquarters rushed to the spot when they received information about the incident this evening. Details of the case are
awaited.
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15 injured in blast
Guwahati, May 4 The police said the bomb was planted in a Maruti van bearing registration number of neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. It suspects hand of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam behind the explosion. The vehicle was parked in the middle of the market. A large number of local people and panicky traders came out to block the main road in the town in protest against the blast. They were raising slogans against the banned ULFA while condemning the administration, police and the Army for failing to tame the marauding militants in the Upper Assam areas. However, a senior district administration official tried to make light of the protest saying that it was just normal post-explosion chaos in the area immediately after a blast. Meanwhile, the strategy group of the three-tier unified command, which is engaged in counter-insurgency operation in Assam with coordination among the Army, police and central paramilitary forces, today held a meeting here to review the situation in the state. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
— TNS
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Govt to plug security breaches: Patel
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 4 The assurance came at the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Civil Aviation that met here under the chairmanship of minister for civil aviation Praful Patel. The assurance from the government came in the wake of the recent incident of a reporter from a private news channel managing to breach the security at the cargo building after getting the job following the payment of a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. When members of the committee expressed concerns about reported security breach at airports, the minister assured that the ministry would seriously consider all aspects of the issues and apprehensions raised and take a comprehensive review together with the ministry of home affairs and plug all possible loopholes in the security arrangements at the airports. The members congratulated the minister on the progress of the civil aviation sector and the merging of the two national carriers Air India and Indian Airlines. The members discussed other issues like connectivity to the various parts of the country, the working of the two national airlines as well as that of the private carriers, the working of the private airport operators and the proliferation of institutes providing training for various aviation-related employments and their sanctity. At the meeting it was also decided that a special meeting of the members of the committee would be held with the private airport operators to review the progress of their work and their future plans. Regarding the proliferation of aviation training and institutes in the metros, secretary, Civil Aviation, Ashok Chawla assured the members that the ministry would look into the matter to see whether any policy in this regard or any legal intervention was required.
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BA flight makes emergency landing New Delhi, May 4 The plane that took off at 7 p,m, (Istanbul time) made the unscheduled halt after two-and-a-half hours of flight, according to information reaching here. The BA plane had about 127 passengers onboard, most of them Indians. A passenger on board told PTI that the plane was forced to land at Teheran and the cabin crew informed the passengers that it was due to a technical snag. Further details were not available.
— PTI
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China mulling alternative route Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 4 The Indian Government is discussing with the Chinese side issues regarding the improvement of facilities on their side for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra keeping in view the difficult terrain and lack of infrastructure along the yatra route, Mukherjee said. During the visit of the Chinese President to India last year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh raised the matter of opening an alternative route for the yatra. The computerised draw for the selection of pilgrims for the yatra was conducted in the ministry of external affairs today by Mukherjee. The pilgrimage is scheduled to begin on June 1. Pilgrims have been selected through a computer-generated, gender-balanced random selection process for 960 slots across 16 batches. The pilgrimage is being organised by the ministry in coordination with various state and central government agencies since 1981 under a bilateral arrangement between India and China. It is undertaken every year from June to September. The arrangements on the Chinese side are made by authorities of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. In his remarks after the draw, Mukherjee said the government attached great importance to the yatra in view of the religious sentiments of the people of India associated with Kailash and Mansarovar. Government facilitates the organisation of the yatra. A liaison officer is attached by the government with each batch of yatris, who is responsible for their general well-being. Mukherjee said it was government’s endeavour to improve and upgrade facilities for the yatra on a continuing basis and increase the number of pilgrims every year. In view of Indian request to allow a greater number of pilgrims to visit Kailash Mansarovar, the Chinese side had agreed to increase the size of each batch from 44 to 60 pilgrims per batch in 2005. The number of pilgrims has progressively increased over the years, and this year there will be up to 960 pilgrims in 16 batches.
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SC stays MRTPC inquiry
New Delhi, May 4 A bench headed by Justice B P Singh stayed the High Court order after Star India Pvt Ltd moved the apex court. The Supreme Court also issued a notice to Anuj Kumar Bhati, on whose petition the High Court had on April 27 had asked MRTPC to probe the matter. Senior counsel Arun Jaitley and Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for Star, contended that if the order was not stayed it would become final and trigger a probe, which was completely “unwarranted” and “uncalled for”. Denying that any false impressions were created in the show, Star India said the programme was an independent show based on general knowledge and skill. — PTI
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SC blames graft for current mess
New Delhi, May 4 The remarks were made by Justice Markandey Katju during the hearing of a bail application in a corruption case. The judge also said, “See what is happening in the municipal corporations all over the country where nothing moves without bribe and no map or building plan can be got approved without greasing palms.” Justice Katju was also annoyed with open loot going on in the country and said every day there is new scam in the newspapers. The bench comprising Justices S.B. Sinha and Markandey Katju while refusing to entertain the petition filed by Diwakar Parsad Sinha, an accountant facing allegations of signing bogus bills, directed the trial court to decide his bail application on merit.
— UNI
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Babies’ deaths: Case against Kerala minister
Thiruvananthapuram, May 4 The Centre has also taken a serious view of the situation and has called for a report from the state government. The Medical College police registered a case following a directive from the Chief Judicial Magistrate to proceed against them.
— PTI
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Tamil man killed in Iraq blast
Chennai, May 4 He was employed in a food production unit catering to army personnel in Iraq since May last year. His mother, Indirani, went into a state of shock, as the news arrived while his uncle Pugazhendi, who helped him to get the job, had to be hospitalised. Ganesan, who hailed from a poor family, was the main bread earner of his family as his two brothers work as daily wage labourers in Tiruchy. The district administration is taking steps to contact the Indian Embassy in Iraq to bring his body to Tiruchy.
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TN to retrieve abducted fishermen: Karunanidhi
Chennai, May 4 Replying to a call attention motion in the state Assembly, Karunanidhi said he had explained to the Prime Minister in his letter about the situation in Tamil Nadu after five fishermen were killed and 12 more abducted in mid-sea off Kanyakumari coast. The CM said initially he was confused over the information of LTTE’s involvement in the abduction of the fishermen, but stated: “I had informed the House of the LTTE’s hand only to protect the interest of Tamil Nadu in future, even if such a revelation endangered myself, my close associates, members of the House or the government.”
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5,000 blocks, panchayats get Nirmal Gram Awards
New Delhi, May 4 At a function held here, the President gave awards to representatives from the winning states. This is third year in succession that the President has given the awards. Rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said the country would achieve the target of getting the rid of the problem of open defecation by 2012. While Maharashtra got the largest number of awards, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir did not figure among the winners. Sixty Panchayati Raj institutions from Haryana got the award.
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NEWS
ANALYSIS Patna,May4 Once known for his antagonistic attitude to upper castes in Bihar, Lalu is now apparently trying to befriend them to restore his lost grounds here. This, like Mayawati, is over and above his effort to retain his Muslim-Yadav vote bank intact which once had formed his mythical MY equation. Mayawati too is trying to expand her support base in UP BY wooing brahmins without compromising with her dalit vote bank. People of Bihar still remembered Lalu's slogan against "Bhurabal"- compromising Bhumihar, Rajput,Brahmin and Lala-to project himself as the messiah of the backwards and dalits. "Bhurabal" saf karo" was reportedly the slogan by him to marginalize the upper castes in Bihar after he had first captured power following mandalisation of cowbelt politics. The development comes in the wake of the effort by CM Nitish Kumar to broad base social justice by empowering women, EBCs and musahars unlike the previous RJD regimes which was allegedly known to have favoured a particular caste. The same Lalu is now said to be trying to capitalize on the reported simmering discontent in a section of established upper castes who had to give up their share in power to some extent under the new regime following some recent decisions of Nitish seeking to broadbas4e social justice. The 50 percent reservation of seats for women a 17 percent for EBC in the statewide panchayat polls held last year is to name a few. Besides the ruling NDA recently decided to focus on the development of the Musahars, the poorest of the poor among dalits. The ruling NDA also openly supported the demand to send one member of the musahars community to the state legislative council and another to Rajya Sabha to present their views in these august houses at a recent conference of Seva Sangh representing musahars and dalits. The uneasiness against Nitish's slogan favouring empowerment of women through reservations in grassroots democracy in the name of gender equality in caste ridden Bihar was evident at a recent convention of elected women village panchayat representatives in Patna.
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