Ex-defence secretary takes over as CVC today

July 13, 2011 By

NEW DELHI: Pradeep Kumar, the outgoing defence secretary and the next Chief Vigilance Commissioner, says corruption remains a very major challenge and would have to be dealt at all levels.

Kumar will be sworn in as the CVC on Thursday, almost four months after PJ Thomas's appointment was quashed by the Supreme Court because of a pending chargesheet against him. The President will administer the oath of office to the 62-year-old IAS officer at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 11 am, officials said.

“Corruption is a very major challenge,” Kumar said on Wednesday, discussing the challenges of heading the country's anti-corruption watchdog at a time when a spirited debate over several scandals and the efficacies of the present anti-corruption mechanisms has gripped the nation.

Kumar, a Haryana cadre IAS officer who was set to complete his mandated two-year term as defence secretary on July 31, was unanimously chosen as the next CVC by a panel comprising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, home minister P Chidambaram and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj. He will have a tenure of little over three years.

Meanwhile, PJ Thomas on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court demanding a stay on the appointment of Kumar. Through his writ petition, Thomas sought a direction to the President not to issue the warrant of appointment to Kumar since she was yet to decide on Thomas's represe

ntation to her against the judgment of the apex court.

Government sources said that Rashtrapati Bhavan had referred Thomas's petition within days to the Department of Personnel and Training for appropriate action.

In his representation to the President on March 16, Thomas had requested her to refer the decision of the apex court to a constitution bench, arguing the SC bench had no jurisdiction to cancel his appointment as only a five-judge bench could have adjudicated the case. The President cancelled Thomas's appointment as CVC on March 15, 11 days after the apex court order.

“The warrant of appointment of Thomas was cancelled only on the basis of the said judgment. When the legality and the validity of the judgment itself is disputed, it is our humble view that only after reaching conclusion on the legality and validity of the judgment, the respondent (President) should go ahead with the appointment of new CVC,” the petition argued, urging the HC to intervene.

The petition cites Article 145 (3) of the Constitution, saying issues connected with the interpretation of the Constitution have to be decided by a minimum five-judge bench and therefore assails the SC three-judge bench verdict.

The SC had quashed the appointment of Thomas as CVC as a chargesheet was pending against him in the palmolein corruption case in Kerala. Thomas was appointed as CVC in September 2010.

zp8497586rq
Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

‘Balakrishnan tarnished image of judiciary’

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 5 — The stubbornness with which Justice K.G Balakrishnan, who retired as Chief Justice of India last month, opposed the implementation of the Right to Information in the judiciary has damaged the image of the institution, according to rebellious judge D.V. Shylendra Kumar. In one of the strongest attacks by any judge across the country on Justice Balakrishnan, who is set to take over as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chief on Monday, Justice Kumar held him responsible for further eroding the faith of the people in the judiciary. “Justice Balakrishnan, in an adamant manner, not only refused to divulge information on the functioning of the Supreme Court on the administrative side, but also tried to stonewall the judicial opinion expressed by the Delhi High Court in holding it (SC) amenable to part with information under RTI,” he wrote on his blog. “This stubborn attitude greatly damaged the image of judiciary in the country, and the already eroding faith and confidence of the people in the judicial system only got further reduced in the wake of such an attitude on the part of the former CJI,” Justice Kumar wrote. The only active blogger judge in the country’s higher judiciary, Kumar, in an open letter to the country’s citizens, has also taken a dig at Supreme Court judges, saying the top court of India is one of the most powerful in the world but not necessarily correct.

The judge wanted to know if Justice Balakrishnan had the details of judges’ assets since 1997, when the judges of the top court passed a resolution to do so, and what prevented him from making these public the day after the announcement.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Court wants cover for pregnant women

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 5 — Three months before her delivery, 24-year-old Fatima, an illiterate labourer visited a MCD-run maternity centre for vaccination and to enquire about benefits she was entitled to. She got no response.

She gave birth to a child under a tree in full public view in the crowded Nizamuddin locality without any medical assistance. When civil rights NGOs brought this and another such incident to the attention of the Delhi High Court, a shocked judge said it only brought to fore serious deficiencies in implementation of a cluster of schemes meant to reduce infant and maternal mortality.

In a ground breaking judgment positively impacting the reproductive rights of millions of women in India, Justice S Muralidhar on Friday said the cases reveal the dissatisfactory state of implementation of the schemes that affect a large number of women and children elsewhere in the country. Under the court’s scanner are Janani Suraksha Yojana, Integrated Child Development Scheme the National Maternity Benefit Scheme, Antyodaya Anna Yojana and the National Family Benefit Scheme.

The court issued a series of directions to the Centre and Delhi Government to ensure that the benefits under these schemes are not denied to the beneficiaries. “These cases highlight the issue of protection and enforcement of the basic, fundamental and human right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

They focus on two inalienable survival rights that form part of the right to life: the right to health (which would include the right to access and receive a minimum standard of treatment and care in public health facilities) and in particular, the reproductive rights of the mother,” said Justice Muralidhar. The court asked the MCD and Delhi Government to jointly pay Fatima a compensation of Rs 50,000 for denial of basic maternity facilities.

An epileptic, all her medical expenses will also borne by the government.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Custodial death victim’s widow gets compensation

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 5 — The Delhi High Court has awarded a compensation of over Rs 6 lakh to the widow of a man tortured to death in Tihar Jail, three days after he was arrested. He was charged of “causing nuisance by consuming liquor in public”. Justice S. Muralidhar on Friday granted the compensation to Saroj Rani, the widow of Vinod Kumar, who died on June 12, 2007. “When such deaths occur, it is not only to the public at large that those holding custody are responsible, they are responsible also to the courts under whose orders they hold such custody,” the court said. The court told the Delhi government to deposit Rs 6.4 lakh for Kumar’s widow as fixed deposit in a nationalised bank. Kumar (25) was a sewage cleaner. “It was an admitted fact that Kumar was an alcoholic. That arduous, deplorable and undignified work as a sewage cleaner perhaps explains why Kumar had to take to drinking. It is not uncommon to find those working with sewage and with corpses in mortuaries to take to (liquor) to be able to cope with the repulsive and revolting nature of their work,” the court observed.

“A clear case of violation of the fundamental right has been made out,” said the judge.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Did Shivraj Patil ask Dikshit to delay Afzal Guru’s hanging?

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Sunday stopped short of denying that former home minister Shivraj Patil had asked her government to delay a decision on parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s hanging.

‘May be what you are thinking is true,’ Dikshit told a news channel when asked if Patil had asked her to keep the matter pending even if the home ministry sends frequent reminders.

Asked if there was any political pressure on the issue, the chief minister again refused a direct reply and said: ‘Political pressure was there and wasn’t there. I cannot say anything more on this.’

Dikshit was replying to questions on a show on Aaj Tak channel.

The city government was sitting over Guru’s file for almost four years and had got 16 reminders from the home ministry on the issue. It replied to the latest reminder in May, saying the matter was under ‘active consideration’.

The Delhi government while sending its comment on Guru’s death sentence May 19 had supported the hanging, but expressed apprehension that law and order could be ‘disturbed’ in the wake of his execution.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna Friday forwarded the parliament attack convict’s mercy petition file to the home ministry.

Khanna, to whom the file was rushed May 19 by the chief minister’s office, sent it to the ministry after ‘carefully studying’ it and giving his ‘personal comments’, a source in the Raj Bhavan told IANS.

The source said that the Supreme Court judgment, confirming Guru’s conviction and death sentence for masterminding the terror attack on parliament Dec 13, 2001 has not been opposed in the file sent to the home ministry.

Guru, a resident of Sopore town in the Kashmir Valley, was found guilty of plotting the attack and was sentenced to death by a trial court in December 2002. The Delhi High Court confirmed the death penalty in October 2003.

The Supreme Court also upheld the capital punishment given to him for his role in the attack. Guru’s wife Tabassum filed a mercy petition before the president after the apex court’s verdict.

As per the laid down procedure, the president sought the home ministry’s views on the mercy petition in 2005.

The procedure on mercy petition also requires the home ministry to seek comments of the state government in whose jurisdiction the crime, for which the death penalty is awarded to the convict, has been committed.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Indian Hockey Federation open to merger with ‘Hockey India’

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 6 (ANI): Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), the apex body of hockey in India is open to the idea of merging with a rival body for the revival of the sport in the country, IHF chief Kanwar Pal Singh Gill said on Sunday.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dissolved the IHF after allegations of bribery and in view of the poor on-field form of the Indian team. It had then erected a new body, viz ‘Hockey India’ (HI), to replace the IHF.

HI officials maintain that theirs is the sole hockey body in the country, which is recognized by the International Hockey Federation and Indian Olympic Association.

But Kanwar Pal Singh feels that a merger should take place, as the interest of the game was paramount.

Yes, why not. Basically the interest of hockey is paramount and we should make any compromise needed for that and we will do that,” said Kanwar Pal Singh Gill in national capital after annual general meeting of the IHF.

He also said that he would not contest forthcoming election of the body if the guidelines of the Sports ministry came into being.

According to new guidelines by the ministry a person can head a sports body only for three terms of four years each and a person over 70 years can”t contest election.

“We will follow the guidelines of the Sports ministry. I will not contest (the election),” Gill said. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Produce GCM documents of Samba spy case, Tribunal to Army

May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Armed Forces Tribunal on Monday asked the Army to produce court martial documents of five soldiers punished for their involvement in the over 30-year-old sensational Samba spy case.

In the case, around 50 personnel of 168 Brigade deployed along the Line of Control were punished after being accused of spying for Pakistan on the basis of statements of former gunners Sarwan Dass and Aya Singh.

The Tribunal Bench headed by Justice S S Kulshreshtha asked the Army to produce the general court martial (GCM) documents of gunners Banarasi Das, Milkhi Ram, Satpal, Harish Singh and Balkar Singh, who have served jail terms, before it by June 30.

The appeals of the soldiers who are seeking to get their names cleared were among the cases transferred from the High Court to the Tribunal after it was launched in August last year.

The Tribunal said failure to produce the documents would draw an “adverse inference” about Army’s contention in the case.

“This is the first time in over 30 years since the case came up that we would get to see the court martial documents. I am hopeful that this will make it easier for us to get justice,” counsel for the five gunners Deepak Bhattacharya said.

In the case of two other accused Captain A K Rana and Captain R S Rathore, whose pleas are still pending in the Supreme Court, the Tribunal said it would hear their case on September 7.

Rana said that he and Captain Rathore were cleared by the Delhi High Court in 2000, but the verdict was challenged by the Army in the Supreme Court.

After the HC verdict, they filed pleas seeking compensation for the jail term served by them which have also been transferred to the Tribunal.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Court orders panel on Delhi’s mobile phone towers

May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 31 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Monday ordered the central government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to form a panel and submit a report by Sep 15 on issues related to regulation of mobile phone towers.

Justice Kailash Gambhir said that the department of telecommunication and the MCD commissioner will constitute a committee consisting medical and technical experts and NGO representatives to look into health risk caused by illegal towers and the regulation policy for towers adopted in developed countries.

‘The secretary, telecommunication, and Commissioner, MCD, shall constitute a broad-based committee of technical and medical experts who can examine all these various studies and the technology and policy adopted by the developed countries in regulating the

installation of cellular towers and antennas,’ the court said.

Justice Gambhir said that till the time the court does not come up with a final decision on the matter, the telecom operators will deposit Rs.2 lakh per each illegal tower in the high court.

‘And if two mobile companies are sharing a tower, then an additional Rs.50,000 should be deposited,’ said Justice Gambhir, hearing a petition filed by cellphone operators against a sealing drive launched by the MCD against illegal towers.

The MCD sealing drive against illegal towers is on hold for now.

There are 5,364 mobile phone towers within the MCD’s jurisdiction in the city. Of these, as many as 2,952 have been declared illegal for having come up without the civic agency’s authorisation.

Under the revised MCD guidelines unveiled Feb 9, the licence fee to be paid by a telecom operator to the civic agency for installing a tower has been increased from Rs.1 lakh to Rs.5 lakh.

Cellular operators have, in their petition, termed the hike totally arbitrary and said: ‘The licence fee earlier was Rs.1 lakh for 20 years, which has now been increased to Rs.5 lakh for a period of five years. When the MCD increased the fees, did it make any arrangement to increase the facilities attached to the tower?’

The MCD has sealed about 300 towers in the past few months. But 41 were again made operational after the phone companies completed the formalities.

According to the civic agency, mobile operators who have set up towers illegally were given one month’s time to get these regularised. The deadline expired in the first week of May.

On the last date of hearing, the MCD informed the court that it is not ready to lower the licence fee.

The court May 13 restrained the MCD from sealing illegal mobile towers till May 24, while asking the civic agency to explain the grounds for hiking the licence fee.

The MCD had filed a detailed reply explaining the rationale behind the increase in the licence fee and said: ‘Our main concern is to regularise the towers as they are a great health hazard and public at large will suffer.’

But the court was not impressed with the MCD’s reply and said: ‘Your reply is not satisfactory and you failed to establish the correlation between the fee hike and the benefits linked to it.’

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Games workers’ welfare: HC gives govt a to-do list

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Describing the plight of the Commonwealth Games workers as a “complex human problem” arising from flouting of welfare provisions bound by law, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday drafted a five-point directive for the Delhi government along with other authorities and ordered for their time-bound execution.

The court, for the first time since the petition was taken up in January, also asked the government to draft an education scheme for the workers’ children, noting that illiteracy was the root of problems relating to their welfare.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Madan B Lokur decided to draw up rules for the authorities after observing that while registration of workers might have been in the process, there were thousands left.

“A complex human problem…travelled to the court pursuant to non-compliance with labour laws. There is a thin line between work and hunger. And a man in despair, unless compelled, does not complain,” observed the Bench.

The first directive to the Delhi government and agencies like the MCD, NDMC, DDA, DMRC, DIAL, PWD and CPWD, was to make “all possible” effort to register the maximum number of workers so that they were not deprived of statutory benefits. In its second point, the Bench held that providing identity cards was a must as it was also a way to avoid future unwarranted litigation.

“Passbooks (a booklet for registered workers carrying benefits like loan, insurance and medical cover among others) should also be given to all workers and the Labour department should monitor this. They must ensure that people working in this weather have food, clothing and shelter and live with dignity,” said the Bench.

The fourth directive regarding education for workers’ children came as the court took into account the widespread illiteracy among workers. After the government’s standing counsel Najmi Waziri apprised the Bench of its awareness drives, Justice Misra noted that the education level of the workers was such that they could not be expected to come forward to get registered and avail the welfare schemes. “An education scheme must be drafted. Their children must get education as illiteracy is the cause of several problems,” said Justice Misra.

The fifth directive asked the authorities to ensure medical facilities, along with benefits relating to maternity, death, accidents and insurance, after framing guidelines. The authorities have been asked to submit a report on their responses to the directives in the next month.

A report by the Monitoring Committee, appointed in accordance with the court directive in March, had revealed that 43 workers had died at Games construction sites, while thousands of others were deprived of minimum wages and other entitlements. The court had then asked the authorities to ensure compliance with the provisions relating to labour laws.

1 Register maximum workers 2 Providing identity cards to aviod legal complications later 3 Passbooks for registered workers, with Labour dept’s supervision4 Education for workers’ children5 Medical and other benefits for registered workers

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kalmadi now wants road tax cut, Govt says it’s fed up

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

After getting freebies of all kinds, the Organising Committee (OC) is now asking for exemption for their sponsors as well. In a new memorandum sent to the Delhi government, Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi has asked for VAT and road tax exemption for over 200 cars that they will get as sponsorship.

The OC has been holding dialogue with Maruti, Tata and Mahindra to get these cars. However, nothing has been finalised as yet. To make the deal more lucrative for them, the OC is asking for waiver on VAT while purchasing the cars and exemptions on road tax while registering it. This will cost the Delhi government nearly Rs 38 crore, said a senior finance official.

“Kalmadi has submitted a memorandum to us. Games organisers have pressed for such waivers quite regularly, claiming that it is our responsibility as the host state. Frankly, we are fed up of it now,” said a senior government official.

Kalmadi has also reminded the government of his pending request for waiving off 12.5 per cent VAT on all purchases made for the Games. They have also requested the government to provide food to volunteers during the fortnight of the Games.

The Delhi government is levying a flurry of taxes on Delhi residents to raise the Rs 1,300 crore more revenue required to fund the Games preparations. The government has also given close to Rs 250 crore as exemptions. Waiving luxury tax on hotels where participants will stay will alone cost the exchequer close to Rs 33 crore.

HC’s 5 directivesThe Delhi High Court on Wednesday drafted a five-point directive for the state for the benefit of Commonwealth Games workers. * Make “all possible” efforts to register maximum number of workers * Provide identity cards * Labour department to monitor issuance of passbooks * Provide education to as many children of the workers as possible * Assure medical facilities along with all other benefits

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

AI staff calls off strike as govt threatens action

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A section of Air India (AI) staff called off their strike late on Wednesday following a warning from the government of stern action and the Delhi High Court terming the agitation illegal earlier in the day. The two-day flash strike by the airline’s ground staff crippled the carrier’s operation with at least 130 flights either cancelled or delayed on Wednesday.

The high court has also restrained employees from going on strike from May 31, which the airline unions had decided to protest against delay in payment of salaries.

The National Aviation Company of India Ltd (Nacil), which runs Air India, is estimated to have lost about Rs 10 crore in the two-day flash strike. The airline has suspended 16 and sacked 17 employees with immediate effect in its bid to deal strongly with the employees.

“The employees’ demand was completely unreasonable. Their action has hugely damaged the airline’s reputation,” an Air India official said.

While the civil aviation minister Praful Patel gave free hand to the airline management to deal with striking employees, the Delhi High Court restrained Air India employees from continuing with the strike which caused losses to the airline and inconvenienced passengers.

Patel who apprised the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Cabinet of the situation at Air India called for strong and decisive action against employees.

“Absolutely irresponsible behaviour like this needs strong action. No one can take law into their own hands,” the minister told reporters.

Nearly 10,000 employees represented by Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU) resorted to a flash strike on Tuesday alleging that the company management was restricting their freedom of speech by issuing a ‘gag order’.

The airline management has denied that it issued any order stopping union members to air their views. The employee agitation came at a time when Air India struggled to come out of the fallout of an Air India Express flight crash which killed 158 passenger out of 166 in the weekend. Besides, the airline has been facing one of the worst financial crisis in its history with an accumulated loss of over Rs 12,000 crore.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Haj panel ruled ‘out’

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 26 — In a first, none of the top members of the Haj Committee of India, including its chairperson, will organise this year’s Haj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage, following a Delhi High Court order. The court on Wednesday struck down solicitor-general Gopal Subramanium’s appeal that the top brass be allowed to function so that Haj arrangements don’t suffer.

The court said the joint secretary in-charge of Haj in the external affairs ministry could temporarily oversee Haj arrangements instead. Annual Haj operations, a Rs 800-crore exercise, have been dogged by allegations of irregularities.

Subramanium appeared on behalf of Haj Committee chairperson Mohsina Kidwai, a Congress leader, and two of her deputies, all of who have been barred from functioning due to alleged irregularities in the Haj Committee’s elections. “They will not function till disposal of the writ petition (filed by al-Haram Khudamul Hujjaj, a Delhi-based Haj services society),” the Delhi High Court bench of Justices S.K. Kaul and Valmiki Mehta said.

The society had sought the court’s intervention, citing irregularities in the way Haj affairs were being run. “Various elections to the Haj Committee have been held without following rules under the Haj Act,” Tariq Siddiqui, lawyer appearing for the aggrieved party said.

The Haj Committee had declared Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai as chairperson elected on March 10, despite a court order that very day, stalling all elections. The Haj panel is a statutory body with 23 members – four are joint secretaries of ministries such as external affairs and civil aviation, who do not have voting powers.

Of the other 19, 10 are government nominees and nine elected according to the Haj Committee Act.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Probe MCD Scam: HC

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 27 — The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, directed the Delhi Police commissioner to probe the alleged scam of ‘ghost’ employees in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). A Division Bench asked the Delhi Police to complete the inquiry within two months and submit the report in court. The Bench discarded the report of the internal enquiry conducted by the MCD Commissioner which said the issue had been blown out of proportion and the blamed the new biometric attendance system for the discrepancies.

A PIL seeking a probe by an independent agency had alleged that 22,000 “gardeners” and “sweepers” existed as MCD employees only on paper and they were being paid salary.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

After rap, sports ministry tells Hockey India to put elections on hold

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The sports ministry on Tuesday asked Hockey India not to proceed with its elections, scheduled to be held in mid-June, until legal opinion was sought about the same. Last Friday, a Delhi High Court verdict restored administrative authority to the KPS Gill-led Indian Hockey Federation, slamming the sports ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for arbitrary suspension of the IHF and establishing Hockey India in 2008.

The ministry instructions have put Hockey India in a spot who, after initial bravado dismissed the verdict and insisted their right to govern hockey in the country, now have to rethink their future plans. “In the light of the High Court judgment in the matter of Indian Hockey Federation vs UOI & others, you are advised not to take further action with regard to holding of elections till the entire matter is examined in consultation with Ministry of Law,” the ministry letter, addressed to HI secretary Narinder Batra, states.

So far, in the absence of any official reaction from either the ministry or the IOA, Batra had been claiming that the IHF was a defunct body and HI, recognised by the international hockey federation (FIH), was the sole governing authority for hockey in India. “We are an autonomous body and recognised by the FIH. The high court order does not affect us and HI will continue working as usual,” Batra had said.

However, legal experts have already termed Hockey India as an illegal entity after the judgement. “What Batra seems to be forgetting is that the FIH recognition is subjective to recognition from the national Olympic committee; in this case, the IOA. Once the court verdict has termed the suspension of IHF illegal and restored it as the duly recognised body by the IOA, the very existence of HI is untenable,” advocate Rahul Mehra, at the forefront of trying to bring accountability to federations, said.

Also, while Batra had been claiming that elections to HI will be held in mid-June in the presence of a government observer and a retired judge as the returning officer, it is interesting to note that the sports ministry has already stated in court that they do not recognise the current set-up of HI.

“I have three separate affidavits by the sports ministry to the court, which clearly states that they do not recognise HI as the authority to run the sport. As on date, Batra can only claim recognition from FIH, which is again subject to recognition from the IOA. As a private entity, they can do anything; as a national sports federation, legally, Hockey India is an illegal body and any action by it would be termed illegal,” Mehra said.

A sports ministry official said: “We have written to Hockey India to ensure there is no violation of the court order. If they still continue to go ahead, we will not be a party to any action that will clearly be a contempt of court,” the official said.

FIH muddle

In fact, Hockey India’s position has become even more unenviable after an FIH letter which clearly states that elections have to be held on or before July 5. The letter, circulated just hours before the official communiqué from the ministry, states that, “… provided that elections are held on or before 5 July, 2010; thereafter Hockey India is and remains the sole governing body for hockey in India.”

Ministry officials claimed ignorance of the same and said that, “the FIH cannot unilaterally take a decision on this issue in contravention of court judgement. For one, their recognition is based on ours and IOA’s recognition; and secondly, they are not a party to the verdict but Hockey India is directly affected and can be hauled up,” officials said.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ministry seeks meeting with IOC president

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Sports Ministry has sought an early meeting with International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge to solve what it described as a “false situation of crisis” created by the Indian Olympic Association and various national sports federations.

In another letter to Rogge, Joint Secretary Injeti Srinivas asked for an immediate meeting to clear the air, adding that the government has not received copy of the IOC letter in which the world body threatened to take up the issue in its Executive Board meeting next nonth. “We are confident that the IOC will acquaint itself with the full facts before forming any view in the present case. We expect that our meeting with you can be scheduled early to enable a comprehensive appreciation of the entire matter,” Srinivas said.

Indirectly targetting IOA secretary general Randhir Singh, also an IOC member, the Ministry accused him of trying to mislead the committee. “It is unfortunate that the IOC member from India has not even cared to consult us before taking up this matter with you,” Srinivas said.

The Ministry also accused the IOA officials of creating this crisis only to protect their interests. “This an attempt to create a false situation of crisis, by a few interested persons, whose only aim is to protect their unduly long tenures in the IOA and the NSFs (National Sports Federations),” Srinivas said.

In the letter, the ministry also cited government sports regulations in countries like the USA and Malaysia to assert that ensuring accountability of NSFs was not a violation of the Olympic charter. It also alleged that being an IOC member and an Olympic Council of Asia General Secretary, Randhir is well aware of the regulations internationally but has kept the IOC in dark about the scenario in India.

“He is fully aware of the proceedings before the Delhi High Court, as IOA is a respondent, in the ongoing Public Interest Litigation. Further, as the Secretary General of OCA, he is conversant with the sports legislations of Malaysia and Sri Lanka,” the letter said. “However, it appears that IOC has not been apprised by him of the national (in this case Indian) perspective in its entirety, thereby exposing his conflict of interest as well, since he has been holding the post of Secretary General, IOA for over two decades,” Srinivas wrote.

The ministry said it has gone through the sports regulations in 30 countries before formulating the guidelines. “We have carefully studied sports regulations prevalent in more than 30 countries, including USA, France, Italy, Hungary, Mauritius, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. These countries have enacted sports legislations, which contain several mandatory provisions that their sports federations have to conform, to obtain recognition and financial support from the government,” the ministry letter added.

The ministry said instead of rejecting the guidelines, the IOA and NSF administrators should focus on preparing for the Commonwealth Games here this October. “The Government is providing full administrative and financial support to the Organising Committee for staging the Games successfully. It is critical that, at this time, all our sports bodies focus on the Games, which is their primary duty.”

Randhir refutes allegations

Meanwhile, Randhir Singh, when contacted, said there was no need for him to consult the government, adding that his visit to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne was to attend a couple of meetings and not to discuss the issue. “I’m rather surprised by the Ministry view that I should have discussed the issue with them. The Ministry did not consult us (IOA) before issuing the guidelines, why should we consult them?” Randhir said.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you can’t sack Raja, change his portfolio for fair probe: BJP to PM

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

From limited mandate to limited authority, the debate it seems is not ending. A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh firmly backed his embattled Telecom Minister, the BJP on Tuesday trained its guns at the PM saying he doesn’t have the “political authority” to sack A Raja and sought at least a change in the minister’s portfolio. While saying so, the main opposition party alluded to the coalition compulsions of Singh and the Congress given the fact he and his party have to keep ally DMK in good humour.

“We are aware of your limitations as far as political authority is concerned. You cannot dismiss A Raja. At least change his department so that a fair inquiry is done into allegations of corruption in allocation of 2G spectrum,” BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said. He criticised the Prime Minister for “virtually” giving a “clean chit” to Raja who he said had committed the “biggest fraud” by claiming that the TRAI had approved the policy on 2G auctions. Taking forward his party’s argument that “the Prime Minister evaded answers to crucial questions”, he said the PM was “conspicuously” silent on critical infrastructure-related issues.

He identified five areas � power sector, national highway projects, agriculture, Air India and BPL data � where he said the government was lagging behind or lacking clarity. While power generation is going down, the Planning Commission has lowered the target of constructing 20 km of highways a day set by Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath.

Same is the case with agriculture sector. Agriculture income is going down and inflation is having a serious impact on the sector. There is no clarity on the exact number of BPL families in the country as five different estimated numbers are being talked about which varies from 27.3 per cent to 77 per cent, he said.

HC rejects plea to monitor 2G probe

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition that requested it to monitor the CBI probe into the alleged role of Union Communications Minister A Raja in the 2008 sale of 2G spectrum licences.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice M B Lokur dismissed the petition filed by two city-based NGOs � Telecom Watchdog and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation. The court said it would be unfair to not show confidence in the CBI while it was still probing the issue.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sports Bar

May 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Churchill held by East Bengal

Churchill Brothers’ efforts to regain the second spot in the I-League got a jolt as East Bengal came from behind to hold them to a 2-2 draw in Margao. Churchill, who led 1-0 at halftime, scored through Odafe Okolie (37th) and Felix Chimaokwu (56th), while East Bengal fought back in the second half and scored through Mehtab Hossain (58th) and Sanju Pradhan (68th). The hosts remain in third place with 39 points, one behind Pune FC.

Chowrasia ends tied 34th

SSP Chowrasia shot an even par last round to end the BMW PGA Golf Championship at the Wentworth Club in England tied 34th. Despite an eagle and a birdie over the first four holes, Chowrasia’s three bogeys ensured that he only managed a 71 and take his aggregate score to three-over 287. Earlier, He had shot a five-over 76 on the third day to slip down.

HI elections soon, says Batra

The Delhi High Court’s verdict to set aside the government and IOA’s order to derecognise IHF is not a revival of the KPS Gill-led body and Hockey India will hold elections in June or early July, HI secretary general Narendra Batra said. “Hockey India now has 30 state/UT and four institutional/boards as members. These members consist of both men and women units in their respective states. All this is being done to have free, fair and transparent elections in June or early July, he said.

Bolt wins 200 in 19.76 sec

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt snatched victory in the 200m at the Diamond League meet in Shanghai on Sunday with a time of 19.76 seconds, his second win in as many races this season. He was never tested, finishing out in relaxed style ahead of Americans Angelo Taylor, who finished in 20.34 seconds, and Ryan Bailey with a time of 20.43 seconds. “It was a good run. The feeling was good but it was not easy,” Bolt said. “I am not in the best of shape, but I enjoyed it.”

Bayern extend Ribery contract

Bayern Munich announced Sunday that it had signed winger Franck Ribery to a new five-year contract. The German club said in a statement posted on their website that the extension will keep the France international at the club until 2015. The contract was signed on Saturday ahead of the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Madrid. Ribery missed the final because of suspension.

Lorenzo beats Rossi

Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo won the French MotoGP at Le Mans on Sunday to extend his world championship lead over Yamaha team mate Valentino Rossi to nine points. Lorenzo finished 5.67 seconds ahead of Italy’s world champion Rossi, who had started on pole position, with Italian Andrea Dovizioso grabbing third place for Honda on the last lap. It was Lorenzo’s second win in a row and completed a Yamaha hat-trick with Rossi winning the season-opener in Qatar in April.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hockey India’s claims meaningless, says Gill

May 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) K.P.S. Gill, president of the court-reinstated Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), Sunday trained his guns at Hockey India (HI) after the ad hoc body decided to go ahead with the election, and said whatever the HI does after the Delhi High Court order is ‘meaningless.’

HI secretary general Narinder Batra, who Saturday told IANS that the court judgement would not in anyway affect HI’s existence, reiterated his stand in a statement Sunday that the IHF was disaffiliated by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in 2000.

Gill, disagreeing with Batra, said the IHF was never disaffiliated by the international body.

‘It is completely wrong. The IHF was never disaffiliated by the FIH, only its name was changed to Indian Hockey Confederation (IHC),’ Gill told IANS Sunday.

Asked about HI getting ready to hold the election, Gill said: ‘Whatever they do is meaningless because there is something called the law of the land and it applies to everyone.’

‘I am told that there are a number of court cases against HI across the country. They have also been de-recognised by the government.’

‘Let us see what steps they take. We will do whatever is required,’ Gill said when asked whether the IHF would take legal course if the HI went ahead with the election.

Batra had told IANS Saturday that decks have been cleared for HI election in June or early July and the election notice will be issued in four-five days.

He said the Delhi High Court’s order to reinstate the IHF does not affect the functioning of the HI.

‘IHF was disaffiliated by the FIH in 2000 and the IHC was formed consisting of both men and women units. This was necessary since the FIH had made it clear that if both units are not merged as per the IOC Charter, India would not be allowed to participate in international events,’ Batra said.

‘The IHC was disaffiliated by the FIH in 2008 and the HI took over from the IHC in 2009. As of today it is only the HI which has the affiliation of the IOA, AHF and FIH.,’ Batra said.

‘The court order has no bearing on HI status as it is recognised by the FIH after it disaffiliated the IHF,’ Batra added.

‘The judgment deals with the fact that while suspending/ disaffiliating the IHF, the IOA and the sports ministry did not follow the course of natural justice. This issue can be best clarified by the IOA and the sports ministry as to how they plan to follow the course of natural justice again.’

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Enforcement Directorate to quiz Ketan Desai

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 21 (ANI): The former President of the Medical Council of India (MCI), Ketan Desai, will be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate from Friday for his alleged role in a bribery case involving over Rs 20 million.

The Enforcement Directorate that has booked Desai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act was earlier granted permission by the court to interrogate him.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Desai on April 22 for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs two crore to give permission to a Punjab medical college to recruit a fresh batch of students without having requisite infrastructure.

Besides Desai, three other accomplices, middleman Jitendar Pal Singh, Kamaljeet Singh, a faculty member of Gyan Sagar Medical College, and the college”s Vice Chairman Sukhvinder Singh, were also arrested.

CBI also conducted raids in Punjab and Gujarat to trace Desai”s other associates and the assets he has acquired.

This is not the first time Desai has been accused of corruption.

In 2001, he had stepped down as MCI president after the Delhi High Court indicted him on corruption charges. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Delhi Municipal Corporation asked to explain rationale behind raising mobile tower installation fee

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 19 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought an explanation from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for raising charges for allowing mobile operators to install towers.

The MCD had raised the charges from Rs one lakh to Rs five lakh.

The High Court in its order restrained the MCD and asked it to file a reply within two days.

On May 13, the High Court had restrained the MCD from sealing illegal mobile phone towers in the national capital after the mobile operators challenged the decision to hike the charges.

The mobile operators had contended that the MCD’s decision was arbitrary and without any sound basis.

The MCD had started sealing of illegal mobile phone towers after the deadline for operators to apply for regularization by paying the hiked amount had expired.

The MCD had said out of 5,364 towers in the city, only 2,412 have requisite permission and the remaining 2,952 were illegal.

Earlier, the MCD had sealed over 300 illegal towers and given several deadlines to the tower operators to apply for regularization in keeping with new guidelines.

On February 9, the MCD had brought in a new policy on mobile towers. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts