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7 Buddhist pilgrims RAJGIR (BIHAR), Nov 5: Seven Buddhist pilgrims were killed and 25 others injured, five of them seriously, when a tourist bus plunged into a river .......more Unaided
private NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Giving a free hand to private educational institutions to frame their fee structure, the Supreme Court has ruled that any .....more Cong has always shown interests in SGPC polls AMRITSAR, Nov 5: The Congress has always criticised the Akalis for their religio-political policies but, going back to the past, there have been ample .....more |
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SP to go to people’s court over Governor’s decisions LUCKNOW, Nov 5: Accusing the UP Governor of showing "utter disregard" to constitutional norms, Samajwadi Party today threatened to take the issue .....more One
killed, 27 injured CHAPRA, Nov 5: One person was killed and 27 were injured, five of them seriously, when the Gwalior-Barauni Express crashed into the stationary ........more HC
asks Govt to NEW DELHI, Nov 5: The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to reconsider a report by an expert commitee favouring relaxation of rules regarding......more |
7 Buddhist pilgrims killed, 25 injured RAJGIR (BIHAR), Nov 5: Seven Buddhist pilgrims were killed and 25 others injured, five of them seriously, when a tourist bus plunged into a river near Banganga in Bihar’s Nalanda district early today, police said. Sources said the accident took place when the driver lost control over the vehicle near Banganga under Rajgir police station while going to Bodh Gaya from Rajgir, a key Buddhist pilgrim centre, killing seven pilgrims on the spot. Of the injured, five were shifted to Patna Medical College Hospital in critical condition, they said, adding others were being treated at nearby hospital. The victims were members of Buddhist Society of India, founded by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. A report from Nalanda district police headquarters said 63 Buddhist pilgrims were travelling on the ill-fated bus. The bus bears the registration number of Maharashtra. They said the accident took place when the driver of the bus lost control over the vehicle while trying to save a stray cattle on the road. Nalanda district magistrate Hukum Singh Meena and Superintendent of Police Amit Lodha along with other district civil and police officials have reached the accident site. (PTI) |
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Unaided private educational institutions free to fix fee: SC NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Giving a free hand to private educational institutions to frame their fee structure, the Supreme Court has ruled that any Governmental interference in the same would undermine the independence of the institutions. "The decision on the fee to be charges must necessarily be left to the private educational institution that does not seek or is not dependent upon any funds from the Government," an 11-judge bench headed by Chief Justice B N Kirpal said in the landmark majority judgement pronounced recently. A private unaided institution should have maximum autonomy in the day-to-day administration as "bureaucratic or Governmental interference in the administration of such an institution will undermine its independence," Justice Kirpal said, writing the majority judgement. The CJI wrote the judgement for himself and for Justice G B Pattanaik, Justice S Rajendra Babu, Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice P V Reddi and Justice Arijit Pasayat. However, the bench said as opening of educational institutions were for the purpose of charity, the fee charged could not amount to profiteering. It also said that for the purpose of ensuring educational excellence, the Government could frame guidelines even for private unaided educational institutions. The bench said "we, however, wish to emphasize one point, and that is that inasmuch as the occupation of education is, in a sense, regarded as charitable, the Government can provide regulations that will ensure excellence in education, while forbidding the charging of capitation fee and profiteering by the institution." Since the object of setting up educational institutions was by definition "charitable", it was clear that these institutions could not charge such a fee as was not required for the purpose of fulfilling that object, Justice Kirpal said. "To put it differently, in an establishment of an educational institution, the object should not be to make profit, inasmuch as education is essentially charitable in nature," the Chief Justice said. However, there could be a reasonable revenue surplus, which could be generated by the educational institution for the purpose of development of education and expansion of the institution, the court said. Emphasizing the value of merit, Justice Kirpal said for admission into any professional college, whether aided or unaided, "merit must play an important role". "While it may not be normally possible to judge the merit of the applicant who seeks admission into a school, while seeking admission to a professional institution and to become a competent professional, it is necessary that meritorious candidates are not unfairly treated or put at a disadvantage by preferences shown to less meritorious but more influential applicants," the Chief Justice said. (PTI) |
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Cong has always shown interests in SGPC polls AMRITSAR, Nov 5: The Congress has always criticised the Akalis for their religio-political policies but, going back to the past, there have been ample instances wherein the Congress played a ‘behind-the-curtain’ role to influence the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandik Committee (SGPC) annual presidential or even the general polls. The same role seems to have been adopted by the Congress party under Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to ensure the defeat of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) headed by Parkash Singh Badal which initially had the support of 120 members amongst the 176 which have the voting right in the general House. At least twenty to twenty-five members have been influenced from certain quarters and they have openly declared that they would vote as per their ‘Zameer’ (conscious). Prominent amongst these members who have raised the banner of revolt are former SGPC general secretary Mal Singh Ghuman and Partap Singh advocate who even held an ‘Ardas’ before the ‘Akal Takht’ and even went to the extent of accusing Mr Badal of denegrating Sikh values and traditions. Another prominent member who raised the banner of revolt was Mohinder Singh Ramana, a close confidant of Mr Badal. The accusations of the Congress interfering in the affairs of the Sikhs and the SGPC have not only come from SAD quarters but also from Akali Dal (Amritsar) president and Lok Sabha member Simranjit Singh Mann, who has gone on record of claiming that the Punjab Government was helping Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD) chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra’s group to win the November 12 annual presidential elections, which would also elect two vice-presidents and a general secretary. Though in the 1996 annual general elections of the SGPC, the then Congress Government did not play any role or interfere in the election process, one of its members Jagtar Singh Multani, who was also an MLA was elected to the SGPC general house. It is a well known fact that in the 1978 SGPC general elections, the Congress Government under the then Chief Minister Darbara Singh took keen interest in the elections with the motive to ensure the defeat of the then united Akali Dal. The Congress indirectly extended support to the candidates put-up by supporters of Jarnail Singh Bhinderwala against the official Akali candidates. However, the Bhindrawala supporters could win only nine odd seats and even lost the prestigious beas seat where Amrik Singh, the then All India Sikh Students Federation president and close confidant of Bhindrawala, tasted defeat at the hands of late Jiwan Singh umranangal. According to SGPC historical facts till 1955, a number of Congressmen who were then in the Akali party contested the SGPC polls and even emerged victorious. Prominent amongst these was Giani Kartar Singh who joined the Congress in 1960 and became a minister in the Partap Singh Kairon ministry. Then there was Sohan Singh Jalalusman who too was a SGPC member and later joined the Congress and became minister. The other Akali SGPC members who later became Congress MLAs included Mohan Singh Nagoke, who was the SGPC president from 1944 to 1948 and later became MLA, Waryam Singh and Sikander Singh. However, the first direct interference in the presidential polls of the SGPC was in 1958 when, through the indirect support of Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon, Prem Singh Lalpura defeated Akali stalwart Master Tara Singh. In 1960, the Congress influenced certain Akali leaders of the Majha belt who formed the ‘Saad Sangat Board’ and contested the SGPC presidential polls. But, much to the surprise of the then Congress leaders, they were humbled by Master Tara Singh. Another little known fact is that the Communists too contested the SGPC general elections, once in 1955 to win 21 seats and even had one of their members elected as the senior vice president of the SGPC. Thereafter the Communist never entered the SGPC poll arena. (UNI) |
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Assets will be declared: Hanspal PHAGWARA, Nov 5: Punjab Congress president H S Hanspal today asserted that the State Government will fulfill in letter and spirit all the promises made in Congress poll manifesto, including the declaration of assets by party MLA’s in its five year rule. Talking to newsmen here, he said that whosoever was corrupt should be booked. In reply to a question as to whether only Akalis were corrupt and that other partymen including Congressmen were all clean, he said. No action should be taken agaisnt anybody without solid proof. The Government had not arrested all akalis and had taken action against only those against whom there was a strong case, he said. ‘I am against any witch hunt and there was no witch hunt at all’, he claimed. When told that Akalis were raising hue and cry about it and were launching ‘Jail Bharo’ from November 15, Hanspal said that Akalis filled ‘Jeibhs’ (pockets) through corruption when in power and talked of filling ‘Jails’ when out of power. However, this time there Jail Bharo Morcha was destined to flop because it was aimed at saving the skins of corrupt elements, he predicted. When pointed that why Government had not taken action against ‘tainted’ Congressmen indicted by Lok Pal, Hanspal retorted as to way the previous Parkash Singh Badal Government had not done so because the so-called indictment had taken place during the Badal regime. Moreover, the Governor had exonerated such Congress leaders including R K Bhattal, he asserted. When asked whether Amarinder Singh Government suffered from Badal phobia as the Government was not addressing development issues, Hanspal said development was going on speedily. Diversification of crops was the biggest challenge before the Government and efforts about it had already begun, he claimed. Contract farming had started this week and horticulture will be started soon to free farmers from the debt trap that Badal Government had landed them in, he said. About 60-55 overhead bridges had been approved, he said. ‘I emphatically declare as state party president that the Congress had nothing to do with any religious institution of any faith, he it Sikh, Hindu, Christian or Muslim body’, Hanspal said. The truth was other way round as Badal had been meddling in sgpc affairs during his Chief Ministership by dictating selection of SGPC president through a ‘Parchi’ and was doing so even now by holding the SGPC members captive in Haryana and vainly inviting cental observers for the poll of the body on November 12, he alleged. On cabinet expansion, Hanspal said that basically he was for it but it was being withheld due to financial straits. Its immediate expansion will send wrong message due to bad economic condition of state, he argued. (PTI) |
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Indo-Russian Joint Council meeting starts today BANGALORE, Nov 5: The eleventh session of the integrated long term programme of cooperation in science and technology between India and Russia, considered to be the flagship international programme of the country, will begin here tomorrow. The two-day session was jointly initiated at the apex level in 1987 by the erstwhile Soviet Union and India. However, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, it was continued as a programme between India and Russia. The Russian delegation which arrived in New Delhi today appraised Union Minister for Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi on the technological development in the Russian federation and bilateral scientific cooperation between the two countries. Considering the benefit which had accrued from the programme and the vast potential available, the two countries signed an agreement in October 2000 extending the programme for another decade with a focus on technology transfer. The Indian delegation at the talks would be led by Prof C N R Rao, heading the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, while the Russian delegation would be headed by academician G I Marchuk. More than 200 projects have been completed under the joint initiative so far and another 140 were under various phases of implementation, according to an official release here. Some of the major achievements of the bilateral programme included setting up of centre for excellence for biotechnology in Allahabad, Russian-Indian Centre for Advanced Computing Research in Moscow, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and new materials in Hyderabad and Bharat Immunological and Biological Corporation in Bulandshar. In March this year, a Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of Russian-Indian Centre for Ayurvedic Research was signed between the Department of Science and Technology and Russian Academy of Sciences. Benaras Hindu University, State Federal Institution Russian Scientific Centre of Recovery Medicine and Balneology of the Ministry of Public Health of the Russian Federation have been identified as coordinating agencies for the project. Some of the important projects under the ILTP includes integration of Russian seismic sensors with Indian digital recorders and stationing them at various Indian Meteorological Department sites for field observation. Installation field trials of a special press for synthesis of WBN-CBN (boron nitrade) composite cutting tools was another important project. The Joint Council meting would consider 80 new proposals besides reviewing various ongoing projects. It would also hold policy-level discussions to further advance bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The Indian side would include Union Secretary for Science and Technology V S Ramamurthy, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K Kasturirangan, Secretary Department of Atomic Energy Anil Kakodkar, CSIR Director General R A Mashelkar, Union Secretary for Biotechnology Manju Sharma and Indian National Science Academy President M S Valiathan. The Russian delegation includes F A Kuznetsov, Director Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Novosibirsk and a number of senior academicians and scientists. The Council, which meets once in 18 months, had its previous sitting at Chernoyolvka in Russia in June last year. (UNI) High-level defence delegation leaves for Paris NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Defence Secretary Subir Dutta today left for Paris legation for wide-ranging talks on a multi-million dollar Indo-French armament deal to manufacture frontline scorpene submarines in India. Dutta, whose team includes Army Chief-designate Lt Gen N C Vij, Vice Chiefs of the two other services vice Air Marshal S G Inamdar and Vice Admiral John De-Silvia, Secretary, Defence Finance, Biswajit Banerjee and Special Secretary, Acquisition, Dhirendra Kumar would visit the DCN International Submarine Lines to hold talks on reopening submarine assembly lines at Mazagoan Docks in Mumbai, official sources said. Scorpene is a medium-sized new generation submarine developed jointly by the French DCN International and Izar of Spain. The submarine combines a new generation combat system and integrated platform management system making the design ideal for mission ranging from anti-surface warfare as well as anti-submarine warfare to special operations and intelligence gathering. The French company is also offering collaboration in India’s indigenous air defence ship project, which after the design finalisation, is ready to take off in a big way, according to top naval officials here. Naval officials said India was still looking at Russian Amur Class submarines as the other major submarine component in the 30-year plan. The delegation would take part in the three-day fifth meeting of the Indo-French high committee on defence set up in 1988 following the visit to India of President Jacques Chirac. "This meeting will take up strategic, military and armaments issue", a French Embassy official said. The meeting would be held from November 6 to 8. The delegation which includes H C Gupta, Additional Secretary of Defence Production, K C Prashar, eminent DRDO scientist, and Gautam Mukhopadhyaya, Joint Secretary in the ministry would also go to the Dassult Aircraft Assembly plant during its week-long visit. India has recently concluded a deal with the giant French aircraft company for acquisition of 10 more Mirage-2000 fighters. The company has offered New Delhi its upgraded Mirage 2000-V as well as the naval version of the rafale fighter. Dassault, whose high-level delegation was here recently, along the line of the DCN-international had offered to set up Mirage-2000 Assembly lines in India. (PTI) Dice heavily loaded against dissidents: Legal experts LUCKNOW, Nov 5: With dissident BJP MLAs set to finalise their strategy tomorrow in the stand off with the party leadership in Uttar Pradesh, legal luminaries today said the dice is heavily loaded against them in view of the existing laws and court orders on actions of party rebels. "The existing laws and directives of the Supreme Court and the Mumbai High Court clearly show that the law seems to be not in favour of the dissident legislators", Advocate General of the State S C Mishra told PTI. Legal experts say if the dissident BJP legislators do not have the required numbers in their rank to effect a defection as per anti-defection law, and if any legislator acts against the whip of the party he can be disqualified. Various court orders clearly state that a disqualified legislator cannot effectively participate in the proceedings of the Assembly, they say. Quoting the interim order passed by the Supreme Court on a special leave petition filed by NCP legislators, disqualified by Maharashtra Assembly Speaker for their alleged anti-party activities, Mishra said the court allowed them to sit in the house and attend the proceedings so that they are not disqualified on account of non-attendance of the required numbers of days in the house. Even a Mumbai High Court order says that to rebel against the Government tantamounts to leaving the party and to assist in defeating the Government is to risk the coming into office of opposition, Mishra said. "The dice is heavily loaded against the dissidents as they are not likely to get succour from the law", he said. The dissident BJP leaders too are aware of this legal lacunae therefore in their memorandum to Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri they have not written that they are withdrawing support to the Government. The Governor said the 12 BJP legislators had only voiced lack of faith in the Mayawati Government. The spokesman of the save BJP committee Ramashish Rai said they were aware of the legal position. "We are not exactly on the wrong side of the law" since the apex court gave a reprieve to the disqualified NCP legislators. Meanwhile, Kovid Kumar, a dissident who alongwith Rai has been suspended from BJP, claimed "we have enough numbers. Just wait for few days, the haze will clear soon". Speaker of UP Assembly Kesri Nath Tripathi, who would play an important role if any legislator has to be disqualified, said his role will start once a petition for disqualification is brought before him. "Till then I am a spectator of this drama", he said. (PTI) |
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