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| Jurists stress
need to retain Article 356 NEW DELHI, Oct 31: Though Article 356 has been much abused and maligned for conferring on the centre the power to dismiss duly elected State Governments, most eminent jurists . . ...more Tiananmen Square closed for repairs BEIJING, Oct 31: Tiananmen Square, the vast plaza that was the site of massive 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations, will be closed for repairs ahead of. . ..more Haryana CM assures continuous power at subsidised rate CHANDIGARH, Oct 31: Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal today said round-the-clock power would be available in the state by July next and farmers would continue. ....more Spurious liquor claims 6 lives SHRINAGAR (GARHWAL), Oct 31: Six people died and 14 others fell ill after consuming spurious liquor in Manjyari village near Chamba in Tehri Garhwal district yesterday. . ... more Youth hacks mother to death, drinks here blood GUWAHATI, Oct 31 : A youth hacked to death his mother and drank her blood near Kalaigaon in Darrang district yesterday, police today said...more |
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Fall of
Vajapayee Govt "imminent" says Mulayam LUCKNOW, Oct 31 : Rashtriya Loktantri AIPWA demands resignation PATNA, Oct 31: All India Progressive Women Association (AIPWA) has demanded resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi for her alleged failure to contain the rising incidents of rape in the state....more Election expenditure JAIPUR,
Oct 31 :
Election expenditure in Rajasthan per voter in the
Assembly elections has registered a 14-fold increase in
the past 46 years...more MUMBAI,
Oct 31 : Well
known script writer Salim Khan, father of film star
Salman Khan, who is accused of keeping endangered species
in captivity at his farm house at panvel was interrogated
by Deputy Conservator of Forests......more NEW DELHI, Oct 31: The nation today paid homage to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 14th death anniversary...more |
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| Jurists stress
need to retain Article 356 NEW DELHI, Oct 31: Though Article 356 has been much abused and maligned for conferring on the centre the power to dismiss duly elected State Governments, most eminent jurists stress the need to retain this constitutional provision in aid of national integrity. Participating in a panel discussion on "Article 356 - Bommai and after" organised by the Indian Law Institute here last evening, senior advocates, including former Delhi High Court Chief Justice Rajinder Sachar and former Attorney General Ashok Desai, said the Article was often used for political purposes to topple "inconvenient Governments" of rival parties. While this had increasingly led to calls for abrogation of Article 356, "abolishing the provision would not be doing justice to the integrity of the Indian union," Mr Desai said. Senior advocate and former MP M C Bhandare also stressed how Article 356 had been used to bring back states from the brink of secession. "This is one provision which has brought states back from the bullet to the ballot. There is no question of abrogating it," he added. Senior counsel P P Rao also felt that instead of a discussion on Article 356, there was a need for a national debate on the mode of appointment of Governors whose "biased reports" can result in dismissal of Governments. Justice Sachar however differed from this view and felt that the role of Article 356 in protecting the country’s integrity was being over-played. The Central Government had adequate authority under Article 352 and its defence powers to protect national unity whereas Article 356 was used only for partisan ends, he added. Recalling the dismissal of the Namboodiripad Government in Kerala, among the first uses of Article 356, Justice Sachar said the State Government was dismissed despite Pandit Nehru declaring that there was no breakdown of the constitutional machinery and the Government would stay. Pandit Nehru was overruled by his own party president and daughter Indira Gandhi who was in favour of dismissing the Namboodiripad Government. "If Pandit Nehru could not resist the misuse of Article 356, no one else can," Justice Sachar added. One possible way of preventing the misuse of Article 356 was to get a prior ratification from Parliament for its imposition in a state, he suggested. Also, the recommendation to the President should be for dissolution of the State Assembly and not for suspended animation, Justice Sachar said. "Putting the Assembly an suspended animation is only an invitation to MLAs to defect to the other side," he added. Mr Desai felt that since there was often a "political flavour" to the Union Cabinet’s recommendation to the President to dismiss a State Government, the President will have to be more careful in scrutinising the advice. The President has to apply his mind and caution the Union Council of Ministers against any misuse of the Article, he added. The Supreme Court ruling in the Bommai case, holding that the use of Article 356 was open to judicial review was a welcome decision, senior counsel Rao said. Misuse of the Article could be further prevented by ensuring that Governors were not political appointees and were instead selected by an independent multi-member committee, he added. (UNI) |
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| Tiananmen Square
closed for repairs BEIJING, Oct 31: Tiananmen Square, the vast plaza that was the site of massive 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations, will be closed for repairs ahead of next year’s 50th anniversary of the founding of Communist China. During the seven-month face-lift, the cement paving of the square will be replaced by granite and lighting systems and fountains will be improved, the state-run newspaper People’s Daily reported today. It said that although the area would be closed, visitors could still view the popular daily flag-raising ceremony from across Changan Avenue, the Boulevard that borders the northern edge of the square. The project is to be finished by the end of next May, the report said. Tiananmen Square is at the heart of downtown Beijing, bordered by ancient imperial palaces, the national legislature and other landmarks. From Tiananmen gate, to the north, revolutionary leader Mao Tse-Tung proclaimed the founding of the people’s republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949. Periodically,
Beijing’s residents have gathered in the square in
celebration or in protest, as in 1989, when student-led
demonstrators camped in the plaza for weeks demanding
democratic political reforms.(AP) Greeting the people on the occasion of Haryana day tomorrow, the Chief Minister in a message here said his Government had taken effective steps to transform the economy of the state to raise socio- economic status of the people. Irrigation water was now available at the tail-end of canals, old age pension was being distributed by the 7th of every month, Punjabi had been declared the second language and the Lok Pal bill was passed by the state assembly. Financial assistance to ex-servicemen had been increased, tax structure rationalised and honorarium of village chowkidars enhanced. Pay scales of Government employees in the state had been revised on the pattern of the recommendations of the fifth pay commission besides enhancing their allowances. Mr Bansi Lal said that Rs 681 crore had been spent on various schemes of irrigation, drainage and flood control during 1996-97 and 1997-98. He said a Rs 220-crore master plan was being prepared to save the state from the onslaught of floods and the problem of seepage. Work on the Hathni Kund Barrage would be completed by June next and the state would get more water, he said. A power reform project had
been initiated the measure would not result in hike in
power tariff, he said, adding neither any staff member of
the erstwhile Haryana State Electricity Board had been
retrenched nor its assets sold as was being alleged by
opposition leaders. (UNI) The killer brew was consumed on the occasion of Durga Puja yesterday, a report received here today said. The seriously ill have been admitted in Mashihi hospital and P.H.C. in Chamba town. The bodies of the deceased Havar post mortem, police said in Chamba. (UNI) |
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| Youth hacks mother to death, drinks here
blood GUWAHATI, Oct 31 : A youth hacked to death his mother and drank her blood near Kalaigaon in Darrang district yesterday, police today said. Basundhar Deka attacked his aging mother from behind with a sharp weapon, killing her on the spot. He then drank her blood. The youth, suspected to be mentally deranged, was arrested. (UNI) |
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| Fall of Vajapayee Govt
"imminent" says Mulayam LUCKNOW, Oct 31 : Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM) president Mulayam Singh Yadav today said the fall of the Vajpayee Government was "imminent" and that an alternative government would succeed it soon after the November 25 Assembly polls. A "fool proof plan" was being worked out for installing the alternative government, Yadav, who had a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi at New Delhi on Thursday, told a press conference here. Yadav refused to divulge what transpired at his meeting with Sonia Gandhi saying there was nothing special about the meeting as he had met her often in the last a few months. He sought to scotch speculations in the media that some "concrete talks" had been held by him with Sonia Gandhi on the current political situation. He gave a call for Uttar Pradesh bandh on November 9 to protest the state government’s "failure" to check sprawling prices of essential commodities and alleged killing of his party men in fake encounters by the Kalyan Singh Government. He asked his party men to "wage a war" for dislodging the Kalyan Singh Government, which, he said, was "insensitive" to the people’s problems. Yadav accused the centre of meting out step-motherly treatment to non-BJP ruled states and criticised the Central Ministers for suggesting that the recommendation for imposing President’s rule on Bihar be again sent to the President. "Recommendations for imposing President’s rule has been made for Bihar, but what about Uttar Pradesh?" he asked and alleged that the law and order in Uttar Pradesh was so poor that the police were putting even infants behind bars. Yadav, who was here to attend the state executive committee meeting of his party, criticised the centre and U P governments for their "failure to control spiraling prices" of essential commodities. "Instead of making earnest efforts to control the prices some U P Ministers are making irresponsible statements", he said referring to a Minister’s reported observation that use of onion was not essential if it as costly. ADA also lashed out at the U P Government for its reported move to abolish the provision for reservation in the appointment of professors in engineering colleges. "This is the beginning of doing away with the recommendations of the Mandal Commission", he said. (PTI) |
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| AIPWA demands resignation of Rabri Devi PATNA, Oct 31: All India Progressive Women Association (AIPWA) has demanded resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi for her alleged failure to contain the rising incidents of rape in the state. Talking to newsmen here yesterday AIPWA national secretary Saroj Choubey described it as unfortunate that the rapists were moving freely after committing crimes even as the state is ruled by a woman Chief Minister. She also blamed the Centre for not bringing a legislation which awards capital punishment to the rapists. She said the Centre should implement its electoral promise by tabling in the winter session of Parliament, a bill seeking capital punishment to those found guilty of rape. She said that AIPWA would create special squads represented by the common people to pressurise the police force to act swiftly in all cases of sexual assault and provide security to girls. Ms Choubey said that AIPWA would observe "Sharam (Shame) Diwas" all over the state tomorrow to register its protest against the rising incidents of rape. She said a demonstration would be held outside Parliament to pressurise the Centre. (UNI) |
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k Morcha (RLM) president Mulayam Singh Yadav
today said the fall of the Vajpayee Government was
"imminent" and that an alternative government
would succeed it soon after the November 25 Assembly
polls...