|
|
Genuine criticism could not be silenced: Justice Anand CHENNAI, Nov 23: Supreme Court Chief Justice A S Anand has said....more
Priority will be given to boost IT: Deshmukh TIRUPATI, Nov 23: Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today ....more
Karunanidhi dares TMC to approach Governor on corruption charge CHENNAI, Nov 23: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister....more |
 |
Jethmalani for pressure against countries protecting criminals NEW DELHI, Nov 23: Law Minister Ram Jethmalani today favoured creating ....more
Fruits, vegetable
cultivation LUDHIANA, Nov 23: Punjab Government is considering hiring the services ......more Stone sculptor wins American award CHANDIGARH, Nov 23: Nek Chand Saini, who had created world famous ...more Ajit seeks reorganisation NEW DELHI, Nov 23: Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajit Singh, MP, today....more |
 |
Genuine criticism could not be silenced: Justice Anand CHENNAI, Nov 23: Supreme Court Chief Justice A S Anand has said genuine criticism could not be silenced by threats of contempt of court. Delivering the Mr Justice Sathiadev Memorial lecture here yesterday, Mr Justice Anand said such threats were no answer to genuine criticism on the functioning of courts. There was greater awareness on the part of people of their rights, who were also conscious of the strength and shortcomings of the different human institutions. "Many of us in the world of law are rather allergic to criticism. We need to change this mental attitude", he added. If weaknesses had crept into the judicial system, they could not be brushed under the carpet nor could criticism be silenced by threats of contempt of court, he said. Mr Justice Anand said reverence for courts to be real and spontaneous had to be earned through the test of truth. If weaknesses and drawbacks have crept into the system, they need to be set right. Talking of the drawbacks does not not mean underestimating the importance of the system. He said there was no office which was so powerful and yet so defenceless as that of a judge. This highlighted the need to exercise restraint over any wild and general criticism of the judiciary. It was the rule of law that sustains democracy. The judiciary has been given the task of maintaining this rule of law. This could be done by impartial, independent and competent judges. "We must be accountable and must ensure that our actions are transparent. We could not not adopt an uncritical attitude towards ourselves nor refrain from constant evaluation of how well we fulfill our task", he added. Mr Justice Anand said "before we set standards of morality and behaviour for others, we in the judiciary must be able to demonstrate that we follow the same". He said in these days where so much hope and trust was placed on the judiciary, it was quite natural that judges would be watched and evaluated to see whether they were trustworthy guardians of life, law and liberty. He said public confidence was not acquired overnight. "It was placed brick by brick to make the edifice of judiciary. We, as inheritors and keepers of this public trust, must pass it on by enhancing and not not diminishing it." He said Lok Adalats provided a statutory forum for the litigant public to resolve their disputes through negotiated settlements. In this year itself, about 900,000 cases have been settled through Lok Adalats throughout the country. Earlier, he unveiled the portrait of Mr Justice T Sathiadev, who retired as an officiating Chief Justice of Madras High Court on January 25, 1990 and passed away on July 26 last. (UNI) |
|
Priority will be given to boost IT: Deshmukh TIRUPATI, Nov 23: Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said priority would be given to boost information technology in the state which had a share of 30 per cent in software exports. Mr Deshmukh, who is on a two-day pilgrimage to Tirumala, abode of Lord Venkateswara, told newsmen here that the state had all the expertise in information technology. The main problem faced by the Government was bankruptcy as large chunks of revenue was being spent to clear the annual interest amounting to more than 7000 crores. To salvage the state from bankruptcy, more funds had to be mobilised, besides implementing income generating programmes, he added. The Chief Minister held a meeting with Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive Officer I V Subba Rao and Tirupati District Collector R Krishnaiah, to finalise the allotment of a site near Alipiri for construction of a "Maharashtra Bhavan" to cater to the needs of pilgrims from that state. In lieu, the Maharashtra Government would assign land to the TTD at Mumbai for setting up its information centre. Earlier, he offered worship at the Lord Venkateswara and Tiruchanur temples. (UNI) |
|
Karunanidhi dares TMC to approach Governor on corruption charge CHENNAI, Nov 23: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today challenged the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) in the Assembly to seek the Governor’s sanction for prosecuting him and Highways Minister T Kiruttinan for an alleged mega-scandal in the construction of Highway bridges. Replying to the debate on the first supplementary estimates for 1999-2000, Karunanidhi said unlike the previous regime, his Government did not interfere with the functioning of the Governor, and the opposition was free to move the Raj Bhavan for sanction to prosecute him. Let the Governor sanction our prosecution, we are ready to face the court, let us see you establish whether Kiruttinan or I had done something wrong, he told leader of the Opposition S Balakrishnan, who had earlier charged that a larges-cale scam had taken place in awarding of contract for building 106 bridges on Highways in the State. Referring to Balakrishnan’s challenge to the Highways Minister to take on his party MP Peter Alphonse in a televised debate on the irregularities, the Chief Minister said this was not a contest for the US presidency. Alphonse may win the debate because he has a better personality, but if truth is the criterion, the Minister will win hands down, he said. Karunanidhi also took exception to Balakrishnan’s charge that the ‘abnormal’ price of cement had something to do with the Chief Minister’s alleged proximity with India Cements Chairman N Srinivasan. Earlier, Kiruttinan refuted Balakrishnan’s charge that the Government had awarded contracts for building bridges at excessive rates, far more than the actual cost per metre. He said the TMC was going around talking of a Rs 700 crore scam when the entire cost of the project to build 106 bridges was less than Rs 400 crore. The Opposition leader, he said, was making his charge on the basis of a letter written by an engineers’ association. The association had made the same charges and had been issued a show-cause notice on why its recognition should not be cancelled for making baseless charges. Balakrishnan also criticised the Government for not doing anything to curb the high cost of cement which was being sold at Rs 195 in the State, while it was available for Rs 125 in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Karunanidhi contended that cement price had long ago been de-controlled and the Government had no role in it. He had a dig at the TMC for organising a token sale of cement bags at its office here a couple of days ago at Rs 125, saying he had heard that they had purchased the cement from dealers here and sold it at a total loss of Rs 60,000. He wondered how many retailers would be prepared to sell cement at Rs 125 and shoulder the resultant losses. Karunanidhi said his Government was willing to give protection to anybody who bought cement from other States and sold it at low prices here. (PTI) |
|
Jethmalani for pressure against countries protecting criminals NEW DELHI, Nov 23: Law Minister Ram Jethmalani today favoured creating international pressure against countries which give credence and shelter to criminals and various groups indulging in violence, arson and other unlawful activities. You cannot fight crime at international and global level if a criminal of one society becomes an honourable guest elsewhere and is extended best of hospitality, Jethmalani said inaugurating a four-day long world conference on effective regional cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice. Without naming any country, the minister said perpetrators of crime should not be given shelter in any country and regretted that Jammu and Kashmir in India and some Gulf countries were already victims of such a syndrome emerging from religious fanaticism. Speaking on the occasion Minister of State for Home, C Vidyasagar Rao said the emerging new forms of crime have brought in severe strain on criminal justice system, especially in its transnational form. Progress in the field of science and technology has posed new challenges before the international community against organised white collar crimes like bank and credit card forgery, he said. Criminologists and police officers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Japan are also attending the conference organised by Indian chapter of Asia Crime Prevention Foundation (ACPF). The chairman of Indian chapter of Asia Crime Prevention Foundation (ACPF), B K Modi in his welcome address said in the changed scenario of information age crime was no longer a local domestic issue. Therefore there was no option other than waging war against causes responsible for precipitating crime, he said. Retd Justice K M A Samdani, leader of the nine-member Pakistani delegation, was unhappy over Jethmalani’s reference to Kashmir In his inaugural address. It is a pity the minister deemed it fit to raise Kashmir issue here. We are here to jointly evolve some mechanism to eradicate crime and not raise such contentious issues, Samdani told PTI later. Kashmiris are victims and not terrorists. Similarly why should he refer to middle east, Samdani, former judge of Lahore High Court said. (PTI) |
|
|
|
Ajit seeks reorganisation of states in country NEW DELHI, Nov 23: Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajit Singh, MP, today sought the appointment of a Commission to go into the issue of reorganisation of states in the country so that people of bigger states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh would get better administrations. Mr Singh told newspersons here that Uttar Pradesh, the largest single administrative unit in the world with 15 crore population, was politically ungovernable because of the political equations among the leaders and the composition of the State Assembly. The Commission would have to go into the matter keeping issues like population, development needs, economic viability and cultural and ethnic affiliations. He said the RLD which has three MPs in the Lok Sabha had not discussed its the matter of with the tying up Congress, with whom the party had electoral alliance during the last elections. He said the change of Government in UP had not brought any relief to the people of the state. "There was change of only one person - Kalyan Singh. Last 12 days there has been no decisions by the new Government. In fact, what BJP has done in UP is to biharise UP, he remarked. On the reservation issue, the demand for increasing the ceiling of reservation was by people and groups who wanted to escape the anger of persons and castes not included in the reservations. None of those who are enjoying the reservations were willing to share 27 per cent of reservations among all Backward Classes. Meanwhile, former Union Minister and leader of Chandrashekhar led Samajwadi Janata Party Satya Prakash Malavia today joined the ranks of the RLD. Mr Singh said that the tendencies and policies of the Union Government had led him to believe that it was following the path laid by the UP Government which was not in a position to pay the salaries of dwindling number of primary school teachers. "At least there should be a lesson or two from Rajasthan Government which had initiated austerity measures on expenditures of ministers." On the farmers’ front, he said though the minimum support prices sugar cane had been fixed no oranisation was buying canes because of glut created by the imports by the previous Vajpayee Government. "At least there should some inquiry why the sugar was imported from Pakistan," he added. (UNI) |
|
|
| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports | |
