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Biman Bose appears before Court, asked to file affidavit KOLKATA, Nov 7: West Bengal Left front chairman Biman Bose today appeared before Calcutta .....more Cartoon
network to THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Nov 7: ‘The adventures of Hanuman’, an animation series portraying the lovable ‘Monkey God’ as a modern day super ...more Tandoor
case: NEW DELHI, Nov 7: Following is the chronology of events from the murder of former Congress worker Ravi Naina Sahni on July 2, 1995 till the...more Literacy rate of Kolkata stoops to ninth in Bengal KOLKATA, Nov 7: As the West Bengal Government considers re-introduction of English at the primary level, Kolkata has fallen to the ninth .....more |
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Godhra probe panel ends deposition of riot victims AHMEDABAD, Nov 7: The two-member Commission probing the post-Godhra violence today completed the depositions of the victims from the ....more Shekhawat advocates punishment to institutions NEW DELHI, Nov 7: Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat today advocated punishing the institutions rather than individuals for the failure to ....more German
scholar tries PURI, Nov 7: Did Jesus Christ ever visit the pilgrim city of Puri during his "unexplained twelve......more NEC
prioritises sectors KOLKATA, Nov 7: The North Eastern Council (NEC) is according highest priority to the tourism sector and development......more |
Biman Bose appears before Court, asked to file affidavit KOLKATA, Nov 7: West Bengal Left front chairman Biman Bose today appeared before Calcutta High Court on summons for the hearing of a contempt petition against him for alleged remarks against a High Court Judge over an order restricting rallies and processions in the metropolis on weekdays. Bose, a senior CPI(M) politburo member, who appeared before a division bench comprising Justice Ashok Ganguly and Justice S P Talukdar in a crowded Court room thronged by advocates and newsmen, was granted exemption from personal appearence till further orders. Appearing for Bose, Bikash Bhattacharjee submitted that the criminal contempt case was not maintainable as petitioner Kallol Guha Thakurta had not taken leave of the Advocate-General claiming that the permission was necessary unless it was a suo motu contempt initiated by the Court. Hence, contempt proceedings against Bose be dismissed, he contended. Bhattacharjee also submitted that he had not received a copy of the petition and as such was unaware of the points raised in it. Idris Ali, advocate for the petitioner, submitted that there was no need for such permission. After hearing Bhattacharjee and Ali, the bench directed bose to file an affidavit within 10 weeks. The question of maintainability of the contempt petition was kept open by the Court. The matter will appear before the Court after 12 weeks. The bench also directed that notice be served on newspapers whose copies were submitted before the Court in support of the contempt petition against Bose. The bench had issued a contempt rule on October 17 against Bose and directed him to personally appear before it for making alleged derogatory remarks against the Court on its order banning rallies and processions between 8 AM and 8 PM in the metropolis on weekdays. Petitioner Idris Ali had alleged that Bose had made personal attacks against Justice Amitava Lala, who passed the ban order on September 29, and urged that the Left front leader be punished to uphold the dignity of the Court. (PTI) |
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Cartoon network to air animation series on Hanuman THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Nov 7: ‘The adventures of Hanuman’, an animation series portraying the lovable ‘Monkey God’ as a modern day super hero, will go on air on cartoon network next year. The series, for which 13 episodes have been cleared initially, would show Hanuman taking ‘Avatar’ in contemporary times to sort out the problems plaguing the modern world, Director Atul Rao and Producer Bill Dennis of Toonz animation India said at a press conference last evening. "Hanuman is the original super hero, with enormous strength and varied powers ranging from the ability to fly, leap high, grow or shrink in size and travel through space. He is also every indian’s childhood hero," Mr Rao said. The series, however, will not limit its portrayal of Hanuman to an Indian superman. The aim was to present him as a role model for the present-day youth, the Los Angeles-based Mr Rao, who has moved to India to make the series, told UNI. "At a time when increasing competition and a ‘me first’ attitude are making our children and youth more materialistic, egotistic and self-centred, Hanuman presents a role model, combining strength with gentleness, integrity with humility. His first response is not to demolish every thing in sight. His use of power is only the last resort when reasoning fails. These are the values that we would like our children to grow up with," he added. Five minutes of each half-hour episode would also show an incident in the life of Hanuman in the epic Ramayana. Expressing confidence that the series would strike a chord not only among Indian viewers but also appeal to audiences overseas, Mr Rao said westerners were increasingly looking to India for spiritual solutions. A character such as Hanuman showed that hope lay in virtue and purity and not in war and violence, he added. Combining elements of the traditional epic with contemporary concerns, the series would show the descendants of ‘Ravana’ trying to re-assert themselves by establishing the powers of the ‘Rakshasas’. The ills, such as global warming or environmental pollution that they spread in the world in a bid to exterminate the human race, would be battled against by Hanuman. The series, to be made at a budget of about one million dollars, has intially been cleared for "one season" of 13 episodes. But, the producers hope to extend it to five seasons. The pre-production work of the series is underway at the Toonz studios at Technopark here where the entire production would be done, Mr Dennis said. The first 13 episodes were likely to be made over a period of one year and the series should be on air by October-November next year, Mr Rao said. Stating that the creative talent and imagination of Indian artists was tremendous, Mr Rao said the ‘3-D effect’ would be used to portray certain characters such as ‘Vayu’, the father of Hanuman. The portrayal of the relationship between Hanuman and ‘Vayu’ would be among the focus areas of the work, he said. Stating that great care was being taken to maintain the integrity and spirit of the original character of Hanuman in the Ramayana, Mr Rao said several versions of the epic and Hindu scholars had been consulted before the work went on the story board. Agreeing that the depiction of religious characters could be a delicate issue, Mr Rao said the producers planned to meet some major Hindu leaders over the next few weeks to iron out misgivings if any. "The strength of Hinduism is that it spread through ideas and not through conquest. The large amount of folk tales woven around the scriptures also show that not only sages but also lay people contributed to its popularity. This is the effort which we hope to carry forward," Mr Rao added. (UNI) |
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Tandoor case: Chronology of events NEW DELHI, Nov 7: Following is the chronology of events from the murder of former Congress worker Ravi Naina Sahni on July 2, 1995 till the pronouncement of sentence in the case today. 1) Night of July 2, 1995: Police recovers a charred body from the Tandoor (oven) of Bagiya restaurant, owned by Sushil Sharma, at hotel Ashok Yatri Niwas in the heart of the capital. The body was later claimed to be that of Sharma’s wife Ravi Naina Sahni. Restaurant manager Keshav is arrested from the spot. 2) July 4, 1995: Police register an FIR before a Magistrate at 1000 Hrs. They break open the lock of the Mandir Marg flat where Sharma was allegedly residing with Naina. They find Sharma’s car abandoned at Malcha marg. Several incriminating evidence like clotted blood, hair, a lead bullet, fired cartridges and a letter allegedly written by Naina were found from the flat. 3) July 5, 1995: Ballistic experts and a CFSL team inspect the flat and the car and take several articles and samples for examination. Matloob Karim, Naina’s friend, identifies her body after her relatives, including her parents — Harbhajan Singh and Jaswant Kaur — refused to identify it. Dr M P Sarangi conducts the first post-mortem on the body. 4) July 10, 1995: Sharma is detained in Bangalore. 5) July 11, 1995: Delhi Police formally arrests Sharma in Bangalore and brings him back to Delhi. 6) July 12, 1995: Sharma is produced before a local Court which remands him in 10-day police custody. A second post mortem is conducted on the charred body of Naina Sahni. X-ray photograph of her head taken...Two bullets found. 7) July 28, 1995: Police file a 19-page charge-sheet accusing five people in the case including main accused Sharma. 8) May 9, 1996: Additional Sessions Judge S L Khanna frames charges against all five accused. Mr Khanna charges Sharma and Keshav with conspiring to murder Naina and thereafter trying to destroy evidence and Jai Prakash Pehalwan, Rishi Raj Rathi and Ram Prakash Sachdeva are charged with harbouring the main accused. 9) November 3, 1997: Midway during trial, Court decides to conduct day-to-day hearing. 10) July 2, 2003: Final arguments begin with the prosecution holding Sharma responsible for the murder due to "marital discord". 11) July 21, 2003: Sharma files another plea in the series of applications seeking bail. 12) July 30, 2003: Hotel Queen Road Pvt Ltd, the company which bought Ashok Yatri Niwas from the ITDC, moves an application seeking release of 569.33 square metres of land adjoining the "Tandoor" at the Ashok Yatri Niwas. 13) August 4, 2003: Special Prosecutor A P Ahluwalia concludes his 18-day arguments. 14) August 5, 2003: Advocate P K Dham starts arguments on behalf of Sharma. 15) August 26, 2003: Additional Sessions Judge G P Thareja inspects Bagiya restaurant for better appreciation of evidence. 16) August 28, 2003: Trial concludes. Judgement is reserved. 17) September 5, 2003: Rejecting Hotel Queen Road Pvt Ltd’s application, the Court directs handing over the Bagiya land to Sharma and other partners of the restaurant if they insist upon their right. 18) September 23, 2003: Court fixes October 29 as the tentative date for judgement. 19) September 29, 2003: Judgement deferred to November 3. 20) November 3, 2003: Trial Court finds Sharma guilty of murder and destroying evidence. Keshav is acquitted of being involved in the murder conspiracy but found guilty of destroying evidence. Three other accused Jai Prakash Pehalwan, Rishi Raj Rathi and Ram Prakash Sachdeva are absolved of charges of harbouring Sharma. Court fixes November 5 as the date for arguments on the sentence. Scores of political and social activists stage a demostration outside the Court premises demanding severe punishment for Sharma. 21) November 5, 2003: Court defers arguments on sentence to November 6 in view of the commotion prevailing inside the courtroom and demonstrations outside the Court premises demanding capital punishment for Sharma. Court orders restricted entry inside the courtroom and directs Delhi Police Commissioner to ensure that there are no demonstrations. 22) November 6, 2003: Prosecution seeks death sentence for Sharma who maintains stoic silence and directs his lawyer to repose "full faith in the Court". Keshav seeks release contending he had already suffered much by remaining in jail for the past eight years. Order on sentence reserved for November 7. 23) November 7, 2003: Court sentences Sharma to death. Orders release of Keshav after sentencing him to rigorous imprisonment of seven years, the period already undergone since his arrest eight years ago. But imposes an exemplary fine of Rs 12,000, in default of which Keshav will have to undergo an additional imprisonment of 18 months. (UNI) |
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German scholar tries unearthing the Indian link to Jesus PURI, Nov 7: Did Jesus Christ ever visit the pilgrim city of Puri during his "unexplained twelve years" of life? We would know soon if German scholar HJ Trebst’s research to unearth the missing twelve years of Christ’s life bears fruit. Dr Trebst, who had invited the scholars of this ancient city, yesterday said according to some scholars of the orient and the west, Jesus had visited Puri where he had studied Veda and Yoga before returning home to preach Christianity. Jesus Christ had also studied Buddhism in the Indian sub-continent, the scholar, who had done extensive research in Ladhakh and Nepal to trace evidence of Christ’s itinerary in the Indian sub-continent, said. A seminar was also organised under the aegis of Jagannath Gabeshana Parishad where eminent scholars like Dr Harekrushna Satapathy, Dr Siddheswer Mohapatra, Mr Jagabandhu Padhi, Dr Debendra Dash and others deliberated over the Hindu religious texts which mentioned the activities of Jesus. Dr Trebst said 2,000 years ago Puri was a famous seat of learning and history has revealed that over the centuries religious leaders of various sects and cults had visited this holy shrine. It was most likely that Jesus had also visited this holy seat of learning, he said, though adding that it was a very difficult task to trace the history of his visit to Puri. The German scholar was, however, optimistic that the scholars of the pilgrim city would be of immense help in analysing the ancient manuscripts and scriptures on the visit of Jesus. Meanwhile, the local research scholars have suggested Dr Trebst to go through the library of the Jagatguru Sankeracharya, the oldest in the state, which had a large collection of palm leaf manuscripts since the time of Aadi Sanker (about 4th century BC) to find out the missing links in the life of Christ. (UNI) |
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NEC prioritises sectors for NE development KOLKATA, Nov 7: The North Eastern Council (NEC) is according highest priority to the tourism sector and development of bamboo cultivation, its chairman Lt General Ajai Singh (retd) said today. "After preparing a masterplan and collection of data for the north east, the council has given highest priority to the development of tourism, having immense potential in the region," Mr Singh, also Assam Governor, told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on agro-east 2003 organised by CII here. The North East Tourism Board has been constituted and a calender for the future course of action would be prepared by the board by December, he said adding that the idea was to attract visitors by promoting the festivals of the region throughout the year. He said efforts were also underway to introduce luxury liners, developed by private entrepreneurs, in Brahmaputra, apart from tea industry in the region. CII has also undertaken to promote the beach festival in the region in a unique way to woo tourists, CII officials said. NEC has also undertaken the mission to promote bamboo cultivation, having immense potential in the region, the NEC chairman said adding that the North East Bamboo Mission Board was constituted and a chairman and secretary appointed for the purpose. He said experts on the subject would also be sent in a delegation to places like Australia for acquiring updated technological knowledge about bamboo cultivation and implementing those in the region. Asked about the availability of funds for implementing the projects he said an amount of nearly Rs 1000 crore had been alloted for the region by the department for development of North Eastern region and more funds would be asked for if required. Admitting that the difficult terrain of the region was the biggest impediment to development, Mr Singh said despite the difficulties efforts were being made to connect all the state capitals in the region through concrete roads under the Prime Minister’s scheme and the project would be implemented in four to five years. The NEC Chairman said efforts were also being made to promote "patuairy oil", in high demand world-wide, and procured from Thailand, but grown in abudance in the region. Similarly, Vanilla, also in high demand, could be produced in the region. He said, apart from tourism, bamboo cultivation and communication development the other thrust area for the region was be power generation. "After continuous persuance the implementation of the lower Subansiri Hydro-Power Project, expected to generate around 800 mega watts of power, would be implemented by 2007 ahead of scheduled deadline of 2011," said the chairman of the council, comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, said. On the tea industry, the main revenue earner in the region, he said although there was immense potential, the sector was lagging behind because of lack of even competition and efforts were being undertaken to improve that. Earlier, speaking at the seminar on development of agri sector in the region, Mckinsay and CO’s associate Rohit Pathak said a six point agenda like creation of value chain revenue model, single window model, infrastructure development, market development, awareness and regional brand development must be undertaken for growth of agriculture in the region. Tea Research Association secretary S Sharma also delivered a theme address on the tea sector growth in the region. (UNI) Sattelite launches reliable base for moon mission: Vajpayee NEW DELHI, Nov 7: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said that the recent successful launching of Insat 3E and resourcesat has enhanced the country’s prestige abroad and expressed confidence that this would be "a reliable foundation" for India’s lunar programme `Chandrayan-I.’ Vajpayee made the comment when a team scientists, technicians and officers from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) involved in these projects called on him here. ISRO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space G Madhavan Nair introduced the team members and presented a model of resourcesat and some of the first pictures taken by the satellite to the Prime Minister. Most of these photographs were taken from the orbit of almost 820 Km above the earth. Congratulating the team members, Vajpayee said "what is especially heartening is ISRO has achieved this on the basis of self-reliance. You have successfully overcome the challenge of technology-denial by others." "The production and launch of the Insat 3E and resourcesat satellites prove our outstanding capabilities in design, fabrication and tracking of satellite systems. I applaud you for now aiming higher. I have no doubt that your recent success will be a reliable foundation for India’s Lunar programme—`Chandrayaan,’ the Prime Minister told the scientists. He said "every achievement of India fills us with joy. But the achievements of ISRO bring a special pride to all Indians. They give a literal meaning to our affirmation that sky is not the limit for India’s ambitions and achievements." "I often say that India is ready for a long leap. You in ISRO have already taken this long leap into space and have captapulted India into the front ranks of space faring nations," Vajpayee said. Few nations could boast of such a high rate of successful operations in a calender year. "True, there have also been a few failures when we look back at ISRO’s long journey. But these failures did not deter your. In life, only those succeed who are ready to fail, but are never ready to accept defeat," he said. "I congratulate one and all in the ISRO family for your sterling work in ensuring that India remains at the vanguard of space technology. Keep up the good work," he added. (PTI) Tourism Ministry to trace path of Saraswati river AHMEDABAD, Nov 7: The mysteries of the mythological Saraswati river that continues to intrigue research scholars and scientists may now be unravelled soon with the Union Tourism Ministry’s project to explore its river bed. The exploration work, launched from Adibadri in Haryana, will trace the path of Saraswati through the three states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture Jagmohan told reporters here yesterday. Mr Jagmohan said that the new initiative launched by his ministry aims at providing the overseas tourist with physical refreshment, mental rejuvenation, cultural enrichment and spiritual elevation. "India, thus far, has been a sleeping giant as far as tourism is concerned and the new initiative is intended at waking up this giant," the minister said. Describing the project as the greatest ever excavation in the world, Mr Jagmohan said Rs ten crore has already been sanctioned for it. The minister, who spent four hours at the ancient civilisation of Dhola Vira today, said that the Tourism Ministry proposes to convert the site into a major tourism attraction and also a haven for research scholars who wish to unravel the mysteries of the 5,000-year-old mature urban settlement that continues to intrigue present-day scholars because of its well-laid drainage facilities and other urban amenities. "An amount of Rs 1.3 crore has already been spent on providing facilities both for the ordinary tourist who plans to visit Dhola Vira merely for marvelling the ancient profundity of the Indian mind as also the research scholar," Mr Jagmohan said, adding that another Rs one crore has been earmarked for the Dhola Vira project. The minister said that the projects have been undertaken as part of the new initiative launched by the Tourism Ministry towards presenting the stupendous Indian heritage both to the domestic as well as international tourists. He pointed out that India has many examples to offer regarding the ingenuity of the Indian mind. Citing the example of the Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra, the minister pointed out that the technology of cave carvings and paintings are difficult to duplicate even with the modern technology available today. The other significant tourist sites slated to be developed in Gujarat include Patan, Somnath, Modhera, Saputara and Pavagad, the minister said adding that an investment of Rs 15 crore has already been spent in the state. (UNI) 3 months after ban on strike, SC decides to hear review NEW DELHI, Nov 7: Three months after passing an omnibus order banning strike by Government servants, the Supreme Court today agreed to have a fresh look at the matter and issued notice to the Union Government on a petition filed by All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) pleading not to take away the important right to strike of employees. A bench comprising Chief Justice V N Khare and Justice S B Sinha overcame the dilemma of "what to do with the petition" and issued notice after taking the views of Attorney General Soli J Sorabjee and senior advocates Ram Jethmalani and Kapil Sibal - all of whom said that there could not be a total ban on the strike. The bench was facing the dilemma as the earlier order of banning the strike was also passed by a two-Judge bench headed by Justice M B Shah while dealing with the issue emanating from the strike by Tamil Nadu Government employees. Sorabjee, reiterating his caustic views expressed earlier against the judgement banning strike, said that the petition presented "a good opportunity to discuss the issue afresh". The Attorney General said that the observations of the bench in its judgement of August six this year were "totally unnecessary" in the context of the case. "I am not in favour of indiscriminate strikes but at the same time the right to strike to protest against injustice cannot be taken away altogether," he said. Jethmalani also agreed with Sorabjee and said that complete abbrogation of the right to strike would not be in the interest of justice and said that the Apex Court should reconsider its earlier decision. Echoing the views of Sorabjee and Jethmalani, Sibal felt that it was a bit too much to say that the employees did not have any right to go on strike. The Apex Court on August 6 had said that Government employees have no "fundamental, legal, moral or equitable right" to go on strike and hold the society to ransom. This ruling had evoked wide-spread protests across the country. The petition filed by general secretary of Andhra Pradesh unit of AITUC P Nageshwar Rao and others said that the cause of action has arisen as the organisation has given notice of strike to the State Government. Terming strike as an assured fundamental right of the workers, the petitioner said that any ban on strikes would "be a sure road to totalitarian Governments". It said that though strike has not been recognised separately as a right, "strikes are internationally accepted as a part of workers’ right of collective bargaining". "Collective bargaining includes negotiations, talks, mediations, state intervention, arbitration and referring of disputes to tribunals and if all fail, then the desperate ultimate option is strike," the petitioner said. "When the workers faile to get a dispute settled, in spite of using every other method, they have no way other than going on strike. This is the only way they can bring pressure on the employers," they said. (PTI) UNNAO SP among 145 officials transferred in UP LUCKNOW, Nov 7: In a major administrative reshuffle in Uttar Pradesh, six district Police Chiefs, including the SP of UNNAO where seven members of a tribal family were burnt alive yesterday, and four District Magistrates were among 145 officials transferred. A K Tyagi, SP, UNNAO has been transferred to Gonda as commandant of 30th PAC battalion while A M Jain, Commandant, 30th PAC battalion, Gonda becomes the new SP of UNNAO, official sources said here today. Nineteen IAS, 14 IPS and 112 PCS officers were shifted in late last night’s reshuffle, they said. Those transferred included District Magistrate of Deoria D K Verma, who has been shifted to home department as Special Secretary in plce of Amrit Abhijat who goes to Deoria as DM. A K Singh, who was earlier shifted from the post of District Magistrate, Ballia as Special Secretary APC branch, now has been transferred to education department as Special Secretary replacing M Devraj, who becomes new DM of Ballia. O N Misra, Special Secretary, Social Welfare goes to Sant Ravidas Nagar as DM in place of S P Dixit who has been transferred as DM, Mahoba. Sabharaj Singh, DM, Mahoba comes to Lucknow as Special Secretary, energy. Among the IPS officials, S N Chak has been posted as IG, fire services, in place of A K Gupta who is transferred as IG, PAC, central region. A K Gupta, SP Vigilance and S C Dhusia, SP, Kanpur Dehat swapped places with each other. Ram Singh, SP Intelligence and D K Thakur, SP Sultanpur also swapped posts. D S Chauhan, SP Economic Offence Wing, Meerut, is posted as commandant 47th battalion PAC, Ghaziabad. Piyush Mirdia, Commandant 39th PAC battalion Mirzapur becomes SP Sant Kabirnagar in place of S Singh who becomes Vice-Principal, ATC, Sitapur. Ashok Kumar Singh, SP Vigilance becomes SP, Ravidas Nagar, Bhadohi in place of B S Mina who comes to Lucknow as SP Vigilance. (PTI) |
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