Two key accused
remanded in judicial custody

KANCHEEPURAM, Nov 26: A lower court here today remanded two key accused in .....more

NCW urges Central intervention in Anara sex racket case

BHUBANESWAR, Nov 26: National Commission for Women (NCW) has sought .....more

No misunderstanding with the JD(U) on Ayodhya: Advani

RANCHI, Nov 26: BJP president L K Advani today reiterated that there was .....more

No decision to project anyone as CM candidate in Bihar: Advani

RANCHI, Nov 26: BJP has taken no decision to project anybody as Chief Ministerial......more

India, Pak "near" to solution on travel document issue

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: India and Pakistan are "very near" to solution on the question of travel documents to be carried by passengers on the proposed .....more

Buyers line-up for film bazaar at IFFI

PANAJI, Nov 26: More than 20 foreign buyers have confirmed their participation in the six-day ‘film bazaar-2004’.......more

Call girl racket accused chargesheeted by police

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: Delhi Police has chargesheeted four ......more

Sankaracharya has been treated with utmost dignity: Jaya

CHENNAI, Nov 26: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said that the arrest......more

  

Speedy justice is state’s fundamental obligation: CJI ..........

Over two lakh devotees take dip in Pushkar Lake ...........

Govt to mull quota-free Sikh pilgrimage to Pakistan: PM ......

Advani hints at Uma’s return ......

Two key accused remanded in judicial custody

KANCHEEPURAM, Nov 26: A lower court here today remanded two key accused in the Sankararaman murder case in judicial custody after expiry of their police custody.

The accused, Ambi alias Ambikapathy and Anil alias Anil Kumar, were produced before Judicial Magistrate G Utthamaraj around noon.

The two replied in the negative when the magistrate asked whether they were tortured during custodial interrogation.

Later, they were taken to Chennai central prison amid tight security.

While Anil was arrested on Wednesday night at Chennai and remanded in judicial custody till December nine, Ambi had surrendered before the Alandur court near Chennai on November 23 and remanded in judicial custody till December eight.

The magistrate had remanded them into police custody on November 24 for interrogation in the murder case, in which Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi was cited as the prime accused.

The Acharya was arrested on November 11 at Mahaboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh and lodged at the Vellore central prison. (UNI)

NCW urges Central intervention in Anara sex racket case

BHUBANESWAR, Nov 26: National Commission for Women (NCW) has sought the arbitration of the Union Home Ministry in the case pertaining to the Anara Gupta sex racket.

NCW Chairperson Purnima Advani told newsmen here yesterday that the Commisison had no authority to interfere in the cases as it had no jurisdiction to act in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, condidering the gravity of the situation and the seriousness of the case, the Commision had urged the Union Home Ministry to take up the matter with the Jammu and Kashmir Home Minister to give justice to Anara Gupta.

Ms Advani alleged that the compact disks of the Anara Gupta sex racket were being sold openly in the Delhi’s Palika market and urged the Police Commissioner of the city to seize them. (UNI)

No misunderstanding with the JD(U) on Ayodhya: Advani

RANCHI, Nov 26: BJP president L K Advani today reiterated that there was no "misunderstanding" with the Janata Dal (united) on the Ayodhya or Hindutva issue and the alliance was in place in election-bound Bihar and Jharkhand.

Talking to mediapersons on the concluding day of the BJP’s three-day national executive here, Mr Advani said the JD(U) had made some statement regarding the BJP’s stand on the Ayodhya issue but the matter was immediately sorted out at the NDA meeting.

The BJP president said the party was confident that it will receive a renewed mandate in Jharkhand and will strive to emancipate bihar of the 15-year-long RJD "misrule", while in Haryana BJP would try to project itself as a strong alternative to the Congress and Om Prakash Chautala-led the Indian National Lok Dal.

He said the three-day executive had a very constructive and fruitful discussion on the party s prospects and the strategy to fight elections in these states. However, he denied to reveal the party’s strategy.

The former deputy Prime Minister also denied that the party has decided to project film actor Shatrughan Sinha to lead the party in Bihar. "The party has not yet decided to project its Chief Ministerial nominee in any of the three states," he added.

Besides these three states there was an opportunity for the BJP to present itself in Karnataka where the Congress-JD(S) Government could fall anyday, he said, asking the party rank and file to be ready for elections in that state also.

"In Karnataka the BJP is the single largest party and we have to increase our numerical strength in he Assembly," he said.

To a question, Mr Advani said, "the BJP will not try to destablise the UPA Government at the Centre but if it fell on its own due to internal contradictions we would not be responsible."

He said the BJP had a bigger role to take the country out of its present problems and make its place in the world arena.

"The party is sure to bounce back in power stronger than before. The BJP and the erstwhile Jan Sangh were not formed to grab power but to make the country strong and a better place for every Indian to live in."

"What is driving us , what motivates us, why have we entered politics and in particular why have we chosen to be in the BJP, are a few questions but answers to them are that there was something higher than the ambitions and desires of the individual self."

To an allegation that the party was hopping from issue to issue, he said the BJP being the largest opposition party had to respond to the issues thrown out by the ruling alliance.

"Whether it was the Savarkar issue, the Tiranga yatra or Shankaracharya in addition to price rise and inflation we were provided these the UPA Government and it is our duty to react to them."

In its endeavour to strengthen its campaign against the coaltion at the Centre, Mr Advani said the executive had decided to convene the meeting of members from the BJP-ruled states.

"The meetings of Finance Ministers on December one, Agriculture Ministers on December 17 and Tribal Welfare Ministers on January seven."

The decision to hold such meetings was taken at the Chief Ministers’ meeting of the BJP ruled states held in New Delhi recently. (UNI)

No decision to project anyone as CM candidate in Bihar: Advani

RANCHI, Nov 26: BJP has taken no decision to project anybody as Chief Ministerial candidate and would contest the coming elections in Bihar in alliance with JD-U, party president L K Advani today said.

Addressing a press conference here, he said Bihar was witnessing "misrule" for the last 15 years and the state needed to be "liberated".

"Bihar deserves a much better deal than it has got," Advani said at the conclusion of the party’s three-day national executive here.

When asked whether film star-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha would be the Chief Ministerial candidate as the party was going to polls under his leadership in the state, Advani said "no decision has been taken on projecting any particular person as the Chief Ministerial candidate".

On the recent reports of unhappiness of JD-U over BJP’s efforts to project Hindutva ideology, he said the issue was discussed at the NDA meeting and there was "unanimity" that there was nothing objectionable in the saffron party’s approach.

Advani said both BJP and JD-U had a common desire of relieving Bihar from "gross misrule" and "criminalisation".

"This common desire will certainly yield positive results," he said.

The BJP chief said the party was aiming at broadening its base in the state and had held discussions in this regard with various morchas like SC, ST and Mahila Morcha. (PTI)

India, Pak "near" to solution on travel document issue

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: India and Pakistan are "very near" to solution on the question of travel documents to be carried by passengers on the proposed Srinagar-Muzzafarabad bus which is expected to be operationalised before spring, External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh has said.

"The bus service will start sooner than later. Both sides will be able to overcome all the technicalities," he said in an interview to the CNBC television.

The Foreign Minister said the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to New Delhi went off very well. "He (Mr Aziz) was very forthright, well informed and very articulate. He presented his views with great thrust. He had all the facts on his fingertips."

On whether the verbal exchanges between the two countries triggered by General Pervez Musharraf’s seven region formula on Kashmir were over, Mr Singh said "Mr Aziz had himself clarified that the Pakistani President’s proposal was meant for debate within Pakistan.

Describing General Musharraf’s formula as "quite daring" he noted for the first time that the Pakistani leader did not speak of plebiscite, UN resolution or the wishes of the people of Kashmir for finding a solution to the issue.

The proposal was not formally made to India and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already stated that it was not possible to comment on stray words, he said.

The minister said Mr Aziz did tell the Indian leaders that there was some element of General Musharraf’s formulation on which New Delhi could look at.

Mr Singh said the Prime Minister had unequivocally told Mr Aziz that there was no contradiction between what he had conveyed to General Musharraf in New York in September and what he had stated in Srinagar recently that there would be no redrawing of the border or division of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Dr Singh had told Musharraf that he did not have mandate from the people of India for redrawing the country’s map. Short of that we are willing to consider all options," he said.

On General Musharraf’s complaint that India was not flexible, Mr Singh said the composite dialogue was a process and not an event. However, the Pakistanis wanted the outcome before the process, he said, adding "it is like putting the cart before the horse."

He recalled that when he himself had met General Musharraf in Islamabad in July he had told the military ruler that flexibilities on issues should go in tandem with flexibility with regard to time ‘’it (Indo-Pak peace process) is a marathom. It is not a 100-mt dash.’’

Mr Singh said Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran would be visiting Islamabad in December followed by a meeting between leaders of the two countries in Dhaka in January on the margins of the SAARC summit.

He said he himself would be visiting Islamabad in February.

"We are prepared to move fast on all points," he said.

On whether India had any objection to Hurriyat leaders meeting the Pakistani leadership in New Delhi, he replied "we don’t mind their meeting."

In this connection he noted that at the Prime Minister’s lunch for Mr Aziz, Dr Karan Singh, Mr Omar Abdullah and Ms Mehbooba Mufti who represented the people of Kashmir were also present.

"If in their (Pakistan’s) judgement the Hurriyat represents the people of Kashmir, it means there is something fundamentally wrong in their understanding of Jammu and Kashmir."

Asked about the direction of the composite dialogue process, he said "the atmosphere in the talks is very positive. Neither side has minced words. We are on a steady course." (UNI)

Buyers line-up for film bazaar at IFFI

PANAJI, Nov 26: More than 20 foreign buyers have confirmed their participation in the six-day ‘film bazaar-2004’ to be inaugurated by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting S Jaipal Reddy on November 30 as part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here.

Aimed at globalising Indian cinema and the entertainment industry by forging ties between the creative and the financial players in the film making process, the bazaar is supported by the national film development corporation and I B Ministry besides the Goa Government.

Sources told UNI here that Goa, identified as the "film-makers’ heaven" with lower shooting costs, affordable and state-of-the-art post-production facilities and picturesque locales, offered a dynamic environment to network and discuss new projects.

Organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), the film bazaar would also showcase various national and international exhibitors including Sahara India, Prasar Bharati Corporation, UTV, Mukta Arts and Mauritius Film Development Corporation.

The buyers who have confirmed their participation in the event include those from France, Netherlands, Romania, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Mauritius and UK. IFFI would serve as a platform for the participants to facilitate co-productions, joint ventures, and technology sharing by narrowing down the superficial differences.

CII had also planned to hold a conference on ‘globalisation of Indian entertainment industry’ to explore opportunities of becoming a global player with goa being a "touchstone" for the industry in this quest.

Films division, Mumbai, Children’s Film Society, Osian’s Cinefan, efx magic, ernst young, digiquest, prime focus, eros multimedia, Indian Film Exporters Association, Ramojirao Film City and Satellite Media Group were among other exhibitors in the event. (UNI)

Call girl racket accused chargesheeted by police

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: Delhi Police has chargesheeted four men and two girls for allegedly running a call girl racket in the capital.

Filing the chargesheet in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjeev Jain, the police said Rahul of Nava Shahar in Jallandhar, Sahil, Rakesh, Sumit, Raman, Zahida Khan of Jammu and Kashmir and Kajal Arora were allegedly running the call girl racket by luring innocent girls from outside.

The accused were nabbed on September 26 from the Gole Market area in central Delhi.

The crime against women cell of the police had deployed a decoy customer to bust the racket.

Prime accused Rahul is still in judicial custody since his arrest. All other accused are on bail.

All the accused are booked under sections 5 and 8 of the Immoral Trafficking (prevention) Act. (UNI)

Sankaracharya has been treated with utmost dignity: Jaya

CHENNAI, Nov 26: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said that the arrest of Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi has been treated with utmost dignity and consideration, befitting his religious status and position in the society.

"While in custody, it has been ensured that he is treated with care and caution considering his age and health condition," Jayalalithaa said in a written reply to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who shot off a letter asking her to take "all such measures" to ensure the physical well being of the arrested Seer.

A team of doctors has been monitoring his health parameters and has reported that the Seer’s his health condition was quite satisfactory, she told the Prime Minister adding that the Seer himself had stated before a Magistrate that he was being treated well.

Jayalalithaa assured that the "State Government was taking and would be taking utmost care to ensure the physical well being of the Seer."

"As you have rightly observed, the due processes of law must not not be interfered with and law must be allowed to take its own course," she said in the letter adding that the state police, after careful and thorough investigation of the "ghastly and brutal" murder of Sankararaman at Kancheepuram, had effected the arrest of the Seer on November 11 last.

She said further investigation by the police led to his arrest in another case of "murderous assault" on Radhakrishnan, who was closely connected with the Sankara Mutt. The investigation was being handled by a Special Investigation Team with "exterme care and caution to ensure its thoroughness," she said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his letter to Jayalalithaa, had said that the investigation in the case involving the Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati should be conducted with "extreme care and consideration" and asked her to take "all such measures" to ensure his physical well being. (PTI)

Speedy justice is state’s fundamental obligation: CJI

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: Calling speedy justice "the need of the hour," Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti has stressed it is "the fundamental right of the citizen and fundamental obligation of the state."

The assertion came in justice Lahoti’s messsage to All India Bar Association which is organising a national seminar on speedy justice on November 27-28 at Meerut.

The message said: "It is the fundamental right of the citizen and fundamental obligation of the state to make available strong, independent and efficient justice dispensation mechanism."

The Chief Justice acknowledged that "much needs to be done in this direction" and hoped "the deliberations at the seminar would result in chalking out a road map leading to the goal."

Indian courts are currently saddled with 24 million pendencies which experts say have resulted from a shortage of judges, excess of adjournments, inadequate facilities, cumbersome procedures— to name a few factors.

More than 15 years ago, the Law Commission observed that India was persisting in a pattern of conscious judicial understaffing followed by the pre-Independence British rulers in keeping with their colonial interests.

The Judges to population ratio in India was estimated by the Commission in 1987 at 10.5 per million people as against 50.9 in Britain, 57.7 in Australia, 75.2 in Canada, and 107 in the United States.

The Commission recommended a nearly five fold increase to raise the judiciary’s strength to 50 per million people.

While any such increases are still far away, critics point out that even a large many existing judicial posts remain vacant.

Association chairman Adish C Aggarwala said the two day event will be inaugurated by Supreme Court Judge K G Balakrishnan and addressed by a number of judges.

The valedictory address will be delivered by Supreme Court Judge P P Naolekar. (UNI)

Over two lakh devotees take dip in Pushkar Lake

AJMER, Nov 26: Braving cold weather, over two lakh devotees today took a dip in the holy Pushkar Lake on the occasion of Kartik Purnima amidst chanting of Vedic Mantras and ringing of bells.

Devotees started assembling at the various ghats since dawn and the biggest congregation was seen at the Brahma temple here, on the final day of the annual fair.

At least 12,000 cattle-heads have been sold during the fair leading to a business turnover of Rs 7.20 crore.

Thousands of foreign tourists have also been thronging the annual fair to have a glimpse of Indian rural life. (PTI)

Govt to mull quota-free Sikh pilgrimage to Pakistan: PM

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held out hope that Sikhs intending to visit Pakistan for pilgrimage will be able to travel to that country without any quota restriction.

At present the number of Pakistan-bound Sikh pilgrims is restricted to 3,000 each for four rounds of pilgrimage annually.

"The Government will explore all ways to ensure that Sikhs visit Pakistan freely," Dr Singh told a morning congregation marking the 535th birth anniversary of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib here.

In his brief address, the Prime Minister referred to daily Sikh prayers for free access to the shrines across the border.

The Prime Minister also expressed hope that there will be an early resolution of problems facing Sikh students in France because of a ban on conspicuous religious signs, including their turbans, in French schools.

"I hope the turban issue in France will be resolved soon," Dr Singh said, adding he had been in touch with the French Government over the issue since taking office in May.

Besides, Dr Singh called upon the Sikh community to effectively use information technology at all levels, saying the it age has become a need of the hour.

"Let us all take India on the path of development. We should all strive for peace, prosperity and universal fraternity," he said.

There should be no unemployment and poverty, the Prime Minister added.

Sikhs, who are confronting an unprecedented challenge to restore balance in their male-female ratio, are also required to undertake women empowerment programmes forcefully, he said.

Dressed in a white kurta-pyjamas, a jacket and his trademark baby blue turban, the Prime Minister entered a packed Gurdwara hall with his wife Gursharan Kaur. He joined his hands in supplication and bowed in customary Sikh expression of respect to the Guru Granth Sahib.

The Prime Minister sat beside a podium for nearly half-an-hour as Gurdwara elders formally welcomed him in their addresses.

Delhi Akali chief Avtar Singh hit and other party leaders controlling the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee were also present at the event where they presented a shawl, a sword and a siropa (holy stole of honour) to the Prime Minister.

The Sikh leaders also requested a bus service between Delhi and Nankana Sahib, Guru Nanak’s birthplace near Lahore, and tax exemptions on contributions to Kar Sewa, which began today at that shrine in Pakistan. (UNI)

Advani hints at Uma’s return

RANCHI, Nov 26: Hinting at the possibility of suspended leader Uma Bharti’s return to the party-fold, BJP president L K Advani today said she had expressed "desire" to have discussions with him which will take place when she returns from "leave".

"Uma is currently on leave. When she returns, there will definitely be talks (with her)," Advani told reporters at the conclusion of the party’s three-day national executive meeting here.

Bharti had "written letters to me which I have read. Her letters indicate her desire to discuss matters with me. She also met me before leaving (for Himalayas on `leave’)," he said.

When referred to Bharti’s letter where she had sought an apology from the party for taking action against her, Advani said during the three days of deliberations no member raised the issue.

The BJP president, however, asserted that the party was committed to maintaining discipline.

Bharti was suspended on November 10 after her outburst against party colleagues in full media glare at the BJP’s central office bearers meeting in Delhi. She had challenged Advani to take disciplinary action against her.

A day later, she wrote a letter to Advani and went to meet him and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee before leaving for Himalayas for pilgrimage.

The firebrand ‘Sanyasin’ also wrote a letter to Advani from the Himalayas, saying she was ready to apologise provided the party also did the same. (PTI)

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