SC to hear today plea against ban on ‘Jodhaa Akbar’

NEW DELHI, Mar 3: The Supreme Court will hear tomorrow the petition filed by UTV, producers of Hindi movie ‘Jodhaa Akbar,’ challenging the ban imposed on the screening of the movie in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice R V Raveendran fixed the matter for hearing tomorrow when the petition was mentioned for urgent hearing today before the court. It contended that the producers and distributors of the movie are suffering from losses due to such bans.

The petitioners also contended that the ban is totally illegal and violation of the fundamental rights under Article 19 (1)(a) of the Constitution.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had lifted the ban while Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Governments to provide adequate protection to the theatres screening the movie.

The petitioners have also contended that the movie had been cleared by the Censor Board and there is no justification for opposing the movie. (UNI)

46 held in connection with violence
at Chidambaram Temple

CHIDAMBARAM, TN, Mar 3: Amid mounting tension, 46 people, including 12 hereditary priests (Dikshidars) of the ancient Lord Nataraja Temple were arrested here today in connection with yesterday’s violent incidents in the temple over recital of Tamil hymns.

Police sources told UNI that cases were registered against the hereditary priests on a complaint by four policemen, who sustained injuries in the incident and were admitted to the Chidambaram General Hospital last night.

In the melee, the District Superintendent of Police was also pushed by the hereditary priests.

The trouble started when the Temple Dikshidars prevented about 300 members of Human Rights Protection Group (HRPG) headed by 74-year-old Arumuga Swamy from entering the temple to recite Thevaram and Thiruvasagam hymns penned by saivite saints, despite having a court order.

Acting on a complaint from Chidambaram Town Police Station Head Constable Senthilkumar, who was among the injured, police had registered cases against 12 hereditary priests under various sections of the IPC including 147, 341, 294 (b), 332, 506(2) read with 188 of IPC.

On another complaint, police have registered cases against the HRPG and arrested 34 of its members, including eight advocates.

All the 46 arrested were produced before Chidambaram Judicial Magistrate-II Vasanthi, who remanded them in judicial custody.

They were later lodged in Cuddalore prison.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the Chidambaram town and police have tightened up security measures both inside and outside the temple.

"About 500 police personnel are deployed on security duty", the sources added. (UNI)

BJP says it will renegotiate Nuke deal if comes to power

NEW DELHI, Mar 3: Despite Government’s fresh statement on foreign policy-related development, BJP today said it will continue with its opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal and pitch for a renegotiation if it comes to power.

"Our stand on the nuclear deal is unchanged and we oppose it in the present form. BJP would renegotiate the deal if it comes to power," party leader Murli Manohar Joshi told reportrers here today.

Joshi, who was here to inaugurate the party’s trader’s cell, said the Union Budget is a "hoax" and it lacks any intitiative, adding that,"it is beneficial for none, it is an eye-wash."

"We oppose and expose it. Government needs to inform the country, where would the money for the budget implimentation come from," he said.

Calling on the traders to oppose FDI in retail trade, Joshi asked them to "hold on for few more months as the NDA Government is about to take-over."

The function was attended by party secretary Vijay Goel and representatives of the trader’s cell from accross the country. (PTI)

Shortfall of 100 cadets in Armed forces training institutes

NEW DELHI, Mar 3: There was a shortfall of 100 cadets in enrollments to the Armed forces training institutes like the National Defence Academy and Indian Military academy, Defence Minister A K Antony informed the Lok Sabha today.

In a written reply, Antony said while the shortfall was just 18 cadets in case of Pune based National Defence Academy (NDA), it was 82 in case of Dehradun based Indian Military Academy (IMA).

The Minister said though there was shortfall in enrollment when compared with the figures in 2006, the data was much better when compared with 2005.

He said while 649 cadets enrolled in NDA in 2007 as compared to 667 in 2006 and 596 in 2005, the figures for IMA were 387 cadets in 2007, 479 in 2006 and 422 in 2005.

However, the Minister said entry of cadets in Army and Navy after 10+2, increasing the quota of short service commissioned officers to a commissioned rank and improvement in promotional avenues and service conditions were expected to provide thrust to efforts to attract more talent to the armed forces. (PTI)

Indian Courts grappling with backlog of over 3 crore cases

NEW DELHI, Mar 3: More than three crore cases are pending in various courts of the country with the backlog in the Supreme Court alone touching a figure of nearly 47,000 at the close of last year, the Government informed the Rajya Sabha today.

In a written reply, Law and Justice Minister H R Bhardwaj said a total of 2,89,86,205 cases were pending in various district and subordinate courts as in September last year out of which the High Courts accounted for 37,00,223.

In the Supreme Court, the pending cases touched a figure of 46,926 as on December 31 last year.

The Allahabad High Court has the dubious distinction of leading the high courts in pendency of cases (as on September 30, 2007) with a figure of 808226 -- 604450 civil cases and 203776 criminal cases.

Allahabad High Court is followed by Madras High Court (426347 cases), Bombay High Court (367409 cases), Calcutta High Court (279318 cases), Punjab and Haryana High Court (255696 cases), Orissa High Court (227752 cases) and Rajasthan High Court (214451 cases).

About the remedial measures, the Minister said the Government had introduced ‘The Gram Nyayalayas Bill, 2007’ for establishing 5067 Gram Nyayalayas, a move which would enable setting up of more trial courts at the intermediate Panchayat level.

"These courts would provide justice in relatively ordinary civil and criminal cases to the rural population. The procedure to be followed by these courts has also been kept simple and flexible so that these cases can be heard and disposed of within 90 days’ period," he said.

Mr Bhardwaj said it was also envisaged that these courts would be mobile and would hear the litigants in their respective villages to achieve the gool of providing justice to the people at their doorsteps.

With regard to the higher judiciary, he said the Government had initiated a slew of steps, including a decision to increase the strength of judges in the High Courts and the Supreme Court, setting up of Fast Track courts and of special tribunals like the CAT and Income Tax Appellate Tribunals.

Alternative modes of disposal, including mediation, negotiation, arbitration and ‘Plea Bargaining’, have been encouraged. (UNI)

SC notices to Centre, Jharkhd in judicial
officer’s assault case

NEW DELHI, Mar 3: The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Centre and the State of Jharkhand in a case of alleged physical assault and torture of Mr B V Rao, member(judicial), Central Administrative Tribunal(CAT), Ranchi, by eight police officials in the presence and under the directions of IG police Nirmala Choudhary.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice R V Raveendran issued notices acting on a letter sent to the Chief Justice giving details of the incident which took place in the last week of February this year.

The eight police officials involved in assault on the judicial officer, who was on deputation and staying in a guest house, have already been placed under suspension by the State Government.

Nirmala Choudhary, an IPS officer, has been referred to a psychiatrist because of her schizophrenic behaviour.

She raided the guest house and threw out the bag and baggage of the judicial officer telling him that according to her information he was involved in terrorist activities.

Her husband, also an IPS officer, has been sent on a long leave because he is having some problems with the state Chief Secretary. (UNI)

British girl found dead on beach, family suspects foul play

PANAJI, Mar 3: Family members of a 15-year-old British girl, who was found dead on a beach in Goa, have claimed that she was murdered and accused police of delaying probe into the case.

"I don’t trust Goa police and am frustrated the way they are delaying investigations in the death of my child," Fiona Mackeown, mother of the deceased girl said.

"Police have lied on all the evidences... My daughter died in a horrible way," Fiona said.

The girl, Scarlette Eden Keeling, was found dead on the Anjuna beach on February 18 following which police had registered a case of death due to drowning.

However, the family members pointing out to the bruises and other marks of assault on Scarlette’s body suspect foul play and are demanding that the death be investigated as a murder.

"The first autopsy report indicates 35 injury marks on Scarlette’s body. Police is not doing anything despite glaring evidence," Vikram Varma, a family friend, said.

Moreover, delay in investigations would let the accused go scot-free as it will give them time to destroy all the evidences, he said.

Varma has claimed that there are ample evidences to confirm that the death was not due to drowning.

"There was no water in her body. She was found above the high tide line. There are bruises on her body. Everything helps us to conclude that she was killed," he said.

Fiona has already written to senior police officials in Goa condemning sub-inspector Merlon Albuquerque’s media statements that the death was due to drowning.

"I am convinced by the information, I have been provided and evidence discovered that there is foul play in the death of my daughter," Fiona has said in the letter to the police.

She has also said that the report in the media, about the cause of death, which have been provided by the police officer of Anjuna police station are clearly premature and display a rashness of pre-judgement unexpected of a responsible police officer.

Fiona, who was in India on a tourist visa, said that her daughter loved Goa.

"When she was in India, she wanted to be in Goa," she said.

The mother was in a pilgrimage town of Gokarna in Karnataka when the incident occured. "Scarlette was supposed to join us next day," she said adding the family will fight until their daughter gets justice.

"If required, we will even go to the National Human Rights Commission in this case," a family friend stated. (PTI)