Excelsior... Nation

CIC may go headless from today; no decision on new chief..........

Debuted on small screen against family’s advice: Big B.........

Unprecedented air surveillance plan in UP ...........

UID to remove middle man’s hurdle: Singh............

SIT may move SC for lifting stay
on judgement in Godhra cases

AHMEDABAD, Sept 29: With the trial in 2002 Godhra train burning coming to an end, the Special Investigation Team was planning to approach the Supreme Court which had in May last restrained trail courts from pronouncing judgement in the cases probed afresh by the agency.

The agency members are contemplating filing a petition in the apex court seeking lifting of the stay on pronouncement of verdict in the nine cases - the train carnage and eight post-Godhra riot cases - probed by the Supreme Court-appointed team, according to SIT officials.

"The trial in the case (Godhra carnage) has just completed," SIT chief R K Raghavan, who is likely to file quarterly progress report on the cases in the Supreme Court soon, told PTI today.

Asked if SIT was planning to approach the SC to vacate the stay, the former CBI director declined to comment.

K G Menon, SIT counsel, when contacted, said, "I am not authorised to comment on the issue."

However, officials in the SIT said opinion from legal advisors had been sought on the issue.

In May this year, while dealing with a bunch of petitions of NGO Citizen for Justice and Peace and some rights activists, demanding a stay on trial in the riot cases for alleged lapses, the SC asked the courts to proceed with trial but restrained them from delivering judgement.

The trial in the Godhra train burning, in which 58 persons were killed, concluded yesterday inside the Sabarmati Central Jail here with both the defence and prosecution completing arguments and cross-examination of witnesses.

The trial in other eight cases, investigated by the SIT, was on in Special Courts set up on directions of the Supreme Court.

According to SIT officials, trial in the Naroda Patiya and Naroda Gam riot cases in the city was half way through, while the court proceeding in the Gulburg society episode was on verge of completion.

Special Judge B U Joshi, hearing the Gulburg case, is likely to visit the housing society, where 69 persons were killed, on October 2.

Meanwhile, trial in other riot cases - two in in Ode village of Anand district, one each in Sardarpura and Dipdadarwaja of Mehsana and one in Prantij of Sabarkantha district, was on in respective districts. (PTI)

Shah’s judicial custody extended till Oct 13

AHMEDABAD, Sept 29: The special CBI court today extended the judicial custody of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, arrested in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, till October 13.

The 46-year-old leader was produced before Judicial Magistrate A Y Dave from Sabarmati Jail, where he is lodged since his arrest on July 26, through video-conference.

Earlier, the court had exempted the BJP leader from personal appearance and allowed him to depose before it via video-conference.

The close aide of Chief Minister Narendra Modi was arrested by CBI, which described him as "kingpin" of entire conspiracy leading to the staged encounter of Sohrabuddin, killing of his wife Kausar Bi and also Tulsi Prajapati, a key witness.

Shah was to be produced before the court on September 15, but he was hospitalised after he complained of chest pain and uneasiness. (PTI)

Ayodhya verdict: Alert sounded in parts of Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN, Sept 29: Prohibitory orders have been clamped and additional police forces deployed in many parts of Uttarakhand, including the holy city of Haridwar, teeming with devotees due to ongoing Pitra-paksha, as a precautionary measure in view of the Ayodhya land dispute verdict expected tomorrow.

Section 144 has been slapped on many parts of hill districts including in Nainital, Pauri and Udhamsingh Nagar and extra police and paramilitary forces deployed in sensitive places.

A report from Haridwar said the District Magistrate has requested for 4 PAC companies from Dehradun Police and the district magistrate has ordered closure of schools tomorrow and on October 1.

Additional security forces have been deployed in sensitive places in Roorkie and in Haridwar town including Har Ki Pauri and other ghats and temples like Mansa Devi, in view of the heavy rush of devotees during the ongoing "pitra paksh’ to pray for the salvation of their ancestors.

Public places, like railway stations and bus-stands have been put under special vigilance throughout the state.

Schools would be closed in Pauri district as well, reports said.

In Nainital District, Ramnagar, Haldwani and Lal Kuan areas have been identified as sensitive and put under special vigil under section 144.

Kashipur, Rudrapur, Khatima in Udhamsigh Nagar district, Tanakpur in Champavat, Kotdwar in Pauri are considered among the sensitive places and put under high alert.

DGP Jyoti Swaroop Pandey has directed police officials to hold neibourhood peace meetings involving

prominent citizens from different religions to promote harmony and to keep a sharp eye on suspicious and criminal elements and rumour mongers.

Many political parties have also appealed to people to maintain communal harmony, irrespetive of which party wins the case in tomorrow’s verdict by Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench.

The region bordering Uttar Pradesh state have been kept under vigil, sources said. (UNI)

Aftab Alam new head of Justice Dinakaran’s inquiry panel

NEW DELHI, Sept 29: Justice Aftab Alam, sitting Supreme Court judge will be the new head of the three- member panel, holding inquiry for impeachment of Sikkim High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, who is facing allegations of corruption and land grabbing.

Justice Alam will replace another sitting Supreme Court judge Justice V S Sirpurkar, who had quit the panel as a result of controversy raised by a section of Tamil Nadu lawyers over his inpartiality.

A section of Tamil Nadu lawyers had demanded reconstitution of three-member pannel and with Justice Sirpurkar and senior apex court advocate P P Rao, replaced by others.

Karnataka High Court Chief Justice J S Khehar is the third member of the pannel.

Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari passed the order replacing Justice Sirpurkar with Justice Alam.

The panel was appointed by the Vice President after 75 Rajya Sabha members belonging to the Opposition parties made a representation to him as House Chairman for impeachment of Justice Dinakaran.

Justice Dinakaran’s elevation to the apex court was put on hold, when the allegations of corruption and land grabbing came to light in August last year. (UNI)

Sibal bats for use of Hindi in official work

NEW DELHI, Sept 29: Union Minister Kapil Sibal today batted for greater use of Hindi in official work.

"A language can be successful only when it is properly used. If there is a difference between the language written and the language spoken, then that language can never move forward," the Human Resource Development Minister said while addressing the golden jubilee celebration of the Central Hindi Directorate here.

Citing the example of the Latin language, he said though "it is the written language in Rome, it is less spoken. Likewise, in Israel though people are taught to write in Hebrew, it is less spoken there".

The Directorate under the HRD Ministry was set up in 1960 to promote and propagate Hindi.

Sibal said that Hindi is taught in about 135 universities in 93 countries. (PTI)

HC rejects Kasab’s plea for
closed-door interview with lawyers

MUMBAI, Sept 29: Taking note of the past records and aggressive behaviour of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, the Bombay High Court today rejected his plea for a closed-door meeting with lawyers to take a stand on the confirmation of death sentence awarded to him for his role in the 26/11 attacks.

Justices Ranjana Desai and R V More, while dismissing the plea, said they had viewed a CD of CCTV footage submitted by Government Counsel Ujjwal Nikam which showed Kasab attacking prison personnel on September 1 and also considered the past experiences of Kasab on his aggressive posture in jail.

"Threat perception to Kasab cannot be questioned by this court in a case of this nature....National interest and safety outweighs all other considerations. Therefore, we reject Kasab’s prayer seeking legal interview not within the hearing distance of jail staff and police," the two-judge bench observed.

Kasab’s lawyer Amin Solkar argued that enough security had been provided in and around the jail where Kasab is lodged and said his client wanted to give him instructions in a free atmosphere and not in the presence of police and jail staff.

Nikam objected to Kasab’s plea, saying he was a trained commando, and with swift movements he could pose a danger to his own life as well as to jail guards. Presence of jail staff was necessary to control his aggressive movements.

He submitted confidential reports about Kasab’s behaviour in jail during the trial and thereafter.

The High Court ordered that these reports be kept confidential till the hearing concludes.

The court agreed with Nikam that the presence of jail staff was necessary within a hearing distance from Kasab, taking into account serious threat perception to him and his past experiences in judicial custody.

However, it made it clear that police personnel, particularly those connected with the 26/11 investigation, shall not remain present during the interview.

The Bench referred to judgements given by Supreme Court and Rajasthan HC which had imposed reasonable restrictions on interviews of convicts with lawyers.

The Judges referred to Rule 9(7) of Maharashtra Prison Rules (MPR) which states that if any objectionable matter is being discussed between a convict and his lawyer, the jailer has the discretion to stop it.

They mentioned Rule 11 of MPR which says that every interview with a prisoner shall be held in the presence of jail staff. They also pointed to Rule 13 which states that if interview is in a language not understood by jailer then it can be allowed only in the presence of an interpretor.

The court was of the view that a jailer could use his discretion in allowing convicts, particularly those who have been awarded death sentence, to have interviews with lawyers.

"The presence of jail staff is a must in this case. Having seen relevant rules and CCTV footage we are of the view that the judgements cited by Kasab’s lawyer are not applicable here. The applicant can have interviews within the sight and hearing of jail staff", the judges noted.

Outside the court, Kasab’s lawyer said, "We are thinking to challenge this order in Supreme court".

On May 6, Kasab was awarded death penalty by the trial court for his role in the November 26, 2008 attacks that left 166 people dead.

While handing down death sentence, the court had said that keeping him alive will be a "lingering danger".

"Keeping Kasab alive would be a lingering danger to the society and the Indian Government," Special Judge M L Tahaliyani had observed and added "the possibility of Kasab reforming is completely ruled out."

The Pakistani terrorist, the only one to be caught alive among the 10 attackers, is lodged in a bomb and bullet- proof cell in the Arthur Road Jail here which is heavily guarded by Indo-Tibetan Border Police. (PTI)

Centre turns down alternative model on GST

NEW DELHI, Sept 29: The Centre today refused to accept the alternative model of Goods and Services Tax, mooted by state GST panel head Asim Dasgupta and a couple of BJP-ruled states.

"We have regretted our inability to accept either the suggestion of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat or Chairman of empowered committee because they do not, in our opinion, allow the essential features of GST to operate," Revenue Secretary Sunil Mitra told reporters on the sidelines of a CII seminar.

As the Centre tried to build consensus on its proposal on constitution amendment bill, required for the rollout of GST, and even floated revised draft to please states, some states came out with alternative model that would not require the amendment of constitution.

"We will not take it (GST) forward without constitution amendment," Mitra said.

The alternative model suggested by Dasgupta, who represents West Bengal in the Empowered Committee of state finance ministers, moots that states be allowed to impose service tax without constitutional amendment.

Apprehending encroachment on fiscal autonomy of states by the Centre’s proposal on constitution amendment bill, Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Raghavji also proposed that the states be allowed to impose service tax without the amendment.

Gujarat also came out with alternative model on GST.

The Centre has so far floated two drafts on constitution amendment bill. The first one was rejected by states as it proposed GST Council, which they alleged gives veto power to Union Finance Minister on taxation issue of states.

The draft had proposed that changes in GST could be brought about by two-third majority in the council.

To assuage states, the Centre came out with another draft, which says that changes in GST could only be made when there is complete consensus in the GST council.

This draft is also opposed by the BJP-ruled states, besides Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee suggested that the Centre would come out with another draft.

When asked about this, Mitra said states have not given their views on the second draft so far.

Mitra said if consensus emerges on the bill at Empowered Committee’s meeting in Goa next month, the legislation could be tabled in the winter session of Parliament.

"Only then, I can take the legislation to winter session and though it will be a setback by a few months it can become operative from mid-next year," he said.

The roll-out of GST has already missed a deadline of April 1, 2010 and the next slated date of the start of next fiscal is also not set to be met. (PTI)

‘500 engineering colleges in AP have to be shut down’

HYDERABAD, Sept 29: Atleast 500 out of the 692 engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh will have to be shut down as they do not meet the stipulated norms, particularly of a qualified faculty, state’s technical education department officials have said.

The issue came to light at a recent conference of Vice Chancellors, held on September 21.

"We have about 500 engineering colleges in the state which do not fulfil this mandatory requirement (infrastructure, faculty) though they may be having good buildings. All such colleges should be closed down," state Council of Higher Education Secretary, Christopher said.

People are happy about the mushrooming growth of engineering colleges in the state but are not concerned about the lack of quality in education, he said.

Governor E S L Narasimhan, in his capacity as Chancellor of the universities in the state, immediately directed that "a committee be constituted to look into the lapses and make the management fall in line."

Chief Minister K Rosaiah was also apprised of the situation, who at once directed the authorities concerned to "act tough" and ensure that the college managements strictly complied with the set norms.

Accordingly, the state government constituted a committee, headed by Technical Education Commissioner K Lakshminarayana, to inspect the availability of infrastructure and faculty in the engineering colleges.

Quoting a NASSCOM study, Christopher said that Andhra Pradesh was producing only five to eight per cent of "employable engineering graduates" every year as against the national average of 25 per cent.

Another reason that may cause the shutdown of more than 200 engineering colleges in the state would be due to serious dearth of students.

Of the 2.67 lakh engineering colleges in the state, over 95,000 still remain vacant at the end of phase-1 counselling.

About 2.60 lakh students qualified in the engineering, agriculture and medical Common Entrance Test (CET) this year but more than a lakh of them did not even attend the counselling process for admission into various colleges, the study has said.

In the convenor quota alone, filled through the counselling process, 31,968 seats went abegging while there were no takers for those under the management quota, it said.

The strife over the demand for and against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh has left majority of the engineering colleges in the Telangana region high and dry as students prefer not to join them, given the violence being perpetrated by the pro-statehood agitators.

This resulted in a situation where, for the first time in many years, students from the state have opted for colleges in the neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the study said.

Interestingly, most of the colleges in the Andhra-Rayalaseema region have been able to attract good number of students this year.

"In coastal Andhra’s Prakasam district, a noted engineering college could manage an intake of only 30 per cent last year but this time it has already completed 70 per cent admissions," a member of the Consortium of Engineering Colleges’ Managements said.

In contrast, majority of the 200-odd engineering colleges around Hyderabad are struggling to get students despite offering "discounts" in fee and other expenses.

"Besides, the uncertainty over the continuation of fee reimbursement scheme being implemented by the state government for the last two years has also forced many students from the backward families to give up their engineering dreams," college managements say.

Experts in the field say it is high time the State Government put in place a regulatory authority with adequate powers to ensure that the engineering colleges are strictly run according to norms, particularly in respect of faculty. (PTI)

CIC may go headless from today; no decision on new chief

NEW DELHI, Sept 29: Central Information Commission, the country’s transparency watchdog, is likely to go headless from tomorrow as no decision has been taken on the successor of Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah.

The new Chief Information Commissioner will be chosen by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and a minister of the Union Cabinet. The committee has not met to decide on the issue.

Habibullah, who demits office today, said that Chief Information Commissioner is the administrative head of the transparency panel and all related works will come to a standstill until his successor is appointed.

The Chief Information Commissioner will, however, authorise some Information Commissioner to keep hearing appeals and complaints against the departments which were under him.

Habibullah is looking after the CBI, Cabinet Secretariat, the CIC, the CVC, Higher Education, PMO, Supreme Court and High Courts among others.

According to the RTI Act, the Chief Information Commissioner can only be selected by the Committee hence the charge cannot be handed over to any other Information Commissioner at the CIC even temporarily.

When contacted, the Prime Minister’s Office said that no meeting on the issue has been scheduled as of now.

Meanwhile, all but one Information Commissioners have passed a resolution saying the new CIC should be from among them.

"The Commissioners wish to reiterate and emphasise that the successor to Shri Habibullah should be found from within the Commission," the resolution passed by seven Information Commissioners said. It did not get the support of Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi who put his dissent on record while Habibullah abstained.

"If the Chief Information Commissioner were to be appointed from outside the Commission, it will not only run contrary to the healthy conventions established in such collegial bodies as the Supreme Court, CEC and UPSC , but will also be extremely demoralising for those already serving the Commission with the exemplary dedication," the resolution said.

It said selection of any one as the CIC from outside the Commission would also amount to uncritical acceptance of the loud clamour of certain vociferous interested groups as rational wisdom.

If any of the Information Commissioners is appointed from within the CIC the term of their office shall not be more than five years in aggregate as the Information Commissioner and the Chief Information Commissioner. (PTI)

Debuted on small screen against family’s advice: Big B

MUMBAI, Sept 29: Amitabh Bachchan, who returns as the host of the fourth season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC), says his debut on small screen a decade ago was against the advice of family, friends and well-wishers.

"In the year 2000, I was not doing well personally. There was no money and I had no films to work and an offer for television changed all when I decided to anchor ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’," Bachchan recalled.

Talking to reporters here last night, the Bollywood legend said even though he had liked the concept, initially he was apprehensive and hence he was taken to Britain at a studio where the original show ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ was being recorded.

"I liked the concept and the show and told the KBC producers that if they gave me similar format in India, I would readily do it," he said.

When asked what was the new addition to the show from his side from the time he first hosted the show, the Big B said the only addition was his spectacles.

Bachchan pointed out that in real life, he would never get a chance to ask questions to the people whereas on the show, he could do it.

To a question if he would ever consider occupying the hotseat, Bachchan said it was for the producers to take a call on the issue, but he would prefer quitting the show as his "general knowledge" was not good.

"Occupying the hotseat is very difficult," he added.

Bachchan said that he felt "honoured" that the Sony Television officials had decided to start the broadcast on KBC-4 from his birthday on October 11.

"Birthdays come and go, but starting the telecast of the show on that day is a rare occasion," he said.

To a query, if KBC season three host Shah Rukh Khan will be the first celebrity guest on the hotseat, Bachchan said, "I have also read about it in the press."

When asked if his family members would participate in the new variant of the show ‘Hotseat version’ where celebrity guests will play as a team for charity, Bachchan said if the channel invites them, the invitation would be considered. (PTI)

Unprecedented air surveillance plan in UP

LUCKNOW, Sept 29: An unprecendented air surveillance plan has been put into place in view of historic Ayodhya title suit verdict to be given tomorrow with special permission from thee Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for night landing facilities for the choppers.

Probably for the first time, the Uttar Pradesh police, which has

already sounded a red alert all over the state as a precautionery measures, has deployed three helicopters at its disposal to conduct

air surveillance from three places of the state.

Earlier, the Ram Janma Bhoomi (RJB) complex at Ayodhya was put under aerial surveillance especially during the night when a plea to

defer the case was taken up for hearing at the Apex Court on September 23.

According to highly placed sources, the state has been compartmentalised into three zones for aerial survey with their bases in Lucknow, Varanasi and Meerut. While Lucknow will cover central UP, Varanasi and Meerut would cover eastern and western UP respectively.

Chief Minister Mayawati, who is personally supervising the security arrangements, may use choppers in the night if the need arsies.

The government choppers can land at night, have equipment to detect explosives, mob and other illegal activities and are enabled

to detect any suspicious movement. These eight-seaters state government-owned Italian Augusta and Bell choppers have powerful earchlights which can lighten up an area as big as a football ground.

These choppers will also help keeping a keen vigil on vital installations and the three disputed shrines at Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura, the officials told UNI here. (UNI)

UID to remove middle man’s hurdle: Singh

TEMBLI, NANDURBAR, MAHARASHTRA, Sept 29: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asserted that the novel Unique Indentification (UID) scheme, renamed ‘Aadhaar’, will enable poor reap benefits from the various schemes of the Central Government which were normally squandered off by the middlemen.

While launching the unique scheme at this village in Nandurbar district in the hinterland of Maharashtra having a large adivasi populace, Dr Singh, who was perturbed over the fact that the poor were not getting the benefits of numerous schemes floated by the Government, said with the starting of the UID, each and every poor of the country will get the proper identification number, so that they can reap the benefits from the various schmes of the government.

He said the UID has been created in a bid to connect the country with the singularity of purpose of uniting it.

"The UPA Government has been committed to be an equal partner with the poor of the country, so as to make their lives better and comfortable as was mentioned in our manifesto" Dr Singh said.

While touching on the various aspects of the UID, the Prime Minister said the scheme would to a large extent remove the hurdle of the government employees and at the same time create the awareness among the poor to get the benefits.

Terming the UID as a vehicle, he said it will serve the cause of poor which was the dream of former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi.

Launching the UID scheme in the tribal Nandurbar district was a part of the party’s policy of reaching out to the common citizens of the country, he said and pointed the revolutionary scheme, thus launched, will definitly bear fruit to redeem the lives of the poor in very near future.(UNI)