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B.N Kirpal sworn in as new Supreme Court Chief Justice New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): Justice B.N Kirpal has become the Chief Justice of India. He succeeds Justice S.P. Baraucha and will have a six- month tenure. The swearing-in was conducted by President K.R. Narayanan at the Ceremony Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday It was attended by Vice-President Krishan Kant, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani, Law Minister Arun Jaitley and others . Justice Kirpal, who was elevated to the Supreme Court in September 1995, is the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court appointed through the collegium system which allows the judiciary to nominate its new Chief Justice. Justice Kirpal has presided over Benches involved in significant judgements including pro-economic liberalization, environmental issues and the recent temple-mosque controversy. He also heads the 11-judge Bench looking into the special educational rights of minorities. (ANI) Pakistan fomenting trouble in Gujarat: Advani
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to top New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): India on Monday accused Pakistan of encouraging the bloody Hindu-Muslim clashes in Gujarat that have caused a crisis for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government. Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani said India had evidence that Pakistan was trying to foment the violence in Gujarat, where more than 900 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed in two months in the country's worst religious riots in a decade. "From the time the incidents at Ahmedabad and Godhra occurred, till now, the government has seen several intercepts from across the border asking militant groups in Kashmir to provide financial help (to rioters) in Gujarat, encourage them, so that the strife continues. Based on this, I can say that their interest is still alive. Any of us who further worsens the situation are in a way helping them and this should not happen ," Advani told the Rajya Sabha.(ANI)
Govt backs opposition motion in Rajya Sabha to skip vote Go to top New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): The federal government on Monday backed an opposition motion in the Rajya Sabha condemning recent religious violence, avoiding the embarrassment of losing a vote on the issue. The move came at the end of a three-day debate after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government did an about face last week and agreed to support an opposition motion over its handling of the riots in Gujarat. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which also rules Gujarat, has been accused of turning a blind eye to the killings of Muslims and not containing the violence, in which more than 850 people have died since late February. In his statement before the House, Vajpayee defended the government's decision of not dismissing Narendra Modi, chief minister of the riot-hit state, who has come under fire for his inability to stop the religious bloodshed. "I am told to perform my administrative duties. I want to say that this should not be said in an abstract form but instead, utilising this forum I want you to firmly make it clear as to whether the dismissal of Modi is the only way for me to do justice to my administrative responsibilities," said Vajpayee. Opposition parties who, alongwith some of the allies of the ruling coalition, have been demanding Modi's removal remained critical of the government's meek stand. "We are unhappy with this. Today the Prime Minister has said that they do not want to dismiss Modi and that if he had been removed then the situation in Gujarat would have deteriorated further. This indicates the level of faith the federal government places in Modi. This indicates that they (the government) think Modi is the only person who can handle the situation in Gujarat. If this is the attitude of the government then I shudder to think what will happen to the people of Gujarat," said Kapil Sibal, senior leader of the opposition Congress party. Amar Singh, senior leader of Samajwadi Party, said the government's volte face was hypocritical. "There is a big difference between words and deeds. They had the numbers in the Lok Sabha so they were very aggressive and ready for a fight. But they do not have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha and were facing defeat. So they conceded without a fight," said Singh. The ruling coalition lacks majority in the Rajya Sabha and faced certain defeat if the motion had been voted on. A loss would not have brought it down, but would have been a grave embarrassment for the coalition, which has been attacked over the riots. More than 850 people, mostly Muslims, have died since Hindu mobs went on the rampage across Gujarat after 59 Hindus were burnt alive in a train in late February. The religious violence in Gujarat has already exposed deep rifts in Vajpayee's 19-party coalition, many of whose members are deeply uneasy over the BJP's links with hardline Hindu groups. Opposition groups accuse the BJP of a deep-seated bias against the country's 120 million minority Muslims. More than 100,000 people, mainly Muslims, are sheltered in relief camps in Gujarat. Many have lost their homes to arson attacks or are too terrified to return for fear of being targeted by their Hindu neighbours.(ANI)
No clear decline in cross-border infiltration: India
Go to top New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): Infiltration across the Line of Control in Kashmir from Pakistan has not certainly come down appreciably and hence there is no scope for complacency in this regard. This was what Nirupama Rao, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said at a briefing on Monday when her attention was drawn to the report in a section of the press which quoted Robert Armitage, US Deputy Secretary of State, as saying in an interview recently that cross-border infiltration has gone down although it is not clear whether this was due to deliberate actions or weather conditions. The government has seen the published report, she added. In reply to a question about the talks the Afghan Defence Minister Gen. Fahim is now having in India, Rao informed that training of Afghan soldiers by India did indeed figure in the discussions. In fact defence cooperation between the two countries is of vital importance. Besides, reconstruction of the war-ravaged nation received special focus. Fahim, who met Defence Minister George Fernandes and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh on Monday, would leave for Bangalore on Tuesday. He will visit Pune too before returning home on May 9. Afghan Civil Aviation Minister Salmay Rassool is also currently in town and holding talks with the relevant departments. Meanwhile, welcoming the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's dissident politician and leader of the National League of Democracy, after 19 months of house arrest, the government said that "India has consistently advocated reconciliation in Myanmar and moves towards restoration of democracy." This is why, it added, this (the release) is considered as a concrete step reflective of the desire of the government of Myanmar to strengthen efforts to realize lasting peace and tranquillity in the country. "This decision," the statement affirmed, "will further the ongoing dialogue between the Myanmar government and the NLD , and would consolidate the process of national reconciliation. And India will continue its policy of engagement and cooperation with Myanmar." (ANI)
Ration scam in Rabri constituency
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top Radhopur (Bihar), May 6 (ANI): People in Radhopur, Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi's Assembly constituency, have no ration cards for the past 25 years. Yet, as many as 114 ration shops in the area have been "distributing" goods at subsidised rates! Government records show that there are nearly 22,000 ration-card holders in the area who have been regularly getting their respective quota of ration. In 1978 the district administration asked the people to return their ration cards on the assurance that they would be allotted new ones on the basis of latest census data. "But so far we have not received any ration card", said a local resident. On the basis of the 1991 census report, 114 fair price shops were allotted to the Assembly constituency and the state government kept on selling goods to FPSs at subsidised prices, but only on paper! According to sources in the civil supplies department, sugar and kerosene are sold in tonnes at these shops every month. The population of the Radhopur Assembly constituency is around 1.32 lakh, which lives in 350 villages spread over 26 zila panchayats. Besides a large number of Yadavs, people belonging to other communities, including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backwards, form part of the populace. The SCs and STs are the most affected lot. Ram Shankar, a local resident, said, "We get the ration quota once in 3-4 months but never at subsidised rates". He also alleged that on festivals the lower caste people get only two kg sugar. "Only those who have muscle power can get more than two kg sugar", he added. On several occasions the local residents tried to raise the issue at political and administrative levels but to no use. Rashid Ahmed Khan, District Magistrate of Vaishali, said, "we are conducting a survey and identifying people living below poverty line (BPL). All those who earn below Rs 20,000 in a year come under this scheme. We give red cards to such families. From time to time we have been conducting surveys to ensure that civil supplies are not sold at higher prices, or to those who are above the minimum-income limit". (ANI)
Delhi bus fares hiked
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top New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): The Delhi state government on Monday decided to hike bus fares in the capital by about 17 percent, following an increase in the cost of clean fuel. The cost of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), an alternative to diesel, was increased from Rs 13.11 to Rs 16.83 recently. The bus fares for the shortest route remains unchanged at Rs 2 while for the rest the fares have gone up by 1-3 rupees. Delhi chief minister Shiela Dixit told reporteres that the hike had been kept to the minimum to cushion its impact on daily commuters. "The notification will be issued in 2-3 days and it will come into effect from that day onwards. Whatever increase we have made is the minimum, absolutely the minimum only, what was absolutely essential, keeping in mind not to burden the common commuters of Delhi. The impact will be the minimum," Dixit said. But the hike in bus fares did not go down well with commuters. "It is difficult for the common man if they increase the price so much. How will we meet our household expenses if all the money is spent on transport?" said Rama Devi, a commuter. "It will prove expensive for those travelling short routes. But it is manageable for those travelling long routes. It will be a burden for the poorer sections of people," Dayal Singh, another commuter, said. Shiv Kumar, another commmuter, found fault with the government's policy. "The government will keep on increasing the rates. The poor man is affected by all this. What can he do?" asked Kumar. Delhi has been facing transport problems recently after the Supreme Court ordered half the city's public bus fleet off the road for failing to switch to cleaner fuel. The Supreme court in its bid to free the city from pollution had rejected a last-ditch plea by transit operators for more time to allow them to change their fume-belching diesel buses to compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel. The Supreme Court has been spearheading a drive to end choking pollution in New Delhi, rated one of the world's dirtiest cities where doctors report a mounting toll of people with breathing ailments. Estimates said the health cost of air pollution in New Delhi was 10 billion rupees. The national oil companies sell 93,000 kilo litres of diesel and 63,000 kilo litres of petrol in the capital every month. According to government estimates the demand for diesel would fall by 11,000 kilo litres if 7,000 diesel-run buses switch to CNG.(ANI)
Legislative seats for SCs, STs, to be refixed: Arun Jaitley
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to top New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said that the proposed Delimitation Commission will refix the number of legislative seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on the basis of the 1991 census. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, he said the fixation of seats would be done without affecting the total number of seats allocated to the states based on the census of 1971. Delimitation Bill-2002, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on May 3, envisages setting up of the Commission. The Bill seeks fresh delimitation of electoral constituencies on the basis of the 1991 census "so as to correct the distortion in sizes of the constituencies". (ANI)
Security tightened to foil Jharkhand blockade
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to top Ranchi, May 6 (ANI): Security has been put on high alert in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, on Monday following a three- day economic blockade called by banned communist outfits. The economic blockade has been called by the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and the People' War Group (PWG) to protest against the imposition of new anti-terrorism law against them. Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) sets new rules for arrest, interrogation and investigation and allows suspects to be detained for 30 days without trial. Feroz Ahmed, a Railway Protection Force official, said elaborate security arrangements have been made in sensitive areas. "Local police, RPF and CRPF are conducting patrols jointly. Escort teams are moving with the train. Bridges and other major installations are being manned. We are taking all preventive measures," Ahmed said. Security forces carried intensive partrolling along rail routes and highways in the state. Additional forces have been kept ready in case of any eventuality. On the first day of blockade some trucks were attacked in the state capital. During previous shutdowns the ultras had disrupted rail and road traffic in several pockets of the state. MCC and PWG claim to fight for poor peasants and have been banned by the government under POTA. The two groups operate mainly in Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. These two groups regularly attack law enforcement authorities and landlords and run a parallel government in several pockets in their areas of influence. Dozens of policemen are killed or wounded in attacks every year by the leftist rebels who use landmines and weapons seized from police force.(ANI)
Pakistan warned of tribal war Go to top Kohat, May 6 (ANI): Javed Ibraheem Paracha, leader of Muttahida Majlis-i-Ammal, has asked the army to play its constitutional role of safeguarding the boundaries of the state and stop the US forces from launching an operation against Al Qaeda and Taliban in the Waziristan Agency. In a press release issued here on Sunday he warned that the US- Zionist lobby under a well-hatched conspiracy wanted to create a rift between the government and the tribesmen by instigating them through such acts for finding an excuse to establish a permanent base here. He said the situation was becoming very sensitive as the tribesmen had warned against any operation on their soil and retaliate with force and this could result in a bloody civil war. He supported his argument by saying that the tribesmen possessed sophisticated and heavy weapons and had never compromised over their sovereignty which was evident from the history so there was a fear of preemptive strike from their side which could spark a large scale war. He revealed that after their failure to arrest even a single Taliban or Al Qaeda member from the seminaries in the Waziristan Agency the US and the Pakistani forces were again acting on false intelligence reports which was not fair. He said he had confirmed information that US forces were present on the border and preparing to enter Pakistan following a green signal from the government and that if this happened the consequences would be disastrous for the country's future. He said that the CIA alread had established small bases in every major city of the country and feeding wrong information to its government to achieve its interests in the region. He disclosed that these men assisted by their local agents visit the tribal areas and use huge amounts of money to record false statements from anti-state groups. He further warned that such acts would tarnish the image of the Pakistan army in the eyes of the countrymen as well as in the Arab world where it is held in high esteem.(ANI)
Pak Parliament "bound to legitimise takeover"
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to top Islamabad, May 6 (ANI): President . Pervez Musharraf plans to yield powers to the civilian government after democracy is restored later this year, Law Minister Khalid Ranjha said on Sunday. But Musharraf will first require constitutional amendments placing limits on civilian rule and demand that parliament elected in October accept all decisions of the military government since 1999, Ranjha said. "It will be binding on parliament to do it," he said. "Musharraf will delegate most of his powers to the prime minister after the parliamentary elections." The constitution will be amended before the changeover to prevent any clash between the president and the prime minister--as has happened in the past. The Law Ministry is discussing various proposed amendments, he said. In Pakistan, three presidents have dismissed five elected governments since 1988, and Musharraf wants the new government to complete its term, he said. The minister also indicated that the new parliament will be unable to overrule any of the decisions Musharraf makes after the restoration of democracy. But a provision to remove a president through impeachment will remain part of the constitution, Ranjha said. It is still unclear, Ranjha said, how closely the council would be modelled on Turkey's National Security Council. Apart from occupying the presidency, Musharraf continues to wear the uniform of the army chief and has no plan to seek retirement from the army. "The basic purpose of creating this council is to maintain checks and balances so that things don't get out of control, as happened in the past, and democracy is not derailed," the Law Minister said, adding: "Powers of this body are yet to be defined." (ANI) Osama with trimmed beard seen in Pakistan: Report Go to top New York, May 6 (ANI): The Afghan chief of military intelligence, Hazrat Uddin, has said that he has received "credible reports" that mastermind terrorist Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenant Ayman al Zawahiri, were seen inside Pakistan, Dawn quoted Newsweek as saying in its lagtest issue on Monday. Hazrat Uddin told the magazine that Osama trimmed his beard and appeared healthy. A second Afghan commander, Kamal Khan Zadran, says he thinks Osama's men are trying to keep their leader safe inside Pakistan. "The local Al Qaeda network is active," he says. "They're working out their plans." While there are false sightings of Osama every day and there's no solid proof he's even alive, privately, many terrorism experts think Uddin is on the right track, the weekly said. Both Hazrat Uddin and Zadran are stationed in the Afghan City of Khost, just over the mountain pass from Miram Shah, a corner of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, east of Afghanistan. Foreign troops are said to be roaming through that high country. The weekly said that in Khost, an Afghan intelligence official who is in contact with the Americans says an operation launched on April 30 called Mountain Lion - using British, Australian and US 101st Airborne commandos to seek out possible Al Qaeda hideouts - will expand into a major offensive on both sides of the border. "They have a plan to go into Miram Shah to do an operation," he says. "There are 1,200 American and British troops in the tribal areas right now. They're working very hard. They're in a hurry." Officially, the Pentagon says there are no foreign troops inside Pakistan other than some logistical support personnel and it won't even say where the commandos are searching. Newsweek says inside Afghanistan, at a remote smuggler's crossing called Ghulam Khan, the local Afghan commander Mohammed Yaqoob has a wireless connection to an American handler identified only as Jim. (ANI)
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