| AICTE
chairman suspended over graft charges New
Delhi: The Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education, Professor
RA Yadav, who is under investigation for a criminal offence, was placed under
suspension today so that there is no possibility of investigation being influenced
by him. As regards the three other officers under investigation along with Yadav;
Professor H.C. Rai, Advisor has been repatriated to his parent cadre, Rabinder
Randhawa, Deputy Director, a contract employee's contract has been terminated
and Om Dalal, Asstt. Director has been placed under suspension. Member-Secretary
of AICTE Narayan Rao has been deemed to have been suspended from the date of his
arrest, earlier this month, by the CBI, said a statement released by the Human
Resource and Development Ministry. Professor S.S. Mantha, Vice Chairman, AICTE
will hold temporary charge as Chairman of the Council. Pandemonium
in J-K Assembly over CM role in scandal Top Srinagar:
Pandemonium reigned in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for the third consecutive
day on Wednesday as the People's Democratic Party (PDP) sought a judicial probe
into state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's alleged involvement in the 2006 sex
scandal. Accusing the CBI of defending Omar Abdullah, senior members of the PDP
tore up a letter issued by the CBI in connection with their investigation of the
case. The CBI letter states that neither Chief Minister Omar Abdullah nor Union
Minister for Non-Renewable Sources of Energy and Omar's father Farooq Abdullah
is figured in the list of suspects that were involved in the 2006 sex scandal.
Assembly Speaker Akbar Lone confirmed that he had received a communication from
the CBI to this effect. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had said on Tuesday
that there was no mention of Omar Abdullah in the CBI list. Earlier, Jammu and
Kashmir Governor N. N. Vohra had refused to accept Omar Abdullah's resignation,
saying that the latter should continue in office till a final decision is taken
on the matter. Abdullah had formally submitted his resignation to Vohra, hours
after a senior PDP leader had alleged in the State Assembly that Abdullah was
involved in the sex scandal. PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar
Beigh levelled the allegation that Abdullah was involved. Beigh even traded charges
with Farooq Abdullah during a heated television debate on Tuesday night. Beigh
said he had list of names who were involved in the scandal and Abdullah was listed
as number 102. The sex scandal surfaced in 2006 with the arrest of a woman, Sabina,
who allegedly claimed during her interrogation that she used to send girls, including
minors to politicians, senior policemen and bureaucrats. Among the 17 people chargesheeted
by the CBI are G A Mir and Raman Mattoo, both ministers in the then PDP-led Government,
and Mohammed Iqbal Khandey, former Principle Secretary to the then Chief Minister
Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. SC
upholds RK Anand's conviction, clears I U Khan in BMW case Top New
Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of criminal lawyer
R K Anand for contempt of court for attempting to influence key witness Sunil
Kulkarni in the 1999 BMW hit-and-run case. The apex court, however, set aside
the conviction of Special Public Prosecutor I U Khan, who had also been debarred
by the Delhi High Court from practising for four months along with Anand. A three-judge
Bench comprising Justices B N Agrawal, G S Singhvi and Aftab Alam, pronounced
the verdict after watching the original footage of the sting operation provided
by NDTV. The court described sting operation as being in the public interest.
It also said that it was not a trial by the media and had served a public purpose.
The sting exposed Anand persuading Kulkarni to change his testimony to save prime
accused Sanjeev Nanda in collusion with I U Khan. The High Court had convicted
the duo for obstructing the administration of justice and had barred them from
appearing in the High Court and other subordinate courts for four months and had
fined them Rs 2,000 each. Earlier, the Delhi High Court upheld the conviction
of Sanjeev Nanda. Justice Kailash Gambhir, however, had reduced Nanda's jail term
from five to two years. Besides Nanda, the court had also sentenced Rajiv Gupta
and Bhola Nath to a year and six months in jail, respectively. The court convicted
Nanda under the Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dealing with culpable
homicide not amounting to murder. Nanda, allegedly in an inebriated state, was
accused of mowing down seven people with his high speeding BMW car in the wee
hours of January 10, 1999 in Lodhi Colony area. Rajmata
Gayatari Devi of Jaipur passes away Top Jaipur:
Charismatic former royal, Rajmata Gayatri Devi (90), who had an eventful stint
in politics and was jailed during the emergency, died at a hospital in Jaipur
on Wednesday following prolonged illness. According to sources, a blockage was
diagnosed in her intestine. This was treated with balloon dilate. It was said
that there was a polypoid growth in her colon. Gayatridevi recently underwent
intestinal endoscopy treatment. Dr Subhash Kala, who was attending on her, said
Gayatri Devi was suffering from paralytic ileus. This is a condition when one's
intestines don't move. Gayatri Devi was being treated in the intensive care unit
of the Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital in Jaipur and was discharged a few
days ago, but readmitted after complaining a chest pain on Tuesday. Gayatri Devi,
who was being treated for gastric disorder at the King Edward's Hospital in London,
was recently flown in to India in an air ambulance. She had expressed her desire
to return to Jaipur, as she felt lonely in London. The doctors in the Santokba
Durlabhji Hospital have been tight lipped about her health and only her close
family members were allowed to see her. Gayatri Devi was once listed among the
'World's Ten Most Beautiful Women' by Vogue magazine and a style icon during her
time. She was the founder member of the Swatantra Party and a member of the third
and fourth Lok Sabha. The London-born princess of Cooch Behar was the third Maharani
of Jaipur from 1939 to 1970 after her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II
and was later known as Rajmata. Vijender,
Mary Kom, Sushil get Khel Ratna Top New
Delhi: Wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxers M C Mary Kom and Vijender Singh have
been selected for this year's Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. It is the first time
when the nation's highest sporting honour is being bestowed upon three sportspersons.
In 1996-97 and 2002-03, the prestigious award had been shared by two sportspersons.
"Normally, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is given to only one sportsperson
in a year. However, taking into consideration the spectacular performance of Vijender
and Sushil, the Government has accepted the recommendation of the Selection Committee
to confer the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award on both of them as a special case,
in addition Mary Kom," the sports ministry said in a statement. Four-time world
champion M C Mary Kom and Olympic bronze medallist Vijender are the first boxers
to get the award which carries an enhanced prize money of 7.5 lakh rupees and
a citation. "I feel very honoured. Besides, this award has given me the motivation
to continue," said Mary Kom, 25, four times gold medallist at five World Championships
held so far. The mother of two, who is International Boxing Association's ambassador
for women's boxing, was overlooked for last year's Khel Ratna, which had gone
to Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A bronze medallist from Beijing
Olympics, ended wrestling's 56-year-old wait for a medal at the world's biggest
sporting extravaganza. Star cricketer Gautam Gambhir, badminton sensation Saina
Nehwal, world record holder double trap shooter Ranjan Sodhi, veteran hockey player
Ignace Tirkey and chess player Tania Sachdev were among the 15 athletes selected
for the Arjuna awards. Former All England champion and Saina's coach Pullela Gopichand
and Satpal Singh, who trained Sushil for Beijing Olympics, were among those picked
for the Dronacharya award. The awards would be given away by President Pratibha
Patil at a glittering function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, celebrated
as the National Sports Day. Pak
provides fresh proof of Lashkar involvement in 26/11 Top Islamabad:
Pakistan investigation agencies have, for the very first time, revealed that
they have adequate proof that the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT ) is directly involved
in the 26/11 terror attack. A Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) report handed
over to India says the material recovered from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta
indicates that the terrorists received training and weapons. "The investigation
has established beyond any reasonable doubt that the defunct LeT activists conspired,
abetted, planned, financed and established communication network to carry out
terror attacks in Mumbai," the report states. Officials said they have also recovered
handwritten diaries, training manuals, Indian maps and operational instructions
from Lashkar camps. "The accused were running training camps for terrorists, providing
sea and navigational training, conducting intelligence courses and directions
for terrorist attack," the report said. It discloses that training sessions for
the attackers was codenamed 'Azizabad' (Azizabad is one of the neighbourhoods
of Gulberg Town in Karachi). The investigators seized militant literature, inflatable
lifeboats, detailed maps of the Indian coastline, handwritten literature on navigational
training and an intelligence course manual. World
Bank refuses 102 million dollar loan to Pak Top Lahore:
The World Bank (WB) has refused to grant a loan of 102 million dollars to Pakistan.
Sources said the refusal came after the government failed to meet certain requisite
conditions necessary for disbursement of loan by the World Bank. According to
the Daily Times, the amount was supposed to be spent for providing telecommunication
services in rural areas across Pakistan. After the refusal, the Universal Service
Fund Committee has agreed to provide funds for the project. The WB has also delayed
the approval of a 100 million dollar loan for the Higher Education Commission
until 2010. |
