8 DECCAN HERALD

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Nation
Chacko says Sinhas demand to call PM to JPC a stunt
How can a member of the panel write a letter to the prime minister?
mittee. Chacko criticised the demand on Tuesday and said: How can a member of the panel write a letter to the prime minister? It is for the committee to take a decision. It is only a political stunt and against the norms of parliamentary procedure. Sinha had alleged that forSinha on Monday demand- mer telecom minister A Raja ed that the prime minister was being prevented from deshould depose before the com- posing as it would lead to seriNEW DELHI: A war of words is on between P C Chacko, chairman, Joint Parliamentary Committee probing the 2G telecom scam and one of its members, BJP's Yashwant Sinha, over a demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh depose before the panel.

In brief

ous trouble for Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Questioning Sinha's missive to the prime minister, Chacko said the letter had no relevanceas decisions including calling a minister had to be taken by the committee and not individuals. Even if the prime minister wants, he cannot appear before the JPC. The committee has to take a collective decision on whom to call. That's the norm which applies to all of us, Chacko said.

After completing the deposition by witnesses, JPC members had authorised him (Chacko) to write the draft report. Once the report is ready, we will meet to discuss it, Chacko said. However, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman asked why the Congress and the government were resisting any move to call the prime minister and Chidambaram besides Raja before the JPC. Citing Manmohan Singhs offer to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of

Parliament on the 2G spectrum issue, the BJP said he should depose before the JPC to clear his stand in the wake of charges levelled by prime accused Raja. Raja, after being denied the opportunity to appear before the panel, wrote to the committee last month saying that the prime minister was in the loop over decisions taken regarding the controversial allocation of 2G spectrum in 2008. Sinha, who along with BJP members, has been pressing

for calling the prime minister, wrote to Singh on Monday saying that he should appear before the JPC so that the truth comes out. Sinha described the functioning of the JPC as scandalous and said any hesitation on the prime minister's part to appear before JPC would prove that he has something to hide. We will not be able to arrive at the truth and the whole effort will be wasted in concealing the truth, Sinha said.
DH News Service

Improving autism patients, 27-year-old Payal Kapoor and 8-year-old Prasam, celebrate World Autism Day in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. AFP

Sterlite told to pay Rs 100-crore in damages

Apex court refuses to close down plant
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Sterlite Industries, a subsidiary of the UK-based Vedanta group, to pay Rs 100 crore for causing environmental pollution in Tamil Nadus Tuticorin area between 1997 and 2012.
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Film fraternity joins protest against Lanka

CHENNAI, DHNS: Hundreds of film artistes on Tuesday observed a day-long fast in support of the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution on the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils that urged the Centre, among other things, to move the UN Security Council for a referendum on the creation of separate Eelam State. Led by actor Rajnikant, almost the entire film fraternity including Kamal Hassan observed the fast on the premises

of the South Indian Artistes Association (SIAA) here, with most of them including women actors attired in black to condemn the continued suppression of Tamils rights in Sri Lanka by the Rajapaksa regime. The spontaneous gathering by the South Indian film artistes was surprisingly huge, cutting across political divides. The other actors who participated in the fast included veteran Sivakumar, SIAA presi-

dent and MLA, Sarath Kumar, Prakash Raj, Radha Ravi and Ajit besides Radhika, Ramya Krishnan, Urvashi and Ambika. The GenNext actors like Udayanidhi Stalin, Jeeva and Vishal also joined in at the fasting venue, where banners of the slain LTTE chief Prabhakarans son, 12-year-old Balachandrans recently revealed pictures and other pictures of the gory killings of Tamils, allegedly by the Sri Lankan

Army, were on display. In the evening, as the fast came to an end, with two students offering the artistes fruit juices, Sarath Kumar read out seven resolutions adopted by the film fraternity. They demanded, among other things, an independent international investigation into the alleged war crimes and human rights abuses against the IslandTamils by the Sri Lankan Army during the last days of Eelam War IV in 2009.

Big relief
Plant located within 25 km periphery of Gulf of Mannar. SC order will not stand in way of TNPCB issuing orders to the company. The amount will be put as FD in a nationalised bank. Damages to be paid within three months. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

The Defence Ministry has decided to put on hold the much-awaited Rs 3,000 crore deal to purchase 197 light utility helicopters for the time being till the Army completes its own investigation against a brigadier who allegedly promised AgustaWestland of securing the contract for the company, reports DHNS from New Delhi. The Army has instituted a court of inquiry and probing the involvement of one of the officers in the allegations. Any decision on the 197-chopper deal would be taken only after the probe is over, said a De-

Copter deal put off till investigation gets over

fence Ministry official. The reports on the involvement of the Army brigadier almost coincided with allegations of wrongdoings in the VVIP copter deal. Incidentally, Agusta helicopters did not even make the cut to become eligible for the deal, which is hanging since 2008. Eurocopters AS 350 Fennec and Russian Kamovs 226 were shortlisted after trials in 2010 whereas AgustaWestland was knocked out for not meeting the requirements. The light utility helicopters are being purchased to replace the age-old Cheeta and Chetak fleet.

Charge sheet against Hasan Ali

The Patna police on Tuesday filed a charge sheet in the Hasan Ali case in which the Pune-based money-launderer has been charged with procuring a passport from Bihar through fraudulent means, reports DHNS from Patna. The hawala racketeer, serving jail-term, had been accused of obtaining passport on fake address of Alamganj area in Patna Saheb. His matriculation certificate of Bihar School Examination Board (attached to the passport application form which he submitted in 1997) and his permanent ad-

A bench of justices A K Patnaik and S J Mukhopadhaya refused to direct closure of the copper smelting plant, noting that it supplied material to different industries and provided employment to about 1,300 people. The court set aside the Madras High Courts 2010 order directing shutdown of the plant. Responding to the verdict, Sterlite said it would keep on working in close association with the state government and other regulatory bodies towards maintaining the highest standards of health, safety and environment. In its 64-page verdict, the bench clarified that neither was the quantum of damages final nor should its order be treated as a green signal to Sterlite for operating the plant. We make it clear that this judgment will not stand in the way of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) issuing directions to the company, including a direction for closure of the plant, for the protection of environment in accordance with law. We also make it clear that the award of damages of Rs 100 crore for the period from 1997 to 2012 will not stand in the way of any claim for damages for

the aforesaid period or any other period in a civil court or any other forum in accordance with law, Justice Patnaik said. The court directed the company to deposit the amount within three months with the Thoothukudi district collector. The amount would be put in a fixed deposit account in a nationalised bank for at least five years, renewable as and when it expired. The interest earned would be spent on suitable measures to improve the environment, water and soil, in the vicinity of the plant. The court noted that the plant was located within 25 km periphery of Gulf of Mannar, an ecologically sensitive area. The verdict delivered by the court will have no impact on the TNPCBs March 30 order to shut down the plant owned by billionaire Anil Agarwal due to alleged gas leak. Sterlite had approached the apex court challenging the high court order directing it to shut down the plant.
DH News Service

JOINING HANDS: Superstar Rajinikanth, South Indian Film Artistes' Association president R Sarath Kumar and other representatives of Tamil lm industry at a day-long fast in Chennai on Tuesday demanding rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils and an international probe into the alleged war crimes. PTI

dress in Bihars Sitamarhi district were also found to be fake. Besides this, the Enforcement Directorate, too, had booked Ali under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for allegedly stashing away a huge chunk of black money in Swiss bank accounts using fake the passports. The Income Tax Department has served a tax arrear demand of Rs 50,345 crore on him. The central agencies are also investigating charges against him for alleged violation of the Passport Act.

Ex-min gets bail in Odisha

Banks can sell United Spirits shares: HC

MUMBAI, DHNS: The Bombay

High Court on Tuesday refused to restrain banks from selling shares of United Spirits pledged as security against loans to Kingfisher, which apparently jeopardised liquor baron Vijay Mallyas plans to complete stake sale to Diageo Plc and to revive the grounded Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). After hearing both sides, the banks and Kingfishers parent company United Breweries Holdings which had filed the suit, Justice S J Kathawala said:

Ad-interim relief refused. In effect, this court order would essentially mean that the consortium of 17 banks would be now free to sell shares of the subsidiary companies of the UB Group which had been pledged with the lenders under an agreement in 2010. During the course of arguments, the banks informed the court that the process of sale of shares had already begun. Their counsels informed the court that after the borrower defaulted on repayment and it was de-

cided to sell the pledged shares as per the deal between the parties. Even those banks which are not part of the consortium have also started selling the shares, they said. Birendra Saraf, Counsel for UB Group, told mediapersons that the banks had informed that one crore shares of Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers, a subsidiary of UB Holdings, pledged with the lenders, had already been sold. The deal was materialised today, he said. He had told the court earlier

that 23 lakh shares of companies, including United Spirits Ltd and Kingfisher Airlines were pledged in exchange for loans. Mallya-owned UB Holdings pleaded that the banks be restrained from selling shares of United Spirits Ltd (USL) and other companies collectively worth Rs 100 crore. The petition sought a stay after State Bank of India sold a portion of USL shares recently, prompting the Mallya-owned group to move the high court for relief.

A local court in Balasore town in north Odishas Balasore district on Tuesday granted conditional bail to ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) senior leader and former state law minister Raghunath Mohanty, who was arrested by the state police in neighbouring West Bengal last week in connection with a dowry torture and harassment case, reports DHNS from Bhubaneshwar. The court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) also granted bail to

Pritilata, the former ministers wife, who too was taken into custody along with him. The court granted the couple bail on condition that they would not leave the state without the prior permission of the court. They would also have to cooperate with the investigating agency probing the case. The high profile case is being investigated by the human rights protection cell (HRPC) of the state police which functions under the crime branch.

Wi-Fi launched in Rajdhani

SC removes restrictions on Italian envoy

NEW DELHI, DHNS: The Supreme Court on Tuesday removed the restriction placed on the movement of Italian Ambassador Daniele Mancini after noting that the two marines had come back to face trial after their stipulated four-week stay. The accused, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, were allowed by the apex court on February 22 to visit Italy to exercise their franchise in general elections on an assurance of return given by the ambassador. However, in a volte-face, Italy said the marines will not return to stand trial, triggering chances of a major diplomatic standoff with the apex court directing authorities to ensure that the envoy does not leave the country. A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir modified the March 14 order barring the envoy from leaving India. The bench, also comprising Justices A R Dave and Vikramjit Sen, asked Attorney General G E Vahanvati to explain the steps taken for formation of the special court for holding the trial. What about the special court? This needs to be done swiftly. They are people from outside. We cannot hold them back for long, the bench said.

Explain delay in filing Babri plea: SC to CBI

NEW DELHI, DHNS: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the CBI to explain the delay of 167 days in filing a petition before it against an Allahabad High Court order of May 2010, dropping the charge of criminal conspiracy against senior BJP leader L K Advani and others in the Babri masjid demolition case. A bench of Justices H L Dattu and J S Khehar told senior counsel P P Rao, representing the probe agency, to file an affidavit within a week, explaining the delay, including on the point that over three months was taken in settling the special leave petition in the office of then So-

licitor General. The court noted that considerable time was taken at the office of the senior law officer after the CBI submitted a chronological list of dates since the pronouncement of order by the HC on May 20, 2010 and February 9, 2011, the day the special leave petition (SLP) was filed. Having gone through the list, it is clear the delay occurred mainly due to drafting of SLP and its approval by the senior law officer. That affidavit is not before us. Let reasons for delay be explained on affidavit, the bench said. The court gave a further one week to accused BJP

and VHP leaders to file their response in the matter. Senior advocate Ravi Shankar Prasad, appearing for the leaders, opposed the plea to condone the 167-day delay in filing the petition, by claiming that the CBI affidavit showed no substantial ground for allowing its request. His argument prompted the court to ask if he had a very weak case on merits. Do you have a very weak case on merits that you are taking such a view? We do not usually deliberate so much on deciding the question of delay in filing a petition but in this case, since there are seri-

No entry
KOLKATA, DHNS: US Republi-

WB stadium too small for big Modi event

cans may be eager to receive Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi with open arms, but West Bengal seems to have decided to look the other way. The state government has denied permission to the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to organise a civic reception programme for Modi on April 9 at a city indoor stadium here. A civic reception programme was planned for Narendra Modi at Netaji Indoor Stadium because it could accommodate more people but at the last moment the state government officials denied us permission and naturally we had to look for another venue, state BJP spokesperson Ritesh Tiwari said on Tuesday. Even state BJP president Rahul Sinha wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking her intervention in the issue but that also did not yield any positive result for the states saffron brigade. After the denial, the party state unit took a decision to hold Modis scheduled civic reception programme at Maha-

ment is going slow on blanking out analogue cable TV screens as about 25 per cent of 1.6 crore households missed the deadline of switching over to digitised cable television on Monday. Top government sources said only a little more than a lakh of screens could have gone blank with the expiry of the deadline because the government did not not want to wield the stick immediately. In order not to create inconvenience for the people, we are giving a transition time of 10 to 15 days depending on the ground-level situation,Information and Broadcasting Secretary Uday Kumar Varma told PTI. He, however, added that there jati Sadan, an indoor hall locat- was no question of the deadline ed in the central part of being extended by the governKolkata. The problem with ment. With the deadline for the Mahajati Sadan is that it is not second phase of digitisation havproperly maintained and the ing passed on Saturday, nearly seating capacity is much less 25 per cent of TV viewing homes compared with Netaji Indoor still have not installed set top boxStadium. A charismatic leader es (STBs) in 38 cities that were like Narendra Modi will attract to be covered. a huge crowd and it might creAs per the ministrys data, 1.6 ate serious law and order crore cable TV houses had to be problem, Tiwari said. digitised by April 1. While Mahajati Sadan hardOfficials said that multi system ly has a seating capacity of operators (MSOs) and broadabout 1,300, Netaji Indoor Sta- casters have been told to switch dium can accommodate more off the signals in a phased manthan 15,000 (including seating ner and depending on the situaarrangements on the floor). tion in various cities.

ous objections, we are dealing with it in detail, the court said. On this, Prasad said that he had a very strong case but the CBIs case was a political prosecution. The court put the matter for further hearing on April 16. There are two cases, one against Advani and others who were on a dais in Ayodhya in December 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished, while the other case was against unknown karsevaks who were in and around the disputed structure. The first case was going on in Rae Bareilly while the second one was being tried in Lucknow.

Govt going slow on blanking TV screens

NEW DELHI, PTI: The govern-

Free Wi-Fi facility has been launched on the Howrah-bound Rajdhani Express train from New Delhi, reports PTI from New Delhi. The facility was launched by the railways on Tuesday in the premier train as a pilot project. "There was a demand for it and it was part of the budget announcement," Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said after launching the Wi-Fi internet service on the train at New Delhi Railway station. He said the Wi-Fi service

was launched as a pilot project and the passengers will be availing the service free of cost. All three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani are being equipped with the facility as part of the project. It cost Rs 6.3 crores to the Railways to equip the train with the facility. Asked whether passengers will be charged for the service in future, Bansal said the revenue model has not been worked out yet as it is a pilot project and the service will be free of cost for passengers.

Singer Manasi Scott, actors Sohail Khan and Suchitra Pillai attend a promotional event in Mumbai on Monday. PTI