Vol. 14 Issue 10 Pages 52 May 2013 Vaishakha
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Money Power Justice Katju DRDO - Do or DIE
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IN THIS ISSUE
Bengal’s Deposit Scandal Closure of Saradha Group has shaken up the West Bengal government. The company’s managing director is on the run and thousands of journalists are on the verge of losing their jobs. It is not known how much Saradha Group owes to its depositors but some sources put it at Rs.20,000 crore, a major chunk of it being the meager savings of the poor.
Money Power During the elections, gullible voters are lured with various goodies such as petty gifts, money and liquor. Politicians in some constituencies have even distributed wristwatches, sarees and shawls. The election commission has requested the voters to complain against such malpractices and has even opened 30 lines of toll free number (1950) to help people complain against these malpractices.
HINDUS the soft target Minority appeasement and Hindu baiting – this has always been the convenient political tool of the Congress Party. And now comes another shaft from its armour – called the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill – that again targets the majority community. The bill has already evoked strong opposition from several intellectuals and analysts. If enacted in the present form, it will only further alienate the majority community.
Jail Politics Prison or no prison, our political bosses have always had their way. Life is ‘kushy’ for them both within and without. A good example of this is the way Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of late Rajshekare Reddy who converted himself to Christianity, is running his mining business expire. Ticket seekers and many other ambitious self-seekers are lining up in the premises of the Chuchalaguda Prison for political favours.
Theocracy or democracy? Pakistan is taking Islamisation to ridiculous levels. One candidate standing for the forthcoming election was rejected because he didn’t sport as beard! Another, because he blundered about the date of creation of
Pakistan. And a third got rejected because the election authorities found that he was using excessive water for the plants in his estate!
Justice Katju Not that Justice Katju only gives controversial statements and does nothing else of importance. In his tenure as a judge, he was hailed for many of his revolutionary judgments and, at times, his decisions had been appreciated by the media and intellectuals as “path breaking”. But in a country where media harps more on sensationalism than on sensibility, it’s the controversial statements made by him that have garnered more media attention and made him a cynosure of media attention.
Criminals in politics It is said that Raja Bhaiya, 44, has a long history of criminal records. He is also called ‘Toofan’ Singh and Raghubir Singh in Kunda, where his word is law. The list of criminal cases against him is long: Attempt to murder, abduction, corruption and dacoity. He was arrested in 2010 for allegedly intimidating a Panchayat poll candidate in Uttar Pradesh.
Cancerous Lobby Years before the judgment came out, Oxfam had stated, “If Novartis wins, millions of people living in poverty worldwide could be deprived of affordable medicines.” Oxfam did not stop there; it even asked Novartis shareholders to bring pressure to bear on Novartis to drop its appeal.
Youth power? Policy makers and political analysts all over the world are scratching their heads as to predict Kim Jong Un’s next moves because very little is known about him.
Lighting up our remote villages On the eve of Earth Hour, observed all over the world on March 23, from 8.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m., ING Vysya Bank in Gajapati district chose to join hands with WWF and light up select villages in Gajapati district with renewable energy.
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IN THIS ISSUE Cover Story
Deadly Politics Looking at the law suits, lack of public support and Taliban’s death threats, you will wonder asking why Pervez Musharraf returned to Pakistan. The former military dictator has now been jailed. Whether he is outside of the jail or inside, Musharraf has to live under the constant threat of death.
Transcending Boundaries Volume 14 Issue 10 Vaishakha May 2013 Editor Narayana Sevire Editorial Team Narayan A. Sridharan.M.K CP Nambiar Raju Shanbhag
Design and production Surendra Kumar (0985952352) Ajay Diwakar (08890843766) Diren Bharot
Marketing Jayavanth Mob: 096861 13537 E-mail: redrosejayanth@gmail.com
Edited, Published, and Printed by Narayana Sevire on behalf of Jnana Bharathi Prakashana, Mangalore Phone: 0824 249791
Cover Price: Rs. 20 4
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Closure of Saradha Group has shaken up the West Bengal government. The company’s managing director is on the run and thousands of journalists are on the verge of losing their jobs. It is not known how much Saradha Group owes to its depositors but some sources put it at Rs.20,000 crore, a major chunk of it being the meager savings of the poor.
Bengal’s Deposit Scandal
Mamata Banarjee Runs for Cover as the Scandal Unfolds
By CP Nambiar
W
est Bengal government is running for cover as a financial services firm goes bankrupt defrauding thousands of people to the tune of crores of rupees. The company we are talking about is Saradha Group, one of eastern India’s biggest deposit-taking companies, headed by Sudipta Sen. The crisis that started last week deepened on Sunday, April 21, with a woman committing suicide by setting her ablaze allegedly over losing her entire savings of Rs.30,000 to this Group. She succumbed to burn injuries at a Kolkata hospital. One more has committed suicide over the Saradha Group mess. Offices of the Saradha Group and other deposit-taking companies were vandalized across the state. Roads were blocked in protest, and skirmishes were reported from across the state over the weekend. The company has at least 10 media organiza-
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tions—newspapers and television channels which were launched in 2010-11. Closure of these organizations will make many journalists – some say at least 1,000, jobless. It is not known how much Saradha Group owes to its depositors but some sources put it at Rs.20,000 crore, a major chunk of it being the meager savings of the poor. The state government has promised immediate action to recover the dues, but that is not going to be easy so long as the company’s liabilities are in such a mess. The government promised action after about 200 commission agents converged on Kolkata from different parts of the state. The agents fear that they will soon be driven from homes by the depositors clamouring repayment of their money. Saradha Group, it is stated, started defaulting from the month of January. Some cheques bounced because there were no funds in the accounts. Things came to a head on April 17 with the government ordering the arrest of the Su-
dipta Sen. Sen had promised the agents repayment. They were told that they will be given power of attorney, or legal authority to sell land held by the company to repay depositors. It is not known how much land the company owns. Now all eyes are on the state government. Pressure is mounting on the government even as offices of the deposit-taking firm continued to be mobbed across the state and its chairman and managing director remained on the run. Their estimate is based on the decline in deposits in state-run small savings schemes in the past five-six years. This amount is thought to have been diverted to private firms such as those of the Saradha Group, which promised higher returns. “Companies like these have ruined household savings in West Bengal in every decade since the 1980s, but this crisis is completely different because of its magnitude,” a state government official said, requesting anonymity.
West Bengal is planning to introduce a new law to flush out deposit-taking companies, said Mukul Roy, general secretary of the ruling Trinamool Congress party. However, such a law will take at least six months to be implemented because it would need the consent of the Union government, officials said. The current crisis, from which a “law-and-order situation has already arisen”, is not a rerun of anything experienced by the state administration before, said the official cited earlier, Even as the agents and depositors fear imminent collapse of the company, there are many other companies in Bengal raising funds in the name of fictitious business ventures. They are also selling instruments that are beyond the jurisdiction of India’s securities market and banking regulations. In the event of defaults, it is the agents who have to face the brunt of public anger because they collected money on the strength of their credibility.
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By Raju Shanbhag
Money Power Karnataka Elections put Money and Muscle on Display
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fruit vendor who stashes millions of rupees of cash in his non-descript fruit cartons; a small time trader who roams around with almost a million rupees in his bag. No, these are not the scenes from an overzealous Bollywood potboiler, these are the real incidents taking place in Karnataka elections. Our politicians and netas may not have money for the common man and for the common causes; but when it comes to splurging money on elections, money flows like water. And the numbers are staggering. According to Times of India, May 5 assembly elections could see cash flow of Rs 6,000-7,000 crores. With that, Karnataka is slowly but surely catching up with its distant neigh-
bors like Uttar Pradesh, which reportedly spent Rs 10,000 crores of black money, a number Karnataka would soon catch up with, if not checked. The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Karnataka Election Watch (KEW), organization working on electoral reforms, conducted a study on 24 ministers and among them, the average assets was Rs 91 lakh. The growth in average asset per minister was 665% from 2004 to 2008. Of the 24 analyzed, 18 or 75% cabinet ministers are crorepatis. The study claimed that Anand Singh from Hampi-Vijayanagara constituency had declared the highest assets of Rs 88.66 crore and V Somanna (who is an MLC) had as-
sets of Rs 10.99 crore. Next richest in the list is Anand Asnotikar with assets worth Rs 10.39 crore. Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka comes fourth and he is given a close competition by higher education minister CT Ravi. Varthur R Prakash with assets worth Rs 2 lakh has the lowest assets among all the ministers. According to the organization, ministers’ affidavits with details in the nomination were the source of information for them. The study is yet to take into consideration other bigwigs like S Suresh Kumar, Revunaik Belamagi and Kota Srinivas Poojary, Shobha Karandlaje, CP Yogeshwar, and Narasimha Naik. The state assembly elections these are witnessing the ugly display of 7
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power and money by various politicians in the state. To pin down on those who are distributing money, liquor and other cheap goodies to win invaluable votes, police the roping in income tax officials. These Income Tax officials will be keeping vigil at the airports in the state and in neighboring states to check the flow of money and they are seizing money from unexpected quarters like innocuous looking fruit vendors and small time traders. The Election Commission of India under the chief election commissioner of India (CEC), V S Sampath, has already met the senior officials of the Income Tax department and discussed various ways to curb the illegal flow of money. The Election Commission has warned the politicians not to carry huge cash. Also, it has mandated the candidates to open separate bank accounts and carry out the expenditure for elections from that account. The banks have been directed to issue cheque books immediately. The commission is also looking to appoint a huge number of expenditure observers and assistant expenditure observers. Its task is made
By Hemalatha
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he UPA Government has lost most of its support as the allies of the major party, the Congress, are shrinking away from this political outfit. Its image also has been tarnished by double-digit inflation, due mainly to a steep rise in the prices of essential commodities. In such a scenario, many expected the government to take some drastic steps to win the confidence of the people in view of the impend-
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During the elections, gullible voters are lured with various goodies such as petty gifts, money and liquor. Politicians in some constituencies have even distributed wristwatches, sarees and shawls. The election commission has requested the voters to complain against such malpractices and has even opened 30 lines of toll free number (1950) to help people complain against these malpractices. easier as Karnataka is the only state going for polls now, and aggregating manpower isn’t an issue. Even the general and poll observers will also be in large numbers this time. During the elections, gullible voters are lured with various goodies such as petty gifts, money and liquor. Politicians in some constituencies have even distributed wristwatches, sarees and shawls. The election commission has requested the voters to complain against such malpractices and has even opened 30 lines of toll free number (1950) to help people complain against these malpractices. In almost every state in India, it’s a common practice among the politicians to stock a large quantity of
liquor to be used during the elections. The EC held a meeting with excise commissioner Shambu Dayal Meena and other senior officials and directed them to carry out inspections to detect the godowns, besides closely monitoring the movement of liquor from the distillery to the warehouse to the retail outlets. In sensitive areas like mining hubs of Bellary, where these malpractices are supposed to be at their worst, the authorities are striving to curb money and muscle power. Continuing their vigil which started when the notification for the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) polls was issued, the police have ensured almost cent per cent surrender of firearms.
HINDUS
the soft target Communal Violence Bill – Anti Majority, Anti Hindu
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ing general elections. But the Congress has done what it always has been doing in such situations -- appeasing the minorities. Now it is all set to introduce the ‘Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011’ which, at the outset, is against the majority community. The bill is rightly being opposed by many analysts and political parties and will face stiff opposition when it is introduced in Parliament. The draft of the proposed legislation, available to the public, looks to check violence specifically against the minorities and also proposes constitution of a body -- the National Authority for Communal Harmony, Justice and Reparation -- by the Centre to exercise the powers and perform the functions assigned to it under this Act. The bill makes provisions for a seven-member national authority for communal harmony, justice and reparations. These seven members will include a chairman and a vicechairman and they will only come from the minority community. The government intends to create a similar body in the states too. Membership of this body shall thus be on religious and caste grounds. The offenders under this law are only the members of the majority community. What is notable in this bill is the definition of a ‘group,’ against which the Congress government is trying to curb the violence. A ‘group’ means a religious or linguistic minority and it may include the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes too. If passed, the bill will give the Centre power to act against the alleged communal violence in any state and send it forces there. This
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Minority appeasement and Hindu baiting – this has always been the convenient political tool of the Congress Party. And now comes another shaft from its armour – called the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill – that again targets the majority community. The bill has already evoked strong opposition from several intellectuals and analysts. If enacted in the present form, it will only further alienate the majority community.
can be done even if the state in question has not sought help from the Centre to deal with the situation. Many political analysts believe that this will undermine the authority of the states and create unnecessary tension between the state and the Centre, because these two entities may not always agree as to what constitutes a communal violence against minorities. Also, the bill preposterously assumes that communal violence is instigated only by the members of majority community! Hence any communal violence committed by the majority party is punishable. The bill however conveniently ignores the possible communal violence started by the minority against the majority as if they do not exist or they are too trivial. If a member of the minority community files a complaint against the member of a majority community, that member of the major community will be held guilty until he defends himself and proves himself innocent. The identity of the complainant will be kept a secret and the so-called public servants can move against the accused just on the basis of a complaint, no con-
crete proof required. Even a cursory glance at the bill leaves no room for doubt about the ulterior motive of the Congress. Obviously, the beleaguered top brass of the party, hit by allegations of corruption and a dwindling popularity among the common man, has returned to its pet subject of minority appeasement. This bill, if passed in its current form, will not only create more communal disharmony, but will also escalate resentment among the majority Hindus. If the Congress government is really serious about preventing communal violence and bringing in social harmony, it should first stop its minority appeasing tactics and propose a bill which treats everyone as equal. The bill should also make arrangements to curb incitement and subtle expressions of intolerance like use of horn loudspeakers, insistence on ‘halal’ meat and insistence on the right to convert (as a religious duty). The Hindu majority of this country, which is sidelined by decadent vote politics of the country, is increasingly feeling alienated and this bill, if accepted, will be another nail on the coffin.
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Prison or no prison, our political bosses have always had their way. Life is ‘kushy’ for them both within and without. A good example of this is the way Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of late Rajshekare Reddy who converted himself to Christianity, is running his mining business expire. Ticket seekers and many other ambitious selfseekers are lining up in the premises of the Chuchalaguda Prison for political favours. By Narayan Ammachchi
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he CBI has uncovered yet another company that has invested money in Jagan Mohan Reddy’s firms in return for licence for mining in Andhra Pradesh. YS Rajsekhar Reddy, the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh –– affectionately called YSR by his followers – has long been dead, but the way he helped his son gain riches may be a lesson for future politicians of the country. Look at the allegations his son Jagan Mohan
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Jail Politics Jagan runs his party from prison cell Reddy is facing: money laundering, pressuring corporate companies to invest in his company in exchange for administrative favours from his father’s government, setting up fake and phony companies, etc. If the charges against him have ever been proved, Jagan would be named the master of corruption. Given the contents in CBI’s charge sheet, Jagan set up a string of firms –– not to build a business empire but to be used as a front to collect kickbacks from
corporate companies. The strategy was simple: YSR will hand over licence for mining and Jagan will get his cut by forcing the licence winner to invest in his companies. The more the licences his father issued the richer became Jagan. The idea proved to be so successful that, according to the CBI, Jagan became a millionaire in a few years. As expected, the government became poorer. According to the Comtroller and Auditor General, one such deal cost the govern-
ment more than a lakh crore. In its latest charge sheet, CBI has identified the state’s serving Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy as one of those who brazenly aided Jagan’s conspiracy. Sabita, CBI says, rented out lucrative mines to companies that had agreed to invest in Jagan’s firms. One of the examples, CBI says, is Dalmia Cements, which invested Rs.55 crore in cement companies promoted by the YSR family. The fund came through
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illegal means known as hawalas. The mine in question spreads across thousands of acres in Jagan’s home constituency of Kadapa district. It was initially leased out to Eswar Cements but was later handed out to Dalmia Cements following the intervention of Jagan. The scandal that Jagan is alleged to have masterminded is made up a complex network of fictitious companies and many dubious investments. Sabita is the second min-
ister of the YSR Cabinet to be charged in Jagan’s corruption saga. Former excise minister Mopidevi Venkataramna has been languishing in jail for the past several months after he was arrested in May 2012. CBI says Sabita abused her power and ignored all rules to lease out the property to Dalmia Cements. Many high profile names of Andhra are today in the dock and they include Vijay Sai Reddy, IAS officer Y Sri Lakshmi and VD Raja Gopal.
Vijay Sai Reddy, a banker by profession, has been accused of playing a key role in almost all the scandals involving Jagan. He was a part-time director with the Oriental Bank of Commerce, but he managed to force his bank to lend Rs.350 crore to a lesser-known company called Raghuram Cements. The cement company soon changed its name into Bharathi Cements and was sold to Jagan. The CBI says the final and ultimate beneficiary of all the land allotments
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was the chief minister’s son – Jagan Reddy. Reports say Jagan Reddy purchased Raghuram Cements for a peanut. Following the acquisition, Dalmia Cements got the mine to the extent of more than 2000 acres in Kadapa district. For all the lands it gained, Dalmia Cement invested Rs 95 crore in Raghuram Cements that was registered in the name of Ramachandraiah, who is currently the endowments minister in the Andhra government.
Growth of the ‘Jail Party’ Nowadays politicians of all stripes and color are queuing in front of Chunchalguda prison to meet Jagan Reddy, imprisoned there for nearly a year now. They are all seeking to join his political outfit YSR Congress and contest the election on his party ticket. It is not easy to meet Reddy, of course. There is a lengthy procedure to follow through. Anyone wanting to meet him has to meet his aides in the party office. Once they have convinced his aides, their names will appear in a list of visitors. The aides will later send the list to the prison officials and they in turn will pass it on to Jagan. The YSR chief will carefully review the list and notify to the prison authorities whom he would like to meet. The police will host the meeting in the prison premises. A prison-
er can meet only eight persons in a week’s time, so Jagan needs to choose only those who seem certain to have an interest in joining his party. During the meeting, Jagan questions the visitor trying to know his real credentials. Once he is convinced, he advises his aides to go about the recruitment procedure. Thus, here in the premises of the Chuchalaguda Prison, many politicians of Andhra are seeing their political future blossoming. According to local analysts, senior politicians stand a chance of gaining ticket at their fist meeting but the others would have to wait for long days to get an assurance from the imprisoned boss. Leaders met him before he went into the jail stand the larger chance of winning the party tick-
et, they say. Reddy’s father YS Rajsekhar Reddy, who converted himself to Christianity to paint himself as a secular politician, has a strong following in many parts of Andhra Pradesh. What heightened his popularity was his decision to ration rice at Rs 2 per a kilogram. He did not develop Andhra Pradesh, instead focused his attention on pleasing the poor with tax-payers’ money. His populist measures proved to be so successful that some people talked of taking the extreme step of suicide when he died in a helicopter crash halfway through his second term in office. Jagan’s prison politics is identical with Pappu Yadav’s. Congress and TDP leaders dub his political outfit as ‘jail party’.
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Theocracy or democracy? Pak enforces Islamic law to select candidates By Kusuma Raj
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s the biggest democracy in the world, India gets ready for its election, our neighboring country Pakistan too is getting ready for its election. Unfortunately the rules that are being followed for the election are not necessarily democratic. They are more Islamic and some of the decisions taken by the Pakistan court about the electoral candidates are a testimony about how Pakistan is slowly but surely moving towards the Islamisation of the country. Recently, ‘The Guardian,’ reported that numerous candidates, which included former military ruler Pervez Musharaf, were excluded from some constituencies in the coming Pakistani elections. The reason for this exclusion was the officials who were considering their applications subjected them to a rigorous test of their religious credentials and “moral character” and they failed the test. Indeed, election officers can invoke Articles 62 and 63 of the of the Pakistan constitution which states that “a candidate be a “good Muslim of integrity and honesty and he/she should practice Islam and is knowledgeable about the religion. Apart from Musharaf, numerous other candidates face rejection by the election officers as judges specially appointed to check the candidates’ ‘eligibility,’ under the Islamic law. These tests, perpetrated
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Pakistan is taking Islamisation to ridiculous levels. One candidate standing for the forthcoming election was rejected because he didn’t sport as beard! Another, because he blundered about the date of creation of Pakistan. And a third got rejected because the election authorities found that he was using excessive water for the plants in his estate! by Pakistani religious leaders, have caused lots of resentment and some veiled opposition from the liberals. It is also being seen as a new clash between elected representatives and an activist judiciary, as well as a further contest between religious conservatives and relative moderates. Articles 62 and 63 of the Pakistan Constitution were first introduced by the military dictator General Zia ul Haq in 1985. He was trying to convince the religious leaders of the country that he was indeed serious about turning Pakistan into a country ruled under Islamic laws. But these laws were rarely implemented as the clauses were too ambiguous
and a majority of leaders believed that they were impossible to implement. Along with Musharaf, another well known candidate, Ayaz Amir, a newspaper columnist who was looking to contest elections from the constituency of Chakwal in the eastern Punjab province has also been disqualified based on this law. Amir was rejected because the election officers found that he was consuming alcohol, forbidden in Pakistan. He is to appeal. This bizarre standard of morality has its funny sides and candidates never know what aspect of their personality or personal life might go against them in contesting the
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elections. One aspiring electoral candidate has been rejected because the officers found that he used excessive water on his agricultural estates! It’s also somewhat amusing to see the electoral candidates stumbling on questions related to Islam on national television. But for a common Pakistani, this election is more about the hopes to find a solution to his everyday problems rather than knowing about Islamic eligibility of the electoral candidates. An attorney in Lahore was looking at the religious eligibility of Shahbaz Sharif, the long-serving chief minister of Punjab and younger brother of former prime minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.
The younger Sharif was disqualified for not sporting a beard and the next day Pakistani media published doctored photos of the man with his flowing beard! Some other candidates have been simply rejected for their ignorance about the country. For example, one candidate was rejected because he said Pakistan was created in 1937, the correct answer being 1947. Although the general public in Pakistan is getting their fair share of humour from these enquiries, the rational thinkers and the liberals of Pakistan are not amused. Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission said, “A charade is being played out in the name of scrutiny of nomination papers.” Also, a Pakistani daily won-
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Justice Katju
ustice Markandey Katju is not new to controversies. In fact, many of his comments make you believe that he actively courts controversies through his comments; and many of his critics even believe that the only purpose of Justice Katju making such statements is to be in the limelight as often as possible. Chairman, Press Council of India, and formerly a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Katju has been doling out various controversial statements in his eventful career at the echelons of the country’s legal and political system. His latest comment is that he won’t vote in the next election, as his vote will be meaningless. “Indians vote in droves like sheep and cattle,” he said in an interview given to a private news channel and indicated that he would not like to be a part of this setup. Not that Justice Katju only gives
By Raju Shanbhag
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dered “how this will help us find legislators able to offer good governance is not clear.” When a country is ruled by religious laws instead of constitutional laws, it can be safely assumed that deterioration of the fundamental framework of that country has begun. Pakistan is a country fraught with poverty, sectarian violence and religious fundamentalism. Such decisions by the powers that be in the country will only alienate the country from the rest of the world. Considering Pakistan’s current economic situation, the country is hardly in a position to afford this estrangement from the rest of the world.
Seeking media glare by courting controversies
controversial statements and does nothing else of importance. In his tenure as a judge, he was hailed for many of his revolutionary judgments and, at times, his decisions had been appreciated by the media and intellectuals as “path breaking”. But in a country where media harps more on sensationalism than on sensibility, it’s the controversial statements made by him that have garnered more media attention and made him a cynosure of media attention. The question is, why does he do that? Although Justice Katju denies
seeking publicity, it’s worth noting that many of the so-called intellectuals often hog the limelight by making statements that are pitted against the popular sentiments. Most of them are honest, well meaning people; but looking at the statements they make sometimes one feels that even these people are not immune to the lure of media attention and a burning desire to be in the glare of publicity. Justice Katju hails from a family that has excelled in the field of law. He is the son of late Justice Shiva Nath Katju, who had served
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as a Judge of the Allahabad High Court and President of the Vishva Hindu Parishad. His grandfather, Dr. Kailash Nath Katju, was a well known lawyer. Justice Katju became a judge of the Allahabad High Court in 1991. In his successful career, he
has served as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, the Madras High Court and the Delhi High Court. In 2006, he was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court. Although Indian judiciary is said to move at a snail’s pace, Justice
Controversial Statements
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Justice Katju once remarked that “something is rotten in the Allahabad High Court” and that there was “rampant uncle judge syndrome” in the higher court. The Allahabad High Court was not amused and contested this statement. But the Supreme Court refused to expunge the remark. In a seminar organized by the South Asia Media Commission, he opined that “90 per cent of Indians are idiots”’ and “80 percent Hindus and 80 percent Muslims are communal” and later explained that he had issued this statement only to awaken the Indians. He also stated, “It is said that Modi has not been found guilty by any court of law. But I certainly do not buy the story that Mr. Modi had no hand in the events of 2002.” This alienated his long-time friend Arun Jaitley and both were involved in a war of words thereafter.
Landmark judgments
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In a lighter vein, Justice Katju advised husbands to accept the suggestions of their wives -- whether they are sensible or not. In July 2009, he commented that students cannot have beards if their schools restrained them from having so. Going further, he stated that he didn’t want Talibanisation of India. He later withdrew his comment after widespread protests.
Katju’s courtroom was said to be among the fastest in India. He has a record of disposing of 100+ cases in just a week. But this hasn’t pleased everyone, as many lawyers and senior advocates have openly dismissed his way of instant justice.
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In 2005, while he was the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, he spoke about judges initiating “Contempt of Court” proceedings. According to him, the authority of judges rests not on the power of contempt, but on public confidence. In Praful Goradia vs. the Union of India, a bench of the Supreme Court which included Justice Katju stated that Haj subsidies provided by the Government of India were unconstitutional. He was among the first judges to come up with a legal framework for recognizing woman’s rights in a live-in relationship.
Justice Katju has also issued notices to the Centre and state governments, asking them to file reports about the rehabilitation of sex workers in the case of Budhadev Karmaskar vs. the State of West Bengal. He also delivered the landmark judgment which legalized passive euthanasia, or withdrawal of life-support systems, for those patients who are brain dead or are in a permanent vegetative state.
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Deadly Politics Musharraf gets a taste of life without power
By Narayan Ammachchi
Looking at the law suits, lack of public support and Taliban’s death threats, you will wonder asking why Pervez Musharraf returned to Pakistan. The former military dictator has now been jailed. Whether he is outside of the jail or inside, Musharraf has to live under the constant threat of death. However, much to his relief, the caretaker government has refused to put Musharraf on trial for treason as it felt that it was beyond its mandate.
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court in Pakistan has ordered the arrest of former Pak dictator Pervez Musharraf, making him see how life is like for the common man in the country. Musharraf, who has recently returned from Dubai after years in exile, seems to end up in jail as his past sins have continued to haunt him in his home country. He is embroiled in a series of legal battles. The cases date back to his 1999-2008 period in office. The latest to bother him is a decision he took in 2007 to fire judges when he imposed emergency in Pakistan. The country’s judiciary, it seems, was waiting for a chance to avenge his decision. Last week, a High Court judge ordered his arrest, but Musharraf escaped with his personal bodyguards and remained holed up in his heavily fortified house on the outskirts of Islamabad. The police did not attempt to arrest him at the court premises, raising the suspicion that the government would ignore the court order. But he was arrested next morning and lodged in police headquarters. The former military dictator is unlikely to be sent to jail, because the Taliban has already vowed to kill him. As a military dictator, Musharraf had angered the Taliban because of his allegiance to the United States. He carried out the US orders, because he feared that he would face the same fate as Saddam Husain if he ignored the Americans. He reluctantly offered his country’s resources when the super power attacked Afghanistan in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attack in New York and Washington. Musharraf silently slipped out of the country days after his party
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was routed in the last parliamentary elections. Yet he returned home with the hope that he could pursue a career in the country’s volatile politics. For Musharraf, the detention last week is the first taste of life without power. Given the events that have taken place in the past fifteen days, time has come for Pervez to repay for the sins he committed as the president of his country. Soon after his arrival in Pakistan, Musharraf tried to stand for election by filing nomination papers with the Election Commission. But the Commission rejected all the applications and finally the court sent him to prison. It seems Pervez miscalculated Pakistan’s political landscape. He had dreamed to lead his party –All Pakistan Muslim League – to power because he believed he has a strong support in his country.
The Past Activity Musharraf seized control in a coup in 1999 when he was the army chief and spent nearly a decade in power before being forced to step down in 2008. His arrest is a significant act in a country where senior army officers have long seemed untouchable. The army is still considered the most powerful institution in Pakistan, where members of the judiciary are now acting like activists and selfproclaimed agents of justice. Lawyers shouted slogans against him when he came to the court to attend the trial. Outside the court, a group of lawyers fought a running battle with his supporters. Musharraf’s latest drama began with a judge ordering his arrest. The judge said Musharraf’s decision in 2007 to dismiss senior judges, in-
cluding the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, spread terror among the legal community and the country. Police, however did not arrest the former military leader, despite the court order. They waited until the senior officials figured out how to deal with the delicate situation. His decision to impose a state of emergency was to protect his presidential seat. He was worried that the judiciary would challenge his re-election as president, and he cited the growing Taliban insurgency in the country as a justification for the state of emergency. Musharraf’s crackdown on the judges outraged many Pakistanis and fueled a nationwide protest movement by lawyers that eventually resulted in his stepping down under the threat of impeachment. Pakistan’s temporary caretaker government does not seem to be ready to intervene, nor is the current army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. Kayani too is not showing any sign of interference to protect his former colleague. Kayani’s intervention will certainly pit the army against the judiciary and will once again plunge Pakistan into a cloud of confusion. Musharraf certainly has no future in Pakistani politics, but the former military leader does not seem to be convinced of this reality. As he walked through a court building weeks ago, an angry lawyer threw a shoe at him. Pakistan has experienced three military coups and constant political instability since it was founded in 1947. It is for the first time Pakistan is seeing a political party completing the full term in office and holding elections to elect new members to the Parliament. Pakistan state TV said the Senate
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passed a unanimous resolution last week, demanding that Musharraf be tried for treason. Musharraf also faces legal charges in two other cases. One involves the allegation that he didn’t provide adequate security to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who was
killed in a gunfire and suicide attack in 2007. The other relates to the death of a nationalist leader in Baluchistan in 2006. Given the legal challenges, lack of support and Taliban threats, many experts have been left scratching their heads as to why Musharraf
Mushrraf Profile At one point of time he had planned a nuclear strike against India The son of a diplomat, Pervez Musharraf was born in India but was raised in Karachi, Pakistan, and Istanbul, Turkey. He was a member of the Pakistan Military Academy’s elite Artillery Regiment in the 1960s and fought in the 1965 war against India. He worked his way up through the military and political ranks to become general and chief of army staff in 1998. Musharraf took over as Pakistan’s president in a bloodless coup in 1999 and led the country until his resignation in 2008. Hi family spent seven years, from 1949 to 1956, in Istanbul, Turkey, where his father was a diplomat. Pervez Musharraf became fluent in Turkish and gained an appreciation for Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He also attended the Royal College of Defense Studies in the United Kingdom. In 1965, he was charged with taking unauthorized leave and was about to be court-martialed when war broke out with India. The charges were dropped and Musharraf went to
the battlefield. It was during Pak’s war with India, Musharraf got a gallantry award from the government and became captain. By the 1980s, Musharraf was commanding an artillery brigade. In the 1990s, he was promoted to major general and assigned an infantry division and later commanded an elite strike force. Soon his rank and notoriety rose. Musharraf was also making inroads in the political arena. In 1998, he was personally promoted over other senior officers by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to be the Army chief of staff and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Nawaz Sharif paid the price for this mistake. Later Musharraf overthrew his government in a coup and took control of Pakistan. When the Kargil war ended in failure, the Pakistani army, under Musharraf covertly planned a nuclear strike at India, according to Biography.com. But news of the plan reached U.S. President Bill Clinton, who gave Prime Minister Sharif a warning to stand down.
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returned to Pakistan. Some have speculated he misjudged the level of public backing he would get, while others suggested he was simply homesick.
Pakistan withdrew its forces, leaving the militants to be destroyed by the Indian army. Prime Minister Sharif claimed Pervez Musharraf was solely responsible for the Kargil debacle while Musharraf claimed Sharif was to blame. On October 12, 1999, Sharif attempted to dismissMusharraf from his position as commander-inchief of the Army, but senior Army generals, loyal to Musharraf and believing the prime minister was distancing himself from any responsibility for the military defeat, refused to accept Musharraf’s dismissal. Musharrafwas out of the country, but when word reached him of Sharif’s orders, he immediately boarded a commercial airliner for Pakistan. Sharif ordered the Karachi airport closed to prevent Musharraf’s plane from landing. The generals seized control of Sharif’s administration and placed Sharif under house arrest. He was later exiled to Saudi Arabia. Musharraf arrived at the capital and took control of the government. The sitting president of Pakistan, Rafiq Tarar, remained in office until June 2001, at which time Musharrafformally appointed himself president.
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Criminals in politics Mafia kills an honest police officer in UP By Raju Shanbhag
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t’s a well-known fact that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh has worsened over the years. The unholy nexus between the police and the local politicians has spawned stories of police officers amassing disproportionate sums of wealth. In Uttar Pradesh, it is believed the police are either hand in gloves with criminals or they are simply too afraid to take any action against them. It seems those cops who neither join the side of criminal politicians nor are afraid of them are simply weeded out of the system. The latest example of this is the murder of Kunda DSP Zia ul Haq on March 3, 2013, allegedly in mob violence, when his own force deserted him and fled for cover. According a Times of India report, the mob violence started after the murder of Nanhe Lal Yadav, pradhan of Walipur village on the borders of Kunda area in Pratapgarh. He was shot dead in full public view and an edgy, violent mob gathered at the place. Nanhe Lal’s aides started attacking the houses of the accused and his aides and indulged in arson. By the time the police led by DSP Zia ul Haq arrived, the situation had gone out of control. The mob mistook them for the rival group and started attacking them, even using fire arms. In the shoot-out Zia ul Haq, who was inspector incharge of the local Hathgawan po-
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It is said that Raja Bhaiya, 44, has a long history of criminal records. He is also called ‘Toofan’ Singh and Raghubir Singh in Kunda, where his word is law. The list of criminal cases against him is long: Attempt to murder, abduction, corruption and dacoity. He was arrested in 2010 for allegedly intimidating a Panchayat poll candidate in Uttar Pradesh.
lice station, suffered gunshot injuries which proved fatal. Later, his widow Parveen Azad alleged that that it was a cold blooded murder planned by the Food and Civil Supplies Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya and Following this allegation, a case of murder and criminal conspiracy was registered against him and his associates who are allegedly involved in the incident. Subsequently, Raja Bhaiya resigned on March 4, though he still maintains that he is innocent, a claim contested by Zia ul Haq’s family. The case is now being handled by CBI. It is said that Raja Bhaiya, 44, has a long history of criminal records. He is also called ‘Toofan’ Singh and Raghubir Singh in Kunda, where his
word is law. He is an Independent MLA supporting the ruling Samajwadi Party Government and has been a minister twice. He has a law degree from Lucknow University. Last year, he was appointed Prisons Minister and at present holds the Food and Civil Supplies portfolio. The list of criminal cases against him is long such as charges of attempt to murder, abduction, corruption and dacoity. He was arrested in 2010 for allegedly intimidating a Panchayat poll candidate in Uttar Pradesh. DSP Zia ul Haq’s murder is being linked to Raja Bhaiya not without reason. It was reported that Zia ul Haq was readying a list of cases against Raja Bhaiya. On April 13, CBI arrested Babloo, the son of Balipur’s village head Nanhe Yadav. Babloo reportedly confessed that he had killed Zia ul Haq. CBI got a vital piece of evidence against Babloo as it recovered Haq’s mobile phone from him. But the agency is still not clear about Raja Bhaiya’s role in this whole incident. This is not the first time that a government servant is killed in Uttar Pradesh. In 2008, Public Works Department executive engineer Manoj Gupta was killed in Auraiya by then BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari. This is mainly because a large number of politicians from all parties in UP have criminal records. Out of the 403 MLAs in the UP Assembly, 189
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have criminal cases against them. Of these, 98 charges include rape, murder, dacoity and kidnapping. According to reports, criminalization of the politics began in 1970s when the Congress took the help of mafia to ‘influence’ poor voters to
win the elections. Thereafter, nearly all the political parties in Uttar Pradesh have been following this trend. When the large part of government machinery is corrupt or criminalized, it becomes very difficult for the police to oppose them.
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Also, the lower rung of the police force, rarely getting respectable salary and mostly overworked; fall easy prey to the lure of money from these criminal-turned-politicians. And the rest is a shameful history of Uttar Pradesh criminal politics.
Cancerous Lobby
By Shantharam
Lobbying pharma companies ignore their responsibility
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hat is the point in investing so huge a sum of money on inventing new drugs if anyone can copy the drug and sell in the open market at a throwaway price? This is the core part of the debate after the Supreme Court refused patent for Novartis on its cancer drug Evical. If the verdict had gone in favour of Novartis, the price of the drug would have jumped 15 fold, making it unaffordable for most of the Indians. Now this cancer drug is available in the market at Rs 8000, but Novartis wants to sell it at Rs.1.20 lakh. Why does Novartis want such a huge price for it? The Swiss company says it had spent huge money on developing the drug at a university lab in the United States. Evical does not cure cancer once and for all; it only protects the patient from imminent death. But analysts say that patients would rather prefer death to spending so huge a sum on the drug. Years before the judgment came
out, Oxfam had stated, “If Novartis wins, millions of people living in poverty worldwide could be deprived of affordable medicines.” Oxfam did not stop there; it even asked the company’s shareholders to bring pressure to bear on Novartis to drop its appeal. In addition, more than half a million people wrote letters to the CEO of Novartis urging to withdraw his appeal for patent. Yet Novartis went ahead and appealed for SC’s intervention in the matter. In the United States and countries in the West, such pricing tac-
tics of pharmaceutical companies is described as a “greedy” attitude. But pharmacy companies do not seem to be bothered by such criticism and they have continued to lobby the governments to enact laws in their favour. According to think-tank studies, the drug industry has spent more than a billion dollars since 2000 on lobbying and this is more than any other sector has spent. The industry has more than 1200 registered lobbyists who strive to promote legislation friendly to the industry at the expense of patients. The ruling comes at a challenging time for the pharmaceutical industry, which is increasingly looking to emerging markets to compensate for lackluster drug sales in the United States and Europe. At the same time, it is facing other challenges to its patent protections in countries like Argentina, Thailand, Brazil and the Philippines. “The American pharmaceutical firms are the vultures of the worst kind. They are the predators of so-
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ciety and in particular the poor,” writes a reader Lee in response to an article about Novartis in “New York Times”. India accounts for just 1.3 percent of the world’s pharmaceutical revenue, but every one of the 20 most valuable medicines in the US market is available in generic form in India. Only two of those selling generic form of the drug are the real copyright holders. Consider the example of Atorvastatin, the highest selling drug of all time. In fact, US company Pfizer has the patent right on this drug, but more than 56 companies are manufacturing the generic version of this drug and selling at far lower price. Novartis says it has modified its drug and injected more value into it. Therefore, the company says, it should have the sole right to produce and sell the drug. Such modified drugs are given copyrights in countries like the US where healthcare service has long been expensive. The Swiss company said it will
In the coming months, DRDO will prepare itself to test the three-stage Agni-V. If successfully tested, the missile, which is said to have a range of 5,500–5,800 kms, will bring the whole of China within its striking range. DRDO plans to hand over Agni-V to the Indian defense system by 20152016. 20
Years before the judgment came out, Oxfam had stated, “If Novartis wins, millions of people living in poverty worldwide could be deprived of affordable medicines.” Oxfam did not stop there; it even asked Novartis shareholders to bring pressure to bear on Novartis to drop its appeal. never put money on research and development in India, but would continue to sell its drugs. The announcement is nothing but a threat. Let us see how Novartis invests money on R&D in India. According to a report “in Business Standard”, Novartis spends Rs 17 lakh a year and it has an R&D centre in Hyderabad. Rs 17 lakh is a peanut, given the money Novartis earns by selling its medicines to Indian consumers. Novartis reported Rs.708 crore in annual revenue and
Rs 146 crore net profit. That means the company spends less than 0.2 percent of its revenue on research and development in India. Novartis cannot shun India – a country of more than a billion people – and move to advanced countries where its patent is protected. Healthcare expenses have drastically gone down in the United States and the companies like Novartis are seeing their sales going down by the day. Novartis does not seem to have taken into account the human talent that India provided to invent new drugs. With the help of Indian talent, it can invent new drugs and seek copyright protection so that it can sell the drug around the world. Human capital is scarce in Switzerland and Novartis cannot count on Europe to invent new drugs in the current global scientific landscape. India is a global force in biotechnology and the role of Indian biotechnology experts will be crucial to invent new drugs of the future.
Space Agency faces the litmus test
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By Raju Shanbhag
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he Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) of India has done a lot for the country in terms of infusing the country’s defense system with technologically advanced defense systems. But in an ever evolving defense technology scenario, lagging behind the enemies could mean a serious threat to national security. Hence, the country’s premier research organization has its plate full in the coming days. DRDO’s reputation as a research organization with bright minds will be put to the test in the coming months as the organization readies itself for four major tests. To start with, DRDO is all set for the sea trials of nuclear submarine INS Arihant next month. INS Arihant (S-73) is a ship of India’s Arihant class of nuclear-powered submarines. The 5,000–6,000 ton vessel boasts of Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV). This ambitious submarine was symbolically launched on July 26, 2009 and the name “Arihant” in Sanskrit means destroyer of enemies. Last year, officials from DRDO stated that work was going on in full swing and the submarine was steadily progressing towards operationalisation. Also, INS Arihant’s reactor is expected to complete harbor acceptance trials and sea trials in late 2013. DRDO has already completed the final developmental test of Sagarika, the primary armament of Arihant, and will soon be completing its final developmental test. The K-15 missiles, being developed by DRDO, are another class of nuclear-capable submarinelaunched ballistic missiles that are
imperative for the effectiveness of INS Arihant class submarines. India started developing this missile way back in the 1990s. The K-15 is 10 metres in length and weighs 17 tons. It has a striking capacity of 700 kms (435 miles) and can carry a payload of up to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lb). The successful launch of this missile is important for India’s defense plans. To be fair to DRDO, the organization has had numerous successes with K-15’s test trials. The missile was successfully test fired seven times by 2008 and was also tested to its full range up to four times. On November 12, 2008, a land-based version of the K-15 Sagarika was successfully test-fired. According to DRDO sources, the missile was again tested for its full range of 700 kms with considerable amount of accuracy.
Towards ballistic missile defense A missing link in the Indian missile defense programme is the ballistic missile defense programme. The two-tier ballistic missile defense (BMD) system is developed primarily to safeguard the country from ballistic missile attacks from its enemies. The programme was introduced as the nuclear missile attack threat from Pakistan was looming large over the country when the tension between the two countries was at its height. DRDO is yet to reach many more milestones in the Missile Defense System programme. But the organization has already achieved a technological milestone by successfully launching this programme. As of now, there are only four countries in the world, i.e., U.S., Russia, Israel and India, which have successfully
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developed an anti-ballistic missile system. In the coming months DRDO is looking to launch its eighth “successful’’ test of its BMD system, which will then have the capacity to identify and destroy incoming ballistic missiles. In the coming months, DRDO will prepare itself to test the threestage Agni-V. If successfully tested, the missile, which is said to have a range of 5,500–5,800 kms, will bring the whole of China within its striking range. But to have this enviable capacity, Agni-V will have to undergo at least three more tests and the production phase can begin only after these tests. DRDO plans to hand over Agni-V to the Indian defense system by 2015-2016. But that will again depend heavily on its successful tests in a few days from now. While DRDO struggles against time to deliver these much needed defense solutions to the country, it is allegedly plagued by various problems and issues. To start with, the organization is often accused of not keeping its promises of delivering advanced missile technology to the country. In fact, DRDO has recently faced hiccups regarding the launch of LR-SAM (Long Range-Surface to Air Missile) and MR-SAM (Medium Range-Surface to Air Missile) programs. Indian Express recently reported that DRDO was looking for some help from other government organizations like HAL and from Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) which produces various missiles in India. But even with these notable delays in launching its ambitious programs, DRDO has delivered various defense systems that can make the country proud. Let’s hope that DRDO scientists will have a successful run in the upcoming tests and will make the country proud.
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German Bakery blast Justice at last to the hapless victims By Raju Shanbhag
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n May 2010, policemen in plain clothes were waiting at the Mangalore airport to receive a “guest” from Dubai, who, they suspected, was involved in a mysterious murder in Mumbai. He came and was immediately handcuffed and led away. But there was a surprise in store for everyone. The man, Abdul Samad Bhatkal, who the police thought was an ordinary criminal, turned to be a hard-core home-grown terrorist as interrogations revealed. He was the mastermind behind the German Bakery blast in Pune. During the interrogation, he denied his involvement in any murder but revealed how he had plotted the bomb attack in Pune. It was a breakthrough of far-reaching importance. The court in Maharashtra has just handed in its verdict, convicting Himayat Baig, an accomplice in the plot, of playing a key role and sentenced him to death. But what happened to Abdul Bhatkal? Abdul is the younger brother of Riyaz Bhatkal, the socalled founder of the In-
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dian Mujahedeen. Abdul lived in Dubai for years, but he was returning to India on the expiry of his visa. He wanted to melt in the crowd once he had walked out of the airport. But Mumbai police, who were informed about his arrival, had deployed in large number of plainclothesmen and they were waiting for him to arrive. What helped the police to identify the killers was the image captured in the CCTV camera at the German Bakery. The bakery is just a short distance from the Osho Ashram, a favourite hangout of foreigners. The secret camera installed there showed the picture of Abdul Bhatkal. By blasting a bomb nearby, the terrorists wanted to create a sense of fear among the foreigners. Just moments before the explosion, Paras Rimal, a waiter at the German Bakery, had noticed the bag (containing explosives). When the waiter moved in to check the contents in the bag, a motorist outside the bakery called him and handed him Rs 200, asking him to fetch a glass
of water. Paras escaped with minor injuries, but he turned out to be a key witness in the trail. Hours after the bomb went off, someone called the Pakistani office an Indian newspaper and claimed that Al-awami had carried out the attack. The caller, claimed to be representing Lashkar-eTaiba Al-awami, which he said had broken up with Lashkar-e-Taiba because of its affinity with the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI. Police later tracked down the call to a house in Pakistan’s lawless tribal region, Waziristan. Until they caught Bhatkal, police believed that a Pune-based terrorist organization had carried out the attack. Abdul’s arrest helped the police piece together the evidence and identify the real killers. Police, in the meantime, questioned Mohammad Peerbhoy, an Indian Mujahedeen operative arrested in the course of a national counter-terrorism operation. Over 40 people had been arrested. Among them were four Kashmiri militants who were
arrested in Hampi, Karnataka. Police arrested two other suspects from Pune’s suburbs on February 16, 2010. Another two were detained in Aurangabad. The investigating agency identified four more suspects, including the ones who planted the bomb. In September 2010, the Maharashtra police detained Mirza Himayat Baig, along with his aide Shaikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain alias Bilal (27), both believed to be members of the Islamist militant terrorist organization LeT. Why Baig has been sentenced to death is because it was he who made the bomb that went off in the bakery. Baig had received training in bomb making in Colombo. Another breakthrough came when the Delhi police arrested six Mujahedeen operatives, who later admitted to have been involved in a string of terrorist attacks in different places including Bangalore, Delhi and Pune. Among the detainees was a Pakistani na-
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tional. A few days later another band of terrorists got caught in Chennai. Two of the seven people arrested in Chennai were identified as Mohammad Irshad Khan and Abdul Rahman (aged 19), hailing from the Madhubani district of Bihar. Among the detainees, a person named Ghayur Jamil confessed to have recruited several Muslim
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One more terrorist has been sentenced to death. The latest verdict sends out a strong message that death is the only justice for terrorist activities. Pune bomb blast was the handiwork of home-grown terrorists operating at the behest of Pakistani intelligence ISI. It is not, however, yet clear why they want to terrorize and what they think that they were achieving. youths in the Nepal border area. But his father dismissed the allegations against his son, saying
t is one thing to talk tough and another thing to act tough. This is is the situation in North Korea now. What exactly the young leader of North Korea Kim Jon Un wants to achieve through his bluff and bluster is anyone’s guess. Even the seasoned diplomats not only in South Korea and the US but in other parts of the word have been wracking their brains to find out his motive. He has been compared to a stripling who has just been gifted with a motorbike by his doting parents and is driving mad all over the town! Who knows where he will hit and how many will be hurt or mortally wounded! At the outset, Kim Jong Un appears like any other North Korean youth. He is still in his early thirties (born on either 1983 or 1984) and came to power after his father’s death. But before that, he had held various posts such as the First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, and also a presidium member of the Central Politburo of
that his son was a good orator and an honest, religious man who had lost a bag containing his
the Workers’ Party of Korea. Kim Jong Un is the third and youngest son of Kim Jong-il and his consort Ko Young-hee. On 30 December 2011 the Politburo of the Workers’ Party of Korea formally appointed Kim as the Supreme
belongings – including his PAN card, residential proof and photos – a few days back.
Commander of the Korean People’s Army. On 11 April 2012, the 4th Party Conference elected him to the newly created post of First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Not much is known about Kim Jong Un as his father, Kim Jong-
Youth power? Rise of a restless leader Policy makers and political analysts all over the world are scratching their heads as to predict Kim Jong Un’s next moves because very little is known about him.
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investigational kept most of his family life shrouded in secrecy and hence, there are only estimations about their lives, including the birth year of Kim Jong Un. But what is definitely known is the fact that Kim Jong Un, who is talking of annihilating U.S. is a huge fan of American Basketball and especially Michael Jordan! According to reports first published in Japanese newspapers, he first went to school in Switzerland near Bern. There, he reportedly went to the private English-language “International School” in Gümligen near Bern under the name “Chol-pak” or “Pakchol” from 1993 until 1998. Students who studied with him describe him as a shy, good student who got along well with his classmates and was a basketball fan. He was chaperoned by an older student who was thought to be his bodyguard. Policy makers and political analysts all over the world are scratching their heads as to predict Kim Jong Un’s next moves because very little is known about him. Unlike other leaders of the world, he hardly makes public appearances and seems quite content to issue threatening statements from behind the
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Why North Korea hates US? NBC News recently quoted Kim Jong Un as saying, “if enemies ... make even the slightest movement, I will give an order to destroy ... the military bases of the U.S. imperialist aggression forces in the operational theatre of the Pacific.” Why does North Korea hate U.S. so much? Well, the tension between these two countries dates back to world war II. North and South Korea were established as separate countries in 1948 and soon, North Korea invaded South Korea. Terming this as a “global military challenge from the communist world,” America sided with South Korea and the tension between the two countries has been simmering since then. It is reported that the highly controlled mass media, including the internet, inculcate hatred towards America even in kindergarten kids. closed walls of his official residence in North Korea! Recently, this fan of Chicago Bulls and Eric Clapton reportedly survived an attempt on his life. The official statement from the North Korean government explained this attack as an attempt by “disgruntled people inside the North” in response to the demotion of Reconnaissance General Bureau director Kim Yongchol in November 2012. Apart from his rhetoric against U.S., Kim Jong Un also has a ill cul-
tivated reputation when it comes to observing human rights. Many political analysts believe that he is simply continuing the legacy of his father Kim Jong-il in this regard. The alleged human rights violations by Kim Jong Un include ordering to kill his enemies, conducting public killings and sending people to political prison camps. It was also rumored that the president was involved in bombing the Yeonpyeong and the Cheonan sinking to strengthen his military power.
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ost of the villages in the Gajapati district of Orissa state plunge into complete darkness after sunset. This is an everyday affair in that part of Orissa where few can afford the luxury of electricity. But on March 23, 2103, everything changed for good, though for a short while. On the eve of Earth Hour, observed all over the world on March 23, from 8.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m., ING Vysya Bank in Gajapati district chose to join hands with WWF and light up select villages in Gajapati district with renewable energy. These villages saw their houses and streets illuminating for one full hour and the darkness disappeared at least for an hour. The darkness that engulfs countless villages in India may indeed go away completely if the government and the people wake up to the possibilities of renewable energy. The term is self explanatory; renewable energy is the energy derived from renewable sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. These energy sources are available in abundance on our planet and using them well can put a permanent end to the increasing energy deficiencies faced by planet earth, especially in developing countries like India.
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Lighting up our remote villages Turn to renewable energy
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Earth Hour Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF and is observed at the end of March every year. On this day and time, households and companies are encouraged to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to save energy. The event first took place in 2007 and later many other countries around the world adopted the event.
Brazil’s example In fact, governments all over the world are making a sustained effort to switch to renewable energy as traditional means of producing power become increasingly scarce. The consumption of wind power is growing at the rate of 30% every year and Asia is in the forefront of this energy revolution. Currently, about 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewable resources. Also, Brazil has one of the biggest renewable energy programmes in the world, which consists of production of ethanol fuel from sugarcane, and ethanol now provides 18% of the country’s automotive fuel. The renewable energy sector is still in its infancy in India. Although India set up a Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Resources back in the 1980s, it has done precious little to take ahead the case of renewable energy in India. In fact, in India, where traditional form of electricity is yet to reach a large number of remote villages can be a very good platform to showcase the benefits of renewable energy to the world. Many experts believe that
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the densely populated Indian rural areas, coupled with their solar insulation can be an ideal ground to successfully deploy solar powered energy sources. But where the government fails, private firms are picking up. Apart from the honorable efforts of ING Vysya Bank, many other small entrepreneurs are busy showing the world that alternative energy can indeed be affordable to the poorest of the poor in India. One such company is the Solar Electric Light Company of India, aka SELCO, owned and managed by Harish Shinde, an IIT graduate and the University of Massachusetts. SELCO is partnering with banks throughout rural India to bring electricity powered by solar energy to more than 100,000 village homes.
UNEP’s initiative Another entity that is striving to bring alternative power sources to the masses of rural India is the United Nations Environment Pro-
About WWF The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization that focuses on problems of conservation and restoration of the environment. The organization was earlier called the World Wildlife Fund. It is the world’s largest independent conservation organization with more than 5 million supporters all over the globe. gramme (UNEP). UNEP had initiated a $1.5 million project to light up rural homes in India who do not have access to traditional electricity sources and as a result, virtually spend half of their lives in darkness. They had to rely on expensive kerosene which was scarcely available and mostly sold in the black market. But the UNEP project is helping them rely on sustainable solar energy, which is affordable and unlike kerosene does not pollute the environment. UNEP has managed to convince the banks in this area to provide loans to the people to buy solar panels. In fact, renewable energy resources are highly useful even for people in urban areas of India. Although people in urban areas have access to electricity grids, they often have to deal with both scheduled and unscheduled power cuts, thanks to more demand than supply and an electricity grid system that suffers overload and ancient equipments. In such a scenario, renewable energy can be the backbone of a booming economy and allow the country to rely excessively on an unreliable electric grid system.
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In a most successful raid to date, police in Assam have arrested as many as 180 Maoist rebels in the outskirts of Guwahati. Rebel leaders have admitted during interrogation that they were trying to join forces with Ulfa and persuade illiterate villagers to join the organization. The arrest is a biggest breakthrough in the fight against Maoist terrorism in the northeast. By Shakunthala Shanmugam
Maoists Arrest Assam Police Detain 180 Maoists in a single raid
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olice in Assam have arrested more than 180 Maoist terrorists, including CPI Central Committee member Aklanta Rabha and his wife, in a surprise raid into their hideout in the outskirts of Guwahati. Rabha uses as many as 10 aliases and is the sole representative in the powerful central committee of the rebel organization, which often carries out deadly attacks of government assets across the region. Many paramilitary police and soldiers had taken part in the raid which lasted for several hours, say police. Aklanta’s wife Rekha Rani Rabha, who runs a small shop, was arrested later from Goalpara district. Aklanta, who first formed a group called Rabha Security Force before disbanding joining the rebels, was wanted by
police in connection with several attacks. Forty one-year-old Rabha speaks in several languages and is trained in guerilla war at a jungle camp run by Maoists in Jarkhand state. He later became the chief of the organization in Assam. Aklanta is a senior cadre of the outfit and he is the overall in-charge of As-
sam for the organization. The rebel group in Assam is gradually spreading the Maoists’ ideology in the state and in Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura. The other cadre, Siraj Rabha, joined the organisation in 2006 and was based in Jharkhand’s Giridih area. He was a training instructor and in-charge of the medi-
cal unit in the area. While Aklanta is from Boko in Kamrup Rural district, Siraj belongs to Dudhnoi in Goalpara district. Police have seized many arms and ammunition with the detainees including a Spanish made pistol, a huge cache of bullets, four mobile phones, seven SIM cards, a PAN card, a driving license.
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At Rabha’s house, police found a letter, written by CPI (Maoist) Upper Assam Leading Committee leader Aditya Bora, which explained how enroll new members and how to widen the base of the organization in the state. The letter gave out information about what the rebels were up to. Police say Rabha was told to meet Khasi community leaders in the state’s border with Meghalaya and enroll them in the organization. Rabha has reportedly confessed to police that he had several meeting with Khasi community leaders in an attempt to persuade them to join the organization.
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The rebels were also trying to develop a relationship with Ulfa fighters, who are fighting for a separate state. Among the detainees are several political workers and there were 23 female cadre. The Left-wing extremists are mainly active in upper Assamdistricts, parts of Kamrup Rural and Goalpara districts of lower Assam. Since 1996, Maoists have been trying to form their base and built up Upper Assam Leading Committee and Lower Assam Leading Committee. Aklanta Rabha’s arrest is believed to be a breakthrough in the search for rebels in the economically
underdeveloped part of northeastern India. Maoists are also exploring ways to buy arms from Ulfa, play a mediocre role among militant outfits of North East and unite them, form a People’s Guerilla Army unit, and setp up camps in Arunachal Pradesh. In addition, they also want to use North Eastern region to shift their senior
leaders when operations against them intensify in the mainland. Since 2010, Maoists have been involved in five incidents of violence in Assam and used sophisticated arms during the incidents. In one of the incidents in May last year, police gunned down four Maoist cadres in Sadiya area of Tinsukia district. Maoists have also started front outfits including Biplobi Yuva League, Biplobi Sanskriti League, Biplobi Krishak Committee and Biplobi Kavi Gosthi. As per details provided by Rabha, a total of 11 cadres from Assam have so far trained in camps in Jharkhand.
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[ News Capsules ] Chinese Incursion Just when India-China seemed to bury the hatchet and look to a new, bright future, China has shown its true colors once again. The neighboring communist country has come up with a brazen and perhaps well planned incursion into the Indian territory. On 15 April, 2013, numerous soldiers of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) entered as far as ten kilometers inside the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in Daulat Beg in Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir). They also set up a camp there and showed their intentions to stay. This was a well defined plan by China as their ground troops were provided cover and logistic assistance by two helicopters to allow them to come up with a camp on the Indian territory. In response, within two days of the Chinese incursion in Daulat Beg, the Indian Army sent the 5th Battalion of Ladakh Scouts and set up its own camp barely 500 meters away from the Chinese camp. According to the latest reports, Daulat Beg situation on Saturday evening is that the Chinese troops are still there. The Indian troops are also there. Although one can take solace from the fact that not a single shot has been fired from either side, but situation in this area is hardly peaceful. Daulat Beg is the place where Indians had set up its landing strip during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. If India and China were to go to war, Daulat Beg would be a key frontline airstrip to begin air strikes against the Chinese. China understands that Daulat Beg is an important asset for India and this 16,700 feet airstrip in Aksai Chin area is the world’s highest airstrip. The Indian Air Force has a Packet aircraft from this strip between 1962 and 1965. As usual, the UPA government is too sensitive to react even when its territories are attacked. The Ministry of External Affairs is yet deciding what to say on this issue, so we are told.
Rajasthan Government Introduces Free Health Checkup Scheme Rajasthan Government on the occasion of World Health Day on 7 April 2013 introduced the scheme of free essential diagnostic tests in government hospitals across the state. Under the launched scheme the medical investigations include 14 different tests of ECG, X-ray, clinical pathology, blood sugar, blood urea, Hb, complete urine test and others. With this, Rajasthan has become the first state in India to provide a free medical diagnostic test scheme for its people. The scheme is planned to be executed in three different phases and the second phase of the same scheme will be introduced on 1 July 2013, Doctor’s Day. The scheme in its second phase will also cover the community health centers and will offer facilities of free services for 28 different types of tests. In the beginning, the government plans to offer 57 kinds of tests free of cost to the patients at all the medical college hospitals and 44 tests in district hospitals across the state. This scheme is expected to benefit numerous patients across Rajasthan. In the second phase, which will start on Doctors Day (July 1), 25 types of tests will be offered free of cost at Community Health Centres (CHC). The government is also offering 15 tests free of cost at Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and dispensaries. The third phase is planned to be implemented from Independence Day, 15 August 2013 under the third phase 15 types of tests will be made free at Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and dispensaries. Apart from this, Rajasthan government also plans to provide 600 types of generic medicines free of cost to patients in government run hospitals and dispensaries. According to the government, district hospitals, medical college hospitals, satellite hospitals and sub divisional hospitals across the state are covered in this ‘Mukhyamantri Nishulk Janch Yojna’
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[ News Capsules ] These tests include 3 tests of urine analysis, 14 of clinical pathology, 11 microbiology, 1 stool analysis, 1 in cardiology, 25 bio chemistry and 2 in radiology.
Madhya Pradesh young contractors training scheme The Madhya Pradesh government has stated that three-month training will be offered to youths in Madhya Pradesh under Mukhyamantri Yuva Contractor Yojna. This scheme will prepare the youths for the job of contractors. The training will provide each engineering degree holder with Rs 10,000 and a diploma holder will get Rs 8,000. This year, about 5,000 youths are expected to be benefitted under this scheme. Also, Under Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarozgar Yojna, the State Government will provide loan guarantee of up to Rs 25 lakhs and will also offer 5 per cent interest subsidy for five years. Prior to this, the government had set up various other plans for the youth. It had provided an interest subsidy and bank guarantee on loan to help the MP youth set up industry and any other type of business. According to the government, `Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarojgar Yojna,’ is a self-employment scheme. Under this plan, the government will provide 5 per cent subsidy on interest and 100 per cent bank guarantee on a loan of Rs 25 lakh. This will help the youth in setting up an industry, the government has stated. On small-scale industries that need an investment of Rs 50,000, government will give 20 per cent margin money, 100 per cent guarantee on bank loan and 5 per cent subsidy on interest. The scheme will encourage the youth to go for self- employment in a never before way. Apart from this, the state also plans to start the country’s first Vocational Education University for the youths of Madhya Pradesh. The other programs included Mukhyamantri Yuva Contractor Yojna (for
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engineers) and Mukhyamantri Young Internship Yojna (for doctors). Under `Maa Tujhe Pranam Yojna’, youths will have an opportunity to go to border areas (land and sea) and get familiar with activities at the frontiers.
The Story of Tsarnaev Bothers – So Far Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, brothers suspected to be behind Boston bombings, were Muslims who recently gravitated to a radical strain of Islam, going and they posted Anti-American, jihadist videos on social-media sites. According to reports, both are rumored to have had ties to a radical Muslim cleric and are keen on the destruction of the American way of life. Police arrested Tsarnaev recently when they arrested the suspect who was covered in blood and was hiding in a boat. He was hiding in the backyard of a man who called 911 after he became suspicious of Tsarnaev’s activities in his backyard. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stated to investigators that he and his brother were not directed by any outside terrorist organization. Instead, they were “self-radicalized” and wanted to kill, in part, by U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Washington Post reported. He also accepted his role in the attack. Tsarnaev, who has a gunshot injury to the throat and was sedated, replied in writing. He also suffered gunshot wounds in the head, neck, legs and hand during a latenight shootout in Watertown, Mass. Meanwhile, the police said Tsarnaev’s condition is improving. The college student, who was captured by police in serious condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is now in fair condition the reports stated. But it was reported that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed by police as the two attempted to avoid capture.
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[ News Capsules ] This comes at a time when Obama has made restoring U.S. relations with the Islamic world a foreign policy priority. But on the other hand, he has intensified drone operations in Pakistan and other countries, which has infuriated Muslim public opinion. U.S. officials said they are still investigating to put together a detailed timeline of a trip the older Tsarnaev made to Russia, but as of now, they see no proof that he obtained instructions there that led to the attack.
Human Rights: China Criticizes US China has urged the United States’ government to look at its own record of human rights violations instead of expressing concern at the violations in other nations. Chinese response comes in response to US comments about human rights violations in the communist country. “US military has flagrantly violated international human rights in its operations across the globe, and political donations in the United States have frustrated attempts to foster democracy there,” says a statement from the Chinese government. The report titled “The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2012” points accusing fingers at the gun violence in the US, describing it as another instance of human rights violation. It stated that gun violence remained a major threat to the lives and safety of ordinary Americans. The report accused the corporate companies of influencing the US government policies donating a huge sum of money to political parties during electoral campaigns. China said such an act violates the rights of ordinary Americans. In its annual human rights report the US State Department accused countries such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela of clamping down on human rights activities.
Bangladesh and China for “heightened restrictions on organizations receiving funding from abroad” as well as the “killing, harassment and arrest of political, human rights and labor activists.” But the Washington’s report seems to have ignored the allegations that its drone strikes in Pakistan and the violent-prone African countries led to the death of thousands of innocent civilians. The international body has also slammed the US for rights violations in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons.
‘Release Secrete Documents Please’ Family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose have asked Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to help them access the secret files concerning the iconic freedom fighter. Netaji died in a mysterious circumstance during the Second World War. They said they need Modi’s support to force the Central Government into releasing the ‘secrete documents’, which the family members believe holds the key to discovering how the leader died and what caused his death. It is said that Modi met Netaji’s grand-nephew and family spokesperson Chandra Bose on his visit to Kolkata last week. The family members handed him letter requesting his support to crack the mystery surrounding the death of the iconic leader. In the letter, the family members criticized the central government for its unwillingness to release the documents. They also wondered why the government dismissed the findings of Mukherjee Commission, which carried out a lengthy investigation into Netaji’s death. The report was tabled in the parliament, but was failed to induce any debate whatsoever. The Mukherjee Commission denied speculation that the freedom fighter died in the air crash in 1945. But it is widely believed that the leader died in a plane crash somewhere in Japan during the height of Second World War.
The report also criticized the governments of Egypt,
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[ News Capsules ] he family members also criticized West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee saying she ignored their request to intervene when they met her sometime in 2012. Let alone intervention, the family members said Mamata did not even pay attention to their request. In reply to an application filed under right to information act (RTI), prime minister’s office stated that it had put together 33 secrete documents concerning Netaji life and his death. PMO declined to disclose the documents because it says the contents in the file would undermine the country’s sovereignty and relation with foreign nations.
Indian Soldiers Killed in Africa Five Indian soliders, including a colonel, were killed following an ambush on their convoy of vehicles in the volatile region of South Sudan. Hundreds of Indian soldiers are serving in Africa as part of UN mission to restore peace in this African country. Rebels attacked them when they were escorting a UN envoy on an isolated road in the Jonglei state of South Sudan. Four other soldiers were also wounded in the incident. It is not yet clear where the injured have been hospitalized. UN officials stated that they transported the wounded soldiers to Juba for treatment. And there has been no reports about how the remains of martyred soldiers were brought back to India. India’s ambassador later met including Hilda Johnson, the special representative of the UNSG in South Sudan, to gather information about the current state of Indian soldiers working in the rebel violence-hit region. But the Indian foreign ministry has confirmed that five soldiers, deployed for restoring peace, have been killed. Sudan was divided into South and North Sudan in 2011 after years of civil war, but the conflict does seem to be ending any time soon. This is not for the first time Indian soldiers came under attack here, one soldier was shot and wounded in Jonglei last month.
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More than 2000 Indian troops are deployed in the country and are assigned with the task of guarding civilians in Jonglei and other regions along the Nile River. Indian solders make up a large part of UN peacekeeping forces in Africa. In 2010, rebels killed three Indians in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Jagdish Sharan Verma, a committed activist Former Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma, who passed away last week, was one of the leading figures fighting for the rights of women who are being subjected to rape, murder and other heinous crimes. He headed the committee that advised the government on improving the law for the protection of women These rules, which toughen penalties against sexual offenses and lists measures to improve the performance of police, came into force after a wave of violent protests that triggered the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old girl on December 16 last in New Delhi. The case involved a dramatic awareness of violence that millions of women in the country suffer at the hands of their tormentors. The Verma Report, as it is called, which documented the “historic neglect of women in public policy” examined thousands of recommendations from all sections of society, was presented in a record time of 29 days. Verma told the NDTV channel that he had typed the report with one finger! The former judge had held several important positions during his lifetime. In 1997 he was appointed the Chief Justice of India and he directed the National Human Rights Commission. It also helped in the rehabilitation of the State of Gujarat following clashes between Hindus and Muslims that left more than 1,000 dead in 2002.
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[ News Capsules ] Rajasthan roads The Government of India’s report ‘Infrastructure Statistics -2013’ March, 2013 shows that Rajasthan had taken strides in providing tap water and toilets, developing roads and better communication network. Yet, all this is too insufficient to improve the living standards of the people and needs a major push. The report was compiled under six categories of transport, energy, communication, water and sanitation, irrigation and storage. Based on the recent data, it covers the figures from 2006-07 to 2010-11 depending on the availability of the data. The state had 1,59,902 km of roads in 2006-07 which increased to 2,17,543 km in 2008-09. Despite showing 26% rise in three years it constitutes only 4% of the total road network of the country. The major development took place in rural areas where the length increased from 44,287 to 85,084 km during the same period. But in national highways there was no addition and state highways too saw a decrease of overall 16 km. Access to tap water facilities per 1,000 households in the state remains low. The report mentions that in 2002 a total of 805 households per thousand had tap water facility but it increased to only 866 per thousand in 2008. In rural areas the growth was more dismal. From 251 it rose to only 285 per thousand between 2002 and 2008. With these figures Rajasthan ranks among the lowest states. Sanitation infrastructure in the state was positive as the statistics show that from 22.47 lakh households in rural parts, access to toilets increased to 52.84 lakh households in 2012. Nearly 57% rise is among the highest in the country.
Tax havens
Cayman Islands. Dubbed “Offshore Leaks” the records obtained by the ICIJ contain details of more than 120,000 offshore companies and trusts and nearly 130,000 individuals and agents in more than 170 countries. Over the last 15 months, 86 journalists in 46 countries pored over the document cache. Their findings shed some rare light on how various people, from government officials to the mega-rich use secrecy jurisdictions to hide their money with the help of banks and accountants. The report titled “Secrecy for Sale: Inside the Global Offshore Money Maze” comes shortly after a list of 18 Indians who had bank accounts in the LGT Liechtenstein Bank and around 700 Indians who had accounts in HSBC in Geneva became public. In both cases, account holders were prosecuted and paid penalties to Income-Tax authorities for deposits they had made abroad without paying taxes in India. Incidentally, India had signed a double taxation treaty called the Tax Information Exchange Agreement with the BVI in 2011 to check tax evasion and money laundering from the tax haven. Finance ministry officials said that similar agreements are in the process of being drafted with the Cook Islands and Samoa. While the Liberalized Remittance Scheme 2012 permits Indians to deposit up to $200,000 abroad annually, the RBI has made it clear that this does not include deposits in tax havens. “As yet, the $200,000 facility for remittances abroad is not applicable for individuals to open accounts or companies in tax havens,” a RBI spokesperson told The Indian Express. Auditors said the legality of holding offshore accounts and registering offshore companies is complex. The RBI restriction on individuals incorporating companies abroad, they said, can be easily circumvented if an offshore company is first incorporated and the shareholding then transferred to the beneficial owner.
A global association of journalists has unveiled a list of account holders in tax havens like Swiss banks and
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