SCAM/CORRUPTION – 2010 - Indian Social Institute

SCAM/CORRUPTION – 2010
(January to December 2010)
Compiled By
K. Samu
Human Rights Documentation,
Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi
164 corruption cases registered in 2009: Dhumal (5)
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Saturday said that the state vigilance bureau and
anti-corruption bureau had registered 164 cases against government officials and functionaries last year.
'The vigilance bureau saw an increase in registration of cases last year. It registered 164 cases, which
were 71.06 percent more as compared to the previous year (2008),' Dhumal said while launching the
website of the vigilance bureau and anti-corruption bureau. He said that 44 of the total cases were related
to bribery. 'A sum of Rs.38,69,640 has been recovered from the bribe-seekers.' Director General of Police
(Vigilance) D.S. Manhas said that the website would be an interactive site and would also enable people
to file complaints. However, no anonymous complaints would be entertained, he added. The vigilance
bureau last year arrested Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board's chief engineer (operations) Litesh
Malhotra while accepting a bribe of Rs.425,000 from a contractor. Senior Indian Administrative Service
(IAS) officer Sanjay Gupta, who was managing director of the General Industries Corporation, was
arrested in July from a hotel in the state's Parwanoo town with Rs.200,000 in cash. Similarly, the bureau
registered corruption cases against union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife were registered
Aug 3, 2009, under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The complaint against Singh alleges misuse of his
official position and criminal misconduct when he was chief minister of the state in 1989. According to
police, they were booked on the basis of an audio CD released by Singh's political adversary Vijai Singh
Mankotia in 2007. In the CD, Singh was heard referring to some monetary transactions on the phone with
IAS officer Mahinder Lal, who is now dead. The CD also contained recordings of his wife and some
industrialists. (Sify News 2/1/10)
Lokayukta angry over official apathy (5)
Bangalore: Lokayukta Santosh Hegde has expressed anger over the “apathy and disregard” shown by
the State Government with regard to taking action following his report on mining in the State. “The 1,600-
page report, which exposes the involvement of powerful political leaders and their lobbies in illegal mining
activities, appears to have been shelved after the initial two-day noisy session in Belgaum,” Mr. Hegde
said. It has been over a year since the report was submitted and Andhra Pradesh has since called for a
CBI enquiry on “illegal mining”. “However, our Government has chosen to sweep this under the carpet.
What can one do in such circumstances?” he asked. Mr. Hegde was delivering a lecture on “Controlling
corruption” at the Institution of Engineers here on Saturday. Pointing to the fact that all the major political
parties had promised in their election manifestos to increase the powers of the Lokayukta, he asked:
“Two years have gone by, and nobody has done anything. The first day of every Assembly section,
barring one, has deliberated for an entire day on this. But on day two, it is conveniently forgotten,” he
said. Further, even appeals to appoint more number of staff to the Lokayukta’s office have failed to evoke
any response. . “Unfortunately, today corruption is not limited to politicians and bureaucrats. It is
spreading to the private sectors, the doctors and the private establishments,” he said. (The Hindu 4/1/10)
Graft rows overshadowed brilliant verdicts by judiciary in ’09 (5)
NEW DELHI: If ever professional brilliance of an institution got overshadowed by the murky personal
doings of a few individual players, then the dubious honour must surely go to the higher judiciary,
especially the Supreme Court, in Year 2009. The apex court’s brilliant judgments in diverse fields — from
ethics of medical profession to rights of condemned prisoners; from children’s right to education in safe
schools to protection of the ecologically sensitive Aravali Hills — were all virtually eclipsed as its
reputation got sucked into a black hole called corruption. The ignominy of impeachment motions in Rajya
Sabha against two judges of the high courts, one a Chief Justice, in a span of 10 months did not improve
a wee bit the fidelity of the judiciary, which mercifully still enjoys the faith of litigants. The impeachment
motion against Justice Soumitra Sen was virtually on the suggestion of the Chief Justice of India, Justice
K G Balakrishnan, who wrote to the government to initiate steps for his removal as Justice Sen stubbornly
refused to resign despite an in-house committee finding him involved in corruption. But, it was the stinging
allegations of corruption against Karnataka high court chief justice P D Dinakaran that dented the image

of the judiciary and put in focus the need for a transparent process for selection of judges instead of the
present body — a collegium headed by the CJI. The sharp campaign against the recommendation for
elevation of Justice Dinakaran to the Supreme Court and the pingpong game on the issue between the
collegium and the government blew away all the credit that the CJI and SC judges legitimately deserved,
when they took the historic decision in making public their assets and liabilities on November 2. Big
issues put up for adjudication — UP chief minister Mayawati’s fetish for statues, legalisation of gay and
lesbian relationships and the high-stake fight between the Ambani brothers over supply of gas — kept the
Supreme Court in news. But, its rulings, though shadowed by other developments, were no less
important. The first of the significant rulings came on February 7, when the SC held that ‘‘the courts and
consumer fora are not experts in medical science, and must not substitute their own views over that of
specialists’’, giving a huge relief to thousands of medical practitioners. It did reflect popular perception by
saying that the ‘‘medical profession has to an extent become commercialized and there are many doctors
who depart from Hippocratic oath for their selfish ends of making money’’. But, it clarified: ‘‘The entire
medical fraternity cannot be blamed or branded as lacking in integrity or competence just because of
some bad apples.’’ It also said that if a condemned prisoner was kept on death row for a long period, that
itself gave him grounds to seek commutation of the extreme punishment to life sentence. The SC said it
would ‘‘be open to a condemned prisoner, who has been under a sentence of death over a long period of
time, for reasons not attributable to him, to contend that the death sentence would be commuted to one of
life’’. The new year promises a lot of significant rulings from the SC with the feud over gas between the
Ambani brothers being the most awaited one. (Times of India 4/1/10)
IAS Pradeep Sharma arrested in land scam (5)
Ahmedabad: The arrest of senior IAS officer Pradeep Sharma, municipal commissioner of Bhavnagar, in
a Rs70 crore land scam has shocked the state bureaucracy. The CID crime arrested Sharma on
Wednesday morning for irregularities in the allotment of land for Bheed Bazaar, a wholesale market in
Bhuj which was destroyed in the 2001 earthquake. The police arrested Sharma from his residence in
Bhavnagar and took him to Bhuj. The state government had allotted 17 acres of land on the foothills of
Bhujiya hillock to the traders of Bheed Bazaar who had lost their shops in the earthquake, said a source.
The traders were, however, asked to procure a G-5 certificate from the district collector of Kutch before
they could lay claim to the land. But many traders, who were not even affected by the calamity, managed
to get land by presenting fake certificates. A complaint in this regard was also filed by Henry Chako,
Kutch secretary of All India Anti Corruption Crime Preventive Council, an NGO. (dna 6/1/10)
Now, CBI will pool in NGOs, whistleblowers in Maharashtra (5)
Mumbai: In an attempt to throttle corruption at the grassroot levels, particularly in rural areas, the CBI has
come up with an innovative idea: to identify whistleblowers from across 35 districts in Maharashtra and
coordinate with them to get clues on corrupt practices by government departments. Besides, the
investigative agency has also tied up with local NGOs to tackle corruption and will send its officers to all
these districts and villages to strike a rapport with people. “We also plan to publish advertisements in local
newspapers inviting people to come forward with their complaints and meet the CBI superintendent,” said
Rishiraj Singh, joint director, CBI. Until recently, the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) used to
concentrate mostly in urban areas. They now plan to expand their base to semi-urban and small towns.
The ACB has already contacted several NGOs and other different agencies that have a strong network
and presence in the rural areas, said CBI officials. (DNA 9/1/10)
Change jurisprudence to fight corruption: Lok Ayukta (5)
Bangalore, Jan 10 (PTI) Dubbed an iconoclast for his pro-active pursuit of cases against powerful
politicians, police and bureaucrats, Karnataka Lok Ayukta Santosh Hegde, a former Supreme Court
judge, wants a change in laws that presume a person to be innocent till proved guilty to effectively fight
corruption and official misdemeanour. Santosh HegdeHe says corruption has not come down in the
country despite the fact that tough laws have been made because "nobody is serious about fighting
corruption". "Let us forget the concept of jurisprudence that says it is better that nine guilty men are
acquitted rather than make one innocent suffer. All these concepts are not relevant today. We have to
change them," Hegde, who demitted office as Supreme Court judge in 2005, said. "We have changed the
laws when it comes to terrorism and corruption is definitely equal to if not not worse than, terrorism. But
nobody wants to do it," he lamented. Hegde recently created flutters when he brought to the fore the case
of an IAS official, who allegedly sought sexual favours from a widow, and was not only not acted upon but
had gone up the bureaucratic ladder. "In corruption who is involved -- the one who makes the law or
administers the law. So anything you do to strengthen fight against corruption is going to boomerang, it

could come back," says the 70-year-old former judge. Hegde's recent expose to the media of the officer
promoted despite complaints of sexual harassment by a widow for transferring a plot of her deceased
husband in her name has sent ripples in administrative circles, forcing the government to order a probe. "I
went to the media because I found nothing was happening. I waited for long as I tried to work within the
system," said the anti-corruption watchdog who thought that media glare will get some punitive action
against the official. Not the one to look helpless, he has through media pressure got teeth and claws to
his statutory body, for which he has relentlessly been demanding suo-motu powers and making its
recommendations "compulsorily implementable".Rubbishing claims of being publicity hungry, he said, "I
go to the media because there is a lacuna in the Act". In 90 per cent of the cases the government does
not act at all, he said. The judge, who has currently 19,000 cases pending before him, said he had
received oral complaints of similar nature but many do not pursue them owing to social ostracism and
fear of victimisation. He cited an example of two girls who had come to him accompanied by a former
head of the state women's commission with a complaint. Hegde said he had agreed to cooperate by
providing equipment to record the actions, to lay the trap and arrest, but the girls did not come back. As a
former judge, he said following the steps laid down by the Supreme Court in the Vishaka case would
suffice to address these problems. "If that is put in place, that is enough. It is not that systems are not
there, but systems are not working or not allowed to work, though they exist on paper," said Hegde.
His pursuit to cleanse the system has also seen him recommend setting up an internal vigilance cell in
every state department. The cell could take cognizance of complaints by residents and aggrieved
employees. "Apart from keeping record of rules, it could maintain a confidential record of all officers. We
have recommended officers whose characters are suspect, their moral character, integrity, working style,
all records should be maintained, which may come in handy." This would instill a sense of responsibility,
fear and accountability in officials, he said. Though his quest for truth remains unquestionable and his
pursuit for justice an uninterrupted journey, the Lok Ayukta said that sometimes he was called upon to go
beyond the calling of his post and render humanitarian aid. "I have stories that I hear everyday that could
bring tears to your eyes," he said, recounting one such tragic tale when a handicapped tailor and his wife
approached him with a baby that had a deformed intestine. (Deccan Herald 10/1/10)
Punjab HC seeks to fast track cases against Badals, Amarinder (5)
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court last week asked the Punjab and Haryana governments
to furnish a list of pending cases involving bigwigs so that these could be sent to fast track courts. Apart
from chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and deputy Sukhbir, and former chief minister
Amarinder Singh, 20 IAS and 10 IPS officers in Punjab have corruption cases pending against them.
Among the IAS officers is chief secretary of Punjab SC Agrawal. Parkash and Sukhbir Badal have
disproportionate assets cases pending in a special court in Ropar for five years. A similar assets case
against them is being investigated by the Vigilance Bureau, but no charge sheet has been filed yet. The
IPS officers facing criminal cases, disciplinary action or investigation are former directors general of police
(DGP) SS Virk,KK Attri and Mohammad Izhar Alam, additional directors general (ADG) SS Saini and GD
Pandey, senior officers RP Singh, SS Sodhi, Paramraj Singh, Rajinder Singh and Devinder Singh
Garcha. Virk is accused of having assets disproportionate to income, while Attri and Alam face charges of
financial irregularity. Saini is accused of abducting and killing three people. The IAS officers are, largely
accused of financial embezzlement. They include SarveshKaushal, Jagjit Puri, Mandeep Singh, B Sarkar,
GS Pirzada, CS Srivastava, HIS Grewal, Khushi Ram, JS Maini, Dr Swarn Singh, RN Gupta, Dharam Vir,
Harjit Singh, Kirpa Shanker Saroj, Shruti Singh and DS Grewal. Another list of IAS officers with criminal
cases include SC Agrawal, who is chief secretary of Punjab. KBS Sidhu and GS Grewal face proceedings
in a CBI case on developing a hill resort at Karoran village in Mohali. R Venkatraman and SS Dhillon face
corruption charges. (DNA 11/1/10)
CBI files chargesheet against Buta Singh's son (5)
MUMBAI: CBI today filed a chargesheet against Sarabjot Singh, son of National Commission for
Scheduled Castes Chairman Buta Singh, and three others in a case of alleged corruption. The 31-page
chargesheet was filed against Sarabjot alias Sweety, Anup Begi, Madan Solanki and Dhoop Singh
Chauhan in a designated CBI court here, official sources said. While Sarabjot and Begi have been
booked for corruption and hatching the criminal conspiracy, the two others face charges under money
laundering act for being allegedly involved in Hawala racket, they said. However, there was no mention of
the statement of Buta Singh in the chargesheet for which the agency had fought a prolonged legal battle
to record his statement. The sources said that they were not relying on his statement. Buta had moved
the Delhi High Court challenging CBI's move to question him but withdrew the petition later when the
agency informed that he was being summoned only as a witness. Sarabjot was arrested on July 31 last
year for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs one crore from Nashik-based contractor Ramrao Patil for

closing a case pending against him before the Scheduled Castes panel headed by his father. Though
Solanki and Chauhan have been named as accused in the case, they can later turn approver if the court
allows, the sources said. The chargesheet includes telephonic interceptions involving Sarabjot, Patil and
other accused bargaining for the bribe amount. (Express Buzz 13/1/10)
Corruption costs India Rs 2.5 lakh cr, says Prahalad (5)
The cost of corruption to the country could exceed Rs 250,000 crore, management guru C K Prahalad
said today. Delivering the Seventh Nani A Palkhivala Memorial Lecture here, he highlighted the funding of
election campaigns by politicians and the return they try to achieve after they win as one of the basic
reasons for corruption in the country. The 2009 Lok Sabha elections are reported to have cost the country
Rs 10,000 crore. Of this, Rs 1,300 crore was spent by the Election Commission and Rs 700 crore by the
Centre and state governments. The remaining Rs 8,000 crore were spent by political parties and
individual candidates. If the cost of state elections were also covered, this could easily exceed Rs 25,000
crore, he said. “I cannot but assume that private funding of elections of this magnitude is predicted on
making an appropriate return,” said . “Given the risky nature of the investments in elections, politicians as
venture capitalists, we can assume, will not settle for less than a 10n-fold return,” he pointed out.Chalking
out a road map for the country, he called for reducing the irregularity of information, reduce the number of
points of interpretation of laws and asked for an increase in accountability. He called the unique
identification programme of the government as the building block of social justice and asked to focus on
massive education so that inequality of opportunity is eradicated. “India is at an interesting crossroad,”
said Prahalad. “It must choose. The path to progress needs significant innovations and a discarding of the
old and acceptance of the new,” he added. He said the crisis in India is one of leadership. “There is no
one who is willing to articulate a view of India and Indianness with clarity and force so that the country can
come together and make the sacrifices needed to build a new India that the framers of the Constitution
imagined,” he said. (Business Standard 15/1/10)
Rs 2,500 cr corruption alleged in rice export (5)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP national secretary Balbir Punj alleged that the rice export from the
country during 2008-09 had involved a corruption amounting to Rs 2,500 crore. He told a news
conference here on Friday that it was through one export house in New Delhi that 100 lakh tonnes of rice
had been exported to 21 African countries. But it was not sure whether the rice reached the poor African
countries. He alleged that the rice exported at a subsidised rate was diverted to multinational
corporations. Balbir Punj said that the UPA coalition at the Centre was increasingly displaying the
arrogance of power on one hand and incompetence on the other. Spiraling inflation, especially of food
items, had become a grave issue across the country. He said that in stark contrast to the party’s promise
of curbing inflation in 100 days, prices of essential commodities such as rice, sugar and pulse
skyrocketed by 100 to 300 percent. While the paddy farmers are paid Rs. 8.50 per kg, it is reaching the
consumers at the rate of Rs.40 per kg. This scenario has been evolved after the Government allowed
export of 100 lakh tonnes of rice at Rs.18 to Rs.20 per kg, he said. He said that during 2008-09, 48 lakh
tonnes of sugar were exported at Rs.12.50 per kilo with an export subsidy of Rs 1.44 per kg. But now the
country is importing sugar at Rs.40 to 42 per kg after the huge shortfall of sugar, he said. Referring to the
Telengana issue, he said that the Government had not taken the people, the opposition parties and even
the leaders from Andhra Pradesh into confidence. “Some ministers are taking decisions sitting in a dark
room and thrusting it upon the 10 crore people of Andhra Pradesh. At least, the Cabinet or the Chief
Minister of Andhra Pradesh should be taken into confidence”. He said that the BJP was for the state of
Telangana. He pointed out that the NDA Government had created three states in a peaceful manner as
they took the people into confidence. BJP state president V Muralidharan said that Sobha Surendran had
been appointed state president of the Mahila Morcha, the women’s wing of the party. P O Noushad has
been appointed as the state president of the BJP’s Minority Morcha. B Gopalakrishnan is the new
district president and A M Nagesh is the general secretary in Thrissur.(Express Buzz 30/1/10)
Sukhna scam an aberration, cannot be tolerated: AK Antony (5)
New Delhi: Terming the Sukhna land scam allegedly involving a top army officer as an "aberration",
government today said it will not tolerate even a single instance of corruption in the armed forces. "What
happened in Sukhna and in some other cases are aberrations. Already, the Army has taken strong action.
I do not want to say anything further. We cannot tolerate even a single instance of corruption," defence
minister AK Antony said on the sidelines of an awards ceremony to honour the best tableaux of the
Republic Day here. Antony's statement comes days after he asked army chief General Deepak Kapoor to
initiate disciplinary action against Lt Gen Awadesh Prakash, military secretary in the army, who has been
indicted in the Sukhna land scam. Disciplinary action could lead to a court martial against Lt Gen

Prakash, who is in the dock in the scam along with two other lieutenant generals and a major general.
The minister downplayed corruption in the Army saying, "armed forces have a much better system of
correcting things and punishing the guilty." The defence minister said, "You should compare what is going
on around. Compared to many other institutions, armed forces and army are doing much better to take
action and correct aberrations in the system." The defence minister asked to look at the positive aspect of
the armed forces and its traditions, saying the sacrifices made by jawans and the officers must also be
looked at. "Our jawans and officers are sacrificing their life, their blood, their health to protect every inch
of our territory, to safeguard border security. We must salute them and protect their honour," he said. Lt
Gen Prakash, considered close to the army chief, retired today. Eastern army commander Lt Gen VK
Singh, the army chief designate, had recommended tough action against Lt Gen Prakash and other
accused officers on the basis of a Court of Inquiry which indicted them for issuing a no-objection
certificate (NOC) for sale of a 71-acre land adjacent to Sukna military station in West Bengal's Darjeeling.
The Army Chief had earlier ordered only administrative action against Lt Gen Prakash wherein the court
martial was not a requirement. Prakash was issued a show-cause notice to which he had replied.(DNA
31/1/10)
Slain RTI activist's brother moves high court (5)
Mumbai: Slain RTI activist Satish Shetty's brother Sandip Shetty today said that he wanted to intervene in
the PIL being heard by the Bombay High Court in connection with his murder. Satish, a Talegaon-based
Right To Information (RTI) activist and an anti-corruption crusader, who had unearthed several landrelated
scams in the area, was murdered last month by unidentified assailants while on a morning walk.
The high court took suo motu (own its own) notice of the incident, and initiated a PIL. Sandip, Satish's
younger brother, was today present in the court. His lawyer said that he wanted to intervene in the PIL, as
he had a lot of documents pertaining to Satish's RTI queries. "He has no confidence in the police,"
Sandip's lawyer said. The division bench of Justices F I Rebello and JH Bhatia said that it would allow
him to become a party. The state government today informed the court that out of six persons who are
suspected to be involved in Satish's murder, five have been arrested so far, and police have sought
magistrate's permission to subject them to lie detector test. Senior advocate D Madon, appointed as
amicus curie to assist the court, said that countries such as Mexico and Columbia have special systems
for providing protection to activists, and authorities are studying them. Adjourning the hearing for one
week, the high court sought a reply from the government about progress in Shetty murder case, and
about the proposed steps for protecting social activists. The court also sought a reply from Mumbai police
commissioner about investigation into six cases of threats or assaults on local social activists. Mitra, an
umbrella organisation of NGOs which has intervened in this PIL, had submitted list of these cases to the
police commissioner. (DNA 4/2/10)
Corruption not possible without political patronage (5)
Bhopal, Feb 5: Expressing sharp reaction over property worth crores of rupees unearthed in the Income
Tax Department raid conducted on residences of senior officers State Congress president Suresh
Pachouri said that corruption at such large scale was not possible without patronage of politicians in
power. He added that owing to this corruption development of State is obstructed while the government is
making progress. He reasoned that merely by suspending Joshi couple entire episode of corruption
cannot be hidden behind veil. He maintained that Chief Minister should reveal the names of those
ministers towards whom publicity medium is pointing finger and detailed probe of their office should be
done. He further said that possibly the publicity medium are hinting towards those ministers under whom
Joshi couple were working. Pachouri argued that with these raids Congress allegations are being proved
true that Congress led government at the Centre has given crores of rupees for various development
schemes whose benefit is not being availed by the needy. There is no law and order and everything is in
a mess. (Central Chronicle 5/2/10)
SEZ scam: CIU team begins probe (5)
NELLORE: The Central Investigation Unit (CIU) officials who are probing into the irregularities on
Krishnapatnam SEZ visited three villages in Gudur division in the district on Sunday and interacted with
the land owners whose lands were acquired by the government. The CIU Joint Director K. Sampath
Kumar and Nellore Anti-Corruption Bureau DSP G. Narasimhan accompanied by the Revenue officials
visited Siddavaram, Vanjaravaka and Karlapudi villages and enquired the villagers about the survey
numbers of the lands taken, compensation paid and any bribe demanded by the officials for paying
compensation. Later, the officials seized the records from the revenue officials and verified them. The JD
and the DSP questioned the revenue officers on how much land was acquired for the Special Economic

Zone in each village and the total compensation paid. However, the investigation officials could not meet
Gudur RDO Y. Ramachandra Reddy against whom the villagers made complaints to the ACB officials, as
the latter was on leave, it is learnt. Kota Deputy Tahsildar Ravindranath, Village Revenue Officer
Bhaktasavastala Reddy and others accompanied the special team. Meanwhile, following the allegations
against the Revenue officials that less compensation was paid to the land owners and the names of some
benami persons were mentioned in the land owners’ list, Joint Collector Saurabh Gaur started
investigation into the matter. (The Hindu 8/2/10)
CBI did not seek sanction to prosecute Justice Yadav: CJI (5)
Delhi, February 10, 2010: Chief Justice of India (CJI) KG Balakrishnan on Wednesday said the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not seek his permission to prosecute Justice Nirmal Yadav of the
Punjab and Haryana High Court on charges of corruption. The Supreme Court's secretary general MP
Bhadran made the statement on behalf of the chief justice, reacting to the Punjab and Haryana High
Court Bar Association's resolution condemning Justice Balakrishnan and former attorney general of India
Milon Banerjee for giving a clean chit to the controversial high court judge. Referring to news reports
based on the condemnation by the bar, apex court secretary general said, "This is to clarify that no such
request for sanction to prosecute a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been made by the
CBI to the CJI regarding the alleged delivery of cash at the judge's doorstep." Bhadran said the CBI has
not shown to the CJI even the final report, submitted to the Chandigarh special CBI court, seeking closure
of the case against Justice Yadav. "Even the final report in this regard has not been shown to the CJI,"
said Bhadran, adding, "So, it is incorrect to say that the CJI has denied sanction to prosecute the judge."
The high court's bar association condemned the CJI for allegedly "willful and palpable abdication of his
duty" in denying sanction for prosecution of Justice Yadav based on the opinion of the attorney general
for India. The attorney general was condemned for his opinion, which held that no case is made out
against Justice Yadav. The scam broke out in August 2008, when the clerk of former additional advocate
general of the Punjab and Haryana High Court delivered a bag containing Rs.15 lakh in cash at the house
of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur. Later, it was found that the money was meant for another judge, Justice Nirmal
Yadav. However, the CBI, which investigated the case, filed a closure report in December last year
saying that the it had not got clearance from the CJI to continue with the case.(Hindustan Times 10/2/10)
Handover corruption cases to CBI: Govind Singh (5)
Bhopal, Feb 9: Former minister and senior Congress MLA Dr Govind Singh demanded to handover the
corruption cases committed by the chief minister, ministers and IAS officers. He accused that in water
resources department alone there was corruption of over Rs 1000 crore. Apart from this corruption to the
tune of Rs 5000 crore was committed during the last three years in other departments like mines and
minerals, health, women and child development, panchayat and rural development and transport. Dr
Singh has demanded to make pubic the relationship between the Sangh Parivar and IAS officers Arvind
Joshi, his wife HM Joshi. According to Dr Singh former IPS officer HM Joshi was organization committee
chairman for Hindu Samagam. Seizing of more than Rs five crore from Joshi's residence points out the
relation between him and the RSS. Dr Singh said that investing of more than Rs 50 crore in ICICI Bank
through an ordinary insurance agent, Seema Jaiswal within a short period indicates that the money
belong to the chief minister, ministers and IAS officers. He said that full details about corruption to the
tune of Rs 1000 crore was given to the chief minister in July last year. But the chief minister took it lightly
because the corruption started from his residence. (Central Chronicle 10/2/10)
Army land scam: HC refuses to intervene (5)
New Delhi, Feb 15: The Delhi High Court has said that officers found guilty of corruption by an army
inquiry cannot appeal to the court for help. Lieutenant General PK Rath had appealed to the High Court
against his indictment in the multi-crore Sukna land scam in West Bengal. He wanted the court to stop
the army's court of inquiry against him. He had also objected to the army's decision to recall his posting
as Deputy Chief of Army Staff because of his alleged corruption. The court, however, said it does not
have the jurisdiction to hear this case, and asked Rath to approach the Armed Forces Tribunal instead.
The controversy revolves around a piece of land next to the army's 33 Corps Headquarters in Siliguri in
West Bengal. In May 2008, the Army officially wrote to the West Bengal government, stating that it
wanted to acquire this land. In October 2008, Lt General P K Rath took over as the 33 Corps Commander
and reiterated the Army's decision to buy the land. A few days later, Military Secretary Lt General
Avadesh Prakash visited Chumta tea estate during his official tour to 33 Corps, and referred businessman
Dilip Agarwal, who wanted to buy the land, to General Rath. In March this year, 33 Corps under General
Rath granted the land to Agarwal with a no-objection certificate. After the evidence is presented against
Rath in the army's court of inquiry, he may face a court martial. So far, the internal report states that his

decision was "hasty and top-driven action." He's also blamed for "not seeking the concurrence of the
Eastern Command." Under pressure from the Defence Minister, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor has
already ordered a court martial against Prakash. (Read: Court martial for Military Secretary Avadesh
Prakash) The Army's inquiry found that Prakash misused his position as Military Secretary to help the real
estate developer who ultimately got the army's ok to buy this land. Prakash is the country's most-senior
army officer to ever face a court martial. (Central Chronicle 15/2/10)
Twenty20 'ripe for corruption' says players' union head (5)
LONDON: International players' union FICA chief executive Tim May has warned that Twenty20 cricket is
"ripe for corruption" and urged the sport's administrators to exercise extreme care. "Twenty20 is just ripe
for corruption -- the shorter the game the more influence each particular incident can have," the former
Australia off-spinner said in an interview in the March issue of The Wisden Cricketer magazine which
goes on sale this Friday. "So I think it opens up a great deal of opportunities for the bookmakers to try and
corrupt players into providing various different outcomes in the game, if not the result itself. Cricket needs
to be very, very careful." May was also critical of the way the Indian Premier League's (IPL) dealings with
players. "The refusal to grant players the ability to review the security arrangements and the decision of
the IPL and its franchises not to recognise or deal with any players' managers or agents, is selfdefeating,"
he said. "Its decision-making is very arrogant. The attitude is that they're the only game in
town, they're the biggest game in town and, as long as they pay these huge amounts of money, they can
do what they like. That may not always be the case." (Times of India 16/2/10)
Awareness campaign on corruption launched (5)
VIJAYAWADA: The Forum for Legal, Ambulance, Social and Health Services (FLASH), a service
organisation floated by a group of advocates, launched an awareness campaign on corruption in the city
on Tuesday. The organisation published pamphlets with details of addresses and telephone numbers of
authorities concerned, such as deputy superintendent of police of the Anti-Corruption Bureau,
superintendent of police of the CBI, assistant controller of legal metrology and the Chief Justice of the
Andhra Pradesh High Court, and began distributing them to the public. Releasing the pamphlets,
president of the Bezwada Bar Association (BBA) Pilla Ravi observed that corruption was becoming
rampant in all fields. “Unfortunately, courts too are no exception,” he said. Comparing the spread of
corruption with that of HIV, Mr. Ravi said it was hampering the nation’s development. Mr. Ravi felt that the
Right to Information (RTI) Act would in some measure contribute to minimising corruption. P. Sai Babu of
FLASH and senior advocates were present. (The Hindu 17/2/10)
Mining scam: Save Odisha Forum seeks CBI probe (5)
BHUBANESWAR: A delegation comprising activists of Save Odisha Forum on Tuesday submitted a
memorandum to Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare seeking a CBI probe into the multi-crore
mining scam. The activists met Mr. Bhandare at Raj Bhavan here and apprised him of the mining scam
allegedly involving the mines mafia, multinational companies, politicians, bureaucrats and Maoists.
Although a vast majority of the people in the State were passing through abject poverty and fighting
malnutrition, the State government was busy handing over land, water, forests and mineral resources to
multinational companies at throwaway prices, they said in the memorandum. The activists, who signed
the memorandum include convener of the Forum Bhabani Parija, and members of the Forum Dillip
Mallick, Bijay Parida, Krushna Chandra Nayak, Ramesh Barik and Soumyakanta Samantasinghar. The
activists said in the memorandum that they would organise an indefinite dharna before Parliament if the
mining scam cases wee not handed over to the CBI for investigation. The cases pertaining to illegal
mining of various minerals in Keonjhar and other districts are now being investigated by the Vigilance
Department of the State government. (The Hindu 17/2/10)
Corruption rampant in RGICD, say patients (5)
Bangalore: Poor people with chronic ailments have to put up with a diseased system. They may not have
problems with the doctors treating them in a government hospital. But they definitely have to pay money
to the ward boys and other group D employees to access free healthcare. Even as a gathering of doctors
and experts in chest diseases at a programme in Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) on
Wednesday discussed the increasing multi-drug resistance (MDR) in tuberculosis patients and the
problems faced in eradicating the disease, patients admitted at the hospital used the opportunity to
highlight their problems before the media. The programme was organised by the Karnataka State
Tuberculosis Association (KSTBA) in coordination with SDS TB Research Centre and RGICD to
inaugurate the anti-TB week in the run-up to World TB Day on March 24. G. Nagaraj, an in-patient from
Gauribidanur, said he had to pay even for the hot water supplied in the ward. “The ward boys demand

money for everything here. Recently, I paid Rs. 20 to get an x-ray done. If we have to spend at least
Rs.50 every day, why should we come to a government hospital?” Prakash T. from Chitradurga alleged
that the ward boys harassed the patients if they were not paid. “The food served to us is tasteless. The
rice is usually overcooked and the milk watery. Most of the time we buy food from outside,” said N.
Murthy, another patient. R. Nirmala, whose husband Ramanna was admitted a month ago, and Soganna
from Pavadaga, another patient, said the hospital pharmacy was short of medicines too. “Sometimes we
have to buy medicines from outside,” Ms. Nirmala said. Shashidhar Buggi, RGICD Director, said stringent
action was being initiated against corrupt ward boys and some of them had even been suspended.
“Whenever such complaints are brought to my notice, I have punished them. But as we are short-staffed,
it is difficult to monitor properly,” he said. On complaints about food, he said: “Although we don’t have a
nutritionist in the hospital, I ensure that the food cooked in the hospital is of good quality. Along with
proper meals, each patient is given bread, milk and two eggs every day. We will soon get a nutritionist to
improve the quality of food.” Earlier, during the programme, Japananda Swamy, founder of Swami
Vivekananda Integrated Rural Health Centre, said there was an increase in MDR TB cases because
people discontinued treatment. “Although they are provided free medicines, they don’t have food to eat as
they are poor. They discontinue [medication] because taking the medicine without proper food causes
them acidity.” He said people had the wrong notion that being infected with TB meant the end of the
world. “There is a lot of ignorance and people from all sectors, including the media, should spread
awareness.” While Professor and Head of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine C. Nagaraj presented a
paper, RNTCP Evolution: Objectives and Role of Medical Colleges, Senior Specialist (Pulmonary
Medicine) S.S. Revadi spoke on Diagnosis and Management of TB under RNTCP Guidelines.. The
former Family Physicians Association president S. Subramanyam spoke on the role of private-public
partnership in controlling the disease. (The Hindu 18/2/10)
Maharashtra Chief Post-Master General held for taking Rs 2 crore bribe (5)
Mumbai, Feb 25 (PTI): The Chief Post-Master General of Maharashtra and Goa has been arrested by
CBI for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 2 crore for issuing a no objection certificate (NOC) for construction
of a post office in neighbouring Thane district. The Chief Postmaster General of Maharashtra and Goa,
Manjit Singh Bali, apprehended by the CBI for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 2 crore for issuing a No
Objection Certificate (NOC) for construction of a post office. PTI Manjit Singh Bali, a 1978 batch officer of
the Indian Postal Services, was caught on Wednesday by the sleuths of the Anti Corruption Bureau of the
CBI while allegedly accepting the bribe amount. The CBI has recovered a sum of Rs 34 lakh, USD 10722,
3050 UK Pounds and 3470 Euro from his South Mumbai residence.Bali, who is one of the senior-most
officers in the postal department across the country, had demanded the bribe to issue a NOC for the
development of land at Mira Bhayendar in Thane district. "The 2000 sq mt land is owned by a private
builder who had agreed to allot 25 per cent of the land for the construction of a post office. This, however,
required a NOC from the postal department," CBI Joint Director (Western Region) Rishiraj Singh told
reporters. A father-son duo, who own a consultancy firm in South Mumbai have also been arrested along
with Bali. Arun Dalmiya and Harsh Dalmiya were the middlemen who were dealing with Bali and the
complainant. According to CBI, the complainant Rita Shah, an ex-corporator of Mira Bhayendar had
approached Bali in January this year requesting him to expedite the issuance of NOC for the construction
of a post office in the area. (Deccan Herald 25/2/10)
Managing director of Adani group arrested (5)
Ahmedabad: Managing director of Adani group Rajesh Adani was today arrested by the CBI in
connection with a custom duty evasion case involving Rs 50 crore. A team of CBI officials from Goa
arrested him at the airport here before he was about to leave for the coastal state, sources here said.
Central Bureau of Investigation today said it has arrested Rajesh Adani, managing director of Adani
Enterprises, a part of the Rs 26,000 crore Adani group, on charges of evasion of customs duty to the tune
of Rs 80 lakh. "CBI arrested Rajesh Adani, one of the directors of the Adani Exports (now named Adani
Enterprises)," agency spokesperson Harsh Bahal told PTI, adding that the anti-corruption branch of CBI
Goa had registered a case against him and nine customs officials. The case was also registered against
Adani Exports and Ganesh Benjoplast. Adani was arrested yesterday from Ahmedabad and would be
produced before a magistrate for a transit remand for taking him to Goa. "Adani had in the year 2006-07
imported naptha, a petroleum product, and did not pay customs duty in Goa," CBI joint director (Western
Region) Rishiraj Singh told PTI in Mumbai. A case was registered in January 2008 by the Goa Anti-
Corruption Bureau of the CBI. The CBI is looking into whether any other employees of the diversified
group are also involved. No immediate comments could be obtained from Adani group spokesperson
could be obtained. Rajesh is younger brother of group chairamn Gautam Adani, who recently completed
a successful initial public offer of another group company Adani Power. The Adani Group deals with

commodities trading, distribution of natural gas and port operations. Double click an English word for
Macmillan Dictionary definition (DNA 27/2/10)
VP for 'Judicial intervention' to check corruption (5)
Patna, Feb 28: Vice President M Hamid today expressed his concern over the emerging phenomenon of
corruption in public life and said 'judicial intervention' and 'political example' were principal instruments in
curbing it with strong hand. While addressing a function organised on the occasion of 47th death
anniversary of first President Dr Rajendra Prasad in sequence to commemorating the 125th year of his
birth anniversary here, Mr Ansai said corruption in public life, especially in high places was a disturbing
trend which should be curbed with iron hand. Recalling the quotes of the first President made during his
second term, Mr Ansari said,''It is high time the government from the highest level downwards, take
serious notice of corruption and take some action which would convince even as scoffers and doubters of
its earnestness to eliminate and suppress with strong hand whenever found and in whatever form seen.''
Underlining the importance of good governance, Mr Ansarai said Dr Prasad was of the firm opinion that
good elected people could even make best of a defective constitution. Quoting Dr Prasad, he said, ''If the
people who are elected are capable and men of character and integrity they would be able to make the
best even of defective Constitution. It they are lacking in these, constitution can not help the country.'' ''It
is up to us to preserve and protect the independence that we have won and to make it bear fruit for man
on the street. Let us launch on this new enterprise of running our Independent Republic with confidence
with truth and non-violence and above all with heart within the God over head,'' he added. (Central
Chronicle 1/3/10)
Petition challenging suspension of government servant dismissed (5)
CHENNAI: When a government servant is arrested and being tried in a criminal case he cannot be
allowed to discharge his duties as it may not inspire public confidence in the government, the Madras
High Court has said. When the arrest is in a corruption case and where the government servant has
demanded and accepted a bribe, the question of his being kept in service before trial is concluded is
unthinkable, the court observed. Dismissing a petition challenging the suspension of a government
servant and seeking to declare Rule 17(e) (2) of the Tamil Nadu Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal)
rules ultra vires and unconstitutional, Justice K. Chandru held that the power to place a government
servant involved in a criminal case and creating a deemed clause for suspension had its aim and
purpose. It was in consonance with Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. Since the rule had been made
in public interest and for efficiency of civil service, the question of impugning it as ultra vires or
unconstitutional may not arise. K. Balachandar was appointed on compassionate grounds as a Junior
Assistant in October 1986. In January 1992 he was brought under regular establishment and was working
in the office of the District Elementary Education Officer at Coimbatore. He was arrested in a case in
October 2009. The charge was that he demanded Rs.1 lakh to get a job for Stella Mary and received
Rs.20,000 as advance. He was released on bail six days later. He was placed under suspension, which,
he contended, was unjustified. His counsel said that as rule 17 (e) (2) provided automatic suspension
without giving power to the authority, who could suspend any government servant only on account of
detention beyond 48 hours, it was arbitrary. (The Hindu 2/3/10)
Vigilance Commission booked 54 officers for corruption in 2009 (5)
New Delhi, Mar 10 : Union Government on Wednesday revealed that the Vigilance Commission filed
corruption related cases against 54 officers in 2009. Replying a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister
of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Prithviraj Chavan tabled the number of vigilance
cases initiated against All India Service Officers (AIS) during the year 2008 and 2009. In 2008, the
Central Vigilance Commission has filed cases against 38 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers,
eight Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, four IFS officers, while in 2009, 35 IAS, 10 IPS and nine IFS
officers were booked. Chavan informed the House that the CVC does not issue sanction for prosecution,
however, the Commission advised sanction for prosecution in the year 2008 and 2009 in 107 and 131
cases respectively. In pursuance of the Commission's advice, the competent authorities have imposed
penalties, Chavan added. He also informed that promotion of Government Servants including AIS officers
against whom disciplinary or court proceedings are pending or whose conduct is under investigation is
governed by the ruling given by the Supreme Court. Therefore, pendency of vigilance case except as
provided in the ruling is not a bar on promotion, Chavan said. (New Kerala 10/3/10)
500 Delhi cops held in past 3 yrs for crimes (5)

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police may claim to be a "clean force" but figures tell a different story. Replying to a
question in Parliament, the minister of state in the ministry of home affairs (MHA), Mullappallay
Ramachandran, on Tuesday said 500 officers of Delhi Police had been arrested for various crimes in the
past three years. Though the minister claimed number of crimes committed by police personnel is not
rising, he refused to provide details of action taken by the government against tainted cops. "The data is
still being collected," he said. According to the written reply, a copy of which is with Times City, 116 police
personnel were arrested in 2007. This number saw a huge 54% rise in 2008, with 251 personnel being
arrested for various crimes. In 2009, 133 tainted cops were arrested. A large number of policemen were
arrested on graft charges. In 2007, a total of 51 personnel were arrested for being involved in corruption,
while another 124 were arrested on similar charges in 2008. Last year, 30 policemen were arrested after
they were found involved in corruption. However, the more disturbing news was that of these, 12 were
middle-level officers holding ranks of ACP and inspector. The data reveals at least six personnel were
found to be involved in murder or attempt to murder cases in 2008. Four others were found involved in
the same offence in 2009. This includes six constables, three head constables and one assistant subinspector.
Another 30 personnel, including 21 constables, were found to be involved in various cheating
cases in the past three years. It is often alleged that beat officers are involved in extortion cases. At least
16 cops, including two inspectors, have been found to have involved in extortion in the last three years.
Six others, including two sub-inspectors, have been booked for rape charges. Senior police officers
admitted there might be some more tainted cops inside the force. "There are several others who are
under temporary suspension or undergoing internal enquiries on various charges levelled against them. It
is therefore, not surprising if these numbers see a significant rise in the coming days," said an officer at
the vigilance wing. The police claimed they have adopted a "zero-tolerance" towards corruption and other
crimes. "The numbers provided by MHA prove that we are not trying to hush up crimes," claimed a senior
officer at the police headquarters. (Times of India 10/3/10)
House adjourned thrice over CBI probe into Koda scam (5)
RANCHI: With the new government coming to power, the priorities of both the Treasury Bench and the
Opposition seem to have changed. Congress and RJD, which once supported the Madhu Koda
government, created a ruckus in the Assembly here on Wednesday, demanding a CBI probe into the
multi-crore scam of fraudulent withdrawals and money laundering that Koda has been embroiled in.
Ruling ally BJP that once insisted on a CBI probe and even questioned the capabilities of the state
vigilance department during President's Rule, now finds the agency competent and a CBI probe
"unnecessary". These differences of opinion led to a huge uproar and three adjournments during the day.
The House plunged into pandemonium as soon as Speaker C P Singh turned down the adjournment
motion moved by seven members of the Opposition. The motion was placed by Vinod Singh of CPI(ML)
who said the state vigilance department was not competent enough to investigate a scam that has links in
other states and even abroad. Calling for the adjournment of the entire business and the government's
reply over the issue, the Opposition stormed the well of the House as soon as its motion was rejected.
Led by JVM's Samresh Singh, the Opposition raised anti-government slogans and squatted on the floor
which continued for nearly an hour. The Speaker finally adjourned the House initially for 40 minutes and
then till lunch. But pandemonium prevailed after the Assembly reconvened as there was no change in the
mood and the situation when the legislators gathered after lunch. So, the Speaker had to adjourn the
House again for the third time. Order was restored as the Assembly after 3.45 pm when a special debate
over the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) was conducted. Both ruling and Opposition leaders
convened separate press conferences in between the adjournments. While parliamentary affairs ministercum-deputy
chief minister Raghubar Das accused the Opposition of creating unnecessary disturbances
to stall the government's important work, Vinod Singh of the CPI(ML) and RJD's Annapurna Devi said the
government's stand over corruption was just an eyewash. "Had the government been really serious about
corruption, it should not have hesitated in ordering a CBI probe into the biggest scam of the country,"
Annapurna said. JVM's Pradeep Yadav denied the government charge that the Opposition was doing
everything that was not parliamentary to stall the functioning of the government. "If our friends in the
ruling alliance could read out a parallel speech when the then governor was addressing the House during
Madhu Koda's reign, there is no violation if we have brought an adjournment motion," he argued. (Times
of India 11/3/10)
Cabinet secretary cracks whip on corrupt bureaucrats (5)
New Delhi: Embarrassed by increasing number of corruption cases involving civil servants, the cabinet
secretary has sent a note to all chief secretaries and secretaries in central ministries and departments to
stay vigilant and take stringent action against officers found guilty. KM Chandrasekhar wants all
disciplinary proceedings against erring officers to be expedited, so that the issue of corruption is

addressed “fairly and squarely”. A total of 54 vigilance cases against all India service officers were
registered in 2009. Of these, 35 were against IAS, 10 against IPS and 9 against IFS officers. In 2008, the
numbers were 38, 8 and 4. “Of late, there have been disturbing incidents which call for serious
introspection by civil servants. It is important that we ponder over the manner in which we discharge our
duties and fulfill our responsibilities and what we need to do to refurbish our image,” Chandrasekhar said.
He said since civil servants were appointed on the basis of a fair and open competition, they must
respond in full measure to the faith that citizens repose in them and meet people’s hopes and aspirations
of good governance. “Integrity, honesty, objectivity, impartiality, transparency, accountability and devotion
to duty are the core valueswhich civil servants should cherish and which should form an integral part of
our decisions and actions. The issue of corruption needs to be addressed fairly and squarely.” He
stressed the government’s policy of zero tolerance to corruption must be implemented fully and
effectively. (DNA 12/3/10)
World Bank says Bihar worse than Ghana: RJD (5)
Patna: RJD today assailed Bihar's NDA government for allegedly "befooling and misleading the people"
by showing a growth rate of 11.04% and claimed that the World Bank has said Bihar's economic condition
was "worse than Ghana". "The World Bank has said the economic condition of the state is worse than
that of Ghana," RJD spokesman Shakeel Ahmed Khan said at a press conference with general secretary
Ramkripal Yadav, without specifying the report of the World Bank. Stating that the claim of growth rate by
the government was not only "incorrect but also brought to the fore the real face of the state government",
Khan said according the World Bank's report, Bihar lagged behind all other states in the country on the
fronts of primary health, drinking water and education. The report had also held that the governance in
the state was poor and the gap between the poor and rich was growing, he said. "Eighty per cent of funds
meant for development for the poor are being siphoned off as rampant corruption prevails. The
contractor, officials and politicians enjoying patronage from the state government are the most benefited
lot," Khan alleged. Khan said even noted economist of Mumbai R Nagraj in a recent article said there had
been contradictions in the growth rate being claimed by the state government and the real growth rate.
The actual growth rate in Bihar stood at 7.5% against the national average of 8.5% and according to a
survey conducted by the India Today magazine, Bihar performed poorly, he said. "Bihar has not
increased in any sector and the only sector where the state has progress is corruption," he said adding
the Nitish Kumar government was on its out. (DNA 3/4/10)
Top KDMC officials called to court in corruption case (5)
Top ranking officials of the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) were summoned by the local
court on Saturday after an advocate complained that they had illegally revoked the suspension of a
deputy municipal commissioner who had been booked in a case by the Anti-Corruption Bureau last year.
In July 2009 DMC Suresh Pawar was booked for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh from a
contractor for an advertising project. Pawar was released on bail, but suspended for six months. The
inquiry in the case is yet to be completed. Rathod (l) and Mayor Ramesh Jadhav were present in court on
Saturday. (Pics: Santosh Shinde) However, advocate Ganesh Gholab has alleged that the officials under
question - including Mayor Ramesh Jadhav, Municipal Commissioner Govind Rathod, secretary Shridhar
Thalla, House leader Sachin Bansre, opposition party leader Shashikant Mhatre, corporator and
Republican Party of India party leader Prahalad Jadhav - sanctioned the revocation of Pawar’s
suspension before the expiry of six months. In his plea filed at the Kalyan Judicial Magistrate First Class
Court, Gholab said that the officials sanctioned the revocation at a general body meeting of the municipal
corporation held on October 13, 2010. “While the subject matter of the meeting was another official, these
officials included Pawar’s name in the case and passed the revocation of his suspension in a hurried
manner, without confirming the minutes and following procedure,” Gholab says. He has stated in his
criminal complaint that Bansre, Mhatre and Jadhav even signed the papers. Gholab first sent a legal
notice to all the parties and when he got no response, he filed a case in the court in February. After
Gholab filed an affidavit, show cause notices were issued to all the parties on March 6. As per court
orders, they were all present in court on Saturday. Magistrate S Lokhande presided over the case.
Arguing on behalf of the six officials, Advocate S R Kulkarni said Gholab had not followed proper
procedure. “Proper sanction from the Home Department and Town Planning Department is required for
initiating prosecution against the officials, which wasn’t done,” submitted Kulkarni. Gholab submitted that
he followed procedure and had judgements to support his case. The court has now asked Gholab to hand
over these papers to Kulkarni, so that the defence can prepare its case. (Mumbai Mirror 5/4/10)
137 witnesses turn hostile in Parkash Singh Badal corruption case (5)

Chandigarh: With almost 137 witnesses turning hostile, the corruption case against CM Parkash Singh
Badal, his wife Surinder Kaur and son deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal is likely to fall flat. In the last
round, four witnesses will appear in the special court in Mohali on April 20, after which the much-hyped
case is expected to see a quiet burial The case was registered by the Vigilance Bureau (VB) during
Congress chief minister Amarinder Singh’s term in 2003. During the initial investigations the Badals were
reported to have amassed properties worth Rs2,300 crore, disproportionate to their sources of income.
However, in the challan it was bought down to Rs73.69 crore. The case started wilting after Badal took
over as chief minister in 2007. Making a turn-around in his stance that he had taken during the Congress
rule investigating officer (IO) Surinder Pal Singh told the court that he had filed the challan at the bidding
of his senior officer BK Uppal, the then DIG (VB). Uppal, while deposing in the court, said that the entire
case was prepared by the IO and that he just had a supervisory role. Earlier, eight eight engineers (six of
them have retired) said in the court that the investigating officer and the then DIG (Vigilance) BK Uppal
got their signatures under duress. They said the evaluation of the Badal’s properties was conducted by a
privately-engaged agency and the government engineers were asked to sign on the dotted lines without
seeing the contents of the reports. The VB officials who worked so assiduously for 5 years in the case say
there was nothing they could do if the witnesses (dna 10/4/10)
Tainted Dinakaran shifted; Sikkim (5)
New Delhi: After weeks of high drama that exposed the murkier side of high judiciary, Karnataka High
Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran has finally been transferred to Sikkim. Facing serious corruption
charges and impeachment motion, Dinakaran had refused to proceed on leave defying a
recommendation by the Supreme Court collegium. Left with few options, the collegium has now decided
to transfer him to Sikkim High Court as chief justice. The Chief Justice of India along with his four senior
most brother judges considered the matter at length and decided to transfer Justice Dinakaran to Sikkim,
much to the chagrin of the Sikkim High Court Bar Association, which has registered a strong protest
against Justice Dinakaran's transfer. Speaking from Gangtok, the Sikkim High Court Bar Association
president DR Thapa said, "How can a person who is unfit to discharge judicial duties in one State be
found worthy of doing the same in another State?" The Bar Association even held an emergency meeting
and unanimously resolved to boycott the swearing-in and the court hearings presided over by Justice
Dinakaran. The decision to post Justice Dinakaran at Sikkim has rather come as a reward considering the
fact that he was not assigned any judicial work in Karnataka. Even his decisions on the administrative
side were quashed by high court judges, refusing to accept his legitimacy to continue pending an
impeachment motion against him. With his new posting, Justice Dinakaran would hear judicial matters
and hold sway over administrative functioning of the court with only three judges (including him) being the
HC strength. The desperation of the collegium to act against Justice Dinakaran became evident last week
when it decided to send him on forced leave and instead post Justice Madan B Lokur of Delhi High Court
as Acting Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. This created an anomalous situation with one high court
practically having two Chief Justices in office. What underscored the fact that the collegium acted in haste
stood proved by an April 1, 2010 notification issued by the Union Law Ministry announcing Chief Justice
of Jammu and Kashmir Barin Ghosh as Sikkim Chief Justice. He was to take charge before April 13. With
the last minute adjustments, subject to Law Ministry's clearance, the collegium has now decided to
accommodate Justice Ghosh as Uttarakhand Chief Justice and transferred the incumbent Uttarakhand
CJ to Karnataka, thus completing the circle. It was on October 10 last that the Supreme Court collegium
decided to put on hold the elevation of Justice Dinakaran as a Supreme Court judge in the wake of a
discreet inquiry conducted by the Tiruvallur Collector which found him guilty of amassing rural property in
excess of his income. The District Collector's scathing report concluded that Justice Dinakaran
encroached 197 acres of land in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district. An impeachment motion against him is
pending in the Rajya Sabha and a Committee headed by a Supreme Court judge for framing of charges is
examining the allegations. (Pioneer 10/4/10)
Won't resign over IPL controversy: Tharoor to NDTV (5)
New Delhi: In an exclusive interview to NDTV's Barkha Dutt, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi
Tharoor says that his party has not left him out in the cold, and that "resigning would mean I've given up."
(Read: Exclusive - Full transcript of Tharoor's interview to NDTV) Tharoor says he will convey the details
of his relationship with the Kochi Indian Premier League (IPL) to Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister. "I
have done nothing wrong, I stand with my head held high," he said. The minister has been accused first
by IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and then by the BJP and Left of inappropriate links to the Kochi IPL team
bought last month for Rs 1,530 crores. The Opposition has demanded that Tharoor be sacked, and his
party has distanced itself from the minister, describing this as a personal matter and one that the minister
should explain. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said he will examine the facts before deciding

whether any action is required. (Read: Need facts first: PM on action against Tharoor) Sonia Gandhi met
with senior party leaders on Wednesday evening to discuss the Tharoor controversy. The BJP has
confirmed it will bring up the issue in parliament on Thursday. (Read: Sack Tharoor, says BJP; Congress
keeps distance | Sonia meets Congress leaders) Tharoor tells NDTV, "I'm still reeling...I've spent a
lifetime in international public life without the slightest taint...on my integrity... It's the one thing I never
thought anybody would ever have any excuse to say against me. So I'm pretty angry. I've gotten to the
point, it seems, where I can do nothing without being attacked." Tharoor explained that he "wanted to see
cricket coming to life in Kerala." He said, "As an elected representative of my state, I said 'let me try and
help get an IPL team to my state. I've mentored a group of business people of which I am not a part...and
they have participated in a fair and transparent manner." When asked about charges of quid pro quo -
that he used his ministerial office to lobby for the team that won the bid and that in return, his close friend,
Sunanda Pushkar was rewarded with a gift of 70 crores in equity - Tharoor said , "How on earth can any
minister use influence to get an outcome guaranteed from a closed envelope process? I didn't even know
the amount this team was going to pay... that wasn't part of my help for them. There were 5 bidders after
all...no minister can guarantee the numbers of the other bidders. How could I use my ministerial power to
guarantee the outcome?" (Read: I am not a proxy for Tharoor: Sunanda Pushkar) Referring to Pushkar,
he said, "Our media cannot accept the notion of an attractive woman as a capable professional in her
own right...it's insulting to say she must be there as a proxy for me... that she cannot be there in her own
right." He added, "She is one of several people in the consortium. She is somebody who has been a
senior business professional who has worked in brand management, event management. I'm not part of
this business arrangement but this is sweat equity...she has to earn it over the years if the franchise
succeeds. Right now, nobody is making any money...there may be profits later." …….. (NDTV 14/4/10)
MP industry minister accused of land scam (5)
Indore, April 15, 2010: Madhya Pradesh Industry Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has been accused of
having a role in the illegal lease sale for a plot of land owned by Indore Municipal Corporation. An Indore
court asked the state Lokayukta on April 6 to probe the allegation made by Congress leader and former
minister Suresh Seth. The Lokayukta is the highest body in states to investigate allegations of corruption
in government. Seth alleged that in 1980, the municipality leased out the three-acre land in downtown
Indore to Dhanalaxmi Chemical Industries for 30 years. But in 2004, when Vijayvargiya was the mayor,
Dhanalaxmi sold the lease to Nanda Nagar Sakh Sahkari Sanstha Maryadit, a credit cooperative society
— headed by one of his associates, Ramesh Mendola — for Rs 1.28 crore, although the prevailing
market price was more than Rs 65 crore. Mendola was then a member of the mayor-in-council of the
municipality. The lease deed had a condition that the housing cooperative would hold the land for 30
years from November 12, 2010, the day Dhanalaxmi’s lease deal was supposed to expire. Soon after the
sale, Mendola applied to the IMC for transferring the lease in his name and changing the character of
land use from industrial to educational, health and residential. Seth said since Dhanalaxmi was a mere
tenant, it had no right to sell the lease. Also, the IMC had no right to allow the sale or the change in land
use. In 2007, the state government shot down the lease sale. But by then, Mendola had taken possession
of the land. At present, there is a multi-storey building with 22 flats on the land. Vijayvargiya, who
organised the BJP’s national executive meeting in Indore in February, told HT tersely that he welcomed
the probe and the truth would soon be out. Seth, who lost the Indore mayoral election to Vijayvargiya in
1999, told HT: “The IMC did not take back its land although it knew all about the issue.” (Hindustan Times
15/4/10)
Congress attacks BJP for not taking action in corruption cases (5)
New Delhi: After the resignation of Shashi Tharoor as union minister in the wake of the IPL Kochi
controversy, Congress today said it has always taken a high moral ground and attacked the BJP for never
taking action in cases of alleged corruption, including that of Karnataka mining barons Reddy brothers.
"Congress has always taken a high moral ground. BJP has never done this whether it was Tehelka,
George Fernandes or the demolition of the Babri mosque," party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told
reporters outside Parliament House. Asked whether the BJP would feel vindicated after the resignation of
Tharoor as it had been consistently demanding so, Natarajan said, "BJP is quick to criticise but has never
taken action." She referred to the Reddy brothers in Karnataka as an example of the BJP not taking
action against alleged corruption. (dna 19/4/10)
Accused in MPSC scam moves Bombay high court (5)
Mumbai: Six months after the Bombay high court quashed the charge sheet against Dr Tukaram Shiware,
principal of Hinduja College, in the MPSC scam case, Shiware moved court once again seeking quashing
of the second first information report (FIR) lodged against him in the case. Taking a stand that a second

FIR is “impermissible in law”, Shiware urged the court to quash the FIR dated January 25, 2006. At the
hearing of the case on Wednesday, Shiware’s lawyer Samir Vaidya told the court that proceedings in the
second charge sheet had been merged with the first one that was quashed by the court and therefore
would not survive. The multi-crore MPSC scam was unearthed in 2002 and the Anti Corruption Bureau
(ACB) arrested 29 persons in the case. The scam centred around the 1999 MPSC exams for the post of
sub-inspectors, sales tax inspectors and assistants. ACB claimed answer papers of 398 candidates were
replaced, after they allegedly paid bribes between Rs3 lakh to Rs5 lakh to the accused. The court has
adjourned the case till May 6, Vaidya said. (DNA 22/4/10)
Shashi Tharoor chapter closed, probe on into IPL scam: Congress (5)
New Delhi, Apr 21 : Asserting that former Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's
resignation is a closed chapter, the Congress today said an inquiry into the corruption in IPL is underway
and once it reaches its conclusion the law will take its own course. The party also denied that the IPL
controversy has created a divide between the Congress and its ally NCP. Congress spokesman Manish
Tewari told mediapersons here that as a political party the Congress was more concerned about the BPL
than IPL. He said the party was concerned about the serious problems confronting the country, while as
far as IPL is concerned an inquiry process was underway. ''The unfortunate contours of Shashi Tharoor is
a closed chapter. The Minister has already resigned and addressed the Lok Sabha twice on the issue.
There is an inquiry process in IPL underway and if the process yields anything incriminating, the law will
take its own course.'' Asked Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel reportedly complaining that the Congress
had promoted his name in the IPL controversy, Mr Tewari said he had spoken to the Minister and the
latter had denied making any such statement which alluded or inferred that the Congress was dragging
his name in IPL controversy. He also denied that the IPL controversy has divided the Congress and the
NCP and said there was no problem between the two allies. ''What happens in the field of cricket remains
there only as there is a Chinese wall between the field of cricket and politics,'' he said. Mr Tewari refused
to divulge any details about the progress of the probe and the meeting that Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram had with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on the IPL
controversy. The Congress sources indicated that the government could set up an Independent Regulator
for Commercial Sports which could regulate various leagues organising competitive sports be it cricket,
football or any other sports. The regulation and clearance by the regulatory body would reduce corruption.
The party has also advocated stopping monopoly of IPL and recognising ICL and other leagues to
promote competitive sports and also give respite to players who were not getting any time now. (New
Kerala 22/4/10)
PPSC scam back to haunt 11 babus, others (5)
CHANDIGARH: The ghosts of the sensational corruption case involving the then Punjab Public Service
Commission (PPSC) chairman, Ravi Inder Sidhu, are once again threatening to emerge from the
shadows and haunt those allegedly involved in shady deals involving the state’s elitist services. On
Friday, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) will present a challan (chargesheet) against 21 persons,
including 11 serving government officials, of whom at least five are serving PCS officers, in a Patiala court
on charges of having offered bribe money to the selectors. Out of these, two officers are currently serving
as district transport officers (DTO), while two others are posted as assistant excise and taxation
commissioners (AETC) in Punjab. The case has been registered under sections 8, 12, 13(1)(d) of
Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and sections 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 471 (using as
genuine a forged document) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. Significantly, the presentation of
chargesheet would signal the revival of those cases which had been put into cold storage soon after they
were registered in 2002, against candidates involved in the alleged bribing of the PPSC chairman.
Besides the corruption case against Ravi Sidhu, the VB has lodged nearly five-six separate cases against
these candidates according to the categories of services of selection, including the PCS, Judicial and
Executive, besides the block development officers (BDOs) selections. Earlier, in December 2009, the VB
had presented challan against eight candidates from the PCS (Judicial) services in a Patiala court. The
case, popularly known as PPSC scam, had caught the attention of the nation when currency notes had
tumbled out of the lockers of then chairman Ravi Sidhu, who had allegedly charged lakhs of rupees from
prospective candidates to ‘sell’ the seats of the prestigious PCS, Executive and Judicial services, among
others. It had also put at least two judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court under scanner because
of their alleged involvement in the case, following which the then chief justice of high court, Justice A B
Saharia, had also ordered an inquiry into their role. It was alleged that apart from money, Sidhu had also
recruited wards of some influential persons, following ‘strong recommendations’. The list of names
includes former PPSC member T C Gupta, whose son, Rahul Gupta, now serving as a PCS officer, was
one of the candidates. Both the father and son are being charged in the case. “These challans do not

signal the end of the investigations, though there is enough strong evidence against these people even at
this stage. The investigations are continuing as this is just the beginning, and the area under investigation
is vast,” said highly placed sources. It is learnt that investigators are finding more and more incriminating
evidence as they dig deeper into the case, going though individual cases and tracing their connections
with the high and mighty. Interestingly, the case comes at a time when the VB is headed by ADGP S S
Saini, who, as the then intelligence chief, had been instrumental in getting the initial case registered
against Sidhu and others, by assisting the then VB chief A P Pandey. However, soon afterwards, Saini
was booted out of his post after names of some influential people started coming out in the open. (Times
of India 23/4/10)
CBI gets 200 complaints against Abhay Chudasama (5)
Ahmedabad: The CBI investigating Abhay Chudasma's alleged role in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake
encounter case has received close to 200 complaints of extortion and corruption against the deputy
commissioner of police. Sources close to the development said that these complaints were sent by
victims who allegedly suffered at the hands of Chudasama. The sources also said that these complaints
pertained to extortion demands made by Chudasama and huge amounts of money he sought from people
for favours. In fact, sources said that an FIR was also likely to be filed against Chudasama very soon.
DNA had reported on Sunday that sources close to the CBI had revealed that they had received a large
number of complaints written in Gujarati by Chudasama's victims. Sources said that the CBI would not
start investigations into the complaints which did not directly deal with the Sohrabuddin case. Meanwhile,
the CBI has denied reports saying that it had seized an AK-47 and an Italian Mouser gun, along with
cartridges, during raids at the office and house of Chudasama late on Friday evening. In a press release
issued by the police, it has been said that the CBI has not recovered any such weapons. The police have
also said that Chudasama'sofficial vehicle had been secured by the motor transport department of the
police commissioner's office. The press release also refutes news reports saying that drivers of
Chudasama are missing. It says that both the drivers are on duty. (DNA 3/5/10)
Supreme Court to hear Jayalalithaa's plea on May 11 (5)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on May 11 a special leave petition filed by AIADMK general
secretary Jayalalithaa challenging the trial court's order refusing to discharge her in the disproportionate
assets case pending in a Bangalore court. The trial court has posted the case for May 7. When senior
counsel Mukul Rohatgi and counsel A. Navaneethakrishnan made a mention on Tuesday before a Bench,
comprising Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and Justice S.S. Nijjar, for early listing, the Bench said it would
come up for hearing on May 11. In her special leave petition, Ms. Jayalalithaa stated that the entire
proceedings against her under the Prevention of Corruption Act were a tool of harassment. She
maintained that the object of Section 17 of the Act was to safeguard a diligent public servant from undue
harassment. If the investigation itself had been done by an officer who was not competent to do so, then
no prosecution could be maintained against the accused. She said the investigation was without
jurisdiction and further trial thereon was non est in the eye of the law and that by itself was clear proof of
miscarriage of justice. The petitioner was greatly prejudiced as she had been mulcted with these
proceedings out of political rivalry. (The Hindu 5/5/10)
Lokayukta raids uncover assets worth Rs 7 crore (5)
Bangalore, May 4, DHNS: Lokayukta officials on Tuesday raided residences of seven lower middle grade
officials in different parts of the State and ferreted out assets worth around Rs 7.89 crore disproportionate
to their known sources of income. The raids were carried out on the premises of S T Devaraju, Managing
Director, Karnataka ST Development Corporation, Bangalore, Narendra Govindaraya Nayak Hittalamakki,
Assistant Conservator of Forests, Ankola, B Laxminarayana Shetty, Assistant Director of Land Army,
Hospet, Ayub Khan Ghori, police constable, Hirebagewadi police station (Belgaum), S Shanthakumar,
ARTO, RTO Check Post, Humnabad (Bidar), K Dasegowda, Food Shirastedar, Yelahanka (Bangalore)
and TN Bettaswamaiah, AEE, BBMP, Bangalore. Giving details of the 20th raid of the year, Lokayukta
Justice Santosh Hegde said: “We decided to concentrate on lower rung officials this time around as
people would often ask us why the Lokayukta zeroes in only on top rank officials. That a constable with a
meagre salary can earn property worth more than Rs 33.28 lakh indicates the rampant corruption even
among lower rung officials. “All the seven officials have put in around 15 years of service and have
earned property worth twice or thrice their total income by way of salaries.” A few of the officials owned
property in their wives’ names. The Lokayukta was planning to consider the wives as abetting partners in
view of the recent observation made by the Mumbai High Court in connection with a corruption case. The
value as per the registered records would be around Rs 7.9 crore, but if the present market price was

taken into consideration, it would be around Rs 12 crore, Hegde added. One of the targets of the raids, K
Dasegowda, fled from the rear door of his house as soon as the sleuths appeared. S T Devaraju had
completed 12 years of service and earned Rs 20.65 lakh through salaries, but owned property worth over
Rs two crore. Narendra G Nayak owned a bar and restaurant and a house in his brother’s name worth Rs
one crore. The brother had submitted papers to the tahsildar’s office in 1993 stating that his annual
income was below Rs 8,000! Mining row: Govt loses Rs 8,000 cr Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde said
the government incurred losses up to Rs 8,599 crore only from 10 mining companies, reports DHNS from
Bangalore. (Deccan Herald 5/5/10)
Public urged to register complaints against corruption, misuse of power (5)
CHENNAI: Chief Commissioner of Income Tax-II, G.C. Jain on Sunday released Anti Corruption
Committee (ACC) stickers urging people to register complaints against corruption, atrocities, irregularities,
illegalities and misuse of Government funds, post and power to representatives of ACC offices in
Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Krishnagiri. He asked people to be more vigilant and to co-operate
with Non-Government Organisations and institutions to fight corruption. Presiding over the ‘felicitation and
ACC stickers release function organised' by the ACC Tamil Nadu, he said that ever since independence,
the greatest challenge faced by India was eradication of corruption. Everyone gave a special definition to
it. Corruption was present everywhere be it social life, corporate world, political or education systems.
“We have developed some sort of resignation or acceptance. Some consider it as a national phenomenon
or as part of our life that cannot be eradicated. Though we take pride in saying that we are the biggest
democracy in the world, we have not given best service to our citizens. Due to the presence of
middlemen, the benefits of Central Government's schemes and programmes do not reach the poor. We
have to be vigilant to rein in corruption,” he said. He also felicitated M. Balamurali, Joint Engineer –
division 100 (Chennai Corporation), N. Thirunavukarasu, Assistant Divisional Engineer – zone 3 (Chennai
Corporation), R. Anantharaman, Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (retd), Guruji C. Prem
Chand Doshi, yoga specialist and Neeraj Joshi, ENT specialist. ACC National president Rabindra Dwivedi
asked the participants to lodge complaint against those who promise out of turn treatment in return for
money. (The Hindu 10/5/10)
333 corruption complaints pile up at CTE (5)
Bhopal, May 8: Chief Technical Examiner (Vigilance) is not a very happy man today as he is lurking with
2333 complaints of irregularities against senior officers in the state. Pendency at different levels in the
state government for investigation approvals leaves the CTE sitting idle waiting for approvals. Senior
bureaucrats and politicians are to blame for these piling files for approval even when cases of corruption
turn rampant in state. Sources at the CTE office believe that most of these complaints are against Public
Works Department, Water Resources Department, Public Health Department officials. The CTE
(Vigilance) Madhya Pradesh office has forwarded these complaints for approvals to the state government,
but even after years, permissions are yet to be received. According to sources, 72 complaints are
pending against chief engineers in these departments. As per information 1582 complaints are pending
against divisional level officer, 43 are pending at government level, 24 at General Administration
Department and 612 at the chief engineer levels. PHE, PWD and WRD have turned into hubs of
irregularities and in most of the senior level posts, junior officers have been given charge. Surprisingly this
is not due to dearth of senior officers, as a large number of senior officers are sitting idle at the
headquarters and doing clerical jobs. Junior officers with political patronage are holding charge in senior
posts. SDO level officers are working as executive engineer posts while EEs are holding charge as
superintendent engineers. Delays in justice is denial in justice, likewise, these tainted officers facing
charges of corruption are still posted on pivotal positions in the divisions. The same situation continues in
the bureaucracy, a large number of bureaucrats (IAS, IPS and IFS) officers in the state are facing
charges of corruption with different agencies, but remain immune to action due to political and
administrative pressures. (Central Chronicle 9/5/10)
'Greedy, corrupt IPS officers got plum Maha posts' (5)
Mumbai Former Mumbai Police Commissioner, Julio Ribeiro, has dashed off a letter to state government
expressing surprise over the appointment of four 'tainted' senior IPS officers. The letter written on April 15
and addressed to Home Minister R R Patil not only questions the appointment of Joint Commissioner of
Police Himanshu Roy, Additional CP (North Region) Ramrao Pawar, Deputy CPs Ajit Patil (Zone 12) and
Sanjay Banerjee (Zone 11) to sensitive posts but also alleges that they have a reputation for "greed and
corruption". Ribeiro, who runs Public Concern for Governance Trust, an anti-corruption NGO, said that he
had written the letter keeping police reforms and operational freedom in mind. "I read in the newspapers
that in Maharashtra Assembly these four policemen were criticised for their professional misconduct. Still

they managed to get key postings which is very surprising and unfortunate," he said. "Many people came
to me and levelled corruption allegations about these four tainted policemen. I have brought this issue to
the notice of Home Department and we as an NGO would continue to do this," said Rebeiro, who was
Director General of Punjab Police during its worst years of terrorism. "The chief of crime branch should be
unquestionable but the politicians and police are taking people for a ride," Ribeiro added. Politicians were
interfering in appointing each and every police official, he said adding even junior level officers were also
appointed with blessings of politicians. "The four cops, whom I named in my letter have godfathers
following which they became untouchable," Rebeiro alleged and demanded that the appointments should
be done in a free and fair manner so that citizens get right police officer to protect them. When contacted
Jt CP (Crime) Himanshu Roy said, "I do not even have the knowledge about the letter and nobody told
me about it. Home Department has not informed me anything about it." Additional CP RamRao Pawar
said, "I do not know what the allegations are. So I do not want to say anything on the matter." The other
two DCPs refused to comment. (Express India 17/5/10)
Action only if corruption proved: Badal (5)
CHANDIGARH: Acknowledging candidly that corruption was prevalent in Punjab, the state chief minister
Parkash Singh Badal said action could be taken only when concrete evidence was presented in these
cases. Speaking to mediapersons after the Cabinet meeting here on Monday, the chief minister
dismissed talks of allegations of corruption against Cabinet member Laxmi Kanta Chawla, saying making
allegations against someone was one thing, and proving them, quite another. "Former chief minister
Amarinder Singh made wild allegations against us of having amassed property worth Rs 3,500 crore.
Action can be taken in corruption cases only when concrete evidence is presented," he said, albeit
without making any mention of how government planned to control corruption. Responding to further
queries on Laxmi Kanta Chawla-Jagdish Sahni spat, the chief minister said he had received a three-page
resignation letter from Sahni. (Times of India 18/5/10)
Maharashtra cites corruption, wants to take over temples (5)
MUMBAI: State law minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has mooted a proposal to take over two lakh-odd
temples across the state, citing rampant corruption and irregularities in the management of the temples
as his reason. "There are complaints of misuse of funds in many prominent temples in Maharashtra. The
competent authorities under the Public Trusts Act have evidently failed to monitor their activities properly.
Therefore, Vikhe Patil has now mooted a proposal for their takeover," a senior official told TOI on
Monday. However, critics point out that the government is not a model of rectitude itself and the
Siddhivinayak temple at Prabhadevi, which it runs, is equally plagued by corruption charges. Currently,
two temples—Siddhivinayak and Shirdi's Saibaba temple—are controlled directly by the state.
Siddhivinayak, built in the 19th century, was run by a private family, and later registered with the charity
commissioner. However, when A R Antulay became CM in 1980, the temple was taken over by the state
by an act of legislature. Ever since, it has an officer of the rank of deputy collector as the chief executive
officer, and a five-member trust headed by a person, mostly a politician, appointed by the CM. The
Saibaba Temple too was similarly taken over by the government nearly a decade ago. "We are keen on
following the pattern followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where the management of
all temples is directly supervised by the endowments department headed by an officer of the rank of
principal secretary," the official said. "Once the temples are taken over, the government will be in a
position to draft a comprehensive strategy for setting up adequate infrastructure near them. At the
moment, the massive amounts of money donated by devotees are not being utilised properly." Vikhe Patil
has now asked the charity commissioner, who is the guardian of the trusts under the Public Trusts Act, to
submit a comprehensive list of all the temples registered with his office. "We expect that the law and
judiciary department will get this information within a month. Then we will initiate the process for the
enactment of a new law," the official said. Senior Congress leader Kishore Joshi, a former trustee of the
Siddhivinayak temple, has welcomed Vikhe Patil's proposal, saying it was high time the state government
brought in a comprehensive legislation for taking over all temples. "We feel that the Siddhivinayak and
Saibaba temples are now better managed," he said. According to Joshi, the charity commissioner's office
was probably unable to monitor the temples properly "because of inadequate staff". Incidentally, this
office is among the most notorious in the state for corruption. (Times of India 18/5/10)
Azad warns against bribery in grant of recognition to medical colleges (5)
NEW DELHI: Confronted with a number of complaints about corruption in grant of recognition to medical
colleges, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has cautioned the institution
managements of strict action if they are found to be involved in malpractices. Mr. Azad will also write to
the Board of Governors that has superseded the Medical Council of India (MCI) to be transparent in their

dealings. “I have cautioned the managements that action would not only be taken against the touts who
indulge in corruption by name-dropping but also against them for using touts to get their jobs done,” he
told journalists here on Monday. “Instead of waiting to get their work done through unfair means using
touts, they [managements] should use the money for creating infrastructure and faculty for improving the
institution so that it gets recognition on merit,” Mr. Azad said. In February, Mr. Azad wrote to the deans
and principals of all medical colleges, urging them to be vigilant against touts using his or any Health
Ministry official's name to get recognition for medical colleges through the MCI. The malpractice was
expected to end after the MCI was superseded by the six-member Board of Governors, and its president
Ketan Desai arrested by the CBI on charges of corruption. “The Board of Governors has been given the
final powers for approval from the MCI through the Ordinance and the cases need not come to the
Ministry,” Mr. Azad said. However, with the recognition process at its peak before the new academic
session starts, unscrupulous elements are said to be in action again assuring clearance in lieu of money.
The Ministry had received close to 80 complaints of malpractices since February from southwest India,
where 80 per cent of the country's private medical colleges were situated. Action was initiated against
these after the complaints were forwarded to the respective Chief Ministers and heads of police
departments, Mr. Azad said. The Minister asked students to come forward with their complaints regarding
lack of infrastructure or faculty in their college. On the Board of Governors seeking more time for clearing
pending cases, Mr. Azad said the panel would also look into complaints received by it regarding undue
favour or malpractices in refusing recognition. (The Hindu 1/6/10)
Boot out corrupt employees, says SC (5)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has held that dismissal is the only form of punishment for those involved
in corruption and misappropriation of public money, even if the embezzled amount is meagre. The apex
court said that though punishment should be proportionate to the crime, in cases of corruption, dismissal
is the only punishment that could be imposed on a government employee. "We do not find any force in
the submissions made by Dr J N. Dubey, learned senior counsel for the employee, that for embezzlement
of such a petty amount, punishment of dismissal could not be justified for the reason that it is not the
amount embezzled by a delinquent employee but the mens rea (guilty intention) to misappropriate the
public money," a bench of Justices B S Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar said in their verdict. The apex
court gave the judgement while upholding the dismissal of a bus conductor Suresh Chandra Sharma of
the UP State Road Transport Corporation. Sharma was dismissed from service by the Corporation after a
departmental inquiry held him guilty of collecting fares from about 25 passengers but not remitting them to
the official exchequer. The Uttaranchal High Court, however, had quashed the dismissal on the ground
that the inquiry was vitiated as the authorities did not examine the passengers and ordered Sharma's
reinstatement, but without any back wages. Aggrieved by the order, both the corporation and the
employee filed appeals in the apex court. Upholding the Corporation's appeal, the apex court citing its
1996 judgement in the Municipal Committee, Bahadurgarh Vs. Krishnan Bihari case said, "In cases
involving corruption - there cannot be any other punishment than dismissal. "Any sympathy shown in such
cases is totally uncalled for and opposed to public interest. The amount misappropriated may be small or
large; it is the act of misappropriation that is relevant." The apex court further cited the Vinod Kumar Vs
UPSRTC case (2008) that "the punishment should always be proportionate to the gravity of the
misconduct. However, in a case of corruption/misappropriation, the only punishment is dismissal." The
bench said that in a domestic inquiry, complicated principles and procedures laid down in the Code of
Civil Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act need not be strictly adhered to. "The only right of a
delinquent employee is that he must be informed as to what are the charges against him and he must be
given full opportunity to defend himself on the said charges. "More so, the High Court is under an
obligation to give not only the reasons but cogent reasons while reversing the findings of fact recorded by
a domestic tribunal. In case the judgment and order of the High Court is found not duly supported by
reasons, the judgment itself stands vitiated," the apex court added. (The Financial Express 2/6/10)
CBI finds no evidence against ‘corrupt’ officers (5)
New Delhi, June 05, 2010: A year after top intelligence agencies complained to the Prime Minister’s
Office that some officers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd were hand-in-glove with Chinese firm Huawei and
helped it win a multi-crore telecom contract in 2006, the CBI has said there was no evidence to prove the
corruption charges. “All the records were found to be in order and there was no evidence that the officers
dealing with the contract of a 63-million mobile network in 2006 favoured the Chinese firm,” a CBI source
said. A status report was recently submitted to the higher-ups, the source added. In 2009, when the stateowned
BSNL was in the process of awarding a part of 93-million mobile lines (each line is equivalent to
one mobile connection) contract to Huawei, the Intelligence Bureau submitted a complaint to the PMO
along with “credible leads” against the officers, which was also based on phone intercepts. Expressing

fear that the “unholy nexus” with the Chinese firm could pose a security threat, the agencies whipped up
concern within the government, forcing the PMO to forward the complaint to the Central Vigilance
Commission, a watchdog for corruption in the bureaucracy. In September last, the CVC ordered a CBI
probe and recommended shifting some of the officers. The BSNL had to scrap the tender on the
recommendations of a committee led by Sam Pitroda, adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information,
Infrastructure and Innovation. The CBI, which had already begun the probe into the charges of corruption
against the officers, however, found that Huawei was thrown out of the tender process in 2006 at the
technical level itself. “We only probed the corruption angle and not the security angle,” the source added.
(Hindustan Times 5/6/10)
Whistleblowers at receiving end after using RTI (5)
MUMBAI: While Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is proud that the State has an impressive
98.69 per cent disposal rate of requests under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the murder of two
campaigners who used the law to good effect is a blot. First, it was Satish Shetty at Talegaon, near Pune,
who was killed on January 13, and more recently Dattatray Patil at Ichalkaranji, in Kolhapur district, on
May 22. The two events triggered widespread condemnation and protests and instilled apprehension
among RTI campaigners in the State. The Bombay High Court took suo motu notice of the Shetty case
and the State government consented to a CBI investigation in April. The land mafia and some prominent
builders were Shetty's target. Shetty, as the High Court says, brought out “dubious transactions of sale of
land.” In each case, while some six people were arrested, relatives and supporters are dismayed at the
police investigation. Shetty's brother Sandeep is upset that things are not moving after the government
agreed to the CBI probe. In fact it was submitted in the High Court that Shetty had named in his
application the persons from whom he received threats and sought protection. This has not at all been
investigated by the police. The court on May 7 ordered the State government to immediately provide
police protection to any person or organisation that complains of threat of use of force or has been
attacked. It was asked to set up a special committee to identify social activists and whistleblowers. The
court gave the State 90 days to set up provisions for speedy investigation of cases of threats or attacks
against social activists, a monitoring system and a database of social activists. While Shetty is a long time
activist and is associated with the anti-corruption movement headed by social worker Anna Hazare, little
is known about Patil, though his targets were the powers that be in Kolhapur. In Patil's case, his brother
Prabhakar has filed a supplementary complaint on May 30 saying it was a case of murder for political
reasons and has demanded an investigation on those lines. RTI activist Shivaji Raut, based in Satara,
says now the police will have to investigate the entire matter and not just the murder. A copy of some the
RTI documents obtained by Patil as well as the public interest litigation (PIL) he filed in the Bombay High
Court in March 2010 are revealing. Patil filed the PIL against Jaywantrao Awale, Congress MP from
Latur, and his two sons who, along with Ramchandra Lokhande, are directors of the Ambai Backward
Class Agri Produce Processing Cooperative Society, Ichalkaranji, and others. He alleged various
malpractices and the siphoning off of public funds to the tune of Rs 7.80 crores from the government.
Before filing the petition, Patil met several senior government officials and brought to their notice largescale
misappropriation after which the director of the social welfare department promised an investigation
and a complete report by February. Fed up with a lack of response despite giving concrete instances of
malpractices and fraud, Patil filed the PIL. When Mr. Awale was Social Justice Minister he got the name
of the Ambai Society changed to Ambai Backward Class Agri Produce Processing Cooperative Society to
avail of the special facilities which are granted to such societies in the form of loans, financial assistance
and land. At the end of the PIL, Patil said he feared Mr. Awale would try to harm him and he apprehended
danger to his life. He asked for police protection. He wrote in detail to the Chief Minister on December 15,
2009 highlighting the corruption in institutions meant to uplift the scheduled castes and the backward
classes. Of the 220 scheduled caste (SC) cooperative societies in the State, at least 100 were in
Kolhapur district. He alleged Mr. Awale and another former Social Justice Minister, Chandrakant
Handore, were involved in permitting these corrupt societies. Fake societies were set up with bogus
members and false signatures to grab funds meant for the backward classes, he claimed. Before that, in
August 2009, Patil wrote to the police fearing for his life after filing a complaint of corruption against local
councillors. He managed to get the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to investigate corruption charges
against 56 councillors from the Ichalkaranji Municipal Council for fraud and accepting favours for voting
for a particular party during the elections to the president of the council. The murders of the RTI activists
have assumed grave dimensions. The state, by passing the RTI Act, is allowing citizens to use
information as a weapon. But it is falling short in bringing the real culprits to book or giving protection,
undermining its own commitment to truth. (The Hindu 7/6/10)
Medical Council of India scam: Delhi high court grants bail to 2 accused (5)

New Delhi: The Delhi high court today granted bail to the owner of a Patiala-based College who had
allegedly offered Rs2 crore to former Medical Council of India (MCI) president Ketan Desai for recognition
of the institution. Justice Manmohan Singh granted bail to Sukhwinder Singh, owner of Gyan Sagar
Medical College, as also to Kanwaljit Singh, one of the professors of the college involved in the scam.
Both the accused have been in custody since April 22 when CBI had arrested them along with Ketan
Desai and an alleged Delhi-based tout JP Singh. The high court had already granted bail to JP Singh but
refused to give relief to Desai. The ex-MCI president, JP Singh and Sukhwinder and Kanwaljit have been
booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act dealing with inducing a public servant to accept bribe,
criminal misconduct and payment of money. Based on contents of intercepted telephonic calls made
among the accused, CBI had laid a trap outside the south Delhi residence of JP Singh, which led to his
arrest and that of Kanwaljit. (DNA 14/6/10)
UK to inquiry into misuse of India education aid (5)
London Britain has launched an inquiry into reports that millions of pounds of aid for education and the
'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan', has disappeared into the depths of corruption without any benefit to the poor
children the aid was intended for. Shocked by reports based on findings by the Ministry of Human
Resources Development, Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, said: "These
are shocking allegations. "I have launched an immediate inquiry to ensure British aid money has not been
misused. The new British Government will have a zero tolerance policy to corruption". Reports in the
British media about the corruption mentioned a figure of 340 million pounds in aid to a schools project for
children under the age of 14. One audit of money earmarked for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan project found
that 70 million pounds had reportedly vanished. Mitchell said: "When I took up this job a month ago I
made a pledge to taxpayers that they must know that for every pound of their money, we will get 100
pence of value". "Now I'm reviewing every single one of the Department for International Development's
country programmes to ensure we are giving aid to where it's most needed - to help the world's poorest
people". 'The News of the World' quoted a report by India's Auditor General that almost 14 million pounds
had been spent on items and luxuries that had nothing to do with schools. The newspaper's investigation
said: "Cash meant for kids' education has been blown on luxuries. "We discovered that officials
throughout the country had used it to buy new cars and in one instance aid cash was spent on four luxury
beds costing a total of 17,754 pounds as well as a 3,803 pounds computer". Large amounts of money
were shown to have been spent on schools that reportedly did not exist, while in some cases air
conditioners, faxes, photocopiers and 7,531 colour television sets were reportedly bought despite there
being no electricity supplies. The report said that 150,000 pounds was paid into a mystery bank account
with no reason given. It quoted a report by the Institute of Public Auditors of India that in Bihar children
were reportedly being taught in open fields, because money had not been passed on for classroom
repairs. "In Muzzaffarpur they found that only 400,000 pounds out of an allocated 1.1 million had gone to
schools," it said. India is one of the largest recipients of British foreign aid. One woman involved in the
widespread fraud has been accused of siphoning off up to 6 million pounds from the funds, even using
44,000 pounds of it to make a movie directed by her son. "Auditors checking individual state accounts
found sums up to 4.8 million pounds missing from the books," the report said. (Indian Express 14/6/10)
Tribunal allows Army to continue action against retd Lt Gen (5)
New Delhi, June 17, 2010: The Armed Forces Tribunal has allowed the Army to continue disciplinary
action against a retired Lieutenant General, who was indicted by a Court of Inquiry on charges of
irregularities in purchase of dry rations for troops. Lt Gen S K Sahni, a former director general of the Army
Supply Corps (ASC), had approached the Tribunal on June 4 to seek quashing the disciplinary
proceedings against him by the Army saying he was not given opportunity to defend himself during the
CoI. Asking Sahni to report to the Summary of Evidence proceedings against him at the 11 Corps
Headquarters in Jalandhar, the Tribunal asked Sahni to raise his issues before the Army authorities there.
Sahni was earlier given partial relief by the Tribunal in the case by asking the Army to reinvestigate his
role in the alleged scam. The former ASC chief is the first Lt Gen against whom the Army had
recommended disciplinary proceedings in a case of corruption in 2007. In February this year, Army had
recommended disciplinary action against two Lt Gens including former Military Secretary Avadesh
Prakash and former 33 Corps Commander P K Rath after they were indicted by a probe for their roles in
the Sukna land scam. (Hindustan Times 17/6/10)
Gogoi wants CBI to reopen LoC scam case
Guwahati, June 19, 2010: Assam government would ask the CBI to reopen the multi-crore rupee letter of
credit scam in which former chief minister and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was allegedly
involved. "We will write to the CBI to reopen and investigate the LoC scam", Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi

said. Attacking the AGP for alleging corruption in his government after the CBI recovered Rs 14 crore
recently from the residence of an employee in North Cachar Hills District Autonomous Council, he
questioned AGP's silence when the CBI had found a prima facie case against Mahanta in the LoC scam.
The Rs 400 crore LoC scam concerning purchase of land by the veterinary department was unearthed in
the 1990s when Mahanta was chief minister. The CBI found a prima facie case against him but the then
governor S K Sinha refused prosecution permission citing technical reasons. (Hindustan Times 19/6/10)
Rs 35,000 to hush up child's murder, rape?
NEW DELHI: Was the murder and gangrape of a 10-year-old girl ‘covered up’ by Delhi Police for a mere
Rs 35,000? In yet another instance of police corruption, a trial court recently received the unusual
confession of a man who alleged police demanded he pay to settle a two-year-old kidnapping, rape and
murder case against him. If the confession of Riyazat Ali who was arrested on June 11 is to be believed,
the police took Rs 35,000 from him, promising they would close the case. In a letter to metropolitan
magistrate Jitender Mishra, Ali also alleged the police took two mobiles from him and the other two
accused and demanded still more money to hush up the matter. Startled by the revelation, Mishra
ordered initiation of FIR against seven officials of the Delhi police special staff. On Friday, when Ali was
produced before the court, he moved an application against the seven officials. The court has now sought
a compliance report on the registration of the FIR against the police officials by August 2, 2010.‘‘A
complaint in writing has been moved by accused Riyazat Ali through his counsel, wherein allegation of
illegal gratification has been made by the applicant...The concerned SHO is directed to register an FIR
under the relevant section of law and order and get the matter investigated,’’ the court said. It all started in
2008 when a minor girl was picked up by the accused from Pragati Maidan and raped by him and two
other men near Yamuna Bank. Initially, an FIR was registered by the police for kidnapping of the girl and
no mention of rape or murder was made. On the testimony of a witness, the police was able to nab the
accused. However, after preliminary investigations, they were let off. Two years later in June 2010, the
matter was given to the special staff of Delhi police, where on the basis of a confession by the accused,
the police got to know that the girl was not only raped but was also killed and buried by them. (Times of
India 20/6/10)
HC: 90 pc staff in civic bodies, police corrupt
New delhi In a severe indictment of the civic bodies and protectors of law and order in the city, the Delhi
High Court on Monday said around 90 per cent of employees in the Delhi Development Authority,
Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Police are “corrupt”. Throwing out the bail plea of a senior public
bank officer who allegedly attempted suicide after being arrested for accepting a bribe from a woman for
helping her get a loan, Justice S N Dhingra vented his anger on the rising number of corruption cases in
the Capital involving government officers. “It is clear that 90 per cent of the staff in the DDA, MCD and the
Delhi Police are corrupt. The benefits under welfare schemes do not reach the needy. In fact, the
authorities who handle these exploit it for making money,” the judge remarked during the hearing.
Shooting down another argument by the counsel for the accused, Justice Dhingra said that while he was
not sure about other things, one sector where India certainly excelled was corruption. Dismissing the call
for a lenient view as it was the banker’s first offence, Justice Dhingra said, “One who is caught is never a
first timer.” The court said that in the interest of the needy and the poor, such offenders deserved no
mercy in the judicial matters. The accused, Gopal Krishan, was acting as deputy manager of State Bank
of India’s Chandni Chowk branch when he was caught by CBI sleuths on May 13 accepting a bribe of Rs
5,000 from complainant Geeta. According to the CBI, Kirshan had demanded Rs 20,000 from Geeta for
processing her loan application. He allegedly tried to end his life while in custody. A sessions court judge
had refused to grant him bail last month after noting that the accused had injured himself with a piece of
glass even during his custody. “The incident shows that he is a desperate character and if released on
bail might pose a danger to the complainant,” observed the court, while rejecting his bail plea. “Bail, and
not jail, cannot be the maxim in cases of such corrupt persons who eat away the schemes meant for poor
persons floated by the government,” the judge said. (Express India 22/6/10)
ACB gives woman-power punch to corrupt officials (5)
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has now started enrolling women to trap the rotten
apples in government offices. The women who are part of the decoy are government employees who
accompany the complainant from whom the bribe is being taken, and later they become panch witnesses
and help the ACB sleuths catch culprits red-handed. The results are quite encouraging. This modus
operandi has a cent per cent track record. In June alone all 25 traps laid across the state were
successful. A total of 30 corrupt government employees were arrested in these traps, where women
played a pivotal role. Director of ACB Chittaranjan Singh said: "Enrolling women witnesses has proved to

e a success. Their professionalism and eagerness in being part of these operations have helped us
improve our strike rate." This change in ACB's modus operandi was sparked off by an unusual decision
taken by corrupt officials of government revenue department in Mehsana. "There was an unwritten rule
among officials in Mehsana revenue department — bribes shall not be taken in the presence of any
stranger, other than the 'prey',"said ACB officials. In May a woman sarpanch of Banaskantha lodged a
complaint with the ACB that government officials of Mehsana were demanding bribe for clearing a bill for
road construction. "For the very first time we sent a woman government employee with the sarpanch for
the trap. The operation was successful and we had got an effective formula to nail corrupt officials,"said
ACB sources. This change was necessary, said ACB officials, because corrupt government officials are
now well-versed with the modus operandi of ACB. The trap would often fail because spotting a stranger
— government witness — with the victim, the corrupt official would call off the deal. (Times of India
3/7/10)
Karnataka Lokayukta withdraws resignation (5)
Bangalore, July 3: Ten days after quitting as Karnataka Lokayukta accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) government of being indifferent towards corruption, Santosh Hegde on Saturday announced his
decision to withdraw the resignation heeding appeals by top BJP leaders. "If Governor HR Bhardwaj
gives me time, I will meet him tomorrow to withdraw my resignation," Hegde, whose resignation had
created a political furore in the state, told reporters. Hegde's announcement came shortly after BJP
president Nitin Gadkari and chief minister B S Yeddyurappa called on him here and urged him to
reconsider his decision and veteran leader L K Advani also made a similar appeal. "The respect I have for
LK Advani has forced me to withdraw my resignation. It is not out of political pressure I took this decision,"
Hegde, known for his crusade against corruption, said. In his appeal issued in Delhi, Advani said "I have
known Justice Santosh Hegde for a long time. He is an eminent jurist for whom all of us have great
respect. As Lokayukta of Karnataka, he has certain concerns, I am sure the state government of
Karnataka will address them earnestly." Gadkari, in the city to attend a party convetion tomorrow, and
Yeddyurpapa in their meeting with Hegde detailed the steps the government had taken on the illegal
mining, an issue into which the Lokayukta had inquired, and promised to consider certain issues raised by
him. A delegation of senior BJP leaders from the state, including unit president K S Eswarappa and Law
Minister Suresh Kumar, had yesterday met Hedge in an attempt to mollify him but the former supreme
court judge had remained firm on his decision to demit office from August 31. Gadkari and Yeddyurappa
thanked Hegde for accepting their request for withdwing his resignation. "I express my heartful thanks to
Santosh Hegde. Advani has assured him that the party and the state government will cooperate with
him," Gadkari said. Explaining his decision to retrace his step, Hegde said Advani had not only requested
him to withdraw his resignation but also sent a message that the Karnataka government would consider
his demands on strengthening the anti-corruption watchdog. "For me Advani is like a father. He was a
close friend of my father (former Lok Sabha Speaker late K S Hegde). I cannot go against his wish. I have
to acceed to his request. Not for any political reason, but because of my love and respect for Advani, I
have decided to withdraw my resignation", he said. Hegde said Gadkari, the chief minister and the law
minister met him and "promised to consider certain demands raised by me. I am totally happy and
satisfied with the assurance". He said Yeddyurappa had given him a copy of the letter written by him to
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking policy decision to either ban export of iron ore or regulate its
exports. Asked whether he believed in the assurance given by the chief minister on conferring more
powers on Lokayukta, he said "sometimes we have to believe assurances. I trust them. If it does not
happen, then you know the consequences. I have the option to decide. My doors are open I can come in
and also go out." A relieved Yeddyurappa, who came under attack from Opposition over the Lokayukta
issue, said, "Hegde was kind enough to consider everyone's request and agreed to withdraw his
resignation. "We have the highest regard for Hegde and the institution of Lokyukta. I assure that the
Karnataka government will extend full cooperation to Hegde on the issues raised by him," Yeddyurappa
said. Union home minister P Chidambaram and the Karnataka governor besides state political leaders
and intellectuals had also appealed to Hegde, who was, however, unrelenting on his decision. (Central
Chronicle 4/7/10)
Special courts for corruption cases soon (5)
AHMEDABAD: Here is some bad news for corrupt government officials. Soon, legal proceedings in all
corruption cases in Gujarat will get on the fast track. No less than 13 special courts for anti-corruption
cases will be set up in the next three months. Sources in the state legal department said, “These courts
will be functional within the next 90 days. These courts are being set up to deal with the huge pendency
of corruption cases in Gujarat.” Till date, district courts used to hear anti-corruption cases. Owing to
prioritisation of various other legal petitions, corruption cases get delayed inordinately. The scope of the

problem can be gauged from the fact that no less than 1,100 chargesheeted cases are pending with
various district courts across the state. Some of these cases date back 15 years. ACB authorities had
written about the pendency to state vigilance commission and state government’s legal department.
Later, the issue was put up before the Gujarat high court. The court, said sources in state legal
department, has granted sanction to create 13 new courts to deal with corruption cases. Additional
director of ACB, Tirthraj, said: “This is a welcome decision. The new courts will help clear pending cases
and in the near future new cases will also be disposed off in a much shorter time.” During the last eight
months the number traps sprung by ACB have also shot up. A total of 164 new cases were registered in
which 198 government officials were arrested during the last eight months. During the same period in
2008-09, 115 cases had been filed against corrupt babus. “Now, on an average three to four cases are
being registered during working days,” said ACB sources. (Times of India 5/7/10)
Scam at Nafed, Govt suspends Rs.1,200-cr package (5)
New Delhi, July 8, IANS: The government has cracked down on the National Agricultural Cooperative
Marketing Federation (Nafed), the largest such institution in the country, after unearthing a major financial
scam and suspended a Rs.1,200-crore fiscal package. The agriculture ministry also issued a show-cause
notice to Additional Managing Director P.K. Sharma for convening what is being termed as an "illegal
board meeting", defying a government directive that empowers only the managing director to conduct
such meetings. "Yes, we have issued a showcause notice to additional managing director for convening
an illegal board meeting," Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas told IANS here, adding that a
probe was conducted into its affairs by a retired high court judge. "As our prime minister (Manmohan
Singh) has said, we have zero tolerance on corruption. Anyone -- at any level -- if found guilty, strict
action will be taken," the minister added. Officials said Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has ordered the
crackdown. Spelling out the background behind the latest move, senior officials in the agriculture ministry
said a big scandal was suspected in 2003-04, which was eventually established by a committee headed
by retired Allahabad High Court Judge R.R. Mishra. The probe committee found out that top officials with
their "notorious tie-ups" with some private businesses made Nafed extend counter guarantees on loans
taken by them without any security, with the connivance of a few board members. Nearly 30 companies
were said to have turned defaulters for an amount estimated at over Rs.3,900 crore, officials said. This
resulted in huge losses for the cooperative, due to which it was forced to approach both the government
and other agencies for soft loans. Questions were also raised about the conduct of present chairman
Bijender Singh, who was a board member in 2003-04, even as the probe committee said the loss to the
agriculture cooperative was in the region of Rs.1,600 crore. Based on the findings of the probe
committee, one top official of Nafed -- the former additional managing director Homi Rajvanshi -- and a
Delhi-based businessman identified as O.P. Aggarwal, were also arrested by the Delhi Police two months
ago. A proposal was also mooted for a one-time settlement, wherein the defaulters paid back the money
owed to the cooperative. But the government-named Managing Director Ananda Bose, tasked last
September with reviving the agency, said it was against the norms. "I am a civil servant send by the
government to revive an ailing organisation. I will go purely by the government's interest. Any amount of
pressure or arm twisting will not cow me down," Bose told IANS. Now, as officials explained, till such time
the cooperative's books are not set in order the government has decided against any major fiscal
assistance to it, even as financial institutions have been directed not to extend any loan. Nafed was set
up in 1958 with the object of promoting cooperative marketing of agricultural produce to benefit farmers.
The agency now also imports some essential commodities from overseas -- such as oil seeds and lentils -
- as part of India's food security strategy. (Deccan Herald 8/7/10)
Assam scam will be raised in parliament: BJP (5)
Guwahati, July 10: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday said the multi-million financial scam
involving swindling of government funds by a clique of politicians-bureaucrats-militants-contractors in
Assam will be raised in parliament. 'We would like this very serious matter relating to corruption to be
heard in parliament. Our MPs would like to debate the issue during the upcoming monsoon session,' BJP
leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda told reporters here. The politician-militantbureaucrat-contractor
nexus involving government funds siphoned off in the North Cachar Hills district
was unravelled by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) last year. The case was later handed over to
the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is now probing the scam. 'The matter is indeed very
grave as it involves militants in nexus with politicians siphoning off government funds. So, we decided that
the issue be raised in parliament for everybody to know what is happening in Assam,' said Munda, who
was in Guwahati for party-related meetings. Last month, CBI seized Rs.13.05 crore cash stacked in sacks
and boxes from the house of a relative of a scam-accused official in Guwahati. The house is owned by
Amjad Hussain, brother-in-law of R.H. Khan, one of the main accused in the multi-million rupee financial

scam in Assam's North Cachar Hills district. Khan, a deputy director in the state social welfare department
and one of the 14 people accused by the CBI of conniving with militants in swindling development funds,
is in jail. The NIA was entrusted by the central government in June 2009 to investigate a criminal case
after the Assam Police arrested two Dima Halim Daogah (DHD-J) rebels in April with Rs.1 crore cash and
weapons. The rebels, Phojendra Hojai and Babul Kemprai, told police the cash was handed over to them
by Mohit Hojai, chief executive member of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC). The
NIA, in its final chargesheet, said elected members of the NCHAC helped the outlawed Jewel Garlosa
faction of the DHD-J to siphon government funds. NIA, the new federal agency to combat terror, later
handed over the case to the central government for a CBI probe as government officials were involved in
criminal misconduct. 'We need a thorough and fair probe into the whole incident,' Munda said. (Central
Chronicle 10/7/10)
Gowda asks BJP leaders to intervene in mining issue (5)
Bangalore, Jul 13 : Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) National President H D Deve Gowda today
urged the Central BJP leaders to intervene and advise Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to
order a CBI inquiry into the alleged illegal mining of iron ore in the State. Addressing newspersons here
today, Mr Gowda said Opposition parties, both the Congress and the JD(S) in Karnataka, had resorted to
dharna which resulted in disrupting both the Houses of the Legislature on the issue of illegal mining and
CBI probe ''into plundering of state wealth allegedly by Ministers.'' He said the BJP, which was also the
main Opposition Party in the Lok Sabha, would lose moral authority to raise voice against any kind of
corruption if it failed to prevail upon its Chief Minister in Karnataka into ordering a CBI probe into illegal
mining which had resulted in a revenue loss of over Rs 12,000 crore. Reminding the BJP leaders,
including Mr L K Advani, how they had intervened and resolved the issue of serious dissident activities in
the State unit last year, Mr Gowda wondered about the ''silence of both Mr Advani and Opposition leader
in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on the ongoing agitation of Opposition parties in Karnataka.'' (Express
India 13/7/10)
Gowda asks BJP leaders to intervene in mining issue (5)
Bangalore, Jul 13 : Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) National President H D Deve Gowda today
urged the Central BJP leaders to intervene and advise Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to
order a CBI inquiry into the alleged illegal mining of iron ore in the State. Addressing newspersons here
today, Mr Gowda said Opposition parties, both the Congress and the JD(S) in Karnataka, had resorted to
dharna which resulted in disrupting both the Houses of the Legislature on the issue of illegal mining and
CBI probe ''into plundering of state wealth allegedly by Ministers.'' He said the BJP, which was also the
main Opposition Party in the Lok Sabha, would lose moral authority to raise voice against any kind of
corruption if it failed to prevail upon its Chief Minister in Karnataka into ordering a CBI probe into illegal
mining which had resulted in a revenue loss of over Rs 12,000 crore. Reminding the BJP leaders,
including Mr L K Advani, how they had intervened and resolved the issue of serious dissident activities in
the State unit last year, Mr Gowda wondered about the ''silence of both Mr Advani and Opposition leader
in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on the ongoing agitation of Opposition parties in Karnataka.'' (New
Kerala 13/7/10)
Bombay High Court reserves order on Lalit Modi's petition (5)
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court will Thursday pass the order on the petition filed by suspended IPL
Chairman Lalit Modi challenging the disciplinary proceedings initiated against him by the BCCI. Modi's
lawyer Virag Tulzhapurkar told the court on Wednesday that his client can't expect "impartial and honest"
decision from disciplinary committee which will conduct enquiry against him. The committee is going to
meet on July 16 and has summoned Modi to appear. But Modi has sought an independent "outside" body
for conducting inquiry instead of the present disciplinary panel of Arun Jaitley, Jyotiraditya Scindia and
Chirayu Amin, IPL's interim Chairman. "Decision of this committee is a foregone conclusion," said
Tulzhapurkar. He alleged that actions of BCCI secretary N Srinivasan "were actuated by bias against
Modi", as the latter had made allegations against Srinivasan regarding having a stake in IPL franchise
team Chennai Super Kings. Similarly, Amin, a member of the committee and acting Chairman of IPL, too
had a personal bias against Modi, said advocate Tulzhapurkar. Even Jaitley should not be on the panel
because he, along with Amin, was part of the IPL's governing council which "ratified" Srinivasan's opinion
that there was prima facie evidence to initiate disciplinary inquiry against Modi, he said. Its impossible to
expect honest and impartial decision from the committee," Modi's lawyer said. He also pointed out -- to
emphasise that the BCCI has already made its mind in Modi's case -- that it scrapped the telecast rights'
contract with Mauritius-based World Sport Group (WSG). One of the allegations against Modi is that the
tender process for the contract was questionable, he said. Facilitation fee of $80 million (Rs 425 crore)

paid by IPL's sub-continent broadcast rights holders MSM Satellite to WSG (Mauritius) had been termed
as fraudulent by the BCCI. However, when division bench of Justice B H Marlapalle and Justice Roshan
Dalvi asked whether BCCI rules provide for an "independent" disciplinary committee, Modi's lawyer said
that it was not so. The lawyer for the BCCI, A Sundaram, argued that the High Court could not hear this
petition as the BCCI was a society and this was an internal matter. Modi was its member and he knew its
rules, he said. Sundaram also said that the decision to initiate inquiry and constitute disciplinary
committee was that of the general body and not the IPL governing council. Reserving the order for
Thursday, judges said that they would only consider whether the disciplinary committee should be reconstituted
or not. When one of the lawyers for BCCI said that Modi's allegations were "fanciful", Justice
Marlapalle said, "In general the game of cricket has become fanciful", evoking laughter. (Times of India
14/7/10)
Bail plea of ex-MCI president rejected in corruption case (5)
New Delhi: A Delhi court today rejected an anticipatory bail plea of former Medical Council of India (MCI)
president Ketan Desai in a fresh corruption case lodged against him in Chennai. "The bail application is
dismissed as it devoid of merits," special CBI judge OP Saini said, allowing the plea of the agency that
the probe in the case was at an initial stage and release of the accused would affect the investigation.
The court had earlier rejected the CBI's contention that it was not empowered to hear the anticipatory bail
application as the corruption case was lodged in Chennai.Being a special court to deal with cases lodged
under the Prevention of Corruption Act, it was very much competent to hear the plea, the judge had said.
Desai is also facing charges of irregularities in giving sanction to a Punjab-based private medical college,
while another case against him pertains to alleged possession of assets disproportionate to his known
sources of income. He has also been booked for alleged income tax evasion. Earlier, the court had
dismissed Desai's bail plea in the disproportionate assets case. However, he was granted bail in the case
in which he is accused of taking Rs two crore in bribe to accord sanction to the medical college as CBI
failed to file a probe report within the prescribed limit of 60 days. Desai, Sukhwinder Singh, owner of
Gyan Sagar Medical College, Kanwaljit Singh, one of the professors, and JP Singh, an alleged tout, were
arrested on May 22 and have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act. (DNA 15/7/10)
State to keep tabs on high-rise panel to curb corruption (5)
Mumbai, July 16, 2010: The state government will soon form a vigilance cell to monitor the stateappointed
high-rise building committee, which gives approvals for constructions of high-rises in the city.
“There is a lot of corruption in the committee and we have planned to set up a vigilance cell to look at the
cases and how they are cleared. Formed under the Urban Development Department, the cell will
entertain corruption complaints against committee members,” said Home Minister R.R. Patil addressing
the legislative council on Thursday. He was replying to a question raised by BJP MLC Vinod Tawde on
the case of committee member Shailesh Mahimtura who was caught while allegedly accepting a Rs 15
lakh bribe from a developer for clearing a case pending with the committee. “It is common knowledge that
there is corruption in these committees on sanctions, so we need to bring some curb,” said Tawde. Shiv
Sena leader of the House Diwakar Raute suggested that the civic heritage committee should also be
included under the ambit of this cell. “The heritage committee gives a no-objection certificate only after
getting the right money in place,” Raute alleged in the council. He also asked for further inquiry into
Mahimtura’s case. Patil agreed to look at the suggestion and announced that the Anti-Corruption Bureau
will be directed to look at all the cases that were cleared by the high-rise building committee during
Mahimtura’s tenure. (Hindustan Times 16/7/10)
Politics behind Delhi Games corruption claims: Aussie chief
SYDNEY: Australia's top Commonwealth Games official said on Monday that he suspects the New Delhi
Games have become a political football in India amid claims of corruption in the construction of facilities.
With barely two months to go before the Games start in October, the sporting extravaganza has been
caught up in a flood of charges of rampant corruption as costs soar. Indian press have reported all
building certificates inspected so far were fake or suspect, a claim the Indian head of the organising
committee for the Delhi Games, Suresh Kalmadi, has dismissed as "baseless allegations of corruption".
An Indian anti-corruption body reported on Friday it had found a host of problems with construction work,
including use of poor quality materials and dubious contracts. Perry Crosswhite, the chief executive of the
Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA), said he suspects political motives could be
behind the allegations. "It looks like the parties and the government there are having a go at each other
and no doubt everybody has got their little axe to grind," Crosswhite told reporters on Monday. "These
things tend to happen before these types of events -- the blame game happens. "And then, generally, the
Games come along, they're very successful and everybody then tries to take the credit afterwards. "I have

een involved in a number of these things and that is what tends to happen. "It's very hard for me to
comment on all this stuff about corruption and whether building certificates have been given and all the
rest of it because I just don't know and I think it's just an internal matter anyway." The event involving 71
nations is already the costliest Commonwealth Games in history, with an infrastructure and organising
budget of $2 billion, although unofficial estimates say the cost will be at least triple. Monsoon rain in Delhi
has also hampered the completion of Games infrastructure. "Our view is that it's going to be tight but they
will meet the deadline," Crosswhite said.(The Times of India, 2/8/2010)
Thar Express drivers, TTEs accused of smuggling
JAIPUR: A letter from one R N Dudi to Government Railway Police (GRP) in Munabao alleging
involvement of two drivers and two train ticket examiners (TTEs) of Thar Express in smuggling, has left
the railway officials red-faced. Security agencies and local police have started investigations. Incidents of
smuggling in counterfeit currency notes and drug-trafficking on-board Karachi-Jodhpur Thar Express
have been bothering security officials since the train was started. But it is probably for the first time that
allegations have been leveled against the train staff. GRP SP S N Khinchi received the letter on Friday
which claimed that train drivers M D Charan and Virendra Singh and TTEs Jugal Kishore and Jagdish are
hand-in-glove with Pakistani smugglers bringing fake currency notes and narcotic materials into India.
Dudi wrote the TTEs take consignments from the Pak travellers and hide it in the engine bogey with the
consent of the drivers and later hand it back to them. The complainant alleged as the security officials
don't check the engine bogey and the railway staff, the smuggling has been going on without anybody
noticing. Shocked by the allegations, railway and security officials have ordered inquiry into the matter. At
the same time, Barmer and Jaisalmer police have also started investigation. GRP's DySP Satya Mani
Tiwari told TOI that he was probing the allegations. He said it would be too early to comment as the
allegations are yet to be ascertained. He also said that police would interrogate the railway staff named in
the letter as well as the complainant. On the issue of security, he claimed that checking is conducted on
every trip and even the engine is checked manually. BSF DIG of Rajasthan Frontier R C Dhyani said the
possibility of smuggling in nexus with railway staff could not be ruled out. The issue was discussed at a
meeting of lead intelligence agencies and directives have been issued to officials concerned to step up
checking and alertness.(Times of India, 2/8/2010)
Siachen scam: Army officers replaced oil with water
NEW DELHI: In an embarrassment to the Army, five personnel including a Brigadier have been
chargesheeted by Jammu and Kashmir Police for allegedly replacing kerosene and diesel in tankers
meant for troops in Siachen with water. The chargesheet, filed before Chief Judicial Magistrate, Leh,
earlier this week, has named Brigadier Sukhbir Singh, the then Deputy Director Supply and Transport, Lt
Col D K Chaturvedi, the then Officer-in-Command of 406 Army Supply Corps, Captain Parveen Rawat
(406 ASC), Subedars Major Sunder Singh and R K Nigam. The chargesheet has once again put the Lehbased
14 Corps in an awkward situation as it is facing heat on the issue of alleged pilferage of clothing
and special rations meant for troops posted in Siachen. Recently, a Court of Inquiry was initiated against
an officer of Major General rank from the same command for alleged sexual harassment. Others
chargesheeted include Terminal Manager of Indian Oil Corporation (Ambala) Sunil Kumar, owner of a
petrol pump in Zakhaira (Punjab) Bimal Gulati, alleged conduit Baljeet Singh alias Bittu and eight drivers,
sources in the state Home department said. According to the chargesheet, Army officials allegedly in
connivance with the IOC officials were replacing kerosene oil and diesel from the tankers with water,
which upon its arrival in Leh, was unloaded in barren mountains. Taking cognizance of the chargesheet,
the court asked all the accused to be present on April four.(The Times of India, 4/8/2010)
Army's Siachen gear up for sale
NEW DELHI: A pilferage scam running into crores of rupees has come to light in the Army's strategic Leh
Corps in Jammu and Kashmir with police detecting clothing and rations meant for troops deployed on the
Saichen glacier being sold in local markets. Jammu and Kashmir Police have registered 11 FIRs since
July after finding food packets and other equipment meant for Siachen being sold in the open market but
the Army has refused to cooperate in the probe, sources said. Police have so far arrested 31 people,
including shopkeepers, in various areas in northern Kashmir. A few of them have made confessional
statements before magistrates, during which they named senior Army officers who allegedly supplied the
materials to them, sources said. Armed with the confessional statements, police approached the Lehbased
14 Corps for questioning certain officers but the Army refused to cooperate, they said. The matter
has now been taken up by the state government with the Army's top brass as local commanders are
refusing to entertain police's request, the sources said. What surprised police was the seizure of high

quality parachutes, trousers and jackets meant for use at high altitudes. Police also seized Army boots in
the Nubra Valley, near the Siachen glacier, which were being sold to trekkers visiting the area, the
sources said. Most of the equipment for soldiers deployed on Siachen, the world's highest and coldest
battlefield, is very expensive and purchased from European countries. The Defence Ministry, when
contacted, refused to comment on the issue but sources in New Delhi said a report on the alleged
pilferage of the Army equipment had been sought from the Commander of the Leh-based Corps. The
police seized the boots and trousers at a time when the Army's high command and the Defence Ministry
are running from pillar to post for meet the requirements of troops in Saichen. The local command too had
made a requisition for the special high altitude gear needed by the soldiers. Recently, Army rations
including high-calorie food items meant for soldiers defending the borders in inhospitable terrain, were
found on sale in the markets of Leh. Sources said that while the Army might want to conduct an internal
enquiry so that the role of its officers does not come out in the open, the state police was set to move
court for production of the army personnel allegedly involved in the scam so that the truth could be
established. "It is virtually a crime against the nation," a senior police officer said. Police registered the
first FIR against shopkeepers and unknown Army officers under various sections of the Ranbir Penal
Code related to cheating, the sources said. During subsequent investigations, the alleged involvement of
several Army officers, including one of the rank of colonel, came to light, they said. The police has
conducted two dozen raids so far and more are in the offing, the sources said. (The Times of India,
4/8/2010)
Officer lands in Rs 60 crore pension scam, suspended
BAHRAICH: Three government employees including District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) Prayga
Shanker and supervisor Shiv Narain Upadhaya has been suspended in pension scam of nearly Rs 60
crores whereas two other employees has been charge sheeted. During investigation, it was found that
pension was being distributed to 2,441 dead persons and to 17,419 ineligible persons. There were 65,920
eligible beneficiaries in the district. It has been alleged that a sum of Rs 7.41 crores per year has been
illegally pocketed with the connivance of the DSWO and the departmental employees. Recommendations
for departmental action against the DSWO was made six months back, but nothing concrete was done.
Now, the principal secretary on receipt of a reminder from the district magistrate has initiated action. The
murmur of scam in district social welfare department was going on for the last one decade. District
magistrate Rigjiyan Samphle sent the complete details of the scam to the government six months back.
The entire distribution of pension in the district was verified during which 17,419 persons were found
ineligible and 2,441 were found dead. The charges of extending family benefit to married women was
also found during the investigation. But, this episode was put under cold basket. The DM sent a reminder
into the issue and when he started fresh investigations, a big scam was revealed. Bungling of lacs of
rupees has been made in family benefit yojna including marriage of poor's daughter. The subordinate
employees of DSWO Prayga Shanker also has been booked for preparing fake documents and
manipulating records. The district magistrate has already recommended the suspension of the DSWO but
no action was taken. On mounting pressure by the district magistrate, the DSWO proceeded on leave
giving charge to RP Singh. During leave, the government has suspended Pragya Shanker. (The Times of
India, 4/8/2010)
Black marketing of mid-day meal ration
BAHRAICH: Police have registered an FIR against three school employees including a school principal
on charge of black marketing of ration meant for mid-day meal scheme. Ram Sewak Yadav is the
husband of former block pramukh and principal of Raja Rudra Pratap Junior High School of Tejwapur
block. The cops got information a few days back about shifting of ration meant for mid-day meal by the
principal. Acting on the information, the incharge of Kotwali Dehat RS Mathur raided the house of the
principal and recovered the ration. The police said two other school employees were also involved in the
black marketing. A report has been registered by the police against all the three persons and
investigations has been started. (The Times of India, 4/8/2010)
Three prisoners flee Goa jail
PANAJI: In a dramatic jail break, two convicts and an undertrial escaped from a prison in Goa by drilling a
passage through the cell toilet in the early hours of Wednesday, jail authorities said. Undertrial Abhijit
Patil and convicts Hitler Fernandes and Seby Ferrao escaped from Sada prison located at Vasco, about
35 km from here. "The jail break must have happened after 3 a.m. Wednesday. They escaped by drilling
a hole in their cell toilet," said Levinson Martins, sub-divisional magistrate in charge of the Sada prison
affairs. He said Hitler, 46, was wanted for two murders in Goa and Karnataka. "Hitler and Seby have a
previous history of jail breaks," he said. A search operation has been launched to track down the three

men, police said. (The Times of India, 4/8/2010)
Armed robbers loot train passengers in Bihar, injure 13
As many as 13 people, including a GRP jawan, were injured when armed robbers opened fire and beat
the passengers of an express train with rifle butts near Bhalui halt in Lakhisarai early on Friday. The
robbers also looted cash and other valuables, worth Rs 2 lakh, from the passengers travelling on the
Sealdah-New Delhi Lal Quila Express, Railway officials said. The condition of the jawan, who received a
bullet injury, is said to be critical. Passengers were hurt when they tried to resist the looters who opened
fire and beat them up with rifle butts. "Around 15 robbers boarded the train at Jhajha and went on a
looting spree in one AC and sleeper coaches before they alighted from the train after pulling the chain at
Bhalui (Sundernagar) halt in Jhajha-Quel section of the East Central Railway," officials said. The injured
were admitted to a nearby hospitals for treatment, they added. An FIR has been registered with the
Government Railway Police. Most of the injured, included 'Kanwarias' (Shiva devotees), who were
returning to their native places after offering prayers at the famous Lord Shiva temple in Deoghar,
Jharkhand. (The Hindustan Times, 6/8/2010)
Man killed by father, brothers over Rs 16 lakh
GREATER NOIDA (Bisrakh): A 68-year-old man was arrested by the Greater Noida police along with his
two sons for allegedly murdering his youngest son. The man, identified as Kiran Pal, had to be sent to a
local hospital after the deceased, his third son, shot at him before dying. Police said the incident came to
light late on Saturday night. The two other accused were sent to judicial custody on Sunday. Police said
the Khera Sauganpur area has witnessed widespread growth ever since the Greater Noida Expressway
came up. The government has been taking land from farmers and several families in the area have
received compensation ranging from a few lakhs to even crores. A number of crimes related to the
distribution of financial compensation among family members have been witnessed in the past few
months. The Bisrakh police said that Kiran owned land in the village. "A few days ago, he received a
compensation of Rs 16 lakh from the district collectorate. Ever since the money was given, his youngest
son Titu had been asking for his share. As Titu was an alcoholic, Kiran and his two other sons Sanjeev
and Amit did not want the money to be shared. Kiran told Titu that he would get his daughters married
with the money received as compensation,'' said the investigating officer. On Friday night, Titu returned
home and again asked for his share of money. When Kiran refused again, Titu pulled out a country-made
revolver and shot at his father. His two brothers then snatched the weapon and instead shot Titu. The
three then dug up a hole in their residence and buried the pistol. They then hurriedly burnt the body late in
the night. The villagers decided to inform police after repeated questions about the whereabouts of Titu
were not answered by his family. Police came to know about the incident on Saturday and took the three
accused for questioning at the police station. "The three admitted that they had committed the murder.
We arrested the accused on Sunday and sent them to jail,'' said a Greater Noida police officer. (TOI,
9/8/2010)
Murders, rapes on increase in Delhi this year
NEW DELHI: Delhi Police might have raised its strength by over 22,000 men since 2007, but it appears to
have done little to help check crime with the Capital registering more murders and rapes in the first half of
this year compared to the same period during previous three years. According to official statistics, the
capital has registered 274 cases of murders in the first six months of this year compared to 254 during the
same period last year and 259 in 2008. The corresponding figure for 2007 is 215. Similarly, rape cases
also have increased during the period with 277 cases being reported as against last year's 237. In 2008,
the figure was 258 though 2007 recorded the highest of 297. Delhi Police has a total of around 80,000
personnel in its force with 22,160 being added in the past three years. Cases of dacoity, kidnapping for
ransom and robbery also registered an increase during the same period compared to the previous years.
While 318 robbery cases were registered this year till June 30, there were only 258 cases last year during
the same period. 262 cases were recorded in 2008 and 264 in 2007. However, senior police officials said
that there was no spurt in crime. They even claimed that the rate of crime is the lowest in the last 40
years. "There is no spurt in crime. We have the lowest crime rate. The population has increased and so
the number of crimes. If you take the crime per one lakh population, it is only 281.05 this year," a senior
police official said. "The crime per one lakh population is the yardstick followed world-wide and it has
come down from 286.32 in 2008 to 283.50 last year," he said. A total of 28,270 criminal cases were
registered this year so far with motor vehicle thefts topping the list followed by 3,317 theft cases. The
official said the involvement of first timers in crimes is increasing. Out of the 483 people arrested on
charges of murder this year, 449 or 93 per cent of them were first timers. Similarly out of the 346 arrested
for rape, 343 were first timers. 737 out of 807 people arrested for snatching were first timers, the official

said. TOI, 9/8/2010)
SIT names Zadaphia, two cops in post-Godhra riots
AHMEDABAD: There is more trouble in store for another former MoS for home in Gujarat who lorded over
the riots of 2002. The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has named former
minister of state for home Gordhan Zadaphia and two senior cops for playing a partisan role during the
communal riots of 2002. Zadaphia has since quit the BJP and is now a bitter critic of chief minister
Narendra Modi. The SIT, headed by former CBI director RK Raghavan, has found the three guilty of
criminal negligence and criminal involvement. The SIT was set up in 2008 on the directions of SC to
investigate Godhra and post-Godhra communal riots of 2002 in Gujarat. The team has claimed to have
gathered some critical evidence against Zadaphia and retired additional DGP MK Tandon and IGP PB
Gondia. The SIT has mentioned this in its quarterly report which is to be submitted before the apex court
in a few days. The report, signed by SIT member AK Malhotra, accuses Zadaphia of criminal involvement
in the riots while Tandon and Gondia have been accused of criminal negligence. The report mentions that
both officers failed to stop the unbridled rioting. In 2002 Tandon was the joint commissioner of police,
sector II, while Gondia was the deputy commissioner of police in the same sector. Both officers were in
charge of those parts of Ahmedabad city which bore the brunt of riots — Naroda-Patia where 95 people
were killed and Gulbarg Society where 69 lives were lost. The SIT has already seen some significant
changes. It has changed the investigating officers of Gulbarg Society, Naroda-Patia and Naroda gam
cases. All three cases have now been handed over to superintendent of police, Himanshu Shukla. Those
investigating the cases earlier — superintendents of police PK Mall and VV Chaudhary, and deputy
superintendent of police JB Suthar have been relieved of their duties. (TOI, 9/8/2010)
191 officials of MCD booked since 2007: Data
Amid allegations of irregularities and fraud surfaced against Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCDs)
officials in tender process of projects related to the Commonwealth Games, the data show that 191
officials of the civic body have been booked in corruption cases since 2007. The CBI and the Anti-
Corruption Branch of the Delhi Government have registered 92 cases of corruption involving 191 officials
of the MCD since 2007 to July 29 this year, official sources said citing the data.During this period, a total
of 52 MCD officials were suspended following corruption charges. According to year-wise data, the
number of corruption cases filed in 2007 was 32, involving 68 officials. The figure came down to 30 in
2008 and 20 in 2009, while in 2010, until July 29, 10 cases have been filed. The number of officials
booked was 60 in 2008, 43 last year and 20 this year, sources said. The number of suspended officials
was 12 in 2007, which increased to 21 the next year, followed by 14 in 2009 and five until July-end this
year. (Dailypioneer.com, 9/8/2010)
3 TTD board members found guilty in Arjitha scam
HYDERABAD: Three Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board members and 25 officials up to the
level of deputy executive officer (DEO) have been named as guilty in the probe by the Vigilance &
Enforcement (V&E) department of the police in the Rs 25-crore Arjitha scam. The probe has also found
that the executive officer of the TTD did not act on an earlier report of the vigilance officer of the temple
trust which had pinpointed wrongdoings. Instead of acting on the internal report, the EO — serving IAS
officer I V R Krishna Rao — continued to patronise some of the guilty officials and looked the other way.
The officials named in the probe were indulging in blackmarketing of Arjitha seva tickets. The three of the
total 11 board members found on the wrong side of law are Kale Yadaiah, Alluri Subramanyam and
Madalapu Anjaiah. All of them are political appointees and the V & E report has recommended slapping
of criminal cases under sections of the IPC on them. This includes cheating and criminal conspiracy. The
report has also recommended action against the EO and all the 25 officials of the TTD. The report is now
lying with the government and those in the know of things expect swift action.The V & E report notes that
those named were not only guilty of cheating and other transgressions of law but were responsible for
breach of trust of the lakhs of devotees who visit the holy place. Due to the demand for sevas being
significantly more than the supply, the scamsters found it profitable to corner the limited tickets and sell it
in the black market. There are 29 types of sevas that can be offered to the Lord and this includes daily,
weekly and annual sevas. The Arjitha scam has been public knowledge for a long time and the then
vigilance officer of the TTD Sundar Kumar had submitted his report in March 2009. But that was put in
cold storage. In recent weeks clamour to take action against the guilty - whose names were public
knowledge - had been growing. Leader of opposition Chandrababu Naidu undertook a padayatra to the
the Tirumala hills demanding action against the guilty. Highly-placed sources say that TTD chairman D K

Adikeshavulu Naidu, though not found on the wrong side of law, had made a Herculean effort and had
lobbied to keep the name of the board members out of the report. But that was not to be. Of three board
members named Yadaiah had made an unsuccessful bid for the Chevella seat in the 2009 elections while
Subramanyam from Gattu area of Madanapalle is a former PCC member. Anjaiah was the president of
the AP Fishermen’s Federation. The Arjitha scam is only one of the scandals that has hit the Lord’s
abode. There are serious allegations of theft of jewellery of the Lord. This portends to be a bigger scandal
if proven. But right now, the scam is being investigated by the internal vigilance team of the TTD. “Lord
Balaji’s abode is one of the holiest shrines of the Hindus. Lakhs of devotees visit this place in all piety and
sincerity. They place everything at his feet. To indulge in unholy activities is shocking,” said a pilgrim
when told about the findings of the V&E report. (Times of India, 16/8/2010)
Huge cash and gold haul from Rajasthan dairy official
JAIPUR: There seems to be no end to the money illegally amassed by Surendra Kumar Sharma, a
deputy manager of Rajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation's cattle feed plant in Ajmer. In Rajasthan's
biggest seizure, state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths on Saturday recovered Rs 2.35 crore cash
and 8.5 kg of gold biscuits worth another Rs 1.58 crore from the lockers in Jaipur belonging to Sharma.
The ACB has so far seized over Rs 4.70 crore cash and gold worth Rs 2 crore from his lockers in Ajmer
and Jaipur. The agency is yet to open two lockers belonging to Sharma in Rajasthan's Bikaner and
Haryana's Karnal cities. The ACB will soon convey to the customs department its suspicion that the gold
biscuits could have been smuggled from outside the state. The biscuits are foreign made and have the
hologram of an international company on them. The ACB had also found some fake currency notes in the
cash recovered from various lockers. Sharma, who was DM of the plant's quality control and production
branch, allegedly amassed money by accepting bribes to clear contracts of sub-standard quality raw
material. After recovering Rs 2.35 crore and gold worth Rs 38 lakhs over the last nine days since a
surprise raid at his house in Ajmer on August 5, the ACB on Saturday checked his three private lockers at
Ganpati Plaza and one at SBI's Paanch Batti branch in Jaipur. IG (ACB) Umesh Mishra told TOI that Rs
2.15 crore cash was found from three private lockers at Ganpati Plaza. "The ACB teams also recovered
Rs 8.480 kg of gold from the lockers,'' said Mishra. The ACB sleuths were shocked to find such a huge
amount of cash and had to bring in a special currency note counting machines. The ACB teams found Rs
20 lakh cash from a locker at SBI's Paanch Batti branch. The locker's keys were not with Sharma
following which the locker was broken open in his presence. Sharma had been brought to Jaipur after
getting permission from a court in Ajmer. Sharma was arrested by the Ajmer police following recovery of
illegal liquor stored in his house. He is in judicial custody. The ACB is likely to arrest Sharma under the
Prevention of Corruption Act after examining all his lockers and documents related to property and
investment. The ACB had seized over 100 documents from his house. (TOI, 16/8/2010)
ATS to probe missing trucks with explosives
JAIPUR: The state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has taken over the investigation in 61 explosives-laden
trucks, which went missing while on way to Sagar in Madhya Pradesh from Rajasthan Explosives and
Chemical Limited (RECL), Dholpur between April and June. Dholpur Collector, V Sarvan Kumar, has also
ordered separate inquiry into the matter. The action came after Madhya Pradesh police sounded alert and
security agencies expressed fear regarding possibility of missing explosives' consignment passing into
the hands of naxalite groups. ADG (ATS), Rajasthan, Kapil Garg told TOI that a team of officials visited
RECL in Dholpur on Friday and started investigation in the case. On the possibility of misuse of
explosives, he said that investigation has just begun, so it would be too early to comment. According to
reports, ATS team under Dy SP JP Sharma reached RECL and checked the records of deal with Sagarbased
Ganesh Explosives. Sources said that ATS also interrogated the officials regarding communication
with the Sagar-based firm and exchange of documents between them. Collector, Dholpur, V Sarvan
Kumar said that he has ordered separate inquiry into the matter. He also said that all the deal related
records were examined and RECL officials including senior manager (works) K Edward Kelly presented
their side of facts. RECL officials informed district collector that they had received delivery report from
Jaikishan Ashwini, who purchased the explosives in the name of Ganesh Explosives whereas police did
not intimate them. RECL officials however alleged that police had no information about the delivery or
non-delivery of the consignment otherwise they would have started investigation earlier. TOI had reported
the matter on August 12 which mentioned that RECL had released explosives worth Rs 1.40 crore in 61
trucks for Sagar-based Ganesh Explosives, a company originally owned by Devendra Singh Thakur, but
the consignment did not reach the firm. Preliminary investigation revealed that Ashwini has sold the
explosives to private firms in Bhilwara (Rajasthan), Rajgarh (MP) and Ahmadnagar (Maharashtra). MP
police team under SHO Santosh Kumar Dixit is interrogating private firms for their motive behind
purchasing illegal explosives. (TOI, 16/8/2010)

HC rebukes CBI for 17-year-probe in a graft case
Quoting a saying that “if your are caught taking bribe, you can go scot free by giving bribe”, the Delhi High
Court on Monday charged the Central Bureau of Investigation with doing the same in a corruption case in
which the agency took 17 long years to investigate a case against an executive engineer of then Delhi
Electricity Supply Undertaking (DESU). The engineer has since taken voluntary retirement. A team of the
investigating agency had caught the engineer, A.K. Gupta, red-handed at his office on a complaint by a
man from whom Gupta had demanded a bribe to process some work in 1990. After as many as eleven
years of the incident, the CBI filed a report in a special court here seeking closure of the case against
Gupta. However, the Special Judge rejected its plea in 2002. Thereafter, the country’s premier
investigating agency filed a charge-sheet in the case after seven years in February, 2009. Justice S.N.
Dhingra made the observation while dismissing a petition by the engineer seeking quashing of the
charge-sheet on the ground of the undue delay, first in investigating the case and then charge-sheeting
the accused. Concurring with the plea of the accused that speedy investigation and speedier trial is the
right of an accused, Justice Dhingra said but fast and fair investigation is also a right of Society, being the
victim of crime. Commenting on the role of the investigating agency in the case, Justice Dhingra said:
``There is an apparent connivance between the petitioner and the CBI officials.’’ In a trap case, where a
person is caught red-handed, the investigation to be done involves only recording of statements of
witnesses to the trap, of the complainant, seizure of the bribe amount and forensic examination of the
hand wash of the accused,’’ Justice Dhingra further observed. The Court was also surprised over the
investigating agency giving no explanation of the delay of 17 years. It inferred that the agency was not at
all interested in bringing to book corrupt officials holding public offices. Dismissing the petition of the
engineer, Justice Dhingra asked the CBI director to fix responsibility for the delay and action taken
against the responsible officials. It asked the director to complete the investigation in three months and a
file an action taken report in the Court. (The Hindu, 18/8/2010)
Cop arrested in Jethava murder case
AHMEDABAD: Crime branch officials investigating the murder of green activistAmit Jethava last month
have arrested a serving police constable and detained two persons late on Monday night in connection
with the case. The officials have now started hunt for the two killers who had come on a bike near Gujarat
High Court on July 20 and shot Jethava at point blank range. Police officials refrained from naming any
politician or influential person and said it was Bahadursinh Wadher's own vendetta against Jethava that
led him to giving his supari to killers. Addressing mediapersons, Mohan Jha, in-charge joint commissioner
of police (crime), said Wadher, 37, a resident of Kodinar, Junagadh, and serving as a constable at Gir
Gadhada police station, was arrested. Sameer Haji Rasool Vohra, 34, a resident of Jambu in
Surendranagar, and Sanjay Chauhan, 41, a native of Kodinar, were detained for questioning regarding
their roles in Jethava murder. "We got the first clue in the case from the Bajaj Discover motorcycle found
on the spot. The number plates were changed but we got the engine and chasis number. When we
probed the matter, we knew it was stolen in 1997 and was traced to Vohra, a vehicle thief. We nabbed
him and questioned him about the bike and was told that he had given the bike to Bahadursinh a day
before the murder," said Jha. Bahadursinh had his own issues with Jethava. According to officials, he
along with a partner had purchased 12 bigha land at Alidar near Gir for mining. However, due to Jethava's
RTI campaign, he could not start his project and was forced to sell it at a much lower price. Angry, he
decided to get rid of Jethava. He then contacted Shailesh Pandya, an accused in previous firing cases,
through Pachan Shiva, his local contact. Shailesh was introduced as Yunus to others during a meeting of
the persons involved in the case. "We have yet to find all the missing links in the case. It is, however,
confirmed that it was a supari murder. The accused's remand application has been moved," said Jha
(TOI, 18/8/2010)
3 cops get jail for negligence of duty
LUCKNOW: Special magistrate CB-CID Jitendra Kumar Mishra has sentenced three cops to one year
imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 200 on each, for negligence of duty. Those convicted are security
personnel of the district jail -- Mool Chand, Shiv Poojan and Mahfooz Ali -- under whose custody four
terrorists -- Manjeet Singh alias Mittu, Sardar Harjeet Singh alias Deepa, Ranveer Singh and Sukhvinder
Singh -- were detained in jail. According to special prosecutor of CB-CID, Awdhesh Kumar Shrivastava,
jail superintendentShiv Kumar Sharma had lodged an FIR on August 23, 1992, with Alambagh police in
connection with the escape of the said terrorists. The police probed into the matter which was later taken
up by CB-CID. After investigation, CB-CID charge-sheeted the above-mentioned cops, including Raj Deo
Shukla, under section 223 of IPC. Shukla died pending trial. The judge acquitted then deputy
superintendent of jail, Nagendra Shrivastava, for want of evidence. (TOI, 18/8/2010)

30 Gujarat cops jailed in 3 years for serious crime like murder
AHMEDABAD: It seems to be difficult days for Gujarat police. In the last three years, as many as 30 cops
including five IPS officers have been sent behind bars for alleged involvement in a serious offence like
murder. The state government's affidavit in the Supreme Court (SC) in 2007 admitting that Sohrabuddin
Sheikh was killed in a fake encounter has opened a Pandora's box. CID (crime), which was investigating
the case then, arrested 14 cops, including three IPS officers. But if one believed it would end the series of
arrests, it was not to be. In 2010, the SC transferred the case to CBI, which soon arrested one IPS officer
and a former minister of state for home. Simultaneously, the state CID (crime) started investigations into
the Tulsi Prajapati fake encounter case and arrested 13 cops, including an IPS officer. Some of these
cops were already behind bars in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case. Recently, CID (crime) also
arrested one police officer along with eight others in a murder case where a 17-year-old youth was killed
in a dispute over Rs 50 crore land. More recently, Ahmedabad crime branch arrested one police
constable for his alleged role in the murder of RTI activist, Amit Jethava. The constable had given a Rs 15
lakh supari to get the activist out of the way of a leading politician. The cops' woes started after the SC
started monitoring the post-Godhra riot cases. After setting up of Special Investigation Team (SIT), three
cops were arrested in Deepda Darwaza, Naroda Patia and Gulbarg society massacre case. Soon, CBI
arrested one cop in the Bilkis Bano case. (TOI, 19/8/2010)
CIC raps govt officers for giving wrong info under RTI
NEW DELHI: The central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has pulled up two public information
and senior superintendent officers one of them a former one from the Delhi government social welfare
department for "providing false information'' and "for not supplying complete information'' to an RTI query.
Both the officers have been given a showcause notice. Subhas Baghel from Pratidhi a voluntary
organization had appealed to the CIC and claimed that he had been misinformed by the state welfare
department about action taken in an alleged case of corruption. Baghel had appealed that in a recent
RTI reply, O P Bhatti, PIO of the department had informed him that no departmental inquiry had been
taken up against 13 accused officers of the state welfare department, who were found to be involved in a
fraud by the anti-corruption department. Baghel argued that in an earlier RTI filed by him, K K Bhalla,
senior superintendant (vigilance) had informed him that inquiry proceedings had been ordered by a
competent authority. "We had attracted Gandhi's attention to this glaring contradiction,'' said Rajmangal
Prasad, an RTI activist, who has been trying to expose a scam in the social welfare department regarding
the procurement of children's home items (food, clothing and bedding) for the past two years. Baghel
argued that in response to another of his RTI questions, the present PIO O P Bhatti had informed them
that none of the officers involved in the scam was recommended for being promoted as joint director.
"The reply had two words, "not yet''. However, we challenged this reply and the CIC ruled that the PIO
(administration) has now provided an affidavit to this effect before September 2010,'' said Prasad. "It
appears that Bhalla the then PIO has provided false information to the complainant. A showcause notice
is being issued to him and he is directed to give reasons to the commission to show cause why no
penalty will not be levied on him,'' Gandhi has ruled. About two years ago, through a series of RTIs, the
NGO had exposed cases of corruption in the social welfare department. At least 13 officers were arrested
by the anti-corruption branch and stayed in jail for several days before being granted bail. Since then the
RTI activists have been pressing to know whether the department had initiated action against the
accused. (TOI, 23/8/2010)
Crimes record a jump compared to last year, cases under Explosives Act up by 200%
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has recorded a phenomenal jump in the number of cases booked under the
Explosive Act this year in comparison with corresponding period last year. From 94 cases booked during
the year ending June 2009, the number of cases have gone up to 194 till June 2010 -- an increase of
200%, according to State Crime Records Bureau. "The increase is mainly due to the registration of more
number of cases in the Sivakasi belt. We do not have too many quarry-related explosion cases.
Whenever there is a blast in a cracker unit, a case is booked under the Explosives Act. We have been
carrying out frequent raids in such units and booking them for violations," additional director general of
police (law and order) K Radhakrishnan told The Times Of India. He said the number of quarries had
also gone up considerably in Tamil Nadu to meet the phenomenal increase in demand for blue metal.
"Most of our roads are being widened and becoming four-lane roads. Due to this, there is an increase in
demand for blue metal. So new quarries have come up," Radhakrishnan said. He said the skeletal
strength in the explosives department, which is the authority for licencing and regulation of units dealing
with explosives, also has been a major hurdle in regulation of dealers and stockists of explosives.
Crimes of other nature, except cases of dacoity and common theft, have also recorded an increase in

Tamil Nadu this year, compared to the corresponding period last year. Despite concerns expressed in the
Assembly, crime against women continues to grow at an alarming rate, with the cases recording an
increase of 25%, up from 2,552 in the year ending June 2009 to 3,058 in the subsequent year. Cases of
robbery have gone up by 77% -- up from 490 in 2009 to 861 this year. Cases of violent crimes went up
from 12,703 in 2009 to 14,880 in 2010. Burglary cases went up from 2,025 to 2,241. (TOI, 22/8/2010)
2 Australians held for plotting to kidnap Chandigarh youth
CHANDIGARH: Two Australian nationals and a youth from Ropar were arrested here on Thursday for
plotting to kidnap a Chandigarh youth. Police said the three were planning to demand a ransom of Rs 1
crore and were arrested when their cellphone conversation, using an Australian number, was intercepted.
Crime branch personnel of Chandigarh police recovered a knife, three air pistols, narcotics and a Gypsy
car from them. Police claimed that the ransom was meant for investment in drugs business. The
accused told police that they were being helped by three people from Amritsar, whose role is now being
probed by Punjab cops. The three had landed in Chandigarh with the intention of kidnapping Harsh
Sinha, known to Gursher since their college days. (TOI, 22/8/2010)
Fire destroys documents of missing trucks
JAIPUR: In what looks like an act of sabotage, a fire at the office of BM Traders in Bhilwara, which was
raided on Saturday in connection with the disappearance of 61 explosives-laden trucks, has destroyed all
records relating to the missing explosives. The raid was conducted after 16 trucks used for transporting
explosives from Rajasthan Explosives and Chemicals Limited (RECL), Dholpur to Sagar in Madhya
Pradesh were recovered from its godown located at Azadnagar locality of Bhilwara on Saturday. The
explosives were allegedly diverted to BM Traders by the registered agent of RECL, Ganesh Explosives,
based in Sagar. Altogether, 61 trucks with explosives disappeared between April to June during transit
from RECL Dholpur to Sagar in MP. The owner of BM Traders, Shivcharan Heda, has already been
booked under the Explosives Act. He is on the run ever since a case was registered against him and his
family. In fact, recovery of trucks on Saturday was seen as a major breakthrough into the incident of
missing explosives. However, the fire on Sunday turned the documents into ashes. Most of them were
destroyed either due to fire or damaged after water was used to extinguish the flames. The fire also
exposed a glaring lapse by police. Although they had conducted a raid on Saturday, they failed to check
the documents kept at the second floor of the office, where fire broke out on Sunday. The papers
destroyed in the fire had details about the quantity of explosives purchased from RECL and the
companies to whom it had to be delivered. Circle officer, Sadar, Bhilwara, Ram Kumar Kaswa said he
did not know the exact reason for the fire outbreak. The possibility of Heda's involvement in destroying
the documents could not be ruled out, he said. However, Kaswa could not explain why the first and
second floor of the premises were not checked on Saturday. “We gathered documents relevant to the
case at ground floor on Saturday,” he said. Senior officials said they had called experts of Forensic
Science Lab (FSL) to collect more details about the incident. Earlier on August 14, Bhilwara police had
sealed Heda's house-cum-office and his two godowns. They got court's permission for conducting a
search on August 20. Meanwhile, sources said two of the 16 vehicles, which were recovered on
Saturday, bear same registration number. This confirms Heda's pre-planning in diverting the explosives in
an illegal manner, they said. Also, Heda had taken out all the information from his two computers, of
which only monitors was found during the checking on Saturday. (TOI, 23/8/2010)
Ex-Arunachal CM Apang arrested for PDS scam
ITANAGAR/GUWAHATI: Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang was arrested on
Tuesday for his alleged involvement in the Rs 1,000-crore public distribution system scam and remanded
in seven-day police custody. A Special Investigation Cell, formed by the Arunachal Pradesh government,
arrested 61-year-old Apang under charges of cheating and forgery under IPC and relevant sections of the
Prevention of Corruption Act. The drama surrounding Apang's arrest began in the morning when he was
summoned to the Special Investigation Cell (Vigilance) in Itanagar for questioning. In the afternoon, he
was arrested under non-bailable clauses and produced before the court of the district sessions judge in
Assam's Lakhimpur district. Other CMs to have been jailed on corruption or criminal charges are Lalu
Prasad of Bihar, J Jayalalitha of Tamil Nadu and Shibu Soren of Jharkhand. While entering the
Lakhimpur court, Apang, who is the longest serving CM in the country after West Bengal's Jyoti Basu,
claimed innocence and that the charges against him were a "political ploy" to tarnish his image. "I am
innocent and it's a political conspiracy. There should be a CBI probe," Apang told reporters outside the
court. The Arunachal government had constituted the Special Investigation Cell to investigate the PDS
scam following a directive of the Gauhati high court. The court's order came in the wake of a PIL filed by
Arunachal Citizens' Rights (ACR) chairperson Bamang Tago and a mass leader, Domin Loya, on June

13, 2004. The two had alleged that hill transport subsidy bills for carrying PDS items to Arunachal from
warehouses in Assam's North Lakhimpur were claimed in fraudulent ways. They had also claimed that
the bills were cleared "without any financial concurrence" when Apang was the CM of the hill state. "The
state exchequer had suffered a loss of about Rs 1,000 crore due to such fraudulent claims of hill transport
subsidy bills," an official said. "Apang was arrested on the basis of material evidence produced against
him and statements given by other accused," Special Investigation Cell investigating officer M S Chauhan
said. "We had provided Apang with a set of questionnaires. Despite three summons issued earlier, he
appeared before the probe panel for the first time today, but denied any knowledge of facts or persons
involved in the scam," he said. "Since the charges brought against him were non-bailable, police had the
power to arrest him," Chauhan added. Apang's counsel Kardak Ete, however, said the former CM had
been "illegally detained". "We smell political foul play. The probe panel had called Apang as a witness.
There should not be any question of his arrest under any clause. But law will take its own course," Kardak
said. Soon after the news of Apang's arrest, an elated Tago said, "I'm happy that our claims about the
scam are vindicated." Arunachal police had earlier named 40 people, including Apang and two of his
office staff, an MLA each from Assam and Arunachal and three IAS officers, as accused in the transport
subsidy scam. Apang served as Congress CM from January 18, 1980, to January 19, 1999. In 1996, he
broke away from Congress and floated Arunachal Congress but retained the CM's post. Apang was about
to break Jyoti Basu's record as the country's longest-serving CM, but he lost a trust motion in the
Arunachal house in 1999. He was the lone Opposition member in the 60-member assembly. In 2003, he
merged his party with BJP and toppled the Mukut Mithi-led Congress government and made Arunachal
NE's first BJP-ruled state. Even as he was CM of the BJP government, he returned to Congress after the
fall of the NDA government at the Centre in 2004. The same year, Apang led Congress to victory in the
assembly elections and became CM again. He was finally shown the door by present CM Dorjee Khandu,
also from Congress. (TOI, 25/8/2010)
Man murders wife in front of their kids
KANPUR: In a shocking incident, a 45-year-old housewife was brutally done to death by her husband
right in front of her three children. The woman's only fault was that she had raised voice against her
husband's extra-marital affair. The accused, Chandrashekhar Dubey, a labour office employee and
resident of A E Block Baragadiyapur, Panki, was arrested on the initial statement of his 20-year-old son
Sumit and two minor children. The three accused their father of attacking their mother (Saroj) with a stone
slab. According to reports, Dubey, a native of Etawah, was having an affair with the wife of another man,
Shivji Gupta, who also lived in Panki (C Block). A few days ago, Saroj went to the woman's home and told
her to stay away from her husband. On Wednesday evening, Chandrashekhar Dubey returned home with
Shivji Gupta and his wife, and started beating up Saroj. The woman fainted and Dubey then hit her with
the stone slab till she died. He then escaped with the others. The police have arrested Dubey and Gupta
but Gupta's wife is at large. A senior police official said: "The woman was found in a pool of blood, with
her two minor children (12-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son) sitting beside her body and crying,
on early Wednesday morning." She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead
upon arrival. (TOI, 26/8/2010)
CM Modi should file affidavit before riots probe panel, Teesta demands
AHMEDABAD: While an NGO, Jan Sangharsh Manch, has been trying hard for over a year to persuade
the Nanavati Mehta commission to summon chief minister Modi for questioning in connection with the
2002 riots, another NGO, Citizen for Justice and Peace ( CJP) on Thursday submitted before the probe
panel that Modi and 14 others should at least file affidavits explaining their roles during violence. CJP's
secretary Teesta Setalvad submitted that phone call records show that many accused persons like
Jaideep Patel and Maya Kodnani were in contact with the CMO. There were as many as 15 calls from
CMO to then city police commissioner PC Pande on February 28, 2008. "Therefore, Modi should, if not be
called, be compelled to file an affidavit before the commission, explaining his role during the post-Godhra
riots," she submitted. Setalvad also claimed that the police control room records of the time of riots had
been destroyed and sought an inquiry in the matter. Besides Modi, Setalvad sought the explanations from
Pande, then DGP K Chakravarti, joint police commissioner MK Tandon, DCP PB Gondia, former chief
secretary Subba Rao, former health minister Ashok Bhatt, former urban development minister IK Jadeja,
former home minister Gordhan Zadafiya, and other BJP leaders. Setalvad also asked for records of the
special telephone exchange of Ahmedabad police, specially manned by control room staff that had facility
of direct communications of senior officers with police stations and chowkies. Setalvad demanded setting
up of a special team for authentication of CDs containing phone records provided by IPS officer Rahul
Sharma. Following CJP's submission, the commission told the state government advocate T Nanavati
that he could file affidavit in answer to the submissions if the government wants. (TOI, 27/8/2010)

Robbery cases on rise in NCR
Incidents of chain snatching and robbery appear to be increasing in the National Capital Region (NCR)
this year with statistics showing a rise in the rate of such crimes per month as compared to last year. A
total of 691 chain snatching cases were reported from Delhi and its satellite townships of Gurgaon, Noida
and Ghaziabad this year till July 30 while a total of 1,062 similar incidents were reported in year 2009.
“While there were around 89 incidents of chain snatching per month last year in the national Capital and
its three satellite townships, the figure was 99 per month this year so far," a senior police official said.
Similarly, 717 robberies were reported from the region this year so far while a total of 1,114 cases were
reported last year. The incidents per month increased from 93 last year to 103 this year. This year, the
national Capital registered 525 chain snatching cases till July 30 while 102 cases were reported from
Gurgaon. Last year, Delhi registered 740 chain snatching cases while Gurgaon had 196. Noida has
shown a drastic decrease in the number of chain snatching cases. Only three cases were reported this
year so far as against 61 registered for the whole of last year. However, Ghaziabad is about to outpass
last year's figure of 65 this year as it has already registered 61 such cases in the first seven months of
2010. Police officials in Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon claim that all the cases are being registered and
that no action had to be taken against any police personnel for negligence in registering FIRs in the last
two years. A senior Delhi Police official said they are taking adequate steps for prompt and proper
registration of FIR and whenever any complaint regarding non-registration of case is reported, action is
taken against the concerned personnel. Delhi Police had taken action against five policemen this year for
non-registration of FIRs while the figure for the last year was four. (Dailypioneer, 30/8/2010)
Death for three upheld in Dharmapuri bus burning case
Holding that the act of the three accused — Nedunchezhian, Ravindran and Muniappan — in burning a
bus at Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu and killing three innocent college girls showed the highest degree of
depravity and brutality, the Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the death sentence awarded to them by
the Madras High Court. The case relates to the death of Kokilavani, Gayathri and Hemalatha of the Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The bus in which they were travelling along with 44 other
students and two teachers was torched on February 2, 2000, after the conviction of AIADMK leader
Jayalalithaa in a criminal case. A Bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice B.S. Chauhan expressed
concern that a large number of people, including shopkeepers, journalists and policemen on duty did not
intervene to rescue the girl students when the bus was burning. “Even if the common man fails to respond
to the call of his conscience, the police should not have remained inactive,” the Bench said. On February
16, 2007, a trial court in Salem awarded the death sentence to the three accused and jail terms of two
months to two years to 25 others, who also filed appeals. On appeal, the Madras High Court on
December 6, 2007 confirmed the trial court's order. Dismissing the appeals of the three accused, the
Supreme Court said: “The manner of the commission of the offence is extremely brutal, diabolical,
grotesque and cruel. It is shocking to the collective conscience of society. We do not see any cogent
reason to interfere with the punishment of death sentence awarded to the three accused by the courts
below.” The Bench held that this case was one of the rarest of rare cases warranting the death sentence
and there were no mitigating circumstance to interfere with the death sentence awarded by the courts
below. In respect of the 25 other accused, the Bench reduced their term to the sentences already
undergone by them. Since all of them were on bail, the Bench said their bail bonds stood discharged.
Writing the judgment, Justice Chauhan said: “The girl students of the university, while on tour, had been
the victims of a heinous crime at the tail end of their programme. The appellants may have had a
grievance and a right of peaceful demonstration, but they cannot claim a right to cause grave
inconvenience and humiliation to others, merely because a competent criminal court has handed down a
judicial pronouncement that is not to their liking.” The Bench said: “A demonstration by the appellants,
which had started peacefully, took an ugly turn when the appellants started damaging public transport
vehicles. Damaging the public transport vehicles did not satisfy them and they became the law unto
themselves. There can be absolutely no justification for the commission of such a brutal offence. Causing
the death of three innocent young girls and causing burn injuries to another 20 is an act that shows the
highest degree of depravity and brutality on the part of the three accused.” (The Hindu, 30/8/2010)

Rickshawpuller burned to death for alleged theft
MUZAFFARPUR: Rambhajan Prasad, a rickshaw-puller, was burned to death at Aghoriya Bazar on
Kalambag Road here on Tuesday on charge of stealing a loud speaker from a junk yard. Although the
owner of the scrap yard, Dharmendra Singh, claimed before police that Rambhajan committed suicide
after being caught red-handed stealing the loud speaker early morning, the victim's seven-year-old son,
Jassu Kumar, told the media that his father was burned alive by four persons from the junk yard. Jassu
said the four men put his father into a gunny bag and set him on fire. While, the incident of theft was
reported at about 4 am, Ram was burnt at around 7 am. On the other hand, a labourer working in the junk
yard claimed that Rambhajan set himself on fire after inserting his face inside the gunny bag under the
influence of liquor he had consumed after being caught stealing. A severely burned Rambhajan was
shifted to S K Medical College Hospital by the yard owner himself. He died in course of treatment. His
wife, Kanti Devi and two other children, were at their village and rushed to the hospital after hearing the
news. Rambhajan's wife also has alleged that her husband was burnt to death. She stunchly denied that
he committed suicide. Kazimohammadpur police recovered the half-burned gunny bag from the street
and put it inside the room where Rambhajan lived with one of his sons. (TOI, 1/9/2010)
Haridwar Roadways employee dies in police custody
An employee of Haridwar Roadways workshop died in the custody of police on Saturday night. He was
taken into custody for questioning in connection to Rs 9.62 lakh theft which was committed in Haridwar
Roadways workshop on August 27. The family of the deceased alleged that the police had kept him in
illegal detention for five days, and in the police station they had given him third degree treatment, which
led to his death. The deceased Rajendra Singh Arora (50) was admitted in the district hospital on
Saturday night by the police. But after half an hour doctors declared him dead. On the incident, Senior
Superintendent of Police, Haridwar Sanjay Gunjyal said he had complained of sever chest pain after
which he was rushed to the hospital and he died during treatment. The SSP, however, have no answer to
his prolonged illegal detention of the deceased. Meanwhile, taking a serious note on the issue, Director
General of Police (DGP) Jyoti Swaroop Pandey initiated a CBCID inquiry. He said case of murder has
been lodged against the police personnel involved in interrogation of the deceased along with a senior
officer of the Haridwar Roadways against whom the family of the deceased has lodged complaint. DGP
said irrespective of case is being worked out or not, the police have to honour the human rights. A serious
note of this incident has been taken into the incident, he added. The post-mortem report is inconclusive
about the cause of death. It says that the deceased have congested heart valves. There was no internal
or external injury mark on the body, report says. Daughter of the deceased, Pooja Arora told
mediapersons that the police had picked his father from home on August 30 on the pretext of questioning
regarding a theft in the workshop. The police repeatedly told her that her father will be released soon. But
the police, however, did not allow him to go him even after four-days of custody and has detained her son
Mithun Arora too on September 3 and thereafter subjected both of them to third degree torture, she
added. She further said the policemen and senior officers of roadways who are responsible should be
terminated from service. It is pertinent to mention that the deceased was detained by the police after
some of the senior officers of the workshop had raised suspicion that he might be behind the theft of
Rs9.62 lakh occurred in the railway workshop about a week ago. Following the theft, police too had raised
suspicion that some one among the workshop employees is behind the theft. (Pioneer, 6/9/2010)
Irregularities in Govt schemes affect health of schoolchildren
In spite of the high rate of literacy, rich natural resources and several Union and State Government health
schemes, the majority of school children in Uttarakhand are found to be malnourished. The sole reason
behind is stated to be rampant corruption in execution of these schemes. According to a survey
undertaken by the Health Department, about 75 per cent of girls studying in schools of Uttarakhand are
suffering from anemia. Recently, a team from the Health Department visited schools and examined the
health of students. The team found that majority of the school children are suffering from malnutrition. The
malnutrition has negatively affected the immunity level of the school children due to which the students,
especially the girls are suffering from more serious ailments in comparison to the boys. The parents of
such students have been advised to provide wholesome food to their children to redress the malnutrition.
The Union Government had started the Mid-day Meal scheme in Government primary schools under
which wholesome meals are provided to school children. However, recently the anomalies exposed in the
execution of the Mid-day Meal in Uttarakhand have substantiated allegations to the effect that the scheme
has failed to prevent children from being hit by malnutrition. As the food being provided to school children
under this scheme has been of inferior quality, they are suffering from malnutrition in spite of eating meals
in school. Sources state that in schools where the Mid-day Meal scheme is being executed, the food
served is not fit to eat as a result of which it is having no nutritional benefit for the children. In spite of the

claims being made by both the Union and State Governments about measures being undertaken to
ensure desired level of health and education facilities, the health of school children in Uttarakhand has
remained unsatisfactory. (Pioneer, 13/9/2010)
Man loses Rs 8 lakh kept in nationalised bank due to fraud
NEW DELHI: If you thought your money was safe in a nationalised bank, then beware! A sum of more
than Rs eight lakh deposited by a senior manager with Dabur India Ltd, Sahibabad, in a governmentcontrolled
bank has vanished owing to "online fraud". It was a nightmare for 54-year-old S P Yatri, who
had a balance of more than Rs eight lakh with the Punjab National Bank, Extension Counter at Dabur
India Ltd in Sahibabad, to get an SMS from ICICI bank saying equated monthly instalment through
Electronic Clearing System for February was bounced. Surprised over the text message, Yatri rushed to
nearby ATM to find that he has a balance of only Rs 526. "I immediately contacted PNB call centre and
intimated them regarding the same. Later I was told by Irfan ( call centre executive) that more than Rs
eight lakh has been fraudulently transferred to various accounts and was advised to lodge an FIR," a
worried Yatri said. When he contacted the bank, he was told the amount has been transferred to 13
different account holders of PNB in different states like Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka and
Uttar Pradesh. Realising that he has become a victim of online fraud, Yatri went to Preet Vihar Police
Station and lodged an FIR in this regard. Over half a year has passed by, but Yatri has only got
assurances from police and bank officials. The senior manager is running from pillar to post to get his
money back. "I have written to Union Home Ministry. Besides, I have met senior police officials. But I am
yet to get anything concrete. I have been duped by the bank," he charged. "Bank officials are so callous
that they do not respond to my numerous queries. I see a great struggle ahead to get my money back,"
he said. Queries by PTI on email did not elicit any response from the bank nor anyone could be contacted
over phone. When contacted, a senior police official said, "the matter is being investigated." "According to
preliminary inquiries done by police, most of these bank accounts are fake and opened by submitting
forged documents and fake introducers. Despite the norms set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the
PNB did not inform me about 45 transactions that took place within 7-8 days to divert all money from my
account to others," Yatri alleged. "It is disheartening to note that money is unsafe in nationalised banks,"
he added. (TOI, 13/8/2010)
Not contempt of court, says Prashant Bhushan
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, facing contempt of court proceedings for his interview in Tehelka magazine
levelling allegations of corruption against some of the Supreme Court judges has in a fresh affidavit
reiterated the charges and claimed that his assertions were supported by documentary evidence. Taking
truth as a valid defence in contempt of court cases, Mr. Bhushan said that his perception that half out of
the last 16 to 17 Chief Justices of India had been corrupt was based on some documentary, some oral
and some circumstantial evidence, material and information that he had. A three-judge Bench headed by
Justice Altamas Kabir is hearing the contempt of court case against Mr. Bhushan. It was in this case that
his father and former Union Law Minister Shanti Bhushan filed an affidavit charging the CJIs with
corruption. In his fresh affidavit, Mr. Prashant Bhushan said: “As regards my statement about the last 16-
17 Chief Justices, I would like to state that these include some of the finest and most upright Chief
Justices that we have ever had. When I said that in my view about half of the last 16-17 Chief Justices
were corrupt, I certainly did not intend to paint the entire judiciary or the entire Supreme Court with the
same brush. I believe that the Supreme Court has had and continues to have many outstanding judges
and Chief Justices, due to whose tireless efforts we have been able to hold on to some of our cherished
fundamental rights and continue to be regarded as a nation governed by the rule of law. It is because of
them that people in this country still turn to the Courts in the hope of getting justice. “However, I would be
remiss in my duty as a campaigner for judicial accountability and reforms had I not stated my honest
opinion about the serious and indeed alarming state of corruption in the higher judiciary. I felt that it is
important to dispel an erroneous impression which some people still harbour, that corruption in the
judiciary is confined to the lower judiciary and that the higher judiciary is free thereof. It was to underline
this, that I mentioned my perception about half of the last 16-17 Chief Justices. “I have placed
documentary information on record to dispel any impression that my remarks were baseless or made with
reckless disregard to the truth. I had done so in public interest, only to draw attention to the extent of the
problem and the urgent need to correct the situation by putting in place robust and effective institutional
mechanisms for enforcing the accountability of the higher judiciary. I submit that this cannot and must not
be held to be contempt of Court.” (The Hindu, 19/9/2010)
Homeguard let convict kill jailor, escape for 160
JODHPUR: A homeguard's greed for paltry Rs 160 allegedly proved fatal for Jodhpur jailer Bharat

Bhushan Bhatt (58). The jailer was killed by a murder convict on the jail premises on Saturday.
Preliminary investigations suggest that an on-duty jail homeguard took Rs 160 for providing the lethal
knife to murder convict, Narendra Singh, in killing Bhatt. ''The homeguard had demanded Rs 250, but the
deal was finalized for Rs 160,'' said Jodhpur jail superintendent A R Niyazi. However, the homeguard has
not been identified and an identification parade in the presence of Narendra will be conducted on
Monday. ''During interrogation, Narendra admitted he knew the homeguard by face only. So an
identification parade will be done as there are 13 homeguards at Jodhpur jail,'' Niyazi said on Sunday.
Although the incident is seen an act of revenge by Narendra, whom Bhatt had reportedly beaten up in a
Jaipur jail in 2007, there is an element of mystery in the case too as the knife used in killing Bhatt has not
been recovered even after 24 hours of the incident. (TOI, 20/9/2010)
23 killed as freight train rams Gwalior Intercity
Twenty-three people were killed and over 30 injured after a freight train collided with a passenger train at
the Badarwas railway station in Shivpuri district early on Monday morning. The accident happened at
around 5 a.m. when the freight train rammed the stationary Gwalior Intercity Express from behind,
resulting in the piling up of the last three compartments of the Intercity express on top of one another.
“Twenty-one bodies have been recovered and the injured have been admitted to district hospitals at
Shivpuri and Guna. Two seriously injured people have been airlifted and sent to Jhansi for treatment,”
Rajendra Prasad, Superintendent of Police, Shivpuri, told The Hindu. “It appears prima facie to be a case
of overshooting the signal,” Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Ghanshyam Singh told The Hindu. (The
Hindu, 21/9/2010)
CBI unearths major pension scam
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday unearthed a major scam in the disbursement of Old Age
Pension (OAP) to senior citizens. Besides irregularities in the payout, investigators found that a majority
of postmen took Rs. 20 as unauthorised commission from the beneficiaries. After a surprise check,
special teams of the Anti-Corruption Branch arrested eleven postmen, including a woman, agency
sources said. Following a specific input on corruption in the disbursement of OAP, CBI officials conducted
the checks at the West Mambalam, K.K. Nagar and Ashok Nagar post offices on Monday. “We saw OAP
beneficiaries standing in long queues at the post offices. Going by the rule, pension should be delivered
at the doorstep in the presence of witnesses. The Revenue Department pays Money Order commission
to the Postal Department,” a CBI official said. He said the pension was disbursed without due verification.
Signatures of witnesses were not obtained. The postmen gave Rs. 380, instead of Rs. 400, to the
beneficiaries. OAP is given to beneficiaries coming under five categories – old aged persons, physically
handicapped destitutes, destitute widows, destitute agricultural labourers and deserted wives. It was
raised from Rs. 200 to Rs. 400 a month in August 2006. “It has been the practice of a majority of postmen
to deduct Rs. 20 to Rs. 40 as commission from the beneficiaries. In Chennai district, there are about 2.36
lakh pensioners under the OAP scheme. The surprise check on Monday was confined to the
disbursement of pension to 52,000 pensioners in three post offices,” the official said. Asked whether the
Post Master or other senior officials were aware of the irregularity, he said the matter was subject to
further investigation. “At this stage, we cannot rule out the involvement of other postal employees in the
case. The money involved is huge…we suspect that the money would be to the tune of several lakhs per
month in Chennai alone. Many pensioners have given statements that they were paid only Rs. 380 a
month over a period of time.” The arrested postmen belonged to the West Mambalam and K.K. Nagar
post offices. An amount of Rs. 13,000, alleged to be unauthorised commission, was seized. Two cases
have been registered against the accused under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,
the sources added. (The Hindu, 21/9/2010)
Chronology of major train accidents since year 2000
A goods train on Monday rammed into a stationary passenger train in Badarwas railway station in
Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district leaving at least eight people dead. Following is the chronology of
major train accidents since 2000: Dec 3, 2000: Forty-six killed and over 130 injured as the Howrah-
Amritsar Mail rams into a derailed goods train between Sarai Banjara and Sadhugarh in Punjab. June 22,
2001: Forty people killed when the Mangalore-Chennai Mail fell into Kadalundi river near Kozhikode in
Kerala. January 5, 2002: 21 killed and 41 injured when Secundarabad-Manmad express train rammed
into a stationary goods train at Ghatnandur station in Maharashtra. March 23, 2002: Seven injured when
13 bogies of Lokmanya Tilak Superfast Express from Patna to Mumbai derailed near Narsinghpur in
Madhya Pradesh. May 12, 2002: Twelve killed when the New Delhi-Patna Shramjeevi Express derails in
Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. June 4, 2002: Thirty-four killed when the Kasgunj Express rammed into a bus
at a rail crossing. September 9, 2002:Hundred passengers were killed and One hundred and fifty

passengers hurt when a bogey of Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani Express plunged into Dhave river in Bihar's
Aurangabad district. Sept 10, 2002: One hundred and twenty were killed when the Kolkata-New Delhi
Rajdhani Express derails over a bridge in Bihar. May 15, 2003: Thirty eight people killed and thirteen
injured when three coaches of Amritsar-bound Frontier Mail caught fire. June 22, 2003: Fifty three were
killed and twenty-five injured when Karwar-Mumbai Central Holiday Special train derailed after crossing
Vaibhavwadi Station in Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra. July 2, 2003: A train engine and two adjoining
coaches fell off a bridge in Warangal, killing eighteen people. February 27, 2004: Thirty people killed
when Guwahati-bound Kanchenjunga Express rammed into a truck at an unmanned level-crossing in
West Bengal's Dinajpur district. December 15, 2004: 34 persons, including 11 women, died and about 50
injured when Ahmedabad-bound Jammu Tawi Express collided head-on with a local train about 40 km
from Jalandhar in Punjab. August 18, 2006: Two carriages caught fire on Chennai-Hyderabad Express
near Secundrabad railway station. November 9, 2006: About forty died and fifteen injured in a West
Bengal rail accident. December 1, 2006: A portion of 150-year-old bridge being dismantled collapsed over
a passing train in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, killing thirty-five and injuring seventeen. November 14, 2009:
The Delhi-bound Mandore Express derailed with some portion of the track piercing its AC compartment,
leaving seven passengers dead and over sixty injured in Bassi town near Jaipur. October 21, 2009:
Twenty-two people were killed and twenty-six injured when the Goa Express rammed the Mewar Express
at Banjana on the Mathura-Vrindavan section of the Northern Railway in Uttar Pradesh. January 2, 2010:
Three accidents involving five trains took place in Uttar Pradesh due to dense fog conditions, killing fifteen
people. January 16, 2010: Three people died and around a dozen were injured when two express trains --
Kalindi Express and Shram Shakti Express -- collided in thick fog in Uttar Pradesh. May 28, 2010:
Jyaneshwari Express derailed by Naxals killing at least one hundred and forty eight people. July 19,
2010: Speeding Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express rammed into the Vanachal Express at Sainthia
station in Bhirbhum district killing over sixty people. (IE, 21/9/2010)
In 15 months of Mamata tenure, 270 railway deaths
NEW DELHI: At a time when railways is trying for an image makeover, Monday's train accident near
Guna in Madhya Pradesh, which killed 23 and injured 30 passengers, is set to dent the track record of rail
minister Mamata Banerjee, who has often been accused of being an " absentee minister". According to
preliminary findings, the driver of the goods trains ignored the signal and rammed into a stationary Indore-
Gwalior Intercity Express at Badarwas station. The spurt in accidents will certainly turn the political heat
on Mamata, who faces assembly polls in her home state, West Bengal, next year. In over 15 months
since Banerjee took over as minister, around 270 travellers have been killed in more than a dozen major
train accidents, which have mostly been caused due to failure of railway employees that led to head-on or
rear-on collisions. Trinamool Congress chief has been accused of being absent from Delhi, and focusing
more on the Bengal elections. The spate of accidents has also put a question mark on her promise to
improve railways' safety record. Typically, Mamata's approach to the accidents has been to hurriedly
announce compensation for victims and their next of kin, institute inquiries and direct senior officials from
Delhi to rush to the sites, giving enough ammunition to the Opposition to highlight her failure to prevent
such incidents. Besides, questions are being raised about various pending vital decisions and
appointments to heighten rail safety. While railways is trying hard to fill around 89,000 safety-related
vacancies, the arrest of the chairman of railway recruitment board ( RRB) Mumbai has not only
embarrassed the state transporter but also derailed the entire process. Railways is yet to come up with a
timeline for installation of the anti-collision device, even though the decision was taken after the Saithia
tragedy. CAG had also pointed out to railways about meeting its own target that was set under the
corporate safety plan. (TOI, 21/9/2010)
Bridge collapses near Delhi stadium
In a huge setback to the organisers just 12 days ahead of the Commonwealth Games, a foot over-bridge
under construction near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, main venue of the Games, collapsed on Tuesday,
injuring 27 labourers. The bridge, which collapsed around 3.15 p.m., was meant to link the parking lot
meant for the spectators. The structure was to be supported by clips (pins) attached at the end of the
suspenders dangling from an arch. “There was a slip in one of the clips, and the structure fell while
concrete was being poured into one of the decks,” said Delhi PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan. A team
of experts, led by H.S. Dogra, Director-General (retd.), CPWD, and IIT-Delhi Professor A. Gupta, has
been constituted by the Delhi government to “look into the cause of failure and suggest remedial
measures.” It will submit a report within a fortnight. PWD Engineer-in-Chief Rakesh Mishra ruled out rain
or negligence as possible causes. Of the 27 injured, four were admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital and 23
treated at the AIIMS. Five of them were said to be in a serious condition. The Delhi government has
slapped a black-listing notice on the contractor. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was

iefed by Cabinet Secretary K. M. Chandrashekhar of the decisions taken to rectify the situation in view
of the allegations made by foreign participants about lack of proper facilities at the Games Village. (The
Hindu, 22/9/2010)
Rs 3.51cr scam in DUSIB: Walia
Urban Development Minister Dr Ashok Kumar Walia on Wednesday disclosed that the Delhi Urban
Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has detected a case of misappropriation of about `3.51 crore in
process of depositing charges being collected from the squatters over the years. According to a Press
release, an Assistant Director (Cash Purshottam Kumar is suspected to be involved in this case.
Accounts Officer (S) NK Gupta has lodged an FIR at the IP Police Station. It has been observed during
studying the old records that Kumar used to collect charges from the squatters in cash/cheques. The
cheques were being directly deposited in an account maintained with the Central Bank of India whereas
cash amount collected which were supposed to be deposited in bank was being misappropriated by
issuing fake counterfoils with bank stamp to the squatters as their proof of payment. It is yet to be
ascertained about the period for which this sort of misappropriation continued. Walia has directed the
Special Officer (DUSIB) to further study the old records thoroughly to know about the exact quantum of
embezzlement and any other form of misappropriation which might not have come to the notice till now.
He has further instructions which says that no transaction be made henceforth in all the saving bank
accounts in operation in SBI, IP Estate and Central Bank of India, Vikas Kuteer without the approval of
the Financial Advisor (DUSIB) and new accounts in lieu of existing accounts be opened in the name of
DUSIB. Kumar is being placed under suspension and an LDC Bal Kishan is being posted to work as
Cashier in place of Kumar. (Pioneer, 23/9/2010)
Too many 'dead men' walking around
CHANDIGARH: A dead man coming back to life sounds like good news. But the number of ' dead men
walking' cases being handled by the Punjab and Haryana High Court is bizarre. There seem to be one too
many dead men walking around and exposing the criminal negligence behind police investigations in
such cases. On Wednesday, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal raised a valiant
point when it asked the Panipat Police: "How can you do that? Who will be responsible for the
imprisonment undergone by innocent persons for the murder of a live (living) person?" The case in point
was of three persons from Panipat serving five years in jail for the 'murder' of a person who appeared
before the trial court two years later, to convince it of his 'living' status. Surprisingly, the then SP of
Kurukshetra, Bharti Arora, had exonerated the investigation officer (IO), who was responsible for booking
them for murder. Now, Arora has been asked to file an affidavit, to explain the reasons for reaching a
conclusion wherein she exonerated the IO who was responsible for such negligence. Evidently, the IO,
sub inspector Baljit Singh, had concocted a story that the accused pushed victim Sham Lal into Gang
Canal of Meerut, which led to his death by drowning. On September 15, the CBI traced a 23-year-old
youth — believed to have been "killed" by the Haryana Police. Sanjay, arrested by the Gurgaon Police for
stealing a mobile in May 2009, had escaped from police custody but his father had accused the police of
eliminating him. Last September, a court had directed the Punjab government to pay Rs 1 crore to five
persons of Barnala district who had undergone a five-year prison in the prime of youth for having
'murdered' a man who was actually alive and living under an assumed name away from his village. It was
possibly the highest ever compensation granted in rare cases of this nature. Similarly, on August 27 last
year, a dead woman, Charanjit Kaur, from Zira town of Punjab, had appeared before the high court,
appealing it to save her husband, who had been put behind bars for her alleged killing. Following her
appearance, the "accused" husband was released immediately and a special investigation team
constituted to probe the case. (TOI, 23/9/2010)
'Hire upright, honest judges to change corrupt judiciary image'
NEW DELHI: Concerned at the dipping image of the judicial system due to growing incidents of
corruption, the Supreme Court has said all round efforts were needed urgently to recruit upright and
honest persons as judicial officers to effect an image makeover for the judiciary. "Upright and honest
judicial officers are needed not only to bolster the image of the judiciary in the eyes of the litigants but
also to sustain the culture of integrity, virtue and ethics among judges," said a bench comprising Justices
Mukundakam Sharma and Anil R Dave. Writing for the bench, Justice Sharma said: "Public perception of
judiciary matters just as much as its role in dispute resolution. The credibility of the entire judiciary is often
undermined by isolated acts of transgression by a few members of the bench, and therefore it is
imperative to maintain a high benchmark of honesty, accountability and good conduct." The bench gave
vent to its feeling while upholding the dismissal of a Jammu & Kashmir district judge. It said the officer
was in the probation period and that the high court was right in not confirming his services after

scrutinising his track record. Not taking this incident as an isolated one, the bench reflected upon the
solemn duty cast on the HCs to consider and appreciate the service of a judicial officer before confirming
him in service so as to weed out the deadwood and corrupt from the judiciary. (TOI, 23/9/2010)
India bribed 72 nations to get Delhi CWG: Report
MELBOURNE: India bribed 72 Commonwealth countries $100,000 each to get the hosting rights for the
scandal-hit 19th edition of the Games which will start in Delhi from October 3-14, a media report claimed.
A report in the Daily Telegraph claimed that Delhi pipped Hamilton in the bid after offering huge sums of
money to the 72 Commonwealth countries during the final presentation in Jamaica. The report also said
that Australia received a kickback of $125,000 from India. "Delhi sealed the right to host the Games when
their delegates emerged at the final presentation in Jamaica and offered all 72 nations $100,000 (then
about $140,000) each for athlete training schemes if they were the successful bidders," the newspaper
reported. "The money, subsequently paid to all nations, was not significant to Australia because it had
already decided to vote for India and the payment was not an exceptionally large one. "But for small
nations who have minimal interest in the Games, it clinched their vote and India went on to beat Canadian
city Hamilton 46-22 in the final poll. Hamilton had offered the nations about $70,000 each," it said. (TOI,
24/9/2010)
Occultism at Govt office, but Minister protects official
Kerala’s Education and Culture Minister MA Baby, a CPI(M) central committee member, is accused of
protecting an allegedly corrupt Government official who performed nightly occult rites in his office. The
Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan has repeatedly ordered the suspension of this official but he has
managed to survive allegedly due to Baby’s support. Mohan Abraham, director of Continuing Education,
Kerala, had allegedly performed occult rites to remove the bad spells over him in front of his office at the
Kerala State Civil Service Academy in Thiruvananthapuram on the night of last Friday. Strangely, Minister
Baby, who reached the office in the night itself, asked the same official to inquire about the incident.
Allegations came up from various quarters on Sunday that Baby was trying to protect the official due to
some unholy relation between them and also because of the involvement of the Public Relations Officer
of the Academy, who was relative of another Minister. Baby on Saturday asked Mohan Abraham to go on
compulsory leave. After allegations of corruption were raised against Mohan Abraham when he was the
director of Vocational Higher Secondary Education, he was transferred to the Continuing Education
section with additional charge of the Civil Service Academy. The Chief Minister had asked Baby to
suspend Abraham from service after corruption charge was established against him when he was VHSE
director. People living in the area of the Academy had noticed that “something strange” was happening in
the office at about 9.30 pm Friday. When mediamen reached the place, several lower level officials fled
the scene. The academy’s PRO could not flee but denied allegations that extraordinary activities were
going on there. However, things like Nilavilakku, the traditional lamp, bananas, the traditional para and
other articles used in occult rituals were found in front of Abraham’s office. The official, however,
maintained that no other activities than cleaning works were going on in the office but other employees
said that the programme was indeed occultism intended at removing bad spells over the Abraham.
Minister Baby is now charged with openly defying instructions from the Chief Minister to suspend Mohan
Abraham. Achuthanandan had written to Baby asking him to suspend the official on the basis of Vigilance
reports that he had amassed wealth beyond his means when he was VHSE Director. Baby chose to send
the file back suggesting revocation of the instruction but Achuthanandan refused to give in. Instead of
sacking Mohan Abraham, he was shifted from VHSE Directorate to Continued Education. The surprising
fact is that the CPI(M) has not yet intervened in the issue, which has already been described as a replay
of the group was in the party. Baby belongs to the neo-liberalist faction in the CPI(M) led by State
secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, which had succeeded in removing Achuthanandan, leader of the traditionalists
in the party, from the Politbureau for alleged indiscipline. (Pioneer, 27/9/2010)
Over 100 MLAs in Bihar Assembly face criminal charges
About 110 members of Bihar Legislative Assembly have pending criminal cases against them, including
for serious crimes such as murder, kidnapping and extortion, says a new survey. According to a latest
survey conducted by Association of Democratic reforms and National Election Watch, an umbrella body
of about 1,000 NGOs across the country, a total of 109 MLAs in the 243-member Assembly have criminal
cases pending against them. Out of these, 64 members have serious criminal charges pending against
them, according to the data. The analysis was done on the basis of affidavits submitted by a total of 919
candidates for contesting Bihar Assembly elections in 2005. Out of which, 358 had declared pending

criminal cases against them and 213 had serious criminal cases pending against them. The ADR-NEW
analysed affidavits of 233 MLAs and found that 109 had pending criminal cases against them when
elected. A highest of 39 MLAs were from JD(U), followed by 32 from BJP and 19 from RJD among others.
Six people from LJP and three from Congress had criminal cases pending against them when they were
elected, the data claimed. A highest of 32 cases were registered against Pradip Kumar, an independent
candidate who won the election from Warsaliganj constituency, followed by 25 cases against Kishore
Kumar, who won the poll from Sonbarsa. "MLAs like Rajesh Kumar Raushan (RJD) from Kesariya and
Manoranjan Singh (JD-U) from Baniapur, all were charged with more than 15 IPC sections related to
murder, kidnapping and robbery," the survey said. The Association has demanded that upcoming Bihar
assembly election should be free of candidates having criminal background and urged the political parties
not to give tickets to tainted candidates. The six-phase elections in 243-member Legislative Assembly in
Bihar are scheduled from October 21. "An attempt must be made to change the trend which existed in the
Bihar Assembly election, 2005. Parties before releasing their list of candidates for the elections should
make sure that they do not field any candidates with criminal background," the association said. (IE,
27/9/2010)
SC slams CBI, Maya over adjournments
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati was at the receiving end on Monday when the Supreme Court
found reason to suspect her frequent application-making exercise as a ploy to bide time. But the CBI too
wasn’t spared. Anguished at the number of adjournments sought by both Mayawati and CBI in filing
applications and later seeking time to file reply, the Bench of Justices B Sudershan Reddy and SS Nijjar
said, “If both of you are together, let this matter go.” The court’s concern followed a request made by CBI
counsel TA Khan who sought an adjournment of six weeks to respond to Mayawati’s latest application.
The application by the BSP chief disputed the CBI’s claim that there is enough evidence to nail her in the
DA case and that her case was not at par with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav. But the Bench felt that the root cause for the matter to remain pending since two
years was the tendency to keep on filing applications giving the other side opportunity to buy time for
reply. Hitting out at Additional Advocate General Shail Kumar Dwivedi who appeared for Mayawati, the
Bench said, “Every time you file an application, they seek time and we keep adjourning the case, this
cannot go on.” Giving time to CBI for filing its response, the Bench’s harsh stand was sufficient to indicate
both parties that the Court was not willing to keep the matter hanging for a long while. Considering the
course the case had taken in the past two years, the Court’s concern was not without reason. After
Mayawati first came to SC to allege political witchhunt against the UPA Government, the Centre was put
in a spot. But with political compulsions coming in the way, Mayawati extended her hand of support that
was paid back in equal measure. However, with relations turning sour, Mayawati became a target again
with the Income tax department finding clear case to dispute her “gift” theory. Mayawati even cried foul
over being discriminated while heads of other allies at the Centre namely RJD and SP were being let off
on similar charges by CBI that had either put investigation against them in cold storage or failed to appeal
against their acquittal. (Pioneer, 28/9/2010)
Kerala custody death: 13 cops named accused
The CBI on Monday filed the chargesheet in the case relating to the death in custody of Udayakumar at
the Fort Police Station in Thiruvananthapuram exactly five years after the incident. The agency named 14
persons as accused and 13 of them were police personnel while the 14th was a man taken into custody
along with Udayakumar. Three of the 13 accused police personnel were women. The agency submitted
an application in the court praying that eight of the accused be made approvers. Three policemen - first,
second and third accused - had been charged with murder. The 14th person was Sureshkumar, taken
into custody along with Udayakumar. He was made an accused for making false depositions with the
intention of saving the other accused. The chargesheet, submitted in the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court,
Ernakulam said the agency had got enough evidences to charge three police officers including an
assistant commissioner and circle inspector with murder but the required permission had not been
granted. The three policemen charged with murder were Jithukumar, Sreekumar and Soman. The officers
the CBI wanted to charge with murder were ACP VK Sabu, Circle Inspector Ajith Kumar and head
constable VP Mohanan. The women personnel accused in the case were ASI Thankamani and
constables Sajitha and Sheejakumari. The others accused in the case were Ramachandran Nair, George,
Ramachandran, Sajil and Heeralal. Udaya Kumar was picked up with another man from a park on
September 27, 2005. The police found Rs 4,000 from them. When asked about the source of money, they
gave different explanations, raising suspicion. They were then taken to the Fort PS and Udayakumar was
subjected to brutal torture, which the chargesheet said was to force him to admit that he had stolen the
money. Udaya Kumar fell unconscious and was certified dead on arrival at the Medical College,

Thiruvananthapuram. (Pioneer, 28/9/2010)
An Express Investigation on CWG: Their Common Wealth
Father and daughter, uncle and nephew, twin siblings, mother and son, sister and brother, father and
daughter and daughter-in-law — the list of employees of the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth
Games, chaired by Suresh Kalmadi, includes at least 38 of the top brass who are related to each other,
an investigation by The Indian Express has revealed. For the record, these men and women were hired
after they responded to ads in newspapers, sent applications and were then interviewed by a committee.
The man who heads the committee, N P Singh, Joint Director, General Administration and Workforce,
says it is a “coincidence that so many of them are inter-related.” Asked if this raised questions of propriety
and favouritism, Singh said: “What is more important is their competence, not the relationships. This is
just a coincidence.”
1. Four nephews of OC vice chairman Randhir Singh have been hired. Three work in the Commonwealth
Games Association Relations (dealing with Commonwealth associations of 71 countries), directly under
Singh. Amar Singh Wazir and Yadu Raj Singh are Directors; Tejinder Singh is Project Officer while the
fourth nephew is with the OC’s Spectator Services wing as Assistant Project Officer. A Director is paid an
average salary of Rs 79,000 a month When asked if his uncle helped, Yadu Raj Singh said: “I have a
strong background in sports and communication. I have previously worked for a marketing firm which
works for several golf tournaments in India. In 2006, I was asked if I wanted to be part of Commonwealth
Games. After this, I was selected through interview and was sent to Melbourne for two months of training.
I am handling some of the biggest Commonwealth Games contingents.” Said Amar Singh Wazir: “If my
uncle was responsible for my job, then he would have straightaway appointed me at a senior post of a
Deputy Director General. I joined OC as Project Officer and was promoted (to Director) on the basis of
appreciation letters.” Asked to explain the presence of three relatives in the OC, Randhir Singh said that
in a “royal family like mine,” several people are inter-related. “If my own children were employed here,
then it would make sense. Not some distant far-off relations. They applied and they are all smart, sensible
boys,” Singh said.
2. Bharati Singh Rao, daughter of Rao Inderjit Singh, Congress MP from Gurgaon, is Director, Image and
Look. She was hired a year ago. She declined to comment but her father, when contacted, said: “She is a
graphic designer. She has a degree from Fine Arts college in Delhi. She has been working in her
personal capacity and has nothing to do with me.”
3. Sangeeta Welinkar is Additional Director General (Image and Look) and her son Udhav Waman
Welinkar quit the OC last month as Administrative Assistant (Volunteer programme). Sangeeta Welinkar
is in the core committee of OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi and worked with him during the Pune Youth
Games as well. She draws a salary of Rs 1.31 lakh per month. Her son Udhav’s salary was Rs 33,500
per month. Welinkar refused to comment on the issue. “I have nothing to say. You should talk to the
Secretary General. And my son quit a long time back,” she said.
4. Vivek Raja, son of P K Murlidharan Raja, Secretary General of the Boxing Federation, is working with
the OC as Director, Workforce, which is also partly responsible for hiring staff. “My father did not even
know when I was applying in this organisation. I have been hired based on my experience and not
because of my connection. My previous experience includes working in Barclays and Kelly Services
which handled several corporate clients like Siemens and J P Morgan,” Raja said.
5. Raj Singh is OC’s Competition Manager, his daughter Manisha Sharma is Administrative Assistant
(Ticketing) and his daughter-in-law Shelkha Sharma is a receptionist in Kalmadi’s office. Raj Singh is also
Vice President of the Wrestling Federation. “Manisha and Shelkha are working in their own capacity. I
was not even in town when they filled in the applications. They are highly qualified, they don’t even need
the job, they are working to get experience,” Singh said.
6. Shikha Verma is Director, Creative Cultural Events, and her twin sister Shipra Verma is Director
(Protocol ). Many in the OC confuse one with the other. “I am basically a model, I came to work here for
experience. My sister is a basketball player and a lecturer in DU. She had left the OC to go back to
college but now, for the last few months, she is back,” said Shikha Verma.
7. Jamal Raazi is Director (Technology) and his wife Sana Raazi is Project Officer (Technology). Both
were promoted two months ago. “I work in the technical side, while she is more into operations. We both

joined together. We have applied and have gone through the entire process of interview before being
selected,” said Jamal Raazi.
8. Syed Yasar Ibrahim is Assistant Project Officer (Venue Development & Overlays) and his wife Umama
Ibrahim is APO (Venue Development and Overlays). “I had joined the Organising Committee in 2007 after
I completed MBA in sports management. My wife completed her engineering from Amity College in
Lucknow. They needed engineers, so she applied and joined in 2009,” said Syed Yassar Ibrahim.
9. Siddarth Mall is Assistant Project Officer (Sponsorship and Sales) and wife Deepali Kapoor is APO of
the Volunteer Programme. “I have been a state-level cricket player and I also have a background in
marketing, I worked earlier for J K Tyres and Eicher. I joined the Organising Committee a year back. My
wife was working here for the last three years. She was working earlier for a government body, I do not
remember the name,” Mall said.
10. Capt N L Khan is Director (Administration) and his wife Geeta Khan is APO (Spectator Services).
When contacted, Khan said: “Whether my wife works here or not is not a newspaper’s business.”
11. C S Rathi is Assistant Project Officer (Sports) and his son Ajay Rathi is APO, (Lawn Bowl). “I am an
ex-Navy personnel,” said C S Rathi, “I have myself participated in the walking marathon in 1990 at the
Beijing Asian Games, my record was not broken for 10 years. I joined OC in 2006 after applying through
an advertisement.” He said that as soon as his son graduated in physical education, he applied for the
job. “My son is also an athelete,” he said.
12. Col Surinder Kumar is Project Officer (Office Administration) and his son Shashwat is APO (Sports).
“It is coincidental that we have joined together. We have nothing to hide. My son told the interviewers that
his father is working here. My four generations have been working in the Army. We do not have any
godfather in the OC who gave us this job,” said Kumar.
13. Savita Thakur is Assistant Project Officer (Ticketing) and her sister Babita Thakur is Administrative
Assistant (Transport). “I was registered with naukri.com and that is how I got this job. I was earlier working
for an airline in their ticketing department. When I joined, I saw there were several vacancies, so I told my
sister who was working in an insurance firm to apply and she was selected,” Savita Thakur said.
14. Aparna Ghosh is Director (Venue Operations) and her niece Aneesha Mitra is Administrative
Assistant (Ceremonies). “I am coach of basketball and I have been working with the OC for three years.
Aneesha is my niece and there was an opportunity so she joined.”
15. Anita Guliani is Administrative Assistant (Administration) and her daughter Mansi Guliani is
Administrative Assistant (Ceremonies). “My mother was working with Athletics Federation of India and
she joined the Organising Committee soon after its formation. I came to know there were vacancies, so I
gave my resume,” said Mansi Guliani.
16. Avny Lavasa is Project Officer (Queen’s Baton Relay) and her brother Abir Lavasa is APO (Venue
Operations). “My sister has been working for the OC since February 2008, she has done a course in
sports management from Melbourne. I am a Ranji-level cricket player. We were interviewed before being
given this job,” said Abir Lavasa.
17. Jeet Ram is Stenographer (Ceremonies) and his son Neeraj is Administrative Assistant (Technology).
“Both my son and I have joined the OC using fair means. I have been working here since 2006 while my
son is here for the last one year. He has done his diploma in computer hardware, so the Technology unit
hired him,” said Jeet Ram.
18. D Anand Kumar is Project Officer (Sports) and his wife D Rama Devi is APO (Accounts). “We both got
appointment letters together and we have been with the OC since November 2005. My husband had
earlier worked in Afro-Asian Games, so he had experience,” said Rama Devi.
19. Pratap Bhosale is Project Officer (Logistics) and his daughter Priyanka P Bhosale is Administrative
Assistant (Cleaning and Waste Management). “I have done environment management from Pune. Me
and my father have earlier worked in the Pune Youth Games. We both were called by Delhi Organising
Committee as soon as the games wrapped in Pune,” Priyanka Bhosale said. (Indian Express, 28/9/2010)

Police harass neighbour of sexual assault victims
The person, who had highlighted the matter of sexual assault of three minors including a girl and two
boys by a school cab driver, is now allegedly harassed by the Delhi Police. Subhash Nagar, neighbour of
the victim family, submitted a written complaint with Delhi Police Commissioner YS Dadwal on Tuesday
alleging that the police personnel are harassing him because of the fact that he is helping the victim in
getting justice. “Police personnel of Prasad Nagar police station came to my home several times and
threatened me. They also called me in the police station on Sunday and forced me to write that the
mother of the three victims has a bad character and she is having an extra marital affair with another
person,” said Nagar. Nagar further said that from last two days he is not living at his actual residence and
due to harassment, he is residing at some other place. “In my complaint to the Police Commissioner, I
have urged him to provide me with some security. Police are doing this to hush up the matter. The
woman does not have any extra marital affair,” Nagar added. The matter has been transferred to the
Special Crime Branch of Delhi Police. He pointed out that why the police personnel are harassing them in
the name of investigation. Police are yet to nab the remaining two out of four minor associates of the cab
driver. It is pertinent to mention that the driver, who used to ferry the 12-year-old girl, a Class VII student,
and her two brothers from their Prasad Nagar house here to school, is alleged to have sexually exploited
them over a period of time with his friends, who are all minors. A case was registered with Prasad Nagar
police station against the accused. (Pioneer, 29/9/2010)
Minister says SHO, cops threatening whistleblowers, sex abuse victims
Delhi health minister Kiran Walia has alleged that the whistleblowers in the case of sexual abuse of three
minors by a cab driver are facing threat from the police. Demanding the suspension of the station house
officer (SHO) of the Prasad Nagar police station, she said that she would seek intervention of the National
Human Right Commission (NHRC) in the case. Prof. Walia has also sought protection of the victims,
saying that they are under threat. Infuriated by the police threats to whistle blowers Subhash Nagar and
one Vijay Kumar, who came to the rescue of the victims and their mother, she urged the police
commissioner to take stringent action against the alleged officials and the SHO. Cab driver Lalit Ratawal
was arrested on September 17 for allegedly raping a minor girl and sodomising her two brothers for about
one-and-a-half years. In a statement released to the media, Prof. Walia said, “it is not understood that
when the matter of sodomy and rape of three schoolchildren has been handed over to the crime branch,
why the local police, the SHO and his men are visiting the neighbours and relatives of the victims and
harassing them”. (AA, 2/10/2010)
Policeman sodomizes a dozen schoolchildren in Rajasthan
AJMER: The horror stories of cops' brutalities continue in Rajasthan: days after rape and murder of a
woman constable by her colleagues in Kota, a constable has been sent to Police Lines on charges of
sodomizing at least a dozen schoolchildren at a police outpost in Ajmer's Kishangarh town. The matter
came to light when an NGO approached the police and media along with children, including some victims.
The children study at a government school situated near the police outpost where the accused constable
was deputed in Kishangarh. The police said investigations were on, and that the constable would be
arrested if the allegations were found true. According to reports, the accused, identified as Indrajeet
Singh, was a constable attached to a police outpost situated outside the Kishangarh Railway Station.
"The school, where children from nearby villages study, is not very far from the outpost," said Hariprasad
Sharma, SP (Ajmer). Indrajeet Singh allegedly lured children to the outpost after the school hours. He
would promise to drop them back at the school gate and take them to the outpost. "During the time, the
other outpost staff were out on duty. The NGO has complained that Indrajeet threatened the children if
they complained and sodomized them," said a police officer. However, the children informed the NGO
about it. The NGO complained to the SP, Ajmer. (TOI, 4/10/2010)
Two police officers suspended in sexual abuse case
The Station House Officer of Prasad Nagar here and a sub-inspector have been suspended following
allegations of harassment of a man who exposed a sexual abuse case of three minor siblings. Inspector
Arvind Kumar and Sub-Inspector Balbir Singh were suspended on Sunday after the Vigilance Wing of the
Delhi Police enquired into the allegations by Subhash Nagar and submitted its report to the Police
Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal. Mr. Nagar, who was instrumental in getting the case registered, had made a
complaint to Mr. Dadwal and the Vigilance Wing against the two police personnel last month alleging
harassment. “Inspector Arvind Kumar and sub-inspector Balbir Singh had been targeting me since the
case was registered last month. On September 26, Arvind Kumar called me to the police station and put
pressure on me to give in writing that the mother of the victims was of loose character. Fearing that the

police might frame me, I gave them in writing. But later I wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner,
Vigilance Wing and Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia about it,” said Mr. Nagar. Mr. Nagar alleged that the
police were trying to shield two minor accomplices in the case. “The two minors, who have not been
apprehended so far, belong to influential families. The police are under pressure to shield them,” alleged
Mr. Nagar. The case pertains to alleged sexual abuse of a minor school girl and her two younger brothers
by a private school van driver and his four minor accomplices for over eight months. (The Hindu,
5/10/2010)
Haryana home secy booked in multi-crore land scam case
CHANDIGARH: The CBI has booked three senior former officials of the Chandigarh administration,
including Krishna Mohan, an IAS officer who is now the home secretary of Haryana, in connection with
irregularities in awarding a multicrore mega project — a theme-cum amusement park. Those named in
the CBI FIR apart from Mohan, were the then adviser to the administrator Lalit Sharma and director,
tourism, HCS Vivek Atray. Also named was the management of real estate company Unitech. Sharma
has retired and Atray is now with a multinational consulting firm, KPMG. The FIR was registered by the
anti-corruption branch of the CBI under section 420 (cheating), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence)
and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and under section 31(D) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
CBI zonal director, DIG Mahesh Aggarwal said that 73.65 acres of land in village Sarangpur was allotted
to M/s Unitech Ltd in December 2006 for the project. CBI sources said statements of all the accused have
been recorded. The CBI had done a preliminary inquiry in this connection on January 19 this year. Earlier,
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had conducted a probe and detected irregularities in the awarding
this project to Unitech Ltd. The sources said that though the project was floated on public-private
partnership (PPP) basis under a new mode of annual revenue sharing of 33 years, approval had also not
been sought for the model while awarding the project to Unitech and it was in violation of lease rules.
(TOI, 6/10/2010)
Police as predators
The shocking rape and murder of Maya Yadav, a police constable, by her colleagues at Kota in
Rajasthan has once again raised questions about the integrity of our law-enforcers in the States. This is
not the first time that the police have turned into predators, but what makes this incident particularly
heinous is that the victim was one of their own. Police constable Desh Raj and cook Tulsi Ram entered
the quarters of Maya Yadav on the pretext of watching television, raped her and then killed her to prevent
her from lodging a complaint against them — all within the premises of Chechat Police Station. As if this
were not bad enough, the Rajasthan Police, rather than act against the villains, tried to sweep the sordid
truth under the carpet, hoping the stain on its uniform would remain a secret. The police acted against the
guilty only after Chechat erupted and people attacked the police station. A similar incident surfaced
recently in Jaipur when a tribal woman from Dausa district reported that a top cop had raped her 13 years
ago and she had been denied justice since then. Under mounting pressure, the Rajasthan Government
has finally asked the Special Operations Group of the State police to locate and arrest the absconding
former DIG and find out how he escaped the law. Neither this official nor the men who raped Maya Yadav
are alone in committing criminal misdeeds: A former DGP of Haryana, SPS Rathore, has been held guilty
of molesting a minor girl and subsequently harassing her and her family till she committed suicide. Last
month, people took to the streets in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur and clashed with the police after a constable
raped a 12-year-old girl. What makes this story particularly poignant is that the victim of the constable’s
lust had lost her way and innocently sought his help. It would be easy to wave away such ghastly
instances of policemen committing crimes which they are supposed to be fighting as aberrations. But that
would be self-defeating. The steep increase in the number of custodial deaths, rapes and other
horrendous atrocities shows that the rot continues to get deeper with each passing day, week and year. A
law-abiding society is supposed to respect those entrusted with the noble task of enforcing the law of the
land, but the reality in India is to the contrary: People either fear policemen in uniform or have nothing but
contempt for them. This is hardly conducive to either the functioning of the police force or maintaining law
and order. Those guilt of bringing disrepute to the profession should be given exemplary punishment. But
that would be only half the job done. What is needed is the implementation of police reforms and the
demonstration of political will by the State Governments. Tragically, while there has been little or no
movement forward on implementing reforms, the political class has abjectly failed to address the problem,
too. This is best exemplified by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s callous comments following Maya Yadav’s
rape and murder. (Pioner, 6/10/2010)
Prisoner becomes dad, court asks how
AHMEDABAD: A city sessions court has asked police to inquire how could a prisoner, lodged in

Vadodara central jail, father a child in Ahmedabad when he has not been out on bail or furlough for nearly
two years. The inquiry may reveal a murky side of the prison lives of high-profile inmates, who allegedly
enjoy several liberties. Gova Rabari, who is convicted in the murders of a municipal corporator and a
prison inmate in Sabarmati Central jail, became a father on Tuesday after his wife Sitaben delivered
through a planned caesarean section. Rabari's brother Praveen moved an application last week in the city
sessions court urging the court to release Gova for a week so that he could stay with his wife and child. In
his bail plea, Rabari's brother claimed that the child was conceived with IVF technology. Principal
sessions judge P B Desai, who heard the application, refused to release Rabari for such a long duration
considering his criminal past. However, the judge permitted Rabari to stay with his family on Tuesday and
Wednesday under tight security. Rabari has been asked to return to jail on October 7 morning. The
court's relief, however, came with questions. The investigating officer has been asked to report at the
earliest to the court showing how Rabari's wife became pregnant. The court seemed perplexed with the
family's claim of IVF technology. Rabari, who was in Sabarmati central jail for killing Congress corporator
Amtha Desai, was also an accused in the audacious murder of another prisoner Chetan Battery in 2005.
(TOI, 6/1/2010)
One year on, no progress in J&K custodial death
The Government has no answers for the family of a Jammu-based businessman, which has been waiting
for justice after its sole breadwinner died a year ago, allegedly following police brutality. Exactly a year
ago, Rajneesh Sharma was found hanging inside Ram Munshibagh Police Station, in Srinagar. Sharma
had no criminal background when was picked by the police on September 30 from Jammu in connection
with the kidnapping of a girl, whom he had married on August 21, 2009. The girl, identified as Ameena
Yousaf, converted to Hindusim and was renamed Anchal Sharma. She had gone against the wishes of
her parents. After her husband’s death, she ran away from Jammu to reunite with her parents and took a
U-turn, apparently under pressure from her family. Earlier, she had blamed her parents and brothers for
hatching a conspiracy in connivance with local policemen to eliminate Rajneesh. She had addressed
numerous Press conferences in Jammu, alleging her parents’ role behind the brutal torture that led to
Rajneesh’s death in police custody. She retracted all her statements in a Srinagar court. Now, a year
later, Rajneesh’s 71-year old mother Raj Rani and other close relatives are still groping in the dark. “I
have failed to get justice from the State Government,” Raj Rani told The Pioneer. “My son was not a
terrorist. He was not a criminal. He had only taken an extreme stand and decided to marry a girl
belonging to a different religion as they both fell in love. If that is a crime, I admit he committed it but why
kill him for that?” she lamented. Rajneesh’s elder brother, Pawan, pitched in. “Over the past year, we
have knocked at the doors of politicians, senior State Government and police officials. Their statements
were recorded before a probe panel set up by the State Government but we do not know what happened
to all that,” he stated. The family accused the Centre and State Governments of applying different
yardsticks to cases of people belonging to different regions in the State. They have now pinned their
hopes on the Supreme Court. The family had earlier declined an offer to accept ex-gratia payment
announced by the State Government and pledged to fight for justice. Additional DC Srinagar Mohd Akbar
Ganai, who conducted the probe, told The Pioneer over telephone from Srinagar, “I have already
submitted my inquiry report to the State Government.” (Pioneer, 7/10/2010)
Priyadarshini killer let off with life term
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of lawyer Santosh Kumar Singh
for the rape and murder of Priyadarshini Mattoo 15 years ago, but spared him the noose, saying the case
did not fall in the ``rarest of rare'' category. Commuting death sentence to life, a division bench of Justice
H S Bedi and Justice C K Prasad held that the balance sheet of mitigating and aggravating circumstances
``tilts marginally in favour of the accused''. The mitigating circumstances found by the apex court in
Santosh's favour were: * In 2006, the Delhi high court reversed the trial court's acquittal on the basis of
``circumstantial evidence''. * Santosh was ``a young man of 24'' on January 23, 1996 when he raped and
killed Mattoo, who was his junior in law college. * After his acquittal in 1999, he got married and became
``the father of a girl child''. * In the last 15 years, Santosh would have had ``time for reflection .. to ponder
over the predicament that he now faces, the reality that his father died a year after his conviction and the
prospect of a dismal future for his young family''. * There is ``nothing to suggest that he would not be
capable of reform''. On the other hand, in a reference to the manner in which Santosh's police officerfather
used his clout to derail justice, the apex court said the ``extremely'' aggravating circumstances
included ``the tendency of parents to be over indulgent to their progeny, often resulting in the most
horrendous of situations.'' Significantly, the Supreme Court reduced the sentence on Santosh even as it
acknowledged the evidence of ``regular and alarming incidents'' involving those with ``unlimited power or
pelf or even more dangerously, a volatile and heady cocktail of the two''. The bench observed: ``The

eality that such a class does exist is there for all to see and is evidenced by regular and alarming
incidents such as this one.'' One aggravating circumstance the bench failed to cite while deciding the
sentence was the fact that Santosh had stalked Mattoo for two years, forcing her to lodge complaints with
the police. Further, he raped and murdered her even after he had given undertakings to the police that he
would leave her alone. On the issue of conviction, the apex court upheld the conclusions reached by the
high court on Santosh's guilt, based on a conclusive DNA test that proved rape and injuries suffered by
the dead girl from a helmet that belonged to him. The Supreme Court also said that Mattoo's complaints
to the police established the motive and eyewitness accounts proved that Singh was spotted near her
house in Vasant Kunj on the day of the crime. When the high court reversed the acquittal in 2006, it came
against the backdrop of public outrage over the miscarriage of justice in the Jessica Lall murder trial
where Manu Sharma, son of wealthy politician Venod Sharma, had been acquitted. On the CBI's longpending
plea for early disposal, the HC fast-tracked the proceedings in the Mattoo case. Another case
that sprang to life at that time was the murder of Nitish Katara by Vikas Yadav, son of controversial
politican D P Yadav. Thus, the cases of Jessica Lall, Priyadarshini Mattoo and Nitish Katara had captured
popular imagination as symbols of the rich and influential getting away with murder. (TOI, 7/10/2010)
Nothing moves without money: Supreme Court
Stating that “nothing moves without money”, the Supreme Court has expressed concern over the growing
corruption in government machinery, particularly in the Income Tax, Sales Tax and Excise departments.
“It is very unfortunate that there is no control over corruption in the country. There is rampant corruption
particularly in the department of Income Tax, Sales Tax and Excise Department. Nothing moves without
money,” a Bench of Justices Markandeya Katju and T. S. Thakur said. The apex court made the remarks
while admitting an appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the acquittal of an
Income Tax Inspector Mohanlal Sharma by the Punjab & Haryana High Court. Additional Solicitor
General P. P. Malhotra, appearing for the CBI, submitted that Sharma was acquitted by the High Court
despite the trial court holding him guilty of demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 10,000 from a person.
He was earlier sentenced to one year RI by the trial court. In a sarcastic vein, the Bench said “why not
government legalise corruption so that a specific amount is fixed for every case. Let us say if a man
wants his case to be settled, he can be asked to pay Rs. 2,500. That way every individual will know how
much bribe he has to pay. There is no need for any bargaining by the official and the people will also
know beforehand how much they have to pay without any worry.” “Poor Government officials, we can’t
blame them also because of the growing inflation,” the Bench said. Sharma, who appeared in person,
denied the allegation and said he was innocent and had been falsely implicated. The Bench was not
impressed with the argument and reiterated that corruption, particularly, was more rampant in the Income
Tax, Sales Tax and Excise Departments. The Bench then sought the views of senior counsel K. K.
Venugopal on its suggestion to legalise corruption in the country. However, the senior counsel said that it
would be better if good moral values are imparted in every school of the country as part of their
curriculum so that at least the future generation is free from the menace of corruption. The case of the
CBI was that Sharma had initially demanded an amount of Rs. 25,000 from the person failing which he
threatened to re-open his assessment. The deal was allegedly struck finally for Rs. 10,000, when he was
caught by the officials, the agency claimed. In another case, the Bench also ticked off Senior Counsel
Venugopal after he appeared in a cheque bounce case for an accused. “Mr Venugopal we did not expect
at least a counsel of your stature to appear for such people. Mahatma Gandhi was also an advocate, but
he never appeared for such people,” Justice Katju observed. The senior counsel initially shot back,
saying, “My Lord, in that case I would be losing most of my clients!” a remark that sent the entire court hall
into a burst of laughter. Later, Mr. Venugopal said he would definitely keep the court’s suggestion in mind
while appearing in future cases. (The Hindu, 10/10/2010)
Man beaten to death for Rs 10
JAIPUR: Irked over the refusal of a daily wager to contribute Rs 10 as donation for Navratra celebrations,'
a group of men beat him to death in Mangalpura crossing of Jhalawar town on Monday morning. The
deceased, Tej Karan, was a native of Anta town of Baran district and was working as a labourer in
Mangalpura area of Jhalawar. According to the police, Tej Karan was going to work along with his
younger brother Bablu when a few persons stopped him and asked to drop cash' in donation box, which
they claimed was being collected for Navratra celebrations. "Tej Karan told them that he was a daily wage
labourer and did not have enough money to donate for celebrations," said an official. However, the
miscreants refused to listen to his pleadings and asked him to drop atleast Rs 10 to avoid
"inconvenience". Karan, however, made it clear that he cannot afford to cough out money due to his poor
financial condition. Irked over the refusal, they punched and kicked him to the extent that he collapsed on

the spot. Bablu rushed him to government hospital but he was pronounced dead by the doctors. On the
complaints of Bablu, Kotwali police registered a case against three persons including Kuldeep Yadav and
Kuldeep Rajput. Bablu told police that his brother was beaten to death in front of many people but none
came to his rescue. The police said that raids are being conducted at different places to nab the culprits.
Despite repeated efforts Jhalawar superintendent of police Gaurav Srivastava could not be contacted.
Other officers are tight-lipped over the issue and were not ready to comment either. (TOI, 12/10/2010)
Kerala Police suffers image loss over Moulvi’s arrest
The arrest of LeT operative Ibrahim Moulvi of Vellamunda, Wayanad by the Karnataka Police on Friday
last has raised questions about the efficiency and sincerity of the Kerala Police. Despite a lookout notice
against him the State police had been unable to arrest Moulvi though he had been working in a mosque
at Badiyadukka, Kasaragod since January, 2009 under the false name of Muhammadali Musliar. The
Karnataka Police had arrested Moulvi and Ummer Farooq of Parappanangadi, Malappuram in connection
with the Bangalore bombings case from Badiyadukka and Ajmer, respectively. According to local Muslims
in Badiyadukka, Moulvi used to go missing from the place at least once a month but would come back in
a couple of days. The local residents had launched a search some days ago after he went missing. They
came to know of Musliar’ the real identity only after his arrest on Friday. The NIA, which was investigating
the case regarding recruitment of Kerala youths into LeT for training in Kashmir, had also issued a
lookout notice for Moulvi. The other extremists accused in the case had reportedly told the agency that
Moulvi used to give coaching classes in spirituality. Though reports said that the Karnataka Police had
arrested Moulvi from Kasaragod without informing the local police, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
said on Monday that the State Director General of Police had been informed of this. He denied allegations
that there were lapses on the part of the Kerala Police in this matter. According to sources in the
Karnataka Police, Moulvi used to actively participate in secret meetings, held at a ginger farm under the
control of Nazeer in Coorg, for planning the blasts in Bangalore. He was also a close relative of KP Sabir
of Kannur, one of the chief LeT commanders for operations in India. Reports from Kasaragod said that
the Intelligence wing of the police had found several valuable documents in a raid at Moulvi’s room in
Badiyadukka. Among the information unearthed were telephone numbers of several of the accused in
terror cases like those of Bangalore bombings and the bus-burning at Kalamassery. According to sources
in Bangalore, where the Karnataka Police subjected Moulvi and Farooq to preliminary interrogation, both
were valuable operatives in the network of the LeT. Both are said to have received LeT’s terror training
like its South India commander Thadiyantavide Nazeer, prime accused in the Bangalore bombings case.
Sources indicated that Ummer Farooq, who had recruited the four Malayalee youths killed in Kupwara,
Kashmir in October, 2008, was arrested in Ajmer by the Rajasthan Police perhaps after the IB brought
him from Saudi Arabia, where he was holed after the blast at Ernakulam district collectorate on July 10,
2008. (Pioneer, 19/10/2010)
CWG scam: ED registers case against OC officials
In the first case to be filed in the scam, the Enforcement Directorate is proceeding against a few officials
of the Games' Organising Committee(OC) for alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management
Act(FEMA) as part of its probe into alleged corruption in the Commonwealth Games. The identity of the
officials were immediately not known. The Income Tax department conducted searches in the premises of
Mittal, a BJP activist, and some consortiums in and around Delhi in connection with alleged financial
irregularities in works related to the just concluded Games. More than 200 officials of the I-T department
swooped down on about 30 premises, including in Chandigarh and Ludhiana, of four business
consortiums, with a foreign entity in each, to probe contracts worth more than Rs 700 crore which were
awarded to execute overlays and other works for the sporting extravaganza. I-T department sources said
the first consortium-- PICO international and Deepali Designs-- with Mittal as Director and his relatives as
other stakeholders, has bagged contracts worth about Rs 230 crore. Mittal, considered to be a close
associate of former BJP president Rajnath Singh and late party leader Pramod Mahajan, had taken over
the post of director in the company in February this year and the contracts were awarded after that, I-T
sources said. Sources in the department said the I-T probe will specifically look into the contracts
awarded by the Games OC and the role of its officials and contractors including charges of bribing.
Official sources said Central Bureau of Investigation CBI) has also received 20 complaints regarding the
Games which also include overlay works. A CBI team had even visited the OC office here on Monday.
"CBI is working in close coordination with the ED in connection with the case registered by the directorate
under FEMA," sources said. He said the complaints received by the CBI also include those pertaining to
CPWD works, which are being looked into. "CBI is awaiting for reports from CVC, CAG and the I-T
department. CAG has its own central technical examiners and will do a financial audit. If something crops
up, CBI will move in," the sources said. Besides the special committee instituted by the Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh to probe the alleged corruption, the Comptroller and Auditor General, Central Vigilance
Commission, Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate and the CBI are also probing OC
officials. In another development, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has found discrepancies in
tenders and alleged misappropriation amounting to about Rs 8,000 crore. (TOI, 20/10/2010)
GoM for separate law to curb corruption in pvt sector
NEW DELHI: In its first meeting, the Group of Ministers (GoM) on ratification of United Nations
Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) has reached a consensus on having a separate law to curb
corruption in the private sector. The Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has been asked to
prepare a draft standalone legislation based on similar laws prepared by countries that have ratified
UNCAC. DoPT will be placing laws of other countries that provide for prevention of corruption in private
sector. UNCAC was adopted by the UN General Assembly in October, 2003, and was signed by India in
December, 2005. However, India is yet to ratify UNCAC. The GoM felt that though the existing Prevention
of Corruption Act covers corruption involving private sector and government officials, it does not extend to
two private parties. According to the GoM, there is no other law in the country that covers corruption in
the private sector. Earlier, a joint working group had said India's domestic legislation does not conform to
the requirements of Article 16 and 12 of UNCAC. While there was a view in the GoM that the Act can be
amended to make it in tune with the requirements of UNCAC, eventually it was decided that a separate
law should be formulated. Article 16 of UNCAC requires the states to have necessary laws to cover
bribery of foreign public officials and officials of public international organisations. Article 12 of UNCAC
also states that each country shall take measures to prevent corruption in the private sector, enhance
their accounting and auditing standards and provide effective, proportionate and dissuasive civil,
administrative or criminal penalties for failure to comply with such measures. The GoM is headed by
home minister P Chidambaram, and consists of law minister Veerappa Moily, HRD minister Kapil Sibal
and minister of state for science & technology Prithviraj Chavan. (TOI, 20/10/2010)
29-yr-old man stabbed to death, bobbitised
In a bizarre incident, a 29-year-old man was stabbed to death and his private parts were dismembered in
Rajouri Garden area. This is the second case to be reported in the area in which a person has been killed
and his private parts dismembered. The police are under pressure to nab the person involved as soon as
possible. The police suspect it could be the handiwork of psycho. A police official said that they received
a call that an unidentified body had been found in Rajouri Garden area. Acting on the information a team
reached at the spot to conduct investigations. "We were shocked to find the private parts of the deceased
identified as Maan Singh as dismembered. He was brutally murdered," said a police official. (Pioneer,
21/10/2010)
CVC zeroes in on Kalmadi aide, spending by OC
NEW DELHI: The dragnet seems to be closing in on close aides of Suresh Kalmadi. The Central
Vigilance Commission has launched a probe into the expenditure on overlays by the Organising
Committee, as well as allegations of misuse of office by R K Sacheti, a close aide of the OC chief. The
vigilance body, which has 16 investigations currently on against Games-related projects, has sought the
sports ministry's response to the allegations against Sacheti who as joint director general of OC, handled
crucial issues of ticketing, accreditation and management of venues. This has been revealed in response
to an RTI query filed by information rights activist S C Agrawal. CVC has also sought details of the money
OC spent on 3D Shera and installation of network equipment from the ministries of sports and commerce.
The vigilance body's investigation into expenditure on overlays — the provocation for I-T raids on
Tuesday — confirms the probe bodies are now fully focused on the OC. The CVC had so far been
concerned with infrastructure projects handled by various government agencies. Sacheti has long been
associated with Kalmadi, having worked with the Pune MP when he was minister of state for railways in
the P V Narasimha Rao government. The handling of ticketing and accreditation has attracted criticism
from various quarters. Besides Sacheti, CVC has also been probing another senior member of Team
Kalmadi — Vijay Kumar Gautam, former Chief Operating Officer of Organizing Committee. Contracts for
overlays accounted for almost Rs 700 crore of Organizing Committee's budget of Rs 1,800 crore, and
have generated allegations of acquisition of sub-standard fixtures at inflated prices. In political circles, the
vigour shown by probe agencies is seen as evidence of Kalmadi's depleted stock with government
leadership. His defiance of the "gag order" on Tuesday when he attacked Delhi chief minister Sheila
Dikshit has not helped. Irregularities have been alleged in supply and installation of network equipment.
There are charges of discrepancies in expenditure on remodelling and upgradation of Major Dhyan
Chand National Stadium, particularly installation of LED scoreboards. Being in charge of management of
venues, the matter came under Sacheti's purview. The CVC, which was acting on basis of complaints

eceived from "various sources", said it had written to the sports ministry and commerce ministry asking
for explanations. In its reply to RTI query, the apex vigilance body expressed displeasure on delays on
part of government departments concerned in furnishing their response to charges of corruption. (TOI,
21/10/2010)
Punjab cops — criminals in uniform
The saviours are becoming the defaulters in Punjab. In harmony with its past trend, the Punjab Police,
once again, has the highest number of complaints registered against it with the Punjab State Human
Rights Commission (PSHRC) till August this year, which is 55 per cent of the total cases registered.
Meant to protect and safeguard the society, the Punjab Police is facing ‘serious’ charges ranging from
arbitrary use of power, abduction or rape by police, abuse of power, custodial deaths or torture, death in
police firing, failure in taking lawful action, false implications to name a few. They indeed are becoming
the “criminals in uniform”. The latest figures by the Commission revealed that over 55 per cent case have
been instituted against the State police. Out of the total of 13,348 cases instituted till August 2010, over
half of the cases, 7,092, are registered against them. The number of complaints against the police has
also seen a rise as compared to last year, which was almost 53 per cent till August 2009. Being in news
for all the wrong reasons, the Punjab Police seems to make repeated efforts to improve upon its image.
But all these efforts appear to be in vain if PSHRC figures are to be considered. The list of accusations,
with highest number of cases, include its failure in taking lawful action, abusing power, illegal arrests,
abduction or kidnapping, abduction or rape, attempted murder, custodial death and rape, and so on.
Maximum number of cases against the Punjab cops owes to its failure in taking lawful action with 3,249
till August this year, aggregating the total number of cases since inception of the Commission to 34,372-
the highest number of cases in any category under PSHRC. Moreover, the State police is also alleged of
abusing its power as 1,819 cases have been instituted against them till August with total cases mounting
to 21,613. Falling next to it, are the complaints alleging false implications with 988 cases this year and the
overall figure rising to 12,274. Other cases where the number is high includes, illegal arrests with 101
cases, unlawful detention- 68 cases, victimization- 59 cases and abduction or kidnapping with 48 cases,
enhancing the overall figures to 582, 3,117, 3,065, 1,384 respectively. Though the figures, till August this
year, indicated a drop in the total number of cases in a year, the rate of 55 per cent of cases against the
State Police are dismaying. In 2009 also, over 53 per cent of cases- 8,905 out of 16,755- are registered
against the State Police. Time and again, the cases related to atrocities or malfunctioning of the State
Police department has come into the light suggesting the way how the State Police functions. Even, the
Punjab and Haryana High Court is also flooded with such instances. Many a time, even the High Court
has also passed strictures on the police authorities for failing to take appropriate action or solving cases.
Moreover, cases related to false allegations or arresting the wrong persons have also come forth. Putting
a question mark on the functioning of the Punjab Police, the figures by the PSHRC indicated the
loopholes in the police machinery. It may be mentioned that these are only the cases that have been
registered with the Commission. Other than this, there would be more such cases that have not even be
reported. (Pioneer, 21/10/2010)
Judicial accountability low in India: Report
The recently published Integrity Report of international organisation Global Integrity, which focuses on
governance and corruption worldwide, has observed that though India has strong rules and legislations,
judicial accountability is very weak. Marks given to judicial accountability are 38 out of 100. The lowest
score, 27, was given to political financing. As India’s rule of law and law enforcement agencies are in the
“weak” category, the two institutions — CAG and Election Commission — are placed in “very strong”
category, with 93 and 89 marks, respectively, in the recently published Global Integrity Report 2009.
“Certain public sector anti-corruption safeguards in India perform very well while others do not. Good
news can be found in robust public access to Government information, high levels of public participation
in elections, and a relatively strong anti-corruption legal framework. Furthermore, India’s functional
equivalent of an ombudsman mechanism, the Central Vigilance Commission, is quite effective,” according
to highlights of the report. “The country struggles with promoting transparency and accountability in the
financing of political parties and candidates. For instance, there are currently no regulations that require
parties or candidates to disclose the donations they receive (although there is an ongoing effort to pass a
law that requires parties to publish financing),” it added. The report also noted, “In addition, conflicts of
interest laws governing the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government are absent or are
weakly enforced. Citizens face obstacles in accessing the anti-corruption agency for support; anonymous
complaints are not allowed and there have been cases of whistle-blowers being publicly identified.”

Elaborating the reasons for providing low marks to India’s judicial accountability, the Washington-based
organisation stated that the selection of judges lacks transparency. The report said, “The disciplinary
agency as a term is vague in Indian context. Punishing a judge is extremely difficult and can be done only
after impeachment by Parliament. This was tried in one case and did not work.” Though giving highest
marks to the India’s voting and citizen participation for providing equal opportunity and strengthening
democracy, the report provides the lowest marks to curb the influence of ill-gotten money in elections.
Giving merits to India’s supreme audit institution, the CAG, the Global Integrity Report said the functions
of the organisation are totally transparent and enjoys autonomy. “In law, the supreme audit institution is
protected from political interference. In practice, the head of the audit agency is protected from removal
without relevant justification,” says the report. The report gives only moderate marks (72) to India’s media.
There are some interesting observations on India’s media scenario. While giving full marks (100) for
protection of media’s freedom of speech, the report had given low marks (55) for Indian media as
“credible source of information”. (Pioneer, 25/10/2010)
Court: what should be done to policemen who ‘bobbitt' a person in a police station?
The Supreme Court on Monday deprecated the “colonial mentality” of the police in using third degree
methods and said such outlawed practices had no place in a democratic country governed by the rule of
law. A Bench comprising Justice Markandey Katju and Justice T.S. Thakur, dealing with a case of
policemen using third degree methods and cutting off the private part of an accused who was brought to
the police station, said: “This case reveals how some policemen in our country have not gotten over their
old colonial mentality and are still persisting in barbaric acts in a free country which claims to be run by a
democratic Constitution and the rule of law.” Pointing out that the question to be decided in this case was
“what should be done to policemen who ‘bobbitt' a person in a police station and think that they can get
away with it,” the Bench said: “It also reveals a grisly state of affairs prevailing in our police set-up even
today.” ‘Harsher punishment' Writing the judgment, Justice Katju said: “Policemen who commit criminal
acts deserve harsher punishment than other persons who commit such acts, because it is the duty of the
policemen to protect the people and not break the law themselves. “If the protector becomes the predator,
civilised society will cease to exist. As the Bible says, ‘If the salt has lost its flavour, wherewith shall it be
salted?' Or as the ancient Romans used to say, ‘Who will guard the praetorian guards'?” In this case, a
policeman, Kishore Singh, was charged with chopping off the private part of Jugta Ram, an accused
brought to the Sadar police station under the jurisdiction of the Barmer area, while three other policemen
— Sohan Singh, Bheru Singh (who died during trial) and Sumer Dan — held the accused. The trial court
held the three policemen guilty and sentenced Kishore Singh to life imprisonment, Sumner Dan to 10
years imprisonment, and Sohan Singh to six years imprisonment. On appeal, the Rajasthan High Court
acquitted Sohan Singh and Sumer Dan and reduced Kishore Singh's sentence to the sentence already
undergone. The appeal by the CBI is directed against this judgment. Allowing the appeal, the Bench said
that all the accused were guilty of totally flouting and throwing to the winds the directives of the Supreme
Court that were given in the D.K. Basu case in 1996. It said: “That decision outlawed third degree
methods in police stations, but it is well-known that third degree methods are still widely used in many of
our police stations.” ‘Deserves no leniency' The Bench said: “On the facts of the case, we see no reason
to disbelieve the prosecution case, and we are surprised how the High court has acquitted Sohan Singh
and Sumer Dan and reduced the sentence of the accused Kishore Singh. It was a barbaric act on the part
of the accused, who deserves no leniency.” The Bench — while awarding five years imprisonment to
Kishore Singh and a fine of Rs.50,000 — set aside the acquittal of Sumer Dan and Sohan Singh and
sentenced them to undergo three years and six months imprisonment respectively. They were directed to
pay a fine of Rs.50,000 and Rs.10,000. (The Hindu, 26/10/2010)
Sedition case may be filed against Geelani, Arundhati
The Union Home Ministry has given the go-ahead to the Delhi Police to file a case of sedition against
hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and writer-activist Arundhati Roy. However, it
is far from clear whether the police will proceed with the case, although legal advice received by them
says a case has been made out under Section 124-A of the IPC, which applies to cases where
disaffection against the State is advocated. The police are now considering the ramifications of
proceeding with the case and are likely to seek political clearance. The Delhi Police are said to be having
some hesitation in going ahead with filing the case because, once registered, the arrests of those named
in the FIR would have to be effected. Police officials met Ministry officials and had detailed discussions
earlier in the day, sources said. An unfazed Mr. Geelani said there were already 90 cases registered
against him. “This will be the 91st.” The legal opinion of the Ministry was received by the Delhi Police on
Sunday, giving the go-ahead for registering a case against Mr. Geelani and Ms. Roy, besides others, for
purportedly giving “hate speeches” at a seminar here last week. The Legal Department had favoured

egistering a case against them under Section 124-A of IPC which states: “Whoever by words, either
spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into
hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards” the State can be sentenced to
five years rigorous imprisonment. The seminar, in which Mr. Geelani was also speaking, had triggered
sharp comments from the BJP. Party leader Arun Jaitley accused the government of “looking the other
way” when a number of separatist groups met at a conference to instigate secession and to say that India
could not be one and must be broken. (The Hindu, 26/10/2010)
Cash-for-query: SC to hear plea for fast trial of tainted MPs
The Supreme Court will take up on Monday a PIL seeking "fast tracking" of criminal cases against
Congress MP Raja Ram Pal and 10 former Parliamentarians in the infamous 'cash-for-query' scam. The
matter has been listed before a Bench of Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik. Petitioner Alok
Kumar, through his counsel Rakesh U Upadhyay, has complained that though FIRs in the incident were
registered in 2006 at the Parliament Street Police Station, no headway has so far been made in the case.
According to Kumar, a charge sheet was filed against the accused former MPs in the trial court
concerned, except Pal, as he was re-elected from the Akbarpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh during the
last general election. It was submitted that in the case of Pal also, there was no need for any sanction for
his prosecution as the alleged act of collecting bribes for raising questions in Parliament had no nexus to
the discharge of official duties by MPs as held by the apex court in the State of Maharashtra Vs Devhari
Devasing Pawar (2008) case. The petition recalled that the Supreme Court itself had in 2007, while
holding the expulsion of the tainted MPs, had ruled that "elected representatives are not placed above the
law by way of Parliamentary privileges; they are simply granted certain advantages and basic exemptions
from the legal process in order that the House may function independently, efficiently and fearlessly. This
is in the interest of the nation as a whole." Following 'Operation Duryodhan', a sting operation which
exposed on December 12, 2005 the MPs accepting bribes for raising questions, Parliament expelled the
tainted members on December 23. An FIR was filed against the expelled MPs on June 9, 2007. In the
meantime, Pal, who was a BSP MP in the previous Lok Sabha, managed to win the 2009 general
elections from Akbarpur on a Congress ticket, and police could not obtain any sanction from the Speaker
against the MP until September this year. The petition urged the apex court to give directions to Delhi
Police which is investigating the case to ensure that the case was put on a "fast track" and heard on a
day-to-day basis. Further, it wanted a clarification to be issued by the apex court that there was no
embargo on suspending Raja Ram Pal from the present Lok Sabha for his earlier "unethical practises" till
conclusion of the trial in the case. (IE, 26/10/2010)
70 cases booked against MFI agents
HYDERABAD: At least 70 cases have been booked by the police across the state against representatives
or affiliates of micro finance institutions, hardly a week after promulgation of AP Micro Finance Institutions
(Regulation of money lending) Ordinance, 2010. The booking of cases also comes less than 48 hours
after the CEOs of five top MFIs met rural development department officials and assured the state of their
full cooperation. Government sources confirmed that they had information about 70 incidents where
loanees were either intimidated, humiliated or coerced regarding weekly payments. The sources said
complaints were received from loanees on amounts as low as Rs 8,000 and a high of Rs 5 lakh from the
mandals of Bantwaram and Nawabupeta (both in Ranga Reddy), Gopalapuram (West Godavari),
Dornakal and Narsampeta (both in Warangal), Rajahmundry rural (East Godavari) and Palkonda &
Narsipatnam (both in Vizag). Government sources said exhaustive details on the sections under which
the MFI agents have been booked were being compiled. Meanwhile, police sources said most of the
cases against the accused were registered under section 16 of the Ordinance and the remaining under
sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC. In a related development, rural
development minister Vatti Vasant Kumar on Monday announced that MFIs would soon be regulated by
the Nabard, once Parliament passes a Bill governing the sector. He said the Bill on 'micro finance and
regulation' was expected to be tabled during the winter session of Parliament. "There will be greater
transparency and efficiency in the way MFIs function, as they will have to disclose their financials, interest
rate structure and details of operations to Nabard periodically," he said and added "CM K Rosaiah had
already written to the Centre urging to bring NBFC-MFIs under the ambit of the new Bill." It may be
recalled that the Micro Financial Sector (Development and Regulation) Bill was first introduced in
Parliament in 2007 and referred to the standing committee on finance, amidst severe pressure from MFI
groups. However, the Bill lapsed due to dissolution of the Lok Sabha. (TOI, 26/10/2010)
High on corruption, low on transparency
Here’s proof how the large-scale corruption in Commonwealth Games has tarnished India’s image.

India’s integrity score declined and the country fell by three places on the Corruption Perception Index
(CPI) to rank 87 out of 178 nations. India got an Integrity score of 3.3 on a scale of zero (perceived to be
highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption) in 2010. It scored 3.5 in 2007, and 3.4 in
2008 and 2009. Its CPI ranking fell from 84 in 2009 to 87 in 2010 signifying that the country has serious
corruption problem, according to a survey of Transparency International India. China ranks 78 while the
tiny Himalayan nation Bhutan has an integrity score of 5.7, which is more than India’s. “It is a matter of
great concern that India has gone down in corruption level and perception seems to have increased
primarily due to alleged corrupt practices in the recently held CWG in Delhi,” said PS Bawa, Chairman of
TII. The CPI indicates perception of corruption in Government and public sector units. Politicians
continued to be perceived as the most corrupt followed by bureaucrats. Among Government departments,
the police are most corrupt followed by land records. Data from 10 surveys were used to arrive at
calculating CPI for India. The perception of high corruption level in India comes even as the World Bank
too has ranked it at 122 among 181 countries considered preferred destinations for doing business. “This
shows that people hesitate to do business with the country due to perception about high corruption level.
The high level of corruption could be gauged from the fact that The Benami Transactions (Prohibition)
Act, which was passed in 1988, has not yet been notified. TII had filed a PIL last year, but still no rules
have been framed till now due to which the Act meant to check illegal transfer of properties could not be
implemented, Bawa pointed out. The corruption has now affected even armed forces as revealed in the
recent expose in Mumbai where high-ranking defense officials, politicians constructed a high-rise colony
on land meant for war widows, ex-TII chairman Admiral RH Tahiliani lamented. Nevertheless, nearly three
quarters of 178 countries in the Index score below five, indicating that corruption is perceived to be
rampant worldwide. (Pioneer, 27/10/2010)
Shunglu gets Supreme Court judge status
V.K. Shunglu, who heads the two-member high-level committee set up to probe the alleged financial
irregularities in the Commonwealth Games (CWG), has been given the status of a Supreme Court judge.
The government notification, issued by the Cabinet Secretary, has invested Mr. Shunglu, a former
Comptroller and Auditor General, with greater authority, and will provide him with greater resources in the
form of secretarial and other support staff, government sources told The Hindu. The notification also gives
Shantanu Consul, the other member on the committee, the status of Secretary to the Government of
India. Mr. Consul, who is currently Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, will join the highlevel
committee after October 31, when he retires. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on October 25 had
announced a comprehensive and all-encompassing 10-point Terms of Reference (TOR) for the
committee. It has been given the authority to summon officials, inspect records, call evidence and to look
into all the official documents pertaining to the CWG, that came under the scanner, following allegations
of massive corruption. But despite the wide-ranging TOR, government sources said the focus will be on
the role of the Organising Committee (OC) which as a non-governmental structure is not part of the
governmental system. These sources pointed out that the Rs.2,600 crore that had been given to the OC
by the government was meant to be recovered through money raised from the sale of tickets, the issuing
of TV rights and sponsorship. But the OC has been able to raise only about a fifth of that amount and, as
a result, the government has lost a great deal of money. The sources pointed out that other agencies and
departments involved in the management of the Games were already answerable to agencies such as
the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). While the Shunglu panel would look at the gamut of agencies
and departments, the OC would come in for special attention. The panel will submit its report in three
months and its recommendations will then be handed over to investigative agencies for further action,
these sources said. (The Hindu, 28/10/2010)
Traffic police crack whip on errant autos: 161 impounded, 1,313 challaned on Day 1 of drive
Delivering a blow to unruly autorickshaw drivers in the Capital, the Delhi Traffic Police on Wednesday
impounded 161 autorickshaws as part of its latest drive. About 100 traffic police teams were deployed
across the city for the special drive, which witnessed challaning of 1,313 TSR drivers for various
violations. Most vehicles (217) were prosecuted for refusing to ply short distances or go by the meter fare.
Besides, 118 autorickshaw drivers were caught overcharging the commuters. Special Commissioner of
Police (Traffic) Ajay Chadha said the errant drivers were prosecuted on the spot and the process for
suspending their permits would now be initiated. “Half the total number of teams had women constables
acting as decoys and asking the TSR drivers to ply by the meter. Any driver who refused to go was
prosecuted,” he said. The traffic policemen have been directed to seize the driving licences and permits
of the errant drivers or confiscate their vehicles if the permit rules are violated. “While half the teams,

comprising plainclothesmen, will carry out random checks on autorickshaws, some of the teams have
been stationed at specific spots like railway stations and bus terminals. At these places, TSR users will be
asked whether autorickshaw drivers are plying as per meter rates. If not, the drivers will be prosecuted,”
Chadha added. The drive, which started at 9 am on Wednesday and continued till 5 pm, was carried out
in all 43 circles of the five ranges. “Misbehaviour and fleecing by TSR drivers has been one of the biggest
challenges the city commuters face. We will continue the drive for the next few days, maybe till Diwali.
The figure on the first day has been quite high in comparison to the normal days,” the traffic police chief
said. Special attention would be given to pre-paid autorickshaw booths, particularly on the three major
railway stations, where thousands of commuters avail the services. Also, the complaints of fleecing by
TSR drivers are more frequent at pre-paid booths. (Pioneer, 28/10/2010)
Victim asked to pay bribe to get accused arrested
Suraj, a 22-year old resident of Chandigarh, was beaten to death in September this year by a mob. At the
intervention of police, he mustered courage to identify the assailants with the hope that action would be
taken against them, but in vain. Now he and his family members have registered complaint with SSP
Naunihal Singh, saying that cops are asking for money to arrest the assailants. Revealing yet another
corruption incident in city police, Suraj has filed a complaint against Maloya Police Post in-charge subinspector
Baldev Kumar alleging that he has asked him to provide `10,000 to put culprits behind the bars.
Making uncountable attempts since 45 days and requesting him to arrest culprits, Suraj witnessed
corruption in the police department. On September 12, Suraj and his 18-year-old brother Chhotu had
gone to an eating joint next to his house around 8.30 pm when around 20 persons attacked him with rods,
swords and bricks. Following which, he got series head injuries and went unconscious. Talking to The
Pioneer, Suraj said: “Till now, all culprits are roaming freely in front of me since one and a half months as
Maloya Police Post in-charge SI Baldev did not arrest any of them. Whenever I went to him, he abused
me and then demanded `10,000 from us for arresting the accused persons.” “Not only this, even the
accused persons told me that they have satisfied the police in-charge and now they will not be arrested. I
have filed a complaint against SI Baldev in UT Police Public Window System on Monday in afternoon for
asking bribe and intentionally not arresting culprits,” added Suraj. The complainant alleged that out of
over 13 unidentified persons, he had identified seven namely Tarsem, Vikas, Piara Ram, Anish, Parveen,
Nendru and Sumit who are residents of Dadu Majra. But SI Baldev did not bother to arrest any one of
them. “After regular persuasion and requests of showing one culprit Sumit in area, the police arrested
him. But in a few days, we saw Sumit roaming freely. When we went to ask Baldev, he refused to do
anything about it,” added victim Suraj. The complainant also showed proofs that the in-charge had earlier
filed complaint against accused only under Section 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and
Section 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of IPC on September 12. After much persuasion,
begging and finally showing PGI’s report by his lawyer on October 16, Section 307 (Attempt to murder)
was included. During the incident when Suraj was getting beaten up in front of Bitu Karyana Store, his
brother ran and informed Suraj’s friend Monu who made a PCR call. Reaching the spot, the police took
Suraj to GMSH-16 where doctors referred him to PGIMER. Following severe blood blockage and injuries,
PGIMER doctors had operated Suraj after two days and discharged him on September 15 with 20
stitches on his head. Since 45 days, Suraj has been asking for justice but to no avail. Sources revealed
that the complaint filed by him in headquarters’ Public Window had been sent to higher authority who later
sent orders to SI Baldev to arrest the accused in no time. The SSP was not available for comments.
Eyewitness Monu who paid Suraj’s operation bill of over `12,000 said: “Suraj is a poor boy and has never
fought with any of the accused. But instead of numerous pleadings, SI Baldev never listened to us and
did not arrest the accused and instead, asked us for bribe.” “We were even told by a person named
Suresh in Sector Police Headquarters to do a compromise with Baldev and later Baldev abused us on
phone. And these people are not letting us reach SSP Naunihal Singh who can do justice to us.”
(Pioneer, 28/10/2010)
India falls deeper into the corruption cauldron: Report
India has slipped to 87th spot in Transparency International's latest ranking of nations based on the level
of corruption, with the global watchdog asserting that perceptions about corruption in the country
increased in the wake of the scam-tainted Commonwealth Games. Transparency International's
'Corruption Perception Index' report covering the public sector in 178 countries shows that India fell by
three positions from its ranking of 84th in 2009. With an integrity score of 3.3, India is now ranked 87th in
the world in terms of corruption. Neighbouring China is ahead of India in the list at 78th place, with a
score of 3.5. It was at 79th position in 2009. "India has gone down in the ranking as well as integrity score
and this is a matter of concern and regret. It appears that the level of governance has not improved
despite India having a skilled set of administrators," Transparency International India Chairman P S Bawa

said here. The rankings, on a scale of 0 to 10, are based on the extent of corruption and each
government's ability to punish and contain corrupt activities, among other criteria. A score of zero is
perceived to be highly corrupt while 10 would indicate the lowest level of corruption. According to the
report: "The perception about corruption in India seems to have increased primarily due to alleged corrupt
practices in the recently held Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi." As many as four investigating
agencies -- the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax
Department and Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) -- are looking into allegations of corruption
against the organisers of the CWG, which concluded here earlier this month. The top three countries with
the lowest level of corruption globally, as ranked by Transparency International, are Denmark, New
Zealand and Singapore. Denmark was ranked first in the report, with an integrity score of 9.3, while New
Zealand and Singapore came second and third with a similar score. Bhutan was the best performer in the
South Asian region and was ranked 37th, with an integrity score of 5.7. However, other SAARC nations
are ranked below India. Pakistan is ranked at 143th in the list, with an integrity score of 2.3, while
Bangladesh is at 134th, with a score of 2.4. Sri Lanka was ranked 91st in the list, with an integrity score of
3.2, while Nepal was 146th (2.3) and Maldives joined Pakistan at 143th place (2.3). Afghanistan, the
newest SAARC member, was ranked 176th in the list with an integrity score of 1.4. The world's largest
economy, the USA, garnered an integrity score of 7.1 and was 22nd in the list. Among BRIC countries,
Brazil was at 69th position with a score of 3.7 and Russia was 154th, with an integrity score of 2.1.
Transparency International is organising Anti-Corruption Day on December 9 to sensitise the public on
this issue. The report is based on 13 surveys conducted throughout the year by various international
bodies, including the World Bank, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the Freedom
House Foundation. (IE, 28/10/2010)
Cops torture man in illegal custody, nailed
JALANDHAR: Cops torturing a man in illegal custody in Bhogpur police station in Jalandhar to settle a
personal score were well and properly nailed. An MMS showing the merciless thrashing of a man by a
cop, with another one assisting him even as the third one watches, is not only doing the rounds, but was
also published in a local daily. Hours after it came to light an embarrassed police brass suspended two
cops, assistant sub-inspector Avtar Singh and head constable Jagir Singh, and recommended action
against home guard constable Harjinder Singh. However, till Thursday night the senior officials did not
disclose the identity of the victim and the reason why he was subjected to the cruel treatment. Attempts to
get in touch with senior cops failed as they avoided all phone calls. Subordinate staff feigned ignorance
about the whereabouts of the victim or his identity. As for police, they have decided to first check the
video clip, which clearly shows third degree treatment being meted out to a man lying on the floor, for its
authenticity before taking any further action. Inspector general of police (IGP), Jalandhar, RP Mittal, said
an inquiry has been ordered. "We want to procure the MMS for establishing the authenticity of the
clipping. DIG, Jalandhar, Varinder Kumar has been instructed to personally monitor the investigation and
submit the report within a week", he said. Sources said that top brass is desperately trying to find out who
captured the whole sequence and how, exposing the three khaki men. In fact this is the third case in the
recent past that Jalandhar (rural) police has come under scanner for human rights violations. Farmers
and farm labourers' organizations are already demanding action against cops, who resorted to lathi
charge without any magisterial orders on protesters in Kartarpur on September 18 when they were
resisting disconnection of their power supply by PSEB officials. On September 12, district police resorted
to lathi charge on ETT teachers, including women, who were going to gherao rural development minister
Ranjit Singh Brahmpura's residence. (TOI, 29/10/2010)

My conscience is clear, says Ashok Chavan
“My conscience is clear,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan repeats several times, as he
defends himself against allegations of corruption that have surfaced in the media over the last week, and
which are now threatening to take away his job. “This whole issue is being hyped up [in the media]. Look
at what is being shown and written — they don't reflect the ground reality. Things are being projected as
though there is a scam or a fraud.” If he was guilty, would he have welcomed the CBI enquiry, he asks.
Fighting with his back to the wall, Mr. Chavan instead pleads: “Let's talk about solutions. If people want to
show their gratitude to the Kargil martyrs, let's work it out.” Escaping from the media frenzy at the capital's
Maharashtra Sadan, Mr. Chavan agrees to meet this correspondent late on Saturday evening at a city
hotel, a favourite with a section of Congressmen. He looks vulnerable now, unlike the cool he had
projected earlier in the day when he had emerged from 10 Janpath after a gruelling meeting with
Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Facing a battery of TV and print journalists, he had not looked
particularly perturbed. But in this hotel room, he looks distinctly on edge, hinting at the role played by
political rivals from the State in the current controversy. The emotive part of the story is that land allotted
for the construction of a cooperative housing society for Kargil war heroes and their families in one of the
most expensive parts of the country's commercial capital has ended up benefiting the rich and powerful
— Generals, bureaucrats and politicians and their relatives. What is Mr. Chavan's take on this? First, he
points out that there was no mention of Kargil either in September 1999, when Narayan Rane was Chief
Minister and the first letter was received from the promoters, or in February 2000, when Vilasrao
Deshmukh was Chief Minister, and the second letter arrived. He stresses that it was only in the third letter
from the promoters of the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society that there is mention that Kargil war
heroes could also be accommodated — and he admits that he was Revenue Minister at the time in Mr.
Deshmukh's government, and he had written that priority should be given to the project, because of the
Kargil factor. He repeatedly points out that while the first two letters don't mention whether the Adarsh
Society is intended for any specific category of persons, the third letter merely states that it is for serving
and retired defence personnel and that, in the course of the letter, the promoters mention that the families
of the Kargil war heroes could also be accommodated. But Mr. Chavan stresses that it was not intended
only for Kargil war heroes. Mr. Chavan is also insistent that the land on which the Society has come up
belongs to the Maharashtra government, which was subsequently illegally occupied by the Defence
Ministry — something he says was admitted by one Colonel Jog to the Collector of Mumbai in a letter in
2000. He admits that three of the flats were allotted to his relatives — his mother-in-law, and two other
relatives of his wife. Mr. Chavan's defence is that his father-in-law was in the Indian Air Force, and of the
other two, one was an Army officer and the other a PSU official and had, therefore, got the allotments on
their own merit. He also claims that all three have subsequently, in view of the controversy, returned their
allotments. Finally, how did a six-storey building metamorphose into a 31-storey high rise that towers
above the Colaba landscape in southern Mumbai? His answer: the FSI (floor space index) was increased
during Mr. Deshmukh's tenure as Chief Minister, so he can't answer for that. Mr. Chavan is clearly in a
tight spot, and his only defence appears to be that he was just following up on a project that had received
clearance by previous regimes. (The Hindu, 01/11/2010)
Sohrabuddin case: Amit Shah heads for Mumbai on SC's orders
Ahmedabad: Former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah left for Mumbai on Sunday morning following a
direction from the Supreme Court to be out of the State till November 15, when the Central Bureau of
Investigation's plea seeking cancellation of his bail will be heard. The CBI filed a petition in the apex court
on Saturday seeking cancellation of the bail granted by the Gujarat High Court to Amit Shah and sought
an urgent hearing. The petition was filed in the Deputy Registrar's office around 10.30 p.m. hours after the
top brass of the premier investigating agency decided to move the apex court for cancelling the bail.
Senior lawyer KTS Tulsi, who appeared for CBI in the High Court, accompanied CBI officials when the
petition was filed. The CBI court had earlier rejected Shah's bail plea in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake
encounter case. The CBI arrested Amit Shah on July 25 in connection with the case. In his petition before
the high court, Shah had alleged that the CBI had framed him and that there was no evidence to implicate
him. On September 3, Shah had asked the Supreme Court to recall its verdict for a CBI probe on grounds
of 'prejudice', and levelled allegations of corruption against its judge and the Central Government. In the
87-page application moved by Shah, he alleged that Justice Tarun Chatterjee, who was part of the Bench
that had handed over the investigation to the CBI on July 12, was himself under the scanner of the
investigating agency for his involvement in the Uttar Pradesh provident fund scam. Shah's application in

the apex court also questioned the propriety of Justice Aftab Alam considering the fact that he was aware
that Justice Chatterjee's name figured in the provident fund scam. The CBI has charged Shah with
murder, abduction, extortion and conspiracy. On July 23, it produced a 30,000-page charge-sheet
implicating Shah in the case. Shah was interrogated over three days in jail in mid August, but the CBI said
he did not cooperate and denied any involvement in the case. Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausar Bi were
killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2005. (AA, 01/11/2010)
Undertrial dies in hospital, family says was not informed of illness, seeks probe
An inmate of Yerawada jail, Sunil Bhandalkar, 29, facing trial in a cheating case, died at Sassoon Hospital
on Saturday evening. His family members have alleged that the jail authorities had not informed them
about his illness besides delaying informing them about his death. Bhandalkar, an engineering diploma
holder who used to work at Indian Seamless in MIDC area, had been a diabetic for four years.
Vishrambaug police had arrested him on October 21 on charges of duping a person in a land dealing at
Balewadi. He was first remanded in police custody for two days and then shifted to magisterial custody.
Jail superintendent Padmakar Bhalerao said they had admitted him to Sassoon Hospital after his illness
worsened on October 28. Bhandalkar’s father Vilas Bhandalkar, an attendant at College of Agriculture,
said, “My elder son had gone to jail with medicines for Sunil, but the authorities refused to take them and
said they were giving him medicines. We were not even informed about him being admitted to hospital or
then subsequently succumbing to illness. How come a person suffering from illness for so long suddenly
dies? He must not have been taken care of properly at the jail. We want a probe.” Bhalerao said, “We did
inform them about the illness a day after he was admitted to hospital. There is no doubt that he was given
all the possible treatment at the hospital. The body was also handed over to them after post-mortem.
There was no delay.” As part of procedure, an inquiry will be initiated by the district collectorate. (IE,
01/11/2010)
Corruption affecting our lives badly: BHEL ED
Chairing the concluding function of the Vigilance Awareness Week programme, BHEL executive director
(ED) MK Dube on Monday said that corruption affects the social, economical, political and environmental
aspects of society. The BHEL executive director also underlined the need for conducting the Vigilance
Awareness Week keeping in view the guidelines of the CVC and spoke at length about the various
aspects of vigilance. Corruption not only obliterates the independence, health, earnings and enhances
poverty but also sometimes incurs a huge cost in terms of human life, he said. Dube emphasised that
corruption cannot be wiped out overnight, but added that it can be removed gradually by concerted efforts
by the citizens. SIB joint director PK Bhardwaj said that the society at large is responsible for the
prevalence of corruption, as it cannot be removed unless the individual is willing to control oneself.
"People engaged in corruption only numbers to one per cent but this minute figure is so strong that it has
brought the whole society within its ambit," Bhardwaj said. The corruption virus is so disastrous that it is
very tough to overcome it. He stressed on the need of making the youngsters aware of the culture and
traditions of the country. General manager (HR) Girish Shrivastava highlighted the need to inform people
of the ills of corruption. He also threw light on the various activities undertaken by Bhopal unit of the
Public Sector Navratna. The first prize for the inter-school debate competition held as part of the event
was bagged by Kumari Rajeswari. Among others, several senior officials, teachers, parents, students and
prizewinners were present on the occasion. (Pioneer, 02/11/2010)
Police station reader booked for rape
AMRITSAR: Within days of an MMS clip showing cops brutally thrashing a person in illegal police custody
in Jalandhar, another incident of atrocity has emerged in the city. Police on Monday booked Jaswinder
Singh, a reader at the Bhikhiwind police station, for raping a married woman while in illegal detention on
October 19 and 20. Although the victim put in a written complaint on Sunday, Jaswinder had been sent to
the police lines before that. The accused, though, fled soon after the filing of charges, raising a cloud of
suspicion over the working of police department. Tarn Taran SSP PS Virk said the complainant had
eloped with her paramour on October 18 and the duo was picked up soon after. She was kept at the
Bhikhiwind police station and allegedly raped. Sources said the victim had complained to the SHO
immediately after the incident but had not given anything in writing. (TOI, 02/11/2010)
Section 4 of RTI Act could have prevented Adarsh scam, say activists

MUMBAI: The Adarsh housing society scam would not have been possible if the government had
implemented Section 4 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which calls for mandatory disclosure by
public bodies, say RTI activists who have come together to form a statewide RTI Council to act as a
pressure group. Basically, the Section 4 prescribes 'say what you do'. This means that government
bodies must publicise the entire decision-making process, which includes the manuals referred to by the
bureaucrats. "Once the government states this, citizens can spot any deviations. This would also make it
difficult for government officers to act arbitrarily," said Central Information Commissioner (CIC) Shailesh
Gandhi. "Under Section 4, the details of Adarsh housing society would have to be posted on the internet
by the BMC's chief assessor and collector," said Bhaskar Prabhu of the Mahiti Adhikar Manch, Mumbai.
As CIC, Gandhi has used Section 4 to order the registrar of cooperative societies to issue details of
societies, which have submitted their audited balance sheets, and those who have not. He has also
directed the Delhi municipal corporation to give details of building plans being submitted for approval,
widows' pensions and details of the corporators' and legislators' funds being spent on each project. Citing
an example where Section 4 can help, Prabhu says that the CM's Relief Fund is availiable to individuals
also but no information has been posted on the government website about how the citizen can go about
applying for it. Likewise, details of several social welfare and poverty alleviation schemes can be posted
on government websites. Prabhu, along with RTI activist Shivaji Raut from Satara and Vijay Kumbhar of
the Surajya Sangharsh Samiti, Pune, are the convenors of the RTI Council, which will have
representatives in all the 36 districts. Organisations such as the Bombay Chartered Accountants Society,
Public Concern for Governance Trust and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences have also pledged help to
the Council. Section 4 (1) (b) lists 17 categories of information which have to declared suo motu by public
authorities. However, most organisations only provide only sketchy details. Hindustan Petroleum and
Bharat Petroleum are the two exceptions. According to Gandhi, progress on Section 4 has been very
tardy so far since nobody has taken ownership of getting it implemented. "I believe this responsibility must
be taken up by the Information Commissions," he said. (TOI, 03/11/2010)
Grave benefits: In UP, even dead get pension
LUCKNOW: UP is a classic case of corruption where even dead are being given old-age pension. This
way, a sum of Rs 4.21 crore, was given away as pension and transferred to 18,461 accounts of the dead
persons between 2007-09. "What is disturbing is that no steps have so far been taken to seek refund of
this amount for the past three years even after detecting the lapses on part of the social welfare
department," the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said in its latest report. There are also
rampant cases of excess and double disbursement and payment of pension to ineligible persons in the
absence of any physical verification mechanism. The clandestine operation shows a nexus between
officials of the social welfare department responsible for implementing the scheme and the nationalised
banks, selected for maintaining accounts of beneficiaries of the old age pension. Notably, the scheme,
funded jointly by the state and the Centre, has an objective to provide financial support to destitute old
persons aged 60 years and above, who are below poverty line. At present, around 50 lakh persons are
being covered under the scheme in the state with a total budgetary allocation of around Rs 4,000 crore.
Likewise, another Rs 400 crore are stipulated under the National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), meant
for assisting those in distress due to death of their sole bread-earner of the family in the age of 18 and 64
years. The quantum of pension in both the schemes is fixed at Rs 300 per month. However, the CAG
showing dissatisfaction with their performance, has pointed out that survey for identification of
beneficiaries was inadequate and their implementation suffers due to ineffective monitoring at
district/directorate and government levels. While no database of pensioners is available, the old age
pension schemes are not dovetailed with other poverty alleviation schemes as envisaged, the CAG points
out. The result was that there were large number of cases of erroneous payment of pension to ineligible
candidates, irregular or non-disbursement, incorrect reporting of physical verification of the beneficiaries
and double payment of pension. Citing instances, the CAG pointed out that only 235 pensioners were
verified in Agra out of total 36,566 pensioners involving payment of Rs 13.16 crore during 2008-09. Out of
235, two cases of death and one who had left the village were detected, but pension had been paid into
their bank accounts. In Fatehapur, out of total 42,668 pensioners, the verification reports for 22,635
beneficiaries (53%) from Malwan, Amauli, Khajuha and Deomai blocks were not available. Records
relating to sanction of pension showed that cases of ineligible beneficiaries were rampant. In a random
survey, 2,323 out of 3,600 pensioners were ineligible to get pension on ground that they had adult sons,
as per their own admission in the application forms. Likewise, pensions were also given to a large number

of those already covered under various other schemes. Similarly, cross-checking of beneficiaries in the
physical verification lists with those appearing in the bank advice, revealed double payment of Rs 47.90
lakh to 1,070 pensioners during 2007-09. Survey conducted to identify the eligible persons for grant of
benefit under the old age pension scheme, the CAG, pointed was unreliable. Monitoring was weak, as
state level committee (SIC) and district level committees (DLC) were not constituted. The CAG thus
recommends that identification of pensioners should be made after proper survey and the SIC and DLCs
should be constituted for effective monitoring of the scheme. (TOI, 08/11/2010)
Ten prisoners escape from court in Bhopal
Ten prisoners escaped from district court's lock up after digging a hole in its wall here on Tuesday, police
said. However, one of the prisoners, who also tried to escape was caught by a policeman after his
colleague raised an alarm. The prisoners were brought to the court for hearing and lodged in court's lockup,
when they managed to dig a hole in bathroom wall of the lock-up and escaped, police said, adding
how did they manage to dig a hole was not yet clear. The escaped prisoners were identified as Amit,
Kailash, Bablu, Badshah, Vijay, Sharif, Irfan, Anwar, Ranveer and Arif Ali, they said. Soon after the
incident, heavy police force reached the district court and a hunt was launched to nab the escaped
prisoners. Meanwhile, District Bar Association Secretary Indrajeet Singh Rajput, alleging police's lax
attitude in the incident, said he had been asking the top police officials to strengthen security in the district
court's premises and setting up a police chowki near the court for a long time but to no avail. He said that
it was surprising that the prisoners were able to dug a hole in the wall of the court building, which was
constructed a few years ago. (IE, 10/11/2010)
Chavan and Kalmadi sacked over charges
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI, 9 NOV: The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Maharashtra tonight authorised
AICC president Sonia Gandhi to choose a new chief minister to succeed Mr Ashok Chavan (see photo
top) who resigned from the post in the wake of the Adarsh Housing Society scam. The CLP adopted a
resolution authorising and requesting the Congress president to choose the next CLP leader, senior party
leader and Union finance minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in Mumbai. Mr Mukherjee, who
was one of the two Central party observers along with defence minister Mr AK Antony deputed by the
Congress high command to the CLP meeting, said: “We had some interaction with individual MLAs who
wanted to give their views. They have given. Most of them have stated that whatever the high command
will decide, they will accept”. “Some of them (MLAs) have said that this is my individual suggestion. We
have noted everything, will report to the Congress president and after obtaining when she will decide it
will be communicated to you”, Mr Mukherjee said. The Central observers said they would apprise the
Cong-ress president of the sentiments of the legislators and the new leader would be announced after
holding consultations with her. Addressing the meeting, Mr Antony and Mr Mukherjee described the
controversy over the housing scam, in which Mr Chavan faced charges of nepotism in allotment of flats,
as “unfortunate”, sources said. They said the two leaders told the CLP that Mr Chavan’s resignation was
in keeping with the party’s high moral values and tradition. The resolution authorising Mrs Gandhi to
choose the new leader was moved by the outgoing chief minister and seconded by revenue minister
Narayan Rane, Legislative Council chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh and former chief minister Shivajirao
Patil-Nilangekar, party sources said. The two Union ministers, according to some legislators who attended
the talks, said they were open to meeting them individually, if anyone so desired. Though Mr Mukherjee
did not give any timeline for announcement of Mr Chavan’s successor, sources in the party said it could
be as early as tomorrow. According to party sources, the Congress is likely to choose a Maratha leader to
succeed Mr Chavan and the names of Union minister Mr Prithviraj Chavan and Maharashtra minister Mr
Balasaheb Thorat were doing the rounds. Both of them belong to the dominant Maratha community and
hail from western Maharashtra, the stronghold of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. In New Delhi earlier, the
Congress general secretary, Mr Janardhan Dwivedi, announced that Maharashtra chief minister Ashok
Chavan and Congress Parliamentary Party secretary Suresh Kalmadi (see photo bottom) had been
asked by Mrs Gandhi to step down. “Pending inquiry, Mr Chavan’s offer of resignation has been
accepted. He has been asked to tender his resignation to the Governor (K Sankaranarayanan),” he said.
Mr Dwivedi also declared that Mr Kalmadi’s resignation as the CPP secretary has been accepted with
immediate effect. The CWG Organising Committee chairman and Indian Olympic Association (IOA)
president, Mr Kalmadi, is a Congress Lok Sabha MP from Pune. When the Congress general secretary,
Mr Rahul Gandhi, was asked by reporters about who should be the next Maharashtra chief minister, he

said: “One who is capable, can deliver, and obviously clean.” A decision on Mr Chavan’s resignation in
the wake of revelations that three of his relatives owned flats in the Adarsh Housing Society was pending
for the past 10 days in view of the visit of the US President, Mr Barack Obama, to Mumbai. The party did
not want any political disturbance during his visit.
CBI probe ordered
NEW DELHI, 9 NOV: Defence Minister AK Antony today ordered a CBI probe to fix responsibility of the
Armed Forces and Defence Estates officers in a Housing society scam in Mumbai, moving parallel after
the Congress leadership removed Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan. Simultaneously,
environment minister Jairam Ramesh turned the heat in the controversy over flat allotments saying he
expected some action to be taken by his department against the upscale Adarsh Housing Society in the
“next two to three days” for alleged violation of environmental norms. Mr Antony asked the CBI to look
into the circumstances under which a “No Objection Certificate’’ was issued to the Housing Society to
construct the 31-storey building on a piece of land, which was in the “de facto” possession of the Army.
The probe agency will also investigate the commitments made for allotment of flats in the 104-apartment
society for Kargil widows and martyrs’ families. Army Chief Gen. VK Singh has already said the Adarsh
episode has shamed the Army. “The Ministry of Defence has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) to conduct a detailed probe into the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam and fix
responsibility for any lapses,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said in a press release.
“Among other things, the CBI has been asked to look into the circumstances under which No-Objection
Certificate (NOC) was issued and possession of the land in question was relinquished even though there
was a deficiency of land for Army purposes in Mumbai.’’ “The CBI will also probe the extent to which the
commitments for welfare of war widows/service personnel were complied with,” he said. (Statesman,
10/11/2010)
Sen, second judge to face action
Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court is the second judge in the country's history to face
removal proceedings in Parliament. The first was V. Ramaswami, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and
Haryana High Court, who later became a Supreme Court judge, though the motion for his removal failed.
The report of a three-member committee, headed by Justice B. Sudershan Reddy of the Supreme Court,
said it felt that Justice Sen was “guilty of misbehaviour” under Article 124(4) read with Article 217(1) (b) of
the Constitution. Article 124(4), when read with Article 217(1) (b), states that a High Court judge shall not
be removed from his office except on the grounds of ‘proved misbehaviour.' The word, ‘proved,' only
means proved to the satisfaction of a requisite majority of Parliament. The indictment of Justice Sen
paves the way for Parliament to take up the motion for his removal, as he was found guilty of collecting
Rs.33,22,800 from a purchaser of goods, keeping it in a savings bank account and misrepresenting facts
to the High Court. Under the Judges Inquiry Act, the motion will now have to be moved in the Rajya
Sabha and debated upon. Justice Sen will be given an opportunity to rebut the charges, either in person
or through counsel. After the debate ends and the judge is heard, if the House decides to put the motion
to vote, the resolution has to be passed by a two-thirds majority in both Houses in the same session,
failing which the motion is deemed dropped and can only be taken up if the entire process is repeated
afresh in any subsequent session. The resolution is then sent to the President who orders the removal of
the judge. (The Hindu, 11/11/2010)
Fearing cops' brutality, youth ends life
FATEHABAD: In yet another incident that exposed police brutality, a 28-year-old committed suicide by
jumping into Bhakra canal on Wednesday after the cops tortured his brother during investigation of a
complaint filed by a commission agent in local grain market in Tohana. While divers were trying to trace
the victims (Rajesh) body till midnight in the high-pressure canal, locals from Tohana turned violent and
demanded action against the errant cops and complainant commission agent. Though the Fatehabad SP
Jagwant Singh Lamba and Hisar Range IG AK Dhull denied commenting on the issue, SHO of Tohana
sadar police station Inspector Madan Lal confirmed that police were on lookout for Rajesh. Enquiries
revealed that Rajesh and his brother Bantu, who hailed from a dalit family of Kalwan village, worked in
Tohana's grain market, popularly known as Mirch Mandi. Tuesday morning, a commission agent from
Anshul Trading Company lodged a complaint against the two and accused them of stealing 10 kg of
paddy. Following this, police arrested Bantu on Tuesday evening and allegedly tortured him. Contrary to

the denial by Inspector Madan Lal, family members alleged that Bantu was brutally beaten by policemen.
When Rajesh came to know that they were looking for him, he ended his life, said inconsolable family
members. We got the complaint against Rajesh and Bantu. Bantu was called for questioning. He was
released as we did not find anything true in the allegations. We were looking for Rajesh to simply
question him, said Inspector Madan Lal. Opposition parties, however, alleged that Bantu was tortured
because he is dalit. (TOI, 11/11/2010)
‘Corruption in media affects the health of democracy'
The “paid news syndrome” in the media should be resisted as part of a larger struggle for democratic
rights because corruption in the media directly affects the health of democracy. The struggle has to be
waged in the context of media's corporatisation, monopolistic trends and structural decline. These views
emerged at a day-long seminar on “Abridging Freedom and Fairness of the Media: Combating
Challenges,” organised by the Rajasthan Working Journalists' Union, the People's Union for Civil Liberties
(PUCL) and the Human Rights Law Network here on Sunday. Delivering the keynote address, P. Sainath,
Rural Affairs Editor, The Hindu, said the paid news scandal, unearthed during the Assembly elections in
Maharashtra last year, had exposed a full-fledged industry that was out to integrate journalism into it,
blowing apart all values, principles and ethics of news writing. “For the corporate world, everything
including the news is a commodity. With newspaper space purchased for publicity in the garb of news,
politicians break the electoral expenditure limit without inviting action, and the media evade tax and
develop a political clout,” Mr. Sainath said. He regretted that even as statutory bodies, such as the Press
Council of India (PCI) and the Election Commission, had initiated a probe into the scandal, the
mainstream media was still silent on the issue. “This is [a matter of] shame. It exposes the corporate
media which has blacked out the racket.” Even as the media had “structural compulsions to lie” because
of heavy investments made by them in the market, the Election Commission had created a paid news and
money power division and the Central Board of Direct Taxes had deputed a senior officer to look into the
matter, he said. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is also closely monitoring the new
trend. “The choice is clear. Either we finish paid news, or paid news finishes us,” said the journalist,
making a reference to the PCI “suppressing” a 72-page report of a two-member sub-committee on the
subject identifying the perpetrators of the crime. Mr. Sainath said the PCI, as the moral guardian of
journalism, was expected to take a bold stand on the issue. He said while the media's independence was
at stake in the country, the suicide of 2 lakh farmers in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh between 1997 and 2008 had received very little coverage in the
mainstream media. “Evidently, the media universe has changed,” he observed. Emphasising that a “very
painful struggle” lies ahead, Mr. Sainath called for steps going beyond self-regulation, such as antimonopoly
legislation, mandatory SEBI guidelines and democratisation of media. He also sought citizens'
support to the progressive sections of media and creation of an increased public space in the media.
Speakers in other sessions highlighted instances of attempts to curb freedom of expression, the state and
big business interests exploiting the media, extremist groups silencing the voice of criticism and curbs
imposed by the media houses on the professional life of their staffers. The sessions were devoted to the
subjects such as “Muzzling of Media by the State and the Mob,” “Perils of Being a Stringer,” “Media
Corporatised and Compromised,” and “Contempt of Court and Disclosure of Sources.” Rajasthan High
Court judge R.S. Chauhan, PUCL State president Prem Krishna Sharma, Indian Federation of Working
Journalists vice-president Praveen Chandra Chhabra, High Court lawyer S.R. Bajwa, BBC's Narain
Barhat, Dainik Bhaskar's Giriraj Agrawal and The Hindu's Sunny Sebastian addressed the seminar. (The
Hindu, 15/11/2010)
2G scam a well thought-out conspiracy: Prashant Bhushan
The entire 2G spectrum scam is a multistage, well thought-out act in which a criminal conspiracy was
hatched between private companies/persons and officials of the Department of Telecommunications
(DoT) to circumvent an open, transparent auction process by choosing the first come, first served route
and thereby causing a huge loss to the exchequer, counsel Prashant Bhushan argued in the Supreme
Court on Monday. A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly is hearing a petition filed by the
Centre for PIL seeking action on the basis of the audit report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor-
General. DGA report During the resumed hearing, Mr. Bhushan disputed the DoT's counter-affidavit that
there was no loss in the award of 2G spectrum and quoted the final report of the Director-General of Audit

(Post and Telegraph), according to which the scam resulted in a loss of about 1.76 lakh crore. When
Justice Ganguly wanted to know whether this was part of the CAG report, counsel said it would be part of
the final CAG report, which was yet to be tabled in Parliament. Mr. Bhushan quoted the DGA report,
which said: “It was noticed by the CAG that 13 applicants were ready with demand drafts and [they] even
managed bank guarantees. Evidently, these applicants had advance information about the issue of this
notification by DoT which enabled them to take appropriate advance action to draw the demand drafts
and prepare other relevant documents for complying with the LOI [Letter of Intent] conditions in spite of
the changed time limit for compliance from 15 days to about half a day.” “Gross misrepresentation”
Counsel argued that the department's contention that it had followed the existing first come, first served
process “is a gross misrepresentation. The modified version is certainly aimed at benefiting the “favourites
amongst the favoured.” Disputing the contention that 2G and 3G could not be compared, the petitioner
said “while DoT gave away 6.2 MHz for 22 circles, i.e.136.4 MHz of spectrum at Rs.1,658.57 crore in
2008 at 2001 prices (at Rs.12 crore per MHz), the same government decided to auction 3G spectrum,
therefore, yielding 5 MHz for 22 circles, viz. 110 MHz for Rs.16,750.58 crore (an average yield of Rs.152
crore per MHz). So essentially, for 3G, the companies paid 12 times higher for each MHz, i.e., Rs.152
crore: Rs.12 crore, and yet, the first set of voice services launched by Tata Docomo has priced 3G voice
lower than 2G voice at 0.66 paisa per second.” “Collusion of officials” The petitioner said: “The UASL
[Unified Access Services Licence] application is a very detailed, simple but exacting process which
requires multiple pieces of information to be provided to meet the eligibility criteria. Of the 122 licences
awarded from the applications received before September 25, 2007, the CAG has discovered that 85 do
not qualify for licences for one reason or the other. It is clear that such wide-scale processing of LOIs and
grant of licences could not have happened without the active collusion of several officers within the
department.” All persons involved in the criminal conspiracy should be arrested, prosecuted and
punished, the petitioner said. Arguments will continue on Tuesday. Hearing on Swamy plea The Bench
told Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy that his special leave petition, for a direction to Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh to decide on his application seeking sanction for prosecution of A. Raja (who
has since resigned as Communications Minister), would be heard on Tuesday. (The Hindu, 16/11/2010)
Man's custodial death leads to protests in Nagarkurnool
NAGARKURNOOL: The death of a toddy trader in the excise police station under suspicious
circumstances triggered protests as his relatives went berserk and ransacked the office here on
Wednesday. Tension prevailed as the irate relatives damaged furniture and set two vehicles on fire. They
also torched the office files in protest against the death of Kashanna Goud in police custody. Goud was
brought to the excise PS on Tuesday by the cops for illegally running a toddy shop in the town. The angry
relatives said Goud was tortured to death by the cops. However, police said he had committed suicide in
the early hours as he was worried over his `prestige' taking a beating as he was brought to the PS. "Goud
was brought to the PS for interrogation as we have received some complaints that he was illegally
running the shop," a police official said. The agitators staged protests in front of the excise PS and
demanded stringent punishment against the cops responsible for the death of Goud. "He is not a coward
to take his life. We are sure that the cops beat him up severely leading to his death," a relative said. They
relented only after a top excise official promised to look into the matter. (TOI, 18/11/2010)
Father blames 3 Dhanbad cops - Custody death: police admit Dhirendra was arrested
Dhanbad/Bokaro, Nov. 18: The father of Dhirendra Singh, who died yesterday in police custody, has
alleged that three police officers tortured his son during questioning, the direct accusation weakening the
case of Dhanbad police whose FIR on the detention of the suspected Maoist is full of discrepancies.
Accompanied by three MLAs — Samresh Singh (Bokaro), Arup Chatterjee (Nirsa) and Phul Chand
Mandal (Sindri) — Sunder Singh went to the Dhanbad sadar police station yesterday to file his complaint
in which he said Barwaddah police station officer in charge Sahdev Prasad, Nirsa DSP Shailendra
Burnwal and Bhuli police station officer in charge Harish Pathak killed Dhirendra after repeatedly
assaulting him during interrogation in police custody. The sadar police, however, are yet to register a
case on the basis of Sunder’s complaint. Dhanbad police today clarified that Dhirendra (30) was indeed
arrested and not detained, a turnaround that was surprising since several police officers, including
Prasad, had been insisting for the last two days that he was detained for questioning regarding Maoist
literature he was carrying. According to the FIR registered at Barwaddah police station, a copy of which is
with The Telegraph, Dhirendra was arrested under Section 414 of IPC and Section 17 Criminal Law

Amendment Act (CLA) for carrying Maoist posters and possessing a stolen motorcycle. The FIR claimed
he was picked up from Memco More during a routine vehicle inspection drive and arrested at Barwaddah,
while the police have been claiming he was first detained at sadar police station. Most importantly, the
FIR claimed Dhirendra had confessed he was going towards Tundi to distribute and paste the Maoist
posters calling for a panchayat poll boycott. IG (coal belt) Manoj Mishra defended the police saying
Dhirendra was carrying Maoist literature which was a cognisable offence. “Moreover, as per my
knowledge, preliminary findings of the post-mortem do not reveal any external or internal injuries on him,”
he added. Earlier, talking to The Telegraph at his Birni Manpur home in Bokaro, Dhirendra’s father
Sunder said they would be going to Dhanbad tomorrow to collect his son’s body and hold a funeral. “The
body of my son bore injury marks, suggesting that he died due to torture,” Sunder alleged, seeking a CBI
inquiry to unravel the truth. His elder son and Dhirendra’s brother Lalman said mere compensation would
not do. “We want justice, the guilty policemen must be punished,” he said. In Ranchi, before leaving for
Delhi, chief minister Arjun Munda said he had sought reports on the case from the home department.
Munda added that the guilty would not be spared. (Telegraph, 19/11/2010)
Army salary surprise in Adarsh papers
Mumbai, Nov. 21 (PTI): The CBI will approach the defence ministry for a clarification on whether an army
chief’s salary can be as less as Rs 23,450, which General Deepak Kapoor has apparently claimed as his
pay in the Adarsh housing documents. The CBI has procured the documents from the Maharashtra
government in which the profiles of all the members of the housing society, originally meant for housing
Kargil war widows, were mentioned along with their monthly income, official sources said. The
documents, made public by an RTI activist Yogacharya Anandji, showed that former army chief General
Deepak Kapoor had declared his salary as Rs 23,450. Surprisingly, around the same time his Lieutenant
General, Tejinder Singh, had announced his salary as Rs 41,000 a month. The CBI has collected these
documents and will write to the defence ministry seeking details, a senior official said, adding that if any of
the officers had filed false affidavits, action could be taken against them for “misrepresentation of facts”.
Kapoor was not available for comment. He had earlier claimed that he paid for the Adarsh Society
apartment through his savings and bank loans. According to the documents procured under the RTI Act
by Anandji, former army chief Nirmal Chander Vij had in 2007 declared his monthly income as Rs 39,825.
The documents have revealed that at least 40 out of the 87 Adarsh flat owners declared their monthly
income to be Rs 12,500 or lower as of January 2004 (in a 71-member list) and December 2007 (in a 16-
member list). Under a 1999 government resolution, civilians as well as retired defence and government
employees could not get memberships in societies such as Adarsh unless they earned Rs 12,500 a
month or lower. The rule was later relaxed for a few officers. Among the income declarations of Rs
12,500 or lower, are those of Kanishka Pathak, son of former Mumbai civic chief Jairaj Pathak, and Malav
Shah, son of Pune-based builder Jayantilal Shah, who declared his income as Rs 11,000. Brigadier M.M.
Wanchu, an office-bearer of Adarsh, listed his income as Rs 10,000 a month. (Telegraph, 22/11/2010)
Custodial death mars Assembly anniversary fete
The issue of the custodial death of Dhirendra Singh, an alleged Maoist, in Dhanbad district disrupted the
Assembly’s anniversary celebration as Sindri MLA Phulchand Mandal tried to raise the matter in the
House on Monday. The JVM legislator, in the presence of Governor MOH Farook, Chief Minister Arjun
Munda and other dignitaries, interrupted the citation ceremony organised for eminent legislators, and
blamed the lackluster approach of the State administration in the custodial death case. Dhirendra Singh
was arrested on November 16 and was taken to the Bargadda police station. He was allegedly bitten the
whole night in the name of interrogation at the police lockup that led to his death. “When his condition
deteriorated, the police admitted him to a private nursing home instead of PMCH (Patliputra Medical
College and Hospital, Dhanbad). His post-mortem was also conducted in haste. I have been raising the
issue but no FIR has been filed till now. I had no other forum to raise the concern thus chose the Vidhan
Sabha,” Mandal told The Pioneer. However, Mandal’s effort created a situation of chaos. Floor managers
and organisers forcefully brought the complaining legislator down from the podium. The hullabaloo stalled
the proceedings for a while and it happened when the Governor, the Chief Minister and Speaker CP
Singh were present on the stage. Later the MLA managed to submit a memorandum to the Governor and
the CM demanding a thorough probe and action in the matter. “People of the region have lots of
resentment in this regard and I had no other place to express my feelings as the Assembly was not in the
session. I managed to narrate myself before the officials and the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary,”

said Mandal. Arjun Munda has reportedly assured Mandal to look into the matter in a day or two. The
JVM MLA also blamed the State Government for not taking the matter seriously. “It (non-action) may be in
connivance with the administration. I have demanded to the CM that all cases filed in the police stations
across the State since November 16 should be taken back if Dhirendra's case is not admitted,” said
Mandal. The MLA also threatened to file a PIL in the court if FIR was not lodged in the case. Police
claimed that a pro-Naxal pamphlet was found with the Dhirendra when police searched him on the fateful
night. Police claimed that Dhirendra complained stomach ache and was later admitted to a nearby
hospital where he succumbed to the aliment. The death of Dhirendra was widely reported as custodial
killing by the media. Police later conducted post-mortem for the second time but no formal complaint has
been registered with the police leading to the suspicion. Surendra Singh, the victim's father, denied his
son was a Maoist and alleged police torture caused his death. (Pioneer, 23/11/2010)
Axe on cop in Dhanbad
Ranchi/Dhanbad, Nov. 23: The officer in charge of Barwaddah police station was suspended today, but
the government indicated that any further action against Dhanbad police officers for the in-custody death
of a Bokaro resident would depend on the report of viscera tests being conducted at a Ranchi forensic
laboratory. Sahdeo Prasad’s suspension orders were issued after the intervention of chief minister Arjun
Munda yesterday amid a public outcry against the Dhanbad police for the November 17 in-custody death
of 30-year-old Dhirendra Singh arrested the day before for possessing Maoist literature. Coal belt DIG
Umesh Prasad Singh, who issued the suspension orders, said as per norms a preliminary report
regarding the custodial death had been sent to the National Human Rights Commission and inspectorgeneral
of Police Manoj Mishra within 24 hours of the incident. The chief minister, it has been learnt, had
directed DGP Neyaz Ahmed on November 17 before leaving for Delhi, to look into the Dhanbad custody
death and take suitable action. Yesterday, after JVM’s coal belt MLAs Samresh Singh and Phul Chand
Mandal raised the issue publicly at an Assembly function to commemorate statehood day, Munda turned
to Ahmed for a status report. It was then that he asked the DGP to suspend the OC and conduct a probe
to unravel the truth, sources said. Munda also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to Dhirendra’s
next of kin. The state home department, in its report to the chief minister, has said that the post-mortem
conducted on the body of Dhirendra failed to come to conclusion on the exact reason behind his death
since there were no external or internal injuries to suggest torture or the use of third degree methods.
“The deceased was probably suffering from some stomach problem. When his condition started
deteriorating, he was first taken to a health centre and brought back. Thereafter, he was taken to a private
nursing home and finally to the Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) where he died,” said a
senior home department official. He pointed to several doubts. “Why didn’t the police take him to PMCH
first? Further, versions of doctors and police officers also don’t match. Hence, the Barwaddah officer in
charge Sahdeo Prasad has been suspended,” he added. The government, he said, was now waiting for
the viscera test report, likely to take about a fortnight, which is expected to throw more light on the case.
Chief secretary A.K. Singh maintained the government was examining every aspect of the case and
promised suitable action against the “guilty” police officers. Yesterday, Dhanbad deputy commissioner
Sunil K. Burnwal ordered a magisterial inquiry to look into all aspects of the case — right from Dhirendra’s
detention and arrest on November 16 to the events for the night leading to his death early next morning.
A case of unnatural death has been registered at Barwaddah police station. But, Dhirendra’s father
Sunder Singh, has also lodged a complaint case in which he has named four police officers — SP Suman
Gupta, Barwaddah OC Sahdeo Prasad, Nirsa DSP Shailendra Burnwal and Bhuli OC Harish Pathak —
alleging they had tortured his son to death during questioning. The JVM reacted positively to today’s
suspension, but threatened to hit the streets if the government failed to punish the “guilty” police officers.
“The chief minister sought two days’ time. He has shown good gesture by suspending Barwaddah OC.
But the rest of our demands remain unattended,” said Samresh Singh, JVM’s Bokaro MLA. The party’s
Sindri MLA Phul Chand Mandal, however, said he wanted the government to take action against the other
police officers too. (Telegraph, 24/11/2010)
Undertrial commits suicide in Tihar jail
NEW DELHI: A 28-year-old undertrial reportedly committed suicide in Tihar jail on Monday. The prisoner,
Nabi Hassan, hanged himself from the ceiling fan of his cell in ward number 10 in Tihar jail 8. Hassan`s
body was found by fellow inmates around 3.45 pm. They informed Tihar officials. He was taken to the
prison hospital but was declared brought dead. The reason for the death is not known yet. Tihar's law

officer Sunil Gupta said: "A judicial inquiry has been ordered. We are waiting for the report." A resident of
Gokulpuri, the deceased was facing trial for three cases of burglary and theft, all registered in the
Gokulpuri police station. (TOI, 24/11/2010)
CBI arrests LIC officials, bankers in multi-crore housing scam
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: In a crackdown on a multi-crore kickbacks-for-loan scam and trading insider
information on companies, the CBI on Wednesday arrested the CEO of LIC Housing Finance,
Ramachandran Nair, and seven others including three senior executives of public sector banks and a LIC
executive. Nair and bankers - Bank of India general manager R N Tayal, Maninder Singh Johar, a
chartered accountant and part-time director on the board of Central Bank of India, and Punjab National
Bank deputy general manager Venkoba Gujjal - have been accused of pushing loans to companies in
return for monetary benefits from executives of Money Matters, a Mumbai-based financial services
company. In the remand application, CBI mentioned that the bank officials and Money Matters executives
were working in tandem to provide loans and other bank facilities to real estate players such as DB
Realty, Mantri Realty, Lavasa, 'Emaar MGH', the Jaypee group, the Krishna group, the Gold Souk project
and Suzlon, among others. Rajesh Sharma, the head of Money Matters, and two of his colleagues -
Suresh Gattani and Sanjay Sharma - were among those arrested. LIC Secretary (Investment) Naresh K
Chopra, also held, has been accused of passing on insider information on several companies to Sharma.
Among others, Chopra allegedly passed on information on Adani, Jaypee Hydro, JSW Power, Religare,
DB Realty and Pantaloon. A special CBI court remanded the eight persons to police custody till
November 29. Officials said more bank executives were being questioned as part of a nationwide probe
into the multi-crore scam. Joint director of CBI in-charge of economic offences, K Kandaswamy, said the
bank officials are yet to quantify the scam amount but officials pegged it at over Rs 1,000 crore. The CBI
has been investigating the case for over a year and recorded conversations between the accused
demanding kickbacks. Nair is alleged to have received funds to purchase a flat at a discounted rate at
Satellite Towers, Goregaon (East) and also received Rs 45 lakh bribe. LIC's Chopra is accused of
receiving Rs 16 lakh from Rajesh Sharma through his associates for providing insider information on
several companies. The remand application also mentioned favours shown to Lavasa - a private township
project undertaken by HCC Ltd near Pune. Johar allegedly demanded Rs 37.5 lakh from Sanjay Sharma
and Rs 30 lakh was deliverd for the undue favour he extended for arranging loans for the Lavasa project.
Kandaswamy said CBI has registered five separate cases and will have to scrutinise over a lakh
transactions before coming to a conclusion on the involvement of others. * Incriminating documents, 28
hard disks, 189 gold coins, gift vourchers of Rs 4.97 lah and Rs 12.12 lakh were seized from the office of
Money Matters at New Marine Lines. In another raid carried out by the income tax department on
Tuesday, the department seized Rs 1 crore in cash. * Venkoba Gujal was paid Rs 7.5 lakh as reward for
facilitating a loan of Rs 50 crore to one of the clients of Rajesh Sharma. * R N Tayal allegedly received Rs
25 lakh from Rajesh Sharma for purchase of a flat in New Delhi. Tayal had promised to help him in the
matter of Ashapura Minechem, Rs 200 crore power project of BGR Energy and Rs 300 crore power
project of OPG. * DB Realty and LIC Housing Finance on Wednesday said they were not involved in the
multi-crore kickbacks-for-loan scam. * Following the raids, the finance ministry said it had called for details
from financial institutions. * In a separate statement, LIC Housing Finance said all procedures and due
diligence consistent with board-approved guidelines were adhered to while approving the loans. In
addition, it said the loans were secured by assets and were in line with regulatory norms. * Vinod Goenka,
chairman of DB Realty, said, "We were busy preparing for our IPO a year ago. At the same time we
wanted to submit loans for four projects in Mumbai. These were all construction loans. Since my staff was
busy with the IPO, we decided to hire Money Matters to arrange for this loan amounting to Rs 200 crore.
DB agreed to pay a 1.25% fee to Money Matters to get the loan sanction from any financial institution or
bank and synidicate this loan for us. The application for the loan was made in November 2009 to LIC
Housing, the sanction came in January 2010 and the amount was disbursed in March 2010 with a rate of
interest fixed at 13.5%." * He added, "We paid Money Matter's fee by cheque. How they dealt with the
bank or whether they gave gratification, we don't know. There was no undue advantage given to us.
There was no hanky panky." (TOI, 25/11/2010)
Police brutality back in Bihar post-Nitish win
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar worked hard to improve the terrifying image of the state’s police force
during his first term, but the ongoing celebrations for his return to power by a landslide seem to have put

policemen too much in a high. Even as a freshly sworn-in Kumar asked top police officials to make further
improvements in law and order, parts of Bihar witnessed a hugely unexpected beginning of the muchglorified
Nitish Raj-II in the past two days as policemen brutally beat up apparently innocent people and
some others suspected for minor offences. In a shocking throwback to the dark times Bihar is desperate
to forget, some drunken policemen even allegedly burnt down poor people’s houses and tried to molest
Muslim women in one village. In the middle of enjoying an overly raunchy song-and-dance show
performed by semi-naked bar girls and attended by local politicians in a village in Bikram near Patna,
policemen mercilessly slapped and beat up the driver of a private vehicle for saying he did not know who
damaged the newly-elected BJP legislator’s car. “Naam bataa jaldi...Jaldi bol” (Tell his name fast)
shouted a police sub-inspector as he continuously slapped and punched the man who happened to be
near MLA Anil Kumar’s car at the show venue. At the overnight ceremony, Congress leader Sanjeev
Singh, who lost the Assembly polls in Bikram constituency to Anil Kumar, was seen dancing among the
bar girls on stage and throwing scores of currency notes on them. Besides, dozens of people were seen
carrying rifles and some even allegedly fired in air to apparently to honour a local industrialist who had
organised the ceremony at Benibigaha to celebrate his son’s birthday. A group of drunken cops in the
eastern district of Purnea allegedly burnt down two houses of poor Muslim villagers and tried to molest
several women at night. “Seven policemen came and asked us to open the doors. They badly
misbehaved with us women and then burnt the houses,” said Shahezan Khatun of Mohammadpur village,
who received injuries. Angry villagers then locked the cops in one house for several hours. Sub-inspector
Babban Chaudhary was suspended for this incident and a probe was ordered. The GRP officer-in-charge
at Begusarai railway station repeatedly slapped and punched a man, Rajesh Kumar, who had reached
him with a complaint. The officer was caught on camera banging Mr Kumar’s head on a wall in a way that
could prove fatal. A few similar incidents of police brutality were also reported from other places over the
past two days, raising hopes for intervention from chief minister Nitish Kumar, who had reviewed the
police and crime situation in Bihar on Saturday night. (AA, 29/11/2010)
Delhi Police solved just 25% of this year’s cases
NEW DELHI: Delhi Police may boast of bringing down the actual number of crimes being committed in
the city, but it seems its investigating skills need some brushing up. While most major cases have seen
arrests in the past, only one-fourth of the total cases of theft, dacoity and murder reported in the city were
solved this year with official figures showing that the work out rate of these crimes has come down in the
last four years. While breakthroughs are still elusive in the recent Dhaula Kuan rape or the Patel Nagar
double murder cases, it is the cases of theft and motor vehicle theft where Delhi Police is facing difficulty
in nabbing the criminals. Experts claim that though Delhi Police has one of the best technical surveillance
mechanisms among all police forces in the country, its human intelligence gathering through sources has
seen a dip. According to statistics, only 4,308 of the 17,773 cases of theft, dacoity and murder reported
this year till October 31 have been solved with arrest of 6,701 people. Expectedly, the south district police
has performed well with maximum number of arrests this year (1020) and having solved 35% of all
reported crimes in the districts. Only west district, with a 39% strike rate performed better. The worst
performance has come from east district and northwest district. ''Overall, 24.23% of cases under these
three heads have been worked out. A total of 13,465 cases remain unsolved. We are working on these
cases,'' a policeman said. The figures show the success rate in solving cases has gone down in the past
four years, though the number of theft, dacoity and murder cases was on the decline. Last year, police
managed to solve 27.8% (6,210) of the total 22,319 cases arresting 9,785 people. In 2008, the solving
rate was 31.21% (6,069) of 19,445 cases with 9,426 people being arrested. In 2007, 35.46% of the
17,566 cases were worked out. (TOI, 29/11/2010)
Man dies in police custody
HYDERABAD: A 45-year-old worker, who was taken into custody by the Dharur police of Ranga Reddy
district, allegedly died in police custody on Saturday morning. However, police claimed he committed
`suicide' by hanging himself with a `shoe lace'. Three policemen, including a sub-inspector, have been
suspended for the alleged custodial death. According to sources, P Kishtaiah, a daily-wager, was taken
into custody by the Dharur police for his alleged involvement in a murder case on Friday. He was taken to
the police station and questioned. Kishtaiah died on Saturday morning because of police torture, locals
alleged. Ranga Reddy district superintendent of police (SP) P Muni Swamy said Kishtaiah was to be
produced before court on Saturday. Quoting local police officials, the SP stated Kishtaiah attempted

suicide late on Friday night and succumbed on Saturday morning. To queries on how the worker procured
a shoe lace or is it possible to commit suicide with it, the SP refused to divulge details except saying: "An
inquiry has been ordered and all issues will be dealt by the investigating officer, RDO." The three
policemen present at the station on Friday night__sub-inspector (SI) Naresh Kumar, ASI Mukhtar
Moinuddin and constable Shankar Naik__were suspended for negligence of their duties. "Even if an
accused attempts suicide, the officials are responsible as they were on duty. They have been suspended
for negligence of their duties," the SP said. The local RDO would conduct an inquiry and oversee the
post-mortem. "It will be known only after the post-mortem report comes in as how Kishtaiah died," he
added. (TOI, 28/11/2010)
Mention of Rs 9-cr bribe to HC judge hits sore spot with SC
The sensational details leaking out of the Nira Radia tapes touched a raw nerve with the Supreme Court
on Tuesday after it discovered that one of the tapes contained exchanges about a Rs 9-crore bribe paid
to a high court judge for a favourable judgement. The judge later retired as the Chief Justice of the Punjab
& Haryana High Court. With the tapes revealing a lot more than just the 2G spectrum scam, the apex
Bench of Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly, after hearing portions of the transcripts read out by
advocate Prashant Bhushan during the hearing on a PIL on the 2G scam, thought it wise to seek
response from the Department of Income Tax and the Centre whether it was in favour of entrusting the
tapes to the court’s custody. The startling revelation of the bribe offered to the judge, who at the time was
posted in the Delhi High Court, formed part of a conversation recorded between a former managing
director of Indian Airlines with Radia. Scoffing at the demand raised by Ratan Tata demanding freeze
over further publication of tapes, petitioner Prashant Bhushan said, “These tapes are revealing as to how
this country is being run, how policies are subverted, decisions fixed, and parliamentarians acting as
lobbyists for corporates.” He read out portions from the tape where attempts to fix the judiciary were
openly discussed. If the Rs 9-crore bribe scandal was not enough, Bhushan read out another portion
where a senior journalist is heard flaunting to Radia his ability to “fix” cases in the Supreme Court with the
help of his lawyer son. Taking lessons from the hawala case where the diary, which exposed payments
made to bigwigs was kept in court custody, Bhushan said, “This is a treasure trove of information on how
this country is being run today and every attempt is made to ensure that it does not see the light of day.”
Responding to Bhushan’s concern, the Bench gave one day to the Centre, represented by Solicitor
General Gopal Subramanium, and senior advocate Mukul Gupta (appearing for Income Tax Department)
to take instructions on whether “the tapes prepared by the Director General (Investigations), IT, of
conversations of Nira Radia and others should be preserved”. The Bench, which read through the
compilation of news reports and taped transcripts prepared by Bhushan, was shocked to note, “We have
been talking about the pollution in Ganga for 28 years, but this pollution is quite mind-boggling…we hope
we don’t live in a world of illusions.” Bhushan cited the latest instance of crucial documents relating to the
Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai gone missing from the Urban Development Ministry’s files.
“These tapes show how the Constitution is subverted by using such paid lobbyists.” Subramanium,
however, objected to such conversations being read out in the court as it concerned the dignity of
individuals who were not party before the court. The Bench, which was aware of the importance of the
tapes, went on to settle the law on the disclosure of tapes by forming an opinion, “The claim for immunity
in respect of any document or tape is that it must stand the scrutiny of the court where public interest
should be the only touchstone.” (Pioneer, 01/12/2010)
Man accused of theft dies in AP police custody
KOLAR GOLD FIELDS: A person accused of theft died under mysterious circumstances near KGF on
Monday afternoon when Andhra Pradesh police were interrogating him in connection with the case.
According to KGF SP Dev Jyothi Ray, Ramakuppam police had come to KGF to arrest two persons
involved in a theft. The duo, Vadivelu, 43, and Parameswara Reddy, 45, were taken for interrogation by
AP police in the morning. However, by evening, Ramakuppam SI Ashok Kumar lodged a complaint with
KGF police, stating that Vadivelu was killed when he was trying to escape from the police. Based on this
complaint, KGF police took up a case of unnatural death. It is learnt that Vadivelu and Reddy, both
residents of Andersonpet in KGF, had been to Ramakuppam recently and stayed a night in the house of
Prasad Reddy, a distant relative of Parameswara Reddy. A couple of days later, Prasad Reddy reportedly
lodged a complaint with Ramakuppam police, saying that 85 gm of gold was missing from his house, and
he suspected Vadivelu and Parameswara Reddy. Based on this complaint, the police arrived in KGF and

picked up the duo for interrogation. The duo reportedly misled the police several times about the place
where they had hidden the gold. Later, they took the police to a nearby rock, stating that they had hidden
it under the rock. It was then that Vadivelu reportedly died, but the cause remains a mystery. While the
police maintain that he fell into a ditch when he attempted to flee, Parameswara Reddy, who is in hospital
with serious injuries, alleged that police beat Vadivelu to death. SP Ray told The Times of India that the
matter had been referred to a judicial magistrate. (TOI, 7/12/2010)
Panel wants life term or death for killings in police custody
NEW DELHI: Life imprisonment or capital punishment has been recommended by a parliamentary panel
for death due to torture in police custody while the "threat of rape" has also been defined as torture. The
select committee on the prevention of torture bill widened the scope of public servants to include
government-run educational institutions, companies and organisations. A minimum compensation of Rs 1
lakh has been recommended. The panel has held that acts of sexual abuse against women and torture of
children have been added to the "indicative" list. Committee chairperson Ashwini Kumar said fine-tuning
the definition of torture was needed to make the proposed prevention of torture bill effective. The
provisions relating to prior sanction has been retained to protect public servants from frivolous or
malicious complaints. A decision on request for sanction must be given within three months otherwise it
will deem to have been granted. The bill is intended to ratify India's acceptance of the UN convention
against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment ( UNCAT). The bill
seeks to criminalise torture in Indian domestic law. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha but referred to
a select committee by Rajya Sabha with concerns being raised over its provisions being incomplete while
some felt it would "demoralise" security forces. (TOI, 8/12/2010)
Neera Yadav spends night in prisonFormer UP Chief Secretary Neera Yadav, who has been
sentenced to a four-year jail term by a special CBI court in a Noida land scam case, spent her first night in
women's general cell of Dasna prison and was served jail food. "62-year-old Yadav, who was Chief
Executive Officer in Noida in 1992-94, sentenced along with Flex industries owner Ashok Chaturvedi
yesterday, was served chappati and dal for dinner. She was given bread and tea for breakfast," Jail
Superintendent Viresh Raj Sharma told PTI. "Outside food was not allowed due to security reasons," he
said. Following an order by the CBI court, the IAS officer was allowed to take medicines for her blood
pressure. Yadav, who had yesterday complained of chest pain but was later found fit, underwent a
medical examination this morning. Yadav is the second Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, who has been
indicted on charges of corruption. Earlier, during Mulayam Singh's regime, then chief secretary Akhand
Pratap Singh was lodged in jail also on charges of corruption. (HT, 8/12/2010)
DJB clerk says Rs 1 lakh stolen; thieves say Rs 50 L
In a bizarre incident, a Delhi Government employee claimed burglars got away with more than Rs 1 lakh
from his house but thieves, arrested in connection with the crime, said they took away Rs 50 lakh. The
case came to light when police arrested a youth Mukesh Todi, while he was roaming around suspiciously
near Old Seelampur railway crossing in East Delhi on early hours of Tuesday. The incident also brought
out the honesty of three policemen, who did not ‘waver’ at the sight of huge amounts of money recovered
from the thieves, Additional Commissioner of Police (East) KC Dwivedi told reporters on Wednesday. “It is
a case of exemplary honesty,” said Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta. Todi told police that Rs 29 lakh
they recovered from him were part of around Rs 50 lakh he along with his brother-in-law Pawan stole
from the Moti Nagar residence of Kuldeep Kumar, an upper division clerk of Delhi Jal Board. “Head
Constable Satendra and Constable Sudhir Kumar were patrolling when they saw a youth in suspicious
circumstances. They apprehended him and during a search, they found huge cash with him,” Dwivedi
said. The money was counted in the presence of a witness and was totalled at `29 lakh. Later, a raid was
conducted at the residence of Pawan and his brother Vikas to whom the former had given Rs 21 lakh to
hide. “Rs 21 lakh were recovered from Vikas’ residence where he had hidden it inside a bed and Vikas
was arrested,” Dwivedi added. During interrogation, he said, the duo told police that Pawan and Todi had
stolen the money from a house in Moti Nagar which was later identified as that of Kumar. However,
Kumar had told police that only Rs 1-1.25 lakh of cash and jewellery were missing from the house in the
burglary which took place on the night of December 2 when he and his family were out for his nephew’s
marriage. When asked whether they were investigating the source of income of the government

employee, a senior police official said they were investigating the matter. “We will also inform the matter
to the competent authority,” he said. Dwivedi said the policemen “showed unflinching integrity and high
professional conduct while they had an opportunity to conceal the recovery of the huge amount of
unaccounted cash from a thief in the middle of night.” The three policemen were given ‘Asadharan Karya
Puraskar’ for their services besides a cash reward of Rs 10,000 to each. (Pioneer, 9/12/2010)
54 per cent Indians paid bribe last year: study
One person in four worldwide paid bribe during the past year while 54 per cent Indians say they greased
the palms of authorities to get things done, says a study released today to mark International Anti-
Corruption Day. "Corruption has increased over the last three years, say six out of 10 people around the
world, and one in four people report paying bribes in the last year," the Berlin-based non- governmental
agency, Transparency International (TI), said. Releasing the findings of the 2010 Global Corruption
Barometer, a worldwide public opinion survey on corruption, TI said it showed that in the past 12 months
one in four people paid bribe to one of nine institutions and services, from health to education to tax
authorities. The police are named the most frequent recipient of bribes, according to those surveyed, with
29 per cent of those who had contact with the police reporting that they paid bribe. The biggest number of
reported bribery payments in 2010 is in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Cameroon, India, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria,
Palestine, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Uganda where more than 50 per cent of people surveyed paid
bribe in the past 12 months. In India, 54 per cent of users of services said they paid bribe to receive
attention from service providers. Almost half of all respondents say they paid bribes to avoid problems
with the authorities and a quarter say it was to speed up processes. Most worrying is the fact that bribes
to the police have almost doubled since 2006, and more people report paying bribes to the judiciary and
for registry and permit services than they did so five years ago, TI said. Worldwide, sub-Saharan Africa
was the region reporting the greatest incidence of bribery with more than one person in two saying they
had made such payments to officials in the past 12 months. The Middle East and North Africa was the
next most corrupt regions with 36 per cent of people there reporting having paid bribes. This compared to
32 per cent in the former Soviet republics, 23 per cent in South America, 19 per cent in the Balkans and
Turkey, 11 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region and five per cent in the European Union and North America.
The United Nations established International Anti-Corruption Day in 2003 to raise awareness of graft and
promote the global fight against it. (Deccan herald, 10/12/2010)
Kerala Job scam worsens; 3 more surrender
The Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) has so far claimed that it has nothing to do with the current
job scam but records of its lapses in stopping malpractices have now come out even as three more
persons accused in the case surrendered before the court on Monday. Documents came out on Monday
showing that the PSC had given registration to KB Shamseera, a woman from Nilambur, Malappuram,
who had obtained employment through the job racket, to appear for departmental examination.
Shamseera had got job as a lower division clerk through the racket in the Land Revenue Department in
Wayanad. The allotment of registration for the examination to Shamseera by the PSC proves that it has
not been able to identify the malpractice in her appointment even after she filed her application. It is
mandatory for all Government employees to appear for this examination within two years of their
appointment if they have to get promotion in service. “This proves that the PSC has not examined the
case of Shamseera in the required manner,” said a senior official in the Revenue Department. “It also
shows that the self-exoneration by the commission in the current job-scam is hollow,” he said. The PSC
had on November 9 given registration to Shamseera for the examination to be held in January. When the
scam broke out, PSC chairman Salahuddin had claimed that the commission could in no way prevent
bogus appointments as it had no way of knowing whether the person joining duty was the same one it
had given appointment letter to. The document of PSC registration was one of the several papers
Shamseera had submitted with her anticipatory bail application in the court. Meanwhile, three men who
had obtained Government jobs through the racket surrendered before courts on Monday. Kannan and his
brother Sabarinath from Anchal, Kollam surrendered before the Judicial Magistrate Court (I) in Punalur,
Kollam. They were brothers of A Jyothi, who was earlier arrested for obtaining job through the racket.
Their father Krishnankutty Chettiyar had earlier revealed that he had given Rs 23 lakh as bribe to
Abhilash S Pillai and Janardanan Pillai, the chief operators of the racket, for getting Government jobs for
his three children. Kannan and Sabarinath had been in hiding ever since the scam broke out some days
ago. The court remanded Sabarinath and Kannan in judicial custody till December 27. Ajith Kumar of

Anchal, another accused who had earned a job through the racket, surrendered before the Chief Judicial
Magistrate of Pathanamthitta on Monday afternoon. Abhilash Pillai, said to be the kingpin of the racket,
his cousin Sooraj Krishna who had earned a Government job using bogus documents, and Janardanan
Pillai, the main middleman, had surrendered earlier. According to ‘JP’, most of the money that came from
the operation had gone to Abhilash Pillai. Another accused Chandrachoodan was still absconding.
(Pioneer, 14/12/2010)
J&K leaders spar on custodial torture
Kashmir’s two main opposing parties have locked horns on WikiLeaks mention of custodial torture,
blaming each other’s regime for perpetuating the practice. Even as the victims of torture have begun to
speak on their ordeal, the State Government is under flak for scuttling a Bill that sought punishment for
torture inflicted by public servants. Interestingly, one of the three pleaders of the Bill belonged to the ruling
National Conference. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his Government did not support torture. “We do
not condone torture, never have, never will,” he said, while reacting to International Committee of Red
Cross’s (ICRC) inferences about Kashmir, mentioned in a leaked US diplomatic cable. Omar washed his
hands off by referring to the ICRC’s other observation on a “healing touch regime”. An earlier coalition
Government headed by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed between
Novembers of 2002 and 2005 is referred to as ‘healing touch regime’ by the Mufti. The PDP sharply
reacted to the Chief Minister’s comments. “We inherited the Government from National Conference in
2002, the time when situation was bad. POTA was in vogue, Police Task Force was formed and
surrendered militants were out. Even then we tried to improve the situation by healing touch,” said PDP
President Mehbooba Mufti. As the blame game heightened, the victims of torture began to surface and
narrate their ordeal. Nazir Ahmad, 35, lives a miserable life after he was tortured at an interrogation cell in
mid-1990’s. He has lost control over some of his body parts due to the electric shocks he was
administered during the torture. Consequently, he is compelled to stuff his underwear with thick folds of a
cloth — like a diaper, lest he wets his trousers. “This is a continuous torture. I do not venture out of my
house and whenever I do, it takes a lot of preparation,” he said. The doctors have advised surgery but
that costs `40,000. “I don’t have money to go for the treatment. Therefore, I have to live with this defect,
till I manage something,” he said. He said that he was subjected to tremendous torture in custody. “An
electric wire was inserted deep into my private parts and then shocks of direct current were given. There
were four soldiers on my body rolling a wooden pole when the electric shocks were given,” he narrated.
Abdul Qayoom Wani, who has been through tortures five times in a span of ten years, said the torture
included every possible inhuman act. The series included roller treatment, administrating electric shocks
at the most sensitive spots, being hanged upside down, forcing intake of excessive water with private
parts tied tightly, four to six persons trampling over his body and being singed with lighted cigarettes. “We
have been facing it for more than two decades. There are countless cases, some of them documented.
Think of any kind of custodial torture, and it has been practised in Kashmir. Most of the custodial deaths
have been the culmination of torture,” Khurram Parvez, spokesman of Coalition of Civil Society, a
prominent human rights amalgam. In September 2010, three legislators MY Tarigami, Chowdhary
Muhammad Ramzan and Shiekh Abdur Rashid separately introduced private members Bill in the
legislative Assembly to prevent custodial torture. Titled as “Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Torture
Act, 2010”, the Bill sought punishment for torture inflicted by public servants or any person inflicting
torture with the consent or acquiescence of any public servant. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali
Muhammad Sagar opposed the Bill at the stage of introduction. His plea was that Central Government
was formulating a similar law — Prevention of Torture Act. “The (central) law would be copied in Jammu
and Kashmir in due course of time,” Sagar told the House. Incidentally, the PDP had boycotted the
Assembly session. The Bill intended to establish State-level jurisdiction to try cases of torture where an
alleged torturer is not a resident of state; to provide a mechanism to promptly investigate any allegation of
torture and to provide an enforceable right to compensation to the victims of torture and ban the use of
evidence obtained via torture in the courts. Engineer Rashid said that custodial torture was rampant in
Kashmir, which prompted him to introduce the Bill. “It is unfortunate that the Government scuttled the Bill,”
he said. Lawyer Muhammad Ashraf said that the State Government must offer succor to people by
formulating laws to prevent custodial torture. “If the practice was not observed by the Red Cross, it would
not have become insulting for the government at national and international level,” he remarked. (Pioneer,
20/12/2010)

HC orders FIR against custodial death accused
The Jharkhand High Court ordered an FIR against the individual suspected to be involved in the custodial
death of Dhirendra Singh. The court disposed the PIL filed for CBI probe into the custodial death of the
youth. A PIL was filed by Somnath Chatterjee demanding CBI probe into the death of Dhirendra Singh in
police custody last month. The hearing took place in the court of chief justice Bhagwati Prasad and
Justice DN Patil. Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Rajeev Kumar argued that police did not lodge
any FIR, even when Surendra Singh, father of the deceased youth insisted on it after the incident. He
argued that Dhirendra had died under mysterious circumstances in custody of police and alleged that
several influential people are involved in his death, therefore CBI probe should be ordered into the death.
After hearing the arguments, the court asked the petitioner to first approach the police and lodge an FIR
against the suspected people. Dhanbad Police picked up Dhirendra Singh suspecting him to be Maoist on
November 16 but the very next day on November 17, he was found mysteriously dead. However, the
postmortem report declared that the youth was suffering from chronic lung infection due to which his
death had taken place and ruled out the possibility of any injuries. Petitioner alleged that Dhirendra Singh
was not a Maoist. Infact, he was tortured to death in police custody. He suspected that Bokaro MLA
Samresh Singh and his elder son are also involved in his death. He alleged that Surendra Singh was
given intense pressure by Samresh Singh and his son to burn the body of Dhirendra Singh immediately
after the postmortem, so that there remains no chance of second postmortem of the body. Chatterjee also
demanded probe into the role of doctors as he suspected their involvement into making fake postmortem
report. Petitioner said that father of the deceased has denied that his son suffered from anylung
deceases. (Pioneer, 21/12/2010)
CBI seizes cash from Bar Council of India Vice-Chairman's residence
The Central Bureau of Investigation conducted searches at the office and residence of R. Dhanapal Raj,
Vice-Chairman of the Bar Council of India, and seized cash to the tune of several lakhs of rupees,
sources in the agency said. The searches were conducted hours after Rajinder Singh Rana, member of
the Bar Council of India, was detained by the CBI in New Delhi on Monday night in connection with a
corruption case. Both Dhanapal Raj and Rana are members of the council's Legal Education Committee.
Apart from the office/residence of Raj, searches were also conducted in the house of his relative. A total
of Rs.74 lakh were seized during the operation that concluded late on Tuesday, the sources added. The
Madras High Court on Tuesday granted interim anticipatory bail for four weeks to Dhanapal Raj and his
brother-in-law, A. Chandrasekar, in connection with the case of corruption registered against them.
Justice Aruna Jagadeesan granted the interim advance bail on a petition by the two who said that they
apprehended arrest by CBI for a case registered under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) IPC and
Sections 7,8, 12, 13 (2) read with 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act. The petitioners submitted that
during searches in Mr. Raj's house on Monday, Rs.28.50 lakh was found in a bag with a Bar Council
member, Adikesavulu, and Rs.60,000 was found in a bedroom. A sum of Rs.45 lakh was seized from the
residence of his brother-in-law. They said they were innocent. They had sufficient proof to submit that the
currency seized was accounted for. It was kept for the purchase of land. The money recovered from Mr.
Chandrasekar's residence belonged to his family members. There were proper accounts to show valid
possession. The other records had nothing to do with the case registered. The petitioners were ready to
offer explanation to the CBI. They would cooperate with the investigating agency. Mr. Dhanapal Raj said
he had put in 30 years of experience at the Bar and held several dignified posts. Further, he was
appearing as prosecutor for many Central and State Government agencies. The petitioners said they
were ready to abide by any conditions that would be imposed by the court. In her order, Ms. Justice
Aruna Jagadeesan said the petitioners should be released on bail in the event of their arrest or their
appearance before the CMM, Egmore, on their executing a personal bond each for Rs.50,000. Within four
weeks, they should appear before the concerned court of jurisdiction for anticipatory bail. They should not
tamper with the two bank lockers which were yet to be opened. The other conditions included that they
should not leave the country without the court's permission. They should make themselves available for
interrogation. (The Hindu, 22/12/2010)
Ruchika case: Eye-witness claims CBI of not taking statement
The CBI's stand that none had testified whether Haryana ex-DGP SPS Rathore hararrased Ruchika's
brother Ashu Girhotra was challenged today by an eyewitness who claimed that his testimony was not
incorporated by the investigating agency in its closure report. Vijay Dheer, an owner of school and

esident of Panchkula, claimed that he was an eye witness to the atrocities committed on Ashu by police
allegedly on behalf of Rathore, who was sentenced in Ruchika Girhotra molestation case by a local court
one year back. "I was eye witness to the entire sequence of events when Ashu was handcuffed and
paraded naked in our society by police," Dheer said. "I told the CBI during my testimony about atrocities
committed by Haryana police on Ashu and his inhuman torture," he said however, adding that the
investigating agency ignored his testimony in its closure report. Dheer, who was a neighbour of Girhotra
family in 90's, said that "the CBI questioned me for around seven hours during its investigations, but the
investigating agency did not incorporate my witness in its report." "I told the CBI how Ashu was brought
naked with handcuffs from market to the society in which we lived and tortured by police," he said. The
CBI had not mentioned his testimony in its report and ignored it completely, Dheer claimed. The agency
in its closure report before a special CBI court at Ambala recently is understood to have clearly mentioned
that neither any neighbour or any shopkeeper in the vicinity of Girhotra family had testified before it that
Ashu was harassed by police. In its closure report, CBI had stated that the shopkeepers of market of
Sector 6 Panchkula have stated that neither they heard nor saw Ashu being paraded by police in naked
condition in December 1993. The CBI in its report has also stated that neighbours of Girhotra also denied
parading of Ashu. Ruchika (14), a budding tennis player, committed suicide three years after being
molested by Rathore on August 12,1990. (Deccan herald, 22/12/2010)
Tihar inmates tell court they are under pressure to kill jailed CWG officials
In a sensational development, two undertrials today told a Delhi court that they were allegedly
pressurised by Tihar jail officials to kill two Commonwealth Games officials lodged in the high security
prison. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav sought a detailed report from the Station House
Officer of Hari Nagar police station on December 24. The application filed by Nishant and Amit, who are
facing trial for murder, claimed that they have been under pressure of the Tihar jail officials to eliminate
two of the three CWG officials who are in judicial custody. They have sought security in the wake of
"threats" by the jail officials. Three former top Organising Committee officials T S Darbari, M
Jayachandran and Sanjay Mahendroo are in judicial custody in Tihar jail. Darbari and Mahendroo were
arrested on November 15. Jaychandran is in custody since November 21. All of them are facing
corruption charges. Nishant and Amit submitted they have been recently shifted from an ordinary prison
cell to the high security cell where the CWG officials are lodged. (IE, 22/12/2010)
Kerala custody death: Court to monitor CBI probe
Causing discomfort to the State Home Department ruled by CPI(M) Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the
Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Kochi to
monitor the CBI probe into the death in custody of Sampath (26), first accused in the sensational case of
the murder of Sheela Jayakrishnan (47) in Puthur, Palakkad.. Expressing the concern that certain lapses
had seemingly occurred in the probe after the CBI sought permission to include two top officials of the
State police in the list of accused. . Justice V Ramkumar of the High Court said that the actual culprits
should be brought before the law even if they were top-raking officials. Not even a single top police official
had figured in the list of accused submitted by a special investigation team of the Kerala Police’s Crime
Branch, which probed the custody death before the CBI came in, in the court on May 13, despite reports
about the involvement of high-ranking officials. Sampath of Palakkad had died in police custody on March
29 after being taken into custody from Coimbatore. The police claimed that Sampath had died of a
cardiac arrest. According to the police, Sheela was murdered during a burglary attempt by Sampath and
his associates Kanakarajan and Manikantan on March 23. Justice Ramkumar asked the CBI to submit
probe progress report every three weeks in the High Court and the Ernakulam CJM Court. He said
investigating officer PG Haridath, SP of CBI, should not be removed from the job without the court’s
permission until the probe was over. The judge told the agency that in the event of any interference or
pressure from external forces in the probe it should be conveyed to the court in sealed envelope. He also
said that the Chief Judicial Magistrate could examine the case diary if need be. The High Court also
expressed the suspicion that the investigation had begun to lose direction after the CBI sought permission
to enlist two top State police officials as accused. After this, a departmental probe was ordered against
one of the investigating officials and a goonda attack was held on the house of another official. The
Kerala High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the custody death of Sampath on May 25 and the agency
formally took over the investigation June 21 by registering a case pertaining and submitted a first
information report in the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court. Justice Ramkumar had ordered the CBI probe

ejecting the Government’s argument that a special police team had made good progress in the probe
into the custody death. It was found that not even a single high-raking official was on the list of twelve
accused prepared by the police. Of the 12 names in the list presented by the police in the First Class
Judicial Magistrate Court, Palakkad, two were sub-inspectors, one an assistant sub-inspector and the
remaining nine were ordinary constables. No circle inspector or official of a higher rank had figured in the
list despite several reports on the involvement of higher officials. The post-mortem report had said that
Sampath had died of internal hemorrhage due to heavy head injuries suffered obviously in torture. The
report also said there were 63 injuries in his body. Three of his ribs had been broken due to the use of
third degree methods. The injuries were due to punching with hard objects, the report confirmed.
(Pioneer, 23/12/2010)
Corruption cannot be associated only with present govt: Amartya Sen
NEW DELHI: Noting that corruption is nothing new in the country, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has said
that it cannot be associated only with the present dispensation as the story will be the same had there
been investigations into the previous government's tenure. "You can shoot Manmohan Singh, you can
shoot his successor, but the main problem still remains. You have the satisfaction of two heads that you
can hang up in your wall but the problem will remain the same," he said. Talking to Karan Thapar on the
'Devil's Advocate' programme, he also suggested that in a coalition government, the Prime Minister is
bound by certain compulsions even as his level of integrity was "exceptional". "If you recognise there is a
systematic problem in the nature of the society and in the nature of politics, social and economic morality
that have come to prevail, the answers that have to be sought is how to deal with them rather than say I
accuse you," he said. He was also of the view that corruption was not new in this country and this
government. "I think corruption in the present govt are clearly quite large. But I do not think that they are a
new phenomenon. If there had been investigations in the previous government, the story would have
been much the same." Sen also said people were gradually realizing the magnitude of the corruption
problem. "The fact is there are so much scam and corruption around is sad. The recognition of that is also
sad. And yet the recognition of it is also the way of doing something about it". "I do not think scams and
corruption in any sense is new in India but the fact that people are recognizing it more clearly, that must
be a rather positive thing," he said. He was also of the opinion that public critique has to be intelligent and
addressed to issues which can be changed, are important and on which the general public could be made
to take an informed interest and act. (TOI, 27/12/2010)
Youth's death in custody sparks tension in Gajapati
Following the death of a tribal youth in custody, angry tribals blocked the National Highway-17 bringing all
communications to a standstill. The youth had been arrested on the suspicion of being a Maoist
sympathiser and had brought to the district police headquarters here. As a result of the blockade
hundreds of commuters had a miserable time in the bitter cold. The tribals had congregated in large
numbers to protest the death of the youth. The Gajapati police had on Saturday raided Lamdang village
and detained four youth Pradip Majhi, Bulu Majhi ,Somnath Majhi and Bijay Majhi on suspicion of having
connections with the Maoists and had brought them here for questioning. During the interrogation one of
the youth Pradip died. While the police are claiming he committed suicide the family of the deceased is
alleging that due to torture in custody the youth died. After the incident there was tension among the
Adivasis under Adaba police station area from Sunday, which lead to the blocking of the highway at
Khariguda village. The tribals were demanding action against the guilty officials, compensation of ` 20
lakh to the deceased's kin, and release of the other three youth. District Collector Prakash Chandra Das
has rushed to the spot and was holding talks trying to pacify the irate tribals. (Pioneer, 28/12/2010)
Krishna Iyer wants NHRC chief to resign
A Malayalam television channel had aired a report stating that P. V. Sreenijan, son-in-law of Justice
Bakakrishnan, had within a span of four years purchased assets valued at over Rs. 7 crore. Former
Supreme Court judge V. R. Krishna Iyer has demanded a judicial probe into this. Allegations of amassing
of property worth crores of rupees have surfaced against Chief Justice of India K. G. Balakrishnan's sonin-law.
Former Supreme Court judge V. R. Krishna Iyer has demanded a judicial probe into it. In a
statement here, Mr. Iyer urged Parliament and the Prime Minister to appoint a high-powered commission
to inquire into the issue. “The President of India must require politely (Justice) Balakrishnan to resign”,
Justice Iyer said of Justice Balakrishnan who is the National Human Rights Commission Chairman.

Malayalam television channels had aired a report stating that P. V. Sreenijan, son-in-law of Justice
Bakakrishnan, had within a span of four years purchased flats, landed properties in prime locations in
various parts of Ernakulam and Thrissur districts, which are at present valued at over Rs. 7 crore. Mr.
Sreenijan and Justice Balakrishnan declined to comment on the allegations. Mr. Sreenijan, a lawyer by
profession and a former vice president of Youth Congress, is married to Justice Balakrishnan’s daughter
K. G. Sony and had unsuccessfully contested the 2006 assembly polls from the Njarackkal assembly
constituency in Ernakulam. As per the report, Mr. Sreenijan’s affidavit to the Election Commission then
had stated that he had a bank balance of Rs. 25,000 and no landed property. “The Press has disclosed
now that the son-in-law and daughter have amassed wealth under suspicious circumstances indirectly
due to dubious linkage with the Chief Justice. This is atrocious and must be inquired into”, Justice Iyer
said. There should be a Performance Commission into the conduct of judges where common people who
have grievances of judicial corruption may have access and the commission should investigate into the
charges without fear or favour, affection or ill will, he said. Kerala PCC President Ramesh Chennithala
today said he would look into the allegations. T. V. Rajesh, state Secretary of the Democratic Youth
Federation of India (DYFI), youth wing of the CPI(M), has also demanded a probe into the allegations.
However, K.G. Bhaskaran, Special Government Pleader in the Kerala High court and younger brother of
Justice Balakrishnan, denied all allegations against the family. He told PTI that the allegations were not
true. (Hindu, 27/12/2010)
Citing insufficient evidence, CBI files closure report in Aarushi case
Having failed to crack the sensational Aarushi Talwar-Hemraj murder case, the Central Bureau of
Investigation on Wednesday filed a closure report in a Ghaziabad special court pleading insufficient
evidence. The CBI was entrusted with the investigation in June 2008. “After completing the investigation,
the agency has filed a final report in the court for closure of the case on grounds of insufficient evidence.
In the final report, all the evidence that was available and could be gathered during the probe and the
gaps in evidence have been detailed,” said a CBI spokesperson, adding that since the matter was sub
judice the agency would comply with court orders. Aarushi, the 14-year-old daughter of dentist couple
Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, was found murdered under mysterious circumstances at their Jalwayu Vihar
residence in Noida on May 16, 2008. The mystery deepened after the body of their domestic help,
Hemraj, earlier suspected to have murdered the teenager, was found on the terrace the next day. The
Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Aarushi's father, Dr. Rajesh Talwar, for his alleged involvement. However,
the case was transferred to the CBI on June 1, 2008, following a huge public outcry. Dr. Talwar was
subjected to a lie-detector test. The agency virtually gave him a clean chit and arrested his assistant
Krishna, Rajkumar, the domestic help of the Talwars' family friend Durranis, and Vijay Mandal, domestic
help of their neighbours. The accused were subjected to a series of tests, including brain-mapping and
narco-analysis. However, the police found no conclusive evidence to connect them to the murders. The
three were later released on bail. The then CBI reconstituted the probe team and conducted narcoanalysis
and brain-mapping tests on Aarushi's parents earlier this year. However, it did not yield any
result. The agency could not recover the murder weapon that could have been a crucial piece of
evidence. (Hindu, 30/12/2010)