The former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), G. Madhavan Nair, and three other space scientists, have been barred by the Department of Space from holding any government posts, present or future. “The former officers … shall be excluded from re-employment, committee roles or any other important role under the government.”
The January 13 order was a fallout of the controversial Antrix-Devas deal.
Under the contract, signed in 2005 during Dr. Nair's tenure as ISRO Chairman, Antrix Corporation had allowed the Bangalore-based private company Devas Multimedia unbridled use of 70 MHz of the scarce S-band spectrum over a 20-year period for its digital multimedia services. The ISRO was to build two satellites GSat 6 and 6A for Devas.
In February 2011, the Centre scrapped the deal, days after media published an investigation into the inherent irregularities in the agreement.
The contract was signed without a competitive bidding process, raising questions about the preferential spectrum allocation, which according to the Comptroller and Auditor-General's estimates could have cost the exchequer a loss of over Rs.2 lakh crore.
In May last, the Prime Minister formed a five-member high-level team under the chairmanship of the former Central Vigilance Commissioner, Pratyush Sinha, to examine aspects of the agreement between Antrix and Devas. Two other high-level probes into the agreement were initiated early last year by the Prime Minister's Office.
Dr. Nair will lose visiting professorship at ISRO. He also holds posts as Chairman of the Board of Governors in IIT-Patna, and Chairman of the Governing council of CSIR's NAL.
The January 13 order was a fallout of the controversial Antrix-Devas deal.
Under the contract, signed in 2005 during Dr. Nair's tenure as ISRO Chairman, Antrix Corporation had allowed the Bangalore-based private company Devas Multimedia unbridled use of 70 MHz of the scarce S-band spectrum over a 20-year period for its digital multimedia services. The ISRO was to build two satellites GSat 6 and 6A for Devas.
In February 2011, the Centre scrapped the deal, days after media published an investigation into the inherent irregularities in the agreement.
The contract was signed without a competitive bidding process, raising questions about the preferential spectrum allocation, which according to the Comptroller and Auditor-General's estimates could have cost the exchequer a loss of over Rs.2 lakh crore.
In May last, the Prime Minister formed a five-member high-level team under the chairmanship of the former Central Vigilance Commissioner, Pratyush Sinha, to examine aspects of the agreement between Antrix and Devas. Two other high-level probes into the agreement were initiated early last year by the Prime Minister's Office.
Dr. Nair will lose visiting professorship at ISRO. He also holds posts as Chairman of the Board of Governors in IIT-Patna, and Chairman of the Governing council of CSIR's NAL.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday rejected a proposal of a probe by an all-party team into the matter.Terming the reports of farmers' suicides incorrect,
Communist Party of India (CPI) legislator from Midnapore Prabodh Panda who met Banerjee at the secretariat with his proposal, said she had rejected his proposal as the reports of suicide were "untrue".
"Banerjee said that after inquiring the matter she found them untrue, and when there is no truth in it, where is the need then for sending such a team?" Panda said after the meeting.
The delegation also submitted a nine-point memorandum to Banerjee and requested her to provide an economic package to the affected farmers and waive their agricultural debts.
The team also urged Banerjee to compensate the families of the peasants who reportedly have committed suicide.
Banerjee had rubbished the reports of farmers' suicides and blamed the media and the opposition for distorting facts.
Communist Party of India (CPI) legislator from Midnapore Prabodh Panda who met Banerjee at the secretariat with his proposal, said she had rejected his proposal as the reports of suicide were "untrue".
"Banerjee said that after inquiring the matter she found them untrue, and when there is no truth in it, where is the need then for sending such a team?" Panda said after the meeting.
The delegation also submitted a nine-point memorandum to Banerjee and requested her to provide an economic package to the affected farmers and waive their agricultural debts.
The team also urged Banerjee to compensate the families of the peasants who reportedly have committed suicide.
Banerjee had rubbished the reports of farmers' suicides and blamed the media and the opposition for distorting facts.
Hours after the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in Maharashtra announced that it had arrested three men who helped execute a trio of blasts in Mumbai in July, the central government has said they've got the wrong men. The excruciating embarrassment is exacerbated by the fact that one of the men arrested is actually an informer for the Intelligence Bureau, according to sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The sources, who do not want to be identified, say the announcements made in Mumbai are "premature and misleading.
"On July 13 last year, 27 people were killed and nearly 100 injured when bombs exploded in quick succession in Zaveri Bazaar, near Opera House and close to the Dadar area in the city centre. The alleged mastermind is Indian Mujahideen founder Yasin Bhatkal who remains missing.
This afternoon, Rakesh Maria who heads the Anti-Terror Squad held a press conference in Mumbai where he described in great detail the role played by Haroon Rashid Naik who was found in Mumbai, and Nadeem Akhtar and Naki Sheikh who were arrested from Bihar. They allegedly stole the scooters in which the bombs were planted, helped to rent a house for Mr Bhatkal, and ferried explosives between Delhi and Mumbai. But the three men arrested played peripheral roles. And though Naki Sheikh was in close touch with Mr Bhatkal for three months, during which period he was tailed by the Delhi Police, the Mujahideen leader managed to slip away.
He's not alone. Home Ministry sources say that the two bombers behind the attacks are Tabrez and Waqar, Pakistani nationals, who have managed to escape because of the rivalry and consequent lack of coordination between the Delhi and Mumbai police.
Sources also say the Maharashtra Police has claimed ignorance about Naki Sheikh cooperating with the investigators. They also add that the Ministry of Home Affairs is likely to call for a meeting of state police organisations to ensure better coordination.
"On July 13 last year, 27 people were killed and nearly 100 injured when bombs exploded in quick succession in Zaveri Bazaar, near Opera House and close to the Dadar area in the city centre. The alleged mastermind is Indian Mujahideen founder Yasin Bhatkal who remains missing.
This afternoon, Rakesh Maria who heads the Anti-Terror Squad held a press conference in Mumbai where he described in great detail the role played by Haroon Rashid Naik who was found in Mumbai, and Nadeem Akhtar and Naki Sheikh who were arrested from Bihar. They allegedly stole the scooters in which the bombs were planted, helped to rent a house for Mr Bhatkal, and ferried explosives between Delhi and Mumbai. But the three men arrested played peripheral roles. And though Naki Sheikh was in close touch with Mr Bhatkal for three months, during which period he was tailed by the Delhi Police, the Mujahideen leader managed to slip away.
He's not alone. Home Ministry sources say that the two bombers behind the attacks are Tabrez and Waqar, Pakistani nationals, who have managed to escape because of the rivalry and consequent lack of coordination between the Delhi and Mumbai police.
Sources also say the Maharashtra Police has claimed ignorance about Naki Sheikh cooperating with the investigators. They also add that the Ministry of Home Affairs is likely to call for a meeting of state police organisations to ensure better coordination.
An Air India Express flight departed today for Singapore after 24-hour delay from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport,Kolkatta.
The Boieng 747-800 got stranded after landing at Kolkatta from Dhaka with 76 passengers early on Saturday.Fifty-nine more passengers boarded the aircraft from Kolkata. But the plane could not depart due to a technical snag.
With no engineering base of Air India here for Boeing aircraft engineers, technicians and spare parts had to be flown in from Mumbai. The airline went on postponing the departure several times.
But by the time the plane was repaired the flight duty time limitation period of the crew was over and so the flight could not take off. There were also no spare Boeing crew in Kolkata to operate the flight, airline officials said.
All the passengers were asked to disembark and stay in the lounge.
The flight was then cancelled for the day. It finally left at 0400 hours with 136 passengers, according to an airline
official.
The Boieng 747-800 got stranded after landing at Kolkatta from Dhaka with 76 passengers early on Saturday.Fifty-nine more passengers boarded the aircraft from Kolkata. But the plane could not depart due to a technical snag.
With no engineering base of Air India here for Boeing aircraft engineers, technicians and spare parts had to be flown in from Mumbai. The airline went on postponing the departure several times.
But by the time the plane was repaired the flight duty time limitation period of the crew was over and so the flight could not take off. There were also no spare Boeing crew in Kolkata to operate the flight, airline officials said.
All the passengers were asked to disembark and stay in the lounge.
The flight was then cancelled for the day. It finally left at 0400 hours with 136 passengers, according to an airline
official.
Chhattisgarh government has moved the Supreme Court for reconsideration of the judgement in the Lalu-Rabri disproportionate assets case.
The apex court had earlier ruled that the state government cannot challenge an order passed by a court when the case has been investigated by the CBI.
Raman Singh government, while challenging the acquittal of Amit Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi in the 2003 Awatar Singh Jaggi murder case, had contended that the judgement in the Lalu-Rabri corruption case was contrary to the criminal justice system under which the primary authority relating administration of justice vested in the state government.
The petition further stated that the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act under which the CBI functions, a limited federal jurisdiction in investigation has been made out.
The provision, however, does not oust the competence of the state government to supervise the role of investigating agencies in administering the criminal justice system, including prosecution for violation of IPC and therefore, cannot be denied the power to file an appeal.
Former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Yadav were acquitted of corruption charges in April 2010, when CBI refused to file an appeal against the acquittal and the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the state of Bihar on the grounds that only CBI was competent to challenge the acquittal.
Source:UNI
The apex court had earlier ruled that the state government cannot challenge an order passed by a court when the case has been investigated by the CBI.
Raman Singh government, while challenging the acquittal of Amit Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi in the 2003 Awatar Singh Jaggi murder case, had contended that the judgement in the Lalu-Rabri corruption case was contrary to the criminal justice system under which the primary authority relating administration of justice vested in the state government.
The petition further stated that the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act under which the CBI functions, a limited federal jurisdiction in investigation has been made out.
The provision, however, does not oust the competence of the state government to supervise the role of investigating agencies in administering the criminal justice system, including prosecution for violation of IPC and therefore, cannot be denied the power to file an appeal.
Former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Yadav were acquitted of corruption charges in April 2010, when CBI refused to file an appeal against the acquittal and the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the state of Bihar on the grounds that only CBI was competent to challenge the acquittal.
Source:UNI
The Supreme Court on Monday asked for a copy of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report pointing out alleged irregularities in the purchase of intelligence equipment by National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), which was set up in 2004 to provide critical data relating to threats to the nation.
Solicitor general R F Nariman assured a bench of Justices H L Dattu and C K Prasad that the government had already initiated action against erring officials on the basis of the CAG report but petitioner V K Mittal's counsel Jayant Bhushan wondered why the Centre was shy of bringing the alleged irregularities into the open by placing the report in Parliament.
The bench asked Nariman to produce the CAG report on NTRO scam in a sealed cover by March 19. This is the second time within a year that the apex court has asked for a CAG report, the first being on the irregularities in the allotment of 2G spectrum and licences during A Raja's tenure as telecom minister.
Nariman was belligerent in trashing Mittal's PIL, not only accusing the latter of attempting to serve a personal interest but also alleging that his correspondence with the authorities revealing top secret projects with their location could help countries inimical to India.
Bhushan countered Nariman by alleging that the government was deliberately keeping the matter under wraps in the name of security to shield the culprits. But the bench said, "It is not a case where the government has put the issue in cold storage but promised that it was being looked into. We will not pass an order but request the SG to produce the CAG report in a sealed cover on March 19."
Mittal had alleged that a major portion of the Rs 450 crore NTRO scam pertained to purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from an Israeli firm allegedly at a very high price without the mandatory approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
NTRO, which functions under the Prime Minister's Office, has been entrusted with the task of missile monitoring, satellite and airborne imagery, cyber patrolling and security, cyber offensive operations and communication support systems including cryptology.
It was on the complaint of Mittal, a former joint director in the government of India who had also served in NTRO, that the PMO had ordered a probe into the scam and later, CAG was asked to look into the organisation's accounts. Nariman alleged that Mittal wanted to head the NTRO and filed the PIL when he did not succeed.
During the last hearing, Bhushan had alleged that Delhi High Court had dismissed Mittal's writ petition on April 6, 2011 after the Centre filed a probe status report in sealed cover assuring prompt action against the guilty officials. However, no action was taken till date, he claimed.
Mittal's petition stated that the independent body answerable only to the national security adviser was allotted approximately Rs 8,000 crore since 2005, but there was no accounting of the spending.
Solicitor general R F Nariman assured a bench of Justices H L Dattu and C K Prasad that the government had already initiated action against erring officials on the basis of the CAG report but petitioner V K Mittal's counsel Jayant Bhushan wondered why the Centre was shy of bringing the alleged irregularities into the open by placing the report in Parliament.
The bench asked Nariman to produce the CAG report on NTRO scam in a sealed cover by March 19. This is the second time within a year that the apex court has asked for a CAG report, the first being on the irregularities in the allotment of 2G spectrum and licences during A Raja's tenure as telecom minister.
Nariman was belligerent in trashing Mittal's PIL, not only accusing the latter of attempting to serve a personal interest but also alleging that his correspondence with the authorities revealing top secret projects with their location could help countries inimical to India.
Bhushan countered Nariman by alleging that the government was deliberately keeping the matter under wraps in the name of security to shield the culprits. But the bench said, "It is not a case where the government has put the issue in cold storage but promised that it was being looked into. We will not pass an order but request the SG to produce the CAG report in a sealed cover on March 19."
Mittal had alleged that a major portion of the Rs 450 crore NTRO scam pertained to purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from an Israeli firm allegedly at a very high price without the mandatory approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
NTRO, which functions under the Prime Minister's Office, has been entrusted with the task of missile monitoring, satellite and airborne imagery, cyber patrolling and security, cyber offensive operations and communication support systems including cryptology.
It was on the complaint of Mittal, a former joint director in the government of India who had also served in NTRO, that the PMO had ordered a probe into the scam and later, CAG was asked to look into the organisation's accounts. Nariman alleged that Mittal wanted to head the NTRO and filed the PIL when he did not succeed.
During the last hearing, Bhushan had alleged that Delhi High Court had dismissed Mittal's writ petition on April 6, 2011 after the Centre filed a probe status report in sealed cover assuring prompt action against the guilty officials. However, no action was taken till date, he claimed.
Mittal's petition stated that the independent body answerable only to the national security adviser was allotted approximately Rs 8,000 crore since 2005, but there was no accounting of the spending.
Supporters of Baba Ramdev and Congress party workers clashed Monday after the yoga guru's activists held protests outside the Congress headquarters, police said. 
Two Ramdev supporters were arrested, police said.
According to eyewitness, a group of around 15 Ramdev supporters shouted slogans and blackened the portrait of Congress president Sonia Gandhi on a board outside the party office at 24, Akbar Road around 5 pm.
As they came to know of the incident, Congress workers came out of the office and clashed with the Ramdev supporters, in full view of the TV cameras and media persons.
A Congress leader told that the protesters were planning to disrupt the party press briefing scheduled at 5pm.
The incident comes after Ramdev faced an ink attack at a press conference here Saturday. The yoga guru's supporters alleged that the attack was masterminded by the Congress.
Two Ramdev supporters were arrested, police said.
According to eyewitness, a group of around 15 Ramdev supporters shouted slogans and blackened the portrait of Congress president Sonia Gandhi on a board outside the party office at 24, Akbar Road around 5 pm.
As they came to know of the incident, Congress workers came out of the office and clashed with the Ramdev supporters, in full view of the TV cameras and media persons.
A Congress leader told that the protesters were planning to disrupt the party press briefing scheduled at 5pm.
The incident comes after Ramdev faced an ink attack at a press conference here Saturday. The yoga guru's supporters alleged that the attack was masterminded by the Congress.
The Congress in Maharashtra is keen on getting its General Secretary Rahul Gandhi to campaign for the party in February 16 polls to the prestigious Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). "We will send an invite to Rahul Gandhi requesting him to spend at least a day in campaigning for the BMC elections,
Sadaf Aboli, Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) President, told if the young Congress MP comes here it will make a huge difference to the fortunes of the party, which in alliance with Sharad Pawar-led NCP, seeking to end the long saffron rule at India's richest civic body which boasts of a yearly budget of over Rs 20,000 crore.
"If he addresses 2-3 rallies, it will make a huge difference for the Congress-NCP alliance. It will boost the morale of candidates and increase their winning chances," he added.
As soon as the campaigning for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections gets over (in early Feb), invitation would be sent across to young Gandhi, Aboli stated. Congress will contest 169 seats in the 227-strong BMC, while NCP will field candidates in 58.the BMC elections
Sadaf Aboli, Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) President, told if the young Congress MP comes here it will make a huge difference to the fortunes of the party, which in alliance with Sharad Pawar-led NCP, seeking to end the long saffron rule at India's richest civic body which boasts of a yearly budget of over Rs 20,000 crore.
"If he addresses 2-3 rallies, it will make a huge difference for the Congress-NCP alliance. It will boost the morale of candidates and increase their winning chances," he added.
As soon as the campaigning for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections gets over (in early Feb), invitation would be sent across to young Gandhi, Aboli stated. Congress will contest 169 seats in the 227-strong BMC, while NCP will field candidates in 58.the BMC elections
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has said her party would not be celebrating her 56th birthday as that would violate the Election Commission's model code of conduct.
"The party has not organised any celebrations on my birthday this year as it could violate the model code of conduct. The party workers will be celebrating with their families," she said.
The chief minister said that her biggest birthday gift would be a win in the elections.
On the occasion of her 56th birthday, the Bahujan Samaj leader released the list of candidates for all the 403 seats in the state for the upcoming Assembly elections.
She revealed 88 tickets had been given to scheduled caste candidates, 103 to other backward castes, 85 to Muslim candidates and a total of 117 to upper caste candidates, out of which, 74 were handed over to Brahmin candidates, while 33 were given to Kshatriyas.
In an indirect reference to her recent sacking campaign, the chief minister said, "Last time, we made a mistake by giving tickets to wrong people who gave the party a bad name. We have not given tickets to tainted ministers this. They were hampering the party's movement."She did not spare the Election Commission either. She slammed the organisation for its decision to cover her statues in the state before the polls, saying the decision was one-sided.
"The Election Commission should have taken the right decision. The decision was one sided. It did not hear BSP's side. The decision was anti-Dalit and taken with a casteist ideology.
"The party has not organised any celebrations on my birthday this year as it could violate the model code of conduct. The party workers will be celebrating with their families," she said.
The chief minister said that her biggest birthday gift would be a win in the elections.
On the occasion of her 56th birthday, the Bahujan Samaj leader released the list of candidates for all the 403 seats in the state for the upcoming Assembly elections.
She revealed 88 tickets had been given to scheduled caste candidates, 103 to other backward castes, 85 to Muslim candidates and a total of 117 to upper caste candidates, out of which, 74 were handed over to Brahmin candidates, while 33 were given to Kshatriyas.
In an indirect reference to her recent sacking campaign, the chief minister said, "Last time, we made a mistake by giving tickets to wrong people who gave the party a bad name. We have not given tickets to tainted ministers this. They were hampering the party's movement."She did not spare the Election Commission either. She slammed the organisation for its decision to cover her statues in the state before the polls, saying the decision was one-sided.
"The Election Commission should have taken the right decision. The decision was one sided. It did not hear BSP's side. The decision was anti-Dalit and taken with a casteist ideology.
The all-Indian crew of a chemical oil tanker that was hijacked by Somali pirates in August last year has been released, alongwith the ship, Indian authorities said.
The vessel, MT Fairchem Bogey, is proceeding to a safe port, the Directorate General of Shipping, which regulates shipping activity, said in a statement late on Saturday. It had a crew of 21.
The ship, managed by Mumbai-based Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, was hijacked on August 20 while it was anchored in Salalah port, Oman.
"We cannot at the moment disclose the port where the ship is headed or any details on the terms of release," a source from Anglo-Eastern Shipping told Reuters on Sunday. "It will be led by an Indian naval ship which is headed towards their direction, it is not there yet."
"The crew will be back home by the end of the coming week," the company source added.
Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransoms from hijacking ships, and continue to pose a threat to shipping despite international efforts to stop them.
The vessel, MT Fairchem Bogey, is proceeding to a safe port, the Directorate General of Shipping, which regulates shipping activity, said in a statement late on Saturday. It had a crew of 21.
The ship, managed by Mumbai-based Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, was hijacked on August 20 while it was anchored in Salalah port, Oman.
"We cannot at the moment disclose the port where the ship is headed or any details on the terms of release," a source from Anglo-Eastern Shipping told Reuters on Sunday. "It will be led by an Indian naval ship which is headed towards their direction, it is not there yet."
"The crew will be back home by the end of the coming week," the company source added.
Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransoms from hijacking ships, and continue to pose a threat to shipping despite international efforts to stop them.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday warned social networking site Facebook India and search engine Google India that websites can be "blocked" like in China if they fail to devise a mechanism to check and remove objectionable material from their web pages.
"Like China, we will block all such websites," Justice Suresh Kait said while asking counsel for Facebook and Google India to develop a mechanism to keep a check and remove "offensive and objectionable" material from their web pages.
Justice Kait, who did not stay the proceedings against the two websites before magistrate's court, however, agreed with the plea of lawyers that they would not press for an effective hearing in the trial court on Friday.
Former Additional Solicitor General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Google India, said the postings of "obscene, objectionable and defamatory" articles and other things cannot be "filtered" or "monitored".
"No human interference is possible, and moreover, it can't be feasible to check such incidents. Billions of people across the globe, post their articles on the website. Yes, they may be defamatory, obscene but cannot be checked," he said.
Rohatgi tried to distinguish between Google India and its US-based holding company Google Inc. "The US-based Google Inc is the service provider and not me (Google India) and hence, we are not liable for the action of my holding company. Moreover, it is criminal case where a vicarious liability can be fastened on a company which has no role, whatsoever, in the alleged offence."
Citing provisions of the Information Technology Act, the counsel for Google India said the websites are protected by the law in respect of such "objectionable" material so far as
they are not the authors.
The websites may lose the legal protection if they either modify or monitor the article or comments or fail to deal with the complaints of an affected person or the government on such
issues.
Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Facebook India, questioned the authenticity of the documents provided by the complainant to the magisterial court. "We do not know as to when, how and from where, the documents came into being. They are not the documents as per the provisions of the Evidence Act," he said.
He also said the social networking site cannot be held accountable for the acts of the third parties.
The court fixed the case for hearing on January 16.
A Google spokesperson said, "We did file a petition before the Delhi High Court. The Court has now issued a notice to the petitioner. We can't comment further at this stage."
Earlier, the trial court had summoned the representatives of 21 social networking sites, including those of Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Youtube after taking cognisance of a private criminal complaint against the websites. It had also directed the Centre to take "immediate appropriate steps" and also file a report on January 13.
Taking note of Vinay Rai's complaint, the court had held that the accused websites connived with each other and various unknown persons and are selling, publicly exhibiting and have put into circulation "obscene, lascivious content." The websites have been booked under section 292 (sale of obscene books etc), 293 (sale of obscene objects to young person etc) and 120-B criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
"Like China, we will block all such websites," Justice Suresh Kait said while asking counsel for Facebook and Google India to develop a mechanism to keep a check and remove "offensive and objectionable" material from their web pages.
Justice Kait, who did not stay the proceedings against the two websites before magistrate's court, however, agreed with the plea of lawyers that they would not press for an effective hearing in the trial court on Friday.
Former Additional Solicitor General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Google India, said the postings of "obscene, objectionable and defamatory" articles and other things cannot be "filtered" or "monitored".
"No human interference is possible, and moreover, it can't be feasible to check such incidents. Billions of people across the globe, post their articles on the website. Yes, they may be defamatory, obscene but cannot be checked," he said.
Rohatgi tried to distinguish between Google India and its US-based holding company Google Inc. "The US-based Google Inc is the service provider and not me (Google India) and hence, we are not liable for the action of my holding company. Moreover, it is criminal case where a vicarious liability can be fastened on a company which has no role, whatsoever, in the alleged offence."
Citing provisions of the Information Technology Act, the counsel for Google India said the websites are protected by the law in respect of such "objectionable" material so far as
they are not the authors.
The websites may lose the legal protection if they either modify or monitor the article or comments or fail to deal with the complaints of an affected person or the government on such
issues.
Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Facebook India, questioned the authenticity of the documents provided by the complainant to the magisterial court. "We do not know as to when, how and from where, the documents came into being. They are not the documents as per the provisions of the Evidence Act," he said.
He also said the social networking site cannot be held accountable for the acts of the third parties.
The court fixed the case for hearing on January 16.
A Google spokesperson said, "We did file a petition before the Delhi High Court. The Court has now issued a notice to the petitioner. We can't comment further at this stage."
Earlier, the trial court had summoned the representatives of 21 social networking sites, including those of Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Youtube after taking cognisance of a private criminal complaint against the websites. It had also directed the Centre to take "immediate appropriate steps" and also file a report on January 13.
Taking note of Vinay Rai's complaint, the court had held that the accused websites connived with each other and various unknown persons and are selling, publicly exhibiting and have put into circulation "obscene, lascivious content." The websites have been booked under section 292 (sale of obscene books etc), 293 (sale of obscene objects to young person etc) and 120-B criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
The government on Wednesday asked the Andaman and Nicobar administration to explain how half naked tribal women were forced to dance for tourists.
Terming the incident "obnoxious and disgusting", Tribal Affairs Minister K.P. Singh Deo told Times Now television channel: “It is disgraceful if something like this is happening.
“It ... cannot be pardoned. It deserves exemplary punishment,” he said.
Video shows tribal girls forced to dance naked waist up for tourists
Law and Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said strict action should be taken against those responsible for forcing the tribal women to dance.
The Guardian has posted on its website footage filmed by a tourist showing half-naked Jarawa women being told to dance for tourists by an off-camera police officer.
The website said the Jarawa tribe has lived in peace in the Andaman Islands for thousands of years but tour companies are now running safaris through their jungle. Wealthy tourists pay police to make the women - usually naked - dance for their amusement.
Terming the incident "obnoxious and disgusting", Tribal Affairs Minister K.P. Singh Deo told Times Now television channel: “It is disgraceful if something like this is happening.
“It ... cannot be pardoned. It deserves exemplary punishment,” he said.
Video shows tribal girls forced to dance naked waist up for tourists
Law and Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said strict action should be taken against those responsible for forcing the tribal women to dance.
The Guardian has posted on its website footage filmed by a tourist showing half-naked Jarawa women being told to dance for tourists by an off-camera police officer.
The website said the Jarawa tribe has lived in peace in the Andaman Islands for thousands of years but tour companies are now running safaris through their jungle. Wealthy tourists pay police to make the women - usually naked - dance for their amusement.
NEW DELHI: Wrapping up its probe in the Bhanwari Devi murder case, the CBI claimed on Monday that it had corroborative evidence to establish that the 36-year-old nurse was murdered and burnt allegedly at the behest of a political leader.
Agency sources said they were now looking for the alleged mastermind of the murder - Indra Bishnoi (sister of Congress MLA Malkhan Singh) - and a member of Bishna Ram's gang, identified as Ashok. The sources said that some of the political leaders in the state were aware of the conspiracy to murder her.
One of the accused had told the CBI that her watch was also dumped in the canal, prompting the agency to seek help of the Rajasthan government in stopping the water flow to enable the investigators with the state police to look for the evidence. Sources also added that Bhanwari had been strangulated and later burnt. Her ashes along with belongings were dumped in the nearby Rajiv Gandhi canal.
CBI sources said Bhanwari's son Sahil (18) was called to the agency's camp office at Jodhpur Circuit House and was shown the recovered articles, out of which he identified at least four.
Around 35 divers were involved in an extensive search in the canal for the past four days and they had recovered several articles including a gunny bag, a wrist watch, a toe ring, nose pin, broken pieces of jewellery (including a pendant), charred bone pieces, five teeth, a wooden bat and two country-made pistols apart from some clothes (which reportedly belong to accused Kailash Jakhar).
Agency sources said they were now looking for the alleged mastermind of the murder - Indra Bishnoi (sister of Congress MLA Malkhan Singh) - and a member of Bishna Ram's gang, identified as Ashok. The sources said that some of the political leaders in the state were aware of the conspiracy to murder her.
One of the accused had told the CBI that her watch was also dumped in the canal, prompting the agency to seek help of the Rajasthan government in stopping the water flow to enable the investigators with the state police to look for the evidence. Sources also added that Bhanwari had been strangulated and later burnt. Her ashes along with belongings were dumped in the nearby Rajiv Gandhi canal.
CBI sources said Bhanwari's son Sahil (18) was called to the agency's camp office at Jodhpur Circuit House and was shown the recovered articles, out of which he identified at least four.
Around 35 divers were involved in an extensive search in the canal for the past four days and they had recovered several articles including a gunny bag, a wrist watch, a toe ring, nose pin, broken pieces of jewellery (including a pendant), charred bone pieces, five teeth, a wooden bat and two country-made pistols apart from some clothes (which reportedly belong to accused Kailash Jakhar).
KOLKATA: At a time when her cabinet colleagues kept the heat on Congress, chief minister Mamata Banerjee distanced herself from street politics and kept herself busy reassuring the captains of industry at the state-sponsored business summit in Kolkata on Monday.
Rather than petty politics, Mamata shifted her focus on attracting investments to a state that desperately wants the private sector to come. On Monday, she gave a miss to the party rally at Mayo Road in Kolkata against Congress and assured the business leaders that her government was not against industry. "If anyone wants to set up industry in Bengal, all you need is to send a proposal to us. Land ceiling won't be a problem. I've already constituted a committee on industry and infrastructure that will examine the proposal and give clearance in seven days. The government has already cleared seven such proposals," she said.
Mamata's move is seen as an attempt to get rid of the anti-industry tag that she had earned after the Tatas pulled out of Singur. Mamata has realized that she can't create jobs and jack up revenues without fresh investments. Her government wants the public-private partnership model in social sectors and healthcare.
Sensing the sentiments of the Marwari businessmen, some of whom feel let down over the way the government took the non-executive directors to custody following the AMRI Hospital fire, Mamata said, "Let us not talk about individuals. The government is all for the industry."
However, the war of words between Trinamool and Congress continued. Trinamool leaders at Mayo Road made it clear that the party would go on the offensive in Congress's north Bengal bastions of Malda, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur and Sabang - former PCC chief Manas Bhunia's home turf. At the Writers' Building, Congress minister Manoj Chakraborty went ballistic against Trinamool.
Trinamool leader Partha Chatterjee said, "The door is open." Without naming Manas, he said, "A leader from Midnapore has been speaking a lot. Let him win an election without Mamata's photo."
TMC minister Subrata Mukherjee said, "The door has been left open. They refuse to go (from the cabinet)."
Rather than petty politics, Mamata shifted her focus on attracting investments to a state that desperately wants the private sector to come. On Monday, she gave a miss to the party rally at Mayo Road in Kolkata against Congress and assured the business leaders that her government was not against industry. "If anyone wants to set up industry in Bengal, all you need is to send a proposal to us. Land ceiling won't be a problem. I've already constituted a committee on industry and infrastructure that will examine the proposal and give clearance in seven days. The government has already cleared seven such proposals," she said.
Mamata's move is seen as an attempt to get rid of the anti-industry tag that she had earned after the Tatas pulled out of Singur. Mamata has realized that she can't create jobs and jack up revenues without fresh investments. Her government wants the public-private partnership model in social sectors and healthcare.
Sensing the sentiments of the Marwari businessmen, some of whom feel let down over the way the government took the non-executive directors to custody following the AMRI Hospital fire, Mamata said, "Let us not talk about individuals. The government is all for the industry."
However, the war of words between Trinamool and Congress continued. Trinamool leaders at Mayo Road made it clear that the party would go on the offensive in Congress's north Bengal bastions of Malda, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur and Sabang - former PCC chief Manas Bhunia's home turf. At the Writers' Building, Congress minister Manoj Chakraborty went ballistic against Trinamool.
Trinamool leader Partha Chatterjee said, "The door is open." Without naming Manas, he said, "A leader from Midnapore has been speaking a lot. Let him win an election without Mamata's photo."
TMC minister Subrata Mukherjee said, "The door has been left open. They refuse to go (from the cabinet)."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday that the economy would likely withstand an uncertain external environment to grow about 7 percent this fiscal year, lower than a revised forecast of about 7.5 percent growth issued by his government last month.
However, Manmohan Singh said India's high domestic savings would help achieve a 9-10 percent growth rate in the medium-term.
The Indian economy is slowing on a combination of feeble growth in the United States and Europe, a ratcheting up of interest rates to quash high inflation and a decision-making paralysis in government.
Growth at 6.9 percent in the quarter ending September was the weakest in over two years, obliging the government to pare the forecast for the fiscal year to end-March 2012 to about 7.5 percent from 9 percent made in last year's budget.
"Despite an adverse international environment, the Indian economy is expected to grow by about 7 percent this financial year ending 31st March," Singh said in an address in Jaipur at Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas,a gathering of Indians living abroad, made available by his office.
"However, we hope to bring back the rhythm of our growth processes to sustain an annual growth rate of 9-10 percent in the medium-term. Our domestic savings rate, which currently stands at 33-35 percent of our GDP, will greatly facilitate the realisation of our growth objectives."
Singh also said the fight against high inflation was yielding results, leading to an improvement in the situation.
India's headline inflation has stayed above 9 percent for a year despite 13 rate hikes by the RBI since March 2010.
However, a rapid slowdown in food inflation in December has raised hopes of a cooling in overall inflation. The food price index fell an annual 3.36 percent in mid-December, the first drop in nearly six years.
However, Manmohan Singh said India's high domestic savings would help achieve a 9-10 percent growth rate in the medium-term.
The Indian economy is slowing on a combination of feeble growth in the United States and Europe, a ratcheting up of interest rates to quash high inflation and a decision-making paralysis in government.
Growth at 6.9 percent in the quarter ending September was the weakest in over two years, obliging the government to pare the forecast for the fiscal year to end-March 2012 to about 7.5 percent from 9 percent made in last year's budget.
"Despite an adverse international environment, the Indian economy is expected to grow by about 7 percent this financial year ending 31st March," Singh said in an address in Jaipur at Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas,a gathering of Indians living abroad, made available by his office.
"However, we hope to bring back the rhythm of our growth processes to sustain an annual growth rate of 9-10 percent in the medium-term. Our domestic savings rate, which currently stands at 33-35 percent of our GDP, will greatly facilitate the realisation of our growth objectives."
Singh also said the fight against high inflation was yielding results, leading to an improvement in the situation.
India's headline inflation has stayed above 9 percent for a year despite 13 rate hikes by the RBI since March 2010.
However, a rapid slowdown in food inflation in December has raised hopes of a cooling in overall inflation. The food price index fell an annual 3.36 percent in mid-December, the first drop in nearly six years.
India's state-run oil companies reported a revenue loss of 340 billion rupees in the third quarter ending December 31 for selling subsidised fuel, an industry sources said on Monday.
At 190 billion rupees, the bulk of under-recovery was that of Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), its director finance P. K. Goel told reporters.
At 190 billion rupees, the bulk of under-recovery was that of Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), its director finance P. K. Goel told reporters.
NEW DELHI: In an overnight U-turn, India has decided to go ahead with sending a military delegation to China next week but curtailed it to 15 members, instead of the original 30, after Beijing refused to issue a visa to an IAF officer, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh.
The 15-member tri-Service delegation will leave for China on Sunday, as was scheduled earlier, to hold talks with their People's Liberation Army (PLA) counterparts as well as visit military establishments in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai from January 10 to 13, said officials on Saturday.
Group Captain M Panging, the chief operations officer at the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter airbase at Tezpur, will, however, not be part of the truncated delegation. The visa denial to Group Captain Panging had led to the delegation's visit being put on hold on Friday, with the defence and external affairs ministries speaking in different voices, as reported by TOI.
Given its over-cautious attitude about not doing anything to ruffle a prickly Beijing, India in the past has avoided sending officials hailing from Arunachal Pradesh for defence and other exchanges with China. The defence establishment seems to have inadvertently included Group Captain Panging in the 30-member delegation, which included eight officers each from Army, Navy and IAF as well as six from the integrated defence staff, much to the external affairs ministry's consternation.
Consequently, a 15-member delegation, led by an air vice marshal, will now be heading for China as "a reciprocal visit" to the one made by a 29-member PLA delegation here in the last week of December. This was one of the ``net outcomes" of the 4th India-China annual defence dialogue, held in New Delhi on December 9, which had decided to enhance "the range and scope of bilateral exchanges at various levels'' as a confidence-building measure between the world's two largest armies.
If the delegation's visit next week had been called off, it would have been the second time in less than two years that India would have taken such a step. Earlier, in July 2010, India had frozen all military exchanges with China after Beijing had denied a proper stamped visa to the then Northern Army commander Lt-General B S Jaswal on the grounds that he was commanding forces in the ``disputed and sensitive'' region of Jammu and Kashmir. The ice was broken only after an Indian delegation, led by Major-General Gurmeet Singh, commanding a Rashtriya Rifles division in J&K, visited Beijing in last June.
The 15-member tri-Service delegation will leave for China on Sunday, as was scheduled earlier, to hold talks with their People's Liberation Army (PLA) counterparts as well as visit military establishments in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai from January 10 to 13, said officials on Saturday.
Group Captain M Panging, the chief operations officer at the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter airbase at Tezpur, will, however, not be part of the truncated delegation. The visa denial to Group Captain Panging had led to the delegation's visit being put on hold on Friday, with the defence and external affairs ministries speaking in different voices, as reported by TOI.
Given its over-cautious attitude about not doing anything to ruffle a prickly Beijing, India in the past has avoided sending officials hailing from Arunachal Pradesh for defence and other exchanges with China. The defence establishment seems to have inadvertently included Group Captain Panging in the 30-member delegation, which included eight officers each from Army, Navy and IAF as well as six from the integrated defence staff, much to the external affairs ministry's consternation.
Consequently, a 15-member delegation, led by an air vice marshal, will now be heading for China as "a reciprocal visit" to the one made by a 29-member PLA delegation here in the last week of December. This was one of the ``net outcomes" of the 4th India-China annual defence dialogue, held in New Delhi on December 9, which had decided to enhance "the range and scope of bilateral exchanges at various levels'' as a confidence-building measure between the world's two largest armies.
If the delegation's visit next week had been called off, it would have been the second time in less than two years that India would have taken such a step. Earlier, in July 2010, India had frozen all military exchanges with China after Beijing had denied a proper stamped visa to the then Northern Army commander Lt-General B S Jaswal on the grounds that he was commanding forces in the ``disputed and sensitive'' region of Jammu and Kashmir. The ice was broken only after an Indian delegation, led by Major-General Gurmeet Singh, commanding a Rashtriya Rifles division in J&K, visited Beijing in last June.
NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court rejecting Dr Rajesh and Nupur Talwar's plea for quashing proceedings against them in the case of their daughter Aarushi's murder, the couple has run out of options for now.
The SC has sent the case back to the trial court, which had taken a strict view of the CBI's findings on circumstantial evidence and statements of witnesses and made Talwars the accused.
In her order on February 9, 2011, CBI special judge Preeti Singh had built her decision to name the parents of Aarushi as the accused on the basis of circumstantial evidence pointed out by CBI in its case diary and statements of several witnesses who had not seen the murders being carried out but helped in building the sequence of events and prove the complicity of Talwars.
Some of the witnesses who were listed as important in her order by Singh included some friends of Talwar, domestic helps and Noida police officers. The court had made elaborate observations on several points, including a V-shaped injury mark on both bodies (Hemraj and Aarushi's), presence of only family members inside the house, cleaning of Aarushi's private parts, Talwar's reluctance to open the door of the terrace on May 16, 2008, bloodstains on the stairs and the doctor's opinion that only a surgically trained person could have killed both. The judge had cited these points as the main grounds to charge the couple for murder and destruction of evidence.
One of the most important points which the court had stressed upon were the circumstances proving that 'there were only four persons in the house that night, including Aarushi and Hemraj'. Talwar's driver, Umesh, a neighbour, Puneet Rai Tandon, Anita Durrani and servant Krishna's landlord, KN Johri, were important witnesses too in backing this fact. Umesh had said, "I had seen Rajesh Talwar, Nupur Talwar, Aarushi and Hemraj in the house around 9.30 pm on May 15 when I went there to return the car keys".
A maid working in the house, Bharti, had observed: "When I went to the house at 6 am on May 16, only Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were present. Aarushi was lying on her bed and blood was coming out from a wound on her neck while Hemraj was not there". The Talwars had accepted that they were only ones present in the house.
The court had ruled out the involvement of any outsider in the murders on the basis of statements of Sector 25 Jalvayu Vihar's colony guards - Virender Singh, Sanjay Singh, Ram Kumar, Chandrabhushan, Devender Singh and Ram Vishal - who had stated that they did not see anyone coming to or going out of Talwar's house.
The court had also ruled out the involvement of the servants on the basis of statements of Anita Durrani, who said that Rajkumar was present in her house till 12.30 on that night, while Puneet Rai Tandon said his servant, Vijay Mandal, was in his garage. K N Johri, landlord of Krishna, stated that Krishna was sleeping in his house with his family.
Observing that there was cleaning of Aarushi's private parts, the court had taken note of Dr Sunil Dohre's statement that there were no marks on Aarushi's face or body of any resistance but the vaginal opening was wide and there was a white discharge near it.
The court had also cited testimony of a telecom department official who stated that the internet was switched on and off at regular intervals and that an outsider could not have done that.
The SC has sent the case back to the trial court, which had taken a strict view of the CBI's findings on circumstantial evidence and statements of witnesses and made Talwars the accused.
In her order on February 9, 2011, CBI special judge Preeti Singh had built her decision to name the parents of Aarushi as the accused on the basis of circumstantial evidence pointed out by CBI in its case diary and statements of several witnesses who had not seen the murders being carried out but helped in building the sequence of events and prove the complicity of Talwars.
Some of the witnesses who were listed as important in her order by Singh included some friends of Talwar, domestic helps and Noida police officers. The court had made elaborate observations on several points, including a V-shaped injury mark on both bodies (Hemraj and Aarushi's), presence of only family members inside the house, cleaning of Aarushi's private parts, Talwar's reluctance to open the door of the terrace on May 16, 2008, bloodstains on the stairs and the doctor's opinion that only a surgically trained person could have killed both. The judge had cited these points as the main grounds to charge the couple for murder and destruction of evidence.
One of the most important points which the court had stressed upon were the circumstances proving that 'there were only four persons in the house that night, including Aarushi and Hemraj'. Talwar's driver, Umesh, a neighbour, Puneet Rai Tandon, Anita Durrani and servant Krishna's landlord, KN Johri, were important witnesses too in backing this fact. Umesh had said, "I had seen Rajesh Talwar, Nupur Talwar, Aarushi and Hemraj in the house around 9.30 pm on May 15 when I went there to return the car keys".
A maid working in the house, Bharti, had observed: "When I went to the house at 6 am on May 16, only Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were present. Aarushi was lying on her bed and blood was coming out from a wound on her neck while Hemraj was not there". The Talwars had accepted that they were only ones present in the house.
The court had ruled out the involvement of any outsider in the murders on the basis of statements of Sector 25 Jalvayu Vihar's colony guards - Virender Singh, Sanjay Singh, Ram Kumar, Chandrabhushan, Devender Singh and Ram Vishal - who had stated that they did not see anyone coming to or going out of Talwar's house.
The court had also ruled out the involvement of the servants on the basis of statements of Anita Durrani, who said that Rajkumar was present in her house till 12.30 on that night, while Puneet Rai Tandon said his servant, Vijay Mandal, was in his garage. K N Johri, landlord of Krishna, stated that Krishna was sleeping in his house with his family.
Observing that there was cleaning of Aarushi's private parts, the court had taken note of Dr Sunil Dohre's statement that there were no marks on Aarushi's face or body of any resistance but the vaginal opening was wide and there was a white discharge near it.
The court had also cited testimony of a telecom department official who stated that the internet was switched on and off at regular intervals and that an outsider could not have done that.
Japanese car maker Toyota today launched a new version of its hybrid sedan Prius in India that is priced between Rs 27.39 lakh and Rs 29.41 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, had first introduced the world's best selling hybrid car in 2010.
'The introduction of the new Prius is our sincere effort to bring in advanced hybrid technology to India to develop such market here,' Toyota Kirlosakar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director (Commercial) Shekar Viswanathan told reporters at the 11th Auto Expo here.
The new Prius will have solar ventilation system in addition to the exiting battery technology, he added.
The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, had first introduced the world's best selling hybrid car in 2010.
'The introduction of the new Prius is our sincere effort to bring in advanced hybrid technology to India to develop such market here,' Toyota Kirlosakar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director (Commercial) Shekar Viswanathan told reporters at the 11th Auto Expo here.
The new Prius will have solar ventilation system in addition to the exiting battery technology, he added.
NEW DELHI: IPL side Mumbai Indians have bought Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik from Kings XI Punjab in the first player transfer ahead of the fifth edition of the Twenty20 league, it has been reported.
Karthik was bagged by Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed sum and in exchange all-rounder R Sathish will go to Kings XI.
According to a BCCI insider it was the highest sum paid to buy a player from another team in the history of the IPL.
"It was a substantial sum and easily the highest in terms of strictly trading terms. Mumbai wanted a keeper. Punjab did not mind as they were getting a good amount of money," an unnamed BCCI official was quoted as saying.
It is understood that Mumbai have paid somewhere between $2-2.5 million (Rs 10.59-13.2 crores) for Karthik, the report further said.
The franchises have a limited money to spend during the auctions but there is no cap on spending during trading.
According to IPL rules, 20% of the profit made in a trade goes to the player with the rest going to the franchise selling him.
Karthik had spent the first three IPL seasons at the Delhi Daredevils.
The first window for trading between IPL franchises closes on January 20. There will be another short window for trading after the February 4 auction in which the players of now terminated franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be sold.
Karthik was bagged by Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed sum and in exchange all-rounder R Sathish will go to Kings XI.
According to a BCCI insider it was the highest sum paid to buy a player from another team in the history of the IPL.
"It was a substantial sum and easily the highest in terms of strictly trading terms. Mumbai wanted a keeper. Punjab did not mind as they were getting a good amount of money," an unnamed BCCI official was quoted as saying.
It is understood that Mumbai have paid somewhere between $2-2.5 million (Rs 10.59-13.2 crores) for Karthik, the report further said.
The franchises have a limited money to spend during the auctions but there is no cap on spending during trading.
According to IPL rules, 20% of the profit made in a trade goes to the player with the rest going to the franchise selling him.
Karthik had spent the first three IPL seasons at the Delhi Daredevils.
The first window for trading between IPL franchises closes on January 20. There will be another short window for trading after the February 4 auction in which the players of now terminated franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be sold.