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Schools cannot compel students to disclose caste: SC
New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) The Supreme Court today said that schools in the country cannot compel students to disclose their caste status at the time of admission.
Any such disclosure shall be optional, or in other words, it should be left to the discretion of the student to divulge his/her caste identity, a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said.
The bench, however, dismissed a PIL filed by an 81-year-old freedom fighter, Salemvelu Gandhi alias Velu, from Tamil Nadu who sought a complete ban on "caste disclosure" forms circulated by schools to students during admissions.
The apex court, while appreciating the "laudable objective" of the petitioner, said it cannot pass any direction on the issue as it would create problems for those who want to avail free scholarships and other benefits.
The bench said the school leaving certificate forms the basis for SCs, STs and BCs pursuing higher education or seeking jobs, as otherwise such beneficiaries would not be able to get the benefits. PTI
Taj Corridor scam: SC reserves order on issue of sanction
New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) The Supreme Court today expressed its reservations over going into the issue of examining Uttar Pradesh Governor's refusal to grant sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Mayawati in the Rs 175-crore Taj Heritage Corridor scam.
"It will be an adversarial jurisdiction," a special environment bench headed by Justice S B Sinha said while making it clear that it's job ended with the completion of the CBI probe as directed by it and with the filing of the report before a Special Magistrate.
"Should we go a step further and say order passed by a Constitutional authority (Governor) is correct or not," the bench observed while reserving its order on the application challenging Governor T V Rajeshwar's decision refusing to grant sanction to prosecute Mayawati.
"It is not the question that something has not proceeded in accordance with law," the bench, also comprising Justices S H Kapadia and D K Jain, said, adding that the issue of sanction was different from the matter which it was monitoring and came to an end with the completion of probe.
"Cognizance will be taken in respect of the offence. Our jurisdiction has ended. It will be for the Magistrate to take cognizance," the bench said.
However, clarifying that it was not saying that the order of the Governor cannot be challenged, the bench said that it can be redressed before other court as the special environment bench operates within its own parametres.
"We want to make it clear you have remedy but you cannot seek it from this bench," it said when advocate Krishan Mahajan, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, insisted that the same bench can examine the issue as it was on its direction that monitoring of the case had taken place. PTI
Top ULFA militant held at Tezpur in Assam
Guwahati, Sep 17 (PTI) Top ULFA militant Prabal Neog, the alleged mastermind behind several attacks on Hindi speaking people in Assam in recent past, was arrested today.
Neog, self-styled Commander of ULFA's elite strike force 28th battalion that killed a large number of Hindi speaking labourers, was held along with his wife, also a cadre of the outfit, and child at Tezpur in Assam's Sonitpur district, Superintendent of Police M K Gupta told PTI.
The battalion was responsible for the outfit's operations in Upper Assam districts and the killings of Hindi-speaking people in the state.
Neog was also the mastermind behind most of the major bomb blasts in the twin districts of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh.
The police acted on a tip-off that Neog along with his wife Purabi and minor son was on his way to Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh from Karbi Anglong district of Assam. He and his family members were arrested while he was traveling in a car at Mission Chariali area of Tezpur.
Some cash and personal belongings were seized from his possession, Gupta said adding he was carrying neither arms nor ammunition.
The SP said that more information would be available only after further interrogation of Neog and his wife. PTI
TRAI issues draft recommendations for broadband growth
New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Dismayed by the poor penetration of broadband services, telecom regulator TRAI today brought out a new draft that recommends subsidising the service in remote and hilly areas.
Such subsidies could be accessed by broadband service providers after they are made eligible for support from the Universal Service Obligation Fund, to which telecom companies contribute a portion of their profits.
In the draft suggestions, it said said USO funds be provided as subsidy for providing broadband services through satellite in remote and hilly areas where back haul charges were initially up to 40 per cent.
The recommendation, on which TRAI has sought the industry's response, is born out of the regulator's concern over less-than-expected growth in broadband despite existence of a policy.
In all, India had 2.47 million broadband connections as of July, a far cry from Department of Telecom's target of 20 million broadband subscribers by 2010.
In fact, the numbers are even below the target set for 2005 which was three million. The broadband target for 2007 is nine million subscribers.
Earlier, TRAI had suggested opening up BSNL/MTNL's last mile copper connections to private players to reach more customers. The proposal was rejected by DoT citing potential losses to the PSUs.
Last week, TRAI issued a regulation on unblocking the PSUs Domestic Leased Circuit or local bandwidth network.
TRAI, in a statement, observed that even after taking various initiatives, the growth is slow and below than the expected level. PTI
Bentley expects to sell 25 cars, to open Mumbai outlet by 2008
Mumbai, Sep 17 (PTI) England-based Bentley Motors Ltd, the makers of luxury car brand Bentley, expects to sell 25 cars in Indian this year and would soon open their second India outlet in Mumbai, a top company official said.
"We expect to sell 25 cars this year in the Indian market and by the last quarter of 2008, we hope to open our second India outlet in Mumbai," Managing Director of Exclusive Motors, which is Indian partners for Bentley, Satya Prakash Bagla said.
The car maker today launched two new convertible models, Azure and Continental GTC for Indian market priced at Rs 3.80 crore and Rs 2.10 crore respectively.
Bentley debuted in India in October, 2003 and has one outlet, in Delhi. It has sold close to 50 cars till now in order to maintain exclusivity.
The company allocates a specific number of cars to be sold in a particular country.
"We have to keep Bentley exclusive while evenly balancing the demand around the world. This year, we have made an allocation of 25 cars for India," Bentley Motors Regional Sales Manager Ian Hession said.
He, however, denied that high duty and tax structure were a hurdle for the luxury car's sales.
The company plant has a capacity to produce 10,000 cars and last year it produced close to 6,500 cars.
"We hope to sell about 9,000 cars this year but do not have plans to expand our production capacity as we have to ensure that the car remains exclusive...We might revise allocation for countries," he said. PTI
Moser Baer to invest Rs 2,000 crore in Tamil Nadu
Chennai, Sept 17 (PTI) Compact disc and DVD manufacturer Moser Baer will invest Rs 2,000 crore on production facilities in Tamil Nadu, company's Managing Director Deepak Puri said today.
Speaking at the CII sponsored 'Connect 2007' conference here, he said this amount would be the initial investment.
The facilities would have cutting edge technology and are expected to generate employment for about 4,000 people, he said. PTI
Saudi King asks Nawaz to hold his horses till Eid
Islamabad, Sept 17 (PTI) Saudi Arabia has assured Nawaz Sharif that it would take up the issue of his "exile" and "deportation" with Pakistan after Eid-ul-Fitr, the deposed Premier's party has claimed.
"This assurance was given to him (Sharif) when he had called on King Abdullah on Saturday," 'The News' reported here today, quoting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's party sources as saying, without naming them.
Sharif was deported to Saudi Arabia on September ten, hours after his dramatic return to the Islamic nation from a seven-year exile.
In fact, the sources said the Saudi authorities had given assurance to Sharif that negotiations between the two countries would continue at the highest level during the month of Ramazan.
"The Saudi authorities have also assured Nawaz that all the points raised by him would be taken up with the Pakistani authorities and a final decision would be made by the end of Ramazan or after Eid," they claimed.
According to some senior party leaders, Sharif had told King Abdullah about the factual position of the written and verbal understanding reached in 2000. He had also informed the King about the present situation of Pakistani politics and aspirations of the common people of Pakistan.
"But, Sharif was asked to wait for a month or so and told that his matters would be finalised during this period," they said.
Both Sharif's brother Shahbaz and wife Kulsoom told the daily that the meeting between the deposed Premier and Saudi King proceeded very well. "The nation will hear good news very soon," she said. PTI
Malaysia steps up efforts to curb illegal bear products trade
Kuala Lumpur, Sept 17 (PTI) In a bid to curb illegal trade in bear products, Malaysian Wildlife experts are experimenting with a test kit that could save the lives of bears reared in captivity for the traditional medicine market.
Similar to a pregnancy test, this inexpensive and simple bear detection kit can detect bear protein in less than 10 minutes, helping enforcement officers to find out whether medicines contain bear products.
The kit is being tested in peninsular Malaysia by the Wildlife and National Parks Department, the New Straits Times said. After Australia and Canada, Malaysia is the third country in the world to run these trials.
It was introduced earlier this year at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in The Hague by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, an international animal welfare organisation.
The kit detects the presence of bear albumin, a common protein found in many body tissues. Bear bile, extracted from bears as often as twice a day is used for a range of conditions including muscular aches, fever and inflammation, the daily said.
Wildlife Department enforcement director Misliah Bashir said, enforcement officers had been testing products sold in traditional medicine shops. The presence of bear albumin has been found in some medicines on sale.
It is hoped that the results of the trials will pave the way for the amendment of the Wildlife Act to add bear products to the prohibited trade list.
Experts claim that more than 12,000 bears are kept in farms in China, Vietnam and South Korea, where they are reared in inhumane conditions. PTI
Black boxes from Thai air disaster found
Jaishree Balasubramanian
Kuala Lumpur, Sep 17 (PTI) The "black boxes" flight data recorder of the ill-fated McDonnell Douglas MD-82 plane that crashed at the popular Thai resort of Phuket yesterday killing 88 people, mostly foreigners, has been recovered, officials said today.
The "black box" flight data recorder has been recovered, Thailand's deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wong-Chaum said, adding it would be sent to the US and it would take a week to analyse.
Meanwhile, rescue workers today began searching for bodies of passengers who were on the ill-fated passenger jet.
Forty-two people survived the crash but 88 others, including both the pilots, died in accident, Sansern said.
No Indian national was on board the 'One, Two, Go' budget airliner which smashed into a wooded embankment while trying to land in driving rain backed by wind, sources in Bangkok said, adding the picture would be clear only after the entire list of the dead and the injured were released.
The dead included French, German, Israeli, Australian and British nationals, the deputy governor of Phuket province Vorapot Rajsima said.
A doctor who carried out autopsies on some of those killed in the crash said they had died of traumatic injuries to the head. This could be because of the impact of the crash as the plane veered off the runway and hit the embankment breaking into two.
Thailand's Public Health and Interior ministries issued lists of 30 foreign survivors. Many of the injured suffered legs fracture while jumping out of the burning plane. Five survivors were in critical condition, with upto 60 per cent burns, hospital officials were quoted by media as saying. PTI
Akram denies being treated for drugs-related problem
Karachi, Sep 17 (PTI) Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has rubbished reports that he had undergone a rehabilitation programme in a London hospital for a drugs related problem.
Akram said he had been under treatment in a hospital but it was for an acute sugar related problem and had nothing to do with drugs.
"Diabetics is not a new illness for me. I have played years of international cricket with it. But it got a bit out of hand and I had to seek treatment," he said today.
The legendary left-arm pacer, who remains Pakistan's highest Test and one-day wicket taker, also said he would be going to India on September 27 for his assignments with ESPN.
He also warned that the Twenty20 format of cricket would badly affect the future of one-day internationals.
"I fear for the future of 50-over internationals. Because people now don't have much time to watch cricket for a full-day. In Twenty20 cricket they get to watch a lot of exciting cricket in three to four hours. It is an ideal format for them," he added.
He, however, declined to pick any favourite for the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup, saying it was difficult to make predictions in such a format.
Akram also expressed his disappointment over Pakistan's defeat to India on the 'bowl out' rule.
"It was disappointing to see one of our bowlers could hit the target although we played well on the field. It was sad to see our bowlers didn't take the 'bowl out' seriously. I don't know why the pacers opted to bowl off a short run-up, it spoilt their rhythm." PTI
Selectors meet tomorrow to choose new cricket captain
Mumbai, Sep 17 (PTI) The national cricket selectors will meet here tomorrow to choose a new Indian captain following Rahul Dravid's surprise resignation amid speculation that Sachin Tendulkar could be offered the high-pressure job.
The five selectors, with former captain Dilip Vengsarkar at the helm, have been put on the horns of a huge dilemma on whether to move forward or set the clock back by handing back the job to Tendulkar for a third stint.
The squad for the first three ODIs in the best-of-seven home series against Australia, beginning later this month, is also to be announced.
The 34-year-old Tendulkar, who would have been the ideal candidate a few years ago, had recently admitted that the one-dayers were taking a toll on his body. He opted out of the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa alongwith Dravid and another ex-skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Selectors will have to think how much additional mental stress can the champion batsman withstand if he is made the captain for both the ODIs against Australia and the subsequent full series against Pakistan, not to forget the tough and energy-sapping visit Down Under to follow.
The Mumbai batsman in a recent interview to a British daily talked about the difficulties he faced of late in playing back-to-back ODIs with a short gap.
The series against Australia would see the players of both the teams battling it out in hot and humid conditions by crisscrossing across the length and breadth of the country. PTI
Sania clings to 27th position in WTA rankings
New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Despite being out of action since her early exit from the US Open Grand Slam tennis, Sania Mirza clung to 27th place in WTA ranking for their third consecutive week.
The Indian star, who is nursing a wrist injury and is doubtful for the Sunfeast Open WTA event beginning in Kolkata today, also maintained her doubles ranking to be at 18 spot in the latest rankings.
Sania has been drawn against US-based Sunitha Rao in the first round at Sunfeast Open.
Among the Indian men, Mahesh Bhupathi moved out of top-20 and stands at 21st spot in the doubles charts which saw his compatriot Leander Paes continue to be ranked 16th.
Rohan Bopanna, however, improved his doubles ranking by two places to take the 84th position. He also climbed up seven spots to be 245th in the ATP men's singles ranking despite his first round exit in the China Open last week. PTI
IOA bags F1 draft contracts from FIA
New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) The Indian Olympic Association has moved one step forward in bringing the Formula One race to the country by bagging two draft contracts from the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
IOA President Suresh Kalmadi today announced that he had got the race promotion contract and the circuit right agreement besides a breather to finalise the formalities over the earlier deadline of September 30.
"I recently met FIA chief Bernie Ecclestone in London and he handed me over the two draft contracts. He said chief architect of the Formula One circuit Hermann Tilke, who recently made a survey of sites in India, has given a good report," Kalmadi said at a press conference here today.
Kalmadi said FIA had shortlisted two sites in the national capital region and had asked the IOA to finalise one of those as the race venue.
"They have selected two sites -- Greater Noida and Sohna (near Gurgaon) -- and left the final choice to IOA," Kalmadi said.
The total area identified in Sohna is somewhere between 1200 and 1500 acres, while it is around 1600 acres in Greater Noida, he said.
The IOA chief said the September 30 deadline for completing all formalities has been extended, but parried questions about the new cut off date.
"The September deadline has been extended. Now we have good enough time," he said. PTI
Manipur govt to hold peace talks with Kuki militants
Imphal, Sept 17 (PTI) Manipur government will begin peace talks with different Kuki militant outfits 'very soon' but what casts a shadow on any successful outcome is the latter's demand to carve out smaller states along the ethnic lines.
To facilitate the dialogue, a joint monitoring committee would be set up with an official of the state government of the rank of additional Director General of Police as chairman, official sources said.
They said representatives from union home ministry, Assam Rifles and militant leaders would be the members of the committee which would be formed only after the approval of 'ground rules' by the central government.
A recent cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister O.Ibobi Singh had discussed the ground rules, sources said.
It was decided that talks would not discuss anything which might affect the territorial integrity of Manipur. More than 18 insurgent groups are said to be active in the state.
The state government had turned down the proposal for issuing identity cards to militants, sources said adding that the first task of the committee would be to find places for designated camps where the militants would be lodged.
Sources said the government would soon announce suspension of operation against those outfits which would be engaged in peace talks and if anyone violated the ground rules, the issue would be discussed without delay by the committee which will meet at least once in a month. PTI
Tough time for Amarinder loyalists in Punjab
Vijay Dabur
Chandigarh, Sep 17 (PTI) It is tough time for one time close associates of the former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as the Parkash Singh Badal government appears to be paying back in a similar fashion what happened in the state during the previous Congress regime.
After assuming power in the state early this year the ruling Shiromani Skali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine government took no time in tightening noose around Patiala scion Amarinder singh and his close associates.
It all started with B I S Chahal, media adviser to the former Chief Minister, who once had a considerable clout in politico and administrative spheres in the state.
Punjab Vigilance Bureau (PVB) slapped series of cases against Chahal who had to cool his heels in jail for over two months before getting reprieve in the form of bail by the court.
The cases registered against Chahal included his alleged involvement in the city centre scandal of Ludhiana improvement trust, alleged land grab at village Daad in Ludhiana, his alleged failure to return a costly car of a Patiala resident and alleged non-payment of kitchen equipment worth Rs 15 lakhs provided by a Mohali resident.
Prior to Chahal, the PVB booked Amarinder Singh alongwith 18 others in the infamous multi-crore Ludhiana city centre scandal.
The move prompted the former chief minister and his family members, including his mp wife Preneet Kaur and their son Raninder Singh to approach court seeking anticipatory bail. Much to the relief of the family the court accepted their plea. PTI
Kashmir fruit growers plead for industry status
A M Sofi
Srinagar, Sep 16 (PTI) Despite being one of the biggest
revenue earner, fruit business has yet to receive the status
of an industry in Jammu and Kashmir.
In Kashmir alone more than five lakh families are
directly associated with the Rs 12 billion business, however,
all the successive state government have failed to grant it an
industry status, complain fruit growers.
The growers whose livelihood is directly associated
with the fruit trade say that their business won't survive in
the coming decade if steps are not taken to give it much
needed support.
President of All Jammu and Kashmir Fruit and Vegetable
Growers Association, Ghulam Rasool Bhat fears the growers will
soon get deprived of livelihood if government failed to take
some concrete steps.
"Our first demand is to grant fruit business the status
of an industry so that we could be entitled to the benefits
that are given to any industry," he said.
Once the valley's biggest source of income, the apple
business is slowly declining both in infrastructure and
investment, the reasons are many, raging 'scab infection to
the fruit adulterated fungicide, government apathy and above
all the absence of cold storage faculty for preservation of
the fruit in the valley,' he said.
According to figures available 400,000 tones of apple is
ruined by the scab every year, other diseases like alternaria,
red-might and powdery mildew also spoil the crop, he said. PTI
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