2 CRPF Jawans Killed In Suspected Naxal Attack

Two jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and four others injured in a landmine blast in Bihar early this morning. The blast took place between Jamui, where voting is being held in the third phase of Lok Sabha election, and Munger.

The blast took place at around 4 am this morning when the jeep of the CRPF personnel, who were on patrolling duty, was blown up. The injured jawans have been rushed to Munger.

The Naxals, who have boycotted these elections, are believed to be behind this blast.

Earlier this week, six landmines planted by the Maoists in Bihar's Gaya were found, a day after three troopers were killed while trying to defuse an explosive device.

Three CRPF troopers were killed in Aurangabad district on Monday when an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up while they were defusing it.

The state and Centre have made elaborate security arrangements in the Naxal-affected ditricts of the state where polling is scheduled to take place today. Extra companies of central forces like the CRPF have been deployed in the areas.

Read More

INS Vikrant Sold To Ship-Breaker For Rs 60 Crores

India's first aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, which played an important role in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, has been sold to a ship breaker for Rs. 60 crores.

Defence sources are being quoted by the media, as saying that the auction process was completed last week. A company named IB Commercial Pvt Ltd. has purchased the decommissioned aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.

Earlier, the Government of Maharashtra said it was unable to maintain the INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in 1961 and decommissioned in January 1997. Once the money is paid, IB Commercial Pvt Ltd. will have to tow the ship away from the Naval Dockyard here within thirty days. There were plans earlier of converting the ship into a museum, but its condition was so bad that the project was abandoned.

The Indian Navy and the Ministry of Defence have maintained in court that the ship's operational life is over. The Majestic-class aircraft carrier was purchased from Britain in 1957.

Read More

Petrol Price Cut By 75ps Diesel Unchanged

The price of petrol was on Monday cut by 75 paise per litre - the first reduction in five months - while the already unpopular monthly hike in diesel rates was put off during the election season.

The reduction, effective midnight, excludes local sales tax or VAT and the actual cut will be higher, varying from city to city.

The price of petrol was last increased by 60 paise on March 1.

It will cost Rs. 72.26 a litre in Delhi, down 90 paise from Rs. 73.16 at present. In Mumbai, the fuel will cost Rs. 80.89 a litre against Rs. 82.07 at present.

Indian Oil Corp, the country's largest oil firm, said since the last revision in petrol prices, there has been a dip in international oil rates and the rupee has strengthened against the dollar.

"The combined impact of both these factors has resulted in reduction in price of petrol, the benefit of which is being passed on to consumers through price decrease of Re 0.75 per litre, excluding VAT," it said.

However, state-owned oil firms will not raise diesel prices by the monthly 50 paise a litre decided in January last year as the loss on the fuel has dipped below the threshold of Rs. 6 a litre because of the twin factors.

"The under-recovery on diesel is currently Rs. 5.93 per litre which is below Rs. 6 a litre, which is the interim subsidy cap recommended by the Expert Group 2013 of Dr Kirit Parikh," IOC said.

"Hence, the issue of monthly price increase is under consideration of the government and the matter has been referred to the Election Commission. A decision regarding revision of diesel retail price shall therefore be taken on receipt of further advice by the government in this context," the oil retailer added.

Since January 2013, diesel rates have risen by Rs. 8.33 over 14 monthly installments.

Besides diesel, oil firms lose Rs. 34.43 a litre on kerosene sold through the public distribution system and Rs. 505.50 on every 14.2-kg cylinder of domestic cooking gas.

Petrol price was last cut on November 1, when it was reduced by Rs. 1.15 a litre, excluding local taxes. Losses on kerosene and LPG have declined from Rs. 36.34 a litre and Rs. 605.50 per bottle, respectively, at the beginning of the month.

"During 2013-14, IOC has suffered an under-recovery on sale of three sensitive products of around Rs. 73,000 crore (industry around Rs. 1,41,000 crore)," the statement said.

The movement of prices in the international oil market and the rupee-US dollar exchange rate are being monitored closely and developing trends will be reflected in future price changes, IOC added.

Read More

No FIR For Now In Sunanda Case, Inquest To Continue

Delhi Police chief B S Bassi today said inquest would continue in the mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar, Union Minister Shashi Tharoor's wife while maintaining that there is "no reason" to proceed in any other way, virtually ruling out an FIR in the case as of now.
"From the circumstantial evidence collected so far and from the statement of witnesses, there is no reason for us to proceed in any other fashion so we are carrying on our inquiries under Section 174 CrPC," the police commissioner told reporters here.
Inquest proceedings under Section 174 CrPC were initiated in the Sunanda case according to which a Sub-divisional Magistrate inquires into the death of a woman if she dies within seven years of her marriage.
In this case, on January 21, a sub-divisional magistrate had directed Delhi Police to investigate the murder or suicide angle in the case after autopsy report has cited the death as "sudden and unnatural" while the cause of death was mentioned as poisoning.
The police can file an FIR in this case if it finds any foul play but until then the inquiry will go on under section 174 CrPC.
Investigators were banking on the viscera report from CFSL to get definitive lead on the nature of the poison and establishing its quantity but the report has failed to do so. The viscera report hints toward drug poisoning and its findings are still inconclusive to file an FIR in the case, according to police.
"The CFSL report has not been able to give much headway into the probe. It rules out poisoning and hints toward drug poisoning," said a senior police official associated with the probe.
Investigators will now take the opinion from the panel of doctors from AIIMS which had carried out an autopsy to shed light into findings of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory report. The SDM has also been informed about the CFSL report.
Sunanda, 52, was found dead in a 5-star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, a day after her twitter spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar over an alleged affair with Tharoor.

Read More

Withdraw Orders Making Aadhaar Mandatory For Any Service: SC

The Supreme Court has directed the Government of India to withdraw all orders, which make the Aadhaar card mandatory for availing any service. The court has also directed the Unique Identification Authority of India  not to share any information pertaining to an Aadhaar card holder with any government agency without the prior permission of the card holder.

The Supreme Court was hearing the petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of Aadhaar card with those opposing the mega project saying it was not backed by any statute and compromises with national security.

Further, a three-judge bench headed by Justice BS Chauhan was also told that the project not only violates the right to privacy but the "biometrics", which is the foundation of the project, is an unreliable and untested technology and public funds are being channeled to private enterprises without sufficient validation.

Earlier in 2013, the apex court had also issued an interim order which had said Aadhaar card be not made mandatory for people for availing any government services and nobody should be deprived of any such facilities for want of the card.

The Centre, Unique Identification Authority of India  and three oil PSUs - IOCL, BPCL and HPCL - had later on moved the apex court seeking modification of its earlier order that Aadhaar card is not mandatory and no person should suffer for want of it in getting the benefits of government schemes.

The petitioners, including Justice K Puttaswamy; former high court judge and Major General SG Vombatkere, who retired as Additional Director General, Discipline and Vigilance in Army HQ; also sought to restrain the Centre, Planning Commission and the Unique Identification Authority of India  from issuing Aadhaar cards by way of an executive order of January 28, 2009.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan had in the beginning of the arguments by saying that "there is no statute to back the project" and even if there were one, the statute would be violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution as the project enables surveillance of individuals and impinges upon right to human dignity. Maintaining that whenever state seeks to impinge upon fundamental rights, its action must be backed by statute and not mere executive fiat, the senior advocate said, "Here, the action under the impugned project of collecting personal biometric information without statutory backing is ultra vires even where an individual voluntarily agrees to part with biometric information."

He contended that the project would not stand the test of Constitution as there is no statutory guidance on who and how the biometric information has to be collected. The advocate said the task has been given to some private entities without sufficient validation. Further, there was no clarity on storage, usage and protection of data, he said, adding "the project is also ultra vires because under the constitutional scheme any action of the state that could potentially impinge on an individual's freedom must be backed by statute."

The petitioners said that the procedure adopted by Unique Identification Authority of India  in collecting data was also violative of Article 21 as individuals are not told about crucial aspects such as potential misuse of the information, the absence of any statutory protection, commercial value of the information and that private parties are involved in collecting biometric information without safeguards. The bench, which is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the scheme, had earlier said the stand of state governments needs to be considered while adjudicating the case on Aadhaar card.

Meanwhile, a total of 576.16 million Aadhaar cards had been issued till January 31, with Maharashtra topping the list with 82.99 million beneficiaries, the government informed the Lok Sabha last month. Andhra Pradesh (79.06 million) and Tamil Nadu (44.33 million) were placed in the second and third spots, Minister of State for Planning Rajeev Shukla said in a written statement. They were followed by Madhya Pradesh (42.44 million), Karnataka (41.76 million), Rajasthan (38.33 million), West Bengal (34.92 million), Kerala (30.44 million), Gujarat (26.43 million) and Jharkhand (25.82 million).

Read More

Four suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists Arrested From Rajasthan

Four suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists, including a Pakistani wanted in connection with several blasts in the country, have been arrested by Special Cell of Delhi Police from Rajasthan, police said on Sunday.

According to the Delhi Police, Waqas, a Pakistani national, had stayed in Kerala while he was on the run. But the police did not give further details into his stay in Kerala as the investigation is still in progress about who was his contact in the southern state and where he stayed during his hiding.

"Four terrorists have been arrested by us," Special Commissioner (Special Cell) S M Srivastava said.

Waqas was wanted by police in connection with several blasts in the country including the serial blasts at Zaveri Bazaar in Mumbai on July 12, 2011.

Sources said those arrested were operating from Jodhpur in Rajasthan and planning a big strike during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Police have also recovered large quantity of incriminating material from those arrested in the case.

SP, ATS, Ravi said the four were arrested last night and are suspected to have links with the Indian Mujahideen.

While three suspects were arrested from Sanganer and Jhotwara locality in Jaipur, the fourth one was arrested from Jodhpur, sources said.

Rajasthan DGP Omendra Bharadwaj told media that the four have been questioned.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Police has issued a red alert in the entire state especially in Jodhpur and Jaipur in view of the arrest of the terrorists.

Security has been beefed up at airports, railway stations, hospitals and important religious places.

Hotels have been asked to keep an eye on the movement of visitors.

Read More

LS Elections: When Whatsapp, BBM Foxed Poll Officials

How does one prevent hate speeches and inflammatory videos from being shared through applications like WhatsApp and on BlackBerry Messenger ? Well, that's what has stumped poll officials.

Having pronounced a strict code of conduct on use and misuse of social media during the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission (EC) is now faced with an unprecedented situation. This, officials say, is because the poll panel has not found ways to stop and prevent hate speeches, promotional campaigns or inflammatory videos from finding its way into public discourse through applications like WhatsApp and on BBM.

Senior poll panel officials confirmed the threat this poses to peaceful conduct and level playing field to all political players. They say they are in talks with the Intelligence Bureau  and other security agencies to "figure out on what can be done best and swiftly".

"This is a situation we have at hand and we are trying to deal with it," confided a senior election commission official. He, however, added that the commission is working to find a solution.

For now, the police in Uttar Pradesh, has found a new way.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Public grievances), Satish Ganesh, says people found in possession of such clips would be hauled up and booked under various sections of the Indian penal Code (.

The holder of such inflammatory clips, jokes, messages, campaigns on these modules may invite serious charges as holding them will be tantamount to disruption of public peace and harmony, Ganesh said.

He added they will be dividing the cases in which such complaints are received in two categories. The first category is one whose mobile phones carry such video clips and the second category is one who forwards it to others.

Both acts are punishable and people will be booked for them, an official added. The decision of the state police has the endorsement of the poll panel, which says its mandate is to "ensure peaceful elections" and "anything that contributes to this is a welcome step".

A separate cell has also been formed to keep a tab on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and tech savvy officials have been asked to keep vigil on the material being posted on walls "across the board".

The cell will keep an eye on the FB accounts and Twitter handles of political leaders and candidates of all parties. EC officials say this has been done to ensure that no promotional campaigns without clearance from them finds its way into the virtual world.

"EC guidelines have to be adhered to in toto and we will do all that is needed for the same," said Umesh Sinha, chief electoral officer  of Uttar Pradesh.

As the poll panel and the security agencies sharpen their knives, the users will be haunted by the spectre of being booked for something so common - forwarding messages and clips.

Read More

Mamata Ridicules Aam Aadmi Party's Fund Raising Dinner

Mamata Banerjee on Saturday took a jibe at the Aam Aadmi Party for organising a fund raising dinner.

Launching her Trinamool Congress' manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee mocked the Aam Aadmi Party without naming it in an apparent reference to the recent fund-raising dinner organised in Bangalore during its leader Kejriwal's visit to the southern city.

"Nowadays, people are even taking money for lunch and dinner. There are different prices for different seats. If you sit in front you pay more... maybe they had different prices for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, different rates for plain water and coloured water," said Banerjee with a chuckle.

She also showed her amusement over "free water" promised by Aam Aadmi Party in its manifesto.

"I heard in some places there is tax on water. But here in Bengal people get it for free. I haven't heard that people will have to pay money to get water. In Bengal, water will always remain free," she said.

Banerjee yet again seemingly targeted the newly formed Aam Aadmi Party when she wondered how some recently established parties were getting "lakhs and lakhs" of rupees.

"Electoral reform is one of our topmost priorities, and state funding of elections is imperative. Even parties newly formed are getting lakhs and lakhs of rupees. I can't understand from where they are getting this money," she said.

Expressing anguish over India not adopting state funding of elections, unlike many foreign countries, Banerjee accused the parties of using money power to buy out the media and use them for their own ends.

"This is not politics, parties have become hypocrites and they have no right to continue. That's why we say electoral reforms are our topmost priority," she said.

Raising the issue of black money allegedly stashed in foreign tax havens, Banerjee said, her party will endeavour to create a preventive joint mechanism with foreign countries.

Read More

US Court Asks Sonia Gandhi To Show Passport

A US court has asked India's Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi to provide a copy of her passport to show that she was not in the US between Sep 2 and Sep 9 last year.

Gandhi had filed a motion in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, seeking dismissal of a human rights violation case against her relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, asserting she had not been served the summons as she was not in the US during that time.

However, holding that Sonia Gandhi's January 10 declaration is insufficient to prove her absence from US, Judge Brian M. Cogan of Brooklyn Court Thursday asked her to "provide a copy of her passport, showing her most recent entry and exit stamps into and out of the United States."

"This would appear to obviate both the need for any documents from the hospital-resolving defendant's medical privacy concerns - and the need to rely upon a third party government agency like Customs and Border Protection", the order states.

"Whatever form this evidence takes, defendant must provide it by April 7, 2014" Cogan ordered.

In his March 20 order the Judge said "the court cannot find that a sufficient showing of non-presence has been made based on the affirmation without plaintiffs having received some discovery to confirm it".

"The defendant must provide some documentary evidence to corroborate her otherwise unsupported declaration stating that she was not in the United States at the time of service", he said.

The 1984 human rights violation case against Gandhi hinges on the issue whether she was served on Sep 9 as claimed by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) or she was not present in the US during that time as per her claim.

SFJ claims that on Sep 9, it had served the summons and complaint on the hospital and security staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York where Sonia Gandhi was believed to be undergoing medical treatment.

The Brooklyn court had in Sep 2013 issued summons against Gandhi on the complaint filed by SFJ and some victims of anti-Sikh violence in India in November 1984.

The group has sought compensatory and punitive damages against Gandhi for her alleged role in shielding and protecting Congress party leaders including Kamal Nath, Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler from prosecution for their alleged role in the 1984 violence.

Read More

Nandan Nilekani And Wife's Assets Worth Rs. 7,700 Cr

Making his wealth public a day before stepping into the fray, Infosys co-founder and Congress candidate from Bangalore South, Nandan Nilekani has declared that he and his wife Rohini Nilekani have assets worth Rs. 7,700 crore.

"I started out with 200 rupees in my pocket, when I graduated from IIT... We founded Infosys with Rs. 10,000," Nilekani's media team, quoting him, said.

"Today, because of the success of a company built from scratch, Nandan and Rohini have assets of Rs. 7,700 crore," a release issued by the media team said.

His formidable opponent and five-time Lok Sabha member from Bangalore South, Ananth Kumar of BJP, has declared that he has lesser assets than his wife Tejaswani.

In an affidavit filed yesterday, Mr Kumar has declared his total assets stands at Rs. 51.12 lakh, while Mrs Tejaswani owns assets worth of Rs. 3.86 crore. Total assets owned by the family is Rs. 4.4 crore.

Chief architect of UPA's flagship 'Aadhar' scheme, Mr Nilekani took the political plunge on March 9, when he joined Congress, a day after the party named him as its candidate from Bangalore South.

Bangalore South has been a hostile terrain for Congress which had been tasting defeat since the late 1970s, barring in 1989 when former Chief Minister late R Gundu Rao had won.

Mr Nilekani said, "Most of our wealth, almost 80 per cent remains in Infosys shares. This wealth was created while Infosys brought lakhs of jobs to Bengaluru. The company also shared a lot of wealth with our employees through ESOPs (employee stock ownership plan)."

He said he still owns 1.45 per cent, and Mrs Rohini 1.3 per cent of Infosys.

Saying he is proud of the fact that his wealth is completely transparent, he said, "I haven't made any of my money illegally, or hid it in investments outside the country."

"Nothing is hidden in someone else's bank account. It is all completely transparent, and tax-paid," he added.

Since 1999, both are said to have donated almost Rs. 400 crore of their wealth to various causes and charities.

"I have worked in the social sector for more than 15 years now... and when I came into some money through the sale of Infosys shares, I was able to spend more on my philanthropy," Mrs Rohini said.

Nilekani and Rohini have prioritised their philanthropy into areas like water, governance, education.

Read More

India Rejects China's Request To Look For Missing Malaysian Jet In Its Waters

After objections raised by the defence forces, India today rejected China's request for permission to allow its four warships to enter Indian maritime zone to search for the missing Malaysian airliner.

China, whose 150 nationals are on board the aircraft, had yesterday sent a formal request to India to allow their warships including a salvage vessel and two frigates to enter Indian waters in the Andaman Sea to locate the plane.

The request was politely declined and the Chinese Navy was told that Indian Navy and the Air Force were already scanning the area and there was no need for anybody else to search the area, sources told media.

The defence forces had raised objections over the entry of Chinese warships into the Indian waters and that too in an area in Bay of Bengal where India's military assets are mainly to guard against China and these could get exposed if the Chinese warships are allowed in, they said.

Sources said the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Navy had justified its presence in the Indian Ocean Region in the name of anti-piracy patrol and allowing it to station itself in the Andaman Sea for search operations would not have been prudent.

Meanwhile, India has deployed long-range maritime surveillance aircraft including the P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft and the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft for the search operations in the new area south of Indonesia.

These two aircraft are capable of undertaking long-range sorties and refuelling themselves at designated locations as the Malaysian authorities have requested India and other countries to search in areas 5,000 km south of Jakarta in the Indian Ocean Region.

India has deployed warships and maritime surveillance aircraft to locate the missing airliner with 239 passengers on board.

The assets deployed for the search operations include INS Saryu, INS Kumbhir and INS Kesari from the Navy and ICGS Kanaklata Barua and ICGS Bhikaji Cama.

The Navy had deployed two of its P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft from INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu for locating the missing plane along with its Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft.

The IAF has also pressed into action its C-130J Super Hercules Special Operations aircraft fitted with modern surveillance capabilities to find the plane.

Read More

UNGA President To Raise Italian Marines Issue With India

UN General Assembly President John Ashe has informed Italy that he will try and raise with India the issue of the two Italian marines who are being tried for killing two Indian fishermen during his three-day visit that begins today.

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Angelino Alfano met Ashe here on Monday and "briefed him on the situation of the two-year-old case of the marines.

"In response, President Ashe informed the Minister that in the course of his imminent State visit to India, he will be alert for whatever opportunity presents itself to raise the issue," a statement issued by Ashe's spokesperson said.

Ashe will visit India from March 19-22, during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

Alfano also briefed the President of the General Assembly on issues of priority for Italy, including enhancing efforts to counter terrorism and human trafficking.

Alfano had also met UN chief Ban Ki-moon but according to information provided by the office of Ban's spokesperson, there was no mention of the issue of the Italian marines and their trial in India during Ban's meeting with Alfano.

A readout provided by Ban's office about the meeting said the Secretary-General "called on Italy to ensure that refugees crossing the Mediterranean are treated with dignity and that the principle of non-refoulement is respected.

"He expressed concern about reports of severe treatment of migrants, especially women, at reception camps and underscored the need to ensure their humanrights.

"The Secretary-General praised Italy for its contribution to peacekeeping, the fight against organised crime and counterterrorism efforts, especially in NorthAfrica, the Sahel and the Horn. He thanked Italy for accepting another group of residents from Camp Hurriya."

Ahead of his meeting with Ban, Alfano had said that Italy is willing to try the marines "at home, but in the meantime we ask for their freedom."

Marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone shot dead two fishermen off the Kerala coast in February 2012, sparking diplomatic tensions between India and Italy.

The marines, deployed on the Italian-flagged oil tanker MT Enrica Lexie, said they mistook the fishermen for pirates. They are now staying in the Italian Embassy in New Delhi awaiting trial.

India has removed the possibility of a death penalty but insisted that the marines would still be prosecuted under the anti-piracy law and face up to 10 years in prison.

Italy has said the marines should be tried in Italy since the incident took place in international waters. However, New Delhi says it has the right to try the Italians as the victims were Indians on board an Indian fishing boat.

Read More

DMK, AIADMK Need Support Of Congress Or BJP To Get Things Done: Chidambaram

Finance Minister P Chidambaram claimed that neither the AIADMK or DMK would be able to get anything done in Delhi if their MPs are elected after the coming Lok Sabha polls as they needed the support of Congress or BJP for the purpose.

"It will be no use if you send their MPs to Delhi. Without the support of Congress or BJP, they cannot do anything there. Now the fight is only between Congress and BJP," he said addressing election meetings in the district.

He felt none could form a government at the Centre without the support of Congress.

Stating that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, as also AIADMK supporters had now given up all talk of projecting her as prime ministerial candidate, he said regional parties can do good for the state only with national parties' support.

Chidambaram said whoever contested from Sivaganga district on behalf of Congress would think that he himself was contesting and campaign with full dedication, leaving partymen wondering who the real contestant was.

Read More

Kiran Kumar Reddy Unveils 'Footwear' As Party Symbol

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday unveiled 'footwear' as the election symbol of his newly launched Jai Samaikyandhra Party.

Moving swiftly after the launch of his party on the 'unified Andhra Pradesh' plank last week, Reddy made the announcement at a function in Visakhapatnam. "JSP has got the approval of the Election Commission to use footwear as its poll symbol," a party official said. According to a statement issued by the party, footwear was chosen as the symbol as it not only bears the burden of the wearer, but also protects.

"Footwear is also a sign of equality as it offers similar protection to everyone, irrespective of religion, caste, creed or class," it said. Besides, footwear is owned even by the poorest of the poor, the party said recalling that the footwear of Lord Rama inspired Bharat in achieving 'Rama Rajya'.

Reddy, who quit as Chief Minister in protest against state's division, launched JSP on March 12 during which he had symbolically displayed a piece of the wall which was broken for the unification of Germany to drive home the point that Seemandhra and Telangana can come together again.

The Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held simultaneously in undivided Andhra Pradesh on April 30 and May 7.

Meanwhile, Reddy held a meeting with a group of IT professionals in Hyderabad on Saturday. He plans to undertake interactions with other sections of the society in Seemandhra to reach out to them in the run-up to the polls.

Read More

Kejriwal alleges whole media is sold

Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that the whole media is "sold" and "heavy amounts" have been paid to promote BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi.

But he later denied having made the accusations against the media after his remarks came under attack from Congress, BJP and CPI.

"Why did they do it? Because money has been paid to TV channels. Heavy amounts have been paid to promote Modi," Kejriwal alleged in a video aired by a TV channel.

"Around 800 farmers have committed suicide in Gujarat in the past 10 years, but none of the channels showed it," he alleged and added that farmers have sold their land to a company for just "one rupee but even this has not been shown by any channel."

Hitting out at the media for focusing on his security deployment, he charged that the "whole media is sold this time, it is a big conspiracy, it is a huge political controversy. If our government comes to power then we will set up an inquiry into this. And along with the media people, all will be sent to jail".

However, as the video went viral stoking a controversy, the AAP leader denied making the remarks.

"I didn't say that. I didn't say anything. How can I be upset with you (media)," he said.

Read More

Visa Fraud Case Against Diplomat Devyani Khobragade Dismissed In US

A US court has dismissed visa fraud charges against Indian diplomatDevyani Khobragade, whose arrest and strip-search in New York sparked a bitter diplomatic row.

Ms Khobragade, who was India's deputy consul-general in New York, was arrested on December 12 outside her children's school.

She was indicted in January for visa fraud and making false statements on her Indian housekeeper Sangeeta Richard's visa application. 

US judge Shira Scheindlin dismissed the case Wednesday on grounds that Ms Khobragade was granted full diplomatic immunity on January 8, when she was named a counselor to India's mission to the UN.

"Even if Khobragade had no immunity at the time of her arrest and has none now, her acquisition of immunity during the pendency of proceedings mandates dismissal," the judge wrote.

The ruling leaves open the possibility of new indictment against the diplomat, say federal prosecutors.

Ms Khobragade's lawyer Daniel Arshack said his client was pleased that law had prevailed.  "Technically, the prosecution remains free to re-indict Dr. Khobragade. However, the decision to do so would be viewed as an aggressive and unnecessary act," he added.

The 39-year-old diplomat, who was forced to fly out of the US in January, leaving her two young children, is now working for the foreign affairs ministry in Delhi. 

Her arrest and humiliation provoked an outcry in India, setting off reprisals against US diplomats and the removal of some security barriers near the US embassy there. 

"The way she was treated was wrong. We stand vindicated," said the diplomat's father Uttam Khobragade. "Sangeetha Richards made such false statements to remain in the US. They tried to frame Devyani."

Mr Khobragade dismissed questions raised over two passports held by Devyani's children, which is not permissible. Brushing it off as a mere technicality, he said, "Their Indian passport has been submitted to the consulate. Today they have only one passport. It was necessary for them to have a US passport as they are natural born US citizens."

Read More

Supreme Court Rejects Bail For Sahara Chief Subrata Roy

Sahara chief Subrata Roy will stay in jail, the Supreme Court today ruled, asking the company to come up with a proposal to refund crores to its investors.

"We will consider your plea for bail only if you come up with some proposal on payment of money. The key is in your hands," the court said, rejecting Mr Roy's argument that his detention was "illegal and draconian."

When Sahara offered to pay RS 2500 crore right away, the court said it had already turned down this proposal. A battery of senior lawyers, including Ram Jethmalani, Ravi Shankar Prasad and R Dhawan failed to win relief for the Sahara chief, who will now have to wait for the next hearing on March 25.

Mr Roy and two Sahara directors have been in Delhi's Tihar jail since March 4.

His lawyers said that the Supreme Court "had made substantive mistakes in its order" sending Mr Roy to judicial custody that day. They argued that he had not been found guilty of any wrongdoing.

The 65-year-old Sahara chief was arrested on February 28 after he failed to convince judges that he is serious about repaying nearly 20,000 crores for two Sahara bond schemes that were declared illegal in 2012.

The court had last week rejected Sahara's proposal to repay thousands of crores to small investors as "dishonest."

Mr Roy's lawyers argued for his release, saying he is needed to participate in negotiations to raise the money needed for the refund.

Read More

Pak Mobile Signals Detected 5km Inside Bikaner, Police Fear Terror Plot

Expressing concern over mobile signal spillover from Pakistan in the border areas of Western Rajasthan, district Superintendent of Police on Wednesday wrote to the Collector seeking ban on the use of Pakistani SIM card in Bikaner.

SP Santosh Tukaram told media that signals from mobile tower erected in Pakistan were being detected 4-5 km inside Indian territory which raises possibilities of the network being used by anti-national elements.

Use of Pakistani SIM is banned for the same reason in Barmer and Ganganagar under section 144 of CrPC. Bikaner District administration would soon take a decision on this, sources said.

Read More

70 Indian passports stolen from San Francisco

About 70 Indian passports have reportedly been stolen from a private company, to which the Indian Consulate in San Francisco had outsourced for various visa and passport related services.

The serious breach of security is being investigated by the San Francisco Police Department. Both the Indian Consulate and the local police have informed the State Department and the relevant federal authorities so that these passports are not misused, a media report said.

At least 70 Indian passports were stolen from BLS International's San Francisco Office, sometime during the weekend beginning November 29, an Indian-American publication India West reported.

The San Francisco Police Department began investigating the case on December 2, 2013. According to the investigating officer a BLS employee told the police that the passports, along with cash and checks, were taken from a locked safe.

The Indian Consulate in San Francisco has cancelled the stolen passports. The cancelled passports cannot be used for fraudulent travel, as they are machine-readable and verified through a system that is used throughout the world, the newspaper quoted a consulate official as saying.

Read More

US Says Ready To Do Business With Modi

The United States would welcome Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi if he wins the upcoming election, a U.S. official said, in the clearest sign Washington will drop a travel ban on Modi imposed after anti-Muslim riots in 2002.

US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal told a television interviewer that Washington was ready to do business with Modi, the front runner ahead of the April-May general election who is best placed to form a coalition government.

"I would just say that the United States has welcomed every leader of this vibrant democracy, and that a democratically elected leader of India will be a welcome partner," Biswal said.

Biswal made her comments in New Delhi on a visit to rebuild trade and political ties shaken by a row over the arrest in New York last December of an Indian diplomat suspected of visa fraud.

US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell visited Modi at his home in Gandhinagar in Gujarat last month, ending a long estrangement over riots that erupted in the state governed by the Hindu nationalist leader.

At least 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in 2002 when mobs went on a rampage across Gujarat after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was torched, killing 59 people.

Powell's visit was the highest-profile encounter between US officials and Modi since the State Department revoked his visa in 2005 over the bloodshed to which rights activists say he turned a blind eye. He denies the allegation.

Biswal said the United States hoped India would continue to build a tolerant, moderate and secular society when asked if Washington had put its human rights concerns on the back burner because of Modi's political rise.

"Visa issues are handled on a case by case basis. And determinations are made based on the facts of the day and are reviewed at the time that a request is made," she said according to a transcript released by the US embassy.

The US administration, which does not want to be seen as taking sides in the Indian election campaign, has stopped short of stating publicly that Modi would be able to travel to the United States should he win the lower house election, leading to speculation that he would not be welcome in Washington.

But diplomats say the until the election results are known, the question of whether Modi would be given a visa is hypothetical. Should he become the country's next leader, he would automatically receive a US visa, they say.

Modi himself has not commented on the travel ban, but for his supporters in the Bharatiya Janata Party and outside the US decision has been a sore point. Senior party leader Arun Jaitley said last month that the US boycott had not been based on any evidence or court verdict but on "excessive propaganda".

Britain was the first European country to end its boycott on meeting Modi followed by other European countries last year.

Read More