Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul in a report submitted to the Home Secretary V K Duggal ruled out the involvement of the government into the matter as alleged by Singh."The report was given to me today. It clearly rules out the role of the government in the matter. It is a case of forgery and cheating," Duggal told PTI here.

The report, apprising the progress in the investigation into the charges, also talked about the arrests made so far.Three people, including two owners of private detective agencies, have been arrested in the tapping case so far.Police believe that one of the two detectives had forged letters seeking permission to intercept the telephone of Amar Singh. (PTI)

New Delhi: In a veiled criticism of Samajwadi Party and its leader Amar Singh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said it was "very unfortunate" that the name of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and his office were being dragged in the controversy.

"Government has made it clear that the law of the land will take care of those people who indulge in (such things). It is very unfortunate the name of the Congress President and the Prime Minister's Office are being dragged", Singh told reporters after release of two volumes of Munshi Premchand's works.

The remarks of the Prime Minister came a day after Amar Singh apologised to the Prime Minister for dragging names of some officials of PMO in the controversy but had continued his campaign against Gandhi charging her with being the mastermind behind it.

The Prime Minister prefaced his remarks by saying he has already said that phone tapping should never take place except in cases relating to national security.Singh's oblique criticism of Amar Singh and SP came at a time when the party has been reaching out to non-Congress parties to garner support on the phone tapping issue. (PTI)

New Delhi: Putting at rest all speculations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday clarified that he would not be travelling to Pakistan to watch a cricket match, saying he had a very busy schedule as several heads of state or government were scheduled to visit New Delhi.

''How can I go to Pakistan... my schedule is fully packed for the next two months.... Several heads of state or government are visiting us and US President George Bush is also coming,'' Dr Singh said.

The Prime Minister was responding to a query about reports of his visit to that country to watch a cricket match.First, an invitation to watch the match in that country is also required, Dr Singh said while talking to reporters after a book release function at his 7 Race Course Residence here.

Asked if he would travel to Pakistan if an invitation was extended to him, Dr Singh said,''I am too busy''.On Sunday, a media report from Islamabad said the Prime Minister had accepted an invitation to watch an India-Pakistan cricket match which the External Affairs Ministry had subsequently denied. (UNI)

New Delhi: The Centre Tuesday notified 8.5 per cent rate of return on Employees Provident Fund deposits for the current fiscal, leaving trade unions and Left parties fuming.A Labour Ministry notification said: "The subscribers of the Employees Provident Fund are to get 8.5 per cent interest on their deposits for 2005-06."

However, within hours of the central notification, Left parties and trade unions came out hammer and tongs against the order and demanded a rollback, failing which they threatened to launch mass action.It said the total payout would be Rs.6,889.04 crore as interest to its four crore subscribers for the current fiscal against its projected interest income of Rs.6,523.15 crore.

An official release said the EPF Organisation will meet the deficit of Rs 365.89 crore on account of 8.5 per cent interest rate from its own resources.The notification comes after a few rounds of meeting of the CBT chaired by Labour Ministry K Chandrashekhar Rao, who recently met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram to apprise them of the strong demand from central trade unions to retain 9.5 per cent interest paid in last fiscal. (PTI)

New Delhi: Widening the dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir beyond Hurriyat Conference for the first time, the Centre on Tuesday invited separatist leader Sajjad Lone of People's Conference for talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 14 to find a solution to Kashmir issue.

Police took possession of the grenades after they were informed about the recovery by the SGPC, he said."The condition of the grenades indicate that these had been dumped during the peak days of militancy in Punjab in the late 80s or early 90s. It would not be correct to say that it has been dumped recently," Brar said.

Apar Bajwa, a retired police office who was assisting the army during Operation Blue Star, said when the slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala was camping in Guru Nanak Niwas between 1983 to June 1984, the place from where the 114 hand grenades were recovered, was the headquarters of Babar Khalsa. He said Babar Khalasa was expert in all types of explosive devices and perhaps it was buried by the oufit. Bhindranwala was killed during Operation Bluestar. (PTI)

New Delhi: CBI on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against Abdul Karim Telgi, main accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam case, for allegedly implicating his business rivals in a false case with the help of some Delhi police personnel.

Telgi has been charged with committing offences under various sections of IPC, including 211 (making false charges to implicate some one), 255 (counterfeiting stamp papers), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and various provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act in the chargesheet filed in the court of Additional Sessions Judge J M Malik.

According to the CBI, Telgi entered into a conspiracy along with Inspector Puran Singh, Head Constable Om Prakash and Constables Ratan Singh, Sanjay Bazad and Gaurav Aggarwal of South District Investigation Unit (DIU) of Delhi Police to implicate his business rivals Shankar and Prahlad Singh in a fake stamp paper case.

Puran Singh, in connivance with other officials, created false evidence in order to implicate Shankar and Prahlad, witnesses against Telgi in stamp paper cases and in consideration of Rs 70 lakh, the CBI said in its chargesheet.An FIR in this regard was lodged against Telgi and five police officials in 1999. (PTI)

Jammu: The Congress party-led coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir has suspended over 200 State Government employees on charges of alleged corruption.

By taking this step, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has sent across a tough message that corruption will not be tolerated by his Government. The latest anti-corruption drive in the State comes in the wake of the Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly becoming the first in the country to pass a law to attach the ill-gotten property of any of the accused.

Under the law, the onus is on a Government servant to prove in a court that the property or assets in question were acquired from legitimate sources of income. "Jammu and Kashmir is considered as the second most corrupt state in the country. This tag has to be removed," Azad said on Tuesday.

Azad, who took over from his alliance partner PDP headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on November 4, said corruption had also contributed towards alienation of the people from the state administration.

He said militancy has been exploited by corrupt elements in the administration and non-performing bureaucrats as well in the garb of militancy, fake bills have been withdraw from treasury and sub-standard work executed at many places. "This has to stop and I have asked the Vigilance Department to go ahead against corrupt. There is an urgent need for unleashing terror against corrupt officials," Azad said.

Azad, who piloted the legislation, says "corruption has been there for last 50 years and the menace is a major hindrance in providing a good governance....." (ANI)

Beijing: China and India on Tuesday agreed to make joint efforts to work for an early solution to the vexed border issue, taking into account their newly-established strategic cooperative relations. In his meeting with visiting Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan said it is in the fundamental interests of both countries to solve the border issue at an early date, adding that China and India should go a step further to explore the framework for the solution.

Echoing Tang's views, Saran said that India is also willing to explore ways for an early solution to the border issue from the perspective of strategic cooperation. "The announcement of building a strategic and cooperative partnership by both governments last year indicates Sino- Indian relations have entered a new phase of development," Tang, who oversees China's foreign policy matters, said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan told reporters here that the seventh round of India-China boundary negotiations at the level of Special Representatives would be held in India in late February.

The decision on the seventh round of talks was reached when Saran met Chinese Executive Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, who is also the Chinese Special Representative to the India-China boundary negotiations. Saran, who is here for the second round of India-China Strategic Dialogue - an exercise aimed at enhancing their cooperation and coordination in regional and global issues of common concern, told Indian journalists separately that the two countries have agreed to move ahead pro-actively on the outstanding issues. (PTI)

During a visit to Shantipur and Phulia in the district for the second day, villagers brought to his notice names of voters in the list who were no more. Rao, who had arrived in poll-bound West Bengal on Monday, verified this and ordered their deletion.

A total of 19 EC observers are in West Bengal to supervise electoral rolls in various districts in view of the forthcoming assembly polls, state Chief Electoral Officer Debashish Sen said in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, election observer for Darjeeling district M Nagaraju called an all-party meeting at the district magistrate's conference hall in the hills where he heard complaints from parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, BJP, GNLF and CPI-M. (PTI)

"Since the court has given notice in the matter, an all-party meeting has been called in New Delhi on January 20 to discuss the situation. I want to discuss the issue with different political party leaders," Chatterjee told PTI here.

Maintaining that the courts had no jurisdiction in the matter, Chatterjee said the meeting was intended to get the views of leaders of different political parties. "Besides I have also invited some lawyers for their opinion," Chatterjee said.

He said letters inviting different parties to attend had already been sent and he also had a talk with the Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is the leader of the house in Lok Sabha. (PTI)

Patna: Bihar politicians and top officials owe the Government-owned canteens Rs.64 lakh as they enjoyed beverages and snacks in the last 12 years without paying their dues, reveals an official document.The leaders and officials in the Rabri Devi-led previous State Government have consumed tea, coffee and snacks without paying cash to canteens of different departments, records a canteen document in the Secretariat.

Former Chief Minister Rabri Devi's official residence has the highest dues pending, followed by the State Assembly and Council Secretariat.As per official figures, tea and snacks worth Rs.23 lakh were consumed in the former Chief Minister's official residence alone.

The officials in the State assembly secretariat consumed snacks worth Rs.8,00,000 and the State Legislative Council Secretariat over Rs.7,00,000.The Cabinet Secretariat and Coordination Department has dues of over Rs.5,00,000. (IANS)

Khan, field coordinator for NGO Citizens for Justice and Peach, who is associated with Mumbai-based NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace, and four others accused by police in this case were granted anticipatory bail by a fast track court magistrate R D Thakker.The bail was granted to the five accused after the court put some conditions like depositing passports with the court.

Gujarat police had on January two registered an offence against Khan and 11 others for alleged tampering of evidence and instigating Muslims of the locality after they had dug up a mass grave of riot victims in the forest of Lunawada in December.

The FIR against Khan and the others was lodged by sanitary inspector of Lunawada municipality Subhash chandra Pandya where in the accused them of digging up skeletal remains of the victims and putting them back again. (PTI)

Kalol (Gujarat): Imagine a thirsty Christ being given the elixir of life by a woman clad in a village dress from Rajasthan or a vivid image of his disciples, wearing traditional Indian attire, being served authentic Indian cuisine during the last supper!

It's a unique concoction, an assimilation of images from the Bible, but in an Indian milieu.A poor artist from the small town of Kalol, 40 kilometers from Gujarat's principle city of Ahmedabad, has virtually mortgaged his entire belongings to spread his message of peace and brotherhood around the world.Driven by a passion to do something different in life, Edwin Parmar started with nothing more than a few bottles of colour and brushes, leftover from his professional work as a painter of banners and hoardings in the town.

The idea behind the images, he says, was driven by a thought that if Christ were to be born in a village in India, how would have his life been? So in his unique assimilation of Indian and western culture, Parmar went about showing Mother Mary wearing a sari, the Hindu god King Rama interacting with Christ and so on.

Parmar, who started work on his project on the December 5 last year and has already completed 365 feet of the mural. He plans to carry on till a breathtaking 470-feet which he hopes to complete by February."In these paintings, I have taken inspiration from Indian culture, some images are Rajasthani, some have a Mughal touch and I have come up with a completely new concept. The central theme is the Bible and I want to say that religions have no boundaries and in my painting I want to essentially give a message of peace," he said.

Parmar credits his wife, Elisa, with giving him the inspiration to try something different, and has since never backtracked in his endeavours despite facing huge financial problems. His ultimate aim, he says, is to make it to the Guiness Book of World Records.

Elisa, who donated all her jewellery for the cause, is prepared to do whatever more is required in his attempt."We had to face a lot of difficulty but in the end, I hope that he will be successful in whatever he does," Elisa said.

Parmar spends an average of sixteen hours a day at his magnum opus, and has already spent around 1000 US dollars on it. While he has met most of the expenses from his own pocket, he received considerable help from localChristian associations and the Church to fund his attempt. Yet, there is still more that he needs and is currently appealing for donations. (ANI)

Spokesperson of the Co-Ordination Committee on International Border (CCIB) MR GH Kharshanlor claimed this immediately after coming out of a meeting with the Chief Minister in Jowai on Tuesday. He, however, said that the Chief Minister also made it clear that fencing would continue where there were no disputes.

Mr Lapang held a special meeting with the Co-ordination Committee delegation comprising members from HYNF, FKJGP and Federal Council of War Mihngi, War Jaintia, which were protesting border fencing before the final demarcation of the same.

The Chief Minister had earlier urged the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to intervene into the matter and stall the border fencing work for greater interest of the State. However, the Prime Minister is yet to give his consent on stalling the project.Mr Kharshanlor also said that the Deputy Commissioner of Jaintia Hills was instructed to conduct a survey in all disputed areas and submit his report to the Chief Minister so that he could take up the matter with the Centre.

According to the CCIB spokesperson, since the border area from Nongjri in East Khasi Hills to Jaliakhola belongs to private owners, the committee members urged the Chief Minister to initiate steps to keep the fencing work in abeyance till a fresh demarcation of border was done without victimizing the farmers who were otherwise set to lose their paddy fields because of fencing.

The Chief Minister is reportedly assured the delegation of his sincere efforts to examine the matter carefully and take it up with the Ministry officials in Delhi.The meeting between the CCIB delegation and the Chief Minister was held at Jowai Circuit House in presence of Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh and top State officials.

SHILLONG: Meghalaya Governor Mr MM Jacob has greeted the people of the state on the occasion of Id ul Zuha.In a message on Tuesday, the Governor has conveyed his greetings and good wishes to the people of the states especially the Muslims.

Wishing happiness and prosperity to all, Mr Jacob said that this unique festival offers an opportunity to the people irrespective of caste, creed, race and religion to renew their faith in mutual love, affection, goodwill and understanding.

The Governor said, "the message of Id Ud Zuha is tolerance and oneness of mankind."He also felt the need to pray for peace and prosperity of the state and its people on this occasion.

SHILLONG: The KSU and GSU have decided to hold their breath for while till the Select Committee on MBOSE comes out with a full report on the restructuring proposals to be incorporated in the MBOSE Bill introduced in the Assembly last year.

KSU president Samuel Jyrwa refused to make any comment on the reported decision of the Select Committee to do away with the Regional MBOSE office and replace it with MBOSE Shillong office."We will have to wait till the full report of the Committee was made available to us, then only we can make any comment", he told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.

Similarly, the GSU also reserved its comment saying that every detail should be known before making any comment.GSU East Khasi Hills Zone general secretary Aldo Sangma said: "We cannot make any comment at this moment as we don't know the truth".

He hoped that the Select Committee and the GHLF would brief the NGOs from Garo Hills on the decision of the Select panel.

"We have already submitted the 12-point demands and the State government should not backtrack their commitment," Mr Sangma said.

As the final meeting is over on Monday, the Select Committee may sit again to draft the fresh Bill so that the same could be introduced in the next Assembly session.

Addressing the 2nd Meeting of the High Level Group for Education and Women and Child Development in North Eastern States here Mr Mukhim said that the ICDS programme of the Union Government required at least 300 people in a village so as to be implemented. But most of the villages are in far flung areas and the population is thin and scattered, he said.

As a result, many central programmes like the ICDS cannot be implemented in the State, Mr Mukhim said. This is the case with many other NE states too, he added.

SHILLONG: Security has been beefed up in and around Nongmynsong following the Sunday's blast triggered by unidentified miscreants at the residence of one P Lyngdoh - the owner of Lyngdoh InfoTech and Communication, a computer and mobile outlet.

According to police, additional forces, including the CRPF personnel were deployed in the area to prevent the recurrence of any such attempt that could disrupt peace and public order.

Even though business rivalry is being seen as the possible cause behind the explosion, police said precautionary measures had been put in place to prevent anti-social elements from taking advantage of the situation and create unrest.

SHILLONG: On being given a free hand by the AICC chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi for the selection of a consensus candidate for the Tura by-poll, the MPCC has decided to get the views from the three District Congress presidents of Garo Hills while selecting a candidate against the NCP heavyweight, Mr PA Sangma.

MPCC President Mr OL Nongtdu told The Shillong Times on Tuesday that as the Congress had decided to put up a candidate for the Tura by-poll, views of all the district Congress committees from Garo Hills would be taken into account before finalising the name.

After getting the views from the District Congress presidents, probable names would be forwarded to the AICC for approval.The name of former Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma is doing the rounds as the most likely to take on Mr Purno Sangma after his huge defeat during the last Lok Sabha elections in 2004.

"We don't know, whether he will agree to contest the election, I could not contact him so far as he is in Garo Hills", Mr Nongtdu said. The NCP has already announced the name of Mr Sangma's name for the seat.

SHILLONG: In a fresh bid to get the much-needed Shill-ong by-pass constructed, State PWD Minister Brening A Sangma met the Union Minister for Surface and Road Transport, Mr TR Balu, and urged him to ensure that the by-pass was constructed at the earliest.

Mr Sangma on Tuesday said that the construction work for the proposed by-pass from Mawryngkneng to Umroi would begin within a year's time, once the funds were made available. He told reporters that the project was still pending with the National Highway Authority of India under the ministry of Surface Transport.

Meanwhile, he said that the compensation for the acquired land was already paid to all the land-owners, who agreed to part with their land for the construction of this road.He said, "The construction work for the by-pass would be taken up by the National Highway Authority of India".Meanwhile, the Minister said, Chief Minister DD Lapang was also pursuing the matter with the Centre to speed up this project.

Earlier, Mr Balu during his visit to Shillong had said that the Centre would do everything to ensure that by-pass was constructed soon. As per his announcement, the construction of the by-pass would be taken up urgently.The works for the road would be complete by four years. The Union Minister also said that the 50-km long bypass would be developed for adequate connectivity between NH 40 and NH 44 with a project cost of Rs 475 crore.

TURA: Stung by the loss of nine lives for thoughtless police action during a public unrest in Garo Hills on September 30 last year, the non-governmental organisations from Garo Hills impressed upon the Chief Secretary Mr PJ Bazeley and a galaxy of senior bureaucrats from the State who paid a visit here on Monday for a first hand experience of the situation in Garo Hills vis-à-vis developmental avenues in the often neglected region.

When the NGOs brought up issues concerning development and the unforgettable police firing in Tura and Williamnagar, the Garo Baptist Convention president Mr Grover Marak called for a better trained police force while dealing with public unrest.

He said that the force deployed to tackle such a situation should be well trained so that a repeat of September 30th never recurred. He said that the police department should have a separate force for dealing with public unrest and guns should not be carried in such situations.

The DGP, Mr WR Marban-iang, accompanying the Chief Secretary said that the State government was seriously looking into this aspect and as a first step one hundred women constables were being recruited for specialised training to deal with such situations.

Besides the demand for a humane approach to deal with public unrest, the NGOs also sought the State government to ensure that adequate compensation was given to the injured and the medical expenses were reimbursed in full.The Garo Students' Union demanded that the medical expenses for the treatment of the injured should be reimbursed immediately, while the Chief Secretary said that the same had already been released for disbursement.

The Deputy Commissioner has been entrusted with the work of deputing a senior officer to Guwahati to pursue the case at the earliest and to find out the reason for the delay. On the demand by the GSU for speeding up of the judicial enquiry, Mr Bazeley informed them that a time frame of one month, beginning February 3, was accorded for the completion of the probe.

The Church leaders also wanted the State government to give adequate attention to the ANVC, which is under a ceasefire with the government. Rev Fr Charles Sangma urged the government to look into their daily requirements and others called for expediting the peace process.Influx issue also came up for a discussion during the meeting and both sides agreed to keep all options open in dealing with the problem.

Meanwhile, poor condition of roads and leaking water pipes in and around Tura was raised by the NGOs and the attention of the visiting delegation was drawn to the negligence of the PWD and PHE officials while maintaining roads and water pipes.

It has been decided that unauthorised digging of roads would no longer be allowed and permission would have to be taken from a new committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner for laying water pipes and cables. Those violating the order would be penalised and steps would be taken to check leakage of water pipes on the roads.

Mr Bazeley also inspected the road leading to the Tura Public School that has not been developed by the PWD despite the Roman Catholic Church having donated the plot for the benefit of the school a long time ago.

Shillong: Chief Minister D D Lapang on Tuesday has asked the officials to properly utilise the funds released by the Government for the development of Jaintia Hills District.Addressing a group of officers at the District Library Auditorium in Jowai, Mr Lapang urged the officers to make use of their valuable time and potentialities in order to achieve the required target while appreciating the efforts of the District administration in creating a cordial atmosphere within the District.

Meanwhile, underlining the importance of involving the youth in developmental activities, Mr Lapang said, "since the youth are the future of the State, it is very important to get their cooperation in order to achieve success".

Earlier, Mr Lapang met the local MLA, MDC, CEM, EM, Dollois, NGOs, church leaders and members of the local committee of Jowai.The Chief Minister was accompanied by Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh, Agriculture Minister K Susngi and other officials.

A Defence statement issued here on Monday said that the activation of this airfield is being carried out after a gap of nearly three years when MIG-27 fighter aircraft was operated from the same airfield in March 2003. The objective is to improve the inter-operability between civil-military aviation resources.

The statement said that the notable difference in this detachment of fighter aircraft as compared to previous detachments at Tulihal and Tengpui is that the Air Force aircraft and personnel will be staying at Imphal in order to stimulate fighter operations in times of war.

The body, which was lying near the water, was found by some people who happened to passed through the area and immediately informed Mawlai Police Station. The body was shifted to Civil Hospital, Shillong for post mortem. The Investigation is going on.

President Officers'Club Nongstoin K L Tariang informed the gathering that however small the start be, this Club intends to further organise other programmes in order to create awareness and improve the living standard of the poor and needy in particular and the rest of the district in matters of development in general.

Mr Tariang appreciated the co-operation extended by the sordars in this effort and seeks their similar co-operation in other spheres of developmental activities so that the district administration can fulfill the aspirations of the Government.Others who spoke on the occasion included Myntri Mawkhlam Nongpyndeng T Byrsat and Sordar of Mawkadiang P Wanniang.

The cash-for-questions scam that shook Parliament as well as the country in December last is too green in public memory to require recapitulations here. The normal climate has changed considerably since 1951 when a Congress MP, H.G. Mudgal was stripped of his membership for taking money to raise questions in the Lok Sabha, thanks largely to a controversial judgment of the Supreme Court in 1998 in the JMM pay-off case. Today’s parliamentarians have a license to be brazen; they can cite the JMM verdict to claim Constitutional immunity against charges of taking bribe. After all, the Supreme Court did say in as many words that bribe-takers could claim immunity under Article 105 of the Constitution, if they had actually spoken or voted in the House in the manner indicated by the bribe-givers.

As a result, the MPs are less accountable than before, and what might be morally impermissible has clearly become legally permissible. It is obvious that this interpretation of the immunity of members of Parliament runs counter to all motions of justice, fair play and good conduct, said an outraged Constitution Review Commission, in its report in 2002.In a bid to undo the damage wrought by the judgment, the Commission recommended that Article 105 be amended to clarify that the immunity enjoyed by MPs does not cover corrupt acts committed by them in connection with their duties in the House or otherwise. To maintain the dignity, honour, and respect for Parliament and its members, it is essential to put it beyond doubt that the protection against legal action under Article 105 does not extend to corrupt acts, according to Constitutional pundits.

The Commission, consisting of eminent persons headed by the much respected former Chief Justice of India, M.N. Ventakachallaiah made it clear that if any MP accepted money or any other valuable consideration to speak or vote in a certain manner in the House, he or she should be liable for action under the ordinary law of the land which, in this instance, is the Prevention of Corruption Act.Freedom of speech inside the House cannot be used by them to solicit or to accept bribes, which is an offence under the criminal law of the country, the Commission said and added that the JMM verdict makes it necessary to clarify the true intent of the Constitution.

But, given its vested interest in maintaining the JMM verdict, the political class has displayed no inclination to affect the suggested amendment to the Constitution. It has shown similar indifference to another vital recommendation of the Constitution Review Commission: namely, to modify the powers, privileges and immunities of each House and its members.

The Constitution confers privileges on MPs to facilitate their public work. But since they have remained undefined, those special rights have, as the Commission pointed out, often worked as privileges against the people.It is not for nothing that the political class has failed to codify privileges despite a clear signal from the Constitution to do so. Article 105 says that until their codification, the privileges in force shall be those of the House of Commons of the British Parliament prior to the commencement of the Indian Constitution in 1950.

The Commission, set up to review the Constitution after 50 years, rightly said that it should not still be necessary to run to the 1950 position in the House of Commons, every time a question arises as to what kind of legal protection or immunity a member has in relation to his work in the House.The irony is while India’s concept of privileges has remained stuck in the Britain of 1950, Britain itself has moved on from that position. Keeping pace with the trend in other advanced democracies, such as the US, Canada and Australia, the British courts have pierced the veil of immunity and held that a legislator could very much be proceeded against for corruption.

Besides, the British Parliament has made great advances in codifying privileges and reducing scope for their abuse. Take, for instance, the advocacy rule, which is the ban imposed by the House of Commons on members lobbying for reward or consideration. It forbids a member to engage in any advocacy that seeks to confer benefits exclusively upon body from which he has directly or indirectly received a pecuniary benefit.The British rule of advocacy squarely deals with the kind of situation that arose in India in the cash-for-questions scam. Had the Indian Parliament adopted such rules, and had it amended the Constitution to get over the JMM verdict, it would have been far better equipped to deal with the crisis that blew up in its face. And perhaps spared the mortification of appearing to shield corrupt MPs.

Now let us take a look at the other side of the picture. Irrespective of the merits of the allegation about the shortcomings in the procedure of inquiry adopted by the Rajya Sabha’s Ethics Committee and Lok Sabha’s Enquiry Committee or, for that matter, the Houses themselves, the fact that the issue concerns Parliamentary privileges should make the courts wary of entertaining any petition challenging the expulsion orders.The statements of two expelled MPs, Pradeep Gandhi of the BJP and Rajaram Pal of the BSP that they would approach the Court, may remain a mere rhetoric or at best an attempt that would yield nothing tangible for them. The disqualified lot can, however, approach the peoples’ court by fighting bypolls necessitated by their expulsions; provided their respective political parties summon the courage to cock a snook at the popular opinion and re-nominate them for the seats they won the last time.

Legal experts feel that the expelled MPs can contest again as expulsion is not a disqualification under the Representation of People Act. Experts also do not feel that those who have been ejected can be prosecuted under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Their opinion is derived from law which holds that nobody can be punished twice for the same offence. About the power of the House to expel its member, none had an iota of doubt. The three earlier instances of expulsion in H.G. Mudgal, Subramanyam Swamy and Indira Gandhi never ended up in courts.Former Lok Sabha Secretary General, Subhash Kashyap, opined: "The courts will not and should not entertain any petition by the expelled MPs challenging the verdict of the House as it involves the question of parliamentary privilege". Former Attorney General Soli. J. Sorabjee stated: "A House can certainly expel its member. But when such a power is to exercised depends on the facts of each case".

Noted lawyer and RS MP Ram Jethmalani, who struck a discondant note by faulting the procedure adopted for expulsion alleging that it was akin to trampling of natural justice of the accused, was also not sure whether the courts would entertain their challenges to the decision of the two Houses, but was sure that expulsion was not a disqualification under the Representation of People Act to preclude the expelled MPs from contesting again in by-polls from the same constituencies from which they were elected earlier.—INFA

We had mentioned in these columns earlier that the time was not far off when television, computer and other electronic screens will become so wafer thin and flexible we would be able to even fold them and use them stuck to any surface. Well, the future has now begun to move so quickly into the past that such a time is almost upon us. Using what is called "organic" polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs) researchers have already begun producing prototype displays on next generation devices which are brighter, lighter, use less power and last longer.And they are only as thick as paper. With their rapidly increasing flexibility there’s no reason why they can’t be incorporated into ordinary clothing as well.

The reason behind this revolutionary technology is something scientists discovered only in the early 1990s when they found that a layer of PLED material when sandwiched between two electrodes started emitting light as a function of the electrical operation. Since the emitted light was from the surface it did not require any additional elements such as backlights, filters and polarisers like normal liquid crystal displays or LCD screens do. And which is what makes them bulkier.It also meant PLED technology would be extremely energy efficient and its benefits could include clearer displays with viewing angles approaching 180 degrees; simpler construction resulting in cheaper, more robust display modules and fast response times allowing full colour video pictures.

These advantages have already resulted in small PLED displays being used in some high-end shaving machines, mobiles and MP3 players where they are used to display anything from charge time remaining to incoming call information to system stats. But the real killer applications will only come later.PLED’s versatility could be used to create sheets of paper-thin lighting that can be applied to whole wall surfaces, thus obviating the need for home or office wiring.

Books, magazines and newspapers with constantly changing information content on their "pages" would give readers a better feel of convergence between the electronic and print media. And of course when we finally begin to start wearing our display screens, that would be the fashion statement to end all others. (By arrangement with the Times of India)

Sir,

It is surprising to note that the cable operators in Shillong have increased the rates of monthly rent for cable subscription without having prior approval of the government or the dorbars. They just inform the subscriber that the cable rate would be increased w.e.f. 1.1.2006 to Rs.350/- inclusive of 10.02% taxes and other charges. Who authorised them to do so is not known. It may be pointed out that 10.02% of Rs.300/- (previous rent) is Rs.30/- only. So how does the new rate increases by Rs.50/- is surprising. Also the receipt given by the operators indicates only the total monthly rent of Rs.350/- without any break-up – how much is taxe, how much is the service charge, how much is the rate of each channel that are being subscribed, how much is the maintenance rate, etc. I think if the operators are running a self- government, they should also be brought under the purview of the Right to Information Act so that the public are not taken for a ride. The administration needs to look into it.

Yours etc,
D. Lyngdoh,
Shillong-3
Via e-mail

Sir,

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chaterjee is justified in directing his secretariat for not responding to court-notices on writ/s filed by Parliamentarians expelled for taking money to ask questions in Parliament. If courts did not interfere in infamous JMM bribery-case because the immunised act could only be dealt by the LS Speaker, why and how should courts now interfere in decision of the LS Speaker expelling such corrupt Parliamentarians? However to end with all controversies, immunity to Parliamentarians should be abolished by bringing all acts of Parliamentarians under normal law of land.

Yours etc,
SC. Agrawal
New Delhi

The resignation came after the banned Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup imposed a total ban on all activities of the party including election campaigns for the municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats for which election will be held on January 17.

The KYKL imposed its ban on the BJP in 2004 for admitting Chaoba Singh in the party. Three day's back the KYKL said the ban is still on and asked the BJP to stop all activities stating that Chaoba as an enemy of the people.Chaoba submitted his resignation during an emergency meeting of the office bearers of the state unit on Monday. The meeting accepted the resignation and decided to hand over the president's charge to the senior most vice president Th. Yumjao Singh.

Chaoba on Tuesday sent his resignation letter to the national president."I resign as president of the BJP Manipur pradesh from today in the interest of the party and also to save the lives of my party leaders and workers and also the lives of the BJP candidates contesting the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections slated to be held on 17.1.06 on moral ground," the brief resignation letter to the president said.

Chaoba also sent a letter to the Election Commission seeking adequate security for the party leaders, workers and candidates during the election. (NNN)

The meeting was president over by former Asom Sahitya Sabha President Dr Nagen Saikia. The meeting resolved that bandhs on whatever issue must not be resorted by political parties, student bodies and other organisations because bandhs are coercive and unconstitutional in nature.

Assam has been crippled by series of bandh call and last year more than 65 bandhs had been observed in Assam and the first week of the new year more than four bandhs had been resorted to in various parts of the State.The meeting also resolved that in the event of a bandh being declared by any organizations in spite of the appeal by the civil society, then all the participant associations, bodies would defy the bandh in all possible ways.

The civil society, however, made a distinction between the defiance of bandh and support to just cause. It resolved that support to just cause would be done by wearing black badge while defying the bandh call.The meeting also urged the media not to publish any call for bandhs as it has been declared illegal and unconstitutional by various courts.

It is noteworthy that already a PIL was filed against the bandh culture and the matter is sub-judice with the court sending notices to government and all other political parties. (UNI)

Official sources said on Tuesday about four to five ultras came to Mr Sangtam's residence and demanded money from a local area development fund. When the minister refused to pay, one of the cadres fired in the air and fled the spot.

However, the guards at the minister's residence did not retaliate.Kohima Superintendent of Police Martin Peinyu rushed to the spot. Police has started frisking operations at all vulnerable points of the town. However, no arrest has been so far reported.

Casualities in the factional clash between the NSCN rival factions - NSCN(IM) and NSCN (K) - at Nokyan village in Mon district of Nagaland on Saturday has risen to three.Two NSCN(IM) cadres and one NSCN (K) cadre were killed while one cadre of the Khaplang faction was injured. (UNI)

While Sikkim will have a new Central University, in Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh the existing State Universities are proposed to be converted into Central Universities, HRD Minister Arjun Singh on Tuesday said.He was addressing the second meeting of the High Level Group for Education and Women and Child Development in the North Eastern states.Singh said the Government would make all efforts to introduce legislations regarding these universities in the budget session of Parliament.

Responding to the demand for timely release of funds for various projects, he assured the states that he would personally take up the matter of release of funds by the Department of North Eastern Region with the Minister concerned.

The meeting was attended by Education and Social Welfare Ministers of Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and senior officials from Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.Singh also appealed to the North Eastern states to exercise transparency, economy and efficiency in utilisation of resources available to them in the education and women and child development sectors.

On the problems being faced by the states with Food Corporation of India in carrying out midday meal scheme in the North East, he said a senior official of the ministry would visit the region soon to resolve the problem. (PTI)

Killings, arson, bomb blasts were the order of the day in Bodo dominated areas in the State with militant Bodo groups resorting to violent means to attain their political, social and economic goals.Things have settled down a bit of late after the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTADC) was granted to Bodos last year by the Centre following peace negotiation with the BLT. The other militant group, the NDFB has also sobered up and is now in truce with Government of India forces.

As the community is trying to get into terms with normal activities of life after passing through the heady phase, fortune seems to smiled on them. Two illustrious sons of the tribal group have hogged the limelight on being selected for the prestigious Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards. Untiring efforts to Mangal Singh Hajowary and Khirod Khaklari to take Bodo literature and folk music to a new high in the world of literature; art and culture have been recognised by Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi respectively.

Mangal Singh Hajowary happens to be the first Bodo litterateur to be selected for coveted Sahitya Akademi Award since Bodo language was included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution about ten years back. The 54-year-old Bodo writer has been a leading light not only in Bodo literature but also in the social life of the community and have contributed immensely towards establishing Bodos as a distinct social group in the region. He has been deeply involved in every crucial phase that has been encountered by Bodos as a community in their quest for fulfilling their aspirations in the spheres of culture and politics. As a teenager, he joined the Udayachal movement spearheaded by the PTCA in late 1960s, deeply involved in Roman Script movement of early 1970s.

His desire to see Bodos at par with other communities prodded him to plunge in the sea of literature at a very early age. He has authored more than twenty books in Bodo language since he took up the pen as a seventh standard student.

For 79-year-old Bodo folk musician and an accomplished flute player, Khirod Khaklari, the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi award has come as a very pleasant surprise albeit as a major boost to Bodo folk culture and music.By his own admission, the Siphung, the Bodo flute, has been his heartbeat that used to provide him with the much sought after break from the hard life. He used to work in a stone quarry and pull rickshaw to sustain his family.

Poverty had forced Khaklari to give up education midway and leave his birthplace in lower Assam's Goalpara district to accompany his father to the hills of Karbi Anglong district in Central Assam in search of a livelihood. Penury, however, failed to deter his love and passion for music. He formed a Bodo drama group in Karbi Anglong, which became very popular and the corner stone of his success in his pursuit for taking Bodo folk culture and music to a new high.