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Siddaramaiah to be sworn-in as Karnataka CM tomorrow 5/12/2013 2:02:07 PM Siddaramaiah, who led the Congress' battle against BJP Government's corruption in Karnataka, will take oath tomorrow as the 22nd Chief Minister of the state.64-year-old Siddaramaiah will be sworn in alone by the state Governor H R Bhardwaj tomorrow at a ceremony at Sri Kanteerava Stadium where 50,000 people from his home district Mysore and nearby areas are expected to attend.Bhardwaj will administer the oath of office to Siddaramaiah, who was chosen on May 10 as the Congress Legislature Party leader in a hotly-contested race, edging out party veteran and Union Labour Minister M Mallikarjuna Kharge.Though Siddaramaiah was the front-runner for the coveted post his selection came only after AICC observers headed by Defence Minister A K Antony asking party legislators to express their choice in writting.After taking the consent of AICC Chief Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Antony announced in the Congress Legislature Party meeting the election of Siddaramaiah, who had joined Congress from JDS six years ago and was a Deputy Chief Minister under N Dharam Singh.A lawyer-turned politician, Siddaramaiah had narrowly missed the Chief Minister's "gaddi" in 1996 after the incumbent H D Deve Gowda went on to become Prime Minister.Siddaramaiah, who hails from Kuruba community, the third largest in the state, was then pipped by J H Patel. Both under Deve Gowda and Patel, he served as Finance Minister.With Siddaramaiah all set to install his Cabinet next week, lobbying for ministerial berths has intensified.Senior party leaders including D K Shivakumar, R V Deshpande, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and T B Jayachandra are likely to get plum ministries in the Cabinet, party sources said.However, expanding the Cabinet and keeping everyone happy would be a tight-rope walk for Siddaramaiah. Of the 120 Congress legislators, there are at least 34 former ministers.With the Karnataka Assembly having a strength of 224 members, the council of ministers can have a maximum of 34 members, including the Chief Minister.Siddaramaiah and KPCC president G Parameshwara who discussed Cabinet expansion, are expected to meet party brass in Delhi tomorrow to get a final nod for the ministry formation.Battered by a series of scams at the national stage, Congress put up an impressive show in the May 8 Assembly elections winning 121 seats, unseating the BJP.Election has been postponed in Periyapatna Assembly constituency due to the demise of BJP candidate Sanmoggegowda. The polls is scheduled on May 28 and counting will take place on May 31.BJP youth wing demonstrates near PM House, 200 detained 5/12/2013 2:08:24 PM
About 200 activists of BJP's youth wing were detained outside Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official residence here Sunday as they demonstrated, demanding his resignation after two union ministers quit over malfeasance and impropriety.The activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gathered near the 7 Race Course Road residence of the prime minister in the New Delhi area - the seat of the central government within Delhi - around 12 noon."Two hundred protestors were detained, including BJYM chief Anurag Thakur and the BJP's Delhi unit chief, Vijay Goel. They were taken in three buses to Tughlakabad police station and later let off, around 2 p.m.," a senior police official told IANS.Burning the effigy of the prime minister near his official residence, the BJYM protestors managed to break through two police barricades. Police personnel used tear shells and water cannons to beat them back.According to police, several roads leading to 7 Race Course Road like Akbar Road and Ashoka Road were closed to the general public, and traffic was diverted. "Proper security arrangements are made near the Prime Minister's House. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, banning any gathering of four or more people, have been imposed in areas of central Delhi, including 7 Race Course Road," the police official said. The Race Course Road Metro station, which was closed since 11 a.m. to the public, was re-opened around 2 p.m., officials of Delhi Metro said.Pawan Kumar Bansal was removed as the railway minister and Ashwani Kumar resigned as the law minister Friday, following allegations of corruption and impropriety against them.Pak prisoner at Hindalga on hunger strike 5/12/2013 2:09:53 PM You are here: Home » State » Pak prisoner at Hindalga on hunger strike
Pak prisoner at Hindalga on hunger strike
Mohammed Fahad Nadukani, 30, the Pakistani prisoner at Central Prison in Hindalga, who was reportedly on a hunger strike in protest against the attack on fellow national Sanaullah Ranjay in Jammu, has fallen ill and has been admitted in the district hospital for treatment.
Sources said that Nadukani has been on a hunger strike since Wednesday morning and is reluctant to accept food. Nadukani, who fainted at the prison, was rushed to the emergency ward of the hospital on Thursday. Doctors at the hospital advised the jail authorities to admit him to the prisoners’ ward.
Doctors administered medicines to him and said Fahad was responding to treatment. Hospital authorities said the condition of the patient was stable. They added that they are continuing to provide him IV fluids as he was reluctant to take food. Efforts by doctors to persuade him to withdraw the protest have not yielded results.
Arrested
Sources said Nadukani was arrested in 2005-06 in Mysore for alleged terror activities and was lodged in the prison here.
During an inspection of the barracks in the prison, a cellphone was found in his possession and the call records showed that he had made calls to Jammu and Kashmir.
He was kept in a separate cell after the assault on Sanaullah in Jammu.
The cellphone was seized and four jail staff members were suspended for dereliction of duty.
Sources said that the prison authorities allegedly told Fahad that he would meet the same fate as Sanaullah, forcing him to launch the agitation.
All’s not well
All does not seem to be well in the Central Prison, Hindalga, considered one of the most secure prisons in the State. Drugs, liquor and outside food are flowing freely in the prison and inmates (both convicts and undertrials) using cellphones to threaten people outside has become the order of the day, the sources said.
For over a year, the situation inside the prison has turned from bad to worse, with all illegal activities thriving in its premises. Access to outside luxuries to the inmates was shocking and the prison staff were facilitating it. Inmates who did not pay the staff were denied the luxuries, the sources said.
Jail Superintendent Veerabhadraswamy refused to comment on Nadukani’s case, saying he was busy in a meeting. Prison sources, however, said Veerabhadraswamy did not have any scheduled meeting on Saturday.
Bombay HC asks Islamic speaker to record statement at Sindhudurg 5/12/2013 2:14:30 PM You are here: Home » National » Bombay HC asks Islamic speaker to record statement at Sindhudurg
Bombay HC asks Islamic speaker to record statement at Sindhudurg
Mumbai, May 12, 2013 (PTI):
The Bombay High Court has asked a public speaker on Islam to appear before the Vengurla police in Sindhudurg district and get his statement recorded in connection with a case registered there for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
A division bench of Justices P V Hardas and Mridula Bhatkar was on May 10 hearing a petition filed by Zakir Naik, a self-proclaimed philosopher and public speaker on Islam and comparative religion, expressing apprehension of threat to his life in the event that he is taken to the police station.
Advocate Mubin Solkar, appearing for Zakir, argued that the petitioner apprehends danger to his life and a law and order situation if he is taken to the police station for recording of his statement.
Public prosecutor Revati Dere, however, told the court that whenever the accused is summoned to the police station, he arrives there wsith hundreds of his followers thus leading to a law and order situation.
The bench then directed Naik to go to the Vengurla police station accompanied with only three persons including his lawyer and get his statement recorded.
"The petitioner (Zakir Naik) shall co-operate with the police machinery in order to ensure that law and order is maintained," the court said.
Several cases have been registered against Naik for making speeches that have allegedly hurt religious sentiments.
Zakir Naik is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation, a non-profit organisation that owns the Peace TV channel based in Dubai.
The bench has posted the matter for further hearing on June 11
11 dead in landslide, work on to extricate other bodies 5/12/2013 2:16:25 PM
11 dead in landslide, work on to extricate other bodies
The death toll in the landslide which hit Laipuitlang area here has risen to 11 with the recovery of one more body from the debris.
Three more bodies have been sighted and the rescue team is engaged in extricating them, while search is on for three others feared to be trapped, Superintendent of Police(Traffic) Lallianmawia, who is supervising the rescue work, said.
Heavy rainfall is affecting the pace of the rescue work, he said. Young Mizo Association (YMA) is assisting the police.
Lallianmawia said the body which was extricated last night was identified to be that of Zakir Hussein of Karimganj in Assam.
The landslide, that took place in the early hours yesterday, had swept away nine houses in north Aizawl killing eight and leaving about 11 untraced.
YMA vice-president Zohmingliana said the three more bodies which were sighted were trapped under a beam, which was being cut by the rescue workers.
A PWD office building, which had been vacated about a year ago after a crack developed on it, collapsed under the impact of the landslide and fell on nine houses below killing the victims, opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) said.
MNF has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, who holds the Public Works Department (PWD) portfolio and his younger brother Lal Thanzara, Parliamentary Secretary for PWD owning responsibility.
"The negligence of PWD officials led to the disaster and Lal Thanhawla and his younger brother should step down owning responsibility to the incident," the MNF youth front in a statement said.
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