NIA confirms SIMI presence in Kerala –The Pioneer –4.5.12

The NIA on Thursday informed the tribunal handling matters related to the ban on Students Islamic  Movement of India (SIMI) that the outfit was still actively present in Kerala. In a report submitted to

the tribunal which started its three-day sitting in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, the agency said that Students Islamic Movement of India had involvement in at least three cases it was probing in the State.

NIA told the tribunal that it had evidences of SIMI's involvement in the cases relating to recruitment of young

Keralites to LeT for training and operation in Kashmir in 2008, the extremist camp at Panayaikkulam near Kochi in 2006, the terror training programme in Vagamon, Idukki in 2007 and the seizure of pamphlets from Kozhikode. However, Mohin Aktar who appeared before the tribunal as counsel for former SIMI workers denied the NIA's allegations. “These are all false charges with no connection to SIMI. These are only submissions

in the tribunal which will not stand before the court of law,” the lawyer said. The Kerala Government had earlier submitted its report regarding SIMI's presence demanding continuance of the 11-year-old ban on the outfit in

the context of its continued presence in the State. A report prepared by the Internal Security Wing said that though the police had not come across incidents of secret meetings, raids had yielded pamphlets and other materials. It also said that investigations carried out after the incident of the chopping off of the right hand of a college professor in July, 2010 had found the presence of SIMI in a minimum of eight incidents that took place after 2008. It is said that most activists of the SDPI, the organisation responsible for the hand-chopping

incident, were former SIMI operatives. The report said that SIMI could be active in the State in the form of other organizations and that its presence was possible in certain mainstream political parties.  According to the  police, the recent incident of leakage of a police letter to the Press regarding a move to snoop on certain email accounts points to the presence of extremists in the State. The Kerala Government and the NIA would present

their further arguments before the tribunal on Friday. A decision on whether the 11-yearlong ban on SIMI should be continued would be taken after  the three-day sitting in Thiruvananthapuram and in three other States.

Pak Hindu women get BJP support – The Pioneer –3.5.12

The BJP on Wednesday sought a response from the Government on the violation of human rights of Hindu women in Pakistan, some of whom had fled to India. Raising the matter in the Lok Sabha, senior BJP

leader Murli Manohar Joshi also expressed concern over the decreasing percentage of Hindu

population in the neighbouring country. “There are many instances  of religious persecution. Large scale  atrocities are being carried out against minorities in Pakistan,” Joshi said, citing a host of reports. The former

Union Minister claimed on an average 25 Hindu girls were getting kidnapped, raped and converted every month in the Sindh province of Pakistan. “When the local courts grant some relief to the victims,  they are threatened,” he said, adding that there has been an exodus of a large number of people from the province and

over 400 affected Hindu families have fled to India. Observing that the Government termed these incidents as “internal matters of Pakistan”, the BJP leader said, “It is a matter of regret that our Government has remained

silent on the issue so far.” While “we want good relations with Pakistan”, Joshi said the Prime Minister should

assure the House that the Government would take up the matter at international human rights fora.

As other Opposition members created a hue and cry, Home Minister P Chidambaram promised a statement

from the Government. “The anguish expressed by members, I think, requires a detailed statement. After consulting the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister, the Government will make a Statement,” Chidambaram told the Lok Sabha.

Teen Taliban bomber kills 20 in Pak-ToI-5.5.12

Attacker Targets Paramilitary Troops In Tribal Area Along Afghan Border

Peshawar: A suicide bomber struck near a crowded market in Bajaur, a tribal area close to Afghanistan border, on Friday, killing 20 people including security personnel and leaving more than 50 wounded. Bajaur is where the Pakistan military has launched many of its offensives against the al-Qaidalinked Pakistani Taliban, the most serious security threat to the country. 
    At least three of the dead were policemen, including a senior officer, said an official. The terror group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack issuing a sadistic statement, “It is stated with pleasure that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan accept with courage the responsibility of martyr attack in Khar, Bajaur Agency.” 
    Officials said that early Friday morning in Khar, the headquarters of Bajaur tribal region, a teenage suicide bomber ran into a group of paramilitary troops and detonated his explosive vest. The troops were waiting to be taken to different locations for their routine patrolling. 
    “So far 16 people have been killed, while over 40 have been injured,” said Islam Zeb, the agency’s political administrator. Seven of those killed were tribal policemen and one of them had received a presidential award for bravery in fighting militants. 
    “We have received 17 bodies and 47 injured. The condition of many injured was critical. Some of them might be shifted to Peshawar and other nearby districts,” said Anwar Ali, a nurse at the agency’s hospital. The TTP spokesperson Ihsanullah Ihsan in his statement said that the attack was targeted at Quarter Master Fazal Rabi and Major Javid. “Fazal Rabi was holder of Presidential Award and this award was given to him just because of shahadat (sacrifice) of many Taliban by his hands. Major Javid was involved in shahadat of Shaikh Marwan.” 
    The group also threatened to “treat with iron hands” those who were “involved in any type of activity against Taliban.” Akhunzada Muhammad Chattan, a member of National Assembly from Bajaur Agency said, “Peace in the area was almost restored after military operations but now militants from across the border are coming for terror activities.”

Maoists release Sukma collector after 12 days-ToI-4.5.12

Bhopal: The Maoists released Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon on Thursday after holding him hostage in the forests of south Chhattisgarh for 12 days. Menon looked weary and frail as he emerged from the forests and reached Chintalnar in Sukma at dusk. 
    Emerging out of the forest, Menon told reporters, “I am okay. I want to speak to my family first. I will speak to you after a day.” He thanked people for standing by him and his family during the crisis. “I would like to thank the mediators from both sides, my state government, my chief minister, the chief secretary and all my seniors for the sincere effort they put in,” he said. 
    Soon after Menon’s release, the state government fulfilled its promise to the Maoists by issuing an order constituting a review committee headed by former Madhya Pradesh chief secretary Nirmala Buch. The committee will review all casesof Maoists against whom probe or prosecution is pending. Chief secretary Sunil Kumar and director general of police Anil M Navaney are other members of the committee. 
    A Raipur court will on Friday hear the bail plea of Meena Choudhary, one of the nine leaders whose release Maoists demanded in exchange for Menon’s freedom. Her lawyer Sadiq Ali moved the bail application in the court of additional sessions judge B P Verma on Thursday. 
    Shantipriya, also named by the Maoists in their wishlist, is likely to file a bail application in a day or two. The application could not be moved on Thursday as her relatives could not reach Raipur, a source said. 
    The Maoists handed over Menon (32), a 2006 batch IAS officer from Tamil Nadu, to interlocutors Dr B D Sharma and Prof G Haragopal in the forests near Tadmetla at 3.30 pm. About 60km from Sukma, Tadmetla is known as the Maoist “liberated zone” along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border. ‘We will strictly go by the agreement’ 
Ranchi: Throughout the day, anxiety and suspense ran high as the sun set in the forests of south Chhattisgarh and there was no sign of Menon. A helicopter which had flown to Chintalnar to bring Menon home returned empty as there is an embargo on flying after sunset. 
    Around 6.30pm, Menon reached Chintalnar in a white Bolero and was mobbed by mediapersons waiting for him since morning. Interlocutor Sharma, accompanying Menon, requested reporters to spare the collector for the day. 
    Menon was then taken to the CRPF camp in Chintalnar. Around 6.55pm, he spoke to Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh. They will meet on the chief minister’s return from the meeting on National Counter Terrorism Centre in Delhi on Friday. 
    “We will strictly go by the agreement. Nothing more, nothing less”, Raman Singh said while replying to a volley of questions about the possibility of the release of eight Maoists and others as demanded by the rebels.

Obama ends 10-yr Af war after air dash-ToI-3.5.12

On Osama Death Anniversary, US President Warns Pakistan

Washington: Air Force One turned into midnight express as US President Barack Obama swept unannounced into Afghanistan on the first anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden to signal an end to war there ahead of a strenuous election season at home. 
    Obama flew to into Bagram air base outside Kabul late on Tuesday, signed a pact in the dead of the night with Afghan President Hamid Karzai outlining future advisory US role, spoke to American troops in the wee hours of the morning, and made a primetime TV address to an US audience at the crack of dawn Kabul time, before flying back, symbolically shutting down in 10 hours a war that has lasted more than a decade. 
    Soon after he left, Kabul erupted in violence even as Taliban announced what it called a Spring offensive starting May 3, wire reports said. Terrorists armed with guns, suicide vests and a bomb-laden car attacked a heavily fortifiedcompound used by Westerners in Kabul, killing seven people and wounding more than a dozen. 
    On a militant website, Taliban declared that the new offensive, Code-named al Farouq, would target ''foreign invaders, their advisors, their contractors, all those who help them militarily and in intelligence.'' 
    The so-called ''invaders,'' who by Obama's account came to Afghanistan only because Osama bin Laden and his al Qaida set up base here, would have largely left under a transition the President outlined. But the withdrawal, while more than just symbolic, will also involve continued US role in Afghanistan over the next decade under the strategic accord, including American advisors and trainers, targets Taliban threatened it will aim for. 
    In his 10-minute address to Americans back home gearing up for elections in November, Obama promised that the goal he set to defeat al Qaeda and deny it a chance to rebuild ''is now within our reach,'' enabling a transition that ''willcomplete our mission and end the war in Afghanistan.'' At the same time, he signaled that the US would not abandon Afghanistan and will remain invested in the country's security and development for the next decade. 
    The US President also had sharp and peremptory words for Afghanistan’s neighbor Pakistan, whose ''strategic depth'' policy involving interference in Afghanistan is the cause of much grief to Washington. ''I have made it clear to Pakistan,'' Obama warned grimly, ''that it can and should be an equal partner in this process in a way that respects Pakistan’s sovereignty, interests and democratic institutions.'' He also added: ''In pursuit of a durable peace, America has no designs beyond an end to al Qaeda safe havens and respect for Afghan sovereignty.'' 
    Implicit in those remarks is advice to Pakistan that it should not seek overlordship of Afghanistan or manipulate who will rule Kabul, while at the same time assuring Islamabad that U.S is not interested in dismantling Pakistan or its nuclear weapons. 
    In a review of the Obama visit, former CIA analyst and Heritage Foundation senior fellow Lisa Curtis said the President's frustration with Pakistan and its lack of cooperation in Afghanistan came through in his remarks.

Army wants ‘sahayak’ system eradicated-ToI-3.5.12

The System Of Deputing Soldiers To Do Personal Work Of Officers Decried As Colonial

New Delhi: It’s a system that is often decried as colonial, but evokes considerable nostalgia among children of Army officers who grew up thinking of the ‘Bhaiyyas’ as members of their extended family. Now, in a surprise move, the Indian Army has come up with a proposal to end the ‘sahayak’ system, or deputing trained soldiers to do personal work of officers. 
    The proposal was submitted to the defence ministry in early April, and has received a “positive” response from defence minister A K Antony, sources said. 
    Estimates vary, but at least 30,000 combatants, more than an Army Corps strength, are believed to be deployed to assist serving officers and their families as part of the buddy system. 
    The Army headquarters has suggested that the ‘sahayaks’ be replaced by civilian personnel. Sources said Shimla-based Army Training Command carried out a detailed study of the concept of buddy system existing in major armies around the world. 
    The study was ordered by General V K Singh early on his tenure as Army chief.The training command submitted several scenarios, from which the final ‘solution’ was submitted to the ministry. 
    Besides instances of misuse of these soldiers, there has also been concern about the kind of jobs they are made to do, and it being an affront to soldiers’ self-esteem. The parliamentary standing committee on defence had called for its end, and Antony too has been in favour of abolishing it. 
    The Army proposes to replace soldiers with two kinds of civilians — Service Assistants (SA) and Non-Combatant Assistants (NCA). It would require 2,358 SAs and 22,620 NCAs to replace sahayaks. The Army has projected a monthly expenditure of Rs 3.54 crore for the SAs and Rs 11.31 crore for NCAs. The annual expenditure for the civilian setup to be brought in place of ‘sahayaks’ would be Rs 178.20 crore a year, according to Army estimates. 
    The proposal is to provide service assistants to all the ‘flag ranks’, officers above the rank of brigadier. There are 1,510 officers in the flag ranks of brigadiers, major generals, lieutenant generals and general. 
    Of the 1,414 colonels holding command of battalions, the 848 who are in family stations would also be entitled to SAs. Together, 2,358 SAs would be required, Army says. Each of these SAs would cost the exchequer Rs 15,000 per month. 
    There are 30,450 ‘field ranks’ (major, lieutenant colonel and colonel), excluding the 1,414 colonels who are commanding battalions. Of them, 18,270 are in peace stations while 12,180 are in field stations. The Army has proposed that those in peace stations (18,270) would be authorized a non-combatant assistant each. The NCAs can be hired on a contract of Rs 5,000 per month, the Army suggested. 
    In the rank of captain and lieutenant, the Army has a sanctioned strength of 14,500 officers. Of them, 8,700 are in peace stations while the remaining 5,800 are posted in the field. Only those posted in peace stations would be entitled to NCAs, that too two officers will share one NCA. This would mean that 4,350 NCAs would be required for captains and lieutenants.

Jagan’s Tirumala visit kicks up a row-ToI-3.5.12

Kadapa MP Refuses To Sign Faith Declaration Form

Tirumala: There was disquiet atop the Seven Hills on Wednesday with Jaganmohan Reddy entering the shrine of Lord Balaji without signing the formal declaration about his belief in the Lord, which is mandatory for non-Hindus. While believers lambasted Jagan, a Christian for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) top brass was left red-faced. 
    What is worse, followers of Jagan raised slogans of ‘Jai Jagan' just as they were entering the main entrance of the temple during the VIP break darshan in the morning. There were more than 60 members in his entourage which was in violation of temple rules which do not allow more than 10 members along with the VIP. TTD organized a VIP darshan for Jagan, who is an MP. But when Jagan was approached by the temple authorities for a signature on the form on Tuesday evening he refused to do so. When Jagan entered the temple around 7 am on Wednesday the Sahastra Kalashabhishekam special puja was being performed, but a TTD superintendent again requested him to sign the declaration form. But, the young leader again refused and waited along with his followers at the Ranganayakula mandapam till the puja was over. 
    “The Agama rules do not impose any such condition, but non-Hindu devotees must sign a declaration form which says that they believe in Lord Govinda,” Tirumala Tirupati temple peshkar (administrative officer) Chandrasekhar Pillai told TOI. TTD rules, however, prescribe that non-Hindus need not sign these declaration forms every time they visit but sign at least once in their lifetime.Jagan puts TTD on defensive 
Hyderabad: Jagan reportedly argued that when he had come down to Tirumala in 2009 with his father, the then chief minister, he had not filled any form. “Why should I sign the forms now? I had darshan at that time,” Jagan argued with the officials. 
    The authorities gave up in the face of persistent refusals and allowed Jagan to have the darshan of the Lord. Karunakar Reddy, a former TTD chairman and follower of Jagan came to the defence of his leader. “Why is the TTD targeting us? They did not make Congress president Sonia Gandhi sign on the form when she visited the temple five years ago,” he remarked. 
    TTD executive officer L V Subramanyam tried to put up a brave front saying that Jagan must have refused to sign as he had visited the temple earlier. But temple authorities were evasive when asked why they allowed Jagan to have darshan of the Lord without completing the mandatory formalities. “Thousands of pilgrims visit the temple and we have no way of knowing the religious affiliations of all the visitors. However, in case of VIPs who are non-Hindus, our authorities approach them to sign the form. Jagan is a Christian and so, they had approached him,” joint executive officer K S Srinivasa Raju told TOI. But temple protection samithi activists and BJP workers cried foul. BJP leader NVSS Prabhakar flayed TTD for allowing Jagan to enter the temple by violating Hindu traditions and temple rules. “Late YSR had no sentiments for Hinduism. He even tried to build a church in Tirumala. Jagan is showing the same disrespect,” TDP leader Dadi Veerabhadra Rao alleged. 
    The top priority VIP darshan accorded to Jagan also created a uproar. TTD has recently restricted quota passes to just 10 for each VIP. “Taking 10 or 15 persons including the family is understandable. But taking along 65 members is aclear violation,” rued TDP MLA Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu. Apart from Karunakar Reddy, former TTD ex-officio member Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, actress Roja, YSR Congress leader Amabati Rambabu and several others accompanied Jagan.

Christian bodies take faithfuls for a ride-ToI-2.5.12

14 Organisations Booked For Duping People In The Name Of Money Circulation Schemes

Hyderabad: The state police have registered cases against 14 Christian organizations and individuals for floating money circulation schemes and duping people. These organizations and individuals have been charged with luring innocent people to invest their money in various schemes with the promise that their investment would be doubled in a short period of time. The victims were also promised various incentives if they induced others to join the scheme, police sources told TOI. 
    In all, 79 cases of such money circulation schemes were filed against 14 organizations on March 3, 2012. Of these, the CID is probing 18cases (C. No 2549/C-12/CID/2011) while the remaining are being investigated by the district police. While the money circulation scheme have originated in Ongole, 12 cases were booked in Prakasam district followed by 11 in Guntur rural police district. Seven cases each were registered in Guntur Urban, Kurnool and Nellore and six in Warangal rural. 
    Several pastors in Warangal and Prakasam districts were involved in the money circulation racket. According to CID sources, promising to pay the investors double the amount after 11 months, some pastors collected deposits from the community people in the name of a trust in Ongole. Based on a complaint lodged by the victims that they were duped, police arrested Gangarapu Anil Kumar of Vaddepalli in Warangal town who worked as a pastor at Damera in Elukaturthi mandal in Karimnagar district. 
    During inquiry, police came to know about the involvement of many other pastors. Following a complaint that Narsampet pastor Wilson Peter too, collected money in the name of a trust, police registered a case against him. Similarly, they booked a case against David, a pastor at a church at Chalvai in Govindraopet mandal. 
    Police are inquiring about others involved in the scandal. The pastors had been telling people that their trusts were receiving money from foreign countries and that they were launching such schemes for the benefit of the poor. According to the cops, in Prakasam alone, Rs 300 crore was collected in the name of the scheme. 
    The CID sources claimed that as an incentive to people to invest in the scheme, the organizations took many of them to Bangkok, Pattaya, Singapore and other countries in the name of promotional trips and organized conferences and meetings there. One particular focus of the scheme was to convince the existing members in such schemes to bring in more people so that they could gain financially.

INTERNSHIP SCAM IN GANDHI MEDICAL COLLEGE-ToI-3.5.12

It’s win-win situation for private colleges

Decision To Increase Internship Seats In Govt Hospitals Has Come As A Boon For Pvt Colleges

Hyderabad: Private medical colleges are the key beneficiaries of the internship scam that was unearthed in Gandhi Hospital recently when 40 MBBS students were caught forging signatures of various department heads to get their internship certificates. These private colleges make anywhere between Rs 1-2 lakh from each student for issuing NOCs which allow them to do an internship outside. The hospitals attached to private colleges lack patient strength to give students the kind of exposure that they get at a government hospital and neither have the faculty, and so issuing an NOC for a price comes in as a handy option that suits both the college and the student, who prefer to have a Gandhi or an Osmania on their internship certificate. 
    The medical education department’s decision to increase the number of seats for externs in government colleges like Gandhi and Osmania from 60 to 200 a few years ago has come as a boon for the private college managements. By issuing 50 NOCs, they make a neat Rs 1 crore. 
    Of the nearly 5,000 MBBS seats in the state, 3,000 seats are under the private sector. Poor patient flow is one of the main reasons why about 35% of the students from private colleges choose to do their internship at the overloaded government hospitals. The hidden agenda is however to evade the strenuous training. Experts note that staterun hospitals like Gandhi, Osmania, Andhra and Guntur Medical College among others enjoy a good reputation of being the prime tertiary care hospitals in the state. Dr A Y Chary, former superintendent of Gandhi hospital, who retired as DME, said the basic criteria for selecting a government hospital was its reputation. 
    “Gandhi is not just a big name but has got all the departments under one roof unlike other hospitals.Less work and poor supervision due to number of house surgeons has made it a favorite among the community. A good library is also attached to the hospital. So they don’t spend time in the wards but sit in the library,” he adds. 
    Senior doctors say that the present-day house surgeons don’t want to get trained unlike those two to three decades back. They say that today, MBBS is only a prerequisite for post-graduation. Doctors maintained that the demand for setting up of private medical colleges is on an all-time high but when it comes to the quality of training, all the existing colleges fail miserably. “In one of the several MCI violations, none of these colleges are paying stipend to these house surgeons. However, they ensure that they collect Rs 35-40 lakh for aseat,” laments a professor. 
    Dr M Geyanand, a health expert with Jana Vignana Vedika, further says that more medical colleges in the private sector will further dilute the education and training. “Instead, the government should set up medical colleges in each of the districts,” he said. “Government hospitals are trying to increase the seats but they could not do so due to lack of proper infrastructure. But then how they are training another 200 students from outside besides their own 150 students,” he questioned. He blamed the large number of students for the drastic decline of standards in the government hospitals. 
    However, private hospital managements say that they are not compelling students. “People who want to get trained in their parent college are allowed to do so. But when there is an opportunity to do internship in a government college, why can’t they make use of it? Hospitals are gaining both ways as managements want to make money,” says an administrator of a private medical college. 
    When contacted, Dr Vasanth Prasad, director, medical education, claimed that he was not aware about the fee charged for issuing NOCS. “We are not aware of it and this does not come under our purview. At Gandhi and Osmania, we have given permission for intake of 400 students from outside,” he said. 
    ( T h i s i s t h e l a s t o f a t w o - p a r t s e - r i e s o n t h e i n t e r n s h i p s c a m )

House surgeons doctor internship certificates-ToI-2.5.12

Several Medicos Forged Signatures Of Various Dept Heads In Log Books To Get Intern Certificates

Hyderabad: An internship scam has come to light at the state-run Gandhi Hospital. As many as 40 house surgeons from private medical colleges who chose to do their one-year mandatory internship at Gandhi were found to have forged signatures of various department heads in their log books to get the internship certificates. And this is turning out to be just the tip of the iceberg as sources disclosed that for several years now, Gandhi has for this reason been a hot favorite for doing internship for MBBS students of private colleges not only from AP but also neighbouring states. 
    Dr S Mahaboob, surgeon, who took over as superintendent of Gandhi Hospital recently, stumbled upon his own signature that was forged on log books. Subsequently, the log books of these students were sent to the HODs for verification and the large-scale fraud came to light. 
    A postgraduate student disclosed that a man operating from Malakpet had become popular among students for forging signatures perfectly. An artist, he is said to be running the racket and has a database of signatures of all the doctors as well as stamps of various departments. 
    During the last academic year, 312 medicos from private colleges had joined Gandhi. The 40 students who were caught are from the same batch. In fact, officials said that actually 140 students had erred but 40 committed serious violations. For now, all the students who were caught have been asked to repeat their postings. “We have also started enrolling the medicos in the biometric identification system database to set things right from this academic year. However, many students are delaying the registration process,” Dr S Mahaboob said. Further, the log books would be maintained by the departments and not the students. 
    It is the unholy nexus with the lower rung staff at the hospital that has made the rigorous training process a cakewalk for medicos. At least 75% of the students from private medical colleges have been reportedly walking away with certificates giving the comprehensive training a go by forging signatures on log books. 
    Annually, 400 students from private colleges do their internships at Gandhi and Osmania Hospital. A significant number of them get NOCs only to cash in on the premier image of the hospitals considering their heavy workload. “It’s a big fraud. After coming here, they do not bother to attend the training. This is a gross violation of the Medical Council of India (MCI) guidelines as they are supposed to do their internship for a year,” said a senior professor. 
    An intern, as part of the house surgeonship, is posted in all the clinical departments of the hospital on a rotation basis including surgery, gynaecology, orthopaedics, anesthesia, psychiatry, paediatrics, family welfare, medicine, social and preventive medicine, ENT/ ophthalmology among others. Post training, the respective department heads sign each of their log books. 
    The training gives the basic clinical experience in all the disciplines of medicine and enables them to work as a general physician. However, with students skipping these intern sessions, professors at Gandhi said that the whole purpose is lost. “The most important certificate in the profession is this internship completion certificate,” the senior professor said. 
    While Gandhi and Osmania are supposed to admit about 150 students each for internship, the numbers usually go up. The numbers go up as students belonging to high profile families manage to get reference letters from secretaries and ministers. Hospital heads have no option but to buckle under pressure. 
    This academic year, 120 students from other colleges have already been admitted at Gandhi. At Osmania Hospital, that has over 100 house surgeons from outside, the authorities did not rule out a similar situation. 
    “It’s an ocean and not free from recommendations,” said a senior doctor. If there is some limit on the numbers, there can be a check on them,” he added. Doctors said that there is pressure from various quarters to avoid being strict with medicos. 
    (This is the first in a two-part series on the internship scam).

Poison in groundwater posing national health crisis-ToI-2.5.12

New Delhi: Depletion of groundwater and its increasing pollution could be leading to a silent, nationwide public health crisis as aquifers in many stretches across India are becoming unfit for drinking, according to the government’s own figures. 
    Data submitted in Parliament by the water resources ministry on Monday shows groundwater in pockets of 158 out of the 639 districts has gone saline. It says in pockets across 267 districts, groundwater contains excess fluoride; in 385 districts, it has nitrates beyond permissible levels; in 53 there’s arsenic and there’s high level of iron in 270 districts. 
    Besides this, aquifers in 63 districts contain heavy metals like lead, chromium and cadmium, the presence of which in any concentration poses a danger. 
    The record submitted in answer to a question by Congress MP Shruti Chowdhry presents a countrywide map of where groundwater has become unfit for drinking and where contamination levels have breached government standards of safety. 
    The stealthily growing health crisis could be worse in rural India where facilities to even detect chronic health problems arising out of water contamination do not exist. Nearly 80% of India’s rural drinking water comes from underground sources. 
    Drinking fluoride-laden water beyond safe levels can lead to fluorosis which hits teeth and bones. Arsenic causes problems in the nervous system, reduces IQ level in children and in extreme cases can also cause cancer. Chromium is a known carcinogen. Presence of nitrates in drinking water leads to what is commonly called as blue baby disease which hits infants and can lead to respiratory and digestive system problems. 
    These chemicals have appeared in the water sources either due to too much water being drawn from deeper and deeper in the ground, or due to industrial and human waste contamination.

7Chavan in dock for money laundering in Adarsh scam-ToI-1.5.12

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case of money laundering against former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan and the 13 others named by the CBI as the accused in the Adarsh scam. 
    The agency told the Bombay High Court on Monday that an enforcement case information report—equivalent of a first information report—has been filed against the 14 accused. Compounding the troubles of the accused, it added that prima facie there exists a case against them under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The Act deals with offences wherein illegal gains have been made from proceeds of crime. In the Adarsh case, the ED is probing the sources of funds used by members to buy flats in the tony Colaba housing society. 
    ED’s counsel R V Desai informed the court that its investigation into the scam is still in progress. But if it is established that the accused acquired properties by abusing their office, sources told TOI, the ED would attach the assets. Apart from Chavan, the accused in the Adarsh scam also include several senior exservicemen, former Mumbai municipal chief Jairaj Phatak and former state information commissioner Ramanand Tiwari. 
    Desai initially avoided mentioning the prima facie case under the stringent provisions of PMLA, repeatedly saying that the ED needs more time to investigate and reach conclusions. He admitted its existence only when the bench, headed by Justice Sharad Bobde, said: “You must leave the conclusion to the courts.” The high court was hearing two public interest litigations (PIL), one of which has been filed by Thane resident Pravin Wategaonkar. Wategaonkar wants a probe to find the source of Adarsh members’ funds as well as if there were any benami transactions. The second PIL, filed by activist Simpreet Singh, has demanded “proper action” by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 
    The high court on Monday asked the CBI to file a chargesheet by June 15 against those Adarsh Cooperative Housing society members who do not hold public office. The judges directed the CBI to do so after the investigation agency informed the court that it would complete its probe in the criminal case filed against the 14 named accused Adarsh society members—who held or had held public office-—by mid-June.

Former BJP chief gets 4-yr jail for ‘political graft’

Compromised Natl Security, Says Court

Smriti Singh TNN 

New Delhi: Former BJP chief Bangaru Laxman was on Saturdaysentencedtofour years’ imprisonment for having acceptedRs1lakh asbribe from a fake arms dealer, who sought his help to bag an order from thedefence ministry. The trial court rejected his plea for leniency and said he was guilty of “political corruption, and had sought to compromise national security for selfish ends”. 
    Special CBI judge Kanwaljeet Arora emphasized that Laxman headed the BJP, the largest constituent of the then NDA government at the Centre, when he accepted the bribe from a counterfeit companytopushthesaleof handheld thermal imagers, a fictitious device. 
    Laxman, who was caught on camera in a sting operation accepting bribe 11 years ago, is the first president of a national party to have been jailed for corruption, something that can embarrass BJP when it has launched an anti-graft campaign targeting Congress. 
    The case assumes significance because the court rejected the argument that Laxman, the only dalit to have headed the BJP, was a victim of entrapment, saying while the methodsof thosewhocarried out the sting may have been objectionable,their purpose was not. 
    The CBI court also slapped a fine of Rs one lakh on Laxman who was taken to Tihar Jail, and plans to move the High Court to appeal against the judgment. 
GRAFT DETERRENT 
    Laxman’s counsel argues since the company and equipment were fake, the then BJP chief could not have helped in securing a supply order from MoD 
    CBI judge says though company and product were fictitious, “intention and belief” of Bangaru to accept bribe and “compromise the security of the nation” were real 
    Four-year jail term meant to “make it clear that society denounces the sort of conduct in which the offender was involved”, says court ‘Laxman ignored security of soldiers’ 
New Delhi: Rejecting the demand for leniency on the ground of old age, health concerns and his “unblemished record of public life” of four decades, Special CBI judge said that the former BJP chief agreed to compromise the security and safety of the nation” for his personal interests. The judge said that the 72 year-old politician, who was convicted on Friday under the Prevention of Corruption Act was guilty of “ignoring the security of soldiers” who put their lives in danger while fighting for the nation. 
    The judge said that “corruption is worse than prostitution”, and asserted “we have to shun this attitude of 'sab chalta hai,' and the attitude that nothing can move without corruption”. 
    Laxman’s counsel had argued that no possible help for getting the supply order from the ministry of defence could have been extended by the convict, as the company as well as the product were fictitious and no possible wrong resulted from the act of convict failed to impress the court. However, the judge held that while the firm, its product and the deal was fake, the intentions of Laxman, who took the bribe for recommending the device to the ministry, were real. 
    “No doubt, the company i.e. M/s Westend International and the product i.e. Hand Held Thermal Imagers (HHTIs), which they were promoting were both fictitious, but this fact was only known to representatives of the company, who had approached the convict for favour. Laxman had agreed to exert his personal influence in favour of the fictitious company for his personal gains by way of getting illegal gratification with the intention and belief that the product for which a supply order was required, was genuine,” said the judge. 
    The counsel for Laxman had sought punishment of six months However, the judge rejected the plea, saying that the four year-imprisonment was meant to “make it clear that the society as such, denounces the sort of conduct in which the offender was involved”.

CPM blames Muslim league turning into terror group – The Pioneer -24.5.12

The Kerala Opposition on Monday unleashed a scathing attack against the Congress and Muslim League,

the lead parties of the ruling UDF coalition, for communalizing politics and causing administrative standstill in the State. While the CPI(M) alleged that the Muslim League was turning into a terror outfit, the BJP accused the Congress of succumbing to the League’s arrogance. Referring to the pressures exerted by the Muslim League for making the Congress agree to its demand for a fifth Cabinet post, Kerala CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said in Thiruvananthapuram: “The League had held the Congress at the knife-point for this… The Muslim League is slowly turning into a terror outfit.” “The Muslim League leadership is incapable of preventing terror elements from infiltrating into that party. Moreover, the League leadership is adopting a stance that justifies these elements,” Pinarayi said while inaugurating an agitation programme of Kerala Karshaka Sangham, a feeder outfit of the CPI(M). Pinarayi said that the Muslim League’s pressure on Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was so intense in the issue of the fifth Cabinet berth that he had to force the Congress high command (“through talks with Sonia Gandhi and AK Antony”) revise the earlier decision of the central leadership and the State Congress unit not to agree to the League demand. When complaints arose that the fifth Cabinet berth for the League had disrupted the communities balance in the Ministry, “Chandy tried to satisfy the Hindu Nairs and Ezhavas by shuffling the Portfolios of Hindu Ministers of the Congress,” he pointed

out, adding that this had led to complaints of communalization of State administration. “When Chandy was  looking after the Home Department (till April 12), it was the Muslim League which was actually handling it. “Power has made the Muslim League blind and  arrogant. And the Congress leadership has surrendered

itself to this arrogance,” Pinarayi alleged. State BJP president V Muraleedharan said that the Congress in  Kerala had fallen into such a pathetic condition that its chief Ramesh Chennithala had to beg before

Muslim League president and its spiritual leader Hyderali Shihab Thangal to make his  activists and leaders stop the anti-Congress tirade that had started with the issue of the fifth Cabinet berth. The Congress in Kerala

had surrendered itself to the Muslim League, he said adding that such a Congress chief brought humiliation to that party itself and what was left for Chennithala to do was to resign from his party and join the Muslim League.

Secularism subverted – minority appeasement –The Pioneer -23.4.12

T he mad race by so-called secular parties to grab the Muslim vote-bank is resulting in absurd situations. In Kerala, for instance, Hindus, who constitute 56 per cent of the State  population, have been reduced to a minority in the State’s Cabinet, following the recent  addition of a Muslim member to the Council of Ministers.  Recently, the leader of the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front gave in to the Muslim League’s pressure, just as the party has done before, and allowed the League an additional Minister over the four they already had. Consequently, there are now six Muslim Ministers, including one from the Congress. Chief Minister Oomen Chandy is a Christian. For over a year, the  congress had been resisting the League’s demand to grab the fifth Cabinet position. But the party suffered considerable erosion of its representation in the UDF, as the Muslim League and the Christian parties got almost all their candidates elected in last year’s Assembly polls that saw the Marxist led-LDF ousted from power.  The UDF’s majority is slim and  this has made the leading parties in the ruling coalition cautious. The League had stuck to its demand for five Ministers (all Cabinet rank) right from the start. As part of the UPA at the Centre, the League already has representation at the level of Minister of State, with  senior leader E Ahamed as Minister of State for External Affairs.  The capitulation by the Congress to the League’s demand after some initial resistance exposes the growing power of the Muslim community — now placed firmly behind the Muslim League in Kerala politics. Several decades ago, Jawaharlal Nehru had proclaimed that the Muslim League was a “dead horse”. Today, the growing clout, both economic and political, of the party in Kerala, has made it a dominant constituent of the State’s ruling coalition. The rise of the Muslim community has in effect been facilitated by its partnership with the Congress in the UDF.  The national context in which the Congress has been looking for opportunities to appease the minority communities to retain them their vote-bank has also helped the League. As a UDF partner, the League has forced the imposition of Arabic as a second language which is compulsorily taught in all schools, even when a handful of students demand it.  Muslim leaders have also kept close contact with political leaders in the Gulf countries. Often, they use their religious affiliation to secure jobs and businesses in the Gulf in lieu of votes from the beneficiaries. As a result, a majority of the 10 billion plus dollars  that come to Kerala have been benefitting the Muslim community alone, and this is visible even to the casual visitor. The Muslims League’s economic and political clout has also led to extremist politics and the proliferation of terror groups within that State. Earlier, the Marxist led-Left Democratic Front sought to placate the community by turning a blind eye to extremism and even supporting extremist organizations like  the PDF of Abdul Nasser Madani, who is now in jail in Karnataka for his role in bombing the Chinnaswamy stadium. He is also suspected to be behind several other incendiary incidents in Kerala. Yet, both the UDF and the LDF have shown great reluctance in prosecuting him.  Today, terrorist outfit SIMI’s new avatar, the Indian Mujahideen, is running riot in the State. They are reportedly giving Gulf money to their well-groomed and heeled young men, selected and trained by the IM. These young men then court girls from other communities. This activity is known widely in the State as ‘love jihad’.  To be fair, the Congress is not the only party competing for the Muslim vote-bank. The Marxists have their eyes on it too. Under the Marxist-led LDF’s rule, the police were informally ordered to let extremism flourish. That is how the training camps set up by the IM were allowed to function even after the police got wind of them. T Naseer, one of the IM leaders and allegedly the man behind several terrorist activities, was allowed to escape from police custody after he was caught from his hideout.

He was finally arrested by Bangladesh Police and handed over to the Indian authorities. There are several instances of top Marxist leaders, including CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and former Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan having secret dealings with absconding criminals holed up in Dubai. These were exposed by the media in the State, and led  the party to launch counter attacks against the newspapers, charging them with being CIA agents.  It is interesting to note that, in secular India a non-Hindu can be the Chief Minister of a Hindu majority State. But a similar privilege is denied to a Hindu in   non-Hindu majority State. Take, for instance, Jammu & Kashmir, where there is a substantial Hindu population in the Jammu region and a Buddhist population in the Ladakh region. Yet, no non-Muslim can ever hope to become Chief Minister of the State. It is the same story in the Christian-dominated States of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram.  The recent Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh has exposed the competition among different, ‘secular’ parties for the Muslim votebank. Even before the garlands around newly elected Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has wilted, he has come under pressure from the Muslim clerics for their share of the electoral booty. This is evident in  the tussle between the party’s powerful Muslim face, Mr Azam Khan, and the Delhibased Muslim cleric, Shahi Imam Bukhari.

The political drama between the Marxists and the Congress, competing for the Muslim vote-bank, has been repeated in West Bengal also. During the Marxist rule, the Bengali author from Dhaka, Taslima Nasreen, was hounded out of Kolkata. We are also familiar with the Congress’s dubious role in the Salman Rushdie episode that led the author to abort his visit to the Jaipur Literary festival held at the same time that the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election was on.  Now West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also in the queue to play this vote-bank politics. Recently, her Government organised a massive conference of Imams in Kolkata, where she announced monthly stipends for them to be paid from Government funds.  In Tamil Nadu, it is public knowledge that Government power is used by both the DMK and its political rival, the AIADMK, to confiscate temple funds and positions, and then use them for promoting their brand image.  This is the type of secularism that India must now suffer, with the Congress taking the lead. Against this brand of so-called secularism, how does one define rank communalism? Are the two any different?

Islamic radical sect kills 7 in Nigeria – The Pioneer – 22.4.12

Seven persons, including six civilians and a customs officer have been  killed by members of Nigeria’s radical Muslim sect Boko Haram in northern city of Maiduguri. T h e   g u n m e n   s t o r  m e d Silimanti, Polo area of the town, at around 8.30 am on Thursday and fired gun shots at men working at a bakery, killing at least five people there, sources said. They also killed a water hawker and the customs officer at a separate location during their escape. Spokesman of the Police in Borno State Samuel Tizhe confirmed the killings, insisting that  investigations have since then commenced into the incident.”

“I   c an  conf  i r m  t h at   a  Customs officer and a water hawker were shot dead, while five people were shot dead by suspected Boko Haram members at a bakery,” Tizhe said.  Boko Haram claims to be w a g i n g   w a r   to   i n s t  a l l   an I s l a m i c   G  o v e r  n m e n t   a n d Sharia rule in Africa’s largest oil producing nation. The group’s insurgency has

been growing in Nigeria and an attack in the northern city of Kano with multiple bombings and gun shots killed around 185 persons on January 20. 

Indian student shot dead near Boston university campus—The Pioneer –22.4.12

A 24-year-old Indian student at Boston University   died after he was  shot in the head and leg by an unidentified person. Boston Police department and university officials have not yet released the name of the victim as they are awaiting autopsy results and pending notification to the family. However, an official at the Consulate General here told that the victim is an Indian. The young man was a student at the university’s  raduate School of Management.The police said they got a call at around 3 in the morning of April 19 about a body lying in front of a house nearly a mile from the campus in Brighton. The shooting occurred about a mile from the BU campus in a residential area just off the busy Commonwealth Avenue.  When police reached the spot, the victim was receiving medical assistance from the Boston Fire Department as he was suffering from severe head trauma. Howe  ve  r,  he  wa s  pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests have been made in the case yet. Homicide detectives are awaiting the autopsy  results to determine the cause  and manner of death but preliminary investigation indicates that the victim was suffering from gunshot wounds.   “We have added patrols for the neighbourhood and  detectives continue to look for clues in this tragic incident,” Boston Police Captain James Hussey said. The police is asking anyone  with information about the killing to contact its crime and  homicide units.  In a statement, university  president Robert Brown said  Boston Police and university police are investigating the  circumstances of the “dreadful crime” which he said appears to be an isolated incident.

KFC told to pay $8.3m in damages over poisoned food-ToI-28.4.12

Sydney: Fast-food chain KFC has been ordered to pay $8.3 million in damages to the family of an Australian girl who was left severely brain damaged and in a wheelchair after being poisoned by a chicken meal. 
    In 2005, Monika Samaan, then aged seven, her parents and brother were hospitalized with salmonella poisoning after eating a ‘Twister’ chicken wrap at a KFC restaurant near Sydney. KFC said it was a tragic case but was “deeply disappointed and surprised by the decision” and would appeal against it. 
    Last week, a New South Wales supreme court judge ruled in favour of the family, saying KFC had breached its duty of care to the girl. On Friday, it awarded the family $8.3 million in damages, and court costs. 
    Their lawyer said the illness had “exhausted the very limited resources of the family”.

Tiger loses fight to a cow in Valparai-ToI-28.4.12

Coimbatore: Tension gripped Valparai, a tea-growing town on the slopes of the Western Ghats near Coimbatore, after a 10-year-old male tiger sneaked into a cowshed in a thickly-populated locality early Friday morning. 
    However, the lone cow in the shed not only resisted the tiger’s attack but also managed to injure it severely. Unable to walk, the tiger was confined to the cowshed till late in the evening, when a veterinarian tranquilized it. 
    Valparai is ringed by forests including the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and frequent attacks by leopards and elephants have been reported from here in the past. However, this isthe first time in recent years that a tiger has entered a homestead. 
    R Gnanasekaran, a resident of Periyar Nagar in Valaparai, was the first person to notice the animal in his cowshed at around 6.30am. 
    His cow was taking on the tiger that had entered the shed expecting an easy prey. The tiger had killed a calf owned by Gnanasekaran two days ago and left the half-eaten carcass behind. Forest officials said the animal may have returned to retrieve the kill. The big cat sustained gashes in its thigh and abdomen whereas the cow suffered only minor injuries. 
    Gnanasekaran had thought the calf was killed by a leopard, common in the area, and buried the carcass. Forest officials have since confirmed that the tiger that appeared on Friday morning had killed the calf two days earlier. 
    Though the tiger couldn’t move, its periodic growls and snarls left the crowd that had gathered at Gnansekaran’s house wondering whether the animal would attack. 
    Forest officials led by Manampally range officer Arokiaraj Xavier and Valparai range officer Krishnaswami had a tough time controlling the rush of people. At noon, they tried to trap the tiger in a net and shift it to a cage but failed. 
    The wait lasted until forest veterinary assistant surgeon Dr N Kalaivanan arrived from Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in the Nilgiris by 6.30pm. 
    Though Valaparai is prone to frequent attacks by wild animals, veterinarians with expertise in the use of tranquilizers were not available in the town or in neighbouring areas. 
    By sunset, Kalaivanan tranquilised the tiger and the animal was shifted to a cage. Forest officials will keep the tiger in captivity in Manampally forest range office under the observation of Kalaivanan until it recoversfrom the injuries.

Bangaru Laxman held guilty of taking bribe-ToI-28.4.12

First Neta To Be Convicted After Sting Op

New Delhi: The arms firm was fake, the deal fictitious. But the bribe was real and former BJP president Bangaru Laxman on Friday earned the dubious distinction of being the first politician to be convicted in a sting operation that recorded him accepting Rs 1 lakh in cash. 
    The tape capturing the leader putting bundles of cash away in a drawer unleashed a political storm that took a heavy toll of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and has 11 years later resulted in Laxman’s conviction under the Prevention of Corruption Act. 
    The conviction – the sentence is to be pronounced on Saturday and Laxman has been sent to Tihar jail – comes as a setback to BJP at a time when it is targeting Congress over graft scandals. It revives memories of a sordid chapter during NDA’s tenure in office when the scandal claimed then defence minister George Fernandes besides Laxman. 
    Special CBI judge Kanwal Jeet Arora held 72-year-old Laxman guilty under the anti-corruption law that provides for a maximum of five years in jail for taking a bribe from fake arms dealers to recommend to the defence ministry a contract for “thermal binoculars” for the Army. 
11 YRS ON, LAW CATCHES UP 
    Tehelka scribes held 8 meetings with Laxman 
between Dec 23, 2000 and January 7, 2001, posing as suppliers of defence products, says CBI chargesheet 
    Laxman took 1 lakh from representatives of fictitious UK-based firm West End Intl, on Jan 1, 2001, to recommend ‘hand-held thermal imagers’, a fictitious device, for the Army 
    Laxman was caught on camera, accepting the money in his chamber at the BJP headquarters. Had to quit as BJP chief 
    Delhi court convicts Laxman under Prevention of Corruption Act, namely Section 9, for “taking gratification for exercise of personal influence with public servant” Scribes acted as whistleblowers: Court It Declines To Buy Laxman’s Arguments, Says CBI Has Been Able To Establish Its Case 
New Delhi: Bangaru Laxman’s conviction saw Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari asking BJP to “introspect instead of hurling baseless allegations” at others. “People in glass houses should not target others,” he said. 
    BJP sought to defend itself by claiming it had acted immediately against Laxman, but was clearly on the defensive on the sting that is embossed in public memory by TV shots of the former party president accepting bundles of cash from alleged defence middlemen. 
    The judge held that Laxman received money to “influence public servants” and said, “I am of the considered opinion that CBI has been able to establish the necessary ingredients of offence under section 9 (taking gratification for exercise of personal influence with public servant).” 
    The court also ruled that Laxman’s case was not one of entrapment although the defence had argued that he had no knowledge of the arms equipment being discussed. Upholding the sting, the court said, “I am of the opinion that methods adopted by Tehelka people may be objectionable but their purpose was not.” 
    The court added, “The material collected by the Tehelka people cannot be thrown overboard at the outset.” 
    The Tehelka sting heralded an era of such operations. After Laxman, Fernandes had to resign after fake agents entered his official residence and offered money to his associate Jaya Jaitly. It took the Vajpayee government months to ride the storm and Fernandes never quite recovered, being repeatedly targeted by Congress that got back against a long-time tormentor. Laxman’s political career also did not do any better although he did contest elections. 
    Pronouncing the conviction, the court said, “The CBI has been able to establish the case of accepting Rs one lakh bribe against Bangaru Laxman. Accused Bangaru Laxman stands convicted for the offence under Section 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.” 
    In an off white kurta, Laxman stood shell-shocked in the witness box as the judge pronounced the verdict and ordered the police to take the politician into judicial custody. He did not want to talk to any one and sat in the witness box for a long time while his daughter, who was in the court, looked on. 
    Laxman was taken to Tihar jail and will be produced in the court on Saturday at 10:30 am when the court hears arguments on the quantum of sentence. Soon after the verdict, Laxman’s counsel moved a plea seeking bail. The court, however, said, “After sentence only will I consider the aspect of bail.” 
    The sting operation, codenamed Westend, was conducted by news portal Tehelka.com with its scribes posing as representatives of a fictitious UK-based company West End International and seeking his recommendation to the ministry for supply of handheld thermal imagers, a fictitious device, for the Indian Army. 
    In its 155-page judgment, the court said had the deal been real, by taking such illegal gratification to get through a defence deal, Laxman would have compromised the security of the country. The judge said Laxman had accepted Rs one lakh bribe for the fictitious defence deal and had also agreed to take balance amount of Rs 4 lakh in dollars. 
    “Accused Bangaru Laxman on January 5, 2001, had accepted illegal gratification of Rs one lakh from Mathew Samuel, as chief liasoning officer of M/s Westend International and has further agreed to accept the balance amount (Rs 4 lakh) of illegal gratification in dollars as a motive or reward for exercise of personal influence on the public servants working with ministry of defence” the court said. The court trashed defence arguments that the money taken by Laxman was for the party fund and said that the contention was an “afterthought”. The court said that Laxman was then a party president and not a treasurer that he had to take money for the party fund. The court said that the sequence of meetings and Laxman informing the arm dealers about “passing the message” to the defence minister showed that he had an intention of taking that gratification. 
    Refusing to make Tehelka an accused in the case saying the scribes had “acted as whistle blowers” though the method adopted by them was “objectionable”. The judge said, “I am of the opinion that method adopted by Tehelka people may be objectionable but their purpose was not. It was accused Bangaru Laxman, who as president of BJP, despite being not related to the process of procurement or evaluation of any such product for Indian Army, did entertain the representatives of Westend International with the belief that theirs is an actual company. He assured them that he will find out what the defence secretary thinks and thereafter told them that message has been passed and accepted gratification.” 
    The court added that forensic reports of the video CD showed that no tampering or doctoring was done and the contents of the tape were in complete synchronization. 
    The FIR in the case was registered on Dec 6, 2006, against Laxman, his assistant personal secretary N Umamaheshwar Raju and personal secretary T Satyamurthy. Satyamurthy was granted pardon by a trial court after he turned an approver in the case, while the trial could not proceed against Raju due to lack of evidence.