Kalmadi rebuts charges, says allegations baseless

Edited by Naved Khan Saturday, July 31, 2010 9:02 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association President and chairman of the CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi on Saturday refuted allegations of financial irregularities in the organisation of the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi.
"I have been deeply pained by the baseless allegations of corruption in the CWG," said Kalmadi at a press conference here on Saturday.
Regarding the Central Vigilance Commision's (CVC) report, Kalmadi said that its observation was not directed at the organisers of the Commonwealth Games.

Didn't have contract with CWG OC, admits AM Films

Edited by Naved Khan 9:01 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: The UK-based company at the centre of a corruption row which has rocked the upcoming Delhi Commonwealth Games on Saturday admitted that it did not have a contract with the event's organisers but denied allegations of irregular financial transactions with them.
A M Films, the firm which has received lakhs of pounds for extending its "services" for the Queen's Baton Relay's London leg, however, denied allegations that the deal with the CWG Organising Committee was questionable.

BJP leader was paid to kill Sohrabuddin: witness

Edited by Naved Khan 9:00 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: An important witness of the Central Bureau of Investigation has claimed that Sohrabuddin Sheikh was eliminated after a Rs 10 crore deal was struck between the former home minister of Rajasthan and the state's marble lobby.
The witness, Azam Khan, shared a jail cell with Tulsiram Prajapati, who allegedly witnessed Sohrabuddin's killing and was later killed himself.
Speaking to CNN-IBN, Khan claimed that BJP leader and former Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria was paid Rs 10 crore by RK Marbles to eliminate Sohrabuddin, who was extorting money from the marble traders. "Tulsi came and told me that RK Marbles had given the money. The money came from Gulab Chand Kataria. Some money was distributed among themselves, rest was taken by Kataria. They said RK Marbles gave Rs 10 crore," Khan told CNN-IBN.

Bangalore school circular sparks row over RTE

Edited by Naved Khan 1:24 PM 0 comments


Bangalore: An elite school in Bangalore has landed in controversy for saying the Right to Education Act which reserves 25 per cent seats in schools for underprivileged children will compromise discipline and the quality of education.
The circular by Bethany High School in Bangalore on July 26 has created a huge uproar as it warns parents that once the Right To Education Act is implemented, there could be a drastic effect on discipline and quality of education.

Review CWG status: PMO asks Cabinet Secretary

Edited by Naved Khan 12:03 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: The Prime Minister's Office intervened in the preparation for Commonwealth Games on Saturday asking Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrashekhar to review the status of all ongoing projects related to the Games.
Chandrashekhar has been asked to see why project deadlines are not being met with just over 60 days to go for the Commonwealth Games, which start on October 3.
The Cabinet Secretary on Saturday cancelled his visit to the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee office. However, officials claimed that the cancellation of the visit had nothing to do with the allegations of corruption against the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. 

Rs 40 crore lost due to ruckus in Parliament

Edited by Naved Khan 10:19 AM 0 comments


New Delhi: Disruptions in the first week of the monsoon session of Parliament has cost the the tax payers Rs 40 crore. These disruptions were a result of the Opposition protesting against price rise.
Due to the protests the entire first week of the monsoon session of Parliament ends with virtually no business being transacted. The result of a united Oppositions demand for an adjournment motion on price rise, an effort to embarrass and censure the Government being disallowed, the Government on its part remains unwilling to have a vote with the debate led to the disruptions.

Railway project falls victim to corruption

Edited by Naved Khan 9:57 AM 1 comments

New Delhi: The Managing Director of the Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd is under the scanner for major corruption charges. The dedicated freight corridors are and ambitious project dedicated to increase the revenues of the Indian Railways by fulfilling the ever-growing transport needs of the country.
But VK Kaul, a bureaucrat handpicked by former railway minister Lalu Prasad, is now under corruption charges. The Central Vigilance Commission has found 'serious irregularities' in contracts awarded by Kaul.
Sources in the Railway Ministry told CNN-IBN that the CVC launched a massive investigation in early 2010 into three of the most expensive contracts awarded by Kaul.

Sunanda Pushkar sold stakes in Kochi IPL?

Edited by Naved Khan Friday, July 30, 2010 9:28 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: BCCI sources have told CNN-IBN that Sunanda Pushkar - the co-owner of the Kochi IPL franchise - may have sold off her stake to a former Indian cricketer.
CNN-IBN has access to a letter from Rendezvous Sports World Pvt. Ltd. The sponsorship mandate letter is signed by another Dubai-based NRI Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar's name doesn't figure in the initial list of share-holders. Sunanda was the person mandated to find sponsors for Kochi IPL team.

Organising CWG is like a Punjabi wedding: Gill

Edited by Naved Khan 9:27 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: Organising the Commonwealth Games is like holding a “Punjabi wedding” -- things will be done at the last moment but all will end well. That is how Union Sports Minister M S Gill has described preparation for the biggest sporting event in the country.
Gill was speaking to CNN-IBN's Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai when he said that preparation for the games, which will be held in Delhi from October 3 to 14, could have started earlier.
“We could have built all this stuff (stadia and other projects) twice-thrice over. We should have started earlier--what else can I say. Even the bridge to bring the athletes (to games venue) is going to be ready in August or even slipping a bit. But that we managed to take the decision after I came,” said Gill. Gill refused to blame Commonwealth Games organizing committee chairperson Suresh Kalmadi or anybody else for delays, saying there was no “single, supreme point of authority”.

'Bikini killer' Sobhraj convicted in murder case

Edited by Naved Khan 7:33 PM 0 comments


Kathmandu: Nepal's Supreme Court on Friday held "bikini killer" Charles Gurmukh Sobhraj guilty in a murder case that dates back to 1975. Holding Sobhraj guilty in the murder case the Supreme Court said that there was enough evidence provided by the prosecution against Sobhraj.
Sobhraj was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an American backpacker by the Kathmandu district court in 2004 for the murder of an American tourist Connie Jo Bronzich in Nepal.
He killed Connie in 1975 and then fled from Nepal. Sobhraj's role is suspected in 12 murder cases across Asia but his tryst with Nepalese law began at the Manohara bridge near Koteshwar in Kathmandu about 32 years ago. 

CBI to get orders to probe CWG corruption

Edited by Naved Khan 7:33 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has recommended that the CBI probe corruption and irregularities it has found in works for the Commonwealth Games
Sources tell CNN-IBN the CVC will ask the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) to probe all contracts awarded for the Commonwealth Games very soon. The recommendation for a CBI probe comes after a CNN-IBN report on Thursday revealed that a CVC report suspects there has been corruption at every level in the organization of the games.

Telangana by-polls: Cong chief loses, TRS wins 2

Edited by Naved Khan 2:04 PM 0 comments

Hyderabad: The Telangana by-election verdict in Andhra Pradesh could give a major boost to the demand for a separate state for the region. Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which has been leading agitation for a separate Telangana state, has already won two seats and is leading in nine constituencies, while the BJP is ahead in one seat.
TRS leader T Harish Rao set a record in the state's electoral politics by retaining his Siddipet Assembly seat in the by-elections by a margin of over 95,000 votes.
He was elected with a margin of 95,858 votes, breaking the record of late former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who was re-elected from Pulivendula constituency in Kadapa district last year with a margin of 68,681.
Harish Rao came second in last year's elections in terms of victory margin with 64,677 votes.

Shift Sohrabuddin case outside Guj: CBI to SC

Edited by Naved Khan 2:04 PM 0 comments


Ahmedabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday requested the Supreme Court to transfer the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case outside Gujarat claiming that the atmosphere in the state was not conducive to a fair investigation. The agency made the request while filing its report on the Sohrabuddin encounter case to the Supreme Court and sought more time to investigate.
CBI also said in the report that their investigation could go beyond former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, who is already under arrest in the case.

IED blast in Assam, 4 CRPF personnel killed

Edited by Naved Khan 10:40 AM 0 comments

Goalpara: Four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and 30 others injured when militants triggered an IED blast at Dhalukbudi in Goalpara district on Friday morning. The CRPF personnel were patrolling the area when the unidentified militants set off the explosion at about 8:00 am, official sources said.
Militants belonging to National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) are suspected to be behind the blast.
Friday's blast is the second major attack on CRPF in one week. Earlier the NDFB is believed to have attacked the central paramilitary unit at Solmara, about 4 km from the district headquarters.

Congress using CBI in Sohrabuddin case: Modi

Edited by Naved Khan 10:39 AM 0 comments

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was working at the behest of the Congress in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.
Speaking out for the first time since his close aide Amit Shah was forced to quit as Gujarat minister of state for home after he was chargesheeted in the case and arrested, Modi slammed the CBI saying, "Whatever has been happening in Gujarat since last week shows that Congress has accepted its defeat in Gujarat. In the next assembly election Congress is going to field CBI officials against our candidates."
But even as Modi lashed out at the CBI, the agency prepared to take the Sohrabuddin encounter investigation beyond Gujarat to include top Rajasthan BJP leaders too.
The CBI will also present a status report on the case to Supreme Court on Friday. The Supreme Court had asked the CBI to file a report in the high profile fake encounter case in January 2010.

Pak, terrorism dominate Indo-UK talks

Edited by Naved Khan 10:38 AM 0 comments


New Delhi: British Prime Minister David Cameron ended his India visit after some serious Pakistan bashing along with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.
The UK-India talks in New Delhi on Thursday ended with Pakistan and terrorism topping the agenda. The Indian Prime Minister also commented on Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's statements during the recent Indo-Pak talks in Islamabad. At the joint briefing with Cameron, the focus was Pakistan where Singh slammed Qureshi for the disastrous manner in which the last Indo-Pak foreign ministers' dialogue ended.
"The press conference by Pakistani Foreign Minister could have been avoided because it detracts from a large number of agreements reached between our foreign ministers. Invitation to Mr Qureshi to visit India will be taken and we will sooner or later be able to restore the dialogue to a proper sense," said Singh. He also kept the focus on terrorism and Pakistan's perfidy in backing terror groups.
"There is agreement that no cause is good enough to justify the resort to terrorism. I hope that the Government of Pakistan will honour its commitment to not allow its territory to be used for acts of terrorism against India," he added.
Cameron, too, said that terrorism was the biggest threat to the world.
"Reality of terrorism is there in the enormous losses in Mumbai and London, and we see every week in Afghanistan. In Pakistan the existence of terror groups is there. Need to work within Pakistan to crack down on terror groups that cause so much suffering," said Cameron.
Cameron's backing away ever so subtly from Wednesday's broadside against Islamabad is also a signal of his determination to involve Pakistan in plans that would see the withdrawal of all British troops from Afghanistan by 2014. The plan evidently has US President Barack Obama's approval.
Pakistan was definitely the elephant in the root as the Indian and British prime ministers came out for the press conference. It wasn't just the rap Singh administered to Qureshi but also the reiteration by Cameron that it is not acceptable for Pakistan to have terror groups operating on its soil.

Frank talk from Cameron shakes up UK diplomacy

Edited by Naved Khan 8:19 AM 0 comments


New Delhi: British Prime Minister David Cameron has revealed a plain-speaking streak during a tour of Turkey and India that raises questions over whether it is down to youthful inexperience or a bold new approach to diplomacy.
He caused anger in Israel by saying in Turkey that Gaza was a "prison camp", and went on to offend Islamabad when he suggested in front of an Indian audience in Bangalore that Pakistan "promoted the export of terror".
While in Ankara, he also dismissed opponents of Turkish membership of the European Union as "protectionist, polarised or prejudiced", an analysis which will not be shared in Paris or Berlin. France and Germany oppose Turkish entry. "I think it's important, as I say, to speak frankly about these things to countries that are your friends," Cameron said on Thursday in an interview with British broadcasters in New Delhi, adding that he would "do so in the future" as well.
At 43, Cameron is the youngest British prime minister in nearly two centuries. He has been in office since May. His comments on Pakistan delighted the Indian media, which devoted much of its coverage of his visit to the subject, to the detriment of his core message that he wanted to boost trade and business links between Britain and India.
But Pakistan's high commissioner to Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, said in a column in the Guardiannewspaper that Cameron had "damaged the prospects of regional peace". "He is new in government. May be he will learn soon and know how to handle things," Hasan later told the BBC.
Great diplomat or loudmouth?
In a briefing with British journalists covering the tour, Foreign Secretary William Hague came under a barrage of questions on Thursday on whether Cameron might watch his words more carefully in future.
"The prime minister speaks the truth and we are all united and clear and happy about what he said," Hague said. "The prime minister is a great diplomat and I see that in action every day when he's dealing with foreign leaders. He is a natural at it, so I don't think you need to be worried on that score," he said.
David Miliband, who was foreign minister under the previous government, jumped on the opportunity to attack Cameron. "I think there's a big difference between straight-talking and being a loudmouth," he told BBC radio.
"It's very, very important that the prime minister ... understands we have got two ears and one mouth and it's very important to use them in that proportion."
Cameron will get a direct response from Pakistan when he hosts President Asif Ali Zardari at his Chequers country residence in Britain next week.
Asked in his interview with British broadcasters whether he regretted damaging relations with Pakistan ahead of the meeting, he said: "I don't accept that they have been damaged ... I look forward to discussing these and other issues (with Zardari)."

PM blames Pak foreign minister for talks failure

Edited by Naved Khan 8:18 AM 0 comments


New Delhi: Ticking off Pakistan's Foreign Minister S M Qureshi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said agreements had been reached on a number of issues at the recent Indo-Pak talks but the way he handled the press conference later "could have been avoided".
Singh hoped that Qureshi will accept the invitation extended to him to visit India and the two countries would be able to "restore" the dialogue process "sooner or later" and give it a "proper sense of purpose".
In his first reaction after the July 5 foreign ministerial talks which ended in sharp differences, Singh said "I believe there was agreement on large number of issues having bearing on our relations. But the way the press conference was headed at the end of the visit by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan could, I think, have been avoided." It detracted the "large elements of agreement" reached between the Foreign Ministers, he said in reply to a question at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Singh, who was asked whether he was disappointed with the failure of the talks between the two Foreign Ministers, said "I think, we are too close to events to pass a firm judgement on the outcome."
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had travelled to Islamabad for talks with Qureshi on July 15. At the press conference after the talks, Qureshi had equated the remarks of Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai on the links of ISI to the Mumbai terror attacks to the provocative speeches of Jamaat-ud-Dawa supremo Hafez Saeed.
India, UK to intensify war against terror
India and Britain vowed to further intensify cooperation in combatting terrorism. "There was agreement that terrorism constitutes the single biggest threat to the region and open pluralistic societies like ours.
We have agreed to further intensify cooperation in counter-terrorism," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters at the joint press conference with his British counterpart David Cameron who also stressed that they want to establish the strongest possible security partnership with India.
Pak should eliminate groups like LeT: Cameron
Cameron said Pakistan needs to do more to crackdown and eliminate terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operating from its territory.
"It is not acceptable, as I have said, that there should be within Pakistan existence of terror groups that cause terrorism not just within Pakistan, but also in other places in the world," said Cameron.
Cameron had said in Bangalore on Wednesday that Pakistan should stop "export of terror", which invited a furious reaction from Islamabad. On Thursday, he stood by those remarks, saying: "I believe in speaking clearly and plainly about such matters."
He said they would continue to work with Pakistan government to encourage them to crack down and take on the terror groups. Cameron specifically mentioned the LeT, which India accuses of being behind the 26/11 Mumbai attack, as being part of the terror groups operating in Pakistan.
He noted that the Britain will "continue to work with Pakistan that it does everything to crack down and eliminate groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Quetta Shura, Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban".
"We should be fair to the Pakistan government that it has taken up steps to combat terrorism," Cameron added, noting that terrorism also affected Pakistan. "But we need to go on so that we can reduce the threats of terrorism whether here in India, Afghanistan or in the streets of London."

Ins cos told to redress grievances in 14 days

Edited by Naved Khan Thursday, July 29, 2010 9:12 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: Insurance regulator IRDA on Thursday asked the insurance companies to respond to the grievances of customers within two weeks or face penal action, a move aimed at protecting the interest of policy holders.
"An insurer shall send a written acknowledgement to a complainant within three working days of the receipt of the grievance. Where the grievance is not resolved within three working days, an insurer shall resolve the grievance within two weeks of its receipt and send a final letter of resolution," IRDA said in its grievance redressal guidelines.
These guidelines would be implemented with effect from August 1, 2010. "Any failure on the part of insurers to follow the procedures and time-frames would attract penalties by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA)," the regulator said. The regulator further said where the insurer resolves the complaint within three days, it may communicate the resolution along with the acknowledgement.
The acknowledgement sent to the customer should contain the name and designation of the officer, who dealt with the grievance and should also contain the details of the insurer's grievance redressal procedure and the time taken for resolution of disputes.
"The insurer shall inform the complainant about how he/she may pursue the complaint, if dissatisfied," it added.
IRDA further said where, within two weeks, the company sends the complainant a written response of rejection of the complaint, the insurance company should also give the reasons for it.
The regulator also defined grievance and said that it should be clearly distinguished from inquiries and requests. It added that every insurer shall have a board approved grievance redressal policy, which should be filed with IRDA.
IRDA said every insurer should also have a designated grievance officer of a senior management level, which means either at the level of CEO or the compliance officer of the company.
"Every insurer shall have a system and procedure for receiving, registering and disposing off grievances in each of its offices," it added.

Sohrabuddin case: another BJP leader under probe

Edited by Naved Khan 9:11 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: Former Gujarat minister Amit Shah is under arrest for the alleged staged encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh is harassment, but the link of politicians to the murder isn't over yet.
CNN-IBN learns the CBI is investigating BJP leader Ghulab Chand Kataria, who was the Home Minister of Rajasthan in the Vasundhara Raje government, in connection with the 2005 murder of Sohrabuddin. CNN-IBN has a copy of a statement given by Azam Khan, who was in jail along with Sohrabuddin's associate Tulsiram Prajapati in Udaipur from 2005 to 2006, implicating Kataria.
Azam, in a statement to the CBI, has alleged that Prajapati and Sohrabuddin used to extort money from businessmen for Gujarat IPS officer Abhay Chudasama. Tulsiram, who died in a police encounter in December 2006, had allegedly told Khan that Kataria was paid Rs 10 crore by the owners of R K Marbles for killing Sohrabuddin. CNN-IBN has accessed a preliminary CBI probe report that mentions Kataria's alleged role in Sohrabuddin's death. The investigating agency believes that prominent marble traders, including R K Marbles, in Rajasthan were being harassed by Sohrabuddin for money and they approached Kataria in 2005 for help.
When Dinesh M N, an IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, was arrested in connection with the encounter in 2007, Kataria and the then DGP of Rajasthan flew to Gujarat to intervene on his behalf.
In the charge-sheet filed by the CBI against Shah on Friday, the role of Rajasthan police officers, who would have come under the charge of Kataria when he was the state home minister, has come in for sharp questioning. The CBI has also found that there was a nexus between the political executives of Gujarat and Rajasthan in Sohrabuddin's murder.
Kataria has rejected the allegations. "All this is wrong. This is pure political vendetta," he said.

Govt, Oppn strike deal to end House deadlock

Edited by Naved Khan 9:10 PM 0 comments


New Delhi: The deadlock over price rise in Parliament may end soon as sources tell CNN-IBN the government is ready to move a resolution expressing concern over rising prices.
Sources said the UPA government and the Opposition are working out a compromise under which a resolution will be moved in the House which will essentially express concern over rising prices and a commitment from the government to control it.
The resolution is seen as a face saver for the Opposition who have been disrupting Parliament over the issue and for the government who is seen as equally culpable for it. The Opposition has been demanding an adjournment motion and discussion on price rise which entails voting. But the ruling party has refused to allow it.
The deadlock in parliament continued on Thursday with a determined Opposition stalling both Houses and no business being transacted for the third working day of the monsoon session. Opposition parties across the spectrum protested both inside and outside the House.
A day after Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar rejected the Opposition demand for debating the issue as an adjournment motion that entails voting, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders L.K. Advani, Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj, among others, took the battle to the Rashtrapati Bhavan seeking President Pratibha Patil's intervention.
Non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) opposition parties chose to demonstrate inside the Parliament House complex. Demanding a roll-back in the hike in fuel prices, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India, along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), the AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) wanted a discussion under rules which have a specific provision for voting.
The protests were preceded by repeated disruptions in parliament, forcing the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha to be again adjourned for the day.
Vociferous protests by the opposition erupted as the two houses assembled at 11 a.m. Failing to restore order, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.
However, as the pandemonium continued when they reassembled, both houses were adjourned for the day after government papers were tabled. Amidst the bedlam, the two houses also approved the imposition of president's rule in Jharkhand.
In the Lok Sabha, angry opposition members led by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Mulayam Singh of the Samajwadi Party were on their feet as the house resumed in the morning, demanding a discussion on the price rise issue under an adjournment motion that entails voting.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal objected to the opposition's demand and stated that the government was ready for a discussion under rule 193, which does not entail voting.
"Please let question hour proceed," urged Speaker Meira Kumar but Swaraj retorted that the only issue that would be discussed in the house was the price rise.

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