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Journalism of Courage
Notice issued to DVB, police chief
The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Delhi Vidyut Board DVB and City Police Commissioner on a petition by the DVB Employees8217; Union that they were being victimised by the authorities even after calling off their pen down and tool down agitation8217;.
Posring the matter to tomorrow, Justice Jaspal Singh observed that it was not correct on the part of the DVB to precipitate the matter specially when the employees had called off the agitation.
Union8217;s counsel K.K. Sharma requested the court to issue necessary direction to the DVB and Police Commissioner not to arrest, victimise and initiate disciplinary action against office-bearers of the union and to invoke Essential Services Maintenance Act ESMA since the agitation stands called off. He alleged that even after the strike was called off an office-bearer of the union was arrested by the police, which made other office-bearers move the court apprehending arrest.
However, DVB8217;s counsel Jayant Nath made an oral statement that the Board would not victimise the workers or the office-bearers of the union.
Ground Duty Officers move court
Challenging the higher allowances given to the pilots in the Delhi High Court, the Ground Duty Officers GDOs have alleged that 8220;the government did not act on three expert committee reports recommending pay parity between pilots and ground duty officers.8221;
A committee, headed by Air Marshal Tipnis, had prepared a report in 1984 highlighting the necessity of pay parity to the technical officers and promotional aspects for the GDOs, the petitioners said.
8220;The Cohelo committee prepared another report in 1992 with regard to technical officers again reiterating the major role played by them,8221; they said. The Defence Institute of Physiology and Applied Sciences DIPAS compiled another report after a detailed study regarding the role played by technical officers and recommended that 8220;there is a strong need to have standardised salary structure, norms and procedure in the set up which must be fair.8221;
The DIPAS study said there was strong need to change the traditional attitude that 8212; 8220;I operate and you only maintain.8221; The GDOs in their petition sought pay parity on the ground that the risk factor 8220;is equally with the ground crew as in the case of pilots8221;. 8220;The vulnerable and most essential installations which aid the war like radar station, Air Traffic Control stations, communication centres, in the absence of which the aircraft are useless, are manned by the Ground Duty Officers and airmen,8221; the petitions filed by GDO stated. A Division Bench, comprising acting Chief Justice Mahinder Narain and Justice S.K. Mahajan, also issued notices to the Chief of Army staff and Naval Staff while posting the petition for further hearing on January 28.
Extradition paper of Urea scam accused being prepared
The Central Bureau of Investigation CBI is preparing the extradition papers of A.E. Pinto, the main accused under arrest in London in connection with the Rs 133-crore Urea scam. CBI sources said today that the case of Pinto, a London-based Brazilian national, who allegedly brokered the deal, was coming up in a London court on January 20.
Sources said efforts were being made to send the extradition papers soon through the Ministry of External Affairs MEA in view of the case coming up in the London court. Pinto was arrested by the Scotland Yard last month on the basis of an Interpol alert issued at the request of the CBI.
Among the other named as accused in the charge-sheet are the executives of the Turkish firm, Karsan, Tuncay Alankus and Cihan Karanci.
The other accused include B. Sanjeeva Rao, a relative of former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and Prakash Chandra Yadav, son of former chemicals and fertilizers minister Ramlakhan Singh Yadav.
13 chargesheeted in medical seat allotment case
The Central Bureau of Investigation CBI has filed chargesheets against former Tripura chief minister Sudhir Ranjan Majumdar, former Union minister Rasheed Masood and several others for their alleged role in the irregularities in the allotment of medical seats against the State quota during 1990-91.
Sources said it filed seven separate chargesheets in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate8217;s court here on December 22 and six chargesheets in the special CBI court on December 8. The two sets of chargesheets would come up for further proceedings on January 19.
