Quicktakes

Five more petrol pump allotments cancelledNEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today cancelled five more allotments of petrol pumps and cooking g...

Five more petrol pump allotments cancelled

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today cancelled five more allotments of petrol pumps and cooking gas dealerships which were given from the discretionary quota of then petroleum minister Satish Sharma in the former Congress government. A division bench comprising justice Y K Sabharwal and justice D K Jain termed these allotments, two of which were petrol pumps and three LPG dealerships, as quot;arbitrary and without application of mindquot;. With this a total of 118 allotments made by Sharma have been cancelled by the high court so far.

RJD attack on UF

NEW DELHI: The RJD ministers, Kanti Singh and Jai Narain Prasad, who resigned from the Gujral ministry today, labelled as quot;politicians without mass basequot; some United Front leaders, including former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.

Sex scandal

CUTTACK: The Orissa government today ordered an inquiry into the sex racket which exploited young women in the coastal Kendrapara district as one more college girl committed suicide. Ahalya Rana, 20, a student of the Balia Women8217;s College near Kendrapara town, was found hanging at her residence in Poilo village today. The scandal surfaced after Annapurna Mohanty, another college girl committed suicide after she was allegedly gang raped by a group of youths who also photographed her in the nude.

Dawood aides held

AHMEDABAD: Four alleged members of the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim gang, who were arrested in connection with the kidnapping of noted industrialist Gautam Adani, were today remanded to the police custody for eight days. The accused were arrested here on Thursday by the anti-terrorist squad of Gujarat police.

Swamy fast

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Swamy Prakasananda of Sivagiri Sree Narayana Mutt has declined to call off his indefinite fast against the government take-over of the administration of the Mutt. In a statement issued today from the medical college hospital here, to where he was removed onDecember 26 Prakasananda said it was not possible for him to end the fast in deference to requests of Chief Minister E K Nayanar as the government had not even shown the courtesy of holding a discussion on the issues involved. The swamy8217;s fast entered the 25th day today.