Briefly Nation

Meena remains Law Secretary

NEW DELHI: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet Monday cleared re-appointment of D R Meena as Law Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice. Meenas,whose one-year term ended Sunday,will remain in the post till his retirement in 2012.

Indian team to ski to South Pole

NEW DELHI: The first ever Indian expedition to the South Pole on skis was flagged off from New Delhi on Monday by Army Chief General V K Singh. A team of eight armymen will attempt to ski down the 1170 km from the coast of Antarctica to the Pole in 60 days. The team plans to reach the Pole on Army Day,January 15. The team will haul its equipment and rations weighing close to 80 kg on sledges.

Ministers wife election quashed

LUCKNOW: The State Election Commission has countermanded the election of Waqf Minister Shazil Islams wife Ayesha Islam to Bareilly panchayat after finding out that the copy of the electoral roll submitted with her nomination papers was forged,State Election Commissioner Rajendra Bhonwal said on Monday. Forged electoral rolls are a sufficient ground for countermanding an election and we have done just that. For the commission,Ayesha Islam is like any other candidate. Whether she is a ministers wife makes no difference, Bhonwal said.