Nailing the Lie

The Nachiketa Kapur case gets curiouser and curiouser.

Nailing the Lie

The Nachiketa Kapur case gets curiouser and curiouser. Ever since the Wikileak disclosures about his involvement in the alleged cash-for-votes scandal,he has denied the charges while Satish Sharma has been equally vehement about his association,or lack of it,with him even claiming that he did not know Kapur. The fact is that Kapur was a prominent figure during the high-profile marriage of Sharmas son Samir last year. The wedding was attended by the Whos Who of the country,from the Gandhi family to prominent industrialists,politicians,artists and celebrities. Many guests including Sunita Kapur who posted a blog on the event,clearly remember Nachiketa Kapur and his wife Varuna being treated as close friends of the Sharmas. There is also photographic evidence available showing Nachiketa playing host at Satish Sharmas wife Sterres art exhibition in New Delhi on November 7,2010. In fact,the Kapurs were regulars on Delhis cocktail circuit,frequently spotted at the hottest parties,product launches,restaurant openings and art exhibitions. They were also known for throwing lavish parties of their own,quite a few were on behalf of the American Council of Young Political Leaders of which Nachiketa was a leading member.

No More Frills

Once bitten twice shy. Bhopals Indian Institute of Forest Management learnt this last year when at its annual convocation,Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had created quite a stir by discarding the traditional black gown and cap. He had described the robe and the hat as manifestations of barbaric colonial legacy. So when the officials of IIFM came to invite Jairam for this years convocation,slated for April 4,they were quick to emphasise that the practice of wearing the black gowns at the convocation had been discontinued. Jairam has agreed to be present again at the function along with deputy chairperson of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Clueless in Kerala

Irrespective of whether it is Assembly,Lok Sabha or local body elections,selection of candidates in the Congress in Kerala has always been a long-drawn and chaotic process. Adding to the confusion this time is a list of names that the Youth Congress has given to the state Congress leadership for consideration for the upcoming state Assembly polls. Youth Congress leaders claim the list is drawn up as a follow-up to Rahul Gandhis stress on giving representation to youth and has his consent. What is interesting is that the senior leadership from the state seem to have no clue about some of these new faces. It is learnt that when one such promising new face introduced himself to two of the top Congress leaders from Kerala who are in New Delhi for consultations with the high command and told them that he was a probable candidate for a particular seat,they looked at him blankly. They were later seen inquiring with colleagues who the person was.

Economising on justice

Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia has taken an unusual step to save precious court time. The bench headed by the CJI is currently hearing a batch of petitions led by the Rajasthan Unaided School Association challenging the Right To Education Act. Rather than the usual custom of pressing ahead with the first hearing and then issuing notices,the CJI has gone ahead and issued a circular which calls upon any interested party,state government or NGO to come forward,if they wish,to present their arguments. The circular has already been put up on all SCs various notice boards as well as the website. The idea being that interested parties should come forward rather than hearings being adjourned over and over just because fresh notices have to be issued.

Babus get busy

With slots in the highest bureaucratic positions set to get vacant soon,lobbying and heightened interest on who will make it to the coveted posts has begun. In the next couple of months among those who will be superannuating are cabinet secretary KM Chandrashekhar,foreign secretary Nirupama Rao,defence secretary Pradeep Kumar,home secretary G K Pillai,finance secretary Sushma Nath and revenue secretary Sunil Mitra. There is already speculation that 1974 batch UP cadre officer Pulok Chatterjee,whose closeness to the Gandhi family is no secret,will be returning from his World Bank assignment soon and is tipped to get an important post. There has also been talk that Chandrashekhar could be accommodated somewhere given his healthy working relationship with the PMO. All this has set the bureaucratic world abuzz with speculation and jostling has begun at all levels promising for an interesting contest this summer.

Didi calls the shots

When it comes to seat sharing and the game of who-blinks-first,women seem to drive a harder bargain. While the Congress managed to salvage their pride when it came to dealing with the DMK on seat sharing for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections,they were not so successful with Mamata Banerjee while bargaining for seats for the West Bengal polls. Didi had set a deadline of Monday 4 pm for the Congress to announce an alliance failing which the firebrand leader threatened that the Trinamool Congress would contest all seats. A jittery Congress called a hurried press conference at 3:45 pm to announce an alliance with the party contesting 65 seats. The Congress had actually been negotiating for 98 seats but settled for this humble figure sensing Didis unwillingness to yield any more.

Machhil reminder

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Keeping in mind the fragile political situation in Kashmir,the defence ministry has sent a gentle reminder to the Army to expedite the probe into the alleged fake encounter at Machhil last May. While there has been greater cohesion between the army and the defence ministry lately,a letter was sent a few weeks ago to remind the army that the probe is vital. The ministry has been holding that a clear message needs to be sent that the government is serious about tackling human rights violation issues and the best confidence building measure is always speedy justice.

Delhi Confidential appears from Monday to Saturday.