News

Rajhasthan, September 27: Three businessmen who stayed together at a hotel for two days at Sardarshahar town were founded murdered at different places in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district, police said on Monday.

The deceased included Mukesh Saini and his uncle Suraj Saini from Jaipur and Shailesh from Surat in Gujarat, Inspector General of Police(IGP) Bikaner Range, Dalpat Singh Dinkar said.

Mukesh’s body was found on the Sardarshahar-Churu highway, Suraj’s body on Dungarhgarh-Ratangarh highway, and Shailesh’s on Dungargah-Sardarshahar road, the IGP said.

Haryana, September 27: Haryana government on Monday enhanced the rate of Dearness Allowance (DA) payable to its employees from existing 35 per cent to 45 per cent, a decision that would cost the exchequer Rs 576 crore per year.

The DA would be given in cash with effect from July 1 this year, an official spokesman said on Monday.

He said the 10 per cent increase had been made in DA on the pattern of Government of India employees.

Bihar, September 27: In a major administrative reshuffle, the Bihar government on Monday notified the transfer of six IAS and 10 IPS officers at the behest of the Election Commission ahead of the state Assembly election.

Among the IAS and IPS officers, five were district magistrates and three were Superintendent of Police, respectively.

New Delhi, September 27: India to celebrate 103rd birth anniversary of one of the most adored and respected legendry freedom fighter Shaheed (Martyr) Sardar Bhaghat Singh’s on Monday.

He was hanged to death for shooting a police official. He did so as a reflex action to the killing of another freedom fighter, Lala Lajpat Rai. His urge to get the freedom made him bring an early death for himself. Bhagat Singh was also responsible in increasing socialism in India.

Raipur, September 27: Chattisgarh government has sped up the efforts to ensure safe release of four policemen in Maoists’ captivity after the extremists set a deadline of 48 hours for the state government to comply with their demands.

The state government has become active in its approach to ensure safe release of four policemen abducted by Naxals in Bijapur district eight days ago, Chattisgarh home minister Nanki Ram Kanwar said today.

New Delhi, September 27: Rejecting the report of the country’s top six academies recommending limited release of Bt Brinjal, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Monday said it did not reflect the views of the larger scientific community.

He also said that none of the states were in favour of lifting the moratorium on genetically modified crops.

Kolkata, September 27: The Press Council of India today appealed to the country’s media for restrain in reporting controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games, saying that the reports should not project the nation in a poor light.

“It is true that the media has thrown light on the inadequacies in the organisation of the Games. This has also yielded results in some cases. But the reporting should not be in a manner that disgraces the nation. We should know where to stop,” PCI Chairman Justice G N Ray told a press conference.

Jammu, September 27: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the eight-point package announced by the Centre is not Kashmir-centric and is intended to address grievances of people in Jammu and Ladakh regions also.

The chief minister also maintained that despite turmoil in the Kashmir Valley for the past over three months, the government paid due attention to development works.

New Delhi, September 27: The Supreme Court is to hear tomorrow the plea for deferment of judgement in the Ayodhya title suit and all eyes are on what Attorney General G E Vahanvati will say on the contentious issue.

Vahanvati, to whom the court has issued a notice for assistance, will appear before a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices Aftab Alam and K S Radhakrishnan.

New Delhi, September 27: The Centre has asked all states, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, to beef up security in dealing with any law and order problem that may arise in the event of the Supreme Court ordering the Allahabad High Court tomorrow to deliver its judgement on the Ayodhya title suit.

The Home Ministry has identified 32 sensitive locations across the country — four of them in Uttar Pradesh — where there is a potential to “evoke sharp reactions” following the verdict and asked states concerned to be fully alert there.

New Delhi, September 27: The Sunni Central Wakf Board Monday said the petition by retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chandra Tripathi seeking the deferment of the Allahabad High Court’s verdict in the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi title case was “untenable, misconceived and frivolous” and needed to be dismissed.

The board’s affidavit, filed in the apex court registry, also said the petitioner’s “assumption of so-called repercussions or apprehensions was totally unfounded”.

Gandhinagar, September 27: The Gujarat High Court Monday reserved its order till Oct 7 on jailed police officer N.K. Amin’s plea to turn approver in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout case.

The matter was referred to the high court by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court seeking its decision on the constitutional validity of Amin’s plea.

The CBI took the stand that it had no objection to suspended deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Amin, who is an accused in the Sohrabuddin case, becoming an approver.

Lucknow, September 27: Flood fury claimed ten more lives in Uttar Pradesh raising the death toll this monsoon in the state to 402 as army was called out today in deluge-hit Unnao and Farrukhabad districts to help in rescue and relief works.

Ten more perished in floods in different parts of the state since last evening even as major rain-swollen rivers had started receding.

The number of flood-affected districts in the state stood at 33, officials said adding relief and rescue efforts were on on a war-footing in all these places.

Ayodhya, September 27: A day before Supreme Court takes up the plea to defer the judgement in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, Ayodhya today turned into a fortress with heavy deployment of security forces.

Para military forces, along with Uttar Pradesh Police, staged a flag march in the twin towns of Ayodhya?Faizabad, where security forces have been put on high alert.

Darjeeling, September 27: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today offered to negotiate for a political solution to the Darjeeling issue.

“If you have a political grievance, then I can negotiate. I do not agree with the mode of agitation and ideology,” Banerjee told a rally here referring to a meeting yesterday with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, including its president Bimal Gurung.

New Delhi, September 27: A journalist sacked on disciplinary grounds can be deprived of gratuity even if he or she has not caused any damage/loss to the company’s property, the Supreme Court has ruled.

The apex court said that unlike the Payment of Gratuity Act of 1972, under which it is essential to prove that the employee has caused destruction/damage of property, there is no such requirement under the Working Journalists Act in order to deny the journalist of such benefit.

Patna, September 27: In a major administrative reshuffle, the Bihar government today notified the transfer of six IAS and 10 IPS officers at the behest of the Election Commission ahead of the state Assembly election.

Among the IAS and IPS officers, five were district magistrates and three were Superintendent of Police, respectively.