Notice to Satyam ex-chief on CBI’s plea to scrap bail

The Supreme Court Friday sought Satyam Computer Services Ltd (SCS) ex-chairman B. Ramalinga Raju’s response on a petition by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking cancellation of his bail granted by Andhra Pradesh High Court.A bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Deepak Verma issued the notice after it was told that the high court had erred on several counts in granting bail to Ramalinga Raju who was accused in a conspiracy of serious and grave nature involving fudging and manipulating Satyam’s accounts.In its petition, the CBI said that Ramalinga Raju’s release on bail at this stage of trial would lead to miscarriage of justice.The petition said that the high court had misread the apex court ruling on granting bail to an accused on the grounds of period of detention and the remote possibility of conclusion of trial.In this case, the trial court is already framing the charges, it said.Ramalinga Raju and other co-accused including his brother Rama Raju are accused of fudging Satyam’s accounts and records and manipulating the bank statements, fixed deposits receipts, the liquidity status of the company and other documents relating to the company’s finances.
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Follow path of non-violence: Patil

Greeting the nation on the eve of the birth anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi, President Pratibha Patil Friday asked people to follow the path of truth and non-violence as preached by the apostle of peace.“On the occasion of the Gandhi Jayanti let us take a pledge to follow the path of truth and non-violence and dedicate ourselves towards promoting peace, tolerance and harmony and work for the progress of the nation,” she said in a statement issued here.Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated Oct 2 every  year.“Gandhiji taught us to stand resolutely against fear, to understand the importance of truth and to work for the eradication of poverty, illiteracy and discrimination,” she said. Noting that Gandhi inspired millions to unite for the cause of freedom and independence, the president said: “Let us rededicate ourselves to reflect on the life, work and message of the Father of the Nation.”
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Bulk SMS, MMS ban extended till Oct 4

The government Friday extended the ban on bulk Short Message Services (SMS) and Multi-media Messaging Services (MMS) in the country for another three days till Oct 4. The ban is to make sure that peace is maintained after the controversial Ayodhya verdict.The ban on bulk SMS, which is mainly used for marketing, has affected various information-based services such as SMS alerts on cash withdrawal and debit card spending, balance enquiry and transaction details, share-trading alerts and SMS-based Internet banking.It has resulted in inconveniences to those air and rail travellers as they are unable to get updates on travel details.Earlier, the ban was till Sep 24 to check the spread of rumours or hateful messages, which was later extended till Sep 30 again after the Supreme Court deferred the Ayodhya verdict for a week. It was again extended by a day to Oct 1.
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Process begins for withdrawing Telangana agitation cases

Hyderabad, Oct 2 : The Andhra Pradesh government has initiated the process to withdraw cases against students and others who participated in the agitations for and against separate Telangana state last year, Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy said Saturday.She told reporters here that the process for withdrawal of cases has begun at the district level.The cases would be reviewed over the next 15 to 20 days and the number of cases to be withdrawn would be known only after the process is completed. "The government will issue an order withdrawing the cases," she said.According to Reddy, police filed 1,171 cases against 5,374 people from November last year to Aug 15 this year. She said while withdrawing petty cases would not be a problem, cases relating to serious offences like attack on police, damaging buses and other public and private property would be reviewed before a decision is taken on them.The state government started the process of withdrawing cases against Telangana and Samaikyandhra (united Andhra) agitators a day after Chief Minister K.Rosaiah held high-level meeting with Sabita Reddy, Director General of Police K. Aravinda Rao and former home minister K.Jana Reddy.The decision to drop the cases was taken on the recommendation of a committee comprising Sabita Reddy and Jana Reddy.This would meet a major demand of all the political parties and groups fighting for separate Telangana state. Congress leaders from the region had even petitioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram on this last month.It was Chidambaram who had announced Dec 9 last year that cases against students and others during Telangana movement would be withdrawn. However, the cases could not be withdrawn due to various legal issues involved.More cases were later booked in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions when students and other groups took to streets and resorted to violence, opposing the demand for a separate Telangana state.
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Ramalinga Raju discharged from hospital

Hyderabad, Oct 2 : B. Ramalinga Raju, disgraced founder and former chairman of Satyam Computer Services Ltd, was Saturday discharged from a government-run hospital here.Raju, the prime accused in the multi-crore Satyam fraud case who was granted bail by Andhra Pradesh High Court Aug 18, was discharged from Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS).NIMS doctors confirmed that Raju was discharged on his request but said his condition had improved. They advised him to visit the hospital once in 15 days for regular check-ups and treatment.It is after 20 months that the former IT czar, who fell from grace after admitting India's biggest ever accounting fraud in January last year, returned home.Raju, who underwent treatment at the hospital for Hepatitis C for 10 months, cleared the hospital bill of about Rs.8 lakh.Raju was shifted from Chanchalguda Central Jail to NIMS late last year and remained in the hospital under judicial custody till Aug 18, when the court granted him bail.Even after getting bail Raju had remained in the hospital for treatment and has been attending the trial as per the bail condition. Ever since he was admitted to NIMS, Raju has been avoiding the court, delaying the commencement of the trial.The 56-year-old Raju has been in jail since January last year when he admitted to a Rs.7,800-crore accounting fraud in Satyam Computer Services Ltd, which he had founded.While resigning as chairman of the firm, he confessed on Jan 7 that the company cooked up its books, resulting in an "inflated (non-existent) cash and bank balances" over several years.Two days later he surrendered before the police and was lodged in Chanchalguda central jail here.The CBI, however, told the court in November last year that the scam is of over Rs.14,000 crore and during the hearing on his bail petition in the High Court, the prosecution said the investors suffered a loss of Rs.24,000 crore.
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Ayodhya site is Lord Ram’s birthplace: Justice D.V. Sharma

Justice D.V. Sharma, one of the three judges who delivered the Ayodhya verdict, based his order on the findings of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to say that the disputed site is the birthplace of Lord Ram.The property in the suit is the site of the birthplace of Lord Ram and the Hindus have the right to worship at the site, he said.The ASI had in a statement before the court said that the structure was a massive Hindu religious structure.Justice Sharma’s key observations are:* The disputed site is the birth place of Lord Ram.* The place of birth is a juristic person and is a deity. It is personified as the spirit of divine worshipped as birthplace of Lord Ram as a child. The spirit of divine ever remains present everywhere at all times for any one to invoke in any shape or form in accordance with his own aspirations and it can be shapeless and formless also.* The disputed building was constructed by (Mughal emperor) Babar, the year is not certain but it was built against the tenets of Islam. Thus, it cannot have the character of a mosque.* The disputed structure was constructed on the site of old structure after demolition of the same.* The idols were placed in the middle dome of the disputed structure in the intervening night of Dec 22-23, 1949.* A suit filed in 1989 by the Sunni Central Board of Waqfs, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, and others vs Gopal Singh Visharad and others and another suit filed in 1989Nirmohi Akhara and another vs Sri Jamuna Prasad Singh and others, are barred by time.* It is also established that the disputed structure cannot be treated as a mosque as it came into existence against the tenets of Islam.
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MIM to challenge Ayodhya verdict, Hyderabad calm

Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslimeen (MIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Thursday the Allahabad High Court judgment on Ayodhya was not against Muslims but his party would challenge the judgment in the Supreme Court.He called upon the community members not to get agitated.“Whatever evidence was not accepted by the Allahabad High Court would be furnished before the Supreme Court,” he said, reacting to the judgment.All India Muslim Personal Law Board assistant general secretary Moulana Abdul Rahim Qureshi also said the Board would challenge the judgment in the apex court.Communally sensitive Hyderabad remained peaceful after the judgment.Police Commissioner A.K. Khan, who went round the Old City, said the situation was peaceful.A total of 8,000 police personnel were deployed in Hyderabad. The arrangement will continue till Friday evening, police said.Home Minister P.Sabita Indra Reddy said the judgment was welcomed by all sections.“There are no aggressive reactions,” she said.
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Ayodhya was Ram’s birthplace, mosque against Islamic tenets: court

The disputed site at Ayodhya is, indeed, the birthplace of Lord Ram and Mughal emperor Babar built a mosque there against the tenets of Islam, said the majority ruling by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Thursday.“The disputed site is (indeed) the birthplace of Lord Ram,” said the brief, two-page official synopsis of the court, answering a poser: “Whether the disputed site is the birthplace of Bhagwan Ram?“The court also ruled that the place of birth must also be construed as a juristic person as also a deity. “It is personified as the spirit of divine worshipped as birthplace of Lord Rama as a child.”The verdict also sought to answer another question on whether the disputed building was a mosque, when it was built and by whom.“The disputed building was constructed by Babur — the year is not certain — but it was built against the tenets of Islam. Thus, it cannot have the character of a mosque,” the court ruled.“The disputed structure was constructed on the site of old structure after demolition of the same. The Archaeological Survey of India has proved that the structure was a massive Hindu religious structure.”According to the majority ruling, the spirit of divine remains ever present everywhere and at all times for anyone to invoke at any shape or form in accordance with his/her own aspirations.“It can be shapeless and formless also.”On the issue of the disputed site, the ruling said it is established that the property in suit is the site of the birthplace of Ram and Hindus in general had the right to worship other idols and objects of worship that existed on the property.“It is also established that Hindus have been worshipping the place in dispute as Janm Sthan (birthplace) that is a birthplace as deity and visiting it as a sacred place of pilgrimage as of right since time immemorial,” it added.“It is also proved that the outer courtyard was in exclusive possession of Hindus and they were worshipping throughout and in the inner courtyard.”
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Ayodhya security is central government’s responsibility: Mayawati

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Thursday said the central government was legally responsible for the entire security at the Ayodhya site.“I have written a letter to the prime minister immediately after the judgment,” she told reporters here after the Allahabad High Court ruled in favour of a temple at the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi site. Mayawati said the central government should now accept the responsibility for the security of the Ayodhya site and the 66 acres acquired by it.Urging the central government to inquire into delay in providing security, the chief minister said: “If there is any deterioration in law and order, it will be the responsibility of the centre.”Mayawati urged for calm in the wake of the Allahabad High Court judgment.
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Ayodhya judgment to be available online

The verdict on the Ayodhya dispute will be available on the official website of Allahabad High Court,www.allahabadhighcourt.in/ayodhyabench.html, an official said Thursday.“A special website will be made available on which the gist of the issues, the operational part of the order and the final judgment will be made available,” registrar of the Lucknow bench said in a statement released here.“Press/Media are requested not to speculate about the judgment until they have a copy of the issues answered by the court and the operational part of the order,” he added.The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court is set to give its verdict in the 60-year-old Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case.
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Ayodhya dispute: How it all began

The Babri mosque dates back nearly 500 years when it was built in Ayodhya by Mir Baqi, a commander of first Mughal emperor Babur, in 1528. Hence the mosque’s name — Babri Masjid.1853: First recorded incident of Hindu-Muslim violence over the site with Hindus alleging the mosque was built on the site of a razed Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Ram.1859: British erect a fence and allow Muslims and Hindus to worship separately in the inner and outer courtyards.1885: The dispute is dragged to court for the first time when Mahant Raghubar Das files a suit in a Faizabad court seeking permission to build a Ram temple adjoining the Babri mosque.Dec 23, 1949: About 50 Hindus allegedly sneak in idols of Lord Ram in the mosque under the central dome. This leads to daily Hindu prayers at the site. Muslims stop offering namaz.Jan 16, 1950: Gopal Singh Visharad files suit in Faizabad city court seeking exclusive rights to perform prayers for “Ram Lalla”. He also seeks judicial restraint on the removal of idols.Dec 5, 1950: Mahant Paramahans Ramchandra Das files suit to continue with the Hindu prayers and keeping the Ram idols at the Babri mosque, which he calls a “structure”.Dec 17, 1959: Nirmohi Akhara files suit seeking transfer of disputed site.Dec 18, 1961: Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Board of Waqf files suit seeking possession of Babri mosque site.1984: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) launches a campaign to open the locks of Babri mosque so as to “liberate” the birthplace of Ram and build a grand temple.Feb 1, 1986: Faizabad district judge allows Hindus to worship at the site. Locks are re-opened. Angry Muslims set up Babri Mosque Action Committee in protest.June 1989: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gives formal backing to VHP, giving renewed life to the temple movement.July 1, 1989: Fifth suit filed in the name of Bhagwan Ram Lalla Virajman.Nov 9, 1989: The Rajiv Gandhi government permits ’shilanyas’, or ground-breaking ceremony near the Babri mosque.Sep 25, 1990: BJP president L.K. Advani launcheS Rath Yatra – from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, raising passions all over the country. Communal riots follow.November 1990: Advani arrested in Samastipur in Bihar. BJP withdraws support to Prime Minister V.P. Singh, whose government is propped by Left and BJP. V.P. Singh resigns.October 1991: Kalyan Singh government in Uttar Pradesh acquires 2.77 acres of land around Babri mosque.Dec 6, 1992: Thousands massed at Ayodhya demolish the Babri mosque, triggering widespread communal riots. A makeshift Ram temple is hurriedly built. Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao vows to rebuild the mosque.Dec 16, 1992: M.S. Liberhan Commission set up to probe the circumstances leading to the mosque razing.January 2002: Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee sets up an Ayodhya Cell in his office to talk to Hindu and Muslim leaders to resolve the dispute.April 2002: Three high court judges begin hearings on determining who owns the Ayodhya site.March-August 2003: Archaeological Survey of India excavates in Ayodhya on the directions of the Allahabad High Court. It claims to have found an evidence of a temple beneath the mosque. Muslims dispute the findings. September 2003: A court rules that seven Hindu leaders should stand trial for inciting the mosque demolition.October 2004: Advani reiterates the BJP’s “unwavering” commitment to building a temple at Ayodhya.July 2005: Suspected Islamic militants attack the site, using a jeep packed with explosives. Security forces kill five attackers.June 2009: The Liberhan Commission submits report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — 17 years after its formation.September 28 : Supreme Court gives go-ahead for Allahad High Court judgement on Sep 30, rejecting appeals for deferment.
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UBF, US Consulate announce Month of Breast Cancer Awareness

Hyderabad, Sep 30 : Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation (UBF) and the US Consulate General, Hyderabad today announced a month of activities aimed at creating awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer among women in Andhra Pradesh.Speaking at a media conference, Consul General Katherine Dhanani said ''American or Indian, I don't want one more woman to die.''That's why I am participating in Sunday's Pink Ribbon Walk 2010 and I'm thrilled that US Consulate staff will be joining me. ''Our participation salutes women cancer survivors and encourages those fighting the disease not to give up. ''We walk together to show our solidarity and our commitment to spread the word about early detection''.Dr P Raghu Ram, CEO, Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, said ''As breast cancer cannot be prevented, early detection is the key.''There are only two ways for early detection of breast cancer. First, all women must be 'Breast Aware' and if they detect any changes in the breast, they should consult a specialist. 'Second, all women over the age of 40 years should have annual screening mammograms.'Detection of breast cancer at an early stage will ensure long term survival of well over 90 per cent.'' Dr Raghu Ram said as part of the campaign, other activities such as 'Paint the City Pink' are being organised. Prominent buildings such as the US Consulate General, the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly, Charminar, the Buddha Statue, Hyderabad Public School and many others would be lit pink as well as hoardings across the city.UBF is also hosting the exclusive India premiere of the Hollywood film 'One a Minute,' a global docudrama to raise funds for promoting awareness as well as supporting survivors of breast cancer. The national premiere would be held in Hyderabad on October 24, Dr Raghu Ram said.Stating the startling statistics relating to breast cancer, Dr Raghu Ram highlighted the fact that more than one million women worldwide are newly diagnosed with breast cancer annually.Worldwide, a woman dies of breast cancer every minute. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, more than half of the global cancer burden is found in underdeveloped and developing countries.
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MIM to challenge Ayodhya verdict, Hyderabad calm

Hyderabad, Sep 30: Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslimeen (MIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Thursday the Allahabad High Court judgment on Ayodhya was not against Muslims but his party would challenge the judgment in the Supreme Court.He called upon the community members not to get agitated."Whatever evidence was not accepted by the Allahabad High Court would be furnished before the Supreme Court," he said, reacting to the judgment.All India Muslim Personal Law Board assistant general secretary Moulana Abdul Rahim Qureshi also said the Board would challenge the judgment in the apex court. Communally sensitive Hyderabad remained peaceful after the judgment.Police Commissioner A.K. Khan, who went round the Old City, said the situation was peaceful.A total of 8,000 police personnel were deployed in Hyderabad. The arrangement will continue till Friday evening, police said.Home Minister P.Sabita Indra Reddy said the judgment was welcomed by all sections. "There are no aggressive reactions," she said.
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Rosaiah directs timely pension to aged, disabled

Hyderabad, Sep 30 : Chief Minister Dr K Rosaiah today asked the officials to see that the aged and disabled got their pensions and other benefits right on time.The Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh is one of the first States to give monthly pensions to the aged and disabled on a saturation basis. He said the State is the first to introduce monthly pension to all women SHG members over 60 years on a co-contributory scheme through ''Abhayahastham''. The Chief Minister said senior citizens need all the care and concern not only from the government but from the society in general and the younger generation in particular.Dr Rosaiah was talking to officials on the eve of International Day of Older Persons which is being celebrated on October one every year in pursuance of United National General Assembly resolution of December, 1990.
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SCR announces diversion of trains

Vijayawada, Sep 30 : The Vijayawada Division of the South Central Railway (SCR) today said some mail/express trains will be diverted, fully/partially cancelled from October 3 to 11 due to the commissioning of doubling line between Cuddapah and Kamalapuram and electrification work between Bhakrapet and Cuddapah.According to Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Koganti Sambasiva Rao here today, the trains diverted included Train No 2797 (Kacheguda-Chittoor) Venkatadri Express leaving Kacheguda would run via Secunderabad, Kazipet,Vijayawada,Gudur and Renigunta from October 3 to 11.Train no 2798 (Chittoor-Kacheguda) Venkatadri Express leaving Chittoor will be diverted via Renigunta, Gudur, Vijayawada, Kazipet and Secunderabad during the above period.Mr Rao said Train Nos 427/428 Guntur-Dhone-Guntur Passenger and Train No 408 Markapur Road-Guntur Passenger will be fully cancelled from October 4 to 11.Train No 407 Tenali-Markapur Road Passenger will be cancelled partially between Guntur and Donakonda from October 4 to 11, he informed.
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Dr Manmohan Singh, appeals for peace after Ayodhya verdict

Sep,29, Prime Minister Manmohan Tuesday urged the people to maintain peace and harmony after the Allahabad High Court delivers its verdict Thursday in the 61-year-old Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute in Ayodhya.“Whatever be the nature of judgment, I think everyone should make every effort to maintain peace, harmony and tranquility in the country,” Manmohan Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a book release function here Tuesday.He recalled that the appeal for peace had been mentioned in the resolution adopted by the union cabinet Sep 16.Earlier in the day, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia dismissed a petition to defer the high court judgment to facilitate attempts for an out-of-court settlement.The judgment by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court was earlier scheduled for Sep 24 but the apex court deferred it Sep 23.Last week, Home Minister P. Chidmabaram had also appealed for peace after the verdict.Both Manmohan Singh and Chidmabaram had pointed out that the high court judgment may not be the final word in the dispute as one could appeal in the apex court.The suit relates to a disputed site in Ayodhya, which Hindu groups claim to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. On Dec 6, 1992, radical Hindu activists destroyed the Babri Masjid, alleging it was built in 1528 after razing a temple there.The demolition had triggered one of the worst communal riots, resulting in the death of 2,000 people in different states.
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Maintain peace after Ayodhya verdict, urges Sonia

Sep,29, Congress president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi Wednesday asked the people to maintain peace and communal brotherhood “at any cost” after the court verdict on the “sensitive” Ayodhya dispute.“I request you to accept whatever the court’s decision will be and keeping faith in the Indian judiciary maintain peace, mutual respect and brotherhood at any cost. Emotional unity is the greatest strength of India,” Gandhi said in her appeal written in Hindi.The appeal comes after the Supreme Court Tuesday paved the way for the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute verdict to be delivered by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Thursday.“We all know that the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court will deliver its judgment on a very sensitive issue tomorrow (Thursday). We also know that we, after expressing our faith in the fairness of our judiciary, have agreed to accept the court decision, whatever it may be,” the UPA chairperson said.“This is a matter of pride for our judiciary and is also a reflection of our tolerant society,” she added.
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Apex court’s Ayodhya order welcomed by Hindus, Muslims

The Supreme Court’s decision to clear the decks for pronouncing the verdict on the decades-old Ayodhya litigation has been welcomed by all quarters – both Hindus and Muslims – here.Vinay Katiyar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice president, who is also a former BJP MP from Faizabad – Ayodhya, hailed the verdict. “It is such a big relief that the country’s highest court has turned down the plea for deferment of the verdict, which was only a conspiracy to put the issue in cold storage,” he told reporters.
Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) convenor and All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Zafaryab Jilani echoed the sentiment. “There is no doubt that some people were only interested in letting the issue linger on for several more years; but we are grateful to the honourable Supreme Court of India, which has scuttled their designs. I am sure this will make everyone happy,” Jilani told IANS over telephone from New Delhi.Ramjanmabhoomi Trust chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, who is regarded as the most respected sadhu of Ayodhya, too welcomed the apex court decision, which he felt “was clearly in the larger interest of the nation”. According to him, “haven’t we already waited long enough; remember justice delayed is justice denied”.Maulana Khalid Rasheed, the Naib Imam of Lucknow’s Eidgah and head of the city’s oldest Islamic seminary Firangi Mahal, as well as saffron-clad Swami Ram Vilas Vedanti, an aggressive member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, too welcomed the order with equal enthusiasm. “Whatever be the final court verdict, at least it is going to be open at long last,” was the common refrain of both.It was significant that both religious as well as political leaders on the two sides were particular about appealing to the masses to “maintain peace and harmony irrespective of which side the scales tilt”.The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court is to pronounce the verdict in the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi land dispute on Sep 30.This follows the Supreme Court’s rejection of a plea to postpone the verdict for a period of three months to enable rival sides to work out an out-of-court amicable settlement.
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High court rejects Kasab plea to meet lawyers in isolation

The Bombay High Court Wednesday rejected a plea of Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab for permission to consult his lawyers in isolation in the Arthur Road Central Jail premises.A division bench of the court comprising Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice V.K. Tahilramani cited grounds of security and safety of the lawyers and security personnel while declining permission, Kasab’s lawyer Farhana Shah said.“We have all options open before us. We plan to challenge this ruling in the Supreme Court soon,” Shah told emerging from the courtroom Wednesday afternoon.Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, opposing the application, Tuesday submitted to the high court a CD of an attack on a jail security personnel by Kasab in the high-security prison Sep 1.Shah had moved an application recently seeking directions to debar jail authorities from being present within earshot in the room where she discussed legal issues with Kasab.Citing the attack as a serious issue, Nikam said it was impossible for police or jail authorities to permit the Pakistani terrorist to meet his lawyers in isolation, without the presence of security officials.He had also expressed apprehension that Kasab may attack his lawyer and hence he should be allowed to discuss issues with the lawyer only in the presence of security and jail personnel.On her part, the government-appointed Shah made a strong plea, and said Kasab felt uncomfortable discussing details of his case in front of security and jail personnel.Shah also said she had no objections to the presence of security personnel as long as they remained at a distance where they could not hear her discussion with Kasab.On May 3, Special Judge M.L. Tahaliyani held Kasab guilty on five counts in the killing of 166 people during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
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Funds for Tribal hostels will be released : Andhra Pradesh CM

Hyderabad, Sep 29: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah today agreed to release funds for the improvement of tribal welfare hostels and other schemes taken up by the department.He said all Tribal Welfare institutions in the state would be renovated. Emphasis would be given to tribal welfare schools and hostels. He asked the finance department to give priority to the requirements of the Tribal Welfare Department.The Chief Minister today reviewed the functioning and various other issues pertaining to the Tribal Welfare Department with minister and officials. Dr Rosaiah also agreed to fill up the vacancies in the ITDAs and the Tribal Welfare Department on a priority basis. The Chief Minister was informed that a workshop was held in ITDA and Bhadrachalam recently to identify the gaps and interventions required for improving literacy in tribal areas. A comprehensive plan was being prepared. Meanwhile, support was sought for Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme at State Level Planning and Monitoring Unit (SPMU) on tribal education in the office of the Commissioner, Tribal Welfare. There are 1313 tribal welfare institutions with a total strength of 2,98,600 students. During 2010-11, the strength was fixed for all Tribal Welfare institutions as per existing infrastructure available. Admission to Tribal Welfare hostels during 2010-11 were being done as per a GO. In Andhra Pradesh, Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions (APTWREIs) admissions are completed as per Right To Education Act.The arrears of Post Metric scholarships has been released to the districts. During the year 2010-11, Rs 1540 lakhs provided for pre metric scholarships. Under the Tribal Welfare-NREGS convergence, 4.67 lakh acres of land was distributed to 1.65 lakh families as individual pattas under the RoFR Act, 2006. A comprehensive and systematic planning was being taken up to start land development, minor irrigation development, horticulture and plantation development.The Plan would be implemented in 2010-11 and 2011-12. The Chief Minister was informed that 25 per cent of the royalty amount collected from mining leases in tribal areas were to be spent for the welfare of tribals. The Chief Minister asked the finance department to allocate funds under the scheme to the Tribal Welfare Department.Tribal Welfare Minister P Balaraju, Adviser to CM, P K Agarwal, Special Chief Secretary, Tribal Welfare, A K Tigdi, Commissioner, Tribal Welfare, Shanthi Kumari, Principal Secretary, Finance, L V Subramaniam and other officials attended the meeting, a press release from CMO here said.
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