VOL: 2 ISSUE 44
20, 2009
High Court clash rocks TN Assembly
Chennai, Feb. 20 :
The issue of
violent clashes between
lawyers and police in the
Madras High Court rocked
Tamil Nadu Assembly
today with the entire
opposition demanding that
the Question Hour be
postponed to discuss it,
leading to walkout by
AIADMK and its allies and
en masse eviction of PMK
members.
As soon as the
proceedings started, the
opposition members
demanded that the
Question Hour be
postponed to discuss
yesterday's clashes in the
high court which left
scores, including a judge
and advocates and
mediapersons injured.
Speaker R
Avudiyappan declined to
postpone the question
hour, saying he would
consider the matter later
even as the AIADMK
members shouted
slogans, saying "the state
is burning". As the Speaker
stuck to his decision, the
AIADMK members staged
a walk out, followed by
members of MDMK, CPI
and CPI-M, shouting
slogans condemning the
DMK Government.
T h e P M K
members persisted with
their demand even as the
Speaker proceeded with
the question hour. As they
Chennai, Feb. 20:
The clash that
raged between the police
and the advocates last
evening in Chennai the
judiciary is shell shocked.
A holiday was declared by
the ACJ on Friday to quell
the violence.
A state wide
protest including
Pondicherry has been
lodged at various courts by
the advocates and the
violence continues
unabated at the district
kept on pressing for
postponement of the
question hour despite his
repeated pleas, the
Speaker ordered the
ward and watch staff to
remove the slogan-
shouting PMK members.
The AIADMK members
later returned to the
House.
When the
AIADMK and its allies
came back to the house,
the question hour ended
by that time and the
speaker responding to a
call attention motion
given notice by members
of various parties on the
court campus violence,
asked law minister
duraimurugan to make a
statement on the issue
under rule 110.
Objecting to
this, the AIADMK
members and their allies
were on their feet
insisting for a debate.
The speaker
said no debate could be
allowed on rule 110.
Noisy scenes prevailed
as the opposition stuck to
its demand. As the
opposition persisted with
the demand and
disrupted the house
proceedings, the
speaker directed the
marshalls to evict them.
As the entire Opposition
was evicted, members of
the Congress party,
which had been
Advocates continue their protest
courts.
The joint action
committee of the
representatives of
various Advocates
association has
condemned the police
excesses and insisted on
the dismissal of the
police personnel
involved in the clash from
service.
They have
given a strike call till the
police personnel are
brought to books. It may
providing outside
support to the DMK
Government, were only
present in the House.
Making the
statement, Mr
Duraimurugan narrated
the sequence of the
incidents and said Chief
Minister M Karunanidhi,
who was recuperating in
a hospital following a
s p i n e s u r g e r y, h a d
already announced that
his government would
refer the matter for a CBI
probe.
The Chief
Minister has given his
consent for a CBI probe
and the Central
Investigation Agency
would probe the matter.
Consequent to
the Chief Minister's
announcement, the
investigation into the
case would be referred to
the CBI.
Mr Duraimurugan said
various forms of agitation
had been taking place in
Tamil Nadu over the Sri
Lankan Tamils issue over
the last few days and the
advocates too were
o r g a n i s i n g
demonstrations to voice
their concern for the
Tamils.
During the
agitation, effigies and
portraits of national
leaders were burnt and
statues were damaged
and defiled and the
Shell shocked judiciary in a stand still
be noted that the district
courts are already on
protest till Feb. 27
condemning the new
criminal code.
A road roko was
staged at Tirunelveli by
the advocates
demanding the arrest of
Tamil Nadu DGP.
Effigy of Dr.
Subramaniam Swamy
was burnt at Coimbatore.
Reports of road roko and
violent incidents were
pouring in from the
government had been
taking steps against the
culprits.
At a time when
the advocates were
continuing their agitation
for the Lankan cause,
some lawyers hurled
rotten eggs on Janata
Party President
Subramanian Swamy
when he came to the
court to implead himself
in the case filed against
the government take
over of the Lord Natraja
T e m p l e a t
Chidambaram.
M r
Duraimurugan said soon
after the incident, Mr
Karunanidhi deputed
senior police officials to
meet Acting Chief
Justice of Madras High
Court Justice S J
Mukhopadhaya and
assured him that
necessary action would
be taken. The Chief
Minister also summoned
the CB-CID Chief to the
hospital, where he was
convalescing after a
surgery, spoke to Dr
Swamy and expressed
regret for the incident.
T h e L a w
Minister said one person
was arrested in
connection with the
assault on Dr Swamy on
February 18 and
remanded in Judicial
custody.
At this stage, a
districts condemning the
attack on advocates
Meanwhile
unconfirmed reports
from police said cases
have been registered
against 200 advocates
involved in the clash.
All India Bar
Council has convened a
meeting tomorrow to
discuss .the High Court
clash
A group of
about 200 advocates
tried to lay seige to the
Feb.
group of advocates (police and advocates)
involved in the Swamy also sustained injuries in
assault case, filed a the violent clashes, he
complaint against Dr added.
Swamy under the Following this the
Protection of Civil Rights Chief Minister deputed the
Act alleging abuse of a Chief Secretary, Home
dalit lawyer, using his Secretary, DGP and senior
caste name. police officials to meet Mr
The advocates Mukhopadhaya, and
said they
could be
arrested
a f t e r
registerin
g an FIR
against
D r
S w a m y.
''After the
FIR was
filed at the
H i g h
C o u r t
Police
Station,
t h e
advocate
s insisted
that Dr
Swamy
should be
arrested
f i r s t
before they were police force was withdrawn
arrested''. from the High Court
A wordy duel complex at the request of
ensued between the the Acting Chief Justice.
police and the advocates Mr Karunanidhi
and it snowballed into a wrote a letter from his
major violence in which hospital bed to the Acting
Justice Arumuga Chief Justice and also
Perumal Adityan was agreed for a CBI probe into
injured and the police the clashes, Mr
station was torched. Duraimurugan said.
People from both sides
Secretariat demanding the arrested of police
the arrest of people personnel involved in the
involved in yesterday's clash, however the director
clash. However they General of Police has said
were stopped near the that the Government has
War Memorial. Over 100 order a probe into
advocates have be Yesterday’s incident and
arrested. Security has the Government take
been beefed up near the necessary action
Secretariat and traffic according to the probe
has been crippled. findings.
Madras High
Court Advocates - Staff Reporter
Association President
Mr. Prabakaran
meanwhile demanded
Page 2 Times Chennai E-Paper Feb. 20, 2009

Karunanidhi seeks CJ's

HC orders CBI probe into
clash between lawyers and police
Chennai, Feb. 20
The Madras High
Court Thursday night
ordered a Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI)
probe into the clash
between lawyers and
police in the court complex,
on Thursday evening.
Acting Chief
Justice S J Mukhopadhya
ordered the CBI probe after
t h e Ta m i l N a d u
government gave its
consent for it.
Mr Justice
Mukhopadhya gave the
order acting on a batch of
petitions presented before
ACJ appoints 3 committees to
him by senior advocate
Ms Vaigai and 30 others,
who sought a CBI probe
into the violent incident,
in which a judge of the
High Court and more
than 20 people, including
lawyers, police and
journalists were injured.
Tr e a t i n g t h e
petitions as Public
Interest Litigations, the
acting CJ asked the
Government pleader,
whether the government
was willing for a CBI
probe.
After the
government pleader
cooperation to ascertain facts
consulted with the Chennai, Feb. 20 : Mukhopadhya, the Chief travelling in an ambulance
government and gave Ta m i l N a d u Mini ster, who is if Mr Mukhopadhya wished
the consent, the judge Chief Minister M recuperating in a hospital to see him.
ordered the CBI probe. Karunanidhi on Thursday after a spine surgery, said Mr Karunanidhi
E a r l i e r, t h e sought the cooperation of he had deputed the Chief also held discussions with
acting CJ held Secretary, Home his senior cabinet
discussions with state Secretary and the colleagues at the Hospital
Chief Secretary, Home DGP to find out about the violent incidents
Secretary and Director who was at fault, that took place in Madras
General of Police, the advocates or High Court and its Bench in
deputed by Chief Madurai. Among those who
the police and
Minister M Karunanidhi were present in the
ascertain the
to ascertain the basic discussions were finance
causes that led to basic causes,
which led to the minister K Anbazhagan,
violence between the
police and the lawyers. situation. electricity minister Arcot N
-Agencies Pointing out that Ve e r a s a m y, L o c a l
unprecedented Administration Minister M K
violence had Stalin and law minister
taken place, Mr Duraimurugan.
Karunanidhi said,
''Your cooperation
M
Duraimurugan, who was
r

assess damage in violence is very essential to

Chennai, Feb. 20 :
The Acting Chief
Justice(ACJ) of Madras
High Court S J
Mukhopadhya on
Thursday night appointed
three committees to
assess the extent of
damage caused in the
violence in the court
campus, even as the
Tamil Nadu government
offered to order a CB-
CID probe into the
incidents.
On a plea
moved by a Senior
woman advocate Ms
Vaigai seeking a CBI
probe into the violence,
Justice Mukhopadhya
formed three committees
comprising all the
Registrars of the High
Court.
J u s t i c e
Mukhopadhya, while
stating that the
government has offered
for a CB-CID probe,
directed Police not to
arrest any lawyers
allegedly involved in the
me and for this
away in Vellore, was
summoned by the Chief
violence. Government. I am Minister for discussions.
H e a l s o expecting your A statement about
declared a holiday for all v a l u a b l e the incident and the
acting Chief Justice of
the courts in the State suggestions to contain Government's views is
t o m o r r o w, i n c l u d i n g Madras High Court to
ascertain the basic this violence and ensure likely to be tabled in the
Tribunals. state Assembly tomorrow,
Under the reason for the justice is done and peace
unprecedented violence is restored.'' Mr official sources said.
instructions from the
State Government, the in the court campus. Karunanidhi said though - Agencies
Chief Secretary, Home In a letter to he was in hospital, he
Secretary and the DGP J u s t i c e S J was prepared to meet the
met Mr Mukhopadhya in acting Chief Justice by
his Chamber and
summoned the Chennai
C i t y P o l i c e
Commissioner K
Radhakrishnan.
After the arrival
of Mr Radhakrishnan,
detailed discussions
were held about the
incidents. The meeting,
in which several judges
participated, lasted for
two hours.
- Agencies

Dismiss DMK government:

Opposition parties demand
Chennai, Feb. 20 :
Opposition
parties in Tamil Nadu
demanded that the Centre
must dismiss the ruling
DMK government by
invoking Article 356
alleging breakdown of law
and order in the wake of
large-scale violence in the
Madras High Court
complex on Thursday.
In a statement
here, Leader of the
Opposition and AIADMK
General Secretary J
Jayalalithaa alleged that
unprecedented violence
had taken place in the High
Court complex and blamed
police for the violent
incidents.
''There cannot be
any other classic example
for the breakdown of law
and order than the violent
incidents in the High court
complex today. There is no
safety for judges, political
party leaders and
advocates in the state'',
she added.
''If the place of
Justice can become a
place for violence, where
will the general public go
to seek justice'', she
asked.
The public were
dumb-founded as the
courts were being
attacked, the police
station, which protects
the law and order was set
on fire and the media,
which disseminates the
news to the public were
also attacked, she said.
''This showed
that jungle rule prevails in
Tamil Nadu and there is
enough ground for the
Centre to invoke Article
356 and dismiss the
ruling DMK'', she
charged.
AIADMK's ally,
MDMK also condemned
the violence in the High
Court complex and
demanded that Chief
Minister M Karunanidhi
should step down owning
moral responsibility.
In a statement
here, MDMK General
S e c r e t a r y Va i k o
d e m a n d e d t h e
suspension of the state
Chief Secretary, Home
Secretary and the
Director General of
Police as they should
own the responsbility for
the violence.
Demanding a
judicial inquiry into the
incidents, he said ''the
Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court himself
should head the probe'',
he added.
Condemning
the incidents, CPI(M)
State Secretary N
Varadharajan demanded
legal action against the
police personnel who
were responsible for the
incident.
Leaders of
other political parties also
condemned the violence
and demanded action
against the police
personnel.
The All India
Lawyers Forum also
condemned the violence
in the High court campus.
- Agencies
Feb. 20, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper Page 3
Mayhem in High Court complex

Advocates, police clash at Madras HC; Judge among injured

Chennai, Feb. 20
A judge of the Madras High Court was among several persons injured while a police station was set ablaze as stone-pelting lawyers and the police, who resorted to
lathicharge, clashed on Thursday inside the court premises which turned into a virtual battlefield.
Justice A C Arumugaperumal Adityan, one of the judges deputed by the Acting Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya to help restore order, was injured in the stone throwing
inside the historic century-old premises and admitted to hospital.
Police resorted to lathicharge to quell the violence in which an unspecified number of police personnel and advocates including some women were injured, some of
them seriously.
Some injured lawyers had blood streaming over their faces.

Four-wheelers parked inside the High Court premises were damaged while
some two-wheelers and bicycles set ablaze in the clashes. A police outpost located in the premises was also targeted and set on fire.
Police arrested some 13 lawyers in connection with the attack on Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy in the court on Tuesday. This sparked off the protest by the
advocates who resented the police action.
A large number of advocates started pelting stones at the police prompting the police to wield their batons. Anticipating violent protests, the police turned up in large
strength. Stones were also hurled at the advocates.
The lawyers rushed to the chambers of the Acting Chief Justice and demanded that action be taken against police. A group of advocates injured in the clashes were
paraded before Justice Mukhopdhayaya following which he deputed some judges to inspect the area. Advocates shouted slogans in his chambers demanding immediate action
against the policemen.
Some media personnel were also injured in the clashes. Around the time when the lawyers were meeting Justice Mukhopdhayaya another bout of clashes broke out
between the advocates and police. Several advocates and policemen were injured, some seriously, eyewitnesses said.
The deputed judges had to wade through protesting lawyers, some of whom pelted stones. In the melee, Justice Adityan was injured while Justice Mukhopdhayaya
made a vain attempt to restore order.
The torching of the police outpost provoked the police to retaliate with lathicharge and they lobbed tear gas shells.
The Swift Action Group, Rapid Action Force and Commando force were requisitioned to restore normalcy. City Police Chief K Radhakrishnan rushed to the court.
Some order was restored after a three-hour pitched battle between the advocates and police.
Page 4
22 universities across India fake,
UP tops at 9: UGC
Jhajjar, Feb. 20
There are a total
of 22 fake universities
functioning across the
country with Uttar Pradesh
having as many as nine of
such institutions and Delhi
running a close second
with six, says a UGC
report.
The University
Grant Commission (UGC)
recently released a list of
22 fake universities that
have reportedly been
f u n c t i o n i n g i n
contravention of the UGC
Act in different parts of the
country.
Uttar Pradesh led
the chart with nine fake
universities followed by
national capital Delhi that
has six. One each in Bihar,
Karnataka, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
and West Bangal have also
been declared fake by the
UGC.
B e s i d e s ,
recognition of degrees like
B Ed/ M Ed awarded by the
Bhartiya Shiksha
Parishad, Lucknow is still
sub judice.
A s f a k e
institutions are not created
through legislation, many
of them could be registered
as societies under the
Societies Registration Act
with the object of running
educational programmes
and conferring degrees,
Nagpur to be country's first solar city
New Delhi, Feb 20
The government
would declare Nagpur as
the country's first city
where a part of power
demand will be met
through renewable
sources of energy like solar
energy under a
programme, which was
unveiled on Thursday.
"Nagpur in
Maharashtra became the
first solar city in the country,
under a programme of
development of solar cities
Parents must pay maintenance
to minors: Bombay HC
Mumbai, Feb. 20
Minor children are
entitled to maintenance
from either or both of their
parents, the Bombay high
court has ruled. A division
bench of Justices B H
Marlapalle and D G Karnik
recently asked a leading
Pune-based surgeon who
is involved in a matrimonial
dispute with his estranged
sources said.
According to
the UGC Act, only those
universities that have
been established under
an Act of Parliament or
state legislature or
granted a deemed
university status under
Section 3 of the UGC Act
are entitled to call
themselves universities
and confer degrees.
Contravention
of these provisions of
Section 22 and 23 of the
UGC Act attract penalty
under Section 24 of the
Act.
The universities
that have been declared
fake in Uttar Pradesh are
M a h i l a G r a m
Vidyapith/Vishwavidyala
ya, Prayag (Allahabad);
Indian Education Council
of UP (Lucknow); Gandhi
Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag
(Allahabad); National
University of Electro
Complex Homeopathy
(Kanpur); Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose
University (Open
University), Achaltal
( A l i g a r h ) ;
Vishwavidyalaya, Kosi
Kalan (Mathura);
Maharana Pratap
Shiksha Niketan
Vishwavidyalaya
( P r a t a p g a r h ) ;
Indraprastha Shiksha
Parishad, Institutional
Area Khoda, Makanpur
being launched on
thursday" an official
statement said.
The Ministry of
New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE)
proposed to develop 60
such cities during the
current Plan period
(2007-12). At least one
city in each state to a
maximum of five cities in
a state will be supported
by MNRE, it said.
Nagpur will
become model solar city
wife to shell out the
money that was spent on
the maintenance of their
two daughters.
"A Hindu is
bound to maintain his
legitimate or illegitimate
children and a child may
claim maintenance from
his or her father or
mother so long as the
child is a minor," said the
Times Chennai E-Paper
(Noida) and Gurukul
Vishwavidyala
(Vridanvan).
F a k e
institutions in Delhi are
Varanaseya Sanskrit
Vishwavidyalaya,
Va r a n a s i , J a g a t p u r i
(Delhi); Indian Institute of
S c i e n c e a n d
Engineering (New
Delhi); Commercial
University Ltd,
Daryaganj (Delhi);
United Nations
University (Delhi);
Vocational University
(Delhi) and ADR-Centric
Juridical University,
Rajendra Place (New
Delhi).
B e s i d e s ,
M a i t h i l i
University/Vishwavidyal
aya, Darbhanga (Bihar);
Badaganvi Sarkar World
Open University
E d u c a t i o n S o c i e t y,
Gokak, Belgaum
(Karnataka); St John's
University, Kishanattam
(Kerala); Kesarwani
Vi d y a p i t h , J a b a l p u r
(Madhya Pradesh); Raja
A r a b i c U n i v e r s i t y,
Nagpur (Maharashtra);
DDB Sanskrit University,
Putur, Trichi (Tamil
Nadu) and Indian
Institute of Alternative
Medicine (Kolkata) have
also been declared fake.
- Agencies
by 2012 under the
scheme. Up to 10 per
cent of the city's power
consumption is targeted
to be met through
renewable energy
efficiency measures.
Financial
support up to a maximum
of Rs 9.50 crore will be
made available to each
of the model cities, which
would be developed to
set an example for others
to follow.
- Agencies
judges quoting
provisions in the Hindu
Adoptions and
Maintenance Act. Under
the law, a person has to
maintain a girl child until
she gets married or is
able to maintain herself
out of her own earnings
or property.
- TNN
Sustaining high living standard
no cause for maintenance: Court
New Delhi:, Feb. 20
Sustaining a
high standard of living is
no ground for seeking
maintenance from an
estranged spouse. This
is what a Delhi court told
a woman who had
sought a maintenance of
Rs 1 lakh per month from
her husband after the
couple separated within
a year of their marriage.
The woman,
who has a permanent
job, had sought the
allowance "to maintain
the same standard of
life". Dismissing her plea,
the court said that her
income cannot be
termed insufficient for
maintaining herself.
"The provision
(of maintenance) cannot
be resorted to by one of
the litigating parties to
enrich itself at the cost of
the other.... The applicant
2,500 languages threatened with
extinction: UNESCO
Paris, Feb. 20
Of the 6,900
languages spoken in the
world including those
spoken in India, some
2,500 are endangered,
the UN's cultural agency
UNESCO said on
Thursday as it released
its latest atlas of world
languages.
That represents
a multi-fold increase from
the last atlas compiled in
2001 which listed 900
languages threatened
with extinction.
India tops the
list of countries with the
was doing the same job
during the golden days of
their matrimonial life,
hence it cannot be
concluded that her status
i s r e d u c e d n o w, "
additional district judge
Rajender Kumar Shastri
said.
In her petition,
the woman said her
husband earned Rs
78,396 per month while
she, as a government
school teacher, had a
salary of Rs 19,000.
Seeking maintenance
under Section 24 of the
Hindu marriage act, the
woman claimed that she
was entitled to lead a life
of similar standard and
status as she was
leading in the
matrimonial house
before separation. The
woman also demanded
Rs 55,000 as litigation
expenses from her
greatest number of
endangered languages,
196 in all, followed by the
United States which
stands to lose 192 and
Indonesia, where 147 are
in peril.
Australian
linguist Christopher
Moseley, who headed the
atlas' team of 25 experts,
noted that countries with
rich linguistic diversity
like India and the United
States are also facing the
greatest threat of
language extinction.
The world has
lost Manx in the Isle of
Feb. 20, 2009
husband.
The court took a
strong view on the demand
for dividing the income of
both parties equally, saying
that though the provision
obliged the court to do so, it
doesn't mean "that income
of both parties is to be
equalized by applying an
electronic scale".
ADJ Shastri said,
"The object of the provision
(Section 24 of Hindu
marriage act) to provide
maintenance to one of the
litigating spouses...is to
provide financial
assistance to the indigent
spouse to maintain herself
during the pendency of the
proceedings and also to
have sufficient funds to
carry on the litigation."
T h e c o u r t
directed the man to give his
estranged wife Rs 20,000
as cost of litigation.
- TNN
Man, Ubykh in Turkey and
last year Alaska's last
native speaker of Eyak,
Marie Smith Jones, died,
taking the aboriginal
language with her.
Still there is
disheartening news. There
are 199 languages in the
world spoken by fewer
than a dozen people,
including Karaim which
has six speakers in
Ukraine and Wichita,
spoken by 10 people in the
US state of Oklahoma.
- Agencies
Feb. 20, 2009
Sonia's poll war team: Azad
back as GS, K C Deo dropped
New Delhi, Feb 20:
Senior leader
Ghulam Nabi Azad was on
Thursday night brought
back as Congress General
Secretary, V Kishore
Chandra Deo dropped
from the post and
Karnataka leader
Mallikarjun Kharge
inducted into CWC in a
major reshuffle of AICC as
party chief Sonia Gandhi
readied her "war team"
ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
Gandhi gave
Azad the charge of
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Orissa and Puducherry
and retained M Veerappa
Moily in charge of Andhra
Pradesh and Assam while
Digvijay Singh in charge of
Uttar Pradesh.
I n t h e
reconstituted AICC, youth
leader Rahul Gandhi
continued with his charge
of Youth Congress and
NSUI.
Mohsina Kidwai,
the only woman General
Secretary, has been given
the charge of Punjab,
Himachal Pradesh, Kerala,
C h a n d i g a r h ,
Lakshadweep and Mahila
Congress while Mukul
Wasnik will be in-charge of
party affairs in Delhi,
Rajasthan and also Sewa
Dal.
Prithviraj Chavan
will continue to be AICC
General Secretary in-
charge of Jammu and
Kashmir. In addition, he
has been made the party
in-charge of Haryana.
J a n a r d a n
Dwivedi will continue to
look after Organisation. He
also gets new charges like
organisational election,
training and programme
co-ordination.
B K Hariprasad
will be the new party in-
charge of Madhya
Identification parade futile if
accused known to witness: SC
New Delhi, Feb 20:
A t e s t
identification parade (TIP)
of an accused is not
required in cases in which
he or she is known to
witnesses, the Supreme
Court has held.
The bench
passed the observation
while setting aside the
acquittal order passed by
the Allahabad High Court
against Sukhpal Singh and
four others accused of a
double murder while
committing dacoity in
September 1979 in Aligarh.
"The High Court
failed to appreciate that in
this case, the test
Pradesh. He will continue
to look after his
assignment of Gujarat.
Dropped as
party in-charges are Ajay
Maken, who was looking
after Jharkhand and
Orissa, Arun Kumar, in
charge of Tamil Nadu,
and Kishore Chandra
Deo who was in charge of
programme monitoring.
Deo, Kumar and Maken
will be contesting Lok
Sabha polls and AICC
sources made it clear that
their responsibilities have
been to enable them to
focus on polls.
Deo, however,
was retained as a
member of CWC. Former
Chief Ministers Vilasrao
D e s h m u k h o f
Maharashtra and
Luizinho Faleiro of Goa
and former Andhra
Pradesh PCC Chief K
Keshav Rao have been
made permanent invitees
to CWC.
The newly
constituted AICC has as
many as 38 secretaries,
apart from 9 general
secretaries. There are 22
members in CWC and 17
permanent invitees and 4
special invitees in CWC.
M o t i l a l Vo r a
continues to be the
treasurer but gets
another responsibility as
party in-charge of
administration.
V Narayansamy
will continue to be the
AICC General Secretary
in-charge of Chhattisgarh
along with Arunachal
Pradesh, Nagaland and
Tripura.
A K Antony
remains in-charge of
Maharashtra where
Sharad Pawar-led NCP is
posing problems in seat-
sharing talks.
Senior leader R
identification parade
(TIP) was not required as
the accused were
otherwise known to the
witnesses.
"The conduct of
test identification parade
depends on the facts and
circumstances of each
case," a bench of
Justices Dalveer
Bhandari and Harjit
Singh Bedi observed.
The accused
armed with firearms
while looting houses
killed two persons Hiralal
and Aidal Singh and
injured two others,
Longshree and Chandan
Gir. The injured later
Times Chennai E-Paper
K Dhawan has been
made in-charge of
Uttarakhand while Oscar
Fernandes will be in-
charge of AICC meetings
and sessions.
With not much
time at hand, Gandhi also
constituted the
Screening Committees of
all the states to select the
party candidates for the
Lok Sabha elections.
External Affairs
Minister Pranab
Mukherjee will be the
Chairman of the
Screening Committee of
Andhra Pradesh and
Assam.
Former Home
Minister Shivraj Patil will
be the Chairman of the
Screening Committee of
Arunachal Pradesh,
Chhatisgarh, Nagaland
and Tripura.
Senior leader
Janardhana Poojary will
be the Screening
Commitee Chairman of
Goa, Gujarat, Himachal
Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh.
Satyavrat
Chaturvedi, who was
dropped as AICC
spokesman last month in
the wake of his remarks
against SP leader Amar
Singh, continues to be a
permanent invitee to
CWC and has also been
made head of the
Departments and Cells of
AICC apart from being in-
charge of the Screening
Committee for Delhi.
Maken was
made a member of the
Screening Committee for
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
headed by Union Minister
Sushil Kumar Shinde.
Arun Kumar, in-
charge of Tamil Nadu, is
also not in the list of new
in-charges of states.
-Agencies
gave witnesses accounts
and the sessions court
convicted and sentenced
the accused to life
imprisonment.
However, the
Allahabad High Court
rejected the testimony of
the two injured victims
and held that no test
identification parade was
conducted and, hence,
the accused should be let
off.
Aggrieved by
the acquittal, the State
Government filed the
appeal in the apex court.
-Agencies
Mumbai police gets 26/11
evidence from FBI
Washington, Feb. 20
The Mumbai
police has obtained
"crucial evidences" from
the FBI that points that
the plot to execute the
26/11 terror attack was
hatched in Pakistan.
The three-
member team led by
Mumbai Police Deputy
Inspector General Deven
Bharti received the
evidences that also
include the information
collected by the FBI,
which it had gathered by
sending its team to
Pakistan.
T h e s e
evidences, ranging from
details of Voice Over
Internet Protocol (VoIP),
satellite phones used by
terrorists, exchange of
emails, intercepts and
forensic examination of
bullets used by attackers
and others substantiates
the links between the
terrorists and their
Why TN lawyers strike frequently,
asks Supreme Court
New Delhi, Feb.20
The Supreme
Court on Thursday asked
Tamil Nadu lawyers why
they were striking work at
the drop of a hat on
issues ranging from
changes in criminal laws
to the plight of Tamils in
Sri Lanka.
A bench of Chief
J u s t i c e K . G .
Balakrishnan issued
notices to the Madras
High Court and various
advocates' bodies in the
state, including the
Madras Bar Association
and the Bar Council of
Tamil Nadu.
The bench
which also included
Justices J.M. Panchal
and Asok Kumar
Ganguly, issued notices
on a lawsuit by R.
Murlidharan, a professor
of the Indian Institute of
Management (IIM),
Bangalore, who
approached the apex
court questioning the
advocates' commitment
to their profession.
A former law
professor of the
Bangalore-based
National Law School,
Murlidharan also alleged
t h a t Ta m i l N a d u
advocates have allowed
the courts in the state to
function for only nine
days this year so far.
The bench
issued notices hours
before lawyers in
Chennai protested
violently and clashed with
police following arrest of
handlers in Pakistan.
The evidences
also include the
information collected by
the FBI, which it had
gathered by sending its
team to Pakistan.
The Mumbai
police team left for India
yesterday. It had come to
Washington to hand over
a Letters Rogatory
issued by a Mumbai
court and vetted by the
Ministry of External
Affairs to the US
Department of Justice in
Washington.
FBI's help had
been sought in sharing
the proofs like call details
made through VoIP and
from the satellite phone
besides getting the
documents related to
Global Positioning
System used by the
terrorists while sailing
from Karachi.
Backed up by
its state of the art
13 lawyers. The arrests
came after a group of
lawyers threw rotten
eggs on Janata Party
president Subramanian
Swamy inside the
Madras High Court
where he had gone to
argue on his lawsuit.
The advocates
thrashed Swamy after
shouting many
derogatory slogans, said
a Madras High Court
order, a copy of which
was also sent to the Chief
Justice of India.
Murlidharan
had come to the apex
court invoking his right to
move it directly in case of
violation of one's
fundamental right, which
includes his right to fair
trial and court
proceedings.
Like Swamy, the
IIM professor too was not
allowed to argue his case
in a lower court of
Chennai earlier during
the lawyers' strike in the
state.
"There have
been instances of
individual lawyers having
been tonsured for
appearing in courts
during the strike against
the dictates by the
lawyers' bodies," he said.
Murlidharan
listed some of the dates
on which the advocates
called for the strike in the
state - the Madras Bar
Association called for
state-wide strike for one
day to several days from
Jan 29, Feb 9, and Feb
Page 5
technological equipments,
the FBI is believed to have
got minute details of the
voice over internet protocol
services and satellite
phones, which the
terrorists used to call up
their bosses in Pakistan.
The forensic
examination of the bullets
used by the terrorists in
Mumbai was also a part of
the evidence gathered
from FBI by Mumbai
Police.
The evidence
from FBI is expected to
make the case water-tight
as this kind of proof would
further nail Pakistan's
claims that the conspiracy
behind 26/11 was not
hatched in that country
alone.
India and the
United States share a
Mutual Legal Assistance
Treaty (MLAT) which came
into effect on December 3,
2005.
-Agencies
10 among other dates.
"Advocates
increasingly and frequently
go on strike in Tamil Nadu
and the work is repeatedly
paralysed at the Madras
High Court and its Madurai
bench besides lower courts
all through the state," said
Murlidharan.
He also pleaded
to the apex court to call for
a report from the Madras
High Court on the number
of judicial days lost due to
lawyers' strikes.
"There is an
increasing trend of
politicisation of bar in the
state accompanied with
violent tendencies," said
Murlidharan.
For example, he
mentioned, several
advocates ransacked
shops around the Madras
High court while in another
incident they highjacked a
bus and took it to the
Shastri Bhawan to protest
against the self-immolation
by a youth to demand
welfare of Tamils in Sri
Lanka.
-Agencies
For
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Page 6
Business
Govt may forfeit 6.5 L frozen
demat accounts
New Delhi, Feb. 20
The government
could soon get its hands on
almost Rs 9,000 crore at a
time when any extra
money for the exchequer is
like manna from heaven.
The bonanza will come its
way thanks to a move to
track unaccounted money
started in 2006.
The money in
question is Rs 8,800 crore
frozen in at least 6.50 lakh
demat accounts after all
efforts to trace the
beneficiaries have failed.
All these demat accounts
have been frozen since
2006, when Sebi had set a
deadline of December that
year for all account holders
trading in shares to give
details of their PAN.
Initially, the total
number of demat accounts
frozen was as high as 40
lakh having deposits of
more than Rs 638,318
c r o r e . H o w e v e r, b y
Country's fuel demand up merely
2% in Jan; LPG consumption dips
New Delhi, Feb 20:
M i r r o r i n g
slowdown in the economy,
India's fuel demand grew
by just 2.3 per cent in
January with domestic
LPG consumption
recording a negative
growth rate, the first in
many years.
Fuel consumption
rose 2.3 per cent to 11.7
million tonnes in January
compared with 11.44
million tonnes a year ago,
according to the data
available from the Oil
Ministry.
LPG demand
slipped 1.5 per cent to 1.05
million tonnes against 1.07
million tonnes in January
FIEO seeks govt intervention
to settle losses
New Delhi, Feb 20:
E x p o r t
organisation FIEO has
sought government
intervention for amicable
settlement of thousands of
crore of losses suffered by
exporters on account of
derivatives trade.
"The government needs to
instruct banks through RBI
to solve this issue on the
basis of no-profit no-loss
basis," it said adding,
"Wherein the exporters
would be made to pay back
whatever profits, if any,
accrued to them through
the forward contract and
further the banks should
January 31 this year, the
authorities were able to
trace most of them
except 6.50 lakh
individuals and entities
who have refused to
claim their deposits.
T h e I - T
department has been
investigating many of
these unknown entities
having more than Rs 10
crore each in their
account. A senior I-T
official said thousands of
such accounts have been
identified and the probe
may lead to their
involvement in
irregularities or simply a
case of tax evasion.
Meanwhile,
responding to a
parliamentary question,
finance minister Pranab
Mukherjee on Thursday
said that the government
is considering a proposal
to "declare all frozen
accounts as unclaimed,
2008 while diesel, the
most consumed fuel in
the country, recorded a
2.1 per cent expansion at
4.39 million tonnes.
Transporters'
strike and petrol pumps
keeping low inventory in
anticipation of a fuel price
cut were the main
reasons for lower diesel
demand growth, an
official said, adding, that
this also led to lower LPG
sales.
Jet fuel or ATF
sales declined 9.5 per
cent to 3, 80,700 tonnes,
and reflecting slowdown
in the aviation sector.
Oil product
exports, that now are the
not claim any loss out of
it".
This could be made valid
for those forward
contracts entered into
between April 2007 and
June 2008, Federation of
I n d i a n E x p o r t
Organisations (FIEO)
said in a letter to Finance
Minister Pranab
Mukherjee.
Many exporters lost
substantially in
derivatives products
offered by financial
institutions as they
hedged their risk in the
wake of appreciation of
Times Chennai E-Paper
so as to consider
forfeiture of the
unclaimed securities".
The 2005 initial
public offering scam
unearthed in Ahmedabad
had revealed that more
than 6,000 demat
accounts were used by
the kingpin of the scam to
transfer shares meant for
public in fictitious
accounts. The
Enforcement Directorate
(ED) had attached shares
worth Rs 30 crore in May
2008 in Ahmedabad and
other places in the multi-
crore scam.
Regulators and
enforcement agencies
have now installed a
software that scans
common addresses of
demat accounts to
identify if someone is
trying to trade through
front entities.
-Agencies
single largest foreign
exchange grosser for the
nation, saw a massive
27.8 per cent drop at 3.02
million tonnes with
naphtha and jet fuel
shipments falling 67.8
and 28.7 per cent
respectively.
Crude oil
imports climbed 4.5 per
cent to 10.48 million
tonnes. But oil product
imports slowed 20 per
cent to 1.4 million tonnes
even though diesel
inward shipments almost
doubled to 4, 02,600
tonnes.
-Agencies
rupee, it said.
"The loss suffered by
small and medium
enterprises itself is over
Rs 2,000 crore," it said
adding many exporters
are on the verge of
closing their businesses.
Exporters had booked
forward contract
expecting that rupee
would appreciate in 2008,
as economists, political
leaders and everyone
were of the view that the
domestic unit would
touch Rs 38 a dollar by
the end of December
2007, it said.
Feb. 20, 2009
No abuse of Participatory Notes: Govt
New Delhi, Feb 20 :
Government on
for Finance Pawan
Bansal said "SEBI has
Thursday passed the Bill
which is aimed at keeping a
Thursday said SEBI has
not found any abuse of
not come across a single
case where PNs were
tab on the inflow and
outflow of funds to terrorist
Participatory Notes, an misused or abused." organisations, among
instrument used by He said the others.
overseas investors to while the ambit of the The Government
invest in Indian stock Money Laundering Bill had earlier imposed
market through the has expanded, PNs have restrictions on issuance of
Foreign Institutional been kept out of the P-Notes which were later
Investors. jurisdiction of the Bill as lifted in view of the global
Replying to the they are issued by the economic meltdown and
debate on The FIIs regulated by SEBI. slowing in flow of foreign
Prevention of Money They are issued outside funds.
Laundering Bill in Rajya the country. -Agencies
Sabha, Minister of State Rajya Sabha on
TRPs authorised to prepare TDS: IT Dept
New Delhi, Feb 20: The training programme 25 this year, it added.
Making it easier for TRPs will be started The move to
for taxpayers to prepare by the Central Board of authorise TRPs to prepare
their tax returns, the Direct Taxes, CBDT said for TDS and service tax
Income Tax Department in a release. returns will increase their
has widened the scope of While the first area and scope of work,
work of Tax Return batch of income tax and their remuneration and
Preparers (TRPs), as TDS training module for also help increase
they can now prepare the TRPs will be compliance to tax laws,
and furnish TDS and conducted from March 4 CBDT said.
Service Tax returns as to 9 and the second batch Ta x R e t u r n
well apart from normal from March 13 to 18, Preparer Scheme was
income tax returns. training for TRPs on launched in 2006 to help
The Central Service Tax will be small tax payers and HUF
Board of Excise and completed by April 10, it (Hindu Undivided Family)
Customs has already said. in filing income tax return
amended its Service Tax After the and also to provide
Act to enable TRPs to training completed by e m p l o y m e n t t o
prepare and furnish April 10, TRPs can unemployed graduates by
service tax returns on
behalf of the tax payers.
prepare and file Service
Tax returns due on April
providing them training.
-Agencies
Maytas board should be
reconstituted: IFCI
Chennai, Feb 19: reconstitution of the time the credibility of the
The Industrial board is essential," IFCI management has to get
Finance Corporation of Chairman and Managing restored, he added.
India, which has stake in Director Atul Kumar Rai On Tuesday, the
Maytas Infrastructure told reporters after Centre moved the
promoted by the kin of inaugurating IFCI Company Law Board to
scandal-hit Satyam subsidiary IFIN Financial sack the boards of the two
Computers founder B Services Ltd here on Maytas firms.
Ramalinga Raju, on Thursday. Corporate Affairs
Thursday said Maytas H e s a i d : Minister Prem Chand
board should be "Reconstituting the Gupta had said they had
reconstituted and should Maytas Infrastructure approached CLB to
not have any links with board would help clear its remove directors of Maytas
Satyam Computer. links with Satyam Infra and Maytas
"IFCI has 17.4 Computer so that Maytas Properties from their
per cent of stake of does not suffer the crisis respective boards.
Maytas Infrastructure what it suffers today". -Agencies
and at present At this point of
22,000 RBI staff to go on strike;
work disrupted
Mumbai, Feb. 20 unions to apply for mass The United
Four unions casual leave on February Forum of Reserve Bank
and associations 20 is likely to cause some Officers and Employees
representing nearly disruption of normal has given a call to its
22,000 RBI employees work. members to apply for mass
went on mass casual "Agitational casual leave to press for
leave on Friday to protest programme caused restoration of updated
against a policy that some disruption of pension scheme and other
could reduce monthly normal work of the issues.
pensions of retired Reserve Bank today, The main reason
employees by Rs 1,000- including the payment for the strike is an internal
6 ,000. and settlement system," circular issued by the apex
Services and the apex bank said in a bank at the behest of the
trading operations like statement. Finance Ministry to
cheque clearance, The four major withdraw an updated
RTGS, forex and debt unions said it would also pension scheme to pre-
market transactions, conduct a 3-day LAF on November 1997 retirees,
repo operations and Saturday between 9:30- All India Reserve Bank
some other banking 10.30 am. Employee Association
services were paralysed. The LAF's were Secretary K K Sharma
The Reserve in addition to the 5-day said.
Bank of India said that LAF's conducted on -Agencies
the call by its employee Thursday.
Feb. 20, 2009
Skipper Strauss gets another
bitter pill to swallow
St John`s, Feb 20:
England captain
Andrew Strauss, in charge
of his first tour, is learning
the lessons of captaincy
the hard way after suffering
two hard-to-take results
against West Indies in his
opening Tests.
After an
innings and 23 run
defeat in the first Test
in Kingston, when his
team collapsed to 51
all out, came a 10-
ball abandoned
match at the Sir
Vivian Richards
Stadium, followed by
a b i t t e r l y
disappointing draw in
the hastily arranged
third Test at the Antigua
Recreation Ground.
England had the
upper hand for all five days
of an enthralling Test
match, Strauss`s 169
helping them to 566 for
nine declared in their first
innings. They sat in
command after setting
West Indies a near
impossible target of 503 to
win.
But in four-and-a-
half sessions of bowling,
England could only get
nine West Indian wickets
as the last pair of Fidel
Edwards and Daren Powell
hung on for 10 agonising
overs.
"Clearly when you
get so close in a Test and
you don`t make it over that
Woods to make comeback next week
Pacific Palisades, Feb 20:
Tiger Woods will
return to the PGA Tour at
next week's WGC-Match
Play Championship in
Arizona after being
sidelined by knee injury
since his US Open victory
last year.
"I'm now ready to
play again," the American
world number one said on
his official website.
Woods, whose
wife Elin gave birth to the
couple's second child
earlier this month, clinched
his 14th major title at Torrey
Pines in June before having
reconstructive knee
surgery.
He has not played
competitive golf since his
astonishing US Open
final hurdle it is very hard
to take," said Strauss.
"In some ways it
does feel like a defeat,
but once the emotion
subsides and we realise
there`s a lot of positives
to come out of the Test.”
Exceptional
bowling
"The
w a y w e
batted after
Jamaica was
the way to
respond, the
way Graeme
S w a n n
bowled was
exceptional
and Stuart
Broad as well
bowled very well.”
"Hopefully we
have shifted the
momentum away from
West Indies and if we can
get better as the tour
goes on there`s no
reason why we can`t win
the series."
"Test wins don`t
come easily, especially
on a wicket like this even
against numbers 10 and
11 it`s hard to force the
issue.”
"I can`t fault the
bowlers, they did as well
as they could in those
conditions. It was just one
of those things, it wasn`t
meant to be," he added.
Critics might
point to Strauss`s
decision not to enforce
playoff victory over
Rocco Mediate.
D e f y i n g
stabbing knee pain and a
double stress fracture of
his left tibia, Woods held
off a late challenge by
Mediate to triumph after
19 holes and claim his
65th PGA Tour title.
After recovering
from knee surgery, he
began hitting full shots
midway through
December and has made
his top priority the April 9-
12 US Masters, the
opening major of the
year.
"Elin and our
new son Charlie are
doing great," Woods, 33,
said. "I've enjoyed my
time at home with the
family and appreciate
everyone's support and
kind wishes."
W o o d s ' s
absence from the game
for the second half of last
year led to a predictable
drop in television ratings
in the US and the PGA
Tour celebrated the news
of his comeback.
" W e a r e
delighted that Tiger is
returning to competition
and look forward to
Times Chennai E-Paper
the follow-on or his
sending in James
Anderson as a night
watchman at the end of
the third day, which
slowed down England on
the morning of the next
session.
But the England
skipper was also
restricted by Andrew
Flintoff`s hip injury and
Steve Harmison`s
stomach upset.
"We had a few
problems, Harmison was
on his death bed with a
towel over his and there
was Freddie`s injury.
Graeme Swann woke up
on the fourth day with an
elbow he thought might
stop him bowling at all.”
"Plenty of
problems to ponder and it
meant the bowlers we did
have had as much rest as
possible. I certainly have
no regrets about not
enforcing," he said.
"We hoped the
wicket would deteriorate
on day five but it didn`t
really, if anything it died a
little and got flatter.”
"The efforts of
the bowlers were
exceptional. We did
everything we could do.
Sometimes a ball goes to
hand and sometimes it
doesn`t, it`s those small
margins between winning
and drawing a Test
match".
- Agencies
watching him compete
n e x t w e e k , " To u r
C o m m i s s i o n e r Ti m
Finchem said in a
statement.
Biggest Question
The timing of
Woods's return had
posed the biggest
question mark in golf this
year and many insiders
speculated the likeliest
comeback would be the
March 12-15 WGC-CA
Championship on the flat
Doral layout in Miami.
However, his
close friend Mark
O'Meara, who recently
played a practice round
with Woods, hinted at
last week's Allianz
Championship on the
Champions Tour that
Woods would return in
Arizona.
"He hasn't told
me personally when he's
going to start back but I
know he's pretty much
almost ready to start
back, so I wouldn't be
surprised," O'Meara told
reporters.
W o o d s ' s
management team have
consistently said the
game's leading player
would return the minute
Tendulkar uncomfortable with
fans touching feet
New Delhii, Feb. 20
He doesn`t
receive letters written in
blood any more, but
Sachin Tendulkar says
that he does not feel
comfortable when a fan
touches his feet and tells
him he is God.
Te n d u l k a r ,
whose achievements
with the bat have won him
fans worldwide, says the
adulation never ceases
to surprise him.
“I used to
receive letters written in
blood...but not any more.
It feels strange when a
fan comes and touches
your feet and says you
are God. I don`t feel
comfortable with it, but it
is the way they feel about
you...that happened
again just a couple of
weeks ago actually,” he
he felt capable of winning
a tournament. According
to double major champion
O'Meara, he has already
reached that stage.
“He's hitting the
ball really well," O'Meara
said. "I would say he's
better than ever. I think
the break was probably
the best thing that ever
happened to him. I think
he's going to come back
better than ever."
W o o d s i s
defending champion at
next week's Match Play
Championship in Marana,
having romped to victory
by a record 8&7 margin
over fellow American
Stewart Cink in last year's
final.
H e h a d
previously won the title in
2003 and 2004.
W o o d s i s
seeded to face 64th-
ranked Australian
Brendan Jones in the
opening round at Dove
Mountain's Ritz-Carlton
Golf Club, but that could
change if any player pulls
out before the official
draw is announced late
Sunday.
- Agencies
says.
In a light -
hearted interview
published in celebrity
magazine 'OK!',
Tendulkar spoke about
his love for Ferrari cars,
his post-retirement plans
and how he handles
criticism.
Tendulkar said
retirement thoughts were
far away from his mind at
the moment but he may
start a business when he
stops playing competitive
cricket.
“That`s a big
question. I don`t know...I
will definitely be involved
with the game. When I
retire, that is when the
doors to other
opportunities will open.
As of now, other than just
promoting various
products, I haven`t
opened the door to
anything else. Maybe I`ll
start a business,” he said.
“I don`t know
when that would be yet,
but that will be the time I
will focus my energy in
different directions. Right
now it`s only focussed in
one direction that is
cricket,” Tendulkar said.
Asked when
was the last time he
received some
constructive criticism, the
batting maestro said,
“criticism is hardly ever
constructive. I try and
stay away from
newspapers when I am
playing. You get to read
so many things that are
not constructive, but
somehow the guy who is
writing it all seems to
think that it`s
constructive.”
Tendulkar said
his celebrity status has
helped him wriggle out of
situations that would be
difficult to handle for a
commoner. “There`s one
time that I remember
clearly...we were in
Australia playing some
exhibition games it was
Page 7
around 1994. I was out with
two other players and
when we got back to the
hotel, the rest of the team
had already left for the
airport. They had packed
my bags and gone and
there were no mobiles or
anything. We had no way
of reaching them,” he
recalled.
“We were to fly
from Sydney to Melbourne
we had no
tickets, no
passports,
nothing. I got
t o t h e
counter at
the airport
a n d
explained
the situation.
The guy at
the counter
recognised
me and he
gave us
t h r e e
boarding
passes from
Sydney to
Melbourne...
w i t h o u t
passports,
w i t h o u t
tickets. I felt that I was truly
special,” he said.
Asked when was
the last time he spent an
entire day without watching
any sport, the 35-year-old
batsman replied, “On
December 31 last year. I
spent time with my family in
Mussoorie about 7,000
feet above sea level
looking at the snow-
capped mountains. It was
freezing and we went for a
long walk. I was a fantastic
feeling. That was the day
when I didn`t watch sports
at all.”
On the one
moment he felt proud of,
Tendulkar said, “I was truly
proud of our performance
during the Chennai Test.
We won against England
on the last day.”
Asked about the
most recent prank he had
played on a teammate,
Tendulkar said, “I am
always doing that...a while
ago, we had gone to a
restaurant and we actually
fooled Yuvraj Singh. We
put wasabi on a toast and
told him it was a delicious
spread that he must try. He
almost ate it. We stopped
him at the last minute.”
When was the
last time he did something
which he wished he
hadn`t?
“Probably the last
innings I batted in Mohali. I
felt that I shouldn`t have
played that shot. I got out
on it. (Smiles) That`s what I
feel every time I get out,” he
quipped.
- Agencies
Page 8
Bangalore: Feb. 19 :
‘No problem is so
great or grave that cannot
be diminished by a nice
cup of tea' so goes an
adage and no one better
understands this than the
'tea tasters' who sip
through 500 to 1000 cups
of tea on a single day to
find the right leaves that
would make that perfectly
brewed cup of tea to add
cheer to a sunny morning.
"Tea Tasting is an art", said
V G Dhanakumar, Director,
Indian Institute of
Plantation Mangement
(IIPM), which runs a
module on tea tasting at its
institute judging a tea by
colour, shape and size of
its leaves, predicting if the
leaves would brew up the
right golden liquor (liquid)
when it's brewing in a pot of
One more Tamil comedy channel
to be launched soon
Chennai, Feb 19 :
Laugh during
difficult times, said the
Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar.
And that is what the Tamil
satellite channel
companies are helping
people to do in these days
of economic slowdown, by
launching comedy
channels.
After general,
news and music channels,
it is now the time for the
launch of pure comedy
channels on the Tamil
satellite channel scene.
Following Sun TV
Network Limited's Adithya,
rival Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd
will launch its comedy
channel Siripolli Feb 22.
While Kalaignar
TV officials were not
available for a comment on
the proposed launch, a
Sun TV official told IANS
that the company
converted its existing
Te l u g u g e n e r a l
entertainment channel
Adithya into a comedy
Looking for a career in a tea cup
hot water and ensuring
that the liquor when
mixed with white milk
gives just the right
colour,taste and strength,
is what a taster job is
about.
A procelain tea pots and
taster is one
who has
honed all his
five senses
and who can
judge and put
a value to tea
and grade it
a f t e r
sampling the
dry leaves,
infusion (wet
leaves) and
l i q u o r. H e
must have
excellent
sensory skills
and be quick
at decision
making, M C
Appaiah,
C O O ,
Duncans Tea Limited,
said.
" Te a t a s t i n g
comes through years of
experience and on the
job training.One learns to
be taster often by working
closely with a veteran tea
taster on the job",he said
apart from those who
take up a professional tea
tasting course.
It takes nearly
three years to pick up the
art and several years to
become seasoned at the
job, Appaiah said.
Before a Taster
begins his job, the tea
channel.
The Rs.8.61
billion revenue media
conglomerate Sun TV
filled a gap in its channel
bouquet with Adithya
leveraging its huge
library.
Though all the
Ta m i l c h a n n e l s a i r
comedy programmes -
mainly airing comedy
clips from Tamil movies
and mimicry - Sun TV
decided to have a full
fledged channel Comedy
Thirai first on its direct-to-
home (DTH) platform.
Sun TV has now
Tamil news (Sun News),
general (Sun TV),
children (Chutti TV),
music (Sun Music) and
movie (KTV) channels
and Adithya will fill the
comedy slot.
I n t e r e s t i n g l y,
the second largest Tamil
channel network, the
Rs.586 million (Rs.58.6
crore) Raj Television
Network Limited has no
Times Chennai E-Paper
must be potted, explains
Appaiah, an expert tea
taster.The samples of tea
are brought to the
cupping table, which is a
round table with a lazy
Susan top.Clean white
cups are laid out to help
detect the colour and
kettles of steaming water
kept ready,he said.
Dry leaf is
placed in the bowl and
examined carefully. The
taster checks out the
leaves for their size,
eveness, dryness,
twistedness. With his
sense of touch he detects
whether the leaves are
crisp and well dried and
n o t s p o n g y, w h i c h
indicates moisture that
could cut down on the
longevity of the tea.
A taster checks
out for well twisted leaves
and rejects the flaky
ones, a tea taster said. A
taster starts his day early
morning with a cup of tea
and ends his day doing
just that.
To check out the
taste, the dry leaves are
placed in the bowl and
boiling water added and
the lid is placed on the
cup to retain the heat.
The leaves are left in
water for around six
minutes before the liquor
or liquid is decanted from
the lidded cup to the
bowl. The infusion (wet
leaves) from the cup is
turned upside down for
the leaves to drop into the
plans to launch a comedy
channel.
An industry
official on the condition of
anonymity told IANS: "For
the time being comedy
channels may be a
growth driver for the
entertainment companies
that is affected by the
economic slowdown."
It was Vijay TV
that first launched
mimicry programme
Kalakka Poovadu Yaaru.
Soon the format was
copied by Sun TV which
later hired the former's
programming team.
O t h e r Ta m i l
channels too started
similar programme but
were not able to match
the industry leader Sun
TV.
With people
started watching the
comedy programmes,
Sun TV saw the niche
opportunity and launched
Adithya.
-Agencies
lid. A taster using his well
trained senses and
professional knowledge
examines the wet leaves
for its colour, uniformity
and brightness and check
the colour of the liquor for
its goldeness and
brightness and checks
out the aroma.
The tea taster
uses a special spoon to
taste the liquid with a loud
sucking sound.Though
not a very aesthetic sight,
the slurping sound helps
the tea to travel to back of
the tongue and helps a
taster to register how
strong and brisk it is. He
then spits it out into a
spitoon before
proceeding to the next
batch of leaves.
"A tea taster has
just a few seconds to
judge and value a tea and
grade it, because he
would have sip umpteen
cups of tea with numbers
being very high during the
seasons", said Appaiah.
In his report the tea taster
refers to the leaf style,
b r i g h t n e s s , c o l o u r,
flavour. "He is also able to
detect any flaws in
production or improper
plucking of leaves and
g i v e s h i s
recommendations and
suggestions for
improvement".
A tea taster
works with tea estate
managers and producers
to help guide them and
rectify detects. "A good
tea taster must be in sync
with the market
demands", said A Kurien,
a tea expert. Tea tasters
are employed by tea
estate managers, tea
marketing firms and
broking houses.
The head of a
tea firm bemoans that
many of the tea tasters
are in sync with domestic
demand but exposure to
international market was
still one that needed to be
honed.
"Many of the
professional tea tasters
are still unable to predict
the international market
demand", he said and
called for more
professional courses in
tea tasting.
In keeping with
demand for more
professional tea tasters,
the IIPM is planning a
special course on it and is
waiting for the approval,
Dhanakumar said. The
course would be one that
would certify a candidate
and soon become the
only recognised
certification if all went
through.
"The sector is
growing and there is
ample employment
opportunities", said
Krishnendu of Duncans.
The knowledge
of tea tasting should not
be limited to just
professional tea tasters,
even those involved in
marketing, tea estate
managements, brokers,
blenders need to have a
Feb. 20, 2009
knowledge of tea tasting to
sharpent their own
business acumen,
Krishnendu said. A tea
taster should himself also
be in the know of all the
process of tea growing,
manufacturing, blending
and sale and marketing.
"A good tea taster
is one who can predict what
will sell in a particular
market and which market
would love that leaves he
has sampled", Kurien said.
He must be able to grade
the leaves and compare
them to the others he has
tasted. A blender, who
ensures that the quality of a
tea brand is constant, also
depends a lot on a tea
taster's decision.
Currently a lot of
training is imparted by the
brokers themselves but
this actually works out as
an obligation to their clients
and hence there was a
need for quality well
certified professional
courses, said Kurien.
"A course could
help in cutting down years
spent on learning on the
job. A course could help in
enhancing the taster's
professional skills to meet
global demands",Kurien
said.
A lot has been
done by the Coffee Board
to enhance the skills of
their tasters and a similar
approach could be
followed in tea.
There are lot of
opportunities brewing in
the tea tasting sector and
Feb. 20, 2009
Early rehabilitation prevents
chronic shoulder pain
Shoulder injuries
are often the result of
accidents, lifting of heavy
weights or post-repetitive
over-head activities vis-a-
vis bowling (cricket) and
serving (tennis). On
e x p e r i e n c i n g
pain/discomfort during
over-head activity or
restriction of movement in
the shoulder joints like
difficulty in scratching the
back it is wise to consult a
doctor. If overlooked, this
condition can quickly
progress to chronic
shoulder pain which is
difficult to treat.
Symptoms
Pain/discomfort
during over-head activity.
Pain during sleep.
Restriction/ limitation of
shoulder movement.
Recurrent pain/tenderness
in the shoulder joint
associated with weakness
in the arm.
Acute shoulder
pain is usually treated with
rest for a short period of
time in a sling. The vital
aspect of treatment is
initiating exercises as soon
as possible and not to
procrastinate till the
shoulder starts hurting. In
the present scenario
physical activity is advised
as soon as pain is
alleviated to prevent
muscle wasting thereby
facilitating motion in the
shoulder joint.
Causes for shoulder
injury
Te c h n i q u e
Injuries to sportsmen are
generally caused due to
wrong/incorrect
Hepatitis B, a risk factor in blood banks
The need for
blood safety and
prevention of transfusion
associated infections in the
country has come to the
fore following the detection
of Hepatitis B virus in
donated samples at a
blood bank and research
centre in the city.
It was found, that
three blood donations were
tested negative on the
mandatory HbsAg test, but
were found positive on NAT
for Hepatitis B. These three
units were therefore
discarded.
“By finding and
eliminating these samples
we have potentially saved
nine patients from being
infected with Hepatitis B,
technique/swing while
bowling/throwing/serving
, etc. Correcting the
technique and repeated
practice is the key to
overcoming the defect in
the game through the
coach/video recording,
etc.
Flexibility Lack
of flexibility in shoulder
muscles can also lead to
restricted movement and
s h o u l d e r i n j u r y. To
improve flexibility, the
following stretching
exercises help
tremendously:
Inferior capsular
stretch: Holding the
involved arm overhead
with a bent elbow and
arm straight ahead.
Using the uninvolved
arm, stretch the arm
further overhead. On
feeling a stretching
sensation, hold it for five
seconds and repeat the
same.
Posterior
capsular stretch: With the
unaffected arm, grasping
the elbow of the affected
arm. Pulling the affected
arm across the chest,
stretching the back of the
affected shoulder. Hold
on at the end point for five
seconds.
A n t e r i o r
capsular stretch:
Standing in a doorway,
hold on the doorframe,
keeping the elbow
straight, walking through
the doorway until a
stretching is felt at the
front of the shoulder. Hold
for five seconds and
repeat.
as each unit of blood
donated can be
potentially used on three
patients if it is divided into
components,” Dr P
Srinivasan, managing
trustee of the Jeevan
Blood Bank and
Research Centre, told
reporters here on
Thursday.
H e s a i d
between August 2008
and February 2009, the
Centre tested 3,602
consecutive blood
donation units for
Hepatitis B, C and HIV.
Both the ELISA test
(standard testing
p r o c e d u r e
recommended by the
government) and Nucleic
Times Chennai E-Paper Page 9
Buy your new pair of
sunglasses with care
Zero power research has clearly fashion statements. It is
“When you look through linked cataract, macular also not good to have a
it, the image that you see degeneration, snow- gradation (light to dark) in
Rotator cuff on the other side of the blindness, pterygium and sunglasses.
strengthening: lens should not move or skin cancer to the Mirror finish
Strengthening of rotator change like a blur when corneas' and retinas' glasses An anti-reflective
cuff muscles is extremely you move the glasses up over-exposure to coating helps throw light
important to effectively and down or sideways,” ultraviolet rays. There away. When you are in
improve the stability of says Dr Mahipal can be an onset of early high contrast conditions
the shoulder joint. The S a c h d e v , cataract and macular de (sunny afternoons or at the
rotator cuff exercises are Opthalmologist, generation if the eyes are beach), it makes sense to
crucial for rehabilitation. G l a s s o r not protected. Buy use anti-reflective glasses.
Lying on the plastic? “There is no branded glasses to be They don't work well in
bed on the stomach, difference between glass sure of the UV protection. poor contrast conditions.
hang the arm holding a or plastic lenses, both Fitting and Places where
weight. Keeping the work fine,” says Dr c l e a n i n g Yo u r sunglasses are a must
elbow bent slowly, raise Sachdev. For children, it sunglasses should sit Hills, especially if snow-
your hand till it reaches is advisable to wear comfortably on the nose covered, reflect light.
the level of the shoulder. plastic glasses for easy bridge. Keep the lens Higher altitudes (aviation)
Then lower the hand handling. Also, look at the clean, an oily coat and looking at the sea
slowly, repeat this till lens closely for impurities causes diffraction of light (water bodies reflect light)
tired. and scratches. and may strain the eyes. call for the use of
Lying in the side UV filters, a Choosing sunglasses. Also in traffic,
on position, keeping the must The right pair of colours Grey, brown or one must use sun glasses,
affected arm at the side sunglasses will give your dark green shades are as here, they not just fend
with the elbow bent at 90 corneas protection from suited for blocking light, off UV rays but also act
degrees and the forearm the sun's ultraviolet rays. other colours like blue, protect against pollutants.
resting against the chest. Scientific purple and pink are just - Agencies
Lifting the forearm till it
reaches the shoulder
level. Lower slowly and
repeat it till tired.
While standing,
hold a weight and raise
the affected arm to about
45 degrees. Slowly return
to the original position.
Repeat it 10 to 15 times.
Individuals
suffering from shoulder
pain should not depend
on medicines alone, but
rather focus on initiating
rehabilitation exercises
to improve flexibility,
enhance strengthening
and improve the range of
motion early in the course
of the problem. This
would go a long way in
alleviating pain.
- Dr Ravinder Chadha
Acid Testing (NAT the
current most sensitive
form of testing available)
were performed on the
blood donations.
It was found,
that three blood
donations that tested
negative on the
mandatory HbsAg test
were found positive on
NAT for Hepatitis B.
These three units were
therefore discarded.
Doctors said
with the collection of
blood still dependent on
'replacement donors' in
hospitals across the
country.
- Agencies
Page 10 Times Chennai E-Paper Feb. 20, 2009
Feb. 20, 2009
Hop on hop off" tour for tourists
launched in Chennai
Chennai: :
Tourists opting for
conducted tours to the
scenic town of
Mamallapuram need no
longer go by the clock as
they can now "hop on and
hop off" coaches at their
convenience, thanks to a
new scheme introduced by
the Tamil Nadu Tourism
D e v e l o p m e n t
Corporation(TTDC).
Under the new
venture titled 'Hop on, Hop
off', tourists can board any
of the four airconditioned
coaches from Chennai to
Mamallapuram, about 70
km from here, through the
day covering 13 tourist
spots along the route.
The tickets are
Times Chennai E-Paper
valid for all the four 18- Tourism MInister Suresh
seater comfy coaches Rajan and Information
and tourists can get Minister Parithi
down from one coach at Ilamvazhuthi
any of these places and The first bus will
board another, TTDC start and 9.00 am from
officials told PTI. TTDC Complex at
Tourists opting Walajah Road in Chennai
for the scheme are given and the last bus will leave
boarding passes and from Chennai at 4.00 pm
travel coupons along In the return direction the
with a detailed itinerary. first bus will leave
They are shown a video Mamallapuram at 10.40
presentation of all places am and the last bus will
listed while travelling in be at 5.40 pm.
the buses, he said. The fare will be
This morning 4 Rs.250 per person and
18 seater air conditioned the tickets will be
luxury buses were available at all TTDC
flagged off by Local counters in the city and
Administration Minister also at leading hotel
M K Stalin. Transport counters says a press
Minister K Nehru, release from TTDC.
Page 11
Yamaha Music Square opens in in Chennai
Chennai, Feb. 20 :
The Yamaha
music lover. on display at the music
square. The price range is
From grand
Music Square, a first of pianos to the latest digital from Rs.5,000 to Rs. 25
itskind music store was pianos, not to mention Lakhs.
inaugurated by world- upright pianos everything According to Mr.
renowned musicians, is available under one J. P. Acharya, Nippon
jazz artist Louis roof. Then there are the Group, "The Nippon Group
has been predominantly
engaged in the imaging
business. We took up the
marketing of
Yamaha Home Theatre
equipment three years ago
on an experimental basis
and made a stunning
success of the project.
Impressed by the
performance of the Nippon
Group in the marketing of
Yamaha Home Theatre
products like amplifiers,
speakers, etc. Yamaha
Music India Pvt. Ltd.
requested Nippon Group to
set up an exclusive
Banks and ace elegant wind instruments Yamaha Store called
percussionist Sivamani such as saxophones and "Yamaha Music Square".
along with MrKozaburo trumpets, a fantastic To expand the
Kume, Managing range of guitars, violins, music business, we intend
Director of Yamaha keyboards, drum kits and to start Yamaha School of
Music India Private many more are available Music in collaboration with
Limited, in for a Professional as well Yamaha India Limited and
C h e n n a i , o n as novice to choose his plan to open Yamaha
Thursday.This store pick. Music Square in other
specially designed with Yamaha's cities of like Coimbatore,
music in mind on Sterling world-famous home Madurai, Trichy, etc. in
Road is a virtual treasure theatre and professional Tamilnadu, shortly.”
trove and a haven for the audio systems are also -Staff Reporter
Page 12 Times Chennai E-Paper Feb. 20, 2009

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