The Tribune – Call SGPC session, Makkar to Centre

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 17. The Supreme Court verdict, allowing the newly constituted SGPC House to function, has come as a huge respite for the mini-Parliament of Sikhs.

The SGPC chief, Avtar Singh Makkar, said: “The Centre should now call a session of the new House without delay for facilitating the election of new office-bearers so that the SGPC can function smoothly.” He said the verdict had paved the way for the passage of the annual SGPC budget next month.

Gurminder Singh, special counsel, said : “The decks are cleared for the election of SGPC office-bearers as well as the passage of the annual budget.” The SGPC budget was to be passed by the executive and the General House before March 31. The SGPC is required to inform its members about the Budget session 21 days in advance after the budget is passed by the executive.

The SGPC was finding it difficult to manage its day-to-day affairs. The SGPC president has the powers to sanction a maximum of Rs 25,000 and any amount above this sum has to be sanctioned by the SGPC executive. Noted lawyer HS Phoolka said the new House could not have been stopped from functioning as the court had not declared the 2011 SGPC elections void.

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh also welcomed the SC order.

Timeline 

September 18, 2011: SAD sweeps SGPC polls

December 5: 15 members co-opted

December 16: Notification constituting the new SGPC House issued

December 20: High Court says Sehajdharis can vote, quashes 2003 notification barring Sehajdharis from voting in SGPC elections

February 17, 2012: SC allows the new SGPC House to function

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120218/punjab.htm#6

The Tribune – Sehajdhari voting row; SC allows new SGPC Board to continue

R Sedhuraman, Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, February 17. The Supreme Court today facilitated the election of office-bearers of the Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) by allowing the newly-constituted SGPC Board to continue.

A Bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and HL Gokhale passed an order to this effect after a brief hearing on a petition filed by the SGPC challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict that has restored the voting rights of Sehajdhari Sikhs.

The Bench also issued notice to the Sehajdhari Sikh Federation (SSF), the Union Home Ministry, Punjab government and the Chief Commissioner of Gurdwara Elections seeking their response to the SGPC petition within six weeks.

Arguing for SGPC, senior counsel Harish Salve and counsel Gurminder Singh also sought a stay on the December 20, 2011 HC verdict, pending disposal of its appeal. The Bench, however, ignored this plea.

On the other hand, senior counsel UU Lalit, appearing for the Sehajdhari Sikh Federation, pleaded for fresh elections as the SGPC poll result, declared on September 22, 2011, was subject to the outcome of the HC verdict. While the SGPC election was held without allowing the Sehajdhari Sikhs to vote, the SGPC Board should be elected afresh, he contended.

The SC, however, clarified that this was not possible as the HC judgment had now been challenged. “Suppose we set aside the High Court verdict, what would happen” to the fresh election involving the Sehajdhari Sikhs, the Bench asked.

The Bench heard the case in the form of a “mentioning” (plea for urgent hearing) made by the SGPC, while the SSF was present at the hearing as it had moved a caveat to prevent any relief being given to SGPC without hearing it.

Salve informed the SC that the new SGPC Board, comprising 170 elected members and 15 co-opted members, was notified by the Centre on December 17, 2011. However, the election to the posts of the president, vice-president, junior vice-president and general secretary was not held in view of the HC verdict.

Lalit argued that the Sehajdharis got their right to vote in SGPC election under the Punjab Re-organisation Act 1966 and this could not have been taken away by a Central government notification on October 8, 2003.

The senior counsel also contended that the SSF had sought a stay on the SGPC poll, but both the HC and the SC allowed the poll process to be completed holding that the result would be subject to the outcome of the court case. The SGPC had also accepted this view.

In its appeal, the SGPC said the HC verdict “raises serious issues of law” relating to the power of the Union Government. “It has been the understanding of those well-versed in the tenets of Sikhism that persons, who trim or shave their beard or hair violates one of the cardinal tenets of the Sikh religion and thereby ceases to be a Sikh.”

Once the Sehajdharis were allowed to vote, the doors would be open for persons from other communities, who merely declared their allegiance to the Sikh faith, could claim to be Sikhs and become voters, the petition contended.

The SGPC also pointed out that the HC had “expressly declined to go into the issue of who is a Sikh and whether Sehajdharis, who cut their hair would continue to be Sikhs, but none the less struck down” the Centre’s 2003 notification disenfranchising the Sehajdharis.

While striking down the notification, the HC had not clarified the status of the newly elected SGPC Board.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120218/main3.htm

The Hindu – Country’s security a shared responsibility: Chidambaram

Badu, 18 February 2012.Under attack from non-Congress-ruled states over setting up of an anti-terror institution, Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday sought to reach out to them saying that the security of the country is a shared responsibility of the central and state governments.

“Security of the country is shared by the Centre and state governments. The Constitution of India assigns law and order to the state government and also assigns the Centre to protect the country against external aggression or internal disturbance,” he said, speaking the inauguration of an NSG hub here, about 50 km from Kolkata.

Mr. Chidambaram said the founding fathers of the Constitution were also wise when they made article 355. “That is why they made national security, internal security a shared responsibility.”

“I have a responsibility to work with the states to quell terror, any militancy or rebellion,” he said at the function, which was skipped by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Ms. Banerjee has joined over half-a-dozen Chief Ministers of non-Congress-ruled states in opposing the Centre’s plan to create a National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), claiming that it violated the federal provisions of the Constitution and was an attempt to usurp the states rights.

In his brief speech, Mr. Chidambaram did not refer to the controversy over the NCTC, nor did he make any comment on the Chief Ministers’ opposition to it.

Making a point that the Centre did not discriminate between states on the basis of political parties that ruled governments there, Chidambaram said the Centre worked with the previous government in West Bengal and “we are happy to work with the new government.”

Reaching out to Ms. Banerjee, he said the situation in Junglemahal created by the naxalites has been substantially controlled by the new government and the overall situation of the state has considerably improved.

“I want to compliment the West Bengal government that they have undertaken steps to considerably improve the situation,” he said, adding “I am sure there will be greater improvement in the coming days.”

“The government of India is happy to work with the state governments. We work with different political parties in troubled states like Odissa, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and West Bengal and none of the states are ruled by the Congress”, Chidambaram said at the function also attended by Mukul Roy, Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Minister of State for Shipping.

“Our approach to terrorism, naxalism and insurgency is the same irrespective of the government ruling the states.”

Mr. Chidambaram said the Centre wants the Kolkata hub to become a mini regional centre that also serves the states in the country’s northeast.   “When the full facilities are created, the facilities in Kolkata will be double the facilities that are being created in, say Mumbai or in Chennai,” he said.

Describing internal security as a “very complex” issue, Mr. Chidambaram said, “I can assure my colleagues Mukul Roy and  others we will fully put down the naxal menace and rid Bengal of naxal menace.”

“State and central agencies working together have brought a considerable improvement in the situation of West Bengal,” he said.  (PTI)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2906493.ece

Netherlands 23 december till 2 January, Den Haag & Amsterdam

26 December, Den Haag, Paul Krugerlaan, Hindu shop
There are many Hindus fr0m Surinam (South America) in Den Haag

26 December, Den Haag, new building for Singh Sabha
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
Herman Costerstraat 140
2571 PC  Den Haag

26 December, Den Haag, Herman Costerstraat
There are now two Singh Sabhas and one Ravi Das Temple 5 minutes walking distance of each other

26 December, Den Haag, Delftselaan
HTM Tram 11 to Scheveningen beach resort

To see more Belgium and Netherlands public transport pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622685920411/

To see more Belgium and Netherlands gurdwara pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622147381380/

More Belgium / Netherlands pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Death Sentence; Bhullar deviating from case, SC told

R Sedhuraman, Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, February 17. Opposing Devender Pal Singh Bhullar’s plea for commuting the death sentence awarded to him, the Centre has maintained that Bhullar “is trying to divert attention” from his case by citing debates on a proposal for abolition of the extreme penalty. “Finding no merit in his case,” Bhullar was raising abolition proposals, J L Chugh, Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry, contended in an affidavit filed in the SC.

“Abolition of death penalty in India is a totally different issue, which has no connection to the issue of disposal of the mercy petition under the constitutional scheme. At present, the death sentence is constitutionally approved and permissible and has been provided by the Act of Parliament,” the affidavit said. Bhullar was sentenced to death for the 1993 assassination attempt on Youth Congress leader MS Bhitta. He has approached the SC, seeking commuting of the death penalty to life term in view of the long delay in rejecting his mercy petition.

The government further submitted that Article 6(2) of the International Convenant of Civil and Political Rights spoke only of the ‘desirability’ of the abolition of death penalty. The United Nations’ members being sovereign nations “are entitled to determine their own legal jurisprudence”. Also, under the Covenant, India was free to make provisions for sentences/penalties for the offences provided in the Statutes.

The official said, “I deny each and every averment made” by him. In his petition filed in the SC, Bhullar contended that he had been confined in a 7×9 feet cell in the Tihar Jail here since August 25, 2001, when he was convicted. The agony of waiting to be hanged had made him a mental wreck and was currently being treated at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Science at Shahdara, near here.

While any one afflicted with a mental illness could not be hanged, under a Supreme Court verdict, the death sentence should be commuted to life term if there was any inordinate delay in the execution. Nobody could be subjected to life imprisonment in addition to the death sentence, he argued.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120218/punjab.htm#7

Dawn – Plan ready for Railways’ restructuring, PM told

Islamabad, 18 February 2012. A plan to restructure Pakistan Railways is ready and the Planning Commission will soon submit its recommendations to the government for corporatisation of the department.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Nadeemul Haq informed Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during a meeting on Friday that the restructuring plan for the railways’ board had been finalised with the World Bank assistance.

The proposed ‘Pakistan Railways Corporation’ would focus on core business of train service, while the non-core business and entities such as railways’ factories, schools, hospitals and marketing of its land would be managed through subsidiary public limited companies which would function under the ministry of railways.

The World Bank has suggested to the government to take steps to turn the railways into a tool to achieve social integration and economic development at the national, provincial and city levels.

“The resuscitation of Pakistan Railways should be viewed as part of the overall story – see the wood and not the trees,” says the World Bank.

The year 2011 was the worst for Pakistan Railways because during that year it carried almost the same number of passengers and even less freight than in 1955.

The ministry of railways gave a detailed presentation to Mr Gilani and it was decided at the meeting that procurement of locomotives would be ensured on a ‘pro-active basis’.

Pakistan Railways has failed to finalise a procurement deal for 150 locomotives as tenders could not be floated on two consecutive dates. It is now preparing to make a third attempt to attract suppliers.

Mr Gilani directed the department to dedicate 50 per cent of the recently repaired locomotives to the freight service.

PR officials informed the premier that an agreement had been reached with the National Logistic Cell under which 30 locomotives would be repaired and financed by the NLC. Half of those locomotives would be available to Pakistan Railways and the rest would be used for transportation of NLC freights.

The meeting was informed that a new service namely Shalimar Express would be launched between Lahore and Karachi on February 25 on the same public-private partnership concept under which the ‘Business Express Train’ is operating.

The prime minister asked the ministry of petroleum and natural resources to double the credit limit for fuel supply to Pakistan Railways to ensure smooth operation of the passenger and freight trains.

He told the ministry of finance to hold talks with the ministry of railways to clear pension commutations and GP fund dues and resolve other employees-related issues without delay.

The prime minister directed the PR authorities to operationalise the service between Kasur, Raiwind, Lahore and Shahdara.

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/18/plan-ready-for-railways-restructuring-pm-told.html