The Tribune – Devinder Pal Bhullar case; Supreme Court can’t review President’s refusal of mercy plea: Centre

R Sedhuraman, Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, March 29. The Centre today pleaded with the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, sentenced to death for the 1993 assassination attempt on then Youth Congress chief MS Bitta, contending that the court had no Constitutional mandate to sit in judgment over the President’s refusal to grant pardon.

During his daylong arguments before a Bench comprising of Justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukho-padhaya, Additional Solicitor General Haren Raval quoted a judgment of a Constitution Bench to aver that the role of the apex court had ended with the rejection of Bhullar’s appeal against the death sentence. The President, after a lapse of over eight years, dismissed Bhullar’s mercy plea on May 25 last year.

Anyone who had exhausted his legal and Constitutional options of appeal and review in the Supreme Court and the mercy plea to the President had no right to come back to the apex court seeking commutation of the death penalty to that of life term on the ground of delay by Rashtrapati Bhavan in rejecting his clemency plea, the Additional Solicitor General argued.

On the pleas of Bhullar’s wife Navneet Kaur and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee (DSGMC) that the convict should not be hanged in view of his mental status, Raval said what mattered the most was his mental health at the time of committing the crime and not at the time of execution. Bhullar is undergoing treatment at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) here for hypertension, psychiatric illness and suicidal tendencies.

Concluding his arguments that lasted two days, the Additional Solicitor General quoted several apex court judgments to drive home his point that persons involved in such terrorist activities did not deserve leniency.

Bhullar’s senior counsel KTS Tulsi will argue tomorrow.

What the Centre said

The apex court has no Constitutional mandate to sit in judgment over the President’s refusal to grant pardon

The role of the court ended with the rejection of Bhullar’s appeal against the death sentence

Persons involved in terrorist activities (like Bhullar) did not deserve leniency

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120330/main5.htm

The Tribune – Curfew in Gurdaspur after clashes

Ravi Dhaliwal, Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, 29 March 2012. Curfew was imposed in the town following the death of a youth, identified as Jaspal Singh (18) of Chour Sidhwan village, in police firing this afternoon. Jaspal was killed when the police opened fire to prevent a communal clash on the busy Tibri Road area in the heart of the city.

Another youth, identified as Ranjit Singh (20) of Pandher village, was seriously injured and referred to the Civil Hospital, Amritsar, by doctors at the Gurdaspur Civil Hospital. The Chief Minister has ordered a probe by SDM Tejinder Pal Singh Sandhu.

The police was on its toes since late last evening when members of radical organisations held a meeting at Geeta meeting at Geeta Bhawan Temple to “condemn the manner in which some youths had brandished sharp-edged weapons during the bandh on Wednesday in protest against the hanging of Balwant Singh Rajoana.” After the meeting, the Shiv Sena gave a bandh call for Thursday.

As members of radical groups took to the streets brandishing arms, the authorities decided to impose a curfew after a high-level meeting, said Varinder Pal Singh, SSP.

There was tension in the air since late last evening when the police booked Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) chief Harvinder Soni for allegedly damaging motorcycles.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120330/main3.htm

The Asian Age – Don’t harass North-East, Ladakh folks: High Court

Ridhima Malhotra, Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 30 Mar 2012. The Delhi high court on Thursday appointed a team of lawyers to ascertain how many people detained by the city police, to prevent pro-Tibetan independence protests during Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the capital, were genuine cases.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also directed the Delhi police to not harass people from the Northeast and Ladakh because of their resemblance to Tibetans, during their effort to prevent anti-China protests by members of the Tibetan community-in-exile demanding autonomy/independence for Tibet which was annexed by China in 1950.

“It is the duty of the police not to harass people in the name of maintaining law and order in the city. We permit the team of lawyers to meet those persons who were arrested and lodged in Tihar Jail or detained in police stations to find out whether they are from Tibet or the Northeast,” the bench said.

The court, however, refused to restrain the police from detaining Tibetan protesters to maintain the law and order situation.

The bench directed the police to shift the Tibetans, who were lodged in Tihar Jail, to Ambedkar Bhavan where nearly 200 others have been detained for staging protests.

The order was passed after an oral submission by lawyer Arun Asthana that for the last two days the police has been harassing people from the Northeast and Ladakh as they look like Tibetans. Harassment to citizens is violative of their personal liberty, Asthana said, citing the experience of two fellow lawyers from the Northeast who faced police interrogation on Thursday morning.

Appearing for the Delhi police, standing counsel (criminal) Pawan Sharma told the bench that on March 27 an order was passed by the Foreigner Regional Registration Offices (FRRO) under the Foreigners’ Act to detain Tibetans who did not have genuine identity proof and indulged in protests in the city.

Mr Sharma also submitted that 197 people have been picked up from various parts of the city and lodged in Ambedkar Bhavan. He added that they would be allowed to leave as soon as the Chinese President leaves the country on March 30 after the conclusion of the BRICS summit.

Meanwhile, the VIP movement and curbs for the BRICS Summit made the going really tough for commuters as traffic almost came to a standstill in New Delhi area and adjoining roads.

http://www.asianage.com/delhi/don-t-harass-n-e-ladakh-folks-hc-419

5 February 2012 – Snowy Sint-Truiden Winter Walk

Sint-Truiden - Diestersteenweg

Sint-Truiden – Sint-Trudo Ziekenhuis (hospital)

Sint-Truiden – Diestersteenweg

Sint-Truiden – Speelhof

 Sint-Truiden – Speelhof

To see more Belgium (mostly Limburg) pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622046344528/

More Belgium pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – US: Pakistan addicted to using militants against India

Washington, March 29. Pakistan has an “addiction” of “playing around” with militant groups against India and the US has virtually “given up” its efforts to change this mindset, a top Pentagon official has said. “They have an addiction to playing around with militia groups to achieve certain interests, particularly vis-a-vis India.

That gets them in all kinds of trouble,” Michael Sheehan, Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing. Responding to questions, Sheehan said the US discussed with Pakistan on this issue, but without much success.

“We’ve had these conversations with them forever about that. I don’t see that changing. I don’t see any set of talking points that’s going to be delivered by some new diplomat that’s going to change their mind,” Sheehan said, adding the US has virtually “given up” in its effort to change the mindset of Pakistan with regard to India,” Sheehan said.

India has accused Pakistan of running terror training camps for anti-India activities. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120330/main6.htm

Dawn – Three killed whilst smuggling heroin at Indo-Pakistan border

Amritsar, 30 March 2012. Border Security Force (BSF) deployed at the Indo-Pak border killed three smugglers including two Pakistanis. Moreover, the border authorities recovered 10 kilogram of heroin from the smugglers which has an approximate value of Rs 50 crore in the international market, according to a news report in Times of India.

The incident took place on the night of March 28 and 29 and with the conclusion of this operation, BSF claimed to have killed seven Pakistanis and an Indian smuggler during the first three months of 2012 and recovered 114 kilogram of heroin.

According to the report in Times of India, BSP personnel noticed movement of Pakistani trespassers who were allegedly carrying plastic pipes which were 14 feet long. The authorities claim that the smugglers were trying to insert the pipe through the border’s fence to smuggle heroin.

http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/30/three-killed-whilst-smuggling-heroin-at-indo-pak-border.html