The Hindu – Stop training Sri Lankan Army officials: Karunanidhi

Special Correspondent

Chennai, 28 August 2012. DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Monday took exception to the training being given to two Sri Lankan Army officials in the Defence Staff Services College, Wellington, and urged the Union government to put an end to the practice.

In a statement here, Mr. Karunanidhi said though the DMK had submitted the resolutions adopted at the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) conference to the Prime Minister, urging India not to provide training to Sri Lankan Army personnel, the practice was continuing.

“India should put and end to it and hold talks with the Sri Lankan government about military training and the attack on Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy,” he added.

Mr.Karunanidhi said the Scout movement in all schools in Tamil Nadu was completely paralysed as the AIADMK government had not formally made any announcement for the appointment of president, commissioner and patron.

Tension near Sam Manekshaw Bridge

Special Correspondent from Udhagamandalam writes:

With opposition mounting to the participation of two Sri Lankan defence officers in the annual course for officer students from India and other countries, tension prevailed near the Sam Manekshaw Bridge at Wellington on Monday.

Activists overpowered

Though the bridge, which led to the Wellington cantonment, had been barricaded by the police and was out of bounds for demonstrators, some activists of the Naam Tamilar Katchi tried to force their way in. But they were overpowered by police personnel. Demonstrators, including 76 activists and four women of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, were arrested.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3829003.ece

The Asian Age – Non-Congress states oppose the proposed NCTC

New Delhi, 12 March 2012. Non-congress states on Monday opposed formation of the NCTC, saying that it will infringe upon the duties of the state police forces.

Representatives from Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Bihar voiced their concern at the high-level meeting chaired by Home Secretary R.K. Singh in which state chief secretaries, home secretaries and police chiefs were present.

Sources attending the meeting said that the states were opposing the formation of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) on the ground that the role of state police would be minimised in counter-terror operations.

They said the representatives of the states opposed the move, saying that the Intelligence Bureau was already performing the job and there was no need to give power of arrest as proposed in the new counter-terror unit.

Chiefs of anti-terror units were also present at the meeting. Over a dozen chief ministers have opposed the creation of the NCTC, maintaining that it would hurt the federal structure of the country.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha have asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene a meeting of chief ministers to discuss the issue.

In the wake of strong protests by non-Congress chief ministers, the Centre has put on hold the operationalisation of the NCTC from March 1 and has decided to discuss the issue with the state governments.

In a letter to 10 chief ministers, Home Minister P. Chidambaram has assured them that the “next steps” on the NCTC would be taken only after the meeting of top officials of the states.

The Home Ministry officials tried to allay the apprehensions of the states, which said empowering the NCTC with Section 43 (A) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act would infringe on the states’ powers. Section 43(A) of Act gives an officer power to arrest and search.

Chidambaram, in his letter, had said the powers conferred under Section 43 (A) of the Act must be read with the duty under Section 43 (B) to produce the person or article without unnecessary delay before the nearest police station (which will be under the state government).

He had also said the SHO of the police station will take further action in accordance with the provisions of the CrPC.

Patnaik, who had spearheaded the protests on the ground that it would erode the states’ powers, in his third letter on the NCTC to the Prime Minister, had opposed the meeting of officials.

“It is imperative that instead of a meeting chaired by the Union Home Secretary, an immediate meeting of chief ministers may be called by you to address the concerns of the states on this very urgent matter regarding the security of the nation,” he had told the Prime Minister.

Jayalalitha and Janata Dal-U, which rules Bihar, had also expressed similar sentiments. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/non-congress-states-oppose-proposed-nctc-237

The Asian Age – Jayalalithaa dubs illegal assets’ case politically motivated

Bangalore, 24 November 2011. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Wednesday dubbed the disproportionate assets’ case against her politically motivated at the behest of the opposition DMK party on a false complaint by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy.

“The case was filed against me at the instance of the DMK when it was in power then (1997-2001) on the basis of a false complaint lodged by Swamy,” Jayalaliatha asserted in the special court while deposing in the Rs. 66-crore disproportionate assets’ case.

Appearing for the fourth time in the makeshift court hall near the central jail on the city’s outskirts amid tight security, the AIADMK supremo told the trial court judge B.M. Mallikarjunaiah that a warrant was issued to search her Poes Garden residence in Chennai and not on the adjacent house where a raid was carried out illegally.

“The case was foisted on me and an inquiry was ordered under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on Swamy’s complaint, which was baseless and had no merits,” she said in oral and written submission to the court in the 15-year-old protracted case.

On her replying to the remaining 192 of the 1,339 queries framed under section 313 of the CrPC, the judge adjourned the case to November 29 when statements of the other three accused, including Jayalalithaa’s aide Sasikala and her foster son V. Sudhakaran will be recorded in the regular special court within the city.

During the previous three depositions October 20-21 and Tuesday, Jayalalitha answered a total of 1,147 questions and submitted a detailed statement along with several supporting documents in defence of her.

According to public prosecutor B.V. Acharya, the actress-turned-politician claimed that the costly sarees seized by the police from her house were a collection of dresses that were used for acting in about 120 films in different languages, including Tamil and Telugu.

“Just because a saree once used in a film will not be used again, she had kept all these as a memento and police was wrong in valuing them along with scores of footwear and expensive watches,” Acharya quoted Jayalalitha telling the court in the written statement.  Relieved over the completion of the deposition on the directions of the Supreme Court, a beaming Jayalalitha waved to the people who thronged the venue for a glimpse of her enroute to Chennai by a special aircraft. (IANS)

http://www.asianage.com/india/jayalalithaa-dubs-illegal-assets-case-politically-motivated-157