In what has exposed the high-handed acts of premier investigation agency CBI, the Delhi high court has quashed a corruption case registered by the CBI against former Assam minister Ripun Bora, finding fault with the manner in which a “trap” was executed by the agency. The CBI had arrested Mr Bora in 2008, who was then a minister in the Assam government, was accused of trying to influence a murder investigation against him by bribing a CBI officer.
Justice G.S. Sistani quashed criminal proceedings against Mr Bora who was chargesheeted after a CBI team from Kolkata set up an elaborate trap to ensnare the then minister in a Delhi hotel without keeping the agency director in the loop.
The CBI lodged the case two weeks after the alleged incident.
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CEC, Badal in war of words over ‘deviation’
Age Correspondent
chandigarh, Jan. 3
Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has written a letter to Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal asking him to bring up specific charges, if any, of constitutional deviation by the Election Commission.
Earlier, Mr Badal had blamed the Election Commission of crossing the constitutional mandate. He had charged that in its enthusiasm to enforce model code of conduct the commission has brought the state to the “brink of an administrative paralysis and developmental standstill”.
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RLD inducts bsp mla from bijnor seat
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Jan. 3
The Ajit Singh-led RLD on Tuesday inducted sitting BSP MLA Shahnawaz Rana from the Bijnor Assembly constituency in the party. The RLD had inducted former MLA from the BSP Hazi Yakub Quraishi on Monday.
The RLD chief claimed that his party is firming up a formidable alliance of Muslims and farmers particularly in western UP for good performance in the polls. Mr Singh told reporters at his residence where Mr Rana, along with his supporters, joined the RLD, that his party has always been known for an alliance with Muslims and farmers. “The same tieup is coming back to form and will help the party perform excellently in the poll,” added Mr Singh.
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Khanduri, pokhriyal in BJP’s second list
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Jan. 3
The BJP late Monday night declared its second list of candidates for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab Assembly polls. The party, which had so far released 143 candidates name for the UP polls, announced 81 more names for the state, 48 names for Uttarakhand and names of 20 candidates for the Punjab Assembly polls. In Uttarakhand, which has a total of 70 Assembly seats, the list of candidates declared by the BJP central election committee included three women, nine from the Scheduled Castes, one from Scheduled Tribes and one from the minority community. Uttarakhand chief minister B.C. Khanduri will be in the fray from Kotdwar and his predecessor Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will contest from Doiwala.
State unit chief Bishan Singh Chuphal, who is also a sitting MLA, will contest from Didihat and Speaker Harbansh Kapoor from Dehra Dun Cantt Assembly seat.