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Supreme Court grants
bail to Kanchi seer 

What is India News Service, Monday, 10 January 2005, 2100 hrs IST

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati in the Sankararaman murder case, in which he was arrested on November 11 last year.

The court, while granting bail, asked the seer not to go to the mutt till the chargesheet is filed and probe into the case is completed.

The three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti, Justice G P Mathur and Justice P P Maolekar said: "We are of the opinion that prima facie a strong case has been made out for grant of bail," and allowed the appeal filed by Jayendra Saraswati challenging the Madras High Court order refusing him bail.

The court said: "He will be relieved from prison after furnishing a bail bond and two sureties to the satisfaction of the trial court." The verdict was delivered in a jam-packed court by Justice Mathur.

The court had on January 7 reserved orders on the bail application after arguments by Shankaracharya's counsel, Fali S Nariman, who had challenged some of the prosecution's theories, on which he was arrested in the murder.

Centre justifies removal of Governors: The Centre has asserted in the Supreme Court that the term of office of five years for a Governor is subject to the doctrine of pleasure of the President embodied in Article 156 (1) of the Constitution. 

CBI to back plea on Ayodhya: The CBI has decided to support a petition seeking a review of a Supreme Court order upholding the transfer of trials of the Ayodhya demolition cases to Rae Bareilly. 

Don\92t rock Delhi, Basu tells party: Veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu asked his party to be patient with Manmohan Singh.

India should spare more personnel for peacekeeping operations: "I think the very presence of a woman officer reduces violence ... She is a symbol of peace, life, dignity, and reconciliation," top police woman Kiran Bedi has said.

Tsunami
 
Islands on alert for full moon day sea surge:  A day before an expected surge in water level around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the chief of a defence survey team confirmed the level has risen in the south and is low in the north.

Commodore V.K. Bhansali\92s team was appointed by the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) in Delhi to survey the tsunami-triggered damage across the islands and present its recommendations.

In anticipation of a surge, as feared on new moon night tomorrow, the administration has mapped the vulnerable areas of the islands.

The administration has not pressed the panic button but is on alert following the met department\92s predictions of a 0.3-metre rise in the sea between January 10 and 12, reports PTI. Met sources said the sea surge would be on the higher side from 8-10 pm on January 11 and 9-11 pm the next day.

Oceanographers had earlier said the water level would rise from below the port wharf (end of land at the harbour) to 2.4 metres above on January 11 during high tide. Commodore Bhansali said there will have to be another survey in the long run to modify naval routes.

Govt to set up warning system: The all-party meeting convened by the government today agreed on a slew of measures for effectively tackling the challenge posed by calamities like tsunami, including the setting up of a national disaster management authority and installing an early warning system for taking precautionary measures. Meanwhile, telecom wiz Sam Pitroda has deplored the country's lack of an effective disaster control system.