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High Court judge slams SIT,
wants out of Kanchi cases 

What is India News Service, Saturday, 19 March 2005, 1700 hrs IST
Justice K P Sivasubramaniam of the Madras High Court on Friday slammed the special investigating team (SIT), Kancheepuram, probing the Sankararaman murder case, for its \93fishing expedition tactics\94 and said he was considering excusing himself from all cases relating to the Shankara Mutt.

His sharp comments came in the course of a hearing on a writ petition seeking quashing of the summons to S Bhaskaran, a Chennai-based cardiologist attached to Sankara Nethralaya.

In the website Kanchi-Sathya.org, Bhaskaran had initiated a Campaign for Dharma and appeal to devotees to donate liberally for meeting the legal expenses of the Mutt. That was enough of a provocation for the SIT to summon him to appear before them and explain.

A visibly irritated judge told the prosecution, \93If you need any information from anyone on anything, you may as well go to the person concerned and enquire instead of summoning them...\94

Wondering whether the SIT wasn\92t engaged in a fishing expedition, the judge told the prosecution to advise their client to stick to the case before it instead of branching off in various directions.

 Army dispels doubts on LoC bus security: Attempting to dispel doubts on  the security needed for the Srinagar-Muzzaffarabad bus service, the Army today said a great deal of thought had been put into ensuring that there was fool-proof security for the Indian side of the 170 km journey and that the bus was not used by militants. 

Spotlight
Denial of US visa to Modi

 The US has said that its decision to revoke visa to Narendra Modi was not based on any US govt findings about his responsibility for the Gujarat riots but the conclusions reached by the NHRC of India in this regard.

"Insult to India'': The Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, has described the denial of a visa by the United States to him as ``an insult to the Constitution of India and its people".

Is this nice, Dr Rice?: On Wednesday noon when American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Leader of Opposition L K Advani at his residence to exchange pleasantries, there was little indication of the gathering storm between the most powerful democracy and the largest democracy.

Left offers mixed opinion: The Left parties on Friday offered mixed reactions to the United States denying a visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Although CPI general secretary AB Bardhan said, "I have no official reaction to this", sources in the party added that the CPI was happy with the situation since Mr Modi had, in its opinion, tarnished India's global image with the Gujarat riots.


Cong objects to denial of visa to Modi
 BJP calls it attack on sovereignty

Blast kills student in Kashmir: A Class X student was killed and eight others, including seven students were injured, four of them seriously, when an explosion took place at the entrance to a school at Nadihal in Baramula district today.

Munda meets President: Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda today called on President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and apprised him of the recent developments in the state. \93I called on the President to express my gratitude to him for intervening in the Jharkhand issue,\94 Mr Munda told the media after the meeting.

Goa: LS voices vote for President's Rule: Even as Home Minister Shivraj Patil was not categorical in assuring the House that the Centre would consider the demand for fresh elections in Goa, the Lok Sabha on Friday approved by a voice vote the imposition of President's Rule in the State.

 Leichester university to assist ISRO and TIFR: Astrosat, a fully-fledged astronomy satellite to be built by India, will have telescopes that view a large area of the electromagnetic spectrum 

Pervez\92s mother visits AMU: More than 60 years after passing out from Aligarh Muslim University, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf\92s mother Zareen today renewed ties with her alma mater. Accompanied by the President\92s brother Javed and son Bilal, the wheelchair-bound Zareen was received warmly by AMU Vice-Chancellor Naseem Ahmed.

Prasar Bharati to launch channel in UK: The Prasar Bharati Corporation is set to launch its special channel in United Kingdom on media baron Rupert Murdoch's B-SKY-B platform. The public broadcaster's chief executive KS Sharma, while addressing a press conference here, said that his talks with Mr Murdoch's son James Murdoch have been successful.
States

AP task force mounts offensive against Naxals: The police have launched the operation from four districts and are heading into Naxal hideouts deep in the Nallamala forest. 

Aman Verma showcases halo, claims he has been 'framed': Popular television host and actor Aman Verma, who was caught in a sting operation on casting couch in Bollywood, on Friday claimed he was `innocent' and had been `framed'.

Related story:
Bollywood bigwigs Salman, Govinda rally behind Aman

Move over Leftists, the new secularist hero is here: Professing new-found love for secularism, Sanjay Nirupam has said he has "broken ties" with Hindutva.

Child abuse: experts object to cross-examination: Reena (name changed) had been sexually abused by her father till the age of 11 when NGOs rescued her and a case was filed against her father. Today she is a confident 16-year-old good student with many dreams.

Judicial probe into Orissa custodial deaths: Two lock-up deaths within a fortnight have jolted the Home department headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. 
Neighbours

China agrees to share Sutlej data with India: India and China have "finalised a Memorandum of Understanding" on the sharing of hydrological data about the Sutlej river during the flood season.

China FM\92s Nepal trip to jolt Indo-Nepal ties: Li Zhaoxing\92s visit will bring Nepal close to China, probably at the cost of India, both in terms of diplomacy and trade and economy. 

Pak to free 60 Punjabi youths on March 21: Five hundred and twenty-nine fishermen belonging to Gujarat \97 along with 60 Punjabi youngsters \97 will soon be released from different jails in Pakistan. Disclosing this at a function organised by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee this afternoon, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh added that Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf had also issued release orders of another 83 Indians.

 

 View from abroad

Free, Ajaib wants to come home: The Kanishka acquitted Canadian Sikh has said that he would soon come home to meet his mother.
UK to scale back aid to India: Britain's political establishment feels that the onus of funding developmental efforts must fall on Indians.


Overall

Judge slammed Tamil Nadu police:  He accused them of being frivolous, and said he would rather opt out of all Kanchi cases.

US said it had gone by NHRC report: It justified the denial of visa to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. 

China agreed to share river data: India will now get access to data on the Sutlej river.