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Ambika Soni, Satish Sharma, Antony may join cabinet

     New Delhi: After completing one year in office, Dr. Manmohan Singh is expected to induct a few new faces into his cabinet to push through the agenda of the UPA government. Ambika Soni, Captain Satish Sharma and A.K. Antony are almost certain to make it to the council of ministers. Ambika Soni, who had initially declined a cabinet berth for party work with Sonia Gandhi is all set join the ministry this time. Captain Satish Sharma, an all-weather Gandhi loyalist has been out in the cold, after the the petrol dealership scandal. He however has been working behind the scene taking charge of the constituencies of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh. Antony, known as Mr. Clean, took the moral responsibility for the reversal faced by Congress in the Kerala during the last parliamentary elections, when the party could not get even a single seat. Another reason for his resignation from the post was the running feud he has been having with octogenarian leader K. Karunakaran. He returned to Rajya Sabha in the recent bye- elections caused by the resignation of Karunakaran. Though the reshuffle is likely to see only some additions to the Congress strength in the Ministry, there might be a couple of new faces from UPA alies. Indications are that Dr. Manmohan Singh may also change the portfolios of some ministers, who has been wanting in their performance. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren, whose chief ministership was shortlived, after he failed to obtain a confidence vote in the state assembly, has also been clamouring to return to the Central Ministry, but Dr. Singh had resisted his overtures so far. Sonia Gandhi, after her unanimous election as President of the party is also expected to carry out a revamp of the party. She is likely to induct some young faces including her son Rahul Gandhi into the organisation. According to party sources, some Congress ministers might also be called back to strengthen the organisational set up.

PM reconstitutes National Advisory Council (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The government today reconstituted the National Advisory Council chaired by Sonia Gandhi. The Council was first set up by Prime Minister in June last year to oversee the implementation of the National Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and to monitor its progress. While nine members of the Council have been retained, Sehba Hussain and Prof. Mrinal Miri, Vice Chancellor of Northeastern Hill Univesity have been nominated in place of Sam Pitroda and Jean Dreaze. The 12 member panel is mandated to collate inputs from below on how the UPA Government has been implementing the CMP which is part of an overall strategy to make the Government pro-people. The Council would be an interface between the Government and society and bring in fresh inputs into planning.

PM to visit US on July 18-20 (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh would be visiting the United States from July 18-20 at the invitation of President George Bush. An official release in New Delhi today said the visit will carry forward the "process of widening and deepening their multi- faceted cooperative relationship" with the US.

Sri Lanka president meets Sonia Gandhi (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga, on a three-day visit to India, today met UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The leaders are expected to have discussed several issues aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. Later, Kumaratunga also met Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has two wholly-owned subsidiaries in Sri Lanka. Lanka IOC has captured a 25 percent market share within a year of its operation in the island nation. On Thursday, Kumaratunga had a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and they discussed entire gamut of bilateral relations covering developments in Sri Lanka and India This is her second visit to India in the last six months. Kumaratunga is expected to have briefed New Delhi about her move to set up a joint mechanism between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas to regulate the flow of foreign aid for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the areas devastated by the Dec 26 tsunami disaster. However, Sri Lankan political parties, including the Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), the second largest partner in the coalition government, have been criticising this move saying that it would legitimise the LTTE's control of the region.

Death sentence for rapist  (Go To Top)
by Pinaki Das

     Agartala: A local court today sentenced the rapist of a six-year-girl to death, while the police had to lathi charge to disperse a mob of about 10,000 people, who gathered outside the court to see the accused. Additional District and Sessions Judge of Agartala Subash Bhattacharjee handed out the judgement to Samir Bhowmik, who had raped and killed Puja, the six-year-old daughter of his landlord in December 2002. Though the judge had concluded the hearing and framed charges against the accused last Friday, the announcement of judgement was delayed as the defending lawyer claimed that the boy was a juvenile at the time of the crime and he should be given some liniency. However, the prosecution produced records to prove that Samir Bhowmik was 22 years old at the time of the crime. Puja was missing from December 11, 2002 from Charilam locality, 25 kms. south of Agartala. The police traced her body in a pond and the evidences led them to Bhowmik, who was running a photographic shop at a rented portion of Puja's house. The accused admitted that he raped the girl in his studio and killed her, when she threatened to inform her parents about the incident. As the rapist was taken out after the judgement, an irate mob tried to attack him and the police had to lathicharge to disperse the mob, injuring several persons. Puja's father Keshav Dutta, who was working in a local court and moved to West Bengal after the killing of his daughter, said he is "happy with the judgement." "I would be more happy the day he is hanged," said Dutta. His lawyer Dhiraj Guha said, it is one of the rarest of the rare cases and the crime the boy had done showed his animal instincts and that he cannot be reformed by jail term.

Goswami applies for anticipatory bail in special court (Go To Top)

     Patna: Former District Magistrate of Patna and Mr. Flood Scam, Gautam Goswami, today appealed in a special court for anticipatory bail. The hearing on the plea will take place on Saturday. Goswami's counsel Tuhin Shankar filed the petition in the court of Designated Vigilance Judge J. M. Prasad, in which he has denied all allegations of embezzlement on Goswami and said that his client was being implicated in a false case. He also assured that Goswami would co-operate with the Vigilance Bureau. "They are trying to implicate him under false charges. Goswami would be available if court demands but he must be provided security cover," Shankar added. "My client is also not likely to tamper with the evidence as he is no more a government servant and is not likely to flee," he added. Shankar complained that despite Goswami's availability two months ago, no interrogation was conducted, but suddenly there is an unexpected movement on the part of the Government machinery. "When my client was available for questioning, no one asked anything. Now they are treating him as if he is an underworld don like Dawood Ibrahim. Immediately after lodging the FIR, red alert was sounded, reward was announced," he said. This move from Goswami has come one day after the Vigilance Bureau enhanced the prize money to one lakh rupees for information leading to his arrest.

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