BJP for resolution to support of Sarabjeet
by Pankaj Yadav

     New Delhi: The main Opposition party, the BJP is mulling over giving a notice to the Lok Sabha Speaker's Secretariat to allow a discussion in the House during Zero Hour in the coming week against the Pakistan Supreme Court's recent decision against Indian Sarabjeet Singh who is facing death sentence. The Pakistan Supreme Court yesterday rejected an appeal to overturn Sarabjeet's death sentence. BJP deputy leader in the Lower House VK Malhotra said that the move would create pressure on the Union Government to seriously take up the matter with the Pakistan government, and ask for Sarabjeet's pardon. Meanwhile, along with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is an NDA ally, the BJP today also sought the Union Government's intervention to save Sarabjeet Singh. SAD Secretary General Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said: "The Prime Minister should immediately take diplomatic initiatives to save Sarabjeet and secure his release from Pakistan." In another related development, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthak) is learnt to have written a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Saingh asking for his intervention to save the Indian detained in Pakistan jails for the past 15 years. Sarabjeet has been held in Pakistan for his alleged involvement in 1990 bomb blasts in that country's Punjab province and for 'spying'. According to his family sources, he had accidentally entered into the Pakistan territory around 15 years ago.

Haryanvis appeal for mercy for Sarabjit

     Bhikhiwind (Haryana): Once again the residents of the border town Bhikhiwind, situated about 45 kilometres from Amritsar, have joined hands to mobilize support for the release of a farmhand's son Sarabjit Singh. The family and residents of Bhikhiwind gathered at Sarabjit's residence on Friday and took out an Appeal March in the town to remind Pakistan president Pervez Musharaff of his statement made last year wherein he had stated "I am basically a person who shows compassion and mercy", while reacting on Sarabjit's issue. "Now the time has come when Muhsaraff has to show the mercy" said residents of Bhikhiwind univocally. His family has urged he government to issue them passport and arrange for their visit to Pakistan so they could meet Sarabjit Singh. According to Sarabjit Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur, even Rana Abdul Hameed, lawyer of Sarabjit Singh, didn't sound optimistic over the rest of the review petitions and only way left before Sarabjit is to file a clemency petition before President Pervez Musharaff. Rana had filed review petitions after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence awarded to Sarabjit Singh. Giving reference of her conversation with Rana Abdul Hameed, Dalbir Kaur on Friday told ANI that he would be filing mercy petition before President Musharaff soon. She said Rana had told her that he would be going to meet Sarabjit in jail after filing of mercy petition.

Zaheera Sheikh surrenders (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: Zaheera Sheikh, the prime witness in the Best Bakery case, surrendered before a court here at Mazgaon on Friday afternoon. According to sources, later she was sent to thirteen-day police custody. Zaheera, who had turned hostile in the bakery case and was found to be a "self-condemned liar" by a high-powered committee appointed by the Supreme Court, was sentenced to one-year simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 for contempt of court. She was reportedly absconding since the Supreme Court verdict against her. The police had launched a hunt to trace her whereabouts. Earlier, reports were that Zaheera was probably hiding some where in Thane district. On Wednesday night, a special team of Gujarat police had raided her sister Tahira Sheikh's house in Mumbai in search of her. The special team served a notice on Zaheera's brother-in-law. It has been four years since the attack on Best Bakery on March 1, 2002. As many as 14 people, including two children, were killed as rioters set on fire the bakery, which was located in Vadodara's Hanuman Tekri area. Eleven of those killed belonged to one family, that of Zaheera Sheikh.

    Following an FIR filed by Zaheera's family, the Gujarat government filed charges against 21 people and set up a fast track court in May 2002. In the court, Zaheera retracted her statement. The accused were let off. Just a week after this acquittal, Zaheera said she was threatened by the local BJP MLA Madhu Shrivastava and his cousin, Congress councilor Chandrakant Srivastava. She demanded the transfer of the case outside Gujarat. This National Human Rights Commission filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court, asking for a retrial outside Gujarat. In April 2004, the Supreme Court ordered a retrial and transferred the trial out of Gujarat to Maharashtra. But once again in November 2004, Zaheera turned hostile. However, Zaheera's cousin Yasmin Sheikh, who appeared as a witness on the same date, identified 11 of the 21 accused. The Supreme Court gave the verdict after accepting the report of a high-powered committee, which said that Zaheera was a "self- condemned liar". A bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice H K Sema had retained its judgement on January 4. Senior advocate Harish Salve was to give the reports to the Bench. Salve was assisting the court in the matter to take action against the persons accused by the committee. Zaheera on the other hand has raised her doubts and questioned the findings of the committee which accused her as "self- condemned liar". She has alleged that the inquiry was biased and truth was tampered with. Her counsel had said "the findings as recorded are oscillating and are not clear and specific." Though objections were filed, the Bench gave a clean chit to the two political leaders, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Madhu Srivastava and Congress corporate Bathu Srivastava. The Bench held that undesirable remarks were credited to them. It also said that there was no confirm evidence that proved them bribing Zaheera to change her statement. The committee on August 29 had given clean chit to social activist Teesta Setalavad of the charges of enticement levelled against her by the prime witness Zaheera. However, the court had referred the matter for inquiry on January 10 last year. In the latest incident, a trial court in Mumbai on February 24 gave a verdict of life imprisonment to nine people accused in the case and issued notice to Zaheera together with her family members, whom the court accused of giving false statement. Besides Zaheera, the family members that were accused were her mother Sehrunissa, two brothers Nasibullah and Nafitullah and sister Sahira. The trial court has sought a reply from them as to why the accused should not be prosecuted for perjury by March 20. A total of 17 accused faced trial on charges of murdering 14 persons who had taken refuge in the Best bakery on Hanuman Tekdi at Vadodara on March 1, 2002, in the post-Godhra riots. Out of the total number of 21 accused four were absconding. Zaheera had moved the Supreme Court alleging that all the 21 accused in the case had been acquitted by the trial court in Gujarat as she had turned hostile due to threats issued to her. The apex court, on April 12, 2004 had asked a Mumbai court to conduct the retrial to give fair trial outside Gujarat to the accused. However, Zaheera retracted from her statement and had levelled charges of inducement against Teesta.

Salman Khan's sentence stayed  (Go To Top)

     Jodhpur: A Jodhpur Sessions Court on Friday stayed a lower court order of giving a year's imprisonment to Bollywood actor Salman Khan in connection with his role in the 1998 Black Buck case. The Sessions Court said that no action was to be taken against Khan until the next hearing of the case on April 12. Salman Khan had filed an appeal in the Sessions Court after the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Jodhpur had found him guilty for poaching under Section 51 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act and had sentenced him to one-year imprisonment on February 17. He was also fined Rs 5,000 by the court. However, all other accused had been acquitted. The star gang and seven others were charged with the killing of two Chinkaras (Indian gazelles) in Bhavad village near Jodhpur while shooting for the film Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1998. The two actors and four others were booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, by the Jodhpur Police in Mathania Police Station for hunting the endangered species of deer. The final arguments on behalf of the accused were made in the court on February 4. Chinkara is an endangered species and is protected by law. The case filed under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 may invite a maximum of six years in prison if convicted on charges of poaching. Salman was arrested earlier in the case and granted bail while others had secured anticipatory bail.

Akshay, Preity to perform in New York (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Fans of Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta living in New York will soon get to see their favourite actors in two musical concerts. Aron Govil Productions recently announced that the two would be performing in a Broadway styled extravaganza named 'Heat' in April this year. The star cast also boasts of having other Bollywood bigwigs like Saif Ali Khan, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley, along with singers from the Indian television show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Aron Govil Productions, which is the North American promoter of 9 shows across the US and Canada, revealed that it would be handling the April 15, 2006 show, to be held at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey, as well as the April 22, 2006 show, to be held at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York. Talking about the musical, Aron Govil said: "The 'Heat' production is loaded with star power; including superstar Akshay Kumar, who won the internationally acclaimed Filmfare Award for the film 'Garam Masala', will take the lead and bring his special charisma to the audience". "Preity Zinta and Sushmita Sen will add beauty and elegance, the rock and foundation of Bollywood films, while Celina Jaitley will add another facet with her sensual and thought provoking dance numbers, which are sure to keep the audience spellbound," he added. Apart from the film stars, the audience will also get to see more than 50 dancers perform Bollywood numbers from the greatest hit films from the Indian film industry.

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