DELHI, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2013

Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940 ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 3 No. 287 CITY EDITION 28 Pages Rs. 8.00 www.thehindu.in

EX-DUSU CHIEFS IN FRAY

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DEVELOP ARUNACHAL
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CHILDREN HARD HIT IN SYRIA

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SUWANNAPURA STAYS AHEAD

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Tejpal granted interim bail

Goa court to decide on anticipatory bail plea today
Alok Deshpande & Prakash Kamat
PANAJI: Tehelka Editor-in-

GDP up, touches 4.8% in Q2

Agriculture and industry boost performance
Puja Mehra
NEW DELHI: Indias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at the rate of 4.8 per cent during July-September 2013, according to official data released here on Friday. The rate of growth of the GDP in April-June 2013 was 4.4 per cent, a four-year low. The pick-up in the rate of growth has come from better performance of agriculture and industry. I dont think at the moment we have signs of strong revival yet but I do get a picture that people think that the economy has bottomed out, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia was reported to have said on the sidelines of an event at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had used in this years Union budget a GDP growth estimate of 5 per cent for 2013-14 for pegging various targets. This includes the target set for the scal decit at 4.8 per cent of the GDP. Since the GDP growth rate for the six months April-September is 4.6 per cent, it will have to be at least 5.4 per cent during October-March if India is to achieve a growth of 5 per cent in 2013-14.

BRIEFLY

Notice to CBI on Lalu's bail plea

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear the bail petition of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, who is undergoing a ve-year jail term in a fodder scam case. It issued notice to the CBI, seeking its response in two weeks. Page 13

Chief Tarun Tejpal, who faces charges of sexually assaulting a young woman colleague, was on Friday granted interim bail till 10 a.m. on Saturday by sessions judge Anuja Prabhudesai. That is when the court will rule on Mr. Tejpals anticipatory bail petition. Mr. Tejpal, who arrived in Goa on Friday evening, had led for anticipatory bail in the morning through his lawyers. He was granted interim bail till the court reconvened at 2.30 p.m. By evening, Judge Prabhudesai extended his interim bail till Saturday morning. BJP workers demonstrated at Dabolim airport ahead of Mr. Tejpals arrival. Goa police sources told The Hindu: We cannot arrest him at the moment but we are keeping a close eye on him. In court, Mr. Tejpals lawyer Geeta Luthra said there was no need to take Mr. Tejpal into custody because he would cooperate with the in-

turbed by insinuations that my complaint is part of a pre-election strategy I call upon political parties to resist the temptation to turn a very important discussion about gender, power and violence into a conversation about themselves, she said. Her statement stressed the alleged crime went beyond sexual assault. In this case the law is clear: What Mr. Tejpal did to me falls within the legal denition of rape. Early on Friday morning, Tarun Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka, the Goa police went to Mr. addressing the media at the airport in Tejpals residence in New Delhi to serve an arrest warNew Delhi on Friday. PHOTO: REUTERS rant on him for failing to revestigation. She argued the of the victim or the state- spond to their summons to complaint against him was ments made by others about present himself before them fabricated and that the po- the incident. At one point on Thursday. Mr Tejpal took lice were not acting in a fair she pulled up Ms. Luthra for the 2.30 pm ight to Goa, manner because of interfe- revealing the victims name after having secured interim rence from vested political in court. I will not tolerate bail. While leaving Delhi airinterests. Ms. Luthra also such mistakes. Are you try- port he told waiting mediaclaimed the victim behaved ing to malign the victim? persons, I said I am going to normally after the alleged in- Judge Prabhudesai asked. Goa. And I am going to Goa. cident and did not look disMeanwhile, the woman turbed. Court proceedings journalist released a stateended before the police ment to the media rejecting Not running away from law, could begin their arguments. the charge that her comsays Tejpal; Victims Judge Prabhudesai said: I plaint was politically motiam only concerned about the vated. I am deeply statement: Page 12 crime, not about the conduct concerned and very dis-

Law intern names Justice Ganguly

I am shocked and shattered, says the former Supreme Court Judge
J. Venkatesan
NEW DELHI: The law intern, who

has alleged sexual harassment by a former judge of the Supreme Court, has informed the three-judge probe committee set up by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) that it was A.K. Ganguly against whom she made the charges. However, speaking to The Hindu from Kolkata, Mr. Ganguly, who retired in February 2012, said: I am totally denying the allegation of the law intern. Asked what could be her motive behind levelling the allegation almost after a year, he said: I do not know. Talking to journalists out-

side his residence in Kolkata, he said: I am shocked and shattered by this allegation. Highly placed sources said that after the intern identied the former judge, committee members Justices R.M. Lodha, H.L. Dattu and Ranjana Desai recorded in person a statement of Mr. Ganguly and submitted a report to CJI P. Sathasivam on November 28. The name of the former Judge was revealed to clear the doubt and also to protect the dignity and honour of other judges who retired recently, the sources said. Mr. Ganguly was part of the Bench that delivered the judgment in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

committee was asked to probe Greater cuts needed Jumping from a GDP the correctness of her statement and the alleged incident. Sources in the Supreme Court said the committee met on November 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26 and 27 and recorded a statement of the intern. She Meera Srinivasan also submitted three affidavits in support of the stateCOLOMBO: The Indian Navy ment. has offered to train Sri Speaking at Law Day meetLankan Navy officers, said a ing on November 26, the CJI statement issued by the assured lawyers and others office of President Mahinda A.K. Ganguly that justice would be done in Rajapaksa on Friday. In a blog post, the intern all respects with regard to the The announcement had highlighted the alleged alleged incident. followed a meeting between incident. She alleged that the Attorney General G.E. Vathe Chief of the Naval Staff, retired judge misbehaved hanvati had led a writ petAdmiral D.K. Joshi, and Mr. with her in a hotel room in ition seeking action on the Rajapaksa, which discussed December last, when the na- basis of the newspaper report important maritime issues tion was grappling with the in the Indian Ocean region. gang-rape of a 23-year-old Admiral Joshi told Mr. woman in the capital. Police will follow court Rajapaksa that the Indian The contents were publishNavy would put Sri Lankan directive: Page 12 ed in a newspaper, and the

growth of 4.6 per cent during the rst half of the year to 5.4 per cent in the second at the moment seems to be more than what India is in a position to achieve, said highly-placed government sources. This means the Finance Minister will probably have to press in even greater budget cuts to meet the scal decit target he has set himself. Rating agency Standard and Poors (S&P) has warned that Indias sovereign rating could be downgraded to junk status next year if, post-general election 2014, the next government fails to revive the stalled structural reforms, faltering economic growth and the stress of subsidies on state nances. The rating agency maintained its BBB minus rating with a negative outlook on India, its lowest investment grade. Earlier this month, Mr. Chidambaram expressed optimism over the emer-

gence of green shoots in the economy. However, the data released on Friday shows the manufacturing sector performance remains bleak with 3.2 per cent growth. For April-September, or the rst half, it is -0.1 per cent. How is a revival possible when the jobs-creating sector is at, said the sources. Speaking at an event, the Finance Minister exuded condence that the growth rate would rise to 6 per cent next scal. Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram said the third and fourth quarters would see a pick up to help attain at least 5 per cent growth for the scal. Agriculture growth rose to 4.6 per cent during JulySeptember from 2.7 per cent in April-June; the growth for the rst half of 2013-14 for the farm sector , according to the data released, is 3.6 per cent. The agriculture growth achieved in the rst half of 2013-14 is just about the long term average, said the sources. It is hard to be excited about the data released today. Growth in the community, social and personal services, indicative of government expenditure, slowed signicantly to 4.2 per cent during July-September from 9.4 per cent in the preceding three months.

Comet ISON zzles out

WASHINGTON: Comet ISON, touted as comet of the century, has zzled out during its swing around the sun, leaving a trail of dust and disappointing stargazers. Comet ISON went around the sun on Thursday.

Talwars may be shifted to Agra

GHAZIABAD: Dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, may soon be shifted to the Agra Central Jail from the Dasna Jail here.

METROPLUS
8 Pages

India offers to train Sri Lankan Navy officers

Navy officers through the four-year Bachelor of Technology course, now being offered to Indian Navy officers. Many countries wanted to enrol their officers in this course, but India would give Sri Lanka priority. The meeting also discussed ways of combating piracy in the Indian Ocean. As for frequent arrests of Indian shermen by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly engaging in illegal shing, Admiral Joshi and Sri Lankan Navy Commander Vice-Admiral Jayanath Colombage told the President that the two navies had always cooperated well while handling the problems faced by the shermen of both countries. thats because the requirements of officers also change. And if India does not offer Sri Lankan officers training, other countries will step in. This happened when India pulled out Sri Lankan military officers from the Defence Staff Service College, Wellington, in June this year after protests by Tamil parties. Colombo did not accept Indias offer to transfer the officers to an institute outside Tamil Nadu and opted instead for training in Quetta, Pakistan.

Ongoing programme
Sandeep Dikshit reports from New Delhi: Officials in New Delhi have said it is an ongoing programme catering to the needs of Sri Lankan armed forces in all areas, except training in lethal weapons. In this case, the course offered may be new, but

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee enters his new home on Krishna Menon Marg in July 2004

Ministry changed number of house allotted to Vajpayee at his request

Smriti Kak Ramachandran
NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Urban Development changed the number of a bungalow allotted to the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, at his request, though there are no rules allowing such changes. This has come to light through an application under the Right to Information Act. On May 19, 2004, the Ministry received an unusual request from the office of Mr. Vajpayee, then caretaker Prime Minister, for altering the number of the accommodation being readied for him after he demitted office. According to the Ministrys
CM YK

response to Subhash Aggarwals petition, Anupam Dasgupta, an Additional Secretary in the Ministry, received a letter from Ashok Saikia, Additional Secretary in the PMO. We have been advised that it would be more appropriate that Bungalow No. 8, Krishna Menon Marg, is re-numbered as 6-A, prior to its allotment to the Prime Minister after he demits ofce, the letter reads. While no reasons were cited for the request, the Ministry has claried that numerology, astrology and vaastu are not considered for the allotment of houses as has been done in the case of No.8, Krishna Menon Marg.
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