HC verdict on Sehajdhari voting rights case today

Chandigarh, December 19
The Punjab and Haryana High Court will on Tuesday deliver verdict on the Sehajdhari Sikhs voting rights issue.

A three-Judge Bench of the High Court is scheduled to pronounce the orders on a bunch of three petitions filed by the Sehajdhari Sikhs Federation and other petitioners.

They are seeking directions to the Union of India and other respondents for quashing the impugned notification issued in on October 8, 2003.

The notification debars Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections was issued.

HC rap for Punjab rights commission

Says SHRC only a recommendatory institution

Chandigarh, December 19
Finding fault with an order of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission against a DSP and two other police officials, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that the commission is only a recommendatory institution. It does not have the jurisdiction to reject defence version furnished by the police officers.
The ruling came on a petition filed by DSP Balwinder Singh, Barjinder Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar Goel against the State of Punjab and other respondents.
In the petition placed before the Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina, challenge was thrown to the order dated November 12, 2009, passed by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission.
In its order, the Commission had rejected the defence pleas of the three police officers and recommended to the State Government to initiate department action against them. An interim compensation of Rs 25,000 was also recommended for Vishal Kumar, the victim of police harassment.
Challenging the order, counsel for the petitioner submitted: “Once the commission decides that the defence raised by the three petitioners was rejected, this would certainly prejudice their rights before the regular courts of law where they may have to face criminal or civil proceedings.” The counsel added the rest of the order was recommendatory and there could not be “any possible objection”.
After hearing the rival contentions, the Bench asserted that it was of the view that the submission made by the petitioner’s counsel on the offending portion of the order deserved to be accepted.
“Once the commission is found to be a recommendatory institution by the Division Bench of this court and the commission is only to act as a catalytic body, it would not have any jurisdiction to reject the defence version posed by the petitioner before the commission.”

“If such a course is adopted, it would amount to adjudication of the rights of the parties and their case before the regular courts might be prejudiced…. The following portion of the order is set aside: The commission rejects the defence pleas of the three police officers. The writ petitions are partly allowed. However, rest of the recommendations would stand”.

The rulebook

• The commission had rejected the defence pleas of the three police officers in a case
• It also recommended to the State Government to initiate departmental action against the trio
• The High Court, however, ruled that the commission did not have the jurisdiction to reject defence version as furnished by the police officials
• The ruling came on a petition filed by DSP Balwinder Singh, Barjinder Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar Goel against the State of Punjab and other respondents

Ruckus in LS over move to ban Bhagvad Gita in Russia

RAISING THE PITCH: ISKCON followers hold placards during an agitation in front of the Russian Consulate in Kolkata on Monday. — PTI

New Delhi, December 19
The Lok Sabha today had RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav raising the slogan ‘Bhagwan Sri Krishna ki jai,’ and the entire House reverberated with ‘jai’ as he rose to condemn the Russian court’s act of banning the Russian translation of Bhagvad Gita by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), while SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav wanted the Bhagvad Gita to be taught in all schools.
The House was earlier adjourned for two hours from 2 pm as SP and BSP rushed into the Well of the House and BJP members were on their feet, demanding the government explanation.
When the House reassembled after the adjournment, the chair allowed SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to raise the issue, who praised the Bhagvad Gita and said that it is revered in India across the board and the Dharma that Sri Krishna mentioned in the Gita is acceptable to people all over the world. Mahatma Gandhi was inspired by Gita. He regretted that the government was not taking it seriously.
He was followed by RJD chief Lalu Yadav, JD (U) president Sharad Yadav and BJP leader Hukumdev Narain Yadav, who all took serious exception to the disrespect caused to the Gita and Bhagwan Krishna and demanded government statement.
The matter was finally settled only when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal assured the House that External Affairs Minister SM Krishna may make a statement perhaps tomorrow upon his return to the country.

Russian court verdict on Dec 28 MOSCOW: A Russian court on Monday suspended its verdict till December 28 on the demand for banning Hindu scripture Bhagvad Gita, which a group linked to the Christian Orthodox Church has described as ‘extremist’. “The ruling has been postponed till December 28, as the lawyer of the local chapter of ISKCON requested the court to seek opinion of Russian ombudsman and experts from Moscow and St Petersburg - the main centres of Indology in Russia”, Sadhu Priya Das of ISKCON said in the Siberian city of Tomsk.