KT NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, Feb 18: Frontier Gujjars Welfare Association has condemned act of stone pelting on Gujjar Hostel by some anti social elements and derogatory slogan shouting against the Gujjars.
As per a press release, Association members convened an emergency meeting of its members under the chairmanship of its senior office bearer Wali Mohammed Chechi to discuss the incident.
Addressing the meeting Wali said that under a pre-planned conspiracy some people are trying to harass the Gujjars.
He said that every now and then there is an attack on the Gujjars and Bakerwals.
Association forwarded a memorandum for the information of the Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed who was in Rajouri today.
Meanwhile, Gujjar Bakerwal Joint Forum leaders today called on BJP national president Vankaiah Naidu at Jammu here today.
A memorandum expressing reservation over the government's move to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Pahari speaking people and enlisting other demands of the community was handed over for further transmission to the prime minister and deputy prime minister of India.
Among other demands the delegation urged the BJP president to make use of his good office for inclusion of Gojri language in the eighth schedule of the constitution of India and recognition of Gojri by the Sahitya Akademy.
He was apprised that 16 assembly segments in Jammu and Kashmir have population of Gujjars more then 45 percent hence these constituencies should be declared as reserved for the Gujjars under ST.
'Allegation of corruption against SSRB members' HC directs to produce record of dissolution of Board JAMMU, Feb 18 (JNF): Taking serious note of allegations of corruption levelled against the members of erstwhile Service Selection Board, Justice Permod Kohli of Jammu and Kashmir High Court directed Deputy Advocate General Neeru Goswami, to produce the record relating to the decision taken by the authorities to dissolve the Selection Board.
The Court further directed that she shall also produce the merit list of the Selectees and the petitioners.
The Court after hearing senior Advocate DC Raina observed that the Board which interviewed the petitioners and other Selectees, came to be dissolved some where in February 1999.
"However, the merit prepared by the same board has been taken into consideration for selection.
It is specifically mentioned in the petition that the Board has dissolved on account of serious allegations of misconduct, etc." These court directions were passed in a writ petition filed by Sanjeev Kumar and others challenging the selection of Junior Assistants of District Rajouri on the ground that illegalities coupled with corrupt practices were such that there has been frequent replacements of typing sheets and in some cases the candidates were allowed to complete their task subsequently.
In the petition, it has been alleged that Man Mohan Sharma who was working as a Senior Assistant in the office of the Board managed selection of his son Sudershan Kumar.
"The typing sheet was replaced and the said candidate was allowed to take extra time under the false pretext that his type writer was out of order." In the petition it was further submitted that corruption was so much rampant that it was a open secret that whosoever could manage money within the range of Rs 70,000 could manage the selection.
It was alleged that in the event of any inquiry conducted by an independent agency all these facts would be established.
The petitioners further submitted that Dr Farooq Abdullah the then chief minister took a drastic step of dissolving the entire board.
It was openly declared by the none else then the state itself that the members of the erstwhile Board have indulged in corrupt and mal-practices which led to dissolution of the board.
"It was further submitted that the typing test was conducted in the first week of April 1998 under the over all control and supervision of S.
Harbans Singh, the then member of the selection board".
The whole process was forged.
Stage managed and was meant to facilitate the selection of those who could either pay sufficient money to the concerned or had political patronage in one way or the other".
With these submissions, petitioners prayed for quashing the entire selection list made by the erstwhile members of the Board.
'6 months imprisonment in contempt petition' DB dismisses mercy petition filed by JE JAMMU, Feb 18 (JNF): The Division Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court comprising Ist Puisne Judge, Justice VK Jhanji and Justice SK Gupta has dismissed mercy appeal filed by convict Shashi Kant Sharma Junior Engineer of PWD who was convicted for the contempt of court and sentenced to simple imprisonment for six months and fine of Rs 2000.
''In default of payment of fine he shall undergo further imprisonment of two months,''court has held.
Division Bench observed that against the judgment of the High Court, the applicant filed criminal appeal before the Supreme Court which was dismissed as withdrawn.
Three days before the dismissal of the appeal by the Supreme Court on December 19, 2003, the convict Shashi Kant Sharma filed application before the court on December 16, 2003, purporting to be in terms of proviso to section 12 of the Jammu and Kashmir Contempt of Court Act., read with contempt jurisdiction of the court in terms of section 94 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and other enabling provisions for remitting the punishment awarded by the High Court.
The Division Bench after hearing applicant counsel Sakal Bhushan observed that proviso to section 12 of Jammu and Kashmir Contempt of Courts Act provides that the accused may be discharged or the punishment awarded may by remitted on apology being made to the satisfaction of the court.
DB further observed that from the contents of the application, it is more then clear that the remorse fullness and the apologetic attitude sought to be demonstrated by the applicant is not real and genuine, the words ''place of nemesis'' and ''mighty High Court'' are by themselves in a sarcasting tenor and do not by any standard of definition indicate the real contriteness of the applicant with earnest desire to make reparation of this conduct.
''The order passed by the Apex Court while dismissing the criminal appeal does not indicate that the applicant was granted any permission to file a mercy petition before the High Court or that he had made any such prayer or had sought any such relief from the Apex Court.'' ''On dismissal of the criminal appeal by the Apex Court the matter has to be taken to have been closed, as such the application is dismissed,'' the DB held.
