NEW DELHI, July 14 (Agencies): While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has allegedly not furnished details of her Rs 9.78 crore deposits yet, the CBI has informed the Supreme Court that the BSP supremo had adopted delaying tactics by filing 'numerous' petitions before the investigating agency.
Detailing her income in a counter-affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the CBI alleged that Mayawati has not given the details of the institutions or banks where the deposits have been made.
"She has not given the details of other immovable properties in her name including agricultural land.
Investigation in this regard is being carried out," CBI said.
Listing her declaration filed while contesting the Akbarpur Lok Sabha seat in 2004, CBI said Mayawati had herself mentioned about deposits of Rs 9.78 crore in banks, financial institutions and non-banking financial companies regarding which she was yet to provide any details to the CBI.
About the timing of the affidavit, CBI said the probe in the "instant, voluminous case, had been completed in 2006 but for the further investigation, which had to be carried out on the contentious raised by the petitioner in her numerous representation." "...In fact, the petitioner (Mayawati) herself did not cooperate with the investigation until April 2005," CBI said in the affidavit filed in response to Mayawati's petition to the Apex court seeking quashing of the FIR in the disproportionate assets case against her.
"Investigation of the voluminous disproportionate assets case was completed in the year 2006.
In the meanwhile, the petitioner submitted a representation on July 17, 2006 that she had not been examined properly and therefore she should be further examined.
The petitioner (Mayawati) was re-examined on October five and six, 2006 at her Lucknow residence when she raised a series of new contentions and made fresh claims regarding her assets and income which needed to be further investigated in detail," the affidavit said.
The CBI, which has also annexed all the representations made by Mayawati and her family members, claimed that the BSP leader and her family members had been making several representations to it through 2005-07, which also need to be investigated thoroughly.
"This has resulted into so called delay in conclusion of the investigation in the instant case," the affidavit said.
Referring to the allegations raised by Mayawati that her fundamental rights were violated, the CBI informed that "it is submitted that the case was registered and investigated as per orders of the Supreme Court." Mayawati has alleged that the case against her was politically motivated, a charged denied by CBI which said its counter-affidavit was in response to the writ petition filed by the UP Chief Minister in the apex court seeking to quash the FIR filed against her in October 2003.
Reservation Bill for Gujjars introduced in Rajasthan House JAIPUR, July 14 (Agencies): A Bill seeking reservation of four castes, including Gujjars under the Special Backward Classes category, and the poor among the upper castes was today introduced in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.
Law Minister G S Tiwari introduced the Bill even as the opposition Congress members were holding protest against an ordinance on university teachers' regularisation.
Congress charge the ruling BJP government with moving the ordinance without divulging the objections and suggestions made by the Governor on the original Bill.
Amid the opposition MLAs shouting anti-government slogans on the teachers' ordinance matter, Speaker Sumitra Singh took a voice vote of the ruling BJP legislators for introduction of the quota Bill in the House.
The Bill titled the Rajasthan Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Class (OBC), Special Backward Classes, and Economically Backward Classes, 2008, is likely to come up for discussion in the next sitting of the House.
It seeks to provide reservations of seats in favour of SC, ST, OBC, Special Backward Classes, and EBC while making recruitments for state government posts.
After the Gujjars' monthlong agitation in May and June which claimed 38 lives in police firing, the BJP government agreed to extend five per cent reservation to Gujjars, Rebari, Nomades (Gardia Lohar), and Banjara, and fourteen per cent to the poor among the Economically Backward Classes (EBC).
Simultaneously, an amendment Bill on Rajasthan Khadi and Gramodyog was tabled by its minister in-charge Digamber Singh.
Later, the Speaker took up obituary references and adjourned the House for the day There is deal behind deal: Shotgun SHIMLA, July 14 (Agencies): Film star-cum-politician Shatrughan Sinha today alleged the Samajwadi Party had entered into a deal with the Congress over the nuclear issue to shore up fortunes of a few individuals.
"The deal behind the deal between the Congress and the SP, brokered by a seasoned political manager, is obviously aimed at shoring up fortunes of the politician and his cine star-friend," Sinha said.
The reference was apparently to high-profile SP General Secretary Amar Singh and mega star Amitabh Bachchan though Sinha, talking to PTI by telephone from Patna, did not take their names.
"The SP leader had earlier served his interest and his millennium star and his family by showering rewards and largesse on them.
"And now, he will leave no stone unturned in getting personal benefits for the group as the price for bailing out the UPA government," he said.
Affectionately called "Bihari Babu", Sinha said the good old days in UP, witnessed during the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime, were set to return.
The BJP leader took a swipe at RJD President Lalu Prasad for what, he said, acting as an expert on the nuclear issue and shouting on top of his voice to defend the Indo-US deal.
"Lalu is acting as an expert without any expertise on such a complicated subject," Sinha, who was a Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, said.
To a question, he said the nuclear deal was against the national interest as it would deprive the country to go in for a Pokhran-type nuclear test.
Torrential rain affects normal life in eastern UP GORAKHPUR (UP), July 14 (Agencies): The season's torrential rains have badly affected the normal life in and around Gorakhpur with many rivers in the district flowing at danger levels.
As the rains continue lash a major portion of the eastern UP, business of traders, commercial areas, day-to-day work of the people and vehicular traffic are badly hit bringing life in many areas here to a standstill.
National Highways 28 and 29 connecting Gorakhpur to Lucknow and Varanasi respectively are badly damaged affecting traffic along the roads.
In some areas here, raging rivers have inundated seven more villages, raising the number of flood-affected villages to 80.
According to the flood control room, 25,500 people are affected and many of them are taking shelter on high grounds and river embankments.
They said 80 villages of Gola, Khajni and Sahjanwa tehsils are affected where the rivers Ami and Rapti are in spate.
Rapti is just 2.71 metres below the danger mark, the Central Water Commission said adding that the river water is increasing at the rate of one cm an hour.
Heavy rains in catchment areas have also caused the water level to rise in Ghaghra, Kuano, Kunhra and Badi Gandak rivers including some rivulets, commission sources said.
The water level of Ramgarh Tal, a natural lake in Gorakhpur has also increased, the sources added.
According to the Met office, Gorakhpur alone receives 12 cm of rain in the past 24 hours.
Hearing in Sankararaman case adjourned to August 22 PUDUCHERRY, July 14 (Agencies): The hearing in the Sankararaman murder case, in which Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswathi and his junior Vijayendra Saraswathi are the prime accused, was today adjourned to August 22 by a court here.
The Principal and District Sessions Judge of Puducherry, D Krishnaraja, adjourned the hearing in view of the pendency of a petition filed by Jayendra Saraswathi in the Supreme Court, challenging the continuation of the Special Public Prosecutor of Tamil Nadu even after the case was transferred here.
Only five of the 24 accused were present when the case came up for hearing in the court today.
The two seers were among those who did not not appear in the court.
Sankararaman, the manager of the Kancheepuram Varadaraja Perumal temple, was murdered on September 3, 2004.
Skeletons sent for laboratory tests COIMBATORE, July 14 (Agencies): The four human skeletons which were found during digging operations at Egmore railway station in Chennai on Friday have been sent for laboratory tests, a top official of the Railway police said here yesterday.
Speaking to reporters, Umaganapati Shastri, IG, Railway Police, Tamil Nadu, said the test reports would confirm the period of burial of the bodies.
The skeletons were found while workers were digging the earth near the recently added eighth and ninth platforms in the station.
The busy station, the gateway to trains from the Southern districts of Tamil Nadu, is currently undergoing expansion.
He said an exclusive website for railway police would become operational within one month.
It would have information about missing of persons, children and photos of those who died in accidents or committed suicide on tracks, he said.
Shastry, who was here to review the working of the city and nearby railway stations, said 2000 deaths - 1600 accidental, 200 suicides, 200 natural like cardiac failure-had occurred in Railways in the state in the last one year.
