Jaganmohan's assets case: SC notice to 6 Andhra ministers, 8 IAS officers

                                                                
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to six Andhra Pradesh ministers and eight IAS officers on a plea alleging that the CBI was not proceeding against them despite having sufficient evidence that they helped former Congress leader Y Jaganmohan Reddy accumulate massive illegal assets.

New Delhi, Mar 12: Six Congress ministers along with several other bureaucrats in Andhra Pradesh faced tremendous criticism when the Supreme Court on Monday, Mar 12 issued notice to the ministers and officials accusing of being inactive over YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's disappropriate asset case.

Why no case has been filed against the ministers and the bureaucrats in the case, asked the apex court while slamming the investigative agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari issued the notices to the ministers and the IAS officers and sought their stands on the petition filed by an advocate, Sudhakar Reddy.



Sudhakar Reddy contended that the investigation into the disproportionate assets could not be confined to Jaganmohan Reddy, but should also include the role of the ministers and bureaucrats in facilitating his business dealings.

 The notice was issued to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), six Andhra Pradesh ministers and eleven IAS officers serving in the state at the time.

The petitioner alleged that these six ministers and eight IAS officers were also holding ministerial and other key positions under the then chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, during whose tenure his son Jaganmohan accumulated huge wealth, disproportionate to his legal income.

Reddy, in his petition, said even though the CBI had registered a number of cases against several others in the disproportionate assets case against Jagan Mohan Reddy, but it failed to register any case against these 14 persons.

An apex court bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari issued notice on a petition by Nellore-based advocate Sudhakar Reddy seeking a probe into the government orders favouring Jaganmohan Reddy, a Lok Sabha MP.

The petitione has challenged a Andhra Pradesh high court order rejecting a probe. A special CBI court in Hyderabad had also rejected the plea.

Budget session: President speaks on economy, minority quota and security

                                                            

 

New Delhi:President Patil also assured that the government was acting to tackle black money. "Government is working on various levels on black money and is taking action to tackle the menace," she said. "The government is also working to reduce corruption at all levels," she added.
Speaking on India's removal from WHO's list of Polio nations, Patil said, "A separate department of disability affairs will focus on issues confronting disabled persons proposed to be set up. Polio has almost been removed from India."
The President also announced that Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Bill will be introduced in Parliament.
Speaking on cross-border relations, Patil said, "We are committed to resolving all outstanding issues with Pakistan through dialogue."
President Patil also mentioned the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) saying, "NCTC aims at improving India's capability to counter internal security threats."

President Pratibha Patil on Monday addressed her last joint session of Parliament before her term ends. The session witnessed uproar by the Opposition when the President spoke about the minorities sub-quota. "The government has decided to provide a sub-quota for minorities. The government has decided to bring 4.5 per cent sub quota for minorities with the existing quota," Patil announced, following which there was uproar in Parliament.
Addressing Parliament, she also expressed concern over the world economy, but said that India's economic growth was better than others. "My government has completed its half tenure. This was a difficult economic year for the world. The economic growth of India has decreased but is better compared to the world economic scenario," President Patil said.
She also said that the economy will stabilise soon. "Economy will soon revert to 8-9 per cent growth path," she said.

Quake rocks J&K, northern Pakistan

                                                               
A earthquake has been reported in Kashmir with the epicenter being in the Gilgit area, 144 kilometers north-west of Kashmir.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir was rocked, along with parts of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), by a moderate earthquake at 11.36 am (IST) on Monday.


As per the Indian Meteorological department (IMD), the earthquake measured 5.8 on the Ritcher Scale with the epicentre was at Lat. 36.8°N Long. 73.4°E near the Indo-Pak border.

However, as per the US Geological Survey, the earthquake measured 5.6 on the Ritcher Scale with the epicentre located at a depth of 49.3 km from the earth’s surface near Gilgit in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

No reports of any damage to of life or property have emerged as yet.

The same area was rocked by a massive earthquake in 2005 that had led to the death of over 75000 people.

Experts and geologists have said that the earthquake measured 5.6 to 5.8 on the Richter Scale, and lasted for about two to three seconds.
Media reports said that the earthquake occurred at around 11.36 a.m., and added that residents of the region rushed out of their homes on feeling the tremors.

Hyderabad:PRP formally unites with Congress

                                                                       

On Thursday, leaders of both parties handed over letters to the Speaker seeking to accept the merger. Accordingly, the Speaker made the formal announcement on Monday morning.
Now, as per the promise made by the Congress during the merger, Chiranjeevi has to be nominated to Rajya Sabha in the biennial elections on March 30.
 The party could not ride to power despite positioning itself as an alternative to Congress and Telugu Desam Party but won only 18 seats with 17 per cent vote share in the 2009 elections. One of the MLAs subsequently switched over to the YSR Congress of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
With Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar making a formal announcement in the House on Monday accepting the merger of Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) with the Congress, the chapter of the Chiranjeevi-led party has come to an end in the political history of the state.
"Under Para 4 of Schedule X of the Constitution, all 17 members of PRP will be recognised as Congress MLAs with immediate effect," the Speaker announced to the House.
Telugu Megastar Chiranjeevi founded the PRP on August 26, 2008 at temple-town Tirupati with the promise of ushering in a change on the plank of social justice.


It drew a blank in the Lok Sabha polls the same year.
PRP was plagued by a leadership crisis since its start as majority of the leaders who joined it from other parties quit, unable to adjust to the 'filmy style' of functioning of Chiranjeevi and his brother-in-law Allu Aravind.
In February 2011, the Congress came with the offer of a merger with PRP and Chiranjeevi lost no time in accepting it.
In June last year, the Election Commission of India approved the merger of PRP with Congress and the formalities between the two parties were completed in August.
Two legislators of PRP were inducted into the state Cabinet in January as part of merger deal.
However, the PRP continued to remain a separate group in the Assembly as some 'technical' procedures were not completed.
Late last month, the Congress Legislature Party finally approved the merger and communicated its decision to the Speaker.

Congress will be routed in AP too: Jagan

                                                                    
Nellore: Predicting that the performance of the Congress in Andhra Pradesh would not be much different from that in Uttar Pradesh, YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has exuded confidence that his party will come to power with the blessings of the people.


Describing the elections as a fight between the good and the evil, he urged the people to vote for Prasanna Kumar Reddy who strove hard for the development of the constituency. The Congress and the TDP were in collusion to see that YSRCP was defeated but with the blessings of the people his party would emerge victorious, Jagan said.

Former MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy said he was criticising the Congress and its leaders not because he had resigned from that party Congress and the Lok Sabha but because the party had lost the leadership  qualities which was proved by the recent elections.

Addressing a series of road-side meetings at Leburu, Narasapuram, Krishnapuram, Kothakaluva, Pallepadu, Gudipallepadu in Indukurpeta mandal on Thursday as part of his electioneering in the Kovuru constituency on behalf of his party candidate N Prasanna Kumar Reddy, Jagan confined himself more to appealing to people to vote for his party than to criticising the Congress and the TDP as he had done on the first two days of campaigning.


After YSR's demise, the Congress lost its value in the state and election results would surely show it, he said and announced that he would contest the Lok Sabha seat from Nellore on YSR Congress Party ticket.
YSRCP candidate N Prasanna Kumar Reddy and other party leaders were present.