SUKNA LAND SCAM - LT GEN RATH MAY FACE COURT MARTIAL

New Delhi: Lt-Gen P K Rath faces disciplinary action in the form of a court martial since he was the chief of the 33 Corps based in Darjeeling district when the alleged conspiracy to aid the transfer of a 71-acre tea estate adjacent to the Sukna military station to a real estate developer close to Lt-Gen Avadesh Prakash took place last year. As reported by TOI earlier, the Army is all agog with talk of a turf war raging between Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor and Lt-Gen V k Singh. Consequently, all eyes were on Gen Kapoor to see if he accepted or diluted Lt-Gen Singhs recommendations and the time he took to arrive at the decision since Lt-Gen Prakash is slated to retire on January 31.

On Monday, a top Army spokesperson, however, said, Gen Kapoor has directed the adjutant general to issue showcause notices to all the officers found prima facie guilty in the court of inquiry (CoI) in the Sukna case. They have to respond within 30 days. The next course of action, whether disciplinary or administrative action, will be decided only after that, he added. But legal jargon apart, the fact that three of the alleged protagonists can get away with little more than a rap on their knuckles is sure to intensify the buzz about partisanship.

The CoI, conducted under the aegis of the Kolkatabased EAC, indicted Lt-Gen Prakash as the all e g e d main facilitator of the conspiracy in the case. Lt-Gen Halgali and Maj-Gen Sen were deputies of Lt-Gen Rath at the 33 Corps at that point in time. Incidentally, after Lt-Gen Raths name surfaced in the case, his appointment as the new deputy chief (information systems and training) at the Army HQ was scrapped by the defence ministry .

Defence minister A K Antony, on his part, warned the Army that such cases not only damage its image but also adversely affect the ability of senior officers to measure up to the expectations of the men they lead .
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ACB GOES HI-TECH- HIDDEN CAMERAS TO TRAP CORRUPT BABUS

Hyderabad: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has hit the high-tech path to fix corrupt officials . It has started using hidden cameras to nail the corrupt. We will use spy cameras to record evidence. Often, the official/person who demands bribe from the complainant denies the allegation when confronted. Then, we show the footage to nail the lie, ACB director Santosh Mehra told TOI.

ACB personnel had used hidden cameras for the first time on an experimental basis in Saroornagar assistant commissioner of police (ACP) L K Shinde trap case. The ACP was caught on tape taking Rs 50,000 bribe from a person to favour him in an SC/ST Atrocities Case on December 20, 2009. We succeeded in our first operation , the ACB officer said.

The government has sanctioned Rs 25 lakh when ACB moved a proposal to purchase highend equipment, including spy cameras. Accordingly , the ACB purchased 25 spy cams recently , he added. We explain to them (complainants ) on how to use the camera and the position (angle) to carry out a sting operation, he replied.

The ACB is examining a proposal to give informants one to two per cent incentive of the total value of disproportionate assets seized during searches/raids, he said. Already, Maharashtra has been giving incentives between one and two per cent (based on the case) to the informant. In this connection, the ACB has got a GO copy from the Maharashtra government. It is under active consideration. The ACB is also taking opinion of legal experts on the issue , Santosh Mehra said.

The ACB reimbursed an amount of Rs 54.16 lakh (bribe paid during trap cases) between April and December, 2009 to complainants. We are reimbursing the amount to the complainant within one month from the date of trap. The complainants statement will be recorded at the time of trap on the amount given to the corrupt official/person to avoid problems during reimbursement. The government has sanctioned amount for reimbursement as part of budget allocation. The number of traps increased after the reimbursement scheme was launched, the official added.

The ACB would soon receive complaints through mobile phone: 9493449999 apart from landline numbers: 040-24740196 to 199. The mobile phone services would be launched within 15 days, the officer said.

The ACB was awaiting clearance from the High Court to conduct searches on the All-India Services (AIS) officials IAS, IPS and IFS in the state. In 1996, the High Court had issued a interim order, but the final order has not yet been issued, the official replied.
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SUBMIT JAIL CERTIFICATES - GET PARTY TICKETS: LALU

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad is known as a man with gift of the gab. He is capable of putting across his messages very quickly striking an instant rapport with the masses. On Sunday, the RJD boss wanted to tell his party leaders and workers of the need to retain their fighting spirit and give Nitish Kumar a run for his money. Lalu told them, If you want to get a ticket for the coming assembly polls, you must be a fighter. Show me a certificate of your jail term for taking part in an agitation, you are a likely candidate for our party in the polls.

He, in fact, sought to inflame his followers into going all out to gear up for the RJD sponsored bandh on January 28 to highlight the failures of the Nitish Kumar government . Lalu is trying hard to stimulate his party workers at a time when Nitish Kumar is steadily building the image of a visionary and performer.
All the more reason why its quite a formidable task for Lalu, who is pulling all stops to regain his ground, RJDs perceived success in the bypolls notwithstanding.
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(SOURCE : TOI)