Patiala Judge Murder Case

Lady doc among 2 convicted 

Accused Ravdeep Kaur and Manjit Singh come out of the district courts in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

Chandigarh, March 28
After seven years of trial in the case relating to murder of a senior Patiala judge, Chandigarh Court today convicted two accused including a lady doctor.
The Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge VP Sirohi convicted Dr Ravdeep Kaur and Granthi Manjit Singh under Section 302 of the IPC. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Friday.
The murder occurred on October 13, 2005 when Vijay Singh, who was the Additional District and Sessions Judge, was attacked with swords while he was on a late night walk in the high-security area of the Polo Ground in Patiala. He was stabbed repeatedly by the accused. Vijay (42) was holding the charge of presiding officer of the Chandigarh Labour Court at that time. He was son of former chairman of Punjab Public Service Commission Amarjit Singh.
Four days after the murder, the Patiala police had arrested two persons — a lady doctor working with a private hospital, Ravdeep Kaur, for masterminding the murder and Manjit Singh, who was a contract killer and executed the crime. He was paid an amount of Rs 5 lakh for executing the murder, police had said. The trial was transferred from Patiala to Chandigarh Court as no counsel in Patiala was willing to represent any of the accused in the case pertaining to murder of the judge. The case was transferred to Chandigarh in February 2006.
While establishing the motive behind the crime, the prosecution stated Dr Ravdeep had an affair with Vijay and was compelling him to marry her and divorce his wife. Vijay had three children and he refused to tie the knot with Ravdeep, following which she turned bitter against him and hatched a conspiracy to kill him.
Public prosecutor from Punjab Vijay Singla said strong circumstantial evidence led to the conviction. Call details of Ravdeep proved that she took an add-on connection three months prior to the murder, which was used to maintain contact with Manjit. She was in touch with him before and after the murder. Bloodstains and DNA samples of the victim matched with the blood stained clothes of accused Manjit.
The prosecution also stated Ravdeep made anonymous complaints against Vijay to the Chief Justice. It was proved that the anonymous letters were written by Ravdeeep. The police had also recovered Rs 4 lakh cash hidden in the harmonium of Manjit.

UT Estate Office fails to recover service tax

 

Chandigarh, March 25
The UT Estate Office has failed to recover lakhs of rupees as service tax on ground rent of prime commercial properties in Sector 17.

Pointing out the anomaly, the office of the Accountant General Punjab and UT in a communication to the Chandigarh Administration has pointed out that despite the laid down rules on ‘renting of property services’, the estate office has failed to recover service tax to the tune of around Rs 20 lakh.

While examining the record of the Estate Office in respect to 23 shop-cum-offices (SCOs) and booths of Sector 17, the AG office in its observation has pointed out that while the Estate Office received the ground rent of Rs 91,33,500, no service tax was paid by it. But the Estate Office has failed to file a reply.

Similarly, it has been pointed out that in respect to two commercial properties in Sector 43, the Estate Office failed to pay the service tax on ground rent along with interest amounting to Rs 10.21 lakh. Though the Estate Office raised a demand for the service tax, the amount was not recovered.

Many similar cases on non-recovery of service tax to the tune of lakes of rupees exist in the record of the Estate Office, sources said. The observations have been pointed out during an inspection of the office record in 2011. The sources reveal that renting of property services has been made liable to service tax. The renting of immovable property include renting, letting, leasing, licensing or similar arrangements of immovable property for use in the course of furtherance of business or commerce.

Shivalik hills up for sale?

Dealers illegally carve out farmhouse sites after levelling hillocks

Mirzapur (Kurali), March 25
On the pretext of levelling agricultural land that has been freed (de-listed) from the provisions of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900, unscrupulous property dealers have virtually put the eco-fragile Shivalik hills here for sale.
In a bid to make quick money, the land mafia is selling farmhouse sites to outsiders after cutting undulating hillocks. The investors are being taken for a ride as they are being sold the land that cannot be fragmented under the latest guidelines of the Revenue Department. Moreover, the nature of the land in the forest area cannot be changed. But at certain places there were traces of uprooting of trees in complete violation of the Forest Conservation Act (FCA).
In connivance with villagers, property dealers have started levelling small areas on both sides of a seasonal rivulet, which passes through the Shivalik hills. A visit to the site revealed that locals had been engaged in levelling of small chunks of land and huts were being erected.
To lure outsiders, milestones painted in white have been erected on both sides of the paths leading to the farmhouse sites. Some of the investors were being shown a site plan with a promise that in a few months a metalled road would be constructed to the farmhouse sites.
Revenue officials at Majri tehsil said that shares of local residents in the forest area were being illegally transferred despite a ban on it.
Divisional Forest Officer, Mohali, Vishal Chauhan said after the issue came to his notice, a particular property dealer had been stopped from doing any illegal activity. He claimed that no violation had taken place in the area under the PLPA. The claim of landowners that their land had been de-listed was being verified.
Activities such as felling of trees, construction, levelling of land, laying of new roads, etc stand banned in the area under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Forest Control Act, 1980, and the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900. Also, these Acts empower forest officials not only to stop construction work, but even arrest violators, if any, and confiscate their machinery.
Locals lament that despite complaints, forest officials were adopting a wait and watch policy and were not acting against property dealers who were flouting rules and could be seen roaming in the area.
Last year, the Forest Department was caught napping when a politician-turned-property dealer had carved out roads for farmhouse sites in Majri block comprising five villages - Bhagindi, Gurdha, Kasauli, Jyanti Majri and Karaundewala.
"It is a systematic scam in which unscrupulous elements in connivance with revenue officials are tampering with land records to encroach upon others' share and then level hillocks for monetary gains. It cannot happen without the blessings of politicians and senior officers," said a local resident.

Bill soon to allow more Indians to visit US

New York, March 25
Amid Indian IT firms' concerns over restrictive US visa policies for their employees, a top American senator has assured that he is working on a bipartisan bill that will reform immigration laws and allow more Indians to come to America.

Influential US Senator from New York Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met noted Indian-American hotelier and Chairman of Indian-American Democrats Sant Singh Chatwal at his Manhattan hotel here on Friday.

During the nearly hour-long meeting, the three discussed India-US bilateral relations, with Chatwal raising concerns of Indian IT corporations regarding problems faced by them in obtaining work visas like H1B and L1 for their employees.

Reid and Schumer expressed appreciation for the contribution made by the growing Indian-American community to the American economy, saying concerns regarding the visas are being addressed and taken care of.

"I am working to try and change the immigration laws so more Indians can come (to the US). One of the things that Harry and I care a lot about is changing the visas. So more Indians can come here to travel," Schumer told PTI after the meeting.

He said while Indians, Chinese, Russians are keen to come to the US, "the visa laws are a little bit too restrictive so we are working on a bipartisan bill. Harry Reid is going to try to help us get it passed very fast."

Chatwal said Schumer assured him that concerns of Indian firms regarding work visas for their employees are being taken care of and that more visas would be issued to Indian businesses and corporations for their employees.

He said Schumer is keen that more Indians come to the US not only on work visas but also as tourists, thereby contributing to the economy here.

CONCERNS BEING ADDRESSED

Influential US Senator from New York Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed appreciation for the contribution made by the growing Indian-American community to the American economy, saying concerns regarding the visas are being addressed and taken care of