Dadasaheb Falke Awards

105 dead in Tripoli airport plane crash: security official

TRIPOLI: An eight-year-old Dutch boy was the sole survivor when a Libyan plane arriving from South Africa exploded on landing at Tripoli airport on Wednesday, killing more than 100 people, officials said.

Afriqiyah Airways listed 93 passengers and 11 crew members on board its flight 8U771 from Johannesburg.

"I can confirm the crash but not the number of the dead," said Bongani Sithole, an official of the airline at Johannesburg airport. "We hear that it happened one metre (yard) away from the runway."

A Libyan security official earlier said that all those on board the Airbus A330 had died but an airport official said in fact a Dutch boy had survived and been rushed to hospital near Tripoli.

There was no immediate indication of the cause of the crash, which occurred as the Afriqiyah Airways plane was landing after a flight from Johannesburg at around 6 am (0400 GMT).

"It exploded on landing and totally disintegrated," the security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The crew members were all Libyan nationals, the official added.

An AFP correspondent said the crash site had been sealed off by security officials and ambulances and emergency vehicles were seen rushing between the airport and the capital, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) apart.

The wreckage could be seen in the distance but no plumes of smoke were evident. Weather conditions were good at Tripoli on Wednesday morning, with only light clouds in the sky.

Afriqiyah Airways said on its website that it operates an Airbus fleet.

It started operations with five leased planes and signed a contract with Airbus at an exhibition in Paris in 2007 for the purchase of 11 new planes, the website said.

It was founded in April 2001 and at first fully owned by the Libyan state. The company's capital was later divided into shares to be managed by the Libya-Africa Investment Portfolio.

On April 21, the airline announced that flights were back to normal after disruptions due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland that grounded flights in Europe last month.

Last June, a 12-year-old girl was the sole survivor of a Yemeni plane crash off the Comoros.

3 given death, 20 life imprisonment for killing 21 Dalits in 1996

ARA: A Bihar court today sentenced three persons to death and 20 others to life imprisonment in connection with the kiling of 21 Dalits at Bathani Tola in Bhojpur district in 1996.

Additional District and Sessions Judge A K Srivastava announced the quantum of punishment today.

On May 5 the court had found the accused guilty of killing the dalits at Bathani Tola under Sahar block of Bhojpur district on July 11, 1996. The accused were suspected activists of Ranvir Sena, a private militia of land owners.

The court had earlier acquitted 30 others named in the case for want of sufficient evidence.

Around 70 Sena men had raided the village and killed 21 dalits, mostly women and children.

SC allows Reddy brothers to resume mining

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today allowed Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), belonging to the Reddy brothers, to resume mining in the undisputed region of the Bellary reserve forest in Karnataka.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan allowed OMC to start mining operations within 150 meters of the Karnataka border.

The apex court, however, clarified that mining by OMC should be carried out only in the undisputed area of the lease granted by the Karnataka government and would have to be stopped if the Survey of India says so.

The apex court had on March 22 banned mining of iron ores by OMC and appointed a committee comprising officials of the Survey of India, the forest, irrigation and revenue departments of Andhra Pradesh, besides representatives of the Reddy brothers to look into allegations of illegal mining and violation of leased areas.

In its ruling today, the court also directed Karnataka to appoint officials from forest and mining departments to assist the committee in demarcating the boundary between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The court has asked the committee to complete the final survey within two months.

The Reddy brothers, who own mining leases for over 136 hectares of land spread in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district, are accused of encroaching on reserve forest lands.

PM pulls up Ramesh for his critical comment on MHA

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today pulled up Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh for his critical comments against Home Ministry in relation to China as he asked him not to speak about functioning of other ministries.

Singh spoke to Ramesh and emphatically told him that there was "no confusion" in the government over its approach towards China with which it wanted to have "constructive engagement".

Singh told Ramesh that it was "advisable for Cabinet colleagues not to make comments on the functioning of other ministries, especially with regard to relationship with important neighbours like China," the PMO sources said.

The Prime Minister's blunt message to the Environment Ministry came two days after Ramesh said in Beijing that the Home Ministry was "overly defensive" and "alarmist" in its approach towards entry of Chinese companies in India.

"There is no confusion in our policies towards China and we continue to strive for constructive engagement with Beijing," Singh told Ramesh.

Ramesh, while talking about the India-China warmth developed during the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change, had suggested that the Home Ministry needed to be "much more relaxed" in its approach to Chinese investments in India.

Tomb Raider: Jesus buried in Srinagar?

That Jesus survived crucifixion, travelled to Kashmir, eventually died there and is buried in Srinagar is an urban legend which has found many takers over the years. Every season hundreds of tourists visit the Rozabal shrine of Sufi saint Yuz Asaf in downtown Srinagar, believed by many to be the final resting place of Christ. But there’s a new twist to the tale — the medieval shrine was recently closed down after an enthusiastic ‘believer’ , New York-based writer Suzanne Olsson, allegedly tried to exhume it.

The shrine itself, at the edge of a winding alley in the backstreets of old Srinagar, first came into the limelight when a local journalist, Aziz Kashmiri, argued in his 1973 book, Christ in Kashmir, that Jesus survived crucifixion some 2,000 years ago, migrated to Kashmir and was buried in Srinagar. The modest stone building with traditional multi-tiered roof slipped into oblivion but came into focus again in 2002 when Olsson arrived in Srinagar, claiming to be Christ’s ‘59th descendant’ and seeking DNA testing of the shrine’s remains.

In a series of letters to the shrine’s caretakers , Olsson said she considers Rozabal a “private family tomb” . She further wrote: “My family has it (sic) origins in France, where Jesus and his wife Mary Magdalene lived for 30 years after the crucifixion. There they had two sons and one daughter. We’re descendants of the son. And if you wish to know more, I refer you to a book called Bloodline of the Holy Grail by Sir Lawrence Gardner.” Olsson went on to add that she was considering moving court to press her claim and secure the right to exhume the tomb. “We feel any claims you make about the sanctity of the grave are invalid ... we would prefer to move our grandfather (out of Srinagar).’’

It was quite clear Olsson wanted to put her plan into action without wasting much time. One of the caretakers of the tomb, Mohammad Amin, alleged that they were forced to padlock the shrine as Olsson tried to dig it up and in doing so, insulted Islam. “She tried to raid the holy tomb,” he complains . He believed that the theory that Jesus is buried anywhere on the face of the earth is blasphemous to Islam.

The Quran, where Jesus is called Messiah — the Messenger, maintains that Christ was returned to God alive and not crucified.

Amin said in light of Quranic teachings no Muslim can accept Olsson’s theory. The caretaker even filed an FIR against her and got her visa cancelled. “Despite this we used to allow tourists to enter the shrine but we became suspicious when she tried to get curfew imposed in the locality and plant something at the shrine to authenticate her claim.”

Olsson, though, doesn’t seem to be alone in her conviction. There are some who support her view. Renowned Kashmiri academic Fida Hassnain’s 1994 book, A Search for the Historical Jesus, was about this legend. Later, he co-authored a book on the subject with Olsson, Roza Bal the Tomb of Jesus.

The shrine is called by Lonely Planet, as the “Jesus Tomb” . There are some caveats about blasphemy, but is marked as a must-visit tourist spot in the Valley.

Caretaker Amin said some local traders circulated these “lies” thinking it would be good for business. “They thought it could become a tourist hub after all these years of violence.” He said after the shrine made it to the Lonely Planet, too many people, often rowdy, started coming in. One of the tourists damaged the tomb and took the broken piece home as a souvenir.

Rozabal is not the only story linking Jesus to Kashmir. It is said that he also visited a Buddhist monastery, the ruins of which are near Srinagar. The stories of Jesus in India date back to the 19th century and find mention in a plethora of texts by scholars of varied persuasions — Islamic, Buddhist and Christian. In fact, it is believed that during his missing years (between 12 and 30), unmentioned in the Gospels, Jesus was in India and picked up Buddhist ideas.

Amin said the Caretakers’ Committee has decided to convene a religious leaders’ meeting to discuss the issue. But Olsson insists that there’s nothing sacrilegious about her DNA project. “It’s routinely done around the world. From Egyptian mummies to the Christian Saint Luke, people are using this scientific tool to help study ancient history,’’ she said in an email interview to TOI-Crest from New York. “The DNA from Rozabal will tell us a lot about history,” she went on to say. “First, who is Yuz(a) Asaf? We’ll never know until archaeologists are allowed to examine the artefacts and the tomb.”

Olsson refuted allegations that she had attempted to remove anything from the tomb, or dug it up. “I can’t imagine who started those rumours or why,” she said and maintained that the belief that there is a Muslim saint in the same tomb is untrue. “The tomb predates Islam and could never be a Muslim tomb."

Stalemate ends, BJP to form new govt in Jharkhand

NEW DELHI: Ending a fortnight-long stalemate, JMM and AJSU on Saturday announced support to a BJP-led government in Jharkhand for the remaining four-and-a-half year tenure of the state Assembly.

The decision was arrived at a meeting attended by BJP President Nitin Gadkari, senior party leader Ananth Kumar, Jharkhand deputy chief minister Raghubar Das, JMM Legislature Party leader Hemant Soren and AJSU President Sudesh Mahato here.

The BJP Parliamentary Board will meet on Monday to decide its chief ministerial candidate.

"We had fruitful discussions with senior BJP leaders. We will support a government in Jharkhand under BJP leadership. The decision has been taken to save the state from President's Rule," Hemant Soren said.

BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar insisted that the talks ended on a happy note.

"A BJP-led government will be formed in Jharkhand. We want to save the state from Congress misrule. A stable government which stands for development will be formed," he said.

"We have decided that this government will complete its full term....This decision has been taken for the entire period of the Assembly," Kumar added.

A Common Minimum Programme (CMP) on how to run the government will be chalked out soon. Gadkari is sending an observer to Ranchi to discuss the matter with BJP, JMM and All Jharkhand Students Union, and JD(U) leaders from the state.

BJP, which had decided to withdraw support to the Shibu Soren government on April 28 after the JMM chief voted against the BJP-sponsored cut-motions in the Lok Sabha, put its decision on hold after Hemant made an offer to BJP to head the government in the state.

Among the front-runners for the post of chief minister are former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, former chief minister and general secretary Arjun Munda and deputy chief minister Raghubar Das.

Governors can't be removed with change of government: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday said that the governors of states cannot be changed in an arbitrary and capricious manner with the change of power.

Disapproving the practice of replacing governors after a new government comes to power at the Centre, the SC ruled the court can interfere if government fails to give cogent reasons for removing governors.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan held that a governor can be replaced only under "compelling" reasons for proven misconduct or other irregularities.

The apex court said though the governor is appointed and remains in office at the pleasure of the President, he or she cannot be removed merely because they are "not in sync" with the party in power, PTI reported

During the arguments, the Centre had contended that the conflict of governor's view with the national policy could invite his/her removal from the office by cutting short the five-year tenure.

The Centre had said that the governors act as a bridge between the Centre and the state governments and as such they cannot disagree on their own with the views of the government.

Under the mandate of democracy if a particular party is voted to power with particular socio-economic agenda, the governors cannot say they do not agree with that, it had argued.

The bench also comprising Justices S H Kapadia, R V Raveendran, B Sudershan Reddy and P Sathasivam gave unanimous verdict on the issue.

Earlier, appearing for the petitioner, former attorney general Soli J Sorabjee had questioned the removal of four governors by the UPA government after NDA lost elections in 2004.

Vishnu Kant Shastri, Babu Parmanand, Kailashpati Mishra and Kidarnath Sahni had then been removed from their gubernatorial posts in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Goa respectively.

Sorabjee had said constitutional office holders should not be made sacrificial goats at the altar of electoral politics and should be treated with dignity they deserve.

He had suggested a fixed tenure for them or in case of removal, giving of proper reasons by President.

Govt has right to decide price: SC on RIL-RNRL gas row

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the government was the legal owner of the gas in the RIL-RNRL gas dispute and said it had the right to decide the price and utilization of fuel, which is a natural asset. The government contract overrides any private deal, the court ruled.

RIL does not have absolute marketing right over gas; the price was subject to the government’s approval, the court said.

In an order tilting in favour of elder brother Mukesh Ambani in the KG basin gas row, the apex court ordered RIL to initiate in six weeks, re-negotiation with RNRL in terms of Gas Sale Master Agreement so that the rights of RNRL shareholders were safeguarded. It also told them to ensure the deal abides by the government’s policies.

The court also said that natural gas resources cannot be subject to any family agreement and the family MoU signed by Mukesh and Anil Ambani and their mother Kokilaben was not legally and technically binding. Family agreement can only be a guiding factor about parties’ intention, it said.

Delivering the majority verdict of the bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan on the four-year gas dispute between RIL and RNRL, Justice P Sathasivam said the Production Sharing Contract over-rides all other agreements.

The Supreme Cour’s order implies that RNRL, which was seeking 28 mmscmd of gas from RIL's KG-D6 fields at a price agreed in the family MoU, would not get the fuel. The family MoU provided for a price of USD 2.34 per mmBtu, while the government had set a price of USD 4.20 per mmBtu.

Millions of stakeholders were awaiting the verdict closely. Not surprising, when you consider that the verdict has direct fallout on scrips of companies with a combined market capitalization of about Rs 3.78 lakh crore.

The high-voltage legal battle has stretched for several days over Anil Ambani's claim for a share of Mukesh Ambani-controlled KG basin gas.

The brothers, through their lawyers, traded arguments and claims. Mukesh said he could not honour the family agreement requiring RIL to give 28 mmscd of KG basin gas to Anil's Reliance Natural Resources Ltd for 17 years at $2.34 per unit because the gas actually belonged to the government, while Anil Ambani asked for enforcement of the family accord.

The outcome will have repercussions not just for the siblings but also for firms -- belonging to private sector as well as those in public sector like NTPC -- that have tied up with RIL for 60 mmscnd of KG basin gas. An adverse outcome for RIL can singe the government because of allegations of collusion between Mukesh and the ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MoPNG).

The government claimed to be neutral. But many felt that its stance asserting its proprietorial rights over the KG basin gas while maintaining that it could not allow the precious public good to be apportioned between two brothers on the basis of a family agreement, showed a tilt towards the elder of the Ambani siblings.

The judgment comes after four-and-a-half months. It was reserved on December 18, 2009, which like judgment day, was also a Friday.

Apart from arguing that supply of gas from KG basin was subject to the production sharing contract (PSC) and Centre's Gas Utilisation Policy (GUP), RIL had said that if it sold gas to RNRL at $2.34 for 17 years, its return on investment of $12 billion would be just $2 billion, which was much lower than the interest that this sum would attract on investment or credit.

The Centre had questioned the basis of any gas supply agreement between two private parties on the lines of a family agreement and asked how RIL could allocate gas to RNRL when the government had not yet given any allocations to its own entity in NTPC.

NTPC was apprehensive of the outcome of the legal battle between the corporate honchos. It wanted to safeguard its interest and had pleaded with the court that the outcome should not alter RIL's commitment to supply it gas at $2.34 to its power plants at Kawas and Gandhar. RNRL had argued that it was only seeking to enforce a document which was framed on the foundation of RIL's commitment to NTPC.

Shravan Rathod Interview

KKR's ownership transfer, donations under scanner

NEW DELHI: IPL franchisee Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) appears to be headed for trouble with the government finding out discrepancies in the company's operations, including issues related to change of ownership due to related-party transactions as well as not making statutory filings. Importantly, a report by the Registrar of Companies (RoC) has also made note of KKR's Rs 50 lakh donation to the Rajasthan chief minister's relief fund, flagging it off in a note before the corporate affairs ministry.

The report by the RoC Mumbai has found the change in KKR ownership — leading from related-party transactions — not in line with the rules governing IPL franchisees. There was "change in control" of the company which was violative of the franchisee agreement, the report said, pointing out that this was not permitted before a period of three years and that too only after permission from the IPL/BCCI.

The related-party transactions in KKR entailed actress Juhi Chawla selling her entire holding to Sea Island Investments, a Mauritius-based company promoted by her husband Jay Mehta. Also, it made mention of Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri selling stakes to their company Red Chillies.

The report also mentioned several procedural and statutory violations made by KKR. This included not informing the central government while increasing the share capital of the company to Rs 20 crore.

Death for Kasab-The route to hanging is long and littered

MUMBAI:If judge M L Tahaliyani declares on Thursday that Pakistani gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab's crime fell under the judicial definition of "rarest of rare" and death by hanging was well deserved, Kasab will set out on a long journey where legal and moral issues will be considered by authorities for years, even decades, before he is finally put to death.

Immediately after pronouncement of the death sentence judge Tahaliyani will have to send his order for confirmation to the Bombay HC. He is bound by the Section 366 of the Criminal Procedure Code to do so. In normal cases it is the convicted man who goes in appeal to the HC but where it is the case of his life being taken away, the trial court must send the case papers to the high court.

The Bombay HC will call for all the evidence and weigh it at its own discretion. It is a practice for the high court to be satisfied on the facts as well as the law of the case, that the conviction is right, before it proceeds to confirm the sentence. This could take a few months.

Even after the high court has given its nod to the death sentence, Kasab has the option of going in appeal to the Supreme Court. For instance last year Surinder Koli, the man whose death sentence in the Nithari case was confirmed by the Allahabad High Court, went in appeal to the Supreme Court. His petition is still pending. Similarly, Kasab's appeal too would be considered in detail by the highest court as it looks at all the arguments in favour of and against the death sentence.

Going by past record, the longest wait in execution of the death sentence will start once it is out of hands of the judiciary and into the domain of the government. After the Supreme Court too gives assent to the death sentence, Kasab will have the legal right to file a mercy petition before the President of India under article 72 of the Constitution. While this petition is pending Kasab's execution will stay suspended — maybe for decades.

The President's powers under Article 72 are always exercised with the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. There is no time limit for how long this consultation takes place and the whole process can remain in abeyance for years. Currently mercy petitions of 32 death row convicts are pending decision with the President for over five years and the oldest mercy petition dates back to 1998.

SC upholds constitutional validity of MPLAD scheme

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) saying it was for public purpose.

The bench said that improvement can be made in the working of the MPLAD scheme, but it is not illegal.

Under MPLAD scheme, members of Parliament are allocated Rs two crore annually for development of their constituencies.

"We hold that the MPLAD scheme is valid," a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said in an unanimous verdict.

"There is no reason for us to interfere in the scheme," the bench also comprising Justices R V Raveendran, D K Jain, P Sathasivam and J M Panchal said.

The bench said the mere allegations that the funds are prone to be misused cannot be a ground for scrapping the scheme, PTI reported.

It said that both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have standing committees to monitor the scheme and there are various levels of accountability for its implementation.

The apex court said that the scheme has benefited the local area development by way of providing water, electricity, infrastructure, library and sports facilities.

It rejected the contention of the opponents of the scheme that it gives an unfair advantage to the sitting MPs against their political rivals.

Ashok Chakra Promo

Neeti Kapur Interview

DadaSaheb Phalke Press Conference

Motormen's agitation paralyses Mumbai

MUMBAI: Over seven million commuters, including office-goers and students, were severely hit Tuesday, the second day of the ongoing agitation by motormen manning Mumbai's crucial suburban trains.

The agitation by over 600 motormen on the Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) compelled the railways to issue a rare advisory Tuesday morning.

"People may undertake (train) journey only if it's very important," said a bulk SMS with a helpline No. 10721 to assist stranded commuters.

Railway authorities today said only 20 per cent suburban trains were operating as a result of the hunger strike by motormen demanding hike in pay scales and allowances.

Maharashtra home minister R R Patil said the state government will take up the issue with the Centre, seeking its intervention to provide relief to Mumbai commuters.

The state government is also reviewing if provisions of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) could be invoked in this case, he said.

The motormen have been on a hunger strike since 6am on Monday and are demanding a pay hike among other things. Their strike led to complete chaos in the city during the evening peak hour traffic on Monday.

Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan has called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation arising out of the motormen's strike. Police, railway and transport officials will attend the meeting, official sources said.

Chavan had on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and requested his intervention to end the strike, the sources said.

The chief minister also spoke to railway minister Mamata Banerjee and requested her to take stringent action against the striking motormen, they said.

While hundreds of commuters managed to reach their homes late Monday, the situation was worse on Tuesday morning with the railways announcing the cancellation of nearly 80 percent of the total 2,000 daily services.

The railways resorted to desperate - but insufficient - measures like permitting people to travel in long-distance trains and making them halt at all suburban stations.

The railways are also making alternative arrangements to grapple with the agitation, considered the worst in Mumbai since 1974.

The BEST and MSRTC chipped in to help the stranded commuters by deploying additional services in the city and elsewhere.

Mumbai University announced that any student who was delayed for the 40-odd final examinations need not panic, they would be permitted extra time to write their papers.

The motormen's agitation has had a cascading effect on Mumbai roads and highways which have been plagued by ugly traffic snarls since Monday night - and the situation was repeated Tuesday morning.

In fact, the railway agitation managed to overshadow the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, in which the verdict pronouncing Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab guilty was delivered on Monday.

Pakistani in custody in New York car bomb attempt: Officials

NEW YORK: A suspect in last weekend's failed car bomb attack on Times Square was taken into custody late Monday while trying to leave the country, a law enforcement official said.

The suspect, a Pakistani, was identified at midnight Monday at John F Kennedy International Airport and was stopped, said the official, who spoke early Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

The suspect has not been named. He was being held in New York. Law enforcement officials say the suspect recently returned from a trip to Pakistan and bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder used in the failed car bomb three weeks ago and paid cash. The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case.

The SUV was rigged with a crude propane-and-gasoline bomb. It had cheap-looking alarm clocks connected to a 16-ounce (454-gram) can filled with fireworks.

Police said the bomb could have produced "a significant fireball" and sprayed shrapnel with enough force to kill pedestrians and knock out windows.

The SUV was parked on a street lined with Broadway theaters and restaurants and full of people out on a Saturday night.

The SUV was captured on video crossing an intersection at 6:28 pm on Saturday. A vendor pointed out the Pathfinder to an officer about two minutes later. Times Square, clogged with tourists on a warm evening, was shut down for 10 hours.

Will it be life or death for Kasab?

MUMBAI: A big conviction and two full acquittals later, the historic 26/11 terror trial came to an end on Monday. But next up immediately on Tuesday, it will be a question of life and death for the young terrorist.

Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam will be arguing for the maximum possible sentence Kasab attracts for the offence of waging war against India, murder of many and acts of terror. He is expected to seek death by hanging for Kasab, while the court-appointed defence lawyer for Kasab, K P Pawar, will seek leniency.

Pawar tried to ask the court for a few days to prepare himself for the sentencing arguments, but special Judge M L Tahaliyani refused. The judge told Kasab that the hearing for the quantum of sentence would take place on Tuesday as he asked the police escorts to take him back barefoot to his cell at the end of the two-and-half hour long conviction ruling. Kasab who displayed no emotion, allowed himself to be escorted away in silence.

After the hearing on the quantum, however, the court is unlikely to immediately pronounce the sentence on Tuesday itself. Once the sentence is delivered — be it the capital punishment which a proven terror act and waging of war will well attract or anything lesser — the action will then move to the Bombay high court for confirmation or appeal.

A death sentence given by a trial court must be confirmed by a high court before it can be effected under the law. And then from there it could go into appeal. Hence, if death is what Kasab's fate will be in a couple of days, the legal fight can be expected to continue all the way to the Supreme Court and then to the President.

But, if Kasab gets on the death row in India, he will be in a long queue of 52 convicts who face the noose and who have sought a pardon from the President. The prosecutor, victorious with Kasab's conviction, claimed immediately that the acquittal of the other two Indian co-accused would be challenged. But the state government, say sources, doesn't appear too keen on that.

India beat South Africa by 14 runs

GROS ISLET (Saint Lucia): Suresh Raina became only the third man to make a Twenty20 International century as India beat South Africa by 14 runs at the Beausejour Stadium on Sunday.

Victory, which saw India into the second round Super Eights after their seven-wicket win over Afghanistan on Saturday, was built on Raina's 101 out of a total of 186 for five.

Only West Indies' Chris Gayle and New Zealand's Brendon McCullum had previously made centuries at this level.

Raina had an escape on five when he was caught off a Morne Morkel no-ball.

It was an expensive error by the fast bowler, with left-hander Raina striking five sixes and nine fours in a blistering assault as he reached his century off 59 balls.

Together with Yuvraj Singh (37) he shared a stand of 88 in 10 overs after the pair came together with India 32 for two in the sixth over after they'd lost the toss.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith had promised his side would be flexible when it came to their openers but few foresaw the skipper dropping himself down to No 3.

Jacques Kallis, who opened in Smith's place, was nearly out for a second ball nought when a diving Yusuf Pathan at backward point just failed to hold on to a catch off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh.

Kallis, after the early loss of Loots Bosman, went on to complete a 45-ball fifty with three fours.

The experienced batsman then tried to keep South Africa on course by slog-sweeping Harbhajan for two successive sixes in the 15th over.

But a stand of 97 in 11 overs was ended when Smith was run out by Praveen Kumar's throw to wicketkeeper and India captain MS Dhoni.

Then 118 for two became 128 for three when Kallis fell on 73 after driving leg-spinner Piyush Chawla straight to Ravindra Jadeja in the deep.

South Africa though kept swinging and got the target down to 24 off the last over, bowled by Ashish Nehra and the left-arm quick conceded just nine.

India accelerated in the ninth over when Yuvraj swept spinner Roelof van der Merwe for the first six of the match and, two balls later, Raina lofted all-rounder Kallis high over wide long-on.

Both batsmen were severe on fast bowler Rory Kleinveldt, whose four overs cost 48 runs.

India took 25 runs off Kleinveldt's last over, the 18th, with Yusuf Pathan hitting the first ball for six and then taking a single.

Raina then struck three fours in a row, over long-on, through extra-cover and straight down the ground, before the batsman completed the over with a majestic six, struck off one knee and high over long-off.

Come the last over, Raina was on 95 and Dhoni was facing

But when he got on strike, for the third ball, Raina wasted little time in completing his hundred with a six over midwicket off Albie Morkel before getting out next ball.

This was only the 23-year-old Raina's 13th Twenty20 International and his score easily eclipsed his previous best of 61 not out against New Zealand in Christchurch last year.

Dhoni, whose side beat Afghanistan on Saturday, ended the innings with a six as India scored a mammoth 75 runs off the last five overs.

South Africa complete their group programme against Afghanistan in Barbados on May 5.

Jawan killed in UP 'fake encounter'

LUCKNOW: Yet another 'encounter' appears to have gone horribly wrong. A day after the Uttar Pradesh police killed an alleged car-lifter in an encounter in Bulandshahr, it now turns out that the "robber" was an armyman.

The 'encounter killing' of the armyman, identified by UP cops as Kuldeep Singh of 12 Rajputana Rifles and a native of Aligarh, has put the UP cops in the dock. Uttar Pradesh records the maximum number of complaints in the country for human rights violations.

However, additional director general (ADG), crime, Brij Lal, on Sunday refuted claims of the victim's family that the encounter was a fake. "There is absolutely no doubt about his involvement in the crime," he said.

The family members of the slain armyman accused cops of foul play. A resident of Bharairi village under Khar police station of Aligarh, the slain armyman's father, Meer Singh, alleged that the encounter was staged. "His clothes were torn. How can the clothes get torn in an exchange of fire?" Meer Singh asked.

He claimed that his son had come home two months ago on a vacation. Kuldeep left home on Saturday morning with a friend, Singh said, adding that his son had never been involved in any crime. "Why would he do such things now when he already had a good job," Meer Singh said.

The Bulandshahr police claimed on Saturday night that a resident of Mathura-Farah along with her driver, Bhagwan Singh, had approached a police patrol van near Mathura junction and told the cops that their Indica had been robbed at gun-point. The Gypsy immediately flashed a wireless alert stating that the miscreants had sped towards the Chola crossing in the rural police district of Bulandshahr.

Searches were conducted at Bhurd and Chola barriers and the Indica was spotted at Chola barrier. As the local police outpost in charge Naresh Kumar walked towards the car, the occupants opened fire hitting a cop's arm. The car then smashed through the barrier and sped towards Sikandrabad Road.

Almost all the officers in the area were pressed into service. A police team intercepted the car a couple of kilometres away from the barrier. The cops claimed that "in the exchange of fire that ensued, one of the robbers was killed while the other fled."

SSP Bulandshahr Nilesh Kumar said: "We have recovered a revolver and countrymade weapon from the deceased. Both the weapons were hidden in his boots, indicating that he was a sharpshooter."

In Lucknow, Brij Lal said the police were trying to trace the absconding "robber" and were hopeful of a breakthrough. A senior officer of the Bulandshahr police said a cellphone was recovered from the car and efforts were on to trace the call details to establish the movement and identity of its owner.

What makes the Uttar Pradesh Police so vulnerable to allegations of high handedness is perhaps the fact that the state contributes the maximum number of complaints of rights violations that reach the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

According to human rights activists, the NHRC received more than 370,000 complaints from all over the country during the last 10 years, some 2,48,505 pertained to arbitrary use of power by police, abduction, rape, custodial violence and death, fake encounters and unlawful detention. A chunk of the total has been contributed by the UP Police.

IIT issues clarification on mistakes in JEE papers

NEW DELHI: The IIT-Joint Entrance Examination Board came out with a series of explanations on its mistakes in this year's paper. However, IIT-Kharagpur professor Rajiv Kumar, who had brought the errors to light, rubbished the explanations.

In its corrective explanation, IIT said each ORS (both for paper I and II) will be evaluated in two ways: sequential question number-wise and subject headings-wise. In each case, the higher score of the two evaluations will be taken as the candidate's score. Should one of the ways of evaluating lead to a mark below the minimum qualifying mark in one of the subjects, the other way will be deemed to be the higher of the two scores.

However, Kumar said correction by the IIT will not address the real issue. He said the main issue was of wastage of variable amount of time due to late instructions.

Kumar also said IIT completely ignored the biggest error in its instructions for section II of paper I and section IV of paper II, by which a candidate could score 93 marks by blindly darkening all corresponding bubbles and without attracting any penalty due to No-Negative Marking for wrong answers. The first error was that subject headings of physics and mathematics in the optical response sheet (ORS) were interchanged. This resulted in loss of time and created confusion.

Verdict on Kasab to be pronounced shortly

Judge M L Tahaliyani will pronounce a verdict in the biggest terror trial the city has witnessed in recent times in a short while from now. In the box will be Ajmal Amir Kasab, the Pakistani gunman charged with the deaths of 166 Indians and foreigners. Along with him, his two Indian co-accused -- Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh -- will also know their fate.

The prosecution has gathered a heap of evidence against Kasab and presented strong arguments that are capable of sending him to the gallows. Special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has charged Kasab with not just the criminal acts of killing and injuring scores of innocent people, but has termed him guilty of the entire conspiracy that went into planning and executing the dastardly attack.

Nikam has argued that Kasab is a highly trained and motivated member of the Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) who underwent months of training in weapons and intelligence so he could execute the well-planned attack on Mumbai. Nikam has also relied on scores of witness testimonies in a bid to establish Kasab's role in the killing of innocents at CST and Cama Hospital, the gunning down of senior policemen in Badruddin Tyabji Lane and the final gunbattle at Marine Drive.

The prosecution's main argument has been that Kasab is a cold-blooded killer whose guilt has been established both through human accounts of the night of November 26, 2008, as well as forensic evidence in the form of DNA reports.

The case against Ansari and Shaikh revolves around Kasab's confession to magistrate R V Sawant Waghule in February 2009. Kasab had said that the duo supplied maps of Mumbai to LeT bosses. Thus, they gave logistical support to carry out the attack.

In his defence, Kasab has maintained that he was an innocent Pakistani who was picked up several days prior to the attack. He has insisted that the terrorist caught on CCTV is not him but a lookalike. He also rubbished all witness testimonies as tutored and given at the behest of police officials.

Both Ansari and Shaikh have denied all wrongdoing. Their main argument is why would the LeT rely upon crude maps allegedly supplied by them when far more sophisticated versions were easily available on the internet. After the arrest of American David Coleman Headley, they also argued that recce work for the attack was done by him and they had been framed needlessly in the case.

In September 2006, after 13 years of arguments, the Tada court had begun giving its verdicts in the 1993 serial blasts case. It was the last major trial in recent times.