Rajat Gupta lands two-year jail for insider trading

Former Goldman Sachs chief Rajat Gupta lands two-year jail for insider trading
Published: Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, 2:37 IST
Place: Manhattan | Agency: PTI
Former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta was today sentenced to two years in prison and fined $5 million by a US judge, months after the Indian-American Wall Street titan was found guilty of leaking boardroom secrets to a hedge fund manager in the largest insider trading case in the country's history.
Gupta, 63, was handed down a two-year prison term by US district court judge Jed Rakoff, who also ordered him to pay a $5 million fine. Gupta, reading from a statement, said: "The last 18 months have been the most challenging period of my life since I lost my parents as a teenager."
"I regret terribly the impact of this matter on my family, my friends and the institutions that are dear to me. I've lost my reputation I built for a lifetime. The verdict was devastating," he said.
"His conduct has forever tarnished a once-sterling reputation that took years to cultivate," Manhattan's top federal attorney India-born Preet Bharara said.
Gupta was found guilty by a federal court in Manhattan on four counts, out of six on June 15 after a three-week trial for passing boardroom secrets to the now imprisoned billionaire hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam at the height of the global financial crisis. The prosecution had sought a prison term of 8-10 years for Gupta who was convicted in a closely followed trial on three counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy.
The sentencing of India Inc's Wall Street poster boy by US district judge Jed Rakoff comes exactly a year after Bharara filed insider trading charges against the former McKinsey head.
Gupta, the most high profile Wall Street executive to be convicted in the government's crackdown on insider trading, had sought leniency from the judge, citing his otherwise unblemished career and philanthropic works. In a memorandum filed in federal court last week, Gupta's lawyer Gary Naftalis had sought probation for his Harvard educated client, saying Gupta is willing to live in Rwanda and work with the local government on health care and agricultural initiatives.
The second offer of community service made by Naftalis was that Gupta could work with Covenant House's New York site, which provides emergency shelter and other services for homeless, runaway and at risk youth. Bharara had sought a prison term of 8-10 years for Gupta, arguing that his "shocking" crimes were not an "isolated occurrence or a momentary lapse in judgement and a "significant term of imprisonment is necessary to reflect the seriousness of Gupta's crimes and to deter other corporate insiders in similar positions of trust from stealing corporate secrets and engaging in a crime that has become far too common".
The Diwali of 2011 saw Gupta surrender himself before the FBI after charges of insider trading were filed against him. The rise and fall of Gupta, who went from being one of the most successful India-born businessmen in the US to being called "deceptive and dishonest" after his conviction, has been the stuff of legends.
Gupta's rise through the ranks of Corporate America was stellar with enviable posts like board seats at Goldman Sachs and Procter and Gamble, co-founder of the prestigious Indian School of Business, adviser to the executive leadership of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as also the United Nations dotting his resume.
Gupta was also a director of the AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines. The Rockefeller Foundation appointed him a trustee; he was named special adviser on management reform to then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and additionally served on the UN Commission on the Private Sector and Development and was co-chairman of the United Nations Association of America.
Gupta had also been getting support from family members, prominent business leaders and global philanthropic figures including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who are among the 400 people who have written letters to Rakoff detailing Gupta's charitable work.
Gupta had pleaded not guilty to the charges and argued during his trial that he personally did not trade nor made any profits from the insider information he was accused of passing on to Rajaratnam, who is currently serving an 11 year prison term after being convicted last year.
After the guilty verdict was announced in June against Gupta, Bharara had said Gupta achieved remarkable success and stature, but he threw it all away. "Rajat Gupta once stood at the apex of the international business community. He stands convicted of securities fraud. Having fallen from respected insider to convicted inside trader, Gupta has now exchanged the lofty board room for the prospect of a lowly jail cell," Bharara had said.
Rajat Gupta lands two-year jail for insider trading
Lessons for India: Justice should be swift for high profile scamsters in India. Hundreds of cases in the courts languishing for decades. Trials delayed by Political Criminals.

Good Governance: MP's and Gandhi Jayanthi

The worst thing about indian Judiciary and politicians is that corrupt MP's are never ever convicted and their cases never end. Shame on Indian Parliamentarians who try to sabotage honest uprising against their corrupt deeds.
The criminalization of politics continues to be a very big concern, with an increase in the number of MPs with criminal records from 128 to 150. Even the number of MPs with serious criminal cases has gone up. The biggest reason for this seems to be the undemocratic and autocratic selection and nomination of candidates by political parties. In order to ensure the winnability of candidates, parties ignored honesty to give preference to muscle power and money power. As media reports seem to indicate, the misuse of monetary incentives to buy votes has increased sharply since last elections and continues to be a source of threat to real democracy. While voter awareness on this issue is very high, the problem is that those who win after spending huge amounts are unlikely to focus on good governance. They are more likely to focus on recovering the funds they spent and on giving favours to those who supported their campaigns.
For more details: Indian MP's with Criminal Offences - A list

Full speech: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's address to the nation

Full speech: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's address to the nation
NDTV.com | Updated: September 21, 2012 20:47 IST
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today addressed the nation, defending the economic reforms which were introduced last week.
Click here for the Video link
Here is the full text of Dr Singh's speech:
My dear brothers and sisters,
I am speaking to you tonight to explain the reasons for some important economic policy decisions the government has recently taken. Some political parties have opposed them. You have a right to know the truth about why we have taken these decisions.
No government likes to impose burdens on the common man. Our Government has been voted to office twice to protect the interests of the aam admi.
At the same time, it is the responsibility of the government to defend the national interest, and protect the long term future of our people. This means that we must ensure that the economy grows rapidly, and that this generates enough productive jobs for the youth of our country. Rapid growth is also necessary to raise the revenues we need to finance our programmes in education, health care, housing and rural employment.
The challenge is that we have to do this at a time when the world economy is experiencing great difficulty. The United States and Europe are struggling to deal with an economic slowdown and financial crisis. Even China is slowing down.
We too have been affected, though I believe we have been able to limit the effect of the global crisis.
We are at a point where we can reverse the slowdown in our growth. We need a revival in investor confidence domestically and globally. The decisions we have taken recently are necessary for this purpose.
Let me begin with the rise in diesel prices and the cap on LPG cylinders.
We import almost 80% of our oil, and oil prices in the world market have increased sharply in the past four years. We did not pass on most of this price rise to you, so that we could protect you from hardship to the maximum extent possible.
As a result, the subsidy on petroleum products has grown enormously. It was Rs. 1 lakh 40 thousand crores last year. If we had not acted, it would have been over Rs. 200,000 crores this year.
Where would the money for this have come from? Money does not grow on trees. If we had not acted, it would have meant a higher fiscal deficit, that is, an unsustainable increase in government expenditure vis-a-vis government income. If unchecked, this would lead to a further steep rise in prices and a loss of confidence in our economy. The prices of essential commodities would rise faster. Both domestic as well as foreign investors would be reluctant to invest in our economy. Interest rates would rise. Our companies would not be able to borrow abroad. Unemployment would increase.
The last time we faced this problem was in 1991. Nobody was willing to lend us even small amounts of money then. We came out of that crisis by taking strong, resolute steps. You can see the positive results of those steps. We are not in that situation today, but we must act before people lose confidence in our economy.
I know what happened in 1991 and I would be failing in my duty as Prime Minister of this great country if I did not take strong preventive action.
The world is not kind to those who do not tackle their own problems. Many European countries are in this position today. They cannot pay their bills and are looking to others for help. They are having to cut wages or pensions to satisfy potential lenders.
I am determined to see that India will not be pushed into that situation. But I can succeed only if I can persuade you to understand why we had to act.
We raised the price of diesel by just Rs. 5 per litre instead of the Rs. 17 that was needed to cut all losses on diesel. Much of diesel is used by big cars and SUVs owned by the rich and by factories and businesses. Should government run large fiscal deficits to subsidise them?
We reduced taxes on petrol by Rs. 5 per litre to prevent a rise in petrol prices. We did this so that the crores of middle class people who drive scooters and motorcycles are not hit further.
On LPG, we put a cap of 6 subsidised cylinders per year. Almost half of our people, who need our help the most, actually use only 6 cylinders or less. We have ensured they are not affected. Others will still get 6 subsidised cylinders, but they must pay a higher price for more.
We did not touch the price of kerosene which is consumed by the poor.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You should know that even after the price increase, the prices of diesel and LPG in India are lower than those in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The total subsidy on petroleum products will still be Rs. 160 thousand crores. This is more than what we spend on Health and Education together. We held back from raising prices further because I hoped that oil prices would decline.
Let me now turn to the decision to allow foreign investment in retail trade. Some think it will hurt small traders. This is not true.
Organised, modern retailing is already present in our country and is growing. All our major cities have large retail chains. Our national capital, Delhi, has many new shopping centres. But it has also seen a three-fold increase in small shops in recent years.
In a growing economy, there is enough space for big and small to grow. The fear that small retailers will be wiped out is completely baseless.
We should also remember that the opening of organised retail to foreign investment will benefit our farmers. According to the regulations we have introduced, those who bring FDI have to invest 50% of their money in building new warehouses, cold-storages, and modern transport systems. This will help to ensure that a third of our fruits and vegetables, which at present are wasted because of storage and transit losses, actually reach the consumer. Wastage will go down; prices paid to farmers will go up; and prices paid by consumers will go down.
The growth of organised retail will also create millions of good quality new jobs.
We recognise that some political parties are opposed to this step. That is why State governments have been allowed to decide whether foreign investment in retail can come into their state. But one state should not stop another state from seeking a better life for its farmers, for its youth and for its consumers.
In 1991, when we opened India to foreign investment in manufacturing, many were worried.
But today, Indian companies are competing effectively both at home and abroad, and they are investing around the world. More importantly, foreign companies are creating jobs for our youth -- in Information Technology, in steel, and in the auto industry. I am sure this will happen in retail trade as well.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The UPA Government is the government of the aam aadmi.
In the past 8 years our economy has grown at a record annual rate of 8.2 per cent. We have ensured that poverty has declined much faster, agriculture has grown faster, and rural consumption per person has also grown faster.
We need to do more, and we will do more. But to achieve inclusiveness we need more growth. And we must avoid high fiscal deficits which cause a loss of confidence in our economy.
I promise you that I will do everything necessary to put our country back on the path of high and inclusive growth. But I need your support. Please do not be misled by those who want to confuse you by spreading fear and false information. The same tactics were adopted in 1991. They did not succeed then. They will not succeed now. I have full faith in the wisdom of the people of India.
We have much to do to protect the interests of our nation, and we must do it now. At times, we need to say "No" to the easy option and say "Yes" to the more difficult one. This happens to be one such occasion. The time has come for hard decisions. For this I need your trust, your understanding, and your cooperation.
As Prime Minister of this great country, I appeal to each one of you to strengthen my hands so that we can take our country forward and build a better and more prosperous future for ourselves and for the generations to come.
Jai Hind.
Full speech: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's address to the nation

Indian Politicians become intolerant to Jokes and Cartoons

An Indian cartoonist has been jailed for his drawings highlighting government corrruption. Aseem Trivedi has been charged with sedition for his cartoons that mock the Indian government. His supporters say the decision is evidence of political leaders' growing intolerance of criticism and the freedom of expression. Gerald Tan has more.
Scamsters and money launderers are free in India but a cartoonist who drew funny pictures is in Jail... This is height of Jokes in India.
He's a cartoonist. A political cartoonists job is to mock the corrupt and powerful. I was wondering what cartoons could be so horrible that they might get him in trouble and I was shocked that the cartoons are actually utterly innocuous. He used "national symbols" because he believes, rightly apparently, that the corrupt are raping the nation itself. His arrest proves that he wasn't exaggerating. It proves his innocence and the government's guilt. He has won.

Govt to retire non-performing bureaucrats

Tuesday 04 September, 2012.DD News
In order to maintain a high standard of efficiency in governance, the Centre is reviewing the performance of all-India service officers and has asked the state governments to carry out similar exercises so that non-performing officials could be retired from services.
Assessment of the performance of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, who have completed at least 15 years of service, has already been started, a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) official said.
"DoPT has begun review performance of IAS officers and also asked the state governments to do so. The aim behind this exercise is to check on non-performing officers and guard departments against the operation of the 'Peter Principle'... The states are given a maximum of six-month time to carry out this exercise," he said.
The 'Peter Principle', coined by psychologist Laurence J Peter and Raymond Hull in 1969, is a belief that in an organisation where promotion is based on achievement, success, and merit, the employees there will eventually be promoted beyond their level of ability. In common parlance, the principle is also phrased as "employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence".
In January, the Centre had amended Rule 16 (3) of all- India services rule which allowed a performance review only after completion of 30 years of qualifying service.
The new rules gives powers to the government to give retirement to these officers in "public interest" after at least 15 years in the job.
The government can again carry out such review after the officer completes 25 years of service or attains the age of 50 years.
"The Centre may also hold a meeting of state governments after the review to decide on the fate of the non-performing bureaucrats," the official said, adding that the detailed modalities on the exercise will be worked out in coordination with Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Forests and Union Public Service Commission.(ST-03/09)
Govt to retire non-performing bureaucrats

MoD lays claim on Skinner Estate

MoD lays claim on Skinner Estate
Raman Mohan/TNS
Friday, August 31, 2012, Chandigarh, India
Hisar, August 30
The Ministry of Defence has laid its claim on the famed Skinner Estate in Hansi, a sub divisional town of the district about 25 km from here. The estate under litigation is located on the Delhi Road. Its commercial value is estimated at Rs 200 crore.
The Defence Estate Officer of the Bathinda circle of the ministry has filed an application in a court at Hansi saying that the land belonged to the Indian Army and its sale by a builder was illegal. It said that the estate was established by Col James Skinner who raised the Skinner’s Horse regiment, a cavalry unit which was now a part of the Indian Army.
Skinner established the regiment’s headquarters on this land measuring 214 kanals of land. The Officers’ Mess and a graveyard to bury the martyrs was also established on this land. Through a lawyer the Defence Estate Officer pleaded that the respondents had accepted these facts in a petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He reiterated that the land had historical monuments which are of great importance to the army and these should not be allowed to be demolished.
The estate has been a subject of controversy for three decades now when it was first sold in the late eighties. However, the deal fell through. About two years ago, a group of residents of Hansi led by a politician purchased this land from some of the descendants of Skinner. The legal complications however prevented the group of builders from selling plots carved out from this land.
After reaching a settlement with the company which had purchased the land in the eighties, hundreds of trees inside the estate were cut and plots were carved out for sale.
Some of the other descendants of Skinner filed a suit in a local court against the builder. The Defence Ministry has pleaded in its application that it be made a party to this case.
The land was granted to James Skinner as a ‘jagir’ by the British for the services he rendered to the British in the battle for Bharatpur in 1818. The ‘jagir’ rendered Skinner a revenue of Rs 20,000 a year in those days.
Skinner was born in 1778 in Calcutta to Lt Col Hercules Skinner, a Scottish officer in the British Army. James Skinner’s mother was a daughter of a blue-blooded Rajput zamindar. She was taken prisoner in her teens during a battle. James’s father took her under his care and married her. They had six children. His mother committed suicide when he was 12 years old.
Because of his Indian lineage, Skinner was ineligible to serve as an officer in the British army like his father. So at the age of 16, he joined the Maratha army as an ensign under a French commander of the army of the then Gwalior state. He served the Gwalior army for several years and impressed his superiors to rise in the ranks. However, he was dismissed from the Maratha army after the outbreak of the second Anglo-Maratha War. He was sacked along with all other Anglo-Indians.
He kept trying to join the British Indian Army then commanded by Lord Lake. On February 23, 1803, Skinner raised a regiment of irregular cavalry and named it as Skinner's Horse. The officers and men of the regiment were called the Yellow Boys after the colour of their uniform. The regiment showed its prowess in many battles and ultimately it became the most decorated regiment of light cavalry in the British Indian Army. It is still a part of the Indian Army.
In 1828, James was promoted to the rank of a Lt Col in the British Army, while his brother, Robert was promoted as a Major. Later, James became a Colonel after having been appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath on December 26, 1826.
MoD lays claim on Skinner Estate

Is corruption cooling or collapsing the economy?

I’d like to fight against corruption: Gen V K Singh
Sanjay Yadav, TNN Jun 11, 2012, 02.49AM IST
GURGAON: Former Army chief, General V K Singh, participated at a felicitation ceremony at Jatoli-Haily Mandi in Gurgaon said that he appreciates the efforts of Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare, who are campaigning against corruption.
Interacting with media persons in Pataudi, General Singh said that Ramdev and Hazare are fighting for the common man and people should support them.
However, the former Army chief did not drop a hint whether he would join either of the two camps.
Anna Hazare has already expressed that he would welcome like-minded people like Singh after his retirement to be a part of his team to fight corruption.
The Army chief said that during his 42 years of service in the Indian Army, he has hidden nothing from people. The former Army chief said that now he would live like a common man and would start a campaign to make people aware against corruption.
I’d like to fight against corruption: Gen V K Singh
Is India heading towards worst economic collapse?June 13, 2012
Corruption is mounting pressure on India’s economy. There is a significant economic slowdown posted by poor industrial output during the last couple of months. On 11th June, International Rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has warned that India could become the first nation from BRIC countries to lose investment grade rating. And the recent downturn could be due to the poor economy policy of the coalition UPA Government at the centre.
So, what is wrong with Indian economy. All over world, people look towards India for any outlook that India is supposed to present to smaller countries for sustainable growth and development. But what is happening to one of the strong pillar of BRIC nations? Other BRIC nations like Brazil, Russia and China enjoys a higher rating of S&P at present than India. Why S&P has to come with a special report this time on BRIC nation’s economy titled `Will India Be The First BRIC Fallen Angel?’ The common people of India do not know how the Government is planning to revive the economy or what is the road-map for the next one year. However, there is a deep concern among citizens about the depraving level of corruption among various tiers of governments in the country. As usual, the politicians have summarily rejected report of S&P. But intellectuals of India are taking this report very seriously. We have the also the recent reports coming from the World Bank that they have cut growth forecast for India from 7.5% to 6.9%.
Chairman of Wipro Technologies Mr Ajeem Premji has recently commented that we are virtually living without a leader in the country. This is what an eminent businessman has to say about our prime minister. Infosys founder and well-known name in Software industry Mr N R Narayan Murthy has also joined the debate by raising the issue of policy paralysis at the centre and many pending matters before the cabinet which eventually affecting the growth.
If citizens of any country is facing challenges of poverty, inflation and non-development, they will directly blame government. And India is also not different. Baba Ramdeo is leading a crusade against black money stacked outside India in foreign banks. Anna Hazare is leading another protest of rampant corruption in public life and asking government to bring tough law to control this. Gone are the days when we were pointing fingers to other countries known for their corrupt public officers. We should not forget that when you are pointing a finger towards other person, the rest of your fingers is actually pointing towards you. This has become true in case of India.
Almost everyday, we get the news of a new corruption story through the media. Now, we feel that the rampant corruption is the real reason for inflation and poverty. It has now devastated our economic, political, social and moral structures. If immediate and drastic action is not taken, S&P will be forced to downgrade India’s investment growth rating. Then the nation will run into the risk of total and irredeemable collapse. The time has come for all the Indians to join hands together and support the movement of Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdeo. Then only we can halt the collapse of Indian economy.
Is India heading towards worst economic collapse?
Comment
Printing money to solve a nation's economic problem can never be sustained. Eventually, it will lead to the debasing of a nations currency and run-away inflation. Yet for a short period, it can create an artificial prosperity, deluding the masses into believing this new prosperity can be sustained. The long-term consequences of inflating their money supply will spell disaster and have dire consequences for the economy and negatively impact the masses and their livelihood.

President Pratibha Patil's Past Reality

President Pratibha Patil's Ugly Reality
Controversies have dogged Pratibha Patil, even before she became the President. A look at allegations made against her:

Shielding her brother: Rajni Patil, a professor in a Jalgaon college and the widow of murdered Congress leader Vishram G Patil, claimed that Pratibha Patil's brother G N Patil murdered her husband. She accused Patil of shielding her brother. According to reports, G N Patil was the mastermind behind the murder of the V G Patil, who was killed in 2005.

Promoting her own son:Charges have been made against Patil for promoting her own son during the announcement of the candidates for the Maharashtra assembly elections. It was widely reported that her son Rajendra Shekhawat was nominated from the Amravati seat for the elections, only because he's the son of the President. However, Shekhawat denies this allegation. Patil's son was earlier denied a ticket from the Congress in the 2004 assembly election, but in 2009, while his mother holds the post of the President of the nation, he easily managed to get a ticket.

Bank scam: Patil, in 1973, had set up a co-operative bank named Pratibha Mahila Shahkari Bank, to empower women. The license of the bank was revoked in 2003 by the Reserve Bank of India for alleged financial irregularities. According to reports, one of the reasons listed by the RBI for cancellation of the license was the faulty loan policy of the bank and waivers on loan interests given, among others, to Patil's relatives.

Sugar factory scam: Patil was the founder member of a cooperative sugar factory Sant Muktabai Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana. According to reports, the factory was allegedly found to be a drug trafficking ring and was even declared a defaulter for failing to repay a bank loan of Rs 17.5 crore. Pratibha Patil was the chairwoman and director till she became the Governor of Rajasthan.

MP fund scam: During her tenure as the Member of Parliament from Amravati, there were allegations of her transferring funds worth Rs 36 lakh from her MPL fund to an organisation run by her husband Devsingh Shekhawat. This is in violation of the government rule — an MP cannot transfer the funds to organisations run by their own relatives.
Why Pratiba patil qualified as a congress nominee?
Supreme Commander Extravaganza
Show for President Pratibha Patil cost Navy Rs 23 crore
Himanshi Dhawan, TNN May 24, 2012, 05.11AM IST
NEW DELHI: The Navy has run up a tab of Rs 23 crore for a day's extravaganza for the President. This included a bill of Rs 12 lakh for drinking water and Rs 17 lakh for the presidential banquet, besides spending Rs 14 lakh on alteration of a cattle fence and a similar amount on fixing a staircase.
The President's Fleet Review of the Navy, in which the supreme commander of the armed forces inspects the maritime prowess of the force, took place in 2011 and is held once in the President's tenure.
Data accessed under RTI from the Western Naval Command headquarters said Rs 23.24 crore was spent on the event attended by Pratibha Patil . The information was provided on an application filed by activist S C Agrawal.
The Navy spent Rs 26.96 lakh to acquire new furniture which included 30 dining tables and 60 dining chairs, besides furniture for VIPs and other staff. It spent Rs 17.57 lakh on the presidential banquet for 960 guests and Rs 2.11 lakh on catering on the presidential yacht for 760 invitees.
Interestingly, the authorities had budgeted for Rs 12 lakh for water (amounting to 83 one-litre bottles of mineral water for each guest) and Rs 28.14 lakh for "fresh provisions". Wages and salaries came to Rs 1 crore while some of the longterm infrastructure changes that were made included alterations to cattle fence at Vijaya garden that cost Rs 14 lakh. Repairs to the staircase from the main foyer to the officers' mess also ran up a bill of Rs 14 lakh and a fountain built outside Mulla auditorium cost Rs 6 lakh. The infrastructure costs amounted to Rs 11.67 crore.
The President undertook the fleet review on December 20 last year in which she took salute from a flotilla of 81 ships, four submarines and 44 aircraft of the Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.
Supreme Commander's Royal Style at Tax payers Expense
Comment: The Congress Party's steady decline is comparable to our economic growth- this is troubling news for the corrupt and the scamsters... a fear that the next elections the Party may be dumped. Therefore it is imperative a New President is selected for future convenience and solace.

Gen VK Singh takes a beating

Indian Media Watch.... Crooks and Liars in the Indian media are the greatest danger to our democracy. Bias, outright lies, paid news, plagiarism and political leanings characterize much of our media.
Poll - India's Worst Journalists - 2012
Arnab Goswami 302 (32%)
Ashutosh (IBN7) 181 (19%)
Barkha Dutt 705 (75%)
Karan Thapar 350 (37%)
Kumar Ketkar 268 (28%)
Nidhi Razdan 247 (26%)
Nikhil Wagle 237 (25%)
Rahul Kanwal 163 (17%)
Rajdeep Sardesai 436 (46%)
Sagarika Ghose 540 (57%)
Shekhar Gupta 419 (44%)
Shiv Aroor 142 (15%)
Sonia Singh 195 (20%)
Vinod Sharma 414 (44%)
Vir Sanghvi 333 (35%)

Massager or messenger?

Karan Thapar (2010 #4): Readers must remember that every journo looks tall in the studio but not in actual life. KT is not blessed with stature and the same goes for his journalism. One can say he has improved a bit but still retains the unwanted scowl and growl when interviewing people. Madhu Trehan in her NewsLaundry interview showed up KT for the little puppy he was. Like the ones who just need a hug and a cuddle once in a while. And if you thought you knew nothing about KT, never mind. All you have to do is hear his signature line on his promo for his show on CNN-IBN: “I don’t want to go into the facts, the facts are disputed”. LOL! Facts are disputed? You have to undo a lot of learning to understand that facts aren’t facts and can be disputed. The worst job KT did in 2011 was massaging Kapil Sibal’s brazen attempt at pre-screening content on the internet. As if that wasn’t enough he pulled out Brajesh Mishra, former NSA, out of nowhere to call serving army chief, Gen. VKSingh, the worst ever chief of army in history. My prediction: As long as he is in the business, KT will be on this list.
Wheres the smirk? Congress spokesman- Seperated by Birth

Vinod Sharma (New entry): For those who don’t know, Vinod Sharma is the political editor of Hindustan Times. That’s right, ‘Political’ is the key word – less of an editor and more of a politician. It’s not very hard to recognise VS on a friendly channel. He has made the ‘smirk’ more popular than child-molester DGP Rathore on television. Sharma has also been acknowledged by many political spokespersons and viewers as the most loyal spokesperson of the Congress party. No matter what the scam or what the scandal you can expect him to staunchly defend even the worst misdeeds of the Congress by blaming it on the opposition or anyone else he can lay his hands on. The one chance to get him off TV for longer periods was a Rajya Sabha ticket, when Shobana Bhartiya, his boss at HT exited, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. So we’re going to be stuck with VS for quite a while. His best moment in recent times was during the debate over Gen. VK Singh and the Tatra trucks scam. He was angry that the debate was going one way (in favour of Gen. Singh) so had to somehow twist it against the tide. In his business time VS writes a blog titled ‘Separated at birth’. I guess that refers to some Pakistani connection or maybe his journalistic independence was separated at birth. Someday we’ll find out.
He's no Egghead

Shekhar Gupta (2010 #10): When he appeared on the last list, a fan of Gupta wrote in stating he will email my post to SG for his response. I was wondering whether that fan objected to SG being at #10 and wanted him to be lower on the list. I guess that fan’s prayers are answered. SG has sunk further in the rankings and his Indian Express is almost on doles from the govt. His senseless programme ‘Walk the talk’ , the equivalent of ‘Koffee with Karan’ or ‘On the couch with Koel’, continues on NDTV but what sunk SG the most is his misadventure with an article on Army troop movements. In his quest to please SG’s UPA, this SG splashed a headline in IE that nearly implied the army, led by Gen.VK Singh, may have dreamt of a coup. Worse, there have been reports that the troop movement story was stale and SG’s version was actually a plant by a union minister. SG laid an egg alright but ended up with more on his face. He will forever be credited with reducing a fiercely independent newspaper like IE to a mouthpiece of a political party. His permanent place on this list is forever assured.
Nidhi captures the Larger Picture- Left Right and Centre- Marching Up

Nidhi Razdan, NDTV (New entry): She has come to prominence more for many reasons other than journalistic skills. ‘Left, right, centre’ is her signature programme and happens to be one of those mindless debates on every topic under the sun. She is proof that you can be an expert on everything with specialisation in nothing. The best part of Nidhi? Now, don’t get me wrong, she likes everything large. Whenever confounded by a brilliant argument or point by a panellist she quickly jumps to her favourite line “let’s look at the LARGER picture”. One would have thought that debates are meant to look at the finer small details. No, not with Nidhi, the larger picture is a convenient exit. Training from NDTV helps. My prediction for this debutant is that she is likely to go higher up in the list in the future. (She lined up with arms lobbyists doing "Panel Discussion on Gen VK Singh's tenure".)
So there you are. Let’s also not forget that are many journalists who now increasingly seem to be anti-nationals. Their ties to Ghulam Nabi Fai aren’t even being investigated by the govt. Industry leaders usually raise the standards of performance of the industry as a whole. The opposite seems to be true in the media. Systematically, many of India’s journalists have brought the profession to rock bottom over the years. I continue to maintain, they are the greatest threat to our democracy.
Click here to read hilarious resume of more Journalists

Adarsh scamster confident of clean chit from CBI and court

Confident of coming out clean in Adarsh scam probe: Sushilkumar Shinde
Published: Saturday, Jun 2, 2012, 21:46 IST
Place: Solapur | Agency: PTI
Union Power Minister and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Saturday expressed confidence that he would come out clean in the ongoing investigations into the Adarsh Housing Society scam.
He was questioned by the CBI last year in connection with the approval given to the scam-tainted multi-storeyed housing complex in Mumbai.
Both Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh, another former Chief Ministers, dealt with files and passed proposals pertaining to the 31-storeyed building in a posh south Mumbai locality, which was granted permission after allegedly flouting rules and regulations.
Talking to reporters here in Western Maharashtra, Shinde said he had done no wrong whatsoever. "I had only performed my duty as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra (in 2003-04) while sanctioning the permission for Adarsh building. That was a routine work," he said.
The CBI has registered a case against 14 persons, including former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who had to resign when the scandal broke out in 2010, some retired Army officers and Government officials on charges of criminal conspiracy, fraud and misuse of official power.
"I am clean and clear in my mind. There is no mental tension," the Congress leader said when asked about being summoned to appear before a judicial panel, which is also looking into the scam, later this month.
Confident of coming out clean in Adarsh scam probe: Sushilkumar Shinde
Comment:
Military Officers are 100% more cleaner than Politicians. It means all scamsters will be declared clean by the CBI and the Court. Indian Laws are mind boggling as all powerful lawyers who make laws are tainted. We need the intervention of the Almighty to steer us on the right course.

Media and Government declares honest citizens insane

Gen VK Singh, Anna, and the madness of fighting corruption
by Venky Vembu May 27, 2012
In his short, and eventful tenure as Army chief, Gen VK Singh has been called many names. Former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra said Gen Singh had “lost his mental balance” – and should be sent on “forced leave”. On Saturday, Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, the man whom Gen Singh accused of having offered him a Rs 14 crore bribe to approve the purchase of Tatra trucks by the Army, repeated that venomous charge.
Lt Gen Tejinder Singh told CNN-IBN that in addition to the bribery charge that Gen Singh had levelled against him, he had made “several aspersions” against the Supreme Court as well. ”That clearly indicates that Gen Singh has lost his mental balance,” he said.
Media commentators too have taken snide potshots at what they see as an erosion in Gen Singh’s mental faculties. Karan Thapar believes that Gen Singh is “so powerfully propelled by his own demons” that he careening towards self-destruction. Likewise, columnist Rohit Bansal reckons that the general is in a “deeply disturbed condition and needs to “cool down” – failing which the government should send him to Pakistan, where he surely has a career.
Almost every one of these commentaries suggests that Gen Singh is so motivated by the overwhelming urge to redeem his personal honour (following the setback in the age row with the government) that he has become a loose cannon. They claim that Gen Singh is largely to blame for the perceived erosion in relations between the military and the civilian government.
Such a characterisation does colossal injustice to Gen Singh’s earnest – if perhaps excessively eager – effort to tackle corruption in the Army, and particularly in defence procurement. Right from his first day in office, Gen Singh signalled that he wished to restore the Army’s “internal health”. And if that meant going after the corrupt in his own Army fraternity, the good General hasn’t flinched from the hard task. In that spirit, he went after high-ranking accused in the Sukhna and Adarsh housing society scandals – and took on the arms lobby.
The demons that Gen Singh battled in that good fight were not in his mind; they were sipping single-malts in Army clubs, sealing arms deals at golf courses – and slithering spookily in the corridors of the Defence Ministry.
Any government that claims it wants to combat corruption everywhere, including in defence procurement, ought to have backed up Gen Singh’s efforts. Even if Gen Singh’s methods were somewhat over-the-top, his intentions in going after corruption were unimpeachable. And in his defence, he perhaps had to go over the top because of the level of entrenchment within the Army and the bureaucracy.
Yet, by planting venomous media stories besmirching Gen Singh’s reputation - including highly tendentious and too-clever-by-half reports of a suspected Army coup – the government has effectively shielded the arms lobby and the corrupt within the defence bureaucracy.
And now, we’re told, it’s all because Gen Singh has “lost his mental balance.”
This isn’t, of course, the first time that those who campaign against corruption have had their sanity questioned. Congress leaders have suggested that Anna Hazare too needed the services of a mental asylum.
Perhaps there is a subliminal message being conveyed by such commentaries.
Perhaps only a “loss of mental balance” can account for why Gen Singh didn’t accept the offer of a bribe made to him – when even the officer who offered it suggested that Army chiefs before Gen Singh had accepted such payments, and those after him would too.
Perhaps Gen Singh is mad – for even wanting to fight corruption, even to the extent of antagonising his follow-officers.
Perhaps the commentariat is right, and Gen Singh and Anna Hazare ought to be locked up in a padded cell, where they can rattle the bars all they want with their thunderous anti-corruption rhetoric.
Perhaps, as Akira Kurosawa said, in a mad world, only the mad are sane.
Gen VK Singh, Anna, and the madness of fighting corruption
Comment: Arms Lobbyists have the last say. Money buys media and bribes speak loudly. Honest and Patriots are declared insane. Only the corrupt remain sane... the dictum "blow with the wind" is taking the citizens for a ride... India's growth story is an empty balloon. Criminal Politicians are taking over the Nation's wealth which is hijacked by a few and the rest remain fighting for their safety and survival.
Vox Populi: What makes us proud
“To oppose corruption in government is the highest obligation of patriotism.” ― G. Edward Griffin... General V K Singh, Arvind kejrival, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhusan and Shri Anna Hazare are golden personalities who are being put through fire and muck incessantly and yet emerging unblemished and glowing. They are without doubt true Patriots. The response they are getting proves that there is no dearth of them in our country. That sure makes me a proud Indian.

Honest Prime Minister heads the most corrupt cabinet in the world

Team Anna charges 15 UPA ministers with corruption
Saturday 26 May 2012

Team Anna has accused 15 UPA government ministers including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram, of corruption.
Team Anna launched a scathing attack against the UPA government for failing to pass the Lokapal Bill and served a fresh ultimatum to the PM to meet their demands or face another agitation on July 25.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the anti-corruption crusaders alleged that since 15 out of 34 cabinet ministers had serious corruption charges against them, they would not allow Lokpal Bill to be passed.
Corrupted ministers in UPA: Team Anna
“There are serious allegations of corruption against PM, Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Kamal Nath, Salman Khurshid, Kapil Sibal, Farooq Abdullah, SM Krishna, GK Vasan, Praful Patel and Sharad Pawar, they will not allow a strong Lokpal,” alleged Prashant Bhushan. “Several top party functionaries such as Mulayam Singh, Lalu Yadav and Jayalalithaa have been involved in scams, they will never allow Lokapal Bill to be passed”, echoed Kejriwal. The team urged the Prime Minister to initiate the formation of a Special Investigative Team to probe charges against the 15 corrupt ministers within six months.
Team Anna wants corrupt Ministers and Politicians investigated
Will the New Chief play a second fiddle to PM and its corrupt cabinet?
PM hosts farewell dinner for Gen V K Singh
Readers Response
With VK Singh out, the demise of India army will continue - We'll have COAS like Deepak Kapoor, focusing on grabbing land for themselves, rather than protecting the land they took an oath of protection to. - We'll have a whole bunch of army kids in foreign land - the kind that are there in Congo now (refer outlook story)- after a battallion of Sikh Li left behind a trail of kids with "distinctive Indian features" - By the way, the UN Forces Commandar, during the the time the Indian army unit was busy fathering kids, was Gen Bikram Singh - the next COAS ! - We'll see a sudden increase in gallantary medals - the kind that are obtained by splashing tomato ketchup on civilians posing for photographs (remember Col. Kohli's case) and fake encounters (remember Maj Singh case of Siachin encounters) - With an army composed of cowherds, land grabbers and what not, if Pakistan were to do another Kargil, they would probably reach Delhi this time. With VK Singh, the government had a chance to set the Army straight, but alas!
Click here for the original post

Communal Twist to the Appointment of Army Chief?

With no prejudice
M.G. Devasahayam : Indian Express Sat May 19 2012, 03:36 hrs
‘Four out of the seven petitioners are from Tamil Nadu and have nothing to do with the communal conundrums of North India. And so the mud will not stick’
Shekhar Gupta’s article on the “communal twist” in the PIL filed in the Supreme Court by seven “prominent citizens” (‘With prejudice’, National Interest, IE, April 28) is far from the truth and is unfortunate. I, being one of the petitioners, owe an explanation as to the facts to put the record straight.
In this context some paragraphs from the writ petition have been quoted. These passages are mere narrations of events that were neither rebutted by the government through any counter-affidavit nor during “preliminary” arguments by the Attorney General or Solicitor General in the Supreme Court. Nowhere in the entire petition is there any “communal twist” except mentioning some names in connection with the events narrated. The petitioner’s counsel did not even raise this issue during her arguments.
Tweaking the words “orders from above” the article insinuates that “above” meant Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and he is portrayed as communal. Nothing can be more absurd. My acquaintance with Manmohan Singh dates back to the mid-1970s, when I was administrator of Chandigarh and I know him rather well to even remotely suggest that he is communal! By the way, is the PM the only person “above” Defence Minister A.K.Antony?
One wonders as to why Operation Bluestar, that had no relationship with the issues raised in the PIL, has been given such a long narration. Nevertheless, this being a sensitive matter I would share some of my own information and that obtained from sources that were part of the operation. The fact is that Operation Bluestar was neither led by the then Major General K.S. Brar nor Lt Gen R.S. Dyal. The “strike force” was a bizarre khichadi comprising of two infantry battalions (26 Madras and 10 Guards) under a nominated brigade commander (D.V. Rao) of the Madras Regiment. There were no Sikh troops in this strike force.
In total contravention of the army’s operational ethics, these battalions were taken out of their command set up and put under Brigadier Rao as an ad hoc arrangement. Major General Brar’s role was just that 10 Guards was part of 9 Inf Div of which he was GOC. What is worse, Lt Gen K. Sundarji as army commander, Western Command, took direct control of the operation by-passing the Jalandhar-based 11th Corps commanded by Lt Gen Gowri Shankar. Such blatant cannibalisation of the fighting forces and the general officer’s keenness to please Prime Minister Indira Gandhi led to utter chaos and unacceptably huge carnage and extensive damage to the sacred Amritsar Golden Temple.
Be that as it may, let us see the core reasons that prompted the petitioners to knock at the door of the Supreme Court. To start with, it was the defence ministry’s manipulations to cut short the tenure of General V.K. Singh and the premature announcement of Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next army chief without finally resolving the date of birth issue of the former. Documents in the MS Branch prove that selection boards for the promotion of V.K. Singh to the select ranks of Brigadier (September 1996) Major General (October 25 2001 and September 18/19 2003) and Lieutenant General (September 30 2005) reflect his DoB as May 10, 1951. But ignoring all these, the issue was raked up by former COAS General J.J. Singh with an ulterior motive to cut short the present army chief’s tenure.
In its order dated February 10 2012, the Supreme Court had neither endorsed the entry in the UPSC application form (May 10 1950), nor upheld the so-called “commitment” given by V.K. Singh regarding his DoB. Also, contrary to wide publicity, the court had taken no position on the general’s DoB and left it to the “Union of India” to recognise one of the two DoBs (1950 or 1951). It had also allowed the government to withdraw the operative part (merits) of its December 30, 2011, order in which it had rejected Gen V.K. Singh’s statutory complaint seeking recognition of 1951 as his year of birth. With the merit part withdrawn, the original statutory complaint stands revived. MoD since then had not passed any legally speaking order recognising the actual DoB of General V.K. Singh before announcing his successor.
The next issue was J.J. Singh’s plan to eliminate others from amongst Lt Gen Bikram’s contemporaries from the race. The main target was Brigadier Ravi Arora, gold medalist, senior in IC number but younger in age to Bikram Singh. This has been explained in detail in the PIL. More important grounds were the grave allegations pending against the army chief designate. One is his alleged involvement in the fake-encounter death of a 70-year-old man, and thereafter branding him as a terrorist to achieve personal advantages, and this matter pending in writ petition in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court seeking a commission of inquiry. The second case related to events in the Congo Republic when in 2007-08 then Major General Bikram Singh was the Eastern Division Commander of the UN peacekeeping force. Indian troops under his command had been accused of mass sexual abuse. Sixty-eight cases, including the siring of illicit children, had been reported, and the matter is being investigated by a court of inquiry at Meerut. When P.J. Thomas was appointed as Central Vigilance Commissioner, and the Centre for Public Litigation challenged it, a division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar declared the CVC as India’s “integrity institution” and not only struck down the appointment but had castigated the government for its lack of respect for institutional integrity. Thomas had just one corruption case against him for which an application to seek his prosecution was pending.
The primary responsibility of the Indian Army is to preserve national interests and safeguard the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of India against any external threat by deterrence or by waging war. In the event our army is as important an “integrity institution” as the Central Vigilance Commission, if not more.
The petitioners therefore contended that as there were two serious cases pending against Lt Gen Bikram Singh, it will not be prudent to appoint him as the next COAS. Drawing a parallel with the P.J. Thomas case, where the Supreme Court had overturned his appointment on the grounds that at the time of approval by the ACC an application was pending to prosecute the officer, the plea in the PIL was for applying the same yardstick in the matter of the appointment of the next COAS. Individuals and names mentioned in the PIL were only incidental.
The petitioners had hoped that the apex court will reiterate the well-reasoned verdict of its own larger bench and uphold the institutional integrity of the Army that is being ravaged by a well entrenched coterie. Instead our petition was summarily disposed off with these crisp words: “We have carefully gone through the averments made in the writ petition, the materials placed on record by the petitioners and the original file concerning appointment of the next Chief of Army Staff. We do not find any justifiable ground to invoke our jurisdiction under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. Writ petition is, accordingly, dismissed. However, it is clarified that dismissal of writ petition shall not affect the legal proceeding or matter pending in the court or any other forum.”
The dismissal is based on a clearance report given by the Intelligence Bureau. One wonders whether IB has jurisdiction to give such clearance on matters pending before a high court and a court of inquiry, particularly so when the Supreme Court has allowed these proceedings to continue. It is in this context that the perilous implication of the court order needs to be understood. These twin “Swords of Damocles” hanging over the head of the army chief severely compromise the institutional integrity of the army. Is this what our valiant army deserves? All that the petitioners wanted to do was to avoid such horrid embarrassment and restore the integrity of the institution. For this “communal” charges are being hurled at us.
As to this “communal mudslinging” it will be pertinent to point out that four out of the seven petitioners — Admiral Ramdas, N. Gopalaswamy, Sam Rajappa and myself — are from Tamil Nadu and have nothing to do with the communal conundrums of North India. And so the mud will not stick. We have done what we have to do with pride and without any prejudice.
The writer is a former bureaucrat
With no prejudice

Can the Indian Army win a battle with toothless leaders heading it?

Paper General Singh spoke with claims PM and next Chief are kin
Express news service : New Delhi, Sat May 05 2012, 02:29 hrs
The Prime Minister’s Office today denied a report in Hindi weekly Chauthi Duniya that there is a relationship between the Prime Minister or his family members and the next Army chief Lt General Bikram Singh or his wife.
The denial came in response to a news report in the weekly, “Senadhyaksha Umra Vivad: Pradhanmantri Unki Patni Unki Saali” (General’s Age Row: PM, his Wife and Sister-in-Law), alleging that Army Chief General V K Singh got a raw deal in his date-of-birth controversy because the wife of next Army Chief Lt General Bikram Singh is the sister-in-law of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The allegation that General Bikram Singh or his wife is related to the Prime Minister or any member of his family is completely untrue. This is a scurrilous, irresponsible and mischievous statement,” said a communique issued by the PMO today.
Incidentally, it was in an interview to Chauthi Duniya editor Santosh Bhartiya that General V K Singh had alleged that he was offered a bribe by an officer (Lt Gen Tejinder Singh) via an “indirect method.”
Bhartiya, when asked about the PMO’s denial, said: “I have not seen the denial. We will speak through the paper, Chauthi Duniya.”
The Chauthi Duniya report alleged: “Manmohan Singh ki patni Gursharan Kaur aur Bikram Singh ki patni Surjeet Kaur mauseri behnein hain. Is natey Bikram Singh ki patni Surjeet Kaur Pradhanmantri Manmohan Singh ki saali huin. General VK Singh se juda yeh saara prapanch Pradhanmantri ki saali ko khush karne ke liye hua.” (Manmohan Singh’s wife and Bikram Singh’s wife are cousins. This makes Bikram Singh’s wife the PM’s sister-in-law. The plot against General V K Singh was hatched to favour the PM’s sister-in-law.”
This is the second consecutive denial by the government to the Chauthi Duniya in as many days. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) yesterday denied its report where it had alleged that the MHA was tapping the phones of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, A K Antony, and Pranab Mukherjee among others with the help of top officials of IB and Defence Intelligence.
“The allegations that telephones were bugged at the instance of the Home Minister or the Ministry of Home Affairs is an outrageous lie,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a press communique on Thursday. “The Government reserves its right to take appropriate action against the offending newspaper,” the MHA communique added.
With less than a month to go before General Singh retires, Chauthi Duniya alleged that Home Minister P Chidambaram and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal — on behalf of the PM — approached Chief Justice of India Justice S H Kapadia ahead of the court’s verdict on General V K Singh’s age-row case to caution that a verdict against the government would create a Constitutional crisis.
“P Chidambaram and Sibal as an envoy to the PM met (CJI) Kapadia and said if the government’s stand goes wrong and General wins, then a Constitutional crisis will be created...On the day of verdict, February 10, people were expecting the victory of General but things turned upside down. The apex court rather providing with the judgment acted as an advisor,” the report said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/paper-general-singh-spoke-with-claims-pm-and-next-chief-are-kin/945665/0
Comment: Truth will prevail ultimately. Ulterior motives to defraud the Military by Politicians will  corrode the patriotic forces faith in the MOD. The coveted chief reduced to the will of dynastic rule.

Judicial Commision tries to Make Monkey of the Military

Land belongs to army: Gen VK Singh

HT Correspondent , Hindustan Times Mumbai, May 01, 2012
General VK Singh, the Chief of Army Staff, was categorical when he said that the land, on which the infamous Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society stands, belongs to the army.

General Singh was in Mumbai to attend a book release function at Mulla Auditorium in Colaba.
General Singh’s statement is in stark contrast to the interim report submitted by the judicial commission to the Maharashtra government.
“The land belongs to the Army,” said General Singh when questioned about the ownership of the land.
The Maharashtra state-appointed judicial commission had concluded that the plot of land in Mumbai belonged to the state government and was not meant for families of Kargil war martyrs, as claimed by the army. The report had stated that the defence establishment could not give sufficient documentary evidence to prove its claim over the land.
But General Singh said, “It was a commission created by the state. We have given documents which has a lot of depth and truth. But whatever documents we had given to the commission, they were not stressed upon.”
When questioned about demolishing the structure, General Singh said: “The order is already there. The onus is on you (media) to ensure it is done.” General Singh further added that corrective measures are being taken to ensure such land scams do not happen in the future.
“During my tenure in the army, whenever an irregularity has been brought to my notice, whether it is Adarsh or Sukhna land scam, action has been taken.” Army chief also pointed out the lack of accountability of the Defence Estate Office to the armed forces.
“At some point the defence estate office used to report to the armed forces,” he said.
“But it was discontinued. And from then there have been instances of additions and subtractions,” he added.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Land-belongs-to-army-Gen-VK-Singh/Article1-848751.aspx
Comment: The Adarsh Scam was the brain child of former Army Chief's who are having the last laugh. A Ponzi scheme to make a fortune in real estate by roping in corrupt bureaucrats and Politicians who made the scheme feasible and ACR's of pliable Officers tweaked at AHQ. The real Military Culprits are now retired and gleaming over their scheme. Few are now cooling their heals in prison comfort. The Land belongs to the Military was never the question... but a twist was given to delay and confuse the real issues. Culprits should be tried for treason.

Tatra Drama- spinning a web- CBI remains clueless!

CBI set to examine BEML chief Natrajan in Tatra deal
Rajesh Ahuja, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, April 14, 2012
Comments
Anil: I think you are correct. Just a drama will be inacted since if they catch one that will lead to another and that into another and so on. Just see how this 2G - Raja- Chidu drama is gping! In any civilised and true democracy these people will. E behind bar together not one (if at all) after another.
Arvind: This Rishi guys is running a paper company in England for making invoice and documents, His partners will all be Indian netas and babus and the hat B**stard the BEML chief, who himself declared the vehicles fit because the thought he was the ARMY CHIEF. That man and this Rishi are traitors and must be tried for treason in National Defense matters.
click here to read more comments and CBI

Is the President telling the truth? Her travels abroad leave much to be desired!

President Denies Grabbing Pune Land For Post-Retirement House
[ Updated 12 Apr 2012, 22:57:26 ]

New Delhi, Apr 12: The President Ms Pratibha Patil has denied media reports that prime Pune cantonment land was "grabbed" to build a post-retirement house for her.

A press release issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan said, a section of the media has been reporting that the President l has "grabbed" land much in excess of her entitlement to build her post retirement home in Pune.

The press release said, these news items were facturally incorrect and malicious.

Giving details about the issue, the release said:

"To say that a house is being constructed for occupation by the President on demission of office by "snatching" or "grabbing" land meant for soldiers is factually incorrect and malicious. The land belongs to the Ministry of Defence and will continue to remain with the Ministry of Defence.

"The title of the land is not being alienated in any manner whatsoever. The ownership of both the land and the house she will be occupying will continue to remain vested in the government and therefore there is no substance in the allegation of personal gains.

"The President is entitled to accommodation after demission of office as provided for under the President's Emoluments and Pensions Act, 1951.

"It is therefore the legitimate entitlement of the President to occupy an accommodation provided by the government and all former Presidents have availed this benefit.

"The only variance in the present case is that the President will be occupying a government accommodation outside Delhi.

"The said rules provide that the size of the residence to be provided to the President on demission of office shall be comparable to a residence allotted to a Minister in the Union Council of Ministers.

"It is common knowledge that houses of Union Ministers in the Lutyens' Zone area, though belong to Type VIII category, are not of any uniform size. Quite logically, therefore, the President's Emoluments and Pensions Act does not specify a fixed living area for former President's when they occupy a government accommodation.

" The mention of living area not exceeding 2000 sq. ft. is only indicative and applicable where a suitable government residence is not available and a residence is to be taken on lease/rent basis, which does not apply in the present case, since the President will be occupying a government accommodation.

"The present residence occupied in Pune is a house which was earlier occupied by an officer at the level of a Lt. Colonel.

"The house being old, needed renovation to make it suitable for residential purposes and accordingly certain additions/modifications have been taken up to suit the requirements of the President on demission of office.

"The President is not coming in the way of residential accommodation being provided to Territorial Army cadets. That only that plot of land which is to be used for accommodating the President must only be used for providing residential accommodation for soldiers lacks rationale.

"Merely because the President has chosen to reside in the Cantonment area cannot be viewed as being apathetic or indifferent to the welfare of the soldiers. Surely, the city of Pune and surrounding areas have enough alternative land available for their accommodation. "

An organisation of ex-servicemen in Pune had alleged that over fives acres of land had been alloted for purpose of her residence after she demits office later in July this year when her five-year term ends.

Suresh Patil, a retired Lt Col of the Pune-based 'Justice for Jawan', part of NGO 'Green Thumb' group, who has accessed details about the Government's measures for providing her housing in Pune, claims that a large extent of land measuring over 2.60 lakh square feet has been alloted to her in Khadki cantonment in Pune.

He claims that a house with a plinth area of 4,500 square feet is being built for her by bringing down two British-era county bungalows.

The former Army official questioned why such a large extent of land was being fenced to protect this house for Pratibha Patil, who recently made news when an RTI application brought out the fact that over Rs 205 crore were spent on her foreign travels.

Col Patil said that he had sent several RTI applications to the Army's Southern Command seeking reasons for fencing the entire five acre land with a wall but failed to get any response.
President Denies Grabbing Pune Land For Post-Retirement House
Click here for the Truth Ministry's clarification
Comment: The President will continue to be thorn for the tax payers. Her lavish family life style does nothing to reduce poverty in India. She is edifice of the false face of India! MOD dancing to her tunes. She has done nothing as Supreme Commander for the Serving Soldiers or Veterans. She goes down in history as a lady who lives in Royal Style! RTI should expose her hollowness and double speak....

2G Scam: Presidential Reference for clarity on scams?

Click Link: 2G case: Government files presidential reference in Supreme Court
Reported by Sunil Prabhu | Updated: April 12, 2012 16:59 IST
Comments

Chellappa Narayanan
Govt is to be blamed for not following transparent policy by inviting open bids/ tenders in selling scarce national resources. Now the Govt is referring through President to Supreme Court seeking clarifications. Supreme Court has given a landmark judgement in 2G scam which has instilled more confidence to public about judiciary. Political class must realise that they are to serve the people and not themselves. Will the Govt now realise and take corrective action?

Amit Srivastava 2 hours ago
Money talks , look at the high speed with which the government machinery is moving to bring relief to big players, faster then 4G :)

Shilpa Manocha 4 hours ago
What govt is doing is correct but why does such a process take such less time to complete than any other bill or case. This gives rise to other questions as to whether the pressure is being built up by the politicians who had were involved in this scam or not.

Adarsh scam: CBI arrests Maharashtra Finance Secretary Pradeep Vyas

Updated Mar 21, 2012 at 09:37pm IST
Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested IAS officer Pradeep Vyas in Mumbai in connection with the Adarsh housing society scam. Vyas is currently posted as the Finance Secretary of Maharashtra and is also a former collector on Mumbai.
This takes the number of arrests in connection with the housing society scam to seven.
The arrest has come a day after the CBI held three former government employees – Defence Estate Officer R C Thakur, Brigadier (retd) M M Wanchoo and former deputy secretary in Maharashtra Urban Development Department, P V Deshmukh – on Tuesday.
Thakur, Wanchoo and Deshmukh were on Wednesday remanded to the CBI custody till March 31.
Their arrests followed a censure by the Bombay High Court of CBI for not taking action against those who were allegedly involved in the scam.
The accused have been arrested under the provisions of IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act and Benami Transactions Prohibition Act, said CBI special prosecutor Ejaz Khan. (With Additional Inputs from PTI)
Adarsh scam: CBI arrests Maharashtra Finance Secretary Pradeep Vyas
Related News
Ahead of hearing of the case in the Bombay High Court on Thursday, CBI arrested two former Major Generals of the Army in connection with the multi-crore rupee Adarsh Housing Society scam
2 former Army officers held in connection with Adarsh scam

Criminals as rulers!

The Tribune Chandigarh March 12, 2012
It is a matter of grave concern that all leading parties give preference to criminals during allotment of tickets. In the UP Assembly elections, over 337 candidates having criminal charges pending against them were given tickets by the SP, BSP, BJP and Congress. All party leaders announced time and again that people having clean records would be given tickets. Justice Rajinder Sachar (retd) in his article “Whither Indian polity?” (February 24) clearly mentioned that no party is talking of the real problems. Minorities are being treated as the football of politics.

The leaders are talking of giving laptops to students of weaker sections whereas a large numbers of schools have no blackboards or toilets for girls. Our leaders should promise what they can provide in reality and what is required and not show false dreams which cannot be fulfilled.
SUBHASH C TANEJA, Rohtak
Criminals as rulers!