First rate people of India victim of third rate Governance

We have to completely overthrow this system: Kejriwal
by Danish Raza Nov 3, 2012
Continuing his attack on the government over corruption and inflation, India Against Corruption (IAC) activist Arvind Kejriwal has asked Delhiites to switch off appliances at their homes for an hour (7 pm to 8 pm) today as a show of protest against electricity tariff hike.
In his tweets this morning, he reiterated that the Sheila Dikshit government increased the tariff to benefit power distribution companies.
Commenting on the Uttar Pradesh government dropping money laundering cases against Amar Singh, Kejriwal tweeted that it was shameful. “Is this criminal justice system? We have to completely overthrow this system. Next Mulayam Singh will withdraw cases against Salman Khurshid. Wait n watch. And in return, congress wud withdraw cases against mulayam,” he tweeted from the handle @ArvindKejriwal7.
In one of the tweets, he said the current crop of politicians gave no hope to India and these leaders and the system ought to be overthrown.
Since he started exposing corruption in political establishment, people have been providing him with information, reading which, he was shocked, he said.
“I am shocked to read all this, the extent of corruption. It is so crystal clear that there is just one reason for rising prices — corruption. Prices wud increase much more in coming years if something urgent were not done. It wud become impossible for people to live. There is just one hope — the people of India. Indians are first rate people who are victims of third rate system and third rate politicians,” Kejriwal said in his successive tweets today.
We have to completely overthrow this system: Kejriwal
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Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to a year in jail for tax fraud by MICHAEL DAY MILAN FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER 2012

Brigadier VS Saini under scanner for $5 million bribe demand in chopper deal

Brigadier under scanner for $5 million bribe demand in chopper deal
Published: Friday, Oct 26, 2012, 19:16 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI
A brigadier is under the scanner for allegedly demanding bribe of $5 million from an Italian company in a helicopter deal, with the Defence Ministry today seeking details from the government there and assuring "strong action" against the culprits.
The allegations were levelled against the brigadier, who is currently posted at the Officers' Training Academy in Chennai, during an ongoing probe in Italy into the alleged involvement of Finmeccanica in paying kickbacks to secure defence deals including the Indian contract for 12 VVIP choppers.
Finmeccanica is the parent company of Agusta Westland and is under the scanner after a few arrests were made in Italy including personnel suspected to be the middlemen in the Indian contract.
"The Defence Ministry has asked the Italian government and concerned agencies through the External Affairs Ministry to provide the name and relevant documents relating to the alleged involvement of a brigadier in the ongoing process for the acquisition of 197 helicopters for the army.
"We will take strong action against offenders detected through this probe," Defence Ministry said in a release.
The allegation have been levelled against the officer in a letter allegedly sent by an Agusta Westland official in India to his superiors in Italy saying that the Brigadier was seeking $5 million for facilitating the deal in their favour. The letter was submitted by Italian prosecutors in a court there.
The ministry officials said the Italian government has been requested to provide details of the existence, if any, of any middlemen of any individual or Indian entity in the above contracts.
Agusta Westland has already won the Indian deal worth over Euro 560 million for supplying 12 AW101 VVIP choppers while its bid was rejected in the 197 choppers deal where Eurocopter and Russian Kamov are still in the race.
Brigadier under scanner for $5 million bribe demand in chopper deal
Related Reading
Did Indian Brigadier demand bribe to swing copter deal for AgustaWestland? Probe documents say so
Comment: The name of Brigadier V.S. Saini, a serving Indian Army officer, has surfaced in a document that Italian investigators have found in the course of their probe into possible kickbacks or commissions paid by Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer Augusta Westland (AW). Earlier Brig VS Saini, was Brigadier Aviation, Northern Command and now posted in OTA, Chennai. Will General Deepak Kapoor (30 Sep 2007 to 30 Mar 2010) be linked to this deal? Brig VS Saini could not have pulled off such a scam without blessings of the Chief. CBI should investigate all sources of income of Gen Deepak Kapoor who is a master spinner (Adarsh/ Tatra Scam to his credit and many more).

Tatra scam: Will the former Chief's be linked?

CBI books Tejinder Singh for bribe offer to ex-Army chief
Neeraj Chauhan, TNN | Oct 21, 2012, 03.23AM ISTNEW DELHI: After six months of elaborate investigation, the CBI on Saturday filed a case against Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs 14 crore to former Army chief General VK Singh to clear the purchase of 1,676 high-mobility Tatra trucks for the Indian Army.
The agency carried raids at seven places in Delhi, Mumbai and Noida on the premises of Vectra Group chairman Ravi Rishi and Tejinder Singh's residence at Safdarjung Enclave here, and recovered Rs 98 lakh in cash and also questioned the retired Lt Gen.
Sources say that Tejinder Singh even had links with alleged arms-dealer Abhishek Verma, which is being probed.
Although there was a two-year lag between when the ex-Army chief reported the alleged bribe offer to defence minister AK Antony and CBI registering a Preliminary Enquiry (PE), the agency has decided to launch a formal investigation since the evidence seemed to corroborate Gen VK Singh's version of what transpired between the two.
CBI is conducting a parallel inquiry into the complaint regarding the monopoly Tatra has enjoyed for two decades in supplying all-terrain trucks to defence forces. Sources said the charge sheet in the case is in final stages, and could be filed in a Delhi court shortly. The agency is expected to charge officials of Tatra and the public sector, Bharat Earth Movers Limited.
Sources in the CBI said that preliminary investigation has established retired Tejinder Singh's meeting with the then Army chief as well as that the latter was unhappy with what had transpired. During its probe, CBI has established that cause of action of Tejinder Singh's visit to General VK Singh on September 22, 2010, was because "the file related to procurement of Tatra trucks was lying on the table of army chief that day" and that "Tejinder Singh offered bribe on behalf of Ravi Rishi as he is closely associated with the latter".
Antony's confirmation of General VK Singh's "oral complaint" was found to be strong corroborative evidence.
But strengthened the case for a formal investigation was evidence of Tejinder Singh's alleged dealings with lobbyists for arms manufacturers, including a Korean company. Tejinder Singh has been booked under section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. Under Section 12 of the PC Act, a person who abets the offence of making a public servant accept illegal gratification, whether or not that offence is committed in consequence of that abetment, can be punished with the minimum punishment of six months which may extend to five years.
"We have evidence of his links with a shadowy set of former defence officers who were on the payroll of arms manufacturers and suppliers", said a senior CBI source.
CBI books Tejinder Singh for bribe offer to ex-Army chief

1962 war: Governance of the Mughal style caused the defeat

‘Few lessons learnt from 1962 war’
by F wire Oct 13, 2012
New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) India was engaged in a bruising war with China in 1962 because the apparatus of the state was at fault but no lessons seem to have been learnt from this, diplomatic, military and media veterans of the “humiliation” that the country suffered 50 years ago lamented.
“The 1962 conflict occurred because the apparatus of the state was at fault but we still don’t take structured decisions,” former top diplomat K.Shankar Bajpai said at the second round table discussion on “50 Years After 1962: India-China Relations” organised by the India International Centre, the Subbu Forum and the Society for Policy Studies (SPS) Friday evening.
“The 1962 conflict was a total example of what a government should not do. It was governance of the Mughal style,” Bajpai, a former ambassador to China, US and Pakistan who was also the convenor of the National Security Advisory Board contended and then posed a question: “Have we learnt from it?”
He left the answer hanging but the implication was quite clear: that 50 years down the line, no lessons had been drawn from the conflict.
Another security expert, Brig (retd) Arun Sehgal, echoed Bajpai.
“Their is talk of jointmanship but there is no thinking on integrated joint operations. Because of this, there is no common operating picture,” he said.
Sehgal also rued that the Indian establishment continues to think that China will follow “the attritional policy of 1962″, while in reality it was “enhancing its capabilities for asymmetrical attacks”.
Lamenting the “casual decisions taken in Delhi”, Mohan Guruswamy. a China expert of the Observer Research Foundation, said: “In 1962, there was no coordination, there was casual decision-making. Are we condemned to repeat it?”
Inder Malhotra, veteran journalist who covered the war, said it was a result of a “total misreading of the situation” by prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru who never thought the Chinese would make an all-out assault but only resort to “small skirmishes” to settle their territorial claims.
“Indian forces at the time were hopelessly unprepared, Malhotra said. He said if the Indian Air Force was used to give air cover to the Indian Army – a flawed decision that has been rued by military experts since then – the results of the war would have been totally different.
However, Arvinder Singh Lamba, former vice-chief of army who retired recently, dismissed such fears saying “there was no scope for any surprises (from China) in future.
“We have come a long way,” he said, in terms of enhancing border surveillance and intelligence and fortifying border infrastructure.
C Uday Bhaskar, former director of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), added that the much expected ‘Asian Century’ of the 21st century would be determined by the texture of the Sino-Indian relationship over the next two decades. Enhancing comprehensive national power is imperative , he added, but bemoaned the fact that the Indian political establishment has little time or comprehension of complex national security issues.
‘Few lessons learnt from 1962 war’
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OROP: Ministers blow Rs 680 crore hole in the austerity plan

No money for "One Rank One Pension" for the Military- Critical Finances: Click here
Twelve-fold blow to UPA government's austerity plan as globe trotting ministers blow Rs 678 crore of taxpayers' money
By MAIL TODAY REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 21:19 GMT, 26 September 2012 | UPDATED: 22:23 GMT, 26 September 2012
The testing economic situation may be the time for austerity but try telling that to the UPA government's globe trotting ministers.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his ministers have blown Rs 678 crore of taxpayers' money on their travel in 2011-12 - which is more than 12 times spent during 2010-11, when it was Rs 56.1 crore, an RTI application filed by Delhi-based activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal has revealed.
The PM himself has been criss-crossing the globe in the past two years. Multi-lateral and bilateral visits have taken him from Moscow, the Maldives, and Afghanistan to New York, Bali and Cannes.
His South Block cabinet colleague - external affairs minister S.M. Krishna - also clocked up the air miles with 28 foreign trips - From New York, Islamabad, Beijing, Bali, Singapore and Australia to Israel and Palestine.
'The tours are for official purposes. At the age of 80, it should be appreciated that senior ministers can travel so much. These are not pleasure trips,' a South Block official said.
The reason for the quantum jump in expenditure is also because the ministers flew in chartered aircraft many times - for instance the Indian Air Force Embraer or the Air India airbus hired by the external affairs ministry for Krishna's visit to Pakistan.
Commerce minister Anand Sharma has logged eight visits to Switzerland, South Africa, Pakistan and France.
His senior colleague, defence minister A.K. Antony, logged six foreign tours during the last two years.
While former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee also travelled to six overseas destinations (including the US, Nepal, Vietnam and France), tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai travelled to five destinations. The UPA allies are breathing fire. 'The ministers take family members and hangers-on at the taxpayers' expene. The government must give an account of this in Parliament,' Rajendra Chaudhary, SP spokesperson, said.
The Opposition, too, has rapped the government. While some of these trips can be justified because of official reasons, the government must introspect on the rising cost of these official tours.
Read more:
Twelve-fold blow to UPA government's austerity plan as globe trotting ministers blow Rs 678 crore of taxpayers' money

Tejinder Singh suffers from Amnesia- Forgets all his Dealers

EW DELHI, September 26, 2012
Tejinder Singh denies allegations of links with Abhishek Verma
DEVESH K. PANDEY The Hindu
CBI sources say suspected links emerged in a statement received from Kim
Lieutenant General (retired) Tejinder Singh, the retired officer at the heart of a military corruption controversy that sparked off an explosive confrontation between the Union government and the former Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh, has denied allegations that he had connections with high-profile arms dealer Abhishek Verma.
“I have met him [Mr. Verma] once or twice, but I had no working relationship with him,” Lt. General Tejinder Singh told The Hindu. Mr. Verma is currently in prison, awaiting trial on multiple charges of engaging in corruption linked to multimillion dollar arms deals, the theft of official secrets, and conducting illegal foreign-currency operations.
Highly-placed Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sources said that the suspected links between Lt. General Tejinder Singh and Mr. Verma emerged in a statement received from Kim Min Su, the New Delhi representative of South Korean arms firm LIG Nex1. LIG Nex1 was among several competitors vying for an Indian Army contract for a Very Short Range Air Defence System, VSHORAD that supports surface-to-air missile weapon systems.
Mr. Kim, a CBI source said, told the agency Mr. Verma approached his firm in the second half of 2011, claiming that a complaint had been filed against the company jeopardising its prospects. Mr. Verma allegedly offered his services to set things right for the South Korean company.
In one of three meetings held in luxury hotels and at Mr. Verma's suburban farmhouse, the CBI claims to have been told by Mr. Kim that he was introduced to one Tejinder Singh, who was identified as a senior functionary in the Indian missile programme.
Mr. Kim told the CBI that his firm finally did not engage in any deal with Mr. Verma. The South Korean company, nevertheless, got invited to exhibit its product for inspection.
Mr. Kim declined to comment on these claims. “I have nothing to say,” he told The Hindu.
Earlier, CBI sources said Mr. Verma alleged during questioning that he had made payments to Lt. General Tejinder Singh. However, they said, the retired army officer had denied these claims, for which no supporting evidence emerged.
Speaking to The Hindu, Lt. General Tejinder Singh also said he had never met Mr. Kim, or any representatives of LIG Nex1.
The CBI sources said they had no hard evidence that these meetings had taken place. However, they said, the agency had found a list of contacts on a laptop computer seized from Mr. Varma's wife, Anca Neacsu, that included a reference to a “Lt. General Singh.” Ms. Neacsu, who is also currently in prison awaiting trial along with her husband, is alleged to have conducted illegal lobbying activities on behalf of automatic weapons giant Sig Sauer's Indian subsidiary.
Lt. General Tejinder Singh has also denied connections to Sig Sauer.
The retired officer has filed defamation proceedings against General V.K. Singh for claiming that he had offered the former army chief a bribe.
Tejinder Singh denies allegations of links with Abhishek Verma
Comment: It is normal for scum bags to deny scams unless the law catches up with them. Difficult to prove remember ACR rating is 9- which confirms impeccable honesty. Only the Swiss Banks will reveal the truth until than denials will help CBI square up the case.

Illegally acquired surveillance equipment to monitor Indians

DNA exclusive: PMO knew you were being snooped upon
Published: Monday, Sep 17, 2012, 10:00 IST
By Saikat Datta & Pradip R Sagar | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the national security advisor (NSA) allowed an agency, not permitted under the law, to acquire surveillance equipment and monitor Indians between 2010 and 2011.
An investigation by DNA shows the NSA, Shiv Shankar Menon, knew that the defence intelligence agency (DIA), a tri-service organisation drawing personnel from the army, the navy and the air force, was keen to purchase off-the-air cell phone monitoring equipment.
Not only was the DIA not authorised to tap phones of Indians, but it also did not have the approval of the technical coordination group (TCG), chaired by the NSA. Despite these legal and procedural lapses, documents accessed by DNA show that the DIA went ahead and procured the equipment while the NSA, the PMO and the defence ministry looked the other way.
In the absence of any independent monitoring of intelligence agencies in India, no one knows how these machines have been used.
They could have been used illegally to tap phones and gather political intelligence or even monitor people.
The TCG was created after the Kargil war to ensure coordinated intelligence gathering. As per its charter, all purchases of technical intelligence equipment above Rs20 crore must be cleared by the TCG. The NSA is the chairman of the TCG and the technical intelligence agency’s, NTRO, chairman is its member secretary.
In the 9th meeting of the TCG, LtGen DS Chauhan, who was then the director general of DIA, had put up a note on August 10, 2011, seeking the TCG’s approval for the purchase of 26 off-the-air GSM monitoring machines, six off-the-air CDMA monitoring equipment, and five GSM jammers.
But on August 12, the TCG pointed out in the DIA’s inventory that one CDMA and four GSM-cell phone monitoring equipment had already been bought.
How did the DIA buy these without the TCG’s approval or even the legal framework to buy such machines?
These cell phone monitoring machines have a limited range depending on the terrain and the weather. So, why was the DIA allowed to buy such machines since it is mandated to gather technical intelligence with limited human intelligence in insurgency-prone areas? In either case it is not a “notified law enforcement agency”, which is mandatory for phone tapping.
This was brought to the notice of the NSA as well as cabinet secretary Ajit Seth, defence secretary Sashi Kant Sharma, and joint secretary in the PMO Pankaj Saran.
No one objected and the DIA continued to illegally monitor people using unauthorised equipment.
The PMO did not respond to a written questionnaire from DNA. LtGen (Retd) Tejinder Singh, who as the director general of DIA before LtGen Chauhan, told DNA that the procedure to purchase these equipment started much before him.
“In either case, the purchase was sanctioned at every level — from financial advisors to the director general (acquisitions), who is currently the defence secretary,” the retired lieutenant general told DNA.
“Anyway, the signals directorate, which purchased the equipment, comes under the DIA for operational purposes. All their procurements must be approved by the defence ministry and not the director general of DIA because he does not have the financial powers to do so.”
Despite the fact the government hasn’t notified DIA as an “authorised” agency for phone tapping, the official spokesman of the defence ministry, Sitanshu Kar, said no “illegality” had taken place. “We find your statement calumnious. The defence secretary, as DG (acquisitions) had not sanctioned, at any stage, any illegal purchase of any equipment,” Kar said.
Phone tapping in India is governed by the December 18, 1996, judgment of the Supreme Court and section 5 of the Indian Telegraph Act that says phone tapping is legal only if it is authorised by the Union home secretary.
Only nine agencies are legally authorised to put in requests for tapping phones. Which means any government or private agency besides these nine agencies are not authorised to keep tabs on any form of communication in the country, let alone put in a request to the Union home secretary.
The IB, the R&AW, the income tax department, the enforcement directorate, the narcotics control bureau and the state police forces are among the nine authorised agencies.
DNA exclusive: PMO knew you were being snooped upon

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.

CBI under duress to close bribe case: Weapons Lobby's Links

CBI to seek legal opinion in ex-Army chief bribery case
Press Trust of India / New Delhi September 11, 2012, 20:05
CBI will seek legal opinion to decide the future course of action on its preliminary probe carried out into former Army Chief Gen V K Singh's allegation that he was offered Rs 14 crore in bribe for clearing a deal of "sub-standard" vehicles.
"Our preliminary investigation is complete. We will seek a legal opinion in the matter. A decision on whether to convert PE into FIR or close the investigation is likely to be taken by this month-end," a senior CBI official said.
The official, however, declined to give details on the investigation in the case.
The probe agency had on April 11 registered a preliminary inquiry (PE) after receiving a complaint from Gen V K Singh against unknown retired army officers and private persons.
The then Army chief had claimed that an equipment lobbyist had offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore, a matter he had reported to Defence Minister A K Antony.
The Ministry had then recommended a CBI probe into the allegation made by the then Army Chief.
In a communication to the CBI, Gen V K Singh had said that there was a bribe offer from Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh following which the CBI had asked him to submit detailed description of the incident, list of possible witnesses and supporting documents on the issue.
Gen V K Singh had given to the CBI detailed description of the incident during which he was allegedly offered bribe.
Lt Gen Tejinder Singh has refuted the allegations levelled against him and also filed a defamation case against the ex-Army Chief and other officers.
CBI and its antics
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Bureaucrats spin and spiral the corruption curve of India

Bureaucrats hired by companies which they helped get coal fields allotted to?
New Delhi: The investigation into the coal scam has the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) looking at whether bureaucrats colluded with private companies to get coal blocks despite being ineligible.
What is clear already is that several senior bureaucrats who could have helped inference the allocation process were employed by private companies after leaving the government.
R V Shahi was India's longest serving power secretary - he held the position between 2002 and 2007. During this time, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, owned by Congress MP Navin Jindal, was allocated two coal blocks. Mr Shahi is now an Independent Director of the same company, whose businesses include steel, power and mining.
Like other companies, Jindal Steel and Power was chosen by a screening committee that included representatives of different ministries and stakeholders. Mr Shahi says that the coal blocks given to Mr Jindal's firm were for sponge iron plants and not for power, therefore, he says, officials from his ministry would not have played a role in the selection process.
But during Mr Shahi's tenure as power secretary, two other Jindal Group companies were assigned coal blocks for power plants. These companies are headed by Navin Jindal's brothers and he is a director in one of them.
Both Shahi and Navin Jindal dismissed any allegations of wrongdoing or favouritism.
In Jharkhand, P P Sharma was the Chief Secretary between December 2004 to January 2006, and then again from August 2007 to March 2008. Now, he is a full-time director with the Abhijeet Group, which has power and mining projects spread across Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal.
During Mr Sharma's tenure as Chief Secretary, the same Abhijeet Group got five coal blocks. Though the allocations are done by the Coal Ministry, the state government's views are critical in the selection process and senior officials from the state where the coal field is located are on the screening committee that decides on applications.
Mr N C Jha is the CEO of the mining business of Monnet Energy and Ispat Limited - the second largest coal-based sponge-iron manufacturer in India.
Mr Jha was the Technical Director of government-owned Coal India from 2007 and Chairman of Coal India Limited in 2011. The Technical Director of Coal India is a member of the Screening Committee.
Between 2008 to 2010, the group was allocated three coal blocks for power and sponge iron by the coal ministry.
Bureaucrats hired by companies which they helped get coal fields allotted
Comment: Politicians, Businessmen and Bureaucrats cemented in milking the nation of its vital assets and transferring them to Swiss like Secret Accounts. Will the CBI book these corrupt Bureaucrats?

Truth is Bitter: India is enveloped with Corruption

Former Army chief General V K Singh today rued that corruption was prevalent everywhere in the country and was eating into its vitals.
"Corruption has spread like cancer to eat into the vitals of the country ... It is everywhere," he told a national conference on 'Eradication of Corruption : Social Responsibility and Challenge' here.
"The scourge has become so pervasive that it has become quite legitimate for a person to say give me money, I will give you work," Singh said adding that it pained him when he compared the present situation to the time when legendary freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose exhorted countrymen to fight for freedom with his call - 'Give me blood, I will give you freedom'.
Black money was another issue dogging the country and corrupt persons have stashed their huge ill got wealth in foreign shores, the former Army chief said.
The black money stashed abroad was so big in size that the country could fast-track development of infrastructure and provide civil amenities to its citizens if it could be brought back.
"The onus is on all of us to fulfil three dreams of the freedom fighters - freedom from colonial rule, equality to all citizens and founding of a socio-political and economic system based on equity and justice," he said and appealed for unity in society and consensus in decision-making process.
"It is imperative for all of us to strive for unity as we must not forget that foreigners had invaded our country and ruled us for centuries taking advantage of prevailing disunity time and again," he said.
Singh, who retired three months ago, slammed attempts to cast aspersion on the institution of armed forces saying the critics should remember that the army was the last resort of security of the country.
Vested interests, including the arms suppliers lobby had attacked the army for prevalence of corruption among other issues, the former army chief said.
He rued the absence of consensus among mainstream political parties on governance issues and said most of them were gripped by internal dissension that created further complications in arriving at consensual decision-making process.
"It will not be an understatement to say that our democratic polity and foundations of our republic are in serious crisis," he observed and said the problems must be understood and rectified to take the nation-building process forward.
Former Army Chief V K Singh sees corruption 'everywhere'

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

August 15 Indian Independence Day: Real India Today

August 15 Indian Independence Day : Every Indian must see this Video... Most watched Indian viral!
The Independence Day of India, celebrated on 15 August, is a holiday commemorating India's independence from the British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on 15 August 1947. India achieved independence following the Indian independence movement noted for largely peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress. The independence coincided with the partition of India wherein the British Indian Empire was divided along religious lines into two new nations—Dominion of India (later Republic of India) and Dominion of Pakistan (later Islamic Republic of Pakistan); the partition was stricken with violent communal riots.
The Independence Day is a national holiday in India. The flagship event takes place in Delhi where the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort, followed by a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts. The day is observed all over India with flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades and cultural events. Citizens rejoice the day by displaying the national flag on their attire, household accessories, vehicles; varied activities such as kite flying, bonding with family and friends, and enjoying patriotic songs and films are seen.
Security concerns over militant attacks and sporadic calls for boycotting the celebration by separatist outfits occasionally limit the celebration in some places. Some organisations have carried out terrorist attacks on and around 15 August, and others have declared bandh and used black flags to boycott the celebration. Several books and films feature the independence and partition as pivotal events in their narrative.
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here. Judaism arrived in the 6th century B.C. Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance and led by Mahatma Gandhi.
The Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, and inadequate public healthcare. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks ninth in military expenditure among nations. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 28 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Fighting Corruption in India Gets Tougher

Updated Jul 28, 2012 at 04:10pm IST
I will neither contest elections nor form party: Anna Hazare
New Delhi: Putting rumours and speculation to rest, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Saturday said that he would not contest elections or form a political party.
"I will neither contest elections, nor form a political party. In fact, if I survive this fast, I will roam the country and look for genuine people. If I find some, they will be trained and their names put on the Internet. After scrutiny, we will ask them to contest elections and I will campaign for them," said Anna who reached his venue of protest, the Jantar Mantar, early on Saturday morning.
"The government deceives us each time. Under the Congress or the BJP, this country has no future. Things will not change under them," he continued.
"I will fight for the Lokpal Bill till I am alive. I am not happy to fast all the time. But I am forced because of the betrayals by the government," he said. In an exclusive interview with IBN 18 Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai on Friday, the activist had said that he would consider joining politics if the people wanted him to. "If people say that Anna should enter politics, then I could think about it," he said. He, however, was quick to add that he would not fight elections but support a political party that would be launched by someone willing to fight against corruption.
"I will not go into politics but I will give a political alternative to the people. I will not fight in elections. But if anyone fighting against corruption launches a political party, I will support it. I think the people are ready for an honest candidate," he said.
In Delhi for his agitation for a Special Investigation Team to probe 15 ministers of the UPA government whom he alleges to be corrupt, Anna's recent protests have seen minimal crowd attendance.
The activist admitted in the interview that he too had begun to feel that the enthusiasm amongst the people for fight against corruption was beginning to wane. "People are coming to me and saying that only fasting or protest will not help and that I should give an alternative. But I do not think so right now," he said.
"The government too has been laggard in bringing in the Lokpal Bill. It has been two years since our protest for a strong Lokpal Bill began. May be the time has come to look at an alternative. But I still hope that the government will introduce it." He further said that the Lokpal Bill was, is and will always be the primary demand of India Against Corruption. "First Lokpal and then inquiry against the 15 corrupt ministers... The main issue is the Lokpal Bill."
He further accused "the 15 ministers" of stalling the progress on the Lokpal Bill. He said, however, that the mere removal of the 15 ministers would not put an end to corruption and that a concerted effort was needed to root it out. "For the benefit of the people and the country, everyone should come together and fight against corruption," he said. "I do not think that any political party, be it the Congress, the BJP or the Left, is serious about fighting against corruption. I feel it is now time to give them a political alternative," he added.
I will neither contest elections nor form party: Anna Hazare

Adarsh Scam: Truth is Money Laundering but CBI is bent on investigating lies of Politicians

The Hindu July 10, 2012
Even if the Adarsh society case does not end in convictions, enough ignominy has been heaped on former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan who was charge sheeted in the scam along with 12 others. Mr. Chavan has been accused of criminal conspiracy and abusing his official position when he was Revenue Minister over a decade ago to include civilians in the society and grant other favours. In turn, his mother-in law and other relatives got flats. There is a feeling in some sections that Mr. Chavan has been unfairly targeted and two other former Chief Ministers, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde, were also responsible. The CBI investigation is still open in the case of these two. While Mumbai is full of such frauds involving valuable land, what sets Adarsh apart is the nexus that was unravelled between politicians, bureaucrats and promoters — most of whom managed to cadge flats for their family members in a building which was blatantly illegal. The CBI is yet to officially reveal the details of the benami flats but there is evidence that this could involve more politicians or people close to them.
In comparison with Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, whose career graph shoots up every time the courts pass strictures against him, Mr. Chavan seems to lack a guardian angel. His cup of woes is full as he is also at the centre of a paid news controversy and his election has been contested on those grounds. If the CBI can prove the charges it has framed in the Adarsh case, it will definitely set a precedent. It is essential that the politicians and officers responsible for violating the laws of the land, abusing their office, and flouting the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) notification are given exemplary punishment. Real estate and housing equals power in Mumbai and few get caught for the numerous illegal transactions that take place. There is no need to be dismissive about the relatively small size of the scam in rupee terms when compared to other, more massive frauds. What is untenable too is the constant carping that Mr. Chavan is less culpable than the others and that he only grabbed “a few flats.” Instead of blaming the media for targeting bureaucrats and politicians, the State government should launch a comprehensive investigation into fraudulent housing societies, not to speak of the sharp practices that go on throughout Mumbai in the name of slum redevelopment.
Not so Adarsh
Defence Ministry's weak response
Now, Defence Ministry intervenes in Adarsh case
Readers Comments: Are we a Banana Republic?

from: Akshit Singh Posted on: Jul 10, 2012 at 11:27 IST
What you have pointed out in this editorial is the unholy nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen in the adarsh controversy. But what you have not pointed out is the role of the senior military officials including former army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor who got a flat for himself in abetting the scam & the need to apprehend them.

from: N.Mohan Posted on: Jul 10, 2012 at 13:05 IST
These politicians own multiple expensive flats in Mumbai. For e.g. Sushil Kumar Shinde owns a flat on (Vaastu Bldg) Pali Hill Bandra Mumbai worth about 30-40 Crore purchased within last 3-4 years. Somebody please investigate. Another minister Kripashankar (Santacruz Mumbai) was recently accused of owning multiple benami flats. Where do they get this kind of money come from?

from: D Mahapatra Posted on: Jul 10, 2012 at 16:12 IST
Will any of this outrage in "public" translate into any action by the voting public? Or is this "moral outrage" just an intellectual pastime of the new Indian, educated, affluent, middle-class? India claims to be a democracy (the biggest lie peddled in India?). So, "the buck stops with the voters" - not with anyone else!!! Will anyone hold up a mirror to themselves, think afresh in their daily lives, do anything differently, educate fellow citizens who may not know what's really going on in the country "in their name, but without informed-consent"???

Why Pranab Mukerjee needs to become President?

PTI | Jun 10, 2012, 10.49PM IST
KHARGRAM: Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee today said all the money kept by Indians abroad is not black money and noted that India has signed treaties with 37 countries to know the details of such illegal wealth.
"Not all money kept abroad is black money ... It might have been deposited by businessmen or business houses. The process will take time to know the exact amount," he told a meeting of Congress workers here.
The Government last month had proposed a multi-faceted strategy to unearth black money through fast-track courts and deterrent punishment but had ruled out any tax any immunity schemes.
The White Paper on black money tabled by Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha favoured a strategic mix of four pillars that will include incentives for voluntary compliance, reforms in vulnerable sectors of economy, creating effective credible deterrence and supportive measures.
The 97-page report however, did not give out any name of black money holders or estimated of such funds either in the country or outside but referred to estimates made earlier by various domestic and foreign institutions.
Not all money kept abroad is black money: Pranab
Readers views
His comments come amidst demands by yoga guru Ramdev asking the government to take steps to bring bank black money stashed abroad. In his campaign against black money, he has been meeting leaders of various political party leaders. This is a hilarious comment! Looks like FM has already logged out in preparation for his Raisina Hill assignment. He talks as if the list of all the accounts maintained abroad by Indians are with him. If that is so, why does the govt run after all the countries seeking disclosure?

Prime Ministers policy erosion hurting credit quality

S&P: Manmohan unable to influence colleagues
NEW DELHI, June 12, 2012
The global rating agency, Standard and Poor (S&P), in its report on the Indian economic impasse, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “often appears to have limited ability to influence his Cabinet colleagues and proceed with the liberalisation policy he favours ...It would be ironic if a government under the economist, who spurred much of the liberalisation of India's economy and helped unleash such gains, were to preside over their potential erosion.”
It noted that setbacks to or reversals in India's path to a more liberal economy “could hurt its long-term growth prospects and, therefore, its credit quality.”
Evidently, even while not pointing to the specific measures of liberalisation, the agency appears to be referring to the government's flip-flop on opening up foreign direct investment to multi-brand retail and the more recent reports on the UPA's ally Trinamool Congress blocking pension reforms.
Among the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China), the S&P noted, the other three enjoyed a higher rating or outlook than India.
Incidentally, the report comes at a time when views are expressed as to whether the ‘I' in BRIC should be replaced with Indonesia on account of its comparatively robust growth. The only bright side of the report is to allay fears of India facing a 1991 type of crisis, saying the situation is much better now.
S&P: Manmohan unable to influence colleagues

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

Scamster defames a hero?

Probe ordered on defamation plea against Army Chief General VK Singh
Reported by Sudhi Ranjan Sen | Updated: May 31, 2012 01:04 IST
New Delhi: Fading away into the sunset, like many of his predecessors, isn't an option available to General VK Singh, who arguably is the most controversial Chief of Army Staff in contemporary Indian history. Defence Minister AK Antony today asked the Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma to examine whether action can be initiated against Army Chief General VK Singh for violating the Army Act of 1950 and defaming former retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh.
Retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh left the army about two years ago as the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
On March 5 this year, the Indian Army in an official statement had said that retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh, who had allegedly benefitted from the Adarsh Housing scam, was not only planting reports in the media but had even tried to bribe the Army Chief for clearing a file relating to purchase of a tranche of 600 "sub-standard" Tatra trucks.
Also in the same statement the Army had then claimed that the former DIA chief had bought off-air monitoring machines - gadgets that can snoop on mobile conservations - without proper authorisation.
Retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh had subsequently moved the court alleging that he had been defamed and therefore action should be initiated against the Chief of Army Staff. The Delhi High Court and a trial court have so far refused to summon General VK Singh. However, the Delhi High Court had observed that disciplinary action could be sought against the officers and General VK Singh for the issuing the press release. Following these observations, General Tejinder Singh had asked the Defence Ministry to initiate action against the outgoing Army Chief.
Mr Antony today asked the Defence Secretary Shashkant Sharma to examine the complaint of Retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh and initiate action, if any, required. Sources tell NDTV that in all probability the government - which has been embarrassed by General V K Singh in many occasions in the part - is likely to swing in favour of General Tejinder Singh's initiative.
Probe ordered on defamation plea against Army Chief General VK Singh
Comment: MOD's swift action is to shift focus and keep the skeletons safe in its cupboards lest it spills out. MHA will give it all the physical support... there are many more Retired Generals who have taken bribes from arms lobbyists shivering in their boots... Gen Tejinder Singh has all the supporters lined up... PMO and MHA would like the New Chief to seal all the skeletons. Will the Chief oblige the MOD, MHA and PMO?