Nation at a Glance

Court guideline for job termination

allahabad (PTI): Allahabad High Court on Thursday ruled that the termination order of an employee cannot be passed with retrospective effect and if such an order is passed, it shall be deemed illegal.

Justice Rakesh Tiwari gave the ruling on a writ petition filed by one D.C. Dwivedi challenging his termination of service by an order dated May 31, 1993 and June 1, 1993 with retrospective effect from January 31, 1990.

Dwivedi contended that the termination of service order was passed wrongly as there was confusion over his date of birth and the actual retirement age. The date of birth in his promotion letter (January 15,1936) did not match the date in his service record, January 15, 1937.

The Uttar Pradesh additional registrar (administration), cooperative societies, had passed the termination order on the basis of the report of a deputy registrar that cited Dwivedi’s date of birth as January 31, 1932, and said he was past 58 years.

Setting aside the termination order, the court indicted the deputy registrar for changing the date of birth without giving an opportunity of hearing to the petitioner.

Land allotment rap on govt

New Delhi (PTI): Bombay High Court has come down heavily on the Maharashtra government for granting a plot of land to the Shankarrao Chavan Charitable Trust in a prime locality of the city at a throwaway price. The court has sought the state’s response on whether it is prepared to come out with a policy on such allotments.

While hearing a petition by Bhrashtachar Nirmoolan Sanghatana on Wednesday, Justices Ajit Shah and Ranjana Desai observed that the state was expected to follow transparency in such deals and issue advertisements inviting bids for allotment of plots.

he petition alleged that chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had gifted the 2,057 square-metre plot to the trust on a lease of Re 1 per annum though its market value was Rs 16 crore. The court said: “It seems all past chief ministers are given plots. We do not say that they were not able chief ministers but questions are bound to be asked if a plot worth Rs 16 crore is given away for Re 1.”

The bench said the trust had come into being a year ago and questioned the credentials of its trustees. Revenue minister Ashok Chavan, who allotted the land, is son of Congress leader S.B. Chavan.

BoB staff suspended

faizabad (PTI): Six employees of the city branch of Bank of Baroda were suspended for a bank draft fraud.

The FIRs named R.L. Pathak, J. Singh, Suraj Prasad, Awadhesh Kumar, S.S. Pandey and R.D. Verma. They had allegedly withdrawn Rs 65 lakh through cheques from various accounts and drafts were encashed after secret passwords were leaked. No arrests have been made as yet.

Cong leader shot

chennai (PTI): Salem district Congress chief Talauthu Natarajan and his bodyguard were shot dead at his residence, about 300 km from here. A gang of robbers entered Natarajan’s Salem house around 2 am on Thursday and shot him when he resisted. Two of his sons were injured when they fired before fleeing with cash and jewellery.

Immersion death

mumbai (PTI): Ganesh immersion turned fatal for a 42-year-old man who drowned during the procession at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Anant Sawant had gone to see the immersions when he was dragged into deep water by the waves.

Auto thefts record

new delhi (PTI): Delhi, which has the largest number of vehicles among the four metros, now has the dubious distinction of the highest number of auto thefts. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, the capital accounted for 57.1 per cent of all auto thefts in India last year.

Prisoners flee

madurai (PTI): Two prisoners escaped from Srivaikuntam sub jail after scaling its wall. Three prison staff, including the superintendent, have been suspended. A remand prisoner escaped from a government hospital here on Wednesday evening despite the presence of guards. Manikandan had made an escape bid from a district court on Monday as well.

Godman charge

hardoi (PTI): Swami Divyanand of Sant Kripal Nagar, has been accused of grabbing 35 hectares in a village in the district and nine FIRs have been lodged against him. The swami enjoys the patronage of several state political leaders.

Chilka Lake in Orissa has won the Ramsar award, worth US $10,000. The award is being conferred for “outstanding work in restoration and wise use of wetlands involving local communities”, the Ramsar Convention in Gland, Switzerland, said.

A couple enjoying the downpour in New Delhi. (PTI)