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Officials and subordinates of IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, ITS, IJS, Defence, Forest Services, Railways, Bankers, PSUs, Corporate, National Leaders, UN & Foreign Diplomats and Embassies.

Aaj Ki Aawaz

Flunky of Amrinder Singh has let cat out of bag!!
What he has said will make morale of Sonia's minions sag!!!

He said that many Congressmen are 'closet Modi fans'!!!!!
Praising Modi Congress bans!!

So maybe now Madam will devise a way to find out who these Congressmen are?
On this lot getting any 'position' enforce a 'bar'!!

Basically I feel many Congressmen are sick of bowing and grovelling!!!
And so quite a few to get out of Congress their way are already 'tunnelling'!!

Fact is Modi is even secretly admired by his detractors!!
And for this his image, charisma and performance are biggest factors!!

All you have to do is get Rahul and Modi to debate!!!
Chalo to get Rahul to debate give him 'he can bring his advisors
along' as bait!!

Proverbially speaking Veggie Modi will make mincemeat of Rahul and his Team!!!
For help half way into the discussion Rahul and Team will scream!!

In UP the story is Congress is now playing the caste and religion card!!!
Working on these two very hard!!!

Rahul had boasted Congress's plank is progress!!!
So why into caste and religion politics it did regress???

Because Congress found out Rahul's dramas were not cutting ice with
the UP electorate!!
Some of his dramas the electorate did openly 'berate'!!!

Worst was his saying that 'we send money to Uttar Pradesh'!!!
As if he was saying this is his family's money Electorate
misinterpreted his sandesh!!

His overnight stays were billed as dramas by UP voters!!!!
His repeating 'I stay in your houses and eat your food' was billed as 'gloaters'!!!

And Congress will realize 'unleashing' Priynaka at this stage is too late!!
In fact getting her into electioneering would mean 'sealing' Rahul's fate!!

Message will go out.... he had to take sis's sahaara!!!
Getting her to electioneer would mean Rahul haara!!!

But this I have to give it to Rahul .... he's worked really very very hard!!!!
Knowing UP seems Congress erred and played too late 'caste and religion' card!!

And then comes credibility.... Congress has reputation of selective amnesia post election!!
Congress has no Leaders that make with the electorate a 'charismatic connection'!

Kursheed is no Leader!!!!
Come election and from Mr. Hoity-toity he becomes a 'pleader'!!!

Gujarat's HC's verdict will be tested in SC!!
And I'm sure SC will overturn verdict of HC!!

This Guv was appointed by Congress and Lokayukta Guv has appointed!!
An anti Modi head of a supposed to be apolitical Body has been anointed!!

And then Congress's track record trying to topple non Congress State Governments is well known!
Why do you think at Article 352 in Lokpal even Congress's Allies did moan????

Bharat Kumar
aaj_ki_aawaz@yahoo.com

Whose turn is next?
In corridors of power it is hotly being discussed that certain other industrial tycoons will be put behind bars. However, it has to be
watched that whose turn is next?

Which UPA leader is getting maximum bashing?
Which leader in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is getting maximum bashing? This question is hot topic of discussion in corridors of power.

Why 2 BJP ruled states saw turmoil in 2011?
Why did two BJP ruled states, Karnataka and Uttarakhand, see turmoil in 2011? In political circles it is being said that upheavals were aimed at taming senior BJP leader Ms. Sushma Swraj.

Rahul Gandhi's strategy for UP polls
AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi who is quite keen that Congress regains lost grounds in Uttar Pradesh (UP) through forthcoming assembly polls has divided UP into four sectors.

Case against V S Achuthanandan registered
Vigilance department of the Kerala Government has registered a case against former Chief Minister Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan for showering favours on his next of kith and kin in allotting plots of land. He enjoyed a clean image until the case was registered against him.

New Political equations emerge in Kerala
In the wake of Vigilance department of the Kerala Government registering a case against Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan former Chief Minister for showering favours on his next of kith and kin in allotting plots of land, new equations in Kerala are emerging. As the grapevine has it the state secretary of the CPI (M), Pinarayi Vijayan and Achuthanandan have joined to fight out against the present Congress government being led by Chief Minister Oomen Chandy. Interestingly both leaders were at loggerheads till recently. So much so that Achuthanandan while serving as the Chief Minister had registered a similar case against Vijayan as had been registered by Congress Government against Achuthanandan.

Stocks of K M Mani, leader of Kerala Congress Party go up
Stocks of K M Mani -the leader of Kerala Congress Party has gone up in the wake of new political equations. He holds the records of having presented the maximum number of budgets (8) in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Since present Congress Government is having majority of only single vote there is a possibility that the Government may be toppled. If that happens then Mani will be a strong contender for the Chief Minister's slot.

BUREAUCRACY

CBI panel for Additional Director
A CBI panel for the post of Additional Director is now ready. The panel consists of P M Nair (1978, Bihar), R C Arora (1979, MP) and Anil Sinha (1979, Bihar).

Gupta to be Additional Secretary Defence Production
Ashok Kumar Gupta is being tipped to be Additional Secretary Defence Production. He is 1981 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

C Balakrishnan to be Information Commissioner?
Former Secretary Coal C Balakrishnan is likely to be appointed Member of the Central Inormation Commission (CIC).He is retired 1974 batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre.

Ramasubban to be Vigilance Commissioner in West Bengal?
Former Secretary Central Vigilance Commission K S Ramasubban is being tipped to be Vigilance Commissioner in West Bengal. He is retired 1976 batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre.

Certain CMDs meet the Finance Ministers separately
Did CMDs of certain public sector banks meet Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee separately? As the grapevine has
it they did meet Pranab Mukherjee. What transpired among them is anybody's guess.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee busy in meetings
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is nowadays busy holding pre-budget meetings with all those relating to his Ministry.

Issue of PS banks CMDs between Mukherjee & Mittal
The issue pertaining to finalization of six CMDs in public sector (PS) banks is being dealt with directly between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee & Secretary Financial Service i.e. Banking, D.K. Mittal.

14 IPS officers of various cadres retiring in January, 2012
As many as 14 IPS officers of various cadres are retiring in January, 2012. They include Satish Chandra of AGMUT cadre; P V Rathee, Shiv Shakti Rao of Haryana cadre; Jog Raj Thakur of Himachal Pradesh cadre; T Sreesukan, K J Devasia, E Divakaran and N Gopalakrishnan of Kerala cadre; S B Sawarkar of Maharashtra cadre; Ram Singh, Kashi Nath Singh, Rai Bahadur Singh of Uttar Pradesh cadre and Alok Bihari Lal of Uttarakhand cadre.

A K Pandey selected as Director (Raw Materials & Logistics), SAIL
A K Pandey, ED, SAIL, has been selected for the post of Director (Raw Materials & Logistics), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board meeting held on Thursday. As many as 9 persons were interviewed for the same.

Ministers busy selecting IAS officers of their choice
In the wake of reports of major bureaucratic and political reshuffle, Ministers at the Centre are busy selecting IAS officers of their
choice for posting as Secretaries in their respective departments.

Rajiv to take charge DG, CISF on Feb 1, 2012
Rajiv who has been appointed as new DG of the CISF will charge on February 1, 2012. He is an IPS officer of 1975 batch who belongs to the Uttar Pradesh cadre. Presently, he is Director General (DG) of National Disaster Response Force and Civil Defence (NDRF&CD).
(We said this on January 5)

Anil Sant gets NOC for central deputation
Uttar Pradesh Government has given NOC to 1988 batch IAS officer Anil Sant for central deputation.

Dr P. Prabhakaran to continue as Kerala CS
Dr P. Prabhakaran will continue as Kerala Chief Secretary. He is an IAS officer of 1978 batch who belongs to the Kerala cadre.

Ms. Anu Mathai to be Director, Commerce
Ms. Anu Mathai on central deputation is poised to be Director in the Commerce Ministry. She is an Indian Economic Service (IES) officer of 1995 batch.

S Davidson Devasirvatham gets one year extension
S Davidson Devasirvatham, Zonal Director, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)Chennai has been granted one year' extension for the central deputation. He is an IPS officer of 1995 batch who belongs to the TN cadre.

Will Meena join as Director Vigiulance, Railways
Bhajani Ram Meena, CVO PDIL, Noida is likely to join as Director Vigilance, Ministry of Railways. He is an IPS Officer of 1997 batch who belongs to UP Cadre.

Meena gets extension in BSF
K L Meena, IG (HQ) Rajsthan Frontier, Border Security Force (BSF), Jodhpur, has got Six months extension in his central deputation tenure. He is an IPS officer of 1981 batch who belongs to West Bengal Cadre.

88 DIG level vacancies in GoI
At present there are 88 DIG level vacancies in CPMF in the Government of India. The MHA is reported to have informed the state governments.

Pachauri will report to Pulokji and not the PM
If insiders are to be believed newly appointed Media Advisor to the Prime Minister Pankaj Pachauri will report to the principal secretary to the Prime Minister, Pulok Chatterji and not directly to the PM. Pankaj Pachauri, till recently Managing Editor of NDTV India, has joined Prime Minister's Office as Adviser, Communications. A seasoned journalist having over 20 years' experience in print and broadcast media has worked the renowned publications including The Patriot, The Sunday Observer, India Today and the BBC.

IAS reshuffle on the anvil in Rajasthan
As the grapevine has it, there is going to be reshuffle of IAS officers in Rajasthan.

R D Jakati, Director IGNFA retiring in February
R D Jakati, Director, Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), is retiring in February 2012. He is an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of 1975 batch who belongs to Haryana cadre.

2 posts ADG falling vacant in MoEF
Two ADGs in the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) namely: Jagdish Kishwan & P K Bansal are retiring in third quarter of 2012.

Sippy is new Chairman of NFDC
Film Producer Ramesh Sippy has been appointed new Chairman of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).

B P Rao is Meber, Solar Energy Industry Advisory Council
CMD of the BHEL B P Rao has been made Member of the Solar Energy Industry Advisory Council, set up by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Balbir Singh to return this year
Balbir Singh is returning from his Dhaka posting this year. He is 1996 batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre.

Who is tapping phones of MoD?
The rumors are going on in South and North Blocks and in Ministry of Defence that phones of the Union Defence Minister and his OSD are being tapped.

Dr. N.S. Bisht to be Director Project and International Cooperation, ICFRE
Dr. N.S. Bisht on central deputation will be Director Project and International Cooperation in ICFRE, Dehradun. He is an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of 1985 batch who belongs to the AGMUT cadre.

Transfers & posting of 14 CISF officers
As many as 14 officers of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) have been transferred and posted at various PSU houses. Accordingly, Saugata Roy, Senior Commandant, ONGC, Ankleshwar, has been shifted to FBP, Farakka while Sanjay Kumar, Senior Commandant, JNPT, Shew, is posted to ONGC, Mumbai and Mamun Rashid, Commandant, BHEL, Hyderabad, is transferred to BHEL, Bhopal. Similarly, Amit Sharan, Commandant, BHEL, Bhopal is posted to JNPT, Sheva; S S Mishra, Commandant, MPT, Goa is shifted to PPT, Paradip; S K Mohanka, Commandant, NALCO, Angul, is moved to RCFL, Mumbai; C L Bhatia, Commandant, BCCL, Dhanbad to GBS, New Delhi; Daya Shankar, Commandant, PPT, Paradip, to NALCO, Angul; Kumar Pratap Singh, Commandant/LR, RCFL, Mumbai to FHQRS, New Delhi; P J Varkey, Deputy Commandant, BIOM, Bolani to MPT, Goa; A N Moon, Deputy Commandant, IOC, Panipat to HPCL, Mumbai; Satyabir, Deputy Commandant/LR, ASG, Porbandar to ASG, Rajkot; Biren Kumar Sethy, Assistant Commandant, ONGC, Ahmedabad to ASG, Ahmedabad and S K Sarkar, Assistant Commandant/LR, ASG, Ahmedabad has been shifted to ONGC, Ahmedabad.

Sujit Banerjee is Director SAIL
Former Secretary Tourism Sujit Banerjee has been appointed Director on the Board of the Steel Authority of India (SAIL).

Book of Anil Jain to be Launched by Ahluwalia
The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies and the Indian Council of World Affairs are organising the launch of the book 'Natural Gas in India: Liberalisation and Policy' written by 1986 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer Anil K. Jain. The book is to be launched by Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 17.30hrs at The Lecture Hall, Indian Council of World Affairs, Sapru House, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi.

V C Sudeesh, SS/IRTS/ ER, shifted to SR
V C Sudeesh, SS/IRTS/ Eastern Railway, has been transferred to Southern Railway (SR).

Manu Prakash Dubey, JS/IRTS/NR, transferred to NCR
Manu Prakash Dubey, JS/IRTS/Northern Railway (NR), has been transferred to North Central Railway (NCR) and posted in the cadre.

R Amalraj, JAG/IRSE, ICF shifted to SR
R Amalraj, JAG/IRSE, ICF, has been shifted to Southern Railway (SR) and posted in the cadre.

Dr. Ashok Chakraborty, DMO (EYE), CLW shifted to ER
Dr. Ashok Chakraborty, DMO (EYE), CLW, has been transferred to Eastern Railway (ER).

Seven Jt. GMs promoted as GMs, five shifted in AAI
As many as seven Joint General Managers (ATM) have been promoted as General Managers (ATM) in Airports Authority of India with five of them being shifted.

16 posts of Judges vacant in AP HC
As many as 16 posts of judges have been lying vacant in Andhra Pradesh High Court against 49 approved strength including 6 posts of Permanent Judges against 33 approved strength and 6 of Additional Judges against 16 approved strength.

7 IAS officers shifted in Haryana
As many as seven IAS officers of Haryana cadre have been shifted. Accordingly, Ram Niwas (HY: 85) has been posted as Principal Secretary, Urban Local Bodies while P Raghavendra Rao (HY: 85) will be Principal Secretary, Development & Panchayats Department and Secretary, BAC and Commissioner, Gurdwara elections and C R Rana (HY: 95) is assigned additional charge as Managing Director, Dairy Development Cooperative Federation Limited. Similarly, Satyaprakash (HY:2002), has been assigned additional charge as Chief Executive, Khadi & Village Industries Board; Vikas Yadav (HY: 2003) posted as Deputy Secretary, Revenue & Disaster Management Department and Managing Director, Haryana Seeds Development Corporation, Deputy Secretary, Health Department; J Ganesan (HY:2006) is Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa and Pushpender Singh, ADC-cum-CEO, DRDA, Mewat at Nuh.

Daheriya inducted into IAS in MP
Narayan Pd Daheriya has been inducted into the IAS in Madhya Pradesh.

PAKISTAN WHISPERS
No By-polls Till Voter's Lists Are Revised: SC
In yet another radical ruling Pakistan's Supreme Court has directed that there shall be no by polls until and unless the voters' lists are revised and duly authenticated. The court's ruling is based on an admission made earlier by the election commission that the existing lists may contain names of up to 30 million bogus voters.

Ogra and Nepra Chiefs resign amid severe power crisis
In a sudden and simultaneous move two important functionaries in Pakistan's power sector have submitted their resignations to the government. Sabir Hussain Chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) resigned due to massive investigations launched by the NAB into some allegedly irregular CNG licenses granted by his predecessor. At the same time Khwaja Maqbool Ahmed Vice Chairman of National electricity and power regulatory authority (Nepra) put in his papers due to differences with the federal government on some key issues including a uniform tariff for all the cities and the question of input subsidies. That the resignations have stunned the federal government is clear from the fact that soon after the resignations cabinet ministers for power, finance and petroleum together called on the President to discuss the issue.

Discriminatory Leave policy for Rawalpindi teachers withdrawn
A notification dated December 17, 2011 by the Punjab provincial government that required school teachers of Rawalpindi to get prior approval of their leave from the District Coordination officer was withdrawn just before soon after the elementary teachers association challenged it in the Lahore high court. While disposing of the petition in view of the withdrawal order of the provincial government Justice Rauf Ahmed Sheikh directed that the government should not enact any discriminatory policy for teachers of Rawalpindi as in all other parts of the province leave to school teachers is sanctioned by their head masters or principals and not DCO.

Mismanagement, not funds crunch is what ails PR
An audit review of Pakistan railways property and land department has revealed that over one lakh kanals of prime land worth billions of rupees belonging to it just lying waste. The land has not been used for any operational or residential purpose for years together and comes in the category opf 'available surplus land' as per PR code for engineering department. If this land is exploited commercially it can generate revenue far in excess of what the department needs for its smooth running.

36 IRS officers of 1985 batch empanelled as Joint Secretary (UPDATED)
As many as 36 Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers of 1985 batch have been empanelled as Joint Secretary/equivalent. The officers include Prakash Chandra, P S Punia, Girja Dayal, Ashim Kumar, Himalini Kashyap, I Sasi Kala, Om Prakash Mehra, V Mahalingam, M Tirumala Kumar, Kantipudi Krishana Rao, Rananjay Singh, Harish Kumar, Pramod Nangia, J B Mahapatra, Anjali Tiwari, G V Gopal Rao, Anu J Singh, Shefall Shah, D V Redy, D P semwal, Geetamala Mohantyaney, Manas Shankar Ray, Nilimesh Baruah, Nitya nand Mishra,l Raghubir Sharan Upadhayay, Amit Jain, Anuja Sarangi, Hemant Kumar Sarangi, Sunil Kumar Ojha, S R Sikdar, Manik lal Karmakar, H L Dihana, Vijay Kumar, K Timothy Zimik and Pritam Singh.

SC Collegium to clear names of five Judges ? (UPDATED)
Grapevine has it that Supreme Court Collegium is going to clear five names for SC Judge in a week or two. According to informed sources
Names of Justice M B Lokur Chief Justice of AP High Court, Justice J N Patel Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court,Justice V Gopala Gowda
chief Justice of Orissa High Court.Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya Acting Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court and Justice Kurian Joseph Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court are expected to be cleared.

Three IRS officers selected as Accountant Member in ITAT (UPDATED)
Three Indian Revenue Service (IRS, IT) officers have been selected as Accountant Member in the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) under the Ministry of Law and Justice. The officers include: Jason P Boaz, CIT-V, Bangalore; T R Meena, CIT (A), Alwar and Shankar Lal Meena, CIT-III, Rajkot.

IRS officer, Abidi promoted as CIT (A)-5, Kochi (UPDATED)
Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, S M J Abidi has been posted as CIT (A)-5, Kochi after promotion to the grade of Commissioner of Income Tax.

Vinod Kumar is HC to Republic of Kiribati (UPDATED)
Vinod Kumar, presently High Commissioner of India to Fiji has been concurrently accredited as the High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Kiribati, with residence in Suva.

DGICCE panel for Inspectors (UPDATED)
Directorate General of Inspection Customs & Central Excise (DGICCE), New Delhi, is preparing a panel of officers for the appointment of Inspectors on deputation in the DGICCE.

DGICCE panel for Superintendent (Gr. B) (UPDATED)
Directorate General of Inspection Customs & Central Excise (DGICCE), New Delhi, is preparing a panel of officers for the appointment of Superintendent (Gr. B) in the DGICCE.

Mid-Career Training Programme for IAS officers from April 30 at Mussoorie (UPDATED)
Mid-Career Training Programme (MCTP) for IAS officers is being organised between April 30 and June 22, 2012 at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNNA), Mussoorie.

5 IRS officers posted OSD, CCIT (CCA), Delhi, Mumbai after promotion (UPDATED)
Five Indian Revenue Service (IRS-IT) officers have been posted as OSD in CCIT (CCA) region after promotion to the grade of Commissioner of Income Tax (CIT). Accordingly, Debjyoti Das, Surabhi Varma, Sulekha Verma and Sunil Bajpai have been posted at CCIT (CCA), Delhi while Aparna M Aarwal is being appointed at CCIT (CCA), Mumbai.

MP cadre IPS officer, K P Khare promoted as IG & posted in PHQ (UPDATED)
K P Khare, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Rewa range, has been promoted as Inspector General (IG) and posted to PHQ, Bhopal. He is a 1992 batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre.

IPS officers of MP cadre, Mrs Jain, Atulkar get senior timescale (UPDATED)
Two IPS officer of 2007 batch and Madhya Pradesh cadre have been granted senior time scale. The officers include: Mrs Ruchika Jain, Commandant, 17th battalion, SAF, Bhind and Sachin Atulkar, SP, Balaghat.

R S Khurana selected as Director (Projects), MRVCL (UPDATED)
R S Khurana, GGM, DFCIL, has been selected for the post of Director (Projects), Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVCL) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) meeting held on Friday. As many as eight persons were interviewed for the same.

IRS officer, Sundaresan made Expenditure Observer for UP poll (UPDATED)
Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, S Sundaresan, Chennai, has been deputed as Expenditure Observer by the Election Commission for Uttar Pradesh elections.

IRS officer, Nimesh Yadav made Expenditure Observer for Manipur poll (UPDATED)
Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Nimesh Yadav, Delhi, has been deputed as Expenditure Observer by the Election Commission for Manipur elections.

DEBATE

Is it appropriate or inappropriate for an elected representative to address a bureaucrat as "Sir"?

Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has asked Cabinet Ministers to maintain dignity of the office. Patnaik conveyed his mind when a Minister addressed "Sir" to an IAS officer in his presence. "You are Cabinet Minister and should maintain your dignity" the Chief Minister said. How far it is appropriate or inappropriate for an elected representative to address a bureaucrat as "Sir".

Mail your to the point views to suresh.mehrotra@yahoo.com or mehrotra.suresh@gmail.com

CORPORATE

Will Hotel Taj Mansingh's lease be renewed?
Will Five Star Hotel Taj Mansingh's lease in New Delhi be renewed? Guessing game is on in the national capital.

Nesar Ahmad elected as President, Ananthasubramanian as VP of ICSI
Nesar Ahmad has been elected as President while S N Ananthasubramanian as Vice President of Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).

Kanoria is new President of FICCI
R.V. Kanoria CMD of Kanoria Chemicals and Industries has taken over as president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He succeeds Marico chairman Harsh Mariwala.

Reddy appointed Addl. Director, Aurobindo Pharma Ltd
Dr C. Channa Reddy has been appointed as an Additional Director of Aurobindo Pharma Ltd on January 18, 2012.

Three directors cease to be on Board of Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd
Dr. A. C. Muthiah, Ashwin C. Muthiah and R. Soundararajan have resigned from the Board of Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd w.e.f. January 18, 2012.

Two Addl. Directors inducted on Board of Tuticorin Alkali and Fertilizers Ltd
Dr R M Krishnan and B. Narendran have been appointed as Additional Directors of Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd.

Agarwal appointed CEO (Operations & Strategy), DLF Brands Ltd
DLF Brands Ltd has appointed Dipak Agarwal as the Chief Executive Officer (Operations and Strategy).

Mistry appointed Addl. Director, HDFC Bank Ltd
Keki Mistry has been appointed as an Additional Director of HDFC Bank Ltd.

Prakash appointed MD, Tamil Nadu Newsprint & Papers Ltd
G Prakash, IAS, has been appointed as Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Newsprint & Papers Ltd in the place of T K Ramachandran, IAS, w.e.f. January 9, 2012.

Jain resigns as Non Exec. Independent Director, Orbit Exports Ltd
Manoj Kumar Jain, Non-Executive Independent Director, Orbit Exports Ltd has resigned from the Board of Directors of the company w.e.f. January 17, 2012 due to his pre-occupation with other work.

Sandilya appointed Addl. Director, Mastek Ltd
Mastek Ltd has appointed S. Sandilya as an Additional Director of the company.

Seth appointed Whole Time Director, House of Pearl Fashions Ltd
Ms. Shefali Seth has been appointed as Whole Time Director of House of Pearl Fashions Ltd on January 19, 2012.

Zafar appointed Company Secy. Media Matrix Worldwide Ltd
Media Matrix Worldwide Ltd has appointed Mohd. Zafar as the Company Secretary of the company w.e.f. January 17, 2012

DEBATE

Why should any body be called as 'Sir'?

I agree with the CM to certain extent. Why should any body be called as a 'Sir' ? All our bureaucrat, government officials expect the public to address them as sir. Is it necessary/justified. I don't think there is any rule where we are bound to address even our superiors as Sir. I understand even in army circular has been issued to address by designation and no 'Sir' but the feudal mentality pervasive in us doesn't encourage such change. the CM is perfectly justified in his advice but at the same time the public and government servants also need not address ministers, MLAs and CM as Sir.

M A S Reddy

Law or just legal fiction?

Is the recommendation of the Chief Justice of a High Court binding on the Chief Minister of a state? Is the law clear on the subject? Is it a mere practice adopted by the judiciary when the government happened to be weak or perceived to be corrupt? As far as the Constitution of India is concerned, no such provision can be located easily. Perhaps, it owes its genesis to the appointment of the judges of the High Courts/Supreme Court, wherein the SC asserted that the opinion of the CJI was binding. Though the Executive didn't contest it for obvious reasons known to the chroniclers of judicial developments in post independence India, the legal authority for such a view has not yet been revealed. Judges are not infallible. Their appointment depends on
many things, political connections being the major one. They can not afford to default on repayment of their old debts. Perhaps it is time for reducing every minor detail into writing in the interests of justice. Reforming the process of appointment of HC/SC judges and their equivalents must be the top priority of the government before the democratic values of the country come under further stress.

M L Gupta

Copy of the legal opinion obtained from the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

There was some discussion held between the then Solicitor General of India (SGI), the then Union Minister for External Affairs and the then Union Telecom Minister regarding the aspect of various cases filed by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) before the TDSAT and the Delhi High Court and during the said discussion, various issues related to the Telecom Sector were also discussed. Through the RTI application, the appellant had sought the copy of the written note / advice tendered by the then SGI. The CPIO informed the appellant that the Department of Legal Affairs is the custodian of the opinion tendered by the SGI and that such opinion is a confidential and privileged document and that the matter is also covered under Section 8 (1) (d) of the RTI Act. The FAA upheld the CPIO's Order holding that the information was exempt from disclosure under Section 8 (1) (e) rather than Section 8 (1) (d) of the RTI Act. The Commission held that the stand taken by the Respondent Ministry is not only incorrect but is also untenable. The Commission held that the advice tendered by the Law Ministry to the Department of Telecom does not per se fall under Section 8 (1) (e) of the RTI Act and directed to provide a copy of the said note / opinion given by the then SGI to the Department of Telecom free of cost within 10 days of receipt of this Order.

Comments

While the transparency in the working is welcome, the disclosure of the legal opinion may sometimes weaken the case of the government.

Sh. Subhash Chandra Agrawal v. Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Legal Affairs in Appeal No.CIC/SS/A/2011/001476

- Weekly article by Dr. (Mrs.) Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in), RTI Consultant to IIM, Indore and Co-author of the book: RIGHT TO INFORMATION - LAW AND PRACTICE by Taxmann. (The views are Personal)