The Supreme Court issued notice to the Maharashtra government seeking its explanation why it was not relieving the state cadre IPS officer K. Venkatesh to join as another member of the special investigating team along with Y.C. Modi.
Former CBI director R.K. Raghvan Raghavan who headed special investigating team told the court that he personally had selected the two officers after taking into consideration their “impeachable integrity” but the Maharashtra government has refused to relieve Mr Venkatesh without assigning any reason.
Mr Venkatesh and Y.C. Modi have been included in the special investigating team replacing Gujarat cadre officers Geeta Johri and Shivanand Jha, who were removed on the apex court’s May 14 order.
Though Mr Raghavan heads the special investigating team, the probe team is practically functioning under A.K. Malhotra, a former joint-director of the CBI.

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RJD seeks EC action against Sharad Yadav
ANAND S.T. DAS
Patna

The RJD, upset with allegedly inflammatory comments by JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav about the RJD-LJP alliance, on Thursday asked the Election Commission to initiate action against Yadav for instigating JD(U) workers to indulge in political violence.
An angry RJD said the JD(U) was speaking “in the language of the RSS” and advised Mr Yadav to return to his native Madhya Pradesh to practice politics. JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav had allegedly asked his party workers at their Rajgir conclave on Wednesday to strike a match stick and set the lantern and the bungalow (electoral symbols of the RJD and LJP) on fire.
“Sharad Yadav’s statements were open encouragement to JD(U) workers to engage in political violence during the Assembly polls. This is a cognisable offence and we are asking the Election Commission of India to initiate criminal action against the JD(U) chief. The JD(U)’s rising frustration simply shows,” said senior RJD leader and deputy leader of the Opposition in Bihar assembly, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, to reporters.

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Cong moves NHRC over police action
AGE CORRESPONDENT
Raipur

The Congress here on Thursday moved the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) demanding action against the policemen who brutally assaulted women demonstrators here on Wednesday.
A three-member fact finding team of the party led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Dhanendra Sahoo met the victims of police action and expressed shock over the inhuman treatment of the women and children by the troopers.
“The police even did not spare old women and children,” Mr Sahoo told the reporters after interacting with the victims.

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Jagan yatra has Cong flummoxed
AGE CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi

Jaganmohan Reddy, the controversial MP from Kadapa, continues to baffle the Congress high command. Now that Jagan is all set to begin the second-leg of his yatra from the September 3, the issue has again seized the the Congress leaders. After protracted discussions for the last two days, the party has now come out with an approach that neither endorses nor rejects the Odarpu yatra of Jagan.
Minister of state Purandeshwari, who was also a part of the discussion, said the political secretary of Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, is of the view that any action by the legislators should ultimately strengthen the party.