Outside in-camera
Hearing a case “in-camera” can have its share of controversies. last week when the Supreme Court heard the case relating to Nira Radia tapes “in-camera” with lawyers and litigants locked out for a good two hours, some seemed to suggest that a full screening of the tapes was being arranged for the judges. Though it was far from truth as ‘in-camera’ means a proceeding held in private, even lawyers did not bother to stop this rumour from getting spread. The sensitive nature of the case only made many lawyers believe some kind of “videography” was actually on.
Babbar Butterscotch
Having made the ‘infamous’ remark that a full meal is available in Mumbai for Rs 12, Congress MP Raj Babbar recently found his name has made into the menu of an ice cream parlour. ‘Babbar Butterscotch’ is being sold for Rs 10 at Connaught Place in Delhi, he informed journos.
Inadvertent errorIJ
last week, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta’s personal assistant was inundated with calls from the veteran’s party colleagues. The reason was the breaking news being flashed on a Hindi TV channel about the death of Dasgupta. His colleagues advised him to take action against the channel but the CPI leader chose not to after the journalists concerned apologised to him. However, Dasgupta did not forget to check the ownership pattern of the TV channel’s group only to find out that a tycoon who is now facing heat from Dasgupta holds a major share in it.
New ASG, old story
Senior advocate l Nageshwar Rao, who is leading the Centre in the Nira Radia tapes case in Supreme Court, has been appointed as ASG the second-time over. Incidentally, when he was made ASG by the NDA Government in 2003, the notification of his appointment was issued on August 7, 2003. His tenure lasted for less than a year due to General Elections the next year. It is August again this year when his appointment as ASG has come through. With polls slated for next year, history will repeat itself.
Omnipresent Javadekar
At the daily BJP briefing in Parliament, Shahnawaz Hussain recently reached to address the press conference only to find Prakash Javadekar having reached before him and started interactions with the reporters. A shocked Hussain waited outside the hall for some time and then quietly took the chair next to Javadekar. His turn came after Javadekar finished. That evening, at a dinner hosted by Rajnath Singh, when Hussain came to give a byte to reporters standing outside, he found Javadekar there doing the same. It must have been a double shock for Hussain.
‘Bahu’ Jagdambika
Congress leader Jagdambika Pal, who has recently made it to the panel of presiding officers of the lok Sabha is elated and was recently heard bragging over how the House has started working smoothly since then. He even tried to claim the credit for the lower House passing two major legislations like Food Security Bill and land Acquisition Bill by comparing his induction to a “nayi bahu ke shubh grih pravesh se lakshmi ghar main aati hai (a new daughter-in-law brings prosperity to the entire household).”
Tiger over lion
The tiger is always walking away with lion’s share of conservation priorities leaving the lions high and dry. Recently, even the proposed amendments to Wildlife Protection Act tabled in Parliament brought out glaring disparities between the two kings of the jungle by making tiger poaching a greater offence and attracting more penalties than that of lion’s.
Such inequalities between the two big cats, however, do not exist in illegal wildlife trade. With policing around tiger habitats getting stricter, it will make the poachers turn towards lions, whose bones are also in great demand in the wildlife market and sometimes even passed off as tiger bones.
Chiru’s neta act
Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi, a successful Telugu film star before jumping into the hurly burly of politics, tactfully deflected uneasy questions about his ministry in the Rajya Sabha last week from none other than
another actor-turned MP Jaya Bachchan. Raising doubts over the government’s plans to promote film tourism given the shoddy administrative back up to hold such events, she asked the minister to spell out steps to improve capabilities. Chiranjeevi said he was always keen to work with ‘Jayaji’ in films but it never materialised and it was now that he got a chance to at least reply to her question. As the entire house broke out into laughter, the minister then gave a typical bureaucratic answer that the government was making all efforts to hold top class events.
Fingers crossed
With just a few days left for the Parliament session to end, delay in the passage of the Bill seeking further amendments to the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 is giving sleepless nights to the Union Health Ministry officials. Skeptical of its fate, they allege the lobby of a scam-tainted but a powerful ex-boss of the Medical Council of India (MCI) is working full-time to prevent the smooth sailing of the Bill that seeks to overhaul the functioning of the top medical education regulator including restricting the tenure of the Council’s president.
WCD disorder
Unhappy with the alleged inference of the Secretary at the WCD Ministry, Grapevine has it that at least two more babus are contemplating to move out. An additional secretary had sought transfer after alleging harassment by her boss. Now, two senior officers have written to WCD Minister Krishna Tirath seeking portfolio changes.