Coordinating mechanism involving SEBI, SFIO and CID suggested
Chief Minister explains about progress of probe in a letter to Prime Minister
Rival parties exploiting the issue, Rajasekhara Reddy tells Manmohan Singh
HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy has requested the Ministries of Finance and Company Affairs to suggest a coordinating mechanism involving the Central investigation agencies like Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) and the State’s Crime Investigation Department inquiring into the Satyam Computers’ fraud.
Dr. Reddy said he was making this request in light of reports in the media, supposedly made by the Central agencies, that the required cooperation with them was wanting.
Apart from the coordinating mechanism, his government would welcome taking over of the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation, if deemed appropriate, he said.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, Dr. Reddy said the scrutiny of Satyam by investigating agencies following the confession of its erstwhile chairman B. Ramalinga Raju had engaged the attention of the information technology sector in India and abroad and made an impact on the IT industry’s image.
General elections
The issue had become all the more sensational coming as it did just ahead of the general elections.
The political parties were exploiting the issue and attacking the State government for diluting the gravity of the case.
Dr. Reddy tried to impress upon the Prime Minister that the CID (the highest agency within the purview of the State government) “waited till a complaint was received on January 9” in the absence of “any proper complaint” to set criminal law in motion. It was in regular touch with the SEBI, Enforcement Directorate and the Registrar of Companies and held several rounds of discussions jointly.
The Director, Investigation of Income Tax department, was informed about the searches from time to time and the IT department was already associated in the investigation.
The probe so far revealed embellishment of bank accounts by the company for more than seven years to impress the clients within the country and overseas.
The inflation of current account balance was testified by bank officials concerned and the company also raised money from NBFCs by pledging shares.
Construction projects
The Chief Minister also referred to the ‘media allegations’ about Maytas. He said Maytas was a group of infrastructure companies which independently participated in different tenders as part of a consortium with other companies and secured contracts for certain construction projects.
The scope of the present investigation included a probe into any connecting link. He said though it was a complicated investigation, he was confident that its results would meet the requirement of justice and the guilty brought to book.
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IN the big, bad world of Indian cricket, where every victory is celebrated with vigour and every failure derided with fervour, hanging on as captain for almost a decade takes the survival instincts of a badger.
The elder statesman of Team India in the ’90s, a time when Sachin Tendulkar had quickly outranked all his peers in terms of stature, Mohammad Azharuddin’s immense talent was matched by the shrewdness that all successful leaders require.
Somehow, Azhar would always manage to ride the crests and troughs of a stormy career with grace, lighting up packed stadiums and countless living rooms with his wristy elegance in the face of adversity and strong criticism.
But at the end of his 16-year journey in international cricket, he was reduced to a lost, forlorn caricature of our times. A physical manifestation of a perennial rags-to-riches story, wherein the greed for more eventually catches up, Azhar was banned from the game in disgrace as a shocking cliché of nouveau-riche India.
On the field, he had started as a teenage prodigy in 1984, humble, simple and gifted. Three centuries in his first three Tests, the fastest one-day hundred by an Indian, an impregnable fielder at point, the safest pair of hands at slip, Azhar had the Midas touch, and maintained most of these attributes until late into his long innings in the dressing room.
Now, as he meets leaders from the Congress, expressing his desire to join the party, with talks of an election ticket hovering in the background, Azhar will be hoping that India remembers him for what he was on the cricket field rather than the fiendish projections of his lavish life after he had been named, and then handed a life of banishment, by the match-fixing probe.
Back then, in 2000, all talk of his trademark flick was replaced by discussions about his Armani suits; the perfect paddle shot became secondary to his Rolls Royce collection; and his majestic raised-collar prowling on the field gave way to jibes about his glamorous second wife Sangeeta Bijlani.
For a couple of years after he was banned — his career stopped at 99 Tests with a century in his last match against South Africa — Azhar fought in court to have the decision overturned. Frequent calls would be made by the media to his lawyers in Hyderabad, but the news was always of a fresh date. While Ajay Jadeja managed to secure a favourable verdict in Delhi against his five-year ban — and even played domestic cricket again — Azhar, who consistently denied any wrongdoing, got nothing to celebrate.
A recluse for almost five years, spending time at home in Banjara Hills and in his state-of-the-art gymnasium, memories of him slowly started to fade. But over the last two years, he’s started to make a reentry into public life, appearing at the odd party with Bijlani, doing a commentary stint in Sri Lanka, and even featuring in official speeches by the BCCI, which had totally cut him out until then.
Though there will always be a rider attached to his name, in the long run Azhar’s record (6,215 Test runs with 22 centuries, 9,374 ODI runs, 221 international matches as captain), and the joy it was to watch him bat, will end up counting for something.
But is it time already to let bygones be bygones? If he does manage to get on a ballot pa per this year, India may get a chance to answer that question.
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THE Telengana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) may join hands with Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party if the efforts to form a grand electoral alliance with the Telugu Desam Party-Left fail. The TDP, TRS, CPI, CPI(M) have proposed to form a ‘grand alliance’ for the coming Lok Sabha and Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. The seat-sharing that the TRS has suggested in case an alliance is forged is apparently unacceptable to the TDP-Left parties.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is reportedly upset over the demands of the TRS and is unwilling to go ahead with the alliance. TRS Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao is demanding 45 Assembly seats and six MP seats for his party.
Rao has approached Chiranjeevi, whose Praja Rajyam has already indicated that it is open to an alliance with the TRS. However, the TDP and Left parties are of the opinion that Rao is only cosying up to Chiranjeevi to force them into agreeing to his demands.
Talksforatie-upbetweentheTRS,TDP , CPI and CPI(M) started last Wednesday. However, the parties were deadlocked over the number of Lok Sabha seats to be contested by the each party, with the TRS demanding more than what the TDP was ready to share. A letter apparently written byMaoistleaderSudarshantoTRSMLA THarishRao,whoisRao’snephew,asking them not to join the TDP-led alliance also cast a shadow on the talks. Though both RaoandHarishhavedeniedreceivingany suchletter,itjeopardisedthetalks.
“Thetalksarestillon.Wearewaitingfor awordfromtheTDP ,” said Rao.
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New Delhi: Concerned over reports of water at Patancheru in Medak near Hyderabad containing drug residues that are as high as 150 times the levels detected in US, PMO has asked for testing of samples and a report within a week. Taking note of a study by the University of Gothenburg in collaboration with other varsities, frontpaged by TOI on Tuesday, PMO has written to the environment ministry seeking a report soon. NEERI to conduct test on toxic Patancheru water The PMO has asked for testing of samples form at Patancheru in Medak and a report on the composition of the pharmaceutical cocktail within a week. The factories, about 28km from Hyderabad, are apparently releasing a mix of powerful antibiotics into a stream used for drinking water, fishing and as a water source for cattle. “It is possible to quickly test water samples and check for pharmaceutical ingredients. This can be done by an organisation like National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI),” said sources. The release of the drug soup containing as many as 21 ingredients is subject to ongoing litigation and has been raised by environmental activists, but recent research establishing that water at Patancheru is possibly the most polluted in the world has made the government sit up and take note. Even after being treated by drug factories, it is well above the accepted norm for residues. As several of these drug firms are supplying overseas markets, the fear of litigation by environmental and health activists and cancellation of orders is also a real worry for the government. Now that the report has gained publicity, both government and drug companies are likely to be questioned. The government is troubled by the tag of India being host to one of the world’s most contaminated spots and the initial reactions of officials indicated that they did not feel the study was inaccurate.
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New Delhi: The abortive bid of the Andhra Pradesh government to release on parole around 1,500 prisoners, including those serving life sentences for murder and other heinous offences, got partially revived on Tuesday with the Supreme Court allowing scrutiny of their early release plea. While giving this concession of lifting an outright stay on the Y S R Reddy government’s 2007 decision to release them on Independence Day, a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam, however, put a caveat — no prisoner could be released without following rules and regulations. Under the guidelines, each prisoner’s case has to be examined by a Board and if it was satisfied that it merited early release on parole, then it would make a recommendation to the government, which then would put it before the governor who alone had the constitutional power to remit sentence of a convict and allow his release.
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