New Delhi, May 16: The Election Commission on Friday  expressed its “severe displeasure” over the conduct of the Andhra Pradesh government and some of its ministers for making several announcements in violation of the model code of conduct ahead of the bypolls in the state. It also demanded a written apology from the chief secretary, Mr Ramakanth Reddy.

The commission expressed strong “displeasure” at the “unwarranted and derogatory remarks” made by the agriculture minister, Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, on May 8. In a statement, it said, “The commission has come to the conclusion that the derogatory comments on the commission without verifying the facts amount to a deliberate attempt to gain popularity by showing the Election Commission of India in poor light.” It added, “In view of the above, the commission conveys its strongest displeasure about the unwarranted and derogatory comments made by you in the press meet on May 8 and hopes that you exercise caution in future.”

The commission censured him, saying, “Being a responsible minister, it is expected of you that you verify the facts before making statements, and particularly before making remarks about constitutional institutions such as Election Commission of India.” Further, the Andhra Pradesh chief secretary, who was summoned by the poll panel, was asked to tender a written apology for various violations of the model code of conduct by a few ministers who announced sops in the runup to the byelections scheduled for May 29. The chief secretary had already tendered an oral apology for the same.

The commission said it was not convinced by the justification and explanations as the underlying object of making these announcements was apparent: that the state government wanted to “woo and influence” voters in favour of the ruling party in connection with the ongoing bypolls in the state. “Though the government orders giving effect to the aforesaid announcements made by the ministers have not been issued, nevertheless, the political mileage which the party in power sought to derive has already been achieved as these announcements are in the nature of promises to the electorate of the benefits which the state government intends to confer on them,” it said.

The commission cited announcements like increasing the income limit for “white ration cards”, new power connections, waiving penalties in power pilferage cases and enhancement of subsidy for vegetable seeds. “Thus, no one can be in any manner of doubt that the model code of conduct has been violated not only in spirit but also in letter by the aforesaid announcements of the ministers of the state government,” the Election Commission order said.

The state government was fully aware that the model code of conduct was in force from April 16 at least in 10 districts of the state where bypolls were in progress, it said. “When the state government was choosing to ask for clearance even in some routine matters, it is surprising that the aforesaid major policy pronouncements, having wide implications for the ongoing polls, have been announced without making any reference or seeking the concurrence of the EC,” it said.

“In view of (the above), the poll panel was constrained to express its severe displeasure over the conduct of the state government and some of its ministers for such blatant violations of the model code of conduct,” the commission said. The chief secretary to the state government, who was summoned before the commission, was directed to withdraw the order. “The commission conveyed to the chief secretary its serious exception to issuing the order and the contents, which amount to interference in the functioning of the EC and conduct of free and fair elections,” it said.

Hyderabad, May 16: For the second successive year, a candidate from the state has topped the civil services examination. Dr Adapa Karthik, 27, an MBBS graduate and an IPS probationer from Khammam, is now undergoing training at Sardar Vallabhai National Police Academy. Karthik had got the 148th rank in the 2006 civil services exam but came on top this time. He was in his hometown of Khammam when the results were announced. Last year, it was Revu Muthyala Raju, an IPS probationer of SVNPA, who secured the first rank.

“I was an average student at school and college and it is only through hard work that I have achieved this,” said Karthik. He also attributed his success to the support of Mr Srihari, his brother in-law. “He stood by me during all troubles,” said Karthik. “Though many people encouraged me to join IPS when I got 66th rank in UPSC in 2004, Srihari encouraged me to persist till I achieved my goal.”

When asked why he preferred IAS to IPS, he said that an IAS officer could serve people more. “I want to work in the backward regions of Bihar, Jharkhand and the northeastern states,” he said. “This is an academic achievement. I would be really happy if I get congratulated after 30 years of service.” Karthik studied in VVC Public School in Khammam and did his MBBS from the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Wardha, Maharastra.

After that, he worked as lecturer in Evolution Education Institute in New Delhi and underwent IAS coaching in Vaajiram and Ravi Institute in Delhi. His father, Mr A. Narasimha Rao, is a manager of the AP Grameena Vikasa Bank. “I am immensely happy,” he said. “It is an extraordinary achievement.” “What more could I want?” asked his jubilant mother, Mrs Sulochana Rani, a housewife. Karthik is a fan of Hollywood actor Robert De Niro and Telugu actor Venkatesh, and also adores Lal Bahadur Sastry, Jayaprakash Narayan and former president Abdul Kalam. What kind of food does the topper prefer? “I like whatever my mother cooks,” he said.

New Delhi, May 16: Giving a breather to the government, which is keen to implement the 4 per cent reservation for backward Muslims in the state, the Supreme Court on Friday allowed the state to commence the counselling process for the students who come under the ambit of the quota.  However, a bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said none of the candidates should be given admission till further orders are passed by it. The matter has been posted for hearing after the summer vacation.

The government had said it wanted reservation for several Muslim groups including dhobis, fakeers, qureshis and turka kash because they were occupation-based. It had challenged the stay imposed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court on providing the reservation to backward Muslims. In its petition, the government submitted that the reservation sought to be provided to backward Muslims was constitutionally valid and hence it be allowed to implement the quota policy formulated under the AP Reservation in Favour of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of Muslims Act, 2007.

The state government’s special leave petition has said the Act was brought after taking into consideration the report of the Andhra Pradesh Commission of Backward Classes on the basis of which the backward Muslims were identified for the purpose of reservation. However, a seven-judge bench of the high court had on April 29 restrained the state government from implementing the quota until the writ petitions before it was disposed of. The state government submitted that the 4 per cent reservation sought to be extended to backward Muslims would not in any manner exceed the 50 per cent reservation quota cap fixed by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney case.

New Delhi, May 16: Roadblocks for the admission of OBC candidates in postgraduate courses, including in IIMs and IITs, were cleared on Friday by the Supreme Court, which lifted the Calcutta High Court order staying implementation of the 27 per cent quota for them in Central educational institutions. The Supreme Court described the High Court’s ex-parte interim order as “strange” and said that “no court can sit over its judgment”.

“We cannot allow the Calcutta High Court order to operate,” a bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said, asking, “Where is the question of a stay when the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, has been upheld?”

“Can Calcutta high court sit over the order of the Supreme Court?” the bench, which also comprised Justices H.K. Sema and P.P. Naolekar, asked, after solicitor-general G.E. Vahanvati questioned the legality of the high court order which was delivered without taking into account that the quota law was upheld by the Supreme Court on April 10.

However, it said admissions will be provisional subject to the final outcome in the matter before it as those opposing the government memorandum for implementation of the quota in post-graduate courses have contended that the majority verdict of the five-judge bench has set a benchmark that a graduate cannot be considered educationally backward.

The court stayed all proceedings relating to OBC quota that are pending in the high courts of Delhi, Calcutta and Bombay and issued notices to those petitioners, including Delhi-based Youth for Equality, on the Centre’s petition seeking transfer of those matters to the Supreme Court. The bench said the concept of “creamy layer” was restricted only to class and community, and those falling in the category will be excluded from the benefit of quota.

Hyderabad, May 16: The state government has decided to depute a retired judge to conduct the probe on the assets of MLAs. The government took the decision as Andhra Pradesh High Court expressed its inability to spare a sitting judge. Sources told this correspondent here on Friday that the Chief Secretary would convey the government decision to floor leaders of all political parties soon.

“The government will tell them and it intended to have a probe by a sitting judge, but the HC cannot spare one,” said the source.  “Because of this, it is going ahead with a probe by a retired judge.” It is learnt that the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, has okayed the proposal. The name of the judge will be finalised soon.

It has become very difficult for the state government to get sitting judges for any probe. The HC has time and again rejected such requests, forcing the government to appoint retired judges. Opposition parties have cast doubts on such probes saying that the government would appoint their favourites to conduct the probe.

The upcoming probe would cover the assets of the Chief Minister, the Leader of Opposition, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, and the remaining 292 MLAs of the present house and also members of the Assembly since 1978. It was in the recent budget session that the government accepted the demand of all the political parties to order a probe into the assets of MLAs.

It was the TD member, Mr Vema Narender Reddy, who demanded such a probe while taking part in the discussion on the no confidence motion against the government. The Housing Minister, Mr Botsa Satyanarayana, then said that the probe should cover the assets made by Dr Reddy and Mr Naidu since they started their political career in 1978.

Birmingham, May 16: Twentyfour-year-old Nagraj Kumar Nalloori, who has been charged by the West Midlands police with fellow student Vempala Samrajya Jyothirmayee’s murder, was presented at the Birmingham crown court on Friday, and the judge remanded him to custody till July 25.

His lawyers did not file a bail application on Friday as had been expected. They did not say when the bail plea would be filed and only confirmed that it would be “filed in due course”. They also did not say if the bail plea would be filed on or before July 25, the date of the next hearing of the case.

The hearing, which lasted barely eight minutes on Friday morning, started with Nalloori, who was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, identifying himself to the judge, Mr Coulson. Prosecutor Sara Pratt presented a case timeline to the judge, which he approved.

According to the timeline, the police will finish its paperwork by July 11 and the plea and case management hearing of the case will be held on July 25. Normally the time between a preliminary hearing and a plea and management hearing is six weeks. However, in this case the period has been extended to eight weeks to allow time for evidence and other related issues.

Nalloori, who had been hospitalised for a day before his arrest for Samrajyo’s murder, still had bandages on his throat and his wrists. The inquest into the murder of 23-year-old Samrajyo at Handsworth, a suburb of Birmingham, has not started as yet. On Thursday, a preliminary hearing was started at the coroner’s court in Birmingham.

However, the hearing was adjourned and the coroner has not set the date for the next hearing as yet. Two post-mortem examinations of the murdered woman have been carried out till now — the first one by the police established that she died as a result of head injuries. The second one was carried out for the defence. The 23-year-old student from Andhra Pradesh was in Britain on a study visa, attending the University of Wolverhampton.