Supreme Court reestablished SC status of reconverted Hindu

Supreme court has given important decision on Gharwapasi of Kerala based man.
Read 2 news articles and SC judgement PDF below to understand the case.
Kerala’s Mr. K.P. Manu Case:

 “…The parents and grandparents of K.P. Manu, the appellant in this case, had also converted to Christianity. The 1960-born Manu converted to Hinduism sometime in 1984....The Kerala government employee was sacked and his Scheduled Caste certificate cancelled following a complaint that said Manu was a Christian who had re-converted to Hinduism only to get the reservation benefits despite the fact that he had married a Christian and his parents and grandparents were all Christians….”
“..K P Manu’s great grandfather belonged to a Hindu community, and his grandfather converted to Christianity. Manu’s parents also practiced Christianity. However, when he was 24, Manu “reconverted” to Hinduism and got a caste certificate from the Akhila Bharata Ayyappa Seva Sangham — an institution recognized by the state government for issuing caste certificates…”
“…He was employed in Malabar Cements, a state government undertaking. After his certificate was cancelled, the state administration ordered his removal from service and also sought to recover Rs 15 lakh paid as salary to him….”
“…The Kerala government employee was sacked and his Scheduled Caste certificate cancelled following a complaint that said Manu was a Christian who had re-converted to Hinduism only to get the reservation benefits despite the fact that he had married a Christian and his parents and grandparents were all Christians….”
 Takeaway from this judgement:
Scheduled Caste/Tribe persons in India belongs to Hindu religion
After Gharwapasi, person can get all benefits available to his Caste (if any)
After Gharwapasi, he/her belongs to his roots/community (need documented proof and scrutiny)
Issue has become more complex, some may misuse this for social benefits by faking ‘re-conversion’ ??
Where is "Aastha", Faith  or Belief involved here?? Seems Money and few Social Benefits are far more important to some individuals!
# PDF-Read Supreme Court’s full Judgment in this case
http://supremecourtofindia.nic.in/FileServer/2015-02-26_1424948955.pdf

UK/EU/US/west, with their Geopolitical Human Right agenda against India, are lobbying hard to get “Dalit” Converted Christians same caste based reservations in India after conversion....However, some Christians think tanks in west oppose this move as it might create problem for them too in long run; as other race/communities in already fragmented Christianity (read Synthetic Unity) will ask similar type of quota/benefits in other countries based on ethnicity/race/oppression history, etc!!
Overall, Reservation/benefits related issue, instead of fixing this post-independent mistake, has become more complex due to Conversion!

NEWS:
 1. Christian who reconverts as Hindu SC will get quota benefits: apex court
 February 27, 2015 | By Utkarsh Anand | New Delhi |
 http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/christian-who-reconverts-as-hindu-sc-will-get-quota-benefits-apex-court/2/
Amid the controversy over “ghar wapsi”, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a person who “reconverts” from Christianity to Hinduism shall be entitled to reservation benefits if his forefathers belonged to a Scheduled Caste and the community accepts him after “reconversion”.
Citing articles by B R Ambedkar and James Massey, and reports by Mandal Commission and Chinappa Commission, the court said: “There has been detailed study to indicate the Scheduled Caste persons belonging to Hindu religion, who had embraced Christianity with some kind of hope or aspiration, have remained socially, educationally and economically backward.”
The bench of Justices Dipak Misra and V Gopala Gowda held that a person shall not be deprived of reservation benefits if he decides to “reconvert” to Hinduism and adopts the caste that his forefathers originally belonged to just because he was born to Christian parents or has a Christian spouse.
Expanding the scope of a previous Constitution bench judgment, the bench said the reservation benefits for the castes recognised under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, could not be confined to only those whose parents had converted to Christianity. “If a person born to Christian parents, who had converted to Christianity from the Scheduled Caste Hindu, can avail the benefits of the caste certificate after embracing Hinduism, there cannot be any soundness of logic that he cannot avail similar benefits because his grandparents were converted and he was born to parents who were Christians,” it said.
The bench, however, said the person must fulfill three mandatory conditions to avail such benefits after “reconversion” — there must be clear proof that he belongs to a caste duly recognised as a Scheduled Caste, that he has “reconverted” to the original religion to which his parents or earlier generations belonged, and that he has been accepted by the community.
The bench further clarified that marriage to a Christian person would not entail disqualification. “As far as marriage is concerned, in our considered opinion, it should not have been considered as the central and seminal facet to deny the benefit. When the community has accepted and the community, despite the marriage, has not excommunicated or expelled, the same would not be a disqualification,” it said.
The court ruling came on an appeal filed by a person whose caste certificate was cancelled in 2006 by the scrutiny committee, set up under the Kerala (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Regulation of Issue of Community Certificates Act, on the ground that he was born to Christian parents and was not following the traditions of the community.
K P Manu’s great grandfather belonged to a Hindu community, and his grandfather converted to Christianity. Manu’s parents also practiced Christianity. However, when he was 24, Manu “reconverted” to Hinduism and got a caste certificate from the Akhila Bharata Ayyappa Seva Sangham — an institution recognised by the state government for issuing caste certificates.
He was employed in Malabar Cements, a state government undertaking. After his certificate was cancelled, the state administration ordered his removal from service and also sought to recover Rs 15 lakh paid as salary to him.
The bench, however, ruled in his favour, noting that he fulfilled all the three conditions required to avail the benefits. It ordered the state to reinstate Manu with all the benefits relating to his seniority and caste, and said he should be paid back wages up to 75 per cent within eight weeks.

2. Western version : SC quota cheer for re-converts
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150227/jsp/nation/story_5796.jsp#.VOY9OXyUdvw
New Delhi, Feb. 26: The Supreme Court today ruled that a Dalit or tribal Hindu who had embraced Christianity and then re-converted to Hinduism would be eligible for reservation benefits for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes if the re-conversion was genuine.
Justices Dipak Misra and V. Gopala Gowda also held that a person couldn't be deprived of such benefits on account of marriage merely because he had married a Christian after reconverting from Christianity.
The ruling, which set aside a March 2006 judgment of Kerala High Court, comes at a time when re-conversion (" ghar wapsi") programmes organised by Sangh parivar groups have kicked up a controversy.
Critics have often panned such re-conversions as just a ploy to access the benefits of government welfare schemes for the country's marginalised sections. But Justice Misra, who wrote the judgment for the bench, cited a 1990 report of a commission that looked into the condition of backward classes to make the point that nothing had changed for SC/ST converts to Christianity and their descendants.
Because of the "all-pervasive" caste system that has penetrated the barriers of religion also, the Chinappa Commission Report said, the SC/ST converts continue to be "victims of the same social injustice" Dalit and tribal Hindus face.
The court also referred to some survey reports to say that the social and economic condition of Dalits and tribal people had not improved much despite their conversion to either Christianity or Islam.
The judgment is also the first authoritative one regarding re-conversions since a Constitution bench of the top court cleared the air on such conversions nearly 40 years ago.
The bench today laid down three main parameters for deciding whether a person who had reconverted to Hinduism from another religion embraced earlier was eligible to get the government benefits Dalit and tribal Hindus are entitled to:
• First, there must be "absolutely clear-cut proof that he belongs to the caste that has been recognised by the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950";
 • Second, it has to be established that there has been "re-conversion to the original religion to which the (person's) parents and earlier generations had belonged"
 • And third, there has to be "evidence establishing the acceptance by the community".
The judgment cited the 1976 ruling of the Constitution bench in the Y. Mohan Rao case.
The 1976 judgment was about a person born to Scheduled Caste parents who had converted to Christianity. It ruled that the said person, on "re-conversion" to his parents' original religion and "on acceptance by his community", would be treated as a member of the said Scheduled Caste.
The parents and grandparents of K.P. Manu, the appellant in this case, had also converted to Christianity. The 1960-born Manu converted to Hinduism sometime in 1984.
The Kerala government employee was sacked and his Scheduled Caste certificate cancelled following a complaint that said Manu was a Christian who had re-converted to Hinduism only to get the reservation benefits despite the fact that he had married a Christian and his parents and grandparents were all Christians.
Kerala High Court had upheld the termination.
The apex court, while setting aside the high court judgment, directed the state to reinstate Manu with consequence.

#RSSQuestionsTeresa: Audio & Full text of Speech by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat at Bharatpur

Bharatpur Feb 23: RSS Sarasanghachalal Mohan Bhagwat was addressing a function in village Bajhera, 8 kilometers from Bharatpur in Rajasthan where he inaugurated ‘Mahila Sadan’ and ‘Sishu Bal Grah’ an NGO for helpless women and children.
 For audio of the speech please follow this link
http://samvada.org/2015/news/audio-speech-by-bhagwat-at-bharatpur-rajasthan/

“Mother Teresa’s service would have been good. But it used to have one objective, to convert the person, who was being served, into a Christian,” said Mohan Bhagwat, Sarasanghachalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,today at a function in Bharatpur in Rajasthan.

Speech by Mohan Ji Bhagwat at Bharatpur, Rajasthan

“Dear Bharadwajji, gentlemen present of the occasion, mothers, friends and sisters,

In reality, many people have contributed to the good service being done here. My service here is to only speak and that is what I mostly do by traveling across the country. I can only serve whatever I have and so I have served here through my speech. I am not speaking just to address you for the sake of it. This is my service.

As you might have seen here, those who come here and witness the work being done, they too will become volunteers to serve the society. This is because what we see here is the personification of service. When after the Mahabharata war, Yudhishtira conducted the RajasuyaYagna, a mongoose comes and rolls over the place and only half its body which was on the ground turns into gold. Then it goes in search of another such yagna where it could turn the other half of its body into gold. After sometime it comes in contact of a family that gives away everything it had in the service of their guests. The mongoose arrives here and rolls over the house and the other half also turns into gold. But in case, the mongoose was not able to find this family, I would recommend it to come at this event and roll over to turn into gold.

In fact, the mongoose had gone to Yudishtira’syagna only to convey that he need not feel too proud about his service as service is to be done selflessly without any pride in self. We do lot of service to the society but also deem it to be very important and feel proud of it. As normal men, we are born with the worldly attitudes and are susceptible to the wishes of our senses. But even in such a world, there are people who dedicated their entire lives to ‘seva’ and also exited this world without seeking anything in return. Such people and their service has to be encouraged. It is a man who serves others as animals serve only themselves. This is the way man has made them. An animal does not think why it was born or what it has to achieve in the world. Until it is alive after it has been born it feeds itself as much as required and finally dies. It does not even become like a demon who extracts more from others. An animal takes as much as is required for that meal and does not consume more than what is required, like a demon. But a man is different as he is a thinking animal. If he becomes selfish, he becomes a demon. If he works for the service of others he becomes bhagwan himself. It is such people to whom we should encourage. This is like how Raja Harishchandra was asked what he wishes to have and he replies that he wishes nothing for himself but only wants to give away everything to others. Despite all the difficulties that he faced due to the tests he was given by the devas, Yama appears and asks he could wish for anything for himself. Even then Harishchandra says that we only wishes for the well-being of people and animals and nothing for himself.

This is how ‘seva’ is done in our land. When ‘seva’ is done nothing is expected in return expect the wellbeing of the affected. But today we see that ‘Mother Teresa’ kind of ‘seva’ is being done. This kind of ‘seva’ should not be done. Her service may have been important but her service was rendered with an intention that those served converted to Christianity. Whether a person wishes to convert to Christianity should be left to the person. But to goad people to convert in the name of ‘seva’ is an affront to the service being done. Service has to be completely selfless and expecting absolutely nothing in return. Those who are the recipients of such selfless ‘seva’ may be thinking that they have seen their god in those who serve but those who serve would be thinking that their life became blessed after getting an opportunity to serve the needy.

There is not even pride after ‘seva’ because the opportunity was given to them to serve by the needy. It is such fervor we need to have for each other in a society. When such character becomes a part of a society, no one can find a fault in it and only good will happen to such a society. If our own people are becoming part of a conspiracy and we do nothing about it, then whatever ill will happen to them continues to happen. When people come from outside, known places are shown to them. But what can be shown to the people born here? We can show them people who inspire and take them to places that inspires them to work for the society. Those places which instills pride and those that reminds one of their duty towards the country are the modern day pilgrimage places. Today, by coming to this event in Bharatpur I could witness both these happening at the same place.

Yesterday I visited Maharaja Surajmal’s palace. I could see how we fought the invaders to retain our glorious heritage and history. This is what we have received from our ancestors. And today I saw here as to what is the duty we have towards the nation. Ramakrishna Paramahams also said the same. See bhagwan in others and serve them selflessly. Why should someone else from abroad come and serve our own people when we ourselves are here? We need to serve our own needy people and not delegate it to those who come from outside. A needy who is served will later become able enough to stand on his/her own and in turn serve other who are in need.

There are several kinds of ‘seva’. One way is to cater to whatever basic needs is missing in the needy. Second way is to show the way to fulfill the missing needs. This is like the difference between teaching a man to fish instead of giving a fish to a man to fill his hunger. Third is to teach a man as to how he can teach everyone the way to fish. This way there will be no need to serve anyone as everyone will cater to their own needs. Fourth is to organize for one of these i.e either arrange for the fish to be fed or arrange for teaching of ways to fish or see to it that everyone in the country learns to fish so that no one is hungry. This will happen when we feel that the needy are my own and my life is for their sake. To create such persons who think like this is most ideal way of service. Here we are witnessing all these four forms of ‘seva’.

The basic needs are being taken care of, people are getting to know how to cater to themselves, then there are others who are teaching others in different skills and finally we also saw those who are arranging for all the above. By witnessing this spectacle our lives have been enriched and felt divine. By we ourselves involving in these ‘seva’ activities and by getting more people to engage in selfless ‘seva’, our lives will be more divine. This is no less than the divinity we accrue through a pilgrimage. Marathi is my mother tongue and as we used to address our father as ‘theertharoop’ in Marathito which means he who has become divine himself by serving the almighty bhagwan and has thus become the caretaker of the world. Similarly, you people too have been involved in the service of the almighty and one day you all will become divine. With this wish and gratitude, I offer my deep respects to all and end my speech.”

-Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Sarasanghachalak

Bharatpur, Rajasthan

February 23, 2015

Step by step details of AAP Funding Scam.

1. All the directors of four non-operating cos - Goldmine Buildcon, Skyline Metals, Infolance Software & Sunvision Agencies who gave funds to AAP of Rs50 lakh each on the same day of April 5, 2014 midnight, are also directors of SKN Associates.
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2. SKN was declared a defaulter company by Dept of Trade & Taxes of Delhi Government on December 18, 2013, 10 days prior to AAP Government. Hem Prakash Sharma, Mukesh Kumar and Dharmendra Kumar- Directors of all 4 companies are also director of SKN....
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3. SKN- supplier of electrical equipments to Delhi Government didn't file their VAT returns, & its registration was to be cancelled on 1January. And then the cleanest govt of Arvind Kejriwal passed order benefitting SKN & extracted its 2 crores in time for Election....yes clean u see!
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4. What else can u expect fm Arvind Kejriwal - who as an IRS officer, never caught a single tax defaulter.. Soul of IRS in Arvind Kejriwal continued using classical tactics used by all IT officers- pass an order benefiting a defaulter.
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5. Once order is passed,IRS/IT Officers like Arvind Kejriwal receive their pay offs exactly as how 2 crore donation was received. This AAP Funding Scam makes me wonder as to how much money Arvind Kejriwal made following this same route as an IRS officer.
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6. Don't forget Arvind Kejriwal was never transferred and that is a prerogative of " A hafta collector type babus" in India. Contrast to Arvind Kejriwal tenure with IAS officer Ashok Khemka IAS or Durga Shakti Nagpal or for that matter Kiran Bedi herself...While Arvind Kejriwal wasn't trfd once in his tenure, Khemka & Bedi types were transferred repeatedly.
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7. An IRS like Arvind Kejriwal followed the same modus operandi in AAP Funding Scam as has been perfected by corrupt IT babus and others. Delhites,reject & consign this Arvind Kejriwal to the bins of history by voting & supporting Kiran Bedi for Delhi CM.
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If he can fraud you so easily in 49 Days, imagine what Arvind Kejriwal can in 5 years-
Share it and spread the truth !!

IS militants capture key Iraqi town near Ain al-Asad U.S. air base

(BS)

Islamic State (IS) militants have captured a key Iraq town about five miles away from an air base that houses hundreds of United States troops.

According to BBC, Ain al-Asad air base was attacked by the jihadists on Friday wherein the militants were later repelled, said officials.

It is the first time in the last few months that the IS has taken over new ground, said a Pentagon spokesperson Rear Adm John Kirby.

He also said that a team of suicide bombers had tried to attack the base on Friday.

U.S. and Iraqi officials said that eight militants were killed in the subsequent counter-attack.

BJP washes away Congress in Assam Civic Polls-Bags 38 of 74 Civic bodies

(IndianExpress)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday literally swept the civic elections in Assam, winning 38 of the 74 municipal boards and town committees, election to which were held on Monday. The ruling Congress party, which had won 71 boards and committees five years ago, was left to content with only 17 bodies. The municipal elections were considered as semi-final to the state assembly election due early next year.

The BJP’s win came despite the Congress aggressively campaigning against the saffron party’s allegedly false promises made during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in relation to several major issues relating to Assam. The Congress had also tried to capitalize on the BJP apparently offending the people of Assam by terming them as “immigrants” in its Vision document for the Delhi assembly polls.

“The people of Assam have not only reposed faith in the BJP in a big way as they did in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, but have also rejected the Congress party that has been in power for 14 years in a row. The people have also signaled that the Congress will be voted out in the 2015 assembly elections,” state BJP spokesman Rupam Goswami said.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi however said election to the municipal boards and town committees would not have an impact on next year’s assembly elections. “The vast majority living in the rural areas will decide the assembly elections,” Gogoi said. The most significant municipal body where the Congress lost is Gogoi’s home town Jorhat.

The Congress, which had in 2009 won 517 wards, could win only 232 wards this time. Elections were held for 30 municipal boards and 42 town committees on Monday, which together comprised of 746 wards. Election was however not held at three wards. The BJP and Congress were locked in a tie in four towns, while no party could win a majority in ten towns. Final results of two towns Golaghat and Silchar were yet to be declared till late evening.

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has won a majority in two towns, Bongaigaon and Patacharkuchi, while the NCP has won a majority in Mariani.

The 38 towns where the BJP won a majority are Gohpur, Biswanath Chariali, Rangapara, Bihpuria, Sarupathar, Barpathar, Abhayapuri, Nazira, Lala, Lakhipur (Cachar), Chabua, Tihu, Badarpur, Nalbari, Dergaon, Pathsala, Kharupetia, Naharkatia, Margherita, Palashbari, Jorhat, Sarthebari, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Hojai, Dhekiajuli, Barpeta Road, Bilasipara, Sapatgram, Lumding, Raha, Namrup, Doomdooma, Lakwa, Dhubri, Gauripur, Nagaon, Tezpur.

The Congress on the other hand won majority in the following 17 towns: Narayanpur, Teok, Moran, Morigaon, Karimganj, Hailakandi, North Guwahati, Amguri, Lakhipur (Goalpara), Titabor, Mangaldoi, Howli, Chapakhowa, Lakhimpur, Daboka, Makum and Tinsukia.

Aam Aadmi Party auctined poll tickets for money alleges Shanti Bhushan

(IndiaToday)


AAP co-founder and former law minister Shanti Bhushan hit out at the Delhi CM-designate Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday alleging that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) traded tickets for money.

The 89-year-old, co-founder of AAP congratulated the party on its victory but said he won't celebrate. "I am very happy with the victory. Won't celebrate because the leadership has strayed from its objectives," he said. He also added that he will not congratulate Arvind Kejriwal and as he has strayed from the IAC path.

Bhushan expressed dissapointment saying that AAP traded tickets for money and distributing liquor. He said, "15-20 MLAs are not fully clean. Kejriwal must also be regretting taking them in the party."

Taking a dig at the leadership of the party, Bhushan said AAP leaders should make course correction and refuse taking tainted MLAs as ministers.

On the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) poor performance in Delhi Assembly elections, Shanti Bhushan said the party lost because it made false promises and failed to deliver on black money.

HSBC Indian list shoot up to 1195 names with Rs 25420 cr balance

(IE)



It is called Swiss Leaks — a trove of secret documents from HSBC’s Swiss private banking arm that reveals names of account holders and their balances for the year 2006-07. They come from over 200 countries, the total balance over $100 billion. But nowhere has the HSBC Swiss list touched off a more raging political debate than in India.

That’s why to obtain and investigate the Indian names, The Indian Express partnered in a three-month-long global project with the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the Paris-based Le Monde newspaper.
The investigation revealed 1,195 Indian HSBC clients, roughly double the 628 names that French authorities gave to the Government in 2011. The new revelation— published today as part of a global agreement — is expected to significantly widen the scale and scope of the ongoing probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court.

Prominent people on the HSBC list include:
Businessmen
Several top businessmen are HSBC account-holders. They include Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Anand Chand Burman, Rajan Nanda, Yashovardhan Birla, Chandru Lachhmandas Raheja, Dattaraj Salgaocar, Bhadrashyam Kothari and Shravan Gupta.
Diamond Traders
Top diamond traders of the country, several of whom are now settled abroad, figure on the list, with mostly Mumbai addresses given. Among them, Rusell Mehta, Anoop Mehta, Saunak Parikh, Chetan Mehta, Govindbhai Kakadia and Kunal Shah.
Politicians
There are a few account holders with political connections, most of whom deny having accounts. There is former UPA minister Preneet Kaur, former Congress MP Annu Tandon and family members of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane — his wife Neelam Narayan Rane and son Nilesh Rane — as well as family members of the late Congress minister Vasant Sathe. Bal Thackeray’s daughter-in-law Smita Thackeray is also listed as an account holder.
NRIs/PIOs
Several prominent names include Swraj Paul, members of Manu Chhabria’s family, Rajendra Ruia/Vimal Ruia and Naresh Kumar Goyal.
HSBC, headquartered in London, when informed about the global investigation, first insisted that the ICIJ destroy its data. Told about the full extent of the reporting team’s findings (106,458 “clients” and data on major politicians, diamond traders, arms dealers and members of drug cartels), HSBC said: “We acknowledge that the compliance culture and standards of due diligence in HSBC’s Swiss private bank, as well as the industry in general, were significantly lower than they are today.”
The bank added that it had refocused this part of its business. “As a result of this repositioning, HSBC’s Swiss private bank has reduced its client base by almost 70% since 2007.”
Probing the names
The hunt for HSBC clients took The Indian Express from Golf Links to Vasant Kunj and Gautam Nagar, all in the capital. In Mumbai, the account holders spread across Napean Sea Road to Ghatkopar, while some have listed addresses in smaller cities such as Phagwara, Kottayam, Srinagar, Ludhiana and Shimla.
Fascinating details are revealed in the list that includes hundreds of NRIs — for instance, 84-year-old stenographer Annie Meneaud, born in Kannur, Kerala, whose account was opened in Dubai and had a balance of $100,020.
Then there are some mysterious HSBC account-opening statements, such as one named “H.G.P” for a Kolkata-born UK citizen who has given a Carlton House Terrace address and, as the statement shows, instructed that all transactions be kept in the bank’s safe deposit box. This 74-year old client’s balance: $133.52 million.
A scrutiny shows there are 276 account holders with at least $1 million in their balance of whom 85 are residing in the country.
Topping the list of account-holders with an India connection is prominent London-based PIO Swraj Paul with a balance of $386 million. The lowest balance is for Gujarat-born UK citizen Naman Sarwar Malik, who has $669 in his account.
The Indian Express was the first to report, on August 7, 2011, that French authorities had handed over details of around 700 HSBC account holders and, as was the case in several countries, a frantic tax chase began.
In November 2012, India Against Corruption, led by Arvind Kejriwal, had released names of some account holders. These new papers now reveal that while he got some names right, his claim regarding the balance in those accounts was way off the mark.
Govt’s action so far
Top officials of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said that undisclosed income to the tune of Rs 3,150 crore ($508 million) has been brought to tax from among HSBC account-holders but pointed out that there were some significant gaps in the data — some 200 accounts with the Government had no balance and 211 of them were of NRIs.
“We are contacting everyone and not leaving this as a presumption. We are putting the onus of proving NRI status during the relevant period on the account-holder,” a senior CBDT official told The Indian Express.
Such updated data is being regularly provided by the CBDT and the SIT to the Supreme Court, and officials said that tax collections, penalties and prosecutions are being chased on war footing.
One issue that has, however, befuddled the CBDT is whether HSBC and its officials too should be brought under scrutiny.
A confidential note dated October 27, 2014, shows that following a video conference on the subject of HSBC collections, the prosecution of HSBC officials was being contemplated.
The note reads, “It has been explained that involvement of HSBC/its officials in opening and operation of the accounts also needs to be identified and reported to the Board… such facts would be extremely important while considering prosecution of HSBC/ its officials as abettors to Indian assessees.”
Several HSBC account-holders contacted by The Indian Express said that they objected to what some described as the “high-handedness’’ of the Income Tax Department.
Kuldip Singh Dhingra, chairman of Berger Paints, for instance, said that he had routed all money in the account through legal channels and despite that he was subjected to a search (around 150 such search operations have been conducted). He has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court as an action of protest. “The IT Department should do its homework before they move in and conduct raids. We strongly object to such treatment.’’
Another industrialist, Jitendra Virwani, chairman of the Embassy Group, said that all his bank accounts had been declared to I-T authorities, but that despite clarifications, the department had told him tax was due for the HSBC account. “I have only paid up to avoid the harassment of prosecution.”
There are many account holders, led by Delh-based industrialist Sanjiv Lamba, who approached the Settlement Commission and obtained immunity from prosecution. Suresh Nanda, himself an NRI, said his brother Paul Nanda and his son Sanjeev Nanda had also approached the Settlement Commission and paid up taxes there.
Until last month, CBDT officials said, 27 HSBC account-holders had paid up penalties and 15 were facing prosecution proceedings for concealment of income in the accounts. The SIT has reportedly been informed that the target number for HSBC account-holders to be prosecuted is 300. But that was based on the list of over 600. Now that the list has doubled, sources said, the scope of the investigation just widened.

Jordan Pledges 'earth-shaking' response to burning its pilot alive

(Reuters)



Islamic State militants released a video on Tuesday appearing to show a captured Jordanian pilot being burnt alive in a cage, a killing that shocked the world and prompted Jordan to promise an "earth-shaking" response.

A Jordanian official said the authorities would swiftly execute several militants in retaliation, including an Iraqi woman whom Amman had sought to swap for the pilot taken captive after his plane crashed in Syria in December.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the content of the video, which showed a man resembling airman Mouath al-Kasaesbeh standing in a small black cage before being set ablaze.

The furious reaction of the Jordanian authorities made clear they treated it as genuine.

Jordan, which has been mounting air raids in Syria as part of the U.S.-led alliance against Islamic State insurgents, would deliver a "strong, earth-shaking and decisive" response, a government spokesman said.

"The revenge will be as big as the calamity that has hit Jordan," army spokesman Colonel Mamdouh al Ameri said in a televised statement confirming the death of the pilot, who was seized by Islamic State in December.

The fate of Kasaesbeh, a member of a large tribe that forms the backbone of support for the country's Hashemite monarchy, has gripped Jordan for weeks and some Jordanians have criticised King Abdullah for embroiling them in the U.S.-led war that they say will provoke a backlash by militants.

The king cut short a visit to the United States to return home following word of Kasaesbeh's death. In a televised statement, he said the pilot's killing was an act of "cowardly terror" by a deviant group that had no relation to Islam.

Jordan had sought to swap the pilot for Sajida al-Rishawi, the Iraqi woman militant who was sentenced to death for her role in a 2005 suicide bombing in Amman that killed 60 people.

Islamic State had demanded her release in exchange for the life of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto. However, Goto, a veteran war reporter, was later beheaded by the group, with images of his death released in a video on Saturday.

The Jordanian security source said Rishawi would be executed "within hours".

The Jordanian military might also escalate attacks on Islamic State, said retired air force General Mamoun Abu Nowar. "We might even see in a couple of days the rate of sorties increased dramatically. We might have some special operations against their leadership too," he said.

In the Islamic State video, Kasaesbeh is interviewed, describing the mission he was due to carry out before his jet crashed. The video also showed footage of the aftermath of air strikes, with people trying to remove civilians from debris.

A man resembling Kasaesbeh is shown inside the cage with his clothes dampened, apparently with flammable liquid, and one of the masked fighters holds a torch, setting alight a line of fuel which leads into the cage.

The man is set ablaze and kneels to the ground.

Fighters then pour debris, including broken masonry, over the cage which a bulldozer subsequently flattens, with the body still inside. The video shows a desert setting similar to previous videos of killings.

DEMAND FOR REVENGE

In the pilot's hometown of Karak in southern Jordan, people demanded revenge.

"I want to see Sajida's body burnt and all the other terrorists in Jordanian prisons ... Only then will my thirst for revenge be satisfied," said Abdullah al-Majali, a government employee among dozens of demonstrators in the centre of Karak.

Relatives of the pilot also gathered in Karak and urged calm after anti-government protests broke out in the town. They said it was up to the government to take revenge for them.

Jordanian state television said on Tuesday that Kasaesbeh had been killed a month ago, on Jan. 3, and a source close to the Jordanian government said Amman had been picking up intelligence for weeks that the pilot was killed some time ago.

Given that Jordan’s own intelligence indicated the pilot was dead, the government decided it could not possibly release the woman absent convincing proof the pilot was still alive, the source said, and such proof never arrived.

The White House said the intelligence community was studying when the video was recorded and that U.S. President Barack Obama had ordered his team to devote all resources to locate other hostages held by Islamic State.

Obama rearranged his schedule on Tuesday to make sure he saw King Abdullah before the Jordanian leader flew back to Amman, a source familiar with the situation said.

A staunch U.S. ally, Jordan is part of the alliance against the Islamic State group that has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq. King Abdullah has defended the campaign against domestic criticism, saying that moderate Muslims need to combat a group whose ideology and brutality have insulted Islam.

The United States announced on Tuesday that it will increase annual aid to Jordan to $1 billion from $660 million to help it pay for the cost of housing refugees from Iraq and Syria and to fight Islamic State.

Obama praised Kasaesbeh for his bravery and said he was "in the vanguard of the effort to degrade and defeat the threat" posed by militants from Islamic State, also known as ISIL.

"Today, the coalition fights for everyone who has suffered from ISIL's inhumanity," Obama said in a statement, adding that the group's "hateful ideology" would be banished to "the recesses of history."

Leaders around the world voiced outrage at the brutal killing. "It is incomprehensible how human beings are capable of such a cruel act," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In the video, the burned man wore orange clothes similar to those worn by other foreign Islamic State captives who have been killed since the U.S.-led coalition started bombing the militants in July.

Islamic State has previously released videos showing the beheadings of five U.S. and British hostages and said that it killed two Japanese captives in the same way. It has meted out the same treatment to many more Arab prisoners, including Syrian government soldiers.

The militants have stepped up the gruesome killings while coming under increased military pressure from the air strikes and a ground campaign by Kurdish and Iraqi troops to reverse their territorial gains in Iraq and Syria.

Islamic State emerged out of al Qaeda in Iraq. It expanded into Syria as the country was plunged into a civil war estimated to have killed 200,000 people since 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Tuesday that 51 civilians, including children, had been killed by Syrian air force strikes inside the country within the past day.

The U.S.-led coalition says it does not coordinate with the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, described by Washington as part of the problem. It does work with the Iraqi government, which is also fighting Islamic State.

(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo, Oliver Holmes, Tom Perry and Mariam Karouny in Beirut and Mark Hosenball, Julia Edwards, Arshad Mohammed and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Crispian Balmer and Howard Goller)

Delhi Elections- Proxy companies pumped Rs 2 crore into Arvind Kejriwal's campaign

(DNA)

A group of estranged Aam Aadmi Party volunteers, on Monday, accused the AAP of money laundering and running a 'funding scam'. The AVAM, or AAP Volunteer Action Manch, said on April 5, 2014 midnight, AAP received Rs 50 lakh each from four 'bogus' companies. It said AAP has made Rs 2 crore out of shell companies, which have given fake addresses in their information and alleged that AAP has made dummy entries in their donations to evade taxes.

AAP, in its defence, said the payments to AAP were made via cheques, in accordance with donation policy, which leaves a bank trail. The Central government is welcome to investigate, AAP top rung leaders said.

The companies involved are Goldmine Buildcon Pvt Ltd, Skyline Metals and Alloys Pvt Ltd, Sunvision Agencies Pvt Ltd and Infolance Software Solution Ltd. All four have directors in common.

dna has found out that Hem Parkash Sharma is director of Infolance, Skyline and Goldmine, Dharmendra Kumar is director of Infolance and Sunvision, Ajay Kumar Upadhyay and Yogesh Kumar are directors of Sunvision, Skyline and Goldmine, and Mukesh Kumar is the director of Infolance and Goldmine.

One Mohit and a Deepak Agarwal are directors of one company each, Sunvision and Skyline respectively.

These men look like frontmen and are directors in several other companies. Except Mohit (who is director in three companies), all other five men are directors in 10 companies each. However, who the shareholders are is not yet known.

Goldmine’s registered address is D8 Gokulpuri. In reality, a small-time shop stands at this address that has nothing to do with the company.

The donations are made conspicuous by the fact that on March 25, 2014, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal announced his candidature from Varanasi for the Lok Sabha elections and on April 10 filed his nomination. The timing suggests that these funds were for the Lok Sabha campaign.

In June, AVAM was formed by a group of AAP volunteers unhappy with the party’s functioning. They were backed by former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi, who had by then quit the party, and later endorsed by AAP founder Shanti Bhushan. The AAP, however, had not endorsed them.

Shazia Ilmi, who recently joined the BJP, started targeting AAP’s promise of transparency as soon as the news broke, along with Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Nirmala Sitharaman. With only five days left for the Delhi elections, this is the biggest ammunition the BJP has got so far against a highly popular AAP.

Catching on the timing of the donations, Ilimi has termed it “hawala at midnight or ghotala at midnight”.

Piyush Goyal, calling it a “serious matter” has asked for a probe by the Election Commission and Sitharaman has asked AAP to now stop lecturing other parties.

AAP, however, has its defence ready, saying all its donations are accepted via cheques. It said that since all cheques, post realisation in banks are uploaded on the party website by its software in batches during night hours, “the malicious campaign about transactions at midnight is completely incorrect.”

Since cheques leave a trail, and are duly cleared by banks, AAP appears confident that its accounts are in order.

However, asked about a probe, Sitharaman, being evasive, said, “Later we will see what will happen.” For now, the BJP sees it as a political weapon.

The AVAM plans to keep the matter alive for the next few days, announcing more news conferences on its website.