Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav was discharged from the Rs 59-crore Jain hawala case by the Delhi high court on Monday saying his statement to a private TV programme on accepting Rs 3 lakh for party fund, did not amount to "confession". Accepting Yadav's appeal against the August, 1997, order of a special CBI court in New Delhi, directing framing of charges against him for criminal conspiracy and corruption, Justice MSA Siddique said no inference could be drawn about his accepting Rs 3 lakh for party fund on the basis of "extra-judicial confession" made to TV programme `Aap Ki Adalat' in 1994.

BJP complains to EC over MP govt decision over identification of BPL

The Bharatiya Janata Party has complained to the Election Commission that the Madhya Pradesh government "has chosen this period (Lok Sabha election 1999) for identification of families below poverty line (BPL)." BJP vice-president K Jana Krishnamurthi lodged a formalcomplained with the poll panel in New Delhi on Monday, saying that this is a "subtle method of influencing voters across a broad spectrum for supporting the ruling party in Madhya Pradesh. This may even distort the whole system of selection of families below poverty line."

395 enter fray on last day

Former Union minister K P Singhdeo, Orissa chief minister Giridhar Gamang's wife Hema Gamang and Himachal Congress president Sat Mahajan were among the 395 hopefuls, who filed their nominations on the last day of filing papers for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections slated for September 25. Hema Gamang entered the fray from Koraput (ST) seat in Orissa, won by her husband eight times in a row, Singhdeo from Dhenkanal, also in Orissa, and Mahajan from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh as the aspirants raced against time to submit their papers with the deadline fast approaching. Among other notable candidates, who have already entered the race for the fourth phase are defence minister George Fernandes(Nalanda), former railway minister Nitish Kumar (Barh), Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav (Sambhal), senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath (Chhindwara), N D Tiwari (Nainital) and former MP chief minister SC Shukla (Mahasamund).