NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to submit the guidelines for allotment of Government houses to persons not eligible while hearing a petition challenging allotment of a quarter to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's daughter, Priyanka. A division bench comprising Justice Mahinder Narain and Justice S K Mahajan, expressed concern over the way bungalows were being allotted to widows of VVIPs and asked the central government standing counsel K C Mittal, whether there was any guideline in this regard too.

CBI to probe stripping of Bihar priest

PATNA: The Bihar government has handed over to the CBI two cases relating to the alleged stripping and parading of a Christian priest and act of sodomy against a tribal student.

A notification to this effect was issued by the State government on Tuesday, official sources said. The priest, Father Christu Das, who is the vice-principal of a missionary school, was allegedly paraded naked by some angry citizens at Dumka on September 2 when a tribal student of that school levelled a charge of sodomy against him.

Lapierre's floating dispensary sets sail

BASANTI: A specialised boat dispensary launched by French writer Dominique Lapierre, set sail for the crocodile and tiger-infested Sunderbans delta on Wednesday to bring succour to the sick and dying. The ``City of Joy'' boat would visit all the 14 inhabited islands in the Gosaba block of the Sunderbans all through the year and cater to the medical needs of more than one lakh poor. ``For the last five years, people have been imploring me for a hospital boat which would reach the remote areas of the region,'' Lapierre said while inaugurating the dispensary here on Tuesday.

Pension racket bared in Jamshedpur

JAMSHEDPUR: A racket of forged withdrawal of old-age pension was busted here when investigations revealed withdrawal of Rs 39,000 in the name of 22 dead persons and four other surviving elders. Official sources said a post-master, postman and another employee of Agrico post office here withdrew pension from the post office for the last three years in the name of the dead persons and living aged persons who were unaware of the sanction of pension.

HC reserves order on BSP man's plea

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday reserved judgement on a petition by a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader seeking stay of his arrest in an abduction case. Mukhtar Ansari, a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in his petition said he was falsely implicated in the kidnapping of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) treasurer Nand Kumar Rungata and sought stay of his arrest till submission of the charge-sheet in the case. Rungata was abducted in Varanasi and later murdered by his kidnappers. Investigations into the murder case were handed over to CBI following the High Court's order on September 3.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.