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Terror has again attacked the capital of India, New Delhi. Just two weeks ago serial blast rocked Delhi, and that day was too a Saturday. Even today is also the Saturday and a small explosion took place near to the flower market in Mehrauli.

As per the initial reports, two men in a motorcycle (black Pulser) planted the tiffin box bum there and the blast took place at 2.15 PM.

5 peoples including 3 children are reported dead and around 15 people got injured, 8 being severely injured. They have been rushed to AIIMS. More information on this news is awaiting. We will update the news shortly.

At 5:55 PM:

Eye Witnesses are claiming the death of five people including 3 children, while Delhi Police have accepted the death of one person in the incident. The boy Santosh who picked up the bomb, when terrorist either throwed it there or it fells from there hand accidently, died on the spot.

The Police Help Line number is 011-23490312.

Delhi state Government has announced that 5 Lakh Rs. will be given to the keen of the dead and 50 Thousand will be given to injured one. Delhi Police has claimed that 1 person lost the life in the incident and 18 are injured, out of them 7 are severly injured.

Tags: AIIMS, bomb blast, Bomb Blast in Delhi, Bomb Blast in Mehrauli, Mehrauli Blast, Terror Attack

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the government to reinstate eminent cardiologist P. Venugopal as director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) rejecting the law seeking his removal as AIIMS director after a raging row with Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

“I am happy that the Supreme Court has upheld the truth,” Venugopal said.

The bench of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and H.S. Bedi also declared as “malafide and unconstitutional” the union government’s law that fixed the retirement age of the AIIMS director at 65 years.

This amendment was passed in November 2007 after which Venugopal was removed. Against this decision Venugopal challenged the law in SC. It was today when SC strikes down AIIMS amendments and reinstates him to take over as the Director later in the day.

While Venugopal did not talk to the reporters directly, he conveyed his reaction to them through senior resident doctor Anil Sharma.

“The decision has thwarted the game-plan carried out in parliament,” Sharma said quoting Venugopal, who made no direct reference to Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss with whom he had a bitter row.

The resident doctors association of the hospital, which has been backing Venugopal in his tussle with Ramadoss, maintained that he would back in office as soon as possible.

“This is a victory of truth. It is a victory of the people of the country. Ramadoss is responsible for the entire fiasco and he should resign,” said Kaushal Kant Mishra, spokesperson for the Resident Doctors Association.

“This judgment of the Supreme Court has clearly sent a message that please don’t interfere with the functioning of the autonomous institutions and don’t tinker with the intellectuals who have given their life to build up these institutions,” said Mahendra Singh, Venugopal`s lawyer.

AIIMS Faculty Association president Dr Vinod Khaitan said Venugopal has become the symbol of the dignity of the medical fraternity and demanded the resignation of Ramadoss.

“It is very rarely that a parliament act is struck down by the Supreme Court. And he (Ramadoss) wanted to remove one person who became the symbol of autonomy of AIIMS, Dr Venugopal,” Khaitan said.

“It is not becoming of the Health Minister, so he must resign,” he said.

Former union health minister Sushma Swaraj is also asking Ramadoss to resign from his post following the verdict.

On the other side Ramadoss was shocked with the unexpected verdict. He said that there is no question of his resigning over the SC verdict.

Tags: AIIMS, Minister, Ramadoss, SC, Supremem Court, Venugopal

The historic verdict of 27% quota to OBCs in higher education would be implemented in prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from the coming academic session.

A day after the deliver of this judgment from Supreme Court Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said that AIIMS will get quota this year “hopefully”

Ramadoss assured that the issue of increase of seats and infrastructure in the institute would be addressed.

AIIMS was the epicenter of protests during the anti-quota agitations in 2006. On the issue of creamy layer among OBCs being excluded from the ambit of the reservation, Ramadoss said “Since the Mandal Commission allowed quota in employment in 1990, only 5.3 per cent seats have been filled out of the 27 per cent”. “This is what will happen to this quota also if the creamy layer is kept out,” he said.

On the issue of graduates not availing the quota benefits if they have already done so once, the Health Minister said “we will go through the details of the order and then decide”. He, however, said the issue of the exclusion of the creamy layer and children of MPs and MLAs would be taken up at both the Cabinet and the UPA level.

“There are so many ex-MPs who have fallen on hard times and some MLAs even do not take home their salaries. To keep their children out of the reservation ambit would be unfair,” Ramadoss said. “These issues need to be kept in mind while dealing with the issue,” he added.

Tags: AIIMS, OBC, Quota

The Supreme Court on Thursday giving a historic verdict said ‘Yes’ to 27% quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in higher education institutes including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS).

The five judge Constitution bench headed by the Chief Justice upheld the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.

However judges has excluded creamy layer among the OBCs from the quota. In general the OBC families with 2.5 lakhs or more annual income are included in creamy layer. Supreme Court asked the government to draw parameters applied for identifying the creamy layer among the OBCs for jobs as per the office memorandum of September 8, 1993, will be applicable for identifying the socially and educationally backward classes.

With the decision of exclusion of creamy layer the court has clarified that the reservation is not only caste based but socio-economic conditions are also important.

Also children of MPS and MLAs are also included in the creamy layer and excluded from the benefit of the quota.

The apex court in its March 29, 2007, interim order stayed the implementation of the Act holding that data based on 1931 census cannot be the determinative factor for the affirmative action.

22.5 % reservation was already reserved for SC/ST, now making a total of 49.5 % for reserved classes.

With today’s decision the reservation will be implemented from 2008 academic session.

A mixed bag of reaction is obtained in response to the decision.

Political parties welcome the verdict to give reservation for OBCs. The judgment comes at a very crucial time for the UPA government as the general elections are just a year away.

Congress said that the quota will be implemented immediately. On the same side its rival BJP also praised the verdict saying the judgment given by SC is correct.

Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh, who had been the most vocal supporter of quota for OBCs called it a historic judgement.

On other side there is another group which is upset with the verdict especially for the exclusion of the creamy layer.

“It is a positive verdict. But while enabling the rules, the government should have a re-look at the criteria to define creamy layer,” Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja told IANS.

Raja also expressed disappointment over the court’s silence over quotas for OBCs in the private institutions.

Tags: AIIMS, IIT, India, OBC, Quota, Supreme Court