Court orders CBI probe into Odisha stadium land grab
The (Odisha Olympic) Association has raised construction by encroaching upon the government land... and ₹97.33 lakhs by way of rent had been earned (from illegal structures).
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a CBI probe into the alleged land encroachment by the Odisha Olympic Association (OOA) in Barabati Stadium, which is located on government land.
The apex court directed the central probe agency to investigate into the construction of a Kalyan Mandap and 23 shops by the OOA inside the stadium and the financial fraud arising out of the rents received from the ‘illegal’ establishments.
A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra also banned OOA general secretary Asirbad Behera from contesting for any post in the association.
The court said the illegal constructions were carried out with the help of a firm in which Behera’s son and son-in-law had stakes.
“Keeping in view the report of the accountant general and the grave doubt that emerges with regard to realisation of rent or otherwise, as we have already indicated earlier, there has to be investigation,” the court said, ordering the collector Cuttack to take over the possession of the shops and the Kalyan Mandap.
State department of revenue shall be entitled to maintain and receive rents, the court said as it barred tenants from filing any case against the authorities.
Justice Misra who authored the judgment said : “The association has raised construction by encroaching upon the government land and the expert engaged by the association gives the opinion that ₹97.33 lakhs by way of rent had been earned.”
“The concept of conflict of interest is well established. A person who is accountable to the public and deals with public affairs is not expected, as required under the law, to have any personal interest. He is not to act in a manner where it is perceived that he is directly or indirectly the beneficiary; or for that matter, extends the benefit to a person of immediate proximity,” the bench said.
Good performance in educational rankings conducted by the government would result in more funding and autonomy, Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday after announcing the India Rankings for 2017.
“The educational institutions performing well in the annual ranking will be awarded with more funding or grants, enhanced autonomy and freedom of functioning and various other benefits,” Javadekar said at the release of the second domestic rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).
He said a policy regarding the same will be announced soon to encourage the spirit of competition and ultimately enhance the quality of education being provided by the institutions across the country.
Launched in 2015, NIRF is a methodology adopted by the HRD ministry to rank all institutions of higher education in the country.
As a number of Delhi University colleges did not apply this time, HRD ministry officials said that from next year, their data will be taken directly from the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) conducted by the government.
While the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru topped the ‘overall’ and ‘universities’ category, Delhi University’s Miranda House was adjudged the best college in the country. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which was at the third position in the ‘universities’ category last year, has been ranked second this time.
The HRD minister said the recognition being provided to JNU and Jadavpur University (ranked fifth) was entirely for their research and good work.
HRD MINISTER SAYS THE MOVE WOULD FAN THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION AMONG INSTITUTES
AND ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THEM