FORTY YEARS AGO

ARTICLE 144-A

A SEVEN-JUDGE CONSTITUTION bench of the Supreme Court hoped that Article 144-A introduced by the Constitution 42nd Amendment Act would engage the “prompt attention” of Parliament, so that it may be amended “by general consensus” as to leave it to the court the duty of deciding how large a bench should decide a particular case. The highest court found Article 144-A (enacted by the previous government through the 42nd amendment to the Constitution) to be a source of inconvenience.

NOTICE TO INDIRA

THE ALLAHABAD HIGH Court issued a notice to former prime minister Indira Gandhi to show cause as to why she should not be punished for alleged contempt of the High Court by speaking words which scandalised and lowered the authority of the court.

CHINA REBUFFED

THE DALI LAMA has virtually turned down the Chinese “offer” that he could return to Tibet if he “sincerely returned to the embrace of the motherland and stood on the side of the people”. A statement released by the Dali Lama’s bureau responded by reiterating the old charges against the Peking authorities and demanding an end to the “unnecessary suffering and misunderstanding between the Chinese and the Tibetan people”. It also spoke about the “suppression and total violation of fundamental rights” in Tibet.

PROBE AGAINST SANJAY

THE DIRECTOR GENERAL of Civil Aviation ordered an inquiry into the incident in which San jay Gandhi piloted a chartered Indian Airlines flight between Hyderabad and Tirupati on December 25 last year. Gandhi is reported to have been at the controls during take-off from Hyderabad and landing at Tirupati The inquiry will determine reasons for the “failure on the part of Indian Airlines, its pilots and the aerodrome personnel to report the matter to the DG”.