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Political Notes |
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Global internet drug racket busted
US and Indian authorities have busted a multi-million dollar internet drug ring allegedly spearheaded by an Indian family. Over seven million dollars have been seized from 41 bank accounts in simultaneous raids in India, the United States and Costa Rica. Brij Bhushan Bansal, an Agra-based doctor, and his Philadelphia-based son, Akhil Bansal, were identified as king-pins of the operation. The racket involved selling controlled drugs without prescription at above-market prices through 200 odd “rogue” internet pharmacies. Akhil, a student at Temple University, reportedly managed the ring’s US operations.
In all, 20 persons, including eight in the US, were arrested during the 48-hour offensive mounted by the US Drug Enforcement Authorities after a close monitoring of the illicit operation that got underway in July 2003. While Akhil was taken into custody in the US, Bansal and his brother Anil, were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in Agra after raids on Bansal’s house and godown unearthed a large quantity of psychotropic drugs. Bansal took ill after being arrested and was admitted to hospital.
The US Drug Enforcement Authorities and India’s Narcotics Control Bureau also conducted simultaneous raids in Delhi’s Garhi area and seized 33 lakh tablets, mostly alprazolam, diazepam and codine sulphate. NCB officials said the haul was worth Rs. 20 crores in the US market. The NCB also raided the Sant Nagar office of the Renaissance courier service which allegedly sent the drugs abroad after mislabeling them. Two persons were arrested.
Delhi High Court disallows petitions against Sonia Gandhi
The Delhi High Court has disallowed two public interest litigation petitions filed by Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy seeking registration of First Information Reports on complaints against Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the antique smuggling and KGB cases. Dr. Swamy had stated that the CBI was reluctant to register the FIRs as they involved a person who is powerful and mighty. But the Bench asked Dr. Swamy to confine his arguments to his matter. A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice B.C. Patel also dismissed Swami’s petition challenging the grant of citizenship to Sonia Gandhi in 1983. The Bench referred to a Supreme Court judgement pronounced in 2001 which had settled the citizenship issue and also said that there was a delay of over 20 years in approaching the court.
Health Minister forced to share work with his junior colleague
The Union Health Ministry has withdrawn its earlier orders saying that all files need not be sent to the Minister of State for Health, P. Lakshmi. According to official sources, the orders were withdrawn after the intervention of the Prime Minister’s office. The orders issued by Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had denied the junior minister access to crucial files. The order said, “All matters related to the Department of Health and Family Welfare need not be routed through the Minister of State.”
Observers say that the problem of junior ministers not being given enough work and responsibilities is a long-standing one. Even during the previous NDA regime, several Ministers of State had approached the Prime Minister with the grievance that they did not have any work to do in their ministries and were just used for decorative purposes. The problem continues in the Manmohan Singh Government also.
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