NEW DELHI: Indian state-run refiners will import 11% less oil from Iran, the government told Parliament on Tuesday, a day when a US emissary arrived in a bid to wean New Delhi away from Teheran’s fuel.

“The target fixed for import of crude oil from Iran for 2012-13 is approximately 15.5 million tonne,” minister of state for petroleum R P N Singh told the Upper House in a written reply. He said Indian refiners imported 18.5 million tonne crude from Iran in 2010-11 and 17.44 million tonne in 2011-12.

India imports 80% of its oil requirement and about 12% of this comes from Iran. But refiners have been tying up alternative supplies ever since the RBI scrapped a regional arrangement in December, 2010, that made it difficult to route payments for Iranian oil.

India is one of the biggest buyers of Iranian oil along with China. The US and the EU have been pressuring New Delhi to halt buying crude from Iran as they try to arm-twist Teheran into abandoning its nuclear programme.

The government has steadfastly denied any pressure. But it has also been quietly tying up additional quantities from West Asian oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, and looking at other types of crude that are similar to Iranian crude and suit present refinery configurations.

During her visit here last week, US secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said India needed to do more on cutting Iranian oil purchase and Washington would send a special envoy to help New Delhi along.

On Tuesday, Carlos Pascual, special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs in the US State Department, held discussions with key Indian officials. Officially, he briefed the Indian officials about the emerging trends in global energy market, especially due to the advent of shale gas.

Increasing supplies of shale gas and oil from huge deposits have depressed Henry Hub – the US benchmark for gas trade – and reduced US demand for LNG, or liquid gas transported in ships, mostly from West Asia and Nigeria. Combined with huge shale gas deposits reported from Argentina, Poland, parts of Africa and China have sparked a worldwide clamour for benchmarking LNG, or liquid gas transported in ships to the Henry Hub rather than more expensive crude and put pressure on LNG producers.

Even Russian president Vladimir Putin recently acknowledged the threat shale gas and oil posed to Russian state-run oil and gas giants, the biggest suppliers outside Opec, and asked them to prepare for a possible new world energy order.

At home, state-run gas utility GAIL has been first to catch the trend by taking stake in a US shale gas firm and tying up shale-LNG at Henry Hub price. This has made it difficult for Petronet, India’s biggest LNG player, to tie up additional supplies from Qatar which has indexed its price to crude.

Private sector Reliance Industries, the first Indian firm to acquire US shale gas equity, is also eventually likely to bring shale-LNG to India for marketing through its joint venture with BP.

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NEW DELHI: Five cricketers caught in a TV sting operation discussing money for match-fixing have been suspended from all formats of the game, including the ongoing Indian Premier League 5, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) scrambled on Tuesday to control the damage.

Four of the five players are on IPL 5 teams, and were caught on tape talking about manipulating matches by bowling no-balls at a designated stage of the match. Although only a couple of them have played in the ongoing tournament, IPL and BCCI were sufficiently rattled to impose bans.

The BCCI brass held a consultation over teleconference on Tuesday afternoon and discussed the specific provisions of IPL’s anti-corruption rules that allow for action to be taken on the basis of compelling proof or reasonable doubt. While the players denied the charges, it was felt the provisional ban could be invoked.

Cricketing bosses also felt that the suspension should be under BCCI rules after a reference by the IPL Board. “Invoking IPL rules would mean the players would still be eligible to play in other tournaments. Even if they are claiming to have made tall promises, a tough message is needed,” sources said.

IPL’s governing council asked Ravi Sawani, head of BCCI’s new anti-corruption unit, to conduct an inquiry and submit a report in 15 days. The suspended players are TP Sudhindra (Team Hyderabad), Mohnish Mishra (Team Pune), Amit Yadav (Team Punjab), Shalabh Shrivastava (Team Punjab) and Abhinav Bali who doesn’t have an IPL contract. All of them said the channel misrepresented meetings with an “agent” in a Delhi hotel.

A TV channel on Monday had claimed it had blown the lid off “murky deals” in IPL among players and organizers and showed the players apparently confessing on hidden camera their readiness for under-the-table payoffs. “If the players are found to be guilty, they will be punished. Bad conduct is not acceptable,” said IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla.

BCCI bigwigs examined disciplinary action earlier taken against Ravindra Jadeja for “anti-team” activities for which he was banned for a year and Manish Pandey, who was handed a four-match suspension for criticizing auction rules. The possibility of franchises being questioned about the behaviour of the errant players was also considered.

Four of the five players, barring Amit Yadav, are from the Indian Cricket League ( ICL), a defunct body. Three are not regular members of current IPL playing XIs. While, Sudhindra and Monish Mishra have played a few matches in the ongoing tournament.

BCCI president N Srinivasan issued a press release that said a committee has been set up, “To make a preliminary enquiry as per Rule 32 (ii) of the memorandum and rules and regulations of BCCI on involvement of players in illegal activities or activities against the interests of the BCCI and the game.”

The report submitted by the commissioner would be forwarded to BCCI’s disciplinary committee for a probe. The players would not be entitled to participate in any cricket match played under the aegis of BCCI while under suspension.

The IPL players’ code of conduct rule 5.2 primarily deals with discipline of the T20 league. It is understood the Commissioner of the hearing (Ravi Sawani) will allow the accused cricketers to present their case.

“Where video evidence of the alleged offence is available at the hearing before the match referee or commissioner, then it may be relied upon by any party, provided that all other parties shall have the right to make such representations in relation to it that they may see fit,” the rulebook states.

According to the channel, its operation revealed that spot-fixing is not only prevalent in IPL but first-class matches are also fixed and women play an important role in match-fixing. “We will ensure that the integrity of the game is protected. BCCI believes in the integrity of the game. We will take the strictest possible action. We will have to have the tapes and the moment we see it, whoever is the player, we will take very strict action,” Srinivasan told the media.

Cricketers under the scanner claimed a conspiracy to tarnish their image and said they had no idea about a match-fixing scandal. For instance, Bali does not have an IPL contract and only went to meet an agent to get an IPL contract.

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The Central Board of Film Certification has had to fend off a lot of brickbats ever since. And thus, to clarify their stance and to discuss issues such as U/A certification, depicting smoking on screen, sexual content, the CBFC chief Leela Samson had flown down to Mumbai on Saturday for a conference. Along with CBFC CEO, Pankaja Thakur, Samson tried to thrash out all issues, but not without making some strong comments on the industry and its ‘connections’.

While Pankaja Thakur chose to remain diplomatic and simply said that they would be talking to the IB ministry on The Dirty Picture issue, Samson said, “The lobby on The Dirty Picture is very strong. If the industry wants a new cinematograph act, then why does that same industry not come forward to ask for the implementation of the new act?”

Needless to say, the messages put forth on social networking sites and vocal opposition to the decision to pull off the television premiere of the Ekta Kapoor film, has not gone down too well with the Censor board.

On April 22, when the film was pulled off, the CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures, Tanuj Garg had stated, “It’s unfortunate that even after a valid censor certificate being in place, the telecast was held! We have not seen this happen to any other film and cannot fathom the victimisation.”

When contacted yesterday, Garg still stood up for the film. He told us, “There is no lobby. That’s support. The film industry has extended its whole hearted support to The Dirty Picture. The industry agrees that it was unfair and unfortunate for one film to have become the guinea pig despite the paper work being in place.”

“The issue has now assumed pan-industry proportions as it could happen to any other film in the future. There’s justifiable concern and anxiety in everybody’s mind and we all are hoping for a satisfactory resolution soon,” added Garg.

While the former chairperson of the CBFC, Anupam Kher denied the existence of any ‘lobby’ in the film industry, when contacted, Ekta Kapoor did not try to hide the power she has in the film industry today. Ekta told Mirror, “Yes, we have a lobby in the industry. Rameshji (Sippy) and Maheshji (Bhatt) had gone to meet the ministry. Fortunately, we have an extremely supportive and understanding IB ministry. We are expecting this issue to be resolved soon.”

On the other hand, what Samson terms as ‘lobby’, Mahesh Bhatt calls ‘unity’. He said, “We are fighting for the principles on which the industry has been functioning so far regarding the telecast of films with an U/A certificate. The Dirty Picture is caught in this tussle. Ekta Kapoor, Jeetendra and Balaji are part of the film fraternity and we cannot abandon them. It is our duty to stand up for the fundamental right. We may be in their shoes tomorrow.”

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Apparently, the reason for the breakup is Madhu’s insistence on marriage and rather than accept his proposal, Nandana has bought herself a home in New York where she plans to shift. To the both of them, a long-distance relationship is out of question, and so they have decided to part ways.

A distressed Nandana did not deny the split, saying, “Madhu and I were planning to move to New York together, but given the pace and zest with which his work in Mumbai is growing, it doesn’t make sense for him to move away. We love each other deeply, we always have, and we always will. But neither of us believes in the long-term feasibility of an inter-continental relationship.”

It was an excruciatingly difficult decision for the couple. Said Nandana, “It’s been the hardest and most painful decision that either of us has ever taken but there’s never been a shred of negativity between us about it. We understand and support each other absolutely, and each of us insists on protecting the other’s interests, like we always do. That’s why our relationship has worked so well for years. The bond that Madhu and I share is unlike any other we have ever encountered in our lives. So, even in making this joint but heartbreaking decision, as in everything we have gone through together, we have been taking care of each other every step of the way. And I know we always will. “Said Madhu Mantena, “Nandana is and will always remain my dearest friend. Yes, we’re no longer a couple. But she knows that I’m always a phonecall away. If she needs me in New York, I’ll fly down immediately.”

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NEW DELHI: Over 15 months after his arrest, former telecom minister A Raja walked out of Tihar jail on Tuesday evening. Earlier in the day, Raja was granted bail by a Delhi court in the 2G spectrum case.

Giving his full support to former telecom minister, DMK chief Karunanidhi said he is happy and Raja has the backing of the party.

The court granted bail to the DMK MP on a personal bond of Rs 20 lakh and two sureties of the same amount.

The court, in its 14-page bail order, also said that Raja would not try to influence any witnesses while on bail. Raja was arrested on February 2, 2011.

Reacting to the news, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa said the 2G scam case was getting diluted.

Meanwhile, the DMK welcomed the decision. “We welcome the court’s verdict and are hopeful that he will come out and prove his innocence,” DMK leader Tiruchi Siva said.

Asked if Raja would attend Parliament or do party work, Siva said that he will take part in activities as per conditions laid by the court for his bail.

Siva said that some DMK leaders may visit the jail at the time of the release of the former telecom minister.

The court, while granting bail to 49-year-old Raja, said all the co-accused in the case have already been granted bail and his further detention would not serve any purpose.

“In the end considering the progress of the trial, period of the custody of the accused and the fact that all other accused have been released on bail, I am of the opinion that further detention of the accused would not serve any purpose and for these reasons, I am inclined to admit the applicant/ accused (Raja) to bail,” the special judge said.

On the apprehension of the CBI that if granted bail Raja may influence witnesses and tamper with evidence, the court said it addressed them by imposing conditions and restrictions on the accused.

The court noted that entire evidence in the case was documentary and was in its custody.

“Moreover, this apprehension of the prosecution (that Raja may influence the witnesses and tamper with the evidence) can be addressed by imposing conditions and restrictions on the accused.

“Furthermore, almost entire evidence in the case is documentary in nature and the same is in the custody of the court,” the judge said.

The court also directed Raja to surrender his passport as a prerequisite for bail.

Raja, who has remained in judicial custody for over 15 months since his arrest, had sought bail on the ground of parity as other 13 co-accused have already secured bail either from the Supreme Court, the Delhi high court or the trial court.

Raja has alleged the case against him is “false and fabricated” and “not sustainable in law.”

The CBI had vehemently opposed Raja’s bail, saying he could not be released on the ground of parity as the charges levelled against him were of serious nature.

The agency has alleged that DMK-run Kalaignar TV had received Rs 200 crore as bribe from Shahid Balwa’s DB Group through a circuitous route as a quid pro quo for favours shown by Raja in spectrum allocation.

The agency has also claimed that during the probe, it had come to light that Raja and others had received a bribe of another Rs 200 crore from certain companies under its scanner in connection with the spectrum scam.
The CBI had raised questions on Raja’s alleged links with Mauritius-based Delphi Investment Ltd, in which Reliance Telecom Ltd had allegedly transferred its shares and said if released on bail at this stage, he might tamper with evidence.

Raja had sought bail, saying the Supreme Court, while granting bail to former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, had not distinguished the case of public servant from that of others.

He had submitted that he and Behura were facing similar charges of abetment, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

Raja’s counsel had submitted that as his client was no longer a Union cabinet minister, he could not tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses.

Besides Raja, his private secretary R K Chandolia, Behura, DMK MP Kanimozhi, corporate honchos — Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group’s MD Gautam Doshi, ADAG group President Surendra Pipara and Senior Vice President Hari Nair, Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra and Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka–are facing trial in the case.

The court has also put on trial Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar, Director of Cineyug Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd Karim Morani and Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajeev Agarwal.

Besides these 14 persons, three telecom firms – Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, Reliance Telecom Ltd and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Pvt Ltd, are also facing trial in the case.

Raja and others have been charged for the offence of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and corruption besides criminal breach of trust that entails a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

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NEW DELHI: The IPL’s governing council on Tuesday decided to suspend five players named in the TV sting for 15 days. The governing council also asked Ravi Sawani, the head of the BCCI’s new anti-corruption unit, to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within 15 days.

The strong action to suspend Mohnish Mishra, Shalabh Srivastava, TP Sudhindra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali was taken after a lengthy tele-conference of top BCCI officials and members of the IPL’s Governing Council.

“The IPL Governing Council met on teleconference today at 2:30 pm and they recommended to the BCCI president for strict action against those players who were found guilty and found suspicious on the television footage shown on India TV,” IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla told reporters.

“Since it also involved matter relating to other matches and previous IPL, it was referred to the president. The president after due consideration has decided to have a preliminary inquiry for which a commissioner has been appointed. Mr Ravi Sawani who was the ICC ACSU chief and now advisor will conduct the inquiry and he will submit a report to the disciplinary committee,” he said.

“Pending inquiry the five players have been suspended from all cricket activities with immediate effect. We will await the report of the preliminary inquiry and proper action will be taken only after that,” he added.

Television channel India TV on Monday claimed to have blown the lid off “murky deals” in the IPL among players, organisers, owners and big guns of Indian cricket.

That some tough measures would be taken against the players was evident when the BCCI president N Srinivasan, who is currently at Kodaikanal, made it clear that no player would be spared if found guilty.

He admitted that he was surprised by the sting operation and reiterated the BCCI’s zero tolerance towards corruption in cricket.

“We will not tolerate this nonsense. We have zero tolerance on corruption and you will not be disappointed by the action we take,” he said.

“Some evidence have been found against some players,” he added.

The TV sting operation which was aired at prime time on Monday created a flutter in the Indian cricket establishment prompting the BCCI to react quickly. It took less than 24 hours for the cricket body to take action against the players.

The channel had claimed it had done a sting operation in which many players confessed on hidden camera they get much more than their prescribed auction under the table.

According to the channel, its operation also revealed that spot-fixing is not only prevalent in IPL but also that first class matches are fixed and women played an important role in match-fixing.

The IPL’s Governing Council had sought video footage from the TV channel and is understood to have scrutinised the tapes before taking the decision of suspending the players.

Four of the five players suspended had played in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Medium pacer Sudhindra, who had played for Delhi Giants in the ICL, helped Madhya Pradesh gain promotion to Ranji Trophy’s Elite Division in the 2010-11 season. He surprised everyone in his first season in the big league, ending the 2011-12 season as its highest wicket-taker and earning himself a contract with the Deccan Chargers in the IPL.

Madhya Pradesh middle-order batsman Mishra too played for the Delhi Giants in the rebel Indian Cricket League before gaining amnesty form the BCCI. Signed by Deccan Chargers in 2010, 28-year-old Mishra moved to the newly-formed Pune Warriors in 2011.

Uttar Pradesh left-arm seamer Srivastava was India’s highest wicket-taker at the victorious Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2000. After severing ties with ICL team Delhi Giants, Srivastava was signed up by Kings XI Punjab in 2011.

22-year-old Yadav, an all-rounder, bats right-handed and bowls off-spin for Goa. He has played 14 first-class matches, scoring three half centuries and taking 41 wickets at 23.75. Yadav is on Kings XI Punjab’s roster but hasn’t made his IPL debut yet.

Left-arm spinner Bali, who was with Delhi Giants in the ICL, had played 13 first class matches and he is currently not in any IPL team.

Srivastava claimed that he was innocent and would put forward his side of story before the inquiry commissioner.

“I deny the charges but don’t want to say anything more as of now. I will put forward my views before the inquiry commissioner. I will wait for that. I respect the BCCI,” he said.

The Editor-in-Chief and chairman of India TV, Rajat Sharma stood by the story and said they had offered money to over a dozen cricketers after which they had aired the clips of cricketers, who had offered to take money to either switch teams or for spot fixing in matches.

He denied that any of the big players had sought money from the channel’s reporters who had posed as agents.

“As far as I know the big players in IPL are clean. This is possible since they have already made enough money. To me it’s not a system failure but seems some individual players are corrupt,” he said.

While conducting the sting operation, Sharma said they had come across three cricketers who had refused to take money from the reporters.

The BCCI later issued a release, expressing concern at the incident.

“An emergent meeting of the IPL Governing Council took place on teleconference today. The Governing Council discussed the video footage shown on India TV since last evening of a ‘Sting’ operation in connection with the IPL,” the release said.

“The members felt that the areas covered by the footage warranted immediate action by the president BCCI under the ‘Memorandum and Rules and Regulations’ of the BCCI against the players alleged to be involved,” it said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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