Bhopal, Mar 12: Shifting the trial of Prof HS Sabharwal murder case from Ujjain to Nagpur on Supreme Court order echoed in the state Assembly today with the opposition arraigning the BJP government saying it was shameful.

While the House was transacting official business, leader of the opposition Jamuna Devi informed the House about the Apex Court order and said it was a proof that the people had lost their faith on the BJP government.

Sajjan Singh Verma (Cong) also joined in saying it was a 'black day' for the BJP government. ''It was shameful'', he added. Uma Shankar Gupta (BJP) tried to intervene saying only the venue of trial was shifted, but the opposition members jeered him down amid cries of ''shame, shame''.

Prof Sabharwal was beaten to death allegedly by ABVP leaders at Ujjain's Madhav College premises in 2006 after the postponement of students union elections. His son Himanshu Sabharwal petitioned the Supreme Court alleging the BJP government was sparing no efforts in shielding the culprits and most of the 51 witnesses had turned hostile as they were intimidated and pressurised by the accused and the state police.

He also stated that the accused were getting VIP treatment in state jails and recently Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan remained with an accused Vimal Tomar for over half an hour in a hospital. The Supreme Court today directed to complete the trial in eight months and permitted Himanshu to approach the trial court for recalling the witnesses.

Govt waives excise export tax

By Our Staff Reporter

Bhopal, Mar 12: Commercial Tax Minister and former chief minister Babulal Gaur today announced in the Assembly that the state government was waiving excise export tax besides reducing penalty from five times to three times on tax evasion.

Replying to a debate on budgetary demands for his department, Gaur said, ''the waiver will place an additional burden of Rs 8.58 crore on the exchequer.'' Revenue earning went up from Rs 3,952 cr to more than Rs 7,000 cr during the past four years of Bharatiya Janata Party rule, he claimed.

Claiming that 98 per cent of those in the tax net paid their taxes, the Minister said that this was a record. After Gaur's reply, demands exceeding Rs 735.84 crore were passed.