|
|
|
|
|
CJI salutes anti-rape protesters, wishes he could’ve participated
Gang rape trial starts in fast-track court
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
6
yrs of anti-domestic violence law
US & Israel, not Russia, set to dominate biennial aero show
No Suryakiran stunts this year
BJP blows Lok Sabha election bugle amid merger of Kalyan’s party
Disposal of bodies in Ganga unabated
MIM chief Owaisi surrenders, sent to jail in 2005 case
Muslim groups want ban on authors who read from Rushdie
Army to get replacement of Bofors in March
Wristbands to monitor Mysore Palace visitors’ movements
Delhi Airport Metro to resume operations today
Gadkari seeks more time from I-T Dept for appearance
|
|
CJI salutes anti-rape protesters, wishes he could’ve participated
“My nephew was also there and got beaten up” in the police crackdown on the agitators, CJI Kabir told reporters who sought his views on the incident and the agitation. He, however, said the agitation “seemed to have to been hijacked.” He said he wished he could have taken part in the agitation but obviously he could not. The CJI was responding to reporters’ queries at a function here. Asked about the need for issuing guidelines to the judiciary for dealing with such cases in view of the prevailing biases against women, Justice Kabir acknowledged that the judges had to be sensitised to a greater extent. Presiding over a Bench earlier in the day, the CJI said the SC would hear tomorrow a petition filed by Mukesh, one of the six accused in the case relating to the recent gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, pleading for shifting the trial out of Delhi. The atmosphere in Delhi was not conducive to holding a fair trial as the sentiment of every resident was against him, Mukesh has contended in the petition. Extensive media coverage of the case, every day agitations, political statements and the personal interest shown by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had put tremendous pressure on the police and the judiciary to work against him, he has pleaded.
|
|
Gang rape trial starts in fast-track court
New Delhi, January 21 Swami Omji, a founder and chairman of the Universal Rape Victim’s Federation, had filed an application on January 17 for lifting the ban on the media. Rejecting the application, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Yogesh Khanna said today, “The trial shall be held in-camera. Persons who are not connected with the case are directed to clear the courtroom to ensure safe passage for the accused. It shall not be lawful for any person to publish or print any matter related to the proceedings of this case, except with prior permission of the court.” Five of the six accused in the case were presented before the ASJ today. The next hearing will be held on January 24 and arguments on the charges to be filed against the accused will be heard. The ASJ ordered that the arguments “shall continue on day-to-day basis on working days, except otherwise ordered”. The trial of the sixth accused, who is a juvenile, is being conducted by the Juvenile Justice Board in Delhi. Advocate AP Singh, who is representing Akshay Kumar Singh and Vinay Sharma, two of the accused, today moved an application demanding that Vinay’s bone ossification test (for determining a person’s age) should be conducted. Singh told reporters outside the court, “Vinay is a juvenile. He was born on March 1, 1995.” However, the advocate denied that he possessed documents proving that Vinay is a juvenile.
|
|||
|
6 yrs of anti-domestic violence law
New Delhi, January 21 But more severe forms of physical abuse have emerged — from stabbing the woman with a knife or any other dangerous weapon, beating her up with tube lights and thrusting glass into her vitals, throwing her into a well or trying to run her over with a vehicle and attempting to push her off the roof. Sexual abuse is common but mostly not reported. Women reporting it mostly complain of forced intercourse by husbands, fathers-in-law and brothers-in-law. These trends have emerged from the first-ever analysis of 10,000 court orders passed in cases where women have sought relief under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, which completed six years today. The analysis by Lawyers’ Collective under Indira Jaisingh, Additional Solicitor General, shows how an increasing number of women are using the anti-domestic violence law for protection instead of the traditional Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961. Against 6,619 cases filed under the anti-dowry law in 2011, 42,148 applications were filed by women under the PWDV Act. Court orders are pending in 33,965 of these cases. This reveals the slow pace of justice for women caught in violent domestic surroundings. The primary cause of perpetration of violence on women is still dowry harassment followed by alcoholism, extramarital affairs and birth of a female child or the aggrieved woman’s inability to bear children. Coupled with that, newer forms of severe violence have been documented mainly in Rajasthan, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. “Harassment for dowry accompanied by physical and economic abuse is the most common form of domestic violence reported from across India. Yet there is a tendency among judges to doubt the existence of dowry charge,” the research states. It cites a case from Haryana’s Sonepat where the court ruled: “Dowry itself is a bogus word that didn’t exist prior to the arrival of the British…The word has been misused by the radical India feminist organisations…” But the good part is that courts have increasingly begun to understand domestic violence to mean a range of acts, including a husband’s threat to remarry; his insult of a woman who is unable to bear a male child or his statements that the wife is not beautiful. In cases of sexual violence, however, courts’ reasoning continues to be dominated by patriarchal notions instead of the belief that such violence is a form of abuse, the analysis
shows.
|
|||
|
US & Israel, not Russia, set to dominate biennial aero show
New Delhi, January 21 India and Russia have
the upcoming $30-billion deal for the fifth generation fighter aircraft
(FGFA) and multi-role transport aircraft, besides the $4.54-billion deal signed for 71 choppers and 42 Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters during December 2012 when Vladimir Putin visited India. The US will also be the largest participant with 67 companies, followed by France (49), the UK (33), Russia (29), Germany (22) and Israel (18). In the past few years, the US has bagged contracts to supply the C-130-J medium
transport plane, the C-17, very heavy lift transporter and the long-range
maritime reconnaissance P8-I. On the other hand, Israel has been a major supplier of missiles, ammunition, radar and surveillance equipment. Addressing a press conference, Secretary, Defence Production, RK Mathur said the ninth edition
was expected to be “bigger and better” than the previous ones. Three aerobatic display teams are expected to be the main attraction at the biennial show. In 2011, the fight for the $11-billion medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) was to be finalised and some best fighters in the word had dominated the air space. Now with the French Rafale selected as the lowest bidder, it will be the main attraction this time. The American F-16 has also confirmed participation. The show will see participation by three aerobatic display teams, including the Czech Red Bulls, the ‘Russian Knight’ and the IAF’s ALH Dhruv Sarang helicopter display team. Asked if China has confirmed its participation, Mathur said, “China has been invited for the show and a formal letter has been sent to them. But we are still awaiting confirmation from them about their participation.” A total of 78 countries would send their representatives to the aero show of which 27 would be showcasing their products at the mega event.
No Suryakiran stunts this year
Bangalore January 21 The Suryakiran team, consisting of nine aircraft, was dissolved after the Kiran Mk2 aircraft being used by the IAF for the display, was withdrawn from the team to increase the availability of the aircraft for training IAF cadets. Hawks, an Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT), were supposed to replace the Kirans for the aerobatics display team. However, this has failed to
materialise.
|
|||
|
BJP blows Lok Sabha election bugle amid merger of Kalyan’s party
Lucknow, January 21 The BJP rally at the Jhelelal Park saw an impressive turnout, easily one of
the biggest shows of the party in recent years, despite the cold weather. Setting
an aggressive tone for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, BJP president
Nitin Gadkari raised a slogan, “Hindu bhagwa ka apmaan, nahin sahega
Hindustan” (India will not tolerate the insult of Hindu saffron), and
announced nationwide protests on January 24 against Union Home Minister
Sushilkumar Shinde’s statement on saffron terror. Gadkari lashed out
at the Congress and the Samajwadi Party for indulging in Muslim
appeasement at the cost of national interest. Kalyan’s re-joining
the BJP and merger of his one-MP Jan Kranti Party took the backseat at
the rally as BJP leaders spoke about the dangers confronting the nation
on the eve of general election. Terming Rahul Gandhi’s promotion in
the Congress hierarchy as the biggest “achievement” of the party’s
“Chintan Shivir” in Jaipur, former BJP national president Rajnath
Singh spoke of the grave economic crisis and rising inflation facing the
nation. Kalyan Singh broke down during his speech saying: “I always
wanted my dead body to be wrapped in the BJP flag and that wish will now
be fulfilled.” He did not formally join the BJP today due to
technical reasons (read refusal to give up his Lok Sabha seat). Taking
the opportunity to project herself as the heir of Kalyan’s Lodh
(Backward Caste) vote bank, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma
Bharti said: “Rajivir Singh (Kalyan’s son) is not going to be Kalyan
Singh’s heir. I am like his daughter and it is a daughter who is going
to prove to be his heir.” Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh state government
employees flashed black flags at Gadkari upon his arrival at the
Choudhury Charan Singh airport this morning. They were protesting
against the party’s stance in Parliament of favouring reservation in
promotion.
|
|||
|
Disposal of bodies in Ganga unabated
Allahabad, January 21 “It was a grim sight ahead of the Mahakumbh. We looked the other way. What could we do?” said Santosh Lal, on her third Kumbh visit. Another body was fished out of the river at another spot the same day. The discharge of bodies into the river doesn’t amuse anyone in this part of the country, but environmental engineers admit it is a potential source of bio pollution and much less talked about than it should be. On an average, 20 bodies are pulled out of the river every month. Most belong to people whose families have no money to pay for the last rites or those marooned in superstition. The discharge of bodies is often made for religious reasons. Sadhus’ bodies are often discharged into the river and not cremated; around the Ganga, “jal samadhi” is commonplace. Besides, over 1 lakh kilos of unburned mass from bodies cremated along the ghats also finds its way into the river. “For religious reasons, people do not cremate the entire body. Sometimes out of poverty, they leave most parts unburned. This mass is discharged into the river, thereby polluting it,” says Mohd Sikandar from Kumbh administration’s pollution control unit. Over 20,000 bodies (sometimes 30,000) are cremated along the banks of the Ganga every month. Environmental experts say at least 5 kg unburned mass is discharged into the river from each body. That brings the discharge to whopping 1 lakh kilos a month. On the discharge of bodies into the river, the state administration has tried to raise awareness among the local residents and sadhus. “We have received some requests from sadhus for the allotment of land to carry out traditional cremation. But the demand is quite low,” says Kailash Singh of the Allahabad municipal corporation. During the Mahakumbh, over 50 personnel of “Water Police”, a special cadre, is manning the river to scout for bodies or animal carcasses. Around 40 boats have been pressed into service and boating has been banned at Sangam ghat, the most auspicious place for the holy dip. Even locals feel the practice of discharge of bodies into the Ganga must end. “People have been polluting the river for ages. They throw away bodies of snake-bitten and leprosy-afflicted persons even today. This is unacceptable,” says Satish Chandra Mishra, a local resident. The state is now promoting electric crematoria to assist poor people with the last rites. There are two crematoria in Allahabad and four furnaces. An NGO has been roped in to aid the task. But Sanjeev Pradhan, environmental engineer with Allahabad MC, admits: “Our electric crematoria are hugely underutilised. More awareness needs to be raised.” Until the awareness comes, the Ganga will continue to bear the brunt of bio pollution, the least talked about in the larger debate on river’s violation.
|
|||
|
MIM chief Owaisi surrenders, sent to jail in 2005 case
Hyderabad, January 21 The MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi was sent to jail today after he surrendered before a court in Medak district in connection with an eight-year-old case. He was prime accused in a case booked in March, 2005, for allegedly abusing an officer and obstructing the road widening works in the district, adjoining the state capital. His younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi, who is the party’s floor leader in the state Assembly, is currently lodged in a jail in Adilabad following his arrest earlier this month for the alleged “hate speech”, targeting the Hindu community. The MIM, a formidable political force in Hyderabad, has seven MLAs, all representing the city constituencies and an MP. The MIM chief drove to Sangareddy town, headquarters of Medak district, about 65 km from here, and surrendered before a local court. The judge remanded him to judicial custody till February 2. Soon after, he was shifted to a jail in the town. The Hyderabad MP's lawyers filed a bail petition on his behalf but the court adjourned the hearing to Tuesday. The surrender came after the court dismissed his petition, seeking cancellation of the non-bailable warrant pending against him. The case relates to 2005 when district officials, led by the then collector Anil Kumar Singhal, were removing the encroachments that included a place of worship at Muttangi in Medak district. The MIM leaders, including Asaduddin, his brother Akbaruddin, Afsar Khan, Pasha Qadri and Mozam Khan, allegedly obstructed the works and manhandled the official.
‘Abused’ officer
|
|||
|
Muslim groups want ban on authors who read from Rushdie
Jaipur, January 21 "If any author, who has courted controversy by hurting the sentiments of the community, comes here to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival, we will oppose and they will have to face strong action," Mujahid Naqvi, a Muslim scholar, said today. "One of the four authors, Jeet Thayil, who read a passage from ‘Satanic Verses’ last year, is also scheduled to participate this year also and we oppose this. Four authors - Jeet Thayil, Ruchir, Hari Kunzuru and Amitava Kumar - read from the banned book which tantamount to legal action," he said. This was decided at the 'Azeemusshan Azmat-E- Namoos-E-Rasool’ conference held here yesterday by Muslim groups of the state, and this is the feeling of the community, he said. Another scholar, Sajid Sehrai, who organised the conference, said the organisers of the literature festival should ensure that no author or speaker, who has hurt sentiments of the community, attends the event. —
PTI
Dalai Lama at Jaipur lit fest
NEW DELHI: The 14th Dalai Lama will attend the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival on the eve of the discussion on "The Buddha in Literature" on January 25.
|
|||
|
Army to get replacement of Bofors in March
New Delhi, January 21 Secretary, Defence Production, RK Mathur told reporters today that the trials of the indigenous 155 mm guns, which have been conducted in the presence of the Army, were “extremely satisfactory”. The guns will be handed over to the Army for user trial in March. As of now, the Army has ordered 114 of these 155mm guns of 45 calibre. The Ministry of Defence has already okayed the induction. The gun is based on the existing AB Bofors design for which Gun Carriage Factory holds the Transfer of Technology (ToT) licence from the AB Bofors. This will be the first time in 25 years that the Indian Army will get new artillery gun. Attempt to procure new guns earlier failed to materialise in the backdrop of the Bofors scandal. The tests for the gun have been conducted in extreme climatic conditions in the Himalayas. A summer trial was conducted in May at Pokhran in temperatures exceeding 50°C. The last series of trials were conducted at Balasore in Orissa last year in December at a technology intensive range. Defence Minister AK Antony has set a target of inducting the gun in 2013. The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has been tasked with manufacturing 155mm Howitzers. Under the project, the OFB will manufacture two prototypes of 155mm 39 calibre FH-77-B02 guns (the technical name for Bofors) and the upgraded version of 155 mm 45 calibre Howitzers. The decision to allow the OFB to manufacture these guns was taken after the Army failed in more than five attempts to modernise its artillery. As part of its artillery modernisation plan, the Army plans to purchase 400 Howitzers that can be towed away along with 180 self-propelled ones and 145 Ultra Light Howitzers (ULH).
|
|||
|
Wristbands to monitor Mysore Palace visitors’ movements
Bangalore, January 21 The barcode wristband system would help the security staff to locate all the visitors to the palace through a centrally located control room. The wristbands will be issued to visitors at the ticket-issuing counters in lieu of tickets. The wristbands will carry the date and time of the entry of the visitor, a serial number and contact numbers in case of an emergency. The board wants the new system to become functional by March.
|
|||
|
Delhi Airport Metro to resume operations today
The corridor developed under Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Reliance Infrastructure Limited-led Consortium Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited was temporarily shut down in July last year after defects in civil structure were discovered. “The defects have since been rectified by the DMRC. Tomorrow, commuters can travel on the corridor at a discounted ticket of Rs 30,” said a Reliance Infra Spokesperson. The Airport Express metro that connects the New Delhi Railway station and Cannaught place at the heart of the capital to the IGI airport finally got the green signal from the Commissioner Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) to run at 50 kmph, as compared to the 105 kmph that Reliance Infra had debuted with. The corridor was equipped to handle speeds of 120 kmph. The CMRS not only checked the tracks which had developed problems in the girder, but also the rolling stock, station area, fire safety mechanism, entry and exits and operational preparedness such as baggage claim handling and check-in facility. Sources in Delhi Metro said the DMRC, responsible for the civil works on the corridor, will periodically assess the performance of the trains on a monthly basis and then upgrade the speed accordingly. However, for now, the journey from New Delhi Railway station to Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport will now take at least half-an-hour, against the earlier 18-20 minutes. Till Dwarka, the line would take 35 minutes. The line would run daily for 18 hours from 5.30am to 11.30am at a frequency of 15 minutes. The baggage check-in, however, hasn’t been commissioned yet and will be started shortly.
|
|
Gadkari seeks more time from I-T Dept for appearance Nagpur, January 21 Citing his preoccupation with party work as the reason for his inability to appear before the tax authorities, he sought fresh time, official sources said. They said, "He has now been asked to appear on February 1." Sources said two authorised representatives of Gadkari met I-T officials here and submitted a 25-page document in reply to department's question regarding his personal transactions and investments related to the Purti group of companies and a few others. Gadkari was not immediately available for comment while the BJP declined to give any reaction. —
PTI |
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir today justified the recent agitation over the gang rape and murder of a physiotherapy student in Delhi, observing that “I salute every one” who were part of it demanding quick justice for the victim.
Originally scheduled to announce the merger of former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh’s Jan Kranti Party into the Bhartiya Janata Party, the Atal Shankhanaad Rally today ended up blowing the election bugle for the saffron party’s Lok Sabha election campaign.
Allahabad, January 21
New Delhi, January 21
US and Israeli companies have booked the maximum space at the biennial Aero India that starts in Bangalore on February 6. Russia will occupy the third largest space chunk in the 1.25 lakh sq m show area at the Yelanhaka airbase. It may not be a signal that Russia’s dominance in the Indian defence market has ended, but it surely shows the new players are aggressive in marketing their products.
New Delhi, January 21