The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Appointment of PS to 3 ministers put on hold New Delhi, June 16 The appointment of private secretaries to three Union ministers, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, has been put on hold, according to official sources. The decision is understood to have been taken in the wake of a circular from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) that the appointment in the minister's personal staff, including private secretaries and officers on special duty, should be cleared by the appointments' committee of the Cabinet. The DoPT comes under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The overall charge of the ministry is under the Prime Minister assisted by a minister of state. Currently, Jitendra Singh is the minister of state in this ministry. — PTI
	Jute mill CEO stonned to death Tribune News Service Kolkata, June 16 Following a labour unrest, the CEO of Chapdani Northbrok Jute Mill in Hooghly, Harkisehn Maheswari (69), was stonned to death inside his office today. Sources said workers belonging to the CITU and the BJP-controlled BMS were responsible for the killing. In the incident, the factory GM (Personnel) MK Jha and Chief Security Officer Jadugopal Sadhukhan were also injured. Workers were angry over the factory’s decision to cut their weekly wages by denying them their due workloads. Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the CPI (M) now with the help of the BJP was once again trying to disturb the peace on the labour front.
	CEO lynching Cong demands probe; Six held Kolkata, June 16 The Congress today demanded a high-level and fair probe into yesterday's killing of the CEO of Northbrook Jute Co Ltd. “We demand a high-level and impartial probe into the killing of the CEO of the Jute Mill. The truth should come out,” state Congress leader Manas Bhuniya said. Six workers of Northbrook Jute Co Ltd were arrested for their involvement in the lynching of its CEO HK Maheswari (69), with the management putting up a suspension of work notice today citing labour unrest. Workers were angry over the factory’s decision to cut their weekly wages by denying them their due workloads. — PTI
	Fake travel bills case CBI quizzes TMC MP New Delhi, June 16 The CBI today questioned Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member D Bandopadhyay in connection with alleged inflated travel reimbursement claimed by him through ‘fake’ bills. CBI sources said the MP was questioned in the afternoon for nearly 90 minutes. Bandopadhyay later said he was satisfied with the way he was questioned and described CBI as the "civilised bureau of investigation". "They were very cordial and did not trouble me at all. They asked various questions for nearly one and a half hour. But I cannot reveal details. I must say the agency is civilised bureau of investigation," he told reporters. The CBI has alleged that Bandopadhyay had presented four tickets worth Rs 1.28 lakh whereas actual payment of Rs 2,000 was made to Air India, thus making a gain for Rs 1.26 lakh for himself on the inflated bills. Trying to distance himself from the scam, the MP said the fraud could have been perpetrated by the travel agents who booked tickets on his behalf. The agency has registered cases against three sitting MPs -- Bandopadhyay, Brajesh Pathak of the BSP and Lalhming Liana of Mizo National Front and three former Rajya Sabha members JPN Singh (BJP), Mahmood A Madani (Rashtriya Lok Dal) and Renu Pradhan (Biju Janata Dal) in connection with the case. The agency claimed to have detected some more instances of alleged criminality during scrutiny of documents recovered during the first case registered in this connection on November 1 last year. After registering the case, CBI spokesperson had said that the MPs had allgedly claimed full payment on companion air tickets from Rajya Sabha Secretariat using fake e-tickets. The sources said MPs booked their tickets under an Air India promotional scheme where full fare economy class ticket passengers were entitled to have one ticket for their companion on nominal rates but submitted e-tickets of full fare for claiming reimbursement. The sources said the case triggered from the interrogation of JD(U) MP Anil Kumar Sahani against whom a case was registered for allegedly presenting fake bills to claim the reimbursement. — PTI
	Ensure safe return of Punjabi youths stuck in Iraq, MEA urged Amritsar, June 16 Families of Punjabi youths, who are stuck in the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Tikrit, which have been overrun by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), have urged the Indian Government to ensure safe and early return of their children. The families approached the Indian high commission in Bagdad for help. Reports said 41 Punjabi boys were working in a company —Tarikh Noor-ul-Huda — in Mosul for the past 10 months. After the city was captured by the ISIS, they reportedly are under the care of ISIS. Gurpinder Kaur, a resident of Majitha, said her brother Manjinder Singh was among other Punjabi boys working in an Iraqi company, which was closed after the area was captured by ISIS warriors. She, however, said her brother called her yesterday and informed her that the ISIS wanted to help them out for their retrieval to India. Manjinder informed her sister that the ISIS told them that they wanted to hand over all Indians safely to Indian officials without any condition. Kaur has been in touch with the Indian embassy in Bagdad and has also sought help from the External Affairs Minister. The families of these boys have urged Sushma Swraj to intervene on the issue and do the needful to bring them to India. — ANI
	8 IITs sanctioned in 2008 still have no campus Estimated cost jumps by 156%; HRD Minister to hold meeting of state education secys today Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 16 The BJP government’s promise of one Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for every state is set to be challenged by some hard realities. None of the eight new IITs sanctioned in the XIth Five Year Plan (2007-2012) have yet managed to get a permanent campus. Worse: The expenditure estimated on creating infrastructure for the eight IITs has shot up since July 17, 2008, when the then Cabinet approved the detailed project reports. The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry’s calculations show that the cost has escalated by a whopping 156 per cent from Rs 6,080 crore in 2008 to Rs 15,565 crore. The revision, ministry documents reveal, was necessitated due to delayed land allotment for campuses by states and revised Central Public Works Department (CPWD) rates. The revised cost for the IITs is awaiting the Finance Ministry’s approval. HRD Minister Smriti Irani has called a meeting of state education secretaries tomorrow, her first major meeting after assuming the charge. One of the agenda item is “infrastructure for new IITs”, besides discussions on the BJP’s poll manifesto promise of one IIT in every state. The eight institutes include IITs at Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Ropar (Punjab), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Mandi (Himachal Pradesh). Six of these institutes started functioning from the 2008-09 academic year and the others from 2009-10. The HRD Ministry note on the current status of these eight IITs says: “Though land for the permanent campus of each IIT has been provided by the respective state governments, all these are presently functioning from temporary premises. Construction of the permanent campuses of IITs Hyderabad, Mandi, Bhubaneswar, Patna and Gandhinagar is in progress while the construction of the remaining IITs at Ropar, Jodhpur and Indore is yet to start.” The Mandi IIT has reported slow pace of construction and written to the Centre for an airport at Mandi for better access to the institute. Out of 501.42 acres allotted by the Madhya Pradesh Government for the Indore IIT, 200 acres are yet to be handed over by the Forest Department to the institute. Of land allotted for Bhubaneshwar IIT, some part is disputed. IIT Mandi wants airport for better access The IIT Mandi authorities have urged the Centre to construct an airport at Mandi for better access to the new institute. Former HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju had forwarded the request to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, with a positive note. Seemandhra to get new IIT, IIM, NIT, IIIT The HRD Ministry on Tuesday will urge Seemandhra to allocate land for new IIT, IIM, NIT and IIIT as part of the settlement following the bifurcation of state. The Hyderabad IIT will eventually go to Telangana. IITs without buildings The eight institutes sanctioned in 2008 include IITs Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Ropar (Punjab), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Mandi (Himachal Pradesh).
	JD(U) calls for unity among regional parties to counter BJP New Delhi, June 16 Accusing the Modi government of interfering in states ruled by non-BJP parties by creating an “artificial crisis” there, the JD(U) today appealed to regional parties such as Trinamool Congress, BJD and Samajwadi Party to “join hands” to counter the “dirty designs”. Reminding Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his “cooperative federalism” pitch in Parliament, JD(U) general secretary KC Tyagi says on the contrary in the last few days, it looks the “new government has come up with a new programme of Opposition-mukt (free) Bharat”. He alleged that since the BJP government has taken over there is “regular interference” in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. “This kind of attitude is completely against the federal structure,” Tyagi said, alleging that the newly elected government is following the footsteps of the Congress government in the past when it used to “create an artificial crisis in the state to dismiss the government” elected by the people and then push for the elections after imposing President’s Rule. “If this kind of attitude does not stop here, then we will appeal to all regional parties to join hands and develop an understanding to oppose these dirty designs of the BJP government at the Centre,” Tyagi said. While the JD(U) is in power in Bihar, Trinamool Congress, Samjawadi Party and Biju Janta Dal (BJD) rule in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, respectively. Ever since its crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, the JD (U) had been trying to bring all regional parties together on various issues. The JD(U) leader referred to criticism by ministers of state governments on the sensitive issues such as law and order situation. “Same is the story in Bihar as well,” said the JD(U) MP, who party is involved in frequent clashes with the BJP after snapping its 17-year-old ties with it in June last year. Tyagi said when the BJP failed to win over the TMC for “political gain in Rajya Sabha... such interferences started happening to put pressure on the government.” — PTI
	tribal’s gang rape Trinamool team to visit BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh Kolkata, June 16 A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threatened to send her MPs on fact-finding missions to BJP-ruled states, the Trinamool Congress Monday announced that five of its parliamentarians would head to Madhya Pradesh where a tribal woman was gang-raped. Irked over the BJP sending Central party delegations to assess the law and order situation in the state, Banerjee Sunday declared a “tit-for-tat” approach and said she would “send a Trinamool team to the BJP-ruled states whenever there is any issue there”. A five-member Trinamool Congress delegation comprising Rajya Sabha members SS Roy and Nadimul Haque and Lok Sabha members Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Arpita Ghosh and Uma Soren will head to Khandwa, where a 30-year-old woman was gang-raped and paraded naked. Confirming the move, Dastidar said the schedule of the visit will be finalised soon. “A decision has been taken about the visit, the schedule is being finalised,” Dastidar told IANS. The horrific incident happened earlier in the month when a group of men, including her estranged husband, raped her in front of her minor son, paraded her naked and even forced to drink urine. — IANS Didi's 'tit for tat' Upset over the BJP sending central party delegations to assess the law and order situation in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee on Sunday declared a "tit-for-tat" approach and said she would "send a Trinamool team to the BJP-ruled states whenever there is any issue there" A five-member Trinamool Congress delegation comprising Rajya Sabha members SS Roy and Nadimul Haque and Lok Sabha members Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Arpita Ghosh and Uma Soren will head to Khandwa, where a 30-year-old woman was gang-raped and paraded naked
	AICC backs Tarun Gogoi, dissidents fall in line Bijay Sankar Bora Tribune News Service Guwahati, June 16 After failing to persuade the party high command to concede their demand for a change of the chief minister, 46 dissident Congress MLAs in Assam have decided to call truce, apparently to avoid punitive action from the AICC disciplinary committee. Coming back from New Delhi after meeting AICC leaders, the leader of dissident group of MLAs and education and health minister Himanta Bishwa Sharma met Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and offered to resign as a minister. He said he had a detailed discussion with dissident MLAs after his return from New Delhi where he had gone to meet senior party leaders like Sonia Gandhi, C P Joshi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Motilal Vora to present before them the issues raised by the dissident party MLAs. He said all 46 dissident legislators had decided to work for the party on the instruction of Congress president Sonia Gandhi to ensure win of the party in 2016 Assembly election in Assam. The chief minister was free to reshuffle his council of ministers. “All 46 dissident MLAs are not aspiring to become ministers. The Chief Minister is free to even drop four ministers from our group from the ministry but they will continue to work sincerely in consultation with the chief minister till the time they remain ministers,” Sharma said.
	Japan, India all set to ink carbon offset agreement Tokyo, June 16 Japan plans to agree a carbon offset deal with India, Japanese media reported, citing unnamed government sources, potentially making the south Asian country the largest economy yet to sign up to cut greenhouse gas emissions under a Japanese scheme. The two are expected to announce plans to accelerate negotiations over Japan’s bilateral carbon offset mechanism when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tokyo in early July for annual talks, the Nikkei news agency reported on Monday. A deal would allow Japanese companies to install carbon-cutting technology in India and in return receive carbon credits under the Joint Crediting Mechanism. — Reuters
	Mumbai cops, cyber vigilantes to keep eye on social sites Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, June 16 Days after a Muslim man was lynched to death by alleged members of the Hindu Rashtra Sena after some provocative posts on the Facebook, the Mumbai police have joined hands with cyber vigilantes to monitor online media. The Cyber Crime Cell of the Mumbai police has launched a 24-hour helpline for people to phone and report offensive posts on the social media sites. Called the Media Cyber Lab, it has facilities to scan thousands of posts on the Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, according to the police. The police said people could phone or send messages about offensive posts on phone number 9820810007. “The police will respond immediately to any message received on this number. Citizens can send a link to any offensive post and we will block it immediately,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sadanand Date. Date said only posts that were genuinely offensive would be blocked, but several groups of vigilantes have taken upon themselves to monitor social media in the state. One such group has come up on the Facebook itself. Called the Social Peace Force, the group has roped in members to mark as ‘spam’ posts they consider offensive. Apparently, Facebook has a feature which automatically blocks a post if it is marked as spam by at least 1,600 people. “Simply... Youth Group to stop anti-social messages on FB! We will not like or comment but will report spam. It’s the easiest way to fight the culprits who are spreading anti-national messages/ images and stopping ourselves from Development,” says the introduction to the group. According to the group, more than 15,000 people have already signed up. 24-hour helpline The Cyber Crime Cell of the Mumbai Police launches 24-hour helpline for people to phone and report offensive posts on social media sites People can phone or send messages about offensive posts on phone number 9820810007 Only posts that are genuinely offensive will be blocked Several groups of vigilantes to monitor social media in the state
	100 days left for ‘Mars orbit insertion’ manoeuvre Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Bangalore, June 16 In exactly 100 days from today, on September 24, India – unless something goes drastically wrong – will achieve a great landmark in the spacefaring arena as the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is slated for the crucial manoeuvre of insertion in the orbit of the Red Planet on that day. The MOM, launched from Sriharikota near Chennai on November 5 last year by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with its workhorse rocket polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV), has already completed 70 per cent of its total journey of 680 million km to Mars. The MOM’s radio distance from earth is 108 million km. “Signals sent from the MOM take six minutes to reach earth. Health of the five payloads aboard the spacecraft as well as that of the spacecraft itself is normal”, an ISRO official said. The payloads include a methane sensor for investigating the possibility of existence of life on Mars. On April 9, MOM crossed the half-way mark of its journey to the Red Planet along the designated helio-centric trajectory. The mission had successfully completed 100 days in space on February 12. Trans Mars Injection (TMI) manoeuvre was carried out on December 01, 2013, to give necessary thrust to the spacecraft to escape from earth and launch the journey towards Mars. On September 24, the spacecraft will arrive at the Mars Sphere of Influence (around 5,73,473 km from the surface of Mars) in a hyperbolic trajectory. When the spacecraft will reach the closest approach to Mars (Periapsis), it will be allowed to be “captured” into planned orbit around Mars by reducing its speed which is called the Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) manoeuvre.
	CBI takes over probe into Munde’s death New Delhi, June 16 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe into the death of BJP leader Gopinath Munde following a road accident in Delhi. Sources said a case had been registered by the agency after it took over the probe from Delhi Police. They said the Home Ministry recommended handing over of the case to the agency after many political leaders demanded a CBI probe into the accident of Munde, who had just taken charge as the Rural Development Minister in the Modi government. Munde, 64, a popular backward class leader from Maharashtra, was on his way to the Indira Gandhi airport on June 3 when his car was hit by another vehicle in the national capital. — PTI
	Inter-State Council seeks time to reactivate zonal councils KV Prasad Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 16 With the Narendra Modi government promising to work towards building better Centre-state relations, the Inter-State Council (ISC), in its first move, has sought time from Home Minister Rajnath Singh to call a meeting of the zonal councils. “We have requested the Home Minister to give us time to call a meeting of three of the five zonal councils — northern, central and western. We hope to organise the meeting during next two months,’’ ISC Secretariat officials told The Tribune. The government’s intent was emphasised by President Pranab Mukherjee while addressing the joint session of Parliament on June 9. “My government will reinvigorate fora like the National Development Council and the Inter-State Council. The Centre will be an enabler in the rapid progress of the states through cooperative federalism,” the President had said. In the two-tier structure, the ISC is headed by the Prime Minister and awaits re-constitution, while the five zonal councils are chaired by the Home Minister with a chief minister of the region holding the post of vice-chairman by rotation for a period of one year. At present, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is holding the post in the Northern Zonal Council (NZC). The last meeting of the NZC was held in Chandigarh in July 2012, while its Standing Committee met in Jaipur in May last year. The ISC was set up in 1990 and since then, it has met 10 times, twice during the UPA-I. The UPA government did not push for the ISC and in comparison, organised meetings of the National Development Council more frequently which among other things considered the approach paper to the 12th Plan. The ISC Secretariat monitors the implementation of the recommendations of the council with the concerned, including the 247 recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission on the Centre-State relations.
	BSF to acquire 8 choppers for anti-Maoist operations: DG Shaurya Karanbir Gurung Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 15 To improve its mobility in the anti-Maoist operations, the Border Security Force (BSF) will procure eight more helicopters from Russia over a period of four months. Talking to The Tribune, BSF Director General Devendra Kumar Pathak said: “The Air Wing of the force already has 17 aircraft, including both fixed-wing and rotary-wing, such as Cheetah, Mi-17 1V and Dhruv, which is the latest procurement.” From September this year, the BSF would start procuring eight Mi-17 V5 helicopters, one of the latest versions of the Mi-17s, from Russia, the DG said. The new helicopters would be used mainly in the anti-Maoist operations, including emergency evacuation and transportation of troops, he said. The older choppers would then be shifted to other places, the DG said. “We will also see if the new choppers can be used along the India-Myanmar border. The BSF is yet to get approval to take over this border from the Assam Rifles,” said Pathak. The DG said with expansion of the Air Wing, the BSF would also upgrade its air bases. The BSF has its air bases in Raipur, Ranchi, Jagdalpur and Srinagar. “There is no plan to construct more air bases, but we will upgrade the existing ones at Srinagar, Ranchi and Raipur,” said Pathak. “There is an acute shortage of pilots, but we have adequate number of co-pilots,” said Pathak. The DG said: “The Indian Air Force does not send its serving pilots, but only aircraft maintenance crew on deputation to the BSF. We want to improve our daily maintenance capability. For major upgrades, the aircraft will be sent to the manufacturer.” “We want to become self-reliant as far as pilots and aircraft maintenance works are concerned. We hope to achieve this in next three to four years,” Pathak said.
	BJP leaders worked only for personal gains: Omar Amit Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, June 16 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was all fire and brimstone against the state BJP leadership who, he alleged, had bargained the interests of the Jammu region for their personal gains. He even said the BJP legislators, who were now protesting against power outages in Jammu, had voted for the ruling alliance candidates in Legislative Council elections in April 2011. Omar was angry a result of the protest held by some BJP legislators at a function here on Monday. The BJP leaders, including legislature party leader Ashok Khajuria, protested against massive power cuts in Jammu, which is reeling under temperature touching 47 degree Celsius. When Omar came to speak at the function, he lambasted BJP leadership for its ‘double standards’. Omar disclosed that Saffron party leaders had always sought personal benefits from him and his father Farooq Abdullah. He said the local BJP leaders always protected their petty personal interests, bartering these with the larger interests of Jammu people.
	Gir sanctuary closed for visitors Manas Dasgupta Ahmedabad, June 16 The Gir National Park, the only abode of the Asiatic lions in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, has been closed for tourists from today for four months. An official spokesman for the Forest Department said the Gir sanctuary would now reopen for the visitors only on October 15 after the end of mating season for the Asiatic lions and many other wild animals in the national park. “There has to be no outside disturbances during the breeding season of the fauna,” the spokesman said. Besides the mating season, the monsoon could also pose danger to the visitors in view of floods causing serious damages to road bridges. The Forest Department would start the maintenance works only in September, he said.
	MHA revises selection policy for management courses Now, there will be 3 nominees from state police, 2 from central forces Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 16 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been receiving overwhelming responses from police officers for the short-term management courses sponsored in the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and various other management schools. Consequently, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), the nodal agency for nominating the police officers for such courses, has revised its selection policy to deal with the situation. There are as many as 35 management courses that can be attended by officers from the Indian Police Services (IPS) and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) under the Home Ministry. The number of nominations received for each course is about four times the number of vacancies available. These courses are meant to hone the administrative skills of the officers and expose them to contemporary management concept and practices. In a circular issued to the heads of the state police forces and the CAPFs a few days ago, the BPRD has stated that in order to make the nomination process more transparent, there would be five main nominees and two reserve nominees for each course. Out of the main nominees, three would be from the state police forces and the other two from the CAPFs. In the reserve list, there would be one each from the state police and the CAPF. The five main nominations have further been allocated in accordance with seniority, with two being allocated to officers at the level of Director General or Additional Director General, two for Inspector General or Deputy Inspector General and the remaining for the level of Senior Superintendent of Police or Superintendent of Police and equivalents. The minimum eligibility for the IPS officers has been fixed at the level of Junior Administrative Grade and at least nine years of service, while for the CAPF officers, it is the grade of Rs 8,900 and the rank of DIG. Preference would be given to a woman officer for one seat in each course and any officer who has attended the designated course in an IIM or a long-term management course would not be eligible for a similar course for the next two years.
	Cong-NCP seat-sharing talks begin on bitter note Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, June 16 For the forthcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra, seat-sharing talks between the Congress and its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), have begun on an acrimonious note. Sources said an informal meeting of leaders of the two parties resulted in bickering. The NCP has been demanding more seats in the coming Assembly elections as compared to 2009. “In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had won 17 seats while the NCP bagged only eight seats. But in the Assembly elections, the NCP contested on 114 seats and left 174 seats for the Congress,” NCP spokesman Nawab Malik told mediapersons. This time, the NCP wanted to contest more seats as it had won four of the 48 Lok Sabha seats while the Congress got just two seats, he said. With Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan proving to be a tough bargainer on behalf of the Congress, the NCP has started targeting him. NCP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, have again raised the issue that Chavan’s slow decision-making would hamper their chances of victory in the Assembly elections.
	Uphaar Fire Tragedy SC judge recuses himself from hearing Ansal’s plea New Delhi, June 16 A Supreme Court judge today recused himself from hearing a plea of real estate baron Gopal Ansal, convicted in the Uphaar fire tragedy case, seeking its nod to visit London and New York on a business trip. As soon as Ansal’s lawyer mentioned the matter, Justice Vikramajit Sen, who was heading the Bench, said the case be listed before another Bench. Ansal has petitioned the court seeking its permission to travel to London from June 16-20 and to New York on June 20-27 and return to India on June 28-29. Ansal brothers — Sushil and Gopal — who have been convicted in the June 13, 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy which claimed 59 lives during the screening of the Hindi blockbuster ‘Border’, were restrained by the apex court on April 22 from leaving the country without its permission. Gopal Ansal said he needed to travel to London to meet financers, investors, architects and to discuss investment proposals for 45 acres belonging to Ansal Buildwell Ltd and associate companies in Kumrakom, Kerala. For his New York visit from London, Ansal said he needed to explore real estate development possibilities in and around the US city. On March 26, the apex court had expressed serious displeasure over Sushil Ansal leaving the country without its prior nod. The Association of Victims of Uphaar Fire Tragedy (AVUT) had approached the Supreme Court against Ansals’ travelling abroad without the court’s permission. The apex court had on March 5 upheld the conviction of the Ansals in the case, saying they were more interested about making money than ensuring safety of the cinegoers. — PTI
	Medico-legal protocols being broken in rape cases: Vardhan Says one-stop crisis centre will come up in every state soon Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 16 Standing up for the rights of sexual assault victims, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today admitted that medico-legal protocols in cases of rape were being callously broken in hospital settings and needed to be tightly adhered to. Vardhan, who was in Bhopal today to inaugurate the country’s first single window one-stop crisis centre for women victims of atrocities, instructed all hospital staff to deal with victims of rape and assault most sensitively. He also said he had instructed all state governments to set up one-stop crisis centres to ensure medico-legal protocols for rape victims are firmly followed. “I have personally interacted with the families of rape victims and seen their suffering at the hands of an insensitive system. During the first few hours following a rape, the protocol for giving medico legal assistance is callously broken. As most victims are from poor backgrounds, they are often not in a position to demand that rules are adhered to. Most often they are not even aware of the protocol established under the law,” the minister said adding that it was society’s responsibility that victims were are given justice and rehabilitation so they could overcome humiliation and move on. The statement is significant as most victims of rape suffer humiliation in hospitals, the first point of contact post the crime. Vardhan said the psychological trauma of a battered woman was greater than the physical pain she underwent in the aftermath of being subjected to an atrocity. “It is absolutely unconditional that all those involved in advancing her medico-legal support are sensitised,” he said bringing a long neglected area of medical aid to rape victims at centre stage. Although the Criminal Amendment Law changed after the Delhi gang rape directs all hospitals, government and private, to offer treatment to rape victims, many continue to deny the victims their rights. Vardhan was speaking at a function to mark the launch of a One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) under the aegis of Jai Prakash Hospital, Bhopal to provide support, care, treatment, security and legal advice to women who have been subjected to assault. It is the country’s first single window service set up as part of the Madhya Pradesh government’s “Gauravi” Mahila Samman Evam Sangrakshan Abhiyaan. CM Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, actor Aamir Khan and MP Health Minister Narottam Mishra were also present. Vardhan earlier took a round of AIIMS Bhopal. 'Be more sensitive' Vardhan, who was in Bhopal on Monday to inaugurate the country's first single window one-stop crisis centre for women victims of atrocities, instructed all hospital staff to deal with victims of rape and assault most sensitively He also said he had instructed all state governments to set up one-stop crisis centres to ensure medico-legal protocols for rape victims are firmly followed
	Can’t be swayed by media reporting, says Delhi court New Delhi, June 16 Deprecating the hue and cry over acquittals in rape cases, a Delhi court has said that judiciary cannot be swayed by emotions or media reporting and has to limit itself to the ambit of law, testimonies of witnesses in deciding such cases. “It would not be out of place to mention here that today there is a public outrage and a hue and cry is being raised everywhere that Courts are not convicting the rape accused. “However, no man, accused of rape, can be convicted if the witnesses do not support the prosecution case or give quality evidence, as in the present case where the prosecutrix is hostile... “It should not be ignored that the Court has to confine itself to the ambit of law and the contents of the file as well as the testimonies of the witnesses and is not to be swayed by emotions or reporting in the media,” Additional Sessions Judge Nivedita Anil Sharma said. The court made the remarks while acquitting two Delhi residents Pawan Kumar Tyagi and Kailash Chand of the charges of rape, abduction and criminal intimidation after the alleged victim turned hostile. — PTI