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Court seeks review of 70-yr-old colonial notification New Delhi, January 18 The order came from Justice J. D. Kapoor, who noticed that the notification issued by the then Delhi Chief Commissioner, Mr. J. N. G. Johnson, way back in 1933, to tackle the civil disobedience movement against the British rule, was still being “used” by the police. Justice Kapoor was hearing a petition seeking quashing
of an FIR under Section 506 of the IPC in a case, wherein two neighbours living on a common premises had agreed to settle a case on their own, but the said notification, which made the offence “cognizable” and “non-bailable”, was coming in the way. Interestingly, both the Criminal Procedure Code of 1898 and the one enacted by Parliament in 1973 categorised the offence under Section 506 of IPC as “non-cognizable” and “bailable,” but the Delhi Police continued to enjoy power to arrest anyone for criminal intimidation by virtue of this colonial notification till January 15, when it ceased to operate after this order. Recommending to the Delhi Government to review the law under the changed circumstances, Justice Kapoor said: “This law shall cease to be in operation from January 15, till the Government takes a review of the overall situation and decides as to the necessity of its continuation”. |
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Bride says ‘no’ to drunk groom Meerut, January 18 There have been several instances in the past of a bride refusing to marry the groom, mostly in protest against excessive dowry demands, but this would be the first incident of its kind. According to guests at the marriage party, Ritu and Neeraj’s marriage was to be solemnised on Saturday evening at Raja Rani Banquet Hall on Garh Road, the venue of the fracas on Sunday. (Incidentally, both Ritu and Neraj belong to the same town, Lawar. Some eyewitnesses said that most members of the groom’s side were drunk and passing lewd comments, when some `ladkiwale’ objected. The drunk baratis became rude and had a heated exchange with their counterparts. At this, some youngsters turned violent and started beating up of the members of the girl’s side. The baratis also ransacked the banquet hall and overturned the dinner table. Soon, it was a free for all in the pandal, and in the ensuing melee more than two dozen people, most of them on the bride’s side, were injured, including the father of the bride, has fractured his right arm. Later, some of the baratis, including the family of the groom, were confined to an enclosure by the girl’s side; the latter also informed the police. Several senior police officials, including the SSP and the SP City, rushed to the spot. But by then the drunk baratis had fled. Later, while talking with media persons the bride alleged that the groom had demanded a dowry of Rs 50,000 and a motor bike. A case under various sections of the IPC has been registered and at least 12 people from the groom’s side, including the dulha and his father, have been arrested. |
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Murder Most
Foul New Delhi, January 18 The accused were identified as Mahesh (25), a resident of Tughlakabad, Arvind Gupta alias D’silva (20), a resident of Tughlakabad, Sunil Kumar alias Noorie (20), a resident of Gobind Puri, Mohammad Yunus Khan alias Ajju (19) and Shipra Gupta alias Rani (20), residents of Kalkaji Extension. On January 8, the Faridabad Police had found three burnt bodies under a bridge near Surajkund. Initial examination of the area, where the bodies were recovered, offered no clues to the police. The police deduced that the victims were killed elsewhere and their bodies were dumped under the bridge. The police was able to identify the victims as Ravinder alias Raj (20) and Devender alias Deva (25), residents of Gobind Puri, and Jeetan (24), a resident of Tughlakabad. Since the victims belonged to the South district, the Faridabad police in tandem with the South district police. Several teams were constituted to work out the case. The police, while questioning a few people in the case, was tipped off that the suspects were planning to rob a businessman. Following the tip off on January 16, the police nabbed Arvind, Mahesh, Noorie and Ajju from a park in Tughlakabad Fort. Under interrogation the accused disclosed that they had committed the murder of three persons. Also that a total of 11 persons were involved. The accused revealed that Deepak and Mahesh were the main perpetrators of the crime, since one of the victims, Jeetan, had been eyeing Deepak’s girlfriend Rani. Besides, Jeetan and his friend Devender had also harassed Deepak on several occasions; therefore, Deepak wanted to eliminate them. On the fateful night, Deepak invited Jeetan and Devender for a drinking bout in Tughlakabad and, after consuming
liquor, the accused killed them one by one. Since Ravinder had accompanied Jeetan and Devender, the accused killed Ravinder as well. Later, they stuffed the bodies in gunny bags and transported them to Surajkund, where the bodies were burnt under a bridge. The police are now looking for the others involved in the triple murder. |
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IN A NUTSHELL Jhajjar: Three employees of the electricity office at Matanhale were reportedly beaten up by some persons of Mundahera village yesterday. According to information, a team of UHBVN raided a house in the village and caught two persons for stealing electricity. However, the angry villagers beat up three officials, and broke the window panes of their official vehicle. A junior engineer, Sumer Singh, linesman Bhoop Singh and foreman Ram Kishan were injured in the attack. The police have registered a case against the assailants, who have been identified as Ram Karan, son of Chhootu, Prakash, son of Ramu, Lala, son of Bhagat Singh, Chhottu, son of Prakash, and Sulhar, son of Dayakishan, on the basis of the complaint of the injured electricity officials. The accused have not been arrested so far. OC Carjackers strike
on Gurgaon road New Delhi: Four unidentified youths reportedly robbed a TATA Indica car from Dharmender, who was coming from Gurgaon last night. The car was attached to a call centre in Gurgaon. The incident occurred at 10.30 p.m. near Ghitorny village. The victim stopped his car near the village to give lift to a woman. When the woman was about to sit in the car, four youths came from behind and asked the driver to get out. When the latter resisted, the suspects beat him up and threw him out of the vehicle. The Mehrauli police is investigating the case, the police said.
Lukewarm response The Delhi High Court’s move to hold proceedings on six Saturdays during the year to
reduce the pendency of cases received a lukewarm response with only seven cases
being taken up on Saturday as against 1,000 cases normally.
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NEGLIGENCE Sonepat, January 18 According to a report, she had gone to retrieve some valuables from the locker. While she was collecting them, an employee of the bank locked the room, leaving the woman inside. Through with her work, she decided to come out of the room, but found it closed from outside. She raised a hue and cry, but no one heard her cries. She continued to knock at the door for about two hours, but failed to get any response. Fortunately, another woman, known to some officials of the bank, came to the bank and wanted to go to the locker room. Incidentally, she was allowed entry even after closing time. When she entered the room, she saw the woman in distress. Thereupon, the officials and the bank employees realised their mistake and apologised to the woman. She said that if the other woman had not come to the locker room, she might have spent the whole night in the biting cold. |
BJP committee to press party High Command to snap ties with INLD Sonepat, January 18 Stating this, Mr Vir Kumar Yadav, general-secretary of the state BJP, told mediapersons here yesterday that the members of this committee would meet the leaders at Delhi within a couple of days and apprise them of the “indifferent and anti-BJP attitude” of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala. He said that they would demand the end of the alliance as soon as possible. He also stated that the meeting of the Executive Committee of the state BJP will be held at Kurukshetra and would take a unanimous decision on this issue. He also said that the state BJP is all set for disassociating itself with the INLD and would like to contest the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections independently. Mr Yadav state that wave in favour of the BJP was sweeping the country and the party workers were jubilant. The workers were against the alliance with the INLD and wanted to content the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections independently, he claimed. He also disclosed that the BJP had opposed all the ‘anti-people’, ‘anti-farmers’ and ‘anti-workers’ decisions of the INLD government. He said the people were fed up with the present government in the state and wanted a change in the government. As such, the people were looking to the BJP “to rid them of this corrupt government”. The BJP leader also gave details of the party’s programmes for strengthening the base of the party, both in urban and rural areas. The party would recruit five
lakh ordinary members and 20,000 active members in the state, he said. |
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Unauthorised use of LPG cylinders as officials look the other way Sonepat, January 18 According to a report, these agencies have so far failed to check the unauthorised use of the LPG cylinders meant for domestic purposes. Halwais and owners of the teashops are using domestic cylinders openly in connivance with the officials of the Food and Supplies Department and other agencies. It is also alleged that domestic LPG cylinders are used at hotels, restaurants and dhabas and this has led to the
black marketeering of the domestic cylinders. Official sources have revealed that there were 14 LPG agencies in this district, including eight at Sonepat, three at Gohana, two at Ganaur and one at Kharkhauda. There are 1,45,459 domestic consumers. Domestic gas cylinders weigh 14.5 kg and cost Rs 248.78. However, a 19kg commercial gas cylinder costs Rs 651.20. As such, the halwaias and other commercial users are using domestic gas cylinders, thanks to the failure of the authorities concerned to take action against them. The officials have remained a silent spectator and expressed their helplessness in checking such unauthorised use without the cooperation of the petroleum agencies. On the other hand, the owners of the LPG agencies are selling the domestic gas cylinders in the blackmarket to the halwais and other shopkeepers and making easy money. Meanwhile the owners of the fair price shops have been accused of selling kerosene oil in the blackmarket and earning profits every month. It is alleged that certain officials of the Food and Supplies Department are in league with them and accepting “monthly bribe” for the illegal activity. |
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Trains delayed due to fog Sonepat, January 18 According to a report, the Suryo-Yamuna Express, running between Darbhanga (Bihar) and Amritsar was late indefinitely, whereas the Shaheed Express was cancelled today. On account of the late running of these trains, the passengers preferred to travel on other trains bound for Delhi. The passengers have asked the authorities to take note of the delay of these trains, which have not only caused inconvenience to the passengers but had led to huge losses to the Railway Ministry. |
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NGO to take up girl trafficking cases with Amnesty Faridabad, January 18 Describing the situation alarming, it has alleged that the state government machinery has failed to take up the problem seriously and the ‘unholy’ nexus of the mafia involved in it had been growing. In a statement issued here today, a spokesperson of the NGO said that the recovery of two minor girls in the state in the past about five days had been a matter of concern. He said at least 25 cases of girl trafficking had been unearthed in the state in the past about two years in the state, which claims to be one of the most developed states. He said the recovery of an 11-year-old girl from a village in Kurukshetra yesterday speaks volumes of the treatment being meted out to the fair sex in the state. |
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‘Onion supplies, prices to be normal soon’ New Delhi, January 18 Mr Sharma, formerly chairman of Ch. Hira Singh Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market, said the shortage of onion supply always occurs during the intervening periods between the old and fresh crops but the supplies are affected most during the winter season when fog slows down the movement of transportation and cold hampers the drying process of onions which results in disruption of supplies. Currently, supplies from Maharashtra and Gujarat were meeting most of the daily requirement of onions in the Capital. He said the onion supplies would be normal in the next few days following a change in weather, and the prices would automatically come down with the normal arrival of onions. During these days, barely 300 to 400 tonnes of onion arrive in the wholesale market daily compared to the normal arrival of 600 to 700 tonnes as against the Capital’s consumption of around 500 to 600 tonnes, Mr Sharma. As a result, the prices had shot up to Rs 15 a kg, he added. He attributed the disruption of supplies to other factors as well, including export of onions to up to 3,50,000 tonnes and damage to the ready crops in the neighbouring state of Haryana due to rain which hampered the arrival of the commodity. The crop from Haryana which was to reach Delhi in January failed to enter the market in the expected quantity and remained very minimal, which resulted in increase of prices, Mr Sharma said. Onion production is expected to touch 5.76 million tonnes during 2003-04 as against the output of 5.38 million tonnes last year. According to the official estimates, this year’s expectation of onion production consists of 9.91 lakh tonnes of kharif onion, 13.10 lakh tonnes of late kharif onion and 34.61 lakh tonnes of rabi onion. The corresponding figures for the previous year were 9.82 lakh tonnes, 11.35 lakh tonnes and 32.7 lakh tonnes respectively forkharif, late kharif and rabi seasons. |
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Special Focus on SONEPAT Sonepat, January 18 He said that this market was just 15km away from the national Capital, and so the farmers of other states could also benefit from it. The Container Corporation of India, he said, would spend Rs 110 crore on the construction of cold chain based on French technology for the storage of vegetables and fruits, the foundation stone of which had been laid by Mr Nitish Kumar when he was the Union Agriculture Minister. The cold chain would be constructed by foreign techniques, while the vegetable and fruit markets would have eight sheds, where 1,000 trucks could be parked in each shed at a stretch for loading and unloading operations, he added. Mr Chautala further disclosed that the state government would press the Union Government for the construction of an airport at Rai in view of the growth of industries in this area. He said that the vegetable and fruit market would be developed in two phases. In the first phase, it would be developed in an area of 63.28 acres and would be later expanded by including 34.70 acres. He disclosed that the state government had spent Rs 140.61 crore on the construction of foodgrains and vegetable markets during the past four years. Haryana had been able to export agriculture products to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore annually, he said. He disclosed that the state government was encouraging the farmers to cultivate flower crops. However, the farmers had suffered a huge financial loss on account of the non-availability of storage facilities. The state government, he said, has now undertaken the construction of eight air-conditioned godowns in different places of the state for providing storage facilities to the farmers so that their produce were not damaged. When this vegetable and fruit market is constructed, it would be better than the Azadpur market of Delhi, he reiterated. The Chief Minister also promised that the development of Rai Assembly constituency would be undertaken on a priority basis so that it provided a flip to the growth of industries in the area. The industrialists, he said, would get facilities at par with Delhi and Kolkata. Referring to the construction of the SYL canal, Mr Chautala disclosed that the case was pending with the Supreme Court and the verdict of the apex court would be implemented by both the Haryana and the Punjab Government. He claimed that the state government was committed to ensure the supply of canal water to the tail end villages and give remunerative price of foodgrain and sugarcane to the farmers of the state. All the godowns of the state were packed to capacity with the foodgrains due to bumper crop this season, he claimed. In this light, he called upon the farmers to change the cropping pattern and sow cash crops instead of the traditional wheat and paddy. The Chief Minister also listed the achievements of the state in the field of sports and education and said the government had encouraged sportspersons by distributing cash prizes and other facilities. Even as the elderly persons were being provided monthly pension, they would now get medical facilities at their doorsteps. Mr Sultan Singh, the former Governor of Tripura along and other local leaders also spoke on the occasion. |
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Stir threat as power crisis snowballs Sonepat, January 18 The power crisis has been heavy, particularly for the farmers, who have been unable to use their tubewells to irrigate their lands. The residents of the villages were also facing water crisis and had to fetch water from distant places to meet their daily requirements, as the waterworks cannot be run without electricity. The village of Datauli remained powerless for the past 16 days after the transformer burnt down. The residents alleged that the officials of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) had failed to replace the burnt electricity transformers inspite of repeated complaints. Similar, the residents of Silana, Farmana, Ridhao, Mauzam Nagar, Nizampur Majra, Gopalpur, Sisana and Garhi Sisana have also complained of power disruption, which had disrupted their daily routine. The residents threatened to launch a gherao of the officials if they failed to ensure uninterrupted power supply to their villages. The Nadipur Majra village remained powerless for the past 21 days after three electricity transformers burnt out. Residents of Jharot village held up traffic on the Sonepat-Rohtak road for several hours recently in protest against the non-replacement of burnt transformers. A large number of vehicles were stranded on the road after the irate residents did not allow any vehicle to pass through. They shouted slogans and agreed to lift the blockade only after an assurance of uninterrupted power supply in the village. |
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NCR BRIEFS Jhajjar, January 18 According to information, Naresh (30), nephew of Joginder Singh Hooda, president of the Loktantra Raksha Manch, was sleeping n his house at about 10 pm. Two masked men armed with pistols barged into his room and killed him on the spot. The assailants escaped after the crime. The police registered the case in this connection. The deceased was unmarried and worked as driver.
Three bikes stolen At least three motorcycles have been stolen from the town in the past 24 hours. According to a report, two motorcycles were stolen from Sector-17 area here. One more was reported missing from the NH-two area of the NIT. These mobikes had been parked outsides the houses. It is learnt that about seven vehicles which include mostly the motorcycles have been stolen from the town in the past one week.
Loadshedding New Delhi: The North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL) has announced loadshedding in the Rohini, Narela and Pitampura areas on January 19 from 10 am to 4 pm due to some maintenance work.
Meditation Day To foster universal peace, love, brotherhood compassion and cooperation, lakhs of inmates of Prajapitas Brashma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya across the globe observed “International Peace, Love & Meditation Day” today.
TNS |
Lid off three dozen
cases of auto theft, burglaries; three held New Delhi, January 18 The police also claimed to have recovered stolen goods, including motorcycles, gold chains, TV sets, stereos, decks, mobile phones worth Rs 5 lakh from their possession. Based on a secret information that the accused would be travelling towards Saraswati Vihar, the police spotted four persons travelling in a car. They were stopped and later identified as Sanjay, alias Rajesh, (25), resident of Swatantar Nagar; Vikas Jain, alias Kuku, (22), resident of
Sultanpuri; Kuldeep alias Toni (23), resident of Narela; and Prabhat, alias Ajay, alias
Pappi, (23), resident of Dhaka village. They disclosed that they used stolen motorcycles to snatch chains in
Rohini, Prashant Vihar and Shalimar Bagh.
Bangladeshi burglars held The South-West district police today claim to have busted a gang of Bangladeshi burglars involved in at least 30 cases of burglaries in the South-West, North-West and North districts. A country-made weapon, self-actuated knife and house-breaking implements were recovered from their possession. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) R P Meena said the burglars were identified as Mohammad Raja, alias Raju, alias
Rippan, Plush Khan, Mohammad Kuddus and Mohammad Mobin, residents of Bangladesh. Stolen goods worth several lakhs were recovered from their possession.
Missing Sri Lankan woman found The Central district police have traced a mentally unstable 74-year-old Sri Lankan woman who went missing on October 10, 2003 while she came as a tourist to India along with some Sri
Lankans. When the woman went missing, the Sri Lankans complained to the police that she was missing from her group. The police which initially registered an abduction case constituted several teams and sent to the tourist spots in Delhi, Hardwar, Agra and Bodh Gaya and also alerted the tour agents about the missing woman. The police finally spotted her at Bodh Gaya in Bihar and found her mentally unstable. The woman is being treated by a social organisation.
Traffic
bandobast The Delhi Traffic Police have made elaborate traffic arrangements for the Republic Day rehearsal on January 20 and 21 from Vijay Chowk to India Gate. The route of the rehearsal would be Rajpath – C’ Hexagon – Man Singh Road – Janpath – Maulana Azad Road and Dr Rajendra Prasad Road – Rafi Marg and Vijay Chowk. The motorists have been asked to take necessary diversions and those who want to reach North Delhi from South were advised to used Mathura Road, W-point BSZ Marg, IP Marg or Ring Road or vice versa. To avoid inconvenience, the police have advised the motorists to avoid roads leading to Rajpath and C’Hexagon from 9.30 am to 1 pm. |
SHOWCASE Intellicon Limited, a key player in the Indian EPABX has launched a new range of Digital ISDN Key Telephone System from Transtel for ideal communication systems for small and mid-sized corporates as well as premium residences. The product offers unique features and facilities such as Digital Key phones with wireless headset, integrated auto attendant and voicemail, digital access control phone, integrated pay roll package and CRM package.
Mouthwatering sauces Weikfield, has launched ‘Prego’ pasta sauces in India. Prego Pasta sauce is a ready to pour sauce that can be accompanied with pasta and spaghetti and other delightful Italian cuisine. You can choose from the exciting variants– Prego’s traditional, Mushroom, Cheese and Herb,
Tomato, Basil and Garlic pasta sauces. Prego Pasta sauces are made with real vegetables and are a new way to kick off recipes for great flavour in every bite.
Wardrobe exchange offer Shoppers Stop has partnered with Concern India Foundation (CIF), Hutch and Radio City to organise ‘Wardrobe Exchange’, across 13 Shoppers Stop outlets in India. These include all five outlets in Mumbai, Kandivili, Mulund, Andheri, Chembur and Bandra, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata. The wardrobe exchange offer will begin on January 16 and go until 26.
Comfy shoes Franco Leone shoes has launched its international quality. The shoes are recognised the world over. They offer a rich experience of craftsmanship. Meticulously crafted from the quality material, the enticing designs come to complement your formal as well as casual dressing. The sole is either PU or TR with soft-padded top-line collar for light, dual density, just precisely soft to protect foot against pressure and friction.
Convenience packs for beer brand Shaw Wallace has introduced convenience packs for their popular mild beer brand—Royal Challenge Premium Lager. The product will now be available in pint size and in cans along with the regular 650 ml bottles.. Vinod Giri, director, Marketing said, “We have introduced Royal Challenge pints and cans to be in tune with the ever-changing demand and fulfill our customers need for the convenience packs.”
Fragrance that exudes freshness, a rich lather and the promise of a beautiful skin “Premium Luxury Soap”, marketed by J K Helene Curtis comes with a combination of all this plus a great “Value for Money” offer. Premium Luxury Soap with 76 per cent TFM which is six per cent more than the leading national brands and it rightly claims to be a Grade 1 soap, giving a rich lather and preventing the skin from drying. Its fresh and musky exotic fragrance with floral undertones lingers on for a longer time, ensuring freshness throughout the day.
Wooden flooring Sharper Image Floors which have a vast experience in the wooden flooring industry has tied up with Egger Floors, a German-based company to gratify the need of the best quality wooden-laminated floors in the Indian market. Amitanshu Choudhry, MD said, “This tie-up with Egger Floors will give the
Indian customers a product of quality, durability and reliability.”
No Marks Scrub soaps offers the twin benefits of a gentle scrub apart from a regular body cleanser. This will make cleaning your skin less tedious and a one-step process. The coarse oatmeal particles contained in the scrub soap help exfoliate dead skin cells all over the body and speed up the natural cell renewal, apart from cleaning the outer layer, leaving the skin looking much younger.
Fragrance for the
fair sex Oriflame, the natural Swedish cosmetic, has announced the launch of its new fragrance for women, Freya to awaken their natural feminine charm. Freya, a modern and sophisticated new fragrance from Oriflame, is a new fragrance for the modern and free-spirited women. Freya diffuses a unique sensuality, a subtle mix of another natural freshness and vibrant feminine floracy.
Tasty toffees Chennai-based FMCG has introduced a new range of toffees brand named ‘Norteen’ – the mood maker. These toffees are not only softer but also twice as much flavours than the other brands available in the market. Made from the imported flavours, the ‘Norteen’ toffees are refreshingly different from other categories in taste and flavours.
Mobile pen for your mobile phone Zebra, the pioneer in making soft ink-based pens and writing instruments has launched mobile pen which can be attached with your mobile phones now. Besides, this a multi-colour pen that sketches different colours through single riffle and an all-in-one which includes eraser, ball pen and a pencil in one pen.
Glue stick Pidilite industries has launched Fevistik, a glue stick product in a bigger 22 grams. This new economy pack will provide convenience and great value for money to the consumers in offices, schools, colleges and households. |
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Call to make govt expenses budget’s focus New Delhi, January 18 Its pre-Budget Memorandum has suggested, among other things, restructuring of public utilities. Reforms, reads the memorandum, need to be extended to the Delhi Jal Board and the Delhi Transport Corporation. |
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