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Man acquitted of abduction, rape
Uniform admission for PhD,
MPhil soon
DU hostel facilities at a premium
DU students victim of internal assessment
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Closing an institute not cheating: Court
Award for school founder
MCD schools, offices to
remain closed
5 held for plotting highway dacoity
Slum kids chuck begging bowl for education
Man accuses hospital of detaining him
Gujjars to rally for OBC status
Two held for fake currency notes
Artscape
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Man acquitted of abduction, rape
New Delhi, July 1 Additional Sessions Judge Braja Raj Kedia acquitted Munawar Khan, alias Munna, a resident of Amritsar in Punjab, of all charges and observed that the star witness (the prosecutrix) could not be produced for examination before the court despite several opportunities granted to the prosecution. According to the prosecution, on November 2, 2003, Munawar Khan found the 19-year-old girl alone in her house in Sadar Bazar in Central Delhi and asked her to accompany him by lying that her mother had met with an accident. He allegedly confined her for 15 days in Delhi and raped her. Thereafter, he took her to Naurangabad in Punjab by train and raped her there for nine months. He eventually brought her back to Delhi on December 12 the same year, when police apprehended them, the prosecution alleged. The conduct of the prosecutrix in not making any complaint to anyone during the course of her stay with the accused in Delhi and in Naurangabad during the period clearly reflected she was indeed a consenting party and enjoyed the company of the accused, Munawar, when her age was found to be more than 19 years at the time of incident, the judge said. The prosecution had failed to establish its case against the accused Munawar for the offence and, therefore, he was ordered to be acquitted under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 344 (wrongfully confining for 10 days or more), 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the judge said in a recent order.
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Uniform admission for PhD,
MPhil soon
New Delhi, July 1 The guidelines would lay down a general principle for admission and method of evaluation of theses so that disparities among universities with regard to the PhD and MPhil programmes were bridged, a senior UGC official said here. At present, different universities followed different methods for admission into these programmes. Some conducted written tests, while others did not. Some universities got the thesis paper checked by foreign evaluators, while others got it done internally, the official said. As a result, there was currently a lot of disparity among the varsities with regard to course work and thesis. Moreover, in the wake of instances of students at the PhD level resorting to plagiarism, the guidelines would prescribe ways on how to deal with such cases. "We had set up a committee in the matter, which has submitted its report. We have sent the report to different universities, seeking their views", the official said. The new guidelines will bring more transparency in the courses. Around 40 universities had responded to the report so far. The remaining more than 200 universities were expected to respond by next month after which the new guidelines would be implemented. |
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DU hostel facilities at a premium
New Delhi, July 1 However, only 12 colleges in the university have hostel facility. While Hansraj College hostel offers 180 seats for boys only, Miranda House has 270 seats for girls, Ramjas has 125 seats for boys and 80 seats for girls. "Students are selected purely on the basis of merit. There are reservations for the backward classes, physically handicapped students and additional seats for foreign students," explained Dr Gurpreet Singh Tuteja, Deputy Dean, Students' Welfare. However, as the seats are not enough, students are forced to look for options outside. Despite the offer of funding by UGC, colleges like Hindu, KMC, Dayal Singh have not been able to arrange for hostels, an official explained. Authorities agreed on the need for having more hostels, but specified that opening hostels were the choice of individual colleges. Some colleges have approached the Delhi government for assistance. For instance, Indraprastha College for Women, after getting assistance from UGC, is coming up with a new hostel that plans to accommodate over 200 girls. The hostel would be ready by the next academic session. With DU failing to meet the needs of the outstation students, private players have taken the command over the situation and are providing accommodation. In and around North campus, such accommodation is available in Maurice Nagar, Roop Nagar, Hudson Line and Mukherjee Nagar. |
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DU students victim of internal assessment
New Delhi, July 1 Many university students do not get their internal assessment marks even after the final year results are out. "The process still needs to be streamlined. We see cases of this sort almost everyday," says Robert Rehman Raman of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). "Students cannot apply for postgraduate courses unless they get at least 50 per cent in graduation." Students in DU are getting more and more agitated about the internal assessment system. Last year, moderation was introduced in the internal assessment marks of political science students of Miranda House by the university-level authorities. "There is an immediate need to draft the guidelines according to which the internal assessment marks would be given to the students on the university level. A lot of favoritism and bias also happens while assessing the students on the college level," says Poonam Yadav of NSUI. "We have taken note of such cases and we have also met the authorities in this regard. But, at times, it is just a human error that can happen anywhere," says Sashikant, general secretary, Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU). "The union has requested the university staff to be a little considerate about the misprints that take place at the college level and are later corrected." The university administration, however, is putting the blame on the college administration. Students affected by the problem are in a fix about their future. The procedure needs a serious overhauling on both the college and the university levels with immediate effect. The student faculty committees can take up the complaints of the affected students and work towards redressing their grievances.
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Closing an institute not cheating: Court
New Delhi, July 1 Mere closing down of the institute in between without completing the course did not make out a case of cheating. There may be several reasons for closing down of the institute, Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Kumar Goel said. Acquitting three persons, including a woman, of charges of cheating in a 15-year-old case, the magistrate said in such cases, deception should exist from the very start of the transaction and a subsequent breach of promise was not cheating. When an admission was taken against a valid consideration then there was a contract between the owner of the institute and the student. If the management made breach of contract then the aggrieved party had remedy for damages, the court said in a recent order. The court, while exonerating Sachin, Vijender Kumar and Manju Srivastava, all residents of North-West Delhi, of charges under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC, observed there was a thin distinction between a case of breach of contract and cheating. A case was registered against five persons at the Shalimar Bagh police station in North-West Delhi on the complaint of one Neeraj Kumar. According to the complainant, he had taken admission in the Central Institute of Computer Science on May 27, 1992 after paying Rs 1,170 as fees for a one-year course but the institution closed down on January 11, 1993. The institute was allegedly run by a couple, Sanjeev Kumar Sharma and Usha Sharma, and three other trustees. The husband-and-wife duo, who fled during the trial, were declared proclaimed offenders by the court. The court, after the examination of 10 witnesses, noted that none of them had deposed that the accused had induced the complainant or other students to take admission in the institute. To hold a person guilty of cheating, it is necessary to show that accused had fraudulent or dishonest intention at the time of making the promise with an intention to retain the property, it said, adding a guilty intention is an essential ingredient of the offence of cheating. It said even if for the sake of argument, it was presumed that the complainant had taken admission in the institute for a period between May 1992 and May 1993 and it was closed before the end of the course, the accused could not be convicted for the offence. There is no allegation that at the time of admission, there was dishonest or fraudulent intention on the part of the accused, the court said. |
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Award for school founder
New Delhi, July 1 The award was presented to Dr George by Maharashtra Governor S. M. Krishna. Lauding the efforts of Dr George, the Governor said she was spreading the message of harmony and unity through the medium of theatre, dance and music. The citation reads that Dr George has been spreading the message of unity, harmony and social awareness through the medium of theatre, dance and music. She conducts workshops for women and children on health-related subjects and other important issues. Her activities cover health with particular focus on combating AIDS. |
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MCD schools, offices to
remain closed today
New Delhi, July 1 "As a mark of respect to the departed leader, all MCD schools and offices will remain closed tomorrow," Mayor Aarti Mehra announced today. The Delhi government has already declared a holiday tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) today expressed deep shock over the untimely and tragic death of Verma. |
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5 held for plotting highway dacoity
New Delhi, July 1 The police claimed that the gang was allegedly operating from the house of gang leader Vikram at Khauri Khas. RTV was the selected vehicle of the gang to travel in as there are less chances of RTV being checked on the highway, said police sources. The gang used to operate from Karnal bypass to ISBT, Sarai Kale Khan and was arrested from Sanjay Akhara on the Outer Ring Road. According to the police, two countrymade pistols with three live cartridges, three knives, one RTV bus and four PVC compound bags have been recovered from the five gangsters and a receiver.
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Slum kids chuck begging bowl for education
Noida, July 1 "We thought why not start a weekly school for them in this park", says Rear Admiral H. C. Malhotra (retd), who is well-known as a dedicated social worker and convenor of the Noida Citizen Forum. When he spoke to businessman Sunil Razdan and a few others, they enthusiastically responded. The children in three age groups, forming three circles, are all ears to their teachers. In the centre lie heaps of fruit, cookies, food etc which the indulgent morning walkers lovingly bring for kids very time. The morning walkers used to give lots of money, fruit and alms to several children when they would be begging near the pir's dargah, which attracts a sizeable number of worshippers each Thursday. The children, who are intelligent, have grown conscious of not only their rights and environment but have also gained confidence and self-respect. They are aware of social issues and the dangers to kids from criminals like the Nithari killers. "We shall never accept any sweets or candy from a stranger nor go with one" is their refrain, says Sunil Razdan. The children are being taught the three Rs, basic language and group recitations. Forty-three of them were taken on an educational visit to Birla House, Gandhi Smriti and the National Science Centre in Delhi in hired buses. "Their response was excellent after visiting the places connected with our national heritage" says Admiral Malhotra. Besides, Gyan Shakti Vidalya has been started in the slum cluster for some 200 middle and high school students in the age group of 10 to 16 years. The response of their parents is excellent. They have collectively donated land for the school in the slums. Admiral Malhotra said a team headed by Sunil Razdan was doing a fine job. Soon, they proposed to get approval from the Noida Authority. The ambit of the project would then grow and similar schools would follow elsewhere to rope in more slums kids. " When these slum children grow into educated, responsible citizens, we shall all feel proud of this modest effort", added Admiral Malhotra and Sunil Razdan with a sense of humility.
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Man accuses hospital of detaining him
New Delhi, July 1 Armed with a plea from Kinra's father, Dr Vijay Kinra, the hospital had approached the court under the Mental Health Act, asking it to allow young Kinra's detention for 90 days on the ground that he needed treatment under proper supervision. Vehemently denying the allegations, Kinra accused the hospital of illegally detaining him in connivance with his father on the pretext of his being mentally ill.He told the court that he had been kept under treatment for schizophrenia, a disorder with symptoms of withdrawal from reality, by the hospital since March 24 though he was mentally fit. "I am presently involved in investing in mutual funds, which is my primary source of income and I also teach meditation to a large number of people," Kinra informed the court when queried about his profession. Satisfied by his replies, the judge in a recent order declined to allow his detention by Vimhans without a definite report on his mental health. "I have questioned the patient in the court. He understands the nature of the questions being put to him," the judge noted and directed G B Pant Hospital to furnish a second opinion on his psychiatric condition by July 3. The court also asked Kinra to place any receipt issued in respect of the meditation classes reportedly run by him.
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Gujjars to rally for OBC status
Noida, July 1 The two MLAs blamed Rajasthan Chief Minister Raje Scindia and officers from the Meena Community in Rajasthan police for precipitating the crises. They said a committee has been constituted by the government on June 12 which will give its, report on September 12. "If our demands are not met by September 15, we will topple the Rajasthan government. We have lost 26 sons in the agitation, four of whom were charred alive by the barbaric cops." The issue has been simmering since 1971 when the central government had decided to include Gujjars in OBC. But the decision could not be carried out. The apex court said in 1976, "We can't intervene but the government should get it examined." Rajasthan Gujjar community is today fully geared up and alive to its demands, stressed the MLAs who have recently been expelled from the BJP. "Five lakh Gujjars will take out a rally in Jhalawar in a show of strength in the first stage. In Bhilwada, another four lakh Gujjars will take out a rally in the last week of August. Over four lakh Gujjars are expected to approve this decision in July during a panchayat. After the expiry of the deadline, Gujjars are not going to listen to anybody," stressed Prahlad Giyal and Attar Singh Bhadana. Joginder Awana of All India Gujjar Manch said UP Gujjars have pledged their support with the Gujjars of Rajasthan.
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Two held for fake currency notes
Gurgaon, July 1 Both the accused are said to be native of Bihar. The police were trying to investigate if it was part of an organised racket. |
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Artscape
The adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), drawn from the 2000 UN Millennium Declaration, was a seminal event in the history of the United Nations. Pledging to create a better world by 2015, the eight MDGs, which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, form a blueprint agreed upon by all countries and the world's leading development institutions. The concerts are held annually to remind various governments of the targets agreed upon by them. IIC cultural feast
From July 4 to 11, the centre is also organising "The Great Indian Bazaar," an exhibition of black and white photographs on Indian marketplaces by Kolkata-based photographer Kushal Gangopadhyay. The exhibition will be inaugurated on the evening of July 3 by well-known photographer S. Paul. Also, on July 4, the IIC is organising a unique event, "Hardol Katha Gayan: Ballad of the Bundela Prince Hardol" by Rajesh Litoria and Vinod Mishra of Deep Shikha Manch. On July 7, the IIC is organising a Fado concert on the occasion of the opening of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union. French film fest
The Embassy of France here and Alliance Francaise de Delhi is screening a festival of films under the banner of "Love Stories by Truffaut" at its auditorium beginning July 6 and stretching into August. The final screening of the package, which offers a selection of six outstanding films, will be on August 24. Cultural festival
Kalaikoodam, the institute of art being run by Padma Shri Komala Varadan, is holding a two-day cultural festival on July 8 and 9 at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre here. On the opening day, Komala Varadan will present a thematic dance on "Varsha (Rain)". Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will be the chief guest. On the second day, N. Ravikiran from Chennai will present a Chitraveena recital. Dance theatre
For the first time in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Ability Unlimited will present an internationally acclaimed dance theatre performance, "Celebrating Abilities", by persons with disabilities at Kamani Auditorium here on July 3."Celebrating Abilities" is a culmination of four major choreographic works of Guru Syed Sallauddin Pasha, namely Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana on Wheels, Martial Arts on Wheel and Durga. The unique dance theatre performance is being organised by the National Trust with the country's first professional Dance Theatre Group by persons with |
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New Delhi, July 1
India International Centre (IIC) here is holding a Carnatic classical music concert on July 2 in its auditorium. Well-known vocalist Vidya Srinivasan, granddaughter and disciple of Sangeeta Bhushanam O. V. Subramaniam will regale the audience on that day.