Sirsa, May 9
Undertrial inmates of the district jail here are no longer required to be transported to the courts every time their cases come up for hearing.

After being linked with the district courts through videoconferencing facilities, the Sirsa District Jail has become the first jail in the state to have facilities of producing the undertrials before the courts through the videoconferencing.

Various courts heard cases of 20 undertrial prisoners through this system today.

Though the system is being installed in all 19 jails of the state, Sirsa has the distinction of being the first to have the videoconferencing in place and even started functioning.

Start of videoconferencing have eased the work load on the district police, whose men have to transport the undertrials to the courts on daily basis as per their dates of trials.

Initially, only those undertrial prisoners who have to be produced in the courts for extension of their judicial custody, are being produced before the courts through videoconferencing.

“We receive schedule of the next day’s cases in the court a day in advance and take the undertrial prisoners, who are to appear before the courts to the videoconferencing room at 11 am, the time fixed by the courts, on the date of their appearance. The whole process hardly takes 20 to 30 minutes,” says JS Sethi, superintendent (Jail), Sirsa.

He says at least 40 per cent of workload of transportation of undertrial prisoners has been reduced after the start of videoconferencing.

District and Sessions Judge, Sirsa, HP Singh says videoconferencing of undertrials has led to a saving of a lot of time and money for the courts as well as the police.

“There is a provision of installing videoconferencing facilities in all court rooms. After that even those facing trial will be produced before the courts through videoconferencing,” the Judge maintains.

Rohtak, May 9
Blaming her fate and misfortune, 50-year-old Savitri, mother-in-law of deceased Alka, is sitting sulking on the premises of the PGIMS, Rohtak, awaiting some news that could provide a relief to her family. Her son Sunil had also consumed poison, along with Alka, in front of the IG office here on Wednesday in protest against the police inaction against the accused who “gang-raped” Alka and the cops who had been trying to “shield” them.

Two kids of the couple - daughter Tannu (6) and son Himanshu (4) - are with their grandparents. Meanwhile, the matter has reached the National Commission for Women by Shakti Vahini, an NGO, to seek its intervention. Rishi Kant, a member of the NGO, said it had sought a tough action against the police officials and the accused. He said it was a repeated incident and the police had failed to learn a lesson from the Sarita suicide case. NCW member Manju Hembram had assured an action into the matter by Monday, he said.

Though Sunil has been declared out of danger, Savitri seems to be a worried lot. She is worried about the future of the kids, who appeared to be shattered with the incident. “While the family had already been battling scarcity of resources due to unemployment of her son, this incident had put the family in a very tight spot, says Savitri.

She said while her relations with Alka might not be very good, but such an end to her life was never expected. “How the kids will face the world, with the trauma and the tag of their mother being a victim of gang-rape, she said.

Savitri said Alka was married to her son about seven years back. She was not happy with her daughter-in-law’s behaviour, who, she claimed, used to go her parents house at Samalkha without taking her into confidence.

This habit ultimately led the incident of her being abducted and gang-raped by five persons, including a man known to her husband, she added.

Though the IG office here had been waiting for the report of the Forensic Science Laboratory to announce further action, the body of woman had been lying in the hospital mortuary for the third day today, till the last report came in.

Sonepat, May 9
BJP’s state media in charge Rajiv Jain has demanded a CBI inquiry in the suicide of Alka and attempt to suicide of her husband in front of the office of IG police, Rohtak, recently.

In a press statement issued here today, Jain alleged that this was not the first instance of police misconduct and irresponsible behaviour while investigating the cases of sensitive nature. He recalled the Sarita suicide case.

“It is the prime responsibility of the police to give justice to the people at the first stage of the crime incident, but it had not go up to the expectations of the people,” he said.

Ambala, May 9
The arguments and cross-examination of one of the victim sadhvis of the dera in the sexual exploitation case of sadhvis concluded in the court of Special Judge of the CBI, Haryana, AK Verma here today.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is the main accused in this case. All proceedings were conducted in camera. The dera chief was also present in the court. The proceedings continued for around five hours.

The court has fixed July 4 for the next hearing in this case. The application of the CBI for the cancellation of the bail of the dera chief could not come for hearing today. The court has fixed May 23 for arguments on this application.

Later, talking to mediapersons, CBI counsel HPS Verma said the cross-examination of one of the victims in the sexual exploitation case was completed today and another witness in this case would be produced on July 4. He said around six more important witnesses would be produced in this case.

Dera chief’s counsel SK Garg Narwana raised several queries during the cross-examination of the victim. Later, he said the CBI had falsely implicated the dera chief in this case.

Chandigarh, May 9
The exceptionally high wheat arrivals in Haryana this year has helped increase the share of wheat procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). As compared to earlier years, when the central procurement agency had to struggle to meet its allotted 10 per cent share in procurement, the FCI, Haryana, has managed to procure 13.56 per cent of the total wheat arrivals.

For the past few years, wheat prices were on an upswing in the international market. Thus, farmers were stocking their wheat so that they could sell it to private players at rates higher than the minimum support price (MSP). It is for this reason that the Government of India had been forced to announce bonus on wheat, to ensure that the central and state procurement agencies could get enough wheat stocks.

But things are quite different this year. Official sources told TNS that the FCI had already lifted 9.21 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat as against the total market arrivals of 67.92 LMT. Last year, the FCI had procured 7.85 LMT of wheat in the state, against market arrivals of 52.37 LMT.

Thanks to the increase in area under wheat cultivation (after sugarcane farmers switched to wheat cultivation) and good weather conditions, the state has recorded its highest-ever wheat production this year, beating the earlier record of 64 LMT in 2001-02.

With a high MSP of Rs 1,080 per quintal, in spite of a fall in the international price of wheat, private players have had a negligible share in wheat procurement. The procurement by private players in the state is just 2,600 tonnes (0. 038 per cent), as agri-corporates have also given a skip to Haryana and neighbouring Punjab.

As a result, the maximum wheat (67.90 LMT) has been procured by the FCI and the state procurement agencies.

Officials in the FCI told TNS that this year they had also managed to lift wheat stocks from mandis efficiently. “Almost 97 per cent of our total wheat has already been lifted and shifted to either godowns or our plinth storages.

This year onwards, the Haryana government has handed over the work of loading of foodgrains to commission agents, which is then transported to the godowns by government contractors. This has helped us lift our stocks from the mandis efficiently,” said the official.

Sirsa, May 9
Justice Mohinder Pal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today inspected work in the District Courts.

The judge also had a meeting with various judges of the court in the office of District and Sessions Judge HP Singh.

JS Kundu and RC Dimri, both Additional District and Session Judges, NK Biriwal, judge of the fast-tract court, GL Goyal, presiding officer of the Permanent and Continuous Lok Adalat, Alka Malik, Civil Judge (Senior Division), Gopal Krishan, Chief Judicial Magistrate, and Amarjit Singh, SK Sharma, Manpreet Singh, Sukhpreet Singh and Abhishek Phutela, all judicial magistrates, were present at the meeting.

The judge also met office-bearers of the District Bar Association to know their problems. Suresh Mehta, president of the District Bar Association, said they drew Justice Mohinder Pal’s attention towards the long-pending demand of construction of additional chambers for lawyers.

Later, Justice Mohinder Pal, accompanied by District and Sessions Judge HP Singh, Deputy Commissioner SK Goyal, SP Subhash Yadav and other judges of the District Courts, went to the District Jail, Sirsa, for inspection. The judge met prisoners and checked the kitchen, dispensary and other facilities for inmates in the jail. JS Sethi, Superintendent, Sirsa Jail, was present.

Chandigarh, May 9
The Election Commission has served a notice on working president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee Kuldeep Sharma asking him to explain why he should not be prosecuted and arrested for attempting to bribe voters during the elections.

The EC has sought a reply to the notice served on Sharma today within 48 hours of its receipt. It is likely that Sharma will submit his reply on May 11 to the commission.

Sources said the notice pertained to an announcement of Rs 11,000 made by Sharma at a polio camp held in Krishna Mandir in Sector 14, Karnal, on March 22. The said amount was announced for medicines and other aids for polio patients despite the fact that the model code of conduct was in force since March 2. On investigation, the allegations were found to be true.

In the notice sent to Sharma through the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Haryana, the commission has stated that the donation at the polio camp announced by the Congress leader amounts to giving gratification to the people and voters. The notice adds that this has been done with a view to inducing them to exercise the electoral right in his favour or that of his party’s.

The notice adds that this amounts to bribery as defined under Section 171 (B) of the Indian Penal Code.

Stating that this also violates the provisions of the model code of conduct, the commission has asked Sharma to explain his stand and why action should not be taken against him for the said violation of the Act and instructions of the EC. Sharma has been directed to reply in the matter within two days.

As many as 305 notices were served on members of various political parties for violating the model code of conduct. Among the prominent leaders served notices were Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Health Minister Kartar Devi for using a red light atop their vehicle and sitting Member of Parliament from Kurukshetra and Congress nominee from the seat Naveen Jindal for a hoarding he had been asked to remove.

Yamunanagar, May 9
Two more suspected Maoist activists, who were alleged to be involved in pasting of posters on walls of houses of many villages in the Chhachhroli areas asking the villagers to boycott the polls, were arrested here today. Charan Singh (26) and Bitu (22) were arrested by the CIA staff headed by DSP Mukesh Kumar from Bhurkalana village.

They had also allegedly written anti-national slogans on the walls in villages, including Sahajahanpur, Bhilpura, Dadupur Bridge and Jaidhri. The police has registered a case under Sections 124-A, 153-B, 34 of the IPC, 125 RP Act year 1951 against them.

The police also managed to trace out the other members of the Maoist group. Earlier, the police had arrested Poonam, wife of suspected Maoist Sanjay who is alleged to be mastermind behind the activity on April 20.

Confirming the arrest of the two, DSP Mukesh Kumar said before the Lok Sabha elections the members of the suspected Maoist group had held meetings and made posters at the residence of Charan Singh.

Charan Singh, along with Bitu, alleged to have pasted posters and also written anti-national slogans. The posters carrying the name of Shivalik Jansangarh Manch.

The duo were later produced in a local court and were remanded in two days police custody, he added.

The police had announced a cash prize of Rs 11,000 to one who will provide information about these suspected Maoists. Sanjay, who was the president of the Shivalik Jansangarh Manch, is alleged to have behind these activities and he has been declared proclaimed offender in similar nature of case registered against him in 2007.