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3 acquitted of murder charges after 6 yrs in jail
Life term for raping daughter
Desai stayed put despite indictments
IIT students working on waterless urinals
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JNU protestors write slogans on dogs
Change in mindset must for woman empowerment: Gursharan Kaur
Lalitpur plant to end power crisis in NCR
Youth’s death: Kin still in dispute with police
Govt to give relief to those hit by Games work
CWG like a circus, says Aiyer
Fire in Mundka scrap mkt
Radiation patient still serious
Two bank fraudsters held
3 held for bike thefts
2 snatchers held
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3 acquitted of murder charges after 6 yrs in jail
New Delhi, April 24 Additional sessions judge RP Pandey said in his recent order that the investigating officer in the case was “either having doubt on all of them for committing murder of Rinku or was saving somebody and cooking up his own story”. He acquitted Upender Ram, Ratan Ram and Pramod Kumar of murder charges. Taking note of the callous attitude of the investigating officer, the court also sent a copy of the judgment to the police commissioner, asking him to take appropriate action to improve the working of investigating agency. The court asked the commissioner to submit an action taken report within eight weeks. “The court is pained to note the way the investigation of case has been carried out as the court has not found any satisfactory evidence against accused persons for which they languished in jail for six and a half years except their fault that they are poor persons hailing from most economically, socially and educationally backward section of society,” it said while pronouncing the judgment. The court pulled up inspector K G Tyagi, the investigating officer, for his non-serious attitude towards the investigation and said “it is surprising that the IO did not make any effort to investigate and bring on record the fact as to who had informed the police about the dead body. It appears, he said, that such a vital fact was deliberately not investigated and brought on record presumably to save somebody. One Rinku, aged between 10 and 12, was murdered on September 22, 2003, at Mongolpuri. Police arrested the three even as their family members said cops had framed them. The court framed the charges under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC against the accused persons on July 22, 2004. Mother of Rinku, Shakuntala Devi, had deposed that she had suspicion on the accused Upender, Parmod and Ratan as they had an altercation with her son a day before his death. However, the court did not rely on her statement as neither the police nor the neighbours knew anything about the altercation. |
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Life term for raping daughter
New Delhi, April 24 Besides the prison term, the court also slapped a fine of Rs 2 lakh on Sant Ram and directed that Rs 1 lakh each be given to the victim, who is now married, and the child. Taking a serious view of the fact that the father was the perpetrator of the brutal crime, the court said that the existing laws in India were highly inadequate in dealing with such cases. “Instances are not rare in India when people have taken law into their own hands to deal with such crimes. It is time to wake up to the situation and acknowledge the existence of incest in our society before it is too late. The Indian society looks at incest with horror on account of strong religious and social sentiments. There has been a long-standing demand for a separate legislation in this regard, but it appears that the issue has been on the least priority in the political agenda,” the court said. Considering the fact that the convict does not interfere in the matrimonial life of his daughter and the child, who is likely to be adopted shortly, the court denied any remission to Sant Ram. An FIR was lodged in the case by the mother of the victim on April 25, 2006 with the Kanjhawala police station. In the FIR, the woman had alleged that her husband, Sant Ram, had raped their daughter. During trial, the victim stood firm on her statement given to the police and testified that her father had been raping her since she was 10 years old, and in the absence of her mother, treated her like his wife. While pronouncing the judgment, the court mentioned, “The victim must have undergone immense physical pain and agony when the offence was committed. In spite of the tender age of the girl, the convict went on to commit the ghastly, abominable, inhuman and barbaric act of rape, giving her a lifelong trauma.” The court termed such acts as the “worst form of child abuse”. |
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Desai stayed put despite indictments
New Delhi, April 24 The fact that Desai managed a comeback in a grand style in the same year by first becoming president of Indian Medical Association and was MCI’s, the apex regulatory body for medical colleges, president again in 2009, speaks volumes of the influence he wielded in the medical fraternity and the government of the day. Official sources said Bhalla enjoyed good equation with Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and the council had been increasingly asserting itself after it had kept a relatively low profile during the tenure of A Ramadoss, whose displeasure with MCI’s functioning was well known. Dr Harish Bhalla, who had moved the High Court against Desai resulting in his removal, said he felt vindicated today with his arrest by the CBI on corruption charges. He added that Desai’s success in perpetuating his reign was a reflection on how he had managed to manoeuver the system to his advantage. “He is very powerful and well-connected. Everybody knew that he is no paragon of virtue but he had manipulated the system,” Bhalla said. Bhalla had highlighted MCI’s “arbitrary” orders in acceding to the requests of certain private medical colleges, one of which wanted an increase in the number of seats while another wanted a raise in NRI quota, which fetches higher fees. Sources said Desai, who ran MCI like his fiefdom, was being increasingly brazen in his dealings with medical colleges and this proved to be his undoing. A fallout of his arrest could be delay in granting recognition to several medical colleges for the academic year 2010-11 as his absence and the CBI’s scrutiny of MCI works is likely to bring its work to a halt. Desai, a professor of the Urology Department in BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, is not really new to corruption charges as Income Tax department had raided his premises in 2000 and unearthed unaccounted assets. The malpractices in MCI during his previous tenure were highlighted in Parliament as well and then Health Minister CP Thakur had agreed with the concerns of MPs. That the government had soon nominated Desai to a prestigious AIIMS body despite the opposition of the faculty is only an ode to his powerful connections. The Central government had come in for flak from the HC as well and the Division Bench had observed that the “government has clearly failed to perform its duty and it is on account of this failure that the Council has lost its representative character. It is obvious from the record that the Central government has not at all made bona fide efforts and not adopted effective measures to ensure that elected members are in place”. Official sources said Desai’s success in taking the reins of the council again despite these previous indictments only showed how deep the rot was. |
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IIT students working on waterless urinals
New Delhi, April 24 A patented technology, the waterless urinals are aimed at saving water consumed on sanitation in urinals. “Waterless urinals are a water conserving intervention which can save between 50,000 and 1,00,000 litres per installation per year,” said Dr Mahesh Kumar, professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi. Under the innovation, a polymeric coating is applied on pans to prevent odour. The microbial and fungal growth has also been developed to keep the urinal clean from any infections. “Innovative designs of waterless urinal pans for women are also being developed,” said Kumar. Delhi residents got a closer look at the innovations made by the likes of “Three Idiots” at the IIT campus today as part of the Open House where almost 300 innovative projects of faculty and students of the institute were put on display for the sixth consecutive year. Keeping in mind the interest of various visitors and to make the Open House more interactive this year, IIT had organised an industry interface with experts from automobile industry who shared their thoughts and experiences with the IIT Delhi. “The show is a real treat for the interested people as it would be a display of some of the finest projects that are being undertaken at the institute. It is for the benefit of students, colleagues from the other institutes, industry and common people who are interested in technology,” said S. Prasad, director, IIT Delhi. Overall projects worth Rs 250 crore are being carried out at the institute. One of the big projects undertaken by the institute is of developing virtual laboratory, which could take lab-based experiments to the far-flung rural schools of the country where laboratories have yet not arrived. The project is in its completion stage and has been one of the most challenging for both the faculty and students of the institute. Some of the other projects on display were community radio for the villages, technologies for elderly people, innovative textile materials, low-cost disaster warning system and environment-friendly bamboo structures. |
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JNU protestors write slogans on dogs
New Delhi, April 24 Many dogs have been spotted on JNU campus with slogans, targeting the vice-chancellor, painted across them. Students from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) took strong note of the matter calling it “insensitive and irresponsible”. “We are against the amendment in the university statute, but this is no way of protesting and vice-chancellor should not be personally targeted,” said Vineet Chaturvedi, president, JNU ABVP. Dogs bearing slogans like “VC BBB GO” and “BBB” are taking rounds of the campus. Though the ABVP activists have claimed that they know who the culprits are, other organisations except Students’ Federation of India (SFI) have still not condemned the act. “Some of our activists saw the members of ultra left organisations AISA and DSU feeding the dogs while writing slogans on them. The real meaning of our protest would be lost if we stoop so low in our fight,” said Chaturvedi. The JNU students recently held a referendum against the extension of vice-chancellor’s term for another five years. The ABVP representatives claimed that the act was done on the same night of the referendum on April 20. The organisation has already taken out pamphlets condemning the slogans on dogs and would hold mass campaign against it tonight. “Though we have not yet seen the dogs with slogans, but we condemn it strongly if it has happened and believe that such things would distract the attention from the serious issue of amendment in statute,” said Roshan Kishore, state secretary, SFI. The ABVP has asked the administration to take a suo motu notice of the matter and act against the culprits. |
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Change in mindset must for woman empowerment: Gursharan Kaur
New Delhi, April 24 Condemning gruesome practice of honour killings that is rampant in many parts of the country, Kaur said encouraging daughters to join police force and promoting village courts to settle matters related to domestic violence, property disputes, divorce cases among others would speed up the woman empowerment. Addressing a hall packed with women panchayati leaders from across the country, she appreciated women’s participation in panchayati politics in several states, where seats have been reserved for them, but added that transition in mindset is yet to happen. Gursharan Kaur exhorted women to take up the roles that are otherwise considered to be in the domain of men and said women have to shed their shyness and come out of the confines of the house. “Silence has to be broken as bearing violence silently encourages crime in several forms like sex selection, early marriage of a girl and dowry,” she said. “Standing up to the cause of woman’s rights, all of you have to unite against violence. To ensure victory in this fight, you need to know various laws like the Domestic Violence Act 2005, and in turn make other women, back in villages, aware of them,” said V Mohini Giri, chairperson of Guild for Service, on the occasion. She cited the instances of the landmark ruling on honour killing carried on the behest of Haryana’s “khap panchayat” and “bell movement” against liquor started by village women in Kerala. Giri said women themselves could better address the incidents of violence against women and for this they should encourage their daughters to enter the police force, which has a marginal presence of women. According to the Bureau of Police Research and Development 2008, the strength of women in police force is just 57,466, and that too mostly in big cities and special wings of CID. |
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Lalitpur plant to end power crisis in NCR
Ghaziabad, April 24 An MoU in this regard was signed between the UP government and the Bajaj Hindustan Ltd on Thursday. According to UP energy minister Ram Veer Upadhyaya, after the project is completed, drinking water supply in the region will also increase substantially. He added that the energy generated at Lalaitpur Thermal Power Plant would be sold as per the tariff settled by the state’s power authority. According to UP Power Corporation CMD Navneet Sehgal, the government has approved setting up of new power projects with a capacity of 10,000 MW in UP. He added that the state aimed to generate 25,000 MW power. |
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Youth’s death: Kin still in dispute with police
Faridabad, April 24 The relatives allege that Mohit Bhatia was murdered by his three friends who took him along in their Tata Safari on Thursday night. The relative of the minister is alleged to be one of the three youths who took away Mohit in the vehicle which was later found to have met with an accident. None of the three friends was injured in the alleged accident. The relatives along with senior members of the Bhatia community met the area ACP and alleged foul play on the part of the police. According to them, the police has tried to undermine the gravity of the case by saying that the death occurred in a simple road accident. The relatives said that the police was trying to dilute the case to extricate the relative of the minister from the development. Meanwhile, a panchayat of the Bhatia community was held today. It warned of an agitation against the police and the government. The relatives said they would not rest until the relative of the minister was brought to book and the police registered a case of murder. |
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Govt to give relief to those hit by Games work
New Delhi, April 24 Talking to the media after inaugurating a grade separator at Azadpur, Chief Minister said that she had asked Delhi PWD minister, Raj Kumar Chauhan to direct the DDA to give the compensation within a week. The Chief Minister said that Commonwealth Games was an opportunity to fast-track development in the city. In every field be it education, transport, lighting or road construction, the government had tried to provide maximum benefit to the people. |
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CWG like a circus, says Aiyer
New Delhi, April 24 Thousands crores of rupees being spent in developing the infrastructure for the Games is a waste. Still 99 per cent of children do not have facilities for games. He said basically the Commonwealth Games were against the spirit of teachings of Gandhi. He wanted development for the people of grass-route level. But the CWG is not going to help these people. The media should launch a movement against this and “I will support them. I will not see any games during the Commonwealth Games” Mani Shankar Aiyer said. When asked about the IPL games, he said that it needed a thorough inquiry. |
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Fire in Mundka scrap mkt
New Delhi, April 24 The fire broke out around 2 am and 26 fire engines were rushed to the spot. It took them two hours to extinguish the fire, a Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said. Though there was no loss of life, goods worth lakhs were gutted. Munda is Asia's biggest plastic scrap market and is home to around 400 units. The fire erupted in the godown of one RK Mahajan, but its reason remains unclear. The alarming frequency of fire brought a large number of angry people on road and many of them alleged that the fires in their area were deliberate act of sabotage. The director of Delhi Fire Services, RC Sharma said a police inquiry into the series of incidents could bring out the truth as there seems to be some serious doubt about their being accidental. Locals say that property prices in the area have shot up many times and vested interests want them to vacate the lands, some of which are not legally occupied. They had roughed up a Delhi minister, Rajkumar Chauhan, when he had visited a fire spot in the same area recently. |
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Radiation patient still serious
New Delhi, April 24 His TLC count has reduced to 100 /mm3 and platelet count has come down to 7000/mm3 and what is worrying the doctors is that he has developed bilateral pneumonia and is showing signs of kidney and liver
malfunction. Earlier, given the alarmingly low blood counts he had, six units of platelet were transfused and yet his state hasn’t seen much change. Meanwhile, among the other five patients, who were admitted to AIIMS after radioactive exposure at Mayapuri market, one has been discharged four days back and three others are stable with some progress in their vital parameters. Blood count of the fourth patient Ram Kalap has reduced significantly. |
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Two bank fraudsters held
New Delhi, April 24 With their arrest, the police has claimed to have solved two cases of bank fraud. In the first case, Rs 67 lakh were withdrawn from the account of the National Book Trust from the Vasant Kunj branch of Canara Bank, and in the second, Rs 1.31 crore were withdrawn from the account of a firm named Swaraj Mazda from the Chandigarh branch of Canara Bank. The police nabbed the duo on the basis of a complaint lodged by the manager of Canara Bank with the Vasant Kunj police station on July 31 last year. The complaint stated that some cheques issued by the bank to its customers were found to be already encashed. On checking, it was found that 14 cheques of the bank were presented at Standard Charted Bank, IDBI Bank and Axis Bank for encashment. All these cheques were presented through companies— M/S Corby Associates, M/S Innovation Plant and M/S Aegis Marketing. The name of the proprietor of these companies was mentioned as one Raj Kumar, a resident of Ocean Complex, Sector 18, Noida. During investigation, it was learnt that Verma was the kingpin of the racket and Kumar is a clerk with the Kamla Market branch of Canara Bank. Kumar used to provide information about the corporate accounts with his bank that had huge deposits and the serial numbers of the cheques of these accounts to Verma and Chauhan. Using these serial numbers, the duo would prepare fake cheques of these corporate accounts, said deputy commissioner of police (south district)
H.G.S. Dhaliwal. They would then open accounts in the name of fictitious companies, use the fake cheques to transfer the money of the corporate accounts to the accounts of their fictitious companies. |
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3 held for bike thefts
New Delhi, April 24 The arrests were made on Thursday by a team constituted to keep a check on the increasing incidents of vehicle thefts. The accused were nabbed with a stolen motorcycle. Initially, they pretended ignorance, but on intense interrogation broke down and disclosed to have stolen five motorcycles, said a senior police official. The police has recovered all the stolen motorcycles. |
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2 snatchers held
New Delhi, April 24 The accused— Sandeep (23) and Chanderbhan (25) — were apprehended on April 22. They were nabbed from Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh were they had come to sell snatched mobile phones. During interrogation, the duo revealed that they had snatched several bags in Delhi during the past six
months. They revealed that they used to drive their motorcycle very close to the victim, snatch the bag and
escape. Snatched jewellery worth Rs 80,000, two ladies purses, three debit cards and one motorcycle was recovered from their possession, said Neeraj Thakur, additional commissioner of police, crime branch. |
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