The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

COURTS

Manhole death
HC issues show-cause notice to UT
Asks why interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh not be paid to victim’s father
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 28
Just about three months after a seven-year-old met his watery grave in an uncovered manhole, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the UT Administration why an interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh be not paid to the victim’s father. The administration has been given time till October 21 for the purpose.

Taking up a petition filed by Patiala-based Consumers’ Protection Association and the victim’s father Raju Kumar, Justice K Kannan asserted: “The UT shall respond to the show-cause notice why interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh shall not be ordered to be paid to the petitioner by the next date of hearing.”

In the petition against the UT Administration, the Municipal Corporation, the MC Chief Engineer and the UT District Magistrate, the association asserted: “Due to the laxity on the part of the respondents in covering manholes, Raju’s seven-year-old son Gautam vanished into the death trap on June 8. He had gone to pluck dates from a nearby tree when the incident took place.

Raju Kumar, hailing from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh and earning his livelihood as a cook, lodged a missing persons report with the Mauli Jagran police post after he and his wife failed to track him down.

Bring under spotlight the role of cops, counsel YP Singla added: “The matter was also reported to Daria village police post as the area fell under its jurisdiction. However, the police officials stood as silent spectators and made no efforts, except for recording a formal daily diary report on June 9.”

The petitioners added that the same morning an intimation was received by the police regarding the body of a child trapped in the wire mesh of a sewage treatment plant some 50 meters away from the residence. The body was identified to be that of Gautam after it was fished out.

Seeking a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for Raju on account of the tragic death, the petitioners added that all major newspapers, The Tribune included, gave vast coverage to the tragedy, but the incident evoked lukewarm response from the administration.

“A few workers of the municipal corporation were seen hurriedly covering open manholes,” the petitioners added. “Not even a single word of condolence or sympathy came from the respondents, which shows its callousness with regard to the problems and loss to the citizens of the city.”

murder in pgi
5 acquitted as victim’s brother turns hostile
Rajinder Nagarkoti
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 28
As the victim’s brother turned hostile, a local court today acquitted five persons in connection with the murder of an 18-year-old youth in the PGI.

Additional District and Sessions Judge VP Sirohi acquitted Rohit Thakur, who was pursuing diploma in mechanical engineering from a private institute in Dera Bassi, Jatinder, who was pursuing web designing from a private institute, Aman Deep, Pradeep and Vicky.

Defence counsel Dheeraj Parihar said as the prosecution failed to produce any substantial evidence against the accused, the court acquitted them. The trail of two accused, one of them juvenile, is running separately.

The police had booked the accused for the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, son of a PGI employee. The police had maintained that the enmity over the issue of a girl was the reason behind the murder. He was battered to death by the accused on the PGI premises on March 12 this year.

The police had maintained that Kanhaiya was at home and was watching a cricket match when one of the accused called him up on his mobile phone to come out. When Kanhaiya went out to meet him, he was beaten with sticks and rods resulting in his death.

The police said Rohit had enmity with Kanhaiya over a girl. Rohit had an affair with a girl who used to stay near his house and later she shifted in the residential premises of the PGI. Rohit used to come to meet her, but Kanhaiya used to object to it, which was the main reason behind the scuffle.

The police had seized the iron rod which was used in the crime. The police had also impounded the Verna car in which the accused came to attack the victim.

6 HC judges to be sworn-in tomorrow
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 28
The Punjab and Haryana High Court is all set to wear a new look, with Justice Mohinder Pal being transferred out and six advocates being elevated.

Available information suggests the warrants of appointment of the six advocates as the Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court have been signed. The designated Judges are expected to be administered oath Friday morning.

The High Court has already received a fax message on the clearing of their names for elevation. The lawyers being elevated are RN Raina, NK Sanghi, Rameshwar Malik, TS Dhindsa, PS Dhaliwal and Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia.

The oath is expected to be administered by Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar, as Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi is currently on a long leave following illness.

It is also believed that Justice Mohinder Pal stands transferred out to the Gujarat High Court. He was elevated as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on October 8, 2007. Born on December 30, 1956, Justice Mohinder Pal is a Panjab University alumnus.

This is the first time in the recent past that just one Judge has been transferred out of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Prior to this, three judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court were transferred out in October last. In fact, the transfer orders of Justice Ashutosh Mohunta, Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma and Justice HS Bhalla were received by the High Court on October 13, 2010.

With the elevation of the six advocates, the number of judges will go up to 48 against the current strength of 42. But it will drop to 47 after Justice Mohinder Pal joins the new place of posting.

Even after the elevation of the additional Judges, the vacancies of Judges in the High Court will continue, as their sanctioned strength is 68. The result of the shortage of Judges is there for all to see. As of now, the High Court has approximately two lakh pending cases.

The New Judges

RN Raina

NK Sanghi

Rameshwar Malik

TS Dhindsa

PS Dhaliwal

Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia

CRIME

Four held for robbery
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 28
The cheetah squad of the PCR nabbed four persons who allegedly robbed a person of his purse last night.

The PCR had flashed the information at 11.15 pm that a motorcycle (CH01AF-3315) had robbed a person near the BSNL roundabout in Sector 49 of cash and purse.

Cops on bike ‘cheetah squad’ swung into action and nabbed four persons, identified as Rohit, Govind Parsad, Mohammad Sandun and Monu near Mataur Chowk after a chase and handed over them to the police staff of the Sector 34 police station.

The articles robbed have been recovered from the possession of accused persons. A case under Sections 379, 392 and 34 of the IPC has been registered.

2 persons duped of Rs 22 lakh
Tribune Reporters

Mohali, September 28
Two residents of Mohali and Chandigarh were duped of over Rs 22 lakh on the pretext of being sent abroad.

In a complaint to SSP Gursharandeep Singh, the complainants said Simarjeet Singh of Sangrur had taken Rs 7.50 lakh from him for sending him abroad. He was neither sent abroad, nor his money was returned. A case under Section 420 of the IPC was registered in this connection.

In another case, Sewa Singh, a resident of Sector 46, Chandigarh, complained to the police that he was known to Harpreet Singh, a resident of Phase X, Mohali. The latter took Rs 15 lakh from him for sending him to England. But he was allegedly cheated by Harpreet Singh. The police has registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC in this regard.

Minor girl raped

Ambala: Ram Sabere, a resident of Machhonda village, 4km from Ambala Cantt, lodged a complaint with the police that his six-year-old daughter was playing outside his house in the evening, when a youth of the village, Manpreet, offered her sweets and took her to the fields and raped her there.

Ram Sabere has been putting up in a rental accommodation for the past six years. The victim reached home weeping

and narrated the incident to her mother. Ram Sabere lodged a complaint with the police and medical examination of the minor girl was done at the Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantt, today. The police arrested the accused from his residence this afternoon and produced him before the Magistrate, who sent him to a one-day police remand.

3 held for blackmailing schoolteacher

Mohali: The Mohali police has arrested three persons for blackmailing a schoolteacher after making an objectionable CD of the victim.

According to the police, one of the suspects, Tegh Bahadur Singh, worked as a bus driver in the school where the girl used to teach. He was interested in getting into a relationship with the girl. After he got to know that the girl, a resident of Bathlana village , had got engaged to a youth living in Madanpur village in Phase II, he got in touch with his friends and prepared the CD of the girl where he allegedly tried to show her in objectionable postures. The CD was shown to the girl in order to blackmail her.

A complaint was lodged by members of both the families after which the police registered a case and arrested Tegh Bahadur Singh, a resident of Raipur Kalan village, Sukhwinder Singh Manakpur and Gurvinder Singh Bhagomajra. All three were produced in a local court today and sent to a 14-day judicial custody.

SPORTS

Football field is battlefield!
Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 28
For the first time in the history of the Administrator’s Challenge Cup Football Tournament for Boys (U-17), the ninth edition of the competition witnessed a series of brawls between players during matches.

The negligent attitude of the organisers and officials has led to brawls on field between players of opposite teams. “It is one of the worst tournaments I have ever witnessed. This is an all-India-level football tournament and professional officials should supervise the matches. Players do indulge in brawls, but if it is happening on a daily basis, it is due to the negligence of the referee in penalising the players,” said Jonathana, coach of SSA Mizoram and former player of Mizoram.

Notably, in the 37 matches played till now, a total of eight players were shown the red card while 55 players were shown the yellow card and even then the officials failed to handle matches peacefully.

Results

Samabalpur Football Academy defeated Dalbir Football Academy Patiala 5-1, Rurka Kalan Football Academy defeated Nikhil Nandy Football Academy 3-0, Mahilpur Football Academy defeated SSA Mizoram 3-0.

Overage players

The issue of overage players has once again come to the fore as Director Sports Rahul Gupta accepted of getting a verbal complaint against one of the teams for fielding overage players during the tournament. He said a team from Punjab reportedly fielded an overage player. The team is in the semifinals of the tournament and the authorities will take the decision on the team, as per rule tomorrow morning. “I have forwarded the matter to the Joint Director Sports, JDS Sidhu, and we will look into the matter and the team would be scratched from the tournament if found guilty,” said Gupta.