New Delhi, October 10
Two businessmen, who were cousins, died after consuming liquor while they were driving a Hyundai Verna car in south Rohini, New Delhi, last night. They were identified as Suresh Kumar Gupta (34) and Vijay Garg (35).

After receiving the information about the two men who were lying unconscious in a car near the south Rohini police station, the police took them to the Ambedkar Nagar hospital. Doctors at the hospital declared them brought dead, said a police official.

The post-mortem report said a high level of alcohol was detected in their bodies. However, the cause of their death is being investigated.

A passerby informed the police around 8.55 pm about a man vomiting outside the car, while the other person was lying unconscious inside.

Suresh owned the vehicle.

The police seized a 375-ml bottle of Blenders Pride and some packets of snacks, including a packet of "Uncle" chips from the car. The bottles have been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for the examination.

"We are investigating the cause of their death. It seems that they died under mysterious circumstances. They only drank a small amount of liquor from the bottle. We are investigating whether the liquor or the food was spurious. The FIR will be lodged after the post-mortem report," said the police official.

A case has been registered under Section 174 of the CrPc (Code of Criminal Procedure). The post-mortem was conducted at B R Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini.

The police said Vijay and Suresh, along with their family members, went to Jaipur Golden Hospital to meet a relative.

"After returning from the hospital, Suresh left his wife and two children at Vijay's home. They both went out for a drive in Suresh's car around 8.30 pm. We have informed the families about the incidence," the official added.

A relative, who did not want to be named, said Vijay and Suresh had told their families to cook food before they left for a drive. "They said they would come back within 10 minutes. And before leaving, they had told their families to cook 'chole-bhature'," said the relative.

Suresh's paternal uncle Satya Narayan Garg said the family received the first call from the police around 9.17 pm last night.

"Suresh with his wife Ritu and children Ridhi (8) and Saksham (3) went to Jaipur Golden Hospital to meet his paternal aunt's grandchild. After meeting them, Suresh left his family at Vijay's home and went for a drive with him. They had asked my son, Rajesh Garg, to come with them, but he refused. And after 15 minutes, we were informed by the police about the incident. Suresh and Vijay never held grudges against any person,” he said.

Suresh's father-in-law Sagar Mal said Suresh belonged to a reputed family. Suresh’s another relative said Vijay and Suresh would never commit suicide.

"I don't believe that this was a case of suicide. I have seen the two since they were children and I know that they will never kill themselves," said a relative.

Suresh lived with his wife, children and mother in Paschim Vihar. He operated a business of ironworks at Loha Mandi in Naraina.

Vijay was a resident of Sector 3, Rohini, where he lived with his wife Rekha, daughter Tanu (3) and son Shivam (7). His mother Saroj and father Deshraj also stayed with them. Vijay was a dealer of dry fruits in Khari Baoli.

New Delhi, October 10
A senior bank executive was killed when a speeding truck driven by a drunk driver rammed into a Wagon-R car he was travelling in, under the South-Extension flyover last night.

The deceased has been identified as Gaurav Gujral (27), a manager (commercial banking) with Yes Bank.

Gaurav was driving to his home in Shahpur Jat from Lodhi Road when the accident occurred.

A police official said Gaurav sustained a severe head injury and multiple fractures.

"The truck was coming from August Kranti Marg rammed into Gaurav's car. The impact of the accident was so powerful that Gaurav's car was dragged a few metres away from where it was. He was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Center, where doctors declared him brought dead," said the official.

The truck had jumped a red-light to take a right turn towards Moolchand when the accident happened. Gaurav was coming from Lodhi Road to August Kranti Marg.

The truck driver, Rajesh Singh (47) was arrested from the spot.

"Rajesh is a resident of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh. He was in an inebriated condition and lost his control on the vehicle while jumping the traffic signal," added the official.

Gaurav had joined as a manager in Yes Bank in South-Extension in May last year. He had completed his MBA in international business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).

Gaurav's father is a senior advocate at the Delhi High Court. His family was preparing for his marriage this year with a girl settled in the USA, said a source.

New Delhi, October 10
The city government and the MCD today assured the Delhi High Court that specially-trained teachers would be appointed for differently-abled children in all primary schools saying they were already being recruited.

The city government counsel told Justice Indermeet Kaur that Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) had already advertised for recruitment of 858 special educators to teach differently-abled children in its schools.

The board has fixed October 24 as the date for receiving applications and November 17 as last date for filing them, the counsel added.

The MCD counsel too told the court that the civic body also had decided to recruit 1,790 special educators for its schools and the requisition for the same would soon be sent to the DSSSB after considering the UPSC recruitment rules.

The UPSC, meanwhile, said it had already sent the recruitment rules to the MCD and it was now for the civic agency to initiate the recruitment process.

To this submission, the court directed the MCD to comply with its previous order for appointing teachers for differently-abled children and sought compliance report of its order by January 23, 2012.

The court issued the direction while hearing a plea to launch contempt of court proceedings against the Delhi government and the MCD officials concerned for defying the court's 2009 order for recruiting special teachers for differently-abled teachers in the schools run by them.

The court had earlier issued notices to the UPSC and the DSSSB on delay in posting at least two special teachers for differently-abled students in each of the government and the MCD-run schools.

The court had issued notices after the MCD submitted that a proposal for the recruitment of special teachers was sent to the UPSC which, however, had not been given a green signal till date.

The plea to launch contempt of court proceedings had been filed by Social Jurists, an NGO, through counsel Ashok Aggarwal alleging a division bench had on September 16, 2009, ordered the Delhi government and the MCD to ensure each of their schools had at least two special teachers and teaching aids for students with disabilities. - PTI

New Delhi, October 10
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today sought the intervention of the Delhi government over the issue of encroachment and illegal constructions on the bed of river Yamuna.

The chairman of the works committee, Jagdish Mamgain, today urged Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to direct government departments to stop all illegal constructions on the Yamuna bed immediately.

"The encroachment and illegal constructions on the bed of the Yamuna are a matter of concern. A large number of buildings, including pucca houses, are being constructed along the river bed from Noida to Delhi," said Mamgain.

"If no action is taken against them, it could pose danger to the life of people in the coming years," he added.

"Whenever there is any mishap due to illegal construction, the Delhi CM and her colleagues pass the buck to the MCD. Taking preventive measures and strong action against the law violators is better than trading changes after a mishap," he said.

He suggested that the flood department should conduct a survey about the status of the Yamuna and its bed.

"No construction should be allowed on the bed of the river, at least in the danger zones. The DND road should be the priority, as maximum illegal activities are taking place there," he added.

Greater Noida, October 10
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) will provide financial assistance to the rape victims of Bhatta, besides taking legal action against the accused.

"The commission has assured that the guilty will be punished. It has promised to help the victims in getting the FIR registered. It will also provide financial assistance to them," said a relative of a rape victim.

"Scheduled caste victims are given a relief of Rs 50,000. But the state or central governments can approve a higher amount," said Krishan Prasad, a social welfare officer.

Meanwhile, six women, who had alleged rape by men of the Provincial Armed Constabulary before the commission, have filed affidavits in the district court, seeking registration of FIRs against the accused.

Earlier, a court had directed the police to lodge an FIR after a victim had filed an appeal in the court. However, the police had said that it would lead to a parallel investigation, as the CBCID was already investigating the case.

But later, because of pressure from the NCSC, it had started probing the matter.

Noida, October 10
The Sector 20 police, which had patted itself for solemnising the marriage of a boy with a girl whom he had allegedly raped, in the police station, seems to be in soup. The boy and the girl are both reported to be minors.

On Friday, a maulvi from Sector 9 was brought to solemnise the "nikah" of the minors in the police station premises. Now, the police is busy seeking a face-saving way out from legal experts.

The girl is being subjected to a medical test to determine her age, said circle officer (CO) Brijesh Kumar.

If she is pronounced less than 16 years, the law will proceed against the culprit.

Now, the CO says that the police had nothing to do with the marriage. The girl, a resident of Sector 8, Noida, had alleged that a motor mechanic of the same locality had been raping her for the past four months. On learning that the girl was pregnant, her family had filed a complaint in the Sector 20 police station.

The police summoned the boy and his family to the police station where the girl's family agreed to not lodge the rape complaint, if the boy agreed to marry her, the CO said.

New Delhi, October 10
The judiciary may be the upholder of law and justice but when it comes to child labour, children below the age of 14 can be found working in the peripheries of Delhi court premises and sometimes even inside the complexes.

These children work as tea vendors, aides to lawyers, notaries public and food vendors in and around Tis Hazari, Patiala House, Rohini, Dwarka, Karkardooma and the Saket court.

Nasir, 14, is one such boy. He works in two shifts at the Tis Hazari court. In the first half, he works as an aide to the notaries public and in the second half, he sells bread pakoras. "My duty is to persuade every common man to get an affidavit made through me and then I make bread pakoras. Every day, I earn Rs 65," he says with a smile.

When asked about the prevalence of child labour in the Tis Hazari court, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav told IANS he would ask the police to conduct a survey and accordingly action would be taken.

"Such an issue should be brought to police's notice and strict action should be taken against people who are hiring children to work," the judge said.

While accepting that children do work in courts, senior advocate H.S. Phoolka said: "This is very wrong. If the ruling of the (Delhi) High Court is not being followed in the district courts, then who else will follow it?"

A Delhi High Court judgment on July 15, 2009, ordered a complete ban on the employment of children below the age of 14 in domestic sectors and eateries.

Bharti Ali, co-director of NGO HAQ: Centre for Child Rights, says it is very difficult to register a case against child labour, "whether it is in the police station or courts".

"All kinds of violations are taking place in court premises and lawmakers are just sitting idle. Whether it is the Delhi High Court or the district courts, right outside you can see children working in dhabas and inside the court complex too... a complete violation and disregard of law under the nose of the people who make law," Ali told IANS.

A National Social Audit Report-2010 states that the conviction rate in child labour cases is very low and most employers go scotfree.

In Delhi alone, of the 94 such cases, there were only 11 convictions, the report said. Nationwide, around 3,053 offenders were prosecuted of which only 21 were penalised.

Prabir Basu, national convenor of the Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) -- a network of anti-child labour groups --, explains the poor conviction rate.

"The excuses often given by policymakers and officials are that it is not possible for labour inspectors to enter houses and conduct raids, as household is still not defined as industry."

Admitting that "small children are found loitering around in the court complexes selling various things", Rajiv Khosla, spokesperson of the Delhi Bar Association, said: "At least in courts, where people come for justice, where laws and rules are made, child labour should be strictly punished."— IANS

New Delhi, October 10
A man facing trial for allegedly kidnapping and raping a girl on pretext of getting her a job has been let off by a Delhi court as his alleged victim went untraceable during the trial.

"When the victim's presence has not been procured by the prosecution, the court has no option except to acquit the accused from the offence charged," said Additional Sessions Judge Atul Kumar Garg, absolving Uttar Pradesh native Adesh Kumar of kidnapping and rape charges.

While acquitting Adesh, the court also noted he had been truthful during a polygraph test that he had undergone on the orders of the Delhi High Court, which had heard his bail plea.

"It is the matter of fact herein that at the time of hearing of anticipatory bail application, the high court had ordered the accused to undergo polygraph test. In this test, it was concluded that accused was truthful in his answers," the court noted.

The prosecution case dates back to November 17, 2009, when the R K Puram police station was informed that a woman at a traffic intersection required help. When the police reached the spot, nobody was found.

Later, a woman turned up at the police station and told the cops that Adesh had called her near Sangam Cinema, R K Puram, assuring her a job and made her sit in a car and raped her. She said she had studied till Class X and wanted to work.

During trial, the prosecution told the court that all efforts made to trace the victim had failed. - PTI

Greater Noida, October 10
The Uttar Pradesh entertainment tax department is likely to send a notice to Jaypee Sports International (JPSI) regarding the payment of a cess for the programmes to be organised at Jaypee Spa Resorts and Jaypee Green Golf Course during the Formula One races.

Officials said JPSI had been exempted from the payment of tax only for the events to be hosted at Jaypee Sports City, the site for the Formula One races, and not at any other location.

JPSI will organise several musical programmes during the three-day racing event from October 28 to 30. Depending on the nature of the event, a table for eight persons will cost Rs 6-10 lakh and for four persons Rs 3-5 lakh.

The packages include private entrance, valet parking, post-race meal, unlimited liquor, access to all lounges, personalised hostesses and security.

"All post-event musical evenings will be held at Jaypee Green Spa Resort, which is an eight-minute drive from the Formula One racing site," said Sameer Kumar, spokesperson for JPSI.

Assistant commissioner of the entertainment tax department RK Singh said, "We have prepared a notice to be sent to JPSI about the payment of the entertainment tax on the events that will be held at Jaypee Green Spa Resort."

"JPSI enjoys tax exemption only for the events to be hosted at Jaypee Sports City," he added.