Yamunanagar, January 9
The police has arrested a naib tehsildar and two others for fraudulently changing in the title records of 16 kanals of land belonging to a temple at Sadhaura village in the district.

In September 2012, residents of Sadhaura village filed a complaint with the district administration alleging that naib tehsildar Mahesh Kumar in connivance with five other persons tried to grab the 16 kanals of land of the Manokamna Mandir by making changes in its title records.

Following the complaint, the Deputy Commissioner ordered an inquiry which was conducted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Bilaspur, and a deputy superintendent of police.

The officials in their report found the naib tehsildar guilty of making changes in the title records in violation of the norms.

Following this, the police registered a case against six persons, including the naib tehsildar, a patwari and the priest of the temple, on October 18, 2012.

The police said the naib tehsildar, who at present was posted at Pundri, was arrested yesterday for his alleged involvement in the case. Two more persons were arrested in the case, while efforts were on to nab the remaining accused, the police added.

The naib tehsildar was today produced before a local court which sent him in judicial custody. Deputy Commissioner Ashok Sangwan said he had ordered the inquiry into the alleged irregularities and later the matter was referred to the police for further action.

New Delhi, January 9
The Supreme Court yesterday reserved judgement on the DAV Managing Committee’s appeal against the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict directing the school to pay a compensation of Rs 33 crore to the victims of the fire tragedy at a function in Dabwali on December 23, 1995.

A Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and V Gopalagowda passed the order at the conclusion of arguments in the case.

As many as 456 persons, including more than 250 women and 130 students, were killed in the fire at Rajiv Marriage Place, a banquet hall where the school was holding its annual function.

On November 9, 2009, the HC had ordered a total compensation of Rs 55 crore to be shared between DAV (Rs 33 crore) and the Haryana government (Rs 22 crore) in the ratio of 55 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively.

Additional Advocate-General Manjit Singh Dalal told the SC today that the state government had accepted the verdict and deposited its share immediately. However, the DAV Managing Committee came in appeal to the SC in 2010.

On March 15, 2010, a Bench headed by the then Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan had passed an order, directing the DAV School to pay an interim compensation of Rs 10 crore, pending disposal of the appeal.

During the arguments, the SC felt that DAV Managing Committee, which was imparting education across the country, should have been more “careful and cautious” while choosing the place for such a large function.

The school committee, however, argued that the banquet hall was the only place available in that area for holding functions of that size and that the DAV Managing Committee could not be held responsible if the authorities had allowed the hall to function without any licence.

The DAV committee’s senior counsel Rakesh Dwivedi said the school did not have any objection on the total compensation amount awarded to the victims. It was only questioning the very high liability slapped on it, ignoring the findings of the CBI and the Sirsa Divisional Commissioner. These findings were in DAV committee’s favour, he said.

Initially, the Bench had asked the DAV Managing Committee to pay half of the compensation awarded by the HC as interim relief but subsequently reduced it to Rs 10 crore.

Hisar, January 9
A case of swine flu has been detected in Hisar.

A married woman from Tohana town of Fatehabad, who has been undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Hisar, had tested positive for swine flu. This is the first case of swine flu in this area.

The woman, sources said, had delivered twins by a caesarian operation in a hospital in Tohana on December 31. She complained of breathlessness after the delivery. The kin shifted her to a private hospital in Hisar, where she tested for swine flu.

Chandigarh, January 9
While blaming the Hooda government for propping up the Jat agitation, the BJP today rejected the report of the Haryana State Backward Classes Commission recommending 10 per cent quota for Jats and four other castes in Haryana.

Newly elected BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma here today said the party disapproved of the quota on caste basis. “The BJP’s stand is very clear, the reservation should be given on economic basis and not on caste,” he asserted.

Taking potshots at Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Sharma alleged that the large-scale violence by the pro-quota Jat agitators, which led to damage to public property, had the blessings of the state government.

Asserting that the alliance with the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) was intact, he said both the parties would contest 45 seats each in the coming assembly elections, while the BJP would leave two of the 10 Lok Sabha seats for its alliance partner in the next Lok Sabha elections. In fact, a final decision on the seats to be contested by each party would be taken soon, he added.

Coming down heavily on the ruling Congress on deteriorating law and order situation, Sharma alleged that 10 ministers of the Hooda Government were involved in various criminal activities.

Sharma demanded a price of Rs 354 per quintal for the sugarcane growers.

Ambala, January 9
The police has registered a case on a complaint filed by a woman, who alleged that she was kidnapped by her neighbour from Suhana village in the district and kept in an illegal confinement at Pathankot for more than six months where she was repeatedly raped by him.

In the complaint, the woman, who claimed that she managed to escape from the illegal conferment, stated that after she had a marital dispute with her husband, she left her husband’s house at Suhana village to go and stay with her parents at Sabalpur village in Yamunanagar district. She said as she was waiting for a bus to arrive at Suhana bus stand, one Vicky, who was her neighbour at Suhana village, offered her a lift to her native Sabalpur village.

As she agreed to take the lift, Vicky took her to a secluded place and raped her and then took her to Pathankot, where he kept her in illegal conferment for over six months and repeatedly raped her.

She said a few days ago, she managed to flee Pathankot and reached Sabalpur village and narrated the incident to her family members, who reported the matter to the police. The police registered a case against Vicky on the basis of allegations levelled against him by the woman.

The police said they were now looking for Vicky who had been eluding arrest. The police said the matter was still under investigation. Meanwhile, it was learnt that no missing report about the disappearance of the woman had been filed either by the husband or her family members.

Chandigarh, January 9
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that department head vacancies in technical education in Haryana, arising before November 11, 2008, would be governed by the unamended rules.

As per the amendment, the experience to be taken into consideration for the department head post has to be in the Department of Technical Education, Haryana, after regular appointment.

The judgment is significant as candidates for the department head post would now be eligible, even if they do not have the requisite experience of 12 years in the Department of Technical Education, in case of vacancies arising before November 11, 2008.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain made this clear on a petition filed by Anil Kumar against the State of Haryana and other respondents.

Initially, 12 years' experience as lecturer in electronics engineering, including two years as senior lecturer in, was required for the department head post.

Kumar argued that he became entitled for promotion as head of the department in electronics eEngineering as per the existing rules, after attaining 12 years of experience on February 12, 2008. But a notification was issued on November 11, 2008, amending the rules. If the amendment was taken into consideration, he would not have 12 years' experience after regular appointment.

Referring to the high court judgment in the case of Geeta Devi versus State of Haryana and others, the Bench asserted it has specifically been held that department head vacancies before November 11, 2008, would be governed by the unamended rules.

“Following that judgment, the present petition is allowed. It is held that the petitioner had become entitled to be considered for promotion to the post of head of department and while considering the case of the petitioner for promotion, he could not have been excluded from consideration.”

The Bench also directed the officials concerned to review the DPC. If the petitioner was recommended after being found suitable, his appointment would be from the date when other candidates were promoted as department heads “with all consequential benefits but excluding actual arrears.”

Rohtak, January 9
The strike by sugarcane growers in district entered fifth day today. The agitating farmers said they would not to let the sugarmills operate till their demands were accepted. They demanded Rs 300 per quintal minimum support price (MSP) for the sugarcane. They also threatened to block roads if their demands were not accepted. Kandela Khap has announced its support to the agitating farmers.

“There are three sugarmills in Rohtak and Jind districts and their crushing capacity is over 75,000 quintals per day. But, both the crushing and production of sugar have come to standstill since the launch of the agitation on January 5,” said a spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), on whose call the strike was started.

Regarding the delay on the part of the state government in accepting their demands, he said it appeared that the state government was least bothered about the welfare of the farmers.

Gurgaon, January 9
Eleven-year-old Imaan, a student, is excited as he will be sitting in a train for the first time on Saturday as his school plans to take them for a ride on a local train from Manesar’s Patli station.

He is among the thousands of such children in the district which has been devoid of rail connectivity.

While the entire state is busy celebrating getting a new Rewari-Jhajjar-Rohtak train, after 34 years, over 10 lakh residents of Mewat are feeing left out again.

The 20th district was carved from Gurgoan and Hathin subdivision of Faridabad in April 2005.

The district comprising 431 villages and 297 panchayats has waited for long to get a rail link, but despite repeated promises by state and local leaders, nothing concrete has been achieved so far.

Despite repeatedly proposing an Alwar-Palwal railway line through Hathin, Pinangwan and and Ferozepur Jhirka and a Gurgaon-Nuh-Alwar railway line, nothing much has been done, much to dismay of the local residents.

“Leaders have forgotten that Haryana exists beyond Rohtak also. Every leader who comes here promises a railway line but nothing happens. Is it because we as a district have no political mileage or industry? The nearest railway station is around 30 km away. They call us backwater but who has cut us off from entire state? Our children wish to go out to study and work, but with no rail link it's difficult. We plan to have a mahapanchayat in this regard in next week,” said a panchayat member from Nuh.

"We have been taking up this issue for 20 years and have submitted hundreds of memorandums and done agitations, but to no avail," said Nooruddin Noor, vice-president of the Mewat zila parishad.

The Nearest railway station to Mewat is Patli railway station, Manesar, Gurgaon. Itis located 27.5 km from Mewat.

Chandigarh, January 9
The ailing health facilities for jail inmates in Haryana today came under the Punjab and Haryana High Court scanner, after the state government informed a Division Bench that 56 prisoners could not be taken out of Bhondsi District Jail in Gurgaon for treatment during six weeks from September 1 last year due to lack of security guards.

Responding to a suo motu notice issued by the high court to the Haryana Government, Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon police headquarters Surender Pal Singh filed a written statement today before the Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain.

In the statement, it was conceded that from September 1 to October 15 last year, on different occasions, as many as 56 prisoners were referred by the medical officer of the dstrict jail for treatment at outside hospitals, but could not be taken.

The Commissioner of Police also assured the court that in future senior police officers would be informed by the jail authorities so that force could be made available on priority.

The court had earlier taken suo motu notice of plight of the prisoners in the jail after inspection by Justice S.K. Mittal. Justice Mittal had brought to the notice of the Chief Justice that on many occasions, police guards were not made available by the police department to the jail authorities for taking sick prisoners to outside hospitals for treatment, despite reference by the prison medical officer.

Sirsa, January 9
Suresh and his wife, Alka, were killed and their one-year-old child was critically injured when their motorcycle was hit by a truck near Jodhkan village on the Sirsa–Fatehabad stretch of the national highway last night.

A police party from Ding reached the accident site and found the critically injured one-year-old Karan crying near his parents' bodies in extreme cold weather.

Karan’s condition continues to be critical.

A pall of gloom descended on the victim’s Jodhkan village after the news reached there in the morning.

Hisar, January 9
In view of the demonstrations, gate meetings and dharnas being organised by employees of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), the government has declared that provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), 1974, will be enforced, if needed.

Besides this, on a plaint for permanent prohibitory injunction filed by the DHBVN, a Hisar court has restrained various employee unions, till the next date of hearing, from holding any demonstration/dharna/gate meeting or gheraoing the Managing Director and any other officer of the DHBVN.

Sandeep Goel, Additional Civil Judge (Senior Divison), Hisar, has also restrained them from obstructing and causing any nuisance in any manner within a radius of 200 meters from the outer boundary walls of the DHBVN head office, including the residential complex of Vidyut Nagar, Delhi Road, Hisar.

The court has also restrained them from obstructing any officer or official of the Nigam from entering their respective offices situated at Hisar or interfering in any manner in the performance of duties by Nigam officials and officers.

The DHBVN has also announced that the Power Department, Haryana, has already notified that ESMA would be applicable to its officials and in case anyone tried to obstruct power supply, the authorities would invoke the Act.

Class three and four employees of the DHBVN and the UHBVN have been holding dharnas, demonstrations and gate meetings on one pretext or the other for the several days.

Rewari, January 9
The mortal remains of Pradeep (28), a CRPF Sub-Inspector , and Rohtash (42), a CRPF havildar , were today consigned to the flames with state honours at Naya Gaon Bahala village, 45 km from Rewari, and at Nangal Pathani village, 30 km from Rewari, respectively

They were among five CRPF personnel killed in a gunbattle with Maoists in Latehar district of Jharkhand on Monday.

While wreaths were placed on their pyres by CRPF Commandants Inder Sigh and Raghuvinder Singh, contingents of the Kosli police fired in the air and reversed their arms as a mark of respect to the martyrs.

Amit Kumar Gulia, SDM, Kosli, Kosli legisator Rao Yadvender Singh were among those at the funeral.

Pradeep is survived by his wife and a three-year old son,Alok. Rohtash is survived by his wife and two sons.

Karnal, January 9
Eight special police stations have been established in the state to prevent theft of water to be used for irrigation and power purposes, said Forests and Power Minister Ajay Singh Yadav here today.

Yadav, who was here to inaugurate the forests rest house constructed at the cost of 42 lakh, said on theft of transformers, the government had decided to give transformers to farmers after they deposit 20 per cent of the cost.

He said the state government was committed to increase the area under forest and so far, 4 crore trees had been planted in the state against the target of 5 crore.

“Nearly 16 lakh trees have been planted in Karnal district in the past one year,” he said, adding that a conservation and breeding centre for peacock, birds and chinkara would be opened at Jhabua village in Rewari district.

Sirsa, January 9
Mystery shrouds the death of a young woman whose beheaded body was recovered from the Kaluana minor near Goriwala village of Sirsa yesterday. Pooran Ram, an official of the irrigation department, informed the police that a body was stuck near the bridge of Kaluana minor.

The police took the body under its custody and sent it for a postmortem examination.

The identification of the body was not possible, as it was beheaded and badly decomposed. The woman appeared to be of 35-years of age and it was suspected that she was murdered before throwing her beheaded body in the canal, said the police. — TNS