Bhiwani, April 28
The Haryana Police’s sensitivity towards crimes against women has once again come under scanner, after two migrant Dalit women, who were allegedly gang-raped and paraded naked by their employer at a brick kiln in Dhanana village of Bhiwani district, had to approach the Delhi Police through an NGO headed by Swami Agnivesh for getting justice.

The victims, a 33-year-old woman and her 22-year-old sister-in-law, who were being kept as bonded labourers in the brick kiln, had approached the Bhiwani police last Saturday with a request for their release as bonded labourers, but the police allegedly turned a deaf ear to their complaint.

A policeman allegedly told the women that they deserved this treatment and “something bigger could happen to them by the evening.”

On the same night, they were allegedly gang-raped by the brick kiln owner and two others.

The women, who belong to Budelkhand, alleged in their complaint to the Delhi Police that they were gang-raped by three men, including the brick kiln owner for two days.

"My employer used to beat me with sticks and torture me regularly when I used to ask for wages. He and two of his brothers even forced me to parade naked. They fractured my fingers and bruised my body. And this has been happening for the past six months," one of the victims alleged.

Bandhua Mukti Morcha, an NGO to help bonded labour and headed by Swami Agnivesh, helped the women approach the Delhi Police and narrated their tale of woes.

The Delhi Police registered an FIR under Section 376-D of the IPC on the complaint of the women and informed the Bhiwani police last night.

Bhiwani Superintendent of Police (SP) Simardeep Singh said the victims were being brought to Bhiwani for recording their statements.

He said the police would incorporate relevant sections of the IPC in the FIR after recording the statements of the victims.

Simardeep Singh said the police would verify the allegations against the local police and would take action if anyone was found guilty. 

Sirsa, April 28
A newly wed woman was allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped by two persons here. The woman had disappeared from her marital home in Kewal village of Sirsa on the night of April 23 and her in-laws family were found drugged.

At that time, it was alleged that the woman had decamped after drugging her in-laws. The woman, however, appeared before the police today and alleged that on April 23, her husband had gone to the grain market to sell wheat. Someone knocked at her door at 12 am and thinking that her husband had come, she opened the door, but found Binder Singh and Beant Singh, both residents of Punjab, standing there.

The woman maintained that the two accused drugged her and took her to some unknown destination on their motorcycle where they allegedly raped her. She alleged that the two raped her repeatedly in that room till April 26, when she heard the voice of some children playing outside and raised an alarm. A large number of people assembled there on hearing her cries and rescued her from the room.

The police has registered a case under Sections 365, 376, 506 and 34 of the IPC and started investigations.

Sirsa, April 28
The police has booked a man for rape, fraud and criminal intimidation and his parents and another person for complicity on the complaint of his wife.

The woman had lodged a complaint of rape and physical assault against Jashandeep, a resident of Jagmalwali village, who, she alleged, married her by posing as a bachelor and then assaulted her both sexually and physically.

The woman alleged that the accused married her at Arya Samaj Mandir in Hisar on October 24, 2011, claiming to be unmarried. She said that in June 2012, she came to know that the man was married and he had a child from his earlier marriage.

She alleged that after she came to know of his previous marriage, the accused started harassing her and subjected her to repeated physical and sexual assaults despite her opposition.

Finally, she approached the police and requested to book the accused for fraud, rape and assault.

The woman had also accused Jashandeep’s parents and another person of being hand in gloves with the accused in the crime.

The police has registered a case under Sections 376, 420, 506 and 34 of the IPC against the accused and has begun investigations.

Chandigarh, April 28
The January 7, 2013, order issued by the Principal Secretary, Haryana Town and Country Planning Department, regarding the compounding charges to be levied on those who fail to file a declaration under the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983, has created panic among members of group housing societies .

Compounding charges are basically a fine to be recovered from the defaulter builders and promoters of group housing societies for the delayed period in filing the declaration.

The declaration should contain information like description of the land and the building, number of each apartment, common areas and facilities and value of the property and of each apartment.

The order says that if the delay is up to one year, the compounding charges will be Rs 1 lakh; if the delay is more than one year but up to two years, the penalty would be Rs 2 lakh; and for the delay of more than two years but up to three years, it would be Rs 3 lakh. For delay of more than three years, the penalty would be Rs 3 lakh plus Rs 50,000 per month of the delayed period beyond three years.

Section 2 of the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983, makes it mandatory for the owners of residential apartments, integrated commercial complexes, flatted factories, etc to execute and get registered a declaration within 90 days of obtaining part completion/completion/ occupation certificate. In case of the buildings constructed before the commencement of the Apartment Act, the declaration is to be executed and registered within 90 days of the commencement of the Act.

In the case of default, Section 24A of the Apartment Act provides for stiff penalties. A defaulter "shall be punishable with imprisonment, which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to a fine of not less than Rs 50,000 and Rs 10,000 for each day of continuing offence.

Sources say the January 7, 2013, order is a major concession to the defaulters. Instead of Rs 10,000 per day, the new order makes it Rs 50,000 per month after the lapse of three years' delay.

The above provision is for the apartments built after obtaining a licence. For those group housing societies which have got land from HUDA, the rule is different. An original member of a group housing society would have to pay the stamp duty on his share of the land cost. However, when the original member would sell his apartment, the buyer would have to pay stamp duty on the basis of the collector rate. This was made clear by the Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, on July 13, 2012.

Kurukshetra, April 28
Terming his fight against discrimination in development and jobs on regional basis as ‘Dharma Yuddh’, the rebel Congress leader and sitting MP, Rao Inderjit Singh, today launched a blistering attack on the Hooda government and demanded a white paper on jobs given by the state government during the past eight years.

“The Congress is no longer a political party and has become a private company and we have decided to start the ‘Dharma Yuddh’ from Kurukshetra where the epic battle of Mahabharata was fought for upholding dharma," the MP said while addressing a public meeting convened by the Insaaf Manch here today.

He said each person joining the manch should be insaaf pasand (one who likes justice). He said justice regarding providing employment, electricity and release of funds etc was not being done to the weaker sections of society. These weaker sections should get equal opportunities in all fields. This injustice has led him to constitute this manch, he added.

The Rao alleged that most of the development works had been executed in Rohtak neglecting other parts of the state. Citing an example of favour to Rohtak, he said out of 23 posts of assistant professors, 17 were filled by recruiting candidates from the Rohtak constituency.

Later addressing the press conference, he alleged that in Haryana the Congress had been converted to a private company and the Cabinet members have become merely rubber stamps of the Chief Minister. He also expressed concern over the inadequate supply of electricity and drinking water, deteriorating condition of roads as well as law and order in the state. As many as 22,000 certificates of land use were issued (CLU) in Gurgaon district alone during 2004 to 2009 but efforts were not made to rehabilitate the owners of that land. There is a proposal to issue CLU for one lakh acres of land in Bewal and if this proposal matured, the land owners again would be ruined, he feared.

When asked if there was patch up between him and the Chief Minister, will his manch remain in existence, he replied in affirmative.

He favoured the Kurukshetra University Students Union (KUSU) demand for elections.

Taking on the Hooda government on a separate SGPC for Haryana, the Rao said the Congress included this demand in its manifesto in the Assembly polls, but did nothing in this regard after coming to power.

Rohtak, April 28
Residents of Meham in the district today blocked the national highway for nearly an hour and set two vehicles on fire after a student was killed in a firing incident.

Sources said the incident took place after an altercation between two groups of boys, all minors, during a “Jagran” (a religious programme) in the town at 1.45 am.

Eyewitnesses said one of the boys opened fire with a country-made pistol at another and the bullet hit Nitin, a Class X student, who was trying to pacify the two groups. Nitin succumbed to his injuries before he could be taken to a hospital.

“The clash was perhaps the result of an old rivalry between the two groups. They were having a grudge against each other since last Janamsthmi when a clash took place between the two groups,’’ said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vivek Sharma.

The SSP said the matter took a serious turn last night and one of the boys opened fire that accidentally killed Nitin. The accused and the victim were neighbours, he added.

The residents of the town assembled near the police station in the town and blocked the national highway for nearly an hour before they were persuaded to clear the blockade and cremate the body.

However, they set two vehicles parked near the house of an accused on fire when they were returning after cremating the body.

A Maruti car was completely burnt while the other vehicle was partially damaged in the fire.

The police said a case was registered and three of the four accused, all minors, had been arrested.

Chandigarh, April 28
The Home Department has notified the Haryana Victim Compensation Scheme, 2013, to provide funds for compensation to the victims or dependents who have suffered loss or injury as a result of crimes andrequire rehabilitation.

An official spokesman said a victim compensation fund would be set up funded through budgetary allocations, fines imposed under section 357 of the Act and ordered to be deposited by the courts ; compensation recovered from the wrongdoer or accused under clause 7 of the scheme and donations or contributions from the international national philanthropist or charitable institution or organisation and individuals.

He said the Administration of Justice Department would be the nodal Department for regulating, administering and monitoring this scheme. The State Legal Services Authority would be accountable for its functioning under the scheme and for furnishing periodical returns of the sums distributed to them by the government through the nodal department. The fund would be operated by the Member-Secretary, State Legal Services Authority.

He said that in the case of loss of life, Rs 3 lakh would be given under this scheme if the victim is 40 years of age or below, Rs 2 lakh if the victim is between 40 and 60 years and Rs 1 lakh if the victim is above 60 years . Similarly, in the case of loss of any limb or part of body (80 per cent), including loss due to acid attack, Rs 2 lakh would be given if the victim is 40 years or below, Rs 1 lakh if the victim is between 40 and 60 years and Rs 50,000 if the victim is above 60 years .

He said in case of loss of any limb or part of body (50 per cent) including loss due to acid attack, Rs one lakh will be given if the victim is of 40 years of age or below. A sum of Rs 50,000 will be given if the victim is between 40 and 60 years and Rs 25,000 if the victim is above 60 years. A compensation of Rs 3 lakh would be provided in the case of rape.

In the case of loss or injury causing severe mental agony to women and child victims in cases like human trafficking, kidnapping and molestation, a compensation of Rs 50,000 would be provided. Funeral expenses of Rs 2,000 and actual medical expenses incurred before death or on account of injury supported by bills or vouchers, but not exceeding Rs 15,000 would be payable in addition to the compensation outlined

Bhiwani, April 28
Public Health Engineering Minister Kiran Choudhry today dedicated to the villagers the renovated waterworks at Bapora village in Bhiwani, once considered the biggest in Asia, but lying in a state of neglect for years now. The waterworks had been constructed in 1969 by former Chief Minister Bansi Lal. It supplied water to adjoining 85 villages and dhanis at that time.

The waterworks has been renovated by Choudhry's efforts at an expenditure of Rs 3.20 crore.

Addressing people, the minister said that her efforts had always been to ensure adequate drinking water supply to people.

She regretted that the successive government did not do much for its maintenance.

Later, Kiran Choudhry inaugurated a public park at Tosham constructed at a cost of Rs.3.22 crore. She said Rs 27 crore had been spent on providing better drinking water facilities in Tosham. 

Chandigarh, April 28
After employees of Haryana Vidyut Parsaran Nigam Limited (HVPN) were denied retirement benefits on “hyper-technical grounds”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court minced no words to say the action amounted to “travesty of justice”.

A Division Bench also dismissed the nigam plea in the matter with Rs 10,000 costs. Munsha Singh and another employee had earlier moved the high court for quashing orders issued in June, 1997, vide which their claim for notional regularisation was rejected.

Going into the background of the controversy, the court observed that one of the employees joined the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board on a work-charged basis in July,1961. After reorganisation in November, 1966, Haryana was created, resulting subsequently in the creation of the Haryana State Electricity Board.

After his services were allocated to the HSEB, he continued to work in work-charged capacity without break till retirement in June, 1994. But much before that, the HSEB issued instructions in March, 1978, for regularisation of work-charged staff with five years of service.

Both employees were offered regular posts under the scheme, but on the electrical side. As both had worked on the civil side, the two pleaded that they were not trained in handling electrical equipment and were due to retire in another three to four years. As such, they should be regularised in their posts.

Action was not taken by the board on their request, and they retired in work-charged capacity after serving for almost 30 years without any break. They were made to retire in work-charged capacity without making them members of the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme; and were also not paid pensionary benefits.

Allowing their plea, the Single Judge held that their non-regularisation on civil posts would come out as harsh, unfair, arbitrary and inhuman. Dismissing the appeal, the Division Bench asserted: “Their work and conduct had been satisfactory. They worked in their respective posts without any break. Still, they were deprived of not only the benefit of pension, but EPF as well. When the policy of regularisation is not in dispute and they fulfilled all conditions, denying them the benefit on hyper-technical grounds, that too unjustifiably, would be travesty of justice”. 

Their work and conduct had been satisfactory. They worked in their respective posts without any break. Still, they were deprived of not only the benefit of pension, but EPF as well — Division Bench

Chandigarh, April 28
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has minced no words in saying that the consistent conduct of one of its judicial officers smacked of total arbitrary exercise of jurisdiction.

The observation came as it dismissed a petition filed by Civil Judge (Junior Division)-cum-Judicial Magistrate, Second Class, Pushpinder Kumar. He had challenged the state government's order of removing him from service on July 31, last year.

In the same order, Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Ritu Bahri also decided the issue of providing ‘protection’ to a judicial officer. The Bench asserted “a judicial officer has no protection for the acts done in abusing the process or the acts done with the mala fide motive”.

Kumar was served with a charge sheet initially on May 19, 2009, and again on April 24, 2010. The Punjab Registrar (Vigilance) was appointed as inquiry officer after Kumar denied the allegations.

In the first inquiry, the forfeiture of five annual grade increments with permanent effect was recommended, while in the second, removal from service was recommended. The full court approved the recommendations on July 10, last year.

His counsel argued that a judicial officer could not be held guilty of misconduct merely because another view was possible. One of the observations of the Bench while dealing with the matter was, “In one of the suits to fill the sanctioned posts of medical experts, the petitioner directed the state Chief Secretary to be present before the court, even when he was not impleaded as a party and, that too, without notice or seeking reply.The passing of the orders to fill the posts, directing the Chief Secretary to appear, that too by virtue of an interim order mandating the defendants to do something, which does not fall within the scope of the jurisdiction of the civil court, does not show that the petitioner was acting in bona fide discharge of his duties."

Another observations were, “Such acts show clear abuse of powers and bring the institute to disrepute. The fact shows total arbitrariness. None of the suits led to a final judgement, as such the suits were withdrawn. The petitioner granted the main prayer claimed in the suit by virtue of the interim orders.Therefore, the petitioner was not proceeded against for the judicial acts in discharge of his duties as a judicial officer in a bona fide manner, but for the manner in which the petitioner entertained the suits filed by his acquaintances and sought to pass the orders, which the civil court could not have ever granted."

“The consistent conduct of the petitioner, while posted at Loharu smacks of total arbitrary exercise of jurisdiction vested in him. The findings recorded by the inquiry officer and as approved by the full court do not warrant any interference by this court in the present writ petition," said an observation.

Sirsa, April 28
Mystery shrouds the death of a woman whose body was recovered from the fields at Sakta Khera, near Dabwali, in Sirsa yesterday.

Passersby informed the police that a body was lying in a blue bag on Chautala road of Dabwali town in the district.

When a police party from Chautala police post opened the bag, they found a woman's body.

The victim, aged between 35 and 40 years,was wearing a light yellow suit. Om was tattooed on one of her hands of the victim.

The bag bore the mark of a leading sugar mill.

Vikram Nehra, SHO, Dabwali sadar police station, said it appeared that someone had murdered the woman and dumped her body here.

The SHO said the body would be placed for identification for 72 hours before it is cremated after a postmortem.

Chandigarh, April 28
Demanding Rs 150 per quintal bonus on wheat on the lines of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, BJP Kisan Morcha national president Om Prakash Dhankar will take out a bonus march on April 30 from the Jhajjar grain market to the Chief Minister’s camp office in Rohtak.

A native of Jhajjar, Dhankar will start the march in the morning from the Jhajjar grain market and a large number of farmers will accompany him in the march. BJP state president Ramvilas Sharma will flag off the march, while BJP national secretary Sudha Yadav and spokesperson Captain Abhimanyu will also be present. Former BJP state president Krishanpal Gujjar, national executive member BJP Manohar Lal Khattar, Kisan Morcha state president Mahipal Dhanda and other party leaders will also support the cause.

Apart from demanding bonus on the wheat crop, the BJP Kisan Morcha will also demand the implementation of the Farmers’ Commission report presented by the Centre in 2006 before introduction of the Food Security Bill. The recommendations of the Farmers’ Commission have been lying unattended with the Government of India since October 2006. They will also demand profit for farmers taking into consideration the agriculture input and rates recommended by the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Price.

Keeping in view the oddities of natural calamities, the Kisan Morcha demanded the implementation of the committee’s report that recommends Rs 10,000 per acre compensation. This report, too, lies unattended in cold baggage since 2010.

During its tenure, the NDA had started the Farmer Income Insurance Scheme so that minimum income of farmers can be fixed. The Kisan Morcha will take up cudgels of this issue today.

Kurukshetra, April 28
The police has arrested three more persons in the firing incident that took place near a mall here on March 20. The police had already arrested three persons in the case.

A country-made pistol, a cartridge and two sharp-edged weapons had already been seized from the three persons arrested on April 4.

District police chief Rakesh Kumar Arya said the three persons, who were arrested from near the old bus stand, had been identified as Dharmender Panipat, Deepak Kumar Kaithal and Yogesh Kumar of Fridabad. The sticks used in the crime had also been recovered from their possession. They were produced in a court yesterday and remanded to judicial custody.

Arya said a police party led by Subhash Mandi police post in charge SI Nasib Singh saw some persons, who were quarreling in front of a local mall, had opened fire on each other, but they escaped when they saw the police.

A case was registered against the accused and consequently Rahul of Panipat, Gaurav Kumar of Faridkot and Sukhwinderof Bangro in the district, were arrested.

Rahul told the police that he, along with Manoj, was lodged in Kurukshetra jail, where they met Suresh and Billu Chaabri, both murderers of Virender Kaakrod and chalked out a plan to murder Pradeep and Balli, both witnesses in the Kaakrod murder case. Later, Pradeep was murdered in Narwana and before his murder, his murderers stayed here with them. 

Karnal, April 28
An attempt to loot a petrol pump by two armed miscreants at Jundla was foiled on Friday night as staff of the pump put up strong resistance and made them flee.

The miscreants, who came on a motorcycle barged into Hindustan Petroleum Filling Station's cabin in Jundla village, asked for the cash from a salesman at gunpoint. However, Manager Amit and salesman Surjit Singh resisted the attempt to loot the cash. One of the miscreants fired in air to scare them while the other fired at Surjit Singh. However, the bullet hit the belt and not the stomach and Surjit was saved. Both miscreants fled from the spot without looting the cash.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajesh Bhardwaj reached the spot and started investigations. An empty bag, probably to carry the looted cash was recovered from the scene of crime, but the attempt to loot the petrol pump was foiled.