NEIGHBOURHOOD

DC orders ban on carrying weapons during Shaheedi Jor Mela
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, November 25
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today dismissed a petition filed by industrialist Manjit Singh Arora, alleging that two Panchkula residents had demanded a bribe of Rs 50 lakh from him on behalf of a district court judge for exonerating him in a case.

The industrialist has already been sentenced to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 14-year-old domestic help by a UT Additional District and Sessions court.

In his petition, Manjit Singh had demanded the transfer of his case to some other court outside Chandigarh. He had also prayed for a stay on the proceedings, besides transferring the case to another court.

The court had imposed a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh on the industrialist, while sentencing the industrialist to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 14-year-old domestic help. Out of this, Rs 1 lakh was to go to the complainant as compensation, the court had ruled.

The court relied on the victim’s statements before the Magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC at the time the case was registered and the statements of the mother. The victim’s medical examination too had confirmed that she was raped. The victim had turned hostile in the case and was now married, but her mother supported the case throughout.

The case was registered on January 8, 2010, when the UT police arrested Arora for repeatedly raping the domestic help in Chandigarh and Mumbai. As per the prosecution, the accused shot videos of the victim in Mumbai and showed them to her on his laptop.

The victim's mother had informed the police that the industrialist employed her daughter as a domestic help in 2008 for Rs 3,000 a month. She claimed that the accused offered her daughter Rs 5,000 a month for working in Mumbai, to which the family agreed.

She also alleged that they had made repeated requests to Arora to bring the girl back to Chandigarh. Relenting, the girl was brought to the city on December 26, 2009, when she complained to her family about the sexual abuse.

Drug peddler gets 10-yr jail
Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 25
The local court today awarded 10 years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh to an alleged drug peddler. The police had recovered half kg of smack from his possession five years back.

The peddler has been identified as Kuldip, a resident of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

In case, the convicted failed to deposit the fine in time, he will have to spend another six months in jail.

According to information, Kuldip, along with a minor boy, was nabbed by the Mohali police with drugs from road adjoining Phase VIII-IX on December 7, 2008.

A case under the NDPS Act was registered against the accused at Phase VIII police station, while the minor was sent to a juvenile home.

Chandigarh, November 25
A local court today acquitted former UT Chief Engineer KK Jerath in a 13-year-old case of corruption involving misuse of official vehicle.

The vigilance Cell of the UT police had booked Jerath in 2000 for misuse of official vehicles causing loss of funds to the state exchequer.

However, the prosecution failed to prove the charges and it turned out that the police had conducted shoddy investigations to frame the official.

As per the prosecution case, Jerath during his tenure with the UT Administration as the Chief Engineer from 1995 to 1997 sanctioned the tour to Delhi for his subordinate staff, whereas, the Chandigarh Administration rules had banned the same. The police had registered the case on July 8, 2000, under various sections of the Preventions of Corruption Act. It was alleged that Jerath had misused a staff car by showing bogus journeys of his subordinates thereby causing wrongful gain to himself and wrongful loss worth thousands of rupees to the government exchequer.As per the FIR, Jerath caused a loss of Rs 36,000 to the state exchequer.

However, during evidence it came on record that the then UT Adviser was fully aware and he never objected to the tours and Jerath had gone for official work to attend meetings. Moreover, he was fully authorised to sanction the tour of his subordinate staff and statements of his driver also affirmed that no vehicle was misused. Terminder Singh, counsel for Jerath, said that the case was registered due to pressure by the then UT Home Secretary, Anuradha Gupta. “It has been proved that the police conducted shoddy investigation and there was no reason to file the case and it was registered only due to pressure from the then Home Secretary,” said advocate Tarminder Singh.

Chandigarh, November 25
A theft was reported in Sector 15 today. A miscreant allegedly fled with an LCD and other valuable belongings by ransacking a house in Sector 15.

An elderly woman, present in the room, was fast asleep when the theft took place.

The complainant, Atul Sharma, an employee with Punjab government, alleged that he had gone to sleep at 11.30 pm and the theft took place after 2 am.

Valuable items were found scattered in the lobby, while cash and other items were reported to be missing.

The miscreant sneaked in by breaking a grill of the house.

The miscreant had first attempted a theft in a neighbouring house in the same sector, by breaking a window, but failed.

Gold chain snatched

Chandigarh, November 25
In yet another strike by snatchers in the city, a gold chain weighing 1.5 tolas was snatched by two miscreants.

The miscreants snatched away the chain from a lady, on pretext of asking directions to a destination from her.

The victim has been identified as Raj Rani, a resident of Sector 15, Panchkula.The victim was standing in the verandah of the house when the two approached her.A case has been registered at the Sector 14 police station. — TNS

Chandigarh, November 25
Windowpanes of the car belonging to a reporter with a vernacular daily were broken by miscreants last night here at Dainik Bhaskar Colony in Sector 25.

Giving details, the police said the reporter of a daily vernacular of Sector-37-C, alleged that five persons on a white Scorpio car sped away after breaking the windowpanes of his car. The reporter told the police that he had intervened when a clash had taken place between liquor vendors at Dainik Bhaskar Colony on Saturday, following which the reporter was attacked. The reporter said the liquor vendors attacked him and even threatened him near Dainik Bhaskar Office, Sector-25, on November 24. The police have registered a case of criminal intimidation under Section 506 of the IPC has been registered at the Sector 11 police station.

Panchkula, November 25
After taking away his Indica car, thieves struck again at Panchkula councillor Sunil Talwar’s residence and made away with his another car last night.

Talwar had borrowed a Tata Safari from his brother Sudesh Talwar. The CCTV footage showed two youths committing the crime at 1.05 am.

A police official said the two came in a car. While one stepped out, opened the car and drove the same, the other followed him in his car. A case has been registered at the Sector 14 police station.

Chandigarh, November 25
Owing it to the lethargic approach of UT Sports Department all coaching centers of city are functioning without deployment of security guards. And to overcome this problem, the officials have asked gardeners and sweepers to perform overtime in night.

For last 9 months, the department of sports, failed to fulfill the requirement of security guards at all local stadiums. The last tender ended during the month of February. According to sources, in the sports department, till date no development has been made to recruit security guards or hire any company to provide watchers.

“In a latest development, due to non-completion of papers, the file is sent back by the Advisor to the Administrator. The objection has been raised after the authorities failed to mention the exact number of security guards needed. This is the second time that the file is returned by the higher authorities,” said a head of clerical department.

On the other hand, making full use of their powers, the department has forced the gardeners and sweepers to perform this duty. In the latest meeting with a head of these workers, the higher authorities have ordered them to wait for another week, to relieve them from the watchers’ duty. “Few days back, we were ensured to get relief but till date no development has been made. We are not availing our holidays and working continuously. According to rules, we are pending with total holidays of two and a half months. The authorities are not bothered about our problems,” said a representative of gardeners and sweepers.

Back in 2011, due to non-availability of security guards, two youths drowned at the swimming pool of Sector 23. This year, the same swimming pool was closed for 20 days prior to the actual date due to non availability any security guard. The stadiums also witnessed same problem with gym equipments and other material, being guarded by sweepers and gardeners, during night hours.

Mohali, November 25
Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar's retirement has equally saddened the Pakistanis, this is what former manager of Pakistan’s cricket team, Brig Khawaja Muhammad Nasir and other members of a delegation from across the border feel.

Talking on the sidelines of seminar, ‘Healthcare: A bridge to Peace’ organised by the India Pakistan Soldiers’ Initiative for Peace at Fortis Hospital today, Brig Nasir said, “The people in Pakistan are equally sad as those in India about Tendulkar’s retirement from cricket. He may have been born in India but he is world heritage and his cricketing legacy is as much a part of us as that of India.”

Brig Nasir, who had served as the Pakistan team twice (from 1999 to 2000 and 2002 to 2003) and then elevated as the chairman of scrutiny committee of Pakistan Cricket Board, said Pakistan considers Sachin as the greatest player of all times, and for me perhaps even greater than Don Bradman.

Going down memory lane, Nasir said he had seen Tendulkar for the first time during his debut match in Pakistan 1989. “I was surprised, rather shocked, to see how such a young boy would face our seasoned bowlers like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, who were terrors for the batsmen. Sachin, however, showed great courage, determination and dedication and even after being hit on the nose by the ball while facing Younis, he refused to quit the field,” Nasir said. “It was to his immense credit that he not only chose to continue the onslaught despite bleeding but hit a four on the very next ball, notching up over fifty runs in the innings,” he recalled.

Appreciating Sachin’s clean image both on and off the field, he said that Sachin had an immense fan following in Pakistan and Pakistani team players held him in high esteem. “I used to tell them that if you want to win a match against India, the only way was to dismiss Sachin at the earliest,” he said.

During a Indo-Pak match in Australia in 2000, Abdul Razzaq had felt that Sachin was tempering with the ball and he had even complained to the match referee, but we respect him so much that we did not pursue the case officially, Nasir recalled.

Echoing similar sentiments, the wives of the officers said Tendulkar was immensely popular among their social circle. “We all loved him. Though he had reached the pinnacle, he was full of humility, a virtue that is rarely seen,” said Yasmin Naeem, principal of a school in Lahore. “For us he was a very ‘pyara bachha’, whom we used to watch on the small screen for hours playing cricket. We will miss him,” said Shehla Shahnawaz, principal of the Lahore College of Arts and Science.

Chandigarh, November 25
In a match of St Joseph’s super league-cum-knockout cricket tournament, the team of Saupin’s School, Sector 32, defeated St Joseph’s School, Sector 44, being held here today.

Giving an all-round performance Saupin’s Atul Jaswal scripted his team’s win. He claimed 3 for 12 and contributed 37-runs from bat. Chasing a target of 102-runs, the Saupin’s School registered a 9-wicket win over the rivals. Atul along with Gauravdeep Gill (28-runs) guided the team to achieve the target. Earlier batting first, the host side posted 102-runs with middle order batsman Arshpreet Singh (35-runs) scoring the most runs.

Brief Score: St. Joseph’s School, Sector 44- 102 for 7 (Arshpreet 35,Anshul Negi 31,Parbhjeet 1 for 15,Atul Jaswal 3 for 12, Sukhman 1 for 15).

Saupin's School- 103 in 18.3 overs(Atul Jaswal 37,Arshpreet singh 28 Not out, Anshul Negi 1 for 11).

Chandigarh, November 25
The boys’ team of New Public School, Sector 18, and girls’ team of Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, won their respective titles of Rao Jai Singh and Shanta SH Singh Memorial Basketball tournament, concluded here today. In the finals of boy’s category, the team of New Public School defeated BKSP, Bangladesh, 69-57. For winning team, Abhishek gathered a total of 30 points while Naveen (19 points) and Gurpreet (12 points) were the other main scorers. For losing side, Basher (21 points), Mehadi (11 points) and Tauk (8points) reduced the margin.

In the finals of girl’s category, the Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, defeated Sacred Heart School, Sector 26, by a margin of 53-18. Sacred Heart’s Akshita basket 22 points while Aakriti collected 10 points for losing side.