Despite crackdown, ragging continues in Chennai colleges

The senior students have devised many ways of harassing first year students by forbidding them to wear branded clothes and forcing them to go their home unreserved.

Despite the stringent measures adopted by the government and colleges, still ragging continues in many private institutions. Often, the practice crosses the line of mere ragging and takes the form of bullying and even violence.

A first year mechanical engineering student has rightly said that they are not allowed to go to shopping malls and cinemas during the first year. The seniors enforce these rules strictly and ensure that they are put to maximum pain during their initial first year. Also added that the first year students were strictly prohibited from interacting with their classmates, especially of the opposite sex, on campus or outside.

A student from an Engineering College near Old Mahabalipuram Road said that even in cases where bullying crosses the limits of endurance, most students remains silent because they have paid huge capitation and course fees.

One of the student also expresses his helplesness stating that the amount which their family send for their personal use are even sometimes forcefully taken away by their seniors. Noone was allowed to keep any money with themselves after paying the hostel fees.

SS Rao, Registrar of Sathyabhama College said that they were closely monitoring all the colleges. State Higher Education Minister P Palaniappan recently said that the government is considering the feasibility of setting up a state level helpline to take complaints directly from ragging victims, in line with the national desk of the University Grants Commission.

News Reported by AR for Newsvision online newspaper

'Hundreds killed' in Syria protest during Ramadan

A rights group said on Wednesday that a total of 473 people were killed during protests in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Syria.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the death toll comprised to 360 civilians and 113 members of the security forces and the army.

The civilians comprised of 25 people aged under 18, 14 women and 28 who died in detention or under torture. Almost daily protests has taken place against the regime of  President Bashar al-Assad, since mid-March, in the face of  crackdown which according to the UN has resulted in the death of at least 2,200 people.

The observatory said that the security forces had returned the bodies of 13 people to their families, at least five of whom were still alive when they were arrested in early August.

Amnesty international said in a seperate report that it had heard of 88 deaths in the custody between April 1 and August 15, including 10 children aged between 13 and 18.

Amnesty added that there is no evidence that any kind of torture was caused or conributed to the deaths, citing signs of violent burn marks, beatings and cuts.

Some had been mutilated before or after death in particularly grotesque  ways apparently intended to strike terror into the families to whom their corpses were returned.

Reported by  AR

Land grab charge: Fourth ex-DMK minister arrested

On Wednesday, the former higher education minister K Ponmudi became the fourth minister in the DMK government led by Muthuvel Karunanidhi to be arrested on land grabbing charges. Ponmudi was arrested from his Villipuram residence, about 160 km south of Chennai.

According to the Villipuram police report, Siga Educational Trust belonging to Ponmudi, took over the land allotted for children's park and community hall without proper authorisation.

AIADMK's trade union wing leader Narayanasamy lodged a complaint of land grab.

Police sources told over phone that the police surrounded the Ponmudi's residence early on Wednesday morning.

Tension prevailed in the area as several DMK workers congregate ouside the former minister's residence when police came to arrest him.

Ponmudi told the press that the AIADMK government was filing false charges against him of land grabbing.

The other ministers arrested in land grab cases since the AIADMK came into power in May are former transport minister KBN Nehru, former agriculture minister Veerapandi Arumugam and former handlooms ministerNKKP Raja.

The government has former various land grab cells in 30 districts and has set up fast track courts to process the land grab cases. In the state, over 450 cases has been registered so far.



Berated by Head Matser, girl commits suicide

A standard VII student committed suicide in Warangal district following the apparent hurt cused by the admonishing she received from her headmaster. Kanuganti Swapna aged 12 years, consumed pesticide at her home in Pandikunta Village in Mulugu mandal and died on her way to Mulugu government hospital  on Thursday.

Relatives staged a dharna in front of the government zilla parishadhigh school in Pandikunta with her body on Friday, alleging that Swapna ended up her life after she was beaten up by the school head master B Sadananda Rao. They demanded adequate compensation and suitable action against the school management. However, Sadananda Rao denied that he had punished the girl in the classroom.

All this began when Swapna broke a fight with her classmate R Anusha over sharing of seat on the bench. The girls started shouting against each other. Anusha reportedly lashed Swapna, who fell on another student named J Mounika. Upset over this, Mounika warned the girls and rushed to th HM and made complaints against the two girls. Sadananda Rao came to the class and reportedly slapped Swapna. Afer he left, both the girls clashed again.

Before leaving the classroom in then evening, Swapna said to Mounika that it was because of her that the HM had come out and cautioned them.

Also angry Swapna had told Mounika that she would commit suicide and for that the HM and she would be held responsible.

 Later in the evening, she went home and consumed pesticide. After telling the parents about the extreme steps, she even went to Mounika's residence to tell her about her action. She later came back home and collapsed. Her parents- Mallaiah and Uma rushed her to the Mulugu government hospital where the doctors declared her brought-dead.

When contacted, Sadananda Rao denied slapping Swapna and said that he did not raise his hands against the student rather he had just warned her to behave properly in the classroom. He added that, he had said so only to restore order between the two girls as both of them were clashing and fighting since afternoon.

Sources said that no case has been filed so far and the school authoritie are negotiating with the family for the amount of compensation required. The body was later sent to the hospital for an autopsy.

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Team Anna rallies behind Kiran Bedi on privilege issue

Team Anna Hazare on Tuesday rallied behind its key member Kiran Bedi who is facing a breach of privilege notice in Parliament for making controversial remarks against MPs, warning such move will be  perceived by the people as lawmakers seek way to pay revenge on them.

A key team memmber, Arvind Kejriwal said that the entire team is solidly behind Bedi. He said that she will respond to the notice as and when the notice is received. The notice has not been received so far and it does not constitute the breach of privilege of Parliament.

Prashant Bhushan, Lawyer and another Anna Hazare Team member said the move to serve a notice to Bedi was unfortunate as she had not said anything which could be termed as a breach of privilege.

He claimed that there had also been talks that he and another member Arvind Kejriwal will also get privilege notices.

Bhushan told the reporters that perhaps the MPs are thinking that our fight is against MPs as we talk about their corruption. People will find it as a way for the MPs to seek revenge.

Bedi, the former IAS officer said on Monday that she was not going to apologise and  was prepared for any punishment.

In contrast to Bedi's stand, actor Om Puri, who was facing the breach of privilege notice, apologised for using derogatory remarks to put down the political class.

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Rajiv Gandhi assassination: High Court stays execution of 3 killers

Three killers of Rajiv Gandhi, before ten days they were to be hanged, today they got a repreive from the Madras High Court which stayed their execution for eight weeks even as the Tamil Nadu Assembly in an exceptional unanimous resolution appealed to the President to re-consider their mercy pleas.

A bench comprising of Justices C Nagappan and M Satyanarayanan issued notices to the Centre, stopping the execution set for September 9, the State government and the Police, observing that there had been a delay of 11 years in the disposal of their petitions seeking Presidential moderation.

Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan lodged in the Vellore jail, who were convicted and sentenced for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi during an election rally at Sriperumpudur on May 21, 1991 by an LTTE suicide bomber.

Ram Jethmalani, who pleaded their case, told the reporters after the court paased the interim order that the High Court is doing justice and stayed the execution.

Jethmalani, Colin Gonsalves and R Vaigai, appearing for the three convicts, while disposing of their mercy petitions violating Art 21 of the Indian Constitution contended it as inordinate and inexplicable delay.

Shortly before the High Court order, the Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution moved by Jayalalithaa requesting President Pratibha Patil to re-consider the mercy petitions which was rejected earlier this month.

A huge crowd which was present outside the court applauded the interim order that was keenly awaited by the leaders of several political parties and human rights groups who have launched a campaign to save the lives of the three convicts.

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2G Scam: Court to decide Raja, Kanimozhi charges on Sept 15

Delhi Court will decide on September 15 whether to put A Raja, Kanimozhi and 15 others on trial for their alleged role in the 2G Spectrum scam, which according to the CBI has caused a loss of Rs.30,984 crore to the public exchequer.

Special CBI judge O P Saini said today after special CBI Prosecutor U U Lalit wrapped up his final argument, rebutting the plea of innocence by all the accused, including three telecom firms, two bureaucrats, nine corporate honchos and a film maker.

Lalit wrapped up his argument while pleading to the court to frame charges of corruption and other penal offences against all the 17 accused and to put them on trial for their alleged roles in the case.

While concluding his argument, Lalit told the court that Swan Telecom and Unitech got the licences despite their complete ineligibility to get the same.

He said that both the companies off-loaded their shares soon after getting the licences and acquired around RS.73,000 crore in the process.

The special public prosecutor, appointed by the Apex Court  to prosecute the case, however clarified that there is no evidence or material available on record to indicate that there was any quid pro quo by Unitech Wireless Pvt Ltd.

He added that they are conscious so far as the Unitech is concerned, and found nothing to show any money trial against them. He later said that there is no quid pro quo as far as money exchanging hands is concerned in relation to Unitech.

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Sankararaman murder case: Plea says new tapes point to attempts to bribe judge

The Madras High Court stayed the trial in the Sankararaman murder case, in which Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati and his junior Vijayendra Saraswati are the prime accused.

Justice K Saguna had stayed the trial for eight weeks while hearing a petition filed by P Sundararajan, who alleged the tapes of the conversations, indicated attempts by the Kanchi seer to bribe the judge who was hearing the case. The trail was being held in the Puducherry sessions court.

Sankararaman, Manager of Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram, who was murdered on the temple premises on September 3, 2004. Though five persons subsequently surrendered, it was emerged during the investigation that they were not the real accused. Jayendra Saraswati was arrested two months after the murder. Later, the junior seers were arrested.

As per the police reports, the murder was an attempt to stop Sankararaman, who used to work in the mutt before he fell out with the seers, from exposing the financial irregularities in the mutt. The Supreme Court shifted the trial to Puduchery from a Chengalpet court after the senior Shankaracharya alleged that a fair trial could not be held in Tamil Nadu.

Sudararajan's petition said some tapes purportedly containing conversations between the Kanchi Sankaracharya, his aide, two mediators, the Judge and his representative ahd emerged in the public domain recently. It said that the tapes pointed to payments made and talked about.

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Yeddyurappa appears in Special Lokayukta Court

The former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, appeared for the first time in Special Lokayukta Court on Monday after the Karnataka High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea earlier this day. Though he had been asked to be present before the court on Saturday, he sought exemption on health grounds.

 Mr. Yeddyurappa filed a bail plea before the court, along with other accused, including his sons B.Y Raghavendra, MP and B.Y Vijayendra; son-in-law R.N Sohan Kumar; and the former Muzrai, S.N Krishnaiah Shetty. The court is proposed to hear his bail plea on September 7.

Mr. Yeddyurappa became the first former Chief Minister ever to appear before this court in a corruption case.

Legal activists Sirajin Bhasha and K.N Balraj ahs summoned Yeddyurappa and six others in connection with two cases, involving  six instances of alleged land grab and misuse of power. The two had filed cases of sorruption against Yeddyurappa and his kin and associates.

The Karnataka High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in one of the cases of land denotification that had allegedly resulted in pecuniary benefits to his family members.

Justice L. Narayana Swamy said that even though no further investigation was required in the particular case (related to three instances of land denotification at three locations in Bangalore). The court noted that the "same government" even after Mr. Yeddyurappa demitted office as Chief Minister,  is in power.

It said that a large number of witnesses, according to the complainant in this case, are government servants including IAS officials, working in various capacities.

The High Court also refused to accept  Mr. Yeddyurappa's argument  that the Special Lokayukta Court had already formed an opinion against him, hence he did not approach the court for availing anticipatory bail.

The High Court examined the Governor's sanction and the three instances of de-notification mentioned herein the complaint and found that it cannot be in any way termed mechanical or malafide sanction accorded by the Governor and stated that there is no prima facie case against the petitioner.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yeddyurappa had withdrawn  his petition filed in the High Court challenging his indictment by the Lokayukta on the charge that he had received illegal gratification from a mining firm.

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Downstream areas alerted as Narmada water rises

As per the report of an official an alert has been sounded in the low-lying downstreams areas of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada following huge flow of water from Madhya Pradesh.

They said the alert was sounded on late Saturday in Tilakwada and Nandod taluks of the district and some taluks of Vadodara and Bharuch district after water began overflowing.

District officials had been asked to remain alerted as the dam was overflowing due to the inflow from upstream, which was around 3 lakhs cusecs since Saturday night.

Officials said that on Sunday morning, the inflow had decreased and the dam was overflowing at 126.90 m.

Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Managing Director S. Jagdeesan said on Sunday that meanwhile, the 1,450 MW power stations at the dam site started generating power at their full installed capacity for th first time this monsoon due to the inflow of water.

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Libyan rebels free more than 10,000 prisoners

A rebel military spokesperson on Sunday said that more than 10,000 prisoners were held by the regime of Kadhafi have been released since the rebels captured Tripoli, but nearly 50,000 are still missing.

Ahmed Omar Bani at a press conference stated that the number of people arrested over the past few months is estimated at between 57,000 and 60,000.

He also expressed his deep concern over their fate and said that many people in Tripoli are now discovering mass graves around former detention centres and the prison in Abu Slim.

Abu Slim, a generally pro-Kadhafi neighbourhood, has seen fierce fighting between rebels and Kadhafi loyalists.

 When asked whether the missing rebels were killed, he said that it would be catastrophic if it turns out they were killed.

We now have the individuals who knows what has happened with the prisoners in  Tripoli and these individuals are currently being sought by our liberation forces.

Bani warned that they have invited anyone who has information on prisoners to come forward or they will be considered considered complicit in these crimes.

It is high time for those who claims to have been too frightened to speak to come forward and testify about the crimes which were being committed.

The battle for Tripoli is almost over and the rebels are mess up to get the capital back on its feet, but sporadic gunfire could still be heard overnight in the city.

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Nations victory, thousands begins march from India Gate

Thousands gathered today evening at India Gate to celebrate the victory of Anna Hazare's campaign against anti-corruption  which took the nation by storm. Anna Hazare on Sunday broke his 12 day fast declaring that electoral reforms will be his top priority in the agenda.

After a few days of protest by Anna, festivities began last night after the Parliament  passed a resolution agreeing the three demands of Anna Hazare on Lokpal issue, which reached a climax when the Gabdhian accepted a glass of coconut water from the Dalit and a Muslim girl named Simran and Ikrah at 10:20 am, breaking his 288 hours of fast that began on August 16.

As a symbol of his victory, victory flags were put up in almost every house in his village in Maharashtra as people who assembled outside the Yadavbaba temple where he lives, said they were eagerly waiting to see their 'Hero' come back home very soon.

Hazare's close aide Datta Awari said that they are also eagerly waiting for his return. He is their hero and want to give him a hero's welcome.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra modi was quoted saying that those who taken Naxalism and terrorism should learn from Anna Hazare's anti-corruption campaign as it has reinforced confidence in the strength of non-violence which is inherent in the "DNA of Indians".

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the ending of the fast by Hazare was a victory of the people's power and showed the resilence of parliamentary democracy.

Dr. Ratna Magotia who had been fasting along with Anna Hazare for the last 12 days said that so as to express solidarity with Hazare, 17 people had been fasting at Azad Maidan and added that there is no words to express his happiness and this victory is a victory of common man.

India Against Corruption which superheaded the agitation said they were elated over the victory. Mannan Gandhi, a member of the IAC said Hazare supporters poured onto the streets in Kolkata distributing sweets and singing the national song.

West Bengal CPI-M secretary Biman Bose said that ending of fast by Anna Hazare is a good decision and they are happy for the implementation of an effective Lokpal Bill.

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CAG report did not indict me, claims Sheila

Three weeks after being slammed by the CAG for alleged irregularities in certain CWG reports, the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday questioned the findings of the report and claimed that she was not indicted by the auditor.

Dikshit told the reporters after a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party that all that was alleged was not true and it was baseless.

Later a CLP meeting was called on so as to finalise the strategies for the monsson session of the Delhi Asembly beginning from Monday as BJP is set to corner the government on the CAG report.

Dikshit questioned about the real intention of the CAG report and claimed that CAG had even clarified that she was not indicted by the auditor.

She said that the CAG in the press conference on August 5 had denied that there was any indictment of the Chief Minister.

Dikshit added that all the party leaders were given a presentation so that they can better defend the government in the asembly session if BJP raises the CAG report.

 The sources said that the aim of the presentation was to make them understand the CAG report.

BJP has been demanding Dikshit's resignation following the CAG report and has accused the Congress for maintaining double standards and going on the overdrive so as to save her.

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36 Pakistani soldiers killed

In the Afghanistan attacked border checkpoints in Pakistan's north western Chitral District on Sunday at least 36 Pakistani security personnels were killed and dozens of others were injured in this attack when hundreds of Taliban insurgents attacked the border.

Since the US pulled out its troops from the eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban insurgents and the Hizb-i-Islami militia of former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hikmatyar re-established their bases in the two provinces.

According to the security officials, hudreds of militants attacked the Pakistan's paramilitary posts and civilian settlements in the areas of Chitral on Sunday.

Colonel Haroon Rasheed, Chitral's FC commandant said twenty six security officials and ten border police were killed. About a dozen of militants also lost their lives in the retaliatory attcaks. He said that the militants attacked the posts with heavy weapons while firing mortar bombs causing casualities.

However, there was no independent verification of the militants death toll. One of the official said that still clashes are going on between the security officials and militants in the border areas. Pakistani troops also blew up three bridges  on Saturday in the border region to halt the militants invasion.

Around 60 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the clash which took place on July when some 600 militants from Afghanistan attacked two Pakistani villages in the upper Dir region. Pakistani militants has largely relied on the campaign of suicide and bomb attacks but carrying out large scale attacks on government and their new strategy seems to be the army target.

During the last year, Afghan had claimed that Maulana Fazullah (mullah radio), who had escaped the military operation in Swat, had been killed in the attack between the security officials and the military officials in the Bar Mittal area of Nuristan.  

While the border attacks continued, gunmen kidnapped and killed a retired amry colonel on Saturday in the northwestern garrison city of Kohat. Police captured the gunmen in a car at a check point and later broke out a gunfight as a result of which one police officer lost his life. The abductors escaped and later shot dead Ahmad and abandoned his body alongside a road.

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Parliament passes unanimous resolution

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that Lok Sabha has adopted 'sense of House' on three key issues raised by the Anna Hazare. The House was adjourned without any voice vote. The House was adjourned till Monday by the Speaker after a 'sense of House' was taken and there was a sense of unanimity in the passing of this resolution.

Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee requested the Speaker Meira Kumar to accept the sense of the House and forwad it to the Standing Committee.

He also made it clear on the point that he will adopt this sense and will forward the same to the Standing Committee after examining the Lokpal Bill. He said that the Standing Committee will bring a revised legislation to the House.

According to Yashwant Sinha, both the BJP and the present government were in agreement that no voting was required and the sense of the House has to be conveyed to the Speaker.

Team Anna member Medha Patkar stated it as a part betrayal. She added that this was not what they agreed on with Khurshid, it was a part betrayal.

Anna Hazare is expected to end his fast on Sunday at 10 am after the Mumbai Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh presented him with a copy of the resolution adopted by the Parliament, agreeing to his three demands.

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Bomb blasts hits UN office in Nigeria, 10 feared dead

A bomb blast broke out in the United Nations office in Nigerian capital of Abuja on Friday as a car crashed into the building and witnesses said that they saw a number of bodies being carried away from the site.

As per the reports of an anonymous medical officer, he witnessed 10 dead bodies and more from the site.

One security force in Abuja expressed their suspension in the attack either by Boko Haram, a Nigerian radical Islamist sect, or the North African arm of Al-Qaeda. They also stated that Boko Haram's attacks are growing in greater intensity and spreading further afield.

The UN buidling was blacked from top to the bottom and the remains of a car had fallen into the basement. Soldires, firefighters and rescue workers clouded the area.

The security sources said that a car rammed into the building and was exploded. This is either a work of Boko Haram or Al-Qaeda and is a serious escalation in the security situation of Nigeria.

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Supreme Court dismisses Justice Dinakaran's plea

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court P D Dinakaran's plea challenging  the committee decision (appointed by the Rajya Sabha) to frame charges against him by allegedly exceeding its jurisdiction.

A Bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi also rejected his contention stating that the panel has no power to conduct preliminary inquiry against him.

Justice Dinakaran,who had resigned from the service on the ground of impeachment of services against him, contended that the committee had exceeded its jurisdiction by filing 14 charges on the basis of fresh complaints whereas there were only 12 charges at the time when it the motion was introduced in the Parliament.

The former judge, who faces various charges including amassing disappropriate wealth and judicial misconduct, alleged that the fresh charges were ultra vires as they were beyong the charges which were mentioned in the Rajya Sabha motion.

The Bench said that the it will be an immatured thought if it contends that the committee has no discretion in the matter of framing the charges. Rather the committee is bound by the duty to scrutinise the material forming part of the motion and then frame definite charges.

The Bench also added that it can also receive other materials which may support or contradict the allegations enumerated in the notice of the motion.

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Karnataka High Court reserves order on Yeddyurappa bail plea

The Karnataka High Court on Friday reversed its order on the anticipatory bail application of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who is asked to appear before the Lokayukta on Saturday to face the allegations of denotification of government land for personal gain.

Justice L Narayana Swamy after hearing the counsel, reserved his order on the bail application of B S Yeddyurappa to August 29.

The Special Lokayukta Court on August 8 had ordered to issue the summons to Yeddyurappa to appear before it on August 27, on a private complaint filed by the lawyer Sirajin Basha.

Earlier, Yeddyurappa's counsel and famous Supreme Court lawyer U U Lalit had submitted that the denotification was a collective decision involving many departments, including the Bangalore Development Authority and not an individual decision taken by Yeddyurappa.

Lalit cited a Supreme Court Judgement in he Gurbaksh Singh case and submitted that today political battles are fought in criminal courts and also argued that merely taking a decision is not illegal and also stated that liberty of an individual should not get prejudiced.

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Amar Singh and five others summoned in cash-for-vote case

Former Samajwadhi Party general secretary Amar Singh, BJP leader L K Advani's former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni and two former BJP MP's were issued summons by a Delhi Court to undergo trial for their alleged role in the 2008 cash-for-vote case.

Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said in her judgment asking the four to be present in the cout on September 6. Also issued production warrant  against Manmohan Singh's former aide Sanjeev Saxena and alleged BJP acjtivist Suhail Hindustani who were arrested earlier and presently lodged in Tihar Jail.

The court sought the presence of all the six accused including the two former BJP MP's Faggan Singh and Mahabir Singh before it, taking cognisance of the Delhi Police charge sheet, filed on Wednesday.

Delhi Police in its charge sheet, mentioned all the six persons name who were involved in the scam, involving payment of bribes to some MP's to win their votes in a trust motion piloted by the Congress-led UPA government.

While issuing summons to Mr. Singh, Mr. Kulkarni, Mr.Kulaste and Mr.Bhagora, the Judge questioned the Police on the reason why these people were not arrested earlier along with the other two accused.

The Judged questioned them whether there was any special reason for such act from the part of the Police authority.

Public Prosecutor Rajeev Mohan, appearing for the Crime Branch of Delhi Police told the court that these four people were not arrested as their custodial interrogation was not required.

Mr. Mohan, however, requested the Judge to take cognisance and issue summons against all the six accused.

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Indian-American woman gets 4 year probation in fraud case

An Indian-American woman with close ties to disgraced former illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been sentenced to four years probation and ordered to pay USD 2,00,000 as fine and restitution after she pleaded guilty to billing the state for drug tests which her firm never performed.

The accused is Anita Mahajan, 60 years, a former state contractor and wife of Amrish Mahajan who was a major fundraiser for Blagojevich.  As per the reports she apologised when she stood before Judge James Obbish and pleaded guilty to a reduced amount of theft of USD 99,990.

As per the reports, she was fully broken and her eyes were filled with tear drops when she heard her sentence being read out in the court and apologised before the court.

She also agreed to pay USD 2,00,000 – USD 1,25,000 as restitution, USD 43,000 as fines and USD 32,000 in state's attorney's office.  She was also asked to perform 1,500 hours of community service as part of her plea agreement.

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Will end fast only if government agrees three conditions : Anna

Social activist Anna Hazare today reiterated that he will end fast only if there is compromise on three issues that has been raised. The three points are namely Citizen's charter, inclusion of lower bureaucacy and setting up of Lokayukta in state through Lokpal. It is assured that the discussions on the points stated above will be debated from tomorrow in the Parliament.

He said that the corrupt officers must be imprisoned and their properties must be attached. Anna Hazare has also insisted on including lower bureaucracy within the ambit of the Lokpal.

On continuing the deadlock between the government and Anna Hazare on Lokpal bill, Anna Hazare today wrote to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.

Activist Manish Sisodia told Hazare's supporters that Anna Hazare is waiting for Prime Ministers reply and once he gets any feed back, he will inform the same.

However, the contents of the letter send to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were not disclosed by Sisodia.

The letter was sent through senior Maharashtrian leader and Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who had met the Gandhian who was on the tenth day of his fast.

Sources revealed that Hazare had sought written assurances from the government with respect to some issues in the Lokpal Bill.

Consequently, after Singh's speech, the Lok Sabha today unanimously decided to ask Hazare to end his fast as his health was deterioting and his life was considered too precious.

The Prime Minister had on Aungust 23 approached him with a proposal to end his fast and promising that his Jan Lokpal Bill could be considered by Parliament along with the government draft.

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Cant book Sachin, Sania for insulting tricolour : Police

Police told the Madras High Court that sportstars Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza and TV anchor Mandira Bedi cannot be booked for allegedly insulting the tricolour on foreign soil without the permission of the Centre.

Police said in an counter affidavit filed in the Madurai Bench of the High Court that it was not possible without the sanction of the Central government.

Police submitted that none of the accused named in the complaint belonged to Tamil Nadu nor they were availbale on the date of the complaint or on subsequent dates.

The counter affidavit filed on Tuesday came as a result of the petition filed by the advocate  B Stalin seeking a direction to the police inspector to register criminal cases against them under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 and Emblems and Names (Prevention of Impropoer Use) Act, 1950.

The affidavit which was filed on Tuesday also made it clear on the point that in case of offences committed outside India, no prosecution under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Impropoer Use) Act, 1950 could be initiated without the permission from the Central government.

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Singapore Airlines accused of serving chicken to vegetarian Hindu woman

Singapore Airlines has been accused of serving chicken to a vegetarian Hindu woman who was tavelling from New Zealand to India.

According to the New Zealand reports, the 56year-old Hindu woman Pushplata Sharma had fallen sick after she was served chicken on a flight to India.

Pushplata Sharma of Blenheim, New Zealand has been a vegetarian thoughout her life time and she never had even meat or eggs as it was against her religious beliefs.

A Singapore Airlines spokesman said that they were concerned about Sharma being served a wrong meal, but the agent who had booked the ticket did not seek for a special meal.

It was said that Sharma had asked the agent who booked the ticket for her to order for an Indian Vegetarian meal. But due to the confusions of the conversations between the agent and the airline, the request was forgotten which led to the serving of a wrong meal to her.

Sharma further said that she had terribly mistaken the chicken piece to be cheese and realised the mistake only after consuming it and consequently had fallen sick as a result of this.

She added that later a crew member who could understand her language brought some bread piece, rice and chickpeas but she did not eat anything more on the flight or while the return journey.

She had later on even consulted a doctor after this incident for treatment for depression. And according to her son-in-laws report this incident has terribly shaken her beliefs and blip in more than half a century of perfect adherence to her faith.

Singapore Airlines New Zealand passenger services manager Murray Wild said the company catered for many different dietary requirements and took the incident very seriously.

He said that they were concerned of the matter and regreted for the distress that have been caused.

He added that the airline would be looking at how the incident happened, along with the travel agent and would inform Sharma.

News Reported by AR for Newsvision