Runaway couples cautioned

Think twice before ‘rebellion marriage’, says High Court

Chandigarh, April 12
Cautioning runaway couples against running down established social norms while racing towards the hymenal altar, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked them to “think twice” before according precedence to individual interests over that of society’s.

The assertion by Justice Rameshwar Singh Malik, aimed at easing tension between interests of individuals and a group as a whole, came while dealing with nearly a dozen protection petitions filed on a single day by runaway couples.

In one of the petitions, Kirti Goyal and another petitioner had sought directions to the State of Punjab and other respondents to protect their life and liberty on the ground that they “ had tried to persuade their parents and relatives, but in vain.”

Referring to Supreme Court judgments on the right to life and liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, Justice Malik asserted: “It is equally important to note that freedom of the individual is not absolute, but subject to the established and time-tested social norms of a civilised society.

“Co-existence of freedom of the individual and social control is sine-qua-non (an essential element or condition) for sustainable progress of society and this is also an integral part of our Constitutional philosophy.

“Therefore, though the petitioners are entitled to protection to their life and liberty in the given facts and circumstances of the case, but at the same time, it is also expected of them and other young citizens like them that before running away from their homes for performing this type of rebellion marriage, they must think twice, besides, listening carefully to their parents who are not their enemies, but genuine well- wishera.”

Justice Malik also said: “Let us welcome the dynamic social change and evolution, but only subject to the social control and moral values which are centuries old and have not lost their shine even today ”.

Before parting with the orders in almost all the cases on the issue, Justice Malik said: “It is also made clear that this order shall not entitle the petitioners for any protection against their arrest or continuance of any criminal proceedings, if they are found involved in the commission of any cognisable offence...”

RTE Act applies to all govt, private schools, rules Supreme Court of India

Private unaided minority institutions get exemption
New Delhi, April 12

The government got a shot in its arm today when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act (2009) and ruled that the law would apply uniformly across India to all government, local bodies and private unaided schools.

By a majority view, a three-judge Bench of Chief Justice SH Kapadia and Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar said the Act would apply to all private and minority schools, which get grants from the government. All unaided private schools are also covered under the Act with the exception of unaided private minority schools.

All schools covered by the law will now have to compulsorily reserve in Class I (or nursery at entry level) at least 25 per cent seats of the total strength of that class for children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged group in the neighbourhood. Top Delhi institutions, including Sanskriti, Modern School, DPS, Vasant Valley would be covered under the RTE Act.

However, missionary schools in Chandigarh like St John’s, Carmel Convent, St Anne’s and Sacred Heart which get no grants from the government, will be exempted and not have to reserve 25 per cent seats for the weaker sections.

“Missionary schools are in any case enrolling children from the Economically Weaker Sections but with the additional 25 per cent quota, they were feeling extremely burdened. The SC order is a relief,” said Alka Sarin, advocate for Chandigarh’s missionary schools.

The SC’s order came on a bunch of petitions filed by private unaided institutions which argued that the law violated their rights under Article 19(1) (g) of the Constitution which provided them the autonomy to run institutions without government interference.

Justice Radhakrishnan’s dissenting view that the law should not apply to unaided private and unaided minority institutions was overruled by Justices Kapadia and Swatanter Kumar.

The apex court said the law should be viewed as child-centric and not institution-centric. The court also ruled that the judgment would apply from today (Thursday). This means it won’t apply to admissions granted before today and post April 1, 2010 when the Act came into force. The law will thus apply prospectively.

Earlier, the SC had reserved its judgment on August 3, 2011, on petitions filed by the Society for Unaided Private Schools, Independent Schools Federation of India and others who primarily contested 25 per cent quota at entry level.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today thanked the apex court for upholding the interests of children before anything else. “The court has clarified a very complex issue. We welcome the court’s view that such legislations should be seen as child-specific and not institution- specific. It’s the future of children that will be secured through the law. We had always held what the SC has today ruled. Every school must now comply,” he added.

The government, however, clarified that madrassas and Vedic schools won’t be covered under the RTE Act and a Bill amending the law would be taken up in Parliament soon to exempt these institutions. “These institutions are not schools as per the definitions of the RTE Act,” Sibal said.

Schools reserving 25 pc seats will be reimbursed expenditure to the extent of per-child-expenditure incurred by the state as a whole or the actual amount charged from the child whichever is less.

Anand Marriage Act gets Cabinet approval

Sikhs will be able to register marriages under 1909 Act 
New Delhi, April 12
Sikh couples will soon be able to get their marriages registered under the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, instead of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
Accepting the long-standing demand of Sikhs, the Cabinet today approved amendments to the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, to provide for registration of Sikh marriages. A Bill to this effect would be introduced in Parliament when the Budget Session resumes later this month.
The Cabinet also approved the introduction of a Bill to amend the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, to include registration of marriages as well. The move aims at utilising the existing administrative mechanism to maintain marriage records on the lines of records of births and deaths.
The amendment would allow couples to get their marriages registered independent of their religion, though the option of getting marriages registered under the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriages Act would continue.
Though the Law Ministry note in respect of this amendment talked of compulsory registration of marriages, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal clarified, “Those who wish can get their marriage registered under this new law. The issue of mandatory registration will be discussed when the Bill reaches the Standing Committee .”
After Parliament passes the amendment Bill, Sikh marriage certificates won’t be issued under Section 2 of the Hindu Marriage Act (as is the case now). The Cabinet decision comes a year after the government decided to drop the proposal of amending the Anand Marriage Act and Salman Khurshid informed the Rajya Sabha of the decision.
The Tribune was the first to report the move on August 29, 2011, following which the Sikhs began fresh agitations for a demand that had once been approved by the Standing Committee on Law when Veerappa Moily was the Law Minister. But later the move fell flat.
Khurshid recently proposed religion-neutral registration of all marriages — a move which the Sikhs slammed. Former Chairperson of the National Minority Commission Tarlochan Singh wrote a protest letter to Law Minister Salman Khurshid, demanding amendment to the Anand Marriage Act and not a religion-neutral marriage registration law.
“This is the victory of Sikhs; we had fought for this right for decades,” Tarlochan Singh said today. Akali Dal’s Rajya Sabha member Naresh Gujral also welcomed the decision saying. “It’s sad that Sikhs who sacrificed so much for the country had to feel alienated over such a small demand. We thank the PM and the Cabinet as this decision reassures minorities that their interests are protected. We want to congratulate Tarlochan Singh, former MP, who spearheaded the campaign in Parliament.”
In the Cabinet, Information Minister Ambika Soni proposed that the amendment Bill be titled Anand Karaj Amendment Bill, 2012. This title is likely to be retained. So far, marriages amongst Sikhs, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and other communities, except Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Jews, were covered under the Hindu Marriage Act.

Major step in recognizing Sikh identity
JALANDHAR: Not only has a long pending demand of the Sikh community, of recognizing their own marriage ceremony, been fulfilled with Union Cabinet's nod to Anand Marriage Act, but it has also come as a major step in addressing the issue of their search for an independent identity - which gained momentum some three decades back. 

Even as the Sikhs had their own marriage ceremony, initiated by third Sikh master Guru Amar Dass, and is centered around their holy book Guru Granth Sahib, but their marriages were registered under Hindu Marriage Act. Apart from the issue of identity, this had also been creating problems for NRI Sikhs - who are estimated to be around five million across the globe. 

"In our papers, we state our religion as Sikh but when our sons or daughters marry, they get the marriage certificate from the authority under Hindu Marriage Act. Members of our community have been facing problems due to this and would be at loss to explain this paradox even as the Sikhs don't consider themselves as part of Hindus," said Gurdarshan Singh Basra a UK-based NRI whose son recently married in Punjab. As Sikhs sought amendment in Article 25-B of the constitution - which clubs Sikhs, Jains and Budhists with Hindus - which was also a major demand of Dharm Yudh Morcha launched by Akali Dal and the demand epitomized by P S Badal tearing and burning this article in Delhi in early eighties. The demand for Anand Amarriage Act gained momentum in 2006, when Supreme court mandated registration of all marriages. The Sikhs' representative body, SGPC opposed registration under Hindu marriage Actand demanded that Anand Marriage Act be put in place. The clergy and Sikh groups then raised the demand for a separate marriage Act, after refusing to be clubbed under the Hindu Marriage Act. 

Before that National Commission for Minorities Chairman Tarlochan Singh had started pushing papers in union government in 2003 but things would not move beyond a point. "Nod for Anand Marriage Act is meeting their rightful demand and is a major step in recognizing their independent religious identity which was ordained by the Guru himself. It is heartening that it is coming on the eve of Baisakhi when 10th Sikh master Gur Gobind Singh gave final shape to the formation of Khalsa Panth- an independent religious entity," said former IAS officer and prominent Sikh intellectual Gurtej Singh who had also contributed to the authoring of Anand Marriage Act passed by Pakistan. 

School buses violating Supreme Court guidelines with impunity

Ludhiana, April 11

Authorities of various schools, parents of students and drivers of school vans seem to have not learnt any lesson from previous incidents. They continue to violate the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court for plying school buses.

The condition of school vans has still not changed. Most of them still remain overcrowded. Lack of fire extinguishers and other safety measures continue to play havoc with the lives of children in the city.

Due to the absence of first-aid boxes, safety grills, fire extinguishers and adequate staff, it becomes too risky to send children in such school vans and auto-rickshaws, which are generally overcrowded. Buses of different colours run on roads without the school’s name inscribed on it. Some of the vans run on LPG cylinders. Moreover, many drivers aren’t even aware of the Supreme Court’s guidelines.

Jaswant Singh, father of two children, said, “Every time when something happens with school buses, the incident leaves an impact on the minds of parents.

But bus operators are ready with excuses every time. Fuel price hike is the permanent excuse of the drivers to justify overloading. When we ask them to improve the condition of buses, they demand more money.” Meanwhile, Navita Puri, principal of Kundan Vidya Mandir School, said, “We have our own buses. But private van operators who are associated with us, sometimes, don’t care about the norms. We often conduct meetings with them to make them aware about the traffic rules and guidelines of the government.”

SC GUIDELINESn Buses should be painted yellow n School bus must be written on its rear and front. n It should have a first-aid box. n It must be fitted with a speed governor. n Windows must have horizontal grills. n It should have a fire extinguisher. n The school name and telephone number must be written on it n Both doors should be fitted with secure locks. n There should be space under the seats for school bags. n There must be an attendant in the bus. n Driver should have at least five years experience of driving heavy vehicles. n A driver, who has been challaned more than twice a year for offences like red-light jumping, violation of lane discipline or allowing an unauthorised person to drive, cannot be employed as per Section 2(47) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Facebook in Punjabi a hit among youngsters

Ludhiana, April 11
The announcement that Facebook for mobile phones is going to be launched in eight Indian languages, including Punjabi and Hindi, has brought cheer amongst the youth in and around the city.

There is a sizeable and growing community of people in the region using Punjabi as the language for surfing websites. Youngsters from both rural and urban areas in and around the city are connected on Facebook.

Sarabjit Singh, a BA student, said that he used to write in Punjabi using English alphabets. But the introduction in Punjabi on mobile phones would ease things up. "Regional language written using the English alphabet seems funny and frivolous," he says.

According to the noted Punjabi poet Jaswant Zafar, who is a regular user of the popular social networking website in Punjabi, “There is a vast community of Facebook users in Punjabi, but there was always a constraint of using it on computers. Mobile platform may propel the online use of Punjabi."

Padam Shri awardee Surjit Patar said, "Mobile phones these days are very popular with the youth and so is Facebook. It is good that even while using Facebook on phones, there would be no constraint for people to use the Roman script for sharing and writing Punjabi poetry."

“Such initiatives are aimed at increasing the footprint of social networking sites, but they are also facilitate the growth of the languages as a byproduct,” he said.

UT Municipal Corporation doing little to control stray dog population

Chandigarh, April 11
Ironically, stray dog menace in the city is increasing day by day while at the same time funds allocated by the municipal corporation for controlling the canine population are shrinking every year.

Figure this out, as per the budget report of 2012-13 financial year, the authorities have allocated Rs 5 lakh for the implementation of animal birth control of dog in the city which was Rs 7 lakh in the 2011-12 budget.

The authorities are left wondering whether the funds have been used properly as there is no mechanism to check the number of dogs that have been sterilised by the NGOs every month.

Residents of Sector 21 today met MC Commissioner VP Singh to complaint about the dog menace in the area. They alleged that even though the authorities were claiming that the dogs were being sterilised every month, there was no relief from the menace.

Expressing helplessness, MC medical officer of health BK Salwan stated in the House that there was no government hospital or dispensary where the authorities could sterilise the dogs through surgery.

Nominated councillor DS Sandhu said the budget which should have increased manifold, have seen a downfall. Referring to the increase in the number of stray dogs, he said the department had to hire additional doctors to sterilise the dogs, but with such little amount how could it precede their programme.

A senior official said in 2008, the authorities had hired five organisations, including two NGOs and three private doctors, for sterilising stray dogs, but the programme had failed as the private doctors quit midway. The authorities had failed to pay them money. Resultantly, after 2008 the authorities tried to hire private doctors, but no one agreed to do so.

Recently, UT Adviser KK Sharma also held a meeting with MC Commissioner VP Singh and Mayor Raj Bala Malik along with the NGOs in this regard, but the officials had failed to reach a conclusion.

Sterilisation

As per records, last year 500 stray dogs were sterilised by two NGOs, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and People for Animals, whereas there are more than 6,000 dogs in the city. In the recent General House, the MC officials had accepted that they did not have a proper system to check the dog menace in the city.

Finding it strange that the department has not put in efforts to control the population of stray dogs, nominated councillor Major D S Sandhu said why the civic body had hired only two NGOs for the purpose when there were hundreds of veterinary doctors in the city.

Congress councillor and former Mayor Pardeep Chabbra read an e-mail of a resident complaining about the dog menace during the General House .

Bylaws

In 2007, dog bylaws were approved by the MC for checking the menace. But these remained confined to papers.

Complaining about the failure of the MC to execute the dog bylaws approved five years ago, SAD councillor Harjinder Kaur in the House demanded that the medical officer of health should table a report of dog sterilisation every month to know how effectively the bylaws were being implemented.

Dog pound

A proposal was mooted by the department to construct a dog pound on over half an acre of land in Dhanas. The purpose of the pound was to serve as a temporary shelter for ferocious dogs potentially rabid as well as critically sick dogs. But the proposal has not materialised so far as it has not been cleared by the UT chief architect department.

Freak weather baffles city

Chandigarh, April 11
City residents witnessed heavy rain accompanied by strong winds here late last evening. The city came to a halt due to the downpour as the roads leading to the main sectors were filled with water. Strong wind knocked down tree branches in various sectors, including Sectors 27, 15, 22 and 24. There were reports of windscreens of vehicles being smashed in the rain.
The newly constructed road at the NAC, Manimajra, was waterlogged. Strong winds began blowing around 8.30 pm, followed by a dust storm and heavy rain, which lasted for about an hour.
People who had parked their motorcycles in Sector 17 were in for a rude shock when they saw all two rows collapse on their return. Harinder Singh, a bank manager, said: “It seemed someone had broken the pipe of the oil tank of my mobike. I saw another bike whose lights had been smashed.”
Shalini Dogra, a schoolteacher, had a nasty experience when she turned towards Sector 16 from Madhya Marg. The wheel of her car hit a manhole cover lower than the road. In the process, her daughter's head hit the dashboard and began to bleed. She had to rush her daughter to a private clinic, she said.
The dust in the air resulted in poor visibility.
RD Sharma, a resident of Sector 30, said: “We have been hearing about an earthquake in Indonesia which measured 8.6 in magnitude. People in the coastal areas of our country are fleeing their homes. The winds here today were also not normal. It could have been a possible impact.”
Weather experts have predicted that barring some drizzle in certain pockets of Punjab and cloud formations in the tricity region, weather is likely to improve within the next 24 hours. There would also be an increase in the day temperatures.

8.6 quake jolts Indonesia, shakes India

Epicentre in Sumatra; tsunami fear grips Indian Ocean belt after 8.2 aftershock 

Banda Aceh, Indonesia, April 11
A powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004.
Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.
However, some areas close to the epicentre are remote so it could take some time to find out if there was any damage.
Many people were frightened of further tremors. "It's dark out here but I am scared to go home," said Mila, a 41-year-old woman taking refuge in the grand mosque in the town of Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.
Waves of up to one metre (3.3 feet) high were seen near islands off Aceh, but Indonesia cancelled a warning for fresh tsunamis. It said the worst-hit area was the thinly populated island of Simeulue, off Aceh's southern coast.
The first quake struck at 0838 GMT and an 8.2 magnitude aftershock just over two hours later, at 1043 GMT. Two more strong aftershocks hit later.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also withdrew tsunami warnings for the entire Indian Ocean after keeping them in force for several hours. "Level readings now indicate that the threat has diminished or is over for most areas," the agency's bulletin said.
Thailand and India also withdrew tsunami warnings. Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India were all badly hit in 2004. At least 230,000 persons in 13 Indian Ocean countries were killed in the disaster that year. Last year, an earthquake and tsunami off Japan's northeastern coast killed at least 23,000 persons.
On Wednesday, people near the coast in six Thai provinces were ordered to move to higher ground. Authorities shut down the international airport in the Thai beach resort province of Phuket.
The quakes were about 300 miles (500 km) southwest of Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, the US Geological survey said. The first was at a depth of 20.5 miles (33 km).
Indonesia's disaster management agency said power failed in Aceh province and people were gathering on high ground as sirens warned of the danger.
"The electricity is down, there are traffic jams to access higher ground," said Sutopo, spokesman for the agency.
"The warning system worked," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said. Indonesian television showed people gathering in mosques in Banda Aceh. Many others were on the streets, holding crying children.

In the city of Medan, a hospital evacuated patients, who were wheeled out on beds and in wheelchairs. The tremors were felt far away in southern India. Hundreds of office workers in the city of Bangalore left their buildings while the port of Chennai closed down because of tsunami fears.

The quakes were in roughly in the same area as the 2004 quake, which was at a depth of 18 miles (30 km) along a fault line running under the Indian Ocean, off western Indonesia and up into the Bay of Bengal.

Experts said Wednesday quakes were a "strike-slip" fault, meaning a more horizontal shift of the ground under the sea as opposed to a sudden vertical shift, and less risk of a large displacement of water triggering a tsunami.

"The nature of the sideways rupture and sideways movement is not predisposed to cause a bad tsunami, so almost certainly, the crisis has been avoided," said David Rothery, an expert at the Open University in the UK. The quakes were also felt in Sri Lanka, where office workers in the capital, Colombo, fled their offices. — Agencies

Southern shocker

Chennai: Tremors rocked several parts of south and southeast India, prompting panicked people to flock to open spaces as grim memories of the 2004 killer tsunami returned to haunt many. People rushed out of houses and high-rise office buildings in panic in Chennai, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Visakhapatnam. Operations at the Chennai Port were suspended.

Cracks in Kolkata buildings

Parts of West Bengal, including capital Kolkata, were jolted around 2.14 pm. Scared people rushed out from their homes and offices. There was chaos on roads. In several places, cracks were spotted in buildings. Metro operations were curtailed.

Back-to-back temblors

n The first quake struck at 0838 GMT and an 8.2 magnitude aftershock just over two hours later, at 1043 GMT

n The epicentre was 33 km under water off the Indonesian coast and 435 km from Banda Aceh, the epicentre of the devastating 2004 tsunami

n Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes

n The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center immediately issued tsunami warnings for the entire Indian Ocean, but later withdrew it

n The tremors were felt far and wide in southern and eastern parts of India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

UT Admin to penalise mobile operators

City has over 300 illegal towers; notices already served on violators

Chandigarh, April 10

The UT Administration has now decided to impose penalties on mobile operators who had installed illegal mobile towers in the city. Earlier, the Administration had only issued notices to owners of residential and commercial buildings for violation of building bylaws but now mobile operators will face the music.
At present, there are more than 300 illegal mobile towers in the city.
A senior official of the UT Administration said they would soon issue notices to the mobile operators. Regarding the amount of penalty, he added that they would soon hold a meeting with the Estate Office officials to decide the amount.
But the official added that they were also mulling over allowing installation of mobile towers in residential areas of a few sectors where there was no commercial space available to install mobile towers. Recently, the administration had also issued directions to the architecture department to prepare a road map for the installation of mobile phone towers in the city.
Recently, the UT Estate Office had issued notices to the owners of residential and commercial buildings for violation of the building bylaws. Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner, Brijendra Singh, in his report submitted to UT Finance Secretary VK Singh had pointed out that more than 300 mobile phone towers in the city were illegal.
The UT Administration had asked for the report after receiving directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it should notify its policy on mobile phone towers in the residential areas in two months.
The High Court had made it clear that it wanted these towers to be shifted out of the residential areas in a phased manner.
Sources in the Estate Office said there were 547 mobile phone towers in the city out of which around 300 were operating illegally. The Estate Office had conducted a survey in which it came to light that a majority of these towers were installed in violation of the building bylaws.

• Official of the Estate Office said they were also mulling over allowing installation of mobile towers in residential areas of a few sectors where there was no commercial space available to install mobile towers.
• Recently, the administration had also issued directions to the architecture department to prepare a road map for the purpose.

NRI Abduction Case: A Bollywood thriller

Chandigarh, April 10
In an operation that was no less exciting than a Bollywood thriller, the Crime Branch of the UT police and the Kurukshetra police turned tables on the kidnappers and rescued the NRI.
Having no idea how many kidnappers had kept the NRI hostage and how many weapons they possessed, 10 UT policemen reached the farmhouse in Kurukshetra at around 1.20 pm.
In hiding outside the farmhouse spread over many acres, the UT police co-ordinated with the Krurukshetra police and asked it to provide additional force for the operation.
As the UT police team waited for the Haryana Police, it intercepted the Swift Dezire car heading out of the farmhouse. Nitin, one of the accused, was on his way to get food for the kidnappers. He was taken into custody and questioned about his accomplices and their plan. Nitin gave wrong information to the police and said three persons were inside the farmhouse while they were actually five in number.
Just as the police team of the UT and the Haryana Police advanced towards the farmhouse, one of the kidnappers, Pradeep Malik, opened fire from inside the room where the hostage was kept.
“There was only one way to enter the farmhouse and they saw our vehicles at some distance. They fired three shots and after a brief silence, we too fired shots into the air. We apprehended three accused guarding the place after a chase. The other two accused fled when they got to know that their accomplices had been arrested. They were also nabbed after a chase,” said the investigating officer, Inspector Amanjot Singh.

Nari Niketan Rape Case

Nine sentenced to 10-year R

Chandigarh, April 9
Calling the Nari Niketan rape case an eye opener for society and slamming the authorities concerned for not being diligent, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Preeti Sahni today sentenced all nine accused, including two women, to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. Convicting the accused, the court stated that the accused did not deserve any leniency.
In 2009, a 16-year-old mentally challenged inmate of Nari Niketan was found pregnant. At that time she was residing in Ashreya, a home for mentally disturbed persons in Sector 47 and had shifted there only a month ago from Nari Niketan in Sector 26.
The court sentenced Nari Niketan employees -- guards Bhupinder Singh, Jamna Kumar Rana and Bajinder Singh, sweeper-cum-attendant Kamla, nurse-cum-attendant Maya; and Ashreya attendant Chotu Ram (biological father of the victim’s child), Bhagwandeen Yadav, Davinder Singh and driver Naresh Kumar to 10-year rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 2,000 each on them.
The police had said the victim was raped during her stay in Nari Niketan in March 2009 and they had collected DNA samples of all employees of Nari Niketan as well as Ashreya. The police had said there was a nexus between employees of Nari Niketan and Ashreya and that the victim was raped repeatedly.
“The rape of the Nari Niketan inmate is an eye opener for society and shows how affairs are managed in institutes meant for the welfare of destitute persons. If the persons at the helm of affairs were diligent, this untoward incident could have been avoided. They do not deserve leniency,” said the court.
“It is a matter of great shame and regret that the persons, who were entrusted with the duty of looking after such people, became monsters and took advantage of their positions in these institutes and ravished the poor helpless and mentally challenged girl. They had ravished her not only physically, but also took advantage of her mental weakness. Her agony cannot be imagined,” the court added.
Public prosecutor Manish Dua said they had pleaded for maximum sentence for the accused and the statements of the victim proved crucial in the conviction. The victim, whose mental age is not more than eight years, had identified all the accused in court by name, which was vital evidence.
In December 2009, DNA samples of the newborn of the victim had matched those of Chotu Ram. Based on the CFSL report, the police had arrested Chotu Ram, alias Madho Ram.

The UT Administration had moved the High Court for the termination of the vixtim’s pregnancy on medical grounds. The HC had ordered the termination of pregnancy, but it was later stayed by the Supreme Court. The victim gave birth to a baby girl in December 2009.

Turn of events March 13, 2009: Victim shifted from Nari Niketan, Sector 26, to Ashreya in Sector 47 May 18: Rape case surfaces; mentally challenged victim found two-month pregnant May 19: Security guard Bhupinder Singh arrested June 13: Kamla and Jamuna Das arrested July 17: High Court orders medical termination of pregnancy July 20: Supreme Court sets aside HC order December 3: Victim gives birth to baby girl December 23: Ashreya employee Chhotu Ram identified as baby’s biological father December 26, 2009: Ashreya employee Bhagwandin Yadav arrested January 2, 2010: Two men arrested for allegedly raping victim in Ashrey.  Nari Niketan rape case: Profile of convicts Bhupinder Singh (55) Family members of the convicts outside the District Courts in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan The first person to be arrested, Bhupinder, worked as a security guard in Nari Niketan. He allegedly lured the victim on the pretext of marrying her. The police said the teenaged girl, whose mental age was seven or eight, was lured so much into the dream that she fell into the trap. A police official said when initially asked about it, she said, “Bhupinder paji is going to marry me.” Even after the victim was shifted to Ashreya on March 13, 2009, Bhupinder raped her. He went to the Government Institute for Mentally Retarded Children (GIMRC) in Sector 32, where the victim went to study, and raped her in the toilet. A resident of Maloya, Bhupinder hails from Jandiala in Amritsar. Kamla (40) The sweeper-cum-attendant at Nari Niketan did odd jobs in addition to her duties. She made her believe that she would be married to Bhupinder. Kamla, who is a resident of Sector 30, hails from Dharamgarh in Panipat. She was the second accused arrested. Maya (38) The nurse-cum-attendant assisted the men. Maya, who hails from Shanti Nagar in Mani Majra, maintained health records of the inmates. She was booked under Section 201 of the IPC as she had destroyed the pages pertaining to monthly menstrual cycle of the victim. Bajinder Singh (38) Bijender and Bhupinder took the victim to a bathroom in the Shelter Home and took turns to rape her. Bajinder was a chowkidar at Shelter Home. Bajinder hails from Tihri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Jamna Kumar Rana (54) The security guard manned the main gate of Nari Niketan. He took the victim to the toilet inside the security guard’s room near the main gate. Rana hails from Nepal. From Ashreya Chhotu Ram The security guard allegedly made the first successful attempt to rape the girl on March 15, two days after she was shifted from Nari Niketan. Chhotu, who hails from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, was arrested on December 23, 2010, when his DNA matched with that of the newborn baby. Bhagwandeen Yadav (31) The attendant to the only male inmate of Ashreya raped the victim in the toilet. He had access to the victim because he was always present in the building. He was arrested on December 26. He hails from Faizabad in UP and lives in Industrial Area. Naresh Kumar (30) A driver employed at Government Institute for Mentally Retarded Children, Naresh stayed in Halfway Home, located on the campus of Ashreya, where he did odd jobs like fixing the curtains. He frequently visited the inmates’ rooms, which gave him access to the victim. A resident of Mohali, he was arrested on January 12 this year. Devinder Singh (24) The attendant in the male wing of Ashreya was arrested with Naresh on January 2, 2010. The four accused of Ashreya were hand-in-glove with each other and took turns to rape the victim. A resident of Mauli Jagran, Devinder was employed in Ashadeep in Sector 31 when he was arrested.

Punjab to face storage problem

Chandigarh, April 9
The Baisakhi season may not bring much cheer to various government agencies procuring wheat in Punjab and Haryana. Grappling with the problem of storage space in view of the slow movement of wheat and paddy from these states and faced with yet another bumper harvest, the agencies would face a tough task in storing the additional wheat to be procured by them.
The wheat arrival is expected to begin only after Baisakhi, the state government's procurement agencies as well as the Food Corporation of India would face a tough task with 115 lakh metric tonnes of wheat expected to arrive in mandis of Punjab and 70 lakh metric tonnes of wheat expected to be procured by various agencies in Haryana. The godowns in the two states are already full to their capacity with the produce from last year having not been moved to the recipient states.
Sources inform The Tribune that the total storage capacity in the state is 200 lakh metric tonnes. Already 51 lakh tonnes of wheat and 67 lakh tonnes of rice are lying in the state's godowns. With the state expected to procure another 115 lakh tonnes of wheat, it would have no space to store 32 lakh tonnes of the new wheat.
Similarly in Haryana, the total food grain storage space is 90 lakh tonnes, of which 48.55 lakh tonnes is covered. But again the godowns are filled with 56 lakh tonnes of wheat, 12 lakh tonnes of rice and 90,000 tonnes of bajra in the godowns. With 70 lakh tonnes of wheat crop likely to be procured in this season, Haryana, too, will face a shortage of space to store the new grains.
In the past three years, a little has been done to increase the food grain storage space in the two states. While Haryana has added only five lakh metric tonnes of new storage space, Punjab has added 12 lakh metric tonnes of new storage space till March this year. This is woefully less than the required space, and not even in consonance with the increase in crop production each year.
What has made the matter worse is that more than 90 per cent of the total wheat produced in the two states will have to be purchased by the state procurement agencies as well as the FCI. This is mainly because of the high taxes on wheat being purchased by private traders, who have shunned the two states for buying wheat. As against the MSP of Rs 1,285 per quintal, a private trader has to cough up Rs 1,450 to Rs 1,500 per quintal in case he buys wheat from here, after including purchase tax, commission of commission agents and other expenses. He then finds it favourable to buy the crop from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, where the wheat is sold, sometimes at prices below the MSP.
Bumper harvest
The total storage capacity of Punjab is 200 lakh metric tones
Already 51 lakh tonnes of wheat and 67 lakh tonnes of rice are lying in the state's godowns
The state government is expected to procure another 115 lakh tonnes of wheat. It would have no space to store 32 lakh tonnes of the new crop 
NABARD to extend financial support
The NABARD is likely to extend financial support of Rs 500 crore to Punjab under the NABARD Warehousing (Refinance) Scheme, 2012. Under this initiative, the NABARD extends financial support to banks at a concessional rate of eight per cent for setting up warehousing facilities in the state. "The scheme was launched in September last year and we extended financial support of Rs 245 crore to banks in Punjab, which will help create 6.7 lakh metric tonnes of new storage capacity. This year, we are likely to double this line of credit. Interest subvention of 1.5 per cent is also given to those who make timely payments and those completing the warehouses on time," said Krishan Jindal, chief general manager, NABARD.

23 guilty for post-Godhra riots

Ode village carnage: Sentencing on April 12, prosecution seeks capital punishment for convicted
Anand, April 9
A decade after 23 persons, including 18 women and children, were burnt alive by a mob in Gujarat's Ode village in this district during the post-Godhra riots, a court here today convicted 23 accused and let off as many in a case it described as "rarest of rare".
District and Sessions Judge Poonam Singh held 23 of the 47 accused guilty. She will pronounce the quantum of sentence on April 12. One of the accused died during trial.
Twenty-three persons, including nine women and as many children of the minority community, were burnt to death in a house in Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode village by a mob of over 1,500 on March 1, 2002 following the Godhra train burning incident that had triggered communal conflagration across the state.
Special public prosecutor PN Parmar said the court considered the incident to be "rarest of the rare". He said of the 23 persons found guilty, 18 were convicted for murder and criminal conspiracy and five for attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy.

The Ode carnage case is the third of the nine cases probed by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT in which judgment has been delivered.
Earlier, a court had awarded the death sentence to 11 and life term to 20 in the Godhra train burning incident in which 58 persons, mostly kar sevaks, had been killed on February 27, 2002.
The second case was that of Sardarpura village in Mehsana district in which 31 persons were awarded life term and 42 others acquitted. Thirty-three Muslims had been burnt alive at Sardarpura in Mehsana district during the 2002 communal riots.
Riot victims and those working to secure justice for them have hailed the judgment. Teesta Setalvad of NGO Citizen for Justice and Peace, working for the riot victims, welcomed the judgment and said she was satisfied with it.
The prosecution has sought capital punishment for all those convicted for the Ode massacre, Special public prosecutor PN Parmar said. He said more than 150 witnesses were examined and over 170 documentary evidences placed before the court during the trial.
The trial in the case had commenced towards the end of 2009 and was on the verge of completion when the then judge hearing the case resigned in May 2011, citing personal reasons, following which Judge Poonam Singh was appointed and arguments heard afresh.

What happened 10 years ago

March 1, 2002: A mob attacks houses and business establishments of the minority community in the small village of Ode
Rioters first attack houses in the Surewalil Bhagol area, but flee when the police arrive and open fire. A youth, Nisith Patel, dies in firing
Rioters regroup, target eight minority community homes in the Pirawali Bhagol area of the village
Mob lobs petrol-filled pouches and burning rags into houses where members of the minority community are taking shelter
Houses under attack set on fire, reduced to ashes
23 persons hiding in one of the houses burnt to death. Remains of only two found
An elderly man, Akbar Khan Pathan, and his son Mohammad Khan survive. Both are key prosecution witnesses
March 2, 2002: Incident comes to light as most members of the community had fled the village. Police registers case
March 3, 2002: Mob attacks, kills Rasoolmiya, who had stayed back in the village.