Punjab & Haryana HC dismisses plea for default bail of 16-year-old accused

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Chandigarh

6 June, 2018:

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday dismissed the plea for default bail of the 16-year-old accused in the murder of a class II student of a prominent Gurgaon school. Justice Daya Chaudhary passed the order Wednesday morning. The accused had through his father had in March filed the plea for default bail after the same had been dismissed by Additional Sessions Judge, Gurugram.

Earlier in May, the Gurgaon court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file supplementary chargesheet by July 4 in connection with the murder case last year. The CBI was granted more time by Additional Sessions Judge Jasbir Singh Kundu after it took note of a fresh plea by the agency stating that the probe was underway and it needed one-and-a-half months to complete it.

On May 21, a special children’s court upheld the Juvenile Justice Board’s order and said that the 16-year-old accused will be treated as an adult during trial. The court had also dismissed an appeal filed to challenge it. “Today, the court has said that the juvenile accused will be treated as an adult during trial. Whatever legal proceedings will be initiated against him in future will consider him an adult,” Sushil Tekriwal, counsel for the seven-year-old victim’s father, had said.

In February, the CBI had filed a partial chargesheet in which the Class XI student of the same institution was named as the main accused, claiming that he had confessed to murdering the seven-year-old child on September 8 last year, in a bid to cancel the examinations and a parent-teacher meeting.

The victim’s body was found in the washroom of the school with his throat slit. School bus conductor, who was arrested by the Gurgaon Police, was given a clean chit by the probe agency saying there was no evidence to prove his involvement in the crime. The CBI took up the case from the Gurgaon police on September 22, following a nationwide uproar over the gruesome killing.

Operation Blue Star anniversary: AISSF raises pro- Khalistan slogans

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Brandishing of swords and open use of sticks was witnessed on Wednesday during a ceremony to mark the 34th anniversary of the Army’s ‘Operation Blue Star’ inside the Golden Temple complex.

The clash between radical Sikh elements and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) took place right in front of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion.

The incident took place just about 100 feet from the sanctum sanctorum ‘Harmandir Sahib’, the holiest of Sikh shrines located inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.

At least one person was injured as the SGPC task force members tried to prevent the radical elements from disturbing the ceremony.

The radical elements raised pro-Khalistan (a separate Sikh homeland) and anti-India slogans.

Police personnel, present inside the shrine complex in plainclothes, tried to control the situation from getting out of hand.

“A turban was thrown on the ground in the clash,” one eyewitness toldnews men.

The SGPC officials said the situation was prevented from getting out of control due to swift action by the task force members.

Akal Takht jathedar (chief) Gurbachan Singh said the ceremony was held “peacefully” as a remembrance of the sacrifice of hundreds of people who were killed during the Army’s ‘Operation Blue Star’ in June 1984.

The Army carried out the operation to flush out heavily armed militants and radicals from inside the shrine complex between June 1-10, 1984.

Aam Aadmi Party and Congress are likely to shake hands

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New Delhi: In a major political move, Aam Aadmi Party and Congress are likely to shake hands in three states namely Delhi, Haryana and Punjab and are likely to form an alliance. 

As per top Congress sources, an offer has been extended to AAP to take 9 out of 30 seats in an alliance with Congress.

This comes 2 days after former AAP leader Kapil Mishra claimed that Kejriwal met Rahul Gandhi and hinted that he is attempting to form an alliance with Congress.

BJP on the other hand is slamming Kejriwal over the same saying “he came to power by counting the number of scams Congress has been indulged in, now if he forms an alliance with BJP, it will be betrayal”.

Congress is so far denying the claims on the record and refused to forming an alliance with Aam Aadmi Party. Now, all eyes will be on an official announcement from either of the parties.

Prostitutes better than govt officials, says BJP MLA Surendra Singh

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A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Surendra Singh has once again stoked a controversy by comparing government officials with prostitutes. Addressing a chetavni diwas (warning day)’ meeting in Ballia district on Tuesday, Singh said, “Prostitutes are better than officials. They take money and dance all night. But these officers despite taking money from the public don’t do work.”

He further urged his supporters to beat government officials if they demand a bribe. “If he does not agree to do his work, teach him a lesson by punching him and if he still does not agree, thrash him with shoes,” he said.

However, this is not the first time the BJP MLA has courted controversy with his remarks. Singh had earlier called West Bengal Chief Minister Surpanakha’ and compared opposition Congress to ‘Ravana’. “Mamata Banerjee is playing the role of Surpanakha. People are being killed and even though she is the chief minister, she is doing nothing,” Surendra Singh said. In the past too, Surender Singh had invited controversy by defending Unnao rape accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and also when he claimed that India will become a Hindu Rashtra by 2022.

After the recent Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly bypolls, he had blamed the ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government for the party’s humiliating defeat at both places. He said if certain ministers were not removed from the state cabinet, the ruling party’s downfall in UP was certain. Singh had said if the grievances of the poor people are not heard at police stations, tehsil offices and block offices, they will not vote for the BJP.

Ramdev’s Patanjali To Shift Food Park From UP, Blames Yogi Adityanath

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has spoken to yoga guru Baba Ramdev after Patanjali Ayurved Ltd announced that it is shifting the proposed Patanjali Food and Herbal Park from Greater Noida citing non-cooperation and a “disappointing attitude” of the BJP-ruled government in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, the Chief Minister has assured Ramdev that he will personally look into the matter and promised that decisions will be taken at quick pace.

The Haridwar-based Patanjali Ayurved had on Tuesday announced to pull out its proposed Rs 6,000-crore mega food processing project in Greater Noida and blamed the state government for taking this decision. “The mega food park was coming up to make lives of farmers better. We had also asked for permission from the central government. There are paper work for which we requested state government. But due to their disappointing attitude, it couldn’t be done,” Acharya Balkrishna, MD, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, told news agency ANI.

However, the government said that the project has not been cancelled yet and that Patanjali is yet to comply with the conditions required to get final approval. Food Processing Secretary JP Meena said that the company was earlier given four months to comply with certain rules required for setting up the plant and has been granted a month’s extension to meet the conditions.

“Patanjali was given four months time to meet the conditions required to get the final approval. There are four to five conditions, including land and bank loans, which any party that wants to set up mega food park has to fulfil,” the official told PTI on Tuesday. “We have given one month extension to Patanjali… they have to meet the condition. In case Patanjali does not meet the condition, we have no choice but to cancel. We have done it earlier in many projects.”

In a tweet on Tuesday evening, Patanjali MD Acharya Balkrishna said that the indifferent attitude of the state to be blamed for this decision. “Came to know about quashing of Mega Food Park, approved by the Centre, in Greater Noida. The pledge to bring prosperity to the lives of farmers in the land of Sri Ram and Krishna remained incomplete because of the indifference of the state government.”

The mega food processing project was slated to come along the Yamuna Expressway that runs between Noida and Agra. Former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had in 2016 laid the foundation of food park. It was to be constructed in 455 acres. According to Patanjali, one the food park when become soperational, can produce goods worth Rs 25,000 crore annually and create over 10,000 direct jobs.

जीरकपुर से आज़ाद पार्षद बहुगुणा एक बार फिर नामजद

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ज़िरकपुर वार्ड नंबर 5 गोविंद विहारमें एक बच्चे को एक व्यक्ति ने बुरी तरह से पीट दिया क्योंकि वह पार्षद के घर के सामने बने पार्क में अपने दोस्तों के साथ खेल रहा था। बच्चे की पिटाई करने वाला व्यक्ति वार्ड नंबर 5 का पार्षद व विधायक एन के शर्मा का नजदीकी बताया जा रहा है। पिटाई से मासूम बच्चे अभी भी सदमे में है व कल शाम से अपने घर मे सहमा सा बैठा है । बच्चे के पिता ने बताया कि पिटाई से उनके बेटे के पूरे मुह पर सूजन है और दर्द हो रहा है। बच्चे के पिता गगन वर्मा वासी मकान नंबर 190 गोविंद विहार ने वार्ड के पार्षद हनुमंत बहुगुणा पर बच्चे के साथ मारपीट करने व जान से मरने की धमकी देने के आरोप में पुलिस को शिकायत दी थी, मामले की गंभीरता को देखते हुए चोंकि इंचार्ज बलटाना ने बिना देरी करते हुए वार्ड पार्षद के खिलाफ केस दर्ज कर लिया है।

पीड़ित बच्चे चिराग वर्मा 13 ने बताया कि वह अपने दोस्तों के साथ घर के सामने वाली पार्क में खेल रहा था। उनके साइकल पार्क के बाहर बहुगुणा अंकल के घर के सामने खड़े किए थे अंकल ने आवाज लगाई की यह साइकल किसके है तो मैंने आकर अपना साइकल हटाना चाहा तो उन्होंने मुझे गली देते हुए थप्पड़ मारा और कहा तुझे पता नहीं है यहाँ मेरी गाड़ी खड़ी होती है और उसका गला पकड़कर उसकी पिटाई शुरू कर दी। चिराग वर्मा ने बताया कि पिटाई के कारण उसका गाल, गला और शरीर भी दर्द कर रहा है।

चिराग वर्मा के पिता गगनदीप ने बताया कि उनके पड़ोसी हनुमंत बहुगुणा उन्ही के द्वारा चुना हुआ पार्षद है , उसने बेटे चिराग वर्मा के साथ मारपीट की है और गली गलोच की। उन्होंने दीपक ने उनके बेटे को जान से मारने की कोशिश की है और उन्हें उससे खतरा है।उन्होंने बताया कि इस बारे उन्होंने बीती रात बलटाना पुलिस चोंकि में शिकायत दी गई थी जिस पर आज केस दर्ज कर लिया गया है।

इस सारे मामले में हनुमंत बहुगुणा के पड़ोसी संजीव सूद ने कहा कि उनके पड़ोस में एक बच्चे के साथ पार्क में खेलने पर मारपीट का मामला सामने आया है। उन्होंने कहा कि पार्कों में बच्चो के खेलने पर उनके साथ मारपीट के मामले में पुलिस को तुरंत कार्रवाई की है जो प्रशंशनीय है क्योंकि इससे पहले भी लोगों द्वारा चुना हुआ पार्षद कई और लोगो से मारपीट कर चुका है । उन्होंने सवाल कियाकि बच्चे अगर पार्क में नहीं खेलेंगे तो और कहा खेलेंगे और पार्षद अपनी गाड़ी अपने घर पर क्यों नहीं खड़ा करता?

वहीं इस मामले में पुलिस जांच अधिकारी ए एस आई नाथी राम ने बताया कि उक्त मामले में बच्चे का मेडिकल भी करवाया गया है। पुलिस अधिकारी ने बताया कि मामलें की गंभीरता को देखते हुए पार्षद के खिलाफ मामला दर्ज कर लिया गया है वहीं जब आरोपी हनुमंत बहुगुणा से बात की गई तो उन्होंने वही घिसा पीटा जवाब दिया कि मामला राजनीती से प्रेरित है।

बताते चलें फरवरी मॉस में भी बहुगुणा और इनके मित्रों ने एक ग्वाले की पिटाई  की थी मामला अभी विचाराधीन है,बहुगुणा जो कि वार्ड-5 से बतौर आजाद पार्षद हनुमंत बहुगुणा के साथ ये पहला मामला नहीं हैं। इससे पहले भी अनेकों मामले सामने आते रहे हैं, जिस कारण ये सुर्खियों में रहते हैं। बीते वर्ष हनुमंत बहुगुणा बलटाना पुलिस चौकी के तत्कालीन इंचार्ज नरपिंदरपाल सिंह को उनकी ड्यूटी के दौरान बाधा डालने के मामले में संलिप्त हो चुके हैं, जिसकी अभी जांच पेंडिंग है। वहीं, अब एक गरीब व्यक्ति की पिटाई करने के मामले को लेकर एक बार फिर सुर्खियों में आ गए हैं।

3 resigned from Mamta’s Govt

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Three ministers resigned from the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal on Tuesday. Two of them paid the price for a sharp rise in the BJP’s vote bank in tribal areas of the state during the recent panchayat polls, senior leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress said.

The Bengal chief minister on Tuesday evening announced that tribal development minister James Kujur and state backward class development minister Chudamani Mahato had been relieved of their ministerial responsibilities. Abani Mohan Joardar, a minister who did not have any portfolio for a long time because of his critical illness, also resigned on Tuesday.

Banerjee, however, said the ministers had resigned on their own because they wanted to devote more time to organizational work. “They (the two ministers) expressed their desire to concentrate more on the party organization. They wrote to me, expressing their wish to resign. I have accepted their resignations,” the chief minister told the media.

A senior member of the state cabinet, who did not wish to be named, said while Joardar’s resignation was accepted in view of his ill health, Mahato and Kujur were forced to resign over their poor performance.

Senior Trinamool leaders said Banerjee was agitated with Kujur and Mahato ever since it became clear that her party has lost the confidence of tribals in Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore and Jhargram districts, where Maoist rebels once reigned.

Once staunch supporters of the CPI(M) and other Left parties, the tribals shifted their allegiance to the Trinamool after Trinamool’s landslide victory in the 2011 assembly polls. And much of the credit for this went to the development work the government carried out in the backward regions.

In the tribal region, which is commonly referred to as Jangalmahal because of the thick forest cover and rough terrain, BJP emerged as a strong contender and wrested many seats in the three-tier local polls.

“Last week, Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee went to Jhargram and held a meeting with local leaders. He heard several complaints against Mahato. He reported the matter to the chief minister. After scrutinizing the performance of the departments Mahato and Kujur were trusted with, the chief minister decided to remove them,” a cabinet minister said on condition of anonymity.

At the meeting in Jhargram, Chatterjee cautioned the district leadership and talked of strong disciplinary action against over infighting or for neglecting the organisation.

Statements were taken out of context: Bishop Father Joaquim Loiola Pereira

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The Goa Church on Tuesday tried to tone down the sharp criticism of the political environment in India in Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao’s annual pastoral letter, with a senior official at the Bishop’s House insisting that “one or two statements” made by the top church functionary were taken out of context.

“One or two statements of the Bishop have been taken out and I will say taken out of context and made an issue out of. My thing is this, we do not make any further comments and explanations of the letter.

“If you want you read the (pastoral) letter online and try to understand the context why it is being said, what is said,” Secretary to the Bishop Father Joaquim Loiola Pereira told reporters here.

The pastoral letter, which was formally released by Ferrao on Sunday, had said that the Indian Constitution was in danger and that a “new trend” of mono-culturalism, which demands uniformity in what and how one eats, dresses, lives and even worships, was putting human rights at risk.

“At the time of elections, the candidates confuse the minds of many people by making false promises. And the people, on their part, often sell their precious vote for selfish, petty gain….

“In this context, particularly as the general elections are fast approaching, we must strive to know our Constitution better and work harder to protect it.

“Today, our Constitution is in danger, (it is a) reason why most of the people live in insecurity,” Ferrao said in his pastoral letter for 2018-19 which was formally released on Sunday but circulated only on Monday.

The pastoral letter is an annual letter written in June by Archbishop’s to Church parishes across the state.

Ferrao, as Archbishop of Goa, is the spiritual and religious leader of Catholics in Goa who account for 26 per cent of the state’s population of 1.5 million.

PC grilled by ED for 6 hours

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Former union minister P Chidambaram was on Tuesday questioned in the Aircel-Maxis case for the first time by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a department which was under him during his tenure in the finance ministry.

The senior Congress leader, who was considered one of the most powerful ministers in the previous UPA government, was questioned for over six hours.

The agency recorded his statement under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) with some specific queries on the circumstances and procedures adopted by the now-defunct Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) while giving approval to the Aircel-Maxis deal during his tenure. The ED has already questioned Karti, Chidambaram’s son, twice.

Soon after leaving the ED office, Chidambaram tweeted to say that all the answers he gave were already recorded in government documents. He also said that there is no FIR, yet a probe had been initiated.

“More than half the time taken up by typing the answers without errors, reading the statement and signing it!” he said in his tweet.

Chidambaram arrived at the agency’s headquarters annexe office here at 10:58am accompanied by a lawyer even as a strong contingent of police and CRPF personnel set up a security cordon at the office. He was allowed by the agency to go out for lunch at 1:30pm after over two hours of questioning, officials said. The next round of questioning began at 3:30pm and ended at 7pm.

It is expected that the agency may call him again.

The ED had issued a fresh summons to him on Monday to appear before the investigating officer of the case.

Chidambaram, also a former home minister, had last week approached the court of special judge OP Saini seeking relief from arrest by the ED. The same court on Tuesday directed the ED not to take any coercive action or arrest him till July 10 in connection with the case.

The ED had first asked him to appear before it on May 30 and on the same day, Chidambaram knocked at the court’s door.

The court, in its order on May 30, had noted that Chidambaram has undertaken to comply with the summons issued by the ED, while saying he apprehended his arrest by the agency.

The Aircel-Maxis cases pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd in 2006 for investment in Aircel.

ज़मींदारों की हड़ताल ग़रीबों का नुक्सान

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शफ्फाफ सफ़ेद कुर्ते, पायजामे जिन्हें पंजाबी में तम्बी बुलाते हैं, पहन कर कलफ लगी पगड़ियों वाले किसान हड़ताल पर हैं. सूती सफ़ेद कपडे जिन पर मक्खी के बैठने का भी दाग नहीं है वह किसान हड़ताल पर है. ग़रीब ग्वालों का दूध सड़कों पर बिखेरा जा रहा है, छीन कर, सब्ज़ी वालों की सब्जियां ठेलों से उठा कर आने जाने वाली बड़ी गाड़ियों के पहियों तले रौंदा जा रहा है. सब्जियां भी इस बुरी तरह से  फैंकी जा रहीं हैं कि कोई जानवर भी उन्हें खाने की जुर्रत न करे, ज़रुरत भले ही कितनी हो.

एक गाँव में मुश्किल से दो या तीन किसान परिवार ही सब्ज़ी उगाते हैं. यह एकड़ या दो एकड़ जमीन पर भरे पूरे परिवार वाले छोटे किसान होते हैं जिनकी प्रतिदिन की पैदावार एक ठेले के बराबर होती है.यह परिवार कमरतोड़ मेहनत कर दो तीन महीनों ही में सारे साल की कमाई करने का जुगत भिड़ाते हैं. यह लोग लम्बी देरी की फसलों में हाथ नहीं डाल सकते. पंजाबी की कहावत “रोजाना खूह पट्टना ते पानी पीना” इन पर मुफीद बैठती है. यह आन्दोलन सिर्फ अमीर ज़मींदारों का मौज मस्ती का सामान है.

यही आन्दोलन करना है तो चावल या गेंहू की कटाई के समय करो.  नहीं, उस समय नहीं, क्योंकि आप बड़े किसान हैं और उस समय आपकी छमाही कमाई का समय है तब आप यह हिम्मत नहीं दिखाएँगे अब जब दो तीन महीने छोटे किसानों की कमाई का समय था तो आपने आन्दोलन की भेंट चढ़ा दिए. इस ग़रीब विरोधी आन्दोलन का विरोध किया जाना चाहिए इन्हें कहा जाए कि आन्दोलन छ: महीने चलाओ और कोई भी किसान अपने खेतों से कोई भी दाना मंडी में नहीं ले कर जाएगा. चावल या गेहूं पैदावार अनुसार मंडी का मुंह नहीं देखेगा अगली फसल की बिजाई पर देखा जाएगा. यकीन मानिए ऐसा कभी भी नहीं होगा क्योंकि इन ज़मींदारों के अपने अपने हित सामने आ जाते हैं इनकी कोठियां दानों और नोटों से भर जातीं हैं यह लम्बी डकार मार कर फिर साठी के दिनों में आ जमेंगे ग़रीब किसानों के मुंह से निवाला छीनने.

मुफ्त की बिजली पानी, 100 किस्मों की सब्सिडियां डकार, धरती पानी हवा को दूषित कर गरीबों को भूखा मारने इनकी फौज निकल पड़ी है. अपने तो खातों में सीधे सीधे पैसा डलवा लेते हैं पर जो रोज़ कमाने वाला है उसे बेघर करने की सोचते हैं, इनके कर्जे तो सरकार भी माफ़ कर देती है पर आत्महत्या गरीब किसान ही करता है.

यकीं मानिए जीरी लगाने की आखिरी तारीख 20 जून है यह आन्दोलन किसी भी बहाने से 10 तारीख से आगे नहीं बढेगा, उससे पाहिले ही समाप्त कर दिया जाएगा यह कह कर कि आन्दोलन में भितरघात हो गयी है या फिर कोई नया पर लचर बहन ले कर इसे टाल दिया जाएगा.

 

हड़ताल करनी है तो  लीडरान के घरों को घेरो, दूध उनके घरों में उन्ढेलो, सब्जियां उनके घरों में बिखेरो, पाहिले ही से मरने की राह पड़े दिहाड़ीदार मजदूर किसानों और ग्वालों के परिवारों उनके बच्चों के मुंह से निवाला न छीनों. “मरियां नूं होर न मारो”