Encourage bail & not jail: SC to trial courts

Encourage bail & not jail: SC to trial courts

‘Despite Several Orders, Courts Denying Relief’

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:17.12.2021

Observing that if there are hundreds of reasons for denying bail then there are also hundreds of reasons for granting it, the Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern over trial courts showing reluctance in granting relief despite various directions to encourage bail. The mindset of such courts needs to change, the SC said.

The apex court, in a slew of orders, held personal liberty as an important aspect of constitutional mandate and that arrests should not be done in a routine manner when the accused is cooperating in a probe and there is no reason to believe that the person will abscond or influence investigations.

The court had in October passed guidelines as per which if an accused had cooperated in the investigation — and was not arrested during the probe — then s/he should not be taken into custody at the time of filing of chargesheet.

It held that a trial court cannot also refuse to accept a chargesheet simply because the accused had not been arrested and produced before the court.

Noting that the guidelines were not followed by trial courts, a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh said the signal that the Supreme Court wanted to send has not reached and lower courts remained apprehensive in granting bail.

Mindset is to find a way to deny bail: SC bench

The SC bench said, “The idea was to encourage bail and not the reverse but it is not happening... It is all about mindset. But the mindset is to find a way to deny bail. It has to be changed.”

The court said it is troubling that courts are spending substantial time in deciding only bail matters instead of main issues and cases which should have been decided by high courts reach the SC. The bench said the result is that the top court is flooded with bail petitions. “The endeavour was to reduce the bail application but it has, in fact, increased,” the bench said.

“It cannot be that everybody has to be put behind bars in every case. Bail should be encouraged and not jail,” the bench said, noting that investigation goes on for years and during that period people should not languish in jail, which also causes overcrowding in prisons.

It further said the investigating agencies lack sufficient manpower to conduct probes in a time-bound manner and there is also a lack of infrastructure, like paucity of labs, resulting in inordinate delays.

“In those circumstances, we have to take a call on the issue as the probe goes on for years,” the bench said. The apex court had in October issued guidelines for different categories of offences.

Full report on www.toi.in

Times View

Many undertrials languish in jail for years awaiting trial. Our judicial system functions on presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. Such a state of affairs turns this principle on its head. The apex court is right in its approach. A comprehensive order detailing the guidelines could go a long way in ameliorating the problem.

Loader who fell asleep in aircraft cargo compartment not first to fly with bags

Loader who fell asleep in aircraft cargo compartment not first to fly with bags

Manju.V@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:17.12.2021

The IndiGo loader who fell asleep inside an aircraft cargo compartment and flew from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi on Sunday wasn’t the first passenger to fly among bags and containers. Six years ago, a similar incident had occurred in the US, when a ramp worker involuntarily ended up flying from Seattle to Los Angeles in the cargo compartment of an Alaska Airlines aircraft.

For the Mumbai airport too, a human travelling in a cargo compartment wasn’t a first. In mid-1960s, Australian former athlete Reg Spiers “posted” himself and flew in a cargo box from England to Australia inside an Air India aircraft as he didn’t have money to buy an air ticket. “The A320 aircraft cargo hold is pressurised and temperature-controlled. Had the cargo hold not been unpressurised, the temperature inside would have touched minus 45-50 degree Celsius during cruise,” said a senior pilot. IndiGo flight 6E-1835 had departed around 3am, and the loader is said to have fallen asleep in baggage compartment one.

But the most bizarre journey in cargo hold was the one voluntarily undertaken by Spiers. The cash-strapped athlete had taken up a job in the airport export cargo section where he saw livestock being transported in the cargo hold and the use of shipping fee payment-ondelivery system.

He had a cargo box built to airline specifications which allowed him to lay on his back with knees bent. He packed tinned food, a torch, a blanket and a bottle of water and another one to pee, according to a BBC report. He endured a 24-hour delay in London due to fog, but let himself out after the aircraft took-off. After Paris, the next stop was ‘Bombay’ where the baggage handlers put the box upside down and left it in the sun for four hours. He sweated through it, but stayed put. Eventually he was put into another aircraft bound for Perth. His journey made headlines. But the sweet ending was by Air India. The airline did not charge him the shipping fee.

Omicron-hit had sore throat, body ache

Omicron-hit had sore throat, body ache

Sumitra.DebRoy@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:  17.12.2021

Slightly itchy throat, fatigue, body ache and mild fever were some of the main symptoms experienced by the patients treated at the SevenHills Hospital for the Omicron variant. The Andheri hospital, dedicated to cases of the new variant, has handled 14 patients till now. Thirteen have been discharged.

Of the 14 cases, eight were asymptomatic. “Among those with symptoms, most complained of sore throat, tiredness and body ache,” said one of the treating doctors, adding there was no disease progression in any. The HRCT scans of all the patients remained practically unchanged, meaning there was no lung involvement. Most could be treated with basic fever and pain medication such as paracetamol, while asymptomatic patients were given multivitamins.

Full report on www.toi.in

14 new Omicron cases take India tally to 87

India reported 14 fresh Omicron cases on Thursday, taking the tally of patients contracting the highly infections variant in the country to 87. While Karnataka reported five new cases, Delhi and Telangana recorded four each and Gujarat one.

The tally in Karnataka rose to eight with five new cases. While three of them have international travel history, the other two returned from Delhi, leading to concerns of community spread of the variant in India. TNN

As app-based auto rides get costlier, bike taxis in demand

As app-based auto rides get costlier, bike taxis in demand

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 17.12.2021

With app-based auto rides getting expensive in Chennai from next month, demand for bike taxis is likely to shoot up.

Experts said the state government has been largely unsuccessful in regulating auto rickshaw fares in the city. The transport department in 2013 announced that GPS-based fare metres will be made mandatory for auto-rickshaws here.

Apart from trial runs, not much progress has been made in this aspect. When cab-aggregators Ola and Uber introduced auto booking services in 2016, there was some form of transparency in fares. But now the estimated base fare will rise because the Union government has introduced a five percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) for auto rides booked through mobile apps. The new regime is expected to come into effect from January

1. Cab-aggregators like Uber have requested the Centre to repeal this announcement as it might affect the earnings of the auto drivers and the government's digitisation attempts.

Transportation activists have termed the move “regressive”. Rama Rao from the Traffic and Transportation Forum, Chennai said, "The move to impose five percent GST will greatly affect the office-goers and middle class section of the commuters as cab-aggregators will definitely pass on the financial burden onto the public".

Auto drivers in the city were among the worst-affected during the pandemic. This move will cause more financial problems to them, he said.

Experts predict that more people might opt for bike taxis instead. They are at least 30% cheaper compared to autos. Currently, there are more than 6,000 bike taxis. It was less than 500 during the launch two years ago. The state is yet to clear legalities associated with bike taxis.

HC to examine if exception for marital rape violates wife’s right to sexual autonomy

HC to examine if exception for marital rape violates wife’s right to sexual autonomy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: 16.12.2021

The constitutionality of categorising marital rape as an exception to a law that criminalises sexual assault needs to be re-examined by a court in terms of whether this is “manifestly arbitrary and makes a woman’s fundamental right to sexual autonomy subject to the whims of her husband”, the Gujarat HC has said. Hearing a petition demanding that marital rape be made a punishable offence, which it currently isn’t under Section 375 of the IPC, the bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Niral Mehta on Tuesday issued notices to Centre and the state government. In its notices, it referred to a 2018 order that said sexual assault by a husband on his wife amounts to outrage of modesty under Section 354, irrespective of whether this was with or without the woman’s consent, or in absence of a third party. Stating that the PIL moved by Vadodara resident Jaideep Verma had raised an important issue, the bench informed the petitioner’s counsel that it intends to pass an order on how the court proposes to deal with the contentious subject of exception 2 to Section 375.

This exception provides immunity to a husband who from punishment under Section 376 for sexual assault on his wife as long as she is above 15 years of age.

Eye on Omicron, states told to be ready with O2

Eye on Omicron, states told to be ready with O2

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  16.12.2021

Amid concerns about a possible surge in Covid-19 cases due to the new Omicron variant, the Centre on Wednesday reviewed the status of oxygen supply, equipment, ventilators and concentrators among other things with states and UTs, urging them to monitor their availability on a daily basis to ensure that there is absolute preparedness to tackle any rise in the number of infections.

In a review meeting with states and UTs, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised states to ensure the gap between equipment and systems delivered to the districts and installed at the healthcare facilities is reduced to zero.

States have also been asked to conduct mock drills of all installed and commissioned PSA plants to ensure that they are fully operational so that oxygen of required quantity, pressure and purity reaches the intended patients at their bedside. These drills are to be completed by the end of December, the health ministry said.

Uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen in sufficient quantity is of critical importance to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre said.

While equipment and systems have been sanctioned and delivered, in many states these have not been sent to district health facilities and when delivered, some have not been made functional, Bhushan said.

State nodal officers were requested to streamline coordination with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), HLL Infra Tech Services Limited (HITES) and Central Medical Services Society (CMSS) for resolution of electricityrelated and site- related issues for ensuring quick operationalisation of the entire medical oxygen supply infrastructure supplied to them.

So far, a total of 3,236 PSA plants have been installed in the country from various sources with a total commissioned oxygen capacity of 3,783 MT.

Moreover, 1,14,000 oxygen concentrators are being provided to states under PM-CARES (1 lakh) and 14,000 from Emergency Covid Relief Package (ECRP-II), the government said.

It was also pointed out that ECRP-II funds have been sanctioned to them for installation of 958 LMO storage tanks and medical gas pipeline systems in 1,374 hospitals.

Govt may take call on booster, kids’ vax after Dec-end review

Govt may take call on booster, kids’ vax after Dec-end review

Will Evaluate Omicron Data For A Decision

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  16.12.2021

The Centre will review its Covid vaccination plan at the end of December by when it aims to have fully vaccinated 65% of the adult population. The discussion will include booster or third dose for high-risk people as well as vaccination for children, a senior official source said.

“We will review the programme in December end. The picture will be clearer then in terms of Omicron. At present our priority is to maximise coverage of second dose among adults, which includes people who are at risk also,” the official said.

Till Wednesday, over 135 crore doses were administered across the country. While 87.5% of the adult population have received at least first dose, around 56% are fully covered with two doses.

The deliberation in the month end will also include evaluation of data of Omicron cases detected through genome sequencing, breakthrough infection and hospitalisation.

“Once majority of the adult population are protected with two doses, we can evaluate if there is a need to give booster to those who are at high risk or high exposure. Any such decision has to be based on scientific evidence,” the official said.

The scientific advisory groups of the government including the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) and the Indian Council of Medical Research are actively considering evidence to start booster or third dose for high-risk people including those who are immunocompromised, elderly and healthcare workers.

Officials say vaccinations for children may have to wait given that there is limited availability of vaccines and if it is a choice to be made between booster and child immunisation, third dose for those who are at high risk is likely to be given a priority. Also, at present, booster shots are being considered only for select population and not all adults.

The World Health Organisation in its recent technical update on Omicron said there is some preliminary evidence that the incidence of reinfection has increased in South Africa, which may be associated with humoral (antibody-mediated) immune evasion. However, there is still uncertainty.

Besides, evidence suggests unvaccinated people have at least 10 times higher risk of death from Covid-19 than someone who has been vaccinated.

Court notice to Russia for returning man’s body

Court notice to Russia for returning man’s body

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jodhpur/Udaipur:  16.12.2021

The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Russian embassy seeking a reply on the issue of mortal remains of an Indian citizen stuck in the European nation since July. Notices have also been to the Centre and the Indian embassy.

While issuing the notice to the Russian embassy, the court observed, “This court is not oblivious to its limitations in issuing a writ to the embassy of Russia in India or the Government of Russian Federation. However, with a view to deal with a rather unprecedented situation and to coordinate the steps to be taken, this court deems it expedient to issue notice to the Russian embassy”.

“With this, the court feels that the government of Russian Federation must be requested to expedite the process in this regard,” the court said.

Justice Dinesh Mehta gave these directions while hearing a petition by Asha Devi and her wards, who have been waiting to receive the mortal remains of her husband Hitendra Garasia from Russia. She has been running from pillar to post to get her husband’s remains back but in vain.

Social activist Charmesh Sharma, who has taken up the matter to help the bereaved family, said Hitendra from Godwa village in Kherwara tehsil in Udaipur had gone to Russia on one year’s work visa in April but was reportedly found dead in a park in Moscow.

Moscow police closed the case as an accidental death and information was received by the family through local police on August 28, 2021.

SC to govt: Pay ex gratia to all who lost loved ones

SC to govt: Pay ex gratia to all who lost loved ones

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 16.12.2021

As the number of applications seeking Covid death compensation has exceeded the official toll due to the disease in some states, the Centre on Wednesday clarified before the Supreme Court that this is not due to under-reporting of deaths but because the criteria for the classification of such fatalities have been widened by the court.

At the outset of the hearing, additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati raised the issue of alleged media misreporting, but a bench of Justices M R Shah and B V Nagarathna asked the Centre not to pay much attention to media reports and focus on ensuring that the Rs 50,000 ex-gratia is disbursed to all those who lost their loved ones to Covid.

“There may or may not be under-reporting of deaths. We are not here to say that. But 10,000 deaths, but a much larger number of applications submitted, so a common man may think so... But our anxiety is that people should get relief and government should work in that direction,” the bench said.

The court said that as a welfare state it would be better if more and more people approached the government to claim the relief. The court directed all states to give wide publicity through print and electronic media, particularly in vernacular newspapers, to make people aware on how and where to approach to make a Covid ex-gratia claim. It expressed satisfaction at the Gujarat government’s decision to publish advertisements in newspaper and said that other states also should also use same format. The Gujarat government in its fresh affidavit told the court that it has received a total of 40,467 applications so far, of which 26,836 applications have been approved and 23,848 families have been paid compensation.

The court, however, pulled up Maharashtra government for not being prompt in disbursing the amount after the court was informed that only 1,000-odd families had been granted relief.

HC: Few days of living together isn’t live-in

HC: Few days of living together isn’t live-in

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chandigarh: 16.12.2021

The Punjab and Haryana HC has made it clear that merely because two adults live together for a few days, their claim of a live-in relationship based upon “bald averment” may not be enough to hold that they are truly in a live-in relationship.

It was of the view that “the length of the relationship coupled with the discharge of certain duties and responsibilities towards each other makes such a relationship akin to marital relations”.

Justice Manoj Bajaj passed these orders while dismissing a plea filed by a couple from Haryana’s Yamunanagar district seeking protection from their family members. The couple claimed to have been in a live-in relationship for the past few days. The HC has also imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the couple for filing such a petition.

“No doubt the other concept of a live-in relationship between two adults of the opposite gender has got recognition in India also as the legislature has injected some legitimacy into this kind of alliance while promulgating the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and liberally defined ‘domestic relationship’ in Section 2(f). However some sections of society are reluctant to accept such relationships,” the HC said and held that the length of the relationship and their duties towards each other would count. The court also observed that society, for the last few years, has been experiencing profound changes in social values, especially amongst youngsters who seldom in pursuit of absolute freedom leave the company of their parents, etc. to live with the person of their choice, and further, in order to get the seal of the court on their alliance, they file petitions for protection by claiming a threat to life and liberty.

“A large number of petitions land in the lap of this court as according to writ petitions alternative remedy is less felicitous (sic),” the judge said. “The majority of such petitions contain formal symbolic averments, grounds with imaginary cause of action, and are rarely founded upon ‘actual’ or ‘real’ existence of a threat,” the HC held.

The HC said youngsters in pursuit of freedom leave their parents’ company to live with the person of their choice. In order to get the court’s seal on their alliance, they file petitions for protection

T’gana, TN & Bengal report first Omicron cases; India tally at 73

T’gana, TN & Bengal report first Omicron cases; India tally at 73

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

16.12.2021

India’s Omicron tally rose to 73 on Wednesday from 61 the previous day even as Telangana, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal reported their first cases, taking the total number of states and Union territories which have patients with the highly infected coronavirus variant to 11. In all, 12 cases were reported from five states in the last 24 hours.

While West Bengal and Tamil Nadu reported one case each, two foreign nationals from Kenya and Somalia tested positive for the variant in Telangana. Four more cases were reported from Maharashtra, taking the state’s caseload to 32, the highest in the country followed by Rajasthan which has 17 patients. Four fresh cases were reported in Kerala, taking the state tally to five.

A seven-year-old boy who had arrived in Kolkata on December 11 from Abu Dhabi via Hyderabad became Bengal’s first Omicron patient. The boy, from Murshidabad, remains asymptomatic and is now at an isolation ward in Malda Medical College. In Telangana, a 24-year-old Kenyan who travelled from Qatar on December 12 and a 23-year-old Somali who had come as a patient’s attendant from Sharjah on the same day tested positive for the variant.

Tamil Nadu’s first case, a 47-year-old man who travelled to Chennai from Nigeria via Doha on December 10, was confirmed by ICMR National Institute of Virology.

VC: A++ grade by NAAC aggressive response to critics

VC: A++ grade by NAAC aggressive response to critics

Shinjini.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  16.12.2021

Jamia vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar on Wednesday said that it was a matter of pride that the varsity had been accredited with the highest grade of A++ by the NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) and that it was an “aggressive reply” to its critics.

The university was not demoralised by the violence which took place two years ago on December 15, she claimed.

“It is a day to remember, but we have moved forward. Had we been demoralised that day, then we would have lost. This (the NAAC ranking) is an aggressive reply from us stating we did not lose two years ago,” Akhtar said.

Speaking about the steps taken by the university to improve its ranking, Akhtar said, “Active steps were taken throughout by all the university stakeholders concerned. Even during the pandemic, our teachers were trained to hold online classes, unlike other universities. The university also saw good placements despite the pandemic.”

Stating that the varsity was not competing with either the Jawaharlal Nehru University or Indira Gandhi National Open University — the other universities in the capital region with an A++ grade — Akhtar added, “Ours is a multi-faculty university and it cannot be compared with the others. We generally do not get the cream students, but when they graduate, they are the best in their fields.”

The vice-chancellor also said that with a minority institution getting the highest grade, the university’s value has also increased manifold.

“This rank will also help us in getting funding for various projects. We are also in touch with the government to approve a medical college. We are now confident that such projects will also take off thanks to our improved rankings. We cannot relax now and need to ensure that we maintain our position,” said Akhtar.

19 new aircraft stands at Delhi airport T1

19 new aircraft stands at Delhi airport T1

Zumbish TNN

New Delhi: 16.12.2021

To make the Delhi airport “future-ready”, 19 new aircraft stands have been made operational under the first phase of the expansion work at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 1 apron, the area where planes are parked.

“The apron or tarmac area is being built in three phases. In the first phase, 19 out of 82 Code C stands have been constructed. The new stands have become operational after statutory approval from Directorate General of Civil Aviation,” Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said on Wednesday. Code C aircraft are bigger planes like A320 and B737 that have a wingspan measuring between 24 metres and 36 metres.

“The completion of the first phase of work for the expansion of T1’s new smart apron is another step towards enhancing the infrastructure and passenger experience at the Delhi airport to make it future-ready,” said Prabhakar Rao, deputy managing director of GMR Group that runs DIAL.

The total number of parking stands at T1 will increase from 55 to 82, including 22 contact and 8 MARS stands, DIAL stated. A contact stand is suitable for walking passengers to and from an aircraft from an allocated gate, while a MARS stand can cater to both codes C and E aircraft.

The move will not only improve operational efficiency and safety on the airside, but also contribute towards reducing harmful CO2 emissions, underlining DIAL’s commitment to environment-friendly initiatives, he added. After Phase 3A, IGIA will be able to handle 140 million passengers per annum, Rao said.

“The new apron would help reduce air traffic congestion on the airside... The creation of new contact stands would lead to reduction in the number of ground support equipment,” DIAL said.

8 2  NO. OF PARKING STANDS AT T1 SOON

Murder case: No action on repeated orders, court fumes at ‘indifference’

Murder case: No action on repeated orders, court fumes at ‘indifference’

Usha.Das@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 16.12.2021

A court has come down heavily on Delhi Police for noncompliance of its orders repeatedly in a murder case, saying it “has never experienced such indifference”.

Additional sessions judge Sanjay Sharma said the issue got further aggravated as the case was regarding the alleged murder of a citizen of Nepal. The remarks came after police repeatedly failed to produce two witnesses, both from Nepal. The court said it had issued summons to them as many as 15 times since September 1, 2016.

“Till date, the court has not received back any summons with report of service of the said summons upon the said witnesses. This court is of the opinion that the embassy of Nepal would render all possible assistance as the case is related to homicidal death of its citizen,” the judge said on Tuesday.

The court directed the Delhi police commissioner to submit a report as to whether the embassy was aware of the case, whether it would assist the court in securing the presence of the witnesses and why previous summons had not been returned to the court. It further said that if there was no response from the office of the commissioner, it would seek assistance of the Union home ministry.

On November 20, 2021, the judge noted that neither Directorate of Prosecution nor Delhi Police had informed the court as to what assistance they could provide the court in securing the presence of the witnesses.

It appears that the prosecution was content with mere issuance of process through the investigating officer and Delhi Police was happy with forwarding such process to the foreign ministry, the court had said, issuing a notice to the commissioner’s office to ensure the presence of an officer who could take appropriate steps for effective service of summons.

On November 24, the court noted that it had not received any response and once again issued notice to the commissioner to ensure the appearance of a senior officer. On receiving no response again, the court, on November 29, said it appeared that the office of the commissioner was not taking its direction sincerely. On December 4, it issued notice to the commissioner as to whether the previous orders were received by his office, and, if so, why they were not complied with.

On December 14, the judge again said there was no response to its previous orders. “This court has never experienced such indifference to the repeated orders of this court by the office of commissioner of police,” he observed.

JUDGE SAYS

Till date, the court has not received back any summons with report of service of the said summons upon the said witnesses

IGI lab says trying to cut rapid RT-PCR test cost

IGI lab says trying to cut rapid RT-PCR test cost

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 16.12.2021

Genestrings Diagnostics, which operates the Covid testing lab at the Delhi airport, said late on Wednesday that it had been trying “ways to reduce cost” of rapid RT-PCR tests. The statement came hours after the Maharashtra government came to international flyers’ rescue by getting the Mumbai airport authority to drop the rapid RT-PCR test charge from Rs 3,900 to Rs 1,975 from Wednesday.

“In line with the recent price capping in Karnataka and Maharashtra, we’re also working diligently with our equipment and kit suppliers to find ways to reduce cost,” Genestrings Diagnostics COO Chetan Kohli said. “The focus here is not on profitability, but rather feasibility and ensuring quality output. While a large proportion of costs goes in procurement of testing kits, there are unseen costs as well in case of an airport testing facility,” he added.

“We’re hopeful that as a natural progression of reduction in kit costs, which we have already witnessed in case of RT-PCR, we’ll also be able to bring down the costs considerably soon,” Kohli said.

A rapid RT-PCR at Delhi’s IGIA used to cost Rs 3,900 till last month before it was reduced to Rs 3,500. But it’s still the second highest charge among big Indian airports. The Hyderabad airport, also run by GMR Group like Delhi International Airport Ltd, has the highest rate at Rs 3,900 among the busy airports. The state-run Airports Authority of India has affordable test rates in Kolkata and Chennai.

Delhi airport sources said the Mumbai move followed a directive by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Kohli recently told TOI, “The rapid kits coming from Abbott India are very expensive, costing upwards of Rs 2,000. There has been a slight price reduction since the second wave. Abbott has not reduced prices (recently).”

An Abbott India spokesperson said on Wednesday, “Abbott’s ID NOW test is a fast molecular point-of-care rapid test that delivers reliable results when and where they’re needed. We work with distributors and partners... to make the product available. The price of ID NOW test is decided by the respective airport service providers in alignment with the state government authorities.”

For a family of four, taking a rapid RT-PCR test on arrival at IGIA means shelling out Rs 14,000. “It is like buying another ticket!” says Arti Saxena, a chef.

Rapid RT-PCR machines at IGI for incoming flyers to be raised to 200

Rapid RT-PCR machines at IGI for incoming flyers to be raised to 200

New Delhi: 16.12.2021

The number of rapid RT-PCR machines at the Delhi airport will be increased from 160 to 200 within the next few days, said the company that operates the Covid-19 testing facility for flyers from “at-risk” countries.

The number of employees deployed at the IGIA laboratory will also be increased from 600 to 750, Gauri Agarwal, founder and director of Genestrings Diagnostics, said on Wednesday. “Looking at the current situation, we... decided to augment and nearly double our capacity for rapid PCR. We went ahead with Abbott ID NOW since they are the only one with an EU point-of-care testing approval and happen to be the fastest at only 11 minutes per test result,” she added. TNN & PTI

Over 7L car buyers in queue to take delivery

Over 7L car buyers in queue to take delivery

Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 16.12.2021

If you are one of those who is anxiously waiting to get delivery of your new car but still can’t get hold of a confirmed date, don’t fret. You are one among the over 7 lakh buyers who are fighting a frustrating waiting period running into months, and sometimes almost a year.

The shortage of semiconductors and the sudden surge in demand post opening of the economy, as well as launch of new models — some of which have become blockbusters — has meant a long queue for deliveries as buyers scramble to purchase the vehicles. Sadly, for many, the delay in delivery means that they will need to pay more for their vehicle as prices applicable at the time of delivery need to be paid. Inputs costs have on an average increased by around 6% since the beginning of this year.

Chip shortage hits EV biz hard

There are waiting periods running into several months, and even a year for some, and the top models include Mahindra XUV7OO SUV, Maruti’s CNG variants, and SUVs such as Hyundai’s Creta, Kia’s Seltos, MG’s Astor, Tata’s Punch, Mercedes’s GLS, and Audi’s eTron electric.

So, how long is the waiting list that customers are enduring across individual brands? Maruti, the country’s biggest car maker with some of the most popular models, has a customer backlog of as many as over 2.5 lakh cars. Company MD & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa has often apologised to buyers for the delays, and top officials say that the situation is unprecedented.

“I have never seen this kind of a situation ever in my long career,” Maruti director (sales & marketing) Shashank Srivastava says. “The waiting period is across models, for almost all the manufacturers.”

Hyundai, the second biggest maker, has an equally big problem to tackle with over one lakh undelivered vehicles. Company MD S S Kim says that customers are always kept in the loop about delivery positions to ensure transparency.

The global shortage of semiconductors has emerged as a big impediment to any chances of an early ramp-up in production, and companies say that it will take time for the situation to normalise. The current assessment is that the problem will persist at least until the first half of 2022.

Tata Motors, which is riding high on the success of new models, is also estimated to have a waiting backlog of over one lakh cars. “Waiting period for various models varies between one and six months. Overall, our pending bookings are more than 3.5 times of our monthly sales,” Shailesh Chandra, president of Tata Motors’ passenger vehicles business, says.

The chip shortage, in fact, is having a very negative impact on the nascent electric vehicles business. Green vehicles pack in a lot of technology and require numerous chips as part of their architecture. Chandra agrees, “For electrics, the waiting period is the highest, and we are fast ramping up our supplies.” Then there are other companies such as Mahindra & Mahindra, which have seen superlative demand for new launches such as the Thar and the XUV7OO SUVs. Company director (auto sector) Rajesh Jejurikar has often said that the order-book has even surpassed their internal expectations by a wide margin, with delivery schedules spread across months.

According to dealer estimates, the delivery schedules for certain variants of the Thar are as long as one year, and the XUV7OO has seen an even faster ramp-up with the initial 50,000 bookings made in just two days.

Full report on www.toi.in

Waiting periods are running into several months, and even a year for some models

3 on death row acquitted by SC after 7 years in jail

3 on death row acquitted by SC after 7 years in jail

New Delhi: 16.12.2021

In a big relief to three prisoners who have been living under the shadow of death after being sentenced to death by a trial court and the Allahabad high court, the Supreme Court on Wednesday acquitted them in the murder case of six people who were slaughtereed in 2014 in UP’s Bulandshahr district, reports Amit Anand Choudhary.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, B R Gavai and B V Nagarathna said that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused and remarked that it is “shocked” and “amazed” by the manner in which the trial court and Allahabad HC dealt with the case to prove guilt of the accused in the case.

‘We are amazed by manner in which HC has dealt with issue’

It said that some of the findings of the HC are “foreign” to criminal jurisprudence and the HC order also fell in the ambit of conjectures and surmises. “We are amazed by the manner in which the high court has dealt with the present matter,” the bench said while allowing the appeal filed by the accused Momin Khan, Jaikam Khan and Sajid. “We, therefore, find that the prosecution has utterly failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. The conviction and death sentence imposed on the accused is totally unsustainable in law,” the bench said.

Momin was accused of murdering his parents, brother and other relatives following a property dispute, with the help of Jaikam and Sajid. Momin’s wife was also sentenced to death by the trial court but the HC set aside her conviction.

According to the prosecution, on January 23, 2014 all the four accused killed Momin’s father, mother, brother Shaukeen Khan, sister-in-law Shanno, nephew and his brother’s niece in Bulandshahr.

After analysing all evidence, the apex court said that the trial court and HC had erred in convicting them when the evidence was not convincing enough to prove the guilt. “It is really surprising, as to how the additional sessions judge could have dealt with the present case in such a casual manner when he was considering the question of life and death of four accused,” it said.

The bench said that the findings of the trial court and the HC was not only contrary to the well settled law of the Evidence Act but attempts were made to put a burden on the accused, which does not shift unless prosecution has proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

DAV college teachers continue to protest for UGC pay scale

DAV college teachers continue to protest for UGC pay scale

Chandigarh:  16.12.2021

After a massive rally at Matka Chowk, the DAV College Teachers’ Union (DAVCTU) decided to intensify the agitation with round-the-clock fast by teachers on the campus.

On Thursday, Sumit Goklaney, president of DAVCTU and Shaminder Sandhu, senator, Panjab University will be fasting from 9am to 5pm and 5pm to 9am.

Meanwhile, in a meeting of district council held on Wednesday at DAV College, it was decided to motivate the cadre and be ready for stringent steps if their demands are not accepted. Teachers at DAV College also continued with the dharna at the campus and took out a march at Madhya Marg as a symbolic protest against the indifferent attitude of Punjab government. The chain hunger protest at DAV College entered the 10th day in a row on Wednesday.

PU teachers join call given by PFUCTO for a complete 'Education Bandh’

In 2021, NEET merits slip by up to 15 marks in Guj

In 2021, NEET merits slip by up to 15 marks in Guj

Bharat.Yagnik@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:  16.12.2021

Gujarat students did not fare very well in the Nation Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), the uniform exam for admission in under-graduate medical courses in the country, in 2021. In fact, the pandemic year which saw the worst-ever second wave of death and disease due to Covid-19 has recorded merits of state students slipping by up to 15 marks.

Analysis of the merit list of NEET scores of 5,000 students of the state for the year 2021 reveals that from 500 rank onwards, the NEET score has consistently slipped as compared to year 2020.

For instance, a student at 500 rank in merit list has a score of 610 out of 700 this year which was 618 in 2020. Similarly, the analysis of scores at 900, 2,000, 3,000, 4000 and 5,000 ranks also shows a decline in merit ranging from nine to 15 marks.

From 500 rank onwards, the NEET score has consistently slipped

‘Online coaching reason for drop in cutoff’

Experts said that considering the slip in merit, it is expected that the cutoff for admissions in 5,000-odd medical seats in the state will go down. Students termed completely online coaching and schooling as the primary reason behind decline in NEET merit marks saying virtual learning did not give them enough scope to clear their doubts and give their best shot.

The few exceptions to this trend are that students in first place on the NEET merit in Gujarat have scored 715 marks. In 2020, the student on top of the list had 710 marks. Also, at 100th place, the merit this year is 667 which is four marks higher than the 663 score posted in 2020.

Anay Nanavati, a medical aspirant who scored 618 marks says that they studied virtually under immense stress of the deadly Covid second wave. "In 2020, students had completed their course and were on study leave when Covid struck. For us, the whole class 12 and NEET coaching was online which adversely impacted performance. I personally feel my score would have been 50 marks higher if I had physically attended classes," said Nanavati.

Medical intake: Documents of 390 candidates verified

Ahmedabad:

As many as 390 candidates have got their documents verified in the second round of admission for medical, dental, ayurveda, and homeopathy colleges. So far, 25,008 candidates have been registered in the two rounds of admissions conducted by Admission Committee for Professional Undergraduate & Medical Educational Courses (ACPUGMEC) this year. In the second phase, out of total 177 students registered in the open category, 120 completed document verification process. A total of 536 students have registered, of which documents of only 390 have been verified so far. The committee had earlier announced that it has completed the registration process for self-financed ayurveda and homeopathy courses for 15% all India quota. A total of 26,186 had purchased the PINs. TNN

Cabinet clears draft Bill for linking Aadhaar & voter ID

Cabinet clears draft Bill for linking Aadhaar & voter ID

Will Be Voluntary; Part Of Proposed Electoral Refoms

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:16.12.2021

The Union cabinet on Wednesday cleared proposed amendments to the electoral law seeking to bring in key reforms such as voluntary linkage of voter ID with Aadhaar so as to weed out bogus and duplicate entries in electoral rolls.

Another reform sought to be implemented is on allowing multiple qualifying dates in a year, rather than only January 1, for those above 18 years, to register themselves as voters, sources said. The draft Bill to amend the Representation of the People Act (RPA) approved by the Cabinet and likely to be brought before Parliament in the ongoing winter session, purportedly proposes to make gender-neutral a provision allowing only the wife of a male service voter to register as a voter in the same constituency as him.

A fourth likely amendment seeks to empower the Election Commission to requisition premises for any purpose related to elections and not just for creating polling stations and storage of ballot boxes.

Sources said the Bill to amend the RP Act proposes to empower the electoral registration officer to seek Aadhaar number of existing as well as new voters, albeit only on a voluntary basis. The Aadhaar number will only be used for the purpose of voter authentication.

While the multiple dates for registration of newly-eligible voter — the cabinet is said to have cleared four dates of January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 in a given year — will be made possible through an amendment to Section 14(b) of the RP Act, the gender-neutral registration facility for spouses of service voters is sought to be implemented by amending Section 20(6) of the Act.

In 2015, EC took up linking task

Also, the proposed amendment to Section160(1)A of the RP Act will empower the EC to requisition premises for any purpose including for housing central paramilitary forces, its employees and observers.

Incidentally, the EC had in 2015 taken up linking of voter card and Aadhaar number as part of its National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP). Around 32 crore Aadhaar numbers were seeded by the time the EC decided to abandon the programme in view of the Supreme Court judgment restricting the use of Aadhaar.

Following the SC judgment in 2019 allowing collection of Aadhaar with due amendment in the Aadhaar Act, the EC wrote to the law ministry seeking a suitable amendment to enable mandatory linking of voter card with Aadhaar. This was agreed to by the law ministry. EC officials said Aadhaar-EPIC linkage will also help realise the commission’s plan to work towards secure, possibly electronic, voting to help migrant voters — including domestic workers, migrant labourers etc — exercise their franchise even if they are not in the constituency where they are registered as voters.

Govt set to trim list of univ VC aspirants before guv chooses

Govt set to trim list of univ VC aspirants before guv chooses

Bhavika Jain & Hemali Chhapia

Mumbai:  16.12.2021

Whittling down the autonomy of public universities, the state cabinet on Wednesday cleared amendments to the Maharashtra Public University Act, 2016, and decided to shortlist vice-chancellor candidates. Altering the selection method, the state will now receive the list of five nominees picked by the selection panel, choose two and dispatch them to the governor, the chancellor of universities, to finally pick the candidate.

Taking a cue from the agriculture universities, the state also decided the higher education minister will now be the pro chancellor of all state public universities. The pro VC, who is appointed by the chancellor in consultation with the VC, will now be only from a government or an aided college.

“The VC selection process has been changed to avoid the political interference of the chancellor,” said a state officer.

To date, the selection was free of governmental interference. The VC/proVC search panel was headed by a governor’s nominee, one member was recommended by the management council and the third by the academic council. It invited applications, shortlisted aspirants, interviewed them and sent five names to the chancellor, who picked one.

Higher and technical education minister Uday Samant told TOI that these recommendations were made by an expert panel under Sukhdev Thorat, former UGC chairman. The panel was formed to suggest changes in the Act for effective implementation of the national education policy. “The agricultural universities have a post of pro chancellor, which is held by the agriculture minister. It was only the universities under the higher and technical education department which did not have the post,” said Samant. “Also, as far as the selection process of VCs and pro VCs is concerned, we have followed the procedure in the central universities in which the selection panel sends its recommendations to the government which then sends it to the President,” said Samant.

The minister denied speculation that the decision is likely to become another flashpoint between the governor and the MVA government. “The governor is a constitutional post and there is no question of taking away its rights,” said Samant. The ties between the MVA government and Governor B S Koshyari have been strained with differences on a host of issues, including the governor-nominated seats in the legislative council.

Educationist and former principal Anil Rao condemned the decision. “This is an unwarranted attack on the pre-supposed autonomy of academics. The chancellor is the apex authority and above all politics. Higher education should be completely autonomous and miles away from politics. Also, vested dubious interest will creep in with the decision to appoint the higher education minister as the pro chancellor.”

“It is doubtful if there is such over-centralisation of university functions and powers with the government in any other state,” said A Mathew, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration.

CBI to investigate TNPSC exam scam

CBI to investigate TNPSC exam scam

The judges, however, had orally questioned the TNPSC as to why the examination conducted in the two centres where the malpractice is said to have taken place was not cancelled.

Published: 15th December 2021 05:02 AM 

By Express News Service

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, transferred the investigation into the TNPSC Group IV-2019 exam scam to the CBI.

A Division Bench of Justices Pushpa Sathyanarayana and P Velmurugan passed the order on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed last year by one I Mohamed Razvi, an advocate from Madurai. Razvi alleged that the scam could not have been orchestrated without the help of higher officials and he was dissatisfied with the CB-CID’s probe as the department has arrested only some of the candidates and the alleged middlemen. Apprehending that a State agency like CB-CID may not expose the involvement of higher officials of the State, he wanted the investigation to be transferred to the CBI.

In the previous hearing last month, the CB-CID had told the court there was indeed negligence on the part of the TNPSC officials in carrying out their duties but except the two staff – a record clerk and a typist – no other official was found to have colluded in the scam.

The judges, however, had orally questioned the TNPSC as to why the examination conducted in the two centres where the malpractice is said to have taken place was not cancelled. They also asked why the tampering of the wax seal of the transit van, in which the answer sheets were transported to Chennai, was not identified at the initial stage; they had then adjourned the case.

On Tuesday, the Bench allowed Razvi’s plea and transferred the investigation from the CB-CID to the CBI and directed it to hold a free and fair investigation. In the TNPSC Group-IV examination held in September 2019, 99 candidates from Rameswaram and Keelakarai exam centres in Ramanathapuram district reportedly used pens having ‘vanishing ink’ to mark their answers in the OMR sheet.

Later, some persons, allegedly with the help of two TNPSC staff, tampered with the answer sheets when they were being transported to Chennai in a van, and filled the correct answers on the sheets. The CB-CID investigated the scam and arrested 118 persons.