Key suspect in NEET case is in Karnataka, says CB-CID
Credentials of medico’s parent come under scanner

03/10/2019,L SRIKRISHNATHENI

The key suspect in the NEET impersonation case, the investigation into which has expanded beyond Tamil Nadu’s borders, is in Karnataka, CB-CID officers said on Monday.

The suspect had a “strong base” for his network in Kerala (through which potential students were lured into the scam), an officer said.

The NEET impersonation case came to the fore after a whistleblower alerted the Directorate of Medical Education that a first-year MBBS student of the Government Theni Medical College, identified as Udit Surya, had cleared the NEET through a proxy candidate in Mumbai. So far, in addition to a couple of mediators, including one from Kerala, three students and their fathers have been arrested in connection with the case.

Explaining the modus operandi, an officer said that in one instance, a student had hired impersonators and made them write the NEET in two different locations. In another case, a student managed to gain admission in a medical college using fake NEET score cards through brokers.

In a related development, an officer told The Hindu that Mohammed Shafi, whose son Mohammed Irfan allegedly joined the Dharmapuri Government Medical College by clearing NEET through an impersonator, may not be a qualified doctor, as claimed by him. The investigation had revealed that Mr. Shafi pursued MBBS at a college in Karnataka in the early 90s, but did not complete his degree. However, he was running a clinic in Vaniyambadi in Vellore district with the aid of some medical practitioners. “This is still under investigation,” the officer added.

Meanwhile, Tirupattur resident Jayaraman, who was picked up by the CB-CID in connection with the case based on Mr. Shafi’s alleged confession, denied any direct involvement in the case. “I had only shared with Shafi some names of brokers in Bengaluru and Kerala,” he had told the investigators. A team was likely to bring those suspects here, the police said.

29 held for torturing 6 men on witchcraft suspicion

Victims blamed for diseases and deaths in their village

03/10/2019, STAFF REPORTER ,BERHAMPUR

As many as 29 residents, including 22 women, of Gopapur village under Khallikote police station in Odisha’s Ganjam district were arrested on Tuesday night for their alleged involvement in torture of six persons, aged between 55 and 65 years, over suspicion of witchcraft.

The arrested persons claimed the victims were witchcraft practitioners who were responsible for diseases and deaths in Gopapur.

“On the night of September 30, eight teeth of each victim were uprooted and they were forced to eat human excreta. They were also beaten up and forcibly restrained at a community hall in the village,” said Sub-Divisional Police Officer Utkal Keshari Dash.

On October 1, after receiving information about the incident, a police team reached the village to rescue the victims but faced stiff opposition from the villagers who threw chilli powder and stones at them.

“The police managed to rescue the victims and admitted them to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. Later, the accused persons were rounded up and arrested,” said inspector-in-charge of Khallikote police station Satyaranjan Pradhan.

Tensions gripped Gopapur two weeks ago after some villagers suddenly fell sick and three of them died. The villagers alleged some sorcery practitioners were causing the ailments and deaths. On September 28, more persons fell ill and the villagers started collecting money to call up a sorcerer to identify the alleged witchcraft practitioners. The same day, the Ganjam district administration and the police tried to intervene and make the villagers see reason.

Medical team

On September 30, a medical team from MKCG Medical College and Hospital reached the village to take blood samples of the inhabitants for tests and treat the sick. But these measures failed to convince the villagers who rounded up the six victims, based on details given by the sorcerer, and tortured them. The victims were all men in their late 50s and 60s.

Court upholds ₹10 lakh fine in cheque bounce case
Accused said complainant misused cheque issued as security to ensure payment

03/10/2019, NIRNIMESH KUMAR,NEW DELHI

A sessions court has dismissed an appeal by an accused against the imposition of a fine of ₹10 lakh on him in a cheque bounce case, saying that he failed to rebut that he had issued the cheque in the complainant’s name to repay a loan of ₹5 lakh.

While punishing the accused, a Metropolitan Magistrate had directed that ₹9 lakh of the fine amount be paid to the complainant.

In the appeal, the accused argued that the complainant had misused the cheque issued as a security to ensure payment to her in lieu of sale of a piece of land.

His counsel further said that he was not issued a legal notice before the complainant moved the court for the recovery of loan and that the he was not allowed to examine a defence witness.

All arguments dismissed

Additional Sessions Judge S.K. Malhotra, however, dismissed all the arguments and maintained the conviction and the sentence of the accused.

“No evidence is led by the appellant/accused in support of his plea that he had given the cheque in question to Vinod Kumar Saxena [complainant’s brother] as a security. Appellant has miserably failed to rebut the presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act that cheque in question was not issued to discharge legally recoverable debt,” the judge also said.

On the argument about the denial of an opportunity to examine a defence witnesses, the judge said: “The trial court granted six opportunities to the appellant to summon remaining defence witnesses but steps for summoning Vinod Kumar Saxena as a defence witness were not taken by the appellant and ultimately defence evidence was closed.”

Dismissing the submission that no legal notice was issued to the accused by the complainant, Mr. Malhotra said, “Legal notice was sent through registered AD post to accused/appellant. Although the said notice was returned back with the report ‘address incomplete’, appellant has given the same address in his appeal, on which legal notice was sent through registered post. Therefore, a presumption can be drawn that legal notice was sent on the correct address and he deliberately did not receive it.”

Ex-IAS officer’s 5-year jail term suspended

03/10/2019, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA,NEW DELHI

A Delhi court has suspended the five-year jail term awarded to a former IAS officer in a 32-year-old case of recovery of arms and ammunition from his possession, taking note of his old age and medical ailments.

Special Judge Illa Rawat granted the relief to 81-year-old Surender Singh Ahluwalia, saying he had made out a case for suspension of sentence and grant of bail to him till the disposal of the appeal against the jail term before the higher court.

The CBI had filed a case in August 1987 against Mr. Ahluwalia, then Secretary and Commissioner, Labour and Employment, Nagaland, for the possession of arms and ammunition beyond permission limits.

A ‘sound’ way to heal prisoners

Former Tihar DG conducts sound healing session with inmates on jail premises

03/10/2019, HEMANI BHANDARI,NEW DELHI

Vimla Mehra used singing bowls, rimming sticks, wind chimes and tingsha bells during the session. special arrangement

Around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, inmates at Tihar jail were in for a surprise when former Director General of the prison Vimla Mehra sat down with them in an attempt to heal them with sound.

In a first and impromptu programme, Ms. Mehra conducted a sound healing session with 10 inmates in Central Jail number 4 at Tihar School of Art. The session was also attended by Jail Superintendent Rajesh Chauhan.

Inside a small room, 10 inmates who were interested in the session lay on their back with their arms resting at the sides and eyes closed as the former DG pulled out the equipment — singing bowls, rimming sticks, wind chimes and tingsha bells — from her jute bag.

“Are you ready for meditation? You’ll hear sounds like you are listening to soothing music. Imagine you are in a jungle… there’s fresh air… chirping of birds… you are breathing freely,” she said to the inmates who appeared to be in a state of trance.

For the next 15 minutes, she used different combinations of the equipment which emanated “healing” sounds. The inmates were then asked to slowly open their eyes and wake up to the environment around them.

‘Food for soul’

“Ma’am, neend aa gayi thi [Ma’am, I fell asleep],” said an inmate after the session was over. Two others nodded in agreement.

Outside the room, in absence of any officers, Ravi Shankar Sharma (40), an undertrial who was arrested on charges of gang rape, said: “It was food for my soul. I had heard about sound healing but never had this kind of experience.”

Another inmate, Ramesh Sethi, who had heard of sound healing for the first time, said: “I am feeling a lot at peace.”

Ms. Mehra, who started learning sound healing soon after her retirement, said she is planning to turn the session into a regular programme with the help of the jail authorities. “Sound healing regulates the flow of energy in your body. The sounds tend to affect particular organs and prevents illness. I have been close to Tihar and wish to help the inmates in whatever way I can,” she said.

Ms. Mehra was Tihar DG from 2012 to 2014 and also the first woman Special Commissioner of Delhi Police.

‘On duty’ policemen face music for watching ‘Sye Raa...’
Photo taken in cinema hall lands seven errant sub-inspectors in trouble

03/10/2019, TADI VIDURA,KURNOOL

In plain sight: The photo that the sub-inspectors took at a theatre in Koilakuntla on Wednesday. U. SUBRAMANYAM The Hindu

While fans of ‘Megastar’ Chiranjeevi erupted in joy and broke into a dance to watch the ‘first day, first show’ of his latest movie Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy on Wednesday, seven sub-inspectors of police in Kurnool district had to face the music.

The policemen now face disciplinary action after they “bunked” duty to watch the new release.

The day saw overwhelming excitement among fans of Chiranjeevi as this was a project he had taken up after a long gap. The movie opened in cinemas across the country in different languages.

People could not wait to see their favourite star essaying the role of the freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. ‘The first day, first show’ craze was all-pervasive, with fans ready to do anything to get inside the cinemas. Apparently, so were police officers.

The lucky ones who made it included a set of seven young sub-inspectors from Bandi Atmakur, Nandivargam, Kolimigundla, Allagadda Special Branch, Racharla, Owk, and Gospadu in Kurnool district, who gave their duties the go-by and went to a cinema in Koilakuntla for a special early morning show.

One of them, perhaps overjoyed by the festive mood, captured the moment by clicking a picture and posting it on a social media platform after the show. Little did he or the others realise that this would land them in trouble.

The image was brought to the notice of Superintendent of Police K. Fakeerappa, who asked the Deputy Superintendents of Police of Nandyal, Allagadda and Dhone to hold an inquiry against the sub-inspectors.

Though it was an early morning show, what seems to have ticked off the Superintendent of Police was that these officers gathered at a theatre in Koilakuntla from different mandals.


No leave sought

The errant policemen had not sought permission nor did they apply for leave. Apart from that, a major reason for initiating action against them was the fact that it was Gandhi Jayanti. Also, Village Secretariats, a welfare delivery scheme run by the Andhra Pradesh government, was to be inaugurated on Wednesday.

“The sub-inspectors picked a wrong day to skip work,” said the officer. “If it were any other day, they might even have gotten away with it!”

HC summons three senior IAS officers in a contempt plea
Judge asks Registry to issue notice

03/10/2019, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The Madras High Court has summoned three IAS officers S.K. Prabakar, V.K. Jeyakodi and K.S. Palanisamy to explain as to why they should not be punished for not complying with orders passed by the court last year to pay compensation to six land owners whose properties were acquired way back in 1996 for improvement of branch canals of the Amaravathi main canal in Tiruppur district.

Justice G. Jayachandran directed the High Court Registry to issue statutory notices, which require their presence in the court, to the three officials on a contempt of court petition filed jointly by nine persons who had parted with their lands for the project. The judge had given sufficient time to the officials to comply with the orders even after the filing of the contempt petition but found that they had failed to implement them.

Though a report was filed in the court titled ‘compliance report’, the judge said, it does not appear to reflect true compliance of orders passed by Justice V. Bharathidasan on November 28, 2018.

Then, allowing a writ petition filed by K. Sivaraj, K. Kumarasamy, R. Govintharaj, S. Palanisamy, M. Palanisamy and four others, the judge had recorded the submission that the government had sanctioned ₹2.72 crore on October 12, 2018, for payment of compensation.

After recording the submission, he ordered disbursal of compensation to the nine writ petitioners within two months. However, the money was not disbursed forcing the petitioners to move the present contempt petition. Since, an administrative order passed by former Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani had dispensed with the need to list contempt petitions before the judges whose orders had been allegedly disobeyed, the case got listed before Justice Jayachandran.

Finding that the officials did not appear to show any sign of compliance with the court orders passed in November last, the judge ordered statutory notices to then Public Works Department Secretary Mr. Prabakar (now heading the Highways and Minor Ports department), Commissioner of Land Administration V.K. Jeyakodi and Tiruppur Collector Mr. Palanisamy.