Students can't be burdened with contractual employees' salaries in govt-run institutions: Delhi HC to JNU

PTI | Jan 24, 2020, 07.56 PM IST

NEW DELHI: Burden of paying contractual employees in state-run educational institutions cannot be put on students and the government has to find the funds, the Delhi high court said on Friday, asking the Jawaharlal Nehru University to allow those who have not yet registered for the winter session to do so under the old hostel manual.

The observation came after additional solicitor general Pinky Anand, appearing for JNU, told the court hostel fees were hiked on a direction by the University Grants Commission, to all varsities, that they have to pay salaries of daily wage/contractual/out-sourced staff employed by them.

The ASG, assisted by advocates Harsh Ahuja and Kushal Sharma, said 90 per cent of JNU students have paid the increased fee and it would not be fair to allow the remaining 10 per cent to register for the winter semester as per the older hostel manual.

To this, the court said, "Those who have paid, have paid. If 90 per cent have paid, then your financial concerns have been more or less taken care of. Rest of the funds you can arrange. For now engage with students, have a dialogue with them".

"The burden of paying contractual employees salary cannot be put on students in government-run institutions. You (varsity) need to find the money. Maybe the ministry of human resource development can find the funds. The government has to fund public eduction. It cannot get out of it," justice Rajiv Shakdher said.

He also issued notices to JNU, the ministry and UGC, seeking their stand on a plea by JNU Students Union against the new hostel manual.

The court said students of the reserved category, who come in the remaining 10 per cent, can also register as per the old manual and they should get registered within a week.

It directed the varsity to not levy late payment charges or penalty on students registering after the court's order.

Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the students union, told the court since the election of 2018-19, the varsity has stopped engaging with student leaders and their views are being sought "less and less" on issues concerning the students.

The JNUSU office-bearers, in their plea filed through advocate Abhik Chimni, have challenged the minutes of the separate meetings held by the Inter Hostel Administration (IHA), the Executive Council and a high-level committee to amend and later approve the new manual, saying they were not consulted at any stage of the proceedings.

The entire process was conducted in a "tearing hurry" by the varsity, which went ahead and implemented the manual mid-term even as students were involved in talks with the HRD Ministry, Sibal told the court.

On this, the court said to JNU it should have included the representatives of the students union in its meetings on amending the hostel manual.

It asked if the HRD ministry can engage in a dialogue with students why can't the varsity do the same.

The JNUSU's petition has sought directions to quash the new hostel manual "illegally approved by the IHA as the decisions taken by the IHA are malafide, arbitrary and illegal and adversely affect the students".

It has claimed the decisions to amend the hostel manual are contrary to provisions of the JNU Act, 1966, Statutes, Ordinances and the Hostel Manual.

"The amendments include reducing JNUSU representation in IHA, increased rates as applicable to hostel residents and also brought amendments to clauses of the Hostel Manual adversely affecting reserved category students in the University," the plea submitted.

Earlier, the rent was Rs 10 and Rs 20 for double and single-occupancy rooms respectively.

The rent for all students, including those with Junior Research Fellowship, Senior Research Fellowship and other equivalent scholarships or fellowships, for single and double-seater rooms has been hiked to Rs 600 and Rs 300 per month.

The rent for Below Poverty Line (BPL) category students for double and single-seater rooms has been increased to Rs 150 and Rs 300 per month respectively.

Earlier, there was no utility and service charge, but now the university will charge BPL students Rs 500 and other students Rs 1,000 for the same.

On utility charges, ASG Anand told the court that it has been waived for the current session.

The petition has also challenged the minutes of IHA Meeting which states that mess services sanitation services, room charges, amongst others category of charges will be increased by 10 per cent every academic year.

The Executive Council of JNU showed total "non-application of mind" when creating a 'Below Poverty Line' category of students, the plea contended.

On this, the ASG said it was actually economically weaker section (EWS) and not BPL category.

Delhi: Tihar writes to Nirbhaya convicts’ kin

TNN | Jan 25, 2020, 04.07 AM IST

NEW DELHI: The Tihar Jail authorities have written to the parents of Nirbhaya’s rapists and killers to inform them that the date for carrying out the death sentence imposed on their sons is February 1. In the letter, the jail authorities said that the hanging would take place at 6am. It asked the relatives, if they wanted to, to approach the jail authorities next week and apply for permission to meet the death-row convicts.

Sources said that upon the receipt of the letter by their families, Mukesh Singh has confined himself to his cell, while Vinay Sharma has become aggressive. Sharma has been requesting the jail authorities to allow him to meet a friend in jail number 4, whom he became emotionally attached to after he was sentenced to death. Jail sources also disclosed that the behaviour of Pawan Gupta and Akshay Thakur remained normal.

Though there has been no change in Singh’s eating regimen, he has stopped interacting much and is reticent even with relatives who visit him. Sharma, on the other hand, is aggressive during meals and refuses to eat, and is being counselled. As for his request to meet his friend, jail officials said he would not be allowed to meet anyone once he is shifted to a solitary cell.

On Friday, the parents of Singh and Sharma were allowed to meet them for half an hour each. The former’s parents were accompanied by another person, whose identity is as yet unascertained, who quietly counselled him for some time.

Officials revealed that preparations were under way for the hanging on February 1. A doctor has been appointed to check the four convicts. For health reasons, the quartet has been advised to remain calm and have their meals on time.

A big challenge for the authorities is to keep the four men from harming themselves. In order to do this, the jail officials have been swapping their cells and not allowing anyone to stay for more than two days in a particular cell lest they figure out ways to commit suicide or hurt themselves, according to sources. The convicts are even accompanied to the toilets by security officers. Before the men are moved into new cells, these are inspected by a team led by a jail superintendent. The cells remain well lit even at night to allow security personnel to keep an eye on the convicts inside.

While more than 40 police personnel have been deployed in this particular ward in jail number 3, a specially trained team from Tamil Nadu Special Police is posted outside the cells holding the convicts. Team members have been instructed not to communicate with the doomed men in any circumstances.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

Nirbhaya case: Prosecution tells Delhi court Tihar Jail supplied all documents sought by convicts' lawyer

PTI | Jan 25, 2020, 11.04 AM IST

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Saturday told a Delhi court that the Tihar Jail authorities have supplied all the relevant documents sought by the lawyer of the death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. The public prosecutor, appearing for police, told additional sessions judge Ajay Kumar Jain that the convicts are only adopting "delaying tactics".

An advocate appearing for three of the four death row convicts in the case has moved the court on Friday alleging that the Tihar Jail authorities were not handing over certain documents and this was causing delay in filing their mercy and curative petitions.

A P Singh had moved an application alleging that the jail authorities are yet to give the documents which are required to file the mercy petition for Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and curative petitions for Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Singh (25).

The Supreme Court recently dismissed the curative petitions of other two convicts -- Vinay and Mukesh Singh (32). Mukesh's mercy petition was rejected by the President earlier this month.

The hanging of all four is to take place on February 1 at 6am, according to the court order.

The 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya, was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012, in a moving bus in south Delhi by six people before she was thrown out on the road. She was flown to a hospital in Singapore where she died.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

Tamil Nadu: I-T searches at education group expose crores in illegal income

TNN | Jan 25, 2020, 10.27 AM IST

CHENNAI: The income tax department has seized 2 crore in cash and detected unaccounted income worth 532 crore during searches on a chain of leading educational institutions in the last few days in Chennai and Madurai.

Searches were held at more than 64 places, including the premises of the managing director of the group, and residences of several people close to him.

"The income tax department mounted a search on a group operating leading educational institutions, having a large number of schools and colleges in Chennai and Madurai region. The search was conducted at the office of the trust, residences of the trustees and key employees of the group," said CBDT spokesperson Surabhi Ahluwalia in a statement. The searches were held in Chennai, Madurai, Theni, Thanjavur and several other places.

The charitable trusts are running a medical college and hospital, engineering colleges and schools across Tamil Nadu.

During the raid, I-T officials found evidence showing collection of fee under various heads from students to evade tax, said a senior official. Schools run by the group received cash from students, but they were not accounted for in the books. Much of it was used for purchase of property and repayment of loans, said the official.

"The search has resulted in the seizure of 2 crore of unaccounted cash. Out of the unaccounted income detected so far, the group has admitted to 532 crore undisclosed income," said the spokesperson. The searches have been temporarily concluded. Further investigations are under way, the official said.

Chennai: Coronavirus may hit tourist traffic to Southeast Asia

TNN | Jan 25, 2020, 06.08 AM IST

CHENNAI: Travel to Southeast Asia and the Far East may be hit in the coming weeks as cases of coronavirus have been reported in Singapore, Japan, Macau, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea and Taiwan.

Though the government of India has not issued a travel advisory against visiting these countries, tour operators say that outbound travel from Chennai to Southeast Asia will be affected. Foreign tourists planning to come to Chennai and other cities may not because of travel ban in some regions of China and due to heightened checks at airports in countries where cases have surfaced.

Basheer Ahmed of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFE) said "There are no cancellations so far. But many people, especially those who have to travel with senior citizens, have started to enquire whether it is safe to travel. Though the travel season is dull, Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore are popular among tourists from the state."

The travel season is usually dull post Pongal and there will not be big tours heading to Southeast Asia and the Far East. Since Republic Day is not an extended weekend this year, those who go on short getaways are also not travelling. However, the spread of the virus will impact weekend travellers to Macau, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Sriharan Balan of Madura Travels said that "there will be an impact on travel. A clear picture will emerge only in a few days. The airports in the affected countries have strict screening. This gives some confidence."

Basheer Ahmed said "the news about the spread of cases in Singapore, Thailand, Macau has created concern among tour operators. But things are not as bad as we expected it to be. The people affected in Singapore are tourists from China. Changi airport has tightened screening."

Nevertheless, travel companies have started to advise travellers to opt for alternative destinations even if trips are planned for next month because of the uncertainty over the extent of shutdown in China.

Daniel D'souza, president and country head, Leisure, SOTC Travel, said, "In light of the present scenario in China, our teams on ground are monitoring the situation and sharing timely updates. Currently there are no departures as customers are scheduled to travel from March. We are focused on the safety of our customers and are recommending alternate destinations like Japan, Vietnam and Dubai."

However, the number of people, including tourists and Indians returning home for week-long Chinese New Year holidays will be high in the coming days. Flights from Singapore to Chennai are already full. Ministry of external affairs has issued a note detailing precautions to be followed by people travelling from China to India. Though there is no direct flight from the affected Chinese area to Chennai, there are connecting flights from Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and Singapore. Airlines have alerted their crew to look out passengers who may look ill.

China has restricted people of 13 cities near Wuhan from travelling after the virus outbreak affected around 800 people.

Tamil Nadu: 99 scam TNPSC job exam with vanishing ink, banned for life

TNN | Jan 25, 2020, 06.08 AM IST

CHENNAI: Agents in collusion with government officials tried to outsmart a recruitment exam system by using a special ink that would disappear after a few hours and help them shade the correct answers on OMR answer sheets later. But, they manipulated answer scripts of 52 candidates with such perfection that 39 of 52 candidates ranked in the top 100 from Rameswaram and Keelakarai centres in Ramanathapuram, raising suspicion that led to busting of the scam.

The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) banned 99 candidates for life for resorting to malpractices in a Group IV exam held on September 1, 2019. On Friday, the state CBCID arrested a school education department staff member, an agent and an employee in the energy department, and detained at least 15 others including the tahsildars from Keezhakkarai and Rameswaram. The agents supplied the candidates pens filled with special ink and after changing the responses, the agents with the help of officials replaced the OMR sheets, a TNPSC release said.

‘Answer sheets of 52 candidates manipulated’

The arrested have been identified as E Ramesh, 39, of Triplicane, an office assistant in the directorate of public instruction (DPI), Mamallapuram resident M Thirukumaran, 35, an office assistant in the energy department who cleared the exam in 2017, and R Nithish Kumar of Triplicane, who cleared the Group-IV exam in 2019 and is now an agent.

The 99 candidates, now banned, appeared for the exam at Rameswaram and Keelakarai centres in Ramanathapuram district as instructed by the agents, the TNPSC said in a release, adding that detailed inquiries with the staff involved in exam work had confirmed that manipulations happened in these two centres.

Shocked to find more than 35 candidates from just two centres among top 100 rank holders, other candidates raised suspicion and the TNPSC conducted an inquiry with more than 50 toppers who wrote the exam at the two centres. It also called candidates who did not qualify in the exam to know what happened. “It was found that answer sheets of 52 candidates, of 99, were manipulated by scamsters who shaded correct responses after the exam and 39 ranked within the top 100,” the release said.

The TNPSC said it had replaced the 39 candidates on the merit list with new candidates and that an FIR had been registered against 99 candidates and brokers. “It has been confirmed that manipulations did not take place in any other centre in the state. So, TNPSC will conduct counselling after the certificate verification. The commission will undertake reforms to prevent such incidents in future.”

More than 13 lakh candidates appeared for the Group IV exam on September 1, 2019 to fill 9,398 vacancies for posts of junior assistant and typist among others. The results were out on November 12, the shortest time taken for announcing the results.

MVA govt spent ₹2.79 crore on swearing-in ceremony: RTI
MUMBAI Updated: Jan 15, 2020 23:08 IST

Shrinivas Deshpande

The newly formed Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government spent ₹2.79 crore on the oath-taking ceremony of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and six of his cabinet colleagues at Shivaji Park, Dadar, on November 28, 2019. The event cost ₹1.81 crore more than what the Devendra Fadnavis-led government had spent when it was sworn-in in November 2014.

These expenses were disclosed by the government in response to a right to information (RTI) query by activist Nikhil Chanshetti.

Chanshetti had sought information about the expenses incurred on the oath-taking ceremony held in 2019, 2014, and 2009.

In reply to the query, the upper secretary of general administration department, RG Gaikwad, informed that the government had spent ₹27,907,374, of which ₹303,257 was used for floral decorations and ₹27,604,117 was the cost of electrification on the day of the swearing-in.

However, the government is unable to provide information about expenses incurred for the oath-taking held in 2009, citing documents were lost in the June 21, 2012 fire in the Mantralaya.

“The finance minister always says the condition of the state is so weak... Then why had the state government increased its spending on the swearing-in ceremony by almost threefold?” said Chanshetti.

In 2014, the BJP government had spent ₹9,837,950 for Fadnavis’s swearing-in ceremony which was held at Wankhede Stadium on October 31, 2014.