[Breaking] Supreme Court Stays Bombay HC Judgment Which Held 'Skin To Skin' Contact Necessary For 'Sexual Assault' Under POCSO Act

[Breaking] Supreme Court Stays Bombay HC Judgment Which Held 'Skin To Skin' Contact Necessary For 'Sexual Assault' Under POCSO Act: The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the acquittal of the accused under the Bombay High Court Judgment which held that pressing of breasts of a minor girl without disrobing does not amount to 'sexual...

How Bombay High Court's Interpretation Of Section 7 Of POCSO Act Fails Us

How Bombay High Court's Interpretation Of Section 7 Of POCSO Act Fails Us: A

Students struggle to arrange hostels as colleges set to reopen

Students struggle to arrange hostels as colleges set to reopen

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:27.01.2021

With physical classes set to commence from February 1, many students are struggling to arrange a hostel/paying guest accommodation. Even colleges are feeling the heat as rooms can no longer be offered on sharing basis as per social distancing norms.

Following the Telangana government orders, many colleges are in the process of allowing final year students from February 1 followed by other students in a phased manner. At a time when the rooms in college and university hostels are already limited and overcrowded, Covid-19 poses a bigger challenge for the managements.

“From February 1-6, students can renew their hostel facility. We will issue ID cards to those who will be renewing the hostel facility for the ensuing academic year. As per the renewals, we will allot rooms. Rooms with six beds will have only two students at a time and a room with two beds will be allotted to a single student,” said professor LB Laxminkanth Rathod, principal, Nizam College, adding that it will be a difficult task to accommodate students.

Nearly 20%-30% of the student population in the city comes from neighbouring districts and states to various colleges for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Many students are now forced to cough up huge amount to avail private hostel/PG facilities. With colleges planning to call students for laboratory work for only 30 days at a time, finding accommodation is turning out to be a bigger hassle for those coming from other districts.

“Most private hostels and PGs are seeking an advance of at least three months. Nobody is ready to accommodate us for a month or less than that. How does the government expect us to come from farflung places and cough up huge amount without having any clarity on the schedule of classwork,” said Jonnalagadda Sharath, a BTech student.

College directed to pay ₹40,000 to student for withholding certificates

College directed to pay ₹40,000 to student for withholding certificates

Nirupa.Vatyam@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:27.01.2021 

A district consumer forum here has directed Madina Degree College for Women to pay about ₹40,000 to a student, who discontinued her bachelor’s course in the second year, for withholding her certificates and for forcing her to pay second year tuition fee.

M Jahanavi, the complainant, submitted that she had joined Bachelor of Science (BSc) course in the academic year 2017-18 at Madina Degree College for Women.

After completion of the first year, she said that she had qualified for the BPT (Bachelor of Physiotherapy) course in the counselling conducted by the Telangana State Council for Higher Education (TSCHE).

She said that she approached the staff concerned at the college seeking the return of her original certificates as she would need the same to complete the admission process into BPT course. Jahanavi alleged that the management insisted that she pay the fee for the remaining term of the course to get certificates. As the last date for submitting her certificates for admission into BPT course was nearing, she said that she had no option except to pay ₹24, 535 towards the second year so as to cancel her admission and get certificates back.

Claiming that demanding the fee in advance to return her original certificates amounts to unfair trade practice, she filed the complaint.

The opposite party, in their written version, said that allegations made by the complainant are false and frivolous. They submitted that as per the University Grants Commission rules, the complainant has to pay the entire course fee in view of the declaration given by her while taking admission. They said that the complainant, in fact, had to pay the entire fee (fee for three years) as per the rule, but the college was kind enough to consider the request of the complainant and forgo the third year’s fee.

During the trial, the bench noticed that as per the UGC rules, higher educational institutions can charge the fee in advance only for the semester/year in which a student wants to engage in academic activities, but not for the entire programme and cannot collect original certificates.

“The opposite party had not even issued fee receipt while collecting the second year fee. This amounts to deficiency of service and also the adoption of unfair trade practice,” the bench said.

The bench said the college did not even issue a fee receipt

AP couple held for murdering their daughters

AP couple held for murdering their daughters

Sandeep.Raghavan@timesgroup.com

Tirupati:27.01.2021

Police in Andhra Pradesh’s Madanapalli on Tuesday arrested the couple, who killed their two daughters allegedly under the influence of tantriks. The couple was in a state of trance sitting near the bodies when the police had reached their home on Sunday.

While the father, V Purushotham Naidu, has reportedly come out of the trance, his wife Padmaja continued to behave strangely. She was singing and dancing and shouting that the coronavirus had not originated in China, but created by the gods to cleanse the “bad elements” in the Kali Yug. When police took Padmaja for a Covid test, she refused to give her sample saying that she was the virus in human form and there was no need for tests. The couple murdered their kids, Alekhya (27) and Sai Divya (22), in what appeared to be part of occult practice. Both the accused were produced before the local magistrate and were later admitted to the psychiatry ward of a hospital.

Violence a jolt, but farm unions firm on repeal of laws & MSP

Violence a jolt, but farm unions firm on repeal of laws & MSP

New Delhi:27.01.2021 

Tuesday’s violence during the tractor rallies came as a setback for farm unions agitating for repeal of farm laws. However, they vowed to continue their protests, while seeking to dissociate themselves from the violence, reports Vishwa Mohan.

The unions said there were no plans to abandon the march to Parliament on Budget day, though neither courts nor the Central government may be accommodative this time. The unions, which have received favourable notice so far, will find themselves being questioned over the manner in which their rally spun out of control and resulted in chaos.

Union leaders do not appear ready to give up on their core demands — repeal of laws and legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP). Some of them even feel that their protests are getting more traction. The unions will wait to see how opposition parties take up the stir in the Budget session, which begins on Friday.

Did Tarn Taran youth hoist flag at Red Fort?

A video of a youth hoisting the Sikh religious flag at Red Fort went viral on social media. He was later identified as Jugraj Singh from a village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran. P 5

Govt ‘expects’ TV coverage to hurt farmers’ stir

The likely stand of the Centre, which has so far been at pains to signal its flexibility to amend the laws — short of repeal — was not clear, though BJP members were taken aback by the violence. The government and BJP offered no word on the violence, with sources saying the priority was to restore law and order. The government seemed to expect the televised events to hurt the protest, while the proceedings in SC, which had asked if the rally would be peaceful, could also see the Centre spelling out its stand.

So far, the government has been careful in not using coercive methods, keeping in mind the sensitivity of Punjab, from where most of the unions are from, being a border state and the likely role of extremists in exploiting the situation. The unions said they had mobilised some groups in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, MP and West Bengal to intensify the agitation. All these states, along with Assam and Manipur, witnessed protests on Tuesday. Until now, the mobilisation has been largely cadre-based with Left-aligned All India Kisan Sabha playing a leading role.

“Those elements which are not going along with the collective spirit of farmers’ movement and which broke the norms, are the ones who have weakened themselves, and it is not the movement that is weakened,” said Kavitha Kuruganti of Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch.

Full report on www.toi.in

Sub-registrar: Ashoka’s secy asked for money from me

Sub-registrar: Ashoka’s secy asked for money from me

Udaya Kumar and Kiran Parashar TNN

Chikkamagaluru/Bengaluru:  27.01.2021

A sub-registrar from Chikkamagaluru district has filed a complaint against Karnataka revenue minister R Ashoka’s personal secretary for allegedly demanding bribe on Sunday.

HS Chaluvaraju, 46, has said in the complaint that personal secretary Gangadhar met him during the minister’s visit to Sringeri.

“When I met him, he asked me to pay him money,” Chaluvaraju has alleged. Gangadhar, an employee in Vidhana Soudha secretariat’s office and deputed as personal secretary for Ashoka, has since been transferred, sources said.

Sringeri Town police registered a non-cognizable complaint on Monday and said they will seek the government’s permission to register an FIR. Chikkamagaluru SP Hakay Akshay Machindra confirmed receiving the complaint. Chaluvaraju said he received a WhatsApp message from an unlisted number on Jan 20 about Ashoka’s travel to Sringeri.

‘Took me to room, sought money’

n January 24, I received a call From a person who identified himself as Gangadhar working as PS to the minister. He asked me to meet the minister at Adichunchanagiri Convention Hall at Sringeri after 6pm. When I reached there, Gangadhar arrived around 7pm. I met him in a room attached to the convention hall where he asked me to give him money,” he stated.

Chaluvaraju said: “On January 24, the caller asked me, ‘Bartheera?’ (are you coming?) Then he said, ‘Tartheera?’ (will you bring?) I asked him what should I bring? He said that ‘we will speak’ about it later. On Sunday, when the minister was attending an event in the convention hall, Gangadhar took me to a room and sought money. I said I don’t have the habit of taking/giving money. On Monday, he asked for money on phone. I asked him whether his conscience permits him to demand bribe. I filed a complaint and wrote to the minister against Gangadhar.”

Chaluvaraju, from Hunsur in Mysuru, said he has not taken or given bribe in his career as a government officer for 21 years. He was promoted as a sub-registrar in 2005. KPCC president DK Shivakumar said a sub-registrar has, finally, come forward to file a complaint while many others suffer in silence. “There are so many cases like this in the state," he said.

BJP national general secretary CT Ravi said the personal secretary was allegedly collecting money, which the minister was unaware of.