Russia resumes visa processing for Indians

Russia resumes visa processing for Indians

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:31.01.2021

Russia has resumed accepting all visa applications, including student and tourist visas, in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata from January 27. A Covid negative test is required to apply for visas and e-visas are suspended for now, the Russian embassy in Delhi tweeted on Saturday.

India and Russia are in talks to form an air bubble that will allow airlines of both countries to operate flights. So far, Dubai and Maldives are among the few countries open for tourists from abroad, including India; travellers have to test negative before departure for these two places. The UAE has testing on arrival facility for tourists.

Take action against doctors, cops for delay in medical reports in criminal cases: HC

Take action against doctors, cops for delay in medical reports in criminal cases: HC

Ajay.Sura@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh:  31.01.2021

In an order with wide ramifications on criminal cases being registered on basis of medical reports of victims, the Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the heads of Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh health departments to ensure that medical opinion in criminal cases is given to police by concerned doctors without any delay.

The DGPs of both the states and UT Chandigarh have also been directed to issue instructions to concerned investigating officers (IOs) to obtain copies of medical reports immediately and make such reports part of their investigation record immediately on receipt thereof.

“Needless to say such instructions should also have the provision that in case of any undue, unreasonable and unexplained delay on the part of the concerned doctor or investigating officer appropriate departmental action shall be taken against them by the competent authorities,” the high court ordered.

The HC has also ordered all sessions judges and others to ask for production of such reports if already prepared at the time of decision of bail application and before commencement of trial.

A single-judge bench of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi passed the order while exercising its inherent powers during the hearing of a bail plea filed by Sunil Kumar and another resident of Mahendergarh district of Haryana.

The petitioners were booked on April 17, 2020 for the offences under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (causing hurt with deadly weapon) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC at Kanina police station of Mahendergarh district.

A day after their arrest, the accused were granted bail by the local court as the charges were mild in nature. However, five months after the incident, the medical report of the victim pointed towards serious injuries after which the police slapped serious charges under Section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) against the accused.

The accused then approached the HC seeking bail on the ground that they had already been granted bail in the case and the liberty of bail should be continued as they had not misused the condition of bail.

Considering the high number of such instances being received by the HC from both the states and UT Chandigarh reflecting unexplained delay in obtaining medical reports, the judge expanded the scope of the petition and passed the orders exercising inherent powers. The judge has also asked both the states of Punjab and Haryana and the Chandigarh administration to file replies on the issue by February 2 on the issue.

COURT OBSERVATION

There is undue unreasonable and unexplained delay in obtaining copies of X-ray report and medical opinion regarding nature of the injuries with the consequence that the accused are arrested and granted bail and thereafter remain on bail for lesser offences for a long time and subsequently when the charges for graver offences are added, plea is taken by the accused regarding the accused having already been granted bail… The courts would not have granted bail and the accused would have remained in custody for longer periods if the facts regarding commission of graver offences by them were brought to the notice of the court at the time of arrest of the accused and filing of bail application by them

Institutional quarantine for UK flyers eased

Institutional quarantine for UK flyers eased

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:31.01.2021.

The Delhi government has suspended the rule for seven days of mandatory institutional quarantine for flyers coming from the UK and testing negative for Covid. The decision has been taken in the wake of low positivity rate among such individuals.

All flyers testing negative for Covid will now be required to be in 14 days of home isolation. For UK returnees testing positive for Covid, treatment protocol according to their health condition is invoked. TNN

›5.7L get shots in 2 days, states to up vax drive, P15 ›SII to launch Novavax jabs by June: CEO, P 15

Bees halt hungry elephants eyeing crops

Bees halt hungry elephants eyeing crops

Mohua.Das @timesgroup.com

31.01.2021

After several failed attempts, Dhanesh Parashar, a 36-year-old cashew farmer from Dodamarg in Sindhudurg district, has finally found a new ally in his struggle to keep free-ranging elephants from feasting on his crop: honey bees. Yes, elephants — the largest animals on land — are afraid of bees. So afraid that the tiny insects are now helping farmers ward off elephants that are capable of wiping out a year’s harvest in one night.

A ‘beehive fencing’ initiative in affected villages spanning 200 hectares of the Tillari forest land — a conservation reserve in the Dodamarg-Sawantwadi range for elephants that had wandered into Sindhudurg from Karnataka almost two decades ago — is bringing relief to local farmers who have desperately tried to thwart them — beating drums, bursting fire crackers, tying chilli ropes — with little success.

Bee hives serve as a fence at a cashew plantation in Sawantwadi’s Dodamarg

Govt may take over medical ed admissions

Govt may take over medical ed admissions

Hemali.Chhapia@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:31.01.2021

The high-stress medical admissions, which involve frantic travel, emotional drama and last-minute financial deals, may be eased from next year.

In what may promote transparency and weed out agents and deal-makers who auction medical seats, the ministry of health is contemplating taking over the entire admission process, from start to finish. With that, institutional seat-filling — which experts describe as a “seat-auctioning round” or the absolute last leg of the admission process requiring students to visit medical school campuses to pick unfilled seats — may be scrapped. Instead, all admissions may take place online.

The Medical Counselling Committee handles admission for deemed universities across the country and after it closes online rounds, vacant seats are filled by respective institutes at their individual level. That is when, experts say, parents and students are put through immense “financial distress” as NRI seats, the ones that are five times higher than the regular seats, largely remain unfilled.

“What happens is that when students visit colleges for the last round, they feel cornered as there are merely three days to close admissions and how much can they travel? Deemed universities make candidates wait till the last minute as they try to fetch the highest price for each seat. With the process going online, all this will be streamlined,” said a health ministry source. The ministry may have to move court to change the admission procedure.

“Medical education is beyond the reach of the middle class. How can one expect medical graduates who spend crores on their education to give back to society?” asked Dr Vivek Korade, founder of Forum Against Commercialisation of Education.

AGENTS OUT: All admissions may take place online in a bid to promote transparency

Divorce or death: Man finds new love

WIFE FACES TORMENT

Divorce or death: Man finds new love

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:

A 32-yearold Bapunagar woman lodged a complaint with the local police on Friday stating that her husband is in an extramarital affair and is threatening to kill himself unless she leaves him. The complainant, Merelin Amin, has said that her husband, Hardik Amin of Rakhial, mentally and physically tortured her. She said he wants to marry the woman with whom he has the extramarital relationship. Bapunagar police have lodged an offence.

According to the FIR, the complainant was married to the accused in November 2016. She has mentioned in the FIR that in 2018 she gave birth to a daughter. The FIR said that in recent times, the woman noticed a change in her husband. “The complainant has alleged that her husband began telling her she has become fat and he doesn’t like her any more,” said a police official. “He also began physically torturing her.”

The complainant has said her husband has told her father that he wants to marry the other woman. The complainant has mentioned in the FIR that as her husband’s torture intensified, she moved to her parents’ house.

Edu dept serves notice to man for spreading fake news

MASS PROMOTION

Edu dept serves notice to man for spreading fake news

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:31.01.2021

The director of primary education has served a notice to a person for his alleged role in spreading fake news on social media regarding mass promotion for school students in the ongoing academic year.

The state education department has given a week’s time for the person to reply, failing which the government might take strict action.

“If the respondent does not reply within seven days, we will conclude that he does not have anything to say in his defence. As a result, we will look into the option of taking legal action against him,” said an official in the know of the matter.

The person is question has in the past raised issues regarding fees taken by schools, said sources.

Recently, a message in the social media was spread with misinformation about giving mass promotion from Class 1 to Class 8 students, the department said.

After receiving several calls from parents, students and teachers for verification of the social media message, the department began inquiry about the origin of the message.

“It was found after proper investigation that the messages were sent from a mobile number which belonged to the person alleged to be behind this. It seemed a deliberate attempt to create fake news and spread misinformation,” sources said.

Schools and colleges partially reopened in January after being shut down for over nine months due to Covid-19 outbreak and consequent lockdown.

The state government had given mass promotion to schoolchildren last year in the wake of the pandemic. The state education minister and other senior department officials have time and again reiterated that no such move is planned for the current academic year.