Chennai's Stanley Hospital provides free orthotics equipment to differently abled kids

Chennai's Stanley Hospital provides free orthotics equipment to differently abled kids

Children from poor backgrounds who may need this equipment can reach out to the hospital’s District Early Intervention Centre, said Dr J Ganesh

Published: 30th January 2021 02:07 PM 

In the first phase, ten pieces of equipment worth Rs 50,000 were distributed to the children in the presence of their parents on Saturday (Photo | Special arrangement)

By Omjasvin MD

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Stanley Government Medical College Hospital would be providing up to 40 pieces of orthotics equipment to physically challenged children free of cost in a phased manner.

Orthotics are externally worn devices, custom-made for individuals, which help them to correct biomechanical foot issues and walk, stand and run.

On Saturday, in the first phase, Dean of the hospital Dr P Balaji distributed 10 pieces of equipment worth Rs 50,000 for differently abled children. The initiative is being done in association with NGO Masusa Foundation.

“We have decided to provide free orthotics to children who may need it. It would take some days to measure the leg of the child and place orders. We will be providing up to 40 pieces in a phased manner,” said Dr J Ganesh, Director of Institute of Social Pediatrics.

He said that children from poor backgrounds who may need this equipment can reach out to the hospital’s District Early Intervention Centre.

Set up under the National Health Mission, the DEIC aims to identify children with birth defects and deficiencies and provides treatment for them.

Chennai book fair to be held from Feb 24

Chennai book fair to be held from Feb 24

“We will ensure all Covid protocols are in place including creating wider pathways.

Published: 31st January 2021 06:00 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Much to the joy of book lovers in the city, the annual Chennai Book Fair will be held from February 24 until March 9 at the YMCA grounds, according to members of the Book Sellers’ and Publishers’ Association of South India (BAPASI), that holds the event every year.

The fair will go on from 11 am until 8pm. Confirming the announcement, K Nagarajan, Vice President of BAPASI said, “We will ensure all Covid protocols are in place including creating wider pathways. Other than that, everything including the ticket system will be the same.”

The announcement comes amidst rumours that the event may not be held this year due to the Covid situation since the fair is usually held in January. However, though there has been a delay, organisers have decided to go ahead with the event.

Calcutta HC judge dies of cardiac arrest

Calcutta HC judge dies of cardiac arrest

Pinak Priya Bhattacharya

Jalpaiguri:31.03.2021

Justice Ashis Kumar Chakraborty of Calcutta High Court, who was scheduled to join the Jalpaiguri circuit bench from Monday till February 12, died of a cardiac arrest at a private nursing home in Siliguri on Saturday. He was 56.

Justice Chakraborty was first taken to the district hospital in Darjeeling, where he had arrived with his family on Friday, and later to Siliguri the same night after he started vomiting blood. He was with Calcutta HC for the past five years.

CBI begins probe into Agra doc’s mysterious death

FAMILY ALLEGES DOWRY DEATH

CBI begins probe into Agra doc’s mysterious death

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:31.01.2021

A CBI team from Lucknow special crime branch reached Agra on Saturday to collect documents related to the mysterious death of a doctor, Deepti Agarwal, who was allegedly killed by her in-laws for dowry on August 3 last year.

On the plea of the victim’s father, Dr Naresh Mangla, the Supreme Court had earlier handed over the investigation to CBI. Initiating probe, the probe agency lodged a fresh FIR under charges of dowry death, causing miscarriage without the woman’s consent, criminal intimidation and cruelty against Deepti’s husband Dr Sumit Agarwal, fatherin-law SC Agarwal, mother-in-law Anita Agarwal, brother-in-law Amit Agarwal and sister-in-law Tulika Agarwal.

Dr Mangla had accused his son-in-law and his family of murdering his daughter while the Agra police had claimed that Deepti committed suicide after being tortured for dowry.

Dr Mangla said Deepti suffered two miscarriages after which the couple adopted a girl child. He claimed Deepti was often harassed by her in-laws. “About 18-19 days before she was found hanging, she was assaulted by her inlaws for dowry,” he alleged.

Deepti, a resident of Tajganj in Agra, was married to Sumit on November 3, 2014.

After she was found hanging in her flat on August 3 last year, her husband claimed that he found her hanging in the room and had to break open the door which was locked from inside.

Deepti was taken to a hospital where she remained in coma till her death on August 7.

Mangla alleged that police only arrested Sumit who also secured anticipatory bail on September 29 from the high court. Later on October 24, police hastily filed a charge sheet.

Mangla, however, approached the Supreme Court demanding fresh investigation by the CBI.

“All the documents related to the case, including the post-mortem report, had to be taken from police for which a team was dispatched to Agra,” a CBI official said.

Donate my body for teaching anatomy: Elderly’s suicide note

Donate my body for teaching anatomy: Elderly’s suicide note

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:31.01.2021

A computer-typed suicide note with a hand-scribbled signature, neatly placed under a bundle of currency notes, was found on a table in the bedroom, where an elderly couple clothed in starched white was found hanging from the ceiling in an upscale Aliganj neighbourhood on Saturday.

The businessman, who could not pay Rs 1crore in debt, allegedly ended his life with his wife, leaving behind the note, willing that his body be donated to a medical education institute for teaching “human anatomy” and his wife be given a decent cremation with Rs 15,000 in cash kept atop the suicide note.

Identified as Mathew Joseph, 60, and Lucy Joseph, 58, the couple’s bodies for taken for autopsy from their Sector Q, Aliganj, residence. Hailing from Kerala, Josephs had settled in Lucknow in 1986 and made the city their home, but for over past few years, they were wallowing in loneliness with their only daughter settled in London, said police.

Owner of a firm dealing in electronic goods and solar panels, Mathew was struggling in his business since 2016 and had taken loans of around Rs 1 crore from several banks and private money lenders, which he couldn’t repay due to heavy losses, said additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP), North, Rajesh Srivastava.

Bizman leaves ₹15k in cash atop suicide note for wife’s cremation

A printed suicide note had Joseph's name scribbled at the bottom, stating he was ending his life because of debt and left instructions that his body be donated to medical students and the money be used for last rites of his wife, Lucy,” said Srivastava.

Bodies in medical institutes are used to teach human anatomy to MBBS first year students. Most educational institutes are reeling under scarcity of bodies and using dummies and 3D models for teaching purpose.

“The note did not specify anything about medical education, but as it said the body should be donated to medical students, we presume that it is meant for teaching anatomy at MBBS level,” said the ADCP. “Our probe revealed the couple had been away for a fortnight and had returned two days back,” he added.

The incident came to light in the morning when the couple’s next-door neighbour, Pankaj Arora, came to their house to take Mathew along for morning walk, but did not get response to calls. Arora peeped inside and was shocked to see the couple hanging from the ceiling of the room and informed police.

Private university in HP sold 45,000 fake degrees, reveals SIT probe

The fake degree scam was unearthed in February this year after the University Grants Commission (UGC) received an anonymous complaint about the alleged sale of more than five lakh degrees by two private universities in HP, MBU in Solan and APG in Shimla

CHANDIGARH NEWS

Private university in HP sold 45,000 fake degrees, reveals SIT probe

Each degree related to technical subjects was sold to students within and outside Himachal Pradesh for ₹1 lakh to ₹3 lakh, says crime investigation department official

By Gaurav Bisht, Shimla

PUBLISHED ON DEC 24, 2020 06:56 PM IST

A special investigating team (SIT) comprising officials from the income tax department, enforcement directorate, Himachal Police and crime investigation department (CID) have unearthed evidence in an education scam of Solan- based private university, Manav Bharti (MBU), selling more than 45,000 fake degrees.

“The number of fake degrees can vary. We presume it’s much higher. It’s a very well organised racket which was being run for the last one decade,” said additional director general (ADG) of police,” CID, N Venugopal, on Thursday.

The probe revealed that each degree related to technical subjects was sold to students within and outside Himachal Pradesh (HP) for ₹1 lakh to ₹3 lakh, he added.

The SIT team also rounded up a Jammu based agent of the university who struck deals locally for selling the fake degrees.

The sleuths found that the manager of MBU sold degrees outside the state through ‘agents’ who in return got handsome commissions. In a majority of cases the buyers paid cash for degrees to these agents who provided details of the candidates to the university for making the fake degrees.

SIT sent sleuths to seven different states, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Visits were also made to Jammu, Delhi, Chandigarh and Kashmir to trace the whereabouts of the agents.

MBU, the probe found, enrolled more than 95,000 students in different courses.

Arrests made

The SIT in June arrested MBU chairman Raj Kumar Rana after the HP high court refused to grant him anticipatory bail. ​

​Rana was arrested on the court premises as soon as his bail plea was rejected. ​

He was taken to Solan for interrogation. Earlier in that week,SIT had arrested a former registrar of the university, KK Singh. Two university officials, registrar Anupama Thakur and assistant registrar Munish Goel, were arrested in March. ​

The fake degree scam was unearthed in February this year after the University Grants Commission (UGC) received an anonymous complaint about the alleged sale of more than five lakh degrees by two private universities in HP, MBU in Solan and APG in Shimla. ​

The UGC then apprised the state government of the matter and sought appropriate action against the institutes.

A case under sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the university officials for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy on March 3.

MBU was established in 2009 under the HP Private University (Establishment & Regulation) Act and is owned by the Manav Bharti Charitable Trust.​

Sexual crimes against kids impact society, observes HC

Sexual crimes against kids impact society, observes HC

Slams Father For Entering Into Compromise In Sodomy Case

Abhinav.Garg@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 31.01.2021 

At a time when a few controversial verdicts have been given in cases of sexual offences against children, Delhi High Court has set the record straight. Observing that sexual crimes against children shock the value system and have a serious impact on the society, the court on Friday cleared decks for trial of a man who sodomised a 7-year-old boy.

Justice Subramonium Prasad highlighted that the POCSO Act was meant to “provide protection to children from sexual assault and harassment, and for safeguarding the interest and wellbeing of children.”

The court was aghast to come across a joint plea by the father of the survivor and the accused saying they had reached a compromise, and that the FIR should be quashed. Tossing out the plea, the court noted, “The father of the child cannot be permitted to settle the dispute with the accused. He is not the victim, and the courts have to safeguard and protect the interest of children against onslaught by bad forces.”

The bench added that it could not lose sight of the fact that the accused was being prosecuted for an offence that shook the value system of the society. “This is not a matter that can be permitted to be settled as a compoundable minor offence. Deterrence to others committing similar offences is a must, and they cannot get a signal that anything and everything can be compromised,” it observed.

Justice Prasad said he was refraining from slapping costs on the parties for seeking to compromise such a heinous offence and observed, “The survivor is a child of seven years. The offence alleged against the petitioner is grave. The POCSO Act was enacted only because sexual offences against children were not being adequately addressed by the existing laws... permitting such offences to be compromised and quashing FIRs will not secure the interest of justice.”

The court underlined that the child was subjected to penetrative sexual assault resulting in FIR under not just POCSO Act, but also IPC Section 377, which showed the “mental depravity of the offender, and cannot be said to be private in nature. It has serious impact on the society.”

The court said it could not permit quashing of the FIR because the father of the child had decided to enter into a compromise with the accused.

According to the complaint by the father, a mason, on November 11, 2019, he returned home after work at 8pm and found his son crying. When questioned, his son told him that after he left for work, the accused, who stays in the same building, came and sodomised him.

THE HIGH COURT BENCH SAYS

The father of the child cannot be permitted to settle the dispute with the accused. He is not the victim, and the courts have to safeguard and protect the interest of children against onslaught by bad forces