Covid ‘recently recovered’ can travel to US

Covid ‘recently recovered’ can travel to US

06.11.2021

People who have “recently recovered” from Covid will be among the non-US citizen and non-US immigrants allowed to enter America from Monday (Nov 8), reports Saurabh Sinha. The US Transportation and Security Administration on Friday night (India time) issued a statement saying, “...those who recently recovered from Covid-19 may travel with documentation of recovery and a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or public health official indicating the patient is cleared for travel.”

Bhopalis leave town for a Diwali weekend getaway

Bhopalis leave town for a Diwali weekend getaway

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal: 06.11.2021

Bhopalis are taking advantage of the long Diwali weekend by opting for quick getaways. All the nearby tourist destinations, specially Pachmarhi, are booked out.

“Pachmari is the best place to go for a quick trip. From Monday, schools, offices, daily routie will be back. So we decided to take a small break. We booked the hotel last month to enjoy the Diwali weekend,” said Ashik Gupta, who visited Pachmarhi with his family during the long weekend.

“My sister is visiting us for Bhai Dooj. The whole family is together after the pandemic, so we planned a Khajuraho trip,” said Lucky Singh.

With hotels and resorts completely booked, many people are opting to stay in areas closer to the tourist spot. “We could not find a hotel in Khajuraho so we decided to stay in Chhatarpur and move up and down to visit the tourist spots,” said Akash Yadav, a private firm employee.

With tourist movement opening up after the pandemic, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department is also coming up with new schemes to engage people. “We had launched Neemghan Adventure Tour in Pachmarhi — which is inside the Satpura Tiger Reserve which got good response... We are planning to start scuba diving in Sailani island. In addition, nature walk, water sports, house boats and others are also proposed in other tourist spots,” said S Vishwanathan, managing director, MPT.

With tourist movement opening up after the pandemic, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department is also coming up with new schemes to engage people

HC fines on petitioner for demanding AIIMS in Jabalpur

HC fines on petitioner for demanding AIIMS in Jabalpur

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal/Jabalpur:  6.11.2021 

A division bench of MP high court imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 on a petitioner, who had filed a PIL seeking direction for establishing a unit of AIIMS at Jabalpur, after it was revealed to the court that he had filed a PIL making the same demand in the past as well and it was rejected. The court had asked him to give an application in the ministry of health for the purpose but he filed a PIL again.

The division bench of chief justice Ravi Vijay Kumar Malimath and Justice V K Shukla holding the petitioner guilty of misusing the PIL platform decided to impose a cost on him while refusing to hear the petition.

The petitioner Deep Gupta, a resident of Cherital, contended that three districts of Mahakoshal region are Naxaliteaffected and there is a sizable tribal population in the region. Therefore, a unit of AIIMS should open in Jabalpur as well and also supported his argument by saying that two units of AIIMS have been sanctioned for Jammu & Kashmir, therefore a unit of AIIMS at Jabalpur in addition to Bhopal in MP should not be a problem.

Directors can’t be booked just because firm violated law: SC

Directors can’t be booked just because firm violated law: SC

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  06.11.2021

The Supreme Court has asked investigating and prosecuting agencies not to proceed mechanically against directors of erring companies merely because of the post held and said such avoidable prosecution leads to humiliation and loss of reputation in the society.

Quashing prosecution and summons issued to a director of a company which allegedly failed to pay minimum wages to some workmen, a bench of Justices R S Reddy and Sanjiv Khanna said, “A person cannot be prosecuted and punished merely because of their status or position as a director, manager, secretary or any other officer, in a company unless the offence in question was committed with their consent or connivance or is attributable to any neglect on their part.”

The important clarification will offer relief to persons holding these positions. The SC said vicarious liability would be attracted only when the offence was committed with the consent, connivance, or is attributable to the neglect on the part of a director, manager, secretary, or other officer of the company and not merely because the person holds a responsible post in the company.

Buyer can’t be forced to take half-built flat

A builder cannot force a homebuyer to take possession of a flat which is not fully constructed and for which completion certificate has not been issued by the local authority and doing so amounts to unfair trade practice, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has said in a ruling. TNN

Liability only when offence done with consent: SC

Section 22C of the Minimum Wages Act provided that “if the person committing any offence under this Act is a company, every person who at the time the offence was committed, was in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company as well as the company shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly”. The apex court said vicarious liability would be attracted only when the offence was committed with the consent, connivance, or is attributable to the neglect on the part of a director, manager, secretary, or other officer of the company and not merely because the person holds a responsible post in the company. TNN

A person cannot be prosecuted and punished merely because of their status or position as a director, manager, secretary or any other officer, in a company unless the offence in question was committed with their consent or connivance or is attributable to any neglect on their part —SC Bench

Man convicted for sending ‘flying kisses’, molestation

Man convicted for sending ‘flying kisses’, molestation

Rebecca.Samervel@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:06.11.2021

Making observations such as “the name and fame of the family of the victim is lowered down due to the incident”, a magistrate court convicted and sentenced a 28-year-old man for sexually harassing and molesting his neighbour by sending her a flying kiss and verbally and physically abusing her when she objected to his behaviour.

The court noted that despite all odds, the woman mustered courage and entered into the witness box and underwent the test of cross-examination where she was accused of having an affair with him. The court, however, said it was one-sided love and that was the motive of the accused. “No lenient view could be shown to the accused as the same might convert into grave or very grave offence. Moreover, the name and fame of the family of the informant (survivor) is lower(ed) down due to the incident,” the Kurla magistrate’s court said.

The court did not allow the accused Istikar Shaikh’s (28) plea to be released on a bond of good behaviour under the Probation of Offenders Act instead of serving a sentence.

“In the instant matter, the accused has committed very serious offence, as the same is against a woman. The provision of Section 354 of the IPC is enacted to safeguard public morality and decent behavior. Therefore, if any person uses criminal force upon a woman with the intent or knowledge that woman’s modesty will be outraged (Section 354), benefit of probation cannot be extended to him,” the court said.

On June 14, 2019, at 9 am, the survivor’s parents had gone out to work. According to the prosecution, the accused came at the door of her house and started sending flying kisses and making abusive gestures. The survivor told the accused to go away. Enraged, the accused abused her in filthy language. He then caught hold of her hand and dragged her outside. The survivor and her sister screamed for help. The neighbours gathered. Then accused then pulled her stole and touched her inappropriately. Cops were called and the accused was arrested.

The court denied the defence claims that the survivor and accused were having an affair and due to a fight she falsely implicated him.

“Defence brings no iota of evidence in the line of its defence except by mere suggestions which are denied by the informant and witnesses. One cannot reach to a conclusion that the present complaint is lodged by informant under pressure and aftermath of the quarrel. Thus, the defence of accused is not only improbable to be believed but also flimsy in nature,” the court said.

The court said the ‘evidence establishes that... the accused insulted the modesty of informant by hurling words thereby intruding upon her privacy and intentionally insulted her’

Man orders passport cover, but gets passport too

Man orders passport cover, but gets passport too

Kozhikode: 06.11.2021

A man in Kerala’s Wayanad district has claimed that he was delivered a valid passport by an ecommerce giant along with a passport cover for which he had placed an order a few days ago.

Midhun Babu, hailing from Kaniyambetta in Wayanad district, said he had placed the order with Amazon for the passport cover on October 30.

When it was delivered on his doorstep on November 1 the packet had contained the passport cover and to his surprise, a passport was also found inside the pouch.

The passport belonged to a teenaged boy from Kunnamkulam in Thrissur district.

Babu said he reported the incident with Amazon customer care but failed to get a proper response as to what to do with the passport.

“I spent about 40 minutes speaking with three executives of customer care. But none told me what to do with an important document like a passport. Later, on advice of a friend of mine, I approached the police and surrendered the passport,” he told PTI on Friday.

There was no immediate response from Amazon. PTI

Canada yet to recognise Covaxin

Canada yet to recognise Covaxin

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  06.11.2021

Canada is yet to recognise Covaxin even after World Health Organisation (WHO) gave emergency use listing for Bharat Biotech’s Covid jab.

A spokesperson of the Canadian high commission in Delhi on Friday night said the accepted Covid-19 vaccines by the country are: Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2); Moderna (Spikevax, mRNA-1273); AstraZeneca/Covishield (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222) and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S). The list does not include Covaxin.

Responding to a TOI query on Covaxin, the spokesperson said: “Covid-19 drug and vaccine submissions are prioritised and reviewed on an expedited timeline, above the usual performance standards, without compromising safety, efficacy and quality standards, due to the public health need… Timing for the completion of Health Canada’s review depends on many factors, including but not limited to a need for additional data, discussions with the sponsor, and requirements for updates to safety information.”

Delhi-based Dr Arvind Kumarsaid, “Vaccines are medicines developed by scientists for the good of humanity. Their use should be above any political or geographical considerations. Denying the benefit of these vaccines as a means of restoring a semblance of normalcy in today’s pandemic-infested world, nullifies the great work being done by our scientists. This should be avoided. We in the fraternity look forward to a day when the world’s vaccine pool is used for the good of humanity without any bias.”