SC says guv can free life convicts before 14 years in jail, not states

SC says guv can free life convicts before 14 years in jail, not states

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  4.8.2021

In a contrasting interpretation of powers for premature release of lifers, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said state governments have no power under the criminal procedure code to release a person sentenced to life imprisonment prior to he/she undergoing a minimum 14 years jail term.

However, the governor using his powers under Article 161 of the Constitution can remit the sentence of a lifer even prior to serving 14 years in prison, said a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and A S Bopanna. The bench immediately clarified that the governor could exercise his remission powers under Article 161 only on the aid and advice of the council of ministers headed by the chief minister.

‘Guv bound to act on aid and advice of state govt’

This leads to the conclusion that the state government, if it wants to remit the sentence of a lifer after he serves a jail term of 14 years, would take resort to Section 432 of the CrPC, but if it wants to release the lifer prior to serving the 14 year period in jail, then it would use the remission powers conferred on the governor by advising him accordingly.

Writing the judgment, Justice Gupta said, “the power to release a prisoner after serving 14 years of actual imprisonment is vested with the state government. On the other hand, the power conferred on the governor, though exercised on the aid and advice of the state, is without any restriction of the actual period of imprisonment undergone by the prisoner.

“Thus, if a prisoner has undergone more than 14 years of actual imprisonment, the state government, as an appropriate government, is competent to pass an order of premature release, but if the prisoner has not undergone 14 years or more of actual imprisonment, the governor has a power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites and remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person de hors the restrictions imposed under Section 433-A of the Constitution. Such power is in exercise of the power of the sovereign, though the governor is bound to act on the aid and advice of the state government,” the bench said.

Not 27%, reserve 50% med seats for OBCs in AIQ: HC to Centre

Not 27%, reserve 50% med seats for OBCs in AIQ: HC to Centre

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:4.8.2021

The Madras high court on Tuesday said that both the high court and the Supreme Court orders made it clear that reservation provided by Tamil Nadu (50%) for OBCs must be applied in the All India Quota (AIQ) seats surrendered by it for admission to medical courses and it cannot be 27% as provided in the central law.

A clarification to this effect was made by the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu on Tuesday while hearing a contempt of court plea moved by the DMK against the Centre for failing to implement the court’s ruling on the quota issue.

On Tuesday, additionalsolicitor general R Shankaranarayanan said the Centre had decided to provide 27% reservation to OBCs in AIQ seats surrendered by the state and 10% EWS reservation to those not covered under any existing reservation.

Opposing it, senior advocate P Wilson for the DMK contended that the court’s order dated July 27, 2020, unequivocally accepted that reservation in terms of the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993 would be applicable for the AIQ seats. This would mean that 50% reservation must be provided to OBCs in AIQ seats as followed by the state and not 27%, he argued.

Court adjourns hearing to Aug 9 for Centre to respond

Recording the same, the court pointed out that even the Supreme Court in its order had observed: “It is no doubt true that the high court accepted the submissions of the appellants that the 1993 Act can be made applicable to AIQ seats...”

Opposing the same, the additional solicitor general said, “even the high court judgment noticed that AIQ seats were a separate class which would not be governed by the principle of domicile and, accordingly, a committee was constituted by this court, which was approved by the Supreme Court, to ascertain the extent of reservation that would be desirable in the AIQ seats.”

To this, the bench said, “prima facie, such submission militates against the purpose indicated in both the high court and the Supreme Court orders for constituting the committee.”

Both orders indicated that the committee would work out the modalities of implementation of the reservation for OBC candidates to AIQ seats in this state. If it is a question of implementation, the committee was not tasked with the duty of ascertaining the extent of reservation or the inter se allocation thereof between groups, the court added.

The bench then adjourned the hearing to August 9 for the Centre to respond.

... Even the high court judgment noticed that AIQ seats were a separate class which would not be governed by the principle of domicile and, accordingly, a committee was constituted by this court, which was approved by the Supreme Court, to ascertain the extent of reservation that would be desirable in the AIQ seats

R SHANKARANARAYANAN

Additional solicitor general

‘Proposed rules could prolong PG evaluation’

MEDICOS RAISE VOICE

‘Proposed rules could prolong PG evaluation’

Will Be More Awkward, Say Medical Experts

Bharat.Yagnik@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:4.8.2021

The draft Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations 2021 could well make the evaluation process for PG studies awkward, besides leading to a month-long delay in announcement of the exam results, feel experts in the education sector.

Experts in the education sector say that by the present evaluation process, where four valuators are roped in for every field of postgraduate (PG) and PG super-specialty courses in medical studies, takes about 15-20 days before declaring the results.

The draft proposed by National Medical Commission aims to change the evaluation process, that could lead to a delay of one month in announcing the results, said an Ahmedabad-based expert in the medical education field. According to the existing system, two of the four evaluators are to be from within Gujarat while the remaining two are to be from other Indian states, they said. There are four exam papers for PG medical and PG super specialty courses.

“All the answer scripts shall be subjected to two evaluations by the concerned university. The average of the total marks awarded by the two evaluators for the paper, rounded off to the nearest value, shall be considered for computation of the results,” according to clause18.2 of the draft.

All the answer scripts, where the difference between two evaluations is 15% and more of the total marks prescribed for the paper, shall be subjected to a third evaluation, it proposes.

“The draft further proposes that the average of the best two total marks, awarded by the three evaluators for the paper, rounded off to the nearest value, shall be considered for final computation of the results. This makes the entire process very clumsy and will lead to a delay in the announcement of results,” said an academician.

After the computation and declaration of the results, under no circumstances is revaluation permitted by any authority, the draft states. All health universities/institutions imparting postgraduate courses shall develop a platform for bar-coded digital evaluation, it further states. Experts said if implemented, the rules may lead to 30% decline in PG medical seats in Gujarat. About 2,000 PG medical and PG super-specialty seats in the state could be affected by the new set of rules, said sources.

நரம்பியல் டாக்டர் கொலை வழக்கில் நாளை தீர்ப்பு

நரம்பியல் டாக்டர் கொலை வழக்கில் நாளை தீர்ப்பு

Added : ஆக 02, 2021 23:53

சென்னை : டாக்டர் சுப்பையா கொலை வழக்கில், நாளை தீர்ப்பு கூறப்படுகிறது.கடந்த 2013 செப்., 14ல், சென்னை ஆர்.ஏ.,புரத்தில், நரம்பியல் டாக்டர் சுப்பையா, கூலிப்படையினரால் தாக்கப்பட்டு சிகிச்சை பலனின்றி இறந்தார். இந்த வழக்கில், 10 பேர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டனர்.

சென்னை முதலாவது கூடுதல் அமர்வு நீதிமன்றத்தில், 2015 முதல் இந்த வழக்கு விசாரணை நடந்து வருகிறது. அனைத்து தரப்பு வாதங்களும் முடிந்த நிலையில், ஆகஸ்ட் 2ல் தீர்ப்பு வழங்கப்படும் என, சென்னை முதலாவது கூடுதல் அமர்வு நீதிமன்ற நீதிபதி அல்லி அறிவித்திருந்தார்.இதன்படி தீர்ப்புக்காக, நேற்று அந்த வழக்கு பட்டியலிடப்பட்டது. அப்போது குற்றம் சாட்டப்பட்ட ஒன்பது பேரில், ஆசிரியர் பொன்னுசாமி, அவரது மனைவி மேரி புஷ்பம் ஆகியோர் ஆஜராகவில்லை.அவர்கள் தரப்பில் ஆஜரான வழக்கறிஞர், 'உடல்நிலை சரியில்லாத காரணத்தால், இருவரும் ஆஜராக முடியவில்லை' என தெரிவித்தார்.இதையடுத்து தீர்ப்பை நாளை தள்ளிவைத்து, நீதிபதி அல்லி உத்தரவிட்டார்.

மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகள் கட்டுமானம் ஒரு மாதத்தில் முடிக்க உத்தரவு

மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகள் கட்டுமானம் ஒரு மாதத்தில் முடிக்க உத்தரவு

Added : ஆக 02, 2021 23:53

சென்னை, : முதலாம் ஆண்டு மாணவர் சேர்க்கையை நடத்தும் வகையில், புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளின் கட்டுமான பணிகளை விரைந்து முடிக்க அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

தமிழகத்தில் திருவள்ளூர், செங்கல்பட்டு, கள்ளக்குறிச்சி, திண்டுக்கல், ராமநாதபுரம், நீலகிரி, விருதுநகர், நாமக்கல், திருப்பூர், கிருஷ்ணகிரி, அரியலுார் ஆகிய, 11 மாவட்டங்களில், புதிதாக அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரி மற்றும் மருத்துவமனைகள் அமைக்க, மத்திய அரசு அனுமதி வழங்கி உள்ளது. இதற்கான கட்டுமான பணிகளை மேற்கொள்ள, முந்தைய அ.தி.மு.க., ஆட்சியில், 1,200 கோடி ரூபாய் ஒதுக்கப்பட்டு பணிகள் துவங்கின. இந்த மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகள் வாயிலாக, எம்.பி.பி.எஸ்., படிப்பில் புதிதாக, 1,650 இடங்கள் அனுமதிக்கப்படும் .

புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளில், நடப்பு கல்வியாண்டில் மாணவர் சேர்க்கையை நடத்த, உயர்நீதிமன்ற மதுரை கிளை உத்தரவு பிறப்பித்துள்ளது. தற்போது, 11 மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளில், 80 சதவீத கட்டுமான பணிகள் முடிந்துள்ளன. மின்சாரம், குடிநீர் உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு வசதிகள் ஏற்படுத்த வேண்டியுள்ளது.உயர் நீதிமன்ற உத்தரவை தொடர்ந்து, புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளில், முதலாம் ஆண்டு மாணவர் சேர்க்கைக்கு தேவையான பணிகளுக்கு மட்டும் முக்கியத்துவம் அளித்து, இம்மாத இறுதிக்குள் விரைந்து முடிக்க அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

இதையடுத்து, வகுப்பறைகள், ஆய்வகங்கள், மாணவர் விடுதிகள் உள்ளிட்டவற்றை தயார் படுத்தும் பணிகளில், ஒப்பந்த நிறுவனங்கள் கவனம் செலுத்த துவங்கி உள்ளன.

1-month-old operated on to remove twin from his tummy

1-month-old operated on to remove twin from his tummy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:3.8.2021

City doctors have successfully operated on a baby boy who was born with his own ‘twin’ inside his abdomen — a rare condition called ‘fetus-in-fetu’. It is estimated to occur in one of 5 lakh live births.

Doctors suspected something unusual when they picked up, what they thought to be a cyst, in the baby’s abdomen during a routine ultrasound of the mother in the fifth month of pregnancy. Two months later, when the mother presented for a follow-up scan in the seventh month of pregnancy, it was clear that the mass was not a cyst. The scan found bones and viscera, suggestive of the body parts of the foetus that was inside the abdomen of the healthy foetus.

The couple in their thirties, who did not wish to be identified, said they were advised to carry on with the pregnancy by the doctors at the suburban maternity hospital they were consulting. “We were anxious, but the doctors told us that any intervention has to be done only after the baby is born,” the father told TOI.

He said that the pregnancy was continued to term, and the baby was born without any complications. The couple consulted multiple doctors who recommended removal of the ‘dead twin’.

They approached the Narayana Health’s SRCC Children’s Hospital after the baby was a month old. Doctors found the dead twin inside an amniotic sac located in the upper part of the newborn’s tummy, displacing vital structures.

“Incidence of fetus-in-fetu is extremely rare. Due to lack of adequate blood supply and nourishment one fetus doesn’t survive. A challenge in such cases is to remove the baby with the amniotic sac intact,” said Dr Sarita Bhagwat, senior paediatric surgeon who led the operation. “The dead foetus had underdeveloped vertebrae, femur and humerus (bone in upper arm) and two limb bones, which we could remove completely,” said the surgeon. The healthy baby was recently discharged from the hospital.

Delhi, 12 other states see a rise in weekly Covid cases

Delhi, 12 other states see a rise in weekly Covid cases

Amit.Bhattacharya@timesgroup.com

3.8.2021

It is not just Kerala and its neighbouring states where Covid-19 infections have been rising over the past few days. As many as 13 states recorded an increase in cases last week, apart from Tamil Nadu which saw no change, although absolute numbers remained low at most places.

The hill states of north India saw the maximum rise in fresh cases during the week ended Sunday (July 26-August 1) as compared with the previous seven days. Himachal Pradesh registered a surge of 64%, the highest in the country, with cases rising from 670 in the previous week to 1,100. Uttarakhand logged a 61% increase in infections, although numbers in the state were still quite low — 437 last week as compared with 272 in the preceding period. J&K logged a surge of 26%.

Delhi, where weekly cases had dropped to this year’s lowest count of 381 in the week before last, saw a 15% rise in infections.

The city recorded 440 fresh cases last week. Neighbouring Haryana too registered a minor rise of 2%.

While in absolute numbers these spikes were largely marginal, what’s significant is that all these states had been registering a fall in infections till the week before last.

In total numbers, Kerala’s weekly surge was by far the highest. The state logged nearly 1.4 lakh fresh cases, 20,000 more than the count in the previous week, translating to a 27% spurt in infections. Karnataka’s weekly total was 12,442, a 17% rise from 10,610 cases recorded in the previous week.

Meanwhile, the surge in the northeast (minus Assam) slowed to 2%, from 16% in the previous week.

Significantly, worst-hit Maharashtra recorded an 11% drop in infections, the steepest percentage fall in six weeks. The state recorded 45,272 new infections during the week, down from 50,732 in the previous seven days.

Meanwhile, India recorded 29,853 fresh cases on Monday (with Delhi’s data yet to come in till midnight). The tally was lower than the number recorded last Monday (30,619) although Kerala’s cases remained relatively high at 13,984. Cases drop sharply every Monday due to lower testing and staff shortages over the weekend. There were 419 deaths reported during the day.

Covaxin batches rejected due to stability issues caused disruption in July supply

Covaxin supplies were disrupted in July as initial batches from Bharat Biotech’s new fermentation plant at Bengaluru faced some stability issues and were rejected for supply. The batches were not utilised. Stability studies on vaccines and various other pharmaceutical products are conducted to determine the storage period of intermediates and determine or modify the maximum shelf-life. Experts say it is a regular phenomenon when batches of drugs and vaccines fail to qualify stability test.

According to the source, disruption at Bharat Biotech’s plant assumed significance because it resulted in a slowdown in vaccination. However, there is no quality issue with the vaccine as such. “It is a new facility with large-scale fermentation plant. The trial batches were disrupted during standardisation process and therefore, the supply of Covaxin was less than expected. It has been sorted out now and supplies have also started. It will be full-scale very soon,” the official said. TNN