Rising cases force Bengal to go for tougher curbs

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03.01.2022

The Bengal government on Sunday brought back many restrictions as the state recorded 6,153 fresh Covid cases, the highest single-day rise since May. All academic institutions will remain closed till January 15, as will swimming pools, salons, spas and wellness centres. All modes of local transport will be permitted till 10pm and operate with 50% capacity; pubilc and private offices too will operate at 50% strength. Night curfew will now last from 10pm to 5am.

Retain ₹8 lakh EWS cap for admissions, suggests panel

Will Tweak Other Criteria Next Year: Govt To SC

Will Tweak Other Criteria Next Year: 

Govt To  SC

Dhananjay.Mahapaatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:03.01.2022

The committee set up to evaluate the ₹8 lakh income limit for economically weaker section candidates in admissions to educational institutions recommended retention of the qualifying mark and the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it accepts the reasoning. This development may set in motion the resumption of the counselling process for the NEET-PG seats that is currently held up.

The Centre on Sunday told the Supreme Court that it would stick to the ₹8 lakh annual income limit criteria that entitles EWS candidates to a 10% reservation in ad- missions to educational institutions, including medical colleges, and government jobs, but promised to tweak other EWS-related criteria a bit from next year.

The committee advised implementation of its recommendations from next year, which would mean the EWS quota admissions for medical admissions for the present academic year, which is yet to be completed, would be on the basis of the 2019 criteria. “The existing system, which is going on since 2019, if disturbed at the end or fag-end of the process would create more complications than expected both for the beneficiaries as well as for the authorities,” the committee said. › Family income,

Centre’s defence a double-edged sword

The Centre’s defence against lowering ₹8 lakh income cap may spark cheers among the upper caste but may adversely affect its moves on OBC ‘creamy layer’. The ministry of social justice has showed the contrast between the ₹8 lakh for EWS and the same limit as OBC creamy layer cap, and arguing that the former is much more strict. P 10

Med records not proof of an affair: HC

 Med records not proof of an affair: HC

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Vasanth.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:

03.02.2022

An illicit relationship of a spouse cannot be proved by securing their private medical records, the Dharwad bench of the Karnataka high court observed in a recent judgement.

“If this approach is to be accepted, (then) it would amount to destruction of the entire concept of doctor-patient confidentiality and drag the doctor into a marital dispute,” Justice N S Sanjay Gowda said in the order, quashing the March 30, 2021 ruling of a family court in Dharwad.

The order was passed on an application submitted by the husband, seeking summoning of a doctor to produce documents relating to his wife’s alleged abortion. The wife challenged the order, contending that the medical records of a person are “absolutely private” to the person and the same cannot be sought by any person, including the husband. The husband argued he had made an allegation about the “adulterous life” his wife was leading.

After hearing both parties, Justice Sanjay Gowda allowed the petition filed by the wife. Pointing out that medical records of an individual are not for public consumption, the judge added that a direction to the medical practitioner to produce the records or divulge information he is privy to would amount to infringing upon the fundamental right of privacy guaranteed to an individual, which emanates from the ‘right to life’ granted under Article 21 of the Constitution. Referring to the case on hand,the judgepointed out that grounds on whichthedivorce is sought by the husband are that the wife had treated him with cruelty and that she had deserted him for a continuous period of not less than two years. In addition to the divorce case, a proceeding for maintenance had been initiated by the wife.

“If it is the case of the husband that his wife, by leading adulterous life, had inflicted cruelty on him, then this allegation will have to be proved with cogent evidence in a manner known to law. This allegation cannot be proved by summoning the private medical records of the wife,” the judge added.

Covid cases rise from 46,000 to 1.3L in biggest weekly surge

Sunday’s Case Tally 33.7k, 21% Rise In A Day

Sunday’s Case Tally 33.7k, 21% Rise

 In  A  Day

Amit.Bhattacharya@timesgroup.com

03.01.2022

In what now looks like the third wave of Covid-19 in the country, cases of the virus nearly tripled in the week ending Sunday as compared days, registering an unprecedented rise of 181% during the period.

India recorded nearly 1. 3 lakh fresh cases during the week (December 27-January 2) — a 12-week high — compared to the previous week’s tally of 46,073, which ironically was the lowest since the middle of May 2020.

This was by far the sharpest weekly surge in infections since the beginning of the pandemic in the country. The previous highest increase was 71% recorded during the second wave between April 5 and April11, 2021.

On Sunday, 33,703 fresh cases of the coronavirus were detected across the country (with two states yet to report), another 21% rise from the previous day’s count of 27,747, as per TOI’s Covid database.

Sunday’s tally was five times the number of cases recorded in the country last Sunday (6,542). › Daily Covid tally, P 13

Omicron ‘sibling’ escapes imported test kits: Experts

BA.2, one of the sub-lineages of Omicron (B.1.1.529) which does not show the characteristic S-genedrop, cannot be picked up by the imported RT-PCR kits, researchers involved in tracking the virus in India said on Sunday. The Omicron variant has three sublineages. The findingis likely to upset the existing dual RT-PCR testing strategy which states with confirmed Omicron cases have adopted for faster detection, as the result may falsely be interpreted as aSARS-CoV2variant other than Omicron.

NEET-PG Counselling : Centre Decides To Retain Existing EWS Criteria; Files Affidavit In Supreme Court

NEET-PG Counselling : Centre Decides To Retain Existing EWS Criteria; Files Affidavit In Supreme Court: In the cases related to the NEET-PG counselling, the Central Government has told the Supreme Cour

EWS Reservation - No Change In Rs 8 Lakhs Gross Annual Income Cut-Off; Residential Asset Criteria Omitted : Centre Tells Supreme Court

EWS Reservation - No Change In Rs 8 Lakhs Gross Annual Income Cut-Off; Residential Asset Criteria Omitted : Centre Tells Supreme Court: The revised EWS criteria will be applied only from next academic year and the ongoing admissions will be as per existing norms.

 

Vet gets four years in jail for taking bribe from farmer

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Rajiv.Kalkod@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:

02.02.2022

A special court in Tumakuru on Wednesday held a 59-year-old veterinary doctor attached to Tumakuru Cooperative Milk Producers’ Societies Union guilty of accepting bribe from a farmer. YL Devaraju, a resident of Tumakuru, was sentenced to four years’ simple imprisonment and fined Rs10,000.

The order was passed by judge S Sudhindranath, who directed Devaraju to undergo simple imprisonment of another two months if he fails to pay the fine.

The doctor, who was out on bail, has been taken to Tumakuru district prison.

He was trapped by ACB sleuths while accepting the bribe on June 6, 2018. “A farmer from Mavinakere in Tumakuru district had lost his cow to a disease in February 2018. He had insured the animal and approached Devaraju for a death certificate. As a rule, insurance companies hand over the compensation cheque to the doctor who certifies the death and issues the certificate,” public prosecutor N Basavaraju said.

Devaraju allegedly demanded a bribe from the farmer and took Rs 12,000 in instalments. “By then, the insurance company released a cheque for Rs 50,000. It was handed over to Devaraju, who again demanded Rs 3,000 to pass it on. Not willing to pay the bribe, the farmer filed a complaint with the Tumakuru ACB unit. The doctor was trapped while accepting Rs 3,000,” Basavaraju said.

This is the fourth conviction order passed by special court judge Sudhindranath since August.