Are you a monster? SC asks death row convict for his cruelty

Are you a monster? SC asks death row convict for his cruelty

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 29.10.2020 

The diabolical nature of a crime committed by a death row convict who slit the stomach of a woman and stuffed her clothes inside before stitching it up with metal wire shocked the Supreme Court, prompting the bench hearing his appeal to ask- “Are you a monster?”

At the outset of the hearing, Chief Justice S A Bobde, who was heading the bench, said he had not come across such a case in his entire life. “This is abnormal. Why did you cut open the abdomen and stuff clothes in it. We have not come across such murder case when an accused did what he has done,” the bench asked senior advocate Siddharth Luthra who was defending the convict.

The court finally agreed with Luthra’s contention that the case needed to be examined as no motive was proved in the case for the accused to kill the woman and there was no charge of rape. The bench then issued notice and stayed the execution of the death sentence.

A lower court in Kota sentenced Mohan Singh alias Mahaveer Singh, 50, to death under Sections 302, 201 and 392 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for murdering the woman whose naked body was found in a sack in Vigyan Nagar locality of the city on May 24, 2019. However, rape charges could not be proved against the accused. The victim was a labourer.

His conviction and death sentence was confirmed by the high court.

According to the prosecution, after failing to rape the woman, Mohan used a knife to slit her stomach and stuffed her clothes inside. Kota police had arrested Mohan in Kunhadi area of the city on June 10, 2019. They had also seized the knife used in the crime.

‘Elderly living with working people face high Covid risk’

‘Elderly living with working people face high Covid risk’

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com  29.10.2020 

New Delhi: Elderly people living with or in close contact with people of working age may be at higher Covid-19 mortality risk, a new study published in the Lancet shows.

The study conducted by researchers in Stockholm underlines the importance of living arrangements and household composition, such as care homes, crowded housing, and mixed-age households, as well as social contacts outside the household for understanding the spread of the infectious disease.

However, doctors in India say the age group studied as part of the research is already vulnerable, whereas living with younger people also mean receiving care from the latter.

“In India, we have observed that usually if one person gets infected in a family, it leads to almost all the members getting infected. So, we strongly advise people testing positive and having elderly people living in the same household to strictly maintain physical distance and look after the older people,” says Dr Manoj Kumar Goel, director, Fortis Memorial Research Institute.

The study was conducted in 2,79,961 individuals aged 70 years or older.

The mortality rate is over 20% in people above 70 years of age, says Dr Goel.

Experts say the risk is certainly higher among people living in congested places and slums where social distancing is not practically possible for a large section of the residents, although lack of awareness and a casual attitude also add to the problem.

“The best one can do is wear masks and consult doctors even in case of minor doubt. People should not be complacent and follow every required precaution. Sharing of same plates, towels, soaps should be avoided. Lead a healthy lifestyle and work on immunity as much as possible,” Dr Navneet Sood, pulmonary consultant, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital said.

LANCET STUDY FINDS

DU VC suspended, to face inquiry over administrative lapses

DU VC suspended, to face inquiry over administrative lapses

New Delhi: Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi was suspended on the orders of President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday after an inquiry was instituted against him over allegations of administrative lapses and dereliction of duty, according to officials of the ministry of education (MoE).

Tyagi is possibly the first Delhi University VC to face suspension. University officials said such an action had not been taken against any VC in at least three decades.

The action comes amid a power tussle in the central university.

The President, who is the Visitor to the university, has placed Tyagi under suspension to ensure that the inquiry is fair and that he is not able to tamper with material records or coerce the witnesses, a senior ministry official said.

Among the lapses flagged against Tyagi are non-filling of vacant positions, delay in redressal of sexual harassment cases and vigilance complaints in university, mishandling of the issue of ad-hoc teachers which led to a massive agitation, and non-submission of detailed plan for implementation of the Institution of Eminence (IoE) and the latest being certain appointments made while he is on medical leave. PTI

NEVER BEFORE: Delhi University vice chancellor Yogesh Tyagi is possibly the first Delhi University VC to face suspension

Ex-nursing council member chargesheeted

₹12CR BRIBERY CASE

Ex-nursing council member chargesheeted

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  29.10.2020 

A month-and-half after he was arrested in Jaipur for allegedly receiving bribes of more than ₹12 crore and acquiring properties and trusts with the proceeds of crime, the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against former member of the Indian Nursing Council Mahesh Chand Sharma, his wife, two sons and other associates.

Sharma had earlier served as tutor in the nursing college of SMS Medical College in Jaipur and was caught by the anti-corruption bureau of Rajasthan while accepting bribes from a private nursing institute to include it in the list of approved colleges of the Indian Nursing Council.

The ED’s money laundering probe and transaction trail revealed Sharma had acquired properties in the name of family members and several trusts he had formed for the purpose of layering ‘proceeds of crime’.

Full report on www.toi.in

Maternity leave no ground for termination of services: SC

Maternity leave no ground for termination of services: SC

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 29.10.2020 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed a Delhi University college for removing an ad hoc woman assistant professor during her maternity leave and said “having a child is no reflection on a woman’s professional ability”.

Manisha Priyadarshini has been working as an ad hoc assistant professor in different colleges affiliated to Delhi University. Her contractual appointment was getting renewed every four months with a notional break of one day for the last more than six years. The last renewal of her contract was in November 2018 when she was working with Aurobindo College. In January 2019, she sought maternity leave for four months as she was having complications in her pregnancy. She gave premature birth to a daughter, but the college removed her from service in March.

A Delhi high court bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Asha Menon ordered her reinstatement and imposed a cost of ₹50,000 on the college, which appealed against it in the SC.

An SC bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee said, “Maternity leave cannot be a ground for termination of services. Having a child is not a reflection on a woman’s professional ability whether she is in the Army, Navy, judiciary, teaching or bureaucracy. We will not allow termination on this ground.”

The SC bench told the college that it would be a travesty of justice if after removing the woman from her post, the college resorted to another ad hoc appointment.

Full report on www.toi.in

Law graduates in Tamil Nadu to get Rs 3,000 stipend

Law graduates in Tamil Nadu to get Rs 3,000 stipend

For law students hailing from economically poor backgrounds in rural areas, it takes at least three or four years to become full-fledged advocates.

Published: 29th October 2020 03:48 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday launched a new scheme to provide Rs 3,000 per month as assistance to young law graduates who hail from economically poor backgrounds during the initial years of their career.

At a simple function held at the Secretariat, nine young law graduates received the assistance from the Chief Minister. The assistance will be given for two years. An official release said the law graduates, just after passing out of their colleges, have to clear the All India Bar Examination to get themselves permanent registration in the Bar Council. 

After that, they have to practice as junior advocates for two to three years. For law students hailing from economically poor backgrounds in rural areas, it takes at least three or four years to become full-fledged advocates. 

“During this period, many are under poverty, and a few move to some other professions. Now, this special scheme will help those advocates,” the release added. When the scheme was announced in July, the State Bar Council had announced that only law graduates from government law colleges with less than Rs 2.5 lakh annual income and aged under 30 would be eligible for this stipend.

HC asks CB-CID to probe Tamil Nadu PG medical admission ‘scam’

HC asks CB-CID to probe Tamil Nadu PG medical admission ‘scam’

Self-financing colleges filled 74 seats with ‘un-meritorious candidates’, observes court.

Published: 29th October 2020 04:17 AM |

By Harish Murali

Express News Service

CHENNAI: In a surprise move, the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered a CB-CID probe into an alleged nexus between the Directorate of Medical Education and private medical colleges in the State.

While passing the order on a batch of petitions filed by several candidates who were denied PG admissions even after mop-up counselling, Justice Anand Venkatesh said that taking advantage of the pandemic, self-financing medical colleges had filled up 74 seats with “un-meritorious candidates.” The judge came down heavily on the medical admission process in his order, saying that even candidates with low scores were being given seats.

“There is something more than what meets the eye when it comes to filling up seats in private medical colleges by ways other than counselling. Obviously, these are all candidates capable of pulling strings, and had a clear understanding with colleges concerned,” he said.

The judge added that “every year, some mechanism is devised by self-financing colleges to fill-up vacancies in this manner.” Coming down also on the government, the court said, “The State can never take the chance of filling up a medical seat with ‘un-meritorious’ candidates since it directly involves the life of a person.” That is why the Supreme Court, the judge said, reiterates time and again that when it comes to PG courses, merit can be the only selection criteria.

He added: “Taking advantage of Covid, 74 seats were given in a platter to private colleges and these colleges merrily filled up the vacancies with candidates who could not even have dreamt of getting an allotment through regular counselling.” The CB-CID team is to be headed by an officer, not below the rank of an Assistant Commissioner, the Court added. 

The team will be probing any conspiracy between the officials of Directorate of Medical Education and self-financing colleges in filling up stray vacancies this year; the amount received from each candidate who was admitted by the self-financing colleges on August 31 and other issues that unfolds during the investigation. The court ordered the team to submit its report on February 1.