Category: National

Rape case can’t be quashed just because victim agrees for it, says HC on FIR against Bhushan Kumar

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Mumbai: A case of rape cannot be quashed merely because the victim granted her consent to do so, the Bombay High Court said on Wednesday while expressing its disinclination to quash an FIR of rape registered against T-Series owner Bhushan Kumar.
Kumar had filed the petition seeking for the FIR to be quashed on the ground that the victim took back her complaint and consented for the same to be set aside.
A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and P D Naik, however, noted that merely because the complainant was granting her consent was not ground enough to quash the first information report (FIR) alleging rape.

“Merely because the parties are consenting does not mean an FIR under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code should be quashed. We have to see the contents of the FIR, the statements recorded to see if the crime was heinous or not. The relationship (in this case) from the contents does not seem consensual,” the court said.
Kumar’s advocate Niranjan Mundargi told the court that the FIR was registered in July 2021 for an incident that was allegedly happening since 2017.
He said that a B-summary report (false case or no case made out against the accused) had been filed by the police before the concerned magistrate’s court.
A local politician Mallikarjun Pujari filed a protest petition against such B-summary, claiming he had helped the woman register the FIR, however the woman had granted her consent to close the proceedings.

The magistrate’s court rejected the police’s report in April 2022.

The high court on Wednesday perused the FIR, the affidavit submitted by the complainant woman giving her consent for the case to be quashed and the order passed by the magistrate’s court.
The bench was of the opinion that the material did not reflect that the relationship between the accused and the woman was consensual.
“Contents of the consent affidavit are not sufficient to quash FIR. Generally under section 376, FIR can be quashed with the consent of the complainant. But then that is after the FIR or the affidavit shows that there was a consensual relationship. Here the complainant is only saying she doesn’t want to proceed with the case due to ‘circumstantial misunderstanding’,” the court said.
When the bench expressed its disinclination to allow the petition and quash the case, Mundargi sought time to submit further material in support of the plea.
The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on July 2, 2023.
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#Rape #case #quashed #victim #agrees #FIR #Bhushan #Kumar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
Games fakers: Olympic ‘pseudo-volunteers’ plan to disrupt Paris 2024

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An anti-Olympics collective is aiming to disrupt next year’s Paris Games by recruiting fake volunteers. Saccage 2024, which translates as “Destruction 2024”, has already generated a buzz on social media with its “pseudo-volunteer” plan, saying they should be paid for their work.
“Volunteering is supposed to be for the common good and that is not the case for the Olympic Games – it does not have charitable aims,” said Saccage 2024 member Arthur, who declined to give his family name.
The 25-year-old, an environmental activist who lives in Saint-Denis, where the bulk of the Games will be organised, plans to withdraw at the last minute or try to disrupt the Games from within if he is selected to be a volunteer. Saccage and other critics of the Paris Olympics say the event will negatively affect the environment and benefit big businesses and elites, rather than locals.
Paris 2024 organisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment but have said in the past that they would organise “popular and spectacular Games” that will bring in millions of visitors.
Olympics organisers are looking to recruit 45,000 volunteers. They have said that volunteering – also widely used in past Games – is an opportunity to participate in the Olympics. The deadline for applications is 3 May. Paris 2024 have said they would take the time to ensure the “sincerity” of candidates and that volunteers would have a background check. Candidates are required to demonstrate their motivation and experience, and there will be interviews for some roles. Volunteers will receive uniforms, free travel and meal vouchers.
The Games are more than a year away and there is no certainty activists will be able to generate the numbers needed to disrupt events. However, the plan reflects a widespread discontent in France, with huge protests over a law increasing the pension age and hashtags linking opposition to the reform and the Olympics.
President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms have sparked unrest across France. Photograph: Stephane Lemouton-pool/SIPA/Shutterstock
Saccage could not say how many had signed up as would-be disruptors, but said it saw a rise in interest after President Emmanuel Macron rammed through the pensions law without a final vote in parliament.

Jan, a library worker in his 50s, said he came across the idea on Twitter after France’s Constitutional Council verdict gave its green light to the law. He had been striking and protesting against the pensions law, and said the fake volunteer plan was a “fun and constructive” way to continue the protests and, at the same time, oppose the Games and their impact.

This would not be the first time the Olympic Games have been used by activists to further their causes, said Jules Boykoff, a political scientist at Oregon University. “Money spent on the Olympics is not spent on basic needs such as housing, education, healthcare and pensions. The Games are a high-profile target for activist ire,” he said.
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#Games #fakers #Olympic #pseudovolunteers #plan #disrupt #Paris
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 26, 2023
Assam should use DNA profiling to identify Bangladeshi infiltrators: Pravin Togadia

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Guwahati: Pravin Togadia, the President of Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), a right-wing outfit, on Wednesday held a minority community resposible for India overtaking China as the world’s most populous nation.
Togadia, who is also the former International Working President of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), asserted that this population surge will mostly affect Assam in the coming years, and therefore the state should identify the Bangladeshi infiltrators through DNA profiling.
Speaking to mediapersons here, Togadia blamed the minority community for the surge in India’s population.

Togadia claimed that the population growth of Hindus in the country is currently negative, adding that the percentage of Hindus in the overall population of India has actually decreased.
“Therefore, Hindus have not contributed to the nation’s tremendous demographic rise,” he claimed.
The controversial leader also said that the enormous increase in minority population will affect Assam badly in the next 15-20 years, as he called for the introduction of a strict population control act.
“Ever since its inception, our organisation has been demanding a population control act. I also urge the Assam government to identify the Bangladesh-origin infiltrators on the basis of the 1951 voters’ list and through DNA profiling,” he added.

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#Assam #DNA #profiling #identify #Bangladeshi #infiltrators #Pravin #Togadia
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
Hyderabad: Irrigated lands plantation workshop conducted

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Hyderabad: Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari on Wednesday participated in a workshop on plantations on irrigation lands as a part of the Telangana ku Haritha Haaram program.
Speaking at the meeting she said “The program has not only rejuvenated degraded forests, it also helped in protecting forests from threats such as smuggling, encroachments, fire and grazing. The green cover in the state has increased by 7.7 percent. A perceptible change in the landscape of the state both in urban and rural areas is also visible”.
As per orders from the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, plantations were taken up on irrigation lands from last year. In order to assess the feasibility for taking up plantations, joint field visits were conducted by district level teams, said a press release.

The eight district teams suggested a draft model action plan for taking up block and linear plantations which was presented during the workshop on Wednesday.
Chief Secretary directed the district officials to prepare a micro plan for block plantation in their respective districts.
“While there is huge potential for canal bund plantation, commercially valuable fruit bearing plans should be taken up in block plantations which will not only increase greenery but will also provide revenue to the panchayats,” said Santhi Kumari.
She said that plant species like bamboo, which will generate income for number of years, should be encouraged.

Additional collectors, district forest officers and irrigation officials of Jogulamba Gadwal, Nizamabad, Mahbubunagar, Medak, Nagarkurnool, Rajanna Sircilla, Siddipet and Suryapet districts attended the workshop.

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#Hyderabad #Irrigated #lands #plantation #workshop #conducted
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
Hyderabad: GHMC to hire private vets to control dog menace

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Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is intensifying measures to control the dog menace in the city by amping up the Animal Birth Control operations and Anti Rabies Vaccinations (ABC and ARV).
The corporation on Wednesday has announced its decision to engage eight additional private veterinarians besides the existing 16 veterinarians.
The name of ‘Dog catching squad’ has been changed to ‘GHMC dog birth control unit’.

An Additional 20 dog-catching vehicles will be added to the existing fleet of 30. The GHMC workers will extend their operations to catch dogs into the evenings.
Distribution of pamphlets, serving notices to meat shop owners and hotels, and conducting awareness campaigns involving the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), slum and town-level federations as well as self-help groups are among other measure being taken to curd the incidents of dog-bites in the city.
To this effect, GHMC had served notices to about 4001 establishments including meat shops and hotels, instructing the managements not to dispose garbage in public places.
Awareness programs have been conducted for over 2.28 lakh students from 1066 schools along with 1111 RWAs, slums and town-level federations.

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#Hyderabad #GHMC #hire #private #vets #control #dog #menace
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
Air India crew grounded by DGCA for ‘in-flight hospitality’ fiasco

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New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered Air India to de-roster its entire crew following an incident on a Dubai-Delhi flight on February 27.
In the incident, the pilot allegedly had entertained a female friend, who had entered in the cockpit, which violates DGCA safety norms.
A cabin crew member had filed a complaint with DGCA, prompting an investigation.

While the cabin crew member seems to have no role in the incident, the entire crew has been derostered pending investigations, said an official.
“The pilot involved will also be given an opportunity to present their case, and will remain grounded until a final decision is made by the regulator,” the official added.
A senior DGCA official had stated that the act is unacceptable and could have put the passengers’ safety at risk.
Air India had also released a statement saying that they have taken note of the reported incident and investigations are underway.

“The airline has a zero-tolerance policy regarding passenger safety and well-being and will take requisite action. The matter has also been reported to the DGCA, and Air India is cooperating with their investigation,” it said.

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#Air #India #crew #grounded #DGCA #inflight #hospitality #fiasco
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
255,000 Saudi women joined labor market in 15 months

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Riyadh: About 2.5 million Saudis and expatriates have joined Saudi labor market in the past 15 months, local media reported.
The reports monitored by the Arabic daily Okaz based on government data that women made up majority of the total number of 428,000 Saudis who were employed in the local labor market during the period from the beginning of the last quarter of 2021 until the end of the year 2022.
A total of 255000 Saudi women joined the labor market while the number of Saudi men who were employed during the period reached about 173,000.

During the 15-month period, the number of expatriates who joined the labor market exceeded 1.62 million. Among them 1.43 million men and 197,000 women.
It was revealed in the monitoring that the Saudi unemployment rate recorded its lowest historical levels in the fourth quarter of 2022, due to the continuous employment of citizens and residents in the last 15 months.
The monitoring was based on the data from the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MoHRSD) and the National Information Center (NIC).
It is noteworthy that the total number of foreign domestic workers in the Kingdom reached 3.6 million by the end of 2022, including 2.63 million men, most of whom are house drivers, servants and house cleaners, while the number of domestic workers reached 972,000.

During the past few years, Saudi Arabia announced the localization of workers in several economic sectors, as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to reduce the unemployment rate to 7 per cent by 2030, as part of its vision to diversify sources of income and reduce dependence on oil.

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#Saudi #women #joined #labor #market #months
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
Saudi: Last date for pilgrims to get vaccines before Haj season
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Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed that the last date for pilgrims to receive vaccinations is ten days before the Haj 1444 AH.
Receiving vaccinations is a condition to enable them to perform the rituals of Haj.
This came in response to an inquiry on the ministry’s Twitter account, asking if receiving the third dosage of COVID-19 was a requirement for performing the Haj.

In response, the ministry of Hajj and Umrah stated that receiving all recommended vaccinations is necessary in order to issue the Haj permits.
Below is a list of the COVID-19 vaccines approved by Saudi Arabia
Pfizer/BioNTech — 2 doses
Oxford/AstraZeneca— 2 doses
Covovax— 2 doses
A certificate of vaccination with quadrivalent meningitis vaccine (ACYW135), issued three years ago and not less than ten days prior to arrival in Saudi Arabia, is also required from pilgrims.
On January 5, Kingdom announced the start of the registration period for the Haj pilgrimage 2023 for citizens and residents in the Kingdom.
On January 10, Kingdom announced that it will no longer impose limits on the number of pilgrims for this year’s Haj after three years of restrictions to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 14, that the ministry had set the tenth of Shawwal as the last date for domestic pilgrims to pay the third and final instalment of their Haj ritual reservation.

The final instalment is 40 percent of the set fee for packages approved during this pilgrimage season.
This year, the issuance of official permits will start on May 5, which is the 15th of Shawwal.
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#Saudi #date #pilgrims #vaccines #Haj #season
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )
April 26, 2023
534 Indians evacuated from strife-torn Sudan under ‘Operation Kaveri’

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New Delhi: India has evacuated at least 534 Indian nationals from Sudan and is looking to rescue more of its citizens from the strife-torn African nation before the end of a tenuous ceasefire between the regular army and a paramilitary force.
Two C-130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force brought to Jeddah 256 Indians from Port Sudan on Wednesday, a day after an Indian Navy ship rescued 278 citizens from that country.
The total number of Indians evacuated so far from Sudan stands at 534, according to official data.

Under its evacuation mission ‘Operation Kaveri’, India is taking the evacuees to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah from where they are returning home.
India has set up a transit facility at Jeddah and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is overseeing the evacuation mission from the Saudi Arabian city.
The first batch of 278 Indians were evacuated from Port Sudan by the Indian Navy’s frontline ship INS Sumedha on Tuesday.
According to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the first C-130J aircraft brought to Jeddah 121 passengers while the second plane evacuated 135.

“A second C-130 flight reaches Jeddah bringing 135 passengers from Sudan. #OperationKaveri moving steadily forward,” he tweeted.

India stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from Sudan as a 72-hour truce was agreed to between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following intense negotiations.
“Happy to see off 360 Indians at Jeddah Airport in a flight bound for New Delhi. They will be reaching the motherland soon, reuniting with their families,” Muraleedharan tweeted alog with a video of the passengers inside a civilian aircraft.
“Under #OperationKaveri the Government is working relentlessly to evacuate Indian nationals from Sudan & bring them home safely,” he said.
Sources said a C-17 military transport aircraft of the IAF has left for Jeddah on Wednesday to bring back the evacuees from Jeddah to Mumbai. The aircraft is expected to land in Mumbai on Thursday morning.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Monday announced the launch of the mission to evacuate ‘Operation Kaveri’ to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan.
India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the Indians.
Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and US among others.
At a high-level meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had issued directions for preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan.
Last week, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians.
On Thursday, Jaishankar discussed the situation in Sudan with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
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#Indians #evacuated #strifetorn #Sudan #Operation #Kaveri
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
‘Congress lacks maturity’: Basavaraj Bommai’s response to ‘betrayal’ barb

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Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday slammed the Congress for saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has betrayed the people of the state on the issue of increasing the quota of reservations.
“The matter is in the Supreme Court and the statement made by Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala is an attempt to prejudice the court and thereby obstruct justice.
“The Constitution never contemplated reservation based on the basis of religion. The architect of the Constitution of India, B.R. Ambedkar, made this speech at the time of introduction of the 1st amendment,” Bommai said.

The Chief Minister’s remarks came after Karnataka unit Congress president D.K. Shivakumar and party’s Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala in a press conference made charges against the BJP.
“Your statement as to why an undertaking was given before the court is hilarious and obviously shows your lack of maturity in understanding judicial proceedings,” Bommai said, responding to the Congress’ claims.
He said “the Congress is always busy practicing appeasement politics and has never understood to provide social justice”.
“In fact, the government is ably justifying its stand by engaging senior advocates. We are hopeful of securing justice from the Supreme Court,” he added.

The Congress in Karnataka earlier on Wednesday said that the ruling BJP government in the state had betrayed people on the issue related to the quota of reservations.

Shivakumar and Surjewala said that Lingayats and Vokkaligas would not get any extra quota of reservation as claimed by the BJP.
Addressing a press conference, Shivakumar said “the great betrayal of BJP has come to light yet again”.
“The Bommai government has failed to submit an affidavit defending the increase in the quota of reservations. The BJP has betrayed, insulted Lingayat, Vokkaliga, SC, ST and minority communities,” he said.
“The government has told the court that it will re-implement the reservations of 2002. Lingayats are going to continue in the 3B category and Vokkaligas will continue under the 3A category,” Shivakumar said.
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#Congress #lacks #maturity #Basavaraj #Bommais #response #betrayal #barb
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023