January

Blow to Narendra Modi: Supreme Court agrees with Gujarat Lokayukta’s appointment

 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi lost a major battle today. The Supreme Court has ruled that that the appointment of retired judge RA Mehta as the state’s Lokayukta or ombudsman is valid.

Mr Modi had challenged the appointment on the grounds that the Governor of the state, Kamala Beniwal, had not consulted his Cabinet.

The Supreme Court disagreed. The judges said that the Governor must seek the advice of the Cabinet to select the Lokayukta, and this was done.

In January 2012, the Gujarat High Court had endorsed the appointment of the Lokayukta with this grim feedback on Mr Modi’s decision to challenge it: “The Chief Minister acted under a false impression that he could turn down the superiority and primacy of the opinion of the Chief Justice which was binding. The spiteful and challenging action demonstrates a false sense of invincibility.”  

What could cheer up Mr Modi is that today’s  Supreme Court order asks for those remarks to be expunged. 

Delhi gang-rape: Police to file charge-sheet on Jan.3

The Delhi Police are likely to file the chargesheet in the gang-rape-cum-murder case of a 23-year- old girl in court here on Thursday and will seek death penalty for the accused during the trial.

A senior police official said the chargesheet is expected to be filed against five of the six accused in the December 16 brutal gang-rape and assault case of the girl, who died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.

The sixth person apprehended in the case has claimed that he is a minor and his case will be tried in Juvenile Justice Board. A separate police report will be sent to the Board after a bone test confirms that he is a minor.

“The chargesheet will be in e-format as we do usually,” the official said.

Sources said that the main chargesheet will comprise 50 pages and will be accompanied by hundreds of pages of annexure.

Charges of gang-rape, murder, kidnapping, criminal assault and robbery among other sections of IPC will be pressed against the accused.

The prosecution during the trial would demand death penalty for the five accused in connection with ghastly incident which stirred the conscience of the nation.

The Singapore doctor, who carried out the post-mortem of rape victim, will be included as a witness by the police in its chargesheet, the sources said.

The male friend of the victim will be the main witness in the case while the Singapore doctor, who carried out the post-mortem, and the Indian mission official who received her death certificate, would be asked to testify, they said.

Police sources had said that the six accused had also allegedly tried to mow the girl down under the bus after dumping her in south-west Delhi but her male friend had saved her from being crushed in the nick of time.

The victim, a paramedical student, was gang-raped in a moving bus, brutally assaulted and then thrown out of the vehicle along with her male friend, a software engineer, who was also thrashed.

The girl and her friend were returning from the Saket mall after watching a film Life of Pi and had boarded the chartered bus at Munirka for Dwarka not knowing it was plying illegally. The minor among the accused had called for passengers telling them that it was going towards their destination.

February

Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru hanged inside Tihar Jail

Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged on Saturday morning inside Tihar Jail, days after President Pranab Mukherjee refused his mercy petition, officials said.

“Afzal Guru was hanged at 8 a.m.,” Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Home Secretary R.K. Singh told reporters.

“We received the president’s rejection of his mercy plea on Feb 3…We moved accordingly then,” Singh said.

Security has been stepped up throughout Kashmir valley and curfew has been imposed to prevent protests.

Afzal Guru was convicted for his role in the attack on Parliament in 2001.

Earlier, President Mukherjee’s Press Secretary Venu Rajamony told IANS: “Guru’s mercy plea was rejected by the president some days ago.”

Afzal Guru was given the death sentence by the Supreme Court in 2004. His hanging was scheduled for October 2006, but was stayed after his wife filed a mercy petition.

Nine people were killed in the December 2001 parliament attack when five heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists drove into the Parliament complex and opened fire. The terrorists were shot dead.

Afzal Guru was wearing a white shirt at the time of hanging. The Jail Superintendent, a magistrate and a doctor were present when the death row convict was hanged.

Chidambaram presents the Union Budget 2013

Feb.28: Finance Minister P Chidambaram has begun presenting the Union Budget 2013-14 in the Lok Sabha.

Chidambaram noted that the global economic growth has slowed, including that of India. He however added that high growth is a novelty and not beyond India’s capacity.

This is Chidambaram’s eighth Budget as Finance Minister – two short of the record 10 presented by former prime minister Morarji Desai.

Highlights of budget for 2013-14 presented in the Lok Sabha Thursday by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram:

* Budget to create opportunities for youth to get skills to get jobs

* Increased allocations to the SC/ST sub plans.

* FM says money has not been an issue for development, and plan monies have been given to the ministries and it iupto the ministries to deliver the results.

* We are battling inflation on all fronts. And we have retrived some economic space and had taken bitter medicine in the past.

* We do not have a choice on whether we can welcome foreign investment . It is imperative says FM

* FM says his increase his current account deficit . We need to  look at FDI and commercial borrowing to fill the gap

* The mantra is higher growth and inclusive development, says the finance minister.

* Average growth during UPA-1 was 8 percent; high growth not a novelty

* Current account deficit a worry because of high oil and gold imports

* Will need $75 billion to finance current account deficit

* Need to encourage FDI in consonance with economic priorities

* WPI inflation down to 7 percent; food inflation worrying.

March

Delhi gangrape bus driver Ram Singh commits suicide inside Tihar Jail on March 11

March 11: Ram Singh, the bus driver and the main accused in the infamous Delhi gangrape case, was found hanging inside Delhi’s high-security Tihar Jail on this morning.

His body was found hanging at around 5 am.  Details are being awaited.

Ram Singh, and the other four accused were to be produced before the fast track court today, where a day-to-day trial is in progress.

It was Ram Singh, who ordered the juvenile accused, after committing rape to kill the gangrape victim Damini/Nirbhaya, according to the victim’s boyfriend.

Ram Singh used to stay alone in the R K Puram slum, and used to drive the chartered bus in which the heinous act was committed.

Ram Singh originally hailed from Rajasthan. His father came to Delhi and stayed in a jhuggi in Ravi Dass Camp Sector 3 R K Puram.  Four years ago, Ram Singh eloped with a married woman staying in his neighbourhood.

Ram Singh had four brothers, Raju, Suresh, Mukesh and Madhu.  Mukesh is one of the accused in the Delhi gangrape incident.

A short-tempered man, Ram Singh was nicknamed ‘Mental’ by his acquaintances.

Ram Singh used to stay with his brother Mukesh in the jhuggi (slum).  Their parents returned to Rajasthan after they found the two brothers indulging in petty crimes.

Delhi Police officials say, Ram Singh had no sense of remorse during interrogation after the gangrape incident. He used to sideline questions and often opted not to cooperate with the investigators.

Details received from Tihar Jail officials reveal that Ram Singh committed suicide by hanging himself from the grills of his cell using his shirt.

When the incident came to light  at around 5 am,  Ram Singh was  was rushed to the hospital but declared dead on arrival. The body was then sent for post mortem at Deen Dayal Upadhyay  hospital.

Ram Singh was apparently disturbed over the recent hanging of Parliament attack cast convict Afzal guru inside tihar Jail, a source said.

A metropolitan magistrate will inquire into the circumstances in which the suicide took place.

Today’s incident has raised several questions on the safety of inmates inside  Tihar Jail. The manner in which the incident was executed has brought forward conspiracy theories.

Ram Singh was the driver of the bus in which the  23-year-old girl nicknamed Damini or Nirbhaya was gangraped. He was the first person to be arrested in the case.

On December 16 night, Ram Singh let his brother Mukesh drive the bus while he raped Damini…

April

Cop who bribed Delhi rape victim’s father identified

April 24: The policeman, who had offered Rs 2,000 to the father of the five-year-old girl who was held captive and raped by her neighbour in Delhi, has been identified.

The Vigilance Department, which was doing an internal enquiry into the matter that has once again put the Delhi police’s repute at stake, had reportedly sent the photograph of the cop to the father, who is busy attending her ailing daughter in the hospital. The father has reportedly identified the cop.

“We went to the police to register an FIR (First Information Report) but they refused. They never tried to find her, and instead drove us away,” the father of the victim had told reporters here outside the Swami Dayananda Hospital in east Delhi’s Shahdara, where the girl was battling for life. She was later shifted to the AIIMS for further treatment.

The father said that when the family finally found the girl on Wednesday, the police told the family to not highlight the issue, and offered them Rs 2,000 to keep mum.

“The police told us that we should not highlight the issue in the media and gave us Rs 2,000 as kharcha-pani (for expenses and refreshment),” said the father, adding that the police further told them to “thank god that his daughter was alive”.

“The police told us to take our daughter home and pray for her recovery,” said one of the girl’s relatives.

The girl was abducted on April 15 and kept hostage for two days without food and water in a flat rented by the attacker.

The girl was raped by two men, and rescued when members of her family heard her screams on Wednesday evening, police said. Both the accused have been arrested.

May

Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah dies in PGI Chandigarh

May.9: The Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah, who was fatally attacked by a co-prisoner inside a Jammu jail, today passed away after fighting a losing battle in PGI Chandigarh here.

Sanaullah’s condition deteriorated on Wednesday and doctors at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) said he was in “extremely critical” condition.

A resident of Sialkot in Pakistan, 52-year-old Sanaullah Ranjay was serving a life term in a Jammu jail after he was convicted under TADA following his arrest in 1999.

He was attacked by an inmate in the high security Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu and was rushed to PGI here in an air ambulance on Friday last

The assault came a day after the death of Sarabjit singh inside a Lahore jail, where he was attacked by fellow inmates.

Sanaullah’s relatives, brother-in-law Mohammed Sehzaad and nephew Mohammed Asif, who arrived here on Tuesday, visited him on Wednesday for about 10 minutes in the Advanced Trauma Centre of PGIMER.

Siddaramaiah takes oath as 28th CM of Karnataka

May 13: Congress leader Siddaramaiah today took oath as the 28th Chief Minister of  Karnataka.

Governor H. R. Bhardwaj administered the oath of office and secrecy to Siddarimaiah at Sree Kanteerva stadium in city centre. This is the beginning the Congress party’s rule of the state on its own after a gap of nine years.

This is the first time in Karnataka that a chief minister was sworn-in at a stadium as work on metro rail has taken up much of space in front of the Vidhana Soudha, the majestic state secretariat, the usual venue for such functions.

The stadium is about three km from Vidhana Soudha.

Only Siddaramaiah was sworn-in today as there are many aspirants for ministerial berths from among the 120 (excluding Siddaramaiah) newly elected Congress assembly members and several members of the legislative council.

Siddaramaiah, chosen May 10 by the party to lead the government, has said that he and the state Congress chief G. Parameshwara would go to New Delhi today to finalise the names of the ministers in talks with the high command.

Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysore, about 130 km from here, that the party’s election manifesto had made a number of promises and he would draw up a plan to ensure their time-bound implementation.

He sought cooperation of all sections of the society, including Dalits, as at a few places some Dalit organizations have organized protests against what they claim as “denial” of chief ministership to union Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, a Dalit.

“I am also a Dalit (in the sense that he is from a deprived sections of the society),” said Siddaramaiah, who belongs to Kuruba (shepherd community) caste.

Siddaramaiah said Kharge deserved the post but high command has given the responsibility to him and all should abide by it.

Kharge also appealed to the protesting Dalits to end the agitation. He told reporters in Bangalore that the Congress high command has taken the decision and now the focus should be on helping the party to provide good governance and not protests.

The Congress won 121 seats in the 225-member assembly for which election was held May 5 and voted counted May 8. The Congress last ruled the state on its own in 1999-2004. For nearly two years in 2004-2006, it headed a coalition with Janata Dal-Secular.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was routed in the poll as it won just 40 seats and is tied for the second spot with Janata Dal-Secular which also got the same number of seats.

Independents and smaller parties have taken 22 seats while voting will take place May 28 for one seat as polling was countermanded following the death of BJP candidate.

Court to decide on Sanjay Dutt’s Pune jail surrender plea

May 15: A designated TADA court will, Wednesday, decide on a plea filed by actor Sanjay Dutt in which he has sought that he be allowed to surrender before Yerwada jail in Pune instead of giving himself up before the special court in south Mumbai.

The Bollywood superstar has to surrender by May 16 and undergo the remaining 42 months jail term in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. Judge GA Sanap asked the prosecuting agency CBI to file a reply and posted the matter for today.

Dutt had filed the application in the TADA court, yesterday, hours after the Supreme Court refused to grant him additional time to surrender.

The apex court was hearing a petition filed by a film producer, who sought time for Dutt to complete his under-production films.

On May 10, the apex court had dismissed Dutt’s plea seeking review of its judgement on his conviction and five-year jail term.

53-year-old Dutt was earlier granted four weeks more time to surrender to undergo the remaining jail term.

The Supreme Court, on March 21, had upheld his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, which it said was engineered by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and others with the involvement of Pakistan’s ISI.

However, the apex court had reduced to five years the six-year jail term awarded to Dutt by a designated TADA court in 2006 while ruling out his release on probation, saying the “nature” of his offence was “serious”.

Dutt was convicted by the TADA court for illegally possessing a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle, which were part of a consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India for coordinated serial blasts that killed 257 people and injured over 700 in 1993.

Spot-fixing: SC rejects plea for staying remaining IPL matches

may 21: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a PIL seeking stay on all remaining matches of IPL in view of the spot-fixing scandal.

The Supreme Court, however, has asked the anti-corruption unit of BCCI to submit its report on this matter within 15 days.

A bench of justices B S Chauhan and Deepak Misra rejected the PIL which also sought setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the issues of match fixing and other alleged irregularities in the IPL.

The petition by Lucknow resident Sudarsh Awasthi had made all IPL franchises and BCCI party in the case along with the Centre.

“There are many irregularities in the IPL beginning from auction of players. Black money and money from anti-social elements are involved in the IPL which needs to be probed,” the petition submitted.

It sought a stay on remaining four matches including final match of the IPL till the probe is completed.

Eighteen people — three IPL players, four former players and 11 bookies and their assistants — have been arrested since last Thursday in connection with the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the cricketing world.

June

Clashes between Telangana protesters and police rock Hyderabad, top leaders arrested

June 14: Protests for a separate Telangana state and large-scale arrests rocked Hyderabad on Friday as the city turned into a war zone with police sealing all routes leading to the Andhra Pradesh assembly to foil a march called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC).

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from parts of the city. Top leaders of JAC and legislators were arrested at various places for defying prohibitory orders.

JAC chairman M. Kodandaram, Srinivas Goud and others were arrested when they gathered at Indira Park to march towards the assembly. The policemen bodily lifted the leaders and bundled them into waiting vehicles.

Tension prevailed at the site as protestors stoned the policemen deployed in large numbers to prevent any gathering. Police retaliated with tear gas.

TRS politburo member Shravan fell unconscious when police were forcibly shifting him. He was taken to a hospital.

Kodandaram told reporters before the arrest: “The government through its repressive measures has achieved nothing but we have succeeded voicing our dissent. We will continue the movement till we achieve our goal.”

Osmania University also witnessed violence. Students, stopped by police from taking out a rally, resorted to stone throwing. The police responded with tear gas. Four students were injured in the clashes.

BJP leader Vidyasagar Rao sustained minor injury in a police baton charge near Indira Park. Police arrested him and party activists when they were took out a rally.

BJP state president G. Kishan Reddy, senior leaders Bandaru Dattatreya, Indrasena Reddy and G. Lakshman were also arrested.

Legislators of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), BJP and Communist Party of India (CPI) and those of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the region were arrested in the assembly when they staged protests against the arrests.

Two TRS legislators who climbed on the assembly building and hoisted a black flag were brought down by police and arrested. Other party legislators conducted a mock funeral of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in the assembly premises.

The protests by legislators led to the adjournment of the house for the day. TRS MPs G. Vivek and Manda Jagannatham and other party leaders were arrested at Nizam Club near the assembly. Another TRS MP, Vijayshanti, and her supporters were also arrested.

TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao’s daughter Kavitha was taken into custody at Indira Park.

Also arrested were CPI state secretary K. Narayana and his supporters when they tried to proceed towards the assembly.

The protests and the unprecedented traffic restrictions hit normal life in parts of the city. The commuters were hit hard by the traffic restrictions in two kilometer radius around the assembly in the heart of the city.

However, there was no impact on life in other parts of the city. The IT district of Cyberabad, the hub of national and multinational software giants.

About 15,000 policemen and personnel from central paramilitary forces have been deployed as part of the security arrangements.

Police entered the office of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and arrested 30 leaders and activists. A party leader was injured in baton charge.

Schools and colleges in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad remained closed.

Almost all Multi Modal Transport System (MMTS) or suburban trains have been cancelled while some trains coming to Hyderabad from other parts of Telangana were cancelled or terminated on the city outskirts.

In Telangana districts, police continued to arrest hundreds of people. Police were checking vehicles heading towards Hyderabad.

July

Amarnath Yatra: 66,000 pilgrims pay obeisance at shrine

July 3:Over 66,000 devotees have paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas so far even as another batch of 2,176 pilgrims left here for their upward journey.

Over 66,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine till today, yatra officials said. Of these, 64,993 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine till last evening, while over 1,500 had darshan this morning.

A convoy of 67 vehicles, carrying 2,176 pilgrims, left from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at around 5.06 AM for twin base camps of Pahalagam and Baltal Kashmir, police said here today.

The seventh batch comprises 1,655 men, 403 women and 17 children, apart from 101 priests.

With today’s batch, a total of 16,001 pilgrims have left Jammu base camp for Amarnath so far.

NASA’s Curiosity Rover begins epic drive to Mars mountain

Nasa’s Curiosity Mars rover has finally hit the road and has begun its long awaited journey to reach its primary mission destination – foothills of Mount Sharp, a journey that will take months to complete. Mount Sharp is a mysterious mountain that rises 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) into the Red Planet sky.

Investigations had been on since the past seven months and were primarily centered around the site just east of its August 2012 touchdown point. The investigation included drilling rocks and analysing their composition.

Curiosity rover weighing 1-ton took its first steps toward the foothills of Mount Sharp on July 4 and then made another drive in that direction on Sunday (July 7), NASA officials said.

On Friday, engineers commanded the vehicle to make an 18m drive. On Monday it travelled 40m. Curiosity is headed toward a spot about 5 miles (8 km) away that will afford it’s access to Mount Sharp’s lower reaches. This particular area is the rover’s ultimate science destination; the mission team wants Curiosity to climb up through the mountain’s foothills.

Long bank of sand dunes might represent a potential trap for the rover. The intention also is to get to a specific site where satellites have indicated there are layers of sediment that were most likely laid down in water.

The estimated time to reach Mount Sharp might take a year according to Mission officials though they stress that there is no rigid timeline. Progress will depend on what Curiosity finds along the way, they say.

“We are on a mission of exploration,” Curiosity project manager Jim Erickson, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told reporters last month. “If we come across scientifically interesting areas, we are going to stop and examine them before continuing the journey.”

August

Karnataka bypolls: Congress storms JD-S bastion, wins two LS seats

Aug.24: Storming the JD-S bastion, the ruling Congress in Karnataka on Saturday won the Mandya and Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha seats with impressive margins. 

Multi-lingual actress Ramya, making her electoral debut, trounced JD(S) candidate C S Puttaraju in Mandya by a margin of 67,611 votes, officials said.

In Bangalore Rural, D K Suresh (Cong) registered an impressive victory bagging the seat with a margin of around 1,37,000 votes against his opponent Anitha Kumaraswamy, wife of former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. The seat was held by Kumaraswamy who resigned it after becoming an MLA in the May Assembly polls.

The Congress, which marked 100th day of its rule early this week, has wrested both the seats from JDS from its bastion in the Vokkaliga belt.

Both Ramya and Suresh maintained convincing leads right from the beginning as the counting of votes for the by-polls held on August 21 was taken up this morning and gradually increased the lead to unassailable levels.

Congress and JD-S had fought bitterly in the run-up to the election, making it a no-holds-barred attack against each other.

BJP, which lost power in Assembly polls and does not count for much in the region, had backed JD-S candidates in the two segments, which the Congress had dubbed “an unholy alliance.”

The by-poll to Mandya was necessitated following the resignation of N Cheluvarayaswamy after he became MLA.

Suresh is the brother of senior Congress leader and MLA D K Shivakumar.

D-S had won five of the eight Assembly seats in Mandya district in the May elections.

In Bangalore Rural, where Kumaraswamy had won by 1.3 lakh votes in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Congress had secured the support of Samajwadi Party MLA, CP Yogeeshwara, who had defeated Anita Kumaraswamy in the May polls.

September

Uttarakhand tragedy: 64 bodies found in Kedar Valley

Sept.5: With the weather clear at most places across Uttarakhand over the past few days, 64 more bodies were found lying over the ridges in Kedar valley and cremated with necessary rituals, a senior police officer said on Thursday.

“These bodies seem to be of devotees who climbed up the ridges out of fear after the mid June calamity to save themselves and perished due to extreme cold conditions there,” IG R.S. Meena told PTI.

A total of 64 bodies have been consigned to flames over the past two days between Rambada and Kedarnath shrine, he said.

“We have resumed our search for bodies trapped in the higher reaches and ridges of the valley which we could not access earlier due to bad weather. If the weather permits, the process will go on for the next few days in Junglechatti, Rambada, Gaurigaon and Bheembali areas of the valley where we expect to find bodies,” he said.

Apart from clear weather, the approaching date for resumption of prayers at the Himalayan shrine on September 11 has also led to a fresh impetus in the search for bodies, the IG said.

“However, as of now we are concentrating on areas where bodies are lying visibly on the surface and not in places where they may be lying underneath the debris,” Mr. Meena, who along with DGP Satyavrat Bansal paid a visit to Kedarnath on Wednesday to review the preparations for the September 11 prayers at the shrine, said.

About 30 police and NDRF personnel are engaged in the exercise at present, he said.

There has been a let up in rainfall across Uttarakhand over the past few days with light to moderate rains lashing isolated places, MeT office Director Anand Sharma said.

Uttarkashi and Munsyari were the places that recorded maximum rainfall of 35 mm and 28 mm respectively in the last 24 hours, he said.

Atleast 34 dead in Guatemala bus crash

Sept.10: A bus plunged into a deep river canyon in northwest Guatemala on Monday and at least 34 people were killed, a rescue worker said.

Mario Cruz, the spokesman for the volunteer fire department in the area, said another 45 injured people had been taken to hospitals.

Cruz said about 80 people were aboard the bus, which had been headed for Guatemala City. The dead included at least three babies.

“Some of the people were rescued with hydraulic equipment, and others were thrown (from the bus) at the time of the accident,” Cruz said.

Volunteer firefighter Juan Pablo Ucla said the bus fell into a river at the bottom of the 600-foot (200-meter) canyon around 8:15 a.m.

The area around the municipality of San Martín Jilotepeque has mostly dirt roads that wind through steep mountains without guardrails or other safety measures.

Huge blaze at Dadar textile market

Sept. 12: A huge blaze engulfed the Dadar textile market at around 9 am.
Five fire tenders and four water tankers have reached the spot.

The textile market is located close to Dadar flower market.

Firemen are trying their best to control the blaze.

A large number of policemen are trying to keep the crowds at bay.

HC grants bail to three convicts of Godhra train burning case

ept. 25: The Gujarat High Court yesterday granted bail to three people who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra train burning case which had triggered communal riots in the state.

A two-judge bench of Justice Aqeel Qureshi and Justice R P Dholaria granted bail to Irfan Pada, Suleiman Pir and Qasim Abdul Sattar alias ‘Qasim Biryani’, who were given life imprisonment, while also rejecting bail applications of eleven others awarded life imprisonment.

They also submitted that they had been in jail for the last 11 years and a hearing on appeals against their conviction may take a long time, their advocate I H Syed said.

They contended that Abdul Majid, one of those convicted, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on the ground that hearing his appeal may take time.

However, bail applications of the 11 who were awarded life terms, were rejected by the court on the ground that they had absconded after the train burning incident.

In February 2011, a special court had sentenced 11 people to death and 20 to life imprisonment for burning the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express in February 2002 near Godhra railway station, in which 59 people, mostly kar sevaks were killed.

In the violence that followed, over 1,000 people, mostly from the minority community, were killed.

The 20 accused, who were sentenced to life, had filed an appeal in the High Court against the special court’s verdict. The state government had also filed an appeal in the High Court seeking enhancement of the sentence of the 20 convicts.

October

20 killed as truck falls down a gorge in Punjab

Oct. 10: More than 20 people were killed and around 30 injured in a road accident in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab on Thursday.

A group of pilgrims was returning from Chintpurni after offering prayers when their truck fell 100 feet into a gorge.

The accident occurred early Thursday, when the truck, carrying pilgrims from a shrine in Himachal Pradesh back to Punjab, rolled down near Manguwal barrier, 20 km from Hoshiarpur.

Police said 14 people died on the spot.

Those injured in the accident were rushed to hospitals in Hoshiarpur.

Police said that the truck driver failed to negotiate a sharp curve on the hilly road near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border, and the truck went off the road.

The victims, who were from the Bholath area of Kapurthala district, were asleep when the accident occurred.

November

Isaipriya ‘raped’ and killed by Sri Lankan Army

Nov.2: With political parties in Tamil Nadu already strongly protesting against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo on November 15, disturbing new images have emerged that prove that Tamil Tiger news broadcaster and singer Isaipriya alias Shoba was not killed in combat, but in cold blood.

The Prime Ministers of Australia and Britain are under pressure to boycott the CHOGM meeting to put pressure on the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime for human rights violations.

In India, the government itself is split with ministers from Tamil Nadu, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan, asking the Prime Minister to boycott the meet. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to boycott the meeting. DMK chief M. Karunanidhi has warned the Centre of consequences.

The Sri Lankan government has consistently denied perpetrating any war atrocities. However, recently the UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay had slammed Sri Lanka in her report after visiting the war-torn northern zone.

It is in this backdrop that the Sri Lankan government is attempting an image makeover by conducting the CHOGM. However, Indian Tamil parties are further angered with the release of this video. DMK, other Tamil parties and even the local Congress have voiced vociferous opposition to the PM’s participation in the CHOGM. Sources say even P. Chidambaram is against Manmohan’s attendance.

30 Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy

Nov.6: Sri Lanka has arrested at least thirty Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in its waters, Naval spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said today.

The Indian fishermen in a total of seven trawlers have violated the international maritime border and were arrested last night while fishing close to Nainativu, a small island near Jaffna, he said.

They will be handed over to the Director of Fisheries before being taken to Kankesanturai Harbour for further investigations.

India maul West Indies in Sachin’s farewell Test

Nov.16: India inflicted an innings and 126-run defeat on the West Indies on the third day of the second  Test to give a fitting farewell to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in his farewell and 200th Test at the Wankhede Stadium here.

As the West Indies resumed the day at 43 for three in the second innings, trailing India by 270 runs, it was just a matter of when India got the job done. The West Indies were all out for 187, five more than their first innings score. Pragyan Ojha was the Man of the Match with five wickets in each innings.

The moment of truth came at 11.47 a.m. when Mohammed Shami knocked off the stumps of No.11 Shane Shillingford and the sizeable crowd at the Wankhede erupted in joy. Soon followed a sinking feeling that it will indeed be the last time Tendulkar will be seen at the Wankhede in an international match.
 
Tendulkar, 40, rushed from the deep, where he was fielding and grabbed the stumps. The full Indian team lined up on both sides of the pitch as Tendulkar walked down the track. He took off his hat and waved at the crowd, which was chanting his name.

For all it was a moment to remember even though Tendulkar has just turned a former India cricketer. It was the occasion to celebrate a 24-year career that touched many lives.

The giant screen flickered “legends never end” and the cameras soon panned on his family. His wife Anjali and daughter Sara were emotional. Son Arjun, who was a ball boy for the match, patted his elder sister Sara. They will now get to spend more time with their father.

Collection of farm tools for ‘Statue of Unity’ from Dec 15

Nov.29: The campaign of collecting farm implements from over 6 lakh villages in the country for construction of “the Statue of Unity”, a monument in memory of Sardar Patel in Gujarat, will begin from December 15.  This was informed by Gujarat Minister of State for Law and Justice Pradipsinh Jadeja here yesterday.  

Gujarat is set to build the 182-metre tall statue of Sardar Patel, the world’s tallest one, as a tribute to the ‘Iron man of India’ near Bharuch. It has been conceptualised by BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

“The construction of the world’s tallest statue of Sardar Patel would be a testimony to India’s spirit of unity.  We appeal to the citizens of this region to participate in the project,” he told reporters here.

A “run for unity” would also be organized on December 15, the death anniversary of India’s first Deputy Prime Minister. An exhibition of the photographs of Sarpanches of villages in the country would be set up at the site of the statue, Jadeja said.

Essay-writing would be organized in 1.67 lakh schools across the country to make children aware of the great contributions of Sardar Patel, he said.  The foundation laying ceremony for the statue was performed on October 31.

December

Adoor B Ibrahim takes charge as DC of DK district on Dec.26

Dec.26: Adoor B Ibrahim has taken over the charge of Deputy Commissioner of DK district by signing a register to the effect and receiving floral welcome from ADC, K. Dayanand, on Thursday Dec.26 in the presence of several officials of his department.

He replaces N prakash IAS who was posted as Labor Commissioner in Bangalore before Christmas Day. Talking to press persons Ibrahim promised to do his at most as a responsible person in handling serious and heavy duties in the larger interests of the people, on the guidance of district in-charge minister B.R. Rai. He hoped he will have ample discussions with his colleagues before taking suitable decisions in the development of D K and ensuring justice to all citizens during his tenure.

Ajith Kumar Hegde, MCC commisioner, Dr Prashanth, assistant commissioner, Mohan Rao, tahsildar and others were present at the ceremonial welcome given to new DC Ibrahim.