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Four Soldiers in Indian President’s Bodyguard Convicted of Rape

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:49:49 -0500

Four soldiers of Army’s Cavalry Regiment on duty as President’s bodyguard were convicted for raping a 17-year-old girl at Budhha Jayanti Park on 6th Oct’03. The victim is a Delhi University student who along with her boyfriend went to the park, which is situated in the backyard of the Presidential House known as ‘Rastrapati Bhawan.’

The soldiers beat up the boy, robbed the couple and then while two raped the girl, taking turns, the other two blocked the boy and kept watch.

The men are one each from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and are cadres of the 1990-95 batch of the army. Three of them are married.

The prosecution produced 25 witnesses and the victim girl not only identified the four men but also gave a detailed description of the crime with clinching evidence.

A city trial court found all the four men guilty of kidnapping (Sec 366 of IPC) and robbery (Sec 394 of IPC), two of them being found guilty of rape (Sec 376/2/g of IPC) along with. While Harpreet Singh and Satyendra Singh have been convicted of gang rape, Kuldeep Singh and Manish Kumar have been convicted for being accomplices in the heinous crime.

The additional sessions judge S.K.Sarvaria would hear the argument on the quantum of sentences on 22nd August’09. As per the existing laws, the rapist can get a jail term anywhere between 10 years and life term and the other two accomplices are likely to get at least 7 years in prison.

It worthwhile here to mention that all the accused have already spent nearly 6 years in custody and the two accomplices (who have not committed rape) can expect early release as the sentences are likely to be reduced by the period in custody.

India: New Income Tax Code to ‘Boost Savings’ is on the Anvil

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:27:35 -0500

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee along with his predecessor P.Chidambaram released a new Income Tax Code in New Delhi on 12th Aug’09, which seeks to simplify and replace the 48-years-old Income Tax Act 1961. The most salient features of this code are that it boosts savings greatly and highly simplifies tax calculation procedures.

Putting the code in public domain for discussion, the finance minister said, “It is a simpler tax code and we expect it will usher in better compliance, better tax realization and lead to far less litigation.”

Chidambaram, on the other hand said that he started the work on this new tax code three years back and it is written from scratch. It could be enacted by 2011 synchronizing with the Golden Jubilee of Income Tax Act 1961.

In case of ‘Individuals’ the new code envisages a tax exemption on Rs.300000/- (from the present Rs.100000/-) if invested in certain specified savings instruments like bank fixed deposit, life insurance premium, post office small savings scheme etc. Apart from this, the tax slabs too has been recast. An individual having annual taxable income between Rs.160000/- and 1000000/- will be charged tax @ 10% while taxable income above Rs.1000000/- but up to Rs.2500000/- would be charged @20%. For income above Rs.2500000/- tax would be payable @30%.

The tax savings are quite handsome across the board. Individuals having Annual taxable incomes of Rs.500000/- would save Rs.20000/- in taxes while those having taxable income of Rs.1000000/- would save Rs.140000/- tax savings. For persons having taxable income of Rs.3000000/- the saving would be a phenomenal Rs. 450000/-, which would buy him a decent car in one year’s tax savings only.

Although it is claimed by the finance minister that the new code would usher in far less litigation, but the clause on valuation of property clearly shows that procedure adopted in property valuation would put rent earners in trouble and a lot of litigation would arise out of this clause.

A detailed discussion on the new code is out of the ambit of this platform. But simply speaking, an individual having a gross total income of about rupees forty thousand per month will not have to pay any income tax. The vast majority of salaried and middle class of the country falling within this income bracket would definitely thank both Mr. Mukherjee and Mr.Chidambaram for freeing them from the shackles of Income tax.

CBI Files FIR Against Several Police Officers of Uttarakhand

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:13:29 -0500

Consequent upon the alleged killing of a 24-year-old MBA graduate Ranbir Singh, by the Uttarakhand police in a falls encounter in Dehra Dun on 3^rd July’09, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR on 5^th Aug’09 against several police officers of Uttarakhand after finding that a ‘prima facie’ case existed against the said police officers in the so called encounter, as per the preliminary report placed by the CBI before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Dehra Dun.

According to Rabindra Pal Singh, the father of the diseased, Ranbir Did his MBA from Ford Institute of Meerat and was going to join Kotak Mahindra in Dehra Dun a trainee manager. A retired soldier, the father of the victim categorically stated that his son did never have any criminal background.

Due to public outcry and demand from the bereaved family, the chief minister of Uttarakhand handed over the case to the CBI on 8^th July’09, although the Uttarakhand police too registered a case of murder against 14 policemen on 5^th July’09 who have since been suspended. The CBI case has made the state police case irrelevant.

As per sources, a six-member special investigation team led by SP Nilabh Kishore searched the so called encounter area on 1^st and 2^nd Aug’09 and found a dozen used cartridges in a small area of about 250 sqm indicating that the young boy was fired from a very close range. Besides, no bullets were found in other areas of the jungle where the encounter was supposed to have taken place.

Dehra Dun police had claimed that they had to fire on the MBA graduate as he snatched the revolver of an Inspector of the police and started firing on the police force. The CBI on the other hand found that no firing was done from the so-called snatched revolver.

The autopsy report of the slain revealed 26 injury and 10 bullet marks on his body, two of these being in the head. The large number of injury mark on the body indicates a possible torturing of the victim before killing in the alleged fake encounter.

CBI could not find any criminal records of the victim or his friends as claimed by the police. The eyewitnesses told CBI that police dragged the young man inside a jeep contrary to the claim by police that the victim snatched a revolver of an inspector and fired at the police.

The inconsolable mother of the boy said that the police had shot her son dead ahead of President Pratibha Patil’s visit to the hill state, just to earn brownie points.

India: Aviation Industry on War Path with the Government

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:55:50 -0500

Private Airlines- which started operating for the first time in 1992, after the Narasimha Rao Goverment’s liberalization move led by the then finance minister Dr.Manmohan Singh- threatened to suspend operations on 18^th August’2009 to protest against the Manmohan Singh Governemnt’s apathy to cut Taxes on Aviation fuel which these airlines has been demanding for over a year.

Private airlines have incurred phenomenal losses during financial year April’08 to March’09. The losses for the largest private airlines, ‘Jet Airways’ stand at about Rs.960 crores over sales of about Rs.12650 crores while that of ‘Kingfisher’ stands at about Rs.1600 crores over sales of about Rs.5270 crores. Other smaller airlines too have incurred losses of varying degree. The total losses in the private sector flight industry stand at over Rs.10000 crores during the last financial year.

The government owned Air India too has suffered losses but that is a different story. The Air India’s director communications Jitendra Bhargava was critical of private air operators who according to him were responsible for offering low fares that led to this state of affair. He was very critical when he commented, “You reap what you sow,” hinting that it is the private air operators who were squarely to blame for stating a low fare war (which progressively reduced the fares as competition got out of hand).

The air operators are upset over the quantum of Value Added Tax (VAT) slapped on aviation fuel and ranges from 4% in Andhra Pradesh to a high of 25% in Maharastra’s busiest airport Mumbai and Pune. In Bengal too the VAT is charged at 25%. Tamilnadu and Bihar charges as high as 29% VAT on aviation fuel.

Air operators want that the aviation fuel be made ‘declared good’ so that a uniform 4% VAT can be charged across the country. However aviation minister Praful Patel feels that as the VAT is a state subject, the central government can not reduce VAT on its own. The states have however been opposing reduction of VAT on aviation fuel as it gives them substantial tax revenue.

Your reporter is of the opinion that a cutthroat competition for getting higher occupancy and in attempting to compete with Indian Railway Air Condition First Class fares, the private airlines have taken a suicidal path and now even 75% load factor may not be good enough for a turnaround in the aviation industry. The Aviation fuel prices are not very high at present and is about half the value it had when the international price of crude soared to $147 in July last year. So ball is in the court of private air operators and instead of hoping for charity from government they better learn from management books to avert financial crisis. The mismanagement is quite apparent from the loss figures. While ‘Jet Airways’ losses are about 7.6% of sales, that of ‘Kingfisher’ is 30.3%. So while Jet Airways can make a turn around by simple cost cutting, part fleet grounding measures etc, this cannot be said of Kingfisher, which probably requires charity!

Demolition of LTTE opens a new chapter in Indian sub-continent

Tue, 19 May 2009 08:21:20 -0500

Sri Lanka declared a total victory today (18^th May’08) in the war against one of the world’s most intractable insurgents, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (which maintained 7000 strong army in full war gears including fighter planes and a formidable Navy) and took full control of the country after 26 years. The war took an estimated 70000 lives.

LTTE started insurgency in 1983 and gradually developed into almost an army, demanding a separate independent Tamil state in the northern part of the island country. All these years LTTE faught the Sri Lankan army successfully and even beat back the Indian Peace Keeping Force in late eighties (IPKF).

At the height of insurgency, the LTTE even killed Indian Ex-Prime Minister Rajib Gandhi in 1991 as a revenge for sending IPKF. The end of LTTE and death of its leader V.Pravakaran, 55, established once again the rule of law in the tiny island country. Indians in general and the Congressmen in particular silently enjoyed the episode as if Rajib Gandhi’s death was avenged.

On the other hand, Pakistan seemed determined to weed out Talibans, another ‘do or die’ insurgent organization. As per intelligence Taliban has the potential to capture power in Pakistan forcibly (like they did in Afghanistan) and the nuclear facility of Pakistan has the danger of falling into their hands in that event.

The defeat of LTTE would definitely demoralize all the terrorist organizations, including ULFA in Assam in India. Thus a new chapter has begun in the Indian sub-continent to lively fight out all terrorists irrespective of their religious inclination.

Fraud Investigation Finds Satyam Auditors Guilty

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:22:26 -0500

In line with the general apprehension in India that a fraud of the magnitude of Satyam could not have taken place without the active connivance of auditors has proved right when the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has clearly held Price Water House Coopers (PW) guilty of the falsification of accounts of Satyam while giving clean chit to the independent directors.

The SFIO also did not find any clean evidence against the then whole time director and senior executive R.Mynampati. While handing over its more than 14000 pages report on the Satyam scam after three months of investigation, the SIFO categorically reported that the two Satyam auditors viz, S.Gopalakrishnan and T.Srinivas were involved in the fraud by feigning ignorance about their ability to question the management over the authenticity of the documents provided to them.

According to SFIO, the auditor’s are supposed not to follow any thing and everything said by management but instead should have got confirmation from banks and others. The report further said that the auditors have even knew of the audit failures through a report generated by in house system department of Satyam in 2007.

The two auditors appointed by PW, Gopalakrishnan and Talluri are already in a Hyderabad jail and are being grilled by various investigating agencies including CBI.

Meanwhile PW has reacted by saying that the two Satyam audit partners (i.e. Gopalakrishnan and Talluri) and PW India were victims of the fraud (rather than involved in the scam).

Dalit Student Moves SC Against Racial Discrimination by IIT Kharagpur

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:27:10 -0600

After Delhi IIT, it is the turn of Kharagpur IIT, which is facing a racial discrimination charge against a Dalit student, as per a writ filed by the 23 year-old student in the Supreme Court (SC) on 17^th Feb’09 accusing IIT Kharagpur (West Bengal) for expelling him for the second time in two years for leading a group of 14 Scheduled Caste students to protest against racial bias and discrimination at the institute.

However the institute director D. Acharya taking to press denied the allegation and said that the student was asked to leave the institute because of his poor academic performance leading to his failure to securing bare minimum marks required to continue in the institute.

Previously, as reported by this writer, the Delhi IIT was forced to accept the expelled Scheduled Caste students by an order of the SC. However repeated recurrence of this type of incidents at the premier Engineering institutes like IITs throws open an uncomfortable question about the shaken confidence of the Dalit students in the successful implementation of Reservation Policy of the National Government as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Incidentally Kharagpur IIT expelled 14 scheduled Caste students (including the boy who has now filed writ petition in the SC) in 2007 for poor performance. However the student who has now filed the writ, led the group to meet human resource development minister Arjun Singh. The boys were however reinstated after the intervention of the minister.

The expelled boy in his writ has further mentioned that, on that occasion an assistant professor of the humanities expelled him from the class after he returned to the class after intervention of Arjun Singh, shouting aloud, “Who is this Arjun Singh to interfere in the IIT matters.”

The boy, apart from petitioning SC has also written to the Dalit members of Parliament and Arjun Singh to intervene in the matter.

It is felt in the educational circles that if like IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur is also made to accept the student by the court, the incidents (of losing battle in SC) on the back of each other would be very embarrassing for the IITs in general and they may have to rewrite the rules for the expulsion of students to avoid such awkward situations (of facing caste bias charges) in future.

Supreme Court Orders Stern Action Against Ragging In Institutions

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:11:25 -0600

Acting on the recommendations of R.K.Raghavan Committee, the Supreme Court (SC) today (11^th Feb’09) empowered professional bodies and colleges to suspend students involved in ragging- without immediate probe in appropriate (serious) cases pending final decision and give opportunity to the student concerned (later) to have his say- while observing that, “Ragging in essence is human rights abuse.”

Expressing anguish the court observed that seniors under the garb of ‘introduction’ ragged freshers forcing some to leave the institution and torturing them to such an extent that some of the freshers even commited suicide and some others attempt to do so. Ragging has become synonymous with teasing, terror, harassment, cruelty, fear and physical and mental torture.

The court also said that if it comes to the notice of the university or controlling body of an institution that an institution was ‘trying to shield’ the errant students they (controlling body) were ‘free to reduce grant or even deny it’ in ‘serious cases.

In a sort of warning to the institutional heads, the SC Bench consisting of Justice Arijit Pasayat & Justice Mukundakam Sharma said that the law has to be set in motion (when complain of ragging is recorded) ‘immediately’ by informing police, as delay in many cases would frustrate the need for urgent action.

The court also directed professional bodies like the Bar and the Medical councils as well as University Grant Commission to frame regulations making the norms binding on all. Meanwhile the court also directed that all the state and union territories including educational institutions to act on the recommendations of Raghavan Committee, which observed that regulatory bodies are not doing enough to check ragging.

As per the recommendations of the committee, the Bench directed that the prospectus must mention that an incident of ragging resorted by student would attract punishment and the student concerned may even be expelled.

The committee has also proposed anti-ragging cells at state, district and college levels and has said that text books must contain anti-ragging chapters. The court accepted all the recommendations and posted the matter for further hearing in March’09.

Second Google 4 Doodle contest

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:37:24 -0600

Google has announced 2nd Google 4 doodle contest where all K-12 students are invited for designing homepage logo. This year's theme is “What I wish for world”.

To participate in the contest a school has to register with google and a teacher has to submit doodle on behalf of the student.

Registration closes at 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on March 17, 2009, and all Doodles need to be submitted by March 31, 2009. The finalist can win prizes such as their Doodle on the Google homepage for a day, a college scholarship, and a technology grant for your school, plus all 40 finalists will have their Doodle exhibited at a Smithsonian museum

For registration click here.

California woman gave birth to Octuplets

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:17:26 -0600

Nadya Suleman, a woman from California gave birth to octuplets on 26 th January'2009, in which 6 are girls and two are boys. She is already a mother of six including a set of twins. However, the Hospital staffs have refused to release the name of the mother, also declining to comment on whether she had received fertility drugs that have been linked to instances of multiple births.

However her mother, Angela Suleman told Los Angeles Times that her daughter underwent through fertility treatment. Angela Suleman also mentioned that last year her daughter underwent embryo transplant operation in her uterus, suggesting that an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure may have been involved.

Nadya Suleman is a single mother and she stays with her parents. This is the second case in USA where woman gave birth to ocuplet

The Sun reported that she works with a fertility clinic.Nadia is in her thirties

Source ABC