Apex court issues contempt notice to Subrata Roy
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy as to why criminal contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for allegedly interfering in the investigations into the money trails in 2G scam. The notice has also been issued to journalist Upendra Rai and another person. The apex court bench headed by Justice G.S. Singhvi issued the contempt notice while upholding the maintainability of the contempt plea by Enforcement Directorate (ED) official Rajeshwar Singh. The court has given Subrata Roy and the other two people four weeks to respond to the contempt notice. Rajeshwar Singh in his plea said that the alleged contemnors were interfering in his investigations by putting up questions camouflaged as journalistic pursuit. (IANS)
Odisha woman tortured for witchcraft, two held
Bhubaneswar: A man and his wife were arrested on Monday in Odisha’s Ganjam district for torturing their daughter-in-law for allegedly practicing sorcery, police said. The couple was arrested after the 30-year-old victim complained on Sunday that she was subjected to torture at Berhampur town, about 180 km from Bhubaneswar. The victim, mother of two minor children, told police that her husband Ganesh Sahu was suffering from mental illness for the last six months. Ganesh’s parents were under the impression that he is ill due to witchcraft performed on him by his wife, police inspector Pragyan Paramita Padhi told IANS. They allegedly beat her up and also forced her to consume human excreta, the officer added. The victim also alleged that her husband and in-laws were torturing her for dowry. Local residents rescued the victim and got her admitted to a government hospital. “Ganesh is absconding, while his parents were arrested,” police said. The brutalities related to witchcraft, mainly against women, are common in the illiterate tribal pockets of the state. Women accused of witchcraft are often killed or paraded naked. The state has recently approved a new law to curb such crimes with provisions of imprisonment up to seven years and penalty for such offenders. (IANS)
ICAO sets Nov 2015 deadline to phase out handwritten passports
Jammu: The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) plans to phase out all non-Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) by 2015. “The ICAO has set a deadline of November 24, 2015 for globally phasing out all non-Machine Readable Passports,” Jammu passport officer Rajinder Gupta said on Monday. All handwritten passports with photos pasted on it earlier issued by India are considered non-MRP passports and foreign nations might deny visa or entry to any person travelling with such document after the end of the period, said Gupta. All 20-year validity passports will also fall in this category, he said, adding that the government started issuing MRP passports since 2001. “Indian citizens residing in India and abroad and holding handwritten and 20-year validity passports should apply for re-issue of passports and obtain MRP passports well before the deadline in order to avoid any inconvenience in obtaining foreign visa or immigration problem,” Gupta added. (PTI)
CISF constable killed by former Delhi policeman
New Delhi: A 42-year-old Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable was beaten to death by a former Delhi Police constable and his friend when he stopped them from entering the premises of a CISF residential colony, police said on Monday. The incident took place around 10:45 p.m. Sunday in Bawana area of Delhi. The victim, Jaiveer Singh, was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead due to severe head injury. (IANS)
Undertrial escapes, 5 cops suspended
REWARI: An undertrial, who was taken to a hospital at Narnaul in Haryana’s Mahendergarh district after he complained of chest pain, escaped from police custody and five cops were suspended in this connection. Sunder Lal, facing trial in a murder case and lodged in district jail Nasibpur, escaped on Saturday, police said here on Mon day. Five policemen, including a sub-inspector, escorting the undertrial, were placed under suspension. Lal complained of chest pain was taken to the civil hospital at Narnaul for a check up in a van, police said. Soon after the check up, he managed to escape on a motorcycle, they said. The escapee, a resident of Jhajjar district, was also involved in several cases in Mehendergarh district, police said. (PTI)
Rs 1.75 crore looted from bank van
Chandigarh: At least four revolver-toting youth Monday stopped a cash van of a private bank in Haryana’s Panchkula district and escaped with over Rs.1.75 crore cash, police said. Police officials said that the cash van was coming towards Panchkula, 25 km from here, when the armed youth stopped it near Pinjore and looted the money. “The four men were carrying revolvers and overpowered the cash van staff. We will make arrests soon,” said a police officer in Panchkula. (IANS)
Former athlete Ashvini Nachappa’s ATM cards recovered
Bangalore: Police nabbed a thief who had robbed the ATM cards of former international Athlete Ashvini Nachappa and recovered Rs 1.97 lakhs from him, City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar said on Monday. Talking to newsmen here, he said that of the Rs 2.40 lakhs drawn by using ATM cards robbed from Ashvini Nachappa’s bag during a School Sports Meet function on December 3, the culprit had spent the remaining money in horse race and single digit lottery. He said the culprit Ravi was hiding in Mysore where he was nabbed after ascertaining his photo at ATM centres through CCTV cameras. (PTI)