Doctors call off strike in UP
Lucknow: Doctors in Uttar Pradesh called off their strike Thursday morning, a day after the Allahabad High Court directed them to return to work, an official said. The Lucknow bench of the high court Wednesday also ordered a judicial probe into the doctors’ grievances and the police lathi charge on them. The doctors initially refused to budge from their stand and were angered by the state’s decision to slap ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) on them. However, after a long meeting post-midnight, they decided to withdraw the strike and honour the directives of the court, said Devendra Lalchandani, chairman of the action committee of the Indian Medical Association. A delegation led by Lalchandani met Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow Wednesday night. The SP supremo assured the striking doctors that he was worried about the future and wellbeing of the junior doctors and would ask the state government to concede their demands. The court also rapped the state government and sought to know within three weeks what action it has initiated against the errant police officials who cane charged the doctors inside the hospital premises. It also ordered the transfer of the inspector general, deputy inspector general, and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Kanpur Yashaswi Yadav.The doctors have demanded unconditional release of the 24 jailed doctors, withdrawal of cases against them and action against SP legislator Irfan Solanki and the SSP Kanpur. (IANS)
HC suggests escort police cell to take undertrials to court
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday asked Maharashtra government to consider setting up of a separate cell in the police department to be responsible only for escort of undertrials from jails to courts for appearances. The suggestion was made by a division bench of Justices N H Patil and Anuja Prabhudessai while hearing a public interest litigation alleging lack of police personnel to escort prisoners from jails to courts. The PIL had sought for the government to set up video conference facilities in every jail and court across the state so that there is no delay in cases. Additional public prosecutor Aruna Kamat-Pai today informed the court that by March 31, 146 courts and 54 jails across the state would have video conference facilities. “Video conference facilities should be made available in every court and jail so as to reduce burden on the police. Several trials are getting delayed due to absence of accused in court. Lack of police personnel should not come in between speedy disposal of trials,” the court said. “Why doesn’t the government consider creating a separate cell for handling this? Consider having an escort cell attached with every jail which will only be responsible for bringing accused from jail to court and vice versa,” the court said. The bench, however, added that for this the government will have to first fill up all the vacancies in the police department and increase manpower. “One constable has to do so many things. Even an investigating officer has to do bandobast duty, election duty and so on and then is expected to investigate cases,” the court said. The bench has posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks. (PTI)
Modi’s rally in Gaya cancelled
Patna: The rally of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Gaya, scheduled on March 14, has been cancelled following his preoccupation with the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, a senior BJP leader said on Thursday. “Modi’s Gaya rally on March 14 has been cancelled as he will be busy finalising the list of candidates for the parliamentary seats in Bihar for the first phase of the general elections on April 10,” former Bihar deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi told PTI. Nomination of the candidates for the first phase of the parliamentary polls in Bihar will begin from March 13. The BJP prime ministerial candidate, however, will visit Bihar to address a rally in Saharsa on March 24, Modi added. (PTI)
Court orders fresh FIR against Haryana sports min
Gurgaon: A local court has ordered a fresh FIR against Haryana Sports Minister Sukhbir Kataria in a bogus votes-related case. On a complaint filed by an NGO Matdata Jagrook Manch, Judicial Magistrate Seema in her order on Tuesday directed city police to book Sukhbir, twelve others under several sections of the IPC. The court ordered the City police station chief to register the case under sections for cheating, preparing and forging documents and criminal conspiracy. However, Minister the minister said, “He, in his own handwriting had just filled some of the necessary documents of some the persons who had approached him for preparation of their ration cards, voter cards, etc”. He had “not helped” anybody in getting bogus voter cards or any other such documents as alleged in the FIR, he said. In all cases, Om Prakash Kataria (president of Matdata Jagrook Manch) is the only complainant as he has developed a sort of revenge against him just for nothing, Sukhbir said. Tuesday’s direction of lodging FIR is the fourth such FIRs against the minister. Om, on the other hand has alleged that despite four FIRs against the minister, Gurgaon police is not pursuing the cases and taking necessary actions. First FIR against the minister and five others were lodged on November 13 last year in voter forgery case. Om has alleged that Sukhbir was instrumental in preparing hundreds of bogus voter cards before state assembly election in 2009. During the election, he ensured that all these bogus voters cast their ballot in his favour, Om alleged. (PTI)
Wipe out Congress,form SP-led govt at Centre:Mulayam
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday asked youths to repeat 1977’s wipe out of Congress in the Loksabha polls and make SP led third front government at the Centre. “When in leadership of Lok Nayak Jaiprakash youth rose in 1974, it wiped out Congress in 1977. You all have to repeat the history and make a third front government led by SP at the centre”, Yadav said while addressing a programme organised on the culmination of party’s Cycle Yatra, which started from New Delhi on February 23. “This is the best opportunity for SP as the public is with us. If we failed at this moment, you have to repent. If party leaders and workers got united, SP will get good number of seats”, he said. Attacking BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi,he said that “some liars” have arrived here and making false claims of development. (PTI)