HC agrees to hear plea for review of ban on e-rickshaws
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea seeking review of its order banning e-rickshaws on the roads in the national capital. The petition was mentioned before a bench of justices B D Ahmed and S Mridul by advocate R K Kapoor, appearing on behalf of Battery Rickshaw Welfare Association. While the court agreed to hear the matter, it observed that there was a need to regulate the plying of e-rickshaws. “You are very well aware of the traffic regulations. Until and unless it (e-rickshaws) is regulated, how can it be permitted?” the bench queried. Kapoor sought urgent hearing of the matter saying an advisory has been issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to the chief secretaries of all the state governments and Union territories regarding regulation of electric motor propelled three–wheeled vehicles (e-rickshaws and ecarts). He contended that this advisory has not been brought to the attention of the court. The review petition also contended that lakhs of families depend upon e-rickshaws for their livelihood “and in the interest of justice, this court may review/modify the order dated July 31”. There are around 70,000 battery-operated rickshaws plying on roads in the national capital. The association pleaded that since the ministry proposes to amend the Motor Vehicles Act and the rules framed there under as well as issue an advisory for regulating such e-rickshaws, they may be permitted to operate in the meantime subject to the compliance of any regulations which may be issued by the Delhi traffic police or local administration. (PTI)
Sena defends ‘Saamana’ edit on IPS officer accused of rape
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Monday defended the controversial editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ about rape accused IPS officer Sunil Paraskar, saying the party was being defamed without understanding its stance on the issue. “We agree that rape is heinous but it is also equally reprehensible to make (baseless) allegations of rape,” an editorial in ‘Saamana’ said. “What we have said is clear, the rape victim should lodge the complaint immediately. If complaint is lodged after six months or a year, the medical evidence in such cases is invalid and the case assumes a different colour,” the editorial said. Claiming that the controversial Marathi editorial was distorted in translation, ‘Saamana’ said, “now, it is just a one-sided attack by those who don’t want to understand what someone said or wrote.” “Some TV news channels and print journalists are now ‘raping’ journalism and neither the Press Council nor the courts can curb this,” the editorial said. “There is no reason for controversy on our view that there should be no media trial in rape case while the matter is in court and police investigation is in progress,” the editorial said. “Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and NCP president Sharad Pawar faced such media trials,” it said. (PTI)
Woman suspected to be witch stripped, tortured, 10 held
Baripada (Odisha): In a barbaric incident, a woman was stripped, tied to a pole and tortured by villagers who suspected her of practising witchcraft in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. The incident occurred in Jodapokhari village on July 27 following the death of a tribal youth Susant Hansda, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Rairangpur, Mohan Pani said on Monday quoting a delayed report. The villagers suspected that Susant died due to the witchcraft being practised by Pana Hansda, wife of Kasrai Hansda of the village, he said. At night the villagers allegedly dragged the woman from her house and thrashed her before stripping and tying her to an electric pole, he said. When Pana’s husband Kasrai and a woman neighbour attempted to rescue her, they were also not spared by the villagers, Pani said quoting an FIR filed by the family members of the victim last week. Acting on the complaint, police arrested ten persons including a woman on Saturday, Pani said, adding the accused as well as the victim were tribals. The woman was undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital here, he said. (PTI)
HC directs AG to file status report on building collapse
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday directed the State Advocate General A L Somayaji to file a status report with regard to the recent collapse of a multi-storey building here that left 61 persons dead. The first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sathyanarayanan before which the PIL filed by DMK Treasurer M.K. Stalin, came up, wondered how it was possible for the one man Commission of Inquiry appointed by the State Government under Justice Raghupathy (retired High Court judge) to go into the matter when he was already continuing as President of the Consumer Redressal Forum. He was also the head of another commission which has to go into the details of Act 14 (Goondas Act). Senior Counsel P.Wilson submitted that there is need for a CBI probe as the government was only blaming the builder. The bench then directed the AG to submit the status report with regard to the collapse of the building on June 28 as well as the cases pending before the consumer redressal forum and posted the matter for further hearing to August 28. (PTI)