Another IAF lady officer punished

Chandigarh: A lady officer of the Indian Air Force was handed a year’s loss in service and a stinging rebuke by a military court here that punished her for allegedly driving a subordinate to suicide in 2005.

Squadron Leader Priya Jairaj, a doctor, is the second IAF woman officer after Anjali Gupta to face such a disciplinary action. “Air headquarters has confirmed the punishment of Jairaj,” said T. Venugopal, the air officer commanding 12 Wing Air Force Station.

Sergeant Srinivasan, 32, hanged himself from a tree near the air force station here in September 2005. He left behind a suicide note blaming Jairaj for harassment.

Jairaj was facing charges of abetting the suicide under various provisions of the Air Force Act and the IPC.

Rape dismiss plea rejected

New Delhi (PTI): A court has issued summons to three rape accused, while rejecting a plea by police to dismiss the case, after the victim filed a complaint before it.

“The request of the police to accept the cancellation report stands turned down. Out of material available on record, there are sufficient ground to summon accused Braham Prakash, Naresh and Shakeel,” metropolitan magistrate Surinder S. Rathi said. He directed the three to appear before the court on November 24.

A woman from Prem Nagar had filed a complaint alleging that she had been gangraped by the accused in February 2001. The police neither conducted her medical examination nor arrested anyone, she said.

The police registered an FIR only after she filed a writ petition in Delhi High Court in April 2001.

Baby drowns

Kadamat (PTI): A 14-month-old infant was thrown out of her mother’s arms when their boat was rocked by rough seas near this island of Lakshadweep on Tuesday.

Neuna, daughter of Mehulsha Shah from Mumbai, was pulled out immediately, but could not be saved, the police said.

Body found

Muzaffarnagar (PTI): The body of a youth who had eloped with a girl was found on Monday in this Uttar Pradesh district, police said. The police had found the body of the girl on November 12 from the same spot. Their throats had been slit. Bhikam Singh and Puja had eloped in October.

Dowry sentence

Muzaffarnagar (PTI): A fast-track court has sentenced a man, his brother and mother to 10 years’ in jail in a case of dowry death. Shahida Begum had been killed in September 2003.

A civil judge in Akola, Maharashtra, has been sacked. R.A. Ranpise, a joint civil judge (junior division) and first class judicial magistrate, was dismissed on November 14.