Paternity claims

New Delhi, Oct. 14 (PTI): The Supreme Court has cautioned subordinate courts against sticking to technicalities while deciding sensitive cases like maintenance claims of illegitimate children, particularly from illiterate families.

such cases it might be difficult for the claimants to prove their paternity with precision, so courts should not insist on complete corroborative evidence, a bench of Justices S.B. Sinha and H.S. Bedi said.

Soldier shot

Jammu (PTI): A junior commissioned officer was killed in a gunbattle with militants in Doda district on Sunday. The fight broke out after some militants attacked an army patrol near the Joda army camp, officials said.

Wife killer

Krishnagiri (PTI): A 22-year-old deaf and mute woman and her three-year-old daughter have been hacked to death allegedly by her husband at a village in this district of Tamil Nadu. The bodies of Anuradha and her daughter Deepa, with their throats cut open, were found on Saturday evening in a ditch near the village. Her husband Chinnasamy, 40, has been arrested, police said.

Smoking fine

Shimla (PTI): Fifty people have been fined between Rs 50 and Rs 500 by the municipal corporation for smoking and spitting in public places. The crackdown follows a recent high court order directing the corporation to punish those violating the ban on smoking and spitting in public places.

6 injured

Shivpuri (PTI): Six workers, including two minors, were injured on Sunday in an explosion at a cracker factory on the Guna-Gwalior bypass near Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, police said. The early morning explosion injured the six, who were rushed to hospital.

Queen’s visit

Hague (PTI): Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will undertake a four-day state visit to India from October 24 during which the two sides will discuss the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.