Court demands reply on tobacco

Patna: The high court on Thursday directed the government to state under which provision it has banned tobacco products in Bihar.

The government imposed a year’s ban on the use of tobacco products, including paan masala and scented betel nuts, on November 7.

The court of Justice Mihir Kumar, on Thursday, directed principal additional advocate-general Lalit Kishore to file a reply in the matter. The court has also asked the state to file a reply on the ambit of the notification as to which tobacco products are spared from the ban.

Maharaaj posting

Patna: Former Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj, removed after the Dussehra stampede at Gandhi Maidan, was on Thursday made the senior superintendent of police of Darbhanga. He was among the three IPS officers transferred by the government on Thursday. Darbhanga SSP Kumar Aikley has gone to the Special Task Force, while Ajitabh Kumar has been made deputy inspector-general of BMP (central range).

Clean drive

Patna: Students of Delhi Public School, Patna, conducted a “Clean India drive” in the Adalatganj slum, as part of a school programme under the aegis of Le Benevolat project, on Thursday. The drive was carried out in collaboration with World Vision Area Development Project and the Youth Mobilisation For National Advancement.

Molestation case

Patna: The Bihar state branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Thursday passed a resolution, criticising the director-general of police’s order to arrest Bhagalpur doctor Mrityunjay Kumar. The doctor has been accused of molestation. The IMA state secretary, Sanjiv Ranjan Kumar Singh, said the DGP had assured the doctors’ delegation that no action would be taken against Mrityunjay till the completion of a high-level inquiry.

Study material

Patna: Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee’s Ajay Kumar and party leaders on Thursday distributed study and stationery material among schoolchildren of Dalit Colony of Kamla Nehru Nagar.

Assembly letter

Patna: The Assembly’s zero hour committee on Thursday sent a letter to Brajesh Mehrotra, principal secretary, health, and N.R. Biswas, director, IGIMS, to apprise the panel whether its recommendations on reinstating a female professor of the nursing college was followed or not.

SUCI debate

Patna: The Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) organised a debate on the relevance of November Revolution at the IMA Hall on Thursday. SUCI (Communist) politburo member Ranjit Dhar said Lenin established communist rule in Russia by a revolution based on the principles of Karl Marx. He said there was a need to intensify the socialist movement in order to uproot capitalism from India.

Chargesheet

Munger: The criminal investigation department has submitted chargesheets against three accused in the murder of a Lakhisarai doctor in the court of the chief judicial magistrate (Lakhisarai), deputy police superintendent, CID, Udai Prasad Singh said on Thursday.