NATION BRIEFS 12-03-2013
Stone death Judges’ posts Mining fines Jatin-Lalit kin Salman case Maya Ray dead Kerala order Chopper case Flight glitch Dog squad Merc owner Land row DSP probe Heroin haul Tamil protest Yatra grant
- Published 12.03.13
Srinagar: A load carrier driver hit by a stone in Anantnag on Friday succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Monday. Riyaz Ahmad Khanday has become the first victim of alleged stone throwers in the unrest that followed Afzal Guru’s execution.
New Delhi (PTI): The government will soon bring a legislation for an alternative system to appoint judges, law minister Ashwani Kumar has said. Currently, a collegium of judges has a larger say on such decisions. Kumar said the government was conscious of not interfering with judicial independence.
New Delhi (PTI): States have recovered over Rs 1,060 crore in four and a half years till September 2012 from fines levied on illegal mining, mines minister Dinsha Patel has said. Gujarat made the highest recovery at Rs 401 crore.
Mumbai (PTI): A forensic report on the death of Sandhya Singh, the sister of music composer duo Jatin-Lalit, has concluded that she was assaulted before being killed, police said. Another forensic report has suggested that Sandhya’s injuries were ante-mortem. Sandhya had been missing since December 13 last year. In the last week of January, her skull and bones were found at a marshy spot near Navi Mumbai.
Mumbai (PTI): Salman Khan did not appear before a sessions court on Monday in connection with the 2002 hit-and-run case as it has not yet been assigned to any judge.
Calcutta, March 11: Maya Ray, the widow of former chief minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray, died at her Beltala home on Monday night. She was 86. A family source said Maya Ray was suffering from renal problems and was to be admitted to a private nursing home on Tuesday morning.
Since Siddhartha Shankar Ray’s death in 2010, she had been living with her in-laws. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee went to Ray’s home on Monday to pay her condolences.
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The public service commission in Kerala has approved a proposal to make proficiency in Malayalam compulsory for getting state government jobs. A meeting of PSC members presided by chairperson K.S. Radhakrishnan cleared the proposal.
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has received the first set of official documents from Italy in connection with the VVIP chopper scam. The documents include the warrants issued against former Finmeccanica chief Giuseppe Orsi.
Mumbai (PTI): A Paris-bound Air France flight with 198 passengers had to return to the airport within half an hour of take-off on Monday morning because of a technical snag. The passengers and the crew are safe, an official said. The officials are arranging another plane to ferry the stranded passengers who have been put up at a hotel, he added.
Patna (PTI): The Bihar government is planning to deploy a special dog squad in each district to speed up scientific investigation of criminal cases. The proposal will be sent to the state cabinet for approval, home minister Vijay Chaudhary has said.
New Delhi, March 11 (PTI): The owner of a Mercedes-Benz has been asked by a motor tribunal to pay over Rs 1.4 lakh as compensation to the Union defence ministry for the damage caused to an army Ambassador by his rashly driven car in 2004.
The offending car owner, Delhi resident Bhupinder Patel, did not appear before the court to contest the case and the judgement was passed ex-parte.
Chandigarh (PTI): The CAG has slammed the Congress government in Haryana for allotting land to Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust in Gurgaon for an eye hospital in violation of the state’s policy. The Opposition parties have also accused the government of violating the law.
Lucknow (PTI): The CBI has sought from a Lucknow court the custody of two aides of MLA Raja Bhaiyya who were arrested by police in connection with the murder of DSP Zia-ul Haq. The plea, seeking the custody of Rajeev and Sanjay Singh, will be heard on Tuesday.
Batala (PTI): The BSF recovered 7kg of heroin from Punjab’s Gurdaspur sector on Monday. Spotting intruders along the border, the jawans challenged them. The intruders fled, leaving the heroin. The consignment valued Rs 35 crore, a spokesperson said.
Chennai (PTI): Madras High Court has declined to restrain the Tamil Eelam Supporter’s Organisation (Teso) from observing a one-day strike across Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. The organisation, revived recently by DMK president Karunanidhi, has been staging protests against alleged atrocities on Lankan Tamils.
Jammu (PTI): The Centre has granted Rs 6.28 crore to the Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure best medical facilities for Amarnath pilgrims this year, minister of state for health Shabir Ahmed Khan said on Monday.
