New Delhi: A court here Monday granted interim protection from arrest to RK Pachauri, director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), against whom a sexual harassment complaint has been registered by a research associate working in his office.
Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi granted interim relief from arrest to Pachauri till Feb 26 in the case.
The court`s direction came while hearing the anticipatory bail application of Pachauri.
The court also issued notice to Delhi Police to file a reply on the bail plea of the TERI director.
The Delhi High court had earlier granted Pachauri interim protection from arrest till Feb 23 after he had moved high court following a police summon for questioning him with regard to the allegations.
In the FIR, the complainant has claimed that Pachauri had sexually harassed her for nearly two years since she joined the organisation in September 2013. She also alleged that Pachauri had engaged in “sexually-laden conversations” with her over email and SMS.
The FIR was based on a complaint filed by the woman at the Lodhi Colony police station Feb 13, and included sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation charges.
In the wake of the complaint, Pachauri, also the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, had to cancel the plenary session of the top scientific body on global warming that he was scheduled to attend in Nairobi Feb 22.
On Saturday, some senior lawyers held a press conference and claimed that another former woman employee of TERI had sent them a letter complaining about Pachauri`s behaviour with her 10 years ago, when she worked there.
IANS
New Delhi: The Delhi Police is likely to summon the seniors of the five corporate officials arrested in the Petroleum Ministry document leakage case for questioning, sources said on Monday.
“We will soon be sending notices to the seniors of all five arrested officials. We want them to join the probe,” a police officer said.
In addition, the police were also on the lookout for an employee of the Petroleum Ministry named Lokesh, who was part of the multi-tasking staff (MTS) in Shastri Bhawan.
Police said it is likely that Lokesh, who is missing at the moment, was working for another group of private companies and leaking information to them.
“We are probing all the angles and may register a new FIR in this regard,” said the officer.
Police have already arrested two government employees – Asharam, 58, and Ishwar Singh, 56 – who too were working as MTS in Shastri Bhawan.
Meanwhile, the five officials have been sent to three days` police custody as police raided two places in the city as part of its investigations.
Those sent to police custody till February 24 are – RIL corporate affairs manager Shailesh Saxena, Jubilant Energy senior executive Subash Chandra, Reliance ADAG DGM Rishi Anand, Essar DGM Vinay and Cairns India GM K.K. Naik.
All were arrested on Friday and booked under sections dealing with criminal conspiracy and use of stolen property. Their arrest took to 12 the number of those behind bars in the case.
Around a dozen teams of the Delhi Police`s crime branch are working on the case.
With IANS inputs
New Delhi: Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar, who was abducted by the Taliban in June last year, on Sunday thanked the Government of India for its effort to secure his release from Afghanistan.
“I want to thank almighty first. I also sincerely thank Prime Minister Modi as it is because of him that I am here, as well as all the officials of the Foreign Ministry; they have done a great job. The Government of India, especially the External Affairs Ministry, has taken a lot of effort to take care of me, to console me. Thirdly, I thank my own family and society of Jesus,” said Father Alexis.
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had confirmed the release of Father Alexis.
The 47-year-old Indian Jesuit priest was kidnapped by unknown gunmen from Herat in June last year and was being held as a captive in Afghanistan.
ANI
Manama: France deployed an aircraft carrier in the Gulf on Monday as part of the US-led military campaign against the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq, a defence ministry official said.
“The integration of the Charles de Gaulle in the operation… (in Iraq) begins this morning,” a member of Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s staff told AFP as his entourage made its way to the carrier.
In a remark that may spark controversy, he also said that Muslims do yoga five times in a day and termed “Prophet Mohammad as the greatest yogi”.
“I believe if yoga comes into the life of common people, then the daily incidents of rape, I would not say, they will cease to exist, but there will definitely be a decrease in them,” said Mr Joshi.
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“It will create a new way of thinking amongst men and women, changing the way one feels for a human body… that the body is such a machine which nature has given us for some larger work… people’s attention will go towards this,” he said.
He was speaking during a seminar titled ‘The Iyengar Way – Yoga for the New Millennium’.
Referring to an experiment done in New York on transcendental medication introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mr Joshi said that when a vice chancellor of a university reviewed it, it was found that the crime rate in New York had come down, while the inmates in jails had undergone change in their behavior.
“Our Muslim brothers do yoga five times in a day. The postures of ‘namaz’…in that two or three postures, even you will be able to tell (which ones they are),” he said.
“That is why I think Mohammad sahab was a great yogi. As this prescription is of praying to god…connecting it to yoga, he could not have done it without practising yoga,” he added.
Referring to the government’s focus on skill development, Mr Joshi said that that there should be a coordinated group between various ministries including Ayush, Education, Health and Skills, which would see how yoga can be utilized in ones social and economic life.
“It will create a new way of thinking amongst men and women, changing the way one feels for a human body… that the body is such a machine which nature has given us for some larger work… people’s attention will go towards this,” he said.
He was speaking during a seminar titled ‘The Iyengar Way – Yoga for the New Millennium’.
Referring to an experiment done in New York on transcendental medication introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mr Joshi said that when a vice chancellor of a university reviewed it, it was found that the crime rate in New York had come down, while the inmates in jails had undergone change in their behavior.
“Our Muslim brothers do yoga five times in a day. The postures of ‘namaz’…in that two or three postures, even you will be able to tell (which ones they are),” he said.
“That is why I think Mohammad sahab was a great yogi. As this prescription is of praying to god…connecting it to yoga, he could not have done it without practising yoga,” he added.
Referring to the government’s focus on skill development, Mr Joshi said that that there should be a coordinated group between various ministries including Ayush, Education, Health and Skills, which would see how yoga can be utilized in ones social and economic life.
He also said that if one starts any work after chanting mantras from Vedas or Upanishads, it will have good results.
Noting that yoga is not only for humans but also birds and animals, the veteran BJP leader said that yoga connects humans with animals as well.
“If you see carefully, in nature, animals and birds too do yoga…’mayur asan, sarp asan‘…this is natural. It’s not that it (yoga) is for humans but animals and birds as well. It is possible that they are for pests as well… It connects us with not only humans but also animals,” he said.
Mr Joshi also claimed that yoga was the greatest option of bringing peace, public order and prosperity in the entire country, and said it is very essential to introduce yoga in every wing of education.
He said that yoga brings sharing and caring, and programmes on yoga are very important for world peace. India can benefit the world through yoga, ayurveda and Sanskrit language, he said.
“This is land grab by the government; Britishers used to do this,” said Mr Hazare as he addressed hundreds of supporters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
It was here the septuagenarian activist had started his protest against corruption in 2011, which had managed to capture the imagination of India and mobilised thousands of people to take to the streets; but the movement had fizzled out in a few months.
Today, the activist took on the government over its promise of delivering ‘Achche Din’ (better days), and asked, “Are the ‘Acche Din’ only for industrialists, not for common people”?
He has been highly critical of the government for making certain changes in the Land Acquisition Act, introduced by the earlier Congress-led UPA government, through an ordinance.
The government had in December recommended promulgation of the ordinance making significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act including the removal of a consent clause for acquiring land for five areas of industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence.
‘What is the need to bring in ordinance when Act was passed in 2013,’ Mr Hazare said at Jantar Mantar, adding, ‘To cater to the industrialists, how can you betray the farmers?’
He also claimed that “very few farmers” were aware of the new Bill, and there is a need to create awareness about it.
Mr Hazare also threatened to start a ‘jail bharo andolan’, a movement to court arrest, if the government did not address concerns over the Ordinance within four months.
The activist had famously courted arrest during his agitation in 2011; he had been sent to Delhi’s Tihar Jail, where thousands of his supporters had congregated, and the government had been forced to release him.
Arvind Kejriwal, the current Chief Minister of Delhi, was considered one of Mr Hazare’s closest aides during the anti-corruption movement. The two parted ways after Mr Kejriwal floated political outfit the Aam Aadmi Party in 2012, despite the misgivings openly stated by his then mentor.
The Chief Minister will meet the activist tonight, sources have said.
Dhaka: A Bangladesh ferry with over 100 passengers sank on Sunday after colliding with a cargo ship, reports said.
Ferry MV Mostofa, with some 150 passengers capsized into River Padma after it collided with a cargo vessel at the Daulatdia-Paturia crossing, Fire Department said according to a news agency.
While few dozens of the passengers managed to swim ashore, a rescue operation is on to save others.
Fire Department official Shahzadi Begum said rescue teams were deployed and many passing boats were helping in the operation.
Inspector Zihad Mia, who is overseeing the rescue, said that that the ferry was submerged at a depth of up to 20 feet (6 meters).
The Padma is one of the largest rivers in the delta nation, which is crisscrossed by more than 130 rivers.
Low-lying Bangladesh, with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards, suffers regular ferry disasters, with deaths sometimes running into the hundreds.
Last August, a ferry with a capacity of 85 passengers was found to be carrying more than 200 when it capsized also on the Padma near Dhaka, leaving with more than 100 people dead or missing. The owner was arrested after weeks in hiding on charges of culpable homicide, unauthorized operation and overloading.
Bankura (WB): Seven sorcerers were arrested on Sunday for killing a woman for allegedly practicising black magic at a village in Jaipur of Bankura district.
“The seven persons beat her with brooms and scalded her with red-hot iron rods. She was declared brought dead in a local hospital when she fainted at Gelia village,” Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Nilkanta.
Shibani Biswas (57) were taken to the sorcerers and the torture was meted upon her, he said.
PTI
New Delhi: Against the backdrop of leakage of documents from his ministry, Oil and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday asserted that all those who subverted the system would be punished but made it clear that the government was not targeting any particular corporate.
He also said that his ministry is ascertaining whether standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling confidential information was violated.
“Yeh kisi ek ke bare mein ya kisi ek ki khilaf nahi hai. Hamare ghar mein chori hui hai and humne competent system ko approach kiya is cheeze ko throughly investigate karne ke liye. (this is not about anyone (corporate) or against anyone. Our house has been burguled and we approached the competent authority for investigation,” Pradhan told PTI here.
“One thing is clear that this government will not allow anybody to subvert the system. This government is determined to punish those who break law,” he told PTI here.
His comments came as the probe by Delhi Police continued to expand with 12 people, including five executives of private companies, being arrested and raids being carried out at various places. Those arrested include two staffers of the ministry.
According to police, some of the accused allegedly used fake ID cards to gain access to Shastri Bhawan, the building that houses the Petroleum Ministry on the second floor, in the middle of the night to get hold of confidential documents and allegedly sold them to purported agents of certain corporates.
The arrested executives belong to Reliance Industries, Essar, Cairn and Reliance Group.
“Nobody is above law. Nobody will be spared. Law will take its own course,” Pradhan has said.
“Nobody will be spared… Nobody can breach law, howsoever powerful he may be… We will not allow anyone to breach the system,” he said.
PTI
Mumbai: A bandh is being observed in Maharashtra on Sunday, following a call from the Left parties, to protest the cold-blooded murder of veteran CPI leader Govind Pansare.
The Opposition Congress and the NCP have also declared their support for the Left-sponsored protest.
RPI leader Ramdas Athawale participated in a ‘rasta roko’ at suburban Chembur here today to support the bandh and the Left workers held a protest at Worli Naka.
Meanwhile, Kolhapur police have announced a cash reward of Rs five lakh for anyone providing information about Pansare’s assailants.
The 78-year-old Communist leader’s mortal remains were consigned to flames in his hometown Kolhapur yesterday in the presence of a large number of his friends, supporters and admirers. However, no religious rituals were performed at the funeral.
Neither state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis nor any central Left leader attended the funeral.
Fadnavis said in Nashik yesterday that Pansare’s murder was a challenge to the system.
“It is not an attack on an individual. It is not an attack on an ideology. It is a challenge to the system,” he said.
Two motorcycle-borne assailants had shot at Pansare and his wife Uma on February 16 near their residence in Kolhapur when the couple was returning from morning stroll.
Pansare, who was hit by three bullets, succumbed to injuries at Breach Candy Hospital late on Friday. Uma is presently recuperating in a Kolhapur hospital.
The police have formed 20 teams to nab the attackers, but there has been no breakthrough so far.
PTI
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