A Delhi court has upheld the conviction of a 34-year-old man for driving his car in an inebriated state, saying a deterrent message must be sent to society.

Additional Sessions Judge Atul Kumar Garg, however, reduced the three-day imprisonment awarded to the man by the trial court to sentence till the rising of the court after noting his age, dependent family members and that he was a first time offender.

Haryana resident Gaurav Jindal had approached the sessions court challenging the trial court’s order awarding him three days imprisonment for the offence of drunken driving.

“Considering the fact that the appellant had consumed liquor while driving the vehicle i.E. Car, a deterrent message must have been sent to the society.

“However, considering the age of the appellant as well as his dependent family members, coupled with the fact that the appellant (Jindal) is a first time offender, sentence passed by the trial court is reduced to the sentence of till rising of the court,” the sessions court said.

According to the prosecution, Jindal was found driving his car under the influence of liquor and in breath analyser test, the alcohol level in his body was found three times more than the permissible limit.

Jindal, in his appeal, claimed that the magistrate had not given any opportunity to defend himself during the trial of the case and also alleged that there were discrepancies in police probe.

He alleged that the trial court had passed the order without considering the fact that he was a poor person and only bread earner of his family.

GUWAHATI: Two hardcore NDFB(S) militants were apprehended today during a joint operation by Army and police in Assam’s Kokrajhar district.

Acting on specific information, a joint team of the Red Horns Division of the Army and police nabbed the duo, allegedly involved in the December 23 attack on adivasis and snatching weapons from the ecological battalion in October last, from Kokrajhar town this morning, a defence spokesman said here.

The Myanmar-trained militants have been identified as Sumkwr Mushahary alias Sugum and Swmkwr Basumatary and both were suspected to have fled to Bengaluru after the December 23 attack and had returned to the district recently.
The security forces recovered two 7.65 mm pistols, four live rounds of ammunition and some combat materials including documents, sources said.

Opposition parties in Parliament on Monday vociferously protested the “snooping” on Rahul Gandhi, with the government dismissing their contention saying they were making a “mountain out of what is not even a molehill”, leading the Congress to walk out of Rajya Sabha.

The government maintained in both the Houses that Delhi Police personnel had recently visited Mr. Gandhi’s residence to collect information on him as part of a transparent security profiling that was used to profile 526 other VIPs, including former Prime Ministers and Sonia Gandhi since UPA rule.

In the Rajya Sabha, the issue was raised by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad who said Mr. Gandhi had been a SPG protectee since his father Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister and it was “beyond comprehension” why the police was only now collecting such information on him like his shoe size, colour of hair, habits, his associates, friends and aides.

His senior party colleague Anand Sharma accused government of tapping phones of political leaders, judges and others through imported devices and demanded an inquiry monitored by the Supreme Court into the snooping issue.

The Upper House also saw Satyavrat Chaturvedi (Cong), Naresh Agarwal and Ramgopal Yadav (both SP) and K C Tyagi (JD-U) raising the issue of “snooping and spying” on the government’s political opponents.

In the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the NDA government was pursuing the Gujarat model of governance by snooping on political opponents.

“This has never happened in democracy,” Mr. Kharge said and asked the government to tell police officials to read ‘Who’s Who’ instead of seeking simple information from the persons concerned.

Responding to the charges, Leader of Rajya Sabha and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in both Houses the police has been collecting such information since 1987 on VIPs living in Lutyens Delhi through a proforma as part of a transparent security profiling.

Security needs and profiling should be left to security experts and “we should not attempt to become one”, he said, adding “the issue raised is making mountain of what is not even a molehill.”

The proforma, which was revised in 1999, has been used to profile former prime ministers H D Dewa Gowda, I.K. Gujral, Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The same was also used to profile Congress President Sonia Gandhi in October 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, he said.

RANAGHAT, WEST BENGAL: Two days after a 72-year-old nun with a convent in West Bengal’s Ranaghat was allegedly gang-raped, the police have picked up two more persons today taking the total number of those detained up to ten. “Extensive searched are on across the district to trace the accused,” said GNP Reddy, Kolkata’s Director General of Police.

The police, which is currently questioning the suspects, is yet to have a confirmation on whether those detained are a part of the gang that was involved in the assault. The police, on Saturday, announced a reward of Rs. 1 lakh for any concrete information leading to the culprits.

District Magistrate PB Salim, who visited Sister Superior of Jesus and Mary Convent School at the Ranaghat Hospital today, told reporters that the nun is recuperating well. She is likely to be discharged tomorrow.

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Mr Reddy visited the school said that the board exams were peacefully conducted.

Accordingly to the CCTV footage released by the Kolkata police, the 72-year-old nun was allegedly sexually assaulted by four dacoits. The footage depicts a gang of six men who reportedly broke into the Convent of Jesus and Mary, gagged the lone security guard on duty and then reportedly sexually assaulting the nun at around 4am. The police say that the men also allegedly ransacked the church and fled with Rs. 8 Lakhs in cash.

Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien says in a tweet, “Given notice in RS to raise the unfortunate incident of the alleged rape of a 72 year old nun in #Ranaghat. Such issues are beyond politics.” (Sic) He is likely to attend a solidarity march in Delhi.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is expected to visit the Ranaghat, has condemned the incident. Her government has ordered a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department and promised swift action against the culprits.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta today took out a rally in solidarity with the nun.

JAIPUR: 25 people were killed in rain-related incidents, while crops in 26 out of 33 districts in Rajasthan were damaged in the last three days, even as various district officials have been directed to conduct surveys to assess crop losses and submit a report to the government at the earliest so that relief could be provided to farmers affected.

In a video-conferencing yesterday, Rajasthan Chief Secretary CS Rajan directed Divisional Commissioners and District Collectors to conduct surveys in the district affected by rain and hailstorm, and prepare ‘Girdawari report’ at the earliest to asses actual losses to crops, according to an official statement issued in Jaipur.
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The Chief Secretary also reviewed the relief work and gave necessary directions to the officials, according to a release.

The Rajasthan Calamity and Relief Minister GC Kataria today told the House that 25 people died along with over 166 cattle and 1,315 livestock animals killed in the rain-related incidents so far.

Affected crops include cumin, coriander, orange, Isabgol, garlic, wheat, and mustard seeds crops in 4,247 villages, the statement mentioned, adding, more than 50 per cent crop damage was reported in 3102 villages.

Principal Secretary, Relief, Rohit Kumar said that efforts were on to provide relief to affected farmers.

Additional Chief Secretaries Ashok Sampatram, Shreemat Pandey, Principal Secretary Rajeshwar Singh, Secretary Rural Development Rajiv Thakur, Secretary Revenue Alok were also present with the Chief Secretary during the video conferencing.

Three New York foreign residents have pleaded not guilty to charges that they attempted to provide support for Islamic State (IS) militants.

Abdurasul Juraboev, 24, and Abror Habibov, 30, both from Uzbekistan; and Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, of Kazakhstan, were arrested last month by the FBI.

This came after Mr Saidakhmetov allegedly tried to travel to Syria via Turkey to join IS.

One suspect had pledged to kill US President Barack Obama, the FBI said.

The men came to the authorities’ attention after they posted to Uzbek-language websites in recent months.

‘Very frightened’
The three men appeared in shackles and blue prison uniforms in New York’s federal court on Friday.

One by one, they told the presiding judge they were not guilty of the charges against them.

Mr Saidakhmetov was arrested at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, as he tried to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, federal prosecutors said.

Defence lawyer Adam Perlmutter said his client was “very frightened by what’s happening to him”, the Associated Press news agency said.

But the lawyer added that Mr Saidakhmetov thought he did nothing wrong.

The prosecutors also said that Mr Juraboev bought a plane ticket to travel from New York to Istanbul in March.

The third suspect, Mr Habibov, is accused of helping to fund Mr Saidakhmetov’s efforts to join the Syrian jihadists.

Later on Friday, the judge set their next court hearing for 19 June. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The US has charged about 20 people with planning to join militant groups overseas, many intending to go to Syria to fight for IS.Figures suggest more than 20,000 foreigners have joined the conflicts in Iraq and Syria in the last three years.

Seven girls allegedly pushed into flesh trade were rescued from a bar in Kashimira area here, police said.

The local crime branch of Thane rural police and the anti-human trafficking unit jointly conducted a raid in a bar at Kashmiria at around midnight yesterday and rescued the seven girls from there, senior police inspector Kishore Khairnar said.

The bar owner, identified as Sudhakar Anant Shetty, was arrested, he said.

A search has been launched to nab three other bar employees – Ravi Anna Shetty, Harish Shetty and Sudhakar Lingayat – for their alleged involvement in the offence.

The accused have been booked under relevant sections of Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, he said.

Hailing the Delhi high court’s verdict on offloading of Greenpeace activist, Supreme Court lawyer Vrinda Grover today said that the judgement should serve as an “eye opener” to those who seek to misuse state machinery in the name of security.

Priya Pillai’s case had revived memories of the Emergency when similar attempts were made to muzzle the freedom of expression in the country by those in power, she said, while delivering the 10th I G Khan Memorial Lecture here.

The Delhi High Court had on Thursday set aside Government’s decision to offload Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai from an aircraft to London two months back, saying it was “illegal” and that the right to criticise cannot be “muzzled” by the state.

The targeted killings and sexual crimes against women, especially those living in militaristic areas of the country like the North-East, and those who find themselves in spaces of communal conflict, were a blot on Indian democracy, Grover said.

Grover, also a human rights crusader, stated that it was a shame that the state frequently seeks to justify crime against women committed by sections of the apparatus in the name of security of the state.

She recounted that the state machinery in the North-East and Gujarat in 2004 had used similar arguments for justifying crimes against two women in the name of the security.

The Manorama rape case in Manipur and the Ishrat Jahan encounter in Gujarat are two glaring examples of such gross misuse of the security bogey by the state machinery for justifying crimes against women, she said.

The advocate pointed out that the future outcome of Ishrat Jahan encounter case now becomes a moot point since it appears unlikely that police officials, who had earlier given evidence against Gujarat government, would continue to do so in the changed circumstances of the country.

She said that women who are victims of crimes like mass rape find it very difficult to give evidence especially if it pertains to acts committed by state machinery including security agencies.

In such a scenario, it was gratifying that more than half a dozen-odd mass rape victims during the 2013 communal violence in Muzaffarnagar had been able to register cases against the perpetrators of such heinous crimes, Grover said.

The lawyer said that it was only possible because of the courage of human rights organisations and intervention of the Supreme Court.

Bengaluru: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s ailments are a “classic case” of faulty and stressful lifestyle but he has been “detoxified” to a large extent now, a senior doctor said on Saturday.
On first day of his medical check-up we observed that this time along with his uncontrolled sugar, he has brought a nagging chronic cough too, which was rather alarming,” said Babina Nandakumar, Chief Medical Officer at Jindal Nature Cure Institute on city outskirts, where Kejriwal is admitted.

She said while traditional naturopathic treatments comprising hydrotherapy, massages, packs and mud therapy have been initiated with great effect in combination with yoga and diet therapy, “We had to address his chronic cough rather differently.”

“Our observation has found it to be a classic case of faulty and stressful lifestyle that included high consumption of aerated drinks, irregular eating habits, high level of pollution leading to the accumulation of toxins in his body, which required immediate attention, by a competent naturopathy regimen,” she said in a statement.

Giving the details of treatment, Nandakumar said “a whole lot of detoxifying treatments were introduced from naturopathy, yoga therapy, diet and their immediate effects were clearly evident.”

She said “He is to a large extent detoxified now and his entire system is rejuvenated. His current sugar level is, fasting at 90mg/dI and post prandial at 130mg/dI and his medication has been reduced to only 30 per cent from his medication level at the time of his admission.”

The 46-year-old Aam Aadmi Party leader was admitted to

the institute, along with his parents, for a 10-day nature cure treatment on March 5. He will be discharged on March 16. Kejriwal’s father suffered from constipation and his mother from diabetes and arthritis.

The AAP leader is here, as he battles an internal turmoil in his party that has taken an ugly turn after its founders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were ousted from the Political Affairs Committee, with sting operations adding dramatic elements to the tale.

Nandakumar said he has been advised a strong follow up for his lifestyle modification, dietary changes and daily practice of prescribed yogasana, pranayama and Kriya. He has also been advised that lifestyle change is the key to natural health, and he shall live a normal healthy life following the Naturopathic way of life.

This was second admission for Kejriwal at the naturopathy institute, the first one being in February 2012, along with his then mentor Anna Hazare.

It appears that during the past two years Kejriwal could not follow the lifestyle changes that he had learnt here, may be due to his busy schedule, Nandakumar said. “This deviation from natural lifestyle has had its toll and his blood sugar level has shot up to the level of 300mg/dI plus.”

“We are given to understand that insulin and oral diabetic medications could not stabilise his blood sugar levels at all,” she added.

WASHINGTON: The US has reminded Pakistan its commitment to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai terror attack to justice after a court ordered to free LeT operations commander and 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

“The government of Pakistan has pledged its cooperation in bringing the perpetrators – financiers, and sponsors of the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice and we urge Pakistan to follow through on that commitment,” State Depart ..

The government of Pakistan has pledged its cooperation in bringing the perpetrators – financiers, and sponsors of the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice and we urge Pakistan to follow through on that commitment,” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters yesterday.

“We are monitoring reports that an Islamabad high court judge suspended detention orders for the alleged Mumbai attack mastermind,” she said.

For now he remains in prison,” Psaki told reporters. She said, “Pakistan is a critical partner in a fight against terrorism. We’ve certainly seen these reports (of a court granting bail to Lakhvi), but we can’t speculate on the outcome of an ongoing legal process.”

Islamabad High Court yesterday suspended the detention order of Lakhvi and ordered his immediate release.

An “outraged” India summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi to lodge a strong protest against the court order to release Lakhvi and said freeing him will pose a threat which “cannot be ignored”.