A man and four other persons, accused of killing his father, have been acquitted by a Delhi court which said suspicion however strong cannot take the place of proof.
Additional Sessions Judge Manoj Jain let off all the five accused, including the son of the deceased, a north-west Delhi resident, of the charge of committing the murder in 2008, saying the police should not have sent the accused for trial on the basis of speculation alone.
“Suspicion, howsoever strong it may be, cannot take the place of proof and, therefore, investigating agency was not right in sending up the accused for trial on the basis of speculation alone,” the judge observed.
The court said that the prosecution has not been able to prove its case as it failed to produce a witness who might have seen accused committing the murder in question.
“There is no other fact or circumstance which may show their involvement and complicity,” the court said, while adding, “The police has no business to take away the valuable fundamental right of personal liberty.”
It also said, “It is only on the basis of ‘inadmissible’ disclosure statements that the investigating agency had tried to weave the sequence of events.”
According to the prosecution, on January 11, 2008, a man was found shot dead during his routine morning walk.
It had said that the police had closed the report as it remained a blind case for almost two years and it was the Crime Branch which, acting on a tip-off, nabbed all the accused.
The Crime Branch had filed the charge sheet based on the disclosure statements by the accused, alleging that due to the ill-treatment by the father, his son conspired to kill him.
The National Green Tribunal today rapped the civic authorities in Ghaziabad for dumping of solid waste and disposal of sewage in Sai Upvan, the 200 acre forest area in the city.
The green panel also directed the Ghaziabad municipal commissioner to appear before it and apprise it about the actual condition there.
“It is seen from the photographs that the area where the board of Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam is placed is full of sewage. It is clear that nothing was done by the Nigam despite directions by the Tribunal.
“Even it has not filed reply in the case…In such circumstances we direct municipal commissioner of Nigam to be present before us on Feb 26,” a bench headed by Justice M S Nambiar said.
The direction came in the wake of a plea filed by Society for Protection of Environment and Biodiversity (SPENBIO) and Ghaziabad resident Sushil Raghav seeking demolition of unauthorised and illegal structures located in green belts of the city.
Advocate Rahul Choudhary, appearing for the petitioners, told the bench that the area, which was marked as city forest in Ghaziabad’s master plan 2021 was being damaged by felling of trees and dumping of garbage.
The city forest is now filled with sewage, which has completely destroyed the area, he said.
“Around 6 lakh trees were planted in the city forest area but as of today very less trees have survived. Moreover, even after several complaints to the authorities, no action has been taken and the city forest is converted into pool of sewage,” Rahul said.
During the hearing, the counsel for Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam told the bench that the city forest area does not fall under it and he would file a detailed reply in the matter.
On the last date of hearing, the tribunal had stayed construction of a city club in green belt area in Ghaziabad.
An earthquake that rattled remote towns high in California’s Sierra Nevada on Tuesday afternoon startled residents for miles around California, but caused no serious damage or injuries, authorities said.
The magnitude 4.8 quake struck just after 3 p.m. six miles (9.6 kilometers) west of Big Pine, a small community in the eastern side of the mountain range along scenic US Route 395.
The quake nine miles(14.4 kilometers) underground in Inyo County hit along the Owens Valley fault line, said Susan Garcia of the US Geological Survey Earthquake Science Center in Menlo Park.
The area has experienced eight quakes of a magnitude 3 since 1935, and a magnitude 4 hit in 1988.
The initial jolt on Tuesday was followed by a series of six aftershocks over more than an hour, the largest had a magnitude of 4.3, Garcia said. Residents in Sacramento, Livermore, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles and across the state line in Nevada reported feeling the ground shaking.
“I thought something hit our building because there was a loud boom and everything shook for about four to six seconds,” said Cody Lawson, a dispatcher at the nearby Bishop Police Department. “It hit hard right off the bat.”
Nobody called to report an emergency in the town of about 2,500 residents, he said, adding that some in the dispatch center where he works sought shelter under their desks. Lawson said he went to a door frame and waited for the shaking to stop.
Minutes after he got back to his desk and answered the phone, he described one of the aftershocks. “It’s not as strong,” he said. “We’re rolling.” A pre-dawn quake also Tuesday struck just north of Big Bear in the mountains east of Los Angeles. The USGS reported that it registered at 3.8 in magnitude.
The Reserve Bank of India today fixed the reference rate of the rupee at 68.5920 against the US dollar and 76.6104 for the euro.
These rates were 68.3360 and 76.2425 respectively, yesterday.
According to an RBI statement, the exchange rates for the pound and the yen against the rupee were quoted at 98.0180 and 60.32 per 100 yens, respectively, based on reference rates for the dollar and cross-currency quotes at noon.
The SDR-rupee rate will be based on this rate, the statement added.
Dubai, Feb 17 (PTI) Gulf carrier Etihad Airways along with partner Jet Airways has carried a record 3.3 million people between Abu Dhabi and India in 2015, registering a 63 per cent growth in passenger traffic.
Together, the airlines carried a record 3.3 million passengers between Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub and India in 2015, representing a sharp rise on the 2 million flown during the previous 12 months, the airline said.
“Bilateral relations between the UAE and India continue to grow based on years of friendship and deep commitment to strengthen economic, cultural and trade ties.
“With Etihad Airways and Jet Airways together offering over 44,000 seats each week between Abu Dhabi and India, we are clearly are a key contributor to India’s dynamic economy.
There is further room to grow and we are looking at the many opportunities that exist to develop our operations,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Our investment in Jet Airways was aimed at being part of the Indian success story. Before the Jet deal, Etihad Airways carried only two per cent of the international traffic to and from India. We have helped bring Jet Airways back to profitability.
“Today, Jet Airways is our number one equity partner for revenue and passenger contribution on Etihad Airways, and India is Abu Dhabi’s number one source market for international visitors,” he added.
The UAE is the 10th biggest foreign – and largest Arab – investor in India.
Etihad operates 175 flights each week to and from 11 Indian gateway cities. The combined networks of Etihad Airways and Jet Airways offer over 250 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and 15 cities across India.
From May 1, the airline will launch its award-winning Airbus A380 operations to Mumbai.
By 2020, domestic and international passenger traffic through Indian airports is expected to double to 450 million.
The UN World Tourism Organisation predicts more than 50 million Indians travelling overseas annually by 2020.
A 19-member Parliamentary Working Committee (PWC) on Naga political issue of Nagaland Assembly has been camping in New Delhi to seek the support of national political parties for early solution of the vexed problem.
The delegation, led by Chief Minister TR Zeliang and Speaker Chotisuh Sazo, called on BJP President Amit Shah and JD(U) President Sharad Yadav yesterday, a government statement said here last evening.
While Shah has given an assurance to meet their demands, Yadav expressed his party’s support even for a constitutional amendment, if required, for a peaceful solution to the Naga political issue, it said.
The PWC delegation is expected to meet other national leaders for a consensus, it said.PTI
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday retained the Palghar assembly seat as its candidate Amit Ghoda trounced his nearest Congress rival Rajendra Gavit by nearly 19,000 votes.
The death of Ghoda’s father and sitting Sena legislator Krishna Ghoda on May 24 last year necessitated the by-election in a predominantly tribal constituency.
Ghoda bagged 67,129 votes compared with Gavit’s 48,181 votes. Former Shiv Sena leader Manisha Nimkar, who fought on a Bahujan Vikas Aghadi ticket, trailed with 36,781 votes.
Chandrakant Vartha, the CPIM nominee bagged 4,865 votes and Dilpee Dumada of Bahujan Mukti Party got 1,417 votes, with 3,162 voters choosing the ‘None Of The Above’ option.
Sena’s ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, did not contest the by-election. BJP candidate Premchand Gond stood third in the October 2014 assembly elections.
Voting was held on February 13, in which 161,535 of the total 2.47 lakh voters or 65.25 percent exercised their franchise. Nearly 69 percent votes were polled in the 2014 assembly polls in the constituency.
In the last assembly elections, Krishna Ghoda won the seat by just 526 votes, prompting defeated Congress candidate Rajendra Gavit to challenge the result in a court of law, the outcome of which is awaited.
Krishna Ghoda was twice a Congress legislator from the constituency but lost once in 2009 as a Nationalist Congress Party nominee. He defected to the Shiv Sena just before the October 2014 assembly elections.
Hundreds of journalists today held a protest march against the attack on mediapersons covering the hearing of a sedition case in which the JNU students’ union president has been arrested and demanded that the culprits be brought to book.
The scribes, representing various journalist bodies, took out a march from the Press Club to the Supreme Court raising slogans in support of freedom of expression and against alleged police inaction during the incident yesterday.
A delegation of journalists also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and sought a thorough probe into the incident and strict action against those involved in the assault at the Patiala House Court Complex.
The journalists questioned the “silence of police” over the attack on students and scribes and dubbed it an insult to the judiciary as the incident took place inside a court complex.
Journalists, students and teachers of JNU were beaten up allegedly by groups of lawyers, drawing criticism from the press amidst calls for the Home Ministry to look into the “dereliction of duty” by police, which has been accused of being a “mute spectator” during the incident.
The journalist bodies said it was a matter of “great concern” that attacks on mediapersons are “going up”.
Police have said two FIRs have been registered against unnamed persons in connection with the attack.
Visakhapatnam: A disappointed Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal said not playing well in the Power Play overs cost his inexperienced side the just-concluded Twenty20 series against India.
In Ranchi, the Lankans bowlers bled runs throughout while here in the final match, they lost half the side inside six overs.
“Throughout the series we played good cricket. In the first game we got momentum but in the second and third games, we did not start well. In Ranchi, we did not bowl well in the first six overs and here we lost four wickets during Power play overs. These are mistakes in the last two games,” Chandimal said at after the nine-wicket loss in the third T20 here last night.
Chandimal also rued the lack of experienced players in the side to counter the Indian team.
“We have got an inexperienced team. They don’t know how to stay at the crease and get some more runs. We struggled with that. I think they will learn as soon as possible and we are looking forward to do well in the next series.”
The Sri Lankan captain though took out a few positives from the lost series, saying they found a few future players.
“In Dushmanta (Chameera), Dasun Shanaka, Kasun Rajitha, we found those players for future, we can get this positive out of the series,” he said.
Rupee strengthened by 11 paise to 68.12 against the dollar in early trade at Interbank Foreign Exchange on increased selling of the US currency by exporters and banks amid higher opening in the domestic equity market.
Forex dealers said besides selling of the American unit by exporters and banks, weakness in the dollar against some other currencies overseas, supported the rupee.
Further, a higher opening in the domestic equity market influenced the rupee uptrend, they added.
On Friday, the rupee had recovered 7 paise to end at 68.23 per dollar on fresh selling of the American currency by banks and exporters in view of mild recovery in domestic equities.
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