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Former CBI chief Sinha's meetings inappropriate, need to be investigated: SC

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Supreme Court India

New Delhi: Terming as “inappropriate” the alleged meetings of former CBI Director Ranjit Kumar Sinha with the accused in coalgate and 2G cases, the Supreme Court today said the matter “needs to be investigated” and asked the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to assist it.

A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur said there is merit in the allegations that Sinha met persons in the absence of investigating officers of the cases and asked the CVC to file a report on the entire issue on or before July 6.

“We see merits in the submission. It is inappropriate on the part of CBI Director to meet persons in the absence of IOs,” said the bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and A K Sikri.

It also dismissed Sinha’s plea seeking prosecution of lawyer Prashant Bhushan for alleged perjury.

Bhushan had filed the plea on behalf of an NGO seeking a probe by a Special Investigating Team (SIT) against Sinha for alleged abuse of position for scuttling the probe into a coal block allocation scam case.

In the plea, NGO Common Cause had alleged that entries in the visitors’ register of the former CBI Director’s residence had made it clear that he was meeting the high-profile accused and those associated with coal block allocation.

The plea had said there was a need for a court-monitored SIT investigation to ascertain “whether any consideration exchanged hands”.

The bench had reserved its judgement on April 13 in the matter in which Sinha had claimed that a “hidden hand” was the “controlling mind” of Bhushan and had accused him of interfering and scuttling the probe into the coalgate.

The NGO, in its application, had submitted that since the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Delhi Police had not lodged an FIR on its November 25, 2014 complaint, there was a need for a court-monitored probe for alleged abuse of authority by Sinha as the then director of CBI.

However, Sinha had rejected the NGO’s claim that he and a few other senior officers of the level of Joint Director repeatedly overruled the investigating officers (IOs) and forced them not to register FIRs/RCs in cases where Preliminary Enquiries had been registered and directed closure of the cases.

In the plea for perjury against the NGO and Bhushan, Sinha’s counsel had said “there is not a single case in which Sinha overruled the unanimous opinion of the officers working under him with regard to recommending closure in which they have recommended conversion to a regular case.

“Thus, the falsity of the statement made before this Court is evident from this count alone.”

(PTI)

Karnataka progressing under Congress rule: Siddaramaiah

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Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Asserting that Karnataka was rated as one of the most progressive states of India, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the ruling Congress gave equal importance to social and economic sectors.

“Karnataka has been appreciated as one of the most progressive states in the country with proactive industrial policy and welfare schemes for the benefit of the people,” Siddaramaiah said at ‘Meet the Press’ event, held to mark the completion of two years of his government.

Claiming that the state remained the most preferred destination for investments, the chief minister said his government had fulfilled 100 of the 160 promises it had made in the party manifesto before May 2013 assembly elections.

“Our pro-poor schemes such as cheaper foodgrain to poor people, free milk supply to students, interest-free loans to farmers and welfare schemes to other sections of society are benefiting the people across the state,” Siddaramaiah said.

Claiming that the Congress would do well in the gram panchayat polls later this month and the Bengaluru civic body elections in July, the chief minister said the people were intelligent and know whom to elect.

“I regret to say the (opposition) BJP and JD-S were more worried about their fate in the ensuing elections and indulging in making baseless allegations against our government and party,” Siddaramaiah said.

The chief minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, said in the three state budgets he presented so far, he had ensured proportionate allotment of resources to all sectors, especially, agriculture, irrigation, power, roads, education, healthcare and urban infrastructure, including in Bengaluru.

“By adding 3,000 MW over the next three years, the state will have surplus power. We have allotted Rs.13,000 crore in this fiscal budget to execute pending irrigation projects for increasing foodgrains production,” he said.

Defending the amendment bill to split the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and superseding it four days before its five-year term was to end on April 22, Siddaramaiah said as the city’s population exploded to 11 million, it was essential to trifurcate the civic body for administrating the city better and improving the infrastructure, including basic amenities.

“The civic body (BBMP) has been expanded by including seven city municipal councils, one town municipal council and 111 surrounding villages to increase its civic wards to 198 from 100 in 2007 by the then BJP-JD-S government. It has become unwieldy. We need to split it for all-round development of the city,” he added.

(Agencies)

'I like Rajdeep, but enough is enough' – Prasar Bharati CEO hits out at Rajdeep Sardesai

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In a Facebook post, Prasar Bharati CEO lists the challenges of working with the public broadcaster and lashes out at arrogant ‘media stars’.

Jawhar Sircar Rajdeep Sardesai

In a Facebook post, Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer and former culture secretary Jawhar Sircar lists the challenges of working for a public broadcaster and lashes out at journalist Rajdeep Sardesai.

The post was apparently in response to certain comments Sardesai had made during journalist and author Nalin Mehta’s book launch in Delhi last week.

Sircar also tweeted out a piece headlined “Thank You Barkha, Arnab, Rajdeep And All You Senseless Pieces Of Disgrace: You’ve Done It Again” that spoke about the Indian media’s reporting in Nepal.

To which Barkha Dutt replied and later tweeted.

Why is oil and gas activity causing earthquakes? And can we reduce the risk?

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Texas: leading the ‘Shale Revolution.’ Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters

Texas: leading the ‘Shale Revolution.’ Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters

by Matthew Hornbach, The Conversation

If you’ve been following the news lately, chances are you’ve heard about – or even felt – earthquakes in the central United States. During the past five years, there has been an unprecedented increase in earthquakes in the North American mid-continent, a region previously considered one of the most stable on Earth.

According to a recent report by the Oklahoma Geological Survey, Oklahoma alone has seen seismicity rates increase 600 times compared to historic levels.

The state has gone from experiencing fewer than two magnitude-three earthquakes per year to greater than two per day, the report found. Similarly, my home state of Texas has experienced a near 10-fold increase in magnitude-three earthquakes or greater in the past five years.

The recent uptick in earthquakes in Texas, Oklahoma and several other central US states raises an obvious question: What is causing all of this seismicity?

Earthquake Causes

Brine water that comes up from oil and gas wells is pumped into deep injection wells (left). EPA

Several factors can promote the occurrence of earthquakes. There are natural changes caused by the shifting of Earth’s plates, the advance and retreat of glaciers, the addition or removal of surface water or ground water, and the injection or removal of fluids due to industrial activity.

Studies including two reports issued in April, indicate that human activities, including activities related to oil and gas extraction, are beginning to play a significant role in triggering earthquakes in the central US.

Extracting oil and gas from shale rock involves cracking, or fracturing, a layer of underground rock with a high-pressure mix of water, sand, and chemicals. As the oil and gas are released, those injection fluids and briny water also come up. That wastewater is later disposed of in what are called injection wells, or sometimes disposal wells.

It is important to note that it is not the fracking process itself that usually causes these earthquakes; it is the rapid injection of fluid during wastewater disposal that sometimes pumps hundreds of millions of gallons of brine deep into the earth each year.

Hundreds of studies

So do injection wells cause earthquakes?

A recent peer-reviewed scientific study I co-authored concludes human-activities, specifically water production and wastewater injection, represent the most likely cause of earthquakes in the Azle/Reno, Texas region, where significant gas production and wastewater injection began five years ago.

But this is not a fundamentally new discovery. For nearly a century, industry and academic researchers have recognized that human activities can and do sometimes trigger earthquakes.

Indeed, entire books – including many standard texts used in advanced petroleum geology, geomechanics, and petroleum engineering classes – are dedicated to understanding fault reactivation, rock mechanics, and the ways humans can facilitate these processes for the betterment of humanity.

Damage from a 2011 earthquake in Oklahoma. Brian Sherrod, US Geological Survey, CC BY

Additionally, multiple studies and reports, including hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific studies – and independent studies conducted by the National Research Council of the United States National Academy of Science and Engineering – confirm that the injection or removal of fluids can and indeed do trigger earthquakes.

What is unique and exciting about our Azle/Reno study is the unprecedented support and cooperation of the energy industry, which in many instances provided mission-critical data, technical support, and constructive scientific reviews to allow scientists to better assess, model, and understand earthquakes in the Azle/Reno area and across Texas.

In our instance, industry researchers went far beyond state regulatory requirements by providing insight into the location and orientation of regional faults, injection reservoir pressures, and subsurface flow.

The Azle/Reno study highlights how cooperation, transparency, and mutual respect between, industry, academia, and regulators can improve our understanding of seismicity, and help mitigate risk for all parties working, living, and conducting business in Texas.

Can this risk be mitigated?

Human-triggered earthquakes often involve the rapid removal or injection of large volumes of liquids from the surface, or subsurface.

As our study, and many studies – including those conducted by industry – suggest, the key to understanding and mitigating earthquake hazards in Texas and elsewhere is high-quality data, especially data that monitor and assess subsurface pressures, fluid injection volumes, fluid extraction volumes, and regional seismicity with time.

A recent US Geological Survey (USGS) report indicates the seismic hazard in some areas of Texas is now comparable to areas of Oklahoma and California due in part to wastewater injection.

That said, it is equally important to note that thousands of injection wells exist across Texas (and other states) that have no associated felt seismicity. Indeed, at this time, only a tiny minority of injection wells in Texas have been plausibly linked to earthquakes.

Over time, wells produce more water along with oil, creating more briny wastewater to dispose of. Public Herald/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Although the rate of seismicity in Texas has clearly accelerated in the past five years, it is still very low across much of the state. This is also generally true for Arkansas, Ohio, Colorado, and Kansas, where links have been suggested between disposal wells and earthquakes.

In short, now is not a time to panic, but a time to take stock of the resources available to make well-informed science-based decisions that allow states to understand, prepare, and mitigate risk associated with earthquake hazards.

Indeed, scientists are actively researching how to better understand and ultimately reduce human-triggered earthquakes.

There have been studies to develop a general hazard model for injection wells as well as specific strategies on how to reduce risk during and prior to the injection process. These strategies generally include the early detection and location of potentially weak faults, choosing appropriate injection reservoirs that minimize the risk of increasing underground pressure, and adjusting wastewater injection practices to reduce or minimize seismicity.

Scientists can also collect more detailed brine production and injection data, underground pressure data, and regional seismic data to better predict how subsurface pressures and associated seismicity might evolve with time. These techniques are already being implementing at known induced seismicity sites with success.

History dictates that the advent of new technology often leads to new and unforeseen challenges. The printing press, the automobile, and splitting the atom have provided incalculable benefits to humanity but also incredible responsibility.

What is recognized as the Texas-led “Shale Revolution,” arguably one of the most significant innovations of the modern era, is no different.

Our society is blessed with some of the finest scientists and engineers in all of industry and academia. Working together, with support from regulatory agencies, we believe the same scientific prowess, ingenuity, and entrepreneurial spirit that advanced the hydrocarbon industry in the US this past decade can also help address the new challenges and responsibilities emerging.

Matthew Hornbach is the Associate Professor of Geophysics at Southern Methodist University.

The Conversation

Search to reach Nepal earthquake survivors resumes

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Rescuers try to reach remote mountain communities as death toll rises to 66 in latest disaster to hit Himalayan nation.

Nepal_earthquake

by Al Jazeera

Rescuers have continued efforts to reach survivors of a deadly new earthquake in Nepal that triggered landslides and brought down buildings, as the search resumed for a US military helicopter that went missing while delivering aid.

Thousands of traumatised survivors woke on Wednesday morning after spending the night outdoors, afraid to return to their houses after the 7.3-magnitude quake, which killed at least 66 people in Nepal and hit less than three weeks after the country was devastated by its deadliest quake in more than 80 years.

The latest disaster took the overall death toll over the past three weeks to more than 8,200 people, and has compounded the already monumental challenge of reaching far-flung mountain communities in desperate need of shelter, food and clean water.

Al Jazeera’s Annette Ekin in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, said that people pitched tents outside on Tuesday night because they were terrified that there would be another quake.

The latest major quake struck the town of Namche Bazaar near the Mount Everest base camp, Nepalese officials said.

Missing rescue helicopter

Nepal’s army resumed its aerial search on Wednesday for a US Marine Corps helicopter that went missing during a disaster relief operation in eastern Nepal, near where the latest quake hit.

The Pentagon has said there may have been a problem with fuel on the chopper, which was carrying six US Marines and two Nepali army soldiers when it disappeared.

“We have been informed that an American helicopter has gone missing, search operations have begun,” said Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, spokesman for the Nepal home ministry.

The Nepalese government said 66 people had been confirmed dead so far in the latest quake, which was centred 76km east of Kathmandu. The quake also killed 17 people in northern India.

“We had been focusing on relief distribution, but from yesterday our resources were deployed for rescue operations again,” he said.

Tuesday’s quake was felt as far away as New Delhi, and caused buildings to collapse in Tibet in neighbouring China, killing at least one person there.

A second tremor of 6.3-magnitude struck Nepal around half an hour later, followed by yet more aftershocks, according to the USGS.

The Nepalese government has acknowledged that it was overwhelmed by the scale of the April 25 disaster, which destroyed nearly 300,000 homes and left many more too dangerous to live in.

“At an hour of a natural disaster like this, we have to face it with courage and patience,” Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said after an emergency meeting of his cabinet on Tuesday.

Scientists said Tuesday’s quake was part of a chain reaction set off by the larger one that struck on April 25 in Lamjung district west of Kathmandu.

“Large earthquakes are often followed by other quakes, sometimes as large as the initial one,” said Carmen Solana, a volcanologist at Britain’s University of Portsmouth.

43 killed in attack on bus carrying Ismailis in Karachi

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A Pakistani security official displays cartridges he collected from the scene of an attack on a bus, in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 13, 2015. Gunmen killed dozens of people on Wednesday aboard a bus in southern Pakistan bound for a Shiite community center, in the latest attack targeting the religious minority, police said. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A Pakistani security official displays cartridges he collected from the scene of an attack on a bus, in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 13, 2015. Gunmen killed dozens of people on Wednesday aboard a bus in southern Pakistan bound for a Shiite community center, in the latest attack targeting the religious minority, police said. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

by Imtiaz Ali, Dawn

Karachi: At least 43 people were killed and 13 others wounded on Wednesday when armed men opened fire inside a bus carrying members of the Ismaili community near Safoora Chowk in Karachi.

Sindh Police Inspector General Ghulam Haider Jamali said that 60 people were on board the bus when six gunmen entered and executed 43 passengers.

He added that the armed men used 9mm pistols in the massacre. The attackers managed to flee after the attack.

Hospital sources have so far confirmed that the dead include 25 men and 16 women. Police officials said that there were no children among the casualties.

All victims were shot from a close-range.

Rana M Razzaq, a security coordinator at the Memon Medical Center, told Dawn that, “One young girl hid and survived. Three or four others who were brought to the hospital have survived…the rest are all dead.”

Jundullah claims attack

Ahmed Marwat, a spokesman for Jundullah which is a splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), talking to Reuters claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Al Qaeda affiliated group that started off from South Waziristan has targetted Shia minorities and foreign tourists in the past as well. In November last year, the group had pledged support to Islamic State (IS).

In the past, the proscribed group has claimed several attacks including a blast near the Wagah border in November 2014 and the July 2013 attack on the compound of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in Sukkur. It has also claimed the several attacks on polio workers across the country.

Attackers entered bus and fired

A survivor of the attack recorded her statement before the police and said that the attackers entered the bus from the rear portion a few minutes after its departure.

She added that the occupants of the bus thought that robbers had embarked on the vehicle.

The assailants subdued the driver and separated (two) children from the others, the victims said and added that, “They told the passengers to keep their head low. One of the attackers situated in the rear side of the bus then ordered his associates to ‘shoot every one’ after which they indiscriminately targeted all passengers of the bus.”

All attackers were speaking fluent Urdu according to the survivor.

Secretary Al Azhar Garden said that the bus leaves daily at 9am and has been operating for the past 10 years. Today it was attacked around 9:30 am, he said.

A rescue official quoted a victim as saying that the attackers were dressed in police uniforms.

Investigation Officer Tariq Jadoon told Dawn that some blue caps, which are used by security guards, have also been recovered from the crime scene along with 9mm casings.

A plain-clothes police official holds up evidence collected from the scene of an attack by gunmen on a bus carrying Ismailis in Karachi on May 13, 2015.— AFP

Investigation Officer Tariq Jadoon told Dawn that some blue caps, which are used by security guards, have also been recovered from the crime scene along with 9mm casings.

A senior police official, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media, told Dawn that the attackers entered the bus and shot the passengers in the head.

“The gunmen stopped the bus and first fired at it from outside,” a policeman told AFP. “Then they entered inside the bus and open fire indiscriminately. After that they checked to see if anyone was left uninjured.”

“The bus had a capacity of 52 passengers but it was overloaded and dozens of people were boarding it. Most of them were from (the) Ismaili community,” he added.

Ismaili community attacked: police

Pakistan has seen a rising tide of sectarian violence in recent years, particularly against Shias — of which the Ismaili community is a sub-sect — who make up around 20 per cent of the country’s predominantly Muslim population.

“The dead and injured have been shifted to the private Memon Medical Center nearby,” an official of the Ismaili National Council, a group which represents the community said.

The bus belongs to the Al-Azhar Garden Colony, which is an Ismaili community housing project in Karachi. It was on its regular route headed towards Federal B Area of Karachi.

CM Sindh, CCPO take notice

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah strongly condemned the firing incident and condoled with the victims.

He ordered immediate suspension of the area’s Station House Officer (SHO) and District Superintendent of Police (DSP).

“The SHO, DSP have been suspended, we will find out whether the bus had security, whether they had asked for it or not,” the provincial chief minister said. “If there is a security lapse, it will be investigated.”

He announced a compensation of Rs500,000 for the heirs of those killed in the massacre and a Rs200,000 compensation for those wounded in the attack.

Shah also announced that the government will bear all expenses incurred for the treatment of the victims.

Taking notice of the firing incident, Sindh IG Ghulam Haider Jamali directed Additional IG Ghulam Qadir Thebo to immediately submit a preliminary report in this regard, according to a press release.

He also directed security forces to facilitate emergency rescue services in shifting of injured to hospitals for treatment. He ordered the early arrest of criminals involved.

Condemnations pour in

Condemnations poured in soon after today’s deadly attack on the bus. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident. He sought a report into the incident and extended condolences over the loss of lives.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also strongly condemned the attack, according to a statement. Bilawal sympathised with the victims and urged for stern action against the terrorists.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan also strongly condemned the attack and expressed grief over the murder of citizens.

He added that this incident raises questions over the provincial government’s performance pertaining to peace in the province. The government must provide complete medical facilities to the injured and take strict action against those responsible for this attack, he said.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain expressed deep grief and sorrow over the attack. He said this attack is the worst form of terrorism and those behind the attack are savages. Others also took to Twitter to express their grief and condemn the brutal attack.

A community under threat

The Ismailis in Pakistan are a peaceful, progressive and largely apolitical community predominantly working in the health and education sectors.

Read: Pakistani Taliban threaten Kalash tribe, Ismailis in Chitral

In the past there has been anti-Ismaili violence in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, mostly in the form of communal flare-ups.

In 2013, a bomb attack at Karachi’s Aisha Manzil killed four and injured 42 others. The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had claimed responsibility for the earlier attacks.

Today’s massacre was the worst anti-Shia attack since January 30, when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque in the southern Shikarpur district, killing 61.

Anti-Shia attacks have been increasing in recent years in Karachi and also in Quetta, the northwestern area of Parachinar and the far northeastern town of Gilgit.

Around 1,000 Shias have been killed in the past two years in Pakistan, with many of the attacks claimed by the hardline Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) who view them as heretics.

Ismailis are known for their progressive Islamic views. Their spiritual leader Prince Karim Aga Khan is a globally renowned philanthropist and business magnate.

— Mateen Haider contributed to the reporting of this story

Former Chief Secretary of Gujarat takes over as new Election Commissioner

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achal-k-jyoti

New Delhi: Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former Chief Secretary of Gujarat, Wednesday took over as the new Election Commissioner, filling one of the two vacancies in the three-member body.

“Jyoti took over his charge today at the Election Commission of India here,” a senior official said.

Jyoti is a 1975-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who retired as state Gujarat Chief Secretary in January 2013.

He served in the top bureaucratic post of the state when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Chief Minister.

Jyoti (62) has also served as the state Vigilance Commissioner and worked in various capacities in his cadre including as Chairman of the Kandla Port Trust between 1999 and 2004 and Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL).

Born on January 23, 1953, Jyoti will have a tenure of nearly three years as ECs demit office at the age of 65.

An EC or a CEC has a tenure of six years in office or till he or she attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

After V S Sampath demitted office in January, H S Brahma was elevated as CEC. But after Brahma demitted office, two posts of ECs in the three-member body have remained vacant.

Between April 19, when Nasim Zaidi took over as the CEC till Wednesday, he was the only member in the poll body.

The government is soon expected to appoint one more Election Commissioner to fill up the last vacancy.

Jyoti has also worked as Secretary in the Industry, Revenue and Water Supply Departments.

(PTI)

IPL: Daredevils register six-wicket win against CSK

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zaheer-khan

Raipur: An impressive bowling display from Delhi Daredevils earned them a six-wicket victory against league leaders Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium here on Tuesday.

Chasing 120, Delhi reached the target fairly comfortably in 16.4 overs with 20 balls to spare.

The win was Delhi’s fifth in what has been a disappointing campaign for them. They improved to 10 points after 13 matches but remained at the seventh spot in the standings. Chennai too retained their summit spot with 16 points from 13 matches.

Delhi floundered initially while chasing the modest target losing South African duo of Quinton de Kock (3) and skipper Jean Paul Duminy (6) in a space of 10 deliveries to be reduced to 24 for two in the fifth over.

But opener Shreyas Iyer (70 not out) and Yuvraj Sing (32) steadied the Daredevils innings, forging a 69-run third-wicket partnership to guide them towards the target.

By the time Yuvraj was dismissed in the 14th over, Delhi’s score swelled to 93, virtually confirming a rare victory for them.

Earlier, a stupendous bowling effort from Delhi Daredevils ensured they restricted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a modest score of 119 for six.

Faf du Plesis top-scored for CSK with 29, with skipper M.S. Dhoni (27) being the other major contributor as the visitors set an asking run rate of 6 runs per over.

Zaheer Khan and Albie Morkel were the pick of the bowlers for the Daredevils claiming two scalps each.

The Daredevils opening bowlers, spinner Shahbaz Nadeem (4-1-18-0) and Zaheer (4-1-9-2) bowled an impeccable line and length in the first few overs and kept the CSK batsmen on a tight leash giving away just 16 runs in the first six overs, the lowest in this IPL.

Zaheer’s patience was eventually rewarded as swashbuckling opener Brendon McCullum (11) fell lobbing one straight to Duminy at mid-on.

McCullum’s opening partner Dwayne Smith (18) sent a few balls flyin g into the fence but then was adjudged leg-before wicket.

CSK added 30 more after the first six overs to be at 46 for three at the halfway stage as Suresh Raina (11) too spooned one to cover.

But South African middle order bat du Plesis and Dhoni then resurrected the innings running hard between the wickets and picking up the odd boundaries.

However, on a pitch that was keeping slow and low, Morne Morkel came back to castle his countryman, du Plesis (29) as he chopped one onto his stumps with score flashing 83 for four in 15.2 overs.

Dhoni then upped the ante belting Yuvraj Singh for 13 runs in the 17th over. Dwayne Bravo (8) hit another six to help his team get past the 100-run mark in the 18th over but was caught out a delivery later.

Zaheer in his first ball of the second spell got rid of the dangerous Dhoni (27) foxing him with a slower one that he skied into the hands of long-off.

(IANS)

SC prohibits politicians' photos on government ads

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Supreme Court India

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday prohibited the use of photographs of political leaders, including ministers, in advertisements issued by the government and its agencies, saying that it leads to promotion of personality cult.

The apex court bench, headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, in its judgment, however, permitted the use of photographs of the president, prime minister, Chief Justice of India and departed leaders, including Father of the Nation, in the advertisements issued by the government and its agencies.

The court said the use of photographs of an individual, leader or minister not only has a tendency to associate an individual with a project, but leads to a personality cult.

The court said this was a direct injustice to democracy.

(IANS)

Child labour law amended: Children below 14 can now work in family businesses

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child-labour

New Delhi: Government today gave its nod to a proposal allowing children below 14 years of age to work only in family enterprises or entertainment industry with certain conditions while completely banning their employment elsewhere.

The original child labour law banned employment of children below 14 in only 18 hazardous industries.

The amendments also make it clear that children between 14 and 18 years will also not be allowed to work in hazardous industries.

The changes in the labour law also provide for stricter punishment for employers for violation. While there is no penalty provision for parents for the first offence, the employer would be liable for punishment even for the first violation.

In case of parents, the repeat offenders may be penalised with a monetary fine up to Rs 10,000

In case of first offence, the penalty for employers has been increased up to two and half times from the existing up to Rs 20 thousand to up to Rs 50,000 now.

In case of a second or subsequent offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the law, the minimum imprisonment would be one year which may extend to three years.

Earlier, the penalty for second or subsequent offence of employing any child in contravention of the law was imprisonment for a minimum term of six months which may extend to two years.

After the Cabinet nod, Government will move official amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012 in Parliament.

While child rights activists were opposed to the dilution saying it will promote child labour, those involved in business maintained that children need to be trained in traditional arts at an early stage or they will not be able to acquire the required skills like weaving and stitching.

The age of prohibition of employment has been linked to age under Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

Exceptions have, however, been made in case of works in which the child helps the family or family enterprises.

The condition is that such enterprises should not involved any hazardous occupation. Another condition set forth is that they should work after school hours or during vacations.

Moreover, exemption has also been given where the child works as an artist in an audio-visual entertainment industry, including advertisement, films, television serials or any such other entertainment or sports activities except the circus.

This exemption is also conditional and stipulates taking up prescribed safety measures

An official statement said that while considering a total prohibition on employment of child, it would be prudent to also keep in mind the country’s social fabric and socio- economic conditions.

Justifying the amendments, it said, “In a large number of families, children help their parents in their occupations like agriculture, artisanship etc and while helping the parents, children also learn the basics of occupations.

“Therefore, striking a balance between the need for education for a child and the reality of the socio-economic condition and social fabric in the country, the Cabinet has approved that a child can help his family or family enterprise, which is other than any hazardous occupation or process, after his school hours or during vacation.”

Besides a new definition of adolescent has been introduced in the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and employment of adolescents (14 to 18 years of age) has been prohibited in hazardous occupations and processes.

“These provisions would go a long way in protecting adolescents from the employment not suitable to their age,” it said.

The statement said that in case of first offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the law, penalty would be imprisonment for a term not less than six months but which may extend to two years.

Besides they could be fined an amount not less than Rs 20,000 which may extend to Rs 50,000. They could also be penalised with both imprisonment and monetary fine.

Earlier, penalty for employing any child in contravention of the law was imprisonment for a term not less than three months, which could extend to one year.

The monetary penalty for the same was a fine not less than Rs 10000, which could extend to Rs 20,000 either alone or with the imprisonment.

In case of a second or subsequent offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the law, the minimum imprisonment would be one year which may extend to three years now.

Earlier, penalty for second or subsequent offence of employing any child in contravention of the law was imprisonment for a minimum term of six months which may extend to two years.

Besides, the offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the law by an employer has been made cognisable which allows police to arrest without a warrant.

Government believes that this provision would act as a deterrent against the offence of employing a child or adolescent in contravention of the law.

In the principal Act, the same punishment was provided for parents or guardians for permitting a child to work in contravention of the Act, as prescribed for the employer of the child.

However, taking a “realistic view” of the socio-economic conditions of the parents, there would be no punishment in case of a first offence by them and in case of a second and subsequent offence, the penalty would be a fine which may extend to Rs 10,000, the statement said.

The proposal also provides for the setting up of a Child and Adolescent Labour Rehabilitation Fund for one or more districts for rehabilitation of children or adolescents rescued.

Thus, the Act itself will provide for a fund to carry out rehabilitation activities.

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act (CLPR Act) 1986 prohibits employment of a child in 18 occupations and 65 processes and regulates the conditions of working of children in other occupations/ processes.

As per this Act, a child means any person who has not completed 14 years of age. The Act provides punishment for the offence of employing or permitting employment of any child in contravention of the provisions of this Act.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 enjoins the state to ensure free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years.

A corollary to this would be that if a child is in the work place, he would miss school.

It was felt that thus, the CLPR Act is not aligned to the RTE Act as it permits employment of child below 14 years in occupations and processes not prohibited.

It was also felt that the CLPR Act is not in conformity with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 138 and 182, which provide for minimum age of entry into employment and prohibition of employment of persons below 18 years, in work which is likely to harm health, safety and morals.

The amendments being brought in the Act takes care of these anomalies, the government said.

(PTI)

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