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Karnataka to hold two-phase panchayat polls

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Karnataka-poll

Bengaluru: Election to 5,844 rural local bodies (gram panchayats) will be held in two phases on May 29 and June 1 in Karnataka, an official said on Wednesday.

“As new rural local bodies have to be constituted following the expiry of their previous five-year tenure, polling will be held on May 29 and June 1 in 15 districts,” state election commission chief P.N. Srinivasachari told IANS.

Counting of votes for both phases will take place on June 5.

Ahead of notification for the first phase, the model code of conduct will come into force from May 10 and prevail till June 7 in all villages, taluks (sub-districts) and zilla (districts) including urban local bodies.

“Though the government has made voting in the local body poll compulsory by amending the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, the offenders will not be penalised,” Srinivasachari said.

As the rural local body election is held on a non-party basis, 28 million voters will be eligible to elect 94,458 members. Half the seats are reserved for women.

“Polling, however, will not be held in 229 local bodies as their tenure is up to August,” Srinivasachari added.

On a pilot basis, the poll panel will use electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the first time in the rural local bodies across Bidar district, about 690 km from here.

(IANS)

Salman Khan gets two days interim bail

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salman-khan

Mumbai: Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve, who represented Salman, challenged the sessions court order of a five year sentence, in the High Court. “Have received only operative part of the order. You cannot put someone in jail without a proper court order,” Salve argues.

Bombay High has now granted a 2-day interim bail to Salman.

Salve argued that a convict cannot be put in jail without a proper order. Salve argued his client has not got the complete order yet. He argued that Salman had received only the operative part of the order.

This means Salman Khan can stay out of jail till Friday, May 8, which is also when the Bombay High Court goes on vacation.

Huge relief for Salman Khan, his family and friends. Salman is still at the sessions court. His sisters Alvira and Arpita are at the Bombay High Court.

Salman Khan gets 5-year rigorous imprisonment in hit-and-run case

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salman-khan-mumbai-court

Mumbai: Salman Khan was today sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment by a Mumbai sessions court, which convicted him of culpable homicide in the 2002 hit-and-run case, dealing a big blow to the Bollywood superstar.

Judge D W Deshpande, who held the 49-year-old actor guilty of “all charges”, including driving under influence of liquor and not possessing a driving licence, pronounced the sentence after a 45-minute adjournment of the proceedings.

A big crowd, mostly of Salman’s fans, thronged around the court located in Fort area of south Mumbai.

The actor, who had fought back tears after being convicted, looked calm and composed as the judgement was read out to him in the presence of his close family members.

The superstar’s brothers Arbaaz and Sohail and sister Arpita were present in the court on the judgement day, which came after a long drawn legal process.

Dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans, the actor arrived in the jam-packed courtroom minutes before the proceedings began in the morning.

Sessions court judge D W Deshpande ruled “all charges” against the actor have been proved, including the stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, besides various other offences, including rash and negligent driving and driving under influence of liquor.

The judge held that the actor also did not have a driving licence. The prosecution had alleged that Khan was driving without holding a licence and, to buttress its charge, produced RTO records to show that the actor had procured a licence only in 2004, two years after the tragedy.

The court, while pronouncing the judgement, drew parallels with the Alistair Pereira and Sanjeev Nanda BMW cases.
Asked if he had to say anything about the verdict, Salman denied the charge that he was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Salman had earlier been tried for the lesser offence of causing death by rash and negligent driving which attracts a lighter punishment of imprisonment upto two years.

After examining several witnesses, a Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate had called off the trial midway in 2012 and slapped the serious charge of culpable homicide against the actor before committing the matter to the sessions court.

The court, while convicting the hugely popular actor, upheld the prosecution’s contention that he was at the wheel when his Toyota Land Cruiser ran over five people sleeping on the pavement outside American Express bakery in suburban Bandra, killing one person and wounding four.

(PTI)

Greenpeace says it may shut India operations in a month

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Greenpeace says the government restrictions are an "attempt to silence criticism"

Greenpeace says the government restrictions are an “attempt to silence criticism”

The environmental group Greenpeace has said it may be forced to shut down in India in a month because the government has frozen its bank accounts.

The pressure group said it had only about 30 days’ worth of funds with which to pay office costs and salaries.

India blocked the group’s accounts last month, accusing it of violating tax laws and working against its economic interests.

Greenpeace says the restrictions are an “attempt to silence criticism”.

The group, which says it is being targeted because of its campaigns on issues such as pollution and harmful pesticides, is preparing a legal challenge.

“We have one month left to save Greenpeace India from complete shutdown, and to fight MHA’s [ministry of home affairs] indefensible decision to block our domestic accounts,” Greenpeace India official Samit Aich said in a press release on Tuesday.

The group has been present in India for 14 years and employs 340 people.

An official in India’s home ministry told the BBC they had not seen the Greenpeace release and hence could not comment on it.

In April, while freezing its bank accounts for six months, the government accused Greenpeace of not fully declaring the amount of foreign funds it brings into the country.

Greenpeace India rejected the charge – it said it had complied with the law governing foreign contributions.

In a long-running dispute India has accused the environmental group of “stalling development projects” by protesting against large infrastructure plans.

Since coming to power in May last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has pushed through a series of long-awaited reforms and new policies making it easier for companies to win approval for new projects.

Greenpeace activists have accused him of watering down environmental rules after the government allowed industries to operate closer to protected green zones.

(BBC)

'Modi govt unaware of Dawood Ibrahim's whereabouts'

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Dawood Ibrahim

New Delhi: The central government is unaware of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s whereabouts, the Home Ministry has stated.

Ever since Narendra Modi became the prime minister, reports have been emerging that the BJP government at the Centre is trying its level best to locate Dawood and bring him to justice.

Dawood Ibrahim is an underworld don who is also the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts. On March 12, 1993, serial bomb blasts rocked the western metropolis at various places, killing more than 250 and injuring over 700.

Last year a media report had said that the underworld don had changed his location and shifted his base to the Af-Pak border.

The report stated that Dawood was apprehensive of Modis intention and feared a commando style operation, similar to the US raid in Abbottabad, which killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Fearing this, the underworld don had changed his base and asked Pakistans ISI to enhance his security.

D-company is a reference to Dawood Ibrahim. D Company is involved in a variety of criminal activities, including narcotics trafficking, extortion, smuggling, and contract killings.

Dawood Ibrahim and other leaders of D Company are the subjects of Interpol Red Notices for their suspected involvement in the 1993 terrorist bombings in Mumbai, India in which 257 people were killed.

In October 2003, the US Treasury Department named Dawood Ibrahim as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and in June 2006, the United States named both Dawood Ibrahim and D Company as Significant Foreign Narcotics Traffickers pursuant to the Kingpin Act.

Additionally, in May 2012, Treasury designated two senior D Company lieutenants, Chhota Shakeel and Ibrahim ‘Tiger’ Memon, under the Kingpin Act.

(PTI)

Nitin Gadkari says he uses his urine to grow his plants faster

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Nitin Gadkari's ‘gardening tip’ has fuelled a frenzy of jokes and comments on Social Media, icluding this from the ever-humorous 'SusuSwamy' Facebook page.

Nitin Gadkari’s ‘gardening tip’ has fuelled a frenzy of jokes and comments on Social Media, including this picture, from the ever-humorous ‘SusuSwamy’ Facebook page.

New Delhi: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that he uses his urine to grow his plants faster, a revelation that may not impress his neighbours, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

In a video uploaded on YouTube, Gadkari is heard revealing that he once used his own urine on plants in his lawns at his 2, Motilal Nehru Marg residence, a bungalow that used to be the office of the former National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi and is just across the road from her 10, Janpath home.

Gadkari was at a workshop organized by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on tackling drought.

“I collected my urine in a small plastic can. And after collecting all of it in a 50-litre can – I have a big bungalow in Delhi. It used to be Madam Sonia Gandhi’s bungalow. I have some one acre of farming land in my compound in the bungalow,” he said.

“I am just telling you about urine, I’m not going any further than that. This is manure. You keep a 50-litre can in your house. You can try this out. This has urea and nitrogen. And, if you water an orange tree with this, you observe its growth rate. You observe the growth and number of flowers, fruit — this is very good manure. To save money is to earn money. Being industrious and innovative is important,” he was quoted as saying in The Telegraph.

The BJP leader’s ‘gardening tip’ has fuelled a frenzy of jokes and comments on Twitter.

(PTI)

Cow-urine refinery inaugurated at Jalore

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cow-urine

Jodhpur: Rajasthan medical and health minister Rajendra Rathore today inaugurated a cow-urine refinery at Jalore.

The refinery, set up at Pathmera Gaushala, will prepare cow-urine extract for use in the formulation of various products.

Rathore on the occasion emphasised on the need for large- scale research on cow products and their application in the treatment of various diseases.

“There is a pressing need that we explore the scientific concepts behind traditional medical practices and undertake research for treatment of various diseases by combining them with the cow products,” said Rathore.

A MoU to this effect has been singed between Jodhpur’s Dr S Radhakrishnan Ayurveda University and the Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Bikaner.

According to Rathore, a by-product derived from cow-urine extract will be used for cleaning at the SMS Hospital in Jaipur. He also reiterated the commitment of the state government for the consumption of various other by-products.

Head of Pathmera Gaushala, Dinesh Giri Maharaj, said that besides the cleaner, pesticides would be prepared using the cow-urine extract.

“This pesticide will be absolutely an organic product and would prove a boon for organic farming,” he said.

While calling for support of the cow-driven economy, he said that providing assistance to gaushalas and cow products should be a priority for governments so that cow-rearing could lead to economic independence.

Currently, the fibre obtained from cow dung is being used at two places, in Agra and Jalore, for running industries. Maharaj added that if harnessed to its fullest, cow dung can also address the energy shortage.

(PTI)

Kannada newspaper ‘Sanjevani’ founder-editor dies at 78

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Sanjevani

Bengaluru: Senior media personality B S Mani (78), who founded and edited ‘Sanjevani’, the first Kannada evening newspaper in the State, died at his residence on Sunday night.

He was ailing for some time. He is survived by his wife, son B.T. Amudan, who now edits Sanjevani, and three daughters.

Mr. Mani hailed from Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. He became a prominent personality in the Kannada media space.

He also started a Tamil daily ‘Dinasudar’ in the city.

His body will be kept at the Sanjevani office on Queen’s Road on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for the public to pay their respects.

Owaisi questions highest honours for Vajpayee, Advani

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Photo: ARIJIT SEN, DNA

Photo: ARIJIT SEN, DNA

Hyderabad: AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has kicked up a row by questioning the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan awards being given to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and BJP patriarch L K Advani.

How can the country’s second highest civilian honour, Padma Vibhushan, be given to Advani who was facing criminal cases (in connection with the Babri masjid demolition), Owaisi said here at a book release function last night.

“The same L K Advani who spread destruction in the country with his ‘Rathyatra’…This could probably be the first instance of Padma Vibhushan being given to a person who is facing criminal cases,” the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen leader said.

As to Vajpayee, Owaisi alleged that the BJP stalwart had made some controversial comments on the Ayodhya issue, the videos of which were available on the YouTube.

“Have we forgotten December 5 (1992)? The same Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had said ‘we are going to level the ground’ (has been now given the Bharat Ratna),” he claimed.

(PTI)

Sniffing plot to finish AAP, Kejriwal bats for public trial of media

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Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday charged there was a “conspiracy to finish off Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)” among a “very large” section of the media even as he supported “public trial” of the media.

Coming out with a strong response to the controversies in which the party finds itself involved, he said “a very big conspiracy” was going on. “A very large section of the media has accepted ‘supari’ for finishing off AAP,” he said.

The ruling AAP has come under fire from Opposition parties over the row in connection with Delhi Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar’s degree and in the matter of the alleged suicide by a farmer at a rally led by the party at Jantar Mantar here.

Stating that the matter needed to be taken up if any channel was found airing erroneous content, he declared, “If you see that a particular channel is showing something factually incorrect, then you should raise the issue.

“There can be a public trial. There can be 8-10 spots in Delhi where we can collect a group of people and show the erroneous clip. That way we can start a ‘janta ka trial’.” Speaking at the launch of a news website jantakareporter.com, Kejriwal defended Tomar, who is facing allegations of possessing a fake bachelor of law (LLB) degree, saying, “I have no relation with Tomar nor is he my friend. Why will I save him? As soon as allegations were were raised, I wrote to him seeking an explanation.”

The chief minister added, “if you see his reply, even you will say he is innocent”. “He (Tomar) is innocent and a conspiracy is being run against him,” Kejriwal maintained.

“He (Tomar) has sent his brother to collect his degrees… The court has not said anything but the media is saying everything. They want him sacked,” he added.

On the issue of the alleged suicide by Rajasthan farmer Gajendra Singh at an AAP rally, Kejriwal said, “Nobody had even thought that such a tragedy will occur at Jantar Mantar.

“We were sitting on the stage and where Gajendra was sitting on the tree was not visible,” he said.

“Had we announced anything, a stampede could have occurred because of the large crowd,” the chief minister said, adding “the police would have saved him if they knew it. When his body was brought down, he was living. We should have stopped the programme then.”

Expressing regret over the incident, Kejriwal said that neither he nor the other AAP leaders could get sleep in the night after the tragedy at Jantar Mantar.

Kejriwal also touched upon topics such as the performance of the Narendra Modi government and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s engagement with farmers’ issues and the recent row involving his government and Delhi Police.

(PTI)

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