New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) The Supreme Court Monday said that a deaf-mute need not be prevented from giving evidence in court merely on account of his physical disability as he can do so either by writing or through gestures.
The court said this while upholding the Rajasthan High Court’s verdict of May 29, 2005 by which it had quashed the conviction of murder accused Darshan Singh.
New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Sahil Peerzada, who was assaulted and injured while resisting an IPl cricketer’s alleged attempt to molest his American fiancee Zohail Hameed at a hotel here last week, was discharged from hospital Monday.
Peerzada underwent a surgery after his ear was injured when luke Pomersbach, an Australian who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPl, punched him.
Pomersbach allegedly hit Peerzada when he objected to the cricketer’s bid to molest his fiancee.
After being allegedly hit by the cricketer, Peerzada was admitted to a hospital here Friday morning.
“I am feeling a little unwell,” Peerzada told reporters after being discharged from the hospital.
He alleged that Pomersbach punched him three-four times. “Pomersbach misbehaved with Zohail. That’s it. I politely asked him to leave. He did not,” said Peerzada.
Peerzada said RCB owner Sidhartha Mallya is a “nice guy and good host” but he should apologise for casting aspersions on the character of Hameed.
On Friday, Sidhartha Mallya had tweeted: “The girl who is accusing luke is saying he hit her ‘fiance’… what a load of f****** s***. She was all over me last night and asked for my bbm (blackberry messenger) pin, so if he was her fiance she wasn’t exactly behaving like a future wife.”
Hameed, whom Pomersbach is alleged to have molested at the ITC Maurya Hotel here early Friday morning, sent the Mallya scion a legal notice for his tweets casting aspersions on her character. She also filed a complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women against him.
New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Sahil Peerzada, who was assaulted and injured while resisting an IPl cricketer’s alleged attempt to molest his American fiancee Zohail Hameed at a hotel here last week, was discharged from hospital Monday.
Peerzada underwent a surgery after his ear was injured when luke Pomersbach, an Australian who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPl, punched him.
Pomersbach allegedly hit Peerzada when he objected to the cricketer’s bid to molest his fiancee.
After being allegedly hit by the cricketer, Peerzada was admitted to a hospital here Friday morning.
“I am feeling a little unwell,” Peerzada told reporters after being discharged from the hospital.
He alleged that Pomersbach punched him three-four times. “Pomersbach misbehaved with Zohail. That’s it. I politely asked him to leave. He did not,” said Peerzada.
Peerzada said RCB owner Sidhartha Mallya is a “nice guy and good host” but he should apologise for casting aspersions on the character of Hameed.
On Friday, Sidhartha Mallya had tweeted: “The girl who is accusing luke is saying he hit her ‘fiance’… what a load of f****** s***. She was all over me last night and asked for my bbm (blackberry messenger) pin, so if he was her fiance she wasn’t exactly behaving like a future wife.”
Hameed, whom Pomersbach is alleged to have molested at the ITC Maurya Hotel here early Friday morning, sent the Mallya scion a legal notice for his tweets casting aspersions on her character. She also filed a complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women against him.
New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi Monday assured activists demanding review of the old age pension scheme that she will refer it to the government.
A delegation led by National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy, Baba Adhav and Nikhil Dey under the banner of Pension Parishad met Gandhi at her residence and briefed her about their demands.
“Sonia Gandhi gave us a patient hearing and said she will refer it to the government, said Nikhil Dey.
The activists are demanding that the Rs.200 monthly pension given to around three crore people aged over 60 years under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme be revised to Rs.2,000 per month.
They are also demanding that the government do away with the criteria of the below poverty line and above poverty line used to identify beneficiaries under the pension scheme and reduce the eligibility from 60 years to over 55 years for a male and over 50 years for a female.
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review of the scheme.
New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Breaking her silence over the presidential race, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Monday said she would “be happy” with Meira Kumar, Gopal Gandhi or A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as president but not Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Refusing to back Mukherjee, the West Bengal chief minister said: “…I’ll be very happy to see if Meira Kumar or Gopal Gandhi or even A.P.J. Kalam. These three names are better. I think so.”
“Is he the son of BengalIJ He may be the son of world… I don’t think so, but it is his choice. I don’t know,” she replied when asked by CNN-IBN in an interview about her stand on backing Mukherjee for the coveted post.
“No, I didn’t say but if the country allows him, who am I to oppose it,” she said.
“It depends on the majority, it’s a democratic country. He is finance minister… It’s Congress party’s decision who will be the candidate we cannot say… I cannot interfere in Congress party’s business it’s not my prerogative,” she said.
“But if you ask my party’s choice or the personal choice then I’ll say I love Meira Kumar. She is a soft-spoken lady and from the Scheduled Caste background also,” she said, referring to the lok Sabha speaker.
“Even I love Gopal Gandhi (former governor of West Bengal) he is a very good man also. He is a man of integrity, and if you ask me A.P.J. (Abdul) Kalam he was a very good president also. He was an all party choice.”
Though the Congress is yet to announce its preference for the top post, there is a section in the party that feels Mukherjee, widely seen as the chief troubleshooter of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), would be better off serving the government.
There is no consensus yet among key political parties on who should succeed Pratibha Patil as the next occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Meanwhile, the BJP leadership Monday discussed P.A. Sangma’s candidature for the post of the president. The party will take a final decision soon. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik have backed Sangma’s candidature.
New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) With the government Monday clearing the draft Delhi Registration of Marriages Bill 2012, married couples in the capital will soon have to get their marriages registered and failing to do so may invoke a fine of up to Rs.10,000. The bill is likely to be presented in the budget session of the Delhi assembly starting May 28.
The draft was cleared in a cabinet meeting here chaired by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
“Every marriage, solemnised or contracted in Delhi, or out of Delhi by the person who normally resides in Delhi, shall be registered within a period of 60 days from the date of marriage,” Dikshit said after the meeting.
The bill envisages registration of all marriages, be it under Hindu Marriage Act, Special Marriage Act or any other act, or marriage solemnised as per any traditional manner.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had ruled that all marriages should be registered in order to prevent child marriage, check bigamy or polygamy, help women exercise their right of maintenance from the husband and custody of children and enable widows to claim inheritance.
