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| << May04, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net] CHRO updates 1-8 dt 4th May |
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[9] New Indian Express, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Convention on astrology to be held in city ALUVA: A convention on astrology will be held here under the auspices of the Savarni Jyothisha Vidyalaya Trust at the Urban Co-operative Bank hall on Sunday. Swamy Thrirathnatheerthar will inaugurate the convention, which will be presided over by C.A.Subramanian, the former executive director of Gujarat State Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd. Convention trust director G.Mahadeva Iyer said astrology had got a bad name as it was being misused by those who claimed to be astrologers. Mahadeva Iyer said the prospectus of senior politician K.Karunakaran would brighten after September 20. But he has to avoid his son Muraleedharan from leading the show as Murali was going through a bad patch. The country is also passing through a bad time - 7.5 Sani - which would continue for a couple of years. Natural calamities like tsunami could again strike during this period. Mahadeva Iyer also foresees a change of rule in the Centre within two years. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20050503223758&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0& ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] New Indian Express, May 04, 2005, Wednesday CID to probe minister's Maoist 'links' IANS RANCHI: The Jharkhand government has ordered a Crime Investigation Department (CID) probe into a minister's alleged links with Maoists and how a confidential letter on the issue from a senior police officer was leaked to the media. The man at the centre of the raging controversy is Welfare Minister Ramesh Singh Munda, who had opposed moves to hand over the investigation to the state intelligence department and asked that a retired judge probe the matter. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20050503070724&Page=P&Title=States&Topic=0& ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] New Indian Express, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Coca-Cola case: Whose water is it anyway? KOCHI: In the absence of a comprehensive legislation for scientific regulation of ground water exploitation and use, the findings of the Division Bench of the Kerala High Court in Coca-Cola case may play environmental havoc. The judgment also goes contrary to the spirit of the Kerala Ground Water (Control and Regulation) Act, 2002, which is meant for ``the conservation of ground water and for the regulation and control of its extraction and use''. Constitutional experts like T.P.Kelu Nambiar also feel that the court has interfered with the mandatory function of maintaining ``traditional drinking water sources'' of the panchayat, which is now a constitutional functionary. The predominant issue was the right of a water-based company to exploit ground water for its production. Perumatty grama panchyat refused to renew the licence for its operation for alleged over-exploitation of ground water. The panchayat might not be right in taking such drastic step without conducting any scientific study and the court might be right in directing the panchayat to grant licence, basing on the report submitted by the Centre for Water Resources Department and Management, Kozhikode. But certain observations made by the court cut at the root of scientific water conservation: ``We have to assume that a person has the right to extract water from his property, unless it is prohibited by a statute. Extraction of ground water cannot be illegal. It is definitely not something like digging out a treasure-trove''. Even mandatory function of a punchayat under the Panchayati Raj Act, namely, ``maintenance of traditional drinking water sources'' cannot be envisaged as preventing a well-owner from extracting water from his well ``as he wishes''. The panchayat had no ownership about such private water source, in effect denying the proprietary rights of the occupier. ``It always will be permissible for an occupier to draw water out of his holding. The permissible restrictions, in public interest, can only be to compel him to ensure'' that it does not cause ``any imbalance in the water table''. The court held that ``ordinarily a person has the right to draw water, in reasonable limits, without waiting for permission from the panchayat and the government. This alone could be the rule, and the restriction, an exception''. It is scientifically proved that ground water is an important resource and is available only in limited quantities and it is important to protect it. The Act is meant to prevent indiscriminate extraction of ground water resulting in undesired environmental problems. The State Ground Water Authority is to consider the purpose for which the water is used, the other existing users of that locality, the availability of ground water of that area, the quality of ground water in connection with its use, the distance of the proposed well with the adjoining well and the number of wells in the area and the chance of interference with the existing wells, the chances of ground water pollution, the long-term nature of ground water level in the area and such other factors while granting or rejecting permission to dig new wells and registration of existing wells. All these provisions would be given the go-by as the court has accepted the proprietary right of a person to extract ground water from his property as he wished. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20050503115313&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0& ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [12] New Indian Express, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Low-key infiltration could sustain Kashmir violence IANS SRINAGAR: After peaking in the 1990s, insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir has been steadily declining. But low-key infiltration of militants from Pakistan indicates violence could continue for years, officials say. Tourism, which became moribund throughout the 90s forcing many into penury, is slowly picking up. Around 200,000 visitors came to the state in 2004. The tourism department expects tourist arrivals to reach an all-time high of 400,000 this year. Already this year, over 45,000 tourists have visited the Kashmir Valley. One thing is for sure: everyone in Jammu and Kashmir is fed up with the insurgency that has claimed over 40,000 lives since 1989. Everyone wants it to end - and soon. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20050503071010&Page=P&Title=States&Topic=0& ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [13] The Hindu, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Organisations seek closure of Pepsi unit Staff Reporter PALAKKAD: Various organisations, under the banner of the Anti-Pepsi Cola Agitation Committee, took out a march to the Pepsi unit at Wise Park, Kanjikode, on Tuesday, demanding its closure for what they called "water piracy.'' http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/04/stories/2005050411380400.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ New Indian Express, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Protest march undertaken against Pepsi Cola factory PALAKKAD: A protest meeting and march were held in Kanjikode on Tuesday evening under the auspices of the anti-Pepsi Cola forum demanding the closure of the Pepsi Cola factory. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20050503231845&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0& ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [14] The Hindu, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Police in the dock over death Ignatius Pereira Moves to absolve officer, allege constables KOLLAM: Even as the Crime Branch investigation into a custodial death at the Kollam East police station on April 6 was over more than a week ago, the investigating officers are reportedly encountering problems when it comes to making arrests in connection with the case. During the investigation, three police personnel emerged as the main accused. Sources in the force alleged that pressure "from above'' to be selective in effecting the arrests was holding up further procedures. This has triggered resent among the constables, and their representatives have already conveyed this to senior officers. There are fears that investigations could be redirected in such a way that finally only constables and no officer would figure as accused in the case. Thirty-six-year-old Rajendran who was taken into custody from a private hospital here on charges of theft was later found dead. Investigation based on autopsy report showed that Rajendran had died of internal injuries as a result of being brutally assaulted. What has cornered the Kollam East police is that the investigation revealed that Rajendran had no criminal history and neither was he involved in any theft at the hospital as alleged. There are also no records with the police to hold that Rajendran was brutally assaulted at the private hospital. Moreover, the investigation shows that after being taken into custody, he was taken out of the police station to the adjacent Museum complex by two constables attached to the crime squad of police station. Rajendran collapsed and died inside the interrogation room. It was after more than an hour after his death that he was taken to the District Hospital. According to the autopsy report, internal injuries in the trunk and thorax had caused the death and these were inflicted by brutally punching him with some hard object. A knuckleduster was identified as the hard object with which the fatal punches were inflicted on Rajendran. It is alleged that he was continuously punched in an effort to fix him in some theft cases. But he died. In statements given to the investigating officers by the personnel attached to the East Police Station, an officer has been identified as the one who punched Rajendran with the knuckleduster. Now it is being alleged that there is an effort to absolve the officer and fix the crime on the constables. http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/04/stories/2005050404790500.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [15] New Indian Express, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Woman teacher told not to wear burqa to school BERHAMPORE: A controversy has erupted over a high school teacher, a recent convert to Islam, wearing a burqa over her attire in protest against the school authorities insistence on her wearing a sari like her colleagues. Sushmita Mondal, now Sumaiya Parveen, a teacher of Anandamani Girls??™ High School at Amtala in Murshidabad district had refused to abide by the school authorities direction that she wear sari as per the school tradition. Parveen, a masters degree holder in English who embraced Islam after her marriage to a Muslim teacher, is understood to have worn some dress other than the sari to the school to which the authorities did not agree. Then as a mark of protest she wore sari but chose to cover it with burqa. The school officials said today that a meeting has been called to discuss the issue. ???We have only asked her to wear saris as other teachers do.??? School Education Minister Kanti Biswas said in Kolkata that he had heard of the controversy, but the state government would not interfere. ???The government expects teachers to dress with taste and decency. But we can??™t make a rule as in the present case,??? Biswas said. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20050503231706&Page=P&Title=States&Topic=0& IANS Adds from Kolkata: When Susmita Mondal wore the burqa last week to the Amtala Annadamani Girls' High School in Berhampore, under Murshidabad district, she was told by the school to wear a sari. Mondal had converted to Islam from Hinduism after marriage. The "sartorial policing" has upset Mondal who thinks there is nothing offending in wearing a burqa, local reports said on Tuesday. "I shall take classes in a sari if it is proved that a burqa is offending. I have worn a burqa while appearing for the teacher's job and studied in university with the veil on," said Mondal. She has changed her name to Sumaiya Parveen after marriage. Mondal said she had to be convinced that she had violated the dress code stipulated by the state's Board of Secondary Education. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20050503070234&Page=P&Title=States&Topic=0& ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [16] New Indian Express, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Illegal detention: Rights panel registers case THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Human Rights Commission has registered a case against Fort Police station officials for detaining two persons without maintaining any records. The case was registered following the visit of commission member A.Lakshmikuttiyamma to the police station around 12 noon on Tuesday. The commission member found two persons ??“ Jayakumar and Yusuf ??“ detained in the station without any records. The two detainees said that they had been kept in the custody since April 30. The police maintained that the duo was arrested only on Monday. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20050504000952&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0& ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [17] New Indian Express, May 04, 2005, Wednesday Muslim women??™s board to draft own nikahnama LUCKNOW: Two days after the model nikahnama was approved by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) in Bhopal, the All India Muslim Women??™s Personal Law Board rejected the draft and decided to formulate its own version of it with legal checks against triple talaq. President of the Muslim Women??™s Law Board Shaista Ambar told this website's newspaper that their nikahnama would have legal safeguards for Muslim women in the light of Quran and shariat. Ambar said she would also seek the sanction of the Supreme Court in making divorce difficult. ??????Aaj kal nikah mushkil ho gaya hai, aur talaq lena aasan (It is difficult to marry these days but easy to get a divorce),??™??™ she said. Describing the model nikahnama as a ??????dua ki kitab (prayer book)??™??™, Ambar said the AIMPLB has just completed a formality and the new draft was just a jugglery of phrases. ??????The rights of women have not been elaborated in the model nikahnama,??™??™ she said. When contacted, AIMPLB vice-chairman Maulana Kalbe Sadiq said the focal point of Islam was justice and fairplay and denied that injustice has been done to Muslim women. Moreover, the Maulana said the model nikahnama was just a draft and not obligatory on the Muslims. The legal convenor of the law board, Zafaryab Jilani, said the model was an important document which contained several checks and balances in a bid to discourage triple talaq. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20050503231706&Page=P&Title=States&Topic=0& ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (CHRO) 3, Rams' Cottage Ambalathumukku Pettah Thiruvananthapuram-695024 Kerala South India Ph.: 0471-2476262 www.humanrightsindia.com www.humanrightskerala.com |
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| << May04, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net] CHRO updates 1-8 dt 4th May |
May05, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Towards A Nuclear Armageddon? >> |
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