The parents of the girl, political leaders and women rights activists Thursday hailed the Supreme Court order setting aside the Kerala High Court's acquittal of 35 accused in the Suryanelli gangrape case. "We thank God. Our prayers for justice have been heard," the girl's father said from Idukki district.
The Supreme Court over-ruled the verdict of the Kerala High Court which found just one man guilty. The Supreme Court has ordered the High Court to re-examine the evidence presented, and present its decision within six months.
Her mother said she and her husband were grateful to all those who helped them in their prolonged pursuit of justice.
CPI(M) veteran and former chief minister V S Achuthanandan, who has taken the initiative in helping the parents of the girl to pursue the case, said he was happy that justice had been delivered though it came a bit delayed.
In a statement here, the 88-year-old leader said he would continue his struggle for justice to victims in similar cases.
P K Sreemathy, leader of CPI-M's women wing AIDWA and a former minister, said the apex court verdict in the Suryanelli case could be considered as a landmark order to be followed by courts in trial of sexual exploitation cases.
Recently, the Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir expressed his concern over the delay in hearing the case, and promised to fast-track it.
The Suryanelli rape case involves gangrape of a 16-year-old girl continuously for 40 days by 42 men in 1996.
The girl from Suryanelli in Idukki district of Kerala was abducted in January 1996 and was transported from place to place across Kerala.
On September 6, 2000, the special court had sentenced 35 persons to rigorous imprisonment for varying terms.
The Kerala High Court, however, acquitted all 35 convicts earlier and found only one of them person guilty of crimes related to
the sex trade and sentenced him to five years jail term and a fine of Rs 50,000.
Later her family and the state moved the Supreme Court in 2005 against the high court's verdict.
The war of attrition between Nair Service Society (NSS) and Congress in Kerala hotted up Tuesday with an embarrassed KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala objecting to the community outfit dragging his name to score points against the UDF government headed by Oommen Chandy.
Reacting to NSS General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair's open call that Chennithala should have been given a key position in the ministry, the Congress leader said it was his own decision not to join the cabinet.
"It was the decision of the High Command that I should contest the last assembly elections and the decision not to join the cabinet was my own," he told reporters.
Refusing to detract from his position, Nair said at the NSS headquarters at Perunna in Kottayam that Chennithala was under pressure to make statements against him and dared the Congress leadership to prove that there was no pre-poll pact between the NSS and Congress that Chennithala would be given a key role in the ministry.
An emotional Chennithala also said there had been a 'conspiracy' to challenge his secular credentials and asserted that at no point in his career had he deviated from the basic ideals of the Congress party.
Chennithala also said leaders of community organisations should not 'cross limits' while making public comments.
"My secular credentials have never been questioned. Community leaders should not cross limits while expressing their views," he said.
The raging debate in political circles in Kerala was sparked off by the address of the NSS leader at the "Nair sammelanam" here on Sunday, in which he accused the Congress led UDF Government with "upsetting the communal balance" in governance and made a strong pitch for installing Chennithala in a key position in the ministry.
Nair also said the Congress central leadership had given a word to NSS on the eve of 2011 assembly polls that Chennithala would be given a "key position" in the event of the UDF dislodging the LDF.
Several Congress and UDF leaders had reacted sharply to Nair's statement, holding that it would only harm
Responding strongly against the demand raised by Nair Service Society to include him in the Kerala cabinet, Ramesh Chennitthala denied any such move from his side. Emphasizing his secular credentials, he said that his stand for secularism was perfect and well known. He also alleged that conspiracies have been plotted against him by enemies.
“All sects supported me in the election. However, not to join the cabinet is my own decision.” Pointing out the demand of Sukumaran Nair, NSS General Secretary, to give room for Chennitthala in cabinet, Ramesh said it is Sukumaran Nair's own view. “ I am still sticking on to my previous decision not to enter the cabinet.”
Devinder Singh alias Bunty Chor, who was on the run after allegedly lifting a luxury car and other valuables from the house of an NRI in Kerala has been finally held in Pune Saturday. Kerala Police has left for Pune to take further action in this regard. More details are awaited.
After the burglary in Kerala, Bunty Chor had escaped into Karnataka. Though he was encountered by the Karnataka police he managed to escape. The police had stepped up combing operation in Karanataka in the belief that he was still there in the state.
Meanwhile he left the vehicle on the road and fled when police closed in on him.
Veteran south Indian playback singer S Janaki today rejected the Padma Bhushan award, saying it has come too late in her 55-year-long career. "I refuse the Padma award... I have been singing for the last 55 years. I consider the recognition of my fans in various languages as the highest
award. These awards don't mean anything to me," she told reporters at Ottappalam near here.
"After so many years, they now give me Padma Bhushan. They should have given me the Bharat Ratna," she added.
Janaki, who has over 20,000 songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi to her credit, also had a grouse that artistes from south were generally neglected in these awards.
"I am not just saying this for myself. There are many talented people in south India. They have not been recognised for their work. They should be recognised," she said.
However, 75-year old, who ruled the south Indian cinema music scene in the 1980s and 1990s, said she had no problem against the government's decision to give her the honour.
"I have no complaint towards the government. I don't think the government has done anything wrong. But I have decided to refuse Padma award," Janaki, who was at Ottappalam to attend a marriage, said.
Janaki, who had won four national awards, was chosen in the art category among the 24 Padma Bhushan awardees in different fields announced on the eve of the Republic Day. Her son Murali Krishna, talking to PTI over phone, said the honour to his mother came too late.
"It has come too late. She should have got it long long time ago. She has refused to accept the award with due respect," he said.
He also said they were not informed about the award being given to her and they learnt about it only through "some body else".
Delhi-based burglar Devinder Singh alias "Bunty chor" is suspected to be behind the hitech burglary at the residence of an NRI businessman in the city.
The thief drove off in a luxury car parked in the house after entering the premises breaking its hitech security systems like surveillance and intruder warning alarm.
The house of K V G Nair, an NRI residing in the city, was burgled in the wee hours on Monday. The thief entered the house breaking hitech security systems such as surveillance cameras, intruder warning alarm and bullet-proof windows.
The police team investigating the case today claimed they had strong reasons to believe the burglary was committed by Devinder as the images of the thief caught in the hidden camera installed at the house bore striking resemblance to that of the upcountry criminal.
The suspicion has been corroborated by the modus operandi of the burglar and other cirumstantial evidences, police sources here said.
An ace car racer Bunty Chor is known to have a weakness for fancy cars and watches. Dibakar Banerjee's flick Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye (2008) was based on his life.
When Nair and his family, who slept through the entire operation, woke up in the morning, they discovered they had been robbed.
All that the burglar had left behind was an abandoned Maruti Esteem - also stolen - and a CCTV recording in which he was seen
giving tips to the police.
In fact, when the CCTV footage was flashed on television, a city hotel informed the police that a person resembling the burglar had been staying at their hotel for the past one week.
He had reportedly registered himself as Devinder Singh, a resident of Vikas Puri, New Delhi.
Bunty had been last arrested in January 2012 from the old city area of Bhopal following a tip off. He was handed over to the Delhi Police but later jumped bail.
Devinder is allegedly involved in scores of burglaries across the country and targets affluent homes and drives off in luxury cars once he set his eyes on them, sources said.
"The mode of operation showed that the thief is an adept in handling hitech security systems and devices. It appeared that he had operated on his own," police sources said. Kerala police are in touch with their counterparts in other states, including Delhi and neighbouring states, as the burglar could have crossed state borders in the car he stole.
A 19-year-old boy, doing his Business Management course in a college at Tumkur in Karnataka, has been admitted to a hospital after he was allegedly ragged by senior students, police said on Monday.
Mohammed Rafi, hailing from Vellimunda in Kerala's Wayanad district, was a first year BBM student of Sri Siddharth Institute of Business Management, police said.
His relatives said he was physically assaulted and his head dipped in hot water last Saturday, resulting in burns to his neck and face. He was ragged as he did not attend a function in the college organised by the seniors, they said.
Rafi was hospitalised yesterday, relatives said, adding, a police complaint has been filed.
The price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) was today hiked by Rs 46.50 per cylinder as part of reform measures unleashed by the government to trim its huge fuel subsidy bill.
A 14.2-kg LPG cylinder that consumers will have to buy after they exhaust their enhanced quota of 9 subsidised bottles in a year, will cost Rs 942 from today, according to Indian OilBSE 10.46 % Corp (IOC).
Oil PSUs had last hiked the price of non-subsidised LPG by Rs 26.50 per cylinder on November 1, but had to roll it back within hours as the government did not want to compound the backlash it was already facing for limiting supply of subsidised LPG to just six cylinders per household in a year.
However, after yesterday's government decision to raise the supply of LPG at subsidised rate of Rs 410.50 to 9 cylinders per household in a year from six, the rate for non-subsidised gas was hiked by Rs 46.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder to Rs 942 in Delhi.
The government also moved towards deregulating diesel rates when it raised prices by 50 paisa per litre and planned similar monthly hikes in future.
This was coupled with a decision to charge bulk consumers like defence, railways and state transport undertakings market price which is almost Rs 10 a litre more than retail selling rate, to save an estimated Rs 12,907 crore in annual subsidy.
As a sweetener to the bitter pill, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh bowed to public pressure to raise the cap on subsidised LPG to nine cylinders per household from six.
State-owned oil companies in a parallel cut petrol price by 25 paise a litre in view of softening in global oil rates.
Government on Thursday allowed oil companies to raise diesel price by 50 paise a litre per month and bulk users to be charged market price. Petrol price will also be cut by 25 paise per litre. Facing flak over move to raise diesel price, government on Thursday said it was a "very difficult" balancing act of generating revenue and protecting people's interest and questioned parties' opposition to the hike when they themselves had effected similar decisions in the past.
The price of diesel will now increase by Rs 6 in a year. The new price would be effective from Friday, reports said.
However, the government has told oil manufacturing companies to sell diesel to bulk buyers at market rate.
The state fuel retailers are expected to cut petrol prices by 25 paise per litre from Friday itself.
The decision on diesel is expected to cut the subsidy bill by Rs 12,900 crore on account of hike in price of fuel
sold to bulk consumers like Railways and state transport undertakings. Diesel accounts for 59 per cent of the estimated
Rs 160,000 crore fuel subsidy bill in 2012-13.
An order issued by the Oil Ministry post CCPA decision stated that bulk users be charged market price, that will
result in a hike of Rs 10.81 per litre over and above the current rate of Rs 47.15 in Delhi. The government is expected
to save about Rs 9,000 crore of raise in price for retail buyers.
Oil and Natural Gas Minister M Veerappa Moily had earlier said that the oil marketing companies can now decide on diesel price and change it by a small margin from time to time.
Moily said, “We have now given liberty to all oil marketing companies to go in for small correction in days to come. The companies are at a liberty to do small corrections – considering all aspects.”
“We have taken a first and decisive step oil companies will take a decision when full deregulation will be done,” he further said.
Declining to clarify on the quantum of change in diesel price, Moily said that it is up to the oil marketing companies to decide on the amount.
Moily said that the oil companies have been permitted to raise diesel prices by a small quantum periodically till such time that they are able to cover Rs 9.60 per litre loss they incur on the fuel.
The Oil Ministry had earlier this month made a proposal to Cabinet to raise diesel prices and increase the number of subsidised LPG cylinders available to households to nine a year from the current cap of six.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved the Petroleum Ministry’s proposal to increase the number of subsidised LPG cylinders available to households to nine a year from the current cap of six.
The government had sought permission from the Election Commission on Wednesday as three states – Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland – will go to polls soon and the model code of conduct is in force. Giving its approval, the Election Commission said the decision was not a violation of code as it was an ongoing scheme.
With effect from April 2013, all households will be get nine subsidised cylinders instead of the earlier six.
The Kerala Government on Friday filed an appeal at the Kerala High Court against the decision of the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court in Kozhikode to give V.S. Achuthanandan the right to get copies of the witness statements related to the sensational Ice Cream Parlour Sexual Abuse case in which State Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty was allegedly involved.
High Court today questioned State government's interests in the ice-cream re-investigation case, when the case came up for hearing before court.
Court asked the government pleader about the intention of government in filing a petition against giving case diary to V S Achuthanandan, though the government was not party in ice cream re-investigation case. It was the accused who should have voiced against giving probe documents to Achuthanandan, the Magistrate court observed while accepting the government plea. Goverment should have helped the Magistrate court to reach the best decision. The court postponed the case to 22 January for further haring
State industries minister P.K. Kunhalikutty had to step down as minister in January 2005 after channels telecasted Regina's allegation that she was sexually exploited by the minister. The issue once again attracted media attention after his brother-in-law K.M. Rauf came up with allegations of bribery against Kunjalikutty.
The strike staged by the Left teachers-service organisations has entered the fourth day Friday even after Sangh Parivar affiliated Federation of Employees & Teachers Organisations (FETO) withdrew following talks held with Finance Minister K M Mani.
A clash between the employees and protestors were reported from many places.
The protestors decided to strengthen the strike after talks held with finance minister did not yield any result. Many of the government educational institution did not function as the SFI started an indefinite strike from today. Children were sent back from their respective schools in the morning.
The government employees and teachers affiliated to pro-Left trade unions, who have been protesting against complementary pension in Kerala, will hold talks with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Sunday at 8 pm.
The employees are on strike for the last four days protesting against the government's decision to implement Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for those who join the service from April this year.
The meeting was fixed after the employees and teachers talked to Finance Minister K.M. Mani on Thursday.
The employees are on strike for the last four days protesting against the government's decision to implement Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for those who join the service from April this year.
The unions backed by BJP, however, decided to stay away from the strike in light of the talks.
Meanwhile, the state government has taken steps to rein in the strike. As part of this, many protesters were arrested by the police.
Five engineering students were among five arrested here Saturday in connection with the murder of diamond trader and royal family member Harihara Varma on December 24.
Additional Director General of Police A Hemachandran told reporters here that all of those arrested were from Kerala. They identified the accused as M. Jithesh, 33; V. Ajeesh, 27; Rakhil, 24; Jitesh’s cousin, Rakesh, 21; and J. Joseph, 20. They hail from lower middle class families in Kannur and Kozhikode districts and were part of a fraternity of Malayali students in Bangalore. Joseph is the son of a planter in Karnataka. All are first offenders with no previous police record.
The ADGP said robbery was the motive behind the murder and added that media reports putting the value of the stolen diamonds at Rs 300 crore was not correct. "The diamonds taken away from him on that date were not as valued as reported in the media," he said.
Harihara Varma, 55, a member of the Poojar Royal family, was found murdered in his house at Puthoorkonam at nearby Vattiyoorkavu.
Police had received vital clues from the driver of the car in which they went to Varma's house posing as buyers of diamond.
The incident came to light after one Haridas, an advocate by profession and who claimed to be a mediator for the trade, informed police about the murder.
The Kerala government had set up a special police team, headed by DCP Putta Vimaladitya, to probe the case.
The Supreme Court today decided to hear urgently an appeal against the acquittal of accused in the 17-year-old Suryanelli rape case in which a woman from Kerala was allegedly raped by 42 men for 40 days.
With the appeal pending at apex court itself for eight years, a bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir assured that hearings would begin on it within three weeks.
The bench gave the assurance after it was brought to its notice during mentioning period that the appeal against the acquittal of accused in the case is pending in the apex court for last eight years.
The Suryanelli rape case involves gangrape of a 16-year-old girl continuously for 40 days by 42 men in 1996.
The girl from Suryanelli in Idukki district of Kerala was abducted in January 1996 and was transported from place to place across Kerala.
On September 6, 2000, the special court had sentenced 35 persons to rigorous imprisonment for varying terms.
The Kerala High Court, however, acquitted all 35 convicts earlier and found only one of them person guilty of crimes related to the sex trade and sentenced him to five years jail term and a fine of Rs 50,000.
Later her family and the state moved the Supreme Court in 2005 against the high court's verdict.
