French Police Commissioner to train Pondy official

Puducherry: In order to check fraudulent practices by some touts and intermediaries cheating those seeking French citizenship, a Police Commissioner of France is camping here to train officials to detect and prevent such activities.

Fabrice Grossir, a Commissioner of Police in France, who is the Homeland Security Attache in the French Embassy in New Delhi, has been deputed by the French government to hold discussions with the Puducherry government and also local police on the matter.

A release from office of the French Consul General here said today the Consulate had drawn the attention of the French and Indian authorities to the "dubious practices" adopted by some intermediaries to procure French citizenship for Indian families residing in Puducherry.

The release said the French police official had been deputed by the French Ambassador to camp here for three days from today to train the officials (concerned with processing of applications for French citizenship) on the procedures and legal provisions available for detection of fraudulent practices and to prevent activities of intermediaries.

French authorities here said the Consulate would be ready to help those legitimately claiming for the citizenship in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Forgery and use of forged documents for official purposes is punishable under both Indian and French laws.

PTI 

Modi says 'Ramzan Mubarak' to Muslims brothers

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Thursday greeted the Muslims at the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan, a move that invited criticism from the Congress, which said," they will do anything to get votes".

"Happy Ramzan. May this holy month bring joy, peace and prosperity in our lives," Modi wrote on his twitter account, extending warm greetings to the Muslims.

Modi, who has been fighting hard to erase the taint of the 2002 communal riots, was recently elevated as chief of the BJP's Election Campaign Committee and his greetings to the Muslims is being seen as part of his image makeover ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Reacting to Modi's tweet, Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhw

adia, without naming any party or individual, said, "They will do anything to get votes. They will rake up the Ram temple issue and then drop it. They will say that Mohammed Ali Jinnah was secular.

They will burn Sachar committee report and they will extend greetings on Ramzan."

"Yeh janata hai, yeh sab jaanti hai (the public knows everything)," he added.

Modhwadia also took to Twitter to extended Ramzan greetings, saying "Ramzan Mubarak to everyone. May this holy month bring peace and prosperity to all."

PTI 

A person in jail cannot fight polls for legislative bodies: SC

New Delhi: A person, who is in jail or in police custody, cannot contest election to legislative bodies, the Supreme Court has held, bringing to an end an era of undertrial politicians fighting polls from behind bars.

In another path breaking verdict to prevent criminal elements from entering Parliament and state assemblies, the apex court ruled that only an "elector" can contest the polls and he/she ceases the right to cast vote due to confinement in prison or being in custody of police.

The court, however, made it clear that disqualification would not be applicable to person subjected to preventive detention under any law.

Referring to the Representation of Peoples' Act, a bench of justices AK Patnaik and SJ Mukhopadhayay said that the Act (Section 4 & 5)lays down the qualifications for membership of the House of the People and Legislative Assembly and one of the qualifications laid down is that he must be an elector.

The bench said Section 62(5) of the Act says that no person shall vote at any election if he is confined in a prison, whether under a sentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise, or is in the lawful custody of the police.

Reading Sections 4, 5 and 62(5) together, the apex court came to the conclusion that a person in jail or police custody cannot contest election.

The court passed the order on a appeal filed by the Chief Election Commissioner and others challenging a Patna High Court order barring people in police custody to contest polls.

"We do not find any infirmity in the findings of the High Court in the impugned common order that a person who has no right to vote by virtue of the provisions of sub-section (5) of Section 62 of the 1951 Act is not an elector and is therefore not qualified to contest the election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of a State," the apex court said.


In a landmark judgement on Wednesday, the same bench had struck down a provision in the Representation of Peoples Act that protects a convicted lawmaker from disqualification on the ground of pendency of appeal in higher courts.

The bench had also made it clear that MPs, MLAs and MLCs would stand disqualified on the date of conviction.

Legal experts said the two verdicts will force political parties to make sure that candidates facing criminal charges are not fielded.

The court had in its yesterday's judgement held that Parliament exceeded its powers by enacting the provision (Section 8(4) of the Representation of Peoples Act) that gives a convicted lawmaker the power to remain in office on the ground that appeals have been filed and pending.

The sub-section 8(4), which was struck down, said a lawmaker cannot be disqualified for three months from the conviction and if in that period he or she files an appeal against till its disposal by a higher court.

PTI 

Kolkata's largest Metro station to open today

Kolkata: Commuters using the city's lifeline -- the Kolkata Metro Railway -- will have two reasons to celebrate this summer. The Metro will throw open its largest station today, and starting later this month it will play instrumental music at select stations.

The largest station at Noapara, 2.2 km from the Dumdum stop, the northernmost of the Metro, boasts of four platforms instead of the usual two.

The sprawling station will have three elevators and six escalators for the ease of passengers, and will link the city and Barasat in North 24-Parganas.

"We have 24 stations, now this will be the 25th one and the largest. There will be four platforms instead of two and host of other facilities," the Metro Railway's deputy general manager Protyush Ghosh told IANS.

Stretching across 25.135 km on the city's busy north-south axis, from D

umdum to Kavi Subhash, the Kolkata Metro ferries around 6.5 lakh commuters on weekdays and nearly four lakh passengers on weekends.

Close on the heels of the inauguration of the new stop, sound systems at 16 stations will play a collection of instrumental music for the travelling public from the end of July.

"Initially, we will start music at 16 stations, then it will be followed in six more stops," said Mr Ghosh.

Currently those travelling in AC coaches can revel in lilting tunes of Hindustani classical, Rabindra Sangeet and world music.

IANS

Odisha special unit to counter urban terrorism

Bhubaneswar: A special police unit has been created in Odisha to deal with terrorism in the state's urban areas, police said on Tuesday.

The Special Tactical Unit (STU) has currently 30 Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel who were trained for about three months at the National Security Guard (NSG) camp in Manesar, Haryana.

"This unit is a part of the Special Operations Group (SOG). We plan to gradually raise the strength of this unit to about 100," Odisha Director General of Police Prakash Mishra said.

The SOG, which has 3,000 personnel, was set up in the state in 2004. It is primarily being used to counter left wing extremism.

"There was a need for creating a dedicated force to counter attacks like those happened in Bodh Gaya in Bihar and Mumbai," he said.

The STU unit conducted its first mock drill at the battalion ground of the state's armed police force in Bhubaneswar Monday. Chief Secretary Jugal Kishor Mohapatra and police chief Prakash Mishra were among those present.

Odisha is now the third state in India after Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to have a dedicated force to counter terrorism in urban areas.

IANS

South African Indians raising funds for Uttarakhand

Johannesburg: Indian community in South Africa has launched a fund raising drive to contribute to the relief efforts in flood-hit Uttarakhand.

Local welfare organisation 'Atmadaan' and the 'Johannesburg Yuvak Mandal' have launched a collection drive already, while the BAPS Charities organisation is on the verge of launching a national relief fund.


"We are appealing to South Africans to open their hearts and wallets, as they have done in the past with relief efforts for earthquake and tsunami victims in India," said Atmadaan spokesman Ishwarlal Govan.

Indian High Commissioner to South Africa, Virendra Gupta, has lauded the efforts of local organisations in raising relief funds for the victims of the floods that devastating killed thousands of people.

India is grateful for the contributions by South Africans, both with the empathy shown and the material assistance, Gupta said at an event at the Indian Cultural Centre here yesterday.

"The exact extent of the loss will never be known. Many thousands have been simply lost without being able to account for them. But the magnitude of the loss is not in numbers. It is in the trail of tragedy which has been left behind, with huge devastation which will take several months if not years for reconstruction," Gupta said.

Gupta said all funds raised in South Africa will be sent to either the Prime Minister's Relief Fund or to any other organisation which can channel it into the relief effor

ts.

PTI 

Despite stunted growth, Joby Mathews wins gold at World Arm Wrestling Championship

Navin Nair CNN-IBN

New Delhi: Joby Mathew, a man who did not allowed severe disabilities to come in the way of his ambitions, has won a gold medal at the World Arm Wrestling Championship. Despite having 60 per cent disability since birth, Mathew has also won 10 world medals in the last one decade.

The 36-year-old man, who suffers from Bilateral Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency or in simpler terms stunted growth of the legs since birth, has been a World Arm Wrestling champion twice. What his legs could not, he has achieved with his arms and a bundle of raw courage and grit.

"I don't have legs, so I cannot play football or basketball. Hence I focused on my arm power and started arm wrestling in school days. Soon, I was defeating every one," Mathew said.

In March 2008 at Leon in Spain, Mathew became a World Arm Wrestling champion in the normal category. The same year he also won the championship in the disabled category. Mathew even drives a specially modified car and also hits the gymnasium regularly.

"There is so much to learn for all of us from Joby. It's just his determination that keeps him going," Mathew's trainer Shaji said.

"When Joby Mathew addressed us for the first time, he motivated us with his challenges and achievements. He is an inspiration to us," Krishnan R Menon said.

When Mathew isn't thinking of sports, he dons the role of a husband, and a father to his three-year-old son. And with a supportive wife by his side, he has converted his disability into his biggest strength.

"One ambition which remains is to scale the Mount Everest. I want to achieve that in eight years from now after having undergone proper training," Mathew said.

But as the world champion goes on breaking every possible barrier in sports, there is one thing that he is still waiting for and that is recognition because he too has done his nation proud in whatever way he could.