Will it be death for Ajmal Kasab or a life term in prison? The decision will be out today.
The special 26/11 trial court in Mumbai heard the arguments on Tuesday and will announce the quantum of sentence today. While the prosecution wants death sentence for Kasab, his lawyer has appealed for leniency on the grounds that he's just 22 years old.
Kasab is India's costliest prisoner. Around 35 crore rupees have been spent to keep him in jail till now. If sentenced to death, Kasab will be the 52nd person on death row in India.
On Tuesday, the public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam, attacked Kasab for two hours, describing him as "worse than a wild beast... Kasab is a killing machine... and the orders for this machine came from Pakistan." Kasab kept his head bowed throughout Nikam's arguments.
On Monday, Kasab was found guilty on more than 80 of the 86 charges brought against him for planning and executing the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. (Read: Kasab guilty says 26/11 verdict)
Nikam has laid out eight arguments on why Kasab deserves to be hanged, among them, that the 26/11 attacks was meticulously planned and that policemen and defenceless civilians were "mercilessly butchered." The prosecutor also argued that Kasab wanted to inspire others to take part in fidayeen or suicide attacks. (Watch: 'Kasab was smiling after killing others')
As an example of why Kasab should get the death penalty, Nikam said that the terrorist had expressed disappointment that he landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) after rush hour on 26/11/2008. Kasab had anticipated a busier station, based on CDs he had been shown of CST before the attack, Nikam said. The prosecutor also said that in his confession to the Mumbai police, Kasab said that he was upset that he could not kill more people at the station. At CST, Kasab killed close to 60 people in an hour with his partner, Abu Ismail. (Read: 26/11 trial: Key moments | Kasab's flip flops)
Photographs taken by newspaper photographers of Kasab, taken in action while firing at CST's passengers and shopkeepers, showed that "he enjoyed the acts of murder," said Nikam. The terrorist "was happy to see people in pain and anguish as a result of his firing," the prosecutor stressed. (Pics:Mumbai attacked | Bravehearts | In memory)
Meanwhile Kasab's lawyer, KP Pawar, has pleaded with the court to consider a life sentence instead. Kasab was only 21 when he participated in the attack against Mumbai, and he acted under the influence of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), he said.
Even if judge ML Tahaliyani decides on the death penalty, it will not be implemented immediately. Kasab has the option of appealing to higher courts, and can also file a mercy petition for the consideration of President Pratibha Patil.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Rajitha at 8: Orphaned, sold, battered in Andhra
She was forced to leave the only somewhat safe place she knew - an orphanage in Andhra Pradesh's Mahbubnagar district. The administrator of the orphanage told NDTV he couldn't afford to have her there anymore. Evidence suggests he sold her.
Eight-year-old Rajitha was passed from one adult to another till she ended up with several broken bones in a government hospital. A family that employed her as domestic help, she says, battered her. "Please come and take me away. They don't take care of me. They beat me," she pleads. (Your comments on Rajitha's story)
Now it turns out that the orphanage that Rajitha was evicted from was not licensed. A sign of how careless officials and the government are about young children: Nobody knows when it closed down. Or why it continued to receive government funding.
The man who ran it allegedly moved some of the orphans to his own home. "I am not getting any funds. They said they would take care of her, so I gave her away," says Premnath who states his official designation is Residential Bridge Course centre in-charge. He has been charged with several criminal offences including selling Rajitha and possibly a few other orphans from the home he once administered.
The Andhra Pradesh government admits that Rajitha's case proves the need to better regulate orphanages and welfare homes for children. That's an understatement. There is no agency to monitor orphanages, or to check on their registration and licenses, or even to follow children if they're moved from one welfare home to another.
Anybody can pick up a child, keep a child illegally in a home, or at their house. We would not have any way to know they can't be kept there or don't belong there. The Juvenile Justice Act says all homes or organizations that have children should be registered. But that is not being implemented in Andhra," worries Isidore Philips, a child rights' activist.
In Andhra Pradesh, orphans are truly children of a lesser God.
The government is also preparing a case against Rajitha's employers. In addition to physical abuse, they will be accused of violating child labour laws which ban the employment of children younger than 14 as domestic help.
Rajitha is too overwhelmed to explain how she found her way to the government hospital where she's being treated for several broken bones.
The Women and Child Welfare Ministry says it's monitoring Rajitha now. Her physical injuries will be treated, the giant emotional crater created in her young psyche by every adult she's known will be the real challenge for those now offering to rescue her.
Eight-year-old Rajitha was passed from one adult to another till she ended up with several broken bones in a government hospital. A family that employed her as domestic help, she says, battered her. "Please come and take me away. They don't take care of me. They beat me," she pleads. (Your comments on Rajitha's story)
Now it turns out that the orphanage that Rajitha was evicted from was not licensed. A sign of how careless officials and the government are about young children: Nobody knows when it closed down. Or why it continued to receive government funding.
The man who ran it allegedly moved some of the orphans to his own home. "I am not getting any funds. They said they would take care of her, so I gave her away," says Premnath who states his official designation is Residential Bridge Course centre in-charge. He has been charged with several criminal offences including selling Rajitha and possibly a few other orphans from the home he once administered.
The Andhra Pradesh government admits that Rajitha's case proves the need to better regulate orphanages and welfare homes for children. That's an understatement. There is no agency to monitor orphanages, or to check on their registration and licenses, or even to follow children if they're moved from one welfare home to another.
Anybody can pick up a child, keep a child illegally in a home, or at their house. We would not have any way to know they can't be kept there or don't belong there. The Juvenile Justice Act says all homes or organizations that have children should be registered. But that is not being implemented in Andhra," worries Isidore Philips, a child rights' activist.
In Andhra Pradesh, orphans are truly children of a lesser God.
The government is also preparing a case against Rajitha's employers. In addition to physical abuse, they will be accused of violating child labour laws which ban the employment of children younger than 14 as domestic help.
Rajitha is too overwhelmed to explain how she found her way to the government hospital where she's being treated for several broken bones.
The Women and Child Welfare Ministry says it's monitoring Rajitha now. Her physical injuries will be treated, the giant emotional crater created in her young psyche by every adult she's known will be the real challenge for those now offering to rescue her.
Woman in burqa causes security alert on plane
A Spicejet flight made a 'priority landing' in Kolkata on Wednesday after a burqa-clad passenger with a man-like physique aroused the suspicion of crew members on board.
The Delhi-Kolkata-Dhaka Spicejet flight 208 with 123 passengers on board landed at the NSC Bose Airport around noon after the pilot was given clearance by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to make a priority landing, airport sources said.
The aircraft was immediately taken to an isolation bay and was surrounded by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, the bomb squad, fire brigade and the police, the sources said.
The burqa-clad passenger and another person sitting next to her were offloaded and the aircraft searched, the sources said.
The burqa-clad passenger, however, turned out to be a woman, the sources said.
Her large physique made the crew suspect that she was actually a man and since her identity could not be verified on board, the pilot asked for permission from the ATC to make a priority landing, the sources said.
She and the passenger sitting next to her were being questioned. Flights at the airport remained unaffected.
Sanjay Aggarwal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spice Jet said, "We were alerted about a suspicious passenger by the sky marshal on board SG208 Del-CCU flight. The Captain requested for a priority landing at CCU and the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay after landing at CCU. The concerned security agencies checked all the passengers and baggage on arrival and the matter is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities. All passengers have safely disembarked and the aircraft has been cleared for further flights."
The Delhi-Kolkata-Dhaka Spicejet flight 208 with 123 passengers on board landed at the NSC Bose Airport around noon after the pilot was given clearance by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to make a priority landing, airport sources said.
The aircraft was immediately taken to an isolation bay and was surrounded by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, the bomb squad, fire brigade and the police, the sources said.
The burqa-clad passenger and another person sitting next to her were offloaded and the aircraft searched, the sources said.
The burqa-clad passenger, however, turned out to be a woman, the sources said.
Her large physique made the crew suspect that she was actually a man and since her identity could not be verified on board, the pilot asked for permission from the ATC to make a priority landing, the sources said.
She and the passenger sitting next to her were being questioned. Flights at the airport remained unaffected.
Sanjay Aggarwal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spice Jet said, "We were alerted about a suspicious passenger by the sky marshal on board SG208 Del-CCU flight. The Captain requested for a priority landing at CCU and the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay after landing at CCU. The concerned security agencies checked all the passengers and baggage on arrival and the matter is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities. All passengers have safely disembarked and the aircraft has been cleared for further flights."
Motormen earn more than you
Motormen who held the city to ransom are far from being an underpaid lot. Including overtime, their salary can go up to a hefty Rs 1 lakh a month
For over two days, the Western and Central Railways motormen held the city to ransom with their demands for a salary hike. One would assume that the motormen would be underpaid and find it difficult to make ends meet.
However, a closer look at the earnings of an average motorman on the Railways network paints an entirely different picture.
In comparison a motorman earns a higher starting salary than a civil services officer, an MBA, a doctor and even a pilot. Add to that a hefty overtime and the monthly salary of a motorman can be close to Rs 1 lakh. No wonder the railway administration was at its wits end to find a solution to the motormen's hunger strike. The striking motormen demanded a better Grade Pay and a proper mileage rate as per a set formula.
However, the real seeds of trouble were sown when the railway administration brought the entry-level salary of a guard almost equivalent to the salary of a motorman. This according to the motormen was an act of injustice against the motormen, as the guard had little responsibilities as compared to the job of a motorman. The tiff between the motormen and the guards has been on for quite a while now. Earlier in the year, the Motormen's Association had demanded a weekly off, more allowances and better working conditions for motormen.
Here is a salary break up of the various professions:
Entry-level salary structure
Motorman
Salary: Rs 36,505 (approx)
Besides the monthly salary, a motorman also earns a decent wage in overtime. On an average the overtime wage could be between Rs 15,000-30,000, making the monthly earnings of a motorman close to Rs 1 lakh.
A motorman with an experience of 10 years draws a salary around Rs 46,000.
However, the motormen claim that they deserve the salary they get because of the nature of their work, the lack of regular holidays, irregular working hours and also the stress involved.
Qualification: A diploma in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
Pilot
Salary: Rs 30,000 (approx)
A trainee pilot gets a salary between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000. However, before getting a job as a pilot, he has to spend around Rs 15 lakh for training. A fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force gets around Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000, when he joins the Air Force after completing the training.
Qualification: The educational qualification required for a pilot is 10+2.
Doctors
Salary: Rs 24,000
A resident doctor at a government hospital earns around Rs 24,000. Dr Ravikant Singh, a doctor with KEM hospital, said that as an intern, he used to earn Rs 1,700 per month.
"Now that amount is Rs 2,500 but it was still fine because we were only studying at the time."
After five-and-a-half years of the MBBS program and three years of a post-graduate program, a resident doctor at a government hospital earns only around Rs 24,000 per month.
"We also have to work more than 10 hours a day and be on call at all times. It sounds like we should have chosen to be motormen instead. Our lecturers earn Rs 45,000 every month," said Singh.
SBI Probationary Officer
Salary: Rs 27,000
The salary structure of an SBI Probationary officer is between Rs 27,000 and Rs 29,000, which includes all allowances and benefits. "The basic salary is Rs 17,000," said an SBI Probationary Officer from Bikaner.
IAS, IPS and IRS Officers
Salary: Rs 26,000
A civil services officer will get a basic salary of Rs 26,000 to 27,000, while the other allowances range between
Rs 14,000 and Rs 16,000. "That would mean the gross salary of a civil services officer would be around Rs 45,000," said an Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax.
Picasso's painting sold for record $106 million
Spanish artist Pablo Picasso's painting 'Nude, Green Leaves and Bust' has been auctioned off at a record $106 million.
The artist's 1932 picture, which belonged to the late Los Angeles collectors Frances and Sidney Brody since the 1950s, was sold at Christie's auction house in New York.
The winning bid, made by an anonymous telephone bidder, breaks the record held by Giacometti's Walking Man I, which was sold for $104.3 million.
Another work by Picasso, Garcon a la Pipe, had previously held the record when it sold for 104.1 million dollars in 2004.
The record-breaking sale, which includes Christie's commission, indicates the recovery of the art market from the global financial crisis.
"The Brodys bought it in the 50s. It was only exhibited once in 1961," the BBC quoted Conor Jordan, the head of Christie's impressionist department, as saying.
Image: Pablo Picasso's 1932 'Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust' is seen at Christie's auction house in New York | Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
'India can play a mini-US role in smaller countries'
Professor Kavil Ramachandran, the Thomas Schmidheing Chair Professor of Family Business and Wealth Management at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, was the only academic in the Indian delegation invited to participate in the (US) Presidential Entrepreneurship Summit.
The specialist in entrepreneurship, strategy and family business has over three decades of experience as an academic and has authored six books on the subjects. Ramachandran, who has served on various advisory committees of the India [ Images ]n government, World Bank, Securities and Exchange Board of India, tells India Abroad what India can bring to the table as President Obama's initiative evolves.
What did you take away from the summit?
I thought it was a very good initiative. I saw it as a sort of evolution, core-creation kind of thing - a different perspective towards aid. Aid was considered charity earlier. Now, we are saying that it has to be wealth creation, so it's a new kind of understanding. It doesn't have to be only government and a lot more of the initiatives will have to come from the private sector. That's the fundamental message.
What about the political angle?
From a political angle, the Obama administration wants to involve other stakeholders as active members of this journey, which is also important from another angle - eliminating poverty and unemployment as a means to fight terrorism.
What was the significance of the invitees being grass-roots entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs instead of Fortune 500 or Forbes 100 figures?
It provided a platform from two angles. One was understanding what is happening in some of these countries, which you didn't have any exposure to. In my case, I didn't have exposure to Turkey or Egypt [ Images ]. The second was that people from countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria would have realised that it is possible to have small things done in their own country. Instead of the president or the chief executive officer of Google coming and talking, somebody from a smaller place, like entrepreneurs from Indonesia or Malaysia, speaking made an impact.
For you as an academic how important were these interactions?
These interactions were very important and illuminating. For example, my own focus is more on entrepreneurship education and there are quite a few experiments happening in different countries, led sometimes by students, sometimes by faculty, sometimes by the government. It also means that there is a growing interest in entrepreneurial education and the role of facilitation.
Did you discuss your Society of Entrepreneurship Educators and the possible exchanges between Indian institutions and those in some of these countries?
Through this society, we are trying to convey the message of entrepreneurship education, which includes a lot of training programs, web-based information sharing, community contacts working at the grass-roots level and so on. So, this was a tremendous opportunity for discussions on the work we are doing and how we can tie up with like-minded associations and institutions in some of the countries that India has close relations with.
Some dubbed this summit as a Muslim Entrepreneurship Summit because most of the delegates were from Muslim-majority countries or those with sizable Muslim minorities like India. Do you find a problem with this kind of outreach to a specific community?
If you look at it purely from an Indian angle, I thought the Muslim pitch may not be the right thing to do. A focus on less privileged people, including Scheduled Castes, Muslims, or even Brahmins, will be much more relevant. And, the other thing (making it an outreach to the Muslim entrepreneurs exclusively)… it will be considered more limited and there will be a more communal angle.
Which obviously would be counterproductive because the whole purpose of this exercise is to reach out more expansively and get out of any communal bent or parochialism?
That's right. The last thing you want to do is find yourself getting deeper into that kind of a situation, particularly when the initiative is paved with good intentions.
In the post-summit scenario, what can Indian bring to the table?
India has been having entrepreneurship development programs since 1976. So, there is a lot more awareness, lot more experience available within India about entrepreneurship promotion. Coming out of it (the summit), I thought that many of these countries could have more collaborations among themselves. It doesn't have to be only with the US; it can even be without the US.
I think that's yet another positive thing - the US has taken the initiative as a facilitator, but the roles and responsibilities need not be with the US administration getting involved. Maybe the government of India can take this as a means to play a mini-US role in some of the smaller countries.
Hasn't India already been exploring some of these possibilities, particularly in some of the Gulf countries?
I am aware of some of the entrepreneurship promotion agencies in India working in Saudi Arabia or some other Gulf countries that are supposed to be wealthy, but where the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are neglected. In fact, I met somebody at the conference, who I believe is part of the Saudi organisation for SME development and he mentioned that a couple of my professional friends were advising them from India, which means some of it is slowly happening. Maybe the government can take it as another opportunity to build on. And may be the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Development Program and other such of organisations could also play an active role.
Isn't this a kind of tailor-made opportunity for India with its years of experience and expertise in take on a leadership role?
Absolutely. Especially in these developing countries where many of them have a lot of respect for India because it has been registering huge (economic) growth and is standing up to the Western world. There are countries that are looking at learning from India... This is an opportunity for India to exploit.
The specialist in entrepreneurship, strategy and family business has over three decades of experience as an academic and has authored six books on the subjects. Ramachandran, who has served on various advisory committees of the India [ Images ]n government, World Bank, Securities and Exchange Board of India, tells India Abroad what India can bring to the table as President Obama's initiative evolves.
What did you take away from the summit?
I thought it was a very good initiative. I saw it as a sort of evolution, core-creation kind of thing - a different perspective towards aid. Aid was considered charity earlier. Now, we are saying that it has to be wealth creation, so it's a new kind of understanding. It doesn't have to be only government and a lot more of the initiatives will have to come from the private sector. That's the fundamental message.
What about the political angle?
From a political angle, the Obama administration wants to involve other stakeholders as active members of this journey, which is also important from another angle - eliminating poverty and unemployment as a means to fight terrorism.
What was the significance of the invitees being grass-roots entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs instead of Fortune 500 or Forbes 100 figures?
It provided a platform from two angles. One was understanding what is happening in some of these countries, which you didn't have any exposure to. In my case, I didn't have exposure to Turkey or Egypt [ Images ]. The second was that people from countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria would have realised that it is possible to have small things done in their own country. Instead of the president or the chief executive officer of Google coming and talking, somebody from a smaller place, like entrepreneurs from Indonesia or Malaysia, speaking made an impact.
For you as an academic how important were these interactions?
These interactions were very important and illuminating. For example, my own focus is more on entrepreneurship education and there are quite a few experiments happening in different countries, led sometimes by students, sometimes by faculty, sometimes by the government. It also means that there is a growing interest in entrepreneurial education and the role of facilitation.
Did you discuss your Society of Entrepreneurship Educators and the possible exchanges between Indian institutions and those in some of these countries?
Through this society, we are trying to convey the message of entrepreneurship education, which includes a lot of training programs, web-based information sharing, community contacts working at the grass-roots level and so on. So, this was a tremendous opportunity for discussions on the work we are doing and how we can tie up with like-minded associations and institutions in some of the countries that India has close relations with.
Some dubbed this summit as a Muslim Entrepreneurship Summit because most of the delegates were from Muslim-majority countries or those with sizable Muslim minorities like India. Do you find a problem with this kind of outreach to a specific community?
If you look at it purely from an Indian angle, I thought the Muslim pitch may not be the right thing to do. A focus on less privileged people, including Scheduled Castes, Muslims, or even Brahmins, will be much more relevant. And, the other thing (making it an outreach to the Muslim entrepreneurs exclusively)… it will be considered more limited and there will be a more communal angle.
Which obviously would be counterproductive because the whole purpose of this exercise is to reach out more expansively and get out of any communal bent or parochialism?
That's right. The last thing you want to do is find yourself getting deeper into that kind of a situation, particularly when the initiative is paved with good intentions.
In the post-summit scenario, what can Indian bring to the table?
India has been having entrepreneurship development programs since 1976. So, there is a lot more awareness, lot more experience available within India about entrepreneurship promotion. Coming out of it (the summit), I thought that many of these countries could have more collaborations among themselves. It doesn't have to be only with the US; it can even be without the US.
I think that's yet another positive thing - the US has taken the initiative as a facilitator, but the roles and responsibilities need not be with the US administration getting involved. Maybe the government of India can take this as a means to play a mini-US role in some of the smaller countries.
Hasn't India already been exploring some of these possibilities, particularly in some of the Gulf countries?
I am aware of some of the entrepreneurship promotion agencies in India working in Saudi Arabia or some other Gulf countries that are supposed to be wealthy, but where the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are neglected. In fact, I met somebody at the conference, who I believe is part of the Saudi organisation for SME development and he mentioned that a couple of my professional friends were advising them from India, which means some of it is slowly happening. Maybe the government can take it as another opportunity to build on. And may be the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Development Program and other such of organisations could also play an active role.
Isn't this a kind of tailor-made opportunity for India with its years of experience and expertise in take on a leadership role?
Absolutely. Especially in these developing countries where many of them have a lot of respect for India because it has been registering huge (economic) growth and is standing up to the Western world. There are countries that are looking at learning from India... This is an opportunity for India to exploit.
Compulsory narco analysis, lie detector tests are unconstitutional: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has ruled that forcing someone to go through brain-mapping, narco-analysis or lie detector tests is unconstitutional because "it is an unwarranted intrusion on the individual's rights."
The verdict is a serious setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) which argued that all their tests are legally sanctioned and are critical in cases where they can help provide evidence of crimes being committed.
The court, however, held that Article 20 (3) of the India Constitution that states "no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself."
If a person volunteers to go through narco-analysis or brain-mapping, the findings cannot be used without other supporting evidence, said the court. Also, while conducting these tests, investigating agencies have to follow the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The case against these forms of interrogation and investigation was moved, among others, by Santokben Sharmanbhai Jadeja, a woman accused of leading an underworld gang in Gujarat, and Tamil film producer K Venkateswara Rao.
The Delhi High Court had also recently restrained police from going ahead with narco-analysis for arrested Naxal leader Kobad Ghandy till the Supreme Court gave its ruling. (With PTI inputs)
The verdict is a serious setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) which argued that all their tests are legally sanctioned and are critical in cases where they can help provide evidence of crimes being committed.
The court, however, held that Article 20 (3) of the India Constitution that states "no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself."
If a person volunteers to go through narco-analysis or brain-mapping, the findings cannot be used without other supporting evidence, said the court. Also, while conducting these tests, investigating agencies have to follow the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The case against these forms of interrogation and investigation was moved, among others, by Santokben Sharmanbhai Jadeja, a woman accused of leading an underworld gang in Gujarat, and Tamil film producer K Venkateswara Rao.
The Delhi High Court had also recently restrained police from going ahead with narco-analysis for arrested Naxal leader Kobad Ghandy till the Supreme Court gave its ruling. (With PTI inputs)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
