Allahabad HC reserves order on controversial reservation policy in UP

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court on Monday reserved its order on the controversial reservation policy introduced recently in Uttar Pradesh whereby caste-based quotas were brought in at the preliminary stage itself that had led to violent protests in the city over the issue.

The court also asked the state Public Service Commission not to conduct interviews for the ongoing civil services examinations for the next 10 days.

A division bench comprising Justices Laxmi Kant Mohapatra and Rakesh Srivastava reserved their judgement on a bunch of petitions filed by hundreds of students appearing in competitive examinations, who had challenged the aforesaid reservation policy.

Consequently, the interviews which were to commence on July 26 would now have to be rescheduled and by that time the verdict on the matter is also likely to be delivered.

Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, senior advocates, including Keshri Nath Tripathi and Ravi Kiran Jain told the court that the new reservation policy was "illegal" and "unconstitutional" and intended to benefit candidates from "only one caste group considered close to the ruling party in the state".

The court also questioned the UPPSC's "haste" in bringing in the new policy after being told that it was "passed by voice-vote after one of the members of the commission brought forth the proposal".

The petitions were opposed by the UPPSC, which was represented by counsel Shashi Nandan, and the state government, through additional advocate general C B Yadav.

The three-tier reservation system introduced by Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, which proposes caste-based quotas from the preliminary exams stage itself, has drawn flaks from students and several political parties.

Meanwhile, massive security arrangements are in place in the city in the wake of the violent protests over the issue that had rocked the city on July 15.

As precautionary measures, the district administration has ordered closure of all schools on Monday and Tuesday (today and tomorrow).

Traffic has been diverted on all roads leading to the UPPSC headquarters here with heavy barricading and deployment of forces in place.

Nearly 3,000 personnel of police, Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Action Force have been pressed into service to keep a tight vigil even as senior officials are patrolling the areas where students are carrying out their agitations.

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Sudan resident moves HC against India's surrogacy guidelines

CHANDIGARH: In a case of its own kind, Shihabeldin, a resident of Sudan moved the Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday challenging the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) restricting surrogacy to married men and women with a marriage of at least two years, thereby excluding single foreign nationals and unmarried couples from coming to India for purposes of surrogacy on medical visas.

Taking up his petition, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul of the HC has issued notice to the MHA asking the ministry to file response on the contentions raised by the petitioner. According to the petitioner, the MHA guidelines have completely restrained the foreign nationals in India, who wishes to fulfill the desire to become a single parent through surrogacy.

The petitioner, Shihabeldin, a resident of Sudan, submitted before the HC that he is a singleton and wishes to become a single parent through a surrogacy arrangement and contacted a Chandigarh based medical institution on June 29. However he was informed that surrogacy facility in India could not be availed by a single foreign parent because of the MHA guidelines issued on July 9, 2012 limiting the facility of surrogacy only to married couples with two years of subsisting marriage.

His counsel, Anil Malhotra argued that as per the ICMR guidelines there would be no bar to the use of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) by a single woman who wishes to have a child, and no ART clinic may refuse to offer its services to the above, provided other criteria mentioned in this document are satisfied. The child thus born will have all the legal rights on the woman or the man.

"Said guidelines were framed so that infertile parents could fill the barrenness in their lives through commissioning of surrogacy but the MHA guidelines puts an embargo on foreign single persons or foreign unmarried couples from commissioning surrogacy in India through ART is wholly whimsical classification by any law," Malhotra argued.

Seeking directions to struck down the said guidelines, counsel further contended that foreign nationals, overseas citizens of India, and person of Indian Origin cannot be discriminated in the matter of surrogacy upon comparison with Indian nationals and imposing a ban on surrogacy by foreign single persons or foreign unmarried couples wholly contrary to law.

Now the case has been fixed for July 22 for further hearing.

Grounds on which the petitioner has sought relief on equality

September 29, 2008 | Baby Manji Yamada case brought forward the complex issue when the Japanese biological mother being divorced by the time of the birth of the child disowned him. Supreme Court gave directions to allow the child to travel with the grandmother.

October 12, 2008 | Israeli gay couple became parents in India through surrogate and achieved surrogacy arrangements in India without any objections.

May 26, 2010 | German gay couple on intervention of the Supreme Court was allowed to get birth certificate for their twin surrogate babies and thereafter were granted exit permits to Germany without any objections.

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Monthly per capita expenditure: Haryana tops urban spending; Keral no.1 in rural spending

A report says Haryana recorded a monthly per capita expenditure of Rs 3,346.32 in cities.

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jul 22, 2013, 06.22PM IST

NEW DELHI: Haryana topped the list among large states recording largest household monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) in urban areas whereas in rural areas, Kerala ranks the first, a government survey said.

Haryana recorded a MPCE of Rs 3,346.32 in cities followed by Himachal Pradesh at Rs 3,173.30 and Kerala at Rs 3,044.22 as per the National Sample Survey Organisation's survey on household consumer expenditure from July 2011 to June 2012.

The study also revealed that among the large states, Kerala stood at first position by recording MPCE of Rs 2,355.53 in rural areas followed by Punjab at Rs 2,136.39 and Haryana at Rs 1,925.96.

In case of union territories and smaller states, Andaman and Nicobar islands tops the charts with monthly per capita expenditure of Rs 4,439.03 in urban areas followed by Delhi at Rs 3,160.76 and Chandigarh at Rs 3,000.27.

Similarly in rural areas, among union territories and smaller states, Delhi comes first with MPCE at Rs 2,690.24 followed by Chandigarh at Rs 2,543.57 and Andaman and Nicobar islands at Rs 2,508.19.

Among the states, Chhattisgarh recorded lowest monthly per capita expenditure of Rs 904.04 in rural areas followed by Odisha at Rs 904.78 and Bihar at 907.41 during the period under review.

Similarly in urban areas, Bihar was at the bottom with MPCE of Rs 1,396.65 followed by Manipur at Rs 1,448.91 and Chhattisgarh at Rs 1,776.21.

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Rajnath’s anti-English remark: What language will he speak in US, asks Congress

LUDHIANA: In a dig at BJP president Rajnath Singh, the Congress today asked what language he would speak during his current visit to the US.

"The BJP President should make it clear whether in America he would talk in Hindi or Awadhi or English. He made comments here that English has destroyed Indian culture. Such narrow vision, such closed ideology, now what he will achieve in the US only time will tell," Congress leader and information & broadcasting minister Manish Tewari told reporters.

While speaking at a function in Delhi, Singh had reportedly expressed concern that the widespread use of English language in the country had resulted in the loss of 'our language and culture' as hardly anyone speaks in Sanskrit now.

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Sushma Swaraj's aircraft makes emergency landing in Jaipur

INDORE: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had close save on Monday afternoon and her aircraft in which she was coming to Indore had to make emergency landing in Jaipur.

Sushma Swaraj took off from New Delhi for Indore from where she was scheduled to go to Ujjain to flag off election campaign termed as 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Within few minutes of take off aircraft develops technical snag and it made emergency landing at Jaipur airport.

In the afternoon Sushma Swaraj tweeted-took off for Ujjain this morning. Landed in Jaipur due to technical sang in the right engine of the aircraft. After few minutes she tweeted-It is all fine. Nothing to worry.

Spokesperson of BJP Ujjain division, Jaiprakash Junwal told TOI Sushma Swaraj was expected to flag off 'Jan Ashirwad Yatara' but she could not make it due to some technical reason. He said Sushma Swaraj could to manage to reach Ujjain for the programme.

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhna has started his 50-day-long election campaign from Monday from Mahakal temple in Ujjain. Under this tour CM will visit all districts of state and he will arrive Indore in October.

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Egypt begins work on charter as Islamists press demos

CAIRO, Qahirah: Experts begin work on Sunday to amend a divisive constitution rammed through by ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, while his supporters called for intensified rallies in Cairo demanding his reinstatement.

Egypt's caretaker cabinet has sought to forge ahead with an army "roadmap" for a political transition amid heightened tensions as Morsi's Islamist supporters press on with the protests that have sparked bloody violence.

Foreign minister Nabil Fahmy launched a public relations campaign to boost the cabinet's credibility abroad on Saturday, nearly three weeks after the military toppled Morsi in a popularly backed coup.

On the domestic front, interim president Adly Mansour named a committee of four university professors and six judges to come up with a new constitution.

In the wake of the July 3 coup, Egypt's new army-backed administration suspended the constitution that had been drawn up by an Islamist-dominated panel and adopted by referendum in December with a majority of 64 percent, but with a voter turnout of just 33 percent.

The experts will have 30 days to complete their task, after which their amendments will be brought before a 50-strong body representing different groups in Egyptian society, which will submit final changes to Mansour.

The caretaker president will then have 30 days to call a referendum on the new charter, paving the way for new elections.

Work also began in earnest at the weekend on boosting the new regime's foreign relations.

Fahmy said on Saturday he would prioritise "defending the revolution abroad".

The ministry would "form a committee to follow what is published about the revolution abroad and to provide sound information," he told a news conference.

Morsi's overthrow has received a mixed reception abroad.

The African Union has suspended Egypt's membership, but some Gulf countries that distrusted Morsi have pledged billions of dollars in aid.

Britain has said it was revoking export licences for equipment used by Egypt's military and police amid concerns it could be used against protesters.

Fahmy also took a more cautious tone towards the conflict in Syria than Morsi's government did, saying Morsi's decision to cut diplomatic ties with the war-torn country would be "re-examined".

Morsi had repeatedly called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resign.

"There is no intention of jihad in Syria," the former Egyptian ambassador to Washington said, in reference to calls for a holy war in Syria under Morsi's presidency.

Fahmy was due to meet the new leader of Syria's main opposition coalition, Ahmad Assi Jarba, on Sunday.

In a boost to the new administration, King Abdullah II of Jordan became the first foreign head of state to visit since the army ousted and detained Morsi.

King Abdullah pledged his support "for Egyptian national choices", a presidential statement said.

But Morsi's supporters have flatly rejected the legitimacy of the interim cabinet.

They called for fresh rallies in the capital on Sunday to demand the reinstatement of Morsi, planning marches to several foreign embassies in Cairo, including that of the United States.

Supporters of Morsi, who was ousted after a single year of turbulent rule, have pressed demonstrations against the new cabinet, holding marches and protests across the country since his fall.

Thousands of Morsi loyalists have massed in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya square for about three weeks, calling for his reinstatement and denouncing General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the army chief behind his overthrow.

They believe a sustained campaign of protests could persuade the military to restore him briefly ahead of any elections.

Although mostly peaceful, the pro-Morsi protests have resulted in deadly clashes, with the unrest claiming more than 100 lives in all, according to an AFP tally.

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Three dead, including two Britons, in Russia helicopter crash: Reports

MOSCOW: At least three people, including two British citizens, were killed in Russia's Far North on Sunday when a helicopter crashed into them while they were standing on the ground, officials said.

A distress signal had already been received from the Eurocopter-120 before it made the hard landing on the north of the Kola peninsula in the Murmansk region.

"Three people were killed, two of them are British citizens," the local branch of the emergencies ministry said in a statement on Russian news agencies.

RIA Novosti said that the two foreigners were believed to be tourists. The identity of the other individual said to have been killed was not immediately clear.

Reports said the three appeared to have been crushed to death by the helicopter while standing on the ground and were not inside the aircraft at the time of the crash.

"After take-off, the helicopter tilted and fell onto its side. Three people who were on the ground at the time died of their injuries," a source in Russia's aviation agency Rosaviatsia told the RIA Novosti news agency.

Reports said it was possible that the tourists had been taken by helicopter to the remote area for fishing and then killed by the aircraft after it had deposited them in bad weather.

The Life News website described the Britons as "VIP tourists" who were taking part in a fishing trip especially for foreigners.

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IndiGo flight makes emergency landing as infant falls sick

MUMBAI: A Chennai-bound IndiGo flight with 150 passengers onboard returned to city airport here on Sunday after it was airborne for over an hour as there was a medical emergency on board involving a seven-month-old infant.

The infant, suffering from cardiac disease, was later declared dead by the doctor who examined him at the parking bay after the aircraft made an emergency landing.

The infant had three holes in the heart and was being taken to Chennai for a surgery, an IndiGo airline statement said here.

"IndiGo flight 6E-431 to Chennai departed on time from Mumbai and was air-borne by 10:31am. However, the flight had to return to Mumbai due to a medical emergency on board involving a 7-month-old infant," the statement said.

While airborne, the cabin crew paged for any doctor on board but only a medical practitioner was available, the airline said, adding that the crew performed CPR on the infant and AED (automated external defibrillator) was also used to revive the pulse.

On arrival, the infant was immediately attended by a doctor, who declared him dead, IndiGo said.

"We understand the sensitivity of such situations; hence our crew on-board ensured that the infant received all possible medical attention on board and from our on-ground staff," it added.

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Family abandons search for missing Canadian-Indian student

MELBOURNE: More than two months after a 25-year-old Indian-origin student went missing in a national park in Australia, his family members abondened the search for him, Australian media reported on Sunday.

Prabhdeep Srawn, a Canadian-Indian, went missing on May 13 in the Kosciuszko National Park in the Australian state of New South Wales, following which the family had announced a reward of 100,000 Australian dollars for any tip-off.

According to the family sources quoted by Australia's ABC News, the snowy season had begun in the area and the family and volunteers were stopping their search.

Srawn's family continued to search after Australian officials ceased search operations at the end of May and members of the Canadian Forces spent two weeks in June searching the mountain area.

A law student of Bond University in Australia's Gold Coast, Srawn was reportedly trying to climb Mount Kosciuszko, the highest peak in mainland Australia that is located within the park.

Though the family has been optimistic of finding Srawn as he is a master corporal in the Canadian armed forces, an Australian defence force reservist and has had bushwalking experience, experts feel that the chances of him surviving after so long are slim.

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3 killed, including two Britons, in Russia helicopter crash

MOSCOW: Three people, including two British tourists, were killed in Russia's Far North on Monday when they were crushed by their helicopter after it made an emergency landing, officials said.

The two Britons, who had travelled to the remote Murmansk region for an organised river fishing expedition, and their Russian translator were killed by the whirling rotors of the helicopter as the aircraft crash-landed on its side.

"Two tourists — citizens of Britain — and their guide-translator were killed in the accident," the Investigative Committee said in a statement. It said the two Britons were born in 1944 and their guide, who was from Murmansk, was born in 1960.

"After landing, the helicopter turned on its side and its rotors hit the passengers," the Investigative Committee said, adding that the pilot survived but was injured.

Previous reports had suggested that the three victims were already on the ground but it now appears they may have been in the helicopter and were killed as they tried to get out.

A distress signal had already been received from the Eurocopter-120 before it made the hard landing on the north of the Kola peninsula in the Murmansk region.

The Investigative Committee said that the accident happened on the Rynda river of the Lovozersky district of the Murmansk region.

The Life News website described the Britons as "VIP tourists" who were taking part in a fishing trip especially for foreigners.

Fishing expeditions to the salmon-rich rivers of the Far North are one of very few tourism attractions of Russia that bring in high-paying foreign tourists to regions beyond Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

"The foreign tourists were staying in a luxury camp for fishing," a security source told the Interfax news agency.

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