Law as a profession has become a business over the years, which is a matter of concern, union Law and Justice Minister Kapil Sibal said Sunday.
“Lawyers have always been regarded as providers of service. That is why law is a profession. Over the years, however, I found that it has become a business,” Sibal said at the 21st annual convocation of the National Law School of India University.
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Sunday evicted an illegally set-up taxi stand in the heart of the city but appeared helpless before those who have set up another stand on prime land owned by the state government.
Carrying out the orders of the state high court, the Srinagar district magistrate and senior superintendent of police supervised the sealing of an unauthorized taxi stand near the tourist reception centre (TRC).
Contingents of police were moved in to evict those who had set up the taxi stand near the TRC during the night.
Arrested spiritual guru Asaram Bapu, facing allegations of sexual assault on a minor, was Sunday brought to Jodhpur town, where he was interrogated after being sent to a day’s police custody and taken to his ashram for recreating the “crime scene”, police said.
During the interrogation at the Police Lines, near Mandore in Jodhpur, the white-clad, bearded 72-year-old Asaram asserted he was innocent.
He will spend the night at the Police Lines, police sources told IANS.
Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal wanted to fight NATO forces in Afghanistan as an 18-year-old when the US launched its campaign against Taliban following the 9/11 attacks, investigators here said.
“Following the US attack on Afghanistan, he wanted to go and fight the allied forces there,” said a senior Delhi police official.
Known as the ghost bomber, Bhatkal was arrested on Thursday from Indo-Nepal border after being on the run for over five years in several countries.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said Israel was prepared for “every possible scenario” in Syria after the US delayed a military strike in a surprise move that prompted some Israelis to question their main ally’s resolve on Iran.
“Israel is calm and self-assured. Israeli citizens know very well that we are prepared for any possible scenario,” Netanyahu told his cabinet.
“Israeli citizens must also know that our enemies have very good reasons not to test our strength – they know why,” he said at the start of the weekly meeting today.
Syria today described as “historic American retreat” President Barack Obama’s “confused” decision to seek Congressional nod before launching a military strike against it over alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians.
“Whether the Congress lights the red or green light for an aggression, and whether the prospects of war have been enhanced or faded, President Obama has announced yesterday, by prevaricating or hinting, the start of the historic American retreat,” state-run Al-Thawra daily said in a sarcastic tone.
Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon today asked the head of the UN chemical weapons inspection team to expedite the analysis of tests from samples collected from Syria and submit the report as soon as possible.
“The samples collected by a UN inspectors team which concluded its visit to Syria to investigate into allegations of chemical weapons attack would be transferred to laboratories on Monday,” a UN official said.
Sachin Tendulkar is all set to play his 200th Test match on home soil with the BCCI trying to squeeze in a series against the West Indies ahead of the year-end tour of South Africa.
The decision to invite West Indies for two Tests and five one-dayers was taken at the working committee meeting here today.
“We have sent a proposal to the West Indies Cricket Board in this regard. We are hopeful of working out the modalities for the series,” a top BCCI official said.
A 36-year-old prisoner, involved in several criminal cases including of rape, murder and kidnapping, escaped from the central jail on the city’s outskirts early Sunday, a senior police official said.
“We learnt that Jaishankar escaped from the jail by climbing two 15-feet inner walls and the 30-feet outer wall between 2 and 4 a.m.,” Karnataka’s Inspector General of Prisons (IGP) K.V. Gagandeep told reporters here.
The IGP has suspended three wardens, two jailors and six security guards who were on duty then and ordered an inquiry into the daring jailbreak.
The government is considering various proposals including shutting petrol pumps in the night to taper fuel demand as it looks at ways to cut the massive oil import bill, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily said today, drawing a sharp reaction from BJP.
“There are various options and ideas that have been floated. Shutting petrol pumps during night is one of them. But we have not decided. It is just a proposal,” Moily told PTI from Bangalore.
Supporters of Asaram Bapu today allegedly attacked the media persons, policemen and passers-by while staging a road blockade here to protest the arrest of the self-styled godman in a sexual assault case.
“A case has been registered against the attackers with Telibandha police station and soon they will be arrested,” Additional Superintendent of Police Lal Umed Singh told PTI.
A large number of Asaram’s followers gathered at VIP square on NH-6 near his ashram in the VIP Road area here, and staged an hour long ‘chakka-jam’ this afternoon.
Two army jawans were wounded when they accidentally stepped on an anti-personnel mine near the Line of Control in Kashmir Valley on Sunday.
The jawans, guarding the area along the LoC in Keran sector in Kupwara district, accidentally stepped on one of the mines in the wee hours resulting in an explosion, a defence spokesman said.
Both suffered injuries in their feet and rushed to a hospital where their condition was stated to be stable, he said.
Security forces have stepped up vigil along the LoC in the wake of increased attempts by militants from PoK to sneak into the valley.
Ahead of festival season, Central Government will this month announce a hike in dearness allowance to 90 percent from existing 80 percent, benefiting about 50 lakh central employees and 30 lakh pensioners.
According to official source, dearness allowance hike will be 10 percent and would be effective from July 1, this year.
The sources further said the exact amount of dearness allowance, as a proportion of basic pay, works out to over 90 percent after factoring in the revised all India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) for June.
A man was arrested from Abhinav Bidanasi area under Markat Nagar police station of Cuttack city for allegedly beating and torturing his wife, who works as a teacher in a Government school.
On the basis of a written complaint filed by the lady teacher, the Mahila police arrested Chandrakant Sarangi under sections of IPC yesterday. Sarangi was sent to jail after his bail plea was rejected.
Sachin tendulkar is set to play his landmark 200th Test match before his home fans with the BCCI today making a surprise announcement that the West Indies team has been invited for two Tests and five ODIs in November next.
The iconic batsman, who has already played a record 198 Tests, was earlier expected to become the first player in the history of the game to figure in 200 Tests in South Africa where the Indian team is scheduled to tour in December.
Kolkata and Mumbai are likely to be the venues for the Tests against the West Indies.
Reaching out to Muslims ahead of Lok Sabha polls, BJP today said it would soon come out with a vision document on minority empowerment to elaborate the party’s stand on their education, security and prosperity as also their participation in governance.
Addressing BJP Minority Morcha National Executive meeting here, party Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the document will aim at “empowerment and not appeasement.”
Criticising the Congress-led UPA government for increasing the prices of petrol and diesel, former Union minister and BJP national vice-president Bandaru Dattareya said the government totally failed to run the country efficiently.
In a statement here, Dattatreya has termed the hike of petrol and diesel prices as “undemocratic and unconstitutional” because the government has announced hike of the petrol and diesel when Parliament was in session. “The common man is very angry and frustrated with the inaction of the government”, Dattareya said.
AP Revenue Services Association president Bopparaju Venkateshwarlu has said they would not stop “Athma-gourva” bus yatra of TDP Chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
Speaking to the media here, Venkateshwarlu said keeping in view the sentiments of Seemandhra people, Chandrababu Naidu should give clarity on his party’s stand on bifurcation of the State. The
Seemandhra elected representatives should not be allowed to step into the region if they failed to resign from their posts, he added.
YSR Congress leader and Railway Kodur MLA K Srinivasulu on Sunday said the people of the State hating the double standards of TDP Chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu on
bifurcation of the State.
Speaking at NIMS hospital here where YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy was admitted, Srinivasulu said the people would revolt against Chandrababu Naidu over his vested interest politics.
YSR Congress Party honorary president Y S Vijayalaxmi here on Sunday alleged that the ruling Congress was trying to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh for votes and seats.
In an open letter, which was released to the media today, Vijayamma said her daughter and YSR Congress leader Sharmila would launch ‘Samaikya Shankaravam’ bus yatra from Monday with a demand that the State should be kept in tact if ‘equal justice to all regions’ was not possible, she added.
Arrested Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal is alleged to have told interrogators that he received instructions from a Pakistani handler to carry out blast in Hyderabad in February this year, officials privy to his questioning said today.
30-year-old Yasin alis Syed Mohammed Ahmed Zarar Siddibapa reportedly told the interrogators that he had supplied explosive material to a person for planting at various locations in Dilsukhnagar near Cyberabad, adjacent to Hyderabad city, the officials claimed.
The Jodhpur police on Sunday evening got one-day custody of arrested spiritual guru Asaram Bapu who is facing allegations of sexual assault.
A Rajasthan Police team flew Asaram Bapu, 72, to Jodhpur city, over 350 km from here, in the afternoon after arresting him past midnight Saturday from his ashram in Indore in Madhya Pradesh in a sexual assault case lodged against him by a 16-year-old girl.
Asaram was questioned by Jodhpur police for about four hours and was later produced before District and Sessions Judge (Rural) Manoj K Vyas who remanded him to one-day police custody.
Though unhappy with the decision of Juvenile Justice Board, family members of the December 16 gang-rape victim have not lost all hope of getting justice for her and plan to meet Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
The father of the victim said that they have spoken to Sonia’s daughter Priyanka Vadra and will also try to meet Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
Over 17 lakh people have been hit by the floods in Uttar Pradesh, where the situation continued to remain grim with the swollen rivers inundating thousands of villages and the death toll in the deluge and other rain-related mishaps climbing to 280.
Two persons died on Sunday in Auraiya district in an incident of house collapse.
The relief commissioner office said a total population of over 17 lakh has been affected by the floods. Over 1,000 villages are adversely hit and people have been displaced.
Hyderabad: The health condition of YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Sunday improved a bit after doctors at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), where he is being treated following his indefinite fast against Andhra Pradesh bifurcation, administered IV fluids to him.
Jagan’s seven-day fast ended yesterday after NIMS doctors forcibly administered him IV fluids.
“Jagan’s condition appears to have improved a bit today compared to yesterday. Following orders from jail authorities we forcibly gave IV fluids to him,” doctors at NIMS treating Jagan told reporters.