Suryanelli case: Chandy defends Kurien

February 2, 2013
Chandy_defends_Kurien

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 2: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday ruled out a re-investigation into the Suryanelli gang-rape case, saying top courts had cleared the allegations raised against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson P.J. Kurien.
The allegation levelled by the victim was not new and it had been investigated and cleared by courts including the Supreme Court, Mr. Chandy said.
Terming the attack against Mr. Kurien as “unfortunate”, he said the media was highlighting the victim’s statement as something new.
She had raised this allegation 17 years ago and it had been found untrue by three probe teams, he said, adding that the Kerala High Court and the apex court had allowed Mr. Kurien’s discharge petition.
On the CPI(M)-led LDF attack against Mr. Kurien on the issue, Mr. Chandy said, “Some are trying to trigger a controversy over a matter which had been raised 17 years ago.”
Asked if the government intended to order a re-probe as the victim was sticking to her allegation against Mr. Kurien, Mr. Chandy said the LDF ruled the State for ten years after this incident and they could not do anything to prove the charge.
“Not only that, government can proceed only in accordance with law. Opposition is trying to create smokescreen on the issue.” Mr. Chandy said the LDF-led opposition was trying to politicise the matter by targeting a person and this would only help the real culprits escape. “This is very unfortunate,” he added.
The victim had on January 29 sent a letter to her advocate in the Supreme Court to explore the possibility of a review of the apex court order quashing all charges against Mr. Kurien.
Meanwhile, a member of the Special Investigation Team that probed the case in 1996 said Mr. Kurien’s itinerary on the day when she alleged that she was sexually exploited was not fully investigated.
K.K. Joshua, a team member, claimed that SIT chief Siby Mathews had not made any attempt to collect the itinerary details of Mr. Kurien, who was then Union Minister and travelled without escort between 5 p.m. and 10.30 p.m..
The victim had always been consistent in her statements and mentioned the names of 42 people who had exploited her, Joshua told TV channels.

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News Network
April 11,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 11: The effective handling of Covid-19 pandemic by the Kerala Government has received a big endorsement in the International media with the latest being a report in Washington Post which suggests that the State’s success could prove instructive to the entire country.

The Washington Post quoted Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja Teacher as saying “We hoped for the best but planned for the worst. Now, the curve has flattened, but we cannot predict what will happen next week.”

"The Minister said six states had reached out to Kerala for advice. She, however, noted that it might not be easy to replicate Kerala’s lessons elsewhere," according to the Minister's office quoting the report here on Saturday.

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News Network
March 9,2020

New Delhi, Mar 9: The Centre and the Delhi government are working in close coordination to deal with coronavirus, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said here on Monday.

Talking to reporters after a review meeting with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on the preparedness for COVID-19, the chief minister said people arriving from foreign countries are being screened at airports.

A campaign will be run to make people aware of the preventive measures to contain the spread of the disease, Kejriwal said.

Health Ministry sending directives to states: Vardhan

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the government is prepared to deal with novel coronavirus and his ministry is sending directives, including guidelines, to states in all the languages on ways to contain it.

"We are sending detailed guidelines to all states on ways to contain coronavirus. Have asked states to strengthen laboratories and manpower to effectively deal with coronavirus and form early rapid action teams," Vardhan told reporters adding, that the government is prepared to deal with the infection.

Vardhan stressed on a coordinated action between all concerned departments and agencies for activities such as contact tracing, community surveillance, hospital management, identification of isolation wards, ensuring adequate personal protection equipment and masks and risk communication for mass awareness.

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News Network
January 19,2020

Shirdi, Jan 19: Shirdi in Maharashtra will remain closed for an indefinite period from today in the wake of state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's decision to develop Pathri town in Parbhani district as Sai Baba's birthplace.

However, Deepak Madukar Muglikar, Chief Executive Officer of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, has said that Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi will remain open today and will not be impacted by the closure of the city.

"There are some reports in media that Sai Temple in Shirdi will remain closed on January 19. I want to clarify that it is just a rumor. Temple will remain open on January 19," Mr Muglikar said.

A call has been given for indefinite closure of Shirdi after Mr Thackeray's reported comment terming Pathri in Parbhani as Sai Baba's birthplace.

"Devotees will not face any difficulty if they come to Shirdi," said B Wakchaure, member of Saibaba Sansthan Trust.

Uddhav Thackeray has recently announced that Pathri will be developed as the birthplace of Sai Baba for religious tourism and also took a review meeting of the development plans in the Parbhani district.

One of the most popular religious destinations in the country, Saibaba Temple in Shirdi witnesses lakh of devotees visiting the holy site every year.

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