Hindu godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh gets 20-year jail for rapes

Agencies

August 28, 2017

Chandigarh, Aug 28: A special CBI court on Monday sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20-years of rigorous imprisonment in separate cases of rape of his two disciples.

Amid unprecedented security in Punjab and Haryana, CBI judge Jagdeep Singh was flown in from Panchkula to the Rohtak jail this afternoon where a library was turned into a make-shift courtroom for the extraordinary hearing in the case.

No major incident of violence or arson was reported from Haryana after today’s pronouncement of sentence. Both states continue to be on high alert. The court ordered a fine of Rs 15 lakh in each of the two cases out of which Rs 14 lakh will be given to each of the victims.

The sect chief broke down as the quantum of sentence was read out to him by the Judge. He sought forgiveness with folded hands, said sources. The Dera head felt uneasy during the hearing after which doctors of the PGI Rohtak, who was on stand by, were asked to examine the convict, reports said.

There was a heavy deployment of Army and para military around the jail complex and only a few were permitted inside the courtroom.

The Judge ordered 10-year jail term in each of the two cases which meant that the sentence will run consecutively, not concurrently, over a span of 20-years. Both the defence and prosecution were allowed 10-minutes each by the CBI Judge for final comments. Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s lawyers sought leniency in punishment from the Judge on grounds that his client was sick and had done a lot of philanthropic work.

The CBI counsel on the other side sought maximum punishment. Earlier on Friday, the Judge had convicted the sect head for the rape of two women between 1999 and 2002. His conviction led to unprecedented violence in Panchkula and Sirsa after hoodlums of the Dera went berserk resorting to large scale violence and arson which consumed 38 lives and injured 278 persons.

Haryana CM ML Khattar has appealed for peace. The Army is out in Sirsa and Rohtak to prevent a repeat of Friday’s violence. Authorities said they will not hesitate to fire gun shots at people who violate orders and disrupt law and order. In Punjab, curfew has been lifted in five out of 10 districts.

Night curfew continues for the time being in Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot, Barnala and Samna, and some parts of Patiala.

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BCCI going ahead with women's IPL on time: Sourav Ganguly

Agencies

August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said the Women's IPL or the Challenger series, as it is better known, is "very much on", ending speculation about the parent body not having a plan for Harmanpreet Kaur and her team.

The men's IPL will be held between September 19 and November 8 or 10 (final date yet to be locked in) in the UAE due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in India. The women's IPL will also be fit in to the schedule, according to the BCCI chief.

"I can confirm to you that the women's IPL is very much on and we do have a plan in place for the national team also," Ganguly told PTI ahead of the IPL Governing Council meeting later on Sunday.

The BCCI president, who is awaiting a Supreme Court verdict on waiver of the cooling-off period to continue in the position, did not divulge details but another senior official privy to the development said that women's Challenger will be held during the last phase of IPL like last year.

"The women's Challenger series is likely to be held between November 1-10 and there could be a camp before that," the source said.

The former India captain also said that the centrally contracted women players will have a camp which has been delayed due to the prevailing situation in the country.

"We couldn't have exposed any of our cricketers -- be it male or female to health risk. It would have been dangerous," Ganguly said.

"The NCA also remained shut because of Covid-19. But we have a plan in place and we will have a camp for women, I can tell you that," he added.

The BCCI's cricket operations team is chalking up a schedule where Indian women are likely to have two full-fledged white-ball series against South Africa and the West Indies before playing the ODI World Cup in New Zealand.

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Low pressure over Arabian sea to intensify into ‘cyclonic storm’ soon, says IMD

Agencies

May 31,2020

New Delhi, May 31: A low pressure area formed over Arabian sea and Lakshadweep is likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm and reach coastal states of Maharashtra and Gujarat next week, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

Sunitha Devi, in charge of cyclones at IMD, said, "A low pressure area has formed over southeast and adjoining east central Arabian sea and Lakshadweep area. It is very likely to concentrate into a depression during the next 24 hours and intensify further into a cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours."

She added, "It is likely to move nearly northwards and reach near north Maharashtra and Gujarat coasts by 3rd June."

A low pressure area and a depression are the first two levels on the IMD's eight-category scale used to classify cyclones based on their intensity.

The weather bureau said that the sea condition will be very rough and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till June 4.

It has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over south coastal Maharashtra for June 2-4, on north coast on June 2-3 and in Gujarat, Daman and Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli on June 3-5.

IMD said that under the influence of likely formation of a low pressure system over Arabian Sea, conditions will become favourable from June 1 for onset of monsoon over Kerala.

The arrival date for monsoon in Kerala is around June 1 every year and in Maharashtra around June 10.

On Saturday, a private forecasting agency claimed that monsoon has already hit Kerala, but the assertions were quickly rebutted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

"The news about monsoon onset over Kerala in Social Media is not correct. Monsoon has not arrived over Kerala. The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge a"Stephen Hawking," saidAMadhavan Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMD's Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said that the formation of a low pressure system in Arabian sea and its movement towards Gujarat coast will bring moisture to Delhi-NCR and North West India from June 3.

Two storms are forming over the Arabian Sea, one lies off the African coast and is likely to move over Oman and Yemen, while the other is placed close to India.

The development comes almost ten days after 'Amphan' pummeled four districts of Bengal in the fiercest cyclone in the region in a century, that left 86 people dead and rendered ten million people homeless.

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According to IMD alert appeared in some newspapers on 31 May 2020 , a cyclonic storm is brewing in the Arabian Sea , which is likely to reach coastal districts of Gujarat and Maharashtra by 3 June. It is expected that the these States would take more care and appropriate strategy well in time to combat the likely danger to the coastal districts from cyclonic storm designated as ‘Nisarga’. In this context , it may be apt to refer readers to this Vedic astrology writer’s predictive alerts in article - “ Predictions for coming year 2020 by kushal kumar” - published last year 2019 on 10 October at theindiapost.com/articles/predictions-for-coming-year-2020-by-kushal-kumar/. The related text of the predictive alert reads as follows in the said article :-

“ The next three months from April to June 2020 , appears to be a period of time testing ‘patience’ and ‘ perseverance’ , introducing several parts of the country to worrisome concerns. Coastal States of India , particularly those in the southern part , may be called upon to take more care and appropriate strategy against likely cyclones , storms , floods , coming of danger via sea , landslide and damage to crops during April-June in 2020. Such dates of month of May as 6 , 7 , 13 to 16 , 25 and 26 may be watched with care. Similarly , the dates 3 , 4 , 11 to 13 , 21 , 22 and 26 in June 2020 may be watched with care. Coastal States /UTs such as Gujarat , some parts of Maharashtra ……………………………………look to be vulnerable. It may be apt for them to take necessary precautions during May-June , 2020”.

The aforesaid details suggest that the predictive alert of this writer published last year 2019 on 10 October , is coinciding with the alert of IMD appeared near about 31 May , 2020.

Kushal kumar ,

202- GH28 , Mansarovar Apartments ,

Sector 20 , Panchkula -134116 , Haryana.

1 June , 2020.

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Rs 20 lakh crore package will help overcome challenges posed by COVID-19: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

News Network

May 13,2020

New Delhi, May 13: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package "will go a long way in overcoming challenges" posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Welcome the Rs. 20 lakh crore stimulus package announced by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Bhai Modi Ji to revive economy, boost efficiency of various sectors through reforms & make India self reliant and resilient. #AtmaNirbharBharatAbhiyan," the Vice President tweeted.

Calling the reforms as the "need of the hour", he further said: "Bold reforms are the need of the hour to realize the dream of #AtmanirbharBharat."

Expressing confidence in the five-pillar approach, he said that it would help promote local industries "while making India face global competition effectively".

"I am confident that a focused approach on the five pillars- Economy, Infrastructure, Technology driven System, Vibrant Demography & Demand--will promote local industries led growth while making India face global competition effectively. #AtmaNirbharBharatAbhiyan," he said.

"I am certain this timely economic package will go long way in overcoming challenges posed by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. #AtmaNirbharBharatAbhiyan #IndiaFightsCorona," he wrote on the micro-blogging site.

The Prime Minister had on Tuesday announced Rs 20 lakh crore special economic package for the country to become 'self-reliant' and deal with COVID-19.

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