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SC notice to Mayawati on Kanshi Ram's custody

     New Delhi: Acting on a petition filed by Kanshi Ram's mother seeking her son's release from the alleged "illegal confinement" of the BSP chief Mayawati, the Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the former UP Chief Miniser. Kanshi Ram's mother Bishan Kaur approached the apex Court challenging a Delhi High Court order, which had dismissed her petition after observing that Kanshi Ram was staying at the residence of Mayawati on his own will without any pressure being put on him. The 95-year-old mother of the BSP founder said the High Court should have set up a medical board to examine Kanshi Ram's mental and physical condition because Kanshi Ram was being given drugs and was not mentally strong enough to form an independent opinion about him. Terming herself as the sole lawful and natural guardian of the BSP leader, his mother requested the court to direct Mayawati to handover the custody of her son. BSP Chief, Mayawati, on the other hand claims that Kanshi Ram's family had deserted him long back and she would not let family members of ailing party founder Kanshi Ram to take him away as the party had spent over Rs 50 lakh on his treatment, while the relatives had not even contributed a single penny or bothered to look after him. She also alleges that the family members of Kanshi Ram are playing in the hands of her political rivals and the BSP leader was staying voluntarily with her.

IAF says it will take back AVM Harish Masand (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The Indian Air Force on Monday communicated to the Supreme Court that Air Vice Marshal Harish Masand, who retired on January 31 last year, would be taken back into the service in a supernumerary post and he would serve the force till January 31, 2006. Air Vice Marshals Harish Masand and T.S. Chatwal had approached the apex court after being denied promotion to the rank of Air Marshal. On the court's orders, the IAF set up a special promotion board to consider their cases afresh, but the special board also justified the earlier orders to deny promotion to Masand for the second time. The court then ordered the government to take a re-look at IAF's whole promotion procedure and the marks system. The direction came after Masand's counsel contended that both the Promotion Boards, in 2003 and the new one constituted on the orders of Supreme Court, were headed by former Air Chief S Krishnaswamy who was inimically disposed towards him. Now, the IAF has informed the SC that Masand would again serve the force.

Nepal's Maoists kill Indian driver (Go To Top)

     Kathmandu: Nepal's rebel Maoists have killed an Indian truck driver for defying the economic blockade which entered its ninth day on Monday. Nripad Kumar Parveji, a resident of Nagpur, was fired at by the Maoists at Charaudi Bazaar area on Prithvi Highway when he was returning to India after delivering goods in Kathmandu last evening. Police said Parveji died on the spot. In another incident, at least six passengers were injured when the Maoists fired indiscriminately at a passenger bus at Mugling, 90 km west of Kathmandu. Two cyclists were also injured when a bomb planted by Maoists exploded in Gadhimai section along the Pathlaiya-Birgunj section of the Mahendra Highway. The indefinite stir called by the rebels since February 13 to oppose the royal takeover has brought traffic to a virtual halt on all key highways and caused shortage of essential goods mainly in Kathmandu and Pokhara, the western Nepal tourist hub. Prices of essential commodities like livestock, cooking gas, kerosene and vegetables has also spiralled because of the blockade.

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