Kerala govt denies law on hanging is against Bible, unconstitutional; claims it to be scientific

KOCHI: State government has claimed as scientific a new rule for tying a man's hands behind him while hanging.

The government was responding to a petition filed by advocate Basil Attipetty that alleged that the rule prevents the prisoner from praying to God with open hands in a Biblical manner at his last moment.

A statement filed by KA Kumaran, chief welfare officer at prison headquarters, to the high court stated, "In the writ petition, it is contended by the petitioner that the convicted prisoner is prevented to make prayer before the God by way of raising hand. It is not correct. The prisoner is given sufficient opportunity to make prayer before the God and to see the family members etc prior to the execution of sentence."

"The bald allegation that the tying of arms and legs at the time of death execution is barbaric and inhuman is unfounded and misconceived and hence denied. The procedure of execution is based on the scientific method," the statement said.

Government also submitted that tying of hands is required for the peaceful execution of the sentence. Such a procedure is followed all over India as rules were framed on the basis of Model Prison Manual of India, government contends.

It was alleged in the petition that Rule 371 of Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services (Management) Rules, 2014, which was notified by the government on May 23rd last year, violates the constitutional right of the man being hanged to pray as per his wish at the last moment.

The petitioner had further contended that framing of the rule by the state government is a clear infringement of Article 25 (Right to freedom of religion) and Article 21 (Protection of life and personal liberty).

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India, Mongolia begin joint army exercise

GWALIOR: The Indian and Mongolian armies today began a 15-day joint training exercise here with an aim to enhance interoperability between the security forces of the two nations during UN peacekeeping missions.

The tenth India-Mongolia Joint Training Exercise is focussed on allowing both armies to acquaint with each other's operating procedures in the backdrop of a counter insurgency and terrorism environment, an official statement said.

The Mongolian contingent from the 84 Airborne Special Forces Battalion comprising of one Infantry Platoon alongside an Indian Infantry Platoon is participating in the exercise, it said.

The 15-day exercise is planned to train troops of both nations on crossing of obstacles, special heliborne operations, water patrolling, firing a variety of weapons, handling and neutralisation of improvised explosive devices and conduct of cordon and search operations in a counter insurgency and terrorism environment.

The exercise will considerably enhance the interoperability between Indian Army and Mongolian Army in conduct of joint operations against international terrorism while serving in peacekeeping missions under the United Nations mandate, it said.

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Coal scam: CBI files fresh case against Birla's Hindalco

NEW DELHI: CBI on Friday registered fresh case against Aditya Birla group's Hindalco in connection with allotment of Talabira-I coal block in Odisha.

The CBI officials carried out search operations at four places including one in Mumbai and three places in Sambalpur, Odisha after registering the case, sources said.

READ ALSO: CBI examines former PM Manmohan Singh in coal scam

"In continuation with their investigation into 185 coal mines across industry, the CBI has now begun its investigation into Talabira-I, a mine allocated in 1994 to the erstwhile Indal, which was later acquired by Hindalco. In this connection, the CBI carried out searches in three of the Company's sites," an Aditya Birla group spokesperson said.

The company is already facing probe in the Talabira-II coal block in which CBI has recently examined former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his Principal Secretary TKA Nair besides head of Aditya Birla Group Kumar Mangalam Birla.

The agency had filed a closure report in the allocation of Talabira-II which has been rejected by the Special Court which directed CBI to re-investigate the matter. It is alleged that the coal was used by the company in an unauthorized manner in the existing power plant whereas the allocation was done for expanding the capacity of new power plant, the sources said.

The agency has also alleged that mining was started by the company without obtaining the mandatory permission. The sources said agency has named Indal (now Hindalco) and unknown public servants in connection with the case. Public servants, the agency alleged, facilitated the illegal operations by not taking action against unauthorized use despite their knowledge.

Talabira-I coal block in IB valley in Odisha, with nearly 22.55 million tonnes of geological reserves, was allotted to Indal on February 25, 1994.

READ ALSO: Madhu Koda, 8 others summoned in coal scam
(With inputs from PTI)

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Not all Muslims feel BJP a 'Hindutva party': VK Singh

NEW DELHI: There is a "large section" among Muslims which does not feel that BJP is a Hindutva party even though a false picture has been painted vis-a-vis the outfit, Union minister Gen. (retd) VK Singh said on Friday while stressing that the Narendra Modi government wants "everybody to be together".

The minister of state for external affairs also said that terrorism has no religion, caste or language and should not become any basis on which communities are segregated.

"If people have been shown a demon for 60 years, a false picture has been painted, obviously that picture does not go away and, therefore, you find there are some who feel BJP is a Hindutva kind of party.

"But a large section of our Muslim population does not feel that," Singh said here at the 'India Today Global Roundtable'. He was responding to a question as to why not many among the Muslims join BJP.

Strongly pushing an agenda of development, Singh, a former Army chief, said that progress should be such that "it transcends false barriers which have been created for various reasons".

"Terror has no religion, caste, no language... Let's not segregate communities into that. The government was quite clear when it said, 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. We want everybody to be together.

"A large part (of the people) is seeking development. Any party which brings development and does not segregate or ensures that development is inclusive... is such that it transcends the false barriers which have been created for various reasons, I think it will support the present government," Singh said.

Asked about the issue of achieving a resolution in Jammu & Kashmir, Singh said that the "main handling" has to be done politically. If his party were to form a government there, that would be the first step towards securing a resolution, he added.

"Resolution is not just military. There are a large number of inputs which have to go into it. The main handling has to be political, administrative and governance-based. All these are combined if you actually carry out conflict resolution," he said.

"Much more effort is needed. First step would be that we (BJP) form a government there (J&K) so that we can take the governance mechanism forward. Let's see how things turn out," he said.

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Neolithic tool with an inscription unearthed in Tamil Nadu

MADURAI: A tool that may have been used by man in the Neolithic period was discovered from a sand mound at T Gudalur in Tamil Nadu.

A letter similar to the Indus valley script was inscribed on the tool.

Amateur archeologist V Narayanamoorthy said he had been informed about a 12 feet high mound near the Dindigul - Karur highway. This site is situated about 120 kms away from Palani and 17 kms from Karur with the Cauvery river flowing in its vicinity.

Narayanamoorthy excavated the site and found a stone resembling a hunting weapon of man lived around 3,500 years ago.

The triangle tool is made of quartz and weighs 216gm. It is 8cm in height and has a circumference of 13cm, according to Naryanamoorthy.

An ancient tool which was discovered in Tamil Nadu

This tool has two blunt ends and three sharp points. The sharp edges were meant to kill an animal in one go.

Another important aspect of this tool is that it has an inscription similar to the 396th letter of the Indus Valley script. The letter has two circles and a line, with the line being slightly out of place. This was another proof for the similarities between the Indus Valley the Dravidian civilizations, according to him.

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'Surprised' Obama 'honored' by R-Day invite: US

WASHINGTON: The United States anticipates its commander-in-chief standing "for hours" reviewing India's Republic Day parade, but Washington agreed to this unprecedented engagement involving security exposure because President Obama felt "personally honored" by the invitation that was read as New Delhi wanting to elevate its ties with Washington, White House officials said on Wednesday.

In a preview of what is by all accounts an exceptional departure in US Presidential visits, Obama's aide Ben Rhodes disclosed that Prime Minister Modi's invitation "took us by surprise," but considering the significance of the gesture, the US President was pleased to accept it.

READ ALSO: US President Barack Obama's India's itinerary

"This is an enormous event for the Indian people, and for the President to be invited and for him to attend sends a very important message to the world about our commitment to embrace the potential of this relationship," Rhodes, who is also the White House deputy national security adviser, told journalists at a White House briefing.

Asked if any US President had attended the national day celebrations of any country, Rhodes said he didn't know about previous presidents but Obama certainly hadn't. The closest analogy he could summon for the US President's unprecedented exposure was Obama reviewing his own inaugural parade, and in that sense, the New Delhi engagement "is a unique event."

"There is great affinity between people of India and the United States, but also complicated history that would have made it seem highly unlikely that the President would be seen as chief guest for India's Republic Day," Rhodes conceded, reflecting on what some pundits have described as a "black swan" moment in US-India history to describe its sheer unexpectedness. "But the President was personally honored (by the invitation) and he saw it as building on a transformational moment."

"It is a seminal moment in bilateral ties and the invitation sets a different tone to this relationship," added Phil Reiner, Senior director at the White House national security council.

READ ALSO: Delhi, Agra turn into fortresses for Obama visit

In a thinly-veiled reference to China and the shifting dynamics in Asia, the officials said just as the US was undertaking its rebalancing in Asia-Pacific, India was also looking east, and the Washington welcomed that posture because it would bring US and India to the table to address a range of issues from maritime security to free trade.

"The goal is to lead ties to a fundamentally different place when they both took office and we have a unique moment of opportunity," Rhodes said, describing the chemistry between Obama and Modi based on their respective political journeys.

READ ALSO: India, US near tax pact to boost foreign investment

The officials confirmed that First Lady Michelle Obama will accompany the President, but not their daughters Malia and Sasha, who would be preoccupied with school. The First Couple will go to the Taj Mahal in Agra on Tuesday after their engagements in New Delhi on Sunday and Monday.

Former house speaker Nancy Pelosi, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, Senator Mark Warner, and Congressmen Joe Crowley and Ami Bera would be among those accompanying the US president on his three-day trip.

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Ten more LeT men waiting to enter India ahead of Obama visit

NEW DELHI: Ahead of President Obama's visit, intelligence inputs on terror threats seem to be coming by the dozen. After the inputs of five terror operatives having entered India to target Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai and six LeT terrorists having infiltrated to Kathua in Jammu recently, now there is a fresh input that a major rank officer from Pakistan's spy agency ISI has been given the responsibility to push in two batches of five terrorists each from LeT across the border.

There is information about the groups waiting at Rum, Sialkot in Pakistan before being launched into India. The terrorists are expected to launch a fidayeen attack inside India during the visit, said home ministry sources.

Although there is no indication that any of these groups have been instructed to move to Delhi or launch an attack targeting the Republic Day, all infiltrations are being watched with utmost seriousness.

Sources said the intelligence was generated through intercept of phone chatter and has been shared with Delhi Police, UP police and authorities in Jammu & Kashmir apart from BSF and Army which guard the Indo-Pak border in J&K.

BSF had recently deployed 1,200 extra men to bolster patrolling on the western border in the light of increasing inputs about Pakistan trying to push in terrorists. BSF has even installed state-of-the-art gadgets such as thermal imaging cameras and laser walls on unfenced areas of the border.

In the last few days there have been a series of inputs on suspected terror attacks in the country. While some of them have been shared by US and the UK agencies, several have been generated by the Intelligence Bureau.

Sources, however, said there is as yet no specific intelligence on any threat to Barack Obama's visit.

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India, US trying to resolve differences over nuclear deal ahead of Obama trip

NEW DELHI: India and the United States were trying to narrow differences on nuclear trade on Thursday ahead of President Barack Obama's visit, but New Delhi ruled out a change in its liability law that has choked off US investment.

Nuclear commerce worth billions of dollars was meant to be the centrepiece of a new strategic relationship between the United States and India, allowing New Delhi access to nuclear technology and fuel without giving up its weapons programme.

But the 2010 Indian nuclear liability law that makes equipment suppliers ultimately responsible for an accident has held back firms including GE-Hitachi, Toshiba's Westinghouse Electric Company and France's Areva from proceeding with the construction of reactors.

On Thursday, negotiators from the two governments met for a second day in London to hammer out an accord that Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hope to announce during talks set for Sunday. It followed talks in Vienna and New Delhi.

"Even as we speak our negotiators are working together in a collaborative manner in London. It is the third time they are meeting in approximately 45 days, you can see the element of effort that is going into the nuclear issue," foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters.

India has offered to set up an insurance pool to indemnify companies which have won the right to construct reactors in the country against liability in the case of a nuclear accident, as a way around the law.

It says the law can't be changed for lack of political support.

Under the plan readied by state-run reinsurer GIC Re, insurance would be bought by the companies contracted to build the nuclear reactors who would then recoup the cost by charging more for their services.

Alternatively, state-run operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) would take out insurance on behalf of these companies.

"What is being discussed is how, within the four walls of our legal framework, our legislation, we can provide assurances to our partners in the US of any concerns they may have through their vendors or their lawyers," Akbaruddin said.

India's law, written under the shadow of the Bhopal gas disaster, is a deviation from the global norm in which the nuclear operator bears responsibility for an accident, not the equipment providers.

Foreign nuclear firms are also worried about another part of Indian law which they say exposes them to tort claims.

One US official said that contact group talks in London were continuing and that there were "some creative things in the mix" to address whether India needed to change the law to address industry concerns about nuclear liability issues.

"The best way would be to change the law," said the official, adding that negotiators were examining how to come up with "a reasonable package of assurances without changing the law."

Obama's visit had an important "forcing function" in the nuclear discussion, the official added, but even if there is no breakthrough at the summit, the nuclear talks will continue as part of the U.S. administration's broader effort to promote a clean energy partnership with India.

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BJP's Joshi demands CM to resign his post on his own, before he is removed

MYSURU: State BJP president Prahalad Joshi on Thursday said instead of repeatedly pointing accusing fingers at BJP leaders, CM should hand over Arkavathy de-notification case to CBI to bring out the truth.

Speaking to reporters at Suttur where he came to participate in jatra celebrations of Sri Shivarathreshwara Swamiji - the 10th century seer of Suttur mutt, he said chief minister who himself is facing the heat of corruption charges is hesitating to initiate action and drop the tainted ministers against whom BJP has come out with various corruption charges.

"If the chief minister is so confident of not de-notifying a gunta of land why he is hesitating to hand over the case to CBI," he asked and said BJP will not succumb to black mail tactics being adopted by chief minister." It has become a habit for Siddaramaiah to point fingers at his predecessor BJP chief ministers whenever we raise the issue and seek is resignation" he pointed out and said chief minister not only should on his own hand over the case to CBI, he should even resign on his own without waiting for his removal.

Joshi said there is no change in the stand of BJP as far as Arkavathy de-notification scam is concerned. It is Siddaramaiah who is suffering from guilt conscious and BJP has no fear on this score, he claimed and said Siddaramaiah to save himself from the ignominy of losing his job has announced a judicial inquiry and appointed Judge Kempanna for the inquiry.

Joshi said BJP has submitted a set of documents even to Kempanna commission and soon it will approach the governor. "I want to ask one question that why Siddaramaiah rushed to Delhi and submitted himself to the high command," he asked and said there is every possibility of many skeletons tumbling out of Siddaramaiah's cupboard.

Describing Siddaramaiah government as "thick skinned" Joshi said BJP will explore all the legal avenues to fix Siddaramaiah government in Arkavathy de-notification scam and meeting governor and seeking his permission to prosecute Siddaramaiah is one of the avenues worked out by BJP.

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Bangladesh court orders release of 26 Indian fishermen

MADURAI: A court in Bangladesh on Thursday ordered the release of 26 Indian fishermen who were arrested for trespassing into that country's territorial waters. The fishermen are likely to be released on Saturday as Friday is a holiday in Bangladesh.

The deep sea fishermen -- 24 from Thoothoor in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, one from Kerala and another from Andhra Pradesh -- sailed from Bettuagaud in Kolkatta on November 17 and were taken into custody by Bangladesh naval authorities on December 9.

P Justin Antony of Tamil Nadu Fishermen Development Trust, who is coordinating the release efforts in Bangladesh, told TOI over phone that the court had issued an interim order releasing 26 fishermen.

"They will be handed over to Indian high commission officials on Saturday since Friday is a holiday here," he said.

The boats have to be prepared for voyage since they have been moored for more than a month. "Our fishermen may set sail on Saturday or Sunday. They are immensely happy that they can go home after almost a month," he added.

Initially, it was believed that they would be released on January 19 when they were produced before the court. However, the court adjourned the hearing to Thursday since there were some document works pending with 12 fishermen from West Bengal.

The court didn't order the release of the 12 West Bengal fishermen on Thursday as formalities were yet to be completed.

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