Struggle for Justice

As the Women's Reservation Bill rings in the centennial year of Women's Day on a celebratory note, 25-year-old Sushma Tiwari's story tells of an inspirational fight-back against a brutal form of patriarchy and caste oppression.

It has been a six-year legal battle for Sushma against the horrific ‘honour killing' by her brother of almost her entire marital family: husband Prabhu Nochil, her father-in-law and two minors in their home near Mumbai, all to avenge her marriage into a family of a ‘lower' caste. Sushma is from a Brahmin family of UP, and Prabhu, an Ezhava from Kerala.

Although the fast track sessions court in Maharashtra, and later the Bombay High Court, awarded the death penalty to Sushma's brother Dilip Tiwari and his accomplices, the Supreme Court in December 2009 reduced the sentence to 25-year imprisonment.

This February, Sushma filed a review petition questioning the decision to let off the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

In 2004, seven months after the couple got married, Dilip and his associates massacred four members of the Nochil family, and grievously injured two others. A pregnant Sushma luckily escaped as she was visiting a relative.

The Supreme Court, explaining its decision to revoke the death sentence, said: “It is a common experience that when the younger sister commits something unusual and in this case it was an inter-caste, intercommunity marriage out of [a] secret love affair, then in society it is the elder brother who justifiably or otherwise is held responsible for not stopping such [an] affair.”

It added: “If he became the victim of his wrong but genuine caste considerations, it would not justify the death sentence... The vicious grip of the caste, community, religion, though totally unjustified, is a stark reality.”

“Totally illegal”

Sushma has challenged this reasoning, stating this perception “is wrong and totally illegal under our Constitution and various laws of the land like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989” and “can never be made a ground for lessening a sentence. In fact, these feelings of caste hatred are themselves criminal…”

Her petition states: “In fact, mass killings based on the concept of ‘honour' must be viewed by this Hon'ble Court as murders which must be given the highest deterrent sentence.”

In Bangalore recently to attend the National Young Women's convention organised by the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), this resolute young woman told The Hindu that by reducing the sentence, the highest court of the land has sent out a wrong message to all those who wished to marry out of caste. “Even if not for my own safety or that of my five-year-old daughter Trishna, the death sentence must be upheld for the sake of humanity.”

curtsy: The Hindu.

By Divya Gandhi, Photo: Bhagya praksh. K

M800

Its 1983 India celebrating victory in world cup cricket lead by Kapil Dev during that time Maruti 800 launched in December 14. People of India thought that it was bonus to our victory. That was the first step in our Automobile revolution. Before that in1981 Maruti udyaga limited established immediately Govt of India has MOU with Japan auto SUZIKI with Maruti. There’re some brands who will create history named after their country, and every up and downs of their country economy they has a role like Maruti 800 in our country. May be it was a dare step taken by India in automobile industry. May be it was our dream…and our dream come true!

Smt. Indira Gandhi handed over the keys of the FIRST Maruti 800 to Shri Harpal Singh at the spanking new Maruti Udyog plant in Gurgaon. That little white car set a million hearts on fire. The Indian roads became cheerful, colorful and full of energy. The joy of motoring was finally here!

Between 1973-83 our car sales was just 35 thousands numbers, whereas between 1984-94 only Maruti share was 10 lakhas! Up to 2004 Maruti was top in the list. In 80’s, 90’s lakhsas of people from towns became first generation car owners.
Perhaps many people had a doubt that how the small car will beat Ambassador, premier Padmini.

In 1987, 500 cars were exported to Hungary and won European’s Heart, the first car who created a space in automobile industry in foreign countries. Infect auto giants walk in to Maruti way. Companies ranging from Toyota to Volkswagen to Ford and Nissan are gearing up to launch small cars

But

It will bring the curtains down on its once bread-and-butter car Maruti 800 from April. India's largest carmaker has no plans to upgrade its lowest- priced Maruti 800 model to meet Euro IV emissions standards. Sales of the model would be discontinued in 13 cities from April. The cities where BSIV norms will set in from April 2010 are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Surat and Agra. Other cities will come under BSIII norms, making it possible for the company to sell the cars. However, these would also come under BSIV norms by around 2015-16 that would finally mean phase-out of the model.

SAY BYE!..BYE!! TO MARUTI 800 Darling of car lovers

Navy aircraft crashes in city, 2 pilots killed

Indian Army personnel carry the remains of Commandant Maurya of the Indian Naval Aerobatic Team 'Surya Kiran' after his aircraft crashed during the India Aviation 2010 show at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The plane, a two-seater Kiran MK-II built by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics, was part of a four-plane formation when it crashed. — AFP

Power Cut

Industry given 2-day power holiday

The state government has given one more jolt to industry by asking the sector to take holidays twice a week and also to stop production between 6 pm and 10.30 pm every day. This would force most industrial units to suspend one shift of production.

With the steep increase in electricity demand, power distribution companies (discoms) have asked industry to take their regular ‘weekly holiday’ apart from the one-day power holiday announced by the government.

The industrial sector consumes about 35 per cent of power in the state and discoms hope to save electricity by imposing more curbs.

These restrictions would cause much difficulty to industrial units that need to be run continuously. The ferro alloys industry needs power round-the-clock, but the discoms have asked them to run at 70 per cent plant load factor.

“Power shortage has intensified with the combined demand of summer and Rabi season,” said a senior APTransco official. “The state government has only permitted us to buy 120 MW per day when gap between demand and supply is more than 1,200 MW.”

All industries using above 30 horsepower capacity have been brought under power holiday and even agriculture power supply has been divided into three phases.

Power holiday for industries in and around Hyderabad will be decided after consulting industrial estate associations. Indus-tries in Visakhapatnam will have power holiday on Thursday, Srikakulam on Monday, Vizianagaram on Tuesday, Visakha rural on Wednesday, Rajahmundry on Friday and Eluru circle on Saturday.

The power cut in rural areas has been increased to eight hours from six hours and in district headquarters to two hours from one hour.

All towns will have load shedding for two to four hours while Hyderabad city will continue to have one-hour official power cut.

Taslima says " Misuses

Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen today said the appearance of an article in a Karnataka newspaper purportedly written by her, which triggered violent protests in Shimoga and Hassan towns, is a ''deliberate attempt to malign'' her and ''misuse'' her writings to create disturbance in the society.


Nasreen said in a statement made available to reporters that she never penned any article for a newspaper in Karnataka. "The incident that occurred in Karnataka on Monday shocked me. I learned that it was provoked by an article written by me that appeared in a Karnataka newspaper. But I have never written any article for any Karnataka newspaper in my life," she said.

Nasreen said, "The appearance of the article is atrocious. In any of my writings I have never mentioned that Prophet Muhammad was against burkha. Therefore this is a distorted story." The author said, "I suspect that it is a deliberate attempt to malign me and to misuse my writings to create disturbance in the society. I wish peace will prevail."

The violence in Shimoga, the home town of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, left two persons dead, one of them in police firing on Sunday. Nasreen, staying in an undisclosed destination due to security reasons since her return to India last month, had her visa extended recently by six months till August this year. Replying to a question, she said she would not like to say anything other than the statement issued by her.