Cash-for-vote: Amar Singh appears for questioning

Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh Friday appeared before the Delhi Police for questioning in the cash-for-vote scam.

Singh drove to the Crime branch’s interstate cell in Chanakyapuri at 10.45 am in his Mercedes car. He did not speak to the waiting media persons before entering the complex.

Singh, the then general secretary of Samajwadi Party, is accused of sending bribe money to win over three BJP lawmakers during the 2008 trust vote.

His appearance before the police comes after the Delhi Police issued summons to him under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code, asking him to present himself before the Crime branch.

The decision to call Singh for questioning comes after the arrest of Suhail Hindustani, who allegedly acted as a liaison between Singh and BJP MPs.

On Sunday, police had arrested Sanjeev Saxena, once considered close to Singh who allegedly delivered cash to the MPs to vote in favour of the UPA during the trust vote.

The arrests and fresh investigations into the case have come after Delhi Police was slammed by the Supreme Court last week for its “callous” approach in this case.

Besides Amar Singh, police is also expected to question Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh and BJP MP Ashok Argal.

Questioning of BJP leader L K Advani’s former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, who allegedly was behind sting operation to trap the bribe-givers, is also likely to take place.

Cash for votes: Amar Singh likely to be questioned on Friday

Rajya Sabha Grants Permission to Question Amar Singh in the Cash For Votes scandal. The 2008 cash-for-votes scandal caught on camera by CNN-IBN has now saw a second arrest in the form of BJP worker Suhail Hindustani. He was arrested on Wednesday by the Delhi police for allegedly facilitating the cash transactions between Amar singh and BJP MPs. It is reported that the police is now set to question Amar Singh in connection with the case.

"I have nothing to hide, Amar Singh has the main role in this," Suhail Hindustani said on Wednesday.

Hindustani's alleged role in this deal was to assure BJP leader Sudheendra Kulkarni that he could talk to anyone from BJP MPs to top Congress leaders and could help in fixing a deal. He was present at the 'spot' where Amar Singh's close aid and secretary, Sanjeev Saxena, allegedly bought cash to bribe the BJP MPs.

Hindustani also had confessed before the parliamentary enquiry panel that he had worked closely with Kulkarni.

CNN-IBN has learnt that Amar Singh is likely to be questioned by the police on Friday. Sanjeev Saxena had named Singh as the man who paid the bribe which he merely transported to BJP MP Ashok Argal's house.

In the expose by CNN-IBN, Ashok Argal can be seen talking on phone (probably to Amar Singh) confirming that he had received the Rs 1 crore.

The police, however, is looking for more answers from Amar Singh. They want to know if he was the one who paid the entire amount himself or was there another contributor?

The police also want to know if he was in touch with any senior Congress leader?

There are other important questions which need to be answered. Why is the police making enquiries in this case after a gap of 3 years?

Will the investigation now only restrict itself to Amar Singh or will it also focus on the Congress?

Whose government was Amar Singh trying to save?

The answers to all these will be received once the police are done with their questioning in the probe.

More than 300 resident doctors strike work at Aiims

More than 300 resident doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Aiims) went on a relay hunger strike late on Monday evening. The resident doctors are demanding reinstatement of a senior resident from the department of neurosurgery, who was accused of molesting an eight-year-old boy admitted in the hospital ICU in January this year.

The hospital’s internal inquiry report and Delhi police’s investigation had found nothing conclusive against the accused doctor. The doctors on strike have said patient services will not be hit in any manner.

“We will continue till our demand for justice to the doctor is not met, “ said Dr Debjyoti Karmakar, president, resident doctors association.

Doctors want tainted colleague back

Doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have found a new way to express their anger and thoughts regarding the 'injustice' happening at the medical institute. At one end, one can find a large number of pamphlets around the campus area which talk about the 'faulty' examinations that happen every year in each department, while on the other hand, more than 100 doctors from the institute are protesting on Monday to get their colleague back, who was charged with a case of sexual harassment.

Black day
On Monday, more than 100 doctors will demonstrate at the institute. The protest is called "black Monday..black badges and huddle for Shejoy". Dr Shejoy P Joshua, a senior resident of the AIIMS neurosurgery department, was alleged of molesting a seven-year-old child who had undergone surgery in the institute for brain tumour.
"We are basically fighting against the injustice happening here. The administration is not keen on looking at the issues. Shejoy is innocent and we will fight for him," said one of the doctors participating in the protest on the condition of anonymity.
The doctors are also updating their posts on the social networking websites like Facebook. "There have been matters where the administration has been ignoring our issues. This highlights how the system in the institute works. We are basically mourning the death of justice in AIIMS by wearing black badges," said Dr Debjyoti Karmakar, president, Resident Doctors Association (RDA), AIIMS.

Paperwork
Meanwhile, other groups of doctors have been distributing pamphlets regarding the problems with the examinations process. "It's really shameful that AIIMS has been flouting the rules every time and no action is taken. By distributing these pamphlets, we want to ensure that we do not remain quite," said a spokesperson from Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum (PSMF), an organisation running within the institute.
The pamphlets mention all the details about the examinations from the year 2000 to present.
The official spokesperson of AIIMS, Dr Y K Gupta, was not available for comments.

Strauss-Kahn released from house arrest

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, has been released from house arrest in the sexual assault case against him.

The French politician appeared briefly in a New York courtroom on Friday after reports that prosecutors had grave doubts about the credibility of Strauss-Kahn's accuser.

The judge stressed that the move does not mean that the "case is over" and prosecutors did not agree to dismiss the sexual assault case against Strauss-Kahn.

Strauss-Kahn was arrested in May, accused of trying to rape a hotel maid, and has been confined to a Manhattan apartment.

The 32-year-old hotel maid accused Strauss-Kahn of chasing her through his luxury suite in New York, trying to pull down her pantyhose and forcing her to perform oral sex.

He denies the allegations, saying the relationship was consensual.

His passport remained surrendered, and he will not yet be allowed to leave the country. However, one of his attorneys, Benjamin Brafman, said Strauss-Kahn would be free to travel within the US.

"It is a great relief, another of Strauss-Kahn's attorneys, William Taylor, said, adding that the case underscores "how easy it is for people to be charged with serious crimes and for there to be a rush to judgement."

"It is so important in this country that people, especially the media, refrain from judgement until the facts are all in," he said.

'Violent assault'

Revelations of major problems with his accuser's credibility were first reported in The New York Times.

Reports say investigators have come to believe that the woman lied about some of her activities in the hours around the alleged attack and about her own background.

Jacky Rowland reports on reactions in Paris

Prosecutors think she also lied about details on her application for asylum in the US, including saying she had been raped in her native Guinea, the newspaper said.

The accuser's attorney did not back down on the seriousness of the charges.

"From Day One she has described a violent sexual assault that Dominique Strauss-Kahn committed against her," attorney Ken Thompson said.

"She has described that sexual assault many times, to prosecutors and to me, and she has never once changed a single thing about that encounter," he said. 

Addressing reporters outside the court, he said the woman had walked into the suite to clean after being told no one was inside.

"Then Strauss-Kahn came running out of one of those rooms naked towards her and he grabbed her beasts first and started to attack her. He then grabbed her vagina with so much force that he hurt her ... that he bruised her vagina," Thompson said.

"When Dominique Strauss-Kahn threw the victim to the floor he tore a ligament in her shoulder. She may now need surgery for the damage he caused to her shoulder".

Strauss-Kahn, 62, was arrested in New York on charges of sexual assault. He resigned from the IMF on May 19 and pleaded not guilty on June 6, vehemently denying the allegations. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.

Strauss-Kahn's arrest also shook up French politics as he was a leading contender for French presidency from the Socialist Party. His supporters claim that he was being set up. If charges against him are dropped, it could throw the presidential race in France wide open.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was appointed as the new IMF chief on Tuesday. 

Indian girl claims she spend night with Quentin Tarantino

Everyone knows that Quentin Tarantino is a foot fetishist; after all he drank champagne from Uma Thurman's 6-inch heels. That was a couple of years back. Now, an email written by a young lady is ripping Tarantino's foot fetishist image apart and in the most ruthless way.

The mail written by a girl named Beejoli was sent to her 15 friends narrating an infamous yet true story about one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers - Tarantino.

Beejoli, who puts on a goofy façade in the mail, went out partying with her friends and met Quentin Tarantino. Incidentally, QT not only poured her a drink, he also publicly made out with her.
She wrote, "At this point, QT puts an arm around me and I'm acutely aware that Quentin Tarantino has an arm around me. As are my four friends, who are all looking at me as if I have grown a second head. To be fair, I am easily the most uncool out of all my friends so the fact that anyone even mildly famous wants to speak to me is pretty shocking. He's chatting with my friends and I like it's no big deal, I am pretending like this happens every night of my life, and out of nowhere he leans in for the makeout. Yes. True story."

So what about this incident manages to rip his image apart? The juice of the story lies in the rather descriptive pictures she paints rather eloquently in her mail. 

Quentin invites Beejoli to his place and she willingly hops in the car. After another make out session in his SUV, the two hit a photo-booth for some clicks and evidence for the young lady that she spent time with QT.

"I spot a photo booth and immediately realize that we must take photos, if for nothing else, proof that this story even happened. We get a few good photo strips, which I immediately buried at the bottom of my purse lest he take them from me, and go on talking about film."

Post the photo session, Beejoli claims that they hit his bar with vengeance and the sexual tension between the two reaches a whole new level. At this point, she is reminded of the fact that she wasn't even wearing sexy panties!

She wrote: "The make-out continues for a while longer, and I'm really getting nervous about where the night may lead, kicking myself over not pretending to be more drunk and "passing out", and wishing he'd turn the damn lights off so that he won't notice that I'm wearing Hanes Her Way underwear the size of Canada."

Moving on, in her word Quentin's sex appeal fizzled out the moment she saw his penis. Beejoli wrote: "We make out some more, there's a little below the belt action that I try to avoid, as QT has the most unattractive penis I have ever seen (short. fat. nub-like).

Predictably yet funnily, Quentin Tarantino asked her if he could jerk off while sucking her toe! A shocked Beejoli then goes on to describe the "weirdest" ten minutes of her life. She wrote: "And thus began the weirdest ten minutes of my life - having my feet made out with by an Oscar winning filmmaker while he pleasured himself. No bodily secretions were ejected anywhere near me or my feet, and just as I hoped, we went to bed right after."

In the morning, the author of this mail was dropped back home by Quentin himself.

"Most insane experience of my life, and without a doubt, probably the best story I will ever get to tell."

This story is heavily one sided primarily because QT never blogged or e-mailed anyone about this incident.

Government destroyed vital evidence of 2002 Godhra riots

Nine years and on, the victims of 2002 Godhra riots are still fighting for justice and to make the matter worse, crucial riot records including phone transactions, vehicle logbooks and official movements have been destroyed by the Modi government. The victims believe that the records have been deliberately destroyed.

The Gujarat government has destroyed crucial records pertaining to the 2002 riots. This comes from none other than the Narendra Modi government itself. SB Vakil, state government counsel in the Nanavati Commission, said important records like incoming and outgoing call data, log books of government vehicles and officials' movement have been destroyed. And that IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt is lying about being present in the meeting that Narendra Modi convened then, because he knows the official records no longer exist.

“Records of incoming and outgoing phone calls, vehicle logbooks cannot be found,” said SB Vakil, State Government Counsel in Nanavati Commission.

People associated with the communal riot cases have expressed shock at the government's admission.

"Proceedings in all the key cases.. the Naroda Gaam case, the main complaint by Zakia Jaffri and other cases are still on. To destroy evidence as important as this is not just shocking, but illegal as well," said Mukul Sinha, Advocate, Jansangharsh Manch.

The big question which remains unanswered is: were these extremely crucial records - that could ensure justice to thousands of riot victims - deliberately destroyed.

Sega website hacked, 1.3m customers' data stolen

Hackers have stolen the personal data of some 1.29 million customers of the Japanese game maker Sega, the company said on Sunday, in a theft via a website of its European unit.

The Sega Pass website, operated by London-based Sega Europe, did not contain credit card information, the Japanese firm said.

But names, dates of birth, e-mail addresses and encrypted passwords were stolen by intruders to the site, Sega said in a Japanese-language statement, adding the theft had been confirmed on Friday.

"We sincerely apologize for troubles this incident has caused to our customers," it said. The service, which has been suspended, was mainly to announce new product information to registered customers, Sega said.
"An investigation has been launched to find the cause and channels used for the leakage," it said. No other websites managed by Sega have come under attack, it said.

Facebook applications leaked users information

According to Web security firm Symantec nearly 100,000 Facebook applications accidentally leaked access to users' Facebook accounts for several years.

Facebook applications are Web applications that work on the Facebook platform. Facebook says users install 20 million applications on its platform every day.

Third parties, mainly advertisers, had access to users' profiles, photos, chat and other personal information, according to a post Wednesday on Symantec's blog.

Facebook acknowledges the issue and says it's been addressed. But the social-networking giant also says that Symantec's report has some "inaccuracies" and that user information was never shared with unauthorized third parties.

Symantec's report said that over the years, hundreds of thousands of apps may have gotten "access tokens," which the company described as sort of a spare key to people's accounts.

"Needless to say, the repercussions of this access token leakage are seen far and wide," staffer Nishant Dosti wrote on the blog for the company, which sells the popular Norton anti-virus and security tools.

There's no good way to estimate exactly how many access tokens were leaked, Symantec said.

Luckily, Symantec says that most app developers probably didn't realize they had this access. The company says Facebook "has taken corrective action to help eliminate this issue" after the problem was discovered last month and brought to Facebook's attention.

Facebook says most access tokens expire in two hours, meaning they'd be useless to malicious third parties after that time.

A Facebook spokesperson told that the site worked with Symantec to address the problem. But he said a "thorough investigation" didn't show any information got into the hands of unauthorized parties.

"In addition, this report ignores the contractual obligations of advertisers and developers which prohibit them from obtaining or sharing user information in a way that violates our policies," he said.

On Tuesday, Facebook announced on its developer blog that it has been "working with Symantec to identify issues in our authentication flow to ensure that they are more secure."

That post announced an update that will require all Facebook websites and applications to switch to a new, more secure system for developers.

"We believe these changes create better and more secure experiences for users of your app," Facebook's Naitik Shah wrote in the post.

Facebook currently uses a more secure authentication system for applications, but has been still supporting the older, less secure version, Symantec said. The site hasn't found evidence that any leaked information has been used in a way that violates Facebook policies.

Facebook users can void any unauthorized access an app may have by changing their passwords.

Developers whose apps use Facebook's old system will have to transition to a new, more secure development system between now and October 1, according to the blog post. The new system gives users installing an app a detailed list of the access that app will have to their personal data.

Section 144 withdrawn at Ramlila Maidan

Section 144 has been withdrawn at Ramlila Maidan. The order clamped on June 4 and prohibiting the assembling of people at the protest hub was used by Delhi Police to justify eviction of Baba Ramdev's supporters on the intervening night of June 4 and 5.

"The prohibitory order issued under section 144 Criminal Procedure Code 1973, in the area of sub-division Kamla Market by the ACP of the area dated 04.06.2011 is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect," the order issued on June 16 states. Senior officers at police headquarters and central district said that after a review of the law and order situation it has been decided that there was no immediate need for another prohibitory order.

Speaking to TOI, senior cops also affirmed that there were no "officially recorded statement" which restrains Baba Ramdev from coming to Delhi at present. "We are yet to officially restrain him from coming to the capital. However, there is an FIR registered against the Ramlila gathering and at least the role of eight people including Ramdev is under probe. We do not want to comment on the investigations right now but we might arrest him if our investigations provide us with proof that he had instigated the public at Ramlila Maidan. At present, he has not been named as an accused in our FIR,'' clarified a senior police officer.

According to the police, as the camp was broken up 72 people were injured, which included 39 civilians and 23 policemen. An apex court bench of Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice Swatantar Kumar took suo motu cognizance of the police action against Baba Ramdev, referring to media reports.

Meanwhile, Jantar Mantar, the most favoured spot for crusaders since the late eighties, may soon become inaccessible for them. The Delhi government, in the backdrop of over 1.5 lakh people protesting at Jantar Mantar in 2010 and as many as 12,000 getting detained for breaching the law in the first six months of the year, is mulling over identifying an alternative site for protests.

"It is submitted that as long as the demonstrations are held in the small road space currently being used for this purpose, inconvenience will be faced by people passing through Tolstoy Marg, Jantar Mantar Road, Parliament Street and Jai Singh Road. Besides this, people travelling to their houses and offices located on the said roads as well as Connaught Place will also be inconvenienced.

As a natural corollary, a more convenient location with ample space has to be identified for holding demonstrations in Delhi," read the affidavit, adduced by Standing Counsel for the government Najmi Waziri before a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra. He was responding to a petition by the residents of the Dhawandeep RWA, which had sought relief from the noise generated by agitations.

Two judges recuse from hearing Kani’s bail plea

A two-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Friday recused itself from scheduled hearing of DMK MP Kanimozhi’s bail plea on Monday, prompting the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to refer the case before a special Bench comprising Justice G S Singhvi who is monitoring the probe in the 2G spectrum scam case.

A Bench of Justice Singhvi and Justice B S Chauhan would now hold the hearing on bail plea of the daughter of DMK Chief M Karunanidhi and Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar on June 20.

Justices P Sathasivam and A K Patnaik, who are now presiding over a Vacation Bench, informed the CJI Justice S H Kapadia about their decision recusing from hearing the case.

Kanimozhi and Kumar have been in jail since May 20 after a special Court had denied them bail for their alleged role in the 2G scam. Both are accused of receiving more than Rs 200 crore for Kalaignar TV from accused Shahid Balwa’s firm allegedly as quid pro quo for spectrum allocation.The case has seen several high-profile persons including corporate honchos behind the bars.

Earlier, the CBI filed an affidavit in the Court opposing their bail pleas contending that they could influence witness and tamper with the evidence after being released from jail.  The probe agency also trashed the plea made by Kanimozhi and Kumar that Rs 200 crore money was received as loan amount.

CBI also referred to the order passed by the Delhi High Court denying bail to both the accused. It maintained that the High Court had dismissed their plea for bail after examining different material evidence and other factors.

Taking up the hearing on the bail petitions, the apex Court had on June 13 asked CBI to explain where the Rs 200 crore, allegedly diverted to DMK-owned Kalaignar TV in 2G scam, had gone and also to file a response in a week's time.

A Bench comprising Justice Chauhan and Justice Swatanter Kumar had also asked CBI to come out with a status report on the loss to the state exchequer due to the award of 13 licences to one of the telecom operators besides the trial proceedings in the CBI special Court.

Kanimozhi and Kumar had moved the apex Court seeking bail on June 10 challenging the Delhi High Court verdict rejecting their bail on the ground that they had strong political connections and there was a possibility of them influencing witnesses.

Caught with nurse, doctor sent on leave

The superintendent of Asansol sub-divisional hospital, Dr Ranjit Mondal, and a nurse have been asked to go on indefinite leave after they were allegedly seen in an 'embarrassing position' in a room of the nurses' hostel late on Tuesday night.

A third employee of the hospital, medicine department staff and co-ordination committee leader Tarun Mukherjee, has also been told to go on leave on charge of irregularities, say sources. All three will face a departmental inquiry and action will be taken accordingly, said an official.

Some hospital employees apparently heard 'strange noises' coming from the nurses' hostel around 2am on Wednesday. Thinking thieves had entered, they alerted the security and emergency staff. When the nurses were asked to come out of their rooms, one nurse did not open her door. The employees forced in and saw the "hospital superintendent running away", said a source.

When the news spread in the morning, local residents, hospital staff and nurses started an agitation. Asansol SDO Sandip Dutta, mayor Tapas Banerjee and mayoral council member Rabiul Haq rushed to the hospital. Additional chief medical officer health Arita Chattoraj directed Dr Ranjit Mondal, the nurse and Tarun Mukherjee to go on leave. There were a lot of complaints against Mukherjee, say sources. Burdwan CMOH Tanmoy Mukherjee said that a senior doctor of the hospital will become the acting superintendent for the time being.

"The incident is shameful," said mayor Tapas Banerjee. "At a time when chief minister Mamata Banerjee is making surprise visits to hospitals, it's sad that Asansol sub-divisional hospital, which she upgraded only two days ago, has hardly improved."

Ranjit Mondal says he is innocent and that he is being framed by some people. The other two accused have not commented on the allegations against them.

The Asansol SDO, who is also the head of the Patient Kalyan Samity, has warned that all doctors should come on time and remain in hospital during duty hours, otherwise "stern action will be taken".

Can army kill, rape & enjoy immunity: SC poser to govt

Irked by the Centre's diametrically diverse views on army and paramilitary forces' immunity from criminal prosecution in fake encounter killings, the Supreme Court today asked the government to spell out its position on the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and other laws.

"You cannot say that an army man can enter any home commit a rape and say he enjoys immunity as it has been done in discharge of official duties," the apex court remarked. The apex court made the remarks after senior counsel Ashok Bhan, appearing for the Centre, voiced divergent views on two separate encounter killings involving military personnel in J&K and Assam.

In the 2004 Chattisingpora killing in J&K , where seven youth were killed in an alleged fake encounter by Rashtriya Rifles personnel, Bhan sought prosecution of the armymen whereas in a similar alleged fake encounter by CRPF men in Assam, the counsel said they enjoyed immunity.

"How can you adopt diametrically different views?" the bench said, to which Bhan admitted it was "compulsions of his professional duties." He urged the court to de-link the two issues and deal with them separately.

However, the bench said since "the issue involved vital questions of law relating to public" , the matter would be taken up for a detailed hearing after vacation.

Attorney charged with prostitution after 'offering to perform sex act on man for $50'

Charged: Attorney Reema Bajaj allegedly worked as a prostitute

A high-flying attorney worked as a prostitute and offered to perform a sex act on a man for $50, officials say.

Reema Bajaj, 25, was linked to prostitution by police who were investigating a separate case involving child pornography.

The law expert is said to have met with a sex customer within 1,000ft of a school during August 2010, said DeKalb police Sgt. Bob Redel.

Bajaj, from Sycamore, Chicago, pleaded not guilty last week, according to her attorney David Camic of Aurora.

She is charged with two misdemeanours and one felony count, officials said.

DeKalb County Assistant State's Attorney Julie Trevarthen said that because one of the offences is alleged to have taken place near the school it is a felony.

One of the alleged offences is reported to have involved charging a man $50 to perform a sex act on him.

Police linked Bajaj to prostitution after discovering emails between her and a man. Police were at the time taking part in a separate child pornography probe.

Bajaj would not have been a practising attorney at the time of the suspected offences. She graduated last year and was admitted to the bar in November.

She is said to have turned herself in to authorities at the DeKalb County Jail on May 31 after an arrest warrant was issued, according to the lieutenant.

High-flying: Bajaj outside the law offices in Sycamore, Chicago, where she worked after being admitted to the bar last November

She was charged on May 31 and is free on bail after submitting a $500 cash bond.

Reema posted a statement on her website before it was taken down. She wrote: 'I am probably one of the few attorneys who knows what it feels like to be accused and in need of help.

'This action will only make me stronger and better able to understand what my clients are going through.'

Bajaj is listed as an attorney with law offices at 1210 E. State Street, Suite 7 in Sycamore, according to her practice’s website.

Street: Bajaj poses glamorously next to a sports car. One of the offences is said to have happened within 1,000ft of a school  

Ajab prem ki ghazab kahani: Meerut youth to marry off wife to lover

In a bizarre tale of marriage without consent, a 21-year-old supervisor in an IT company has got his newly-wedded wife tie a rakhi to him — symbolically making her a sister — after learning that she had earlier secretly married another man. The 'groom', Nitesh Tyagi, has also vowed to get the girl, Aarti, married to her lover despite alleged threats from her family. The girl, meanwhile, is living at the supervisor's house in Meerut's Devlok Colony.

"Even an animal brought against its will to a new owner will run away. This is a case of a sensitive and educated girl, forced to marry against her wishes. I am proud of my son's stand and support him wholeheartedly," said Nitesh's father Anil Tyagi.

Tyagi has declared that Aarti was now his 'daughter'. "Earlier, she was my daughter-in-law. Now, she is my second daughter. And my wife is equally happy to have her as a daughter," said Tyagi, a transporter by profession.

According to the family, Nitesh's marriage plans were fraught with complications from the start. He was initially engaged to be married to Aarti's elder sister. "But the girl eloped with a trainee police sub-inspector before the marriage, which was scheduled for May 6. Aarti's father, himself a sub-inspector with the Provincial Armed Constabulary in Rudrapur, told us that Nitesh should marry Aarti, to which we agreed. The wedding took place on May 6," said Tyagi.

But the family then learnt that Aarti had been forced into the alliance. "Aarti told my son that she had a lover whom she met during her graduation. They had even quietly married in a temple. Her family possibly drugged her on the night of the wedding. I had seen her weeping and unsteady on her feet," Tyagi said.

Aarti, too, told TOI that she may have been drugged during the wedding ceremony. "On the morning after the wedding ceremony, I told Nitesh I was already married and could not be his wife," she said.
"His reaction, and that of his parents, was unbelievable," Aarti said. "Nitesh made me tie a rakhi to him so that I could openly continue to live in the house as his sister. Even Nitesh's mother accepted the situation readily. Now she treats me like her daughter."

Nitesh claimed Aarti's family had threatened to turn the Rudrapur PAC force against the Tyagis if they arranged another wedding for Aarti. "We have decided to formally seek police protection on Friday. And then, we will hand over Aarti to her lover and rightful husband. I have no regrets," Nitesh said.
The Tyagi home, meanwhile, has virtually become a tourist destination, with admiring or unbelieving visitors flocking in from Meerut and elsewhere.

Pervert professor: have sex, get marks

Rahul Sarangle, a 24-year-old computer teacher, bombarded his 17-year-old student with lewd messages, saying he will make sure she clears her exams if she sleeps with him.

A lecturer of a reputed Goregaon college asked his 17-year-old student from Std XII to have sex with him, and flooded her with lewd SMSes, to "test her character".

While Rahul Sarangle, 24, who teaches computer hardware at L S Patkar College of Arts and Science in Goregaon (W), claims he meant no offence, his victim is traumatised after receiving a series of SMSes, some of which read: "You are gonna gimme love..." and "You dnt know how to sex??"

No police complaint has been filed, but college authorities are aware of the incident.
The girl’s ordeal began on June 11, when the results showed she had failed in physics and barely passed computer science. She told Mumbai Mirror, "I sent an SMS to Sarangle sir, asking where did I go wrong.

In physics and computer science, 20 and 100 marks respectively are set aside for practical exams. I couldn’t have scored so low. Sarangle sir’s replies shocked me, humiliated and embarrassed me.”

  The girl alleges that in a series of SMSes, the lecturer asked her whether she watched porn, and whether she'd had sex. "When I SMSed him back, asking him what he meant by such talk, he replied (sic), 'Ur nt experienced? but at least kuch idea rahega... frm porn'. I deleted the initial few messages, but when they got worse, I decided to expose him," the girl said.

Sarangle has a reputation of being a livewire on the campus, and communicates with his students on Facebook. In his SMSes to the girl, he boasted of his sexual encounters.
The girl said, "In one message, he talked about sleeping with other students, who later scored good grades. Then he mentions an engineering student from Kandivli, who scored well only because she slept with him."

On another occasion, Sarangle messaged the girl saying a student had sex with him because "she loves me and my teaching style, and I made her a topper in the engineering stream," the victim alleged.

Sarangle was totally unfazed by the allegations; in fact, he didn't even deny them. He said, "I just wanted to test her character. I had heard she was a good student, and was shocked at her low grades." He even went on to say that he will "convince" his colleagues about the girl's character. "Now, I am assured. I can convince other professors that she is a good girl, and she might get the necessary marks in subjects that she flunked," he said.

The lecturer's victim said she will not rest till he is punished. "Just imagine my horror... a lecturer talking dirty to me. I have decided to expose him. He is a blot on the education system and should be thrown out of the college. I approached a senior lecturer, and told him everything. But I couldn't meet the principal," she said.

The senior lecturer, whose name is being withheld, washed his hands off the incident. "The girl did talk to me about the SMSes, but I told her to speak to the principal. I have nothing to do with all this," he said.

The college reopens today. Patkar College Principal M B Kekare said, "I am shocked, can't believe a lecturer from my college would stoop so low. A committee will investigate the allegations, the college management will take a call on the lecturer. We may suspend him. There are 6,000 students on the campus, and 200 professors. I don't know Sarangle, but it's a question of our credibility, and we will take appropriate action against him."

Millions of Facebook users in UK and Us quit

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's ambitions for the site to hit 1 billion users may be thwarted by the slowdown in numbers. Photograph: Robert Galbraith/Reuters

The number of people using Facebook has dropped in the UK for the second month in a row, mirroring similar falls in the US, Canada and Norway, giving the first signs that the social network's popularity may be waning in the west.

The website continued to grow worldwide, hitting an all-time high of 687 million users, according to data from the tracking company Inside Facebook, which uses Facebook's own advertising tools to determine the number of people using the site every month. Growth slowed however, having risen by 13.9m accounts in April and then just 11.8m in May. Typically in the past year it has grown by 20m a month. That slowdown could thwart founder Mark Zuckerberg's ambition to reach 1 billion users worldwide, despite his prediction last June that "it is almost a guarantee that it will happen".

Growth in Facebook use seems to peak in any country once the site is used by roughly half of those who have internet connections – though with more than 2 billion people online worldwide, the site could still reach the 1 billion figure. However, it would need people who have joined the site to stay with it – and that hasn't been happening in some countries.

Magnus Hoglund, chief executive of the law media portal Law360.com, who has worked on digital media companies for the past decade, said: "From my experience, I get the sense that being on Facebook is not cool anymore. The early adopters and trend setters are moving away. [But] these are also exactly the type of people brand advertisers want to reach; if they are leaving, it doesn't look good for Facebook."

The site has been criticised in the west for its approach to users' privacy, with repeated protests about the way in which controls on data access are relaxed. Last week the revelation that it had extended an automatic facial recognition system for tagging photos beyond the US without asking people if they wanted to opt in drew criticism from privacy groups and security consultants.

A spokeswoman for Facebook said: "We are very pleased with our growth and with the way people are engaged with Facebook. More than 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day."

The drop in use was most marked in the US, where numbers fell from May's 155.2 million, just under half the 239m people online, to 149.4 million at the start of June. It marked the first time in a year that the number of people logging into the site over a month had fallen. In the UK, the fall was smaller at around 100,000 users to 29.8 million, or 58% of the 51.4 million people online. Canada saw a fall of 1.62 million to 16.6 million, while Norway also saw a fall of around 100,000 users over the month.

The fastest-growing countries, including Brazil and Mexico, grew at a maximum of 10% over the month.

The fall in users is most marked in those developed countries where Facebook first launched to the public in September 2006, after its first two years when it catered only to US college and high school users.

Eric Eldon, one of the researchers at Inside Facebook, said that it was hard to see how the social networking site could hit its 1 billion target except by getting into China, which has 420 million internet users but just 391,000 Facebook users as of March. The site has been banned in China since 2008, while cloned versions abound inside the country. Zuckerberg visited China in December 2010, which led to speculation that he was working on a way to get the site approved by the government, but there has been no further detail on whether that is happening.

Facebook still dominates the world in terms of social network use, with Russia and China marking the biggest holdouts where home-grown networks are the most popular.

Hoglund added that following the stock market flotation of LinkedIn, Yandex and Groupon's plans to go public, this summer could mark the high-water mark for media and technology market offerings as firms rush to cash in before their capital runs out.

Meanwhile, reports in the US suggest that Facebook may have to make a public share offering at the beginning of 2012 because it will have more than 500 shareholders. US securities exchange commission rules oblige companies to make a listing once they passed this threshold. Facebook did not respond to the Guardian on the issue.

Ramdev declares assets, claims Rs249 crore spent in charity

After announcing earlier today that he would be making all his assets public, Ramdev addressed the media at his Haridwar ashram today.

The yoga guru said that he would never preach violence and that he was misquoted by the media on his decision to set up a youth army.

His aide Balkrishna said that leading a public life makes it imperative to lead a transparent life.

He further said that a lot of questions were being raised on the spiritual guru's assets.

He confirmed the institution is run according to the norms of the govt and accounts are maintained with precision.

Declaring the yoga guru's assets, he said that the the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust has spent Rs249 crore in charity and helping people during calamities.

The total capital of different institutions associated with Baba Ramdev is nearly Rs426 crore.

He said that they conducted annual audits and paid income tax.

Baba Ramdev's Rs 1,100 crore empire under scanner

The mammoth business empire of Baba Ramdev , its worth estimated at Rs 1,100 crore, is now under official scanner, informed sources said Tuesday. An aide to the yoga guru called it hogwash.
Sources in the corporate affairs ministry said that companies and trusts linked to Ramdev deal in ayurveda medicine, food, cosmetics, construction, real estate, transport and packaging.

An official told IANS that while there was no specific charge against these businesses, their income tax computation would be done.

In the last five years, Ramdev is said to have built a huge business empire of over 30 companies. His key aide, Acharya Balakrishna , is said to hold the key to most of them.

Besides the income tax department, the Enforcement Directorate will also examine these companies, the sources said.

The companies are affiliated to Ramdev's Patanjali Yogpeeth and Divya Yog Mandir trusts .
These trusts in Hardwar, according to the sources, had a combined turnover of some Rs.1,100 crore in 2009-10.

The broadcasting company that owns Aastha TV -- a religious channel -- is also affiliated to the trusts.

Jaideep Arya, national co-coordinator of the Patanjali Yogapeeth, said the government was simply attempting to divert attention from the issues related to corruption that Ramdev had highlighted.
"It is hogwash. The government is doing such things to divert people's attention. Now they can lay any blame (on him)," he said.

But official sources say they are serious.
Ramdev also reportedly owns an island off the coast of Scotland , which can become taxable if the proposed direct tax code comes into effect in India.

The latest development comes shortly after Ramdev's showdown with the government, leading to the police evicting him and his supporters from the heart of Delhi.

Ramdev has demanded death penalty for corrupt politicians and officials and the seizure of black money stashed away abroad by rich Indians.

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Black money: 18 Indians on Liechtenstein List

The list of Indians with accounts in LGT Bank, in European tax haven Liechtenstein, that is now with the government shows that 18 individuals collectively put away Rs 39.66 crore during 2002-04 in trusts with the bank.

These individuals include businessmen in Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai and members of their families. Their total tax penalty has been estimated at Rs 24.27 crore and recoveries have already begun from 17 of the 18 named.

The list, accessed by The Indian Express, is now with the Enforcement Directorate. A copy has to be sent to the CBI as the Supreme Court has said that either the National Intelligence Agency or the CBI should go after sources of these deposits rather than just rely on the Income-Tax Department for unearthing alleged income concealment and tax evasion.

The agencies have to probe whether these LGT deposits were involved with any alleged money laundering or whether the money parked abroad is proceeds from terrorist activities, drug peddling, smuggling, arms deals or activities against national security.

The Income-Tax Department has launched prosecution against 17 of these 18 between end-March and early May this year, said sources.

In February, Tehelka magazine published eight of these names but did not mention the income assessed or taxes due.

This list first surfaced in 2008 when a former LGT employee gave details of 1400 account holders to German tax authorities who launched a probe. Of these account holders, 26 were Indian-named and Germany passed their details to India. A subsequent investigation showed that five were non-resident Indians and could not be covered for prosecution. Of the remaining 21, prosecution could be launched only against 18, sources said.

I Will declare my assets today: Baba Ramdev

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has said that he will declare his assets on Thursday evening, after allegations of running a huge empire of Rs 1100 crore.

Ramdev has been accused of grabbing fertile farmland. Local residents including farmers launched a signature campaign against Baba Ramdev, and the Haridwar DM report says no land has been allotted to the baba, a defence that Ramdev had been citing.

Over 200 businesses from broadcasting companies including Aastha TV to food parks are run by his trusted lieutenants Acharya Balkrishna and Mukta Anand, according to reports. There are no specific charges against them that the finance ministry is looking at but a detailed income tax survey is currently being done.

Even Hindu spiritual leaders want Ramdev's assets probed.

Baba Ramdev has also been accused of stamp duty evasion. Ramdev owes the exchequer Rs 58 lakh, says the Haridwar SDM, in not one or two, but a total of 16 orders. In fact he had ordered attachment proceedings in August last year.

Ramdev's aide Balkrishna is also under scrutiny. The Uttarakhand Intelligence Bureau confirmed that Balkrishna, the right hand man of yoga guru Baba Ramdev may have violated the Arms Act. The Prime Minister's office has ordered a probe in the case.

Balkrishna is a citizen of Nepal, but he claimed he was born in Haridwar. His passport number A S 245797 from the Bareilly passport office needs to be investigated under the Passport Act, says the report to the State Police Chief.

Ramdev, however, said that he has always supported law in the country and have never spoken about breaking the law.

He also said that there are many things he has to do before he breaks his fast against corruption and black money. "Till the time my goal is not achieved, I will continue the fast. Whether I live or die, I will support the cause," Ramdev said.

Doctors advised liquid intake to Ramdev and requested him to end his fast soon after health started deteriorating as his fast for tougher anti-graft laws and bringing back black money from foreign nations, continued in Haridwar.

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