Finance ministers carrying a copy of the budget to Parliament or the State Assemblies to make their budget speeches has become a norm. This year, however, Delhi Finance Minister Manish Sisodia carried the budget in a ‘jhola’ (jute bag) to the Assembly. The Aam Aadmi Party leaders later said those who carry the budget document in a briefcase have nothing to offer to the aam aadmi . “Our Minister (Mr. Sisodia) has everything for the common man in his jhola ,” a senior party leader quipped.
Public witnesses who come forward to help the police in investigation of crimes often face harassment in courts during trials. In a rare gesture, the Delhi High Court has sought to help them out by reminding the trial courts that repeated adjournments discourage them from associating in the probe of criminal cases.
While dismissing an appeal against conviction in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act last week, Justice Sunita Gupta said the attitude of courts in sending witnesses back by granting adjournments was a major cause of harassment.
“Investigation itself is a tedious process and a public witness, who is associated, has to spend hours at the spot. Normally, nobody from public is prepared to suffer inconvenience for the sake of society,” observed the Judge. She said the reason why witnesses were not readily agreeing to associate with probe was their harassment in courts.
Normally, a public witness should be called only once to depose in the court, the testimony should be recorded, and witness should be discharged. But experience shows that adjournments are given on every excuse. The Judge said that not giving adjournments was considered a breach of the right of hearing of the accused.
The High Court’s observations are likely to provide relief to the public witnesses who help the police by deposing against criminals, often by putting their own lives at a great risk.
The district administration of Gurgaon planted ornamental trees to beautify two major roads of the city before the two-day global investors’ summit at Hotel Leela, but it seems to have forgotten them after the summit was over.
Environmentalists say poor maintenance and irregular supply of water have led to the drying up of these ornamental trees and shrubs that were planted along the MG Road and the road leading to HUDA City Centre from Signature Tower.
MCG officials, however, maintain that it is natural for a few lower leaves and branches of some trees to dry up after they are replanted and that all the trees are watered on a regular basis.
Delhi Traffic Police’s recent initiative of impounding driving licence for violating traffic rules has flooded top officers with calls to have licences returned.
From commoners to VIPs, motorists from all sections of society have been making requests. Some of them had their own licences seized, whereas others make requests for people known to them.
However, top traffic officers were in a fix recently when a Special Commissioner of Police called up to seek the return of his nephew’s driving licence.
“The officer requested if we could take a lenient view in his nephew’s case. We were in a fix because the traffic department had decided not to entertain any requests after licence seizure,” said a source.
During the conversation with the Special CP, however, the traffic officers realised that some hours had elapsed since his nephew had lost his licence. That gave the traffic officers a breather.
"We explained to the officer that once a licence is impounded, it is sent to the transport department. We told him that he was a few hours late in contacting us,” said the source.
Fortunately, for the traffic officers, the Special CP concerned thanked them for their efforts and agreed that his nephew should have driven as per rules in the first place.
(Contributed by Mohammed Iqbal, Ashok Kumar, Shiv Sunny and Maria Akram)
