Police File FIR Against Lucknow Building Owner After 8 Die Due To Collapse

Police on Sunday booked the owner of the three-storey building here that collapsed a day ago, killing eight people, officials said.

Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) Amit Verma said a police team is investigating the matter and the accused will be arrested soon.

A senior police official said an FIR has been lodged against Rakesh Singhal, the owner of the Harmilap building in the Transport Nagar area.

The building collapsed on Saturday evening triggering a major rescue operation. Eight people were killed in the incidents while 28 others were injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member committee on Sunday to probe the building collapse incident.

The FIR against Singhpal was lodged at the Sarojini Nagar police station here on the complaint of MK Singh, the police outpost in-charge at Transport Nagar, the officials said.

The accused has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide).

According to the officials, the building had a motor workshop and warehouse on the ground floor, a medical godown on the first floor and a cutlery warehouse on the second floor.

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Is Covid Going Around Again? New Variant May Lead To Severe Surge, Report Reveals

As it spreads quickly throughout Europe, a recently discovered Covid-19 subvariant called XEC is drawing the attention of health authorities globally. XEC was first discovered in Germany, but reports of it have since spread to the Netherlands and other parts of Western Europe. Physicians and scientists are keeping a close eye on XEC, as it appears that it may eventually overtake the current dominant subvariant, KP.3.1.1. Right now in the US, this subvariant is the most common strain.

According to a California-based physician speaking to the Los Angeles Times, XEC is "just getting started" and may take several weeks to months before it begins to significantly impact global and domestic case numbers. While XEC is "definitely taking charge" and appears to be the next prominent variant, experts caution that it will likely be months before it reaches high levels of prevalence.

Also Read | Explained: What Are FLiRT Covid Variants, Are They More Dangerous?

According to the Los Angeles Times, while XEC has shown up in the United States, its prevalence is low, and it is not being individually tracked on the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's variant tracker website. A lineage must be estimated to circulate above 1% nationally over a two-week period for it to be tracked.

The expected midyear wave began in May, when the winter's dominant subvariant, JN.1, gave way to a number of subvariants nicknamed FLiRT-a cheeky name based on the letters of two key mutations, F456L and R346T, Topol said.

Then, "the FLiRT eventually gave way to new variants that had even more growth advantage," Topol said.

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Can Arvind Kejriwal Sign Files From Jail? Asks Supreme Court

Is there any restraint order on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal performing his duties from jail? the Supreme Court asked the Delhi government on Friday after it was informed that files pertaining to the remission of sentences of eligible convicts were getting delayed for want of his signature.

Remission is the cancellation or reduction of a part of the sentence of a prisoner. Under section 432 of the CrPC, state governments may remit the whole or part of the punishment to which a convict has been sentenced based on factors such as the prisoner's conduct, rehabilitation, health and time served in prison.

The observation by a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih came while hearing a plea filed by a convict alleging delay in remission of his sentence.

"Is there any restraint order on chief minister performing his duties from jail? We want to examine this because this will affect hundreds of cases.

"So many files would be there as various orders are passed by the court concerning the chief minister. Whether there is any restraint on the chief minister signing such important files?" the bench said.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said she will take instructions on the issue and get back to the court.

The top court had in an earlier order directed the Delhi government to take a decision on the question of remission of the sentences of convicts within two months. The deadline was, however, extended by a month in July.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 26 in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.

On July 12, the top court granted him interim bail in the money laundering case.

According to legal experts, there is no bar either in the Constitution or in law on a jailed chief minister from continuing in office but running the government from a prison is "practically impossible".

The views of the legal experts are in line with the Delhi High Court's observations of March 28 when it had dismissed a PIL seeking removal of Mr Kejriwal from the post of the chief minister following his arrest.

They, however, opined that it would be impossible to run the day-to-day administration such as making cabinet decisions, signing official papers and transfer orders as these tasks cannot be completed in the secluded and protected area of a jail.

An application by a convict for grant of remission is submitted to the jail superintendent, who forwards the same to the presiding judge of the convicting or confirming court along with the history ticket, copy of the judgments, descriptive roll, and reports from the district magistrate and superintendent of police aboutthe convict's conduct.

Inspector General of Prisons, after his consideration, submits the proposal of remission to the state government with his recommendations. The state government then examines the proposal in accordance with its remission policy and the file is signed by the chief minister, if the same is accepted. 

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NDTV Exclusive: Javed Akhtar On The Winning Formula Of Salim-Javed Stories: "We Did It Without Knowing..."

Salim-Javed - the name is enough. The superhit screenplay writers of the 70s, who had written the new rules of Hindi cinema, captured the public sentiment in its purest form in their iconic blockbusters. Speaking to NDTV's Nikunj Garg and Marya Shakil on the show India Through the Eyes of Its Icons, Javed Akhtar was asked to chart the winning formula of their stories which resonated with an entire generation. Javed Akhtar recalled, "In retrospect, we had no idea. I am so happy that we didn't know that. If we knew what society wants, what society was looking for, it means we would be looking at society from outside and prescribing medicines. No, we were part of the society, we were breathing the same air, we were feeling the way your neighbour was feeling. We did that without knowing that everybody was feeling the same thing. It was a much better situation, instead of  sitting on a pedestal and thinking, 'Oh, these people wanted such stories.' We did it because we wanted such stories. And fortunately, circumstances were such like everybody wanted these stories."

Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan worked together in 24 films between 1971 and 1987, out of which 20 were commercially and critically successful. They wrote screenplays for hit films like Seeta Aur Geeta, Zanjeer, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Deewaar, Sholay, Trishul, Don, Kaala Patthar, Shaan, to name a few.

Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan recently attended a special screening of Sholay, arranged on the occasion of the film completing 49 years. The duo grabbed the headlines as the Amazon Prime series Angry Young Men released and brought back the golden days of cinema to the new generations. The docu-series has been directed by Namrata Rao. The series received stellar reviews from critics and audience alike.

source https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ndtv-exclusive-javed-akhtar-on-the-winning-formula-of-salim-javed-stories-we-did-it-without-knowing-6500043#publisher=newsstand

15 Of 24 Haryana Cities Among 100 Most Polluted In India: Analysis

Fifteen out of 24 cities in Haryana ranked among India's 100 most polluted cities based on PM2.5 levels in the first half of 2024, according to a new analysis.

According to India's National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), safe limits for PM2.5 and PM10 annual levels are 40 micrograms per cubic metre and 60 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively.

However, these limits are much higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2021 guidelines, which recommend 5 micrograms per cubic metre for PM2.5 and 15 micrograms per cubic metre for PM10.

Air quality data from January to June showed that every city in Haryana exceeded both NAAQS and WHO PM10 standards.

Faridabad was the most polluted city in Haryana, with an average PM2.5 level of 103 micrograms per cubic metre, far above NAAQS and WHO guidelines.

Only three cities -- Palwal, Ambala, and Mandikhera -- managed to keep PM2.5 levels below the NAAQS limits.

Gurugram had the highest PM10 concentration at 227 micrograms per cubic metre while Ambala recorded the lowest at 79 micrograms per cubic metre.

"All 24 cities in Haryana overshot the WHO standards for particulate matter in the first half of the year. Although some cities have not yet surpassed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) due to their more lenient thresholds, this disparity highlights that current national standards may be insufficient for protecting public health. A revision is needed to align more closely with international recommendations," said Manoj Kumar, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Although many cities in Haryana have poor air quality, only Faridabad is currently part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Other cities with persistent pollution problems lack action plans to address the issue.

India launched the NCAP in 2019 with a target to reduce particulate pollution by 20-30 per cent by 2024, using 2017 as the base year. The target was revised to a 40 per cent reduction by 2026, using 2019-20 as the base year.

However, the programme currently covers only 131 non-attainment cities -- those that consistently failed to meet national ambient air quality standards between 2011 and 2015.

Air quality is equally poor in smaller cities, towns and villages since pollution doesn't respect state or national borders, experts argue.

They have urged for the adoption of an airshed approach to manage air pollution in the region.

An airshed refers to a geographic area where air quality is influenced by similar factors, such as wind patterns and pollution sources. Since pollution in one area can easily spread to neighbouring regions, an airshed approach promotes coordinated efforts across states.

CREA said NCAP should be revised to include a stronger institutional framework that promoted coordination among states, cities and agencies.

This would ensure effective long-term management of air quality, requiring better monitoring systems, transparent data sharing, and strict enforcement to reduce pollution and protect public health, it said. 

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Kerala Man Jailed For Life Over Years-Long Harassment Of Daughter: Court

A special court for Pocso cases in the Kerala capital on Wednesday sentenced a 37-year-old man to imprisonment till his death for the brutal crime of harassing his daughter for several years right from when she was five years old.

Pocso court judge M.P. Shibu, after hearing all the sides, sentenced the man to jail till his death and also directed the District Legal Service Authority to pay the victim a sum of Rs 1.50 lakh from the fine that was collected from the accused.

The man, a casual labourer hailing from suburban Aruvikara in the state capital district, had remarried after his first wife passed away and his daughter, who was one-and-a-half-year-old then, was staying with them.

He was arrested last year after his daughter disclosed her ordeal to her teacher when she came to take her Class 10 public examination conducted by the state Education Department. Finding the girl deeply disturbed, the teacher asked her the reason, and the girl broke down, saying that on the previous day after she reached home after the examination, her father harassed her. The teacher informed the Child Line officials and on further questioning, the girl revealed that her father had been harassing her since she was five years old.

Then, the police got into the act, arresting the man and charging him under the stringent Pocso Act. During the trial, his second wife did her best to defend him but the prosecution broke through her defence and it was found out that she was not present when the child was harassed after her exam - the incident which led to his arrest.

With 28 special fast-track Pocso courts set up by the Kerala government across the state, the cases of sexual offences against children registered in these courts get cleared quickly and in this case, it took a year from the accused's arrest to the verdict.

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Madrasa Teacher Sexually Abuses 13-Year-Old Boy In UP, Arrested: Cops

A Madrasa teacher in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing a 13-year-old student following a complaint by the boy's father, police said.

The teacher, identified as Saqib, hails from Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh and used to commit unnatural sexual activities, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ankur Vihar) Bhaskar Verma said.

"The police have arrested the teacher for sodomizing his 13-year-old student who was living inside the madrasa for study for the past several months," the ACP said.

"A complaint was lodged by the father of the student on Tuesday in which he alleged that the student was forced by the teacher to sleep with him in his room. The teacher had also threatened the boy of assault in case he revealed his activities to anyone else," he said.

On Monday, the traumatised boy somehow managed to narrate his ordeal to his father, who in turn approached the police and a case was lodged, leading to the teacher's arrest, Mr Verma added.

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