Below are newspaper articles I have re-typed exactly from stories that appear in today’s issue of “The Hindu”:
Woman drinks acid, dies
HYDERABAD: A woman, T. Vidya, 45 years, committed suicide at Malkajgiri on Monday allegedly unable to cope with harassment by her husband T. Rangayya’s brothers. They had blamed her for the death of Rangayya on Sunday night.
Rangayya, 50, had a fatal fall in their bathroom. He was shifted to a hospital in Nacharam where he was declared brought dead.
On Monday, during the last rites, brothers of Rangayya alleged that Vidya was responsible for his death.
She tried to end life by consuming acid. Vidya’s relatives alleged that the trio did not allow them to shift her to a hospital in time and she died before she could be hospitalized.
Malkajgiri police booked cases against the brothers.
Woman Dies
A 25-year-old woman was found dead under suspicious circumstances in her house at Addagutta on Monday morning. The victim, P. Suguna’s relatives alleged that her husband Mohan killed her by setting her ablaze. Mohan’s first wife Anjamma also died in a similar manner two years ago, they alleged. The police took Mohan into custody and are interrogating him.
Reservation bill: women court arrest
NEW DELHI: Activists of the Communist Party of India-backed National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) on Monday courted arrest, close to Parliament House, to protest against the non-introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill. The bill seeks 33 per cent reservation for women in the State Assemblies and Parliament.
The protesters assembled near the Rail Bhavan to march towards Parliament House and demand introduction of the bill, but they were rounded up by the police. The activists said women would not tolerate the delay any more and come out on the streets.
Condemning the arrest and the “double standards” of the Government, NFIW general secretary Annie Raja demanded immediate introduction of the bill. She described as “highly objectionable” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi’s statement that the bill would be introduced before the term of the United Progressive Alliance Government ended.
She said this was cheating the women with false promises.
Manu Sharma convicted in Jessica case
NEW DELHI: Setting aside the trial court judgment acquitting prime accused Siddharth Vashishtha alias Manu Sharma and eight others in the Jessica Lal murder case in February, the Delhi High Court on Monday held Sharma, Vikas Yadav and Amardeep Singh Gill guilty.
The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Wednesday.
Manu Sharma is the son of former Haryana Minister Venod Sharma and Vikas Yadav is the son of former Rajya Sabha member D.P. Yadav. Amardeep Singh Gill is a senior executive with soft drink major Coca Cola in Delhi.
Ramp model Jessica Lal was shot at by Manu Sharma at a private party organised by socialite Bina Ramani at an illegal bar at Qutub Colonnade in South Delhi in the intervening night of April 29/30, 1999.
A Division Bench comprising Justice R.S. Sodhi and Justice P.K. Bhasin convicted the three relying mainly on the testimonies of socialite Bina Ramani, her husband George Mailhot and their daughter Malani Ramani and circumstantial evidence.
The Court held Manu Sharma guilty of killing Jessica Lal under Section 302 (murder) and Section 27 (non-production of licensed weapon demanded by a police or magistrate) of the Arms Act and Section 120 read with 201 (conspiracy and destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Vikas Yadav and Amardeep Singh Gill were held guilty under Sections 120-B read with Section 201 of the IPC.
However, the court acquitted the six other accused : Shyam Sunder Sharma, uncle of Manu Sharma and son-in-law of the late President Shankar Dayal Sharma, Harvinder Chopra, Yograj Singh, father of the ace cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Raja Chopra, Vikas Gill and Alok Khanna for want of evidence.
Manu Sharma who was not present in the court at the time of the pronouncement of the judgment later surrendered at the office of the Economic Offences Wing of the city police in the Qutub Institutional Area and was thereafter taken to Tihar Central Jail as directed by the court.
Amardeep Singh Gill who was present in the court was immediately taken into custody and sent to jail. Vikas Yadav is already in jail here in connection with the Nitish Katara murder case.
Photos of the “ramp model” victim in the final story, and of her convicted killer, are available here.
–Ann Bartow
