The Supreme Court has quashed the appointment of Sardar Patel University vice-chancellor Shirish Kulkarni after he was found to have inadequate teaching experience to hold the crucial post. While ordering the removal of the vice chancellor, the apex court bench of Justice M R Shah and B V Nagarathna castigated the Gujarat government for continuing with the SP University Act and state legislation that are not in consonance with University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations and for not amending its law for such appointments despite being told to by the UGC, the state’s governor in 2014 and the Gujarat high court in 2018. The SC observed that the state government and its universities have continued to make appointment of VCs in violation of UGC regulations, which prescribe minimum teaching experience for the post, but the government and search committees, formed to nominate VCs, continue to compromise with quality.
BJP MP's son joins SP
On the final day of campaigning for the seventh and final phase of 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Mayank Joshi, the son of BJP MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi, formally joined SP at a rally in Azamgarh’s Gopalpur where Akhilesh welcomed him into the party fold from the stage. Retired IAS officer Kunwar Fateh Bahadur Singh - one of the most trusted bureaucrats of Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati during her stint as the UP CM - also formally joined SP at the same rally.
Interestingly, Mayank had called on SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on February 22 as well but the meeting then was described as a courtesy call by SP. Speculations over Mayank siding with the SP had gained momentum ever since his mother Rita Bahuguna Joshi – sitting BJP MP from Allahabad – had publicly expressed the desire to see her son contest the 2022 assembly polls from Lucknow Cantonment seat on a BJP ticket but her wish was ignored by the saffron party.
India’s Palestine representative found dead
India’s representative in Palestine Mukul Arya was found dead on his office premises in Ramallah on Sunday. There was no information from authorities both here and in Palestine about the cause of the death of Arya, an IFS officer of 2008 batch. “Deeply shocked to learn about the passing away of India’s representative at Ramallah. He was a bright and talented officer with so much before him,” tweeted foreign minister S Jaishankar. A career diplomat at MEA, he had served in Delhi, in addition to serving at the permanent delegation of India to Unesco in Paris and at embassies of India in Kabul and Moscow. He was raised and educated in Delhi before joining Indian Foreign Service in 2008.
Art gallery dedicated to RK Laxman opened
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a museum-cum-art gallery dedicated to veteran cartoonist R K Laxman and his brother, writer R K Narayan, in Balewadi on Sunday. The project was initiated by Pune Municipal Corporation in 2016. The art gallery has two automated rooms, one with information about a day in the life of R K Laxman and the other dedicated to nine locations of Malgudi in miniature from Malgudi Days, a collection of short stories by R K Narayan. The famed cartoonist’s story, narrated from the point of a common man, gives an overview of how he built his career from childhood. The walls have been decorated with his cartoons. A walk-through in the gallery ends in a hologram of the ‘Common Man’.
1 killed, 34 hurt in Srinagar grenade attack
A 70-year-old man was killed and 34 others were wounded when terrorists set off a hand grenade at Srinagar’s Amira Kadal-Hari Singh High Street market that was bustling with Sunday afternoon shoppers and roadside vendors. This was the second grenade attack on the busy market this year after a similar explosion on the afternoon of January 25 wounded a police officer, another man and two women. Central Kashmir range DIG Sujit Kumar said after Sunday’s attack, Abdul Salaam Makdoomi, 70, from Nowhatta’s Naid Kadal in downtown Srinagar died instantly as the grenade exploded close to him.
1,200 people suffer food poisoning
Over 1,200 people were hospitalized after consuming food at a wedding in Savala village of Visnagar taluka in Mehsana district. Local health officials suspect that the victims suffered food poisoning due to consumption of stale or contaminated food. The incident occurred during the wedding function of local Congress leader Wazir Khan Pathan’s son. According to state health minister Rishikesh Patel, who had rushed to Visnagar hospital, most of the affected persons were discharged after treatment. “Fortunately there was no causality. None of the patients was critical. We have ensured immediate treatment for all. Most of the victims who were hospitalized have been discharged,” Patel said. According to police, guests for the wedding had come from different places including Ahmedabad, Kadi, Kalol, Patan and Banaskantha.
Boy busy on mobile run over by train
Listening to songs on mobile phone led to the death of a 21-year-old boy, who was run over by a train, in Jamnagar city. The victim identified as Chirag Rathod lives with his father Rajesh and younger brother behind police headquarters. His father had given him money and asked him to get some snacks. Chiraj was going to shop, walking on the railway track behind his house. He had plugged in his earphones connected to a mobile phone while walking on the railway tracks. He couldn’t hear the train’s horn that ran over him from behind. He died on the spot due to severe injuries. Police said Chiraj had quit studies after Class VII and did not do any work despite his father asking him to do some labour work, “He was addicted to mobile and frequently left his house only to return back late at night,” said cops.
Former Army chief S F Rodrigues no more
Former Army chief General Sunith Francis Rodrigues, who was known as a strategist and also served as the governor of Punjab from 2004 to 2010, passed away in Goa last week. He was 88. Commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery in December 1952, Gen Rodrigues commanded the Central and Western Commands before becoming the Army chief in 1990. He retired in June 1993.
Heroin worth £6 mn seized at Ahmedabad airport
Directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) officials apprehended two Kenyan nationals at Ahmedabad airport with 8.5kg of heroin. Officials said the seizure is worth about £6 million at the international market. This was the third major heroin seizure by the agency at the Ahmedabad international airport in the recent past, as over 10kg of drugs, worth £7 million has been seized.
“Based on specific intelligence, a team was deployed at the airport. The two passengers – a man and a woman – matching the intelligence inputs were detained for further investigation. On examining their baggage, an empty bag was found to be heavy. There were cavities made in its seams, where eight plastic packages containing granules and powder were concealed,” said an official. An FSL team was brought to the spot with a field drug identification kit, and the contraband was confirmed to be heroin. Officials said both passengers have been arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985. This is one of the largest drug seizures at the airport, said DRI officials.
Manjrekar, film producers get HC interim relief
The Bombay high court has directed the police not to take coercive steps for three weeks against director Mahesh Manjrekar and two producers in a case filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for “sexually explicit content” involving minors in the trailer of his latest Marathi film. The interim relief was given by Justices Prasanna Varale and Surendra Tavade on two petitions by Manjrekar and Narendra and Shreyansh Hirawat to quash the February 24 FIR lodged by Mahim police on the order of a Pocso court, where an NGO had filed a complaint about the trailer of ‘Nay Varan Bhat Loncha Kon Nay Koncha’. Senior advocate Shirish Gupte, for Manjrekar, argued that the special court’s order was passed without application of mind. He said the trailer, based on which the complaint is lodged, was withdrawn and the film was released with an ‘A’ certificate from the censor board. The film does not contain any pornography or any such scene involving a child that will come under the purview of the Pocso Act.
