Twelve people test positive for Covid-19 in Puducherry
Puducherry, May 20 (PTI): Twelve people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Puducherry, a top official of the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services said on Tuesday.
V Ravichandran, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services, in a press release, said the department had been screening individuals with cough and cold symptoms as per instructions from the Union Health Ministry.
Over the past week, 12 people have tested positive, it added.
Urging the public not to panic, Ravichandran said the Health Department was fully prepared to handle any emergency.
Four beds have been earmarked for Covid-19 patients at the Government General Hospital, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute in Kadirkamam, and Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital for Children.
A six-bed ward with ventilator and oxygen support has also been set up at the Government Hospital for Chest Diseases in Gorimedu, he said.
The Health Department is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in New Delhi.
The department has also reviewed data on respiratory infections, including the common cold, Influenza-like Illness (ILI), and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).
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UP court rejects plea seeking Rahul Gandhi's voice sample in defamation case
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): A local MP/MLA court on Saturday rejected a plea seeking a voice sample of Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by a BJP functionary against the Congress leader, and posted the matter for next hearing on May 11.
The plea, filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra through his counsel Santosh Kumar Pandey, had sought Gandhi's voice sample for a forensic test to compare it with an audio clip.
After the petition was dismissed, Pandey said they would file a revision plea before the sessions court against the order.
The court rejected the plea after hearing the arguments of both sides, including Gandhi's counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla.
The matter dates back to 2018 when Mishra, a local BJP leader, filed a defamation suit over Gandhi’s alleged objectionable remarks targeting Amit Shah while campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections.
After five years of legal proceedings, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi in December 2023.
The Rae Bareli MP surrendered before the court in February 2024, and was granted bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each by a special magistrate.
On July 26 last year, the Congress leader recorded his statement before the court, claiming innocence and calling the case a political conspiracy.
Earlier this year, multiple hearings were postponed due to a strike by lawyers and the ill-health of Gandhi’s counsel.
