12 killed in bus-truck collision in Assam
Golaghat (Assam) (PTI): At least 12 people were killed and around 30 others injured on Wednesday in a head-on collision between a coal-laden truck and a bus in Golaghat district of Assam, police said.
The accident took place at Balijan near Dergaon this morning when the bus with 45 people on board collided with the goods vehicle, Golaghat Superintendent of Police Rajen Singh told PTI.
The bus was heading towards Upper Assam when the accident occurred.
"As of now, 12 people have been killed in the accident. The injured have been sent to a hospital," he said.
Singh also said an investigation is on and more details will be revealed later.
A senior doctor at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital told reporters that 30 injured people were undergoing treatment at the health facility.
"The condition of some of the injured is critical. We are monitoring them," she added.
According to an official from the local police station, the accident took place around 4:30 am when the bus, which was on its way to Tilinga Mandir in Tinsukia district for a picnic from Kamargaon in Golaghat, collided with the truck.
"The truck was coming from the Jorhat direction on the wrong side as a portion of the four-lane highway got damaged. The bus was on the right track. There was fog and both the vehicles were at high speed," he added.
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Where is question of offence when there is consensual relationship? SC asks
New Delhi (PTI): Where is the question of an offence when a relationship is consensual? the Supreme Court on Monday asked a woman who had challenged an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court that had quashed an FIR against her former live-in partner in a case of alleged sexual assault on a false promise of marriage.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the woman lived together with the man and also had a child from him.
"Where is the question of offence when there is a consensual relationship? They were living together and she also had a child from him and then there is no marriage and now, she says sexual assault? For 15 years they lived together," Justice Nagarathna remarked.
The woman's counsel told the court that she had lost her husband earlier and was introduced to the accused by her brother-in-law.
The court was also told that the accused had promised to marry her and sexually exploited her.
Justice Nagarathna then asked, "Why did she go and live with him before marriage?"
"She lived with him. She had a child from him. He walks out because there is no marriage bond. Legal bond is not there. He walks out, that is the risk in a live-in relationship. So once he walks out, it does not become a criminal offence," she said.
The woman's lawyer submitted that the accused was already married and had concealed this fact.
"See, if there was marriage, the question of her rights would have been better. She could have filed regarding bigamy. She could have filed for maintenance. She would have got those reliefs. Now since there is no marriage, they live together, this is the risk. They can walk out any day. What do we do?" Justice Nagarathna said.
She suggested that the woman could pursue remedies, such as maintenance for the child, and asked the parties to go for mediation.
"Even if he goes to jail, what will she gain? We can think of some maintenance for the child. Child is now seven years (old). At least, some monetary compensation can be made for the child," Justice Nagarathna said.
The apex court issued a notice in the matter and asked the parties to explore if a settlement could be reached between the petitioner and the accused.
