IIT-Roorkee students among 249 rescued; over 300 still stranded
Shimla, Sep 25 : A group of 40-45 students of IIT-Roorkee, five residents of Kolkata and two German trekkers were among 249 persons rescued on Tuesday from the icy heights of Himachal Pradesh in a joint operation by the district administration and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), officials said.
Over 300 people are still stuck, sources said.
A majority of the rescued are stranded in Sissu in the Lahaul Valley as landslides triggered by heavy snow damaged the road links to Manali, official sources said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will start airlifting the stranded people, comprising locals and tourists, believed to be around 300, on Wednesday morning. They will be brought to Manali and Kullu towns.
They have been stranded for the past two-three days at various locations in and around district headquarters Keylong after the onset of heavy snow that hampered road links. All are safe and have been provided accommodation and eatables, officials said.
"Nearly 45 students of IIT-Roorkee were taken to an Army base camp at Sissu from where they were brought to Manali via Rohtang tunnel," an official told IANS over phone from Manali.
He said most of the stranded people were brought to Keylong, some 121 km from Manali, and from there would be either airlifted by the IAF or brought to Manali by road on Wednesday.
"The priority in airlifting will be given to old, sick and women," he added.
A government spokesperson here advised tourists not to venture into remote areas of the state as chances of snow were still high.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur visited Kullu town to take stock of the rehabilitation and rescue operations being undertaken by the state government.
He also took an aerial survey of the Lahaul Valley up to Chandertal to access the damage caused by untimely snow.
Thakur said the state has suffered a loss of over Rs 1,230 crore in the last four days. He said the state has urged the Union government to provide liberal assistance to the state.
The Chief Minister said he spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman regarding the natural calamity.
He said three IAF helicopters have been provided to evacuate the tourists.
Earlier, an official statement said 200 people have been stranded at Koksar and about 300 in Baralacha Pass.
Traffic to picturesque Himachal tourist resort Manali was restored partially on Tuesday, a day after all major road links snapped after landslides triggered by heavy rains, officials said.
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BCI urges CJI to take action against Andhra HC judge for sending young lawyer to 24-hour custody
New Delhi (PTI): The Bar Council of India on Wednesday sought the urgent intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant following a "deeply disturbing" incident where a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court reportedly sent a young advocate to
24-hour judicial custody over a procedural lapse.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, in a formal representation, termed the conduct of Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao "grossly inappropriate" and "damaging to the confidence of the Bar".
“I most respectfully request your Lordship to kindly take immediate institutional cognizance of the matter and call for the video recording of the proceedings, the order passed, and the surrounding circumstances.
“I further request that appropriate administrative action may kindly be considered, including withdrawal of judicial work from the learned Judge pending review, his immediate transfer to some far off High Court, and his nomination for appropriate judicial training/orientation on court management, judicial temperament, Bar-Bench relations, and proportional exercise of contempt/judicial authority,” Mishra wrote.
This representation is made to preserve the “dignity, moral authority and public confidence of the judiciary”, he said, adding, “Judges command the highest respect not by fear, but by fairness, patience, restraint and constitutional humility”.
The communication urged the CJI to intervene at the earliest to ensure that the faith of Bar, particularly young advocates, in the protective and corrective role of the judiciary is restored.
The controversy stems from proceedings on May 5.
According to the BCI, a video circulating online shows Justice Rao rebuking a young advocate who was unable to produce a specific order copy during a hearing.
The letter said that despite the advocate "repeatedly seeking pardon and mercy" and claiming he was in physical pain, the judge remained "unmoved".
The judge allegedly told the lawyer, "now you will learn," and mocked his experience before directing the Registrar and police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours.
The BCI chairperson said that the judge’s actions lacked proportionality and fairness.
"The dignity of the court is not enhanced when a lawyer is made to beg for grace in open court and is still sent to custody for a procedural lapse," the letter said.
"A young lawyer... is an officer of the Court, still learning, still growing, and entitled to correction without humiliation," it added.
The bar body said that such actions create a "chilling effect" on the legal fraternity, particularly among junior members, and undermine the mutual respect required between the Bench and the Bar.
