Mumbai: Railways allow teachers to use suburban train services
Mumbai: Teachers, as well as non-teaching school staff, have been allowed to board suburban trains being run in Mumbai and its metropolitan region amid the coronavirus outbreak, railway officials said on Friday.
In a joint release, Western and Central Railways, which operate the suburban system in MMR, said permission has been granted with immediate effect.
Valid identity cards are an authority for entry at the stations, the release said, adding that adherence to social distancing and other norms in place for the COVID-19 outbreak was a must.
The state government had last week asked the railways to allow this section to board suburban services, which resumed on June 15 with the condition that only those designated as essential services staff can travel.
Currently, 3,141 suburban services are being run daily.
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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.
