Political churning to intensify as RS Deputy Chairman election approaches
New Delhi, June 25: The political churning for election of new Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman in place of P. J. Kurien, who is retiring on July 1, is expected to pick up momentum in the coming days with the announcement on Monday of the schedule for Parliament's Monsoon Session.
The election of new Deputy Chairman will be on the top of agenda of the upper house of parliament when it meets for the monsoon session on July 18.
The election will be a test of the strength of opposition which has been signalling a combined fight against BJP-led NDA in the next Lok Sabha polls.
An opposition leader said that looking at the numbers in Rajya Sabha, there was a probability of a candidate who does not belong to either the BJP or Congresss getting elected to the post.
Opposition numbers have also gone up with TDP leaving the ruling BJP-led NDA in March this year and the BJP parting ways with the People's Democratic Party earlier this month.
A contest is likely for the post with neither the NDA, not the Congress-led UPA having a clear majority support, and much depending on stance of parties such as Biju Janata Dal, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, AIADMK and YSRCP.
There is speculation that a combined opposition could support a BJD candidate for the post but party sources said the subject had not been broached with the party so far formally or informally. They said the issue had also not been deliberated within the party.
BJD has been keeping an equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress.
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Four doctors in Kerala booked for birth of newborn with genetic disorders
Alappuzha, (Kerala) (PTI): Four doctors in Kerala have been booked for allegedly failing to detect genetic disorders in a newborn while it was still in the mother's womb, the police said on Thursday.
The accused include two female doctors attached to the Kadappuram Government Women and Child Hospital in Alappuzha, along with two doctors from private diagnostic labs, according to the Alappuzha South police.
The police registered an FIR on Tuesday based on a complaint lodged by Anish and Surumi, a couple from Alappuzha.
They alleged that the doctors failed to detect or disclose the genetic abnormalities during prenatal scans, instead assuring them that the reports were normal.
The couple also claimed that they were shown the baby only four days after delivery, according to the complaint.
The FIR stated that Surumi, 35, was undergoing treatment for her third pregnancy at Kadappuram Women and Child Hospital.
On October 30, Surumi was admitted for delivery. However, she was referred to Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Vandanam, Alappuzha, citing the absence of fetal movement and heartbeat, the FIR said.
On November 8, the baby was delivered following surgery at MCH and was found to have severe internal and external deformities, the FIR stated.
Meanwhile, one of the accused doctors, responding to the allegations, said she had treated Surumi only during the initial months of her pregnancy.
"I provided care for three months at the beginning of her pregnancy. The reports shown to me indicated issues with the fetus's growth," she said.
The doctors associated with the diagnostic labs, however, maintained that there were no errors in the scan reports.
The police registered a case invoking Sections 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 125 (b) (where grievous hurt is caused, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees, or with both) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the accused.
