Udupi: Hotel ‘Manipal Inn’ felicitates academic achievers
Udupi: Hotel Manipal Inn on Sunday organised a felicitation ceremony for the students and academic achievers. The event was organised at the hotel premises here.
The program was inaugurated by Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat. In his address, Bhat lauded the efforts of teachers in setting the bar of quality of education in Udupi.
“Because of the commitment of teachers we have been able to achieve great results over the years in academics. Our teachers take up their profession as a form of service, and this has reflected in the results. Quality of education in government schools has surpassed that of private schools.” He said.
Mangaluru MLA UT Khader also spoke at the event and added that these students are assets and they should not be limited to being assets to their parents but they should be an asset to the nation.
“They should reach top positions and obtain the love of the people. As the essence of all religions is the same, each one should embrace the quality of love, trust, and brotherhood. In this regard, such kinds of events are setting an example”, he added.
Udupi district’s SSLC toppers, Puneeth Nayak, Ayesha Ajwa, and Neha, who secured the maximum marks in the board exams, prominent ophthalmologist Dr. Rohith Shetty and Manipal KMC’s 2019 Gold medallist Dr. Sufian Ibrahim were felicitated during the event.
Manipal KMC’s Dean Dr. Sharath Rao, State Government Employees Association District President Subramanya Sherigar, General Manager of the Hotel Dr. Ramdas Prabhu, and student Prajna Prashanth were also honored during the occasion.
Businessman Gurme Suresh Shetty presided over the event. Former Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake delivered the Chief Guest’s address, while the Managing Director of the Manipal Inn, Ibrahim Maulana welcomed the guest.
Ilyas Kaup of the Marketing Department delivered the vote of thanks and Prashant Shetty compered the event.
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'Physical relations' cannot automatically mean sexual assault: Delhi HC
New Delhi, Dec 29: The Delhi High Court has acquitted a man in a POCSO case, saying the use of phrase 'physical relations' by the minor survivor cannot automatically mean sexual assault.
A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma allowed the appeal by the accused, who was awarded imprisonment for the remainder of his life, and observed that it was unclear how the trial court concluded that there was any sexual assault when the survivor had voluntarily gone with the accused.
The court asserted that the leap from physical relations or 'samband' to sexual assault and then to penetrative sexual assault must be established by evidence and cannot be deduced as an inference.
"The mere fact that the survivor is below 18 years cannot lead to a conclusion that there was penetrative sexual assault. The survivor, in fact, used the phrase 'physical relations', but there is no clarity as to what she meant by using the said phrase," the court said in the judgement passed on December 23.
"Even the use of the words 'samband banaya' is not sufficient to establish an offence under Section 3 of the POCSO Act or under Section 376 IPC. Though consent would not matter if the girl is a minor under the POCSO Act, the phrase 'physical relations' cannot be converted automatically into sexual intercourse let alone sexual assault," it held.
The court said the benefit of doubt ought to be in favour of the accused and, therefore, ruled, "The impugned judgement completely lacks any reasoning and also does not reveal or support any rationale for the conviction. Under such circumstances, the judgement is liable to be set aside. The appellant is acquitted."
The complaint in this case was lodged in March 2017 by the minor girl's mother, alleging that her 14-year-old daughter had been lured and kidnapped from her home by an unknown person.
The minor was found in Faridabad along with the accused, who was arrested and subsequently convicted for offence of rape under IPC and penetrative sexual assault under POCSO in December 2023 and later awarded imprisonment for the remainder of his life.
