Know how crowded Mumbai local trains are? K'taka HC asks petitioners against Shakti Scheme
Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka has permitted the withdrawal of a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the 'Shakti' scheme, which offers free bus travel for women in Karnataka. The court determined that the PIL, filed by three law students, lacked specificity and supporting research.
The students, Ashwin Shankar Bhat, Neha Venkatesh, and Yashika Saravanan, had argued in the PIL that the scheme had led to "chaos, commotions, and unruly behavior at bus stands, impacting children and senior citizens, and causing significant economic losses."
The petition contended that the provision of free travel in state-owned buses was more detrimental than beneficial to women. During the PIL hearing, the bench consisting of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice M G S Kamal questioned the petitioner's counsel about whether bus travel was comfortable for women before the introduction of the 'Shakti' scheme.
The court sought clarification on the locations experiencing overcrowding, whether the scheme was restricted to a particular group, and whether any studies had been conducted on the matter. The bench also inquired whether the PIL aimed to address overcrowding or challenge the entire scheme. Drawing a comparison to Mumbai local trains, the court asked if the petitioners were aware of their crowded nature.
The court advised the petitioners that PILs should be filed with proper preparation, and subsequently, the petitioners' counsel requested permission to withdraw the PIL, which the court granted.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
