K'taka HC orders to stop telecast of videos of disrobed victim
Bengaluru, Dec 12: The High Court of Karnataka on its own took cognizance of news reports about a woman being paraded naked after her son eloped with a girl who was to get engaged with someone else and has ordered all electronic media not to telecast any videos related to the incident.
On coming to know about their 18-year-old daughter eloping with the woman's son (aged 24), about 20 of her family members damaged the man's house at around 12.30 am on Monday in New Vantamuri village. They are then said to have dragged his 55-year-old mother, who was alone at home, outside, paraded her naked and tied her to an electricity pole.
The court also directed the Advocate General to submit a status report of the incident on December 14.
The Court took this step after noticing a photograph in one newspaper where the victim's face was blurred but it also showed electronic media videographing the victim's reactions.
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"If any media house or its representatives has videographed the above interview of the victim during the visit of the Hon’ble Minister or any such interaction by the victim, this Court hereby directs not to telecast such an interview or interaction on any national or regional channel. It is further made clear that if already such an interview is displayed or telecast in the electronic media, henceforth, there shall not be any display or telecast of the same," the division bench headed by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale said in its order on Tuesday.
The Court, however, clarified that it is not preventing coverage of the news.
"We also make it clear that this interim direction is only with an object to ensure the dignity of the victim is maintained and her identity is not disclosed or revealed. We further make it clear that this court by this interim order is not even remotely prohibiting the media from covering the news as this Court maintains and accepts the concept of freedom of press," it said.
Taking serious note of the incident, the bench said, "The caption and contents of the aforesaid news articles not only shock our conscience but make us put our head down with anguish and pain in our hearts. On one hand while this country is celebrating 76th year of Independence as 'Azadi ka Amruthotsav', on the other hand, in the State of Karnataka which is known for all valid reasons as a progressive State and a pioneer state of initiation of social justice way back even when it was a Princely State of Mysore, faces this incident."
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2 LPG tankers sail through Strait of Hormuz, 16 still stranded
New Delhi (PTI): Two more Indian-flagged LPG tankers have safely crossed the war-hit Strait of Hormuz and are headed for Indian ports even as 16 other vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, officials said Monday.
LPG vessel Green Sanvi carrying 46,650 tonnes of LPG is scheduled to reach Indian port on April 7 while Green Asha with 15,500 tonnes of cargo is scheduled to touch Indian coast on April 9, said Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary in Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways at a news briefing.
"Indian maritime operations remain safe and uninterrupted amid West Asia crisis. 16 Indian-flagged vessels with 433 seafarers are in the region; two LPG carriers, Green Sanvi and Green Asha, safely crossed Strait of Hormuz," he said.
With this, eight Indian-flagged LPG tankers have safely transited through the strategic waterway, which has remained effectively shut since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28 and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
Of the vessels still stuck in the Persian Gulf, one is of a loaded liquefied natural gas (LNG), two are LPG tankers (one loaded and one empty), six are crude carriers (five loaded, one empty), three are container ships, one is a dredger, one is carrying chemical cargo and two are bulk carriers, he said.
Asked about reports of Iran charging a fee for letting ships cross the strait, Mangal said, "we have no information of such payments."
For a country that relies on imports from Gulf nations to meet as much as 60 per cent of its cooking gas needs, the arrivals will help ease the worst LPG shortage it is battling in decades. India consumed 33.15 million tonne of LPG last year, with imports accounting for about 60 per cent of demand. As much as 90 per cent of those imports came from West Asia.
The US-Israel attacks on Iran, and Tehran's sweeping retaliation have all but halted shipping through the strait - the narrow shipping lane that is the conduit for oil and gas exports from Gulf countries to the world. Iran has, however, stated that "non-hostile vessels" may transit the waterway after coordinating with Iranian authorities.
Last week, two LPG carriers, BW TYR and BW ELM, carrying combined LPG cargo of about 94,000 tonnes safely transited the region. While BW TYR reached Mumbai on March 31, BW ELM docked at New Mangalore on April 1.
Prior to that, four Indian-flagged LPG tankers had safely sailed through the strait. Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, carrying 92,612 tonnes of LPG, reached Indian ports between March 26 and March 28. MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi, carrying about 92,712 tonnes of LPG, had reached Mundra port in Gujarat on March 16 and Kandla port in the state on March 17.
Originally, there were 28 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz when the war in West Asia broke. Of these, 24 were on the West side of the strait and four on the East side. Eight vessels from the west side and two from east have managed to sail to safety.
Besides the eight LPG tankers, the Indian-flagged oil tanker Jag Laadki, with 80,886 tonnes of crude oil from the UAE, reached Mundra on March 18.
Another tanker, Jag Prakash, carrying gasoline from Oman to Africa, had previously safely crossed the strait and is en route to Tanzania.
