China to start issuing visas to Indian students again after over 2 years
Beijing, Aug 22: China on Monday announced plans to issue visas to hundreds of Indian students stranded at home for over two years due to Beijing's strict COVID restrictions, besides various categories of travel permits for Indians including business visas.
"Warmest congrats to #Indian #students! Your patience proves worthwhile. I can really share your excitement & happiness. Welcome back to #China!" Ji Rong, Counsellor, Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China tweeted.
Her tweet cited a detailed announcement by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi announcing the opening of visas for students, businessmen and families of those working in China.
As per the announcement, X1-Visa, will be issued to students who intend to go to China to pursue long-term study for higher academic education, including newly-enrolled students and students who return to China to resume their studies.
Over 23,000 Indian students, mostly studying medicine, are reportedly stuck back home due to COVID visa restrictions.
India had submitted a list of several hundred students after China sought the names of those wanting to return immediately to pursue their studies.
Some students from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia and several other countries have already arrived on chartered flights in recent weeks.
Monday's announcement posted on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Delhi said student visas will be issued to the newly-enrolled students and the old students who could not travel to China due to COVID visa bans.
While the new students should produce original admission letter issued by a university in China, the old students need to submit a Certificate of Returning to Campus' issued by the university in China.
According to official sources, over 1,000 old Indian students have expressed wish to return to re-join their studies. It is to be seen whether the universities which are processing their requests would issue the certificates for them to apply for visas.
Another big problem was that there are no direct flights between the two countries. For the first time in over two years, a chartered flight engaged by Indian businessmen and their families arrived in the Chinese city of Hangzhou recently.
In July, China had permitted the family members of the Indian professionals working in China. Several of them arrived through the third country routes paying several times higher than the normal ticket rates.
Indian and Chinese officials say that talks are on between the two countries to resume flight operations. The category of visas which the Chinese embassy in India announced on Monday included C-Visa issued to crew members.
Other categories of visas announced by the embassy included M-Visa issued to those who intend to go to China for commercial and trade activities, F-Visa issued to those who intend to go to China for exchanges, visits, study tours and other non-commercial activities and Z-Visa for those who intend to work in China.
Other category permits included visas for the dependents of those working in China.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Broken relationships don't automatically amount to abetment of suicide: SC
New Delhi (PTI): Broken relationships, while emotionally distressing, do not automatically amount to abetment of suicide in the absence of intention leading to the criminal offence, the Supreme Court on Friday said.
The observations came from a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Ujjal Bhuyan in a judgement, which overturned the conviction of one Kamaruddin Dastagir Sanadi by the Karnataka High Court for the offences of cheating and abetment of suicide under the IPC.
"This is a case of a broken relationship, not criminal conduct," the judgment said.
Sanadi was initially charged under Sections 417 (cheating), 306 (abetment of suicide), and 376 (rape) of the IPC.
While the trial court acquitted him of all the charges, the Karnataka High Court, on the state's appeal, convicted him of cheating and abetment of suicide, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and imposing Rs 25,000 in fine.
According to the FIR registered at the mother's instance, her 21-year-old daughter was in love with the accused for the past eight years and died by suicide in August, 2007, after he refused to keep his promise to marry.
Writing a 17-page judgement, Justice Mithal analysed the two dying declarations of the woman and noted that neither was there any allegation of a physical relationship between the couple nor there was any intentional act leading to the suicide.
The judgement therefore underlined broken relationships were emotionally distressing, but did not automatically amount to criminal offences.
"Even in cases where the victim dies by suicide, which may be as a result of cruelty meted out to her, the courts have always held that discord and differences in domestic life are quite common in society and that the commission of such an offence largely depends upon the mental state of the victim," said the apex court.
The court further said, "Surely, until and unless some guilty intention on the part of the accused is established, it is ordinarily not possible to convict him for an offence under Section 306 IPC.”
The judgement said there was no evidence to suggest that the man instigated or provoked the woman to die by suicide and underscored a mere refusal to marry, even after a long relationship, did not constitute abetment.
