Latest news with #DistrictandSessionsCourt
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Olmi' season ends with low sales and uncertain future for vendors
Panaji: The monsoon in Goa brings with it the much-anticipated olmi, the rare and prized wild mushroom that grows under termite mounds in the state's forested areas. For generations, this earthy delicacy has supported livelihoods, especially for rural women who harvest and sell it. But this year, the joy soured. As the season drew to an early close, vendors from Banastarim and Canacona, who sell this edible fungi in Panaji, grappled with a sharp decline in sales. This season saw a steep spike in prices, starting at Rs 700 per portion (approximately 50 mushrooms), pricing out many regular buyers. 'Earlier, office-goers, lawyers, and residents would flock to us and buy two or three portions without bargaining much,' said Taramuti Kunkolkar, a veteran mushroom seller from Banastarim. 'But this year, customers just walk by. Even after reducing prices to Rs 550 or Rs 600, they still don't buy. We have to return home with nearly 50% of the mushrooms in tow.' Olmi's rarity and foraging process have always commanded a higher price tag, but inflation and shrinking incomes have made it less accessible. However, the price was only part of the problem. The real shock came with the shifting of the District and Sessions Court from its historic location in the heart of Panaji to the suburban locality of Merces. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Libas Purple Days Sale Libas Undo For decades, the sidewalk outside the Panaji court was an unofficial but thriving marketplace for seasonal goods. Mushroom vendors — mostly elderly women from Banastarim, Sattari, and Ponda — counted on the steady flow of litigants, lawyers, and passers-by. 'The court moving to Merces has destroyed our business,' said Lila Kankonkar, another vendor. Adding to the sellers' troubles is an emerging conservation narrative. As awareness grows about the ecological importance of wild mushrooms, particularly their role in maintaining soil health and forest biodiversity, voices advocating for responsible foraging and conservation have grown louder. Earlier this month, the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) warned against the overexploitation of these edible mushrooms, appealing not to encourage the sale and consumption.
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- The Hindu
Vellore pregnant woman pushed from train case: Hemaraj gets rigorous life imprisonment
The District and Sessions Court on Monday convicted history-sheeter K. Hemaraj and sentenced him to undergo rigorous life imprisonment for pushing a pregnant woman off a moving train near Katpadi when she resisted a sexual assault attempt in February. Judge S. Meenakumari delivered the verdict, sentencing Hemaraj to undergo rigorous life imprisonment besides imposing a fine of ₹85,000. The Judge also directed the Ministry of Railways and the State government to pay a compensation of ₹50 lakh each to the survivor. The compensation should be deposited within a month. The court, in its ruling, also said that all future medical expenses of the survivor, if required, should be fully borne by the State government. 'A total of 22 witnesses, including the survivor were examined for the case. All charges filed against Hemaraj have been proved,' Public Prosecutor (PP) P.T. Saravanan told The Hindu. Police said that on February 6, a 36-year-old pregnant woman was pushed off a moving train near Katpadi in Vellore, when she resisted an attempt of Hemaraj, 27, to sexually assault her. He was arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Jolarpet, in connection with the incident. The police said the woman, who was four months pregnant, had been living with her family in Tiruppur. Owing to her pregnancy, she was travelling to her mother's house and boarded the Coimbatore-Tirupati Intercity Express alone on the said day. The police said the accused person, Hemaraj, of Pooncholai near K.V. Kuppam in Vellore, boarded the ladies compartment of the train at Jolarpet. As she was alone in the compartment, he attempted to sexually assault her, she said. When she resisted his attempt, Hemaraj allegedly fractured her right hand and pushed her towards the entrance. Though she held onto the handle, she fell down after losing her grip and became unconscious. The police said the incident occurred at around 11.30 a.m. near the K.V. Kuppam station. A few railway workers rescued the woman, who was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Vellore. The police said the accused was freed on conditional bail a few months ago in a case of murder of a 29-year-old woman from Chennai in April 2024. He is also facing another case, registered by the GRP, Jolarpet, in 2022 for pushing a woman commuter off a moving train after snatching her mobile phone. He was also charged under the Goondas Act twice.
New Indian Express
09-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Bomb hoax emails trigger evacuation of court complexes across Himachal Pradesh
CHANDIGARH: Panic gripped several district court complexes in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday after anonymous emails threatened to blow up the premises in Shimla, Nahan, Kullu, and Rampur. The threats led to the immediate evacuation of court buildings and a full-scale security response. However, no explosives were found, and court proceedings later resumed. According to sources, the email received by the district court in Shimla claimed that explosives had been planted on the premises and warned of imminent Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and suicide bomb attacks. In response, bomb disposal squads, sniffer dogs, and police personnel carried out a thorough search of the premises. The entire complex was evacuated as a precaution. Similar threat emails were also received at the District and Sessions Court complexes in Kullu and Nahan. These buildings were also evacuated, and extensive searches were conducted, but no suspicious materials were discovered. Staff, lawyers, and members of the public were safely escorted from all affected premises.
Business Recorder
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Appointment of state counsel: Trial verdict declared ‘null and void'
ISLAMABAD: The District and Sessions Court on Tuesday declared the trial verdict 'null and void' regarding the appointment of state counsel in a case registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers in connection with the party's November 26 protest. Additional Sessions judge Aamir Zai, while announcing the reserved judgment, approved the petition against the appointment of state counsel in a case registered at Ramna police station. PTI counsel Ali Bukhari appeared before the court. The cases had been registered under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act and are currently under trial. It is pertinent to mention here that the judicial magistrate, Ahmed Shehzad Gondal, had ordered the appointment of state counsel on May 31 after PTI counsel failed to appear before the court. PTI on June 3 challenged the trial court's verdict regarding the appointment of the state counsel. Meanwhile, another court has reserved its verdict on the acquittal pleas of PTI senior leader and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser in a case registered against him in connection with his party's November 26 protest. Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah, while hearing the case against Qaiser registered at Kohsar Police Station, reserved its verdict on his acquittal plea following completion of arguments by both parties. Court has fixed July 10 for the announcement of the judgment. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
New Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Rajasthan Government challenges acquittal of actors Saif, Tabu, others in Jodhpur's Blackbuck poaching case
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has challenged the acquittal of Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, and Sonali Bendre in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, in which superstar Salman Khan was convicted in 2018. The matter was heard on Friday in the Rajasthan High Court, where a plea for leave to appeal was taken up. Justice Manoj Kumar Garg directed that the case be listed along with other related matters. According to Advocate Mahipal Vishnoi, the incident occurred on 1 October 1998, during the shooting of the film Hum Saath-Saath Hain in Kankani village near Jodhpur. It was alleged that the actors, led by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, had hunted blackbucks, a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act. On 5 April 2018, the trial court convicted actor Salman Khan and sentenced him to five years in prison. However, co-accused Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, Sonali Bendre, and a local man, Dushyant Singh, were acquitted due to lack of evidence and were given the benefit of the doubt. In its petition, the state government has sought permission to transfer related matters and include Salman Khan's conviction as part of the broader appeal—over seven years after the verdict was delivered in a Jodhpur court. The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for 28 July, when all related cases will be heard together. Following his conviction in April 2018, Salman Khan was sent to Jodhpur Central Jail. However, on 7 April 2018, the District and Sessions Court granted him conditional bail on a surety of Rs 50,000, and he was released the same day. Currently, he remains out on bail, while the case continues to be pending before the High Court. In 1998, a total of five cases were registered against actor Salman Khan and his co-stars, including Sonali Bendre, Tabu, Saif Ali Khan, Satish Shah, and some locals of Jodhpur, for allegedly hunting two blackbucks and one chinkara during the shooting of the film Hum Saath-Saath Hain.
