Home minister P. Chidambaram Satur-day refused to comment on the alleged “politics’’ over mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana, sentenced to death for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, but said a mercy petition filed on behalf of a condemned prisoner should be treated equally like the mercy petition filed by a condemned prisoner. He said the ministry will examine the merit of the mercy plea and submit it to the President for a final decision. He said as per the guidelines, the execution of a condemned prisoner has to be stayed once a mercy petition is filed before the President and it should be kept in abeyance till a decision is taken on the prayer.

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Theft at R.K. Laxman’s pune house, help held
age correspondent
mumbai, March 31

The latest celebrity to be burgled by a domestic servant is internationally renowned cartoonist R.K. Laxman, whose temporary domestic help was arrested on Saturday for stealing gold jewellery from his Pune residence.
According to the Chaturshringi police, the accused, Santosh Pawar (40) was hired by Mr Laxman earlier this week after his regular domestic help went to his hometown to take care of some family business. Pawar used to take care of the housework and stay at Mr Laxman’s residence.
On Thursday morning, Pawar left the house saying he had to buy some shaving gear for himself but didn’t return. Mr Laxman smelt a rat and on checking the bedroom cupboard found that some gold jewellery was missing.

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Isreal envoy attacks: India in touch with Iran
age correspondent
new delhi, March 31

India is in touch with Iran to get access to three Iranians wanted in connection with the terror attack on an Israeli diplomat in the Capital in February.
“We are in touch with the government of Iran and with the embassy of Iran in India in order to be able to access certain persons for questioning. The ministry of external affairs is handling the matter. I can’t say anything more than that,” home minister P. Chidambaram said. On the issue involving cancellation of the visa of a US historian Peter Heehs, living in Puducherry, he said he will review the matter and take a decision on it by Monday. “... I have asked for a suo motu review and am told that the file would be submitted to me on Monday and I will take a decision on Monday,” he said.

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Activists: stop custodial violence against women
age correspondent
new delhi, March 31

Citing tribal teacher Soni Sori’s custodial humiliation case pending in the Supreme Court as the latest example of growing incidents of “violence” against women in the police custody, jails and even in the remand homes meant for providing safe shelters to them, human right activists on Friday asked the government to stop such abuses.
The right activists, including those from the Peoples Union of Civil Liberties, one of the oldest human rights bodies in India raised the issue in a meeting organised at Gandhi Peace Foundation here to deliberate upon “women prisoners and custodial violence”. As per the data collected by PUCL activists, women counted for more than 4 per cent of the jail inmates in the country.

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Teacher convicted of killing bihar MLA keshri
Patna, March 31: School teacher Rupam Pathak was Saturday convicted by a special court of killing BJP MLA Rajkishore Keshri in Bihar’s Purnia town in 2011.
Designated Central Bureau of Investigation judge B.N. Singh pronounced her guilty of stabbing to death Keshri on January 4, 2011 and fixed April 10 as the date to decide the quantum of punishment.
Soon after the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Keshri, the chief minister had recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the killing.
The Central Bureau of Investigation had on April 2, 2011 filed the chargesheet against Rupam Pathak under Indian Penal Code’s Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder carrying a maximum punishment of life imprisonment). — PTI