Describing his father Moninder Singh Pandher as a "fine, innocent man", Karandeep Singh Pandher blamed the media for his conviction Thursday for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Rimpa Halder in Nithari in Noida area.
"I thank the media for their help - thanks to them a fine innocent man has been sent to jail. Thank you very much!" an angry Karandeep Singh told IANS.
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court Thursday afternoon convicted businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surendra Koli for raping and killing Haldar.
The CBI in its May 2007 charge sheet accused Koli of abduction, rape and murder of Haldar, and exonerated Pandher. But the court after hearing the defence argument in July 2007 charged Pandher too with rape and murder.
After the conviction was announced, Moninder Singh Pandher's wife Devinder Kaur and son burst into tears.
Karandeep hugged his father and said: "Sorry Papa, I could not save you." Pandher replied: "Don't cry�"
Asked if the verdict surprised him, Pandher's son said: "I will not say anything on this."
"I feel what anyone whose innocent father was sent to jail would feel," Karandeep said.
Avoiding the media glare, the family immediately left the courtroom. Moninder Singh Pandher and Koli were whisked away by the police.
Special judge Rama Jain will pronounce the quantum of punishment Friday morning.
While both Pandher and Koli were found guilty of murder and rape, Koli was also booked under the additional charge of abduction. Pandher was found guilty of destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy.
The two men were arrested Dec 29, 2006, after the Noida police found 15 skulls outside Pandher's D-5 bungalow, touching Nithari village in Noida on the outskirts of the national capital.
Subsequently, more bones were recovered from the drain behind the bungalow. Eventually, investigations revealed that the remains belonged to four young women and 15 girls who had been raped, killed and their bodies mutilated.
In the first of the Nithari case verdicts, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court Thursday convicted businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surendra Koli for raping and killing 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar.
Special Judge Rama Jain held Pandher and Koli guilty of murder and rape of Haldar, one of the 19 young women and children from Nithari village in Noida area whose body parts were found in a drain behind Pandher's bungalow in December 2006.
While Koli was also found guilty under the additional charge of abduction, Pandher will be punished for destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy. Both the accused now face charges punishable with death.
Jain will pronounce the quantum of punishment Friday morning. This is the first verdict in the 19 cases registered by the CBI.
After the conviction was announced, Pandher's wife Devinder Kaur and son Karandeep burst into tears.
Karandeep hugged his father and said: "Sorry Papa I could not save you." To which Pandher replied: "Don't cry�"
Avoiding the media glare, the family immediately left the courtroom while Pandher and Koli were whisked away by the police.
For the family of the teen, who was sexually abused and brutally hacked to death, however, the verdict was an affirmation of their faith in the judiciary.
"My faith in the judiciary has increased after the conviction and I hope the court will give them death penalty," said Rimpa's father Anil Haldar, who drives an autorickshaw.
"God has given us the courage to fight against these high-profile people. Finally, justice has gone in our favour and we are very happy. Now my daughter's soul will rest in peace. Both the accused should be hanged," said his wife Dolly.
Hours before the ruling, the judge called Pandher and Koli in her courtroom and asked Pandher if he wanted to say something about the confessional statement Koli had given in a Delhi court in 2007.
To this, Pandher shook his head and said: "I don't want to."
Jain prodded him further about his involvement with a woman named Payal, who was mentioned in Koli's statement. Koli had said Pandher allegedly had sexual relations with the women victims "who would often spend the night".
To this, Pandher did not deny his involvement, and said, "Yes, yes (haan haan) Payal".
The two men were arrested Dec 29, 2006, after the Noida police found 15 skulls outside the businessman's D-5 bungalow in Noida on the outskirts of the national capital.
Subsequently, more bones were recovered from the drain behind the bungalow. Eventually, investigations revealed that the remains belonged to four women and 15 young girls who had been raped, killed and mutilated.
After the judgement, Khalid Khan, lawyer for the Nithari victims' families, said: "This is the landmark judgement and victory of justice. The court has found both Pandher and Koli guilty for rape and murder."
"The sentence will be announced Friday and both will get the same punishment. I will seek death penalty for them. The CBI tried to save Pandher but could not do it," a jubilant Khan, who was hoisted up on people's shoulders in celebration, said.
The CBI in its charge sheet in the gruesome murder of Haldar in May 2007 had exonerated Pandher of abduction, rape and murder. Two months later, however, the court reprimanded the agency and Pandher was made co-accused with Koli.
The CBI charge sheet stated that Haldar was strangled and then cut to pieces by Koli with two kitchen knives and an axe four years ago. It said Koli was suffering from necrophilia (urge to have sex with a corpse) and necrophagia (urge to eat the flesh of a body).
Not taking any chances after the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai, multinational companies, embassies and UN bodies are independently reviewing security of luxury hotels before making reservations for their high-profile clients in India.
Security experts posted in embassies here and UN organisations are preparing similar reports to ensure maximum safety of their officials and guests.
"After the attack, especially on Trident and Taj hotels, many representatives, especially from Bangalore, came to check our security measures. Not just them but even officials from the US embassy, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other multilateral bodies conducted a similar survey in our hotel," said Akhil Mathur, spokesman of the Le Meridien hotel here.
"Many were concerned about exit routes in the event of an emergency and of the safety measures in place for guests in the hotel. Since we have paid enough attention and tightened our security further, they were pleased," Mathur added.
Industry and intelligence sources told IANS that this is the first time that security heads and representatives of various multinational organisations have undertaken such a task of preparing independent reports detailing "secure" and "safe" hotels across the country.
"One of the reasons why some high-profile guests or VIPs do not stay in the Oberoi or The Lalit is because their escape routes are not satisfactory. There is a flyover across the road which many consider an impediment in the event of an emergency," said a top hotelier.
Work is under way to prepare a list of luxury hotels where top corporate honchos who often travel to India for business meetings can be put up without risk to their lives.
"We took this painstaking exercise in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack," a security head of an international bank, which has 3,000 employees on its rolls, told IANS.
"Fortunately our board of directors and senior management had left the Taj and the Oberoi hotels just minutes before the militants stormed the hotels and began firing indiscriminately."
On Nov 26, a 10-member suicide squad, allegedly belonging to the Lashker-e-Taiba, attacked the Taj Mahal Hotel near the landmark Gateway of India and the nearby Oberoi-Trident hotel among a host of other spots in south Mumbai.
At least 170 people, including 22 foreigners were killed. The hotels suffered extensive damage.
"Foreigners were obviously scared after the attacks. Some visiting India have gone the extra mile to do reconnaissance missions of hotels for sheer safety," said a UN official.
One particular security head working in an MNC, who did not wanted to be named, said he had personally visited and reviewed security of at least 40 hotels all across the country.
"During my visits, I checked their contingency plans and level of alertness. To my satisfaction I found each and every hotel either had hired security consultants or were in the process of hiring them."
Many hotels in the country are spending huge amounts to install state-of-the-art gadgets and hi-tech equipment for ramping up security in their premises.
Most computer users realise that their private data is safest, when they use a different password for each website. But keeping track of all those passwords can be a problem and there's always the temptation to use the same password often making it easier for a hacker to guess it.
The German computer c't magazine recommends using variations of a single password for all your internet needs.
Choose a word with at least eight letters, numerals and special characters. Alternate between upper and lower case and then it becomes a user's basic password.
To make the password unique for each site, users should add the name of the website at the beginning or the end of the personalised password.
Bobby Jindal, Indian American governor of Louisiana, has been chosen to keynote the National Republican Congressional Committee's March fundraising dinner, fuelling speculation he may emerge as the party's presidential candidate in 2012.
"Bobby is a rising star and is a part of a new generation of leadership in our party," NRCC chairman Pete Sessions noted in an e-mail to supporters.
"He has a budding record of success, having implemented sound, common-sense business practices since he took office in 2007 and started rebuilding his great state."
The March 24 dinner will put Jindal in touch with big Washington donors as he puts his celebrity status to work for House Republicans. It's an event where former president George W. Bush has delivered the keynote address every year since he became the chief executive in 2000.
Another indication that Republicans may be looking at him as a potential candidate was that he has been picked up over Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who was defeated in the 2008 elections when she contested as party presidential candidate John McCain' vice presidential running mate.
An NRCC spokesman said Palin had not been asked to keynote the dinner.
"A darling of social conservatives and an emerging generation of Washington Republicans, Jindal's presence at such a high-profile dinner will set tongues wagging," the Politico, focusing on presidential politics, said.
The first-term Louisiana governor knows something about House races, having been elected to two terms in Congress before moving to the executive's office, it said.
"But it is Jindal's attractiveness to conservatives as a presidential contender that makes his appearance notable."
Jindal, for his part, has denied that he is in the running for the 2012 presidential elections saying he would concentrate on the development of Louisiana, which has been badly hit by the devastating hurricane Katrina a few years ago.
Jindal drew attention in December with a brief trip to keynote a conservative group's dinner in Iowa, which traditionally kicks off both parties' presidential nominating contests.
The party must rely on potential presidential candidates and prominent rising stars to compete with what has proven to be an overwhelming advantage for Democrats.
Other top party fundraisers who appeal to Republican donors include former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and several members of Congress.
Noted scientists G. Madhavan Nair and Anil Kakodkar, environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna and Missionaries of Charity head Sister Nirmala are among the 10 Indians conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award.
The Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, has already been announced on November 4, 2008, for legendary Hindustani classical music vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, who is now 86.
President Pratibha Patil has approved the conferment of 133 Padma awards, among them 30 Padma Bhushans and 93 Padha Shris, an official statement said Sunday on the ev of Republic Day.
The Padma Bhushan is the country's third highest civilian award and the Padma Shri the fourth.
Among those on whom the Padma Bhushan will be conferred are educationist C.K. Prahlad, yesteryears' singer-actress Shamshad Begum, former bureaucrat S.K. Mishra, journalist Shekhar Gupta, historian Ramchandra Guha, author Isher Judge Ahluwalia, shooter Abhinav Bindra and techno-entrepreneur Sam Pitroda.
Among those named for the Padma Shri are Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, former star Helen, composer-musician Pandit Hridayanath Mangeshkar and singer Pinaz Masani, broadcaster Ameen Sayani, pathologist Arvind Lal, advocate Shyamla Pappu, social worker Bilkees Latif, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and world billiards champion Pankaj Advani.
Four foreigners also figure in the list of awardees. They are Minoru Hara, Geshe Ngawang Samten and John Ralston Marr (literature and education) and Devayani Chaymotty (art).
The highest number of awards - 40 - are in the art category, followed by literature and education with 27, medicine with 19 and social work with 11. The other categories in which the awards have been given are science/engineering (9), trade/industry and public affairs (5 each), civil service (3) and journalism (2).
Former Karnataka governor Gavind Narain is among those to be conferred the Padma Vibhushan.
Among those honoued with the Padma Bhushan are Khalid Hameed (medicine), Lt. Gen. (retd) Satish Nambiar (national security affairs) and Kirit Shantilal Parikh (public affairs).
The list of Padma Shri conferees includes industrialist R.K. Krishna Kumar, actor Akshay Kumar, artists Aruna Sairam, Geeta Kapur and Hemi Bawa, singer Udit Narayan, journalist Abhay Chhajlani, writers Shashi Deshpande and Sunny Varkey and cricketer Harbhajan Singh.
British filmmaker Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches Bollywood style musical “Slumdog Millionaire” has finally brought the elusive and coveted Oscar dream within grabbing distance of India - with music maestro A.R. Rahman nominated for three Oscars in the main category.
The film has got 10 nominations, of which three are for the film's music - one for best original score and two for the best original songs - “Jai ho” and “O saya”, for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. The lyrics of 'Jai ho' have been penned by noted lyricist Gulzar.
Other nominations include for best motion picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best film editing, best sound editing, best sound mixing and best cinematography. The winners will be announced Feb 22 at Kodak Theatre here.
“The nominations have given me a great feeling. My inspiration to compose the music was the movie, its thought and the message in the film," said an ecstatic Rahman after receiving news of the nominations in Chennai. He had won the Golden Globe for the best original score for the movie.
"Slumdog Millionaire", which is based on diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel "Q & A", is a moving tale of a slum boy's win at a TV reality show. Apart from Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Freida Pinto, the film stars British-Indian debutant Dev Patel.
Releasing Friday in India, the movie has already raked in $43 million at the US box office and jumped itself back to the US Top 10.
The movie ends in the trademark Bollywood musical style with a joyous song called “Jai ho”, which has won much applause from Western critics.
Renowned film critic Ty Burr from The Boston Globe raved about the end sequence.
“The Bollywood dance scene that explodes under the closing credits feels both incongruous and earned: Young India kicking up its heels. You may even feel like dancing in the aisles yourself,” he said.
Rahman's composition has appealed to other international critics as well.
Lauding 'Slumdog…”'s music, Mal Vincnet from The Virginian-Post had said: “A festive musical score by A.R. Rahman, complete with a best-song candidate in the lively 'Jai Ho' Bollywood finale, and you have a film that is as engaging to listen to as it is to watch.”
Michael Sragow from The Baltimore Sun said: "Boyle brings down the curtain with a musical number that registers as a gift from movie heaven. He breaks your heart, then heels it - and sends you out with a song."
The movie triumphed at various awards across the globe. Screen Actors Guild Awards, London Critics Circle Award, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Satellite Awards, Toronto Film Festival, British Independent Film Award - to name a few.
The major win was at the Golden Globes, considered to be a precursor to the Oscars.
"We were not expecting so much at all. We were hoping...but 10 nominations is so unreal! And A.R. Rahman has made a wonderful track record. He totally deserves the three nominations and has made the country proud. Without his music, 'Slumdog…' wouldn't have been the same," Freida told IANS.
In the Oscar run, Brad Pitt starrer reverse-ageing drama "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leads the race with 13 nominations.
The runners-up are "Batman Begins" sequel "The Dark Knight" and Elliot Graham's biopic on San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk "Milk" - receiving eight nominations each.
While Sean Penn got nominated as best actor in a leading role category, Josh Brolin has received the best actor nomination in a supporting role for "Milk".
Late Australian actor Heath Ledger received the highly anticipated posthumous nomination for the best supporting actor for his performance as the iconic villain The Joker in "The Dark Knight".
Veteran actress Meryl Streep received her 15th nomination at the Oscars for "Doubt", alongside British actress Kate Winslet for best actress in Stephen Daldry's "The Reader".
"The Reader" and "Doubt" in all have received five nominations each.