'No personal interest in Afzal's execution'

'No personal interest in Afzal's execution'

New Delhi, March 03, 2011

A day after slamming the government for inordinate delays in arriving at a decision on Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru's mercy plea, Justice SN Dhingra on Wednesday said he did not have any personal interest in the matter. "I cannot have any personal interest in Afzal Guru's hanging nor am

I personally aggrieved. My job, as a judge, was to decide the case on the basis of evidence and give the sentence. Now, it is for the Executive to take a decision on the hanging," Justice Dhingra told HT.

On the day of his retirement as a Delhi High Court judge, Justice Dhingra, who sentenced Guru to death, had on Tuesday said: "Ministers on various platforms criticise the judiciary for pendency and talk of speedy trial…they forget the Centre is unable to take a decision on his (Afzal's) mercy petition and on many others on death row for several years."

Dhingra, who pronounced judgment in the case, within a year, said mercy petitions did not require detailed examination, as there was no need to go into the specifics.

He added that the Centre needs only to look at the basis on which courts had come to such a conclusion.

"The Centre is unable to do even this much and at the same time, keeps blaming the judiciary for pendency," he said.

The Supreme Court had, in 2006, dismissed Guru's appeal against his death sentence, after which he had filed a mercy petition.

After shooting into the limelight with the order, Justice Dhingra, who became a Delhi High Court judge five years ago, has been widely acclaimed as a judge who boldly stood up for citizens rights in the capital and speedy trial.

Justice Dhingra has also been known to uphold the freedom of the press by ruling that journalists cannot be prosecuted for carrying out sting operations to expose corruption.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/No-personal-interest-in-Afzal-s-execution/Article1-668747.aspx

Kumble’s wife fined in custody case for delaying tactics

Kumble’s wife fined in custody case for delaying tactics

A city family court on Thursday imposed costs of Rs 2,500 on cricketer Anil Kumble’s wife Chetana, in connection with a child custody case she is fighting with her former husband.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, her former husband Kumar Jagirdar claimed the fine imposed by principal judge M G Sudheendra was on account of the ‘delaying tactics’ adopted by her lawyer. In July, she was fined Rs 1,250 by the court, Jagirdar said.
The couple were married in 1986 and divorced two years later. Jagirdar is fighting for custody of their daughter, who is 15 now and stays with the Kumbles.
In 2003, Jagirdar lost his case in the Supreme Court, which felt his single status was not enough to take care of the child but said he could approach a lower court if there was a change in the circumstances of the parties concerned.
In 2006, he moved a city family court for custody, arguing that his former wife had two children from Kumble, that he was married and not single anymore, and that his daughter had reached the age of 15.
The next hearing in the case is on Nov 25, Jagirdar’s counsel P B Appaiah said.
An affidavit filed by Chetana in the court on Thursday said her counsel was held up at the high court on the day of the previous hearing, and expressed regret for the inconvenience. Her advocate C V Nagesh said he would conduct the cross-examination of the petitioner at the next hearing.

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/20101112201011120809521965029a3e3/Kumble%E2%80%99s-wife-fined-in-custody-case.html