Kochi, May 21 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Tuesday quashed proceedings against state Congress president K. Sudhakaran in an attempt to murder case involving CPI(M) leader P. Jayarajan.

The incident, according to Jayarajan, the present Left convenor of the ruling CPI(M)-led Left, took place while he was travelling by train through Andhra Pradesh on April 12, 1995, when two people fired at him and injured him.

Jayarajan was returning after attending a party meeting in Chandigarh. He had alleged that it was on the behest of Sudhakaran that a revolver was purchased and a group of people was sent to eliminate him.

The case was handled at a lower court in the state capital and in 2016 it had ruled that Sudhakaran face trial. But Sudhakaran approached the High Court to quash the case and acquit him.

On Tuesday, the court said, “In this case, I have already found that there is a legal bar in proceeding against the petitioners herein, in view of the fact that the FIR based on which the entire prosecution case is built, amounts to a second FIR in respect of the very same transactions covered by the FIR and final report in Crime No.14/1995 of Chirala Railway Police Station. Hence the invocation of the Revisional Powers of this Court is justified,” stated the court.

Reacting to the judgment, Jayarajan said he would request the Kerala government to appeal to the Supreme Court.

“The real target was Pinarayi Vijayan, but on that day, he did not take the train and it was me who was travelling. I am also seeking legal advice if I can also approach the apex court. I will see if the evidence which we gave was enough and if it was due to the lack of it, the case was dismissed. At the time of the incident, the Congress was ruling at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh, and hence the probe had its deficiencies,” said Jayarajan.

Over the years, especially after the shooting incident, both these veterans hailing from Kannur have been attacking each other on this.

Reacting to his acquittal Sudhakaran said the CPI(M) has been trying their best to malign him by registering false cases and this is a classic example.

“ I will fight the case in the apex court as I did here,” said Sudhakaran.

–IANS

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Mysuru (Karnataka), May 21 (IANS) One person died and more than 48 others fell sick after drinking contaminated water in K. Salundi village, located in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s native Mysuru district.

The deceased youth was identified as 24-year-old Kanakaraju. He was admitted to the hospital on Monday and died on Tuesday morning.

The other 48 residents are being treated at a private hospital.

Authorities stationed ambulances in the village after the death of the man.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah contacted the District Commissioner and District Health Officer on Monday to take updates on the incident. He asked the authorities to find the cause of the water contamination and take appropriate measures.

The CM also ordered the authorities to ensure proper treatment for those who have fallen sick.

JD(S) MLA G.T. Deve Gowda visited the hospital and demanded that the government release compensation for the victims.

–IANS

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Jaipur, May 21 (IANS) As Rajasthan continues to reel under an intense heat wave, the maximum temperature breached the 45-degree Celsius mark in many parts of the state in the last 24 hours.

Pilani recorded the highest temperature at 46.6-degree Celsius, followed by Ganganagar (46.3) Barmer (46.1), Phalodi (46), Dholpur (45.9), and Kota (45.8).

R.C. Sharma, Director at the Jaipur Met Centre, said, “In the next 4-5 days, the minimum temperature in some parts of the state will be 2-5 degrees Celsius above the average while the night temperature will also increase at some places.

“The maximum temperature is likely to increase by 2-degree Celsius in the next 72 hours. There is a possibility of a severe heat wave in most parts of the state in the next two days. The temperature may shoot up to 48-degree Celsius in some parts of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaipur, Kota, and Bharatpur divisions.”

The Met office has advised kids and elderly people to stay indoors and avoid going out at noon.

It also advised people to stay under shade and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

ORS, homemade drinks like lassi, lemonade, etc. can be used to keep the body hydrated, it said.

Farmers are advised to take appropriate measures to protect their livestock from heat and irrigate crops regularly during the morning or evening hours.

–IANS

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Chennai, May 21 (IANS) Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dhinakaran has demanded that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin intervene and stop the Kerala government from constructing a check dam across Silanthi River.

He said that the construction of the check dam across the Silanthi River would turn the Amaravathi basin into a desert in a short period.

The senior leader said that the water flow from Silanthi River, a tributary of the Amaravathi River, would be disturbed and lead to loss of water for irrigation to 55,000 acres of farmland in Tiruppur and Karur districts of Tamil Nadu.

Dhinakaran demanded that the Chief Minister immediately intervene in the matter and find a solution for the same.

It may be recalled that the farmers of Tiruppur and Karur had taken out protest marches against the Kerala government constructing a check dam across the Silanthi River leading to the farmlands of the district turning barren.

The Deputy General Secretary of the farmers’ wing of the Dalit political party, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Velu Sivakumar had told IANS that the farmers would launch a protest in front of the Water Resources Department of Tamil Nadu at Dharmapuram on May 27.

–IANS

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Bengaluru, May 21 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted simultaneous raids at four houses in different locations in Bengaluru on Tuesday in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe bomb blast case.

Sources confirmed that the residences of four accused persons who were in collusion with the arrested suspects in the Bengaluru city cafe blast case were raided.

NIA officers began the raids in the morning in various places in Banashankari locality of Bengaluru.

Sources said that the suspected terrorists were supported by these individuals when they were in Bengaluru.

More details are yet to emerge regarding the raids.

The NIA had arrested suspected bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and mastermind Abdul Matheen Taha in Kolkata in April.

The suspected terrorists wanted to target techies and create terror in the minds of software professionals.

The accused knew that such an incident would dent India’s image at a global level.

Mussavir had visited the cafe on March 1 and planted the low-intensity Improvised Explosive Device on the premises.

Several staff members were injured, some of them grievously, in the blast, which caused extensive damage to the property.

–IANS

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