Chandigarh, India News

Many areas in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and even Chandigarh faced a power blackout early Saturday due to the northern grid 'tripping' owing to heavy fog, affecting rail services.

Ruchika Girhotra had never been expelled but removed from the rolls for non-payment of fees, the Sacred Heart school here said Friday following reports that it rusticated the girl in 1990 following her molestation by former Haryana police chief SPS Rathore.

'Five deaths were reported in Chandigarh hospitals yesterday - evening. The deceased were identified as Chandigarh resident Rajan Kumar, 52, Ganga Ram, 65, from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, Ritu Gulati, 34, from Ambala in Haryana and Lajwanti, 66, and Pooja, 20, both from towns in Punjab,' H.C. Gera, UT nodal officer for swine flu, said.

Chandigarh, Jan 1 Ruchika Girhotra had never been expelled but removed from the rolls for non-payment of fees, the Sacred Heart school here said Friday following reports that it rusticated the girl in 1990 following her molestation by former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore.

Amid growing public pressure on Ruchika molestation case, CBI on Thursday decided to file an appeal for enhancement of jail term of convicted former Haryana Police chief S P S Rathore and said it was examining the possibility of charging the accused with abetment of suicide.

The convent school, of which Ruchika Girhotra was an alumna, on Wednesday said it was trying to ascertain whether she was expelled from the institution under pressure or was withdrawn by her family after the molestation incident.

Below-Poverty-Line families in Chandigarh, India will begin to receive smart cards in place of their ration cards in April of next year, according to indianexpress.com. BPL families will be able to use the cards to purchase subsidized food grains.

New Delhi, Dec 30 The Catholic Church Wednesday demanded a "thorough investigation" into "all circumstances" that led to molestation victim Ruchika Girhotra's expulsion from Sacred Heart School, Chandigarh 19 years ago.

Chandigarh, Dec 29: Without listing any concrete steps for time-bound action in the matter, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Tuesday assured an impartial enquiry into the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case involving former director general of police S.P.S. Rathore.

Anand Prakash and his family members, who kept the fight for justice alive in Ruchika molestation case for 19 years and are still struggling to get former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore properly punished, have refused to accept a bravery award from MS Bitta, chairman of All India Anti-Terrorist Front.

Calling for greater bilateral trade and investment, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama Tuesday pitched for introducing superfast bullet trains in India.

CHANDIGARH: Senior lawyer and human rights activist Ranjan Lakhanpal said he will file a public suit Tuesday seeking a fresh case against former Haryana director general of police S P S Rathore for the molestation of teenager Ruchika Girhotra 19 years ago.

After hitting out at the Central Bureau of Investigation for making a "compromise", the family of Ruchika Girhotra, who ended her life three years after being molested by retired Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, on Sunday said a fresh case would be filed against him for inclusion of abetment to suicide charge.

New Delhi/Chandigarh, Dec 25 : Former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal Friday refuted arch rival Om Prakash Chautala's allegations that he had shielded retired top cop S.P.S. Rathore in the molestation case of teenaged tennis player Ruchika Girhotra.

Cold wave sweeping most parts of Punjab and Haryana on Saturday intensified, with Rohtak and Amritsar registering bone-chilling minimum temperatures.

Ruchika's family didn't earlier raise doubts over the post-mortem report as they were under pressure to save Ruchika's brother.

CHANDIGARH:The conviction of Haryanaa s former DGP SPS Rathore in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case has stirred a horneta s nest in the Statea s political circles with the Congress and Indian National Lok Dal leaders in a tizzy over allegations of shielding the top cop.

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation says its per capita supply of water is the highest in the country, at 249 litres per capita per day , against the national standard of 158 lpcd.

New Delhi: The Union Home ministry has given a go ahead for creation of 38 new battalions including two women battalions in the Central Reserve Police Force .

The Centre is actively exploring whether it can strip former Haryana DGP Shambhu Pratap Singh Rathore of his 1985 Police Medal for Meritorious Services and has decided to ask the CBI to start groundwork for an appeal for an enhanced sentence.