Briefly Nation

Malegaon: SC says no to Pragya bail

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant bail to 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur,who is in jail after having been booked under MCOCA. A Bench comprising Justices J M Panchal and H L Gokhale dismissed her plea,saying,there is no merit in the petition. The court had reserved its order on September 1 after the Maharashtra government opposed the bail plea.

HC admits Lashkar militants appeal

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday admitted appeals by suspected Lashkar militants T Naseer and Shafas,challenging the life imprisonment awarded to them by a special court in the 2006 Kozhikode twin blast case but refused to suspend their sentence. We are not satisfied this is an extraordinary case for justifying the suspension of sentence, the court said.

Girl sexually abused by teacher,pregnant

BUNDI: A 13-year-old girl was sexually abused for about six months,allegedly by a teacher at Dabhi village,police said Friday. The girls parents came to know about it when she got pregnant,SHO Mahendra Maru said. Police said a manhunt has been launched to arrest the teacher,Mahindra Kumar Mali. In another incident,a 14-year-old was allegedly raped by two youths at Dablana area here.

Congress MLA says threatened by rebels

SHILLONG: Claiming that he and his party workers have got threats from militants,a Congress legislator in Meghalaya has written to party chief Sonia Gandhi,seeking her intervention. Saidullah Nongrum said,I would like to inform you that recently one militant outfit from Garo Hills Garo National Liberation Army have publicly threatened me and my workers through the print media.

Drunk father,son set home on fire,dead

FATEHPUR: A father-son duo died after they jumped into a burning house which they had set ablaze in an inebriated state here,police said. The incident took place yesterday at Khaga area. 50-year-old Phool Singh,a rickshaw puller,and his 25-year-old son Rekhan Singh consumed liquor,and after a fight,set their house ablaze and jumped into it,they said.

Haryana: 4 of family killed in road mishap

SIRSA: Four of a family,including three women,were killed on Friday when their car collided with a Punjab Roadways bus in Ding area,police said. Rohit 27,his mother Pushpa,grandmother Dharma Devi and her sister Deva were killed near Moriwala village. Two bus passengers were also injured,as the vehicle collided with a tree after hitting the car,SHO Bhartender Singh said. The bus driver fled from the spot.

Three poachers killed in Kaziranga

GUWAHATI: Three poachers have been killed in a shootout with forest guards in Kaziranga National Park KNP in Assam on Friday. The shootout took place at Naltola under Kohora range,after a gun shot was heard by patrolling forest guards,KNP divisional forest officer Dibyadhar Gogoi said. An encounter ensued,in which three poachers were killed and two escaped. Gogoi added that a search operation is on to nab the escaped duo.