* THE TIMES OF INDIA, MUMBAIMONDAY, MARCH 9, 20158 TIMES NATION

New Delhi: Saying that protec-tion granted to a husband fromcharges of marital rape can’t beextended to men in live-in relationships, the Delhi highcourt has dismissed a PIL onthe subject.

HC refused to keep live-inrelationships outside the pur-view of rape under Indian Pe-nal Code(IPC), saying it wouldamount to giving such relation-ships the status of matrimony,which the legislature has cho-sen “not to do”.

The court made the obser-vation while hearing a PIL,which had sought direction tothe government to keep the cases of live-in relation-ships outside the purview ofthe offence of rape .

“As far as the relief sought,of keeping the live-in relation-ships outside the purview ofSection 376 (rape) of IPC is con-cerned, the same wouldamount to giving the live-in re-lationships, the status of matri-mony and which the legislaturehas chosen not to do,” a bench ofChief Justice G Rohini and Jus-tice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw noted.

The PIL had sought a direc-tion that the complaint filed bya live-in partner against theother should be registered un-der Section 420 (cheating), notSection 376 (rape). But the courtfound no merit in the demand .

Delhi HC: Live-inrelationshipsnot outside

purview of rape

WOMEN UNDER ATTACK

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Faced with a con-tinuing deadlock in the megadeal to acquire 126 French Ra-fale fighters, India is now press-ing the throttle to seal the evenbigger project with Russia forthe stealth fifth-generationfighter aircraft (FGFA).

India has told Russia itwants deliveries of the FGFAto begin in 36 months after themain contract is inked, insteadof the 94 months envisaged ear-lier, top defence sources said.

With this “accelerated de-livery timeframe” becomingthe main objective, India isready to forego the earlier plan for a 50:50 design andworkshare agreement withRussia on its under-develop-ment FGFA called PAK-FA orSukhoi T-50.

India is also no longer in-sisting that all the single-seatstealth fighters required byIAF be built in India by defencePSU Hindustan Aeronautics atits Ozar facility.

“We have agreed to a lesserwork-share for a realistic con-tract, with the initial lot ofthe FGFA being imported andthe rest being made here under technology transfer,”said a source.

“Like for the Russian Suk-hoi-30MKI fighters (majority

of the 272 Sukhois contractedfor $12 billion are being madeby HAL), the curve in technolo-gy absorption will also be steepin the FGFA project,” he added.

Faced with a sharp declinein the number of fighter squad-rons in IAF, India wants to fast-track the FGFA project, underwhich its “perspective multi-role fighter” will be based onPAK-FA but tweaked to its re-quirements.

The final FGFA design con-tract has been hanging firesince India and Russia com-pleted their initial work underthe $295 million preliminary

design contract signed in De-cember 2010.

India will overall spendaround $25 billion on the FGFAproject if it goes ahead with itsplan to induct 127 such fighters,as earlier reported by TOI.

All this has gained urgencysince India feels French avia-tion major Dassault is beingneedlessly intransigent over the pricing mechanism inthe final negotiations for theover $20 billion MMRCA (me-dium multi-role combat air-craft) project.

For the full report, log on towww.timesofindia.com

May Drop 50:50Workshare, HAL

Role Clauses

Rafale deadlock: Indiapushes 5th-gen Sukhoi

Rajat.Pandit@timesgroup.com

STATUS OF FIGHTER SQUADRON IAF requires 44 fighter squadrons but has just 34 as of now. Of them, 14 squadrons of aging MiG-21s & MiG-27s. Serviceability of others like Sukhoi-30MKIs & Jaguars also poor

RUSSIAN FGFA:History | Inter-governmental agreement inked in Oct 2007; $295 million preliminary contract in Dec 2010Number | 127 swing-role stealth fightersTotal cost | Over $25 billionInduction | India wants deliveries to begin in three years, instead of earlier almost eight yearsDelay | Final R&D contract yet to be inked. Technical issues,costs & delivery timeframeyet to be resolved

FRENCH RAFALE:History | Global tender in Aug 2007. Rafale selected over Eurofighter Typhoon in Jan 2012Numbers | 126 mediummulti-role fightersTotal cost | Over $20 billionInduction | First 18 jets in 36-48 months. Rest 108 to be madeby HAL over next 7 yearsDelay | Contract yet to be inked. Dassault’s proposed hike in production cost of 108 fighters by HAL remains mainproblem. Guarantee issues more or less sorted out

New Delhi: Speculationabout Rahul Gandhi’s re-turn from sabbatical was back

as Congressstares at a re-newed battlewith the gov-ernment overthe land acqui-

sition law, coinciding with theheir apparent’s written state-ments on consecutive days.

AICC on Sunday releaseda statement from Rahul offer-ing condolences on the deathof veteran editor Vinod Meh-ta. This came a day after Ra-hul’s condolences on thedeath of Kerala speaker GKarthikeyan and his wishes

of speedy recovery for Samaj-wadi Party chief MulayamSingh Yadav who was hospi-talized for an infection.

Most in Congress ex-pressed ignorance about hisreturn or his whereabouts.The messages led to queries ifhe was already back. However,some sources said he was un-likely to be back for the nextfew days.

Rahul has taken a breakfrom routine politics to pon-der over the party’s recent de-bacles as well as its futurecourse, starting his leave onthe day Parliament’s budgetsession started, inviting criti-cism. His imminent corona-tion as Congress supremo hassomewhat put the issue in per-

spective, with aides saying heis preparing for the future andhe would return to work with“renewed vigour”.

Though partymen are rec-onciled to his return on a dateof his choosing, the chatterhas returned in view of thefact that political activitiesthis week would revolvearound his favourite agenda –the land acquisition bill.

The government is likelyto table the land bill in LokSabha on Monday, a sure redrag for the opposition led byCongress. The “dilution” ofUPA’s land law is set to witnessa clash in the lower House, aneven fiercer one in Rajya Sab-ha where the governmentdoes not have the majority.

Condolence statements sparkchatter over Rahul’s return again

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Violence againstwomen con-tinues to hin-der their safe-ty, well-beingand potential,and effortsmust be made

for better enforcement of leg-islation, President PranabMukherjee said on Sunday.

“The pace of progress inproviding the desired level ofsafety and security to ourwomen needs to be hastenedthrough better enforcement oflegislation towards this end.There is an urgent need for allour people to be more con-scious of their attitude and de-meanour towards women,” hesaid while awarding womenachievers on InternationalWomen’s Day.

“I cannot emphasizeenough that all women mustbe addressed and treatedwith due respect and courte-sy. This training should begiven to our children from avery young age,” he said, add-ing that it was time for “col-lective introspection” forchanging those “societal per-ceptions” and attitudes thatpose a hurdle in the develop-ment of women in societyand also vis-a-vis their statusin the country's economy.

Mukherjee said the coun-try must make required ef-forts “to remove the structur-al and institutional barriersthat inhibit the economicand social transformation ofwomen in India”.

Need to makesociety saferfor women,says Pranab

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

SAD DEMISE

Shri Rajaram(RAJA)

Mukundrao Kilpady

Passed away on 5th March 2015.

Deeply mourned by Shakuntala

Kilpady (WIFE), Aarti & Anand

Prasad, Aditya &Sveta Kilpady,

Grand Children:Sanghamitra, Yashodhara,

Ahaana &Rishaan, Relatives

and Friends.

Contact: akilpady@gmail.com/09811380272

ZAINULTAIYEBBHAIKantawala, husband ofRela, brother of Zoeb,Mohammed, Yusuf, Shabbir, Moazam, Nargis& Sabera. Father ofAsima & Izzuddin Sha-rafally, Arefa & YassirChoonawala and Abeda &Shamoon Karachiwala.Grandfather of Shahzad& Alifia, Menaz & Devangand Alifya & Naama. Ex-pired on Saturday 7thMarch 2015. 2nd & 3rd Si-para on 9th March 2015 atJamali Masjid at 11 am.No condolence visitthereafter please.

1st Death Anniversary Mass for

SELWYN REBELLOon 10-3-15 at Mount CarmelChurch, Bandra at 7:30 am

Shrikrishna. S.Keluskar

(1931 - 2015)

With profound grief we convey

the sad demise ofmy father

Shri. Shrikrishna. S.

Keluskaron Friday,

6th March 2015. In grief

Shriniwas. S. Prabhukeluskar

(son) and Prabhukeluskar

family.

Jacques Phillippe ferns

"I Did Not Die"

Do not stand at my grave andforever weep.

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousandwinds that blow.I am the diamond

glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentleautumn’s rain.

When you awaken in the

morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds incircled flight.

I am the soft starsthat shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and

forever cry.I am not there. I did not die.

A loving tribute

M. Ramakrishnan(Ex HCC, Vikhroli)

25-05-1937 - 07-03-2015

A life so beautiful, A man so admired..

Thinking of you andsinging your praises,

we shall never get tired.

Your life will always remain an inspiration for all

of us!

Fondly remembered by

family, friends and loved ones.

13th day rituals on 19th March, 2015

DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS

DEATH ANNIVERSARY

SAD DEMISE MARKA

REMEMBRANCES

Kolkata: When chief min-ister Mamata Banerjee callson PM Narendra Modi in

New Delhi onMonday, shewouldn’t be thefirst from TMCto do so. Heronce-trusted

lieutenant, Mukul Roy, hasalready spoken to the PrimeMinister.

In a video recording(available with TOI), Roy isheard telling Furfura Sha-rif peer Ibrahim Siddiquithat while he is yet to decide

on the formation of a newparty, he has spoken to Na-rendra Modi and Con-gress’s Ahmed Patel. “Whyspeak lies? I have spoken toModi. I have also spoken toAhmad Patel,” Roy says inreply to a question on his fu-ture course of action.

“I stand by my princi-ples. I cannot foretell whatwill happen... I am an ordi-nary man. Whatever needsto be told I will let you knowat the right time. Will youstand by me?” he asks re-porters. He didn’t respondto repeated calls on the au-thenticity of the video.

According to people whowere part of the conversa-tion, Roy’s reply wasdeemed to be in response tothe yet-to-be-fulfilled 2009promise of a railway linkbetween Furfura Sharifand Dankuni. The AhmadPatel context, however, re-mained unexplained. In the video, Roy blasted theMamata government for itsunfulfilled promises to mi-norities. “To my mind, thelast person to do anythingfor minorities is (formerCM) Sidhartha ShankarRoy. After him, none,” Roytold Siddiqui.

Have spoken to Modi &Ahmad Patel, says Mukul Roy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Product: TOIMumbaiBS PubDate: 09-03-2015 Zone: MumbaiCity Edition: 2 Page: TOIMCLA2 User: nathanielv1402 Time: 03-09-2015 00:53 Color: CMYK