Of Army Tales & a Court Ban

A birth date that led to a row,
Has snowballed into trouble, and how!
At first, came the muck,
About bribes for a truck,
Then 'news' of troops closing in - Wow!

There's also the letter which stated,
Our weapons were bloody outdated.
With supplies unsteady,
We weren't battle-ready;
That a war, now, would sure be ill-fated.

The media, sure enough, ran
These juicy tales daily, their plan
To get us all spooked,
Till they were rebuked,
By the Court, which then issued a ban.

NDTV 12/04/2012: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday restrained the electronic and print media from publishing and broadcasting any news reports on the movement of two army units towards Delhi in January, as reported in a section of the media. Get the story here

Get more on the age row story here and here

If the wig makes you pretty, wear it

The judge said, "Sir, I am appalled.
Your dastardly act was uncalled
For. Now you may not dig
Your law-maker's wig,
But you'd no right to expose his bald!"

Reuters 9th June, 2009: A man who tore the wig off a telegenic Taiwan legislator last year was sentenced to five months in jail for depriving the MP of his freedom to look good. Get the story here

Inkspot's been just been a wee bit busy and hence this lull in posting. But we're back now.

Silence please!

Said the judge to the woman, "Old maid,
It's good to know you're getting laid.
But screaming in passion,
Is now out of fashion--
So it's jail for you dear, am afraid!"

BBC News 27.4.09:A woman has been remanded in custody accused of breaching an Asbo banning her from being noisy during sex. Get the story here

Look ma, a kissing couple!

Is kissing in public, offense?
If unmarried, yes, and so hence-
forth for your capers,
Please carry your papers
That prove that you're married - make sense?

:D

MSN News 22/04/09: New Delhi: Kissing by married couple is not obscenity, says Court. Taking serious note of the growing trend of moral policing, the Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the Delhi police commissioner to hold an inquiry against a police official who had charged a newly married couple with obscenity when they kissed in public. Get the story here

I must point out here, that I am against moral policing in any form. However, if, as the news item mentions, only married people can kiss in public, some grave questions arise in this context (check out the comments section of the news item). Do the people in question have only to be married, or must they be married to each other? What kind of kissing will be allowed? What is a public place? Will a public place be defined similarly to the places where smoking is not allowed? Such thoughts surely call for a Newsmerick ~ InkSpot

Not enough proof

Thought CBI, "We'll bury in quiet,
The '84's anti-Sikh' riot.
Got Tytler absolved,
So our case is now solved--
Wonder why the Sikhs don't want to buy it?"

The Hindu 03/04/09: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday submitted in a trial court here that it did not have sufficient evidence to prosecute the former Union Minister, Jagdish Tytler, in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case...The CBI counsel submitted that it had filed the cancellation report and wanted to close the probe.Get the story here

It pays to be drunk on the job

When his frustrated boss thundered, "Bob,
You're a lazy, inebriate slob!"
Bob slurred, "You may scoff,
But you can't lay me off --
I've a right to be drunk on the job!"

Yahoo News 14/01/09: Peru's top court has ruled that workers cannot be fired for being drunk on the job, a decision that was criticized by the government on Wednesday for setting a dangerous precedent. Get the story here

Honey I dumped the kids!

"I'm tired of your pranks, my dear lad."
Thus berated an exhausted dad.
"Its true, you I've sired,
But now I am tired,
Wish we lived in Nebraska - my bad!"

26/09/08: Chicago Tribune: Father leaves nine children at Nebraska hospital. Parents are abandoning teenagers at Nebraska hospitals, in a case of a well intentioned law inspiring unintended results. Over the last two weeks, moms or dads have dropped off seven teens at hospitals in the Cornhusker state, indicating they didn’t want to care for them any more. “They were tired of their parenting role,” according to Todd Landry of Nebraska’s Department of Human and Human Services, quoted in USA Today.

Under a newly implemented law, Nebraska is the only state in the nation to allow parents to leave children of any age at hospitals and request they be taken care of, USA Today notes. So-called “safe haven laws” in other states were designed to protect babies and infants from parental abandonment.

Read more about the story here

Imagine, what if Dennis the Menace lived in Nebraska?

Punished for being raped!

Been gang raped and faced an assault?
Then know my dear, it's all your fault
For tempting the male
They'll spank you in jail
And rub your wound with common salt!


ABC News 22/11/07: Saudi rape victim tells her story. Get the story here

Star-track

Munnabhai is now in doubt,
What will it be? In or out?
It seems that the star's
Going back behind bars,
While once more, his lawyers' for bail scout!


Reuters 22/10/07: Actor Sanjay Dutt returns to jail in bombings case. get the story here

Durga not welcome at Hogwarts?

An innovative pandal their dream,
They created the 'Hogwarts school' theme.
But soon Madame Rowling,
Came after them, growling,
Now Potter battles Goddess Supreme!


Kolkata Newsline 10/10/07: Rowling sues Salt Lake Puja committee for copyright violation. Read the story here

It is commonplace for Puja organizers to design puja pandals based on various themes. Will then copyrights be needed for all in the future? The Telegraph asks.

For Rezwanur: Let the "andar ki baat" see light of day

A young pair decided to wed,
The bride's dad in anger saw red.
(For there was a catch.
Their backgrounds didn't match.)
And soon, the young man, he was dead.

O how did he die? Was he slain?
Did he end his life under a train?
Let truth come to light
In Rezwanur's fight
And may he have not died in vain.

TOI 09/10/07: CPM veteran Jyoti Basu may be keeping up the heat in the Rizwanur Rahman case, demanding stern action against police officers, but the administration is doing little to speed up the probe into the death of the 30-year-old graphic designer. Get the story here

For those who are not aware of the Rizwanur case, here is a short background

*'andar ki baat', or 'the inside story' is the tagline of the Lux Cozi, an innerwear brand owned by Ashok Todi, father of the bride.

The Salman saga

Cried Sallu Bhai sitting in jail,
"I'm sick of the law, get me bail!
Once out, with some luck,
I will pass on the buck,
And quickly to Mumbai turn tail!"



TOI 27/08/07: The hearing on bail application of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, charged in the chinkara poaching case will be heard on Wednesday. Get the story here

For whom the bells toll

O pastor sir, you're out of line.
Loud church bells at dawn? Pay a fine.
The townsfolk have vowed,
That your clangs are too loud,
From now on play soft - after 9!

Yahoo News 16/08/07: A Dutch priest has been fined 5,000 euros (3,382 pounds) for ringing his church bells too loudly in the morning. Get the story here

I guess one can't always be too religious early in the mornings :D

Praying for money

The elderly woman said, "son,
I pray to you, lower your gun.
You see, there's a hitch
In trying to get rich
By robbing me - I am a nun!"

Yahoo News 16/08/07: Man arrested for trying to rob a nun! Get the story here

Kitty Cop

A teen asked a cop (with a wink),
"You've broken some rules, I should think?
So then how can you fine
Me for being out of line -
While sporting a kitty in pink?"

CNN 06/08/07: Thai policemen who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring "Hello Kitty," the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday. Get the story here

Photo Credit: yellowberry.org


PS: This blog is on holiday till Monday

Punished

In your youth, you may feel, you can flaunt
All your powers, and that life is a jaunt,
But remember that fate,
May for years lie in wait,
And that past always comes back to haunt!

Reuters 31/07/07: Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt was jailed for six years on Tuesday for obtaining firearms from gangsters involved in India's worst bombings, ending an epic trial that transfixed the country with tales of terror and revenge. Get the story here

SIMply terrifying!

If one day you act on a whim,
And go lend a cousin your SIM,
You may just have backed,
A terrorist act -
Beware! For your fate could be grim!

ABC Online Australia 24/07/07: Detained Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef has told a close family member the extraordinary events surrounding his arrest are part of his destiny. Get the story here

Singing in the park

The angry cop let out a bark;
"Hey, lower your voice in the park.
Here, folks aren't allowed
To sing out so loud -
And moreover you are no lark!"

But the judge said, "Well Am'rica teaches
That the people have right to their screeches.
In Afghanistan,
You could have a ban,
But out here his right it sure breaches!"


Yahoo news 04/07/07: Man acquitted for loud park singing. Get the story here

Pants off!

Then the judge said, sir, I've heard your rants
About losing your loved pair of pants
But the cost that you've claimed
Has left me ashamed
So I'll squash your case like I do ants!

ET 26/06/07: judge in the US capital lost his $ 54 million lawsuit on Monday against a dry cleaner over a pair of misplaced trousers in a case that became a symbol of the United States' lawsuit-happy legal system. Read the story here

The name game

In New Zealand if you have filed,
A numeric name for your child,
It will be struck down,
By the law with a frown,
Cause it may be '4real' but its wild!

Yahoo News 21/06/07: New Zealand authorities have blocked a couple's bid to officially name their new son "4real," saying numerals are not allowed. Get the story here