Woman set ablaze daughter-in-law on suspicion of washing powder theft

BHOPAL: A woman was set ablaze by her mother-in-law over suspicion of theft in Subhash Colony on Sunday. The victim remains critical in hospital while the accused is yet to be arrested. A case under sections of attempt to murder was registered at Ashoka Garden police station.

Suspecting her of stealing washing powder, the accused Vidya fought with 30-year-old Pinky, wife of Lal Chand. Soon the argument took an ugly turn and Vidya set her daughter-in-law ablaze, police said.

Victim's husband Lal Chand, who deals in centring work, and other family members were at home at the time of incident, but it was too late by the time they could hear her screams and come for her rescue.

The woman was rushed to a hospital where her condition is stated to be critical. Police said that in her statement, Pinky told her mother-in-law set her ablaze suspecting that she took her washing powder.

The accused is yet to be nabbed. Pinky got married to Lal Chand around ten years back and has a son. While her husband's family is from bordering state Uttar Pradesh, she hails from TT Nagar area of the city.

Police added that the statement of other family members is being recorded and the accused woman would be arrested soon.

Source:Times of India

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Legal notice to HP for "compelling" to buy a notebook with Windows 8

A 21-year-old free-software enthusiast in Mumbai is taking on Hewlett-Packard, the multinational computer giant. Ishan Ketan Masdekar has sent a legal notice to HP for "compelling" him to buy a product that he says doesn't meet his requirements. The product in this case is Microsoft Windows 8 operating system, which came bundled with the HP Notebook he bought in June this year.

Masdekar's notice asks for a refund of his cost on the OS but, more importantly, he wants a change in HP's software terms policy, which the notice says is anti-competitive and violates India's Competition Act 2002. 

The programmer at Digital Freedom Foundation is perhaps the first in India to send a notice to an original equipment manufacturer for bundling software with hardware, but he is part of a global trend. Free-software enthusiasts across the world run campaigns like 'No More Racketware' and fight what they call "Windows Tax". 

In 2011, an Italian consumer watchdog took Microsoft to court over software bundling after it won a pilot case against HP in 2007 and, in 2012, a French buyer won a case against Lenovo. Microsoft has been fighting bundling accusations since the browser wars of the 1990s between Internet Explorer and Netscape. Masdekar himself has sent the notice not so much for the refund, but to make buyers aware that they have a choice. 

"I don't care much for the refund," he said, "which would come to around Rs 3,000. I want people to know that they don't have to take whatever software is given to them."

Responding to ET's request for comment, HP said it "has an extensive product portfolio which provides consumers with variety, including units bundled with a built-in OS and those without". 

Proprietary software makers and OEMs have their defence against the free-software activists. They say 'naked' PCs - machines that don't come with pre-installed OS - encourage piracy. Without the pre-installed OS, a user might be easily persuaded to buy a cheaper copy. Also a large portion of Indian consumers may not be looking for a choice, says Vishal Tripathi, principal research analyst at Gartner.

"Many buy PCs for their convenience and not to begin a learning curve (which an alternative OS would require)," he says. Therefore, a large number may prefer machines with pre-installed OS. 

Windows' licence agreement leaves the resolution of conflicts such as Masdekar's to the laptop manufacturer's policy, in this case HP's. When Masdekar contacted HP's Customer Relations, a manager wrote back saying that "the HP OS Image (HP Recovery) is a bundled software meant for HP systems only" and a refund for the Windows 8 OS alone would not be possible 

Therefore the user, Masdekar, is now left with two options - use a software he does not want or return a hardware that he does. This does not mean that consumers have a choice of picking every model with or without OS, says Pravin A, founder of Pirate Movement of India. "Entry level, low-powered PCs usually come without an OS pre-installed." 

Source: Economic Times

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2013 sees highest number of 'green' lawsuits

Source: TOI

PANAJI: Of 83 environmental cases pending in various courts across the country, over 70% were filed in 2013 and most of them are related to mining.

Of 83 cases, nine cases are pending before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), six cases are in the Supreme Court, 19 cases are in the Bombay high court at Goa and 49 cases are in the administrative tribunal, environment minister Alina Saldanha said in a written reply to the state legislative assembly.

In 2013, 60 environmental cases were filed before the administrative tribunal, NGT, Supreme Court and the high court.

In 2013, the cases are related to alleged illegal pollution in the River Mandovi, illegal housing projects, alleged pollution being caused at Cuncolim industrial estate, order for return of the application for grant of 'consent to operate' as submitted by mining units, CRZ violations and sand mining.

In 2012, seven environmental cases were filed. The cases were related to damage to agricultural fields due to mining activities at Sirigao village, environmental clearances issued by the ministry of mines and forest to mining units in Goa, alleged sound pollution being caused by commercial establishments in coastal areas, irregularities in conduct of a seasonal event at Candolim and CRZ violations.

Other cases are related to implementation of the findings of the Madhav Gadgil Western Ghats report, buffer zones around wildlife sanctuaries in the state, pollution at Curchorem due to operation of the Curchorem railway yard and ore lading activities, destruction of water sources in the village of Sirigao due to mining activity, mining activities by a lease holder within the vicinity of a wildlife area, pollution of the Colva creek due to discharge of sewage by commercial establishments.

Environment cases are also related to CRZ violations at Mandrem and Morjim beaches and grant of approvals for a fishing jetty at Baina, Vasco.

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