After Nepal quake, presidential building no longer safe

Nepal’s Rastrapati Bhawan, a British-era structure, has been declared unsafe for use by a technical team after the building developed cracks due to the devastating temblor.

The rear part of the presidential building, popularly known as ‘Sheetal Niwas’, has been declared unsafe for use by technicians from the Department of Urban Development and Building, according to an official.

Following a safety assessment, technicians put red stickers to the rear part of the residence. It should now be demolished and rebuilt, they advised.

The engineers’ teams classify the houses in three categories -- the house with a red mark is not suitable for stay, with yellow mark needs maintenance and those marked with green colour are appropriate for living.

The building developed cracks after the powerful April 25 earthquake that has killed 7,652 people.

Only four rooms of the residence were declared fit for use. All other rooms were marked with yellow stickers. Technicians have said that these rooms should not be used for safety purposes. President Ram Baran Yadav has moved to a safer place following the incident. He had stayed in makeshift tents for six days after cracks appeared on the residence due to the temblor.

Over 2,000 engineers were deployed voluntarily to check safety of houses in the aftermath of the temblor, the country’s worst in over 80 years, and have checked over 13,000 so far, half of which are unsuitable to live or require renovations.

Built by Rana Prime minister Chandra Shamsher for his son Krishna Shamsher in 1923, it was handed over by Krishna Shamsher Rana, a Rana aristocrat, to the Government of Nepal in 1961. The government decided to make it the presidential residence in 2008.      

Salman Khan accident case: Timeline since September 28, 2002

September 28, 2002: Shortly after 2 a.m., Bollywood actor Salman Khan's Toyota Land Cruiser rams into a roadside bakery in Bandra West, close to his seafront home in Galaxy Apartments. Four people sleeping outside the bakery are injured; one dies later.

Later that afternoon, Khan is arrested by the police and enlarged on bail by a metropolitan magistrate's court.

October 21: Salman charged under Section 304 II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

October 24: Salman re-arrested; secures bail from a sessions court.

2003:

March: Salman challenges the application of Section 304 II of the IPC.

May: Court rejects Khan's application and asks the magistrate's court to frame charges under the section 304 II of the IPC.

June: Salman appeals in the Bombay High Court, which holds that the section is not applicable in the case.

October: The state challenges the high court order in the Supreme Court.

December: Supreme Court rules that the magistrate should, after perusing the evidence, decide whether to invoke the section 304 II.

October 2006: The Bandra metropolitan magistrate's Court frames charges against the actor under section 304 I (rash and negligent driving) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

May 22, 2007: A chemical analysis report suggests that Salman Khan was drunk at the time of the accident.

March 2011: The prosecution seeks enhanced charges against Salman.

December 2012: The Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate Court rules that a case has been made out under Sec. 304 II and commits the trial to the Mumbai Sessions Court.

March 2013: Salman files a revision application with the Sessions Court, challenging the lower court order.

June 24: The sessions court rejects Salman's application, paving the way for applying the stringent section.

July 23: The Mumbai Sessions court frames charges against Salman invoking the enhanced charge of 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder.'

December: The Mumbai Sessions Court orders a fresh trial against the actor and with recording of fresh evidence from all witnesses who had also deposed before the Metropolitan Magistrate court.

April 2014: First witness Samba Gowda deposes in the re-trial, and it continues before the Sessions Court with regular hearings.

March 25, 2015: Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat closed his case against Salman after examining 27 witnesses during the re-trial.

April 20: Defence counsel Shrikant Shivade forcefully argues against prosecution charges and closes its arguments.

April 20: Mumbai Additional Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande sets date for verdict.

Charges against Salman:

Indian Penal Code Sec. 304 part II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) which attracts upto 10 years in prison; Sec. 279 (rash and negligent driving) which stipulates six months jail; Secs. 337 & 338 (causing hurt by act endangering life and causing grievous hurt) with punishment up to two years; Sec. 427 (mischief causing damage to property) with maximum punishment of upto 2 years.

Motor Vehicle Act: Secs. 34 (a), (b) read with 181 (driving vehicle in contravention of rules) and 185 (driving at great speed after consuming alcohol with punishment of cancellation of driving license

Bombay Prohibition Act: Driving under influence of alcohol with maximum 6 months' jail.

Family members, well-wishers visit Salman ahead of hit-and-run verdict

Family members and well-wishers of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan visited his Bandra residence here on Wednesday ahead of the verdict in the 2002 hit-and-run case.

Salman's father Salim Khan, brother Sohail Khan, sister Arpita and close friend Baba Siddiqui were among those who turned up at the Galaxy Apartments.

According to reports, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan had visited Salman last evening. Salman, who has over Rs. 200 crores riding on him, if convicted faces the prospect of up to 10 years behind bars.

The actor's driver Ashok Singh had earlier in March told the Mumbai sessions court that he was driving the car. Salman, who deposed before the court in Mumbai last month, denied that he was drunk on the intervening night of September 27-28 in 2002 and that he was driving the car at the time of the accident.

The actor is accused of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the hit-and-run case, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. He has been booked under Section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code (rash and negligent driving), 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing minor injuries), 338 (causing major injuries) and 427 (negligence) in connection with the case. His trial began in the Bandra Magistrate Court in Maharashtra in 2006. The actor was earlier being tried on the charge of death by negligence which carries a maximum prison term of two years.