‘Princess’ gets share in Rs 25,000 Cr property
Punjab’s erstwhile Faridkot state’s “Princess” Amrit Kaur (84) has got justice from the courts 40 years after she was allegedly “disinherited” by her father, “Maharaja” Harinder Singh Brar, the last ruler of the princely state, from his property worth over Rs 25,000 crore for marrying against his wishes. She has been finally declared one of his rightful successors.
A resident of Chandigarh, Amrit Kaur has succeeded in proving in three judicial courts that the “will” of her father, which had “disinherited” her from the property, was a “fake document” which, she said, was prepared in 1989.
Harinder Singh died on 16 October 1989, leaving behind daughters Deepinder and Maheepinder, as his legal heirs under the Hindu Succession Act as per the controversial will that had been executed on 1 June 1982.According to this will, Amrit was “disinherited” for marrying against his wishes.
Amrit Kaur claimed that a “dubious will” was “created” in 1989, which showed that Harinder had bequeathed his entire property to the Maharawal Khewaji Trust, which is looking after the properties for the last over 31 years.
Maheepinder died a spinster in 2003. Deepinder, who was married in a royal family of West Bengal, died on 11 November 2018. The Maharaja’s lone son, Tikka Harmohinder Singh, died before him on 13 October 1981. That left only his eldest daughter Amrit Kaur.
Amrit had challenged her father’s will in 2010, claiming that some of his old servants had executed a dubious will to retain control over the property. The Trust may move the Supreme Court against the HC order.
‘Mahamari’ Invades Hindu Wedding Vows!
Half a century ago, a five-judge Supreme Court Constitution bench said that Hindu religion may broadly be described “as a way of life and nothing more”. The mahamari (pandemic) of coronavirus is proving this to be correct again. Hindu religion adapts to changes that come in society from time-to-time.
Many Hindu wedding priests have incorporated the word mahamari in the vows that they ask couples to take at the time of the knot tying ceremony. One of the vows is that both bridegroom and the bride promise that they would take care of each other at the time of any dukh and bimari. Now they have inserted word mahamari in this solemn promise.
Some pundits have added a “mask ceremony” to the “sat phere”. They give one mask each to the boy and girl and ask them to exchange among themselves before the start of the ceremony. “This symbolises that both promise to protect each other at the time of a ‘mahamari’ like Covid-19,” a priest in a Delhi temple said.
Meanwhile, a couple which sought protection from the Punjab and Haryana High Court after tying the knot against family wishes has been fined Rs 10,000 “for not wearing masks during the wedding ceremony.”
Referring to photos attached with the protection petition, Justice Hari Pal Verma asserted that the petitioners and others at the time of wedding were not wearing masks. “Accordingly, the petitioners are burdened with Rs 10,000 as costs to be deposited with th eDC, Hoshiarpur, within 15 days,” Justice Verma said, adding that “the amount would be utilised for arranging masks for public.”
Escaping corona detection
The Sunday Guardian has learnt from the Central Industrial Security Force sources (CISF handles security at airports) that many air travellers are checking in after taking paracetamol tablets two hours earlier. That brings their body temperature to normal.
“Such passengers may be coronavirus carriers. But it is difficult to detect these culprits with thermal temperature checking. We learnt about this when an alert jawan overheard a passenger telling another one ‘good, I took paracematol’,” a senior CISF officer said.
Cheating In The Air
A major private domestic airline is reportedly taking undue advantage of the resumption of flights. The airline has opened bookings for all flights. People are rushing in to reserve their seats. But in case of many flights the passengers are receiving messages from the carrier a day before their departure that the flight has been cancelled due to “operational reasons”. Instead of returning the fare, the airline is asking them to book their seat for a later date. This way, the oversmart airline has mopped up a huge amount. But what is the guarantee that even on the next date the flight won’t be cancelled?
Meanwhile, in a major security hazard, the SpiceJet management played with the lives of the passengers on board Delhi-Patna flight SG-8480, on 30 May which was diverted to Varanasi due to bad weather. Shockingly, the passengers were made to sit at a “safe distance” on the tarmac; the assembly of passengers on the runway is considered a major security hazard.
In another shocking incident, SpiceJet pilots, who operated a cargo flight to Ras-al-Khaimah were put in one room rather than the airline arranging different hotel accommodation for them. There was no concern for “safe distancing” to be maintained because of the coronavirus scare. This flight SG-7243 operated from Delhi-Hyderabad-Ras-al-Khaimah with B737-800 freighter on 29 May. Two pilots operated the flight and three went as additional crew members. “All of them were made to share one room as if they were part of cargo packages,” another pilot told this paper and sent us a picture of his colleagues crammed into one room.