In this image taken from television footage, Haryana’s former director-general of police S.P.S. Rathore, convicted in the Ruchika molestation case, is attacked by a youth with a small knife outside the court in Chandigarh on Monday. The youth, identified as Utsav and caught by the police, is a student of Ahmedabad’s National Institute of Design.     PHOTO: AFP

Feb. 8: The Andhra Pradesh high court, in a majority decision, on Monday struck down as unsustainable the legislation providing four per cent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs to backward groups among Muslims.
A seven-member bench headed by Chief Justice Anil R. Dave was divided 5-2 and provided three different decisions while striking down the legislation.

Colombo, Feb. 8: Sri Lanka’s defeated presidential candidate, Gen. Sarath Fonseka, was arrested on Monday and will reportedly face charges of “military offences” committed when he headed the Army, officials said.

Feb. 8: The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government in West Bengal on Monday announced the reservation of 10 per cent government jobs under the OBC category for Muslims who are socially, economically and educationally backward, as prescribed by the Ranganath Mishra Comm-ission.

Feb. 8: The Centre is looking  into the issue of facilitating the return of Kashmiri youth who had gone to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for arms training and are willing to return to the Valley and rejoin the national mainstream.
The move comes following a suggestion by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday asking the government to help facilitate their return.

Feb. 8: The Central Board of Secondary Education has decided to introduce media and mass communication as a subject in Class 11 from the coming academic session 2010-11. The board proposes to expand it to Class 12 in academic year 2011-12. It has been introduced due to growing interest in journalism among students and an expansion of the media market.

Feb. 8: Left Front-ruled West Bengal and Kerala got together to put a spanner in CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat’s moves to hold the party congress before the West Bengal Assembly election in 2011. The party congress is now likely to be held in 2012.

Feb. 8: At least 17 soldiers, including an officer, were killed and an equal number of others injured when a massive avalanche buried a training camp of the Army’s High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) near Gulmarg on Monday.
“In spite of the best efforts of the rescue team, one officer and 16 soldiers lost their lives while two had minor injuries and 15 were given medical aid,” defence authorities here said, adding, “All personnel have been recovered and accounted for. A brigadier from the formation is overseeing the rescue operations.”

A person walks amid snowfall in Solang Nullah near Manali on Sunday.
PHOTO: PTI

Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan gesture after bowling on the second day of the first Test against South Africa in Nagpur on Sunday. Hashim Amla smashed his maiden double-century to put South Africa in the driver’s seat. Amla’s unbeaten 253-run knock helped South Africa post 558 runs for six wickets before declaring their first innings 26 minutes before the scheduled close of play. Indian openers Virender Sehwag (9) and Gautam Gambhir (12) were at the crease.    PHOTOS: AFP