NRI Sabha to fund education of poor

The district unit of the NRI Sabha would provide free education to five students of economically backward families in each sub-division every year, chairman and DC Varun Roojam said, while presiding over the meeting of the executives on Thursday. He said a special fund would be constituted and asked the president to co-ordinate with NRI philanthropists to revive the poor patient fund.

Sabha president said that the organisation had donated 883 fans to schools and 25 to the old age home in Ram Colony Camp and had undertaken sewerage, water supply and street light projects in Bhungarni and Sahri villages. He added that all CDPOs were provided wheat storage drums and that the sabha had received 38 complaints of which 324 had been settled.

On the occasion, a widow was given assistance of Rs. 80,000 for the medical education of her daughter.

Obama names NRI as federal judge

Washington: Chandigarh-born Indian-American legal liminary Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan has been nominated by President Barack Obama to what is "often called the nation's second-highest court", the US court of appeals for the American capital.

Srinivasan, 45, who in August last year was named principal deputy solicitor general of the US, succeeding another Indian American, Neal Kumar Katyal, creates history in becoming the first South Asian to be ever nominated to the circuit court. If confirmed, he will be just the third South Asian named to any federal judgeship.

Along with Srinivasan, the president also nominated Caitlin Halligan, to also serve on the same court.

"Caitlin Halligan and Sri Srinivasan are dedicated public servants who will bring their tremendous experience, intellect, and integrity to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit," Obama said.

Noting that "This important court is often called the Nation's second-highest court," he said: "Srinivasan will be a trailblazer and, like Halligan, will serve the court with distinction and excellence."

A White House statement said Srinivasan is a highly-respected appellate advocate who has spent a distinguished career litigating before the US Supreme Court and the US Courts of Appeals, both on behalf of the US and in private practice.

Srinivasan was born in Chandigarh and grew up in Lawrence, Kansas. He received his BA with honours and distinction in 1989 from Stanford University and his JD with distinction in 1995 from Stanford Law School, where he was elected to Order of the Coif and served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review.

He also holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, which he received along with his JD in 1995.

Srinivasan began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit from 1995 to 1996.

He received the Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Furthering US National Security in 2003 and the Office of the Secretary of Defence Award for Excellence in 2005.

In 2007, Srinivasan became a partner with O'Melveny & Myers LLP. In 2011, he was named the chair of the firm's appellate practice group. He was named as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General in August 2011.

NRI found murdered over property dispute

LUDHIANA: Fighting a property dispute against his brother, 70-year-old NRI Kulwant Singh, who had returned from England just three months back, was found murdered in his house at Mahima Singh Wala village in Dehlon.

The body was lying decomposed, indicating that the NRI was murdered a few days back.

He had reportedly returned following a property dispute with his brother Jaswant Singh, who is also settled in England.

Sarpanch Joginder Singh, after getting a phone call from NRIs third brother Charanjit Singh, went to Kulwants house and found the body. Charanjit had told the sarpanch that his brothers mobile phone was switched off and he did not appear before a court on May 20 for hearing in a property case.

There were injuries on the head of the deceased. Police sources said it seemed that the murder was committed using a blunt weapon. He was probably killed a week back, they added.

As there was no sign of the robbery, the police are suspecting the role of acquaintance behind the murder. They are also not ruling out the use of contract killers in the crime.

Inspector Satinder Pal Singh, SHO, Dehlon police station, said it was a planned murder. Police have registered a case under section 302 of the IPC against unidentified persons.