Signature of judge forged
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 5 — A typist working in the District Courts forged the signature of the District Sessions Judge to effect a fraudulent hike in typing charges. Gaurav Sharma has been booked for forgery and booked under Sections 465, 466, 467, 468, 471 and 419 of the IPC . No arrest has been made so far.

Student hurt
A student of Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Mukesh, was injured and admitted to the PGI when two groups of youths clashed in the hostel of the ITI in Sector 28 this afternoon.

Eve-teasing
Four persons have been booked for allegedly indulging in eve-teasing in two separate incidents. Ravi Kumar of Kishangarh and Moti Lal were travelling in a Matador (CH-01-3226-T) when they uttered words to insult a woman. Meanwhile, Vikas Pathak and Kapil Dev of Dhanas were arrested from Sector 36 for eve-teasing.

Vehicles stolen
A motor cycle and a scooter were stolen in separate incidents in the city. Harvinder Singh of the Air Force Station reported that his official motor cycle (91-A-42594Y), a Royal Enfield, was stolen from the technical airport. A scooter (PBR-342), owned by Gurjinder Singh of Sector 38, was stolen from his residence.

Kundi connection
A resident of Hallo Majra, Arun Sharma , has been booked under the Electricity Act for allegedly stealing power through a kundi connection.

Burn injuries
A couple living in Khuda Lahora village received burn injuries following a stove burst in the home last night. Rakesh and his wife, Kanta Devi, were injured and admitted to the PGI.

“Singh Soormein” presented
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 5 — It was under a cloud of uncertainty that Punjabi play, “Singh Soormein”, staging the story of Sikh heroes, Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh, was presented at Tagore Theatre here today.

On May 3, the Sikh Budhijivi Council, Punjab, claiming to defend the tenets of the Sikh religion, filed a complaint in the court against the staging of the play, as the main heroes of the play were being played by two “non-Sikhs”, who would sport artificial beards and moustaches. But the civil suit was disposed of, saying that the main purpose of the play was to present the heroic deeds of Bhai Sukha Singh and Bhai Mehtab Singh, and that the “mere performance” as actors by two persons whether Sikhs or non-Sikhs did not lead to hurting the sentiments of the people.

Gurkirtan, the director of the play, said: “There is also a basic difference between a Sikh and a Singh. A Sikh is a person who believes in the tenets of the religion, without being a Singh, who is baptised Sikh. And according to Sikh religion all persons are alike. Our intention was never to hurt the sentiment of anyone at all”.

The play which has been written by Gurcharan Dadi and produced by L.S. Pabla, was staged in front of a huge audience today. Telling the tale of how both Bhai Mehtab Singh and Bhai Sukha Singh cut off the head of Massa Rangad who was trying to wipe off the Sikhs from the country, “Singh Soormein” included 16 songs penned by Darshan Kalsi. Music is by Surinder Bachchan.

The lead roles of Bhai Sukha Singh and Bhai Mehtab Singh were played by Anil Gupta and Ashok Bali, and known television and film actor B M Sharma played the role of Massa Rangad, the villain.

Shop told to refund cost of shoes
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 5 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-II has directed a shoe shop in Sector 19 to refund Rs 750 as the price of a pair of shoes purchased from it along with interest at the rate of 12 per cent from the date of the purchase. A cost of Rs 250 has also been imposed for causing harassment to the customer.

The complainant, Mr Ram Kumar, a resident of Sector 20, alleged that he had purchased a pair of shoes from Chief Shoes, Sector 19-C, for Rs 750. But within a week of its use, the upper part of the shoes started cracking and separating from the sole. He further alleged that when the defect was brought to the notice of the shopkeeper, he took back the shoes and assured him that these would be replaced by new ones. However, after retaining the shoes for 15 days, the shopkeeper told him that in case of replacement 25 to 30 per cent of the price already paid would be deducted. Mr Ram Kumar claimed the replacement of shoes without any deduction.

On being served notice, Chief Shoes did not file any reply and hence it was proceeded ex parte.

After going through the records, the forum bench comprising its President, Mr R.P. Bajaj, and members, Mr H.S. Walia and Mrs Kamlesh Gupta, held that ''it is a clear case of sale of defective shoes by the shopkeeper to the complainant and non-replacement of the defective shoes amounts to grave deficiency of service on its part.''

In another similar case, the forum directed Bata Shoe Store, Sector 22-D, to refund the price of the shoes (Rs 99.95) to the complainant along with costs of Rs 250.

The complainant, Mr Satinder Mohan, alleged that he had purchased a pair of shoes from Bata Shoe Store, Sector 22-D, for Rs 99.95. However, within days of its purchase it got torn. When the shopkeeper neither removed the fault nor refunded the amount, the complainant claimed compensation for harassment. As no one appeared on behalf of the shopkeeper after notice was issued, it was proceeded against ex parte. The forum after perusing the records inferred that the pair of shoes sold was defective as it got torn out soon after the purchase.

Cost imposed

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-II has imposed a cost of Rs 500 on a gas dealer for harassing a consumer on account of release of a gas connection. In his complaint, Mr Suresh Pal had alleged that he had booked a gas connection with Mani Majra Gas Agency when he was staying in New Indira colony, Mani Majra, and that later he shifted his residence to Sector 26. On the maturity of the booking, the dealer insisted upon the purchase of a gas stove before the release of the gas connection. In its reply, the representative of the gas agency contended that it had never insisted on the purchase of a gas stove. Moreover, since the complainant had shifted his residence to Sector 26, he did not fall under its jurisdiction. The forum Bench comprising its President, Mr R.P. Bajaj, and member, Mrs Kamlesh Gupta, observed that during the pendency of the case, the gas connection was released to the complainant. He was also issued the DBC facility and the transfer voucher to enable him to get the gas connection from an agency in Sector 26. Hence, the grievance of the complainant stood redressed.