RSS cancels VK Singh’s speech after his late arrival

AGRA: Minister of state for external affairs VK Singh was not allowed to address a session at the ongoing three-day camp — "Yuva Sankalp Shivir" of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Agra on Sunday because he arrived at the venue late.

According to sources, Gen Singh was to address an hour-long session on "security and defence policies of the country" at 11am on Sunday, but he could not make it to the venue in time.

Singh paid the price for his late arrival as he was made to sit behind other dignitaries present in the room where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was also present.

"Singh was scheduled to arrive in the camp before 11, as his session was to begin at 11. But he arrived at the venue around 12.40pm. According to the policies of the RSS, we do not shift our schedule for anyone. He was late, hence he was not allowed to address youths," Virendra Varshaneya, media in charge RSS of the camp told TOI.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat shows newly-launched newspaper "Swadesh" during "Yuva Sankalp Shivir" in Agra, on November 2, 2014.

"We need to disciple ourselves in order to teach discipline to others. Rules are rules and equal for everyone," Varshaneya added.

The minister left the camp in 40 minutes as he had to reportedly catch a flight for a trip abroad. According to insiders, the minister also refused to address media on the venue, claiming that he was short of time and that he was not informed about it in advance. The last-minute request for the press briefing was reportedly made to Singh by RSS prant pracharak Dinesh.

Later, a press release from the event claimed Singh was felicitated at Bhagwat's makeshift residence on the venue while making it abundantly clear that he had arrived at the venue late.

MoS for external affairs Gen VK Singh (left) with Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari.

Meanwhile, the day two of the RSS camp being attended by 5,500 students was filled with energy due to the presence of Anand Kumar of Super-30 fame and Olympian shooter Rajyawardha Singh Rathore who addressed the youths and mingled with them freely.

Students were seen making career-related queries to Kumar who guided and motivated them open-heartedly. Rathore shared his experience of Olympics with the students and motivated them to opt for career in sports.

BJP MPs from Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, Ram Shankar Katheria and Chaudhary Babu Lal, were seen diligently attending all the sessions of the yuva sankalp shivir which are specifically meant for students.

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'Kiss of love' movement: They came, dared the mob, did it

KOCHI: The placard paraphrasing Pablo Neruda that a Kiss of Love (KOL) supporter held up for the whole world to see even as she was dragged away by the police at Marine Drive on a warm Sunday evening said it all: "You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep the spring from coming".

All around her there was a hideous ruckus as Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and Sunni Yuvajana Sangatana workers shrieked, "Save the country from immorality".

READ ALSO: Police arrest "Kiss of Love" supporters in Kochi

There was a tense atmosphere from noon onwards, with hundreds of people, mainly onlookers, gathering at Marine Drive, opposite IG's office, to see the kissing "live".

As for KOL volunteers, by around four in the evening young men and women and even middle aged couples from various parts of Kerala had converged at a few points in the city to protest against the growing incidents of moral policing in the state. Their aim was to march to Marine Drive where 'Kiss of Love' would be formally held.

Supporters of the 'Kiss of Love' event kiss each other during the event at Law college, Kochi on Sunday evening. (TOI photo)

By that time at Marine Drive around 5,000 onlookers had gathered. Youngsters flashing iPhones and perched on tree tops began clicking whichever woman passed. It was restless crowd, driven by repressed energy, hoping for something more real than the lewd MMSes that stoked their appetites.

It was an unruly crowd and the police thought fit to prevent the marchers from proceeding to the venue. The cops arrested 33 KOL supporters near Law College, around one kilometre away from the venue. As they were shoved into the waiting police vans, the volunteers began holding hands and hugging, some even smooching in defiance of the cops.

Policeman lathi-charge spectators who reached to watch the protest 'Kiss of Love' at Marine Drive in Kochi on Sunday. (TOI photo)

Supporters from even outside the state had gathered at various spots in the city and were planning to reach the venue, but had to change plans as the mob at Marine Drive became uncontrollable. Significantly, there was a huge contingent of KOL volunteers from Kozhikode which is where it all began. The campaign was ignited after RSS-affiliated Yuva Morcha activists attacked a restaurant when a private television channel aired visuals of a couple smooching in the restaurant.

READ ALSO: IIT-Bombay to lock lips with Kochi's 'Kiss of Love' movement

KOL activists complained that the cops could have arranged a secure place in Marine Drive and driven off the militant anti-kiss campaign supporters but instead they chose to detain them. "They pushed and shoved our volunteers but did not touch Shiv Sena or Bajrang Dal workers,'' said Jerry Mathew, a KOL volunteer.

The Kiss of Love campaign on Sunday succeeded partially. But it is only the beginning. As Namita Shan, who came from Mumbai with her two year-old kid, said, "We are coming back soon for more."

(With inputs from Shyam.PV@timesgroup.com and Greeshma.Giri@timesgroup.com)

READ ALSO: TV debate on 'Kiss of love' breaks down

Supporters of 'Kiss of Love' protest by kissing each other at Marine Drive in Kochi on Sunday. (TOI photo)

Times View

The spectacle served its purpose. The kissing may have been more like pecking, and stolen ones at that, but the moral brigade turning out in force to break up the event only highlights what the organisers of 'Kiss of Love' were hyperventilating right from the start - Kerala, for all its progressive benchmarks, is becoming an increasingly intolerant and prudish society.

That almost all political parties would actually turn up to demonstrate against the event, rather than dismiss it as unworthy of their attention, was surprising; even more so was the number of apparently well-dressed onlookers who gathered on their own, seeking titillation, and, if chaos ensued, as it did, really 'rub' it in. The police chose to err on the side of caution, blocking KOL campaigners before they could reach the planned venue, arguably preventing worse scenes. It's a shameful day for Kerala but, as the spunky youngsters who defied the mobs showed, all is not lost.

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PG student gang-raped in Hyderabad varsity men’s hostel

HYDERABAD: A 23-year-old postgraduate student of the English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu) was gang-raped by two persons, including a fellow student, in a room at a men's hostel on the campus on Friday night. Police arrested the two culprits on Sunday.

The victim, a post-graduate II year student, is the daughter of an Indian diplomat and a native of Delhi. At 2 am on Sunday, the victim lodged a complaint with the Osmania University police alleging that she was gang-raped by two men in a room at Basheer Men's Hostel on October 31 night.

The culprits were identified as Nitin Solasamudram, 21, a native of Hindupur in Anantapur, and K Raj Simha, 24, a native of Malkipuram in Razole mandal of East Godavari district. Nitin, a first year student of communication and journalism course at Eflu, has been staying at Basheer Hostel and the offence happened in his hostel room. Raj Simha, who resides in APHB quarters in Bagh Lingampally, is an ex-student of Eflu and Nitin's friend, police said.

At 10 pm on October 31, according to police, the victim went to Basheer Hostel to meet one of her friends. However, her friend was not there and meanwhile, the duo, who met her in the hostel corridor, invited her to their room for a party. As the two were her acquaintances, the victim accepted their invitation.

In her complaint to the police, the victim alleged that the duo raped her when she was in an intoxicated condition. The victim woke up the next morning around 10 am in Nitin's room and realised that something had gone wrong and that she was sexually assaulted. She called up Nitin to find out what had happened the previous night. As he was giving evasive replies, she discussed the issue with her other friends and confronted Nitin who initially feigned ignorance and later admitted that she was sexually assaulted by them, she told the police in her complaint.

A case was registered against the two.

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Sri Lanka snubs India, opens port to Chinese submarine again

NEW DELHI: Despite India's strong reservations about a Chinese nuclear submarine at the Colombo port in September, the government has learned that Sri Lanka has permitted another Chinese attack submarine to dock at a Lankan port.

According to the information received, the second docking is likely to take place very soon.

The presence of Chinese submarines across Palk Straits has deeply disturbed the government which is making another call to Lankan authorities, this time to convey strong displeasure. The news of a second Chinese submarine docking in Sri Lanka comes days after the visit of Vietnam PM Nguyen Tan Dung to India and in complete disregard of India's message to Lankan defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa earlier this month.

The Chinese fleet of submarines, both diesel and nuclear-powered (of which three can fire ballistic missiles), represent some of Beijing's most offensive military capabilities and have been the focus of international media when one of them propelled through Indian Ocean waters for the first time earlier this year, making its way to the Persian Gulf.

A Chinese navy submarine attends an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army Navy on April 23, 2009 off Qingdao in Shandong Province. (Getty Images file photo)

In a recent report, Wall Street Journal described the Chinese submarine fleet as Beijing's most significant military challenge in the region. And for them to surface at Lankan ports brings alive some of New Delhi's worst fears of China's expanding presence in India's neighbourhood.

Sri Lanka's assurance — even from the highest level — that China has no military presence in the island nation does not inspire confidence. Consider the following:

* Coinciding with the election of Mahinda Rajapaksa as president in 2005, assistance from China has grown manifold and in infrastructure.

* Of the totals assistance of $5.056 billion extended to Lanka by China from 1971 to 2012, around 94% or $4.761 billion came between 2005 and 2012. In the past two years (2012-2014), China has committed another $2.18 billion, mostly as loans with a high rate of interest.

A Chinese navy submarine docked on the Huangpu river. (Getty Images file photo)

* With its "no strings" overseas-aid policy, China has replaced Japan as the No. 1 donor to Sri Lanka.

* India believes that the Chinese have been favoured despite the commercial and economic viability of their projects being suspect. Traffic generated at Hambantota port and Matara international airport, both built by China, are said to be far below expectations.

* The Rajapaksa regime has not been deterred by the poor execution of projects by Chinese companies. One glaring example is the $1.35 billion Norochcholai coal power project which Sri Lankan authorities failed to rectify and have now asked the Chinese to operate it. Poor quality of equipment was said to be one of the reasons for the breakdown.

What seems to have angered New Delhi is that the permission for docking another nuclear sub comes even after India conveyed to defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is also brother of the president, that it had serious reservations about the Colombo docking on September 15.

This Colombo stop for the sub in September came while President Pranab Mukherjee was touring Vietnam and when Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a face-off at Chumar in southeastern Ladakh. China later said the sub had docked in Colombo on its way to the Gulf of Aden.

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Vadra made Rs 44 crore windfall gain in Haryana deal: CAG

NEW DELHI: The comptroller and auditor general has faulted Robert Vadra's land deals in Haryana, saying he reaped nearly Rs 44 crore in windfall gains because an indulgent Congress government allowed him to do so in breach of law, and did not insist on recovering Rs 41.51 crore of the profit he made by quickly selling the land to DLF Universal.

In its first draft report on land deals in Haryana under the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government, the auditor has said that Vadra's Skylight Hospitality Private Limited was allowed to develop a commercial colony when it had just Rs 1 lakh in its kitty. "The department (of town and country planning) ignored the aspect of the financial capacity of the colonizer," said the report.

The land was soon sold to DLF Universal for Rs 58 crore, with Skylight Hospitality making a neat profit of Rs 43.66 crore.

The CAG draft report underlines that the bilateral agreement between the state government and Skylight Hospitality required Vadra's company to retain only Rs 2.15 crore, and pass on the rest to the government account. Since Vadra's company had altogether spent Rs 14.3 crore — Rs 7.5 crore towards land purchase and another Rs 6.84 crore on security and licence fees and conversion charges — the draft report says the Hooda government should have realized Rs 41.5 crore from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law.

"As per bilateral agreement referred ibid, the developer was required to retain a profit of Rs 2.15 crore after developing the project but in the instant case the firm earned a profit of Rs 43.66 crore by selling this licence to DLF but had not deposited the profit i.e. Rs 41.51 crore in the government account," the draft report mentions.

The draft report was sent to Haryana government on September 22 when Hooda, who maintained that no favour was extended to Vadra, was still in office. With the regime change, it is the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government which has to respond to the audit findings.

The BJP highlighted Vadra's controversial land deals during the campaign for both Lok Sabha and Haryana elections, with Prime Minister Modi himself leading the charge by raising how the Hooda government reversed the decision of IAS officer Ashok Khemka not to regularize the land purchase by Priyanka Gandhi's spouse.

Robert Vadra is seen with wife Priyanka Gandhi (behind him) and brother-in-law Rahul Gandhi.

Khemka, who accused the Hooda government of harassing him for objecting to Vadra's controversial transactions, also questioned the source of Rs 7.5 crore with which he purchased 3.5 acres of land, suggesting that it was not his own money.

The CAG findings tie in with assertions made by Khemka who was removed as director general (land holdings and land records) and inspector general (registration) after he raised objections to the manner in which Vadra acquired the land and later sold it off to DLF Universal at a huge profit.

The report on Vadra is part of a larger exercise CAG has undertaken to scrutinize land deals under Hooda — an issue which the BJP successfully used against Congress in the state polls, showcasing his alleged favours to Vadra, emblematic of the pattern where state government allowed the conversion of land use to benefit chosen developers.

The audit, which started as a thematic audit in June 2013 focusing on a few cases, has now been expanded to a full performance audit like the 2G spectrum allocation and the one done on the Commonwealth Games as per the instructions of the headquarters.

In the last week of December, 2013, CAG Shashi Kant Sharma is believed to have asked the state principal auditor general to carry out a detailed performance audit that covers all developers who were granted licences by the Hooda government.

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IIT-B to lock lips with Kochi's 'Kiss of Love' movement

MUMBAI: To protest moral policing by political activists, a mass-kissing event will be held at IIT, Bombay at 5.30pm on Sunday.

At least 70 students and about a dozen faculty members of the premier institute will gather near the convocation hall lawns for the event to express solidarity with youngsters from Kochi who are organizing a similar event in the southern city around the same time.

The youngsters from Kochi are protesting moral policing by youth wing activists of a political party. For this, they will observe 'Kissing Day' on Sunday.

Udipta Chatterjee, a doctoral student of electrical engineering, said that the act of the right-wing activists denies people the right to love or display love. "Moral policing is regressive... It's not acceptable in today's world. Expression of love in public places is no more a crime in India," said Chatterjee.

The institute's Progressive and Democratic Students' Collective along with Saathi, a support group on campus for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, is organizing the event.

Another student, Rahul Maganti, said the institute's campus too has seen incidents of moral policing. "Ideologically, we're against moral fascism anywhere. So, ours is a symbolic protest against moral policing by reclaiming space for love and sexuality," he said.

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Nokia employees at Sriperumbudur to get severance package of Rs 7.5 lakh each

The author has posted comments on this articleTNN | Oct 31, 2014, 03.07AM IST

In addition to the settlement sum, the Nokia management has agreed to pay salaries for November and December, sources said.

CHENNAI: A final settlement was reached for over 900 workers still employed at Nokia's phone manufacturing unit in Sriperumbudur on Thursday, a day before the official closure of the plant. The deal arrived at gives the staff a sum slightly higher than the amount of Rs 6 lakh announced through a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS).

A tripartite meeting between the Nokia India Thozhilalar Sangam - the workers' union, the company management and the labor commissioner's office concluded on Thursday, bringing about an amicable financial settlement for the 912 employees and 28 clerical and contract staff remaining in the Nokia unit.

READ ALSO: Trade unions want 'Amma' mobile made in Nokia plant

Nokia's Chennai plant becomes an orphaned factory

The workers will get an average severance package of Rs 7.5 lakh, including a lump sum of Rs 1 lakh, sources said. The settlement has been arrived at and accepted unilaterally upon the advice of the labor commissioner. In addition to the settlement sum, the Nokia management has agreed to pay salaries for November and December, sources said. It has also been agreed upon that October 31, 2014, Friday, will mark the end of employment for the employees.

The plant, which has been manufacturing phones since 2006, will cease production with effect from November 1. Microsoft, which acquired Nokia's Devices & Services unit in September last year, ended its contract with the company last month.

Nokia announced suspension of production at the Sriperumbudur plant from November 1 (TOI photo)

Following the discussions, the Union is expected to have a general body meeting on Friday and make a presentation to employees on the discussions and decisions taken during the tripartite meeting, sources said.

At its peak, the Nokia manufacturing unit had about 40,000 employees - both direct and indirect - and ever since Nokia's Devices & Services unit was acquired by Microsoft, the number has been dwindling, leaving about 940 employees staying on with the company till the end.

Nokia manufacturing factory at Sriperumbudur near Chennai (TOI photo)

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It is official: Bangalore becomes Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Yes, what you just read is the new name of Karnataka's capital. From today, Bangalore and 11 other cities have new nomenclature. The state government issued a notification to the effect on Friday evening. The renaming coincides with the Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations.

Bangalore is the latest city to have its name changed. Bombay became Mumbai in 1995 after a 40-year struggle; Madras changed to Chennai in 1996; Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001; Trivandrum to Thiruvananthapuram in 1991; Pondicherry to Puducherry in 2006; Poona to Pune in 2008; and Orissa to Odisha in 2011.

While the names of the 12 cities will change, institutions like the University of Mysore are expected to retain their original names.

Belgaum had unofficially become Belagavi much before the official notification. The local administration had ensured that a majority of boards — in Kannada — called the city Belagavi.

Renaming of cities was mooted nine years ago, but the UPA government put it on the back burner. The suggestion came from Jnanpith awardee UR Ananthamurthy. He urged then chief minister N Dharam Singh, in 2005, to rename Bangalore to mark Karnataka's golden jubilee celebrations. Even as Singh readily agreed, demands from other districts cropped up, making it a list of 12 cities.

In 2006, Karnataka sent the Centre a list of the proposed new names. The proposal got stuck because the Maharashtra government filed a counter that the proposal to rename Belgaum was meant to hurt the sentiments of Marathi-speaking people living in the district.

The UPA-1 government cleared the names with a rider: leave Belgaum alone. It did not want to antagonize Maharashtra, which claims that parts of Belgaum district belong to it. The JD(S)-BJP government in the state refused to comply. The issue went into cold storage because successive governments did not pursue it.

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PM says Mahatma Gandhi was incomplete without Sardar Patel, also rakes up 1984 anti-Sikh violence

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday raked up the anti-Sikh violence that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi this day 30 years ago and said it was a "dagger" in the centuries-old fabric of India's unity as he dedicated the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as National Unity Day.

With the aim of according the 'Iron Man of India' his place in history, the government said the event was not an attempt to belittle the contribution of any other leader.

Flagging off the 'run for unity on the 139th birth anniversary of the first home minister of the country celebrated as "Rashtriya Ekta Divas", Modi noted that the day was also being commemorated as the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi but made a veiled reference to the anti-Sikh riots that followed her assassination.

Modi said Patel devoted his life for the unity of the nation and it was unfortunate that "our very own people" were killed on his birth anniversary 30 years ago.

"...In the same country, 30 years ago, on the birth anniversary of the same leader something happened which cast a blow to the unity of the nation.

"Hamare apne logon ko maut ke ghaat utar diya gaya (our own people were killed on that day. That incident was not a wound in the heart of any community. It was a dagger in the centuries-old fabric of India's unity," he said.

"Patel never deviated from his vision of national unity despite facing obstacles in his political life. It is a misfortune of this country that 30 years ago on the birth anniversary of such a leader an incident which shook the unity of nation took place," Modi said.

Paying tributes to Patel's contribution to the integration and unity of the country, the Prime Minister said, "Let us not forget that a nation that disregards its history can never create one...Don't divide history, legacy in narrow confines of ideology."

The Modi government recently decided that it would be involved in commemoration of birth and death anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel while leaving it to trusts and societies to mark the memory of other leaders.

Government had also decided that no memorials will be built in memory of other leaders.

Remembering the contribution of Patel in the independence movement, Modi said Mahatma Gandhi had entrusted him with planning of the Dandi March which he successfully did.

"When we see Ramakrishna Paramhans he appears to be incomplete without Swami Vivekananda. Similarly when we see Mahatma Gandhi, he also appears incomplete without Sardar Patel," he said.

Modi also compared Patel with Chanakya, saying, "The country can never forget Sardar Patel. Centuries ago, Chanakya conducted a successful experiment of establishing a strong set up by uniting small princely states.

"Post Independence, the same great work was done by the man whose birth anniversary we are celebrating today, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel," he said.

"It is unfortunate that the man who dedicated his life for the unity of India, faced criticisms and opposition, suffered hurdles in his political career but was never deterred from his goal of uniting the country," the PM said.

Modi said Sardar Patel unified the country through his skill, vision and patriotism.

Recalling his role in uniting the entire country after partition, Modi said "Sardar Patel demolished Britishers' plan to divide India in many small regions. He single handedly merged all 550 regions with the country."

Earlier welcoming the Prime Minister, urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu said, "Had Sardar Patel been the first Prime Minister of the country, history would have been different. This is how many people feel."

He also said the celebration was not aimed at belittling the contribution of any other political leader.

Sangh has always felt that successive governments had held the contribution of Jawahar Lal Nehru and those of the Nehru-Gandhi family in higher regard over others.

As soon as he flagged off the run, participants asked the Prime Minister to lead them and he led the run for some distance.

Sports personalities Sushil Kumar, Vijender Singh, Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were among those who participated in the run.

Flanked by Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Naidu, Arun Jaitley among others, the Prime Minister administered the oath of unity to participants.

Modi also offered floral tributes to the statue of Sardar Patel at Patel Chowk which was decked up for the occasion.

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For child's passport, unwed mother needs to declare if she was raped: Centre to HC

MUMBAI: While applying for a passport for her child, an unwed mother will have to declare how she conceived, the Union government told Bombay high court on Thursday.

The reply was to a query by a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Anuja Prabhudessai, which heard a petition by a woman challenging the passport authority's refusal to include her step-father's name in her passport. When the HC was parting with the matter, Justice Kanade asked, "We were wondering what happens in case of unwed mothers?"

Advocate Purnima Bhatia, appearing for the foreign ministry, said an unwed mother must file an affidavit stating "how she has conceived" and "if she was raped" and why she does not want the father's name included. She added the details are in the passport manual, a classified document.

The judges exchanged surprised glances and murmured. Sania Akram (21, name changed) move d court challenging the refusal of the regional passport officer to issue passport in the name of her step-father as recorded in her school/college certificates, saying she must obtain a court order appointing him as her guardian. The officer also refused to alternately include the name of her mother, who has permanent custody of Sania.

READ ALSO: ​Passport applicants to be updated via SMS

Want passport quickly? Tatkal is the only way

Sania's petition said her biological father had abandoned her after birth and she considers her biological father's name a "stigma".

The passport manual was produced in court, but Bhatia said it cannot be given to the petitioner as it is a classified document.

Sania's advocate, Altaf Khan, said the passport authority was relying on standing instructions based on the passport manual. These instructions state that only the biological father's name must be mentioned on the passport. "The Passport Act is silent (on the matter). It relates to minors. I am a major now. My fundamental right to travel to seek education is at stake," said Khan, quoting Sania. The judges remarked that the passport manual cannot be a classified document and is in the nature of internal instructions. "These are just guidelines and do not have the force of law," said Justice Kanade. The judges will decide Sania's plea on November 12, along with a similar case.

Times View:

It is shocking that the government should ask an unwed mother how she had a child before giving a passport. The circumstances in which she had the child are no business of the state, it is entirely a private matter. If the laws, or the rules framed under them, currently make it mandatory for such information to be provided, it is time the law was changed. All that is germane as far as the government is concerned is whether the child is indeed hers. As long as that is established, nothing else should be asked for.

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