Indian-Origin Woman Wrongly Jailed In UK During Pregnancy Rejects Apology

An Indian-origin former manager of a Post Office in England wrongly jailed while pregnant has rejected the apology of an engineer whose evidence helped convict her over faulty accounting software.

Seema Misra, now 47, had her conviction quashed in April 2021 as the Court of Appeal ruled that she had been wrongly imprisoned over 12 years ago after being accused of stealing GBP 75,000 from her Post Office branch in Surrey where she was the sub-postmistress.

At the ongoing public inquiry into the scandal, she told the BBC that the apology of ex-Fujitsu engineer Gareth Jenkins was "too little, too late".

"Nobody can understand it," she said of the ordeal she went through and said Jenkins could have apologised “ages ago”.

Her reaction followed a written witness statement submitted to the Post Office Inquiry by Jenkins, in which he said: "I did not know that Mrs Misra was pregnant at the time of her conviction and only learned of this many years later."

"This makes what has happened even more tragic. I can only apologise, again, to Mrs Misra and her family for what happened to her." The former engineer who appeared as an expert witness in 15 sub-postmaster cases is currently being investigated by police for potential perjury or lying to a court. In one of his earlier witness statements to the inquiry, he denied any wrongdoing.

Earlier, Ms Misra had rejected a similar apology from former Post Office Managing Director David Smith for a congratulatory email he sent after Misra's conviction.

“It was intended to be a congratulatory email to the team, knowing that they had worked hard on the case,” Smith said in his written evidence to the inquiry.

“However, knowing what I do now, it is evident that my email would have caused Seema Misra and her family substantial distress to read and I would like to apologise for that… Even if this had been a correct conviction, I would absolutely never think that it was ‘brilliant news' for a pregnant woman to go to prison and I am hugely apologetic that my email can be read as such,” he said.

“However, seeing this email in the light of what I know now, I understand the anger and the upset that it will have caused and sincerely apologise for that,” he added.

"I was eight weeks pregnant – they need to apologise to my youngest son. It was terrible. I haven't accepted the apologies," Mr Misra said at the time in April.

"We had my conviction overturned, nobody came at that time to apologise. And now they just suddenly realised that when they have to appear in a public inquiry, they have to apologise," she said.

Mr Misra was sent to Bronzefield prison in south-east England and served four-and-a-half months, later giving birth to her second son wearing an electronic tag. Smith told the inquiry that Mr Misra had been used as a "test case" and the success of the case led to more confidence in the faulty Horizon IT accounting system.

"How can they do a test on a human being? I'm a living creature. I heard that my case has been used as a test case before. But hearing it again and again, it's just annoying. It makes me more and more angry, to be honest," Mr Misra added.

The UK government, which formally owns Post Office Ltd, has paid out millions in compensation to hundreds of sub-postmasters - many of them of Indian heritage - impacted by the faulty Horizon software.

Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged action in the historic scandal that wrongly accused sub-postmasters of fraud.

Last month, a new law tabled in Parliament introduced the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill, a blanket exoneration to quash convictions brought about by erroneous Horizon evidence. A public inquiry in the case, underway in a phased manner, is expected to conclude in July.

The controversial Horizon system, developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu, was first rolled out in 1999 to some post offices to be used for a variety of tasks, including accounting and stocktaking. But it appeared to have significant bugs, which could cause the system to misreport, sometimes involving large sums as was the case in the case of these sub-postmasters.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Manta Ray, Secret US Undersea Drone, Spotted On Google Maps, Later Removed

Manta Ray, a top-secret submarine prototype weapon of the US, was spotted by Google Maps docked at the Port Hueneme naval base in California on Sunday.

After an image of the same went viral, it was deleted and replaced with what multiple social media users believed were "edited" boats.

Manta Ray also caught attention for its similarity to a Star Wars vessel, a spaceship seen in the popular Hollywood franchise.

The autonomous vessel has been named after the sea creature due to its slick design and ability to anchor itself deep underwater while holding operations in low-power mode, the New York Post reported.

Manta Ray has been produced by Northrop Grumman as part of the US Navy project to develop long-range underwater weapons. This sophisticated underwater drone is said to be capable of hibernating on the seafloor for "very long periods" without refuelling.

Dr Kyle Woerner, Manta Ray programme manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, earlier said that it uses "efficient, buoyancy-driven gliding to move through the water".

"Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle's readiness to advance toward real-world operations," Dr Woerner said in the agency press release.

Dr Woerner further said that it was being designed with several payload bays of multiple sizes and types to enable it to a wide variety of naval mission sets.

In addition, Manta Ray's modular design allows the US Navy to disassemble and further transport it in ordinary shipping containers. This quality eliminates the necessity for requiring dedicated port facilities.

According to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the vessel is a multi-phase effort, including at-sea demonstration of critical technologies. "The program is using a disciplined systems engineering approach to define demonstration system objectives and identify enabling technologies needed for future systems," it earlier noted.

A report in the Telegraph recently stated that the US Navy spent over three months testing the craft off the coast of Southern California.

Meanwhile, defence analysts have suspected that the US Navy's push to develop drone technology is to strategically counter the submarine operations by Russia and China.

Amid its ongoing war against Ukraine, Russia is said to be developing underwater drones of its own. Last year, the country announced its plans to acquire nearly three dozen such vessels.

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Albania vs Spain Live Streaming Euro 2024: When And Where To Watch

Albania vs Spain Live Streaming Euro 2024 Live Telecast: Spain look to continue their unbeaten run as they take on Albania in a significant Group B encounter. Spain have won both of their matches in the competition against Croatia and Italy. While they registered a big 3-0 win over Croatia, the win against Italy was a narrow 1-0 with an own goal proving to be the decider. On the other hand, Albania have just one point from two matches. They were defeated 2-1 by Italy before they held Croatia to a 2-2 draw.

When will the Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match take place?

The Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match will take place on Tuesday, June 25 (IST).

Where will the Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match be played?

The Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match will be played at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf.

What time will the Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match start?

The Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match will start at 12:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will telecast the Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match?

The Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match?

The Albania vs Spain, Euro 2024 match will be streamed live on SonyLiv app and website.

(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)

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"From 109.7 Kg To 83 Kg": Jaideep Ahlawat's Weight Loss Journey Is Viral

Actor Jaideep Ahlawat shared that he lost 26 kg in 5 months and posted a glimpse into his fitness journey on Instagram. Mr Ahlawat shared before and after pictures and revealed that the physical transformation was for the role of Maharaj.

Along with the pictures, he wrote, "From 109.7 Kg. to 83 Kg. in 5 months. That's the Physical Transformation for the Role of Maharaj. Thank you Prajwal Sir for believing in me @prajwal7542."

See the viral post here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jaideep Ahlawat (@jaideepahlawat)

Impressed by his physical transformation, director Siddharth Malhotra also commented on the post. He wrote, "Bhai the dedication and devotion you have put and given to this role and character can't be put in words ! Always indebted to you."

Actor Siddharth wrote, "Amazing bhai."

Internet users were inspired after seeing Mr Ahlawat's dedication. A user commented on Instagram, "It's a Dedication."

Another user wrote, "I swear I thought the abs were photoshopped!"

"You are amazing," the third user commented. 

Meanwhile, Maharaj, directed by Siddharth Malhotra, also features Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan. The plot is set in pre-independent India and revolves around the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862. The film has been backed by Aditya Chopra's Yash Raj Films.

Last month, Netflix India, in a statement, said that Maharaj follows a journalist and social reformer Karsandas Mulji. He was a pioneering advocate for women's rights and social reform. 

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Replace Mumbai Unit Chief, Congress Leaders Write To M Kharge

Sixteen senior Maharashtra Congress leaders have written to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge demanding that its Mumbai unit chief Varsha Gaikwad be replaced to strengthen the party ahead of upcoming state poll.

The leaders complain that Ms Gaikwad, who recently won the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat, does not have the time to work at the organisational level and have objected to her style of functioning, NDTV has learnt.

Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat's Congress candidate Bhushan Patil has also claimed he received no help from the city party unit.

These leaders, in a letter dated June 16, have sought time from the Congress leadership to discuss rejuvenation of the party in Mumbai ahead of the assembly elections, and the Mumbai civic polls which are overdue.

Signatories of the letter include Rajya Sabha MP and Congress Working Committee member Chandrakant Handore, former city party chiefs Janardhan Chandurkar and Bhai Jagtap, senior leaders Naseem Khan, Suresh Shetty, Madhu Chavan, Charansingh Sapra, Zakir Ahmed and Maharashtra Congress treasurer Amarjit Manhas.

"Recently, at a protest in connection with the UGC-NET exam chaos, Gaikwad did not call all party leaders at the city unit office. Hence they had to stage a separate protest in suburbs," reported news agency PTI citing a source. 

"It is now 13 months she is the city unit head, but she has not spearheaded any substantial activity to galvanize the party cadre," the news agency reported claimed citing the unnamed source.

A meeting related to Maharashtra is scheduled in Delhi on Tuesday.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Congress won only 4 of the 36 seats in Mumbai.

During the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Congress secured 1 of the 2 seats it contested in the city.

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SCO vs HUN Live Streaming Euro 2024 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch

Scotland vs Hungary Live Streaming Euro 2024 Live Telecast: Scotland take on Hungary in the final Group A game of Euro 2024, and a win for either side may not be enough to clinch qualification to the Round of 16. Hungary lie bottom - on zero points - and are guaranteed third spot at best. Scotland, on the other hand, are on only one point themselves, and only a big win could see them leapfrog Switzerland. A draw is catastrophic for both nations, as Scotland would be unlikely to make it through among the four best third-placed teams with a points tally of just two.

When will the Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match take place?

The Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match will take place on Monday, June 24 (IST).

Where will the Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match be played?

The Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match will be played at the Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart.

What time will the Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match start?

The Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match will start at 12:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will telecast the Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match?

The Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match?

The Scotland vs Hungary, Euro 2024 match will be streamed live on SonyLiv app and website.

(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)

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Jagan Reddy, Chandrababu Naidu's Party Trade Charges Over Alleged Land Grab

After the demolition of the YSRCP party office under construction in Guntur district on Saturday and notices to two more YSRCP offices in Visakhapatnam for allegedly being illegal, the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh says similar violations are being discovered across the state.

YSRCP president YS Jaganmohan Reddy has called it vendetta politics and said the demolition of the near-complete building showed how the regime is going to be over the next five years.

On Sunday, state minister and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh posted on X pictures of YSRCP offices being built at various places in Andhra Pradesh, and alleged the previous government led by Mr Reddy allotted 42 acres in 26 districts for 33 years for a nominal lease of Rs 1,000 per acre.

"Jagan, is Andhra Pradesh your grandfather Raja Reddy's property?" said Mr Lokesh, who is the son of Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu.

Mr Lokesh alleged Mr Reddy was building "palaces" with Rs 500 crore "looted" from the people.

"On these 42 acres worth more than Rs 600 crore, grabbed for your land thirst, 4,200 poor can be given house sites. With Rs 500 crore being spent on your luxurious palaces, houses can be constructed for 25,000 poor," Mr Lokesh posted on X. "What is this madness for palaces? Is there no end to your thirst for money?" he said.

The TDP alleged Mr Reddy built "palaces" for himself in nine cities including Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and he was now building "palaces" for his party offices with public money and without approvals from the authorities.

The TDP alleged that 42.24 acres of government land in 26 districts were allotted for YSRCP's offices for a 33-year lease at a nominal cost of Rs 1,000 per acre. "The value of the 42.24 acres is Rs 688 crore while more than Rs 500 crore of public money is being spent to build these palaces," the TDP said.

The TDP claimed that permissions were not taken for YSRCP offices, except in Prakasam district. The YSRCP says between 2014 and 2019, the TDP government had allotted government land in 10 districts on lease for 33 to 99 years for Rs 1,000 per acre.

"If you do it, it's politics and if we do, it's land grabbing," reads a post on YSRCP's official handle on X. "Have you not issued a GO and built TDP offices across the state?" the Opposition party asked. It alleged the land for NTR Bhavan (TDP office) in Hyderabad was also allotted in the same way.

The YSRCP said if the previous government had resorted to a similar act, no TDP office would have remained in the state.

The under-construction office building of YSRCP at Seethanagaram of Tadepalli Mandal in Guntur district was demolished by the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) and Mangalagiri Tadepalli Municipal Corporation (MTMC) authorities on Saturday.

The APCRDA had issued notice on June 10 to the YSRCP for taking up construction on the "illegally occupied" land of 870.40 sqm within the boat yard compound of the irrigation department.

The APCRDA said the previous government leased two acres, which was a boatyard and water body, to the YSRCP on a lease of Rs 1,000 per acre, per annum for 33 years for their party office. It was also alleged the party undertook construction without getting approvals from the irrigation department and the MTMC.

The YSRCP had filed a writ petition in the high court, seeking orders to the CRDA and MTMC not to take any coercive action against the building structure, until hearing was completed.

Claiming that the high court had ordered a halt on any demolition activity, the Opposition has slammed the government for violating the court's order. YSRCP plans to approach the court on Monday, seeking criminal action against those who carried out the demolition.

The Town Planning wing of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has issued show cause notices to YSRCP seeking an explanation over "unauthorised construction" of the party offices at Yendada and Anakapalli.

It was alleged YSRCP proceeded with the construction of G+1 building over a stretch of two acres at Yendada without permission from the authorities. Similarly, construction of the YSRCP office at Anakapalli was taken up allegedly without approvals, the government says.

YSRCP leader and former minister Gudivada Amarnath removed the notice pasted on the office at Yedanda. He said the land was allotted in 2022 and construction began in March 2023.

He said around Rs 13 lakh and Rs 30 lakh were paid to the government as taxes for plan approvals for the party offices at Yendada and Anakapalli, respectively.

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