Terrorists kill 4 cops, 2 bank officials while looting cash van in Kashmir

May 2, 2017

Srinagar, May 2: Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists today carried out a major attack in Kashmir, killing seven people, including five policemen, after dragging them out of a banks cash van in Kulgam district.

The cash van of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank, which was returning to Kulgam district headquarter from Damhal Hanji Pora, was waylaid by a group of heavily-armed terrorists this afternoon, police said.

The terrorists pulled out the five police personnel and two bank employees from the vehicle and shot them from point blank range, a police official said.

While four cops and two bank employees -- including a bank security guard -- died on the spot, the fifth cop succumbed to injuries at a hospital, the official said.

Among the deceased is an Assistant Sub Inspector of Police. The attack took place at Bomai at around 4:15 pm, said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, S J M Gilani.

"Our five police personnel were martyred. Two civilians (bank employees), who were in the van, were also martyred in the attack,? he said. He said the militants took away four weapons which were being carried by the guards.

Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.

A spokesperson of the Hizb told a local news gathering agency that its cadres had decamped with four weapons from the scene of the attack. ?During our preliminary investigation, the name of a local terrorist from Kulgam, Umar Majeed, and two of his associates, has come up,? Gilani told reporters here.

In another incident, militants targeted a senior police officer in Pulwama district but he escaped unhurt.

Militants fired at the vehicle of Deputy Superintendent of Police Farooq Ahmad at Dangerpora in Pulwama district this evening, a police official said.

He said the security personnel escorting the officer returned the fire, forcing the militants to flee.

No one was hurt in the brief exchange of fire, he added.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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