BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court has come to the rescue of an autorickshaw driver from Bangalore and directed the Commissioner of Police to verify whether he was facing any threat to his life as he has alleged and to provide him protection if necessary.

Justice A.C. Kabbin passed the order on a petition by Mohammad Saifuddin Siddiqui, a resident of 5th Main, M.B. Layout, here.

Siddiqui claimed that he had been kidnapped on April 7 by four persons against whom he had lodged a complaint.

He said only two of the four accused had been arrested by the Hennur police and no efforts had been made to trace the other two.

Misunderstanding

He said he had married in 1994 and had two children. However, there was a misunderstanding with his father-in-law over his earnings.

He said he was initially employed as an autorickshaw driver. He had taken to selling insurance policies after his marriage. But when the insurance business did not give him enough income, he reverted to driving an autorickshaw.

Justice Kabbin directed the Commissioner of Police to verify the facts of the case and, if necessary, provide protection to Siddiqui.

Attendance problem

A mistaken diagnosis of a disease almost cost a business management student a semester as she ran short of attendance.

She was left with no recourse but to file a petition in the High Court, seeking a direction to Bangalore University to permit her to appear for the sixth semester.

The court was told that the petitioner was a student who had secured good marks in all the five semesters.

She was told that she was ineligible to appear for the sixth semester examination slated to commence from May 28 as she had not attended classes from March.

Petition

In her petition, Priyanka Puttappa said she was admitted to the bachelor's course in business management during 2004-05.

She had passed all the semesters and in the fifth semester she had obtained a first class.

During March-April 2007, she had suffered from acute pneumonia but a doctor had misdiagnosed it as chikungunya. Consequently, she could not attend classes from March and on May 22 she was told that she would not be permitted to appear for the 6th semester due to a lack of attendance.

Justice A.C. Kabbin permitted her to appear for the sixth semester examination and adjourned further hearing on the case.

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