 JAN 29: Ramanathan
Somanathan, 41, a Hindu priest in Britain has been convicted of raping a
devotee of Tamil origin at a temple in London.A priest at a temple in Thornton Heath near Croydon, south London, Ramanathan told his victim that she had been his wife
in a previous life, and that god had reunited them.
He raped the 29-year-old Tamil woman on two separate occasions,
once in 2002 and again in 2003, after which she became pregnant
and had an abortion, the Croydon Crown was told.
The police praised the victim for the "tremendous courage" it
took her to come forward and seek justice.
The unnamed rape victim first went to the married Somanathan to
have her horoscope read after she decided to buy a new flat.
Gillian Etherton, the prosecuting barrister, said: "He said she
had beautiful eyes and it was good that she had left her husband.
He said they had had a past life together. She had married him and
that they had loved each other. She had committed suicide in the
past life but god had sent her to him." (Despardes News
Monitor) | 
JAN 29: Indian-born US Republican Congressman Bobby Jindal introduced his first
bill early in the 109th Congress, keeping a promise he had
made to his constituency and signaling that he is already
building his reputation as a pro-active legislator.
