Page 6 - Court

Mumbai court acquits TVF founder Arunabh Kumar in sexual harassment case

A magistrate court here has acquitted The Viral Fever (TVF) founder Arunabh Kumar in a sexual harassment case of 2017, ruling that there was an unexplained and unreasonable delay in filing the First Information Report. It can be said the complaint was filed out of grudge or business rivalry, the court noted. Based on the complaint of a former employee, the Andheri police had in 2017 registered a case against Kumar under Indian Penal Code Sections 354 A (causing sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). Kumar, an IIT graduate, founded TVF in 2011. Metropolitan Magistrate (Andheri court) A I Shaikh acquitted Kumar in September this year. A detailed order was available recently. As per the prosecution, the alleged incident took place in 2014. The complaint was filed three years after the incident as the complainant came across other women making similar allegations on social media. The magistrate in his order held that there is no .

Delhi court grants bail to accused in extortion case post 3 months custody

A Delhi court has granted bail to an accused in an extortion case, saying "bail cannot be denied by taking merits into consideration as a punishment". Special Judge Shailender Malik granted the relief to one Anuj Srivastava, accused of extorting money from a 85-year-old man by threatening to falsely implicate him into a rape case. The judge allowed the bail application on a personal bond of Rs 30,000 with one surety in the like amount, and directed him not to leave the country without prior permission of court and not to influence or contact the witnesses, or tamper with evidence. "Having considered the submissions and taking note of the fact that accused/applicant is in judicial custody for last three months and no more required in the investigation. It is settled law that bail cannot be denied by taking merits into consideration as a punishment, whereas bail is a rule and denial thereof is an exception. "Taking into consideration period of custody of the accused, accused/applican

Courts must work for a min 300 days a year to curb pending cases: Cong MP

Senior advocate and Congress Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh Vivek Tankha on Friday said courts should remain functional for at least 300 days a year to reduce the pendency of cases. Judges can go on leave but not courts, and only then can five crore pending cases be disposed of, he said. "Judges can go on leave but not courts. They should remain functional for at least 300 days in a year and then only the five crore cases pending in the courts will be disposed of. It should not happen that the entire court goes on vacation," he told reporters. "This was the practice during the British period when the judges went back home, so they declared a two-month holiday for courts like schools. If the court remains open then pending cases will be disposed of in a speedy manner. Currently, courts remain open for 200 days (per year). If a reform takes place then they will remain functional for at least 300 days," he added. Asked about the controversy over the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer film

Lucknow court frames charges against journalist Siddique Kappan, 6 others

A court here has framed charges against jailed Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan and six other people in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. Special Judge of Enforcement Directorate (ED) matters Sanjay Shankar Pandey asked the federal agency to produce its witnesses before the court on December 17. Besides Kappen, the other accused in the case are KA Rauf Sherif, Atikur Rahman, Masud Ahmad, Mohammad Alam, Abdul Razzak and Ashraf Khadir. The ED had booked Kappan in the PMLA case for allegedly obtaining money from a foreign country illegally and utilising it in acts against the interest of the nation. Kappan was arrested along with three others on October 6, 2020 while they were on their way to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh to report on the alleged gang rape and killing of a 19-year-old woman. He has been in jail since then. Police had initially booked the journalist for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Subsequently, the ED also lodged a

Court asks Delhi police to lodge FIRs against builder for duping investors

A court here has directed the Delhi police to register two FIRs against a real estate firm and their directors for allegedly duping investors. Metropolitan Magistrate Yashdeep Chahal passed the order saying that the allegations are of a nature that warrant an investigation by the police/state agency. The judge directed police to lodge two FIRs against builder firm - ISH Realtors Pvt. Ltd. and it's directors for allegedly committing the offences of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, fraud, cheating and criminal Intimidation. The facts of the complaint reveal that the controversy is not entirely based upon documents and some investigation is warranted in this matter to unearth the truth of the allegations. Moreover, the complainant is not in a position to establish his case without the aid of police investigation, the judge said. He said the complaint as well as the documents on record revealed prima facie commission of cognizable offences. In the light of these facts it

Bengal recruitment scam: 21k candidates recruited illegally, CBI to court

Reacting to the submission from the SIT Chief, Justice Biswajit Basu told him that the court is ready to extend all cooperation to him to go to the end of the investigation in the matter

Court fines police inspectors for arresting innocent person in POCSO case

The second Additional Fast-track Special Court (POCSO court) here has ordered two women police officers to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh for arresting an innocent person and keeping him in judicial custody for one year in a POCSO (Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences) case. Judge K U Radhakrishna, in his order, directed sub-inspector P P Rosamma and inspector Revathi of the women police station in the city to pay the fine as compensation to Naveen Sequeira, who was acquitted by the court in the case. The judge ordered also the State Home Department secretary to take legal action against the erring women police officers. Sequeira was arrested on mistaken identity based on the statement of the victim in the case who mentioned the name of Naveen as her tormentor. The case was slapped on Sequeira by the sub-inspector and was handed over to the inspector Revathi for investigation. Subsequently, a chargesheet was filed against him. During the hearing and taking into cognizance the ...

Gyanvapi case: Court to hear plea on Nov 2 seeking survey of 'tehkhana'

A court here on Friday fixed November 2 for the hearing of a plea by the Hindu side for the survey of two underground places (tehkhana) in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex. The Varanasi district court also imposed a penalty on the mosque committee for not filing an objection to this prayer in time. District Government Counsel Mahendra Pandey said, "The advocates representing the Hindu side have earlier appealed for a survey of two closed underground places (tehkhana) in Gyanvapi complex. The court had given time to the mosque side to file an objection regarding this." "The mosque side could not file any objection today after which the court slapped a fine of Rs 100 on them and fixed the date of hearing," Pandey added. One of the petitioners from the Hindu side also pleaded to ensure the safety of idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi recovered from there.

Gyanvapi mosque case: Varanasi court defers hearing to October 11

The district court in Varanasi on Friday deferred the hearing in the Gyanvapi case and scheduled it for October 11

Newsmaker: Constitutional law is new Attorney General Venkataramani's forte

With his appointment as AG, the many constitutional law matters that are pending before the Supreme Court will receive specialised attention

Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case: Court fixes Sep 29 as next date of hearing

The Varanasi district court on Thursday admitted a plea for carbon-dating of a "Shivling" claimed to have been found inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex here and asked the mosque management to file its objections by the next date of hearing. Judge A K Vishesh fixed September 29 as the next date of hearing in the matter involving the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri dispute. The court resumed hearing in the matter on Thursday, after rejecting a plea questioning the maintainability of the petition on September 12. The petition seeks the court's permission for worshipping the idols of the Hindu deities located on an outer wall of the mosque on a daily basis. Appearing on behalf of the plaintiff women, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain placed the demand for carbon-dating of the "Shivling" before the court. The judge allowed the plea and fixed September 29 as the next date of hearing in the matter, district government advocate Rana Sanjeev Singh said. The court did not entertain the Muslim sid

Gyanvapi case: Plea for worship of Hindu idols maintainable, says court

The Varanasi district court on Monday rejected the plea questioning the maintainability of a petition seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque. District Judge A K Vishvesh ordered that it would continue to hear the petition seeking the right to worship deities on the outer wall of the mosque complex located close to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The court fixed September 22 as the next date of hearing in the case. Merajuddin Siddiqui, the advocate representing the Muslim side, said that they will move the Allahabad High Court against the judgement. The district judge delivered a 26-page order in 10 minutes in the presence of restricted 32 persons inside the courtroom, including lawyers of the two sides and plaintiffs, said an advocate who was present in the courtroom. In the order, the judge said, "In view of the discussions and analysis, I have come to the conclusion that the suit of the plaintiffs is not

Gyanvapi case: Security tightened in Varanasi ahead of district court order

Prohibitory orders were clamped and security tightened in Varanasi ahead of the district court order on Monday on the maintainability of the plea in the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri case. District Judge AK Vishvesh had last month reserved the order till September 12 in the communally sensitive matter. Police Commissioner A Satish Ganesh said on Sunday that prohibitory orders have been issued in the Varanasi commissionerate and officers have been asked to interact with religious leaders in their respective areas to ensure that peace is maintained. To maintain law and order, he said, the entire city has been divided into sectors which have been allocated police force as per their requirement. Directives for flag march and foot march in sensitive areas have also been issued, he said. Checking has been intensified in the district's border areas, hotels and guest houses, while an eye is being also kept on social media. Five women had filed the petition seeking permission for daily .

Legislation barring parties from offering freebies not advisable: SC

Court protests media leak of Election Commission's affidavit in the matter

Lakhimpur Kheri court to hear Zubair's bail plea in fact-check case today

The bail plea hearing of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair is scheduled to be held in the sessions court of Uttar Pradesh's Mohammadi today, a day after Delhi's Patiala House Court granted him bail

All 7 accused in Udaipur tailor's killing to be produced in court today

The seven accused in the killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan's Udaipur will be produced in a designated NIA court in Jaipur on Tuesday

Sharjeel Imam alleges assault inside jail, moves court for protection

Activist and former JNU student Sharjeel Imam, who is in judicial custody in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots case, approached a court here, alleging assault and harassment inside the prison

Hearing on Gyanvapi mosque case to resume today in Varanasi court

The hearing on the Gyanvapi case will resume in Varanasi court today

Punjab: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to be produced in Amritsar court today

Security has been increased in Amritsar after Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the mastermind in the Sidhu Moose Wala murder case, was brought to the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC)

Money laundering case: 5 Indian politicians who were summoned by ED

Here are five instances when ED summoned politicians in various money laundering cases