Page 9 - Courts

What's next for Hunter Biden in court, Congress after his plea deal derails

The unravelling of Hunter Biden's plea agreement has thrust his criminal case into uncertain waters and given new fodder to Republican critics in Congress as they push ahead with investigations into the president's youngest son. Biden was supposed to plead guilty Wednesday to misdemeanour charges for failing to pay taxes. But US District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Delaware put the brakes on the guilty plea after raising concerns during an hourslong hearing about the structure and terms of the agreement and another deal that would allow him to avoid prosecution on a gun charge if he meets certain conditions. Plea deals are carefully negotiated between defence lawyers and prosecutors over the course of weeks or months and it's unusual especially in high-profile cases for judges to not sign off on them. But Wednesday's hearing revealed that the two sides apparently did not see eye to eye on the scope of the agreement around a non-prosecution clause for crimes outside of the gun ...

Court declines to entertain Pernod appeal to renew liquor sale licence

India's federal financial crime agency has accused the company of illegally making profits by giving false information to Delhi

Trump's classified documents case set for first pretrial conference hearing

A Florida judge who issued a court ruling last year that critics said was unduly favourable to Donald Trump is set to preside Tuesday over the first pretrial conference in his landmark criminal case concerning the mishandling of classified documents. Prosecutors and defense lawyers are scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to discuss the rules and procedures that will govern how classified evidence is used in the case. It's a routine subject for any prosecution that concerns classified information, but it's notable because it will be Cannon's first time hearing arguments in the case since the former president's indictment last month. At issue during Tuesday's arguments is a 1980 law known as the Classified Information Procedures Act. That statute governs how classified information is handled by the parties in a criminal prosecution. It's meant to balance a defendant's right to access evidence that prosecutors intend to use in a case against the government's ...

Court asks husband to pay wife Rs 50,000 a month for pets' maintenance

A Mumbai court, while hearing a woman's plea seeking maintenance from her estranged husband, said pets bring emotional well-being

SC extends Satyendar Jain's bail till July 24 in money laundering case

The Supreme Court on Monday extended till July 24 the interim bail granted to former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain on medical grounds in a money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate. A bench of justices A S Bopanna and M M Sundresh directed senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Jain, to submit the medical reports to Additional Solicitor General S V Raju. During the brief hearing, Singhvi submitted that three hospitals have recommended surgery for Jain. The top court on May 26 had granted interim bail to Jain for six weeks on medical grounds, saying a citizen has a right to receive treatment of his choice in a private hospital at his own expense. The ED had arrested Jain on May 30 last year on the charge of laundering money through four companies allegedly linked to him. The agency had arrested Jain in the aftermath of a CBI FIR registered against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He was granted regular bail by the trial court on

2020 Delhi riots: Court frames charges of murder, dacoity against six

A court here has framed charges against six people for allegedly brutally assaulting a man and burning him alive during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pulastya Pramachala was hearing a case against Aman, Vikram, Rahul Sharma, Ravi Sharma, Dinesh Sharma and Ranjeet Rana, accused of being a part of a riotous mob that burnt Shahbaz alive on February 25, 2020, on the Main Khajuri Pusta Road here. As only a piece of his skull and some pelvic bones remained, the deceased's identity was ascertained by matching the DNA samples of his father, the prosecution said. "I find that all accused persons are liable to be charged for offences punishable under IPC (Indian Penal Code) sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy ) read with sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 302 (murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 395 (dacoity)," ASJ Pramachala said in an order passed on Saturday. They would also face trial for the offences of unlawful assemb

Court summons Rajasthan CM Gehlot in defamation complaint by Sekhawat

A Delhi court on Thursday summoned Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a defamation complaint filed by the Union Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harpreet Singh directed Gehlot to appear before court on August 7 in the complaint filed by Shekhawat for allegedly defaming him with his remarks on the alleged Sanjivani scam. The case is related to thousands of investors allegedly getting duped of about Rs 900 crore by the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society. Shekhawat has alleged in his complaint that Gehlot has been making defamatory remarks against him over the alleged scam and trying to tarnish his image and affect his political career.

Special court acquits Tamil Nadu minister Ponmudy in land grabbing case

A special court here trying cases against MPs and MLAs on Thursday acquitted Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minster K Ponmudy in a land grabbing case. Holding that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond any reasonable doubt, Special Judge G Jayavel acquitted Ponmudy, a senior DMK leader and six others. The prosecution case was that during the period 1996-2001 when Ponmudy was Transport minister in the then DMK regime, he had grabbed 3,630 sq. ft. of government land at Saidapet in the city and registered it in his mother-in-law's name. Following a complaint, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption filed the present case against Ponmudy and 9 others. During the pendency of the case, his mother-in-law and two others died.

SC to hear pleas for independent probe into Atiq Ahmad's killing on July 14

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would hear on July 14 pleas, including the one filed by the sister of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf seeking constitution of a commission chaired by a retired apex court judge to inquire into their "custodial" and "extra judicial deaths". Two separate pleas pertaining to Ahmad came up for hearing before a bench of Justices S R Bhat and Aravind Kumar. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Uttar Pradesh, told the bench that the state has filed a status report in terms of the apex court's April 28 order that was passed while hearing a plea by advocate Vishal Tiwari, who has sought an independent probe into the killing of Ahmad and his brother. Ahmad (60) and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj on April 15. "At the moment, we are not looking into individual issues. W

Ahmedabad court to hear defamation case against Tejashwi Yadav on July 6

Yadav is accused of defaming the people of Gujarat and allegedly calling them 'fraud'. The petitioner has filed a complaint under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code

Delhi Police chargesheets WFI chief, seeks cancellation of minor's case

The police also sought cancellation of the complaint filed by the minor wrestler against Singh as the police said that no corroborative evidence was found

Lack of toilets for women lawyers in court: SC seeks report from Madras HC

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Madras High Court registry to file a detailed report on measures taken to address the lack of toilets for women lawyers in the Nilgiris Court Complex in Tamil Nadu's Ooty. The apex court said the earlier report of the registrar general does not explain in detail about the facilities for women lawyers in the new court complex and as to whether there was any shrinkage of such facilities which were earlier available. A vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal asked the registry to file the report by Sunday. "Let a detailed report be filed by the high court administration through the registrar general. Such report should reach the registry of this court by Sunday through electronic mode and this matter shall be listed on June 12, Monday," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea by Women Lawyers' Association of Nilgiris alleging lack of toilet facilities for female advocates at the recently inaugurated combined court .

Defamation case: Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh told to appear in court on July 13

A court here on Wednesday directed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to appear before it on July 13 in connection with a criminal defamation case over to their sarcastic and derogatory statements with regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree. The two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders were earlier summoned by a metropolitan court to appear before it on June 7. The case against the two has been filed by the Gujarat University (GU). In the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jayesh Chovatiya on Wednesday, Kejriwal and Singh were represented by their lawyers who filed an application to exempt their clients from appearance and also sought documents related to the complaint. The lawyers for both the accused appeared in the court today and filed an application seeking court documents. The court provided them with the documents ...They also filed an application for their exemption from appearance in the court for today, lawyer for Gujarat

Court rejects bail plea in 2020 riots, says accused playing hide & seek

A court here Tuesday dismissed the bail application of an accused in a case of the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, saying he was playing a game of hide and seek". Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramacha was hearing the bail plea of Mohammed Waseem, who along with 27 others was booked by Dayalpur police for various offences under the Indian Penal Code, including rioting and attempt to murder, besides provisions of the Arms Act. ... this is well apparent that applicant is playing game of hide and seek. Accordingly, the bail application is rejected, the judge said. ASJ Pramachala noted Waseem filed the plea on grounds of arranging finance for the admission of his daughter in an educational institution. The submissions about the merits of the case said the accused's last bail application was dismissed by the present court. The date of the order, however, was not mentioned, nor a copy of the order filed, the judge said. On the other hand, the investigating officer's (IOs) reply stated

Mumbai court grants bail to 1993 blasts case convict in laundering case

Sardar Khan, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, was on Tuesday granted bail by a special court here in a money laundering case linked to fugitive Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. Former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik is one of the main accused in the money laundering case. Khan's bail was allowed by the special judge for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), R N Rokade, on a personal bond of Rs 2,00,000. Khan, however, will not walk out of the Central Prison in Aurangabad where he is currently lodged, as he is serving a life sentence in the bomb blasts case. According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Khan had helped Malik negotiate a deal with Haseena Parkar, Dawood's sister. Khan had sought bail under section 88 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) as he had not been arrested in the case. The section empowers the court to release an accused on accepting a bond. Malik, the main accused in the case, was arrested

2020 Delhi riots: Court adjourns case with warning to prosecution

A court hearing a case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots has warned the prosecution not to repeat the scenario of the public prosecutor not making sufficient arrangements for the examination of a crucial witness in his absence. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing a case of rioting and arson registered by Dayalpur police station against five accused which was at the stage of prosecution evidence. After noting prosecution witness Harender Singh's presence, the judge said the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) concerned was not present for examining him, nor was Singh willing to give his statement on the grounds of personal difficulty. ASJ Pramachala said it was a "bad scenario" where the SPP was said to be out of Delhi, without making "sufficient arrangements" for examining Singh, who was a "crucial witness" in the case. "In these circumstances, there is no other option, but to adjourn the case for today, with a warning for the prosecution that such a scena

Excise policy case: Court asks CBI to provide documents' copies to Sisodia

A Delhi court on Friday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to provide copies of documents, including charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet, to AAP leader Manish Sisodia and three other accused in the excise policy case. The other three accused are Hyderabad-based chartered accountant Butchi Babu Gorantla, liquor trader Amandeep Singh Dhall and private person Arjun Pandey. Special Judge M K Nagpal gave the directions when Sisodia was produced before him via video conferencing as the court had issued summons to him after it took cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI in the case on May 27. The court posted the matter for further proceedings on July 6. Sisodia, 51, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The CBI filed its first charge sheet in the case against seven accused on November 25 last year. The court took cognisan

Court must not act mechanically under CrPC sec 319 to summon accused: SC

The Supreme Court said on Friday a court must not act mechanically under section 319 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to summon an accused merely on the ground that some evidence has come on record. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Pankaj Mithal made the observation while dismissing an appeal filed by a man challenging a summoning order in a case lodged under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. "A court must not act mechanically merely on the ground that some evidence has come on record implicating the person sought to be summoned; its satisfaction preceding the order thereunder must be more than prima facie as formed at the stage of a charge being framed and short of satisfaction to an extent that the evidence, if unrebutted, would lead to conviction," the bench said. The top court said section 319 CrPC, which envisages discretionary power, empowers the court holding trial to proceed against any person not shown or mentioned as an

Credit Suisse owes millions to Georgia's billionaire ex-prime minister

Credit Suisse owes former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili hundreds of millions of dollars for failing to protect the billionaire's money held in a trust pilfered by a manager, a Singapore court ruled Friday, the latest scandal for the Swiss bank whose yearslong problems forced its takeover by a rival. Ivanishvili in 2004 put more than USD 1.1 billion into a trust overseen by the bank's Singapore subsidiary, Credit Suisse Trust Limited, and the employee managing the trust misappropriated many millions of dollars over nine years before being caught and sent to prison, the Singapore International Commercial Court said. Bidzina, who amassed a fortune in Russia as a businessman before serving as Georgia's prime minister from 2012 to 2013, sued the Swiss bank for about USD 1.2 billion, saying it failed to properly administer the trust and keep its assets safe. The judgment published today is wrong and poses very significant legal issues, Credit Suisse said in a written ...

2020 Delhi riots: Court tells Special Cell Commissioner to appear in person

A court here has issued notice and directed the Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) to appear in person before it after noting that the inspector concerned failed to answer the court's query about the status of investigation and filing of supplementary charge sheet in a case of the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat was hearing the case against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and others related to the larger conspiracy behind the 2020 communal riots . The case is being investigated by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. It has been asked from the inspector present about the status of the investigation and filing of supplementary charge sheet However, no answer is forthcoming, ASJ Rawat said in an order passed on Wednesday. In these circumstances, the court is constrained to issue notice to the Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) to appear in person on the next date, the judge added. The matter has been posted for further ...