Page 1123 - Law Crime
Bhima Koregaon case: SC directs to keep 5 activists under house arrest till Sept 5
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Pune police to keep the five accused activists under house arrest till September 5, in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence.A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, held that all the accused persons will be put under house arrest, till September 5. The matter would be taken up for hearing on September 6.Senior Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the advocate appearing for one of the petitioners in the case, told the apex court that the FIR has no mention of five people in the case and that all the accused persons cooperated during the investigation.Tushar Mehta, a senior lawyer appearing for the Maharashtra government, opposed the petitions of the accused activists seeking relief in the Bhima Koregaon case.Countering this, Singhvi said that "we talk of liberty at seminars and look at the real picture, and sought relief in .
P-G medical student found dead in Puducherry
A 28-year old post-graduate medical student of a private college near here was today found dead in his rented house, police said. Parivendan, a third year student, was found lying unconscious in his bed in the house and police, alerted by neighbours, rushed him to the medical college hospital, where doctors said he had already died. The cause of the death was under investigation, police said. The medico belonged to Tiruchengode in Namakkal district of neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
HC questions Maha police on Navlakha's arrest, says every minute of custody a matter of concern
The Delhi High Court today questioned the legality of the Maharashtra Police's decision to arrest rights activist Gautam Navlakha and the transit remand order to take him to a Pune court in connection with a case relating to the Bhima-Koregaon violence of last year. However, after the Supreme Court directed that Navlakha and four other activists would be kept under house arrest till September 6, the high court said it would pass any direction only after going through the top court's order tomorrow. "Every minute of a person put into custody is a matter of concern," a high court bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel observed, while questioning the Maharashtra Police for not providing all documents, translated from Marathi, to Navlakha, who was arrested for alleged unlawful activities. The high court said it "will examine the legality" of the state police's action to arrest Navlakha and the transit remand order passed by a magisterial court here. But the proceedings took a turn .
4 convicted in 2014 NDFB mass killings
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Wednesday convicted four persons accused in connection with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) mass killings in 2014.On 23 December 2014, cadres of NDFB, a proscribed terrorist organisation, had indiscriminately fired upon the inhabitants of Santipur village under Rakhakmari Police Out Post in district Sonitpur, Assam. As a result, six persons had died on the spot while two sustained injuries.In this regard, NIA registered a case under sections 120B/121/147/148/302 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 25[1-A], 27 of the Arms Act and Section 10/13/16/18/20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA [P]A).Following the investigation of the case by the NIA, four accused, namely Sanju Bordoloi, Bishnu Narzary, Ahoy Basumutary and Nitul Daimary were arrested. All of the accused belong to the NDFB. A charge sheet in the case was filed by NIA in July 2015 against four arrested accused persons.The case was being heard by ..
HC questions court order on Navlakha's transit remand
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned a lower court order to allow Maharashtra Police to take rights activist-journalist Gautam Navlakha to Pune, given the fact that all documents, except a remand application, were in the Marathi language.
Delhi HC questions prosecution on Gautam Navlakha's arrest
Sushil BatraNew Delhi (India), Aug 29 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday while hearing the petition filed by activist Gautam Navlakha, arrested on alleged involvement in the Bhima-Koregaon violence, questioned the prosecution as to why the arrest memo was not given to the activist or his counsel.The court observed, "Punchnama not translated... How will grounds of arrest be communicated?" Court also raised questions on calling Navlakha an accused. "Gautam Navlakha is not an accused at this moment in a technical sense but only a person in question".Replying to the question, the Counsel for Maharashtra said that a number of accusation were leveled against him, as highlighted in the FIR.The Delhi High Court also raised questions in the trial court order and said the validity of the arrest would be examined. "How can a court (trial Court) grant transit remand without having English or Hindi translation of the concern documents," the court observed.Navlakha, in his petition, stated ...
Pune court asks cops to send arrested activists back to homes
A court here directed Pune police to send the arrested human rights activists to their homes, after Supreme Court ordered that they be kept under house arrest till September 6. The Supreme Court earlier today ordered that the five human rights activists, arrested in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima violence case, be kept under house arrest till September 6, observing that dissent was the "safety valve" of democracy. District and sessions judge K D Vadane of Pune district court ordered Pune police to send Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira back to their residences, where they will be kept under 'house arrest', an official said. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Shivaji Pawar, the investigation officer, said arrangements will be made to send all the accused to their respective cities. "We had contended before the court here to allow them to be put under arrest at a guest house in Pune. However, due to specific directions of the apex court, the judge ...
Thanga Tamilselvan tenders unconditional apology to AG
One of the 18 disqualified AIADMK MLAs today tendered an unconditional apology to the Advocate-General for his statements criticising the judiciary in connection with the disqualification case. An affidavit was filed on behalf of Thanga amilselvan, a supporter of sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, through his counsel K R Tamilmani before Advocate General Vijay Narayan. The issue pertains to contempt complaints filed by Advocate Srimathi and others against Tamilselvan for his comments against the then Chief Justice and his criticisms against the judiciary following the split verdict given by the court in the disqualification case. Taking cognisance of the complaints, the advocate-general issued show cause notice against Tamilselvam as to why criminal contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him. On July 10, Tamilselvan appeared before the AG and sought six weeks time to file his reply. In his counter, Tamilselvan submitted that late AIADMK supremo J ...
Woman abducted, gang-raped in Assam
A woman in her twenties was allegedly abducted and gang-raped in Assam's Nagaon district, following which she was dumped on a national highway, police said today. In her complaint, the woman said she was riding pillion on a motorcycle that was driven by her male friend last evening. He had picked her up from a roadside eatery in Lanka area, where she works, and they were travelling to Golaghat district, Nagaon Superintendent of Police (SP) Sankarbrat Roy told reporters. Nagaon is around 120 km from Guwahati. She alleged that they were waylaid and forcibly taken away by four men in their vehicle. The woman was then driven away and her four abductors raped her at Amoni near Kalong river. They abandoned her near a petrol pump on NH 37 after she passed out, Roy said. An oil-tanker driver spotted her and informed the police, who rushed to the spot and admitted her to the Nagaon civil hospital. She is undergoing treatment for trauma and severe injuries in her private parts. Her medical ...
1993 World Trade Center bomber sues over prison faith rights
A Muslim man serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center wants a judge to determine that federal prison officials violated his religious rights by failing to provide meals strictly conforming to his beliefs and access to an imam of the same denomination. The two-day civil case wrapped yesterday in a Denver federal courtroom. Judge R Brooke Jackson did not immediately rule and is expected to issue a decision in writing. Ahmad Ajaj was being held at a super-max prison in Colorado when the lawsuit began in 2015. Ajaj, represented by University of Denver law students, watched the trial via video because of security concerns. Ajaj was sentenced in 1999 to more than 114 years in prison for his role in the blast in an underground parking garage on February 26, 1993, that killed six people, one of them pregnant. It injured more than 1,000 and forced an estimated 50,000 to flee the trade center's twin towers in a scene of smoke, fear and confusion that ...
There was a plan to target 'higher political functionaries',
A day after arresting five Left-wing activists for alleged Maoist links, the Pune Police said today it had "evidence" which suggested that there was a plan to target the "higher political functionaries". Police also claimed to have evidence to suggest that the arrested people had links with Kashmiri separatists. Pune police yesterday raided the homes of prominent Left-wing activists in several states and arrested five of them -- poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, trade unionist and lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj in Faridabad and Chhattisgarh and civil liberties activist Gautam Navalakha in Delhi. The raids were carried out as part of a probe into a conclave -- Elgar Parishad -- held in Koregaon-Bhima near here on December 31 last year, which had allegedly triggered violence the next day. "The arrested activists were part of a conspiracy to target higher political functionaries," Joint Commissioner of Pune Police Shivajirao ...
Curfew relaxed for 10 hours in Malpura, situation turning to normalcy
Curfew was relaxed for 10 hours today in violence-hit Malpura town in the Tonk district of Rajasthan, police said, adding the situation is gradually turning to normalcy. Curfew is in force in the town since August 24, a day after some miscreants hurled stones on kanwariyas while they were passing through a Mulsim-dominated area here. "Situation is gradually turning to normal. Considering the law-and-order situation, curfew was relaxed for 10 hours from 7 am to 5 pm today. Schools, banks, offices resumed their work today," Station House Officer Navneet Bihari Vyas said. He said no untoward incident occurred today. Thirty-five people have been arrested so far, of which six were arrested in attempt to murder case, he said.
SC order puts activists in house arrest till Sep 6 (Third Lead)
Describing dissent as a safety valve, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the five human rights activists arrested by Pune Police should be kept under house arrest until the next date of hearing on September 6.
NPP MLA asks about criteria of appointment of PDS nominees
Nationalist Peoples Party MLA, Tapang Taloh today asked the state government about the criteria of appointment of Public Distribution System nominees for supplying PDS items. Raising the issue during a half an hour discussion in the House, Taloh alleged that a government employee had been appointed as PDS nominee and in another case a nominee is the wife of a sitting minister. He demanded that the minister resign from the post on moral ground. Taloh, however, did not revealed the name of the minister. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to root out corruption through good governance but what is happening in Arunachal Pradesh is really unfortunate," Taloh said and demanded for a fair inquiry into the matter. He also suggested for constituting a committee to unearth the ground reality. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kamlung Mossang informed the House that the department did not have any information regarding any government employee acting as PDS carriage ...
SC gives arrested activists a breather, says dissent is safety valve of democracy
The Maharashtra Police's move to arrest five well known activists was punctured today with the Supreme Court observing that "dissent is the safety valve of democracy" and directing that those in its custody be kept under house arrest. The five human rights activists -- Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonzalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha -- who were arrested after the pan India crackdown yesterday will not be sent to jail but be under house arrest until September 6, the court ruled. "Dissent is the safety valve of democracy and if you don't allow these safety valves it will burst," a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra and comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said. Dealing a blow to the Maharashtra police, the apex court questioned it for arresting the activists nine months after the violence between Dalits and upper caste Peshwas in Koregaon-Bhima village near Pune following the Elgar Parishad, or conclave, on December 31 last year. Provocative ...
Dissent is 'safety valve' of democracy, says SC; Orders house arrest for 5 rights activists
Five human rights activists arrested in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence case would be kept under house arrest at their homes till September 6, the Supreme Court ordered today, observing that dissent was the "safety valve" of democracy. While granting relief to activists Varavara Rao, Arun Farreira, Vernon Gonzalves, Sudha Bhardwaj and Gautam Navalakha, the top court did not consider for now the vehement opposition of Maharastra government challenging the locus of the petitioners, historian Romila Thapar and four others, seeking relief on their behalf, and calling them "strangers". The Maharashtra police had arrested them in connection with an FIR lodged following a conclave -- 'Elgaar Parishad' -- held on December 31 last year that had later triggered violence at Koregaon-Bhima village. The state had challenged the petitioners' locus, dubbing them as "strangers". A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra questioned the state police's move to arrest these activists nine ..
Corruption trial of senior Kenyan judge suspended
The corruption trial of Kenya's deputy chief justice, the country's second-highest judge, was suspended today amid a barrage of legal petitions at various courts. Philomena Mwilu, one of seven members of the Supreme Court, was arrested yesterday after Kenya's director of public prosecutions, Noordin Haji, accused her of abusing her office for personal gain. Mwilu was among the judges who annulled President Uhuru Kenyatta's initial election win in August 2017, leading to the controversial holding of a fresh vote. She was due to be formally charged at a Nairobi magistrates' court today but High Court judge Chacha Mwita suspended the case until October 9 to hear a constitutional challenge brought by her lawyers. Mwilu's lead lawyer James Orengo, a prominent opposition figure and elected senator who played a key role in overturning last year's election result, said the move against her was "an attack on the judiciary". "These charges have been brought not to secure justice but to secure ..
Company director sent to 6 months jail for TDS default
A court here has sentenced the director of a real estate firm to six months of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for allegedly failing to deposit over Rs 50 lakh TDS in time to the Income Tax Department. A senior official of the department said the director of the firm, engaged in building construction services, has been convicted recently by the court as his firm "committed default in timely deposit of tax deducted at source (TDS) of Rs 50,61, 876". "The company and its director have been asked to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh each and the director has been sentenced to RI of six months," he said. The official did not disclose the identity of the executive or his firm. The man and the company have been charged under IT Act's sections 276B (failure to deduct and pay tax) along with section 278B (offences by companies). The court, the official said, observed that the offence under section 276B is "complete" when TDS is not deposited on time and a company cannot be allowed to take unfair advantage ..
HC directs release of Bhushan Steel ex-promoter Neeraj Singal on interim bail
The Delhi High Court today directed that Bhushan Steel's erstwhile promoter Neeraj Singal, arrested by the SFIO for allegedly siphoning off Rs 20 billion, be released on interim bail as the agency has not been able to justify the need for his continued incarceration. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel said since Singal's challenge to the constitutional validity of the provisions for grant of bail and powers of arrest of SFIO were prima facie not frivolous, he should be able to seek interim relief. "Therefore, the present petition cannot be viewed as a mere plea for issuance of a writ of habeas corpus and an attempt to bypass the regular route of obtaining regular bail," the court said and added that he be released on interim bail subject to furnishing a personal bond of Rs five lakh and two sureties of Rs two lakh each. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) orally urged the court to stay operation of its order for a week, but the bench declined it. The matter took
Nun's complaint; police initiate preliminary investigation
Police today initiated a preliminary investigation into a complaint by a nun, who has accused a Roman Catholic Bishop of raping her, alleging that she had received death threats on phone from unknown persons. In her complaint filed at Kuravilangad police station, the nun has alleged that she had received death threats on phone from the unknown persons two months ago, police said. A preliminary probe has been launched on the basis of her complaint, police said. Further steps would be taken after examining the call records, they said. Earlier, the nun had lodged a complaint with Kottayam district police, accusing Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal of raping and having unnatural sex with her multiple times between 2014 and 2016. A special team probing the case has said as per the initial investigation of the police, Mulakkal abused his position and repeatedly raped the nun. Responding to a petition seeking speedy investigation, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kottayam, K ...