Page 1211 - Law Crime
Malaysia's toppled leader to face new charges
Malaysia's disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak will face new charges in court today under anti-money laundering laws in a case linked to a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal, authorities said. The announcement came after Najib, who suffered a shock defeat in May elections, was summoned for a new round of questioning by the anti-corruption agency. Najib was arrested last month and charged with criminal breach of trust and abusing his position over accusations he pocketed 42 million ringgit (USD 10.3 million). The new charges he faces are in relation to the same case, the anti-graft agency said in a statement. All the charges relate to the scandal surrounding sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, which was set up and overseen by Najib. The former leader, his family and cronies are accused of embezzling huge sums that were used to buy everything from artwork to high-end real estate in a sophisticated fraud that spanned the globe. The graft allegations were a major factor in the defeat of Najib's ...
Indian-origin businessman jailed in UK for crashing car into war veteran
A wealthy Indian-origin businessman was today jailed for 22 months for crashing his luxury sports car into a 68-year-old war veteran on the streets of London and then fleeing the scene in November last year. Ravi Ruparelia, 30, who runs a successful hotel and catering business in London, lost control of his McLaren 540C Coup in Park Lane area, jumped a red light and hit Anthony Davis who was waiting to cross the road at a junction. The victim was knocked unconscious and left with a broken leg in the crash. Ruparelia pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident. Judge Martin Beddoe, at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London, said Ruparelia's decision to flee was "almost as bad and as callous an example of that as one could contemplate," the Evening Standard reported. "There has been nothing to prevent him (Ruparelia) since the accident contacting the victim and saying how sorry he was," the judge added. The court was told ...
Court seeks report from police on Imran Hussain's plea against Delhi CS
A Delhi court has sought response from the city police on a plea moved by Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain seeking call detail records in a case related to his alleged mobbing by officials, a day after the alleged assault on the Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra directed the SHO concerned to file a report by August 18 after the police sought time in this regard. The directions were passed on an application moved by advocates B S Joon and Mohd Irshad, who submitted that they were not satisfied with a status report filed by the police, "as a clean chit was given to the CS without making any enquiry and without his joining the investigation". In the status report filed before the court, the police stated that various CCTV footage of the Delhi Secretariat is examined and so far no evidence has come forward against Prakash for provoking the staff. The police informed the court that they were still in the process of identification of some of ...
Spain's new conservative leader in degree scandal
Spain's conservative Popular Party (PP), freshly ousted from power over a series of corruption cases, has been hit by another scandal as new leader Pablo Casado stands accused of getting a Masters degree as a "gift". The 37-year-old promised "regeneration" when he replaced Mariano Rajoy on July 21 as PP chief following the latter's ouster as prime minister in a no-confidence vote called over the corruption scandals affecting his party. But a judge at a Madrid court believes he may be guilty of "bribery and misfeasance" for getting his diploma in regional law from the Spanish capital's King Juan Carlos University in 2009 without going to lectures or passing exams. In a court document seen by AFP today, Judge Carmen Rodriguez-Medel says she found possible evidence of wrongdoing as she investigated the university and other students over degree irregularities. She has asked the Supreme Court to probe Casado, the only tribunal able to do so given his special status as a lawmaker. Casado ...
9-year-old boy molested by seniors in school bus
A nine-year-old student of a private school was allegedly molested by his seniors thrice in their school bus here, police said on Tuesday.
Airce-Maxis: Interim protection for Chidambaram, son from arrest extended
A Delhi court today extended till October 8 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in Aircel-Maxis cases filed by the CBI and the ED for the alleged offences of corruption and money laundering respectively. Special CBI Judge O P Saini allowed the applications moved by both the agencies seeking time to file a detailed reply to the anticipatory bail applications moved by senior advocate Kapil Sibal on behalf of father-son duo in both the cases. Both ED and the CBI, represented by advocates Nitesh Rana and K K Goel respectively, told the court that the leading counsel was not available for the detailed argument and sought an adjournment, which was allowed by the court. At this, Sibal requested the court to extend the interim protection granted to Chidambarams from arrest till the next date, which was allowed by the court. Meanwhile, Karti informed the court through advocate Arshdeep Singh that he was desirous to travel abroad ..
Selfies with King Cobra lands 5 in police net
An act of bravado landed five people behind bars after pictures of them posing with a king cobra they caught went viral on social media. The five men, residents of a village near Gudalur in the neighbouring Nilgris District, were arrested today on charges of torturing the reptile, police said. Allegedly under the influence of liquor, they had on August 4 caught the cobra from a tree in their locality and taken selfies after putting it on their shoulders. The five men had taken several selfies with mobile phones in different postures, torturing the reptile, police said. Later, they shared the pictures in facebook. Based on complaints from wildlife activists and public, the forest department carried out investigations and detained the five from Cherampadi area today and handed them over to local police. A case had been registered against them for torturing the snake, police said adding a search was on for one more person, allegedly involved in the incident.
Netflix has not changed objectionable word: HC told
The Delhi High Court was today informed that Netflix has not changed an alleged objectionable word in its series "Sacred Games" that was used to describe former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar was told by the counsel for the streaming service that a partly-wrong statement was made by him earlier and that neither they have changed the word in the English subtitles nor they want to change it. "My instructions are that we don't want to change the word," senior advocate Chander Lal, appearing for Netflix, said. He said the series is available on the platform in several languages and versions and in one version, the subtitle uses the alleged objectionable word while the other has a different word as these were translated by different people. On July 19, Netflix's counsel, on instructions, had informed the bench that they, on their own, had changed a word in the English subtitles in the fourth episode of the series, which was allegedly ...
Oppn parties demand SC monitored probe into shelter home incidents
Opposition parties SP, RJD and the CPI today staged a protest outside Parliament demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the alleged atrocities against young girls in shelter homes at Bihar's Muzaffarpur district and Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district. They also took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his slogan of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao', alleging girls are not safe in the country. "We demand a Supreme Court-monitored probe into what has happened in the shelter homes in the two states and want the report to be presented in three months," RJD Lok Sabha MP Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav told reporters outside Parliament. Yadav alleged the FIRs lodged in connection with the incidents were being changed to protest the accused and demanded the girls be kept under protection and shifted to Delhi. Former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav came down heavily on the BJP-ruled government in Uttar Pradesh over the prevailing law and order and claimed the present dispensation had ...
No plans to repeal Section 377 after 2012 gangrape case: Govt tells LS
The government had not considered repealing Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises consensual gay sex, while amending laws after the 2012 gang-rape case in Delhi, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said today. "No, madam (Speaker)," was his written reply in Lok Sabha in response to a question on whether the Home Ministry had contemplated repealing Section 377 during its consideration for amendments in the wake of the gang-rape. Ahir said the Justice J S Verma Committee was set up after the incident to examine and recommend amendments in criminal law with respect to crimes against women. The committee did not make any recommendation in relation to Section 377 of the IPC, he said. On July 11, the Centre had told the Supreme Court that it would leave it to the wisdom of its judges to decide on the constitutional validity of Section 377. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, which was hearing a batch of petitions ...
Coal scam: CBI moves HC for enhanced jail term to Madhu Koda, others
The CBI today approached the Delhi High Court seeking an enhanced jail term for former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who along with others was convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment in a coal scam case. Besides Koda, the CBI has also sought enhancement of punishment for other convicts, his close aide Vijay Joshi, former Jharkhand chief secretary A K Basu and ex-coal secretary H C Gupta. They all were sentenced to three years in jail by a trial court in December last year. Their sentences were suspended by the high court when they moved the superior court against their conviction and sentence. The firm, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL), was also convicted in the case and a fine of Rs 50 lakh was imposed on it by the trial court. The CBI has also filed a plea challenging the acquittal of several accused by the trial court. Senior advocate R S Cheema, appearing for the CBI, said the agency has appealed against the acquittal of four persons VISUL's former ...
DRI arrests 7 foreigners for smuggling forex worth Rs 6 cr at Delhi airport
Seven foreigners, including four women, have been arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials for allegedly trying to smuggle out foreign currency worth over Rs 6 crore at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here. They were intercepted when they were proceeding to board a flight to Hong Kong and their baggage was searched yesterday. Later, the recovery of foreign currency was made from their checked-in baggage. The forex was tightly wrapped in towels inside the luggage in a manner to escape detection by security and intelligence agencies at the airport, according to a statement issued by the DRI today. "All the currencies were in the denomination of USD 100. A total of around USD 8.9 lakh, having market value of Rs 6.14 crore, was seized," it said. Investigations reveal that the foreigners were part of an international syndicate involved in smuggling of foreign currencies. It had members in India and Hong Kong. "The mastermind of the syndicate is ...
Two awarded life sentence for raping minor
A special court for POCSO cases here sentenced two persons, Ghewar Singh and Sharavan Singh, to death today holding them guilty of raping and murdering a minor. In the order, Special Judge Vamita Singh said the action of both the accused was dastardly, against humanity, gruesome and therefore fell under the rarest of rare crime category. "For this, it is bounden to punish Ghewar Singh and Sharavan Singh only with death sentence for justice to prevail," the order said. A police team led by the then SP (Barmer) Rahul Barhat had arrested Ghewar Singh and Sharavan Singh along with three others for abducting a minor girl from her house in village Rinva in Barmer's Chohtan on the night of March 29-30, 2013 and raping her. After raping the girl, the accused killed her to erase the evidence, said prosecution counsel Karnaram Choudhary. After recovering the body on March 31, police had registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to abduction, gang rape, murder, ..
Teacher at school for tribals held for sexual harassment
A teacher at a residential school for tribal children was today arrested in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra for allegedly sexually harassing three girl students. The minors had lodged a complaint against Vijay Jadhav (31) on August 4, said senior inspector Anil Patil of Babhulgaon police station. Studying in classes 8th and 9th at the 'Ashram' (residential) school in Babhulgaon, the girls alleged that Jadhav often touched them inappropriately on the pretext of administering corporal punishment. The school is run by a private trust and receives government aid. The girls had first approached the school superintendent who took them to the police station and lodged a case against Jadhav, said Patil. An FIR under IPC section 354-A (sexual harassment) and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered against the teacher, he added. A separate case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was also filed against Jadhav ..
SC to hear on Aug 13 plea on Hapur mob lynching
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on August 13 the plea of a survivor of the Hapur lynching case, seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into the incident in which one person was killed allegedly on suspicion of being involved in cow slaughter. The plea also sought cancellation of bail of the accused and transfer of case outside Uttar Pradesh. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra considered the submission of advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for victim Samiuddin, that the matter required urgent hearing in view of the fact that Uttar Prdesh police has termed the incident in which 45-year-old meat trader Qasim Qureishi was killed as a road rage case. Samiuddin, 64, and Qasim Qureishi were allegedly severely beaten at Hapur in Uttar Pradesh on June 18 by a group of people who alleged that they were involved in cow slaughter. Both received injuries and Qureishi died later. Besides seeking court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) probe, the plea has pressed for transfer .
PML-N chief Shahbaz Sharif's son-in-law declared 'proclaimed offender'
The legal woes of the once powerful Sharif family is mounting with a Pakistani anti-corruption court today declaring PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif's son-in-law a 'proclaimed absconder' in a graft case. Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is currently in jail after an Accountability Court sentenced him, his daughter and son-in-law over the corrupt practices over the purchase of four luxury flats in London in the 1990s. Sharif was ousted from his third term as prime minister by the Supreme Court last year following a corruption investigation stemming from the Panama Papers case. Pakistan's anti-corruption body has also summoned the beleaguered chief of the PML-N party and former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif to appear before it on August 20 in a housing scandal case. Now, an accountability court in Lahore today declared PML-N President's son-in-law, Imran Ali Yousaf, a proclaimed absconder on the request of National Accountability .
Shehbaz Sharif's son-in-law declared 'proclaimed offender'
An accountability court on Tuesday declared Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif's son-in-law a "proclaimed offender" after he failed to appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a corruption case.
Justice Joseph sworn as SC judge along with 2 other former state CJs amid seniority row with Centre
Justice K M Joseph took oath as the judge of the Supreme Court today along with Justices Indira Banerjee and Vineet Saran amid a row with the Centre over his seniority being lowered on his elevation. The elevation of Justice Joseph put an end to a protracted stand-off between the Centre and the judiciary but the former's decision to lower his seniority created a fresh controversy despite his name being first recommended months before the other two judges. Justice Joseph, who as the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court had quashed the imposition of President's Rule by the NDA government in the hill state in 2016 when it was ruled by the Congress, was sworn in after Justices Banerjee and Saran. While Justice Banerjee was the Chief Justice of Madras High Court, Justice Saran was the Chief Justice of the Odisha High Court. Justice Banerjee is the eighth woman judge in the Supreme Court since Independence. The apex court will now for the first time in its history have three sitting .
Abu Salem seeks parole to get married, HC shoots down the plea
A petition by 46-year-old gangster and terror convict Abu Salem for parole to get married was rejected by the Bombay High Court today. Salem, who is serving life imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, had petitioned the high court that he should be allowed to maintain family and social ties. He wanted a month-long parole to marry Kausar Bahar, a resident of Mumbra area of Thane district, adjoining Mumbai. The gangster, who is lodged at the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai, approached the high court after the prison authorities rejected his plea for parole. In his application moved before the court, Salem said the parole request may be considered on "humanitarian grounds" as he "cannot shun his duty" towards the woman since he has promised to marry her. He said Kausar also does not intend to marry anyone else. However, he did not mention the date when he intends to get married. Salem is already married once. A division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice V K Tahilramani and ..
Man who raped, strangled five year old in Ghaziabad arrested
The man, who raped a five-year-old child and strangled her on August 2 night in Ghaziabad, has been arrested, police said on Tuesday.