Page 1217 - Law Crime
Journalist Upender Rai projected properties generated through extortion as untainted: ED to court
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today alleged before a Delhi court that journalist Upender Rai projected properties, worth over Rs 45.98 crore, which he generated through "blackmail" and "extortion" as a scribe, as untainted. The Delhi-based journalist was arrested by the agency for the alleged offence of money laundering, punishable under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED has sought Rai's prosecution for the offence of money laundering in its charge sheet filed before Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora, who put up the matter for consideration on August 8. The agency in its prosecution complaint, ED's equivalent to a charge sheet, filed by special public prosecutors N K Matta and Nitesh Rana, the agency told the court that Rai was a journalist, who crafted leverage out of his access to government offices as a media person. "He took undue advantage of his connections with several government officials to gain access to confidential information available ...
Goa police warns people against Kiki Challenge
The Goa Police toady warned people against taking up the 'Kiki' challenge, the latest internet dance fad, saying it is "highly dangerous" to the safety of the performers as well as the road users. Police have warned of strict action under the Motor Vehicle Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against those performing stunts under the Kiki challenge. "Kiki Challenge is highly dangerous to one's own safety and also to that of other road users," the state police stated in an advisory issued here today. The Kiki challenge videos which have gone viral on social media show a person leaping out of a moving vehicle on the road and dancing while he or she is being clicked in a video format. Police said those performing such stunts are liable to be arrested and the vehicle can also be confiscated.
Iraq sentences two Europeans to life for IS membership
An Iraqi court today sentenced a French man and a German woman to life in prison in the latest punishments handed down for belonging to the Islamic State jihadist group. Frenchman Lahcen Gueboudj, 58, and a German woman whose name was given only as Nadia were sentenced separately at the Baghdad central criminal court, according to an AFP journalist. Nadia's mother, a German woman of Moroccan origin, was sentenced to death in January for IS membership but the sentence was later commuted to life, which in Iraq is equivalent to 20 years. The mother and daughter were arrested in July 2017 in Mosul, the jihadists' former de-facto capital in Iraq where the government declared victory over IS in December last year. Wearing a black abaya in court, Nadia said she travelled from Syria to Iraq "to run away from the people of IS". Speaking in German with a few Arabic words, she said she travelled to Syria from Turkey with her mother, her daughter Yamana and her mentally disabled sister who was ...
Four detained over alleged cow slaughter
Four persons were detained after an alleged incident of cow slaughter was reported from the district today, police said. Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar said that as the news spread in Siyarha area under Kotwali police station, police with the help of sniffer dogs "detained" four youngsters of the Naibasti area. "We are interrogating them," he said. Personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and those of the Quick Response Team (QRT) were deployed in the area to prevent any mischief, he said. The additional SP said, "Some people had allegedly slashed the neck of a cow. A liquor bottle and a sharp-edged weapon were found from the spot. It seems that some mischievous elements had slaughtered the cow to vitiate the atmosphere. A case has been registered and four persons are being interrogated." He said the body of the cow had been sent for post-mortem.
Naroda Gam case: CDs of riots to be screened in SIT court
A special court, hearing the 2002 Naroda Gam riot case, will hold a screening of videos pertaining to the riots on Wednesday in order to ascertain the roles of certain accused. The prosecution, which is at present arguing the case, had requested the court to screen the recordings on CDs in its possession. Judge M K Dave of the special SIT court allowed the request after the defence, as well as the victims' lawyers, consented. The prosecution had asked for the screening of three CDs, including that of "Operation Kalank" in which two accused --former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and Jaideep Patel -- are seen making extra-judicial confessions related to the killings during the riots. The "Operation Kalank" CD is part of a sting operation carried out by former journalist Ashish Khetan and published by Tehelka magazine in its November 2007 issue. The video was also aired by some news channels. The statements of Bajrangi and Patel, as recorded in the sting carried out on them by Khetan,
Thulla remarks: HC allows Kejriwal to withdraw plea challenging summon
The Delhi High Court today allowed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to withdraw his plea seeking quashing of a trial court order summoning him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by a constable and await the lower court's decision on whether to frame charges against him for the alleged offence. Justice R K Gauba gave Kejriwal the liberty to move the high court if the trial court framed charges of defamation against him. During the brief hearing, the lawyer for the AAP convenor sought adjournment of the matter to await the trial court's decision on whether to frame charge of defamation against the chief minister. However, the judge was of the view that there cannot be parallel proceedings in the high court and the plea against the trial court summons cannot be kept pending. Subsequently, Kejriwal's lawyer told the judge that he had instructions to withdraw the matter and the court gave him liberty to approach the high court if charges were framed against the chief minister. The ...
SC raps Delhi LG on garbage disposal
The Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on Delhi's Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal for not taking effective steps in the garbage disposal issue in the city.A two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur, observed that Delhi was facing an emergency like situation in the garbage disposal issue.The top court rapped the LG and said it did not seem that the latter understood the importance of the crisis. Fixing further hearing in the case for next week, the court asked its lawyer Colin Gonsalves to prepare a suggestion list as to how the issue could be resolved.The Supreme Court also asked the concerned municipal authorities to explore what effective steps to deal with disposing of garbage. The court also made it clear that the authorities cannot pick garbage from one home and put it in another.
Hearing on Article 35-A adjourned because of Amarnath yatra: Separatists
Separatists today claimed that the hearing of the petitions challenging Article 35-A of the constitution in the Supreme Court was deferred till last week of August in view of the ongoing Amarnath yatra, but vowed to continue protests against any "tinkering" with the provision on permanent residency law of the state. "Hearing of the case regarding the hereditary state subject law of J&K has been simply deferred from today till last week of August by the Supreme Court when the Amarnathji yatra ends. The protest programmes against tinkering with the law will continue as leadership deliberates upon it," the Joint resistance leadership (JRL), which is spearheading the protests, said. The JRL, comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, said the deferment of the case by a few weeks was an indication about the intentions of the court which entertained the "mischievous petitions backed by the RSS, as part of RSS' well known agenda on Jammu and Kashmir". "A ..
Couple run over by train in Rajasthan
A married couple was allegedly run over by a train in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district,police said today. Hansraj and his wife Manohar Devi, residents of 15 L village here, wererun overby Sadulpur-Sriganganagar passenger train yesterday. Their bodies were found on railway track which passes a few meters away from their residence, Sub-Inspector at Sadar police station Devi Lal said. Their bodies were handed over to family members after post-mortem he said, adding a case was registered.
CBI detains 3 customs officials after crackdown on smuggling
CBI today detained three Customs officials, including an Assistant Commissioner, at the airport here for alleged connivance with smugglers, official sources said. The Assistant Commissioner and two Customs Superintendents were detained after a crack down in which the CBI found several passengers who arrived from Singapore yesterday were cleared by the Customs despite allegedly carrying contraband. According to the sources, around 70 passengers arrived by the Air India Express flight from Singapore late last night and of them 20 had been cleared by the Customs when a 11-member CBI team led by a DSP intercepted them and ordered a re-check of them. Several of the passengers subjected to the fresh check at a separate enclosure by the CBI were allegedly found in possession of contraband, mostly gold, they said without divulging further details. The search of all 70 passengers continued for the second day today following which CBI questioned the three customs officials and ...
Cong demands inclusion of laws on atrocities against SC/STs in Constitution's 9th Schedule
The Congress today demanded that the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to insulate it from legal challenge. A bill to amend the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, to overturn the Supreme Court order that laid down certain safeguards in the law to prevent atrocities against people of scheduled castes and tribes, was introduced in Lok Sabha on Friday. Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters here that the Congress's demand is that the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act be put in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, otherwise courts will continue to interfere. Dalit groups have been asking the government to overturn a Supreme Court ruling of March 20, saying it had "diluted" and rendered "toothless" the law against atrocities faced by the weakest sections of the society by putting additional safeguards against arrest of the accused. The bill introduced by the government rules out any ...
Two Delhi Police officers attacked, 2 robbers nabbed
Two Assistant Sub Inspectors (ASI) were attacked by a biker and a group of robbers in separate incidents early on Monday, police said, adding that two robbers have been arrested in one of the incidents.
19 leopards died till Feb this year: Sharma
Around 19 leopards have died till February this year due to various reasons including poaching and electrocution, Rajya Sabha was informed today. Minister of State for Environment Mahesh Sharma in written reply to a question said the deaths of leopards were due to various factors such as poaching, electrocution, accident, infighting and natural death. "As per the information provided by the state enforcement agencies, 19 leopards have died up to February in the current year," he said. He was asked whether more than 93 leopards deaths took place in just two months of 2018. He said the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 provides for punishment for violation of its provisions. The Act also provides for forfeiture of any equipment, vehicle or weapon that is used for committing wildlife offences, he said. He said law enforcement authorities in the states maintain strict vigil against poaching of leopards. "Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has been set up to gather intelligence about poaching ...
Stokes arrives at court to face affray trial
England cricketer Ben Stokes arrived at court on Monday, where he will go on trial for affray. The all-rounder and two other men are jointly charged over a fracas in Bristol on September 25 last year -- several hours after England had played a one-day international against the West Indies in the city. Stokes, 27, and Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale all deny the charge. Wearing a blue suit and red tie, Stokes was driven to the city's Crown Court in a silver people-carrier and walked straight into the building flanked by the media. The charge he faces states that their "conduct was such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety". A 27-year-old man allegedly suffered a fractured eye socket in the incident, at which fellow England cricketer Alex Hales was also present. The trial is expected to last between five and seven days in courtroom one. Stokes missed the Ashes after being suspended from playing for England. Without him, England lost .
J-K Cong demands probe into killing of man at Farooq Abdullah's residence
The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee today demanded a probe into circumstances that led to the killing of a man who allegedly intruded into former chief minister Farooq Abdullah's house in the outskirts of Jammu. According to police, the man rammed his car into the front gate of the residence of Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah at Bhatindi in the outskirts of Jammu on August 4, and vandalised the house before being shot dead by the CRPF personnel guarding the premises. JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said the facts and circumstances leading into the unfortunate incident need to be brought out in public domain as the unusual incident has created a lot of panic and mistrust, Sharma said. "Since the boy was unarmed and had no past record of the doubtful nature and looking into manner the incident has taken place, it is a fit case which requires thorough investigation in a fair and transparent manner and the law must take its course in the matter," he added. He also .
Man sets afire 40-year-old woman, her two kin; one dies
A man allegedly set ablaze a 40- year-old woman, with whom he was having an extramarital affair, her married daughter and infant granddaughter here in Maharashtra today, police said. While the nine-month-old infant died, the two women suffered 80 per cent burn injuries and admitted to the Nashik Civil Hospital, where their condition is stated to be serious, Madhukar Kad, in-charge, Panchavati police station, said. The man, Jalil Khan, who is married, is absconding after the incident, he said. Khan was having an affair with the woman, Sangita Suresh Devre (40), for the last one year. They had a heated argument over some issue yesterday, the official said. He came to her home in Panchavati locality past midnight. Devre's 19-year-old daughter and her granddaughter were also in her home at that time, he said. Khan poured kerosene on all three, set them afire and fled the scene, Kad said. The accused has been booked under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) ..
LS takes up for discussion bill to restore SC/ST Act provisions
The Lok Sabha on Monday took up for discussion the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018, which seeks to overturn a Supreme Court order that struck down the provision for immediate arrest.
HC seeks senior law officer's assistance in plea on Pranab Mukherjee's book
The Delhi High Court sought the assistance of a senior law officer today before proceeding with a plea for deletion of references to the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya from a book written by former president Pranab Mukherjee. Justice Valmiki J Mehta appointed Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Maninder Acharya as amicus curiae (friend of the court) and listed the matter for further hearing on November 26. "In order to assist the court to decide on the merits of the appeal, before issuing notice, it would be desirable to appoint ASG Maninder Acharya as amicus curiae as the plea seeks deletion of portions of the book by former president Pranab Mukherjee," the court said. The development came on a plea moved by some lawyers and a social activist, seeking deletion of references to Babri Masjid demolition from Mukherjee's book, "Turbulent Years 1980-1996", claiming that they hurt Hindu sentiments. The book was published in 2016, when Mukherjee was the president. The plaintiffs ...
SC warns those obstructing sealing of illegal constructions in Delhi
The Supreme Court warned today that those obstructing the government officials from carrying out sealing of unauthorised and illegal constructions in Delhi would be sent directly to the Tihar jail from the court. The stern warning came from a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta, which accepted an unconditional apology tendered by Mukesh Suryan, the chairman of the wards committee of the Najafgarh zone, against whom allegations were levelled that he had threatened the officials. The Forum of MCD Engineers had alleged in the apex court that Suryan had threatened the officials when they had gone to seal unauthorised constructions as per directions of the court-mandated monitoring committee. During the brief hearing, Suryan's counsel told the bench that an affidavit tendering unconditional apology has been filed by Suryan and he would not repeat any such thing in the future. "Make sure that it is not repeated and if you will do it again, then come to the court with a suitcase
Kerala Church sex scandal: SC asks two priests to surrender by Aug 13, refuses pre-arrest bail
The Supreme Court today refused to grant anticipatory bail to two priests, accused of sexually abusing a married woman in the Kerala church sex scandal, and asked them to surrender before police by August 13. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said the two priests were at liberty to seek regular bail once they have surrendered. The Crime Branch of the Kerala Police had on July 2 registered a case against four priests on the basis of a statement given by a woman belonging to the same church who has accused them of sexually assaulting her on many occasions. The four priests attached to the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church were accused of sexually abusing the 34-year-old married woman by allegedly using her confessional statement. While two of them surrendered, two others -- Father Sony Verghese and Father Jaise K George -- had approached the apex court for anticipatory bail after their plea was rejected by the Kerala High Court on July 11. During today's hearing, senior ...