Page 1547 - Law Crime
Doctor couple, five others sentenced for amassing assets
An Anti Corruption Bureau court here today sentenced a doctor couple to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for misusing government post and amassing assets more than their known sources of income. A fine of Rs 50 lakh each was also imposed on them, Assistant Director of Prosecution (ADP), ACB court, Ahsaan Ahmad said. The court also sentenced in-laws of R P Sharma named Tejkaran Sharma, Chandrakanta Sharma, to three years of imprisonment and five years jail term to family members Geetanjali Sharma, Kishangopal Sharma and one other Aslam Pathan involved in manipulating the money with the couple, he said, adding that each of the five were also fined Rs 5 lakh. The in-laws were granted bail as they were 93 and 90 years-old while the five convicted were sent to the jail today, he said. The ACB court seized the private hospital owned by the couple in Kota and directed the government to acquire the hospital, Ahmad said. It is perhaps the first case of conviction where the court ordered ...
SC allows woman to live with her parents instead of husband
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a 20-year-old woman, who allegedly converted to Islam and married a Muslim man, to live with her parents.
India gives judges' names to Pakistan for panel's revival
Following External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's suggestion last year, India on Thursday communicated to Pakistan the names of four judges to revive the mechanism of the Joint Judicial Committee which looks into humanitarian issues of fishermen and prisoners in each other's custody.
HC refuses relaxation to student for missing classes due to pregnancy
The Delhi High Court has refused to grant any relaxation in attendance to a second-year law student of Delhi University who could not attend her classes regularly due to advanced stage of her pregnancy. Justice Rekha Palli said even though the court found that there may be a justification for the woman student's inability to attend regular classes of fourth semester of the LLB course, the relief sought by her cannot be granted in the light of the provisions of Rules of Legal Education of the Bar Council of India (BCI) and earlier decisions of the high court. "For the aforesaid reasons, the writ petition along with the pending application, is dismissed," the court said. The student, Ankita Meena, had sought a direction to DU to permit her to appear in the IV semester LLB examination which commenced on May 16. She said that she could not meet the requisite 70 per cent attendance criteria due to her pregnancy. Her lawyer submitted that the woman was a diligent student, who had been ...
SC upholds bail to Karim Morani in rape case; enhances personal bond
The Supreme Court today upheld the bail granted to Bollywood producer Karim Morani by the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh high court in a case of alleged rape of an aspiring actress, but enhanced the quantum of personal bond from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh. Morani has been accused by a 25-year-old woman of "aggravated" and "brutal rape" for over a period of six months. He has denied the allegations. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud upheld the relief, noting that no supervening circumstance has been made out to warrant cancellation of the bail and there was no material to indicate that he was guilty of conduct which would warrant him from being deprived of this liberty. "For the above reasons, we hold that the order of the High Court allowing the application for bail cannot be faulted. Moreover, no supervening circumstance has been made out to warrant the cancellation of the bail. There is no cogent material to indicate that the ...
Motorists on cellphones cannot be charged under a Ker police Act: HC
Motorists talking on cellphones cannot be charged under a Kerala Police Act, the state's high court has said and ruled in favour of a man, saying there was no provision in law barring use of the gadget. "In the absence of any statutory provision to hold that use of mobile phone while driving or riding a vehicle would amount to a dangerous act or it affects public safety, it is not possible to invoke Section 118(e) of the Kerala Police Act," the bench, comprising justices A M Shaffique and P Somarajan said in its recent order. Section 118(e) of Kerala Police Act, 2011, deals with acts causing danger to public or failure in public safety. The bench passed the order on a petition by M J Santhosh, challenging the police filing a charge sheet against him for the offence under the Act. He contended that his action would not fall within the ambit of Section 118(e) of the Act. The prosecution case was that Santhosh was found driving a car through a public road at high speed and was talking ..
Death sentence for 19-yr-old man in rape, murder case
A court in Dhar district today awarded death sentence to a 19-year-old man for rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in December last year. "Girls are the blessings of God and a criminal who mutilates them into corpse does not deserve leniency," sessions judge Akbar Sheikh said in the order. "From society's and legal view point, what the accused has done is unpardonable and it falls in the rarest of rare category," the court said while sentencing the accused, Karan Bheel, to death. "Looking at the gravity of the crime, only the death penalty will serve the purpose of justice delivery," the judge said. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 21,000 on Bheel, said prosecutor Sharad Purohit. According to the prosecution, Bheel abducted the girl from Jagannathpura village on December 15 last year. After raping her, he crushed her head with a stone, it said. After her body was found in a nearby forest, Bheel was arrested immediately and police filed a charge sheet within fifteen days. The ...
Why is Delhi Police forced to file frivolous cases against AAP leaders: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today attacked Lt Governor Anil Baijal, wondering why police were "forced" to file "frivolous cases" against leaders of the governing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The remarks come after the L-G office wrote to Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik seeking a status report in cases involving AAP MLAs. Kejriwal sought to know whether the L-G also asked for "similar report" in cases of crime against women. "Did the L-G ask for similar report in rape cases and cases of crime against women? No. "L-G and Centre's BJP government owe an answer to people of Delhi as to why police was forced to file these frivolous cases against AAP leaders and why was police's time wasted," Kejriwal tweeted. However, the L-G office did not respond to allegations. Reacting to the letter to police commissioner, AAP's Delhi unit chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged his party MLAs are "ill treated" and their arrest is made public in order to "spoil" their image. "The BJP's ...
Non-bailable warrant issued against ex-BJP MLA Kotadia
The Ahmedabad city civil and sessions court on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant against former BJP MLA from Dhari, Nalin Kotadia, accused of Bitcoin extortion of a builder.
Bail plea of Kejriwal's nephew dismissed
A court here on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's nephew Vinay Bansal arrested in connection with an alleged scam worth Rs 6 crore in the Public Works Department (PWD).
HC raps police for seeking remand of people even for petty offences
The Madras High Court has slammed police for invoking powers vested with them during "pre-independence era" and seeking remand of people even for petty offences. Justice M S Ramesh said the Supreme Court has time and again reiterated the cardinal principles, namely, "bail is the rule and jail is an exception and that persons accused of having committing a crime are presumed to be innocent, unless proven guilty." However, police have been invoking their powers vested in them during the "pre-independence era" and seeking remand of people even in petty offences, matrimonial disputes, criminal and commercial disputes, among others, the judge said. "Likewise, the jurisdictional trial courts have also been mechanically remanding such persons, overlooking these cardinal principles," the judge said. "It is needless to point out that when complaints are received for commission of heinous crime or offences which may have bearing on the society at large, or habitual offenders, the police ...
PWD scam: Court denies bail to contractor
A Delhi court today refused to grant bail to a contractor, arrested by the Anti Corruption Branch in connection with a construction scam, observing that the allegations levelled against him were grave. Special Judge Sanjay Khanagwal dismissed the bail application of Vinay Bansal, who was produced before the court on expiry of his one-day police custody, and sent him to judicial custody of 14 days. Bansal is the son of the late brother-in-law of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The judge, while denying him the relief, accepted the submissions of the investigating officer that despite the registration of the FIR since last one year, the accused has not joined the investigation and has not cooperated during custodial interrogation. The court said these facts "cannot be ignored at the time of consideration of bail". The court also noted that the offences alleged against the accused were not only of cheating but also of preparation of forged and fabricated bill for the purpose of ...
Two excise officials, driver jailed for accepting bribes
A special Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Kota today sent two officers and a driver of the excise department of Bundi district to jail for accepting bribes. District excise officer Kamlesh Parmar, circle inspector Manisha Rajpurohit and her driver Rooplal were arrested last night by ACB sleuths of Chittorgarh district. According to the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), ACB Chittorgarh Chiranji Lal Meena, the two accused demanded Rs 2 lakh as bribe for allocating land to complainants Bhagwat and Himmat Singh to set up a liquor shop. In addition, Bhagwat and Himmat were asked to cough up Rs 1 lakh in return for allowing them to keep their existing liquor shop in Ganeshpura area of the district. After negotiation, the final amount was fixed as Rs 2.5 lakh, the ASP said adding that Parmar was to get Rs 1.5 lakh and Rajpurohit, the remaining amount. However, as the permit for the new shop was just for one month instead of the usual 12 months, the miffed partners complained ..
Anandpal Singh's aide commits suicide: police
An aide of slain criminal Anandpal Singh allegedly committed suicide in Rajasthan's Neem Ka Thana area in this district, police said today. "Prakash Jat was a close aide of slain criminal Anandpal Singh. He was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his residence yesterday night," Neem ka Thana (Sadar) police station SHO Sheeshram Jat said. He claimed that Prakash Jat played a role in abduction of trader Vinod Saraf three years ago along with 'lady don' Anuradha, who was also linked to Singh. Prakash Jat was booked in several other kidnapping cases, he added. Prakash Jat was absconding after Saraf kidnapping case and had returned two days ago to his residence from Mumbai. The matter is being investigated, police said.
Cong-JD (S) should have waited for floor test outcome: AG
Attorney General K K Venugopal today criticised the Congress-JD (S) combine in the Supreme Court for taking the political battle of Karnataka to the judicial arena, saying the proper forum for them to contest the BJP's claim was the floor of the House. The Attorney General said the plea challenging Karnataka Governor's decision to invite BJP to form government should not have been filed and they should have waited for outcome of floor test. Venugopal, who vehemently opposed the plea seeking a stay of the swearing in ceremony, argued that the top court cannot question the Governor's discretion to call a party to form a government. "The whole issue is a grey area subject to speculation. Let the matter be heard at length," he said. A three-judge bench of Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan asked Venugopal on what basis Yeddyurappa has claimed stake to form government. "When the other side has given letter of support signed by the members from Congress and JD (S), on what ...
Woman killed, 18 injured in accident in Raj
A 55-year-old woman was today killed and 18 others injured after their tractor-trolley overturned in Bundi district, police said. The incident occurred when they were returning from a function following which the trolley overturned on the Kamleshwar Mahadev road after the driver lost control over the vehicle, sub inspector at Indergarh police station Laxmichand said. The woman was identified as Kelashbai Meena, a resident of Heerapur village. The injured were mostly women and children, he added. Around seven of the injured were referred to the Swaimadhopur district hospital while others are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Indergarh town, he said. The driver fled from the spot and the tractor-trolley was seized. A case of negligent driving was lodged against him, the SI said.
Pak anti-corruption court asks Sharifs to answer over 100 questions on posh London properties
An accountability court in Pakistan has raised over 100 questions to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law on their posh properties in London, according to a media report today. Sharif and his family are facing three corruption cases in the Accountability Court after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed cases against them following the Supreme Court's verdict in the Panama Papers case. Judge Mohammad Bashir handed over the questionnaire to the counsel for the Sharif family with a directive that the court would record their testimony tomorrow, Dawn newspaper reported. The court, hearing three corruption cases against the 68- year-old deposed prime minister, asked multiple questions about four apartments in Park Lane, Avenfield, London. The questions related to money trail, sale proceed of Gulf Steel Mills (GSM), shares of Ahli Steel Mills, investment with Qatari royals, clearance of GSM's liabilities, litigation with Al-Tawfeek Investment and ...
Kathua case: SC allows relatives to accompany students for questioning
The Supreme Court today allowed three college students, who are friends of a key accused in the sensational Kathua gang rape and murder case and have been made witnesses, to be accompanied by their relatives during their further questioning by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The top court, which rejected the plea for videography in the quizzing of the three witnesses by the Crime Branch, asked the police to carry out the probe in "fair manner". "We hope and trust the state shall carry investigation in a most fair manner without pressurising the witnesses. "A relative of each of the witnesses shall be allowed to accompany him, but the said relative shall not enter the investigation room. However, he shall remain at a reasonably visible distance," a bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said. The bench made it clear that it should not "remotely be inferred (from its order) that there is any kind of harassment by the investigating ...
Karnataka crisis among several when SC burnt midnight oil
The drama and excitement thrown up by the crisis in Karnataka crisis was not the lone case in the history of the Supreme Court burning the midnight oil. The historic hearing, which paved the way for today's swearing-in of B S Yeddyurappa as the Chief Minister of the state, witnessed examples cited by senior lawyers about some of the previous post-midnight hearings in the apex court. Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for some BJP MLAs, recalled his experience when a bench on July 29, 2015, sat through the midnight to consider an urgent plea to stay the scheduled execution of lone death row convict of 1993 Mumbai blasts case, Yakub Memon, at 6 AM the next day. Rohatgi, who opposed the hearing of the Karnataka crisis at night, said it was not like Memon's case which concerned a life and death situation, to be considered for urgent hearing in the wee hours. He faced opposition from a lawyer from other side who justified the ongoing hearing saying the Constitution was ...
SC allows 20-yr old woman to live with her parents
The Supreme Court today allowed a 20-year old woman to live with her parents instead of her alleged husband, saying being a major, she was "free" to lead her life as per her wish. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud took the decision after interacting with the woman, who expressed her desire to go with her parents residing in Haldwani district of Uttarakhand. However, it did not touch the aspect of their marriage. The top court disposed of a habeas corpus petition filed by 23-year-old Mohammad Danish seeking that his wife be freed from the custody of her parents. "After we made some queries, we find that she has a clear mind and intends to stay with her parents. In view of the aforesaid, the habeas corpus petition filed by the petitioner shall stands disposed of," the bench said, without touching the aspect of marriage. During the hearing, the bench asked the woman with whom she wanted to go and what did she want to be. "You are a major