Page 1552 - Law Crime
Kathua rape-murder: SC allows J&K to file status report
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch to file a status report in the Kathua gang rape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl.
HC dismisses PIL seeking CBI probe into college sex scandal
The Madras High Court today dismissed a PIL seeking CBI probe into the alleged sex scandal involving a woman college teacher. The vacation bench comprising Justice R Subramanian and Justice M Dhandapani dismissed the PIL filed by G S Mani, an advocate practising in the Supreme Court. Citing the ongoing state CB-CID probe and pendency of a petition seeking setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to deal with the matter, the bench said hence, the PIL could not be entertained. The matter relates to alleged attempt by Nirmala Devi, an assistant professor of an arts college in Aruppukottai in Virudhunagar district, to lure girl students to extend sexual favours to higher education officials in return for marks and money. The college is affiliated to the Madurai Kamaraj University. Devi has been arrested while Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, in his capacity as the chancellor of the university, had set up a one-man inquiry committee to look into the allegations. The .
2 members of international drug cartel arrested in UP
Two men, suspected to be the members of an international drug cartel, were arrested today by Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and 24.5 kg of charas worth Rs 2.5 crore was seized from them, an official said. Acting on a tip-off, the STF reached at Ramnagar Kadjahan near Gorakhpur-Deoria highway NH 27 in the Khorabar area and intercepted an ambulance, the official said. It was learnt that the members of this cartel were involved in the supply of high grade charas in Kairana, he said. The charas was smuggled from Nepal, he said. The sleuths arrested Mohammad Sohrab and Qadir Ahmad alias Jugnu, both residents of Sultanpur district. They also seized 24.5 kg of charas worth Rs 2.5 crore, two driving licences, voter cards, two Aadhaar cards and cash worth Rs 15,000, the official said.
Take steps for speedy disposal of appeals in HCs, lower courts: SC to govt
The Supreme Court today took strong note of denial of bail to the accused whose pleas have been pending in Madhya Pradesh high court for almost two decades and asked the Centre whether any steps were being taken to expedite it. The apex court was informed that Madhya Pradesh High Court was currently hearing criminal appeals of the years 2001 and 2002. A bench of Justices Adarsh Goel and Indu Malhotra issued notice to Centre and Madhya Pradesh government to specify the steps being taken for expeditious disposal of such appeals by creating an alternative forum, especially for the accused in custody. The court was hearing a plea challenging denial of bail to an accused by the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on the ground that appeal is pending. "Issue notice to the Union of India as well as to the State of Madhya Pradesh to consider whether any steps are being taken to ensure expeditious hearing of such appeals by creating an alternative forum as suggested...", the bench ...
CBI files charge sheet against Choksi, ex-PNB MD in USD 2 bn scam case
Gitanjali group owner Mehul Choksi and Allahabad Bank CEO Usha Ananthasubramanian along with 13 others were today charged by the CBI for alleged cheating and corruption in the issuance of fraudulent letters of undertakings worth Rs 7080.86 crore from Punjab National Bank in the country's biggest banking scam case. In addition, three companies of Choksi -- Gitanjali Gems Ltd, Gili India Ltd and Nakshatra Brands Ltd -- have also been made accused in the charge sheet filed before a special CBI court in Mumbai, officials said. The charge sheet pertains to a second FIR related to alleged crimes of Choksi and his companies in the series of three such cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the over USD 2 billion scam case in which jeweller's nephew Nirav Modi is also an accused, they said. The agency has alleged Rs 7080.86 crore were siphoned off by Choksi and his companies using 142 letters of undertaking and 58 foreign letters of credit, the officials said. Choksi and ..
IAS officer Nirmala Meena surrenders before the ACB
Absconding IAS officer Nirmala Meena surrendered before the ACB today after the Supreme Court rejected her anticipatory bail plea on May 10. The then District Supply Officer (DSO) of Jodhpur, Meena had been suspended after the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) had registered a case of alleged irregularities in distribution of wheat. DIG (ACB) Ajaypal Lamba said Meena had been arrested and will be quizzed soon. Her successive anticipatory bail applications had been rejected by various courts. Meena was wanted for alleged irregularities in the distribution of 35,000 quintal wheat meant for below poverty line (BPL) families. She allegedly sold the wheat to private flour mills as the DSO, Jodhpur in March 2016. According to Anti-Corruption Bureau, it was a scam of nearly Rs eight crore After an investigation, the ACB had registered an FIR against her. Besides the case, the ACB had also registered a separate FIR against the suspended IAS officer and her husband Pawan Mittal for allegedly ...
2G money laundering case: HC seeks ED reply on firms' plea on assets
The Delhi High Court today sought the Enforcement Directorate's response on a plea by two companies, which were acquitted in the money laundering case arising out of the 2G scam, seeking modification of an earlier order for maintaining status quo regarding the release of their attached properties. The plea came up for hearing before Justice S P Garg who listed it for further hearing on July 27. The firms Eversmile Construction Company Pvt Ltd and Conwood Construction & Developers Pvt Ltd, represented through senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, sought modification of the March 21 order of the high court and claimed that the ED has attached assets more than what was required. The high court had on March 21 said that "status quo as obtains today shall be maintained by the parties regarding the release of attached property". The court's order had come while seeking response of former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and 17 others on the appeal of ED challenging their acquittal ..
CBI files charge sheet filed against Choksi, ex-PNB MD in USD 2 bn scam case
Gitanjali group owner Mehul Choksi and Allahabad Bank CEO Usha Ananthasubramanian along with 13 others were today charged by the CBI for alleged cheating and corruption in the issuance of fraudulent letters of undertakings worth Rs 7080.86 crore from Punjab National Bank in the country's biggest banking scam case. In addition, three companies of Choksi -- Gitanjali Gems Ltd, Gili India Ltd and Nakshatra Brands Ltd -- have also been made accused in the charge sheet filed before a special CBI court in Mumbai, officials said. The charge sheet pertains to a second FIR related to alleged crimes of Choksi and his companies in the series of three such cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the over USD 2 billion scam case in which jeweller's nephew Nirav Modi is also an accused, they said. The agency has alleged Rs 7080.86 crore were siphoned off by Choksi and his companies using 142 letters of undertaking and 58 foreign letters of credit, the officials said. Choksi and ..
SC rejects ex-UP Minister Gayatri Prajapati's bail plea in gangrape case
The Supreme Court today dismissed the bail plea of former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in an alleged gangrape case in which he is one of the accused. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan dismissed the bail plea of Prajapati. The apex court had earlier sought response from Uttar Pradesh police on Prajapati's petition challenging the Allahabad High Court's December last year's order dismissing his plea seeking bail in the case. Prajapati was sacked as a minister by then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav from his cabinet in 2016 during a family feud with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav. He was later reinstated in the council of ministers in Uttar Pradesh. An FIR was lodged in the matter at Gautampalli police station in Lucknow after the Supreme Court last year rebuked the state police during the then Samajwadi Party regime for not registering the case. A Chitrakoot-based woman had accused the former minister and his accomplices of rape. ...
Police: Tulsa mom stabbed eldest daughter up to 70 times
A Tulsa mother stabbed her eldest daughter 50 to 70 times, struck her head with a pick-axe then set their home on fire, before fleeing the scene with the youngest of her three daughters, according to police. Taheerah Ahmad, 39, was arrested in downtown Tulsa Tuesday afternoon. Authorities accuse her of attacking her 11-year-old daughter Monday night and fleeing with her 8-year-old daughter. The younger daughter, who authorities initially said was 7, was found safe with her mother. Ahmad was being held Wednesday on complaints of arson, child abuse and assault and battery with the intent to kill. She was jailed without bond. The 11-year-old girl remained in critical condition. According to an arrest report, Ahmad told investigators she was upset with her children "because of the way they were reading and looking at her." Police said Ahmad bound and gagged her three daughters, then attacked the eldest. Police have not said what the girls were reading. The 8-year-old girl helped her ...
Ishrat case: I never fired from my gun, says accused ex-cop
A special court in Ahmedabad today concluded the hearing on the discharge application of former Gujarat police officer N K Amin in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case. "I never fired from gun," said Amin, who argued in person before CBI judge J K Pandya. Testimonies of witnesses produced by the CBI, which investigated the case, were not reliable, as some of them were accused-turned-prosecution witnesses, he said. Satish Verma, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer, who assisted the CBI in the investigation, "tampered with the evidence," Amin alleged. The agency had said in the chargesheet that Amin fired five rounds at Ishrat and four others during the alleged fake encounter. Amin also sought relief on the ground of parity, as former in-charge DGP of Gujarat P P Pandey, a former accused in the case, has been granted discharge by the court. The CBI lawyer maintained that it had sufficient evidence against Amin as well as retired IPS officer D G Vanzara, another accused whose ...
SC asks JAL to deposit Rs 1,000 crore by June 15
The Supreme Court today directed realty firm Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL) to deposit Rs 1,000 crore, in addition to Rs 750 crore already deposited, by June 15 to provide refunds to the hassled home buyers. On submission of the amount, the liquidation proceedings against Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL), a subsidiary of holding company JAL, shall remain stayed, the top court said. The direction came from a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra when lawyer Anupam Lal Das, counsel for the JAL, said that holding firm JAL be allowed to revive its crisis-hit subsidiary JIL as its liquidation would neither be in the interest of creditors, nor in the interest of home buyers. The bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, directed that in case of default in depositing the money by June 15, "the statutory proceedings against JIL shall proceed". It then asked lawyer Pawan Shree Agrawal, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae, to disburse money to ...
HC raps police for practice of waiting 72 hrs for autopsy of unidentified bodies
The Delhi High Court today rapped the police for its practice of waiting 72 hours, as per a standing order of the Delhi Police Commissioner, to carry out post-mortem of unidentified bodies. The practice came to light after a news report said police was yet to carry out a post-mortem of an unidentified woman found dead near Shanti Van area here two days back. Pulling up the police for the delay, the high court said the agency's decision to wait for 72 hours would have led to loss of valuable medical and forensic evidence. Taking suo motu cognisance of the news report which said that according to norms if the body was not identified after 73 hours it would be cremated without an autopsy, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar asked the Delhi Police which law permits it to wait for so long without carrying out a post-mortem. Senior police officers, including an Additional DCP, who were present in court said there was a September 2010 standing order of the .
Phagwara clash: 5 Dalit activists arrested
Police today arrested five Dalit activists in connection with a clash that took place on April 13 between members of the community and Hindu right-wing groups on the issue of renaming an NH1 traffic intersection, an official said. Harbhajan Suman, president of Ambedkar Sena today surrendered before the police here while four others -- Baljinder Kumar, Sanjiv Kumar, Davinder Deep and Pradeep -- were arrested by the police, he said. They were produced in a local court which sent them to judicial custody till May 25, they said. On April 13, clashes erupted in Phagwara between members of Dalit outfits and Hindu right-wing groups after Dalit members allegedly put up a board with a picture of B R Ambedkar at Gol Chowk. They also tried to rename the intersection as Samvidhan Chowk.
Pak anti-graft court asks Sharif to record statement on Friday in Panamagate
A Pakistani anti-graft court trying ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly buying properties in the UK through corruption today asked him to record his statement in the Panama Papers case on Friday. Three cases were launched last year against Sharif, 68, and his family including the Avenfield case about posh properties in London which were allegedly bought in 1990s when he twice served as prime minister. Sharif's daughter Maryam, sons Hassan and Hussain and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar are co-accused in the case. The court also asked his daughter and son-in-law to record their statements. His two sons have been declared absconders as they are living abroad and never appeared before the court. Judge Muhammad Bashir ordered to provide a list of questions regarding the case. Under the law, the three accused will record their testimonies and also face cross-examinations by the prosecution. Maryam and Safdar are co-accused only in Avenfield properties case while Sharif and his two .
CBI chargesheet blames PNB officials in Gitanjali Group scam
Putting the blame squarely on the top officials of the Punjab National Bank (PNB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a second chargesheet in the Rs 7,080.86 crore fraud case against absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi, his Gitanjali Group of companies and senior past and present officials of the PNB, here on Wednesday, officials said.
Sohrabuddin case: One more witness turns hostile
One more prosecution witness in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases turned hostile before a special CBI court here today, taking the total number of such witnesses to 59. The court has so far examined over 85 prosecution witnesses, of whom 59 have turned hostile. Two witnesses -- Sushil Tiwari, an advocate, and his clerk Devendra Sharma -- deposed before special judge S J Sharma. Of them, Tiwari retracted his past statement, while Sharma stood by his earlier statement given to the investigating agency. As per Tiwari's earlier statement, he had met Prajapati in May 2006 at the district court in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on the request of Sharma, who was known to Prajapati. Prajapati was brought from the Udaipur central jail to Ujjain for his appearance in the district court. As per the statement, Prajapati had told Tiwari that there was a conspiracy to kill him inside the jail and he had been assaulted, along with his fellow inmates, inside the ...
Woman scholar allegedly attempts to commit suicide by setting
A 25-year-old research scholar of the city-based University of Hyderabad suffered burns when she allegedly tried to commit suicide in the campus hostel by setting herself ablaze apparently due to "depression", police said today. The incident occurred around 1 am today when the woman PhD student, a native of Cuttack in Odisha, allegedly set herself on fire, they said. She was immediately rushed to the health centre on the university campus and later shifted to a private hospital from where she was taken to the state-run Osmania General Hospital, they said. She is suspected to have lit a matchstick to her clothes and set herself on fire. As per preliminary investigation, she was reportedly suffering from "mental depression" and attempted suicide by setting herself ablaze, Assistant Commissioner of Police N Shyam Prasad Rao said. "She suffered 50 per cent burn injuries in the incident. Her parents have been informed," the ACP said. The officer said the student's statement ..
5 minor boys rescued, 2 traffickers held in Assam
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued five minor boys and arrested two traffickers from Rangiya Railway Staion in Assam, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials said on Wednesday.
Punjab govt declares holiday in Shahkot on May 28
The Punjab government has announced holiday on May 28 in Shahkot in view of the bypoll. This step has been taken to facilitate the voters to exercise their right to vote, said an official spokesperson. As per the provisions of the Negotiable instrument Act, 1881, all the government offices, boards corporations and educational institutes of the constituency will remain closed on that day. He further said if an employee, who is enrolled in a voter list of Shahkot and works at another place, he or she will be entitled for a special leave on May 28 from a competent authority after submitting the proof regarding this. This special leave will not be deducted from the holiday account of the concerned employee. The Shahkot bypoll, which was necessitated following the death of sitting Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Ajit Singh Kohar, would be held on May 28.