Page 1603 - Law Crime
Independence of judiciary among foundations of democracy: Outgoing SC judge
Outgoing judge of the Supreme Court Justice R K Agrawal today said the independence of judiciary was one of the foundations of democracy and the freedom of the Bar presupposes an independent judiciary. Justice Agrawal, who retired today after a four-year stint at the Supreme Court, said that the Bar and the Bench were indispensable to a free society. "The independence of judiciary is one of the foundations of democracy and lawyers have worked hard to maintain the pillars of democracy. The freedom of Bar presupposes an independent judiciary through which their freedom may, if necessary, be vindicated," Justice Agrawal said. He was delivering his farewell speech at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, who was the chief guest at the event, said it was the duty of the judges to show respect to the lawyers despite their age or status. "The Supreme Court is one. The bar nurtures us and on every occasion, I have told the young .
Man arrested for killing live-in partner, her minor son
A 29-year-old man was arrested from Jharkhand for allegedly killing his live-in partner and her minor son in southeast Delhi's Okhla area, police said. The accused allegedly killed the woman since he suspected her of infidelity, they said. On April 23, the accused purchased a bottle of liquor and after reaching home, he offered her drink. When she lost consciousness, he allegedly stabbed her in the neck and slit her throat. Later, he also silt the throat of the minor boy who was sleeping, police said. Police were informed about a foul smell emanating from the first floor of a house on April 25. The police team broke open the lock and found two decomposed bodies of a woman aged about 30-32 years and a boy aged around 8-10 years, they said. During inquiry from the landlord of the house, it was revealed that the woman and her son were living in the house along with the man from the last 8-10 months, they said. The landlord told police that they were introverts and were not in touch with .
Chopped body of woman found floating in canal
Parts of a woman's body were found floating in a canal in outer Delhi's Mianwali Nagar today, the police said. The body was cut into three pieces, with the head found floating at a distance, while the torso and the legs were floating separately, they said. The torso was wrapped in a blanket and then covered by a sack, but the legs were not covered in any cloth, a senior police officer said. The police were informed about the body around 4 pm. The police officer said it is suspected that the woman was killed somewhere else and her body was dumped in the canal after cutting it into three pieces to conceal her identity. It appears that the woman was in her 20s, the officer said, adding they are focussing on identifying the victim. "We are checking the database of missing people and have also informed police stations across Delhi to inform us if any woman, in her 20s, was reported to be missing in the last few days. "Since the area where the body was found is bordering Haryana, we are ...
HC wants to know why liquor shops open before lunch time in TN
Questioning the functioning of government-run liquor outlets in Tamil Nadu even before lunch time, the Madras High Court has sought to know why they should not be opened from 2 PM. "It is not known as to why the outlets are opened even before lunch hours... Why should not they be opened from 2 pm after lunch," the court said in a recent interim order. It was referring to the timings of the outlets run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, the sole retailer of Indian Made Foreign Liquor in the state, which function from 12 noon to 10 pm. The observation was made by a division bench comprising justices N Kirubakaran and V Parthiban while directing the state DGP, city Commissioner of Police and the TASMAC to continue the crackdown on illegal bars and outlets across the state. The court rejected a report filed by the DGP on the number of FIRs and arrests made in connection with the illegal bars, saying it was not convinced with the action taken so far. Citing the report that said
SC no to interfering in journalist Rai's arrest; CBI gets custody
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the arrest of senior journalist Upendra Rai for dubious transactions in his accounts to the tune of over Rs 100 crore as a court sent him to three-day CBI custody.
SC asks HC to decide Kamla Mills owner's bail application on May 9
The Supreme Court today asked the Bombay High Court to consider the bail application of Ramesh Gowani, the owner of the Kamla Mills complex in Mumbai where 14 persons were killed in a major fire in December last year. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said the vacation judge of Bombay High Court may take up the bail application of accused Gowani on May 9 and decide in accordance with law. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Gowani, said he had filed the bail application on April 17 before the high court and the matter was taken up for hearing on April 25. "On April 25, the presiding judge recused himself from the case and thereafter the bail application has not been listed and now the High Court is on summer vacation," Rohatgi said. The bench said even if the high court is on vacation, the vacation judge can take up the matter and dispose of Gowani's petition. Meanwhile, the apex court listed an appeal of Yug Tuli, the co-owner of the Mojo's Bistro restaurant ...
Duty of judges to show respect to lawyers: CJI
Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra today said it was the duty of the judges to show respect to the lawyers despite their age or status. Justice Misra was speaking at a function to bid farewell to Justice R K Agrawal, who retired from the apex court today. "The Supreme Court is one. The bar nurtures us and on every occasion, I have told the young members of the bar to be the guiding angels. It's not the age, it is the entry into the Bar that makes you an angel. Whatever be your stature or status, you deserve respect and it is the duty of the judges to show respect to the members of the bar despite their age or status," he said. On Justice Agrawal, the CJI said he was "getting liberated from one assignment... If you feel envy, you are boycotting him. If you are jealous, you give him another five years to work. When, where and how, I can't say." "But if that is the desire of the Bar, definitely you will have it. And I take it as a concurrence from the Bar that you want him somewhere. I ..
2 Sudanese arrested for sexually assaulting Ugandan woman
Two Sudanese nationals have been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman from Uganda here. The incident occurred last night, police said. They said the 21-year-old woman had come to the city last week to meet one of the suspects, who is known to her. Amar Hasan and Mohammad Fageer are pursuing professional courses in the city, police said. They were arrested this afternoon, police said.
Emma Watson tweets support for Kathua rape victim's lawyer
"Harry Potter" star Emma Watson has tweeted her support to Deepika Singh Rajawat, the lawyer representing the family of the girl who was raped and murdered in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua. "All power to Deepika Singh Rajawat," tweeted Watson while reacting to a Buzzfeed photo article on the lawyer. Rajawat had claimed that she received death threats, including lawyers from the Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association, for representing the case. The rape and murder of the eight-year-old girl from the Bakarwal tribe of Jammu and Kashmir had sparked widespread outrage in the country.
MP Baijayant Panda booked on charge of filing in incorrect poll affidavit
Odisha police today registered a criminal case against suspended BJD MP Baijayant Panda on the charge of filing incorrect affidavit for the 2014 general election, following a direction from a court. Panda represents Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency and was suspended by BJD in January for alleged anti-party activities. A case was registered against Panda under IPC sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) and section 125-A of the Representation of People Act following directions by the Kendrapara sub-divisional magistrate court yesterday, sub-divisional police officer Rajib Lochan Panda said. Investigation has been launched with the registration of the case, police said adding that it will verify the MP's poll affidavit documents. Panda may be quizzed in connection with the case, the SDPO added. The SDJM court acting on a petition by Dillip Das, a resident of Thakurhaat, had issued directions to the police to register a criminal case against the sitting Lok Sabha MP and ..
SC refuse to interfere with scribe's arrest, sent to 3-day CBI custody
Delhi-based journalist Upendra Rai was today sent to three-day CBI custody by a special court, hours after Supreme Court refused to interfere with his arrest for alleged involvement in dubious financial transactions and fraudulently acquiring an airport access pass. Special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann remanded Rai to CBI custody after the probe agency told the special court that substantial amount of incriminating material have been recovered and he has not been cooperating with the investigation. The CBI had yesterday arrested Rai for allegedly indulging in dubious financial transactions and getting an airport access pass made by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) by furnishing false information. The journalist in the morning claimed before the apex court that there was a witch-hunt by the investigating agencies against him and said whenever he made any averments against officials probing 2G spectrum allocation cases, he was falsely implicated. A bench of Justices A K ...
HC orders release of funds from accounts of Jignesh Shah firm
The Bombay High Court today directed the Maharashtra government to release Rs 13 crore from the 'frozen' accounts of the firm '63 Moons', owned by NSEL scam accused Jignesh Shah, to enable it pay salaries and meet day-to-day expenses. A bench of justices Shantanu Kemkar and M S Karnik said 63 Moons must ensure that the money is used only for these two purposes, and this should be verified by an independent auditor. The government had issued a directive on April 4 to the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police to freeze operating accounts of the company, as several depositors had lodged complaints of fraud against 63 Moons, owned National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL). Depositors had alleged that NSEL, run by erstwhile FTIL (later renamed as 63 Moons), promoted by Shah, collected money by promising attractive returns, but failed to return the money on maturity. Last month, 63 Moons moved the high court seeking that the EOW be directed to "de-freeze" its bank accounts, so that it could ..
Kathua case: Probe be handed over to CBI, accused tells SC
Two prime accused in the Kathua gangrape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl today told the Supreme Court that the probe in the case should be handed over to the CBI so that justice can be meted out to the victim. They also opposed a plea seeking transfer of trial to Chandigarh. Sanji Ram and Vishal Jangotra, who were chargesheeted by the crime branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police in the case, claimed that the police had miserably failed to conduct a "fair and effective" probe and alleged that "tainted" officers were part of special investigation team (SIT) which probed the matter. In an affidavit filed in the top court, the accused have opposed the plea of the victim's father seeking transfer of trial from Kathua to Chandigarh, saying there were 221 prosecution witnesses in the case and it would be "impossible" for them to attend court proceedings at Chandigarh, which is approximately 265 Km from Kathua. "In the interest of justice and fair play, the investigation so far carried .
Group of women demands CBI probe into Kathua rape-and-murder case
A group of five women submitted a "factual" report on the brutal rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, and demanded a CBI probe into the incident. The five women are retired judge Meera Khadakkar, Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora, Delhi University professor Sonali Chaitalkar, social activist Monicca Agarwaal and journalist Sarjana Sharma. The report claimed that the charge sheet filed by the Jammu and Kashmir crime branch in the case had discrepancies and the investigation was "botched-up". The women, who call themselves a Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA), said they had met more than 25 people including the victim's family, the family members of the accused, and some influential people from the nomadic community to which the girl belonged. During their stay in Jammu and Kashmir, they had called on Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. The crime branch has ...
HC seeks CBI response on rape-murder convict's plea to write exam
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Delhi government to file a response on a plea by Santosh Kumar Singh, serving a life term for rape and murder of a law student in 1996, seeking parole to write the LLM examination.
Nirbhaya: Convicts plead mercy, SC reserves order on plea for reviewing death penalty
The judiciary cannot decide whether a person will live or die as "execution kills criminals but not the crime." This submission was made by two of the four convicts, sent to the death row in the sensational 'Nirbhaya' gang rape and murder case, today told the Supreme Court seeking a review of its 2017 verdict upholding the death penalty awarded to them. A special bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra reserved its order on the plea after hearing arguments on behalf of the condemned prisoners Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta who have sought a review of its verdict, and asked the Delhi Police and the counsel for convicts to file written submissions by May 8. The top court, on May 5, 2017, had upheld the verdict of the Delhi High Court and the trial court awarding capital punishment to four convicts--Mukesh (29), Pawan Gupta (22), Vinay Sharma (23) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31)-- in the sensational case that related to gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student on December ...
Missing schoolgirl found on the roadside with injuries
A 15-year-old schoolgirl, who went missing since yesterday, was today recovered from a roadside in the southern part of the city's Golf Green area with clothes torn and drenched in blood, police said. According to a senior police officer at the Jadavpur police station, the girl had injuries all over her body and is undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital. Locals in the Golf Green area spotted the girl today morning and informed the police. "She was wearing different clothes other than her school uniform in which she had left home yesterday. We found that dress inside her school bag and found a pair of earrings and a chain at the place where she was found this morning," the officer said. Asked if the girl was sexually assaulted, the officer said only medical reports would be able to establish it. Police are also checking if she was kidnapped. "She is unable to speak at the moment. We need to talk to her to get the details of what actually happened last night. Talking .
ED summons BJD MLA over 'links' with criminals
The Enforcement Directorate has directed Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Pranab Balabantaray to appear for quesioning on May 7 on his alleged links with arrested gangster brothers Sushil and Sushant Dhal Samant.
Notice to impeach CJI unwarranted: BAI
The notice for impeachment of the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra was "unwarranted" and an assault on the judiciary, the Bar Association of India (BAI) said today. Stressing on the need to bring transparency in the judiciary, the laywers' body passed a resolution to improve judicial governance in the backdrop of the public scrutiny faced by Supreme Court judges. We (BAI executive committee) believe that the motion for impeachment of the Chief Justice of India, considering the facts and circumstances, was unwarranted, and was an assault on the institution of Indian judiciary," BAI President Lalit Bhasin said in a press release today. The resolution said apex court judges should collectively establish an institutional structure for the internal governance of judiciary. The impeachment notice submitted by seven opposition parties led by the Congress last month was rejected by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. Bhasin said, "There is a dire need to bring transparency in the Indian .
15 held for betting on IPL matches, Rs 55,000 seized
Fifteen people, including an assistant professor of a private university, have been arrested for allegedly being involved in betting on Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, a police official said today. SP (City) Akash Tomar said officials of Ghantaghar Kotwali GT Road and Sahibabad police conducted two raids yesterday and arrested the accused on the charge of accepting bets on IPL matches. Ghantaghar Kotwali police arrested seven people, including the assistant professor, from a shop in Ansal building at Rajnagar district centre and seized Rs 28,000 in cash, a laptop, 10 mobile phone and some other electronic equipment, the SP said. Sahibabad police arrested 8 bookies, and seized seven mobiles, Rs 27,000 in cash and other accessories from them, the officer said.