Page 1642 - Law Crime
HC directs Centre, TN govt to reply to plea on Sterlite plant
The Madras High Court today directed the Centre and Tamil Nadu government to file their response by June 7 on a petition seeking to restrain Vedanta group's Sterlite Industries copper smelter plant from operating in Tuticorin district, citing environmental concerns. When the matter came up before a bench of justices C T Selvam and A M Basheer Ahmed, the Tamil Nadu government's counsel submitted that permission for expansion of the unit has not been given and the permit for the functioning of the factory had expired. The bench then posted the case for June 7. The matter relates to the petition filed by MDMK chief Vaiko seeking to restrain Sterlite Industries copper smelter plant from operating in Melavattan in that district. Vaiko contended that the factory had caused pollution and affected the health of the people, and also farming. The PIL comes in the backdrop of protests by locals in and around the plant, demanding its closure on ground that it allegedly caused pollution, a charge .
Cop arrested with heroin in Jammu
Police has arrested a cop in connection with smuggling of heroin in Jammu city and recovered 10 gram of contraband from his possession. During checking at Valmiki Chowk here, a police party signaled a biker for checking and recovered 10 grams of heroin from his possession, a police officer said. During preliminary enquiry, it came to light that accused motorcyclist belongs to J&K Police and presently posted in 11th battalion of Indian Reserve Police (IRP). He was arrested and a case has been registered at Police Station Gandhi Nagar, the officer said.
SC refuses to stay warrant of appointment of Indu Malhotra
The Supreme Court today refused to stay the Presidential warrant appointing senior woman lawyer Indu Malhotra as an apex court judge and termed the plea of advocates on it as "unimaginable," "unthinkable," "unconscionable" and "never heard before." A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra took strong note of submission of senior advocate Indira Jaising that Malhotra be not sworn in as the apex court judge and the Centre be directed to recommend the name of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph as well. "What kind of prayer is this," the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said, adding that the Centre is "well within its right to send back the recommendation for reconsideration." "Supposing the government is sending it for reconsideration, it will be seen. You are saying 'stay the warrant.' It is unthinkable, unconscionable, unimaginable and if I may add 'never heard before'," the CJI said. Jaising referred to the Centre's decision of segregating ..
HC upholds conviction of man for raping minor 18 years ago
Observing that heinous offences like rape of a minor girl cannot be treated with laxity especially after the 2012 Delhi gang-rape incident, the Bombay High Court has upheld the conviction of a 37-year-old man for raping a teenager 18 years ago. In the order passed last week, Justice Bharati Dangre dismissed the appeal filed by the man, who was 19 years old at the time of the incident, challenging an order passed by the Pune sessions court that convicted him for raping the girl, who was 16 years old then. The sessions court, in its order passed in February 2002, had sentenced him to seven years jail in the case. The high court ordered him to surrender before the sessions court in Pune within a month to undergo his sentence period. The man in his appeal in the HC claimed that he was in a consensual relationship with the girl, who at that time was 18 years old. The prosecution, however, claimed that the girl was only 16 years old and that the accused had forced himself on her. It
Indonesia sentences eight Taiwanese drug smugglers to death: court
Eight Taiwanese drug smugglers were sentenced to death by an Indonesian court today after being nabbed with over a ton of crystal methamphetamine in a country that has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws. The men, who were arrested during raids last July when the narcotics network's suspected leader was killed in a shootout with Indonesian police, were sentenced at the South Jakarta District Court.
SC will transfer Kathua trial out of J&K on 'slightest' sign of unfairness
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will shift the Kathua gang-rape and murder trial out of Jammu and Kashmir at the "slightest possibility of lack of a fair trial".
Schoolteacher gets 10-year rigourous imprisonment for sexual abuse of student
A court here has sentenced a 44-year-old schoolteacher to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl student two years ago. Additional District and Sessions Court Judge S Sivakadatcham handed out the sentence to Sivanesan working in a government high school at Surakudi in the district yesterday. He pronounced the verdict and slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on Sivanesan. Hailing from Puducherry, the teacher assaulted the Class 6 girl during the lunch break on August 4, 2016, when she had visited him in the staff room to get her notebook corrected, according to the prosecution. After abusing her, Sivanesan threatened her to not reveal the incident to anyone, they added. The student had suffered severe stress and injuries. Her parents got to know about the incident only on August 11, they added. On a complaint, Tirunallar police arrested Sivanesan.
Two BJP corporators among three booked for extortion
A case has been filed against two BJP corporators and another local party leader after a builder complained that they allegedly extorted Rs 20 lakh from him and beat him up, the police said today. The offences were registered against the three - Nilesh Chowdhari, leader of the BJP group in the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation in the district, Hanuman Chowdhari, the BJP leader and ward president in Bhiwandi, and Mahesh Patil, a party leader from the township, Thane Police PRO Sukhada Narkar said. No arrest has been made so far, she said. According to the complaint filed by builder Vikas Rathi, the accused had demanded Rs 60 lakh from him since 2012, she said. The builder also alleged that the accused took him to an office of one of them and beat him up, and extorted a total of Rs 20 lakh from him over a period of time, Narkar said. The victim approached the Thane police's anti- extortion cell chief Pradeep Sharma, who directed the Narpoli police to register ...
Independence of judiciary is in danger: Cong
The Congress today said that the independence of the judiciary "is in danger" and asked if it would now speak in one voice to state "enough is enough". Congress's sharp reaction came after the government returned to the Supreme Court collegium its recommendation to elevate Justice K M Joseph to the apex court and asked it to reconsider it. "Indian judiciary is in danger. And if our judiciary is not united to protect its independence then democracy is in danger.... they want to pack High Courts with their won people," senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal told reporters here. Sibal said that there are 410 vacancies of judges across the country out of the total approved strength of 1079 judges. "We want to know as to who will stand for judicial independence. Will the judiciary speak in one voice that enough is enough," he said.
Minor girl raped by relative, found pregnant during medical examination
A young girl was allegedly raped by her relative and found to be pregnant during medical examination when she complained of an abdominal pain in a village in Ginnaur area here, police said today. According to the police, the incident came to light yesterday when the girl, claimed to be a minor by her family members, complained of a pain in the abdomen and the doctors diagnosed that she was pregnant. Late last night, she delivered a still born baby at the district hospital here, said Ginnaur Police Station SHO Vinay Kumar. He said that the age of the victim will be known only after the medical examination The father of the girl has lodged an FIR against their relative, Ratan Singh, stating that he had raped the girl about seven months ago and had threatened her against telling anyone about it, Kumar said. The father has claimed that the girl has recounted the incident only after the doctors diagnosed her to be pregnant, the SHO said, adding that efforts are on to nab the culprit.
Apollo Hospital denies having any biological samples of Jayalalithaa
The Apollo Hospital on Thursday submitted a report to Madras High Court that they do not have any biological samples of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.The court had sought reply on a petition filed by a woman S Amrutha, who claims to be Jayalalithaa's daughter.On January 12, the hospital, where the late AIADMK supremo was being treated during her illness two years ago, submitted treatment documents of the same to an inquiry commission, which was set up to probe her death.Following her death, allegations of foul play began to do the rounds and Tamil Nadu forest minister Dindigul Sreenivasan even claimed that all cabinet ministers had lied to the people about hospitalisation and death of the former chief minister Jayalalithaa.Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on September 22, 2016. She suffered a cardiac arrest on December 4 and was declared dead the following day.
Couple killed as tanker hits their bike, cops suspect
A couple from Ambernath township in the district was killed when a water tanker hit their motorcycle, the police said today. The police, however, registered a case under IPC sections for murder and criminal conspiracy against four people, including the tanker driver, as they suspect that the incident was the fallout of a property dispute between the couple and the accused. The tanker driver was arrested in the wee hours today, Hill Line police station inspector G H Palange said. The couple - Vasudeo Balue Shendre (50) and his wife Rekha Shendre (40) - was going towards Balegaon on the two-wheeler last evening when a water tanker hit their vehicle from the rear end at Narhen village, killing both of them on the spot, he said. The police registered a case against the tanker driver and three other people, all residents of Ambernath, and launched a search for them, Palange said. The police suspect that the couple was killed over a land dispute between them and the accused, ..
SC moved over remarks against judiciary
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will consider the plea of a lawyer who alleged that various politicians and advocates were making contemptuous allegations against the judiciary.
Indian woman's body found in Sharjah house
The body of a 36-year-old Indian woman was found buried in a room of her house here, police said.
Man throws chilli powder in eyes of 16-year-old girl
An unidentified man allegedly threw chilli powder in the eyes of a 16-year-old girl at Charai in Naupada area in the city, police said today. The incident took place around 8.30 pm yesterday, when the victim was returning home after attending a dance practice session, police spokesperson Sukhada Narkar said. According to police, the motive behind the act was yet to be known. "In her complaint, the girl said that after attending a dance practice session, she was walking home in Naupada. When she reached Charai, an unidentified man aged around 21 who was following her, suddenly threw chilli powder into her eyes and fled from the spot," she said. The girl, who screamed in pain and could not walk further following the attack, was helped by the people on the street. They took her to a nearby doctor, who administered first aid, Narkar said. The girl later lodged a complaint at Naupada police station. The accused has been booked under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force
Liquor available in Kerala prison? Police to probe
Kerala Director General of Police (Prisons) R. Sreelekha on Thursday said she will initiate a probe into media reports on the availability of liquor inside the Kannur Central Jail.
Govt asks SC collegium to reconsider recommendation on Joseph
The government today asked the Supreme Court collegium to reconsider its recommendation for elevating Justice K M Joseph to the apex court, sources said today. This comes a day after the government cleared the appointment of senior advocate Indu Malhotra as a judge of the Supreme Court and kept in abeyance a decision on Joseph, who heads the Uttarakhand High Court. Both the names were recommended by the collegium earlier this year. The government's decision of not approving Joseph's name has evoked sharp reactions with the Supreme Court Bar Association President terming it as "disturbing".
Delhi-based jeweller jumps from DRI office, dies
A Delhi-based jeweller allegedly committed suicide after jumping off the sixth floor of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) building in the national capital, after a raid was conducted at his store and residence in the city.The jeweller, who has been identified as Gaurav Gupta, was found lying in a pool of blood after jumping off the building at around 12:00 p.m.He was immediately shifted to Safdarjung Hospital by the officials present at the CGO complex but was declared brought dead on arrival.According to the DRI officials, the man was neither summoned nor arrested after the raid.The DRI said in a release, "A total of Rs. 13 crore smuggled goods were seized from Gaurav Gupta's possession. But unfortunately, the owner of the smuggled goods jumped through the window of the visitor's room at around 12 p.m. He was neither summoned nor arrested by the DRI. The person was immediately taken to the Safdarjung Hospital by officers of DRI and CISF of CGO complex, but his life could not
Why not death sentence, asks Rakhi Sawant on Asaram's conviction
Controversial actress Rakhi Sawant is happy that self-styled godman Asaram has been "punished" for raping a minor girl but she wonders why he was given only a life sentence.
Centre interfering in judicial functioning: SC lawyers
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Thursday said the government has meddled with the functioning of the judiciary by appointing senior advocate Indu Malhotra as a Supreme Court judge.However, at the same time, the lawyers' body said Malhotra will prove to be a great judge."Indu Malhotra is a fine lawyer and she will prove to be a great judge. I have a huge reservation at the attitude of the government, there is no way by which they should not have cleared Justice KM Joseph's name," SCBA chief advocate Vikas Singh told ANI.Singh also said the matter should be taken up with the government very strongly."By making one appointment and not making another, the government has interfered in the functioning of the judiciary. This is a very serious matter and should be taken up with the government very strongly," he added.Malhotra will be the first woman SC judge to be appointed to the post directly from the bar.The government has decided to put on hold the elevation of Justice KM ...