Page 1670 - Law Crime
Minimum sentence for rape increased by 3 years
The ordinance which allows courts to award the death penalty to those convicted of sexually assaulting children aged below 12 also enhances the minimum sentence for rape from seven years to 10 years in jail. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment. After the Nirbhaya case in December 2012, when the criminal laws were amended, the minimum sentence for raping a woman was kept at seven years of rigorous imprisonment which could be extended to life in jail. According to the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance, 2018 approved by the Union Cabinet today, the minimum sentence for raping a woman will now be 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, "extendable to life imprisonment". Life in jail means that the convict would not be released from prison till the end of his "natural life". Once the ordinance is promulgated, the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act will stand amended to make way ...
Ordinance underscores Modi govt's commitment to women's safety: Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah today described the Union Cabinet's ordinance proposing death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below 12 years as "historic" and asserted that the law underlines the government's commitment to safety of women. He said such a law will act as a deterrent to crimes against girls. "I thank and congratulate PM Narendra Modi as well as the Cabinet for the historic ordinance on women's safety. I welcome the provision of death penalty for rape of any girl below 12 years and increasing punishment from 10 to 20 years if a girl below 16 years is violated," Shah said on Twitter. The BJP chief said, "The Cabinet has also made provisions for speedy investigation and trial of rape cases. This decision will act as a tough deterrent for such crimes and reflects the Modi government's strong commitment towards the safety and wellbeing of women," he said. A meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier today approved an ordinance to provide ...
Parents of 7-yr-old allege she was sexually assaulted at
Parents of a seven-year-old girl in Chhattisgarh's Raipur district have alleged that she was sexually assaulted at her school. The police, however, said rape or attempt to rape was not established in the preliminary investigation. The alleged incident took place at a private school on the outskirts of the city on April 18, Raipur Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra told PTI. An FIR under IPC section 376 (rape) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered on April 19 based on the parents' complaint, he said. "So far, the medical examination report, CCTV footage at the school and the girl's statement recorded by the CWC (Child Welfare Committee) has not given any evidence supporting the claim of attempted rape," the SP said. Even the detailed medical examination of the girl conducted today ruled out rape or attempt to rape, he said. However, the possibility that she was groped by someone can not be ruled out, he said, adding that a team ..
Man kills wife in Odisha
A man allegedly strangulated her wife to death in Ganjam district of Odisha, police said today. The accused, identified as Balya Nahak (30) of T Nuapalli village in the district, used to suspect his wife's moral character which often led to quarrels among them, said Inspector-in-Charge of Kabisurya Nagar police station, B K Pradhan. Nahak allegedly killed his wife yesterday at Sunapalli-Pithapur road. He was arrested today after the body of his wife was recovered, Pradhan said. "We are waiting for the post mortem examination report for further investigation," he added.
Police to submit supplementary chargesheet in Kathua rape-and-murder case
The crime branch which is investigating the alleged rape and killing of a minor girl in Kathua district, is in the process of submitting a supplementary charge sheet in the case, a spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Police said today. However, the spokesperson did not mention the date when the supplementary charge sheet would be filed. The crime branch submitted a charge sheet in the case against seven of the eight accused in the case at a court in Kathua on April 9, amid protest by local lawyers. The next day it filed a separate charge sheet against another accused, who was earlier said to be a juvenile. "After completion of all legal formalities of investigation, a charge sheet was produced in the competent court of law and the investigating agency is in the process of submitting a supplementary charge sheet, the spokesperson was quoted as saying in a statement here. He also said there are no truth in reports that the girl was not subjected to rape before her killing. "On the ...
Former boyfriend set afire by woman, lover
A young woman and her lover allegedly set afire her former boyfriend following which they were arrested here today, police said. The 26-year-old victim was hospitalised with 70 per cent burns after the incident last evening. The police arrested the two based on the victim's statement from his hospital bed, Additional Superintendent of Police Sonitpur Numal Mahanta said. The duo poured kerosene on him and set him afire when the victim went to the woman's house at L B Road here after learning about her new relationship, he said. Local people rescued him and took him to Kanaklata Civil Hospital from where he was referred to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. The accused were absconding since the incident but were nabbed today, Mahanta said. The two were booked under various IPC sections including 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 307 (attempt to murder).
Kathua girl's sedation, rape confirmed by medical experts: J&K Police
The Jammu and Kashmir Police's Crime Branch on Saturday said reports in a section of media regarding the Kathua rape-murder case were false and that medical experts had confirmed the sedation, sexual assault and subsequent murder of the eight-year-old girl.
MP infant rape-murder: Accused thrashed outside court
A man arrested for allegedly raping and killing a four-month old infant was today assaulted by people when he was being taken to a magisterial court here, officials said. Superintendent of Police (SP) BPS Parihar said the accused did not sustain any injury in the attack. Amid outrage over the rape-murder of the infant, the State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh has asked lawyers here to not appear for the accused, Naveen Gadge, who was remanded in police custody for two days by the court. "We had a hard time protecting the accused. When he was being taken to the court, he was attacked and slapped (by people present there). The same thing was repeated when he came out of the court," Inspector Avinash Singh Senger of Sarafa police station said. "Some women did run with slippers to beat him but we protected the accused. He did not sustain any injury in the attack," Parihar told PTI. State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh (SBCMP) member, Sunil Gupta, has appealed to Indore advocates not to ...
Court cancels arrest warrant against Salman in hit-and-run case
A Mumbai court today cancelled a bailable arrest warrant against Bollywood star Salman Khan in the 2002 hit and run case, in which the Maharashtra government's appeal against his acquittal is pending before the Supreme Court. Earlier this month, the court had issued the warrant against the actor for not furnishing the surety as per the directions of the apex court. Khan, 52, today appeared before Additional Sessions Judge M G Deshpande and completed all the formalities of furnishing the surety, after which the court cancelled the warrant. In February this year, he had approached the apex court seeking discharge of his surety given by his former publicist Reshma Shetty, stating that he wanted to replace it with the surety of his bodyguard Shera alias Gurmeet Singh Jolly. The top court, which is hearing the appeal filed against his acquittal in the case by the state government, had allowed his plea on February 23. He was asked to comply with the process. The sessions court had issued ..
Cab robbed at gunpoint in Haryana
A cab was allegedly robbed at gunpoint by three men who also shot at the driver when he tried to stop them, police said today. According to the police, the three men booked the cab from Ambala yesterday and told the driver, Sandip Kumar, to go to Kurukshetra University. "When they reached at a fuel station, they told the driver to drive towards Sanwala village. One of the three accused then shot at Kumar when he tried to stop them. They threw him off the car and escaped with the vehicle," the police said. Later, a passerby noticed Kumar lying on the road in a serious condition and informed the police. He was rushed to a hospital at Kurukshetra from where he was shifted to PGIMER at Chandigarh. A case was registered in the matter, the police said.
HC doubles compensation to accident victim
The Madras High Court has enhanced the compensation awarded by a tribunal to a person, who was injured in an accident leading to amputation of his legs, from over Rs 20 lakh to Rs 45 lakh. The matter relates to a civil miscellaneous appeal filed by New India Assurance Company Limited against the order passed by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Chennai, in 2012 awarding compensation of Rs 20,93,500 to R.Nagaraj. Nagaraj, a cleaner-cum-load man, was travelling in a mini-lorry from Hosur to Bengaluru on December 5, 2009 when the vehicle collided with a Karnataka Transport Corporation bus, a motor cycle and another KTC bus. He sustained severe injuries and both legs had to be amputated. A division bench of justices N Kirubakaran and R.Pongiappan in its order recently said, "... the victim would not be in a position to move on his own and he would not be able to enjoy his life." "He cannot do any work on his own. The victim has to depend on others throughout his life, even for ...
Minimum sentence for rape enhanced from 7 to 10 years
The ordinance which allows courts to award the death penalty to those convicted of sexually assaulting children up to 12 years of age also enhances the minimum sentence for rape from seven years to 10 years in jail. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment. After the Nirbhaya case in December 2012, when the criminal laws were amended, the minimum sentence for raping a woman was kept at seven years of rigorous imprisonment which could be extended to life in jail. According to the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance, 2018 approved by the Union Cabinet today, the minimum sentence for raping a woman will now be 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, "extendable to life imprisonment". Life in jail means that the convict would not be released from prison till the end of his "natural life". Once the ordinance is promulgated, the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act will stand amended to ...
IRB jawan guns down havildar
A jawan of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) today shot dead a havildar of the force here in the district, police said. Yukti Narayan Singh alias Dara Singh allegedly fired at havildar Afroz Samad (47) with an INSAS rifle belonging to another jawan in the wee hours and fled with the gun, Superintendent of Police Md Arshi said. Samad received bullets in his chest and thigh, and died on the spot. The reason behind the incident is being investigated, the SP said adding that a hunt is on to apprehend the accused jawan. Both Singh and Samad had been deputed at the same college in Garhwa for the April 16 municipal election, Arshi said.
Court restrains media from reporting investigation in case against ex-judge Quddusi
A Delhi court today restrained the media from publishing or broadcasting any news item related to the investigation in a medial corruption case against former Chhattisgarh High Court judge Ishrat Masroor Quddusi and others. Additional District Judge Twinkle Wadhwa passed the temporary injunction order on an application filed by Quddusi, who had claimed that reporting in the matter caused irreparable injury to his reputation in the eyes of the public and his colleagues. Quddusi was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the corruption case related to Prasad Education Trust. In an impleachment notice moved yesterday against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, seven opposition parties led by the Congress have listed five grounds of alleged misconduct against him, including a petition related to Prasad Education Trust. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had said the charge related to the CJI having dealt on the administrative as well as on the judicial side with a petition ...
National Herald: Congress leaders accuse Swamy of defaming them
Senior Congress leaders, including Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, today told a Delhi court hearing the National Herald case that the complainant and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy was trying to defame them and vilify their party. Other than the two leaders, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda made their submission before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal in response to an application moved by Swamy alleging that a Rs 414-crore fine was recently imposed on Young Indian Pvt Ltd by the Income Tax department in connection with the case. The case involves Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi. They, however, have not filed any reply to Swamy's application, which has alleged that the I-T department had launched a probe against the accused, also involving Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI), after taking note of his complaint in the case. The Gandhis are major stakeholders in YI. Swamy, in a private criminal complaint, has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring
Teen who hacked top US officials gets 2 years jail
A British teenager who hacked into a former US security chief's TV and taunted him by posting a "I own you" message on the screen, besides targeting CIA and FBI officials, has been sentenced two years behind bars on Friday
Child rights activists oppose death penalty for rape of minors
Even as a number of leaders have advocated death penalty for rape of girls aged below 12, child rights activists across the country have come out against the government's decision to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for this purpose. The Union Cabinet today approved an ordinance to allow courts to award death penalty to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age. The criminal law amendment ordinance seeks to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to introduce a new provision to sentence convicts of such crimes punishment of death. "In a country where there is no certainty of conviction, this government wants to bring in more stringent laws. In a country where most rapes are perpetrated by family members, invoking death penalty will only increase the chances of acquittal. "Most of the cases will not be reported. There is a ..
NIA files chargesheet against Hizbul Mujahideen chief's son
National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against Shahid Yusuf, the son of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) chief Syed Salahuddin in a terror funding case.The NIA filed the chargesheet on Friday against Shahid Yusuf, under section 120-B of the IPC and 13, 17, 18, 20, 21, 38 and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, for willfully raising, receiving, collecting 'terror funds' and holding proceeds of terrorism' for furtherance of terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.Yusuf, a resident of Soi Bugh village in Budgam district, is a former employee of Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Department. He was suspended after he was arrested by the NIA.Shahid Yousuf was the seventh accused against whom a chargesheet has been filed in the case. The other accused people include Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, Mohammad Sidiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo, Farooq Ahmad Dagga, Mohammad Maqbool Pandit and Aijaz Ahmad Bhat.Of these seven accused people, five, including Shahid Yusuf, are in ...
Police suspect decomposed body to be of missing tourist
The highly decomposed body, with it's head severed, which was recovered from Thiruvallam near Kovalam, is suspected to be of a Lithuanian tourist, reported missing since March 14, police said today. The body was found from a bushy, isolated area near a" mangrove forest on the banks of the Karmana river, they said. Police Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram, P Prakash, said DNA and forensic tests would be carried out to confirm it. "The woman's body, with the head severed, ankles and toes detached, was recovered yesterday', another senior police officer told PTI. The head was found at a few metres away from the body. "We are probing all angles, including murder, to find the truth', the officer said. Some local people who had gone for angling had informed police about the body. The officer said DNA samples would be taken soon and sent to Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Bio-Technology here to ascertain if the body was that of the missing tourist. 33-year-old Liga Skromene, who had had ...
150 held for attempt to stage rail roko
About 150 persons, belonging to 10 different political parties and organisations were arrested today, when they attempted to stage rail roko in the city, protesting the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act. The protesters were led by Thanthai Periyar Dravida Kazhagam general seceretary K Ramakrishnan and supported by fringe outfits like Dravidar Vidutalai Kazhakam and Tamil Puligal. Even as the activists were shouting slogans against the Centre, a few workers of Tamil Puligal, who alighted from Mettupalayam-Coimbatore passenger, climbed atop the engine and raised slogans against the "dilution" of the Act, police said. As others also attempted to barge into the station to join the agitators on the track and engine, all of them were arrested, they said. The Supreme Court had on March 20 "diluted" the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, ruling that government servants should not be arrested without prior sanction and ...