Page 1715 - Law Crime
Kathua rape-murder: Act or people's anger will increase, Pawar tells Centre
Being a mute spectator to the Kathua incident in Jammu and Kashmir, where an eight-year-old girl was raped and murdered, will increase the anger of the people of an already unstable region, NCP chief Sharad Pawar advised the Centre today. Pawar said that the Kathua incident was a very serious one and the government should take appropriate steps, including providing security to the family of the victim, the lawyers fighting the case and officials of the investigating agencies. "Those from the investigation agencies, lawyers and the family of the girl should be given security. We cannot rule out the possibility of a threat to their lives in the future," he said. "It is not important which religion the perpetrators of the crime belong to. This (Kathua) incident has happened in a region, which is already unstable. If the government remains a mute spectator, the anger of people will rise further," Pawar said. He added that action from the government would send a strong message that the ...
Termination of insolvency proceedings: Binani withdraws plea in SC
Binani Industries Ltd today withdrew its appeal against an NCLAT order in the Supreme Court after it refused to allow an out of court settlement for its debt-ridden subsidiary Binani Cement Ltd (BCL). A bench comprising justices A K Goel and R F Nariman was told by senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Binani, that there was nothing in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, which prevented the company from entering a settlement and securing itself. The bench, however, observed,"Why should we interfere at this stage? Binani plea appears to be 'put up' by Ultratech, the failed bidder." The lawyer appearing for Ultratech said there were no grounds to disqualify them from making the offer. Binani Industries Ltd (BIL) has received an offer from the Aditya Birla group firm UltraTech to transfer its 98.43 per cent stake in BCL for Rs 7,266 crore. However, the deal was subject to ending the insolvency proceedings against BCL, whose Credit of Creditors (CoC) led by Bank of Baroda has .
Kathua gangrape case: Lawyers' obstruction affects dispensation of justice, says SC
Taking strong note of some lawyers obstructing the judicial process in the Kathua gangrape and murder case, the Supreme Court today initiated a case on its own record saying such impediment "affects the dispensation of justice and would amount to obstruction of access to justice". The top court said that it is a settled law that a lawyer who appears for a victim or accused cannot be prevented by any bar association or group of lawyers, for it is his duty to appear in support of his client. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud was also critical of the Jammu High Court Bar Association, which had passed a resolution not to attend the courts saying "it is the duty of the bar association as a collective body and they cannot obstruct the process of law". "If a lawyer who is engaged, is obstructed from appearing in the court or if his client is deprived of being represented in the court when he is entitled to do so in a lawful manner, that ...
Ker CM condemns Kathua rape, murder
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today condemned the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl at Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir. "The accused should be punished in an exemplary manner and those protecting them should be brought before law," Vijayan said in a Facebook post. The girl was taken to a temple, kept in captivity and raped by "religious lunatics," he said. The country should hang its head in shame before the world for the incident, the chief minister said. In the name of religion, a child was brutally gangraped and killed and this was a "dangerous state of affairs," he said. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy also condemned the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should break his silence on the matter, he added. BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said "the incident has shaken human conscience.
Don't think collegium should be entrusted with allocation of cases: SC
The Supreme Court today expressed its 'prima facie' disagreement that task of allocation of cases should be entrusted to the members of the collegium, which consists of five senior-most judges of the apex court, including the chief justice of India (CJI). A bench comprising justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said that if it was done, the collegium would have to sit daily or twice or thrice a week just for this work only. "It cannot be expected that the collegium will sit everyday or two-three days a week for this only. It is not a feasible solution," the court observed during the hearing of a PIL filed by former law minister Shanti Bhushan challenging the existing roster system and powers of the CJI to allocate cases. "Prima facie, I do not think that the collegium should be entrusted with the task of allocating cases. You can come out with suggestions," Justice Sikri told senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for Bhushan. During the arguments, Dave said that "sensitive" cases ...
Toddler dies as school van runs over her
An 18-month old girl child was crushed to death by a school van that was leaving after picking up her two elder sisters from their house near here today, police said. The tragedy occurred as the driver started the van without noticing the child, Subiksha, who had come in front of the vehicle after her sisters boarded it at Thillaiyadi. The toddler, who has apparently followed her sisters, came under the front wheel of the van and died on the spot, police said. Subiksha's father, who came to help his two other daughters to board the van, too did not notice her. A case had been registered and the driver of the van arrested, police added.
Civic engineer, 2 others, booked for toilet ceiling collapse
Three persons, including an engineer with the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation, were booked today after the ceiling of a toilet block collapsed here injuring a 5-year-old, police said. The incident happened yesterday in Piranipada locality of Shanti Nagar in Bhiwandi, officials said. "The toilet block had been repaired just two months ago. We have booked three persons, including an engineer of the civic body and the contractor who repaired the toilet," an official said. Thane police spokesperson Sukhada Narkar said that a case had been registered under section 337 (rash or negligent act endangering human life), adding that no arrest had been made so far.
Kathua gang rape: HC frowns on media houses for disclosing victim's identity
The Delhi High Court today frowned upon media houses for disclosing the identity of an eight-year-old girl who was gang raped and killed in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, and asked why action be not taken against them for "injustice to the privacy and dignity of the victim". The high court also prohibited the media from revealing any further identity of the victim by any means, including name and photographs for which 12 media houses, comprising print and electronic, were issued notices for the "unfortunate" and "extremely distressing" manner of reporting. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, which on its own took cognisance of the media reports, said that there was a need for the media to "circumspect on reporting to the extent it is in contravention of the law". "Freedom of press has to be balanced with integrity of judicial process and must comport with the requirement of the law," the court said. It issued notices to 12 media houses and ...
SC agrees to examine Shanti Bhushan's PIL on CJI's power to allocate cases
The Supreme Court today decided to examine a plea challenging the existing roster system and powers of the Chief Justice of India to allocate cases while observing that the CJI's position as 'master of roster' cannot be "disputed". The apex court prime facie did not agree with contention of former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, who has filed the PIL, that the collegium of five-senior most judges should be entrusted with the task of allocating cases and asked Attorney General K K Venugopal to assist the court in the matter. A bench comprising justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan also took strong exception when an attempt was made to rake up the issue of the unprecedented January 12 press conference by four seniormost top court judges -- J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph -- who had accused CJI Dipak Misra of arbitrarily allocating cases. "We are not going to go into it. We are not concerned with it for many reasons and obvious reasons. Do not say all this. Do not ...
Two arrested for alleged rape
Two persons including a rickshaw driver have been arrested by the Thane police for allegedly raping a 20-year-old woman. The alleged incident took place at Diva in the district on April 9, said inspector Maruti Sawant of Mumbra police station. According to the woman's complaint, the accused dragged her into a rickshaw when she was walking along a lonely stretch of road in Mumbra, and took her to BR Nagar in Diva where they raped her. Police arrested the two accused, rickshaw driver Roshan More (29) and Vishal Darole (23), last night. Further probe is on, inspector Sawant said.
Man booked for killing wife with sickle in Maha's Bhiwandi
A 60-year-old man was today booked for allegedly killing his wife with a sickle during an argument, police said. Accused Vinod Jha, during an argument with his wife Malti at their Kamathghar residence in Bhiwandi, slit her throat with a sickle, police said. "The incident happened between 8am and 10am yesterday. He fled the scene after bolting the house from outside. The accused's son and mother had gone out at the time and they discovered the crime when they reached home," an official said. Based on his son's complaint, Narpoli police have registered a case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, he informed.
Kathua rape case: J-K Dy CM defends probe by crime branch
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh today defended the investigation by the crime branch into the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district, saying it was a court-monitored probe. Asserting that the culprits in the case must be punished, he said if someone is not satisfied with the probe, he can move the court and put forth his point. Jammu has been tense since the brutal rape and murder of the girl belonging to the nomadic Muslim Bakerwal community in January. The police have arrested eight people in the case, but the Bar Association of Jammu (BAJ) has opposed the action alleging "targeting of minority Dogras". Batting strongly for justice for the victim, the BAJ had yesterday claimed that the probe by the crime branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police was done on questionable line amid threats and coercion by a team of officers from Kashmir Valley including one who served jail term for alleged rape and murder of a minor. Defending .
Maharashtra teacher pierces student's throat with cane
In a shocking instance of corporal punishment, a government school teacher allegedly pierced a wooden cane into a student's throat for failing to do a maths problem, a police official said here on Friday.
Four killed, two injured in accident
Four members of a family were today killed and two others injured after their car hit a bridge near Kurugodu in Ballari district today. The deceased, all residents of Chakalapur village in Bhalki taluk in Bidar district, were proceeding to Bengaluru, police said. The injured have been been admitted to hospital.
Ishrat case: Court adjourns hearing as CBI seeks time to reply
A special CBI court today adjourned the hearing in the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case till April 27 as the probe agency sought time to respond to the discharge applications filed by former Gujarat police officers N K Amin and D G Vanzara. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought some time from the court to file its response on their discharge pleas and special CBI judge J K Pandya gave two weeks time to it and adjourned the hearing till then. Both Amin and Vanzara had filed their discharge applications last month. Amin is one of the seven police officials whom the CBI had named in its first charge sheet in the case. Of them, the special court had recently discharged former in-charge DGP P P Pandey. Amin had filed the discharge plea on multiple grounds and claimed that the process of law was not followed by the CBI in making certain accused persons as witnesses in the case. He had alleged that the charge sheet was "fabricated" and most of the facts cited therein were .
Kathua probe fair, ministers were 'misled' into joining protest march: BJP
Facing flak over the Kathua and Unnao rape cases, the BJP today claimed that its rivals were "selectively" picking the two instances to target it and asserted that stringent action was being taken in both the cases. BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi defended the two Jammu and Kashmir ministers of the party, who had joined a march against the police probe into the ghastly rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, saying they were "misled and misguided". The party did not share their views and they should have maintained that the law was taking its course, she told a press conference here. To a question on whether the party would take action against the two Jammu and Kashmir ministers, the New Delhi MP said it was not a "crime" to be misled. "The lesson for them is allow the law to take its own course before opening your mouth," Lekhi said. The opposition parties are putting pressure on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to sack the two ministers. The BJP had ...
Two Indian women held in Nepal with 92kg marijuana
Nepali Police have arrested two Indian women here in possession of 92 kg of marijuana.
Kardashian robbery suspect nabbed in southern France
French police have arrested a man on the Cote d'Azur over the robbery at gunpoint of US reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2016, sources involved in the investigation said today. The man is to be brought before a magistrate later to face possible charges, a judicial source said. Ten people have already been charged over the October 2, 2016 robbery at a luxury residence where Kardashian was staying during Paris Fashion Week. Five men tied her up, gagged her and locked her in a bathroom, before making off with USD 10.6 million in jewels, including her four-million-euro diamond engagement ring. The robbery was the biggest of an individual in France in the past 20 years. One of the robbers fleeing the scene on a bicycle dropped a diamond-encrusted cross worth 30,000 euros, which was found by a passer-by a few hours later. It remains the only piece to be recovered from the heist. The suspected ringleader, 60-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, told investigators he had struggled to find a
SC takes cognisance of lawyers' obstruction in Kathua gangrape case
The Supreme Court today took a serious note of lawyers obstructing the judicial process in the Kathua gangrape and murder case and initiated a case on its own accord saying such impeding of the process of law "affects the delivery of justice". The top court said that lawyers' bodies have solemn duty to not obstruct advocates representing the accused or the victims' family in the courts. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud sought responses on the conduct of lawyers from Bar Council of India, Jammu and Kashmir Bar Council, Jammu High Court Bar Association and Kathua district bar association by April 19. "In our considered opinion no lawyer can prevent the advocates representing the accused or victim's family in the case," the bench said. It sought reply from bar bodies on various aspects including the question whether lawyers representing victim or accused can be stopped from appearing in the court by another group of ...
DRI seizes 7 kg gold, Rs 39 lakh cash in WB
The DRI has seized seven kilogram of gold and Rs 39 lakh cash in West Bengal in two separate cases. In the first case, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday intercepted a person, travelling in a Maruti WagonR, from Jaigon on the India-Bhutan border to Siliguri, and seized two kg of foreign origin gold, an official statement issued today said. On immediate follow up at the residence of the suspected recipient at Siliguri, cash amounting to Rs 39.83 lakh was recovered, it said. The gold and cash was seized and both the persons arrested, the statement said. In a separate operation at Kolkata, the DRI officials intercepted two persons near the Durganagar railway station station on Wednesday. The duo had flown in from Chennai to Kolkata on the same day and were to receive smuggled gold, which they were to take back with them to Chennai by flight. Sleuths of the DRI nabbed the two persons with five kg of gold valued at Rs 1.55 crore, it said. The gold in the form of one