Page 1721 - Law Crime
Kathua incident: Madhav cites JK BJP's resolution to highlight party's position
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav today cited a resolution of his party's Jammu and Kashmir unit which was passed on April 1 to underscore its condemnation of efforts to communalise two rape cases in the Jammu region. "The working committee condemns the heinous crime of rape of minors that took place in Rasana and Nagrota. Such crimes are anti-human and any effort to communalise them needs to be condemned unequivocally," Madhav said quoting the resolution. The perpetrators of the crime must be dealt with the provisions of law while innocents should not be harassed, it had said. Madhav is the BJP central leadership's pointsman for the state where the party is a partner in the government led by PDP's Mehbooba Mufti. The rape and murder of an eight-year-girl, who came from a minority nomadic tribe in Rasana, Kathua, has snowballed into a major issue as various groups, including Bar Association of Jammu, have hit the streets in support of some accused and sought a CBI investigation. Some ..
Centre okays CBI probe in Unnao rape case
The Centre today approved a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the rape of a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district allegedly by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. A notification has been issued by the Personnel Ministry following a request for a CBI probe by the Uttar Pradesh government, an official said. The case came into the limelight after the victim tried to immolate herself last Sunday outside UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence alleging police inaction against Sengar. The victim's father died in judicial custody almost a week after he was reportedly thrashed by the MLA's brother and others. A purported video of the girl's father before his death has also gone viral and was aired by several TV news channels. In the video, he alleged that he was mercilessly beaten up, including with rifle butts, by the MLA's brother and others in the presence of police.
India saw 19.8% dip in awarding death sentences in 2017: Amnesty
India saw a dip in imposition of capital punishment last year with 109 cases of execution reported in the country in 2017 as compared to 136 such cases in 2016, global rights watchdog Amnesty International said in a report. The report titled 'Death Sentences and Executions 2017' claimed that the year 2017 saw a 19.8 per cent decrease in awarding death sentences in the country as compared to 2016. "Globally, executions and death sentences are sliding and India has contributed to this trend, Aakar Patel, Executive Director of Amnesty International India, said in a press release. "However, there is bad news coming out of India too, with new laws being passed that expand the scope of this cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment," he said. The report noted that a research done by the Centre on Death Penalty-National Law University (NLU) indicated that courts in India had imposed 109 new death sentences in 2017, including 51 for murder and 43 for murder involving sexual offences. "This ...
Unnao case: HC raps UP government for delay in arrest of accused MLA
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for the delay in arrest of accused BJP MLA of Unnao Kuldeep Singh Sengar despite an FIR against him in a gang rape case, and said if the situation persists, it will be "forced to observe that law and order has collapsed in the state".
Calcutta HC stays Bengal Panchayat poll process
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday stayed the ongoing Panchayat election process in West Bengal till further orders and asked the State Election Commission (SEC) to furnish by April 16 a comprehensive status report on the polls.
HC to hear in Sept pleas of Virbhadra's kin in PMLA cases
The hearing in two separate money laundering cases allegedly involving Virbhadra Singh's wife and daughter and mining baron J Sekar Reddy was today adjourned till September 14 by the Delhi High Court which was informed by the ED that the Supreme Court is seized of the matter relating to the challenge to certain provisions of the money laundering law. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said its power to arrest an accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act has been challenged before the apex court and urged the high court to adjourn the hearing on the batch of petitions which also challenge various provisions of the PMLA. Justice Rajiv Shakdher listed the matter for hearing on September 14. Central government standing counsel Vinod Diwakar and Amit Mahajan, appearing for the ED, submitted that the decision of the Supreme Court will have a direct bearing on the cases pending before the high court and it should be heard after the apex court decides the issue. The high court was to
IT issues fresh black money notice, Karti challenges
The Income Tax department has issued fresh summons to Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, under criminal sections of the Black Money Act seeking details about a UK-based asset, a move challenged by him. Officials said Karti was asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case today in Chennai under the provision of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act of 2015 that deals with undisclosed assets stashed abroad. They said the department wants to seek details about the transactions undertaken by Karti for acquiring an immovable property located in Cambridge. However, Karti refused to join the probe stating that he had already submitted the details of the asset and related transactions undertaken last year to another tax authority and that "parallel proceedings" cannot take place against an individual under the same law. It is understood that he also moved the Madras High Court seeking its directions to ..
Thane CDR scam: Cops record Ayesha Shroff's statement
The statement of Ayesha Shroff, wife of film actor Jackie Shroff, was today recorded in connection with the investigation into the Call Detail Record (CDR) scam, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Abhishek Trimukhi confirmed the development and added that information that she had shared was being investigated. Shroff was summoned by police on March 20 after her name cropped up when police checked the mobile phone of advocate Rizwan Siddiqui, Trimukhi had said earlier. Siddiqui was arrested on March 16 but was later released on the order of the Bombay High Court which had stated that the Thane police, while making the arrest, had acted in a "high-handed" manner and failed to follow "due process of law". The CDR racket was unearthed on January 24 when police, acting on a tip off, nabbed four private detectives from Kalwa here. Since then, police said, 12 persons had been arrested in the scam which involved the illegal procurement and sale of CDRs of ...
Honour killing case: Five including victim's parents get life term
Five members of a family were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Haryana court today in the case of honour killing of a 17-year-old girl . The Sonepat court convicted the victim's parents, elder sister and two uncles for the crime and also imposed a penalty of Rs 35,000 on each of them. The 17-year-old girl was killed in Sonepat district's Matand village in 2016 as her family did not approve of her relationship with a youth. On July 2, 2016, the girl's grandfather had lodged a police complaint alleging that her parents along with other members had murdered her and later burnt her body in a bid to destroy evidence. He claimed that the parents had objected to her relationship with a youth.. On a tip-off by Dhajja Ram, the girl's grandfather, the police had reached the spot, put out the fire and recovered the burnt body. A case was initially registered against the girl's father Balraj and his wife Sudesh. Later, the investigation brought into light the role of the couple's elder ...
2 Pakistani nationals sent to 10 years in jail
A court here today sentenced two Pakistani nationals to ten years of imprisonment for indulging in terror activities. Special judge P M Tripathi also imposed a penalty of Rs 59,000 each on the convicts--Abdul Wahid Rind alias Murtaza and Fahim alias Sadab Khan, hailing from Karachi. According to public prosecutor M K Singh, the two were charged for criminal conspiracy, attempting to wage war against the country, collecting fire arms and committing fraud. Apart from it, they were also charged under the Arms Act and the Foreigners Act. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested the duo on March 26, 2014 from Gorakhpur. The team had recovered two AK-47 rifles, 70 cartridges, two China-made pistols and 45 cartridges from their possession. The ATS had claimed that the duo had planned to attack the police force. The Pakistani nationals were produced before the special court on March 27, 2014.
SC to hear Shanti Bhushan's PIL on allocation of cases tomorrow
A PIL filed by former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan in the Supreme Court challenging the existing roster practice of allocation of cases by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) would come up for hearing tomorrow before a bench headed by the judge, who is number six in the seniority. Hours after CJI Dipak Misra assured that he would look into the listing of the PIL, the cause list of the apex court showed that it has been listed for hearing before a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri. Earlier in the day, the issue relating to the listing of Bhushan's petition witnessed fast-moving drama in the apex court as his advocate son Prashant Bhushan mentioned it before a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar, the senior-most judge after the CJI. After Justice Chelameswar declined to heed to Bhushan's request, the lawyer moved the CJI's bench which assured him that the matter would be looked into. Now, a bench, in which Justice Ashok Bhushan will also be the member, will hear it tomorrow. The four ...
Obstruction of justice in Asifa case disgraceful: Amnesty
Human rights group Amnesty International on Thursday termed the attempts by some lawyers and a Hindu group to obstruct the investigation and prosecution of the gang-rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, as "disgraceful".
J&K Police as competent as any agency to probe Kathua rape and murder case: DGP Vaid
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has no objection if the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district is assigned to the CBI but it is as competent as any investigation agency to handle the case, state DGP S P Vaid asserted today. He also rejected as "misconception" claims that the crime branch team probing the matter had no member from the Jammu region while emphasising that police officers perform their duties rising above regional or religious identities. If we can we fight terrorism and stone pelting, why can't we carry out a professional investigation. Our officers are on deputation with the CBI, Vaid said backing the crime branch team that investigated the case and arrested eight persons. He was responding to queries from general public in a Twitter broadcast. To a question why the Kathua rape and murder case was not transferred to the CBI, Vaid said we have no objection but the police is as competent as anybody else". The probe in the brutal rape and murder of an ...
'History will not pardon us for not upholding judicial independence'
Justice Kurian Joseph -- the fifth senior most judge in the Supreme Court and a member of the collegium -- has told Chief Justice Dipak Misra that "history will not pardon us" for not upholding judicial independence in the face of government sitting on its recommendation for the appointment of top court's judges.
Justice Chelameswar refuses to list PIL on 'master of roster' issue, says does not want one more reversal
"I don't want one more reversal of my order in the next 24 hours," said Justice J Chelameswar, a remark reflecting an apparent continuing rift between him and the Chief Justice of India. An exasperated Justice Chelameswar also accused "someone" of running a "relentless tirade" against him as if he was trying to "grab something" as he turned down listing of a PIL by former law minister Shanti Bhushan questioning the existing roster practice of allocation of cases. The strong comments came when activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan approached the bench seeking urgent listing of the PIL filed by his father stating that the "master of roster" cannot have "unguided and unbridled discretionary powers, exercised arbitrarily by the CJI by hand-picking benches of select judges" and sought formulation of guidelines for allocation of cases. After the rift between CJI Dipak Misra and Justice Chelameswar had surfaced for the first time in November last year, a new practice was introduced under which .
Teen raped, dumped on rail tracks yet to recover from shock: Police
A minor girl, who was allegedly raped and dumped on railway tracks two days ago, is yet to recover from the trauma and identify the accused, the police said today. The 17-year-old girl, an intermediate student, was found lying on the tracks with her limbs tied near Telo Railway Station here on Tuesday morning, Bokaro Superintendent of Police Karthik S said. Her medical test has confirmed rape, he said. In an FIR lodged at Chandrapur police station, the girl alleged that two unidentified youths, who were hiding in the house, kidnapped her at around 2 am on Tuesday when she had gone out to fetch water from the kitchen. "After raping her, the men gagged her, tied her limbs and abandoned her on the railway tracks," the SP said. A guard of a freight train on the adjacent track spotted her and informed the station master at Telo railway station. A team of Railway Police Force personnel later handed her over to Chandrapur police station, the officer said. The victim's statement was ...
Side effects of marital discord: Father 'kidnaps' son, HC issues NBW
In a bizarre turn of events, a man facing a domestic violence case allegedly kidnapped his four-year-old son and sent the minor to the Delhi High Court with a lawyer which prompted the infuriated judges to issue a non-bailable warrant against him for not appearing before it in person. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta also ordered freezing of the bank accounts of the man, who had allegedly forcibly taken his son away from his school in Dwarka on March 31 and then instead of appearing in person, with the child, he sent the minor to the high court today with a lawyer by authorising the advocate to act as a guardian. Irked by the conduct of the man, who is facing the case filed by his estranged wife in a trial court, the bench also issued a notice to him asking to show cause why criminal contempt action be not taken against him for violation of orders of the high court and a metropolitan magistrate. Meanwhile, Delhi Police, represented by its standing counsel Rahul Mehra, ...
Sohrabuddin case: Panch witness turns hostile, is 49th to do so
The number of prosecution witnesses turning hostile during the trial of the Sohrabuddin Shaikh, Tulsi Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases rose to 49 after Manoj Panara, a panch witness, was declared hostile today. Panara was examined by the CBI before special judge S J Sharma today. According to the agency, Panara was present when the specimen signature of an accused, Balkrishna Choubey, was obtained by the CBI. However, in the court, Panara today said that he had signed on some papers but he didn't know what papers they were. He also told court that he was not introduced to any official there. Later, special public prosecutor BP Raju declared him hostile. Till now, the CBI has examined 70 witnesses in the case. The Mumbai court had last October framed charges against 22 people including police officers for murder, abduction and destruction of evidence in connection with the alleged fake encounter of Shaikh near Gandhinagar on November 26, 2005. Shaikh, an alleged gangster with ...
No objection to CBI probe in Kathua rape-murder case: J&K DGP
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has no objection to a CBI probe into the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district of the state, DGP S P Vaid said today. The J&K Police, probing the case, had filed a charge sheet against the accused in a court in Kathua on Monday and Tuesday. "We have no objection to a CBI inquiry, but the J&K Police is as competent as the CBI," Vaid said during a live broadcast on Twitter. Vaid justified the Crime Branch probe into the rape and murder of the Bakerwal girl. "If we can fight terrorism and stone pelters, why cannot the J&K Police perform the professional duties of investigation. Our officers go on deputation to the CBI," the DGP said. Asked about one of the officers involved in the case, he said, "The sub-inspector... I have been told... was acquitted by the court." "There were officers from all regions and religions... The SIT had officers from all ranks, and they do not work according to religion," he said. The body of the .
Punjab government supports Sidhu's conviction in road rage case
The Punjab government on Thursday supported in the Supreme Court the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court convicting incumbent minister and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu in a three-decade-old road rage case.