Page 1722 - Law Crime
SC to hear plea against Guru Nanak film - after its release
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for blocking the release of film "Nanak Shah Fakir". The film based on first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, is set for release on Friday. The court will take up the matter on Monday.
Man accused in acid attack case nabbed from Mumbai
A 30-year-old man from Ganjam district, who allegedly threw acid on his wife five months ago, has been arrested from Mumbai, police today said. The accused, identified as Niranjan Pradhan of Kalamba under Ganjam districts Polasra police station, was nabbed by a team of police from Koparigaon in Navi Mumbai. Pradhan was working with a private courier company in Mumbai by hiding his identity. Pradhan had thrown acid on his wife Minati Kumari Pradhan (20), a third year student of DLMT in the medical college on November 16 last year in the administrative block of the medical college. The victim is still undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack and her condition was stable. Pradhan was on the run after committing the crime. He had been to Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh before settling in Mumbai for the past three months, said SP (Berhampur) Pinak Mishra. "We have sought assistance from different investigation agencies like Odisha Crime ...
Bangladesh's HC bans two-finger test on rape victims
A Bangladeshi High Court today banned the derogatory "two-finger test" on rape victims, saying it has no scientific and legal merit. Issuing the order to settle a five-year-old petition, the court also ruled that lawyers cannot ask any question to rape victims that could hurt their dignity during the trial proceedings, a spokesman of the attorney general's office said. The court asked authorities to strictly follow the healthcare protocol which the government adopted last year in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) policies, The two-judge bench comprising Gobinda Chandra Tagore and AKM Shahidul Huq directed the government to issue a circular so that the lower court judges and investigation officers of rape cases will follow the order. The bench also ordered a copy of the healthcare protocols be sent to every lower courts and hospitals in the country for their proper compliance. There is no legal or scientific basis for the 'two-finger test' during the physical examination of
Punjab govt. favours HC verdict convicting its minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in road rage case
Amrendra Singh-led Punjab government today favoured the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict convicting and awarding a three-year jail term to its minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in a 1988 road rage case. The cricketer-turned-politician, who deserted the BJP and joined the Congress days before the Punjab assembly election last year, holds the tourism portfolio in the Amrendra Singh Cabinet. A bench of Justices J Chelameswar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul which is hearing the 30-year-old case was told by the state government that as per the evidence Gurnam Singh, a Patiala resident, had died after he was given fist blow by Sidhu. Appearing for the Punjab government, Advocate Sanram Singh Saron said "there is not a single evidence which suggest that the cause of death was cardiac arrest and not brain hemorrhage as concluded by the trial court". He said, "The trial court verdict was rightly set aside by the High Court. Accused A1 (Navjot Singh Sidhu) had given fist blow to deceased Gurnam Singh ...
Unnao gangrape case: HC slams UP govt over delay in MLA's arrest; FIR registered finally
Amid mounting outrage over the alleged gangrape of a minor girl over a year ago, the Allahabad High Court today castigated the UP government for delay in arrest of the accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar despite an FIR against him, warning it may be forced to observe that "law and order has collapsed in the state". The FIR itself came days after the Unnao girl tried to self-immolate in front of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's house on Sunday accusing authorities of inaction, and death of her father in custody the next day allegedly after being beaten up by the politician's brother and their henchmen in front of policemen. As the public outcry raged amid growing demands by political parties and civil society for the legislator's arrest, protests were also held outside Adityanath's house while the police put the onus on the CBI to arrest the MLA, who has remained defiant and has dubbed allegations as a political conspiracy. The FIR was registered against Sengar under various sections .
SC/ST Act: Centre files written submission in SC
The Central Government on Thursday filed a written reply before the Supreme Court in connection with SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act ruling and asked the apex court to review its order.Attorney General KK Venugopal, representing the Centre said that the confusion created by apex court's judgment may have to be corrected by reviewing the judgment and recalling the directions issued by it.He further noted that the case has caused a lot of commotion in the country.On March 20, the apex court introduced the provision of anticipatory bail in the act while directing that there would be no automatic arrest on any complaint filed under the law.On April 3, the Centre filed a review petition against the ruling which went in vain as the top court refused to stay its order and asked all parties including the Centre to submit detailed replies.
'Life threat claim': Cops initiates probe, yet to record
The city police have initiated an enquiry into a claim made by Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the high-profile Sheena Bora murder case, that she was facing a threat to her life, an official said today. Indrani, who was recently admitted to state-run J J Hospital here for the treatment of a suspected drug overdose, had yesterday expressed the apprehension while she was being taken back to the Byculla prison in south Mumbai after her discharge from the facility. "We have received an application from Indrani Mukerjea in which she claimed that she was facing a threat to her life," said Deepak Deoraj, Deputy Commissioner of Police and spokesperson of the Mumbai Police. Besides, Indrani had yesterday said that she was facing a threat to her life while she was being taken to the Byculla prison, said the officer. He said an appropriate action would be taken as per legal provisions once the enquiry into Indrani's claim is over. Another senior officer said the police are ..
Vatican: Pope Chile letter a "spiritual state of emergency"
The Vatican says Pope Francis' apology to Chilean sex abuse victims and request that the country's bishops come to Rome to figure out reforms amounts to a "spiritual state of emergency" declaration for the Chilean church. In an interview today with The Associated Press, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Francis' letter to the Chilean hierarchy was an acknowledgment that he had made a mistake about abuse victims and that "yes, we believe you, you have your place in the church." In the letter yesterday, Francis admitted he had made "grave mistakes" in evaluating the case of a bishop accused by victims of witnessing and ignoring their abuse. He invited the victims to Rome to personally apologize, and summoned Chile's bishops to sketch out short and long-term changes in the church.
HC grants bail to traffic cop who kicked bike leading to death
The Madras High Court today granted bail to Traffic Inspector Kamaraj, who allegedly kicked a two wheeler for not stopping during a helmet check drive in Tiruchirapalli district, leading to the death of a pregnant woman, last month. Justice G R Swaminathan granted bail to Kamaraj and ordered him to execute a personal surety bond for Rs 10,000 at sixth Judicial Magistrate Court in Tiruchi. The Traffic Inspector was also directed to sign at the BHEL police station daily until further orders. On March 8, the 34-year old woman, Usha was killed and her husband injured when the two-wheeler they were riding was allegedly kicked by Kamaraj for not stopping during a helmet check drive in Thuvakudi in Tiruchirapalli district. Following the incident, the police official was arrested and placed under suspension.
Max twin case: DMC panel to come out with findings soon
The disciplinary committee of the Delhi Medical Council would soon come out with its findings in the case in which a baby boy was wrongly declared dead by Max hospital in Shalimar Bagh, a senior DMC official said today. The baby boy was wrongly declared dead by the upscale facility after his birth on November 30. The boy died during treatment a week later at a nursing home in Pitampura. His twin, a girl, was still-born. The DMC official said the disciplinary committee has held a few rounds of hearing last month in the case. "It should be able to come out with the findings soon," the official told PTI. Also today, the Financial Commissioner's court hearing the case extended by a month the stay on a Delhi government order cancelling the upscale facility's licence in December. The case had first come up for hearing before disciplinary committee on February 16, but the complainant was not present. So, the Delhi Medical Council had moved the date. "The first hearing was held in March," the
SC-CHRONOLOGY-CHELAMESWAR
Following is the chronology of events which led to Justice J Chelameswar today once again expressing anguish over the state of affairs in the Supreme Court when a petition seeking formulation of guidelines on allocation of cases was mentioned for urgent listing before him. *Nov 9, 2017: Justice Chelameswar refers to a five-judge bench a plea which had alleged that bribes were being taken using names of apex court judges promising to secure favourable settlement in a medical college matter. *Nov 10: CJI Dipak Misra sets up a five-judge bench headed by him and overturns Justice Chelameswar's order, saying the CJI has sole prerogative on allocation of matters. *Jan 11, 2018: Collegium recommends name of senior lawyer Indu Malhotra and Uttarakhand HC Chief Justice K M Joseph, who was part of the bench which in 2016 had quashed the imposition of President's Rule in the state, for elevation as judges to the apex court. *Jan 12: Four senior-most SC judges -- Justices Chelameswar, Ranjan ...
Kathua rape-murder: Politicians to celebrities voice outrage
From Union minister V K Singh to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, politicians across the divide joined hands with showbiz celebrities and others to speak up for the eight-year-old girl from the minority Bakerwal community who was gangraped and killed in Kathua three months ago. An enraged nation demanded "exemplary punishment" for the culprits of the crime, even as the politics over the arrest of eight people in connection with the case continued to dominate the discourse in this city of temples. The support for the eight-year-old girl was growing with politicians, cutting across party lines, seeking justice for her. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said, "we as humans" had failed the eight-year-old girl, but she would not be denied justice. Congress president Gandhi described the rape and killing of the girl as "unimaginable brutality" that cannot go unpunished, and wondered how anybody can seek to protect the culprits. He also lashed out at the politics being played .
PMLA case: ED opposes Aslam Wani's bail in HC
The Enforcement Directorate has opposed in the Delhi High Court the bail plea of alleged hawala dealer Mohammad Aslam Wani, arrested in a case involving Kashmiri separatist Shabir Shah, saying the money trail has to be established. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its status report, said the investigation in the case was still going on and there was an apprehension that, if released, Wani may flee from justice. However, when the matter came up for hearing today before Justice S P Garg, it was revealed that the report has not yet reached the court records and the court listed the case for further hearing in July. The agency has claimed that Wani has not cooperated in the probe and the money trail was yet to be ascertained. Wani was arrested by the ED from Srinagar on August 6, 2017 with the help of the state police and is currently in judicial custody. Shabir Shah was arrested by the agency from Srinagar on July 26 last year. A trial court had earlier denied bail to Wani in the ...
Rule-making power under RP Act be conferred to poll panel: ECI tells SC
The Election Commission of India has told the Supreme Court that they have proposed that rule-making power under the Representation of the People (RP) Act should be conferred on it, instead of the Centre. In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the poll panel has said they had made a proposal in 1998 to the then Law Minister to amend Article 324 of the Constitution which deals with its powers and functions. The ECI filed the affidavit after the apex court on February 19 sought responses from it and the Centre on a plea seeking treatment of two Election Commissioners on par with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in the matter of removability. "Rule making authority under the Representation of the People Act 1950 and Representation of the People Act, 1951, should be conferred on the Election Commission, instead of on the Central Government, who should, however, be consulted by the Election Commission while framing any rule," the ECI said in its affidavit while referring to the .
Three children die in wall collapse in AP
Three children died while another was injured today after the wall of an under construction building here collapsed on them, police said. Four children, including a girl, aged between 7 and 10, from Kothadonka area had gone to the building this afternoon and were playing, when the wall fell on them, they said. While three boys died on the spot, the girl was rushed to hospital with injuries, they added. Senior police officials along with representatives of Childline visited the spot and conducted enquiry. MLA Damacharla Janardhan consoled the parents of the children and promised necessary help. A case has been registered and investigating is on, police said.
Man arrested for killing pregnant singer in Pak: Police
Pakistan police has arrested a man who shot dead a pregnant singer at a village in southern Sindh province after she failed to stand up while singing, according to a senior police official. The man, identified as Tariq Jatoi, had ordered Samina Samoon to stand up while singing but when she could not get up due to her pregnancy he shot her dead, said Abdullah Sheikh, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG). She was rushed to a nearby hospital but she succumbed to her injuries. The weapon used to murder the singer was recovered, Geo TV quoted the DIG as saying. An FIR has been filed and a medical test of the accused ordered. The police said the singer's husband filed a double murder report because of the unborn child.
Knife man kills baby, ex-wife in German train station
A man from Niger stabbed to death his German ex-wife and their one-year-old daughter in a brutal attack in a busy train station today, police said. The bloody knife killings took place mid-morning in the busiest subway station of Hamburg, Germany's second-biggest city. "The crime was very, very terrible in its execution, very targeted and very, very extreme," said police spokesman Timo Zill. "We currently assume it was a crime of passion." The 33-year-old suspect initially ran off but then phoned police, who arrested him inside the Jungfernstieg underground station. Police said the child died immediately in the attack around 0850 GMT and the 34-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries in hospital. Police and firefighters responded in large numbers, and trauma counselling was offered to witnesses and emergency responders.
Suspected militant held in JK's Kulgam district
A suspected militant who was planning to target security personnel and snatch their weapons has been arrested from Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said today. Roshan Zameer Bhat, a resident of Nowpora was held based on an information that members of terror outfits --Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba--were planning to carry out attacks on security personnel to snatch their weapons, a police spokesman said. On being interrogated, the accused disclosed that he had kept the illegally acquired explosive material at his residence, the police said. A Chinese grenade was found from the house of the accused, they said. A case has been registered and the investigation is going on, police added.
Maliwal to go on indefinite hunger strike seeking death penalty for child rapists
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal will sit on an indefinite hunger strike from Friday at the Rajghat to demand for swift capital punishment for child rapists.In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maliwal alleged that the government has not paid any heed in the last 2.5 years on the Commission's request to devise a system that ensures that those who rape minors are punished by death in six months time."The DCW has been petitioning you for the last 2.5 years to devise a system that ensures that those who rape minors are punished by death in six months time. We also sent you 5.5 lakh letters of support to back back this demand," Maliwal wrote.The DCW chief said she was saddened as the Prime Minister did not take any action on this sensitive subject.Citing Unnao and Kathua rape incidents, Maliwal said, "You are observing one-day fast for strengthening the democracy, but how will it be strengthened if women are not safe?"An eight-year-old Muslim nomadic girl was ..
Kathua, Unnao rapes: NCP accuses BJP of shielding accused
The NCP today accused the BJP, the ruling ally in the Mehbooba Mufti government in Jammu and Kashmir, of "shielding" the accused involved in the alleged gang rape and killing of a minor girl in Kathua. The Sharad Pawar-led party also accused the BJP of not initiating any action against its rape accused MLA in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. "The gang-rapes in Unnao and Kathua, and the incidents that followed these ghastly crimes are shocking and inhuman. A gang-rape victim's father is arrested and killed in police custody (in Unnao), but no action is taken against the accused BJP MLA," NCP general secretary, D P Tripathi, told reporters here. He said the BJP was supporting the accused persons involved in the alleged gang-rape of a minor girl in Kathua in Jammu. "No party has taken such a stand in independent India," said Tripathi. Police in Uttar Pradesh today registered an FIR against ruling BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a teenage ...