Page 2019 - Law Crime

Bofors case: BJP leader files plea seeking CJI's recusal

A BJP leader, pursuing the politically sensitive Bofors pay-off case, today filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking recusal of the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. Advocate Ajay Agrawal, who contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli against then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, alleged that the chief justice was "prejudiced" and "bent upon" dismissing the case relating to Rs 64 crore pay- off off matter without going into the merits. He referred to the January 16 hearing to draw an inference that the bench headed by CJI would, in all likelihood, dismiss the appeal filed by him against the May 31, 2005 judgement of the Delhi High Court discharging all the accused in the case. At the last hearing, he said, senior advocate Kapil Sibal was allowed to speak even after he objected to it. He said the CJI did not stop Sibal from interfering in the matter. The lawyer said there were at least three occasions during the hearing when the court was about to dismiss ..

PCB tribunal rejects Latif's appeal against ban

An appellate tribunal of Pakistan Cricket Board has rejected an appeal by international batsman Khalid Latif to set aside a five-year ban imposed on him by the Anti-Corruption unit of the PCB. The appellate tribunal, however, waived off a one million rupees fine which was also imposed on Latif last year by the anti-corruption unit. Latif was banned last September for five years and fined one million rupees after being found guilty of six breaches of the PCB's anti-corruption code of conduct which included a charge of meeting with a suspected bookmaker, instigating other players and accepting an offer to spot-fix. The anti-corruption tribunal had also imposed a five-year ban on Test batsman Sharjeel Khan for five breaches but suspended half of his ban. The PCB had also suspended other cricketers, Muhammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan and Nasir Jamshed in the Pakistan Super League spot-fixing scandal. Sharjeel had also appealed his ban but the appellate tribunal dismissed his ...

Justice Shukla may become 4th judge to face impeachment

With Chief Justice Dipak Misra understood to have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for removing Allahabad High Court's Justice Narayan Shukla, he would be the fourth judge to face impeachment proceedings in the last 25 years with none succeeding so far.

Fire breaks out forest in Reasi

A major fire broke out at a forest in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir today and efforts are on the douse the blaze, the police said. The fire broke out in the upper reaches of Reasi this afternoon, they said. Authorities are making efforts to put out the blaze, the police said.

Police complaint authority constituted for Delhi: HC told

A police complaint authority to look into complaints against erring policemen in the national capital has been set up, the Centre told the Delhi High Court today. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar was also informed that the Lieutenant Governor (LG) has constituted the authority on the Centre's direction. Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the LG and the Delhi police, said the Police Complaint Authority (PCA) will be headed by a Chairman with three members, including a woman. "One of the three members must be a woman. The Chairman will be either a retired high court judge, a person of repute and stature from civil society, a retired civil servant or a retired police officer," the senior counsel said. Central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia said a notification in this regard was issued on January 29, which also explains the appointment, removal and terms and condition of the appointment. He said the order also ..

SC asks Madras HC to decide pleas on LOC against Karti, others

The Supreme Court today remanded back to the Madras High Court the pleas relating to issuance of two Look Out Circulars (LOC) against Karti Chidambaram, son of former union minister P Chidambaram, and others in a corruption case. The top court, which had stayed the High Court's order of August 10 last year keeping at abeyance the LOCs issued on June 16 and July 28 last year against Karti and others in the case, however made it clear that its interim order "shall continue till the matter is finally disposed of". "The (four) writ petitions ..., challenging the Look Out Circulars of June 16, 2017 and July 18, 2017, be decided by the Division Bench presided over by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Madras. "The High Court is requested to dispose of these writ petitions within two months," a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said. The top court also said it has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case and asked .

Sreejeev Death: Brother ends protest after 800 days

Sreejith who has been protesting for last 800 days demanding CBI inquiry into custodial death of his brother Sreejeev, ended his protest on Wednesday after the probe agency recorded his statement.Sreejith had been protesting outside the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.The CBI earlier this month had agreed to probe the alleged death of Sreejeev in police custody.The state government had in July last year written to the Centre for a CBI investigation as some police personnel were accused in the case registered in Parassala police station.However, the plea was rejected by CBI stating they had an overload of cases and this particular incident did not come under the rarest of rare cases.Sreejeev, died at a Thiruvananthapuram hospital on March 21, 2014, allegedly due to police torture. He was taken into custody in an alleged case of theft.

CBI registers 30 more FIRs in Manipur fake encounter case

A Special Investigation Team of the CBI, probing the alleged extra-judicial killings and fake encounters in Manipur, has taken over probe in 30 pending cases in adherence to the apex court's January 31 deadline. The Supreme Court had on January 16 chided the investigative agency for not registering the required number of cases in the matter, as directed by it earlier. It had directed the SIT to lodge 30 more FIRs on or before January 31 this year, after the SIT informed the court that it had registered 12 First Information Reports (FIRs) till date in the case. The agency has now registered 30 more FIRs in the Manipur fake encounter case, taking the total number of cases to 42. The top court had on July 14 last set up an SIT comprising five CBI officers, and ordered registration of FIRs and probe into the alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur. It had asked the CBI director to lodge the necessary FIRs and complete the investigation by December 31 last year. The apex ...

Monitoring panel does not mean other agencies will not work:SC

The Supreme Court today said the mandate given to its monitoring committee to oversee the implementation of laws relating to sealing of illegal premises in Delhi, does not mean that other authorities would not do their work. A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta observed this while hearing the pleas by traders of a marble market in South Delhi where the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) had carried out sealing drive as per the direction of the monitoring committee. The counsel representing the traders told the bench that the monitoring committee was mandated by the top court to look at the misuse of residential land for commercial purpose only and sealing was carried out in the area which was agricultural land. The bench said "but that does not mean that the corporation (SDMC) will not do its work. They have to do their statutory work. This has to be done by the corporation." Meanwhile, the committee filed its status report in the court and ..

SC 'concerned' over 8-month-old's rape

Expressing concern over the rape of an eight-month-old baby girl allegedly by her cousin here, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed AIIMS to send two doctors to visit the child in the hospital and assess if the she can be shifted to premier medical facility.

Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah denied bail by court

A Delhi court today denied bail to Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah in a 2007 money- laundering case, noting the Enforcement Directorate's charge that he took money from Pakistan to create unrest in the Valley. Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma, who had in August last year denied the relief to Shah citing the ongoing probe, dismissed his fresh bail plea. The court took note of the submission by special public public prosecutor N K Matta, appearing for ED, that "Shah is involved in channelising illegal money sourced from Pakistan, avoiding banking channels, to fund terror organisations in J and K and other parts of the country and if released on bail, he may use his influence in threatening the witnesses." The agency said that further investigation was going on and the properties were being identified and if granted the relief, the accused, who was arrested on July 26 last year in the case, will not be available for the trial. "ED is trying to establish the .

SC asks Amrapali for comprehensive plan on delayed projects

The Supreme Court today asked the embattled real estate firm Amrapali to submit a comprehensive plan with a time line in seven days on how it would complete its pending projects. Observing that "it is concerned" about the home buyers money who have "put their entire savings of life", the top court said these funds should not be diverted to something else. "Comprehensive proposal with respect to all the projects including details about stages of work, funds needed and time line for completion should be filed by the company in seven days", a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy said. The top court observed that it should desist from "asking for refund of money to the home buyers" and it should be done "only in the case when the projects are not viable". It also asked the authorities of Noida and Greater Noida, the Committee of Creditors, the Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) and other parties to file their responses to the proposal submitted by the company in .

Thai teens handed years-long sentences for burning royal

Five Thai teens and a 20-year-old were sentenced to between nearly 3.5 and 11.5 years in prison today for setting fire to royal portraits, their lawyers said. Thailand has one of the harshest royal defamation laws in the world and aggressively polices any perceived slight to its ultra-rich royal family, whose portraits are plastered across billboards and storefronts around the kingdom. Lese majeste cases are highly sensitive and all media based in Thailand are forced to heavily self-censor to avoid falling foul of the law. The six young men, five of whom are in their late teens, were arrested in May 2017 in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen after allegedly vandalising royal portraits. "The charges included lese majeste, arson, criminal association and destroying property," said a spokesperson for Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), who represented the defendants in a provincial court. The 20-year-old and three others were convicted of two cases of burning royal ...

CID sends K'put rape case exhibits to CFSL for re-examination

The CID of Odisha Police has sent the exhibits of the Koraput rape case to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Kolkata, for re-examination. As a dispute had surfaced questioning the findings of the report of the State Forensic Science Laboratory here, DGP R P Sharma had on January 27, 2018, directed the CID to get the exhibits re-examined from the CFSL for a second opinion to clear the air and put an end to all speculation, the CID said in a statement. The CID is investigating the alleged gangrape of a schoolgirl at Kunduli in Koraput and the DGP's direction to it followed media reports that the scientific examination report on it was changed while making the final report. "The investigating officer of the CID yesterday sent the available exhibits of the Kunduli alleged rape case to CFSL, Kolkata, for detailed examination," superintendent of police, CID, said in a statement. Before sending the exhibits to the CFSL, the CID investigating officer had to take ..

SC concerned over rape of infant, asks AIIMS docs to visit her

The Supreme Court today expressed grave concern over the rape of an eight-month-old girl allegedly by her 28-year-old cousin and directed two doctors of AIIMS to visit the victim in the hospital and assess her condition. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwikar and D Y Chandrachud asked two doctors to go to the hospital with a special ambulance, assess the medical condition of the victim and shift her to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) if the situation so warranted. It sought a report from the doctors by Thursday. The baby was raped allegedly by her 28-year-old cousin on January 28 in a locality near Netaji Subhash Place in north- west Delhi. "We are more concerned about the health of the infant," the bench said, after which the Centre assured it that the child will get the best medical care. The court also asked a member of Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to accompany the doctors during their visit to the hospital ...

CBI nabs BSF commandant on suspicion of accepting bribe from

The CBI has arrested a BSF commandant posted on the sensitive Indo-Bangla border in West Bengal with more than Rs 45 lakh in cash, which is believed to be illegal gratification collected from smugglers operating in the area. Jibu D Mathew, Commandant of the BSF's 83rd battalion, was nabbed when he deboarded the Shalimar Express at Alappuzha, CBI sources said. They said the arrest was made following a tip off about an alleged corruption case. A CBI team along with an independent witness trailed him in the AC-1 coach of the train from the Erankulam junction, they said. The commandant was intercepted when he got down at Alappuzha, the sources said. During his search in the presence of railway officials and the witness, the team found 18 bundles of currency notes of Rs 2,000 denomination totalling Rs 34.44 lakh and 22 bundles of Rs 500 notes totalling around Rs 10.86 lakh concealed under clothes in a blue trolley bag, the CBI FIR alleged. On examining Jibu D Mathew about ...

SC 'concerned over 8-month-old's rape', wants baby shifted to AIIMS

The Supreme Court directed two AIIMS doctor to supervise the case, asked NALSA to accompany the doctors when they visit the baby

Woman moves Kerala HC for setting aside order acquitting ex-

A woman today moved the Kerala High Court seeking to set aside a lower court order, acquitting NCP MLA and former Kerala transport minister A K Saseendran of sexual harassment charges. In her petition, Mahalakshmi alleged that Saseendran influenced the woman who levelled the sexual harassment charges and pressured her for settlement in the case in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court at Thiruvananthapuram. Mahalakshmi alleged that the magistrate showed 'undue consideration' in disposing the case by advancing it out of turn by discharging the accused in a hurried manner. The petition was filed even as the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government decided to re-induct Saseendran in his cabinet tomorrow. The magistrate court had acquitted Saseendran, holding that no case had been made out against him that warranted conviction. The case, an off-shoot of a sleaze audio tape row involving Saseendran and the woman, had taken a new turn with the latter reversing her statement in ...

Pak court issues notices to Sharif, aides on contempt petition

A top court in Pakistan today issued notices to ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter, son-in-law and two ministers for allegedly committing contempt of court during a rally in Punjab province last week. The Lahore High Court here issued notices to the federal government, Election Commission of Pakistan and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to submit their reply in this regard by February 14. Petitioner Amina Malik told the court that Sharif, his daughter Maryam, son-in-law Capt (retd.) Muhammad Safdar, Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry and Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah verbally attacked the Supreme Court judges on last Saturdays rally in Jaranwala (some 150-km from Lahore) for disqualifying Sharif from the office of prime minister. She said Maryam made the most adverse remarks about the five judges who handed down disqualification to Sharif. Maryam in her address had said: "The SC judges had asked Imran Khan ...

Petition filed seeking recusal of CJI from Bofors case

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking recusal of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra from hearing the Bofors case.Apex Court lawyer Ajay Aggarwal, filed the petition against the CJI on the ground that he acted in a biased manner during January 16 hearing and that he allowed former law minister Kapil Sibal to intervene without any authority despite, repeated objection.On Jaunary 1, the top court asked the locus standi of Aggarwal, in filing an appeal in the case.The apex court also said that it would be against criminal jurisprudence to permit a third party who is not connected to the case.The apex court will hear the case on February 2.Aggarwal, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, had filed the plea in the top court seeking early hearing in Rs. 64-crore Bofors pay-off case.He challenged the Delhi High Court's 2005 judgement, which quashed all charges against the Europe-based Hinduja brothers.The Bofors scandal, relating to alleged payment of ...