Page 2181 - Law Crime
2G Scam: Take legal steps to punish guilty, says CPI(M)
The CPI(M) today stayed away from the political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress over a court verdict on the 2G spectrum case, but called for immediate legal steps to ensure that the guilty in the scam were punished. The Left party in a statement observed that the judgement of the CBI special court had raised more questions than answers. "Since the CBI case and prosecution have proved inadequate, steps must be taken immediately to pursue the matter legally, so that those who are guilty are punished," it said. The CPI(M) maintained that it had been "well-established" by the Comptroller and Auditor General that the allocation of 2G spectrum had caused "a big loss" of Rs 1,76,000 crore. "The Supreme Court had indicted some of the telecom companies involved for misuse of the allocations and cancelled the licences of concerned companies," it said.
Actor Fazil gets anticipatory bail in car registration case
Malayalam actor Fahad Fazil on Thursday got anticipatory bail from a court near Alappuzha regarding a case where he allegedly got his luxury car registered on a fake address in Puducherry.
Indian among 19 injured in Aus as car deliberately hits crowd
An Indian was among 19 people injured today when a speeding SUV ran down pedestrians at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne in what the Australian police said a "deliberate act". A white Suzuki Grand Vitara with two men inside drove into the crowd at the intersection just after 4.30 pm local time (0530 GMT), injuring 19 people including Rohit Kaul, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir. Quoting eyewitnesses, the local media said that people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle. The attack was an "act of evil and an act of cowardice", Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters here. He said the condition of four people hit was critical. Fifteen others were stable. The 45-year-old Kaul was talking to his son while crossing the intersection when he was hit by the car. "My husband was talking to my son Avi and crossing the intersection. Suddenly, my husband's phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before
Always held prosecution case was false: Raja
In his first comments after being acquitted in the 2G case, former Telecom Minister A. Raja on Thursday said he stood vindicated as accusations that he took Rs 200 crore bribe to allocate lucrative radio wave spectrum in 2008 were false.
2G cases: Court acquits Loop, Essar promoters
A court hearing the 2G scam case on Thursday acquitted DMK chief M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal and Essar and Loop promoters in two different cases related to the 2G spectrum allocation, besides former Telecom Minister A. Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi.
Pursue 2G case: CPI-M
The CPI-M on Thursday urged the government to pursue legally the 2G spectrum allocation case after a court here declared that none of the accused was guilty.
No evidence to show Essar group controlled Loop Telecom: Court
Essar Group promoters Ravi Kant Ruia and Anshuman Ruia were today acquitted in a case arising out of the 2G scam probe by a special court which said there was no evidence to suggest that they controlled Loop Telecom Ltd, an alleged beneficiary of the spectrum allocation. Special judge O P Saini, who acquitted all 17 accused including ex-telecom minister A Raja in the main CBI case holding that there was no scam, also let off Loop Telecom promoters I P Khaitan and Kiran Khaitan saying there was no material on record to indicate that bogus transaction was carried out for securing 2G licences. "The weight of the evidence, both oral and documentary, is that I P Khaitan was the man behind the entire events alleged in the instant case. Evidence is on record to the effect that I P Khaitan owns his own group of companies known as 'Khaitan group' and it is separate and independent from Essar group. When two groups are independent, there can be no violation of Clause 8. "The ...
2G: Court acquits Raja, Kanimozhi of charge of laundering Rs
A special court today acquitted ex-telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi of the charge of laundering Rs 200 crore bribe money in the 2G spectrum allocation case, citing absence of "proceeds of crime" as there was no scam. Special judge O P Saini, who acquitted 17 accused, including Raja in the main CBI case by holding that there was no scam, trashed the offshoot matter pursued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court allowed 17 other accused, including DMK chief M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal, to walk free. The ED had alleged that Rs 200 crore bribe money was paid by Swan Telecom (P) Ltd (STPL) promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV as illegal gratification in lieu of grant of 2G spectrum licences. "In view of acquittal of accused in the case relating to scheduled offence (2G), there are no 'proceeds of crime'. Proceeds of crime is the foundational fact for the offence of money laundering. Since there are no proceeds of crime, there can be no offence of money
JPMorgan 'seriously breached anti-money laundering
JP Morgan Chase's Swiss unit "seriously breached anti-money laundering regulations" in its dealings with Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, the Swiss financial markets watchdog found today. The US bank's subsidiary "failed to adequately identify the increased money laundering risks in some of the business relationships related to this case", the FINMA body said, referring to a money-laundering scandal that has shaken the Malaysian political establishment. "The bank seriously breached anti-money laundering regulations by failing to screen adequately transactions and business relationships booked in Switzerland associated with the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and one of its business partners," FINMA said in a statement. Despite its findings, FINMA said it would not seek legal proceedings against any individuals and there would be no fines against JP Morgan. The US Justice Department alleges in civil lawsuits that USD 4.5 billion was looted from 1MDB in an ...
'Consumer Protection Bill passage expected in ongoing session'
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said he hoped that the new bill to protect consumer rights will be introduced and passed in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. "The Cabinet yesterday approved introduction of the Consumer Protection Bill, 2017. This is a historic bill. We hope that this Bill will be introduced and passed in the current session of Parliament," the food and consumer affairs minister told reporters here. This Bill seeks to replace the 31-year old law 'Consumer Protection Act, 1986', he said, adding that it would empower consumers and protect their rights in a better way. The proposed law would help in dealing with current challenges emanating from digital and e-commerce transactions, he said, without sharing further details. Paswan said vacancies in district, state and national consumer forums would be filled up as the number of cases are increasing with higher consumer awareness. NCDRC President D K Jain also raised concern that the number of ...
"Cong should not be elated", says Rajiv Chandrasekhar
The Congress should not be elated over the 2G scam verdict as the matter of prosecuting "criminal conspirators is still open," Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar said today. He said he was not "disappointed" with the acquittal of former Telecom minister A Raja andDMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi. "Also Congress should not be so much elated,because the matter of prosecuting criminal conspirators isstill open as the investigating agencies, CBI and ED, havealready decided to move courts," the MP told PTI here. He said though the CBI court has not been able to establish criminal conspiracy cases against the acquitted persons, it has not overruled the Supreme Court's February 2012 verdict terming the allotment of spectrum as illegal. "The Supreme Court has already established wrongdoings of the then UPA government in allotment of 2G spectrum in 2012. So, what the CBI court judge is saying is that CBI and ED, have been unable to create a enough legitimate case against the ...
Kanimozhi says justice has been delivered
DMK MP Kanimozhi today said justice has been delivered with the special court acquitting her and others in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases, and described her last six years as "harrowing and "excruciating". "There is no evidence against me and justice has been delivered," she told mediapersons in New Delhi after the verdict was pronounced. Special CBI Judge O P Saini acquitted all the accused, noting that the prosecution had "miserably failed" to prove the charges against them. Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha MP and daughter of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, was accused of conniving with former telecom minister A Raja and other co-accused in "parking" illegal gratification of Rs 200 crore in Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd, of which she was a promoter. Expressing relief and joy, Kanimozhi said, "I have been waiting these last six years for this day." "The last six years have been harrowing to say the least...I owe a debt of gratitude to my family and party workers who were a pillar of .
Vyapam scam: CBI hands out DVDs of charge sheet to accused
The CBI has handed over DVDs, instead of hard copies, of its charge sheet to 491 accused in the case related to the Madhya Pradesh Pre-Medical Test (PMT) 2013, a part of the Vyapam admission and recruitment scam. "We have handed over charge sheets in DVDs, each containing around 39,500 pages including enclosures, to the accused or their advocates in the special CBI court," special prosecutor Satish Dinkar told PTI today. The CBI filed the charge sheet in the court on October 31, 2017, but the judge asked the Central agency to provide a copy to every accused. The charge sheet runs into around 1,500 pages along with around 38,000 pages of enclosures, CBI sources said. If hard copies were to be distributed to the accused, it would have needed a truck for delivery, Dinkar said. The Vyapam scam, pertaining to entrance and recruitment examinations conducted by the MP Professional Examination Board (Vyapam being its Hindi acronym), came to light in 2011. It is alleged that ...
Max Hospital case: Father of twins demand CBI enquiry
Father of the twins, who were declared dead by Max Hospital in Delhi's Shalimar Bagh, on Thursday demanded for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry to seek justice into the matter.Speaking to ANI, Ashish, the father of the kids, said, "The police have not taken our statements yet. I request for a CBI inquiry into the case, so that the culprits are punished and I can get justice. I don't want this to happen to others".He added that the family was relieved to hear the Delhi Government's order to cancel the license of Max Hospital, but again the institution was given its license."My question is, if Section 304 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been applied on the doctors, then why they aren't getting arrested. It is a non-bailable offence," he asserted.Earlier in the day, the relatives of the twins, who were declared dead with one of them later found to be alive, staged a protest outside the Shalimar Bagh Max Hospital after the hospital resumed operations a day before.The .
Raja wasn't 'mother lode' of 2G conspiracy: Court
In giving a clean chit to former Telecom Minister A. Raja, a court on Thursday said there was no evidence to suggest that he was the "mother lode of conspiracy" in the so-called 2G scam created "by artfully arranging a few selected facts and exaggerating things beyond recognition to astronomical levels".
Himachal HC orders closure of 116 more hotels in Dharamsala
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has asked state authorities to initiate action against 116 more hotels and guesthouses operating illegally in and around Dharamsala town and also to immediately disconnect their water and electricity connections.
Two persons from TN who jumped bail in Lanka arrested
Two persons from Tamil Nadu, who jumped bail in Sri Lanka in a drug smuggling case, were arrested off Dhanushkodi coast today, police said. The marine police intercepted the boat of Silambarasan and Merildan near Dhanushkodi and arrested them. Both of them were on bail in a drug smuggling case filed by the Sri Lankan police. They reached Dhanushkodi after jumping the bail, police said. Silambarasan belonged to Pamban while Merildan Ramanathapuram, police said.
2G verdict fit case for appeal: AIADMK
Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK today said the verdict acquitting former telecom minister A Raja and DMK Rajya Sabha MP K Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum scam case was "not final" and provided grounds for appeal. Holding that the prosecution had "miserably failed" to prove the charges, a special CBI court in Delhi today acquitted Raja, Kanimozhi and all other accused in the politically-sensitive 2G spectrum allocation scam cases. "It is not a final verdict. It is a fit case for appeal," senior AIADMK leader and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters here. Reading out the operative part of the order, Jayakumar said the verdict had been delivered by a lower court. "There are various fora. There is the Delhi High Court, the Supreme Court. So when an appeal is made, we hope we will get a good verdict," he said. Asked whether the AIADMK would file an appeal, he said the CBI had filed a case and would take care of it. Sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran said he was happy ...
Indian-origin driver among smuggling gang jailed in UK
An Indian-origin driver is among 10 members of a so-called "white van group" jailed for a total of 31 years for smuggling drugs and money across the UK. Daljeet Singh Juttla from west London had been stopped by Scotland Yard officers with 90,000 pounds of drugs money couriered by one of the other gang members. Yesterday, Liverpool Crown Court handed the 42-year-old Juttla a 20-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and 200 hours of unpaid work for the money laundering charge. "Established trafficking routes like these present a complex and troubling threat to the UK. With well worked-out logistics a criminal group can turn its hand to anything from gun running or drug smuggling, expanding their own operations or hiring out their services to others," said Jane Lloyd, branch commander at the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), which conducted the UK-wide investigation. "The NCA officers are alert to the tactics criminals use to shift commodities and hide their activity
CBI's well-choreographed charge sheet had incorrect facts: 2G
The CBI today received a backhanded compliment from a special court here for filing a "well choreographed charge sheet" containing incorrect facts which miserably failed to prove charges against the accused in 2G spectrum case. Special judge O P Saini, who acquitted the accused facing trial in three separate cases lodged by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate, said that in the CBI's charge sheet filed against former telecom minister A Raja and others, incorrcent facts were recorded and they were entitled to be set free. "The end result of the above discussion is that, I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that the prosecution (CBI) has miserably failed to prove any charge against any of the accused, made in its well choreographed charge sheet," the court said. "I may add that many facts recorded in the charge sheet are factually incorrect, like Finance Secretary strongly recommending revision of entry fee, deletion of a clause of draft LOI (letter of intent) by A .