Page 251 - Law Crime
Allegations against CJI: Ex-SC staffer expresses reservations over composition of inquiry panel
The former woman staffer of the Supreme Court, who made allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, expressed reservations on Wednesday over the composition of the panel entrusted to make in-house inquiry. In her letter to the panel headed by Justice S A Bobde, the senior-most apex court judge, she expressed objection to the presence of Justice N V Ramana in the inquiry panel on the ground that he is a close friend of the CJI and a regular visitor to his house. An official source confirmed that the former staffer, who has been issued notice to appear before the panel on Friday, also raised question over the presence of only one woman apex court judge -- Indira Banerjee -- in the panel to examine her allegations against the CJI which is not in accordance with the Vishaka Guidelines. She said that as per the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the Vishaka judgement, for holding inquiry into the allegations of sexual harassment at work place, ..
HC fines two persons Rs 5 cr in trademark infringement case
The Bombay High Court has imposed a fine of Rs five crore on two persons for selling spurious pipes for use in oil plants, and directed that the money should be paid to a cancer hospital. Justice S J Kathawalla on April 15 directed defendants Kishor Jain and Jeetendra Burad to pay Rs five crore to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital here. "The present case is the quintessential illustration of the extent to which a few unscrupulous persons, such as the present defendants, can go, in order to make a quick buck. "It is utterly unfortunate that such people have absolutely no regard for ethics or principles and in the bargain, they make an irreparable dent to the reputation of our country," the court said in its order. Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation had filed a suit against Jain and Burad for selling carbon seamless pipes, used in oil plants, to a company in Saudi Arabia by falsely claiming that they were made by Nippon. The defendants also provided forged certificates ...
State convicted on moral, constitutional principles: Bilkis Bano
A day after the Supreme Court told the Gujarat government to rehabilitate and pay her Rs 50 lakh, Bilkis Yakub Rasool Bano, gang-raped in the 2002 Gujarat riots, on Wednesday said the state had been convicted on moral and constitutional principles.
Chain snatching costs Noida thief his life
A 30-year-old chain snatcher died here Wednesday after he was allegedly hit in the head from an iron rod by an unidentified man in crowd that tried to stop him from fleeing, police said. The incident took place around 1 pm when near a park in Sector 90 under Phase 2 police station limits, they said. Three local men -- Vipin, Gaurav and Sunny -- were in the park video recording themselves dancing and singing, when two-bike borne snatchers reached there, a police official said. "Praveen Singh, who was riding pillion, snatched Vipin's chain and tried to flee the spot. The trio immediately raised an alarm and shouted for help and soon passersby tried to intercept the fleeing duo," Station House Officer, Phase 2 , Farmood Ali Pundir said. "Meanwhile, someone from the crowd picked up an iron rod lying nearby and hit Singh, who fell off the speeding motorcycle and died of the attack," he said. The SHO said the stolen chain was recovered from Singh, a resident Sunpura village in Greater ...
HC lifts ban on TikTok with conditions, warns against obscene videos
The Madras High Court Wednesday lifted its ban on Chinese social media app TikTok with the condition that the platform should not be used to host obscene videos. A bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and S S Sundar of the Madurai bench of the high court, which heard the matter as per the orders of the Supreme Court, warned that if any "controversial" video violating its conditions were found posted using the app, it would be considered a contempt of court. The high court had on April 3 directed the Centre to ban the mobile app TikTok, which is used to create short videos, as it voiced concern over "pornographic and inappropriate content" being made available through such apps. Hearing a plea by the Chinese company ByteDance, which owns the app, challenging the ban, the Supreme Court has refused to stay the HC order, but asked the firm to raise its grievances before the high court. A bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna had Monday ...
Jharkhand man burnt to death for demanding payment
A person working as a labourer at a stone crushing unit in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district was allegedly burnt to death by the unit owner's son on Wednesday.
Court orders release of YouTuber who posted video slamming BJP
Preventive detention of a city resident for uploading a video critical of a BJP MLA appeared to be "motivated", and personal liberty cannot be curtailed just because elections are underway, a court here has said. In an order Tuesday, the sessions court ordered immediate release of Rakesh Kanojia who was detained by police on April 12 under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). According to the suburban Santacruz police, Kanojia had allegedly uploaded a video where he criticised BJP leader Ashish Shelar, an MLA from suburban Bandra, "with the intention to harm his (Shelar's) reputation". Police detained Kanojia under the CrPC, saying there was apprehension that his acts could "promote enmity between different groups" amid the ongoing elections. A magistrate's court sent him to police custody till April 26, after which Kanojia moved the sessions court challenging the order. Additional Sessions Judge N L More observed Tuesday that if the police thought that Kanojia had committed a ...
HC raps police, sets up panel to revamp criminal justice
The Madras High Court Wednesday set up a committee to recommend steps for reformation and re-integration of convicts and accused into the society and suggest best practices to improve the quality of investigation, as it found fault with the manner in which police handled criminal cases. Justice Anand Venkatesh said statistics published in the National Crime Records Bureau and data furnished by the Tamil Nadu Police reveal an outrageously sorry state of affairs in the criminal justice system and the working system of police. He set up a committee comprising retired IPS officer R Nataraj, retired SP V Sithanan, senior advocate N R Elango, Dr K V Kishore Kumar, director of Banyan, an organisation working in the field of mental health, and Deputy Commissioner of Police M Sudhakar to look into the issue. Passing interim orders on the matter arising out of a bail application by two accused, he said the effort of the court was to create a healthy criminal justice system in the state and ...
HC notice on plea seeking 30 days leave for life convict in in Coimbatore serial blasts
The Madras High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Superintendent of Central Prisons at Coimbatore on a plea seeking 30 days' leave for S A Bhasha, an Al-Umma leader serving life term for the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts. A division bench of justices M Sathyanarayanan and M Nirmal Kumar issued the notice and posted the matter for further hearing to April 29. Bhasha was arrested in 1991 by the Coimbatore city police in connection with a murder case and was remanded in judicial custody. The trial court awarded life imprisonment to him in the case. He was also arrested in connection with the 1998 serial bomb blasts cases. The sessions court had sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2007. According to the plea filed by B Mubeena, Bhasha's daughter, her father was sentenced to life in 2007 and was imprisoned for over 20 years. He was eligible for ordinary leave under the Tamil Nadu Suspension of sentence rules. The petitioner said her mother was suffering from continuous ...
Women advocates don't feel safe anymore, Jaising tells SC
Activist lawyer Indira Jaising told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that women advocates don't feel safe anymore in the top court and demanded a free and fair inquiry into the allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. A special bench headed by Justices Arun Mishra was told by senior advocate Jaising that inquiry into the claims made by lawyer Utsav Singh Bains that there was "larger conspiracy" to frame the CJI, should not prejudice the inquiry by three judges of the apex court, on administrative side, into the allegations. The bench, also comprising Justices R F Nariman and Deepak Gupta, clarified that these two are separate matters and the hearings about the claims made by the lawyer will not prejudice the inquiry. "We clarify that the exercise which is undertaken by the Court on judicial side is outside the scope of the said matter, the correctness of which has to be looked into on the administrative side by the appropriate authorities," the bench
Hearing of BJD MLA's bail petition deferred
A special court here deferred the hearing of a bail petition of Odisha's ruling BJD MLA and assembly election candidate Pradeep Maharathy who was arrested on the charge of attacking a magistrate of the Election Commission flying squad. The Pipili candidate's plea was slated to be heard on Wednesday but it was deferred due to delay in submission of case diary and injury report, government pleader Pradipta Kumar Mishra said. The police could not submit the reports to the special court dealing with cases against politicians on time due to election duty, Mishra said adding that Maharathy's bail plea will be heard on April 27. Maharathy was arrested on April 22 for allegedly attacking the EC's flying squad magistrate Rabinarayan Patra at his farm house in Pipili where the team had reached the the previous night after receiving a complaint that money and liquor were being distributed before the election. The BJD candidate could not vote on April 23 when polling was held in Pipili as he was .
My case is about shameful failure of state in protecting its people: Bilkis Bano
Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped during the 2002 Gujarat riots, on Wednesday said the Supreme Court's direction to the state government to provide her compensation will give hope to other victims, and called for ending the "hate and fear gripping the country". She, however, lamented that her family did not get any support and protection from the state government during their 17-year-long battle for justice. "My case is about the shameful failure of the state in protecting its people," Bano told a press conference and added that she faced much hardship in the years following the riots. The Supreme court Tuesday directed the Gujarat government to give Rs 50 lakh compensation, a job and accommodation to Bano who was gang-raped while seven of her family members were killed. The top court also directed the state government to pay her the compensation within two weeks. Bano said the Supreme Court's direction to the Gujarat government has reaffirmed her faith in judiciary and the ...
Will go deep into fixing claims in top judiciary: SC on alleged conspiracy to "frame" CJI
Stung by alleged claims of "fixers" at work and manipulating the top judiciary, the Supreme Court Wednesday said it would "inquire, inquire and inquire" till it gets to root of whether sexual harassment allegations against CJI Ranjan Gogoi was part of a "larger conspiracy" to "frame" him. On a day of dramatic developments when the chiefs of the CBI, IB and Delhi Police were also summoned to the court, a special bench took serious note of the sensational claims of advocate Utsav Singh Bains, who has filed an affidavit alleging "larger conspiracy" to frame the CJI. After meeting the top officials, the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra made it clear that it will "not tolerate" any nuisance. The bench hinted that the "very disturbing" episode which led to allegations of sexual harassment against Justice Gogoi may be a handiwork of some disgruntled employees and the complainant woman who were dismissed from service. "We will inquire and go to the root of alleged claims of fixers at work .
Man pleads guilty to shipping lizards from Philippines to US
A New Hampshire man who smuggled rare lizards from the Philippines to the US by hiding them in socks and placing them inside electronic equipment has pleaded guilty. Federal prosecutors say 26-year-old Derrick Semedo pleaded guilty in Boston on Tuesday to trafficking in protected wildlife in violation of U.S. and Philippines law and international wildlife treaties. Authorities say from March to December 2016, the Nashua, New Hampshire man imported 20 live lizards by placing them in socks, sealing the socks with tape, then concealing them in the back panels of audio speakers or other electronic equipment. The equipment was shipped via commercial carriers to Semedo. Some lizards were then sold to customers in other states. He faces up to five years in prison at sentencing scheduled for August 13.
Our responsibility is to keep this institution clean, says SC
The Supreme Court Wednesday termed as "highly sensitive" the claims of fixing in the top judiciary and framing of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on allegations of sexual harassment, and said it was the responsibility of court to keep the institution clean so that its image is not tarnished. A three-judge special bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said that disclosure of certain names and allegations in the affidavit filed by advocate Utsav Singh Bains regarding fixing of bench in the apex court was a "very serious aspect". The three judges, who met the Directors of CBI, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Delhi Police Commissioner in chambers over the claims of Bains, directed them to seize the relevant material which the lawyer has filed in support of his affidavit. "It becomes our responsibility to keep this institution clean as well as to ensure that the image of this institution is not tarnished by such allegations to undertake the probe in the matter," said the bench, also ...
CBI 'lookout' notice against Bhushan Steel top officials
The CBI has issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Bhushan Steel Chairman Sanjay Singhal and his wife and Vice Chairman Aarti Singhal in connection with its investigation in a case of cheating in loans worth Rs 2,348 crore against them, official sources said on Wednesday.
Choksi seeks dismissal of ED plea to declare him as fugitive
Diamantaire Mehul Choksi, an accused in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking dismissal of an application filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a special court to declare him as a fugitive economic offender. In a petition filed Wednesday through advocate Vijay Aggarwal, he said he was unable to return to India due to persistent health problems. Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted by the ED and the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) for allegedly defrauding the PNB to the tune of Rs 13,400 crore, in collusion with a few of its employees. The ED had filed an application before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, seeking for Choksi to be declared a "fugitive economic offender" for evading summons to appear before the agency and that his properties be confiscated under the provisions of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018. Choksi had then filed an application before the lower court, seeking .
Woam cop injured in Priyanka Roadshow
A woman constable was injured while discharging her duty Wednesday in a roadshow of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi in the neighbouring Mahoba district. City Circle Officer Jatashankar Rai said Constable Khushi was injured when the front wheel of a vehicle in the Congress leader's roadshow ran over her feet. Khushi has been admitted to the district hospital here, he said. She is posted with Local Intelligence Unit of the sate police, he added.
Indira Jaising objects to Bains' entry in SC in car
Senior advocate Indira Jaising on Wednesday protested against the entry of car of advocate Utsav Bains -- who has filed an affidavit claiming a conspiracy against the Chief Justice of India under the garb of sexual harassment charge -- into the Supreme Court complex without any mandatory valid sticker.
Will go after the fixers in apex court, says SC
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said "fixing" has no place in the judiciary and it will go to "the bottom of the conspiracy" to identify those involved as it heard a case pertaining to conspiracy to frame the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi in a sexual harassment case.