Page 442 - Law Crime
Chopper case: Delhi court seeks report from Tihar on Christian Michel's solitary confinement
A Delhi court Wednesday sought a detailed report from Tihar Jail authorities on a plea by Christian Michel, the alleged middleman arrested in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal, claiming he has been kept in solitary confinement in the prison. Special Judge Arvind Kumar asked the jail superintendent or a competent authority to appear before the court to respond to Michel's allegation that he was not allowed to interact with co-prisoners. "The director general (prison) shall authorise jail superintendent or some other official who is well conversant with facts to appear before the court on February 28," the court said. An assistant superintendent present in the court denied the allegation. He told the court that the British national, extradited from Dubai in December, has not been kept in solitary confinement but was in a high-security cell with all facilities provided to prisoners. He, however, failed to state the reasons why Michel has been moved to the other cell. Michel .
Two held with country-made pistols
Two men were arrested Wednesday from Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh for allegedly carrying country-made pistols and bullets, a Special Task Force (STF) officer said. Shahid Khan (26) and Durag Singh (25) were intercepted near a bridge on Sunnar river on a tip-off when they were riding a motorcycle, STF (Jabalpur branch) inspector Hari Om Dixit said, adding that six country-made pistols and an equal number of rounds were found on them. The duo have been booked under Arms Act, Dixit said. In the past couple of months, the STF's local unit has arrested several persons and seized over 100 country-made pistols from them, he said. Damoh district is infamous for illegal manufacture and sale of such firearms, he said.
Centre defends provision of death penalty in rape cases
Justifying the legislature's decision to provide death penalty for repeat offence of rape, the Union government Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that rape laws had been amended in 2013 to introduce a powerful deterrent against such crimes. The Centre made the submission before a bench hearing writ petitions filed by the three convicts in the Shakti Mills gangrape case here challenging the constitutional validity of the death sentence awarded to them by the trial court in 2014. Arguing on behalf of the Union, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the high court that the IPC Section 376, that comprise the penal provisions for the offence of rape, had been amended following much deliberation. None of the provisions introduced through the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, was unconstitutional, he noted. "An act of rape is a very serious offence for even when it is non-homicidal, it doesn't merely cause physical harm to the victim, but, it affects her soul and her personality .
Have visited Jagannath Temple, will file report soon: Amicus curiae to SC
A senior advocate, assisting the apex court as an amicus curiae in the matter related to administration of the Jagannath temple in Puri, Wednesday told the Supreme Court that he had visited the shrine to understand the ground realities and would file a report soon. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who was asked by the court to visit the temple to assess the ground realities, told a bench of Justices S A Nazeer and M R Shah that he had held meetings with the temple management committee, 'sewaks' of the shrine and the local MP and MLA. "I had visited the temple. My report in not complete. The report will take some time," Kumar told the court. The bench, while taking note of Kumar's submission, posted the matter for further hearing on March 5. "At the request made by amicus curiae (Kumar), list the matter on March 5 to enable him to file the report," the bench said. On February 5, the counsel appearing for Odisha had said that the amicus curiae should visit the temple and himself take stock
HC seeks Centre's stand on plea of Moin Qureshi's daughter for OCI card
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the Centre's response on the plea of controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi's daughter for grant of an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. Justice Vibhu Bakhru, while issuing notice to the ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs and the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO), said that Qureshi's daughter appeared to be entitled for an OCI card according to the provisions of the Citizenship Act. Pernia Qureshi, who is a US citizen, has contended in her plea that she had applied for an OCI card in 2017 after the Indian government in January 2015 had issued a notification which said that all existing PIO card holders shall be deemed to OCI card holders. She has said in the petition that she was a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card holder since 2008 and that it was valid till 2023. However, when she came to India this year, immigration officers advised her to get an OCI card before March 31, 2019 as she would not be allowed to ...
Father-son duo held for trying to smuggle forex at Delhi airport
A father-son duo has been arrested by the customs officials for allegedly trying to smuggle out foreign currency worth Rs 68 lakh at Delhi airport, according to an official statement issue Wednesday. While the father had concealed the currency in his hand-baggage, a significant amount of forex was hidden by his son in rectum. The duo, who had arrived from Mumbai, were intercepted when they were proceeding to board a flight to Hong Kong, the statement issued by the customs said. A detailed examination of hand-baggage and personal search resulted in recovery of foreign currencies -- Euro 74,000, USD 13,000 and Hong Kong Dollar 2,400 -- equivalent to Rs 67.99 lakh, it said. "The said currency was concealed by the two passengers in their hand baggage and in the rectum," the statement said, adding that the accused have been arrested.
Jairam Ramesh moves HC challenging amendments in PMLA through Money Bills
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court alleging that amendments made to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) were illegally passed under the Money Bill provisions.
SC defers hearing on Jagannath Temple to March 5
The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing in the Puri's Jagannath Temple case to March 5 due to unavailability of Justice AK Sikri.Former Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, who was last month appointed as amicus curiae to assist the court in framing guidelines for managing the administrative affairs of the temple, told the apex court today that he had visited the Jagannath Temple in Odisha on February 23 in compliance with the court's order.Kumar further sought more time to file his response with respect to his visit.He submitted to the apex court that he met all the stakeholders in the case, including the king of Puri and servitors during his visit to the temple.Earlier it was reported that the apex court-appointed amicus curiae will hold discussions with Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Puri Shankaracharya and servitors over the implementation of 12 proposals.The appointment of Kumar came after Gopal Subramanium last year stepped down from his post.
Delhi High Court directs trial court to expedite trial in journalist Soumya Vishwanathan murder case
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the trial court to expedite the trial in the 2008 murder case of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan.The order came after one of the accused Baljeet Singh Malik moved Delhi HC, through advocate Amit Kumar, to seek a speedy trial in the case.Soumya Vishwanathan was found shot dead in her car on September 30, 2008, in south Delhi while she was returning home after work at around 3.30 a.m.It directed the trial court to conclude proceedings as early as possible and preferably on a day-to-day basis or at least to conduct hearing on two days a week.The High court also directed to appoint a senior police officer to monitor the appearance of prosecution witnesses in the case. Reports traced by ANI said that a senior officer has been appointed to look over the matter.A prolonged delay to the trail was a result of non-appearance of witnesses on the date fixed for the hearing, the court said.Till February the trial court concluded the recording of ...
Telangana: Woman set on fire for rejecting proposal
A man in Telangana's Warangal on Wednesday allegedly set a woman on fire after she rejected his proposal."Today around 9 am in the morning a person by name Sai Anvesh, who is pursuing a degree in Vagdevi College in Warangal Urban, poured petrol on a woman, who is also studying in the same college, and set her ablaze after she rejected his love proposal," V Ravinder, Commissioner of Police, Warangal, told ANI."It is also noticed that Sai was after the woman since last few days. The victim student has been shifted to a local hospital and is in critical condition as of now and undergoing treatment," Ravinder added.The police official further informed that the accused has been nabbed."The incident occurred in the limits of Hanmakonda police station. A case is being registered on the accused person," he added.
SC asks CBI to give details about its claim against ex-Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the CBI Director to file an affidavit giving details about the agency's claim that former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar had tampered with evidence in the Saradha chit fund scam.A division bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Khanna directed the premier investigation agency to file the affidavit within two weeks on its claim that Kumar had tampered with the call data records of the chit fund scam accused before handing the case over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.The court posted to March 26 the hearing on the CBI's plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against West Bengal Chief Secretary, DGP and Kumar for alleged non-cooperation in the probe into the case.The apex court said that it was not satisfied with the oral submissions made by Attorney General K K Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on the allegation and sought the affidavit.The bench pointed out that according to the Centre, the ...
No evidence against me, life ban imposed by BCCI unfair: Sreesanth tells SC
Banned cricketer S Sreesanth claimed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday that BCCI's decision imposing life ban on him was "completely unfair" and Delhi Police "continuously tortured" him in custody to extract confession of his involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. Sreesanth, who was arrested and later discharged by a trial court here in July 2015 in a criminal case related to the alleged spot-fixing, claimed he had to confess his involvement in the alleged crime as police tortured him in custody and threatened to implicate his family in the case. The 35-year-old cricketer has challenged in the top court the decision of a division bench of the Kerala High Court which had restored the life ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). His counsel told a bench of justices Ashok Bhushan and K M Joseph there was "no clear proof" and evidence of match fixing and Sreesanth has suffered a lot in the past five-six years. "In the context of facts and manner ..
Naxal wanted by Jharkhand police held in Gujarat
Gujarat Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Wednesday arrested here a suspected Naxal from Jharkhand who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Based on a tip-off, an ATS team raided a factory on the outskirts of the city and arrested Sitaram Birbal Manjhi (45), native of Topchanchi block in Dhanbad district, a police release said. He was hiding in Gujarat for the last five years, the ATS said. He is accused of carrying out a landmine blast in Dhanbad during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The Jharkhand government had declared a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Manjhi told the ATS that he joined Dhanbad-based Naxal group 'Krantikari Kisan Committee' in 2004 and was arrested in 2009 for attacking the Angarpathra railway police station, the release said. He allegedly confessed that while out on bail he and his associates carried out a landmine blast to target a police vehicle during the 2014 polls. He then fled to Gujarat and was working as a labourer at a factory in ..
Vatican to open probe into Cardinal Pell over child sex abuse
The Vatican will open an internal investigation into Australian Cardinal George Pell following his conviction for sexually assaulting two choirboys, its spokesman said Wednesday. Pell, once one of Pope Francis' closest advisors, is the most senior Catholic cleric ever to be convicted of child sex crimes. "The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will now handle the case following the procedure and within the time established by canonical norm," Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said in a statement. The investigation could result in a canonical trial and Pell's eventual expulsion from the priesthood. He may face the same fate as American Theodore McCarrick, a former cardinal who was defrocked earlier this year in a first for the Catholic church over accusations he had sexually abused a teenager. An Australian jury unanimously found Pell guilty in December on one count of sexual abuse and four counts of indecent assault against two boys at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne
Investors oppose RCom's plea to use IT refunds to settle Ericsson's dues at NCLAT
Financial creditors of the debt ridden Reliance Communications Wednesday opposed its plea to release the Income tax refunds to clear dues of Ericsson before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). The NCLAT was hearing RCom's plea, which has approached the appellate tribunal seeking waiver over the moratorium placed by it on February 4. A two-member bench of the NCLAT headed by Justice S J Mukhopadhaya has directed the financial creditors of the company, including the State Bank of India, to file their reply on the issue by March 8. Senior advocate Kapil Sibbal, appearing for RCom, requested the appellate tribunal to allow the release of money directly into the account of Ericsson, to which the ADAG group firm has to pay Rs 550 crore. However, this was opposed by senior advocate Krishnan Venugopal and others who were representing the financial organisations. "This tribunal is not the appropriate forum to decide the issue. The Supreme Court has already considered the ...
IRCTC scam: Lalu's co-accused moves HC for quashing order taking cognizance of charge sheet
A retired IRCTC official has moved the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of an order that took cognizance of a charge sheet filed against him in an IRCTC case in which RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav are also accused. The petition filed by the then group general manager of IRCTC Vinod Kumar Asthana, in which he sought setting aside of the trial court order on the ground that no requisite sanction was taken to prosecute him, is likely to come up for hearing on Thursday. Lalu, Rabri, Tejashwi and others, including Asthana, were summoned by the trial court on July 30, 2018 in the case related to alleged irregularities in granting operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm. They were chargesheeted by the CBI on April 16 last year after the agency said there were enough evidence against them. Asthana claimed in the plea that the trial court judge failed to appreciate that prima facie there was no evidence against him. CBI had earlier told
Two JMB operatives arrested in Bengal
The Special Task Force of the Kolkata Police arrested two operatives of terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from West Bengal's Murshidabad district and seized a huge cache of explosive making material from them, an officer said here on Wednesday.
Kerala High Court asks for appearance of sexual assault survivor on Mar 6
The Kerala High Court Wednesday directed police and the child welfare committee to produce before it a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a Muslim cleric. Considering a habeas corpus plea filed by the mother of the girl, the high court directed the child welfare committee and police to produce the girl before it on March 6. The girl is in the child welfare committee's protection. Last week, the court had directed the child welfare committee to consider and issue an appropriate order on the request made by the girl's mother to entrust the minor's custody with her. The court had also allowed the mother, the girl's siblings and grandparents to visit her at the children's home between 5pm-6pm. In her plea, the mother alleged that the minor was in illegal confinement and child welfare committee's custody. The mother also submitted that her daughter was studying in Class 10 and is slated to appear for the board examination next month. A case has been registered against
Two lynched in Assam
Two persons were lynched Wednesday by an irate mob which held them responsible for the killing a village headman in Assam's Chirang district, police said. The two men had allegedly killed the headman of Gargaon village under Bijni police station Tuesday and had buried his body in a graveyard, the police said. The family members of the headman, named Gauranga Das, along with villagers launched a search for him last night after he failed to return home till late. They found the grave and dug out the body, the police said. The family members accused the two persons of killing Das and a group of villagers attacked the duo Wednesday morning, the police said. Some villagers informed the police, who rushed to the spot but the two had succumbed to their injuries by then. Investigations into the incident is on and no arrests have been made so far, the police added. Several cases of vigilantism were reported in 2018. In August, 2018 a man was lynched and three others severely ...
Soumya Vishwanathan murder case: HC orders expeditious trial
The Delhi High Court Wednesday ordered expeditious trial of the 2008 murder case of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan. Justice Mukta Gupta directed the trial court to hear the case at least twice every week. "The trial court is directed to expedite the trial for speedy disposal of the case," the high court said. The court passed the order on a plea by one of the accused, Baljeet Malik, seeking to expedite and conclude the trial in a fixed time frame on day-to-day basis. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) was also directed to assign the task of monitoring to additional DCP to ensure the presence of prosecution witnesses on every date of hearing. Advocate Amit Kumar, appearing for Malik, submitted that the accused was in custody since 2009 and the prosecution has cited 88 witnesses of which approximately 45 to 46 have been examined till now. He said it will take another four to five years to complete the proceedings and urged for a speedy trial. The high court was informed by the