Page 469 - Law Crime
U.S. top court rejects Maryland bid to revive drug price-gouging law
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Maryland's bid to revive a law aimed at preventing price gouging by pharmaceutical companies, dealing a setback to the power of states to rein in prescription drug costs.
CBI chief asks officials to speed up high-profile corruption cases
A fortnight after taking charge, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Rishi Kumar Shukla here on Tuesday chaired a review meeting of all branches of the agency and reportedly directed speeding up of high-profile corruption cases.
Martyr's wife delivers baby girl soon after his last rites in Rajasthan
The wife of Havildar Sheo Ram, who was killed in an encounter with Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists in the Pinglan area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Monday, delivered a baby girl soon after his final rites were performed in Tiba Basat village in Jhunjhunu district on Tuesday.
SC sets aside order declaring Assam native as foreigner
The Supreme Court has set aside an order declaring a man as foreigner whose Indian citizenship was denied on the ground of discrepancy in the name of his grandfather. A bench of Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Vineet Saran noted that character 'F' was replaced with 'M' in his grandfather's name in some of the documents. While in all the documents produced before it, the Assam native's own name -- Sirajul Hoque -- and his father's name -- Hakim Ali -- was same throughout, in some of the documents, his grandfather's name was shown as Kefatullah instead of Kematullah, it noted. It further noted that the name of the father of Kemtullah or Kefatullah, appears as Amtullah throughout all the documents. The discrepancies in Kematullah's name had led to the Foreigner's Tribunal declaring him a foreigner. Hoque's grandfather and father later lived in different villages was an additional ground for Tribunal's conclusion. The Gauhati High Court had dismissed the petition filed against the ...
Man arrested for helping son-in-law from India fraudulently obtain Nepali citizenship
A 50-year-old man in Nepal has been arrested for allegedly helping his son-in-law from India fraudulently obtain Nepalese citizenship. Uttam Lal Shah of Saptari district in southern Nepal was arrested for helping his son-in-law Birendra Shah, 33, a resident of Madhubani, Bihar in acquiring Nepalese citizenship by submitting false statements, police said on Tuesday. Lal provided a false statement to the Rural Municipality mentioning his son-in-law as his son for the purpose of acquiring citizenship by birth, according to police.
Youth arrested, charged with sedition for 'anti-national' activities on social media
A 19-year-old man has been arrested in Greater Noida and charged with sedition for his alleged anti-national activities on social media, police said Tuesday. The accused, Shahzaad Solanki, was held around 10.30 pm on Monday during a security check on a road near Dungarpur, which comes under the jurisdiction of Dankaur police station, they said. According to police, Solanki, a class 12 student, was disturbing "communal harmony" and "spreading hatred" by using social media for his "anti-national" activities. "He was posting pro-Pakistan slogans on WhatsApp which were getting circulated further. The police took suo motu cognisance after the posts reached on the WhatsApp of a local police officer," a police official told PTI. An FIR has been registered against Solanki, a resident of Achcheja village, and he has been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 124A (sedition) and 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), the police
Years of apathy resulted in hard-pressed situation of subordinate judiciary: SC
The Supreme Court Tuesday said years of apathy by various state governments has resulted in a situation that the subordinate judiciary has to function in a hard-pressed manner with inadequate number of judges and crumbling infrastructure. "There have been years of apathy towards judiciary. Suitable conditions are not provided but it is working," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi observed. The apex court, which has been monitoring the steps taken for developing the infrastructure in subordinate judiciary and filling up the vacancies of judicial officers and supporting staff, on Tuesday examined the progress made by the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telengana, Tripura and Uttarakhand. The remarks relating to the apathy towards judiciary were made while dealing with the steps taken by Rajasthan government. "Have you visited the courts? It is unimaginable under what conditions the judicial work is going on," the bench, also comprising Justices L N Rao and ...
25 Lankan fishermen held for fishing in Indian waters
Twentyfive Sri Lankan fishermen have been arrested and five Lankan fishing boats seized for allegedly fishing illegally in Indian waters about 90 km off Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, the Coast Guard said Tuesday. The CG was maintaining strict vigil following the recent Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. In a statement, the CG said the boats were carrying 4,200 kg of Tuna fish illegally caught from the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). "All the apprehended boats were brought to Karaikal harbour for joint investigation by relevant security agencies," the statement said. In the light of recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, it said security and surveillance in the maritime waters has been beefed up to foil "anti-national" elements gaining access to coastal areas. "As a result of strict vigil and extensive patrol along International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), CG Ship Shaurya apprehended five Sri Lankan fishing boats along with 25 crew ...
Arrested Punjab IGP sent to 4-day police remand
A court in Punjab's Faridkot town on Tuesday sent Inspector General (IG) of Police Parampal Singh Umaranangal to four days' police remand.
SC to hear contempt plea against ex-Kolkata Police Commissioner tomorrow
The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to take up the matter related to the initiation of contempt proceedings against West Bengal Chief Secretary, DGP and also Rajeev Kumar, who was then Kolkata Police Commissioner, tomorrow for alleged non-cooperation in a case connected with the Saradha chit fund scam.A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "We are not passing any order".The contempt petition, filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was listed before it today to decide whether to issue summons to Rajeev Kumar, Chief Secretary Malay Kumar De and DGP Virendera Kumar, to appear before it on Wednesday.Earlier, the apex court had said it will decide on February 19 on the personal appearance of the three officers in court after perusing their responses.The CBI had filed the contempt plea in the Supreme Court against the three officers for alleged willful and deliberate violation of the top court's orders.The plea was filed after an unprecedented chain of events took .
SC refuses to allow transportation of extracted coal in Meghalaya
The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to allow miners to transport extracted coal lying at various sites in Meghalaya. A bench of Justices A K Sikri, Abdul Nazeer and M R Shah refused to grant permission to the miners. Various Interlocutory Applications (IAs) have been filed for transportation of the coal already mined, it said. The Bench said: "Senior counsel Shekhar Naphade, appearing for the State of Meghalaya, has stated at the Bar that the State Government has constituted a Committee in this behalf, for the entire State, to study various aspects of this matter and the Government of Meghalaya would be in a position to file the response after receiving the report from the said Committee. "He also submits that this exercise may take one month. State of Meghalaya, in these circumstances, file its response within four weeks from today. The applicants can make their representation before the said Committee in writing." In a lighter vain, it added: "In respect of your IA, we are saying ...
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen operative held in West Bengal
A member of terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) was arrested from Santragachi railway station in Howrah district, the police said Tuesday. The Special Task Force of Kolkata Police arrested Asif Iqbal alias Nadeem, a resident of Murshidabad district, from Santragachi railway station on Monday night, a police officer said. Iqbal is an active member of JMB since 2017. He had gone to Chennai and was trained under Kausar, arrested in 2018 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The police produced Iqbal before a court which remanded him to police custody till March 5, officials said. He is the second JMB operative arrested in less than a week. On Saturday the STF had arrested a 22-year-old JMB operative Ariful Islam alias Arif from Babughat area of Kolkata. He is said to be involved in the Bodh Gaya blast.
Pakistan snubbed by ICJ on Day 2 of Jadhav hearing
Pakistan was snubbed on Tuesday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) here when it sought replacement of an ad-hoc Pakistani judge in the court during the hearing of the case related to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav who has been sentenced to death by a military court in Pakistan.Pakistan's Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan said his country's ad-hoc judge to the ICJ, Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, suffered cardiac arrest on Monday during the first day of hearings of the case and requested that his replacement be sworn-in before he could make his argument.However, the ICJ President, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, overlooked the plea and told the Pakistani advocate, "I would like to ask you to read your statement if your statement is ready. We are ready to hear you and hear your side,"Khan then went on to make his argument, a day after the Indian side told the world court that Jadhav had been sentenced to death by a military court during an "opaque" hearing and that he should be released .
Delhi HC issues notice to Kejriwal govt on PIL seeking action against hotels violating fire safety norms
The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Delhi government and all three municipal corporations on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking immediate action against hotels/guesthouses across Delhi in violation of fire safety and other norms in a time-bound manner.The petitioner sought direction to respondents to fix accountability of its officials, negligence of which resulted in the death of so many people in Hotel Arpit Palace in Central Delhi's Karol Bagh area and take strict action against them.The plea also sought direction to the Delhi government to pay adequate compensation to all those who lost their family members in the fire in terms of life expectancy factor.Advocate Arpit Bhargava, who filed the PIL, raised issues relating to operation of illegal community/banquet halls for marriage and such other functions where many people gather at a given time and the concerned department failed to take any action against such illegal running of community halls (shaadi ghars, ...
Dog shoots man: German court rules owner not fit for license
A German court has ruled that a dog owner isn't fit to carry a firearms license after his dog shot him with a rifle. The Munich administrative court on Tuesday dismissed the man's appeal against an earlier decision by Bavarian authorities to withdraw his license to own a rifle, as well as his hunting permit. The decision followed a 2016 incident in which the man, a passionate hunter, was shot in the arm after his dog managed to release the trigger on a loaded rifle that was lying in his car. The court ruled the hunter couldn't be relied upon "because it must be assumed that he will handle firearms and ammunition carelessly in future as well." The man, whose name wasn't released, can appeal the verdict.
DJ killed as truck hits scooter in northwest Delhi
A 24-year-old Disc Jockey (DJ) was killed after a truck allegedly hit his scooter while trying to overtake the two-wheeler in northwest Delhi's Adarsh Nagar, police said Tuesday. The DJ, identified as Monu, a resident of Lal Bagh, was run over by the truck outside Mandi Gate in Azadpur Mandi on Monday night, they said, adding the police were informed about the incident at 10:40 pm. The scooter rider was hit by an unknown truck, a senior police officer said. Preliminary investigation suggest the speeding truck was trying to overtake the scooter during which it hit the two-wheeler after which its driver fled the spot leaving Monu injured. The DJ was rushed to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital where he was declared brought dead, he said. A case was registered and the matter is being probed, he added. Police said there are no CCTV cameras in or around the area where the incident took place. The truck has not been identified yet and efforts are to nab the accused, they said.
Kids under 12 falling prey to sex predators: Court
Observing that children below 12 years of age are becoming easy targets of assailants to fulfil their "physical needs", a special court has sentenced a 28-year-old man to imprisonment for life for raping and brutalising a six-year-old girl in suburban Kandivli in 2014. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court judge HC Shende convicted Ali Mohammed Shaikh under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other provisions of POCSO Act. The judge sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for life. As per prosecution, Shaikh had picked up the minor girl from a footpath while she was sleeping with her mother in the western suburb on the night of August 20, 2014. Shaikh sexually assaulted and inserted a broom into the private parts of the girl, who was found crying the next morning in a nearby locality, the court was told. Shaikh was identified during investigation and arrested subsequently. "Nowadays, children below 12 years become easy target
Tejashwi attacks Nitish in Muzaffarpur sex scandal case
Accusing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of shielding influential people "close" to him in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav Tuesday demanded the CBI probe into the allegations levelled against Kumar in the matter. Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said an application moved in a special POCSO (The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) court in Muzaffarpur by an accused in the case carries "serious allegation" against the chief minister. The Bihar court Saturday directed the CBI to probe the role of Kumar and several senior bureaucrats in the release of funds between 2013 and 2018 to a Muzaffarpur shelter home that was rocked by a sex scandal. The state assembly has also witnessed a ruckus by the opposition party in the matter. "The chief minister keeps invoking his conscience when it suits him. This is high time that he ordered a probe against himself in the matter," the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly said. Later ..
Much is happening in West Bengal, says SC
The Supreme Court, while hearing a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged killings of BJP workers in West Bengal, on Tuesday said "much is happening in West Bengal". The top court's observation came after petitioner Gaurav Bhatia, a lawyer, told a bench of justices A K Sikri, S A Nazeer and M R Shah that three workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were killed in West Bengal last year and the police had filed a closure report in one of the cases, stating that it was a suicide. "Much is happening in West Bengal also", the bench observed. Appearing for the West Bengal government, senior advocate Kapil Sibal replied, "Much is happening in the CBI also.... And all of this (Bhatia's petition) is indeed politics." He said the apex court should not go into the facts of the case, which was the job of the trial court. The court asked Bhatia, also a BJP leader, whether the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) could probe cases in West Bengal, considering that the state government had ..
Twin murders: Kerala Governor seeks investigation status report from CM
Kerala Governor (Retd) Justice P. Sathasivam on Tuesday sought an urgent status report from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the police investigation into the murder of two Youth Congress workers near Periya in Kasaragod on Sunday night, said a release from the Governor's office.