Page 491 - Law Crime
Catalan separatists' rebellion trial starts in Madrid
Catalan separatist leaders accused of rebellion for trying to make their region independent from Spain have launched their defence at the start of a long-awaited trial. Sitting on benches in the ornate chamber of Madrid's Supreme Court, the defendants faced a row of judges and a Spanish flag in proceedings broadcast live on television. Twelve defendants are in the dock over an independence referendum, held on October 1, 2017, in defiance of a court ban, and a short-lived declaration of independence. Nine of them are charged with rebellion and three face lesser charges of disobedience and misuse of public funds. The independence bid sparked Spain's deepest political crisis since the transition to democracy in the 1970s after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. "This case targets political dissidence," said Andreu Van den Eynde, the lawyer for two defendants including Catalonia's former vice president Oriol Junqueras, who could face up to 25 years in jail. Spain has been forced to ..
Catalan separatists' rebellion trial starts in Madrid
Catalan separatist leaders accused of rebellion for trying to make their region independent from Spain have launched their defence at the start of a long-awaited trial. Sitting on benches in the ornate chamber of Madrid's Supreme Court, the defendants faced a row of judges and a Spanish flag in proceedings broadcast live on television. Twelve defendants are in the dock over an independence referendum, held on October 1, 2017, in defiance of a court ban, and a short-lived declaration of independence. Nine of them are charged with rebellion and three face lesser charges of disobedience and misuse of public funds. The independence bid sparked Spain's deepest political crisis since the transition to democracy in the 1970s after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. "This case targets political dissidence," said Andreu Van den Eynde, the lawyer for two defendants including Catalonia's former vice president Oriol Junqueras, who could face up to 25 years in jail. Spain has been forced to ..
Audio clip row: K'taka Assembly speaker compares himself to a rape victim
Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar on Tuesday compared himself to a rape victim after state chief minister HD Kumaraswamy released an audio clip that allegedly contains bribery charges against him.The controversial audio clip allegedly contains a conversation between BJP's state president Yeddyurappa and JD(S) MLA Nagangouda Kandkur's son Sharanagouda. In the clip it had been alleged that MLAs could resign without any fear because speaker Ramesh Kumar had been paid Rs 50 crore."My situation is like that of a rape victim. When you complain that rape has happened, accused is put in jail. But his lawyers ask how did it happen? When did it happen and how many times? Rape happens once but you get raped a 100 times in the court. This is my condition," he said in the state assembly.Kumar today ordered Kumaraswamy to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the audio clip incident. He has directed that the probe in the connection should be finished within 15 days.Just a few
Bengaluru businessman held for defaulting income tax payment
A city-based businessman, who has defaulted on income tax payments with arrears of Rs 11.94 crore plus interest, was on Tuesday detained to a civil prison at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail for six months for failing to make satisfactory arrangement for payment of arrears, officials said. In a press release, the income tax department said the business was arrested by the Tax Recovery Officer (TRO) on Monday when he was about to leave India from the international Airport in Mumbai. He was produced before the Tax Recovery Officer-6 in Bengaluru on Tuesday, following which he was committed to civil prison for six months. "The said income tax defaulter was intercepted at Chhatrapati Shivaji Mumbai International Airport at 2.30 am on Monday. He owed income tax and penalty arrears of Rs 11.94 crores plus interest," said the I-T Department without divulging the name of the person. Besides non-payment of due taxes, the defaulter was found to have illegally transferred property situated at ...
3 persons crushed to death by speeding truck
Three persons were killed after a speeding truck hit them near the Khoda colony on the Vijay Nagar bypass in the wee hours of Tuesday, police said. Two of the deceased were on a two-wheeler, while the third one was pulling a scrap rickshaw, they added. Superintendent of Police (SP), City, Shlok Kumar said two persons were travelling on a two-wheeler around 4 am, when a rickshaw, coming from the opposite direction, rammed into them. All three lost balance and fell on the road in the impact and a speeding truck, coming from the opposite direction, ran them over, he added. The bike riders -- Ashu (22) and Ankit (16) -- were rushed to the Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital in Delhi and the rickshaw-puller, Parvez (30), was sent to the MMG District hospital, the police said, adding that all three were declared "brought dead". The bodies were handed over to the family members after autopsy and an FIR was lodged against the unidentified driver of the truck, the SP said.
One held in connection with gangrape of 21-yr-old woman in Ludhiana: Police
A man was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the alleged gangrape of a 21-year-old woman in the nearby Issewal village, police said. The police also identified four other accused in the case. Tarun Rattan, Superintendent of Police (SP), Ludhiana Rural Police, said the arrested accused was identified as Sadiq Ali (24), a resident of Rap village in Nawanshahr district. Four other accused were identified as Jagroop Singh from Jaspal Bangar, Ajay Kumar from Uttar Pradesh, Saif Ali from Tibba and Surmo from Khanpur, he said, adding that another accused, yet to be identified, was a relative of Surmo. All the accused were in the age group of 20 to 28 years, the SP said. Several police teams were pressed into service to nab the remaining accused, he said. Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) activists took out a candle march at the Fountain Chowk on Tuesday to voice their anger against the incident. Former Punjab minister Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, who led the march, sought the early ...
GST Act violation: HC dismisses advance bail pleas
Observing that the Central Goods and Services Act was enacted with the laudable object of "one country one tax", the Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed the anticipatory bail applications filed by nine persons apprehending arrest under the provisions of the Act. Justice Anand Venkatesh, in his order, said, "Where the accused persons are charged of violations of the CGST Act, involving colossal loss of revenue to the exchequer and the investigation is at a very nascent stage, prudence demands that this court should lay off its hands from investigation and allow complete independence to the prosecuting agency to proceed further with the investigation." According to the prosecution, various organised firms and people have involved themselves in issuing fake invoices, without actual supply of goods or services, and are also receiving fake invoices without receipt of goods and availing input tax credit to cheat the exchequer. In the present case, the companies concerned had involved in .
CBI to seek SC permission to grill Sudipta Sen, aide
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to move the Supreme Court seeking permission to quiz Saradha Group Chairman Sudipta Sen and his close aide Debjani Mukherjee in connection with the chit fund case.
Bikaner land deals: Robert Vadra, mother questioned for 8 hours, told to appear again on Wednesday
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating a web of controversial land transactions in Bikaner allegedly involving Robert Vadra's companies, on Tuesday questioned him for over eight hours about his relations with some land dealers.
Ex-acting CBI chief held guilty of contempt, sentenced till rising of court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday held former acting Director of CBI M. Nageswara Rao guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him along with agency's legal advisor S. Bhasuran till the rising of the court.
Three arrested after brief encounter in Gurugram
The crime branch of Gurugram police on Tuesday managed to overpower three criminals after a brief encounter in Farukh Nagar area of the city, police said.
Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' found guilty by NY jury
Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman, alias "El Chapo," was found guilty Tuesday by a New York jury after a three month drug trafficking trial and six days of deliberation. The verdict could result in life behind bars for the 61-year-old former head of the Sinaloa cartel, who was accused of smuggling 155 tons of cocaine and other drugs into the United States over a 25-year-period.
AAP attacks BJP-ruled municipal corporation over hotel fire incident
The Aam Aadmi Party Tuesday attacked the BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation over the Karol Bagh hotel fire incident in which 17 people were killed. Saurabh Bhardwaj, the AAP's chief spokesperson, asked as to how the NDMC gave permission to operate the hotel which used fibre in its structure. "The said hotel had five floors with fibre structure on the top floor. How did the MCD give approval to such a building plan? If no approval was given, how could such a hotel operate? How could they get certificate from the MCD to operate?" Bhardwaj asked. He also asked if the Fire Department had inspected the hotel before granting it fire safety certificate. "Will Delhi ever see a commissioner of MCD or a chief of fire being suspended for such huge loss of innocent human lives?" he asked. "We have a rotten system of governance in Delhi where the elected city government has no power to even suspend an officer for criminal negligence. It is only the Lieutenant Governor who can take action .
CRPF constable held for sexually harassing woman on Goa beach
A Central Reserve Police Force jawan was Tuesday arrested for allegedly sexually harassing a woman in Goa's Calangute beach, an official said. Rajvir Prabhudayal Singh (43), a Rajasthan resident, was held after a woman, who was bathing at the beach, accused him of using vulgar and abusive language and inappropriately touching her, Calangute police station official Jivba Dalvi said. Inspector Dalvi said the incident happened at around 4pm Tuesday when the complainant, her husband and their children were at Calangute beach. "She said the accused, who was bathing close by, apart from behaving inappropriately with her also assaulted her husband," Dalvi said. A case under section 354(a) (sexual harassment) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered, he said. Singh is a CRPF constable and is currently posted at the force's Recruit Training Centre in Madhya Pradesh, Dalvi said.
Madras HC orders closure of illegal bars across TN
The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered the concerned authorities to immediately close all illegal bars across Tamil Nadu and file a report by February 20. Expressing surprise over a submission made on behalf of the state government, which stated that 3,326 FIRs had been against illegal bars, the court directed the home, prohibition and excise department secretary to shut them all forthwith. The division bench comprising Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad passed the order after a petition from a Coimbatore resident, D Prabakaran, sought a direction against fraudulent acts in Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) with regard to issuing and collection of license fees from bars. It was submitted before the bench that during April-December 2018 surprise checks were conducted by senior divisional manager and district managers of TASMAC and they found that 2,505 illegal bars were being run. The head office squad detected 20 illegal bars and the deputy collectors ..
Five held for armed robbery at cotton trader's bungalow
City police Tuesday claimed to have cracked the case in which four armed robbers allegedly held an elderly cotton trader and three others hostage at gunpoint at his bungalow here and decamped with cash and valuables worth Rs 5.7 lakh last month. Crime branch officials said they have arrested five people, all residents of Mumbai, including a son of the cotton trader's driver, who is the "mastermind" of the robbery that took place in upmarket Apte Road locality in Deccan area on January 16. According to police, the robbers had held cotton trader Hanskumar Khimji (79), his sister-in-law Hemaji Chheda (63), his domestic aide and caretaker of the bungalow, hostage. "During the investigation, the crime branch officials received some leads and five people were arrested from Mumbai on Tuesday morning," Shirish Sardeshpande, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said. The accused have been identified as driver's son Dipak Shivaji Medage (37), Kiran Tawde (36), Paras Solanki ...
1985 anti-quota riots: Ahmedabad court acquits BJP corporator, five others in cop murder case
Five persons, including a sitting BJP corporator, accused of murdering a police constable during the 1985 anti-reservation riots, were acquitted by a local court on Tuesday. Additional Sessions Judge A R Patel acquitted BJP corporator Mayur Dave, Vijay Shah, Kiran Shah, Dhruv Vyas and Madhukar Vyas for the lack of evidence. They were accused of killing constable Lakshman Desai in the city's Khadia locality after a stir against reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in government jobs and education turned violent. There were 11 accused in the case out of which two BJP leaders -- former Gujarat minister Ashok Bhatt and former Union minister Harin Pathak -- were acquitted in 2006. Their acquittal was challenged by the widow of the deceased constable. Later the Supreme Court upheld their acquittal. Four other accused died during the trial.
Nageswara Rao's apology not unconditional, wilfully disobeyed orders: SC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the defence put by former CBI interim director M Nageswara Rao and legal advisor S Bhasuram to escape punishment for contempt of court saying their apology was not unconditional "though it was stated to be so" and they have willfully disobeyed its orders. "The apology tendered, though stated to be unconditional, is not so. There is a submission/contention that the actions were not willful, with which contention, we are in total disagreement," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said in its order. The bench also comprising justices L Nageswara Rao and Sanjiv Khanna said it was exercising its power under Article 129 of the Constitution for commission of contempt of court by sentencing them "till the rising of the Court" It also imposed "a fine of Rs one lakh each on Rao, the then In-Charge Director, CBI and now Additional Director, CBI and Bhasuram S, Additional Legal Advisor and In-Charge Director of Prosecution, CBI to be deposited ...
Ex-CBI Chief Rao pensive during day-long sentence in contempt case
Former CBI interim chief M Nageswara Rao looked pensive throughout Tuesday when the Supreme Court awarded day-long courtroom detention to him for "brazen" contempt of its orders. Rao, the 1986 batch Odisha cadre IPS officer who became the interim CBI Director twice in recent past, came to the crowded courtroom of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) well before 10.30 AM and was seen engaged in discussions with the lawyers and CBI's legal advisor S Bhasuram, a co-contemnorin the case. Rao and Bhasuram, both wearing blue suits, went near the dais after the lawyers asked them to come forward moments after the bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi started hearing the contempt case. Both the officers had some anxious moments when the bench indicated that it may sent them to jail for 30 days for the "brazen" contempt. Minutes after they were pronounced guilty, the CJI pronounced the quantum of sentence and said that they will have to sit in the courtroom till the rising of the court. "Go to one ...
SC questions delay in filing PIL seeking re-probe into murder of Guj minister Haren Pandya
The Supreme Court Tuesday put several searching questions to an NGO which has sought re-probe into the murder of Gujarat Minister Haren Pandya, ranging from the delay in filing the plea to whether a PIL can be based on newspaper reports that too in a criminal case already heard by it. A bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Vineet Saran also reserved its verdict on the plea filed by the 'Centre for Public Interest Litigation' (CPIL) seeking court-monitored fresh investigation into the Pandya murder case. Pandya was a minister of state for home in the then Narendra Modi-led state government in Gujarat. He was shot dead on March 26, 2003 in Ahmedabad near Law Garden during morning walk. The bench also said there should be a panel of independent neutral lawyers to examine the PILs which have political colour. "Why you are coming to the apex court under Article 32 by filing PIL 16-17 years after the killing," the bench asked. It followed up the query by adding as to why the NGO did ...