Page 862 - Law Crime
Hashimpura massacre, a "targeted killing" by police: HC, 16 former cops given life term
Over three decades after the Hashimpura massacre in Uttar Pradesh in which 38 Muslims were shot dead in cold blood, the Delhi High Court Wednesday sentenced 16 former policemen to life imprisonment, holding it was a "targeted killing" of "unarmed, innocent and defenceless" persons. Reversing an order of the trial court in 2015 that acquitted the 16 personnel, who were with the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), a bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel termed the case as an instance of custodial killing where the legal system was unable to effectively prosecute the perpetrators of gross human rights abuses. The court also said it was conscious that for the families of those killed, this was perhaps "too little, too late" as they have had to wait for 31 years for justice. Zulfikar Nasir, an eyewitness to the massacre, alleged that the police and government always tried to weaken this case but said the families of the victims were not deterred and continued fighting. "Finally ...
Rafale case: Let CBI put its house in order first, says SC
The Supreme Court's concern over the ongoing crisis in CBI was apparent on Wednesday when it observed that a plea for a court-monitored probe by the agency into Rafale fighter jet deal would be considered once the premier investigating agency sets its "house in order". "Let CBI put its house in order first," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi told advocate Prashant Bhushan. The court's remarks came when Bhushan, who along with former Union ministers Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha has filed a plea in the Rafale case, said they were seeking a court-monitored CBI probe into the deal. The observation from a bench, also comprising Justices U U Lalit and K M Joseph, assumes significance as the CBI top brass, including its Director Alok Kumar Verma and Special Director Rakesh Ashtana, are embroiled in an internal feud over the allegations of corruption against each other. The apex court is also seized of petitions in the CBI matter, including those filed by Verma and Asthana. Both
Delhi court grants bail to CBI DSP in case involving Asthana
A Delhi court Wednesday granted bail to CBI DSP Devender Kumar who was arrested in connection with bribery allegations involving the agency's Special Director Rakesh Asthana. Special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann granted the relief to Kumar and asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of like amount. The CBI did not oppose his bail petition, saying that all the evidence was documentary and already in the possession of the probe agency, but sought imposition of certain conditions. The court noted that after the registration of FIR containing allegations against Kumar for harassment by repeatedly calling the complainant, "nothing incriminating has come or surfaced during investigation against him till date". It further said: "Even in the FIR, there is no allegation of demand of illegal gratification by the accused (Kumar), neither is any allegation that any money was given to the accused. "In the facts and circumstances of the case, it is deemed expedient in the ...
Man arrested with illegal firearm
A 21-year-old man was arrested in the Dwarka area for allegedly possessing an illegal countrymade revolver, police said Wednesday. The accused has been identified as Sachin, resident of Najafgarh Park area, they said. "On Monday, police received information that at the particular place the accused would come with an illegal weapon. Thereafter, he was apprehended," Anto Alphonse, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka), said. During interrogation, Sachin revealed that he had bought the revolver around two months ago from a resident of Jai Vihar, Kuldeep, to make an impression among his friends. Sachin has no previous involvement in any case, the DCP said. The firearm having one live cartridge of 7.65mm was seized and a case registered at the Baba Hari Das Nagar police station, he said. Kuldeep, the seller, is absconding and a search is underway to trace him, Alphonse added.
Collegium recommends elevation of 4 judges to SC
The Supreme Court Collegium, on, Wednesday recommended four judges namely - Chief Justice Hemant Gupta of Madhya Pradesh High Court, Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy of the Gujarat High Court, Chief Justice MR Shah of Patna High Court and Chief Justice Ajay Rastogi of Tripura High Court - to be elevated as judges of the apex court.The resolution of the Collegium stated, "The Supreme Court of India is presently functioning with 24 Judges against the sanctioned strength of 31 Judges, leaving seven clear vacancies. After extensive discussion, the Collegium unanimously resolves to fill up, for the present, four of these vacancies."The declaration revealed that the names of judges eligible for promotion were deliberated upon, and apart from merit and integrity, the seniority at all-India level has also been taken into consideration. "While recommending the names of Justices Hemant Gupta, R Subhash Reddy, Mukeshkumar Rasikbhai Shah, and Ajay Rastogi, the Collegium has taken into consideration .
Al-Azizia case: Accountability court prepares questionnaire for Sharif
An accountability court in Islamabad has prepared a questionnaire for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in connection with the Al-Azizia reference case.On Tuesday, the court had directed the prosecution to record Sharif's statement during the next hearing of the case.This came after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Wasiq Malik informed accountability court judge, Arshad Malik, that the anti-graft watchdog had furnished evidence against the accused in the case, Geo News reported.The judge has also prepared a questionnaire and a copy of the same has been sent to special prosecutor Akram Qureshi. Sources said that the former Pakistan premier will have to answer around 100 questions and record his final statement in regards to the case.The trial against the Sharif family in multiple corruption cases had started on September 14 last year. They are accused of money laundering, tax evasion and hiding offshore assets.On July 6, Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were ...
ATM van carrying 100 cartons of liquor seized in Gaya
An ATM van carrying 100 cartons of liquor was seized by the Excise Department in Gaya's Dobhi village on Wednesday. Two people have been arrested in the case.The illicit liquor was being transported from Jharkhand's Bokaro district to Muzaffarpur in Bihar.Assistant Commissioner of the Excise Department, Kishore Kumar Shah said that on the basis of an information, they stopped the vehicle near National Highway-2 in Dobhi and arrested two people."We seized the vehicle on National Highway-2 in Dobhi and arrested the driver along with one other person. When we inspected the vehicle we found 100 cartons of liquor. We are investigating the matter and we are yet to ascertain which bank does the cash van belong to," said Shah."Such instances have taken place in the past as well, people have tried to smuggle liquor even in ambulances. Whenever we seize any such vehicle we make it public in order to make the public aware and also to induce a sense of fear amongst the offenders," added Shah.A ...
Russia: 1 killed, 3 wounded in explosion at FSB HQ
Three Federal Security Service (FSB) officers were wounded, while the bomber died in an explosion at the entrance of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) building in the northwestern city of Arkhangelsk."The explosion occurred at the entrance to the administrative building of the Russian FSB in Arkhangelsk. According to preliminary information, the person entering the building took an unidentified object from his bag, which later exploded in his hands, causing fatal injuries," the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement.The investigation into the explosion is underway."In Arkhangelsk, a criminal case was initiated under Art. 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (terrorist act) and Part 1 of Art. 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal possession of ammunition) in connection to the explosion in the building of the FSB regional department," the committee added.Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the explosion, ...
Tharoor seeks Prasad apology over 'murder accused' remark
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has sent a legal notice to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad seeking an "unconditional apology" for calling him a "murder accused".
31 yr wait for justice may have eroded Hashimpura massacre victims' faith in state machinery: HC
The 31 year wait for justice may have eroded the faith of victims of 1987 Hashimpura massacre in the state machinery, the Delhi High Court said Wednesday, observing that it was "too little, too late" for the families of those killed. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel reversed the acquittal verdict of the trial court and sentenced ex-Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel to life imprisonment for murdering "unarmed", "innocent" and "defenceless" persons in "cold blood". "We are conscious that for the families of those killed, this is perhaps too little, too late. They have had to wait for 31 years for justice. The monetary compensation they have received cannot make up for the lives lost. This case points to the systemic failure that results, not infrequently, in a miscarriage of justice," the bench said. Senior advocate Rebecca John, representing the victims, said they have received over Rs 1 lakh each as compensation. The court was informed by the counsel for ...
Youth in north Delhi stabbed to death over personal enmity
A youth in north Delhi was allegedly stabbed to death by three attackers over personal enemity, police said on Wednesday.
Khashoggi was strangled, dismembered in Saudi consulate: Turkish prosecutor
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled soon after he entered the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul earlier this month and his body was dismembered, the office of the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor said on Wednesday.
British woman found dead in Shimla hotel
An octogenarian British woman was found dead in a hotel here, police said Wednesday. Alford Elizabeth, 80, was found dead in a room of the Cecil Oberoi hotel on Tuesday evening, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Omapati Jamwal said. She had checked into the hotel on October 27 along with her companion Nancy Hall, but they were staying in different rooms, he said. Jamwal said Elizabeth's her body has been kept in the mortuary of the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC). The autopsy would be conducted Thursday, he added. Ruling out possibility of any foul play prima facie, the SP said Elizabeth was suffering from arthritis. The British High Commission in Delhi has been informed about her death, he said.
22-year-old stabbed to death in northwest Delhi
A 22-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly by three men due to personal enmity at Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi, police said Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Banti, a resident of Jahangirpuri, they added. The incident took place on Tuesday evening when the victim was passing through the lane where the accused persons lived. When the three men spotted Banti, they allegedly stabbed him with a knife, a senior police officer said. The accused lived in the same locality as the victim and were waiting for an opportunity to take revenge, he said. The victim was first taken to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital but when his situation turned critical, he was referred to the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital. Later, the victim succumbed to injuries. A case was registered and the matter was being probed, Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) Aslam Khan said. Efforts were being made to nab the culprits and the weapon used in commission of crime was yet to be recovered, he ...
HC irked over plea to recall its order preventing two sides from airing their case in media
The Delhi High Court Wednesday expressed displeasure over a plea moved for recalling its order directing all persons involved in an alleged sexual harassment case to refrain from commenting on the issue on the social media or any other platform. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao was irked over the application filed by a woman who had accused her former employers of sexual harassment, saying through its earlier order, it had acted with the intention of protecting both sides but now, "we feel we are the accused". "This is really embarrassing for us. It is frustrating. If you do not like it, then withdraw your plea and fight it out in the media. We did not want a parallel trial to go on between the parties in the media. "We do not like that when a matter is before us, the parties are fighting it outside the court also," the bench said, adding, "Dr B R Ambedkar would have never thought that a high court under Article 226 of the Constitution would be hearing such .
ED opposes Chidambaram anticipatory bail plea
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday requested a Delhi court to reject the anticipatory bail plea of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case and pressed for his custodial interrogation.
Human remains discovered in Rome's Vatican Embassy
Human remains were found by builders working in the Vatican's Embassy in Rome, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday, prompting Italian authorities to launch a homicide probe related to the unresolved disappearance of a teenager in the 1980s.
CBI Add'l SP Gurm moves Delhi HC against Asthana
CBI Additional SP S S Gurm told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday there was "reasonable" apprehension that the agency would not effectively contest the petition filed by Special Director Rakesh Asthana seeking the quashing of an FIR against him in a bribery case. Gurm has also dragged the name of RAW Special Director Samant Goel in the bribery case involving Asthana, CBI DSP Devender Kumar and Dubai-based businessmen -- Manoj Prasad and Somesh Prasad, who are brothers. He has alleged that Asthana was misleading the court by placing "selective" facts before it. Gurm, who was transferred along with other CBI officials in the feud between CBI Director Alok Verma and Asthana, has sought to be made a party in the petition filed by Asthana. The officer, who was transferred from Delhi to Jabalpur, has sought an opportunity to be heard in the case. In an application before the high court, the additional SP gave the sequence of events in the case in which he was in the team probing the ...
Hashimpura case: Accused platoon commander died during trial, his 16 subordinates convicted
A platoon commander and 16 of his men from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were accused in the 1987 massacre at Hashimpura locality in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Platoon Commander Surender Pal Singh had died during the pendency of the trial, and the acquittal of 16 others from the trial court was overturned Wednesday by the Delhi High Court which awarded them life imprisonment for killing 38 people of a minority community. Earlier it was stated that 42 people were massacred but the hight court, which carefully perused the records of the case, concluded that 38 people were killed and there were five survivors. Hashimpura, a small area of Meerut city in Uttar Pradesh had witnessed the massacre of 42 to 45 men, old and young, all Muslims, by the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) on May 22, 1987. The massacre was carried out by 'C-Company' of the PAC's 41st Battalion. The PAC had picked up the men, who were later shot and their bodies thrown into a canal. Only five had survived the .
Class 1 girl student raped in Punjab
A Class 1 girl student was allegedly raped by an unidentified man while she was returning home from school here, police said Wednesday. The six-year-old girl's mother reported the matter to police when she saw her weeping and bleeding on Tuesday, Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Jatinderjit Singh said. He said the minor girl was returning home from school when she was raped by an unidentified man. The victim was medically examined, the SHO said. A case under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered against the unknown accused, he said. He said police was leaving no stone unturned to trace the culprit.