Page 897 - Law Crime
CBI DSP sent to 7 day remand; agency slaps extortion, forgery on all accused including Asthana
CBI's DSP Devender Kumar, arrested in connection with bribery allegations involving its Special Director Rakesh Asthana, was on Tuesday sent to seven days of the agency's custody for interrogation by a designated court here as the CBI added fresh charges of extortion and forgery to the FIR. Terming the offence as "grave", special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann said "considering the gravity of the offence and seriousness of allegations about the involvement of public servants including accused, I am of the opinion the police custody of accused Devender Kumar is necessary for proper investigation. "Accused is remanded to police custody for seven days," the judge said in the order. The court also turned down a plea taken by the counsel of the accused that the agency had not taken requisite prior permission under section 17-A of the prevention of corruption act from the competent authority. Advocate Rahul Tyagi, appearing for Kumar, said that the arrest of the accused and investigation ...
CBI likely to question its own Special Director soon
The CBI may soon question its Special Director Rakesh Asthana in connection with alleged bribery to give relief to a businessman who was being probed in a case involving Moin Qureshi, sources said Tuesday. They said the directions of the Delhi High Court on the plea of Asthana to maintain status quo in the matter do not bar the agency from carrying on its investigation and questioning of the accused. Questioning of an accused does not come in the definition of coercive action which Asthana had sought to be stopped, they said. The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to maintain status quo on the criminal proceedings initiated against Asthana, who has challenged the FIR lodged against him on bribery allegations. The sources quoted above said coercive action means arrest or searches which the agency will not conduct till the next order of the court. An agency spokesperson said that there is no change in the status of Asthana as Special Director and no charge has been taken back .
IBBI notifies mechanism for issuing regulations under insolvency law
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) on Tuesday notified the mechanism for making or amending regulations under the insolvency law.
Minor reshuffle of police officers in Odisha
Odisha government Tuesday effected a minor reshuffle in the senior police officers, according to a notification issued by the Home department. Senior IPS officer R P Singh was posted as Director General, Prisons and Director Correctional Services, Odisha on repatriation from Central deputation, it said. Additional DG of Police, Prisons & Director, Correctional Services, BN Jha has been attached to the Home department while IG of Police, Vigilance, Yatindra Koyal will take charge as IG of Police, STF, CID, Crime Branch. DIG of Police, STF, CID, Crime Branch, Himanshu Kumar Lal has been posted as DIG of Police, Special Armed Police (SAP), the notification said. Registrar, Sambalpur University, Soorya Thankappan has been transferred and posted as DIG of Police, Vigilance. Additional SP, Biju Patnaik State Police Academy (BPSPA), Bhubaneswar, Pravakar Swain will be the new in-charge SP, Police Training Institute, Byree, while Additional SP, Sambalpur, Srikrishna Behera ...
CBI chief trying to falsely implicate me in bribery case to hide his misconduct: Asthana HC plea
CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana Tuesday accused the agency's chief, Alok Kumar Verma, of trying to "falsely implicate" him in a bribery case to "hide" his own alleged criminal misconduct of influencing investigations in lieu of money. Agency's Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who was arrested Monday in a case involving Asthana, also alleged the proceedings are not only a shocking portrayal of misuse of authority which undermines the credibility of the institution, but also illustrates how he was made a "scapegoat" to achieve illegal goals. Both the officers contended in separate petitions filed in the high court that when a Special Investigation Team led by Asthana proposed to arrest businessman Sathish Sana on allegation of giving bribe for influencing probe, it was not followed. Instead, an FIR was lodged against them on the basis of Sana's complaint that bribe was demanded from him, the petitions alleged, adding that illegalities were committed at the hands of ...
War in CBI reaches courtrooms; Oppn parties slam Centre
The Delhi High Court Tuesday directed the CBI to maintain status quo on the criminal proceedings initiated against the agency's Special Director Rakesh Asthana and a trial court sent an arrested mid-level officer facing bribery charges to seven-day remand, as the unprecedented internecine battle between the two top officers of the CBI entered the judicial arena. During the court hearing, the CBI also submitted that charges of extortion and forgery were added against Asthana and Devender Singh, a Deputy Superintendent police of CBI who was arrested Monday by the agency for allegedly taking bribe and falsification of records. The high-voltage drama involving Asthana and his boss Alok Verma, the CBI Director, also provided more fodder to the Congress and other opposition parties to target the Centre which was accused of "destroying the country's institutions". After Asthana approached the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of the agency's FIR against him, a single judge bench directed the
MIDC officer, aide booked for demanding Rs 3.5 crore bribe
A regional officer of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and a private person were booked Tuesday by the ACB for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 3.5 crore to allot a plot, an official said. The plot in question is at Ambarnath in neighbouring Thane district and an industrialist had submitted an application to MIDC for its allotment, he said. The Thane unit of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered an offence against MIDC officer Sandip Pawar and his aide, the official said. Pawar had allegedly demanded Rs 3.5 crore as bribe to allot 10,000 sq mt plot to the 38-year-old complainant, who had submitted an application for it, he said. The complainant then approached the ACB and a case was registered against Pawar after verification, he said, adding a probe is underway.
Abhijit Iyer-Mitra arrested over derogatory remarks against Odisha, Konark Sun temple
Journalist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra has been arrested by the Bhubaneswar Police in connection with the case filed at Saheed Nagar police station over his derogatory remarks against Odisha and Konark Sun temple.Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty told media, "The Investigation Officer decided to arrest him on the basis of available evidence on record and to produce him before the judicial magistrate of Bhubaneswar court to consider his bail application. As of now, we are not asking for any remand because whatever information we wanted to get from him, he co-operated and we got it from him."Earlier in the day, Mitra was taken into custody by Odisha police after he appeared before the House Committee of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. Mitra is facing the allegation of making derogatory remarks on the Konark Sun Temple and Odisha. He is slated to appear before the House panel again on November 2.The columnist had been summoned by the House Committee, headed by Leader of ...
Bank loan fraud: ED files charge sheet against Sterling Biotech
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday filed a supplementary charge sheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) against promoters of Gujarat -based pharma firm Sterling Biotech and its directors - S. Nitin Sandesara and Chetan Sandesara- in an alleged bank loan fraud case.As per the ED, action will be initiated under Fugitive Economic Offenders Law against the directors, who are currently abroad.The investigation revealed that the Sandersara brothers and others had manipulated figures in the balance sheets of their flagship companies and induced banks to sanction higher loans. The total amount of loan fraud as on date is Rs 8,100 crores. The fraud pertains to domestic as well as offshore branches of Indian Banks. Prosecution complaint has been filed against seven accused individuals and 184 companies, read a statement.Prior to filing the complaint, the probe agency had arrested four persons in the case including Gagan Dhawan (Delhi based businessman), Anup Garg ...
Court denies bail to former BSP MP's son Ashish Pandey
A Delhi court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of Ashish Pandey, son of former BSP MP, arrested for brandishing gun in a hotel here, saying that allegations against him were "grave" and "serious". Special Judge Sunil Rana dismissed the bail application of Pandey who was sent to 14-day judicial custody by the court yesterday, till November 5, noting the possibility of his tampering with the evidence and influencing witnesses cannot be ruled out. "Considering the fact that the allegations against accused are grave and serious in nature, I am not inclined to grant bail to accused Ashish Pandey," the court said. It noted that "the accused was flaunting his social status and as per their own admission, applicant (Pandey) belongs to a political family and is an influential person and the possibility of his tampering with the evidence and influencing witnesses cannot be ruled out." Pandey had allegedly brandished a pistol at guests of a five-star hotel threatening them in the foyer, a ...
Croatia puts ex-PM, Hungary energy executive on trial over 'bribe'
Croatia's former prime minister Ivo Sanader pleaded not guilty Tuesday in his re-trial on charges of taking a multi-million-euro bribe from the boss of Hungary's MOL energy group, who is being tried in absentia. Sanader is accused of having struck a deal with CEO Zsolt Hernadi in 2009 to pocket ten million euros (USD 11.4 million) in exchange for granting MOL control over Croatian oil and gas group INA. The former Croatian premier was found guilty in 2012 of the charge, but his eight-and-a-half-year jail sentence was overturned in 2015 by the constitutional court, which called for a re-trial. Sanader pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, a Zagreb court spokeswoman told AFP. The defence attorneys for Hernadi refused to enter a plea as they insisted some documents should be translated into Hungarian, she said. The oil group MOL - whose main shareholder is the Hungarian government - has previously denied the bribe accusation. MOL has a 49 per cent stake in INA while the Croatian government ...
ISIS case: NIA arrests TN man
A man, who helped an ISIS sympathiser procure a passport on forged documents, has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Tuesday, the agency said. Shafeek Ahamed (30), a resident of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, was arrested and produced before a special court Tuesday here, which subsequently gave his 7 days remand to the NIA, it said. Ahamed is an alleged conspirator in the case and had facilitated procurement of an Indian passport for V K Shajahan alias Shajahan Velluva Kandy in the name of Mohd Ismail Mohideen "on the basis of forged documents", the NIA said in a statement. Shajahan, an alleged sympathiser of the terror group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), was arrested by the central agency in July last year after he was deported by Turkish authorities "in connection with his involvement in ISIS activities". The NIA had filed a charge sheet against Shajahan and his alleged associate Mohd Mustafa last year in connection with its probe against ISIS sympathisers .
Former French minister Tron on trial for rape
A French former government minister went on trial Tuesday accused of raping two former employees during foot-massaging sessions in his municipal office. Georges Tron, a centre-right former deputy minister in charge of the civil service, was forced to resign in 2011 over the allegations made by two women who worked for him at the town hall of the southern Paris suburb of Draveil. Tron, a 61-year-old former MP who is still mayor of Draveil, and his former deputy, Brigitte Gruel, also 61, are accused of abusing the women during foot reflexology sessions in Tron's office that quickly turned into threesomes. Their accusers said they felt powerless to resist being groped and penetrated digitally because they were afraid of losing their jobs. Virginie Ettel, 41, later resigned, while Eva Loubrieu, 44, was fired after being accused of theft. The two women both separately tried to commit suicide before filing police complaints against Tron and Gruel, according to Le Monde newspaper. The two ..
Justice Govind Mathur to be acting CJ of Allahabad High Court
Justice Govind Mathur has been appointed as the acting chief justice of the Allahabad High Court following retirement of Chief Justice D B Bhosale. Justice Mathur initially practised in the Rajasthan High Court and later appointed as a judge. He was transferred to the Allahabad High Court in November, 2017. Bhosale appreciated the members of the bench and the bar and said without their cooperation he could not have delivered so many judgements. Earlier, all the sitting judges, several lawyers, senior judicial officers, senior officers of the state government bid farewell to Bhosale.
DL-CRIME-BRIEFS
Two men were arrested for allegedly robbing motorcycles for snatching purposes from southeast Delhi, police said Tuesday. The accused, identified as Rahul Parcha alias Vishwas (27) and Zubair Alam (22), are residents of Trilokpuri, they added. One country-made pistol with live cartridge, one motorcycle, three fake number plates and 11 snatched gold chains were recovered from them, police said.
Court rejects bail plea of BSP leader's son who wielded pistol
A local court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of former BSP MP's son who threatened a man with a pistol at a luxury hotel a few days ago.
CBI suspends DSP Devender, adds news charges in FIR
The Central Bureau Investigation on Tuesday suspended its DSP Devender Kumar, who was arrested on Monday on the charge of falsification of records while probing allegations against meat exporter Moin Qureshi, and added five new sections into the existing bribery FIR lodged against its Special Director Rakesh Asthana.
Odisha police arrest Abhijit Iyer-Mitra for Sun Temple remark
Security analyst and columnist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra was on Tuesday arrested for his alleged derogatory remarks against the Sun Temple and Odisha culture.
SC dismisses PIL seeking CBI probe into incidents of violence during 'Bharat Bandh'
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL seeking a CBI probe into incidents of violence during the April 2 'Bharat bandh' which was called by some organisations in protest against dilution of the SC/ST Act . A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul was hearing the plea which wanted the court to take politicians to task for organising the Bharat Bandh protest. "We are inclined to take a view that this PIL does not require to be considered," the bench said. Earlier, the apex court, on May 16, had sought response of the Centre on the PIL filed by social activist Bejon Kumar Misra through lawyer Shashank Sudhi on the issue. The PIL had sought a direction to political parties, which supported the Bharat Bandh, to make good the damages caused to properties by protesters and restrain their MPs and MLAs from attending Parliament or Assembly till they compensated the damages. The apex court had on March 20 virtually diluted the stringent provisions of the ...
Death reference cases pending in SC our priority, says CJI
The Supreme Court Tuesday said there are 65-75 death references pending which needed to be heard on priority basis rather than hearing a plea for some roving inquiry into the nexus between politicians and corporates on the basis of unsubstantiated documents. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Sanjay Kishan Kaul questioned an NGO about the authenticity of documents it has been referring to allege nexus between politicians and corporate houses. "There are 65-75 people languishing in jail. When they wake up in the morning they do not know whether they will be able to see the light of another day. Judicial time is precious and that is our priority. I want my judges to focus on these cases," the bench told advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL). Bhushan said that he is aware of the priorities but the case also needs to be heard as it involves the nexus among journalists, politicians and corporate. "You want us to order roving ...