Page 944 - Law Crime
Bombay HC quashes Preity Zinta molestation case against Ness Wadia
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday quashed the molestation case filed by actor Preity Zinta against industrialist and former boyfriend Ness Wadia in 2014.The brief hearing, on the petition filed by Wadia, took place today around 4.45 pm. While interacting with the media, industrialist's lawyer Abad Ponda confirmed that the case was "quashed."On being asked about the matter, the lawyer, said, "Judges have asked us not to divulge the information of the court proceedings."Meanwhile, the actor tweeted, "It feels good to move on. Put to rest and forgive. It's amazing how one simple word can give closure. The windscreen is always larger than the rare view mirror. Jai Mata Ki #Navratri #Forgive #Closure #Letgo #Moveon #Positivity."Earlier, a division bench of the apex court comprising Justices Ranjit More and Bharti Dangre had suggested both the parties to resolve the issue mutually. While Preity's advocate told the court that she is willing to settle down the matter if Wadia is ready to ..
HC declines to interfere with I-T notice against Dayanidhi Maran
The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed former union minister Dayanidhi Maran's petition challenging re-opening of his income tax assessment for 2008-09 and 2009-10 by the I-T department based on the CBI charge sheet in the Aircel Maxis deal case. Justice S M Subramaniam said the petitioner who held the high position of a Union Minister was duty bound to respond to the department's notice to prove his innocence or otherwise. Maran challenged the I-T department's March 27, 2015 notice issued under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act for re-assessment of his income for 2008-09 and 2009-10 when he was the Telecom Minister. Noting that he had raised objections to the notice, he also contended that the department had sought to re-open the matter six years after the assessment citing the CBI charge sheet in the Aircel Maxis deal case. The CBI has charged Maran with forcing Aircel owner C Sivasankaran into parting with his stake in the company to Malaysia's Maxis Communications Bhd when ..
Woman who spent $21M at Harrods fights UK wealth order
A woman from Azerbaijan who spent 16 million pounds ($21 million) on jewelry, wine and other goods at luxury London department store Harrods over the course of a decade has become the first target of a British power to seize money from people suspected of getting their wealth through corruption. A court has ordered Zamira Hajiyeva, 55, to explain where she got the money to also buy an 11.5 million pound ($15 million) London home close to Harrods and a golf course outside the city worth 10.5 million pounds ($14 million). Hajiyeva's husband, former International Bank of Azerbaijan chairman Jahangir Hajiyev, was sentenced to 15 years in jail in his home country in 2016 for fraud and embezzlement. The case marks Britain's first use of Unexplained Wealth Orders, introduced this year to curb London's status as a haven for ill-gotten gains. The orders allow authorities to seize assets over 50,000 pounds ($66,000) from people suspected of corruption or links to organized crime until the ...
Sharif, daughter and son-in-law seek removal of their names from no fly list
Deposed Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has petitioned the Interior Ministry to remove his name along with that of his daughter and son-in-law from the no fly list, media reports said Wednesday. One of the first decisions of the Imran Khan-led government was to place Sharif, daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar as part of the government's anti-corruption drive. When the government placed the trio on the ECL, they were serving prison sentences after they were convicted in a corruption case regarding their Avenfield flats in London. However, the Islamabad High Court released them from jail and suspended their sentences. Persons on the ECL are prohibited from leaving Pakistan. Sharif, Mariam and Safdar sent three separate letters to the interior ministry to remove their names from the ECL on the basis that no institution ordered their names to be put on the list. The order of the federal government is unconstitutional and illegal, read their letters, ...
FIR lodged against BJP MLA, 8 others for thrashing mining officer
An FIR was registered against BJP MLA Brijesh Prajapati and eight others for allegedly thrashing a district mining officer after he refused his demand to extort money from miners and give him Rs 25 lakh per month, police said Wednesday. Based on a complaint lodged by District Mining Officer Shailendra Singh, the case was filed against the MLA, two of his security guards and six others under various sections of the IPC, SP S Anand said. In his complaint, Singh claimed that he and his staff member were called last night at the Circuit House, where the two were beaten up. Later, they were also locked up in a room, he said in his complaint. However, the BJP MLA from Tindwari denied the allegations, saying that he had called the officer to lodge a complaint on illegal mining. The MLA also accused Singh of conniving with those indulging in illegal mining. Meanwhile, a Samajwadi Party delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Vishambhar Prasad Nishad submitted a memorandum, demanding stern action ...
Swiss top court knocks down bid to extend banking secrecy
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Switzerland's highest court ruled on Wednesday that prosecutors cannot extend Swiss banking secrecy rules to all corners of the globe to pursue whistleblowers and other leakers at foreign subsidiaries.
Tribal girl tortured in Delhi dies in Ranchi
A tribal minor girl, who was tortured brutally by her employer in Delhi, died in a hospital here on Wednesday.
Former revenue official sentenced to 3 mths in jail in bribery case
An anti-corruption court here Wednesday convicted a former government official in an eight-year-old bribery case and sentenced him to three years in prison. The case against Jawahar Lal, a former revenue official (patwari) was registered with Police Station Vigilance Organisation, Jammu in 2010 under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Ranbir Penal Code, an official spokesman said. He said Additional Judge of Anti-Corruption Court, Jammu, Tasleem Arif convicted the accused in the case and sentenced him to three years in prison with a fine of Rs 20,000 for commission of the offence under Prevention of Corruption Act. The court said if there was a default in payment of the fine, then the convict shall undergo a further imprisonment of three months, the spokesman said. He said the former official would also undergo imprisonment of one year and pay a fine of Rs 10,000 for commission of the offence under section 161 of RPC. In case of default in payment of fine, Lal shall .
HC quashes molestation case lodged by Zinta against Ness Wadia
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday quashed a 2014 case lodged by city police against industrialist Ness Wadia for allegedly outraging the modesty of Bollywood actor Preity Zinta. Both Zinta and Wadia along with their lawyers appeared before a division bench of justices Ranjit More and Bharti Dangre in the judges' chamber. "The case against Ness has been quashed. We have been told by the court not to divulge anything more," Wadia's lawyer Aabad Ponda said later. Zinta's lawyers also refused to give any details. On October 1, the court had suggested that Wadia and Zinta settle the issue amicably. Zinta's lawyer had said she was willing to settle the matter if Wadia was ready to apologise. Advocate Ponda had then said that his client was ready to bury the hatchet, but he would not apologise. The alleged incident had taken place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 30, 2014 during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match. Zinta and Wadia are co-owners of the IPL team Kings XI ...
23-yr-old man sent to judicial custody for rape, blackmail in Kota
A local court here Wednesday sent a 23-year-old man to judicial custody for allegedly raping and blackmailing a woman from Kota city, officials said. The accused identified as Aabid Hussain, a resident of Rajiv colony in Nainwa town of Bundi district, was arrested on Tuesday night for the crime, said SHO of Vigyan Nagar Police Station Neeraj Gupta. The accused was today produced before the court which ordered to send Hussain to jail under judicial custody, he added. The survivor, 20, a B.Sc student, on Sunday lodged a complaint against Hussain at Vigyan Nagar Police Station, stating the accused had allegedly raped her and was blackmailing her with photos and video clips he had secretly taken in his mobile phone, the SHO said. In the plaint, the survivor said Hussain befriended her about seven to eight months ago on social media and soon the two starting meeting. During one such meeting, the accused called the survivor to his home and offered her food "laced with an intoxicating ...
Key accused in triple murder case arrested from Mumbai
The key accused in a three-year old triple murder case has been arrested from Mumbai and a court here Wednesday remanded him to judicial custody till October 17. Mohanram, a notorious criminal, was at large since the murder of three people by an armed gang in August, 2015 near Sulur here in a suspected revenge killing. Acting on a tip-off that he was Mumbai, a police team arrested him two days ago and brought him here, police said. He was produced before 2nd Fast Track Court Judge Prabu Sankar who remanded him to judicial custody Wednesday morning. Poliec have already arrested 19 members of the gang allegedly involved in the killing of three relatives of Lolly Manikandan, an accused in the murder of an advocate. Manikandan was travelling in a car along with the victims when the gang attacked them to avenge the killing of the advocate. He, however, escaped the attack.
SC stays demolition of structure of 50-year-old restaurant in Mumbai
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered status quo on the demolition of an allegedly illegal structure constructed in a 50-year-old restaurant situated in a posh locality of Mumbai. The top court directed the trial court to decide the civil suit expeditiously, strictly on the basis of evidence adduced by the parties. A bench of Justices A M Sapre and Indu Malhotra said that it is not expressing any opinion on the merits and demerits of the controversy which is the subject matter of the civil dispute pending before the trial court. "We direct the concerned trial judge to ensure expeditious disposal of the civil suit filed by the petitioners against the respondents strictly on the basis of the evidence adduced by the parties in the suit," it said. The bench, while disposing of the appeal filed by the Rasraj restaurant said, "In the meantime, the status quo in respect of the suit property shall be maintained by the parties." It said that none of the observations made by the trial court, ..
Sterling Biotech case: Court extends alleged middleman's judicial custody
A Delhi court has extended till November 1 the judicial custody of a man accused of sending Rs 25 lakh cash to a senior Congress leader's residence in connection with the over Rs 5,000 crore-bank loan fraud case involving Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech. Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora, who had earlier issued open-ended non-bailable warrants against pharma firm's directors, including Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara and Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, extended the custody of Ranjit Malik alias Johny after he was produced before the court. An "open-ended NBW" does not carry a time limit for execution unlike non-bailable warrants (NBW). Special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana and advocate A R Aditya, appearing for the ED, told the court that further extension of the custody was required as the probe was at a crucial stage. Malik was arrested by the agency for allegedly sending Rs 25 lakh through one Rakesh Chandra to the politician's residence in the national capital. The ED in its ...
Bofors case: Crucial hearing in SC on Friday
The Supreme Court is likely to hear on Friday the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case in which the CBI earlier this year filed appeal after 12-year delay against the Delhi High Court decision quashing charges against all the accused. The apex court will also hear a BJP leader and advocate Ajay Agrawal, who is pursuing the matter for over a decade, and has been asked by it to explain his locus in filing petition as a third party. Agrawal, who contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli against the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has filed appeal against May 31, 2005 judgement of the Delhi High Court. The matter has been listed for hearing on October 12 before the bench comprising Justices R Banumathi and Indira Banerjee. During the hearing on January 16, the top court had asked Agrawal to explain his locus in filing the appeal and satisfy it as to how the matter could be entertained at the instance of a third party. The CBI had filed the appeal on ...
Police officer commits suicide
A police officer in Ghaziabad shot himself dead with his service revolver early on Wednesday, police said.
Supreme Court orders sealing of Amrapali's offices in UP, Bihar
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered sealing of Amrapali group's nine offices spread across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where account-documents relating to the group's 46 companies are kept.
SC pulls up Maharashtra slum rehabilitation authority for neglecting responsibility
The Supreme Court Wednesday came down heavily on Maharashtra's slum rehabilitation authority (SRA) for trying to "shrug off" their responsibility in ensuring compliance of an Act meant for welfare of building and construction workers in Mumbai. A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said an affidavit proposed to be filed by SRA was "extremely vague" and the authority, without trying to "pass on the buck" to builders and contractors, should ensure compliance of the provisions of the Act. Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, representing Maharashtra government, told the court that there were around 339 projects under SRA but they have not received data from the authority regarding registration of workers under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. "This (non-registration of workers) is exploitation and you (SRA) are saying that 'yes I know it is exploitation but I cannot do anything because I have no power'," .
CWG Scam: Court awards one-year jail term to ex-NDMC engineer
A Delhi court has awarded a one-year jail term to a former NDMC executive engineer for criminally conspiring with Decor India Private Ltd in the award of a contract to the firm for renovation of New Delhi Convention Centre prior to 2008-CWG games. Special Judge Arvind Kumar sent the convict Rakesh Sharma to jail and also imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on the firm for getting the contract on the basis of false certificates. The court accepted the submissions of public prosecutor V K Ojha, appearing for the CBI, that the company was not eligible for the contract. The court found them guilty of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct and said that the CBI had "succeeded to bring home the guilt of accused beyond shadow of all reasonable doubts". The CBI had told the court that the company did not possess the required experience, but it filed some certificates on July 15, 2008 to claim the contract. Sharma had not examined the particulars of the certificates either at the time
BJP MLA thrashes mining officer for refusing his demand to extort money from miners
A district mining officer claimed that he was beaten up by BJP MLA Brijesh Prajapati for refusing his demand to extort money from miners and give him Rs 25 lakh per month, police said Wednesday. However, the BJP MLA from Tindwari denied the allegations, saying that he had called the officer to lodge a complaint on illegal mining. The MLA has also accused District Mining Officer Shailendra Singh of conniving with those indulging in illegal mining. According to a complaint lodged by Singh, he was called along with his staff member at the Circuit House last night where the two were beaten up. Singh said he and his staff member were severely beaten up by Tindwari MLA and his security guards. Later, they were also locked up in a room. "On the instructions of District Magistrate Hiralal, I have submitted a written complaint at the Kotwali police station," Singh said. "We have come to know about such an incident and the matter is being investigated," ASP Lal Bharat Kumar Pal said.
Three members of family stabbed to death in southwest Delhi
The bodies of a couple and their daughter were found with stab injuries at their residence in Kishangarh area of southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj on Wednesday morning, police said. The victims were attacked with a kitchen knife. The couple's son Suraj sustained injuries on his finger, they said. After being informed about the incident, police reached the three-room house at 5.20 am, and identified the victims as Mithlesh Verma, his wife Siya Verma and their daughter Neha. The weapon used for commission of the crime has been recovered, police said. Mithlesh Verma, a contractor, was living with his family in the house for the last 18 years. His son Suraj is pursuing civil engineering from a private college in Gurgaon, while his daughter Neha was studying in class 9 at a private school in Vasant Kunj, Mithlesh Verma's elder brother Chandra Bhan said. "I got a call from my family members in Kannauj at 5.30 am. Mithlesh's neighbours had informed them. I rushed to check on them and found their