The CBI today told a Mumbai court that it has added the charge of criminal breach of trust to the case related to diamond trader Mehul Choksis firms in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. It also said that the fraud related to Choksi-controlled firms is now found to be to the tune of Rs 7,080 crore. The maximum punishment for the offence under section 409 of the IPC (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) is life imprisonment. Among others, the agency has arrested Gokulnath Shetty, the then deputy manager (now retired) of PNB, in connection with issuance of fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) to Choksi-owned firms. The acts of Shetty prima facie disclose commission of offence punishable under section 409 IPC along with other offences already alleged in the FIR, read the CBIs submission before the special court. Earlier the agency had pressed the charge of cheating under the IPC and relevant charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The CBI has alleged that firms controlled by diamond traders Nirav Modi and his uncle Choksi obtained fraudulent LoUs and letters of credit (LCs) worth USD 2 billion (Rs 12,636 crore) from…
Month: May 2016
India has played responsible role in Afghan economic development: US
India has played a responsible role in the economic development of Afghanistan, the Trump administration said today noting that the trilateral India-Afghan-US cooperation is not aimed at Pakistan. India, weve seen over the last several years, play a responsible role in the economic development and reconstruction of Afghanistan. And that role has been appreciated by the government of Afghanistan, senior US diplomat for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells, told a Washington audience. Early this month, Wells was in Kabul to attend the Kabul process meeting. On the sidelines of it, she participated in the India-US-Afghanistan trilateral, which again raised eyebrows in Pakistan. The trilateral meeting, she said, was to review how the three countries can better work together on development trade and investment priorities. But that does not imply that we would support or think that theres any manipulation of Afghanistan so that it can be used against Pakistan, Wells said in response to a question at the US Institute of Peace, a US-Congress supported top American think-tank. Pakistan, she said, has an important role to play in a peace process, and in stabilising Afghanistan. We believe that Pakistan can help change and shape the calculus of the Taliban….
Mehul Choksi in 7-page letter to CBI says, it is impossible to return to India
Gitanjali Gems promoter Mehul Choksi, who is under the scanner of investigating agencies following a complaint by the Punjab National Bank, has said it was impossible for him to return to India and join the investigation due to the suspension of his passport and ill-health. In a detailed e-mail reply to the CBIs notice seeking his appearance, Choksi said he was not in a position to travel as his passport has been suspended by the authorities and he was undergoing medical treatment. I want to assure your good office and good self that I am in no manner dictating the terms of my appearance. However, as my passport stands suspended by the Regional Passport Office under Section 10(3)(c) of the Passport Act, it is impossible for me to travel back to India, the 7-page letter said. He said that on February 16, 2018, he had received an e-mail from the Passport Office which stated that his passport has been suspended due to the reason Security Threat to India, however, the Regional Passport Office, Mumbai, did not give him any explanation as to why his passport was suspended and as to how he was a security threat. I am also not…
Rahul Gandhi calls PM Narendra Modi ‘Big Boss’ who spies, BJP rubbishes charge
The Congress and the BJP today again locked horns on the prickly issue of data sharing with Rahul Gandhi dubbing Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Big Boss who likes to spy on Indians and the ruling party accusing the opposition party of theft. Taking to Twitter after allegations surfaced that data from the prime ministers official app was being shared without the consent of users, the Congress president said the NaMo app secretly recorded audio, video, contacts and even tracked location via GPS. Modis NaMo App secretly records audio, video, contacts of your friends and family and even tracks your location via GPS. Hes the Big Boss who likes to spy on Indians. Now he wants data on our children. 13 lakh NCC cadets are being forced to download the APP, Gandhi said on Twitter using the hashtag DeleteNaMoApp. The BJP, however, rubbished the charge and alleged that the Congress chief was speaking a lie. Hitting out at Gandhi, BJPs IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya said it was his partys app that was sharing user data with his friends in Singapore. Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of Indias oldest political party. When you sign up…
Karnataka recommends minority status for Lingayat community: Will it impact Congress, BJP in upcoming polls?
The move by the Siddaramiah-led Congress government in Karnataka to send a recommendation to the Centre for granting religious minority status to politically influential Lingayat community along with Veerashaiva Lingayat community just months ahead of Assembly Elections in Karnataka assumes political significance. The cabinet led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah decided to accept the recommendations of the State Minority Commission after due deliberations and some discussions on concerns of various sections of society, Law Minister T B Jayachandra said. The issue is not new and has the capability of becoming one of the pivotal points in the upcoming elections. Lets take a look at possible impact of this move in Assembly polls Congress to benefit? Lingayats form 17 per cent of the states total population. By and large, the population has an impact on 100 seats out of 224 Assembly constituencies. The Congress hopes that the decision can get a favourable mandate from the Lingayat community. Also, by including Veerashaiva Lingayat in its recommendation, the Congress is trying to woo this other faction as well. It has been learnt that state ministers, who belong to Lingayats, are planning a rally in Bengaluru to mark the festival. State Congress leaders now feel…
Amit Shah meets Karnataka’s 110-year-old Lingayat seer
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Monday sought blessings of 110-year-old Lingayat seer Shivakumara Swami of the Siddaganga Mutt here for the partys success in the ensuing assembly elections in the state due in April-May. I felt like seeing God when I met the revered pontiff. I sought his blessings for our partys success in the state assembly election, Shah told reporters later here, about 70 km from Bengaluru. Shah also expressed happiness that the popular Lingayat Mutt runs 125 educational institutions across the state and was involved in many pro-people programmes. The seer has succeeded in bringing all sections of society together through education, Shah said. Shahs meeting with the pontiff comes a week after the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state decided on March 19 to recognise Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats as a religion. On March 23, the state government had notified the minority religion status to the followers of 12th century social reformer Basava, amid protests by few communities, in a bid to woo the dominant community of Lingayats (17 per cent), ahead of the state polls. The BJP, whose Chief Ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa is a Lingayat, saw the Congress move as…
Big relief for Devyani Khobragade: CAT asks government to promote her if found fit
In a major relief to civil servant Devyani Khobragade, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to promote her as a Joint Secretary within two months if she is found fit for the job. The direction came on her plea alleging that when her batch was considered for promotion to Grade-III of the Indian Foreign Service, that is the Joint Secretary rank for he vacancy year 2016-17, her case was not considered and kept in a sealed cover, apparently due to the pendency of enquiry proceedings against her. The MEA had initiated proceedings against her for giving interviews to the media without taking permission from the Ministry, as also for her misleading statement that it was permissible for her children, who were both under 18 years of age, to retain both Indian and US passports. The disciplinary authority (DA) had in November 2017 imposed the penalty of The bench, while noting that there was an inordinate and unexplained delay of about 20 months at the end of the Ministry in acting on Khobragades March 2015 reply on the charges, said the penalty imposed by the DA shall be treated as effective from September 2015…
SC/ST Act: Supreme Court agrees to open court hearing on Centre’s review petition, hearing at 2pm
The Supreme Court today agreed to an open court hearing on the Centres petition seeking review of its order on SC\/ST Act. The SC bench comprising CJI Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit The courts order came after Attorney General KK Venugopal mentioned the matter seeking the constitution of a bench comprising Justices Goel and Lalit which had pronounced the March 20 judgement. The government had yesterday filed a review plea in the apex court asking it to reconsider its order on diluting stringent provisions in the law. Union Law Minister had told reporters the government doesnt agree with the courts observations and that it is committed to the welfare of marginalised section of the society. A major controversy erupted last month when the top court diluted certain provisions in the law, prohibiting automatic arrest of government servants among others. The court had observed that law could be misused against the government officials and hence changes were required. The court had passed its order on a plea filed by a Maharashtra based government official.
Nanak Shah Fakir release date: Supreme Court allows controversial film to hit screens on April 13
The Supreme Court today cleared the decks for an all-India release of the controversial movie Nanak Shah Fakir on April 13. The top court criticised the apex Sikh body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for putting restrictions on the release of the movie, based on the life and teachings of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said once the statutory body like the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has cleared the movie, no individual has the right to impede its release. The bench asked all the states to maintain law and order and ensure smooth screening of the film. The petitioner Harinder S Sikka, a retired Naval officer and the producer of the film, had approached the apex court seeking protection of the Fundamental Right of speech and expression and the propagation of religious views which, he alleged, was being curtailed by certain section of the people having vested interests in scuttling the release of the movie. The CBFC had cleared the movie on March 28 but, Sikka claimed, he had received a communication on March 30 from SGPC asking him not…
Kathua rape-murder case: Politicians to celebrities voice outrage
From Union minister V K Singh to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, politicians across the divide joined hands with showbiz celebrities and others to speak up for the eight-year-old girl from the minority Bakerwal community who was gangraped and killed in Kathua three months ago. An enraged nation demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits of the crime, even as the politics over the arrest of eight people in connection with the case continued to dominate the discourse in this city of temples. The support for the eight-year-old girl was growing with politicians, cutting across party lines, seeking justice for her. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said, we as humans had failed the eight-year-old girl, but she would not be denied justice. Congress president Gandhi described the rape and killing of the girl as unimaginable brutality that cannot go unpunished, and wondered how anybody can seek to protect the culprits. He also lashed out at the politics being played over the crime. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said her government would not allow law to be obstructed and ensure justice in the rape-and-murder case. In a tweet, she said, The law will not be obstructed by…
Aamir Khan in lead role as water crusader: Generates awareness on water conservation in drought-prone Maharashtra
He has been drawing crowds at cinemas across the globe, but soon actor Aamir Khan will be drawing some crowds at a village near you, and its not for a film. Bringing the same passion with which he makes and stars in films, the actor is using his star power to change the fortunes of drought-prone villages of Maharashtra through his Paani Foundation, and can reel off statistics about the Maharashtra On May 1, Khan and his team at Paani Foundation are expected to mobilise around two lakh city folks and take them across villages in 75 talukas of Maharashtra to volunteer for a day. Despite his hectic shooting schedule (his latest film, Thugs of Hindostan,is set for a November release), Khan says whenever the foundation needs him, he makes himself available. This could mean travelling hundreds of kilometres to give a pep talk to and nudge stubborn or disinterested villages to get going. Around 116 villages from Vidarbha, Marathwada and western Maharashtra have completed water projects, of which the actor thinks 45 villages did amazingly well and around 35 have done ok. After an appeal from him, people have registered to volunteer as Jalmitras on May 1, which is…
Making Narendra Modi ‘invincible’ again! Here’s BJP game plan and concerns for Karnataka election 2018
Karnataka election 2018: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pulling out all stops in his campaign to win the southern Indian state of Karnataka as he works to halt the opposition His Bharatiya Janata Party has deployed influential political leaders, boosted its social media campaign and held extra public gatherings to deepen its footprint in the south and wrest one of the last big states from the Congress Party, which would all but wipe the 132-year-old political organization from India Following a tough fight in his home state of Gujarat, defeats in three key by-elections last week and the desertion of an ally from his ruling coalition, Modi Adding to his woes, Modi The BJP was on the back foot, analysts led by Sonal Varma at Nomura Holdings Inc. said in a note on Wednesday. These political vulnerabilities led Nomura to assign a 25 percent probability of an early federal election – possibly in the last quarter of 2018. The developments in the lead up to the May election in Karnataka highlight emerging cracks in BJP The road to 2019 will now change, with Modi going further on Hindu nationalism. Winning Streak To maintain his aura of invincibility, Modi needs a…
Watch: Narendra Modi’s ‘3D Yoga’; his Trikonasana may give health goals before International Yoga Day
Ever since he came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been very vocal about the benefits of Yoga. He has talked about the importance of yoga in daily life on several occasions. During his monthly radio show Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, PM Modi gave the clarion call for a Your Yoga Guru – An animated version of PM Modi: PM Modi said he was only a Yoga practitioner till now, however, a group of volunteers made him a Yoga teacher. Made by a team of volunteers, the prime minister was referring to a set of animated videos in which he can be seen practising various Asanas (positions). Like a teacher, PM Modis 3D avatar delves into minutest postures while teaching Yoga. He can be seen teaching every single asana (position) with all details. During his radio show Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister talked about the number of days left for International Yoga Day. PM Modi said, Less than a hundred days are now left for the International Yoga Day which is on June 21. WATCH PM Modi do Trikonasana (Hindi) WATCH PM Modi do Trikonasana (English) As of now, these videos are in two languages only. However, plans…
PNB loan fraud: Is Nirav Modi in Hong Kong? Here is what Modi govt sought and hinted at
The Ministry of External Affairs has submitted a request to Hong Kong authorities for provisional arrest of Nirav Modi, wanted in connection with PNB loan fraud, the government said today. The Ministry has sought the provisional arrest of Nirav Deepak Modi by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Peoples Republic of China, for which a request has been submitted to them on March 23, 2018, V K Singh, the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, said in a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha. He was asked whether the ministry has any clue about the whereabouts of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. A provisional arrest is made pending a formal extradition request. Singh said the MEA had suspended passports of the two diamond merchants. This was done after an FIR was registered against them by the CBI for an alleged fraud worth several thousand crores in the Punjab National Bank two months ago. Modi and Choksi had fled the country after the alleged bank fraud came to light. The MEA had served show cause notices to Modi and Choksi on February 16, giving them a week to respond. Since they failed…
SC asks BJP to approach Calcutta HC over WB panchayat polls grievances
The Supreme Court today asked the BJP to approach the Calcutta High Court tomorrow with its grievances over the deadline for filing of nominations for the West Bengal panchayat polls. The top court said that the Calcutta High Court is already seized of the matter and had passed an order yesterday staying the State Election Commissions (SEC) decision to recall its order extending the deadline by a day. A bench of justices R K Agrawal and A M Sapre requested the Calcutta High Court to consider the matter tomorrow in accordance with the law. The West Bengal unit of BJP had moved the apex court, hours after the state poll panel suddenly recalled its decision extending till yesterday the last date for filing of nominations for next months panchayat election in the state, allegedly under pressure from the ruling Trinamool Congress. The saffron party, in its petition, had said it was seeking protection of the right of its candidates to enable them to collect and deposit the nomination forms and participate in the panchayat elections, scheduled to be held on May 1, May 3 and May 5. It had said the state poll panel had on Monday announced that the…
CBI books ARSS Infrastructure for cheating Central Bank of India
The CBI has booked infrastructure major ARSS Infrastructure Private Limited for allegedly cheating Central Bank of India of nearly Rs 62.41 crore in 2011, officials said. On a complaint from the bank, the agency lodged an FIR against Sunil Agarwal, Soumendra Keshari Pattnaik, Shiv Kumar Singla, all directors of ARSS Damoh Hirapur Tolls Pvt Ltd, Subhash Agarwal, chairman of ARSS infrastructure projects limited and companies ARSS infrastructure projects limited and ARSS Damoh Hirapur Tolls Pvt Ltd. Sudarshan Raj, the then branch manager of Central Bank of India, Janpath branch in Bhubaneswar has also been booked. .a contract work for construction of two lanes of State Highway-37 for a distance of 69.9 km between Damoh and Hirapur in Madhya Pradesh was awarded to ARSS Infrastructure Projects Limited by Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Ltd on built, operate and transfer basis, the FIR alleged. The bank had sanctioned a term loan of Rs 87 crore to ADHTPL for the said constructions work. The term loan was secured, inter alia, by personal guarantee of Subhash Agarwal, chairman of AIPL and Sunil Agarwal, Director ADHTPL., it alleged. A total sum of Rs 62.55 crore was disbursed by the said bank during the period from…
Indian-origin man sentenced to prison for wire, visa fraud in US
An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to prison in the US after being convicted for wire and visa fraud, under which he collected over USD 450,000 in illegal filing fees for H1B visas and green cards for workers from India. Ramesh Venkata Pothuru, 44, a former owner and operator of Virgo Inc. and Isync Solutions, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison following convictions for wire and visa fraud, according to a statement from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF). Pothuru collected over USD 450,000 in illegal filing fees and related expenses from more than 100 fraudulent visas and employer-sponsored green cards for nonimmigrant workers from his native India. The investigation disclosed that between 2010 and 2013, Pothuru collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in filing fees from workers he was sponsoring under the H-1B nonimmigrant worker visa program. Federal regulations prohibit employers from soliciting payments from H-1B non-immigrant workers to cover the costs associated with filing fees, which fees are required by law to be borne by the sponsoring US employer. In addition,…
Biplab Kumar Deb stirs another controversy, says mechanical engineers should not go for civil services
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday stirred yet another controversy on Saturday while talking about who should appear for the civil services examination and who should not. While attending an event at the Prajna Bhavan in Agartala on Friday, Deb said that he thinks that civil engineers are better suited for the prestigious civil services as compared to mechanical engineers. After pursuing mechanical engineering one should not go for civil services. Instead, civil engineers should join civil services as they have the knowledge and experience to help build administration and society, he said. He further said, Earlier, arts graduates use to appear for the civil services examination and now, medical and engineering graduates are also joining the services. The Tripura CM then said that the civil service officers should be all-rounders as like the people who are expert in all disciplines have the highest demand. In order to prove his point, Deb cited the example of Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev. He said, People take names of special players such as Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev. Devs bowling was good, but batting was also excellent. This is the age of specialty. All-rounders are accorded highest priority. Watch| #BizarreBiplab…
Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook committed to check “interference” in elections in India
Facebook Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg has asserted that the social media giant was committed to check interference in elections including in India. Zuckerberg has admitted that he was sure someones trying to meddle in elections via Facebook. The big revelations by Zuckerberg come a day after the Narendra Modi government had cautioned him following Facebooks admission last week that Cambridge Analytica used data that had been collected from 50 million users without their consent, an act of breach of privacy. Union Minister of Law Justice and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad yesterday categorically stated that his ministry has been observing the ongoing development. He asserted that any data theft of Indians with the collusion of FB systems will not be tolerated even as the Union Minister warned that the Centre has stringent powers in the IT Act including summoning Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg while talking to media has said that his company had made mistakes but vowed to fix it. He is also open to testifying before US Congress after the controversy rocked American politics as well as other countries around the world. The Facebook CEO has also said that Facebook should not have trusted Cambridge Analytica in 2015 when it…
Taslima Nasrin says she would be killed right away in Bangladesh
Womens rights crusader and controversial writer Taslima Nasrin was only 32 when she was hounded out of her country and forced to live in exile in Europe and America. Twenty-four years on, shes lost all hope of returning to her native Bangladesh, where the crowds once bayed for her blood and where she feels she would be killed right away. Starting out with her first collection of poetry in 1986, she published several books before Selected Columns, that led to the formation of Taslima Smash Committee. Her newspaper columns explored everyday perils of women and, to a large extent, held Islam responsible for the subjugation of women and their rights. Fundamentalists were angry because I was writing against Islam. It did not matter to them that I was also writing against other religions. In fact, I was not writing against anyone but for women and their rights, Nasrin recalled in an interview with IANS here. Notwithstanding this complication, her second book of essays was published in 1992, but copies of it were soon burnt at the National Book Fair in Bangladesh which she was not allowed to visit. Almost at the same time – not very far away from her…
Akhilesh Yadav on pact with Mayawati: SP-BSP alliance will knock the daylight off BJP in 2019
Reiterating his willingness to form an alliance with Mayawati, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has said that Samajwadi Partys 23-year-old acrimony with the Bahujan Samaj Party is a thing of past. The SP president, in an interview to IANS, said the SP and BSP are walking hand in hand. All that is irrelevant now is that both parties are walking ahead, hand in hand, to achieve a larger national objective of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is detrimental to both the state and the nation, Yadav said. BSP-SP combine was like a glue which will knock the daylight off the BJP government. Asked about the bitterness that had erupted between Mayawati and his own father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, particularly after the alleged attack on the BSP supremo, Yadav said that he was nowhere in politics when the incident happened and hence, he shouldnt be drawn into the slugfest. The Samajwadi Party chief, when questioned about the possible seat-sharing issue, said it was a small thing. He added that it will be sorted out at the time it is needed. We will cross the bridge when we come to it, he said. Yadav further said he was…
SC/ST Act issue: Rahul Gandhi, other Congress leaders meet President
A Rahul Gandhi-led Congress delegation on Wednesday met President Ram Nath Kovind to raise their concerns on dilution of the provisions of arrest in the SC\/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and seek his intervention. The Congress delegation met the President around 5:30 pm today and handed over a memorandum. Earlier, Gandhi had said that the dilution of arrest provisions in the SC\/ST Act by the Supreme Court comes in the backdrop of growing atrocities on Dalits and tribals across the country. The Supreme Court ruling diluting provisions of arrest in the SC\/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act comes in the backdrop of growing atrocities against Dalits and Adivasis across India, Gandhi said on the Twitter. Leaders from opposition parties will meet President Kovind this evening to share their concerns, the Congress chief added. A number of parties have protested on the issue and have demanded that the government seek an immediate review of the Supreme Court judgement or bring amendments in the law. Earlier, a delegation of the National Commission of Scheduled Castes (NCSC) also met President Kovind. The NCSC delegation recommended that the government file a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict on the SC\/ST Act. The NCSC said…
Jammu and Kashmir: Two kids injured after stone-pelters target school bus in Shopian
In a horrific incident, a group of people in Jammu and Kashmir today pelted stones at a school bus while it was ferrying kids. According to news agency ANI, the incident took place in the Kanipora area in Shopian district. As per the report, one student suffered injuries in the incident. However, various media reports said that two students were injured in the attack. As soon as administration learned about the incident, they rushed to the incident site. The two were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical relief. One among them was referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment, reports said. Srinagar-based news portal Kashmir Reader reported that SSP Shopian, Shailandra Mishra has confirmed the incident. Quoting a polical official, it said that school bus of Rainbow International School was attacked with stones by miscreants. The state government had last month ordered schools and colleges to shut down in view of the protest against the rape and killing of a minor girl. Yesterday too, normal life in Valley was badly disrupted due to restrictions imposed in view of the bandh called by separatists to protest the killing of a civilian by security forces. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed…
Supreme Court asks BJP president Amit Shah’s son Jay and web portal ‘The Wire’ to try to settle defamation case
The Supreme Court today asked Jay Shah, son of BJP president Amit Shah and The Wire and its scribes, to try to amicably settle the criminal defamation case lodged by the former against the news portal and others. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also extended its interim order that had asked the Gujarat trial court not to proceed with the defamation case against the portal and its journalists, including Rohini Singh who had authored the story which was alleged to be defamatory in nature. Without opening the file, we want to ask senior counsel of both sides to sit together and try to sort it out, the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said. Let these matters be listed in the first week of July for final disposal. Interim order to continue, in the meantime, the bench recorded in its order. On April 12, the CJI-led bench had said it did not have time to hear and decide the case and ordered its listing before an appropriate bench for final disposal. However, the case was again listed today before the bench led by the CJI. Shah had moved the lower court alleging…
IIT Kanpur student commits suicide by hanging himself from ceiling fan in hostel room
A third-year PhD student at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, allegedly committed suicide on Wednesday by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his hostel room. The news was confirmed by Manindra Agarwal, Deputy Director of IIT-Kanpur, who said that the reason behind the suicide is still not clear. The police said they have found a note from the students room which was reportedly torn into pieces. The reason behind his suicide is not clear. A letter has been recovered and is in the possession of forensic team of the police, Agarwal said. The student has been identified as Bheem Singh and was last seen on Tuesday. Bheem was missing for a day and other students noticed that his room was locked from inside. When they knocked, there was no response. The students then informed the authorities and broke the door. They found Bheem hanging from the fan and police was informed which did a preliminary investigation. Bheem Singh hails from Faridabad near Delhi and his parents have been informed of the incident. He had completed his B.Tech from NIT in Warangal, and had joined the mechanical engineering department of IIT-Kanpur in 2015. Some of his friends…
Delhi Shocker! Three arrested for raping 12-year-old mentally challenged girl, sending video to family
Three men from west Delhi were arrested by the police for raping a 12-year old mentally challenged girl. The arrests were made by the Delhi Police on Monday night, reports news agency IANS. If the incident itself wasnt shocking enough, the three accused even sent a video of the horrific incident on WhatsApp to the family last Saturday. The main accused, who goes by the name Bunty, was arrested by the police on Monday night along with his two friends from Mangolpur Kalan area in suburban Delhi. As per the police, the accused Bunty lured the girl to a secluded spot near a community centre and raped her. The other two who accompanied Bunty recorded the video as the accused continued with the shameful act, said the police. Bunty has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for rape while his friends were booked under the relevant sections of IPC and the IT Act. The family of the accused are allegedly forcing the girls family to withdraw the case. The girls mother told IANS: Bunty is a powerful person and his other family members have a stronghold in the area. They are mounting pressure on…
CBI arrests Delhi scribe on charge of giving false info to get airport
The CBI today arrested Delhi-based journalist Upendra Rai for allegedly indulging in dubious financial transactions and getting an airport access pass made by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) by furnishing false information. Rai was questioned at the agency headquarters along with two others for the entire day before being arrested, officials said. Prasun Roy, chief security officer of Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd, was also booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case, they said. The probe agency carried out searches at eight locations in Lucknow, Noida, Delhi and Mumbai, they said. In its FIR, the agency alleged that going by the value of transactions above Rs 1 lakh during 2017, Rais accounts received Rs 79 crore while Rs 78.51 crore was debited from it during the same period. He allegedly purchased a fleet of cars out of the ill-gotten money. It is also learnt that he received Rs 16 crore in a year from shell companies for bribing and fixing cases in the Income Tax department. He also received Rs 6.5 crore from Sahara India in one year, it alleged. The agency said two persons, Rahul Sharma and Sanjay Snehi, allegedly assisted Rai to park…
West Bengal Panchayat Elections: What Calcutta High Court directed State Election Commission
The Calcutta High Court The High court also said that the State Election Commission (SEC) is the final body to decide on the safety and security arrangements for the local body polls. A single judge bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar also asked the state poll body to inform a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice J Bhattacharya on the security arrangements. The court was hearing a petition filed by the opposition parties which sought proper deployment of security personnel for security arrangement in the forthcoming polls. Justice Talukdar also directed the opposition parties to approach the division bench over the same. In their petition, the opposition parties (the BJP, the Congress and the Left parties) have alleged violence by ruling Trinamool Congress during the filing of nominations Rejecting the oppositions allegations, the TMC blamed the oppositions for destroying peace. The High court also dismissed a petition filed by the BJP and the Congress which sought court monitoring of the entire poll process. Earlier in the day, the Congress party has demanded imposition of Presidents rule in the state. The move comes following the conflicts between the ruling and the opposition parties during the process of filing nominations for the…
Kerala HC upholds invoking UAPA against CPI(M) leader P Jayarajan in RSS worker murder
The Kerala High Court today refused to interfere with the slapping of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the CBI against ruling CPI(M) strongman P Jayarajan and other accused in a case relating to the murder of an RSS worker in Kannur district in 2014. Justice B Kemal Pasha said the CBI need not obtain sanction of the state government to invoke UAPA provisions and rejected the petition filed by Jayarajan and others challenging invoking of UAPA provisions against them. Jayarajan, also Kannur district secretary of CPI(M) was named by the CBI as principal conspirator in the murder. The judge said a CBI investigation in the case was ordered after finding that the probe carried out by Kerala Police was inefficient. Either the central government or the state government can grant sanction to invoke UAPA against the accused, who come under the purview of the Act, the high court said. The court, however, clarified that the validity of sanction of UAPA can be challenged by the accused during the stage of trial of the case. The CBI, after taking over the probe from the state police, had charged him under the stringent UAPA for the killing, which it described as a…
Salman Khan jailed: Convicted for black buck poaching, here’s what we know of ‘Bhai’s’ first night in Jodhpur prison
Salman Khan, the hit-machine of Bollywood, is currently lodged at the Jodhpur Central Jail even as he hopes the Sessions court will grant him a bail today. Khan, who is fondly called Bhai and a man with a golden heart, is now spending time in prisoner as an ordinary prisoner. The Tiger Zinda Hai superstar has been given a tag of Qaidi No. 106 and was served dal-roti as dinner. Reports, however, claim that he did not have the food that was served to him. Read Also: Salman Khan black buck poaching case verdict Live Updates- Bhai Other accused in the case Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam were all acquitted by Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri. Jail superintendent Vikram Singh said that Salman would not be given any special treatment in jail. It has been learnt that Salman Khan will be served simple khichdi as the morning meal. Singh said that Khan would have a simple wooden bed, a rug and a cooler in his cell. Singh further said that Salman has a blood pressure issue, but it was declared normal later after medical examination. The Jail superintendent also said that prison authorities were considering keeping…