Archives for 2021

Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday said the party was ready to face elections in Karnataka at any point of time, but maintained that there is no possibility of early assembly polls.

Amid speculations in the ruling BJP about the possible replacement of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and a purported audio clip indicating that it may become a reality going viral, the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly said it is good that a “corrupt Chief Minister” is going.

“Congress is ready to face elections at any point of time,” he said in response to a question whether the party was ready in case the BJP is unable to handle its internal crisis.

Speaking to reporters here, he said “I don’t feel that an early election will take place because if Yediyurappa is removed, another person will be made the Chief Minister.

We are ready to face the election whenever it comes.”

The term of the current assembly ends in 2023.

The Congress Legislature Party leader’s comments come at a time when an audio clip has surfaced, fuelling a new round of speculation on whether replacing the 78 year-old Chief Minister is on the cards.

The purported audio clip is about Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel hinting at a possible leadership change in the state, which he has dismissed as fake.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday highlighted the issue of undertrials in several cases languishing in prisons waiting for the trial to begin as it appreciated the work done by tribal rights activist Stan Swamy, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case who died in judicial custody waiting for bail on medical grounds.

For how many years can people be asked to languish in jail without a trial? it said while hearing posthumously the appeals filed by the late Jesuit priest, whom the HC described as a wonderful person and expressed “great respect” for his work.

The observations were made by a bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar that had also presided over Swamy’s medical bail plea on July 5, when the HC was informed about the 84-year-old priest’s death at the Holy Family Hospital here that day following a cardiac arrest.

“We don’t have time normally, but I saw the funeral service (of Swamy). It was very gracious,” Justice Shinde said. “Such a wonderful person. The kind of service he has rendered to the society. We have great respect for his work. Legally, whatever is there against him is a different matter,” he said.

The bench also referred to the criticism that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the judiciary had received following Swamy’s death.

It expressed regret over how, in several cases, undertrials languished in prisons waiting for the trial to begin.

The bench, however, also said it had ensured to remain fair while passing orders on Swamy’s medical bail plea, as well as on the pleas filed by his co-accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

“You came to us with his medical bail plea on May 28 and we acceded to every prayer, every time,” the court said to Swamy’s advocate, senior counsel Mihir Desai.

“Outside, we are speechless. Only you (Desai) can clarify this. You have said it on record that you have no grievance with this court in the matter,” the HC said.

The HC further said nobody mentions that this is the court which granted bail to (co-accused) Varavara Rao, despite vehement opposition.

“We allowed (Rao’s) family to meet as we thought human angle has to be seen. In another case (Hany Babu), we sent to hospital of his choice (Breach Candy Hospital-a private medical facility),” the HC said.

“We never anticipated this will happen (Swamy’s death in custody). What was on our minds, we can’t say now as we couldn’t pronounce our order,” the HC said referring to the pending medical bail plea of the late Jesuit priest.

Swamy was arrested by the NIA in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case from Ranchi in October 2020. The tribal rights activist, who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease and several other ailments, spent most of his time in custody in the Taloja prison’s hospital in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

He was admitted to the state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai on two occasions and was shifted to the Holy Family Hospital, a private medical facility, on May 28, following the intervention of the bench led by Justice Shinde.

On July 5, the bench was informed by the hospital authorities that Swamy had suffered from a cardiac arrest two days prior and was put on ventilator support.

He never regained consciousness and was declared dead by the hospital authorities about an hour before Swamy’s medical bail plea was taken up for hearing by the HC, it was informed at that time.

On Monday, following the HC’s observations on it having passed fair orders, Desai said, “Let me say on record that I am extremely happy with various benches of the HC that heard this matter.” Desai, however, urged the HC to let Swamy’s aide and another priest, father Frazer Mascarenhas, to participate in the magisterial inquiry that was initiated under Section 176 of the CrPC following the undertrial’s death.

He also urged the high court to direct the magistrate conducting the inquiry to adhere to the UNHRC guidelines on such inquiries, and to ask for a report of the probe to be submitted in the HC.

Desai was Swamy’s counsel in the appeals challenging a special court order denying him bail on both medical grounds and merits.

Swamy had also filed a plea in the HC just weeks before his death, challenging section 45-D of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), that barred grant of bail to any person accused under the Act.

Advocate Sandesh Patil, who appeared for the NIA, on Monday said the central agency was objecting to Desai’s request since the HC was hearing appeals challenging a bail order and issues related to the inquiry could not be raised on the same pleas.

“Time and again it is projected that the NIA is responsible for whatever has happened, and that jail authorities are responsible too,” Patil told the HC.

The bench, however, told him there could be “no control on who says what outside on the matter”.

“You take instructions on how many witnesses, how long will the trial take. We have to look at it practically,” the HC said to the NIA counsel.

“The concern is that for how many years can people be asked to languish in jail without a trial. Not only in this case, but the question will arise on other cases also,” it said.

The HC will continue hearing the pleas on July 23.

The Elgar Parishad case is related to inflammatory speeches made at a conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which, the police claimed, triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial located on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.

The police had claimed the conclave was organised by people with alleged Maoist links.

The NIA later took over the probe into the case.

Pramesh Jain

A Rowdy-sheeter hacked to death in broad daylight inside a bank in Koramangala on Monday afternoon created fear among the residents and bank customers.

The deceased has been identified as Joseph alias Babli,30 year old a resident of Audugodi.

As soon as the murder took place the bank officials immediately called the Koramangala police and informed them about the murder.

Koramangala police inspector Ravi and other staff rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area.

Senior officials including,S Murugan,Additional commissioner of police (East),Dr.Srinath Mahadev Joshi,Deputy commissioner of police (South-East) visited the spot.

The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officials and sniffer dog squad also visited the spot to collect evidence.

The Koramangala police have taken up the case of murder. They are analysing the CCTV footage installed in the bank and surrounding buildings.

Addl CP, East S Murugan,after inspecting the crime scene and after collecting the information from the bank officials said,wife of the deceased who was along with him in the Bank manager cabin the miscreants stabbed him Repeatedly nearly 20 times in front of her wife.

when the armed gang of seven or eight masked miscreants barged into the Union Bank in Koramangala 8th block and killed rowdy sheeter Babli around 1.30 pm.Babli was in his late 30s. 

Babli was a rowdy sheeter of Audugodi police station.He was an accused in murder,attempt to murder and other cases.

We suspect a rival gang located in Vivek Nagar is behind the murder. Special teams have been formed to nab the assailants at the earliest.

Preliminary investigation,found is Babli had gone to the bank along with his wife and children.The gang followed him and attacked him with machetes and swords.

The gang escaped when severely injured Babli collapsed on the floor.The gang had parked their vehicles in front of the bank.

We are collecting evidence and clues of assailants and will nab them at the earliest. Though Babli is a rowdy sheeter, there were no cases against him since 2011. Special teams has been formed and we have some clues about the assailants and they will be arrested soon he added.

Pramesh Jain

Madanayakanahalli police arrested six person including wife and her lover who has given Supari to kill his husband to a gang of four men on Friday night, who were later found to be in lying wait to carry out a contract killing. 

Alert night beat police of Madanayakanahalli Police station who were on night patrolling caught a gang of four who had taken supari of Rs 5 lakh to kill a private firm employee to make it look like robbery.

However a detailed questioning by the police led to reveal that they had taken supari from the wife of the private firm employee to get rid of her husband to live with her paramour.

The arrested have been identified as Muniraju, (24),Shashi Kumar,(30),Prabhu Shankar,(28) and Kiran,(38).All are residents of Thyamagondlu in Nelamangala and Roopa alias Chaitra,(28),and her boyfriend Kalpkumar Jain,(26),

Senior officer told reporters,our night beat police team of Madanayakanahalli Police noticed suspicious movements of the gang on Tumakuru road and they were wearing monkey caps on Thursday.

The police nabbed and took them into custody and seized Rs 30,000 cash and lethal weapons.

During the interrogation the gang confessed that Roopa alias Chaitra,(28), and her boyfriend Kalpkumar Jain,(26), had given them contract to kill Girish,husband of Roopa and employee in a private company.

Further inquiries revealed that Roopa is a office assistant of Kalpesh Kumar Jain office dealing with automobile in Nelamangala and had an affair.

Girish who suspected this started having fight with Roopa and even asked her to stop going to work.Roopa discussed with jain and the duo decided to eliminate Girish . 

Jain assigned his driver Prabhu,to hit job and gave him supari and gave him  Rs.3 lakh in advance and promised to pay the remaining  amount after the job.

Roopa even shared the information about Girish and his routine following which the gang was following him and decided to attack and kill him to make it look like robbery.

The police picked up Roopa for questioning and she confessed to the crime and the role of Jain.

The duo was booked for attempt to murder , conspiracy and various sections of the IPC.

Finally senior officers appreciated the alert night police beat police personnel with their timely intervention has saved a life of Private employee.and a special reward will be given to them.

ByRushda Fathima Khan

Nine hundred individuals and groups, including lawyers, journalists, academicians, activists and students, have endorsed an open letter demanding action against the online targeting of Muslim women.

The signatories criticized the ‘openly misogynistic hate speech against minority communities, which ‘celebrates a rape culture against Muslim women’ being ‘targeted for their religious identity. 

The outrage is in response to the targeted sexualized hate and harm to Muslim women on GitHub, a free web platform. A website called ‘Sulli Deals’ was created on GitHub, a free web platform, where Twitter handles and photos of Muslim women were put out without consent, allowing users to take their pick on the ‘deal of the day.’ Sulli is a derogatory term used to refer to Muslim women, by Hindu extremists.

The letter demanded immediate action be taken against the culprits, that the internet be a safe space for women to express dissent and difference, that commercial portals develop policies to prevent their users from treating women as objects and de-humanizing them and that the cyber cell, social media platforms such as GitHub, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook and the National Commissions for Women and National Human Rights Commission must at once take prompt action against the individuals who are responsible for such acts of terror and intimidation.

The signatories demanded prompt and effective legal action to deter and hold the perpetrators accountable. 

The letter was also endorsed by organizations such as Bebaak Collective, Campaign Against Hate Speech, Association for Democratic Rights (Punjab) and prominent individuals from the Campus Front of India (CFI), Indian American Muslim Council, Led By Foundation and All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawrat.