Archives for 2022

Kochi: A plea moved by a Sessions Judge, who made controversial observations in his orders while granting bail to an accused in two sexual harassment cases, against his transfer order was dismissed by the Kerala High Court on Thursday.

Justice Anu Sivaraman said that transfer being a necessary part of service, “an order of transfer to a post borne on the cadre cannot be challenged by an incumbent on the ground that he is in any way aggrieved by it.”

The high court said there was no reason to interfere with the transfer order as the post — of Presiding Officer of Labour Court — that Sessions Judge S Krishnakumar has been transferred to was equivalent to that of a District Judge.

“The post of Presiding Officer of the Labour Court is a post borne on the cadre of District and Sessions Judges in the state of Kerala and the contention of the petitioner (S Krishnakumar) that it is a deputation or a government appointment which requires a consent from the appointee is completely untenable.

“Even in case willingness had been obtained on any earlier occasions, that will not support the contention of the petitioner that such consent of the incumbent is legally required for a transfer,” the high court said.

The high court said that the judge — S Krishnakumar — has not lost any legal rights due to the transfer and he has a responsibility to work at the place of assignment.

“Being a responsible member of the District Judiciary, the petitioner is expected to render his services wherever he is posted. I fail to see what legal right of the petitioner is infringed by the (transfer) order,” the high court said.

It further said that it was evident from the order under challenge itself that the post of Presiding Officer of Labour Court in the state was habitually being filled up by transfer from the Kerala Higher Judicial Service and all that was required was an order of the government, which has also been issued in the instant case.

“The petitioner cannot be said to be prejudiced in any manner by his transfer as a Presiding Officer of the Labour Court, Kollam,” it added.

Justice Sivaraman further said, “I am of the opinion that the grounds raised in the writ petition do not justify the grant of any of the reliefs as sought for. The writ petition fails and the same is, accordingly, dismissed.”

Krishnakumar, 59, in his plea had said that he was discharging his duty as a Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kozhikode, from June 6, 2022 and his transfer order issued by the Registrar of the High Court was against the transfer norms.

He had contended that as per transfer norms, he was entitled to continue as Principal District and Sessions judge, Kozhikode, till his retirement on May 31, 2023.

Krishnakumar had said in his plea that transferring him was illegal as it was a deputation post and his consent, which was required for transferring him to that post, was not obtained before taking that decision.

He had also claimed that he has had an unblemished service of 27 years and at the fag end of his career transferring him would tell upon his dedication while discharging duty as a judicial officer.

Krishnakumar had said he can be transferred as per the norms before completing three years of service only if it is necessary in the interest of administration or under special circumstances.

“Wrong order passed while discharging judicial duty cannot be a ground for transfer,” the judge said in the plea.

Krishnakumar’s observations regarding survivors in his two orders on the anticipatory bail pleas moved by accused ‘Civic’ Chandran, who is also a writer and social activist, in two sexual harassment cases had stirred a controversy.

While granting bail to Chandran in the case, Krishnakumar, in his order dated August 2, observed that the accused is a reformist, and against the caste system and it is highly unbelievable that he would touch the body of the victim fully knowing that she belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC).

The judge had also made controversial observations about the dressing of the survivor while granting bail to Chandran in the bail application moved by the latter in another case of sexual harassment against him.

In its August 12 order, the court had observed that the photograph of the complainant, produced by the accused along with the bail application, would explain that she herself dressed in a sexually provocative manner and it is impossible to believe that a man aged 74 and physically challenged would ever do the offence.

The Kerala government has moved the High Court seeking to set aside the sessions court orders granting bail to ‘Civic’ Chandran in both cases.

Chandigarh: Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar was the mastermind behind the murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and he had coordinated with gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and some others to execute the killing earlier this year, according to a charge sheet filed by the Punjab Police.

Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29.

He was killed when he, along with his friend and cousin, was travelling in a jeep to Jawahar Ke village in Mansa. Six shooters waylaid and sprayed bullets on him.

After the killing, Goldy Brar, who is a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, had claimed the responsibility for the act.

The Punjab Police had filed a 1,850-page charge sheet, its first in the case, against 24 accused in a Mansa court on August 26.

The charge sheet was filed under different IPC sections, including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), and relevant provisions of the Arms Act.

The police had lodged an FIR against 36 accused but it filed the charge sheet against 24, including Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, and Goldy Brar.

According to the charge sheet, accused Goldy Brar was the mastermind behind the murder of Moosewala.

He had given the news of withdrawal of security of Moosewala to shooters on May 28 and had asked them to hurry up and kill the singer on May 29, according to the charge sheet.

Moosewala was among the 424 people whose security was pruned by the Punjab Police on temporary basis.

According to the charge sheet, Brar had coordinated with accused Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Sachin Bhiwani, Anmol Bishnoi, Sachin Thapan, Monu Dagar, Pawan Bishnoi and the shooters and prepared the plan to kill Moosewala.

He arranged weapons, money, cars, phones, SIM cards and shelters for the other accused.

Brar used messaging app Signal to communicate with other accused, according to the charge sheet.

Brar had executed the plan to murder Moosewala to avenge the killing of Vicky Middukhera.

Youth Akali leader Vicky Middukhera was killed last year. The name of Shaganpreet Singh, who was said to be Moosewala’s manager, had figured in the murder of Middukhera.

Police had identified six shooters who were part of the two modules allegedly involved in the killing.

While Priyavrat Fauji, Kashish, Ankit Sersa and Deepak Mundi were in a Bolero vehicle, Manpreet Singh and Jagrup Singh Roopa were in a Toyota Corolla.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police had earlier nabbed Priyavrat Fauji, Kashish and Ankit Sersa.

Roopa and Manpreet were neutralised by the Punjab Police while Deepak Mundi was still at large.

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly on Thursday passed the confidence motion tabled by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal even as five BJP MLAs staged a walkout after their party colleagues were marshalled out of the House following an argument with the deputy speaker.

While all the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs present in the House voted in favour of the motion as expected, there was no vote against it due to the absence of BJP legislators.

Three BJP MLAs — Vijender Gupta, Abhay Verma and Mohan Singh Bisht — were marshalled out as they “argued” with Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla, who did not heed their demand to take up their calling attention notices before a discussion on the motion. The remaining legislators walked out in protest soon after.

In the Assembly, Kejriwal also referred to the upcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat, saying his party’s vote share in that state has increased by four per cent after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids against his deputy Manish Sisodia.

He said this vote share will increase by two per cent “if Sisodia is arrested”.

“The CBI raided Sisodia, went to his village and searched his bank locker. CBI people said they did not find anything against him but they are under pressure to arrest him,” Kejriwal claimed.

Outside the Assembly, he told reporters that Sisodia is a “pauper” and it was obvious that the probe agency could not find anything substantial.

The prime minister has given a “certificate of honesty” to Sisodia and the AAP, he said.

Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP tried to buy his party MLAs but none of them accepted the offer.

Trying to project the AAP as an alternative to the BJP, he said there are currently only two parties at the national level — ‘Kattar Imandar (hardcore honest) party and Kattar Beimaan (hardcore corrupt) party’.

“Absolutely corrupt party lacks educated people while ‘hardcore honest’ party has those with good education, genuine IIT degrees,” he said.

“They are spending Rs 20-50 crore to buy MLAs. Am I doing anything wrong if I want to build schools and hospitals,” Kejriwal sought to know.

The chief minister said both his children studied in Indian Institutes of Technology, and he wanted to provide the “same education to every child in India”.

Kejriwal also said his government is worried about the increasing law and order issues in the capital.

“There should be no politics in law and order and safety of women in Delhi. We will extend all cooperation to the Lieutenant Governor and the Centre on it,” he said.

On LG Vinai Kumar Saxena warning legal action against the AAP for levelling allegations of corruption against him, Kejriwal said, “We should welcome any probe if we are in public life.”

Prof. B Shaikh Ali

Mysuru: Renowned historian and former Vice Chancellor of Mangalore and Goa Universities, Prof. B Shaikh Ali passed away on Thursday September 1, here in Mysuru. He was 98.

He was admitted to a private hospital in Mysuru after complaining of ill health where he breathed his last on Thursday.

He is survived by a son and a daughter.

The funeral rites of Prof. B Shaikh Ali will be held at Muslim Hostel Mosque inside the Complex, followed by Burial at Main Khabrasthan (Graveyard) behind Mysore Jail Tipu Circle, in Mysuru.

Sagar: Three security guards were murdered in different incidents here in the last 72 hours, creating a panic in the Madhya Pradesh city, and police suspect two of them might have been killed by the same person.

The pattern of killings led to the suspicion of involvement of a serial killer, but Sagar police officials on Thursday said it was a matter of investigation and too early to jump to any conclusion.

Police have also issued a sketch of the suspected killer.

Security guard Kalyan Lodhi, who was in his 50s and deployed in a factory, was killed on the intervening night of August 28-29 under Cantt police station limits. His head was smashed with a hammer, Additional Superintendent of Police Vikram Singh Kushwaha said.

Another security guard, Shambhu Narayan Dube (60), who was on duty at an arts and commerce college, was killed on the intervening night of August 29-30 under Civil Lines police station limits. His head was smashed with a stone, the official said.

In the third incident, watchman Mangal Ahirwar, who guarded a house, was killed in Moti Nagar area on the intervening night of August 30-31 after being attacked with a stick, he said.

Though it seems Lodhi and Dube were apparently killed by the same person, the number of culprits may be more, Kushwaha said.

Police have issued a sketch of the suspected killer, the official said, adding that they are hopeful of nabbing him soon.

Superintendent of Police Tarun Nayak said the killings in Cantt and Civil Lines police station areas were similar in nature and appeared to have been executed by the same person.

Based on the CCTV footage and scientific evidence collected, the police were working to nab the killer soon, he said.

Nayak said it was too early to say the culprit was a psycho or serial killer”.

Police have got some definite leads about the culprit and special teams have been constituted to nab him, the official said.

In 2018, police had arrested ‘serial killer’ Aadesh Khamra from Mandideep in MP’s Raisen district for allegedly killing 34 truck drivers and cleaners in a decade.

He is currently lodged in a jail in state capital Bhopal and the case trial is underway, Assistant Commissioner of Police (crime) Bittu Sharma said.

New Delhi: The price of commercial LPG used in hotels and restaurants on Thursday was slashed by Rs 91.5 per cylinder on softening international prices, but oil companies have made no changes in rates of domestic cooking gas and rather began imposing limits on refills a user can order in a fortnight.

The price of a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder was cut to Rs 1,885 per cylinder in the national capital from Rs 1,976.50, according to a price notification from state-owned fuel retailers.

This is in line with softening international prices. However, rates of LPG used in household kitchens for cooking purposes remained unchanged at Rs 1,053 per 14.2-kg cylinder.

This because the rates of domestic cooking gas were way lower than cost and now with a drop in international prices they are at breakeven, industry sources said.

Commercial LPG rates on the other hand have largely been aligned with cost and so they have moved in tandem with rise and fall in international rates.

And this difference between a market-priced commercial LPG and below-cost household cooking gas had led to diversion of cylinders meant for kitchens into commercial establishments.

To check this, the state-owned oil firms have now started imposing limits on a 14.2-kg refill a household can order, they said.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has limited one refill in 15 days from August 26, and other retailers Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) are likely to follow suit.

Simultaneously, the rates of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) were cut marginally by 0.7 per cent.

Jet fuel price was cut by Rs 874.13 per kilolitre, or 0.7 per cent, to Rs 121,041.44 per kl in the national capital.

Rates differ from state to state depending on incidence of local taxes.

Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency has announced a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, an official said on Thursday.

The probe agency has also announced a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh on Ibrahim’s close aide Shakeel Shaikh alias Chhota Shakeel, and Rs 15 lakh each on associates Haji Anees alias Anees Ibrahim Shaikh, Javed Patel alias Javed Chikna and Ibrahim Mushtaq Abdul Razzak Memon alias Tiger Memon, he said.

All of them are wanted accused in the case of 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts. The official said the NIA has sought information about them which could lead to their arrest.

The agency had in February registered a case against the ‘D company’.

Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar is designated a global terrorist by the United Nation runs an international terrorist network, namely D-Company, with his close associates like Anees Ibrahim Shaikh, Chhota Shakeel, Javed Chikhna and Tiger Memon, among others, the NIA said in a statement.

They are involved in various terrorism-criminal activities such as arms smuggling, narco terrorism, underworld criminal syndicate, money laundering, circulation of FICN, unauthorised possession/ acquisition of key assets for raising terror funds and working in active collaboration with international terrorist organisations including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Al Qaeda (AQ), the statement said.