Archives for February 2023

Gurugram: A man has been arrested for dragging a motorcycle by his speeding car for more than three kilometres, ignoring attempts by other commuters to stop his vehicle, the Gurugram Police said.

The car hit the motorcycle parked along the road on Wednesday night as a result of which the two-wheeler got stuck beneath it. The vehicle dragged it for three kilometres, police said.

The motorcycle owner, a bouncer by profession, said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm when he was returning to home from duty. He said that he had a narrow escape since he was standing near his motorcycle at the time of the incident.

The driver of the car fled leaving his vehicle.

A video of the car dragging the motorcycle in Sector 65 amid sparks flying went viral on social media. Police contacted the owner of the motorcycle who filed a complaint.

Based on the complaint of the motorcyclist, an FIR was registered against the car driver under sections 279 (rash driving), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 427 (causing damage) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 65 police station.

“We have arrested the accused identified as Sushant Mehta, a resident of Faridabad, and impounded his car. The accused works with a private firm in Sector 63,” said Subhash Boken, the spokesperson of Gurugram Police.

New Delhi : The government is likely to clear the names of three high court chief justices and two HC judges recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court, sources said.

On December 13 last year, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended to the government to appoint Justice Pankaj Mithal, Chief Justice, Rajasthan High Court; Justice Sanjay Karol, Chief Justice, Patna High Court; Justice P V Sanjay Kumar, Chief Justice, Manipur High Court; Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah of Patna High Court; and Justice Manoj Misra of Allahabad High Court as apex court judges.

Sources aware of judicial appointments told PTI that the government is likely to clear their appointments.

Once the five take oath as judges of the top court, its working strength will go up to 32.

The sanctioned strength of the apex court is 34, including the Chief Justice of India. Its present working strength is 27.

On January 31, the Supreme Court collegium recommended two more names for elevation as top court judges — Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, Allahabad High Court and Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice, High Court of Gujarat.

While recommending their names, the SC Collegium had said the names recommended by it on 13 December 2022 “shall have precedence over the two names recommended presently for appointment to the Supreme Court”.

“Therefore, the appointments of five judges recommended on 13 December 2022 should be notified separately and earlier in point of time before the two judges recommended by this resolution,” it had told the Law Ministry.

Haridwar: Seers of the Bairagi camp area here have accused the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation department of demolishing their hut in the name of removing encroachments and threatened to sit on a fast unto death if they were not rebuilt by February 13.

They held a meeting at the Nirmohi Ani Akhada here on Thursday and demanded action against officials of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation department involved in the demolition exercise.

They also threatened to move court against the Uttar Pradesh officials, claiming Bairagi camp was a Kumbh Mela area reserved for the three Bairagi akhadas — Shripanch Nirmohi Ani Akhada, Shripanch Nirvani Ani Akhada and Shripanch Digambar Ani Akhada.

Addressing a large gathering of Bairagi seers, Digambar Akhada Mahant Baba Balram Das Hathayogi said that “persecution of seers” in the name of removal of encroachments will not be tolerated.

New Delhi: A Delhi court Thursday granted bail to a man, arrested for allegedly fleeing from a five-star hotel here without paying a bill of over Rs 23 lakh, noting that he has already settled the outstanding dues.

Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said accused Mahamed Sharif, who had stayed in The Leela Palace for about four months by posing as a functionary of the UAE government, noting that he was not required for further custody.

The judge noted the statement of the hotel’s manager, who stated that the accused has settled all outstanding dues and in view of payment, the hotel did not have any objection if bail was granted to him.

“As confirmed by the complainant, the applicant/accused has already settled the outstanding dues. No custodial interrogation is stated to be required by the investigating agency. The applicant/accused is in judicial custody since January 19, 2023 and he is not required for any investigation purposes,” the judge said.

The court said that no useful purpose was going to be served by keeping the accused further in judicial custody.

“Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, accused Mahamed Sharif is admitted to bail on furnishing bail bond in the sum of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the like amount,” he said.

The court also imposed various conditions on the accused, including that he shall not tamper with evidence nor otherwise indulge in any act or omission that is unlawful or that would prejudice the proceedings in the pending matter.

The court also directed him not to leave the country without its prior permission.

According to police, Sharif checked into The Leela Palace, New Delhi, on August 1 last year.

He stayed in room number 427 for about four months and fled on November 20 with hotel valuables and without paying the bills, police told the court.

The accused impersonated himself as an official of the UAE government and got booking of the hotel done at the discounted price.

The accused was apprehended on January 19 from Puttur, Karnataka and four days transit remand was taken from the court concerned there.

According to police, besides cheating the hotel of Rs 23.46 lakh, he decamped with valuables, including silver bottle holders and the mother of a pearl tray.

The accused registered at the hotel by impersonating an important functionary of the “Office of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan” of the UAE government and gave a fake business card, police said, claiming that the accused also provided a UAE resident card on arrival at the hotel.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir BJP leader Altaf Thakur on Thursday said “Baba ka bulldozer” will remove encroachments by influential people on government land but will not bother poor people, even as J-K Kissan Tehreek held a protest here against the eviction drive.

“Baba ka Bulldozer will do its job, be it against Ali Mohammad Sagar (National Conference general secretary), Farooq Abdullah (former chief minister) or Muzaffar Shah (Awami National Conference vice president). The LG has made it clear that ordinary people will not be touched. Only the influential land grabbers will be targeted,” Thakur told PTI.

He was responding to criticism of the eviction drive from political parties that the BJP was engaging in “personal vendetta”.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s second term saw bulldozers demolishing properties of alleged criminals and people involved in riots, earning the CM the sobriquet of “Baba Bulldozer”. Now, the term “Baba ka bulldozer” is usually used by BJP leaders across the country to refer to the action against encroachments.

“What’s wrong is wrong. During the militancy period, people associated with Hurriyat Conference had grabbed lands. Even today, illegal construction of Qazi Yasir was demolished in Anantnag. Hurriyat people have grabbed lands wherever they could,” Thakur said.

Thakur said the sealing of the shops at Lal Chowk on Wednesday was done as they had been constructed on land forcibly taken from one Gadda Singh.

“That land belongs to one Gadda Singh…it has been forcibly taken from him. Lands illegally occupied have to be retrieved on priority,” he added.

However, authorities on Thursday morning removed the seals of the two dozen shops after it came to light that Srinagar Municipal Corporation had been collecting rent from the shopkeepers for four decades now.

Thakur said the eviction drive was being carried out on court orders and the J-K administration is only implementing it.

“During the 30 years of militancy, the influential people have grabbed government land. People from NC and PDP have been involved in it. They have grabbed lands which should have been used for making hospitals, hotels and playgrounds,” he said.

Thakur also hit out at PDP president Mehbooba Mufti saying she always spoke against the army and police “because she has pinned her hopes on China…this kind of talk is anti-national”.

“If she had to highlight any institutional land grab, she should have raised Nawa-e-Subah (NC headquarters) or Khidmat Trust (owned by Congress ),” he said..

Meanwhile, activists of Jammu and Kashmir Kissan Tehreek led by its general secretary Zahoor Ahmad held a protest against the government’s demolition drive.

“The government had promised acche din’ and now they are destroying our humble dwellings. They had promised to give livelihood to people but are snatching the same by demolishing the shops. Is this what they had promised?” he said.

“We appeal to the people to come out and protest peacefully so that our voice awakens the government. Protesting peacefully is our right as we live in a democratic country,” he added.