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“Shaukeen Kaminay is a contemporary film inspired by “Beti Bachao Beti Padao” campaign”

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Shaukeen Kaminay

Q. What was your thoughtful inspiration behind making Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. To be very honest it has been my dream since the last 3 decades when I joined the film industry in 1986 to make a film which would have a message along with a pure entertainment value.

Q. Did you take it as a challenge to produce a full-length feature film like Shaukeen Kaminay for the very 1st time?

A. I have already worked with the stalwarts like Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra, Ramesh Sippy, Subhash Ghai, B. R. Chopra, Yash Johar, Gulshan Rai, K. K. Pandya, N. Chandra, Kundan Shah, Rajeev Rai, Mansoor Khan, Mani Ratnam, Priyadarshan, Nadiadwala, Vinod Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkumar Hirani, Sanjay Gupta and many, many more. The past experience helped a lot and the journey eventually was spectacular.

Q. How did the idea germinate in your mind of making a film like Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. You see it so happened that Anil Chorasiya once brought a news headline stating that a man divorced his wife because of her virginity issue which had created a furore & spark in our mind. At that moment I thought what if that man was in the place of the women. This ignited our mind about making a film on virginity which is backed by a social message that why virginity is a privilege for men and justification for women.

Q. What was your motivational inspiration behind making Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. We feel that the film Shaukeen Kaminay is a contemporary film inspired by our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campagian “Beti Bachao Beti Padao” which works on elevating the status of women in our country and improving the mindset of the society.

Q. Ok so tell us why did you choose Anil Chorasiya only for directing Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. The choice was very clear for Anil Chorasiya who is trained by Hollywood directors and has made varied documentaries, ad films & short films. As Anil Chorasiya has been associated with us for a long time. His creativity, integrity & perseverance have influenced me to assign the direction of the film to him.

Q. Now give us details about the technical crew of Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. The entire cast & technical crew of the team especially the efforts of Atul Yadav & Kunal Singh Rathore are appreciable. I was very happy when our film was instantly liked by our distributor Pradeep Singh of Green Chilli media And films and in its 1st ever preview itself. He has acquired worldwide theatrical rights of the film which is releasing on 29th Apr, 2016.

Q. And any specific reasons for choosing only fresh faces for Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. We required fresh faces only for the film due to its subject of virginity, we hired trained artistes for the film. The performance of the artiste especially Vanshika Gupta & Yasmin Pathan are highly commendable.

Q. So what according to you is the USP of Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. The USP of the film is its social message “aurat ka jab maan badega, bharat ka samman badega”. Besides this the music composed by Rajiv – Mouna & Dharam Dewda. The song “Maahi Re” has became instant hit among the youth.

Q. And what was your experience working as a 1st time ever filmmaker?

A. I got total cooperation from the film industry with whom I have worked for last 30 years. A special mention to Monty Sharma who has scored the background music for the film.

Q. And one last question what is the target audience for the film?

A. This film is specially targeted at the young generation who need guidance & counselling in social & matrimonial relationships because a woman not only gives birth to man but to mankind too.

Gunman captured after shooting at US Capitol complex

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White House briefly put on lockdown after reports of gunshots in the Capitol Visitors Center.

The shooting occurred in the visitors' centre of the sprawling Capitol complex [Yuri Gripas/Reuters]

The shooting occurred in the visitors’ centre of the sprawling Capitol complex [Yuri Gripas/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

A suspected gunman was wounded in a shooting on Monday on the US Capitol grounds and taken to hospital, police and congressional sources said.

The shooting occurred in the visitors’ centre of the sprawling Capitol Complex. The White House was briefly put on lockdown, but that was soon lifted.

Police shot the suspect after he pulled a weapon at a US Capitol checkpoint and a female bystander sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the Associated Press reported.

Speaking to reporters after the incident, Capitol Chief of Police Matthew R Verderosa said the suspect was known to officers.

“We do believe this is an act of a single person who has frequented the Capitol grounds before and there is no reason to believe that this is anything more than a criminal act,” Verderosa said.

Initial reports said a police officer sustained minor injuries, but later reports from Capitol officials indicated there was no injury to any law enforcement officers.

The event unfolded with Congress on recess and politicians back in their districts.

FBI breaks into iPhone of dead San Bernadino shooter

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US investigators use technique without Apple’s help to hack into phone of dead gunman behind mass California shooting.

fbi-iphone

by Al Jazeera

The FBI says it has successfully used a technique without Apple’s help to hack into the iPhone used by a gunman in a mass shooting in California.

Monday’s announcement effectively ended a pitched court battle between the Obama administration and one of the world’s leading technology companies.

The government asked a federal judge to vacate a disputed order forcing Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone, saying it was no longer necessary.

The court filing in US District Court for the Central District of California provided no details about how the FBI did it or who showed it how.

The FBI is reviewing the information on the iPhone, the Justice Department said in a statement.

The case drew international attention and highlighted a growing friction between government authorities and the tech industry.

Apple and other tech companies have said they feel increasing need to protect their customers’ data from hackers and unfriendly intruders. But the police and other government authorities have warned that encryption and other data-protection measures are making it more difficult for investigators to track criminals and dangerous extremists.

“From the beginning, we objected to the FBI’s demand that Apple build a back door into the iPhone because we believed it was wrong and would set a dangerous precedent,” Apple said in a statement.

“As a result of the government’s dismissal, neither of these occurred. This case should never have been brought.”

The brief court notice left important questions unanswered: Who showed the FBI how to break into iPhones? How did the government bypass the security features that Apple has invested millions of dollars to build into its flagship product? Are newer iPhones vulnerable to the same hacking technique?

“With this vulnerability in existence, people that have a similar version of iPhone are at risk of attacks from malicious people that could use the same vulnerability,” Drew Mitnick, a Policy Counsel at Access Now, told Al Jazeera.

“[Following the hacking], there is at least a moral obligation on behalf of the FBI to close the vulnerability.”

The surprise development also punctured the temporary perception that Apple’s security might have been good enough to keep consumers’ personal information safe even from the US government – with the tremendous resources it can expend when it wants to uncover something.

The FBI used the technique to access data on an iPhone used by gunman Syed Farook, who died with his wife in a gun battle with police after they killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December.

The iPhone, a work phone issued to Farook by his employer, the county health department, was found in a vehicle the day after the shooting; two personal phones were found destroyed so completely that the FBI couldn’t recover information from them.

US magistrate Sheri Pym of California last month ordered Apple to provide the FBI with software to help it hack into Farook’s work-issued iPhone.

The order touched off a debate pitting digital privacy rights against national security concerns.

“People often have a sense that they are being surveilled by the government and it tends to limit their ability to express themselves,” Mitnick added.

“The mere possibility that the government is surveilling is a limitation on freedom of expression.”

EgyptAir hijack: Cyprus airport hostage drama ends

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Hostage drama ends after EgyptAir jet was diverted to Cyprus, amid reports that incident was not politically motivated.

A man climbs out of the cockpit window of the hijacked EgyptAir plane at Larnaca airport [Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters]

A man climbs out of the cockpit window of the hijacked EgyptAir plane at Larnaca airport [Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Cyprus’ foreign ministry has reported that the hijacker of an EgyptAir passenger jet has been arrested at the island’s Larnaca airport after a five-hour standoff.

The EgyptAir domestic flight from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked on Tuesday morning and forced to divert to Cyprus, in an incident that was not politically motivated, the president of Cyprus said.

EgyptAir said flight 181 had 81 people on board, including a crew of seven. Most of them were released shortly after landing in Cyprus.

At around 11:30 GMT, the last seven people were seen leaving the aircraft, one whom escaped though the cockpit window.

Earlier on Tuesday, aviation minister Sherif Fathy at a news conference in Cairo said three foreign passengers were still on board, together with the pilot and co-pilot, one flight attendant and an air marshal.

Initial reports said that the pilot of the plane was threatened by a passenger strapped with explosives, but Fathy said this has not been confirmed.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the hijacker seemed to have a personal motive and that the incident was “not related to terrorism”.

The plane was an Airbus 320, Egypt’s aviation ministry said. An official with flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 said the plane showed no immediate signs of distress. The flight between Alexandria and Cairo normally takes about 30 minutes.

The ministry said in a statement that pilot Omar al-Gammal had informed authorities that he was threatened by a passenger who possessed a suicide belt and forced him to land in Larnaca.

Cyprus foreign ministry identified the hijacker as Seif Eldin Mustafa and said it could not confirm the man was rigged with explosives.

Cyprus state TV said that the hijacker wanted to contact his ex-wife, who is Greek-Cypriot and lives in Larnaca.

Witnesses told Cyprus Mail newspaper that the he threw a letter on the apron of the airport in Larnaca, written in Arabic, asking that it be delivered to his ex-wife.

Other media outlets in Cyprus reported he first asked to be taken to Istanbul but that the pilot refused this demand.

CYBC said the airplane was parked at an apron at Larnaca airport. The hijacker asked police to back away from the aircraft, it said.

Egypt’s vital tourism industry was already reeling from the crash of a Russian passenger plane in the Sinai in late October.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said it was brought down by an attack. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) has said it planted a bomb, killing all 224 people on board.

Cyprus has seen little militant activity for decades, despite its proximity to the Middle East.

A botched attempt by Egyptian commandos to storm a hijacked airliner at Larnaca airport led to the disruption of diplomatic relations between Cyprus and Egypt in 1978.

Widespread sexual harassment still persists in Delhi: study

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Violence-against-women

Washington/New Delhi: Sexual harassment remains a pervasive problem in Delhi despite tougher laws being enacted after the gruesome Nirbhaya rape and murder case in 2012, according to a new study that found 40 per cent of female respondents were sexually harassed in the past year.

About 40 per cent of women surveyed in Delhi said they have been sexually harassed in a public place such as a bus or park in the past year, with most of the crimes occurring in the daytime, researchers said.

Further, 33 per cent of women have stopped going out in public and 17 per cent have quit their jobs rather than face harassment in public places.

“What this means is that women, despite Nirbhaya, are still afraid,” said Mahesh Nalla, from the Michigan State University in US.

Nirbhaya became the pseudonym given to the gang rape victim whose death in 2012 brought worldwide attention to violence against women.

“Women in India do not feel safe being in public spaces, which is clearly a human rights issue,” Nalla said.

While sexual harassment is a problem experienced by women worldwide, it may be more prevalent in emerging democracies such as India and other countries in South Asia where women are becoming more involved in the workforce, said Nalla.

“The problem is intensified by the existence of a cramped, inadequate public transportation system, massive youth migration to urban areas and the fact that India is a traditional patriarchal society where many still believe a woman’s place is in the home,” he said.

Nalla and Manish Madan, assistant professor at Stockton University, surveyed about 1,400 men and women in the capital city of New Delhi on a host of issues including perceptions and history of sexual harassment, use of public transportation, safety in public spaces and police effectiveness in dealing with these concerns.

Researchers found that 40 per cent of female respondents were sexually harassed in the past year and 58 per cent were sexually harassed at least once during their lifetime.

Respondents were asked to gauge the seriousness of sexual incidents ranging from whistling to asking a woman for sexual favours to patting her buttocks or squeezing her breasts.

While both men and women generally considered all incidents serious, men considered them considerably less serious, illustrating “a disjunction between how males and females think,” Nalla said.

Sexual harassment of women in public spaces in India and elsewhere in South Asia – known as “Eve teasing” – has long been a common occurrence, particularly by groups of young male perpetrators, he said.

The December 16, 2012 rape and murder of Nirbhaya by a group of men on a moving bus in Delhi brought about new laws for rape and criminalised voyeurism and stalking.

However, despite these efforts, sexual harassment continues on a broad scale, the study suggests.

The research was published in the journal International Criminal Justice Review.

(Agencies)

Shaukeen Kaminay will be a real visual treat for the eyes: Anil Chorasiya

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Shaukeen Kaminay

Q. Pencil in your filmic background in a nutshell. Besides how was your experience while filming “Shaukeen Kaminay”?

A. I Have acquired adequate experience as a director as well as a film Maker. I have made a lot of Ad Films, Short Films, Corporate Films, Documentaries & also shot varied music videos for renowned singers like Vinod Rathod & Pamela Jain in association with Brajesh Pandey. My passion for making films of varied genres inspired Brajesh Pandey to assign all the film direction projects of MFA Motion Pictures. I also created a record of sorts in Varanasi by shooting a children film within 48 hours. That apart I created world record by training & shooting The Largest Flash Mob by Kids at a single venue on mother’s day for surf excel. So, the past experience really counted in and now I have made Shaukeen Kaminay which will be a real visual treat for the eyes of the cinegoers.

Q. Name your one ideal inspiration in Showbiz world?

A. Right from the beginning I am inspired by Shri Dadasaheb Phalke for bringing cinema in India.

Q. Is there any specific reason for naming your current project as Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. Actually speaking we are looking at the young generation who are highly influenced by the western culture, and are adopting to those tradition & cultures which demean the status of women. This film is specially made for the Indian youth.

Q. Were you given a free hand while How was your working with the producer of Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. To be very, very frank working with my producer Brijesh Pandey was a, awesome experience, he did not compromise on the quality of the film. We hired the best crew and shot in the best places without any problems or hindrance. Brajesh Pandey always motivated & gave positive vibes to the whole cast & crew.

Q. Ok now tell us what is so special about Shaukeen Kaminay and how is it different from the other films of its ilk?

A. I would only like to add that Shaukeen Kaminay along with being a comedy film has a great message within it. Shaukeen Kaminay can definitely change the mindset of people who think of women as a weakling. The film is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, making a change in the society.

Q. Is there any underlying message that you do are trying to put across through Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. Of course Shaukeen Kaminay is an effort to uplift the status of women and to stop gender bias and hypocrisy in our society.

Q. Entail briefly about the crux of Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. You see Shaukeen Kaminay raises a pertinent question as to why virginity is a privilege for men and justification for women is the crux of the film and the line from our writer “Aurat ka jab maan badega, Bharat ka samman badhega” validates this fact.

Q. What is the USP of Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. According to us the concept is the hero of the film.

Q. So What is the actual story of Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. Really speaking it is the story about guys who just want to enjoy with different girls every time but expects virgin girls as their wives. They find a place called “Naariganj” where there is tradition of “one night marriage” but life leads them to a cycle of emotions which totally changes their mindset and teaches them to respect women.

Q. As per you do you think you have justified the script of Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. Yes I do think so. The script of the film has been written by Brajesh Pandey which was highly ambitious, while reading the script of the the film I could totally picture it in my mind. The screenplay & dialogues are packed with punches and shall be remembered by all.

Q. What has the response been to the Shaukeen Kaminay’s music track so far?

A. Well! I would say it’s been phenomenal. “Maahi Re”, has been trending on social site for a long time. Shaukeen Kaminay’s album has received a great response by the audience and will be a chartbuster soon. The work of Aman Trikha, Mohammad Irfan, Javed Ali & Indu Pandey is absolutely commendable.

Q. So what do you think is the one X factor that should drive audiences to watch Shaukeen Kaminay?

A. To this query my answer would be or rather I think there isn’t one. There is more than one. I think it’s a fabulous youthful story
giving a beautiful message and moreover raising the status of women.

Q. So what is your next lined up project?

A. My next lined up project is also with MFA Motion Pictures titled as Mastermind – A white collar crime based on illegal hacking of credit & debit cards.

Q. As a parting shot tell us Who are your favorite Bollywoodian actors?

A. Sincerely speaking I really appreciate the works of Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan & Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

India beat Australia in thriller to enter World T20 semis

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Virat Kohli

Mohali: Virat Kohli led the way with a sublime half-century as India defeated Australia by six wickets at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Sunday to enter the World Twenty20 semi-finals.

The in-form Delhi lad remained unbeaten on 82 runs off 51 balls as the Indians survived a few early setbacks to overhaul a difficult target of 161 with five deliveries to spare.

Sunday’s match, the last in Group 2, was a virtual quarter-final as the winners qualified the semi-finals. India finished their group engagements with three wins in four matches. Australia will go home with two wins and an equal number of defeats.

New Zealand had earlier qualified for the semi-finals from Group 2, while England and West Indies have gone through to the last-four stage from Group 1.

Shane Watson put in a superb all-round effort for Australia, finishing with figures of 2/23 in his four overs. Nathan Coulter-Nile (1/33) and James Faulkner (1/35) bagged a wicket each.

The Indians were off to a shaky start with openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma going back to the dugout without too many runs on the board. Watson snared Suresh Raina with a well-directed short-pitched delivery in the eighth over to leave the hosts in trouble at 49/3.

Kohli and Yuvraj Singh tried to script an Indian comeback, adding 45 runs between them in 38 balls. Yuvraj picked up a niggle in his left leg while attempting to glance a Coulter-Nile delivery to fine leg.

The experienced left-hander was clearly in some discomfort as he was hobbling while running between the wickets. But he battled bravely to post 21 runs off 18 balls with one boundary and a powerfully six off Adam Zampa.

But just as it seemed that Kohli and Yuvraj could take India to a safe position, the latter was undone by an excellent piece of fielding from Watson when he mistimed a slower one from Faulkner.

Yuvraj’s dismissal seemed to prod Kohli into action as he unleashed the big shots. The 27-year-old right-hander hit the hapless Faulkner for two boundaries and a six off successive balls in the 18th over to bring the target within India’s reach.

He then smashed four consecutive boundaries off Coulter-Nile in the next over to virtually wrap up the issue. With four runs needed in the final over, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni dispatched Faulkner’s low full toss to the long-on fence to complete a thrilling win for India.

Earlier, Australia posted a competitive total of 160/6 in their 20 overs.

Opener Aaron Finch was the highest scorer for Australia with 43 runs off 34 deliveries, hitting three boundaries and a couple sixes during his innings. Glenn Maxwell contributed 31 off 28 balls.

For India, all-rounder Hardik Pandya (2/36) copped some initial punishment before bagging a couple of crucial wickets while Yuvraj Singh (1/19), Ashish Nehra (1/20), Ravichandran Ashwin (1/31) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/32) also bagged a wicket each.

The Indians did not help their cause by conceeding as many as 14 extras.

Electing to bat first, Australia were off to an explosive start with openers Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch producing a 54-run partnership in just 26 balls. Bumrah copped a lot of punishment in his first over with Khawaja hitting him for four boundaries.

But Nehra gave India the breakthrough when Khawaja went after an outgoing delivery only to see the ball nick the top edge on the way to Dhoni behind the stumps.

The dangerous David Warner perished when he came down the track to Ashwin. The left-hander could not connect as the ball spun away from him and Dhoni pulled off an easy stumping.

Australia captain Steven Smith lasted for just six balls before Yuvraj had him caught behind with his very first ball. That saw the Australian run rate fall slightly with Finch and Maxwell struggled on a pitch which was offering a fair bit of turn.

Finch was deprived of what would have been a well-deserved half-century when he perished while trying to prop up the run rate. He tried to pull a slightly short-pitched delivery from Pandya into the stands, but did not connect properly as the ball looped up for a fairly simple catch to Shikhar Dhawan at deep midwicket.

Maxwell was looking set for a big score. But he virtually gifted away his wicket to Bumrah when he went for a cross-batted heave only to be out-foxed by a slower delivery.

Peter Nevill and Watson hit a couple of fours and a six off Pandya in the last over to give Australia a strong finish.

(IANS)

Court grants bail to HCU students

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Hyderabad University

Hyderabad: The Miyapur court Monday granted bail to 24 students and two faculty members of the Hyderabad Central University (HCU), who were arrested for staging protest against varsity vice-chancellor Appa Rao.

The bail has been granted on one time surety of Rs 5,000 and on the condition that all accused will have to appear before the police once a week.

They were arrested in connection with violent protests by a section of students opposing the return of Vice Chancellor Prof P Appa Rao to the university.

(Agencies)

India, Pak start talks on Pathankot attack probe

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Photo: AFP

Photo: AFP

New Delhi: India and Pakistan Monday began formal discussions on investigations into the terror attack at the Pathankot IAF base, making it the first-ever visit of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from the neighbouring country that included an ISI official.

The five-member Pakistani JIT is headed by Chief of Punjab’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Muhammad Tahir Rai and comprises Lahore’s Deputy Director General, Intelligence Bureau, Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) official Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence official Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer, Shahid Tanveer.

The team was received at the headquarters of National Investigation Agency by Inspector General Sanjiv Kumar Singh.

They are being given a detailed presentation on the probe done by Indian agencies so far and evidences that show that the attack was planned in Pakistan, official sources said.

The team, which arrived yesterday, will on Tuesday visit Pathankot for the probe into the attack carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group on January 2, which left seven security personnel dead.

In the post-lunch session, the Pakistani team would be raising questions to clear their doubts, if any, before they fly to Pathankot in a special plane on Tuesday morning, the sources said.

The IAF base will be visually barricaded by NIA to prevent any view of critical areas.

The NIA team would show some of the areas where the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were engaged in an 80-hour-long gun battle with security personnel.

India plans to provide the Pakistani team access to all witnesses in the case, but not to the security personnel from National Security Guard or BSF.

The witnesses include Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma, cook Madan Gopal and 17 injured persons.

The sources said that cooperation to the Pakistani team would be based on the principle of reciprocity hoping that an Indian team would be allowed to travel to Pakistan at a later date.

In the 26/11 Mumbai attack case, Pakistan had sent a judicial commission to cross-examine some of the witnesses in the case.

(Agencies)

Court convicts JIPL, its two directors in a coal scam case

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coal-scam

New Delhi: A special court today convicted Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd (JIPL) and its two directors R S Rungta and R C Rungta in a case pertaining to irregularities in allotment of a coal block in the state to the firm, the first judgement in the coal scam.

Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar held the company and its two directors guilty of the offences under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of IPC.

This is the first coal block allocation scam case in which the special court, which was set up to exclusively deal with all the coal scam matters, has delivered its judgement.

The court ordered that R S Rungta and R C Rungta, who were out on bail, be taken into custody and fixed the matter for March 31 for hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence.

The case pertains to irregularities in allocation of North Dhadu coal block by the 27th and 30th screening committees jointly to JIPL and three other firms M/s Electro Steel Casting Ltd, M/s Adhunik Alloys and Power Ltd and M/s Pawanjay Steel and Power Ltd.

While pronouncing the judgement, the court said that R S Rungta is acquitted of the charges under sections 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using a forged document as genuine) of IPC while R C Rungta is acquitted of the alleged offences of 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 and 471 of IPC.

“I am convicting you (Rungtas) for the offences under sections 120B and 420 of IPC and the company is convicted under sections 120B read with 420 of IPC,” the judge said.
An offence under section 420 (cheating) of IPC entails a jail term of upto seven years.
JIPL and its two directors were charged with acquiring the coal block on the basis of false and forged documents.

The court had in March last year framed charges against them for the offences punishable under sections 120B read with 420, 467, 468 and 471 of IPC.
They had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial, while refuting the submissions made against them by CBI.

On December 23, last year, the court had dismissed R S Rungta’s plea to summon former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ex-Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao as defence witnesses in the case.

The court had enlarged Rungtas on bail on January 14, last year on a personal bond of Rs one lakh each and with one surety of the like amount.

In its charge sheet, CBI had said that during the probe, it was found that JIPL had “grossly misrepresented” a number of aspects before Ministry of Steel (MoS) and Ministry of Coal (MoC) to inflate their claim and thereby induced the MoC officers and the screening committees to allocate the coal block to them.

It had said no efforts were made by the screening committees to verify the claims made by the applicant firm and that MoS also did not develop any methodology for assessment of the applicant companies.

It had contended that some records of MoC relating to the case were stated to be missing and a separate preliminary enquiry has been registered by CBI.

CBI had said that no involvement of any of the public servant was found in the entire process during its probe.

The court had summoned the Rungtas on December 18, 2014. CBI had filed the FIR in the case in 2013.

(PTI)

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