New Delhi: The West Bengal government Monday alleged before the Supreme Court that “shocking things” have happened in the state and cases were being transferred “en masse” to CBI including the dacoity cases.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state, told a bench comprising Justices Vineet Saran and Aniruddha Bose that whenever there is an allegation that a probe is not being carried fairly, the court takes the facts into account and then transfers the case to CBI after a prima facie conclusion.

“In this case, en masse the cases were given to the CBI. Some of the most shocking things have happened. In one case, the man is alive. In the meantime, CBI is also investigating dacoity cases. All kinds of things are happening,” Sibal told the bench.

The top court was hearing a special leave petition filed by the state government alleging that it did not expect fair and just investigation by the central agency which is busy foisting cases against the functionaries of ruling Trinamool Congress Party.

As the hearing commenced, Sibal told the top court that he would need two-three hours to make submissions but the bench said that it won’t be able to hear the matter today due to lack of time and would take it up next week.

“By consent of the learned counsel for the parties, list on September 28, 2021 as a first case. The parties are permitted to file documents/additional documents by September 24, 2021 after serving the copy of the same on the other side,” the bench said.

Earlier, the state government had cast aspersions on the members of a committee formed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the incidents of post-poll violence in the state.

The state government had said that the panel chief Rajiv Jain has served as Director of the Intelligence Bureau under the BJP-led government at the Centre.

It had also said that “Jain was subsidiary intelligence bureau chief, Ahmedabad from 2005 to 2008 when the honourable Prime Minister was the chief minister of Gujarat.”

Contending about another member, Sibal had said that Atif Rasheed served as Delhi State Prabhari BJP Minority Morcha and still tweets in support of BJP.

“Can you imagine these people have been appointed to collect the data? Is this a BJP investigating committee my Lords?” Sibal had said.

Commenting on Sibal”s submission, the bench said,” “If somebody had a political past and if he lands up in an official position by that very fact will we treat him to be biased?”

Earlier, lawyer Anindya Sundar Das, one of the PIL petitioners on whose plea the High Court August 19 verdict came, had filed a caveat in the apex court urging that no order be passed without hearing him if the state or other litigant move appeals.

A five-judge bench of the High Court, headed by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, had ordered a CBI investigation into all alleged cases of heinous crimes in West Bengal after the assembly poll results this year in which the ruling TMC came back to power.

As regards other criminal cases related to post-poll violence, the high court had directed that they be investigated by a Special Investigation Team under the monitoring of the court.

The high court bench, which also comprised justices I P Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Subrata Talukdar, had observed that there were “definite and proved” allegations that complaints of the victims of violence in the aftermath of the West Bengal assembly polls were not even registered.

Ordering the setting up of an SIT to probe all other cases, it had said that it will include Suman Bala Sahoo, Soumen Mitra and Ranveer Kumar, all IPS officers of the West Bengal cadre.

“All the cases where, as per the report of the Committee, the allegations are about murder of a person and crime against women regarding rape/attempt to rape, shall be referred to CBI for investigation, it had said.

The high court has also directed the NHRC committee, constituted by its chairman on a direction by the five-judge bench, and any other commission or authority and the state to immediately hand over the records of the cases to the CBI to carry forward the probe.

The bench had said it will monitor the investigations by both the CBI and the SIT and asked the two agencies to submit status reports to the court within six weeks.

It had said that the working of the SIT will be overseen by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court for which a separate order will be passed after obtaining his/her consent.

In its ruling, the bench had said heinous crimes such as murder and rape “deserve to be investigated by an independent agency which in the circumstances can only be Central Bureau of Investigation”.

The bench had said the state failed to register FIRs even in some cases of alleged murder.

“This shows a pre-determined mind to take the investigation into a particular direction,” it had said.

“Under such circumstances investigation by an independent agency will inspire confidence in all concerned,” it had noted.

It had said allegations that the police had not registered a number of cases initially and that some were registered only after the court had intervened or the committee was constituted were found to be true.

It had observed that the facts in relation to the allegations made in the PILs are “even more glaring” as the incidents are not isolated to one place in the state.

The NHRC committee had on July 13 submitted its final report to the court.

An interim report of the NHRC committee had mentioned that Atif Rasheed, a member of the committee, was obstructed from discharging his duty and he and his team members were attacked by some undesirable elements on June 29 in Jadavpur area on the southern fringe of the city, the court noted.

The PILs had alleged that people were subjected to assault, made to flee homes and properties were destroyed during the violence in the wake of the assembly elections and sought impartial probe into the incidents.

Raj Kundra

Mumbai: A magistrate court here on Monday granted bail to businessman Raj Kundra, an accused in a pornographic films case in which he was arrested two months ago.

Kundra’s associate Ryan Thorpe, who was arrested along with him in July, was also granted bail by the court.

Kundra (46) had filed a bail plea before the court, claiming there was not a single evidence against him in a supplementary charge-sheet filed by the Mumbai police crime branch in the case.

The businessman, in the plea, had claimed there was no evidence of him being “actively” involved in creation of alleged questionable porn content and that he was being made a “scapegoat” in the case.

The crime branch, probing the case, had recently filed a supplementary charge-sheet in the court against Kundra and three others in the case pertaining to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps.

Kundra, husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, was arrested on July 19 by after being booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. 

New Delhi: India will resume export of surplus COVID-19 vaccines in the fourth quarter of 2021 under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme and to meet its commitment to the COVAX global pool, but vaccinating its own citizens remains the topmost priority of the government, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday.

Addressing the media, the minister said the government will receive over 30 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines in October and over 100 crore doses in the next three months.

He also said that cumulative doses administered so far across the country have crossed 81 crore and the last 10 crore doses were administered in only 11 days.

Asserting that vaccination of our own citizens remains the government’s topmost priority, Mandaviya said the export of surplus vaccines would begin in the next quarter (October-December) under the Vaccine Maitri programme and in order to fulfil the commitment of India towards COVAX.

This is in line with our motto of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, he said.

He said that the surplus supply of vaccines will be used to fulfil India’s commitment towards the world for the collective fight against COVID-19.

COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO.

Highlighting the importance of indigenous research and production of Covid vaccines in India, he said that it is due to the relentless efforts and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India was simultaneously undertaking research and production of Covid vaccines in such a big way.

India’s vaccination drive has been a role model for the world and it is marching ahead with great speed, he said.

Talking about the expected production and supply trends in the coming months, he said that more than 30 crore doses will be produced in October and more than 100 crores in the coming quarter.

India on Friday administered a record number of over 2.50 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 71st birthday.

The daily COVID-19 vaccination in the country was over 1 crore on September 6, August 31 and August 27.

India took 85 days to touch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45 more days to cross the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach the 30-crore mark, according to the ministry.

The country took 24 days to reach 40 crore from 30 crore doses and then 20 more days to cross the 50-crore vaccination mark on August 6, it said.

It took 19 more days to go past the 60-crore mark and took only 13 days to reach 70 crore from 60 crore on September 7, the ministry said.

It then took just 11 days to reach 80 crore from 70 crore.

New Delhi: Former Student Leader Kanhaiya Kumar and Independent Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani might soon join the Indian National Congress.

Mevani – a Dalit leader who represents the Vadgam constituency – could be made a Working President of the party’s state unit, sources added.

Kumar – earlier President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s students’ union and now with the CPM – is expected to bring a few other Left leaders with him when he jumps to the Congress.

Congress sources have said Kumar has already met Rahul Gandhi – twice in two weeks – and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra – to discuss his future role in the party.

Bengaluru: A suspected spy from Rajasthan who was allegedly sharing photographs and details of vital installations in Bengaluru with his handlers in Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been arrested, police said.

Jitender Singh was was taken into custody from Jolly Mohalla in Cottonpet in the city on Sunday in a joint operation by the Southern Command Military Intelligence, Bengaluru and the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru, police sources said.

The suspect, who hails from Barmer, Rajasthan, worked as a garment seller in Bengaluru, they added.

“He was in communication with his Pakistan-based handlers (ISI). He used to text them, make audio and video calls to them. He had shared photos and details of the vital installations and carried out reconnaissance of army posts near international border and in Bengaluru at the behest his masters across the border,” they said.

Police found a Captain’s uniform in his possession, which he used for impersonating himself as an Army officer to carry out these tasks, the police.

According to them, he had provided photographs of Barmer military station and reported movement of military vehicles from that area to his handlers across the border.

Mangaluru: In an incident of robbery that reportedly came to light on Monday morning, temple assets were stolen by thieves who broke into the Annappa Temple in the Mastikatte Kumeru Pandangara Pumaale Bhagawati Kshetra on Sunday night.

The thieves reportedly broke open the door to the sanctum sanctorum of Kumeru Pandangara Pumaale Bhagawati Kshetra’s Annappa deity who is the family idol of the Mastikatte’s Theeya Community and stole the mask on the idol.

A local man who noticed the theft reportedly informed the chief priest of the temple, who later registered a complaint with the Ullal police.

A case has been registered at the Ullal police station in this regard and the police are investigating the matter.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Charanjit Singh Channi on being sworn in as Punjab chief minister, and said the Centre will continue to work with his government for the betterment of the people of the state.

Congress leader Channi was sworn in as chief minister of Punjab, making him the first Dalit to hold the top post in the state.

Modi tweeted, “Congratulations to Shri Charanjit Singh Channi Ji on being sworn in as Punjab’s Chief Minister. Will continue to work with the Punjab government for the betterment of the people of Punjab