Blue Star
Friday, June 06, 2008
Court clears Salem gang of bid on film maker
Mumbai: A sessions court on Friday acquitted five men involved in a plot to kill film maker Manmohan Shetty in May 2001.
According to the prosecution, Shetty was then the owner of Adlabs Studios and members of the Abu Salem gang were trying to extort money from him. When they failed, they decided to kill him.
There were seven accused in the case but the trial of the two (who have already been acquitted last month for lack of evidence) was separated from the rest.
Police said they had recorded conversations of Salem gang members in which they were planning to kill Shetty. Thereafter five men - Nurul Qadri, Salim Jamadar, Arif Akbar, Siraj Shaikh and Mohammed Ghous - were arrested in a trap laid by police at Fame Adlabs in Andheri. Some weapons and cartridges were also allegedly recovered from them.
However, when the matter reached trial all five were acquitted for lack of evidence. The defence lawyers had cast doubts on the veracity of telephonic conversations that had been recorded by the police.
The accused were out on bail while the case was pending. The two others, who were acquitted in the case - Zamir Ahmed and Mushir Ahmed Iraqi, were arrested from Azamgarh, UP in March 2006.
They were caught by the crime branch after Salem, who was deported to India in 2005, said during his interrogation that the two of them had arranged the weapons that were to be used for attacking Shetty. Interestingly Salem himself was never tried in connection with this case.
According to police officials Salem is being tried only for three cases against him in Mumbai as per the terms under which he was extradited from Portugal. The cases pertain to the ferrying of arms to Mumbai before the serial blasts of 1993, the murder of Manisha Koirala's secretary Ajit Dewani and the killing of builder Pradip Jain.
© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Lifers request prez for mercy killing
Friday, June 06, 2008
Lifers request prez for mercy killing
Allahabad: Jailed for around 14 years, 97 lifers lodged at the Naini central jail here have, in an unprecedented move, written to the President of India seeking mercy killing.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by IANS Friday from jail sources, was signed by all 97 lifers and was sent by registered post last Thursday.
In the emotionally charged letter, the prisoners stated that all of them had served more than 14 years in prison and displayed good conduct. They said their families had lost all hope of their return home.
"Instead of waiting for death in jail, we would prefer to embrace death earlier so that our family members, who are waiting for us, could start a new life," said the prisoners.
"This way our families would be able to live in peace instead of running from pillar to post to secure our release," they said.
The jail inmates wondered about "the purpose of remaining alive when we cannot do anything for society and our families."
"Are we not a burden on the government? Why is the government wasting money on us when we are of no use?" they asked.
The jail inmates Vinod Tiwari, Vansh Gopal, Ram Chandra, Bhagirathi Singh, Udit, Islam and 91 others have also sent the copy of the letter to the Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister, the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Governor of UP and UP Chief Minister Mayawati.
When IANS contacted him, Jails DIG Rajendra Prashad feigned ignorance about the letter.
Source: Indo-Asian News Service
Lifers request prez for mercy killing
Allahabad: Jailed for around 14 years, 97 lifers lodged at the Naini central jail here have, in an unprecedented move, written to the President of India seeking mercy killing.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by IANS Friday from jail sources, was signed by all 97 lifers and was sent by registered post last Thursday.
In the emotionally charged letter, the prisoners stated that all of them had served more than 14 years in prison and displayed good conduct. They said their families had lost all hope of their return home.
"Instead of waiting for death in jail, we would prefer to embrace death earlier so that our family members, who are waiting for us, could start a new life," said the prisoners.
"This way our families would be able to live in peace instead of running from pillar to post to secure our release," they said.
The jail inmates wondered about "the purpose of remaining alive when we cannot do anything for society and our families."
"Are we not a burden on the government? Why is the government wasting money on us when we are of no use?" they asked.
The jail inmates Vinod Tiwari, Vansh Gopal, Ram Chandra, Bhagirathi Singh, Udit, Islam and 91 others have also sent the copy of the letter to the Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister, the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Governor of UP and UP Chief Minister Mayawati.
When IANS contacted him, Jails DIG Rajendra Prashad feigned ignorance about the letter.
Source: Indo-Asian News Service
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Land Ceiling:PILagainst the Union and the Maharashtra Government
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Centre, M’rashtra told to file say on ULCRA repeal
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today asked the Union Government, the Maharashtra Government and the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to file their replies within four weeks, regarding a PIL challenging the repeal of the Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act (ULCRA).
The Division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice V M Kanade was hearing the PIL filed by suburban Mumbai residents P B Sawant, Mrunal Gore, Vasant Shirali and Kamal Desai, all of them former members of the Legislative Assembly here.
The PIL says that the state entered into a MOU with the Central government for funding under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission in October 2006, accepting the condition "that ULCRA would be repealed" to get funding from the Centre to develop Mumbai.
The petitioners contended that the Central Government does not have the power to levy this condition as the JNNURM was included in Appropriation Act 2007-08 and no such condition was imposed by Parliament for disbursement of grant to state governments. Also, the MOU is opposed to public policy and should be set aside.
According to information under RTI, the states and Union Territories did not make sincere efforts to implement the 1976 Act till June 1998, the PIL states.
On account of non-implementation, the sale of land was frozen leading to land prices rocketing sky-high and creating an acute shortage in cities like Mumbai.
The PIL also states that the reasons for Union government to repeal the ULCRA were neither accurate nor correct.
The government could have acquired the land at Rs 7 crore from 335 land holders, created 26 lakh tenements and earned profits of around Rs 2,000 crore by selling them, it says. But by repealing the Act, state government lost a lot of money and also aggravated the problem of housing in Mumbai.
"Their (union and state) bureaucrats and builders have conspired to defeat the object of the 1976 Act," the PIL says.
The Petitioners said that the Chief Minister had moved the resolution to repeal the Act in Maharashtra in April 2007 before the Legislative Assembly but the same is contrary to the provisions of the Constitution.
Also, it is illegal because it was moved before the Assembly before obtaining approval from the Council of Ministers as prescribed under Maharashtra Government Business Rules, the PIL states.
Repealing the Act violates various articles of the Constitution and is liable to be declared "ultra vires' and struck down, the PIL said.
Centre, M’rashtra told to file say on ULCRA repeal
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today asked the Union Government, the Maharashtra Government and the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to file their replies within four weeks, regarding a PIL challenging the repeal of the Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act (ULCRA).
The Division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice V M Kanade was hearing the PIL filed by suburban Mumbai residents P B Sawant, Mrunal Gore, Vasant Shirali and Kamal Desai, all of them former members of the Legislative Assembly here.
The PIL says that the state entered into a MOU with the Central government for funding under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission in October 2006, accepting the condition "that ULCRA would be repealed" to get funding from the Centre to develop Mumbai.
The petitioners contended that the Central Government does not have the power to levy this condition as the JNNURM was included in Appropriation Act 2007-08 and no such condition was imposed by Parliament for disbursement of grant to state governments. Also, the MOU is opposed to public policy and should be set aside.
According to information under RTI, the states and Union Territories did not make sincere efforts to implement the 1976 Act till June 1998, the PIL states.
On account of non-implementation, the sale of land was frozen leading to land prices rocketing sky-high and creating an acute shortage in cities like Mumbai.
The PIL also states that the reasons for Union government to repeal the ULCRA were neither accurate nor correct.
The government could have acquired the land at Rs 7 crore from 335 land holders, created 26 lakh tenements and earned profits of around Rs 2,000 crore by selling them, it says. But by repealing the Act, state government lost a lot of money and also aggravated the problem of housing in Mumbai.
"Their (union and state) bureaucrats and builders have conspired to defeat the object of the 1976 Act," the PIL says.
The Petitioners said that the Chief Minister had moved the resolution to repeal the Act in Maharashtra in April 2007 before the Legislative Assembly but the same is contrary to the provisions of the Constitution.
Also, it is illegal because it was moved before the Assembly before obtaining approval from the Council of Ministers as prescribed under Maharashtra Government Business Rules, the PIL states.
Repealing the Act violates various articles of the Constitution and is liable to be declared "ultra vires' and struck down, the PIL said.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Murder of Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police Rajbir Singh: CBI Probes
Tuesday,June 03,2008
Rajbir Singh murder: CBI starts probe
New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday registered a case to probe the murder of Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police Rajbir Singh. The case was registered following a request by the Haryana government for a CBI probe which was approved by the Department of Personnel on May 27.
Rajbir was gunned down allegedly by his friend and property dealer Vijay Bhardawaj on March 24 at Gurgaon. A team of CBI officials accompanied by forensic experts reached the spot where the murder had taken place.
© Copyright 2008 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rajbir Singh murder: CBI starts probe
New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday registered a case to probe the murder of Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police Rajbir Singh. The case was registered following a request by the Haryana government for a CBI probe which was approved by the Department of Personnel on May 27.
Rajbir was gunned down allegedly by his friend and property dealer Vijay Bhardawaj on March 24 at Gurgaon. A team of CBI officials accompanied by forensic experts reached the spot where the murder had taken place.
© Copyright 2008 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
Scarlett Keeling murder
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
2 charged for Scarlett Keeling murder
Panaji: The Goa police today filed a charge sheet against two persons who were arrested for raping and murdering British teenager Scarlett Eden Keeling.
Anjuna police, which are investigating the case, charge sheeted Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho before the Goa Children's Court, charging them with murder.
Scarlett's bruised body was found at Anjuna shore on February 18 and police had arrested the two locals after a thorough investigation.
The 287-page charge sheet has testimonies of 87 witnesses including Scarlett's mother Fiona Mackeown, lawyer Vikram Varma, prime British witness Micheal Mannion, dismissed police sub-inspector Nerlon Albuquerque, Goa Medical College and Hospital's Forensic Department experts and others.
Both the accused are charge sheeted under Section 302 (murder) and other relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and Section eight of Goa Children's Act.
The Goa police had come under fire for its initial bungling in its probe into the murder of Scarlet and is now in the process to hand it over to the CBI.
"The CBI may take over the case any time. All the formalities are completed," Goa Chief Secretary J P Singh told PTI.
Samson D'Souza, the main accused in the case, is already in custody for almost three months since his arrest on March 12.
Placido Carvalho was given bail by the court as the evidence against him was inadequate.
The police have stopped investigating the case since the last one and half months after the state government transferred the case to the CBI.
© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.
2 charged for Scarlett Keeling murder
Panaji: The Goa police today filed a charge sheet against two persons who were arrested for raping and murdering British teenager Scarlett Eden Keeling.
Anjuna police, which are investigating the case, charge sheeted Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho before the Goa Children's Court, charging them with murder.
Scarlett's bruised body was found at Anjuna shore on February 18 and police had arrested the two locals after a thorough investigation.
The 287-page charge sheet has testimonies of 87 witnesses including Scarlett's mother Fiona Mackeown, lawyer Vikram Varma, prime British witness Micheal Mannion, dismissed police sub-inspector Nerlon Albuquerque, Goa Medical College and Hospital's Forensic Department experts and others.
Both the accused are charge sheeted under Section 302 (murder) and other relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and Section eight of Goa Children's Act.
The Goa police had come under fire for its initial bungling in its probe into the murder of Scarlet and is now in the process to hand it over to the CBI.
"The CBI may take over the case any time. All the formalities are completed," Goa Chief Secretary J P Singh told PTI.
Samson D'Souza, the main accused in the case, is already in custody for almost three months since his arrest on March 12.
Placido Carvalho was given bail by the court as the evidence against him was inadequate.
The police have stopped investigating the case since the last one and half months after the state government transferred the case to the CBI.
© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.
Husband accused of killing Vadodara social worker in Sydney
Wed, Jun 4 02:27 AM
A prominent NGO worker from Vadodara, Jyoti Mehta (37) and her nine-year-old daughter, Ujalla, were found murdered in a park in Sydney, Australia, on Monday. Though a motive for the murder is uncertain, Sydney police have arrested Jyoti's husband, Sanjay Mehta (41), for the crime; he was denied bail when produced in court. Mehta allegedly killed the mother-daughter duo earlier in May and registered a missing persons' complaint with the Sydney police on May 5.
It was through television media reports that Jyoti's father, Bharat Bhusan Sharma found that his daughter was brutally murdered. A tearful Sharma said, "My daughter had shown some dissatisfaction about her marriage while talking to her mother few months ago."
He added that his wife is now on dialysis and she was not informed about the murders because of her failing health. Sharma stated that Jyoti and Mehta, both divorcees with children from their previous marriages, met each other on the Internet and wed in May last year.
According to reports from Sydney, Mehta, after killing his wife and stepdaughter, put their bodies in the boot of his car and took them to a tourist site called Echo Point atop a hill in Sydney early in May. Those close to the victims' family stated that Mehta threw their bodies down a 150-metre cliff. A pair of morning walkers found the two bodies the following day and alerted the police, who immediately arrested Mehta and charged him with murder. Apparently, Jyoti had earlier complained to a domestic violence social worker about Mehta verbally abusing her, which her sister Poonam Sharma, who lives and works in Sydney, also confirmed to the police.
A social worker, Jyoti, born and brought up in Vadodara, worked for the welfare of street children who lived in and around railway stations in Vikas Jyot Trust.
Incidentally, The Indian Express carried a story about Jyoti Mehta and her work with railway street children just a few months before she left Vadodara to get married in Sydney.
Jyoti's marriage to Mehta, her second, was solemnised without her parents' knowledge. "Jyoti was married when she was 37 years, she met Mehta through an Internet marriage site. Since my younger daughter is also in Sydney, she went there and married him a year ago. The marriage occurred in my and her mother's absence, though we were not annoyed by it," said Jyoti's father.
According to Jyoti's friends, she was not happy in her married life.
Wed, Jun 4 02:27 AM
A prominent NGO worker from Vadodara, Jyoti Mehta (37) and her nine-year-old daughter, Ujalla, were found murdered in a park in Sydney, Australia, on Monday. Though a motive for the murder is uncertain, Sydney police have arrested Jyoti's husband, Sanjay Mehta (41), for the crime; he was denied bail when produced in court. Mehta allegedly killed the mother-daughter duo earlier in May and registered a missing persons' complaint with the Sydney police on May 5.
It was through television media reports that Jyoti's father, Bharat Bhusan Sharma found that his daughter was brutally murdered. A tearful Sharma said, "My daughter had shown some dissatisfaction about her marriage while talking to her mother few months ago."
He added that his wife is now on dialysis and she was not informed about the murders because of her failing health. Sharma stated that Jyoti and Mehta, both divorcees with children from their previous marriages, met each other on the Internet and wed in May last year.
According to reports from Sydney, Mehta, after killing his wife and stepdaughter, put their bodies in the boot of his car and took them to a tourist site called Echo Point atop a hill in Sydney early in May. Those close to the victims' family stated that Mehta threw their bodies down a 150-metre cliff. A pair of morning walkers found the two bodies the following day and alerted the police, who immediately arrested Mehta and charged him with murder. Apparently, Jyoti had earlier complained to a domestic violence social worker about Mehta verbally abusing her, which her sister Poonam Sharma, who lives and works in Sydney, also confirmed to the police.
A social worker, Jyoti, born and brought up in Vadodara, worked for the welfare of street children who lived in and around railway stations in Vikas Jyot Trust.
Incidentally, The Indian Express carried a story about Jyoti Mehta and her work with railway street children just a few months before she left Vadodara to get married in Sydney.
Jyoti's marriage to Mehta, her second, was solemnised without her parents' knowledge. "Jyoti was married when she was 37 years, she met Mehta through an Internet marriage site. Since my younger daughter is also in Sydney, she went there and married him a year ago. The marriage occurred in my and her mother's absence, though we were not annoyed by it," said Jyoti's father.
According to Jyoti's friends, she was not happy in her married life.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
India tops world murder count
India tops world murder count
2 Jun 2008, 0050 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: India has earned the dubious distinction of being the country where maximum number of murders takes place in the world, three times more than its neighbour Pakistan and double the figures in United States.
There were more than 50 lakh incidents of crime reported in 2007-08 which included murder, rape and drug offences, a government report said. There were 32,719 incidents of murder recorded in India, whereas there were 16,692 in the US and 9,631 in Pakistan, the report compiled by National Crime Records Bureau and released by the Union Home Ministry, said.
India was followed by South Africa which registered 30,960 incidents of murders. Austria had recorded just 148 murders, whereas Israel registered 177 such incidents.
However, the rate (per lakh population) of murder and other crimes in India was much less compared to other countries. The murder and rape rate in India is three and four (per lakh population) respectively whereas South Africa recorded occurrence rates in the two categories as 65.27 and 115.8 respectively.
"Most of the murders take place due to passion, sudden provocation, crime related and family disputes,’’ Delhi police spokesman ACP Rajan Bhagat said. Delhi has recorded an increase of 1.08% in murders in 2007 compared to 2006.
The number of rape cases was maximum in the US which recorded 93,934 such assaults followed by South Africa 54,926 and India 18,359.
The data was compiled in 22 countries which included Australia, Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Japan, Canada, England and Wales, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Sri Lanka besides others. In India, there were 44,159 incidents of sexual offence, 2,70,861 cases of serious assault and 22,814 robbery and violent theft-related incidents, the report said.
The maximum number of robbery related cases were reported in Japan which had registered 17,25,072 such counts.
The US topped the crime list with 2,31,13,708 total crime related incidents, whereas India registered overall 50,26,337 criminal cases.
2 Jun 2008, 0050 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: India has earned the dubious distinction of being the country where maximum number of murders takes place in the world, three times more than its neighbour Pakistan and double the figures in United States.
There were more than 50 lakh incidents of crime reported in 2007-08 which included murder, rape and drug offences, a government report said. There were 32,719 incidents of murder recorded in India, whereas there were 16,692 in the US and 9,631 in Pakistan, the report compiled by National Crime Records Bureau and released by the Union Home Ministry, said.
India was followed by South Africa which registered 30,960 incidents of murders. Austria had recorded just 148 murders, whereas Israel registered 177 such incidents.
However, the rate (per lakh population) of murder and other crimes in India was much less compared to other countries. The murder and rape rate in India is three and four (per lakh population) respectively whereas South Africa recorded occurrence rates in the two categories as 65.27 and 115.8 respectively.
"Most of the murders take place due to passion, sudden provocation, crime related and family disputes,’’ Delhi police spokesman ACP Rajan Bhagat said. Delhi has recorded an increase of 1.08% in murders in 2007 compared to 2006.
The number of rape cases was maximum in the US which recorded 93,934 such assaults followed by South Africa 54,926 and India 18,359.
The data was compiled in 22 countries which included Australia, Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Japan, Canada, England and Wales, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Sri Lanka besides others. In India, there were 44,159 incidents of sexual offence, 2,70,861 cases of serious assault and 22,814 robbery and violent theft-related incidents, the report said.
The maximum number of robbery related cases were reported in Japan which had registered 17,25,072 such counts.
The US topped the crime list with 2,31,13,708 total crime related incidents, whereas India registered overall 50,26,337 criminal cases.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
