12 get life in jail for 2009 Haryana honour killing

Express news service, Fri, Sep 30, 2011, Chandigarh:

The Sessions Court in Jind on Thursday sentenced 12 people to life imprisonment in the Ved Pal honour killing case of 2009. Ved Pal was lynched by a mob that consisted of his in-laws and wife Sonia’s relatives. The court sentenced Sonia’s father and her relatives to life imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 6,500 on each of them.

Of the 14 accused, 12 were convicted on Saturday, while trial against Sonia’s mother Dhanpati is still on. Another accused, Pawanjit Bhanwala, president of the Bhanwala khap, was acquitted by the Sessions Court.

Dhanpati, who was earlier declared a proclaimed offender by the court, was arrested recently.

Besides Sonia’s father Dhanraj, Judge R N Bharti awarded life imprisonment to Shamsher, Mewa Singh, Randhir, Satpal, Ramdiya, Rammehar, Dharampal, Ramkumar, Ramjilal, Mahender Singh and Krishan.

Ved Pal, a resident of Mator village in Haryana, was working as a private medical practitioner at Singhwal village. He was running a small private clinic in front of Sonia’s house at Singhwal village, when he met her. Against their parents and village wishes, both decided to get married and on March 9, 2009 eloped from the village.

They got married at Arya Samaj in Chandigarh but the khap panchayat refused to acknowledge the marriage.

Fearing threat to their lives, both Ved Pal and Sonia approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court for protection. The court granted them protection, following which both started living in Chandigarh.

After a few days, Sonia’s family contacted her and assured her they shall acknowledge her marriage, provided she agrees to return to the village. She agreed to it and returned home. On July 22, 2009, Ved Pal, accompanied by a few policemen, reached Singhwal village to bring Sonia back. However, he was lynched by a mob comprising Sonia’s parents and relatives. Sonia’s father Dhanraj, relatives and members of the khap panchayat were soon arrested on charges of murder.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/12-get-life-in-jail-for-2009-Haryana-honour-killing/853775/

INLD MLA gets 2 years in prison for slapping lady constable

Express news service, Fri, Sep 30, 2011, Chandigarh:

The judicial magistrate at Hansi in Hisar district on Thursday sentenced Saroj Mor, the lone sitting woman MLA of Indian National Lok Dal, to two years of imprisonment for slapping a Haryana police woman constable in 2009.

The court also convicted two others, including Saroj’s relative Ved Pal, an assistant sub-inspector in Haryana police, and another person Ajit, on charges of “voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from performing official duty”.

While Ved Pal is also sentenced to two years imprisonment, Ajit was sentenced to one month imprisonment.

Jude Satish Jhangra also released the trio on bail, giving them time to file an appeal. The verdict was announced on Thursday, almost two years after the case was registered on October 19, 2009, when during repolling of Assembly elections in Bass village in Hisar district, woman constable Veena Kumari was allegedly slapped and manhandled by Saroj, Ved Pal and Ajit.

A complaint was lodged against Saroj and others by Veena, on the basis of which a case was registered against the three.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/INLD-MLA-gets-2-years-in-prison-for-slapping-lady-constable/853772/

215 officials convicted in torture and mass rape case in tribal TN village

Gopu Mohan, Fri, Sep 30, 2011, Chennai:

A trial court convicted 215 police, forest department and revenue officials for rioting, raping, assaulting and torturing tribals of a village in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri, nearly two decades after one of the worst cases of official brutality in India was reported.

The violence against the inhabitants of Vachathi village — abutting Sathyamangalam forest, which was then forest brigand Veerappan’s base — took place on June 20, 1992.

Tribal villagers had prevented forest guards from searching the hamlet for a sandalwood smuggler and allegedly assaulted them. That evening, a team of officials — 155 forest department personnel, 108 policemen and six revenue officials — entered the village. Men were assaulted, 18 women raped, the village was looted and destroyed.

Principal District and Sessions Judge S Kumaraguru awarded 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for atrocities against STs and seven years’ RI on charges of rape to 12 forest officials. The terms are to run concurrently. Five other officials facing rape charge were given seven years’ RI.

The 17 officials convicted for rape were arrested immediately. The rest were sentenced to jail terms of between one and three years.

Indian Forest Service officer K Harikrishnan, the then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, was given three years’ imprisonment. He is one of the four convicted IFS officers.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/215-officials-convicted-in-torture-and-mass-rape-case-in-tribal-tn-village/853794/

Three get life for kidnapping Adobe CEO’s son

Dipankar Ghose, Tue, Sep 27, 2011, Noida:

A Gautam Budh Nagar sessions court on Monday sentenced three persons to life imprisonment, besides fining them Rs 25,000 each, for the kidnapping of Anant Gupta, son of Adobe CEO Naresh Gupta, in 2006. Anant was three years old at the time.

Anant was kidnapped from the vicinity of his Noida Sector-15 house while he was waiting for the Lotus Valley school bus on November 14, 2006. On November 17, 2006, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested the accused and recovered Rs 50 lakh that had been paid as ransom. They were identified as Chatrapal and Jitender, both hailing from Bairana in Uttar Pradesh, and Pawan from Sekhda in Hardoi.

On Friday, sitting judge Navin Srivastava had let off four others in the case — Sunil, Bir Singh, Ramdayal and Birsingh’s wife Santosh — for lack of evidence. The three convicted persons have been held guilty under Section 364(A) (kidnapping for ransom) and Section 368 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code.

While sentencing the three convicts, the court — in a 46-page judgement — referred to a 2010 Supreme Court order that had adopted a stringent view of kidnapping for ransom. “Statistics reveal that kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative and thriving industry across the country, and it must be dealt with in the harshest possible manner. The obligation rests on courts as well,” the apex court had noted as it upheld the death sentence of two men for kidnapping and murdering Abhi Verma, a 16-year-old student of DAV School in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, in February 2005. Abhi, the son of a goldsmith, was abducted from outside his school on February 14, 2005, and killed after the kidnappers found that his father could not afford to pay Rs 50 lakh as ransom. He was his only son.

The court also took into consideration certain mitigating circumstances in handing out life imprisonment to the three accused. It noted that the three did not have a history sheet, and were very young when the crime was committed. While Chatrapal was 18 years of age in 2006, Pawan and Jitender were 19 and 20 years old respectively. It also took into consideration that Jitender had a family, including a five-year-old son, to support. The punishment prescribed under Section 364(A) is either the death penalty or life imprisonment with fine.

While members of the public prosecution team were satisfied with the verdict, defence lawyers said they would appeal against the judgement in the High Court. Vinod Kumar Solanki, Jitender’s lawyer, said, “Nothing is final yet and we will go to the court of appeal.”

The proceedings were attended by the family of the accused, but Anant’s family found no representation.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/three-get-life-for-kidnapping-adobe-ceos-son/852265/0

16-year-old beaten to death over a cup of tea near police station

Shalini Narayan, Tue, Sep 27, 2011, New Delhi:

A 16-year-old boy was beaten to death, allegedly by the son of a tea stall owner, over a cup of tea near the Seelampur police station in Northeast Delhi on Sunday evening.

Arif (19) has been arrested based on a complaint filed by victim’s cousin.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Sanjay Jain, “Around 6.10 pm, we received a call that someone is lying unconscious near the Seelampur police station bus stand. A PCR van went to the spot and rushed the youth to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.”

Jain said a case of murder has been registered as the complainant said “the victim and the accused had a scuffle over tea, which turned violent, leading to the victim’s death”.

The victim has been identified as Manju, who ran an artificial jewellery kiosk near the rear gate of the Seelampur police station with his cousin Fauji.

According to the FIR, Manju had gone to buy a cup of tea for himself from a tea stall, which is at a distance of a few metres from the police station. On way he met Arif who was carrying tea to be delivered elsewhere.

“Manju asked him to give him tea, but Arif said he was taking it elsewhere. Manju abused Arif and said he would pay him for the tea. A scuffle ensued, during which Arif held Manju’s collar and slapped and punched him a few times. Manju fell to the ground,” states the FIR.

Fauji, however, claimed that police did not record his entire complaint. “Since we sit outside the police station, the officers usually ask us to get them tea from stall, which belongs to one Shariq. This time too Manju was sent to get four cups of tea. When Manju delivered the tea, they only paid for three, saying they didn’t require the fourth cup. Manju then collected the money and went back to the tea stall. He told Shariq that he had been paid only for three cups. This angered Shariq, whose son then picked up a fight with my cousin and beat him to death,” Fauji said.

Eyewitnesses said Manju was beaten to death near the rear gate of the police station.

“I saw the two boys fighting outside the police station gate, but I didn’t pay too much attention since such fights are common. It was only later that I found out that the child had succumbed to injuries,” said a jewellery shopowner who sits near Manju’s kiosk.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/16yearold-beaten-to-death-over-a-cup-of-tea-near-police-station/852290/0

Man arrested with Shahtoosh shawls worth Rs 25 lakh at IGI airport

Express News Service, Fri, Sep 30, 2011, New Delhi:

In the second wildlife seizure within a period of one month, a passenger alighting at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport was arrested by the Customs department on Thursday for illegally smuggling Shahtoosh shawls worth Rs 25 lakh into the country from Almaty in Kazakhstan.

The passenger, Srinagar resident Tasaduq Hussain Joo, arrived from Almaty by flight KC-907 on Wednesday. “Suspecting that something was amiss, officials diverted him from the green channel for a detailed examination. His baggage contained four Shahtoosh shawls, which were later identified and certified by a wildlife inspector. Apart from the Shatoosh Shawls, the passenger was also carrying nine Pashmina Shawls,” a senior Customs’ official said.

“The international market price of the four Shahtoosh Shawls has been valued at Rs 25 lakh. Pashmina shawls are available for Rs 50,000 per shawl in the market,” the official said.

The total value of the seized goods was Rs 24.9 lakh. This is the second such seizure by IGI Customs officials this year, both of which occurred within a period of one month. On September 13, a similar case was registered against Srinagar resident Mudasir Gulam Ahmed Mugloo, and 25 Shahtoosh shawls were recovered from his possession. The value of the 25 Shahtoosh shawls was Rs 1.53 crore.

“These four Shahtoosh shawls (brought in by Joo) were seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, on the reasonable belief that the same were smuggled into India and were prohibited goods. Therefore, they are liable to be confiscated under the Custom Act, 1962, read with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), of which India is a signatory.

The remaining nine shawls,valued at Rs 90,000, were being used to conceal the four Shahtoosh shawls. They were also seized under the Customs Act, 1962. The passenger has been placed under arrest,” Customs’ Commissioner V K Goel said.

Shahtoosh shawls are woven from the hair of the Tibetan antelope (Chiru), mostly by Kashmiri weavers. As the shawls are in great demand, the antelopes are hunted down — pushing them to the brink of extinction.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/man-arrested-with-shahtoosh-shawls-worth-rs-25-lakh-at-igi-airport/853770/0

Man fined Rs 1 lakh for wasting court’s time in squabble with ex-wife

Utkarsh Anand, Fri, Sep 30, 2011, New Delhi:

When a divorced couple embroiled for in several litigations decided to backtrack from allegations made against each other in a court, they never imagined it would cost heavily.

The Delhi High Court noted that they must be burdened with a penalty for wasting the judiciary’s time and also for involving government machinery, including the police, into their family discord. Justice Suresh Kait imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioner while allowing an FIR to be quashed.

The court also decided to use the money in a generous way and asked for handing over the fine amount to a government school for visually challenged children.

Justice Kait said this money should be paid by the petitioners in favour of the Delhi Child Welfare Fund, at Child Protection Unit of the Department of Women and Child Development.

“I further direct the Department of Women and Child Development to disburse this money to the principal, Senior Secondary School for Blind Boys, Sewa Kutir at Kingsway Camp. Needless to state the principal shall utilise the said amount for the welfare of the visually challenged boys,” ordered Justice Kait.

The court was prompted to pass the order after the couple, who got a divorce decree in November last year following a settlement, sought the judge to quash an FIR lodged by the woman against her former husband when both of them were involved in a terrible scrap.

The trial of the FIR registered by the woman against her ex-husband at DLF police station in Gurgaon, under the charges of cheating, forgery and breach of trust was transferred to Delhi on a Supreme Court order. The case was being heard at the city’s Patiala House court and the charges had also been framed against the man.

However, the couple arrived at a settlement and signed a divorce deed based on mutual consent.

They subsequently moved the High Court and sought quashing of the impugned FIR. The woman also stood by the side of her ex-husband and told the court that they had amicable settled all their disputes.

Public Prosecutor Ritu Gauba, however, submitted before the court that since the government machinery has been pressed into this matter and also the precious time of the courts has been consumed, a cost must be imposed on the petitioner while quashing the FIR.

Justice Kait agreed and asked the man to pay the damages. The judge let off the woman after observing that she was a housewife and had no independent source of earning.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/man-fined-rs-1-lakh-for-wasting-courts-time-in-squabble-with-exwife/853758/0

Woman gets son killed, 2 contract killers arrested

Express News Service, Fri, Sep 02, 2011, New Delhi:

20-year-old Manjeet objected to his mother’s extra-marital affairs
Police on Thursday arrested a woman from Jharoda for allegedly hiring contract killers to murder her 20-year-old son who scolded her for having extra-marital affairs. The two contract killers were arrested on Monday.

The accused, identified as Rajesh alias Lalli (45) was arrested from her Baba Hari Dass Nagar residence in South-West Delhi’s Jharoda area. According to police, she hired Umesh alias Michal (32) and Mahender alias Monu (22) to kill her son, Manjeet.

“The two contract killers had looted a jeweller’s shop at gun-point in Chhawla and were arrested on Monday from Jharoda. During interrogation, they confessed that they had killed Manjeet in Punjab’s Sangrur district after his mother, Lalli hired them for the murder,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West), Anil Kumar Ojha.

The duo reportedly told police that Lalli, a resident of Jharoda, had contacted Monu in January this year and complained about her son, Manjeet¿s misbehavior with her.

“Monu said Lalli had extra marital affairs and some persons used to visit her house during the absence of Manjeet and her husband. When Manjeet came to know about these, he scolded his mother and warned her to refrain from such activities. Irritated with her son’s behaviour, she hired Monu for Rs 2 lakh to eliminate her son,” Ojha added.

Monu reportedly conspired with his friend, Michal, to commit the crime. Police said both of them knew Manjeet well and had liquor together.

On January 29, Monu asked the deceased to accompany the duo to Punjab on pretext of meeting a girl. They boarded a Punjab-bound train from Bahadurgarh and reached Lehra, a small town in Sangrur district in the evening.

“The three drank together. When Manjeet got highly intoxicated, the arrested accused men took him to an isolated place and assaulted him with bricks and knife. They also smashed his face with stones to conceal his identity,” Ojha said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/woman-gets-son-killed-2-contract-killers-arrested/840476/0

Class 5 girl raped, tortured for 1 year

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Greater Noida, September 26, 2011

About three weeks after an eight-year-old girl was found to have been raped and tortured in four months of captivity in Noida, an even more shocking case has stunned residents and exposed policing in the district. 

The Greater Noida police on Sunday arrested three persons on charges of 

raping and torturing a minor girl for a year. The police are yet to nab one more accused, a woman, who is at large.

The girl, eight months’ pregnant, has been rescued with several injury marks from Bulandshahr.

About a year ago, two persons had allegedly kidnapped the girl, then 13, from her village. “The police lodged a case after much reluctance, but did not take an action,” the victim’s father said. “Earlier, the police even gave a clean chit to the accused and closed the case,” he added.

“The girl, daughter of a security guard in Mubarakpur village of Greater Noida, is a class 5 student. She has been medically examined and her statement has been recorded,” said a police official. 

The victim has said she was gang-raped at several places. “I was not given food for many days. They caned me and burnt me with cigarette butts. I tried to escape many times, but was caught and tortured even more,” she said in a statement. 

“A few days ago, I learnt that my daughter was in Bulandshahr. I sought police help and rescued her,” her father said. 

“Two persons kidnapped her from the village and raped her. After a few days, they handed her to a woman in Dadri. She further handed her to a person in Bulandshahr. Only the woman has not been arrested,” said a police officer. 

Earlier this month, an eight-year-old girl was recovered in Noida with her limbs broken, tongue chopped off and body burnt with cigarette butts.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Class-5-girl-raped-tortured-for-1-year/Article1-750499.aspx

Boy killed for refusing to pay vendor for cup of tea

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi, September 26, 2011

An argument over a cup of tea cost a 16-year-old boy his life in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur on Sunday evening. The boy was beaten up badly and later strangled to death allegedly by a tea vendor. The family members of the deceased have claimed that the incident took place inside the premises of the Seelampur police station and in the presence of police personnel.

Sanjay Kumar Jain, deputy commissioner of police (northeast), however, refuted the allegations. “The allegations are baseless. Even the person who made the PCR call said that the incident took place on the main road near the bus stand. We have registered a case of murder and arrested the tea vendor.”

The victim, Manju, used to sell artificial jewellery outside the Seelampur police station. On the particular day, policemen at the station asked Manju to get three cups of tea from a shop nearby. The boy got an extra cup and later when he went to return it, the vendor, Aarif, refused to take it.

He asked Manju to pay for the extra cup from his own pocket. Manju refused and this made Aarif furious. Eyewitnesses told the police that Aarif started thrashing Manju and later also strangled him.

Manju collapsed on the road and was immediately rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Boy-killed-for-refusing-to-pay-vendor-for-cup-of-tea/Article1-750514.aspx

Security men turn tormentors

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi, Bhopal, September 24, 2011

A blind man was beaten to death in Railway Protection Force (RPF) custody and police brutally assaulted a mentally challenged man in public in separate incidents in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. 

At Harda, 160 km south of Bhopal, Kripa Ram, a blind vendor of books and eatables on trains, was allegedly beaten to death at the RPF police station.

According to sources, RPF constable AK Chatterjee had an argument with Ram, 40, and roughed him up. Ram retaliated and bit Chatterjee, who dragged him away to the police station where he was beaten. Later, Ram succumbed to injuries.

Deputy superintendent of police (Railways) Irmeen Shah said Chatterjee was booked for murder and arrested.

The assault on the mentally challenged man, Ram Krishna Agarwal, 35, occurred in Satna, around 380 km east of the state capital.

Video of  mentally challenged man, Ram Krishna Agarwal being beaten up by Police in Satna: http://youtu.be/i_ftcR6ZLYU

Agarwal was thrashed with batons, tied up and dragged by policemen led by inspector BS Jaggi for allegedly carrying a sickle, which had led local traders to complain to the police. The traders feared Agarwal could attack someone.

Inspector general of police (Law and Order) Ashok Kumar Soni said Jaggi was suspended on Friday. "An inquiry has been initiated to ascertain the circumstances in which the incident occurred," Soni said.

The Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission has sought the suspension of all the police officials involved in the assault on Agarwal.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Securitymen-turn-tormentors/Article1-749465.aspx

Two held in Gurgaon toll attendant murder case

Agencies, Mon, Sep 26, 2011, Gurgaon

Three days after a young toll plaza attendant was shot dead over payment of toll fee, police have arrested two persons in connection with the murder.

Gurgaon Police Commissioner SS Deswal said Vijay Veer, a resident of village Kho near the toll plaza had fired at 22-year-old Umesh Kumar Pandey from point-blank range after an argument over paying Rs 27 as toll fee.

Vijay Veer was drunk at the time of committing the crime, Deswal said.

The second arrested person has been identified as Vijay's friend Manjeet.

Vijay had sent Manjeet to the crime spot soon after the incident to find out if the toll collector had died or was injured.

Police have also seized Vijay's Bolero vehicle.

Pandey was shot dead on September 23 when he asked for the toll fee from the Bolero owner at Kheri Daula.

The car owners refused to pay and insisted that they be allowed to go. When Umesh insisted on the payment, an occupant in the car owner took out a revolver and fired at him from point blank range.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-held-in-gurgaon-toll-attendant-murder-case/851882/

Constable held for shooting trader, robbery

Sumegha Gulati, Mon, Sep 26, 2011, New Delhi:

A day after a 60-year-old dry fruits trader was shot dead and a mobile phone store owner injured in Lahori Gate area, police on Sunday identified the assailant as a head constable of the Delhi Police.

According to police, Head Constable Ajay Tomar fired three rounds at businessman Amarjeet Singh Chaddha in an attempt to rob him of his gold chains and cash on Saturday around 9 pm. He then tried to flee, but fractured his right leg as he jumped off a railway bridge to evade arrest. Tomar is recuperating at Hindu Rao Hospital.

The mobile phone shopkeeper, Harinder Singh alias Sunny (24), who suffered a bullet injury in his neck while he was helping a policeman chase Tomar, is admitted at St Stephen’s Hospital.

Police have recovered two pistols and a motorcycle from Tomar.

According to police, Chaddha was returning home, with his employee Mohit, after closing his shop when Tomar stopped the Alto car they were travelling in.

“Tomar stopped his UP-registered bike in front of them and fired at Chaddha. The accused is from 1995 cadre and 7th battalion. We are checking his records for any previous criminal involvements,” said I B Rani, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North).

Police said Chaddha ran ‘Kabul Dryfruit Store’ in Khari Baoli, Chandni Chowk. His younger brother, Balbir, said Chaddha was very fond of jewellery and was wearing 7 to 8 gold chains at the time of the incident.

“Amarjeet was know as ‘Sardarji chainwale’ in Chandni Chowk area. He used to buy a new gold chain every Diwali,” he said.

Chaddha’s brother-in-law, Gurdeep Singh Lamba, said , “Amarjeet was carrying that day’s sales, around Rs 80,000.” Chaddha received bullet injuries in the stomach and was taken to Tirath Ram Hospital. He succumbed to injuries around 10.15 pm.

Police said Tomar fired a fourth shot when he was being chased by a policeman and Sunny.

“Tomar did not use his service weapon in committing the crime. He used an illegal 0.32 bore weapon,” a police officer said.

Balbir said Chaddha had called him after the shooting. “He said ‘come to the hospital fast’. I still remember his voice,” he said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/constable-held-for-shooting-trader-robbery/851689/0

Man jailed for two years, fined for bounced cheque

Agencies, Mon, Sep 26, 2011, Bijnor:

A man was sentenced to two years imprisonment and a fine of Rs one lakh was imposed on him by a local court in Bijnor in a dishonoured cheque case.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Manisha held Rishi Pal guilty on Saturday after a case was filed by Pitambar Singh, Managing Director of Pantjan Sadbhavna Finance and Investment Company Private Limited, prosecution sources said here.

Singh had filed the suit against Pal, who had taken a loan of Rs 62,000 from his company to purchase a jeep for his son, they said.

The cheque of the amount of Rs 91,635 which Pal later issued to the company was dishonoured by the bank on account of insufficient funds, they said.

Pal was asked by the court that the fine of Rs 1 lakh be paid to the plaintiff as compensation, failing which the accused would have to serve an additional term of two months in jail.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/man-jailed-for-two-years-fined-for-bounced-cheque/851930/

Pay widow of victim 1 lakh each to get bail, judge tells 5 accused

Sumegha Gulati, Sat, Sep 17, 2011, New Delhi:

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Madhu Jain has directed five accused to pay a compensation amount of Rs 1 lakh each to the widow and son of a murdered person in order to secure release on bail.

Jain, ASJ at the Tis Hazari court, on Wednesday granted bail to the five accused — Manoj Kumar, Pankaj Jain, Tarun Ahuja, Manoj Ahuja and Harish Bhasin — for the murder of one Narender Kumar, but directed that they pay Rs 1 lakh each as compensation to Kumar’s wife Shanti Devi (55) and son Shiva (21), as a precondition.

“Five lakh rupees is a big amount. Hamare dil se judge ke liye sirf dua hi nikalti hai. Unhone ek gareeb vidhwa aur uske bete ki madad ki hai (We are grateful to the judge, she has helped a poor widow and her son). But we do not want to discuss this issue,” Shanti said.

Shanti, who lives with Shiva in a one-room house in Gali Kandle Kasan, Chandni Chowk, said that her life changed completely after Kumar was murdered in April this year. “Life became tough but thankfully, my three daughters were married by then. Shiva works as a stock boy at a saree shop in Nai Sadak,” she said.

According to police, the accused — all businessmen by profession — allegedly beat Kumar to death on April 21. “The five suspected that Kumar had burnt down Ahuja’s Kinari Bazar shop where he worked,” a police officer told Newsline.

According to Shiva, all his efforts to save his father went in vain. Even as he was being assaulted by the accused, Kumar collapsed. He was taken to Lok Nayak Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Police registered a case against the accused.

According to police, investigations revealed that it was Kumar who had set Ahuja’s shop on fire on April 13.

“The CCTV footage acquired from the scene clearly shows Kumar lighting the matchstick and throwing it on highly inflammable material. The accused have admitted to assaulting Kumar,” the officer said.

The court has charged the accused with culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the IPC.

“The death of the victim was without any preplanning or premeditation on the part of the accused persons. It was the victim who set the godown of Tarun Ahuja on fire. No weapon of offence was used, and death occurred due to cerebral damage... not related to the assault,” the court said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pay-widow-of-victim-1-lakh-each-to-get-bail-judge-tells-5-accused/847774/0

Arrested: Rockman Beer Island’s owner in Rs 13.5 crore case

Sumit Saxena, Hindustan Times, New Delhi, September 23, 2011

The Delhi police have arrested the owner of Delhi- NCR’s first in-house beer manufacturing restaurant and bar in a multi-crore cheating and forgery case. The Economics Offences Wing (EoW) in March 2010 had lodged a criminal case against Chandra Shekhar Aggarwal, who owns Rockman Beer Island in Ambience Mall, Gurgaon. According to the complaint, Aggarwal had duped a Delhi-based real estate owner of Rs 13.5 crore in 2008. According to the police, Aggarwal had mortgaged his house in Hauz Khas Enclave against a loan of Rs 13.5 crore. Later, it was found out that he had already sold this house to one woman for Rs 9 crore.

Gaurav Liberhan, counsel for the realtor, said, “Aggarwal forged signatures to show that the loan of R13.5 crore stood cancelled and he had nothing to pay back.” The forensics report established that the signatures were forged on the document. 

The Delhi police arrested Aggarwal on September 14. Seeking his custodial interrogation, the police told the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit that the accused had furnished a document alleged to be a loan termination agreement.

Counsel for Aggarwal contested the police custody stating that it is a civil dispute, which has been given colour of criminal offence, and therefore, there is no requirement of interrogation. The court has rubbished Aggarwal’s counsel’s plea raising contention about the legality of his arrest.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/Arrested-Rockman-Beer-Island-s-owner-in-Rs-13-5-crore-case/Article1-749405.aspx

Lecturer’s murder: Life sentence for 2 accused

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Ghaziabad, September 23, 2011

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge, on Friday, sentenced two people to life imprisonment and announced a three-year imprisonment for another accused in the murder of Kavita Rani, a lecturer with Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut.

The CBI special judge, AK Singh, sentenced accused Ravinder Singh and Sultan Singh to life imprisonment and announced a three-year imprisonment for Yogesh Kumar. Ravinder Pradhan, the prime accused in the case, had died under mysterious circumstances inside Dasna Jail in May 2008 during the case trial.

Besides, the court also ordered that Dr Mairajuddin Ahmed, the then irrigation minister in UP government, be tried for perjury (under Section 340 of CrPC) as he had retracted  his earlier statement during his deposition in the court.

The court on Friday also gave a month’s time to the CBI to submit all the case-related documents with the court in relation to a CrPC 173(8) closure report filed by the investigating agency in May 2011.

Although, the CBI had filed a chargesheet against Pradhan and his accomplices in March 2007, it continued its investigations, suspecting a “larger conspiracy” related to the lecturer’s murder. The court, on Friday, refused to accept CBI’s closure report related to further investigations and registered it as a document in its records.

Rani had disappeared in October 2006 and a case was filed with the UP Police, which was later transferred to the CBI in January 2007. In its chargesheet filed in March 2007, the CBI had stated that Pradhan became friendly with Rani and introduced her to several UP politicians and educationists, including RP Singh, Ahmed, Babu Lal and Kiran Pal Singh.

The CBI investigations also revealed that in April 2006, Pradhan persuaded Rani to video record her intimate moments with senior educationists and political leaders in order to make quick money. 

The chargesheet said that Pradhan and his accomplices blackmailed and extorted Rs 35 lakh from Ahmed and gave only Rs 4 lakh to Rani. This soured their relationship and led Pradhan and his accomplices murder Rani inside a car. The body was later thrown into a canal.

However, CBI did not chargesheet any of the ministers or the educationists and submitted a police closure report .

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lecturer-s-murder-Life-sentence-for-2-accused/Article1-749412.aspx

6,000 complaints lodged against cops every year

Faizan Haider, Hindustan Times, New Delhi, September 25, 2011

The Saturday night incident, in which a Delhi Police constable robbed and murdered  a man, is not the lone case of a cop turning into an extortionist. While complaints of bribe and extortion are comman, Delhi Police personnel are now getting involved in murder and robbery too.

After Saturday’s incident —which is the second such incident in a week — the image of the Delhi Police has once again taken a hit.

“It is obviously a dent on the image of force as we are here to protect citizens. All good work done by us will now go in vain as people will remember only this incident,”a senior police officer who didn’t want to be named said, adding, “It is very difficult to keep a track of every individual.”

On an average, the Delhi Police receives over 6,000 complaints every year against their own men. In 2008, 103 Delhi Police personnel were punished and the number went down to 74 in 2009. But in 2010, a total of 1303 Delhi Police personnel of various ranks were awarded punishment after complaints were filed against them. 

This year only around 50 Delhi Police personnel have been caught taking bribes while over 1,800 faced action for dereliction of duty. Of the around 50 caught for taking bribes, 25 were constables and nine head constables. Six sub inspectors and seven assistant sub inspectors were also caught taking bribe from people to favour them. 

“A total of 1,849 policemen, including 147 inspectors, faced action for dereliction of duty till June 30 this year,” the officer added. The first six month’s figure has already surpassed the figures of 2008 and 2009 when action was taken against 987 and 1,813 cops respectively. 

“It is not fair to built the image of force of 85,000 by the conduct of one man. We have arrested the accused constable and action will be taken against him,” Sudhir Yadav, joint commissioner of police (northern range).

http://www.hindustantimes.com/6-000-complaints-lodged-against-cops-every-year/Article1-750173.aspx

Delhi Police constable held for extortion

Express news service, Tue, Sep 13, 2011, New Delhi

A constable has been arrested for allegedly extorting money from the manager of a five-star hotel on September 6. The accused, Valeem Javed, is also accused of extorting money from couples at Nehru Park on a regular basis.

Police said though Javed was posted at the New Ashok Nagar police station in East Delhi, he used to commute 15 km on his motorcycle everyday to Chanakyapuri to extort money from couples at the park. On the day the hotel manager lodged the complaint, Javed had decided to venture out on his bike for more money. He was nabbed by the district police after a half-kilometre chase.

Police said on September 6, the manager of a five star hotel approached the Chanakyapuri police station, alleging that a man in uniform had extorted money from him.

“The complainant told us that he was waiting for a friend at the Nehru Park parking on Niti Marg when the constable approached him. When he took out his wallet to show his identity card, the constable snatched it and said he would falsely implicate him in a case,” a senior officer said.

Before the complainant could react, the constable had pulled out Rs 2,000 from the wallet and fled. Soon, a complaint was lodged, and a case was registered under Section 384 of the IPC.

According to the officer, a team was sent to Nehru Park. Though Javed attempted to escape when he saw them, the team managed to arrest him.

Javed, a resident of Brijpuri, had joined the force in 2006.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/delhi-police-constable-held-for-extortion/845820/0

Three awarded 10 years’ RI for gangraping 19-yr-old

Press Trust of India, Mon, Sep 12, 2011, New Delhi:

Three youths have been sentenced to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment by a Delhi court for gangraping a 19-year-old girl at knife point.

District Judge P S Teji passed the sentence on East Delhi residents Nesar (20), Sunny (22) and Mukesh (20) after convicting them for raping the girl in a slum while she was on her way home from work. “In view of the facts and circumstances of the case, all the convicts are hereby awarded rigorous imprisonment for a period of 10 years, and a fine of Rs 5,000 each for the offence punishable under Section 376(2)(g) of the IPC (punishment for gang rape),” the judge said.

Police had lodged the FIR in the case on October 25, 2009.

The victim, a domestic help, had told police that on the night of October 24, 2009, she was returning to her residence in Kalyanpuri jhuggi around 9 pm when she was accosted by the trio, who were known to her. She said they dragged her into a nearby hut and raped her at knifepoint.

During the trial, the accused said they were being falsely implicated, and the victim was only “taking revenge” on account of a fight they had with one of her friends.

The judge, however, preferred to believe the victim’s version, stating that in Indian society, “no girl would make such allegations as she is aware of the repercussions”.

“If her allegation is found to be false, she would be looked at with contempt by the society throughout her life. For an unmarried girl, it will be difficult to find a suitable groom. Therefore, unless an offence has really been committed, the girl or woman would be extremely reluctant even to say such a thing, which is likely to reflect on her chastity,” the judge said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/three-awarded-10-years-ri-for-gangraping-19/845142/

Price of saving a life: 21 months in jail

Javed Iqbal | Monday, September 19, 2011

‘It is correct that... Kopa Kunjam tried to save me from the Naxalites,’ said Jhadi Nagesh in the sessions court of Bijapur, Bastar.

Maoists kidnapped two men on June 2, 2009. One, Punem Hoonga, was killed the other, Jhadi Nagesh, was released. On December 10, Kunjam was arrested for the murder of Hoonga, who the Maoists killed. Nagesh, the man who was released unharmed by the Maoists, testified in court that Kopa tried to save him.

So why was man who tried to save their lives from Maoists arrested for murder on December 10, 2009? Why was he arrested when the first information report regarding the incident never mentioned him as an accused? Why was he arrested when every villager in the Basaguda area attests that he is innocent and that he spent sleepless nights ensuring that those kidnapped were released unharmed?
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The high court rejected Kunjam’s bail even when one of the prime witnesses, Nagesh, claimed he tried to save his life. Why?
Kunjam’s story cannot be told without the story of the villages of Samsetti, Singaram, Matwada, Gompad, Gacchanpalli, and the Basaguda block area, and the work he did with Gandhian NGO Vanvasi Chetna Ashram.

Kunjam took four adivasi women of Samsetti, who were gang-raped by special police officers, to court and they had even managed to procure warrants for the arrests of the accused.

When 19 adivasis were killed in Singaram, the first affidavits and testimonies contradicting the state version were collected by Kunjam and his associate Lingoo, who also helped the victims to approach the high court.

In the Matwada Salwa Judum camp, the police killed three men. Their faces were smashed in by rocks by drunk policemen. Kopa motivated the wives of the deceased to fight for justice, and for once, managed to procure a high court order, asking for compensation for them, which itself is an anomaly for victims of state violence.

With the onset of Operation Green Hunt, the villages of Gompad and Gacchanpalli were attacked and children and elders were killed by the Cobra forces. Kunjam was part of the initial fact-finding team that helped to ascertain what really happened — children were killed, as were grandfathers and grandmothers, while the police kept giving press conferences about killing ‘armed cadre’ in ‘fierce encounters.’

Then there is Basaguda Block, also the scene of Hoonga’s murder. Basaguda block was empty by the beginning of 2009. All the villages of the area were deserted after the Salwa Judum burnt them down, or the Maoists killed, and the SPOs would beat the same victims of Maoist violence, for not moving into the camps.

A majority of the residents who were landowners had migrated to Andhra Pradesh where they lived as landless labour.
In the summer of 2009, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s orders ensuring that people were allowed to return to their homes, Kunjam was an integral part of ensuring that there were no untoward incidents of violence by either the Salwa Judum or the Maoists, and that people were allowed to resettle in their homes and rebuild their lives.

For instance, when Maoists first saw the people returning to their homes, they dug up a road. But these were not hardcore Maoists, they were villagers first, and they felt they had to protect their homes from being burnt down again as it had happened in 2006 when the Salwa Judum held a mass rally in their area.

Kopa knew that. And he had his way of adding humour to tell you the truth. For instance, how the Maoists had given some of the adivasis of the ‘interiors’, ‘pressure bombs’ or landmines to strategically plant to stop the police movement, but the adivasis put them to better use by hunting wild pigs with them.

But while the settlements began to thrive, Kopa failed to completely stop the violence. The Maoists weren’t reasonable. Hoonga, who was closely linked to the Salwa Judum was executed, as was an SPO Suresh a few weeks earlier.

A few months later, the Superintendent of Police, along with Lingoo, once Kunjam’s associate of Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, had asked him to leave the organisation, and human rights work, and work for the police. He said no and he was arrested, beaten and tortured the next day. And has been in jail ever since.

He once asked me, ‘What good did all the fact-finding do? How many complaints did we lodge? How many times did we go to court? Did anything ever change in the civil war?’

The SC judgement banning the arming of Salwa Judum didn’t stop SPO Kursam Asant Kumar from having his gun with him when he was killed in a gun battle on August 19, in Bijapur. The war continues. Kopa, like the adivasis of Bastar, stays in a jail called industrial development.

— The writer is a journalist

http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_price-of-saving-a-life-21-months-in-jail_1588880

SI arrested for beating tailor to death in Bihar

Express news service, Sun, Aug 07, 2011

A trainee sub-inspector posted with Town police station of Muzaffarpur beat a 50-year-old tailor to death on Friday. The tailor had tried to save two neighbours, being beaten up by three policemen in plain clothes.

This is the second incident of police atrocity in the last three months.

Police said that Shamshuddin, living near Dharam Samaj Sanskrit College in Kanhauli Dih area of Muzaffarpur, tried to intervene when the policemen in plain clothes, whom the tailor had taken for criminals, were questioning Mohammed Mohsin and Mohammed Chunnu in connection with suspected arms hoarding in the area.

Three cops led by trainee SI Shailendra Kumar Singh took offence to Shamshuddin interfering with police functioning. The three cops allegedly spared the two youths and started beating up the tailor.

As the tailor was pushed hard during his thrashing, his head hit some hard object. The tailor died on the spot.

Though the police remained in state of denial, defending the cops till Friday, DGP Neelmani finally ordered action against the errant SI, who faces a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The DGP said, “The SI has already been sent to jail. He will be suspended within three days.”

The DGP added that the role of two police constables is being looked into by Tirhut Range deputy inspector general of police.

The action against the SI was made possible by the massive public protest after Shamshuddin’s death. Irate protesters had set a policeman’s motorbike on fire. They later put Shamshuddin’s body outside the main gate of the college, blocking traffic and demanding adequate compensation and a job for the next of kin of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the Opposition RJD got another issue to hit back at the Nitish Kumar government.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad mocked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s claims on improved law and order. “Hardly had people forgotten police atrocity in Forbesganj, Muzaffarpur incident took place putting question marks on so-called good governance,” he said.

Four people from minority groups were killed in police firing at Forbesganj, Araria on June 3. A judicial probe is being carried out in the case.

The National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for Women also took serious note of the Forbesganj firing.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/si-arrested-for-beating-tailor-to-death-in-bihar/828296/0

Court frees youth from Tihar, says he was a minor when jailed 7 years ago

Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Sun, Aug 07, 2011

Booked for murder, he cleared Class X, XII, BA while in jail; ossification test establishes age

After spending seven years in jail during which he cleared Class X, XII and BA-I, a murder accused walked free on Saturday after the Juvenile Justice Board declared closure of the case against him as he has already undergone the maximum punishment of three years in custody.

A Delhi court ruled earlier this week that according to the ossification test (conducted on bones to determine age) he was a minor when the offence was committed. However, the mandatory ossification test in such contentious cases, was conducted seven years after the boy was arrested.

He wishes to forget the past and focus on his life ahead— which includes a job with the Vedanta group that awaits him.

“I am so happy. I was selected by the Vedanta Group during a campus placement in Tihar in February. I am now waiting for the joining letter, which was to be given after I am released,” the youth, now 22-year-old, told The Sunday Express.

Overruling the 2005 order of the Juvenile Justice Board that held him to be a major on the date of the incident, March 14 2004, an Additional Sessions Judge declared him to be a juvenile and directed to send the case again to the Board, which set him free on Saturday.

During his jail years, besides securing first division in Class X, he scored 73 per cent marks in Bhartiya Sanskriti Evam Rashtra Gaurav and 70 per cent in Mathematics in BA-I (private) from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, last year. The result of BA-II is expected this month.

A native of UP, he was among the seven persons accused of hiring a Qualis in March 2004 and murdering its driver. The vehicle was hired for Delhi-Bijnore trip and Dharmaveer was found murdered near Bijnore. According to the prosecution, the vehicle was hired to ensure the release of another accused from police custody. Among the seven accused, two are in Tihar, two out on bail, one killed and another released after being declared a juvenile.

Soon after the arrest in 2004, when he was produced before the sessions court, the judge, on the basis of birth certificate and other documents submitted by the defence, referred his case to the Juvenile Board. But. the police claimed the documents were fake and the Board declared him to be a major and the case was sent back to the sessions court in 2005.

“Soon after, he filed an appeal with Tihar authorities seeking that he be declared as a juvenile,” said defence lawyer Tanveer Ahmed Mir.

The appeal remained buried in court files even as he obtained interim bail to appear in various academic exams, whose certificates continued to show his date of birth as September 9, 1988, suggesting he was a minor when the offence was committed.

“The appeal was filed in 2005 and ought to have been disposed within 30 days under the Juvenile Justice Act but it remained pending for long. The Board gave erroneous judgment based on documents presented by the prosecution without sending the accused for the mandatory ossification test,” Mir argued before the court.

On March 22 this year, the ASJ allowed his appeal and ordered the ossification test. The test conducted by the doctors of Deen Dayal Upadhaya Hospital found his present age to be between 22-25 years. While the prosecution stressed on the upper limit, the judge relied on HC judgments and provisions of Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Rules, 2007 and emphasised on the lower limit. “The age of the accused was approximately 14 years on the date of the incident,” the ASJ said.

Subsequently he was shifted from Tihar to Juvenile home on August 1 and was produced before the Juvenile Board on Saturday.

“After seven long years, he will breathe free air,” said his brother, who with his mother came from UP to receive him.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/court-frees-youth-from-tihar-says-he-was-a-minor-when-jailed-7-years-ago/828219/0