Connect with us
Saturday,19-April-2025
Breaking News

National News

Bombay High Court says, ‘Speeding not an offence, rash driving is’

Published

on

The Bombay High Court has upheld acquittal of a man whose car allegedly killed a cyclist and a bullock observing that driving a car speedily is not an offence; the act is punishable only if it is rash and negligent.

“Act of driving is punishable only when it is rash and negligent. Rashness implies speed which is unwarranted. Whereas the act of negligence involves not taking proper care and paying attention while driving,” observed Justice SM Modak early this month.

The HC was hearing appeal challenging acquittal of a Kuldeep Pawar
The HC was hearing an appeal filed by the State government challenging the acquittal of one Kuldeep Pawar.

According to the prosecution, on November 1, 2009, at 8.30am, Vasant Desai, owner of a bullock cart, and one Balaso Mane were cycling on a road near village Tasgaon. At the time, Pawar drove by in his Tata Sumo, at a speed, and allegedly dashed into the bullock and then into Mane. The police charged Pawar with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Pawar was acquitted on August 24, 2011. The state approached the HC challenging his acquittal. One of the passers-by testified that the car came speedily when it dashed against Mane and the bullock.

However, Justice Modak observed that the evidence has to be appreciated on the basis of other available materials.

Judge noted speed alone is not punishable
The judge noted that speed alone is not punishable unless the car is driven rashly and negligently.

The HC noted that the bullock cart owner and one of the eye witnesses gave completely opposite statements as far the directions of the bullock cart were concerned. That is, whether the art was heading south to north or vice-versa. The cart owner said he was going from north to south.

According to the spot panchanama, the bullock cart was lying on the southern side and facing the eastern flank. The panch witness, however, said that the bullock cart was found on the northern side of the road.

The HC noted that it could not conclude the directions in which the car, the bullock cart and the cyclist were going.

“With the assistance of both the sides (prosecution and accused), I am trying to understand the direction as per documentary evidence and the oral evidence. We have tried to understand it from various angles but we could not arrive at a particular conclusion,” noted justice Modak.

Advocate for Pawar said investigating officer is not an eye-witness
Aashish Satpute, advocate for Pawar, submitted that there were tea stalls at the accident spot; however, statements of none of these independent eye-witnesses were recorded by the police. The policeman, who was examined by the prosecution, is not an eye-witness to the incident and his evidence is only relevant to what he has seen after the incident, added Satpute.

The court felt that it was “really a strange state of affairs” — that, neither the Investigating Officer has prepared a map/rough sketch, nor “the trial court has taken pains in recording directions correctly in the evidence”.

“It is true that the consequences of the accident are the death of the bullock and the bicycle driver. For want of evidence, the trial court could not come to the conclusion about rash and negligent driving by the respondent. Even this court is unable to come to that conclusion for the above reasons,” said the HC while upholding Pawar’s acquittal.

National News

Dawoodi Bohra community met PM Modi, said thank you for the Waqf law

Published

on

Delhi News: A delegation of the Dawoodi Bohra community met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (April 17). During this, the Dawoodi Bohra community expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recently passing the Waqf Amendment Act 2025. The community described the Waqf Amendment Act as a long-pending demand. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju was also present with the Prime Minister during this meeting.

The delegation of the Dawoodi Bohra community, who came to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that this law was being demanded for a long time through the Dawoodi Bohra community, which has now been fulfilled by the government. The delegation said that this has strengthened the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’.

PM Modi gave this assurance
The delegation of the Dawoodi Bohra community met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed its full faith in the policy of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’. He said that the decisions taken by the government promote the inclusion and progress of all sections. The delegation appreciated the positive changes taking place under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and thanked him for his efforts. The Prime Minister also interacted with the representatives of the community and appreciated their contribution and assured that the government is committed to the equal development of all communities.

Who is the Dawoodi Bohra community
The Dawoodi Bohra community belongs to the Muslim sect, which is mainly from West India and whose members are settled in more than 40 countries of the world. The Dawoodi Bohra community connects its heritage to the Fatimi Imams, direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad in Egypt. Dawoodi Bohras around the world are guided by their leader Al-Dai al-Mutlaq (unrestricted preacher), who earlier operated from Yemen and has been operating from India for the last 450 years.

Continue Reading

Crime

Put under house arrest again, says Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

Published

on

Srinagar, April 18: Senior religious and Huriyat Conference (HC) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said on Friday that authorities have placed him under house arrest, thereby denying him the right to offer congregational prayers during the day.

Mirwaiz Farooq said on X, “Every Friday I am put under arbitrary house arrest ! Putting pressure on me not to speak up, the ban also aims to weaken the centrality of Muslim institutions of the valley-the Jama Masjid, office of the Mirwaiz, and cause collective grief to Muslims and all those who oppose this authoritarian and sectarian outlook. My house detention case is still pending in court, where I am seeking relief from the Hon’ble High Court, but In such times patience remains our only strength.”

Mirwaiz traditionally delivers the Friday sermon at the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of old Srinagar city. He also heads the Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam, a religious organisation that runs some educational institutions in Kashmir, including the Islamia High School in Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last month declared the Mirwaiz-headed Awami Action Committee (ACC) a banned organisation for five years. The ACC was formed in 1963 during the Holy Relic agitation by Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq. After the elder Mirwaiz was assassinated in 1990 by the terrorists, the ACC came to be headed by his son, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The MHA order said that the ACC has been encouraging youth to violence and is acting in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the state.

Mirwaiz Farooq, who is the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, has witnessed the desertion of several affiliates. As many as 12 Hurriyat-linked organisations have broken off from secessionism, reposing trust in the Constitution of India.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that “separatism has become history in Kashmir”, and the unifying policies of the Modi government have eliminated separatism in J&K. He has also said this is a victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

Continue Reading

Crime

Harpreet Singh, responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, arrested by FBI

Published

on

Chandigarh, April 18: National Investigation Agency (NIA) charge-sheeted Harpreet Singh, accused of carrying out terror attacks in Punjab, has been arrested by the US security agencies – the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations in California’s Sacramento.

The FBI said on Friday that Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, entered the US illegally and used burner phones to evade capture.

Hailing from Passia village in Ajnala, the terrorist has been linked to at least 16 grenade attacks in Punjab, targeting police posts, religious sites, and residences.

On March 23, the NIA chargesheeted four terror operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist organisation in the 2024 Chandigarh grenade attack case.

The chargesheeted accused include Pakistan-based designated individual terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, and US-based Happy Passia.

Sandhu and Passia were the primary handlers and conspirators behind the attack. They had provided logistical support, terror funds, weapons, and ammunition to India-based on-ground operatives in Chandigarh for executing the grenade attack, said the NIA.

The September 2024 attack was intended to target a retired officer of the Punjab Police, whom the assailants believed to be the occupant of the house.

NIA investigations revealed that Rinda, along with Passia, had orchestrated the conspiracy to strike terror among law enforcement officials and the public through the grenade attack, as part of the broader aim to promote BKI’s terrorist agenda.

They had recruited local operatives, Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, who were tasked with carrying out the attack on their direct instructions.

Rinda and Passia directed the other accused, Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, to conduct reconnaissance on the target twice before hurling the grenade, investigations revealed.

In the chargesheet filed before the Special NIA Court in Chandigarh, all four accused have been charged under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, and other related provisions, for their roles in planning and supporting the attack.

Investigations in the case are continuing, and the NIA is trying to track down other members of the BKI terror group and dismantle its network in India.

Continue Reading

Trending