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Bhima Koregaon case: SC junks NIA’s plea challenging bail to Sudha Bharadwaj

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 The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against bail to activist Sudha Bharadwaj in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case.

A bench headed by Justice U.U. Lalit after hearing detailed arguments by Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, representing the NIA, dismissed the appeal by the premiere investigating agency.

The bench, also comprising Justices Ravindra Bhat and Bela Trivedi said there was no reason to interfere with the Bombay High Court order.

The NIA on Monday urged the Supreme Court to urgently list its petition challenging the Bombay High Court, which granted default bail to activist Sudha Bharadwaj in the Bhima Koregaon case.

On December 1, the Bombay High Court granted bail to Bharadwaj in the Bhima Koregaon caste violence case. However, it refused to entertain bail pleas of the other eight accused — Rona Wilson, Varavara Rao, Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira.

All the accused are lodged at the Taloja Central Jail.

A division bench comprising Justices S.S. Shinde and N.J. Jamadar directed that Bharadwaj should be produced before the Special NIA Court on Wednesday which will impose the bail conditions and finalise her release.

It had noted that a special court designated under the NIA Act already existed in Pune, as a result, the sessions judge had no jurisdiction to extend the detention beyond the stipulated 90 days.

Bharadwaj is the first among the 16 activists arrested in the case to be granted default bail. Earlier, another accused P. Varavara Rao was granted bail on medical grounds, while accused Fr. Stan Lourduswamy passed away in custody in July after a prolonged illness.

Hailing from Chhattisgarh, Bharadwaj, 60, has been in jail since August 2018 after her arrest from New Delhi by the Pune Police which was probing the twin case.

Crime

Maloney arrested with 7.2 million worth of ganja and pistol, five others

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Mumbai Maloni Police has claimed to have arrested five accused including ganja worth Rs 72 lakhs and a country-made pistol and live cartridges. In Maloni, the police had arrested Ashiq Hussain Khan with 1 kg 60 grams of ganja. He said that he buys this drug from Nashik. After that, Santosh More of Nashik was arrested. After that, a total of four accused were arrested in this case and a case was registered against them under the NDPS Act. A car was searched in Maloni Madh in which a country-made pistol and ganja were recovered. This operation was carried out by DCP Sandeep Jadhav on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti. The police is investigating the matter further.

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Crime

Bihar: Nine Years After Journalist Rajdev Ranjan’s Murder, CBI Court Convicts Three And Acquits Three Accused In Siwan Case

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Patna: Nine years after the murder of senior journalist Rajdev Ranjan in Bihar’s Siwan, the Special CBI Court in Muzaffarpur on Saturday convicted three accused while acquitting three others.

On May 13, 2016, Rajdev Ranjan, then bureau chief of a leading Hindi daily, was shot dead in Siwan.

He was returning from a hospital visit when assailants opened fire, hitting him with two bullets that proved fatal on the spot.

His wife, Asha Yadav, lodged the FIR at the Siwan Town police station, and suspicion soon pointed towards jailed RJD strongman and former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, though charges were later framed against other accused.

The case was later taken over by the CBI, which filed a chargesheet against seven accused, excluding Shahabuddin.

Shahabuddin, considered the main accused, died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The trial involved six accused – Azharuddin alias Laddan Mian, Rohit Kumar Soni, Vijay Kumar Gupta, Sonu Kumar Gupta, Rajesh Kumar, and Rishu Kumar Jaiswal.

Another accused was declared a juvenile, with his case being heard separately.

After nearly eight years of proceedings, during which the CBI examined 69 witnesses and presented 111 pieces of evidence, District and Additional Sessions Judge-3 Namita Singh delivered the judgment.

As per the judgement, Azharuddin alias Laddan Mian, Rajesh Kumar and Rishu Kumar Jaiswal were acquitted while Vijay Kumar Gupta, Sonu Kumar Gupta and Rohit Kumar Soni were found guilty.

Defence lawyer Sharad Sinha told reporters that the court acquitted three accused due to lack of evidence, while the remaining three were found guilty of the journalist’s murder.

The high-profile case, once linked to Shahabuddin’s political clout in Siwan, was initially heard at the Special Court (MP/MLA cases) in Patna before being shifted to the CBI Court in Muzaffarpur.

The sentencing of the three convicted accused is expected in the coming days.

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Crime

Virar Building Collapse: 5 People Arrested In Connection With Case; Probe Handed Over To Crime Branch

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Palghar: The investigation into the collapse of the Ramabai building in Virar, which claimed 17 lives earlier this week, has been handed over to the Crime Branch Unit 3.

Initially, builder Nittal Gopinath Sane (48) was arrested in connection with the case. Following further inquiry, police have also taken into custody Shubhangi Bhoir (38), Sandhya Patil (35), Surendra Bhoir (46), and Mangesh Patil (35) — the daughters and son-in-law of the late landowner Parshuram Dalvi. All five accused are scheduled to be produced before the Vasai Sessions Court on Saturday.

According to investigators, Dalvi had entered into an agreement with developer Sane for the construction of the building between 2008 and 2011. In 2020, the municipal corporation had issued a notice citing the need for repairs. Officials have confirmed that the structure was illegal.

On Tuesday, tragedy struck when the building collapsed, killing 17 residents and leaving several others injured. The probe is focusing on negligence, accountability of the landowners, and the role of the developer in the unauthorized construction.

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