Crime
Bombay HC: No evidence of conspiracy, common intent against Aryan Khan
The Bombay High Court has ruled that there was “no prima facie evidence” against Aryan Khan and co-accused Munmun Dhamecha and Arbaaz Merchant for charges pertaining to ‘conspiracy’ and ‘common intent’ in the case lodged against after the cruise ship raids.
Delivering the detailed 14-page order, Justice Nitin Sambre said that considering the material brought on record by the NCB, the court has not found that prima facie, there was no positive evidence against the accused trio.
It may be recalled that Khan, Dhamecha and Merchant were granted conditional bail by the high court on October 28 vide a speaking order and the detailed order was made available only today.
Justice Sambre further said that the NCB claim on the common intention to commit an offence under the NDPS Act, (accused) found to be in possession of commercial quantity of drugs and hatching conspiracy is “liable to be rejected”.
The court said that merely because the accused trio was travelling on the cruise cannot be grounds to invoke the offence under Section 29 (criminal conspiracy) against them.
“This court is required to be sensitive to the fact that there has to be presence of basic material in the form of evidence so as to substantiate the case of conspiracy against the applicants (accused),” Justice Sambre noted.
He further said that no drugs were found on Khan, while the quantity recovered from Dhamecha and Merchant were ‘small’ under the NDPS Act
Under such circumstances, in order to invoke the offence of conspiracy against the accused, there has to be positive evidence about an agreement to do an unlawful act, or to do lawful act by unlawful means, and such agreement must precede with meeting of minds, but there is no such material in this case, said the court.
Even the WhatsApp chats of Aryan Khan, or all the three accused had nothing objectionable or suggesting a conspiracy with the other accused in a meeting of minds to hatch a conspiracy and commit offences under the NDPS Act.
Justice Sambre said that the probe till date suggested that the accused trio were travelling independently and there was no ‘meeting of minds’ on the issue, as contended by the NCB.
Accordingly, since there was no offence of conspiracy, the rigours of NDPS Act Section 37 on grant of bail would not apply here, the court said, granting bail to Khan, Dhamecha and Merchant last month.
Crime
Priyanka Gandhi office warns against her deepfake videos asking people to invest money

New Delhi, Sep 10: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday urged people to stay cautious of misleading and fabricated videos allegedly featuring her and asked them not to fall prey to fraudulent and deceitful calls for investment in real estate projects or any other futuristic ventures.
Priyanka Gandhi’s office flagged the issue after her deepfake videos surfaced and were seen in circulation on multiple social media platforms.
It has urged the Congress leader’s followers and others to neither click on those posts nor give consent to any requests made in the AI-generated video.
Issuing a formal scam alert on Instagram, Priyanka Gandhi’s office warned the public against fake, AI-generated videos that have apparently used her face and voice to cheat the people and hoodwink them into fraudulent investments.
“Fake videos using AI-generated images and voice of Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ji is circulating on WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media platforms asking people to invest money,” Cong MP’s office informed on its Insta handle.
“These are scams. Please do not click or invest,” it further said.
The Congress MP also asked the people to block such posts at the first instance and also report them to the relevant authorities for suitable action.
Such scams using deepfake and AI-generated videos of famous personalities have mushroomed in the past few years, making many gullible investors prone to huge financial losses.
A deepfake video is made by using AI to simulate a person’s face and voice, making it a facsimile copy of the target.
The scammers distort and misuse the cutting-edge technology to generate misleading videos, featuring unauthorised images of prominent figures and then try to rob people of their money.
In the recent past, deepfake videos of industrialists like Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani also surfaced, where the online scammers and fraudsters used AI-doctored videos to lure citizens into fraudulent investment traps, leading to huge losses to investors.
Crime
Gujarat courts deliver 1,785 POCSO verdicts in five years; 908 get life term

Gandhinagar, Sep 10: Gujarat courts have delivered 1,785 verdicts in cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act between 2022 and August 2026, with 908 accused sentenced to life imprisonment and 16 handed death sentences, according to figures released by the state government.
The pace of proceedings has also strengthened, with police filing chargesheets in most POCSO cases within 45 days and fast-track courts taking up cases for early trial.
In one recent case in Kalol, a Special POCSO Court sentenced a 42-year-old man to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life within 72 hours of the police filing the chargesheet in connection with the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.
The number of judgments rose from 194 in 2022 to 499 in 2025. In the first eight months of 2026, courts have already delivered 346 judgments, including 241 life sentences and two death sentences.
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said the state had adopted a “zero-tolerance” approach towards sexual offences against children and is working to ensure that victims and their families did not have to wait for years for justice.
“There can be no mercy or leniency for anyone who casts an evil eye on girls in Gujarat. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state government has established fast-track courts and a robust legal framework for POCSO cases. As a result, victims and their families are now receiving speedy justice—not in months or years, but within a matter of days,” Sanghavi said.
Referring to the Kalol case, he said the verdict within 72 hours of the filing of the chargesheet reflected the quality of investigation by the Gujarat Police and the approach of the judiciary.
“Reaching a verdict within just 72 hours of the filing of a chargesheet is the result of the excellent and scientific investigation carried out by the Gujarat Police and the strict and commendable approach of the judiciary. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Gujarat Police and the judiciary. Our clear resolve is to ensure that such offenders receive the strictest possible punishment, setting a strong example for society,” he said.
Director General of Police (DGP), G.S. Malik, said investigations into POCSO cases are being conducted with sensitivity while maintaining speed and strictness.
“To ensure speedy justice for victims and their families, the police are particularly focussing on a three-pronged approach of ‘thorough investigation, strict action and speedy justice’ during the investigation process,” Malik said.
According to the police, each POCSO case is being monitored to ensure that chargesheets are filed promptly and cases are transferred to fast-track courts without unnecessary delay.
Over the past five years, chargesheets were filed within one to 15 days in 140 POCSO cases, while investigations were completed within 16 to 30 days in 1,339 cases.
Another 5,463 cases saw chargesheets filed within 31 to 45 days.
The figures indicate that a large majority of POCSO investigations are being completed within the 45-day period, allowing trials to commence sooner and courts to decide cases at a faster pace.
Crime
Pune group seeks action against trolls targeting woman who complained against influencer Santosh Pandit

Pune, Sep 10: A group of people have approached the Pune Police seeking action against social media users who allegedly posted derogatory and objectionable comments targeting a woman who had lodged a complaint against social media influencer Santosh Pandit, police said on Thursday.
Pandit has been accused of making allegedly derogatory remarks against Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil and Pune Municipal Corporation corporator Mitali Kuldeep Salvekar.
Following a complaint filed by Sarika Kamble, who works with the Pune Municipal Corporation, a case was registered against Pandit at the Kothrud police station.
The issue took a further turn after members of the Bhau Foundation approached the Kothrud police station on Monday, seeking action against social media users who allegedly targeted Kamble after she filed the complaint against the influencer.
The organisation alleged that Kamble became the target of derogatory remarks and abusive comments on social media simply because she approached the police over remarks that she considered offensive and objectionable.
Tanisha Patil of Bhau Foundation condemned the derogatory and objectionable comments made against Kamble through social media and sought strict action against the trolls.
“We condemn the manner in which derogatory comments have been made through social media. Police should take strict action against such trolls. We will also lodge a complaint with Meta in this regard,” Patil said.
The organisation said that individuals should not be subjected to online abuse or personal attacks for approaching law enforcement authorities and raising concerns over remarks they find offensive. It urged the police to take appropriate action against the social media users involved in the alleged online harassment of Kamble.
The Bhau Foundation said it would also pursue the matter with Meta, the parent company of social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, seeking action over the allegedly objectionable content targeting Kamble.
Santosh Pandit was arrested from his residence in Pune on September 3 in connection with a case of posting obscene and sexually suggestive content targeting Minister Patil and corporator Mitali Kuldeep Salvekar.
According to the complaint, Pandit allegedly uploaded objectionable posts and videos on his YouTube account, ‘@SantoshPandit6278’, targeting Chandrakant Patil and Mitali Salvekar.
Officials said that legal proceedings are underway, and further details are awaited.
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