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‘Devoid of merit’, SC junks Zakia Jafri’s plea against clean chit to Modi in 2002 Gujarat riots

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 The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed during the violence at Ahmedabad’s Gulberg Society in 2002, challenging the SIT’s clean chit to the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others during the riots in the state.

A bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T. Ravikumar upheld the decision of the magistrate in accepting the final report submitted by the SIT and rejecting the protest petition.

The bench said the appeal filed by Zakia Jafri is “devoid of merits and deserved to be dismissed”.

Detailed judgment in the matter will be uploaded later in the day. In December last year, the top court had reserved the verdict on Jafri’s plea.

During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the SIT, submitted that the top court should endorse the decision taken by the Gujarat High Court on Jafri’s plea. He added that it will become an endless exercise, being pushed by some motives of social activist Teesta Setalvad — the second petitioner in the petition.

Concluding the arguments, Rohatgi submitted before the bench that nobody had “raised a finger” against it on the probe in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Jafri challenged the 2017 Gujarat High Court order rejecting her plea against the SIT decision.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, cited work done by Setalvad’s organisations and added that to paint somebody anti-Gujarat is unfair. Sibal said this is yet another occasion when the majesty of the law is being tested and he is not keen on targeting anybody and emphasized that it was SIT’s task to find out who the offenders were, if any offence has been committed.

He said the matter can be closed, if nobody did it and all this happened without anybody doing it, in the backdrop of the material before the court. “But if you feel that offences have been committed then who is responsible is a matter of investigation,” Sibal said.

The SIT gave a clean chit to Modi and in 2017, the Gujarat High Court upheld the clean chit. Zakia Jafri moved the top court challenging the Gujarat High Court order.

Rohatgi had contended that allegations have become wilder over the years, and emphasized that SIT diligently investigated each and every allegation, made recommendations for prosecution of many who had earlier been left out. He had submitted that allegations about a larger conspiracy were found to be based on the statements of three tainted police officers — R.B. Sreekumar, Rahul Sharma and Sanjiv Bhat.

Crime

Nashik TCS conversion case: Key accused Nida Khan arrested in Maharashtra

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Mumbai, May 8: Nida Khan, one of the main accused in the alleged religious conversion and harassment case linked to the Nashik office of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), was arrested by Maharashtra Police after evading authorities for days.

According to officials, Khan was apprehended on Thursday from a residential apartment in Kaiser Colony located in the Naregaon area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. She had reportedly been staying there with her parents, brother, and aunt for the past few days. Police teams had been monitoring the location for nearly two days before carrying out the operation.

The arrest was conducted jointly by the Nashik Special Investigation Team (SIT), the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Police Commissionerate, and the Crime Branch. Investigators said a dedicated team had been formed under the supervision of senior officers because of the seriousness and sensitivity of the case.

Police officials stated that Khan was traced using technical surveillance and intelligence-based inputs. After being detained following legal formalities, she was produced before a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for transit remand proceedings. She was later taken to Nashik for further interrogation and legal action.

In a statement, the SIT confirmed that Khan was wanted in connection with a case registered at Devlali Camp Police Station under Crime Register No. 156/26. Officials said the arrest was made under provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

According to police sources, an investigation into various facets of the case is ongoing, and additional relevant information is being gathered through the interrogation of the accused. Should the involvement of any other individuals come to light during this investigation, appropriate action will be initiated against them as per the law.

According to NDTV, Khan had earlier approached a Nashik court seeking anticipatory bail and temporary protection from arrest, citing that she was two months pregnant. However, the court reportedly refused to grant interim relief.

The controversy emerged after a woman employee working at the TCS office in Nashik lodged a complaint against her colleague, Danish Sheikh. The complainant alleged that Sheikh entered into a physical relationship with her after promising marriage, despite already being married to another woman.

Police documents state that Nida Khan, who is Danish Sheikh’s sister, allegedly made offensive remarks about the complainant’s religion and pressured her to convert to her faith. Investigators further claimed that Khan and another accused, Tausif Akhtar, concealed Sheikh’s marital status from the complainant.

As the probe progressed, several more women reportedly came forward with allegations of harassment against senior employees at the Nashik branch. The women claimed they faced mental and sexual harassment between February 2022 and March 2026, while their complaints were allegedly ignored by the human resources department.

So far, police have arrested seven individuals in connection with the case.

After the matter came to light, TCS released an official statement on X — clarifying that Nida Khan is neither an HR manager nor has been responsible for recruitment. She was serving as a process associate and did not hold any leadership responsibilities.

The IT giant also said that it had not received any complaints through its internal channels on the matter.

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Crime

Navi Mumbai Shocker: Stepfather Booked For Rape Of Minor After Victim Discloses Two-Year Abuse During His Judicial Custody In Separate Case

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Navi Mumbai: Panvel City police have registered a case against a 34-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting his 15-year-old stepdaughter over two years in Panvel. The accused has been booked under rape charges and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police said the minor was living with her mother and stepfather in Panvel. The abuse began in August 2024 when the accused allegedly assaulted her while she was alone at home. He reportedly threatened to kill her if she told anyone, causing her to stay silent for two years.

The case came to light after the accused was arrested on April 15 in a separate assault case involving a fight with neighbors. While in judicial custody at Taloja jail, the victim disclosed the abuse to her mother, leading to a formal complaint at Panvel City police station.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case against the accused under sections 64(1) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act.

Assistant Police Inspector Rajendra Ghevdekar is investigating the case under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Nitin Thakare. The accused remains in judicial custody, and further legal proceedings are underway.

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Crime

45-Year-Old Peon Arrested For Allegedly Touching 6-Year-Old Student Inappropriately In School In Mumbai Govandi

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Mumbai: An incident has come to light from a renowned school in Govandi, where a 45-year-old peon has been arrested for inappropriately touching a 6-year-old student.

The accused, identified as Rajesh Mahakal, had allegedly been misbehaving with the child for the past year. He allegedly took the child to an empty room inside the school premises and touched him inappropriately.

The matter came to light after the child informed his family about the incident. Following this, the family immediately approached the Govandi police station and lodged a complaint against the accused.

Taking serious note of the complaint, the police registered a case against the peon and arrested him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police officials told Media that they have launched a further investigation into the matter by reviewing CCTV and interrogating staff.

This comes a few months after the Malad police arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly molesting a 4-year-old student at a private school in Malad West. The incident occurred on January 12, and the police arrested the accused on February 6.

The accused, who worked as a peon at the school, was booked under the POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) for allegedly inappropriately touching the child. The minor shared the ordeal with her parents, who then approached the police. After registering the case, the police subsequently arrested the man.

The court has remanded him to police custody for one day. Meanwhile, the police asked the school trustee for CCTV footage, but the trustee denied the request and had not informed the police in time. Subsequently, the police registered a case against the trustee as well. 

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