Crime
Gag on POSH cases: After 6 months, Bombay HC says it’s ‘case specific’

Nearly six months after a complete ‘gag’ order to media reporting and uploading of judgements on cases pertaining to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (POSH) Act, 2013, the Bombay High Court has clarified that it was ‘case specific’ and not applicable to all matters under the (POSH) act.
Justice G.S. Patel, who had passed the earlier order of September 24, 2021, acknowledged that “it remained to be specifically noted in that order that “the directions had to be confined” to that particular case and could not have any wider or larger applicability.
Justice Patil further noted that any such rules of general applicability would have to be approved by the full court, and a single judge hearing a particular matter within his rostered assignment has “no authority or jurisdiction to issue any rules binding the entire court”.
“It is only the full court or the Chief Justice which or who can do that. Very possibly, such rules might even have been required to be notified in the official gazette. None of this was in contemplation at any time on September 24, 2021,” Justice Patil added.
The clarifications came on Thursday while disposing an intervention application filed by the Forum Against Oppression of Women under the impressions that the guidelines were general in nature.
FAOW senior advocate Indira Jaisingh contended that these guidelines were not only against the letter and spirit of the POSH Act, but also contrary to the very concept of open courts, which are an essential aspect of judicial determinations globally, and now it was being cited by men in other cases.
In the previous order (IANS – Sept 27, 2021), Justice Patel had said all such matters shall be heard either “in camera” or in the judge’s chambers, orders cannot be passed in open court, or uploaded on the high court’s official website, and the media has been prohibited from reporting the proceedings or the verdicts without the court’s permission.
Virtually making POSH cases at par with the existing guidelines in rape cases, the order warned that violation of the same or publishing the concerned party’s names or other details, even if in the public domain, would be treated as contempt of court.
He observed that since there are no set guidelines for such matters, his initial order would set a working protocol for the future orders, hearings, case file management, and would be revised or modified, as needed.
The ‘minimum guidelines’ issued dealt with the format of filing orders in POSH cases, the filing protocols, grant of access by the registry, hearings, directions to the certified copy department, public access, breach, etc.
“Both sides and all parties and advocates, as also witnesses, are forbidden from disclosing the contents of any order, judgment, or filing to the media or publishing any such material in any mode or fashion by any means, including social media, without specific leave of the court,” the court said on the media disclosure part.
Justice Patel added that it was imperative to protect the identities of the parties from disclosure, even accidental disclosure in such proceedings, in the interests of both sides, and the endeavour would be to “anonymise the identities of the parties”.
The orders came in a hearing of a POSH case involving a major blue-chip company and its woman staffer — who was represented by advocate Abha Singh.
The other highlights were: Parties’ names shall be replaced with “A v B”, etc., the order will mention them as only ‘Plaintiff, Defendant No. 1, etc.’, no reference to any ‘personally identifiable information (PII) like email, mobile or phone numbers, addresses, etc,’ and ‘no witness names and addresses’ shall be mentioned.
All orders/judgements would be delivered in private, not in open court but only in the judge’s chambers or in camera, with online or hybrid facility not allowed, in the presence of the litigants and lawyers and others including most of the court staff to leave the court.
“Orders can’t be published without court’s direction, and if any order is to be released into public domain, it will require a specific order of the court. This will be on the condition that only the fully anonymised version of the order of judgement is let into the public domain for publication,” said Justice Patel in the earlier order.
It forbade both sides, all parties and advocates and witnesses from disclosing the contents of any order, judgment, or filing to the media or publishing any such material in any mode or fashion by any means, including social media, without specific leave of the court, as per the guidelines.
There are strict restrictions barring anyone other than the Advocate-on-Record to inspect or copy any filings/orders, the entire record will be kept sealed and not handed over to anybody without the court’s order, witness depositions would be strictly not uploaded under any circumstances, and so on.
Crime
ED conducts raids in Rs 200-crore bank fraud, benami assets case linked to Sasikala

Chennai, Sep 18: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday launched extensive searches in Chennai and Hyderabad in connection with a money laundering probe into an alleged Rs 200 crore bank fraud and benami property dealings linked to V. K. Sasikala, the confidante of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
Officials confirmed that the searches covered at least ten locations across the two cities.
The premises, according to the source, are connected to a businessman who has been identified as an alleged benami of Sasikala. The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The investigation stems from a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had earlier filed an FIR over what it described as fraudulent banking transactions running into hundreds of crores.
Acting on this, the ED initiated its own money laundering probe to trace the flow of funds and identify properties suspected to have been acquired through illegal means or in the names of benami holders.
Sources said officials are seizing documents, financial records, property deeds and electronic evidence from the searched locations. These materials will be examined to establish links between the bank fraud and assets allegedly concealed through benami arrangements.
While the extent of seizures is not yet clear, officials indicated that the raids were aimed at unearthing the full scale of transactions connected to the case.
The action once again puts Sasikala back in the spotlight. A key player in Tamil Nadu politics for decades, she has previously faced allegations and legal battles over disproportionate assets.
The ED’s current move revives scrutiny into her financial networks, particularly through associates and business entities suspected to have acted as fronts.
Investigators are likely to expand the probe depending on the findings from the ongoing searches. If evidence of laundering or concealment is confirmed, assets may be provisionally attached under PMLA, and further charges could follow.
The raids have drawn political attention as well, with observers noting that the timing and the scale of the operation underscore the central agency’s renewed focus on high-profile economic offences in Tamil Nadu.
Crime
Thane Crime: Shahapur Police Arrest 2 Individuals For Beating 47-Year-Old Man To Death Over Petty Dispute

Thane: The Shahapur Police have arrested two individuals for allegedly assaulting a man to death over a petty dispute. The deceased has been identified as Ramdash Gorkhane (47), a resident of Pradhan Pada in Shahapur, Thane district.
The accused have been identified as Sunil Nimase and Dhananjay Sugir. The body was found at Ratandale village near the Nagpur–Samruddhi Expressway on Tuesday.
According to the police, the victim and four accused were drinking a liquor together when they later went to the victim’s residence to take a villager’s hen. An altercation broke out, which escalated into physical violence.
The accused allegedly dragged the victim into their Scorpio car and assaulted him with fists and blows about 1.5 km from the spot. Later they have dumped him in unconscious condition at the location and fled the scene.
The body was discovered on Tuesday morning by villagers. Local villagers alerted the police, who rushed to the scene and sent him to a nearby hospital in Shahapur, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Mukesh Dhage, Senior Police Inspector of Shahapur Police Station, said, “So far, we have arrested two accused and launched a manhunt for the remaining suspects. Based on information from the victim’s nephew, a murder case has been registered. Further investigation is underway.”
Crime
Mumbai Police Bust Fake Goregaon Call Centre Defrauding Foreigners; 13 Held

The Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 12 has uncovered a major scam targeting foreign nationals, following a raid on an unauthorised call centre in Goregaon. The update was first shared by Mumbai Police on X, highlighting how unsuspecting victims were tricked into paying large sums of money under the pretext of antivirus software renewal.
Investigations revealed that the accused were sending fraudulent emails, posing as legitimate antivirus renewal alerts. Once the victims responded, they were coerced into purchasing gift cards ranging between $250 and $500. These cards were then redeemed and converted into cryptocurrency, making it nearly impossible for victims to track their losses.
The racket primarily preyed on foreign nationals unfamiliar with the setup. Officials said the scam was designed to create panic among users by suggesting that their computer security had expired, pressuring them into making quick payments.
During the raid, police seized 15 desktop computers, 10 laptops, and 20 mobile phones used to run the fraudulent operations. Documents and data recovered from the systems are now being examined to determine the scale of the fraud and to identify additional victims.
Thirteen individuals have been arrested in connection with the racket. This includes two owners who were running the operation, one manager overseeing daily activities, and ten tele-caller agents responsible for contacting and convincing the victims. Police said the arrests mark a significant step in cracking down on cybercrime networks exploiting international victims.
The Mumbai Police emphasised that this bust highlights the evolving nature of cybercrime and the need for continuous vigilance. Authorities added that further investigations are underway to uncover links with larger international fraud syndicates.
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