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Judicial system should be Indianised; Process shouldn’t be like wedding mantras: CJI

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The Indian justice delivery system should be Indianised for the benefit of the country’s population, said Chief Justice of India N.V.Ramana on Saturday.

He also said people should relate and understand the practices, procedures of the courts, the development of the case and efforts should be made towards that.

“It should not be like chanting of mantras in a wedding which most of us do not understand,” Ramana said.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying function at the Madras High Court here, Ramana stated that Indian people look up to the judiciary in times of distress with a firm belief that their rights will be protected by the courts.

Ramana said it is necessary to contemplate on how to improve the functioning of the judiciary and reach out to the people to fulfill their judicial needs.

“This is precisely why I have been a strong proponent of Indianisation of the justice delivery system,” he said.

According to him, Indianisation of the justice delivery system is a moulding of the judicial system for the benefit of Indian people and is a multi-dimensional concept.

“It calls for inclusivity, providing access to people to participate in the proceedings, removal of language barriers, reforms in practice and procedure, development of infrastructure, filling up of vacancies, augmenting the strength of judiciary and so on,” he said.

He said a Judicial Infrastructure Authority both at the national and state level should be set up to implement a National Court Development Project.

“I have sent a comprehensive proposal to the Government of India. It is pending with the Government,” Ramana said.

On the judicial vacancies, he said a proposal has been sent to the central government – to increase the sanctioned strength of judges and fill up the vacancies.

Another issue of Indianisation of the judicial system is the language used in the court.

The common citizen cannot relate to the practices, procedures of our courts. Efforts should be to make the general population an active part of the justice delivery process. The people should understand the ongoing process and development of the case.

“It should not be like chanting of mantras in a wedding which most of us do not understand,” Ramana said.

On the demand for use of regional language in the High Courts as provided in the Constitution, Ramana said it has been debated several times.

There were certain processes that prevented local languages from being adopted in the High Court proceedings. I am sure with the innovation in science and technology and the advancement such as artificial intelligence, some of the issues associated with the introduction of languages in the High Court may be solved in near future, he said.

The practice of law before constitutional courts should be based on one’s intelligence and understanding of law and not mere proficiency in language.

It is time some decisions are taken on these issues after assessment of pros and cons.

Inclusivity is one of the dimensions of Indianisation. Any profession having representation from all classes and sections will be beneficial to all, he remarked.

A strong proponent of higher representation of women from all classes and at the levels in the judicial system Ramana also said inclusivity does not stop with that.

“The social and geographical diversity of a nation must find reflection at all levels of judiciary. Then people will feel it is their own judiciary. A judge with a rural background is better placed to appreciate issues concerning the rural population. A judge from the marginalised section can understand issues of marginalised section,” he added.

On the demand for setting up of regional benches of the Supreme Court Ramana said he was not aware of the central government’s views on the private member bill on the subject introduced by DMK MP P. Wilson.

He said in the same spirit of accessibility, in consultation with other judges in the Supreme Court, a decision has been taken to continue online hearing of miscellaneous cases. On non-miscellaneous cases an advocate can seek permission of the court to appear online.

“This will enable advocates from all over the country to continue their practice before the Supreme Court. I hope this practice continues,” Ramana said.

Crime

CBI arrests proclaimed offender in Bengal gold trader’s murder in 2007

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New Delhi, July 14: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested proclaimed offender Shibu Kumar Singh, one of the accused in the 2007 Sukanta Ghosh murder case, an official said.

He was arrested from his hideout at Raiganj Road in Gorakhpur’s South Gandhi Ashram, where he was living under the assumed name Akhilesh Kumar Shahi, the CBI official said in a statement.

The case was registered on the order of Calcutta High Court delivered on August 27, 2009.

After investigation, the CBI filed charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet on December 31, 2010, and November 14,2011, respectively, against Shibu Kumar Singh and three others, the statement said.

Absconding for several years, Shibu Kumar Singh was declared a proclaimed offender on September 15, 2016.

The accused was apprehended using human intelligence and technical inputs, the CBI said.

After obtaining a transit warrant, the accused will be taken to Kolkata for production before the competent court on Wednesday, the CBI added.

Barrackpore-based gold merchant Sukanta Ghosh was murdered on July 6, 2007.

The police found his body lying in a pool of blood with 18 stab wounds in Jawahar Kunja of Latbagan.

The police, after initial investigation, found that there was suspicion of the involvement of some goons allegedly working under the patronage of a Left legislator and his brothers.

The investigators found that the victim was murdered for refusing to pay protection or extortion money to the local mafia linked to the MLA.

During the investigation, the High Court had even directed the CBI to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the murder.

Justice Samapti Chatterjee had instructed the CBI to frame the SIT to reinvestigate the case that had initially been probed by the state police.

The High Court had directed that the SIT should be led by a CBI officer of the rank of Joint Director who would be responsible for providing updates to facilitate a court-monitored probe.

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National News

NIA chargesheets 6th accused in CPI-Maoist Magadh zone revival, extortion case

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New Delhi, July 14: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed its third chargesheet in a major conspiracy case, naming Chandan Kumar as the sixth accused in the revival of the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit’s activities in the Magadh zone of Jharkhand and the systematic extortion of funds from contractors to procure arms and ammunition.

The chargesheet was submitted before the NIA Special Court in Ranchi, Jharkhand, in connection with a case, which the anti-terror agency had registered suo motu in December 2021.

Chandan Kumar, arrested by the NIA from Mumbai in January 2026, is described as a key figure in the operation.

According to the NIA’s investigation, Chandan Kumar played an active role in raising funds for the CPI (Maoist) through extortion from contractors working in the region.

The agency’s probe revealed that these illicit funds were channelled through multiple routes to support the terror outfit’s activities, including the purchase of arms and ammunition.

Further investigations established that Chandan Kumar was also involved in efforts to revive the CPI (Maoist)’s Magadh Zone by mobilising and encouraging former cadres to re-join the organisation.

His alleged objective was to strengthen the group’s presence and propagate its ideology through violent means.

The chargesheet highlights that prominent SAC Member of CPI (Maoist), Pradyuman Sharma, along with other accused persons including Abhinav and Chandan Kumar, were part of the larger conspiracy to resurrect the banned organisation’s operational capabilities in the area.

The NIA’s findings point to a well-planned strategy by the Maoist group to regain influence in the Magadh region through financial extortion and cadre mobilisation.

The agency has gathered substantial evidence linking the accused to these terror-related activities.

This is the third charge-sheet filed by the NIA in the case so far, with six accused now formally charge-sheeted.

The central probe agency is continuing its investigation to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy, identify additional operatives, and trace the complete money trail.

The development underscores the NIA’s ongoing commitment to dismantling the financial and operational networks of Left-Wing Extremist organisations operating in the country. Officials indicated that further arrests and chargesheets may follow as the investigation progresses.

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Crime

Delhi Cyber Police bust mule bank account racket, arrest four in courier scam case

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New Delhi, July 14: The Cyber Police Station of North-East District, Delhi, has busted a mule bank account racket and arrested four persons in connection with a fraud case involving cheating of Rs 2.47 lakh on the pretext of a courier delivery company.

The arrested accused have been identified as Md. Arbaz Daniyal alias Labbu (20), Jimmy Bathla (41), Abdul Wadood (27), and Aniket Verma (25). Police said the accused were allegedly involved in operating and supplying mule bank accounts used to receive and transfer money obtained through cyber fraud.

According to the police, a case vide e-FIR No. 00194/2026 dated 16.06.2026 under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Cyber Police Station, North-East District, on the complaint of Satender, a resident of Babarpur, North-East Delhi, who works as Deputy General Manager (DGM) at Delhi Transco Limited (DTL).

Police said the complainant received a call from a fraudster impersonating a courier executive regarding the delivery of a parcel. The caller allegedly convinced him to dial a number and activate call and message forwarding on his mobile phone. As a result, incoming calls and SMSs, including banking OTPs, were diverted to numbers controlled by the fraudsters, allowing them to fraudulently withdraw Rs 2.47 lakh from his bank account.

During the investigation, police analysed financial transactions, technical evidence and field intelligence to trace the money trail. Investigators found that Rs 80,000 of the cheated amount had been transferred to a Nainital Bank account belonging to the accused Md. Arbaz Daniyal alias Labbu.

Police said further investigation revealed that the account was allegedly opened and operated as a mule account for receiving proceeds of cyber fraud. A dedicated team conducted raids in Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand and Lucknow, Mirzapur and Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, leading to the arrest of all four accused.

“Investigation has exposed a well-organised network engaged in procuring and supplying mule bank accounts to cyber fraudsters for laundering cheated money,” Delhi Police said.

During interrogation, police said Md. Arbaz disclosed that he had opened the bank account on the instructions of Jimmy Bathla in exchange for Rs 50,000. Jimmy allegedly handed over the account to Abdul Wadood for Rs 1 lakh.

Police further said Abdul Wadood allegedly supplied the Nainital Bank account details to Aniket Verma, who then provided the account information to cyber fraudsters operating through Telegram for use in online financial frauds.

Four mobile phones, one from each accused, have been recovered during the investigation. Police said analysis of the seized devices revealed transaction details linked to the alleged cyber fraud network.

The arrests have provided important leads about the larger interstate cyber fraud syndicate, and efforts are underway to identify other members, trace additional fraudulent transactions and recover the remaining proceeds of crime.

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