Crime
Munib Memon’s bail plea rejected (2012 Pune blast case) : Bombay High Court
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has rejected the bail plea of Munib Memon (38), one of the nine accused arrested for his alleged role in the conspiracy to trigger four bomb blasts on the Jangli Maharaj Road in Pune in August 2012.
A bench of justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Sharmila Deshmukh said Memon’s complicity in the conspiracy was evident from confessional statements of three other accused in the case and turned down the argument that he had been in custody for a long time. The bench said charges have been framed against the accused on May 25, 2022 and the prosecution intends to examine 107 witnesses to bring home the guilt of the nine accused.
Four low-intensity bombs, placed on bicycle baskets, went off near prominent spots along Jangli Maharaj Road, a prominent business area within Pune city, on August 1, 2012, and the fifth bomb was diffused. A local resident, who picked up a bag containing one of the four bombs, suffered minor injuries after he opened the bag.
“Having regard to the gravity of the offence, the role of the appellant, the evidence qua him and above observations made by us, we also decline to consider the appellant’s plea for bail on the ground of delay in commencement of the trial,” said the bench.
The court, however, directed the trial court to conclude the trial by December 2023, keeping with the right of the accused to a speedy trial.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which initially investigated the case before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case, arrested nine people, including Memon. ATS alleged that the blasts were planned to avenge the death of Quatil Siddique, a member of Indian Mujahideen, who was arrested for conspiracy to trigger a blast at a temple in Pune and was killed in Yerawada jail by two other inmates.
ATS said the accused initially planned to kill Sharad Mohol and Alok Bhalerao, the two men suspected to have killed Siddique when they were brought to court, but when the plan did not succeed. They later decided to carry out bomb attacks.
To be sure, Sharad Mohol and Alok Bhalerao were acquitted of the murder charge in June 2019.
In his request for bail, Munib Memon argued that he was made an accused only because he was employed with Firoz Sayyed, another accused in the case and the prosecution only accused him of getting some SIM cards on the basis of bogus documents prepared by another co-accused.
He also said that he had already spent 9 years and 9 months in jail.
Special public prosecutor Vaibhav Bagade, appearing for NIA, contended that Memon was present at a meeting where the attack was discussed and was entrusted the job of obtaining some SIM cards on the basis of bogus documents. The SIM cards were used in the commission of the crime.
Crime
RG Kar rape-murder: Victim’s parents approach Calcutta HC seeking fresh probe
Kolkata, Dec 19: Not satisfied with the current course of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata in August this year, the parents of the victim on Thursday approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a court direction for initiating a fresh probe into the matter.
The victim’s parents have claimed that they do not have any faith in the course of the current investigation by the central agency in the matter and hence they want a fresh investigation from the beginning in the matter.
The parents have moved the single-judge Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh with their petition in the matter.
Justice Ghosh has admitted the petition and the matter might come up for hearing next week.
According to the parents, since the trial process in the matter has already started and the statements of the witnesses are being recorded, unless the Calcutta High Court intervenes in the matter right now, there might be possibilities of the probe going in the wrong direction.
Since the time a special court in Kolkata last week granted “default bail” to two individuals accused of tampering with the evidence since the CBI was unable to file a supplementary charge sheet against them within 90 days from the day of their arrest, the victim’s parents as well as the representatives of the state’s medical fraternity had been accusing the CBI of gross incompetence in the matter.
Those two accused persons were the former principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal. Ghosh is still behind bars because of the pending parallel probe by the CBI against him in the case of financial irregularities at R.G. Kar, while Mondal is already out on bail.
The CBI so far has filed only one charge sheet in the case were civic volunteer Sanjay Roy had been identified as the “sole prime accused” in the rape and murder.
Recently, the victim’s parents have also changed their counsel representing them at the Supreme Court of India.
West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, an umbrella of the body of the junior doctors in the state spearheading the movement on this issue, has already threatened to resume their protests which they withdrew earlier keeping the larger public interest in mind.
Crime
Arms, ammunition, narcotics recovered by security forces in J&K’s Kupwara
Srinagar, Dec 18: Security forces said on Wednesday that a large cache of arms, ammunition and narcotics was recovered during searches in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Kupwara district.
Officials said on Wednesday, “Security forces, including the Army and the police recovered four pistols, six pistol magazines, four kilograms of narcotics, and other incriminating materials during a search operation in the general area of Amrohi, Tangdhar in Kupwara District.”
Security forces have started an aggressive campaign against terrorists, their Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and sympathisers in order to dismantle the terror ecosystem in J&K.
Properties worth multiples of crores belonging to drug smugglers and peddlers have been attached in Kashmir Valley after obtaining requisite orders from the competent authority.
Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha has been chairing top-level security meetings.
During these meetings the LG has given clear orders to the security forces to go all-out against the terror ecosystem.
Union Home Minister, Amit Shah is chairing a top level security review meeting regarding J&K on Thursday in Delhi.
Chiefs of Intelligence agencies, police, CAPFs and others connected with the anti-terrorist grid in J&K will attend the meeting.
Security forces revised their strategy after terrorists carried out some dastardly attacks in the aftermath of peaceful people participative Lok Sabha and legislative Assembly elections in J&K.
These elections were witnessed by diplomats of many countries and this, according to Intelligence agencies, has frustrated the terror handlers sitting across the border in Pakistan.
Intelligence inputs indicate that the terror handlers have given directions to terrorists in J&K to give dying terrorism its last push.
Heightened vigilance is also being maintained at the border in J&K following reports that terrorists are waiting at the launching pads to sneak into the Indian side of the border before the mountain passes are closed by this season’s snow.
Crime
RG Kar case: Calcutta HC admits petition challenging denial of police permission for protest
Kolkata, Dec 17: A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday morning admitted a petition by the West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors, an umbrella association of senior doctors, challenging the denial of permission from Kolkata Police to stage a 10-day sit-in-demonstration to protest the “default bail” to two accused — Sandip Ghosh and Abhijit Mondal — of tampering of evidence.
However, the original schedule of the sit-in-protest which was to start from Tuesday evening till December 26, had been upset since the hearing into the matter is likely to take place on Wednesday, confirmed an office bearer of the association.
The association had earlier sent an email communiqué to Kolkata Police seeking permission for the sit-in-demonstration at Dorina Crossing in central Kolkata. However, as the police denied the permission citing the possibility of traffic congestion in the area as the reason, the association on Tuesday morning approached Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, challenging the denial of police permission, which was admitted.
Last Friday, the special court in Kolkata granted “default bail” to the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal, following CBI’s failure to file a charge sheet against them the stipulated within 90 days of their arrests.
Both Ghosh and Mondal were accused of misleading the investigation and tampering with evidence during the initial investigation carried out by the Kolkata Police.
The CBI has so far filed only one charge sheet in the matter where civic volunteer Sanjay Roy has been identified as the “sole prime” accused in the rape and murder case.
Already West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, an umbrella body of junior doctors in the state, has threatened to resume their ceasework protest which they withdrew earlier keeping the larger public interest in mind.
The parents of the victim lady doctor have already claimed that following CBI’s failure in the matter “protests on the streets” with spontaneous public support is the only way out left for them now.
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