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SC grants anticipatory bail to woman accused of bigamy

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The Supreme Court has granted anticipatory bail to a woman allegedly accused of committing offence of bigamy under 494 IPC along with section 420 IPC.

A bench comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and S. Ravindra Bhat said: “Considering the fact that the state-Madhya Pradesh is the prosecuting agency and they are before this court, and further keeping in view the nature of the allegations and the fact that this court had granted interim protection to the petitioner against arrest, we deem it appropriate to continue the said interim protection till the conclusion of the investigation and trial thereafter, if need be.”

Advocate Namit Saxena represented the woman in the apex court.

The petitioner moved the apex court challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order, which dismissed her anticipatory bail application.

In the apex court, the state government objected to granting of anticipatory bail stating that the accused has not joined the investigation and is absconding.

However, the bench said the woman should diligently participate in the investigation and also comply with the conditions under Section 438 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.).

The apex court in October this year had granted interim protection against arrest to the petitioner in the matter.

“This court, while directing notice to the respondent-State of Madhya Pradesh on October 10, 2022, had granted interim protection against arrest to the petitioner and the permission to implead respondent no.2 (husband of the petitioner) as party to the instant proceedings was also given. The respondent-State of Madhya Pradesh, no doubt, has filed objection statement and the respondent no.2 has not yet appeared,” noted the top court, in its order.

The plea, filed through Saxena, said the woman has been falsely implicated in a case of bigamy and cheating, on the basis of a clerical mistake committed by the agent of Axis Bank, wherein the agent of the bank while filling the account opening form, mistakenly entered the name of one person, as the husband and nominee of the petitioner.

“That pertinently, the error was rectified by the petitioner as soon as she came to know about the same. That vide impugned order, the anticipatory bail application of the petitioner has been dismissed without considering that the material evidence and documents available on record and that the present case is only an afterthought of the complainant (husband),” said the plea.

It contended that the high court without looking into the facts and circumstances of the case and the material evidence available on record and without considering that no offence is made against the petitioner and without providing sufficient reasons for doing so, dismissed the anticipatory bail application.

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Kerala declares Liberian ship capsize as a state-specific disaster, CMFRI begins study

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Thiruvananthapuram, May 29: The Kerala government on Thursday declared the wreckage of the Liberian ship M/s ELSA 3 in the Arabian Sea 14.6 nautical miles off the Kerala coast as a state-specific disaster.

A statement issued from the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the ship, M/s MSC ELSA-3, carrying more than 643 containers, was reported to have capsized on May 25 off the Kerala Coast near Thottappalli in Alappuzha District.

“The maritime incident has raised serious environmental concerns, including the potential for an oil spill and drifting of debris, including cargo, along Kerala’s coastline. Considering the potentially serious environmental, social, and economic impact of the ship wreckage, the Government hereby declare the wreckage of the ship M/s ELSA 3 in the Arabian Sea 14.6 nautical miles off the Kerala coast as a State-Specific disaster,” said the statement.

This fresh development comes at a time when the Kerala government is seriously contemplating legal proceedings against the ship’s owners after fishermen’s associations have demanded appropriate compensation, fearing that the chemicals could cause long-term damage to marine life and jeopardise their livelihoods.

The Vijayan government is awaiting a response from legal experts dealing with marine topics to go forward with legal steps.

On Thursday, the containers that had been cleared from near the coast of Kollam and were being readied for transportation caught fire.

But the fire was quickly doused.

The vessel, which had reported listing approximately 38 nautical miles off the Kochi coast, ultimately sank into the Arabian Sea on Sunday morning.

In a related development, the ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Thursday launched a study to assess the changes in the marine environment following the shipwreck.

The study is currently being conducted by four different teams on the coastal areas of Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts.

The teams are collecting water, phytoplankton and sediment samples from 10 stations in these districts at regular intervals for the investigation.

According to CMFRI Director Grinson George, the study aims to understand various types of marine pollution associated with the shipwreck.

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Centre approves deployment of 581 companies of CAPF for Amarnath Yatra security

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Srinagar, May 29: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the deployment of 581 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to Jammu and Kashmir for providing massive security to the Amarnath Yatra 2025 beginning on July 3.

The MHA has approved the deployment to provide security to the pilgrims, official sources said on Thursday.

The decision comes ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s two-day visit to the union territory.

The ministry has authorised the J&K administration and police to utilise 156 CAPF companies already stationed in the region.

“These include 91 CRPF, 30 SSB, 15 CISF, 13 BSF, and 7 ITBP units, each comprising around 75 to 80 personnel.

“MHA will dispatch an additional 425 companies by June 10, which will include 130 BSF, 128 CRPF (including five women’s units), 67 SSB, 55 ITBP, and 45 CISF companies. The forces will be on duty till the conclusion of the yatra on August 9, after which they will be de-inducted.

“A communication regarding the same has been sent to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of J&K on May 23. The MHA had responded to a formal request from the J&K government dated May 20, seeking additional forces to ensure a safe and peaceful pilgrimage season,” sources said.

This year’s Amarnath Yatra begins on July 3 and will end on August 9, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima festivals.

The Amarnath cave shrine is situated 3888 metres above sea level in the Kashmir Himalayas. The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon.

Devotees believe that the ice stalagmite structure symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva. They approach the cave shrine either from the traditional longer Pahalgam route in Anantnag district or the shorter Baltal route in Ganderbal district.

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Rajasthan govt employee arrested in Jaisalmer on suspicion of spying for Pakistan

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Jaipur, May 29: Security agencies have arrested a government employee in Jaisalmer on charges of espionage. The accused, Shakoor Khan, currently employed as a clerk at the Mangalia District Employment Office had recently travelled to Pakistan without obtaining departmental permission.

He was formerly the personal secretary of ex-minister Saleh Mohammad in 2008, during his tenure as the MLA from Pokhran.

According to reports, the authorities discovered several Pakistani phone numbers in his phone which Shakoor Khan couldn’t explain. He also confessed that he had travelled to Pakistan at least seven times in recent years.

Officials revealed that acting on Intelligence inputs, security personnel detained Shakoor Khan from the employment office and began questioning him regarding his visit.

Sources confirmed that Shakoor, a resident of Mangalia Ki Dhani in Baroda village, is being interrogated by the Joint Investigation Committee.

Multiple agencies are collaborating to probe the matter further as Shakoor Khan was found to have phone numbers associated with Pakistan stored on his device, officials said.

The arrest comes amid heightened security across India following ‘Operation Sindoor’, launched in response to the recent Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly civilians, were killed.

Given the strategic sensitivity of Jaisalmer due to its proximity to the Indo-Pak border, agencies are closely monitoring all suspicious activities. As of now, no official statement has been released by authorities regarding the case.

The Joint Investigation Committee is questioning Shakoor Khan, who was caught from the employment office on Wednesday night.

Various investigation agencies are working together to get to the bottom of this matter, said officials, adding, “Shakoor is being questioned for travelling to Pakistan without informing the department despite being a government employee.”

“There were inputs about Shakoor Khan that he could be involved in spying for Pakistan. He was on surveillance following inputs and was detained last night,” media reports quoted an official as saying.

A joint interrogation was conducted in Jaisalmer following which the team left for Jaipur with Shakoor Khan.

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