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SC ‘shocked’ by decade-long delay in criminal trials in Maharashtra

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New Delhi, Oct 9: The Supreme Court has expressed shock at the status of criminal trials in Maharashtra, having found that hundreds of cases have been pending for framing of charges for over a decade — some dating back as far as 2006.

“Registrar General of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay has filed an affidavit annexing certain documents which we have perused. To say the least, it is a reflection of a very shocking state of affairs, insofar as the conduct of trials before different Courts in the State of Maharashtra is concerned,” observed a Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh, taking note of the affidavit filed by the Registrar General of the Bombay High Court.

The Justice Kant Bench said that despite the filing of charge sheets, trials in at least 649 cases across Maharashtra have not proceeded beyond the stage of framing charges.

“The said affidavit reveals that there are at least 649 cases in which charges are yet to be framed, despite filing of the charge sheets, in certain cases, way back in the year 2006, 2013, 2014 and onwards till the year 2020. The reasons assigned for delay are multiple, including, and most significantly, in almost every trial, either non-production of the accused or non-appearance of the advocate, be it the prosecutor or the defence,” it observed.

Noting that the petitioner has been languishing in jail for over four years without charges being framed, though the charge sheet in his case was filed in July 2021, the apex court said: “The petitioner has been in jail for more than 4 years since 11.04.2021, and today his status remains the same as it was on day one of his incarceration. Charges would have to be framed, the process of trial would take its own time, and by the time a final conclusion is reached, he would have remained behind bars for many years on end.”

The Supreme Court has directed the Registrar General of the High Court to obtain detailed reports from each District and Sessions Judge regarding the steps taken to ensure the timely framing of charges and compliance with earlier circulars on the production of undertrial prisoners either physically or virtually, as per the stage of trial.

The matter will now be heard next on October 17, with the Supreme Court seeking a comprehensive compliance affidavit. “The Registrar General shall also apprise the learned Chief Justice of the High Court of the passing of this order,” it said.

Crime

Delhi Assembly, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, several govt offices receive bomb threats; checking on

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New Delhi, Sep 8: The Delhi Assembly, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya (SPV) and several government establishments in the national capital received bomb threats through email on Tuesday, officials said, prompting security agencies to immediately activate standard operating procedures and launch extensive checks at the affected locations.

The threats were reported during the morning hours, following which security agencies and emergency response teams were rushed to the locations as a precautionary measure. Officials said the areas were secured and detailed anti-sabotage checks were initiated to rule out any possible security threat.

Teams from the Delhi Police, bomb detection and disposal squads, dog units, and the Delhi Fire Services reached the locations and cordoned off the concerned areas as part of the standard security protocol followed after receipt of a bomb threat.

So far, nothing suspicious has been found at any of the locations searched by the security teams, officials said. The premises are being checked thoroughly, and authorities are continuing to monitor the situation as part of the precautionary arrangements.

Further investigation into the email and the source of the threat is underway.

The latest threat has come amid existing security concerns surrounding the Delhi Assembly, which has received similar bomb threats in the past.

Earlier, on August 14, multiple locations in Delhi, including the Delhi High Court, had received bomb threats, prompting heightened security arrangements in the national capital ahead of Independence Day.

The Delhi High Court had received the threat through email, with the message warning of an alleged blast at the court at 2.11 p.m. on August 15. The email was titled ‘BOMB Blast Delhi High Court @ 2:11PM’ and specifically mentioned the timing of the purported explosion.

The same email had also threatened explosions at district courts in Delhi at 3:11 p.m. on August 15, adding to security concerns in the national capital ahead of the Independence Day celebrations.

In addition to the High Court, five other locations had received bomb threats through phone calls. These included Jamnagar House, Jhandewalan Building, the MB Road Saket office, Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) office in Delhi Cantonment.

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Crime

Inter-state transformer theft gang busted in Pune, three arrested

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Pune, Sep 8: Pune Crime Branch has busted an inter-state gang involved in stealing transformers and copper wires from them in and around the city, arresting three accused and recovering stolen property worth Rs 12.73 lakh, officials said on Tuesday.

According to police, the Unit 7 team was conducting patrols when Constable Vinayak Salve received confidential information that some people involved in transformer thefts would arrive in the Wadegaon area of Haveli taluka.

Acting on the information, Police Inspector Wahid Pathan directed PSI Rahul Kolpe to verify the information and initiate legal action. A trap was subsequently laid at Wadegaon, where police intercepted a goods tempo bearing registration number MH-12-GT-6675 on Sunday.

Three men travelling in the vehicle were detained and questioned. They were identified as Mohammed Sahebjaan Mangrekhan, 30, Adarsh Chandraprakash Pandey, 22, and Chandrasen Shivratan Dharia, 28. Police said all three are originally from Uttar Pradesh and were residing in Pune district.

During questioning, the accused confessed to stealing copper wires from eight transformers over the past five to six months. The thefts reportedly took place in Wadegaon, Ashtapur, Sangvi Sandas, Nhavi Sandas, and Hingangaon areas under the jurisdiction of Lonikand Police Station.

Police said the arrests helped solve eight cases registered at Lonikand Police Station under Section 324(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 136 of the Indian Electricity Act.

The three accused were arrested, and further investigation is underway to determine whether other people were involved in the gang and identify where the stolen copper material was being sold.

Earlier, on May 27, Pimpri-Chinchwad Police had arrested three members of a gang involved in 48 cases of electricity transformer theft across Pune district.

Chakan North police had cracked the case while investigating the theft of copper wires from a transformer installed at Nexus Healthcare in Biradwadi village, Khed taluka. The theft reportedly took place between May 15 and 16.

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Crime

Assam: Vigilance Cell searches senior official’s residence over alleged disproportionate assets

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Guwahati, Sep 7: A nine-member team of Assam Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell on Monday conducted a search at the official residence of Dhemaji District Development Commissioner (DDC) and senior Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer, Debeswar Bora, in connection with an ongoing probe into alleged irregularities and suspected possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The vigilance team arrived in Dhemaji from Guwahati in two vehicles and carried out the search at Bora’s government accommodation.

The officer was also questioned by the investigators during the operation.

Officials have so far not disclosed details of the case or specified the documents, assets or other materials examined during the search.

According to preliminary information, the Vigilance Cell initiated the case following a complaint filed by a doctor.

The allegations reportedly relate to Bora’s tenure as Joint Secretary in the Medical Education and Research Department under the state Health Department.

The complaint is understood to have led to a preliminary enquiry into alleged irregularities during his earlier posting.

During the course of the enquiry, certain properties and assets allegedly linked to the senior officer came under the scrutiny of the Vigilance Cell.

Sources said properties located in Guwahati and Lakhimpur are among those being examined as part of the probe.

Investigators are also reportedly looking into the ownership of some of the properties, which are allegedly registered in the names of Bora’s wife and other family members.

The probe is expected to examine the sources of funds used for acquiring the properties and whether they correspond with the known income of the officer and his family.

The search at the DDC’s official residence is part of the ongoing investigation and is expected to help the Vigilance Cell gather documents and other material relevant to the allegations.

The Vigilance Cell has not yet issued an official statement on the case or disclosed the findings of Monday’s search. Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses. The allegations remain subject to verification and due legal process.

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