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Supreme Court stays High Court order directing registration of FIR against Shahnawaz Hussain in 2018 rape case

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Shahnawaz-Hussain

 The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Delhi High Court order directing registration of FIR against BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain in an alleged 2018 rape case.

A bench headed by Justice U.U. Lalit said Hussain prima facie makes out a case against high court order. “In further consideration there shall be a stay on further proceedings in connection with the criminal complaint dated 2018 before Saket courts, New Delhi…stay of further proceedings and also the effect and operation of the high court order under challenge,” said the top court.

The bench noted that it has been stated that after the high court order the original complainant was assaulted and allowed the complainant to approach the nearest police station if she seeks protection. The top court issued notice returnable in the third week of September.

Senior advocates Siddharth Luthra and Mukul Rohatgi appeared for Hussain in the apex court.

In his plea in the apex court, Hussain contended that the high court failed to appreciate that he was illegally implicated in the case, as the woman, who was having a matrimonial dispute with his brother, had an ulterior motive. “The petitioner is a Z plus security protectee and the allegations by the complainant were found to be totally baseless and untrue as she kept changing her statements and the location of the petitioner and that of her never matched as per CDRs and CCTV footages,” said the plea.

Hussain claimed that he filed a complaint with Delhi Police in 2017, stating that he was residing separately from his brother Shahbaz Khan, who was resident of Noida and a woman through her Facebook account was continuously defaming him.

Last week, a single bench of Justice Asha Menon directed registration of an FIR, completion of the investigation within three months, and filing of a detailed report under Section 173 Code of Criminal Procedure.

The high court said: “In the present case, there seems to be a complete reluctance on the part of the police to even register an FIR. In the absence of the FIR, at best, the police could have, as correctly observed by the learned Special Judge, conducted only what is a preliminary inquiry.”

In June 2018, a Delhi-based woman filed a complaint against Hussain, alleging commission of offences under Sections 376 (Rape), 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 506 (Criminal Intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The woman alleged that the BJP leader raped her and also threatened to kill her. She filed an application seeking directions to the Delhi Police for the registration of FIR.

Crime

Woman drug supplier arrested in Delhi’s Mangolpuri; ganja seized

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New Delhi, May 31: A woman drug supplier was arrested from Delhi’s Mangolpuri area and 427 grams of ganja was recovered from her possession, police said on Saturday.

The accused was identified as ‘M’. The arrest comes amid the Delhi Police’s ongoing crackdown on narcotics under its ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy and the broader objectives of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA).

Acting on a tip-off received by Constable Bajrang of Police Station Mangolpuri that a female was allegedly in possession of ganja, a raid was conducted at the specified location.

Constable Bajrang and a female staff member observed a suspicious female carrying a white polythene bag.

“On noticing the presence of police personnel, the suspect attempted to hide. However, the alert police team, with the assistance of a female staff namely W/HC Pooja, swiftly apprehended her,” said Sachin Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer District, New Delhi.

A polythene bag containing 427 grams of ‘ganja’ and Rs 1,470 in cash was recovered from the possession of the accused.

The accused was booked under Section 20(A) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 at Police Station Mangolpuri.

Further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other associates involved in the illegal drug trade, the police said.

In another case on May 29, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested Jameel Ahmad, the alleged mastermind of a major drug trafficking syndicate. Ahmed has been absconding for six years.

The case dates back to June 2019, when the then Narcotics Cell (now ANTF) of the Crime Branch seized 500 kg of ganja from a truck at Metcalfe Bus Stand, Kashmere Gate.

Three persons — Aslam Khan and Mausam Khan, both from Nuh district in Haryana, and Jakam Khan from Alwar, Rajasthan — were arrested in connection with the consignment, who revealed that they had committed the crime at the behest of Ahmed.

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Crime

Delhi Police bust interstate auto theft syndicate, recover eight high end cars

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New Delhi, May 30: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted an interstate syndicate involved in the theft and resale of high-end vehicles, a statement said on Friday.

The gang used a sophisticated modus operandi to sell stolen cars through online platforms by forging documents, opening bank accounts with fake identities, and tampering with engine and chassis numbers.

In a series of coordinated operations, the police arrested a key member of the gang and recovered eight luxury vehicles.

According to Delhi Police, the breakthrough came with the arrest of Rakesh Patel alias Pappu (38), a core operative of the syndicate, near Sahibabad Railway Station in Ghaziabad on April 21, 2025.

Acting on a tip-off, police apprehended him while he was attempting to sell a stolen Maruti Wagon-R via an online platform.

Patel, a resident of Sahibabad, Ghaziabad (UP), and originally from Mohiuddin Nagar, Samastipur (Bihar), played a central role in managing theft operations and delivering stolen vehicles across states.

His associates arranged vehicles, counterfeit documents, and fake number plates.

The gang’s method was notably elaborate. After stealing a car, they searched online car-selling portals for vehicles of the same make, model, and colour.

Using open-source information, they identified details of genuine owners and forged documents in the owner’s name — featuring the photograph of one of the accused. They also opened bank accounts using these fake identities.

To avoid detection, the syndicate would tamper with the stolen car’s engine and chassis numbers to match those of the legitimate vehicle. Fake Registration Certificates (RCs) were then prepared, making the stolen car appear genuine. Once the vehicle was thus ‘cloned,’ it was listed for sale on online platforms.

The syndicate targeted high-demand vehicles, often choosing cars parked in low-surveillance or roadside areas. The police noted the gang’s use of advanced technological tools to support their operations.

A team led by Inspector Arun Sindhu of the Crime Branch spearheaded the investigation, which led to the arrest and recovery of the stolen vehicles.

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Crime

Five killed in blast at illegal firecracker factory in Punjab’s Muktsar

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Chandigarh, May 30: At least five people were killed and 34 injured on Friday in a blast at a double-storey illegal firecracker factory located on the outskirts of a village in Punjab’s Muktsar district, police said.

Most of the victims were migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The factory, owned by Tarsem Singh, who is associated with the state-ruled AAP, in Singhwala village, was reduced to rubble owing to the intensity of the blast, trapping many under debris.

According to the police, the blast occurred at midnight. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, and most of them were stated to be out of danger.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Muktsar Sahib, Akhil Chaudhary, said the blast occurred in one of the rooms in the manufacturing setup of the unit, which led to the collapse of the roof.

Many people got trapped under the debris, and rescue operations were launched immediately after the police received information about the incident.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaspal Singh said five bodies had been recovered from the debris, and 29 injured individuals were rushed to AIIMS Bathinda and hospitals in Muktsar.

Rescue teams were still on the scene, working to clear the rubble and search for survivors, if any.

The exact cause of the blast is being worked out, but initial investigation suggests that the blast occurred from potash used in manufacturing crackers.

Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Abhijit Kaplish told the media that no permission was granted to the manufacturing unit under the Explosives Rules of 2008.

“An application was made by the owners, but reports from different departments were pending, so no permission was granted,” he clarified.

Scattered shoes, broken glass panes and vehicles were seen all over the accident spot, as rescuers were sifting through the rubble in search of survivors.

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal has demanded a probe into the incident and urged the government to promptly release adequate compensation to the victims’ families.

Describing the incident as unfortunate, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Khudian said the factory owner is a supporter of the AAP, but that does not permit anyone to engage in illegal activity.

“The law will take its own course,” he added.

In 2020, a total of 23 people were killed and 27 were injured in the explosion in an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Punjab’s Batala town. It was manufacturing and storing crackers for a ‘nagar kirtan’ — a religious procession relating to the birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak Dev.

A similar blast occurred in Batala in January 2017, leaving one person dead and three injured.

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