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Crime

Umar Khalid bail plea: Delhi HC issues notice, terms his speech ‘obnoxious’

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The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to Delhi Police on the bail application of JNU scholar-activist Umar Khalid, who had approached the court following the dismissal of his bail plea from a trial court in the alleged “larger conspiracy” behind the Delhi riots.

While issuing notice in the matter, the division bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar said the speech delivered by Umar Khalid at Amravati, was “offensive and obnoxious”.

Seeking the stand of prosecution and to reply within three days, the bench slated the matter for further hearing on April 27.

During the course of the hearing, the court asked Khalid’s counsel about the speeches he delivered.

“Did Gandhiji ever employ this language? Did Shaheed Bhagat Singh ever employ such language? We have no qualms about permitting free speech but what are you saying?”, the bench asked.

Earlier in the trial court, Khalid’s counsel, opposing the charges under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA, had termed the charge sheet a “work of fiction”. He argued that the speech given by Khalid was about Gandhi, harmony, and the Constitution, and it was not a crime. After the submissions, the court had reserved the order.

Opposing the bail plea, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad had argued on the relevance of the speech given by Umar Khalid in Amravati in February 2020. He said the bail application was rejected on February 11, 2022 pointing out that the announcement of Donald Trump visiting India came on the same day.

Last month, Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat had denied bail to Khalid, observing that there were reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against the accused are prima facie true.

It also stated that the contention that he was a researcher and his bent of mind can be assessed from his doctoral thesis on welfare aspects of tribals of Jharkhand and other writings is not a relevant consideration while deciding the bail application.

Crime

CBI court sentences BBAU office assistant to four years’ imprisonment in bribery case

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Lucknow, Dec 10: A CBI Court in Lucknow has convicted and sentenced Vijay Kumar Dwivedi, a former Office Assistant at the University Institute of Engineering & Technology (UIET) under Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar University (BBAU), to four years’ rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case.

The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on him, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in an official statement issued on Wednesday.

The conviction was pronounced on December 9, the statement said.

According to the CBI, the case originated from a complaint filed by a contractual assistant professor of UIET, who alleged that Dwivedi had demanded an undue advantage of Rs 50,000 in exchange for facilitating the extension of the contractual appointment of the assistant professor.

The accused claimed that the extension would be processed through the Director of UIET and demanded a bribe to ensure the renewal.

Acting on the complaint, the CBI registered the case on June 2, 2017, and laid a trap. During the trap, Dwivedi was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe amount from the complainant assistant professor. The agency subsequently arrested him.

Following the completion of the investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against Dwivedi on August 1, 2017. The prosecution presented evidence, including witness testimonies, trap proceedings, and recovered money, to establish the guilt of the accused.

After a detailed trial, the CBI Court found Dwivedi guilty of demanding and accepting illegal gratification and sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment.

The court also ordered him to pay a fine of Rs 30,000. The judgment, the agency said, reinforces the CBI’s commitment to combating corruption in public institutions.

The CBI actively investigates bribery cases, leading to convictions of public servants and private individuals for demanding or accepting bribes, with punishments including imprisonment and hefty fines.

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Crime

Palghar Crime: 2 Arrested For Attempted Murder In Daylight Robbery At Vasai Jewellery Shop

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Palghar: In a swift and coordinated operation, the Crime Branch Unit 4 of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate arrested two accused who brutally attacked a jeweller during an attempted daylight robbery in Vasai East.

The incident occurred on December 9, 2025, at around 11:57 a.m. at Ambika Jewellers, located near Shalimar Hotel in Waliv, Vasai East. According to the police, the complainant’s brother, Kalusingh Kharvat, was attending the shop when an unidentified man and woman entered the store along with a young child. They asked to see a gold ring and also requested water for the child.

When Kalusingh stepped into the inner room to bring water, the male accused followed him inside and allegedly attacked him with a knife. The victim sustained multiple stab wounds to his abdomen, hands, chin, right cheek, and forearm. The attacker reportedly attempted to kill him before fleeing the scene. A case was registered at Waliv Police Station under BNS Section 109 and 3(5) for attempted murder and related offences.

Acting on instructions from senior officers, Crime Branch Unit 4 immediately visited the crime scene, analysed CCTV footage, and developed actionable intelligence. Based on technical surveillance and confidential information, the team tracked down and detained the suspects from the Nashik Road area.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Sohel Sharafat Khan, 23, and Firdos Bano Sohel Khan, both residents of Tehroli, District Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The duo were found to be actively involved in the crime and were handed over to Waliv Police Station for further investigation. 

Meanwhile, the victim is undergoing treatment and is reported to be in stable condition.

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Business

Mumbai: RTO Files Criminal Cases Against Uber, Ola, Rapido After Fatal Highway Crash In Mulund

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Mumbai: Following the death of a woman passenger in a collision involving a speeding mixer truck and an illegally operated Uber-linked Activa scooter on the Eastern Express Highway, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) has taken serious note of the incident and initiated criminal action directly against the directors of Uber, Ola and Rapido.

Five FIRs have been registered across four police stations, Navghar, Nehru Nagar, Pant Nagar and Amboli. An official of the state transport department said, “We will ensure strict action against all those operating bike taxis in violation of RTO norms, including suspension of licences. No violations will be tolerated.”

According to the FIR filed on December 1 by the Navghar police, the accident occurred at 11am on November 29 beneath the Airoli Flyover on the Eastern Express Highway, Mulund (East). The accused driver, Jawahir Yadav, 40, was allegedly driving a mixer truck at high speed and in a rash and negligent manner when he rammed into an Activa scooter that had been registered on the Uber platform without any transport permit.

The impact left the scooter rider, Ganesh Madhav, seriously injured, while the pillion rider, Shubhangi Magre, 49, died. The Navghar police initially booked the truck driver for causing death by negligence. Subsequently, based on a complaint filed by Motor Vehicle Inspector Ravindra Gawde of the Mumbai East RTO (Wadala), the Navghar police registered a case against the directors of Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd.

Investigations revealed that rider Madhav had registered an Activa scooter belonging to his maternal uncle with Uber without mandatory permission from the transport department. He then reportedly ferried passengers using another scooter (MH 03 EM 4233), also without authorisation. The police have invoked relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Motor Vehicles Act, and the Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules, 2025, against Uber India directors.

The FIR states that Uber violated the conditions of its temporary permit for app-based transport services by allowing unauthorised private scooters to be registered on its platform. Following the Navghar case, RTO officials began booking bike taxi rides through various apps to initiate further action. On December 3, the Nehru Nagar police registered a case against the directors of Roppen Transportation Pvt Ltd (Rapido), stating that the company was illegally operating petrol-engine bike taxis in Mumbai without any licence from the Maharashtra government or Regional Transport Authority.

The Nehru Nagar police filed a second FIR against directors of both Rapido and Uber on December 4. On the same day, the Pant Nagar police also registered a case against Rapido’s directors for similar violations. On December 5, after booking four rides through the Rapido app and one through the Ola app, RTO officials filed another case at the Amboli police station, alleging that both companies were facilitating illegal passenger transport for profit. The police officials said investigations in all cases are underway.

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