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Criminal Politicians
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to set aside the anticipatory bail given to Bhavani Revanna, the mother of suspended JD(S) leader and rape accused Prajwal Revanna, in a kidnapping case while dismissing the Karnataka government's plea. In a setback to the Karnataka government, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan took into account that the chargesheet had been filed in the case and refused to interfere with the Karnataka High Court order. During the hearing, the state government counsel, claimed the mother was directly involved in allegedly procuring women for her son. The apex court noted that the principal accused in the case had been arrested and put under custodial interrogation. After the Karnataka government sought the cancellation of the anticipatory bail to Bhavani, the top court on July 10, refused to set it aside and sought her response. The high court had on June 18 granted anticipatory bail to Bhavani emphasising she had already answered 85 questions duri
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea of convicted criminal-turned-politician Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla seeking time to surrender in the 1998 murder case of former Bihar minister and RJD leader Brij Bihari Prasad. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar and R Mahadevan was told by senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Shukla, that he needs 30 days' time on account of his wife's health issues and to manage the affairs. Dismissing Shukla's plea, the bench said that its October 3 order granted him sufficient time of 15 days and therefore no further indulgence can be granted. On October 3, the top court had convicted Shukla, a former MLA, and accused Mantu Tiwari in the murder case. The top court had partially set aside a Patna High Court order acquitting all accused in the case and asked Shukla and Tiwari to surrender within two weeks. Tiwari is the nephew of late Bhupendra Nath Dubey, who was the brother of Devendra Nath Dubey, a political rival of
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Criminal Investigation Department has filed a charge sheet against former MP Prajwal Revanna for rape and his father and MLA H D Revanna for sexual harassment. The SIT, which is probing four cases against Prajwal, said the over 2,000-page charge sheet comprises the statements of about 150 witnesses. The charge sheet, submitted in a special court for public representatives, pertains to one of the cases involving alleged sexual assault on a domestic help of the family. The charge sheet contains spot inspection, biological, physical, scientific, mobile, digital and other relevant evidences which were gathered. Further, expert opinion was taken before filing the charge sheet, the SIT said. While the MLA Revanna, who is son of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, has been charged with section 354 and 354 (A) of the IPC, his 33-year-old son Prajwal has been booked under sections 376, 376 (2)(K), 354, 354(A) and 354(B) of the
A special court here on Friday sentenced gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to five-and-a-half year's imprisonment for death threat to a coal trader in 1997. Along with the imprisonment, the MP-MLA court of Ujjawal Upadhyay also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on Ansari after convicting him for threatening to kill Mahaveer Prasad Ranguta, the victim's counsel Vidhan Chandra Yadav said. Ansari had threatened to blast Ranguta, a Varanasi resident, and his house in January, 1997, Yadav said. The court completed the hearing in the case on December 5 but reserved its judgment. The bench convicted Ansari and announced the quantum of punishment on Friday, he added. Ansari attended the court proceedings via video conferencing from Banda jail, Yadav said. Ansari, who is an accused in several cases, is lodged in Banda jail since 2021 after being brought from a Punjab Jail. According to information provided by UP police headquarters, Mukhtar has 65 cases, including that of murder, extort
In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court Thursday directed all high courts to set up a special bench and register a suo motu case to monitor criminal matters pending against MPs and MLAs to ensure their early disposal. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud issued a slew of directions to high courts and trial courts on a PIL filed by Ashwini Upadhyay seeking early disposal of pending criminal cases against lawmakers. The top court said it would be difficult for it to give uniform guidelines for trial courts for speedy disposal of cases against lawmakers. The judgement said the high courts will be setting up a special bench, presided over either by the chief justice, or by a bench designated by the chief justice, to monitor criminal trials against the lawmakers. The high courts may call upon special lower courts for reports on status of trials against the lawmakers in criminal cases, it said. "The trial courts shall not adjourn hearing of the cases against the Member of
A court in Varanasi on Monday convicted gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari in the murder of Congress leader Awadhesh Rai more than 30 years ago. Awadhesh Rai, the brother of Congress leader Ajay Rai, was shot dead on August 3, 1991, at the gate of his Lahurabir residence. A case in the matter was registered against Mukhtar Ansari and others. "Mukhtar has been convicted in the Awadhesh Rai murder case of 1991. The court will pronounce its judgment later in the day," a lawyer told reporters in Varanasi. Reacting to the development, Ajay Rai said, "This is the end of our many years of waiting. I, my parents, Awadhesh's daughter and the whole family kept patience... Governments came and went and Mukhtar strengthened himself. "But we did not give up. Because of our lawyers' efforts, today the court has found Mukhtar guilty in the murder case of my brother," Rai added.