Parliament security breach: Grounds of arrest given to accused, Police to Delhi HC
New Delhi(PTI): Delhi Police on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court about having "duly supplied" the grounds of arrest to the accused held in the December 2023 Parliament security breach case.
The submission came in response to the court's query whether grounds of arrest were supplied to the accused in the case.
"Our contention is that we have given them the grounds of arrest. Case diary records it, the arrest memo also states that grounds of arrest were given, judicial orders of the trial court and our remand application would also show the same," the prosecutor submitted before a bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar.
The high court heard the submissions and reserved its order on the bail pleas of accused Neelam Azad and Mahesh Kumawat who were arrested in the case.
Though the order on the pleas was reserved on May 20, the court heard the submissions on Wednesday on the point of whether grounds of arrest were given to the accused.
In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, accused Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D allegedly jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and sloganeered before they were overpowered by some MPs.
Around the same time, two other accused -- Amol Shinde and Azad -- allegedly sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi (dictatorship won't work)" outside the Parliament premises.
The court had earlier asked the accused the reason for choosing the specific date of December 13, which is also the date of the 2001 Parliament attack, and place for protest, that is, Parliament when they were aware of earmarked spots for protests in the capital.
It had also asked the police to explain whether carrying or using a smoke canister, inside and outside Parliament attracted UAPA and if it fell under the definition of terrorist activities.
The bail pleas were opposed by the prosecution which said during the preliminary inquiry, it was revealed that accused Azad and Shinde were associates of Sharma and Manoranjan D and they together committed the terror act.
The high court was informed that the trial court has fixed the matter for June 5 for hearing arguments on framing of charges.
It asked the trial court to proceed further and hear the arguments on charge on that day.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
