There is conspiracy to make CJI resign: Lawyer to SC
New Delhi, Apr 22: A lawyer made a sensational claim in the Supreme Court on Monday that there was a conspiracy a foot to make CJI Ranjan Gogoi resign by "framing him" in a false case of sexual harassment.
Lawyer Utsav Singh Bains, in his affidavit filed in the case taken up by the apex court on Saturday as the matter of "great public importance touching upon the independence of judiciary", has also claimed that he was offered Rs 1.5 crore by one Ajay to represent a former apex court woman employee and arrange a pressure against the CJI at the Press Club of India here.
"The Deponent wishes to bring to notice of the court a serious matter of a conspiracy to make the Chief Justice of India resign by framing him in a false case of sexual harassment," the lawyer said.
Bains said he was shocked to hear the allegations and was willing to represent the complainant.
"But when the said Ajay further narrated the entire sequence of events and facts of the case, the Deponent was not convinced and found several loopholes in the said Ajay's version of events," the affidavit said.
The lawyer then sought an interaction with the complainant to verify the claims, it said, adding that the meeting was denied which gave rise to the suspicion.
"That, when the Deponent outright refused the said bribe of Rs 50 lakh offered by the said Ajay to frame the CJI, the said Ajay then increased the sum to Rs 1.5 crore to the Deponent following which the Deponent asked him to immediately leave his office," the affidavit said.
"The Deponent was informed by reliable sources that certain Fixers', who claim to be engaged in illegally managing Judgements in exchange for cash are behind this plot as the CJI has taken decisive action to crack down on such fixers," the affidavit claimed.
The lawyer, who has been appearing in cases including for the victims and their kin in sexual harassment cases against jailed self-styled Godman Asaram and the witness protection matter, has also named some alleged "fixers" in his affidavit.
However, he has not revealed his source of information.
"The Deponent will not share any names of the sources mentioned herein under any circumstances as these were Privileged Communications under the Advocates Act," the affidavit said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
