No rift between Gambhir and Rohit: BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla
New Delhi, Jan 13: BCCI vice-President Rajeev Shukla on Monday denied any rift between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, while also offering support to the senior batter who is currently navigating a major slump in form.
India were mauled 1-3 by Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with Rohit managing a mere 31 runs during the series, which prompted him to drop himself from the line-up in the fifth and final Test in Sydney.
Amid his poor run, there was also speculation that he had developed serious differences with Gambhir and that there was dissension in the dressing room due to the poor performance of him and other senior batters, including Virat Kohli.
"It's completely wrong statement, there is no rift between chairman of selection (Ajit Agarkar) and coach, there is no rift between captain and coach. This is all rubbish which is being spread in a section of media," Shukla said in a sharp retort to questions on the team's dynamics in the aftermath of the loss.
It was widely speculated that Gambhir has issued an ultimatum to the seniors to either perform or be prepared to be sidelined.
"This is also wrong that Rohit has insisted on captaincy. He is the captain. Form or lack of form is part and parcel of the game. These are phases, nothing new. When he saw he is out of form, he dropped himself from the fifth Test," the veteran administrator asserted.
Shukla also said that the recent review meeting to assess the team's performance has thrashed out the way forward.
"Review meeting is complete. We have discussed the way forward and how to do well," he said.
Shukla reiterated that the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy will be known by Sunday. The selectors have held back the announcement to wait on the fitness status of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who injured his back during the Australia tour.
"Squad for Champions Trophy will be known after a meeting on January 18 or 19," he said.
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.
Delhi court sentences Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia, associate to life imprisonment
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has sentenced Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia and his associate to life imprisonment under MCOCA provisions, but refused the death penalty saying the offences did not fall under the category of 'rarest of the rare cases'.
Additional Sessions Judge Vandana Jain sentenced Gulia and Dhirpal alias Kana to rigorous imprisonment for life under Section 3 (punishment for organised crime) of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
In an order dated December 13, the judge said, "Death sentence can only be awarded in 'rarest of the rare cases' wherein the murder is committed in an extremely inhumane, barbarous, grotesque or dastardly manner as to arouse umbrage of the community at large."
The judge said that on weighing the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, it could be concluded that the present case did not fall under the category, and so, the death penalty could not be imposed upon the convicts.
"Thus, both the convicts are sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs 3 lakh each, for committing the offence under Section 3 of MCOCA," she said.
The public prosecutor, seeking the death penalty for both the accused, submitted that they were involved in several unlawful activities while they were on bail in other cases.
He argued that the accused had shown no respect for the law and acted without any fear of legal consequences, and therefore did not deserve any leniency from the court.
The court noted that both convicts were involved in offences of murder, attempt to murder, extortion, robbery, house trespass, and criminal intimidation. Besides, they had misused the liberty of interim bail granted to them by absconding.
It said, "The terror of the convicts was such that it created fear psychosis in the mind of the general public, and they lost complete faith in the law enforcement agencies and chose to accede to the illegal demands of convicts. Despite suffering losses, they could not gather the courage to depose against them."
The court noted that Gulia was involved in at least 18 criminal cases, while Dhirpal had links to 10 serious offences.
It underlined that MCOCA had been enacted "keeping in view the fact that organised crime had come up as a serious threat to society, as it knew no territorial boundaries and is fuelled by illegal wealth generated by committing the offence of extortion, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom, collection of protection money, murder, etc."
Both accused persons had been convicted on December 10 in a case registered at Najafgarh police station. The police filed a chargesheet under Section 3 (punishment for organised crime) and 4 (punishment for possessing unaccountable wealth on behalf of member of organised crime syndicate) of MCOCA.
