Can’t Return to India Due to Threat of Mob Lynching, says Mehul Choksi
Mumbai: Seeking cancellation of non-bailable warrants against him, absconding accused Mehul Choksi has cited “the recent trend of mob lynching” and said there is a threat to his life due to which he cannot travel to India. Choksi on Wednesday approached the special CBI court in Mumbai seeking cancellation of two non-bailable warrants issued against him in April and May, stating 10 reasons for his non-appearance before the court in the Punjab National Bank alleged fraud case.
“It is most respectfully submitted that there have been various reported cases of mob lynching and one of the cases was in relation to an accused who was mob lynched while being inside a jail. This recent trend of mob lynching is growing and is attempting to giving justice on the road by the general public, and subsequently there is no prosecution because of non-identification of a particular individual is giving rise to the said tendency (sic),” his plea says.
Choksi said there is a threat to his life from various people and hence he is unable to disclose his current location in public. He has listed five groups that have “grievances and anger” against him, including existing employees, whose salaries and dues have not been paid because of freezing of his accounts, families of employees who have been arrested, landlords, creditors of supplies and services, whose dues have not been paid, and customers whose jewellery has been taken away. Choksi has also claimed other “safety threats”, including from jail inmates.
Among other reasons cited by Choksi in his plea, filed through advocates Sanjay Abbot and Rahul Agarwal, are his medical condition, revocation of his passport and “prejudice” of the investigating agencies.
Choksi has claimed that while his case is “completely different” from that of his nephew Nirav Modi, the jewellery of his flagship companies had been attached.
Meanwhile, another accused in the case, Manish Bosamiya, has applied for bail on the grounds that while the CBI has arrested him as an accused, the ED has named him as a witness in its prosecution complaint.
courtesy : indianexpress.com
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
