Court grants bail to SC staffer arrested for posting wrong info on apex court website
New Delhi: A Delhi court has granted bail to a sacked Supreme Court staffer, arrested for allegedly posting wrong information on the apex court's website related to a case involving Reliance Communications chairman Anil Ambani.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Manish Khurana granted the relief to accused, Manav Sharma, on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety of the like amount, saying that he has been in judicial custody for more than a month and his custodial interrogation was no more required.
Sharma and another SC staffer, Tapan Kumar Chakraborty, were arrested last month. The court had earlier granted bail to Chakraborty.
While granting bail to Sharma, CMM Khurana said, "Considering the facts and circumstances and the fact that the accused has been in judicial custody for last more than one month and his custodial interrogation is no more required by the police and the fact that the co-accused Tapan Kumar Chakroborty has already been granted bail, I am of the opinion that Sharma is also entitled to bail in this case at this stage."
It directed him to join the investigation with the investigating officer as and when required and not to tamper with evidence or influence any witness in any manner.
The prosecution opposed Sharma's bail on the ground that the investigation of the case was ongoing and the accused may tamper the evidence.
Sharma's counsel said that the accused did not have any guilty intention as on realising the mistake, he immediately uploaded the revised order mentioning the words "personal appearance of the alleged contemnor is not dispensed with". He further submitted that it was not Sharma's duty to issue notice to the alleged contemnor as he was not posted in the apex court's Registry.
The top court had sacked the two court officials for tampering with its January 7 order on the issue of personal appearance of Ambani in connection with the contempt matter filed against him by Swedish telecom group Ericsson.
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has passed directions to terminate the services of the two court officials who were responsible for noting the judge's orders and getting them uploaded on the apex court's website.
Justice R F Nariman, who was dealing with Ambani's case, had forwarded a complaint to the CJI that the order in the matter for the presence of the contemnor was not properly found in it.
The order dictated had stated that the personal appearance of the alleged contemnor(s) is not dispensed with, but it found the word 'not' was missing.
The discrepancy in this regard was brought to the notice of the bench on January 10 by senior advocate Dushyant Dave, who was appearing for Ericsson.
Taking note of the fact, an order was passed by the Chief Justice on administrative side dismissing the two employees.
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: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
