ED backs Joint Director probing 2G, Aircel-Maxis deal cases
New Delhi, June 27: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday came out in support of its Joint Director Rajeshwar Singh, saying the call received from Dubai in 2016, for which an intelligence agency report was generated, was related to an ongoing investigation.
"To put the record straight, Singh received a call in 2016 from a person based out of Dubai who gave an important information regarding a case being investigated by the ED," the financial probe agency said in a statement.
Defending its official, the ED said: "Singh, being a responsible officer with outstanding career records, passed on this information to the Directorate."
The agency also said that it was important to note that he received "only one call and that too an incoming call from this person in Dubai".
The ED's statement came after the Centre earlier in the day submitted a "secret report" against Singh in the Supreme Court, who was investigating the 2G Spectrum scam and Aircel-Maxis cases.
During the hearing of the case, the Supreme Court allowed the government to investigate the disproportionate assets allegations against Singh after diluting the blanket protection from inquiry.
The apex court's decision came in the wake of a petition filed by Rajneesh Kapur seeking investigation against Singh for allegedly amassing assets which are unknown to his known sources of income.
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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.
