Father of modern legal education NR Madhava Menon dies
Thiruvananthapuram: Father of modern legal education in India, N R Madhava Menon, passed away at a hospital here, family sources said Wednesday. He was 84. "He was undergoing treatment for the past one week for age-related ailments at a private hospital here. He left us around 11.30 PM yesterday," a source close to the family told PTI.
The funeral will take place at 2.30 PM on Wednesday at Shanthi Kavadam, state owned crematorium, here. He is survived by wife and a son.
President of India Ram Nath Kovind condoled his death. "Sorry to hear of the passing of Prof N R Madhava Menon, educationist, scholar and a pioneering spirit behind modern legal education in India, beginning with National Law School of India University, Bangalore. "My condolences to his family and countless students," the official Twitter account of the President read.
Kerala Governor P Sathasivam said he was "deeply saddened" by the demise of Menon, whose insightful ideas modernised legal education in India. "As an authority in legal and constitutional matters, he used his limitless erudition to build world class institutions and to enlighten generations of students," he tweeted.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in his condolence message said Menon gave a new direction to the legal education sector in the country. "The National Law School in Bangalore was established due to the efforts taken by Menon. Later, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal Jyothi Basu invited him to start a similar institution in Kolkata," Vijayan said in a release, adding his achievements would make any Keralite proud.
Menon started his legal career with the Kerala High Court at the age of 21 after graduating from Government Law College. He later shifted his base to Delhi and joined the faculty of Aligarh Muslim University in 1960.
Menon moved to Delhi University in 1965 and headed the prestigious Campus Law Centre. He established the National Law Institute of India University (NSLIU) in Bengaluru in 1986 and was the Vice Chancellor of the university for 12 years.
Menon was also the founding director of National Judicial Academy in Bhopal. The nation honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2003 for his contributions to the legal field.
Sorry to hear of the passing of Prof N.R. Madhava Menon, educationist, scholar and a pioneering spirit behind modern legal education in India, beginning with National Law School of India University, Bangalore. My condolences to his family and countless students
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 8, 2019 ">
Sorry to hear of the passing of Prof N.R. Madhava Menon, educationist, scholar and a pioneering spirit behind modern legal education in India, beginning with National Law School of India University, Bangalore. My condolences to his family and countless students #PresidentKovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 8, 2019
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
