HC orders petitioner to pay Rs 10,000 compensation to Bengal CID
Kolkata, July 28 : The Calcutta High Court has ordered a petitioner to pay Rs 10,000 to the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department as compensation for making a false complaint of forgery, a CID release said.
The court passed the order earlier this week after it was established that the complainant's allegation that his step grandmother had forged the signature of his maternal grandfather after the latter's death to get hold of a property, was not true.
Panchanan Mondal, a resident of Babua village in East Midnapore district, had filed a complaint at Kolaghat police station that after the death of his maternal grandfather Kalipada Ponra, his (Panchanan's) step grandmother Chandana Panra had made a "false and duplicate register deed of entire landed property" of the deceased in her name though a afalse signature on the said registered deed'.
Chandana claimed that she and her son Kartick Ch. Alu are the owners of the land, according to the complainant, who alleged that she has committed fraud and cheated him and his mother Parul Bala Mondal - the last named being the "legal heir of the entire landed property".
During investigation, the CID seized the original deeds and sent the documents for an expert opinion.
Both the finger prints and questioned signatures were said to be of the same person.
"Thus during investigation, it was established that contrary to the allegation by the complainant, the signatures and the finger prints on the gift deed of Kalipada Ponra were not forged," the CID release said.
The CID submitted its report before the high court, which passed order on Wednesday that the writ petitioner should pay Rs 10,000 to the CID as it has been established that forgery had not been committed by the accused.
The judge also said the CID would be entitled to execute and enforce the order on default of payment by the petitioner.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
