HC seeks views of Maharashtra and Central govts on video recording of proceedings under SC/ST Act
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court has sought the assistance of the Central and Maharashtra governments to decide which proceedings are to be video recorded under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Section 15A (10) of this Act states that all proceedings relating to offences shall be video recorded.
In August 2019, a single bench of Justice Sadhana Jadhav referred the matter to the division bench for adjudication.
The HC had noted that the Act didn't mention what is to be considered as proceedings and that the word "proceedings" was not defined.
A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhaya and S V Kotwal on October 26 requested the Additional Solicitor General of India and the Advocate General of Maharashtra to address the court on the issue as it raises important questions.
The high court also appointed advocate Mayur Khandeparkar as amicus curiae (to assist the court).
The bench posted the matter for further hearing on December 15.
The single bench of Justice Jadhav in its 2019 order had said the issue regarding the implementation of this provision (section 15A-10) of the Act deserves to be referred to a larger bench to decide if proceedings would also amount to judicial proceedings, if it would be necessary to video record all such judicial proceedings even if the same are held in open courts, if hearing on bail pleas was proceedings as contemplated in the Act.
The bench was hearing bail pleas filed by three accused doctors Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehare and Ankita Khandelwal accused of abetting the suicide of their junior Dr Payal Tadvi in 2019.
Tadvi, a second-year postgraduate medical student attached to the civic-run BYL Nair hospital in Mumbai, committed suicide on May 22, 2019, in her hostel room after allegedly leaving behind a suicide note blaming the three seniors.
Dr Tadvi's family had alleged that the trio had harassed and ragged her and had also made casteist slurs against her.
The three accused were arrested and later released on bail.
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CBI closes case against DHFL, its directors in 'fake' home loan accounts case
New Delhi, Jan 23 (PTI): The CBI has closed the case against the DHFL and its directors pertaining to 2.60 lakh allegedly fictitious home loan accounts, some of which were used to claim interest subsidies under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, officials said.
After over three years of probe, the agency could not find evidence suggesting a criminal conspiracy which could have led to the creation of such accounts, they said.
The irregularities were pointed out in the report of auditor Grant Thornton, appointed by the new board of the scam-hit Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL), they said.
The agency has now submitted its final report before a special court in Delhi, which would take a call on whether to accept the closure report or order further investigation into the matter.
The CBI had booked promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan along with the company.
It was alleged that DHFL had opened a fictitious branch in Bandra and fake accounts worth Rs 14,046 crore of home-loan borrowers, who had already repaid their loans, were entered in the database, they said.
A total of 2.60 lakh "fake and fictitious" home loan accounts were created in the non-existent branch from 2007-19 for a total loan worth Rs 14,046 crore, out of which Rs 11,755.79 crore were deposited or routed to several fictitious firms known as Bandra Book firms, the CBI had alleged in the FIR.
Several of these bogus loan accounts were linked in the Pradhan Mantri Awas (PMAY) to claim interest subsidies from the National Housing Bank in connivance with its officials, the CBI had alleged.
The DHFL had allegedly processed 88,651 cases under the PMAY till December 2018, and it received an interest subsidy of Rs 539.40 crore, while it has to receive Rs 1,347.80 crore from the government, it had said.
PMAY is a central scheme to ensure housing for all.
