Illegal sand mining: Don't harass TN district collectors unnecessarily, SC tells ED
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate not to "unnecessarily harass" the collectors of five Tamil Nadu districts after the state complained about the officials being made to sit at the central agency's offices till 8:30 p.m. in connection with a money launder probe related alleged illegal sand mining.
The apex court had on April 2 pulled up the five district collectors for not appearing physically before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) despite orders and directed them to present themselves before the agency personally on April 25.
During the hearing on Monday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state, told a bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal that the district collectors had appeared before the ED.
The ED's counsel said they had appeared before the ED but so far no details or documents have been submitted to the central anti-money laundering agency.
Sibal countered the ED's claim and said whatever the probe agency had asked for through the summons has been furnished.
"My instructions are that no details or documents have been submitted in furtherance of their (the officials') undertaking," the ED's counsel said, adding, "we can file an affidavit to this effect".
The bench told the ED's counsel to specify the documents which have not been supplied by the district collectors yet.
"They (district collectors) came at 11 O'clock. They made them sit there till 8:30 in the evening," Sibal said.
"You can't do this," the bench told the ED's counsel.
When the lawyer said he will have to find out about this, the bench observed "Don't harass them unnecessarily."
The apex court asked the ED to file a report stating exactly which documents it had sought through the summons that have not been produced by these officers.
It posted the matter for further hearing in July.
During the hearing on April 2, the bench had observed the officials adopted a "cavalier approach" and their actions show they have no respect for the court, law and the Constitution.
"In our opinion, such cavalier approach and disdainful attitude of the District Collectors may land them into a difficult situation. When the Court had passed the order directing them to appear in response to the summons issued by the ED, they were expected to obey the said order and remain present before the ED," the bench had said.
"By not following the order, they have created an impression that they do not have respect either for the Court, or for the law, much less for the Constitution of India. Such an approach is strongly deprecated," it had said.
On February 27, the top court had directed the five district collectors to appear before the ED in connection with the probe.
The Madras High Court had on November 28 last year stayed the summons issued by the central probe agency seeking the presence of district collectors of Vellore, Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Thanjavur and Ariyalur in connection with the probe.
The ED had moved the top court against the high court order, saying it would hamper its probe.
The Supreme Court had stayed the high court order granting relief to the district collectors and said the plea of Tamil Nadu and its officials was "strange and unusual" and may lead to stalling the ED investigation.
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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.
