Rakesh Asthana Obstructed Crucial Cases, Ousted CBI Director Alok Verma Tells Supreme Court
New Delhi: In his petition filed today in the Supreme Court against the Narendra Modi government’s decision to send him on leave, Alok Verma charged CBI special director Rakesh Asthana with fabricating evidence to “impugn his reputation” – soon after which an FIR was registered against the latter – and obstructed decisions which were crucial to investigation of certain cases.
Asthana had on Tuesday moved the Delhi high court against the lodging of an FIR against him in a bribery case, and soon after, the Central government acted to remove director Verma from his post and send Asthana on a leave.
Verma’s petition states that he is a senior member of the IPS, has had an unblemished record and an experience of over 35 years – on the basis of which he was appointed director of CBI in January 2017 for “a statutory two-year term”.
He further says that recently, while all the functionaries of the CBI have agreed on a certain course of action, Asthana has held a different view and posed hurdles. He alone obstructed decisions that were crucial to some investigations, the petition claims.
Verma said the “details of the cases that have led to the present circumstances are extremely sensitive and cannot with full responsibility be divulged in the present pleadings.” But he said he would be willing to furnish them to the court.
courtesy : thewire.in
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
