Kalaburagi bench of Karnataka High Court upholds rejection of Lok Sabha nomination papers
Kalaburagi: It has been reported that the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court convened an emergency session late into the night to address a crucial petition regarding the Lok Sabha election candidate's nomination papers. The court upheld the decision of the Election Commission to reject the nomination papers.
The petitioner, A. Rabindra, had submitted his candidacy for the Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency as an independent candidate. However, his nomination faced rejection on Sunday, April 21st. In response, Rabindra opted to approach the High Court. Given the urgency of the matter and the court's holiday on Sunday, Rabindra submitted an affidavit requesting an expedited hearing on Monday, April 22nd.
The High Court deliberated on the case at 4 pm on Tuesday, April 23rd, and initially ordered the Election Commission to accept Rabindra's nomination papers. However, the Election Commission challenged this decision and appealed to a two-judge bench of the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court.
Subsequently, the court reconvened for a hearing at approximately 10:30 pm on Tuesday, ultimately upholding the original decision to reject Rabindra's nomination.
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20 years on, Chhota Rajan acquitted in builder threat case as prosecution fails to prove charge
Mumbai, May 11 (PTI): In a setback for CBI, gangster Chhota Rajan was acquitted by a special court two decades after he was booked for threatening a builder, with the judge noting the prosecution has failed to prove the charge as nothing incriminatory was found during witnesses' testimonies.
The gangster will, however, continue to remain in the Tijar Jail where he is serving a life term for the murder of Mumbai-based crime reporter J Dey.
While acquitting Chhota Rajan on Thursday, special judge AM Patil of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court noted that the most reliable witness of the prosecution is not certain whether the person who had called him on the phone to threaten the builder was indeed Chhota Rajan.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which investigated the case, stated that real estate developer Nandkumar Harchandani had received multiple threats in the name of Chhota Rajan, asking him to clear the dues he purportedly owed to some businessmen.
The prosecution maintained Harchandani had invited displeasure of the accused (Chhota Rajan) in the matter of payment of money who hatched a plan to teach a lesson to the builder.
Rajan, through his accomplices, had allegedly told Harchandani to stop work at the construction site, it said.
In September 2004, seven unidentified persons entered Harchandani's office and fired at his accountant, but he escaped narrowly.
The court stated that nothing incriminatory against the present accused came on record during the testimonies of two eyewitnesses examined by the prosecution.
"The most reliable witness against the present accused is Irshad Shaikh, who received Rajan's alleged call about the threat. But, during his cross-examination, he admitted that he is not certain whether the person who made the call was 'Chhota Rajan' or somebody else. This is the crucial admission given by this witness, which goes to the very roots of the case," the judge stated.
"In sum and substance, it can be said that the prosecution has failed to prove the guilt of the accused," the court added.
