News Analysis India

Tag: CBI

  • Main perpetrators of Narendra Dabholkar murder still not arrested, says family

    By PTI

    PUNE: Eight years after noted rationalist Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead here, his family on Thursday said the “main perpetrators” are still out of the reach of law and the CBI should arrest them and complete the probe.

    Meanwhile, according to the prosecution in the case, arguments over framing of charges are likely to start in a Pune court from Friday.

    “Tomorrow, arguments on framing of charges from both prosecution and defence are likely to start in the case. We have already filed draft chargest,” said advocate Prakash Suryavanshi, special public prosecutor in the case representing the CBI.

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pending bail applications of some of the accused, the process of framing of charges could not start so far, he said.

    Defence lawyer Virendra Ichalkaranjikar said the defence would also submit their arguments before the trial court.

    Framing of charges against the accused will pave the way for start of trial in the 2013 case.

    So far, the CBI has made eight arrests in the case and of them five accused – Virendrasinh Tawde, Sharad Kalaskar, Sachin Andure, Vikram Bhave and Sanjeev Punalekar – have already been charge-sheeted.

    Kalaskar and Andure have been named by the CBI as “shooters” who attacked and killed the 67-year-old anti-superstition activist while he was on a morning walk on August 20, 2013.

    Punalekar, an advocate, has been accused of advising Kalaskar to destroy the firearms used in the crime.

    Bhave and Punalekar are among five accused who are currently out on bail.

    Speaking to PTI, Dr Hamid Dabholkar, son of the slain anti-superstition crusader, said the CBI should complete the probe by arresting the “main perpetrators”.

    “The CBI should find out the real perpetrators who were involved in the killing of Dr Dabholkar. Till the real culprits are brought to justice, danger to other rationalists, authors, activists and journalists will persist,” he said.

    Meanwhile, members of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS), founded by Narendra Dabholkar, on Thursday evening lit candles on the Omkareshwar bridge where the rationalist was shot dead.

    Hamid Dabholkar said MANS members would submit memorandums at various district collectorates seeking the arrest of the “real perpetrators”.

  • Calcutta HC order on West Bengal violence has given message that anarchy has no place: BJP

    The Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe into grievous cases such as murder and rape in the post-poll violence in West Bengal.

  • SC dismisses plea of ex-Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh seeking quashing of CBI’s FIR

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh seeking to quash the FIR lodged against him by the CBI in the corruption case.

    A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah dismissed the appeal of Deshmukh against July 22 order of the Bombay High Court saying “no case for interference with the high court verdict is made out”. The bench said that there is “no error in the judgement” of the high court.

    On July 22, the High Court had refused to quash an FIR registered against Deshmukh by the CBI, saying the central agency’s probe was ongoing and any interference by the court at this stage was uncalled for.

  • Sheena Bora murder: CBI tells court about closure of further probe

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday informed a special court here about closure of further probe into the Sheena Bora murder case, which came to light in 2015, three years after the crime was committed.

    Intimation regarding closure of further investigation into the high-profile case was filed by the CBI before special judge A S Sayyad.

    Bora, who was working in Mumbai, was allegedly killed by her mother Indrani Mukerjea, a former media executive, and two others.

    Mukerjea is a key accused in the case.

    Other accused in the case include former media baron Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea’s ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna.

    Bora was Indrani Mukerjea’s daughter from an earlier relationship.

    The 24-year-old was allegedly strangled to death in a car by Indrani Mukerjea, her then driver Shyamvar Rai and Khanna in April 2012 over a financial dispute, according to the prosecution.

    Her body was burnt in a forest in neighbouring Raigad district.

    The matter came to light in 2015 following the arrest of Rai in another case and led to the arrest Indrani Mukerjea and Khanna.

    Peter Mukerjea was also later arrested for allegedly being a part of the murder conspiracy.

    He is currently out on bail, which was granted by the Bombay High Court.

    Indrani Mukerjea and Peter Mukerjea had got married in 2002, but later became estranged.

    A family court in Mumbai granted them divorce in October 2019.

  • CBI takes accused in judge death case to Delhi for Narco test: Police

    By PTI

    DHANBAD: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday took the two persons accused in the death case of Dhanbad district and sessions judge Uttam Anand to New Delhi to conduct a Narco test, a senior police officer of Jharkhand said.

    Narco test involves the injection of a drug that induces a hypnotic or sedated state in which the subject’s imagination is neutralised, and he or she is expected to divulge true information.

    The two accused in the case, autorickshaw driver Lakhan Verma and his accomplice Rahul Verma, were to the national capital by Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express.

    “Since taking over the investigation on August 4, the CBI has used all technologies in the interrogation of the accused and only Narco test was left. The high court had permitted Narco test of them,” the police officer said.

    The CBI has carried out forensic psychology tests on the two persons arrested so far in this case and charged under IPC section 302 (murder).

    The agency has recreated the accident scene twice, while experts of the Central Forensic Scientific Laboratory (CFSL) have also collected evidence from the spot.

    On Sunday, the CBI announced a Rs 5 lakh reward for “worthwhile information” related to the death of the judge in a hit and run case on Randhir Verma Chowk under Sadar police station in Dhanbad.

    CCTV footage had shown that the judge was jogging on one side of a fairly wide road at Randhir Verma Chowk early on July 28 when a heavy auto-rickshaw veered towards him, hit him from behind and fled the scene.

    Locals took him to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

    Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on July 31 decided to hand over to the CBI the probe into the hit-and-run case of the 49-year-old Anand.

    Earlier, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police was probing the matter earlier.

  • Narada case: Calcutta High Court adjourns hearing till September 13

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Monday adjourned till September 13 hearing in the CBI’s prayer for transfer of the Narada sting tape case, in which two West Bengal ministers were arrested and later released on bail, on a plea by the investigating agency.

    CBI lawyers prayed for adjournment of the matter submitting that the Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta was appearing in other litigations before the Supreme Court.

    The five-judge bench adjourned the matter till September 13, when it will be taken up for hearing again.

    Seeking transfer of the matter, CBI had earlier claimed in its affidavit before the high court that it could not physically produce four leaders arrested by it in the Narada sting tape case before the designated court on May 17 owing to the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in its office and that of a large “unruly” crowd outside.

    The investigating agency, which has made a transfer application before the high court for shifting of the Narada case to itself from the Special CBI court on such grounds, also mentioned the presence of state Law Minister Moloy Ghatak in the ‘Bichar Bhavan’ premises, within which the CBI court is located, quoting media reports.

    CBI had arrested ministers Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra, and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee on May 17 in connection with the case.

    The high court had later ordered their release on bail.

    The Narada sting operation was conducted by journalist Mathew Samuel of Narada News, a web portal, in 2014 wherein some people resembling TMC ministers, MPs, and MLAs, were seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of favours.

    At that time, the four arrested politicians who were subsequently released on bail were ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government.

    The sting operation was made public ahead of the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal.

  • Calcutta HC judge releases CBI’s revision plea against Bimal Gurung’s discharge in murder case

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court on Friday released on personal grounds a revision application by the CBI against the discharge of GJM leader Bimal Gurung in the 2010 murder case of All India Gorkha League chief Madan Tamang by a sessions court.

    The CBI moved the application challenging the discharge of Gurung, the chief of a faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), by the city sessions court here in 2017 at the charge framing stage.

    Justice Ghosh, before whose court the matter appeared on Friday, released it on personal grounds and referred it back to acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal for assignment to a different judge.

    The sessions court had discharged Gurung from the case on August 17, 2017, rejecting the CBI’s contention that the GJM leader was involved in the conspiracy to murder Tamang, one of his political opponents in the Darjeeling hills.

    While discharging Gurung at the stage of framing of charges for trial in the case, the city court had directed that charges be framed against 47 other accused, including the GJM leader’s wife Asha and other top leaders of the party.

    Tamang was attacked with sharp weapons when he was overseeing preparations for a public meeting at Clubside in the heart of Darjeeling town on May 21, 2010.

    He was declared brought dead at the Sadar Hospital there.

    The Supreme Court had on October 8, 2013, directed transfer of hearing in the case from Darjeeling Sadar court to the city sessions court in Kolkata on a petition by Tamang’s widow Bharati.

    She had claimed that witnesses could be impacted if the trial was held in Darjeeling.

  • 15 CBI officers awarded ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’ for 2021

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: CBI officer V K Shukla, who is probing the death of Jharkhand Judge Uttam Anand, is among 15 officers of the agency awarded the ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’ for the year 2021, officials said Thursday.

    Vijay Kumar Shukla, Additional Superintendent of Police of Special Crime Unit of the agency, who is investigating the judge’s death, had probed other sensational cases like the custodial killing of a father and son in Sathankulam police station.

    Deputy SPs, Sham Datt who probed the death of Neha Kumari, wife of a Jammu and Kashmir police officer, Kaushal Kishore Singh, who probed bank fraud cases, Rajender Singh Gosain, who probed disproportionate assets case of a Surat development commissioner Ananda Krishanan T P who probed the death of violinist Balabhaskar Chandran were among those chosen for the coveted medal awarded by the Home Ministry.

    Dy SPs, Atul Hajela who led the probe in the case of missing Pardi community woman, Maharshi Ray Hajong who booked IRS officer Swetabh Suman in Rs 40 lakh bribery case and Ashutosh Kumar who probed kidnapping of a minor girl from Bhind district were also awarded.

    Inspectors Sardar Singh Chauhan whose probe unearthed Thiruvananthapuram gold bar smuggling, Ravinder Kumar who arrested an ex-CBI officer in a bribery case, A Bama who unraveled fraudulent tax refund case, Rakesh Kumar Srivastava who probed one of the Vyapam cases, Deepak who is investigating murder of a St Stephen’s hospital doctor, Pachaiammal Sampath Kumar who investigated Pollachi sexual assault case and Tarun Gaur who probed online fraud in a scheme named on Deen Dayal Upadhyay also received the coveted prize.

    “The Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India) has initiated this scheme for award of medals to the members of Central Investigating Agencies and State/UT Police Investigating Agencies for excellence in investigation.

    “The objective for institution of the medals for police investigators is to promote high professional standards of investigation of crime in the State Police and Central Investigating Agencies in the country and to recognize such excellence in investigation by investigating officers of police organisations,” CBI Spokesperson RC Joshi said.

  • Dhanbad judge death case: CBI remand of accused extended

    By PTI

    DHANBAD: A court on Wednesday extended for 10 more days the CBI remand of the two persons who are accused in the death case of Dhanbad district and sessions judge Uttam Anand.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation produced the two before the court of CBI special magistrate Shikha Agrawal seeking an extension of their remand for 10 more days for completing the investigation.

    The prayer was granted.

    The CBI had earlier taken autorickshaw driver Lakhan Verma and his accomplice Rahul Verma in its remand for five days on August 7.

    Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on July 31 decided to hand over to the CBI the probe into the hit-and-run case of the 49-year-old Anand.

    CCTV footage had shown that the judge was jogging on one side of a fairly wide road at Randhir Verma Chowk early on July 28 when a heavy auto-rickshaw veered towards him, hit him from behind and fled the scene.

    Locals took him to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

    Dhanbad district police had on the same day arrested the two and seized the auto-rickshaw.

    On Tuesday CBI had carried out forensic psychology tests on the two persons arrested so far and charged under IPC section 302 (murder).

    The CBI has recreated the accident scene twice, while experts of the Central Forensic Scientific Laboratory (CFSL) have also collected evidence from the spot.

  • Dhanbad judge death: CBI conducts forensic psychology tests on two accused

    By PTI

    DHANBAD: Struggling to get a breakthrough in the Dhanbad judge’s death case, the CBI on Tuesday carried out forensic psychology tests on two persons arrested so far, a police officer said.

    CCTV footages had showed that Uttam Anand, additional district and sessions judge of Dhanbad court, was jogging on one side of a fairly wide road at Randhir Verma Chowk early on July 28 when a heavy auto-rickshaw veered towards him, hit him from behind and fled the scene.

    Locals took him to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

    Auto driver Lakhan Verma and his assistant Rahul Verma were subsequently arrested.

    The CBI, which took over the case from the Jharkhand Police, has been given the custody of the arrested duo for five days by a local court.

    With the five-day remand of the two accused ending on Tuesday, the central probe agency decided to use advanced technology to find out the truth, the police officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

    Meanwhile, several officials confirmed that the CBI has received permission to conduct narco tests on the two accused, but the agency hasn’t been able to do it so far due to lack of facilities in Dhanbad.

    Earlier in the day, probe agency officials inspected the accident site at Randhir Verma Chowk, the third time in four days.

    Last weekend, the CBI, along with its Central Forensic Scientific Lab (CFSL) team, had twice recreated the scene and circumstances that led to the judge’s death.

    The three-wheeler used in the incident and the two accused were also taken to the spot for the exercise.