“My husband is a convict in the Nirbhaya case but he is innocent…Now, I want to be legally divorced from him before he is hanged as I don’t want to live the life of a widow,” Punita Devi, wife of Akshay Thakur, said in her petition filed at a family court in the local district court of Aurangabad. Son of Saryug Singh and Malti Devi, Akshay Thakur hails from the Lahangkarma village of Bihar’s Aurangabad district. The court has fixed March 19 as the next date of hearing.

My client [Punita Devi] has a right to seek divorce from her husband under section 13(2)(II) of the Hindu Marriage Act, which says a woman can seek divorce from her husband if he has been found guilty of rape, sodomy or bestiality. I have filed her petition in the family court of the district,” Mukesh Kumar Singh, Punita Devi’s lawyer told local journalists in Aurangabad. Ms. Devi also has a son to look after.

All the four convicts of Nirbhaya — Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) are currently lodged in Tihar jail and are set to be hanged on March 20. They have been using tactics to delay the hanging, which has already been postponed twice. They have even approached international court and India’s Human Rights Commission.

However, some legal experts feel that there is no chance of any further delay as all formalities have been completed and the convicts have exhausted all legal remedies.

The post Nirbhaya case convict’s wife moves court for divorce appeared first on newsmantra.in l Latest news on Politics, World, Bollywood, Sports, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Trending news | News Mantra.

“Everyone is a team, I’m not alone. We all are together and we will work together,” Mr Shivakumar said after his appointment, according to news agency ANI.

Outgoing KPCC (Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) President Mr Rao had resigned from his post last year soon after the party’s dismal performance in December by-polls, in which 11 former Congress and JDS rebel MLAs were re-elected to the seats from which they had resigned and triggered the fall of a Congress-JDS coalition in the state.

Confirmation of Mr Shivakumar’s appointment came shortly after four-time Madhya Pradesh Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP in a shock move that has left the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government on the brink of collapse.

Mr Scindia’s resignation and crossover came amid rumblings from within the Congress over the manner in which young leaders were being side-lined in favour of veteran politicians.

However, DK Shivakumar, who led the Congress-JDS government’s fight for survival last year as he tracked down rebel MLAs to a hotel in Mumbai, will have more to worry about than the condition of Karnataka Congress.

Mr Shivakumar is facing corruption charges and even spent time in Delhi’s Tihar Jail; he had been jailed over allegations of money laundering and was released on a bond of Rs 25 lakhs.

There are those who believe the crisis that led to the Congress losing power in Karnataka in July last year was because one of the first MLAs who rebelled – Ramesh Jarkiholi – was upset over what he felt was interference by Mr Shivakumar in his home district of Belagavi in north Karnataka.

Shivakumar is a man for all seasons for the Congress. He reached the top of state politics by fighting the Gowda family in their stronghold. His long battle with the Gowdas is legendary.

The Vokkaliga leader won his first assembly election in 1989 from Sathanur in Kanakapura taluk. When S Bangarappa became the CM in 1990, he recognised Shivakumar’s talent and made him a junior minister with the ‘prisons and home guards’ portfolio. Even though the portfolio was insignificant, DK caught the attention of the top brass because of his leadership skills and spunk. He was just 29 years old and that mattered a lot.
When the HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal came to power in 1994, Shivakumar was one of the very few who survived the storm. He fought a battle with the Gowdas even when Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister.

The post DK Shivakumar Is Karnataka Congress Chief appeared first on newsmantra.in l Latest news on Politics, World, Bollywood, Sports, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Trending news | News Mantra.

A jail official was quoted that Vinay Sharma had attempted to hurt himself by banging his head against a wall on Sunday and had suffered minor injuries.

Earlier this week, Vinay Sharma’s lawyer had told a Delhi court that he was on a “hunger strike” and his mental status was not good.

The court on Monday put out a third death warrant for Vinay Sharma, along with Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh, the men convicted in 2012 gang-rape of a young medical student who was assaulted and tortured so brutally that she died days later.

Two previous dates of hanging – January 22 and February 1 – came and went as the convicts filed multiple petitions to stall the execution. On February 5, the Delhi High Court ordered that all four would have a week to exhaust all their legal remedies, including mercy petitions to the President, and said they cannot be hanged separately.

A special public prosecutor told the court that three of the convicts were done with their legal options and there is no petition pending in any court.

On the third date of hanging, Nirbhaya’s mother said: “I hope that this date is final. Anybody is given an opportunity for remedy only for a limited number of times. These four convicts have been given enough opportunities now. Our struggle will end on March 3 when these convicts will be hanged.”

Six men, including one just short of 18, were arrested after the December 16, 2012 gangrape. One of the main accused, Ram Singh, was found hanging in his jail cell. The teen was released after three years in a reform home.

The post Nirbhaya Convict Banged His Head Against Wall appeared first on newsmantra.in l Latest news on Politics, World, Bollywood, Sports, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Trending news | News Mantra.

Chidambaram has been told by the court not to travel abroad or attempt to get back his passport, which is now with the authorities. He has been asked to appear before the agencies when requested, and send a bond worth Rs 2 lakh.

According to reports, Chidambaram reiterated in court that others named in the case have either not been arrested or had received bail. 

In October, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Chidambaram in connection with the INX Media case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However, the Congress leader continued to be in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which too had filed a money-laundering case on the case.

The CBI had opposed his bail plea alleging that Chidambaram was a ‘flight risk’ and had tried to “pressurise and influence” key witnesses.

The 74-year-old leader was arrested on August 21 by the CBI from his Jor Bagh residence in Delhi. Following 15 days of CBI custody, he was sent to Tihar Jail on September 5. In October, he was sent to the ED’s custody in the INX Media case.

In the same month, the CBI finally filed a chargesheet after first registering a case in 2017, charging P Chidambaram and his son Karti P Chidambaram along with other government officials. The chargesheet reportedly stated that Indrani Mukerjea allegedly paid a bribe of USD 5 million to the father-son duo through offshore payments. Indrani and Peter, directors of INX Media Private Limited, had reportedly received foreign investment of Rs 403.07 crore against approved foreign direct investment (FDI) of Rs 4.62 crore.

The post Chidambaram granted bail by the SC on Wednesday appeared first on newsmantra.in l Latest news on Politics, World, Bollywood, Sports, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Trending news | News Mantra.

The victim’s parents have sought court’s direction to Tihar Jail authorities to speed up the execution of the rape convicts.

The court will hear the matter on November 25.

They moved the application since the earlier two judges hearing the matter got transferred and the matter is getting adjourned continuously, the plea said.

The special fast track court, set up to hear cases of sexual harassment cases exclusively, of Patiala House Court is now vacant and no judge has been appointed till now.

The application said that victim’s parents approached the court since the convicts have exhausted all legal remedies.

In December last year, the parents of Nirbhaya, the 23-old paramedic who was gang-raped in December 2012, approached the court to fast-track the procedure to hang all four convicts in the case.

Supreme Court on December 12, 2018, dismissed the PIL seeking a direction to the Centre to execute the death penalty awarded to four convicts — Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay and Akshay — in the sensational Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case.

23-year-old paramedic student was gang-raped on December 16, 2012..

The post Delhi Court Admits NIRBHAYA’s Parents’ Plea appeared first on newsmantra.in l Latest news on Politics, World, Bollywood, Sports, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Trending news | News Mantra.

The agency, which accuses him of money laundering in the same case, had moved two applications yesterday — to formally arrest Mr Chidambaram and seek his custody.

The court gave two options to the agency: To question Mr Chidambaram at the court premises for half an hour and then move application for custody, and sending him to Tihar jail for now and arresting him from there.

Initially, the agency wanted to arrest him as soon as possible. They even suggested that Mr Chidambaram an be interrogated at the Rouse Avenue court premises and then arrested but Judge intervened saying “dignity of the person should be considered”.

ED sleuths reached Tihar Jail on Wednesday to grill the 74-year-old Congress leader who has been in prison since September 5 after the CBI finished questioning him in the case. He was first taken into custody on August 21.

Seeking Chidambaram’s arrest, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED had told Special CBI judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar that there is a finding by the Supreme Court that custodial interrogation of Chidambaram is necessary.

Kuhar allowed the ED to go to Tihar Jail and question Chidambaram and arrest him, if required. “It’s not of the dignity of this person that you question and arrest him here in public view,” the court said.

Chidambaram was remanded to judicial custody till October 17 in the INX Media corruption case filed by the CBI. The special court on October 3 extended the judicial custody of Chidambaram till October 17 in the case filed by the CBI.

The CBI had registered a FIR for alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX media in May 2017 for receiving overseas funds to the tune of ₹305 crore in 2007, when Chidambaram was the finance minister. Thereafter, the ED lodged a money laundering cases against him.

Chidambaram’s bail plea against the arrest by the CBI was heard in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The post ED Arrests Former FM Chidambaram appeared first on newsmantra.in l Latest news on Politics, World, Bollywood, Sports, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Trending news | News Mantra.

“Anticipatory bail has to be exercised sparingly in cases of economic offences. Considering the facts and circumstances, this is not a fit case to grant anticipatory bail,” the Supreme Court said, in a huge blow to Mr Chidambaram, who has spent 15 days in CBI custody.

The Enforcement Directorate has accused Mr Chidambaram of money-laundering in the case involving INX Media, which is being investigated by the CBI. The CBI accuses Mr Chidambaram of misusing his place as Finance Minister of the country in 2007 while facilitating a huge infusion of foreign funds in INX Media at the instance of his son Karti Chidambaram.

The allegations against Mr Chidambaram and his son are based on the information from INX Media co-founders Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea, who are now jailed in Mumbai in connection with the murder of Indrani’s daughter Sheena Bora. Karti Chidambaram, who allegedly received kickbacks for his role in securing the foreign funds, was arrested in 2018 and released after 23 days.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had extended Mr Chidambaram’s CBI custody for two days after his lawyer said the 74-year-old leader should not be sent to Tihar jail, where arrested persons are taken when they do not get bail after police custody expires. Mr Chidambaram’s petition challenging a non-bailable warrant against him  and his ask for pre-arrest bail in the Aircel-Maxis case will also come up during the day.

The Rs. 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal involves a clearance of $800 million foreign investment to the company in 2006, allegedly in exchange of kickbacks. While the approval was expected to come from a committee headed by the Prime Minister, it came illegally from the finance ministry, the CBI said.

The post NO RELIEF TO CHIDAMBARAM appeared first on newsmantra.in l Latest news on Politics, World, Bollywood, Sports, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Trending news | News Mantra.