by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Najeeb Ahmed
New Delhi : A court on Tuesday rejected the CBI’s plea seeking consent for lie detection test of nine students in connection with the missing Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed.
Ahmed, 27, an M.Sc First Year student, went missing on October 15 last year after an alleged fight with the members of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The student body has denied any involvement.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal observed that the students’ reply clearly reflects that they were opposing the application of polygraph test as they were not willing to go for lie detection test.
“Since a polygraph test cannot be done without the consent of the person whose polygraph test has to be done, this application, therefore, cannot be allowed at this stage,” the court said.
The court was hearing the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) plea for recording consent of the accused for a polygraph test in connection with Ahmed’s disappearance.
Student counsel Vishwa Bhushan Arya and Ujjawal Kumar told the court that as per the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the lie-detector test is not authorised by law and must be regarded as illegal unless it is voluntarily accepted.
The court pointed out NHRC guidelines which suggest that the test is prerogative of the individual, not an empowerment of police.
The counsel has requested the court to dismiss the plea terming it as pre-mature and not maintainable and said that summoning the students to record their consent or refusal is nothing but a coercive exercise.
The court directed the CBI not to call the students in future to seek their consent to undergo lie detection test.
It, however, granted liberty to students to opt to volunteer for the polygraph test whenever they feel convenient and directed the CBI to conduct the test following all safeguards under the NHRC guidelines.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The CBI on Tuesday issued fresh summons to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav in the ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in an IRCTC hotels’ contract case.
“The Central Bureau of Investigation has summoned both for questioning on Thursday and Friday,” agency spokesperson Abhishek Dayal told IANS.
The CBI’s latest move comes after Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi skipped three earlier summons.
On September 26, summons were issued to the father and son for October 3 and 4.
Earlier, the agency had summoned them on September 22 to appear before it on 25 and 26 respectively. But, they sought two weeks’ time.
The CBI had summoned the former Bihar Chief Minister and son Tejashwi, who is a former Deputy Chief Minister, on September 7 as well for questioning on September 11 and 12.
The CBI had, on July 5, filed a corruption case against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav for alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts for Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels at Ranchi and Puri in 2006 to a private company when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.
The contracts were allegedly handed over to Sujata Hotels company owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochhar in lieu of a bribe in the form of a plot of prime land in Bihar, the CBI said.
According to the CBI, Lalu Prasad allegedly granted illegal favours to Sujata Hotels.
The CBI, which registered the case under charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and the Prevention of Corruption Act, claimed that the kickbacks were paid through a ‘benami’ company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta.
The CBI preliminary inquiry allegedly found that the said land was sold by the Kochhars to Delight Marketing, and payment was arranged through Ahluwalia Contractors and its promoter Bikramjeet Singh Ahluwalia.
The Enforcement Directorate, which is also probing the financial irregularities in the case, has questioned Ahluwalia and also summoned Sujata Hotels owners for questioning.
The ED had, on July 27, registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following the CBI FIR and was probing allegations against Lalu Prasad and others for alleged transaction of money through shell companies.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Buzz
former parliamentarian and industrialist Naveen Jindal
New Delhi:(IANS) A court here on Wednesday allowed former parliamentarian and industrialist Naveen Jindal, who is accused in a coal block allocation case, to travel abroad after intimating the court three days in advance.
The court gave its permission while accepting Jindal’s plea seeking modification of its bail order that barred him from leaving the country without the court’s permission.
Special Judge Bharat Parashar allowed Jindal’s plea requesting the court to modify its bail order dated May 22 to the extent that he may be permitted to go to other countries for business purposes, subject to furnishing an intimation of his confirmed itinerary to the court and the CBI three days prior to his journey.
He informed the court that he has to travel abroad frequently due to his business.
“I am of the considered opinion that it will be in the interest of justice if the condition imposed upon the accused vide order dated May 22, directing him to not leave the country without prior permission of this court is modified,” the judge said.
“It is accordingly directed that henceforth before leaving the country in connection with his business interests as mentioned above, the accused shall intimate the court not later than three days before the actual date of journey about his travel plan itinerary and his contact addresses during the said travel.”
However, Jindal’s plea was opposed by the CBI saying it may cause delay in trial.
The court directed him to be present on each date fixed for hearing.
The court was hearing a case related to the allocation of Jharkhand’s Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal Steel and Gagan Sponge.
Jindal, former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, former union minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao, former coal secretary H.C. Gupta and others have been named as accused in the case.
They have been charge-sheeted for criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
