New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear after April 15 a PIL which has sought expeditious trial of criminal cases against lawmakers and speedy investigation by the CBI and other agencies.A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana was urged by senior advocate and amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria that the plea needed to be listed for urgent hearing as despite various directions of the apex court on expeditious trial of politicians, nearly 2000 cases are pending trial for the last five years. At the outset, Hansaria sought an urgent interim order saying that a detailed 16th report on pendency of trials against lawmakers in the country has been filed and as per it, many criminal cases are pending in lower courts.“Outside they can wait for years. No problem. When it comes to the Supreme Court and you enter into the Supreme Court, it (the case) will become very urgent,” said the bench which also comprised justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli.“This is a public interest litigation (PIL). We have passed some orders. Now it is going on. Please wait for some time. The problem is that the judges have to be available… If I constitute a special bench for this case then I will disturb two benches. On a Friday, can I disturb two benches?” the CJI said. The CJI, after being urged by the amicus curiae, assisted by lawyer Sneha Kalita, agreed to hear the plea after April 15. The bench said, meanwhile, it can allow some interim applications of some high courts seeking transfer of some special judges conducting trials against lawmakers on various grounds.Earlier, the bench, on February 9, had agreed to consider listing for early hearing the PIL.Hansaria had said a fresh report, giving details of the pending cases against serving and former MPs, MLAs and MLCs, has been filed with the court and urgent, stringent steps are needed for expeditious disposal of the pending criminal cases.According to the recent report, a total of 4,984 cases are pending against Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly/Council out of which 1,899 cases are more than five years old.The report stated that the total number of cases pending as of December 2018 was 4,110; and as of October 2020 it was 4,859.“Even after disposal of 2,775 cases after December 4, 2018, the cases against MPs/MLAs have increased from 4,122 to 4,984. This shows that more and more persons with criminal antecedents are occupying the seats in Parliament and state legislative assemblies. It is of utmost necessity that urgent and stringent steps are taken for expeditious disposal of pending criminal cases,” said the report filed through advocate Kalita.The top court has been passing a slew of directions from time-to-time on the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay for ensuring expeditious trial of cases against lawmakers and speedy investigation by the CBI and other agencies.Hansaria had said the status report filed by high courts also shows that special courts are constituted in some of the states whereas, in others, the courts of the respective jurisdiction are conducting trials in terms of the directions passed from time to time.On November 24 last year, the top court had asked the Allahabad High Court to issue a fresh notification to set up special magisterial courts to try minor offences involving lawmakers and ensure allocation of cases to sessions or magisterial courts depending upon the gravity of offences, saying the non-setting up of such courts in Uttar Pradesh was “based on an evident misconstruction” of its orders.The top court had taken exception to the non-setting up of special magisterial courts in Uttar Pradesh for trying lawmakers in minor offences and said the notification issued by the high court on August 16, 2019, was based on an “evident misconstruction” of its directions.The order had come on pleas raising the legal question of whether minor offences, triable by magisterial courts, against lawmakers can be prosecuted before a special court presided over by a sessions judge who is senior to a judicial magistrate.—PTI&nbsp;

 The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear after April 15 a PIL which has sought expeditious trial of criminal cases against lawmakers and speedy investigation by the CBI and other agencies.

SC Agrees To Hear PIL On Speedy Trial In Cases Against Politicians

Lucknow: After Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's aka Bulldozer Baba's comeback in Uttar Pradesh, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday said that there is zero tolerance towards crime and criminals and added that around 80 criminals have surrendered.As per the official press release, "the impact of the government is understandable from the fact that in the last fortnight, around 80 criminals have surrendered. There is a fear of the government's bulldozer among the mafia and illegal occupiers."The government release notified that bulldozer is being used only for illegal construction and on encroached government lands. The demolition act is not being misused and the same directions have been given to police officers, it informed.Zero tolerance towards crime and criminals and sensitivity towards the poor has been the mantra of the Yogi government for the last five years. In his second innings also, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has carried forward this principle in administration. Also, the poor welfare schemes have been started to be implemented with new speed. In the context of this, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given strict instructions to the officers that the action of demolition of illegal properties by bulldozers should be done on mafias, criminals, and bulldozers will not work on any poor person's hut. The demolition of illegally constructed buildings by mafia and criminals in the state is going on continuously. Prompt action should be taken against those who encroach on the property of the poor, the state government said.&nbsp;—ANI

After Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's aka Bulldozer Baba's comeback in Uttar Pradesh, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday said that there is zero tolerance towards crime and criminals and added that around 80 criminals have surrendered.

Eighty Criminals Surrendered Since Yogi Adityanath's Return To Power

Amaravati : Andhra Pradesh Police created history and set a new benchmark in criminal justice delivery by securing a guilty verdict for two accused, in an attempt to rape case, in just 57 days, after having completed the prosecution process in 14 days."This was the first such attempt ever made in the country. And we were successful in securing a verdict in such quick time after a scientific investigation process. This case highlights the tremendous coordination between the police, prosecution lawyers and the judiciary," state Director General of Police K V Rajendranath Reddy told PTI.The case related to an attempt to rape against a Lithuanian national, who was passing through a forest patch in SPS Nellore district on March 8, 2022.Two persons lured her to a place in the forest and attempted to molest her but she managed to escape to safety and file a complaint with the police."Within three hours, the two accused were arrested and by March 16 we filed the charge sheet against them in court. We got the case listed for prosecution in quick time as the victim was supposed to return to her native country," the DGP said.The trial in the case was completed in three days from March 29 and the Nellore sessions court completed examination of evidence in one more day.The court heard the arguments of the two sides on April 6 and 7 and reserved the judgment, which was finally delivered on May 5.The two accused, I Saikumar and Syed Mohammad Abid, were sentenced to a prison term of seven years each and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 15,000.The victim sent a video message to the DGP congratulating and thanking the state police for the speedy conviction."This case exemplified how the criminal justice system could work effectively through proper coordination. This was a first not only in the state but also the country that such a case was tried and the accused convicted in just a matter of days," Rajendranath noted.The DGP said the conviction and the pace at which it happened, should now keep the criminals worried that the system would catch up with them in no time."The average time taken to complete investigation in rape and (women) murder cases came down to 58 days in the last three years, as against 222 days during 2016-19. In cases of gang rape, it has come down to just 37 days from 250," he said.In 50 per cent of these cases, the accused were being arrested in less than 48 hours.Rajendranath said AP stood first in the country in filing charge sheets in 92.21 per cent of POCSO and rape cases in 2021."We have taken a series of steps with a focused holistic approach so that justice delivery is expedited by cutting the delays in arresting the accused and filing charge-sheets. This will have a deterring effect and also eliminate scope for witnesses turning hostile," Rajendranath added—PTI

 Andhra Pradesh Police created history and set a new benchmark in criminal justice delivery by securing a guilty verdict for two accused, in an attempt to rape case, in just 57 days, after having completed the prosecution process in 14 days.

AP Police set new benchmark in criminal justice delivery

New Delhi (The Hawk): The Department of Consumer Affairs is organizing a one-day ‘National Workshop on Legal Metrology Act, 2009’ on 9th&nbsp;May, 2022, with the purpose to take deliberations from all stake holders on the issue of decriminalization of Legal Metrology Act, 2009 keeping a balance in consumers and industries.&nbsp;Decriminalization of Legal Metrology Act, 2009 is being considered for ease of doing business by removing unnecessary interference.Additionally, the objective of the workshop is to ensure that the consumer is not short shifted by way of use of non-standard weights &amp; measures and incorrect disclosure without increasing the burden on businesses and hindering economic growth.&nbsp;The purpose of this workshop is stakeholder’s consultation to identify the success by decriminalizing the Legal Metrology Act to facilitate Ease of Doing Business and to protect the interest of consumers.The workshop will be presided by Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles, and Commerce, Industry.&nbsp;Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food &amp; Public Distribution, Environment, Forest &amp; Climate Change Shri Ashwini Choubey and Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food &amp; Public Distribution and Rural Development Ms. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti will also grace the occasion and address the participants.The key issues for consideration of decriminalization of Legal Metrology Act, 2009 are: Decrease the burden on businesses and inspire confidence amongst the investors; Focus on economic growth and protection of consumer interest; Mens rea (malafide/ criminal intent) plays an important role in imposition of criminal liability – therefore, it is critical to evaluate nature of non-compliance i.e. fraud as compared to negligence or inadvertent omission; andHabitual offenders for repetition of non-compliance.All stake holders comprising of Ministers, Secretaries, Controllers of Legal Metrology of State Governments, Industries, VCOs etc will participate in the workshop.&nbsp;

The Department of Consumer Affairs is organizing a one-day ‘National Workshop on Legal Metrology Act, 2009’ on 9th May, 2022, with the purpose to take deliberations from all stake holders on the issue of decriminalization of Legal Metrology Act, 2009 keeping a balance in consumers and industries. Decriminalization of Legal Metrology Act, 2009 is being considered for ease of doing business by removing unnecessary interference.

National Workshop to discuss decriminalization of Legal Metrology Act, 2009

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday delivered a split verdict on the issue of criminalisation of marital rape and granted leave to the parties to file an appeal before the Supreme Court.While Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who headed the division bench, favoured striking down the marital rape exception, Justice C Hari Shankar said the exception under the IPC is not unconstitutional and was based on an intelligible differentia.The petitioners had challenged the constitutionality of the marital rape exception under Section 375 IPC (rape) on the ground that it discriminated against married women who are sexually assaulted by their husbands.Under the exception given in Section 375 of the IPC, sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his wife, the wife not being minor, is not rape—PTI

 The Delhi High Court on Wednesday delivered a split verdict on the issue of criminalisation of marital rape and granted leave to the parties to file an appeal before the Supreme Court.

Delhi HC delivers split verdict on criminalisation of marital rape

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Wednesday delivered a split verdict on the issue of criminalisation of marital rape, with one of the judges favouring striking down the provision and the other holding it was not unconstitutional.The division bench granted leave to the parties to file an appeal before the Supreme Court.While Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who headed the division bench, favoured striking down the marital rape exception, Justice C Hari Shankar said the exception under the IPC is not unconstitutional and was based on an intelligible differentia.The petitioners had challenged the constitutionality of the marital rape exception under Section 375 IPC (rape) on the ground that it discriminated against married women who are sexually assaulted by their husbands.Under the exception given in Section 375 of the IPC, sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his wife, the wife not being minor, is not rape.Delivering the verdict, Justice Shakdher said, "As far as I am concerned, the impugned provisions -- exception 2 to section 375 and section 376 (E)... are violative of Articles 14, 15, 19(1) (A) and 21 of the Constitution and are hence struck down."He said this declaration will operate from the date of its pronouncement.However, Justice Shankar said, "I have not been able to agree with my learned brother" and added that these provisions do not violate Articles 14, 19 (1) (A), and 21 of the Constitution.He said the courts cannot substitute their subjective value judgement for the view of the democratically elected legislature and the exception is based on an intelligible differentia.He said the challenge to the provisions by the petitioners cannot sustain.In February, the Centre had urged the court to grant more time to enable it to state its stand on the issue after a consultative process.The request was however turned down by the bench on the ground that it was not possible to defer an ongoing matter endlessly.In its 2017 affidavit, the Centre had opposed the pleas, saying that marital rape cannot be made a criminal offence as it could become a phenomenon that may destabilise the institution of marriage and an easy tool for harassing husbands.—PTI

The Delhi high court on Wednesday delivered a split verdict on the issue of criminalisation of marital rape, with one of the judges favouring striking down the provision and the other holding it was not unconstitutional.

2-judge bench divided on criminalising marital rape, matter to go to SC

Chandigarh:&nbsp;The Haryana Police on Thursday said it has arrested three criminals involved in three dozen cases of murder, attempt to murder and loot.A Haryana Police spokesperson said the police also recovered an illegal country-made pistol and five live cartridges from them. The criminals were arrested from Sonipat district, the official said.During preliminary interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in various crimes. The spokesperson said all three were wanted by Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Police in close to three dozen cases, including that of murder, attempt to murder, loot and others. The accused have been identified as Atul alias Mota and Sunny Kakran, both residents of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and Nasruddin alias Nasru of Sultanpuri in Delhi. They were arrested following a tip-off while they were conspiring to loot commuters near Kakroi road canal, the official said. Atul and Sunny were carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh each announced by the Uttar Pradesh Police and Rs 20,000 each by the Haryana Police. Nasruddin was wanted in a double murder case in Delhi, the official added.—PTI

The Haryana Police on Thursday said it has arrested three criminals involved in three dozen cases of murder, attempt to murder and loot.

3 criminals arrested in Haryana's Sonipat

The Haryana Police on Thursday said it has arrested three criminals involved in three dozen cases of murder, attempt to murder and loot.



Bhupender Yadav*The India of Amrit Kaal that PM Narendra Modi has envisioned and the work on which is underway honours its ‘wealth creators’ and works tirelessly for its ‘Shram Yogis’ because the welfare and prosperity of the two are intrinsically linked. And together their welfare lays the foundation of a New India. The PM’s 2021 Independence Day speech made lowering regulatory cholesterol a policy priority. He said, “We want such an India where the government doesn’t interfere with the lives of citizens. Every rule, every process that has stood before the people of the country as a hindrance, as a burden, we have to remove it.”The new labour laws are thus designed in a way to ensure that interests of both businesses and people who work for the businesses are protected. The new laws are in tune with the changing labour market trends and at the same time accommodate the minimum wage requirement and welfare needs of the unorganised sector workers, including the self-employed and migrant workers. Labour reforms have been completed by subsuming multiple laws into four Labour Codes which have addressed existing central labour laws, encompassing a plethora of authorities, burdensome compliances, registrations, inspections, licenses, and registers/forms. The reforms will strengthen workers’ social security in both the organised and unorganised sectors. Transformative and game-changing aspects of the Labour Codes include freeing India’s entrepreneurs from the burden of unnecessary and excessive compliances and imprisonment provisions under old labour laws. Consider some of the clauses in the old regulatory laws: Imprisonment between 3 months and 1 year for not maintaining records of colour washing, varnishing/painting of canteens under Factories Act and related rules Imprisonment between 1 and 3 years for not furnishing annual return of holidays to Inspector, under Factories Act and related Rules Imprisonment between 3 months and 1 year for not-displaying Notice showing date of payment of wages under the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 and similarly for several other minor omissions which emanate from various laws framed in the past 100 years. Considering the old laws to be a hindrance in India’s growth story, Parliament passed the four Codes in 2020 viz, the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. In doing so, the government addressed the issues of excessive criminal provisions in labour laws. The root cause of such excessive regulatory cholesterol of criminalisingminor offences stems from a particular section in almost all Acts and referred to as ‘General Penalty for Offences’. For instance, the Factories Act provides in section 92, under General Penalty for Offences: “if in, or in respect of, any factory there is any contravention of any of the provision of this Act or any rules made thereunder or of any order in writing giving thereunder, the occupier and the manager of the factory shall each be guilty of an offence and punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to 2 years or with fine which may extend to 1 lakh rupee or with both….” Similar ‘General Penalty’ clauses exist in most Acts in the country including Environment Protection Act, 1986 and Inter-State Migrant Workmener Act. Imprisonment provisions under such General Penalty Clauses have been removed under the new the new Labour Codes. At the same time, to ensure that an employer has a functioning and well-oiled internal organisational and operational mechanism to check non-compliance, monetary fines have been increased multifold. The reason why this has been done is that imprisonment is too severe a consequence for economic offences that do not involve mala fide intent. These reforms will significantly contribute to India’s ease of doing business index. On the other hand, there were concerns that the Labour Codes would not adequately provide for the prosecution of employers, and it may be lenient towards employers committing offences. However, appropriate safeguards have been incorporated in all the Labour Codes to ensure that there is no leniency in dealing with the malafide intent of employers where ever it exists. It is relevant to note that prosecution for certain offences such as insurance and provident fund contributions which have been deducted by the employer but not paid are construed as intentional and willful default and have been strictly dealt with under the law. The Codes do not allow employers&amp;#39; grave and intentional contraventions to go unpunished. The grounds for prosecutions have however been restructured to ensure that an unintentionally errant employer or a one- time offence committed by an employer does not lead to unnecessary and undue harsh consequences.A statutory provision has also been introduced in the Labour Codes which states that an inspector may give an “Improvement Notice” to an establishment or to a delinquent employer to amend mistakes and make good the losses suffered by the worker or improve the situation/default which the inspector/assessing officer has noticed. Such an approach not only promotes principles of natural justice but also strengthens the relationship between an employer and the worker as the aim and objective of the improvement notice is to redress the grievance of the workers, be it non-payment of wages or not providing certain information to the Government, rather than invoking the prosecution procedure. It also unburdens courts from the pressure of handling minor issues. For the first time, compounding of offences, except for offences grievous innature, has also been introduced in all Labour Codes. If punishable with imprisonment of up to one year, crimes committed for the first time can be compounded by an authorised officer. Compounding of repeat offences is also possible after a 3-5 years gap. Procedures for compounding the crimes have been made simple. Money collected from the composition of violations shall be credited to the social security fund maintained by State Governments and Central governments. Such funds can be utilised for the welfare of the unorganised workers.Labour being on the Concurrent List, decriminalisation of offences in Central labour laws will automatically apply to the areas falling within the jurisdiction of the State Governments and Central governments. The four Labour Codes have reduced the number of sections from 1,228 to 480, a 61% cut. On the initial assessment of imprisonment, there will be only 22 Sections in Labour Codes which will contain imprisonment as a penalty for a first-time offence. The Government has demonstrated its seriousness in reducing criminalisation for non-serious offences and allowed it to focus on universalising various benefits such as minimum wages and social security forall the country&amp;#39;s workers. Criminal penalties, especially the risk of imprisonment for minor and often unintentional offences, are a significant deterrent for today’s youngentrepreneurs. The decriminalisation of certain unintentional corporate crimes is desirable as far as possible because they deter both domestic and international investors. It is expected that decriminalisation of labour laws to will remove the fear of criminal prosecution from the minds of entrepreneurs, which would unleash the entrepreneurial spirits of our youth and will encourage them to set up more businesses; paving the way for a generation of employment which is the top-most priority of the Government. A trust-based approach towards employers will encourage them to align their business practices with Labour Codes and incentivise companies to ensure better compliance with our laws while promoting better human resource practices. Once in force, the Labour Codes will ensure that India moves confidently towards Atmanibharta as envisioned by PM Modi, by removing all obstacles from its way.—The Hawk*Union Minister of Labour &amp; Employment

The India of Amrit Kaal that PM Narendra Modi has envisioned and the work on which is underway honours its ‘wealth creators’ and works tirelessly for its ‘Shram Yogis’ because the welfare and prosperity of the two are intrinsically linked.

Decriminalisation of existing Labour Laws, securing Shram Yogis

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Wednesday said that the mastermind behind the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala is gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Addressing a press conference here, today evening, the chief of Delhi's anti-terror unit, Special Cell, Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal said, "On May 29, in Punjab's Mansa, Sidhu Moose Wala was killed by assailants. Delhi Police Special Cell traced down the organised gang and criminals who carried out the murder. In this incident as well, we have received information that this attack was planned.It is our duty to nab the culprits as soon as possible." "A first, we carried out some groundwork in the case. We know that the case was registered in Punjab by the Punjab Police. With the joint cooperation of the Delhi Police and Punjab Police, we began the task of identifying the killers at first. With the efforts of the Delhi Police, we established that about five persons were mainly involved in the incident. Later, the Punjab Police identified a few more criminals," he said. The senior Delhi Police official said that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is the mastermind behind the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala. The Police said that Siddhesh Hiraman Kamle, a close associate of the main shooter in the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab has been arrested. "Maharashtra Police has been given Mahakaal alias Siddhesh Hiraman Kamble's 14-day police custody remand. He is a close associate of one of the shooters, but he's not involved in the killing," he said. "At least five people are involved in the killing. One Mahakaal has been arrested.He is a close associate of one of the shooters involved in Punjabi singer Siddu Moose Wala's murder, though he was not involved in the shooting. Actual shooters will be arrested soon," the Police said. Earlier, Gangster Goldy Brar had claimed the responsibility for Moose Wala's murder. This murder was in retaliation for youth Akali leader Vicky Middukhera's killing that took place last year. The Punjab Police on Tuesday had said it had arrested eight persons so far in connection with the brutal murder of Moosewala. The police spokesperson said they also sought a red corner notice against gangster-turned-terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, of Rattoke village, Tarn Taran.—ANI

Delhi Police on Wednesday said that the mastermind behind the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala is gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Addressing a press conference here, today evening, the chief of Delhi's anti-terror unit, Special Cell, Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal said, "On May 29, in Punjab's Mansa, Sidhu Moose Wala was killed by assailants.

Lawrence Bishnoi mastermind behind Moose Wala murder: Delhi Police

Bengaluru: Security and intelligence agencies will soon be provided with a new platform which is technologically advanced, secure and helpful in dealing with new age criminals and anti-social elements, officials said on Wednesday. The new platform will have information about crimes and criminals and can be accessed by police stations and different investigating agencies across the country on real-time basis with the Intelligence Bureau playing the role of the nodal agency.Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday took stock of the progress of work on the project at a high-level meeting of the empowered steering group of police technology, a home ministry official said. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Director of Intelligence Bureau Arvinda Kumar and other top officials of security agencies attended the meeting. The concept of adopting future technologies was mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the DGPs conference held in Lucknow last November.In that meeting, a high-powered police technology mission was constituted under the chairmanship of the home minister.The prime minister had favoured analysis of police-related incidents and to develop case studies to make an institutionalised learning mechanism and suggested interoperable technologies that could benefit police forces in India.Tuesday's meeting was also attended by DRDO chairperson G Satheesh Reddy, NTRO chairman Anil Dhasmana, CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, BSF Director General Pankaj Singh, CRPF Director General Kuldiep Singh and Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana among others, another official said.The central government already has a dedicated platform for registration of all FIRs. The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) has been implemented in all 16,347 police stations in the country. Officials said 100 per cent FIRs are being registered by 99 per cent of police stations.Besides, the home ministry has a National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO) where details of more than 10.69 lakh sexual offenders in the country and their profiles are available to the law enforcement agencies on real time to probe new offences.The government has already prepared the NatGrid, which is having data related to all immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions, credit card purchases, telecom, individual tax payers, air flyers, train travellers besides others to generate intelligence inputs.In the first phase, 10 users agencies and 21 service providers are being connected with the NATGRID. The 10 agencies which will be able to access the NATGRID data on real time basis are: Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research &amp; Analysis Wing (R&amp;AW), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Directorate General of Central Excise and Intelligence (DGCEI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).Initially, no state agencies will be given direct access to the NatGrid data.—PTI

Security and intelligence agencies will soon be provided with a new platform which is technologically advanced, secure and helpful in dealing with new age criminals and anti-social elements, officials said on Wednesday.

Govt setting up high-tech platform under IB to track new age criminals

Security and intelligence agencies will soon be provided with a new platform which is technologically advanced, secure and helpful in dealing with new age criminals and anti-social elements, officials said on Wednesday.



New Delhi: The Centre plans to introduce a Bill to replace the 155-year-old 'Press and Registration of Books Act' with a simplified version that decriminalises various provisions and brings digital media under its ambit.The Centre has also listed 24 bills, including the Cantonment Bill, the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, for introduction in the Monsoon Session of Parliament that is scheduled to commence from Monday.The government plans to introduce the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2022 also in this session.&nbsp;“The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2022 seeks to replace the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 by decriminalisation of the existing Act, keeping the procedures of the extant Act simple from the view point of medium/small publishers and uphold the values of Press Freedom,” a government communication to the Parliament read.The government had first released the draft Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill in 2017 that sought to ease the process of registration of newspapers and dispense with the penal provisions under the PRB Act.The PRB Act has provisions to impose a penalty on publishers for not printing the name of the printer in the newspaper or periodical or not making a declaration before the magistrate about operation of printing presses. The proposed Bill has provisions to set up a press registrar general and bring the digital media in its ambit.The 2019 draft bill had defined “news on digital media” as “news in digitised format that can be transmitted over the internet, computer, mobile networks and includes text, audio, video and graphics.”The Bill sought to enable the central government and the state government to frame appropriate rules to regulate the criteria or conditions for issuing government advertisements in newspapers, accreditation of newspapers, and suchlike facilities for newspapers It also proposed to have a simple system of registration of e-papers and doing away with the earlier provision under the PRB Act, 1867, that deal with prosecution of publishers. The Cantonment Bill proposes to achieve greater developmental objectives in alignment with municipalities across the country and also facilitate "ease of living" in cantonments, according to a bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill seeks to rationalise the government's role in cooperatives and increase participation in the working of the multi-state cooperative societies, so as to increase public faith in these societies and create a conducive environment for their growth and development. Similarly, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill seeks to strengthen the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code by introducing provisions on cross-border insolvency and certain other amendments for a time-bound resolution of stressed assets while maximising their value.Some of the other bills listed for introduction are -- the Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill, the Development of Enterprises and Services Hubs Bill, which proposes to revise the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 and frame rules, the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Bill, the Warehousing (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill and the Competition (Amendment) Bill. The government has also listed the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, which proposes to rationalise the prohibited areas and bring other amendments.The Kalakshetra Foundation (Amendment) Bill, the Old Grant (Regulation) Bill, the Forest (Conservation) (Amendment) Bill, the National Dental Commission Bill, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, the Indian Institute of Management (Amendment) Bill and the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill have also been listed for introduction.The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, the Trafficking of Persons (Protection, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill and the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill are also listed for introduction during the session. Two separate bills for Constitution amendment to revise the list of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu are also listed for introduction.—PTI

The Centre plans to introduce a Bill to replace the 155-year-old 'Press and Registration of Books Act' with a simplified version that decriminalises various provisions and brings digital media under its ambit.

Bill Brings Digital Media Under Press Registration Law's Ambit

New Delhi:&nbsp;Delhi Police on Thursday claimed to have held two members of "Namastey Gang" following a brief encounter in the Shahdara area.A senior police official said that one of the accused suffered a gun wound in the encounter and was removed to a nearby government hospital."Afzal and Shahid were held following the encounter. Both were wanted criminals. They used to greet their targets before and after looting them," police said.Both the criminals used to carry out robberies on a bike and had a created terror in the area. On getting a tip-off, the Special staff of Shahdara police laid a trap to nab them before Vivekanand College in the area.This morning, when they were coming from Ghaziabad area, the police signalled them to pull over but they tried to escape by opening fire at the police.The police also opened fire in retaliation. One of the policemen had a narrow escape as a bullet hit on his bulletproof vest."Both the accused were involved in a robbery case that took place around three days back," the official said.An FIR was being lodged in this respect.Further details are awaited.—IANS

Delhi Police on Thursday claimed to have held two members of "Namastey Gang" following a brief encounter in the Shahdara area.

2 wanted criminals of 'Namaste Gang' held after brief encounter in Shahdara

Bengaluru: A woman head constable, who went to nab a murder accused who jumped court’s proceedings, suffered injuries when the criminal attacked her in HAL police station limits, here.&nbsp;
The incident occurred on August 5 but came to the fore on Wednesday.&nbsp;
Forty-five-year-old Head Constable Vinutha of HAL police station in Bengaluru had gone with other policemen to arrest accused Shaik Sharif (20).
The injured head constable has been discharged after treatment at a hospital.
Sharif, who was out on bail, had jumped the court proceedings, after which police started looking out for him.
During investigation, police got information that Sharif was planning to carry out a murder.
The police tracked Sharif’s movement and went to arrest him but he stabbed Vinutha in a bid to escape.
However, the policemen managed to arrest him with the help of locals.&nbsp;
—IANS

A woman head constable, who went to nab a murder accused who jumped court’s proceedings, suffered injuries when the criminal attacked her in HAL police station limits, here. 

 K'taka: Criminal stabs woman cop in a bid to escape

Chennai: An assistant commandant of Tamil Nadu Special Police II Battalion, Manimuthur lost Rs 7.5 lakh in online fraud by a Nigerian cybercriminal gang.
Karthikeyan, the Assistant Commandant, who is a Superintendent level police officer, fell into the trap of the Nigerian cybercriminal after he introduced himself as Tamil Nadu Director General of Police, C. Sylendrababu.
The commandant purchased online Amazon gift cards through phone and other social media platforms according to the instructions of the Nigerian criminal believing that he was buying this for the state DGP.&nbsp;
Police sources told IANS that the Cyber Police team of Tirunelveli has commenced investigation based on the complaint by Karthikeyan who found out that he was cheated. Cybercriminals generally use these gift cards to recharge online gaming accounts as well as to make other online purchases.
Tirunelveli police Superintendent, Saravanan directed all police officers in the district to be cautious about such online cheating. The local police officers are embarrassed about the senior officer falling into a trap of a Nigerian cyber-criminal. Several officers are of the opinion that the concerned police officer was trying to appease the DGP by buying online games and that this amounts to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
A senior officer of the Tamil Nadu Police while speaking to IANS said, "He is a senior police officer but does not know anything about technology. If he had checked the number from which the Nigerian had called using a caller identification app, he could have easily identified that it was a hoax call."&nbsp;
—IANS

An assistant commandant of Tamil Nadu Special Police II Battalion, Manimuthur lost Rs 7.5 lakh in online fraud by a Nigerian cybercriminal gang.

 TN cop loses Rs 7.5L in online fraud

New Delhi: In a scathing attack against the Kannur University Vice Chancellor, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has charged that the Vice Chancellor Gopinath Raveendran is a criminal.
While speaking to media persons at Kerala House in New Delhi, Arif Mohammed Khan charged that during the Kerala History Congress held at Kannur two years before, the Vice-Chancellor had conspired to physically assault him.
The outburst of the Kerala Governor is the latest in a series of confrontations between the Governor and Kannur University Vice Chancellor after the university cleared the appointment of the private secretary of Kerala Chief Minister, K.K. Ragesh’s wife Priya Verghese to the post of Associate Professor in Malayalam language.
Governor had earlier said that the appointment lacks merit and that Priya Verghese was way behind other aspirants for the job but due to political support, she had got through as the number one in the list. Arif Mohammed Khan has also frozen the appointment of Priya against which the Kannur University Vice- Chancellor said that he would move legally.
However Governor had taken legal opinion and according to this, the Kannur University Vice Chancellor will not be able to move court against the Chancellor of the University (Governor of Kerala is the Chancellor of Universities in the state against which the state government is planning to moot a bill).
However, CPI-M leader and Member of Legislative Assembly from Thalasserry and former Chairman of Kannur University, A.N. Shamseer while speaking to media persons said that the Governor’s statement shows his immaturity. He said that there were no such instances as a physical assault against the Governor during the Kerala State History Congress that had taken place two years ago. He also said that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan was acting like a politician and wanted to be present before the media on a day-to-day basis.
Shamseer said that Arif Mohammed Khan was aspiring for some bigger roles in New Delhi and when that did not happen he was frustrated and that frustration was being vented out against the Left Democratic Front government of Kerala. He said that Governor should introspect whether his actions are in tandem with what was expected from the august office that he was holding.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Congress leader and Member of Parliament, K. Muraleedharan said that he was in support of the Governor in his fight against backdoor appointments in universities. He said that earlier the Kerala Speaker, M.B. Rajesh’s wife was appointed at Sanskrit University and now the Chief Minister’s Political Secretary, K.K. Rajesh’s wife is about to be appointed through the backdoor and overlooking merit criteria.&nbsp;&nbsp;
—IANS

In a scathing attack against the Kannur University Vice Chancellor, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has charged that the Vice Chancellor Gopinath Raveendran is a criminal.

 Kannur University Vice Chancellor is a criminal: Kerala Governor

New Delhi: After a cyber-security research firm claimed that call data records of around 20 million customers of Vodafone Idea (Vi) was leaked and accessed by cyber-criminals, the telecom operator has denied the breach.
Cyber-security research firm CyberX9 claimed in its report that the call data records of 20.6 million postpaid Vi customers were leaked due to vulnerabilities in the company's systems.
The report claimed that data leaked included call time, duration of the call, from where the call was made, full name of the subscriber, address SMS details and roaming details.
However, Vi denied the claim, saying that there was no data breach and the report is "false and malicious".
The company said that it learnt about a "potential vulnerability in its billing communication" and that "was immediately fixed" and a thorough forensic analysis was conducted to "ascertain there was no data breach".
Vodafone Idea said that it performs "regular checks" and audits are conducted to strengthen the security infrastructure.
CyberX9, however, said that the company's claim that they have conducted a forensic audit is absurd.
According to CyberX9, call logs and other data of millions of Vi customers have been leaked for the past two years, which was accessed by hackers.
—IANS&nbsp;

After a cyber-security research firm claimed that call data records of around 20 million customers of Vodafone Idea (Vi) was leaked and accessed by cyber-criminals, the telecom operator has denied the breach.

 Vodafone Idea denies data of 20 mn postpaid customers leaked

New Delhi (The Hawk): In conformity with the Government's policy of facilitating Ease of Doing Business and decriminalisation of offences, CBDT has taken steps in this direction and issued revised Guidelines for Compounding of offences under the Income-tax Act, 1961(the 'Act') dated 16.09.2022 with reference to various offences covered under the prosecution provisions of the Act.
Some of the major changes made for the benefit of taxpayers include making offence punishable under Section 276 of the Act as compoundable. Further, the scope of eligibility for compounding of cases has been relaxed whereby case of an applicant who has been convicted with imprisonment for less than 2 years being previously non-compoundable, has now been made compoundable.The discretion available with the competent authority has also been suitably restricted. The time limit for acceptance of compounding applications has been relaxed from the earlier limit of 24 months to 36 months now, from the date of filing of complaint. Procedural complexities have also been reduced/simplified.
Specific upper limits have been introduced for the compounding fee covering defaults across several provisions of the Act. Additional compounding charges in the nature of penal interest @ 2% per month up to 3 months and 3% per month beyond 3 months have been reduced to 1% and 2% respectively.

In conformity with the Government's policy of facilitating Ease of Doing Business and decriminalisation of offences, CBDT has taken steps in this direction and issued revised Guidelines for Compounding of offences under the Income-tax Act, 1961(the 'Act') dated 16.09.2022 with reference to various offences covered under the prosecution provisions of the Act.

CBDT Issues Revised Guidelines For Compounding Of Offences Under The Income-tax Act, 1961

Dineshpur/Rudrapur (The Hawk): Metropolitan Mahila Congress workers paid tribute to Ankita Bhandari by lighting a lamp. On this occasion, Meena Sharma, senior vice-president of Uttarakhand Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee and former chairperson of Rudrapur Municipal Council, while addressing a tribute program on Kalyani river, said that the murder of 19-year-old girl Ankita Bhandari in Rishikesh is a gross condemnation. Sharma said that the criminals should not go to the box and they should be hanged soon. Earlier, under the leadership of Meena Sharma, Senior Vice President of Uttarakhand Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee and President of Mahanagar Mahila Congress Committee, Monica Dhali, dozens of women reached Kalyani river and paid tribute to Ankita Bhandari. On this occasion, women paid tribute to Ankita Bhandari by lighting a lamp and flowing it in the Kalyani river. Councilors Preeti Sana, Saroj Rani, Manju Jain, Poonam Gupta, Uma Sarkar, Madhu Sikdar Sophia Naaz, Ganga Devi, Baby Rani, Savitri Devi, Madhuri Sharma, Sonu Sharma, Mithilesh, Rajkumari, Prema Devi, Seema, Chandni, Pushpa Lata, Kiran, Mamta, Sangeeta Gupta, Leela Rani etc were present.

Metropolitan Mahila Congress workers paid tribute to Ankita Bhandari by lighting a lamp. On this occasion, Meena Sharma, senior vice-president of Uttarakhand Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee and former chairperson of Rudrapur Municipal Council, while addressing a tribute program on Kalyani river, said that the murder of 19-year-old girl Ankita Bhandari in Rishikesh is a gross condemnation. 

Mahila Congress Pays Tribute To Ankita Bhandari,  Demand That The Criminals Be Hanged Soon

Kanpur: The Uttar Pradesh government will not withdraw the two criminal cases registered against the state's MSME Minister Rakesh Sachan, Kanpur District Magistrate Vishakh G. Iyer announced.
The state government had earlier sought a report on 18 points from the district administration for withdrawal of all four cases against Sachan.
"The government sought a report on withdrawing four cases against MSME minister Rakesh Sachan. The prosecution and police have not recommended withdrawal in two cases and the entire report has been sent to the government," Iyer said.
The four cases against the Minister were pending with the special judge of the MP/MLA court.
In one case, Sachan was convicted by a lower court and he has appealed in the session court.
He was convicted in June this year and sentenced to one-year imprisonment along with a penalty of Rs 1,500 in a case involving possession of an illegal firearm.
Sachan was accused of running away along with the order file from the court and the judge had ordered lodging of an FIR with the Kotwali police.
Similarly, two cases were lodged with Gwaltoli police when he was a student leader at DAV College.
While the fourth case was lodged in 2007 after he was found possessing an illegal gun by the Kotwali police during a procession to file a nomination.
The prosecution in its report said there was a possibility of conviction in two cases while he had already been convicted in another case.
The report in the fourth case was yet to come, said officials.&nbsp;
—IANS

The Uttar Pradesh government will not withdraw the two criminal cases registered against the state's MSME Minister Rakesh Sachan, Kanpur District Magistrate Vishakh G. Iyer announced.

 Cases against UP Minister may not be withdrawn

Dehradun: On the direction of Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, Uttarakhand police is all set to start a one-month special campaign from October 1 to arrest wanted criminals.
"The aim of the campaign is to arrest wanted criminals in the state", said Kumar.
Ashok Kumar said, "Uttarakhand Police is committed to making the state crime and criminal free. This campaign is being run to curb criminals. The cooperation of STF will also be taken in the arrest of the accused. Those who do good work in the campaign will be rewarded and action will also be taken against those who are lax in their work".
The DGP said that all districts had been given special instructions to take maximum action in the campaign. In August, the Uttarakhand Police started "Operation Mukti", with the aim to effectively prevent children from begging and create awareness against it.
The operation will be run till September 30.
The theme of the campaign is "Don't beg, give education" and "Support to educate a child". Uttarakhand Police launched "Operation Mukti" in 2017 for the first time.
According to Uttarakhand Police, Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar took the initiative to motivate the economically weak, destitute children to move on the path of education by removing them from the path of begging. This mission was named "Operation Mukti". Since then this campaign is being run continuously. Under the campaign, a total of 1,430 children have been enrolled in schools/daycare homes by removing them from begging.
During the "Operation Mukti" campaign, the offences of sections 3 and 3A of the Child and Juvenile Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 2016 (Amendment), any kind of gang coming to light or any crime is found to be committed immediately related Acts and Sections, said police.
Further, if the actual charge or the role of the person controlling the child is found in getting the child begging, then according to section 76 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015. action will be taken as per the rules. —ANI

On the direction of Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, Uttarakhand police is all set to start a one-month special campaign from October 1 to arrest wanted criminals.

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