CBI wants Shehla Masood murder case to be tried in Indore

June 12, 2012

Shehla
New Delhi, June 12: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday opposed the plea of the five accused in RTI activist Shehla Masood murder case to transfer the case to Bhopal under section 177 of CrPC before the special CBI court. Accused Zaheda Parvez, her accomplice Saba Farooqui, history-sheeter Saquib 'Danger,' shooters Irfaan Ali and Tabish Khan were produced before the judge Dr Shubhra Singh.

CBI counsel Hemant Shukla said, CBI special court of Indore has power and jurisdiction to hear the case and that the case should not be transferred to Bhopal. To supplement his argument he gave four instances including one that of 2003 Madhya Pradesh High Court where the cases were heard by the special court away from the place of crime. Shukla argued that section 14 (3) of CrPC 1978 has amended section 177 and empowered the special court to hear cases. In this case, as initial hearing was held in Indore and charge-sheet was also filed here, the trial should also be continued in Indore.

However, the defense counsel of all the accused together argued that under section 177 of CrPc, hearing of the case should be held in the place of crime. "Crime was committed in Bhopal, investigation took place in Bhopal, all the witnesses are from Bhopal so the case should also be shifted to that city as per the law," said defense lawyer Sunil Shirivastav adding that the families of accused are staying in Bhopal and they have to face inconvenience. He stressed that there are certain things beyond law which need to be considered on humanitarian grounds.

Another defense lawyer Y Khan said that several cases are registered against some of the accused in Bhopal and their families too stay in the state capital. Thus, for the convenience of the accused, the court hearing should be shifted to state capital, he reasoned. In his reply, the defense lawyers sought time from the court and will present their argument during the next hearing scheduled for Friday, June 15.

Advocate Memon to appeal for re-investigation

Bagish K Jha

In a new twist to Shehla Masood murder case, the father of slain RTI activist, Sultan Masood, have contested the charge-sheet filed by the CBI. He met famous criminal lawyer advocate Majeed Memon in Mumbai recently with a copy of charge-sheet and alleged that the investigating agency had been protecting BJP MLA Dhruvnarayan Singh and wanted the case to be re-investigated by other officials. The MLA's name came up several times in the course of investigation and had to undergo lie-detector test following allegations against him in the case.

Talking to TOI over phone from Mumbai, advocate Memon said he would appear before the court on behalf of the Masood family and appeal to re-investigate the case. It is not a matter of a family, but is related to the security of common man and the matter of law and order in Madhya Pradesh, he said.

It seems that the CBI has investigated the case with a view to protecting Dhruvnarayan, who was central character in entire episode, but was not even listed as the witness in the charge-sheet.

More than 145 witnesses have been enlisted in the charge-sheet by the CBI. "Beside this, the call details of Shehla were not submitted to the court which could have thrown light on the case," Memon said.

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News Network
October 21,2024

khalistan.jpg

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

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News Network
October 27,2024

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav stated on Sunday, October 27, that his party is prepared to contest the Maharashtra Assembly elections independently if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) does not include them in the alliance. 

Yadav assured that the SP would only contest in constituencies where it has a strong organizational presence and would ensure its participation does not affect the MVA’s overall prospects.

Several I.N.D.I.A. alliance members have expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements in upcoming state polls. 

Both the CPI(ML)L and the RJD voiced frustration after being offered only 3-4 seats each for the Jharkhand elections by the Congress.

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