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| Wednesday, March 29, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Personal Point case: contractor
convicted Gangster
gets the noose
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Alliance under threat in
TN Cong sends teams for RS poll Cong MLAs suspended for day
Arora deposes in St. Kitts case Statutory review
‘motivated’
|
Personal Point case: contractor convicted NEW DELHI, March 28 (PTI) — A Delhi court today convicted municipal contractor Subhas Gupta in the sensational Personal Point triple murder case but acquitted eight other accused due to lack of sufficient evidence against them. Additional Sessions Judge Neeraj Kumar Gupta held Subhas Gupta guilty of murdering the then Personal Point Fitness Centre head, Sunil Kaul, and his two women employees, Sujata Shah and Deepa Gupta. Giving the verdict in a 615-page judgement, the judge said "I convict him (Subhas Gupta) under Section 302 (murder) and 364 (abduction) of the Indian Penal Code and will hear the argument on the sentence on March 30". "I acquit all other accused as the charges of conspiracy could not be proved against them", the judge, who was conducting the trial on a day-to-day basis following a Delhi High Court order, said. Those acquitted are: — Karnal Singh, alias Shaily, Vibhore Singh, alias Lavi, Vijay Mohan Sharma, alias Mintu, Hemant Kalra, Vijay Kumar, alias Veeru, Deepak Dass, alias Deepu, Ravi Prakash and Kamal Kumar, alias Pinky. Another accused J.K. Tyagi did not face trial as he was declared a proclaimed offender. The Delhi Police had alleged that Subhas Gupta and other accused had committed the murder of Kaul and his two employees after abducting them in June 1996. The police had claimed that all victims were murdered on June 6, 1996, and recovered the body of Kaul from Hodal in Haryana and those of others from Bhind in Madhya Pradesh. The police has alleged that Subhas Gupta, who was obsessed with Sujata, had hired a group of Uttar Pradesh gangsters to kill Kaul and his two employees. Subhas Gupta took such an extreme step as Kaul, was opposed to his marriage with Sujata, the police had alleged. The court said:
"The charge for committing the murder of Kaul Deepa
and Sujata held to be proved against Subhas Gupta since
he was the person last seen with the deceased". |
JJ shootout case MUMBAI, March 28 (UNI) — Notorious gangster Subhash Singh Thakur of the infamous Dawood Ibrahim gang was today sentenced to death by a designated Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) court for his involvement in the sensational J.J. shootout case. Apart from Thakur, two more accused in the dastardly act, Shamkishore Garikapatti and Jayant Suryarao, a former President of the Bhiwandi Municipal Council in the adjoining Thane district, were held guilty and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and seven years, respectively. The death sentence was awarded to Thakur by designated TADA court presided over by Justice P.K. Chavre, who is also trying the serial bomb blasts case.The trio, said to be important members of the dreaded Dawood Ibrahim gang, barged into one of the wards of J.J. Hospital in South Mumbai on September 12, 1992 and gunned down Sailesh Haldankar of the rival Arun Gawli gang to avenge the murder of Ibrahim Ismail Parkar — a close relative of Dawood. Dewood now is said to be based in Karachi and is a prime accused in the sensational serial bomb blasts case on March 12, 1993 after the communal riots in December 1992-following the Babri Masjid demolition at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. Six other accused, including a woman, were granted the benefit of doubt and acquitted by the court. They are Anil Amarnath Sharma, Prasad Khade, Ahmed Mohammed Mansoori, Jai Prakash Singh Shivcharan Singh, alias Bachahisingh, Jahoor Ismail Faki and Mehboobi Aziz Khan. The court held Thakur
guilty under Section 302, IPC. He was also awarded life
imprisonment under Section 307, IPC, for attempted murder
of Sub-Inspector Krishna Thakur and two patients of J.J.
Hospital. Since prohibited weapons were used in crime,
the court awarded the death sentence to Thakur under
Section 27 of the Arms Act. All sentences will run
concurrently and hanging till death will be awarded soon
after confirmation from the Supreme Court. |
Custodial death NEW DELHI, March 28 — The National Human Rights Commission has directed the Jammu and Kashmir Government to pay an interim relief of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of a 38-year-old person who died in police custody. According to an intimation sent by the District Magistrate, Kathua, Ghulam Rasool was found dead in the lock up of the Kathua police station on November 1, 1996. The commission has also directed the state government to initiate a departmental action and appropriate criminal proceedings against the delinquent officers for causing the death and recover the sum from them. In its order, the commission stated that the facts disclosed called for a strong action against those who were responsible for perpetrating inhuman treatment and torture to the accused in custody. Sources in the commission told TNS here today that the respondent (state government) was yet to send a compliance report. According to the post-mortem report, the accused died of cardio respiratory arrest due to dislocation of cervical spine leading to compression of the spinal chord. The report also records serious ante mortem injuries on the scalp, face, back, left arm, left eye, limb and right lower limb. The nature of the injuries indicated that they were caused due to a brutal treatment. In response to the commission’s directions, the state IG send the reports along with the inquest, post-mortem and magisterial inquiry reports. According to the report, Rasool was arrested along with two others and brought to the police post, Hatli on October 30, 1996. The chowki officer demanded Rs 10,000 from the three which they could not provide. After being interrogated for six hours the next day, the accused were moved to a lock up. The guard on morning duty the following day reported that the three had wounds on their bodies and were crying. Subsequently, Rasool complained of severe pain in the stomach and requested for medication. The doctor who examined him declared him dead. According to the report, the body was taken to the district hospital mortuary on the instructions of a head constable. The mortuary was locked by the police without informing to the medical officer. The other accused were admitted to the orthopaedic unit of Jammu Medical College Hospital and released without any bail. No FIR was lodged on the death of Rasool for the next eight days. The next day, a mob forced its way into the mortuary and brought the body out. They burnt a police vehicle, damaged government vehicles and blocked the highway for five hours. The District Magistrate ordered a probe and the post-mortem was held under his instructions. A panel of six doctors conducted the post-mortem and recorded that the death was caused by torture. After examining the
documents on record and photographs and video clippings,
the commission inferred that the case was one of police
brutality. |
Alliance under threat in TN CHENNAI, March 28 (UNI) — Cracks have developed in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu with a meeting of the NDA here today serving an ultimatum to the Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress (TRC) president Vazhapadi K. Ramamurthy on the party’s continuance in the alliance. The ultimatum was issued in the wake of Mr Ramamurthy boycotting the meeting convened by DMK president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to discuss the stand off between the TRC and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), another NDA constituent. The meeting took strong exception to Mr Ramamurthy’s absence and declared that the question of TRC’s continuance or otherwise in the NDA now depended on the stand to be taken by its leader Mr Ramamurthy. Mr Ramamurthy’s absence had hurt the leaders as he had kept away at the last minute after having agreed to attend the meeting. This attitude deserved to be condemned, the meeting said. A war of attrition has been going on between the TRC and the PMK with Mr Ramamurthy accusing Dr Ramadoss of having been responsible for his defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections and lower rung leaders in the PMK threatening to physically liquidate him. Workers of both the parties had also burnt effigies of their respective leaders. Mr Ramamurthy, however, said he was equally hurt over the manner in which the meeting was organised. While making it clear that the party would continue in the NDA, he said the party would, however, go ahead with the stir against the PMK in the first week of next month. The NDA leaders waited for about 15 minutes for Mr Ramamurthy’s arrival but decided to go ahead with the meeting after the TRC sent a fax message saying that it would not be possible for Mr Ramamurthy to take part in the meeting. The meeting is believed to have discussed the matter threadbare for more than two hours before arriving at the conclusion. Emerging from the meeting, PMK founder leader S. Ramadoss parried all questions from waiting newspersons and said the Chief Minister would explain everything. However, Mr Karunanidhi
did not talk to the Press, who were merely informed of
the decision taken at the meeting. |
Cong sends teams for RS poll NEW DELHI, March 28 — Having been stung by a reverse two years ago in the Rajya Sabha poll in Maharashtra, the Congress has despatched senior leaders to some states to thwart an encore at tomorrow’s elections. Several AICC General Secretaries and other office-bearers have been despatched by the party President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to smoothen the ruffled feathers, if any, among party members who were either themselves or whose candidates were denied nominations. The AICC General Secretary, Mrs Ambika Soni, has been sent to West Bengal where the party has fielded Mr D.P. Ray against the recommendation of the Legislature party of former PCC chief, Mr Somen Mitra. Mrs Soni, along with Mr Pranab Mukherjee were in Calcutta ahead of tomorrow’s polling to ensure there is no cross-voting in favour of the Trinamool Congress candidate, Mr Jayanta Bhattacharya, even though Mr Roy can carry through on the party’s strength. Similarly, another AICC General Secretary, Mrs Mohsina Kidwai, and party spokesman, Mr Ajit Jogi, were sent to Patna where the Congress is backing an Independent, Mr Dhammo Vira.The party team for Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress President handpicked Mr Inder Kumar Khosla, consists of Mr Moti Lal Vora, Mr Narayan Dutt Tewari and other local leaders to support them. In Karnataka, AICC
General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad who is incharge of the
party affairs in the state has reached Bangalore to
finalise the strategy. Although the Congress is the
ruling party there, but the entry of a well-known
industrialist and liquor baron, Mr Vijay Mallaya, has
queered the pitch both for the Congress and the BJP. |
Cong MLAs suspended for day GANDHINAGAR, March 28 (PTI) — All Opposition Congress members in the Gujarat Assembly were today suspended for a day for disrupting proceedings of the House and creating pandemonium over the death of a large number of cattle in a camp in Ahmedabad district recently. The Congress members numbering 55, including Leader of the Opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary, in the 182-member House, were physically removed by marshals on the order of the Speaker after the Assembly adopted by voice vote a motion to suspend them moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Mehta and seconded by Health Minister Ashok Bhatt. The Speaker, Mr Dhirubhai Shah earlier had to adjourn the House twice for 10 minutes each after question hour when Congress members continued to rouse slogans and tried to disrupt the proceedings. The trouble erupted when
the Speaker took up the call attention motion moved by Mr
Lalit Patel (Cong) for discussion relating to the death
of 886 head of cattle at a cattle camp at Virpur village
in Viramgam taluka of Ahmedabad district for want of
fodder. |
Arora deposes in St. Kitts case NEW DELHI, March 28 (PTI) — The probe into the existence of an alleged bank account of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh’s son Ajeya Singh in St Kitts was initiated on the basis of information supplied by some unidentified private persons, former Finance Secretary Gopi K. Arora told a Delhi Court today. Deposing before Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke as a CBI witness Mr Arora said he had assigned the probe to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following the receipt of some telegrams in this regard from some "private" persons which also had the endorsement of the then Finance Minister S B Chavan. "The telegrams were put up before me and I marked it to to the ED Director K.L. Verma," Mr Arora, who was Union Finance Security from February to December 1989, told the court. He said he had "cleared" a report prepared by Ed Regarding the probe into the alleged bank account of Ajeya Singh which was presented before Parliament in October 1989. He, however, said it was unusual to present a report in Parliament regarding an incomplete probe. After the completion of
Mr Arora’s examination by CBI, the court fixed the
matter for further examination from July 24 to 28. |
Actress Priya Rajvansh dead MUMBAI, March 28 (PTI) — Noted actress Priya Rajvansh, who charmed moviegoers with her brilliant portrayal in "Heer Ranjha", was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her Ruia Park bungalow here last night, the police said today. The 57-year-old actress was found dead in the bathrooom of the bungalow at Juhu around 10 p.m. by late film-maker Chetan Anand’s son. Her body has been shifted to the coroner’s court at Cooper Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Hailing from Chandigarh, London-educated Priya got her first break as a heroine opposite Dharmendra in Chetan Anand’s "Haqeeqat", which was a big success. Her other memorable
roles were in "Heer Ranjha", "Hanste
Zakhm", "Sahib Bahadur",
"Kudrat" and "Hathon Ki Lakeeren". |
Punjab farmers hold protest NEW DELHI, March 28 — Farmers from Punjab demonstrated in the Capital today against the hike in prices of fertilisers and agricultural implements and the marginal increase in the procurement price of wheat. "The government has
adopted an anti-farmer policy through these
measures," the president of the Bharti Kisan Union,
Mr Baldev Singh Mianpur, said while addressing the
demonstrators. |
Statutory review ‘motivated’ NEW DELHI, March 28 (UNI) — The Congress made it clear today that it would continue to oppose any thorough review of the Constitution and said such a review was an insult to the founding-fathers of the Constitution and the spirit of the freedom struggle. The Constitution review panel was set up with political motives and aimed at deriving political mileage, Congress spokesperson Ajit Jogi said here. The panel included a recent defector from the Congress and another BJP activist and this made the purpose of the panel clear, he said. Asked about BJP
spokesperson Venkaiah Naidu’s stand that a
"white paper" would be issued on the
Constitution review to convince the Congress, Mr Jogi
said the Congress did not require the wisdom of BJP
leaders and the party had its own views on various issues
. |
Holiday on April 14 NEW DELHI, March 28 (UNI) — The government has declared April 14, the birth anniversary of the late Dr B.R.Ambedkar, a holiday in all central government offices and industrial establishments. This will also be a
holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act,1881, an
official press note said here today. |
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