top of page

By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Police form SIT, arrest four

Achalpur Municipal Council serves ‘bulldozer justice’ Mumbai: Amid growing public outrage in Vidarbha, police in Amravati arrested three associates of the prime accused, 19 year old Ayan Ahmed Tanveer in the scandal involving recording and circulation of obscene videos of young women. The police also formed a 47-member Special Investigation Team even as authorities say preliminary inquiries point to a large cache of material and possible involvement of minors, prompting a rapid escalation of...

Police form SIT, arrest four

Achalpur Municipal Council serves ‘bulldozer justice’ Mumbai: Amid growing public outrage in Vidarbha, police in Amravati arrested three associates of the prime accused, 19 year old Ayan Ahmed Tanveer in the scandal involving recording and circulation of obscene videos of young women. The police also formed a 47-member Special Investigation Team even as authorities say preliminary inquiries point to a large cache of material and possible involvement of minors, prompting a rapid escalation of the probe and local administrative action that included partial demolition of the accused’s house. Police on Wednesday took into custody Uzair Khan Iqbal Khan (20), Mohammad Saad Mohammad Sabir (22) and Tabrez Khan Taslim Khan (24) after Ayan’s arrest on Monday. Court remand for the newly arrested trio runs until 21 April as investigators intensify questioning. Officials have so far identified eight victims, but local claims and media reports suggest the scandal may involve far larger numbers — with some sources alleging up to 180 girls and as many as 350 videos circulating online. A cyber team is working to recover deleted files and trace the full extent of distribution. Unauthorised Structure The Achalpur Municipal Council deployed a bulldozer to raze part of the accused’s house, citing unauthorised construction; officials said the timing was coincidental to the probe, but the action has added to tensions in the area. Police have formed a 47 member Special Investigation Team to coordinate forensic, cyber and field inquiries and have appealed to the public not to share any images or clips, warning that doing so is a criminal offence. Female officers are assisting in victim identification and interviews to ensure sensitivity and confidentiality. Investigation Focus Investigators have seized numerous objectionable videos from the prime accused’s phone and are attempting to match faces and locations to identify victims. The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the POCSO Act where minors are involved, and provisions of the Information Technology Act for non consensual recording and distribution. Police stress that no formal FIRs from victims are required to pursue the case and have offered the option of filing Zero FIRs to protect identities and fast track action. The scandal has provoked a political storm in Amravati. Opposition leaders have demanded a high level probe and some local groups have called for shutdowns, prompting heightened security. While there have been claims about the accused’s political links, party officials say he has been expelled; nevertheless, the episode has intensified scrutiny of law and order and online safety for young women. Community leaders and activists are pressing for swift arrests of all accomplices and for systemic measures to prevent similar crimes.

Come and face the law: HC to Vijay Mallya

Mumbai: In a strong sign of judicial impatience, the Bombay High Court asked the absconder liquor baron Vijay Vittal Mallya to ‘come back to India and face the law' instead of challenging it from London, where he is currently living.

 

A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad took exception to Mallya’s attempts to question the validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 without first submitting to or facing the Indian courts.

 

“You have to come back. If you cannot come back, then we cannot hear this plea,” the court said bluntly, during a hearing of Mallya’s petition challenging the proceedings that have declared him a fugitive economic offender and the constitutional validity of the FEO Act, 2018.

 

The court’s stern remarks followed an earlier order of Dec. 23 when it had directed Mallya to file an affidavit stating when he plans to return to India from the UK.

 

The court had made it clear that his challenge to the FEO Act would not be heard unless he first submitted to the court’s jurisdiction.

 

However, Mallya not only failed to specify his return date but also went ahead with his legal challenge without complying with the court directives.

 

“You are avoiding the process of the court, so you cannot take advantage of the present petition challenging the FEO Act,” said the court to Senior Advocate Amit Desai appearing for Mallya.

 

Representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta informed the court that Mallya had filed an affidavit claiming the banks were wrong to demand the money (dues) from him and was attempting to turn the case into recovery proceedings.

 

Mehta pointed out that Mallya had challenged the FEO Act, 2018, only after becoming a fugitive and while India was completing his extradition proceedings in London. He submitted that Mallya could come to India and argue everything but he should have faith in the Indian laws to claim equity.

 

“He can come and discuss everything – that ‘I am ready to pay, not ready to pay, not liable to pay’, etc. But he cannot ‘not’ trust the laws of this country and still invoke equity jurisdiction,” said Mehta emphatically.

 

When Desai argued that the nature of the statute permitted a hearing even in the petitioner’s absence, the court reminded him that a specific direction to state (Mallya’s) date of return was already on the record.

 

“In fairness to you, we are not dismissing it. We are giving you another opportunity,” said the bench, posting it for hearing next week.

 

The judges cautioned that if Mallya continued to ignore the court’s earlier order, they would be compelled to pass an order of ‘non-compliance’ if he failed to comply at the next hearing.

 

Time running out?

The once flamboyant and self-proclaimed ‘King of Good Times’ Mallya, 70, slipped out of India in March 2016 following huge debts piling up after the collapse of the Kingfisher Airlines, with a consortium of 17 Indian banks claiming default of over Rs 9000-crore loans.

 

The two-time MP also faced multiple probes from the Income Tax Department, ED, Central Bureau of Investigation and in 2019, he was declared a fugitive economic offender, which he has challenged. However, Mallya has claimed that he has repaid Rs. 14,000-cr. to banks against the loan dues of Rs 6,200-cr.

 

India moved for Mallya’s extradition which was cleared but the process has been stuck in delays.

Comments

bottom of page