Articles by Charul Shah
Builder with alleged links to Chhota Rajan discharged in MCOCA case
Builder Mahesh Patel has been discharged by a Mumbai court from 2005 charges of being part of the Chhota Rajan gang, which allegedly threatened builders, developers and housing societies to hand over redevelopment projects to firms favoured by them and extorted money. The court found that there was nothing to show that Patel had approached the crime syndicate or instigated anybody to secure work. The case centred around allegations that Patel's firm, Shiv Sagar Developers, had secured contracts to redevelop properties of several societies in Chembur, a Rajan gang bastion.
Updated on May 13, 2023 10:45 PM IST
Maharashtra drops charges against Param Bir
As part of the decision, Param Bir Singh’s suspension from that period until his superannuation on June 23, 2022, will now be treated as a period spent on duty, and all his perks will be restored, officials said.
Updated on May 13, 2023 12:09 AM IST
Charul Shah, Mumbai
Ghatkopar resident gets 2-year jail term for assaulting traffic cop
A man in Mumbai has been sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting a traffic police constable who stopped him for riding without a helmet on Valentine's Day in 2019.
Updated on May 12, 2023 12:53 AM IST
Darshan Solanki case: Suicide note inadequate to hold Arman Khatri liable for abetment: Court
IIT-Bombay student Arman Khatri has been granted bail after a special court ruled that a four-word suicide note recovered by police was insufficient evidence to conclude he abetted the suicide of his classmate, Darshan Solanki. Khatri was arrested in April after allegedly threatening to kill Solanki with a paper cutter after the latter made an adverse comment about Khatri's religion. Solanki died by suicide four days later. The court ruled that allegations in the suicide note blaming Khatri were insufficient to prove he had committed the offence of abetment.
Updated on May 11, 2023 01:21 AM IST
Malegaon bomb blast: Another key witness turns hostile
Another witness was declared hostile in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, in which BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur was implicated. The witness had previously claimed that Thakur strategized with accused Ramji Kalsangra on how to evade police investigation. However, the witness retracted his statement, claiming he was illegally detained and forced to record it. The NIA had also suspected that he may retract his statement.
Updated on May 11, 2023 01:20 AM IST
1993 riots: UP farmer arrested after 30 years acquitted for want of evidence
A 46-year-old farmer from Uttar Pradesh was acquitted by a Mumbai court on charges of involvement in 1993 communal riots due to lack of evidence.
Updated on May 11, 2023 01:10 AM IST
Dapoli resort case: Anil Parab delayed land transfer, forged owner’s signatures, says ED
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab and his business partner Sadanand Kadam deliberately delayed transfer of the Dapoli land for more than two years and meanwhile forged the original owner’s signature to obtain permission to convert it to non-agricultural purpose and later started building Sai Resort NX on the plot, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said in its chargesheet
Updated on May 10, 2023 12:58 AM IST
Charul Shah, Mumbai
Antilia explosives case: Sunil Mane withdraws plea to become approver
Dismissed police officer Sunil Mane withdrew his application to become an approver in the Antilia explosives scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case. The court allowed Mane to conduct his case himself as he had a law degree. Sachin Waze, the prime accused, fainted in jail on April 23.
Updated on May 10, 2023 12:49 AM IST
Charul Shah, Mumbai
Ragpicker gets 10-year jail term for pelting stones at trains
A ragpicker has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for pelting stones at trains and injuring passengers in Mumbai.
Updated on May 09, 2023 12:44 AM IST
Man gets life term for killing acquaintance after row over girlfriend
A Mumbai court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of a fellow Kandivali resident in 2014. Sandeep Pandey killed Nitesh Yadav as he believed Yadav was attempting to get close to his girlfriend. Pandey denied the allegations, claiming he was falsely implicated, but eyewitness accounts led to his conviction.
Updated on May 09, 2023 12:43 AM IST
Special court grants bail to Darshan Solanki’s batchmate
The court has asked Khatri “not to make any inducement or threat to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him or her from disclosing the facts to the court or any police officer or tamper with the evidence”
Updated on May 07, 2023 05:26 PM IST
HC grants pre-arrest bail to TV actor Shaan Mishra booked for raping co-actor
Television actor Shashank Mishra, accused of raping a co-actor, has been granted anticipatory bail by the Bombay high court, which held the relationship was consensual. The court said the FIR revealed the complainant had continued having a sexual relationship with Mishra until August 2022, raising doubts about lack of consent. Mishra's lawyer argued a false report had been lodged against him to extract money and tarnish his image.
Updated on May 07, 2023 12:18 AM IST
HC discharges BJP leader Chitra Wagh’s husband from corruption case
The Bombay High Court has discharged Kishore Wagh, the husband of a BJP leader, from a bribery case registered in 2016. Wagh was accused of demanding bribes to settle a medical negligence case filed against the hospital where he worked before a consumer commission. The court ruled that there was no evidence to suggest that Wagh had demanded any money from the complainant.
Updated on May 07, 2023 12:18 AM IST
IIT-B student accused of abetting batch mate’s suicide granted bail
IIT-Bombay student Arman Khatri, who was arrested for abetting a batch mate's suicide, has been granted bail by a special court under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Khatri had to post a personal bond of INR25,000 and one or more sureties of the same amount. Khatri said in his bail plea that the committee IIT-B established to probe the suicide did not find anything against him.
Updated on May 06, 2023 11:59 PM IST
HDIL promoters apply for bail, claim they have served half of max sentence
In the plea filed through their lawyer Sagar Shetty, Wadhawans said that they were arrested on October 17, 2019, which means they have spent 1,294 days in prison in connection with the money laundering case registered against them in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank fraud case
Updated on May 06, 2023 12:26 AM IST
60-year-old gets 10 years in jail for impregnating teen sister-in-law
On October 10, 2016, a case was registered after the victim approached the police and said that she had been residing with her sister and brother-in-law at Gowandi where she met a boy and was in a relationship with him. The girl added that the boy sexually assaulted her and impregnated her.
Updated on May 06, 2023 12:02 AM IST
IIT-B did not conduct proper probe into Solanki’s death, SIT tells court
The special investigation team has told a court that IIT-Bombay did not carry out a proper inquiry into the suicide of chemical engineering student Darshan Solanki. The SIT refuted a claim made by Solanki?s batchmate Arman Iqbal Khatri, who was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide, that the institute?s committee had found nothing against him in its probe and he was falsely implicated in the case.
Updated on May 05, 2023 12:38 AM IST
Charul Shah, Mumbai
Money laundering: Shahvali Khan moves plea to become approver, withdraws it hours later
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) booked Khan in connection with the money laundering case involving the alleged usurpation of Goawala Compound in Kurla West by Malik. The agency has claimed that Malik and members of the Dawood Ibrahim gang unauthorisedly took over the property worth around ₹300 crore.
Updated on May 03, 2023 12:48 AM IST
Pratyusha Banerjee suicide: Actor Rahul Raj Singh moves HC seeking expeditious hearing on discharge plea
Actor Rahul Raj Singh has asked the Bombay High Court to expedite the hearing on his discharge plea over the abetment to suicide of TV actress Pratyusha Banerjee. Singh claimed the case had ruined his acting career and that he had lost work due to the matter. Banerjee died by suicide in 2016, and Singh was granted anticipatory bail in July of that year.
Updated on May 02, 2023 12:17 AM IST
Court rejects pre-arrest bail of TV actor for raping co-actor
“Having gone through the case diary, statements recorded by the investigation officer and the WhatsApp and Instagram messages exchanged between the complainant and the applicant, I believe that a that the case should be thoroughly investigated,” said additional sessions judge Ashish Ayachit on April 26 while rejecting Mishra’s pre-arrest bail plea.
Updated on May 01, 2023 12:37 AM IST
59-year-old cleared of POCSO case after three years in jail
According to the prosecution case, the accused and his wife ran a nursery and daycare centre at Goregaon. The working parents of the girl used to drop her at the centre at 8:30am and would take her back at 5pm.
Updated on Apr 30, 2023 12:25 AM IST
Antilia explosives scare: Court directs NIA to provide electronic evidence to accused
The NIA has been directed by a special court to provide copies of all electronic data collected in the Antilia explosives scare and the murder of Mansukh Hiran case to the accused linked with the said evidence within three months. The accused had objected to NIA's plea and sought entire electronics material collected by the agency.
Updated on Apr 30, 2023 12:26 AM IST
Bail granted to woman arrested for killing 3-year-old daughter
A Mumbai court granted bail to a woman accused of beating her three-year-old daughter to death in 2018, citing that her trial is unlikely to start soon. The woman's lawyer argued that evidence suggested her brother was the main culprit, and that she has a minor son to care for. The prosecution argued that neighbours and the son identified her as the perpetrator. The court granted bail, stating that there was insufficient evidence of intent to cause death and that the woman had called the police for help.
Updated on Apr 30, 2023 12:25 AM IST
Court refuses to absolve ex-DHFL director in cheque bounce case
Former non-executive director of DHFL, Srinath Sridharan, has been refused discharge from a cheque bounce case initiated by IDBI Bank. DHFL had obtained various credit facilities to the tune of INR150 crore ($20.3m) from IDBI Bank, and it was alleged that Aadhar Housing Finance, a DHFL group company, also availed credit facilities from the complainant bank. The cheque was returned due to a difference in signature, and the bank subsequently initiated proceedings against DHFL and its directors, including Sridharan.
Updated on Apr 30, 2023 12:20 AM IST
Jiah Khan suicide case: Special CBI court acquits Sooraj Pancholi
While acquitting Sooraj, the court observed that Jiah had suicidal tendencies and had attempted to kill herself earlier as well. The court said at that time, Sooraj had helped her and saved her life. Besides, the court said, the deceased had consulted doctor for stress management.
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 11:57 PM IST
CBI court acquits actor Sooraj Pancholi in Jiah Khan suicide case
Jiah Khan suicide case: Sooraj Pancholi, who was out on bail, was charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 306 (abetment of suicide) in connection with actor Jiah Khan’s death
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 01:26 PM IST
Sessions court stays magisterial court proceedings against Choksi, others
MUMBAI: The sessions court on Wednesday stayed the proceedings issued against Mehul Choksi, fugitive diamond trader, Vipul Chitalia, former vice-president of Gitanjali Group, and others in connection with a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a complaint lodged by the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI)
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 12:31 AM IST
Antilia explosives case: No objection to Mane turning approver, says Waze
Dismissed police officer Sachin Waze has withdrawn his objection to co-accused Sunil Mane's plea to become an approver in the Antilia explosives scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case. Waze had previously objected to Mane's request. Mane's hearing will continue on May 9. The court also rejected Waze's pleas for home-cooked food and access to documents and statements gathered by the National Investigation Agency.
Updated on Apr 27, 2023 12:35 AM IST
Charul Shah, Mumbai
Duo cleared of POCSO case as court finds survivor’s deposition unreliable
A Mumbai POCSO court acquitted two men accused of sexually assaulting a minor relative after noticing inconsistencies in the survivor's testimony, which appeared to have been coached by the prosecution and police. The court found the victim's evidence unreliable and said the accused could not be convicted under the POCSO Act, as the prosecution failed to provide strict proof of her date of birth. The complaint was filed out of family feuds.
Updated on Apr 27, 2023 12:33 AM IST
Special court rejects 7/11 train blast convict’s plea for action against three witnesses
The MCOCA court said that Siddiqui’s plea was devoid of any merit. “After seven years (of the judgement in the case), the applicant prayed to initiate action against the three witnesses. There is no explanation as to the delay in filing this application,” special judge AM Patil said while rejecting the plea.
Updated on Apr 27, 2023 12:23 AM IST
