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HC quashes FIR against V S Achuthanandan in land allotment case

[email protected] (Agencies)
December 6, 2012

V_S_Achuthanandan

Kochi, December 6: In a relief to former Chief Minister and veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan, the Kerala High Court today quashed the FIR against him in a land allotment issue, holding that framing a case against him on "false and frivolous" charges was unworthy of any merit.

The court said some features presented in the case were "too disturbing", that in fact "gives enough room to generate" suspicion that the machinery of vigilance is misused and abused to silence political opponents."

Justice S S Sateeshchandran, in his 64 page order, quashed the FIR against Achuthanandan, the first accused in the case, and all further proceedings against him.

The case pertains to alleged violation of norms while allotting 2.33 acres of land to T K Soman, an ex-serviceman and Achuthanandan's close relative, in Kasaragod district when he was Chief Minister heading the LDF ministry during 2006-11.

Apart from the 88-year-old leader, his personal assistant Suresh and former Revenue Minister K P Rajendran (CPI) and a couple of officials have been listed as accused in the FIR filed in a court in Kozhikode after a vigilance probe found prima facie evidence.

Achuthanandan had filed a petition, seeking quashing of the FIR.

Reacting to the verdict, Achuthanandnan said in Thiruvananthapuram that it was a 'mortal blow' to Congress-led UDF Government and its attempts to frame him in a corruption case.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said government would go ahead with legal proceedings in the case and denied it had interfered in the case with political intentions.

Victory of "truth and justice" Achuthanandan

Terming the Kerala High Court order quashing the FIR against him in a land-gift case as 'a victory of truth and justice,' former Chief Minister and CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthnandnan today said it was a 'mortal blow' to the Congress-led UDF government to frame him in a corruption case.

Reacting to the politically significant case, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said his government would go ahead with legal proceedings in the case and denied having interfered in the case with political intentions.

Significantly, the order came when the government was moving ahead with plans to file a charge sheet in the case and seek the Governor's assent to prosecute Achuthanandan.

Welcoming the order, Achuthanandan also had a veiled dig at his CPI(M) detractors, saying the case was a conspiracy by Chandy and Muslim League leader and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty to remove him as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and install someone else in that position.

Talking to reporters here, the 88-year-old leader said details of the conspiracy would soon surface, adding, "you (media) can also perform your role in unearthing the entire conspiracy."

Rejecting Achuthanandan's charge, Chandy said the government had at no stage intervened in the case with political intentions and had always taken the stand that the law would take its own course.

On Achuthanandan's charge that there was a conspiracy to remove him as opposition leader, Chandy said "it is not the Congress that decides who should be leader of LDF opposition."

Meanwhile, CPI state secretary Panniyan Raveendram asked the government to resign in view of the order and said the decision vindicated the LDF stand that the case was politically motivated and a move to tarnish Achuthanandan's image as a crusader against corruption.


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Agencies
July 30,2020

New Delhi, Jul 30: India's gold demand in 2020 is expected to fall to the lowest level in 26 years with domestic bullion prices hitting a record high and as falling disposable incomes could curtail retail purchases, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Thursday.

Lower demand by the world's second-biggest bullion consumer could limit a rally in global prices, which hit a record high earlier this month, although it could also reduce India's trade deficit and support the ailing rupee.

"Fast rising gold prices could act as headwinds," said Somasundaram PR, the managing director of WGC's Indian operations.

Local gold futures have jumped 35% so far this year after rising a quarter in 2019.

India's gold consumption in the first half of 2020 plunged 56% on-year to 165.6 tonnes. Meanwhile, the coronavirus-triggered lockdown also slashed demand by 70% in the June quarter to 63.7 tonnes, the lowest in more than a decade, the WGC said in a report published on Thursday.

Millions of Indians have lost their jobs or taken a pay cut after the country imposed a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people to curb the spread of the virus that has infected more than 1.5 million Indians.

Consumption is generally high during the June quarter due to weddings and key festivals such as Akshaya Tritiya, but lockdown restrictions kept shoppers indoors this year.

The weak demand in the first half could drag down India's gold consumption in 2020 to the lowest since 1994, when demand stood at 415 tonnes, Somasundaram said, adding that it is still difficult to provide an estimate for full-year demand as the coronavirus crisis is still unfolding.

"Indian demand has previously jumped as much as 300 tonnes in a quarter. Latent demand could come out in the second half," Somasundaram said.

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News Network
May 25,2020

Raipur, May 25: A union minister was caught on camera issuing threats to district administration officials in Chhattisgarh saying that she “knows how to take people to a room and beat them with belts"

Officials were taken aback when Renuka Singh, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, delivered this dialogue during her visit to the quarantine centre at Balrampur, around 400 km from Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Sunday.

Dilip Gupta, a resident of Balarampur district in Chhattisgarh, had accused the chief executive officer and tehsildar of the district panchayat of assaulting him in a quarantine centre in the area following a quarrel over shoddy facilities. Renuka Singh took cognizance of the matter and reached the quarantine centre to speak to Dilip Gupta.

The minister, on reaching the quarantine centre, received details of the incident from Gupta and his family and lashed out at the officials for "beating him up".

In a video, Renuka Singh is seen cautioning the officials to not think of BJP workers as "weak".

"Ye bhagwadhaari BJP ke karyakartao ko kamzor mat samajhna. Janpad me baithke aur aap tehsil me baith ke jo bhed-bhaav kar rahe hain BJP ke karyakartao ke sazth, bhool jaiye (Don't think of saffron-wearing BJP workers as weak. Forget the discrimination that you are showing towards BJP workers)," Renuka Singh said, lambasting the officials.

However, the minister did not stop there and went on to threaten the officials saying she knows how to 'thrash people with a belt'. 

"Andheri kothri me le jaa ke na main belt khol ke thokna jaanti hu bohot acche se (I very well know how to lock people in a dark room and thrash them with a belt)," Renuka Singh can be heard saying in a video from the incident.

Dilip Gupta, who was put under quarantine after he recently arrived from Delhi, had reportedly complained about the quality of food and basic facilities in the centre and had even uploaded a video on social media over the same after officials failed to address his issues.

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News Network
January 8,2020

Howrah, Jan 8: Following the 'Bharat Bandh' called by trade unions, protesters blocked railway tracks in Howrah and Kanchrapara in North 24 Parganas on Wednesday.

They raised anti-government slogans and criticised the Center for its policies. They were holding placards, posters and banners against the government.

Commuters faced difficulties as bus services were also affected. CPI (M) protesters also stopped the operation of state transport buses. In Odisha, the public agitation started around 6 am at Talcher, Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur, Bhadrak and Kendujhargarh.

Due to the protests, the following trains are detained enroute at different stations --Bhadrak-Brahmapur passenger at Bhadrak, Kendujhargarh-Bhubaneswar passenger at Kendujhargarh, Bhubaneswar-Balangir InterCity at Bhubaneswar, Howrah-Yesvantpur Express at Brahmapur, Ichhapur-Cuttack MEMU at

Brahmapur and Puri-Rourkela passenger at Bhubaneswar.

The ten central trade unions including Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), among others have given the call for strike with a 12-point charter of demand. Trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) is not taking part in the strike.

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