SC slams Gautam Khaitan's lawyer in AgustaWestland case

Agencies
September 11, 2019

New Delhi, Sept 11: Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra on Wednesday slammed the lawyer of Gautam Khaitan in the AgustaWestland case on the applicability of the black money law with retrospective effect.

"You are trying to avoid the bench. This conduct is deprecating," Justice Mishra said during the hearing.

"Nonsense", said Justice Mishra, objecting to a senior lawyer not agreeing with a date of hearing in Khaitan's case. Khaitan is an accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam and he was booked under the Black Money Act.

"Justice can't be purchased like this. Looks like you want to avoid this bench. We are averse to such a practice. It won't work in this court", Justice Mishra said.

As the lawyer persisted on hearing the matter on a different date, Justice Mishra replied, "You people are lawyers and you are supposed to protect the law. The matter is scheduled for final hearing next week on Wednesday."

The Supreme Court had in May stayed the Delhi High Court order saying that the 2016 black money law cannot be applied with retrospective effect.

The high court had on May 16 restrained the Centre and the Income Tax (I-T) department from taking any action against Khaitan.

The Supreme Court vacation bench, headed by Justice Mishra and also including Justice M.R. Shah, issued a notice to Khaitan, asking him to reply within six weeks.

In May, the Centre had moved the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order, which ruled the black money law cannot have a retrospective effect, that is, it can't be applied prior to April 1 2016, as fixed by Parliament.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had submitted indicating at the implications of the high court order on several cases pending before courts mentioned the matter before the vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Sanjiv Khanna.

On May 16, the Delhi High Court passed the order preventing the government and the Income Tax department from initiating any punitive measure against Khaitan under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

Challenging his arrest, Khaitan had submitted before the court that the Act on black money was notified by the Centre before the Act itself became operational.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 26 arrested Khaitan, an accused in the VVIP chopper deal scam, for allegedly depositing money in offshore accounts.

The high court had said: "... at this stage we are prima facie of the considered view that, the official respondents could not have exercised powers granted to it under the provisions of Sections 85 and 86 of the said Act, prior to the enactment itself coming into force, in terms of the provisions of sub-Section (3) of Section 1 of the said Act."

The high court had queried the Centre on the applicability of the retrospective effect from July 2015 to the enactment of the black money law in April 2016 to take into consideration undisclosed foreign income and assets. Khaitan had informed the court that under the Act unnecessary action has been initiated against him for assets which did not exist before the law came into force.

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News Network
February 4,2020

New Delhi, Feb 4: Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, on Tuesday attacked the BJP over Anantkumar Hegde's controversial remark on Mahatma Gandhi and termed the party as "Ravan ke aulad" (children of Ravana). "Aaj ye Mahatma Gandhi ko gaali dete hain. Ye Ravan ke aulad hain. Ram ke pujari ka ye apmaan kar rahe hain (Today, they abuse Mahatma Gandhi. They are children of Ravan. They are insulting Lord Ram's devotee)," Chowdhury said.

Later, BJP lawmakers object to Chowdhury's statement. Hegde, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, had on Saturday said that the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi was a "drama".

"None of these so-called leaders were beaten up by the cops even once. Their independence movement was one big drama. It was staged by these leaders with the approval of the British. It was not a genuine fight. It was an adjustment freedom struggle," Hegde had said while addressing a public event in Bengaluru. While several Congress leaders, including Karti Chidambaram and BK Hariprasad, have condemned Hegde's remark, BJP leaders too have distanced themselves from it.

Top leadership in BJP is unhappy with Anantkumar Hegde over his controversial remark on Mahatma Gandhi, party sources had said on Monday, adding that he has been asked to issue an unconditional apology.

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News Network
April 3,2020

New Delhi, April 3: The total number of coronavirus cases in India on Friday climbed to 2301, including 156 cured and discharged and 56 deaths, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

At present, there are 2088 COVID-19 active cases in the country.

"A total number of COVID-19 positive cases rises to 2301 in India, including 156 cured/discharged, 56 deaths and 1 migrated," said the Health Department.

The highest number of positive cases of coronavirus was reported from Maharashtra at 335, including 16 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu (309 and 6 deaths) and Kerala (286 and 2 deaths).

There are 219 coronavirus positive cases in the national capital, including 8 cured and discharged and 4 deaths.

The states which have crossed 100-mark for COVID-19 positive cases also include Andhra Pradesh (132), Karnataka (124), Rajasthan (133) and Telangana (107).

While 18 people were detected positive for coronavirus in Chandigarh, 70 cases were confirmed from Jammu and Kashmir and 14 from Ladakh.

In North-East, one COVID-19 case each has been confirmed from Mizoram and Assam, and two in Manipur.

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News Network
June 5,2020

Jun 5: Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his wife Mahzabeen have tested positive for COVID-19, a top government source told CNN News 18. They were admitted to the Army Hospital in Karachi.

Some of Dawood's personal staff and guards have also been quarantined, the report said on Friday.

Dawood was the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts and is one of the most-wanted gangsters by India. He has allegedly been living in Pakistan but the neighbouring country has always refusing to accept it.

Earlier in the day, a senior diplomat of the American embassy in Pakistan has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a media report said.

In a statement, the embassy's spokesman said that while maintaining the privacy, the name of the citizen would not be disclosed.

The US State Department is responsible to protect its citizens, wherever they are, the spokesman added. In coordination with the Pakistani authorities, the consulate is working to enforce the coronavirus protocol in order to stem its spread. The spokesman added that isolation wards, contact tracing and quarantine facility are part of such protocols.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has 89,249 COVID-19 cases and the death toll is 1,838.

 

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