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Supreme Court agrees to hear Tejpal's bail plea

April 21, 2014

New Delhi, Apr 21: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the bail plea of Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal, who has been charged with allegedly raping a junior female colleague in Goa last year, and issued a notice to the Goa Police.tejpal

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam asked the state police to file its reply within four weeks on why Tejpal should not be given bail.

The 50-year-old Tehelka founder approached the apex court challenging the March 14 verdict of the Goa bench of the Bombay high court, which had rejected his bail plea, on April 10 seeking bail on the ground that "the trial will take considerable time to conclude".

His bail application was rejected by Bombay HC on the ground that main witnesses in the case were yet to be examined.

During the brief argument, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Tejpal, pleaded for interim bail and said the apex court can impose the condition on him not to leave Goa and come to Delhi during the pendency of the trial, which would be acceptable to him.

Tejpal has been chargesheeted for allegedly raping, sexually harassing and outraging the modesty of a junior colleague during an event held at a hotel in Goa in November last year. Tejpal was arrested on November 30, 2013.

He has been accused of sexually assaulting the victim on November 7 and repeating the offence the next day.

Tejpal had said in his bail petition the trial is likely to take a considerably long time as there are 152 witnesses cited by the prosecution. He also said there are contradictions in the prosecution's case, which prima facie show his innocence.

Tejpal contended he was not required for any further probe and if refused bail he would be unable to prepare his defence and exercise his right to a fair trial.

He also pleaded that his mother was critically ill. Tejpal's mother is suffering from cancer and he has previously been allowed to visit her once in the hospital and once at their home.

The Goa Police had filed a charge sheet against Tejpal on February 17, 2014 and in terms of Section 309 of Criminal Procedure Code, the trial, as far as possible, has to be completed within a period of two months from the date of filing of the charge sheet.

Tejpal has also been chargesheeted under sections 354, 354-A (sexual harassment), 341 and 342 (wrongful restrain), 376 (rape), 376(2)(f) (being a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman and rapes her) and 376 (2)(k) (being in a position of control or dominance over a woman and rapes her) of the Indian Penal Code.

The Goa Police has claimed in the chargesheet that there was sufficient evidence available in the form of documents and statements on record to show that Tejpal had been evading police after commission of the alleged crime.

Tejpal is currently in judicial custody and lodged at Sada sub-jail in Goa's Vasco town.

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Agencies
August 6,2020

Mumbai, Aug 6: Former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan said on Thursday that overly focusing on what sovereign rating agencies think can take one's eyes off what needs to be done for the economy.

"It is also important to convince both domestic and international investors that after the crisis associated with the pandemic is over, we will return to fiscal responsibility over the medium term, and the government should do more to convince them of that," Rajan told the Global Markets Forum.

India was placed under one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in late March for more than two months to stem the spread of the coronavirus, but cases have continued to rise steadily since the government eased restrictions in June, stymieing hopes of an economic recovery.

The government has announced several initiatives to help the poor and small- and medium-size businesses, but actual cash outgo from the government's measures has been estimated at just about 1% of GDP.

Several attribute the fiscal prudence to fear of a downgrade after Moody's cut India's rating and outlook in early June followed closely by a change in outlook from Fitch.

The central bank on its part too has reduced the key lending rate by 115 basis points on top of the 135 bps last year and is widely expected to cut rates by another 25 bps later on Thursday.

"The RBI and government have certainly been cooperating, but it seems like it is elsewhere, the ball is in the government's court to do more," Rajan said.

He said the RBI needs to focus on whether credit is reaching the stressed areas of the economy and also if the viable firms were able to access credit and not the unviable ones.

"And I think that's where it has to focus its attentions, because resources, as you well know, are limited in India today."

Recently analysts, however, have cited the growing possibility the RBI may prefer to pause and cut rates only at its October meeting.

Government officials too have suggested the possibility of any more fiscal stimulus being announced, would only come in the second half of the fiscal year, once a recovery has taken root and coronavirus cases have peaked.

"What India should focus on at this point is protecting its economic capabilities, so that when it has dealt with the virus it can go resume activity in a reasonable way. That should be the focus," Rajan said.

"And if it does that, there is no reason why the rating agencies will not see that as an appropriate policy".

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News Network
February 18,2020

New Delhi, Feb 18: A Delhi court today sent Sharjeel Imam, who has been named as an "instigator" by the Delhi Police in its chargesheet on violent protests against the amended citizenship act at New Friends Colony near Jamia in Delhi last year, to judicial custody till March 3.

Sharjeel Imam was arrested on sedition charges last month.

The Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur, naming Sharjeel Imam as an instigator of the violence.

It said it has attached CCTV footage, call detail records and statements of over 100 witnesses as evidence in the chargesheet.

The court had on Monday sent Sharjeel Imam to one-day custody of Delhi Police in the case.

Protestors had torched four public buses and two police vehicles as they clashed with police in New Friends Colony near Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi during the demonstration against the CAA on December 15, leaving nearly 60 people including students, cops and fire fighters injured.

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News Network
July 2,2020

New Delhi, Jul 2: India's COVID-19 tally breached the 6 lakh cases mark with 19,148 new coronavirus cases being reported in the last 24 hours, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.

The total cases now stand at 6,04,641 of which there are 2,26,947 active cases while 3,59,860 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated.

434 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours taking the number of COVID-19 deaths in the country to 17,834.

Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, has a total of 1,80,298 cases including 8,053 fatalities. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has 94,049 cases inclusive of 1,264 deaths.

Delhi has 89,802 coronavirus cases including 2,803 deaths.

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