New Delhi: The Supreme Court with important reference in Bilkis Banu case. Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagaratna said the culprits were trying to avoid the present bench from hearing the case.

 Justice KM Joseph, who presided over the bench hearing the case, will retire soon.  If the case is prolonged, he will not be able to pronounce the verdict.  The Supreme Court pointed out that the defendants are trying to avoid the current bench by taking advantage of this situation.  The Supreme Court expressed deep displeasure with this move.

 The lawyer sought an adjournment of the date for filing the counter affidavit in the case against the commutation of the convicts in the Bilkis Banu gang-rape case.

Ahmedabad: There is no stay on the Surat court verdict in the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The court was hearing a petition filed by Rahul Gandhi seeking a temporary stay of the sentence pending the High Court’s order on his petition.

The Gujarat High Court has adjourned Rahul’s petition after vacation. The court did not urgently consider the demand to grant an interim stay to Rahul. The court will pronounce its verdict on Rahul’s plea on June 4 after the summer vacation.

The Surat court had sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison in a case filed against him for insulting the Modi community. After the verdict, the Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified Rahul from the post of MP. During the 2019 election campaign, Rahul Gandhi’s controversial remark was made in a speech in Kolar. The action was taken on the complaint of BJP MLA Purnesh Modi.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed the plea filed by PDP Chairman Abdul Nasr Madani seeking to reduce the cost of security required by the Karnataka government for going to Kerala. Karnataka Police demands Rs 2 lakh per month for police escort. Madani approached the Supreme Court against this. The Supreme Court clarified that the Karnataka government will not interfere in the proceedings.

A bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi heard the petition. Security personnel were appointed based on security threats and risk assessment for Madani. For this purpose, the Karnataka police had asked to deposit 2 lakh rupees per month. The Karnataka government informed the court yesterday that it would not be possible to reduce these escort expenses. The Karnataka Anti-Terrorism Cell filed a counter affidavit against Madani’s application against the demand of Rs 54.63 lakh for security matters till July 8.

Ahmedabad: Rahul Gandhi’s plea filed in the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on the Surat court’s verdict in which he was found guilty in the defamation case was completed today. The hearing will continue on May 2. After Justice Geeta Gopi withdrew from hearing the petition, Justice Hemand Prachhak heard the case.

Senior advocate Manu Abhishek Singhvi appeared for Rahul. He argued in the court that no evidence regarding the disputed statement has been produced in the court yet. A ruling in Rahul’s favor is essential if he is to avoid disqualification from the current Lok Sabha membership.

The Surat Sessions Court rejected Rahul’s plea seeking a stay of the Magistrate’s Court order finding him guilty. With this, Rahul approached the High Court.
The hearing on the appeal against the two-year prison sentence will begin only on May 20. If the judgment is stayed, Rahul will get his MP seat back. Otherwise, things will move towards the Wayanad by-election. In 2019, Rahul had said that all thieves are called Modi while campaigning for the assembly elections in Karnataka. The case pointed out that this is an insult to the Modi community.

Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate raided the offices of Bengaluru-based leading ed-tech platform Byjus and the residence of CEO Byju Ravindran. The probe was for allegedly violating foreign aid laws. The ED stated that the investigation was conducted in connection with the case against Byju Ravindran and his company ‘Think and Learn Private Limited’ under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

According to ED, several documents and information were seized during the search. However, Byju responded that this is only a natural investigation under FEMA. The company stated that it cooperated with the investigating officers and provided them with the required information.
The action was taken on the basis of various complaints received from private individuals. ED sent several summons to  Byju Ravindran but he ignored them. Investigators also said that he did not appear before the ED even once. The company has not prepared its financial statements since the financial year 2020-21. Accounts are not audited.

The raid was under the provisions of FEMA. The company has received foreign direct investment of Rs. 28,000 crore during the period 2011 to 2023. According to the statement released by the ED, the company has remitted around Rs 9,754 crore to various foreign institutions during the same period.

New Delhi: Malayali sailor Abhilash Tommy won the second position in the Golden Globe rowing competition. Abhilash Tommy is the first Asian to achieve this feat. Sable returned from Dolan in France last September 4.

South Africa’s Kirsten Neuscheiferen finished in first place. The race started with 16 runners and only three finished.

Abhilash Tommy’s boat Bayanat reached the French coast on Saturday morning at 10.30 Indian time. The organizers gave a huge reception to South African woman Kirsten Neuscheifer who finished in first place on Thursday night.

The organizers have informed that there will be similar preparations at the finish line to receive Abhilash today. Austrian sailor Michael Gugenberger, the only man left in the race, is far behind and may take more than 15 days to finish.