Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Briefing
Thackeray absent from metropolitan court
Appearing on behalf of Azmi, advocate Majeed Memon argued that Thackeray had been absent from court since the case began on medical grounds. He urged the court to issue a warrant against Thackeray alleging that he was not appearing in court deliberately.
Exempting Thackeray in view of the latest police circular on provision of security to VIPs, the magistrate directed the Sena chief to appear personally on October 15.
In the defamation case, Azmi had alleged that the Shiv Sena newspaper, Saamna, had published an editorial on July 1, 1998 wherein he was described as a criminal whose hands were stained with the blood of victims of the serial blasts which shook the city on March 12, 1993. The other accused, Subhash Desai and Sanjay Raut, Publisher and Executive Editor respectively, appeared in court today.
Advocate find for misusing PIL
Yet another petitioner has been fined by the Bombay High Court, this time to the tune of Rs 1 lakh for misusing public interest litigations PIL. A J Rizvi, an advocate, was fined by the division bench of Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice S H Kapadia on Thursday, for misusing a PIL filed by him against the Indo French Biotech Ltd and the Indo Global Ambience Ltd.
The petition had had a long series of hearings, where in 1998 the court had frozen the bank accounts of the companies and those of the management. All the earlier orders were recalled by the bench and in a final judgement, the court held that all the complaints and allegations were baseless and the petition was frivolous. It claimed that the PIL was used to settle personal scores.
The petition had been filed by the advocate and three others who were investors in the Indo French Biotech Ltd. They claimed that the company had duped them into investing in its sister concern, Indo Global Ambience Ltd, which they claimed was a bogus company. They had stated that the company had cheated them of Rs 15 crore.
Petition challenging FIR against Maneckshaw admitted
Justice D K Trivedi of Bombay High Court today admitted a petition challenging a First Information Report FIR lodged against Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in 1998. According to the FIR, Maneckshaw was guilty of not paying to investors the amount they had invested in Nagarjuna Investment Corporation, where he was the non-executive chairman. Justice Trivedi also restrained the Mumbai police from investigating the matter with Maneckshaw though it allowed them to investigate with other officials.
Advocates Mahesh Jethmalani and P R Mala, who appeared on behalf of the retired military officer, told the court that the FIR was filed by one C N Patil and that Maneckshaw had already resigned from the company in 1997, one year before the FIR was lodged. After hearing the counsels, the court observed that considering the submission and examining the complaint prima facie, the court is inclined to admit the matter.
