Court Update

The children along with six others, presently lodged in Tihar jail with their guardians who allegedly violated the Foreigners Act, were rescued while being smuggled from Bangladesh via India to Dubai for camel races.

The pitiable condition of the children, who were earlier lodged at Tihar, was brought to the notice of the High Court through a public interest litigation filed by a voluntary organisation, the People8217;s Rights Organisations PRO, through advocate Aurobindo Ghosh.

However, six of the children, who are still at Tihar, will have to wait longer before they can return home.

Their guardians are facing prosecution under the Foreigners Act as they did not have valid travel documents.

Joshi kidnapping case handed over to Crime Branch: Lieutenant governor Tejinder Khanna has handed over the Prabhat Joshi kidnapping case to the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police as the Seelampur police have failed to make a breakthrough even after four months.

This was disclosed before a division bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Justice Devendra Gupta and Justice N G Nandi on Tuesday.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Joshi8217;s father, K.R. Singh, through his counsel Dr Surat Singh. The ACP Crime, who was monitoring the investigation, has been asked to file his report within one month.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the police investigation into the case, on October 29 last, Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma had written a letter to the L-G and sought his intervention immediately. Prabhat Joshi was kidnapped in broad day-light by anti-social elements in September last year.

Earlier, Dr Singh had contended that the local police was completely quot;inactivequot; as some important persons were exerting their influence. The matter will come up for hearing on February 10.

Expressing his dismay over the functioning of the police, Verma had said: quot;The FIR was registered with the Seelampur police station after the intervention of some senior officials. Some influential persons were dictating the terms and the Seelampur police were trying to hush up the case.quot;

Seeking the transfer of the case, the Chief Minister had said that the incident had created terror and uncertainty in the people, who he said were losing faith in police and the administration.

Dr Singh argued that Joshi, 22, was missing from his Shalimar Housing Complex since September 15 last. He left his house to deliver an invitation for his sister8217;s wedding. His father informed the police that Prabhat was last seen with his friend Sanjan Jain of the same locality. quot;Despite the best efforts of my client,quot; Dr Singh contended, quot;the police has not arrested the suspected persons, named in the FIR, even after lapse of over four months.quot;

No action against DVB workers, directs High Court: Hearing an urgent application filed by the Delhi Vidyut Board DVB Workers Union seeking the court8217;s intervention on victimisation by the management against the workers who participated in the recent strike, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the DVB management not to initiate any action against the them. The management has also been asked to withdraw the FIRs filed against them.

A single judge bench comprising Justice Jaspal Singh, who had earlier directed the unions not to go on strike till April 15, ruled that the FIRs registered against the workers should be dropped without further delay.

The unions submitted that 40 FIRs had been registered at the instance of DVB officials, which have also been confirmed by the Delhi Police. The police have also arrested one or two persons on the basis of these FIRs, the police said.

Arguing for the DVB, counsel Jayant Nath submitted that DVB was ready to withdraw the FIRs and not to take action on the employees. DVB also does not propose to implement the Essential Services Maintenance Act ESMA on the recent pen down-tool down strike, he said.

On January 7, the court had directed the unions not to go on any sort of strike till the next date of hearing in view of the power breakdown caused during their two-day strike earlier this month.

The DVB management, on the other hand, had also assured that it would not take any action against the agitating workers and consider their demands regarding pay revision sympathetically.

HC tells police chief, L-G to reply to plea on Dowry Act: The Delhi High Court has given an ultimatum to the Lieutenant Governor and the city police chief to file their replies within four weeks on a petition seeking the implementation of the provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1986.

Posting the matter for further hearing for March 25, a division bench comprising Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice M.K. Sharma directed them to reply to the show-cause notices, issued to them earlier, within the stipulated time, or the court would be compelled to summon the chief secretary.

The petition, filed by Dr Janak Raj Jai, had alleged that even 10 years after the amendment to the Dowry Prohibition Act was introduced, the Delhi Police was still doing the work through the crime against women cell. The amendment empowered the State government to appoint Dowry Prohibition Officers.

Seeking a court direction to the police chief to close down all crime against women cells as quot;they have done precious little to ensure the compliance of the provisions of the Act in the right perspective,quot; the petitioner alleged that the cell has done more harm than good to society. He further alleged that in many cases it was found that innocent persons were unnecessarily harassed.

Quoting Section 8-B of the Act, the petitioner added, quot;Despite such wide-ranging provisions, the State government has not done anything and the police, through ill-equipped crime against women cells, are still managing an important social function.quot;

Order reserved in missing airhostess case: The additional district and sessions judge K C Gupta on Monday reserved his order on the anticipatory bail application moved by Krishna, allegedly involved in the murder of her daughter-in-law, Razi Singh, an air-hostess with Jet Airways.

After hearing the arguments Judge Gupta said he will pronounce his order on January 15. The application was moved through Krishna8217;s counsel Suresh Sharma.

Earlier on December 24, the accused had applied for the anticipatory bail as she was named in the FIR byRazi8217;s parents for their daughter8217;s alleged murder on December 20 in Faridabad.

Sanjay Sharma, Razi8217;s husband Krishna, have been charged with Razi8217;s death in Triol in Austria.