Pakistani man convicted for hiding nationality to acquire Indian passport
as his sentence but acquitted him of charges of cheating and forgery, citing lack of evidence."Ansari
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
would be deported to Pakistan within 15 days. Till then, he would be allowed to stay at the residence of his parents' guest, but he will have to give attendance at Khadak police station till the deportation process is completed," DCP (special branch) and head of foreigners' registration office Milind Mohite said.The state's case was that Ansari was found in possession of three Pakistani passports, an Indian passport, and other forged documents and he was illegally staying in the country without a valid visa between August 13, 2015, and March 14, 2023.
He was arrested on March 15, 2023.Ansari's lawyer, Zaheer Pathan, told TOI, "My client deposited a fine of Rs 10,000 as per the court order. He was released from jail on Wednesday evening, but he was taken into custody by the Khadak police for the purpose of recording his statement."Khadak police's senior inspector, Shashikant Chavan, said, "We would produce the accused before the Foreigners Registration Office and submit a report to initiate the process to deport him to Pakistan."The court has allowed the accused to retain the Pakistani passports and ordered the competent authorities to confiscate his Aadhar card and PAN card. The accused was directed to execute a personal bond and surety bond of Rs 30,000 within eight days of his release.Additional Public Prosecutor Anil Kumbhar relied on the testimonies of six witnesses to show that the accused suppressed information about his birth and nationality for securing an Indian passport and travelled to Dubai.Judge Salunkhe, in his 40-page judgment, said, "The Aadhar card, PAN card, college leaving certificate, and Indian passport issued to the accused are genuine. Therefore, there was no reason for the accused to have any dishonest or fraudulent intention to use them or make others believe that they are genuine documents. The accused did not commit offences of cheating and forgery of the documents. He used the same for bona fide purposes."The judge opined that it was clear from the record that the visa of accused expired and he applied for a long-term visa, which was pending consideration. Unless the decision on his application is taken by the competent authority, it cannot be said that his stay in India is illegal. There are no allegations that the accused breached the visa conditions.After the expiry of his grandmother, the accused applied for an Indian passport to meet his brother in the UAE. He mentioned his birthplace as Pune and citizenship of India by birth. He used the Aadhar card and PAN card as proof. This amounts to suppressing information about his nationality within the meaning under section 12 (1A) (a) of the Passport Act, the judge said, adding that the prosecution proved its case under the Act but did not prove other offences against the accused.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
10 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Economic offence of exceptional magnitude': Delhi HC denies bail to Amtek group ex-director Arvind Dham
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to the former promoter and director of Amtek group, Arvind Dham, an accused in a Rs 25,000 crore bank fraud scam, holding that that economic offences of 'exceptional magnitude' erode the 'fabric of economic governance and public trust and cannot be taken lightly'. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Dham on July 11 last year based on the predicate offence of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) First Information Report (FIR) that was registered following written complaints from IDBI Bank and Bank of Maharashtra. The ED accused Dham of diverting loans through cheating, fraud and criminal breach of trust, causing a wrongful loss of Rs 673.35 crore to the banks. The Amtek Group had defaulted on loans exceeding Rs 25,000 crore taken from more than 15 banks. Amtek Group companies like ARG Limited, ACIL limited, Amtek Auto Limited, Metallic Forging Limited and Castex Technologies Limited, along with other group firms, were taken into insolvency, the resolution of which resulted in a massive haircut of more than 80 per cent for the banks, causing substantial loss to the financial system. Justice Ravinder Dudeja, refusing to grant Dham bail, reasoned that the twin conditions for grant of bail to accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act—that there are reasonable grounds to believe the accused is not guilty, and the accused will not commit any offence while out on bail—'are not satisfied' in his case. 'Granting bail at this juncture would risk compromising both the trial and public confidence in the justice system. The seriousness of the charge, the weight of the evidence, and the statutory scheme all point in one direction. The applicant has not shown circumstances exceptional enough to justify departure from that path. Continued custody is thus warranted,' the court recorded. Justice Dudeja further stated, 'The principle that economic offences warrant stringent treatment in bail matters is not absolute, however, in cases involving large-scale diversion of public funds the gravity of the offences assumes overriding significance. Given the serious repercussions for the economy and the banking sector, such offences undermine public confidence and harm depositors and creditors.' 'Granting bail too liberally in such matters risks sending a counterproductive signal…the allegations….pertain to an economic offence of exceptional magnitude, involving complex, deliberate, and sustained criminal conduct causing grave loss to public sector banks…,' he added. Observing that the ED's case is founded not on mere suspicion but on extensive documentary evidence and forensic audits which prima facie implicates Dham, the court further recorded, 'With the advancement of technology and Artificial Intelligence, economic offences such as money laundering have emerged as a serious threat to the financial system of the country. These offences pose a significant challenge for investigating agencies, given the complex and intricate nature of the transactions and the involvement of multiple actors. A meticulous and thorough investigation is essential to ensure that innocent persons are not wrongfully implicated and that the actual offenders are brought to justice.' Highlighting that the Supreme Court has repeatedly cautioned against leniency in cases involving massive public fund defalcation, and that the proceeds of crime in this case exceeds the recovery ensured through insolvency proceedings, the court underlined that Dham's proposed resolution plan, 'envisaging payment of only ₹35 crores against dues of over thousands of crores, reflects a near-total haircut to creditors. This underscores the irreparable nature of the alleged loss to the public exchequer. In such circumstances, premature release risks undermining efforts to secure accountability.'
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
13 minutes ago
- First Post
'Heinous crimes with utter impunity': India flags Pakistan's sexual violence in 1971 at UNSC
India has flagged Pakistani Army's organised sexual violence against women in East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) in 1971 at a discussion at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on conflict-related sexual violence. Eldos Mathew Punnoose, the Indian Chargé d'Affaires at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN), speaks at a discussion on conflict-related sexual violence at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. (Credit: Permanent Mission of India to the UN) India has flagged Pakistan's organised sexual violence against women in East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) in 1971 and over the decades in its own country at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The UNSC held an open debate on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) on Tuesday. Pramila Patten, the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, briefed the UNSC and presented the Secretary-General's annual report on conflict-related sexual violence. Eldos Mathew Punnoose, the Indian Chargé d'Affaires at the UN, flagged the 'utter impunity with which Pakistan Army perpetrated heinous crimes of gross sexual violence against hundreds of thousands of women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Punnoose further flagged Pakistan's use of violence against women as a weapon of persecution against minorities. 'As a matter of \ful record, this deplorable pattern continues unabated and with impunity to this day. Rampant abduction, trafficking, early and forced marriages, and domestic servitude, sexual violence and forced religious conversions of thousands of vulnerable women and girls as weapons of persecution towards religious and ethnic minority communities are reported and chronicled, including in the recent OHCHR reports. These reports highlight that the while acts by Pakistan are also validated by its judiciary,' said Punnoose. Punnoose spoke about Pakistan's record after Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, mentioned alleged sexual violence and forced disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir and accused the Indian government of being involved in these alleged instances. Punnoose further said, 'It is ironical that those who perpetrate these crimes are now masquerading as champions of justice. The duplicity and hypocrisy is self-evident. Mr. President, as I conclude, allow me to once again reaffirm India's unwavering commitment to root out sexual violence in armed conflict and support and assist survivors of such heinous crimes.' In the Bangladesh liberation movement, the Pakistani military systematically used sexual violence against women, including rape, as a weapon. Estimates suggest that Pakistani forces raped between 200,000 and 400,000 ethnic Bengali women and girls in 1971. Several thousands of women died by suicides after being assaulted. The Pakistani military also ran rape camps where women were held hostage for soldiers to assault them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD General Tikka Khan of the Pakistani Army, infamous as the 'Butcher of Bengal', was the architect of the campaign that was formally called 'Operation Searchlight'. The campaign has been dubbed as a genocide as he and his successor, Lieutenant General AAK Niazi, clearly stated that they wanted to exterminate ethnic Bengalis, particularly non-Muslims, in East Pakistan. Conflict-related sexual violence on the rise The conflict-related sexual violence worsened last year as 25 per cent more cases were reported last year, according to the report presented at the UNSC by Patten. There were 4,600 reported cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2024, marking a 25 per cent increase from the previous year, the report found. Patten stressed that this was a 'chronic undercount' as these were only the cases that the UN could confirm. Among verified cases, sexual violence against children rose by 35 per cent, with victims being as young as one-year-old, the report found. There were 21 areas in which verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence were confirmed, with highest cases recorded in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan, as per the report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD New areas in which conflict-related sexual violence was reported include DRC, Libya, and Israel-occupied Palestinian territories.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Delhi CM attacked: Accused Rajesh Bhai Sakriya came from Rajkot; Rekha Gupta taken to hospital — what we know so far
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta was allegedly attacked on Wednesday during a Jan Sunvai held at her residence in North Delhi's Civil Lines. Here's what we know so far: The accused is identified as 41-year-old Rajesh Bhai Khimji Bhai Sakriya from Rajkot. Delhi Police detained the man at the scene; he is being questioned. The accused claimed he came to file a petition for the release of a jailed relative; the petition is reportedly pending in court. Eyewitnesses said the accused approached the CM, presented papers, then suddenly grabbed her hand and tried to pull her, causing a brief scuffle. The man was immediately caught by police. CM Rekha Gupta was taken to the hospital for a medical checkup. Delhi BJP president Virendraa Sachdeva said the CM is stable, suffered a light blow to the head, and denied rumors of a slap or stone attack. Security was heightened at the CM's residence following the incident; top police officials are overseeing the investigation. Delhi Leader of Opposition Atishi condemned the attack, urging strict police action and affirming the CM's safety. The Chief Minister is currently under medical observation and is expected to continue her scheduled programs for the day. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
