HC allows to close criminal case against Mungantiwar, others
According to the police, on June 26, 2012, an agitation was organised in front of the Western Coalfields Limited headquarters in Nagpur, to protest the alleged pollution and environmental damage on account of the mining operations of the public sector undertaking. It was further alleged that on the pretext of submitting representation, the accused barged into the office of the company and damaged property worth around ₹1.50 lakh.
The state government had filed an application in the high court, seeking permission to withdraw the prosecution, stating that a proposal to that effect was recently put up before the state-appointed committee. The proposal was backed by a report from the public prosecutor, stating that the incident arose out of social agitation and, in his opinion, prosecution deserved to be withdrawn. Based on this report, the committee had decided to withdraw the prosecution.
A division bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice NJ Jamadar accepted the reasoning given by the public prosecutor and the committee's decision to withdraw the prosecution, and allowed the criminal case against the former minister and others to be dropped.
'Prima facie, it appears that the genesis of the alleged offences is in an agitation over the ill effects of mining and the resultant environmental damage,' said the bench. 'The Committee has noted that there is no loss of life and damage to public property in excess of ₹5 lakh - the parameters stipulated under the Government Resolution for withdrawal of prosecution in cases arising out of social and political issues,' it added.
The judges observed that the decision of the committee to withdraw the prosecution appeared to be guided by considerations for withdrawal of prosecutions arising out of social and political agitations. 'It does not appear that the prosecution is being withdrawn for an extraneous consideration,' the court said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
10 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Modi should strongly oppose U.S. imposing 50% tariff, says Chief Minister Stalin
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said in Chennai on Tuesday that the BJP-led Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should strongly oppose the U.S. imposing 50% tariff on Indian imports and both should be open about their position. He was speaking at an event organised jointly by the National Committee of Solidarity with Cuba in India and the CPI(M). When five rounds of trade negotiations between India and the U.S. were completed and a date was being finalised for the sixth round, 'Why should U.S. President [Donald] Trump arbitrarily announce the imposing of additional tariff?', Mr. Stalin asked. Referring to the repeated claims of Mr. Trump that he was behind the ceasefire between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Mr. Stalin said: 'When the Opposition parties raised queries over that in both Houses of Parliament, Prime Minister Modi did not answer at all. It symbolises his weakness.' Observing that there was a crisis across the world, where there is a need to crush imperialism, Mr. Stalin said imperialist conspiracies did not mean only wars. 'The U.S. imposing 50% tariff on imports from India is also one such conspiracy,' he asserted. 'The BJP-led Union government should strongly oppose this. The Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should provide a transparent reply to this,' Mr. Stalin said. Takes a dig at EPS Talking about the politics in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Stalin said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had developed a new found love for the Communists in recent days. Contending that people spoke about random topics, Mr. Stalin asked whether Mr. Palaniswami could speak about 'slavery'. 'I want to tell him that none is a slave to nobody. Everyone is wondering if Mr. Palaniswami reads newspapers. Even so, you would surely not read Theekkathir [considered a mouthpiece of the CPI(M)]. If you had read it, you would not be speaking like this. I read Theekkathir every day,' he said. Mr. Stalin said he listened to what Communist leaders spoke whenever he had time. 'They have not stopped flagging issues just because we are in an alliance, and I have not ignored the issues that they have highlighted. Because, half of us are communists. After all, my name is Stalin,' he asserted. Mr. Stalin added: 'We know how to distinguish pointing out with a friendly demeanour from deliberate defamation with ulterior motives. Even this stage symbolises our ideological clarity and friendship.' Minister P.K. Sekarbabu, Cuban Ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera, CPI(M) leaders M.A. Baby, K. Balakrishnan, U. Vasuki, and P. Shanmugam, CPI State secretary R. Mutharasan, Director of The Hindu Publishing Group N. Ram, former MP T.K. Rangarajan, National Committee of Solidarity with Cuba's State secretary A. Arumuga Nainar were present.
Indian Express
10 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Dharmasthala secret burials: BJP MLAs seek interim report, allege bid to defame Hindu religious site
BJP MLAs on Tuesday asked the Karnataka Government to release an interim report on the Dharmasthala secret burials case, with one of them alleging a continuous effort to defame a Hindu religious site under the pretext of the ongoing investigation. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Assembly, BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar said, 'If we look at posts on social media platforms and statements issued by some people, it is clear that Dharmasthala is the target.' 'While the whistleblower in the case had identified five to six spots where bodies were allegedly buried, today they have exhumed around 15 to 16 locations,' the MLA said. 'We have learnt that, prima facie, nothing was found.' Urging the Government to put an end to rumours surrounding the case, Kumar said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) cannot go around digging up any number of sites just because someone comes and complains. The SIT on Tuesday inspected the 13th spot identified by the whistleblower, a former sanitation worker in the temple town. Till date, the SIT has recovered remains of two skeletons. 'Action should be initiated against those making false claims about the temple town. The home minister should release a statement regarding the progress of the investigation (by the SIT),' MLA Kumar said. Home Minister G Parameshwara then informed the House that the investigation was progressing. 'After the probe reaches a stage, the SIT will submit a report,' he said, recalling that the SIT was set up on July 19 to investigate a police complaint filed by the whistleblower. BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said that though Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao had said that the district police were capable of investigating the case, it was handed over to the SIT due to demands from Left groups. Rao objected to the claim, saying that several groups had petitioned seeking an investigation. 'We are unbiased. We are not supporting anyone. We only want to bring out the truth,' the minister said. Parameshwara, meanwhile, said that until the SIT submitted its report, nothing about the investigation could be discussed in the Assembly. However, BJP legislators sought a discussion on the issue and demanded the home minister ask for an interim report from the SIT.
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Centre green-lights semiconductor facility expansion in Mohali
Mohali: The Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved four new semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), including the expansion of an existing facility in Mohali. With six projects already under way, these new approvals — SiCSem, Continental Device India Pvt Ltd (CDIL), 3D Glass Solutions Inc., and Advanced System in Package (ASIP) technologies — will bring cumulative investments of Rs 4,600 crore and create more than 2,000 skilled jobs. This takes the total approved projects under ISM to 10, with investments of Rs 1.60 lakh crore across six states. In Mohali, CDIL will expand its discrete semiconductor manufacturing facility to produce high-power devices such as MOSFETs, IGBTs, Schottky Barrier Diodes, and transistors using silicon and silicon carbide technologies. The upgraded plant will have an annual capacity of 158.38 million units, serving sectors like automotive electronics (including EVs), renewable energy, power conversion, industrial applications, and communication infrastructure. "The Punjab unit of BJP thanked the PM for approving the expansion of a discrete semiconductor manufacturing facility in Mohali," Ashwani Sharma, party's working president, said in a press release. Another BJP leader from Mohali, Vineet Joshi, said this will provide a boost to the economy in Mohali and open up employment opportunities. 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.
