2008 Assam serial blast case: CBI court convicts NDFB chief & 14 others

By

-

January 28, 2019

The chief of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), Ranjan Daimary, and 14 others were on Monday convicted by a CBI fast track court in the 2008 case of serial bomb blasts in Assam that had left 88 people dead.

CBI Special Judge Aparesh Chakraborty convicted them under various sections of the IPC. The quantum of the punishment will be announced on Wednesday. Besides Daimary, others convicted in the case are George Bodo, B Tharai, Raju Sarkar, Nilim Daimary, Anchai Bodo, Indra Brahma, Loko Basumatary, Khargeswar Basumatary, Prabhat Bodo, Jayanta Bodo, Ajay Basumatary, Mridul Goyary, Mathuram Brahma and Rajen Goyary.

The serial blasts were triggered by the NDFB on October 30, 2008 in Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta which killed 88 people and injured more than 500. The CBI had taken over the case from Assam Police and had filed two charge sheets, naming 22 accused; seven of them are still absconding. The first charge sheet was filed in 2009, followed by the second and the final one on December 20, 2010. However, the trial began in 2011 and the fast track court took over the case in 2017.

During the course of the trial, the statements of 650 witnesses were recorded and over 600 exhibits examined. Daimary was arrested in Bangladesh in 2010 and was shifted to Guwahati Central Jail. Later he was released on conditional bail in 2013 after the state government and the CBI stated before the Kamrup District and Sessions Judge that they had ‘no objection’ to his release, if he was given conditional bail in view of the ongoing peace talks with the NDFB.

However, the court had imposed eight conditions, including restrictions on Daimary from holding public meetings and media interviews. Barring Daimary, all others are currently in judicial custody.

RBI Governor meets PSU banks’ CEOs, conveys regulator’s expectations

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

Ahead of the monetary policy review, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on January 28 met heads of public sector banks and conveyed to them the regulator’s expectation from the banking sector.

RBI is scheduled to announce its sixth bi-monthly monetary policy for 2018-19 on February 7. It would be the the first monetary review under the new RBI Governor.

“Basically the idea was convey to them the regulator’s expectation from the banking sector in general and public sector banks in particular, and also to get from them their understanding of the current banking situation, and to get an understanding about the future outlook, the sense they have,” Das said after meeting CEOs of PSU banks.

It is widely expected that RBI would cut interest rate in its upcoming review meeting.

With softer retail and wholesale price-based inflation, the Reserve Bank is likely to change its policy stance to ‘neutral’ from ‘calibrated tightening’ in the February policy.

The inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) eased to an 18-month low of 2.19 percent in December compared to 2.33 percent in November and 5.21 percent in December 2017.

BJP MLA files police complaint against Kejriwal

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa has lodged a complaint with police against Aam Aadmi Party convener and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that the phone calls were being made to voters of his Rajouri Garden constituency claiming that their names had been deleted from electoral rolls by the BJP. He further alleged the AAP was “misleading” voters in his constituency through “propaganda” that their names were deleted because of the BJP but re-listed because of “sincere efforts” of Kejriwal.

In his complaint filed at Tilak Nagar police station on Sunday, the BJP MLA cited names of two voters who received such calls. “It is a conspiracy to defame me by false representation before voters of my constituency to lower my image before them that their MLA is weak and not capable to protect their fundamental right to vote,” Sirsa said in his complaint.

Last week, a delegation of the BJP’s Delhi unit led by its president Manoj Tiwari had submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission seeking action against AAP over its claim of deletion of names of 30 lakh voters in Delhi, and also over phone calls being made to voters by AAP volunteers defaming the BJP. However, the AAP has asserted that it was no crime to tell the people who got their names deleted from electoral rolls and that it was restored due to the AAP and its leaders.

“Aam Aadmi Party, its MLAs and volunteers organised camps to register those voters again. This process is still going on. We believe that adding these genuine voters is not a crime or telling this to voters is not a crime,” AAP’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj had said earlier. However, the party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being involved in the alleged deletion of names of lakhs of voters belonging to Purvanchali, Bania and Muslim communities in the national capital after the 2015 assembly elections in Delhi.

‘Gully Boy’ cast to walk the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

‘Gully Boy’ cast and the rappers featured in the Zoya Akhtar-directed film will walk the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019. The team will take to the runway to showcase the clothing line titled ‘GullyGen’, inspired by their film, and created by fashion brand Love Gen.

LoveGen, the popular brand started by Bhavana Pandey, Dolly Sidhwani and Nandita Mahtani, will present its collection on the last day of the fashion extravaganza that takes place from January 30 to February 3 at Jio Garden, Bandra-Kurla Complex.

“‘Gully Boy’ is the voice of the streets. It’s the swag and the survival that comes with self-expression. This clothing line will appeal to anyone who shares the same ethos. Freedom, choice, rebellion, individuality, poetry and above all hip hop,” Zoya said in a statement.

The limited edition GullyGen collection includes jackets, hoodies and t-shirts. Each garment is inspired from the film and is an expression of how hip-hop has been one of the biggest influences on street culture.

Bhavana said, “Streetwear has become a global trend and the popularity of hip-hop is well documented. We, as a youthful high street fashion brand, want to introduce the trend in India and make it available to the masses.”

“The GullyGen collection embodies the spirit of pushing limits and breaking boundaries, hence a menswear line to resonate with the youth,” Dolly added.

The collection is crafted in light fabrics which resonate with what the hip shopper wants. Inspired by the underground rap scene in Mumbai, “Gully Boy” features Ranveer Singh in the lead alongside Alia Bhatt. The film also stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Kalki Koechlin in pivotal roles.

“Gully Boy” is produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Zoya and Farhan Akhtar is all set to hit the screens on 14th February 2018.

‘Black Panther’ wins for best performance by cast in motion picture at SAG Award 2019

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther’ won the SAG Award for best performance by a cast in motion picture on Sunday night.

The cast of the film, including Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, and Michael B. Jordan took the stage to accept the honour. Andy Serkis and others joined them as well, wrote an online portal.

While on stage, Boseman said that the cast was plagued with two questions throughout their publicity tours — “One is, did we know that this movie that was going to receive this kind of response – meaning, was it gonna make billions of dollars, was it gonna make a billion dollars, was it still gonna be around this awards season? And the second question is, has it changed the industry? Has it actually changed the way the industry works; how it sees us. And my answer to that is, ‘to be young, gifted, and black.’ ”

Boseman said that they knew they had something special that they wanted to give to the world and that they could be full human beings in the roles they were playing.

He added, “We knew that we had something that we wanted to give. And to come to work every day and to solve problems with this group of people, this director, that is something that I wish all actors would get the opportunity to experience. If you get to experience that, you will be a fulfilled artist.”

Boseman wrapped up his speech by addressing the second question he mentioned. “One thing that I do know – did it change the industry? – is that you can’t have a Black Panther now without a ‘two’ on it.”

The film was nominated along with ‘A Star Is Born’, ‘BlacKkKlansman’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ in the category.

It’s very exciting: Naomi Watts on ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

Actor Naomi Watts says it is “exciting” to headline the prequel of HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones”.

In an interview with Variety on the sidelines of Sundance Film Festival, Watts, 50, could not contain her enthusiasm at becoming a part of the epic fantasy world of the “Game of Thrones”.

“It’s a fantastic world, isn’t it? I think there’s so many brilliant elements to that series that make it very exciting, very appealing. I don’t want to dig myself into a big hole here. All I want to say is it’s very exciting… I’ll say that again and again and again and nothing else,” she said.

When asked if she was prepared for the hysteria that comes along with the new series, the actor said, “I don’t know. We’ll see. I know it’s pretty huge and that might take some adjusting, but there’s a reason for that fandom. I think it’s just so well done.”

According to the network, the new show will be set thousands of years before the events of “Game of Thrones”

The yet-untitled project hails from creator Jane Goldman and author George RR Martin. The show’s pilot is based on a story from Goldman and Martin, with teleplay credited to Goldman.

It will chronicle the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend, the official logline of the show read

The new show’s cast also includes Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp and Toby Regbo.

I love having all eyes on me, says Vanessa Hudgens

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

Actor Vanessa Hudgens has said like her “Rent: Live” character Maureen Johnson she ”loves being the centre of attention”.

The actor said she could relate to her character’s approach to life in the upcoming TV production of the Broadway musical.

”It’s been so much fun finding Maureen within myself because she is loud and she loves being the centre of attention, and I am a performer.

”I love having all eyes on me. She expresses herself in a way that is unique to her own, and she’s an artist, and I feel like that’s what I aspire to be like as well,” Hudgens told the Hollywood Reporter.

The actor said she also enjoyed working with Jordan Fisher on “Rent: Live”.

”I feel like we both have such a love for musical theatre and a love for ‘Rent’ even before we came to it, (and) it really just translates,” she said.

Cipla gets USFDA nod for contraceptive injection

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

Drug firm Cipla on Monday said that it has received final nod from the US health regulator for its Medroxyprogesterone injectable for prevention of pregnancy.

The company has received final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Medroxyprogesterone injectable 150mg/mL.

The product is a generic version of Pfizer’s Depo-Provera. Depo-Provera and its generic equivalents had US sales of around USD 159 million for the 12-month period ending November 2018, Cipla said.

The injection is indicated only for the prevention of pregnancy. Shares of Cipla on Monday were trading at Rs 493.70 per scrip on the BSE, down 2.60 per cent from its previous close.

Delhi court grants bail to Lalu, wife and son: IRCTC scam

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav in a money laundering case related to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam.

Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj granted relief to each of the accused persons on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and surety of like amounts. The court had on January 19 extended the interim bail granted to them which ended on Monday. The case relates to alleged money laundering in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm. The court had earlier granted bail to them in the IRCTC scam case filed by the CBI. According to the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar.

It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party – Sujata Hotels. Based on the CBI case, the ED had also lodged a case of money laundering against Prasad, Devi, Yadav and others. Among others named in the chargesheet are – then group general managers of IRCTC V K Asthana and R K Goyal and Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owners of Chanakya Hotel. However, Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and Sujata Hotels Private Limited have also been named as accused firms in the chargesheet.

In 2001, it was decided to handover the management of catering services of the Indian Railways, including of its hotels, to the IRCTC. Two such hotels BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri were also identified and a memorandum of understanding was signed between the railways and the IRCTC on March 19, 2004. According to an FIR filed by the CBI, Prasad, the then railway minister, entered into criminal conspiracy with the owner of Sujata Hotels, Sarla Gupta, wife of his close associate Prem Chand Gupta, a Rashtriya Janata Dal MP in Rajya Sabha, and IRCTC officials for “undue pecuniary advantage to himself and others”.

The probe agency also alleged that BNR hotels were transferred to Sujata Hotels through a “rigged and manipulated” tender process managed by P K Goyal, the then managing director of IRCTC. The CBI inquiry shows that the railways sought bids for developing, operating and maintaining Rail Ratna Hotels on September 16, 2006.

The probe agency has alleged that Prasad was aware about the whole process and was keeping a track of the tender proceedings. It surfaced that while over 15 bid documents were received for both the hotels, IRCTC had no records of bidders other than Sujata Hotels. It was also alleged that with an intention to render undue pecuniary gains to Sujata Hotels, the bid of another hotel was deliberately and unreasonably given low marks under technical evaluation.

Prasad became Bihar’s chief minister in 1990, but had to resign in 1997 following corruption charges in the multi-crore rupees fodder scam. From 1997 to 2005 his wife Devi was the chief minister of the state and was replaced by JD(U) president Nitish Kumar. Prasad also served as railway minister from 2004 to 2009. The RJD again came back to power after forging an alliance with its bitter rival Janata Dal (United), led by Kumar, in 2015, and Tejashwi Yadav became the deputy chief minister. However, Kumar parted ways from the RJD in July last year.

The RJD chief has been serving sentence in Ranchi jail since December 2017 following his conviction in fodder scam cases. Earlier this month, the Jharkhand High court had rejected the bail plea of Prasad in three fodder scam cases.

India will not hesitate to take steps to ensure national security: PM Modi

By

Web Team

-

January 28, 2019

India is a strong proponent of peace but it will not hesitate to take steps to ensure its national security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

Addressing National Cadet Corps cadets, the Prime Minister said that in the last four years, the government has taken several decisions keeping the security of the nation a priority.

“We are strong proponents of peace but we will not hesitate to take any step for national security. The armed forces have given a clear signal that we don’t instigate but if instigated, we don’t leave them (enemies of the country),” Modi said.

Referring to completion of the nuclear triad, he said that India was one of the few nations who could launch nuclear weapons from land, sea and water.