SC Panel raps Mumbai Police for not probing Dawood angle in IPL Scam

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February 10, 2014

A Supreme Court panel, inquiring into the IPL spot fixing scam, has come down heavily on Mumbai police for “not willing” to investigate involvement of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in it and for protecting “lots of persons” involved in the betting syndicate. Probe by Mumbai Police in the scandal was sharply cricised by a three-member apex court panel headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and raised questions on why police allowed a Pakistani umpire to leave the country when it knew about his involvement in the scam.

“Mumbai police admitted that protection by the underworld is essential to run the organised betting syndicate in Mumbai. The police failed to inform the panel as to which gang give this protection to the betting operation. “There is therefore cause for a distinct impression that for reasons not satisfactorily explained, the Mumbai police was not willing to investigate the involvement of Dawood Ibrahim in the betting racket,” the report of Nilay Dutta, one of the member of the panel, said.

He said that Mumbai police was aware of proposed fixing between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians three days before the match was played on May 15 last year through intercepted calls of Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf but it did not take any action against him.

“Rauf was never detained by Mumbai Police and was allowed to leave the country on May 19 after completing his assignments. Even a discreet look out notice was not issued in the name of Rauf. “The extreme reluctance to address the issue of involvement of Dawood Ibrahim and the curious failure of Mumbai Police to detain Rauf, a Pakistani umpire, indicates possibilities which require further investigation, keeping in mind the recent disclosure by the Union Home Minister that Dawood is presently based in Pakistan,” the report, submitted to the Supreme Court today, said.

The report said that police named only one person who laid bets has been charged as an accused.

“Evidently Mumbai police is protecting lots of persons who are participants of betting activities through this syndicate,” the report said, adding that Mumbai police has either been extremely naive in pursuing its investigation or has “deliberately not investigated” the entire betting operation.

“Curiously, the Mumbai Police has not charged anyone else except Meiyappan for laying bets in IPL matches through Ramesh Vyas, Vindu Dara Singh and others. It is absolutely unbelievable that Mumbai Police has failed to locate all such other players who were involved in this betting racket. It is unconceivable such a large betting syndicate would function for the benefit of only one person, Meiyappan,” the report said.

It also noted lack of coordination between Mumbai and Delhi Police in handling the case.

“The fact that Mumbai police did not accept the role of Dawood Ibrahim in the betting racket in Mumbai evinces that the Delhi and Mumbai Police are working at cross purposes insofar as link to Dawood Ibrahim is concerned,” it said.
“In such a grave matter of national security pertaining to involvement of a terrorist gang in running illegal hawala operations in the lucrative betting market in cricket, the two top police organisations cannot be permitted to work at cross purposes,” the report said.

Operations hit as Public sector bank staff goes on two-day strike

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Afternoon Voice

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February 10, 2014

Cheque clearances, cash withdrawals, and deposits in public sector bank branches across the country were hit as employees started a two-day strike on Monday to press for a revision in wages.

However, private sector banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank were functioning normally.

Employees were compelled to take this route as the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) did not come up with an improved wage offer, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) convener M.V. Murali said. The IBA represents bank managements.

Banks, including the State Bank of India, the country’s largest, had informed customers in advance about the likely inconvenience they would face during the strike.

The unions had rejected the IBA’s offer of a 10 per cent wage hike during a conciliation meeting held on February 6 with the Chief Labour Commissioner.

The offer made by bank managements was not in line with rising inflation, General Secretary of National Organisation of Bank Workers Ashwini Rana said.

The staff of public sector banks had gone on a nationwide strike for a day on December 18 after discussions with the IBA on wages on December 14 failed. The wage revision of public sector bank employees has been due since November 2012.

UFBU is an umbrella organisation of nine bank employee and officer unions.

There are 27 public sector banks in the country with a combined employee strength of about 8 lakh. There are about 50,000 branches of these banks across the country.

Narendra Modi’s campaign based on lies and tall claims, says Narayan Rane

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Afternoon Voice

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February 10, 2014

Maharashtra Industries Minister Narayan Rane on Monday termed as a “marketing gimmick” the claims of development and growth made by BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi, saying Gujarat is a laggard on many fronts compared to the Congress-ruled state.

“All claims of development and growth made by Modi are false and misleading. BJP is concealing all its failures in Gujarat to woo voters ahead of elections,” Rane said, addressing a gathering of Congress Seva Dal in Thane. Listing out various public welfare programmes launched by his party, Rane said Modi’s claims of Gujarat model of development are merely a “marketing gimmick”.

He said Gujarat was lagging on may parameters compared to Maharashtra, contrary to the claims of BJP’s PM nominee. During his interaction with reporters later, Rane took a dig at alliance partner NCP on party MP Supriya Sule’s reported statement asking those protesting against collection of toll, to target cars of ministers instead of state transport buses.

“I have not seen the footage of her statement. I will see it and then comment. However, it is not proper for her to make such remarks. If that is what she has said, then her statement should first apply to ministers of her party,” Rane said.

Without taking the name of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Rane, a former Shiv Sainik, said violent agitation was not the solution to resolve the simmering toll issue. Rane said the agitation against the road tax was “politically motivated”.

HC directs for criminal PIL to be listed as civil petition

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Afternoon Voice

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February 10, 2014

The Bombay High Court directed that a criminal PIL seeking appointment of Mumbai Police Commissioner be listed as a civil petition before an appropriate bench.

Stating that it was a civil matter and wrongly listed as criminal PIL, the High Court bench, headed by Justice P V Hardas, said that this argument should be heard on merit and ordered that the PIL be listed as a civil petition before an appropriate bench.

The criminal PIL, filed by one Ketan Tirodkar, said that the police morale was down as the Police Commissioner’s post in Mumbai was lying vacant since February 1 after Satyapal Singh took voluntary retirement. It prayed for appointment of police chief immediately.

The petitioner made a grievance before the High Court, alleging that the Maharashtra Government had not set up a Police Establishment Board to deal with postings and transfers of police officers in keeping with a 2006 Supreme Court directive.

The petitioner cited the 2006 Supreme Court judgement in the case of Prakash Singh versus Union Government which ruled that every state should set up a Police Establishment Board to decide on transfers, postings and promotions of police officers below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The Supreme Court judgement had also asked the state governments not to interfere with the decision of the Board unless in exceptional cases and that too after recording reasons for doing so, the petitioner pointed out.

Satyapal Singh had resigned recently to join politics and his post has been lying vacant so far.

Congress, NCP finalise seat sharing; to contest 26, 22 seats respectively

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Afternoon Voice

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February 10, 2014

Months ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress talks on Monday to discuss the seat sharing strategy ends.

NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel and Congress leaders AK Antony and Ahmed Patel are expected to hold the talks.

Both the parties are reportedly divided over seat sharing with a faction in Congress keen to contest 29 out of total of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, whereas NCP is firm on the 2009 formula of 26:22 in which Congress had contested 26 seats and NCP 22 in 2009 polls.

The meeting comes a day after media reports stated that Pawar met Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

However, Pawar slammed the reports as “baseless” and said that as a Union Agriculture Minister, he keeps meeting chief ministers of different states and there is nothing wrong in it.

“As the Union Agriculture Minister, I have the responsibility of increasing the country’s food production and the implementation of the Food Security Act and for that purpose, I have to visit various states. I visit West Bengal and meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Similarly, I meet Naveen Patnaik in Odisha; Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh and Narendra Modi when I go to Ahmedabad,” the NCP chief said.

Pawar reportedly took to Twitter to clear his stand and wrote, “News of my meeting with Narendra Modi in New Delhi on January 17 appeared in a newspaper. (It) is completely mischievous, baseless & false.”

Opposition warns stir over murder charge against Shetty

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Afternoon Voice

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February 10, 2014

After a prominent opposition leader was booked by police in connection with the death of a police officer injured in a farmers’ agitation in 2012, the NDA leaders warned government of dire consequences.

“The Congress-NCP government has taken this (action) against Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetty only because he has joined the opposition alliance,” the leaders said.

“If the government indulges in politics of vengeance, the “mahayuti” (grand opposition alliance) will take to streets,” Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, BJP leader Gopinath Munde and RPI leader Ramdas Athawale said.

Their statement came after Shetty, a Lok Sabha MP from western Maharashtra, was booked by Kolhapur police in connection with the death of assistant sub-inspector of police Mohan Dinkar Pawar yesterday.

Pawar was injured in the farmers’ agitation in 2012 and died after being in a coma for the last six months.

Kolhapur police have applied murder charges against Shetty and other farmers under the supplementary charge of section 302 (murder) of IPC.

Pawar sustained injuries when the farmers’ stir called by the SSS for higher sugarcane purchase price turned violent. Pawar, who was posted at the Shiroli toll plaza in the city, had suffered head injuries during the agitation on November 11, 2012.

“The policeman who was injured in the stir had later resumed duty after getting well. Farmers had even collected and handed over Rs 20,000 to help him,” the opposition leaders said.

“Congress-NCP is disturbed as Shetty’s outfit has joined the opposition alliance and that is why the government is hatching a conspiracy to arrest him,” they said.

Ulhasnagar police inspector arrested for alleged graft

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Afternoon Voice

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February 10, 2014

A police inspector who allegedly demanded and accepted a bribe from a citizen in Ulhasnagar has been caught red-hand by the Thane unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), late this evening, an official release said.

Superintendent of Police (ACB) Thane Sandeep Karnik, said that police inspector Mahendra A Chavan, posted to the Ulhasnagar police allegedly demanded Rs. 15,000 and accepted it from a complainant.

The police also arrested one more person called Asan Ramesh Ramchandani, in connection with graft, where a police officer allegedly demand a bribe for not registering a case of extortion against him.

ACB officials allegedly laid a trap and arrested the two while accepting bribes, the ACB release said.

An offence under Prevention of Corruption Act (1988) has been registered with the Ulhasnagar police station, where the officer served.

Further investigations are on, ACB officials said.

File FIR in parking allotment “scam”: Activist tells ACB

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Afternoon Voice

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February 10, 2014

A social activist has written to Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) alleging corruption in clearing public parking lot proposals by Urban Development Department (UDD) and demanded filing of an FIR in this regard.

Pravin Wategaonkar, in his letter to the ACB, cited a Supreme Court judgement which says if there is information which discloses a cognisable offence, an FIR or preliminary enquiry (PE) should be filed.

Tug of war between Kejriwal and others

By

Vaidehi Taman

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February 10, 2014

Kejriwal’s government confronted many difficulties; including getting the Jan Lokpal Bill passed, he said that he will quit a thousand times to make sure that the Jan Lokpal Bill is passed. Kejriwal is at his level best to get the bill passed. Meanwhile, Anna Hazare aide and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi has hit out at Kejriwal over Jan Lokpal Bill ‘drama’. Anna and his team thinks Jan Lokpal is only their prerogative and brain child, others should have no locus or credit to this issue. Otherwise, Kejriwal’s government is doing good job but most of the time they are busy in digging graves. Pro-actively digging the past misdeeds at present time will put them on back burner otherwise they will prove themselves like other political parties. Good work will speak for itself. They should not attempt to force the pace of transformation which could become their undoing. It’s high time, they should get down completely for implementing a development programme for the state, rather than going on witch hunting. While going about implementing its programme, if corruption is coming in its way, then they should come down heavily on the corrupt. Indian democracy needs good leadership skill for the prosperity of the country. We cannot improve world’s biggest Democracy because of corruption, lack of accountability, addressing problem of rural India. Common man of India is still remaining confused after six decades of India’s independence.

As Kejriwal always claimed that Sheila Dikshit is corrupt, he ordered probe for CWG cases. She should be penalized strictly and should not be eligible to contest the next election. CWG was an international event where all the countries participated; it is a shame for Indian’s pride. Corruption has become immense in Indian politics. It’s time to curb corruption and strict law should be framed against politicians. Sheila Dixit was earlier caught in DDA Flat allocation scandal and was removed from her post but she was inducted after many years and that too promoted to CM for 15 years. She has a proven record of misadministration nearly for decade. There have been multiple scams with multiple politicians involved, so setting a good standard and path is crucial. These scams should open the eyes of corrupt politicians that they can’t take citizen for a ride. AAP gives strength to those who want to pursue clean politics. While a few corrupt politicians make money from street lights, millions go without a ray of light in their lives. Token gestures before elections such as diluted Lokpal bill, Food security bill and division of communities for personal political gains are not enough to erase poverty.

Unless this issue is solved, Kejriwal should refrain himself from attacking everyone randomly. Suddenly, Kejriwal and his party colleagues attacked Modi and BJP by saying that why Modi have inducted a convicted man as his cabinet minister? While lots of questions have been asked about Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti’s finger, what about the conviction of Babulal Bokharia? How Amit Shah continues to be Modi’s closest lieutenant, he is facing cases of murder and kidnapping? These are not trivial accusations. What kind of security this party will provide to the “aam aadmi”? AAP is planning to raise the issue of corruption by asking, what is the relationship between Modi and the Adani Group? Why it has prospered during his regime? Why the Gujarat government distributed land to industries at the concessional price, although it was unwilling to give similar concessions to Indian Air Force and Kargil widows?

Why BJP and Modi, who are quick to pick on Congress on every small thing, remain silent on the scam which involved gas pricing by the Congress government. Where does Modi stand on this issue? Why does he not have any opinion on this? Should Ambani and Reliance be allowed to dictate prices? AAP wants Modi to answer this. They are in a mood to raise the conflict in Gujarat over the Lokayukta and how the CM has been trying to prevent it. AAP is acting like savior, and acting against these corrupt politicians from BJP, Congress, Regional parties. The proposed Jan Lok Pal Bill needs the support of the Assembly, not just AAP, which doesn’t have majority. When laws are made, a discussion should be made with all parties. By not even distributing the copy of the bill to the members, but claiming from the rooftop that everyone except AAP is opposed to the bill, Kejriwal has made it clear that he is not really interested in passing the bill, but only interested in making false propaganda that “Both Congress and BJP” are opposed to the bill, conveniently suppressing the fact that BJP supported Jan Lok Pal bill even during Anna movement. Aam Aadmi Party seems hell bent on changing the rules of the game of Politics. It is unimaginable for any party except AAP to go against the Party, with whose support they are running the Govt. It demonstrated AAP’s resolve not to engage in any political compromises in return for an extended lease in power. You can call it Anarchist, Unconventional or even madness; but the truth is that Politics of this kind is the need of the hour.

As such Mrs. Dixit cannot go to a court challenging lodgment of two FIRs. Nevertheless, this was a good PR exercise for the AAP government. Now, it is for the Congress to reexamine the rationale for extending support to AAP government. To my mind, extending support was a political blunder which has caused immense harm to the Congress itself, rather than to its rival, the BJP. Mr. Kejriwal is again and again challenging the Congress to withdraw support, perhaps presuming that the Congress would find it politically inexpedient to do so. I believe, it is now time to call Kejriwal’s bluff and withdraw support from the AAP. Else, there is likelihood of the Congress losing all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.

While, the AAP makes every attempt to ‘present itself’ as a ‘relentless crusader against corruption’, which is to be welcomed, it has to realize that it has to govern. It also cannot expect that its perceived crusade against corruption would somehow absolve itself of misgovernance or even a lack of governance. Anyways, let see who will win, the AAP with its demands or other politicians with their agendas.

Gurunath Meiyappan involved in IPL betting, says Mudgal Panel report

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Afternoon Voice

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February 10, 2014

The Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee, investigating spot-fixing and betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has reported that allegations of betting and passing of information against Gurunath Meiyappan stand proved.

This puts to risk the future of the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. Meiyappan was the face of Chennai Super Kings, says the report while rejecting N Srinivasan`s contention that he was merely a cricket enthusiast. The team may attract provisions of termination clause under the Franchise Agreement which says that any franchisee, franchisee group company and/or any owner acts in any way that has adverse affect on the reputation of the League, BCCI/IPL, BCCI and the game of cricket.

The report highlights that there is a conflict of interest on Srinivasan holding the post of BCCI chief and ownership of IPL franchisee, and that it is a serious issue and needs to be considered by court.

The report also says that allegations of fixing requires further investigation.

The committee, which was asked to give a report, was appointed by a bench of justices A K Patnaik and J S Kehar to probe the allegation of betting and spot-fixing against Meiyappan and owners of Rajasthan Royals.

Allegations of betting and spot-fixing against Rajasthan Royals` Raj Kundra need to be further investigated, mentions the report submitted to SC.

The court was hearing cross appeals filed by BCCI and Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) challenging Bombay High Court’s order which had declared the BCCI’s probe panel in the scandal as illegal.

The three-member committee also stated that after perusing the information provided by Delhi and Chennai police, FIR and chargesheet filed by Mumbai police, transcript of telephonic conversation, conclusions emerge that Meiyappan indulged in betting through Bindoo Dara Singh, who was in direct touch with the bookies and punters like Vikram Aggarwal.

“Bets were placed by Meiyappan inter alia were not only in favour of CSK but also against it. In betting parlance, betting for and against a team is called hedging bet,” report said, and added that “Meiyappan also bet in matches of teams other then CSK”.

“In so far as the roles of Meiyappan and Bindoo Dara Singh are concerned, our conclusions are based on the testimony of the police and chargesheet and are not meant in any manner to pronounce on the issue as to whether Meiyappan and Singh are guilty of the offences charged with, which issue is entirely under the domain of the criminal court.

The Committee said it based its conclusiond only on the objective facts gathered during the course of its probe and contents of the chargesheet and other documents produced by the investigating agency.

The committee also took note of the issue of conflict of interest raised against Srinivasan, saying it was serious but left it for the Supreme Court to consider it.

“While it is evident that the questions raised before us about conflict of interest are serious and may have large scale ramification on the functioning of cricket, we do not deem it proper to pronounce our opinion on this issue as it is not directly in our terms of reference.

“However, since several stake holders repeatedly expressed of this issue, we thought it proper to bring this issue to the attention of this court,” the report said.
The report mentions that the BCCI should recruit retd armed force personnel and police officers to handle cases of corruption and match fixing.

The committee gave a ten-point suggestion to SC for making cricket a ‘cleaner’ game and eliminate evil of spot and match fixing. The committee also gave names of people who figured during the probe in a sealed envelope to court.

It is notable that the report favours noted players Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, V Prasad, Kumble and have requested them to advise youngsters about the malaise of fixing.