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Editor: Nagaraj.M.R.. vol.6.issue.49. ...04/12/2010

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Editorial : Judicial Layout Site Allotment – BRIBE TO JUDGES ?

CROSS-EXAMINATION of Chief Justice of India - Half of Former Chief Justices of India are Corrupt

Visit : https://sites.google.com/site/sosevoiceforjustice/answer-my-lord

Is the allotment of residential plots to Judges @ yelahanka Judicial Layout , a mode of paying bribe to judges by the biggest litigant government itself & the corrupt public servants in the government. So that the government can pass illegal laws like "Regularization of Illegal Buildings" , " Illegal Appointments to Medical colleges in Hassan , Mysore" ,etc & ministers , IAS officers can indulge in illegal unconstitutional acts , but the courts will not take any appropriate action suo motto or based on any petition. IT IS MUTUAL HELP , NEXUS OF TWO CRIMINALS – JUDICIARY & GOVERNMENT. Ofcourse , there are honest few exceptions in judiciary & government. We Respect those honest few.

Information input forms part of process of one's expression. One's expression in any forms – written , oral , etc becomes information input to the opposite person , in turn he expresses his reply. Information & Expression are inseparable parts & form lifeline of a democracy. That is the reason , Right to Expression is the basic fundamental right as well as human right of every Indian citizen. When a person's right to expression is violated , his other rights to equality , justice , etc also are violated. Suppression of Information amounts to curbing of Expression.

In a democracy , people have a right to know how the public servants are functioning. However till date public servants are hiding behind the veil of Officials Secrets Act (which is of british vintage created by british to suppress native indians). By this cover-up public servants are hiding their own corruption , crimes , mismanagement , failures , etc. even RTI Act is not being followed intoto by public servants. However the recent delhi high court ruling affirming that CJI is under RTI purview & bound to answer RTI request , is noteworthy.

Our previous RTI request to CJI , union home secretary of GOI, President of India , DG & IGP of GOK and others were not honored. The information I sought were answers to the following questions mentioned in the below mentioned websites . the questions concerned the past , present continuing injustices meted out to millions of Indian citizens , due to wrong / illegal work practices of Indian judges , police & public servants . The information we sought would expose the traitors , anti-nationals , criminals in public service. The information we are seeking are no defense secrets , no national secrets. The truthful information exposes the anti-nationals , traitors in the public service & strengthens our national security , national unity & integrity.

Hereby , I do request the honorable supreme court of India to consider this as a PIL for : "writ of Mandamus" and to issue instructions to the concerned public servants in the following cases to perform their duties & to answer the questions. JAI HIND. VANDE MATARAM.

Your's sincerely ,
Nagaraj.M.R.

PIL Appeal & Show Cause Notice to Supreme Court of India
https://sites.google.com/site/eclarionofdalit/pil-appeal-show-cause-notice-to-supreme-court-of-india


Honourable CJI Sir, Double standards in Indian legal system , why ?

Why Supreme Court of India is Indifferent , Deaf , Dumb & Blind to the appeals for JUSTICE ?

In India , theoretically as per constitution all citizens are equal , In practice law enforcement agencies practice double standards. They meat out differential treatment for rich & well connected and to the commoner.

For the sake of high profile prisoners , VVIP Guest Houses are declared as Prison cells & such hi fi prisoners are lodges there. Hi Fi prisoners are accorded 5 star medical treatment at premium hospitals at government expense , when ordinary prisoners are denied even treatment at government hospitals. These are Just examples. Just Consider the recent case of Karanataka state minister Halappa.

We offer our conditional services in apprehending criminals , where law enforcing agencies have failed to do their duties even after taking lakhs of rupees salary & perks. Are you ready to utilize our services ?

PIL Appeal & Show Cause Notice to Supreme Court of India
https://sites.google.com/site/eclarionofdalit/pil-appeal-show-cause-notice-to-supreme-court-of-india

JUDICIAL CORRUPTION
MY LORDS, THERE'S A CASE AGAINST YOU

VISIT : https://sites.google.com/site/sosevoiceforjustice/questions-chief-justice-of-india-is-afraid-to-answer
Former Union law ministers are spearheading a campaign against sitting judges they accuse of being corrupt. What is the higher judiciary doing to clear itself of these grave charges?
Avinash DuttNew Delhi
Under observation: The Supreme Court of India
Photo by K. Satheesh

Senior lawyers have complained to the CJI and the President that Justice Bhalla illegally amassed properties
The campaign by some senior lawyers and former law ministers who have questioned the integrity of sitting high court judges is set to ratchet up the growing confrontation between the legislative and the judicial arms of the government. Former Union law ministers Shanti Bhushan and Ram Jethmalani are leading the battle against what they claim are corrupt practices in the highest echelons of the judiciary.
Bhushan has categorically condemned the rot he feels has set in the judicial system. "The judiciary of this country is not merely unaccountable, but corrupt and brazenly so," he wrote in a letter to President APJ Abdul Kalam on December 17. Bhushan has demanded that the President initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice Jagdish Bhalla of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahbad High Court. On December 14, a Supreme Court (SC) collegium recommended that Justice Bhalla be appointed the Chief Justice of the Kerela HC.
Bhushan and Jethmalani, along with noted lawyers and former justices, including Rajendra Sachar, Indira Jaisingh and Hardev Singh, have formed the Committee on Judicial Accountability (COJA) and presented documents to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), YK Sabharwal, to support their complaint against the sitting judges. COJA complained to the CJI on July 11 that Justice Jagdish Bhalla had amassed several illegal properties in the name of his wife and other close relatives. Justice Vijender Jain, the former senior Judge in the Delhi High Court, who was recently appointed the CJ of Punjab and Haryana HC, is also in COJA's line of fire.
By questioning the integrity of Justices Bhalla and Jain, Bhushan has thrown open the much larger question of judicial accountability. (See interview) "Leave aside taking any action against corrupt judges like Justice Jagdish Bhalla and Justice Vijender Jain, the CJI has been actually avoiding even properly investigating charges against them," says Bhushan. According to documents produced by COJA on 21 July 2003, Renu Bhalla bought a 7,200 sq. metre plot near the Noida-Greater Noida expressway. On 28 March 2005, Uday Shankar, dsp, Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida's official name) submitted a report to the area dm in which he states that the sellers of the plot belong to the "land mafia". In an enquiry submitted to the dm on 26 June 2005, RK Singh, the area sdm, also described the sellers as belonging to the "land mafia". According to the two reports, the plots constituted a portion of the gram samaj (joint village property) land, illegally grabbed by the "land mafia". (All the documents relating to the transaction are in possession of Tehelka)
The SDM's report says that at the time of the transaction, the plot was worth Rs 7.20 crore in the open market, whereas Renu Bhalla paid Rs 5 lakh for it. The two reports also state that the sellers of the plot have been charged in several criminal cases, and had sold plots to several influential people to curry favour with them. Renu Bhalla is the wife of Justice Jagdish Bhalla.
Bhushan has also drawn attention to the July 2005 draw of lots for allotment of plots in Sector 44 in Greater Noida. When the computerised draw threw up several influential names, a few people approached the Allahabad HC alleging foulplay. In October 2005, the HC decided that the case warranted a fresh draw of lots and ordered a cbi inquiry into the scam. Among those who had been allotted plots in the scrapped list were Aarohi Bhalla and Sheeba Sabharwal. Aarohi Bhalla, who is the son of Justice Bhalla, was allotted plot number f-52, while Sheeba Sabharwal, daughter-in-law of the CJI YK Sabharwal was allotted plot number f-78. In November 2005, the Supreme Court stayed the Allahabad HC judgement, putting the cbi enquiry and the HC's order to hold a fresh draw of lots on hold.
Admissible in court? Documents furnished by COJA against the justices
Members of COJA have offered to discuss the matter in person with the CJI but they say that they are still waiting to hear from him. Five months after their initial request, they sent another application to the CJI in November. This time they sought his permission to register an FIR against Justice Bhalla, claiming that their initial evidence was enough to register an offence against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
"The CJI did not even call us to hear our point," says Bhushan. "I don't know why Justice Sabharwal is shielding Justice Bhalla!" Bhushan is equally critical of Justice Vijender Jain.
Justice Jain, who took oath as the new CJ of Punjab and Haryana HC in November, had to endure many delays before he could be appointed to the post. The CJI had to make three efforts to promote Justice Jain. A collegium headed by the Chief Justice of India first recommended Justice Jain's name for the post in July. However, President APJ Abdul Kalam returned the file, causing a minor embarrassment to the CJI and the Union government. When the collegium reiterated its recommendation through the government in November, the President had to sign the file.
Third time lucky: Chief Justice Vijender Jain

When a collegium headed by the CJI recommended Justice Jain's name, the President returned the file
Earlier in May, a proposal by the CJI to make Justice Jain CJ of the Maharsahtra HC was stonewalled by a judge in the three-member collegium who questioned Justice Jain's integrity. The member on the panel cited a complaint made to former CJI RC Lahoti against Justice Jain in January 2005. The CJI revived the proposal a month later, but again a judge on the collegium opposed his appointment. Finally, a fortnight later, in July 2006, the CJI made his third attempt to promote Jain, this time to the Punjab and Haryana HC.
This time around, to address dissenting voices, the CJI also consulted other SC judges who happened to be former chief justices of the Delhi High Court. According to reliable sources, Justice Jain's former seniors also questioned his integrity. However, on the basis of a majority, the proposal to promote him was forwarded to the Union government for the President's assent.
A major hurdle in promoting Justice Jain continued on page 8 continued from page 6 was a complaint by one Subhash Agrawal who approached then CJI RC Lahoti in January 2005 with the complaint that Justice Jain had violated the code of conduct for judges. Agrawal claimed that Justice Jain gave a judgement in favour of someone with whom he had "family relations". He produced a copy of the invitation card of the litigant's granddaughter's wedding, held in April 2001. According to the card, the venue of the wedding was the official residence of Justice Jain. (Tehelka has obtained a copy of the wedding card from the Central Information Commission). In November 2004, Justice Jain, hearing an appeal, decided a civil suit in favour of the person who had held his granddaughter's wedding at his official residence.
When there was no response to his complaint in October 2005, Agrawal approached the SC to find out the status of his complaint under the rti Act. He was told that his complaint was in the relevant HC file. Not satisfied, Agrawal approached the Central Information Commission. On the commission's insistence, the SC finally told Agrawal that his complaint had not actually been forwarded to the HC, as the SC has "no administrative jurisdiction" over high court judges. Therefore, the complaint was pending before the CJI, YK Sabharwal. The commission asked the CJI to act on the application. The CJI finally settled the complaint, saying he found no merit in it. When Agrawal asked for reasons behind the decision, he drew a blank.
It's not just Bhushan who feels the need to bring about accountability and transparency in the judiciary. Janata Dal (U) president Sharad Yadav says the issue will be discussed when the Judicial Accountability Bill is tabled in Parliament. "When the government tables the bill, all its aspects will be discussed," Yadav told Tehelka.
CJI YK Sabharwal could not be reached for his comments. Despite conciliatory notes from him there are all indications that the clamour surrounding judicial misdemeanour and the demand for greater accountability will only increase in the days to come.
Dec 30 , 2006

Related Stories

• My lords, there's a case against youFormer Union law ministers are spearheading a campaign against sitting judges they accuse of being corrupt. What is the higher judiciary doing to clear itself of these grave charges? Avinash Dutt reports
• Serious charges
• Dubious first
• `The Bill for Judicial Accountability is a sham'Former Union Law Minister Shanti Bhushan is angry at the state of the judiciary in India. He talks toAvinash Dutt
• Delhi HC dilutes the RTI ActThe rules framed by the court deter those who seek information about its workings, reports Avinash Dutt
• RTI TangleBy Avinash Dutt

`Half Of The Last 16 Chief Justices Were Corrupt'
The decision to declare assets is a big victory. Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan tells SHOMA CHAUDHURY what else is rotting in our judiciary
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In public interest Prashant Bhushan has championed the fight for judicial accountability
Photo: SHAILENDRA PANDEY
It's great judges have agreed to declare assets. But will it really help? Politicians do it too.
This decision is very welcome, even if it's only happened under public pressure. It is proof of the power of public opinion. And even though declaring assets is a relatively minor aspect of judicial accountability, it will help. If a judge misdeclares his assets, there's a chance someone might know he has particular properties he hasn't declared, and may point it out. One could then examine if these can be explained within their legal income.
The debate around judicial accountability has got really hot. Are there watershed events that triggered this?
Not in my own perception, but I think for the public there were two watershed events – the Chief Justice Sabharwal case (where there was an allegation that Chief Justice YS Sabharwal's orders to demolish commercial outlets in Delhi directly benefited his sons, who were partners with some mall developers) and the Ghaziabad Provident Fund scam. Both these cases got wide media attention. A 2006 Transparency International report said the judiciary in India is the second most corrupt institution after the police.
You've been at the forefront of the judicial accountability campaign. Why?I have been witness to judicial corruption in the courts for a very long time. I know decisions are passed for extraneous considerations, but it's difficult to get hard evidence of this. There have been highprofile impeachment attempts, for instance, on Justice Ramaswamy, Justice Punchi and Justice Anand. Yet, they all went on to become chief justices. In my view, out of the last 16 to 17 chief justices, half have been corrupt. I can't prove this, though we had evidence against Punchi, Anand and Sabharwal on the basis of which we sought their impeachment.
What is the root cause of judicial corruption then, and what are your key demands?
Our key demand is an institutional mechanism for entertaining complaints and taking action against the judiciary. Nothing exists today. Everyone realises impeachment is impractical. To move an impeachment motion you need the signatures of 100 MPS, but you can't get them because many MPs have pending individual or party cases in these judges' courts. In the impeachment proceeding against Justice Bhalla, the BJP declined to sign because LK Advani had been acquitted by him in the Babri Masjid demolition case. Such political considerations prevail all the time. An in-house procedure was set up in 1999, post a chief justices' conference in 1997, but that too is activated only selectively. For example, the complaint against Justice Bhalla was that he had purchased land worth Rs 4 crore at Rs 4 lakh — approximately — from land mafia in Noida. This was based on a report from the DM and SSP of Noida. This land mafia had several cases pending in courts subordinate to Justice Bhalla. Another complaint was that in the Reliance Power matter, though his son was the lawyer for Reliance Power, Justice Bhalla constituted a special bench while he was the presiding judge in Lucknow. He sat in the house of one the judges at 11pm at night to hear their case and pass an injunction in their favour. We asked Chief Justice Sabharwal to initiate proceedings against Bhalla, but he refused.
Similarly, Justice Vijender Jain decided the case of a person whose granddaughter had been married out of his own house. He was a close friend but he still heard and decided the case in this person's favour. The point is, in these cases though very specific complaints were made to the then Chief Justice of India (CJI), he didn't do anything to activate the in-house procedure. All these judges have gone on to become chief justices. Bhalla is still chief justice of Rajasthan; Virendra Jain became chief justice of Punjab and Haryana.
What's the answer?The first problem is that there is no independent institution for entertaining complaints and taking action against judges. There has to be a National Judicial Complaints Commission — independent of the government and judiciary. It should have five members and an investigating machinery under them. The second problem lies in the Veeraswamy judgment, which ordered no criminal investigation can be done against a judge without prior written permission of the CJI. That's what happened in Karnataka. There was a complaint against several judges visiting a motel and misbehaving with women. When the police officer came, the judges threatened him and said no FIR could be filed against them because they were judges. This happened in the Ghaziabad Provident Fund case as well. The investigation is stumped because the CJI hasn't given permission. We have to get rid of this injunction.
The third problem is the Contempt of Court Act. Today, even if you expose a judge with evidence, you run the risk of contempt. Judges are even seeking to insulate themselves from the RTI. We have to get rid of the Contempt of Court Act – not the whole Act. Disobeying the orders of the court is civil contempt – that should remain. Interfering with the administration of justice is criminal contempt – that too should remain. What needs to be deleted is the clause about scandalising or lowering the dignity of the court, for which Arundhati Roy was sent to jail. Finally, there is the problem of appointments. Earlier, judicial appointments were made by the government, which was bad enough. Now, by a sleight of hand, the Supreme Court has taken the power of appointments to itself. Earlier there were political considerations; now there are nepotistic ones.
Again, what's the answer to that?
We need an independent Judicial Appointments Commission, which is independent and works full time, and follows some systems and procedures. Eligibility lists should be prepared and comparative merits debated and evaluated. You can't just pick judges arbitrarily, and let people know about it only after the deed is done.
There is still no independent body to process complaints and action against judges
What are the best practices and conventions elsewhere?
We should at least have Public Confirmation hearings like in the US. In the Senate Judicial Committee, you have hearings where any public citizen can give evidence about the background of a judge that has bearing on their appointment. This is being fiercely resisted here.
Do any counter arguments hold?
None that I can see. The judges say all this will compromise their independence. Unfortunately, they are equating the independence of the judiciary with independence from accountability. Independence of the judiciary was meant to be independence from the political establishment, not from all accountability.
Are there other ways in which judicial corruption manifests itself?There are so many. There is Justice Kapadia who decided on the Niyamgiri mining lease case in Orissa. He said Vedanta can't be given the lease because it's been blacklisted by the Norwegian government; but its subsidiary company Sterlite can get the lease because it is a publicly listed company. Justice Kapadia said it's publicly listed because he had shares in it and yet he passed an order in favour of Sterlite! There is a law against judges hearing cases where there is a conflict of interest, but they just bypass it and you can't complain because that would be contempt.
WRITER'S EMAIL
shoma@tehelka.com

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 35, Dated September 05, 2009

Burn After Reading
BRIJESH PANDEY and SANJAY DUBEY track the Supreme Court's lack of urgency in investigating charges of judicial corruption
THE STORY OF A QUIET BURIAL?
Special CBI judge Rama Jain uncovers Rs 7 crore Provident Fund scam during vigilance inquiry
Accused Ashutosh Asthana revealed that he was paying off 36 judges including a sitting Supreme Court judge and 11 High Court judges
Supreme Court directs CBI to investigate, permits interrogation of all involved judges
Several status reports given by the CBI to the apex court
Reports kept secret. Action taken on basis of reports unknown
WHEN SPECIAL CBI judge Rama Jain received an anonymous letter in January 2008, telling her that the provident funds of Class 3 and Class 4 employees of the Ghaziabad court were being siphoned off, she had no idea that she had stumbled onto the biggest judicial scam in the history of independent India.
As she was the designated vigilance officer at the Ghaziabad court, she first conducted an inquiry on her own, which uncovered the involvement of at least three judges and the Central Nazir in the embezzlement of funds. She reported the matter to the Allahabad High Court, which, in turn, ordered a vigilance inquiry. Holding that the report, prima facie, had merit, the court directed her to file an FIR.
Central Nazir Ashutosh Asthana was arrested on the basis of the FIR on April 10, 2008. His interrogation revealed that Asthana was not a solo player. He claimed that he was first introduced to the scam by a district judge himself. What followed was so shocking that even the Ghaziabad police was on the backfoot. Asthana confessed that from the Rs 7 crore embezzled, he had given cash and gifts such as airconditioners, refrigerators, expensive clothes, jewellery and furniture to as many as 36 judges, including about 10 High Court judges and one Supreme Court judge. In a sworn statement before a magistrate, Asthana revealed that this fraud had run from 2001 to 2007 with the active connivance of district judges. Every month, Asthana even paid bribes to various judges, from Rs 25,000 to a whopping Rs 1.5 lakh.
When these excerpts from Asthana's confession became public, the public image of the judiciary touched a new low. In perhaps the biggest moment of crisis for the Indian judiciary, Asthana, the main accused, has in turn named judges from the Ghaziabad District Court to the Allahabad High Court, right up to the Supreme Court. This was not all.
These revelations stunned the Ghaziabad police. Clearly out of their depth and (justifiably) wary of taking on the powerful judiciary, they requested the Ghaziabad court to hand over the probe to the CBI. In September 2008, the Supreme Court transferred the case to the CBI, but with a rider: Investigate, but give us a sealed report. The PF scam, as it had come to be known, gave the judiciary a wonderful opportunity to redeem itself in the eyes of the people but the case remained shrouded in secrecy. Cynics then said that the whole matter would be given a quiet burial. Eighteen months after the scam became public and four CBI status reports later, the cynics appear to have had the last laugh.
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This delay and secrecy in such a highprofile scam raises various uncomfortable questions for the Indian Judiciary. Legal luminaries believe that this is symptomatic of a larger malaise which ails the judiciary. Says jurist Ram Jethmalani, "The reputation of a judge is more important than the actual fact of his honesty. In fact, if a judge has a bad reputation, even if it is undeserved, he should not be appointed because then nobody will have confidence in his judgements," adding, "When the judiciary expedites cases concerning the executive branch or even most prominent cases, why is such urgency not displayed here, when the matter is extremely serious. Why this delay?"
For six years, funds worth Rs 7 crore were embezzled and judges were allegedly bribed
A VALID QUESTION. Asthana named 36 judges (a list of which is with TEHELKA). Other than the fact that a few have retired, virtually nothing is known about the fate of the judges of the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court judge. Whether or not the apex court is planning to initiate or has initiated, criminal charges against any of the judges — sitting or retired — are questions that only the Supreme Court can answer.
And the apex court should answer, argues former Union law minister and senior advocate Shanti Bhushan. "I don't appreciate this sealed-cover business except in very rare cases when making something public might be detrimental to the public interest — mainly if there is an army secret. Whether it is the judiciary or the executive, all officers are appointed on the behalf of the people. It is on the people's behalf that the judiciary exercises its powers. How can you keep investigations in the PF scam secret? The people have every right to know what is going on."
VN Khare, former Chief Justice of India, concurs. "These kind of things should not be allowed to linger. This shakes the confidence of the people in the judiciary. If there is an allegation or misconduct, it must be inquired into immediately and strict action should be taken against the erring judges. Why should the reputation of most judges suffer for no fault of theirs?"
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When the judiciary expedites cases concerning the executive branch or even most prominent cases, why is such urgency not being displayed in this matter?
RAM JETHMALANI, Jurist
The biggest question which arises from this scam is the lack of will on the part of the judiciary to rein in errant judges. Let alone the judges named by Asthana, what about the fate of the three Ghaziabad District Judges named by vigilance officer of the district court Special CBI Judge Rama Jain herself? Legal luminaries say this hesitancy on the part of judges to act against fellow judges involved in wrongdoing clearly illustrates the prevailing mindset of the judiciary.
"I know of a retired Chief Justice of India who is one of the most honest judges I have ever seen. It's difficult to imagine a more honest person. However, when a responsible minister made complaints to him against a corrupt High Court Judge, he did not grant permission for an investigation because he felt that as the head of the judicial family, it was his job to protect judges, be they corrupt or not," says Shanti Bhushan. Ram Jethmalani chips in sarcastically, "This is the reason why judges call each other `brother judge.'"
IT IS not only cases like the PF scam which taints the image of the judiciary, but also the extreme reluctance on the part of the judiciary to be open and transparent. Reams and reams of paper have gone towards pious exhortations by the judiciary asking the government to refrain from corruption and work in an efficient manner. But sadly, no judge has held forth at length on the need for the judiciary to refrain from corruption. Even attempts to exercise the Right to Information with respect to the office of the CJI came a cropper as the CJI's office was always declared out of bounds. It took a historic verdict by the Delhi High Court to declare that the office of the CJI was not immune from accountability and outside the purview of the RTI Act. Senior lawyers and retired chief justices feel that if the judiciary is not transparent or accountable, it only means that they are trying to hide something. Justice Khare feels, "Judges are more accountable than other persons because they hold a very high post. The very existence of the judiciary is based on the faith of the common man in it. If that faith is not there, how can the judiciary function?"
No judge holds forth at length on the need for the judiciary to refrain from corruption
What incenses them is the behaviour of the government with regard to the Judges' Assets Declaration Bill which the government tried to introduce in 2009. The opposition erupted in protest and forced the government to defer the bill. Jethmalani terms the government's approach to this bill as a "conspiracy of corruption". "The government is scared to take on the judiciary. It's clear that the executive wants to cosy up to the judiciary." Agrees retired CJI V N Khare, "Why should there be any hesitancy to declare assets at all on the part of judiciary? The whole episode is beyond me." In a recent development, the Supreme Court has reiterated before the Delhi High Court that the CJI's office is outside the purview of the RTI Act.
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Corruption charges are swept under the carpet by the judiciary. But this has given a shield of total immunity to the judges, who think they can get away with anything
SHANTI BHUSHAN, Former law minister
Another assault on the public image of the judiciary is the Dinakaran episode. Currently, judges are appointed to the Supreme Court by the Supreme Court Collegium, a group of judges chaired by the Chief Justice of India. When Chief Justice Dinakaran of the Karnataka High Court was elevated to the Supreme Court, the state Bar and legal luminaries rose up in protest because the Collegium appeared to have dismissed, or, at least, not have considered the serious allegations of corruption against him. According to Senior Advocate Soli Sorabjee, "The Dinakaran episode shows that the Collegium is not working satisfactorily. You must have a national commission for judges which should be made up of judges, eminent jurists and senior government officials. This council should have the power to get independent information and evaluate it." Shanti Bhushan feels that as judges are extremely busy with hearing cases, there should be a full-time commission whose sole function is to pick judges for the High Court and the Supreme Court and feels that the commission should also have its own bureau of investigation. They should not be dependent on either the local police, who might be afraid to investigate judges, or on an overburdened CBI.
But all this is very hard to achieve. Jurists feel that the judges of the higher courts have converted themselves into a union of sorts and are trying to protect each other. "Their approach is to sweep every allegation under the carpet. Don't allow the public to know about it. Let the public believe that our judiciary is very honest. But this has been counterproductive. It has given a shield of total immunity to the judges and they think they can get away with anything. This has led to an increase in corruption in the judiciary," states Shanti Bhushan. Time and again, opportunities have arisen for the judiciary to reinvent itself in a new avatar. And time after time, it has failed. Caesar's wife, they say, should be above suspicion. Whatever the cost it might take to ensure it.
WRITERS' EMAIL
brijesh@tehelka.com
sanjay@tehelka.com

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 41, Dated October 17, 2009

`Half of last 16 chief justices have been corrupt'
By churumuri
Judicial corruption is a bull few in India are willing to attach their names to. There are whispers of this or that sitting judge making piles or cash; of sons, daughters and other near and dear ones acting as "brokers" for cases, deals, etc, but none of those allegations see the light of day.
Not because the media is a willing accomplice but because of the sword of "contempt of court" hanging over us.
For long, truth was not, repeat not, a defence in the case of contempt. Although that is now no longer the case, judicial corruption still isn't headline news like corruption in other spheres of Indian life. The case of Justice P.D. Dinakaran is one of the rare exceptions and that too only in sections of the media.
In September 2009, the Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, in an interview to Shoma Chaudhury of Tehelkamagazine, said "half of the last 16 chief justices were corrupt". The comment invited the apex court's contempt. Now, Bhushan's father, the noted jurist Shanti Bhushan has joined issue.
In his application before the Supreme Court praying for his impleadment as respondent No.3 in the case of the Amicus Curiae vs Prashant Bhushan, Bhushan senior repeats his son's charge that eight out of the last 16 CJs were corrupt, even going so far as to deliver the names of the corrupt in a sealed cover.

"In the applicant's opinion, eight [of the last 16 chief justices] were definitely corrupt, six were definitely honest and about the remaining two, a definite opinion cannot be expressed whether they were honest or corrupt."

Below is the full text of Shanti Bhushan's application, published in the public interest.
***

To
The Hon'ble Chief Justice of India &
His companion justices of the Supreme Court of India
The humble application of the Petitioners above named.
Most respectfully showeth:

1. That the applicant is filing the present application for his impleadment as Respondent No. 3 in the aforementioned contempt petition as the applicant is making a categorical statement in the present application that eight of the last sixteen Chief Justices of India were definitely corrupt and also providing the names of those eight definitely corrupt Chief Justices in a sealed cover as an annexure along with the present application.
2. The applicant is a practicing advocate who was enrolled on 8 July 1948. He has appeared in each and every High Court in the country. He is well acquainted with the manner in which the Indian judiciary has been functioning and how its character has been changing over the years.
3. That the applicant has been a part of the campaign for judicial accountability since its inception in the year 1990.
4. That there was a time when it was almost impossible even to think that a judge of a High court or the Supreme Court could be corrupt. Things have changed drastically during the last 2 or 3 decades during which corruption has been growing in the Indian judiciary. So much so that even a sitting Chief Justice of India had to openly admit that 20% of the judges could be corrupt. Very recently in March 2010 a sitting Chief Justice of a high court openly made a statement. The statement of the sitting chief justice was published by the Times of India in its issue of 6th march 2010 with the headlines, "In our judiciary, anybody can be bought, says Gujarat chief justice". A copy of the news paper report is being annexed hereto as Annexure A.
5. That the applicant believes that the reported statement may not be correctly reflecting the perception of the Gujarat Chief Justice, since he should be knowing as the applicant does that there are and have always been plenty of totally honest judges, but they are also becoming the victim of this public perception since no institution of governance in the country is taking any effective steps about dealing with corruption in the judiciary.
6. That India became a republic in 1950, when the people became sovereign. They got the right to constitute their institutions, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, to serve them, who would be accountable to them.
7. That before 1950, corruption was almost non existent in the High Courts. The federal court had in 1949 got Justice Shiv Prasad Sinha removed from the Allahabad High Court, merely on the finding that he had passed 2 judicial orders on extra judicial considerations.
8. That it however appears that thereafter the judiciary has adopted the policy of sweeping all allegations of judicial corruption under the carpet in the belief that such allegations might tarnish the image of the judiciary. It does not realize that this policy has played a big role in increasing judicial corruption.
9. That the Constitution prescribed removal by impeachment as the only way of removing judges who commit misconduct since it was believed at the time of the framing of the Constitution that misconduct by judges of the higher judiciary would be very rare. However those expectations have been belied as is apparent from the surfacing of a series of judicial scandals in the recent past. The case of Justice V. Ramaswami and subsequent attempts to impeach other judges have shown that this is an impractical and difficult process to deal with corrupt judges. The practical effect of this has been to instill a feeling of impunity among judges who feel that they cannot be touched even if they misconduct.
10. That corruption by judges is a cognizable offence. The Code of Criminal Procedure requires that whenever an FIR is filed with respect to a cognizable offence, it is the statutory duty of the police to investigate the offence. The police has to collect evidence against the accused and charge-sheet him in a competent court. He would then be tried and punished by being sent to jail. The Supreme Court has however by violating this statutory provision in the CrPC given a direction in its Constitution bench judgement in theVeeraswamy case of 1991 that no FIR would be registered against any judge without the permission of the Chief Justice of India. In not a single case has any such permission ever been granted for the registration of an FIR against any judge after that judgement.
11. That the result of this direction has been that a total immunity has been given to corrupt judges against their prosecution. No wonder that judicial corruption has increased by leaps and bounds.
12. That an honest judiciary enjoying public confidence is an imperative for the functioning of a democracy, and it is the duty of every right thinking person to strive to achieve this end.
13. That unless the level of corruption in the judiciary is exposed and brought in the public domain, the institutions of governance cannot be activated to take effective measures to eliminate this evil.
14. That it is the common perception that whenever such efforts are made by anyone, the judiciary tries to target him by the use of the power of contempt. It is the reputation of the judge which is his shield against any malicious and false allegations against him. He doesn't need the power of contempt to protect his reputation and credibility.
15. That the applicant strongly believes that a responsible citizen should be prepared to undergo any amount of suffering in the pursuit of the noble cause of fighting for a clean judiciary.
16. That there are two statements of Respondent no. 1 (Prashant Bhushan) published in Tehelka by Respondent no. 2 which are alleged to constitute contempt of court. In the 1st statement, Respondent no. 1 has expressed that in his view, out of the last 16 or 17 chief justices of India, half have been corrupt.
17. The applicant states that in his view too this statement is absolutely correct. At the time of the publication of this report in Tehelka, the last 16 Chief Justices of India were the following: 1. Justice Ranganath Mishra,
2. Justice K.N. Singh,
3. Justice M.H. Kania,
4. Justice L.M. Sharma,
5. Justice M.N. Venkatchalliah,
6. Justice A.M. Ahmadi,
7. Justice J.S. Verma,
8. Justice M.M. Punchhi,
9. Justice A.S. Anand,
10. Justice S.P. Bharucha,
11. Justice B.N. Kripal,
12. Justice G.B. Patnaik,
13. Justice Rajendra Babu,
14. Justice R. C. Lahoti,
15. Justice V.N. Khare,
16. Justice Y.K SabharwalOut of these, in the applicant's opinion, eight were definitely corrupt, six were definitely honest and about the remaining two, a definite opinion cannot be expressed whether they were honest or corrupt. The signed lists identifying these eight, six and two Chief Justices of India are being enclosed in a sealed cover which is being annexed here to as Annexure B.
18. That in fact two former chief justices of India had personally told the applicant while they were in office that their immediate predecessor and immediate successor were corrupt judges. The names of these four Chief Justices of India are included in the list of the 8 corrupt Chief Justices of India.
19. That since the applicant is publicly stating that out of the last sixteen Chief Justices of India, eight of them were definitely corrupt, the applicant also needs to be added as a respondent to this contempt petition so that he is also suitably punished for this contempt. The applicant would consider it a great honour to spend time in jail for making an effort to get for the people of India an honest and clean judiciary.
20. That the applicant also submits that since the questions arising in this case affects the judiciary as a whole, the petition needs to be decided by the entire court and not merely by three judges handpicked by a Chief Justice.

PRAYERS
In view of the above, it is most respectfully prayed that this Hon'ble Court may be pleased to:

1. allow the present application and implead the Applicant as a contemnor in the aforementioned contempt petition as Respondent no. 3; and
2. pass any other or further order/s as this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case.

(Shanti Bhushan)
applicant-in-person
New Delhi

***
Photograph: courtesy Shailendra Pandey/ Tehelka
***
Full coverage: The strange case of Justice P.D. Dinakaran
CHURUMURI POLL: Is Dalit Dinakaran above the law?
If he is unfit for Supreme Court, how is he fit for Karnataka HC?
If he is unfit for Supreme Court, how is he fit for Karnataka HC—II?
`Integrity + competence + judicial temperament'
Yella not OK, but Supreme Court silent yaake?
The brazen conduct of Justice Dinakaran
The strange case of Justice Dinakaran (continued)
Audi alteram partem? Hear the other side out?
CHURUMURI POLL: Will Justice Dinakaran be impeached?
Is CJI K.G. Balakrishnan right about P.D. Dinakaran?
CHURUMURI POLL: Is Dinakaran fit for Sikkim HC?
CHURUMURI POLL: P.D. Dinakaran vs D.V. Shylendra Kumar
Is Sikkim HC's dignity less than that of Karnataka's?

2G scam: How Raja allegedly robbed India

The latest revelations on the 2G scam suggest a careful confluence between the Telecom Ministry, when it was headed by A Raja, and a series of big business houses.

"85 of the 122 licenses were issued to companies which suppressed facts, disclosed incomplete information and submitted fictitious documents to DoT and thus used fraudulent means of getting licenses and thereby access to spectrum" -this is one of the more biting conclusions of the report prepared by the government's auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). (Read: Report Highlights) | (Watch: CAG explains 2G report) | ( Read: Full text of report)

The report - which was leaked to the media last week and forced Raja's resignation - was tabled in Parliament today. It is unflinching in its indictment of Raja, blaming him for violating guidelines, indulging in favouritism and costing the government Rs. 1.76 lakh crores by giving away 2G spectrumn in 2008 at bargain basement prices to inexperienced new players. (Read: What is the 2G spectrum scam?) | (Who is A Raja?)

The CAG report says Raja ignored the suggestions of the Law Ministry, the Finance Ministry, and even the Prime Minister. "The PM had stressed on the need for a fair and transparent allocation of spectrum..... Brushing aside the advice, the Department of Telecom (DoT) in 2008 proceeded to issue licenses for 2G spectrum at 2001 prices, flouting all rules and procedures." (Report Highlights) | (Read: CAG must ensure fair reports, says PM | Full text)

Read more at: https://www.ndtv.com/article/india/2g-scam-how-raja-allegedly-robbed-india-66769?cp

Companies that benefited from Raja's twisted rules include Reliance Telecom (owned by Anil Ambani), which was allocated spectrum ahead of the others. The Department of Telecom, the report says, "did not follow its own practise of first-come first-served in letter and spirit."

The report also states that Swan Telecom was given undue advantage, and that it served effectively as a front for Reliance. The charges in the CAG report are that Swan should not have been considered for a license because Reliance Communications held 10.71% stake in Swan - and according to the rules, a telecom operator cannot own more than 10% stake in another telecom company operating in the same service area . Reliance Telcom issued a statement this evening that declares it did not have any shareholding in Swan when the license was granted (the CAG report's allegation is that Reliance owned stake when Swan applied for the license).

Swan's application should have been rejected initially by DoT, says the report.

The CAG report says that nine companies got more spectrum than stated in their contracts. They include Bharti, Vodafone, Idea, BSNL, Reliance, and Aircel.

CAG indicts Unitech Wireless

Another big beneficiary of the 2G spectrum allocation was Unitech Wireless, which had no experience in the telecommunication sector.

After Unitech got the license for a throwaway price of Rs. 1,661 crore, it sold 60 per cent stake to Telenor Asia for a whopping Rs. 6,200 crore.

In its report, CAG indicts Unitech saying the high value paid by Telenor was for the 2G spectrum, and not for other inputs as claimed by Unitech. It also says that such huge equity infusion, which should have accrued to the public exchequer, went as a favour to the new licensees for enriching their business.

Speaking to NDTV, the telecom giant Telenor said that its investment in Unitech Wireless conformed to all regulations. (Watch)

The political crisis continues

The stand-off between the government and the Opposition over 2G scam continues. The Opposition wants a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the 2G scam. The government has said there is no question of agreeing to this. (2G scam: Opposition chants 'we want JPC'; No, says Government)

Parliament has not functioned at all this winter session - the Opposition says it won't let the House get to work till a JPC is announced. (Watch: Let the law take its course, says A Raja)

There were loud and angry scenes in Parliament once again today - the Lok Sabha has been adjourned till Thursday, since tomorrow is a national holiday for Eid.

A lunch meeting with Opposition leaders called by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to try and end the deadlock, has ended without a breakthrough. Mukherjee, who also met senior BJP leader LK Advani at the latter's Parliament office earlier, emerged from the lunch meeting to say, "We are for discussion. No solution has been found yet. They want a JPC." (Read: No breakthrough at Pranab's lunch meet)

Read more at: https://www.ndtv.com/article/india/2g-scam-how-raja-allegedly-robbed-india-66769?cp


Five-star jails of India

In a raid on Meerut Jail led by the DIG of Agra Jail to recover and seize cell phones and other unauthorised and prohibited items, there was a fight between the jail police and inmates of the high-security prison. It left six police officials and four inmates injured.

The raiding DIG said, "It could not have happened without the connivance of jail officials. We had special instructions from the home department as Meerut Jail is known for its lawlessness. But we were shocked when a thou-sand-strong mob attacked us with sticks and stones. We were trapped and could only escape after we charged towards the gate."

The prisoners snatched away all the mobile phones and contra-band recovered during the check that was ordered at the instance of the State Government. The DIG has accused the superintendent of Meerut Jail of "inciting the jail inmates to attack us so that we could not find prohibited articles in the jail".

On the other hand, the jail superintendent has accused the DIG of demanding illegal gratification. Some staff has been suspended. The other form of corruption reported from the Meerut Jail included unauthorised sale of items at exorbitant prices. Cigarettes were being sold for Rs 20 per stick. It cost Rs 500 for a meal of choice. A local call could be made for Rs 20, an STD call cost Rs 100. The Meerut Jail, built to house 700 inmates, now has 1,850 prisoners.

A former Uttar Pradesh Minister, serving his sentence in Lucknow Jail for the murder of his mistress Madhumita Shukla, freely hosted a wedding anniversary bash for a co-accused in the murder case inside the jail premises. A sitting Minister when asked replied, "No one is born a criminal and the Samajwadi Party believes in transformation of criminals. You can't stop anyone from celebrating an occasion concerning him, his family or near and dear ones - within the premises of the jail. As per my knowledge, there was no violation of the jail manual."

In 2004, three accused involved in the assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh escaped scandalously from the Burail Jail in Chandigarh. Inspection of the jail showed that the high profile prisoners were not only leading a luxurious life, but they had also enclosed their cells in a way that their activities inside could not be kept under vigil. Once the cell was turned into a virtual fortress, the prisoners dug a tunnel to escape.

The escape of terrorists involved in one of the most high-profile assassinations could not have materialised simply through a nexus between corrupt jail staffers and the prisoners. Vast sums of money as well as a pattern of internal and external intimidation was necessary to create the conditions for the eventual breakout and a significant network of support was essential to make sure that the fugitives could evade the police system once they were out.

The escape of Phoolan Devi's killers from high security Tihar Jail and other similar escapes of prisoners highlight the ineptitude and complicity of jail staff. Tihar Jail is actually a complex of seven prisons, having a capacity of 4,000 prisoners. But actually there are more than 12,000 prisoners lodged there. Regrettably, there is no fixed rule as to how many prisoners can be lodged in a particular jail.

The following is the existing jail system. There are two categories of jails - district jails normally built for 400 prisoners each and central jails for 750 each. The jail staff members are not from the police and have their own distinct hierarchy. There are different categories of under-trial prisoners depending upon their education and social status. Courts have directed jails to do away with the colonial, vintage classification of under-trial prisoners into Class I, II and III, based on their socio-economic status, but Government continues to stick to the old practice.

Selected prisoners are used for the internal management of jails - to make up for manpower shortage - as well as administrative work. The convict- supervisors become a link between the prisoners and jail officials. They are given an incentive for their work. Any wrong placement or selection can lead to the escape of prisoners or other crimes going unchecked inside the jails.

The Indira Gandhi Government had set up a high-powered panel in 1980 to propose prison reforms. The apparent cause was Mrs Gandhi's first-hand experience of the conditions in Tihar where she was lodged in 1978. Mrs Gandhi appointed the Justice AN Mulla Committee to review the national jail system even though jail is a State Government subject.

The Mulla Committee, 1983, recommended that the Constitution be amended to shift the subject of prisons from the State List to the Concurrent List. That never happened. The Centre at present has no say in the matter of jails except when they are in Union Territories where, again, jails are far from being models. The result is that jails continue to be governed by an outdated law enacted by the British in 1894. The position is that the jail conditions vary greatly from one State to another or even from prison to prison. There is no national policy on prisons.

A sensible recommendation of the Mulla Committee was to classify prisons into special security, maximum, medium and minimum security prisons. Such a classification can serve as a safeguard against jailbreaks and jail riots.

Much before sting operations became a norm with the media, a hard-hitting report had shown that in the Tihar Jail, officials mixed with notorious inmates like Charles Sobraj who ran an extensive drug and liquor racket with impunity. This led to a secret visit of the then Home Minister Giani Zail Singh to Tihar Jail. He was stunned to see a drunken prisoner offering him a bottle of liquor. A mortified Government finally suspended two jail officials.

Criminalisation of politics has produced a strange phenomenon. Criminals have contested elections from behind the bars and some of them have won. Given such topsy-turvy world of politics, prison officials are often either unmindful of the crimes being committed regularly inside the prisons, or sometimes they are the ones to provide prisoners with mobile phones, drugs and food. These jail staffers also organise kavi sammelans and mushairas and help prisoners run extortion rackets and criminal gangs from inside the jails. A prison for some prisoners has become a home away from home.

The next issue is that of under-trials. According to the statistics compiled by the Custodial Justice Cell of the National Human Rights Commission, 225,817 of 304,893 or 74.06 per cent of the total prison population in the country comprises those awaiting trial. The total jail capacity in India is 232,412 prisoners, which makes the total prison population 31 per cent higher than capacity, clearly emphasising the urgent need for a speedier justice mechanism.

Only when politicians go to jail do they talk about reforming the jail system. They forget the issue the moment they are out. We must be clear as to what kind of confinement or jail system we want. The time to make a beginning is now before things get worse. There must be a Central law to be followed as a model by all States.

No restrictions at Arthur Road jail, gangsters take leave at will

Pune: A highly confidential inquiry report by the Maharashtra prison department has revealed that several key undertrials, including Mohammad Dossa, underworld don-turned-politician Arun Gawli and DK Rao (the right-hand man of fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan), among others, freely availed of "leave" out of the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai over the last three years.

The jail authorities neither reported the leave granted to these high-profile undertrials to senior prison authorities, nor did they raise objections to the leave applications in court.

A senior prison officer told DNA that the inquiry report has been sent to the state home department for action as it has exposed corrupt practices at the jail.

Ironically, officials of the state prison department have none other than 26/11 accused Mohammed Ajmal Amir aka Kasab to thank for the revelation of this nexus between the prison authorities and the undertrials.

Sources told DNA that when the undertrials, including Rao and Gawli, were shifted to Taloja in Navi Mumbai, they started demanding similar treatment at the new jail premises. They were shifted to Taloja so that maximum protection could be provided to Kasab, who was to be lodged at the Arthur Road jail.

"The undertrials continued to demand leave at Taloja as they had at Arthur Road," said an official, adding that the authorities at Taloja then reported the matter to senior prison authorities in Pune and Mumbai.

Former superintendent of Arthur Road jail Swati Sathe, who is currently posted in Nashik, said she was unaware of any inquiry.

It was during Sathe's tenure that the "influential undertrials" availed of leave.
The inquiry revealed that leave extended from a few hours to even a couple of days.
It also found that this practice had been going on at the jail for nearly three years.

The authorities did not deny leave to around 45 gangsters, most of whom are booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999. One undertrial gangster was found to have "gone on leave" on 35 occasions, the report said.

The Maharashtra Prisons Manual has no provision to grant leave to undertrials, as is allowed in the case of convicts lodged in jails. It is customary for an undertrial to obtain permission from a court in order to avail leave.

The inquiry revealed that none of the 45 undertrials sent their applications via the jail officials. They were directly sent to court.

Significantly, the authorities at Arthur Road jail failed to appeal against this.

The jail authorities also failed to report the leave taken by the under-trials to the state government, which generally alerts the police machinery to keep a close watch on the activities of the suspects.

State prisons chief, inspector-general of police Uddhav Kamble confirmed to DNA the commissioning of the inquiry, but refused to elaborate. A senior official of the prison department confirmed the developments as well.

Another senior jail official explained that leave is only granted to an under-trial by the court for emergency situations, like the demise or serious health condition of the next-of-kin, besides attending the marriage of his/her children.

Leave can also be availed for emergency medical treatment at the private hospitals, but only under the supervision of the jail authorities. However the under-trials went on leave to attend marriages and death of distant relatives, other minor health issues of family members and even their companions.

Kamble sought a detailed record from the deputy inspector general of police (prisons), Mumbai, of all the leave awarded by the courts. The DIG, Mumbai conducted an inquiry and found the involvement of Arthur Road Jail officials. Another inquiry was commissioned to verify the findings of the DIG's report.

In Pune, 22 inmates have been missing from the Yerawada Central Prison after they were granted parole or furlough in the past 30 years.

Mumbai-based gangster Vijay Thopte who was accused in the murder of union leader Datta Samant and Arun Gawli gang member Eknath Arjun Mohite of Bhosari are among those missing from the Yerawada jail. While Thopte has been missing after he was granted parole a year ago, Mohite, who has several cases registered against him with the Pune city and rural police units, has been missing for more than a year now.

Might Not Have Recommended Parole For Manu: Pilot

Disapproving the grant of parole to Jessica Lall murder convict Manu Sharma, who also happens to be the son of an influential Haryana Congress leader, Congress leader Sachin Pilot has said that he might not have recommended parole to the lifer had he been the chief minister of Delhi.

"I personally believe that perhaps more diligence should have been made before issuing these orders. The fact that he has already gone back (to jail) does not make a difference now," Pilot said while participating in a TV programme.

Asked whether it was a mistake for the Delhi government to have recommended parole for Sharma, Pilot said, "Well I am not Delhi chief minister. From whatever I know of the case, if I was the chief minister I would probably not have given the parole".

Sharma was granted parole after chief minister Sheila Diksh*t recommended it. Sharma, who had applied for the parole on the ground of performing religious rites for his grandmother (who died in 2008), attending to his ailing -- later modified to 'ageing' -- mother, and business matters, in Chandigarh.

Significantly, the Delhi Police has gone on record to say that it had opposed the grant of parole. It has been reported that the Delhi government has so far received 132 parole applications this year out of which as many as 88 are still pending, 33 were rejected and 11 applicants were granted parole.

Diksh*t had so far been under fire for justifying her decision, saying that it was within the "legal purview" only from the opposition BJP and legal luminaries, who had so far been protesting that it was a blatant case of partisanship. Not only was Manu Sharma granted parole on flimsy grounds, and his parole extended by another month on the recommendation by Diksh*t, he clearly violated the parole conditions as well.

Opposition BJP points out that Manu Sharma's father Venod Sharma, who is an influential Congress leader in Haryana, played a major role in ensuring that the Congress government in Haryana could be sworn. He is believed to have been instrumental in getting the support of not only the seven independents but also the defectors from Haryana Janhit Congress which now only has Kuldeep Bishnoi left because as many as five of his MLAs joined Congress on Monday.

Sachin Pilot is the first Congress leader who has gone on record to even mildly express disagreement over the issue.

Nobody would have known

What is even more significant is that the news of Jessica Lal murder convict -- who is serving a life sentence for having shot dead the Delhi model on April 29, 1999 at the Tamarind Court Bar -- being out on parole came to public notice only because he was yet again involved in a brawl in a nightclub.

Observers point out that the brawl on the night of November 6 at F bar in New Delhi's Ashoka hotel that Manu Sharma and Sahil Dhingra got involved with Pranay Dadwal and his female friend may even have gone unreported or been hushed up had Delhi police commissioner's own son not been involved in the case.

The argument turned ugly and Pranay Dadwal informed his father, who happens to be none other than Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal.

It was because of this that a jeepload of cops landed up at the bar.

By then Manu Sharma and his friends had left F bar and moved to the exclusive LAP bar in the adjacent Samrat hotel, which is owned by Mumbai film actor and model Arjun Rampal.

By the time the police reached LAP, Manu had escaped. The police picked up Dhingra, and it was only on going through the CCTV video coverage that it could be confirmed that the person accompanying Dhingra was none other than the high profile Manu Sharma who, most people assumed, should have been in jail.

It was only then that it came to light that he had not only been granted parole, it had even been extended, while he had been out there partying at various nightclubs and bars, not only in Chandigarh, where he was supposed to be for the period of his parole, but also in Delhi.

Observers also point out how thee is nothing new in the subversion of justice in Manu Sharma's case, as the powers that be had almost ensured his acquittal in the Jessica Lal murder case, which got re-opened because of an unprecedented media and public campaign.

Chained In Purgatory

It's time we extirpated the horrific dehumanisation from our prisons

- R.K.Raghavan , CBI Director

Ashutosh Asthana, the key accused in a fraud involving the judiciary, died a few days ago in a Ghaziabad (UP) prison. The bazaar rumour is that he died of poisoning. Whether he took the poison himself or was tricked into doing so will be known after the inquiry ordered comes to a conclusion. Two other incidents of past weeks were equally shocking. A murder accused sentenced to life hanged himself in Coimbatore jail, and a software engineer locked up after a complaint of dowry harassment against him similarly ended his life. Finally, an Indian student detained in a US prison for sending intimidatory mail to President Bush, has complained of being roughed up by fellow prisoners. Life inside prisons is undoubtedly perilous. This may not be a new phenomenon, but the public now is more aware of what goes on inside prisons. As sensitive human beings, our conscience should lead us into doing something radical to reform our prisons, cure it of its present ills. As someone said, a nation will be judged by the manner in which it treats its prisoners. I would like to recall a national leader incarcerated during the Emergency telling me how soul-crushing detention could be. He was not surprised that many jailed along with him chose to plead for mercy and walked out at the earliest opportunity.

Prisons infuriate me for various reasons. Firstly, there are dubious arrests by the police and the even more galling convictions by courts on false cases, sometimes trumped up by the prosecution, and which end in innocent persons being sent to jail. The notion that many who should be in jails are outside, thanks to political and economic clout, is not wholly baseless. What, then, is the justification of locking up many who are guilty of minor infractions? Secondly, rampant overcrowding of prisons is a matter of disquiet, and of concern worldwide. States in the US keep on building new prisons, although demand quickly outstrips available space. Too many prisoners means abysmal and morally repugnant conditions. Most unjustly, the number of undertrials far exceeds convicted prisoners. Many of the former end up spending time that surpasses the maximum period for which they could be convicted under the law, if found guilty at all.

The corruption that afflicts prison management is of Himalayan proportions. This is first reflected in the quality of food served to inmates, and attributed to malpractices in the award of contracts to suppliers of grocery. When food is inedible, prisoners revolt. Some bribe guards into getting something better from outside. Smuggling in of drugs into prisons is not unusual. Detainees use cell phones freely. All these are for a price, and the rates vary from prison to prison. But these are lesser evils, if one reckons the violence that is routinely perpetrated—both by prison staff and fellow prisoners—on a few hapless prisoners who stand out from the rest for some reason, be it the nature of their crime or their efforts at good behaviour. Abusive prison guards just do not enjoy their work and are clearly frustrated at the stultifying work environment. Some thought has been devoted towards improving their conditions of service. Whatever has been done till now has not exactly improved their morale.

Of course, there are some remarkable individuals in the system who are trying to make a difference and have actually succeeded. The legendary Kiran Bedi made a world of difference to Tihar, one of the most notorious prisons in the world. A commendable focus on literacy and health issues altered the scene. Union home minister P. Chidambaram had a few good words to say about Tihar during his recent visit there.

I had the good fortune to go round the Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad recently. This is a historic jail, built in 1895, where the Mahatma, Lokamanya Tilak and Sardar Patel had all been detained. It is a clean place, although it is also overcrowded (nearly 4,000 inmates in a place meant for half that number). A young IPS officer, Chandrasekhar (an agriculture graduate from Coimbatore), and his equally enthusiastic IGP Keshav Kumar deserve every bit of praise we can shower them with for their devotion and care. Their latest innovation is in the area of telemedicine, with the support of the local Apollo Hospital. It has been a boon for prisoners needing expert medical opinion. Online examination of medical records and consultation with specialists for prisoners have the potential for saving many lives. How many in our political firmament understand that a prisoner's life is as precious as theirs? As long as it is possible for the criminal justice system to make flagrant mistakes and lock up innocent people, we need to look after our prisoners with the utmost benevolence. Nothing else can act as testimonials of our urbanity and humanity, the two qualities that are in danger of becoming extinct.







My experience in Police custody & Jail


My Story

Complaint to CBI - Misuse of MCOCA

Appreciation letters and Messages


Police Custody

I was arrested on 5th July 2006 in the early morning at 3am from my residence along with 5 more innocent person (My partner & 4 tenants from my slum plot) under dreaded MCOC Act. The crime branch officers came to my residence after mid night at around 2.30am and took me to Bandra crime branch office. They interrogate me and asked nothing regarding my underworld connection for next 5 hours. They were only interrogating me and my partner as to how I had purchased a plot at Mulgaon Dongri, Andheri East, Mumbai for so high rate, how many tenants have signed the agreement etc etc. At around 8.30am they told us to sign one paper stating that we all are arrested under the draconian law MCOC Act.

The police officers then took us for medical examination at Bhaba hospital in Bandra and thereafter they took us to the crime branch unit no 8 office and Andheri East to do Panchnama of all our articles. The police officers after doing some more interrogation took us around 3pm to the special MCOCA court and judge Mr Abhay Thipsay who as per law remanded us to police custody for 9 days.

It's really surprising that our plot/office and home all fall under the jurisdiction of crime branch unit no 10, but none of the officers from unit no 10 knew whom they are going to arrest till 12 midnight (3 hours before our arrest).

We were then taken to Andheri lock up at around 8pm. It had a small 15 X 10 ft room were we all were put in. It had no fan, light and only the passage had tube light. It had no pillow, bed sheet and we had to sleep on the floor. Imagine leading a 5 star life through out my life and see the irony.

Next morning the police officers from crime branch unit no 10 started our interrogation. After interrogating us for 2 days they found out we all were not at all guilty and it was a false case, but law is such you have to be in the police custody for 1 month minimum in MCOC Act. The crime branch officers were also surprised as none of us had any single criminal case against us/ no phone tapping was done in spite of the complainant receiving threatening calls from April 2006 to July 2006/ no call was made by any of us from any of our mobile or landline numbers and also no money laundering or any links with underworld was found.

Here I came to know that some officers from crime branch unit no 8 (Senior Inspector Vinayak Sawade & others) and the Investigating Officer (Assistant Commissioner of Police Pramod Rane now retired and is working in Reliance Energy) had taken around 25 lakhs of rupees from our rival Santosh Builder (who claimed to me when I went to meet him in May 2006 at his office that he is the front man of many politicians in Maharashtra) and put us in jail to grab my land. This shows MCOC Act which gives police power to arrest anyone from underworld, terrorists, murderers, cheaters and person having 2 serious cases against them in last 10 years is being misused by some police person for their personal benefit. My case was a simple civil dispute case for which we had filed 2 civil suits against the complainant (one Brijlal Tiwari).

Mr Rane also took around 7 lakhs rupees from all of us so that we are not physically tortured in the police custody from a middlemen who happens to be relative of one of the accused. This can be proved if his Narco test is done on him or us.

I was given instruction from my friend not to sign any confession papers without reading it properly while in police custody. This came in help for me as on the last day of my custody the junior police officers under the instruction of Mr Rane tried to take signature on a paper stating we had 3 kattas (desi revolvers) and some bullets. Since I was good in English I read and told my all colleagues not to sign on the blank paper. We were put under lot of pressure but when we told them that today we will complaint to the judge about it they all got afraid. The police when they find that they are in mistake and have arrested a wrong person in a false case can do any thing to save their job and make the case right.

The police also tried to put pressure on my younger brother to give false statement against me or else he will also be put in MCOCA case. He was very strong hearted and after taking advice from his friend, he told the intelligence officer that he will commit suicide in front of his office after writing a confession letter to his advocate. The officer was so scared that he left my brother unhurt and also did not have any guts to take his statement.

As Mr Rane had taken money from us he did not physically tortured us, but he must have tortured mentally more than 30 relatives/friends of ours to give false statement against us as he was seeing his case was very weak and he will land in trouble afterwards.

During our police custody Sub Inspector Ninan Sawant was terrorizing builders in front of us by telling them on mobile that see we have caught big builder in MCOCA and now we will also arrest you if you do not give us money. The SRA plot owner were forced to give money to Ninan Sawant.

Because of some court order it was good that all prisoner are taken to hospital to do medical check up every 48 hours. The food in Andheri lock up was good as it was privatized and taken over by a good South Indian restaurant.

When I was released on 7th Sept 2006 the court had ordered that I have to report to the Investigating Officer once every week. Now this man Mr Rane started putting pressure on me stating that officers from EOW (economic offence wing of mumbai police) wanted to interrogate me and was demanding more money from me. But I had an friend who was a senior upright officer in EOW and he helped me. He gave me his mobile number and told me that none of his officers are coming to interrogate me and that I can tell this to Mr Rane. This retired officer Rane got so afraid that he stopped calling me to his office.

The police has power to arrest anyone and no court of law have ever punished any policeman in India (except for few high profile cases). The recent example of the false case against a innocent lady named Swati Kachalia of Mumbai who was acquitted in March 2010 after fighting the legal battle with police for 8 years. But the court should pass strictures against the police so that they don't have courage to file false cases and get away with it. As a common man has to suffer for 3 to 5 years in court, spend money on lawyers where as the police get the lawyers free of charges.

You should see the movie Andhaa Kanoon (role of Amitabh Bachchan) to know how the law is blind in India.

Arthur Road Jail, Mumbai

If you want to see hell on earth you should visit Arthur road jail. One barrack in the jail is meant for 70-80 persons but there are more than 300 people crammed in all the barracks at any given time. It's the dirtiest place in the world.

When you enter arthur road jail first they make you take all your clothes to find out, whether you are carrying any drugs/knife/playing cards or some object able things not allowed in jail. You are given back your clothes and then you are made to sit on the road in pairs of two at least for one hour, till the entry procedure of all the incoming prisoners or under trials (may be 30 to 40) are over – these people come from different police stations and from different courts of Mumbai.

When I was sent to jail custody I was given AFTER barrack (its meant for person who is given 1 or 2 days jail custody for petty cases). After staying in AFTER barrack for 2 days I was transferred to barrack number 8/2 where mostly drug addicts, rag pickers, beggars, drug lords, rapist are lodged. The prisoner who live in the barracks need high endurance levels to put up with the excesses within the prison, including cold gang-wars, extortion, lack of sanitation, unpalatable food and acute lack of space. Arthur Road jail which lodges only under trials, has an official capacity of 820, but more than 3,000 are cramped for space in the jail.

Here if you are known to warden or give him bribe then you are given most comfortable position (which is there in all 4 corners of a barrack). You will get bed sheets, good food, allowed to play cards, have tea, good food etc etc. At night, we have to think twice before going to the toilets. Once we get up, it is almost impossible to get back to your place to sleep. Sanitation is pathetic. The toilets are cleaned only once a day and stink. One can hardly get good sleep. Skin disease is common as inmates hailing from various backgrounds are lodged in the same barrack and those who have skin diseases spread them to others. Bedbugs (known as khatmal in hindi language) are very commonly seen. Just two doctors man the 25-bed single-storied barrack- turned into a hospital. Even if we have 10 different ailments, we are given the same medicine. This has become a joke amongst all prisoners.

Barrack is a long hall. Its widdth would be like the following: If three 5.7- inch persons lay on the floor length wise there would have four inches gap between one person's foot and other person's head. If you move your hand up - your hand will touch on the foot of some one and they would shout at you. If you move your foot down then it will touch on some ones feet, then they will shout at you.

Lights in the hall is never turned off. Person next you and you would move your hand, or turn in your sleep. That means, you lose your sleep. Some people have violent moves in their sleep. But if you make any comment, you will be shouted at.

The day starts with counting of prisoners at 6am when the door opens and jail police start counting the numbers of prisoners and again in the evening at 6pm when the door closes. Then we are given tea at 7am. The condition of the toilets is worst it's all dirty with no door latch. Then we either take bath in our barrack on 1st floor or go down in open to take bath. Then you can take walk in your own barrack or bribe the policeman (not connected to Mumbai police as they are special jail police having powers inside the jail boundaries only) and can visit other barracks freely.

There is a canteen outside where you get 500 rupees monthly coupons and can buy milk, biscuits, cigarettes, butter, bread etc. Then the lunch is served at 11 am. It consists of watery dal, bland vegetable, some sweets, rice & hard chapattis which no normal person can eat. Here we learnt that the government spends 45 rupees daily on food bill for average prisoner but half of them is eaten by the contractors/suppliers & jail authorities. If you complain you are beaten mercilessly.

The food is served in a aluminum bowls. And most of these bowls did not have proper shape – and was never washed properly for long years. The bowl you get to use might have used by a drunken person who might not have taken bath for months. That person might not have washed it properly also. But you do not have a choice to go and get it washed.

The prisoners who are influential takes butter from canteen, onions etc from jail kitchen, bribing the warden to make the food tasty by re-cooking & frying the jail food inside the barrack after door closes at 6pm. The cooking is done with burning of 1 day old chapatti's (which you get for 50 paisa per chapati in the jail) old newspapers/plastic utensils etc etc. Around 7 to 8pm you will see smoke all over the barrack and its difficult to breathe. You can't complain to the jailer as you will be beaten by the influential prisoners.

A warden is a ruthless criminal serving life term for murder and has to manage 300 prisoners inside the barrack once the door closes from 6pm in the evening to 6am next morning, even the jail police does not enter the barrack at the time given above. The warden can beat you, push you around, make you sit wherever he want you to sit, can move you around for no reason. No body is there to question him actually.

Once or twice in a week there is a check up by the police officers from other jails as many prisoners manage to smuggle food/knives/mobile etc inside the prison.

There is also an anda barrack where hardened criminals are kept. This barrack has on small hole from where the sunlight comes in and has a small open bathroom. Then there is a budda barrack meant for person above the age of 50 years. This barrack is clean and during my time Pramod Mahajan was there.

In a week you can meet your friends or relative once across the window. Here also you have to pay bribe if you wish to talk to them for more than 10 minutes.

Each month only 500 rupees coupons are allowed per person officially. But if you need more money you have to pay double the amount and can get as much money as you want. Hard drinks are also smuggled inside the jail but at 3 times more price. If you want cash or durgs there are many prisoners in jail who when they go out on their court dates get them in their rectum. Its unbelievable but true. Except for a women everything is available in arthur road jail.

If you want to hire a servant you have to pay 500 rupees per month. The servants are mostly small time robbers or drug peddlers who wash your clothes, press your leg, makes tea and cooks fried food. These servants feel life is better in prison as you get 2 times food, breakfast, tea and some money which is difficult for them to get out side jail.

The prisoners or the under trials as they are known have no work to do unlike prisoners shown in movies. Here you have only to kill time by playing cards or taking walk, doing exercise and wait for the next court date where you get chance to meet your friends and relatives.

In one corner of the barrack is the temple and in the other corner kuran is kept. Mostly all prisoners are religious by nature. When I was in jail there was 11 days ganapti function and it was well organized by the prisoners. All 11 days aarti/devotional songs were played. Even they managed to get ganapati photo/small idol and decoration was done. On the last day all prisoners were taking a small ganesh murthi for visarjan in a small drum out side the barrack.

On the last day of release the police delay your release by 3 to 4 hours and give excuse that some paper work has to be done. But if you give them 2000 rupees which they took from my relatives who were waiting outside the jail they release you in 30 minutes. All this was happening when the lady jailer Ms. Swati Sathe was so strict and non corrupt. Imagine when a corrupt jailor comes what will happens inside?????

Conclusion : if you have money and are highly influential then you can enjoy jail life.

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OTHER LINKS OF JAIL IN INDIA & ARTHUR ROAD JAIL, BYCULLA, MUMBAI, INDIA.

* Detainees in Arthur Road Jail: https://www.pucl.org/reports/Maharashtra/arthur_road.htm
* The rot in our jail system: https://news.rediff.com/column/2009/jul/01/guest-the-rot-in-our-jail-system.htm
* Upgrade prison conditions: https://www.acpp.org/uappeals/uaupdate/2008/up08073004.htm
* Prisoner in arthur road jail dies of TB: https://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/convict-from-arthur-road-jail-dies-of-tuberculosis/404117/
* No restriction at arthur road jail: https://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_no-restrictions-at-arthur-road-jail-gangsters-take-leave-at-will_1268300
* one injured in arthur road jail violence: https://www.samaylive.com/news/one-injured-in-arthur-road-jail-violence/69245.html
* Arthur Road Jail: https://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Arthur_Road_Jail
* HIV stalks arthur road jail: https://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=107268
* Jail or criminals adda: https://www.mid-day.com/news/2000/aug/1681.htm
* Arthur road jail is like mumbai local trains: https://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_arthur-road-jail-is-like-a-local-during-peak-hour_1173406
* 1660 prisoners in arthur road jail can get bail: https://www.rtiindia.org/forum/4837-1-660-still-arthur-rd-jail-when-they-can-get-bail.html
* Prison in India: https://www.phaseloop.com/foreignprisoners/pris-india.html
* Combat Law (The Human Right Magazine): https://www.combatlaw.org/v7i2.php
* Indian Prison Reality (article in the hindu newspaper): https://www.hindu.com/op/2004/04/20/stories/2004042000251700.htm
* Prison visiting system in India: https://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/prisons/prisons_visiting_system_in%20India.pdf
* 54 years in Assam Jail without trial: https://www.ahrchk.net/ahrc-in-news/mainfile.php/2004ahrcinnews/451/
* Hate the crime not criminals (Mahatma Gandhi): https://www.legalserviceindia.com/article/l174-Prison-Reforms-In-Indian-Prison-System.html
* Reforming the prison administration in India: https://www.ipcs.org/article_details.php?articleNo=2697
* India more than just prison visit: https://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/india-interview-250909
* Tihar Jail, Delhi: https://www.indianetzone.com/37/tihar_jail_indian_prisons_complex.htm



SHOW-CAUSE NOTICE TO HONOURABLE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA , SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

Crimes of Supreme Court Of India - RTI Act violations , constitutional rights & Human rights violations by supreme court of india

The public servants & the government must be role models in law abiding acts , for others to emulate & follow. if a student makes a mistake it is excusable & can be corrected by the teacher. if the teacher himself makes a mistake , all his students will do the same mistake. if a thief steals , he can be caught , legally punished & reformed . if a police himself commits crime , many thieves go scot-
free under his patronage. even if a police , public servant commits a crime , he can be legally prosecuted & justice can be sought by the aggrieved. just think , if a judge himself that too of apex court of the land itself commits crime - violations of RTI Act , constitutional
rights & human rights of public and obstructs the public from performing their constitutional fundamental duties , what happens ? it gives a booster dose to the rich & mighty , those in power , criminals in public service to committ more crimes. that is exactly what is happenning in india. the educated public must raise to the occassion &
peacefully , democratically must oppose this criminalisation of judiciary , public service. then alone , we can build a RAM RAJYA OF MAHATMA GANDHI'S DREAM.

SHOW-CAUSE NOTICE TO HONOURABLE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA , SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

In india democracy is a farce , freedom a mirage. the most basic
freedom RIGHT TO INFORMATION & EXPRESSION , is not honoured by the
government,as the information opens up the crimes of V.V.I.Ps & leads
to their ill-gotten wealth. The public servants are least bothered
about the lives of people or justice to them. these type of fat cats ,
parasites are a drain on the public exchequer . these people
want ,wish me to see dead , wish to see HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH closed . so
that, a voice against injustices is silenced forever , the crimes of
V.V.I.Ps closed , buried forever.

To my numerous appeals , HRW's appeals to you ,you have not yet
replied.it clearly shows that you are least bothered about the lives
of people or justice to them .it proves that you are hell bent to
protect the criminals at any cost. you are just pressurising the
police to enquire me ,to take my statement, to repeatedly call me to
police station all with a view to silence me.all of you enjoy "legal
immunity privileges" ,why don't you have given powers to the police /
investigating officer to summon all of you for enquiry ?or else why
don't all of you are not appearing before the police voluntarily for
enquiry ?at the least why don't all of you are not sending your
statement about the case to the police either through legal counsel or
through post? you are aiding criminals ,by denying me job
oppurtunities in R.B.I CURRENCY NOTE PRESS mysore , city civil
court ,bangalore , distict court , mysore ,etc & by illegally closing
my newspaper.

there is a gross, total mismatch between your actions and your oath of
office. this amounts to public cheating & moral turpitude on your
part.

1.you are making contempt of the very august office you hold.

2.you are making contempt of the constitution of india.

3.you are making contempt of citizens of india.

4.you are sponsoring & aiding terorrism & organized crime.

5.you are violating the fundamental & human rights of the citizens of
india and of neighbouring countries.

6.you are violating & making contempt of the U.N HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER
to which india is a signatory.

7.you are obstructing me from performing my fundamental duties as a
citizen of india.

you are hereby called upon to SHOW-CAUSE within 30 days , why you
cann't be legally prosecuted for the above mentioned crimes .

If i am repeatedly called to police station or else where for the sake of investigations , the losses i do incurr as a result like loss of wages , transportation , job , etc must be borne by the government. prevoiusly the police / IB personnel repeatedly called me the complainant (sufferer of injustices) to police station for questioning , but never called the guilty culprits even once to police station for questioning , as the culprits are high & mighty . this type of one sided questioning must not be done by police or investigating agencies . if anything untoward happens to me or to my family members like loss of job , meeting with hit & run accidents , loss of lives , etc , the jurisdictional police together with above mentioned accussed public servants will be responsible for it. Even if criminal nexus levels fake charges , police file fake cases against me or my dependents to silence me , this complaint is & will be effective.

if anything untoward happens to me or my dependents , the government of india is liable to pay Rs. one crore as compensation to survivors of my family. if my whole family is eliminated by the criminal nexus ,then that compensation money must be donated to Indian Army Welfare Fund. afterwards , the money must be recovered by GOI as land arrears from the salary , pension , property , etc of guilty police officials , public servants & Constitutional fuctionaries. Thanking you.

Jai Hind , Vande Mataram.

Date : 14.05.2010 your's sincerely,

Place : Mysore nagaraj.m.r.

Is The Honourable Supreme Court Of India & National Human Rights Commission DEAF , DUMB & BLIND TO SUFFERINGS OF PEOPLE

Match Fixing in Cricket , IPL , Police , Judiciary & Government in India

Match Fixing in Indian Judiciary ? Questions CJI is Afraid to Answer & Crimes CJI is covering-up

https://sites.google.com/site/sosevoiceforjustice/match-fixing-in-indian-judiciary ,

3rd Degree Torture By Police In India

https://sites.google.com/site/sosevoiceforjustice/3rd-degree-torture-by-police ,

Narco Analysis – Right or Wrong ?

https://sites.google.com/site/sosevoiceforjustice/narco-analysis-polygraph---right-or-wrong ,

A B C D of Denocracy – A Lesson for all people's representatives

HOW MPs ,MLAs , Ministers - PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATIVES MUST FUNCTION

In india, indirect democracy is the form of governance. In this
form, people's representatives are bound to raise the questions ,
issues concerning their constituents on their behalf , on the floor of
the house. However the sad part in india even after 58 years of
democracy , is the lobbying is at it's peak. The lobbying is a
gentleman's white collared crook's way of forming favour seeker's
group , creating a corpus to pay lumpsum bribe & influencing decision
making.
The people's representatives are bound to represent their people
first , then their party & party think tanks. India has come to this
sorry state of affairs , widespread corruption , huge black economy &
rampant poverty, all due to inefficient legislations & enforcements.
These think tanks & IAS lobby, consider themselves as most super
brains on earth & gives out suggestions . the present state of affairs
is a barometer of their brilliance. These think tanks & IAS lobby are
the hand maidens of lobbyists / bribers.

Now consider the following example :
Mr.raj gandhi is a member of parliament from mandya constituency in
karnataka state. He is a MBA graduate & member of ruling indian
progressive party. The multinational giant M/S GREY HOUND CORPORATION
wants to enter into paper manufacturing business in india. It's sight
falls on the public sector paper giant mandya national paper mills (
MNPM) in mandya district of karnataka. The MNC effectively lobbies
with the government. The ruling party think tank & the cabinet
advisory group recommends to the government to make strategic
disinvestment in the PSU M/S MNPM. They bring out graph with full
power point presentation stating that it is good for the company as
well as the government. The lobbyists follows it up with media reports
on the positive aspect of strategic disinvestment. A favourable
impression is created in the minds of literate public. The cabinet
committee okays it.

The " strategic dis investment issue " comes before the parliament
for legislation / approval. The ruling party issues a party whip to
it's members to vote in favour of dis investment. However M.P mr.raj
gandhi who is an MBA in his own wisdom also favours the dis
investment. However ,most importantly the constituents – people in
mandya parliamentary constituency through protest marches , mass post
card campaigns lakhs in numbers expresses their disagreement with the
dis investment & urges their MP mr.gandhi to vote against the
disinvestment legislation.

On the D-day in parliament , mr. Raj gandhi as per his party whip &
his own wisdom votes in favour of strategic disinvestment legislation,
much against the wishes of his people , constituents & mis represents
them in parliament. the democracy has failed here. in This way
democracy is being derailed since 62 years in india.

In democracy, party whip , MP or MLA's own wisdom / brilliance,
think tank & IAS lobby recommendations are all secondary , the
constituent's of his constituency , people's wishes aspirations are
of primary importance & supreme. What people need is a honest
representative, who simply delivers the people's aspirations on the
floor of the house back & forth , without superimposing it with his
own ideas & party ideas. For true democracy , the people's
representatives must be true postmans.

Towards this end , the people must be educated about their
democratic rights & responsibilities. This is an appeal to the honest
few in the parliament & state legislatures to weed out their corrupt
colleagues , lobbyists, to uphold the dignity of the house & to
install democracy in it's true form.

HANG CORRUPT JUDGES , CORRUPT POLICE , CORRUPT TAX OFFICIALS… TO LAMP POSTS

- Another independence struggle in India needed ?

After 64 years of india's independence the lives of commoners is far worse than under britishers. The benefits of independence has reached only few , thus creating islands of few ultra rich people surrounded by vast sea of utterly poor. The rich people in nexus with those in power , are getting favourable laws enacted to suit their ends. Those in power are shamelessly enjoying 5-star luxuries all at tax payer's expense , while more then 50 million are starving to death.

The criminalization of politics , executive & judiciary is almost complete. The corruption has spread it's tentacles far & wide , there is corruption from womb to tomb ,from maternity hospital to grave yard. The injustices meated out , the atrocities perpetrated by by public servants are worse than britishers.

Ideally in a democracy, the legal recourse of grievance redressal / justice , when a commoner suffers injustice he can appeal to respective government official or police for justice , still if doesn't get justice he can appeal to court of law , further the aggrieved can get the appropriate law enacted through his M.P / M.L.A. The sad part in India is no public servant is neither aware of the value of our hard won independence or the working of democracy.

When all the legal recourses to justice fail to respond , to provide justice to the aggrieved , when corrupt judges-police-politician-public servants act as a criminal nexus & block justice delivery, the commoner has only 2 options , either to suffer in silence or to take law into his own hands & get justice on his own.

Take for instance Bombay riots case several VVIPs – cabinet ministers , police were found to be guilty of torture , murders of innocents by justice sri Krishna enquiry commission. The government is sitting over enquiry commission report. The court is not taking suo-motto action in public interests a result , the guilty ministers & police who are fit cases for death sentences are roaming free & commiting more crimes , anti-national activities.

In some cases , involving the rich &mighty ,higher police officials , the cover-up begins right from start ie FIR Registration. Police conduct name sake enquiry , investigation, suppress evidences , witnesses , destroy some of them , the prosecution takes a favourable stand putting up weak arguments. Naturally, the guilty official , minister is acquitted by court for lack of evidences. So, the guilty who should have been rightfully put behind bars , hanged goes scot-free , to commit more crimes , more anti-national activities.

In such cases , if the suffering public give the legal punishment to the guilty , which should have been given by the court but failed. Are not such acts of public, to uphold law & dignity , national security right & patriotic ? if any body terms it as crime , that means guilty VVIPs , police , public servants should be left unpunished allowing them to commit more crimes , anti-national activities. Is that right from national security angle ? is it equality before law & equitable justice ?

Do remember that our freedom fighters ,martyrs ,sri.kudiram bose ,subhash Chandra bose , bhagath singh , veer savarkar others who took violent path of independence struggle & killed inhuman british officers, police & judges have contributed valuably ,immensely to our freedom struggle. One of the main causes of origin of naxalism ,separatist movements is the rampant corruption & unaccountability of public servants in India.

In this back drop , in India anarchy is not far away. The days of suffering public ,killing their tormentors corrupt police , corrupt judges , corrupt tax officials ,etc is not far away. No police security , no SPG cover can protect those corrupt , as police & SPG personnel work for pay , perks and will be on the wrong side of law – protecting criminals. The suffering public fighting for their survival , on the right side of natural justice , protecting the nation.

If the authorities term this act as illegal , crime then are the acts of corrupt public servants legal ? is the cover-up of such corrupt acts by police , vigilance officials & some judges by mis quoting /misinterpreting , misusing law is right , legal ? the GOI has created , funded , supported , given training , arms & ammunition to various terrorist outfits like LTTE , MUKTHI BAHINI ,MQM in foreign countries , resulting in destruction , mass murders of innocents there . In india itself in assam , Kashmir , the GOI has created counter terrorist outfits to reduce the reach of terrorist groups. The bihar , jharkhand , chattisgarh state governments have created armed gangs SALWA JUDUM to counter naxal outfits , are all these acts of government right , legal ? the days of dogs death for corrupt is quite nearby. it is high time , to the corrupt to reform , repent themselves.

In our own experience, e-voice didn't get justice from authorities in many cases of injustices brought before it , most shameful fact even supreme court of India failed to register PILs , even shameful supreme court of India even failed to give information as per RTI Act , utterly shameful supreme court of India failed to protect the fundamental rights of editor of e-voice & obstructed him from performing his fundamental duties. Still, e-voice believes in peace , democratic practices. E-voice firmly believes that violence should not be practiced by anybody – neither state nor public.

Hereby, e-voice urges the corrupt public servants to mend their ways , to uphold law & dignity of democratic institutions. Atrocities , violence , corruption breeds more violence , invites dog's death. Peace ,truth , honesty is the harbinger of prosperous democratic nation. Greetings to all my Indian brothers & sisters on the occasion of 61st independence day celebrations, let us build a true democratic India , free of corrupt public servants.

CRIMES COMMITTED BY LAW COURTS IN INDIA

- An appeal to honourable supreme court of india

Indian prisons are meant to be reforming schools for the prisoners. By the corrupt practices of the officials , the prisons have become factories turning out hardened criminals.

Say , a person was caught by police on suspicion of pick-pocketing. The police produce the accussed before the magistrate , in turn he remands him for judicial custody. Let us consider , The punishment for this offence pick-pocketing as per law is 6 months imprisonment. However the case drags on for 3 years , finally the court finds him guilty of offence & orders for 6 months imprisonment. Totally, the offender serves 42 months imprisonment sentence in practice. In some cases , the courts consider the time already spent by the accussed behind the bars while giving judgement. In this example , even if the offender is let free taking 6 months imprisonment sentence, the offender has been given excess sentence of 36-6=30 months.

Taking the same example further, say the court finds the accused as innocent, not guilty of crime & lets him free. However , the poor chap has suffered 36 months imprisonment for no fault of his.

As per law, no body not even the courts of law are legally empowered to punish anybody beyond the legal procedures , rules established. In this way, due to delay in our legal system , faulty bail procedures , thousands of under-trials are suffering in various prisons throught India. Arew not the courts which remanded those accused to judicial custody responsible for this illegal act of excessive punishment ? what punishment should be given to those judges ?

The bail procedure in India , is also faulty without considering quantum of offence & financial status of the accused. A person accused of stealing rs.100 has to provide bail surety bond of rs.5000 or personal surety by a wealthy person / government servant. The poor person having personal contacts , friendship with rich persons / government servants is quite remote , so he can'nt secure bail on personal bond. The poor chaps family is not rich enough to spend rs.5000 surety amount. As a result, unable to secure bail the poor chap suffers in jail for years.

Say, a rich industrialist is accused of rs.20 crores tax evasion, he is let free on a personal bond of rs.1 lakh. Stamp paper scam kingpin karim lala telgi has swindled government to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees, only few cases are registered against him. That too in one out of those cases involving rs.45 lakh worth stamp sale , judge has given him rigorous imprisonment plus a fine of rs.50000.

Considering the above examples it is quite clear the bail amount, fine amount are peanuts for the rich just a fraction of quantum of their crime , while for the poor it is huge many times more than the quantum of their crime.. it is biased towards rich & mighty criminals. As a result poor always suffers in jail, while rich are out on bail.

Even within prisons , the number of prisoners per sq.ft area , no of doctors , hospital beds , medicines available, weight of food per day given to prisoners , are all less & much below the statuotary limits. The food , health care , living conditions of prisoners , under-trials are worse than pigs. The prison authorities are utterly corrupt, which has been brought into light again & again by the media. If a poor prisoner questions the illegal acts of the officials , he is subjected to 3rd degree torture , roughed up by rowdy prisoners on the instigation of the officials themselves. Many poor prisoners are suffering from health problems , many are dying due to lack of proper health care & food in the prisons.

Whereas , the rich & mighty prisoners , by payting bribe get non-veg , alchoholic drinks from outside restaurants daily. They even secure drugs . they get spacious VIP rooms , television , mobile phones. They easily get parole & easily gets admitted in outside hospitals & roam free , while on record they are in-patients in hospitals.

The law of limitation which stipulates time limits for filing various cases is also biased towards the government as a party & rich , mighty. For the purposes of evidences , filing of cases one needs various government records. The concerned officials don't provide those records for years unless bribed & sit over the files for years. Some times by making absurd , illogical file notings , rejects it back. There is no time limit for the performance of duties by public servants. When a commoner don�t get relevant records , files , evidences in time , how can he file cases in time without those records , evidences ?

Nowadays , numerous cases of irregularities , charges of corruption against judges are coming to light. However , in such cases judges are asked to resign from service but no criminal prosecution against them is instituted , only in cases involving lower court judges it is done. When a case of irregularity by a judge in a specific present case comes , there are every possibility that in the past also he has committed the same in cases handled by him which has not come to light. In such instances , all the cases handled by that particular judge throught his career must be reviewed , but is not done why ? does not it amount to cover-ups ?

In many cases the higher courts have turned down the verdicts of the lower courts , let free the innocents , absolved innocents of charges & annulled death sentences when appeals came before them. However , in all such cases , the lower court judges must be punished for giving out wrong judgements, meating out injustice to innocents. Here a fact must be noted , only a fraction of cases goes in appeal to higher courts, as in majority of cases the poor people lack the financial might to make the appeal. The so-called free legal services authority pre-judges the cases before giving legal aid. As a result , many innocents poor people resign to their fates suffer injustice in courts of law , undergo imprisonment punishment , some times even death sentence. So , the urgent need of the hour is to incorporate jury system or some outside monitoring system to review cases as & when decided.

In many cases involving the rich & mighty like telgi , case proceedings are conducted in-camera in judge's chambers or proceedings are conducted through video conferencing . outside from public gaze. The tapes are not made public and the public cann't even ascertain the validity of tapes , whether it is edited , doctored .

One of the basic reasons for delayed justice & worse prison conditions in India , is low number of judges , police personnel , higher rate of case adjournments and finally low amount of financial grants made by the government to judicial department / police department. The government states that it doesn't have enough money to provide for judiciary & police. As a result, fundamental / human rights of innocent commoners are thwarted. The state governments & GOI , is one of either parties in 75% of cases before various courts in India, it is the biggest litigant & is influencing the judiciary by controlling the grants , recruitment to judiciary & by enticing some with post-retirement postings.

The government has got money to spend on lavish parties of VVIPs , IAS officers serving non-veg foods , alchoholic drinks . their foreign jaunts , 5-star bungalows , limousines , interior decorations of their bungalows, etc. which is of higher priority , importance , whether the luxury of VVIPs or the fundamental / human rights of commoners ? the courts should answer. The courts have the legal powers to order governments to provide enough financial grants to it , however it is keeping mum , turning blinds eye to crimes of VVIP�s. the government rewards such judges with salary hikes , promotions , luxury cars , bungalows , perks and post-retirement postings , sites at judicial lay-out , yelahanka , Bangalore , etc.

We at e-voice has utmost respect for the judiciary , but hereby humbly bringing the crimes of judiciary before the honest few judges seeking justice to the common folk.

Indian judiciary's contempt for accountability and scrutiny is a shame

The Delhi High Court on September 21, 2007 sentenced the editor, the resident editor, the publisher and the cartoonist of English daily Mid-Day guilty in a contempt of court case. The charge against the convicted journalists was that they published a report and a cartoon concerning the former Chief Justice of India, Mr. Y.K. Sabharwal. The report and the cartoon were published after Mr. Sabharwal retired from service.

The report, relying upon documentary evidence, alleged that the judge's two sons Mr. Chetan and Mr. Nitin had made material benefits out of their father's position in the Indian judiciary as a senior judge and also as the Chief Justice of the country. The report alleged that the judge's sons managed their business from their father's official residence at 6 Moti Lal Nehru Marg, New Delhi. The report further alleged that the Chetan and Nitin also availed huge loans from a nationalised bank in favour of their business concerns without providing adequate collateral security. There were also allegations that the judge's two sons were allotted prime land by the Uttar Pradesh state government with heavy price concessions, an act which was under investigation. The investigation was however stayed later by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court of India is known for using the constitutional mandate and authority to initiate actions of public interest. The court in the past has even taken note of newspaper reports to initiate suo motu actions against suspected breach of law and misuse of office by public servants. This earnestness and enthusiasm has not been thus far reflected in the Indian courts' approach against scrutinising the activities of the courts and its judges. On the contrary, the Indian courts have been very parochial in its approach in facing criticism.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of India had forced Mr. Vijay Shekhar, a journalist with a television news channel, who exposed the caucus of a corrupt magistrate, his court staff and some lawyers in Gujarat state in the "Warrants for Cash" scam to apologise to the court or to face a term in jail for contempt of court. The court staff and the lawyers were caught on camera negotiating and accepting bribe for the magistrate for issuing arrest warrants. In the episode which was telecast nationwide, the magistrate after accepting bribes, issued arrest warrants on false charges against the President of India and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court took up the matter and directed the Gujarat High Court to initiate an internal enquiry against the concerned judicial officer and his staff. The judge was however absolved by the Gujarat High Court without examining the complainants. Thereafter, the Supreme Court of India condemned the journalist who had carried out this operation and threatened to send him to jail for contempt unless he apologised.

The conviction and sentencing of journalists of Mid-Day for publishing information about the conduct of Mr. Sabharwal has brought to the fore the issue of judicial accountability. The Indian judiciary is one of the most powerful judiciaries of the world. The conduct of the judiciary has a direct impact upon the life of the ordinary people of the country. It is imperative in these circumstances that a state institution of such high powers must be transparent and accountable for its actions. The courts in India have however consistently avoided calls for accountability despite there being many instances of serious allegations of misconduct and misdemeanour. At one time Justice S. P. Bharucha, former Chief Justice of India, admitted that about 20 percent of the higher judiciary in India is corrupt. According to Justice Michael Saldahna of the Karnataka High Court it is 33 per cent. Despite there being such admissions, no enquiry has ever been initiated against any judge for past 15 years.

Under the Constitution of India, the only way to remove a judge from the High Court or the Supreme Court is by way of impeachment. This constitutional provision has failed miserably. Its ineffectiveness was clearly demonstrated in the case of Justice V. Ramaswami. At the same time, despite verbal homilies, the courts and judges have been the most reluctant to evolve even a self-monitoring mechanism for accountability. Such a situation has caused enormous arrogance and abuse of power.

This is reflected in the procedure adopted for appointment of judges in the higher judiciary as well. Even though the appointment is made by the President of India, the selection is made by the collegium of judges. The selection process is non-transparent and all attempts to make the process transparent have been resisted by the judiciary thus far.

Demanding judicial accountability has almost certainly caused initiation of contempt proceedings, thereby, stifling of free discussion on the issues plaguing the judiciary in India. Unwarranted use of contempt of court proceedings in fact diminishes the public perception about the judiciary's openness and transparency, of which the case against the Mid-Day publishing house is the latest.

There are judicial systems within Asia which are considered to be failed beyond the point of recovery. Of this, the most glaring example is the judiciary in Sri Lanka, which is now facing criticism on all counts including politicisation of the judiciary to meet the ends of a corrupt Chief Justice. The Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, an infamous figure in the country, is feared for abusing contempt of court proceedings against anyone who opposes his questionable actions.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has now stooped down to a stage where public perception about the impartiality of the court and its competency to decide matters on merits is at an all time low. As a result the general public views the courts in Sri Lanka as a failed state apparatus which in fact adds to the decades long ethnic conflict in that country.

The term democracy implies the notion that the people are supreme. All state institutions, whether it be the judiciary, legislature or the executive are merely the servants of the people. The basic principle behind the contempt of court proceedings is that the use of this authority by the court must be only in circumstances where otherwise the functioning of the court is impossible or obstructed.

In India under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, the term 'contempt' is not defined. Therefore if any person makes adverse comments against the court or a judge, the power to punish for "scandalising the court…" is frequently invoked. This approach is considered obscure in most established jurisdictions.

The contempt of court action must not be an attempt to protect the dignity of the court, but to promote the administration of justice. The dignity of the court is promoted by the court being humble enough to face criticism, whereas promotion of justice is to be carried out by removing all hindrances in the delivery of justice. By the unrestrained use of contempt of court actions the courts in India are in fact derogating from their duty to safeguard the Constitution of the country, which also guarantees freedom of speech and expression in Article 19 (1).

The honour of the judge and the judiciary - a state institution through which a judge is supposed to serve the people - is promoted and protected by the openness of the judge and the judiciary to face any criticism. Intolerance to scrutiny and lack of openness equates the judge and the judiciary with a dictator.

At this pace the Indian judiciary once known for its eloquence and its contribution to the advancement of free thought and expression will soon be reduced to an egotistical institution. Such a judiciary is definitely not what modern India aspires for. India as of today requires a transparent, accountable and sensitive judiciary.

The imperatives for the judiciary in India are obvious. It has a duty to protect, promote and fulfil the Constitutional guarantees. The judiciary must be open and transparent with a clear conscience that it is not beyond criticism. For this, it must be accountable to the people, which it is bound to serve. The judiciary in India is the last hope of a fragmented society, which when fails to respect its responsibilities, will soon bring insurmountable peril to the country and its people.

Crimes Chief Justice of Supreme Court Of India , Union Home Secretary & Director-General of Police for Karnataka - RTI Act violations , constitutional rights & Human rights violations

The above stated public servants have failed to provide full information to us ie HRW as per RTI Act , thereby covering up the criminals. The requested informations were no state secrets , no defense secrets but the accountability of above stated public offices. The information was requested for public welfare , to secure equitable justice to public , to stop corrupt practices in public service , in exercise of my FUNDAMENTAL DUTY as a citizen of India. However the above stated public servants preferred to violate law themselves & to protect the criminals.

The public servants & the government must be role models in law abiding acts , for others to emulate & follow. if a student makes a mistake it is excusable & can be corrected by the teacher. if the teacher himself makes a mistake , all his students will do the same mistake. if a thief steals , he can be caught , legally punished & reformed . if a police himself commits crime , many thieves go scot-free under his patronage. even if a police , public servant commits a crime , he can be legally prosecuted & justice can be sought by the aggrieved.

just think , if a judge himself that too apex court of the land itself commits crime - violations of RTI Act , constitutional rights & human rights of public and obstructs the public from performing their constitutional fundamental duties , what happens ?

it gives a booster dose to the rich & mighty , those in power , criminals in public service to commit more crimes. that is exactly what is happening in india. the educated public must raise to the occasion & peacefully , democratically must oppose this criminalization of judiciary , public service. then alone , we can build a RAM RAJYA OF MAHATMA GANDHI'S DREAM.

TORTURE CHAMBERS OF INDIA - 3RD DEGREE TORTURE PERPETRATED BY POLICE IN INDIA - Gross violations of human rights by police

At the outset , e - Voice salutes the few honest police personnel who are silently doing their duties inspite of pressures , harassment by political bosses & corrupt superiors , inspite of frequent transfers , promotion holdups , etc. overcoming the lure of bribe ,those few are silently doing their duties without any publicity or fanfare. We salute them & pay our respects to them and hereby appeal to those few honest to catch their corrupt colleagues.

The police are trained , to crack open the cases of crimes by just holding onto a thread of clue. Based on that clue they investigate like "Sherlock holmes" and apprehend the real criminals. nowadays , when police are under various pressures , stresses - they are frequently using 3rd degree torture methods on innocents. Mainly there are 3 reasons for this :

1) when the investigating officer (I.O) lacks the brains of Sherlock holmes , to cover-up his own inefficiency he uses 3rd degree torture on innocents.

2) When the I.O is biased towards rich , powerful crooks , to frame innocents & to extract false confessions from them , 3rd degree torture is used on innocents.

3) When the I.O is properly doing the investigations , but the higher-ups need very quick results - under work stress I.O uses 3rd degree torture on innocents.

Nowhere in statuette books , police are legally authorized to punish let alone torture the detainees / arrested / accussed / suspects. Only the judiciary has the right to punish the guilty not the police. Even the judiciary doesn't have the right to punish the accussed / suspects , then how come police are using 3rd degree torture unabetted.

Even during encounters , police only have the legal right , authority to immobilize the opponents so as to arrest them but not to kill them.

There is a reasoning among some sections of society & police that use of 3RD DEGREE TORTURE by police is a detterent of crimes. It is false & biased. Take for instance there are numerous scams involving 100's of crores of public money - like stock scam , fodder scam , etc involving rich businessmen , VVIP crooks. Why don't police use 3rd degree torture against such rich crooks and recover crores of public money where as the police use 3rd degree torture against a pick-pocketer to recover hundred rupees stolen ? double standards by police.

In media we have seen numerous cases of corrupt police officials in league with criminals. For the sake of bribe , such police officials bury cases , destroy evidences , go slow , frame innocents , murder innocents in the name of encounter , etc. why don't police use 3rd degree torture against their corrupt colleagues who are aiding criminals , anti nationals ? double standards by police.

All the bravery of police is shown before poor , innocents , tribals , dalits , before them police give the pose of heroes. Whereas , before rich , VVIP crooks , they are zeroes. They are simply like scarecrows before rich crooks.

Torture in any form by anybody is inhuman & illegal. For the purpose of investigations police have scientific investigative tools like polygraph, brain mapping , lie detector , etc. these scientific tools must be used against rich crooks & petty criminals without bias.

Hereby we urge the GOI & all state governments :

1) to book cases of murder against police personnel who use 3rd degree torture on detainees and kill detainees in the name of encounter killings.

2) To dismiss such inhuman , cruel personnel from police service and to forfeit all monetary benefits due to them like gratuity , pension , etc.

3) To pay such forfeited amount together with matching government contribution as compensation to family of the victim's of 3rd degree torture & encounter killings.

4) To review , all cases where false confessions were extracted from innocents by 3rd degree torture.

5) To make liable the executive magistrate of the area , in whose jurisdiction torture is perpetrated by police on innocents.

6) To make it incumbent on all judicial magistrates ,to provide a torture free climate to all parties , witnesses in cases before his court.

7) To make public the amount & source of ransom money paid to forest brigand veerappan to secure the release of matinee idol mr. raj kumar.

8) To make public justice A.J.Sadashiva's report on "torture of tribals , human rights violations by Karnataka police in M.M.HILLS , KARNATAKA".

9) To make it mandatory for police to use scientific tools of investigations like brain mapping , polygraph , etc without bias against suspects rich or poor.

10) To include human rights education in preliminary & refresher training of police personnel.

11) To recruit persons on merit to police force who have aptitude & knack for investigations.

12) To insulate police from interference from politicians & superiors.

13) To make police force answerable to a neutral apex body instead of political bosses. Such body must be empowered to deal with all service matters of police.

14) The political bosses & the society must treat police in a humane manner and must know that they too have practical limitations. Then on a reciprocal basis , police will also treat others humanely.

15) The police must be relieved fully from the sentry duties of biggies & must be put on detective , investigative works.

Nowadays , we are seeing reports of corruption by police & judges in the media and are also seeing reports of raids by vigilance authorities seizing crores of wealth from such corrupt police. Some Judges have also amassed crores of wealth. Who gives them money ? it is rich criminals , anti-nationals . By taking bribe & hiding the crimes of criminals , the corrupt police & judges are themselves becoming active parties in the crimes , anti-national activities.

Those shameless , corrupt police & judges are nothing but traitors & anti – nationals themselves. When an innocent is subjected to 3rd degree torture to extract truth with justification by investigating agencies that all for the sake of national security , what degree of torture these corrupt , anti-national police & judges qualify for ? what type of aeroplane or helicopter the corrupt police / judges must ride ? ofcourse , for protection of national security. Here also police & judges have double standards , what a shame.

We at e – voice are for "Rule of Law" & abhor all type of violence. Truly these police & judges are not building a Ram Rajya of our Mahatma Gandhi's dream.

AN APPEAL TO THE HONOURABLE CHIEF JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT OF USA , CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA & CHIEF JUSTICE OF PAKISTAN - By American Citizens

Our country was known as " Heaven On Earth" , "Land of Equality & Equal Oppurtunity" & the "Statue of Liberty" rightly symbolized the spirit of our country. Now USA is known as a "Terror State".

In the last 3 – 4 decades , the persons who occupied the office of President USA ,in their individual capacity took wrong , inhuman decisions , meddled in the internal affairs of other sovereign nations , spent our resources to create terrorist outfits like al- queda , Taliban in those countries.

In turn these terrorist outfits terrorized , murdered millions of innocents & this Frankenstein monster came home to roost on September 9 / 11 . After September 9 / 11 , each terror suspect is severely tortured in hell like Abu Garibh prison , elsewhere by our authorities. For argument sake let us accept that these terrorists who murder innocents don't deserve kid glove treatment & rightly deserve 3rd degree torture. When a single terrorist deserve such inhuman 3rd degree torture , what quantum of punishment , torture – previous presidents of USA deserve – who created , aided & abetted thousands of such terrorists , terrorist outfits ?

Herby, we appeal to the honourable Supreme Court of USA to order the federal government to to make public :

1. how much US resources were spent from US TREASURY , to finance terrorist outfits , military juntas in other sovereign nations ?

2. is not Al-queda , Taliban creations of USA ?

3. did September 9 / 11 WTC attack truly happened by hijacked airplane or was it planned by US authorities ? see https://www.neiu.edu/~ayjamess/hmmm.htm#Main

4 . is racial profiling , profiling a particular community & suspecting all the muslims as terror suspects , right?

5. if it is right , the cretors of such terrorist outfits – past presidents of USA – who were Christians makes it logical to assume whole of our Christian community as terror suspect ?

6. is not use of 3rd degree torture on all type of suspects in US prisons & in the prisons of US allied countries at the behest of US authorities , right ? is it not violation of human rights & US laws ?

7. did US find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq , which was the main reason for US attacking Iraq ?

8. why not US authorities use scientific interrogation techniques like polygraph , lie detector tests instead of inhuman 3rd degree torture on terror suspects & suspects in other criminal cases ?

9 . what legal right our President of USA have , to illegally spend billions of our dollars on inhuman , llegal acts of terrorism , military coup , creation , aiding & abetting of terrorists , etc , in other sovereign nations ? while we are suffering from loss of jobs ,loss of home due to natural calamities , etc ?

Crux , Foundation of all religions is humanity , kindness & universal brotherhood. It is the preachers who misrepresent it. Terrorism created , aided , abetted by anybody is inhuman & wrong . Terrorism is creation of power hungry , selfish people & they must be legally punished .

Hereby , we appeal to the honourable court to legally prosecute Previous PRESIDENTS OF USA in the last 4 decades , for crimes of terror , as per the present US anti-terror laws.

Recently , in the issue of last week "The Week" , cabinet minister of government of srilanka (previously a deadly terrorist & right hand man of LTTE chief Prabhakaran ) Mr. Karuna , Himself has stated in an interview that LTTE received arms training in Tamilnadu State of India , to wage war against Government of Srilanka. The Justice Jain Commission Of Enquiry , which probed late PM Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case , also stated that Tamil Terrorist outfits in Srilanka Received monetary , financial , arms training support from government of India. GOI has even setup a radio station for tamil terrorists of srilanka , within Indian territory. GOI spent billions of dollars of Indian taxpayer's money for aiding & abetting terrorism , while billions of Indians were half starving & going without a single meal , without proper health care.

Recently in the last week , in a media interview the president of Government of Pakistan Mr. Jardari himself has confessed that in the previous years the government of Pakistan has aided & abetted Terrorism for tactical gains of Pakistan , spending billions of dollars of Pakistani taxpayer's money. While ordinary ordinary Pakistanis were suffering from starvation , lack of health care , etc.

All the above proves that Previous Presidents of Government of USA , previous Presidents of Government of Pakistan & Previous Prime Ministers of Government of India were the real master minds of TERRORISM , founded , aided , abetted TERRORISM FOR THEIR OWN SELFISH GAINS. In turn murdering lakhs of innocent human beings. These guilty previous presidents & prime ministers are deadly than OSAMA BIN LADEN.

Hereby , we appeal to the supreme courts of USA , INDIA , PAKISTAN & INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL , to legally prosecute the previous Prime Ministers of INDIA , the previous presidents of USA & PAKISTAN , on charges of master minding TERRORISM.

CRIMINALS IN POLICE UNIFORM

- An appeal to union home minister & Karnataka state home minister

The ABC of police force in India is apathy , brutality & corruption . in India, police are not impartially enforcing law instead are working as hand maidens of rich & mighty. The corrupt police officers are collecting protection money from criminals , collecting money to go slow on investigations , to file B- reports , to fix innocents in fake cases , to murder innocents in lock-up / encounters . they are hand in league with land mafia , today C.M of Karnataka himself issued a warning to police officials about this. Even in lock-ups , jails, the rich inmates bribe

officials get better food from outside , mobile phones , drugs , drinks , cigareetes , etc. they get spacious cells & get best private medical care . where as the poor inmates are even denied food , health care , living space as per the provisions of law. The corrupt jail officials instigate rowdy elements in the jails to assault poor inmates & to toe their line. More corrupt the police more wealthier he is. Even CBI officials are no different. The only beacon of hope is still there are few honest people left in the police force.

Hereby , e-voice urges you to make public the following information in the interest of justice.

1.how many CBI officials & Karnataka state police officials are facing charges of corruption , 3rd degree torture , lock-up/encounter deaths , rapes , fake cases , etc ?

2.how you are monitoring the ever increasing wealth of corrupt police officials?

3.how many officials from the ranks of constable to DGP have amassed illegal wealth?

4.what action you have taken in these cases ? have you got reinvestigated all the cases handled by tainted police?

5.how many policemen have been awarded death penalty & hanged till death , for cold blooded murders in the form of lock-up deaths / encounter deaths ?

6.why DGP of Karnataka is not registering my complaint dt 10/12/2004 , subsequent police complaints ? is it because rich & mighty are involved ?

7.e - voice is ready to bring to book corrupt police officials subject to conditions, are you ready ?

8.how many police personnel are charged with violations of people's human rights & fundamental rights ?

9.how many STF police deployed to nab veerappan were themselves charged with theft of forest wealth?

10.how you are ensuring the safety , health , food , living space of inmates in jails?

11.how you are ensuring the medical care , health of prisoners in hospitals & mental asylums?

12.How you are ensuring the safety , health , food , living space of inmates in juvenile homes ?

DOUBLE STANDARDS OF INDIAN JUDICIARY & POLICE

In india , Law is one & same for all , however in it's implementation & enforcement , the public servants are practicing double standards. Poor Innocents are harassed , tortured all in the name of law , rules , technicalities . Whereas , Rich Criminals are manipulating the evidences , records & are going scot free. The Public Servants treat Rich Criminals Favourably with kid gloves ofcourse for a price.

Now , take for instance , public servants of the rank of supreme court chief justice & President of india are hiding information relating to crime , covering-up crimes , violating commoner's human rights , fundamental rights , obstructing citizen from performing their Constitutionally prescribed Fundamental Duties as Citizens of India , no action by police , they are not even registering the complaint.

Whereas , if a commoner cover-ups a crime or evidence , he also becomes a criminal , if a commoner violates the fundamental / human right of a rich person , if a commoner obstructs a public servant from performing his public duties , all those become crimes & he is legally booked for each counts. Why not police registering complaint against the above stated public servants for above crimes. IS IT NOT DOUBLE STANDARD.

CAN JUDGEMENT BE MANIPULATED IN INDIAN COURTS OF JUSTICE ? - WHY NOT PRISON SENTENCE FOR GUILTY SUPREME COURT ADVOCATES ?

New Delhi, August 21 The Delhi High Court imposed a four-month ban on senior advocate R K Anand and colleague I U Khan on Thursday for interfering with judicial proceedings in the high-profile BMW hit-and- run case. A fine of Rs 2,000 was levied as well.

On May 30, 2007, television channel NDTV caught both lawyers in a "sting" operation, conniving with key prosecution witness Suniel Kulkarni to get main accused Sanjeev Nanda off the hook.

A High Court Bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Manmohan Sarin found the two guilty of criminal contempt.

"The entire material leaves a bitter taste in the mouth about the goings-on in the BMW case. There is no manner of doubt whatsoever that there was complicity between Mr Khan and Mr Anand... There can be absolutely no doubt that Mr Khan and Mr Anand were, somehow or the other, more than mixed up in the BMW case," observed the court, which had taken suo motu cognizance of the expose the day after it was aired.

"Mr Anand and Mr Khan are prohibited from appearing in this court (Delhi High Court) or courts subordinate to it for four months from today. However, they are free to discharge their professional duties in terms of consultation, advice, conferences, opinions, etc," said the Bench.

The court desisted from commenting on the conduct of Kulkarni, saying it would not be "proper" to do so. Though the verdict comes solely on basis of the CDs and transcriptts of the sting operation, the Bench said, "the unshakeable truth is that Mr Anand is guilty of criminal contempt of court". Contemplating a fit punishment, the Bench wondered how many in the legal fraternity had had been taken by surprise to find Anand indulging in such "sharp practices". "Mr Anand has held many prestigious elective positions in the legal fraternity, including the Bar Council of Delhi. He has also been a Member of the Rajya Sabha," noted the Bench.

The court said it knew Khan for his legal acumen and forensic skills — "perhaps the reason why he was appointed Special Public Prosecutor in the BMW case". High expectations over Khan fell apart when his conduct "betrayed the trust that prosecution reposed in him... what he did was perhaps beyond the realm of contemplation of the prosecuting agency".

Chastising the two for their misconduct, the Bench said: "We are not dealing with a young lawyer who, driven by ambition and desire... transgresses the limits or unwittingly or unknowingly commits criminal contempt. We are dealing with senior advocates, who are expected to conduct themselves as gentlemen and role models for younger members of the Bar."

The court forwarded a recommendation that the two be "stripped of their designations as senior advocates". The High Court Registrar General will put up the court's recommendation before Chief Justice AP Shah within a month.

In response to the verdict, the Delhi Bar Association president, advocate Rajiv Khosla, said about 20,000 lawyers from district courts were going on strike on August 22 in protest.

R K Anand

Began legal career in Delhi's Tis Hazari Court as a civil lawyer in 1967. Appointed government counsel in 1976. In 2000, JMM nominated him to Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand. Appointed AICC observer for Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh in February 2003.

High-profile cases:

* In 1980, represented the late Indira Gandhi in a property litigation filed by Maneka Gandhi after Sanjay Gandhi's death

* Narasimha Rao in the JMM bribery and the St Kitts case

* Chandraswami in the FERA violation case

* H K L Bhagat in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

* Former external affairs minister Natwar Singh's son Jagat Singh in the murder/suicide of his wife Natasha Singh

I U Khan

One of the top five criminal lawyers in Capital. He was charging a fee of only Re 1 in the BMW case. Began his career in late 1960s, and came into spotlight in 1980s.

* Defended Sushil Sharma in the tandoor murder case, Subash Gupta in the Personal Point triple murder, former Youth Congress President Romesh Sharma in several cases and Tony Gill in Jessica Lall murdercase

When prosecution & defence lawyer together team up along with corrupt police / public servants and manipulate evidences / records , the court is helpless and will acquit the accussed for lack of evidences eventhough the presiding judge is of impeccable integrity , honesty , he is help less. Add to this , if the presiding judge happens to be corrupt & teams up with the criminal nexus , the result is devastating , the rich criminal will get away & the innocent will suffer punishment in some cases even death sentence. Who will bell these few corrupt among the judiciary , bar , police & public service ? why not prison sentence for two leading advocates on criminal charges of contempt of court , destruction of evidences ? are they above law ? why favouritism by court to the guilty in awarding punishment to guilty two advocates as they happen to be political influential ? will the court let a common man so leniently for the same charges ? In the past cases dealt by these corrupt duo advocates , there are possibilities that the same tactics of manipulation of evidences , prosecution is done to win the cases , to free the rich criminals , why not review of the cases dealt by these corrupt advocates ? The honest few among judiciary , bar , police & public service must uphold our constitution , rule of law & bring to book their corrupt colleagues.

CASH FOR JUDGEMENT

Chandigarh, August 22: Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge Nirmal Yadav who has gone on leave after her name is said to have figured in the statements of the main accused in the case involving the delivery of cash at another High Court Judge's house, said today that she was a "victim of a vilification campaign." Speaking to The Indian Express at her Sector 24 residence here today, Justice Yadav said that "some influential persons were trying to shift the focus on her to save the real accused." Justice Yadav denied that former Haryana Additional Advocate General Sanjeev Bansal had talked to her on phone on August 13 when Bansal's clerk "mistakenly" delivered a bag containing Rs 15 lakh to the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, another sitting Judge of the High Court.

"Let any agency prove that I talked to Sanjeev Bansal on phone either on that day or any day in the past one month," Justice Yadav said. "I am ready to face all consequences if this allegation is found true. I have had no dealings with Bansal. I have not received any money from Bansal or any of his associates. I am sure I will get justice." Justice Yadav said she had explained her position to High Court Chief Justice T S Thakur and had "proceeded on leave." She said she would not hear any case until her name is cleared.

Sources close to her said that during her meeting with Justice Thakur yesterday evening, in which some other senior judges were also present, Justice Yadav offered to proceed on leave to "maintain the highest traditions of Indian judiciary." Justice Thakur told The Indian Express that he had not asked Justice Yadav to proceed on leave and that it was her own decision. It is learnt that in her meeting with Justice Thakur, Yadav vehemently denied any role in the entire role. While acknowledging that she and some other members of her family had bought a plot of 11.1 bighas of land (see accompanying story) at village Rihun Pargana near Kumharhatti in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh on August 14, Yadav is learnt to have denied that the money for purchasing the land came from Bansal or Ravinder Singh, the Delhi businessman, who is also named in the case.

"Can't a judge buy legal property? Let the police or any other investigating agency prove that the money for the deal was provided by Bansal or Singh," she is learnt to have told the Chief Justice. But she is learnt to have acknowledged, in her meeting with the Chief Justcie, that she knew Ravinder Singh. She is learnt to have said that she came to know him through some other judges.

Meanwhile, highly placed sources in the High Court confirmed that Chief Justice Thakur is awaiting the return of Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan from Brazil to apprise him of the developments in the case. The Chief Justice is learnt to have asked the administrative committee, comprising senior judges, to monitor the case on a daily basis.

The Rs 15-lakh delivery: Story So Far

•August 13: Parkash Ram, an assistant to Haryana's Additional Advocate General Sanjeev Bansal, delivers a parcel containing Rs 15 lakh at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Kaur calls the police.

•Rajeev Gupta, Bansal's friend and a property dealer, tells the police that the money reached there by mistake and it was meant for Nirmal Singh, another property dealer. Chandigarh Police decline to hand over the cash. Bansal is questioned

•August 16: A case is registered against Bansal, Parkash Ram and Delhi- based hotelier Ravinder Singh who allegedly organised the money

•Bansal resigns as Addl AG and surrenders on August 19

•August 21: Rajeev Gupta, the property dealer who claimed the money was meant for Nirmal Singh, is arrested. The Inspector General of Police sends a report to the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. The report says that the money was meant for another judge.

•August 22: Justice Nirmal Yadav proceeds on leave

Caught in controversy is Solan plot that judge, 16 others purchased

CHANDIGARH, SOLAN, August 22: On August 14, according to revenue records, a plot measuring 11.1 bighas in Solan was purchased by Justice Nirmal Yadav and others for Rs 5, 52, 500. Details of the transaction, obtained by The Indian Express, show that the land was purchased by her and 16 others from six persons, all residents of village Rihun Pargana, near Kumharhatti in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh.

This purchase is said to have figured in the meeting between Justice Yadav and the High Court Chief Justice yesterday. Justice Yadav is said to have told the Chief Justice: "Can't a judge buy legal property? Let the police or any other investigating agency prove that the money for the deal was provided by (Sanjeev) Bansal or Ravinder Singh." The purchasers and sellers obtained permission from the Himachal Pradesh Government under Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy Act. Solan Naib Tehsildar N S Chauhan has confirmed on record that that the deal had been registered as per the details we have. The land was sold by residents of village including Baldev; Narinder Kumar; Surinder Kumar; Rajinder Kumar; Bimla Devi and Amar Singh. The sellers have given a General Power of Attorney to Surinder Kumar (one of the partners among the sellers), who executed a sale agreement in favour of the buyers.

Those named as purchasers (partners) in the land deal include Suruchi, a resident of House no. 3, Sector 14, Gurgaon; Trisha Chaudhary; Ram Niwas; Rajender Yadav; Chiranjeev; Latika; Deepak; Sunita; Vivek; Capt. NT Puri; Devinder Singh; Shakuntla; Kuldip Singh Yadav; Ajay Yadav; Sushank Puri; Mohit (all residents of house no. 1111, Sector 11, Panchkula) and Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Nirmal Yadav.

Three booked in judge bribery case

Haryana Addl Advocate General among booked Chandigarh, August 16: Three persons, including Additional Advocate General of Haryana Sanjeev Bansal, were on Saturday booked for an attempt to bribe a Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge. The other two are Bansal's munshi Parkash, who had carried Rs 15 lakh to the residence of High Court judge Nirmaljit Kaur on Wednesday night, and Ravinder Singh, a Delhi-based businessman who has a hotel in Karol Bagh. The munshi was taken into custody while a police party has been despatched to Delhi to nab Singh. Assistant Superintendent of Police Madhur Verma said the amount was supposed to be handed over to some other public servant but was mistakenly delivered at Kaur's house. An FIR was lodged after Kaur complained to the police. She also reported the matter to the Chief Justice. Police said Singh had allegedly paid Bansal a huge amount to get settled a criminal case pending in the High Court. The case is due to come up for hearing on Wednesday.

Earlier, Singh had claimed the amount was pertaining to a property deal he had struck with a resident of Panchkula. The money was supposed to be delivered to one Nirmal Singh and was mistakenly delivered at the judge's house. Verma, however, said the preliminary investigation had ruled out the possibility of the amount being related to any property deal. "Bansal failed to give a detailed account of the cash. He produced some papers pertaining to some property in Panchkula but that did not carry any weight. Our investigations caught him on the wrong foot and, therefore, we booked him along with two others under the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy," he added. Bansal has been handling several high-profile cases. He is one of the dozen-odd Additional Advocate Generals appointed by the Haryana Government about two years ago.

Corrupt judge in Allahabad High Court by Rajeev

If the Judges go corrupt, then it is GOD who will give one justice when one go to heaven or hell. It is a Irony that I filed a complaint against a District and Session Judge who later promoted to High Court of Allahabad. I wish the God will serve HIS justice to Hon'ble Justice Umeshware Pandey, now enjoying at High Court and selling (Mis)Justice at Rs 100000 per page!! Here I am elaborating what had happened. In 1994, two people name Parashram Agarwal and Mohan Lal Agarwal wanted to grab my father's property and in March 1994 they beat him and pulled his legs( just imagine the pain) making him handicapped for life. Then in court those guys were merely sentenced for 6 months in Jail, but they did not went for the jail for single day or hour and appealed to Sessions Court and then the corrupt Judge Umeshwar Pandey took the bribe of Rs 200000 in Criminal Revision number 13/2000 from Parashram Agarwal and Mohan Lal.

It is a shame on Umeshwar Pandey that he cannot see a Handicapped man suffering for last 9 years and even then not given the justice. Umeshwar Pandey has taken this bribe via his Steno name some G. D. Gupta. It is the habit of Parashram and MohanLal to record the conversation while giving bribes on hidden audio recorder and the same cassette can be recovered if the authority try. It is been 8 months since I have informed various authorities by registered letters and phone calls from USA for no action till date.

I have spoken to Mr Jagmohan Paliwal who was posted as Vigilance Officer for no action till date and the recording attached is from Sept 2002. Similarly I have spoken with Mr. K. S. Rakhra who was posted as Registrar General but no action till date, and the recoding shown is from Sept 2002 too. Even CBI has forwarded my letter to Registrar General, but no action is taken on that one too.

I have emaild my plea to few High court Judges too for no response. I just hope GOD is there who will give some justice. But the corrupt Judges should stop imitating as GOD they are devil actually. The only solution can be people make a limit. How much money a person needs. I often think about a story that a saint refused to take the food as he already got the food for today and he do not want to collect for tomorrow. But I don't know why people want to generate money for 7 generations. If a careful analysis and investigation is done Umeshwar Pamdey has Black money worth 3 generations. I guess instead of Lakhs and Carore now corruption should be measured in generations.

Education is important. People need to understand the meaning of freedom truly. IF I say boldly India is still not free. People have mentality that they need to pay to Government officials for work. This mentality has to be removed.

Thanks

Rajeev

HC suspends judge over corruption complaints

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court has suspended a fast track court judge in Rajpipla after receiving several complaints of corruption and favouritism against her. Rajpipla fast track court Judge DL Desai was suspended on Thursday evening after a primary inquiry held by the court's vigilance department said that the complaints against her had substance. Further inquiry against her will be conducted by the department. Besides the complaint of favouritism in Rajpipla, where she was presently posted, the Desai was also accused of similar charges and issuing certificates without proper verification in Bharuch, where the she was discharging her duty as a principal district judge, the High Court authorities said.

The HC administration seems to be seriously taking the issue of corruption prevailing in Gujarat's judiciary, as Desai's is the fourth suspension in last three months. Earlier in May, a judge in Surat's court, AN Vinjhola was suspended after similar complaints against him. The court administration also found him in possession of property out of proportion considering his known sources of income. Last month, two judges were suspended on charges of corruption. The Ahmedabad city civil Judge NM Thakor and KV Kakkad were also suspended by the HC after holding preliminary inquiry into complaints against them. All the four suspended judges are now facing departmental inquiry.

FOREIGN TOURS OF INDIAN JUDGES AT TAXPAYER'S EXPENSE

New Delhi: CNN-IBN's exclusive report on some judges using official trips to holiday, has sparked off the debate - should judges be above the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act? RTI activists say there is every reason why the RTI Act should apply to the higher judiciary as well. Questions are now being asked in South Block, too, following the expose on Supreme Court judges. Records obtained under the RTI shows judges have been converting work trips to holidays, taking long detours and are accompanied by their wives while traveling abroad.

At present there are no travel guidelines for the judiciary and the Bar Council of India is suggesting a course correction. "I think the judges must pay or should pay the amount to the government," Bar Council of India Chairman SNP Sinha said in Patna on Wednesday.

Under the RTI, CNN-IBN found that for Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan's 11-day trip to Pretoria, South Africa in August 2007 the route was - Delhi, Dubai, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Capetown, Johannesburg, Victoria Falls, where the judge finally didn't go and back to Delhi via Dubai.

Former chief justice YK Sabharwal attended three conferences in 2005 to Edinburgh, Washington and Paris. While the conferences lasted 11 days, Sabharwal was out for 38 days with 21 days converted into a private visit. The travel plan included a detour from Washington to Baltimore, Orlando and Atlanta, before rejoining the conference route in Paris. The First Class air fare for Sabharwal's entire trip was paid by the government. Activists are now renewing the debate on the RTI act applying to judges as well

RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal said: "It only underscores why the RTI needs to be applied to judges and judiciary." Just like Caesar's wife should be above suspicion, RTI activists are demanding that SC judges too should be seen to be accountable.

Failure of RTI Act in India

- In the clutches of corrupt public servants mafia

In the courts of law , every statement to be valid must be supported by evidences. That too, the statements of public servants / government officials & their reports in government records are considered as sacrosanct , the ultimate gospel truth by courts of law. The corruption has spread it's tentacles far & wide in the public service. The bribe booty is shared by lower to higher officials. If an official is complained against , his higher official conducts a formal investigation & reports in the record that lower official is not guilty.

The vigilance authorities / Karnataka lokayukta has recently raided on police , tax officials & seized illegal wealth amounting to crores of rupees. Take the recent case where in senior IPS officer , superintendent of police chamarajanagar , mr.srikantappa was arrested by Karnataka lokayukta. The victims spoke to media that he used to threaten them with false cases. In this way , how many victims / innocents were arrested & tortured by his arrest warrants ? how many innocents suffered in false cases ? how many rich criminals got scot free , by srikantappa's filing of B reports leading to closure of cases ? In the past how many suffered by srikantappa's actions ? has the court subjected to review all the previous actions of srikantappa throught his corrupt career ? if not , why ?

The courts of law has taken the official reports , records of mr.srikantappa as gospel truth & indirectly aided rich criminals & harmed innocents. It is the same case with respect to reports of all government officials – police , labour , tax , etc. the rich criminals buy out government officials & make them write favourable report about themselves. Whereas the poor , innocents suffer from adverse reports & injustices. The courts of law takes the government records at it's face value & meat out injustices to the poor , innocents while aiding the rich criminals.

When a commoner requests for information as per RTI Act , the government officials either give incomplete information , false information or decline to give information under one pretext or the other. The officials are damn sure that the truthful information will be detrimental to themselves & will be taken as evidence against themselves in the courts of law. So information , truth is not given.

Even information commissions are failing here. Thereby, the public are denied to seek justice in the courts of law , by lack of evidences. The courts of law before accepting the records of government officials , must subject it to a "test of truth". When a government report is contested against , a fact finding team comprising members of public , complainant , respondent & the court , must check it out at the ground level. Orelse when a complainant says that the report of a government official – police , labour , tax , etc as false that government official must be subjected to lie detector test , narco- analysis, ertc by court of law. The questionnaire ie the questions to be asked during the scientific test are to be prepared with feedback from both complainant & respondent's side. In that way , impartially truth can be found out. After all , the objective of courts of law is "Quest for Truth", not just giving out judgements based on reports of corrupt officials.

Nowadays , we are even seeing reports of corruption among the judiciary itself. If a complaint against a judge is made out that a level ground is not provided to put up one's case in the court or cross examination of one party is not allowed or lie detector test / narco analysis of one party is not allowed ( in turn taking the lies of that party as truth ), the judge making a varied interpretation of law, the judge not safe guarding the health & life of the complainant in the custody of police leading to 3rd degree torture of complainant by police , etc, in all such cases the supreme court of India must change the presiding judge of such cases , the cases must be thoroughly reviewed & the guilty judge must be subjected to narco- analysis , lie detector test , etc & legally prosecuted. In this back drop , accountability of police & judges to the public ie citizens of India – kings of democracy , is a must. After all , the kings of democracy / citizens of India / taxpayers are the paymasters of all public servants.

We at e – voice of human rights of watch have utmost respect for the judiciary & all government institutions. It is the corrupt few in those institutions who are themselves bringing disgrace to the august institutions they occupy , by their corrupt deeds. The saving grace is that still honest few are left in public service & it is an appeal to them , to legally prosecute their corrupt colleagues.

In India , the private enterprises are the wealth creators of our economy. However , some private enterprises are violating labour laws , tax laws , human rights & fundamental rights of people. In turn harming the public , looting the tax dues. This is creating black money causing various social evils in the society. These huge private enterprises take loans from public sector banks ie take public's money as loans , collect money from public in the form of shares , debentures , sell their product to the public. Still , they are not covered by RTI Act, they don't give truthful information to the public nor allow public inspection of their sites , why ? they buy out concerned government officials & gets them to write favourable report about themselves. There are wide differences between the ground reality & these government reports. If the aggrieved person , victim of injustices meated out by these private enterprises , tries to legally seek justice, these criminal private enterprises buy out police , concerned officials & fixes up the victim in false cases. The police in total disregard to law violates the human rights & fundamental rights of the victim in custody , subjects the victim to 3rd degree torture in custody. The presiding judge of the case doesn't safe guard the rights , health , life of victims in custody. The judge doesn't check out the truthfulness of government reports & passes on judgement making varied interpretation of just remember the case of "local citizens vs coca cola company" in plachimada , kerala.

Is it not right & just in such cases , to subject the presiding judge , police , concerned government officialds & most importantly key officials of that criminal private enterprise to lie detector , narco- analysis tests , to know the truth ? is it not right to conduct the inspection of alleged site , review of all company's records , by a team comprising of members from public , court , complainant & respondent ?

Some of these criminal enterprises threaten to finish off the poor victims . as these company's have money power they can buy out rowdies , police & capable of doing anything. In such cases , if anything untoward happens to the victim or his family , are not the officials of such criminal enterprise liable to pay compensation to the victims's family or survivors ?

In India , do we truly have democracy & freedom ? is this corrupt India – what our freedom fighters dreamt of & fought for ?

JUDGES IN PROVIDENT FUND SCAM ?

NEW DELHI: Faced with accusations having the potential to unhinge the traditional public perception of the judiciary's clean image, the SC on Monday decided to examine the possible mode of probe into the Rs 23 crore illegal PF withdrawal scam allegedly involving 23 judges, including some from the HCs and one from the apex court. The difficult question on the mode of probe was posed by a petitioner, who is the chairman of Advocates Welfare Trust and Bar Association of Ghaziabad — the place where the scam took place — even as CJI K G Balakrishnan had shown faith in the integrity of the judges by asking the UP police, which is probing the scam, to send questionnaires to the judges, whose names allegedly figured in the scam. Unwilling to have the judges interrogated by the police at first go, SC had written to the UP police that if the response of those judges to the questionnaire did not satisfy the probe team, then it could send request for personal interrogation. The request for interrogation in person would be considered on merit, the SC had told the police in a communication. Appearing for the Bar, senior advocate Fali S Nariman flanked by senior advocates Anil Divan and M N Krishnamani expressed concern over the scandal and also pointed out the possible dent in the image of the judiciay if an SHO was seen interrogating a judge. Bench comprising CJI Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and J M Panchal appeared undecided about the constitution of a committee as suggested by Nariman, it decided to seek the assistance of solicitor general G E Vahanvati to chart out a possible course to deal with the situation.

To keep the proceedings off the media glare, the bench decided to take up the matter in chamber on July 14, when Vahanvati and other senior advocates would make good their assistance to look for a way out of the problematic situation. The petition said one Ashutosh Asthana, the Central Nazir in the judgeship of Ghaziabad, had allegedly confessed before a magistrate about his role in the PF scam and had allegedly mentioned the names of 23 judges who were beneficiaries of the ill-gotten money.

THE FALL OF THE ANGEL-CORRUPT INDIAN JUDICIARY

the four main pillars of democratic setup in india are legislative , judiciary , executive & the enlightened citizens . now, one pillar after the other has started to crumble down paving the way for anarchy in future. in india there are not much of the enlightened citizens around.even the few who are there, are silenced by the criminal nexus while doing their fundamental duties as per the constitution of india.the rest of the citizens are kept in the dark, denied the awareness about democratic dynamics , by choking them for information.

in india multi billion dollar defence deals to drainage civil constuction by the munciapality comes under "official secrets act". eventhough technically some informations does not fall under the purview of O.S.A. the ruling elite does not readily share the information.in democracy INFORMATION & THE EXPRESSION are key to it's functioning .by denying that key to the citizens the ruling setup alienates them from decision making process .thus, the enlightened citizens the pillar has been razed down to earth by the ruling elite.

now, the criminalisation of politics has taken place almost completely in india. those criminals have appointed other criminals to the vital positions in the government .the criminal nexus of CRIMINAL-POLICE-POLITICIAN-BUREAUCRAT is reigning in India , violating the funamental / human rights of crores of indian citizens , robbing them of their national wealth worth billions. thereby other two pillars of democracy the legislative & the executive have fallen down.

now, the one & only remaining pillar of democracy in india is the INDIAN JUDICIARY. it is the angel who provides justice to the commonners. now, the tentacles of corruption has engulfed the Indian judiciary too . there are charges against various judges ranging from bribery ,theft ,practice of untouchability ,false affidavit to murder .one judge has been accussed of literally running an AUCTION HOUSE OF JUDICIAL ORDERS in association with the underworld. in that place everything from BAIL,STAY TO ACQUITTAL FROM CASE was available for a price of course.

it is only due to the pioneering efforts of media these scandals have come to light .the judiciary has hidden those scandals in a hush hush manner from the public eye. recently it was reported in " deccan herald " that a district judge of u.p. was acting as a pimp since years & supplying mod girls to politicians. in another report it was stated that a district judge of tamilnadu demanded s*xual favours from a woman to give favourable judgement in a case when she refused to do his bidding he allegdely tried to rape her. quite recently, there was a news report about immoral acts of certain high ranking judges in a resort near mysore. it was indirectly implied that certain wowen advocates who were selected as judges were returning the favours immorally to the senior judges (who were in the selection committee) . i,as a human rights activist have requested various constitutional authorities to provide information about the misdoings of government officials , ministers ,judges & godmen. i didn't even receive the receipt of acknowledgement. i have even tried to file public interest litigations at the SUPREME COURT OF INDIA ,but to no avail. Even my requests for information from government authorities including supreme court of India as per RTI Act was not honoured. in my crusade seeking justice for all, i have myself suffered numerous injustices ,my news papers were closed down, i have suffered murder attempts on me , inspite of all these the CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA , THE

CHAIRMAN OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION , THE CENTRAL VIGILANCE COMMISSIONER kept mum, didn't do their constitutional duties inspite of my repeated requests . thereby, they have violated my human rights & fundamental rights & have been obstructed from performing my constitutionally provided FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES.

The courts of justice needs evidences to act upon , the public servants don't give records / reports which in turn becomes evidences , the public servants by taking bribe makes falsed biased interpretation of law , give favourable reports to rich & mighty ( but false reports ). The courts in turn depending on those false reports acquits rich & mighty , whereas the poor suffers injustices for being unable to produce evidences. The courts have the power , authority for ordering participation of public , aggrieved parties in the investigation teams enforcing various laws ( thereby the corrupt acts of public servants can be checked ) , but courts don't excercise that authority. See how the nexus of corrupt public servants � law enforcement agencies � judiciary works in India favouring the rich & subjugating the poor. Ofcourse , there are very few exceptions.

PF SCAM SHAME SHAME CORRUPT JUDGES visit following websites ,

https://corruptmajority.blogspot.com/ ,

https://corruptjudges.rediffblogs.com/

Office for Profit: A Stink You Should Smell

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice YK Sabharwal was involved in dubious judicial deal-making that earned his sons huge profits. So says a group of engaged and credible citizens led by former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan. And they have evidence to back their claims. Sanjay Dubey pieces together their case "The issue of sealing was difficult as on the one hand it was a question of law and on the other of the suffering among the people." This is how Justice YK Sabharwal, the former Chief Justice of India (CJI), described the demolition drive that had brought the nation's capital to a virtual standstill for weeks.

In an interaction with the media on the eve of his retirement in January, Sabharwal singled out the Supreme Court's action against Delhi's shopkeepers as the most difficult decision he had taken as the Chief Justice. He elaborated on why it had become such a huge dilemma for him. "I earned the wrath of my relatives. Yesterday one of my relatives [affected by the sealing order] told me sarcastically that I am a big man. I told him I couldn't solve individual problems."

The anguish with which the former chief justice of India described the sealing drive as the most difficult decision of his career, however, flies in the face of facts unearthed by a committee of equally eminent citizens called the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reforms. The Committee's patrons include such veteran torch bearers of public integrity as former law minister Shanti Bhushan, Justice VR Krishna Iyer, Admiral RH Tahiliani and the Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan. Documents gathered from many government departments by the committee cast a shadow of taint over the actions of Justice Sabharwal who, Shanti Bhushan says, "was a very competent judge". (See interview) Contrary to what Sabharwal said, the Committee's findings show that far from earning the wrath of his relatives, "the former chief justice has earned the gratitude of his family," as Shanti Bhushan puts it. The documents — perused by TEHELKA — show that Sabharwal's sons, Chetan Sabharwal and Nitin Sabharwal, clearly stood to benefit from their father's orders. His orders, thus, are against the principles of natural justice which say that no judge can hear a case in which he has a personal interest.

According to Shanti Bhushan, instead of excusing himself because of conflict of interest, Sabharwal remained the presiding officer of the sealing case from 2004 till he retired in January 2007. It all flared up on February 16, 2006, the day then Chief Justice of India, YK Sabharwal, passed the order which set in motion the process of sealing of properties being used for commercial purposes in designated residential areas in Delhi. The sealing and demolition drive to implement the court order forced thousands of small and medium-sized commercial establishments to either shut shop or buy or rent premises in malls and commercial complexes.

There were reports of suicides and heart attacks as the government tried to cope with a precarious law and order situation in the capital; it had little choice but to implement the Supreme Court's (SC) orders. Everything was being done in the name of upholding the law — or so it seemed. It now transpires that even as Delhi was bleeding, Justice Sabharwal's elder son Chetan and younger son Nitin, were breaking the law. Documents presented by the Committee reveal that at least two companies owned by Chetan and Nitin — Pawan Impex (PI) and Harpawan Constructors (HC) were operating from their father's private residence, 3/81, Punjabi Bagh, when the sealing drive was in full swing. Even more surprising is the fact that for the greater part of 2004, Pawan Impex was operating out of 6, Motilal Nehru Place, the official residence of Justice Sabharwal, who was then one of the senior-most SC judges. According to documents filed by Pawan Impex with the Department of Company Affairs, its registered office was shifted from 3/81, Punjabi Bagh to 6, Motilal Nehru Place in January 2004. For the next 10 months, the house of a senior SC judge — Sabharwal — was also the firm's registered office. Documents from the Department of Company Affairs also reveal that on October 23, 2004, the promoter of one of the biggest shopping malls and commercial complexes in Delhi, Kabul Chawla of Business Park Town Planners (BPTP) Limited, was inducted in Pawan Impex as a 50 percent shareholder. On the same day, Pawan Impex's registered office was shifted back to its old address in Punjabi Bagh. Soon thereafter, Chawla's wife, Anjali Chawla, was also made a director in the company. Sabharwal's sons nurtured ambitious real-estate dreams. And they began laying its foundations when they set up a construction company, called Harpawan Constructors, on April 8, 2005. An important decision taken by their father a few days earlier was going to change both Delhi's and their fortunes.

On March 17, 2005, Justice Sabharwal, who at the time was dealing with the case of polluting industries operating in residential areas, ordered that he would now also deal with the case of commercial establishments operating from residential areas. Another bench of the Supreme Court had admitted this case in 2003. In October 2005, another bigwig in the Delhi mall business, Purushottam Bhageria of Fargo estates, joined hands with Chetan and Nitin. He was appointed a director in Harpawan Constructors, as was his brother Madhusudan Bhageria. Soon after this, Bhageria announced his plans to develop Square 1 Mall in Saket in New Delhi. It was touted as one of the largest and most luxurious malls planned in Delhi.

In November 2005, Justice Sabharwal became the cji and by February 16, 2006 when he passed the "most difficult" order of his life to seal the commercial establishments operating from residential areas, his sons were on track to enter the mall and commercial complexes business in a big way, having sewn up partnerships with two of the biggest commercial real estate developers in Delhi. The Sabharwals' commercial complex development business took off thereafter. On June 21, 2006, Pawan Impex's share-capital increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 crore. Then, on September 30, 2006, the Chawlas of BPTP developers invested Rs 1.5 crore in the company. On August 22, 2006, Pawan Impex was given a Rs 28-crore loan by the Union Bank of India. The loan was secured by mortgaging the "plant, machinery and other assets" lying in plots A-3, 4 and 5 in Sector 125, Noida. But, in fact, there is no plant or machinery here. Instead, a huge it park — Park Centra — worth hundreds of crores is being built by BPTP Ltd.

Sources in the Noida Authority have confided that these three plots (A-3, 4 and 5 in Noida's Sector 125) were allotted to Pawan Impex on December 29, 2004 by the Mulayam Singh government then in power in UP at Rs 3,700/sq. metre, when the market price of commercial land here was at least Rs 30,000/sq. metre. Moreover, a commercial plot measuring 12,000 sq metres (plot 12A, in Sector 68) was allotted to another company owned by the Sabharwals, Sabs Exports, on November 10, 2006, at Rs 4,000/square metre. The market price of commercial plots there at the time was at least 10 times as much.

These are not the only plots allotted at throwaway prices to the Sabharwals. On November 6, 2000, Sabs Exports was allotted three plots (C103, 104 and 105) measuring 800 square metres each in Sector 63 at a rate of Rs 2,100/ square metre, when the market price was many times higher. TEHELKA has documents which show that a residential plot in Noida's upscale Sector 44 was allotted to Justice Sabharwal's daughter-in-law, Sheeba Sabharwal, in 2005. It is noteworthy that this plot was part of the Noida allotment SCam — wherein plots were allotted to sundry influential people and their relatives, when in fact they were supposed to have been allotted by a random draw of lots.

An embarrassed UP government cancelled the allotments. The SC for some reason immediately stayed the CBI probe into the allotments ordered by the Allahabad High Court. It is perhaps also significant that Justice Sabharwal himself stayed the publication of the so-called Amar Singh tapes, which were said to have phone conversations that showed Singh in poor light. "Thus, from owning smalltime export-import firms till 2004, the Sabharwals in just two years time got into the business of developing commercial complexes and appear to be rolling in money," the report by the Committee concludes.

All this happened when Justice Sabharwal was a senior judge and then the Chief Justice, dealing with the sealing cases and passing orders which stood to benefit his sons and their partners. The continuing good fortune of the Sabharwals can be gauged by their recent purchase of a property worth several crores. TEHELKA has a sale deed of a house in south Delhi's upscale Maharani Bagh which shows that Chetan and Nitin purchased a 1,180-square-yard bungalow (B-9 Maharani Bagh) in March 2007 from the heirs of former Law Minister Jagannath Kaushal for a stated consideration of Rs 15.43 crore. They gave their father's name as Yogesh Kumar (minus the surname Sabharwal) and their office address instead of their Punjabi Bagh residence address. On May 28, the Income Tax department sent a notice to Pawan Impex seeking details of their business activities, accounts, assets and sources of funds. But the legal experts TEHELKA spoke to feel that the matter is more serious. The conduct of Justice Sabharwal and his sons appears to involve offences beyond the purview of the Income Tax Act. Legal experts, including Prashant Bhushan, feel that the extent to which mall developers funded the asset-acquisition by the Sabharwals needs to be probed.

Several attempts by TEHELKA to contact Justice Sabharwal for his response to the charges went unanswered. The charges made by the committee underscore the need for a National Judicial Commission, an independent body with an investigative arm, which can look into complaints against judges. It only stands to reason that the guardians of the law come under the purview of the same laws they base their judgements on. Justice Sabharwal's Defence Gets Murkier Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, part of the eminent panel that framed allegations against former Chief Justice of India YK Sabharwal, rebuts the retired judge's rejoinder point by point

Using the strategy of a clever and street-smart defence lawyer, Justice YK Sabharwal's defence of the serious charges levelled against him sidesteps the inconvenient and emphasises the irrelevant to evoke sympathy. To examine the adequacy of his defence, we need to see his defence against the gravamen of each charge against him.

CHARGE NO. 1 That his sons' companies had shifted their registered offices to his official residence.

SABHARWAL'S RESPONSE: That as soon as he came to know he ordered his sons' to shift them back.

OUR REJOINDER: This is false. In April 2007, in a recorded interview with the Mid-Day reporter MK Tayal he feigned total ignorance of the shifting of the offices to his official residence. In fact, the registered offices were shifted back from his official residence to his Punjabi Bagh residence exactly on the day that the Business Park Town Planners Ltd (BPTP) mall developers became his sons' partners, making it very risky to continue at his official

residence.

CHARGE NO. 2 That he called for and dealt with the sealing of commercial property case in March 2005, though it was not assigned to him. It is only the Chief Justice (CJ)who can assign pending cases to various judges. He was not the CJ at that time. Justice Sabharwal does not answer this charge.

CHARGE NO. 3 That he did this exactly around the time that his sons got into partnerships with mall and commercial complex developers, who stood to benefit from his sealing orders.

HIS RESPONSE: That they were his sons' friends. That Harpawan Constructors which was set up by his sons with the mall developer Purushottam Bagheria did not do any business. In fact the courts under him got Bagheria's 1 MG road mall demolished. That his sons are not developing shopping malls but only an IT park.

OUR REJOINDER: If so many mall and commercial complex developers were his sons' close friends, then he should not have dealt with the case anyway since that creates an immediate conflict of interest. Moreover, why should they go into partnership with these developers who stood to benefit from Justice Sabharwal's orders, and that too exactly at the time when he seizes control of the sealing of commercial property case and starts dealing with it. He says that the company set up by his sons in partnership with Bagheria has not done any business. If so, why was this new company set up for developing commercial complexes in partnership with this builder?

In an interview with Zee News, Justice Sabharwal claims credit for the judiciary under him ordering the demolition of the illegal 1 MG road mall owned by Bagheria. But then why do his sons enter into partnerships with such an illegal builder whose buildings have had to be demolished by the Judiciary? And immediately after this partnership with the Sabharwals, Bagheria went on to announce the construction of "Square 1 mall" in Saket as the most fashionable mall in India. And all the fashion designers who had their shops and outlets at 1 MG road went on to buy space in the Square 1 mall. What is important to note here is that Bagheria and his partners at 1 MG road had already parted with all the space on 1 MG.The demolition thus hurt the designers and others who had bought shops there, but did not hurt Bagheria who may have benefited from it by clearing the land of his tenants and getting them to buy space at his new malls in Saket and elsewhere. An IT park is also a commercial complex like any other. Many commercial establishments sealed were IT centres and BPOs which were forced to buy space in IT parks like that being constructed by his sons and their partners.

CHARGE NO. 4 That the Union Bank of India gave a loan of Rs 28 crore to his sons' company: Pawan Impex on a collateral of plant and machinery and other moveables at the site of their proposed IT park, which were non- existent.

HIS RESPONSE: That his sons' had a credit facility of Rs 75 crore.

OUR REJOINDER: If that were the case, what was the need for mortgaging non-existent assets for obtaining this loan? Moreover, the banks' senior manager is on record saying that the loan was given on the basis of projected sales to prospective customers.

CHARGE NO. 5 That because of the obvious conflict of interest, he could not have dealt with this case.

HIS RESPONSE: That his orders have never benefited his sons.

OUR REJOINDER: His orders of sealing lakhs of commercial properties clearly forced those establishments to buy or rent space in commercial complexes like those that his sons' company were constructing; and shopping malls etc that their friends and partners were constructing. There was a clear conflict of interest and his orders have clearly benefited his sons and their partners.

CHARGE NO. 6 That a large number of industrial and commercial plots were allotted in Noida by the UP government to his sons' companies, at prices far below the market price. In particular, several huge plots were allotted between December 2004 and November 2006 by the Mulayam Singh/Amar Singh government, while he was dealing with the Amar Singh tapes case, and had stayed the publication of those tapes on the behest of Amar Singh.

HIS RESPONSE: That some of the plots were allotted by earlier different governments. That the prices were not far below the market price. That the allotments were made in the normal course to his sons who were entrepreneurs and were providing employment to hundreds of people in Noida.

OUR REJOINDER: The allotments are definitely not in the normal course. How can three plots of one acre each be allotted to one company on the same date? In fact, these allotments are made at a time when the share capital of this company was just Rs 1 lakh and it had no track record of making any IT park or doing any business whatsoever. They have been allotted within days of the application with no procedure of draw of lots or any other system being followed, other than a bogus interview. The rate of Rs 3,700 per square metre was far below the market rate, and anybody including us would be happy to buy these plots at three times the allotment rate today. The huge plot of three acres, No. 12 A in Sector 68 (which appears to be carved out later for them) to Sabs Exports in November 2006 at a throwaway price of Rs 4,000 per square metre is also not in the normal course and was similarly made within days of application and a bogus interview, without any other system. Moreover, the allotment has been made at a time when he was dealing with the Amar Singh tapes case and had stayed the publication of the tapes. We would be happy to buy that plot too at three times the price at which it was given to them.

CHARGE NO. 7 That his sons have purchased a 1,150-square metre house in Maharani Bagh, New Delhi in March 2007 for a consideration of Rs 15.46 crore. The source of money for this is unexplained and in the sale deed they seek to conceal their relationship with Justice Sabharwal by writing his name as Yogesh Kumar and giving their factory address instead of the residential address.

HIS RESPONSE: That 90 percent of the money for the purchase of this house was from four banks; that his sons concealed his full name in the sale deed in order to avoid taking advantage of their association with him.

OUR REJOINDER: Banks do not normally advance loans of 90 percent of the value of a property on its security. Otherwise they would end up holding inadequate security if the property prices fall by even 15 percent. If they have done so in this case, it is either because of an undue favour as in the case of the loan of Rs 28 crore to Pawan Impex, or they valued the property higher than the declared purchase price. His explanation for concealing his name in the sale deed is hilarious and unbelievable since his sons did not hesitate to use his official residence as the registered office of their companies. Moreover, this was in a registered sale deed with a private party, where there was no occasion for taking any advantage by using his name. It is therefore clear that Justice Sabharwal is guilty of serious judicial misconduct and appears to be prima facie guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act which need to be investigated.

History of Corruption in Indian Judiciary since Independence: 1947 - 2003

1949: Mr. Justice Sinha only Judge impeached; courtesy Good Judges & Constitution Framers: Our Fore-Fathers represented by Constituent Assembly of India framers of Constitution of India then in 1949 (year before Consitution came into existence) impeached Mr. Justice Sinha; finding him "guilty of improper exercise of Judicial functions, the cumulative effect of which was to lower the dignity of his office and undermine the confidence of the public in the administration of

justice…" [008.07].

Such/ similar acts/ behaviours by whom-so-ever including Judges is

since 1971 is covered as an act of Criminal Contempt of Court [041.05

]. Not a single Judge is either Impeached or hauled-up for Contempt

till 1991.

Peoples' Inner Hope Courts to maintain their Majesty & Dignity will

prosecute 1000 Judges in context, who have tarnished & undermined the

Fair image of Judiciary.

Let Judges relish Jail for months if not years ; to asses personally

the convinences-N-comforts provided even to innocent citizens or

persons who were not having Rs. 100 to give as Bail. Then they will be

in better position to Transform Jails into Reformation Centres.

Jailing corrupt Judges by Judges , we hope will instill confidence of

people in Courts & law. Who-is-who of India then only will scare to

get into any scam nor Criminals will think of becoming Legislators.

1979 : Chief Justice Mr. K. Veeraswami ; Chief Justice of India

permitted Central Bureau of India to file case of Dis-proportionate of

Income / wealth against Chief Justice Madras High Court Mr. K.

Veeraswami ( father-in-law of Mr. Justice V. Ramaswami ). 30 years

elaped. Sheltered by Courts' easy-go-tactic. [049.04] [059.05 ]

1991-93: Mr. Justice V. Ramaswami ( son-in-law of Chief Justice Mr. K.

Veeraswami [049.04 ] ) : SAWANT COMMITTEE REPORT had held he is guilty

of several charges. Supreme Court of India also upheld guilty of 3-4

charges ; & recommended to Parliament for further action.

Parliamentarians failed in their Duty to Impeach the Sitting Judge of

Supreme Court Mr. Justice V. Ramaswami ; not rising to the Heights of

Eminent Constitution makers ; but chose to have unholy alliance with

Corruption in Judiciary vis-a-vis Legislature & Government.[008.00 ].

Supreme Court which upheld Charges of Mis-Behaviour also , we opine ,

failed to prosecute him under Contempt of Court Act & relevant Laws .

It also failed " To Do Complete Justice" by invoking Article142 .

Criminal Judge was allowed to go scot-free; both by Parliament &

Supreme Court !

Good precedent for other Judges ? If so What kind of message to

we-innocent-Citizens ? For almost complete proceedings in SC &

Parliament: [008.00 ]

1995 A.M. BHATTACHARJEE: The chief justice of the Bombay High

Court was forced to resign in 1995 after it was found that he had

received Rs.70 lakh as book advance from a publishing firm known to

have links with the underworld.

1996 AJIT SENGUPTA: The Calcutta High Court judge made it a

routine to issue ex parte, ad interim stay orders on anticipatory bail

pleas from smugglers having links with the Mumbai underworld. He was

arrested in 1996 for FERA violations after retirement

1994 to 1997: A.M. AHMADI: When he was Chief Justice of India

(October 1994-March 1997), his daughter, a lawyer in the Delhi High

Court, caused eyebrows to be raised for getting "special" treatment

from certain judges. When some members of the bar sought a resolution

banning lawyer relatives of judges from staying in the same house, the

CJI got members to defeat the motion.

2000 A.S. ANAND: As Chief Justice of India. (a) He was accused of

using his position to get the subordinate judiciary to rule in favour

of his wife and mother-in-law in a suit that had been barred by

limitation for two decades.For more: [049.05] [049.05A] [049.05B]

[049.05C] [049.05D] [049.05E ] called as TANGLED PLOT. Also read Ram

Jethmalani's " BIG EGOS, small men ". (b) Supreme Court , while he

was CJI,directed a CBI probe after a dispute arose over his age in

2000. The investigation report was not made public.This arose due to

scan copy published in Ram Jethmalani's " BIG EGOS, small men ".

2002: SEX FOR ACQUITTAL

In November 2002, Sunita Malviya, a Jodhpur-based doctor, alleged that

a deputy registrar of the Rajasthan High Court had sought s*xual

favours for himself and for Justice Arun Madan to "fix" a case in her

favour. Justice Mr.• Arun Madan . Case of Lady Sunita Malviya.STATUS:

A committee set up by former CJI G.B. Pattanaik found prima facie

evidence against Madan, who does not attend court anymore. Judge

Resigned

CASH-FOR-JOB :Three judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court sought

the help of disgraced PPSC chief R.P. Sidhu to ensure that their

daughters and other kin topped examinations conducted by the

commission . Judges are M.L. Singh , Mehtab Sing Gill & Amarbir Singh

STATUS: Two inquiry panels indicted the judges. Gill and Amarbir Singh

have resigned M.L. Singh continues, though no work is allotted to him.

2002-03: 3 Judges Mysore Sex Scandal ( alleged ) : On Sunday, November

3, 2002, three judges of the Karnataka High Court, along with two

women advocates, allegedly got involved in a brawl with a woman guest

at a resort. The police arrived but reportedly didn't take action.

Judges are N.S. Veerabhadraiah , V. Gopalagowda &• Chandrashekaraiah

.STATUS: The three-judge inquiry committee appointed by the CJI filed

its report. Gave clean chit.

March 2003 - Delhi High Court Judge resigns: Suspected of collusion

with Property Developers. Raids by CBI on corrupt higher officials in

Delhi Development Authority (DDA), found Draft Judgement-N-Court

Records

________________________________________

E(I)nquiry-in-camera or In-House Inquiry was & is contrary to Law . Is

ultra vires Article 14 of Constitution of India: " The State shall not

deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of

the laws within the territory of India"

Following Questions / Issues, inter alia , arise

( a ) Enquiry in-camera was held contrary to the observations made by,

Constituent Assembly of India in 1949. In its' Impeachment Order had

held thus:"While we are alive to the desirability, in the interests of

the public, of investigating charges against a Judge in open court, we

held the Enquiry in-camera in view of the allegation made in the

affidavits and the circumstances of the case. This mode of proceeding

should not, however, be regarded as a precedent." [008.07 ].

( b) In the case of similar In-House Inquiry held under the Orders of

Chief Justice of India in Jusice V. Ramaswami's case , Justice

Ramaswami had held that " Inquiring Committee" as well as " Inquiry"

have no basis & force of law. It is reflected in the Report , which

was read-out by CJI to Advocates & publicised , submitted by 3 Judges

Committee thus" Indeed Justice Ramaswami had made it clear to the

Chief Justice that he did not recognise any such Jurisdiction in any

body or authority."

(c) It will not be out-of place to mention here that Two of "Three

Judges Committee " appointed by CJI in Re. V. Ramaswami's case are

alleged to be involved in Judges Plot 4 Plot.[014.00]. It is like

Criminal investigating another criminal .

( d ) If so how sure can we be that " 3 Judges Committee " appointed

to invetigate " 3 Judges Mysore Sex Scandal " were un-biased or were

above Board & have presented an accurate Report ?

Queries to Supreme Court , Parliament of India & Central Government

In Re. Judges' Mysore Sex Scandal

( a)" Will the Supreme Court Publicise Report of " 3 Judges Committee

" ( all & sundry material); morefully to know whether any evidence

adduced by many in support of Scam is informed to CJI & Supreme

Court ?

(b) What is the Guarantee that despite prima facie evidence Judges of

Supreme Court which consists of Few corrupt Judges seved in Karnataka

are not inclined to take stern action ?

(c) Investigation of a Crime comitted by Minister or anyone lies

within Executive Domain like the case Justice K.Veeraswami, in this

case CBI . Is it not a case of hushing-up & messing-up of " 3 Pillars

of Constitution " ?.

(d) How long will you try keeping suppressed Crimes of Judges of

Supreme Court & High Courts when Union Law Minister Mr. P. Shiva

Shankar , on 28th Nov.1987 said " Supreme Court is filled with FERA

violators & Bride Burners…" ( AIR 1988 SC 1208 ). When Chief Justice

Of India Justice E.S. Venkataramaiaha admits that "in every High Court

there are 3-4 Judges who are out every evening to Party in Foreign

Embassiies or at Advocates' places…drink…dine…" (1990 Cr LJ 2179

) [041.09].

(e) 20% of Judges are corrupt , indirectly said Chief Justice of India

Mr. Justice S.P. Bharucha , in other words admitted that 80% of Judges

of India are not corrupt & are above board to be bribed or influnced ?

Then why cases are not filed against 20% of Judges ?

________________________________________

New law needed for witness protection

There is an urgent need to bring forth a bill of right to preserve

and

protect victims' and witnesses' rights, and due process. This is

necessary

to ensure that such persons participate in the legal process without

fear,

so that justice can be assured, says H Suresh.

Combat Law, Vol. 4, Issue 1 - On 8th August 2003, in the case of

National

Human Rights Commission v. State of Gujarat, the Supreme Court

regretted

that "no law has yet been enacted, not even a scheme has been framed

by the

Union of India or by the State Government for giving protection to

the

witnesses." Later on in the case of Zahira v. State of Gujarat, while

transferring what is known as the Best Bakery Case, to Mumbai by its

Order

dated 12th April, 2004, directed: "The State of Gujarat shall also

ensure

that the witnesses are produced before the concerned court, whenever

they

are required to attend them, so that they can depose freely without

any

apprehension of threat or coercion from any person. In case any

witness asks

for protection, the State of Maharashtra shall also provide such

protection

as deemed necessary, in addition to the protection to be provided for

by the

State of Gujarat."

Between August 2003 and April 2004, neither Gujarat nor Maharashtra

had

framed any witness protection scheme. The Supreme Court itself did

not spell

out any guidelines for witness protection in either of these two

cases. The

erstwhile trial in Gujarat was an 'over-hasty stage-managed, tailored

and

partisan trial.' The worst culprit was the State of Gujarat itself

and all

its agencies. The censure and the reprimand, were all directed

against the

State and its modern day Neros. "When fences start to swallow the

crops, no

scope will be left for survival of law and order or truth and

justice.

Public order as well as public interest become martyrs and

monuments." It is

unfortunate that the State of Gujarat itself was entrusted with the

responsibility of protection to the witnesses, as the case stood

transferred

to Maharashtra. The witnesses now are in the same predicament as

before, in

the re-trial that is going on in Mumbai.

It is said that, in India, in most of the cases involving rich

influential

persons or corrupt politicians, crucial witnesses turn hostile,

making the

rule of law, a mockery. Very often witnesses become untraceable.

Sometimes

they are just eliminated.

Recommendations by Commissions

The Law Commission in its 14th Report (1958) referred to

'witness-protection', but that was in a limited sense. That related

to

proper arrangements being provided in the Courthouse, the scales of

travelling allowance, their daily allowance etc. The National Police

Commission Report (1980) again dealt with the inadequacy of daily

allowance

for the witnesses, but nothing more. The 154th Report of the Law

Commission

1996 contains a chapter on Protection and facilities to Witnesses.

The

recommendations mostly related to allowances and facilities to be

made

available for the witnesses. However, one of the recommendations was:

"Witnesses should be protected from the wrath of the accused in any

eventuality", but, again, the Commission did not suggest any measures

for

the physical protection of witnesses. The 178th Report of Law

Commission,

again, referred to the fact of witness turning hostile, and the

recommendations were only to prevent witnesses from turning hostile.

The

Report suggested an amendment to insert S.164 A to the Code of

Criminal

Procedure, as under:

164 A (1) Any police officer making an investigation into any offence

punishable with imprisonment for a period of ten years or more (with

or

without fine) including an offence which is punishable with death,

shall in

the course of such investigation, forward all persons whose evidence

is

essential for the just decision of the case, to the nearest

Magistrate for

recording their statement.

(2) The Magistrate shall record the statements of such persons

forwarded to

him under sub-section (1) on oath and shall keep such statements with

him

awaiting further police report under Section 173.

(3) Copies of such statements shall be furnished to the investigating

officer.

(4) If the Magistrate recording the statement is not empowered to

take

cognizance of such offence, he shall send the statements so recorded

to the

magistrate empowered to take cognizance of the case.

(5) The statement of any person duly recorded as a witness under sub-

section

(1) may, if such witness is produced and examined, in the discretion

of the

court and subject to the provisions of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872,

be

treated as evidence.

No Government has accepted this. The latest is Malimath Committee

Report

which contains a casual statement that a law should be enacted for

giving

protection to witnesses and their family members, without specifying

any

provision or scheme whatsoever.

It is ironic that draconian laws like Terrorist and Disruptive

Activities

(Prevention) Act, 1987, and Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002,

provided for

protection of witnesses. The prosecution as also the Court could

direct that

the identity and the address of the witness be kept secret. The Court

could

even avoid the mention of the names and addresses in its order or

judgement.

It is generally perceived that these provisions were incorporated not

with

any concern for the witnesses, but to prevent the accused from

preparing an

effective defence and to deny fair trial.

In India, in most of the cases involving rich influential persons or

corrupt

politicians, crucial witnesses turn hostile, making the rule of law,

a

mockery.

Under S.151 and 152 of Indian Evidence Act, 1872, victims and

witnesses are

protected from being asked indecent, scandalous, offensive questions,

and

questions intended to annoy or insult them. Otherwise, there is no

other

provision for protection of witnesses, as against threats,

intimidation or

any inducement whereby they are prevented from telling the truth.

Very

often, when an accused is released on bail, one of the terms and

conditions

imposed by the Court on the accused, is that he shall not tamper the

evidence, or approach the witnesses. This, again, is not as a

provision for

protection of the witnesses, but only to ensure the trial is not

rendered

infructuous. Judges also hold in-camera trials to ensure deposition

by

witnesses without any fear or embarrassment. Recently the Supreme

Court has

permitted recording of evidence by video-conferencing. All these are

inadequate without a specific legal provision guaranteeing protective

measures to victims before the trial and also after the trial.

International Laws

Under the English law, threatening a witness from giving evidence, is

contempt of Court. So also any act of threat or revenge against a

witness

after he has given evidence in Court, is also considered as contempt.

Recently the U.K. Government has a law known as Criminal Justice and

Public

Order Act, 1994 which provides for punishment for intimidation of

witnesses.

S.51 of the Act not only protects a person who is actually going to

give

evidence at a trial, but also protects a person who is helping with

or could

help with the investigation of a crime. Under a similar law in

Hongkong,

Crimes Ord (Cap 200) HK, if the threat or intimidation is directed

even as

against a friend or relative of the witness, that becomes a

punishable

offence.

In the United States, the Organised Crime Control Act, 1970 and later

the

Comprehensive Crime Control Act, 1984 authorised the Witness Security

Program. The Witness Security Reform Act, 1984 provides for

relocation and

other protection of a witness or a potential witness in an official

proceeding concerning an organised criminal activity or other serious

offence. Protection may also be provided to the immediate family of,

or a

person closely associated with, such witness or potential witness if

the

family or person may also be endangered on account of the

participation of

the witness in the judicial proceeding.

The Attorney General takes the final decision whether a person is

qualified

for protection from bodily injury and otherwise to assure the health,

safety

and welfare of that person. In a large number of cases, witnesses

have been

protected, relocated and sometimes even given new identities. The

Program

assists in providing housing, medical care, job training and

assistance in

obtaining employment and subsistence funding until the witness

becomes

self-sufficient. The Attorney General shall not provide protection to

any

person if the risk of danger to the public, including the potential

harm to

innocent victims, overweighs the need for that person's testimony. A

similar

program is in Canada under Witness Protection Act, 1996. The purpose

of the

Act is "to promote law enforcement by facilitating the protection of

persons

who are involved directly or indirectly in providing assistance in

law

enforcement matters" [Section 3]. Protection given to a witness may

include

relocation, accommodation and change of identity as well as

counselling and

financial support to ensure the security of the protectee or to

facilitate

his becoming self-sufficient. Admission to the Program is determined

by the

Commissioner of Police on a recommendation by a law enforcement

agency or an

international criminal court or tribunal [Sections 5 and 6]. The

extent of

protection depends on the nature of the risk to the security of the

witness,

the value of the evidence and the importance in the matter.

The Australian Witness Protection Act, 1994 establishes the National

Witness

Protection Program in which (amongst others) the Commissioner of the

Australian Federal Police arranges or provides protection and other

assistance for witnesses [Section 4]. The witness must disclose a

wealth of

information about himself before he is included in the Program. This

includes his outstanding legal obligations, details of his criminal

history,

details of his financial liabilities and assets etc. [Section 7]. The

Commissioner has the sole responsibility of deciding whether to

include a

witness in the Program.

The Witness Protection Act, 1998 of South Africa provides for the

establishment of an office called the Office for Witness Protection

within

the Department of Justice. The Director of this office is responsible

for

the protection of witnesses and related persons and exercises control

over

Witness Protection Officers and Security Officers [Section 4]. Any

witness

who has reason to believe that his safety is threatened by any person

or

group or class of persons may report such belief to the Investigating

Officer in a proceeding or any person in-charge of a police station

or the

Public Prosecutor etc. [Section 7] and apply for being placed under

protection. The application is then considered by a Witness

Protection

Officer who prepares a report, which is then submitted to The

Director

[Section 9]. The Director, having due regard to the report and the

recommendation of the Witness Protection Officer, takes into account

the

following factors, inter alia, [Section 10] for deciding whether a

person

should be placed under protection or not:

The nature and extent of the risk to the safety of the witness or

related

person.

The nature of the proceedings in which the witness has given evidence

or may

be required to give evidence.

The importance, relevance and nature of the evidence, etc.

In European countries such as Italy, Germany and Netherlands, the

Witness

Protection Programme covers organised crimes, terrorism, and other

violent

crimes where the accused already know the witness/victim.

It is ironic that draconian laws like Terrorist and Disruptive

Activities

(Prevention) Act, 1987, and Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002,

provided for

protection of witnesses.

A comprehensive witness protection programme is in the Philippines.

The

law, the Witness Protection Security and Benefit Act, aims to protect

witnesses and grant them certain rights and benefits to ensure their

appearance in investigative bodies/court. Protection is given to

witnesses

in cases involving grave offences. Sometimes protection could be

given to a

person who has participated in the commission of a crime but desires

to be a

witness for the State (such as approvers). Before a person is

provided

protection under this Act, he/she shall first execute a Memorandum of

Agreement with the Secretary of Department of Justice, which shall

set forth

the witness' duties and responsibilities such as, but not limited to,

the

following:

To testify before and provide information to all appropriate law

enforcement

officials concerning or arising from the activities involved in the

offense

charged;

To avoid the commission of a crime;

To take all necessary precautions to avoid detection by others of the

facts

concerning the protection provided him under the Act;

To comply with legal obligations and civil judgements against him;

To cooperate with respect to all reasonable requests of off1icer and

employers of the Government who are providing him protection.

To regularly reform the program officials of his current activities

and

address;

To comply with such other conditions as may be imposed by the

Secretary of

Justice.

Once a person/witness has been accepted under the witness protection

program, he/she shall have the following rights and benefits:

To have a secure housing facility or, when circumstances warrant, to

relocation and/or change of personal identity at the expense of the

Program.

To have a means of livelihood and financial assistance from the

Program for

his support and that of his family.

Not to be removed from or demoted in work provided his/her employer

is

notified through a certification to be issued by the Department of

Justice.

Further, he/she shall be paid his/her equivalent salaries or wages

corresponding to the number of days of absence.

To be provided with reasonable travelling expenses and subsistence

allowance.

To be provided with free medical treatment, hospitalisation and

medical

expenses.

If a witness is killed because of his participation in the Program,

his/her

heirs shall be entitled to a burial benefit of not less than Ten

Thousand

Pesos P10,000.00 exclusive of any other benefit he may be entitled

under the

Program.

In case of death or permanent incapacity, his minor or dependent

children

shall be entitled to free education from primary to college level in

any

state or private school, college or university as may be determined

by the

Department of Justice. However, if the witness covered by the scheme

fails

or refuses to testify, he would be liable for contempt and also for

perjury,

if he testifies falsely or evasively.

International Criminal Court

The need for setting up separate victim and witness protection units

in the

trial of mass crimes has been acknowledged in the setting up of

international tribunals to deal with them. The International Criminal

Tribunal for Rwanda has formulated rules for protection of victims

and

witnesses. Similar provisions exist in the Statute for the creation

of an

International Criminal Court (ICC). In most of the cases, witnesses

are the

victims of the crime. And the most vulnerable amongst them are women

and

children. Under the existing system they are mere pawns in a criminal

trial

and there is very little concern for protecting their real interests.

The

protection is necessary so that there is no miscarriage of justice;

but

protection is also necessary to restore in them, a sense of human

dignity

which stands shattered in a situation like Gujarat carnage.

The Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime

and

Abuse of Power was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in

resolution 40/34 of 29 November 1985. According to the first

paragraph of

this declaration, victims of crime are described as persons who,

individually or collectively, have suffered harm, including physical

or

mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or substantial

impairment

of their fundamental rights, through acts or omissions that are in

violation

of criminal laws operative in Member States, including those laws

proscribing criminal abuse of power. It is they who need protection.

Urgent Need for a Law

As it is, as we have seen in Best Bakery case, the person who is most

likely

to suffer is Zahira, herself. She had seen the crime; she had seen

the

criminals, but when time came for her to be bold enough to depose

before the

Court, she found that she was in an atmosphere which was wholly

hostile to

her - the prosecutor, the defence lawyer, the accused, the supporters

of the

accused - perhaps the judge whom she was not sure of. The trial

became a

mockery. Later on, when she was resurrected by the efforts of well-

meaning

N.G.Os, and the Supreme Court transferred the case to Mumbai,

apparently

there was a feeling that justice will be done to the victims.

Unfortunately,

she is again caught in the same quandary. So, again she becomes a

hostile

witness, liable for perjury and also liable for contempt of court. Is

there

any legally just and fair solution for this conundrum of these events?

Protection is also necessary to restore a sense of human dignity

which

stands shattered in a situation like Gujarat carnage.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to bring forth a bill of right to

preserve and protect victims'/witnesses' rights, justice and due

process.

Such a bill should include the following: To be treated with

fairness,

respect, and dignity, and to be free from intimidation, harassment,

or

abuse, throughout the criminal justice process.

To be informed, upon request, when the accused or convicted person is

released from custody or has escaped.

To be present at and, upon request, to be informed of all criminal

proceedings where the accused has the right to be present.

To be heard at the time of the granting of bail to the accused and

sentencing.

To confer with the prosecution, after the crime against the victim

has been

charged, before a criminal court.

To receive prompt restitution from the person or persons convicted of

the

criminal conduct that caused the victim's loss or injury.

To be heard at any proceeding when any post-conviction bail from

judicial

custody is being considered by a competent court of law.

To a speedy trial and prompt and final conclusion of the case after

the

conviction and sentence.

To frame rules and provide for a witness protection programme which

will

remain in force not only before the trial, but also thereafter. The

rules

should also provide for recording of evidence of such witnesses,

immediately

on filing the charge-sheet, de-bene-esse-, while the rest of the

trial could

be held in due course. Since tele-conference has been recognised,

such

witnesses could be examined and cross-examined through tele-

conference

methods. AND above all,

To be informed of victims' constitutional rights.

H Suresh

Combat Law, Volume 4, Issue 1

April-May 2005

(published May 2005 in India Together)

H Suresh is a retired judge of the Mumbai High Court.

PROTECTION OF WITNESSES IN CRIMINAL CASES

• JESSICA LAL MURDER CASE & GUJARATH RIOTS

In the 7 year old jessica lal murder case , all the accussed –

children of rich & mighty have gone scot free , for lack of both

prosecution & witnesses. The culprits have forced the witnesses to

remain silent through the use of muscle & money power. The

investigating police official, from the beginning has done roughshod

work & also have played a role in silencing witnesses. I.O MORE RICHER

NOW? PROMOTIONS? The presiding judge of the court has overlooked many

omissions & commissions by the prosecution and in a hurry closed the

case , acquitting all the accussed. Reward for judge – promotion as

high court judge. In this way, the police-prosecutor-judge were

together ganged up against the victim from the beginning. Also, the

witnesses were afraid of brute muscle power of rowdies & rowdies in

khaki uniform.

Now, take the gujarath riots case. In the first place riot took place

under the active patronage of gujarath state government machinery.

Naturally the police , prosecutors & judges in gujarath were against

the riot victims & closed one case after another, acquitting the

guilty. However the apex court got transferred riot cases out of

gujarath , under public pressure. However, even the apex court failed

to instill confidence , in the prime witness of best bakery case , the

apex court failed to positively reassure the witness of her safety &

livlihood. As a result , out of fear she became hostile- went on

changing her statements.

In this manner, numerous low profile cases involving commonman are

buried , witnesses silenced by the corrupt nexus of police-prosecutor-

judge. They don't even draw media attention as they are low profile.

Drastic reforms of criminal justice system in india is needed.

Punishing the hostile witness is not the solution. Accountability of

investigating officers , police , prosecutors & judges is needed.how

come some police officials , public prosecutors & judges are leading

luxurious lifestyles, beyond the scope of their legal income?

Recently in the media there was mention of a C.D of alleged

conversation between samajvadi party M.P mr.amar singh & U.P chief

minister , about influencing a high court judge & fixing a case. This

is the way our judiciary functions in india. Rewards for corrupt

judges – out of turn promotions, post retirement postings , postings

to kith & kin , land allotments , etc.

Accountability of judiciary & investigating agencies is the need of

the day. Let us start with polygraph tests for I.O , POLICE , PUBLIC

PROSECUTOR & JUDGE of jessica lal murder case.

Reproduced from The Times Of India August 16, 2007 page10

We do frame people, says NCB official

Sub-Inspector Tell HC How They Plant Drugs On Innocents

Abhinav Garg / TNN

New Delhi:It's been suspected by many, but confirmation of the police falsely implicating people by planting drugs on them has now come from the policeman himself who has been accused of planting drugs on two innocent people.

Sub-Inspector Ranbir Singh of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) admitted at the Delhi High Court that testing kits for checking banned drugs wereoften defective. What's more officers often replaced the recovered substance with lethal drugs in order to implicate them. A shocked court has summoned the NCB director to explain the charge.

Ranbir is himself tainted of this grave abuse of authority. There is an FIR against him for falsely implicating rwo persons under the harsh Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances act. He claimed to have recovered 100gm heroin from them which later turned out to be harmless paracetomal powder.

The officer is now seeking to get the FIR quashed and in his defence has claimed that he was not the only one who framed people, several other officers did the same.

The Judge has also summoned the Kamala Market Narcotics Cell in-charge from whose area Singh allegedly picked up the two persons.

The Director and the Cell in-charge will have to explain before the court as to how these two innocents were booked and thrown into jail when two forensic reports clearly stated that the substance in question was paracetomol.

The case in which Singh is involved took place in March last year. Gyanender and Santosh were arrested by him for alleged possesion of heroin. The substance was sent for testing to two CFCL labs-one in Rohini and the other in Chandigarh- and both labs reported back that the powder was'nt heroin but just parecetomal.

After this came to light, the additional sessions judge hearing the case acquited the two men and recommended that an FIR be lodged against Singh as the two undertrials had to languish in jail because of the wanton abuse of authority.

The high court, while hearing a petition filed by Singh seeking quashing of FIR against him found it intriguing that even when the investigating team is equipped with "field testing kit" to test the contraband, they had mistaken paracetomal powder for heroin. Upon which Singh revealed that kits were often defective and that officers also changed the actual recovered substance with banned contraband.

BHOPAL GAS VERDICT FIXED - Shame Shame to Supreme Court of India & Supreme Court of USA

Now it is a known fact that Bhopal Gas Leak Case Verdict was FIXED years before , MATCH FIXED by then MP Government Chief Minister , Indian Prime Minister and most shame fully Chief Justice of India.
Now The Final Verdict is out in Bhopal Gas Tragedy . This kind of Injustice can only happen in banana republics , where rich crooks are protected by authorities & courts. SHAME SHAME to supreme court of India , supreme court of USA & Government of USA , for practicing double standards in enforcement of law & justice.

Double standards of supreme court of India
https://sites.google.com/site/sosevoiceforjustice/is-the-supreme-court-of-india-deaf-dumb-blind

PIL Appeal & Show Cause Notice to Supreme Court of India
https://sites.google.com/site/eclarionofdalit/pil-appeal-show-cause-notice-to-supreme-court-of-india

In India, Favorable treatment is given by police & courts of law for rich crooks where as poor innocents are harassed , tortured by the very same police & judges . In india Some MP , MLAs even take money for asking questions in parliament / legislature , Favourable laws are enacted to legalize crimes of rich crooks for example : Illegal land encroachments by rich crooks. The same MPs , MLAs are not aware about problems of poor public , they don't even open their mouth for asking questions on welfare of poor , let alone enact laws for welfare of poor. No government law , no decisions of judges , no orders of public servants are sacrosanct . Hereby , e-voice urges the supreme court of india ,
1. To legally prosecute the jurisdictional police who changed the charge sheet , who let out Main criminal Anderson illegally without orders from the court.
2. To legally prosecute the SSP , DC of the district , Then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh & Then Prime Minister of GOI , who fully aided the main accussed , criminal Anderson to escape , to jump law.
3. To legally prosecute Indian Public Servants , who were responsible for withdrawing the case from US Courts of Justice.
4. To legally prosecute Then Chief Justice of India Justice Ahmadi & His bench colleagues , who diluted the case by changing the clause under which Anderson & others were charged.

The Public servants – Mps , MLAs , Judges , IAS / IPS officers , Police take thousands of rupees monthly salary , cars , bungalows , 5-star hotel stay together with 5-star meal complete with alchoholic drinks , 5-star health care at premium hospitals , business class air travel , foreign tours , etc all at tax payer's expense. After enjoying to the hilt at taxpayer's expense , these same public servants don't serve the public , they serve the rich crooks , anti nationals in their greed for more money.

All the while the same poor tax payer suffers without justice . In India more than 50 Crore people are barely surviving on a single piece meal .Let the corrupt public servants eat their 5-star meals by the side of the graves of Bhopal Gas Victims. Atleast this will open the eyes of honest few in public service – police , judiciary & parliament , it is a fond hope. This is an appeal to those honest few in judiciary , police & parliament to catch hold of their corrupt colleagues.

BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY 1984 -Bhopal, India

At the first instance the Government of India failed to ensure that
Union carbide India Limited (U.C.I.L) has installed proper safety
measures and fully implemented it in practice, at it's plant in
Bhopal. The Government of Madhyapradesh through it's labour
department, factory inspectorate & pollution control board failed to
enforce safety practices & environmental protection. In turn, the
U.C.I.L didn't install in full, the safety measures being followed by
it's parent company union carbide corporation (U.C.C) at it's
Various plants in the U.S.A. The U.C.I.L. didn't give community
training to residents of nearby localities, to cope up with
emergencies ie. Industrial accidents. U.C.I.L gave a go - by to safety
practices, as it treated Indian lives as cheap. The government of
Madhya pradesh instead of shifting slum dwellers around U.C.I.L, to
other safe place, gave them legal title deeds just months before the
tragedy in 1984.

Now, refer the following:-

1. After the accident at it's U.C.I.L. plant at Bhopal, India in 1984,
when the U.C.C. Chairman/C.E.O. came over to Bhopal from U.S.A to
visit the accident site, local police arrested him on the charges of
manslaughter. However, the Government of India got him released.

2. In 1985, Government of India enacted "Bhopal claims Act" took- away
the right of appeal of all the Gas tragedy victims & declared itself
as the sole representative of all victims. This said act itself is
violative of victim's fundamental & human rights. The
victims didn't choose Government of India as it's representative under
will, agreement, trust or pleasure.

3. The paradox of this "Bhopal claims Act" is that, Government of
India which is also a party to the crime, tragedy, itself is the
appellant. The appellant (Petitioner),defendant are Government of
India, Prosecution by Government of India & Judged by Government of
India.

4. In 1989, when an appeal about interim compensation to be paid by
the U.C.I.L to all the victims was being heard in the apex court, the
supreme court of India without giving a chance to the victims to make
their point, without consulting them, without making a proper
assessment of damages/losses, gave an arbitrary figure as verdict &
dropped all civil, criminal proceedings against U.C.C.&U.C.I.L

5. In the same year 1989, the Government of India without consulting
the victims of disaster, without making proper assessment of damages/
losses, negotiated a settlement with the U.C.C. and in turn gave full
legal immunity to U.C.C.& U.C.I.L from civil &
Criminal proceedings

6. Even the Government of India didn't present the case of victim's-
gas tragedy victims, properly before the U.S.courts, where the U.C.C
is based. All these premeditated acts only benefited the criminals-
U.C.C&UCIL. Are not the supreme court of India & Government of India,
here to safeguard Indians and to safeguard Justice?

After all these crimes, the Government of India failed to distribute
compensation in time to victims. It has failed even to provide safe
drinking water to the residents near the accident site, It has failed
to provide comprehensive medical care to the victims, till
date . It has even failed to get the accident site cleared off toxic
wastes either by the culprit management or by it self, that too after
20 years. The very presence of these toxic wastes since 20 years is
further contaminating, polluting the environment and taking toll of
more victims.

Particularly in the case of "Bhopal Gas Tragedy" the supreme court of
India & Government of India are deadlier criminals than U.C.I.L&U.C.C.

Just consider a case here, Just a few years back an U.S.based M.N.C
ENRON set-up a power project in Maharashtra, India through it's
subsidiary. When Maharashtra state Electricity Board failed to lift
power from Enron& pay them monthly guaranteed revenue, Enron
threatened to invoke, open the "Eschrew Clause" with the Government
of India & to approach international arbiter U.K. Government of India
has stood as conter-guarantee in this case. Finally the Government
paid, of course subsequently the parent ENRON collapsed due to other
reasons. If in this case if Government of India failed to pay-up as a
counter guarantee & refused to comply with the award of International
arbiter, definitely Government of U.S.A. would have stepped into the
scene to protect it's MNC. Hypothetically, In the same vein if Enron
has caused damages to Indians either through negligence of safe
practices or industrial accidents or bank frauds
amounting over and above it's Capital base & insurance cover, then it
would have been the duty of parent Enron & Government of U.S.A. to
step in & pay-up.

In the same way, the U.C.I.L has caused massive damages to Indians &
refusing to pay commensurate to damages. Dow chemicals which took-
over U.C.C. is also refusing to pay. DOW chemicals which is the new
owner of U.C.C. naturally inherits both profits, credits lent &
liabilities to pay of U.C.C. Still it is refusing to pay. Now it is
the turn of Government of U.S.A. to cough-up the sum.

Nowadays, it has become routine for central & State ministers to go-
on foreign jaunts, to globe -trott inviting F.D.I/ M.N.Cs to India.
They do sign numerous agreements, only favouring MNC. When tragedies
occur or when they cheat Indian banks/ investors, it is Indians who
suffer. The ministers & bureaucrats thinks themselves as wizards and
enters into agreements with MNCs, industrialists in a hush-hush
manner, with vast scope for possible corruption. Is it not the duty of
government to be transparent ?


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