The Evening Wrap: Bombay High Court grants bail to Aryan Khan, two others

The Bombay High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan who has been arrested in a drugs case. A single bench of Justice N.W. Sambre also granted bail to his co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. “All three pleas are allowed. I will pass detailed orders by tomorrow evening,” Justice Sambre said. Aryan Khan’s advocates then sought permission to submit cash bail to which the court refused and said surety is to be given. “I could have given the order also tomorrow. But I gave it today,” Justice Sambre said. Justice N.W. Sambre began hearing the bail application on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Aryan Khan’s counsel Mukul Rohatgi, co-accused Arbaaz Merchant’s lawyer Amit Desai and advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh who appeared for Munmun Dhamecha completed their arguments. Aryan Khan (23), Merchant and Dhamecha were arrested along with others on October 3 following a raid by the NCB on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and alleged seizure of drugs. They approached the High Court last week after a special court for NDPS Act cases rejected their bail pleas. Ex-CAG Vinod Rai apologises to Sanjay Nirupam over charges in 2G spectrum case Seven years after he alleged that Congress leader and former MP Sanjay Nirupam had pressured him in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation case, former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has tendered an “unconditional apology” to Nirupam. In 2014, Rai, in the course of interviews to the media, named Nirupam as one of the MPs who reportedly pressured him to keep former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name out of his report on the 2G spectrum allocation case. The interviews were broadcast and published at the time of the release of Rai’s 2014 book, ‘Not Just an Accountant: The Diary of the Nation’s Conscience Keeper’. In a video statement, Nirupam, commenting on Rai’s unconditional apology, remarked that it was a “golden day”. “I had urged the former CAG to retract his wrong statements at the time but he refused to do so. I accordingly filed a defamation case against Rai in the Metropolitan Court in New Delhi’s Patiala house,” he said. He dubbed Rai’s entire report on the coal block and 2G spectrum allocation cases as “utterly fake”. “The court didn’t say this, but I would like to say that the report that he prepared in the case of the 2G spectrum allocation and the coal block allocation was nonsense… In case of the 2G report, after seven years of hearings, the judge said the CBI has not given any proof of the alleged scam. The report was fake. The coal block allocation report was also fake. Vinod Rai should apologise for these fake reports too, not to me but to the entire country,” he explained. Nirupam also tweeted a copy of the notarised affidavit, saying Rai “must apologise to the nation now for all his forged reports about 2G and coal block allocations done by the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government”. In the affidavit (notarised on October 23), Rai observed that he made certain statements against Nirupam in September 2014 in media interviews aired on Times Now news channel, and published in media publications, including The Times of India and The Indian Express, subsequent to his book’s launch. “I have realised that in answers to questions posed to me by the interviewers, I had inadvertently and wrongly mentioned the name of Shri Sanjay Nirupam as one of the MPs, who pressurised me to keep the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s name out of the CAG report on the 2G spectrum allocation during the meetings in the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) or the sidelines of the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) etc,” Rai stated in the affidavit, adding that the statements televised and published were “factually incorrect”. “I understand the pain and agony my statements have caused to Shri Sanjay Nirupam, his family, and his well-wishers and thus, would like to offer my unconditional apology for the hurt caused by my such statements to Shri Sanjay Nirupam, his family, friends and his well-wishers… I hope that Shri Sanjay Nirupam will consider and accept my aforesaid unconditional apology and close this issue,” he said. J&K government employee sacked for ‘celebrating Pakistan win’ A female government employee was terminated from her service in the Pir Panjal valley’s Rajouri in Jammu division on Thursday after her WhatsApp status allegedly celebrated “Pakistan’s victory in T20 cricket”. In an order issued by Dr. Brij Mohan, Principal of the Government Medical College, Rajouri, an operation theatre technician, Safiya Majeed, was terminated from service. The order read, “A viral video seems to have posted her WhatsApp status showing celebration of defeat of the Indian Cricket Team against Pakistan in T-20 World Cup 2021, the activity which seems to be disloyalty towards nation.” The order said no employee of the institution shall be allowed to be “disloyal to the nation”. “She had proceeded on a casual leave for five days from October 21, 2021 and also failed to join her duties on the expiry of said leave. And whereas no prior notice is required to be given to such an employee for gross indiscipline in her duties,” the order said. Street celebrations, including bursting of crackers, were reported in several parts of the Kashmir valley on October 24, when the Pakistan team defeated the Indian team in the T20 World Cup. The J&K police have already lodged two FIRs against students who were seen cheering and celebrating Pakistan’s win at two medical colleges in Srinagar in videos that went viral on social media. However, no arrests have been made so far. Meanwhile, the J&K police have started an investigation into a threat letter circulated online by the United Liberation Front (ULF), the outfit allegedly behind the killing of non-local labourers in the valley this month. “We have taken cognisance of the statement. An investigation is on,” a senior police officer told The Hindu. In a statement, the ULF alleged that the FIR against local students was lodged because of “non-local employees and students”. The ULF statement, being probed by the police, said, “We warn these elements to apologise within 48 hours otherwise wrath will befall them. Those non-local employees and students who have lodged the complaint against the doctors and students in Soura, Kara Nagar and Batamaloo are warned of dire consequences.” The Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) asked non-local staffers, including doctors, para-medics and technicians “to avail the residential facility on the SKIMS campus and shift from the private apartments or residential areas, as a precautionary measure”. Meanwhile, the mother of a B. Tech student, Showkat Shaban Ganaie from Bandipora’s Shahgund, one of the three Kashmiri students arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police for celebrating Pakistan’s win in cricket, on Thursday appealed to the government “to pardon my son”. “My son is innocent. We had sent him for studies with the hope he will end our poverty. I have worked hard to see him in a college. If he has done anything wrong, he should be pardoned. I want him back home,” Ganaie’s mother said. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has also urged their release. “Crackdown on Kashmiri students both within J&K and outside is reprehensible. Situation in J&K after two years of suppression should have been an eye opener for the Government of India and lead to course correction. The BJP’s pseudo-patriotism disregards the idea of India. Release these students immediately,” Mufti said. Delhi Police file second charge sheet in murder case involving Olympian Sushil Kumar Delhi Police have filed a supplementary charge sheet against the remaining accused in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case involving Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar. The first charge sheet, which was filed by the police on August 2, named 13 accused, including Sushil Kumar as the “main” accused. There are a total of 17 accused in the alleged murder case, according to the police. “It is submitted by Investigating Officer of the case that supplementary charge sheet qua the remaining accused persons has been filed by him,” Additional Sessions Judge Shivaji Anand noted in an order dated October 27. Kumar, along with others had allegedly assaulted former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar and his friends at the stadium in May over an alleged property dispute. Dhankar later succumbed to the injuries. In the first charge sheet, the police had said that the brawl at the stadium was the result of a conspiracy hatched by Sushil Kumar, who wanted to re-establish his supremacy among younger wrestlers. Kumar’s bail was rejected earlier this month. Delhi Police had filed an FIR against the accused of offences such as murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, rioting, among others. BJP attacks Congress over Internet shutdowns in Rajasthan The BJP on Thursday slammed the Congress government in Rajasthan for shutting down Internet service frequently in the State during important exams and accused it of washing its hands of law and order responsibility by resorting to the practice to prevent any leak of question papers. At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also highlighted a tweet of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had slammed the Central government in 2019 for shutting down Internet service in Jammu and Kashmir, and accused him of double standards over the issue of freedom of expression. In Kashmir it was done to prevent terror incidents, he said, and wondered if the Rajasthan government believes that examinations are more dangerous. Rathore said Internet service was shut down in Rajasthan four times in the last one month for preventing leaks and cheating. “In the last 10 years, Internet shutdowns have taken place in Uttar Pradesh 29 times, 17 times in Haryana, 13 times in West Bengal, 10 times in Gujarat and 11 times each in Bihar and Maharashtra. However, in Rajasthan it has happened 78 times,” he noted. Internet shutdowns have caused a loss of ₹800 crore to Rajasthan as they hit trade and other services, Rathore claimed. Sensex plunges 1,159 points; Nifty slumps below 17,900 Equity benchmark Sensex plunged 1,159 points on Thursday following an across-the-board selloff as monthly derivatives expired amid a weak trend in global markets. The 30-share index tanked 1,158.63 points or 1.89% to close at 59,984.70. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty plummeted 353.70 points or 1.94% to 17,857.25. ITC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tumbling over 5%, followed by ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, SBI and HDFC Bank. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, L&T, UltraTech Cement and Asian Paints were among the gainers. “Domestic equities witnessed heavy selloff with high volatility mainly led by sharp correction in heavyweight financials and IT, which wiped out around ₹4.5 lakh crore from investors wealth,” said Binod Modi, Head, Strategy at Reliance Securities. All key sectoral indices fell sharply, with Nifty PSU Bank falling over 4%. In addition to weak global cues, unwinding of long positions especially in financials on F&O expiry, which had seen a sharp rally in recent period were the prime reasons for the sharp market correction, he added. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,42,31,243 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,56,418. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 28 OCTOBER 2021 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Bombay High Court grants bail to Aryan Khan, two others The Bombay High Court, on Thursday, [granted bail to Aryan Khan]( the son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan who has been arrested in a drugs case. A single bench of Justice N.W. Sambre also granted bail to his co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. “All three pleas are allowed. I will pass detailed orders by tomorrow evening,” Justice Sambre said. Aryan Khan’s advocates then sought permission to submit cash bail to which the court refused and said surety is to be given. [Shah Rukh Khan fans hold a poster outside his house, Mannat, after his son Aryan Khan was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in Mumbai on October 28, 2021. ]  “I could have given the order also tomorrow. But I gave it today,” Justice Sambre said. Justice N.W. Sambre began hearing the bail application on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Aryan Khan’s counsel Mukul Rohatgi, co-accused Arbaaz Merchant’s lawyer Amit Desai and advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh who appeared for Munmun Dhamecha completed their arguments. Aryan Khan (23), Merchant and Dhamecha were arrested along with others on October 3 following a raid by the NCB on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and alleged seizure of drugs. They approached the High Court last week after a special court for NDPS Act cases rejected their bail pleas. [underlineimg] Ex-CAG Vinod Rai apologises to Sanjay Nirupam over charges in 2G spectrum case Seven years after he alleged that Congress leader and former MP Sanjay Nirupam had pressured him in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation case, [former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has tendered an “unconditional apology”]( to Nirupam. In 2014, Rai, in the course of interviews to the media, named Nirupam as one of the MPs who reportedly pressured him to keep former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name out of his report on the 2G spectrum allocation case. The interviews were broadcast and published at the time of the release of Rai’s 2014 book, ‘Not Just an Accountant: The Diary of the Nation’s Conscience Keeper’. In a video statement, Nirupam, commenting on Rai’s unconditional apology, remarked that it was a “golden day”. “I had urged the former CAG to retract his wrong statements at the time but he refused to do so. I accordingly filed a defamation case against Rai in the Metropolitan Court in New Delhi’s Patiala house,” he said. He dubbed Rai’s entire report on the coal block and 2G spectrum allocation cases as “utterly fake”. “The court didn’t say this, but I would like to say that the report that he prepared in the case of the 2G spectrum allocation and the coal block allocation was nonsense… In case of the 2G report, after seven years of hearings, the judge said the CBI has not given any proof of the alleged scam. The report was fake. The coal block allocation report was also fake. Vinod Rai should apologise for these fake reports too, not to me but to the entire country,” he explained. Nirupam also tweeted a copy of the notarised affidavit, saying Rai “must apologise to the nation now for all his forged reports about 2G and coal block allocations done by the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government”. In the affidavit (notarised on October 23), Rai observed that he made certain statements against Nirupam in September 2014 in media interviews aired on Times Now news channel, and published in media publications, including The Times of India and The Indian Express, subsequent to his book’s launch. “I have realised that in answers to questions posed to me by the interviewers, I had inadvertently and wrongly mentioned the name of Shri Sanjay Nirupam as one of the MPs, who pressurised me to keep the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s name out of the CAG report on the 2G spectrum allocation during the meetings in the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) or the sidelines of the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) etc,” Rai stated in the affidavit, adding that the statements televised and published were “factually incorrect”. “I understand the pain and agony my statements have caused to Shri Sanjay Nirupam, his family, and his well-wishers and thus, would like to offer my unconditional apology for the hurt caused by my such statements to Shri Sanjay Nirupam, his family, friends and his well-wishers… I hope that Shri Sanjay Nirupam will consider and accept my aforesaid unconditional apology and close this issue,” he said. [underlineimg] J&K government employee sacked for ‘celebrating Pakistan win’ A [female government employee was terminated from her service]( in the Pir Panjal valley’s Rajouri in Jammu division on Thursday after her WhatsApp status allegedly celebrated “Pakistan’s victory in T20 cricket”. In an order issued by Dr. Brij Mohan, Principal of the Government Medical College, Rajouri, an operation theatre technician, Safiya Majeed, was terminated from service. The order read, “A viral video seems to have posted her WhatsApp status showing celebration of defeat of the Indian Cricket Team against Pakistan in T-20 World Cup 2021, the activity which seems to be disloyalty towards nation.” The order said no employee of the institution shall be allowed to be “disloyal to the nation”. “She had proceeded on a casual leave for five days from October 21, 2021 and also failed to join her duties on the expiry of said leave. And whereas no prior notice is required to be given to such an employee for gross indiscipline in her duties,” the order said. [Street celebrations, including bursting of crackers, were reported in several parts of the Kashmir valley on October 24, when the Pakistan team defeated the Indian team in the T20 World Cup.]  Street celebrations, including bursting of crackers, were reported in several parts of the Kashmir valley on October 24, when the Pakistan team defeated the Indian team in the T20 World Cup. The J&K police have already lodged two FIRs against students who were seen cheering and celebrating Pakistan’s win at two medical colleges in Srinagar in videos that went viral on social media. However, no arrests have been made so far. Meanwhile, the J&K police have started an investigation into a threat letter circulated online by the United Liberation Front (ULF), the outfit allegedly behind the killing of non-local labourers in the valley this month. “We have taken cognisance of the statement. An investigation is on,” a senior police officer told The Hindu. In a statement, the ULF alleged that the FIR against local students was lodged because of “non-local employees and students”. The ULF statement, being probed by the police, said, “We warn these elements to apologise within 48 hours otherwise wrath will befall them. Those non-local employees and students who have lodged the complaint against the doctors and students in Soura, Kara Nagar and Batamaloo are warned of dire consequences.” The Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) asked non-local staffers, including doctors, para-medics and technicians “to avail the residential facility on the SKIMS campus and shift from the private apartments or residential areas, as a precautionary measure”. Meanwhile, the mother of a B. Tech student, Showkat Shaban Ganaie from Bandipora’s Shahgund, one of the three Kashmiri students arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police for celebrating Pakistan’s win in cricket, on Thursday appealed to the government “to pardon my son”. “My son is innocent. We had sent him for studies with the hope he will end our poverty. I have worked hard to see him in a college. If he has done anything wrong, he should be pardoned. I want him back home,” Ganaie’s mother said. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has also urged their release. “Crackdown on Kashmiri students both within J&K and outside is reprehensible. Situation in J&K after two years of suppression should have been an eye opener for the Government of India and lead to course correction. The BJP’s pseudo-patriotism disregards the idea of India. Release these students immediately,” Mufti said. [underlineimg] Delhi Police file second charge sheet in murder case involving Olympian Sushil Kumar [Delhi Police have filed a supplementary charge sheet]( against the remaining accused in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case involving Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar. The first charge sheet, which was filed by the police on August 2, named 13 accused, including Sushil Kumar as the “main” accused. There are a total of 17 accused in the alleged murder case, according to the police. “It is submitted by Investigating Officer of the case that supplementary charge sheet qua the remaining accused persons has been filed by him,” Additional Sessions Judge Shivaji Anand noted in an order dated October 27. Kumar, along with others had allegedly assaulted former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar and his friends at the stadium in May over an alleged property dispute. Dhankar later succumbed to the injuries. In the first charge sheet, the police had said that the brawl at the stadium was the result of a conspiracy hatched by Sushil Kumar, who wanted to re-establish his supremacy among younger wrestlers. Kumar’s bail was rejected earlier this month. Delhi Police had filed an FIR against the accused of offences such as murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, rioting, among others. [underlineimg] BJP attacks Congress over Internet shutdowns in Rajasthan The [BJP on Thursday slammed the Congress government in Rajasthan]( for shutting down Internet service frequently in the State during important exams and accused it of washing its hands of law and order responsibility by resorting to the practice to prevent any leak of question papers. At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also highlighted a tweet of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had slammed the Central government in 2019 for shutting down Internet service in Jammu and Kashmir, and accused him of double standards over the issue of freedom of expression. In Kashmir it was done to prevent terror incidents, he said, and wondered if the Rajasthan government believes that examinations are more dangerous. Rathore said Internet service was shut down in Rajasthan four times in the last one month for preventing leaks and cheating. “In the last 10 years, Internet shutdowns have taken place in Uttar Pradesh 29 times, 17 times in Haryana, 13 times in West Bengal, 10 times in Gujarat and 11 times each in Bihar and Maharashtra. However, in Rajasthan it has happened 78 times,” he noted. Internet shutdowns have caused a loss of ₹800 crore to Rajasthan as they hit trade and other services, Rathore claimed. [underlineimg] Sensex plunges 1,159 points; Nifty slumps below 17,900 Equity benchmark [Sensex plunged 1,159 points]( on Thursday following an across-the-board selloff as monthly derivatives expired amid a weak trend in global markets. The 30-share index tanked 1,158.63 points or 1.89% to close at 59,984.70. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty plummeted 353.70 points or 1.94% to 17,857.25. ITC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tumbling over 5%, followed by ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, SBI and HDFC Bank. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, L&T, UltraTech Cement and Asian Paints were among the gainers. “Domestic equities witnessed heavy selloff with high volatility mainly led by sharp correction in heavyweight financials and IT, which wiped out around ₹4.5 lakh crore from investors wealth,” said Binod Modi, Head, Strategy at Reliance Securities. All key sectoral indices fell sharply, with Nifty PSU Bank falling over 4%. In addition to weak global cues, unwinding of long positions especially in financials on F&O expiry, which had seen a sharp rally in recent period were the prime reasons for the sharp market correction, he added. [underlineimg] Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,42,31,243 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,56,418. 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