AYODHYA HEARING TO CONCLUDE TODAY

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi said arguments in the contentious Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case in Ayodhya will conclude on Wednesday. During the 39th day of hearing in the decades-old land dispute on Tuesday, CJI Gogoi said, “Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the 40th day and last day of hearing in the case”, paving the way for its judgment that is likely to come by November 17 when justice Gogoi retires. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by the CJI is hearing 14 appeals that have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad high court judgment.

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended till October 25 the judicial custody of Congress leader D K Shivakumar, arrested in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate.

Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar sent Shivakumar to further judicial custody on the ED’s plea after the accused did not oppose it. ED’s special public prosecutors sought extension of his judicial custody, saying he could not be let free. On September 25, the court had declined to grant Shivakumar bail noting that he was an influential person and if released, may influence the witnesses or tamper with documents.

In September last year, the ED had registered the money laundering case against Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah, an employee at the Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others.

The case was based on a charge sheet filed by the Income Tax department against them before a special court in Bengaluru on charges of alleged tax evasion and ‘hawala’ transactions worth crores. The I-T department has accused Shivakumar and his alleged associate of transporting huge amount of unaccounted cash on a regular basis through ‘hawala’ channels.