Accused fined ₹10K for ‘wasting’ court’s time

MUMBAI: The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Wednesday fined Sudhakar Chaturvedi, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case ₹10,000 for filing “frivolous” applications and “wasting” the court’s time. Chaturvedi’s lawyer on Wednesday moved an application seeking direction to the investigating agencies to deposit the case diary maintained by investigating officer in the court.

Special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal objected to the plea saying that the accused was not allowed access to these documents. He submitted that only the judge could see them and accordingly, whenever the court has asked for the diary, the prosecution had produced it. The accused had moved a similar application in 2016, which was rejected by the then special judge in the case, Rasal argued.

The court after hearing both sides held that the accused was delaying the trial by filing such applications and directed him to pay the fine of ₹10,000 within three days.

Chaturvedi’s lawyer had also sought a report of the narcotics test allegedly conducted on his client by the investigating officer after his arrest. The court has partly allowed the plea.

MUMBAI: Acting on a video tweeted by a Mumbai-based stand-up comedian on Tuesday, Bandra police rescued a sixyear-old boy being beaten by an autorickshaw driver who suspected him of theft.

According to police, when comedian and actor Sundeep Sharma saw the driver beating the minor, he recorded a video, uploaded it on Twitter and tagged Mumbai Police.

Immediately, Bandra police reached the spot, rescued the kid and handed him over to his parents.

The driver, Sajid Salim Shaikh, 31, was booked under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC.

“On Tuesday, I was near a shop near Bazm-e- Mohammadi Masjid, Bandra (West). Around 3.30 pm, I saw two people beating a child. I immediately took a video, captured some pictures and informed the police through Twitter,” Sharma told HT.

Vijayalaxmi Hiremath, senior inspector, Bandra police station, said, “Woman police constable Diksha More of the Twitter cell immediately informed the main control room and the Bandra police station. Our team then reached the spot and rescued the child . We have booked the driver and are investigating the case.”

Shaikh, a Bandra resident, used to park his vehicle between 2pm and 4pm at a spot in Bandra and go for lunch. On February 24, when he returned from lunch, he found his cash and driving licence missing from the glove compartment.

Shaikh suspected the sixyear-old loitering nearby of the theft.

The next day, Shaikh parked his vehicle at the same place and asked his wife to keep watch. As soon as the child started searching the auto, they caught him and assaulted him.

THE NIA COURT CLAIMED SUDHAKAR CHATURVEDI WAS FILING FRIVOLOUS APPLICATIONS