Jiah Khan case: Trial against Sooraj stayed till July 13

Bombay High Court on Tuesday extended the stay on the trial against actor Sooraj Pancholi, accused of abetting the suicide of his actress girlfriend Jiah Khan.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Anil Menon extended the stay that was imposed last week.

This comes in response to the application moved by CBI that has challenged the appointment of a special public prosecutor by the Maharashtra government.

The central agency has claimed that since it is investigating the case, the state government has no right to appoint a separate prosecutor to prosecute the accused. The agency had also apprised Justice Menon of the fact that the special women’s court that is trying the case, has been disallowing their prosecutor to make any submissions in the case.

In the earlier hearing, Justice Menon had framed a question and had asked Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni to assist the court on this issue. The question that has been framed is: Can the state government prosecute or appoint a prosecutor in a case that is being investigated by a central agency? The matter would next be heard on July 13.

Govt forms panel for Padma awards

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday constituted an 11-member committee to scrutinise and recommend names from Maharashtra for the Padma Awards 2018.

The committee, comprising 10 ministers and a senior bureaucrat, will be headed by Minister for Water Conservation Ram Shinde, a government resolution (GR) said.

The members will scrutinise the proposals at the state level and suggest the names to the Centre, the GR said. PTI