India News

Lawyer says top corporate behind conspiracy by two sacked SC employees to frame CJI, SC says will get to bottom of case

Published

7 years ago

April 24, 2019

The Supreme Court today (Wednesday, April 24) asked advocate Utsav Bains to file additional affidavit to back his allegation that three former employees of the apex court conspired to frame the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi in the sexual harassment case and make him resign.

The bench of Justices Arun Mishra, RF Nariman and Deepak Gupta asked the lawyer to file the affidavit by 10.30 am tomorrow when the court is scheduled to take up the matter again.

The court witnessed heated moments when Attorney General KK Venugopal had lengthy wordy duels with Bains. At one point, Bains accused the AG of targeting him and doubting his integrity.

At this point, an irked Justice Nariman said, “You have no right to doubt him. He’s the most respectable member of the bar. We all look up to him. If you say doubt, we will throw you out.”

At this, Bains said that he was “walking out of the court on his own”. There were other moments too, particularly when Senior Advocate Indira Jaising said “we the women lawyers are very concerned for the independence of judiciary and the integrity of the court.”

“I have a stake in this, a personal stake,” she said adding, “My only request is to set up an impartial and free inquiry. She said that she is not representing anyone and was is in the court in her own capacity. “Other women of the bar come to me and say we don’t feel safe anymore.”

At this point, Justice Nariman said, “This is not the purpose for which we are here.” He reminded her that the bench has been constituted only to hear Bains’ affidavit and nothing more. “Justice Mishra says this is a very serious issue, and we want to go to the root of the cause and we will inquire and inquire until it reaches a logical conclusion.”

Earlier, advocate Bains who claimed he was offered money to frame the CJI in a sexual harassment case, said the “mastermind behind the conspiracy is one of the biggest corporates in the country.”

Bains went on to file a second affidavit in the hearing. He said he had more crucial evidence and wanted to file another affidavit.

Justice Mishra told him to give a handwritten affidavit and not a typed one so that there is not even the remote possibility of the information being leaked by the typist. “We do not want evidence to be destroyed,” he said.

Bains submitted documentary evidence to the court in a sealed cover, claiming that the CCTV footage would reveal many things. “I have a CCTV footage, which is real evidence. I am submitting this in the court. The accused, the mastermind is very powerful,” said Bains.

Justice Mishra, speaking for the Bench after reading Bains’ fresh affidavit, said if the contents of the affidavits were true, “then this is really very disturbing”.

The court however made it clear that this will not affect the inquiry already set up by the court into charges levelled against CJI Gogoi by a former woman staffer.

“It’s a very serious issue about the independence of system…if it can be controlled from other corners,” said Justice Mishra.

Bains, in his affidavit submitted to the court, had said he “was informed by reliable sources that certain ‘fixers’, who claim to be engaged in illegally managing Judgments in exchange for cash are behind this plot as the Hon’ble CJI has taken decisive action to crack down on such fixers”.

Apparently touching upon this, the bench said it’s “very disturbing” to see the names of two employees who were dismissed from the court figure in connection with the controversy.

Justice Mishra referred to the recent dismissal of court staffers Manav Sharma and Tapan Chakravarthy for doctoring a court order in a contempt case between Anil Ambani and Ericsson in this context.

Referring to their dismissal, Justice Mishra elaborated “this action has been taken by CJI for first time in country. It has been happening before. But no CJI had the courage to it before…If there is collusion of employees, it’s very serious. If he (CJI) is taking action without looking at anyone, it shows his independence”.

The Bench then summoned the CBI, IB and Delhi Police chiefs for an in-chamber meeting to look into the material furnished by Bains.

Explaining why the three top officials have been called, Justice Mishra said “this is not just an inquiry, this is something more… We will not reveal anything. This will be kept totally a secret.”

The Bench ordered the Delhi Police to provide lawyer Utsav Singh Bains “full protection” so that no one approaches him to either influence or threaten him and the evidence he has with him of the conspiracy afoot is kept safe.

The three judges then met the three officers in their chambers at 12.30 pm on Wednesday and subsequently, the court met again at 3 PM.

Before adjourning, the bench made it clear that the in-house probe on allegations of sexual harassment would go on and another independent probe was needed on larger conspiracy on allegation to malign CJI.

At the fag end of the hearing, Bains told the court that he has some more very important and very critical piece of evidence related to the mater and he be allowed to file an additional affidavit. The bench allowed the request of Bains and said, “It should be handwritten and not typed.”

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India News

Ram Temple donation theft case chargesheet filed, trustees not named

A chargesheet has been filed in the Ram Temple donation-theft case in Ayodhya. The temple trust’s trustees have not been named as accused.

Published

4 hours ago

September 24, 2026

APNLive Desk

A chargesheet has been filed in the case involving alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The chargesheet, however, does not name the trustees of the temple trust as accused.

The development comes after an investigation into several instances of alleged theft of donations at the temple complex. The probe had examined CCTV footage and other evidence related to the incidents.

Chargesheet filed in donation theft case

The chargesheet has been submitted against those accused in connection with the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple.

Importantly, the trustees of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust have not been named as accused in the chargesheet.

The investigation had focused on incidents in which donations were allegedly stolen from the temple premises. CCTV footage was examined as part of the probe into the reported thefts.

Investigation into 105 theft incidents

An earlier investigation had identified 105 instances of alleged donation theft through CCTV footage. The probe examined the incidents and the people allegedly involved in them.

The case had also led to arrests of accused persons named in the FIR. The investigation subsequently examined the role of individuals connected with the incidents.

The filing of the chargesheet marks a further step in the criminal proceedings related to the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple.

Trustees not named as accused

The chargesheet does not name the temple trust’s trustees as accused. This distinction is significant because the filing concerns the individuals against whom the investigating agency has proceeded in the case.

The chargesheet will now form part of the legal proceedings, while the matter will be dealt with through the appropriate judicial process.

India News

9 Killed, several injured as tourist bus catches fire in Greater Noida

Nine people were killed and several others injured after a sleeper tourist bus travelling from Delhi to Mahoba caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida.

Published

4 hours ago

September 24, 2026

APNLive Desk

Nine people were killed and several others injured after a sleeper tourist bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida on Thursday, according to reports.

The bus was travelling from Delhi to Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh when the fire broke out. It was carrying around 30 to 35 passengers at the time of the incident.

Bus catches fire on Yamuna Expressway

The incident took place near Dayanatpur village on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida. The blaze engulfed the sleeper bus, prompting passengers to try to escape as the fire spread.

Several passengers reportedly jumped through the windows to get out of the burning vehicle. Nine people died in the incident, while several others sustained injuries and were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The exact cause of the fire had not been established at the time of reporting.

Bus was travelling from Delhi to Mahoba

The sleeper bus was travelling from Delhi towards Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh and had approximately 30 to 35 passengers onboard.

The incident occurred late Wednesday night, with the fire breaking out while the bus was on the Yamuna Expressway in the Greater Noida area.

Authorities are looking into the circumstances surrounding the fire. Further details about the cause of the blaze and the injured passengers are awaited.

India News

LPG Aadhaar authentication mandatory for subsidy from October 1

Biometric Aadhaar authentication will be required for subsidised domestic LPG refills from October 1. Here is what changes for consumers who have and have not completed the process.

Published

17 hours ago

September 23, 2026

APNLive Desk

Biometric Aadhaar authentication will become a requirement for domestic LPG consumers seeking to book refills at the regulated retail selling price with applicable subsidy from October 1, 2026.

The government has said the measure is aimed at ensuring that subsidised LPG reaches eligible households and at preventing the diversion of subsidised domestic cylinders for commercial and industrial use.

What changes from October 1

Consumers who have already completed biometric Aadhaar authentication will not have to repeat the process. Their LPG refills will continue as before.

For consumers who have not completed the authentication, refill booking at the regulated price with subsidy will be enabled after the authentication is completed.

As of September 19, 2026, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, or 89.9 per cent of the total, had completed biometric Aadhaar authentication, according to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry.

How to complete Aadhaar authentication

Consumers who have not yet completed the process can do so through several channels.

Authentication can be completed during LPG delivery, at the distributor’s showroom or through the mobile applications of the three state-owned oil marketing companies.

Indane customers can use IndianOil ONE, Bharatgas customers can use HelloBPCL, while HP Gas customers can use HP PAY.

What if consumers do not complete authentication

The government has clarified that consumers who are unwilling or unable to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication can still receive LPG.

However, they will have to register their choice through the available digital channels of their oil marketing company, such as its consumer portal, mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot or IVRS.

Such consumers will be supplied LPG at the applicable market price without subsidy, in 5-kg or 10-kg cylinders, subject to local availability.

Why the government is introducing the requirement

According to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, linking each LPG connection to an Aadhaar-authenticated consumer is intended to prevent diversion of subsidised domestic cylinders and remove duplicate or ineligible connections.

The government has also said the measure is intended to make subsidy delivery more targeted and transparent.

Authentication deadline and progress

Consumers were initially asked to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication by June 30, 2026. The deadline was subsequently extended several times, with September 14 being the final extended deadline mentioned by the ministry.

The nationwide authentication drive has been underway since October 2023. The government said more than 12 crore SMS and WhatsApp messages had been sent as part of the outreach campaign.

The government has urged consumers who have not yet completed the process to do so before October 1.

LPG Aadhaar authentication becomes mandatory for subsidised domestic LPG refills from October 1. Consumers who have already completed biometric authentication need not do it again. Those who haven’t can still get LPG, but at the applicable market price without subsidy.