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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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Jharkhand CID raids multiple locations in JPSC exam irregularities case

Jharkhand CID conducted raids across several districts to arrest seven accused in a case involving alleged irregularities in JPSC competitive examinations.

Published

9 hours ago

August 14, 2026

APNLive Desk

The Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID) has conducted raids at several locations across the state as part of its investigation into alleged irregularities in competitive examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC).

According to a CID press release, the searches were carried out to arrest seven accused named in Case No. 16/2026 and execute warrants issued against them.

The accused have been identified as Aditya Pandey, Pawan Kumar Singh, Ravishankar Kumar, Santosh Kumar Singh, Sanand Prakash, Lalu Kumar Yadav and Saurabh Kumar Pandey.

The CID conducted searches in several districts as part of efforts to apprehend the accused. The agency said its investigation into the case is continuing.

CID examining evidence in exam irregularities case

The case relates to alleged irregularities in various competitive examinations conducted by the JPSC.

As part of the investigation, the CID has begun matching OMR carbon copies obtained during the probe and examining other evidence collected in the case.

The agency said further action would be taken according to law on the basis of the evidence gathered. It added that legally permissible action against those found involved in the case is underway.

ABVP protests over JPSC, JSSC exams

The CID raids come amid protests over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in examinations conducted by the JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

On August 13, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) held protests in several cities, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and strict action against those responsible.

In New Delhi, students and ABVP workers protested outside Jharkhand Bhawan, calling on the Jharkhand government to take steps to restore confidence in the examination system.

According to the ABVP, similar protests were held in Lucknow, Kolkata, Guwahati, Agartala, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat, Gorakhpur, Jodhpur, Kota, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi and Prayagraj, as well as at university campuses.

The student organisation has sought an impartial CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations. It has also demanded cancellation of the JSSC CGL examination, citing concerns over its integrity, along with fresh examinations where irregularities have been reported.

Meanwhile, JPSC-JSSC aspirants continue to protest at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi. The ABVP has also alleged that students protesting peacefully on August 10 and 11 faced lathi-charge, water cannons and arrests.

Jharkhand CID has conducted raids at multiple locations in connection with alleged irregularities in JPSC competitive examinations and efforts to arrest seven accused named in Case No. 16/2026.

The action comes amid continuing student protests demanding a CBI probe into alleged JPSC-JSSC exam irregularities.

India News

Karnataka Cabinet clears public property bill amid RSS registration row

Karnataka Cabinet approves a Bill to regulate the use of government premises and public property amid a political row over RSS registration.

Published

9 hours ago

August 14, 2026

APNLive Desk

The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a proposed law to regulate the use of government premises and public property in the state, amid an ongoing political debate over the registration and use of public spaces by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill, 2026 was cleared by the Cabinet, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said after the meeting.

According to the government, the proposed legislation aims to establish a legal framework governing the use of government lands, buildings, playgrounds, parks, roads and other public assets by private individuals, organisations, associations and societies.

Kharge said the objective was to prevent unauthorised use and misuse of public property while ensuring that such assets are protected for public benefit.

What the Karnataka public property bill proposes

The proposed legislation is expected to lay down procedures for obtaining permission to use government property for events, meetings and other activities.

It also proposes provisions for penalties in cases involving misuse of government premises or damage to public property, according to officials.

The government is expected to introduce the Bill in the Karnataka legislature, where it will be taken up for discussion and passage.

Priyank Kharge denies Bill targets RSS

The proposed legislation comes against the backdrop of a row involving the RSS and its use of public property in Karnataka.

Kharge, however, rejected speculation that the Bill had been framed specifically against the RSS or any other organisation. He said the government did not have a particular institution, association, organisation, society, club, union, syndicate or NGO in mind.

The issue has been part of a wider political debate since 2025, with Kharge opposing the use of government premises and public property by the RSS and calling for the organisation to register formally.

In June, Kharge also wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking clarity on the organisation’s legal status, financial transparency and constitutional accountability.

The development is likely to keep the debate over the use of public property and the legal status of organisations in Karnataka in focus as the proposed legislation moves to the state legislature.

India News

7 killed, 3 trapped after water, debris enter tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli

Seven people were killed and three workers remain trapped after water and debris entered an under-construction hydropower tunnel in Chamoli, Uttarakhand.

Published

9 hours ago

August 14, 2026

APNLive Desk

At least seven people were killed after a sudden surge of water and debris entered an under-construction tunnel at a hydropower project in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Thursday, officials said. Three workers are still trapped, while 18 workers have been rescued so far, according to the State Disaster Management Authority.

Around 28 people were working at the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd (THDC) project site in Pipalkoti when a large amount of water and debris rushed into the tunnel. The force of the water swept several workers towards the tunnel’s exit.

Water and debris surged into tunnel

Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said a significant amount of debris and water entered the tunnel at around 6.30 pm while construction work was underway.

“This is a tunnel under construction for a hydropower project. Around 6.30 pm, a significant amount of debris and water surged into the tunnel,” he said.

Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are working through the debris to locate the three workers who remain trapped.

Dhami orders rescue operation

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed officials to conduct rescue and relief operations on a priority basis. He said he was receiving real-time updates from senior officers about the situation.

Dhami also said he had spoken to injured workers undergoing treatment in hospital and that their condition was stable.

The chief minister said he had informed the chief ministers of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh that residents of those states who were injured or involved in the incident were receiving treatment in Uttarakhand.

Heavy rain in Chamoli

The incident comes after several days of heavy rainfall in the district. On Monday, strong currents caused by rising water levels in a river swept away a bridge in the Niti Valley region of Chamoli.

A video of the incident showed a large volume of muddy water rushing downstream and striking the metal bridge. The force of the water uprooted the bridge and pushed it towards the riverbank.