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NewsClick founder, others attempted to tinker with northern borders, backed farmers protests: Delhi Police FIR

The FIR also alleged that Purkayastha conspired with People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 General Elections.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has alleged that NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and the portal’s human resources (HR) head Amit Chakravarty illegally received crores of rupees in foreign funds and deployed the same with an intention to disrupt the sovereignty, unity and security of India.

The copy of the first information report (FIR) reveals the allegations against the two as well as other persons named in the FIR.

As per the FIR, secret inputs suggest that substantial foreign funds were illegally funneled into India by both Indian and foreign entities. These funds, amounting to crores of rupees, were received by Newsclick through illegal means over a span of five years.

Purkayastha and Chakravarty were arrested on October 3 following a series of raids conducted in the wake of allegations made in an New York Times article that NewsClick was being paid to boost Chinese propaganda.

A series of raids were conducted on the morning of October 3 by the Delhi Police on the team behind NewsClick as well as its contributors, including independent journalists.

Besides the UAPA case, a money laundering case filed earlier is also pending against NewsClick.

The FIR names the following persons as shareholders of NewsClick – Prabir Purkayastha, Amit Sengupta, Doraeeswami Raghunandan, Bappaditya Sinha, Gautam Navlakha, Geeta Hariharan and Amit Chakraborty.

Notably, the FIR mentions that Purkayastha, Neville Roy Singham, Geeta Hariharan and Gautam ‘Bhatia’ conspired to create a legal community network to campaign for and put up spirited defense in cases against these companies.

No other details of Gautam Bhatia are mentioned in the FIR.

Navlakha, a shareholder in NewsClick, is alleged to have been involved in anti-Indian activities, including supporting banned Naxal organizations and having connections with individuals associated with Pakistan’s ISI.

According to the FIR, the funds were fraudulently infused by Singham, allegedly an active member of the Communist Party of China’s Propaganda department, through a complex network of entities,

The FIR claims that the illegally routed foreign funds were siphoned off by Purkayastha and associates Joseph Raj, Anoop Chakraborty and Bappaditya Sinha, among others.

The Delhi Police also alleged that Chinese companies like Xiaomi and Vivo incorporated thousands of shell companies in India in violation of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Some of the other allegations in the FIR are:

– Accused attempted to tinker with northern borders of India, show Arunachal and J&K as not parts of India;

– Accused attempted to disrupt supplies and services;

– Attempted to cause damage to property by protracting farmers’ protests. Obtained illegal foreign funds to support farmers’ protests, create internal law and order problems.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/newsclick-arrests-what-the-fir-says

Rhea Chakraborty on ‘the only day’ she broke down in Byculla jail; says she did ‘naagin dance’ with inmates

In a recent conversation, Rhea Chakraborty talked about the time she spent in Byculla jail

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death and drugs

In 2020, Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty spent almost a month in Byculla jail, in connection with a drugs case related to the death of her boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput. She was released on bail in October 2020, after spending 28 days in judicial custody. In a recent interview, Rhea talked about he time in jail, and how she was devastated to find out that her brother Showik didn’t get bail. She also mentioned that she danced with her inmates on the last day and that it was a cathartic experience.

Rhea Chakraborty reveals dancing with inmates on last day in Byculla jail

While speaking at India Today Conclave Mumbai 2023, Rhea Chakraborty said that the day she got bail, but her brother Showik didn’t, she broke down completely. “So the day I got bail, my brother didn’t get bail and I was devastated. It was the only day that I broke down completely,” said Rhea. She said that she had promised her inmates that the day she got bail, she would dance. However, she wasn’t happy the day she did get bail. “So I refused them at first and when the jailer came and told me ‘mat karo tum, chhod do (don’t do it, leave it)’ and I was like ‘haan haan (yes yes)’. But then I thought that I am leaving and I am probably never gonna see these women again and if I could give them five minutes of happiness with the dance performance with them, then why the hell not?” said Rhea.

So, Rhea gave in and danced with the inmates. She called it the ‘most ecstatic moment’ of her life, revealing that they did naagin (snake) dance on the floor. “The excitement and joy and happiness that I saw in these women’s eyes while I was dancing for them with them is probably the highest point of my life to date,” she said.

Source: https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/rhea-chakraborty-on-the-only-day-she-broke-down-in-byculla-jail-says-she-did-naagin-dance-with-inmates-1248774

‘We Can’t Stop Govt From Taking A Decision’ : Supreme Court Refuses To Restrain Bihar Govt From Acting On Caste-Survey Data

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing of a batch of pleas challenging the constitutionality of the caste-based survey conducted by the Bihar government till January 2024. Notably, the court refused to pass any order of stay or status quo to restrain the State from acting on the caste survey data.

“We cannot stop state government or any government from taking a decision,” a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti orally observed today. This division bench is currently hearing a plea by non-governmental organisations Youth for Equality and Ek Soch Ek Prayas against the decision of the Patna High Court delivered on August 2 to uphold the Bihar government’s decision to undertake caste-based survey.

“This data may not be acted upon because it was collected unlawfully”, Singh urged.

At this point, Justice Khanna asked the State, “Why did you publish this, Mr Divan?”

Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the Bihar government, argued that the court had not passed any order against the publication of the data. “This court indicated that first and foremost it will decide whether notice is to be issued,” he said.

Observing that the matter requires to be heard at length, the bench adjourned the hearing until January next year, while issuing formal notice to the state government on the clutch of petitions. Once again, Singh expressed her concerns that by the next date of the hearing, the Bihar government will have published the data and urged the court to issue a status quo order. “This data has been collected unlawfully and cannot be acted upon,” the senior counsel emphatically argued.

The bench, however, appeared to disagree with her contention. Justice Khanna told her, “Prima facie, you’ll be on some difficulty with respect to that. We have read the judgment and formed a prima facie view, which is of course, subject to change.” At the outset of the hearing, the judge had also remarked that the high court’s judgment was ‘fairly detailed’. Categorically declining Singh’s request for a status quo order yet again, Justice Khanna said –

“We cannot stop the state government or any government from taking a decision. That would be wrong. But, if there is an issue with regard to data, that will be considered. We are going to examine the other issue regarding the power of the state government to conduct this exercise. We will look into other issues as well…privacy apart, because privacy may not be a concern since names and [other identifiers] are not being published. But, the other parts, we will examine.”

One of the main issues that will be considered by the apex court while hearing the challenge against the government’s caste survey will pertain to the breakdown of the data, Justice Khanna explained. “One of the issues, Mr Divan, will be with regard to the breakdown of the data and whether we should at all touch upon it. If we uphold everything, whether it should be left to…Because data has already been collected.”

At the end of the hearing, Singh asked, “Has the state government made an assurance that they will not publish the data?”

Justice Khanna sternly clarified that no such assurance had been made on either side.

What has happened so far?

The Supreme Court has refused to temporarily halt the survey, which has now been completed, without first hearing the parties. It has, on multiple occasions, reiterated its stance against issuing any stay order in the absence of a prima facie case. In August, Senior Advocate CS Vaidyanathan led the charge for the litigants challenging the caste survey. Appearing on behalf of NGO Youth for Equality, the senior counsel argued that the 2017 Puttaswamy ruling on the fundamental right to privacy necessitated a just, fair, and reasonable law to infringe on privacy. Such a law must additionally stand the test of proportionality and have a legitimate aim. An executive order of the government could, therefore, not take the place of such a law, even more so when it did not indicate at all the reasons for undertaking this exercise. Apart from this, Vaidyanathan also raised privacy concerns over the mandatory disclosure requirement under the survey. In response, the bench questioned if the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution would be impacted, given the government’s plan to release only aggregated, not individual, data. Justice Sanjiv Khanna also asked if conducting a caste survey in a state like Bihar, where everyone knows their neighbour’s castes, breached participant’s privacy.

Soon after, the Centre submitted not one, but two affidavits, in quick succession. The latest affidavit was submitted retracting the earlier one which stated that no entity other than the central government had the right to conduct a census or ‘any action akin to census’. The second affidavit clarified that this statement – which reportedly provoked political outrage – had been included inadvertently. The latest affidavit has however retained the submission that a census is a statutory process governed by the Census Act of 1948, which was enacted in the exercise of the powers under Entry 69 of List I of the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule and that the said Act empowers only the central government to conduct a census. The union government has also restated its commitment to uplifting people belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws.

Earlier this month, the Bihar government published the caste survey data, revealing that extremely backward classes (EBC) constituted 36.01 percent of the state’s population, while other backward classes (OBC) contributed an additional 27.12 percent. Collectively, these groups make up 63.13 percent of the 13-crore population of the state. Among other things, the data also shows that 20 percent of the population belongs to scheduled castes (SC), while 1.6 percent belongs to scheduled tribes (ST). Following the release of this data, the Nitish Kumar-led state government announced a 10 percent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) in the state’s judicial services, as well as in government-run law colleges and universities.

In a recent development related to this matter, another petition has been filed in the Supreme Court over the Bihar government including ‘hijra’, ‘kinnar’, ‘kothi’, and ‘transgender’ as an item in the caste list, while conducting its caste-based survey last month.

Background

Under the scanner in this litigation is a decision of the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government to conduct a caste-based survey that was launched on January 7 of this year, in order to digitally compile data on each family – from the panchayat to the district-level – through a mobile application.

After initially issuing a temporary stay in May on the caste-based survey being conducted by the Bihar government, earlier this month, the Patna High Court delivered its verdict upholding the exercise as ‘perfectly valid initiated with due competence’ and dismissed the petitions challenging the caste-based survey. In its 101-page judgment, the high court concluded that the state’s contention could not be brushed aside that the “purpose [of the survey] was to identify Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes with the aim of uplifting them and ensuring equal opportunities to them”.

Source: https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/supreme-court-bihar-caste-survey-refuses-to-restrain-bihar-govt-from-acting-on-caste-survey-data-239479

Raghav Chadha to be evicted from govt bungalow? Delhi court gives nod

The court rejected Chadha’s submission that government housing assigned to a MP cannot not be revoked under any circumstances throughout the MP’s entire term.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha speaking in a coference — AAP MP Raghav Chadha. Credit: PTI File Photo

A Delhi court on Friday allowed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to go ahead and evict Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha from his Type VII bungalow, saying he can’t claim any vested right to the government accomodation to which he was not even entitled to, being a first-time member of the Upper House.

Additional District Judge (ADJ) Sudhanshu Kaushik of Patiala House Court, New Delhi, revoked an earlier interim order passed on April 18, 2023, which had previously instructed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat not to evict Chadha from his residence without following the appropriate legal procedures.

The court allowed a review application by the RS Secretariat.

“The plaintiff (Raghav Chadha) cannot assert that he possesses an absolute entitlement to occupy the accommodation throughout his entire term as a Member of the Rajya Sabha. The allocation of government housing is simply a privilege granted to the plaintiff, and he does not have an inherent right to maintain occupancy even after the allocation has been rescinded,” the court observed.

The lawyer for the Rajya Sabha Secretariat argued that Chadha, being a first-time member of the Rajya Sabha, is entitled to be allotted a Type VI bungalow and not Type VII.

The RS Secretariat contended that the court had earlier, in its order on April 18, provided interim relief to Chadha without following the procedure outlined in Section 80(2) of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), which requires a hearing for both parties before granting relief.

The court rejected Chadha’s submission that government housing assigned to a MP cannot not be revoked under any circumstances throughout the MP’s entire term.

Chadha was first allotted a Bungalow at Pandara Park, New Delhi on July 6, 2022 under the Type VI category.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/india/delhi/raghav-chadha-to-be-evicted-from-govt-bungalow-delhi-court-gives-nod-2716315

Police found 115 bodies at Colorado ‘green’ funeral home while investigating putrid smells

The awful smell seeped from a neglected building in a small Colorado town for days, followed by a report that made police take a closer look at the “green” funeral operator’s storage facility. Inside, they made a gruesome discovery: At least 115 decaying bodies.

Investigators were tight-lipped Friday about exactly what they found inside the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, but their plans to bring in teams that usually deal with airline crashes, coroners from nearby jurisdictions and the FBI pointed to a grim mess.

A state document, meanwhile, alleged funeral home owner Jon Hallford tried to conceal the improper storage of corpses. He claimed he was doing taxidermy at the facility, according to the state suspension letter dated Thursday.

Hallford acknowledged that he had a “problem” at the property, the Colorado Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration letter said. The document did not elaborate on the taxidermy and alleged improper storage of remains, but the facility’s registration has been expired since November.

No one had been arrested or charged. Text messages to the funeral home seeking comment went unanswered. No one at the business picked up the phone and there was no working voicemail.

Funeral home officials were cooperating as investigators sought to determine any criminal wrongdoing, Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said at a news conference where he called the scene inside the building “horrific.”

On Friday, a sour, rotten stench still came from the back of the building, where windows were broken. Coroner’s officials from Fremont County and nearby El Paso County parked their trucks outside and discussed among themselves as they walked around the building.

Some identifications would require taking fingerprints, finding medical or dental records, and DNA testing in a process that could take several months, Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller said. Families would be notified as soon as possible after body identification, he added.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/colorado-funeral-home-green-burials-investigation-4c77ec13d8dfb1394e61da8881426deb

Judge pauses litigation in classified docs case while mulling Trump’s request for extension

At issue is how to handle the classified materials at the center of the case.

The judge overseeing the probe into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents has paused any litigation involving the classified materials in question as she considers a request from Trump to extend deadlines in the case, according to a new order.

At issue is how the classified materials at the center of the case are to be handled by the defendants and their attorneys, based on national security requirements.

After Judge Aileen Cannon established several deadlines for ruling on those issues, Trump’s legal team last month filed a motion asking her for a three-month extension, saying that Trump and his co-defendants have still not had access “to significant portions of the materials that the Special Counsel’s Office has characterized as classified and conceded are discoverable — much less the additional classified materials to which President Trump is entitled following anticipated discovery litigation.”

Cannon’s order on Friday temporarily pauses the upcoming deadlines as she considers Trump’s motion.

Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom before the continuation of his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court, Oct. 3, 2023, in New York.
Seth Wenig/AP, FILE

Special counsel Jack Smith’s ‘s office said in a recent filing that some documents are so sensitive that they cannot be stored in a secure facility in Florida with the other documents in the case. Smith’s team has told the court that the documents can be made available in a secure facility in Washington, D.C., for review.

Source : https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-pauses-litigation-classified-docs-case-mulling-trumps/story?id=103788426

US tourist accused of smashing second-century Roman statues at museum in Israel

Museum photos show the marble head of the goddess Athena knocked off its pedestal onto the floor, and a statue of a pagan deity shattered into fragments.

An American tourist has been arrested after allegedly smashing two second-century Roman statues at the Israel Museum – with his lawyer claiming he was experiencing a mental disorder called “Jerusalem syndrome”.

Israeli police have said initial questioning suggests the Jewish-American suspect destroyed the statues in Jerusalem because he considered them to be “idolatrous and contrary to the Torah”.

The Torah is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

Museum photos show the marble head of the goddess Athena knocked off its pedestal onto the floor and a statue of a pagan deity shattered into fragments.

The damaged statues were being restored, museum staff said.

Nick Kaufam, the suspect’s lawyer, has denied the man acted out of religious fanaticism.

Instead, Mr Kaufman said the 40-year-old tourist was suffering from a mental disorder that psychiatrists have labelled “Jerusalem syndrome”.

The condition – a form of disorientation believed to be induced by the religious magnetism of the city, which is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims – is said to cause foreign pilgrims to believe they are figures from the Bible.

The defendant has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Officials did not release his name due to a gagging order.

The vandalism late on Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/us-tourist-accused-of-smashing-second-century-roman-statues-at-museum-in-israel-12978700

Delhi court remands AAP MP Sanjay Singh to ED custody till October 10 in Delhi Excise Policy case

Sanjay Singh was arrested by ED on Wednesday after searches at his residence; AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Vijay Nair are already behind bars in the case.

A Delhi court on Thursday remanded Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Singh to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till October 10 in the case related to the Delhi excise policy scam.

Special judge MK Nagpal passed the order after ED sought 10 days of custody of Singh.

The counsel appearing for the ED argued that an amount of about ₹ 2 crores was exchanged at Singh’s residence.

“Total 2 crore transaction is there in two tranches … Dinesh Arora’s CA confirmed this … Total 239 places searched, sir. Investigation has revealed that 2 crore cash was given,” the ED submitted.

The ED counsel added the agency needed custody over Singh to confront him with digital evidence, including evidence from his phone.

Meanwhile, Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur appeared for Singh and opposed the ED’s plea for 10 days’ remand.

“Ten days is an absurd proposition for someone who was not involved at all. The case was about liquor policy, he had nothing to do with it,” Mathur argued.

The senior lawyer questioned the basis on which Singh was arrested in the case, contending that an approver, Dinesh Arora, may have implicated the AAP leader to secure his (Arora’s) liberty.

“Look at the changing stand of Dinesh Arora. He gives statements in March and April. He was granted bail and then his tune changes …You don’t want to call me for investigation. You want to humiliate me by arresting,” Mathur argued.

In rejoinder submissions, the ED opposed Mathur’s claim that Arora may have been forced to implicate Singh in the case.

“The argument that Dinesh Arora gave the statements on inducement is completely baseless. They can’t dictate where they are arrested either. It is the sole discretion of the IO,” argued Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain.

In a move that was objected to by the ED, Sanjay Singh also personally addressed the court, questioning why the approvers had decided to implicate him out of the blue.

“Itna unknown aadmi to mai hu nahi ki usko mera naa yaad nahi aaya. Dinesh Arora ko bhi mera naam yaad nahi aaya. Achanak aesa kya hua ki usne saara bayan mere khilaaf diya. Ye jhhut failana, bebuniyaad investigation karna… agar meri galati hai to mujhe sakht se sakht saza de … Main to bas itna hi kehna chahta hu ki mere liye koi alag kanoon nahi ho sakta … Aap nyay ki kursi par hain, sir.”

(Translation: I am not so unknown that he (Amit Arora) did not remember my name while giving earlier statements. Dinesh Arora also did not remember my name. What happened suddenly that he gave all the statements against me? They are spreading lies and this investigation is baseless. If I am guilty, give me the harshest punishment. All I want to say is that there cannot be a different law for me. You are sitting on the chair of justice, sir.)

The Rajya Sabha MP was arrested by ED on October 4 following the Central agency’s search at his residence.

This is the third high-profile arrest of the AAP leader in the excise policy case. AAP communications in-charge, Vijay Nair, was arrested in September 2022. Later, former Deputy Chief Minster of Delhi and AAP leader, Manish Sisodia was arrested in February 2023. Both the leaders are still behind bars.

Singh’s arrest came a day after the Court allowed businessman Dinesh Arora and Raghav Magunta Reddy (both of whom were accused in the case) to become approvers.

It is the ED’s case that Singh played a key role in framing and implementing a now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy which was allegedly aimed at benefiting certain liquor manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/delhi-court-remands-aap-mp-sanjay-singh-ed-custody-october-10

FTX co-founder testifies against Sam Bankman-Fried, saying they committed crimes and lied to public

FILE – FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves Federal court, July 26, 2023, in New York. Jury selection begins Tuesday, Oct. 3 in a case in which the 31-year-old crypto mogul faces the possibility of a long prison term if convicted. Prosecutors say he cheated thousands of people who deposited cryptocurrency on the FTX exchange by illegally diverting massive sums of their money for his personal use, including making risky trades at his cryptocurrency hedge fund. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Prosecutors went to the heart of their case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on Thursday as the company’s co-founder began his testimony, telling a New York jury that he and Bankman-Fried committed financial crimes and lied to the public before the cryptocurrency trading platform collapsed last year.

Gary Wang, 30, said he committed wire, securities and commodities fraud as the chief technical officer at FTX after also sharing ownership in Alameda Research, a cryptocurrency hedge fund that he and Bankman-Fried started in 2017 and eventually used to withdraw $8 billion in FTX funds illegally. He said Bankman-Fried directed the illegal moves.

His assertions came on the second day of testimony at a trial expected to last up to six weeks as prosecutors try to prove that Bankman-Fried stole billions of dollars from investors and customers to buy luxury beachfront real estate, enrich himself and make over $100 million in political contributions aimed at influencing cryptocurrency regulation.

Bankman-Fried, 31, who has been jailed since August, was brought to the United States from the Bahamas last December after he was charged in Manhattan federal court. He has pleaded not guilty.

Before the trial began Tuesday, prosecutors promised to use testimony from Bankman-Fried’s “trusted inner circle” to prove he intentionally stole from customers and investors and then lied about it. Defense lawyers say Bankman-Fried had no criminal intent as he took actions to try to save his businesses after the cryptocurrency market collapsed.

In just over a half hour of testimony, Wang said he and Bankman-Fried allowed Alameda Research to withdraw unlimited funds from FTX “and we lied to the public.”

Wang said not only was Alameda Research permitted to maintain negative balances and unlimited open positions, but the computer code that controlled its operations was written to provide a line of credit of $65 billion, a number so large that Judge Lewis A. Kaplan questioned Wang briefly to ensure he was talking about billions rather than millions.

Wang testified that the special computer code features were directed by Bankman-Fried, a man he met over a decade ago at a high school summer camp after moving to the United States from China and growing up in Minnesota.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/bankman-fried-cryptocurrency-trial-3f42c055a8040ad8fb2edb4c7319f153

Windsor intruder caught with loaded crossbow in late Queen assassination bid sentenced to nine years in custody

Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, was encouraged in his plans by an AI chatbot girlfriend, the Old Bailey heard, before he was stopped near the late monarch’s private residence – where Elizabeth II and other family members were at the time.

Chail after his arrest on 25 December 2021. Pic: Met Police

A man who was encouraged by an artificial intelligence chatbot “girlfriend” in his plan to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II has been sentenced to nine years in custody, but will remain in hospital until he is deemed fit enough to go to prison.

Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, scaled the perimeter of the Windsor Castle grounds with a nylon rope ladder on Christmas Day 2021 armed with a loaded crossbow while wearing a metal Star Wars-inspired mask.

The former supermarket worker had described himself as a “Sith” and “Darth Chailus” in a sinister video and confided his plan to murder the monarch to an artificial intelligence-generated “girlfriend”, who had responded to him.

He wandered the castle grounds with the weapon for two hours before he was stopped near the late monarch’s private residence – where she and other family members were at the time – telling a police officer: “I am here to kill the Queen.”

The Old Bailey heard he had previously unsuccessfully applied for positions within the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP), the British Army, the Royal Marines, the Royal Navy, and the Grenadier Guards in a bid to get close to the Royal Family.

Prosecutors said Chail, who is of Indian Sikh heritage, formed a plan at the start of the year to assassinate the then Queen to avenge the Amritsar massacre of 1919, which was carried out by soldiers commanded by British colonial forces.

Chail was said to have been encouraged by a female artificial intelligence chatbot called “Sarai”, which he created on an application called Replika, exchanging more than 6,000 messages with it.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to “injure or alarm” the Queen under the Treason Act, as well as possession of an offensive weapon and making threats to kill on Christmas Day 2021.

Sentencing judge Mr Justice Hilliard heard evidence from three psychiatrists to help him decide whether Chail – who has been held at Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital – should be jailed or handed a hospital order under the Mental Health Act.

In a televised hearing Mr Justice Hilliard sentenced Chail to nine years with a further five years on extended licence.

Under the hybrid order, Chail will be transferred from Broadmoor psychiatric hospital to serve his sentence in prison when he is well enough.

“The defendant harboured homicidal thoughts which he acted on before he became psychotic,” the judge said.

“His intention was not just to harm or alarm the sovereign – but to kill her.”

Previously, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said the “heart of the issue” was whether Chail was suffering from auditory hallucinations at the time “taking away his ability to exercise self control”.

However, Mr Justice Hilliard found Chail was driven by a sense of “injustice” and had formed the intention to kill the Queen, bought equipment and undertaken research before he became mentally unwell.

Chail was also “culpable to a significant degree” when he applied unsuccessfully to join the Ministry of Defence Police and Grenadier Guards because he “wanted to get close to the royal family”, the judge said.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/man-caught-with-loaded-crossbow-in-late-queen-assassination-bid-sentenced-to-nine-years-in-custody-12960625

US Court Allows 26/11 Accused Tahawwur Rana To Challenge Extradition to India

US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana to file a motion challenging his extradition to India. Rana had previously appeared before the Ninth Circuit Court in August, which agreed to hear his request after it was denied by the District Court of California.

In August 2023, the US District Court in the Central District of California denied Rana’s motion against his extradition to India, where he is currently facing trial for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Following this denial, Rana approached the Ninth Circuit Court, which then agreed to hear his request one more time. As per the latest court order, Rana would appear before the court on November 9, 2023, and a final verdict will be provided on December 11, 2023.

While his writ for habeas corpus was denied, his motion to stay his extradition was approved so that Rana could appeal in the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/us-court-allows-26/11-accused-tahawwur-rana-to-challenge-extradition-to-india-article-104199805

Judge at Trump’s NY civil fraud trial slams hand on bench, loses his cool during testimony: ‘This is ridiculous!’

The Manhattan judge deciding Donald Trump’s $250 million civil fraud trial lost his cool on Wednesday — slamming his hand on the bench and snapping, “This is ridiculous” — as the former president’s lawyers grilled his ex-accountant over inconsistent testimony.

The judge’s annoyed reaction came after Trump’s side claimed that Donald Bender, a partner at accounting firm Mazars USA, was evading their questions.

The attorneys had also repeatedly insisted they needed to meticulously go through Trump’s financial records with Bender “year by year.”

“Don’t waste time,” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron said sternly.

Trump attorney Jesus Suarez had spent part of Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday morning cross-examining Bender — and said he would continue with the questioning through the end of the day.

“This is ridiculous!” Engoron said, hitting his hand on the bench. “Mr. Bender isn’t on trial here.”

Another Trump attorney, Christopher Kise, said the only things Bender “seems to recall are what the government wants him to recall.”

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron lost his patience during former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial and warned Trump’s lawyers to not waste time.
Steven Hirsch

“We need to be allowed to parse the evidence — we didn’t bring this case,” Kise argued.

Alina Habba, also a Trump lawyer, chimed in, “We haven’t got one answer from him … he has no memory as we sit here.”

Kise conceded that they would try “to streamline” the cross-examination before the judge reiterated: “Let’s not waste time.”

Over the course of testimony Wednesday — the third day of trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit — Engoron checked Trump’s legal team twice more, at one point suggesting they were pandering to the press and carrying out their defense as if a jury were present.

Trump’s lawyers accused accountant Donald Bender of evading their questions.
Photo by JEENAH MOON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

“There is no jury here,” he said — reportedly prompting an exasperated response from Trump, 77, who threw his arms in the air while sitting with his attorneys at the defense table.

“Who are you talking to — me, the press or the audience?” Engoron asked Kise at another point.

Similarly, a lawyer for the AG’s Office was shocked to hear that Bender would be questioned by Trump’s side for the rest of the day.

“There’s no jury. I don’t know who we’re performing for,” the attorney was heard saying.

The 2024 Republican presidential front-runner — who has chosen to attend the trial since it kicked off in Lower Manhattan on Monday — left for Florida after Wednesday’s lunch break, CNN reported.

Trump was slated to go straight to the airport to head back to Mar-a-Lago, a source told the outlet.

It was not immediately clear if or when Trump would return to court, though he has said he would testify should he be called to the witness stand.

Engoron seemed in a lighter mood after the lunch break and cracked a joke about AG attorney Kevin Wallace’s birthday, saying: “Today is a very important day.”

When James — who has attended the whole trial so far — returned after lunch, she said that “the Trump show is over.”

James said Trump’s appearance at the civil trial — which he’s not required to attend, unlike in criminal cases — was a “political stunt” and a “fundraising stop.”

“I will not be bullied,” the AG said of the former president’s repeated personal attacks on her. “Justice will be served.”

In the afternoon, the AG’s Office interrupted Bender’s testimony to take a witness out of turn.

Camron Harris, an auditor at accounting firm Whitley Penn who handled Trump’s books in 2020, testified in the afternoon that “the client’s responsible” for the statement of financial condition – documents which James claims Trump lied on from 2011 through 2021.

Source: https://nypost.com/2023/10/04/judge-arthur-engoron-at-trumps-ny-civil-fraud-trial-loses-his-cool-during-testimony-this-is-ridiculous/

Judge issues gag order in Trump fraud trial after ex-president posts about law clerk

Judge Arthur Engoron issued a gag order on making public remarks about his staff members, after former President Donald Trump blasted the judge, his top law clerk and New York Attorney General Letitia James on the second day of the business fraud trial against Trump and his company.
James accuses Trump, two of his adult sons, the Trump Organization and top executives of fraudulently overvaluing their real estate properties.
Trump said that he will testify in the trial.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media while arriving for the second day of his civil fraud trial in New York on Oct. 3, 2023.
Kena Betancur | AFP | Getty Images

A judge issued a gag order Tuesday after Donald Trump attacked the judge’s law clerk on social media and in comments to reporters covering his New York business fraud trial.

“Consider this a gag order on all parties with respect to posting or publicly speaking about any member of my staff,” Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron said on the second day of the former president’s civil trial.

Engoron said personal attacks on his staff were unacceptable and intolerable.

The judge was angered by Trump’s post earlier Tuesday on his Truth Social site that included disparaging comments about the clerk alongside a photo of her posing with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Trump in that post had called the clerk “Schumer’s girlfriend” and accused her of “running this case against me.”

Former President Donald Trump and Judge Arthur Engoron of New York Supreme Court listen to opening arguments by Kevin Wallace (not seen), a lawyer in state Attorney General Letitia James’ office, during the trial of Trump, his adult sons, the Trump Organization and others in a civil fraud case brought by James, at a Manhattan courthouse, in New York, Oct. 2, 2023, in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters

“How disgraceful!” Trump wrote in the post, which included the clerk’s full name. “This case should be dismissed immediately!!”

Trump mentioned Schumer and the clerk again during a break in the proceedings later that day, as he claimed that the trial was “rigged” and “fraudulent.”

The clerk is seated almost directly across from Trump in court.

Trump later deleted the post.

Also on Tuesday, Trump’s presidential campaign sent out a lengthy email criticizing Engoron as a “Far-Left Democrat.”

The email, entitled “Meet Judge Arthur F. Engoron,” cited numerous stories in conservative media accusing Engoron of political bias.

Trump had already slammed New York Attorney General Letitia James as a “fraud” and called for the case to be dismissed before the trial resumed Tuesday morning.

“And she should probably be dismissed also,” he said of James, whose lawsuit is the subject of the case.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/03/trump-business-fraud-trial-former-president-blasts-new-york-ag.html

Vatican prosecutor seeks seven-year sentence for cardinal

Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu near the Vatican, in Rome, Italy, September 25, 2020. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

The prosecutor at a Vatican corruption trial linked to a botched London real estate deal asked a court on Wednesday to convict Cardinal Angelo Becciu and sentence the former Holy See power broker to seven years and three months in jail.

Before he was fired by Pope Francis over another issue, Becciu was one of the most powerful men in the Vatican. He was deputy secretary of state from 2011-2018 and then head of the Vatican department that studies potential candidates for sainthood from 2018 to his dismissal in 2020.

Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi made the sentencing request at the end of his summing up at the trial, which began two years ago and where 75-year-old Becciu, the highest-ranking Vatican official to ever face a trial, is one of 10 defendants.

Diddi asked the court for guilty verdicts for all of the defendants, all of whom have denied any wrongdoing. He also requested the confiscation of millions of euros of assets.

The trial revolves mostly around the complicated purchase of a luxury building in London by the Secretariat of State.

The Vatican sold the building last year, taking an estimated loss of about 140 million euros.

The others on trial include several Vatican employees and two outside brokers who the Vatican has accused of extortion.

The pope fired Becciu from another senior clerical post in 2020 for alleged nepotism. That accusation has often surfaced at the trial and Becciu denied that as well.

In a statement released before the prosecution made its requests, Becciu said he was “pained” by the way Diddi had painted him as a sinister character.

“I have always worked for the good of the Church and I have spent my whole life for her,” Becciu said. “I am innocent not only because not only have I never stolen a cent, nor have I enriched myself or members of my family.”

The court’s decision is expected at the end of the year after a summer break and more hearings involving those seeking damages, such as the Vatican bank.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/vatican-prosecutor-seeks-seven-year-sentence-cardinal-2023-07-26/