HC upholds stay on Gujarat minister Bokhiria’s conviction
Ahmedabad: In a relief for Gujarat Minister for Water Resources Babu Bokhiria, the High Court on Monday dismissed a plea challenging the stay granted by a Porbandar sessions court on his conviction in an illegal mining case. Justice S G Shah dismissed the revision application against the stay, filed by Dilip Kataria, an activist. Kataria’s lawyer B M Mangukia said they would now file appeal before the Supreme Court. The petitioner alleges that the state government did not challenge the lower court’s order because its officials were hands in glove with Bokhiria. The case against Bokhiria dates back to 2006 when the manager of Saurashtra Chemical Company filed a complaint against him and three others about illegal mining of limestone in an area where the company held mining rights. All four were convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Judicial Magistrate’s court in Porbandar in June 2013. Porbandar sessions court stayed the conviction as Bokhiria’s appeal before it is pending. Bokhiria defeated Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia in 2012 Assembly elections from Porbandar. (PTI)
Law will take its course: Gowda on son absconding in rape case
New Delhi: “Law will take its own course” was the terse reply of Railway Minister Sadandada Gowda Monday when he was asked about his “missing” son who is wanted by police in a case of rape lodged against him by a Kannada actress. “I have spoken about it several times. Law will take its own course. I have nothing more to say,” he told reporters at a press conference organised to share his ministry’s “achievements” in the first 100 days of the BJP government. His son Karthik Gowda has been accused of rape by the actress who has alleged that he developed relations with her after promising to marrying her. She went to police after he was engaged to another girl. The minister declined to comment on the CBI probe into the contract between Indian Railways-owned IRCTC and the tainted company Saradha Group for operating tourist services to different destinations. “CBI is investigating. Further comments from me would be interference in investigation,” he said. The contract came about when TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister was the railway minister. Some of her party leaders are being investigated for their links with the company accused of cheating people. (PTI)
50-yr-old dies in police station premises
Jaipur: 50-year-old man died after he collapsed in the premises of a police station in Sikar district today, police said. Shankar Lal had gone to Dataramgarh Police Station with his son who was called for interrogation in a theft case when he got unconscious and collapsed near a pole in its premises, police said. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died, SHO Dataramgarh Sayar Singh said. Heart attack could be the probable reason behind the death and the matter was being investigated, SP Sikar Haidar Ali said. Family members and relatives of the deceased have brought the body from the hospital to the police station before the post-mortem could be done and are protesting there, police said. However, no reason has been given for the protest yet, Singh said. (PTI)
