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Tore saree, removed underwear, paraded naked: West Bengal BJP candidate alleges Manipur-like ordeal in FIR, police say no evidence of such incident

OpIndia Staff
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Tore saree, removed underwear, paraded naked: West Bengal BJP candidate alleges Manipur-like ordeal in FIR, police say no evidence of such incident

On Thursday (July 20), a BJP gram sabha candidate in West Bengal informed that she was physically assaulted, stripped and paraded naked by workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) party during the panchayat elections.

As per a report by ANI, the incident took place on July 8, 2023, in Dakshin Panchla in the Howrah district of West Bengal. In her official complaint filed with the Panchla police, the victim narrated that the assault was carried out by TMC gram sabha candidate Hemanta Roy at the polling station.

She further added that Roy was accompanied by other 40-50 TMC workers, including Noor Alam, Sanju Das, Ranabir Panja, Sukamal Panja, Alfi Sk. The copy of the First Information Report (FIR), as reported by Republic TV, read, “They hit me on my chest, and head with sticks and pushed me out of the polling booth.”

The victim pointed out that the TMC gram sabha candidate instigated party workers such as Sukamal Panja and Ali Sheikh to tear her saree and inner dress. “They further assaulted me and forced me to undress naked and molested me in front of other people,” she emphasised.

The development came amid public outrage over a viral video from Manipur wherein two women were gang-raped and paraded naked by a mob of men.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed Mamata Banerjee for selectively speaking about the Manipur incident but conveniently ignoring a similar case from West Bengal.

In a tweet, BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya said, “Do you have any shame at all Mamata Banerjee? On 8th Jul 2023, the day of the Panchayat poll, a Gram Sabha candidate, a woman, was beaten, stripped naked and paraded in Howrah’s Panchla, stones throw away from Nabanno, where you sit.”

“Your police wasn’t even taking FIR till the BJP forced it down. Hemanta Roy, TMC candidate from the same Gram Sabha, along with other criminals like Alfi Sk, Sukamal Panja, Ranabir Panja, Sanju Das, Noor Alam and 40-50 other men, hit her on chest, tore her saree and pulled off her inner wear, before parading her naked,” he added.

“You, as Home Minister of West Bengal, were expected to uphold law and order, instead you chose to prevaricate… Trust me, the world is a better place without your broken heart, outrage and fake concern for justice. You are a failed Chief Minister. Please focus on Bengal…” Amit Malviya concluded.

Police say no such incident was found

The West Bengal police have said that they could not find any proof that the alleged incident took place. Talking to the media, West Bengal DGP M Malaviya said that after the FIR was registered, the police launched an investigation. He said that after the probe, till now they could not find any evidence that such an incident took place.

The DGP said that there was a significant presence of central armed forces in the state including the booth there the alleged incident took place. He added that on polling day most people come out of their houses and gather near polling booths and on the streets, and these days most people carry mobile phones. Despite that, no civilian reported any such incident, and the central forces also didn’t report it. There is no video of the incident and nothing was found on CCTV footage in the area, he added. The police received the complaining by email on the 13th, he said.

The police officer said that the police has contacted the victim to give evidence of the alleged incident like any injury and medical treatment done etc. He added that the leader of the opposition had visited the concerned police station and a BJP fact-finding team had visited the Howrah rural area after the polls, but even they didn’t report any such incident.

Violence in West Bengal during Panchayat polls

The panchayat elections held on July 8 in West Bengal were marred by widespread violence across the state. Reports emerged of booth capturing, damage to ballot boxes, and attacks on presiding officers from districts such as Murshidabad, Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur, and Nadia.

Tragically, the violence resulted in the loss of over 50 lives and numerous injuries. The State Election Commission had established a total of 61,636 polling stations for conducting elections to 3,317-gram panchayats, 341 panchayat samitis, and 20 zila parishads in West Bengal.

To ensure the safe conduct of elections, 59,000 personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces and other state police forces were entrusted with the responsibility of guarding the polling stations, including the 4,834 sensitive booths where only CAPFs were deployed.

Rahul Gandhi disqualification case: Supreme Court to hear plea again on August 4

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi disqualification case: Supreme Court to hear plea again on August 4

On 21st July 2023, the Supreme Court postponed the hearing on Rahul Gandhi’s plea to stay the conviction in the criminal defamation suit in the ‘Modi Surname’ case to 4th August 2023. Justice BR Gavai and Justice PK Mishra’s bench pronounced this order. The court said that it needs to hear the other side of the case as well. The court has given a time of 2 weeks to Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani to file a written reply on behalf of Purnesh Modi to Rahul Gandhi’s petition.

Notably, the conviction in the case resulted in his disqualification as a Member of Parliament. Rahul Gandhi was an elected member of Lok Sabha from the Wayanad constituency of Kerala. He won that seat in the 2019 general elections.

At the beginning of the hearing, Justice BR Gawai said, “My father was associated. He was not a congress member, but he was closely associated. Mr Singhvi you are with Congress for more than 40 years and my brother is still in politics and he is in Congress. Please take a call if you want me to hear this.” Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Rahul Gandhi said that he does not have any problem.

Justice Gavai then said that the court will issue a notice returnable in two to three weeks. Responding to this, Singhvi said, “The petitioner has suffered for 111 days. He has lost one parliament session and is losing another. Elections to the parliament constituency of Wayanad would be shortly. Mr Jethmalani would not be concerned by disqualification. An interim suspension of disqualification can be given.”

Justice Gavai remarked that the court needs to listen to the other side represented by Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani as well. He said, “There are over 100 pages in order. It is so detailed. what is there to file replies? This is peculiar we are seeing to Gujarat courts.”

Advocate Jethmalani assured that he will file a reply within 10 days. The court said, “Issue notice. Liberty to serve the State of Gujarat through standing counsel. Notice waived on behalf of [private complainant Purnesh Modi]. Sr Adv Mahesh Jethmalani seeks 10 days to file written submissions.” The court said that it will hear this case on 4th August 2023.

On the issue of his being known to both the advocates and their families, Justice Gavai further said, “It’s my duty. Everyone should know. Coincidentally, my father has been with your father and his father in Parliament. Were great friends. Everyone should know. Tomorrow there shouldn’t be a problem. My father was good friends with your father, as well as his father. In a matter, I had the pleasure of appearing with Ram Jethmalani as his junior.”

What did Rahul Gandhi contend in his petition before the Supreme Court?

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Rahul Gandhi, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court on 18th July 2023 and sought an urgent hearing, following which a bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud agreed to hear the petition.

Rahul Gandhi’s petition, filed in the Supreme Court, came in response to the dismissal of his request for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case related to the Modi surname. Expressing concern over the potential consequences, Rahul Gandhi asserted that if relief is not granted, his political career will be irreparably damaged.

In his plea, Rahul Gandhi contended that allowing the High Court’s decision to stand will gradually erode democratic institutions, leading to the stifling of democracy and negatively impacting the future of India’s political landscape. The Congress leader vehemently refuted the complainant’s claim that his speech defamed individuals bearing the Modi surname.

Highlighting his role as a representative of the Wayanad constituency in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi emphasised that penalising him for what he termed minor defamation charges deprives the constituents of their voice in Parliament and their ability to participate in democratic governance. He also said that failing to stay the conviction and sentence would cause significant harm to the people of Wayanad, leaving them without representation for an extended period.

Rahul Gandhi did not get relief in the Gujarat High Court

After his conviction in the case, Gandhi was declared disqualified as MP from Kerala’s Wayanad on 24th March 2023 following notification of the Lok Sabha Secretariat. Gandhi was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment which disqualified him as an MP under the rigours of the Representation of People Act.

The High Court on July 7 affirmed the decision of a Gujarat Sessions court, which had refused to put on hold a magisterial court order on 23rd March 2023 convicting Gandhi and handing out the maximum punishment provided for criminal defamation under the Indian Penal Code.

Rejecting Gandhi’s plea, the High Court has said that has been seeking a stay on his conviction on “absolutely non-existent grounds” and a stay on conviction is not a rule but an exception. In March, the magisterial court convicted Gandhi for his remarks ahead of the 2019 national polls about the ‘Modi’ surname. After the magisterial court convicted Gandhi, he approached the Sessions court, which rejected his plea for a stay on his conviction on 20th April 2023. Thereafter, he approached the High Court.

Congress scion was disqualified according to the Representation of the People Act

On 23rd March 2023, the Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Surat convicted Rahul Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in jail for his remarks made during an election rally in Karnataka back in 2019. It was during this rally that Gandhi questioned why individuals with the surname Modi are thieves. Following his conviction, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from membership in Parliament. He had been elected to the Lok Sabha from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala during the 2019 general elections. As per Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, a person convicted of an offence and sentenced to two years in jail is rendered ineligible for the term of their punishment and an additional six years, barring him from contesting elections.

US Federal Reserve Board fines Deutsche Bank $186 million over insufficient progress in curbing money-laundering

OpIndia Staff
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US Federal Reserve Board fines Deutsche Bank $186 million over insufficient progress in curbing money-laundering

On Wednesday, July 19, the US Federal Reserve Board levied a fine of $186 million on Deutsche Bank for failing to fix “unsafe and unsound practises” that the bank regulator had pointed out in 2015 and 2017. 

The Fed questioned Deutsche Bank’s controls on sanctions compliance, transaction monitoring, and anti-money-laundering systems in a consent order issued on Wednesday. In 2015 and 2017, the US regulator fined the German lender $99 million for similar violations.

“The Board issued a consent order and a $186 million fine based on unsafe and unsound practices and violations of the Board’s 2015 and 2017 consent orders with Deutsche Bank relating to sanctions compliance and anti-money laundering controls. The Board found that Deutsche Bank made insufficient remedial progress under the 2015 and 2017 consent orders and had deficient anti-money laundering internal controls and governance processes relating to its prior relationship with the Estonian branch of Danske Bank,” the consent order reads. 

The consent order issued by Fed mandated Deutsche Bank to prioritise the completion of numerous essential Board orders.

In addition, the Board announced a Written Agreement to address other general governance, risk management, and control issues at Deutsche Bank.

Meanwhile, the Deutsche Bank issued a statement saying that they are committed to risk management programs with “emphasis on Anti-Financial Crime and  Compliance controls.”

The Deutsche Bank said that it was “positioned to meet regulator expectations” and that the issues would be resolved in the near future. It further added that the imposed punishment is largely covered by prior quarter provisions, with the remaining being within the bank’s disclosed cost range for the second quarter.

The imposition of a $186 million fine came after the Deutsche Bank paid approximately $630 million in 2017 to end US and UK investigations into Russian equity trading. In the same year, the German lender was fined $41 million for failing to comply with anti-money laundering regulations.

Manipur situation: Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon following protests by opposition MPs

ANI
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Manipur situation: Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon following protests by opposition MPs

 Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon on Friday following protests by opposition MPs over their demand for a discussion on the situation in Manipur by suspending other business of the day.

Soon after the House met for the day, opposition MPs were on their feet demanding discussion on the situation in Manipur. They also raised slogans. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla took up the Question Hour and urged members to take their seats.
“Will a solution to problems be found through sloganeering. The solution can be found through talks and discussion. This way is not correct,” he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that discussion should take place on the situation in Manipur and added opposition was displaying seriousness to discuss the issue.

As the din continued, Speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon.

Opposition MPs have been demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on the situation in Manipur followed by a full-day discussion.

They have given adjournment motion notices for discussion on Manipur. The monsoon session of Parliament began on Thursday. 

 (This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

CJI Chandrachud miffed over Allahabad HC’s letter to Railways, reminds ‘His Lordship’ that judges don’t have disciplinary jurisdiction over Railway personnel

OpIndia Staff
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CJI Chandrachud miffed over Allahabad HC’s letter to Railways, reminds ‘His Lordship’ that judges don’t have disciplinary jurisdiction over Railway personnel

On Wednesday, July 19, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud raised concern over a letter written on behalf of Allahabad  High Court Judge Gautam Chowdhary seeking an explanation over the ‘inconvenience’ caused to him during a recent train journey. 

Expressing his displeasure over Justice Gautam Chowdhary’s viral letter, CJI Chandrachud in a communication addressed to all the High Court chief justices stated that a High Court judge does not possess disciplinary jurisdiction over the Railway personnel. 

“In order to prevent further embarrassment to the High Court, I have redacted identities from the extract of the above communication. A Judge of the High Court does not possess disciplinary jurisdiction over railway personnel,” CJI Chandrachud stated.

The CJI then pointed out that there was no occasion for an officer from the Allahabad High Court to demand an explanation from railways for ‘His Lordship’s’ perusal. 

“Hence, there was no occasion for an officer of the High Court to call for an explanation from the railway personnel “to be placed before His Lordship for kind perusal,” the communication reads.

Moreover, CJI Chandrachud said that Justice Chowdhary’s letter has sparked ‘justifiable’ criticism. He also stressed that judges should not use protocol facilities provided to them to assert a claim of privilege or as a manifestation of power and authority. 

“This communication has given rise to justifiable disquiet both within and outside the Judiciary. Protocol ‘facilities’ which are made available to Judges should not be utilized to assert a claim to privilege which sets them apart from society or as a manifestation of power or authority,” CJI wrote.

The CJI went on to say that wise use of judicial authority both on and off the Bench is what keeps the judiciary’s integrity and legitimacy, as well as society’s confidence in judges, intact.

The CJI also advocated for “self-reflection” and counseling within the judiciary.

“Protocol facilities made available to judges should not be used in a manner that is liable to cause inconvenience to others or to bring public criticism of the judiciary,” the CJI stated.

CJI Chandrachud’s communication to High Court chief justices comes after a letter dated July 14 written by the Allahabad High Court Registrar (Protocol) Ashish Kumar Srivastava, on behalf of the sitting Judge, sought an explanation from Railways General Manager (GM) after experiencing ‘inconvenience and displeasure’ on a recent train journey with his wife. ‘His Lordship’ was upset over not getting refreshments despite repeated calls.

Prayagraj: ‘ISIS inspired’ Mohammad Arif chops mother and sister into pieces giving cries of ‘Allah Hu Akbar’, sets fire to his house, attacks cops with acid

OpIndia Staff
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Prayagraj: ‘ISIS inspired’ Mohammad Arif chops mother and sister into pieces giving cries of ‘Allah Hu Akbar’, sets fire to his house, attacks cops with acid

In a shocking case in Prayagraj, a man named Mohammad Arif (35) murdered his mother and sister using an axe. The accused gave the Islamic war cry “Allah hu Akbar” while committing the murders. His father and nephew too were seriously injured in the attack as Mohammad Arif tried to murder other members of his family.

After the murders, Arif set fire to the house.

Arif’s elder brother, Mohammad Azam, who managed to save himself, reportedly said that the former held radical views. “Arif held radical views. He was shouting ‘Allah hu Akbar’ while killing his mother and sister,” Mohammad Azam, brother of accused said. A video doing the rounds on social media shows Arif walking on the balcony with a black flag.

The accused pelted stones at the police upon their arrival. He also hurled on them 250 glass bottles filled with acid, and set fire to the house using the gas cylinder. The police had to release tear gas in order to bring Arif into their control. It was only after 2.5 hours of struggle that the police could catch hold of the radical. More than 24 people were reportedly injured in the acid attack and stone pelting.

Mohammad Arif throw 250 glass bottles filled with acid at the police (Source: Dainik Bhaskar)

It has come to light that Mohammad Arif used to watch ISIS videos and read books about the terrorist organisation. He had hatched a conspiracy to launch the attack almost a week ago. Arif told his brother Azam to vacate the house and live in another house which was built nearby. When Azam and other family members refused to leave, Arif chopped his mother and sister into pieces.

His elder brother Mohammaad Azam reportedly said that Arif had help from two of his friends. He intended to finish the entire family and had carried with him a knife, sword, daggar, chain, and acid.

The police nabbed Mohammad Arif after 2.5 hour-long attempt at evading arrest (Source: Sudhir Mishra/Twitter)

His brother said, “He also set fire to the house. He attacked my son and wife too. When I reached upon hearing their cries, Arif attacked me too. Somehow, I managed to escape into a room with my son and wife.” Mohammad Azam also reportedly said that Arif had a problem with the family and would harass his mother, sister, father, and Azam’s family too. His mother and father had registered complaints twice in the past in the Kareli police station. “Whenever the police summoned him, he would apologize. And then he would repeat the same behavior,” the brother said.

Mohammad Azam, brother of the accused (Source: Dainik Bhaskar)

Mohammad Arif had the support of his wife and the couple reportedly had frequent conflicts with the other family members. His family was against their marriage but couldn’t resist his demand. The brother added that Arif’s wife would mix toilet water in the food meant for others. In a carefully planned attack, Arif had shifted his wife, a government employee, and 6-year-old daughter to the wife’s maternal home. He kept his daughter away from his mother and would take her to his in-laws after his wife would leave for work.

Father of the accused has been admitted to a local hospital. Bodies of the mother and sister have been sent for post-mortem. The cops have recovered 60 bottles of acid. A complaint has been filed by the brother of the accused.

Seven NCP MLAs from Nagaland declare their support to Ajit Pawar, another major setback for Sharad Pawar

OpIndia Staff
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Seven NCP MLAs from Nagaland declare their support to Ajit Pawar, another major setback for Sharad Pawar

On Thursday, 20th July 2023, Seven NCP MLAs from Nagaland extended support to Ajit Pawar. All the seven MLAs and other office-bearers of NCP in Nagaland will support Ajit Pawar.

Nagaland NCP state president Vanthungo Odyuo met Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare in Maharashtra. The decision was later announced. While Sharad Pawar is facing the challenge of rebuilding the party as Ajit Pawar defected and joined the NDA government in Maharashtra with 40 other NCP MLAs and key leaders from the organization.

Sharad Pawar has suffered another major setback as all the seven MLAs from Nagaland joined the Ajit Pawar group.

Nagaland NCP state president Vanthungo Odyuo said that the NCP MLAs from Nagaland have given a letter of support to senior NCP leader Praful Patel. Nagaland Nationalist Congress Party’s Brijmohan Srivastava issued a statement following the decision.

The statement said, “Nationalist Congress Party Nagaland has decided that all MLAs and office bearers here will support the party’s national president Ajit Pawar. We will work under the leadership of NCP national president Ajit Pawar and working president Praful Patel.”

This decision taken by seven Nagaland MLAs is considered to be a big setback for Sharad Pawar.

Ajit Pawar held a press conference soon after becoming deputy chief minister on 2nd July 2023. Even then, he staked claim to the party and the symbol. He had also mentioned Nagaland in his press conference at that time. He cited the example of the NCP forming an alliance with the BJP in Nagaland.

In a startling political move, Ajit Pawar and eight other prominent leaders including Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dhananjay Munde joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on July 2 which resulted in a major split in the NCP. Ajit Pawar was appointed deputy chief minister while the others were sworn in as ministers in a ceremony conducted at the Raj Bhavan.

UP: Aligarh Muslim University student Faizan Ansari arrested by NIA for ISIS links

ANI
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UP: Aligarh Muslim University student Faizan Ansari arrested by NIA for ISIS links

 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a 19-year-old student of Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for his alleged links with ISIS, a proscribed terrorist organization.

The accused, Faizan Ansari alias Faiz, was arrested after searches at his house and rented accommodation in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh as part of NIA’s crackdown against modules of ISIS operating in the country, said the NIA. Faizan has been taken into custody in a case registered by the NIA on July 19 under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The agency will be progressing with its investigations to unravel all the facets of the international conspiracy.

The searches at the house of the accused in Lohardaga district of Jharkhand and a rented room in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh were conducted on July 16 and 17 and several electronic devices and incriminating materials and documents were seized, said the anti-terror agency.

As per the NIA, Faizan had hatched a criminal conspiracy along with his associates and other unknown individuals through social media platforms to support ISIS activities in India and disseminate the outfit’s propaganda over various social media platforms.

“The conspiracy was aimed at carrying out violent terror attacks in India on behalf of ISIS,” the NIA said.

Investigations have revealed that Faizan and his associates had pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State, stated the agency, adding “The accused was also actively in the process of radicalizing neo-converts and attracting them to the terrorist fold for enriching the cadre base of the ISIS in India.”

Faizan was in contact with foreign-based ISIS handlers who were guiding him on recruitment to the banned outfit, said the NIA. “Along with other members of the ISIS, he was planning violent actions and was contemplating doing ‘hijrat’ to an ISIS conflict theatre abroad.” 

 (This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Manipur police arrest four after viral video shows women paraded naked and gang raped

ANI
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Manipur police arrest four after viral video shows women paraded naked and gang raped

Four people have been arrested on Thursday in the horrifying viral video of women being paraded naked surfaced from Manipur.

“Four main accused arrested in the Viral Video Case: 03 (three) more main accused of the heinous crime of abduction and gangrape under Nongpok Sekmai PS, Thoubal District have been arrested today. So a total 04 (four) persons have been arrested till now,” Manipur Police tweeted. Meanwhile, Manipur Police are conducting raids and making all-out efforts to arrest the other culprits at the earliest, State Police tweeted.

Moreover, search operations and checking at nakas by the state police and central forces are being undertaken. “Search Operations and Checking at Nakas: State Police and Central forces continue to conduct search operations in the vulnerable and fringe areas of both valley and hill districts. 02 (two) arms with 05 (five) ammunitions were recovered in Imphal East District,” Manipur Police tweeted.

In connection with violations in different districts of Manipur, a total of 129 nakas and checkpoints are installed in different districts of Manipur and detained 657 persons in connection with violations. “A total of 129 Nakas/ Checkpoints were installed in different Districts of Manipur, both in the hill and the valley and Police detained 657 persons in connection with violations in different districts of the State,” Manipur police tweeted.

“Movement of 464 (four hundred sixty-eight) vehicles on NH-37 and 138 (one hundred thirty-eight) vehicles on NH-2 with essential items have been ensured. Strict security measures are taken up in all vulnerable locations and a security convoy is provided in sensitive stretches in order to ensure free and safe movement of the vehicles,” Manipur police said.

Earlier today, Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey expressed her strong condemnation of the viral video of women being paraded naked and allegedly sexually assaulted and directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to take immediate steps to book the perpetrators of this heinous crime and award exemplary punishment as per law.

Amidst a nationwide outcry over the appalling incident in Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced that two individuals, including the primary perpetrator, have been apprehended. He emphasized that his government would spare no effort in seeking the death penalty for the accused.

“One was arrested yesterday and recently I got information that another one has also been arrested now. The interrogation is going on. The state police have arrested the suspected main culprit and those who involve have also been arrested and will be booked as per the law,” Singh said.

The violence in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3 in protest against the proposed inclusion of people belonging to the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Pakistan: Lahore court acquits prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son and wife in money laundering case

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Pakistan: Lahore court acquits prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son and wife in money laundering case

An accountability court in Lahore on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shehbaz and wife Nusrat Shehbaz in Pakistani Rupees (PKR) Rs 8 billion money laundering reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau, reported Dawn.

In August 2020, NAB filed an Rs 8 billion reference of money laundering against Shehbaz — who was the opposition leader at the time — his two sons and other family members. The court acquitted Shehbaz Sharif, all the co-accused, including his wife Nusrat Shehbaz, his daughter Javeria Ali, Hamza Shehbaz, Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Shoaib Qamar, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Ali Ahmed and Nisar Ahmed, except for one, according to Geo News report.

The court issued a perpetual arrest warrant for Shehbaz Sharif’s daughter Rabia Imran. As per the Geo News report, she had been declared absconder in the case.

The court’s decision comes after the accused filed petitions seeking acquittal on the basis of their argument on NAB’s inability to produce any evidence against them.

The NAB investigators have also said no evidence was found against them. While announcing the verdict, the court said that it had no other option except to acquit the accused as NAB has said they have no evidence against them.

In August 2020, the anti-graft watchdog filed the reference for the inquiry underway since 2018, Geo News reported. At the time, Shehbaz Sharif served as the leader of the opposition in the Pakistan National Assembly.

NAB arrested Shehbaz Sharif after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail in the case on September 29. An accountability court indicted Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, and others accused on November 11, 2020. However, Shehbaz Sharif was released on bail in April 2021.

Last week, a special district court acquitted Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman Shehbaz and others accused in a money laundering case, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported.

The decision came as the district court was hearing acquittal pleas filed by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s son, Suleman, and other accused in PKR Rs 16 billion money laundering case. However, the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) have earlier replied to 27 questions asked by the court, reported The Express Tribune.

During the hearing, the court asked whether the FIA had recorded any written statement by any witness during the probe to which the FIA’s investigation officer (IO) Ali Mardan remained silent. The court further asked about their actions against those who kept changing their stance during the investigation.

According to the report, the investigation officer responded that no action was taken. However, the FIA lawyer added that there was no direct evidence against Suleman regarding money laundering, The Express Tribune reported.

The court accepted the pleas submitted by the accused and acquitted Suleman and others from the case. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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