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The Bombay high court on Monday said no coercive steps shall be taken against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede till April 10 on notices issued to him on the NCB's preliminary inquiry over irregularities in a drugs case related to actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death.
The agency had called him a hostile witness after he made the allegations.
Their counsel Satish Maneshinde told the HC that the drugs case, in which Rhea and Showik are accused and currently in jail, should have been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing Rajput's death, by the NCB.
The duo was arrested last month by the Narcotics Control Bureau in connection with its drugs probe related to the case of Rajput's death.
While granting him bail on December 2, special NDPS court judge G B Gurao observed that the ingredient of Section 27-A of the NDPS Act does not apply to Showik's case.
The CBI has significantly increased the rate of fugitive repatriation, bringing back 134 individuals in the last five years, doubling the number from the previous decade. This success is attributed to enhanced diplomatic efforts, technological advancements, and improved coordination with Interpol.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has informed a parliamentary panel that Pakistan was notified about Indian strikes on terror camps in their territory only after they were carried out. He also clarified that the decision to halt the military operation was taken bilaterally following a request from Pakistan, and there was no US mediation involved. Jaishankar emphasized India's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and the importance of conveying a united message against it globally.
The Kerala High Court has quashed a case booked under the POCSO Act against six journalists of Malayalam news channel Asianet for allegedly disclosing the identity of a minor victim of sexual assault in a program on the ill effects of drug abuse. The court said that the channel's intention was not to disclose the victim's identity and that the program was intended to alert the public about the increasing drug abuse among youngsters in Kerala. The court also criticized some media outlets for reporting allegations without proper investigation or inquiry.
Based on information received from those arrested, a raid was conducted at Delhi's Kotla Mubarakpur on Tuesday, a police officer said.
The NCB claimed that the students were both addicts and suppliers of these drugs.
A sessions court in Palanpur in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Thursday sentenced former Indian Police Service officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in a 1996 case involving planting of drugs to frame a lawyer.
Special public prosecutor Atul Sarpande said the prosecution maintained charges against all the accused as mentioned in the charge-sheet filed before the court.
Aryan Khan had submitted his passport before the court as part of his bail conditions.
The NIA had filed the case suo motu on July 8 last year and arrested the 13 persons from Tamil Nadu.
The Narcotics Control Bureau's special investigation team has found "grave irregularities" and gaps in the probe of the Mumbai drugs-on-cruise case, with officials saying its first team that arrested Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan did not follow rules like mandatory medical test of accused, video recording of the raids and corroborate evidence for WhatsApp chats.
Majithia had moved a court on Thursday after the case was registered and a lookout circular issued against him.
The Interpol has issued its first Silver notice, at India's request, to track the global assets of former French Embassy officer Shubham Shokeen, who is wanted in connection with a visa fraud. The Silver notice, introduced in January this year, aims to track illicit assets across the globe. India is among 51 countries participating in the pilot project for the Silver notice, which will continue until November. The Interpol has issued two Silver notices on the CBI's request - one against Shokeen for allegedly facilitating Schengen visas for illegal gratification and another against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal, who is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly creating a cryptocurrency without permission and defrauding investors.
Over 30,000 kg of drugs were incinerated in four locations across India on Saturday in the virtual presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
A case against Majithia under various sections of the NDPS Act was registered on the basis of a 2018 status report of probe into the drug racket in the state.
A court in Kochi granted the Narcotics Control Bureau 14-day custody of the Pakistani national arrested in connection with the seizure of over 2,500 kg of methamphetamine from a vessel in Indian waters off the port city.
The incident took place in Vashi area at around 1.30 pm on Saturday when the 37-year-old police naik, Siddeshwar Mali, was on bandobast duty on account of the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, they said.
As the controversy over Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt's remarks refused to die down, the chief minister said the Kerala society as a whole has not agreed with the Bishop's statement and expressed hope that he would "respond", sensing the stand of the public on the issue.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday sacked six government employees, including five policemen, for their 'deep involvement in anti-national activities', officials said.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has overturned the transfer of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede from Mumbai to Chennai, ruling that the revenue department violated its own guidelines. Wankhede, known for his role in the Cordelia cruise drug bust case involving Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son, had claimed his transfer was punitive and a consequence of his actions at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The CAT found procedural lapses and potential bias in the transfer decision, stating that transfer policies must be implemented fairly and transparently.
The KCBC, in a statement, said that even the United Nations reports have made it clear that money earned from drug trafficking is being used for terrorist activities.
Sail's lawyer said that his family members do not suspect any foul play.
They were earlier lodged at the quarantine barrack of the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.
The NCB, which got the remand of Aryan Khan and the other eight accused from the court till Thursday, also claimed that in the WhatsApp chats he is discussing modes of payment to be done for procurement (of drugs) and that several code names are being used.
In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) seized a vessel with six Myanmarese crew carrying 6,000 kg of contraband Methamphetamine near Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an official said on Monday.
Senior counsel Amit Desai, appearing for Aryan Khan, termed the NCB's contention as 'inherently absurd' and argued that when there was no recovery of drugs from him, then he should not be penalised at the stage of granting bail.
They said various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) have been pressed in the complaint filed by the federal anti-drugs agency on an official reference received from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
In the 15-page order, the details of which were made available on Saturday, the ACMM said 'this court ceases its jurisdiction to entertain the applications for bail' considering section 36A and the fact that all three were held for one crime under various provisions of the NDPS Act for which the prescribed punishment was more than three years.
The officials said Dipesh Sawant, who was being questioned since morning, has been arrested under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
The Narcotics Control Bureau on Tuesday claimed to have busted the "biggest" darknet-based LSD cartel operating in India with the seizure of more than 13,000 blots and Rs 26 lakh in cash and the arrest of three persons.
Yadav was arrested by the Noida police on Sunday in connection with its probe into suspected use of snake venoms as recreational drugs in parties he hosted.
The increased vigil comes after the Narcotics Control Bureau recently busted two international syndicates operating through a call centre and a software firm to smuggle Psychotropic drugs overseas. NCB seized over 90,000 regulated and banned tablets valued at over Rs one crore in the international market that were to be smuggled out.
'This is evidently pure vendetta politics and may even end up helping the Akalis in the elections'
'In a joint operation carefully planned by the NCB and the Indian Navy in the high seas, NCB officials have successfully seized around 529 kg of very high quality of hashish, 234 kg of finest quality of crystal methamphetamine and some quantity of heroin,' the anti-drug agency said in a release.
During the talks, the two sides appreciated the deepening of the defence ties as a key pillar of the strategic partnership and welcomed the creation of a Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council.
