The Evening Wrap: Hemant Soren’s case needs ‘intense debate', says Supreme Court

A Supreme Court hearing in an interim bail plea filed by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to canvas for votes ahead of the last two phases of polling in the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for May 25 and June 1, ended on an indecisive note on Tuesday. Soren is in custody in a money laundering case since his arrest on January 31, 2024. However, a Vacation Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma said Soren’s case, leave alone for interim bail, but even for quashing his arrest on January 31, required “intense debate”. The judges found that Soren was previously denied bail by the Special Court on May 3. Moreover, the trial court had already taken cognisance of the money laundering case, a clear indication that it had found him prima facie guilty based on the evidence at hand. “A lot of water has flown under the bridge after the arrest [of Soren], which is challenged here. Thereafter, bail was rejected and cognisance was also taken… But you say the arrest is illegal and so the custody is illegal… You are challenging his custody. But then the Special Court had taken cognisance. So, the question we want to ask is if even after cognisance, can arrest be called invalid? This needs an intense debate,” Justice Datta addressed senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Soren. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, for the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), suggested posting the case after court vacations. The court would reopen only in July, well after elections. Sibal pleaded his client would have “lost everything” by then, prompting the Bench to list the case on May 22. During the hearing, Raju said the case of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader was different from that of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was granted interim bail by the apex court in the liquor policy case on May 10 to canvas votes for the Lok Sabha polls. “For one, the Special Court had prima facie found material suggesting Soren had committed the offence, and thus, taken cognisance. The cognisance order has not been challenged,” he said. On the other hand, Kejriwal was made an accused, along with the Aam Aadmi Party, by the ED in a supplementary chargesheet only after he was out on interim bail. “Secondly, Mr. Soren’s bail application under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was filed and rejected,” Raju noted. Kejriwal had never applied for bail under Section 45, choosing to approach the constitutional courts to quash his arrest on May 21. “The arrest of Mr. Soren was not done, as in Mr. Kejriwal’s case, days after the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha polls came into force… Interim bail in this case would open a Pandora’s box,” Raju argued. The ED contended that while Soren claimed he had no connection with the 8.86 acres of land at Shanti Nagar in Ranchi, he had allegedly tried to tamper with the evidence. Sibal said he was opposing the arrest itself. “Whatever material was in possession of the ED officer was not enough to arrest me under Article 19 [power to arrest] of the PMLA… The allegation against me at the time of the arrest was forcible or illegal possession of 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi. Forcible or illegal possession of land is not a scheduled offence under the PMLA,” Sibal argued. He said the proceeds of crime should arise from a scheduled offence given in the PMLA. “Anybody can say that this land belongs to Soren. There is no evidence the land belongs to him,” the senior lawyer argued. Sibal submitted the land in question was illegally mutated between 1976 and 1986. Soren was four years old at the time and could not possibly have had a role in these activities. He said the ED had built its case on the statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA of all the people who said the 8.86-acre property was in the possession of Soren. There was no evidence whatsoever to show when the land was illegally possessed, how and by whom. “Those who have illegally possessed the mutated land, instead of being accused, became complainants in the case against me,” the senior lawyer submitted. He said the subsequent judicial orders would collapse if the arrest was invalidated. But Justice Datta persisted in his line of questioning on whether a challenge to arrest would survive an order of the Special Court taking cognisance of the case against Soren. “The Special Court has already applied its judicial mind to the evidence against you [Soren] and found them satisfactory. Can a writ court intervene now?” Justice Datta asked. To this, Sibal queried whether a constitutional court could refuse to go into “the question of a man’s freedom and illegality of his arrest”. “Satisfy us that despite two orders of rejection of bail and cognisance order, the challenge to arrest will survive,” Justice Datta told Sibal. Pune car accident: Police arrest five including realtor as case snowballs into political slugfest The Pune police on Tuesday arrested a real estate developer who is the father of a 17-year-old boy whose speeding luxury car had recently knocked down and killed two persons in the city’s upmarket Kalyani Nagar area even as the case snowballed into a political slugfest, with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) accusing police authorities and an MLA of the ruling Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction of allegedly shielding the accused minor. Builder Vishal Agarwal, who had been absconding, was arrested by a team of the Pune police’s crime branch from Maharashtra’s Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) early today after a case was registered against him on Monday (May 20). “He was taken in custody from a hotel in Sambhajinagar early today morning and is being brought to Pune. He will be produced in court on Wednesday,” Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said. The police also arrested four other persons, including proprietors and executives of two pubs – BLAK (in Marriott Suites) and Cosie - for serving liquor to the minor. All five persons, including Vishal Agarwal, face charges under sections 3, 5, and 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act as well as sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015. According to the authorities, the arrests were made after CCTV footage from one of the bars surfaced, which shows the minor and his friends consuming alcohol. The accident had occurred some hours later. Vishal Agarwal’s minor son, under the influence of alcohol, had caused a tragic accident in the wee hours of Sunday when he rammed his grey-coloured Porsche car into a motorbike from behind, killing both riders — Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa — both in their mid-20s. A case had been registered against the accused under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act on the same day of the accident. Even as Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a stern probe into the incident, Congressman and Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra State Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a judicial inquiry while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut cast aspersions on the working of the police machinery, calling for Police Commissioner to be sacked. Wadettiwar said the investigation had revealed that the luxury car had no registration number, and the minor driver was seen consuming alcohol at a pub before the accident. He questioned how an unregistered car was allowed on Pune roads and how the pub served alcohol to the minor. “The alcohol test of the minor came back negative, but CCTV footage shows him consuming alcohol. This raises many questions about the investigation. How do pubs and bars serve alcohol to minors? Why do the police allow these pubs and hotels to ignore the rules?” Wadettiwar said, in a post on micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter). While the nature of the accident was enough to provoke outrage, the decision of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), which granted the youngster bail barely 15 hours after the incident, had sparked a storm of criticism on social media and elsewhere. The JJB, while asking the accused to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, had directed him to visit the Regional Transport Office to study rules and regulations. More opprobrium followed against the accused and the police authorities following allegations that the minor, who was in the Yerwada police station soon after causing the accident, was reportedly served pizzas and burgers while an MLA from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP was trying to pressurise the police to mitigate charges against him. Responding to these accusations, Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said today, “If any police official has been found to have indulged in something like this or has been attempting to shield the accused, then he will be severely dealt with.” Refuting suggestions of laxity on part of the police, Kumar said: “While people are outraged that the JJB granted bail to the accused in barely 15 hours, let me say that even the police are equally upset and had objected to the JJB’s decision right from the start. However, it is not proper to suggest that the police have been lax in any way at any point of time in this case. We have taken the most stringent legal approach right form the start and have handled it professionally.” He refuted suggestions that the minor’s alcohol reports had turned up as ‘negative’ in a bid to let him off the hook. “The CCTV footage clearly shows he was drinking. Be it CCTV footage or online bill payments, we have a record of his activities before the accident. He made online payments totalling to ₹48,000 to a hotel. So, no one should be any doubt that the accused will escape justice,” Kumar said. He further said that in order to make it a watertight case, the probe was being led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP)-level officer as well as by Crime Branch officials while a special counsel would be appointed as well. Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, claiming the accused teenager was served pizzas and burgers by the Pune police, demanded that Commissioner Amitesh Kumar be sacked. “Whom are the Pune police shielding? Two innocent lives, both in their 20s, have been lost because of the recklessness and arrogance of a drunken son of a wealthy builder. This is the result of a corrupt police machinery and a corrupt MLA of the Ajit Pawar faction. The citizens of Pune must protest before the Commissioner’s office and demand his ouster,” Raut said. The Congress, led by its Pune unit leaders, Kasba Peth MLA Ravindra Dhangekar and Mohan Joshi, staged a protest before the Yerwada police station. “Citizens in this area have long been troubled by the rampant pub culture. And now, after this accident, the police instead of stringently investigating this case, did not apply the correct clauses soon after the accused was taken into custody. As a result, the JJB let the accused off. It appears that the police have been bribed in this case,” Dhangekar said. Maliwal assault case: Kejriwal aide Bibhav being taken to Mumbai for retrieval of phone data Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar, arrested for allegedly assaulting AAP MP Swati Maliwal, is being taken to Mumbai for the retrieval of data from his formatted iPhone, police said on May 21. Kumar is under a five-day judicial custody in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha MP, at the CM’s Delhi residence. Police said Kumar had formatted his phone before transferring the data to some person, or device in Mumbai. His mobile phone was seized following his arrest but it was found to have been formatted, they said. Israeli officials seize AP equipment and take down live shot of northern Gaza, citing new media law Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on May 21, accusing the news organisation of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera. The Qatari satellite channel is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news organisations. The AP denounced the move. “The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment,” said Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications at the news organisation. “The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the country’s new foreign broadcaster law. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world.” Officials from the Communications Ministry arrived at the AP location in the southern town of Sderot on May 21 afternoon and seized the equipment. They handed the AP a piece of paper, signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, alleging it was violating the country’s foreign broadcaster law. Shortly before the equipment was seized, it was broadcasting a general view of northern Gaza. The AP complies with Israel’s military censorship rules, which prohibit broadcasts of details like troops movements that could endanger soldiers. The live shot has generally shown smoke rising over the territory. The seizure followed a verbal order Thursday to cease the live transmission — which the news organisation refused to do. “In accordance with the government decision and the instruction of the communications minister, the communications ministry will continue to take whatever enforcement action is required to limit broadcasts that harm the security of the state,” the ministry said in a statement. Israeli officials used the law to close down the offices of the Qatar-based broadcaster on May 5 as well as confiscating the channel’s equipment, banning its broadcasts, and blocking its websites. Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it a “terror channel” that spreads incitement. Al Jazeera is one of the few international news outlets that has remained in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres. Poll roundup: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 21 slammed the Opposition Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal that are part of the INDIA bloc while raking issues of corruption, reservation, inflation, abrogation of Article 370 and construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya. “Congress party wants reservation based on religion. Had Baba Sahib Ambedkar not been there, former PM Nehru would have not made reservations happen for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes,” Modi said at a public meeting in Motihari of the East Champaran district. The Election Commission of India censured former Calcutta High Court judge and BJP candidate from Tamluk in West Bengal Abhijit Gangopadhyay for his remarks against Trinamool chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, barring him from campaigning for 24 hours from 5 p.m. today. The poll panel had sent him a show-cause notice based on a complaint by the Trinamool Congress against Gangopadhyay for his remarks against Banerjee while addressing a public meeting held on May 15 in Haldia. In its notice to him, the EC said Gangopadhyay’s comment has been found to be “beyond dignity in every sense of term” and “in bad taste”, and prima facie violative of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and its advisory to political parties. In Brief:Delhi Excise Policy case: Delhi High Court denies bail to Manish Sisodia The Delhi High Court on May 21 rejected the bail plea of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the corruption and money-laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the ED respectively in relation to the Delhi excise policy scam. The High Court in its order said that Sisodia allegedly indulged in destruction of crucial evidence, including electronic evidence. “Sisodia was very powerful, influential person within power corridors of Delhi government. Material collected showed Sisodia subverted process of excise policy by fabricating public feedback to suit his predetermined goal,” it added. Gunmen kill around 40 people in attack in northcentral Nigeria: official Gunmen riding motorbikes killed around 40 people in a raid on a mining community in northcentral Nigeria, opening fire on residents and torching homes, the local government said on May 21. The attack late on May 20 on Wase district in Plateau State was the latest violence in an area, which has long been a flashpoint for disputes over resources and for outbreaks of intercommunal clashes. Armed men invaded Zurak community, shooting sporadically and torching houses, Plateau State commissioner for information Musa Ibrahim Ashoms told AFP by telephone. “As we speak, about 40 people have been confirmed dead. Zurak is a popular mining community,” he said. Wase has deposits of zinc and lead, while Plateau as a whole is known for its tin mining industry. Delhi court frames charges against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh in sexual harassment case A Delhi court on May 21 framed charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the modesty of women against ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a criminal case filed by female wrestlers. Singh pleaded not guilty to the charges before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot and claimed trial. “Why will I plead guilty when I am not guilty?” Singh said. The court also framed the charge of criminal intimidation against co-accused and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in the case. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 21 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Hemant Soren’s case needs ‘intense debate’: Supreme Court A [Supreme Court hearing in an interim bail plea filed by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren]( to canvas for votes ahead of the last two phases of polling in the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for May 25 and June 1, ended on an indecisive note on Tuesday. Soren is in custody in a money laundering case since his arrest on January 31, 2024. However, a Vacation Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma said Soren’s case, leave alone for interim bail, but even for quashing his arrest on January 31, required “intense debate”. The judges found that Soren was previously denied bail by the Special Court on May 3. Moreover, the trial court had already taken cognisance of the money laundering case, a clear indication that it had found him prima facie guilty based on the evidence at hand. “A lot of water has flown under the bridge after the arrest [of Soren], which is challenged here. Thereafter, bail was rejected and cognisance was also taken… But you say the arrest is illegal and so the custody is illegal… You are challenging his custody. But then the Special Court had taken cognisance. So, the question we want to ask is if even after cognisance, can arrest be called invalid? This needs an intense debate,” Justice Datta addressed senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Soren. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, for the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), suggested posting the case after court vacations. The court would reopen only in July, well after elections. Sibal pleaded his client would have “lost everything” by then, prompting the Bench to list the case on May 22. During the hearing, Raju said the case of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader was different from that of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was granted interim bail by the apex court in the liquor policy case on May 10 to canvas votes for the Lok Sabha polls. “For one, the Special Court had prima facie found material suggesting Soren had committed the offence, and thus, taken cognisance. The cognisance order has not been challenged,” he said. On the other hand, Kejriwal was made an accused, along with the Aam Aadmi Party, by the ED in a supplementary chargesheet only after he was out on interim bail. “Secondly, Mr. Soren’s bail application under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was filed and rejected,” Raju noted. Kejriwal had never applied for bail under Section 45, choosing to approach the constitutional courts to quash his arrest on May 21. “The arrest of Mr. Soren was not done, as in Mr. Kejriwal’s case, days after the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha polls came into force… Interim bail in this case would open a Pandora’s box,” Raju argued. The ED contended that while Soren claimed he had no connection with the 8.86 acres of land at Shanti Nagar in Ranchi, he had allegedly tried to tamper with the evidence. Sibal said he was opposing the arrest itself. “Whatever material was in possession of the ED officer was not enough to arrest me under Article 19 [power to arrest] of the PMLA… The allegation against me at the time of the arrest was forcible or illegal possession of 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi. Forcible or illegal possession of land is not a scheduled offence under the PMLA,” Sibal argued. He said the proceeds of crime should arise from a scheduled offence given in the PMLA. “Anybody can say that this land belongs to Soren. There is no evidence the land belongs to him,” the senior lawyer argued. Sibal submitted the land in question was illegally mutated between 1976 and 1986. Soren was four years old at the time and could not possibly have had a role in these activities. He said the ED had built its case on the statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA of all the people who said the 8.86-acre property was in the possession of Soren. There was no evidence whatsoever to show when the land was illegally possessed, how and by whom. “Those who have illegally possessed the mutated land, instead of being accused, became complainants in the case against me,” the senior lawyer submitted. He said the subsequent judicial orders would collapse if the arrest was invalidated. But Justice Datta persisted in his line of questioning on whether a challenge to arrest would survive an order of the Special Court taking cognisance of the case against Soren. “The Special Court has already applied its judicial mind to the evidence against you [Soren] and found them satisfactory. Can a writ court intervene now?” Justice Datta asked. To this, Sibal queried whether a constitutional court could refuse to go into “the question of a man’s freedom and illegality of his arrest”. “Satisfy us that despite two orders of rejection of bail and cognisance order, the challenge to arrest will survive,” Justice Datta told Sibal. Pune car accident: Police arrest five including realtor as case snowballs into political slugfest The [Pune police on Tuesday arrested a real estate developer]( who is the father of a 17-year-old boy whose speeding luxury car had recently knocked down and killed two persons in the city’s upmarket Kalyani Nagar area even as the case snowballed into a political slugfest, with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) accusing police authorities and an MLA of the ruling Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction of allegedly shielding the accused minor. Builder Vishal Agarwal, who had been absconding, was arrested by a team of the Pune police’s crime branch from Maharashtra’s Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) early today after a case was registered against him on Monday (May 20). “He was taken in custody from a hotel in Sambhajinagar early today morning and is being brought to Pune. He will be produced in court on Wednesday,” Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said. The police also arrested four other persons, including proprietors and executives of two pubs – BLAK (in Marriott Suites) and Cosie - for serving liquor to the minor. All five persons, including Vishal Agarwal, face charges under sections 3, 5, and 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act as well as sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015. According to the authorities, the arrests were made after CCTV footage from one of the bars surfaced, which shows the minor and his friends consuming alcohol. The accident had occurred some hours later. Vishal Agarwal’s minor son, under the influence of alcohol, had caused a tragic accident in the wee hours of Sunday when he rammed his grey-coloured Porsche car into a motorbike from behind, killing both riders — Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa — both in their mid-20s. A case had been registered against the accused under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act on the same day of the accident. Even as Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a stern probe into the incident, Congressman and Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra State Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a judicial inquiry while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut cast aspersions on the working of the police machinery, calling for Police Commissioner to be sacked. Wadettiwar said the investigation had revealed that the luxury car had no registration number, and the minor driver was seen consuming alcohol at a pub before the accident. He questioned how an unregistered car was allowed on Pune roads and how the pub served alcohol to the minor. “The alcohol test of the minor came back negative, but CCTV footage shows him consuming alcohol. This raises many questions about the investigation. How do pubs and bars serve alcohol to minors? Why do the police allow these pubs and hotels to ignore the rules?” Wadettiwar said, in a post on micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter). While the nature of the accident was enough to provoke outrage, the decision of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), which granted the youngster bail barely 15 hours after the incident, had sparked a storm of criticism on social media and elsewhere. The JJB, while asking the accused to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, had directed him to visit the Regional Transport Office to study rules and regulations. More opprobrium followed against the accused and the police authorities following allegations that the minor, who was in the Yerwada police station soon after causing the accident, was reportedly served pizzas and burgers while an MLA from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP was trying to pressurise the police to mitigate charges against him. Responding to these accusations, Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said today, “If any police official has been found to have indulged in something like this or has been attempting to shield the accused, then he will be severely dealt with.” Refuting suggestions of laxity on part of the police, Kumar said: “While people are outraged that the JJB granted bail to the accused in barely 15 hours, let me say that even the police are equally upset and had objected to the JJB’s decision right from the start. However, it is not proper to suggest that the police have been lax in any way at any point of time in this case. We have taken the most stringent legal approach right form the start and have handled it professionally.” He refuted suggestions that the minor’s alcohol reports had turned up as ‘negative’ in a bid to let him off the hook. “The CCTV footage clearly shows he was drinking. Be it CCTV footage or online bill payments, we have a record of his activities before the accident. He made online payments totalling to ₹48,000 to a hotel. So, no one should be any doubt that the accused will escape justice,” Kumar said. He further said that in order to make it a watertight case, the probe was being led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP)-level officer as well as by Crime Branch officials while a special counsel would be appointed as well. Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, claiming the accused teenager was served pizzas and burgers by the Pune police, demanded that Commissioner Amitesh Kumar be sacked. “Whom are the Pune police shielding? Two innocent lives, both in their 20s, have been lost because of the recklessness and arrogance of a drunken son of a wealthy builder. This is the result of a corrupt police machinery and a corrupt MLA of the Ajit Pawar faction. The citizens of Pune must protest before the Commissioner’s office and demand his ouster,” Raut said. The Congress, led by its Pune unit leaders, Kasba Peth MLA Ravindra Dhangekar and Mohan Joshi, staged a protest before the Yerwada police station. “Citizens in this area have long been troubled by the rampant pub culture. And now, after this accident, the police instead of stringently investigating this case, did not apply the correct clauses soon after the accused was taken into custody. As a result, the JJB let the accused off. It appears that the police have been bribed in this case,” Dhangekar said. Maliwal assault case: Kejriwal aide Bibhav being taken to Mumbai for retrieval of phone data Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar, arrested for allegedly assaulting AAP MP Swati Maliwal, is [being taken to Mumbai for the retrieval of data]( from his formatted iPhone, police said on May 21. Kumar is under a five-day judicial custody in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha MP, at the CM’s Delhi residence. Police said Kumar had formatted his phone before transferring the data to some person, or device in Mumbai. His mobile phone was seized following his arrest but it was found to have been formatted, they said. Israeli officials seize AP equipment and take down live shot of northern Gaza, citing new media law [Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press]( in southern Israel on May 21, accusing the news organisation of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera. The Qatari satellite channel is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news organisations. The AP denounced the move. “The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment,” said Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications at the news organisation. “The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the country’s new foreign broadcaster law. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world.” Officials from the Communications Ministry arrived at the AP location in the southern town of Sderot on May 21 afternoon and seized the equipment. They handed the AP a piece of paper, signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, alleging it was violating the country’s foreign broadcaster law. Shortly before the equipment was seized, it was broadcasting a general view of northern Gaza. The AP complies with Israel’s military censorship rules, which prohibit broadcasts of details like troops movements that could endanger soldiers. The live shot has generally shown smoke rising over the territory. The seizure followed a verbal order Thursday to cease the live transmission — which the news organisation refused to do. “In accordance with the government decision and the instruction of the communications minister, the communications ministry will continue to take whatever enforcement action is required to limit broadcasts that harm the security of the state,” the ministry said in a statement. Israeli officials used the law to close down the offices of the Qatar-based broadcaster on May 5 as well as confiscating the channel’s equipment, banning its broadcasts, and blocking its websites. Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it a “terror channel” that spreads incitement. Al Jazeera is one of the few international news outlets that has remained in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres. Poll roundup: - Prime Minister [Narendra Modi on May 21 slammed the Opposition]( Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal that are part of the INDIA bloc while raking issues of corruption, reservation, inflation, abrogation of Article 370 and construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya. “Congress party wants reservation based on religion. Had Baba Sahib Ambedkar not been there, former PM Nehru would have not made reservations happen for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes,” Modi said at a public meeting in Motihari of the East Champaran district. - The [Election Commission of India censured former Calcutta High Court judge and BJP candidate from Tamluk in West Bengal Abhijit Gangopadhyay]( for his remarks against Trinamool chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, barring him from campaigning for 24 hours from 5 p.m. today. The poll panel had sent him a show-cause notice based on a complaint by the Trinamool Congress against Gangopadhyay for his remarks against Banerjee while addressing a public meeting held on May 15 in Haldia. In its notice to him, the EC said Gangopadhyay’s comment has been found to be “beyond dignity in every sense of term” and “in bad taste”, and prima facie violative of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and its advisory to political parties. In Brief: Delhi Excise Policy case: Delhi High Court denies bail to Manish Sisodia The [Delhi High Court on May 21 rejected the bail plea of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia]( in the corruption and money-laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the ED respectively in relation to the Delhi excise policy scam. The High Court in its order said that Sisodia allegedly indulged in destruction of crucial evidence, including electronic evidence. “Sisodia was very powerful, influential person within power corridors of Delhi government. Material collected showed Sisodia subverted process of excise policy by fabricating public feedback to suit his predetermined goal,” it added. Gunmen kill around 40 people in attack in northcentral Nigeria: official [Gunmen riding motorbikes killed around 40 people]( in a raid on a mining community in northcentral Nigeria, opening fire on residents and torching homes, the local government said on May 21. The attack late on May 20 on Wase district in Plateau State was the latest violence in an area, which has long been a flashpoint for disputes over resources and for outbreaks of intercommunal clashes. Armed men invaded Zurak community, shooting sporadically and torching houses, Plateau State commissioner for information Musa Ibrahim Ashoms told AFP by telephone. “As we speak, about 40 people have been confirmed dead. Zurak is a popular mining community,” he said. Wase has deposits of zinc and lead, while Plateau as a whole is known for its tin mining industry. Delhi court frames charges against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh in sexual harassment case A [Delhi court on May 21 framed charges of sexual harassment]( intimidation and outraging the modesty of women against ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a criminal case filed by female wrestlers. Singh pleaded not guilty to the charges before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot and claimed trial. “Why will I plead guilty when I am not guilty?” Singh said. The court also framed the charge of criminal intimidation against co-accused and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in the case. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[Watch | Aga Ruhullah Mehdi: We in Kashmir feel morally incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits] Watch | Aga Ruhullah Mehdi: We in Kashmir feel morally incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits]( [[Daily Quiz | On FIFA] Daily Quiz | On FIFA]( [[Formula 4 race in Chennai | Supreme Court stays order directing RPPL to reimburse ₹42 crore to T.N. govt.] Formula 4 race in Chennai | Supreme Court stays order directing RPPL to reimburse ₹42 crore to T.N. govt.]( [[Delayed deadlines, inflated costs of the bullet train makes it a costly liability, alleges Opposition] Delayed deadlines, inflated costs of the bullet train makes it a costly liability, alleges Opposition]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [click here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](