Ex-MP Transport dept Constable’s family granted bail

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Bhopal, April 11 (IANS) The family members of Saurabh Sharma, the former Constable of Madhya Pradesh Transport Department, on Friday, were granted bail by a court in Bhopal in connection with a disproportionate assets case.

The court has granted bail to his mother, wife, cousin and brother-in-law on a personal bond of Rs 10 lakh each.

However, the decision on Saurabh Sharma’s bail plea has not been taken yet as he is in judicial custody.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned Saurabh Sharma for a long time and has so far seized and confiscated Rs 100.36 crore.

The mother, wife and brother-in-law of Saurabh Sharma have received bail from the Special PMLA court in Bhopal, his lawyer Rakesh Parashar told IANS.

On the other hand, Saurabh Sharma’s bail plea has not been heard.

“Bail has been granted on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 10 lakh each from the court of Special Judge Ashutosh Shukla,” the advocate said.

There was no hearing on Saurabh Sharma’s bail plea on Friday.

The family members of the former Madhya Pradesh Transport Department Constable were arrested by the ED under violation of PMLA.

During this time, they were questioned for a long time.

The ED has as of now seized and confiscated a total of Rs 100.36 crore in this case.

A proper statement was issued in this regard.

On April 9, the ED also had filed a prosecution complaint in the court against Saurabh Sharma and others.

Saurabh Sharma and others are facing probe on charges of corruption from multiple agencies, including Lokayukta, ED, Central Bureau of Investigation, Income Tax and the Madhya Pradesh Police.

A fresh application for bail will be filed again in the court for Saurabh Sharma and others, his lawyer said.

Saurabh Sharma was appointed on October 29, 2016, and took voluntary retirement on June 9, 2023.

His appointment had rocked the state Assembly during the recently concluded Budget session.

Later, the state police have also filed a case against Saurabh Sharma and his mother for filing ‘false affidavit’ that none of his (Saurabh’s) family member were in government job to secure a government job on compensatory grounds after the death of his father.

In contrast, his elder brother, Sachin Sharma, already held a government position in Chhattisgarh government, a fact he deliberately concealed at the time of his appointment.

–IANS

sktr/khz

Related Posts

Political row: Congress’ ‘Memorial’ demand for Dr Singh marks departure from UPA’s policy

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) A political controversy has emerged after Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting a separate memorial for Dr Manmohan Singh. The demand has raised questions and sparked debate, particularly given the historical context of Congress-led UPA governments rejecting similar demands in the past.

Meanwhile, the Congress is said to be displeased with the government’s decision to select Nigambodh Ghat as the location for Dr Manmohan Singh’s last rites.

At the heart of the issue is Congress’ request for a dedicated memorial site for Dr Singh, despite the fact that previous Congress-led governments established a common memorial, Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, for the cremation of VVIPs. This site, located between the memorials of Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri, has been the location for the last rites of former Prime Ministers since its inauguration in 2013. Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also cremated there in 2018.

The Congress party’s current demand for a separate memorial for Dr Singh stands in contrast to the UPA government’s earlier stance when it rejected proposals for individual memorials for former Prime Ministers. Political commentators and critics have pointed out this contradiction, with many questioning the rationale behind this new approach. Social media users have also been vocal in highlighting the inconsistency in the party’s position.

In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge suggested that Dr Singh’s memorial be built at the site where his last rites would be conducted. This has sparked a political debate, with some pointing out that the Congress’ request appears to diverge from the policies of the UPA government during its tenure.

In fact, Congress appears dissatisfied with the government’s decision to designate Nigambodh Ghat as the venue for the last rites of Dr Manmohan Singh. The funeral of the former Prime Minister is scheduled to take place at Nigambodh Ghat in the national capital on Saturday afternoon.

“Dr Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister, passed away at 9:51 p.m. on December 26, 2024, at AIIMS Hospital, New Delhi. It has been decided by the Government that a State funeral will be accorded to Dr Manmohan Singh. The funeral will take place at 11:45 a.m. on December 28, 2024, at Nigambodh Ghat, New Delhi. The Ministry of Defence is requested to make arrangements for the State funeral with full military honours,” the Ministry of Home Affairs stated.

Reports suggest that during a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, MP Priyanka Gandhi proposed that a portion of either Veer Bhumi or Shakti Sthal be allocated for Dr Singh’s last rites, allowing it to double as a memorial. However, this request was met with a delay, and despite Congress’ insistence, the government confirmed Nigambodh Ghat as the final venue, offering no assurance about the creation of a memorial site.

The Congress leadership, including Kharge, continues to push for a site that honours Dr Singh’s legacy.

As the political storm brews over the memorial debate, observers believe that this new demand by Congress represents a significant shift from its previous policy on memorials for former leaders.

–IAN

brt/uk

J&K unemployment rate 6.1pc: Omar Abdullah govt in Assembly

Jammu, March 20 (IANS) The Omar Abdullah government said on Thursday that the unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir was 6.1 per cent for individuals aged 15 years and above in 2023-24, as per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

Replying to a question by the National Conference (NC) MLA, Tanvir Sadiq, the government said that 3,70,811 unemployed youths had voluntarily registered on the employment portal by the end of January 2025.

“The government has implemented several self-employment schemes under initiatives like Mumkin, Tejaswani, Mission Youth, PMEGP, and REGP. These schemes have facilitated the generation of approximately 9.58 lakh self-employment opportunities since 2021. In the current fiscal year (2024-25), 1.36 lakh opportunities have been created. Additionally, under the MGNREGA programme, the government has generated 3.01 crore person-days of employment, benefiting 8.07 lakh households,” mentioned the government.

“To encourage entrepreneurship and skill development, the government has launched Mission YUVA, this ambitious initiative aims to establish 1.35 lakh entrepreneurship units and create employment for 4.5 lakh youth in Jammu and Kashmir. The department continues to promote skill development through specialised training programmes designed to enhance self-employment capacities. Regular job fairs are also conducted to bridge the gap between job seekers and employers, encouraging private sector employment,” the government said.

Unemployment among the educated and trained youth is a major problem in Jammu and Kashmir because of the absence of private sector employment avenues.

Due to the lack of industries, most of the youths either move out of the union territory seeking employment abroad or in other parts of the country.

Those preferring to serve in J&K have to seek government employment. The government sector in the UT already has a comparably higher employee population ratio among the states in the country.

–IANS

sq/dpb

Gold smuggling case: Court reserves order on bail petition by arrested actress Ranya Rao, DRI seeks custody

Bengaluru, March 6 (IANS) A Bengaluru court reserved, till Friday, the order on the bail petition submitted by Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who was arrested in a gold smuggling case, while the counsel for the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sought three days custody of the actress.

The Economic Offences court reserved its order following the arguments and counterarguments over the case. The counsel representing the DRI submitted that the actress needed to be investigated on matters concerning national security implications and to break the syndicate of gold smuggling.

Ranya Rao is presently in judicial custody and has moved a bail petition.

The DRI, in its submission, that her custody is required from March 9 to March 11 to conduct a multi-pronged probe as the involvement of an extensive smuggling syndicate is suspected. It was also submitted to the court that requests of bail should not be entertained in sensitive cases such as this.

The counsel further stated that certain matters related to the case can’t be disclosed in an open court and the DRI would make a submission over the findings of the probe in a sealed cover to the court, otherwise it would harm the investigation.

The DRI stated that it needs to be investigated on where the gold was supposed to reach. Ranya Rao was used as a delivery girl and her custody was required to investigate the role of other persons in the case, it said.

The counsel stated that the DRI has been able to make significant progress in the investigation since the arrest of the actress on Monday night and the law allowed the custody of the accused persons in such cases up to 40 days. The counsel also quoted the Supreme Court ruling in this regard.

On the other hand, the counsel for Ranya Rao contended that her custody was not required.

Sources also stated that Ranya Rao has claimed in the investigation that she was blackmailed and forced to transport the gold and she was indulging in such an act for the first time.

However, sources stated that she was under watch for a long period after suspicious frequent Dubai trips.

The DRI officials had taken Ranya Rao into custody after seizing 14.8 kg of gold from her at the Bengaluru International Airport on Monday night. The agency had seized Rs 2.06 crore worth of gold and Rs 2.67 crore in cash from her upscale Lavelle Road flat, where she reportedly paid Rs 4.5 lakh in rent.

–IANS

mka/vd