Heena Sharma Blog

  The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released the admit card or call letter for the recruitment examination of Intelligence Bureau Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade-II/ Executive (IB ACIO). Candidates who have applied for the IB ACIO 2021 examination can visit the official website of the MHA to check and download their call letter. The MHA is conducting the IB ACIO 2021 exam to fill up 2,000 vacancies. The IB ACIO 2021 Tier-1 examination will be conducted in the second half of February 2021. The candidates can find details about the exam date and the city mentioned in the admit card. Candidates who qualify in the Tier I examination will be eligible for the Tier II exam. Candidates shortlisted on the basis of Tier II exam will be called in for interview round and then a final merit list will be released on the official website of the MHA. How to download IB ACIO Tier I Admit Card 2021? Step 1: Click here for direct link of IB ACIO Admit Card Step 2: Enter y...

  The CBI has booked UK-based Cambridge Analytica and Global Science Research Ltd for illegally harvesting data of Facebook users in India for commercial purposes, officials said on Friday. The action came after a preliminary enquiry into the matter which showed that Global Science Research had created an app "thisisyourdigitallife" which was authorised by Facebook to collect specific datasets of its users for research and academic purposes in 2014, they said. The company then entered into a criminal conspiracy with Cambridge Analytica, allowing it to use the data harvested by it for commercial purposes, the officials said. Facebook had collected certificates from both the firms in 2016-17 that data collected by them using "thisisyourdigitallife" was accounted for and destroyed. However, the CBI enquiry did not find any evidence of any such destruction, according to the officials. Read More

  The CBI urged a Delhi court on Wednesday to award life imprisonment to former Union minister Dilip Ray who has been convicted in a coal scam case pertaining to irregularities in the allocation of a Jharkhand coal block in 1999. Special Judge Bharat Parashar reserved the order for October 26 after hearing arguments from the CBI as well the convicts. Besides Ray, former minister of state (coal) in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, the CBI also sought life imprisonment for other convicts in the case including two senior officials of the Ministry of Coal at that time, Pradip Kumar Banerjee and Nitya Nand Gautam, and Castron Technologies Ltd's (CTL) director Mahendra Kumar Agarwalla. Besides, the prosecution sought imposition of maximum fine on CLT and Castron Mining Ltd (CML), also held guilty in the case. Read More

  Sushant Singh Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty on Friday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning after being summoned in the Bollywood actor's death case. Rhea arrived at the DRDO guesthouse here, where the CBI's Special Investigation Team started her grilling. This is for the first time that Rhea was being questioned by the federal agency, after it took over the case on August 6. Besides Rhea, her brother Showik, Sushant's flatmate Siddharth Pithani, house manager Samuel Miranda, personal staff Neeraj Singh have also been questioned. The CBI will be asking her about her relationship with Sushant; how he was behaving during the Europe trip last year; the alleged drug angle and the financial transactions from his account. Read More       

  Whenever there is a need for an impartial probe, be it criminal or corruption, there are demands to hand it over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This is because not just people and the government, even the judiciary fear that state investigative agencies may work in the interest of politicians or could botch-up cases due to sheer incompetence. A similar demand was recently made in Sushant Singh Rajput death case . Investigations by CBI, a central agency, which is supposedly free from interference of states and their politicians, are expected to be fair, fast and thorough. That is why the Supreme Court ordered the agency to probe Sushant Singh Rajput's death case . However, question remains whether the agency has lived up to expectations. According to data, at least 65 per cent of the cases which have been probed by the federal agency between 2015 and 2018 are still awaiting closure. And in cases where the prosecution complaints (popularly known as chargesheets)...

  Holding that the FIR registered in Bihar's Patna over the death of Sushant Singh Rajput was legitimate, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the case. The single-judge bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy also said that the Bihar Government was competent to recommend transfering the case to the CBI. The apex court also asked Mumbai Police to hand over all the evidence collected so far in the case to the CBI. State of Maharashtra refused the option to challenge the order, Justice Roy said. The apex court had, in its last hearing on August 11, reserved its judgment and asked all the parties to file their respective submissions in the case. Former Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for the Bihar Government, had submitted that Bihar Chief Minister had not interfered in the case and added that the recommendation for a CBI probe was based on the advice of the concerned authorities. Read More

  Several Bollywood stars, including Varun Dhawan and Parineeti Chopra have now joined the growing social media campaign demanding a CBI probe into the Sushant Singh Rajput death case . Varun took to his Instagram Stories and wrote: "#CBIforSSR", with a folded hands emoji. Parineeti posted: "All that is needed, is the truth. #JusticeforSSR." Actor Siddhant Chaturvedi also asked for "#CBIInquiryforSushant", and so did actress Mouni Roy. Actor Gulshan Devaiah tweeted: "No hashtags, no finger pointing, no conclusions. I really hope & pray, that the matter around the tragic passing of Sushant Singh Rajput comes to a decisive conclusion. How we "feel" is less important than true, unbiased justice!! Justice for the sake of Justice & nothing else." Read More         

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to a clutch of borrowers of YES Bank , including Essel group Chairman Subhash Chandra, Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, Cox & Kings promoter Peter Kerkar, Dewan Housing Finance promoter Kapil Wadhawan, and a few more in connection with the money laundering probe against YES Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor. Besides, the federal agency has issued fresh summons to Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani asking him to appear on Thursday. Ambani was summoned on Monday for questioning related to the stressed loans that were sanctioned to ADAG group during Kapoor’s tenure. But he has filed adjournment application with the ED seeking more time. An ED official said it was examining all the big borrowers of YES Bank and that is why each of the borrower had been asked to join the probe this week. Read More

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former finance minister P Chidambaram in connection with INX-Media money laundering case following interrogation in the Tihar Jail on Wednesday morning. Senior Congress leader spent 55 days in CBI and judicial custody in the corruption charges in the same case. The enforcement agency is likely to produce him in the special PMLA court in the afternoon. Sources say that ED requires custodial interrogation to confront the evidence it has come across during the probe. The ED's special public prosecutors on Friday moved a plea seeking production warrant of the senior Congress leader. On Tuesday, Special court Judge allowed the ED to interrogate Chidambaram in Tihar jail and arrest him, if necessary, in connection with the INX Media money laundering case. Former FM Chidambaram, in ED custody, will face questions related to kickbacks received by shell companies allegedly floated by Karti Chidambaram when approvals were granted...

Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram spent a quiet night in the CBI guest house on the ground floor of the agency headquarters after his dramatic arrest from his posh residence in the INX media corruption case , officials said on Thursday. Chidambaram, 73, was kept in the suite 5 of the guest house, they said. It is normal for the agency to keep high security arrested accused in the guest house to ensure proper security and monitoring, the officials said. Chidambaram, as then union home minister had participated in the inauguration of the new CBI headquarters in Delhi's Lodhi Road area in 2011 — the same building where he spent Wednesday night after being arrested by the Central probe agency. The Congress leader, who served as Union Home Minister during November 2008 to July 2012 in the UPA government, was one of the key guests at the inauguration event of CBI headquarters, held on June 30, 2011, in the presence of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Chidambar...

A Delhi court Friday extended till March 25 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis scam cases filed by the CBI and the ED. Special Judge O P Saini adjourned the matter after senior advocate Sonia Mathur, appearing for the CBI, sought time to argue on their anticipatory bail applications. Similar request was also made by ED's Special Public Prosecutors Nitesh Rana and N K Matta which was allowed by the court. During the hearing senior advocates Kapil Sibal and A M Sinhgvi, appearing for the father-son duo, opposed the adjournment sought by the agencies, saying a lot of time has been spent since filing of the applications. The case relates to alleged irregularities in grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval in the Aircel-Maxis deal. Article Source -> Business Standard

The Supreme Court Thursday reserved judgement on the petition moved by CBI Director Alok Verma , challenging the Centre's decision to divest him of all powers and sending him on leave. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi concluded the arguments on behalf of Verma, Centre, Central Vigilance Commission and others who were party in the matter. The court also heard the petition moved by NGO Common Cause which had sought court-monitored SIT probe into allegations of corruption against various CBI officials including Special Director Rakesh Asthana. Read More Business Standard

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Friday alleged that Dassault Aviation paid Rs 2.84 billion to Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the "first installment of kickbacks" and claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi was having "sleepless nights" fearing action if a probe was conducted into the Rafale deal . He also alleged that CBI chief Alok Verma was removed as he wanted to investigate the deal. There was no immediate reaction from the government and Ambani on the fresh charges made by Gandhi. However, they have previously rejected all allegations made over the Rafale deal. Dassault Aviation CEO ric Trappier has said the reason Ambani's firm was given the offset contract and not state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was that it had land for the project, he said, alleging the land was purchased by Ambani's company with the money that Dassault gave.       "Dassault gave Rs 2.84 billion to a loss-making company with a valuation of Rs...

The Delhi High Court Thursday extended till Nov 14 its order asking the CBI to maintain status quo on proceedings against Special Director Rakesh Asthana , allegedly involved in a bribery case. Both CBI and Asthana opposed in the high court the plea of Additional SP S S Gurm, who has been transferred from Delhi to Jabalpur in the wake of feud between CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma and Asthana, to be heard in the matter. The High Court on October 23 had ordered the CBI to maintain status quo on proceedings against Asthana which was further extended on October 29 till Thursday, November 1. The October 23 order had also made it clear that the agency would not take any coercive step against Asthana. Earlier in the day, the CBI in its reply to Asthana's plea seeking to quash an FIR against him, said that allegations against him and others show cognisable offences. The CBI filed the reply in response to the notice issued to it on the petition filed by Asthana against the l...

CBI Director Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them. In a tweet, Gandhi said, "CBI Chief Alok Verma was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave". "The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," he charged. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, has dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal . He said the government's decision to remove Verma and Asthana is based on the Central Vigilance Commission's recommendations. The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the Rafale deal. The government has vehemently rejected all allegations. Read Complete Article Business Standard

India's premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is witnessing an unprecedented crisis since the last few weeks. The ongoing struggle between the two top bosses - Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana - of the CBI escalated on Monday as the investigating agency conducted a raid on the 10th floor of its own headquarters in New Delhi. The CBI on Monday also arrested its DSP Devender Kumar in connection with bribery allegations against its special Director Rakesh Asthana. The arrest comes a day after the CBI registered an FIR against Asthana, Kumar and two others. Rakesh Asthana, on his part, has drawn up a list of cases against Director Alok Verma and other top CBI officials. He has apparently listed a dozen charges, double the number that the CBI has him docked for. According to latest reports, he has also approached Delhi High Court to get CBI's FIR against him quashed. Read Complete Article Business Standard

The CBI has moved the Jharkhand High Court seeking that the prison term of RJD chief Lalu Prasad is enhanced from three-and-a-half to seven years in the Deoghar Treasury case in the multi-crore fodder scam . The CBI said other convicts in the case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 8.9 million from the Deogarh Treasury were awarded seven years in prison by a special CBI court on January 6 this year. It argued that all convicts should face the same prison term as the charges and witnesses against all of them were the same. In the petition filed on Thursday, the CBI also sought enhanced prison terms for ex-MP R K Rana, former IAS officers Beck Julius, Phoolchand Singh and Mahesh Prasad, and former government official Subir Bhattacharya. Like Prasad, these five were also sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. Read Complete Article Business Standard

Criminalisation of politics was felt in its strongest form during the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts which was the result of a collaboration of a diffused network of criminal gangs, police, customs officials and their political patrons, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. Referring to the report of the NN Vohra Committee, set up to study the problem of criminalisation of politics, the top court said the panel had referred to several observations made by official agencies, including CBI, IB and RAW, which unanimously expressed the opinion that criminal network was virtually running a parallel government. It said the committee also took note of the criminal gangs which carried out their activities under the aegis of various political parties and government functionaries. ALSO READ: NHPC moves Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order on arbitral award The apex court referred to the panel's report while holding today that all candidates will have to declare their crim...

Apart from the connect established in the killing of Gauri Lankesh and Narendra Dabholkar, a link has also been established with the Nalasopara explosives case Current Affairs News : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recovered the pistol used for killing Bengaluru-based journalist-cum-activist Gauri Lankesh while investigating the Narendra Dabholkar murder case, thus establishing a connection between the two murders. The pistol was recovered from Shubham Surale, the brother-in-law of Sachin Andure, an accused in the Dabholkar murder case , who was arrested from Aurangabad by the CBI on August 18. Following the court hearing on Sunday, the CBI custody of Sachin was extended till August 30. During the hearing, it was stated that Sharad Kalaskar, who was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in explosives recovery case from Nalasopara, will be handed over to the CBI after August 28 at the end of his custody, on grounds of the need for a joint interrogati...

Justice A K Pathak asked Chidambaram to join and cooperate in the questioning session as and when called by the CBI Current Affairs News : The   Delhi High Court   on Thursday granted former Union minister   P Chidambaram   interim protection from arrest till July 3 in the Central Bureau of Investigation's INX Media corruption case. Justice A K Pathak asked Chidambaram to join and cooperate in the questioning session as and when called by the   CBI. The court also sought the investigating agency's response on the Congress leader's anticipatory bail plea and listed the matter for further hearing on July 3. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, opposed the anticipatory bail plea saying he was merely called for questioning. Chidambaram had on Wednesday rushed to a trial court for protection from arrest in   Aircel-Maxis case before approaching the   Delhi High Court   in connection with the INX Me...