‘Serious threat to public health': Telangana HC upholds preventive detention of bootlegger
A division bench comprising Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice BR Madhusudhan Rao made these remarks while dismissing a petition filed by a Warangal woman challenging her husband's preventive detention.
The bench said that the man's repeated involvement in bootlegging posed a serious threat to public health and safety, thereby warranting detention under section 2(A) of the PD Act, 1986. "His actions endangered the health of the public and created a sense of fear and insecurity," the court said in its judgment.
The court further observed that the sale of spurious liquor goes beyond mere law and order concerns and directly undermines public health and societal stability. In arriving at its decision, the bench cited the Supreme Court's ruling in Pesala Nookaraju versus govt of AP (2023), which upheld preventive detention in similar cases involving habitual bootleggers.
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First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs sex-crime trial: Why the music mogul was acquitted of the most serious charge
After an intense two-month trial, American rap star and music mogul Sean Diddy Combs heaved a sigh of relief after he was found guilty on two prostitution-related charges but acquitted on more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. What exactly happened? What punishment will the rapper receive? read more After hours of jury deliberation, Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of three counts of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy on Wednesday but found guilty of two lesser prostitution-related charges. File image/AP It was a gruelling trial — personal, shocking details emerged about his personal life. But after 13 hours of jury deliberation, American music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs put his head in his chair as if he were praying as he was acquitted on the most serious charges in his sex-crimes trial on Wednesday, July 2. Diddy was found guilty on two federal counts of transporting people for prostitution, but avoided convictions on steeper charges: two counts of sex trafficking and one of racketeering. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His acquittal led to varied reactions in the New York court — his legal team embraced one another, his children clapped and some of his supporters even drenched themselves in baby oil, a controversial item referenced throughout the sweeping federal sex-crimes case. However, the celebrations were short-lived as the judge ordered for the music mogul to stay behind bars until his sentencing. So, what exactly happened? And what comes next for the rapper? Who is Sean 'Diddy' Combs? Diddy is one of America's most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. He's also the founder of Bad Boy Records — a label with several artists. Diddy became famous the world over for hosting high-profile parties, including some where attendees were required to wear all white. However, prosecutors say he also held sex parties, called 'freak-offs', where women were forced into humiliating and abusive situations. Accusations from two of his former partners — singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura and a woman identified in court documents by the pseudonym Jane — were at the heart of Wednesday's criminal case. In this courtroom sketch, Sean 'Diddy' Combs reacts after he was convicted of prostitution-related offenses but acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life in Manhattan federal court in New York. AP The prosecutors argued in court that the music mogul coerced women into abusive sex parties, which saw the use of hired male sex workers, and plied them with drugs like cocaine and threats to their careers. Moreover, he silenced his victims with blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical abuse. 'He's the leader of a criminal enterprise. He doesn't take no for an answer,' Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said in her closing arguments. Meanwhile, Diddy's legal team has insisted that the sexual acts were all consensual and that the music mogul was the victim of overzealous prosecutors. What has Diddy been found guilty of? In the trial, Diddy was charged in five matters — a racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. And on Wednesday, Diddy was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution relating to Ventura and the other woman known as 'Jane'. In simple terms, he was found guilty of transporting the two women to places where they would participate in sex acts and prostitution. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, the jury found him not guilty on the racketeering and sex trafficking charges, the most serious of the charges in the matter. Hours after the verdict, lead defence attorney Marc Agnifilo told the media outside the courtroom, 'Mr. Combs has been given his life backy this jury. 'Today is a great victory. It's a great victory for Sean Combs. It's a great victory for the jury system,' he said. 'You saw that the Southern District of New York prosecutors came at him with all that they had. They're not stopping. But one thing stands between all of us and a prison, and that is a jury of 12 citizens.' 'They got the situation right,' Agnifilo said. 'Or certainly, right enough.' Janice Combs, mother of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, walks outside the US federal court, after the jury reached verdicts in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial, in Manhattan, New York City. Reuters Why was Diddy acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking? One of the most serious charges Diddy faced was racketeering — prosecutors alleged that Combs led a criminal enterprise, which worked to cover up a range of his crimes, including sex trafficking, forced labour, drug distribution, bribery and obstruction of justice. Also, known as Rico (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), the law was meant to take on the mob in the US, but has been used in other trials too. Many legal experts note that Rico cases are difficult. 'Rico is a very rigid and difficult law to satisfy,' Mitchell Epner, a former assistant US Attorney in New Jersey who worked on numerous sex trafficking and involuntary servitude cases, told Los Angeles Times. 'It requires an ongoing criminal structure, a continuity of members of a criminal organisation. It is on purpose difficult for prosecutors to prove, and the defence did a very good job of pointing out the shortcomings of a Rico prosecution on a technical level. ' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and legal commentator, also noted that he wasn't particularly surprised that the jury acquitted Diddy on the sex trafficking charges. 'It was a weak case,' says Rahmani. 'The jury thought it was all consensual. That was absolutely clear from the beginning that they didn't believe the [alleged] victims were forced or coerced to participate in the acts. It was all volunteer.' Misty Marris, a defence attorney and legal analyst also explained that the prosecutors failed to provide a robust explanation of how Combs' alleged criminal enterprise worked. 'They never established what the criminal enterprise was, its purpose, how it operated, who was really involved in it,' Marris was quoted telling NBC News. 'That really never gelled for me, and clearly the jury agreed.' Charlie Lucci, a supporter and family friend of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, holds a T-shirt outside the courthouse after the jury reached verdicts in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial at US federal court in Manhattan, New York City, US. Reuters What comes next for Diddy? The transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum prison term of 10 years. With guilty verdicts on two counts, Diddy could face a maximum of 20 years in prison. Shortly after the verdict, Diddy's lawyer asked for his client to be released from federal detention until his sentencing hearing — scheduled for October 3. However, US District Judge Arun Subramanian denied this request and ordered Diddy to remain in jail until he is sentenced. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But this doesn't mean that Diddy's legal woes are over. He faces a number of lawsuits — approximately 80 of them — on claims of sexual assault and physical violence. The music mogul has denied all of the allegations. With inputs from agencies
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza
Videos, texts, internal reports document havoc at food sites AP spoke to the two contractors for UG Solutions, an American outfit subcontracted to hire security personnel for the distribution sites. They said bullets, stun grenades and pepper spray were used at nearly every distribution, even if there was no threat. Videos of aid being dispensed at the sites seen by the AP appear to back up the frenetic scenes the contractors described. The footage was taken within the first two weeks of its distributions — about halfway into the operations. In one video, what appear to be heavily armed American security contractors at one of the sites in Gaza discuss how to disperse Palestinians nearby. One is heard saying he has arranged for a 'show of force' by Israeli tanks. 'I don't want this to be too aggressive," he adds, "because this is calming down.' At that moment, bursts of gunfire erupt close by, at least 15 shots. 'Whoo! Whoo!' one contractor yelps. 'I think you hit one,' one says. Then comes a shout: 'Hell, yeah, boy!' The camera's view is obscured by a large dirt mound. The contractor who took the video told AP that he saw other contractors shooting in the direction of Palestinians who had just collected their food and were departing. The men shot both from a tower above the site and from atop the mound, he said. The shooting began because contractors wanted to disperse the crowd, he said, but it was unclear why they continued shooting as people were walking away. The camera does not show who was shooting or what was being shot at. But the contractor who filmed it said he watched another contractor fire at the Palestinians and then saw a man about 60 yards (meters) away — in the same direction where the bullets were fired — drop to the ground. This happened at the same time the men were heard talking — effectively egging each other on, he said. In other videos furnished by the contractor, men in grey uniforms — colleagues, he said — can be seen trying to clear Palestinians who are squeezed into a narrow, fenced-in passage leading to one of the centers. The men fire pepper spray and throw stun grenades that detonate amid the crowd. The sound of gunfire can be heard. The contractor who took the video said the security personnel usually fire at the ground near the crowds or from nearby towers over their heads. During a single distribution in June, contractors used 37 stun grenades, 27 rubber-and-smoke 'scat shell' projectiles and 60 cans of pepper spray, according to internal text communications shared with the AP. That count does not include live ammunition, the contractor who provided the videos said. One photo shared by that contractor shows a woman lying in a donkey cart after he said she was hit in the head with part of a stun grenade. An internal report by Safe Reach Solutions, the logistics company subcontracted by GHF to run the sites, found that aid seekers were injured during 31% of the distributions that took place in a two-week period in June. The report did not specify the number of injuries or the cause. SRS told the AP the report refers to non-serious injuries. More videos show frenzied scenes of Palestinians running to collect leftover food boxes at one site. Hundreds of young men crowd near low metal barriers, transferring food from boxes to bags while contractors on the other side of the barriers tell them to stay back. Some Palestinians wince and cough from pepper spray. 'You tasting that pepper spray? Yuck,' one man close to the camera can be heard saying in English. SRS acknowledged that it's dealing with large, hungry populations, but said the environment is secure, controlled, and ensures people can get the aid they need safely.
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Insurance Companies Not Obliged To Pay For Deaths Caused By Rash Driving, Rules SC
Last Updated: The apex court rejected a plea filed by the kin of a victim who died due to rash and negligent driving. Insurance companies are not obligated to pay compensation to victims who die due to rash driving, said the Supreme Court on Wednesday. A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and R Mahadevan denied compensation to the wife, son, and parents of a man who died in a car accident. The man was reportedly driving the car at high speed and in a rash manner, making it an act of negligence, reported the Times of India. The court dismissed a plea by the kin of the victim, seeking Rs 80 lakh compensation from the insurance company, United India Insurance Company, and said that the family cannot demand compensation as the death was caused by the man's own negligence and did not involve any extraneous factors. The top court upheld the Karnataka High Court's decision on November 23 last year, dismissing the compensation claim. What's The Case? The case dates back to June 18, 2018, when N.S. Ravisha was on his way from Mallasandra village to Arasikere town. He was travelling with his father, sister, and children when the accident took place. Notably, Ravisha was not only driving at high speed, but he also broke traffic rules before his car toppled over and rolled on the road near Mylanahalli Gate, Arasikere. The man died in the accident, said the report. After his demise, his wife and son claimed compensation of Rs 80 lakh, citing that the deceased was a busy contractor who earned Rs 3 lakh per month. However, the chargesheet filed by the police cites Ravisha's rash and negligent driving as the reason behind his death, and the claim was rejected by the Motor Accident Tribunal. First Published: July 03, 2025, 08:58 IST
