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US drops marine's Haditha charges

The US marines say they came under fire after a roadside bombingThe US Marine Corps has dropped all charges against one of the eight marines accused in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005.
Sgt Sanick Dela Cruz has been granted immunity in exchange for his testimony, the Marine Corps said in a statement.
Three other marines are charged with unpremeditated murder and four with attempting to cover up the incident.
Iraqi witnesses say the shootings were in retaliation for a roadside bomb that had killed a US marine earlier.
"Charges against [Sgt Dela Cruz] were dismissed on April 2 after the government balanced his low level of culpability in the alleged crime against the potential value of his testimony," the Marine Corps said on Tuesday.
Investigation delayed
Lance Cpl Miguel Terrazas was ripped in half by a bomb that exploded under the marine convoy as it drove through Haditha, 240km (150 miles) north-west of Baghdad, on 19 November 2005.
Defence lawyers for the accused marines have argued that the squad of marines then came under fire from the houses in which the Iraqis died and that they had shot back in self defence.

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The US military at first reported that the Iraqis, among them seven women and three children, had died in the bomb blast and subsequent firefight, but later said that was incorrect.
There was no full US investigation into what happened until three months after the event when video footage taken by a local human rights activist of the aftermath reached Time Magazine.
Once their report showed flaws in the initial marine statement, an investigation began.
Sgt Dela Cruz was charged with unpremeditated murder and making a false report about the incident.
A military judge has yet to decide if there is enough evidence against the remaining seven accused marines to convene a court martial.
If found guilty, the three marines charged with second-degree murder could face life imprisonment.
The Haditha inquiry is just one of a number the US military has been conducting into incidents of alleged unlawful killings by US forces in Iraq.

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Mumbai court to continue hearing into Pramod Mahajan case

A Mumbai sessions court will continue hearing into Pramod Mahajan murder case today.

Earlier, Judge S P Davre had adjourned the hearing, after Pravin Mahajan's wife Sarangi told court that she received death threat allegedly from BJP workers in the court premises.

"It has been happening since the testimony of Rekha Mahajan (Pramod Mahajan's widow)," Sarangi said.

In the beginning of the court case hearing, BJP leader Gopinath Munde had said that Pravin had sent a threatening SMS to the slain leader a few days before purportedly killing him.

Rekha Mahajan had also said that Pravin had allegedly threatened her husband a few days before shooting him, as the senior BJP leader had refused to meet his demand for one crore rupees.

Earlier, the Mumbai Police had submitted a plea before Sessions Judge Abhay Thipsay that they have prima facie material against Pravin.

Pravin was arrested on April 22 after he admitted to firing three shots at Pramod Mahajan at the latter's Poornima building apartment in the Worli area of Central Mumbai following an argument.

Pravin was charged under Sections 302 (murder) and 449 (house trespass) of Indian Penal Code. (ANI)