New Delhi : A Delhi court on Friday extended the judicial custody of AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh by 10 days in connection with a money laundering case into the now-scrapped excise policy.
He was produced before Special Judge M.K. Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Court on expiry of his previously granted 14-day judicial custody.
Seeking bail in the case, Singh has also moved an application, which is likely to come up for hearing on November 25.
Singh’s counsel Mohd Irshad said that the bail application was filed in the court’s registry.
While the judge extended Singh’s judicial custody till December 4, he noted investigating officer’s submission that the charge sheet against the accused is likely to be filed shortly, within prescribed time.
Last time, the judge had allowed Singh to sign some documents related to development work as a Member of Parliament.
The judge had directed the authorities concerned to produce him before a court in Punjab after it was informed that a production warrant had been received from a court in Amritsar, Punjab, in a defamation case there.
Earlier, Judge Nagpal had allowed Singh to sign certain cheques as he requested to do so for his family expenses, and other work he is obliged to do as a Member of Parliament.
The concerned jail authorities were directed to ensure proper treatment to Singh, including from his private doctor. “Court sees no reason to refuse private treatment to the accused. Hence, the jail superintendent concerned is directed to ensure the appropriate treatment, ” the judge had said.
Singh, who had moved the Delhi High Court against his arrest and remand, was denied any relief as Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma dismissed his plea calling it premature. Singh then moved the Supreme Court against the High Court order that upheld his arrest and remand by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
On October 13, Singh had told Judge Nagpal that the ED has become an ‘entertainment department’. The judge had directed him not to discuss unrelated matters or give speeches inside the court, or he will ask for his production through video conferencing from now on.
The financial probe agency on October 4 arrested Singh after carrying out searches at his residence in the North Avenue area. Singh was arrested under Sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
New Delhi-Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday mourned the death of five Army personnel, including two captains, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri and said that India stands united and strong against terrorism.
In a post on X, Kharge said, “Extremely pained by the martyrdom of five Army personnel including two Captains and three Army Jawans who have made the supreme sacrifice fighting terrorists in Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir.”
“Salutations to Captain MV Pranjal, Captain Shubham Gupta, Havildar Abdul Majid, Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht and Paratrooper Sachin Laur for they displayed indomitable courage and valour in fighting terrorists. In this hour of grief, our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones, ” he said.
“India stands united and strong against terrorism, ” the Congress leader, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said.
His remarks came after five Army personnel, including two captains, were killed in the operation against the terrorists in the Bajimaal area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Wednesday.
Two terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander trained in Afghanistan, were killed in a 36-hour-long gunfight with security forces on Wednesday and Thursday.
New Delhi : Social media posts of the juvenile who stabbed a 17-year-old over 70 times during a street robbery here, likely hinted at his inclination towards violence or “thirst for blood”.
The accused minor shared videos on his social media account, displaying knives, firearms, and footage of himself within court premises portraying a criminal image, possibly fostering a misguided sense of pride.
“Bhai hai apna, jeil mein 302 mein andar (He’s our brother, locked up on a murder charge under Section 302), ” read a caption beneath a video posted by the accused on his Instagram account, in which a woman could be seen speaking to media persons about her brother’s murder.
A couple of days after the 16-year-old was arrested for stabbing the teenager, disturbing visuals surfaced on Thursday showing the accused dancing over the body, “celebrating” the heinous act.
In the CCTV footage, the accused minor could be seen dragging the body into a narrow lane and repeatedly stabbing the victim on the neck to ensure his death.
He also kicks the lifeless body on the head multiple times. The disturbing scene concludes with the assailant standing over the body and engaging in a macabre dance.
The incident took place at Janta Mazdoor Colony in North-East Delhi’s Welcome area.
“The reason behind murder was robbery. The boy first choked the victim and when he fell unconscious, he stabbed him multiple times before robbing him of Rs 350, ” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East), Joy Tirkey.
“The victim was taken to GTB Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, ” he added.
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that given the Congress government’s record in last five years in Rajasthan, they will not be able to form the government again in the state.
“Remember my words, the Congress government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will not be able to form the government again in Rajasthan as people know how they have mishandled the state in last five years, ” PM Modi said while addressing a poll rally in Deogarh, Rajasthan.
He said that Rajasthan has never seen such an anti-women government like the Congress government.
“Rajasthan is number one in riots, curfew and crime. The state has also reached the top as far as corruption and paper leaks are concerned, ” Modi said.
He said that if BJP forms the government they will lead the state in the field of tourism, pilgrimage, investment, education, sports and industries.
Commenting on men’s state remarks, Modi said, “Ever since, I have heard the statement of men’s state, I am unable to control my anger. No one has insulted the Gujjars in Rajasthan like Congress has. Words like traitor and worthless were used for Rajesh Pilot’s son.
He said that son of a Gurjar community struggles to make a place in politics, sacrifices all his life and after getting power, the royal family does not allow him to get to the highest position.
“Congress did the same with Rajesh Pilot and is doing the same with his son too. I sit here and look at the elderly worker of Derasari and bow down and look at him, ” Modi said.
Modi said that the Congress has not answered about the questions he had raised on Rajesh Pilot
“On Wednesday, I said something about the ‘Shahi family’. Congress reacted sharply. The entire Congress set-up was shaken. But they have not answered what I had asked about Rajesh Pilot. They lying with full force that the royal family did not insult Rajesh Pilot, ” Modi said.
Modi taking the name of local BJP worker Dharmchand Derasaria (95), he said that Derasaria, who spent 60 years for BJP, is sitting as a worker.
“The entire election campaign has been blessed because of his blessings, ” Modi said.
Derasaria had also contested the assembly elections in 2008. On Thursday, despite his health issues, Derasaria reached the venue where PM Modi’s addressed.
New Delhi : A 70-year-old farmer, Indrasan Gupta, died of suffocation while burning stubble in his fields in Maharajganj.
The incident occurred in Darauli village under the jurisdiction of Bhitauli police station on Thursday evening.
According to reports, Indrasan had set fire to the stubble in his harvested field to prepare it for ploughing. However, the flames intensified and Indrasan got trapped in the smoke, said the police.
Maharajganj District Magistrate (DM) Anunay Kumar Jha said the family would receive financial aid of Rs 5 lakh under the Farmer Accident Insurance Scheme.
Chandigarh : The literary world is abuzz as ‘Literati 2023’, the trilingual International Literature festival of Chandigarh, approaches, promising an unforgettable celebration of words, ideas and culture. One of the oldest literary events of the country, the Literati Literati, a non-aligned, not for profit festival that is open to all and aims to encourage young minds to read and participate, shall take place on November 24, 25 and 26th. The underlying theme of the 11th edition of Literati, Chandigarh International Literature Festival ias ‘connect, converse and create’.
The event will see a stellar line-up of speakers, luminaries, bestselling authors and celebrated artists take centre stage and engage in invigorating interactions. A world famous star, a popular stand-up comedian, an international Booker prize winner, a firebrand officer, a TedX speaker, the salt man of India, storytellers of an ancient form and renowned bestsellers.
Announcing the details of Literati, the Festival Director and founder Chairperson Chandigarh Literary Society (CLS), Dr Sumita Misra (IAS) said, “The Chandigarh International Lit Fest is one of the most awaited events of the year. And keeping in sync with tradition, we will be showcasing a diverse array of renowned authors, thought provoking panel discussions and exciting literary experiences.” From famous comedian Gaurav Gupta, bestselling writers Ashwin Sanghi, Amish and Bhavna Roy, International Booker winner Geetanjali Shree to firebrands Meeran Chadha Borwankar (IPS), Meghna Pant, Manjari Chaturvedi, from turbanator Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, maverick foodster Sadaf Hussain to the bold and beautiful Kabir Bedi, Punjab’s favourite Harf Cheema and Amitoj Maan, from award winning filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, editor and film buff Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, to youngest santoor maestro Pt Abhay Rustum Sopori, prolific writer Pragati Deshmukh, publishing wiz Lipika Bhushan and founder of country’s premier travelling literary festival, Sumant Batra – the attendees are in for a literary treat. The three-day festival will be hosted by the Chandigarh Literary Society with support from the UT Administration.
The inaugural event of Literati shall have famous comedian Gaurav Gupta take centre stage on November 24, at The Tagore Theatre, with his witty quips and laugh out loud observational humour. The group of Music-e-Mystic will present a soul stirring rendition of Sufi music at this cultural event. The passes for Gaurav Gupta show are available on BookMyShow.
“Our aim and dream has always been to make Chandigarh the destination of choice for literature lovers, and for the festival to reflect the modern and vibrant spirit of Chandigarh. This year too we shall be hosting renowned authors and speakers in captivating discussions and sessions in multiple languages, exploring a diverse range of subjects from dharma of a writer to the state of stories in Punjab to medium of expression to food tales and power of idol worship. There are exclusive performances including Dastan-e-Ram and spoken word by Roop Kaur Kooner and Paridhi Kalotara Aggarwal. Don’t miss the podcast Kahani Kasheeda and book launches,” says Dr Misra.
Shedding light on ‘Navras’, the theme for this year’s festival, Dr Misra refers to ancient Indian texts, and the nine emotions that explore the stages and phases of life. She says, “Shringara that explores love and beauty; Hasya that evokes joy, humour and laughter; Karuna which stirs sorrow, grief; Raudra fires up rage and anger; Veera reflects heroism and courage; Bhayanka raises terror, fear; Bheebatsya evokes disgust; Adbutha leaves with surprise and wonder while Shantha brings peace and tranquillity. It’s from these human expressions, experiences and impressions that stories emerge.”
November 25th and 26th will be replete with inquisitive and creative minds leading interesting and brilliant in depth conversations on the Dharma of a writer, the greatest stories from Punjab and the timeless tradition and culture of India, idol worship and its power, the impact and relevance of two prominent minds on the Indian society, the new age of the contemporary Hindi novel, how food is at the epicentre of our existence, OTT, cinema and theatre, and how Punjabi cinema has grown over the years.
“We would also like to thank our partners and sponsors for their generous support. They’ve played a pivotal role in ensuring this event is a success,” Dr Misra extends her thanks to the Government of Haryana, UT Administration, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, hospitality partner Hyatt Regency, radio partner Red FM, Ashoka University, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, Vedica, Vodafone, E&B, Pataaree Studios, Rangaai Studio, Mozimo chocolates and Rhyvers Publishing.
New Delhi : Amid ongoing efforts to rescue 41 trapped workers from Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday once again spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over the phone and enquired about the ongoing operation to get them out safely.
Taking to X, Dhami said that he informed the Prime Minister about the positive progress made in the past 24 hours.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji spoke on the phone today and took information about the ongoing rescue operations to provide food, medicines and other essential items to the workers trapped in the tunnel under construction in Silkyara, Uttarkashi and to get them out safely, ” he posted.
“Informed the Prime Minister about the rescue operations conducted with mutual coordination between central agencies, international experts and the state administration. During this, he was also informed about the positive progress made in the last 24 hours and the morale boosted by the talks between the workers and their families, ” the Chief Minister said.
“We are receiving continuous guidance from the Prime Minister to deal with this difficult situation, which provides new energy to all of us every day to take out the labor brothers quickly and safely with full strength, ” he added.
Fresh pictures that emerged from the tunnel collapse site showed that the 41 labourers trapped inside were mostly safe, an official said on Tuesday, adding that those engaged in the rescue operations will now try to drill the tunnel vertically to create an evacuation passage.
Thick pipes have been brought to the Silkyara Tunnel by helicopter from Odisha in addition to a large vertical drilling machine to create the evacuation passage.
These heavy-duty pipes and the vertical drilling machine will be taken to the mountain above the tunnel for boring, officials said.
Arnold Dix, an international tunneling expert from Australia, is leading the rescue operation. The official said the location for drilling above the tunnel has already been identified and the rescue team is ready to execute the entire operation.
The vertical machine will conduct drilling from above the tunnel towards the bottom. The special feature of this machine is that it can perform drilling in a large area.
On Tuesday, officials successfully established communication with the trapped workers with the help of an endoscopic camera.
The labourers appeared on camera for the first time since being trapped ten days ago.
On November 12, a portion of the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot collapsed due to debris falling in the 60 metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel
New Delhi : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out searches at over 15 locations in Punjab and Haryana in connection with its probe into the attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco in March this year by Khalistani supporters.
As part of the probe, the NIA on November 14 had requested for evidence from the US authorities under the mutual legal assistance treaty, according to agency sources.
The sources said that 45 faces zeroed in via CCTV footage scanning have been mostly identified through crowd sourcing.
On September 21, the NIA had released the pictures of 10 wanted accused in the March 2023 case of attack and vandalism at the Consulate and sought information about them from the general public.
The agency has also issued three separate “Request for Identification and Information” notices against the wanted accused, seeking any information of importance that could lead to their arrest or apprehension.
While two of the notices carry photographs of two accused each, the third shows pictures of the other six accused allegedly involved in the case.
The attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco had taken place in the intervening night of March 18 and 19 when some pro-khalistan entities trespassed into the mission and tried to burn it down.
On the same day, slogan-shouting Khalistani supporters had broken through the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and put up two so-called Khalistani flags in the Consulate premises, damaged the building, assaulted and caused injuries to the officials.
In the intervening night of July 1 and 2, some accused persons had again trespassed into the Consulate and attempted to set it on fire while officials were inside the building.
The NIA had initiated a probe in the matter after registering a case on June 16 this year under several sections of IPC, UA (P) Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
An NIA team had visited San Francisco in August in connection with the agency’s probe.
Bengaluru : The Karnataka government has decided to procure power from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in a bid to deal with any power crisis in the southern state in the coming times.
Speaking to reporters, Karnataka Minister for Energy K.J. George on Tuesday said the expected average power demand for February, March and April 2024 would be around 15,500 to 16,500 MW.
“To cater to the demands of the state, steps have been taken for the procurement of power from the energy market and swapping of power from Punjab (300 MW) and Uttar Pradesh (100-600 MW), ” he stated.
“Captive coal mining under private or joint venture in Chattisgarh, will be taken up by the state, ” he said.
“Increasing the state thermal generation to the maximum level possible and generators on AOH have been brought back into operation. Generation from KPCL thermal stations has been increased to an extent of 3, 500 MW, ” he said.
“After improving power generation, and taking other needful steps, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah instructed the restoration of 7 hours of power supply to the feeders, ” he said.
The Minister further said “the state government has done everything to improve power availability to cater to the increased demand due to severe drought”.
He also announced that the government of Karnataka has decided to waive off certain outstanding amounts.
He said the government has added 1, 100 MW Hybrid (wind, solar and storage) capacity from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to meet the increasing electricity demand.
The government has signed an MoU with Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) to implement more than 2, 500 MW of solar, wind, and pumped hydro projects in the state with an investment of Rs 15, 000 crore, he said.
Giving details of the Griha Jyothi free power scheme, George said that 1.61 crore customers have registered so far and 1.50 crore are availing benefits.
Total subsidy amount per month spent is Rs 780 crore and the total subsidy amount released till date is Rs 2, 900 crore, he added.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday dismissed four more government employees, including a doctor and a policeman, for their alleged terror links, officials said.
The sacked employees included Assistant Professor (Medicine) at SMHS Hospital Srinagar, Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, Constable Abdul Majeed Bhat, Laboratory bearer in Higher Education Department Abdul Salam Rather, and teacher in Education Department Farooq Ahmad Mir.
Their removal was carried out under the provisions of Article 11 of the Constitution of India, they said.
The dismissals come amid concerns that some government employees were allegedly providing support to terrorist outfits. The accusations against the ousted employees range from aiding in logistical support for terrorists to advocating terrorist ideologies, facilitating terror financing, and promoting a separatist agenda.
This move is part of a larger ongoing effort by the Union Territory administration, which has taken similar actions in the past three years. More than 50 government employees have been relieved of their duties due to suspected connections to activities that contradict their roles within the government.
