New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that some kind of preliminary probe was needed before it can proceed with the registration of an FIR over sexual harassment allegations levelled by seven women wrestlers against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi Police, that if the top court felt that an FIR was to be lodged straightaway then it may be done. “However, the police felt there are some issues which needed preliminary inquiry before the registration of the FIR,” the top law officer said.
“You know Solicitor we also don’t do something without hearing the other side and unless we have some material. Please furnish the material which you have on Friday…We took it up as this involves a minor etc,” the CJI said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and a host of other leaders condoled the demise of former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday.
Badal died late on Tuesday evening. He was 95.
Condoling his death, Prime Minister Modi tweeted: “Extremely saddened by the passing away of Sri Parkash Singh Badal. He was a colossal figure of Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation. He worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and anchored the state through critical times.”
The Prime Minister added that Badal’s passing away was a personal loss for him.
“I have interacted closely with him for many decades and learnt so much from him. I recall our numerous conversations, in which his wisdom was always clearly seen. Condolences to his family and countless admirers, ” he said further.
Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted: “The passing away of veteran leader, Shri Parkash Singh Badal Sahab is deeply saddening. His career spanning several decades was dedicated to the welfare of the poor. His demise is an irreparable loss to Indian politics. My heartfelt condolences are with his family and followers.”
Shah added that he was fortunate to meet Parkash Singh Badal on several occasions.
“His unparalleled political experience was very helpful in public life and always a delight to listen to. The memories of those meetings will always remain with me, ” he said.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said: “Parkash Singh Badal ji was a veteran of Indian politics. Although we differed in our ideologies, he earned immense respect among the people of Punjab for his simplicity and loyalty to his cadre, as he served multiple terms as chief minister. Our deepest condolences to his family.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed sadness at Badal’s death.
Describing him as a tall leader of Punjab, Gandhi expressed his condolences to his son Sukhbir Badal and his family.
New Delhi : Women in the Hindi film industry, both in front of and behind the camera, have broken the “glass ceiling” and have entered every male bastion, actor Raveena Tandon said on Wednesday during a panel of the ‘National Conclave on Mann Ki Baat @100’.
Tandon, the star of the 1990 and early 2000s Hindi cinema, said the film industry should learn from sister mediums TV and OTT (over-the-top) platforms, who are the leaders in paying women better and producing shows with female protagonists, respectively, she said.
“We also talk about pay disparity but in the TV industry today, women are paid much higher than their male counterparts, which is a great thing because of the kind of work they do and I think in our TV industry, women rule. In OTT platforms too, the protagonists are mostly women, women issues are discussed.
Guwahati: Pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, was interrogated by Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers on Tuesday, police sources said here.
The Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief has been kept in a separate cell. As per jail sources, he was not allowed to meet other members of the outfit, including his close aide Papalpreet Singh.
Nine associates of Amritpal were lodged at Dibrugarh Central Jail before he was brought there on Sunday.
A source in Dibrugarh jail revealed that IB officers went inside the prison this morning and that the interrogation of Waris Punjab De chief is underway.
Assam police is tight-lipped on the development.
Prasant Kumar Bhuyan, the Inspector General (Law and Order) of the Assam Police, told to media , “All central investigation agencies, including IB and RAW, have officers posted in the state. Hence, it is not necessary that somebody from the national capital has to come to interrogate an inmate.”
New Delhi: The first batch of Indians stranded in violence-hit Sudan left the country onboard India’s naval ship INS Sumedha as part of the evacuation mission ‘Operation Kaveri’.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said 278 people onboard the ship departed Port Sudan for the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.
“First batch of stranded Indians leave Sudan under #OperationKaveri. INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departs Port Sudan for Jeddah,” Bagchi tweeted.
India on Monday launched ‘Operation Kaveri’ to bring back its nationals from Sudan that has been witnessing fierce fighting following a power struggle between the regular army and a paramilitary force.
On Sunday, India said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the stranded Indians.
The government had on Friday said it was focusing on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens currently located throughout Sudan.
The deadly fighting between Sudan’s army and a paramilitary group for the past 12 days has reportedly left around 400 people dead.
Beijing: China on Tuesday announced that its Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will visit India this week to attend the meeting of SCO defence ministers from April 27 during which he is expected to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on ending the prolonged eastern Ladakh standoff which has severely strained bilateral ties.
Considered a close associate of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Gen. Li’s India visit is regarded significant as it comes amid the vexed standoff between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh since May 2020.
“Upon invitation, Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will attend the meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in New Delhi, India, from April 27-28,” China’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) said in a statement.
Srinagar: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his crew are set to start shooting for their upcoming film Dunki in Kashmir from Monday, media reports said.
The film’s director, Rajkumar Hirani, and production team visited Sonamarg last week and the crew has now arrived in Kashmir.
It is reported that Khan will shoot a song with choreographer Ganesh Acharya. Local hotelier Mushtaq Chayya expressed excitement for Bollywood’s return to Kashmir.
After the success of Pathaan, fans are eagerly anticipating Khan’s next two projects – Jawaan and Dunki.
Khan announced his collaboration with Hirani for Dunki in April last year, with Taapsee Pannu in the lead role.
This will be the first time Khan and Taapsee will be sharing the screen.
It’s worth noting that this is the first time that Hirani and Khan are working together, as Hirani has previously worked with Aamir Khan on two successful films, 3 Idiots and PK.
Bhopal : Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the previous governments of meting out step-motherly treatment to rural India, the Congress hit back at the BJP and dubbed the claims a “bunch of lies.”
While addressing the people on the occasion of ‘Panchayati Raj’ day in Rewa district of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on Monday, the Prime Minister hailed Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for executing development schemes at ground level.
Retaliating to the statements made by both PM Modi and CM Chouhan, the state Congress led by former Chief Minister Kamal Nath also raised questions on “double engine” government.
To the Prime Minister’s allegation that the rural part of the country faced discrimination during the previous governments, the Congress claimed that during the last financial year, the Centre has allocated insufficient funds for implementing schemes under the Panchayati Raj system in Madhya Pradesh.
“Under the Panchayati Raj system, the Centre gives 60 per cent funds while the remaining 40 per cent is spent by the state. But, during the last financial year (from April 2022 to March 2023), the Centre was liable to give a total Rs 21, 800 lakhs, out of which, the MP government was allocated only 19.39 per cent of the total expected amount, ” the Madhya Pradesh Congress said in a statement.
Further, the Congress accused Shivraj Singh Chouhan of making false statements regarding the economic growth of farmers in the state.
Notably, on Monday, CM Chouhan had claimed that the economy of farmers in the state has witnessed a tremendous growth in the last few years and it has “doubled” due to efforts and the schemes of the BJP’s “double engine” government.
“It is highly unfortunate that CM Chouhan made a false statement regarding the economic growth of farmers in Madhya Pradesh. In its reports presented in Parliament, the Centre has itself claimed that the annual economic growth of farmers in 2022 have decreased to Rs. 8, 339 from Rs. 9, 740 in the year 2015-2016. According to the Centre’s data, farmers’ daily income is estimated at Rs. 27, while the debt of each farmer in the country is at an average of Rs 7, 40, 00, ” it said.
The Opposition also stated that the Centre has allocated only 22 per cent amount under the schemes – “Kisan Kalyan” and “Krishi Vikas” in the last financial year. It claimed the Shivraj Shivraj Singh led BJP government “did not spend a single rupee for at least 20 schemes for the rural parts of the state.”
New Delhi- Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday said that judges have no business giving interviews to news channels on matters pending before them.
A bench comprising the CJI and Justice P.S. Narasimha took strong exception to sitting Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s interview to a news channel in connection with Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, even as a case concerning the latter was being heard by by the judge.
The Chief Justice said: “Judges have no business to be granting interviews to television or whatever channels on matters which are pending before them.”
Justice Narasimha queried “how can they, given an interview?”.
“The judge is speaking about the petitioner in these terms in the interview, he is clearly disabled from participating anymore, ” the CJI added.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju said it is a huge scam.
The bench clarified that it is not touching the investigation in the scam and the court will not pass any order which will preclude a proper investigation into the case.
“The question is whether, a judge giving an interview and expressing himself about a political personality like thisa.the chief justice should assign the matter to somebody else. We have told you in advance, why we are concerned about it, ” the Chief Justice told Raju.
The top court was hearing an appeal by Banerjee against the high court’s order for questioning him by the CBI and the ED. The transcript of the judge’s interview was submitted to the court.
The top court also sought a report from the Calcutta High Court in the matter and said the Registrar General of high court is directed to personally verify from Justice Ganguly as to whether he had been interviewed and, in that event, clarify.
The bench said the Registrar General should file an affidavit before Friday before the registrar judicial of this court.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Banerjee, urged the court to take into account Justice Gangopadhyay’s interview wherein he allegedly spoke against the Trinamool leader.
On April 17, the Supreme Court had stayed a Calcutta High Court order permitting the CBI and ED to question Banerjee in the matter of allegations made by expelled youth Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh that the central agency sleuths are putting pressure on him to name Banerjee in the multi-crore scam in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools in West Bengal.
New Delhi: India on Monday launched ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate its nationals from violence-hit Sudan.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India’s ships and aircraft are set to bring the Indians back home.
“Operation Kaveri gets underway to bring back our citizens stranded in Sudan. About 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan. More on their way,” Jaishankar tweeted.
“Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home. Committed to assist all our brethren in Sudan,” he said.
India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the stranded Indians.
The government had on Friday said it was focusing on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens presently located throughout Sudan.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group for the last 11 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.
