India

New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday said that they have arrested five Superintendents of Customs and two private persons in connection with an on-going investigation of six forgery cases.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Kumar Alok, Keshav Pandhi, Hemant Gethe, Brijesh Kumar, Dinesh Kumar -- all Superintendents of Customs, and Deepak Parekh and Ashish Kamdar (private persons).

An official said the CBI has registered separate cases against six Superintendents of Customs, Mumbai, two private individuals and other unknown persons on the allegations that the said public servants a conspiracy with private persons during their posting at UB Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, and misused the provision of "Transfer of Residence" under the Customs Act.

It was alleged that the said syndicate used passports of various persons, who had stayed abroad for more than two years, especially in Gulf countries, to import various items including household items, electronic items and other unknown items by firstly undervaluing the goods and further concealing some other undeclared items along with the other declared items.

"The goods imported should have been ideally imported for the person whose passport was declared before the Customs but the goods were actually imported for many other persons settled abroad and still living abroad. The passport holder was allegedly given Rs 15,000 for allowing his passport to be used. The said modus-operandi was adopted by the syndicate in connivance with the Customs officers," the CBI said.

The official said that kickbacks allegedly paid to these Customs officers were around Rs 2.38 crore in lieu of clearing of such illegal consignments.

Searches were conducted at 19 places in the premises of the accused and their accomplices, situated at Mumbai, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Motihari (Bihar), Kurukshetra and Rohtak, which led to the recovery of various incriminating documents.

The arrested accused were presented before the Special Judge, CBI cases at Alibagh in Maharashtra. They were remanded to five days' CBI custody.

--IANS
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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) A Delhi court has directed police to conduct a proper investigation into a case pertaining to looting during the 2020 riots while rejecting the anticipatory bail of an accused.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing the the pre-arrest bail plea of Sunder, accused in various offences, including rioting and arson during riots in the Bhajanpura area.

"The Investigating officer's report shows that till the time of moving the bail application, the applicant remained untraceable by the police. His name has been taken by several eyewitnesses and he is also reported to be appearing in the video footage and in these circumstances, I do not find the applicant entitled to pre-arrest bail," the court said, while rejecting the bail.

"At the same time, I am not very much satisfied with the kind of investigation done in the case, wherein no attempt has been made to recover any looted materials. Hence, the matter is referred to the station house officer (SHO) to ensure that a proper investigation is done in this case... IO shall hand over a copy of this order to SHO for compliance," the court said in its order passed on Wednesday.

The Investigation Officer's reply was noted by the court in which it was stated that on March 6, Sunder, after joining the probe, confessed to having looted and vandalised several stores, including mobile phone shops.

"Neither anything has been said about an attempt made to recover the looted articles, nor the requirement of further investigation or interrogation of the applicant and on the contrary has been said, the IO reports that custodial interrogation is not required," the court said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said it will run a nationwide campaign to seek Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's apology over his remarks on the country's democracy in London, if the Wayanad MP does not apologise.

Speaking at a press conference, former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Rahul Gandhi has insulted India on foreign soil for which he should apologise. The BJP will run a campaign for his apology."

Prasad said that it has become Rahul Gandhi's habit to insult the people of India and democracy on foreign soil. "How long will he mislead the country?" he questioned.

He said Rahul Gandhi does not apologise, the BJP will run a campaign against him in which the Congress leader will be exposed.

The BJP leader further said that "Rahul Gandhi has not expressed regret for his statement yet".

Addressing the former Congress president, Prasad said: "Your ego is not bigger than the country."

--IANS
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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Delhi Police on Thursday issued a notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to provide details about the victims of sexual harassment who had approached him seeking security.

A senior police officer said the notice was issued after the police took cognisance of social media posts and sent a list of questionnaires.

"Delhi Police has issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi to give details about those victims who approached him regarding their sexual harassment. Police have asked him to give details of these victims so that security can be provided to them," said the official.

" ... in one particular case, I asked a girl (who had been raped) if we should call the police? She said 'don't call the police... I will be shamed'," Rahul Gandhi had said during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar.

Reacting to the notice, the Congress in a statement said: "A government rattled by Rahul Gandhi's questions on Prime Minister Narenrda Modi and Gautam Adani's relationship hides behind its police. After 45 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra was completed, Delhi Police has, via a notice, sought details of women who met him and spoke about harassment and violence they may have faced.

"We will respond to the notice in due course in accordance with law. This notice is yet another proof of a government n panic and their latest salvo to weaken democracy, women empowerment, freedom of expression and role of the opposition," the statement added.

--IANS
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Mumbai, March 16 (IANS) The Mumbai Police late on Thursday arrested a fashionista and detained her brother, both from Ulhasnagar town, in connection with an alleged attempt to 'bribe, threaten and blackmail' Amruta Fadnavis, the banker-singer wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The sensational developments came a day after Amruta lodged a complaint with the Malabar Hill Police Station, accusing the father-daughter duo of Ulhasnagar of 'bribe-threats-blackmail'.

Moving swiftly, the Malabar Hill Police Station (Thursday) swooped to Thane town and detained the siblings -- a professional fashion designer Aniksha Jaisinghani and her brother Akshan -- while their bookie father, the other prime accused in the case, Anil Jaisinghani, is said to be absconding, officials said.

After they were brought to Mumbai on Thursday evening, Aniksha was arrested in the case.

The matter shot to limelight after the Nationalist Congress Party's Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar raised the matter in the Assembly, while state Congress president Nana Patole termed the matter as "serious" and demanded an in-depth probe into the entire matter on Thursday afternoon.

Confirming the developments, Fadnavis assured a full investigation into the whole imbroglio and even hinted at a political conspiracy hatched during the former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime to target and tarnish him.

Later, Fadnavis told media-persons that his wife Amruta came in touch with Aniksha some 16 months ago, how she (Aniksha) had visited Fadnavis' home several times and won their confidence.

Anishka -- who first met them in 2015, and then renewed contact with the Fadnavis family since November 2021 -- had given Amruta some designer clothes, jewellery and other accessories requesting her to promote these at her social and public shows to enable her to support her family.

Subsequently, after gaining their trust, Aniksha had tried to give a bribe of Rs 1 crore to Amruta to help get her father (Anil Jaisinghani) off the hook in a criminal case, but when the latter did not fall for it and blocked her on the mobile, she (Aniksha) resorted to threats and blackmail.

Fadnavis said that Aniksha allegedly tried to lure and trap Amruta by revealing that her father was passing on information about bookies to the police, and said the Fadnavis couple could make money by directing the police to either ignore or act against those bookies, and they would show them more routes to rake in money.

A couple of days later, Aniksha sent some video clips, voice and text messages to Amruta from an unknown manner, he added.

Fadnavis has also pointed fingers at the erstwhile MVA government, saying a lot of sensational things including some big names, politicians and an ex-Commissioner of Police, are likely to tumble out in this matter and he would speak after the investigations.

The fashionista had dropped hints of her political links and how she could get the Fadnavis couple into trouble if they did not help to withdraw the cases against her father.

"She sent two videos... in one she is shown packing money into a bag which is seen in my house and in another handing over that bag to a maid working here. We had filed a FIR but did not make it public and a forensic analysis showed that the two bags were different," Fadnavis pointed out.

The accused girl also boasted of their connections by giving names of politicians and police officials including a former city police chief, and Fadnavis suspects that the plot was hatched during the MVA rule.

While Aniksha, a law graduate, currently has no cases lodged against her, the police are checking the antecedents of her brother Akshan as also the cases filed against their fugitive father.

In a statement on Thursday evening, Patole slammed the government, saying that if the family of the Deputy Chief Minister -- who is also the home minister controlling the police department -- is not safe, how can the people of the state feel secure?

--IANS
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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Union Health Ministry on Thursday wrote to six states - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, which have reported significant rise in the Covid cases in last week - to examine the Covid 19 situation at the micro level.

"India has observed a significant decline in the number of Covid-19 cases during past few months. However, since past few weeks, a rise in cases has been noted specifically in certain parts of the country with a total of 2,082 cases reported in the week ending March 8, 2023 which rose to 3,264 cases in week ending March 15," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in the letter to the states.

He said that there are few states which are reporting higher number of cases indicating possible localised spread of infection and there is a need to follow a risk assessment-based approach to prevent & contain the infection, without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic.

The Health Ministry has advised that state should examine the situation of Covid-19 at micro level (district & sub-districts) and maintain focus on implementation of necessary measures for prompt and effective management of Covid-19 duly ensuring effective compliance with various advisories issued by the Ministry.

The five-fold strategy, i.e., Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination should be followed with continued focus on adequate & proactive testing as per guidelines, reads the letter. The states have been asked to monitor new and emerging clusters of new Covid-19 cases and also Influenza-like illness (ILI) & SARI cases in all health facilities.

"It is essential that the state must maintain a strict watch and take pre-emptive action if required in any areas of concern to control emerging spread of infection," Bhushan said in the letter.

--IANS
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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Delhi BJP has decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the Kejriwal government in the upcoming budget session of assembly starting on March 17.

The BJP has also given the notice to extend the budget session by 10 days and discuss 10 different issues.

BJP Legislature Party meeting was held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. Party MLAs Mohan Singh Bisht, Vijender Gupta, Omprakash Sharma, Jitendra Mahajan, Anil Kumar Bajpai, Abhay Verma and Ajay Mahawar took part in the meeting.

The party in the meeting said that two ministers of the Kejriwal government are behind the bars and the government is accused of many scams including liquor, hawala, espionage, classroom, Delhi Jal Board, advertisement, electricity subsidy, construction workers, DTC, and hospital scams. In such a situation, this government has no moral or constitutional right to be in office. That's why a no-confidence motion is being brought against the government.

Bidhuri expressed dissatisfaction over the short duration of the budget session. "The budget session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly has been called only for five days, out of which the provision of question hour has been kept for only two days. This is killing the rights of the legislators and this government is continuously robbing the rights of the legislators," he said.

The BJP leader reminded that the first budget session of the first Vidhan Sabha in 1994 lasted for a month and four days and had 19 sittings. On the one hand, it was the historical era of democracy and on the other hand, it is the era of dictatorship in which even question hour is not being held. BJP MLAs have demanded that the budget session must be of at least 15 days and there should be a provision for question hour every day.

Bidhuri said that the BJP MLAs have given notices to discuss the serious problems of Delhi in the Assembly and

"We want that all issues should be discussed so that the truth can come before the public. The topics for which notices have been given include discussions on the activities of the government steeped in corruption, the serious situation of air pollution, the drinking water crisis, the collapse of the transport system, non-opening of new school colleges, and lack of teachers in schools, non-supply of ration, irregularities in Mohalla clinics, non-cleaning of Yamuna, acquisition of farmers' land on very cheap rate for the construction of Barapullah bridge and continuous neglect of rural areas and farmers," he stated.

Bidhuri said that ever since the Aam Aadmi Party government came to power, the right of the opposition to speak has been snatched away but the BJP will continue to struggle to raise its voice in a democracy.

--IANS
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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate the India-Bangladesh friendship diesel pipeline on March 18, via video-conference.

This is the first cross-border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh, built at an estimated cost of Rs 377 crore, of which the Bangladesh portion of the pipeline built at a cost of approximately Rs 285 crore, has been borne by the Indian government under grant assistance.

The pipeline has a capacity to transport 1 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) of diesel, which will be initially supplied to seven districts of northern Bangladesh.

The operation of the pipeline will put in place a sustainable, reliable, cost-effective and environment friendly mode of transporting diesel from India to Bangladesh, and will further enhance cooperation in energy security between the two countries, official sources said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Supreme Court, after hearing submissions for nine days, on Thursday reserved its judgment on a batch of cross-petitions of Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde groups in connection with the Maharashtra political crisis.

A five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices M.R. Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P.S. Narasimha, before reserving the verdict, shot a volley of questions at senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Thackeray group.

The Chief Justice asked Singhvi: "So, really the question is whether there was a valid exercise of power by the Governor to call for a trust vote? And what happens, if we come to a conclusion that there was no valid exercise of power by the Governor to call for a trust vote?"

Singhvi said everything falls. However, the bench that everything falls on would be simple but Singhvi stressed that is the core question and urged the court to allow him to present his case.

The Chief Justice further queried, "Then, according to you what, we reinstate the Uddhav Thackeray government? But you resigned."

As Singhvi said Thackeray's resignation and not facing the trust vote is irrelevant, the Chief Justice observed: "That is, the court being told to reinstate a government (which has resigned)."

To this, Singhvi said that it is a plausible way of looking at it but it is irrelevant, and asked the bench to give him an opportunity to explain his contention.

At this juncture, Justice Shah said: "How can the court reinstate a Chief Minister who did not even face floor test?" Singhvi said the court is not reinstating anyone but it is restoring the status quo ante.

The Chief Justice further queried Singhvi: "But, it would have been a logical thing to do provided you had lost the trust vote on the floor of the Assembly. Clearly, then you would have been ousted from power due to a trust vote, which is set aside... look at the intellectual conundrum that it is not that you have been ousted from power as a result of a trust vote which was wrongly summoned by the Governor. You chose not to, whatever reason you did not face the trust vote."

The bench further said: "So you're saying that Mr Uddhav Thackeray resigned only because he was called upon by the Governor to face a trust vote?"

Singhvi submitted, "I'm grateful. After I filed the petition, after I made it sub judice, and after I said it's completely unknown to law and don't allow it to go on."

The Chief Justice then asked Singhvi: "You're frankly accepting the fact that you resigned because the trust vote was going to go against you." Singhvi replied that is an illegal act and consequences of it are known to his client.

The apex court heard arguments advanced on behalf of both Thackeray and Shinde groups and the office of the Governor and concluded the hearing after senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Singhvi, Devadatt Kamat and advocate Amit Anand Tiwari made their submissions.

The Shinde group was represented by senior advocates Neeraj Kishan Kaul, Harish Salve, Mahesh Jethmalani and advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the office of the Governor in the matter. The hearing in the matter commenced on February 21.

On June 29, 2022, the apex court refused to stay the Governor's direction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Thackeray to take floor test, who resigned sensing defeat. It paved the way for the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance led by Shinde to come to power in Maharashtra.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, March 7 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramachandra Pillai in Delhi liquor policy scam.

He was taken into custody by the ED late on Monday night after questioning in New Delhi.

The Central agency had earlier conducted searches at the residence of Pillai at Kokapet in Hyderabad and attached his properties.

Pillai was allegedly frontman of a South liquor manufactureres' group. According to investigating agency, he collected bribes from another accused Sameer Mahendru, managing director of Indospirit and handed it over to the other accused.

Pillai was allegedly given 32.5 per cent shareholding in Indospirit, which is said to have earned Rs 68 crore profit due to cartelization. Out of this amount, Rs 29 crore was transferred to bank accounts of Pillai and other related accounts.

In January, the ED had attached a land parcel owned by Pillai worth Rs 2.25 crore in Hyderabad.

--IANS
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