India

New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Wednesday moved the High Court seeking interim bail in the now-scrapped excise policy case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Sisodia has sought for interim bail on the ground of illness of his wife.

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, while listing the plea for consideration on Thursday with his regular bail plea, also asked the CBI to try make efforts to file the status report in the matter on the same day itself.

Last week, Special Judge M.K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court had extended Sisodia's judicial custody till May 12.

The court had also directed the CBI to supply an e-copy of the supplementary charge sheet to Sisodia.

Claiming that the probe agency had filed an incomplete investigation in the case, Sisodia's counsel had urged the court to grant default bail to his client.

"Prima facie it seems the agency is saying that further investigation regarding me is required/pending. Therefore, we reserve the right to file an application for statutory bail," counsel had said.

The probe agency had filed the charge sheet on April 25.

On April 26, the CBI had told the Delhi High Court that the excise policy scam it is probing, is a "deep-rooted conspiracy" and that it is not as simple as depicted.

Jusge Nagpal had on April 29 also extended Sisodia's custody till May 8 in the case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A day before, the judge had denied bail to Sisodia holding that the evidence prima facie "speaks volumes" of his involvement in commission of the offence.

--IANS
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New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to grant any relief to Balwant Singh Rajoana, seeking commutation of his death penalty on the ground that the Centre failed to decide his mercy petition for a considerably long period, and asked the Centre to deal with the mercy petition and take a decision.

A bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai said: "The competent authority...in time would again as in when they deem necessary may deal with mercy petition and take a decision. The writ petition is disposed of accordingly."

On March 2, the Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on a plea by Rajoana seeking commutation of his death penalty on the ground that the Centre failed to decide his mercy petition for a considerably long period. Rajoana has been convicted in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

A bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai reserved the verdict after hearing senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, representing Rajaona, and Additional Solicitor General K.M. Natraj, representing the Centre.

Rohatgi had argued that keeping Rajaona on death row while sitting over his mercy plea for a long time violated his fundamental rights. Interestingly, Rajoana has not challenged his conviction or sentence.

In September last year, the Supreme Court had pulled up the Centre for delay in deciding the mercy petition filed on behalf of Rajoana, who has been in jail for 25 years awaiting his execution.

A bench headed by then Chief Justice U.U. Lalit said it was not inclined to entertain the request of the Centre's counsel to grant adjournment in the matter. The top court had told the Centre's counsel that four months have lapsed since its May 2022 order, as it questioned the delay in taking a decision on Rajoana's mercy plea.

The top court asked a responsible officer from the department concerned to file an affidavit on the status of the matter.

--IANS
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New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Air India has recently issued a stern warning to its pilots regarding the renewal of their licenses and Airport Entry Passes (AEP).

The airline has sent out an email detailing the consequences of any delays in the renewal process, which include both disciplinary action and financial penalties.

According to sources, the directive comes amidst concerns over the airline's safety standards, and aims to ensure that all pilots meet the necessary requirements for operating flights.

The email mentioned that there have been several occasions where the crew has failed to provide the necessary documentation or fulfill the necessary procedures that are required for the renewal of licenses.

"In spite of such repeated reminders some crew are not doing the needful which is leading to delay in their license related issues and are becoming unavailable to the company for performing their duties Which leads the company no other choice but to take some strict action against the individual crew member," the email stated.

Air India's training department is accessible to pilots for assistance with their documentation, and if they do not take advantage of this resource, they may face financial consequences, it added.

"Training department is there to assist the crew member so that there is no loss of time from duty (non-availability) nor they get penalised monetarily, if submission of documentation is not initiated at least 45 days before the expiry of license then the crew member will be issued a caution letter," the email further added.

The move has garnered attention and sparked debate within the aviation industry, with some praising the airline's proactive approach to safety, while others criticise the punitive nature of the measures.

Recently, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) of Air India had rejected the new pay structure proposed by the airline.

The primary bone of contention is the reduction in the flying allowance from 70 hours to 40 hours every month under the new structure, which the pilots believe is unfair.

The two unions have warned of possible "industrial unrest" if the management goes ahead with the new terms without their consent. While Air India has stated that it will "continue to engage with the remainder of its staff," the airlines have taken a tough stance on the issue, saying that there are "no recognised unions in Air India."

This is the first wage revision offered by the Tata group-owned Air India since its takeover last year, and it will affect all 3,000 pilots across its four airlines - Air India, Air India Express, Air Asia India, and Vistara.

--IANS
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New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) India's ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who has been protesting at the Jantar Mantar here with other top grapplers against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, has alleged that Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tried to suppress the matter by forming an oversight panel instead of taking concrete action.

During their second phase of their protest, wrestlers are demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan, who is also a BJP MP.

"We ended our protest after talking to Union Sports Minister (Anurag Thakur), and all the athletes had told him about the sexual harassment. By forming a committee, he tried to suppress the matter there; no action was taken that time," Vinesh told reporters.

The ace wrestler also said that it is tough to stand against a powerful person who is misusing his power and position for a very long time.

"It is very difficult to stand against a person who is misusing his power and position for so long," she said.

The Olympian further revealed that the wrestlers had met an official before they started their protest in Jantar Mantar, for the first time. But, no action was taken.

"Three-four months before we sat at Jantar Mantar, we had met an official, we had told him everything about how women athletes are sexually harassed and mentally tortured when no action was taken, then we sat on dharna," Vinesh said.

Meanwhile, Brij Bhushan has refused to resign from the wrestling body, saying it would then mean he has accepted the allegations.

"If I resign that means I have accepted their allegations, my tenure is about to end. Till a new party is formed and the government has formed an IOA committee under that committee elections will be held and then my tenure will end," he told the media earlier.

The wrestlers' protest has become a huge political issue, with several opposition leaders showing solidarity with the athletes and demanding the resignation of the WFI chief.

--IANS
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Lucknow, May 3 (IANS) A day ahead of the municipal elections in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday asked voters to be wary of Bahujan Samaj Party as it was "hand-in-glove with the ruling BJP".

With Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad now by his side, Akhilesh said the SP was moving ahead on the principles and ideology of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.

"Bahujan Samaj Party andar hi andar BJP se mili hui hai. Chunav mein BSP se savdhan rehna (BJP has quietly joined hands with the BJP. Beware of the BSP during the polls)," Akhilesh said.

He further said, "The BJP is banking on the politics of hate and is out to divide people by pitting Hindus against Muslims and other sections of society. They have to fall back on such tricks because they have done nothing in terms of development that they can showcase and seek votes on."

Responding to a query, Akhilesh said the urban local body polls were about civic amenities in urban areas but the ruling BJP, despite already having a triple engine government operating in the state, had failed to do anything for garbage heaps by the roadside and poor medical facilities in the city.

"The BJP government is at the Centre, in UP and was also in place in several corporations all these years. What have they done?" he asked.

The SP president said the BJP has no answers to the needs of the people, which is why the chief minister talks of 'tamanchas' (country-made pistols) in polls instead of listing achievements in providing civic amenities to the people.

"You ask him about policy on waste management, he will talk about 'tamancha'. You ask him about health infrastructure, he will talk about 'tamancha'. This is because he has no answers to the questions people are asking," he said.

Akhilesh further said, "The chief minister calls others mafia dons. Had he himself not withdrawn criminal cases that were pending against him, he would have had a chargesheet more comprehensive than any other."

--IANS
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New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to record fresh statements of Vijay Nair, former communication in-charge of AAP, and director of Buddy Retail Pvt Limited Amit Arora, who are presently lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam.

Recently, the central agency moved a plea before the special PMLA court, seeking permission to further quiz them in judicial custody. Upon hearing their contention, the court granted them permission to visit Tihar Jail and record the statements.

The ED has filed the third supplementary chargesheet in the matter and is likely to file the fourth soon.

Taking cognisance of the matter, the probe agency has claimed that it has enough digital evidence to prove that the Delhi Excise Policy was leaked before it was launched and Rs 100 crore kickbacks were given to AAP to favour liquor lobby from South India.

--IANS
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Lucknow, May 3 (IANS) The first Atal Residential School in Lucknow is all set to begin classes from July this year.

Spread across 17 acres and equipped with all essential facilities, the Lucknow-based school has been constructed in Sithorikala (Mohanlalganj block) at a cost of Rs 70 crore.

It will operate classes from 6th to 12th. The admission form for Class 6 has been made available now and the last date of its submission is May 27, according to a government spokesman.

Selection of students will be done through an entrance test to be held on June 11.

Principal Sukhvir Singh said, "The school will start in July with its Class 6 batch wherein 40 boys and 40 girls will be given admission. Children whose parents have e-shramik cards (for at least three years) and are registered with Uttar Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (UPBOCW), are eligible for admissions to the school. Also, children who lost either or both their parents due to Covid are also eligible. The child must have born between May 1, 2010 and April 30, 2013 to be eligible for admission to Class 6."

Constructed as part of the dream project of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the school would provide free education from Classes 6 to 12 along with full residential facilities to kids from financially poor backgrounds from 2023-24 academic session.

The spokesman said, "We will work on the lines of Navodyaya Vidyalaya and follow the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. We have 11 sanctioned teaching posts. Interviews of the teachers have been done, and appointment letters will be issued soon."

He further said, "The school will have academic blocks, separate hostels for boys and girls, mess, teachers' quarters and principal residence."

Meanwhile, divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob said that the offline application form will be given free of cost. Jacob instructed officers to ensure that the selection of children in the Atal Residential School is done in the most transparent manner. She added that the basic objective of this scheme is to develop the intellectual, physical development and overall personality of the registered labourers' children, orphans and destitute children working in the building and other construction processes, and bring them to the mainstream of the society.


In 2019, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had announced the establishment of the residential schools in the state. Named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, such schools are being set up in all 18 divisional headquarters of the state in the first phase.

These schools are expected to start functioning from July 2023, said officials. The principal added that along with free education and lodging, these children will also get free school dress, books, and school bags.

--IANS
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By Arul Louis
United Nations, May 3 (IANS) Rana Ayyub, a controversial Indian journalist writing for US media, has called for shifting global attention to media freedom in India as she spoke at a Unesco-sponsored event at the world body.


"It is important for the world to shift its attention to India because we do not really talk about India as much and I really hope you do that in the days to come," she said on Tuesday questioning New Delhi's democratic credentials and its press freedom at the conference held on the eve of the World Press Freedom Day in the General Assembly chamber.

"When we talk about attacks in the press, we normally never look at India as much because India is seen as this place of democracy, you know, syncretic values and cultural pluralism."

Earlier at the 30th Anniversary of the World Press Freedom Day Global Conference, New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger got the criticism of India rolling, saying that "in India, authorities have raided newsrooms and treated journalists essentially as terrorists".

"In countries where press freedoms were strong, including the United States, journalists now face systematic campaigns to undermine their credibility, followed by attacks on the legal protections that safeguard their work," he said.

Samantha Power, the administrator of the US government's Agency for International Development (USAID), announced the launch of Reporters Shield, a programme to offer investigative journalists around the world insurance from defamation lawsuits and legal threats meant to "silence critical voices".

Ayyub, who works for The Washington Post, said while seated at the General Assembly dais: "I have normally seen world leaders talk about democratic values right here at this podium (and) some of us journalists watching it on TV look at them and like, 'Hey, you are anything but democratic."

While detailing what she said were attacks on press freedom, she said: "I come from India, the land of democracy, which prides itself on, about democratic values. I love my country more than I love any other entity in the world, but which is why it is more important for me."

She claimed that she was facing "legal warfare" through charges of money laundering and tax evasion and cases of defamation for her work as a journalist going back to an undercover assignment where she said she wore "eight cameras on my body" posing as a "Hindu nationalist".

She referred to the killing in 2017 of journalist Gauri Lankeshwar, who had translated her book into Kannada and who she said had dismissed threats as "paper tigers".

She said that she has been receiving threats of death and physical attacks on social media and at her house.

Mumbai Police, she asserted, were indifferent saying that the threats were only online.

Ayyub, who stressed her Muslim identity, claimed that "there is a sustained attack on the 200 million Muslim minorities on the lower caste in India systematically even as the country gears up to hold the G20 Summit in India, where world leaders are coming to India and (will be) talking about the virtues of democracy".

Notably, the published list of speakers at the conference did not include anyone from China, either working there, or a dissident abroad.

--IANS
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Shivamogga (Karnataka), May 3 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "not mentioning names of other leaders of his party during his speeches and talking only about himself".

"There is not only Narendra Modi in this world, there are other people as well," Gandhi said while addressing a gathering here on Tuesday.

"Modi ji, talk about your leaders, talk about Karnataka, talk about youths," he quipped.

"I came here and first of all, mentioned the names of senior leaders of our party. In BJP meetings, Prime Minister doesn't mention anybody. The way, I take the names of Siddaramaiah Ji, Shivakumara Ji, Kharge Ji... Modi Ji will never talk about any leader," the Congress leader asserted.

"He doesn't take the names of Yeddiyurappa Ji or Bommai Ji, as if they don't exist. Every person of Karnataka is asking - why doesn't Modi Ji ever take the names of BJP leaders," Gandhi said.

Gandhi's statement assumed importance as former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa hails from Shivamogga district.

"In Congress meetings, we never talk about violence or hatred. Our workers open 'shops of love' in the 'market of hatred'; they unite the country, spread brotherhood wherever they go. We respect all castes, all religion, all language," the Congress leader added.

"This (Shivamogga) is the constituency of Karnataka's Home Minister. There was huge corruption in recruitment exam for Police Sub-Inspector. Prime Minister Modi never takes the name of Karnataka's Home Minister. He talks only about himself... he doesn't utter a word about what Karnataka government did in the last three years," he said.

Gandhi further said that the BJP "stole the government in Karnataka three years ago by harming democracy".

He also mentioned about the Contractors' Association letter to the Prime Minister, where it was alleged that about 40 per cent commission is sought on every contract.

Gandhi further mentioned about the water dispute between Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka. "What did you do for Karnataka when floods came. And when Karnataka was being given lesser tax money than what was its due, what did you do for Karnataka?"

"The Prime Minister comes here, talks about how Congress has attacked him 91 times... The question is not about the Prime Minister, but about the people of Karnataka. Prime Minister Modi, you didn't talk about corruption, you didn't talk about the Home Minister or any other issue of Karnataka. At least tell what your government is going to do for Karnataka in the next five years," the Congress leader reiterated.

--IANS
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New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) A Special PMLA Court in Bhopal has handed three year's rigorous imprisonment to one Harishankar Gurjar, Ranger in Forest Department in Khandwa, and his wife Seema Gurjar for the offence committed under section 3 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), an official said on Tuesday.

The court, while awarding them sentences, also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each for committing the offence.

The court also ordered confiscation of six properties worth Rs 38.16 lakh which were attached by the ED.

In this case, the FIR was registered by Likuta Police, Madhya Pradesh under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Indian Penal Code.

Harishankar Gurjar, by misusing his official position and criminal misconduct, earned income disproportionate to his known source of income which he could not satisfactorily account for, an official said.

The disproportionate assets so earned have been utilised by him for acquiring properties in his/family members name and the same were projected as untainted properties.

The court, after conducting the trial, held them guilty.

--IANS
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