India

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting raids at multiple locations belonging to payment gateway i.e Paytm and PayU in connection with a case pertaining to Chinese Loan apps.

Sources said that raids were going on in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, Lucknow and Kolkata.

The ED has not given any official comment on the matter.

On September 3 raids were conducted at the premises belonging to online payments gateway including Razorpay Pvt Ltd, Cashfree Payments and Paytm Payment Services Ltd.

The case is based on 18 FIRs registered by Cyber Crime Police Station, Bengaluru City, against numerous persons for their involvement in extortion and harassment of the public who had availed small loans through the mobile apps being run by those entities.

"During enquiries, it had emerged that these entities are operated by Chinese persons. The modus operandi of these entities is that by using forged documents of Indians and making them dummy directors of those entities, they are generating proceeds of crime," the ED had said.

The ED had said that it has come to their notice that the entities were conducting their suspected business through various Merchant IDs/Accounts held with Payment Gateways/banks.

The premises of Razorpay Pvt Ltd, Cashfree Payments, Paytm Payment Services Ltd and entities controlled/operated by Chinese persons were covered in the search operation.

"During the search operations, it was noticed that the said entities were generating proceeds of crime through various Merchant IDs/Accounts held with Payment Gateways/banks and they are also not operating from the addresses given on the MCA website/registered address and having fake addresses. An amount of Rs 17 cr has been seized in merchant IDs and bank accounts of these Chinese persons-controlled entities," the ED official had said.

Meanwhile, a Razorpay spokesperson had said "Some of our merchants were being investigated by law enforcement about a year and a half back. As part of the ongoing investigation, the authorities requested additional information to help with the investigation. We have fully cooperated and shared KYC and other details. The authorities were satisfied by our due diligence process."

The search operations are still in progress.

--IANS
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Chandigarh, Sep 14 (IANS) Amid allegations of BJP attempting to bring down the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, the AAP on Wednesday said it has filed a formal complaint along with all proofs to Director General of Punjab Gaurav Yadav for a fair probe into threats and money offers to its legislators.

It lashed out at the saffron party, calling it a "serial killer" of democracy and condemned "Operation Lotus" for the "dubious manner" in which elected governments in the country are being brought down.

State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema told media that the BJP has "murdered democracy" by toppling elected governments in various states after "using" central investigation agencies and through money lures.

It tried the same in Punjab, but the staunch soldiers of AAP foiled the BJP's "nefarious agenda".

He alleged BJP agents and workers from Delhi and Punjab have "tried to break" 35 MLAs of AAP to topple the government in Punjab.

Cheema said a complaint against BJP leaders and agents has been submitted before the DGP for "offering Rs 25 crore each to at least 10 MLAs in the state and also giving life threat to Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural and others for exposing their wicked agendas before the public".

Stating that the BJP is baffled with "growing popularity" of AAP and its supremo Arvind Kejriwal, he said the BJP is now afraid of Kejriwal and is trying to stop him by any means.

"The work of horse-trading adopted by the BJP has been going on in different states of the country. The BJP under its Operation Lotus had earlier changed governments in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh.

"In latest target under Operation Lotus, eight MLAs of Congress have shifted to the BJP in Goa today. It is a testament that BJP is killing democracy and forming their government in non-BJP ruled states by breaking MLAs with help of the CBI and the ED," Cheema said.

He said the BJP will never succeed in its "wicked" plans in Punjab even if they offer Rs 2,200 crore because the loyal soldiers of AAP under the leadership of Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are standing like a rock.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) Hearing a plea on the plight of Hindu migrants from Pakistan living in a slum in the national capital sans even electricity for the last five to six years, the Delhi High Court has said that it hopes and trusts the government to look into the matter sympathetically.

"There are small children and women in the area. In the absence of electricity, it has become very difficult for these families to survive, and they are living in extremely harsh conditions," noted a division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad in the recent order.

The court also asked for the Centre's reply within two weeks on a no objection certificate (NOC) that can solve the electricity supply issue, which has not been issued to the migrants yet.

Power distributor Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL) apprised that it is not able to provide electricity connections as the land in question belongs to the Central government or Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), emphasising the need for the NOC to erect electric poles for power supply.

As per the PIL filed on behalf of the Hindu migrants living in Adarsh Nagar near the Majlis Park Metro Station, all of them have been issued Aadhaar cards and are here on long-term Visa issued by the government.

They are poor people who do not have a permanent place or shelter and they are living in a cluster of jhuggis, the plea read.

The petitioners' counsel said they will not claim any right over the land in question on account of the fact that electricity has been provided to them and are ready to pay for the electricity, and a prepaid meter can be installed in their premises.

He also apprised the court that the other migrants from Pakistan living in the Majnu-Ka-Tila have been provided electricity connection.

The matter will be next heard on October 6.

--IANS
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Panaji, Sep 14 (IANS) Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Wednesday said it was under God's guidance that he decided to quit Congress and join BJP.

"God told me 'you take the decision, I am with you'. Hence I decided to join BJP," the senior politician said.

He was responding to a question on the oath taken before God that he will never leave the Congress and will remain loyal. Kamat said that God has supported his current decision.

"I have faith in God. I again went before God and shared the entire situation and sought his guidance. He then told me to take a decision saying 'I am there with you'," Kamat told reporters here.

Notably, ahead of the February 2022 Assembly polls, the Congress party candidates had taken oath before temples, church and dargah that they will not leave the party after getting elected and will always remain loyal. Kamat had taken the lead to give this oath to the candidates, video of which is going viral after eight Congress MLAs switched over to BJP.

Earlier, on July 10, 2019, during the last term of BJP government, 10 MLAs of Congress along with Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavalekar had switched to BJP. Hence to dilute that issue and to reassure people that their MLAs will not defect, Congress had organised 'oath' taking programs before election.

"I went back to the temple and I asked God and goddess what I should do. We have a system of taking Prasada. The God said go ahead don't worry," Kamat further said.

'Prasad' is traditionally practiced in Goa from ancient times, asking Gods and Goddess about different problems and their solutions through Priest. This is practiced in many temples of Goa. Devotees take this 'prasad' before doing any good work and also seek solutions to their problems.

Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes are the eight legislators who have switched parties.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 14 (IANS) IT major Wipro stated on Wednesday that its campus in Doddakannelli locality of the city has been constructed as per the sanctioned plan.

The response comes after its name figured in the list of alleged encroachers, prepared by the city civic authority, the BBMP.

Several high profile developers, IT majors, and hospitals, are named as encroachers allegedly responsible for choking almost 700 storm water drains (SWD), as per an internal note of the BBMP tasked with clearing up the mess.

Dated August 17, the city civic authorities' note names 15 encroachments by various developers and firms like IT firms, hospitals, and educational institutions.

The BBMP list includes entities like Prestige, Bagmane Tech Park, Columbia Asia Hospital, Eco Space, Gopalan, Salarpuria, Wipro and Congress leader Haris Nalapad.

However, Wipro has set the record straight with its statement on Wednesday. The company indicated that its campus mentioned in the BBMP list is as per sanctioned plans.

"Wipro abides by the laws of every jurisdiction where it does business and adheres to the highest standards of integrity. The Wipro campus in Doddakannelli is as per sanctioned plan. We have not received any notice from BBMP."

Over the past two days, civic authorities have embarked on a demolition drive of the alleged encroachments which are said to have led to blocking of storm water drains which ultimately resulted in massive flooding and water logging of several localities in the Magadevapura zone of the city. The area is hub of tech companies.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu will represent India at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on September 19.

Murmu will be visiting London from September 17 to 19 to offer condolences on behalf of the Government of India.

Queen Elizabeth, the former head of state of the UK and Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, passed away on September 8.

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences at the demise of Queen Elizabeth II.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited the British High Commission in New Delhi on September 12 to convey India's condolences. India also observed a day of national mourning on Sunday (September 11).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted, "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered as a stalwart of our times. She provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people. She personified dignity and decency in public life. Pained by her demise. My thoughts are with her family and people of UK in this sad hour."

"In the 70 years of reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, India-UK ties have evolved, flourished and strengthened immensely. She played an important role in the welfare of millions of people around the world as Head of the Commonwealth," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

--IANS
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Chandigarh, Sep 14 (IANS) A day after raking up allegations against the BJP's Central government for attempting to destabilise the AAP government in Punjab by offering hefty sums to its legislators, state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday revealed the names of 11 legislators who were tried to be 'allured'.

The legislators were Dinesh Chadha, Raman Arora, Budh Ram, Kulwant Pandori, Narinder Kaur Bharaj, Rajnish Dahiya, Rupinder Singh Happy, Sheetal Angural, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Labh Singh Ugoke and Baljinder Kaur.

However, the BJP dismissed the allegation by saying AAP was attempting to divert public attention from its governance failures.

Cheema alleged that even legislator Angural was given death threats.

"He's not the only one. Some of the other MLAs were also given death threats by the agents of the BJP, he alleged. Thirty-five legislators have been approached and 10 of these have been issued death threats, he said.

"I am taking these MLAs to meet the DGP, requesting him to investigate the matter. We are going to request him to file an FIR. We are submitting all proof against them, the minister added.

Addressing the media here, Cheema on Tuesday said under 'Operation Lotus' many leaders and agents of the BJP from Delhi and Punjab have approached at least 10 AAP MLAs on phone in the past seven days and offered Rs 25 crore to each to quit AAP and join the BJP.

He said they were offering to arrange meetings of AAP MLAs with Babu-ji (a top BJP leader) and also promised them Cabinet ministerial ranks after the BJP form the government in the state.

Lambasting the Modi government, Cheema said the BJP "is working as a serial killer in Punjab, and anti-national powers have joined forces to overthrow the AAP government in Punjab as they are unable to digest the dynamic functioning of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government in the state."

"After using central investigation agencies against AAP leaders and offering money to MLAs in Delhi, now the BJP is attempting to buy MLAs in Punjab," Cheema said.

He said the BJP "is a serial killer which is bringing down the governments in every state one by one by coercing opposition party leaders with agencies and money. The next target in this murder of democracy under 'Operation Lotus' is Punjab."

"Wherever the BJP loses, these people form their government by breaking MLAs with help of the CBI, the ED and money. They did it in Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh. Now, they are doing it in Punjab," Cheema said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) The petitioners on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that according to the religious text, wearing of hijab was 'farz' (duty) and the courts were not equipped to determine its essentiality.

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, representing some petitioners, submitted before a bench comprising Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia that once it was shown that wearing a hijab is a bona fide practice then it was permitted, while citing the apex court's decision in Bijoe Emmanuel case. Dhavan said that the conclusion of the Karnataka High Court was puzzling, as it said hijab was not mandatory due to the absence of prescription of penalties.

The bench queried Dhavan that his argument was that the courts were not equipped to decide the matter, and if a dispute arises then which forum will decide it? Dhavan said what was the dispute? Whether hijab was an essential practice? He added that hijab was worn all over the country, and as long as it was bona fide and prevalent, the practice must be allowed and there was no need to refer to the religious text.

Dhavan argued that according to the tenets of the faith, if something has been followed, it was allowed, and if it was bona fide, there was no need to go back to the text. Also, if a belief of a community was proved then a judge was bound to accept that belief, instead of sitting on a judgment on that belief, he added.

Citing the Kerala High Court decision, he added that the analysis of the Quranic injunctions and the Hadiths would show that it was a 'farz' to cover the head. The bench queried, what was the basis of saying it was a 'farz'?

Justice Gupta told Dhavan, "You want us not to do what the Kerala High Court has done?" He replied that "if one were to interpret the text then the answer to it is farz, and if it is a ritual that is prevalent, and is bona fide, your lordships will allow."

Dhavan further added that the rationale in the Kerala case given by the Board was that it was a measure to prevent malpractices in the All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) in 2016, but in Karnataka case, there was no rationale given. He added that hijab was permitted across the board in public places, so what was the basis to say hijab can't be allowed in a classroom and was opposed to public order? Concluding his argument, Dhavan said there was no foundation in the government order against hijab, it violates Article 14 and 15, and this was not permissible in the Constitution.

The hearing in the matter will continue at 2 p.m.

The apex court was hearing submissions on the fifth day against the Karnataka High Court's judgement of March 15 upholding ban on Hijab in pre-university colleges.

--IANS
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Panaji, Sep 14 (IANS) In yet another setback to Congress in Goa, a group of eight MLAs led by Michael Lobo, who was removed from post of leader of opposition, joined the ruling BJP on Wednesday.

With this, the number of BJP legislators has gone up to 28 and strength to 33 in the 40-member Assembly.

Congress had 11 MLAs among the 40 members of the House. While BJP had 20 MLAs, which now increased to 28. However, the BJP had support of two MGP legislators besides three independent MLAs. Hence, the strength of the saffron party has gone up to 33 and that of Congress reduced to three.

Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes are the eight legislators which have switched parties.

After the formalities of merger, Lobo along with Digambar Kamat and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant addressed the media at the Assembly complex.

Michael Lobo, speaking to the media, said that eight Congress MLAs had called a CLP meeting in the morning and after discussion decided to merge with BJP.

"We took the resolution of the merging party and handed over a copy to the legislative secretary. We gave one copy to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and informed the Assembly speaker about it," Lobo said.

"We have joined BJP to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and also for the development of Goa," Lobo said.

Former Chief Minister Digamabar Kamat said in politics, decisions are based on the circumstances. "I had said initially, that whatever was happening in Congress was not good. If you read the letter of Ghulam Nabi Azad, while leaving Congress, you can draw conclusions that instead of 'Bharat Jodo yatra' Congress should have launched 'Congress Jodo Yatra'," Kamat said.

"Citizens of our nation are treated with respect at international level under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nobody dares to disrespect Indians in any country. Because such an environment has been created by our Prime Minister in the world. India will become a super power. While this is happening, Goa should not stay behind. For this to strengthen the Chief Minister and overall development of Goa we have joined BJP," Kamat praising the PM and Goa CM said.

Chief Minister Sawant said that Congress eight MLAS have merged with BJP. "I welcome them all. We will take BJP and Goa ahead,"Sawant said.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Sep 14 (IANS) The Yogi Adityanath government, on Wednesday, thwarted the Samajwadi Party's dharna in protest against various issues concerning the people.

The SP had announced that its MLAs would hold a four-hour dharna from Wednesday to Sunday in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue in the Vidhan Bhawan.

As soon as the SP MLAs collected at the Samajwadi Party office on Wednesday morning, the police barricaded the entire area.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav was prevented from coming out of his house while other senior leaders were also confined to their homes.

SP MLAs, carrying red and black placards denouncing the government's failures, shouted slogans and indulged in scuffle with the police personnel.

They were later bundled into vans and taken to the Eco Garden.

"They will be allowed to go home later in the day," the police spokesman said.

--IANS
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