India

New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) The Indian Railways will have to make major changes in its network for the Vande Bharat trains as they consume double the electricity than the normal electric trains.

This system has been implemented in many countries where high-speed passenger trains run, including China, Japan, France and South Africa.

If the Railways plans to run Vande Bharat trains in its entire network, then major changes will have to be made in the whole network and more and more power will also be needed.

The existing overhead lines may find it difficult to meet the future demand for high-speed trains running simultaneously. Hence it has been decided to upgrade the overhead wires.

Recently, the Railways floated a tender for 1650 km track between Delhi and Mughalsarai at a cost of Rs 1,140 crore. The Railways will have to bring 247 broadgauge network completely on the electricity network by 2023. In this direction, it has been successful on a 52,247 km route till April this year, out of the 65,414 km network.

The 16-coach Shatabdi Express has a locomotive at one end which provides about 6,000 horsepower while the Vande Bharat train has eight motorised coaches which provide about 12,000 horsepower to the train. That is why, working on the network for Vande Bharat train is also a big challenge.

--IANS
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Kolkata, Sep 21 (IANS) A special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday remanded former West Bengal education minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general, Partha Chatterjee to judicial custody till October 5 for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities scam.

The court ordered similar judicial custody till October 5 for three others arrested in this connection namely former president of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay, former WBSSC secretary, Ashok Saha and former convener of WBSSC's screening committee, SP Sinha. This means that all four of them will have to spend the festive season of Durga Puja behind the bars. They will be housed at Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata.

The CBI counsel sought the permission of the court to question the four accused in the correctional home. However, the judge of the special court pointed out that there were some technical mistakes in the application of the central agency on this count and asked the CBI counsel to submit a fresh application at the earliest.

The CBI sleuths probing the matter also submitted a report on the progress of its investigation in a sealed envelope. In the report, they pointed out how Partha Chatterjee ignored several complaints against Trinamool Congress MLA and former West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) chairman, Manik Bhattacharya regarding his involvement in rampant corruption in the primary teacher's recruitment.

In this matter, CBI counsel referred to an SMS message that came to mobile phone of Partha Chatterjee complaining against Manik Bhattacharya. However, CBI pointed out, instead of acting on that complaint, Partha Chatterjee forwarded the message to Bhattacharya.

On Wednesday, Partha Chatterjee himself participated in the argument and claimed that as the-then state education minister he had no hand in the WBSSC recruitment process. "If there is a road accident, the state transport minister is not arrested," he argued.

Opposing his bail plea, the CBI counsel said that if released on bail at this juncture, Partha Chatterjee might make attempts to tamper with evidences and influence the witnesses. Finally, after hearing all parties concerned, the special court of CBI remanded all the four accused to judicial custody till October 5.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday met Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi. The meeting lasted for two hours, and after the meeting he is leaving for Kerala to join Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Sources say that the issue of Rajasthan was also discussed but their is no official word on it. Gehlot is tipped to file his nomination next week for the Congress president's post; however he is reluctant to leave the Chief Minister's chair in the state.

Gehlot, who arrived in the national capital on Wednesday morning, had told the media ahead of the meeting that he will not back out from any responsibility. "I will not back out from any responsibility and will serve the party wherever and in whichever capacity I am required in this hour of crisis," he said. However, he said the party wants Rahul Gandhi to take over as the party president.

Gehlot said that he will discharge all the responsibilities given and hinted that he can manage the posts of both the party chief and chief minister simultaneously. The chief minister said that he is not aspiring for any post but wants to work towards ousting the "fascist" (BJP) government.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday arrived at the AICC office to check the delegates list ahead of the notification of the Congress presidential poll as he readied to file his nomination papers.

--IANS
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Jammu, Sep 21 (IANS) Designate TADA court on Wednesday issued a production warrant against JKLF chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik directing authorities at Delhi's Tihar Jail to physically produce him before the court on the next hearing of Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case.

CBI counsel, Monika Kohli told reporters that the TADA court has issued a production warrant against Malik and directed the Tihar jail authorities to produce him before it on the next date of the hearing on October 20.

The court has already turned down the request by Yasin Malik that he should be personally allowed to cross examine Rubaiya Sayeed who identified him on July 15.

The JKLF chief has already been sentenced to life in another case.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed a sessions court to consider on Thursday a plea by Enforcement Directorate seeking transfer of Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain's bail hearing, in a money laundering case, to another judge.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Jain, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and sought an urgent hearing.

The bench, also comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Hima Kohli, noted that any accused is entitled to expeditious hearing of bail plea and asked the Principal District and Sessions Judge of the Rouse Avenue court to consider the application for hearing on September 22.

Sibal contended that seven hearings took place and Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju was asked to come on September 15, but he moved an application to transfer the case. Raju submitted that if the petitioner is aggrieved, then he can move the high court.

The bench said: "We clarify that any party aggrieved by the decision on transfer petition can seek appropriate remedies available in law." It clarified that the District Judge will decide the forum for hearing on the bail plea.

On September 19, Principal District and Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Gupta stayed the proceedings of the bail hearing before special judge Geetanjali Goel and issued notice to Jain and other co-accused in the case. The judge sought replies from the respondents in the case - on an application by the ED seeking transfer of the case to another judge -- by September 30.

Jain, whose bail has been denied in various hearings since his arrest in the PMLA case on May 30, is presently lodged in Tihar jail. As per the earlier submissions of the ED, Jain was in de-facto control of shell companies used for alleged money laundering, and the co-accused persons Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain were just dummies. The ED had raised certain contentions in connection with the bail arguments being heard by the special judge.

--IANS
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Noida, Sep 21 (IANS) Two youths were beaten up by the bouncers of a hospital in Noida Sector 110 following a dispute over the parking of a car. A video of the incident has gone viral.

In the video, the youths are seen being thrashed by the bouncers of Yatharth Super Specialty Hospital. The entire incident was captured in a CCTV installed nearby and now the video of the incident has gone viral.

It is alleged that the bouncers and guards of the hospital thrashed the youths with iron rods.

According to the information received, the youths parked their car in the parking lot along with the vehicles parked outside the hospital. The guards asked them not to park the vehicle there, following which an altercation broke out. Thereafter, some bouncers and guards came out from the hospital and beat the youths with iron rods.

Officials of police station Phase 2 said that they would register a case after they receive a complaint in connection with the incident. The hospital authorities however refused to talk in this regard.

--IANS
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Shimla, Sep 21 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh BJP state unit's chief Suresh Kashyap on Wednesday said the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mandi on September 24 is a matter of pride for the people.

"Narendra Modi's affection towards the people of Himachal is amazing and the people of Himachal also love him very much. Modi ji has door-to-door contact and a deep relation with Himachal," Kashyap told the media here.

He said the youth rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha will be a grand success and a large number of workers are coming to listen to Modi.

"More than 1 lakh youths are going to participate in the rally that will infuse new energy in the BJP. Twenty youths from every booth of Himachal Pradesh will participate in this rally."

The Yuva Sankalp rally has created a stir in the state and this is the first time that a Prime Minister is going to address it.

On the opposition Congress, Kashyap said that the party's ground in Himachal "seems to be slipping out of their hand".

He said that Congress state unit chief Sukhwinder Sukhu should tell how much employment he gave in Himachal when his party was in power.

"The Jai Ram Thakur government has inspired the youth towards self-employment. Today the youth of Himachal is becoming job-giver," the BJP chief said.

Kashyap said that the party leadership would decide who will contest the forthcoming elections. "The BJP will give tickets to the winning faces."

The state's ruling BJP is holding a public meeting of Modi on September 24. This is the first of three rallies planned ahead of the Assembly poll announcement in Mandi town, the home turf of the Chief Minister, with an expected gathering of over one lakh youths.

--IANS
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Jammu, Sep 21 (IANS) A court in Jammu on Wednesday issued a production warrant for Yasin Malik on the next date of hearing in connection with the Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case.

Rubaiya was kidnapped in 1989 in Kashmir and was set free in exchange for release of five terrorists.

The next date of hearing of the case is on October 20.

Earlier, Malik had been insisting on physical presence in the court.

"Cross examination of Rubaiya Sayeed was done on behalf of other accused," CBI counsel Monica Kohli said.

"Yasin Malik has moved an application to be physically present in the court, the court has issued a production warrant, Yasin Malik will be present on the next date of hearing."

On July 15, Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and sister of former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti, had identified Malik and four others.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in May this year awarded life imprisonment to separatist leader Yasin Malik in a terror funding case.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 21 (IANS) Former Union Minister and former Speaker of Tamil Nadu assembly, Sedapatti R. Muthiah (77) passed away in a private hospital in Chennai on Wednesday.

Muthiah was a senior leader of the AIADMK and was the second in command of the party till 1998. Fondly known as Sedapattiar, he entered politics through the student wing of DMK, after completing his M.Sc in Mathematics.

He emerged as a student leader after participating in anti-Hindi agitations in the Madurai region. He joined the AIADMK when MGR founded the new party in 1977 as the matinee idol was highly popular in the Madurai region.

Muthiah contested the assembly seat in 1977 from the Sedapatti constituency and went on to win consecutively from the same seat. He became the Speaker of the assembly in 1991 and continued till 1996.

He became a Union Minister for Surface Transport in the Cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Muthiah kept away from politics for some time but later joined DMK in 2008 and went on to become a member of the party's electoral wing.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 21 (IANS) A picture of ailing former Kerala CPI-M secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has gone viral which shows the veteran Communist in a beard with his wife Vinodhini.

Shared by CPI-M legislator V.K.Prasanth, many mistook it to be the latest click, while it turned out to be an old one.

Incidentally, Kodiyeri, who stepped down as state secretary on August 29 began his treatment for cancer at a leading hospital in Chennai.

He was then seen off by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the only visuals were of the ambulance that took Balakrishnan and his immediate family members to the airport here.

In between, Vijayan and his wife called on Balakrishnan at the Chennai hospital which was followed by the new state secretary M.V.Govindan who reached the hospital to see him was disallowed, as the doctors treating him have asked that no visitors are allowed to visit him.

And it was then that the picture of the veteran with a fully grown beard and smiling along with his wife was taken and shared recently.

Balakrishnan has always been a tall leader in the CPI-M but shot into prominence in 2015 after taking over as the state party secretary.

Hailing from Kannur, Balakrishnan popularly known as Kodiyeri, had an affable disposition which won him many friends, even from the opposition parties.

The news about Kodiyeri's battle with cancer surfaced in 2020 and by now has been to the US twice for treatment.

In 2021, he was given a leave for treatment and in the state party conference held early this year, he was given a third term, but his health condition deteriorated forcing him to step down.

--IANS
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