Fernandez joined the probe only after the police issued a third summons to her. (Express Photo by Varinder Chawla)Delhi News Updates: Actress Jacqueline Fernandez Wednesday moved an application in a Delhi court seeking permission to travel abroad for 15 days, for IIFA Awards in Abu Dhabi. She has also sought the court’s permission to travel to Abu Dhabi, France and Nepal. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier seized assets worth 7 crore of Fernandez in a money laundering probe connected with Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s extortion and money laundering case.
In a letter to NDMC chief Tuesday, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta demanded renaming of Akbar Road, Humayun Road, Shahjahan Road and Tughlaq Road in New Delhi as they “symbolise slavery during Mughal rule”. Gupta also suggested new names for these roads- Tughaq Road to Guru Gobind Singh Marg, Akbar Road to Maharana Pratap Marg, Humayun Road to Maharishi Valmiki Marg and Shahjahan Road to Bipin Singh Rawat Marg.
In other news, members of United Hindu Front and Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena Tuesday recited the Hanuman Chalisa outside the Qutub Minar complex and staged a protest demanding that the iconic monument here be renamed ‘Vishnu Stambha’. Till now, at least 30 demonstrators have been detained and taken to a police station, from where they will be released later, a senior official told news agency PTI. International working president of the United Hindu Front, Bhagwan Goyal, claimed that the Qutub Minar is the ‘Vishnu Stambha’, which was built by the “great king Vikramaditya”.
Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday promised free pilgrimage for senior citizens in AC trains to various religious places, including Ayodhya, if the AAP was voted to power in Gujarat, and accused the BJP of "failure" on multiple fronts during its nearly three-decade-old rule in the state.
He also promised free electricity, better schools and hospitals if the AAP forms the next government in Gujarat, where the Assembly polls are due by the year-end. Addressing a rally in Rajkot city, Kejriwal accused the BJP of "failing" on education, health and employment fronts in Gujarat during its long rule in the state.
Highlighting the reforms carried out in the education sector in Delhi under his chief ministership, Kejriwal accused the BJP government in Gujarat of closing down nearly 6,000 government-run schools meant for the "poor" citizens. (PTI)
Amid sultry weather conditions, the peak power demand in Delhi rose to 6,572 MW, the highest ever in the month of May, discom officials said on Wednesday. Delhi's peak power demand in May had not crossed the 6,000 MW in 2021 and 2020.
In 2019, it had crossed the 6,000 MW mark only on three occasions - 6,020 MW on May 29, 6,240 MW on May 30, and 6,461 MW on May 31, they said. The peak power demand of Delhi reached 6,572 MW at 3.30 PM on Wednesday, showed realtime figures of the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) here.
The maximum temperature of the city had fallen in recent days due to weather conditions influenced by rain. After this brief break, Delhi's power demand has again started increasing with rise in maximum temperature. (PTI)
Delhi on Wednesday registered 970 new coronavirus cases, one death with a positivity rate of 3.34 per cent. The national capital conducted 29,037 tests and witnessed 1,238 recoveries.
Fifty-five percent of the families residing in Delhi and its neighbouring cities surveyed as part of a study have had "one or more members" down with one or more Covid-like symptoms in April and May, a report has claimed. An online health platform recently conducted an survey and sought responses from residents in Delhi-NCR to a prepared questionnaire.
One of the questions -- 'When you or someone else in the family unwell in April or May, (with symptome like fever, sore throat or cough, cold or congestion, fatigue or body ache, stomach ache, diarrhoea, nausea, breathing difficulties, uneasiness, etc.), did you/they take any type of COVID-19 test'.
In response, the majority, 66 percent of the residents said, "No". Only 22 percent said, "Yes, once", and another 12 percent said, "Yes, multiple times". "This means, of Delhi-NCR families that had one or more members exhibiting Covid-like symptoms in April-May, two in three did not take the Covid test. This question in the survey received 11,235 responses," LocalCircles claimed in a statement. (PTI)
The Centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it would send guidelines, if approved, to the states and union territories for preventing abuse by ensuring that the FIR in sedition cases would be registered only after a superintendent of police rank officer is satisfied with the merits of the allegations.
The response was filed and read over by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to a bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli. The bench, while agreeing to the Centre's submission that its appropriate forum would re-examine and reconsider the colonial-era law, had asked the government on Tuesday to apprise it about the stand on protecting the citizens' interests in pending and future sedition cases.
“An FIR involving the Section 124A will be registered only if an officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police is satisfied and records his satisfaction in writing that the offence alleged involves Section 124A as analysed by the Supreme Court in the captioned judgement(Vinod Dua case),” the solicitor general, referring to the proposed draft directions, said. (PTI)
Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar has directed principal secretaries and senior government officials to submit files related to compliance of court orders on time to avoid an embarrassing situation in courts. In an order, the chief secretary said during the past week, it was being observed that files relating to compliance of court orders and submission of ATRs (Action Taken Reports) to courts were being sent to this office at the last minute.
"As a result, no time is available to examine the subject matter in totality. Any decision in the absence of holistic examination may put the government in an embarrassing situation in Courts. (PTI)
BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga on Wednesday said he was arrested by the Punjab Police “like a terrorist” for asking AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal about his promises to act against the accused in the Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege case, drug mafia and Khalistani separatists in the state.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in power in Delhi and Punjab, with Kejriwal the chief minister in the national capital and Bhagwant Singh Mann the chief minister in the state.
Holding his first press conference after his dramatic arrest that saw the police forces of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in a tussle, Bagha asserted he will continue to ask Kejriwal questions about his promise to act against those who dishonoured the Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab, drug mafia and separatists raising slogans of Khalistan in the state. (Read more)
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to put on hold the sedition law and alleged that the BJP was using it to suppress those raising voice against its government.
Taking to Twitter, Singh, who is also the party spokesperson, claimed that the sedition law was 'misused' against him also in Uttar Pradesh.
Putting on hold the sedition law, the apex court earlier in the day stayed the registration of the FIRs, ongoing probes and coercive measures on the matter across the country until an 'appropriate forum' of the government re-examines the colonial era penal law. 'The SC's decision is welcome,' Singh said in a tweet in Hindi. (PTI)
The Left parties on Wednesday demanded that the Supreme Court should scrap the sedition law altogether and not wait for the government to review the same.
The apex court on Wednesday put on hold the contentious law, stayed the registration of FIRs, ongoing probes and coercive measures on the matter across the country until an "appropriate forum" of the government re-examines the colonial era penal law.
"The CPI(M) has always opposed the sedition law, saying it is anachronistic, brought in by the British to crush our freedom struggle and it has no place in the statute books in independent India. It's good that the SC has now ordered that this section must be kept in abeyance... The plea of the Modi government that it will review the cases is specious because it has been grossly misusing the sedition law to harass all dissent since 2014," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said at a press brief here. (PTI)
A passenger apparently fainted at the Delhi airport last week when she was not allowed to board Air India's Delhi-Vadodara flight for being late, with her relatives alleging she was not immediately provided any medical assistance The airline, however, refuted the charge, saying a doctor had arrived at the spot "immediately" but the passenger was already feeling better.
When asked about this incident, Arun Kumar, the chief of Indian aviation regulator DGCA, told PTI, "We are seeking a report from the airline concerned." A video circulating on social media shows a middle-aged woman lying on the floor near the boarding gates and her relatives arranging water for her.
In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said the video was in the context of three passengers who reported after the boarding gates were closed. (PTI)
Civic authorities on Wednesday carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Najafgarh, Dwarka, Lodhi Colony and several other areas in south Delhi as bulldozers continued to roll in the city to carry out the action, even as municipal staff and police personnel on the job had to face stiff opposition from local people at some places.
Meanwhile, East Corporation's planned drive in Seelampur couldn't start on Wednesday as police force couldn't be mobilised, the area's mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal said.
The fresh action comes a day after the South Corporation had carried out a drive to remove illegal temporary structures and demolish a few brick walls in New Friends Colony. North Delhi Municipal Corporation had also carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Mangolpuri area. On Wednesday, civic authorities carried out a round of planned anti-encroachment drive in Najafgarh and West Zones of the SDMC, removing temporary structures put up illegally in various locations, including Dwarka, Chaukhandi and surrounding areas. (PTI)
The physical mode of examination for second and third-year undergraduate students at Delhi University began on Wednesday after a two-year gap due to the Covid pandemic. Over 29,500 students appeared for the exams for 40 papers held in the morning, D S Rawat, the university's dean of examination, told PTI.
The Delhi University's School of Open Learning held exams for three papers on Wednesday morning. "The exams for the majority of the courses have begun. This is after two years that the university is holding a physical mode of examination. Proper arrangements have been made," Rawat said.
The examinations of undergraduate students are being conducted in two sessions in a day, the DU dean of exams said. Examinations for 66 papers will be held in the evening and around 23,684 students are expected to appear, he said, adding proper Covid protocols were being followed and students were given an additional 30 minutes for the exam. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday gave a split verdict on petitions seeking criminalisation of marital rape. While Justices Rajiv Shakdher struck down the Exception 2 that protects men, who have forced non-consensual intercourse with their wives, from criminal prosecution under Section 376 IPC, Justice C Hari Shankar disagreed saying that the exception doesn't violate Article 14, 19 and 21.
Both the judges however agreed to grant certificate of leave to appeal before the Supreme Court as the matter involves substantial question of law. The petition seeking criminalisation of marital rape were pending before the court since 2015 and 2017. RIT Foundation and All India Democratic Women's Association were the principal petitioners before the court.
While rejecting Centre’s request for more time to respond afresh to the petitions, the court had reserved its verdict in the case on February 21.
With summer vacations starting Wednesday, a survey will be conducted in Delhi to identify children who have been out of school and to enrol them in schools near their homes during this period, said officials.
“Out of School Children” are understood as those who have either dropped out of school or those who were never enrolled in one. Read more
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell has registered a case against a man for allegedly forging the President’s letterheads to promote a fake digital university in Delhi. The police said the accused claimed he runs the university, Vikramshilla University, and created a website claiming the institute is India’s first digital varsity.
The matter came to light during social media monitoring by a police officer in Delhi. Read more
Actress Jacqueline Fernandez Wednesday moved an application in a Delhi court seeking permission to travel abroad for 15 days, for IIFA Awards in Abu Dhabi. She has also sought the court’s permission to travel to Abu Dhabi, France and Nepal. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier seized assets worth 7 crore of Fernandez in a money laundering probe connected with Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s extortion and money laundering case. Read more
To provide seamless connectivity between different first- and last-mile connectivity modes and to expand urban mobility options, the Delhi Metro is planning to develop a Multi-Modal Integration Hub (MMI) at around 10 stations of Phase-1 and Phase-2 corridor.
Under this plan, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) aims to improve walkability and ensure seamless integration of Metro stations with all public transport within a 300m radius from the Metro station, create pick-up and drop-off facilities, pedestrian pathways/plazas and separate lanes for cycle tracks for safe and easy movement of people. Read more
A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar issued notice to the police on the petition challenging a trial court’s order dismissing the bail plea of Fatima in the case. Read more
After dipping below 1,000, the number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi stood at 1,118, as per Tuesday’s health bulletin. Fewer cases the day before were a result of fewer tests being conducted—just over 16,000 on Monday as compared to over 25,500 on Tuesday. Read more
A Delhi court acquitted five persons accused of having connections with terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba while observing that mere recovery of the mobile phones and sim cards used to converse with a Pakistani number is not sufficient to prove conspiracy of terror plot.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana acquitted Mohd Shahid, Mohd Rashid, Ashabuddin, Abdul Subhan and Arshad Khan, who were charged under Section 120 B of the Indian Penal Code and several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, on Monday. Read more
In a letter to NDMC chief, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta Tuesday demanded renaming of Akbar Road, Humayun Road, Shahjahan Road and Tughlaq Road in New Delhi as they “symbolise slavery during Mughal rule”. Gupta also suggested new names for these roads- Tughaq Road to Guru Gobind Singh Marg, Akbar Road to Maharana Pratap Marg, Humayun Road to Maharishi Valmiki Marg and Shahjahan Road to Bipin Singh Rawat Marg.
A 26-year-old Delhi University student was allegedly assaulted by a man after a fight over speaking in English. The student has alleged that the accused also hurled racist slurs before attacking him. The incident took place in Malviya Nagar. The student claimed he sustained multiple injuries after the man’s dog attacked him.
On Friday last week, Anshuman Thapa (26), who also works as a tattoo artist, went to a grocery store late at night. He said he was buying water bottles when the accused walked into the store. Read more
The Delhi Excise department has proposed allowing zonal retail licensees to set up liquor ‘tasting rooms’ and sell liquor chocolates, cigars, high-end paintings and other ancillary products, according to the Delhi Excise Policy 2022-23.
Permits will be given to zonal retail licensees who wish to open vends that are bigger than 5,000 sq ft to provide a better walk-in experience. Also, such vends will be converted from L-7V to L-7MV licence, thereby giving the customer a better retail experience. Read more
Amid a row over the demolition drive in Shaheen Bagh, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said it has become a fashion to give a "communal colour" to criminal acts, and asserted that "legal action" against "illegal acts" should be supported.
Protests erupted at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, the scene of the epic sit-in against the new citizenship law, on Monday with hundreds of people, including women, physically blocking bulldozers and forcing the local municipal authority to abandon the anti-encroachment drive. AAP MLA of the area Amanatullah Khan had on Monday accused that the BJP of using the municipality to "spoil" the environment in Shaheen Bagh and indulging in "Hindu-Muslim rhetoric".
The protest at Qutub Minar, where heavy police barricading could be seen outside the complex to prohibit entry into the ASI protected monument, was supposed to start at 1 pm. Protesters were asked to move to Bhool Bhulaiya, a few metres away to stage their demonstration. By around 1:10 pm, they had already been loaded into buses by the Delhi Police and detained, as they shouted slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ with saffron flags in their hands.
Members of a right-wing group Tuesday recited the Hanuman Chalisa outside the Qutub Minar complex and staged a protest demanding that the iconic monument here be renamed ‘Vishnu Stambha’.
Till now, at least 30 demonstrators have been detained and taken to a police station, from where they will be released later, a senior official told news agency PTI. International working president of the United Hindu Front, Bhagwan Goyal, claimed that the Qutub Minar is the ‘Vishnu Stambha’, which was built by the “great king Vikramaditya”. "But later, Qutubuddin Aibak claimed credit for it. There were 27 temples in the complex and those were destroyed by Aibak. Proof of all this is available as people can find idols of Hindu gods kept in the Qutub Minar complex. Our demand is that Qutub Minar should be called as Vishnu Stambha," he said.
Officials were trying to remove temporary fixtures from a wall when a tree fell on the road. Locals said the house owner had erected a wooden fence and there was no encroachment.
Minnat Khan, a resident, said, " the MCD should have removed actual encroachments. The house owner isn't here and they damaged the wall of the house. "
AAP MLA Mukesh Ahlawat was detained by Delhi Police for allegedly "creating disturbance" in the demolition drive in Outer Delhi's Mangolpuri area Tuesday morning. Sameer Sharma, DCP (Outer) said Ahlawat was obstructing government work and will be released after the drive.
Stating that its anti-encroachment drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri was carried out in compliance with directions of the Delhi High Court, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) has accused the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and others, who approached the Supreme Court against this, of “giving it an unwarranted communal colour”. Read more
A 44-year-old property dealer was assaulted and beaten to death allegedly by his neighbour in Northwest Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar. Police said both men allegedly pelted stones and bottles at each other during the fight. The accused, who’s also a property dealer, is on the run, said police. Read more
A cash collection agent was robbed of nearly Rs 7 lakh in Noida Monday, according to the police. The incident took place on Monday afternoon after the agent was waylaid and assaulted by unidentified bike-borne assailants, the police said. The victim has been identified as Pramod Kumar Sahni who works for CMS Infosys, they added. Read more
Two days after four members of a family, including three children, were killed after a canter allegedly hit them in Nuh, family members said they had lost everything.
On Saturday around 11.20 am, Farrukh (40), his wife, Jaisa (35) and their four children – Hamza (4), Sadia (10), Saad (7) and a two-month-old infant – were waiting for a ride at the Solapur crossing on Gurgaon-Alwar highway, when a truck had allegedly rammed into them. Jaisa and three children were killed, while Farrukh and the infant survived. Farrukh is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nuh, said his family. Read more