The Delhi High Court Thursday asked the Delhi government and SDM Alipur to respond to a couple’s petition seeking registration of their marriage that took place more than 40 years back. The court was told that software for registering the marriages did not accept the couple’s application as they were underage on the day of marriage in May 1981.

Justice Rekha Palli, while issuing notice to the authorities, listed the case for hearing on December 23. The couple have sought registration of marriage under the Special Marriage Act and also for waiving off the requirement of issuance of public notice of 30 days.

“The petitioners fulfil all the conditions for registration of marriage as prescribed in Section 15 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 as they completed the age of 21 years at the time of registration and the marriage of the petitioners was conducted on 28-05-1981 as per the Hindu Vedic rites and ceremonies,” the counsel representing the couple told the court. Read More

A fire broke out inside an office on the sixth floor of a commercial building near Karkardooma court Thursday evening. The Delhi Fire Services said they received a call around 8.10 pm and deployed 14 fire tenders to douse the fire and for cooling operation. 

The fire was controlled in an hour. No casualties were reported.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) on Thursday demanded the immediate release of pension and other benefits of retired faculty members withheld by the university.

The university administration was not following court orders on the matter, it alleged.

"In standing with the retired faculty in their fight for justice, JNUTA demands the immediate release of all pension and all other benefits to all retired faculty whose dues have been withheld by the administration on the orders of the vice-chancellor," the JNUTA said.

In 2019, 48 faculty members were charge-sheeted under the CCS rules for participating in a one-day protest the previous year. (PTI)

Vehicles accounted for more than 50 per cent of Delhi's pollution during the early phase of this year's winter, from October 24 to November 8, according to an analysis by the green think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

The CSE study released here on Thursday is based on real-time data on source contribution from the Decision Support System for Air Quality Management of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune.

"The analysis clearly shows vehicles' contribution is half or more. This is followed by household pollution (12.5-13.5 per cent), industry (9.9-13.7 per cent), construction (6.7-7.9 per cent), waste burning and road dust (each varied between 4.6-4.9 per cent and 3.6-4.1 per cent, respectively)," it said.

The Decision Support System of IITM is part of the Air Quality Early Warning System and provides information on the potential emission sources in Delhi. It also tracks data from sources outside Delhi -- 19 districts in the national capital region -- as well as biomass burning in the neighbouring states. (PTI)

The Delhi High Court Thursday questioned the manner in which the North Delhi Municipal Corporation had attempted to carry out the transplantation of a 60-year-old peepal tree at Inderpuri and directed Delhi’s forest department to examine the tree afresh to check whether it is dangerous or not.

On October 28, the court had directed the authorities to not harm or remove the tree in any manner and halted the NDMC action midway after senior advocate N Hariharan mentioned that the 60-year-old tree near his residence was being illegally cut. The court had said that grave and irreparable harm will be caused not only to the environment but also the residents of the locality if the tree is permitted to be cut.

Pulling up the NDMC, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva Thursday asked the civic body to explain how it was possible to transplant such an old tree and observed that its removal may require bringing down of some houses in the vicinity of the tree. Read More

A day after a 20-year-old trainee wrestler and her 18-year-old brother were shot dead at a wrestling academy in Sonepat, allegedly by her coach and his accomplices, two persons involved in the murders – main accused Pawan’s wife, Sujata, and his brother-in-law Amit – were arrested from Rohtak, according to a spokesperson of Sonepat police.

Mayank Gupta, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Kharkhoda, said two persons have been arrested: “The FIR mentions that Pawan, who is the owner of the wrestling academy, harassed the woman and acted indecently with her. Four teams of the crime branch are trying to trace the other accused. A reward of Rs 1 lakh has been announced for information leading to their arrest.”

At the village on Thursday, a pall of sadness descended over the family’s home.

Sitting on the doorstep waiting for the bodies of his children, their grieving father said: “My daughter would have made it to the Olympics. She was talented and ambitious. She had been training since 2016 and had won several local and inter-college tournaments. In 2019, she came second at the inter-university championship in 52 kg category held in Aurangabad. If she had listened to me and enrolled in a different coaching facility…" Read More

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the Centre's stand on a plea for labelling “all items” used by the public, including home appliances and apparel, as “vegetarian” or “non-vegetarian” on the basis of their ingredients and “items used in manufacturing process”.

A bench headed by Justice Vipin Sanghi observed that everyone has the right to know and follow their belief and asked the central government to “seriously examine” the plea by Ram Gaua Raksha Dal -- a trust working towards the welfare of cows -- which claims that there are certain “non-vegetarian” products that are unknowingly used or consumed by those professing vegetarianism due to absence of proper disclosures.

“There can't be no denying the fact that every person has the right to know which springs from right to free speech. The issue raised by the petitioner has a bearing on a person's right to life in as much as the person is entitled to profess and follow his beliefs,” said the bench, also comprising Justice Jasmeet Singh. It said a copy of the order be given to the concerned secretaries of Ministries of Health and Consumer Affairs for their consideration and directed that a response be filed in three weeks. (PTI)

A Delhi court has directed the Police Commissioner to take legal action and register a case against police officials for allegedly committing fraud by filing two distinct sets of charge sheets in a rape case, calling it a “classic case of abuse of power by the police”.

Additional Sessions Judge Gaurav Rao came down heavily on the police after noting that the charge sheet that has been filed in the court and supplied to the counsel of the accused is different from the one with the prosecutor and the complainant's counsel.

The judge said that filing two district sets of charge sheets amounts to perjury, cheating, and interference with the justice dispensation process. “It is treachery of the highest order,” he said. (PTI)

Four months after a Delhi court asked the police to investigate the mob attack at a Muslim man’s house during the northeast Delhi riots stating that it was apparent that sections relating to attempt to murder and dacoity should have been invoked, the police have dropped these sections in their chargesheet, claiming no evidence.

In this case, the complainant Salman’s house was attacked by a mob of over 100 persons, instigated by six persons who are chargesheeted in this case.

According to the chargesheet, the six accused, all locals from Karawal Nagar, had told the mob: “Can’t you kill a Muslim, break down their doors and kill them.” Salman escaped from his house with his wife and son while the mob broke into his home and set his bike on fire. The police were ordered to register an FIR in the matter by a Metropolitan Magistrate following an application filed by Salman’s lawyer, MR Shamshad. Read More

A 36-year-old property dealer was found dead inside a house in south Delhi’s Chattarpur on Thursday morning. The deceased had a bullet injury on his head, the police said.

He was identified as Sanjiv Sejwal, a resident of Lado Sarai. The police received a PCR call around 4.45 am from a woman saying that Sejwal had shot himself and was lying on the fourth floor of JMD Estate building.

Harsh Vardhan, additional DCP (south) said: “We went to the spot and found Sejwal lying dead with a revolver by his side. A forensic team was called to the building to examine the scene. We are investigating the death from all angles. The reason behind the death isn’t clear. No suicide note was found at the spot.”

On Wednesday night, Sejwal went to JMD Estate to meet his friends and was partying with three or four of them around 9 pm, said the police. His body has been sent for autopsy and his family has been informed. He is survived by his wife and two children. (ENS)

A Delhi court rejected the bail plea of a domestic worker accused of kidnapping and threatening to kill a child in order to recover her wages from the child’s parents, saying that it cannot be a method to recover wages by any stretch of imagination.

Additional Sessions Judge Samar Vishal rejected the bail plea of the domestic worker who is accused of having kidnapped the complainant’s child before fleeing to Rajasthan.

The court denied bail by observing, “Even if she has kidnapped the child to recover her wages, it can, by no stretch of imagination, be a method for the same. There are counter claims from both the sides about whether she demanded wages or more money which shall be a matter of trial. However, considering the seriousness of the offence, the fact that she may be a flight risk as having no permanent address in Delhi and also the fact that she left her parental house way back in the year 2018 as she did not want to live with her parents, she does not have a prima facie case of bail.” Read More

A 36-year-old property dealer was  found dead inside a house in South Delhi’s Chhatarpur on Thursday morning. Police said the deceased had a bullet injury on his head.  The incident took place at at JMD Estate building around 4.40 am.

In what has become a repeat occurrence in the city, a layer of froth was seen floating over parts of the Yamuna river near Kalindi Kunj on Monday, with Chhath devotees standing in toxic foam-laden water to offer prayers.

What causes frothing in the Yamuna?

The Delhi High Court has directed the Centre to respond within three weeks to a petition seeking strict implementation of rules mandating manufacturers to label their products as vegetarian or non-vegetarian according to the ingredients used in it.

The Delhi government sprayed water, used boats and tried to erect a makeshift barricade on the Yamuna river Wednesday to “scatter” the foam that had developed over the water.

Delhi’s daily Covid case count crossed 50 after nearly two months, on Wednesday as 54 cases were reported in the city.The positivity rate stood at 0.09% and no deaths were reported. The city had reported 57 cases on September 14.

At present, out of the 9,135 beds reserved for Covid patients, only 170 are occupied and 164 people are under home isolation. Over 85,000 people were vaccinated Tuesday, and almost two thirds of these were second shots. Out of the 1.5 crore people in Delhi eligible to get vaccinated, at least 1.3 crore have got at least one shot and 77 lakh are fully vaccinated. 

The Delhi Police have arrested three associates of local gangster Rajesh Bawania after a brief exchange of fire in Outer Delhi.

"There can be no denying the fact that every person has the right to know, which springs from the right to freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. The issues raised herein have a bearing on right to life preserved under Article 21 in as much as person is entitled to profess and follow his beliefs, which is also protected under Article 25 of Constitution. We therefore direct the respondent authorities to seriously examine the issues and respond to the petition within three weeks," The Delhi HC said while hearing a petition seeking strict implementation of rules for mandating manufacturers to label their products according to the nature of their ingredients used therein. 

A 20-year-old wrestler and her 18-year-old brother were shot dead Wednesday afternoon at a wrestling academy in Halalpur village of Haryana’s Sonepat, allegedly by her coach and his accomplices, police said.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Monday arrested three men with imported marijuana that was ordered online from the darknet. In the last four months, the accused allegedly ordered over 5-6 kgs of marijuana from the US to sell it to the drug peddlers in the Delhi-NCR region.

A 27-year-old man was shot dead and his friend was injured after a group of assailants opened fire at them in AC Nagar in Faridabad on Wednesday.

Observing that commercial places like Nehru Place have become slums now, Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that the officers of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) are not even bothered to read the court orders and that police officials, despite being deployed to act against unauthorised vendors, are not being guided by the corporation.

The Delhi government has constituted a fifth Municipal Valuation Committee (MVC) that will make recommendations on matters of classification of vacant lands and buildings into colonies to the three civic bodies here — North, East and South, a statement by SDMC said.

The national capital reported 54 new COVID-19 cases and zero death in a day while the positivity rate stood at 0.09 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here on Wednesday.

Delhi recorded only four deaths due to the infection in October, while five people had succumbed to the viral disease in September. No Covid death has been reported in the city in November so far.

With the new cases, the coronavirus infection tally in the city climbed to 14,40,230. Of this, over 14.14 lakh patients have recovered from the disease.

A total of 57,900 tests were conducted a day ago, including 45,408 RTPCR/CBNAAT/True Nat tests, while the rest were rapid antigen tests. (PTI)

There is no executive or political will to remove illegal hawkers and vendors from streets and barring Lutyens' Delhi, there is no place in the city which is clear from unauthorised squatters, the Delhi High Court said on Wednesday.

“Then why spare Lutyens' zone. They should be all over here. Let them be in front of the President's House, Prithviraj Road, Delhi High Court, India Gate and make it jungle. Why leave this area, we all should face it,” an annoyed bench said.

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh, which has been monitoring the redevelopment work in Chandni Chowk area for several years, said it was getting a feeling of “complete defeat” in this matter. (PTI)

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday participated in Chhath Puja at East Kidwai Nagar, where he appealed to the opposition not to do politics over the festival, even as several BJP leaders defied an order not to celebrate on the banks of the Yamuna.

The order had been imposed by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which has L-G Anil Baijal as the chairperson.

“It is not the time for politics; no party should do politics regarding Chhath and everyone should celebrate Chhath Mahaparv with happiness,” said Kejriwal. “We have managed to get a grip over the spread of Covid with great difficulty and penance. It is the worst possible thing that could happen to someone, so it is an earnest request to everyone from my side not to take the situation lightly. Please continue to wear your masks and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.” Read more

The Supreme Court Wednesday said it is a “sorry state of affairs” in Tihar Jail which has become a den of criminals and murders are happening there, while directing the Home Ministry to take immediate steps on prison reforms and enhance management.

The apex court also expressed annoyance over the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) not filing an action plan and report on steps taken on the suggestions given by Delhi Commissioner of Police Rakesh Asthana. Read more

The Delhi government has constituted a fifth Municipal Valuation Committee (MVC) that will make recommendations to the three civic bodies here -- North, East and South -- on matters of classification of vacant lands and buildings into colonies, government officials said on Wednesday.

According to the officials, the five-member committee will be headed by retired IAS officer Anindo Majumdar. Other members of the committee are retired IAS officer Umesh Kumar Tyagi, additional commissioner of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (in-charge of the property tax department) Amit Sharma, chartered Accountant Naveen ND Gupta and advocate M Badar Mohmood.

"An order in connection with formation of the fifth MVC was issued by the government on November 5," a government official said.

Confirming this, the civic bodies said the tenure of the committee will be six months within which it will submit the report. (PTI)

National-level wrestler Nisha Dahiya says she is alive and doing well, and unverified reports claiming that she was shot dead by unidentified assailants are completely fake.

A Delhi court has framed charges of rioting and arson against four people for allegedly burning a car accessories shop during the riots last year, saying their contention that police witnesses are “interested” witnesses is without a legal basis.

Suraj, Yogender Singh, Ajay, and Gaurav Panchal are accused of allegedly being part of an armed riotous mob that vandalised and burned a shop of complainant Javed Khan in Delhi's Shahdara area on the afternoon of February 25, 2020, as per the police.

The prosecution relied upon five witnesses who claimed that they saw 100-150 rioters armed with rods and sticks. They covered their faces and burnt the shop named ‘Khan Accessories’, witnesses had claimed.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Amitabh Rawat framed charges under requisite sections against the four accused and explained it to them in vernacular in the presence of their lawyers, to which they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial in the case. (PTI)

A day after the Delhi government deployed 15 boats in the polluted River Yamuna to remove toxic froth at Kalindi Kunj banks, where people were gathering for Chhat puja despite restrictions, bamboo structures were installed and water sprayed from tankers on Wednesday to dissipate the foam.

As the administration faced flak for these 'cover-up' measures, officials admitted that the problem of frothing -- a sign of the river's hazardous water quality -- will continue unless sewage treatment plants and common effluent treatment plants in Delhi are upgraded to meet the new standards and all unauthorised colonies are connected to the sewer network.

A Delhi Jal Board official said directions have been issued to sprinkle water to dissipate the froth as "no other short-term measure would work". "Water sprinkling will break the froth. The air bubbles trapped in the froth will escape and the froth will dissipate," he said. (PTI)

A man and his wife were arrested for allegedly duping 18 people to the tune of Rs 83 lakh after promising to invest their money in a garment export business two years ago, officials said on Wednesday. Amit Mishra (63), a post graduate in Philosophy and his wife Kamlesh Mishra (59), who has done PhD in Economics, were arrested from Greater Noida on Tuesday for committing criminal breach of trust, cheating and conspiracy.

In 2019, a case was registered against the couple on the basis of complaints lodged by 18 people, the police said. The complainants alleged that the couple induced them to invest Rs 3 lakh in their garment business, assuring them double of the invested amount after six months. Since the complainants knew Amit and Kamlesh personally, they trusted them and invested in their scheme. (PTI)

Police and administrative officials on Wednesday stopped scores of devotees thronging the ghats along the Yamuna river in Delhi for Chhath festivities, citing DDMA orders prohibiting celebrations along the river bank in view of COVID-19.

A crowd gathered at the Yamuna Ghat near Kalindi Kunj in the morning was dispersed by police and district officials, and people were re-directed towards designated spots to observe the rituals.

The city government has set up 800 makeshift ghats across Delhi for devotees to perform Chhath rituals. The four-day-long festival of Chhath Puja is mainly celebrated by 'Purvanchalis' from Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand settled in Delhi. (PTI)

The Delhi BJP on Wednesday mounted a fresh attack on the Kejriwal government accusing it of banning Chhath celebrations on the Yamuna riverbanks to cover up its failure to clean the river.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta claimed that Yamuna picked up 80 per cent of its pollutants from industrial discharge and sewage in its 22-km passage through the city.

"Arvind Kejriwal ji, you banned Chhath at Yamuna banks to cover up failure of your government to clean the river," Gupta said at a press conference. North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari also slammed the AAP government over heavy pollution in the Yamuna.

"Instead of preventing flow of drains such as Najafgarh nullah, the Kejriwal government is stopping people from celebrating Chhath at the banks of the river. The Supreme court should take note of the situation and the Kejriwal government should be treated like a criminal for playing with health of the people," Tiwari said at the press conference. (PTI)

Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking a direction to allow the devotees residing in Sonia Vihar and Wazirabad areas to perform Chhath Puja on November 10 and 11 at the Yamuna ghats. Justice Rekha Palli said that the court sees absolutely no merit in the petition as the petitioners have failed to point out how  the devotees are entitled to insist that they must peform the puja only on the banks of the Yamuna.

The Delhi government told the court that 800 designated sites have been created across Delhi for performing the puja and seven of them are in the vicinity of Sonia Vihar and Wazirabad areas.

As the vibrant hues of coral and blue replace the morning yellows of the sky, three security guards who man the Hauz Khas complex come together under a large imli tree for their evening cup of coffee. A stray dog accompanies them below the tree as they prepare to wrap up the work for the day.

The imli tree stands in the centre of the monuments, looking over the Hauz Khas lake, witnessing constant change in the scenery around it. Read more

A countrywide National Achievement Survey (NAS) aimed at assessing learning loss among school students due to the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will be carried out Friday, the Ministry of Education said.

In a statement, the ministry said the survey is expected to cover 38 lakh students in nearly 1.23 lakh schools in 733 districts across 36 states and Union Territories. Students of Classes III, V, VIII and X will be covered under the survey. Read more

Even as a ban on Chhath celebrations on the banks of Yamuna is in place, the Delhi government on Wednesday deployed several tactics to control the froth over the river. According to experts, this froth is a result of untreated or poorly treated effluents, including sewage and industrial waste, being released into the water body.

The body of a 45-year-old farmer was found hanging from a tree near a mall at the farmers’ protest site at Singhu border on Wednesday morning. The Police said preliminary reports suggest that the farmer had allegedly committed suicide, adding that inquest proceedings under section 174 of CrPC have been initiated.

BJP West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma yet again reaches ITO ghat to oversee preparations for Chhath Puja.  DDMA has banned Chhath Puja at Yamuna ghat. Police has presently stopped him from entering inside.

Distressed over non-payment of salaries, the nurses at Delhi’s Hindurao Hospital announced a strike for half a day from Tuesday. The protest will continue till their demands are met.

Delhi High Court on Wednesday  permitting the accused, including Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram, in the INX Media case to inspect the case documents lying in the CBI ‘malkhana’. Justice Mukta Gupta dismissed the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) petition against a trial court order. Read more

According to the guidelines passed by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, celebrations were allowed  and none of these sites could be set up on the Yamuna banks. Instead, special ghats for the ceremonial dip were to be used. Read more guidelines

Three persons in an autorickshaw allegedly stole a camera and a lens worth around Rs 7 lakh from the bag of a woman photographer in East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar on Monday.

The Air Quality Early Warning System forecast for Delhi has indicated that the air quality could remain in the ‘very poor’ category from November 10 to 12. The forecast, however, indicated that the AQI could improve gradually.

Delhi on Tuesday recorded 33 new Covid-19 cases and zero deaths in a day while the positivity rate stood at 0.06 percent, the city’s health department said. Currently, there are 349 active cases in the national capital. Ninety-five percent of the vaccinated people in Delhi who have a history of Covid-19 have developed antibodies as compared to 82 percent unvaccinated ones.

Two days after arresting a 31-year-old man from North Delhi’s Burari for allegedly killing his former employer’s wife, the Delhi Police has arrested the victim’s husband, an assistant professor at a Delhi University college, and his nephew on the charges of criminal conspiracy of the murder.

Classes for the newly admitted batch of Delhi University undergraduate students will begin on November 22.

The air quality in Delhi continues to be a red flag with 370 AQI recorded today, according to the latest data by SAFAR. The AQI fell in the ‘severe’ category right after Diwali and remained there for 3 consecutive days before moving towards ‘very poor’ category.