A paramedic make beds at a makeshift Covid-19 care center at an indoor sports stadium in New Delhi, India. (AP)Delhi News Highlights: Delhi on Sunday reported 290 new Covid-19 cases and and one fatality, while the positivity rate rose to 0.55 percent, according to data shared by the Delhi government’s health department. With this, the cumulative tally rose to 14,43,352 while the death toll rose to 25,105. The number of active cases stands at 1,103, of which 583 patients are in home isolation. There has been an uptick in the number of cases in the last few days, amid a threat of the Omicron variant of the virus.
With the Covid positivity rate crossing the 0.5 per cent mark on Sunday, the Delhi government announced a night curfew in the city from Monday. The curfew will be in force between 11 pm and 5 am. Night curfew is already in force in Noida and Ghaziabad from Dec 25 between 11 pm and 5 am to check the spread of the virus. Delhi has detected 79 cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19, according to the Union Health Ministry report. This is second only to Maharashtra, which has recorded 141 Omicron cases so far.
The Air Quality Index in Delhi stayed in the severe category on Sunday morning with the AQI clocking 458 at 9 am, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. The India Meteorological Department has predicted the possibility of light rain and thunder showers on Sunday night.
In another development, a group of people affiliated with several right-wing outfits entered a school in Gurugram during a celebration on Christmas Eve and disrupted the event, alleging that people from the Christian community had gathered there for “religious conversion”.
Meenakshi Lekhi during the campaign.
Days after a retired government school teacher died of cardiac arrest while trying to stop a carjacking bid, his family said he had stepped out to fill petrol in his WagonR so he could take his son for an exam the next morning when two men decided to steal the vehicle.
The incident took place on Thursday around 11 pm near G3S mall in Rohini’s Sector 11. The victim, Ramesh Chander Rana (65), tried to stop the accused by hanging on to the door. He was dragged on the road for a few metres before he collapsed and died. Read More
Light to moderate intensity rain to occur over and adjoining areas of a few places of Delhi, NCR during the next 2 hours: Indian Meteorological Department.
With the Covid positivity rate crossing the 0.5 per cent mark on Sunday, the Delhi government announced a night curfew in the city.
The city reported 290 cases at a positivity rate of 0.55 per cent on Sunday. One death was also reported. Read More
Over 21,900 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to the inmates of three jails in the national capital so far, the Delhi Prisons Department said on Sunday. According to the officials, 21,970 doses -- 15,152 first and 6,818 the second shot -- have been administered till December 25.
As on Saturday, 10,707 Tihar jail inmates were given the first dose of Covid vaccine and 4,352 were given the second dose. In Rohini jail, 1,381 inmates got the first dose and 412 the second dose of vaccine, according to data. In Mandoli jail, 3,064 inmates got their first and 2,054 the second dose.
The prisons department launched a Covid vaccination drive for inmates over 45 years of age on March 18, while the inoculation of inmates in the 18-44-age group began on May 18. (PTI)
There is no end to the friction between a section of Delhi government school guest teachers and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia with the latter calling a protest held by the former in front of his residence, one by Congress politicians and workers.
A protest led by the All India Guest Teachers’ Association (AIGTA), attended by hundreds, was held in front of Sisodia’s residence on Saturday with the demand of regularisation or a policy that will enable them to work till the age of 60.
The air quality index in Delhi was recorded in the severe category on Sunday morning with the AQI clocking 458 at 9 am in Delhi, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
The AQI in Faridabad was 445 while in Ghaziabad it was 418, Greater Noida 415, Gurgaon 373 and Noida 430.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted the possibility of light rain and thunder showers on Sunday night. The city experienced shallow to moderate fog today morning.The minimum temperature settled at 9.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal. .
A musical on the life of Babasaheb Ambedkar, organised by the Delhi government and slated for release on January 5, has been postponed because of rising Covid cases, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Sunday.
“Delhi Govt had planned a grand show on the life of Babasaheb Ambedkar from 5th January, in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. However, this show is being postponed in light of rising Covid cases. We shall announce a new date as soon as the situation improves,” he tweeted.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the capital, with new cases crossing the 200-mark for the first time since mid-June. Delhi on Saturday reported 249 new cases of the infection which is the highest since June 13 when 255 new cases were reported, as per the data. This week, over 144 cases were reported on average each day in comparison to over 70 cases last week and 51.4 cases on average the week before.
The data also showed that Delhi reported another death due to the infection, which is the fourth death in a week. There were no deaths recorded in the nine days before that.
A group of people affiliated with several right-wing outfits entered a school in Pataudi during a celebration on Christmas Eve and disrupted the event, alleging that people from the Christian community had gathered there for “religious conversion”.
According to police, the incident took place at 5 pm at SBD Public School on Friday. Amit Kumar, SHO Pataudi, said, “We got to know of the incident from video clips. The school’s owner had given the premises to some people for a Christmas celebration. Some men arrived and raised slogans, they thought that religious conversion was happening. They left after the school owner requested them to, saying it was a Christmas event. We have not received any complaint.” (With Pavneet Singh Chadha)
Water supply will be disrupted in parts of Delhi on Monday.
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said in a statement that water supply is likely to be affected in Panchsheel Enclave, Akbar Road, Sarojini Nagar, Chanakyapuri, Safdarjung, Race Course, Maulana Azad Road, Sujan Singh Park, Mayur Vihar Phase-2, and Satya Niketan area.
The DJB said that the disruption in supply is due to annual flushing of the underground reservoir.
Residents are advised to store sufficient quantity of water, the DJB statement said. The DJB will also provide for water tankers if necessary. --ENS
A closed shop between two open shops at Delhi's Sarojini Nagar market after the state government ordered the market to operate on an odd-even basis on Dec 25 and 26, amid rising cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Delhi on Saturday recorded 249 Covid-19 cases and 1 death taking the cumulative count of infections to 1,443,062 and the toll to 25,104. The Covid positivity rate in the national capital stood at 0.43%.
Water supply will be affected in several areas in Delhi on December 27 due to the annual flushing of underground reservoirs and pumping stations, the Delhi Jal Board said on Saturday.
In a statement, the DJB said residents are advised to stock sufficient quantity of water. Due to the annual programme for flushing of underground reservoirs and pumping stations, water supply will be affected in certain areas on December 27, it said. (PTI)
The Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch has arrested the public health inspector of North MCD for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 1,75,000 for providing a health trade licence to run a spa here, officials said on Saturday.
The action was taken against Harish Kumar, the public health inspector, after the spa owner approached the Anti-Corruption Branch on Friday.
"Our team was dispatched immediately to Kumar's house, who is an employee working as the public health inspector, Karol Bagh Zone, Health department of North MCD where he was caught red handed while accepting Rs 40,000 as an initial instalment for providing a health trade licence to the spa," said SK Gautam, special commissioner of police (Anti-Corruption Branch) of the Delhi government.
A case was filed against him under Section 07 POC (Prevention of Corruption) Act on Friday and further investigation was underway, he said. (PTI)
Faridabad Police on Friday arrested an auto driver for allegedly murdering his friend.
According to the police, an unidentified body was found near a canal in Ballabgarh, Faridabad on September 30. The Crime Branch later found that the body was that of Sunny, a resident of SGM Nagar, Faridabad. Sunny had gone missing from September 28, and his family had filed a missing persons’ complaint on October 4. (Read more)
A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the high courts to take appropriate steps to adopt a uniform procedure for case registration and to use common judicial terms, phrases and abbreviations.
The plea, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, has also sought directions to the Law Commission to prepare a report in consultation with the high courts to ensure uniformity in judicial terms, phrases, abbreviations, case registration process and court fee.
"The terminology used by different High Courts for different types of cases is not uniform. This non-uniformity causes inconvenience not just to the general public but, in many cases, to the advocates and the authorities as well.
"Not just the terms used by them to refer to the same types of cases are different but even the abbreviations used to refer to these terms are different in case the same term is used. It is inexplicable as to why there is a difference in terminologies, procedure, court fees etc., within courts when all are governed by the same laws," said the plea filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey. (PTI)
With Delhi seeing a slight uptick in Covid cases, the district administrations have strengthened the enforcement drive across the city. All 11 districts each have deployed 25-100 enforcement teams and flying squads to carry out surprise inspections and raids at public places such as markets, malls, pubs, restaurants, and bars to ensure no large social and cultural gatherings take place.
On Thursday, Delhi Police and the South District administration sealed and registered an FIR against a popular club in Mehrauli for crowding and violating Covid protocols. “As many as 600 people were at the pub; there was no social distancing,” said Sonalika Jiwani, South District Magistrate. (Read more)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary.
Born in Gwalior in 1924, Vajpayee was the face of the BJP for decades and was the first non-Congress prime minister to have served a full term in office.
Modi tweeted, "Remembering Atal Ji on his Jayanti. We are inspired by his rich service to the nation. He devoted his life towards making India strong and developed. His development initiatives positively impacted millions of Indians." (PTI)
A total of 415 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in India so far, out of which 115 have recovered or migrated, according to the Union Health Ministry's data updated on Saturday.
Maharashtra has recorded a maximum of 108 Omicron cases, followed by Delhi at 79, Gujarat 43, Telangana 38, Kerala 37, Tamil Nadu 34 and Karnataka 31.
India's Covid tally rose to 3,47,79,815 with 7,189 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, while the active cases have declined to 77,032, according to the data updated at 8 am. The death toll climbed to 4,79,520 with 387 more fatalities, the data showed. (PTI)
Delhiites woke up to a cold morning on Saturday, with the minimum temperature settling at 7 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The air quality index was recorded in the 'severe' category on Saturday morning with the AQI clocking 412 at 9 am, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
The city is expected to see mainly clear sky, and the maximum temperature may reach up to 23 degrees Celsius, the weather department said. (Read more)
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association on Friday demanded that a consultation be held across the varsity to evolve guidelines for conducting viva voce and evaluating candidates in a fair manner.
The demand comes in the backdrop of allegations by students and teachers that there were anomalies in the process of admission to PhD programmes of the university, in particular, the discrimination faced by students belonging to marginalised sections.
"All data, in the past, pertaining to the final selection, including the marks obtained by candidates in written and viva voce examinations were posted on a notice board by the administration. However, this practice was stopped a few years back and candidates are now only provided information about their own marks," the JNUTA said. (PTI)
South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Friday inaugurated a 'Nigam Haat' in the city, with an aim to promote reduction and recycling of waste at source, officials said. The 'Nigam Haat' has been set up in Lajpat Nagar's Central Market, they said.
In order to ensure reduction and recycling of waste at source, thr SDMC has taken a unique initiative of 'Nigam Haat'. The move is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of reducing the load on landfill sites, the civic body said in a statement.
The Delhi High Court Friday said that only “paperwork” was taking place each year with respect to mosquito breeding in Delhi and directed the local bodies to set up a special task force to address the problem. Such units will be headed by the municipal commissioners, said the court.
Observing that the people of Delhi continue to suffer, and the authorities have failed in anticipating, managing, and taking corrective measures, the division bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh said, “Every year for the past 20 years, we have been suffering the same thing. And nothing seems to happen. Why does the Commissioner not take the moral responsibility and tender his resignation? What prevents him?” Read More
The Delhi High Court Friday said that the state of affairs in Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar market is frightening and rapped the New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Police for allowing illegal vendors to operate from there. The court also took note of videos showing a huge rush of shoppers at the market, saying that people are “flowing like a river” there, and summoned the Sarojini Nagar SHO to court during the day.
The division bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh directed the Delhi Disaster Management Authority to visit the market and assess the situation, in the wake of rising Covid cases, and pass necessary directions. Read More
Delhi on Friday reported 180 fresh Covid-19 cases taking the active caseload to 782. The positivity rate jumped to 0.29 per cent while 82 patients recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours.
Five men were arrested by the Delhi Police on Friday for allegedly demanding Rs 2.5 crore from the Minister of States (MoS) Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son is one of the accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people, including four farmers were killed on October 3, after threatening to release a video – related to the incident.
According to the police, they received a complaint from Mishra’s staff that he received a call from unknown persons threatening to release a video related to the incident or to give Rs 2.5 crore to settle the matter. Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at North Avenue police station in New Delhi district. Read More
A Delhi court discharged a 45-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a six-year-old boy noting that he was suffering from mental illness and was incapable of understanding the consequences of his acts.
Additional Sessions Judge Ashutosh Kumar discharged the accused in an order passed on December 15. The victim’s mother had alleged sexual assault charges against him. The Delhi Police had filed a chargesheet in this case against the accused under section 8 of POCSO Act. Read More
A Delhi court granted bail to the directors of a company who were accused in a case related to a bank fraud worth Rs 1200 crore by the Enforcement Directorate.
Special Judge Shailender Malik granted the bail to Sandeep Singh Madhok and Satender Singh Madhok, associates of the company M/s Jay Polychem India Limited. They were accused of committing fraud and misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 1,800 crore by taking loans from a consortium of 12 banks led by SBI. They also allegedly “made transactions using fictitious entities, fabricating and manipulating financial and stock statements and siphoned off the money showing personal and family expenses”. Read more
Multi-vitamins and paracetamol were the only treatment provided to Omicron patients at Delhi's Lok Nayak hospital so far, doctors said on Friday. h The LNJP Hospital, which is the Delhi government's largest healthcare facility, has reported 40 cases of the new coronavirus variant of concern till now. Nineteen of these patients have already been discharged.
A senior doctor at the hospital said around 90 per cent of the patients are "asymptotic" and the rest showed mild symptoms like "sore throat, low-grade fever and body ache".
"The treatment included only multi-vitamins and paracetamol tablets. We didn't feel the need to give them any other medicine," he said.
The doctor said most of the patients are those who tested COVID-19 positive at the airport upon arrival from foreign countries. Most of them are fully vaccinated and "three-four have even taken booster shots", he added.
The patients included an MP of an African country, a member of a royal family from a north Indian state, and family members of bureaucrats, a source said.
According to data from the Union Health Ministry, Delhi has logged 67 Omicron cases so far, of which 23 have been discharged. h Besides the LNJP Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital, Max Hospital Saket, Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj and Batra Hospital in Tughlakabad have also set up facilities for treating and isolating suspected cases of Omicron following orders from the city government. (PTI)
A night curfew between 11 pm to 5 am has been imposed in Noida and Ghaziabad starting December 25 in view of the rising Covid-19 cases and concerns over the new Omicron variant.
A new campus which can accommodate around 25,000 students is being set up for the Indira Gandhi Technical University for Women in Narela.
The technical institute has been operating at Kashmere Gate near the Ambedkar University campus so far. It had been established in 1998 as the Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology had become an autonomous university offering BBA, BTech, MTech, PhD and BArch degrees in 2013.
On their fourth convocation, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had announced that a new campus was being developed on a 50-acre land in Narela in North West Delhi. Read more
With 118 Covid cases reported in Thursday’s health bulletin, the capital has seen over 100 cases of the virus for the third consecutive day. Delhi has recorded 109 cases of the infection on average each day during the four days this week, in comparison with just over 70 cases a day on average last week, and 51 cases the week before that. This indicates a clear upward trend in Covid-19 cases in the city despite nearly 97 per cent of the people having antibodies against the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19.
Another death due to the infection was recorded on Thursday, taking the city’s total toll since the beginning of the pandemic to 25,103. Three succumbed to the infection in the last seven days, compared to zero deaths in the nine preceding days.
The latest surge could be linked to the Omicron variant; the number of cases confirmed to have the new variant was 67 in Delhi on Friday, trailing just behind Maharashtra that has reported 88 such cases so far. The heavily mutated Omicron variant of the virus is thought to be at least three times more transmissible than the Delta variant and significantly evasive of immunity gained through vaccination. Read more
A restaurant has been sealed in Mehrauli for violating DDMA's order amid increasing cases of Covid-19 in the city and rising concerns over the new Omicron variant. "The restaurant was overcrowded. We've registered a case under sections 188 and 279 of the Indian Penal Code against the establishment," said M Harshawardhan, Additional DCP South.
The national capital woke up to a cold morning on Friday as the minimum temperature settled at 6.9 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The air quality index (AQI) was recorded in the 'severe' category for the fourth consecutive day. As per the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecast agency SAFAR, the AQI was 411 at 9 am.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
The day is expected to see 'moderate fog', and the maximum temperature may reach up to 24 degrees Celsius, the weather department said. h The relative humidity was 94 per cent at 8.30 am.
The city had on Thursday recorded its minimum and maximum temperatures at 5.5 and 23.1 degrees Celsius, respectively. (PTI)
Delhi on Thursday registered 118 new Covid-19 cases and one death, taking the cumulative count of infections in the city to 14,42,633 and toll to 25,103. The positivity rate stood at 0.19 per cent while over 14.16 lakh patients have recovered from the infection.
The Delhi government's Covid helpline '1031' is capable of handling around 1,200 calls per day with the current manpower of 25 people, according to an official data. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday reviewed the pandemic situation and the Omicron threat in the city in a meeting with his ministers and senior officers. According to the data, the Covid helpline number (1031), which is operational 24x7, is manned by 25 executives who are distributed in three shifts and handle an average of 600-700 calls per day. The data specified that about 1,000 to 1,200 calls per day can be handled with the current manpower. --PTI
The Delhi High Court Thursday deferred the hearing of actor Juhi Chawla’s appeal against a single-bench order which in June dismissed her suit against the introduction of 5G technology in India. The single bench, in the order dismissing the suit, had said it was filed to gain publicity and imposed a cost of Rs 20 lakh on the three plaintiffs, including Chawla, for “waste of judicial time”.
The division bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh Thursday, at the outset of the hearing, said it will hear the appeal after the upcoming court vacations and listed it for hearing on January 25. Observing that there was no grave urgency in the case, the court said it has been six months since the single bench passed the order. Read more
With the national capital reporting 64 Omicron cases so far, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday held a high-level review meeting to strengthen home isolation management for Covid-19 patients. Speaking on the Omicron threat, Kejriwal said his government has created the capacity to conduct 3 lakh tests and handle 1 lakh cases daily.
A petition has been filed before Delhi High Court challenging the prohibition on holding of religious gatherings at places of worship on the occasion of Christmas and new year. The petition seeks a direction for permitting worship services in churches on Christmas and New Year, subject to adherence of all enhanced Covid protocols. The petition will be taken up for hearing on Friday by the court.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday said it will hear in January a plea by Amazon challenging the jurisdiction of the Enforcement Directorate to investigate matters which are beyond its scope under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The plea was listed before Justice Rekha Palli who did not hold court, and the matter is now listed for hearing on January 5. Petitioners Amazon Wholesale (India) Pvt Ltd and Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd challenged the jurisdiction of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and its officers to investigate Amazon Wholesale (India) Pvt Ltd in matters that are beyond the scope of power and remit of the agency under the FEMA. --PTI
Observing that the investigation agency has handled the case in the “most dubious manner”, a Delhi court Monday granted bail to an alleged gangster, Rohit Gehlot, who was shot in the leg by the Dwarka district police last month.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Kumar Meena said in his order, “The investigation agency has handled this case in the most dubious manner, not only the arrest of accused/applicant is made under highly suspicious circumstances, but also his role is under clouds in the present FIR. The only allegation against the accused is that he provided arms to the main accused, Arjun and Sonu. The arms have already been recovered from the main accused. This case is a fit case where the accused/applicant must be granted bail.” Read more
Members of a government schools’ guest teachers group held a press conference in the Delhi Secretariat, denouncing recent protests by guest teachers in the national capital as “political”.
The press conference, in which members of the Dilli Atithi Shikshak Sangh spoke, was held in the Delhi Secretariat’s Media Centre.
This comes two weeks after hundreds of guest teachers held a protest near the Chief Minister’s residence, once again demanding a policy that will let them work till the age of retirement. Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu had joined the protest, in response to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal joining a Punjab guest teachers’ protest in Mohali. Another protest is scheduled to take place outside Deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s residence Saturday. Read more
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is planning to convert some of its schools into specialised institutes to educate students in a particular field or subject, like mathematics, science, music, fashion technology, sports, cooking, dancing and others that they are specialised and skilled in. These will be called ‘School of New India’, said NDMC member Kuljeet Singh Chahal on Wednesday.
Also, to make the online classes available and accessible for all the children, especially those coming from the economically weaker sections (EWS), the NDMC is planning to provide tablets for students of classes IX and XII. This proposal was passed in the NDMC council meeting held Wednesday. Read more
All but one of the 34 patients with the Omicron variant treated at Delhi government’s Lok Nayak hospital were fully vaccinated, with at least two persons having received a booster shot, top officials have told The Indian Express.
“So far, we have treated 34 persons with the new Omicron variant, 18 of whom have already been discharged. Except for one person, all others were vaccinated against Covid-19, meaning that the new variant is capable of infecting even those who have received their shots,” said Dr Suresh Kumar, medical director of Lok Nayak, which was the first hospital to be designated as the treatment centre for those suspected to be infected with the new variant. Read more
Shauk nahi majboori hai, ye hadtal zaroori hai (This strike is not a hobby of ours, but a necessity) — the slogan reverberated as resident doctors from across medical college and hospitals in Delhi, in protest, returned the candles that were lit by common people commemorating their service during the pandemic.
Services at Safdarjung, RML, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Lok Nayak, and Guru Teg Bahadur hospitals continued to be affected for a sixth consecutive day as the doctors protested against the delays in NEET PG counselling that has left nearly 45,000 medical students waiting to join the workforce. Read more
Delhi on Wednesday reported 125 new cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), which is the highest number of infections seen in a day in the last six month since June 22 when 134 cases were recorded. This is the third time in a week the number of cases has crossed the 100-mark, showing a steady increase in infections in the city.
The latest surge could be linked to the new Omicron variant; the number of Omicron cases in Delhi increased to 64 on Thursday, which is second only to the 65 cases reported by Maharashtra. The heavily mutated Omicron variant is thought to be at least three times more transmissible than Delta, and significantly evasive of immunity gained through vaccination. The Indian Express reported that 33 out of the 34 persons with Omicron treated at Delhi’s biggest centre, Lok Nayak Hospital, were fully vaccinated. Read more
The minimum temperature in Delhi over the past 24 hours stood at 5.5 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung weather observatory, while the AQI returned to the ‘severe’ category.
The minimum temperature recorded over the past 24 hours at the Safdarjung weather station, which provides representative data for the city, is around two degrees below the normal for this time of the year. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast indicates that the minimum temperature on Thursday is also likely to settle at 5 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature is likely to be 24 degrees Celsius. Read more
Yoga teachers from the government will be made available at a missed call under the Dilli ki Yogshala Scheme, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday.
He was speaking at the 4th convocation of Delhi Pharmaceutical Science and Research University (DPSRU).
“Dilli Ki Yogshala, a flagship programme of the Delhi government, aims to help residents who have developed an interest in Yoga by reading about its benefits from several resources find a perfect way to learn it. With this initiative, a professional Yoga teacher will be just a missed call away. Groups of residents, willing to learn Yoga in any part of Delhi, can give a missed call on 9013585858 and Yoga teachers will be sent by the Delhi government to their place,” Sisodia said. Read more
The Delhi BJP unit has launched a signature campaign against the new excise policy of the AAP-led government across the city.
The campaign started from Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place Wednesday Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi and Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta will continue till December 31. The party aims to obtain signatures of 15 lakh people, which would be later sent to President Ram Nath Kovind so that the policy can be withdrawn, said Gupta. Read more
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the release on bail of a juvenile in conflict with law who, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) alleged, was in illegal custody.
A bench headed by Justice Vipin Sanghi, while dealing with the Commission's habeas corpus petition, directed that the child be released upon his mother furnishing the requisite bail bond and directed the state to file a status report.
"Upon the mother of the juvenile furnishing the bail bond (in terms of the bail order), the child in conflict with law be released today," ordered the bench also comprising Justice Jasmeet Singh.
Lawyer Vrinda Grover, appearing for DCPCR, claimed that the child was granted bail in November but continued to be in custody due to non-fulfilment of bail conditions. The counsel appearing for the Delhi State Legal Service Authority informed the court that the juvenile in question would be released as his mother was already in the process of tendering a bail bond. (PTI)
Three people were injured on Wednesday morning after a DTC bus caught fire in north Delhi's Burari area, officials said. According to fire officials, they received information regarding the blaze at 11.17 am and a fire tender was rushed to the spot.
Police said three persons got injured while they were checking the CNG cylinder of a DTC inside a depot at Nathupura in Burari. Meanwhile, the cylinder caught fire and they sustained burns.
The victims were rushed to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial hospital and later shifted to Safdarjung hospital. Their condition is stated to be stable, police said. (PTI)
Delhi Police has filed a charge sheet in a case related to the shootout in the Rohini court in which jailed gangster Jitender Gogi and two assailants dressed as lawyers were killed, unearthing the ?deep conspiracy? behind the incident.
The assailants, who were from the rival gang, opened fire at undertrial prisoner Gogi inside a courtroom where an attempt to murder case was being heard against him on September 24. The duo was then killed in a swift police counter-fire.
The charge sheet, filed on December 17, named Umang Yadav, Vinay Yadav, Ashish Kumar, and two gangsters Sunil Baliyan alias Tillu and Naveen Dabas alias Balli as accused. Abated charge sheet has also been filed against deceased assailants Rahul and Jai Deep alias Jaggu.
The police filed the final report for offences under sections 302 (murder), 353 (assault), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and various sections under the Arms Act. (PTI)
New Indian airline Akasa Air on Wednesday unveiled its tagline 'It's Your Sky' and aircraft livery that consisted of 'rising A' symbol in orange and purple colour. Backed by ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and aviation veterans Vinay Dube and Aditya Ghosh, Akasa Air had in October got the no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to operate commercial flights.
In a press release on Wednesday, the airline said the symbol 'rising A' was inspired by elements from the sky. "It symbolises the warmth of the rising sun, the effortless flight of a bird and the dependability of an aircraft wing," it said.
The airline noted that 'It's Your Sky' is the brand's promise to embrace everyone and to create an inclusive environment for all Indians regardless of their socio-economic or cultural backgrounds. "It (tagline) is a powerful pledge of ownership, promise, and possibilities that accompany each traveller on their journeys," the carrier mentioned. (PTI)
A total of 327 teaching and non-teaching staff members of Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Central Board of Secondary Education expired due to Covid-19 but none of them died during Covid duty, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar gave the information in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
"As per available data 327 teaching/non-teaching staff of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Central Board of Secondary Education expired due to Covid-19. None of these teachers died during Covid duty," he said.
"Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and schools, other than those owned and funded by the Central government, are under the jurisdiction of the state governments," he added. (PTI)
Noting that it “cannot shut its eyes to the fact that Covid has triggered one of the worst job crises we have seen”, a court has ordered Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services Ltd to pay Rs 40,000 for causing “immense hardship and mental harassment” to a driver, whose car was taken over by the company after he failed to pay EMIs during the second wave.
The plaintiff, Pradeep Kumar Pal, drove a Swift Dzire car he had bought for Rs 7,05,000, the court noted.
Pal had paid Rs 1,70,000 in cash as down payment, and the remaining amount was financed by Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. Read more
Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed DMRC to furnish details of all its bank accounts and the amount lying in them within one week. The court passed the order after hearing Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure-promoted Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL)'s petition seeking enforcement of the 2017 arbitral award pertaining to Delhi Airport Metro Express Line dispute.
While the DAMEPL has submitted that DMRC owes it more than Rs 6000 Crores at present, the latter Wednesday said that it has only Rs 5800.93 crores in the bank accounts including Rs 1642.69 crore earnings and project fund allocation of Rs 2412.12 crores. DMRC has called it a matter involving national interests and said that there will be a huge issue if Metro is stopped.
"This is a case where if the bank accounts are attached and metro services come to an end, he will not gain and I'll not gain. This is a very important service. The banks and the government will sit," submitted Senior Advocate Parag P. Tripathi, representing DMRC.
However, the court suggested DMRC to borrow money for paying the DAMEPL. "Why don't you take the loan from the banks. You have a liability to pay. He is a decree holder. You cannot have this much assets in the bank accounts. Why don't you take the loan," Justice Suresh Kumar Kait asked DMRC on Wednesday.
DMRC has offered to takeover liability of Reliance. However, the offer has been rejected by Reliance saying that it will deal with banks on its own.
"The government here should be the first person to have paid the money and set an example. This is not a mercy petition by me. I'm the holder of money decree. I'm not asking for any charity, any mercy. I'm requesting that I've a money decree in my favour and seeking execution," the counsel representing DAMEPL submitted on Wednesday.