Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. (File)Delhi News, March 28: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to save businessman Gautam Adani, and alleged that “the day Adani goes down, Modiji will go down.” “Following the Hindenburg report, which generated so much flak, if he (Adani) was just his friend, Modiji is so selfish that he would have relegated Adani to the side in 2 minutes. He is still trying to save him (Adani) as much as possible,” said Kejriwal in the Delhi Assembly today. Kejriwal alleged that a senior BJP leader told him “Adani is just the front; the main investor behind him is Modi.”
The Delhi High Court has issued summons to Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray and others on a defamation suit filed by MP Rahul Ramesh Shewale for allegedly levelling frivolous corruption allegations against him and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. The high court also asked Google, Twitter, Uddhav, Aditya and Raut to file their written statements within 30 days on the plea seeking removal of the alleged defamatory content from social media platforms. The matter is now posted for hearing on interim relief on April 17.
In other news, the High Court also framed charges against Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar including others for various offences including rioting and unlawful assembly under Indian Penal Code (IPC), however discharged them of various other provisions. Meanwhile, Asif Tanha was discharged under sections of attempts to commit culpable homicide, including others. The court was hearing Delhi Police’s plea against the trial court order discharging Imam and several others in the 2019 Jamia violence case.
It encloses a higher tower, round which steps lead to the roof with embattled parapets. (Photo Credit: Delhi Past and Present by Herbert Charles Fanshawe)
At the Janta Flats in Sector-122. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday restrained authorities concerned, including Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Delhi Police and Delhi Development Authority (DDA), from demolishing temporary shelters for the homeless in the national capital without getting its permission.
A bench comprising justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Data passed the order while hearing a matter related to three temporary shelters at Geeta Ghat, built for the special category of the homeless such as individuals afflicted with TB, orthopaedic disabilities and mental health conditions. (PTI)
A total of 96 Congress leaders were detained during the Congress Mashal March, to protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha. According to DCP North, Sagar Singh Kalsi, all the detainees have been released.
Major leaders who were detained in today's march:
▪️TN Pratapan
▪️Deen Kuriakorse
▪️JP Agrawal
▪️Harish Rawat
▪️Shakti Singh Gohil
Delhi education minister Atishi Tuesday said that the Schools of Specialised Excellence (SOSE) were getting twice as many applications as the number of seats.
Atishi was speaking at the inauguration of Dr B R Ambedkar School of Specialised Excellence at Rana Pratap Bagh near Model Town, which earlier housed the government’s senior secondary school. The school will now focus on the humanities stream. (Read More)
Students at Delhi University's Indraprastha College for Women alleged that some men scaled the institute's boundary walls during a fest on Tuesday and "harassed several students".
Police have registered an FIR under sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and and 188 (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested seven people, they said.
An All India Students' Association (AISA) activist alleged that the men were heard chanting "Miranda, IP dono hamara (Miranda House and Indraprastha College both are ours)" and "Miranda nahi chhoda to IP bhi nahi chhodenge (We didn't leave Miranda, we won't leave IP either)". (PTI)
The student community is not a different group which enjoys any extra right regarding freedom of speech and expression and the law does not grant protection if the right to protest is demonstrated violently while threatening the safety of others and damaging the public property, the Delhi High Court Tuesday said.
The court's observations came while setting aside a trial court order discharging 11 people, including JNU student Sharjeel Imam and activists Asif Iqbal Tanha and Safoora Zargar, in a 2019 Jamia Nagar violence case, and ordered framing of charges against them. (PTI)
Delhi on Tuesday reported 214 new Covid cases and zero virus-related deaths. The positivity rate in the city stands at 11.82%. A total of 1811 Covid tests were conducted in the national capital and 81 patients got discharged.
Currently, there are 671 active cases in the city.
Delhi Congress President Chaudhary Anil Kumar was among Congress leaders detained from near the Red Fort.
'We will not rest till Rahul ji's questions are answered because these are not for him, but the country. From where did the Rs. 20,000 crore which were given to Adani come, why were they given to him, why was banks' money allowed to be looted, why was the LIC destroyed...why is there a bid to save Adani, we are not going to be cowed down by the BJP's attempts to scare Rahul Gandhi ji and us...you can arrest us but we will not give up, the truth will eventually come out,' he said.
The Congress on Tuesday announced a protest march from Red Fort to Town Hall against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification.
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Students belonging to DU’s AISA unit have started protesting in front of the gate of the Indraprastha College for Women. Earlier today, students alleged that a few outsiders broke into the college campus and assaulted a few women students.
Our journey began with 2 Lok Sabha seats and it is now at 303 seats. BJP is the only pan-India party from east to west and from north to south. BJP gives opportunity to the youth to progress: PM Modi
"Elections after the 1984 riots saw a huge majority for the Congress party. It was an emotionally charged atmosphere and in that storm, we were almost wiped out. However, we never lost hope. We worked on the ground and strengthened our organisation," said PM Modi.
"A few days from today, our party will celebrate its 44th foundation day. This journey is a tireless and continuous journey, This journey is a journey to the culmination of hard work," said PM Modi in his inaugural address at the newly constructed BJP Central Office (extension).
"The expansion of this office is not just the expansion of a building, but it is the expansion of the dreams of every BJP worker. I bow down at the feet of crores of party workers," he said.
Around 50 Congress protestors have been detained from around Red Fort and taken to several police stations while they were holding protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from parliament said the Delhi Police.
But, another group of Congress workers led by Alka Lamba is has reached Red Fort.
Around 50 Congress protestors have been detained from around Red Fort and taken to several police stations while they were holding protest against disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from parliament said the Delhi Police.
The announcement by AAP Delhi convenor Gopal Rai that it will launch a nationwide poster campaign against Prime Minister Modi shows its political desperation; by declaring it will start this "undignified campaign" against the Prime Minister 'on the day of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram Navami' the Aam Aadmi Party has shown that it has "no respect for religious norms, nationalism or the post of Prime Minister," said Delhi BJP spokespersons Harish Khurana and Praveen Shankar Kapoor
BJP spokespersons say that the Aam Aadmi Party leaders should understand that more the hatred they spread against the Prime Minister more political loss they will cause to their own party.
The corruption-ridden Aam Aadmi Party is now running a personal campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to divert public attention from its corruption stories said Delhi BJP spokespersons Harish Khurana and Praveen Shankar Kapoor
A Ministry of External Affairs Deputy Secretary was allegedly robbed of his official laptop, diplomatic passport, mobile phones and other valuables after unidentified men broke his car’s window pane in South Delhi’s Aurobindo Marg, said police.
The official, who is a legal officer at MEA, had stopped his car to help a person on the road when the incident took place, said police. (Read More)
In a purported CCTV footage from Delhi, fugitive Amritpal Singh and his aide are seen walking on the streets. It is suspected that the video is from East Delhi’s Patparganj, Madhu Vihar or Sai Chowk area. However, senior police officers from the district denied rumours of Amritpal’s presence in their area.
The pro-Khalistan preacher and head of Waris Punjab De has been on the run since March 18. Several security agencies are chasing him and trying to trace his location. (Read More)
'It's like in the 17th-18th century...those East India Company people would come to our Rajas and Maharajas who were also uneducated and dumb like this, they would come to their durbars, shower them with compliments and who knows what all they would get signed in their names in the process,' said Kejriwal.
"Just like the British took over the entire country in 100 years then, the same is happening now. Our Prime Minister is less educated, he has a fetish for money...whoever comes showers him with two lines of empty praise, gets pictures clicked, strolls in parks, hands over a few companies to Adani...who knows to what extent he has sold the country to such people."
"We are very concerned about the current condition of the country...after independence, I believe that if there anyone who has looted the country as much, is the most corrupt person to be in this position is the incumbent Prime Minister," he said.
"Invest here, let's go to this or that country, we will buy this or that company, deploy the CBI-ED behind such and such person -- all this is done by him (Adani); it his brain and the money is Modi ji's. Who knows what cut he gets for this in percentage terms; but the brain is Adani's..." said Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Assembly today.
"What I'm most concerned about is that the Prime Minister is less educated...people come and tell him various things and put him up to various things. Whenever a foreign leader comes, only two things happen -- photo ops and giving one tender or another to Adani. All these leaders come, shower empty praise on him (Modi) and God knows what all they get signed by him and take with them."
"In 2014, Adani ji, that is Modi ji, had a fortune of Rs. 50,000 crore; seven years later, their fortune is now worth 11.5 lakh crore; Modi ji, where will you go with all this money? You looted the country so much? Who knew one day the Hindenburg report would come and all this would get blown to bits," said Kejriwal.
"In the last 66 years, Rs. 55 lakh crore is the total loan that all state governments took from the Centre; from 2014 till till 2022, in 7 years, Rs. 85 lakh crore is the loan that was given to him. Where did all this money go? It went in their pocket."
"I want to tell the common people who pay GST and many other taxes -- this is where they go; it goes to the state exchequer, then to Adani's treasure chest and then to Modi ji's. The Prime Minister is looting the country with both arms," he said.
"Recently, they issued an order to the effect that all power plants, state governments must use 10% coal which is imported; the only person who imports coal is Adani. You may not need it but you must buy imported coal; our own coal costs Rs. 2000 per tonne, imported coal is Rs. 20000 per tonne; you must still buy imported coal which costs 10 times more from Adani ji or Modi ji. All across the country, only state governments own coal mines but Adani is an exception." said Kejriwal.
"Another interesting thing that is happening is the taking over of people's factories at gun point. ED and CBI raided several companies which were later handed over to Adani. What is happening in his country?"
"Two to three years ago, 6 airports were privatised...the condition was that these will be given to someone who has prior experience of managing airports. Every government contract has similar conditions. But Adani-Modi did not have this experience...at the last moment, this condition was done away with. All 6 went to Adani...well, not Adani, but Modi," said Kejriwal.
"Modiji forced and pressurised Rajapakse to give the wind project to Adani...he didn't technically make him give the project to Adani, but to himself...this got exposed by a standing committee of the Sri Lankan Parliament. India has inked several defence projects with Israel and all of those were given to Adani," said Kejriwal.
"How can this be...that Adani is just the manager who manages Modi's money...he gets 10, 15 or 20 per cent commission. If a JPC is put in place, an investigation by the ED takes place, Adani won't go down, Modi ji will," said the Delhi CM.
"Following the Hindenburg report, which generated so much flak, if he (Adani) was just his friend, Modiji is so selfish that he would have relegated Adani to the side in 2 minutes...but he is still trying to save him (Adani) as much as possible," said Kejriwal
"When I asked (the BJP leader) why is this so, I was told Adani was just the front; the main investor behind him is Modi," said Kejriwal.
'I recently met a very senior BJP leader; you will be shocked when I tell you what he told me. He asked me, Kejriwal ji, what do you think, why does Modiji help Adani ji so much; I said because they are friends, that's why.' said CM Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday.
'He replied, Really? He (Modi) has never done anything for anyone -- not for his wife, his mother, nor for his brother or any relative, not for his political gurus; he will do so much for his friend?'
A court here on Tuesday asked the Delhi Police to conclude its investigation into the hit-and-run case where a 20-year-old woman was dragged to death while being trapped under a car on New Year's day and file a charge sheet on April 1.
Metropolitan Magistrate Sanya Dalal extended the judicial custody of the five accused in the case till April 1.
Police had arrested Deepak Khanna (26), Amit Khanna (25), Krishan (27), Mithun (26), and Manoj Mittal on January 2. Noting that the stipulated time of 90 days for the probe agency to file its charge sheet will expire on April 1, the magistrate asked the investigating officer (IO) about the date of its filing. (PTI)
A special meeting called at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi headquarters on Tuesday to discuss and deliberate on the civic budget was adjourned for the day soon after it convened.
Mayor Shelly Oberoi said the session would resume at 2 pm on Wednesday.
A few members had said that they did not get adequate time to go through the budget document and so time has been allowed till the session resumes on Wednesday, she said. (PTI)
A row erupted on Monday evening around 8.30 pm at the Supertech Ecovillage 2 society, under Bisrakh police station limits, after around 30-40 Muslim residents of the society were offering prayers in a vacant room on the third floor above the commercial market of the society, they said.
“On being informed about some controversy in the society, officials of the local Bisrakh police station went to the spot and the Hindu community said we have no objection to all the people of our society offering Namaz but we have an objection to the fact that 6-7 people from other societies are coming to offer Namaz,” the police said in a statement.
“On this objection, the Muslim community itself decided that Namaz will not be offered at that place. Both sides agree on this. Peace and order is maintained on the spot,” the police added. (PTI)
The Aam Aadmi Party will be displaying posters against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 11 languages across the country on March 30, party's state convener Gopal Rai said on Tuesday.
"The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will display posters in states across the country on March 30. All state units of the party have been asked to paste posters in their respective states. The posters have been printed in 11 languages," Rai, the Delhi AAP chief and environment minister, told PTI. (PTI)
The Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) has taken up repairing and electrical work on seven foot overbridges (FOBs) after receiving complaints from the people over non-functional lifts and dilapidated conditions which force pedestrians to take risks by crossing busy roads.
“We received several complaints from the public over non-functional lifts, poor conditions and lack of working lights. Theft is a major problem in these FOBs because most parts in lifts and electrical items like aluminium wires, light fittings, holders and others are stolen. Even if a wire is cut or a minor part is broken, the entire lift or light goes off,” said a PWD official. (Read More)
Later this summer, Delhi, along with other parts of the country, could get a ‘heat index’ or a sense of what the temperature actually feels like, from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The heat index tells us what the temperature feels like when humidity is also factored in and is provided by weather agencies. In other parts of the world, like the United States, the heat index is calculated, and colour-coded warnings are provided based on the impact a certain heat index can have on the body, like fatigue or the likelihood of heat strokes. (Read More)
The Delhi High Court has issued summons to Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray and others in a defamation lawsuit filed by Rahul Ramesh Shewale, a leader in the Eknath Shinde Faction of Shiv Sena. Although Justice Prateek Jalan did not pass any order on interim relief, it has asked the respondents to file their response to the lawsuit and the interim applications.
The Delhi High Court framed charges against Sharjeel Imam, Asif Tanha, and Safoora Zargar including others for various offences including rioting under Indian Penal Code (IPC), however, partially discharged them of various other offences.The HC discharged Tanha for offences under sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323(punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 435 (mischief by fire) of the IPC. Charges under other offences have been framed against him.
The HC also charged Mohd Qasim, Mohd Bilal Nadeem, Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar and others under section 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 147 (punishment for rioting), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the IPC, as well as sections of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. They are discharged for rest of the offences.
The court was hearing the Delhi Police’s plea against the trial court order discharging Imam and 10 others in the 2019 Jamia violence case.
Justice Sharma says that the court is not “innovating jurisprudence of framing of charges” which is already established by the supreme court. "Prima facie, as seen in the video the respondents were first in the line of the mob…it is difficult to explain the situation that they were violently pushing the barricades and raising slogans against the police," the bench notes.
The order adds, "Right to peaceful assembly is subject to reasonable restriction. Acts of violence…are not protected."
"COVID positivity rate has gone up to 9.1%. We need to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour. Mask must be part of our culture. Reason behind spike in cases is that we’re being careless. Safdarjung hospital is prepared, we have above 200 beds for COVID category," ANI quoted DR. NK Gupta, Pulmonologist, Safdarjung Hospital, as saying.
The Delhi High Court will shortly pronounce its decision on the Delhi Police’s plea against the trial court order discharging Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha and eight others in the 2019 Jamia violence case. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had reserved the verdict on March 23 after a hearing that went on for two and half hours.
The police, in their revision plea, have sought the setting aside of the February 4 order of additional sessions judge Arul Varma, of Saket courts, that discharged Imam and the others, alleging that the trial court not only discharged the respondents but was “also swayed by emotional and sentimental feelings, it cast aspersions on the prosecuting agency and passed gravely prejudicial and adverse remarks against the prosecuting agency and the investigation”.
ASJ Varma observed in his order that the police did not apprehend the “actual perpetrators” but “managed to rope in” the accused persons as “scapegoats”.
Nearly two years after 25-year-old Rinku Sharma was beaten and stabbed to death outside his Mangolpuri home, a Delhi court has released two of the accused persons, Islam and Tajuddin, on bail.
A total of nine men were arrested in connection with the murder, which took place in February 2021. Read more
A godown in Badarpur caught fire and collapsed late on Monday, Delhi Fire Services said. Total 19 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control. No injuries have been reported.
The Delhi University will hold elections for their Students’ Union (DUSU) following admissions this year, DU Registrar Vikas Gupta has said. The university has continued to have the same student body elected in 2019, after its elections were repeatedly suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions.
A Delhi court Monday said that Sharukh Pathan, who allegedly pointed a gun at a policeman during the Northeast Delhi riots, was found mingling with high-risk prisoners and denied him bail. The court said this after seeing a series of jail CCTV footage inside the courtroom.
Additional Sessions Judge Amit Prasad said the “entire flood of applications moved by the accused does not inspire confidence and appears to be meant for bail application.” (Read More)
The Delhi High Court Monday dismissed a plea by an association of residents of Bela Estate, Yamuna floodplains, seeking a stay on the eviction from the premises and rehabilitation by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) observing that no documents were adduced to prove that they were part of the board’s notified jhuggi jhopri (JJ) cluster.
A single judge bench of Justice Gaurang Kanth passed the decision in a 2018 plea moved by Bela Estate Mazdoor Basti Samiti, who claimed that the estate is a large JJ cluster on the western bank of river Yamuna and comprises of five sub-areas namely China Colony, Bela Gaon, Malla Gaon, Moolchand Basti and Kanchan Puri. (Read More)
The political tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to shift to the floor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Tuesday, with the commencement of the civic body’s first budget session following its reunification.
The AAP, which holds sway in the MCD with 134 councillors in the 250-member House, announced that it would introduce four proposals aimed at bringing “significant reforms” for businesses in Delhi including placing a prohibition on sealing as well as sending notices to businesses. (Read More)
Delhi High Court was informed on Monday that more than 200 children working as child labourers here have been rescued since January and further raids are underway.
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sachin Datta granted four weeks to the Delhi government counsel to file a further status report in the matter and listed it for hearing on May 4.
The high court was hearing a plea by NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, which filed a petition in the aftermath of a fire that killed over 40 people, including several minors, at a factory in the Anaj Mandi area here in December 2019. (PTI)
"Delhi is counted among a handful of cities in which travel aboard public transportation is free; it is a very advanced concept which is in existence only in a few cities," said Kejriwal.
'Despite services like power, water, education, and commuting aboard public buses being free, Delhi's budget is in the positive unlike other states which are reeling under losses,' stated Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Monday.
CM Arvind Kejriwal while addressing the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Monday said, "The Delhi Model has shown the whole country the way forward; it is a zero corruption model, a model that has shown the way forward from inflation, a model of providing 24x7 free power and water and education."
"Earlier Delhi was known for the CWG scam among others, today, the entire country, despite the efforts of the BJP to stoke allegations of one scam or another against us, is known for the good work of the AAP government in Delhi," he said.
he Supreme Court on Monday extended its interim stay on the proceedings against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a case registered against him for allegedly making objectionable remarks against the BJP and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh during the 2014 parliamentary election campaign.
Kejriwal has moved the apex court against an order of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court which had last month declined to discharge him in the criminal case pending before a trial court at Sultanpur.
In the FIR, Kejriwal has been accused of an offence under section 125 of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1951, which pertains to promoting enmity between classes in connection with elections. (PTI)
The Supreme Court Monday stated that it will hear BRS leader K Kavitha’s plea against the Enforcement Directorate summons in the Delhi excise policy case after three weeks.
The BRS leader’s plea was against issuance of summons in a money laundering case arising out of the Delhi excise policy scam. The 44-year-old MLC, who is also the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, has already had three depositions before the federal probe agency. (Read More)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved to conduct an all-India quiz at the zonal centre, district and state levels for students of classes 8, 9 and 10 with the objective to create financial awareness. The quiz will be designed by the Directorate of Education and winners from each level will be awarded cash prizes ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000.
The zonal centre-level quiz will be conducted on April 20 in 29 schools of zonal science conveners, while the district and state-level competitions will be conducted at the RBI Building at 6, Parliament Street in Delhi on May 22-26 and June 15, respectively. Read more
Delhi Police have detained several members of Indian Youth Congress while they were protesting at Jantar Mantar. The protesters were raising slogans against the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) over disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Parliament when the police detained them. The protesters were jumping barricades and were trying to march towards the Parliament, police claimed.
The Delhi Police have arrested a 36-year-old man for allegedly duping several women on the pretext of providing them with a tour package to Mata Vaishno Devi in Shahdara, said officials.
The police said on February 25, they received a complaint from a woman claiming she got a message on a Facebook group about a Mata Vaishno Devi tour package. Read more