A health worker conducts random Covid-19 testing at New Delhi Railway station. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)Delhi News Updates: Delhi on Tuesday reported 959 fresh Covid-19 cases and nine deaths with a positivity rate of 6.14 per cent. The national capital also saw 939 recoveries and has 4,656 active cases.
The politically heated grounds of the national capital saw some new developments with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 offered its MLAs Rs 5 crore to join them. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the BJP has now reached out to Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and offered to make him the chief minister if he leaves AAP and joins them. “We will fail Operation Lotus in Delhi once again,” he added. The BJP, meanwhile, hit out at the ruling party in Delhi over its now scrapped excise policy. It claimed that the Delhi government ignored the violations of the excise policy and recommendations of an expert committee.
In other news, a Noida Court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Shrikant Tyagi, who was arrested by police after he was caught on video pushing and abusing a woman, by 14 days, rejecting his bail plea. The court set the next hearing in the matter on August 26.
Farmers came from Punjab, UP, Haryana, Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)
Delhi on Tuesday reported 959 fresh Covid-19 cases and nine deaths with a positivity rate of 6.14 per cent. The national capital also saw 939 recoveries and has 4,656 active cases.
A lawfully wedded couple cannot be denied each other’s company which is the essence of marriage and the State cannot enter the private space of a wilfully married couple and separate them, the Delhi High Court has said.
The order was passed by Justice Jasmeet Singh while dealing with a petition by a Muslim male and a Muslim minor girl who got married to each other as per religious customs in Bihar after eloping and now sought protection from the court as well as directions to ensure that nobody separates them from each other.
The court noted that under the Mohammedan Law, a girl who has attained the age of puberty could marry without the consent of her parents and has the right to reside with her husband even when she is less than 18 years of age and thus directed that the authorities concerned to ensure safety and protection of the married couple which is entitled to stay together and was expecting a child. (Read more)
Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman Saurabh Bhardwaj on Tuesday directed officials to immediately link residential areas along the Yamuna to the sewer network to prevent their sewage from flowing into the river directly. The Delhi government has set a target of cleaning the Yamuna to bathing standards by 2025.
Connecting all households in unauthorised colonies to the sewer network and upgrading sewage treatment plants and common effluent treatment plants is key to reducing pollution in the river. At a review meeting, the DJB vice chairman instructed officials to expeditiously connect drains from households and colonies located along the Yamuna to the sewer network, a statement said. (PTI)
A Delhi court Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to a man accused of giving triple talaq to his wife, saying that two months after lodging the FIR, the investigating officer (IO) “has not even cared to take the statement of the relevant witness.” The court also sent a copy of the order to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) concerned for “proper investigation in the present matter.” Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat noted that though the triple talaq was pronounced by the accused in the presence of many persons and relatives of the family, the IO had failed to record the statement of any witness.
“In the facts and circumstances of the present case, where Section 4 of Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 is sought to be attracted, which carries a maximum punishment of three years, and where the investigating officer has not even cared to take statements of relevant witnesses quoted by the complainant despite two months since the registration of the FIR. I deem it fit to grant bail to the accused,” the judge said. (PTI)
The AAP on Tuesday took a swipe at the Congress over a promotional ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra' post on Twitter, claiming that the grand old party has used a photograph from the 2011 anti-corruption movement that had brought it down from the power.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also claimed that its volunteers can be “clearly” seen in the photograph posted by the Congress on the microblogging site and thanked it for accepting the Arvind Kejriwal-led party as "real opposition". The AAP's reaction came after the Congress launched the logo, tagline and website of its upcoming 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', billed as a mass contact programme of an unprecedented scale.
“We dream of an India where no voice will be silenced, youth will no longer beg for work, economy will not be in shambles, diversity will be celebrated and equality would be ensured. Join #BharatJodoYatra & lead the change!,” the Congress tweeted with a photograph of a group of agitators marching with one carrying a national flag.
Reacting to the Congress promotional post, the AAP's Mumbai unit president and national executive member Preeti Sharma Menon, tweeted, “One more example of how @INCIndia has totally lost the plot.” “The photo of their dreams is from an #IndiaAgainstCorrution morcha where one can clearly see our youth leader @VandanaSingh. Yes the same #IAC that finished the Congress,” she added. (PTI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday claimed a "Maha Vyapam scam" in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Gujarat wherein question papers of the state government recruitment examinations have been leaked over years. He promised a law against the paper leak with a provision of 10-year jail if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is voted to power in the Assembly elections, due later this year.
"Did anybody go to jail for leaking papers? They will now go to jail (when AAP forms a government). Madhya Pradesh had the 'Vyapam scam. In Gujarat, a 'Maha Vyapam scam' is going on," Kejriwal alleged while addressing a town hall meeting of youth at Bhavnagar on the second day of his two-day visit to Gujarat.
The Vyapam scam was an entrance examination, admission and recruitment scam unearthed in Madhya Pradesh, also ruled by the BJP, in 2013. The scam is called "Vyapam" which is the Hindi acronym of the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board. (PTI)
A 32-year-old man was arrested by the Dwarka cyber police on August 20 for allegedly creating a fake social media profile with obscene descriptions and photos of a woman and sending obscene messages and photos to her after she ignored his messages on social media.
The police identified the accused as Mahaveer Singh, a vendor who sells plastic goods, and added that his brother used to stay in the same building as the woman years ago. (Read more)
Delhi police on Tuesday registered cross FIRs a day after students from the ABVP and members of the security staff clashed at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The police in a statement said, "Delhi Police has registered cross FIRs a day after students from the ABVP and members of the security staff clashed at Jawaharlal Nehru University. On Monday afternoon, students gathered at the scholarship section demanding the release of fellowships. Police lodged an FIR after they received a complaint from one of the students, identified as Nishant Vidyatharti, they have filed another case after they received a complaint from one Navin Yadav, chief security officer of JNU." (ENS)
The Delhi High Court Tuesday pulled up Delhi Police for putting unmanned mobile barricades on the roads, saying that the policemen do not apply their minds and block the roads during rush hours. The court asked Special CP (Law & Order) to remain present in court on the next date of hearing.
A division bench headed by Justice Mukta Gupta said, “Please let me tell you, they just don’t apply their mind. In the evening hours when there is so much of rush, they will have those intersections. They would be standing on the side, not looking at one vehicle. Why are they blocking the roads?”
While addressing a police official from Vasant Kunj area, the corut said, “Aise sadak band karte hai aap? Raat ko saare raste band kardenge aap? Saare raaste band kardenge, kisiko koi medical emergency hojaye tou aadha ganta tou inhi rastun main nikal jaye, hospital tak bach k pahunche na wo. Sab jagah app ye problem create karte hai aur jisne niklna houta hai, wo nikal hi jaata hai aapke haath se.” (ENS)
A Noida Court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Shrikant Tyagi, who was arrested by police after he was caught on video pushing and abusing a woman, by 14 days, rejecting his bail plea. The court set the next hearing in the matter on August 26.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj in a press conference on Tuesday stated that the ruling party had foiled 'Operation Lotus' in Delhi for a second time. Operation Lotus is a term used for allegations that the BJP poaches MLAs of ruling parties in the Opposition-ruled states.
Bharadwaj stated that in 2014, AAP MLAs were offered Rs 5 crore to leave the party and join BJP. He added that once again, the BJP has reached out to Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to leave AAP and join the BJP to get the cases against him dropped.
"We will fail Operation Lotus, once again," the party spokesperson said.
The BJP on Tuesday stepped up attack on the AAP, claiming its government in Delhi ignored the violations of the excise policy and recommendations of an expert committee. According to the Delhi Excise Policy, producers, retailers and distributors of liquor cannot be the same. Also, there cannot be common directors or shareholders, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said.
On October 25, 2021, the Delhi excise department had brought some cases of common producers, retailers and distributors to the notice of the government, but it did not act on it, he claimed.
BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma said an expert committee had suggested against promotions to push liquor sales but the Delhi govt started giving a carton free on every carton sold. The committee had suggested to follow the Karnataka model wherein the government is responsible for wholesale business. The panel said no individual can be given more than one license. It had also recommended against opening liquor vends in non-conforming areas like villages and colonies without commercial markets. But the government ignored all these suggestions, he alleged. (PTI)
Humidity levels remain high in Delhi with the city receiving little rain this month.
Only very light rainfall is likely on some days of this week, going by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast. On Tuesday, Delhi is likely to see overcast skies and gusty winds of around 40 to 50 kmph, but no rainfall. The maximum temperature on Tuesday is likely to settle at around 35 degrees Celsius.
The relative humidity at 8.30 am on Tuesday was as high as 81%. The maximum humidity over the past 24 hours was 88%, while the minimum was around 56%, according to a bulletin issued by the IMD on Monday evening. Read more
After making wearing masks in public places compulsory again, district authorities in Delhi have started planning a strategy for managing Covid-19 cases, enforcing containment measures and controlling infections that have seen an uptick in the past couple of weeks.
“The number of Covid cases is increasing day by day in NCT of Delhi. The government has also directed the health department to boost medical facilities provided on daily basis at public health centres to overcome any unexpected situation. So, to put in place the measures, the staff has been directed to keep themselves at the disposal of the district administrations of the concerned area for discharging the duty of containment measures,” said an official. Read more
Four persons died and one sustained injuries after a private bus allegedly hit a car near Khetawas village in Farrukhna-gar area Monday, said police. According to police, the victims, all in their early 20s, were returning from a friend’s birthday party at a farmhouse.
Police said the incident took place around 6 am when a Baleno car, in which five people were travelling, was taking a U-turn near a petrol pump on Wazirabad-Farrukhnagar road. Police said that as the car took the turn, a bus allegedly rammed into it, and dragged it for a few metres before the car crashed into bushes. Read more
A 48-year-old employee of GB Pant Hospital was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 25,000 to get an injured man admitted to another hospital. Police identified the accused as Rasheed Ahmed, a nursing orderly in the endoscopy department.
Police said that on August 18, Mukesh Kumar, a labourer hired by the complainant in this case, sustained injuries during construction work at the complainant’s house. He then took Mukesh to a hospital, where he was refused admission on the grounds that there were no ventilator beds available. The complainant then met the accused who allegedly asked for a bribe to get Mukesh admitted. The complainant paid Rs 10,000 and the accused got Mukesh admitted.
After this, police said the accused allegedly began threatening the complainant to pay him the remaining amount and the complainant approached the ACB. Read more
Jagjeet Singh Dallewal of the BKU told The Indian Express that farmers were stopped from entering Delhi.
"Vehicles were stopped at the Karnal bypass. We are doing this peacefully and our programme is only for a day. People have come from far away and should be allowed to assemble. Our request to the administration is to allow the vehicles to move," he said.
DCP (East district) Priyanka Kashyap told The Indian Express that some protesters/persons were stopped at the Ghazipur border "in view of the heightened security measures and threat perception."
"However, after due verifications, all of them were allowed to proceed to their respective destinations," she added.
The police confirmed to The Indian Express that some farmers were detained at the Ghazipur border as "more groups are coming in" and they are "trying to control the crowd". Farmers will be taken to Madhu Vihar and other police stations, they said.
With the AAP embroiled in controversy over the Delhi excise policy, BJP staged a protest against the Delhi government outside CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence.
In Patparganj, Manish Sisodia's constituency, Congress workers blackened images of the Deputy CM.
Farm unions will convene a mahapanchayat to discuss the future course of action regarding their demands which include a legal guarantee for MSP, sacking of MoS Ajay Teni in view of his son’s connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and more.
News agency ANI reported that some farmers were detained by the Delhi Police at the Ghazipur border as farmers from across states gather at the Jantar Mantar to protest.
As thousands of farmers from Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and other unions are coming to Delhi for the Kisan Mahapanchayat at Jantar Mantar Monday, the police said many of the borders of the national capital, such as Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, are heavily congested and advised commuters to either go back or take alternative routes.
Police sources said that more than 5,000 farmers will come from Punjab, Haryana and other states to take part in the protest demanding minimum support price (MSP) among other things.
“The Karnal bypass, Narela border, Palam flyover and Aurbindo Marg are congested and the waiting time is up to an hour. Many vehicles are coming from the border. We have deployed extra force to keep a check and control the traffic,” said a police officer. Read more
SKM leader Baldev Singh Sirsa on Monday stated that farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telengana and Tamil Nadu have gathered at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi. "Our demands are met only through agitation, why is that? If the government does not meet the demands, protest will be intensified. Today's protest is only of the non-political groups," Sirsa said.
"(After) the farm laws that were repealed in November last year, we were told that a committee will be in place to implement the MSP, and that the committee will be acceptable to us. They said that the cases against farmers registered during the farmers' protest will be withdrawn, which has not been done yet. We want justice for the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. The recommendations of the M S Swaminathan report on the MSP should be implemented," Sirsa added.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, whose house was raided by the CBI on Friday in connection with a case it has registered against him and several excise officers over alleged corruption in the rollout of a liquor policy, said that the BJP had reached out and offered to drop all cases if he joined the party.
Sisodia made these claims via a statement through his Twitter handle and said that he “would not bow in front of the corrupt and schemers”. Read more
BKU youth leader, Sumit Shastri, stated that farmers have gathered at Jantar Mantar to convene a panchayat in which they will decide the future course of action to ensure that their demands are met and the farmers get their rights.
According to the BKU youth leader, Sumit Shastri, farmers from across the states of India will gather at Jantar Mantar today to protest in support of their demands which include a legal guarantee for MSP, sacking of MoS Ajay Teni in view of his son’s connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, the release of farmers jailed after the violence and more.
Farmers started gathering at the Jantar Mantar on Monday morning. They stated that a few people are at the Sisganj and Bangla Sahib gurdwara and others are still on their way to Delhi.
In a statement on Monday, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) said, "Today's protest at Jantar Mantar isn't a call of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM). A few farm unions who were part of SKM during the farmers protest 2020-21 are organising this. Jagjeet Singh Dallewal of BKU Ekta Sidhupur is leading the protest while the rest of the farm unions and leaders are not part of it."
In a tweet on Monday morning, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia claimed he has received a message from the BJP to "break AAP" and join the BJP to get the CBI case against him closed.
Sisodia is under probe over the Delhi excise policy. In his tweet, the deputy CM added his response to the BJP: "I am a Rajput, a descendant of Maharana Pratap. I will cut off my head but will not bow down in front of the corrupt conspirators. All the cases against me are false. Do whatever you want to do."
Heavy traffic was reported at the Ghazipur border as the Delhi Police put up checkpoints at the Ghazipur border in view of the SKM's protest today.
Amid a call for a protest at Jantar Mantar by farmers, security was tightened at the Ghazipur border on Monday. Sources told The Indian Express police have placed cemented barricades and blocked major roads.
Security has been tightened at the Delhi borders, while farmers began arriving at the Jantar Mantar on Monday morning.
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Farmers unions have given a call for protest in support of various demands including a legal guarantee for MSP at the Jantar Mantar today. On Monday morning, farmers started arriving at the site. Meanwhile, the police have ramped up security at the Delhi borders to prevent any "untoward" incident.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates.