With 2,895 tests conducted, the positivity rate stood at 14.37 per cent.(Representational)Delhi News Highlights, April 1: The national capital reported 416 Covid cases and one related death in the past 24 hours, a Delhi government health bulletin said today. The city’s active caseload now stands at 1,216. With 2,895 tests conducted, the positivity rate stood at 14.37 per cent.
Meanwhile, Delhi PWD authorities today conducted an “encroachment removal” at the site of the ‘dargah’ of Syed Abdullah urf Bhure Shah, located on a plot near the Sabz Burj, near the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin in south Delhi amid heavy security deployment, police said. As the dargah is located in the sensitive Nizamuddin area, paramilitary personnel were also on standby and one of them carried a tear gas shell box as well, news agency PTI reported.
In other top news from the national capital, a day after the Gujarat High Court set aside a 2016 order of the CIC asking the Gujarat University to provide information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree to Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister today said, “Why is it essential for the PM to be educated? Because he has to take decisions across fields on a daily basis. If he is not educated, government officials will come and make him sign anything. If he was educated, he would not have taken the decision to implement demonetisation; the GST would have been implemented better,” Kejriwal said.
Youngsters on Kartavya Path during rain in New Delhi, March 30, 2023. (PTI)
Justice Kanth considered an eye-witness account to hold that there was no doubt that the accident occurred due to the “irresponsible and negligent parking” of the bus in the middle of the road. (Representational)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and PWD Minister Atishi Marlena, March 19, 2023. (PTI)
Parts of Delhi recorded light rain on Saturday evening with the maximum temperature settling five notches below the season's average at 28.4 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 15.7 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, it said. Meanwhile, the Safdarjung and Palam observatory recorded 4.4 mm and 3.2 mm of rainfall, respectively, between 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm.
The relative humidity oscillated between 58 per cent and 83 per cent. At 6 pm, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the 'moderate' (102) category, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. (PTI)
The national capital reported 416 Covid cases and one related death in the past 24 hours, a Delhi government health bulletin said today. The city's active caseload now stands at 1,216. With 2,895 tests conducted, the positivity rate stood at 14.37 per cent.
So far, 26,529 people have died in Delhi due to the disease.
Currently, 717 Covid patients are under home isolation and 83 are admitted in hospitals.
Wider footpaths, refuge space and roads designed for universal access to aid the differently abled and elderly — these are some of the features that the renovated Bhairon Marg-Mathura Road stretch is soon expected to have as part of a walkability plan.
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena last month reviewed the plan for the larger Purana Qila – Pragati Maidan corridor presented by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and asked for it to be finalised at the earliest incorporating all pending concerns. Read more
Continuing his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday said the PM’s academic qualifications were of vital importance and the Gujarat High Court’s decision to keep information about his degree under wraps a day earlier was “shocking”. The BJP was quick to attack the AAP convenor over the issue, accusing him of insanity and having sunk to the lowest level of political discourse.
Kejriwal said on Saturday: “There are two reasons why the degree may not be revealed. The first is because of the ego of the PM. But in a democracy, leaders should not have such an ego. If the people are asking for the degree, then it must be shown to them.”
He said “it was not a crime to be uneducated or less educated as many within India did not have access to good quality education; however when the nation saw its Prime Minister make “embarrassing statements in the public domain because of a lack of knowledge”, citizens felt “ashamed”. Read more
Delhi PWD authorities today conducted an "encroachment removal" at the site of the 'dargah' of Syed Abdullah urf Bhure Shah, located on a plot near the Sabz Burj, near the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin in south Delhi amid heavy security deployment, police said.
As the dargah is located in the sensitive Nizamuddin area, paramilitary personnel were also on standby and one of them carried a tear gas shell box as well, news agency PTI reported.
Who would have thought that Arvind Kejriwal would be among the first to support Rahul Gandhi after his disqualification — forgetting the Congress had welcomed Manish Sisodia’s arrest? Or that a mollified “Didi” would stand by Rahul when she repeatedly spurned overtures from the Congress? Or that a miffed Shiv Sena would readily forgive Rahul despite his repeated attacks on Veer Savarkar and Rahul, in turn, would promise to tone down his criticism of their icon?
During the last one week, the Opposition leaders have taken significant steps towards creating a solidarity. They feel threatened, apprehensive that disqualification is a fate that can befall any of them. It goes without saying that the BJP will worry if the Opposition sticks together. But how strong is their new-found glue? Read the Neerja Chowdhury Column
A lawyer was shot dead by two unidentified bike-borne assailants in New Delhi's Dwarka area today, the police said.
The victim has been identified as Virender Kumar. The incident happened at around 4:30 pm on Saturday in the Dwarka-1 area in Delhi, when the victim was travelling in a car, news agency ANI reported.
The police said that the lawyer was also attacked before.
A Delhi Assembly committee has recommended to extend the benefits of free education to all students from Economically Weaker Sections studying in private schools up to Class 12, officials said on Saturday.
The assembly's Committee on Welfare of SC/STs urged the city government's Education department to consider its recommendation and take necessary steps to extend the benefits.
The committee met on Saturday under the chairmanship of Karol Bagh MLA Vishesh Ravi. During the meeting, it was discussed that the Right to Education Act currently provides for free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of six and 14 but the benefits are only provided up to Class 8, it said in a statement. (PTI)
The BJP on Saturday hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the judiciary indicate that he is either on the verge losing sanity or trying to create a ground for future in view of the probe agencies gradually unearthing corruption under his government "with proof", news agency PTI reported.
Replying to a question on whether Kejriwal is fearing his arrest also, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told reporters, "There may be many possibilities because of the way things are coming out gradually during the investigation."
"If someone does something he knows what he did," he said, without directly naming Kejriwal.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has the uncanny talent to surprise not only his supporters but also his opponents. Calling Narendra Modi “under-educated”, as he did recently, is one such move. Kejriwal is known to avoid making personal attacks on Modi since the AAP lost the Punjab election in 2017.
All through, despite the incessant attacks on Kejriwal, his party and his government by the BJP and the Lieutenant-Governors of Delhi, he restricted himself to criticising Modi on policy issues. So, the sudden outburst in the Delhi Assembly while raising the Adani issue has taken everyone by surprise, especially his choice of words. He called Modi the least educated among all the prime ministers India has had and also the most corrupt.
It’s not difficult to infer what caused the change of heart. One can argue that it might be related to the national general election to be held in May 2024. Unlike Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal is more strategic in his political thinking and outlook. Like Modi, he is very comfortable in devising communication strategies to build a narrative to catch his opponents off guard. Read the entire Opinion piece
The Gujarat High Court order fining Arvind Kejriwal while setting aside the Central Information Commissioner’s directive to make public details about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational degrees, is heavy-handed and raises questions over due process and institutional autonomy. Having said that, however, the Delhi Chief Minister’s campaign calling the PM “illiterate… less educated” is not politics — or not politics that can mount the high ground, certainly.
In fact, the campaign itself suffers from a striking form of illiteracy. In a country where the spread of literacy is a work in progress, and where inequalities of educational access and opportunity are often entangled with other inequalities of caste, class and gender, the educational qualification would have been, it would still be, highly exclusionary. Read the entire editorial
Above-normal maximum temperatures are expected over most parts of the country this summer, from April to June, according to an India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast for the hot weather season.
A higher-than-normal number of heatwave days are also expected over northwest, central and eastern India for the period from April to June, the IMD forecast indicates.
Over northwest India, which includes Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, heatwave conditions are unlikely in the first half of April, according to IMD director-general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. He also said that forecasts pointed to good rainfall activity over northwest and central India in April. Read more
Despite a mid year policy switch and ongoing probe by central agencies, the Delhi government managed to gross "the highest ever" excise revenue of Rs 5,548.48 crore in 2022-23, officials said on Saturday.
With the daily average sale of 17 lakh bottles, the Excise department's daily average revenue was Rs 19.71 crore, pushing the total revenue over that in 2021-22, said a senior Excise department officer. "We have also surpassed the total revenue of Rs 6762 crore including excise and VAT in 2021-22 and realised Rs 6,821 crore in 2022-23," said the officer.
The Delhi government had implemented a new, reform oriented excise policy on November 17, 2021, that was later marred in allegations of corruption and mismanagement. (PTI)
“Illiterate… less educated” is how Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alluded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet on Friday, minutes after he was fined Rs 25,000 for an RTI plea on the PM’s degrees, by the Gujarat High Court.
The Delhi CM’s speech at Jantar Mantar, his address at the Delhi Assembly and a poster campaign — a year before the country goes to polls — have made it clear that PM Modi’s educational qualifications will be among its primary poll planks in the Lok Sabha polls. According to senior party leaders, the idea is to punch above its weight and draw people’s attention to the BJP’s and PM Modi’s reluctance to talk about or share any proof of his educational qualifications. Mallica Joshi reports
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while flagging off the Bhopal-New Delhi Vande Bharat train at Rani Kamlapati railway station in Bhopal on Saturday, said that this was an example of developing India.
The semi-high speed train, operating from Rani Kamalapati station in Bhopal and Hazrat Nizamuddin in the national capital, is the the country's eleventh and Madhya Pradesh's first Vande Bharat train.
The train is expected to cover 700 km in 7.30 hours, which is lesser than the time taken by the New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express. It will operate six days a week, except Saturday. Read more
A 54-year-old man was found dead in a guest house in south Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave, police said on Saturday.
The police received a PCR call regarding the death of a man at Hotel Baljeet Lodge at 12.49 pm on Friday.
Deepak Sethi, a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, checked in to the guest house at 8.50 pm on Thursday. He was accompanied by a woman who left the guest house around midnight, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Manoj C said. Sethi was discovered the following morning with foaming near his mouth and stains on the pillow, he added.
In view of the unnatural death in suspicious circumstances, a case of murder has been registered, Manoj said. (PTI)
How did March this year fare when compared to previous years? What resulted in thunderstorms and hail in several parts of the country during the month? The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Saturday offered a couple of answers pertaining to the weather in March at a briefing.
The largest excess of 206 per cent of rainfall was recorded over Central India, while northwest India, due to deficits in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, recorded 41.1 mm of rainfall, which is 14 per cent below the normal of 47.9 mm.
What caused this weather? One factor was that seven western disturbances affected north and Central India consecutively in March, with five of these being active, MD Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said. The particularly severe weather from March 14 to 22 was also associated with strong westerly jet streams, according to the IMD. Know more
A 38-year-old woman from Gurugram was cheated of more than Rs 28 lakh on the pretext of working from home and earning money by giving ratings to movies on a fake website. In the last three days, this is the second such incident reported in Delhi-NCR.
On Thursday, a 33-year-old woman from Noida was also cheated of Rs 12 lakh by unknown scamsters after she was offered a job to rate movies. The police said both the women were a part of Telegram groups where the accused would ask the participants to send money to get “double” returns.
In Gurugram, the woman, identified as Meha Sethi (38), lodged a complaint from Sector 28 stating that she joined a closed group of Telegram last year in December. The woman was allegedly told she would be working as a movie critic/agent who will have to rate movies for a reputed American Cinema company ‘Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’. Read more
Multiple tears, penetrating injuries, canine bite injuries and puncture wounds are what led to the death of two siblings, aged seven and five, in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area after stray dogs attacked them a fortnight ago, as per their autopsy reports.
The autopsy reports of the boys, who died on March 10 and March 12, reveal the provisional cause of death is canine bite injuries. Anand (7) and Aditya (5) were mauled to death by a pack of street dogs at the same spot near their home in the space of two days. Read more
A FedEx cargo plane, bound for Dubai, crashed into a bird and an emergency landing was made today at Delhi International Airport. Airport.
Officials said the crash was reported soon after take off at 11 am. Nobody was hurt. Security was deployed and the situation is normal now, officials said.
The Covid patients admitted in Delhi hospitals are mostly the elderly or those with comorbid conditions, state health department officials have said.
According to an official from the state health department, a majority of patients are above 60 and have been suffering from issues like cardiac disease, kidney disease and diabetes etc. “These include patients admitted to hospital after getting infected with Covid and also those who were already admitted due to other health issues and later developed Covid,” he added. Read more
The Delhi Police arrested three men who allegedly shot dead a 30-year-old sex worker in a firing that took place at a brothel in Central Delhi’s GB Road early in March, officers said. The police arrested the accused identified as Kaka, his brother Happy and Anil, during raids at Western Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
According to the police, the shooting in which a pimp identified as Imran, 28, was also injured took place on March 7. By the time the police reached the spot, the man and woman, who had received bullet injuries, were already shifted to LNJP Hospital. Read more
Police have registered an FIR after a Mercedes driver allegedly abused and manhandled a head constable who had stopped him for jumping a red light in central Delhi's Tughlak Road, officials said on Saturday. The man, aged around 28-30, also claimed that his father was a joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. According to the FIR, assistant sub-inspector Virender Singh, head constable Rakesh Kumar and constable Surender were deployed at the Subramania Bharti Marg T-Point on Humayun Road on March 25.
Around 6.55 pm, the white Mercedes and a Toyota Fortuner jumped the red light to Humayun Road and Singh directed Kumar to stop the vehicles, the FIR stated. As the vehicles pulled over, the driver of the Mercedes -- which bore a temporary number plate -- got down and allegedly hurled abuses at Kumar. The man also manhandled Kumar, it said.
His personal security officer, who was in the Fortuner, tried to pacify him. The Mercedes driver then claimed that his father was a joint secretary in the Home ministry and warned Kumar that his action might affect his job, the FIR added.
The FIR was registered on Thursday under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act at Tughlak Road police station. No arrest has been made yet in this connection, a senior officer said. (PTI)
A 21-year-old man was arrested from south Delhi's Neb Sarai area after he was seen cutting a cake with an illegal pistol in a video he uploaded online, police said on Saturday. The accused, identified as Aniket alias Anish from Sangam Vihar, was previously found involved in a case lodged in Malviya Nagar Police Station.
A video doing rounds on social media is purported to have showed him blowing candles and cutting a cake with a pistol with firecrackers bursting in the background. "Taking cognizance of a viral video on social media wherein a young man was cutting cake with a pistol, #DelhiPolice identified the accused and arrested him from Neb Sarai along with a .315 bore country made pistol & 2 live rounds. Case registered u/s 25 Arms Act," police said on Twitter.
The incident was reported Thursday with the informant telling police that a criminal was seen roaming in the Sangam Vihar area with a weapon, a senior police officer said. The accused was arrested from Sangam Vihar, Neb Sarai, police said.
One country-made pistol and two live cartridges were recovered from his possession, Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Chandan Chowdhary said. The accused said that he had shot the video to gain social media clout and attract young followers to establish his identity among criminals, police added. (PTI)
A day after the Gujarat High Court Friday set aside a 2016 order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) asking the Gujarat University to provide information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree to Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister Saturday said that the entire country was shocked to hear the court verdict.
"It is not a crime to be uneducated or less educated…why did I ask this question? Because the 21st century Indian is aspirational; in such a scenario, the PM being educated is essential. There are comments that he (PM) makes on a daily basis. He once said gas from drains can be used for cooking… he made a statement that clouds can hide aircraft from radar systems. He went to Canada where he spoke of some mathematical formulae which did not make sense and caused embarrassment to all Indians. There is a doubt that arises whether our PM is educated and if he is, how educated he is. Why is it essential for the PM to be educated? Because he has to take decisions across fields on a daily basis. If he is not educated, government officials will come and make him sign anything. If he was educated, he would not have taken the decision to implement demonetisation, the GST would have been implemented better. Anyone can fool the PM if he isn’t educated," he stated.
"The HC order has deepened doubts regarding the PM’s educational qualifications. If his degree is correct, why isn’t it being produced? The questions that arise are whether the degree is not coming to the fore because of his arrogance or because it is fake. Shouldn’t Gujarat University be proud of the fact that one of their boys is the Prime Minister? The only question to be answered is whether 21st century India needs an educated PM," Kejriwal asked.
Delhi Police on Saturday filed an 800-page chargesheet with 120 witnesses in connection with the Kanjhawala-Sultanpuri hit-and-run case in which a 20-year-old woman died after she was hit by a car and dragged for 10-12 km, officers said.
The incident took place in the early hours of January 1 when Anjali Singh, travelling on a scooter, was hit by a car and was dragged from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala before her body was abandoned by the car’s occupants. Read more
Parts of Delhi recorded rainfall on Friday as well, with the city having recorded around 53.2 mm of rainfall in March, an excess of 206%. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast for Saturday said that overcast skies are likely to persist along with very light rainfall and thunderstorms in a few places. While Sunday might remain dry, very light rainfall is likely on Monday, the forecast shows.
The maximum temperature on Friday settled at 28.5 degrees Celsius, below the normal of 32 degrees Celsius for this time of the year. The average maximum temperature in March in Delhi was 30.9 degrees Celsius, below the average of 32.9 degrees recorded in March last year and 33.1 degrees recorded in March 2021. In 2020, March recorded a lower average maximum temperature of 28.2 degrees Celsius.
While there were seven days of rainfall in March this year, there was a higher number of 10 rainy days in March 2020, when the Safdarjung weather station recorded a total of 109.6 mm of rainfall in March. Multiple western disturbances have affected Delhi and the plains of northwest India in March this year, with the current such western disturbance lying over north Pakistan and the neighbourhood, according to the IMD. Read more
The Delhi High Court directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to provide a scribe and extra time to a student suffering from a psychosomatic disorder, for her Class 12 board exams.
A single-judge bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna in her March 23 order directed, “After hearing all the parties and considering the medical condition of the girl student, it is deemed expedient that the student in question is provided with a scribe for writing her Class 12th board examinations…”. Read more
The building in Shastri Park, where six people suffocated to death following a fire on Friday, was occupied by a family of six brothers — Akbar Ali, Azmat Ali, Asgar Ali, Wasim, Nasim urf Anna and Haseen — and at least half-a-dozen tenants living in nine small rooms.
The smoke initially started from the ground floor room where Nasim’s wife Sumaila (19) and their son Arham (1) were sleeping. Sumaila said: “I had put up a mosquito coil, which belonged to a local brand, near the bed… I would do this every night. However, this time it touched the bedsheet and sparked a fire due to which a lot of smoke started billowing to the floors above… I quickly took my son and desperately knocked on my brother-in-law Akbar’s door… I ended up burning one of my toes.” Read more
Allegations and counter-allegations over an alleged bid to stall the AAP government’s flagship power subsidy scheme continued to fly thick and fast between the former and the Bharatiya Janata Party Friday.
Renewing her attack on the BJP and Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena over the issue following a meeting with advocates practising in the city, Power Minister Atishi claimed that the BJP and Saxena were “conspiring day and night against the elected government and the people of Delhi”. Read more
The national capital on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 15.7 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The relative humidity was 83 per cent at 8:30 am.
The IMD has predicted generally cloudy skies with light rain or drizzle during the day. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the 'satisfactory' (77) category at around 8 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'. (PTI)
Twenty-two-year-old Naved Khan, a resident of Laxmi Nagar here, recently received a WhatsApp message on his mobile phone which read, “Will you romance with me? Reply Yes/No.” Seconds after responding with a "Yes", he got a video call from a girl who introduced herself as Pooja from Agra.
"She started undressing and asked me to take off my trousers. I didn't remove them completely but she made a recording. Later, I received a WhatsApp message that they have made my recording and are going to put it on social media sites,” Khan wrote in his complaint to police.
He added, “Out of fear, I uninstalled WhatsApp and deleted all my social media accounts. But the next day I got a call from someone who introduced himself as an officer of Delhi Police's cyber cell. He said that he has a complaint against me based on which he was going to issue a warrant.” The fraudster asked him to make a video call for which Khan reinstalled WhatsApp and spoke to him. He then asked Khan to contact one Monu Panchal who would help him get his video deleted. (PTI)
After a Delhi District Court Friday denied bail to AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy case, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that the party will move the High Court seeking his bail.
He continued, "eight people involved in this matter were granted bail, two of whom even received anticipatory bail but Manish Sisodia’s bail application was wholly rejected. We respect the court but will exercise our right to appeal in higher courts against this decision."
He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making the party leaders Sisodia and Satyendar Jain "suffer" because "CM Arvind Kejriwal exposed the relationship between PM Modi and Adani."
While dismissing a Delhi University law student’s plea claiming that he was misled by a notice on the university website regarding an exam, the Delhi High Court observed that no right can be claimed by the student based on some information contrary to the rules in the prospectus.
Rahul Kumar, a third-year law student at DU’s Faculty of Law, moved the High Court, seeking a direction to DU allowing him to take his fourth semester supplementary exam for ‘Competition Law’ along with the supplementary exam of sixth semester.
The HC said that Kumar is “not entitled” to sit for the supplementary examination for the backlog paper of ‘Competition Law’ along with the supplementary examination for fifth and sixth semesters to be held at the end of sixth term examination. Read more here.
The Delhi High Court has directed the committee of privileges of the Delhi Legislative Assembly to refrain from taking any coercive steps against Municipal Secretary Bhagwan Singh of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) till May 3.
The high court further directed him to appear before the committee. Singh had approached the high court seeking quashing of a March 17 notice issued by the committee and restraining proceedings before the committee before which he was asked to appear at 6 pm on March 20.
The court was told that the matter pertains to section 3(3)(b)(i) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 wherein ten persons are to be nominated by the Lieutenant Governor to the MCD. Read more here.
The AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh Friday, reacting to the Gujarat High Court order which quashed the RTI seeking PM Narendra Modi's degree, and imposed Rs 25,000 fines on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, said, "today it has been proven that the Prime Minister of the country is uneducated. The university went to court, and Arvind Kejriwal has been fined."
"After Independence, everyone who became PM was educated; it is for the first time that an uneducated person has got this post. The entire country wants to see his degree on "entire political science," Singh continued his attack.
He also questioned, "Why don't the 140 crore people of the country have the right to know about the Prime Minister's degree? ... Even if someone goes for a job as a clerk, their degree is sought; this is the Prime Minister we are talking about; why don't you show us your degree in "entire political science"?"
Commenting on Arvind Kejriwal being fined, he said that he [Kejriwal] "is not even a party in the case; how did the issue of a fine arise?"
"Yesterday, Modiji sent police officers who can't stop crime in the city to tear down posters asking whether the country's PM should be educated. This was to basically prove that the PM should be uneducated," he added.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva Friday reacted to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's comment about Gujarat High Court order which had set aside CIC order to furnish degree certificate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Right to Information Act (RTI).
Calling it a 'propaganda,' Sachdeva wrote that Kejriwal's tweet shows that "there is neither dignity in his political culture nor he has any respect for the judicial system."
Soon after the Court imposed Rs 25,000 on the Delhi CM, Kejriwal shared over Twitter, "Doesn't the country even have the right to know how much their PM has read? He vehemently opposed showing the degree in the court. Why? And those who demand to see their degree will be fined? What is this happening? Illiterate or less educated PM is very dangerous for the country."
Thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rain, and gusty winds with speed of 30 to 40 km/hr is expected to occur Friday over and adjoining parts of Delhi over the next two hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The areas which are likely to witness the rains include Mundaka, Pashchim Vihar, Rajauri Garden, Jafarpur, Nazafgarh, Dwarka, Palam, IGI Airport), NCR (Bahadurgarh) Jind, Adampur, Hissar, Gohana, Hansi, Meham, Tosham, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Kosali, Mahendargarh, Rewari, Narnaul, Bawal (Haryana) Bhiwari, Kotputli, Laxmangarh, Rajgarh (Rajasthan).
Light intensity rain/drizzle would also occur over and adjoining areas of Delhi, North Delhi, North-West Delhi, West Delhi, Central-Delhi, New Delhi, South-West Delhi, South Delhi, South-East Delhi. These areas include Alipur, Burari, Kanjhawala, Rohini, Badili, Model Town, Karawal Nagar, Azadpur, Pitampura, Delhi University, Civil Lines, Punjabi Bagh, Kashmiri Gate, Patel Nagar, Red fort, Budha Jayanti Park, President House, Rajeev chauk, ITO, Delhi Cantt, India Gate, Akshardham, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, Nehru Stadium, Vasant Vihar, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Hauzkhas, Malviyanagar, Kalkaji, Mahrauli, Tughlakabad, Chhattarpur, IGNOU, Ayanagar, Deramandi), NCR (Gurugram, Manesar) Gannaur, Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Sohana, Nuh (Haryana) Tizara, Khairthal, Alwar, Nagar (Rajasthan).
A Delhi court Friday dismissed the bail application of AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy case investigated by the CBI.
The CBI had arrested Sisodia on February 26 in connection with its probe into alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.
Observing that Sisodia was the architect of the criminal conspiracy, Special Judge MK Nagpal dismissed Sisodia’s bail and cautioned that “his release may adversely affect the ongoing investigation and will also seriously hamper the progress”.
Read the full story here.
Students leading a protest march from Patel Chest to the Arts faculty demanding the resignation of the principal of the Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) Friday ran into Delhi Police and were taken in buses.(Express Photos)
Gujarat High Court Friday set aside CIC order to furnish degree certificate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Right to Information Act (RTI). The Court further imposed Rs 25,000 on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Soon after the order was issued, Kejriwal took to Twitter to share his apprehensions with it. He wrotes, "Doesn't the country even have the right to know how much their PM has read? He vehemently opposed showing the degree in the court. Why? And those who demand to see their degree will be fined? What is this happening? Illiterate or less educated PM is very dangerous for the country."
The protests demanding the resignation of the IPCW principal began Friday at around 3 pm.
Students have raised their demand following the alleged harassment faced by students at a two-day fest 'Shruti.'
Police were deployed Friday outside the Arts Faculty, as well as the Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) ahead of student-led protests demanding the resignation of the principal, days after some of them were allegedly harassed at a two-day fest 'Shruti'.
Students who are likely to be a part of the scheduled protest said that 'on account of heavy police deployment at Arts Fac, the protest will now begin from Patel Chest and head towards the Arts Fac in about half an hour.
Boards outside both Arts Faculty and IPCW warn of section 144 being in place. The Arts Faculty march is being organised by AIl India Students' Association (AISA).
(Express Photos)
Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel Friday accused the Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena of creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the Delhi Government.
"The apparent motive is clear to all residents of Delhi that Central Government, L-G are malafidely determined to stop development work in Delhi as well as welfare agenda pursued by Delhi Government in public interest of residents of Delhi," Goel said in his post-session speech following the conclusion of the Delhi Legislative Assembly's Budget Session.
Goel also accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to trigger a financial crisis in the Capital. "For the first time in history of the House, the Annual Budget was not presented on the scheduled date...due to lack of approval from Ministry of Home Affairs in the House...The Chief Secretary, the Finance Secretary and other officers concerned, willingly suppressed the relevant communications, in collusion with the office of the LG and the Government of India so as to create a financial crisis in the National Capital and to portray it as a failure of the elected government," he said.
Referring to the Covid situation in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday said: "We request patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) and Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) to mask up, though there has been no mandate from the Centre to this regard so far."
"Even if you are vaccinated, it (the current) manages to infect you. In Delhi, we are testing sewage samples to ascertain in advance if Covid is spreading fast. Till mid-February, we were picking samples from 7-8 places and were testing them. Covid is detected in sewage if it is spreading. Till that time, there was no presence in sewage samples. After that, it started showing in some samples. Now we are seeing more. There is no need to worry and severity is low. But we are prepared."
"7,986 beds are set aside for Covid, including oxygen, ICU and ventilator beds. Only 66 are occupied currently. We have the capacity to conduct 4,000 tests in labs in government labs. Private labs have the capacity to conduct 1 lakh tests. Our vaccination rate has been good so far, better than the national average. In the 18 category, all have been vaccinated. Among those below 18, most have received the first dose and around 85% have got the second dose. We have sufficient oxygen and storage capacity as well as ambulances. We did a mock drill in govt hospitals a few days ago. The Centre has directed us to now hold another mock drill on April 11 and 12 in all hospitals. A media awareness campaign will be started soon. At the airport, 2% of passengers are randomly tested. All Delhi government hospitals have been told to prepare isolation wards. If someone has a kidney ailment and are tested positive for Covid, they will not be shifted to a covid hospital but will be treated in the isolation ward," the CM added.
"All acute respiratory disease patients are being tested extensively and are being asked to mask up. 5% of Influenza patients are being tested randomly. There is no need to worry, we are well prepared," he asserted.
Speaking to the media after holding a meeting on Covid preparation Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday said: "Yesterday, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj held a meeting with health officials and today I held a meeting with them. The Centre identified six states two weeks ago where covid cases were increasing. These states were Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, karnataka and Telangana. Delhi was not among those states. They were given special instructions. In Delhi, there were only 42 cases on March 15. Within 10 days, the number rose to 295 on March 30."
"We are trying to understand the sudden jump. Currently, there are 932 active cases. We conducted 2,363 tests yesterday. There is no need to worry, yet we are taking all precautions. There have been three deaths this year so far and all of them had severe co-morbid conditions. Deaths were likely because of existing conditions and Covid was incidental. But this cannot be ascertained. In one case, a person had a kidney transplant and was in hospital for three months. To say he died of Covid is perhaps not right. But three people who had Covid have also died. Out of these, two were from outside Delhi," the CM pointed out.
"At present, we are conducting genome sequencing of all Covid cases that are being detected. We aim to be aware if there is a new variant. The most predominant variant at present is XBB1.16. This is present in 48 per cent of cases. The others are also sub-variants of this. This variant has three features. Viral is spreading very quickly, but it is not severe. Hospitalisation and deaths are not very high. But it has evasion to immunisation," he added.
Days after students at Delhi University’s Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) alleged that several men scaled the college walls and harassed students during a two-day fest ‘Shruti’, following which seven men were detained for trespassing the campus premises, a group of students Friday gathered at the pavilion inside the campus and staged a protest demanding the resignation of the principal.
Meanwhile, the principal has agreed to hold a governing body meeting at 2.30 pm today to listen to the demands of the students, sources told The Indian Express.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lt Governor VK Saxena for the suspension of free Yoga classes under the 'Dilli ki Yogshala' programme and asked who benefitted from the action. Kejriwal's remarks come on the back of Punjab's AAP-led government starting free Yoga classes in the state.
Last year, the AAP dispensation in Delhi accused the BJP of "conspiring" to shut down the 'Dilli ki Yogshala' programme by pressuring officials. At the time, the Delhi government alleged that Saxena did not approve the programme's extension beyond October 31.
Tweeting in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "When the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) ordered the Lt Governor to stop free Yoga classes in Delhi, we started them in Punjab.
"In Delhi, 17,000 people used to do Yoga daily in the free classes of the Delhi government. Their Yoga was stopped. Who benefited from this? The one who works is bigger than the one who stops the work." Kejriwal launched the 'Dilli Ki Yogshala' programme in December 2021 to enable all Delhi resident to get free Yoga training at their doorsteps six days a week. (PTI)
Residents of Delhi are bracing for another rainy day on Friday after the weather office predicted thunderstorms accompanied by hail. The weather in the national capital has remained gloomy with the minimum temperature settling a notch below normal at 16.8 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature is expected to settle at 27 degrees, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Thunderstorms with hail are predicted for Friday, an IMD official said. The national capital's roads and lanes still bear the signs of Thursday's rain. Delhi reported 16 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Strong winds followed by a thunderstorm hit the national capital for the second consecutive day on Thursday. The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, recorded 5.8 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 8.30 pm on Thursday. The Palam Observatory recorded 1.1 mm precipitation while the observatories at Lodhi Road, Ridge and Ayanagar received 7.6 mm, 4.5 mm and trace rainfall, respectively. (PTI)
A fire broke out in a moving Toyota Fortuner car on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and the man driving the vehicle had a narrow escape as he jumped out of the vehicle in time, officials said on Friday. The fire engulfed the vehicle within minutes.
The incident took place in the Sector-71 area on Wednesday evening and the vehicle was on its way towards Greater Noida from Noida, officials said. Read more
A fire broke out in the national capital's Wazirpur Industrial Area on Friday, Delhi Fire Services officials said. The fire services received a call about the fire at 8.18 am and rushed 25 water tenders to the spot. No casualties or injuries have been reported so far, they said. (PTI)
The Delhi Commission for Women on Friday issued recommendations to the Centre and the Delhi government to improve the conditions of transgender persons in the national capital.
The Government of India passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act in 2019 and the Central Rules in 2020. However, the state rules for Delhi are yet to be notified, the women's panel said in a statement.
In response to a notice by the panel, the Delhi government said the approved draft rules for the city were pending notification from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
It also informed the commission that the formation of a Transgender Welfare Board had been approved and it was pending with the Home ministry for notification. (PTI)
Launching a scathing attack on the Centre, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, referring to the Punjab government's new initiative offering free yoga classes in the state, Friday: "After the PM ordered the L-G to stop free yoga classes in Delhi, we started them in Punjab. In Delhi, 17,000 people used to do yoga daily in Delhi government classes. Their yoga classes were stopped. Who benefits from this? The one who works is bigger than the one who stops the work."
Following Thursday’s downpour, and with more rains expected Friday, the Delhi BJP has demanded compensation for farmers who faced crop loss.
“Due to unseasonal rains, the crops of the farmers of Delhi have been completely destroyed – you will, like usual, just make statements. Your government plays with the sentiments of the farmers just like it did yesterday by talking about free electricity, but now pay attention to the issue at hand and give compensation of Rs. 1 lakh per acre to affected farmers," Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva tweeted.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will on Friday hold a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation amid a spurt in cases in the national capital, officials said. Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and senior officials will be present at the meeting.
On Thursday, Bharadwaj met with Health department officials to take stock of the situation following which he announced that Kejriwal would hold a review.
The health minister had said Kejriwal would be apprised of the results of the mock drill held in government-run hospitals last week and the measures taken by other states also witnessing a spike in cases.
The national capital recorded 295 fresh Covid cases on Thursday with a positivity rate of 12.48 per cent, according to data shared by the Health department. On Wednesday, the city logged 300 cases, the first time since August 31, and two deaths while the positivity rate had jumped to 13.89 per cent. (PTI)
The Rouse Avenue Court is scheduled to pass an order on the bail plea of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in CBI's case over alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped excise policy on Friday. The court is scheduled to pass an order on March 31 for the pronouncement of the order in the bail matter.
Special Judge MK Nagpal last week reserved the order on bail after the counsel representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted brief written submissions and judgements concerned, as directed by the court on the last date of the hearing.
The CBI also submitted case dairy detail and several statements of witnesses in the matter Former Delhi deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, in his bail petition in a trial court stated that no fruitful purpose would be served to keep him in custody as all the recoveries in the case have already been made. (ANI)
Welcome to our Live Blog. Several parts of the national capital witnessed waterlogging on Friday morning owing to heavy rainfall. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), light-intensity rains are expected to occur over and adjoining areas of isolated places in South Delhi (Aayanagar, Deramandi) and NCR (Manesar, Gurgaon) over the next two hours.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a meeting on Covid preparation with Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and senior officials of the department concerned on Friday.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest news updates from the national capital.