Archives for February 2023

NEW  Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking bail in the excise policy case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of the submissions of senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Sisodia who is presently in CBI’s custody, and agreed to hear the plea today at 3.50 PM.

The top court initially observed that the jailed AAP leader has remedies under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to move the Delhi High Court for bail and seek the quashing of the FIR.

A special Delhi court on Monday remand in the excise policy case to allow the agency to get “genuine and legitimate” answers to questions being put to him for “a proper and fair investigation”.

Korba : A courageous woman fought off a wild boar to save her 11-year-old daughter at a farmland in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, forest officials said on Monday.

While her daughter remained unhurt, the woman died of serious injuries suffered in the face-off with the animal, they said.

The incident took place on Sunday in Teliyamar village under Pasan police station limits when the woman, identified as Duvashiya Bai (45) and her daughter Rinki went to a nearby farm to fetch soil, said Pasan forest range officer Ramnivas Dahayat said.

As per preliminary information, when the woman was busy digging soil with a pick-axe, a wild boar suddenly reached there and charged towards her daughter, he said.

Duvashiya confronted the animal with the pick-axe in a desperate bid to save her child, the official said.

In the struggle, the woman managed to kill the wild boar but she also suffered serious injuries leading to her death, he said.
No harm was reported to the girl, the official said.

Soon after being alerted, forest personnel reached the spot and the woman’s body was sent for post-mortem, he said.

The family of the deceased was provided an instant relief amount of Rs 25,000 as part of the compensation given in cases of attack by wild animals. The remaining compensation of Rs 5.75 lakh will be given after the completion of necessary formalities, he added.

New Delhi: Security on Monday morning was beefed up at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg here as the Aam Aadmi Party has called for a protest against the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI in the excise policy case.

A senior police officer said heavy security arrangements have been made on the stretch — DDU Marg — in central Delhi where both the BJP and the AAP headquarters are located.

Traffic in the central part of the city is also likely to be affected during the day.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said the party will mark the day as a “black day” and will hold protests across the country against the arrest of Sisodia.

“In Delhi, we will stage a protest at BJP’s national office at 12 noon,” he said.

The CBI on Sunday arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the now-scrapped excise policy relating to the sale of alcohol.

Sisodia’s arrest, one of the highest-profile actions against an opposition leader, comes after that of Satyendar Jain, Delhi’s then health minister, in June last year. Both ministers have led what the Aam Aadmi Party describes as the successful transformation of Delhi’s education and health services, contributing to the party’s popularity and continued electoral success.

Police on Sunday had detained 50 people, including AAP MP Sanjay Singh and minister Gopal Rai, who were protesting near the CBI office.

Bhavnagar: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday assured farmers in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments in Punjab and Delhi will buy their onions by sending a train so that they do not have to face losses amid the prevailing situation wherein this kitchen staple is fetching low prices from traders.

Several farmers from Bhavnagar district met Mann at the circuit house here and urged him to find a solution to their problem as prices have hit rock bottom due to a bumper yield.

Talking to farmers outside Bhavnagar circuit house to understand their issue, Mann asked AAP’s Gujarat unit president Isudan Gadhvi to take details from farmers so that the party can raise this issue in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the upcoming Parliament session next month.

“I am also a farmer’s son so I understand your pain. Please do not destroy your crop. I will inquire about onion demand in Punjab and Delhi and then lift the stock from here. We will send a train to transport your onions,” said Mann.

According to Nikulsinh Zala, one of the farmers who met Mann, onions grown in Bhavnagar are known for their top quality but farmers are not getting the fair price due to the monopoly of wholesale traders.

“We met Mann to discuss the issues being faced by farmers of Bhavnagar due to low prices of our produce. Mann asked us to have patience and assured us that both the Punjab and Delhi government would buy our onions and send a train here to transport it to those states in the coming weeks,” Zala told reporters.

“Punjab CM assured that both the AAP governments in Punjab and Delhi will send a train to Bhavnagar to procure onions grown here. He requested us to have some patience and not to throw away our produce. Mann also assured that all the five AAP MLAs will raise this issue in the Assembly during the ongoing Budget session,” said another farmer, Mohan Makwana.

A few days back, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, Shaktisinh Gohil, had raised this issue claiming that farmers are getting only Rs 2 per one kg of onions at APMCs due to bumper yield.

“Onion-growing farmers of Bhavnagar and other parts of Gujarat are in great trouble. They are hardly getting Rs 2 per one kg of onion. I urge both – the Centre and the Gujarat government – to immediately announce Minimum Support Price (MSP) for onions. As a relief, the government should also announce subsidies for the farmers hit by low prices,” the national spokesperson of Congress had said.

ROME: At least 59 migrants, including a baby just a few months old, died after their overloaded boat sank early on Sunday in stormy seas off Italy’s southern Calabria region, officials said.

“As of a few minutes ago, the number of confirmed victims was 59,” Vincenzo Voce, mayor of the coastal city of Crotone, told TV channel Sky TG-24 on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier, the coastguard service said “43 bodies” had been found along the coast and “80 people recovered alive, including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking”.

The overloaded vessel broke up in violent waves off Crotone at dawn, according to Italian media.

AGI news agency quoted a rescue worker as saying an infant of just a few months old was among the victims.

Rescue workers told AFP that the vessel was carrying “more than 200 people”.

“Dozens and dozens of people drowned, including children. Lots missing. Calabria is in mourning after this terrible tragedy,” regional governor Roberto Occhiuto said.

Far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, won power in October vowing to stem the flow of migrants reaching Italian shores.

“The government is committed to preventing (migrant boat) departures and, with them, this type of tragedy,” she said on Sunday.

President Sergio Mattarella said: “A large number of these migrants came from Afghanistan and Iran, fleeing very harsh conditions.”

He urged the international community “to make a strong commitment to eradicate the causes of these migrations — wars, persecution, terrorism, poverty.”

The government in Rome has accused its European Union partners of not taking in sufficient numbers of migrants seeking to enter the bloc, even though many who arrive in Italy then travel on to other EU states.

This week Meloni’s hard-right coalition government pushed through parliament a controversial new law that forces migrant aid charities to perform only one life-saving rescue mission at a time.

Critics say the measure violates international law and, by cutting the number of rescue ships able to operate, will result in more people drowning in the central Mediterranean, which is considered the most dangerous crossing for people seeking asylum in Europe.

On Sunday the United Nations and the European Commission chief urged countries to agree fairly on ways to share out responsibility for people fleeing conflict and poverty for what they hope will be a better life in Europe.

“Time for states to stop arguing and to agree on just, effective, shared measures to avoid more tragedies,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said of Sunday’s “terrible shipwreck”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for progress on a stalled reform of EU rules on providing asylum for those in need.

“We must redouble our efforts on the (EU) Pact on Migration and Asylum and on the Action Plan on the Central Mediterranean,” she said.

Meloni said it was “criminal to put a boat of barely 20 metres (66 feet) to sea with 200 people onboard and a bad weather forecast”.

She demanded collaboration from migrants’ home countries and states from where they embark on their perilous sea crossings.

A large proportion of people seeking to reach European shores cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Italy.

According to the interior ministry, nearly 14,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea so far this year, up from 5,200 over the same period last year.

Charities rescuing people in danger at sea bring only a fraction of migrants ashore.

Most of those who are rescued are plucked from the dangerous waters by Italian coastguards or the navy.

Despite this, Meloni’s government has accused rescue charities of encouraging migrants to attempt the crossing and boosting the fortunes of human traffickers.

On Thursday, Italian authorities impounded a migrant rescue vessel belonging to medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for allegedly breaking the new law on life-saving missions in the Mediterranean.

“It’s unacceptable to be punished for saving lives,” MSF said, adding that it was considering a possible legal challenge.

“People in difficulty at sea should be rescued, whatever the cost, without penalising those trying to help them,” centrist former economy minister Carlo Calenda said on Sunday.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, was arrested on Sunday evening by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the agency headquarters where he was called for questioning over the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. 

paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat, officials said.

The excise policy was an alleged scam wherein an “erroneous policy was enforced by the AAP Government that caused losses to the exchequer to the tune of Rs 2873 crores and benefitted liquor traders through a planned conspiracy.” 

The AAP leader, accused number one in the CBI FIR, was earlier questioned on October 17, a month before the agency filed its charge sheet on November 25.

The CBI had not named Sisodia in the charge sheet as the central probe agency kept the probe open against him and other suspects and accused, they said.

Meanwhile, Police on Sunday including AAP MP Sanjay Singh and minister Gopal Rai, protesting near the CBI office where Sisodia was being questioned. Police said section 144 CrPC was imposed in the area.

Sisodia was arrested after his deposition appeared incoherent with respect to the evidence and information gathered by the agency during the preliminary probe and statements of witnesses and accused (including government officials) who deposed in the case so far. In a statement issued post his arrest, the CBI claimed, “He gave evasive replies and did not co-operate the investigation despite being confronted with evidence to the contrary.”

As non-cooperation in the investigations has been cited as the prime reason for his arrest, the agency will produce Sisodia in the special court at Rouse Avenue in Delhi, on Monday where his custodial remand would be sought for a thorough investigation into the matter.

Sources said that during questioning Sisodia was also asked about the changing of 7 mobile phones and destroying about 170 SIM cards and mobile handsets along with other accused to which no satisfactory answer was received. Sisodia was also confronted by two Delhi government officers during interrogation at the CBI headquarters on Sunday.

On February 19, Sisodia skipped CBI summon for questioning apprehending arrest and had sought more time from the agency, citing that he was in the midst of finalising the budget for Delhi and the draft is at a very crucial stage.

“Accepting his request, he was reissued the notice under 41A Cr.P.C for attending the investigation today (on 26.02.2023) for answering various questions evaded by him during his examination on October 17, 2022, and further questions relating to his incriminating role based on evidence collected during the investigation of the case,” the CBI said

Amidst fresh apprehensions that he might get arrested, Sisodia reached the headquarters of the CBI in New Delhi around 11.15 am on Sunday to answer questions of the federal agency which is probing the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 scam.

He also told reporters on Sunday before heading to CBI headquarters that he doesn’t care if he has to stay in jail for a few months. In his tweet, the Delhi Deputy CM said “Going to the CBI today again. Will cooperate fully in the entire investigation. The love of lakhs of children and the blessings of crores of countrymen are with us. I don’t care if I have to stay in jail for a few months.”

This was the second occasion that the CBI has asked Sisodia to make himself available at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi to answer queries related to the Delhi excise scam. He was summoned last year (2022) on October 17.  During this, he was questioned for almost 9 hours. The CBI sleuth also paid a recent visit to Sisodia’s office at Delhi Secretariat on January 14, “to gather certain information.”   

The CBI registered the Delhi Excise scam case in August last year against Sisodia and 14 others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 477A (falsification of records), and section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The FIR was lodged after Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. Sisodia, in charge of the excise department at the relevant period when the policy was formulated and implemented.

It was alleged that the policy, which was brought into effect in November 2021, was influenced at the formulation stage to benefit certain businessmen, liquor distributors and traders. Following the registration of the case the Delhi government had withdrawn the policy with effect from 31 July 2022.

So far the CBI has filed one chargesheet in the case on November 25, 2022, and named seven accused, including two officials of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) and five persons were named in relation to the alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy.

Those named are Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, Arun R Pillai, Mootha Gautham, Sameer Mahendru, Kuldeep Singh, who was the then deputy commissioner, Excise and Narender Singh, the then asst. commissioner of Delhi’s Excise Department.

Gopal Rai, the environment minister in the Delhi government, said the police were taking him away in his car. In a tweet in Hindi, Rai said, “Modi ji’s hooliganism at its peak. I cannot walk without someone’s help but police surrounded my car from all sides and forcefully made the person accompanying me get down. Policemen barged inside my car and are taking me. This is the height of hooliganism but neither will we be scared nor will we bow down.”

Several AAP leaders, meanwhile, also claimed that some of their councillors have been put under house arrest to prevent them from visiting Raj Ghat.

Sisodia says allegations false, not afraid of going to jail

Sisodia said he does not care if he has to go to jail over “false allegations”. “I can go to jail a number of times and I am not afraid. When I left my job as a journalist, my wife supported me and even today, my family is standing by my side. My workers will take care of my family if I get arrested,” Sisodia told reporters at Raj Ghat before going to the CBI headquarters.

Sisodia, who also holds the education and finance portfolio in the Delhi government, said, “I want to tell the students that they should continue to work hard and study well. Even if I go to jail, I will keep a tab on the performance of the students,” he said.

Earlier in a tweet in Hindi, Sisodia said he will fully cooperate with the probe. “Today, I am going to the CBI. Will fully cooperate in the probe. I have the love of lakhs of children and crores of countrymen with me. Even if I have to go to jail for a few months, I do not care. We are followers of Bhagat Singh. Bhagat Singh died for the country. If I have to go to jail over such false allegations, it is a small thing,” he said.

Kasargod: The principal of a government college was dismissed from her post after she locked up more than 15 students in her chamber for complaining about impurities of drinking water in Kasargod.

The incident took place on February 20 and the students alleged that, when they approached Principal M Rema with a complaint about drinking water, she spoke inappropriately and insulted them by locking them in her chamber

“SFI activists visited the principal to complain about the drinking water from the water purifier. On hearing us, she said that she had no time to address the issue. She asked us to continue drinking the impure water. However, the students refused to leave the chamber without a solution. The principal locked over 15 students in her chamber following this,” students said.

Students have filed a complaint against Rema with the Human Rights Commission and the Higher Education Minister.

On the basis of the complaint filed by students, the principal has been removed from her post, said R Bindu, Kerala’s Higher Education Minister, reports ANI. The minister also said that Dr A N Ananthapadmanabha, senior faculty under the Geology Department, was appointed as the stand-in principal.