Archives for March 2023

NEW DELHI: The name of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has been removed from the Interpol database of Red Notices on the basis of his plea to the Lyon-headquartered agency.

The decision of Interpol to take off the Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued against Choksi is a result of efforts of the legal team and the genuine claim of the “kidnapping” of my client, sais his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal. Ultimately, truth has prevailed, he said, adding, “as the kidnapping attempt of my client is not approved by the international community, RCN issued against my client by Interpol has been removed”.

His lawyer claimed that Indian agencies had abducted him from Antigua and forcibly taken him to Dominica in June 2021.

The 63-year-old fugitive is wanted in India in connection with a Rs 13,500-crore fraud in the Punjab National Bank (PNB). In December 2018, he was added to the Red Notice list, nearly 10 months after he fled from India in January that year to take refuge in Antigua and Barbuda, where he had taken citizenship.

The CBI has charge-sheeted both Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi separately in the scam.

The Red Notice is the highest form of alert issued by the 195-member country-strong Interpol to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

It is pertinent to note that Red Corner Notices are issued against fugitives and is considered as a request to law enforcement agencies across the world to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Centre over the development and said in a tweet: “ED CBI for the opposition leaders but Modijis Mehiulbhai got relief from Interpol and for his close friend he is not allowing to function the Parliament, so for old friends how he can refuse from help.”

This has come as a setback to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) which were waiting for his deportation.

Choksi had challenged the CBI application seeking issuance of Red Notice against him, calling the case a result of political conspiracy, sources told. He had also raised questions on issues such as jail conditions in India, his personal safety and health, they added.

The matter had gone to a five-member Interpol committee’s court, called Commission for Control of Files, which had cleared the RCN rejecting his contentions.

Last year, Choksi got a huge relief from the Commonwealth of Dominica where he was charged with illegal entry by the police after the prosecution decided to withdraw legal proceedings against him.

Choksi had disappeared from his sanctuary in Antigua and Barbuda on May 23, 2021 to mysteriously appear in neighbouring Dominica where he was detained for illegal entry.

After news of Choksi being held in Dominica surfaced, India rushed a team of officials led by CBI DIG Sharda Raut to make every effort to bring him back on the basis of a Interpol Red Notice against him.

His lawyer in London Michael Polak, who filed a complaint with the Scotland Yard, said Choksi was removed from Antigua and Barbuda, where as a citizen he enjoys rights to approach the British Queen’s Privy Council as a last resort in cases on his citizenship and extradition to Dominica where these rights are not available to him.

India’s effort to bring Choksi back was unsuccessful as his lawyers moved with unprecedented agility to file a habeas corpus petition before the Dominica High Court which was admitted for hearing.

Their swift legal manoeuvres coupled with investigation into circumstances of his disappearance from Antigua blunted attempts of India to get Choksi deported from Dominica.

After 51 days in prison, Choksi, 62, was given bail by Dominica High Court in July 2021 to travel back to Antigua to seek medical help from a neurologist based there with a provision that he will return to face trial when gets fitness clearance by his doctors.

Choksi is currently in the Caribbean island nation and Indian authorities have asked Antiguan authorities to extradite him so that he could be prosecuted.

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday asked the state government that “how is everyone arrested, except Amritpal Singh”, adding that “if he has escaped, this is an intelligence failure”.

The court was hearing the habeas corpus petition filed by advocate Imaan Singh Khara, seeking the “release” of Amritpal singh from alleged police custody. Khara is the legal advisor of Amritpal Singh and his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De.

Justice N S Shekhawat asked Punjab Advocate General (AG) Vinod Ghai how Amritpal Singh gave police the slip when the whole operation was meticulously planned, and called it an intelligence failure.

Justice NS Shekhawat asked AG Vinod Ghai: “How did he (Amritpal Singh) escape?” At this, AG Vinod Ghai replied: “We have arrested other accused in the case.”

The bench further asked how everyone, except Amritpal Singh, has been arrested. “You have 80,000 police. How has he not been arrested? If he escaped, this is an intelligence failure. The entire police force is after him,” said the bench.

Police on Saturday had launched a major crackdown against Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’. The elusive preacher himself, however, gave the police a slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Jalandhar district.

Armed with weapons, the entire state machinery swung into action yet Amritpal Singh managed to escape while all his associates were arrested, Justice Shekhawat observed and said it was hard for him to believe this.

AG Vinod Ghai said the state police was fully armed but exercised restraint due to security issues as the operation occurred at a public place. Some matters are so sensitive that they cannot be explained in open court, he said, adding that the Punjab Police was doing its best to arrest Amritpal Singh.

Explaining further, the AG said: “It happens sometimes. The G20 summit was also going on.” 

The AG also informed the court that the stringent National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Amritpal Singh.

Meanwhile, Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh also reached the court but Justice Shekhawat stated that he cannot be heard as he is not a party in the case.

The High Court appointed advocate Tanu Bedi as amicus curiae in the case and adjourned the hearing for four days. It has also sought a status report sought from the Punjab government.

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake has been reported 61 km from Eshkashem, Tajikistan at 10.17 pm on Tuesday. Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan were affected by the quake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS said the epicentre of the earthquake was 40 kilometers (25 miles) south-southeast of the Afghan town of Jurm, near the borders with Pakistan and Tajikistan.

According to the National Center for Seismology, “an earthquake of Magnitude 6.6, occurred at 10.17 pm 133 km SSE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan.”

The Pak Met Department said the earthquake with magnitude 6.8 that struck the region had Hindukush Region in Afghanistan as its epicentr

Tremors were also felt in Delhi and parts of north India, reports said.

The earthquake created an atmosphere of panic in Delhi NCR. Many people ran out of their houses in panic. Natural calamities make us realize how human beings and Science are helpless before nature, said Naveen Shrivastava, a resident of Burari.

The people of Indirapuram felt such an earthquake for the first time! said Sitaram Garg.

“I was having dinner when I felt sudden tremors, first I didn’t believe it was an earthquake but later when I heard a commotion outside. I along with my parents rushed outside our house,” said 26-year-old Akshay Yadav, a resident of Yamuna Vihar. 

He further added that he never felt such a strong earthquake. 

There were reports quoting Delhi Fire Services that they have received a call about the tilting of a building in the Shakarpur area. However, a Civil Defence volunteer told The New Indian Express, “The building in Shakarpur was already made like that as there was gap already. No damage due to the earthquake. It was a hoax call. The situation is under control. We checked the building from top to bottom & there’s no problem.” 

One of the residents of Saba Apartment, Sector 34 Noida, Javed Siraj who lives on the fourth floor said, “It was a terrible experience for the ones who are living in high-rise buildings. Apparently, everyone got nervous and came rushing down into the open area. Lifts were all full and some youngsters even risked taking the stairs to come down.”

Wishing for the well-being of the citizens, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “ Strong tremors of the earthquake were felt across Delhi NCR. I Hope you all are safe.”

Recently, In a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting, It was decided that to deal with circumstances like the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Delhi must establish a State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF).

A resident in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district said he felt three tremors back to back.

A senior seismologist said the reason why people in northwest India and Delhi felt the tremors for a relatively long time is that the “depth of the fault was more than 150 km”.

People in northern India first felt the primary waves and then were impacted by the secondary waves, he said.

There was a disruption in mobile services in some parts of the Jammu region immediately after the earthquake, an official said.

There was no immediate report of any loss of life or property.

According to a report, Twitter users shared videos of ceiling fans and light fixtures shaking during the massive quake. Eyewitnesses have also claimed to have felt the earthquake in states such as Kashmir and Jaipur.

Tremors were felt in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Sargodha, Mianwali, Peshawar, Kohat, Swat, Chitral, Dir, Shangla, and other districts of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, according to local media reports.

Al Jazeera quoted a resident of Islamabad, Sarah Hasan as saying that the walls of her house vibrated as the earthquake hit the Pakistani capital.

“It started off slowly and then became strong,” the 43-year-old said. “The house was vibrating, things were shaking. It started slowing down, and after a few minutes, it felt like everything is calm again,” the report said.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

More than 1,000 people were killed and tens of thousands made homeless after a 5.9-magnitude quake – the deadliest in Afghanistan in nearly a quarter of a century – struck the impoverished province of Paktika on 22 June last year.

AHMEDABAD:  Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has benefited from the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)’s historic victory in the Gujarat Assembly elections. According to Gujarat RSS data, there were 1,334 Sangh branches in the state in 2022, which increased to 1,671 in 2023, representing an increase of 337 branches. In Gujarat’s 2022 elections, the BJP won a record-breaking 156 seats.

According to a press release from the Gujarat RSS, “While work has increased across the nation, work has also increased in Gujarat province. There were 1,334 Sangh Shakhas  (branches) in the state in 2022, which climbed to 1,671 in 2023, which clearly indicates an increase of 334 branches.”

Political analyst Dilip Patel said: “For years, Gujarat has been the Sangh’s ‘experimental school’. The Sangh has been very active in the Gujarat assembly elections, and when anyone wants a ticket in Gujarat, the Sangh oversees the entire process, from his background to the effect of giving him a ticket.”

“Also, this time, if you look at B L Santosh, who comes from the Sangh and is the National General Secretary of the BJP, he has provided a successful operation from the process of issuing tickets to cutting the tickets of ministers.

In short, people have started to feel that now if they want a ticket or want to win the election on the BJP banner, they have to seek a blessing from RSS, obviously, this will affect the popularity of the Sangh and people will turn more towards the Sangh,” he added. 

WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump has failed to disclose gifts worth USD 250,000 given to the First Family by foreign leaders which included USD 47,000 worth of gifts by Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the then President Ram Nath Kovind and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath, a partisan democratic Congressional committee have alleged in a report.

The report is titled “Saudi Swords, Indian Jewelry, and a Larger-than-Life Salvadoran Portrait of Donald Trump: The Trump administration’s Failure to Disclose Major Foreign Gifts.”

The report presents preliminary findings from Committee Democrats’ ongoing investigation into former President Trump’s failure to disclose gifts from foreign government officials while in office, as required by the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act.

Trump, a Republican, served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

“Committee Democrats are committed to determining the final whereabouts of these missing big-ticket gifts, such as golf clubs, the larger-than-life custom portrait of Donald Trump from El Salvador, and other potential unreported items, and whether they may have been used to influence the president in his conduct of US foreign policy,” said Congressman Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

The report alleges that Trump, 76, and the First Family failed to report more than 100 foreign gifts with a total value of over a quarter of a million dollars.

According to the report, the documents revealed that the Trump family received 17 unreported gifts from India with a total estimated value of more than USD 47,000.

Among these gifts was a USD 8,500 vase by Yogi Adityanath, a USD 4,600 model of the Taj Mahal, a USD 6,600 Indian rug by former president Kovind, USD 1,900 cufflinks by Prime Minister Modi.

In November 2021, the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General issued a report on significant problems at the Office of the Chief of Protocol during the Trump administration, including “missing items of a significant value.”

The report determined that a “lack of accurate recordkeeping and appropriate physical security controls contributed to the loss of the gifts.”