New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today issued its second attachment order for assets worth Rs 6,630 crore against beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya as it seized his farmhouse, flats and FDs in connection with its money laundering case against him and his associates.

The agency had recently expanded the probe in this regard as it took over investigation into the alleged loan default of Rs 6,027 crore availed from a consortium of nationalised banks led by SBI, a case also taken over by CBI recently.

The fresh action is an aftermath of the new case.The total attachment made by the agency in this case has now shot up to Rs 8,044 crore as it had attached assets worth Rs 1,411 crore few months back.

The provisional attachment order, issued under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), said it has ordered for seizing a farm house in Mandwa in Alibaugh worth Rs 25 crore, multiple flats in Kingfisher tower in Bengaluru worth Rs 565 crore, fixed deposits of Mallya with a private bank to the tune of Rs 10 crore and shares of USL, United Breweries Limited and Mcdowell Holding company, jointly held by the liquor baron and UBHL and his controlled entities, worth Rs 3,635 crore.

“The total attachment under today’s order is worth Rs 4,234.84 crore but the present market value of these properties and assets is Rs 6,630 crore approximately,” the agency’s order said.

The agency alleged these assets were the “proceeds generated out of criminal activity” of the alleged default of bank loans as it claimed Mallya “criminally conspired” with Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) and United Breweries Holdings Limited to obtain funds through the consortium of banks and out of this total amount, the principal fund of Rs 4,930.34 crore “still remains unpaid.”

“In addition, huge number of shares were also being held in the name of various other group companies controlled directly or indirectly by Mallya. Hence, it appeared that even though sufficient funds were available with the promoters of KFA– Mallya and UBHL– they had no intention to make payment towards the bank loans from the consortium banks.

“They deliberately and intentionally kept the huge number of shares approximately worth Rs 3,600 crore pledged with UTI Investment Advisory Services Ltd and other financial institutions without substantial underlying liabilities and thus kept the consortium in dark,” the ED said in the order, accessed by PTI.

(PTI)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday urged the Karnataka government to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

“Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have to maintain harmony in the water dispute, ‘Live and let live,'” said the court.

A three judge bench including Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justices AM Kanwilkar and DY Chandrachud asked Karnataka to inform the court on Monday how much water it can release to Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu government had filed a plea for an urgent judicial direction to the Karnataka government to release Cauvery water to its agricultural lands.

Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah conveyed the state’s inability to release Cauvery water for farmers in Tamil Nadu due to deficit rainfall in the river basin area.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: Four home ministry officials, including joint secretary of the foreigners division G K Dwivedi, have been suspended for the renewal of the foreign funding licence of Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

The renewal of the licence embarrassed the Centre as it came even as agencies are trying their best to slap terror charges against Dr Naik in the wake of a massive hate campaign against him.

“The MHA has suspended four officers, including Dwivedi and three officers below him. A departmental inquiry is being ordered against him to find out if there was any mala fide intention behind renewal of registration of IRF under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA). Action will be taken accordingly,” said an MHA official.

Home ministry officers said it is highly unlikely that the file regarding licence renewal for IRF, being scanned not only for possible FCRA violations but also for alleged forced conversions was cleared in a moment of oversight.

“The government and its security agencies are weighing the option of declaring IRF an ‘unlawful’ organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and the foreigners division brass decides to renew its FCRA licence. This could well be an intentional act and not a plain goof-up,” said an officer.

Incidentally, the MHA had last month sent a standard questionnaire to IRF seeking foreign funding details. An IRF spokesperson was quoted on Thursday by a private news channel as saying that the NGO’s licence had been renewed last week and that it had replied to the MHA questionnaire.

(Agencies)

Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has stressed on the need for self-regulation and reasonable restrictions in the context of rapid expansion of different forms of media in the country and the attendant competition in reporting on various events to maintain public order and ensure integrity and sovereignty of the country. He spoke at length on various aspects of functioning of the media after inaugurating a two day ‘Regional Editors Conference’ at Chennai today.

Shri Venkaiah Naidu said that there is a need to ensure balance between freedom of expression and the genuine need for reasonable restrictions to ensure that that there is no ‘divisive communication’ given the social, cultural and economic diversity in the country. Self-regulation by media could be useful in this regard, he said. The growing compulsion of ‘instant communication’ should not lead media away from truthful reporting, the Minister stressed.

The Minister urged the media to effectively play out its role as a partner in the progress of the nation by empowering the citizens with required information that would give them a voice. Shri Naidu noted that success of developmental programmes of central and state governments depend on mass mobilization of people in which the media has an important role to play. “Hence, the Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has placed communication as a critical component in the Governance of the Nation” said Shri Naidu.

Noting that media in the country has been by and large progressive, Shri Naidu reminded the media of its first responsibility being towards the nation and the society. He noted that despite the emergence of new forms of media, print media has been reporting steady growth which is being driven by the growth of regional media. Shri Naidu noted that regional media is uniquely placed in connecting the governments and the people given their focus on regional and local issues and their proximity to the people.

Shri Venkaiah Naidu expressed concern over politicization of public discourse on issues that have a bearing on social cohesion and national unity and integrity. He said that “Human rights are meant for human being and not for terrorists. One should not identify those imprisoned by their caste or religion. Illegal detention is not correct. One can seek fast track adjudication but not on the basis of caste or religion. Media should guard itself while reporting on such demands and events”.

Tamil Nadu Minister of Information & Publicity Thiru Kadambur Raju, speaking on the occasion referred to the developmental initiatives of the State Government, the efforts being made to create an enabling environment for effective functioning of the media and the positive role being played by the media.

The two-day Regional Editors conference organized by the Press Information Bureau is aimed at sharing with the senior journalists of the southern States and Union Territories, the perspectives of and performance under new initiatives of the Government of India in sectors pertaining to Urban Development, Information Technology, Coastal security, Commerce and Industry and Shipping and Highways Development.

About 100 media persons are attending the conference.

Panaji: Upset with the removal of Subhash Velingkar as Goa RSS chief, over 300 Sangh workers have announced that they will quit the organisation and vowed to “defeat” BJP in the Assembly polls next year if he is not reinstated.

RSS yesterday removed Velingkar who had crossed swords with BJP government over the issue of medium of instruction (MOI) in schools with members of his outfit BBSM even showing black flags to party chief Amit Shah recently.

The Sangh said he was trying to engage into “political activity” which is contrary to its tradition.

“We want that either Velingkar should be reinstated or we (over 300 volunteers) all should be relieved along with him. Since the Sangh has not reinstated him (Velingkar) during the entire day, we have decided to tender resignations,” Sangh member Pravin Nesvankar told reporters late last night here.

A large number of RSS workers from the state last night held an ’emergency’ meeting for over three hours at Bambolim near here in the backdrop of Velingkar’s removal.

Velingkar, the convener of Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) which is fighting for withdrawal of grants to English medium schools and for the cause of promoting regional languages as MOI in the coastal state, has been at loggerheads with the saffron party as well as Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.

“RSS workers will now work for a new political front that will contest the Goa Assembly polls,” said Nesvankar in the presence of members like Ratnakar Lele and Krishnaraj Sukerkar.

“We will defeat the BJP in the upcoming elections,” Nesvankar added.

Sangh’s South District head Ramdas Saraf said the volunteers will not work for RSS until the decision to relieve Velingkar is withdrawn.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday told the Supreme Court that he stood by his remarks blaming the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and said he was ready to face a trial for alleged defamation of the ideological parent of the ruling BJP.

Gandhi’s lawyer Kapil Sibal told the Supreme Court that the Congress Vice President stood by what he had said about the RSS and the 1948 assasination of the Mahatma.

Rahul Gandhi withdrew a petition before the apex court that had sought quashing of the defamation proceeding in a Maharashtra trial court.

The bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman allowed the petition to be withdrawn but did not grant Rahul Gandhi an exemption from appearing before the trial court.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist Rajesh Kunte filed the defamation case against the Congress leader over his remarks at a 2014 election rally that people associated with the Hindutva group killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order refusing to interfere with the defamation case against him.

The Congress leader told the Supreme Court through his lawyer last week that he did not blame the RSS but “people associated with it” for the Mahatma’s assassination.

(Agencies)