Shahjahanpur : BJP leader and former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand has been quizzed by the SIT for around seven hours in connection with a law student’s allegation that he raped her, his counsel said on Friday.

The special investigation team, formed on the orders of the Supreme Court, summoned Chinmayanad to the police lines on Thursday night, his counsel Om Singh said.

Later, he was brought back to his residence Divya Dham in Mumukshu Ashram under heavy security, he said.

The SIT team also inspected the bedroom of the BJP leader at the ashram but since it was very late they sealed the room. They are expected to continue their inspection on Friday, he said.

The postgraduate student has alleged that she was raped and “physically exploited” for a year by the BJP leader, whose organisation runs several colleges.

In a letter on the SIT on Wednesday, the woman had alleged that some vital evidence was removed from her hostel room by Chinmayanand’s supporters before it was sealed by the police.

 The driver and the owner of a truck were slapped a total fine of over Rs 2 lakh in the national capital, perhaps the highest in the country so far, for various offences under the tweaked Motor Vehicles Act, including overloading and driving without a proper licence, a Delhi Transport Department official said on Thursday.

The truck, having a Haryana registration number, was challaned by an enforcement team of Transport Department on the GT Karnal Road on Wednesday evening, the official said.

Since the implementation of the amended MV Act on September 1, this is the highest amount of fine imposed for violation of norms in Delhi. Earlier, a truck from Rajasthan was challaned with a fine of Rs 1.41 lakh for overloading and other offences.

The enforcement team challaned the truck for a total amount of Rs 2,00,500 for various offences. These included not having a driving licence, pollution under test (PUC) certificate, registration certificate, fitness test, insurance, permit violation and not wearing seat belt, the official said.

The truck was slapped a penalty of Rs 20,000 for overloading, with an additional fine of Rs 36,000 for carrying 18 tonnes above the permissible limit. Each extra tonne of overloading carries a fine of Rs 2,000 under the amended Act, he added.

The total amount of penalty included Rs 1,31,000 for violation of traffic norms and Rs 69,500 on the truck owner. The penalty was paid at the Rohini court on Thursday, the official said.

Ranchi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said development and the fight against corruption and terrorism during the first 100 days of the NDA 2.0 government was just a “trailer” of a fast-paced film, adding “puri film toh abhi baaki hai”, suggesting more concrete steps are on the anvil.

Modi also took a dig at former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, saying some people facing allegations of corruption have already been put in their “rightful place”, a reference to him being sent to jail early this month.

The prime minister was speaking in Ranchi in poll-bound Jharkhand after launching a slew of measures including ambitious pension schemes for farmers, shopkeepers and self-employed persons. He also inaugurated a new building complex for the state Assembly and a multi-modal cargo terminal, which is expected to ease transportation in the mine-rich region.

“Those who thought they are above law and above courts of the country are now approaching courts praying bail; some people have already gone inside (jail) which is their rightful place.

“Development is our pledge and commitment; never has the country seen such acceleration in development,” Modi told a public meeting at Prabhat Tara maidan now renamed as Jagannath maidan here. Chidambaram is lodged in Tihar jail in Delhi after the senior Congress leader was sent to two-week judicial custody by a court in the INX media corruption case filed by the CBI. The former minister has denied the allegations against him.

“In sabhi mamlo mein, desh ne abhi sarkar ka bas trailer dekha hai, puri film toh abhi baaki hai”. (The country has just seen the ‘trailer’ of the functioning of the government(in 100 days), the entire film still remains to be seen.)

The prime minister also reiterated his commitment to securing the dignity of Muslims, citing the passage of the triple talaq bill in the first session of Parliament during the tenure of Modi 2.0 government.

Talking about the two newly formed Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Modi said, “We aim to bring about development in J&K and Ladakh, the work for which has begun in the first 100 days of NDA 2.0.”

Modi also described the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as kaamdaar’ (work oriented) and damdaar’ (strong).

He referred to how Jharkhand earlier lacked transparency and witnessed scams, but Chief Minister Raghubar Das made efforts to bring transparency in the last nearly five years.

Modi’s words of praise of his party government comes ahead of the state assembly elections in Jharkhand due later this year.

Reeling out figures related to different welfare projects launched by the government, he said 44 lakh people availed benefits under the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ health insurance scheme in the last one year.

The world’s largest health insurance scheme was launched by the prime minister from Jharkhand last year.

More than two crore houses were constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and two crore more houses are under construction in the country, besides constructing 10 crore toilets and giving free LPG connections to eight crore beneficiaries under ‘Ujjwala Yozana’, he said.

About the planned schemes in the state, Modi said Jharkhand will get a new identity through the Multi-Modal Terminal at Sahibganj, which will connect Bangladesh, Nepal and the North-East areas.

The prime minister said that pension schemes for the people working in the unorganized sector, farming and small trading units have been introduced.

The government will spend Rs one lakh every year on the tribal students education, he said.

After its bifurcation from Bihar in 2000, the tribal dominated state of Jharkhand will now have its own well-equipped assembly building to carry out legislative functions.

The three-storey building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 465 crore.

It is dubbed as the first paperless Assembly in the country.

Modi dedicated “Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana” that will help small and marginal farmers by providing a minimum pension of Rs 3,000 per month, on attaining the age of 60 years.

Farmers who are currently between 18 and 40 years of age can apply for the scheme.

The ‘Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan Dhan Yojana’, a pension scheme for shopkeepers and retail traders was also launched.

Another ‘Swarojgar’ pension scheme was also rolled out for self-employed persons.

Under both the schemes, beneficiaries between 18 and 40 years will get Rs 3,000 per month after completing 60 years of age.

The cargo terminal, which was inaugurated online by the prime minister from here, has been built by Inland Waterways Authority of India on River Ganga at Sahibganj.

It has a cargo storing capacity of 30 lakh tonnes per year, a stockyard and parking and berthing space for two vessels.

Modi laid the foundation stones online for 462 Eklavya Model Schools across the country, of which 69 will be established in 13 of Jharkhand’s 24 districts.

The foundation for a new building of Jharkhand Secretariat was also laid by the prime minister.

The new secretariat building in the state capital will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 1,238.92 crore.

A party source said that she also recalled the UPA regime’s achievements in dealing with the economic slowdown between 2007 and 2009.

NEW DELHI: Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday attacked the BJP government over economic slowdown and accused it of indulging in vendetta politics.

According to Congress sources, Sonia said this while addressing the meeting of party general secretaries, state in-charges, state unit chiefs and others here on Thursday.

A party source said that she also recalled the UPA regime’s achievements in dealing with the economic slowdown between 2007 and 2009.

“She told party leaders that our government had taken out the economy from the slowdown during economic recession,” the party source said.

She also recalled how during UPA regime the Congress government was able to generate jobs.

The party source said that slamming the government over the economic slowdown, Sonia Gandhi told the party leaders that the government has been unable to save the jobs in several sectors.

He said, “Sonia Gandhi also said that the resilience and resolve of Congress is being tested today. And we need to go to people.”

This is the first meeting of Sonia Gandhi with senior party leaders, a month after she was appointed the party chief.

Her son and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi stepped down from the top post taking moral responsibility of party’s loss in the Lok Sabha polls.

The scheme called the ‘Nirashrit/Besahara Govansh Sahbhagita Yojana’ was introduced on August 8 for management of stray cattle.

LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is now offering cows for adoption. This is being done to check the growing problem of stray cows.

The state government will pay a sum of Rs 30 per day to the person who adopts a cow for maintenance. People living in semi-urban and rural areas can adopt up to four stray cows, bulls and calves.

The scheme called the ‘Nirashrit/Besahara Govansh Sahbhagita Yojana’ was introduced on August 8 for management of stray cattle, but the execution order was issued on September 9.

The response has been overwhelming with the Lucknow administration having received 1,500 applications by Wednesday evening.

Chief veterinary officer Tej Singh Yadav said, “We have received 1,500 adoption applications, mostly from farmers and landless daily wage earners. The scheme will add to their income and will help control stray cattle, responsible for damaging crops in villages and causing accidents in city.”

Of the 24,940 animals caught so far in Lucknow district, 9,079 have been ear-tagged and are available for adoption.

Over 4,400 are available with Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), followed by 895 in Mohanlalganj, 833 in Maal and 789 in Malihabad blocks in the state.

According to LMC director (animal welfare) Arvind Rao, “The process of verification is underway and we will hand over the animals to deserving applicants in 15 days.”

The state veterinary department will also conduct regular inspection of foster homes. “If an animal is sick, the owner will have to inform the department, which will arrange for free treatment. However, in case of death, a post-mortem will be done to ascertain the cause and action will be taken if there is a foul play,” he explained.

Officials denied that Rs 30 per day was insufficient to feed a cow and said that non-crop fields on the outskirts of the city would allow foster homes to easily feed the adopted animal. The money can be saved. It will be an additional source of income for the poor families, they said.

The animals are being ear-tagged for easy identification if abandoned after adoption.

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: A SpiceJet flight on way from Chennai to Kolkata had to be diverted to Bhubaneswar on Sunday after a 48-year-old passenger fell sick, officials said, adding that he later died.

Ashok Kumar Sharma complained of breathing problem soon after SpiceJet flight SG-623, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, took off from Chennai and a medical emergency was declared, the officials said.

The pilot requested for an ambulance and a doctor on arrival which was made available, a SpiceJet spokesperson said. He was taken to a medical room at the airport soon after the plane landed, Bhubaneswar Airport Director S C Hota said.

Sharma was then rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, he said. The body has been sent to the Capital Hospital for postmortem.

Mumbai:  A 46-year-old mentally disturbed woman, who threatened to commit suicide by jumping from her eighth floor flat in suburban Andheri, was rescued by police and fire brigade personnel, an official said on Sunday.

She had earlier also tried to end her life, he said.

The woman locked herself in the house, located at Sai Krupa Society in Gundavali area, along with her 18-year-old son in the early hours of Saturday.

“When her son tried to open the door, the woman threatened to jump off the balcony of the flat. Their neighbours gathered on hearing the commotion. Her son alerted some relatives who in turn informed the police,” he said.

A police team from Andheri led by inspector Balwant Deshmukh then rushed to the spot and started talking to the woman to persuade her against the move as well as to distract her, while they tried to rescue her with the help of the fire brigade, senior police inspector Rajesh Kale said.

“While the police engaged her in talks, a fire brigade personnel broke open the door, allowing our staff to rush in and pin her down,” he said.

After being rescued, the woman was taken to a nearby hospital, he said, adding that she was mentally unstable and undergoing treatment.

Kale said according to the woman’s relatives, she had tried to commit suicide earlier also.

“She is from a well off family and has been staying in the building since last few years,” he said. “To save her life at any cost was our priority and we did that,” Kale added.

New Delhi: The ED has filed a criminal case to probe money laundering charges in an alleged corruption case involving London-based Rolls Royce that is said to have made a payment of over Rs 77 crore as commission to an agent to win contracts from PSUs HAL, ONGC and GAIL during 2007-11, officials said on Sunday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has booked the case under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after going through a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR, which was registered in the case in July this year, they said.

Rolls Royce and its Indian subsidiary, Singapore-based Ashok Patni and his company Aashmore Pvt Ltd, and Mumbai-based Turbotech Energy Services International Pvt Ltd, besides unidentified officials of public sector units (PSUs) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and GAIL were booked by the CBI for criminal conspiracy and bribery.

The CBI complaint alleged that the total business of HAL with Rolls Royce was around Rs 4,700 crore between 2000 to 2013.

It is alleged that Rolls Royce paid Rs 18 crore to Patni as “commercial advisor” in the 100 supply orders of Avon and Allison engines’ spare parts to HAL between 2007-11, the bureau’s FIR stated.

The CBI action came after a five-year-long inquiry conducted by it. The inquiry was initiated on the basis of a complaint from the defence ministry that had received a letter about the engagement of Patni and his company by Rolls Royce.

The ED will probe if these alleged corrupt practices led to the generation of slush funds which were laundered to create personal assets, the officials said.

It will also investigate if the integrity pact was violated and kick backs were generated, they said.

Rollys Royce, after registration of the CBI case, had said it will not tolerate business misconduct of any sort and it is committed to maintain high ethical standards.

“No one currently working for Rolls-Royce in India played any part in these energy deals.

“India is an important market for Rolls-Royce and the company has a valued workforce of skilled people in the country,” a company spokesperson had said.

The CBI has charged that Patni was also engaged in direct contracts of Rolls Royce with ONGC and GAIL for the supply of spare parts.

Although contracts with ONGC and GAIL allowed services of an agent but it was mandatory to declare the name at the time of bidding, a condition violated by Rolls Royce, it said.

The company declared the name of its agent to the oil and gas sector behemoths in 2013, CBI alleged.

It is alleged that Roll Royce paid Rs 29.81 crore in 73 purchase orders from 2007 to 2011 for procurement of material and spare parts pertaining to the engines for ONGC, but the company declared it in 2013, it said.

Roll Royce also paid one million British pounds with regard to 68 purchase orders from GAIL for spare parts from 2007 to 2010, it said.

The company entered in an arrangement with Turbotech Energy Services International Pvt Ltd and another company, Infinity, also owned by Patni, to which extra commission was paid, but not declared to GAIL, the CBI said.

The total commission paid by Rolls Royce comes to the tune of Rs 28.09 crore during the period 2007-10 for supplies to GAIL, it alleged.

There was an alleged conspiracy by Rolls Royce Plc and its subsidiary Rolls Royce India Pvt Ltd to misrepresent the facts before HAL regarding the engagement of the agent in order to win contracts with the public sector unit with “deception”, it said.

The Indian Marine Gas Turbine unit of the HAL provides support in areas of inspection, spare parts, maintenance, equipment overhaul and assembly for industrial and marine gas turbines under licence from reputed manufactures.

The unit provides overhaul and repair of Avon and Allison engines for ONGC and GAIL for which spare parts are supplied by the energy division of Rolls Royce, it said.

The contract between Rolls Royce Power Engineering Plc and HAL was signed in June 2007, which was valid till December 2011, to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for units owned by the GAIL and ONGC under above licence from Rolls Royce.

“The purchase order condition specifically mentioned that Rolls Royce is not supposed to appoint any agent in India to promote this contract and no commission is payable to such agent,” the CBI FIR has alleged.

It is alleged that Rolls Royce violated the condition of purchase order and integrity pact by engaging Patni and his company as commercial advisor from 2007 to 2011, and paid a commission ranging from 10 per cent to 11.3 per cent for supply of spare parts for the Avon and Allison engines.

The commission amount comes to the tune of Rs 18.32 crore during the period from 2007 to 2011 for the 100 purchase order, the CBI FIR alleged.

New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said the Modi government is mum after “ruining the economy” and alleged that it is trying to hide the grim situation in the country.

Her attack came as the Modi government completed 100 days in office in its second term.

“The government is mum after ruining the economy. The companies are in danger, while trade is in doldrums,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

“Through drama, deceit, lies, and propaganda, they are trying to hide the country’s grim situation,” she said, using the hashtag ‘100DaysNoVikas’ (100 days, no development).

New Delhi: Taking a dig at the Modi government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday “congratulated” it on 100 days of “no development”.

He alleged that there was a glaring lack of leadership, direction and plans to turnaround the “ravaged economy”.

The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 100 days after coming to power for a second consecutive term with a massive mandate.

“Congratulations to the Modi govt on #100DaysNoVikas, the continued subversion of democracy, a firmer stranglehold on a submissive media to drown out criticism and a glaring lack of leadership, direction & plans where it’s needed the most – to turnaround our ravaged economy,” Gandhi said in a tweet.