Hubli: The state has been witnessing several instances of unaccounted cash being recovered from various districts; this time the police managed to recover a total amount of Rs 23 lakh including Rs 20 lakh in 2,000-rupee notes at Kundgol, near Hubballi, on Wednesday evening.

The police on patrol found the cash when they intercepted a vehicle on Betdur Road. It is said that there were 1,000 notes in Rs 2,000 denomination and 3,000 notes in Rs 100 denomination.

There were three men in the car and when they were questioned they were unable to provide a satisfactory answer. They were arrested and produced before the Magistrate.

The accused were identified as Ameeraram Baburam Bevasi (30), Arvind Shankarsa Meharwade (45) and Premsingh Bhagawansingh Bhat (32), all residents of Hubballi.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to extend the use of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in govt utility centres like hospitals, railway tickets etc.

The apex court also stayed proceedings on petitions against demonetisation notification in all high courts and transferred them to itself.

It referred the petitions challenging Nov 8 notification on demonetisation to five-judge Constitution bench by framing 9 questions for adjudication.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: In the wake of bribery charges in VVIP chopper deal, former Defence Minister A K Antony today came out strongly in defence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi saying she had no role in the procurement and BJP will make a “laughing stock” of itself if it drags her name into the matter.

He also said that the way BJP leaders were claiming that CBI “will nail the culprits in two months” was not good for the agency investigating the AgustaWestland chopper deal.

“CBI is working under the directions of BJP, is that what they (BJP members) are attributing. I feel sorry. Don’t tarnish the image of CBI like that,” the Congress leader said.

“Soniaji has no role. There is no connection with Soniaji. Helicopters are meant for the use of President, Vice President and the Prime Minister. Soniaji has nothing to do with that. In the Italian court itself it was mentioned,” he told reporters.

“Ultimately, they will become a laughing stock by unnecessarily bringing in the name of Soniaji. BJP will become a laughing stock,” he said replying to queries.

Antony said Gandhi has no connection with the decision, because the driving force behind this procurement was the Indian Air Force.

“They were telling that because the old Russian-made helicopter is not safe for VVIP travel. They wanted to change it. So 1999 onwards this procurement was there,” he said.

He claimed that the utterances of BJP members showed that CBI is “under their thumb”.

“What CBI is going to do within two months if BJP is saying. It is too much. That is, they are attributing that CBI is under their thumb, that is not good,” he said.

Fresh revelations indicate that diaries of main middleman Christian Michel in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal point out to bribes to the tune of millions paid to clinch the Rs 3,600-crore deal.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday banned the sale of liquor within 500 meters on either side of national and state highways across the country.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur said that all liquor vendors holding licenses for selling liquor would continue to do so till their licenses were valid or till March 31, 2017, whichever was earlier. The licenses would not be renewed.

The order came on a batch of petitions including those by the states and NGOs.

(Agencies)

Noida: On a trail of a jeweller who allegedly sold bullion worth Rs 600 crore, the Income Tax Department today unearthed Rs 60 crore from the accounts of 20 shell companies in a raid at an Axis bank branch in sector 51 here.

A team of the department today raided the Axis bank branch here and searched the accounts.

In the search, Rs 60 crores were found in 20 accounts of as many shell companies, an official said, adding the IT team was scanning the records to trace the directors of these companies.

An IT team had earlier found that a jeweller here had sold gold bricks worth Rs 600 crore after demonetisation and has accounts in the same branch of the bank.

The jeweller’s name has not been disclosed by the officials yet.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: After claiming that there will be an “earthquake” if he speaks, Rahul Gandhi today alleged that he has detailed information about “personal corruption” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he wants to present in Lok Sabha but is not being allowed to do so by the PM.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar rejected Gandhi’s allegation as “false and baseless” and “very unfortunate”. “The allegation was made out of desperation and he (Gandhi) should apologise to the nation,” he told reporters.

As the Parliament remained deadlocked over the issue of demonetisation, Gandhi said the prime minister is personally terrified of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha.

“The Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside Lok Sabha because I have information about the Prime Minister that is going to explode his balloon. And I am not being allowed to speak in the House,” he told reporters in Parliament premises.

Asked what kind of information he has, the Congress Vice President said, “That information is personal information about Narendra Modiji which I want to state in Lok Sabha. It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister that we have detailed information about. We want to present it, which the Prime Minister is not allowing us to speak.”

Gandhi said the entire opposition wants a debate in Parliament and have discussed with the Speaker to allow it while dispensing all rules. “Pretty much unconditionally we are ready to have a discussion, but the government is not interested in having a discussion. I have already said it before, the Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside the Lok Sabha,” he said.

He claimed Modi has taken a decision against the poor people of this country and has “destroyed” millions of lives and thus is answerable. He said he has personally taken this decision and he cannot keep running away from the House.

Gandhi said the Prime Minister cannot keep “running away” to pop concerts to public meetings. This is a democracy, he owes this country an explanation and he owes the entire opposition a space in the discussion in the Lok Sabha, he said.

“The Prime Minister is worried. He goes to pop concerts and public meetings. Why does he not come to the House. For the first time in history, the treasury benches and the government is stalling Parliament. Normally the opposition stalls the House.

“The Prime Minister should stop taking alibis and he should come to the House and give all of us an opportunity to speak. Then the country should take a decision on whether the opposition or the Prime Minister is speaking the truth,” he said.
TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who was accompanied by Gandhi, said the entire Parliamentary system is facing a “threat” as government is not allowing the House to function smoothly and allow the opposition to speak.

“We cannot understand why so much arrogance on the part of the government. The voice of the opposition is going to be gagged. Parliamentary democratic system is now under threat only to resist that Rahul Gandhi will not be allowed to speak,” he said.

He said the government is spreading rumours that after Rahul Gandhi speaks, the opposition will not allow the House to function. “It is totally incorrect,” he said.

Bandyopadhyay charged the government is not allowing the opposition to speak in Lok Sabha and this was “unfortunate and disgraceful”.

P Karunakaran (CPI-M) said all 16 parties came together on the issue of demonetisation and wanted a discussion on the issue, but the government is now allowing this.

“Government is not willing to answer questions. The Prime Minister is accountable to Parliament but has not come to the Lok Sabha. It is very clear that they are not ready to answer the questions raised. The Prime Minister is running away from Parliament which means he is running away from people,” he said.

NCP leader Tariq Anwer said this is the first time that such an atmosphere has been created where the opposition is not allowed to speak.

“It is a conspiracy by the government. The entire opposition is united. What is the government fearing from. We are all united. Let us be allowed to speak,” he said.

Gandhi was accompanied by a few other party leaders besides his own leaders in Lok Sabha, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Earlier leaders of 16 opposition parties today met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad’s and decided to launch a united offensive against the government on demonetisation.

They also decided to launch a united offensive against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is under opposition fire over his alleged role in the “Arunachal power scam”.

(Agencies)