New Delhi: Petrol price was today hiked by Rs 2.21 a litre and diesel by Rs 1.79 per litre, excluding local levies.

The price revision was to come into effect yesterday, but was deferred possibly to save the demonetisation-battered government from any blushes in Parliament. The revised rates will be effective from midnight tonight.

This increase excludes local levies. The actual hike after considering VAT would be Rs 2.84 per litre in Delhi for petrol and Rs 2.11 for diesel.

After the hike, petrol in Delhi will cost Rs 68.94 per litre from midnight tonight as against Rs 66.10 currently, said Indian Oil Corp, the nation’s largest fuel retailer.Similarly, a litre of diesel will cost Rs 56.68 as compared to Rs 54.57 now.

IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) revise rates on 1st and 16th of every month based on average international price in the previous fortnight.

But an increase that was warranted because of a rise in international gasoline (petrol) price to USD 62.82 per barrel from USD 57.43 and that of diesel to USD 60.97 from USD 56.79 was not announced yesterday.

Industry sources said the deferment was because Parliament was in session and any hike would have added to the discomfort of the government, particularly when it is facing heat over hardships caused by currency demonetisation.

The Winter Session of Parliament ended this afternoon. Rates were last revised on December 1 when petrol price was hiked by a marginal 13 paise a litre, but diesel rates were cut by 12 paise.

Prior to the December 1 price change, rates were hiked by Rs 1.46 a litre in the case of petrol and Rs 1.53 per litre for diesel, excluding local levies, on November 16.

“The current level of international product prices of petrol and diesel and Rupee-US Dollar exchange rate warrant increase in selling price of petrol and diesel, the impact of which is being passed on to the consumers with this price revision,” IOC said in a statement.

It said the movement of prices in the international oil market and foreign exchange rate shall continue to be monitored closely and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes.

(Agencies)

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)