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NGT unhappy over Sri Sri’s remark; AOL to pay Rs 25 lakhs today

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sri-sri-ravishankar

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal today took strong objection to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s remark on refusal to pay Rs five crore fine in connection with the three-day cultural extravaganza on Yamuna flood plains but allowed more time to his organisation to pay up.

The panel was disturbed with Ravi Shankar’s statement that he would not pay the penalty and would prefer going to jail, saying, “When a person of that stature makes such statements, it hits the rule of law. If anybody hurts the image of the tribunal, he will be taken to rule of law.”

However, the NGT considered the plea of Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living (AOL) Foundation that it was a charitable organisation and it was difficult for it to generate the huge amount of Rs five crore in such a short period and asked it to pay Rs 25 lakh immediately failing which the grant of Rs 2.5 crore sanctioned to it by Centre will be attached.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also clarified that the amount of Rs five crore be treated as environmental compensation and not as penalty.

The bench said it will attach the grant of Rs 2.5 crore, sanctioned to AOL by Ministry of Culture for the extravaganza that commences today, if it does not pay Rs 25 lakh.

The tribunal, which had earlier directed AOL to pay a fine of Rs five crore before commencement of the event today, however, granted it three weeks time to pay remaining Rs 4.75 crore.

When the counsel appearing for AOL submitted that the statement refusing to pay was made in a context that it will be difficult to pay as the foundation is a charitable trust, the bench said adherence to the rule of law is not only the duty of government but citizens also.

“Certainly adherence to the rule of law is the duty of not only the government but citizens also. The rule of law is a very foundation of administration of justice.

“If the rule of law is hurt, it will affect the justice dispensation system. This controversy loses its significance by the stand taken by the Foundation. We do not wish to go into the merits of the controversy,” the bench said and fixed April 4 as the next date of hearing.

The order of the tribunal came on a plea by environmental activists seeking stay on AOL’s World Cultural Festival here from today to March 13, alleging that they have not deposited Rs five crore fine.

The petition has alleged that AOL has not taken mandatory permissions from competent authorities like fire department, police and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

During the hearing in the NGT, where CRPF and Delhi police personnel were deployed after some Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena members threatened to hold demonstration, AOL also moved an application seeking four weeks time to deposit the fine and comply with all the directions of the tribunal.

AOL said being a charitable organisation, it is difficult for it to generate the huge amount in such a short period.

On being asked by the tribunal if the AOL had received the Rs 2.5 crore grant from the Ministry of Culture, the counsel for the foundation informed that Rs 1.68 crore had been disbursed to it out of the total amount.

The AOL had also sought that Rs 5 crore fine be taken as restoration amount for biodiversity park and not as a penalty.

The tribunal also pulled up Ministry of Water Resources for not doing anything to protect river Yamuna from pollution despite directions.

“What have you done? Have you inspected the river? Despite directions you have not checked pollution in the river,” the bench said.

During the hearing, a member of Ojaswi Party was also thrown out of the court room for disturbing the proceedings with the NGT issuing a show cause notice to him for contempt of court.

Yesterday, the tribunal had directed AOL Foundation to pay the entire amount of Rs 5 crore by today saying law will take its own course if it fails to do so.

The green panel had also directed Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests to issue proper directions to the organizers of the event with regard to disposal of municipal solid waste and drinking water.

The counsel appearing for the DPCC had informed the tribunal that as directed by it, a committee is already visiting the site and if necessary, directions will be issued.

The NGT had earlier expressed its helplessness in banning the event, saying it was “fait accompli”.

Nevertheless, it had imposed a fine of Rs five crore on AOL as environmental compensation after coming down on it heavily for not disclosing its full plans and also on the DDA and Environment Ministry for their role.

The tribunal, which found several environmental violations by the organisers, blamed the delay on the part of environmental activists in raising the issue before it which compelled it to grant permission for event.

(PTI)

I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder: Mallya

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Vijay Mallya

New Delhi: Beleagured businessman Vijay Mallya, who is facing legal proceedings for alleged loan defaults by his group to the tune of over Rs 9,000 crore, today said he is not an absconder and he will comply with the law of the land.

“I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish,” Mallya tweeted earlier this morning from an undisclosed location.

He further said: “As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.”

He also sought to shift the blame to the media, saying: ” Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes. Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP?.”

Mallya also questioned news reports that he must declare his assets.

“Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures?,” he added.

The 60-year-old liquor baron, who is facing legal proceedings for alleged loan defaults of Rs 9,000 crore by his group, left the country on March 2, even as banks have approached the courts to seek orders restraining him from going abroad.

While he remained silent on his whereabouts, reports said the UB Group chairman and Rajya Sabha member is believed to be at his country home in an English village about an hour’s drive north of London.

Opposition leaders including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi have raised questions about how he was allowed to leave the country despite a ‘lookout’ notice by CBI.

On Wednesday, the government told the Supreme Court that Mallya had left India on March 2 following which the bench issued notice to him and sought his response within two weeks on pleas filed by a consortium of banks seeking direction for freezing his passport and his presence before the apex court.

(PTI)

Outsider tries to assault student leader Kanhaiya Kumar on JNU campus

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Kanhaiya Kumar attack

New Delhi: A man tried to attack Kanhaiya Kumar inside the JNU campus, as per media reports on Thursday.

His name is Vikas Chaudhary and he tried to slap the JNUSU president. The man was later detained by security officials.

As per initial reports, he is an outsider and native of Ghaziabad. Some reports said that JNU students rescued the JNUSU president.

Also Kanhaiya is said to be out of danger.

Later, talking to the press, Vikas said that he was upset with Kumar over his remarks regarding the Army.

“He wants to be a leader. I wanted to teach him a lesson,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme court today asked the parties to two petitions, pertaining to incidents of violence in the Patiala House court complex during the hearing related to Kanhaiya, to complete pleadings by March 29.

In one such petition, filed by advocate Kamini Jaiswal, an SIT probe had been sought into the incidents on February 15 and 17 in which three lawyers were allegedly caught on camera “bragging and boasting” they had beaten up the student leader and others.

The court had, on February 26, sought response from the Centre and Delhi Police on Jaiswal’s plea which has also sought initiation of contempt action against the lawyers for allegedly beating Kanhaiya and others in the district courts complex.

The plea has sought “suo motu contempt proceeding” against lawyers Vikram Singh Chauhan, Yashpal Singh and Om Sharma on the ground that they have allegedly been caught on camera talking about the attacks, claiming that the three interfered in the “administration of justice” and willfully violated the orders passed by the apex court on February 17.

In the earlier petition, an alumnus of JNU who was hurt in the violence on February 15, N D Jaiprakash, had complained of inaction of police against those were allegedly involved in thrashing journalists, students and teachers in a city court and sought a fair trial “free from fear of violence and prejudice”.

It had alleged that police were a “mute spectator to this brazen display of violence and brute force being perpetrated on innocent persons” who had gathered in the Court premises.

(Agencies)

Jewellers take out protest march in Karnataka

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Karnataka State Jewellers Federation

Bengaluru: Members of Karnataka State Jewellers Federation today took out protest march from Mysore Bank Circle to Freedom Park as per Nationwide call given by their parent body.

They were protesting against Union government’s move to levy One per cent excise duty, One per cent TCS and compulsory PAN for sales exceeding Rs two lakhs.

The agitators alleged that though the jewellers had downed their shops since March 2 in protest, the government had not responded positively.

(UNI)

Kannada actor Darshan’s wife alleges verbal abuse; files complaint

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darshan

Bengaluru: Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa’s wife has filed a complaint at the Channammanakere Achchukattu police station on Wednesday evening alleging verbal abuse.

This is the second time the actor’a wife is lodging a complaint against her husband—the first one being for similar reasons.

As per reports, two petitions were filed, one by the wife and the other by the security guards of the apartment, who allege that they were verbally abused too by the actor.

The incident took place when the actor reportedly went to his wife’s residence in Hosakerehalli to take back his car.

(Agencies)

Syed Ali Shah Geelani suffers minor heart attack, hospitalised in Delhi

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Syed Ali Shah Geelani

New Delhi: Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani suffered a “minor heart attack” today and has been admitted to a hospital in New Delhi, his spokesman said.

“It was a minor heart attack. Thank god, he is stable,” spokesman Ayaz Akbar told IANS.

Mr Akbar said Mr Geelani, 86, was admitted to the Max Hospital in Saket in south Delhi where he was “recuperating fast”. Mr Geelani has been in Delhi for the past few weeks.

(IANS)

Autos driven by non-Marathis ‘will be set on fire’, says Raj Thackeray

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raj thackeray

Mumbai: Claiming that 70 per cent of new autorickshaw permits were given to non-Marathis, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday threatened that his party workers will set on fire these autos if they are seen running on roads.

“If any such auto with a new permit is seen plying on the road, those sitting inside will be asked to come out and the auto will be set on fire…Since Shiv Sena holds the state Transport portfolio, I want to ask how much is it getting in the deal,” he said addressing a gathering of party supporters on the occasion of MNS’s 10th foundation day.

Thackeray claimed that around 70 per cent of those given new permits are non-Marathi and demanded that only sons of the soil should be given licences.

“The government has done away with norms like asking for a domicile certificate and a letter from the CID before handing out auto permits to those seeking it, so that they can anyhow grant 70,000 permits in the coming days,” Thackeray said.

“The cost of each auto is Rs. 1.7 lakh and Rahul Bajaj’s company (Bajaj Auto) has the lot of 70,000 autos ready. It means that this is a business of Rs. 1,190 crore,” he said.

Thackeray alleged that there was no difference in the functioning of the erstwhile Congress-NCP government and the present BJP-Sena government as “corruption continues unabated.”

“Only faces have changed in the new government, but the corruption and style of working has remained unchanged,” he said.

In a bid to boost the morale of his party workers, Thackeray said ups and downs are a part of life and they should remember the purpose for which their party was formed.

“Every big person has encountered failure. So there is nothing new if we, too, have failed in the past. But, I assure you that the party will not stop now,” he said.

(PTI)

Will go to jail but not pay a penny: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on NGT fine

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Ravishankar Art of Living

New Delhi: The Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar today sounded defiant saying he would rather go to jail than pay the fine imposed on his organisation by the national green tribunal (NGT) for environmental violations over a cultural extravaganza on the floodplains of Yamuna.

“We have not done anything wrong. We have been taintless and will remain so. We we will go to jail but not pay a penny,” said Ravishankar.

The NGT on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs five crore on AOL as environmental compensation while clearing the decks for its three-day cultural extravaganza.

The organisation’s chief Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also tweeted that AOL was not “satisfied” with the verdict of the NGT and would appeal against it. He urged political parties not to “politicise” the event.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also denied that any tree at the venue was felled and claimed that the trees had only been pruned and all they had done was level the floodplain.

“Not a single tree was felled. Trees were only pruned and we levelled the floodplain,” he said today.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also expressed confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the festival and claimed that people opposing it would “soon see sense”.

“This is like a Cultural Olympics. 37,000 artistes from all over the world would come together at one single platform. This is an event to bring people closer to each other. Event of this magnitude should be welcomed,” he told NDTV.

Notwithstanding the raging row over environmental damage due to the 3-day festival, the NGT yesterday gave its go ahead to the event to be held on the Yamuna floodplains from March 11, expressing its helplessness in banning it because of “fait accompli”.

Nevertheless, it imposed a fine of Rs five crore on AOL as environmental compensation after coming down heavily on the foundation for not disclosing its full plans. The green bench also criticised the DDA and Environment Ministry for their role.

(PTI)

Govt allowed Mallya to escape: Congress; Loans given by UPA: Govt

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Vijay Mallya. Photo: Reuters

Vijay Mallya. Photo: Reuters

New Delhi: Congress today accused the BJP- led government of “criminal consipracy” in allowing businessman Vijay Mallya, facing probe in several loan default cases, to fly out of the country, as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought to corner the main opposition party by saying the loans were given to him during UPA rule.

“My charge against this government is that when so many agencies were interrogating him (Mallya), why was he not arrested, why was his passport not confiscated,” Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said in Rajya Sabha.

Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Azad said everyone knew Mallya “could flee any day” and the investigating agencies should have seized his passport and taken steps to restrict his movement.

Maintaining that Mallya lived a “luxurious life” and had bases in several countries, the Congress leader said Mallya is not a “needle” and moves around with an entourage and expressed surprise how he managed to leave the country despite a CBI “Look Out Notice”.

“My allegation is that this government is party to this criminal conspiracy of allowing him to escape and leave the country. In this criminal conspiracy, this Government should be made party and the Supreme Court should take note of this.

“Without the participation and without the active support of this government, he could not have left the country. That is my allegation,” Azad said, adding that “one had escaped, the second Lalit Modi (Mallya) should not be allowed to escape”.

Countering the charges, Jaitley said the banks have been asked to recover “every penny that is due”, adding that the first banking facility was given to Mallya and his companies in September 2004 which were renewed in February 2008.

The Leader of the House further said the accounts were declared non-performing assets (NPA) on April 30, 2009 and these debts were restructured and more facilites extened in December 2010.

“In what circumstances were the loans given is an issue of investigation and the CBI is investigating,” he said.

“How these accounts were running, what facilities were given, the dates tell their own story,” Jaitley said, adding “when the loans were given, how they were given… introspection will be required.”

Jaitley said the liabilities including interest aggregates to Rs 9,091.4 crore as on November 30, 2015.

Maintaining that banks and financial institutions were taking steps to recover dues and attachment of properties, the Minister said he had a list of 22 cases filed in different parts of the country and added that some assets have also been attached.

He also said there was no order to stop Mallya from leaving the country.

“That day, there was no order of any agency to stop him (from leaving the country),” Jaitley said, adding Mallya had left the country before the banks moved the Supreme Court for seizure of his passport.

Mallya had left the country on March 2.

On Azad’s contention that the present government had failed to bring back Lalit Modi, Jaitley said it was during the UPA rule that the former IPL chief had left the country.

“I was giving an example that one had escaped, the second Lalit Modi (Mallya) should not be allowed to escape,” Azad said.

The senior Congress leader also said that during his long political career, he has never recommended to any bank for advancing loan to any person.

Earlier, Naresh Agrawal (SP) said the matter of Mallya, a Rajya Sabha MP, should be referred to Ethics Committee.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said: “I agree with you. This is a matter to be taken up by the Ethics Committee”.

(Agencies)

Opposition, govt clash in Rajya Sabha over Art of Living event on Yamuna banks

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Ravishankar Art of Living

New Delhi: A united opposition in Rajya Sabha today slammed the Government for allowing Indian Army to be used for a private event of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living foundation, saying the event itself on the ecologically fragile flood plains of Yamuna was an environmental disaster.

Government sprung to the defence of the ‘Art of Living’ guru saying his intentions cannot be doubted as he was committed to protecting environment. The event is being organised with all permissions, it claimed adding that the issue cannot be raised in the House as it was being heard by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

But the members were not satisfied and rushed into the Well shouting slogans, forcing a brief adjournment.

Sharad Yadav (JD-U) and Ghulam Nabi Azad (Cong) gave notice under rule 267 seeking adjournment of proceedings to discuss the issue but the Deputy Chairman P J Kurien ruled that the former’s notice was not in order but he was allowing the issue to be raised as a Zero Hour submission.

Terming the construction of temporary structure on the flood plains of Yamuna for Art of Living World Culture Festival from February 11 to 13 as “destruction unseen in history”, Yadav said NGT had earlier given orders disallowing contruction activity on the ecologically fragile zone and DDA had cancelled permission twice.

He wanted to know “under what pressure was Indian Army deployed to build pontoon bridge for one person.”

Demanding immediate stoppage of the construction, he said, “What function is he (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) doing? Kya tamasha kar raha hai (what drama is he doing)?”
Kurien asked members not to criticise anybody who cannot come and defend himself in the House.

Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) asked “can Indian Army be roped in to assist a private function… it is highly irregular … for Army to be called in to create facilities for a private function.”

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Ravi Shankar was committed to environment protection and the programme was “being conducted with all permissions and is not illegal.”

Azad said he was not against ‘Art of Living’ foundation or any cultural festival but was concerned about environment, bio-diversity and ecology.

The government, rightly so, became a great champion of environment at the recent climate summit at Paris but what was happening in the capital was of concern, he said and asked why no environment clearance was taken for the function and “who issued permission to build pontoon bridge.”

(Agencies)

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