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CBI raids Teesta Setalvad’s residence, office in Mumbai

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Teesta Setalvad

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation Tuesday carried out searches at premises of social activist Teesta Setalvad and her organisation in connection with a case of alleged violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act in receiving funds from abroad without taking prior permission from the home ministry.

The CBI sleuths carried out searches at four places in Mumbai at the premises of Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand, Gulam Mohammed Peshimam and office of Sabrang Communications and Publishing, a move flayed by the social activist who said that she was cooperating with the CBI.

“We are surprised and shocked at this,” Teesta said, adding, “We have been offering full cooperation.”

The CBI had registered a case on July 8 against all these under IPC section related to criminal conspiracy (120-B) along with provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976.

“We had written a letter to CBI offering full cooperation and telling the agency that whatever so-called offences are registered against us, we will cooperate. So we don’t understand the rationale behind this entire operation,” Setalvad, who was at fore front of campaign for 2002 Gujarat riots victims, said.

“We believe that it is a caged-parrot in operation and its a political vendetta and they are trying to humiliate and intimidate us,” she said, noting “the team here is very professional but we don’t know where it will end”.

CBI sources said in New Delhi that the case was registered after the agency completed verification of all the documents submitted by the home ministry while referring the probe to the agency.

They said it is alleged that the accused named in the FIR, in a criminal conspiracy, accepted foreign contribution without registration and prior permission from the Union home ministry as mandated under FCRA norms.

The government had earlier ordered a CBI probe into the transfer of funds by US-based Ford Foundation to Sabrang Communication and Publishing Pvt Limited (SCPPL) and even froze a bank account of the firm on June 26.

It was alleged that at SCPPL violate rules of FCRA in accepting a donation of USD 2.9 lakh from Ford Foundation without getting clearance of the Home Ministry.

According to the rules, an organisation or a private firm can accept donations from overseas only after it is registered under FCRA. The donation was, therefore, a “serious violation” of FCRA provisions which mandate funding from a foreign source to only those recipients who have FCRA registration, the Home Ministry had said while ordering a CBI case.

A bank account of the firm located in Juhu, Mumbai, had also been frozen at the instruction of the Home Ministry.

The Gujarat government had earlier asked the Home Ministry to take action against Ford Foundation, alleging that the US-based organisation was “interfering in internal affairs” of the country and also “abetting communal disharmony” through an NGO run by Setalvad.

The fund transfer from Ford Foundation has, at present, to be cleared by a nodal official in the Home Ministry. In April, the government had ordered that funds from Ford Foundation should not be released by any bank to any Indian NGO without mandatory permission from the Home Ministry.

There are several cases in which the Gujarat government and Setalvad are waging legal battles. While she has filed several cases against the state government functionaries in connection with post-Godhra riots of 2002, the state police have filed a case of alleged embezzlement of funds against her.

(Agencies)

BCCI suspends Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah for corruption

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Hiken Shah

Mumbai: The Board of control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah with immediate effect on Monday after finding him guilty of breaching its Anti-Corruption Code.

The BCCI said Shah made a “corrupt” approach to one of his colleagues from first-class cricket, who plays in one of the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams.

Shah is a left-hand batsman and leg-break bowler who made his debut for Mumbai in domestic cricket in 2006 but has since struggled to be a regular member of the team. He has played 37 First Class matches, scoring 2160 runs at 42.35 with six centuries.

“His involvement in any form of cricket, affiliated with the BCCI stands suspended till the time the disciplinary committee of the BCCI passes appropriate orders,” the BCCI said in a statement on Monday.

The approached player informed of the approach to his franchise team which reacted by informing the incident to BCCI’s Anti Corruption Unit (ACU). The ACU conducted an immediate enquiry into the matter and found Shah guilty.

“After a detailed inquiry into the reported incident, the inquiry commissioner found Hiken Shah guilty of committing breach of Articles 2.1.1; 2.1.2; and 2.1.4 of the BCCI Anti-Corruption Code for participants and recommended their provisions to the BCCI President,” the statement added.

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said BCCI is committed to uphold its stance of “zero tolerance” for fixing and reacted swiftly by ordering a probe.

“BCCI has zero tolerance for corruption in the game of cricket. We have and we will take swift action against such incidents to set a precedent and control the menace of corruption in the game. While placing the player under suspension, I have referred the matter to the disciplinary committee of the BCCI to take further action against the player involved,” Damiya said in the release.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said the governing body’s education policy was beginning to show results and the incident proves that they are on the right track.

“This particular incident demonstrates that BCCI’s education policy against corruption is showing results, as the player approached was vigilant enough to report the matter to the ACU of the BCCI.

Having said that, the fight against corruption is an ongoing battle and we will not leave any stone unturned. BCCI is committed to keep cricket corruption-free,” he said.

(IANS)

Government to pay Rs 12/litre kerosene subsidy, full for LPG

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KEROSENE

New Delhi: The government has capped the subsidy it will pay on kerosene at Rs 12 per litre while deciding to foot the entire bill on domestic cooking gas, a senior official said.

The Finance Ministry will pay Rs 12 per litre in cash to state-owned fuel retailers and any unbridged gap between the retail selling price and the cost of production will be borne by upstream companies like ONGC, he said.

Currently, oil companies sell kerosene at a loss of about Rs 18 per litre. Of this, the government will foot Rs 12 and the rest will come from upstream firms.

“At current oil prices, the upstream share for the full fiscal may be Rs 5,000-6,000 crore,” he said.

For LPG, the government has decided to fully bear the difference between the cost and the retail selling price.

The Budget for 2015-16 has provided for Rs 22,000 crore towards LPG subsidy and another Rs 8,000 crore on kerosene.

“While provisioning for kerosene is sufficient, additional funds may have to be provided in supplementary demands for LPG,” he added.

(PTI)

Another witness in Asaram Bapu rape case shot in Shahjahanpur

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Asaram Bapu

Bareilly: A witness in a rape case against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was shot at and seriously injured by unidentified assailants in Shajanpur district, police said here on Saturday.

35-year-old Kripal Singh was shot at by two unidentified motorcycle-borne persons in Puwayan area while he was on his way home last night, they said.

Police said that Singh, who sustained severe bullet injuries was rushed to Bareilly where his condition was stated to be critical.

In a statement given to Additional City Magistrate, Singh had alleged that people connected to Asaram Bapu were threatening him from the last few days.

Police said that Singh was an employee of a transport company, whose owner’s daughter had lodged a case of sexual assault against the self-styled godman,.

In January this year, another witness who had served as a cook at Asaram’s ashram was shot dead in Muzaffarnagar.

(PTI)

Modi bhakts are sexually frustrated men who can’t get women: Chetan Bhagat

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Chetan Bhagat

Mumbai: Best selling Indian author Chetan Bhagat, who was once known for his pro-Modi stance, has now kicked up a fresh controversy by dubbing Hindutva activists “sexually frustrated” men.

Bhagat’s latest article takes a dig at right-wing trolls, popularly known on social media as ‘bhakts’. The article tries to dissect the mind of this particular category of people and the author unabashedly calls them “Frustrated and Complex Ridden Male” who speak poor English and claim to Modi loyalists.

Bhagat states that while they may not be following all the policies that the PM endorses (like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan) but are always quick to defend Modi in times when the leader chooses to keep quiet. “They are extremely protective of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also like old Hindu kings and conspiracy theories about how Hindus were shortchanged in the past – they often swap such stories online,” writes Bhagat.

Referring to the recent attack on two women on Twitter by the ‘Bhakts’ during the ‘Selfie With Daughter’ campaign, the author calls these people “insecure” and state that they are not so much pro-Hindus but claim to be nationalists.

“They are generally not good at talking to women. As a result they are unlikely to know how to behave with them or woo them. They do desire women, but can’t get them. In other words, if I may say so, they are sexually frustrated with no way of getting it.

There is an over-riding sense of shame about being Hindu, Hindi speaking and/ or Indian. Deep down they know that Hindi-speaking Hindus are among India’s poorest. They also know that India is a third world country with third rate infrastructure and few achievements on the world stage in science, sports, defence or creativity,” Bhagat further writes in his blog.

Bhagat, though, cleverly tries to not blame BJP. He writes, “Note that BJP never invited these true bhakts to worship them. In fact the PM had to tell them off, as even he seems to have had enough of their hyper-aggressive bhakti.” And then goes on advise the ruling party by saying “BJP must distance itself from this unrestrained testosterone. What seems like support starts to look unsavoury pretty soon and cements the hard line image of the party.”

Karnataka: 97 residential apartments built on lake-beds says Revenue Minister

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lake_encroachment

Bengaluru: About 97 residential apartments have been constructed on lake lands in Bengaluru, said Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question by put forth by V S Ugrappa in the Council, the minister said that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for those people behind these constructions.

The investigation into this matter is set on the recommendations of a joint House committee set up to look into encroachment on lakes in Bengaluru Urban district.

The minister also conceded that the BBMP built its waste management unit encroaching upon Haralukunte tank area in south Bengaluru. This matter too was under consideration, he said.

During the encroachment clearance drive in tank areas, 33 acres and 25 guntas of encroached land was cleared at Sarakki tank, five acre and 18 guntas at Haralukunte tank, 17 acres and 24 guntas at Banaswadi tank, and two acres at Allalsandra tank. A total of 167 unauthorised residential buildings were demolished, he said.

Minor Irrigation Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said that the department has prepared a detailed report to implement a project to fill up lakes in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts with waste water generated in Bengaluru. It is reported that this project is estimated to cost Rs 1,072 crore and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has agreed to allocate funds to the project.

(Agencies)

Vyapam probe will join CBI’s 6,562 pending corruption trials

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cbi

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh’s embattled Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has welcomed the Supreme Court’s move to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into what has come to be called the Vyapam scam, but with 6,562 corruption cases pending trial, justice through the overstretched agency is unlikely to be quick.

The CBI must first investigate the Vyapam case, which will mean tracking down thousands of of suspects and witnesses and following a complex eight-year trail (the scandal first came to light in 2007). After investigation, it must file a charge-sheet. Only then will the case go to trial.

Chouhan was under pressure to accede to a CBI inquiry because as many as 35 people have died since an investigation began in 2013 into allegations of bribes paid for medical college admissions to the Madhya Pradesh Vyavsayik Pareesksha Mandal (Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board), or Vyapam.

With 2,500 people already named as accused and 1,900 in prison pending investigation, which until July 9, 2015, was monitored by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the new inquiry by the CBI is likely to challenge the agency, already struggling to cope with a rising number of pending investigations and trials in CBI courts.

Over the past four years, the CBI has brought down its case-load by no more than 9 percent, from 7,178 in 2011 to 6,562 in 2014, according to the latest government data available on March 31, 2014.

Delhi tops the list with 765 corruption cases pending before the courts. Maharashtra is next with 691 cases followed by West Bengal (646), Uttar Pradesh (596) and Tamil Nadu (474).

Over the past four years, the CBI registered 2,220 cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The agency has completed investigations in 1,512 cases, while 708 cases are pending investigation.

During 2013, the conviction rate for corruption cases tried in CBI courts was 69 percent, according to latest data available with the National Crime Records Bureau.

Slow progress in high-profile cases

The Vyapam inquiry is likely to be a high-profile probe, involving top government officials and ministers.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav is also alleged to be involved. A notice has now been issued against the governor by the Supreme Court. One of the accused in the scam has also filed a police complaint against union minister Uma Bharati.

Over the past four years, the CBI has registered a total of 45 cases against central government ministers, members of parliament and ex-ministers of state and central governments.

While 25 cases are under trial, 12 cases are under investigation. Five cases have been closed by CBI. In one case, the agency has appealed against the order of the court, according to government data.

The Supreme Court steps in

On July 9, 2015, the Supreme Court ordered that all criminal cases and deaths connected with the Vyapam scandal be transferred to the CBI.

On July 24, the Supreme Court will decide if it will monitor the CBI inquiry. Criticising the Madhya Pradesh High Court for postponing a state government request to hand over the case to the CBI, Chief Justice Dattu said the High Court will not “touch the Vyapam case” now.

Vyapam is a self-financed, autonomous body of the Madhya Pradesh state government, organising competitive entrance tests to professional courses. Its website says it is the only institute of its kind in India.

More than 7 million candidates have appeared for the exams conducted by Vyapam over the past six years.

The first death related to the bribery scandal was reported in 2009, when a medical student accused of being a middleman by the police died of an illness and adverse drug reaction. About 500 people connected to the case are missing.

(IANS)

Modi accepts Sharif’s invitation to visit Pak for SAARC summit

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Modi-Sharif

Ufa: India and Pakistan on Friday decided to revive the stalled dialogue process and find ways to expedite trial of the Mumbai attack case as Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif agreed to cooperate to eliminate terrorism from South Asia.

Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif met for nearly one hour in Ufa on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and discussed entire gamut of issues between the two countries.

Foreign Secretaries S. Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry held a joint press meet where they read out a joint statement on the outcome of the meeting between the two leaders.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz will meet in New Delhi to discuss all issues connected to terrorism, said the joint statement.

“Both sides agreed to discuss ways and means to expedite the Mumbai atack trial, including additional information like providing voice samples,” the statement said.

Mr. Modi accepted Mr. Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan for the SAARC Summit in 2016.

“They agreed that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues,” the statement said.

russia1

Fishermen to be released

Both sides also agreed to hold early meetings of DG BSF and DG Pakistan Rangers followed by that of Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs).

It was decided to release fishermen in each other’s custody, along with their boats, within a period of 15 days.

A mechanism for facilitating religious tourism will also be worked out, as per the five-point “steps” to be taken by the two sides.

The two leaders warmly shook hands and posed for the shutterbugs before settling down for the talks.

(PTI)

Modi holds talks with Putin, Xi

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Modi Putin Xi

Ufa: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, during which all bilateral issues were discussed.

Modi held talks with Putin within hours of landing in Ufa for the BRICS and SCO summits, and afterwards held an 85-minute talk with Xi.

His meeting with Xi comes over a month after the two leaders met at Xi’an in China in May.

Putin conveyed to Modi that the process of India’s accession into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has begun.

Putin, the host of the BRICS and SCO summits being held in this Russian city, told Modi: “We are beginning the process of full-fledged inclusion of India into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.”

Putin said it was “a very important event”.

Modi thanked Putin, saying: “Under your (Putin’s) leadership in BRICS, India has become a member of SCO. I am very grateful.”

India and Pakistan, both observers of the China-led bloc, are to be made permanent members of the SCO.

Modi, who arrived earlier in the day from Kazakhstan, thanked Putin for the warm welcome and also for observance of the International Day of Yoga in Russian cities on June 21.

Putin said jocularly that he has not tried to do yoga yet, though he is all for it.

With Xi, the talks also touched on the border issue and trade.

“An in-depth discussion covering all aspects of bilateral relations. 85-minute long meeting between President Xi & PM ends,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

“Our fifth meeting in a year shows the depth of the India-China relationship. PM @narendramodi tells President Xi,” according to another tweet.

“From a spring meeting in China to a summer one in Russia – for the second bilateral of @BRICS2015, PM with President Xi,” he tweeted again.

According to Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, the talks covered the border issue and the work the Special Representatives have been charged with to make “accelerated progress on the boundary question” as well as the possibility of more meeting points between their forces on the border, he told reporters after the talks.

India’s application for membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group was also taken up during the talks with China as well as counter-terrorism, said Jaishanakr.

He said Modi’s talk with both leaders also dwelt on the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), of which India is one of the founding members and the second largest shareholder.

Jaishankar said a common theme was increasing cooperation within the SCO.

The Seventh annual BRICS Summit is set to take place July 9 in Ufa, while the SCO summit will be held on July 10.

(IANS)

CBI books Teesta Setalvad, husband for illegal foreign funds

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Teesta Setalvad

New Delhi: The CBI on Wednesday registered a case against social activist Teesta Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand and associate Peshimam Gulam Mohammad for criminal conspiracy and illegal acceptance of foreign contributions for their company, Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt. Ltd. (SCPPL).

The three have been accused of diverting foreign funds to SCPPL by violating the provision of the Foreign Contribution and Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010.

A Central Bureau of Investigation official said that the trio has also been booked under various sections of FCRA 2010 and Protection of Civil Rights Act.

“The allegations are of criminal conspiracy for illegal acceptance of foreign contribution without registration and prior permission from the ministry of home affairs,” the official told IANS.

Javed, Teesta and Mohammad are directors of SCPPL, based in Santa Cruz in Mumbai.

(IANS)

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