Category Archives: Politics

National, Politics

Opposition forces repeated adjournments in Parliament over NEET issue

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PTI, New Delhi, Jun 28, 2024 :  The opposition caused repeated disruptions in Parliament Friday over the NEET paper leak issue, with both Houses being adjourned for the day without transacting much business apart from the Rajya Sabha taking up the Motion of Thanks for the President’s address amid protests including by the BJD, which almost always supported the BJP in the previous Lok Sabha.

    
At one point, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge too entered the Well of the House to join the opposition protest.

The Lok Sabha was first adjourned minutes after it assembled at 11 am, and then when it reassembled around 12 noon, it was adjourned till Monday amid the opposition’s demand for a discussion on the issue.

Rajya Sabha also witnessed a series of disruptions before being adjourned for the day around 6 pm. But even during the time the House functioned, much of the time was taken up by the Opposition parties registering their protest by rasing slogans and entering into the Well of the House.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed anguish over Kharge trooping into the Well, saying it is for the first time that a person occupying the post has engaged in such a conduct.

The opposition was relentless in their protest in Lok Sabha also which led to its first adjournment of the day minutes after the members assembled.

When the House reassembled at 12 noon, opposition members continued with their demand for a discussion on matters related to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

Speaker Om Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told opposition members that they can discuss the matter during the course of the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

Birla said there are certain norms of Parliament that have to be followed and committees have to be formed, to which Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said students are not aware of it. They are only demanding justice.
    
As members from the Congress, TMC and DMK stormed into the Well, Rijiju said it is for the first time that the opposition is seen demanding a discussion on an issue before the House takes up the Motion of Thanks.

“There is a difference between protest on the road and protest inside the House… You (Opposition) don’t want House to run? You don’t want to discuss NEET during Motion of Thanks discussion?” Birla said.

As the House continued to see uproar, Birla adjourned the proceedings till Monday.

Amid din, TMC member S K Nurul Islam took oath as a Lok Sabha member from his seat as he was visibly unwell.

Earlier when the House met in morning, opposition members were up on their feet seeking the acceptance of an adjournment motion to suspend all business and discuss matters related to NEET.

However, Birla said he would first take up the obituary references to 13 former members, including ex-Lok Sabha speaker and ex-Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi.

When the obituary references were over, the opposition members were on their feet again.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the NEET issue is a very important for the whole country and they want a dedicated discussion in the House on the matter. Hence, the adjournment motion should be accepted, he said.

However, Birla said he could not allow it as the House was about to take up the discussion on the Motion of Thanks for the President’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday.

Back in the Rajya Sabha, BJD members joined other opposition parties in their protests.

In the previous Lok Sabha, the BJD was seen siding with the BJP. But after losing to the BJP in the just-held assembly elections in Odisha and failing to open its account in the Lok Sabha, the BJD has joined hands with other opposition parties in targeting the BJP.

Soon after laying of the listed papers on the table of the House during the morning session, Dhankhar informed that he has not accepted 22 notices by the opposition leaders to suspend the scheduled business of the day and take up discussion on the alleged irregularities in the NEET.

This led to protest by opposition MPs. They started raising slogans and several of them entered into the Well.

When Kharge joined his colleagues in the Well, Dhankhar said, “I am pained and surprised that Indian parliamentary tradition will stoop to such low that the leader of the opposition will troop into the Well,” he said, before adjourning the proceedings till 2 pm.

The House later took up the discussions on the Motion of the Thanks before adjourning for the day around 6 pm.

Earlier, when the Rajya Sabha reassembled at 2:30 pm, DMK member Tiruchi Siva informed the House that Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam, who had fainted earlier, had high blood pressure.

In response, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “I have taken all steps, suspended the working of the House. All arrangements were made and that was the most that could be done. Everything is being taken care of.”

However, the opposition was apparently not satisfied and started sloganeering. Soon after, they staged a walkout and were also joined by members of the Biju Janta Dal (BJD). 
National, Politics

Rahul meets Speaker, says reference to Emergency could have been avoided

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PTI, New Delhi, Jun 27, 2024 :  Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Speaker Om Birla on Thursday and voiced his displeasure over the reference to Emergency made by the chair, saying it was “clearly political” and could have been avoided.

    
It was a courtesy call during which Gandhi also raised the issue of Emergency being invoked by the Speaker in the House, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal told reporters after the meeting in the Parliament House.

“It was a courtesy call. The Speaker declared Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition and after that, he along with other INDIA bloc partner leaders met the Speaker,” he said.

Asked whether Gandhi discussed the issue of Emergency being raised in the House, Venugopal said, “We discussed so many things about Parliament functioning. Of course, this issue also came up.”

“Rahul ji, as Leader of Opposition, informed the Speaker about this issue and said it could have been avoided from the Speaker’s reference. That is clearly a political reference, it could have been avoided,” the Congress leader said.

Separately, Venugopal also wrote to Birla, expressing the party’s displeasure over the bringing of the resolution on the Emergency as his first task after assuming office.

“I am writing this in the context of a very grave matter impacting the very credibility of the institution of Parliament. Yesterday, that is 26 June 2024, at the time of offering felicitations on your election as Speaker Lok Sabha, there was a general camaraderie in the House as such occasions generate,” he said in his letter to the Speaker.

“However, what followed thereafter, which is a reference from the Chair after your acceptance speech, in regard to the declaration of Emergency half a century ago, is deeply shocking. Making such a political reference from the Chair is unprecedented in the annals of the history of Parliament. This coming from the Chair as one of the ‘first duties’ of a newly elected Speaker assumes even graver proportions.

“I, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, express our profound concern and anguish over this travesty of Parliamentary traditions,” Venugopal said in his letter to the Speaker.

Soon after his election as Lok Sabha Speaker, Birla had on Wednesday set off a firestorm by reading out a resolution condemning the imposition of Emergency as an attack on the Constitution by then prime minister Indira Gandhi, an act that triggered vociferous protests by Congress member in the House.
    
Birla recalled that it was on June 26, 1975, that the country woke up to the cruel realities of Emergency when the Congress government jailed opposition leaders, imposed many restrictions on the media and also curbed the autonomy of the judiciary.
    
Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with the Speaker was the first after he assumed charge as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
    
He was accompanied by Samajwadi Party’s Dharmendra Yadav and Dimple Yadav, DMK’s Kanimozhi, NCP’s (SP) Supriya Sule, RJDs Misa Bharti and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee, RSP’s N K Premachandran and some others.
Politics, Sikkim

Golay meets Jal Shakti Minister, requests river training work to clear Teesta bed of debris of GLOF

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PRAKASH ADHIKARI, EOI, GANGTOK, JUNE 26, 2024 : In a meeting with Union Minister for Jal Shakti Mr C.R Patil on Tuesday, Chief Minister of Sikkim Prem Singh Tamang highlighted the immense challenges faced by Sikkim following a sudden cloudburst on October 3 and 4, 2023, which led to a significant discharge in the Teesta River. This event brought in enormous debris, causing a substantial rise in the water level due to sedimentation, with the riverbed level rising by approximately eight to 10 metres and drastically altering the morphology of the river, he informed.

Emphasising the urgent need to strengthen the Teesta River banks, the Chief Minister called for appropriate River Training Works (RTW) along the alignment from Zeema to Melli. Implementing these RTWs would help mitigate the devastation from the river and prevent further disasters, he apprises. 
The Chief Minister explained how the silt deposits had caused the river to swell, partially submerging low-lying areas and endangering lives and properties. Continuous heavy downpour during the monsoon has raised water levels dangerously, threatening to submerge the towns of Dikchu, Singtam, Rangpo, and Melli. Infrastructure such as road networks, jhora training works, and river protection walls had been severely damaged.
In light of these challenges, the Chief Minister requested the Ministry of JalShakti to execute a team of experts to study the morphology of river Teesta’s, assess the damage, and provide guidance, resources, and expert recommendations. The Union Minister asked officials to pay utmost heed to the proposal regarding the constitution of a team of experts to take care of immediate necessities and mitigation in regards to the rivers and glaciers of Sikkim
Politics, West Bengal

Newly elected TMC MLAs fail to take oath, Guv leaves for Delhi

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PTI, Kolkata, Jun 26, 2024 : The deadlock over the swearing-in of two newly elected TMC legislators continued on Wednesday as West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose refused to hold the programme in the assembly as requested by them, and instead left for New Delhi, officials said.

Miffed by the development, the two MLAs, Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Rayat Hossain Sarkar, said they would again write to the Governor and would continue their sit-in protest on Thursday too inside the assembly premises.

“Today we waited till 4 PM but the Governor didn’t come. We would again write to the Governor and request him to administer the oath here at the assembly. Tomorrow again we would sit near the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar and protest against the injustice,” Bandopadhyay said after a meeting with Speaker Biman Banerjee, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobhandeb Chottoapadhyay along with Sarkar.

Raj Bhavan had earlier invited the two, who were elected to the assembly in recent by-polls, to take the oath at the Governor’s House on Wednesday.

However, the TMC claimed that the convention dictates that in the case of by-poll winners, the governor assigns the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the assembly to administer the oath.

According to sources at Raj Bhavan, the governor left for New Delhi in the evening.

Earlier in the day, the two MLAs arrived at the assembly and stated their intention to wait for the governor till 4 pm to administer their oath of office or authorize the Speaker to do so.

They also staged a sit-in on the staircase of the assembly demanding the same.

“We came to know that he had left for New Delhi. We are not nominated but elected representatives of the people. We are accountable to the masses. We are hopeful of taking the oath in the assembly,” Bandyopadhyay said.

Speaker Biman Banerjee, who expressed his displeasure over the situation, accused Bose of turning the swearing-in ritual into an “ego battle” and intentionally complicating the issue.

He claimed that an impasse was deliberately created for reasons best known to the governor.

“We were waiting for the governor to come to the assembly, but he didn’t come. Such an impasse is not at all expected. The governor has turned it into an ego battle. He is exercising his powers. I will also consult legal experts to understand my powers,” Banerjee said.

Calling the swearing-in of MLAs a “Constitutional convention”, the Speaker said he considered it a “misfortune” to witness such developments in current times.

The Speaker said he wasn’t aware of any instance where an MP who won a by-poll was sworn in by the President of India.

“Until we take the oath, we cannot function as MLAs. The people of our constituencies are suffering,” Bandyopadhyay said.

Bandyopadhyay and Sarkar were elected from Baranagar near Kolkata and Bhagwangola in Murshidabad district, respectively.

The latest faceoff between the Bengal Governor and the state’s ruling TMC was triggered by a Raj Bhavan communication a few days back inviting the two newly elected MLAs to be present at Raj Bhavan on July 26 for their swearing-in ceremony.

The act, the TMC alleged, was in defiance of the custom of the Governor assigning the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the House to do the needful in cases of by-poll winners.

The Raj Bhavan letter also reportedly has no mention of who would administer the oath to the new MLAs.

International, National, Politics

Buzz: Indian drones and ammunition used by Israel in Gaza arsenal

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 ‘Indians always remind us that Israel was there for them during the Kargil War. Israel was one of the few countries that stood by them and provided them with weapons’
An Israeli soldier on a tank near the Israel-Gaza border on Monday. There is no suggestion that the tank was provided by India.: Reuters picture

Anita Joshua, TT, New Delhi , 26.06.24 : A former Israeli ambassador to India has said speculation in the international media about Indian drones and ammunition being used by Israel in Gaza may well be true considering the gratitude New Delhi feels towards Tel Aviv for its assistance during the Kargil War 25 years ago.

“Indians always remind us that Israel was there for them during the Kargil War. Israel was one of the few countries that stood by them and provided them with weapons. The Indians don’t forget this and might now be returning the favour,” Daniel Carmon told Israeli news network Ynetnews.

Iran was quick to pick on this and the official news agency, IRNA, flashed it on Sunday as “India sent great deal of arms to Israeli regime: Zionist media”.

While there has been some chatter about India sending weapons to Israel for a while now, the decision of Spain to prevent a cargo ship originating from Chennai from docking at one of its ports en route Israel in May has added fuel to the fire.

“The ship, originating from the city of Madras in India, was carrying 27 tonnes of munitions destined for the IDF (Israel Defence Forces), against the backdrop of the war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah on the Lebanon border. The incident highlights the fact that India has been providing significant military assistance to Israel since October 7,” the Ynetnews report said.

Before this report, the South China Morning Post had quoted analysts as saying that the shipment on the Danish-flagged ship, the Marianne Danica, which had sought permission to dock at Cartegana, Spain, was most likely from a “third-party vendor”.

In February, Shephard News, which specialises in global defence news, had reported that “the first private UAV manufacturing facility in India has delivered more than 20 Hermes 900 medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAVs to Israel”.

“Hyderabad-based Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems India Ltd, a joint venture company between India’s Adani Defence and Aerospace and Israel’s Elbit Systems, became the first entity to manufacture the UAVs outside of Israel,” it added.

Ynetnews, quoting an Indian news report, said India was supplying Israel with advanced Hermes 900 drones manufactured in Hyderabad. “The report said the factory, established by Israel to supply these drones to the Indian military, converted 20 of them specifically for the IDF due to the shortage created during the war.”

In both these instances there was no official confirmation or comment from India and Israel.

In March, Israeli newspaper Haaretz had reported that the IDF used 70-year-old munitions and shells intended for training in India in Gaza. Faced with weapons shortages, the IDF, according to the report, has been using munitions dating back to the 1950s.

“Then there was the case of ‘the Indian munitions’. No one is sure why they earned this moniker. Legend has it that these were American munitions that came from emergency storehouses in India. Some of these left the factory in 1953, a decade before the first M109. Whatever their source, ultimately the soldiers had to try to accurately fire 70-year-old munitions. According to the US army, the maximal shelf life for such explosives is 40 years in optimal storage conditions of up to 30 degrees Celsius,” Haaretz reported.
Games & Sports, Politics, Sikkim

After consecutive defeats, Bhaichung Bhutia quits politics, ‘Simply not for me’

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 After the 2024 election results, I have had the realisation that electoral politics is simply not for me, he said

PTI, Gangtok, Jun 25 2024 : Indian football icon Bhaichung Bhutia on Tuesday announced that he was quitting politics, following his defeat in the recently held assembly elections in Sikkim.
Bhaichung, the vice president of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), lost to SKM’s Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia in the Barfung seat, which marked his sixth electoral defeat.
He joined politics in 2014 when the ruling TMC in West Bengal named him as its candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat. In 2018, he took the plunge into the political arena of his state by forming the Hamro Sikkim Party. Last year, he merged his party with the Pawan Chamling-led SDF.
“Firstly, I would like to congratulate Mr PS Tamang and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) for winning the assembly elections. The people of Sikkim have given them a resounding mandate and I hope the SKM govt will work to fulfil their promises and take Sikkim to greater heights across all sectors,” he said in a statement. 
“After the 2024 election results, I have had the realisation that electoral politics is simply not for me. I am therefore quitting all forms of electoral politics with immediate effect,” he added.
After losing the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency to the BJP in 2014, the TMC fielded Bhutia as its candidate for the 2016 West Bengal assembly elections in the Siliguri seat, but he lost to the CPI(M). Following the formation of his party in 2018, he contested the 2019 Sikkim assembly elections from two seats but lost in both. He again unsuccessfully contested the by-election to the Gangtok assembly seat, which was held later that year.
He lost the recently held elections to the SKM by 4,346 votes.
Bhutia, the former Indian football captain, said he felt he had great ideas for the development of sports and tourism in Sikkim.
“…given a chance, I would have loved to implement and contribute to the growth of the state in a very honest and sincere way,” he said.
“Unfortunately it was not to be. I am certain there will be more people with better ideas to do so,” he said.
Bhutia said that his intention in politics was to do good for the people of the state and the country.
National, Politics

Om Birla vs K Suresh: First LS Speaker election as INDIA puts forth nominee

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 Opposition candidate K Suresh will be contesting against NDA’s Om Birla, in a first-ever election for the Speaker post since independence

PTI, New Delhi, Jun 25, 2024 : The ruling BJP-led NDA on Tuesday maintained its streak of continuity in its third term by fielding previous Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for the crucial parliamentary position again, but its bid for a consensus was thwarted by the opposition which forced an election by nominating Kodikunnil Suresh as its candidate.

    The opposition’s last-minute decision to go for a rare contest came after senior BJP leaders did not agree to its precondition that the INDIA bloc must be offered the post of Deputy Speaker in lieu of supporting Birla, who is the clear favourites in case of an election.
    A brief interaction involving Congress leader K C Venugopal and DMK’s T R Baalu from the opposition side and Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and J P Nadda, who is also the BJP president, at Singh’s office in Parliament to evolve a consensus ended in acrimony as both sides stuck to their position.
    Both opposition leaders walked out, with Venugopal accusing the government of not following the “convention” of an opposition candidate for the Deputy Speaker’s position and announcing the decision to field a candidate against Birla.
    Union ministers Piyush Goyal of the BJP and Lalan Singh of the JD(U) accused the opposition of resorting to pressure politics and putting forth preconditions despite senior ministers’ assurance that its demand will be considered when the time to pick the Deputy Speaker comes.
    “There can be no pressure politics,” Union minister and JD(U) leader Lalan Singh told reporters, while Goyal said democracy cannot be run on preconditions.
     The scheduled day for picking the Speaker is Wednesday and if an election occurs, it will be only the third time in Lok Sabha’s history, official sources said.
    With the NDA having 293 MPs in its kitty and the INDIA bloc 233, numbers clearly favour Birla in Lok Sabha, which currently has 542 members after Rahul Gandhi resigned from one of the two seats he was elected from. At least three independent members also support the opposition.
     The NDA is hopeful that some unaligned parties, including the YSR Congress having four MPs, will also back Birla.
    BJP sources claimed that the Congress has been the main aggressor on the issue and some other INDIA bloc members are not very keen on a contest.
    If Birla, the BJP MP from Kota, is elected, it will be fifth time that a Speaker would serve beyond the tenure of one Lok Sabha. Though Congress leader Balram Jakhar is the only presiding officer to have served two complete terms extending seventh and eighth Lok Sabha.
    A third-term MP, Birla is also a three-term former Rajasthan MLA and has risen through the ranks in the BJP. Suresh, his rival for the Speaker’s post, is a eighth-term MP from Kerala and hails from a Dalit community.
    If a division of votes takes place in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, then paper slips will be used as the electronic system is not operational yet in the new Lok Sabha where members are still in the process of being allocated their seats.
    Seasoned BJP leader Rajnath Singh had taken the lead in reaching out to opposition parties over the issue as Birla emerged as the NDA’s consensus choice and met its senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    Suresh said it is not about winning or losing, but about a convention that Speaker will be of ruling party and deputy speaker from the opposition.
    “Last two Lok Sabhas, they denied us deputy speaker’s post because they said you are not recognised as the opposition. Now we are recognised as the opposition, (and) deputy speaker post is our right. But they are not ready to give us. Till 11.50, we were waiting for reply from government’s side but they did not give any reply,” he told reporters.
    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said this has come barely 24 hours after the prime minister advocated consensus in running the country.
    “Convention has been that the Speaker is elected unanimously and the deputy speaker’s post goes to the opposition,” Ramesh said.
    He accused Prime Minister Modi of breaking this tradition.
    “It is actually no surprise. He has still not woken up to the reality of the 2024 poll verdict which was a PPM defeat for him–personal, political and moral,” he posted on X.
    Sources said more than 10 sets of nominations (called notices for motion) were filed in support of Birla’s candidature, including from Prime Minister Modi, Union ministers Shah, Singh and Nadda, and members of BJP allies like TDP, JD(U), JD(S) and LJP (R).
    Three sets of nominations were filed in support of Suresh.
    Known of its knack of springing surprises, the BJP leadership chose to stick to Birla in line with its decision to retains its old hands in key positions.
    Though the Speaker is independent of political and executive control, realpolitik considerations are often the driving force behind the choice for the Chair which is the nerve centre of Parliament’s functioning.
Politics, Regional

North Bengal civic bodies under line of fire from chief minister Mamata Banerjee

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The Bengal CM reprimanded Gautam Deb, mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation for poor performance of the civic body

Avijit Sinha, TT, Siliguri, 25.06.24 : Gautam Deb, the mayor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), came in the line of fire of chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

On one hand, the chief minister reprimanded him for poor performance of the civic body. On the other hand, she asked Deb to be proactive in stopping the highhandedness of land mafias who are grabbing government land and making illegal constructions.
“We are well aware of what is happening in the Sevoke Road, Kawakhali and Dabgram-Fulbari areas. Mafias are grabbing and selling government land. We have initiated a probe and will not spare these people. Gautam (Deb), you are here and you can’t evade your responsibility,” said Mamata, while speaking at the meeting in Nabanna.

She also asked the mayor to not only demolish illegal constructions but also restore the original condition of such land.

“Be tough. Don’t allow such highhandedness. We have information that a section of policemen and some people in the land (and land reforms) department is also linked to these land mafias,” Mamata told Deb.

In Siliguri and surroundings, highhandedness of land mafias is a major issue which has not been addressed in a major way so far. Several complaints have been registered with the police and the administration regaring the operations of land sharks.

“These land mafias have voted the BJP. It is because of their support that the BJP has won,” said Mamata.

Mamata also said four civic bodies in north Bengal performed “worst.”

The SMC, she said, is one of the worst-performing civic bodies in the state in providing drinking water, along with Alipurduar municipality.

The SMC, Mamata pointed out, has also performed miserably in the field of housing (including its failure to control illegal construction), along with Raiganj municipality.

The Dalkhola civic body, on the other hand, has been included in the list of worst-performers in the parameter of cleanliness.

In the course of the meeting, Mamata also sneered at Rabindranath Ghosh, the civic chairman of Cooch Behar, for the decision to increase mutation charges and some other taxes.

“Who are you to increase the taxes? Such an increase cannot be done without the state’s approval,” said Mamata, while addressing Ghosh.

The chief minister was equally critical over the functioning of certain development authorities and said the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA), has been dissolved.

“Hundreds of people have been engaged at these authorities….they simply sit idle. This will not be tolerated. We have dissolved SJDA and handed over the responsibility to the DM (of Darjeeling),” she said.

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph
National, Politics

CBI takes over 5 cases of alleged malpractices in NEET-UG from Bihar, Gujarat and Rajasthan

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Over 2 dozen students detained during march to Parliament
The CBI has re-registered one case each from Gujarat and Bihar and three cases from Rajasthan as its own FIR

PTI, New Delhi, Jun 24 2024 : The CBI has taken over the investigation of five new cases of alleged malpractices in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG that were being probed by police in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bihar, officials said on Monday.

They said the central agency has re-registered one case each from Gujarat and Bihar and three cases from Rajasthan as its own FIR, while it is also likely to take up another case from Maharashtra’s Latur.
Barring the case from Bihar, the other four appear to be isolated incidents of impersonation and cheating by local officials, invigilators and candidates, the officials said.
The CBI has already registered its own FIR in connection with the case on a reference from the Union education ministry to conduct a comprehensive probe, they said.
After taking over these new cases, the CBI is now probing a total of six cases pertaining to alleged irregularities in NEET-UG, the officials said.
ALSO READ: ‘Abolish NEET, restore state-led exams’: Mamata Banerjee writes to PM Modi
NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
The examination was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. Over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the test.
The first CBI FIR was registered on Sunday, a day after the ministry announced it would hand over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam to the central agency, a demand raised by a section of students protesting in several cities.
“The ministry of education has requested the CBI to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the entire gamut of alleged irregularities, including conspiracy, cheating, impersonation, breach of trust and destruction of evidence by candidates, institutes and middlemen,” a CBI spokesperson said earlier.
The role of public servants, if any, connected with the conduct of the examination and also into the entire gamut of events and the larger conspiracy will also be under the scanner, officials have said.
Crime, National, Politics

6 held in Deoghar in NEET paper leak case

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 The six arrested from Jharkhand include a man known as Sintu, alias Chintu. The agency is delving into his past and present contacts to ascertain how far he was involved in the paper leak
Activists under the banner of Yuva Shakti stage a protest over the alleged irregularities in NEET 2024 results and UGC-NET 2024 exam cancellation, in Patna, Saturday, June 22: PTI photo

Dev Raj Patna, TT, 23.06.24 : Investigations by the Bihar police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU) have indicated that a mafia specialising in leaking papers of competitive examinations compromised the NEET-UG and circulated the leaked paper with the help of other gangs in Bihar and Jharkhand.

The EOU arrested six people from Deoghar in Jharkhand late on Friday and brought them to Patna on Saturday for questioning after completing the necessary formalities. This has taken the number of arrests in the case to 19.

“We initially arrested 13 persons in the NEET-UG paper leak case being investigated by us. However, with the progress in our probe, and with technological surveillance and inputs provided by the National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducted the examination, we have arrested six more from Jharkhand. We have seized mobile phones and other electronic gadgets from them,” a senior EOU official told
The Telegraph.

The six arrested from Jharkhand include a man known as Sintu, alias Chintu. The agency is delving into his past and present contacts to ascertain how far he was involved in the paper leak.

“The actual name of this Sintu alias Chintu is something else,” the EOU official said.

“He (Sintu) has been associated with Sanjeev Mukhiya, who we believe to be the kingpin of the NEET-UG paper leak in Bihar and Jharkhand. He is currently absconding, but his son Shiv Kumar — a doctor — is currently in jail in connection with the Teacher Recruitment Exam-III paper leak,” the EOU official added.

The agency has also sent a notice to Pritam Kumar, personal secretary to leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, to appear for questioning after he was accused of facilitating the stay of four arrested candidates at the behest of Sikandar Kumar Yadvendu in an inspection bungalow belonging to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Patna.

Sikandar is a junior engineer in the water resources department and has been accused in various instances of corruption. He was previously arrested in an LED light scam in Rohtas district and is now on suspension. The EOU considers him a link in the chain of transfer of the illegal NEET-UG papers.

The EOU submitted a status report on its investigations to the Union education ministry earlier this week. This includes the statements and alleged confessions of 13 arrested people, including four examinees.

The agency is preparing another report that will be submitted to the Supreme Court before it takes up the NEET-UG case for further hearing on July 8.
Education, National, Politics

Amid row, Centre sets up 7-member panel headedby Ex-ISRO chief to reform exams, review NTA

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 The petition, filed by 10 students who had appeared for the exam, has also sought a direction to Bihar Police to expedite the investigation in the case

PTI, New Delhi, Jun 22 2024 :A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the CBI and the ED to investigate alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5.

The petition, filed by 10 students who had appeared for the exam, has also sought a direction to Bihar Police to expedite the investigation in the case and file a report before the apex court.

“The petitioners are fully aware of the ramifications of the cancellation of the examination but there is absolutely no other alternative.

“The NEET UG Examination of 2024 had many other irregularities, in particular, the gross negligence on the part of the authorities to make the question papers available to the candidates on time. In some places, the wrong set of question papers was distributed and later recalled,” the plea said.

The top court had earlier sought responses from the Centre, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and others on a slew of petitions, including those seeking scrapping of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and a court-monitored probe, amid mounting outrage over alleged irregularities in conducting the all-India medical entrance test.

The apex court had also stayed further proceedings on similar pleas pending before different high courts.

The top court, however, had made it clear that it would not stay the counselling process.

The examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates appeared. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets was completed earlier.

The allegations of irregularities have led to protests in several cities and sparring between rival political parties.

As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in the NTA’s history, with six from a centre in Haryana’s Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities. It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.

The NEET-UG examination is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.

Crime, National, Politics

Arvind Kejriwal to remain in jail for at least 2-3 days as Delhi HC stays bail order in excise policy case

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PTI, New Delhi, Jun 21, 2024 :  Embattled Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will have to remain in jail for now with the Delhi High Court on Friday putting an interim stay on a trial court’s order granting him bail in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam.

    
The AAP national convenor, who was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), could have walked out of Tihar jail on Friday had the high court not granted the interim relief to the central anti-money laundering agency.

“Till the pronouncement of this order, the operation of the impugned order shall remain stayed,” a vacation bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain said and asked the parties to file written submissions by June 24.

The high court said it was reserving the order for 2-3 days as it wanted to go through the entire records.

It also issued notice to Kejriwal seeking his response on ED’s plea challenging the trial court’s June 20 order by which he was granted bail. It listed the plea for hearing on July 10.

The ED’s lawyer mentioned for an urgent listing its petition challenging the trial court’s bail order which was passed late Thursday evening.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, representing the ED, contended that the trial court’s order was “perverse”, “one-sided” and “wrong-sided” and that the findings were based on irrelevant facts. The relevant facts, he claimed, were not considered by the special judge.

“Material facts were not considered by the trial court. There cannot be a better case for cancellation of bail than this one. There cannot be greater perversity than this,” he argued.

Seeking a stay on the trial court’s order, he contended that the ED was not given adequate opportunity to argue its case.

The application for stay was vehemently opposed by senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and Vikram Chaudhari, representing Kejriwal. They said Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution does not exist for the ED for which the liberty of a person figured low in priority.

Singhvi said the ED argued for 3 hours and 45 minutes before the trial judge.

“This matter lasted for five hours (before the trial court). Nearly 3 hours 45 minutes were taken by Mr. Raju and then trial judge is faulted because she does not repeat every comma and full stop,” he said.

During the arguments, Raju said after the order was passed, when the ED lawyers urged the trial court to keep its order in abeyance for 48 hours to enable them to approach superior courts, the prayer was not considered.

“I was not allowed to argue fully. I was not given proper time of 2-3 days to file written submissions. This is not done. On merits, I have an excellent case. The trial court said finish off in half an hour as it wanted to deliver the judgment. It did not give us full opportunity to argue the case,” he contended, adding, “I am making the allegations with full seriousness.”

Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) says an opportunity must be granted to the public prosecutor to present his case but that opportunity was not granted to me, he contended.

He said the trial court did not even look at his reply on the ground that it was bulky and claimed that the trial court came to a conclusion that there was malafide on ED’s part after considering wrong facts and wrong dates.

Raju contended that the trial court has given findings which are contrary to those of the high court while upholding Kejriwal’s arrest.

“If irrelevant facts are considered, that itself is a reason for cancellation of bail. There is evidence that Kejriwal demanded Rs 100 crore but it was not considered by trial court,” he argued.

“End to end money trail was given by us,” he asserted, adding that proceeds of crime were utilised in the Goa assembly poll campaign by the AAP.

“We have made AAP an accused in the money laundering case and the offences thus are covered by section 70 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which deals with companies. The ED had likened AAP to a company and Kejriwal its director,” Raju argued.

Singhvi urged the court not to stay Kejriwal’s bail order and said it may send him back to jail later if it finds overwhelming and cogent circumstances.

He also questioned the probe agency’s “unfortunate” attempt to malign the judge (by claiming she did not give the ED enough time to argue and did not consider material evidence).

“There is misconception about what a bail hearing should be like. Just because there is a political antagonism involved and that if all the commas etc are not dealt with by the judge, it gives Mr. Raju the right to malign the judge. This whole approach is deplorable and sad. It should never have come from a government authority,” Singhvi argued.

Chaudhari submitted that Kejriwal had surrendered to the jail authorities on expiry of the interim bail period which showed his bonafide conduct.

“If he is out with conditions imposed by the court, what is the prejudice. He is not a terrorist that he will harm the society if he is let out. What will happen if the chief minister of the state comes out on bail?” he argued.

The trial court, in its bail order, held that prima facie Kejriwal’s guilt was yet to be established and that the ED failed to furnish direct evidence linking him to the proceeds of crime in the money laundering case.

The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving its formulation and execution.

According to the CBI and ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours extended to the licence holders.
National, Politics

Defer Implementation Of New Criminal Laws: Mamata Banerjee Writes To PM

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In a letter to PM Modi, the Trinamool Congress chief expressed “grave concern” over the impending implementation of the three laws

PTI, 21 June 2024, New Delhi : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defer the implementation of the three “hurriedly passed” criminal laws that are set to be rolled out on July 1, saying it would enable Parliament to review them afresh.

In a letter to PM Modi, the Trinamool Congress chief expressed “grave concern” over the impending implementation of the three laws – The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNA) 2023, The Bharatiya Sakhsya Act (BSA) 2023, and The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023.

She noted that the three bills were passed in Lok Sabha at a time when 146 MPs had been suspended.

“The outgoing government of yours had passed these three critical bills unilaterally, and with absolutely no debate. That day, almost 100 members of the Lok Sabha had been suspended and a total 146 MPs of the both Houses were thrown out of Parliament,” Banerjee said.

“The Bills were passed in an authoritarian manner in that dark hour of democracy. Matter deserves review now,” she said.

“I urge your esteemed office now to consider at least a deferment of the implementation date. Reasons are two-fold: ethical, and practical,” she said.

She said significant legislative changes should be placed before the newly elected Parliament for fresh deliberation and scrutiny.

“Given the wide-ranging reservations expressed in the public domain regarding the hurriedly passed new laws, fresh Parliamentary review of these attempts would demonstrate a commitment to democratic principles…This approach would afford the newly elected people’s representatives an opportunity to thoroughly examine the proposed,” she said.

Banerjee said the request for postponement also stems from a pragmatic assessment of the challenges and preparatory work required for a smooth transition, particularly concerning the training of law enforcement personnel and judicial officers.

“Any far-reaching legal change requires meticulous groundwork beforehand to ensure effective enforcement and administration and we do not have any reason to avert such homework,” she said.

“I humbly request you to consider our appeal for a deferment of the implementation of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNA) 2023, The Bharatiya Sakhsya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023, and The Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023,” she said.

“We believe this postponement will enable a renewed Parliamentary review/mandate, reinforce public trust in the legal system, and uphold the rule of law in our beloved country,” Banerjee added.

The three new criminal laws will come into force from July 1, Union Law and Justice minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has said. 

Crime, National, Politics

Delhi High Court puts Arvind Kejriwal’s bail order on hold until it hears ED’s challenge

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 The Enforcement Directorate mentioned its plea challenging the trial court order for an urgent hearing before a bench of Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja, which said the case file will come to it in 10-15 minutes and after that it will hear the matter

PTI, New Delhi, 21.06.24 : The Delhi High Court on Friday put on hold the trial court order granting bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till it hears the ED’s plea challenging the relief granted to him in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam.


The Enforcement Directorate (ED) mentioned its plea challenging the trial court order before a bench of Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja, which said the case file will come before it soon and till then the trial court order shall not be acted upon.

The matter has been listed for hearing during the day.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, representing the ED, sought a stay on the trial court order passed on Thursday evening, contending that the agency was not given a proper opportunity to argue its case.

He said the trial court pronounced the order around 8 pm on June 20 and the order is not yet made available to them. Even after passing of the order when the ED lawyers urged the trial court to keep its order in abeyance for 48 hours to enable them to approach superior courts, the prayer was not considered, the ASG contended.

“I was not allowed to argue fully. I was not given proper time of 2-3 days to file written submissions. This is not done. On merits, I have an excellent case. The trial court said finish of in half an hour as it wanted to deliver the judgment. It did not give us full opportunity to argue the case,” Raju contended, “I am making the allegations with full seriousness,” he added.

Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) says an opportunity must be granted to the public prosecutor to present his case but that opportunity was not granted to me, he contended.

“Let the order be stayed and the plea be heard as early as possible. That order cannot be allowed to stand even for a day,” the law officer said.

The plea was opposed by senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and Vikram Chaudhari, representing Kejriwal, submitting that the allegations made by the ED counsel were patently incorrect and it was astonishing that they cannot accept anything with grace.

“The noise and heat is not going to solve this problem,” Singhvi said.

He said there are 10 judgments of the Supreme Court which say cancellation or reversal of bail is radically different from grant of bail.

Chaudhari said, “This person (Kejriwal) was released by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court granted him liberty. This would be a travesty of justice. We are on caveat here and we should be given opportunity to be heard. We would address arguments. An ex-parte order of such a nature…” To this, Justice Jain said, “File is coming to me in 10-15 minutes after proper numbering, thereafter, you can start your arguments. You can argue for as much time as you want to argue”.

The ED had arrested Kejriwal on March 21, shortly after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from arrest on his petition challenging summonses issued to him.

While pronouncing the order on Thursday, the trial court ordered Kejriwal’s release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and imposed certain conditions, including that he will not try to hamper the investigation or influence the witnesses.

The judge had also directed Kejriwal to appear before the court whenever required and to cooperate with the investigation.

On May 10, the Supreme Court had granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections, saying he will have to surrender and go back to jail on June 2. Kejriwal had surrendered before Tihar jail authorities on June 2 and has been there since then.

The trial court had on June 5 denied him interim bail which he sought citing several ailments.
National, Politics, West Bengal

PM must defer new criminal laws: Mamata, Congress turn up Opposition chorus volume

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 After Tamil Nadu CM Stalin, Bengal CM writes to Modi; Manish Tewari demands new laws must go through Parliament again

TT, 21.06.24 : Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday joined the ranks of Opposition leaders who have opposed the three new criminal laws that are to come into effect on July 1.

The new laws, the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, are to replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.

Parliament passed the three new laws – one of the big projects of the new government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – during the monsoon session in August last year.

“Any far-reaching legal, change requires meticulous groundwork beforehand to ensure effective enforcement and administration and we do not have any reason to avert such homework,” Mamata wrote in her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

Earlier, civil liberty activists such as senior Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaising have raised concerns over the new laws.

Critics of the government and legal activists say that only 20 to 25 per cent of the provisions are new and that they give too much power to the police. The new laws have provisions that could criminalise dissent, the critics of the government say.

“The new criminal Laws that come into effect from July 1st 2024 lay the foundations of turning India into a Police State. Their implementation must be stopped forthwith and Parliament must re-examine them,” Congress leader Manish Tewari posted on X on Friday, with a link to his article in the New Indian Express headlined ‘New criminal laws must go through Parliament again’.

A few days earlier, Tewari had posted: “The three new Criminal Laws were arbitrarily passed in Parliament after suspending a record 146 MP’s belonging to the opposition. These three Laws therefore reflect the will of only a section of Parliament those who then sat on the Treasury benches. They do not reflect the collective wisdom of Parliament. Even the dissenting views expressed by learned members of the Standing Parliamentary Committee of Home Affairs were not taken on board. The implementation of these Laws from July 1st 2024 will tantamount to throwing a spanner into India’s legal system. The operationalisation of these Laws must be put on hold till the time Parliament does not “ collectively reapply” itself to these three legislation’s

“Certain provisions in these laws represent the broadest assault on Civil liberties since the foundation of the Indian Republic,” he had posted. .

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin has also earlier this week reportedly written to the Centre on the new criminal laws, urging Prime Minister Modi take the states’ views into consideration.

He had reportedly said that the new laws had been pushed through “without adequate deliberations and consultations”.

He had also pointed to the Constitution.

“These enactments are falling within List III – concurrent list of the Constitution of India and hence extensive consultation ought to have been done with the State Government,” he reportedly wrote. “The States were not given adequate time to express their views and the new laws were passed by the Parliament without the participation of the opposition parties.”

He had pointed to things like Section 103 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) allegedly having two subsections for two distinct classes of murder with the same punishment.
National, Politics

ECI gets EVM verification requests for eight Lok Sabha seats in 6 states

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PTI, New Delhi, Jun 20, 2024 :  The Election Commission has received eight applications from aggrieved candidates, including those from the BJP and the Congress, for verification of tampering or modification in micro-controller chips embedded in the EVMs post declaration of Lok Sabha election results on June 4.


Terming the suspicion of manipulation of the electronic voting machines “unfounded”, the Supreme Court had on April 26 rejected the demand for reverting to the old paper ballot system.

But at the same time, the top court had opened a window for the aggrieved unsuccessful candidates securing second and third places in the poll results and allowed them to seek verification of micro-controller chips embedded in five per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon the payment of a fee to the poll panel.

BJP’s Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil has sought verification of the machines from 40 polling stations.

Vikhe-Patil had lost to Nilesh Lanke of NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction.

A YSRCP and a DMDK candidate too have applied for the verification, according to data shared by the poll panel.

According to the EC, eight parliamentary seats spread across six states are involved. The total number of polling stations for which verification has been sought is 92.

Candidates who come second or third and seek verification of the EVMs will have to pay Rs 47,200 per EVM set, according to the standard operating procedure issued by the EC on June 1.

According to the EC’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the cost submitted by manufacturers BEL and ECIL to carry out EVM “check and verification” is Rs 40,000 (plus 18 per cent GST) per set of EVM.

“In addition to the cost incurred by the manufacturers, there are also administrative costs like cost of labour to shift the units, CCTV coverage, electricity charges, videography costs and various other operational costs at the district election officer level,” the document said.

It, however, said to make the verification process “more accessible” and inclusive in compliance to the referred mandate of the Supreme Court, it is decided that instead of going purely by the actual economic costs incurred, the administrative expenditure on EVM verification will be treated as “election expenditure and borne by the central or state government, as the case may be”.

“Accordingly, the administrative charges will be waived for the applicants — the same shall not be charged to the applicants,” it noted.

The charges for EVM verification to be paid by the applicant candidate is for the current financial year 2024-25 — till March 31, 2025, it said.

An EVM set has at least one Ballot Unit, one Control Unit and a VVPAT machine.

Separately, YSRCP and BJD candidates from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively have also applied for EVM check following the announcement of assembly results on June 4.

Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh were held along with the Lok Sabha elections.

In the verification exercise for assembly poll results, total assembly constituencies involved are three where verification has been sought in 26 polling stations.

According to the SOP, the concerned state chief electoral officer (CEO) was required to communicate to the manufacturers the consolidated list of applicants within 30 days of the date of declaration of results — by July 4. The CEOs have already conveyed the same to the manufacturers 15 days ahead of the schedule, the EC said.

The technical SOP enumerating the methodology and steps for checking and verification of burnt memory/ micro-controller of the EVM units will be issued by the EC in due course. 
National, Politics

Delhi Court Grants Bail To Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal In Liquor Policy Case

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Nupur Thapliyal, LiveLaw, 20 June 2024 : A Delhi Court on Thursday granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case connected to the alleged liquor policy scam.


Vacation Judge Nyay Bindu of Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order after reserving it earlier today.


ED’s special counsel Zoheb Hossain prayed for stay of the order till the probe agency exercises its legal remedies. However, the court rejected the request for stay.


Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21. In May, he was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court till June 01 in view of general elections. He surrendered on June 2.


ASG SV Raju appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted that co accused Chanpreet Singh received huge cash amounts from entrepreneurs and paid bills of hotel stay of Arvind Kejriwal.


He said that it is not that the ED was doing investigation in the air and that the central probe agency has concrete evidence in the case.



“Kejriwal says my phone is sacrosanct. Mai password nahi dunga. (I will not give my password). We had to resort to the phone of Vinod Chauhan. He is sitting quiet. Many times it has happened that accused says I will not… An adverse inference has to be drawn from the fact that Kejriwal has refused to give his password. This is a ground for refusing bail under ordinary bail law, forget section 45 PMLA for the time being,” ASG said.

ASG further said that co accused Vijay Nair, who was unconnected with the government and had no business in framing of the excise policy, he was used as a middleman by Kejriwal and that his proximity with the Chief Minister is established beyond doubt.



Rebutting the submissions, Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhari appearing for Kejriwal submitted that Manish Sisodia’s bail was rejected by the Supreme Court because he was seeking bail in two cases- scheduled case and the PMLA case.


He said that as of date, Kejriwal is not an accused in the CBI case and that on the contrary, the record stands that he was called as a witness.

“It is not for ED to guide the CBI. It is an independent agency which will take the call,” he said.



Chaudhari added: “Why did you not arrest him earlier? Why March 21? What did you want from him? Is the ED an independent agency or is it playing in the hands of some political masters? At the end of the day I am a political entity, I’ve to make such submissions.”


Furthermore, Chaudhari said that co accused Chanpreet Singh does not say anywhere that he has paid for AAP Goa elections or that he collected proceeds of crime.

“It was urged that one token number is recovered from Vinod Chauhan who is in direct touch with Kejriwal. What evidence you have against a sitting CM? What are these two chats which they have extracted? How would these chats even remotely show the transfer of money? It is presumption of ED….Chats are not related to the excise policy, or bribe, or any Goa elections. Just because Vinod Chauhan has a posting order in his phone, it is presumed that the posting is done by me. If this is believed then no one is safe. Just throw it in the air, throw it in media,” he said.


The senior counsel also said that merely because Vijay Nair was occupying a room in Minister Kailash Gehlot’s house, it cannot be speculated that there was some proximity or link between Kejriwal and him.


“Where do they get all that? Vijay Nair in his statement in 2022 stated that he reported to Ms. Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj. But ED continues to say that he was under my orders. There is no proof that I have ever instructed him to receive the bribe or do any meeting,” he said.


Yesterday, Chaudhari had said that Kejriwal had not been made an accused in the scheduled offence to date. He further submitted that the Chief Minister was not seeking any special status, although since he was a constitutional functionary, the chair ought to be respected.



He had questioned the credibility of the material put forth by ED, pointing towards statements of witnesses who were granted pardons and turned approvers in the case. He further questioned the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest by ED, submitting that he was arrested soon after the general elections were announced.

On the other hand, ED had submitted that there was no doubt as to the commission of a money laundering offence since cognizance had been taken by the concerned court and the cognizance order had not been challenged.


It was argued that it was for Kejriwal to show that he was not guilty of a PMLA offence, and in that regard, the fact that he holds a constitutional post is not relevant. On the issue of timing of arrest, it was claimed that arrest is the prerogative of the Investigating Officer and timing is irrelevant if a PMLA offence is made out.


Recently, Kejriwal’s plea seeking interim bail for seven days on medical grounds was dismissed by the court. It was said that the extensive campaigning done by him during elections showed that he was not suffering from any serious or life-threatening ailment so as to entitle him to bail under PMLA.


The court also said that Diabetes or even type-2 Diabetes cannot be said to be so serious an ailment so as to entitle Kejriwal to the relief claimed.



A few days ago, the ED filed a supplementary chargesheet in the money laundering case naming Kejriwal as well as the Aam Aadmi Party as the accused. The court reserved the order on cognizance of the seventh supplementary chargesheet filed by the probe agency.


On April 10, the Delhi High Court dismissed Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest, observing that ED was able to place enough material, statements of approvers and AAP’s own candidate stating that Kejriwal was given money for Goa elections.


AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are also accused in the case. While Sisodia continues to remain in jail, Singh has been granted bail by the Supreme Court pursuant to a concession given by the ED.


ED has alleged that Arvind Kejriwal is the “kingpin” of the Delhi excise scam and is directly involved in the use of proceeds of crime accounting for over Rs. 100 crores. It is ED’s case that the excise policy was implemented as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12 per cent to certain private companies, although such a stipulation was not mentioned in the minutes of meetings of the Group of Ministers (GoM).


The Central agency has also claimed that there was a conspiracy coordinated by Vijay Nair and other individuals along with South Group to give extraordinary profit margins to wholesalers. Nair was acting on behalf of Kejriwal and Sisodia, according to the agency.