City Delhi Financial News

CBI) 15 days to obtain the requisite sanctions to prosecute Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak in a corruption case related to the alleged excise scam. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja allowed the central agency time till August 27 to secure necessary sanctions after being told that they were yet to be received from the authorities concerned. The CBI had earlier secured sanctions to investigate them in the case. Pathak, a senior member of the Aam Aadmi Party's political affairs committee, is considered very close to Kejriwal.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the bail plea of the Aam Aadmi Party's former communication in-charge Vijay Nair in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued notice to the central agency and sought its response within four weeks. «It is submitted that the petitioner is in custody for nearly 2 years since he was arrested by the CBI and has been in continuous custody of the ED...Issue notice,» the bench said.

Gurucharan Singh, best known for his role as Roshan Singh Sodhi in the hit comedy series ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’, has recently spoken about his financial struggles and debts. His sudden disappearance earlier this year had alarmed fans. In April, reports surfaced that Gurucharan was missing, but after 26 days, he returned to his home in Delhi, explaining that he had gone away to follow a spiritual path. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Gurucharan mentioned that he is currently seeking work. He believes that people still appreciate him and want to see him, and he needs to earn money to cover his expenses, support his mother, and pay off his debts.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting a week full of showers. On August 12, 2024, the national capital experienced light rain, with the maximum temperature recorded at 32°C and the minimum at 24.8°C. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 53 this morning, placing it in the «satisfactory» category. The AQI scale ranges from «good» (0-50) to «severe» (401-500), with «satisfactory» (51-100) indicating that air quality poses little or no risk. Throughout the week, Delhi is expected to witness generally cloudy skies accompanied by light to moderate rain, thundershowers, and occasional lightning, as forecasted by the IMD.

Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Delhi Police to not arrest former IAS Puja Khedkar, who has been accused of 'misrepresenting and falsifying facts' in her UPSC application, till August 21. The Court has issued a notice on Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea. Justice Subramonium Prasad issued notice to the Delhi Police as well as the UPSC on the anticipatory bail plea by Khedkar, and asked them to file their responses.

Arvind Kejriwal has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the excise policy case and has also filed a bail plea. The Delhi High Court had earlier dismissed his petition challenging the arrest and advised him to seek bail from the trial court. While dismissing Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest, the HC stated that the prosecution has explained that, respecting his position as Chief Minister of NCT of Delhi, the police treaded with trepidation and caution and proceeded to collect the evidence from other persons suspected to be the accused. Consequently, extensive investigations were carried out across India to ascertain the entire web of conspiracy involving numerous persons. In his plea to the Delhi HC, CM Kejriwal stated that he is the National Convenor of a National Political Party (Aam Aadmi Party) and the sitting Chief Minister of Delhi, who is being subjected to «gross persecution and harassment for wholly malafide and extraneous considerations.»

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Sunday said de-silting work of three arterial drains of the national capital is progressing with removal of over 700 MT silt in a week. Saxena had visited Sunehri, Kushak and Barapulla drains on August 4. In a series of posts on X, he said, «Took stock of the ongoing de-silting work at Sunehri, Kushak and Barapulla drains that commenced after my visit on 04.08.2024. De-silting work is progressing satisfactorily at these sites with over 100 workers equipped with hi-tech machines working on war footing, round the clock.» With collective efforts of all agencies and a decisive push, the results have begun to show, he noted.

Independence Day, the DMRC on Sunday advised people not to fly kites in the vicinity of elevated metro lines passing through residential areas for their safety and to prevent disruption of metro services. «As kite flying gathers pace around August 15, there is a likelihood of kite strings getting entangled in the OHE (overhead equipment) wires or getting stuck in the pantograph (which draws power from OHE) of a moving train if kites are flown in the area of elevated metro lines,» Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Principal Executive Director Anuj Dayal said in an advisory. «Such incidents have the potential to not only disrupt the metro services by damaging/tripping the OHE or pantograph but may also prove fatal to those flying kites with metallic maanjha,» he said. The DMRC has a robust mechanism in place to check and prevent any kind of disruptions and dedicated teams are deployed to swiftly remove any kite strings, he added.

foreign policy, asserting that Dhaka intends to maintain «smooth and positive» relations with all, including India and China. «Our policy is to maintain good relations with all countries while protecting our national interests,» interim government's Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said during his first press briefing at the foreign ministry. Hossain, whose position is equivalent to a minister, said it is meaningless to assume that this interim government is focused solely on any particular direction. «We intend to maintain smooth and positive relations with all… including India and China,» said Hossain, who previously served as a deputy high commissioner to India.

landslides, traffic chaosand house collapses, as well as a dam breach which inundated several villages in Haryana. The Jammu and Kashmir administration said the annual Amarnath Yatra has been suspended after heavy rains in the Shri Amarnathji Yatra area. This was the second straight day of heavy rains in the region with Rajasthan being the worst hit as the state reported 16 deaths over two days — two on Saturday and 14 on Sunday. Its Karauli district recorded «exceptionally heavy rainfall» of 38 cm. Nine people, including eight members of a family, died in Punjab's Hoshiarpur on Sunday as their vehicle was swept away by a overflowing seasonal rivulet.

waterlogged park in Sector-20, Rohini, Delhi. The incident occurred around 6:30 pm when the child was playing in a park that had accumulated rainwater. Delhi Police reported receiving a PCR call about the drowning at Aman Vihar Police Station. A police team arrived at the scene and found that the child had been rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. The police officer stated, “On Saturday, around 6:30 pm, a PCR call regarding the drowning of a child in a park in Sector 20 in Rohini was received at Aman Vihar Police Station.” The body has been sent for post-mortem, and an investigation is ongoing, including a review of CCTV footage to understand the sequence of events.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday said the Election Commission has the exclusive right to decide the schedule for Assembly elections in the Union Territory. However, he expressed hope that the democratic exercise would be conducted soon in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been under the central government rule for over six years after the fall of the PDP-BJP government in 2018. Talking to reporters after inaugurating the newly constructed building of the Malaviya Mission Teachers Training Centre at the University of Jammu, LG Sinha also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks during his visit to Srinagar in June that the Assembly elections will be held soon and the statement of Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament on August 5, 2019 that delimitation will be followed by Assembly polls and then statehood at an appropriate time. «It is happening in the same sequence… I hope the Assembly elections will take place soon,» Sinha said.

Congress leaders on Sunday condoled former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh's demise with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge hailing his profound contribution to India's diplomacy and external affairs. Singh passed away on Saturday night after a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 93. He breathed his last at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram near Delhi, where he had been admitted for the past couple of weeks, they said. «Our deepest condolences on the passing away of Former Union Minister, Shri K. Natwar Singh ji. An acclaimed intellectual and a Padma Bhushan recipient, he made a profound contribution to India's diplomacy and external affairs,» Kharge said in a post on X.

K Natwar Singh wore many hats as he straddled the worlds of diplomacy, politics and writing but what remained consistent across decades was his sharp-wit and plainspeaking. The former Congress leader had a love-hate relationship with the party as while he had a great equation with the likes of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he had a fallout with Sonia Gandhi after allegations were levelled against him when he was part of the UPA-I Cabinet. Singh passed away on Saturday night after a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 93. He breathed his last at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram near Delhi, where he had been admitted for the past couple of weeks, they said.

Hindenburg Research alleged that Madhabi Puri Buch, chairperson of the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and her husband Dhaval Buch held stakes in an offshore fund with significant investments from Vinod Adani, brother of Gautam Adani. These entities were allegedly involved in a network used by Vinod Adani to siphon money, raising questions about SEBI's impartiality due to potential conflicts of interest. According to the Hindenburg report, on March 22, 2017, days before Madhabi Puri Buch’s appointment as SEBI chairperson, her husband contacted Mauritius fund administrator Trident Trust regarding their investment in the Global Dynamic Opportunities Fund (GDOF). “In the letter, Dhaval Buch requested to 'be the sole person authorised to operate the Accounts', seemingly moving the assets out of his wife's name ahead of the politically sensitive appointment,” alleged the report.

Manish Sisodia on Saturday met senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi at his residence here and thanked him for helping him secure bail from the Supreme Court in the excise policy cases. Sisodia was accompanied by senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Atishi during the meeting with Singhvi, who is also a Congress leader. Earlier in the day, he addressed party workers at the AAP headquarters here and thanked the Supreme Court and his team of lawyers for their hard work in secure his release after he spent 17 months in Tihar jail. For a person lodged in jail, lawyers are like god, said the former deputy chief minister of Delhi government.

Congress on Saturday stated that the chief minister of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will be declared after the Maharashtra assembly elections even though the allies have already started their seat-sharing talks. BJP leaders claimed earlier this week that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray visited Delhi and met top Congress leaders only to ensure that he would be the chief ministerial candidate of the MVA. Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) are the chief constituents of the opposition alliance, pitted against the ruling 'Mahayuti' coalition of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP. Congress in-charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala said the MVA will contest the coming state elections unitedly.

Pakistan, while Caveman was moving across various states in India. This cross-border connection raised suspicions. Further investigation revealed two additional accounts exhibiting similar patterns: one under the name «Qasem Solemani» and another with an Urdu name followed by «123.» By tracking these digital trails and coordinating with human intelligence, Indian law enforcement officials successfully apprehended Rizwan Ali, a highly skilled «improvised explosive device (IED) expert» who had managed to evade authorities for over a year. Rizwan, who held a diploma in fire safety and management and had briefly worked in the firefighting equipment industry, could have chosen a peaceful and prosperous life. Instead, he allegedly used his technical knowledge to assemble IEDs, landing him on multiple agencies' most wanted lists.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday reacted to the Supreme Court's bail to Manish Sisodia in the money laundering case linked to Delhi's excise policy scam. Speaking to ANI, Raut said Manish Sisodia has got bail after 17 months. He further added that this showed how a person was put in jail by deceit and that his rights were violated. «He was granted bail after 17 months. How a person is put in jail by deceit, and is not even allowed any bail, his rights are violated. I have also felt the same pain. The government in this country has no proper law and order. Be it Sanjay Singh or Anil Deshmukh, there are a lot of people I have seen,» he said.

Delhi High Court seeking the re-framing of guidelines for coaching institutes, with a particular focus on criminal liability. The PIL calls for stricter regulations and accountability measures to address issues such as fraud, exploitation, and safety concerns within these institutions. The petition requests the court to mandate that the Centre and Delhi Government establish specific rules and regulations for the operation of paying guest accommodations for students, both in Delhi and nationwide, ensuring that these accommodations are safe, regulated, and suitable for students. The plea also advocates for the development of an education system focused on the holistic development and refinement of students' minds, rather than solely preparing them for entrance examinations. The objective is to shift the emphasis towards broader educational goals and personal growth.

Nitin Gadkari has issued a stern warning to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, stating that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) may have to cancel or terminate eight major highway projects in Punjab if the law and order situation does not improve. These projects, valued at Rs 14,288 crore, are under threat due to ongoing security concerns and delays. Gadkari's ultimatum comes in response to recent incidents affecting the construction of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. Reports indicate that engineers and workers have been attacked in Jalandhar and there have been threats of arson and violence against the project camp and staff in Ludhiana. Gadkari emphasised that the cancellation of even one segment of these greenfield corridors could render the entire project ineffective. In his letter to CM Mann, Gadkari outlined serious safety concerns for NHAI officers, contractors, and their employees. He also noted issues with pending land acquisition, and included photos documenting the assaults.