Court sends architect to jail for using thumb impression of dead person on forged documents 2
A Delhi court has awarded jail term to an architect and his associate for using the thumb impression of a dead person and forging the signature of sub-divisional magistrate (headquarters) to get water harvesting certificate for a building, whose plan was already sanctioned by the DDA in 2010.
Special Judge Sanjeev Kumar Malhotra sent architect Charan Singh Solanki and his associate Parmod Garg to jail for two years, while refusing to release him on probation, saying that being an architect he had greater responsibility while attesting signatures and thumb impressions and issuing certificates as per law.
The judge noted Solanki was already facing jail in another case.
“Convict Charan Singh Solanki, being an architect, was having more responsibility to attest signature/thumb impressions and to issue certificates as per rules/law. After considering the rival submissions and role of convict Charan Singh Solanki, I am not inclined to grant the benefit of probation to him,” the judge said in an order passed on July 12.
The prosecution had opposed the argument for leniency, saying such forgery affects the ”conscience of the society”.
According to the prosecution, Solanki was working as an architect, whose report was accepted by the DDA for the purpose of sanctioning a building plan. He had given a water harvesting certificate which carried the forged thumb impression of the original allottee. He had also annexed a copy of a letter for extension of time, which had not been issued by the DDA, the prosecution said.
PM Modi holds comprehensive talks with UAE Prez Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed 4
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held comprehensive talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan here to further deepen the multi-faceted bilateral ties, and announced that the two countries have agreed to start trade settlement in their currencies.
In his remarks after meeting the UAE President, Modi said India-UAE trade witnessed a 20 per cent increase since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement last year.
Modi said the agreement signed on Saturday for trade settlement in the currencies of the two countries shows the strong economic cooperation and mutual trust between the two nations.
The agreement with the UAE on trade settlement in the two countries’ currencies will boost bilateral trade and investments.
Modi said he always got the love of a brother from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
”The manner in which ties between our countries have expanded, you have made a big contribution to that. Every person in India views you as a true friend,” he told the UAE President.
Modi also noted that preparations for COP-28 to be held in the UAE are going on under the UAE President’s leadership, and added that he has made up his mind to participate in the conference later this year.
Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome here at the Qasr-Al-Watan – the presidential palace – where he was greeted by the UAE President with a warm embrace. Children were seen waving the Indian tricolour as the Prime Minister inspected the guard of honour.
India and the UAE are engaged across various sectors such as trade, investments, energy, food security, science and technology, education, fintech, defence, security, and robust people-to-people ties.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday appealed to people of the city not to take selfies or swim in flooded areas as it could be fatal and said the threat of floods was not over yet.
His appeal came a day after three boys drowned in a ditch while bathing in floodwaters in northwest Delhi’s Mukundpur Chowk area.
”Reports are coming from several places that some people are going to play or swim or take selfies or shoot videos in waterlogged places. Please do not do this. It can be fatal. The threat of flood is not over yet. The flow of water is very strong and the water level can rise anytime,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Tagging a PTI video of children playing in floodwaters at Shanti Van, he said, ”I urge everyone to avoid this.” Parts of Delhi have been inundated after the Yamuna in the city breached its banks following days of heavy rains in its upper catchment areas, prompting the evacuation of thousands from low-lying areas.
After rising continuously for three days, the water level in the Yamuna started receding on Friday.
The water level had come down to 207.48 metres by 10 am on Saturday from its peak of 208.66 metres at 8 pm on Thursday.
However, it is still over two metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.
The breach at the Indraprastha regulator that flooded the area near ITO and parts of the Ring Road was sealed. The Delhi Traffic Police has allowed the movement of cars, autorickshaws and other light vehicles on both carriageways of the Ring Road from Shanti Van to Geeta Colony.
However, the road from Shanti Van to Rajghat and towards ISBT is still closed.
I stand with my union and colleagues: Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Hollywood actors strike 7
Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas has lent support to the strike called by a Hollywood actors union and said she stands in solidarity with her colleagues.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (SAG-AFTRA) on Thursday voted to join screenwriters in the first joint strike after failing to reach a consensus for a new contract with the studios and streaming services, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
”I stand with my union and colleagues. In solidarity, we build a better tomorrow. #SagAftraStrong #SagAftraStrike,” Priyanka wrote on Instagram on Friday night alongside a photo of SAG-AFTRA logo.
The strike by Hollywood actors is the first strike since 1980. It is also the first instance when two major Hollywood unions have been on strike at the same time since 1960.
Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike since early May, demanding better wages, higher minimum pay, more writers per show, and shorter exclusive contracts among other things.
Priyanka was most recently seen in ”Citadel”, streaming service Prime Video’s globetrotting spy series alongside Richard Madden.
In Hollywood, she has also featured in television series ”Quantico” and movies such as ”Baywatch”, ”Isn’t It Romantic”, ”The Matrix Resurrections” and ”Love Again”.
Sri Lanka not averse to using Indian rupee as common currency: Prez Wickremesinghe 9
Sri Lanka would want to see the Indian rupee used as much as the US dollar, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, days ahead of his first official visit to New Delhi.
Wickremesinghe, also the cash-strapped country’s finance minister, made this remark while addressing the Indian CEO Forum this week.
“Just as East Asia, including countries like Japan, Korea and China, witnessed significant growth 75 years ago, it is now India’s turn, along with the Indian Ocean region,” Wickremesinghe said.
Wickremesinghe is expected to visit New Delhi next week, his first since becoming president a year ago amidst unprecedented economic and political turmoil in the island nation.
Wickremesinghe’s comments were in response to the chair of the Forum, T S Prakash, who in his address had called for the enhanced use of the Indian rupee in the Sri Lankan economy.
“It makes no difference to us if India (the Indian rupee) becomes a common currency. We will have to figure out how to go about it. We must become more open to the outside world”, Wickremesinghe said.
“The world is evolving and India is undergoing rapid development, particularly under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership”, he added.
He also said that Sri Lanka benefits from its proximity to India, coupled with a rich history, cultural heritage and longstanding trading relationships spanning 2,500 years, The Daily Mirror newspaper quoted him as saying.
Wickremesinghe has steered the island nation out of the economic crisis and said the economy is recovering despite its slowness.
“Once we complete debt restructuring our focus will shift towards a comprehensive growth agenda. This entails a massive overhaul of our economy, legal framework and systems aligning our path with that of India,” he said. Wickremesinghe The 74-year-old Sri Lankan politician was elected through parliament to fill in the rest of the term of the ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka-India relationship history points to that it was unusual that Wickremesinghe’s tour to Delhi had taken a year to happen, analysts noted.
India had thrown a lifeline to the last days of the Rajapaksa presidency with an economic assistance package that amounted to 4 billion dollars.
Sri Lanka used the Indian credit lines to import essentials and fuel as the country was gripped in forex shortages which triggered massive street protests.
Meanwhile, the High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka Gopal Bagle who was at the July 13 event, said that the Indian government and the Indian business community have helped the island nation in recuperating from the last year’s financial crisis.
”Even during the initial crisis, Indian businessmen began doing business in Sri Lanka to demonstrate to the rest of the world that the country’s financial status is stable,” Bagle was quoted as saying by the Sri Lankan media.
Mirabai Chanu to lead India's contingent at World Weightlifting Championships 11
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu will lead a five-member Indian contingent at the World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh event will be a qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics and will be held from September 4 to 17, as per Olympics.com.
Chanu will be competing in women’s 49 kg category. The two-time world championships medalist will be aiming for a gold. She won gold in 2017 meet at Anaheim while had to settle for silver last year in Bogota. Bindyarani Devi, the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships gold medal winner, will be taking part in women’s 55 kg event.
Chanu and Bindyarani are currently undergoing training at St Louis’ SQUAT University under Dr Aron Horschig. The men’s team consists of 2022 Commonwealth Games champion Achinta Sheuli, who will be taking part in 73 kg category. The current national-level champion Narayana Ajith, Shubham Todkar, (who secured the gold medal in the 61kg category at the ongoing Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships) will also be competing.
Youth Olympic Games champion and CWG gold medalist Jeremy Lalrinnunga will be missing out on the event due to an injury. This will be Chanu’s second competition this year. The 28-year-old lifter from Manipur had undergone five-month rehab followig a hip surgery last year in December. She managed to compete in May’s Asian Championships, but could manage only sixth position.
The Championships will be a pre-cursor to Asian Games this year as the same team, except for Todkar, will represent India’s tricolour at the continental event, scheduled to take place from September 23 to October 8, in Hangzhou, China. World Weightlifting Championships 2023: India team
West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress has dubbed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on violence in the state’s panchayat polls as ”distasteful and insensitive”, and wondered about the role of his ministry in restoring peace in strife-torn Manipur.
TMC national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien said instead of showing compassion to grieving families of those who died in the violence, the BJP leader is gloating over vote percentage.
Shah on Friday said even ”bloodcurdling violence” could not stop the BJP from putting up a stellar performance in the panchayat elections in West Bengal.
”Mr. Home Minister@AmitShah, what a distasteful, insensitive statement from you. How much lower can you go? As Home Minister, you have the responsibility to protect people and keep the nation at peace. Instead of showing compassion to grieving families, you are gloating over the politics of (fake) vote percentages. Shame,” O’Brien tweeted on Friday.
”And if that is not bad enough, even those percentages are inaccurate. Your party’s vote percentage has dropped,” he asserted.
The people of West Bengal have rejected the BJP again, the TMC leader stated.
“I ask, what are you doing about Manipur? What are you doing about J&K? Decency and humaneness are two words that do not exist in your dictionary,” he tweeted.
The TMC leader’s remarks come in the backdrop of Shah’s tweet: “Even bloodcurdling violence in West Bengal could not stop the BJP from putting up a stellar performance in the panchayat election. The BJP nearly doubled its seat tally from the previous election, indicating a significant rise in the trust placed by the people.” The Trinamool Congress, in a statement, claimed that the saffron camp, after failing to fight it in a fair way, had resorted to dirty tricks and “unleashed unspeakable violence” on the ruling party workers.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed that 19 people, mostly from her TMC, died in poll-related violence since the election date was announced on June 8.
Police sources, however, have put the number of fatalities at 38, but agree that at least 60 percent of those who lost their lives were affiliated with the TMC.
The West Bengal BJP unit, however, dubbed the remarks by the TMC against Shah as a ”reflection of frustration over the truth being out.” ”Amit Shah Ji has said the truth. The entire country has witnessed the violence and anarchy unleashed by the TMC during the polls, which is continuing even after the elections are over,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.
TN Minister Senthil Balaji's ED arrest, judicial custody legal: Madras High Court 15
The Madras High Court on Friday held legal the Enforcement Directorate’s arrest of Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji and subsequent judicial custody granted by a lower court.
Justice C V Karthikeyan, the third judge to hear the matter, following a Division Bench’s split verdict on a plea related to the Minister’s arrest, held legal the arrest and custody. A Division Bench comprising Justices Nisha Banu and D Bharatha Chakravarthy had pronounced a split verdict on the Habeas Corpus petition filed by Megala, wife of Senthil Balaji.
Justice Nisha Banu had held that the ED had no power to seek custody and said the HCP was maintainable. Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy, however, differed. The ED arrested Senthil Balaji last month in the cash-for-jobs scam and he continues to be a Minister without portfolio.
Ajit Pawar takes charge as Maharashtra's finance and planning minister 17
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday took charge as the state’s finance and planning minister, nearly two weeks after he took oath along with eight other Nationalist Congress Party leaders.
As per a statement prior to the official announcement of portfolios, he was briefed by two secretaries of the Finance and Planning Department. His new office will be on the fifth floor of Mantralaya which will also serve as the office of the deputy chief minister. After he broke away from the Sharad Pawar-founded party, Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP leaders were sworn in as ministers on July 2. They were given their portfolios on Friday.
According to a statement by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s office, Dhananjay Munde has been given Agriculture, while Dilip Walse-Patil will be the new Cooperation minister.
The other NCP ministers with their allocated ministries are Hasan Mushrif (Medical Education), Chhagan Bhujbal (Food and Civil Supplies), Dharmrao Atram (Food and Drugs Administration), Sanjay Bansode (Sports), Aditi Tatkare (Woman and Child Development) and Anil Patil (Relief, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management), it said.
SC issues notice to Maharashtra speaker on plea to adjudicate disqualification petitions against CM Shinde, others 19
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the office of the Maharashtra legislative assembly speaker on a plea seeking a direction to expeditiously adjudicate the disqualification petitions filed against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other Shiv Sena MLAs who had tied up with the BJP to form a new government in June 2022.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud passed the order while hearing a plea filed by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLA Sunil Prabhu, who as the chief whip of the undivided Shiv Sena had in 2022 filed the disqualification petitions against Shinde and other MLAs.
”We will issue notice returnable in two weeks,” the bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra, said.
In its petition, Shiv Sena (UBT) has accused Speaker Rahul Narwekar of deliberately delaying the adjudication despite the May 11 verdict of the apex court to dispose them of within reasonable time.
”The petitioner is constrained to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this court under Article 32 of the Constitution of India, in light of the respondent Speaker’s conduct in choosing to deliberately delay the adjudication of the disqualification petitions filed by the petitioner against the delinquent members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly,” the petition, filed through advocates Nishanth Patil and Amit Anand Tiwari, said.
It said the speaker, despite the categorical direction of the top court in its May 11 judgment that the pending disqualification petitions must be decided within a reasonable period, has chosen to not conduct a single hearing. ”The petitioner has also sent more than three subsequent representations dated May 15, 2023, May 23, 2023 and June 2, 2023 to convene a hearing in the said disqualification matters, however, the respondent Speaker in brazen disregard to his constitutional duties as a neutral arbiter, has sought to delay the adjudications of the disqualification petitions, thereby, permitting the illegal continuance of Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister, against whom the disqualification petitions are pending,” it said.
The petition said, ”Therefore, it is imperative for this court to direct the Speaker, Maharashtra legislative assembly, to decide the disqualification petitions filed by the petitioner against delinquent members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly expeditiously, within a time-bound manner.” The petitioner has sought direction to the speaker to decide the disqualification petitions dated June 23, 2022, June 25, 2022, June 27, 2022, July 3, 2022, and July 5, 2022 filed by him under provisions of the 10th schedule of the Constitution against the MLAs loyal to Shinde, preferably within two weeks.
In his plea, Prabhu has said it is a settled law that the speaker, while performing his functions under the 10th schedule, which deals with the anti-defection law, acts as a judicial tribunal, and is required to function in a fair and unbiased manner.
The petitioner said in the present case, the ”delinquent” MLAs have committed ”brazenly unconstitutional” acts which per se invite disqualification under Paras 2(1)(a), 2(1)(b), and 2(2) of the 10th Schedule.
”The Speaker’s inaction in deciding the disqualification proceedings is an act of grave constitutional impropriety as his inaction is allowing MLAs who are liable to be disqualified to continue in the assembly and to hold responsible positions in the government of Maharashtra including that of the Chief Minister,” the petition said.
On May 11, the top court had ruled that Eknath Shinde will continue to be the chief minister of Maharashtra as it cannot reinstate the MVA coalition government headed by Uddhav Thackeray since the Shiv Sena leader chose to resign without facing a floor test in the wake of a rebellion in his party.
The unanimous verdict by a five-judge constitution bench had come as a relief for Shinde even as it censured the then Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over his decision calling upon Thackeray to prove his majority in the assembly at the request of the Shinde faction of the Sena. Shinde, who led the rebellion in the Shiv Sena against Thackeray sparking a nine-day political crisis in June last year, later tied up with the BJP to form a government.
Refusing to disqualify the 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs including Shinde, the bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud had said the court cannot ordinarily adjudicate disqualification petitions under the anti-defection law, and directed Speaker Rahul Narwekar to take a decision on the pending matter within a ”reasonable period.”
