Delhi court reserves order on CBI plea seeking 3 more days of Sisodia's custody 2
A Delhi court on Saturday reserved its order on a plea by the CBI seeking further three-day custody of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, arrested in a corruption case related to the excise policy.
The CBI’s plea was opposed by Sisodia’s lawyer, who said the inefficiency of the agency to complete its probe cannot be a ground for remand and he cannot be asked to incriminate himself.
Sisodia, who was produced before special judge M. K. Nagpal, said non-cooperation cannot be a ground for custody and opposed the CBI’s plea for his remand.
There was a heavy security presence inside and outside the Rouse Avenue Courts premises.
The supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party staged a protest outside the premises and raised slogans.
Sisodia was granted five-day CBI custody on Monday. The CBI arrested Sisodia on Sunday evening in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021–22.
Steven Spielberg says "anti-semitism no longer lurking, but standing proud" 4
Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg recently expressed concerns over the rise of antisemitism while discussing his Oscar-nominated film “The Fabelmans” on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” According to Variety, an American media company, “The Fabelmans” is a semi-autobiographical movie based on Spielberg’s childhood in which Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) is the subject of antisemitic abuse by his school bullies.
After discussing the film, Colbert asked Spielberg if the rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world had surprised him. “I find it very, very surprising… Antisemitism has always been there; it’s either been just around the corner, slightly out of sight, but always lurking, or it has been much more overt, like in Germany in the ’30s.” He added, “But not since Germany in the ’30s have I witnessed antisemitism no longer lurking but standing proud with hands on hips like Hitler and Mussolini, kind of daring us to defy it.” “I’ve never experienced this in my entire life, especially in this country.”
Spielberg, who also directed the Holocaust epic ‘Schindler’s List’ in 1994, continued by claiming that antisemitism is a component of a larger trend of hatred that he has noticed over the past few years. “Somehow, the marginalization of people that aren’t part of some kind of majority race is something that has been creeping up on us for years and years and years… Hate became a kind of membership to a club that has gotten more members than I ever thought was possible in America… And hate and antisemitism go hand in hand; you can’t separate one from the other,” he added.
Spielberg does, however, hold out some hope that people can change for the better; this is the message he wants to get across with the tale of ‘The Fabelmans’. “To quote Anne Frank, I think she’s right when she said that most people are good… and I think essentially at our core, there is goodness and there is empathy,” Spielberg said.
Mumbai citizens are twirling under the influenza A (H3N2) virus, or flu, with symptoms that slightly differ from those seen earlier. Many healthy people are developing asthma symptoms, necessitating blood tests and X-rays because the infection affects not only the throat but the entire bronchial hierarchy.
Health experts said that respiratory viruses, including the influenza virus, cause airway inflammation, but presentation and long-term effects could vary. Some factors influence the condition, such as a person’s genetic predisposition, allergic tendencies, pre-existing asthma, and other lung diseases.
Dr Anshuman Manaswi told Afternoon Voice that “these days there is a sudden increase in such cases, especially respiratory-related issues. The reason can be the changing atmosphere or even pollution. with a majority of them anxious that COVID has returned.”
“Over the past two weeks, four to five influenza patients have been detected every day. The symptoms are throat pain, fever, cough, and cold. People should be more alert, and they should seek treatment as soon as the symptoms appear,” said Dr Suresh Sanghvi.
The local hospital in Borivali informed Afternoon Voice that the number of patients with coughs and colds is on the rise these days. “We see more than five patients a day, most of whom suffer from asthma.” “Other senior doctors stated that they have seen many patients who have a persistent cough even after the flu has subsided.”
In the post-viral phase, many experience prolonged fatigue, weakness, tiredness, mental fogging, and an inability to work and concentrate, they said.
Mumbai’s weather has been unpredictable, and poor air quality is worsening the situation as many go out for walks early in the morning.
Cops in search of undertrials released on parole during the COVID pandemic 7
Many undertrials and prisoners who were granted parole during the COVID-19 outbreak have failed to return to their respective prisons. These inmates were freed during the pandemic for humanitarian reasons, so it is now a concern that they have vanished.
In Uttarakhand, at least 84 of the 198 prisoners released from state jails have yet to return.
A total of 198 prisoners were released on personal bonds for 30 days on the first day in various jails around the state following the SC order. The court then extended the period twice more, totaling 90 days. “After this, the prisoners were supposed to return on their own, but 84 have still not returned,” Ram said, adding that prisoners sentenced to less than seven years in jail were released to follow social distancing norms. Those convicted of heinous criminal and economic offences were not included.
More than 19 per cent of the prisoners released on interim bail or emergency parole from different jails in the national capital over the past two years are yet to return, according to data shared by authorities under the Right to Information Act. During the devastating coronavirus waves in 2020 and 2021, the three prisons in Delhi — Tihar, Rohini, and Mandoli — released inmates after a Supreme Court order as part of measures to decongest jails.
According to data shared by jail authorities, 5,525 prisoners were released on interim bail and emergency parole in the past two years, and 1,063 (19.23 per cent) of them are yet to return to serve their remaining sentences. A senior jail official of the Delhi Prisons Department said the Supreme Court had ordered that prisoners who were released during the second wave in 2021 would not be asked to surrender until further orders. The stay continues.
Maharashtra and Mumbai were among the most affected places during the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The police said that during the COVID outbreak, several convicts were allowed parole and were released from different prisons in Maharashtra. These convicts were to return back to jails upon the end of their paroles, but many of them failed to do so.
The Mumbai Police recently launched a special operation to track and nab the convicts who have jumped parole and failed to return to prison. 451 convicts who were among those released on emergency parole during the COVID outbreak have still not returned to jails despite the state government issuing an order last May.
The jail authorities have, in the last seven months, lodged 357 FIRs against such absconding convicts. During the pandemic, the state decided to release undertrials and those convicted in cases where the maximum punishment was 7 years or less to decongest the jails. Till March 2020, there were more than 35,000 inmates in Maharashtra’s prisons. After the prisoner release program was implemented, 14,780 inmates, including 4,237 convicts, walked out on interim bail or emergency parole. They were later asked to return to the barracks of the jail they were in. However, to date, 451 released convicts have not come back.
After the Maharashtra government revoked all restrictions imposed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, on May 1, the state home department issued an order regarding the temporary parole on May 4, directing all the convicted prisoners to return to jail. The home department also clearly directed the prison department to register cases under Section 224 (resisting lawful custody) of the Indian Penal Code against those who did not return. Following this order, the prison department started reviewing the parole status of all the prisoners who had availed of emergency parole. As many as 3,340 prisoners returned to jail within the stipulated time, and for those who failed to return, the police station concerned was informed.
As part of the special operation, the officials of the Mumbai Police were successful in tracing and nabbing 18 convicts who were released on parole during the COVID-19 outbreak and had failed to return. The police will continue the special operation. During the coronavirus outbreak, the government came up with a scheme for the prisoners who were allowed to receive special parole, including undertrials and those convicted in cases with less than seven years of imprisonment. However, the condition of the parole also included that the convicts who availed themselves of it would return to their respective prisons after the end of their parole. Several prisoners who had taken parole during COVID-19 had returned, whereas many had failed to do so.
So far, the prison department has registered 86 FIRs against such absconding criminals, and police are hunting them. 892 convicts released on parole during COVID didn’t return to jail yet. Mumbai As many as 892 prisoners who were convicted of various serious criminal offences and were allowed to go home on COVID emergency parole during the pandemic have not returned to the jails. This has prompted the state prison department to register fresh offences against these prisoners who have fallen off the police radar. So far, the prison department has registered 86 FIRs against such absconders, and police are hunting them. The prison department had released 4,241 convicts lodged across 46 prisons in the state COVID Emergency Parole Program during the initial phase of the pandemic. Of these, 892 prisoners failed to return to the jail despite sufficient time given to them to surrender.
The BJP is victories in north-eastern states in 2023 elections 9
It was a mega win for the BJP in north-eastern states; the party has won Tripura and is close to victory in Nagaland. It may also form a government in Meghalaya, renewing its alliance with Conrad Sang. The BJP-IPFT (Indigenous Progressive Front of Tripura) alliance returned to power in Tripura, winning 33 of the state’s 60 seats. The score of the alliance, however, is down by 11 from 2018, when the BJP alone won 36 seats and the IPFT eight. Erstwhile royal Pradyot Kishore Debbarma’s Tipra Motha, which made its debut in this election, won 13 seats. The party, which is pushing for a Greater Tipraland, appears to have grabbed the IPFT’s tribal support.
Meghalaya was headed for a hung house when Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, whose National People’s Party is leading the field, dialed the BJP’s chief strategist, Amit Shah. The two parties had decided to go it alone in the election after a rift over corruption allegations against Sangma’s NPP. The Left, which ruled the state for 35 years, and its new ally, Congress are leading by 14 seats, down by two. Meghalaya’s new entrant, the Trinamool Congress, took two seats, and defying exit poll predictions, the Congress is leading by five seats. In Nagaland, the BJP and its partner, the NDPP (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party), were leading with 37 seats—seven more than the last time. The state also has a female MLA, a first since Independence.
The BJP-IPFT alliance won 31 seats in the 60-member Tripura assembly, securing its return to power in the northeastern state for the second time in a row. According to the Election Commission website, the BJP bagged 30 seats while the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) got one. Meghalaya CM and Nation People’s Party (NPP) supremo Conrad Sangma has sought Union home minister Amit Shah’s blessings to form the next government in the hill state of Assam. Meanwhile, Neiphiu Rio is set to assume office as chief minister for a fifth consecutive term after a convincing win for the NDPP and its ally, the BJP.
The BJP retained its iron grip in the northeastern region, with governments in as many as 7 out of 8 states. Meanwhile, the Congress, which once held a formidable position in the northeast, failed to make a mark in all three states this year. The biggest setback for Congress was in the multi-cornered contest in Meghalaya. While the party was the single-largest in 2018, this year it saw its seat shares fall to single digits. In Tripura, the debutant Tipra Motha, led by the royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, made an impressive debut with leads in 12 seats, as per the available trends.
The elections for Tripura assembly were held on February 16, where 89.95 per cent of the 28.14 lakh voters exercised their franchise. The elections for the Meghalaya and Nagaland assemblies were conducted on February 27, 2023. At least six more assembly elections need to happen in 2023. After Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura assembly elections, six more state assemblies are set to go for elections in 2023. Karnataka assembly elections are due in May 2023. Then, assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram will be held toward the end of 2023. If the delimitation exercise is complete, Jammu and Kashmir can also hold assembly elections in 2023. The ruling National People’s Party has won 25 seats while leading in one assembly constituency. The United Democratic Party (UDP) has won 11 seats.
Supporters of all the parties in the fray gathered at the Polo Ground in Shillong as the counting of votes for the Meghalaya assembly was going on. Meanwhile, anticipating a win, NPP supporters have gathered outside CM Conrad Sangma’s residence in Tura. The counting in all 13 centers commenced at 8am. Initially, the postal ballots were counted for the first 30 minutes, followed by the counting of polled votes in the EVM Control Units. Shillong has the state’s maximum number of 14 counting halls, one for each assembly constituency. The West Garo Hills District Counting Centre caters to 11 assembly constituencies and is the second-largest counting center in the state.
The BJP and its ally, the NDPP , have crossed the majority mark by winning 34 seats so far in Nagaland as the counting of votes continues. According to the latest trends shared by the Election Commission at 4.45 pm, the BJP has won 12 seats, while the NDPP has bagged 22 seats and is leading by 3 seats. Congress bagged five seats and is leading by two seats. Nagaland political stalwart and its longest serving chief minister Neiphiu Rio is set to assume office for a fifth consecutive term. Nagaland voted on February 27 with around 85.79% voter turnout. Nagaland has made elaborate security arrangements with a three-tier cordoning system for counting of EVMs across the headquarters of 16 election districts. Repolling was held at 4 polling stations, which was marred by violence, killing 1 on Tuesday night.
In 2018, the NPF emerged as the largest party, winning 26 out of 60 seats, but failed to form the government. Its pre-election alliance with the BJP collapsed before the election, and the saffron party, with its 12 seats, turned to the newly formed NDPP, which had won 18 seats, to form the government.
Maharashtra byelections: Early trends show BJP leading in battle for Chinchwad Assembly seat 13
According to early trends in the ongoing counting of votes for the Maharashtra Assembly byelections, the BJP was leading the race for the Chinchwad Assembly seat. The counting of votes for the Maharashtra bye-elections began at 8 am.
According to the Election Commission, the BJP’s Chinchwad candidate Ashwini Laxman Jagtap was leading the NCP’s Vitthal, aka Nana Kate, by 449 votes, while Independent candidate Rahul Kalate was trailing at 1276 votes. The polling was held on February 27.
The heavyweights of the contesting parties, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena UBT’s Aaditya Thackeray, and Congress state chief Nana Patole, have been campaigning extensively and vigorously for their respective party candidates through roadshows, street corner meetings, and public rallies in the poll-bound constituencies.
As per data released by the district information office, the total number of voters in the Kasba Peth constituency is 2,75,428 with 1,38,550 women voters, 1,36,874 male voters, and five transgender voters.
In the Chinchwad Assembly constituency, a total of 56,8954 eligible voters cast their votes across 510 polling booths. Around 1300 police personnel, along with all senior officials of the police department, were deployed for voting day by the Pune police.
The bye-elections were necessitated by the deaths of BJP MLAs Laxman Jagtap, from the Chinchwad Assembly constituency, and Mukta Tilak, from the Kasba Peth Assembly constituency.
Adani-Hindenburg case: SC sets up 6-member committee headed by ex-judge Justice Sapre 15
The Supreme Court has set up an expert committee on the issue arising from the Hindenburg Research report on Adani Group companies. The committee will consist of six members, headed by former apex court judge Justice AM Sapre.
The SC has directed SEBI to investigate whether there has been a violation of Section 19 of SEBI rules or whether there was any manipulation of stock prices. The apex court was hearing petitions pertaining to the Hindenburg report, including on the constitution of a committee relating to regulatory mechanisms to protect investors’ interests.
On February 17, while reserving its order, the top court refused to accept the sealed cover suggestion by the Center on the appointment of the committee related to regulatory mechanisms to protect investors in the backdrop of the Adani-Hindenburg case and said that it wanted to maintain full transparency. During the hearing, CJI DY Chandrachud had indicated that they will not accept the sealed cover suggestion by the Center because they want to maintain full transparency.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Center, submitted a sealed cover note and said, “Two intentions should be kept in mind: one is that the truth comes out and a holistic view is presented, and the other is that there is an unintended impact on the markets.” Over the past month, share prices of companies in the Adani Group have dropped significantly. The January 24 Hindenburg report alleged stock manipulation and fraud by the conglomerate.
The Adani Group has attacked Hindenburg as “an unethical short seller” and stated that the report by the New York-based entity was “nothing but a lie.” The continued sell-offs in the group’s stocks led its flagship firm, Adani Enterprises Limited, to cancel a fully subscribed Rs 20,000 crore follow-on public offer.
Adani Group on January 29, in a long 413-page report, said the recent report by Hindenburg Research was not an attack on any specific company but a “calculated attack” on India, its growth story, and ambitions. “This is not merely an unwarranted attack on any specific company but a “calculated attack on India, the independence, integrity, and quality of Indian institutions, and the growth story and ambition of India,” it said.
There was one anonymous email to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday from an Indore-based person, who had supposedly taken training in Pakistan and China and had come to Mumbai. Pakistan is known for backing various designated terrorist organizations.
Pakistan has been frequently accused by various countries, including its neighbours Afghanistan, India, and Iran, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, of involvement in a variety of terrorist activities in both its local region of South Asia and beyond.
India has accused Pakistan of perpetuating the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir by providing financial support and armaments to militant groups as well as by sending state-trained terrorists across the Line of Control and de jure India–Pakistan border to launch attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir and India proper, respectively.
The subject of the mail is “danger man,” and his name is mentioned in the mail as “Sarfaraj Memon, who could be dangerous.” As per the email, the person is from Dhar Road in Indore, and he had allegedly visited China in 2018 and 2019, but his agency did not find any entries for travel to Pakistan. The email also had the person’s details, such as their Aadhar card, passport, and driving license, and as per the documents, the suspect was born in 1982. These documents could be added to mislead the agencies. These days, terrorists are technically sound, and they know how to use technology to their advantage. This so-called dangerous man has used all his social engineering skills.
The agency has shared all the information with the Mumbai police, anti-terrorism squad, and other central agencies. Mumbai police and the NIA have shared information about him with the Indore police. The police are also trying to get more information about his travel records. The city is on high alert, and the police have also alerted their human intelligence and other networks to get the details about Memon. This email could not be genuine, but the police can take a chance, so based on the information, they have been putting all their efforts into tracing him. The central agencies must have visited the address mentioned in the Aadhar card and verified it. A special team of a few officers has been formed to trace the person, and apart from that, the entire city police force has been alerted.
From 1992 to 2021, the police have not heard that a terror suspect has taken training in China. It does not seem serious. But still, ATS and cops have now launched a manhunt to nab the suspect. A team from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) reached Indore on Tuesday and has been recording the statement of Sarfaraj Memon, whose name was in an anonymous email sent to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in which he was referred to as a “danger man.”
Memon has lived in Hong Kong for several years. The ATS has been verifying the claims mentioned in the mail. Apart from that, they are also checking Memon’s social media accounts, call details, and travel history. After checking his travel details, it was learned that he had allegedly visited China in 2018 and 2019, but the agency did not find any entries for travel in Pakistan. The police are also trying to get more information about his travel records.
Terrorism in China is rare, and people can be trained in that country for any such activity. So, his visit to China is not dangerous, and the person has not visited Pakistan ever, which means whoever is the mail sender is trying to bully ATS. The government of the People’s Republic of China identifies terrorism as one of the “Three Evils.” These forces are seen by Beijing as interconnected threats to social stability and national security.
In particular, terrorism is viewed as a violent manifestation of ethnic separatism, and separatism is understood as a corollary of religious zealotry. The government has embarked on strike-hard campaigns to suppress these tendencies, particularly in Xinjiang and Tibetan regions. There have been allegations that the Chinese government has been applying charges of terrorism in an inconsistent and sometimes politically motivated manner, but there is no evidence that they are training militants. These days, Pakistan has also adapted to new methods and is giving training online. And in most of the cases, they are training terrorists outside Pakistan.
Whereas the ISI has frequently been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks across India, including Kashmir-related terrorism, the July 2006 Mumbai Train Bombings, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2006 Varanasi Bombings, the August 2007 Hyderabad Bombings, and the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. The ISI is also accused of supporting Taliban forces and recruiting and training mujahideen to fight in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Based on communication intercepts, US intelligence agencies concluded Pakistan’s ISI was behind the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul on July 7, 2008, a charge that the governments of India and Afghanistan had previously laid.
CM Eknath Shinde removed the photos of Uddhav Thackeray from the party office in Vidhan Bhavan 19
The Shiv Sena faction, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, removed the photos of Uddhav Thackeray from the party office in Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday. The members of the Shinde-led faction had taken over the party office last week after the Election Commission (EC) recognized the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena. The members replaced Thackeray’s photo with that of Bal Thackeray and Anand Dighe.
Meanwhile, after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut called the members of the Maharashtra Assembly “thieves,” the session was adjourned for the fourth time amid sloganeering on Wednesday. Speaker Rahul Narwekar ordered an inquiry into the march that will be completed in two days, and a decision in the matter will be taken by March 8. Earlier in the day, the opposition MLAs in the Assembly protested over a range of issues, including the latest price hike of LPG cylinders, outside the Vidhan Bhawan.
Raut’s “thief” remark is “an insult to the Assembly, Maharashtra, and its people,” says Speaker Narwekar; the Assembly adjourned for the day. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Wednesday that the statement made by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut is an insult to the state legislature and that it should not be tolerated.
“I’ve heard what Raut ji has to say. It is an insult to the whole legislature. It is my personal opinion that this should not be tolerated. “Just like contempt of court, making such remarks against the legislature is contempt of the legislature,” Fadnavis said while addressing Deputy Speaker Neelam Gorhe in the state Legislative Council. Fadnavis added that the people of the state were watching to see whether such insults from the legislature were being tolerated.
Gorhe stated that she will make a decision on Raut’s breach of privilege motion after reviewing and verifying his remarks. However, she will not issue any orders regarding Raut’s arrest because the matter is under the jurisdiction of the home department. Moreover, Speaker Rahul Narwekar ruled that the speech by Raut was “an insult to the Assembly and to Maharashtra and its people.” A detailed investigation is needed. It will be completed in 2 days, after which on March 8 I will give my decision to the Assembly.”
Soon after, Shiv Sena and BJP MLAs raised the slogans “Arrest Sanjay Raut” and “Sanjay Raut Hai Hai.” The Assembly has been further adjourned for the rest of the day amid sloganeering. It will resume at 11 am on Thursday.
