The Bombay High Court has allowed singer Adnan Sami to travel to Pakistan, his home country, to to meet his ailing mother and further to London for her medical treatment, from May 11 to 28.
Hearing Sami’s application in this regard, Justice Revati Mohite-Dere on Saturday also directed the Oshiwara police here to return him his passport after he submitted his itinerary, and details of the places where he intends to stay and contact numbers.
Sami is embroiled in a legal battle, involving civil as well as criminal cases, with his former wife Sabah Galadari. He had handed over his passport to the police on the court’s order earlier.
Sami on Saturday furnished undertakings of two sureties and promised to file undertaking of another surety on Monday.
“In view of compliance of the (earlier) orders, the applicant is permitted to travel to Pakistan to meet his ailing mother and to London, if required, for her treatment from 11th May, 2014 to 28th May, 2014,” said the Judge.
Sami pleaded that he may be required to travel even later for a concert on June 8. The court said he would be able to retain the passport upon his return till June 4, so that he could apply for a visa again.
His lawyers Ranbir Singh and Amit Ghag assured that Sami would deposit his passport with Oshiwara police on June 5.
The judge however said that he would have to apply to the HC afresh for travel after May 28. Edith Dey and Sana Usman, Sabah’s lawyers, opposed Sami’s plea for permission to go abroad. “He wants to travel on the ground that his mother is ill. However, it is not so. He has not got the sureties nor has he signed the bonds before the Magistrate,” the lawyers argued. However the HC did not accept their contention.
An ambitious plan to quench the thirst of Mumbai residents has moved a step forward with the completion of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA).
The project envisages provision of 579 million cubic metres of water annually to the rapidly expanding financial capital of the country by linking Damanganga River in Gujarat with Pinjal River flowing in neighbouring Maharashtra.
The Airport Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Airport on Sunday arrested two passengers, in two different operations, on their arrival from Dubai and seized over 25 kg gold worth Rs 6.5 crore. This is the highest seizure of smuggled gold from the airport in a day, claimed Milind Lanjewar, Additional Commissioner, AIU.
In the first case, Mohammed Aboobacker arrived from Dubai via Muscat and was intercepted with 13 gold bars of one kg each and two gold bars of 10 ‘tolas’ (100 gms) each, worth Rs 3.39 crore. In the second case, the sleuths apprehended passenger Mavin Keezhil Aslam, who arrived from Dubai, and seized 12 gold bars of one kg each and 2 gold bars of 10 tolas each, valued at 3.14 crore.
“Our investigations show that they used similar modus operandi and they were working at the behest of the same person in Dubai,” Lanjewar said. According to officials, the two passengers were carrying the yellow metal in their bags and in their pockets and to avoid Customs net they had worn an identity card on their neck.
“They pretended as if they were some airport staff, however, after crossing the Customs counter when one of the sleuths called them, their faces turned blank and we grew suspicious and checked their belongings,” said an official. Customs officials also said that the identity cards they were wearing turned out to be their driving licenses.
“We are investigating and finding out as to who was the intended recipient,” said a source. Both the passengers were subsequently arrested, Lanjewar said.
Airport charges and user development fee at Delhi and Mumbai, which were to be revised last month, would continue to remain the same till October end, official sources said today. Airport charges, paid by airlines to airport operators like GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), include those relating to landing and parking, fuel throughput, common user terminals and housing and parking.
The aeronautical tariff, approved by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), for these two major metro airports would continue till October 31 or till the final determination of the tariffs for five years from 2014 till 2019, whichever is earlier, the sources said. The decision was taken after both DIAL and MIAL told AERA that since the determination of tariff for the 2014-19 period may take some time, it could allow continuation of existing rates till tariff was finalised and made effective.
At Delhi Airport, which is the only one to charge user development fee (UDF) from both outgoing and incoming flyers, the rate would remain Rs 1,131 for international departing passengers and Rs 933 for those arriving here. For domestic passengers coming in and flying out of Delhi, the UDF would remain at Rs 490 for departing and Rs 415 for arriving passengers.
The UDF rates for Mumbai would remain fixed at Rs 548 and Rs 274 for outbound international and domestic passengers. Incoming passengers do not pay UDF at Mumbai. Similarly, landing charges in Delhi would remain constant at over Rs 59,000 for a large aircraft coming from abroad and over Rs 30,000 for a similar plane from a domestic destination. These charges at Mumbai airport were Rs 60,000 and about Rs 29,000 for large airplanes operating on international and domestic routes respectively.
Varanasi will spell Namo once again on May 16th when folks will realise that RSS was behind the road show, they pulled away all stops to show case an illusion. Kashiites want development, a world class tourist city and above all peace, none of which is really a strength or aptitude of RSS. There is a difference between the politics of representation, participation and empowerment. Modi held a massive roadshow in Varanasi on Thursday after the Election Commission denied him permission to hold one of the two rallies in the temple town. The roadshow began from outside the Banaras Hindu University, where earlier in the day thousands of BJP supporters were sitting on a dharna seeking the removal of a returning officer for denying the BJP’s PM candidate permission to hold a public meeting in the city over security issues.
All along the route, Modi was greeted by saffron-cap wearing supporters, who kept on chanting ‘Modi, Modi, Modi;’ flowers were showered, saffron flags waved, same shouted and the same body language, same enthusiasm and just the same memories of Babri Masjid demotion Rathyarta crowd prevailed. Modi had earlier requested his supporters not to chant this slogan, which is inspired by ‘Har Har Mahadev’ — a traditional form of greeting here and used in prayers of Lord Shiva, but supporters were so excited they did not bother much about disobeying their “GODLeader”. The roadshow attracted massive crowds, more than the voting population of Varanasi.
When, especially in Gujarat, when Kejriwal went for road show, a case was registered against him on the pretext that he had more than three cars in his caravan. Everybody has seen Modi’s road show on TV and his other road shows in Varanasi and elsewhere where thousands of vehicles along with people brought from other states are in his caravan. Neither any state government nor EC has objected to this nor has he been booked for it. It is a paradox that BJP leaders are blaming EC for biasness against them whereas the bias seems to be towards them. Are they creating this hullabaloo to hide the unnecessary advantage being taken by them? What EC did was not totally biased. In last 50 years, not even a single time any contestant has been denied permission to stage any rally in his constituency. This is the first time and EC/DM have given contradictory excuses.
Even those who have put the Gujarat development model through the shredder will have to concede that the state does have progress to show off. How much of that can be attributed to Modi could be debatable. But there have been achievements that have been effectively communicated. No doubt the electoral rhetoric has been excessively Modi-centric, yet it appears to be “selling” because it is in sharp contrast to a pathetic performance of a supine Prime Minister who ended up having forfeited all “bragging rights.”
Religion and caste are the reality of India. Every political party take mileage out of caste and religious groups. In our democracy, pressure groups are made on the basis of caste and religion. Brand Modi has been developed intentionally to confuse legal and official machinery on the one hand while to take on the UPA and family generated corruption on the other hand. Again, BJP is put behind not because Modi wants so but because Brand Modi is free from the BJP shortcomings. Infact, this is a three pronged strategy- Modi cries for country and development, BJP fills in the blanks and rest will be done by RSS. To attract Muslim votes, Modi even seeked blessings of freedom fighter Col. Nizamuddin. 107-year-old Nizamuddin, who claims to be a close aide, guard and driver of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Born in Dhakwa village of Mubarkpur area in 1901, ’Colonel’ Nizamuddin was honoured by the District Magistrate Azamgarh on the occasion of Netaji’s Jayanti. According to Nizamuddin, his father Imam Ali used to run a canteen in Singapore and at the age of around 24-25 he fled from his native village here to the country. At that time, Netaji was recruiting youngsters for his Azad Hind Fauj in Singapore and he also joined it, said Nizamuddin. ‘Netaji was impressed with my dedication and later appointed me as his personal guard and driver and for the next 10 years I remained with him’, Nizamuddin claimed. Wherever he went, be it Tokyo, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia or Singapore or planned his moves against the British rulers Nizamuddin remained by his side. The close aide of Netaji claimed that as the British had launched a manhunt to nab Bose, he undertook most of his trips via sea route travelling in submarines. Modi greeting Nizammudin was very dramatic, he touched old man’s feet for camera coverage and as the rally moved further, the old man was left on the street corners unattended.
Anyhow, inspite of all the restrictions, the roadshow was well managed. A lot of money was spent by Modi and BJP and at this rate, only God can save our country from the ills of corruption and black money. If Modi feels mother Ganga is calling him to Varanasi, then why is he also contesting from Vadodara? It’s all political gimmickry. If Mother Ganga has sent you invitation to contest from Varanasi, who had kicked out Murali Manohar Joshi from there? Maiyya’ or mother comes in mind when you expect something and beg for it from mother and not when you were in position to give something to ‘Maiyya’ or mother. The crowd was perhaps more than the population of eligible voters of Varanasi. Or as his man Amit Shah has stated, it was a tsunami with the crowd overflowing from other parts of UP. Do they have an account of how much was paid to this crowd?
A day after the visit of Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, party president Rajnath Singh met RSS leaders on Sunday.
The meeting reportedly took place to discuss the party’s strategy after the final phase of the Lok Sabha polls come to an end.
Singh’s meeting with the RSS leaders including Bhaiyaji Joshi and Suresh Soni comes a day after Modi met his ailing mentor Atal Bihari Vajpayee and took his blessings.
“RSS workers have worked hard at the ground level to make BJP candidates win in the elections and Rajnathji has come to express his gratitude for this to Sangh,” a source close to the BJP President told.
Asked whether any post-poll strategy was discussed in the meeting, sources reportedly said, “Sangh does not discuss strategy.”
Modi took to Twitter after the end of poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh and tweeted, “After addressing final campaign rally came to seek Atal ji’s blessings. Had met him when campaign started. Its always special to meet him.”
The Gujarat Chief Minister then held a meeting with Bhagwat for over two hours and discussed future course of action.
He also asked people to help create a strong, developed and inclusive India that will once again show the way to the world in his blog.
Modi, who was campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, landed in Delhi after electioneering in the nine-phased polls drew to a close.
A week after the opening of famous Kedarnath shrine, the yatra was put on hold after heavy showfall and bad weather in the region, a report said on Sunday.
According to the news reports, around 144 pilgrims have been stoped at Guptkashi.
The Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines were re-opened for the pilgrims amid moderate rainfall last week.
Meanwhile, holding that arrangements for the Kedarnath yatra are not adequate yet, the temple’s chief priest Bhimashankar Ling advised the devotees planning to visit the Himalayan shrine to put their plans on hold for at least a week as it could be ‘risky’.
Citing the poor condition of the road leading to the shrine, the chief priest (Rawal) said, “Undertaking the arduous journey could be “risky” at present but hoped things will soon be okay as the snow melts and work on Linchauli to Kedarnatrh pedestrian route paces up.”
“The slopes on Linchauli to Kedarnath route are too steep which can cause problems to the old. Snow is still there in the area. The soil is wet. It will take at least 7-8 days more for the road leading to the shrine to be complete.
So I would advise pilgrims not to undertake the journey to Kedarnath for at least a week,” the chief priest told PTI from Ukhimath on phone.
Though the state government is working overtime to repair and construct the roads everything is not quite in place as of now, he said.
There are no mule operators to be found in the area this year as in the past.
Only facilities made available by the state government are there. So devotees, young and old alike, have to walk to the temple. What is adding to their woes is rains on short intervals in the area which have kept the soil wet.
“People walk gingerly on the roads fearing the earth under their feet might slide,” the Rawal said.
However, expressing satisfaction over the pace at which road construction work is being carried out by different agencies, Ling said by prioritising the chardham yatra, Chief Minister Harish Rawat had done a great job.
“Harish Rawat has done a wonderful job. There is no dearth of food supplies or places to rest for devotees.The only problem is the condition of roads,” he said.
However, he said he was optimistic that in a week’s time things will be fine and more and more devotees will throng the famous shrine whose adjoining areas bore the brunt of the massive devastation caused by last year’s deluge.
On April 24, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had hit out at BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi saying that he is politicising one of the pioneer institutes of India – Banaras Hindu University (BHU) after Modi started his roadshow by paying floral tribute at the statue of Madan Mohan Malviya at the university. But, the picture inside the prestigious BHU is in stark contrast to Kejriwal’s claim. Most of the election roadshows either started or concluded in front of campus’s entry gates but the politics doesn’t end here.
Modi and Kejriwal have become the favourite topic within the institution. The students of the BHU are divided mainly into two groups, the Modi and the Kejriwal camps; the Congress is a distant third. Modi’s popularity has out-shined the Kejriwal charm amongst the students. There are a large number of students who think that the Gujarat Chief Minister will bring development to the temple town.
Around 2,000 BHU students have been volunteering for the BJP from March 23, working for the party around the day. “Out of the 2000 volunteers, between 100 and 200 are associated with the RSS,” said Akhilesh Singh, Varanasi communication cell head and also a BHU student of the journalism department. Akhilesh was associated with RSS before joining the BJP in February, 2014.
“The volunteers are basically locals as most of the BHU students are not registered voters here. We are targeting people of Varanasi as they are aware about the place well,” Akhilesh added. The exams are on in the BHU, but this hasn’t deterred them to work for the BJP. The students stop volunteering two days prior their exams and once it is over, they are again back to the field. They are going door to door and trying to convenience people on why they should vote for Modi. “Narendra Modi is the best option for the PM’s post,” says Akhilesh.
Though campaigning inside the institute is banned by the administration, the students are promoting ideologies of their respective parties by holding talks, chats and debates on various issue. Meanwhile, a student who doesn’t wish to be named said that a few Modi supporters can be seen distributing pamphlets inside the campus. To which, the BJP communication cell head said that they don’t promote such action and condemn it.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal too has hit the chord of a few students. The former Delhi Chief Minister is popular amongst the students of IIT-BHU and medical courses. Kejriwal, in the past too garnered supports of many IITians, his alma mater. “Arvind Kejriwal led the campaign of telling the country as to which direction the national politics should go. People of Varanasi should also decide as to which side they are in the fight between truth and honesty,” said Harshit Jain, 2nd year student at the department of ceramic engineering, IIT-BHU. Some of the IIT-BHU students are also working for the AAP in Varanasi.
There’s massive security deployment in Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh where at least six people were injured in clashes between two groups yesterday. The situation is tense but believed to be under control, the police have said.
The clashes reportedly broke out around 2 pm yesterday, allegedly over installation of a water tank. The scuffle was soon followed by stone-pelting and incidents of firing. Of the six injured in the clashes, some reportedly suffered bullet injuries. One of them is critical.
Some vehicles and kiosks were also set on fire by a mob on Sunday before the police arrived in the area.
Senior officials say the situation is tense but under control now. Patrolling has been intensified in the area – 600 policemen from Meerut and nearby districts and 600 paramilitary soldiers have been deployed to maintain law and order.
“Patrolling has been intensified and police forces from other areas along with the Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Action Force have been deployed to restore peace,” Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Singh said.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley has come out strongly against the Election Commission over its cancellation of BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rally in Varanasi. In a blog criticising the Election Commission, Jaitley has accused the commission of playing the security card selectively. Following is the full text of Jaitley’s May 8 blog:
I cannot conceal my disappointment with the Election Commission. Men in constitutional offices need to be bolder. Timid men can dwarf high offices.
The Election Commission scrutinizes us all the time. They are extremely vigilant in tackling the side shows in the elections. They are concerned with what adjectives are used by whom. But when it comes to preventing booth capturing which has reappeared after a decade in elections 2014 they are out of their depth.
By condoning the Returning Officer’s stand on ‘No-Modi rally’ in Varanasi city the Election Commission has used the security card to prevent Narendra Modi’s right to campaign in his constituency. If you can’t ensure security, don’t hold the polls in the country. But if you do hold the polls please provide a level playing field. You cannot deny the candidate the right to campaign. Rahul Gandhi can have a road show in Varanasi but Narendra Modi cannot have a rally. The security card is selectively used.
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday carried out at search operation at the the BJP office in Varanasi.
The search operation was carried out at BJP’s Gulabbagh office. The police have found campaign material of the BJP in a car which was parked in an under construction building in front of the BJP office.
The BJP workers are protesting against the raid saying that the administration is biased against them.
Earlier, the BJP had hit at the administration in Varanasi and the Election Commission after Narendra Modi was denied permission to conduct a roadshow in the city on Thursday due to security reason.
