Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi states “Arrest of Sanjay Raut is a Political Conspiracy”

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August 1, 2022

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has condemned party leader Sanjay Raut’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam and claimed the action was politically motivated.

“ED, which is no more Enforcement Directorate but an ‘Extended Department’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is working as part of a political conspiracy and compromising the constitutional institution,” she claimed.

When asked about the alleged recovery of Rs 11.5 lakh cash from Raut’s house, she said, “Recovering it from a joint family which has three brothers, two daughters and a mother is not unaccounted for cash.

All these are source-based stories which ED is known to plant to try to justify the political conspiracy.” Chaturvedi also has given a suspension of business notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking to discuss “misuse of premier investigative agencies by the Central government for political agendas”. “I hereby give notice under Rule 267 of rules of procedure and conduct of business in the Council of States of my intention to move the following motion for the suspension of business/rules on August 1, 2022,” wrote Chaturvedi to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.

“That this august House agrees to suspend the listed business of the day to discuss the misuse of the premier investigating agencies, such as Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax (IT) Department by the Central Government for political agendas and detaining opposition leaders through these agencies in a bid to silence them.”

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi gives suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha on “misuse of premier investigative agencies such as ED, CBI & IT by Central govt for political agendas & detaining opposition leaders through these agencies in a bid to silence them.”
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2022

Chaturvedi slammed the Centre for allegedly using central agencies to harass opposition leaders and claimed that the ED action on Raut was an attempt to silence one of the most vocal opponents of the BJP.

Earlier, another FIR was registered against Sanjay Raut in Mumbai for allegedly threatening Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar who is considered an aide of the Shiv Sena leader.

The case was registered at the Vakola police station under sections 504, 506 and 509 of IPC. An audio clip had gone viral in which Raut was allegedly heard threatening Swapna Patkar.

Notably, Swapna Patkar is a witness in the Patra Chawl land case for which the ED detained Raut on Sunday after conducting a raid at his residence

Weightlifter Achinta Sheuli wins Gold Medal in men’s 73 kg final in CWG 2022

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ANI

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August 1, 2022

Indian weightlifter Achinta Sheuli clinched a gold medal with a combined lift of 313kg in the men’s 73kg final at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Sunday.

With this, he won the country its sixth medal at CWG 2022 and its third gold medal at the event. In his first attempt at the Snatch category, Achinta Sheuli made a great start and successfully lifted 137kg. Without breaking, a sweat Achinta lifted 140kg in the second attempt of the category.

In the third and final attempt, he successfully lifted 143kg. It is three out of three for Achinta, as he lifted 143kg in his last attempt in the snatch round to create a new Commonwealth Games Record.

In the Clean and Jerk lift category, Achinta exhibited a stunning display of power as he lifted 166kg in his first attempt.

In the second attempt of the category, he decided to lift 170 kg but failed. In the third and last attempt of the C&J category, he lifted 170kg with ease. With a successful lift of 170kg in his third clean and jerk attempt, Achinta Sheuli finished with a total of 313kg (143kg + 170kg).

Indian weightlifter Achinta Sheuli ended up adding the sixth medal to India’s tally by capturing a gold medal.

ED to produce Sanjay Raut in court today

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ANI

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August 1, 2022

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday will produce Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut before a special session court after his arrest here early this morning in connection with a money laundering case linked to irregularities involving the redevelopment of a chawl in Mumbai.

ED officials raided the Shiv Sena leader’s home on Sunday and after detaining and questioning him for several hours arrested him in the early hours today.

Raut will be taken for medical tests and later produced before a Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Raut is a close aide of Shiv Sena President and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Prior to his arrest, Sanjay Raut’s brother said yesterday: “Sanjay Raut has been arrested. BJP is afraid of him and got him arrested. They haven’t given us any document (regarding his arrest). He has been framed.” Raut was arrested after an FIR was registered against Sanjay Raut in Mumbai for allegedly threatening Swapna Patkar, the wife of Sujit Patkar, a close aide of the Shiv Sena MP.

The case was registered at the Vakola police station under sections 504,506 and 509 of IPC. An audio clip of Swapna had gone viral in which Raut was allegedly heard threatening her. Notably, Swapna Patkar is a witness in the Patra Chawl land case, for which the ED detained Raut on Sunday after hours of raids at his residence.

Meanwhile, security around the ED office and JJ hospital has been increased with over 100 officials deployed to get hold of any law and order situation. Additional Director (ED) Satyabrata Kumar was also seen at the site.

According to the sources, ED officials seized Rs 11.50 lakhs unaccounted cash from the residence of Raut earlier on Sunday. ED sleuths reached Raut’s residence around 7 am on Sunday and conducted the raid.

Soon after the ED officials detained him in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case, the Shiv Sena leader said that he “won’t be cowed down”.

Speaking to media persons, Raut said, “False charges and documents are being framed against people. All of this is being done to weaken Shiv Sena and Maharashtra. Sanjay Raut won’t be cowed down. I will not leave the party.”

On June 28 this year, Sanjay Raut was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the prevention of the money laundering case pertaining to the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam.

Refusing to join the probe and citing the Monsoon Session of Parliament as a reason for not joining the probe, he then dared the probe agency to arrest him. Later, he reached the ED office.

The ED, which took Pune-based businessman Avinash Bhosale into custody earlier in connection with the DHFL-Yes Bank case, wants to grill Raut in this matter too, as per sources.

They claimed that Patra Chawl case of ED is also linked to the DHFL case. In April this year, the ED had provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore belonging to Raut’s wife Varsha Raut and two of his associates as part of its investigation.

GST collected for the month of July 2022 is 28% higher than the last year

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ANI

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August 1, 2022

Goods and Services Tax collection for the month of July was recorded at Rs 148,995 crore, which is 28 per cent higher as compared to the same month last year. This is the second highest revenue since the introduction of the GST in 2017.

Of the total, CGST was Rs 25,751 crore, SGST was Rs 32,807 crore, IGST was Rs 79,518 crore (including Rs 41,420 crore collected on import of goods) and cess was Rs 10,920 crore (including Rs 995 crore collected on import of goods), the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

In June 2022, total GST collections were at Rs 1.44 lakh crore. For five months in a row now, the monthly GST revenues have been more than Rs 1.4 lakh core, showing a steady increase every month.

It is important to note that the GST revenue collections crossed the Rs 1.5 lakh crore mark for the first time in the month of April at Rs 1.68 lakh crore.

“The growth in GST revenue till July 2022 over the same period last year is 35% and displays a very high buoyancy. This is a clear impact of various measures taken by the Council in the past to ensure better compliance. Better reporting coupled with economic recovery has been having a positive impact on the GST revenues on a consistent basis,” the statement added.

Last month, the five-year of the GST regime was completed. The government through the GST taxation system intended to bring in uniform taxes across the country, besides transparency, accountability, and a simpler registration process.

GST was introduced in the country w.e.f. 1st July 2017 and States were assured for compensation for loss of any revenue arising on account of implementation of GST as per the provisions of the GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 for a period of five years.

For providing compensation to States, Cess is being levied on certain goods and the amount of Cess collected is being credited to Compensation Fund.

Compensation to States is being paid out of the Compensation Fund with effect from July 1, 2017.

In the recent GST Council meeting held in Chandigarh, several states have sought an extension of the compensation at least for a few years, if not for 5 years. Any formal decision on it is yet to be taken.

Eyes on Weightlifting, Badminton, Table Tennis; win is important in Hockey, Squash and Lawn ball on day 4 of CWG 2022

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ANI

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August 1, 2022

Image : ANI

After an action-filled third day of the Commonwealth Games, the Indian contingent will be looking forward to progress further in sports like squash, lawn bowls, boxing and hockey and seal some more medals in weightlifting, badminton and table tennis.

The action will start from 1:00 PM onwards with lawn bowls semi finals in Women’s Fours category. The team of Rupa Rani Tirkey, Nayanmoni Saikia, Lovely Choubey and Pinki Singh will take on Team New Zealand. They have progressed to the semis after a win over Norfolk Island in QFs. Team India had finished 2nd in their group D.

In Men’s 81 kg weightlifting, Ajay Singh will be in action from 2:00 PM onwards, with an aim to seal another medal for his country that has dominated the sport in the 2022 edition of CWG so far with five medals.

The Indian judo contingent will start its campaign from 2:30 PM onwards, with Jasleen Singh Saini taking on Maxence Cugola of Vanuatu in Men’s 66 kg Round of 16. Vijay Kumar Yadav will also take on Winsley Gangaya of Mauritius in Men’s 60 kg round of 16 match.

Sushila Devi will take on Harriet Bonface of Malawi in the Women’s 48 kg QFs while Suchika Tariyal will take on Rita Rabinda of Zambia in Women’s 57 kg round of 16 match.

At 3:30 PM, Indian fans will get to see the mixed badminton team in action in semis where the team will be eyeing a medal.

From 3:51 PM onwards, Sajan Prakash will be taking part in the Men’s 100 M Butterfly Heat 6. The action will shift to squash courts later, with Sunayana Kuruvilla taking part in Women’s Singles Plate Quarterfinals from 4:30 PM onwards.

All eyes will be on the boxing ring from 4:45 onwards with Amit Panghal set to take on Namri Berri of Vanuatu in Over 48-51 kg Round of 16 match.

While from 6:00 PM onwards, India’s Hussamuddin taking on Bangladesh’s Md Salin Hossain in Over 54-57 kg category round of 16 match.

Joshna Chinappa will take on Canada’s Hollie Naughton in QFs of Women’s singles in squash from 6:00 PM onwards.

Cycling action will start from 6:32 PM with first round of Women’s Keirin competition in which Triyasha Paul, Shushikala Agashe and Mayuri Lute will be participating. Squash player Saurav Ghosal will be playing in Men’s singles QFs from 6:45 PM onwards if he qualifies after defeating his round of 16 opponent.

It will be followed by Men’s cycling 40 KM Points Race Qualifying event in which Naman Kapil, Venkappa Kengalagutti, Dinesh Kumar and Vishwajeet Singh will be playing from 6:52 PM onwards.

From 7:42 PM onwards, Women’s Keirin First Round Repechages will follow. It will be interesting to see if any Indian cyclists reach here.

From 8:02 PM onwards will be the finals in Men’s Cycling in 1000 M Time Trial. Ronaldo Singh and David Beckham will be a part of this event.

From 8:30 PM onwards, the men’s hockey team will continue its campaign against England in Pool B match. Women’s Keirin second round in cycling will take place from 9:17 PM onwards.

From 9:37 PM onwards, Meenakshi will be seen in Women’s 10 Km Scratch Race final. More finals for Women’s Keirin and Men’s 40 KM Points Race will follow from 9:50 PM to 10:12 PM onwards.

Indian cyclists will be looking forward to ensure their presence at these events. From 11:00 PM onwards, things will kickstart in the Women’s 71 kg category in weightlifting, with Harjinder Kaur in action.

Men’s Table Tennis team will play its semi final clash against Nigeria from 11:30 PM onwards with an aim to confirm a medal for their country.

From 12:27 AM onwards on August 2, Sajan Prakash could be participating in semi finals of 100 M Butterfly event if he performs well in his heats.

At 1:00 AM will be the round of 16 boxing match between Ashish Kumar and Travis Tapatuetoa of Niue in Over 75-80 kg category.

Gyanvapi case: Lawyer representing the Masjid committee passed away due to cardiac arrest

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PTI

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August 1, 2022

Abhay Nath Yadav died on Sunday night and will be cremated on Monday, they said. The suit was filed in the year 1991 when Masjid was built on the orders of Aurangzeb.

Yadav was a prominent lawyer representing the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee in the case.

The Allahabad High Court had last week adjourned the hearing of the case till August 3 challenging the maintainability of a 1991 suit seeking right to worship by Hindu petitioners.

Bombay HC refuses urgent hearing of pleas against renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad

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PTI

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August 1, 2022

The Bombay High Court on Monday refused an urgent hearing of two petitions challenging the Maharashtra government’s decision to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities, noting that nothing will be done with any ”electrifying speed” by the government.

A division bench of Justices Prasanna Varale and Kishore Sant said there was no urgency to hear the two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) now and posted it for hearing on August 23.

”There is no urgency. There are so many holidays this month. You (petitioners) expect the government to work? Even on working days, they (government) don’t work,” Justice Varale said.

”Nothing will be done with any electrifying speed (by the government) which the petitioners are apprehending,” the court added.

One of the PILs was filed last week by Aurangabad residents Mohammed Mushtaq Ahmed, Annasaheb Khandare and Rajesh More challenging the renaming of Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The second PIL was filed on Monday by 17 residents of Osmanabad against the state’s decision to rename it Dharashiv.

Notably, the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray had decided to rename both Aurangabad and Osmanabad in its last cabinet meeting held on June 29.

The new government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on July 16 passed a fresh proposal on renaming the two cities.

Both the petitions termed the government’s decision as ”politically motivated” and argued that such a name change would lead to ”religious and communal hatred”.

The petition opposing the renaming of Osmanabad said that in 1998 the then Maharashtra government had unsuccessfully tried to change the name to Dharashiv.

The plea against the renaming of Aurangabad said the Shinde government took this decision without considering public sentiments and disregarding provisions of the Constitution.

Pak Army chief Bajwa approaches US to secure IMF loan amid dwindling foreign reserves

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ANI

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August 1, 2022

Amid the worsening crisis due to shrinking foreign reserves, Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has approached the US for help in securing an early disbursement of funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prevent the south Asian country from a looming economic disaster.

In order to seek support on the economic front, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif persuaded Bajwa to talk to US authorities and use his influence for the early disbursement of IMF funds

The premier and COAS also discussed other options on how to secure the country’s economy from getting into a crisis-like situation, The News International reported citing sources. As per the report, Bajwa telephoned US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and appealed to her to expedite the USD1.2 billion disbursal.

The move by the Army chief comes as Pakistan is gripped by a deep economic slump due to shortage of foreign reserves. However, it is not the first time that the government has approached the US administration for succour

Federal Finance Minister Miftah Ismail had met the US envoy in Islamabad earlier seeking the US government’s influence over the IMF in reviving the bailout package, said The News International report.

As per reports, the IMF’s board meeting is slated for the third week of August and the pressure on the local currency has sparked a debate already whether the country will be able to revive its faltering economy.

Notably, Pakistan has claimed to have taken a few measures to revive the stalled IMF programme like removing subsidies on petroleum products, hiking power and gas tariffs and increasing taxes. These steps have taken a massive toll on the common man and led to a sharp surge in economic hardships for the country’s poorer sections

China: Xi’s hyper nationalism foster may backfire

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ANI

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August 1, 2022

xi jimping — China: Xi's hyper nationalism foster may backfire 10

China’s President Xi Jinping has fostered an ugly hyper-nationalism in the name of socalled patriotism with Chinese characteristics, according to a media report, which stated that the premier might not always be able to manage it.

US President Joe Biden in March last year spoke about China’s “nationalism” and said
it is on the rise.

“Nationalism is on the rise, and repression is spreading and attacks against the rulesbased order are intensifying,” Biden told a virtual meeting of the UN Security Council, adding that America’s fate is “increasingly entwined with international events”.

Fang Fang, a writer in Wuhan, had drawn the ire of nationalists at home in China during the COVID-19 lockdown in the city when the pandemic just started, Policy
Research Group reported.

She has received a barrage of online vitriol for daring to criticize the Xi government’s inadequate reaction.

“They act like a bunch of thugs, throwing wave after wave of attacks on everyone who doesn’t cooperate with them,” Fang Fang stated and compared the “attackers” to the rampaging mobs during Mao’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s.

When Fang Fang published the 60th and last instalment of her online journal on life in Wuhan, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had written about her
personal struggles as well as those of the first city in the world to go through a COVID19 lockdown.

Salman Khan issued gun license for self-protection after receiving threat

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ANI

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August 1, 2022

Bollywood star Salman Khan has been issued an arms license after he applied for a gun license for self-protection in the backdrop of threat letters that he received recently.

Salman had received a death threat from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang following which he met Mumbai police chief Vivek Phansalkar over the threat letter to him and his father.

There had been reports that Salman has upgraded to an armoured and bulletproof Land Cruiser ever since the threats.

Notably, Salman and his father Salim Khan had received a death threat on June 5, days after Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29.

Salim Khan’s security team found the letter outside their Mumbai home near the Bandra Bandstand promenade, where Salim Khan goes for his routine morning jog.

Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Jawaharke village of Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29. The incident took place a day after his security was withdrawn by the Punjab Police among 424 others.

The letter that the actor received in Hindi said that both Salim Khan and his son would soon meet the same fate as slain singer Siddhu Moosewala (‘Tera Moosawala bana denge’), said the police sources on condition of anonymity.

As per the information received from Maharashtra Home Department, the reason behind the Bishnoi gang threatening actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan was to create an atmosphere to show their power.

This is not the first time Salman has received threats. In 2018 when the trial of the blackbuck poaching case was underway, Bishnoi had allegedly threatened the actor because in his community blackbucks are considered sacred.