January 2023 - Page 50 of 60 - Lokmarg

Possible He Was Blackmailed: Father Of Urinegate Accused

By LokMarg 7th January 2023

In a blatant defense of his son Shankar Mishra’s shocking act of urinating on an elderly lady on board an Air India flight from New York to Delhi, Shyam Mishra, father of the accused said on camera, “perhaps he was being blackmailed”.

Shyam Mishra claimed that the case against his son is “false”.
“She (victim) had demanded payment and it was made. Don’t know what happened next. Must have demanded something that perhaps wasn’t met that upset her. Perhaps there was blackmailing, there must be something,” he said.

Shyam Mishra said his son slept on the flight and was questioned by the airline staff after he woke up.

“False case. My son hadn’t slept for 30-35 hrs. After dinner, he might’ve consumed the drink given by the crew and then slept. From what I understand, he was questioned by airline staff after he woke up,” he said.

Shyam Mishra claimed that his son could not have committed such an offense.

“I don’t think he would do it. She (the victim) is a 72-year-old woman, she is like his mother. He (the accused, his son) is a 34-year-old man. How can he do it? He is married and has an 18-year-old daughter,” he said.

Asked about his son’s whereabouts, Shyam Mishra said he is not aware.

“We are also trying to talk to him. I don’t know (where he is)… I just want facts should be told, what is being presented is away from the truth,” he said.

Earlier today, counsel for Shankar Mishra, who allegedly urinated on an elderly woman onboard an Air India flight in November last year, said: “the complaint was a malicious after-thought”.

Shankar Mishra allegedly urinated on the elderly woman onboard an Air India flight between New York and Delhi on November 26 last year.

Advocate Ishanee Sharma said, “If you go through WhatsApp messages between the accused and the woman, it clearly shows that the accused has gotten clothes-bags cleaned,”

Sharma said that the victim returned the money. “She accepted compensation and not used words like ‘I don’t need it’ or ‘This won’t do’ in any message. Suddenly there was an after-thought, I want to call it a malicious after-thought, where they returned the money and said, ‘this isn’t done and don’t keep any contact with us’,” the lawyer said.

She said that there are a lot of loopholes in the case.

“This complaint thing was an afterthought. There’s no eyewitness account. Nobody came out to say that they have seen the incident happening. How is that possible? The plane had more people besides the two people in question. There are a lot of loopholes,” said Sharma.

Air India on Wednesday imposed a 30-day flying ban on Shankar Mishra and Delhi Police has registered an FIR over the shocking incident. Delhi Police has formed teams to trace him.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also launched an investigation into the incident.

Air India set up an internal panel to probe whether there were lapses on part of the crew in addressing the situation that caused distress to the woman.

The National Commission for Women also took cognizance of the incident onboard the Air India flight.

Air India said as a first part, it has banned the passenger for 30 days, the maximum it is permitted to unilaterally do so.

The airline said it has taken very serious note of the incident that caused extreme distress to a passenger.

The woman passenger had also complained about her “traumatic experience” to Grievance Air Sewa, (ANI)

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Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019

LeT’s Member Arbaz Ahmad Mir Declared As Terrorist

By LokMarg 7th January 2023

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has designated Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member Arbaz Ahmad Mir as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 for his involvement in targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir, including a female teacher Rajni Bala.

The MHA made the announcement through a late Friday night notification, stating that Mir, who belongs to Jammu and Kashmir, is presently based in Pakistan and is working for LeT from across the border.
“Mir is involved in target killing and has emerged as the main conspirator in killing one female teacher, Rajni Bala in Kulgam, Jammu, and Kashmir. He is also involved in coordinating terrorism in Kashmir valley and supporting terrorists by transporting illegal arms or ammunition or explosives from across the border,” said the notification.

Rajni Bala from Jammu was shot dead outside her workplace, Government High School, Gopalpora, in Kulgam district on May 31, 2022.

Mir, son of Manzoor Ahmad Mir, who belongs to Gufbal village in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, is involved in coordinating terrorism in Kashmir valley and supporting terrorists by transporting illegal arms or ammunition or explosives from across the border, it said.

The notification said, “The Central Government believes that Arbaz Ahmad Mir is involved in terrorism and he is to be added as a terrorist in the exercise of the powers conferred section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.”

With his inclusion in the Fourth Schedule under UAPA, Mir will be the 51st individual to be designated a terrorist, it said.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, of 1967 has been enacted to provide for more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations and for dealing with terrorist activities and for matters connected therewith.

The Centre uses clause (a) of sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 to add the name of an individual in the Fourth Schedule to the Act, if it believes that he is involved in terrorism. (ANI)

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US Military Assistance Over $ 3.75 BN For Ukraine, European Allies

By LokMarg 7th January 2023

The United States on Friday announced military assistance worth over USD 3.75 billion for Ukraine, European allies, and partners, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in a statement.

In the statement, Antony Blinken said, “This assistance includes a $2.85 billion drawdown from stocks of the Department of Defense to be provided immediately to Ukraine and $225 million in Foreign Military Financing to build the long-term capacity and support modernization of Ukraine’s military.”
He further added, “It also includes $682 million in Foreign Military Financing for European partners and allies to help incentivize and backfill donations of military equipment to Ukraine.”

Notably, the US has been providing military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine ever since Moscow began its offensive on February 24, 2022.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Defence noted, “The Presidential Drawdown is the twenty-ninth such drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine that the Biden Administration has authorized since August 2021.”

The US has committed more than USD 24.9 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration.

The security assistance announced for Ukraine includes 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition.

In addition, the military assistance announced by the US includes 100 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers, 55 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs), and 138 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs).

Furthermore, the military assistance includes 18 155mm self-propelled Howitzers and 18 ammunition support vehicles, 70,000 155mm artillery rounds and 500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds, 1,200 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems, 36 105mm towed Howitzers and 95,000 105mm artillery rounds, according to US Department of Defence press release.

Apart from this, the defense aid includes 10,000 120mm mortar rounds, additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), RIM-7 missiles for air defense, 4,000 Zuni aircraft rockets, approximately 2,000 anti-armor rockets, sniper rifles, machine guns, and ammunition for grenade launchers and small arms, claymore anti-personnel munitions, night vision devices and optics, spare parts and other field equipment.

On January 5, US President Joe Biden said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is “trying to find some oxygen” with the ceasefire order in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

He expressed skepticism about the ceasefire ordered by Putin in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas services.

Biden’s statement comes after Vladimir Putin directed the Russian Defence Sergey Shoigu to order a ceasefire in Ukraine from January 6 to January 7. Putin said that the decision was taken after Patriarch Kirill called for a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, according to the statement released by Kremlin on its website.

“I’m reluctant to respond (to) anything Putin says. I found it interesting. He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year’s,” CNN quoted US President Joe Biden as saying.

“I mean, I think he’s trying to find some oxygen,” he added. (ANI)

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Diwali with troops in forward areas Top defence brass

BSF Apprehends Bangladesh National In Amritsar

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Border Security Force has apprehended a Bangladesh national near the Roranwala Khurd village in Punjab’s Amritsar and handed over to the police on not recovering anything “objectionable” from him.

According to a statement by the BSF, the troops noticed the movement of a civilian approaching from his own side towards the border fence on January 5 late at night. Upon inquiring, he said that he was a Bangladeshi national.
The man was identified as Mahmud Alam Tulu, 62, hailing from Durgabordi, Madaripur, Bangladesh.

“He had come to India for further traveling to Pakistan through Attari – Wagha border. He was in possession of a Bangladesh passport with 6 month’s Visa to travel to India but did not have Visa to travel to Pakistan. He also revealed that he is married and his family resides in Pakistan,” the statement.

“During questioning, it was revealed that he reached near border inadvertently. Nothing objectionable was recovered from him,” it added.

The BSF handed over apprehended Bangladesh nationals to the police for further action. (ANI)

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Delhi: AQI Deteriorates, Stage III Of GRAP Reimposed

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) suddenly and unexpectedly spiked and clocked 400 on Friday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

In view of the significant deterioration in the air quality of Delhi-NCR in the last 24 hours, the Sub-Committee for invoking actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) met on Friday to review the situation.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a statement that during the meeting, the Sub-Committee Comprehensively reviewed the air quality scenario in the region as well as the forecasts for meteorological conditions and the air quality index of Delhi.

“While assessing the overall air quality parameters, the Sub-Committee noted that the air quality has suddenly and unexpectedly deteriorated owing to dense foggy conditions without much sunlight and very low temperatures, coupled with calm winds and stable atmospheric conditions over the last few hours. Further, there is an increasing trend in the overall AQI of Delhi in the coming days as per the Air Quality forecast of the India Meteorological Department (IMD)/Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. Therefore, it is considered necessary to re-impose Stage-III of GRAP with immediate effect in the entire NCR in an effort to steer clear of further deterioration of air quality in the region,” the Ministry.

Based on earlier decisions of the Sub-Committee on GRAP, actions up to Stage-I and Stage-II of the GRAP are already in force vide orders dated October 5, 2022, and October 19, 2022, respectively. Stage III and Stage IV of the GRAP have also been imposed and thereafter revoked from time to time based on the prevalent air quality scenario in Delhi.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change further said in a statement that as per the dynamic model and weather/meteorological forecast, the average air quality of Delhi is likely to deteriorate further on Saturday and the overall AQI is expected to stay in the ‘Severe’ category.

Therefore, in an effort to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the region, the Sub-Committee decided that all actions as envisaged under Stage-III of GRAP – ‘Severe’ Air Quality (DELHI AQI ranging between 401-450), be implemented in right earnest by all the agencies concerned, with immediate effect in the entire NCR. This is in addition to the preventive/ restrictive actions already in force under Stage-I and Stage II of GRAP.

Accordingly, a nine-point action plan as per Stage III of GRAP is applicable with immediate effect from today in the entire NCR in addition to preventive/ restrictive actions under Stage-I and Stage II of GRAP which are already in place.

This nine-point action plan includes steps to be implemented and ensured by different agencies and Pollution Control Boards of NCR and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. These steps intensified the frequency of mechanized and vacuum-based sweeping of roads.

Daily water sprinkling along with the use of dust suppressants, before peak traffic hours, on roads and right of ways including hotspots and heavy traffic corridors, and proper disposal of the collected dust in designated sites and landfills.

Intensification of public transport services. Introduce differential rates to encourage off-peak travel.

The Committee directed to enforce of a strict ban on construction and demolition activities in the entire NCR, except for the categories of projects including Railway services/ Railway stations, Metro Rail services including stations; airports and inter-state bus terminals; national security/defense-related activities/ projects of national importance; hospitals/ healthcare facilities; linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, over bridges, power transmission, pipelines, etc; sanitation projects like sewage treatment plants and water supply projects, etc; and ancillary activities specific to and supplementing above categories of projects.

Other than the projects exempted under dust generating/air pollution causing construction and demolition activities to be strictly banned during this period shall include earthwork for excavation and filling including boring and drilling works; all structural construction works including fabrication and welding operations; demolition works; loading and unloading of construction materials anywhere within or outside the project sites; transfer of raw materials either manually or through conveyor belts, including fly ash; movement of vehicles on unpaved roads; operation of batching plant; laying of sewer line, waterline, drainage work and electric cabling by open trench system; cutting and fixing of tiles, stones, and other flooring materials; grinding activities; piling work; waterproofing work; road construction/repair works including paving of sidewalks/pathways and central verges, etc.

All construction projects in NCR, non-polluting/non-dust generating activities such as plumbing works, interior decoration, electrical works, and carpentry-related works shall be permitted to be continued.

The Committee directed to ensure a strict ban on any industrial operation in NCR with fuels other than those listed in the approved fuel list for NCR.

Milk and dairy units and those involved in manufacturing life-saving medical equipment/devices, drugs, and medicines shall however be exempted from the restrictions.

The Committee directed the closure of brick kilns and hot mix plants which are not operating on fuels, as in the standard list of approved fuels for NCR.

It also directed to closing down operations of stone crushers. Further, mining and associated activities have been banned in the NCR.

State governments in NCR/GNCTD may impose restrictions on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel LMVs (4-wheelers), the Committee said.

Moreover, the Commission appealed to the citizens of NCR to cooperate in implementing GRAP and follow the steps mentioned in the Citizen Charter under GRAP. It advised citizens to share a ride to work or use public transport, walking or cycling.

The Committee advised people to work from home if their positions allow. It further appealed to people not to use coal and wood for heating purposes.

Further, all implementing agencies have been advised that actions under Stage ‘I’ and Stage ‘II’ of the GRAP are further intensified and special drives are conducted for the implementation of actions under Stage ‘III’, particularly restrictions related to construction and demolition activities, stone crushers and mining and associated activities. Regulatory actions need to be taken on industrial operations, brick kilns, and hot mix plants using unapproved fuels.

The Commission said it is closely watching the situation and will review the air quality scenario accordingly. (ANI)

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‘Dream Come True’: Arjun On ‘Phir Dhan Te Nan’ Dance

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Actor Arjun Kapoor is thrilled with the response he has received after the trailer launch of his action drama ‘Kuttey’. He shared his excitement dancing to the cult hit song ‘Dhan Te Nan’.

When he came to know about the cult hit song from ‘Kaminey’, ‘Dhan Te Nan’, which was going to be incorporated into the film, he was thrilled.
Arjun said, “Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey is my all-time favorite film and I remember when Dhan Te Nan was released, I used to dance to this song at every party. It was a song that was new, edgy, and full of swagger. So, when the makers told me that Dhan Te Nan will be a part of Kuttey and that I would get to dance on it, I was thrilled! It is like a dream come true moment for me.”

He added, “I have danced my heart out in my own style on this song for Kuttey. I have just let go because I was so happy to be dancing to a song that has so many memories from my past attached to it. On the day of the shoot of this song, I had to pinch myself several times because I couldn’t believe that I was dancing to Dhan Te Nan for my film! It is our ode to the original cult hit.”

‘Kuttey’ is touted to be a caper that also has outstanding actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tabu, Kumud Mishra, and Radhika Madan in it. The film has been directed by debutant Aasmaan Bhardwaj, who is ace film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj’s son. It releases on Jan 13, 2023.

Makers of the upcoming action thriller ‘Kuttey’ unveiled the second song of the film ‘Phir Dhan Te Nan’ on Thursday.

Composed by Vishal Bhardwaj and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani, the song is a recreated version of the song ‘Dhan Te Nan’ from Shahid Kapoor’s film ‘Kaminey’.

Vishal Bhardwaj said, “‘Phir Dhan Te Nan’ is an emotion which wells up inside you. It’s catchy, yet stirs up the memories of the original song, Dhan Te Nan, which was a chartbuster that never lost its charm. It is played even today. Perhaps that’s why initially it was challenging for us to compose Phir Dhan Te Nan and think about making changes to the original tune. We needed to integrate both, keeping the originality of the former with the freshness of the latter intact. Another challenge was that Dhan Te Nan is so perfect. That’s why had to have multiple sittings, discussions, and jamming sessions before finalizing the new version.”

Soon after the ‘Gunday’ actor shared the song fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons.

“Dhan Te Nan was composed more than a dozen years ago, so we had to keep in mind that the changes in the new version had to reflect the contemporary beats and music of today yet have its soul intact. A major decision was retaining the original singers and lyricist again – Sukhwinder and Vishal Dadlani, singing Phir Dhan Te Nan with the legendary Gulzar saab writing the lyrics. We will always be extremely thankful to Gulzar saab for helping us with this one too. Vishal’s vibrant voice combined with Sukhwinder’s crooning spells magic for our song. It’s sensuous, rhythmic and pulsating. Now it’s all out and all yours to feel the magic too,” he added.

The recreated version features Arjun Kapoor, Tabu, Radhika Madan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah and Kumud Mishra. (ANI)

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Deepika Sails On Yacht With Ranveer

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Actor Deepika Padukone extended New Year greetings and shared a thankful note for all the warm birthday wishes on Friday.

Taking to Instagram, Deepika shared a video which she captioned, “A glimpse of what the past year has been like, at least on most days, and what I intend for it to be more of in the new year: Being Present. May we all Thrive, Be Present and Live In Gratitude this year…Happy New Year! PS: Here’s thanking each and every one of you for the birthday blessings.”

In the video, Deepika could be seen in a state of bliss and enjoying the breeze on a yacht while her husband Ranveer Singh turned videographer and captured her at the moment.

She was seen wearing a yellow monokini with a white shirt.

Soon after she shared the post, fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons.

Bipasha Basu commented, “Belated happy birthday love.”

“You’re so precious deepika,” a fan commented.

Another fan wrote, “Happy birthday, this post reminds me to gehrahiyan.”

Talking about the work front, Deepika will be next seen in director Siddharth Anand’s upcoming action thriller film ‘Pathaan’ opposite Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham which is all set to hit the theatres on January 25, 2023.

Apart from that, she also has ‘The Intern’ with Amitabh Bachchan, a Pan India film ‘Project K’ alongside Prabhas and director Rohit Shetty’s ‘Singham Again’ with Ajay Devgn in her pipeline. (ANI)

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IMD: Cold Wave Over Northwest India After 24 Hours

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Indian Meteorological Department has predicted abatement in cold waves and cold day conditions over northwest India after 24 hours.

It also predicted dense to very dense fog conditions over many parts of Punjab and Haryana and Chandigarh during the next 24 hours and there will be a decrease in intensity and distribution after that.
IMD said in a release on Friday that due to the approaching of two Western disturbances in quick succession, minimum temperatures are likely to rise gradually by 3 to 5 degree Celsius over many parts of northwest India during the next three days, and no significant change during subsequent three days.

“As a result, cold wave to severe cold wave conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over Rajasthan and cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours.

It predicted a fall by two to four degree Celsius in minimum temperatures over Bihar during the next two days and no significant change during the subsequent three days.

“No significant change in minimum temperatures very likely over Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours and rise by two to four degree Celsius during subsequent three days,” it said.

Referring to weather during the past 24 hours, the release said that the minimum temperatures were in the range of -1.5 degree Celsius in many parts of the plains of northwest India and in isolated pockets over adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh. The lowest minimum temperature of 0 degrees Celsius was observed in Bikaner Rajasthan.

“Dense to very dense fog observed in most parts of Punjab, Haryana, in some parts of West Uttar Pradesh, in isolated pockets of east Uttar Pradesh and sub-Himalyan West Bengal,” the release said.

It said dense fog was observed in some areas of east Madhya Pradesh, in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, and Tripura today morning.

“Cold day to severe cold day conditions prevailed in many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, west Madhya Pradesh, in some parts of east Rajasthan, isolated pockets of west Rajasthan, Bihar and cold day conditions in isolated pockets over Uttarakhand,” the release said.

IMD said cold wave to severe cold wave conditions prevailed in many parts of east Madhya Pradesh, in some areas of east Rajasthan, isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and west Rajasthan, and cold wave conditions were observed in many parts of west Madhya Pradesh, and isolated pockets over Punjab and west Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)

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Kanjhawala Case: 3 Days Police Custody Of Ashutosh

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Delhi’s Rohini Court on Friday remanded Ashutosh Bhardwaj, accused in the Kanjhawala hit-and-drag death case to three days of police custody.

Delhi Police sought remand to establish his presence in the car at the time of the incident. It is suspected that Ashutosh was in the car but he planted other accused Deepak as the driver.
Police said that Ashutosh destroyed the evidence. Police said that custodial interrogation was required as one of the accused Ankush still absconded.

Metropolitan magistrate Sanya Dalal granted 3 days of police custody of accused Ashutosh Bhardwaj after hearing the submission of Delhi police and legal aid counsel Shivani Sharma.

Ashutosh was produced physically before the court after he was arrest was made in the matter on Friday.

Investigation officer (IO) submitted before the court that the accused destroyed the evidence. He is suspected to plant Deepak Khanna in the matter accused.

IO also submitted that in the CCTV footage, five people are seen in the car at the time of the incident. The footage is not clear. His identity is to be established through CDR, said the IO.

The court also asked if the CDR had been preserved to which the IO replied that it was in process.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, present during the hearing, submitted that Ashutosh Bhardwaj is a person who allegedly planted Deepak. “He can do anything to shield himself,” the ACP told the court.

The court said that section 182 of CrPC is also attracted for giving false information against him.

The IO submitted that one of the accused Ankush is absconding. He had conversations on phone with other accused persons. He called them and arranged an autorickshaw for them to abscond after the incident.

The public prosecutor for the Delhi Police submitted that five days of police custody was required as there are many linkages, all evidence was to be verified and established and Ashutosh Bhardwaj’s presence in the car is to be established.

The court on Thursday extended the police custody of five accused persons viz Manoj Mittal, Deepak Khanna, Amit Khanna, Krishan, and Mithun for further four days.

The accused were produced through video conferencing from the court’s lockup after three days of police custody. They were arrested on January 1.

In the horrific incident in Delhi’s Khanjawala on New Year’s night a 20-year-old woman died after being dragged for several kilometers by a car that hit her scooter. Delhi Police arrested the sixth accused Ashutosh on Friday. (ANI)

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CJI Chandrachud Brings Daughters To SC

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Friday came to the Supreme Court with his two foster daughters and gave them a tour of the courtroom and his chamber.

CJI Chandrachud, who reached the court premises around 10 am today, took his daughters to CJI courtroom number one through the visitor’s gallery before the scheduled court time of 10.30 am.
“See, this is where I sit,” he told his daughters, both differently-abled.

The CJI took his daughters to his chamber while explaining about his workplace and showed them the place where the judges sit and where the lawyers argue their cases.

CJI Chandrachud entered the courtroom along with his daughters from the public gallery, he then took both of them to the CJI court and showed them how the court functions. (ANI)

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