Author: LokMarg Publishing

The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected the regular bail petition filed by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram who is currently in Tihar jail in connection with the INX Media case.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait dismissed his plea observing that the investigation is in the advanced stage and that the accused might influence the witnesses.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Chidambaram on August 21 following which he was sent to judicial custody in Tihar jail till October 3 by a Delhi court.

While CBI is probing the corruption allegations, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is looking into money laundering allegations against him in the case.

Chidambaram is facing probe for alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when he was the Union finance minister. (ANI)

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will contest the forthcoming assembly elections in the state from Karnal with the BJP’s first list of candidates declared on Monday also having names of three prominent sportspersons – wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Phogat and former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh.

The party has fielded two candidates from the Muslim community in the Mewat region and the first list of 78 candidates also has nine women.

State BJP chief Subhash Barala will fight from Tohana. Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt has been fielded from Baroda (Sonipat), Sandeep Singh from Pehowa and Babita Phogat from Dadri. State Minister Anil Vij will again contest from Ambala Cantonment.

The BJP has denied party ticket to two ministers — Vipul Goel (Faridabad) and Rao Narbir Singh (Badshahpur) and five other MLAs. Thirty-eight sitting MLAs have been given the ticket once again.

Latika Sharma has been named to contest from Kalka seat, whereas Ambala City seat will be contested by Aseem Goel. Gyan Chanda Gupta will be fighting to represent Panchkula seat in the Assembly.

The party candidates include Latika Sharma (Kalka), Aseem Goel (Ambala City), Gyan Chand Gupta (Panchkula), Rajveer Barada (Mulana), Balwant Singh (Sadhaura), Kanwarpal Gujjar (Jagadhari), Ghanshyam Das Arora (Yamuna Nagar), Kandev Kamboj (Radaur), Pawan Saini (Ladwa), Krishna Bedi (Shahbad), Shubash Suda (Thanesar), Leelaram Gujjar (Kaithal), Bedpal (Pundi), and Ramkumar Kashyap (Indri).

The names were approved by BJP’s Central Election Committee at a meeting here on Sunday. (ANI)

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A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court will commence from October 1 onwards the hearing on a number of petitions challenging abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

The constitution bench will be headed by Justice N V Ramana and comprise of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is already hearing a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of the provisions under Article 370 which conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The matter is slated for hearing on September 30.

Last month, the central government had abrogated the Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution of India and the Parliament had passed the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganization) Act, 2019, bifurcating the state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir with legislature and Ladakh without one.

Following this, a batch of petitions was filed in the top court challenging the move. (ANI)

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Security forces on Saturday shot dead three terrorists who were holding hostage a civilian inside a house in Batote town of Ramban district in Jammu. The hostage was rescued safely.

One Army personnel was killed in the joint operation conducted by Army, Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF officials in the Jammu-Srinagar Highway town.

Two Army personnel and one official from the Jammu and Kashmir police also sustained injuries in the encounter with the terrorists, which had been going on since the morning.

“Three terrorists have been killed. The hostage has been rescued. Two police officials sustained bullet injuries and an Army personnel died. Operation is over now. They are the same terrorists who were seen in the morning,” Jammu Inspector General of Police (IG) Mukesh Singh told ANI.

Three terrorists entered a house in Batote in the morning while attempting to flee the security forces after engaging in a gunfight with them.

The encounter started after two of three terrorists tried to stop a civilian vehicle at Batote on the National Highway (NH) 244 but the owner did not stop the vehicle and informed the Army Quick Reaction Team (QRT).

The Public Relations Officer (PRO), Defence, Jammu said: “The QRT reacted promptly, established contact with the two individuals and an exchange of fire took place.”

Joint parties of Police, Army, and CRPF cordoned the area and exchange of fire ensued during which terrorists took shelter in a house.

“We got the information that terrorists have held a civilian hostage. We attempted to persuade terrorists to surrender. They refused to surrender even though they initially said they would. Their motive was to delay. SSP Ramban gave them a final warning to surrender and later we took action. It was a neat and clean action. Three terrorists have been eliminated and the hostage has been rescued,” Deputy Inspector General, CRPF PC Jha said.

Earlier, Army had the information of “possibly” five terrorists inside the house where they had taken a local resident hostage.

“One Mr Vijay (also known as Vijay Tailor) is a hostage in the house where the terrorists are holed up. The complex has an electronics shop in the front and house towards the rear. Vijay is the owner. Possibly five terrorists inside the house. They have so far refused to surrender. Exchange of firing is going on,” Army said in a statement earlier.

Two AK rifles and one pistol were recovered from the possession of terrorists. (ANI)

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Amid the threat of Taliban, millions of Afghans including several prominent leaders came out to vote in the country’s third presidential election on Saturday, despite skepticism about transparency and Taliban threat.

The incumbent President Ashraf Ghani who is seeking re-election was quoted as saying, “I thank all Afghans for their commitment to democracy and to a prosperous and sovereign Afghanistan. Participation in the elections indicates a commitment to the Constitution of Afghanistan. Elections determine the continuation of the democratic system in Afghanistan.”

The Afghanistan President made the remarks after casting his vote in Amani High School in Kabul.

Paying tributes to Afghan National Security and Defence Forces, the President said, “Afghan security forces are our pride and they have shown their commitment to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.” He also thanked women for their participation in the elections.

“Our plan for peace is ready, at the moment we are awaiting the verdict of the nation,” said Ghani.

Several other leaders including Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and Ghani’s Second Vice President Danish called on people to vote in large numbers.

Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) chief Zuhra Bayan Shinwari was quoted as saying that this was a “historic day for day for Afghanistan and our people.”

Several thousand Afghani Forces have been deployed across the country to provide security. The tight security is to counter possible threats by militants who have vowed to disrupt the poll process.

Earlier in the day, a blast had hit a polling centre in southern Khandahar city.

Almost 9.6 million people had registered to vote in the election, according to Independent Election Commission.

The road to the polls has been anything but certain, as a series of talks between the United States and the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha, threatened to derail the entire process, reported Al Jazeera.

The constant questioning of the polls continued until US President Donald Trump sent out a series of angry tweets declaring the talks dead after a Taliban-claimed bombing that resulted in deaths of at least 14 Afghan civilians and a US soldier.

Those tweets came just 20 days before the Afghan election.

The New York Times reported that preliminary results of the elections are not expected to be announced until October 17 and final results until November 7.

Afghanistan’s last presidential election, in 2014, was so stained by corruption, squabbling and fraud complaints that then-Secretary of State John Kerry stepped in to mediate a strained political marriage between the two top candidates, Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah — the leading candidates in this vote, as well.

Last October, parliamentary elections descended into chaos amid shouting matches and cries of ballot-stuffing and political payoffs. (ANI)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India has given the world “budh and not yudh (war)” and his government’s work in the past five years in areas such as sanitation, health and banking has given an inspiring message to the world.

Without naming Pakistan, PM Modi referred to India facing terrorism and said it’s cautioning the world against the menace reflects both “seriousness and anger” and the entire humanity needs to get united on the issue.

In his much-awaited address to the United Nations General Assembly, Modi spoke of the need to give new direction and new power to multilateralism and the UN.

Modi, who received applause during his speech, said India has made the biggest sacrifices in United Nations peacekeeping and being divided on terror undermines principles on which the United Nations was created.

“We belong to a country which has given the world Lord Budha and not war, given a message of peace and hence our voice to alert the world against terrorism has seriousness and anger. A world divided on terror damages the basis on which the UN was created. And hence I consider it essential for the world to be united against terrorism,” he said.

The Prime Minister spoke of how a developing country like India was seeking to transform the lives of its people, saying that its efforts will benefit the entire humanity.

Modi said he was re-elected with greater mandate in the world’s biggest election in the world’s biggest democracy.

“When a developing country successfully completes the world’s biggest sanitation programme and 11 crore toilets are built in five years, all the systems attached with it give an inspiring message to the world,” Modi said.

“When a developing country successfully runs the world’s biggest health insurance scheme and provides the facility of free treatment of Rs 5 lakh to 50 crore people, then the caring systems created to give a new direction to the world.

“When a developing country runs the biggest financial inclusion programme and opens 37 crore accounts of the poorest, it creates confidence among the poor throughout the world,” he said.

Referring to the slogan against the use of single-use plastic on a wall of the UN, the prime minister said the country has started a big campaign against single-use plastic.

“We belong to a country which has given the world Lord Budha and not war, given a message of peace and hence our voice to alert the world against terrorism has seriousness and anger. The world divided on terror damages the basis on which the UN was created. And hence I consider it essential for the world to be united against terrorism,” he said

Modi said India was an old and rich civilisation which has living traditions and which reflects the dreams of the world.

“Our traditions, our culture sees jeev me Shiv (Lord Shiva in every human being),” he said.

He asserted that India believes in public welfare through public participation and that’s why India’s inspiration was “sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas (taking everyone along, development of all and trust of everyone),” adding that the slogan was not limited to the boundaries of India.

“The hard work is not pity, or showmanship, it is inspired by sense of duty,” he said.

Modi said the efforts are being made with focus on 130 citizens of India but the dreams they reflect are of entire humanity, all societies.

“The efforts are ours but the results are for all, for the entire world,” he said.

He said India has over the past five years strengthened the feeling of global bonding and this was also the aim of United Nations.

Modi said India has very less per capita emissions but was in the forefront of steps to tackle global warming.

The Prime Minister said when India will celebrate 75th year of its independence, two crore houses will be built for the poor.

Modi said when Swami Vivekananda addressed the World Parliament of Religions he stressed on harmony and peace and not dissension. (ANI)

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Dr Kafeel Khan, who was suspended from Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College two years ago, has been cleared of charges of medical negligence, corruption and not performing his duty in the 2017 Gorakhpur children death case.

More than 60 children admitted at the hospital had lost their lives due to oxygen shortage in 2017.

The departmental enquiry report was handed over to Dr Kafeel by the medical college administration on Thursday.

“The allegations against the accused are insufficient… Therefore it is submitted that the accused officer is not guilty,” the report stated.

Khan, who was then posted with paediatrics department, was suspended from service on August 22, 2017, following the deaths of about 60 infants in the hospital due to lack of oxygen, after oxygen suppliers cut off supply due to non-payment of dues by the hospital.

He was later booked and arrested on charges of negligent in his duties resulting in a shortage of medical oxygen, culpable homicide, criminal breach of trust and not performing his duty in 2017. The doctor spent nine months in jail. He later secured bail from a court but continues to be suspended from the medical college.

An FIR was registered against Khan under charges of attempt to commit culpable homicide, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy. The additional charges of corruption and private practice have already been dropped during the investigation for lack of evidence.

Khan had claimed that he was made a scapegoat in BRD Medical College oxygen tragedy and demanded a CBI investigation. (ANI)

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