Author: LokMarg

NSE Money Laundering Case, Ravi Narain Sent To JC

By LokMarg

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday filed a chargesheet in Delhi Rouse Avenue Court in connection with National Stock Exchange (NSE) Money Laundering Case.

The Chargesheet on Friday has been filed in the court of Special Judge Sunena Sharma. The court fixed September 21, 2022, for the arguments on the point of cognizance. Advocate Naveen Kumar Matta represented ED in the case.
The chargesheet stated to have names of Chitra Ramkrishna, Ravi Narain (Both are former CEOs of NSE) and Sanjay Pandey, former Mumbai Police commissioner and a private firm.

Meanwhile, the same court also decided to send Ravi Narain, former CEO of NSE to Judicial Custody in the case. He was arrested recently and was sent to two days remand on the last date of hearing.

Ravi Narain was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in August 2022 in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged illegal phone-tapping of the exchange’s employees. Ravi Narain is the third person arrested by ED in the case.

Earlier, the ED had arrested Chitra Ramkrishna (also a former CEO of NSE) and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey on the case. Both are presently in Judicial Custody.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently registered a fresh FIR in the NSE Co-Location Case over the allegations of phone tapping.

Following the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case in the alleged National Stock Exchange (NSE) co-location scam that involved the phone tapping of NSE employees.

The ED’s FIR mentioned the names of former NSE Chief Chitra Ramakrishna, Ravi Narain and former Mumbai Commissioner Sanjay Pandey for allegedly tapping the phones of NSE officials and other irregularities.

Pandey is the 1986-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who retired on June 30. During the investigation, it was found that Pandey is closely related to the functioning and activities of a company called iSec Securities Pvt. Ltd.

The company had conducted a security audit of NSE around the time the alleged co-location irregularities have taken place.

The company was incorporated by Pandey in March 2001 and he quit as its director in May 2006. His son and mother took over the charge of the company. It has been alleged that illegal phone tapping of NSE employees was done between 2009-17. (ANI)

Students Protest Against Construction Of Temple In B’galore Univ Campus

By LokMarg

The students at Banglore University are on a protest against the construction of the temple within the university campus area.

Protesters alleged that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is unauthorisedly constructing the temple by encroaching the university land and it would affect the academic environment at the university.
Speaking to ANI, the student said, “the authorities were constructing the temple illegally and we do not need the temple in our campus”.

On the other hand, after the intervention, the university administration stopped the work and assured the students that it would consult them before deciding on the matter.

Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Priyank Kharge said, “Bangalore University is unitedly saying that they need better infrastructure, a state art library for the university and they don’t want any religious activities to happen in the university. In spite of that, the govt has taken unilateral decisions without due consultation and processes followed by the board”.

Students are very clear and saying that please do not divide us into religious lines and we are here to study, added Kharge.

In the last 3 years, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) government has not done anything.

“In the last 3 years, the BJP govt has not done anything. CM Basavaraj Bommai is admitting that he is completely failed in tackling the issues of Bengaluru. CM stills blame the Congress for what is happening in Bengaluru”, Priyank Kharge added.

Taking a dig at BJP Kharge also added, “We thought that PM Modi will be a game changer but unfortunately, he is becoming the name changer. What has happened in Kartavya’s path? It is just renovation and they have just beautified it PM Modi is just trying to retro himself with all these projects”.

Meanwhile, the construction work of the Ganesha temple is going on with the security of the police, on the other side, the students are thinking of starting a legal battle against the authorities. (ANI)

Salary Delays, Misgovernance By AAP Govt: DU Teachers’ Association

By LokMarg

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) on Friday urged the Centre to take over colleges run by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government claiming that teachers were not getting proper salaries due to budget cuts while political activists were being appointed as head of governing bodies.

DUTA chief A K Bhagi also claimed that teachers had even held demonstrations outside Chief Minister Kejriwal’s house but to no avail.
“Due to fund deficit, pay cut of teachers is happening since last two yrs in 12 colleges under Delhi government. We’ve held demonstrations outside CM’s house, gone to Deputy CM, nobody listened to us. We want the Central govt to take these colleges under its wings,” Bhagi said.

The teachers’ body took the strong stance after the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya college told staff members that a part of their salaries was being withheld due to fund-crunch.

Bhagi said the 12 colleges funded by the Delhi government faced a deficit of about 85 to 90 crores.

“This problem has been going on for 5 years, earlier funds were delayed, but funds are being cut for the last two years. At present, there is a deficit of about 85 to 90 crores in 12 colleges funded by the Delhi government,” said Bhagi.

The DUTA chief claimed that “misgovernance” was rampant across several colleges being run by the Delhi government. He also accused AAP of politicising their governing bodies.

“There’s misgovernance in 20 more colleges under the Delhi governemnt. Governing bodies in those colleges have been politicized, AAP workers appointed as members,” the DUTA president said.

The issue has the potential to snowball into another major confrontation between the BJP, which is in power at the Centre, and AAP, which rules Delhi.

While the AAP government has repeatedly sought to project its ‘education model’ as a revolutionary one, the BJP has consistently questioned the claims. BJP has accused AAP of corruption, improprieties and misleading people through publicity on a range of issues. The AAP has claimed that the BJP charges are politically motivated.

DUTA president Bhagi added that not only teachers but students were also facing problems as even basic amenities were not freely available on campuses.

“Even the medical bills of the people are not being reimbursed, there is a problem in allowances. Not only teachers but students are also facing problems as there is no maintenance. Sometimes there is a problem of water, sometimes there is no electricity because the bills are not paid on time,” the DUTA president said.

He alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government had appointed AAP members as head of governing bodies instead of academicians.

“Deen Dayal Upadhyay College’s notice has come out, so it is being discussed. But the problem is with all the 12 colleges. Apart from this, there is also a governance problem in colleges despite the 95 per cent grant given by the UGC. In these colleges, the Delhi Government has appointed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members as the head of the governing body, whereas there should have been an academician. There is tremendous misgovernance out there right now,” DUTA president Baghi said.

Baghi said that they had submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on these issues.

“On July 16, we met the LG and gave him a memorandum. He immediately sent it to the Delhi government. But in response to this, misleading information was given by the Delhi government that the money has been given to the teachers. We took it again and went to the LG and he said that we are taking action on it. Several times we went to the CM’s house, where our memorandum is taken from the track, and no official even comes forward. We are continuously protesting about this issue but no one is ready to listen to our problems. So, we want that the central government should takeover these colleges run under Delhi government,” he added.

The DUTA president said the situation was very bad and the DDU college had received a notice over non-payment of electricity dues.

“Last month the Deen Dayal Upadhyay College received a notice from North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL) that they will cut the electricity if the bill is not paid. And now they are deducting the salary of assistant professors and associate professors. For the last five years salaries were delayed but now they are deducting salaries. The DUTA delegation met the governor and he is also taking forward the issue. The current notice is only for the teaching staff but think if non-teaching staffs whose salaries are Rs 7000-8000 what will they do if they will not get the salary? The true face of Arvind Kejriwal is coming to the fore,” said Sunil Kumar Sharma, Academic Council Member, Delhi University.

Krishna Mohan Vats, Executive Member of DUTA said, “This is a very serious issue; this should not have happened. We are taking steps as per the democratic law. We held protests and we are also planning to hold more demonstrations in the coming months against the Delhi government. DUTA delegation is continuously meeting the Governor and we have informed him about our problems. Even we informed the LG that we are not getting our salaries for the last five months. Teaching faculty somehow is managing but the other staffs are facing many problems.”

Rajiv Ray, former DUTA President said this year there is a deficit of about 37 crores in the budget presented by the Delhi government.

“Along with Deen Dayal Upadhyay College, 11 more colleges face problems. In Deen Dayal, the deficit is more than other colleges and this is why they are facing more problems. There is a difference of Rs 100 crore in the demand and payment,” he said.

“In the quarter in which the payment is given by the state government, the teachers get their salaries and then for three-four months there is a deficit. This is not a new problem but the teachers are facing this issue for the past four years. Every they say find new excuses like they say there are fraudulent employees, sometimes they give audit objection as a reason. Teachers are not getting salaries and retired staff are too not getting their pension,” Ray added.

“Every year we have to come on the road but still, we are not getting our full salaries. Even many are not able to pay their medical bills,” he added. (ANI)

Tech Trial Run For E-Vehicles Starts On Delhi-Jaipur Expressway

By LokMarg

The National Highway for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) under the Ease of Doing Business initiative on Friday started the tech trial run for E-vehicles on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway.

The one-month tech trial run which started from India Gate in the national capital was flagged off by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
The objective of this trial run is to understand the economic feasibility of the EV infrastructure along the 270 km Delhi-Jaipur highway. The first phase of this tech-trial run was conducted by NHEV last year between Delhi-Agra on Yamuna Expressway to analyse the technical feasibility of the EV infrastructure on the highway.

Abhijeet Sinha, Program Director, NHEV said, “Our previous Tech-Trial Run I on the Delhi-Agra highway covered 210 kilometre and the current Tech-Trial Run II covering 278 kilometres over Delhi-Jaipur will facilitate Indian Highways to be transformed into EV-highways while testing both technical and commercial aspects over a span of 500 kilometres to the satisfaction of the entire spectrum of stakeholders–Users, Operators, Investors & Government of India as a Nation.”

The TTR-I had piloted the concerns of the Operators and the Investors when it successfully established mechanisms for 30 minutes backup for EVs, 30 per cent lesser priced Electric Vehicles for Operators, 30 per cent Capex utilisations of Chargers and 3 Years timeline for breakeven for investors.

In the TTR-2, commencing on Friday, NHEV aims to answer the concerns of the users by answering questions like One Person Seat Cost, One Day Car Renting Cost, One KM Highway Upgradation Cost and CO2 Emission Saved by one EV over one year.

Other factors like the requirement of a number of physical infrastructures and charging stations to support EVs efficiently and other associated requirements for safe inter-state EV transportation will also be studied during the trial run. We aim to develop not only an E-highways network but also a people-friendly network of 5000 km by 2024,” Sinha further added.

In the initial phases, NHEV is conducting the tech-trial run on 500 km highways. The tech-trial run will be conducted for 1 month with NueGo electric mobility coach from NHEV partner, Green Cell Mobility and will cover all the aspects related to the EV operation on highways.

During the tech trial run, the technical, economic, environmental, and social feasibility of the EVs will be studied. A detailed report containing findings and recommendations from the tech trial run will be presented to the government for consideration before Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Govt of India for inclusion of AHEM in NHAI while building future highways. The findings and experiences from these tech-trial runs will be utilised to convert 5000 km of traditional highways into E-Highway. (ANI)

Old Days Of Lalu’s Regime Are Back: Sushil Modi

By LokMarg

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi on Friday took a dig at the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan government and stated that the “old days of Lalu Yadav’s regime are back” over the recent murders in Patna.

While addressing the media persons in Patna, Bihar, Modi said, “Recently, incidents of murder took place in Patna. It seems like the old days of Lalu Yadav’s regime are back, but he’s (Bihar CM) silent & went to Delhi. After returning, he met Lalu Yadav, the symbol of crime and corruption. They can’t handle law and order.”
Earlier on Wednesday, two youths were shot dead by unidentified persons in Bihar’s capital.

While on August 17, a vegetable vendor’s daughter was shot in the Indrapuri locality of the Sipara area of Beur PS in Patna.

In less than two years’ time, Nitish Kumar flipped his choices and in a surprise move went on to stitch an alliance with RJD and Congress to form a ‘Grand Alliance’ government in Bihar. (ANI)

Comedian David A. Arnold Passes Away At 54

By LokMarg

Comedian and showrunner, David A. Arnold is known for his standup work and showrunner of Nickelodeon’s “That Girl Lay Lay,” passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday at the age of 54.

According to Variety, industry insiders were surprised by Arnold’s passing. Kevin Hart, who created Arnold’s second Netflix stand-up special, “It Ain’t for the Weak,” was a friend of his. It was released in July. The special consists of routines that highlight Arnold’s domestic life, as well as marital arguments and spoiled children. It came after his “Fat Ballerina” Netflix stand-up debut in 2019. In late April and early May, Arnold participated in the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our husband, father, brother and friend, David A. Arnold,” Arnold’s family said in a statement. “David passed away peacefully today in his home and doctors have ruled the cause of death due to natural causes. Please keep our family in prayer and respect our privacy at this time as we are all shocked and devasted by this loss.”

Comedian Chris Spencer, a close friend of Arnold, said the comedy community “mourns the loss of one of the greatest to ever do it.” Spencer added that Arnold, a native of Cleveland, was “admired by his peers, respected by other veterans, and revered by the burgeoning comedians that he mentored. He will me deeply missed, especially by his comedy fraternity.”

The Nickelodeon live-action comedy “That Girl Lay Lay,” about an avatar who comes to life to aid a young girl and her pals in navigating their lives, was also created, show-run by, and executive produced by Arnold.

The show, which Will Packer Media created, debuted in September 2021, and in January it was renewed for Season 2.

‘We are shocked and incredibly saddened by the sudden passing of our dear friend and creative partner, David A. Arnold,” Nickelodeon said in a statement. “David was an immense talent and a gifted storyteller with a wide range of fans, from adults through his stand-up, to kids and families through the Nickelodeon show he created and executive produced for us, ‘That Girl Lay Lay.’ “

Arnold’s “Pace Ya Self” stand-up tour was still going strong. He had stand-up gigs lined up in New Brunswick, New Jersey. later this month as well as in early October in Atlanta and Nashville.

Other writing credits for Arnold include “The Rickey Smiley Show” on TV One, “The Real Husbands of Hollywood” on BET, and the Tyler Perry comedies “Meet the Browns” and “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” on TBS. More recently, Arnold has written episodes of “Bigger” on BET+ and “Fuller House” on Netflix.

Anna Grace and Ashlyn Elizabeth, as well as his wife Julie, are among Arnold’s surviving family members. (ANI)

Challenges Loom For Xi Jinping Ahead Of 20th Party Congress

By LokMarg

Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is set to convene its 20th Party Congress next month in Beijing, the country’s top decision-making body announced last month.

During the Party Congress that is held every 5 years, Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to secure a third term in office as President while a new top leadership line-up will also be unveiled.
Ahead of the national congress, Xi Jinping is already calling for cadres in leading positions to remain loyal to the spirit of the party.

If reports are to be believed, the need for the maintaining spirit has arisen for growing discontent over Xi Jinping’s policies. Writing for InsideOver, Federico Giuliani contended that all is not smooth in China.

“The infighting within the party is going on and the fight between Xi Jinping, General Secretary, and the faction of Jiang Zemin, former CCP head; and another one is the fight between Xi and Li Keqiang, China’s Premier,” he argues.

Since the Chinese chairman assumed power, he has centralized power and made CCP and government less flexible. He has transformed it into a top-down institution led by a single dominant leader.

“The congress is an event held once every five years at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to set major policies and select top leaders – including the roughly 370-strong Central Committee and 25-member Politburo,” said Giuliani.

Even Xi’s call for persistence and his overarching goal to prevent social unrest and political doubts is intensely debated among China watchers. Experts believe that it may take longer for economic activity to fully recover from the impact of stringent lockdowns and the harsh Zero Covid-19 strategy.

Despite a rise in the party membership of the CCP, President Xi has expressed concern over the loyalty of party members towards him as he continues to bid for the third presidential term.

The party members often have two types of loyalty. The first includes loyalty to the party and the second to Xi himself. However, it is crucial to note that most government job positions in the country require the individual have a party membership.

Giuliani said the battle for the 20th Congress is not over. “While Xi’s securing of a third term is virtually guaranteed, the success of those he will seek to promote is less so i.e. he will not get up around him all the folks that he wants,” he concludes. (ANI)

Bright Spot In A Dark Horizon'

IMF MD Congratulates Modi On India’s Economic Recovery From COVID

By LokMarg

Ahead of India’s upcoming G20 presidency, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a great meeting and congratulated on India’s strong economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking to Twitter, Georgieva wrote “Thank you @PMOIndia @narendramodi for a great meeting. Congratulations on India’s strong economic recovery from the pandemic and its remarkable advances, especially the incredible success in digitalization,” and congratulated India’s robust economic recovery from the pandemic.
The IMF chief also applauded the incredible success of the digitalization of India during the talks with Prime Minister Modi and assured full support for India to protect macroeconomic and financial stability.

“As India takes the helm of G20, you can count on @IMFNews full support to protect macroeconomic & financial stability, advance cooperation on debt resolution & promote financial inclusion,” the IMF Chief tweeted.

Georgieva also counted on India’s strong leadership to further strengthen a strong multilateral system and advance IMF reforms.

The Managing Director of IMF, Kristalina Georgieva also met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss India’s upcoming G20 presidency and IMF’s support for it.

During the meeting Sitharaman and IMF Managing Director shared concerns on “key downside risks to the global economy and the cross-border effects due to the geopolitical situation and tighter financial conditions,” the Union Ministry of Finance tweeted.

The two leaders recognised that the effect of an increase in global inflation due to the rise in food and energy prices and international debt has impacted low-income countries the most.

Sitharaman reiterated the importance of coordinated policy measures and multilateralism for mobilising adequate financial resources for climate action, emphasising that committed funds by the developed economies are yet to become available.

During the meeting, IMF Managing Director stated that despite the global uncertainty and headwinds, India continues to be a bright spot in the global economy. (ANI)

Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist Rally

Why Inner-Party Democracy Is Good For Communist Parties!

By LokMarg

Last week, CPI-ML (Liberation) leader Kavita Krishnan resigned from all party posts, kicking up a debate on democracy in communist parties. LokMarg spoke to a sympathiser and close supporter of the CPI-ML (L) on the issue. This senior writer, who does not want to be named, says the communist parties should realize that those who raise the question of democracy in socialism should be embraced and not vilified. His views:

No, I never discussed Stalin with them or with anyone else for that matter because I have no means to prove or disprove anything about what he did or did not do. This is for two reasons. Basically, when I work with anyone I don’t normally get into discussions about their family history. If one goes up anyone’s family tree, one might or might not find evidence of ‘criminality’ at some point. That should not come in the way of constructively working together with that person in the present.

Secondly, I believe Stalin is simply too controversial for anyone to have an unbiased opinion on him. In my opinion, everyone is free to have whatever view of him they want, but I will retain my freedom to work with people with all kinds of viewpoints on this issue. This is simply because work in the present is more important than endlessly fighting over history.

I am a supporter and sympathizer of the CPI-ML (Liberation). With all their limitations, they are the most sensible and honest communist party in India today, with some very fine leaders and wonderful cadre. We have disagreements, but our agreements are far greater. Besides all this, I have too many friends in the party – so it is not a matter of ideology alone, they are like family to me. I am critical of them only because I am concerned about their decline and want them to grow for the sake of India’s future.

The debate over democracy and even its definition is an old one within the global communist movement. The fact that it continues in our times only means that there has been no satisfactory resolution of this question. However, it is an extremely important discussion that should not be brushed aside or suppressed in any way.

The reason why a lot of comrades raise the issue of both inner-party democracy and the need for a democratic polity under socialism is simply because they feel it is wrong to give complete monopoly of power to any political formation, including to the one they are themselves working with. This is a very ethical position. It is unfortunate that many communists think that this is ‘anti-party’ – because, in truth, it is a position with the best interests of protecting the rights of the people.

ALSO READ: Can Socialism Find its Feet?

Socialist systems claim to be more democratic than capitalist ones because they focus on delivering the basic necessities of the population – such as food, shelter, education and health. They do not recognise freedom of protest, organisation and speech as fundamental rights and see them as a ‘luxury’.

This is actually like the mindset of a poultry or pig farmer who claims to be feeding his caged livestock regularly before sending them to the slaughterhouse. Communist parties should stop doing mathematics with human populations because they are flesh and blood creatures, and thinking, feeling creatures, and not abstract numbers.

They should also realize that democratic processes and institutions are not a luxury but essential in ensuring both justice and resilience within the communist systems. Marxism – as Marx himself thought of it — is unique because on the one hand it is about being passionately against injustice, and on the other it is highly intellectual and sensitive, and insists on action based on serious study, research, presentation of evidence and debate.

Deciding the fate of the party or of the population cannot be a whimsical exercise of a few leaders – democratic participation and flow of information are critical. The various institutions of so called ‘bourgeois democracy’ that protect freedom of association, speech or fair treatment, while imperfect and also inadequate in many ways, are still superior to the archaic justice mechanisms we see in ‘communist countries’.

Those comrades who still have a heart, and have not become cold, calculating machine-like bureaucrats, will keep raising the question of democracy within and outside the party-fold. They are an asset to the communist movement and should be embraced and not vilified and expelled.

The communist parties should realize that the people – including the working classes everywhere — are rejecting them all around the world because of their contempt for democracy. They are on the wrong side of history on this issue and it is up to them to change, or, become completely irrelevant.

As told to Amit Sengupta

SC Stays Demolition Of Curlies Restaurant In Goa Linked To Phogat’s Death

By LokMarg

The Supreme Court has stayed the demolition of Curlies restaurant in Goa soon after its demolition began on Friday on the subject to the condition that no commercial activities will take place there.

This is the same restaurant in Goa where actor and BJP leader Sonali Phogat was allegedly drugged and was later declared dead.

The demolition action against the restaurant began after its owner failed to get any respite from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). On Thursday, NGT upheld the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority’s previous order to demolish the shack.

Owner Edwin Nunes of the ‘Curlies’ restaurant, located on Goa’s famous Anjuna beach, was among five persons arrested in the Phogat death case and on Thursday was later granted conditional bail against a personal bail bond of Rs 30,000 and two sureties of Rs 15,000 each.

The actor was pronounced dead on August 23 at the St Anthony Hospital in Anjuna, North Goa.

A heavy police force has been deployed outside the Curlies restaurant.

“We are providing police protection for the demolition. As per the order, it is being demolished,” said DYSP Jivba Dalvi.

Meanwhile, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has ordered the closure of all commercial activity in the form of nightclubs, bars and restaurants being run by Edwin Nunes and Linet Nunes, both Curlies Restaurant and Night Club and guest house, St Michael Wado, Dando, Anjuna, Bardez-Goa.

Earlier on Sunday, the Goa Police also visited various locations in the alleged murder case of BJP politician Sonali Phogat in Haryana’s Hisar district.

“Teams went to various places, as per allegations levelled by the late actor’s brother Rinku including property and other issues. Our team is going to all those places, speaking with local witnesses and trying to get information which may help us reach a conclusion,” informed Goa Director General of Police Jaspal Singh.

Sonali Phogat was declared dead at the St Anthony Hospital at Anjuna in North Goa on August 23. A post-mortem report revealed blunt force injury on her body, following which the Goa Police registered a murder case.

On Friday, Goa Police visited Phogat’s Sant Nagar residence in Haryana’s Hisar district and seized three diaries. Sonali’s bedroom, wardrobe, and password-protected locker were inspected by the police search team. The police also sealed the locker at Sonali Phogat’s residence. Phogat’s PA and his associate were arrested after police accessed the CCTV footage in which the trio were seen partying at a club.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the probe by the Goa Police into the death case of Sonali Phogat, her family will approach the Goa High Court demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter.

Sonali Phogat’s family had met Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in connection with the case and had demanded a CBI probe. The Chief Minister had assured of the CBI investigation. However, being dissatisfied with the ongoing investigation, the family has decided to go to Goa High Court with their demand.

Speaking to ANI, Vikas Singh, Sonali Phogat’s nephew, who is also an advocate in his family said that they have written to Chief Justice of India UU Lalit for a CBI inquiry, and will approach the Goa High Court with a writ petition by Friday if they are not satisfied with the answer of the top court.

Earlier, Goa Police had said that Sonali Phogat was forcibly drugged by her two associates who were arrested after being named as accused in the case.

Haryana Police detained a man after the family accused him of taking a laptop and mobile from the farmhouse of the deceased BJP leader. Haryana Police has recovered the items following which the questioning is underway.

Sonali Phogat who rose to fame with her TikTok videos, contested the 2019 Haryana election as a BJP candidate but lost to then Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi (he has since joined the BJP). She also appeared in the reality show Bigg Boss in 2020. (ANI)