Category: News

Bibhav Kumar, personal assistant (PA) to jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has been terminated from his services. An action in this regard has been taken up by the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV) in connection with a case pending against him for ‘obstruction’.

Special Secretary Vigilance YVVJ Rajshekhar passed the order, citing a case of 2007 pending against Bibhav Kumar in which he was accused of obstructing government work.

“The Competent Authority hereby terminates the engagement of Bibhav Kumar, in terms of the provisions of Rule 5 of the Central Civil Services (Temporary Service) Rules, 1965, with immediate effect,” the order said.

The order stated that the charges against Bibhav Kumar are grave in nature, including charge of assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty.

“It is observed that charges against Bibhav Kumar are grave in nature, including charge of ‘assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty’ (section 353 IPC), for which the trial against Bibhav Kumar is at the stage of evidence, and therefore Bibhav Kumar is not clear from vigilance angle,” it said.

“Any serious lapse in the verification procedure could result in appointment of persons in the personal staff of Ministers, MP and other government bodies, who are otherwise not eligible to man the post. This is fraught with dangers because such persons could also have access to sensitive information and data,” the order added.

The action comes two days after the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) questioned Bibhav Kumar, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, Durgesh Pathak in a money laundering probe related to irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case.

ED investigators started questioning Bibhav on Monday soon after he deposed before them in the morning, while Pathak’s questioning began when he reached the agency office in the afternoon following summons issued against them separately.

Earlier in February, the ED also questioned Bibhav and recorded his statements in connection with the case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The move comes days after the federal agency arrested Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in the case. (ANI)

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda released the party’s manifesto for the Sikkim Assembly Election at Gangtok on Thursday.

The manifesto is titled “Modi Ki Guarantee–Viksit Bharat Viksit Sikkim.”

Launching an attack at the Congress, Nadda said, “The previous governments believed in isolation and ignorance. They wanted to keep the people isolated, ignore them and increase their vote bank politics. This was the style of functioning of the Congress party and other parties. But when PM Modi became the Prime Minister, he said, “Look East, Act East, Act Fast and Act First.”

“In collaboration with the Central Government, we will establish, an Indian Institute of Management of world class here in Sikkim. We will establish the National Institute of Design for the development of youths and vocational training in Sikkim. In the same way, to give potential to the youth and give a boost to tourism here, we will set up the Institute of Hotel Management,” he promised the voters in Sikkim.

The BJP national president said that while major economies in the world have slowed down due to the pandemic or the Ukraine crisis, India has risen from being the 11th largest economy to being the fifth largest economy.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s economy has shaken. Their GDP (growth rate) is one per cent today. Europe’s economy has slowed down. Post-Ukraine war, Russia’s economy has faltered, and so has that of Australia and Japan. However, India, under the leadership of PM Modi, has risen from being the 11th-largest economy in the world to the 5th largest economic power. When PM Modi will be the Prime Minister for the third time, India’s economy will be the third largest in the world,” Nadda said.

Speaking about other economic milestones achieved by the country in the last 10 years of the Narendra Modi government, the BJP chief said, “In steel manufacturing, we are number 2 from number 4; in the automobile market, we have defeated Japan, we standing at number 3. Only America and China are ahead of us. When it comes to the Mobile industry, 10 years back you had mobile phones made in China, today you have mobile phones where it is written ‘Made in India’.”

The Assembly elections in Sikkim will be held simultaneously with the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19. Sikkim has 32 assembly seats and one parliamentary constituency.

The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) won the lone Lok Sabha seat from the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The SKM also won 17 out of 32 seats in the Assembly polls while the Sikkim Democratic Front won 15 seats. (ANI)

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Muslims are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with religious fervour and devotion, with large prayer gatherings organised in mosques and open grounds across the country.

People, including children, thronged mosques to offer prayers in the morning on Thursday.

In Tamil Nadu, people gathered at the Syed Murthuza school grounds in Tiruchirappalli and the Islamiyah Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore to offer ‘namaz’ on Eid-ul-Fitr.

Devotees offered namaz at Idgah in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal and greeted each other on the occasion.

Former Union Minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also offered namaz at the Panja Sharif Dargah in Delhi’s Kashmere Gate on Eid-ul-Fitr.

“I extend good wishes to all the people on the occasion of Eid. I pray this Eid will bring joy, happiness and prosperity in everyone’s life. On this auspicious occasion, I wish that our country continues on the path of growth,” Naqvi told reporters.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain also offered namaz at Parliament Street Mosque in Delhi.

“I would like to extend my greetings to all the people on the auspicious occasion of Eid. May everyone’s lives be full of happiness and the country move towards growth,” Hussain said.

Meanwhile, Muslims offered namaz at Mumbai’s Mahim Masjid and at Shahjamal Aligarh Eidgah in Uttar Pradesh.

Visuals from Delhi’s iconic Jama Masjid showed children hugging each other and exchanging Eid greetings after offering namaz.

A large number of people thronged Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid, adjacent to the iconic Charminar, to offer ‘namaz’. In the visuals, people were seen exchanging greetings on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

An air of festivity and celebration was palpable at Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah and Nizamuddin Market as Muslims filled the streets in bright attire to offer prayers on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The iconic dome of the Nizamuddin Dargah, adorned with bright yellow lights, exuded a festive glow. Large crowds thronged the markets, with revellers spotted purchasing sweets, clothes, and other essentials for the festive occasion while sharing Eid greetings.

Earlier on Wednesday, Muslims in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr. Hundreds of Muslims took part in the mass ‘Namaz’ recitation ceremony as they prayed in unison at a mosque in Coimbatore.

Similarly, a large number of people offered prayers at the mosque in the Ernakulam district of Kerala to celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr. Mass prayers were also held in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on the occasion of Eid.

Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir also marked the celebration of the holy festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr with special prayers.

Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of ‘Shawwal’, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The festival is of great significance due to the moon sighting, which has been part of Islamic culture for a long time.

Since the observance of the moon is essential for ending Ramzan month and celebrating Eid, it is celebrated in different parts on different days, usually with a one-day difference.

Ending the holy month of Ramzan and starting a new spiritual journey also marks the beginning of a new Islamic year. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the month-long Ramzan fasting and the beginning of ‘Shawwal’, which is the tenth month per the Islamic calendar. (ANI)

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Filmmaker Karan Johar has come on board for NTR Jr’s Telugu drama ‘Devara: Part 1’.

On Wednesday, Karan took to Instagram and announced his partnership with the team of ‘Devara’. He revealed that Dharma Productions and AA Films have acquired the rights for the North India theatrical distribution of ‘Devara’ that stars NTR Jr along Janhvi Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in pivotal roles.

“A mass hurricane of grandeur entertainment is closer than ever before. Honoured and extremely grateful to be a part of – Man of Masses Jr NTR’s Devara. We are extremely thrilled and proud to announce our partnership for the north theatrical distribution rights for the next big cinematic experience in Indian cinema,” he wrote, adding a picture from his meeting with NTR Jr.

Team ‘Devara’ also confirmed the same on their social media stating, “Happy to join forces with the dynamic distributors of our country, Karan Johar and AA Films for the North India theatrical distribution of #Devara! Looking forward to a thunderous release on 10th October 2024!”

Janhvi reposted Karan’s update on her Instagram story and captioned it as, “Brace yourself for a mass hurricane (sea waves emoji) the start of my most special journey is now in partnership with my @dharmamovies family. Man of Masses Jr NTR’s Devara in cinemas 10th October 2024.”

Recently, at an event in Hyderabad, NTR Jr spoke at length about ‘Devara: Part 1’ to his fans. He said, “It’s my promise to you all that the wait for ‘Devara’ will be worth it and every fan will raise their collar in pride once the film releases.”

‘Devara’ will be out on October 10. It is directed by Koratala Siva. (ANI)

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Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai hit back at Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Dayanidhi Maran’s ‘joker’ remarks saying that the latter is ‘useless’ without family’s surname.

Annamalai also targeted the ruling DMK for Maran’s remarks accusing the party of resorting to ‘abuse and filth.’

“Generally they say one of the ugliest political parties in the country is DMK. DMK party is founded on the language of filth. And if you look at DMK’s history their abuse of women, their intolerance for any newcomer and the kind of abusive language they brought into political vocabulary. Nobody in our state has done over the last 70 years. DMK stands for abuse at its worst,” the BJP chief said.

“And this is coming from a person Dayanidhi Maran. If you remove the word Maran from there, he will not even get a job as anybody in any place. He is totally useless without his family’s surname. But unfortunately, when they know they are losing, DMK will always take recourse to abuse and filth,” he added.

The BJP leader further said that he will adorn the abuses by DMK as a ‘badge of honour’ while projecting himself as ‘self-made’

“If DMK is abusing me, I take it as a badge of honour because all of us are self-made people from the ground by virtue of hard work, we are standing in a position trying to serve our people, not like Mr Maran or Mr Stalin or Mr Udhayanidhi. Only because of their family initial, they are in politics,” Annamalai said.

In an interview with India Today, Dayanidhi Maran, a former union minister, sought to dismiss the challenge posed by Annamalai in the Lok Sabha polls. “Who’s that? Oh, the Joker, you are talking about the Joker. Are you overestimating, he is a lame duck,” Maran said.

He was asked a question about the “fear of Annamalai” and if he is the rising star of the BJP.

Following the DMK leader’s remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to Annamalai’s defence and said that it reflected the character of the ruling party in the state and that ‘arrogance is against the great culture of Tamil Nadu’.

“DMK is a party that is immersed in the arrogance of power. When a senior leader of DMK was asked about our young leader Annamalai, he said in arrogance ‘Who is he, who is that’ and used insulting words. This arrogance is against Tamil Nadu’s great culture. The people of Tamil Nadu will never like this arrogance,” PM Modi said while addressing a public rally in Mettupalayam.

However, reiterating his words, Maran said that he stands by his words.

“He (Annamalai) keeps on changing his stance. First, he was against NEET. Now he supports NEET. He says that he doesn’t know Hindi. Then he now speaks fluent Hindi. He keeps on changing his colours like a Chameleon. He behaves like a joker. So I stand by my stand words. He is a joker. We need people like him. He’s a good entertainer. Please Annamalai, continue,” Maran said earlier in the day.

Annamalai is fighting the Lok Sabha polls from Coimbatore for BJP while DMK has fielded Ganapathy P Rajkumar. Maran is contesting the polls from Chennai Central.

All 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will vote in a single phase on April 19 in Lok Sabha polls that will be held in seven phases. Votes will be counted on June 4 . In 2019, the DMK-led alliance swept the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu, winning 38 of 39 seats. (ANI)

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The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Wednesday dismissed the plea moved by the Delhi Chief Minister seeking direction to increase the number of legal meetings with his lawyers from two to five times a week and said he has used the allotted legal meeting time for purposes other than legal interviews.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja on Wednesday passed the order and stated that applicant Arvind Kejriwal has failed to satisfy this court that he has been using the two permitted legal meetings per week solely for the purpose of discussing the pending litigations with his counsels.

The status report filed by the investigating agency indicated that the applicant had dictated certain directions for being passed on to the Water Minister, to one of his lawyers (whose name he refused to disclose to the investigating Agency) during the course of a legal meeting.

During arguments in the matter, ED Counsel Zoheb Hossain along with Naveen Kumar Matta and Simon Benjamin submitted that the relief sought by the Accused/Applicant by way of the application under consideration is contrary to the rules and provisions and hence cannot be granted and the applicant cannot claim any special treatment.

Court noted that the status report which was handed over to the High Court of Delhi, being a subject matter of investigation, was placed before this Court during arguments and it was submitted that the legal interview is being misused by the applicant for other extraneous purposes, as is apparent from the above note. It was argued that the applicant had dictated certain directions to his lawyer during a legal interview, for being passed on to the Water Minister.

Advocates Vivek Jain and Mohd Irshad appeared for Arvind Kejriwal and submitted that he is contesting multiple litigations in different courts of law across several states of India which include the States of Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Assam and Delhi, for which the applicant requires consultations with advocates in order to provide appropriate instructions for contesting the same.

Kejriwal’s lawyers also contended that since a large number of cases are being contested by the applicant and various documents are to be examined, which requires longer discussions with the counsels, the same cannot be done in two meetings a week. So lawyers prayed that the Accused/Applicant be permitted to have five weekly meetings with his counsels in order to discuss and strategize various pending litigations and to effectively contest the same before the respective courts spread across various jurisdictions.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday upheld the legality of Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in an Excise Case and said the repeated non-compliance of summons for over a period of six months by Arvind Kejriwal was indeed a contributing factor in his arrest. Had the petitioner joined the investigation pursuant to the issuance of summons under Section 50 of PMLA, he could have given his version before the investigating agency against the material that it had collected, said the court.

Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in relation to the excise policy case.

The trial court on April 1 sent Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15. ED alleged that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) is the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged liquor scam. (ANI)

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Veteran actor Zeenat Aman, who is known for her strong opinions, on Tuesday, advised her fans and followers to choose a live-in relationship before getting married.

On Tuesday, Zeenat took to her Instagram handle and shared pictures of her pet along with a long note on relationships.

The note read, “Two birds, one post! First, by popular demand, here’s my madcap Lily having a caper in the garden this afternoon. Lily is a good ole desi dog rescued from the streets of Bombay. She is my darling shadow, and the reason that I am a firm advocate of pet rescue and adoption.”

Sharing her opinion, Zeenat recommended to her fans in a relationship that they should live together before getting married.

She added, “On a different note, one of you asked me about relationship advice in the comments section of my last post. Here’s a personal opinion I haven’t previously shared – if you’re in a relationship, I strongly recommend that you LIVE TOGETHER before getting married!”

The actor also revealed that she gave the same advice to her sons.

“This is the same advice I’ve always given my sons, both of whom have had, or are in, a live-in relationship. It just seems logical to me that before two people get their families and the government involved in their equation, they first put their relationship to the ultimate test. It’s easy to be the best version of yourself for a few hours a day. But can you share a bathroom? Weather the storm of a bad mood? Agree on what to eat for dinner every night? Keep the fire alive in the bedroom? Work through the million tiny conflicts that inevitably arise between two people in close proximity? In short – are you actually compatible? I’m aware that Indian society is a little uptight about “living in sin” but then again, society is uptight about so many things!” she continued.

She ended her note by saying, “Log kya kahenge?”

As soon as the note was shared, fans and industry members chimed in the comment section.

Bhumi Pednekar dropped a heart emoji.

One of the users wrote, “Need Zeenat Aman to be my life coach.”

Another user wrote, “You are forward looking, been always!”

Zeenat Aman became a household name during the 70s and 80s after bagging the title Miss Asia Pacific International pageant in 1970, is known for her bold personality, and was one of the actors who set the fashion trend with her satirical choices.

Zeenat has given several hits such as ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, ‘Don’, ‘Yaadon ki Baraat’, ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’, ‘Qurbani, Dostana’, ‘Dharam Veer’, among others.

Meanwhile, Zeenat will be seen in ‘Bun Tikki’ alongside Shabana Azmi and Abhay Deol.

The release date of the film is yet to be announced. (ANI)

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Actor and host Maniesh Paul on Wednesday shared a glimpse of his piano session.

Taking to Instagram, Maniesh treated fans with a video of his new talent.

Sharing the video, he wrote, “I keep trying and I keep falling in love everytime…What a beautiful song @vishalmishraofficial#mp#piano #music #love.”

Maniesh played the song, which was composed by Vishal Mishra, from the hit movie ‘Animal’ which has captivated audiences with its gripping storyline and soul-stirring music.

As soon as the video was shared, fans and industry members chimed in the comment section.

Vishal Mishra wrote, “Paji.”

One of the users commented, “Dedication goals.”

Maniesh moved to Mumbai in 2005. Before signing his first movie ‘Mickey Virus’ in 2013, he had tried his hand at several fields — including radio jockeying. Apart from acting, Maniesh is also popular for his anchoring skills. He has hosted several reality TV shows such as ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ and ‘India’s Got Talent’.

Recently, he hosted ‘History Hunter’, a docu-series.

From discovering how Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali created the world’s first viable militarised rockets that went to be an inspiration for the British to revealing whether the famous Saraswati river is a myth or reality and how the city of Lakpath went from being a city of millionaires to an abandoned barren land, ‘History Hunter’ captivate audiences while attempting to solve the mysterious unanswered questions. (ANI)

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Coming hard on Congress candidate for Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor over his “false” claims, Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Wednesday that if anybody tells lies about him, he will not remain quiet and will use all the tools under the purview of law to ensure that person is held accountable.

In an interview with ANI, Chandrasekhar said that Tharoor, in his desperation, has flung a lot of allegations at him.

“I think Mr Tharoor, in his desperation, has flung a lot of allegations at me. One of them was that I am paying money for votes and I have said very clearly that I will not be drawn into this kind of politics. However, if anybody trespasses and says lies about me, I will not be quiet. I will use all the tools under the law to ensure that person is held accountable,” he said.

Further, sharpening his attacks on the Congress, Chandrasekhar said that the Congress has devouid of competing ideas for development and progress.

“The Congress party has no competing ideas for development and progress. Since they have no idea how to compete with us, they will always resort to politics of lies. I welcome the EC’s investigation and the Congress party will be proved wrong. Throughout my 18 years of public life, I have an absolutely stellar record. I did not have to resign from the government due to my IPL interests like some MPs had,” Rajeev said.

In 2010, Shashi Tharoor resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs in wake of the controversy over the IPL Kochi franchise.

The BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram emphasised that he is focused on taking the youths of the constituency forward and making sure there are more skills and investments in the area.

“Shashi Tharoor and Pannian Raveendran are old types of politicians. People who have made many promises but delivered nothing. I have a fresh approach to politics in Thiruvananthapuram. I make commitments and deliver to those. I do what I say. I am focused on taking the youth of Thiruvananthapuram forward, making sure there are more and more skills, investments and jobs,” he said.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar also highlighted that it is the election for who is going to be the Prime Minister. The primary consideration is to vote for and support PM Modi in his third term. (ANI)

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk , is set to visit India later this month for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per Reuters.

Reuters sources revealed that Musk’s visit will coincide with a potential announcement regarding Tesla’s investment plans and the opening of a new factory in the country.

Musk will meet Prime Minister Modi tentatively on April 22 in New Delhi.

Additionally, he is expected to disclose details about Tesla’s plans for India during his visit. However, the final agenda for Musk’s trip to India is yet to be confirmed.

Nonetheless, it has been previously reported that Tesla officials were exploring potential sites in India for a manufacturing plant, which is anticipated to necessitate an investment of approximately USD 2 billion.

Tesla’s interest in expanding its presence in the Indian market has intensified, with the company actively searching for a suitable location to establish a cutting-edge manufacturing facility.

According to sources, both the state governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat have reportedly extended attractive land offers to Tesla for this purpose, signalling significant progress in India’s electric mobility landscape.

The proposed manufacturing plant, with estimated investments ranging from USD 2 billion to USD 3 billion, aims to cater to both domestic and international demand for Tesla’s electric vehicles.

This move aligns with India’s new EV policy, which seeks to promote sustainable transportation and reduce carbon emissions.

Under the government’s EV scheme, which aims to position India as a preferred manufacturing destination for EVs equipped with advanced technology, several key objectives have been outlined.

These include attracting investments from global EV manufacturers, promoting the adoption of advanced EV technology among Indian consumers, and bolstering the country’s Make in India initiative.

Moreover, Tesla’s entry into the Indian market holds immense promise for the country’s economy and environment.

The establishment of a manufacturing plant and increased procurement of auto parts from India are expected to create jobs, foster economic growth, and strengthen the domestic manufacturing ecosystem. (ANI)

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