The Supreme Court Tuesday granted one-week time to yoga guru Ramdev, his aide Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurved to issue a public apology in the misleading advertisements case, but said it was not letting them "off the hook" now. Both Ramdev and Balkrishna were present during the hearing and personally tendered an unqualified apology to the apex court. A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah took note of their apologies, but made it clear that at this stage it has not decided to "let them off the hook". "You are doing good work but you can't degrade allopathy," the bench told Balkrishna while interacting with him. Ramdev, who also interacted with the bench, said he had no intention to show disrespect to the court in any manner. However, the bench told Balkrishna that they (Patanjali) are not so innocent that they didn't know what the top court had said in its earlier orders in the case. "I am willing to give a public apology," senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Ramdev and Balkrishna, told the bench at the outset. The apex court asked Ramdev and Balkrishna, both of whom were present in the court, to come forward for an interaction with the bench. "They should feel they have a connect with the court," the bench said. The apex court has now posted the matter for further hearing on April 23. Ramdev and Balkrishna had last week tendered an "unconditional and unqualified apology" before the top court over advertisements issued by the firm making tall claims about the medicinal efficacy of its products. In two separate affidavits filed in the court, Ramdev and Balkrishna have tendered an unqualified apology for the "breach of the statement" recorded in the November 21 last year order of the apex court. In the November 21, 2023 order, the top court had noted that counsel representing Patanjali Ayurved had assured it that "henceforth there shall not be any violation of any law(s), especially relating to advertising or branding of products manufactured and marketed by it and, further, that no casual statements claiming medicinal efficacy or against any system of medicine will be released to the media in any form". The top court had said Patanjali Ayurved Ltd is "bound down to such assurance". The non-observance of the specific assurance and the subsequent media statements irked the apex court, which later issued a notice to them to explain why contempt proceedings be not initiated against them. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 01:32 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIThe Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Tuesday released a new list of eleven candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Uttar Pradesh. The BSP has fielded Athar Jamal Lari against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest polls from the Varanasi parliamentary constituency. According to the list, the Mainpuri Lok Sabha ticket has been changed and given to Shiv Prasad Yadav while Shrikala Singh, wife of gangster-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh, lodged in jail, has been fielded from the Jaunpur constituency. The BSP has fielded Muslim Khan in Budaun while Chhotelal Gangwar will contest from Bareilly. Udraj Verma will contest from Sultanpur seat and in Farrukhabad, the party candidate is Kranti Pandey. Mayank Dwivedi will contest the Banda seat and Khwaja Shamsuddin will contest from Domariaganj. In Ballia, the party has fielded Lallan Singh Yadav and Umesh Kumar Singh will contest from Ghazipur. Notably, the BSP has opted not to form any alliances for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. Instead, it is set to contest independently in the state. Earlier, the BSP nominated Mazid Ali from Saharanpur, Shreepal Singh from Kairana, Dara Singh Prajapati from Muzaffarnagar, Vijendra Singh from Bijnor, Surendra Pal Singh from Nagina, Mohammad Irfan Saifi from Moradabad, Zeeshan Khan from Rampur, Shaukat Ali from Sambhal, Mujahid Hussain from Amroha, Devratt Tyagi from Meerut, Praveen Bansal from Baghpat, Rajendra Singh Solanki from Gautam Buddha Nagar, Girish Chandra Jatav from Bulandshahr, Abid Ali from Aonla, Aneesh Ahmed Khan alia Phool Babu from Pilibhit, and Dodram Verma from Shahjahanpur. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases. Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13. The votes will be counted on June 4.
16 April,2024 11:46 AM IST | Lucknow | ANIWith only three days to the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, authorities have started carrying 295 poll personnel to critical and hypersensitive spots in the insurgency-hit region via helicopter. Neelotpal, the Superintendent of Police, indicated that polling parties, together with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and other relevant equipment, are being transferred to various locations in Gadchiroli, where voting is set for April 19. The transportation of 295 voting staff from 68 booths in critical and hypersensitive areas of Gadchiroli is being assisted by helicopters provided by the Indian Air Force and Army. The Gadchiroli-Chimur Lok Sabha constituency will see a direct fight between incumbent BJP MP Ashok Nete and Congress challenger Dr Namdev Kirsan. The constituency has a total of 16,12,930 votes, including 8,11,836 men, 8,010,82 women, and 12 transgender individuals. Police launch awareness campaign to increase voter turnout Meanwhile, to boost voter turnout, police in the Naxal-affected district of Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, have initiated a public awareness campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The campaign aims to educate locals about the importance of voting and urge 100% voter turnout in the region, according to ANI. According to the report, a substantial police presence has been stationed in the region to guarantee that voting goes smoothly during the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Authorities have urged citizens, particularly those in Naxal-affected areas, to vote without fear. The sub-inspector Govind Khating previously told ANI, "The objective of this awareness campaign is to encourage the voters to fulfil their duty to keep our democracy alive. The voting which is going to take place on April 19 in the upcoming polls will be a victory for democracy. We have deployed a huge force in the area so that voting can be conducted safely and smoothly." "There is only one fear in the minds of the people that the Naxalites may launch blasts or attacks on them if they go for voting, The Naxals target people who are close to the administration, that's why police forces have been deployed to protect them and facilitate the procedure of casting votes," Khating was quoted as saying in the report.
16 April,2024 11:45 AM IST | Gadchiroli | mid-day online correspondentThe Enforcement Directorate has arrested Chanpreet Singh, who allegedly "managed" cash funds for AAP's campaign in the 2022 Goa Assembly polls, in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, official sources said on Monday. The Aam Aadmi Party alleged the ED was carrying out a "politically motivated" probe and it was unable to recover a single rupee or find evidence in the matter. Singh was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 12 and was produced before a special court here the next day, the sources said. He has been sent to ED custody till April 18 by the court, they said. This is the 17th arrest in the case by the ED. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his party colleague and former deputy CM Manish Sisodia, BRS leader K Kavitha and a number of liquor businessmen and others have been arrested earlier by the federal agency. Singh was earlier arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation too in the same case. The money laundering case stems from the CBI FIR. The ED has informed the court through its official documents that Chanpreet Singh "managed" cash payments for the campaign of the AAP during the 2022 Goa elections and had a "relationship" with the political outfit that rules Delhi currently. It has been alleged by the agency that the 'South Group' -- comprising Kavitha, TDP candidate from Ongole Lok Sabha seat Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy and others -- paid Rs 100 crore bribe to the AAP for obtaining a prime position in the Delhi liquor market as part of the now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. Out of these alleged kickbacks, the ED has claimed, Rs 45 crore was used by the AAP to fund its Goa election campaign. The ED has claimed that cash payments were made to survey workers, area managers, assembly managers and others in Goa who were engaged in election campaign activities of the AAP and these people told the agency that this was "managed" by a person named Chanpreet Singh. It also said that an employee of an 'Angadia' firm, which allegedly moved cash funds illegally, had "admitted" to disbursing huge amounts of cash in Goa to some people including Singh, who used to work for Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd. Chariot Productions was the company engaged by the AAP for its Goa poll campaign. The company's director, Rajesh Joshi, was arrested in the case by the ED last year. The ED had alleged that Singh collected more than Rs 17 crore (Rs 17,38,14,500 in total) in over 18 instances from the 'Angadia' company employee between August 2021-January 2022, and this was "also corroborated" by CDR (call data records of mobile phone) analysis. It said that Singh "received a salary from the Aam Aadmi Party" in February 2022 and also from a company called Wizspk Communications and PR Ltd which was engaged by the Delhi government. Moreover, the ED claimed that he had also received funds from the OML (Only Much Louder) events management company of arrested AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair, and "these facts are prima facie reflective of his relationship with the Aam Aadmi Party". In a statement, the AAP said the entire country knows "the real Delhi liquor scam" took place after ED started its investigation and arrested scam kingpin Sarath Reddy who later transferred Rs 55 crore of his proceeds of crime to BJP via electoral bonds." Even after two years of investigation and over 500 raids, not a single rupee or evidence has been recovered from AAP leaders, it said. "The ED is running a politically motivated investigation and making its case solely based on statements of approvers, many of whom like Sarath Reddy have a direct connection with the BJP," the party alleged. In a related development, Kejriwal did not get any interim relief on Monday from the Supreme Court which sought a response from the ED by April 24 on his plea challenging his arrest in the money laundering case. The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the liquor policy. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the PMLA. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 10:49 AM IST | Delhi | PTIAt least five persons, including a woman, died and around 35 others were injured after a bus fell from a bridge in Odisha's Jajpur district on Monday evening, police said. The incident took place around 9 pm on Barabati bridge on National Highway-16, when the bus with about 47 passengers was en route to West Bengal from Puri, they said. "Four men and a woman have died in the accident. Around 40 people were injured, and they were taken to Cuttack SCB Medical College," said Tapan Kumar Naik, Inspector charge of Dharamshala Police Station. The driver lost control of the vehicle, which resulted in the accident, police said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the deaths and announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. Meanwhile, Transport Commissioner Amitav Thakur said the bus was bound for Haldia in West Bengal. "We have formed a team of doctors for treatment. The injured, including women and children, are being brought to Cuttack with the help of 16 ambulances. The rescue operation has ended as the bus was lifted with a crane," he said. Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, Collector and District Magistrate of Jajpur said gas cutters were used to cut through the metal and rescue the passengers from the bus. SP Vinit Agrawal added that the deceased are yet to be identified and that most of the passengers hailed from West Bengal. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 10:49 AM IST | Jajpur | PTIMunir Ahmad Khan, the brother of jailed separatist leader Nayeem Khan, joined the Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist People's Front (JKNPF) on Monday. An announcement in this regard was made by Munir Khan during a press conference in Srinagar on Monday. "Joining JKNPF is not a big deal. Coming into the mainstream is the big thing, and making a roadmap for the youth. What I found in this party is that only this party can attract more youth, and this is the reason for me to join the party. Here together, we can create a roadmap for our economy, education and employment," Khan said while speaking to reporters. Hurriyat Conference in 2017 suspended Nayeem Khan from the organisation after he allegedly confessed to receiving money from Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for Kashmir unrest. Khan was allegedly heard admitting in a TV sting operation that he had received money from Pakistan to create unrest in the Valley. He, however, claimed that the sting operation was fake and doctored. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 10:49 AM IST | Srinagar | ANIFour people drowned as a boat capsized in the Jhelum river on the outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday, officials said. Many others are missing in the incident that took place in the Gandbal Nowgam area, they said. A rescue operation was launched and the State Disaster Response Force team has been deployed. So far, four bodies have been recovered, while many others are missing, the officials said. Incessant rains over the last couple of days have led to an increase in the water levels of several water bodies, including Jhelum. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 09:44 AM IST | Srinagar | PTIA group of 21 retired judges of the Supreme Court and high courts have written to the Chief Justice of India on the escalating attempts by “certain factions to undermine the judiciary through calculated pressure, misinformation, and public disparagement”. These critics are motivated by narrow political interests and personal gains and are striving to erode public confidence in the judicial system, they said. Though the retired judges, including four from the apex court, did not specify the incidents which prompted them to write to the CJI, their letter came amid a war of words between the ruling BJP and opposition parties over the actions against some opposition leaders in corruption cases. With affected leaders and their parties moving courts to seek relief, the BJP has often accused them of using judicial decisions selectively and cited any lack of relief for several arrested leaders to rebut the opposition’s criticism. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 06:09 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesWest Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday criticised the Election Commission for “favouring” the BJP and threatened to go on a hunger strike outside the Commission if there is a single riot in the state. While addressing a rally at Alipurduar, Banerjee accused the Election Commission of removing the Deputy Inspector General of Police of Murshidabad at the behest of the BJP. “Even today, just based on BJP’s instructions, the DIG of Murshidabad was changed. Now, if there are riots in Murshidabad and Malda, the responsibility will lie with the Election Commission. The BJP wanted to change the police officers to trigger riots and violence. If there is even one riot, the ECI will be responsible as they are looking after law and order here,” she said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 06:04 AM IST | Alipurduar | AgenciesThe Election Commission on Monday said authorities under its supervision have made seizures worth Rs 4,650 crore, including drugs worth R2069 crore, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The poll panel said the seizures made since March 1 exceed the over Rs 3,475 crore recovered during the 2019 parliamentary polls. EC’s Flying Squad searches Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter. Pic/PTI The seven-phased Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 16. The first phase is on April 19 and the last one on June 1. The Commission said authorities have been making seizures worth Rs 100 crore every day since March 1. Out of the total recoveries worth Rs 4,658 crore, the cash component stands at over Rs 395 crore, while liquor stands at more than Rs 489 crore. Significantly, 45 per cent of the seizures are of drugs (Rs 2,069 crore). The first phase of the election is on April 19. Representation pic Use of black money, over and above political financing, could disturb the level playing field in favour of more resourceful party or candidate, it noted, adding that the seizures are a critical part of its resolve to hold the Lok Sabha elections free of inducements and electoral malpractices and to ensure a level playing field. Poll panel checks Rahul’s helicopter Officials here conducted checks in a helicopter carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The flying squad officials searched the helicopter after it landed here, police said. Gandhi was on his way to his parliamentary constituency, Kerala’s Wayanad, where he has campaign activities, including a public meeting. He is fighting the April 26 Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad, seeking a successive term.
16 April,2024 05:58 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesAt a rally on Monday concluding his Lok Sabha poll campaign in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a Tamil-centric pitch as he proposed to set up Thiruvalluvar centres globally, and labelled the Congress and DMK “sinners” over “ceding” Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. Modi dubbed the DMK and Congress “anti-national” and said the entire country has now understood the “truth”, that they had given Katchatheevu to another country after “cutting it off” from Tamil Nadu. Not only did they keep “the people of Tamil Nadu in the dark, they told lies to them and committed a sin behind the scenes,” Modi alleged. “Our fishermen brothers get the punishment for the sins of the DMK and Congress,” he said, in an apparent reference to the frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka. This “sin” of theirs remained hidden for four decades and it is the BJP that unravelled the truth and brought it to the attention of the people, he claimed. Following this, the DMK and Congress have just “gone silent”, he alleged. Modi then went on to slam the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu over the alleged corruption and drug menace in the state. He also accused the DMK of insulting the legacy of late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran and said the Dravidian party had “ill-treated” late AIADMK matriarch J Jayalalithaa in the state assembly, alluding to the unruly scenes in the House in 1989. Modi pointed out that the BJP had released its manifesto on the day of Tamil New Year. He also said that his party has resolved to set up Thiruvalluvar centres across the globe. “We worked for Tamil Nadu’s development in the past 10 years,” Modi said, exhorting people to vote for the party, saying, “For those who love Tamil language and culture, their first choice is the BJP and so is the case with those who love the country.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 05:46 AM IST | Tirunelveli | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
