A seven judge Bench on March 4 overruled the Supreme Court’s majority judgment in the 1998 JMM bribery case that MPs/MLAs have immunity from prosecution for accepting bribes to cast a vote or make a speech in the House in a particular fashion. The judgment has virtually opened the doors for the CBI to initiate prosecution against the accused in the bribery case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Supreme Court grants AAP time till June 15, 2024 to vacate its offices at Rouse Avenue
The Supreme Court on March 4 granted the Aam Aadmi Party time till June 15, 2024 to vacate its offices at Rouse Avenue here after noting that the land was allotted to the Delhi High Court for expanding judicial infrastructure. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked AAP to approach Land And Development Office for allotment of land for its offices.
The Supreme Court on March 4 inclined to examine a plea by Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to club FIRs registered against him in multiple States over his remarks on ‘Sanatana Dharma’. Initially the Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said Mr. Stalin was no layman, and should have realised the consequences that would follow his remarks.
ED questions Niranjan Hiranandani in FEMA probe
The ED has questioned billionaire businessman Niranjan Hiranandani, the promoter of prominent Mumbai-based realty company Hiranandani Group, in a foreign exchange violation case, official sources said on March 4. The 73-year-old real estate tycoon is understood to have submitted some documents to the federal probe agency as he recorded his statement in the case.
Delhi govt presents FY25 budget with ₹76,000 crore outlay; to give ₹1,000 per month to every woman
Delhi’s Finance Minister Atishi presented the FY25 budget in the State Assembly on March 4 with an outlay of ₹76,000 crore, announcing the ‘Mukhyamamantri Mahila Samman Yojana’ under which women aged 18 and above will get ₹1,000 per month, and asserted the government is inspired by the ideals of Ram Rajya. In the budget tabled in the State Assembly ahead of the general elections, she also announced that the Business Blasters scheme, which was till now being implemented in schools, will now be implemented in universities and Industrial Training Institutes.
The INDIA bloc alliance on March 4 faced a setback as the joint candidates of the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost to the BJP in the re-elections for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. The BJP’s Kuljit Singh Sandhu and Rajinder Sharma won the post of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
Veteran Trinamool Congress leader Tapas Roy quits as MLA
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior Trinamool Congress leader Tapas Roy on March 4 resigned from the party and membership of the West Bengal Assembly, expressing displeasure over the functioning of the party. “I have submitted my resignation as an MLA to the Assembly Speaker. I am now a free bird,” he said. Mr. Roy, TMC deputy chief whip in the Assembly, slammed the party leadership for not standing by him when his residence was raided by the ED in January.
Porbandar Congress MLA Arjun Modhwadia resigns from Gujarat Assembly, expected to join BJP
Senior Gujarat Congress leader and Porbandar MLA Arjun Modhwadia on March 4 resigned as a lawmaker from the State Assembly. The former Gujarat Congress president and former leader of opposition, Mr. Modhwadia is likely to join the BJP in next few days. This is the second setback to the grand old party, as the State unit’s working president Ambarish Der resigned from the party earlier in the day.
Media shows Ambani wedding; has no time for unemployment and farmers’ issues, says Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on March 4 hit out at the mainstream media for telecasting billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding festivities, and accused it of not highlighting issues like farmers’ protest, unemployment, and inflation. The former Congress president’s remarks came as he was addressing a crowd on the third day of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Madhya Pradesh.
Mann asks Punjab Speaker to ‘lock’ opposition in House during discussion, triggers uproar
Unruly scenes broke out in the Punjab Assembly on March 4 after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann handed over “a lock and key” to the Speaker, asking him to lock the Opposition inside the House so that they don’t walk out during a discussion. Mr. Mann, on the second day of the Budget session in the Punjab Assembly, slammed opposition MLAs for disruption of Governor’s address on the opening day of the Budget session on March 1 and demanded a discussion in the House.
Jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia on March 4 sought early hearing of his two curative petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the 2023 verdict of the court denying him bail in the corruption and money laundering cases related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A Bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was told by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Mr. Sisodia, that a trial court has said it will not hear the bail plea till the curative is decided.
Shehbaz Sharif takes oath as Pakistan’s Prime Minister for a second time
Shehbaz Sharif on March 4 took the oath as Prime Minister of Pakistan, taking over the country’s reins for a second time since 2022, amidst staggering economic and security challenges. President Arif Alvi administered the oath to the 72-year-old Mr. Shehbaz in a ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, the presidential palace.
Kremlin says German army discussing strikes on Russia; asks if Chancellor Scholz is in control
The Kremlin said on March 4 a purported recording of German military discussions showed Germany’s armed forces were discussing plans to launch strikes on Russian territory, and questioned whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in control of the situation. Russian media last week published an audio recording of what they said was a meeting of senior German military officials discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on a bridge in Crimea, prompting Russian officials to demand an explanation.
Newly enlarged NATO starts drill in Finland, Norway, Sweden in defence of its Nordic turf
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), on March 4, will kick off an exercise to defend its newly expanded Nordic territory when more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 nations take part in drills lasting for nearly two weeks in the northern regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden. “With more than 4,000 Finnish soldiers taking part, the Norway-led Nordic Response 2024 represents the NATO newcomer’s largest ever participation in a foreign exercise,” according to Finland’s military.
India accounts for 46% of all digital payments in the world: RBI governor
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said on March 4 that digital transactions in India have grown 90-fold in 12 years. Mr. Das was speaking at the RBI headquarters in Mumbai during the central bank’s Digital Payments Awareness Week programme. The RBI chief went on to note that India accounts for 46% of all digital payments in the world, and that UPI transactions now account for 80% of all digital payments in India.
Table tennis | Indian teams qualify for Paris Olympics, script history
The Indian men’s and women’s teams scripted history as they qualified for the Olympics for the first time ever based on their world rankings. After the conclusion of the World Team Championships Finals in Busan last month, which served as the last qualifying event for the Paris Olympics, seven spots in the team events remained, which have been awarded to sides based on their rankings. “The highest-ranked teams not yet qualified in the latest World Team Ranking booked their ticket to Paris 2024,” ITTF said.
Shardul Thakur shone brightly with his all-round performance as a clinical Mumbai thrashed Tamil Nadu by a massive innings and 70-run margin inside three days to enter the final of the Ranji Trophy, in Mumbai on March 4. After his stunning 109 on the second day that handed Mumbai a big lead of 232 runs in the first innings, Thakur led Mumbai’s bowling attack to bundle TN out for 162 in the second essay.
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