Delhi High Court rejects Arvind Kejriwal’s interim plea to be released from ED custody
Delhi High Court rejects Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s interim plea to be released from Enforcement Directorate’s custody in relation to a money laundering case connected with the now scrapped Delhi Excise Policy. The high court said that due to the nature of interim relief sought by Mr. Kejriwal, it cannot pass any order without giving proper hearing to the ED. The next date of hearing is April 3. Earlier in the day, India expressed “strong objection” to the remarks of the U.S. State Department on Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest. In a statement the Ministry of External Affairs said that “fellow democracies should respect each other’s sovereignty and highlighted India’s “independent judiciary”.
The Delhi High Court on March 27 cautioned lawyers against staging protests on court premises against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying the consequences would be “severe”. The legal cell of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had called for a protest in capital’s District Courts on March 27 against Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.
The Election Commission on March 27 issued show-cause notices to BJP leader Dilip Ghosh and Congress leader Supriya Shrinate for their offensive remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kangana Ranaut respectively. Ranaut has been fielded by the BJP from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi Lok Sabha seat for the Parliamentary elections. Their remarks were “undignified and in bad taste”, the Election Commission said.
BJD’s first list for Lok Sabha, Assembly elections sets up high profile battles in Odisha
The BJD on March 27 released its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections, revealing high profile political contests ahead. The BJD has announced candidates for nine out 21 Lok Sabha seats, and 72 out 147 Assembly seats in Odisha. Pranab Prakash Das, the BJD’s organisational secretary, the second-most influential position in the party after the president, is the BJD’s candidate for the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat.
Daughter of Mayor from Nepal goes ‘missing’ in Goa, found in hotel two days later
Two days after the 36-year-old daughter of a Mayor in Nepal was reported missing from Goa, she was traced to a hotel in the coastal State on March 26, police said. The woman, Aarti Hamal, was found at the hotel located at Chopdem village in North Goa, around 20 km away from where she went missing on March 25, they said. “Hamal was reported missing from the Osho meditation centre near Mandrem in North Goa, where she arrived from Nepal a month back. The management of the centre had lodged a missing person’s complaint at Mandrem police station,” a senior police official said.
CMRL pay-off case | ED files case against Kerala CM’s daughter Veena, her IT company
The ED has registered an Enforcement Case Investigation Report in connection with the alleged monthly pay-off controversy, involving the company of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena. The ECIR was registered by the Kochi unit of the agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The Central agency has acted on the basis of the report by the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board (ITSIB) in August 2023 stating that T. Veena and her company Exalogic Solutions Private Ltd. had received ₹1.72 crore as monthly payments from the Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd despite there being no evidence of any services given in return.
Jaishankar meets Malaysian counterpart, discusses ‘multifaceted’ bilateral ties
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on March 27 held a “productive and frank” discussion on the “multifaceted” bilateral ties between India and Malaysia and regional and international issues with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Haji Hasan here, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said. Mr. Jaishankar is in Kuala Lumpur on the third and last leg of his three-nation tour to Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia.
ED summons Mahua Moitra, businessman Darshan Hiranandani on March 28 in FEMA case
The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to TMC leader Mahua Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani for questioning in a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) contravention case on March 28, official sources said March 27. The 49-year-old Trinamool Congress leader was called for questioning earlier also by the central agency.
Unemployment defining issue in Lok Sabha polls, says Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge
The Congress said Prime Minister Narendra Modi can keep trying to “distort, distract, and divert”, but youth unemployment is a defining issue for the country in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and it has a concrete plan to deal with it. The Opposition party claimed that the country is sitting on a “ticking bomb” of joblessness with the youth bearing the brunt of the Modi government’s “apathy”.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar springs a surprise, announces a new alliance with Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil after meeting with the latter in Jalna on March 27. The VBA will not be allying with the tripartite Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. While announcing the names of seven VBA candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in the Vidarbha division that go to polls in the first phase of the general election, Mr. Ambedkar, however, said his party would support the Congress’ candidate for the Nagpur lok sabha seat
U.S. court keeps Texas border security law on hold in win for Biden
A U.S. appeals court on March 27 kept on hold a Republican-backed Texas law that would let state authorities arrest and prosecute people suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border — a statute that President Joe Biden’s administration has argued intrudes on the authority of the federal government. A panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 ruling denied a request by Texas to let the law take effect while the state’s appeal of a judge’s ruling blocking it plays out at the appellate court.
Thailand moves closer to legalising same-sex unions as Parliament passes landmark bill
Thailand’s lower house of parliament on March 27 passed a marriage equality bill at the final reading, in a landmark step that moves the country closer to becoming the third territory in Asia to legalise same-sex unions. The bill now requires approval from the Senate and endorsement from the king before it becomes law. It had the support of all of Thailand’s major parties and was passed by 400 of the 415 lawmakers present, with 10 voting against it.
Baltimore bridge collapse | All six missing workers presumed dead
A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early on March 26, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended until Wednesday morning. The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh spearhead India’s post-pandemic growth: SBI report
The Indian economy has demonstrated resilience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the average real GDP growth surging to 8.1%, a substantial increase from the 5.7 per cent growth witnessed in the pre-pandemic period. According to the latest findings from the State Bank of India (SBI) Research, out of the 235 basis point (bp) growth, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh emerged as frontrunners, contributing 56 and 40 bps respectively, while the remaining 90 bps stemmed from other states.
Massimo Costantini’s return as foreign coach of Indian TT team appears bright
Italy’s Massimo Costantini’s return to the Indian table tennis team (men and women) as foreign coach appears very bright. “We have shortlised Massimo among four coaches. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is processing the names as per its norms. An International Committee of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) was formed to shortist the coaches,” said a source to The Hindu on March 27.
