Drugs planting case | Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt gets 20 years in jail
A sessions court in Palanpur in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on March 28 sentenced former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in a 1996 case involving planting of drugs to frame a lawyer. Bhatt, who is already behind bars in a custodial death case, was held guilty of falsely implicating a Rajasthan-based lawyer by claiming, in 1996, that police had seized drugs from a hotel room in Palanpur where the lawyer was staying.
Delhi High Court rejects plea to remove CM Arvind Kejriwal after arrest
The Delhi High Court on March 28 rejected a petition seeking removal of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from the post, following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case. “This court is of the view that there is no scope for judicial interference. It is for the other wing of the government to examine the issue in accordance with the law,” a Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet P. S. Arora said.
Enforcement Directorate’s mission is to finish AAP, Arvind Kejriwal tells Delhi court
The Enforcement Directorate’s mission is to finish the Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told a court in New Delhi on March 28, even as his remand to the custody of the ED was extended till April 1. When produced in court, Mr. Kejriwal said he did not wish to oppose the ED’s request for further custody, but termed the alleged excise policy scam as a “political conspiracy”, adding that the “people of the country will reply in the matter”. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the remand extension order as the initial seven-day custody period ended on March 28. The ED had sought seven more days; the court granted a four-day extension. Mr. Kejriwal was arrested by the Central agency on March 21 in a money laundering case filed in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, and has been in its custody since then.
Recent remarks by U.S. State Department on Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest unwarranted: MEA
On the recent remarks made by the U.S. State Department on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the MEA said that the comments were unwarranted. The MEA spokesperson further said that “any external imputation on our electoral, legal processes are completely unacceptable.” The MEA said “India proud of its independent, robust democratic institutions; committed to protect them from any form of undue external influences.”
Lok Sabha elections | CPI(M) releases first list of 44 candidates
The CPI(M) released its first list of 44 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The list, which was shared by the party on X, includes 15 candidates for Kerala, including sitting MP A.M. Arif from Alappuzha, former Health Minister K.K. Shailaja, and Rajya Sabha MP E. Kareem. The CPI(M) announced 17 names for West Bengal, including Md. Salim from Murshidabad. The names had been announced earlier by the party’s state unit. It named two candidates for Tamil Nadu — sitting MP S. Venkatesan from Madurai and R. Sachidhanandham from Dindigul. The party also announced one candidate each for Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura.
AFSPA extended in parts of Arunachal, Nagaland for six more months
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on March 28 extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in parts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for another six months. The AFSPA gives unbridled power to the armed forces and the Central Armed Police Forces deployed in “disturbed areas” as specified under the Act to kill anyone acting in contravention of law, arrest and search any premises without a warrant and ensures protection from prosecution and legal suits without the Central government’s sanction.
To browbeat, bully others is vintage Congress culture: PM Modi on lawyers’ letter to CJI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28 said it is a “vintage Congress culture” to browbeat and bully others, remarks that came in reaction to more than 600 lawyers writing to the Chief Justice of India, alleging that a “vested interest group” is trying to put pressure on the judiciary and defame courts. “To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture. 5 decades ago itself they had called for a “committed judiciary” - they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests but desist from any commitment towards the nation,” Mr. Modi said on X.
Out of poll fray, Varun Gandhi pens emotional letter to constituents
BJP MP Varun Gandhi — all but benched in this Lok Sabha poll cycle after he was denied a ticket by his party from his constituency, Pilibhit — penned an emotional note to his voters, emphasising his old bonds with them, but giving no hint as to his political future. Sharing the letter on X, Mr. Gandhi said that his relationship with Pilibhit was “one of love and trust which is far above any political calculations”.
Poll officers can’t force electors who ‘refuse’ to vote at poll booths, says ECI rule
At a time when the Election Commission pledges to leave no stone unturned to bring eligible voters to polling stations to exercise their franchise, not many electors are aware of their right to “refuse to vote” even after registering their identities before the presiding officer. That right, which is separate from the provision to vote under NOTA, can be exercised under the ‘Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 Rule 49-O’, which elaborates the little-known option for electors to abstain from voting even after reaching the polling booth.
FIR lodged against BJP’s Dilip Ghosh for remarks on Mamata
An FIR has been lodged against senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh at Durgapur Police Station for his remarks on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, an official said on March 28. Mr. Ghosh has been booked under IPC sections dealing with “intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace” and “word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman”, he said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister arrived in New Delhi on March 28 for a two-day visit to boost bilateral ties and cooperation with India, which considers Russia a time-tested ally from the Cold War-era. Dmytro Kuleba will meet with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on March 29, as well as the deputy national security advisor, according to India’s Foreign Ministry. On March 28, Mr. Kuleba will pay his respects to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat memorial site.
There are 20 Indians onboard the cargo ship which hit a bridge in Baltimore in the U.S. a few days ago and the Indian Embassy is in close touch with them and the local authorities, the Ministry of External Affairs said on March 28. The 2.6-km-long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, came crashing down after the 984-foot ship ‘Dali’ collided against it in the early hours of March 26.
No change in trade policy with India: Pakistan
Pakistan on March 28 clarified that it has no plan to resume trade relations with India which has been “non-existent” since 2019 after the Indian government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. The clarification from Pakistan’s Foreign Office comes days after the new Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in London that Pakistan will seriously consider restoring trade ties with India that have remained suspended since August 2019.
French lawmakers are weighing a bill banning all types of hair discrimination
French lawmakers are debating a bill Thursday that would ban discrimination over the texture, length, colour or style of someone’s hair. Its authors hope the groundbreaking measure sends a message of support to Black people and others who have faced hostility in the workplace and beyond because of their hair. “It’s about time,” exclaimed Estelle Vallois, a 43-year-old consultant getting her short, coiled hair cut in a Paris salon, where the hairdressers are trained to handle all types of hair — a rarity in France. “Today, we’re going even further toward taking down these barriers of discrimination.”
Sri Lankan PM Dinesh Gunawardena meets Chinese President Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping has assured continuous support to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena for Sri Lanka’s efforts for “political and socio-economic progress” and also said Beijing will stand for safeguarding the island nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. China and Sri Lanka agreed to continue to act under the friendship, peace, mutual respect and fivefold principle in international affairs that do not interfere in the internal affairs of a country during a meeting between Mr. Xi and Mr. Gunawardena on March 27 at Great Hall in Beijing, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement in Colombo on March 28.
Eight core sectors output growth spurts to three-month high of 6.7% in February
India’s eight core sectors’ output growth spurted to a three-month high of 6.7% in February, led by double-digit upticks in coal, natural gas and cement even as fertilisers’ production fell 9.5% to record the sharpest contraction since May 2021. January’s Index of Core Industries (ICI) was revised to reflect a 4.1% rise, compared with the previous estimate of 3.6%, but that remained the slowest growth in 15 months. This is the second month in a row that fertilisers output dipped year-on-year, and marks the first such streak in two years.
Bangladesh’s Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid on March 28 became the first from his country to be inducted into the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires while India’s Nitin Menon entered the top tier for an unprecedented fifth time. Indore-based Menon, who joined the elite panel at the start of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, remains the only Indian in the 12-member club.
Veteran opener David Warner, who has retired from ODI and Test cricket, along with all-rounders Ashton Agar and Marcus Stoinis, was on March 28 dropped from Cricket Australia’s list of centrally-contracted players for the 2024-25 season. Besides, Victoria opener Marcus Harris and pacer Michael Neser have also missed out on contracts that were offered to 23 players, stated a report by ‘cricket.com.au’.
