West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday deplored Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “non-responsive” approach to the Raj Bhavan, and said he was still awaiting information he had sought every week ago on the appointment of administrators to run the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). He said such an approach was “unfortunate” and “contrary to the constitutional norms”. Dhankhar had on May 7 invoked Article 167 of the Constitution to hunt information from the chief minister about the appointment of the KMC board of administrators headed by state minister Firhad Hakim, who was also the town mayor before the tenure of the…
Author: Our Correspondent
The London high court on Thursday rejected Vijay Mallya’s plea seeking to challenge his extradition to India before the UK Supreme Court. Sources told India Today TV that with Mallya’s plea being rejected, he has no legal options left in the United Kingdom and will likely be extadited to India within 28 days. Sources told India Today TV that the UK home secretary has to sign the extradition papers within 28 days. Following this, concerned authorities in the UK will coordinate to extradite Mallya to India. The London high court, last month, had rejected Vijay Mallya’s appeal against extradition, leading…
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to cut off the whole relationship with China in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus across the world that has killed nearly 300,000 people globally, including over 80,000 in America. “There are many things we could do. We could cut off the whole relationship,” Trump told Fox Business News in an interview. There has been increasing pressure on the president, in the last several weeks, to take action against China as lawmakers and opinion-makers feel that the Covid-19 spread across the world from Wuhan because of Chinese inaction. Responding to a question,…
Advocate Digvijay Trivedi, who was junior to the lawyer representing the deceased Sadhus in the Palghar lynching case and also a part of the legal team in the case, died in a road accident on Wednesday. The incident took place when the Digvijay Trivedi was on his way to the Dahanu Court to join Advocate PN Ojha, the lawyer representing the Sadhus killed in the Palghar mob lynching incident, in official capacity. According to reports, Digvijay Trivedi, on his way to the Dahanu Court, was driving the car and was accompanied by a woman. He lost control of the car and…
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced a second set of measures that are part of a Rs 20 trillion fiscal and monetary package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support India’s economy, which has been battered by a 51-day lockdown to curb the coronavirus outbreak. “Today’s initiatives focus on migrant workers, street vendors, small traders, the self-employed & small farmers,” said Sitharaman at a press conference in Delhi. She listed nine steps for these sections of the society. 1. Free food grain for migrant workers Free food grain supply to all migrant workers, even non-card holders, for the…
The rupee slipped 10 paise to close at 75.56 against the US dollar on Thursday amid a strengthening greenback and weak domestic equities. Forex traders said market participants were concerned about the fiscal deficit following the government’s Rs 20 lakh crore economic stimulus package and lack of clarity on how it would be financed. Foreign fund outflows and the Fed’s grim prognosis for the US economy further weighed on the market here, traders added. The local unit opened weak at 75.57, and shuttled between a low of 75.59 and a high of 75.30. It finally settled at 75.56 against the…
The Bar Council of India asked lawyers across the country on Thursday not to wear coats and long gowns during the hearings through video conferencing before any court or tribunal as a precautionary measure to check the spread of coronavirus infection . The apex bar body’s direction came a day after the Supreme Court issued a notification asking lawyers appearing before it via video conferencing not to wear coats and long gowns. It is notified for information of all advocates of the country, that considering the medical advice and also the circular dated May 13, 2020 issued by the Supreme…
The UK court hearing the extradition case of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an estimated USD 2 billion, on Thursday adjourned the trial to be resumed from September 7. District Judge Samuel Goozee, presiding over the trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, set June 11 as the date for the 49-year-old diamond merchant to be produced via videolink from Wandsworth Prison in south-west London for his 28-day call-over remand hearing, with the case itself set for a case management hearing at the end of August. I hope…
An offence was registered against 40 persons from the Muslim community who allegedly defied the COVID-19 lockdown by participating in a religious ritual in south Mumbai’s Dongri area, police said on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday at Banatwala Building, where two flat owners organised the observance of ‘Maatam’, a ritual performed by Muslims, an official said. At least 40 persons, including women, had participated in the ritual and a case was registered against them under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Disaster Management Act, he said. The police have also served notices to the organisers under…
The skies turned dark grey and strong winds whipped up dust storms across the national capital and neighbouring areas on Thursday, affecting visibility. This is the second spell of dust storms to hit Delhi and nearby areas in less than a week. Heavy rains and hail were also reported at isolated places, especially in North Delhi, weather experts said. A few areas reported incidents of uprooting of trees that damaged power lines and vehicles. Delhi residents shared videos of rain water gushing into balconies and plumes of dust engulfing the streets on social media. Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the…