12:40 Indrani Mukerjea begins divorce proceedings :
Indrani Mukerjea at the Mumbai family court today. She has filed for divorce to end her 16-year-old marriage to Peter Mukerjea, co-accused in the Sheena Bora murder case. In a two-page letter written by Indrani from Byculla women’s prison to Peter in Arthur Road jail on August 13, 2018, accessed by the Hindustan Times, she has drawn up a list of objects she wants delivered to her in the presence of her advocates. These include candles, bedside lamps, furniture, soft furnishings, jewellery, religious objects, artworks and keys to a safe.
Indrani, now 46, met Peter, 64, in 2002 and approximately three months later, the two got married.
Indrani had first told the court in January 2017 that she intends to divorce Peter. The CBI claims that Sheena was murdered by Indrani, along with her former husband Sanjeev Khanna in conspiracy with Peter on April 24, 2012.
Image: Indrani Mukerjea at the family court in Bandra, Mumbai, this morning. Note the sindoor on her forehead. Pic: Vaihayasi Pande Daniel
Do read our unparalleled and extensive coverage on the Sheena Bora murder trial by Vaihayasi Pande Daniel /Rediff.com here
11:42 Chief secy assault: Court summons Kejriwal, Sisodia on Oct 25: Delhi court summons CM Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and others in the assault case of Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash and directs them to appear before it in person on October 25.
The police in the chargesheet said, the Chief Minister, his deputy
and 11 lawmakers were responsible for the attack on the bureaucrat. In
the 3000-page chargesheet the police alleged that Kejriwal, Sisodia and the others had conspired to threaten the Chief Secretary,
obstructed him in discharging his public function and caused hurt. They
have also been accused of wrongful confinement, intentional insult,
abetment and unlawful assembly.
The chief secretary had alleged that he
was attacked at a late night meeting in February over a delay in
releasing a three-year anniversary TV campaign. Initially he was
threatened and then Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal “started hitting
and assaulting me”, he said in his complaint. Read the report here.
The AAP
government had called the allegations in the police chargesheet “fake
and laughable” and said that it was the “result of the extreme
frustration of the Modi government”.
11:24 No, Ajay Maken has not resigned as Cong’s Delhi chief : The Congress has denied reports of Ajay Maken’s resignation as the Delhi party president saying that he is on leave for a health check-up and will be back within a week.
Reacting to reports of Maken’s resignation, the party’s Delhi in-charge PC Chacko told ANI, “The fact is that he has some health problem and he has gone for a check-up. Nothing beyond that, he will be back next week.”
Chacko further added that Maken has been worried over not being able to give time to the party. “Probably he is little worried that he cannot devote his full time or travel the way he wants. That problem he shared with me in past. However, he is doing fine and Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee is also doing well. On his return from his medical check-up, we will discuss the working arrangement and all other things. He has not resigned,” he said.
11:02 Nun rape case: Bishop Franco files for bail : Kerala nun rape case: Accused Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal has filed a bail plea in Kerala High Court. The matter will be heard later today.
On Monday, the Bishop had written to the Vatican seeking Pope Francis’ permission to step aside from his duties.
On September 11, the victim, against whom there has been a slander campaign in which church group Missionaries of Jesus has also been pulled up for posting her photo and revealing her identity, had also written to the Vatican seeking justice. In her seven-page letter, she spoke about the “sexual exploitation that she suffered from Bishop Franco from 2014 to 2016”. The complainant’s sister has also embarked on a hunger strike till the Bishop is arrested.
The Kerala police has thus far submitted two affidavits in the case. In the first affidavit, which was filed on August 13, the investigation officer had concluded based on his probe that the victim nun had been raped repeatedly.
10:59 Skyfall : There are fan girls and then there’s this. Indian skydiver Sheetal Mahajan jumped off a plane from a height of 13,000 feet in Chicago, holding a placard to wish Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday, yesterday.
10:35 Fuel prices hike again, petrol threatens to touch Rs 90 mark in Mumbai : Fuel prices yet again witnessed a fresh hike on Tuesday morning, with petrol and diesel being sold at Rs 82.16 and Rs 73.87 per litre respectively in the national capital.
The surge in fuel prices has affected people in Mumbai the most, with petrol retailing at Rs 89.54 per litre and diesel at Rs 78.42 per litre.
While a litre of petrol is being sold for Rs 83.91 and diesel for Rs 75.53 in Kolkata, the petrol and diesel prices in Chennai rose to Rs 85.31 and Rs 78, respectively. — ANI
10:32 Delhi cop whose son thrashed woman suspended : The Delhi Police on Monday suspended the father of Rohit Tomar, who was seen thrashing a woman and threatening her in a video that went viral recently.Tomar’s father, who was posted as an Assistant Sub-Inspector has been placed under suspension for his son’s despicable act.
Soon after a video of the brutality went viral, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh took notice of the incident and instructed the Delhi Police to take steps immediately and nab the culprit.The police registered a FIR under sections 376 (rape) and 323 (causing voluntarily hurt) of the IPC against the accused.
The victim in her statement said that the incident took place on September 2 at a BPO office in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area.On Saturday, the police arrested two more people in connection with the case. — ANI
10:22 Can’t even think straight, says wife of worker who died in sewer: The wife of the 27-year-old sanitation worker who died after allegedly falling in a sewer says she can’t even think straight after she heard of her husband’s death.
Speaking to ANI, Rani said, “I reached the site where my husband was working and people present there told me he had fallen inside the sewer pit.
“Don’t know anything about receiving financial help. I can’t even think straight right now.”
Anil slipped while climbing down into the sewer pit in Dwarka’s Dabri area in Delhi and the rope around his waist broke, following which he fell in the 20-feet deep sewer.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. The incident occurred on September 14.
Delhi Minister RP Gautam, said, “It’s a really sad incident. Manual scavenging is totally banned. There are clear directions against entering septic tanks. We’ll give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family.”
People from all walks of life extended helping hand to the family with over Rs 18 lakh already received by the crowdfunding platform Ketto, after an initiative by NGO Uday Foundation, whose founder Rahul Verma had shared a photo of Anil’s son weeping over his body. Anil was the only earning member of the family.
Ketto had set a target of Rs 24 lakh and within few hours after the news was shared on various social media platforms, over Rs 10 lakh was already collected with over 100 people donating their bit to help the family.
09:51 INS Tarini crew get Tenzing Norgay award: All the 6 crew members of INSV Tarini which circumnavigated the globe has been awarded the Tenzing Norgay Award. The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea & air. File pic.
09:45 Kolkata’s Bagree Market fire brought under control after two days: The massive fire at Bagree Market in Burrabazar area in the business hub of Kolkata has been brought under control after two days, a senior officer of the fire department said Tuesday. At the moment the process of “cooling was on at the Bagree Market and 15 fire tenders have been pressed into service for it, Director General of West Bengal Fire & Emergency Services Jag Mohan said.
“The fire has been brought under control. Our officers kept on fighting the blaze and they fought throughout the night. We are continuing our fight as the cooling process is on,” Jag Mohan said.
There was immense heat inside the building and it made things very difficult for fire fighters to continue, he said. No one was injured in the fire, he added.
Another fire department officer said cracks were found on the walls of the building and precautionary measures have been taken to avoid any untoward incident.
“Shopkeepers and a few residents of adjacent buildings have been evacuated. A few cracks were seen on the walls of the Bagree Market building. We are not taking any chances,” the officer said.
The massive fire broke out at Bagree Market around 2.30 am on Sunday, gutting at least 1,000 business establishments inside the G+5 building and causing huge losses to traders ahead of Durga Puja.
The state government has directed the police and the fire department to find out the cause of the fire and initiate strict legal action against those found guilty in this mishap. Police have been directed to summon owners of the building. — PTI
09:32 Dropouts, uneducated Gujarat MLAs earn more than graduates: NGO:
Gujarat MLAs who are either unlettered or have school-level education are earning more than legislators who are graduates or possess higher degrees, according to an NGO’s report published on Monday.
The report, prepared and published by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO which works for electoral reforms, also suggested that the average annual income of 161 of the total 182 MLAs of Gujarat is Rs 18.80 lakh.
The report on annual income, profession and educational qualifications of MLAs was prepared by the ADR and its affiliate ‘Gujarat Election Watch’ after scanning the poll affidavits filed by all the 182 legislators ahead of the assembly polls last year.
Of the 182 MLAs, details about annual income of 21, including independent MLA Jignesh Mevani, were not available as these lawmakers have not mentioned anything about it in their respective poll affidavits, said an ADR release.
A detailed analysis of the affidavits of the remaining 161 MLAs has revalued that their average annual income is Rs 18.80 lakh, the release said.
While BJP MLA from Vadhwan, Dhanjibhai Patel, leads the pack with an annual income of Rs 3.90 crore, woman BJP MLA from Vadodara, Seemaben Mohile, remains at the bottom of the chart with a meagre annual income of Rs 69,340.
Of these 161 MLAs, 33 have mentioned ‘business’ as their profession, while 56 legislators said they are ‘farmers’.
Remaining have shown various other professions such as real estate and social work.
While the average annual income of 63 ‘graduate’ MLAs came to Rs 14.37 lakh, the same for 85 MLAs, whose ‘educational qualification’ ranges between 5th and 12th standard, stood at Rs 19.83 lakh, the release said.
Interestingly, the average annual income of four “illiterate” MLAs came to Rs 74.17 lakh, much higher than the earnings of those who are literates, it added. — PTI
09:09 3 GFP MLAs, independents show support to BJP in Goa:
Three Goa Forward Party MLAs and as many independent legislators have showed their support for the Bharatiya Janata Party as the saffron party looks for stability for its government in the coastal state.
GFP chief Vijai Sardesai, two other MLAs from the party as well as three independents showed their unity when they arrived as a group on Sunday to meet the BJP’s central observers.
Sardesai, the state’s agriculture minister, is considered a confidante of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Sardesai, earlier in the day, had emphasised that the GFP was with Parrikar, adding that “we are not talking to anyone, neither is anybody talking to us”.
He was replying to a query on whether the GFP was in talks with the Congress which has staked claim to form an alternate government in the state.
The GFP’s Sardesai, Vinod Palyekar and Jayesh Salgaoncar and Independents Rohan Khaunte, Govind Gawade and Prasad Gaonkar arrived together Sunday.
The three central observers of the Bharatiya Janata Party — Ram Lal, B L Santhosh and Vinay Puranik — left for Delhi on Monday after holding several rounds of talks in the coastal state with partymen and alliance partners.
“We are together with the GFP with a clear intention to provide good governance and better administration to Goans. We are united to support the BJP and not to harm it in any way,” Independent MLA and State Civil Supplies Minister Govind Gawade told reporters here Monday.
He added that the group wanted a permanent solution to the political situation arising from Parrikar’s health-related absence from the state.
Parrikar, 62, has been admitted to the AIIMS for follow-up treatment reportedly for a pancreatic ailment. — PTI
08:47 Swaraj ‘reprimands’ Sidhu for hugging Pak army chief: Union Min:
Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and urged her to help initiate dialogue with Pakistan on the opening up of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.
Union minister and Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, however, claimed that Swaraj “reprimanded” Sidhu for “messing up” the issue of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor dialogue and accused him of “misusing” the political clearance granted to him in visiting Pakistan recently to attend Imran Khan’s swearing-in as prime minister there.
“External Affairs Minister (Swaraj) reprimands Navjot Sidhu for messing up Kartarpur Sahib corridor dialogue and misusing political clearance granted for private visit by hugging military Chief responsible for killing our soldiers,” Badal said.
Sources said Sidhu met Swaraj along with another senior Congress leader and a former Rajya Sabha MP to discuss the issue with her.
Sidhu had courted controversy by hugging Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and claimed that he did so as Bajwa told him that the Pakistan government was working out opening of the Kartarpur corrdidor for Sikh pilgrims from Indian state of Punjab. — PTI
08:46 IMF estimates ‘real’ depreciation of Indian rupees as 6 to 7 per cent:
Compared to December 2017, the real effective depreciation of Indian rupees is between six and seven percent, says an International Monetary Fund estimate.
Broadly since the beginning of the year, Indian rupee “has lost about 11 percent of its value in nominal terms vis a vis the US dollar”, said IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice, responding to a question on the fall of the Indian currency in the last few months.
He, however, said the currencies of many of India’s trading partners, including those in the emerging markets, too have depreciated against the dollar.
“As a result, so far this year the real effective depreciation of the Indian rupees compared to December 2017 is, by our estimates, between six and seven percent,” Rice said.
Observing that India is a relatively closed economy, he said the contribution of the net exports to growth in the April to June quarter was again stronger than expected and the real depreciation of the rupee can be expected to reinforce this trend.
“On the other hand, the depreciation will obviously raise the prices of imported goods such as oil and petroleum products, potentially putting an upward pressure on inflation,” he said.
The Reserve Bank of India has taken the rising oil import prices into the account when it raised the policy rates in its last two meetings, he noted.
Referring to a recent report of the IMF on India, Rice said the Indian economy is recovering strongly from the two transitory disruptions in recent years – the Goods and Services Tax or GST and demonetisation process.
“Growth has been gradually accelerating in recent quarters, with strength in both consumption and investment, which have helped the economy,” he said.
Noting that the first quarter growth figures were somewhat stronger than the IMF had anticipated, Rice said the world body will be reviewing its forecast for India, taking account of it and the recent global developments.
Rice said the IMF continues to assess the impact of demonetisation on an ongoing basis.
As with most things, there have been pluses and there have been minuses of demonetisation, he said. — PTI
08:20 US announces sharp cut in refugee intake for 2019:
The Trump administration has decided to take only 30,000 refugees next year in the country, slashing the intake from 45,000 in 2018.
“The United States anticipates up to 310,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Fiscal 2019. We propose resettling up to 30,000 refugees under the new ceiling,” the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State department.
The US also anticipate processing applications of “more than 280,000 asylum seekers,” he said.
They will join over 800,000 asylum seekers who are already inside the US and are awaiting adjudication of their claims, he said, asserting that these figures testify to America’s “longstanding record of the most generous nation in the world when it comes to protection-based immigration and assistance.”
Wary that the decision to cap refugees intake may face criticism, Pompeo said the ceiling on the refugees number should not be viewed in isolation from other expansive humanitarian programs.
“Some will characterise the refugee ceiling as the sole barometer of America’s commitment to vulnerable people around the world. This would be wrong,” he said.
“Other countries, when noting their humanitarian protection efforts, highlight their assistance to both refugees and asylees. The United States should do the same,” he said.
This year’s refugee ceiling reflects the substantial increase in the number of individuals seeking asylum in US, leading to a massive backlog of outstanding asylum cases and greater public expense. — PTI
00:02 Imran Khan chooses Saudi Arabia for 1st foreign visit as Pak PM:
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for his first foreign visit since assuming power, officials said on Monday.
His two-day state visit to the kingdom will begin from September 18 on the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, the Foreign Office said.
The cricketer-turned-politician will call on King Salman and hold bilateral talks with the Crown Prince in Riyadh, it said.
The Pakistan PM will be accompanied by Foreign Minister, Minister for Finance and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce. The Ministers will also meet their Saudi counterparts to discuss bilateral cooperation, the FO said.
During the visit, the Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen will call on Khan, it said, adding that the Prime Minister will also do Ziarat at Madinah and perform Umra.
Khan and his delegation will go to the UAE from Saudi Arabia.
He will arrive in Abu Dhabi on September 19 on the invitation of Mohammaed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the UAE. The two leaders will discuss bilateral issues.
— PTI
Source: Rediff