Goa: Never met any Louis Berger officials, Kamat says
Former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao were questioned by the state’s Crime Branch on Wednesday in connection with a bribery case involving US firm Louis Berger. “The file never came to me,” Kamat said. Current state Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that the state police had been given a “free hand” in the investigation. The Crime Branch had earlier arrested a senior official who had headed a controversial water project in the state. The project is at the centre of the investigation.
Delhi: High Court seeks details of ad spending
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi to provide it with the details of the money spent on advertisements that allegedly promoted the party and state Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Expressing concern over the “blatant” violation of Supreme Court guidelines on government advertisements, a two-judge bench also sought details of advertisements issued by the Delhi government in other states. The bench asked the government to file its reply with the court by August 3. The court’s order came after it heard a Public Interest Litigation filed by senior Congress leader Ajay Maken on the matter.
Gujarat: Court to begin Naroda Patiya case
The Gujarat High Court has said that it will begin hearing the details of the charge-sheet filed in the Naroda Patiya riots case from Thursday. A two-judge bench said that the charge-sheet would “show the names of the accused” and would also detail the “concise history of the case”. Hearing the details of the First Information Report filed in the case on Wednesday, the bench asked why the Gujarat police had not named some of the accused in the incident, including former state minister Mayaben Kodnani. The court is currently conducting its final hearings on appeals filed by some of those convicted in the case, including Kodnani and former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Babu Bajrangi. As many as 97 people died during the incident, which took place during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Telangana: Police to collect Chandrababu voice sample
Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau will collect a voice sample of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in connection with a cash-for-votes scandal in the state. Naidu became involved in the case after an audio recording of him allegedly speaking to nominated Telangana MLA Elvis Stephenson was released to the public.
Bihar: JD(U) criticises security for Pappu Yadav
The ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar on Wednesday criticised the Narendra Modi-led Central government for providing a security upgrade to Pappu Yadav, a former member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, which is allied with the JD(U) for the upcoming state assembly elections. Yadav was accorded "Y" category security by the Union Home Ministry, which said that the former RJD MP was being threatened by political rivals, criminals and Maoist insurgents. The former RJD MP, who was expelled in May for anti-party activities, currently heads his own outfit, the Jan Kranti Adhikar Morcha. His security upgrade came weeks after the Central government authorised Z-plus security for former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who was expelled by the JD(U).
Former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao were questioned by the state’s Crime Branch on Wednesday in connection with a bribery case involving US firm Louis Berger. “The file never came to me,” Kamat said. Current state Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that the state police had been given a “free hand” in the investigation. The Crime Branch had earlier arrested a senior official who had headed a controversial water project in the state. The project is at the centre of the investigation.
Delhi: High Court seeks details of ad spending
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi to provide it with the details of the money spent on advertisements that allegedly promoted the party and state Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Expressing concern over the “blatant” violation of Supreme Court guidelines on government advertisements, a two-judge bench also sought details of advertisements issued by the Delhi government in other states. The bench asked the government to file its reply with the court by August 3. The court’s order came after it heard a Public Interest Litigation filed by senior Congress leader Ajay Maken on the matter.
Gujarat: Court to begin Naroda Patiya case
The Gujarat High Court has said that it will begin hearing the details of the charge-sheet filed in the Naroda Patiya riots case from Thursday. A two-judge bench said that the charge-sheet would “show the names of the accused” and would also detail the “concise history of the case”. Hearing the details of the First Information Report filed in the case on Wednesday, the bench asked why the Gujarat police had not named some of the accused in the incident, including former state minister Mayaben Kodnani. The court is currently conducting its final hearings on appeals filed by some of those convicted in the case, including Kodnani and former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Babu Bajrangi. As many as 97 people died during the incident, which took place during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Telangana: Police to collect Chandrababu voice sample
Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau will collect a voice sample of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in connection with a cash-for-votes scandal in the state. Naidu became involved in the case after an audio recording of him allegedly speaking to nominated Telangana MLA Elvis Stephenson was released to the public.
Bihar: JD(U) criticises security for Pappu Yadav
The ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar on Wednesday criticised the Narendra Modi-led Central government for providing a security upgrade to Pappu Yadav, a former member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, which is allied with the JD(U) for the upcoming state assembly elections. Yadav was accorded "Y" category security by the Union Home Ministry, which said that the former RJD MP was being threatened by political rivals, criminals and Maoist insurgents. The former RJD MP, who was expelled in May for anti-party activities, currently heads his own outfit, the Jan Kranti Adhikar Morcha. His security upgrade came weeks after the Central government authorised Z-plus security for former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who was expelled by the JD(U).
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