Talent manager Pista Dhakad, who was part of popular TV show Bigg Boss, passed away in a road accident on Friday.
According to reports, Pista Dhakad met with an accident near Film City while returning home from the Bigg Boss 14 Weekend Ka Vaar shoot. She was 24 years old.
Pista Dhakad had been associated with the production house Endemol Shine India for a long time and was also involved in other shows such as Khatron Ke Khiladi.
Several actors and former Bigg Boss contestants expressed their grief over the untimely demise of Bigg Boss talent manager Pista Dhakad. Bigg Boss 9 winner Prince Narula mourned the demise of Pista in an Instagram post. “Last night she met with an accident,” the actor wrote along with a heartfelt tribute to Pista.
“RIP @pista_dhakad. You were a person whom nobody can ever forget. You reside in our heart in a way that it seemed we knew you since childhood. I haven’t seen a positive person like you. Someone who always wanted good of everyone and who used to always stay happy. We didn’t know that the Goa trip that you, Yuvika and I took would be our last together. No one can fill your void in our industry and our life. Love you always (sic),” he said.
Besides Prince Narula, former Bigg Boss contestants like Shehnaaz Gill, Yuvika Chaudhary, Devoleena Bhattacharjee, and Kamya Panjabi mourned her loss. Bhattacharjee said that she was shocked by the news. “You will be missed by everyone whose life you touched (sic),” said Gill.
Numerous questions regarding the Nidhi Razdan Harvard fiasco still remain answered. She penned a blog on the matter on Saturday, however, it raised more questions than it answered. One of the questions that still remain unanswered is how nobody from her circle informed her that it could be a possible scam. There were Harvard Alumni and Harvard professors in her circle as well. One of them is Steve Jarding.
Steve Jarding is on the advisory board of the Kautilya School of Public Policy (KSPP) along with Nidhi Razdan. He is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School. He has appeared on NDTV as well to comment on American politics. NDTV, true to its character, introduced him as a professor and a political analyst and attempted to hide his long time associations with the Democratic Party.
Steve Jarding has been part of the US Senate, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns of numerous Democrat candidates. According to reports, he has held a post in the Democratic party on at at least one occasion. He is reported to have worked in the disastrous presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton in 2016 as well. And as per reports, he has worked in the campaigns of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and others.
Steve Jarding is also remarkably inconsistent, if one goes by his previous comments, and makes quite drastic U-turns. He will say one thing one day and two months later, he will say something precisely the opposite of it. A pertinent case here is his comments on Jim Webb, someone he had advised in 2006.
In September 2014, when former Virginia Senator Jim Webb said that he is looking at the possibility of running for president in 2016 from the Democrat party, Steve Jarding was quoted as saying by the Washington Post, “In this climate, there is a thirst in the electorate for someone who can shoot straight, and Jim knows that. I don’t think he’s intimidated by the long odds. It’s not in his makeup to be fearful, and I think he’s putting a trial balloon out there because he is probably going to run.”
Two months later, he had something entirely different to say about the possible trial balloon. In November, Jarding was quoted saying in a Daily Beast report, “Jim is not a trial-balloon guy. A lot of people send trial balloons up because they want to see if they have a chance, or if people like them. That’s not Jim. He says ‘I have a message and I am going to move that message.’ He challenges the Democratic Party to say what it stands for.”
From “I think he’s putting a trial balloon” to “Jim is not a trial-balloon guy” in two months. That is quite the leap. As it so happens, Steve Jarding has dabbled in Indian politics as well. He had provided his services to Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections. That is two back to back political campaigns he was involved with that ended in spectacular disaster. First, Hillary and then, Akhilesh.
An internal email of his that was leaked also showed that the apparent conflict between Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam was orchestrated as part of a political strategy as part of Jarding’s advise. On a side note, the Democrats and their history of self-goals with emails is the stuff of legends, indeed.
Leaked email from Steve Jarding, Rahul Kanwal shared the image in December 2016
Not just Akhilesh Yadav, Steve Jarding attempted to advise Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party on the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections as well. There were rumours that he was indeed working with the Congress party but he is reported to have said that the two had only had a meeting which did not develop into any working relationship.
Judging from his recent track record, it might be one of the rare few smart decisions Rahul Gandhi has taken in his political career. It was also reported that he would be working with Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan for the 2019 elections. That also ended in spectacular disaster. In the Nidhi Razdan fiasco, it is rather incomprehensible that the Harvard professor and the Democrat poll consultant failed to alert her that she might be the victim of a possible scam.
He is a well connected individual in the United States and one would have expected him to be aware of basic details about the University such as the fact that Harvard had announced a freeze on hiring in April 2020, two months before Nidhi Razdan announced she was joining the University. But as her luck would have it, she remained uninformed until she heard back from the University this month.
The United Kingdom has invited PM Modi as a guest in the G7 summit to be held in June 2021. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he will visit India ahead of the summit. Hailing India as ‘pharmacy of the world’, British PM appreciated how India supplies over 50% of world’s vaccine. He further added how India and the UK have worked together during the pandemic.
Earlier this month, the British PM cancelled his India visit as a guest during India’s Republic Day celebration on 26th January 2021. He cancelled it amid the rising cases of coronavirus in UK to oversee the vaccination drive and other pandemic-crisis related work. The UK had also seen increased number of coronavirus cases with mutated strain which was highly transmissible.
In December last year, the British Prime Minister had written to PM Narendra Modi to accept his invitation and to invite India to attend the UK’s G7 Summit as one of three guest nations alongside South Korea and Australia. The invitation was a part of Johnson’s endeavour to work with a group of like-minded democracies to promote shared interests and tackle common challenges.
One of the key highlights of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been the grit and resilience displayed by the Indian cricket team, especially the tailenders, in the face of adversity. With the quick dismissal of Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Ajinkiya Rahane in the morning session of India’s first innings on Day 3 of the Brisbane Test, India had a mammoth task at hand.
Although Mayank Agarwal played some exquisite shots and Rishabh Pant looked promising, the duo failed to hold on to the crease for a long time. India were 6 wickets down in the 66th over at just the halfway mark. The Indian fans conceded a defeat, without realising what tailenders Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar had in store. In an extraordinary display of determination, they went on to put a partnership of 121 runs for the 7th wicket.
Shardul Thakur displays his batting prowess
The said partnership between the two became India’s highest partnership for the 7th wicket at the Gabba cricket stadium, surpassing the earlier record held by Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar in 1991. The duo beautifully paced their innings and showed the right intent from the very onset.
Shardul crunches a “Steve Waugh-like” cover drive says Mike Hussey.
Shardul Thakur took his Australian counterpart, Patt Cummins head-on with a pull shot for a boundary off a short-pitched ball. Similarly, he played an astounding cover drive off Mitchelle Starc, that reminded Mike Hussey of the legendary Australian skipper Steve Waugh. He went on to face 115 balls and put up an individual score of 62 runs.
Washington Sundar delivers a batting masterclass
Shardul Thakur was adequately supported by Washington Sundar on the other end. Facing 144 balls, he recorded his personal best performance of 62 runs. As per statistics, his score happens to be the highest score made by a visiting number 7 debutant in Tests in Australia.
Although Washington Sundar hit 7 boundaries, the key highlight of his batting was a spectacular six that he hit off Nathan Lyon’s ball, despite taking the eyes of the ball. Sundar, who began his career in the U-19, as a batsman went on to show that the batsman in him still lives on, despite his full-fledged transformation into an ace spin bowler.
Screengrab of the scorecard of India’s 1st innings via Crickbuzz
Experts hail the duo for their exemplary performance
Hailing the grit and determination shown by the Indian cricket team during their Tour of Australia, former England skipper Michael Vaughan tweeted, “Full credit to India … The character they have had to show on this tour has been remarkable … also the resilience with so many injuries … a team is only as good as its bench many say … Well, India have a very strong bench of players now.”
Full credit to India … The character they have had to show on this tour has been remarkable … also the resilience with so many injuries … a team is only as good as its bench many say … Well India have a very strong bench of players now … #AUSvIND
Indian captain Virat Kohli, who is on paternity leave, applauded the outstanding performance and composure of Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar. “Outstanding application and belief by @Sundarwashi5 and @imShard. This is what test cricket is all about. Washy top composure on debut and tula parat maanla re Thakur,” he wrote.
Outstanding application and belief by @Sundarwashi5 and @imShard. This is what test cricket is all about. Washy top composure on debut and tula parat maanla re Thakur! ??
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle also seemed to be in awe of their performance at the Gabba cricket stadium. He tweeted, “Extremely impressed with the fighting attitude shown by Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur. They have symbolised what India has been in this series, consistently punching above their weight. It is so satisfying to see.”
Extremely impressed with the fighting attitude shown by @Sundarwashi5 and @imShard. They have symbolised what India has been in this series, consistently punching above their weight. It is so satisfying to see.
India has dismissed for a total of 336 runs in the 1st innings. With a lead of 54 runs, it will be interesting to see how the match pans out tomorrow with the Australian opening batsmen Marcus Harris and David Warner facing the Indian pace attack in the morning session of Day 4. But, the clear winner on Day 3 has been the spectacular performance of Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar, who saved the match for India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off eight trains connecting different regions of the country to Statue of Unity (Kevadia) on January 17 at 11 AM via video conferencing. PM Modi also inaugurated several projects in the Railways sector in Gujarat. On occasion, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Chief Ministers of the respective states including Yogi Adityanath, Shivraj Singh Chauhan and others, from where the trains will originate, were also present.
The details of the trains being flagged off are as follows: Kevadiya to Varanasi – Mahamana Express (Weekly), Dadar to Kevadiya – Dadar-Kevadia Express (Daily), Ahmedabad to Kevadiya – Janshatabdi Express (Daily), Kevadiya to H. Nizamuddin – Nizamuddin – KevadiaSamparkKranti Express (Bi-Weekly), Kevadiya to Rewa – Kevadia – Rewa Express (Weekly), Chennai to Kevadiya – Chennai – Kevadia Express (Weekly), Pratapnagar to Kevadiya – MEMU train (Daily) and Kevadiya to Pratapnagar – MEMU train (Daily). The Jan Shatabdi Express from Ahmedabad will have the latest “Vista-dome tourist coach” with a glass roof that will provide a panoramic view of the skyline.
List of trains and projects inaugurated by PM Modi
Today is the amalgamation of Indian Railways Mission and Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s Vision: PM
PM Narendra Modi during his address on the occasion said that this is the first time in India that eight trains to the same destination are being flagged off. Talking about Kevadiya, he said, “Kevadia is fast emerging as a prime tourist destination in India. Tourists from various countries are visiting Kevadia. Statue of Unity has more tourists than Statue of Liberty.”
एक भारत श्रेष्ठ भारत की भावना को मजबूती देती भारतीय रेल!
One of the trains will run from Kerala. He said, “one of the trains leaving for Kevadia is coming from Purchachi Talavar Dr. MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station. It is a happy coincidence that today is the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratan MG Ramachandran.” Earlier, PM Modi has paid tribute to on his Twitter account. He said, “Bharat Ratna MGR lives in the hearts of several people. Be it the world of films or politics, he was widely respected. During his CM tenures, he initiated numerous efforts towards poverty alleviation and also emphasised on women empowerment. Tributes to MGR on his Jayanti.”
Bharat Ratna MGR lives in the hearts of several people. Be it the world of films or politics, he was widely respected. During his CM tenures, he initiated numerous efforts towards poverty alleviation and also emphasised on women empowerment. Tributes to MGR on his Jayanti.
PM Modi said that these projects will boost the economy in the Adivasi villages and generate employment. He mentioned that over 200 rooms in nearby Adivasi villages have been turned into homestays. He further said that Kevadiya is one of the best examples to demonstrate how economy and ecology can be developed while protecting the environment in a planned manner.
The beautiful Kevadiya is an excellent example of how both economy and ecology can be developed rapidly while protecting the environment in a planned manner: PM @narendramodi#StatueOfUnityByRail
This will boost tourism & generate employment in the region – Piyush Goyal
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in his tweets said that PM Modi has launched eight trains providing connectivity to Kevadia, Gujarat. This will provide seamless connectivity to Sardar Patel’s statue at Kevadiya. “This will boost tourism & generate employment in the region., Gujarat,” he added.
All Aboard the Train to Statue of Unity: Under PM @NarendraModi ji’s guidance, Indian Railways to provide seamless connectivity to Sardar Patel’s statue at Kevadiya, Gujarat.
During the event, Prime Minister also inaugurated the Dabhoi – Chandod Gauge converted Broad Gauge railway line, Chandod – Kevadiya new Broad Gauge railway line, newly electrified Pratapnagar – Kevadiya section and the new station buildings of Dabhoi, Chandod and Kevadiya. As per the statement released by the Indian Railways, these buildings are aesthetically designed, incorporating the local features with modern amenities for the passengers.
It has to be noted that Kevadiya station is the first railway station in India that has a Green Building Certification. These projects will help speed up the development activities in the tribal regions close to the stations and help boost domestic and international tourism.
On Saturday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs flouted government protocol to get vaccinated against Coronavirus in Burdwan in West Bengal, despite being well aware that the vaccines were meant for frontline workers only.
As per reports, TMC politicians, namely, Rabindranath Chatterjee and Subhash Mondol, went out of turn to get inoculated while several healthcare workers, risking their lives amidst the pandemic, failed to get the shots.
While Katwa MLA Rabindranath Chatterjee took the jab on the very first day in Katwa subdivision hospital, another TMC MLA from Bhatar, Subhash Mondol, got vaccinated at the Bhatar Regional Hospital. Besides the duo, ex MLA MLA Banmali Hazra, Zila Parishad member Zahar Bagdi, and public health in-charge of Bhatar Panchayat Samiti namely Mahendra Hazar were also inoculated.
(Video Courtesy: Youtube/India Today)
This is despite the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clarified that the public representatives should allow the frontline workers to get vaccinated, instead of using their influence to jump the queue. While speaking about the incident, Chatterjee said, “I just took the vaccine… Everyone will get the opportunity to do so. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is ensuring that everyone gets the vaccine. In the first round, 100 people will get vaccinated and later a mass immunisation programme will be conducted.”
TMC MLAs deprive health workers of vaccination
As a result of the high-handedness of the ruling Trinamool Congress party, a nurse from Bardhaman Medical College lamented that she was not vaccinated, although she was called for the same. Similar allegations have also been levelled, under the condition of anonymity, by several other nurses in the hospital. However, the Chief Medical Officer of the district, Pranab Rai, claimed that the said MLAs were part of Rogi Kalyan Committee and were eligible for the first round of vaccination.
BJP condemns high-handedness of Trinamool Congress
While condemning the incident, BJP National General Secretary referred to the incident as loot. “Coronavirus vaccine has been looted. The Prime Minister of the country sent the vaccine for Coronavirus warriors, health workers and frontline workers. But in West Bengal TMC MLAs and their goons forcibly took the vaccine.” He further added, “Shame on Mamata Banerjee for claiming that PM sent fewer vaccines.”
कोरोना वैक्सीन की हुई लूट !!!
देश के प्रधानमंत्री मोदीजी ने कोरोना वॉरियर्स, स्वास्थ्यकर्मियों एवं फ्रंटलाइन वर्कर के लिए फ्री कोरोना वैक्सीन भेजी। मगर प.बंगाल में #TMC विधायक और गुंडों ने जबरदस्ती वैक्सीन लगवा ली।
Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said that it would have been better if the party MLAs had not taken the vaccines. Interestingly, another TMC MLA from Alipurduars, Saurabh Chakraborty, had his name on the top of the list of individuals who were supposed to be vaccinated. In his defence, he said, “I am not getting any vaccine right now and I have informed the health department about it.”
PM Modi launches Coronavirus vaccination drive
PM Narendra Modi launched the world’s biggest inoculation drive in the country today at 10:30 am via video conferencing. The COVID-19 vaccination drive has been planned in a phased manner, identifying priority groups. The first phase of India’s coronavirus vaccination drive started at 11 am across several cities in India and ended at 5:30 pm.
In the first phase of the vaccination drive, around 3 crore frontline workers including doctors, healthcare workers, Safai Karamcharis etc will be given the vaccine. After that, people above 50 years of age, and people below 50 with co-morbidities, estimated around 27 crore, will be selected for vaccination. Therefore, around 30 crore people will be vaccinated in this round.
According to the Health Ministry, by the end of day-1 of the coronavirus inoculation drive, 1,91,181 beneficiaries were vaccinated at 3,352 sites in the country. In a press briefing, Additional Health Secretary M Agnani added that 16,755 personnel were involved in the drive.
The Nidhi Razdan Harvard fiasco took a major turn yesterday after the former NDTV anchor penned a blog detailing how she fell for the phishing attack. Her blog provided some answers to questions that have been coming up but in the process, raises many more questions. And now, we have more reports related to Harvard University that only intensify the shroud of mystery surrounding the whole affair.
As early as April 2020, the Harvard University had announced that they were implementing an immediate freeze on hiring and salary. The decision was taken in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is pertinent to note that Nidhi Razdan had announced that she was joining the University as an associate professor in June 2020.
Screenshot of a headline by CNBC
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of the University, said that Harvard was “instituting an immediate university-wide salary and hiring freeze, cancelling or deferring discretionary spending, and considering deferring all capital projects.”
“While many decisions and choices will come into sharper focus in the future, it is already clear that we need to take some actions immediately to align our spending with the decline in our revenue,” a joint email from President Lawrence Bacow, Executive Vice President Katherine Lapp and Provost Alan Garber had said.
“Harvard, like other universities around the world, will not be spared the economic consequences of the pandemic,” they said.
The email had said, “Our major sources of revenue — tuition, the endowment, executive and continuing education, philanthropy, and research support — are threatened, and we expect to see increased demand for financial aid as the economic fallout from the pandemic hits family budgets.”
University officials had also floated the possibility of layoffs and furloughs. They said, “We’re still working to gain a more complete picture of the financial conditions of the university.”
“We will be scrutinizing the FY21 budget to determine what other steps are necessary to respond to the financial impact of the pandemic on our operations. We will communicate with you when more information is available,” the Harvard Crimson quoted them as saying.
“Some of you may be wondering why we can’t just dip into the endowment to support us through these difficult times. We do intend to distribute as much from the endowment as we responsibly can, but there are limitations to the endowment’s capacity,” Crimson quoted them as saying.
“Because of the recent declines in the markets, the endowment, while still large, is not as large as it was previously. As it shrinks, it has less capacity to support our existing operations, especially as other shortfalls in revenue sources loom.”
Thus, given the fact that Harvard University had announced in April itself that they were implementing a salary and hiring freeze, it is a wonder that Nidhi Razdan did not see or hear the announcement at all. According to her, she found out that the fake job offer was a phishing attack only this month.
Massive protests and violence erupted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Friday over the Chinese move to build a 33-kilometre road.
According to the reports, the residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have launched massive protests against the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government for allowing the People Liberation Army (PLA) to build a road in the occupied Indian territory. A general strike has been going on since January 13, and Friday’s strike is a continuation of the protest against the Chinese presence in the region.
Amjad Ayub Mirza, an exiled activist from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), said that China is building a 33-kilometer road from Yarkand to PoK to move its artillery and military personnel in the region. The activist said that this is the second time in the month such protests are taking place in the PoK region. He said that the protests this time are widespread, last time the strike was limited to the Poonch division but now it has gone out of control.
“China is now building a road from Yarkand of 33 km wide enough to bring its artillery, military and personnel. Things are gearing up in a precarious way, but PoJK people have risen up to the occasion. There will be more protests in PoK, and I think Pakistan has lost in PoJK totally,” said Mirza in the interview to the media.
“The whole of PoJK was under general strike on January 13th and the focal point became Azad Pattan Bridge, which is the entry point between Pakistan and PoJK, that was blocked. Police opened fire, tear gas, and lathi-charged and there were clashes after which police had to retreat back to Pakistan,” said Mirza.
Protests are intense this time, says activist
Activist Mirza said that this time protests are big thing as police check-post was set alight and protests are spreading like a wildfire across 750 miles Line of Control (LoC). People are fed up with food shortages, there is no flour, no electricity, no clean drinking water, and big cities are full of filth because the system has collapsed, added Mirza.
The protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir started after the Imran Khan-led government arbitrarily announced the occupied territory as the fifth province of Pakistan.
“Now what is happening that not a single day passes without a protest, sometimes more than one protest in different parts of PoJK. Every single day people are protesting in Gilgit Baltistan, PoJK, and Pakistani media does not report it. International media is not allowed in those areas,” informed Mirza.
Mirza lamented the fact that the elected government of PoK is sitting in Islamabad and merry-making while the public in the region is holding a crusade against Chinese incursions in the area.
“The whole of PoJK government elected after November 15th is sitting in Islamabad, enjoying buffets and parties, having a fun time because it’s very cold in Gilgit. The government of Farooq Haider is called ‘miscreants’ by its people. PoJK has gone out of the hands of Pakistan, it has lost it. There is no sentiment for Pakistan in PoJK,” he said.
A 13-year-old girl was gang-raped multiple times by nine men several times in a week in Madhya Pradesh. As per the reports, she was kidnapped and gang-raped on January 4, after that she was again abducted by a truck driver from Umaria district on January 11-12. She was passed on from truck driver to truck driver before she was dropped on the highway.
The horrifying story
The girl was kidnapped by a known person and gang-raped by several men on January 4. She was let go and threatened to keep quiet. She was then again kidnapped and gang-raped by two truck drivers when she was out on an errand on January 11. The two men took her in a jungle and raped her. She was kept hostage in the truck, and they drove to a Dhaba. She was then raped by the Dhaba owner along with four other truckers.
The girl, who is a student of class 9, was kept hostage and raped throughout the night. The next morning, when she was almost unconscious due to the continuous torture, the truck driver tossed her in the truck and raped her again before dumping her in the middle of the road.
Shocked and terrified, the girl tried to stop vehicles, urging them to help. A truck driver stopped and picked her when she pleaded him to help. However, her torture was not over. That truck driver also raped her and dropped her near Umaria before speeding away.
Family filed complaint the next morning
By this time, the family that was continuously looking for her all night, filed a complaint with the police the next morning. Soon after, the girl spotted some policemen and approached them for help. She was immediately taken to the hospital, where she could not speak properly. She was counselled for 20 hours before she could begin to talk. During the counselling, she revealed the series of events that she had to go through. She also mentioned that five of the men involved in the gang-rape were among those who gang-raped her on January 4.
Vikas Kumar Shahwal, Superintendent of Police, said that the police recovered the girl soon after receiving the complaint on January 12. “According to the doctors, she has not sustained any major injuries but she is in deep mental trauma and shock. We have kept her under observation at one-stop crisis centre, where she is being counselled.” He added. Arvind Tiwari, the Police spokesman, said that a case has been registered under POSCO and relevant sections of the IPC.
So far, the police have arrested seven out of nine men involved in the crime. The remaining two are still on the run.
CNBC Awaaz has terminated stocks editor and anchor Hemant Ghai after an order was passed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) against him for violating stock market regulations. Ghar was the co-host of Stocks 20-20 on the Network18 Group’s Hindi Business news channel. On 13th January, SEBI had banned him from trading in the capital market, and also from giving any recommendation related to stocks.
The network issued a statement on his termination and said that its employees are required to pledge themselves to a code of conduct that expressly forbids them to manipulate prices of the listed securities. The network added, “Mr. Ghai was also a signatory to the code of conduct. Network18 takes its commitment to honesty and integrity seriously. We will not tolerate any behaviour which does not conform to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.”
Ghai did trading from his wife and mother’s accounts
In its orders, SEBI alleged that Ghai had used his wife and mother’s names to purchase stocks that he would recommend the next day. It resulted in the increased purchase of the stocks, increasing the price, after which would sale the stocks making a profit. Such practices are prohibited under the provisions of SEBI’s (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices) Regulations.
SEBI in its order said, “By purchasing shares in the accounts of Jaya Hemant Ghai and Shyam Mohini Ghai for which buy recommendation is given, with the advance information of buy recommendation and thereafter selling the same as soon as the market opens on the recommendation day unfairly taking advantage of the price and volume rise post recommendation is a fraud played upon the market and the viewers of the Show. The viewers of the Show trust the recommendation made in the Show without realising the scheme has been devised for their personal gains.”
Ghai cannot indulge in investment activities
These trades were made through Authorised Person of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd., namely MAS Consultancy, Mehsana, Gujarat. Ghai is no longer allowed to indulge in any activity related to giving investment advice, sell or buy recommendations, publish any research report or any activity related to the market until further notice. As per the reports, he had made around Rs.3 crore by such activities, and SEBI has ordered the respective banks to freeze the accounts of Ghai along with the accounts of his wife and mother.
