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“You want people to live in gas chambers?” Delhi HC pulls up Delhi Forest Dept for allowing cutting of trees, says it is responsible for the pollution mess

OpIndia Staff
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“You want people to live in gas chambers?” Delhi HC pulls up Delhi Forest Dept for allowing cutting of trees, says it is responsible for the pollution mess

The Delhi High Court on Friday pulled up Delhi’s forest department for passing stereotypical orders allowing the felling of trees in the national capital and asked if they wanted people to live in gas chambers. It’s only application of mind and it is only sensitivity.

Justice Jasmeet Singh remarked that it is the casual approach of the forest department and its officials that has led to toxic levels of air pollution in the city with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching alarming levels.

The judge said, “You want people to live in gas chambers? You are responsible for the mess that the citizens of Delhi are in today due to pollution. There are machines that record air quality, the maximum that the machines can record is 999. Today, we are touching that… It is the sensitivity that is lacking.”

The bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh further said, “What we’re trying to sensitise you–you aren’t understanding. This is dereliction of duty. Cutting corners–total disregard of court orders. You are responsible for the mess the citizens of Delhi are in today.”

Court observation came on Friday while hearing a petition seeking contempt action against the Delhi forest authorities for allowing the felling of trees by passing one-line orders and not giving any reasons for such permission.

Earlier in September 2023, the Court had ordered that no permission shall be granted for felling of trees to construct houses in the city. In August, the Bench said that no permission for felling of trees for any individuals will be granted and any permission required for important projects will be intimated to the Court.

The petition alleged that the one line orders issued by the forest officials allowing cutting of trees violated the court order, and therefore sought contempt of court proceedings. Advocate Aditya N Prasad appeared for the petitioner Bhavreen Kandhari, who argued that despite clear directions from the High Court that officials must pass detailed orders, non-reasoned orders are being passed and trees are being felled.

The Court examined some of the orders passed by the forest officials and observed that they amounted to violation of court’s orders. “This is blatant violation of our orders, this is dereliction of duty, you are trying shortcuts, cutting corners. This is total disregard of the court’s orders,” the Bench remarked.

The court added that it is not against development, but development must co-exist with nature and heritage. “Development must co-exist with nature & heritage. We are not coming in the way of development, if there is a traffic jam, you will have to widen the roads. But, it can’t be that you will cut 50 trees around it. If there is no other way, then only you should go ahead no. Trees can’t be removed. You have to find a way. How can colonies be treeless?”

The court also orally observed that this type of order has led to toxic levels of air pollution in the city with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching alarming levels.

As air quality in several parts of Delhi-NCR plunged to the ‘severe’ category on Friday morning, people said they experienced breathing problems and irritation in the eye among others.

There was a thick haze blanketing the skyline of the national capital and adjoining areas as the Air Quality Index (AQI) breached the 400 mark at multiple locations. As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI stood at 498 in Mundka followed by 491 at Jahangirpuri. In the RK Puram area and at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (T3) the AQI was recorded at 486 and 473 respectively.

In view of the severe air pollution, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III has been implemented in Delhi, imposing several restrictions. The primary schools also have been shut for two days.

Gyanvapi issue: Supreme Court dismisses mosque committee’s plea challenging High Court’s decision to transfer the case

ANI
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Gyanvapi issue: Supreme Court dismisses mosque committee’s plea challenging High Court’s decision to transfer the case

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the order passed by the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Pritinker Diwaker, transferring the case relating to the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Mosque dispute to another bench from a single-judge bench.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra dismissed an appeal filed by Anjuman Intezemia Masjid, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, challenging the administrative decision of the high court chief justice’s transfer order.

The Chief Justice of the High Court, in his administrative decision, withdrew the Gyanvapi case from a single-judge bench, which has been hearing it since 2021.

The single-judge was hearing the plea of the Masjid Committee challenging the maintainability of the suits filed by some Hindu worshippers seeking the right of worship in the Gyanvapi mosque which is barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991.

The CJI bench perused the reasons for the transfer of the case and observed that it did not want to read it in open court.

“We should not interfere with the order of the chief justice of the High Court. In High Courts, it is a very standard practice. This must lie in the realm of the Chief Justice of the High Court,” the bench observed.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the mosque committee, told the apex court that Justice Prakash Padia had completed the hearing in the matter and reserved the judgment, however, the Chief Justice withdrew the case from the judge, citing the reason that the judge could not have retained the matter despite the roster change.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Love Jihad in UP: Furqan Ali poses as Sultan Singh to entrap a Dalit girl and hold her captive; arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Love Jihad in UP: Furqan Ali poses as Sultan Singh to entrap a Dalit girl and hold her captive; arrested

A Dalit girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri has charged a Muslim man named Furqan Ali alias Furqan Khan of trapping her into love jihad and inflicting torture on her after their marriage. The police have registered a First Information Report and arrested the accused on her complaint.

The victim had disappeared about one and a half years ago. A mason from Sambhal, Moradabad, who came to build a toilet in the village claimed to be Sultan Singh, lured the girl into a fake relationship. She discovered his real identity upon reaching his residence. She managed to escape from his clutches and appealed to the Mainpuri Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar to take strict action against him.

This case pertained to a village that falls under the jurisdiction of Kurawali police station. She learned that the perpetrator was a Muslim after their wedding and protested following which he started abusing her. She pretended to go back to her house and escaped from there. She arrived to meet the senior police official and revealed, “Furqan Khan took me with him by hooking me in his love trap. We then tied the knot after which I found out that he was a Muslim.” The cop informed that Mainpuri Police had filed an FIR against the offender and apprehended him at the request of the complainant.

She reached the collectorate on 31st October and disclosed that construction of toilets was going on in all the houses in her village under the government scheme. He came there to work as a mason and introduced himself as Sultan Singh. He alleged that he belonged to the same caste as the girl. The two gradually grew closer and he frequently visited her place. He abducted her around one and a half years later. Her family members searched for her. They couldn’t find their daughter and therefore stopped looking for her after some time.

She fled from his house three days ago when she had the opportunity and labelled the allegation of love jihad on the offender. She sought action against him. According to Assistant Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar, the matter is going to be probed and appropriate action would be initiated.

“Bhupesh Baghel a ‘pre-paid’ CM of Congress, his validity has ended”: Amit Shah in Chhattisgarh

ANI
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“Bhupesh Baghel a ‘pre-paid’ CM of Congress, his validity has ended”: Amit Shah in Chhattisgarh

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is a ‘pre-paid CM’ of Congress and that the validity of his talk time has ended.

The Union Home Minister alleged that Bhupesh Baghel has made Chhattisgarh the ATM of the Congress.

“If Baghel becomes the Chief Minister again, then thousands of crores of rupees will be withdrawn by swapping the ‘pre-paid’ cards daily,” Shah said while addressing Vijay Sankalp Maharally in the Pandariya Assembly constituency here.

During his address, the minister urged the public to vote for Bhawna Bohra, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate from Pandariya in the November 7 (first phase) polls.

“When you all go to vote, do not vote to elect an MLA or a minister…Your vote shapes the future of Chhattisgarh…Your vote is to end Naxalism and make the Adivasi region a developed region,” he said.

“Bhupesh Baghel is looting the people of Chhattisgarh. The person who wants to develop his politics cannot do the welfare of Chhattisgarh. That is why I say that he is a ‘pre-paid CM’ of Congress. Even by mistake, if Bhupesh Baghel becomes the Chief Minister again, then thousands of crores of rupees will be withdrawn by swapping the prepaid cards daily. If all this money goes to Delhi, then how will Chhattisgarh develop?” Shah added.

Sharpening his attack further, he said that the pre-paid CM’s validity has now ended.

“This (pre-paid) CM, his validity was only this much, talking time was only this much. The way in which a pre-paid SIM card stops working when money gets over, in the same way, this CM’s time will be over when money will end. He has done many scams in five years so that his time does not get over,” Shah said further.

The elections for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will be held in two phases, with the first phase of polling for 20 seats scheduled on November 7 and the remaining 70 seats to go for polling on November 17.

The counting of votes will be done on December 3.

Congress stormed to power in Chhattisgarh in the 2018 elections, winning 68 out of 90 seats. The party had a vote share of 43.9 per cent. BJP won 15 seats and had a vote share of 33.6 per cent.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Delhi HC directs ASI to look into Hindu Sena’s plea to ‘correct history books’ claiming that Taj Mahal was not built by Shah Jahan

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi HC directs ASI to look into Hindu Sena’s plea to ‘correct history books’ claiming that Taj Mahal was not built by Shah Jahan

The Delhi Court on Friday ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to review a representation filed by the Hindu Sena organisation which sought instructions to publish the “correct history” of the Taj Mahal. The petition filed by Hindu Sena claims that the Taj Mahal was not built by Mughal ruler Shah Jahan, and therefore the correct history of the monument should be published.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) arguing that Raja Man Singh and not Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was the one who constructed the Taj Mahal was heard by a bench consisting of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela. The court disposed of the plea by referring the matter to ASI.

The petitioner has already submitted an appeal with similar prayers to the Supreme Court, the Bench observed. Subsequently, the outfit was asked by the highest court to submit a representation before the ASI. The High Court was notified that the ASI has not yet made a determination regarding the same and asked the government agency to investigate the claim.

The Taj Mahal was refurbished by Shah Jahan after it was originally the palace of Raja Man Singh, according to the petition filed by Hindu Sena President Surjit Singh Yadav. He consequently requested that “historically incorrect facts” about the building of the Taj Mahal be taken out of historical accounts by the ASI, the Central government, the National Archives of India and the government of Uttar Pradesh.

The PIL further demanded that the ASI should be given instructions to conduct an inquiry into the existence of Raja Man Singh’s residence and the age of the ivory-white marble mausoleum. The petitioner stated that he conducted “deep study and research” on the Taj Mahal and that it is crucial to remove historical errors and provide the public with accurate information about the structure.

He cited ZA Desai’s book “Taj Museum” which describes how a “lofty and beautiful” location was chosen for Mumtaz Mahal’s interment. He maintains that at the time of the burial, Raja Jai Singh, the grandson of Raja Man Singh, was in possession of this mansion or manzil. The petitioner stressed that this home was never dismantled. According to him, the Taj Mahal’s current design is nothing more than “a modification, renovation and refurbishment of the mansion of Raja Man Singh which already existed.”

The plea emphasised, “Further, the book titled Taj Museum mentions that the dead body of Mumtaz Mahal was interred under a temporary domed structure within the land premises of Raja Jai Singh. It is pertinent to mention that there is no account which states that the mansion of Raja Man Singh was demolished to construct Taj Mahal.”

The petitioner was represented by attorneys Mahesh Kumar and Shashi Ranjan Kumar Singh.

‘Be prepared to apologise over allegations’: YouTuber Elvish Yadav slams Maneka Gandhi, denies involvement in supplying snake venom

OpIndia Staff
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‘Be prepared to apologise over allegations’: YouTuber Elvish Yadav slams Maneka Gandhi, denies involvement in supplying snake venom

Popular YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav on Friday slammed Maneka Gandhi saying that she should be prepared to tender apology for the allegations levelled against him. Yadav also denied involvement over allegations of him supplying snake venom at a rave party busted by Noida Police.

“Ma’am should be ready to tender an apology over the kind of allegations she has levelled against me,” Yadav tweeted in response after Maneka Gandhi called for his immediate arrest.

Popular YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav is the subject of a First Information Report (FIR) over a rave party that took place in Noida, Sector 51. The Drugs Department, the Forest Department and the Noida Police jointly busted the event and arrested five people identified as Jaikaran, Rahul, Titunath, Narayan and Ravinath. Some unmanned individuals are also named in the report.

The culprits are reportedly close aides of the social media star and revealed that they used to supply snakes for his parties. A video showed him playing with and holding a snake. His involvement came to light when they were questioned. He is right now absconding and efforts are being implemented to apprehend him. The group that supplied illegal snake poison was the target of the raid. The offenders admitted that Elvish Yadas was a member of their gang.

Nine snakes, including five cobras and snake venom, were found during the operation. The police found 20 to 25 millilitres of snake poison and nine deadly snakes in their hands comprising five cobras, one python, one two-headed snake and one rat snake, according to the formal complaint which was filed under wildlife sections 9, 39, 48A, 49, 50 and 51 as well as Indian Penal Code’s section 120B.

The complainant charged, “It came to our attention that Elvish Yadav, a YouTuber from Noida, hosted illegal rave parties in farmhouses in the National Capital Region with snake poison and live snakes. He usually invited foreign girls and they consumed snake venom and drugs. He also shot videos with his gang members and other YouTubers there. According to the information, one of our informants contacted him and asked to organise a rave party with cobra poison and other snakes. Elvish Yadav gave the mobile number of his agent Rahul and told the person to talk to him and take the influencer’s name.”

Rahul agreed to arrange the party after they called him and mentioned that he would bring the snakes along with his associates wherever they wanted. Afterwards, he arrived at the location which was a banquet hall in sector 51 on 2nd November with other people. DFO (Divisional Forest Office) Noida was already notified about the matter.

It further revealed that the accused showed them the snakes following a conversation after which the information was provided to Sector 49 police and the Noida forest department. A short while later cops and Regional Forest Officer Dadri reached the spot with their teams. The authorities caught the perpetrators and took the possessions under their control.

Furthermore, the accused used snakes and their venom at rave gatherings based on the FIR copy accessed by OpIndia. The complaint was submitted by Gaurav Gupta who is an animal welfare officer at People For Animals, an NGO (Nongovernmental Organisation) led by prominent Bharatiya Janata Party politician Maneka Gandhi which initiated and pursued the entire case.

Now, Elvish Yadav has come forward and issued a clarification on the issue and has refuted all the allegations against him. Additionally, he pledged to fully cooperate with the Uttar Pradesh Police and asserted, “I appeal to UP government, police and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that if I am proven to be even partially at fault in this, I would accept complete accountability. I also request the media not to defame me until you have proper evidence.”

He also offered an explanation regarding his photograph with a snake and stated that the image is around six months old and taken from a music video.

Notably, Elvish Yadav has over 21 million subscribers on his two YouTube channels and more than 16 million followers on his official Instagram account. He garnered even more limelight as he entered Bigg Boss OTT season 2 as a wild card and proceeded to win the show.

ED registers money laundering case against Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ravindra Waikar in the ‘₹500 crore 5-Star Hotel Scam’

ANI
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ED registers money laundering case against Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ravindra Waikar in the ‘₹500 crore 5-Star Hotel Scam’

The Enforcement Directorate registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Ravindra Waikar in connection with the construction of a luxury hotel on Jogeshwari.

The case is registered against Waikar in ‘Rs500 crore 5-Star Hotel Scam’. Waikar is accused of defrauding the BMC of Rs 500 crore by obtaining permission to build a five-star hotel on a plot reserved for a BMC playground.

ED is likely to issue summons to Ravindra Waikar and others accused in the case.

According to officials, they have obtained all the case-related documents and statements from Ravindra Waikar which were handed over to Mumbai police EOW (Economic Offences Wing).

Earlier, Ravindra Waikar was questioned by the ED for around eight hours in a money laundering case.

Waikar is a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly representing the Jogeshwari East Assembly Constituency. Waikar is a close aide of Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Pakistan wants global “ummah” to fight for Hamas terrorists in the name of religion, but orders the eviction of nearly 2 million Afghan refugees from its own turf

Pragya Bakshi Sharma
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Pakistan wants global “ummah” to fight for Hamas terrorists in the name of religion, but orders the eviction of nearly 2 million Afghan refugees from its own turf

Not that the world can expect Pakistan, of all countries, to be humanitarian in its treatment of humans. But for a people who had no remorse about snatching India’s land in order to form an Islamic state, it does make one wonder why Pakistan is kicking out its own brethren now.

A mass exodus of Afghan refugees from Pakistan was reported on 1st November after Pakistan gave the refugees a deadline on 26th October ordering them to leave the country or face detention. Pakistan has been cracking down on an estimated 1.7 million Afghans residing in the country without legal status owing to the dire situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, and had ordered them to leave the country by 1 November.

Schools teaching Afghan children in Pakistan are being closed down leaving no scope for Afghan girls to pursue education. These girls and their families had sought shelter in Pakistan for the very education they were denied from pursuing by the Taliban in Afghanistan and now Pakistan is mirroring the terrorists.

The terror-backing nation has reportedly set up deportation centres for Afghan migrants who, it claims, entered Pakistan illegally. Those who fail to leave are to be sent to the deportation centres. According to the Times of India, more than one lakh Afghans have left Pakistan since October.

Similarly, in June this year, Pakistan deported some 531 Afghan refugees including women and children. Reports from January this year brought to light the ordeal of Afghan migrants who were jailed in Pakistani prisons as their cases were stuck in courts on various pretexts.

Pakistan is facing flak worldwide for the forced expulsion of Afghan refugees. Videos on social media are going viral showing the Pakistani establishment bulldozing camps and houses of refugees, women and children sleeping under trucks that are transporting them to the border like cattle. Many of these refugees have lived in Pakistan for decades.

Another video shows Afghan refugees being robbed of thousands of rupees by Pakistani security officials at the border before they are allowed to cross into Afghanistan.

It is ironic that anti-Israel Pakistan – an economy in tatters with exploding gas and fuel prices – is supporting Hamas in the name of supporting Palestinians but is deporting Afghan refugees who stand to lose everything, including their life, under the Taliban. Palestinians are Muslims, Afghan refugees are Muslims, and Pakistan is a Muslim state and yet its treatment of the two nationalities is hypocritical, to say the least.

The terror-sponsoring state can validate its existence only at the behest of its religious identity, which it needs to keep its masters in the Muslim Brotherhood assured of. This explains Pakistan’s infamous role in birthing and nurturing terrorists and abetting terrorism. The existence and growth of the terror-backing group Jamaat-e-Islami, considered to be Pakistan’s own Muslim Brotherhood, is a fine example.

Moreover, Pakistan has used Afghan refugees blaming them for terrorist attacks in the country. While the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has perpetrated several attacks on Pakistani soil, the credit for the existence of the Taliban primarily goes to Pakistan itself. Pakistan was one of the three countries to recognise the Taliban government when it took over Afghanistan in 1996. It is sending Afghan civilians back to the land ruled by the radical terrorist group which Pakistan created.

The TTP is considered to be an anti-Pakistan terrorist group which is dedicated to restoring a complete Sharia law in Pakistan based on the tenets of fundamental Islam. In other words, terror-nurturing Pakistan is not terrorist enough in the TTP’s view. And yet, while Pakistan pretends to play victim at the hands of the Afghan Taliban backed-TTP, the ISI for one does not have a single anti-terror operation to its credit. So much for a self-declared “victim” who is able to send herds of terrorists into Kashmir, does not combat TTP, and instead is blaming Afghan refugees for the madhouse that Pakistan is.

And yet, an eerie silence prevails in Islamabad over the alleged genocide of Uyghur Muslims in China, which is currently feeding Pakistan quite literally. Bathing in the pleasures and luxuries bestowed upon them by China, Pakistan is oblivious to its own realities. It has no history before 1947. It was formed purely as an Islamic state. But by failing its own people, its Muslim neighbours across the border in Afghanistan, supplying terrorists into Indian territory, and openly calling upon the global “ummah” to back Hamas, Pakistan is exclusively a terrorist nation.

Raghav Chadha suspension: SC asks the AAP MP to tender unconditional apology to Rajya Sabha Chairperson in breach of privilege case

OpIndia Staff
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Raghav Chadha suspension: SC asks the AAP MP to tender unconditional apology to Rajya Sabha Chairperson in breach of privilege case

On Friday (3rd November), the Supreme Court directed AAP MP Raghav Chadha to meet the Rajya Sabha Chairperson in relation to his suspension from the house over the allegations of forging signatures of MPs. The court suggested the MP leader seek an unconditional apology to get his suspension from the House revoked.

The Supreme Court recorded Chadha’s lawyer’s statements that Raghav Chadha had no intention of undermining the dignity of the House in which he serves. The lawyer also said that the leader would seek an appointment with the Rajya Sabha Chairperson to offer an unconditional apology.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, also agreed that Chadha tendering an apology would be a better option to solve the matter.

The Court also stated that the apology may be considered sympathetically by the Chairperson in light of the House’s facts and circumstances. This comes days after the Supreme Court stated that ‘indefinite suspension of an MP could have very serious repercussions for people’s right to be represented by a person of their choice’. The court had stated that suspensions for the house usually last for a few days or for the ongoing session, expressing concern about the indefinite suspension of Chadha.

On Monday (31st October), the Supreme Court said that the removal of an opposition member from the House only because of a viewpoint that differs from the government’s is a serious matter.

The only charge levelled against Chadha by a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was that he did not seek the permission of some MPs before deciding to include their names in a proposed select committee. The bench asked Attorney General R Venkataramani if this could be considered an infraction warranting indefinite suspension.

Chadha was suspended from the Upper House of Parliament on 11th August 2023 after he was accused of naming fellow members as a part of a proposed select committee to scrutinize the Delhi Bill without their consent. Invoking the names of Members of Parliaments without their consent was considered a violation of parliamentary privilege by the concerned MPs.

A resolution was presented by Raghav Chadha in Rajya Sabha on August 11, moving an amendment to the ‘Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023’ to refer it to a select committee of 19 Rajya Sabha members. However, when he read the names, several MPs protested, saying that they were not consulted before their names were included in the proposed committee, and accused Chadha of forging their signatures. Union Home Minister Amit Shah then sternly reacted to it, insisting the deputy speaker take appropriate action against this act of perjury.

Later five MPs – Thambi Durai, Sudhanshu Trivedi, Sasmit Patra, Phangnon Komyak, and Narhari Amin – submitted formal complaints to the Rajya Sabha chairman against the AAP MP for using their names without their consent. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar then referred the complaints to the privileges committee to examine and investigate the matter.

It was considered a breach of privilege by Chadha for inter-alia including the names of the MPs without their consent, in violation of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, and Chadha was suspended from the house for an indefinite period. Following that, the AAP MP moved Supreme Court challenging the suspension.

AAP had defended the MP, arguing that proposing names of MPs for a committee is not a crime, saying that no signatures were forged, and only the names were mentioned.

On 31st October, Venkataramani, who is assisting the Supreme Court in this matter, stated that it is critical to obtain the consent of the members proposed to be included on a parliamentary panel because it adds to the dignity of the House proceedings.

The court today, however, directed Chadha to see the Rajya Sabha Chairperson and seek an unconditional apology in the case. The court said that it will hear the plea after the Diwali vacation.

Jal Jeevan Mission scam: ED raids 25 locations including office of Rajasthan Congress minister Mahesh Joshi for his alleged links

OpIndia Staff
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Jal Jeevan Mission scam: ED raids 25 locations including office of Rajasthan Congress minister Mahesh Joshi for his alleged links

The Enforcement Directorate Friday (November 3) raided 25 locations in Jaipur and Dausa in Rajasthan in connection with a money laundering case in the alleged Jal Jeevan Mission scam. The places included the office of Dr Mahesh Joshi, the Rajasthan government’s water supply minister and the home of Subodh Agarwal, the Additional Chief Secretary in the Public Health Engineering Department (PHE) department.

Other premises of some engineers, contractors, and former state government officials, who are suspected to have links in the case, were also raided by the federal agency.

The ED had conducted similar raids in multiple cities of Rajasthan in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the execution of the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission scheme in September as well and seized unaccounted cash of Rs 2.32 crore and a gold bar worth Rs 64 lakh.

The money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate stems from a Rajasthan anti-corruption bureau (ACB) FIR filed in August this year. This was based on a complaint lodged with the Rajasthan police by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena in June this year alleging a scam of Rs 20,000 crore in the implementation of the Central government’s ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ in the state. The BJP leader also alleged that tenders worth Rs 900 crore were issued to two firms based on fake experience certificates in 48 projects of the scheme.

Meanwhile, in its FIR, the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) stated that Padamchand Jain, the owner of Shree Shyam Tubewell Company, Mahesh Mittal, the owner of Shree Ganpati Tubewell Company, and other individuals were involved in “paying bribes” to public employees in order to secure illegal protection, procure contracts, get invoices approved, and conceal irregularities regarding the work they completed for various tenders they obtained from the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED)

“The suspects were also involved in the purchase of stolen goods from Haryana for using the same in their tenders/contracts and had also submitted fake work completion letters from IRCON to get PHED contracts,” the agency alleged.

Unaccounted cash of Rs 2.32 crore, a 1 kg gold bar worth Rs 64 lakh, “incriminating” documents including digital evidences, hard disks, mobiles etc. were seized which show “large-scale transactions done by these individuals in connivance with PHED officials.”

What is the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme?

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, drinking water was to be provided in rural areas. In this, 50 per cent of the expense was to be borne by Rajasthan and 50 per cent expense was to be borne by the Central Government. Under this, the DI duct iron pipeline was to be laid, but with the connivance of water supply department officers and contractors, the HDPE pipeline was laid.

A scam worth crores of rupees has come to light in this work. The pipes that were stolen from Haryana were passed off as new and laid. Money was taken by claiming that the pipeline was new. Moreover, many kilometres of pipeline were not laid. In lieu of this, payment worth crores of rupees was taken.

Rajasthan Congress minister Mahesh Joshi’s son accused of rape and torture

Last year in May, a 23-year-old woman filed a rape complaint against Rohit Joshi, the son of Dr Mahesh Joshi, the Rajasthan government’s water supply minister. The young woman working for a Rajasthan-based news channel had filed a rape case with Delhi’s Sadar Bazar police station. A zero FIR had been filed in Sadar Bazar police station and forwarded to Sawai Madhopur.

The FIR stated that Rohit repeatedly threatened the victim in the name of his father. Rohit further stated that he has had contacts with miscreants and the mafia and that he is not frightened of the cops. He warned her about being treated like Bhanwari Devi. The woman claimed that the father-son duo posed a threat to her and her family’s lives, after which the Rajasthan High Court had granted police protection to the woman.

Despite the complaint, the son of the Rajasthan Congress leader was not arrested. In fact, within a month, a court in Delhi granted anticipatory bail to cabinet minister Mahesh Joshi’s son Rohit in a rape case filed against him by a 24-year-old woman.

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