Home Blog Page 6097

Exclusive: Railway officials clear the air on Vande Bharat Express and the alleged ‘derailment of production’

Nupur J Sharma
-
0
Exclusive: Railway officials clear the air on Vande Bharat Express and the alleged ‘derailment of production’

On August 5th 2019, Times of India published a report that alleged that the production of Train 18, or Vande Bharat Express has stopped. The report made largely two assertions. One, that there is a feud between the electrical and mechanical departments which played out over the procurement of industry-changing propulsion system that was acquired from a Hyderabad company. The report says that dominated by mechanical engineers, the procurement system did not ensure a ‘level playing field’ and there were questions raised at every step after the first rake was commissioned in 2018.

The second issue mentioned is that the vigilance wing of the Railway Board is investigating the procurement procedure and all existing tenders have been cancelled. In the rest of the article, Times of India essentially praises the propulsion system that was procured by Railways from the Hyderabad based company saying that it was the best in class, was an engineering marvel and that it was Rs. 10 crores cheaper than industry standards.

Indian Railways showed a glimpse of its futuristic vision by introducing Vande Bharat Express, the semi-high speed train. It has been running on full occupancy since its launch, creating punctuality records and providing the passengers with much better travel experience by its modern design and state-of-the-art amenities.

In May 2019, this marvel of Indian Railways successfully completed its one lakh kilometre run time without missing a single trip. It is speculated that this train has also attracted passengers who earlier avoided travelling by trains.

However, allegations of the production being stopped, an internal feud and the questions regarding the procurement process have dampened this success by India.

OpIndia reached out to senior railway officials to get clarity on what the truth of the matter was. The railway officials said that the Hyderabad based company that had supplied the propulsion system was given the go-ahead to supply to the company directly without any tendering against the existing contract of supply of propulsion equipment for the suburban train, thereby bypassing the norms of competition that ensure the highest level of transparency and quality. In subsequent tenders of ICF for procurement of propulsion equipment, it has been observed that undue favours have apparently been given through tailor-made eligibility criteria to suit Hyderabad firm and to systematically keep other eligible players including one navratna public sector company out of fray deliberately so as to ensure that the said company gets unhindered business without following due process of tendering and without any improvement in product design.

Prime Minister Modi’s vision has been to ensure transparency within the system and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal echoes that sentiment. The subsequent tender has been cancelled because Railways wanted to ensure that all companies who have the capability to supply the propulsion system get the chance to bid for the tender.

Railways officials further said that after the first train was inaugurated in February, the railways have got significant feedback on how to improve the specifications and ensure better quality production under Make in India.

“As soon as Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) is ready with the specification, the tendering process will be initiated at ICF without any delay, providing level playing field to all prospective bidders. The procurement will be done in a manner to maintain transparency and integrity in decision making at all levels with compliance to `Make in India’ policy of Government of India as envisioned by our Hon’ble Prime Minister”, said the official.

The official further said, “Vande Bharat type trains have been developed successfully for the first time on Indian Railways however, system employed in Vande Bharat train had been procured against a contract of suburban trains, therefore there are problems interalia related to its safety and energy efficiency besides non conformities to governing technical specification of RDSO, which needs to be improved in subsequent versions of train. This Hyderabad firm is trying to supply this design in semi high-speed train like Vande Bharat train, which is suited for suburban trains. Such infirmities in the propulsion system had also been pointed out by a high-level committee of Additional Members of the Ministry of Railways. Further, improvement in product design in the subsequent version has always been the endeavour of Railway Production Units and RDSO. RDSO is currently working in this direction by making necessary improvements in technical specification”.

Speaking to OpIndia, the official also confirmed that the vigilance wing of Railway Board has indeed initiated an inquiry against the officials who confirmed the order to the Hyderabad firm without accepting tenders from other bidders to ensure competition, fairness and transparency.

The official said, “It has been the foundation of the Modi government and especially Railways headed by Minister Piyush Goyal to ensure transparency and fairness in the procurement system. The officials who breached the process and granted the tender to the Hyderabad based company without accepting bids from others will be taken to task. As soon as the process is over and RDSO comes up with revised specifications, the tendering process will resume”.

Officials said that the fearmongering regarding the production of Vande Bharat Express train being stopped are rumours. It is expected that the regular production of this train will be started at ICF during 2020-21.

While railway officials have maintained that the tender was cancelled because certain officials granted the contract to the Hyderabad based company without inviting other bidders, one certainly wonders why the Times of India has written a one-sided article while heaping praise on the propulsion system supplied by the Hyderabad based company.

The railway officials rubbished all claims of an internal feud between electrical and mechanical departments.

In fact, the Times of India doesn’t just stop at that. It goes on to subtly imply that it is the Railways Chairman, VK Yadav who runs a ‘powerful lobby’ since he is an electrical engineer and Piyush Goyal wants to achieve the electrification of railways. Times of India almost makes it sound as if there is a nexus that is headed by the Chairman who was appointed in December 2018.

VK Yadav has had a long and illustrious career. He has held several important executive and managerial positions in Indian Railways, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Union Ministry of Industry, Indian Railway Construction Company Limited, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. He has also served as the Divisional Railway Manager, Lucknow Division, North Eastern Railway; Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Operation), Delhi Division, Northern Railway; Group General Manager (Electrical), Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited. He also held assignments as Programme Manager, Technology Diffusion and Support Programme and as Project Director, International Centre for Advancement of Manufacturing Technology at United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and as Director, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Industry, Government of India.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that Vande Bharat Express has been the target of misinformation. Earlier in July, The Hindu had also alleged irregularities that were then rubbished by railway officials.

Barkha Dutt gets endorsement from Pakistan yet again: Addl IGP in Pakistan uses her statement to allege human right violation in Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Barkha Dutt gets endorsement from Pakistan yet again: Addl IGP in Pakistan uses her statement to allege human right violation in Kashmir

Pakistan’s favourite Indian journalist Barkha Dutt has found praise yet again from our enemy nation. This time, an Additional IGP in Pakistan has endorsed her statement to peddle Pakistan’s agenda of claiming human rights violations in Kashmir.

Barkha had commented over a person’s tweet which said that he has not been able to speak to his family for five days due to the blockage of phone communications in the valley. Barkha had stated that the ‘information blockade’ is not humane.


Jamil Ahmed, whose Twitter bio says he is the additional IG of police of Sukkur region in Pakistan and ‘ex-chief of CIA’ in Karachi, endorsed Barkha’s tweet and used it as a confirmation of Pakistan’s propaganda over the Kashmir issue.

Ahmed claimed that he hopes ‘educated, moderate and secular’ elements in India will listen to Barkha and raise their voices against the human rights violations in ‘Indian held Kashmir’. He also stated that it is time for the civilised world to play a proactive role in this ‘grave human crisis’.

Via Twitter

Ignoring the stark irony of a Pakistani police officer speaking about human rights and ‘civilised world’, the tendency of Pakistani terrorists and their masters finding Barkha’s statements a suitable material for their propaganda peddling is something that has been strangely consistent.

Earlier, Zaid Hamid, another Islamic extremist who dreams about ‘Ghazwa e Hind’ had also used Barkha’s tweets to peddle Pakistan’s agenda.

Barkha’s fan following in Pakistan includes terrorist Hafiz Saeed and other prominent voices there whose narratives against India matches perfectly with what Barkha says. From fanning separatist voices to making terrorists into heroes, Barkha, for years, has been doing exactly what Pakistan wants.

Yesterday, NDTV had found endorsement from Pakistan too. However, after facing severe flak on social media, NDTV had attempted to cover up their mistakes by claiming that Pakistan has quoted them out of context and ‘edited together different excerpts’ which was another lie.

Barkha too was quick to declare on Twitter that she denounces this endorsement from Pakistan and asked Ahmed to ‘stay out of India’s internal conversations’.


There are a number of media portals and so-called ‘liberal’ journalists who are trying to fan an anti-India narrative over the Kashmir issue. There are journalists continuously peddling claims that human rights are being violated after the stripping of Article 370. However, these ‘liberal’ voices never bothered to point out the gross human rights violations that were being practised as a part of state policy in Jammu and Kashmir till now in the name of Article 370 and 35A.

FCRA: Here are the welcome changes in the annual returns form for foreign-funded NGOs by the MHA that deserve praise

Guest Author
-
0
FCRA: Here are the welcome changes in the annual returns form for foreign-funded NGOs by the MHA that deserve praise

Every FCRA-NGO has to submit an Annual Return to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), online before 31st December for its foreign fund receipts for the previous financial year. Until 2015, this format was called the FC6; later, with a few modifications, it was called the FC4 form. These annual returns are available online for anyone to read or download at the website of FCRA, year-wise, since 2006.

Very recently, MHA has revised the FC4 form which demands the FCRA-NGOs to provide a lot more information, not just about the ‘donations’ they received from abroad, but also how much of it they have deposited in Fixed Deposits, etc. Here, we summarize a few of the key features of this revised FC4 form.

We will do this through the means of an example. For this purpose, let us consider the FC4 return filed by the FCRA-NGO, ‘Reaching The Unreached (RTU)’, G. Kallupatti, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, for the year 2018-19 and whose FCRA registration number is: TN/075940008. [For the uninitiated, the word ‘Unreached’ means a group of people who have not heard the Gospel — the revelation of Jesus Christ].

Each FCRA-NGO was mandated (relaxed a few months ago by FCRA wing) to obtain a Unique ID from the Darpan portal of Niti Aayog. Many, out of the 24340 FCRA-NGOs currently having FCRA registration, have obtained the same. The Darpan ID is now part of the FC4 return. This means one can find more information about the NGO, its mandates, its Board of Trustees, etc., from the Darpan portal, in a relatively easier manner.

The date on which the NGO received the FCRA registration is also part of the revised FC4. In the case of Reaching The Unreached, it is 7th January 1985. An unwelcome revision is the removal of the name of the FCRA-NGO from the FC4 return. The MHA should consider including it again.

Under foreign fund receipts, a new subsection is ‘Other receipts from projects/activities’. In the case of RTU, it reports Rs. 82, 000 as its receipts from running a ‘Children’s Village’ (Authors’ Note: Running Orphanages is a standard work of several FCRA-NGOs, particularly ones which pursue Evangelism. For more knowledge on this matter, google 4/14 window).

One may wonder how this Rs. 82000 was obtained by RTU and why it is classified under ‘foreign contribution (FC)’. The reason is simple. The ‘Children’s Village’ was established by RTU in 2007-08 using foreign funds received via FCRA. All receipts accrued out of running facilities that were established with FCRA funds are classified as FC, per FCRA-2010.

RTU’s total FC in 2018-19 was Rs. 18.85 Crore, of which it received Rs. 6.04 Crore directly from abroad while Rs. 11.84 Crore was ‘brought forward’ into this year, as money lying unspent from its past receipts. These data were part of the FC4 format before its revision as well, so let us not spend too much time on these.

In the section on ‘donor-wise details of FC received’, the specific activity for which the ‘donation’ was received by the FCRA-NGO has been added. This feature used to be present in the older FC6 form, and it is a positive development that it has been revived in the revised FC4. However, in the erstwhile FC6, the NGO had to pick from a set of specific categories (which were quite obscure and unimaginative), while in the revised FC4, the NGO is asked to describe the activity by itself.

In the FC4 before revision, it was not mandatory to report ‘donations’ less than Rs. 20000. In the case of RTU, we notice several ‘donations’ which are below Rs. 20000. It is unclear if there has been a revision on this aspect or if RTU filed this information suo moto. (Authors’ note: Since the Bank account of the FCRA-NGO where the FC is received is part of core banking, and since Banks have to inform regularly the FC received in such accounts to MHA, the MHA would be aware, almost in real-time, every ‘donation’, however small, received by a FCRA-NGO. So, as far as MHA is concerned, it does not need the FC4 return of the NGO to learn of the donations. The return is more for the consumption of the public).

The next big change is in the section on ‘Details of utilization’. This section too has borrowed from the erstwhile FC6 format but is a lot more comprehensive than that. Here, the FCRA-NGO is asked to submit item-wise details of how much money was spent on which activity, where was it spent and other such details.

The biggest change is subsection c here, which presents details of the purchase of fresh movable and immovable assets. In the case of RTU, we learn that it had used FC to purchase movable assets such as DVD, Audio systems, Tractor, Water Tanker, School Bus, TV, Physio Equipment, Vehicles, and other such things. We also learn that it spent Rs. 38 lakh towards the construction of a new Boys hostel building.

In sub-section (d), the revised FC4 seeks information on recipients of FC from the FCRA-NGO to other FCRA-NGOs. (Authors’ Note: One of the idiosyncrasies of FCRA-2010 is what is called the second recipient. An FCRA-NGO receives FC from abroad and in turn distributes the same/part to other FCRA-NGOs. This is permitted). RTU has not used this feature, so it reports nothing here.

Furthermore, under Details of Unutilised FC, there is a new subsection where the FCRA-NGO is asked to provide complete details of Fixed Deposits it has. These include past fixed deposit amounts, ones newly made in the current year, any FD closed, etc. This is a very good source of information for ordinary people who wish to learn more about such NGOs.

A strange new sub-section asks for details of unutilized land and building (established with FC funds) for over two years. We cannot claim to know the purpose of this question, nor do we know of any FCRA-NGO which has provided non-null details for this sub-section.

A very significant change in the revised FC4 is that the name of the Chief Functionary of the FCRA-NGO whose digital signature uploaded in the return has to be filled in block letters. During the period 2015-2017, one had to minutely examine the signatures (which did not have the name), to figure out the person(s) running any FCRA-NGO and compare the same with the information provided (if any) on the Darpan portal for that NGO. Not any longer.

The FC4 itself carries the name of the Chief Functionary which is, by far, the best thing to have happened in the FCRA domain (even bigger than putting Compassion International on Prior Approval). For instance, RTU’s FC4 has been signed by J. Antony Paulsamy. Darpan lists RTU’s Secretary as Antony Paulsamy and Mary Ramasamy and G. Shanmugalatha as its Board Members. While data on Darpan is static, that on the FCRA will be dynamic (Authors’ Note: One has not seen it getting updated, even if functionaries change for instance, which is not surprising given that it is run by Niti Aayog, more as a vestige of its Planning Commission days). So, this makes the public better informed.

In summary, these revisions in the FC4 form are highly welcome. It will increase public limelight and hopefully, scrutiny of deviant FCRA-NGOs, since commoners will now be able to relate a publicly visible asset (say an orphanage or a school in one’s street or neighbourhood) with the FCRA-NGO readily. Thus, the FCRA Wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs must be applauded for these bold revisions.

(Note: The author has chosen to stay anonymous due to personal reasons)

Kashmir: Former Independent MLA Rashid Engineer arrested, to be questioning by NIA in terror funding case

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kashmir: Former Independent MLA Rashid Engineer arrested, to be questioning by NIA in terror funding case

In a massive crackdown on terror funding in the valley, former independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Rashid Engineer, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday in connection with a case related to the funding of terror activities in Kashmir.


Rashid Engineer was questioned in 2017 in connection with the terror funding case and was against summoned for questioning last week.

The officials have said that he could not provide any convincing answers for the questions asked and hence, custodial interrogation was a necessity. His name had cropped up during the interrogation of businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested by the NIA for allegedly supplying money to terror groups and separatists in the Valley.

The NIA had registered a case against Hurriyat and other separatists for being hands in glove with terror outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other outfits and gangs to spread unrest in the valley.

The list of the offences that have been committed by these elements is long. The FIR was filed against such elements for sending and receiving money through illegal means, including Hawala, financing terror, stone-pelting on security forces, burning down schools, disrupting peace and waging a war against India.

Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of the Jamaat-ud- Dawa, the front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been named in the FIR as an accused.

The FIR also names organisations such as the two factions of the Hurriyat, one led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the other by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, an all-women outfit of separatists.

Recently, the Editor of a Kashmir newspaper called Kashmir Reader was also questioned by the NIA. It was alleged that such journalists from the valley were helping ISI media cell.

A few days ago, NIA had attached the Srinagar property of Kashmiri separatist Asiya Andrabi as ‘proceeds of terror crime’. The property has been used for the furtherance of terrorist activities of a proscribed terrorist organisation Dukhtaran-E-Millat. Asiya Andrabi was arrested last month along with several other separatists.

Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy prevented from leaving the country pending corruption cases, claims NDTV: Read statement

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy prevented from leaving the country pending corruption cases, claims NDTV: Read statement

NDTV founders Prannoy Roy and his wife, Radhika Roy, were prevented from leaving the country on Friday, the channel claims. In a statement published on its website, the channel has called it a ‘subversion of media freedom’.

The brief statement reads, “They have been stopped from travelling abroad on the basis of a fake and wholly unsubstantiated corruption case initiated by the CBI that was filed two years ago and in which Radhika and Prannoy Roy have been fully cooperating. Today’s action is, along with events like raids on media owners, a warning to the media to fall in line – or else.”

Recently, The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) had upheld two orders of SEBI imposing a penalty of ₹2 crore on NDTV and ₹20 lakh on the company and its directors Prannoy Roy, Radhika Roy and Vikramaditya Chandra. NDTV had filed an appeal with the SAT against the SEBI order in 2018.

In 2015, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had imposed a fine of ₹2 crore on New Delhi Television for late disclosure of the fact that the company had received a tax demand of ₹450 crore from the income tax department. In 2018, SEBI had imposed an additional penalty of ₹10 on NDTV, ₹3 lakhs each of the 3 directors, and ₹3 lakh on the compliance officer Anoop Singh Juneja. Juneja was fined ₹2 lakh for violation of listing norms, and ₹1 lakh for violation disclosure practices.

Normalcy steadily returning in Jammu and Kashmir, section 144 withdrawn from Jammu municipal limits

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Normalcy steadily returning in Jammu and Kashmir, section 144 withdrawn from Jammu municipal limits

Within few days after imposing restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of revoking Article 370 and Article 35A and bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into Union Territories (UT) of J&K and Ladakh, normalcy seems to slowly be returning to the valley.

Jammu district Deputy Magistrate Sushma Chauhan in a statement said that Section 144 (against a gathering of more than 4 people) has been withdrawn from Jammu municipal limits. All school and colleges are set to open from tomorrow (August 10).


Meanwhile, Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Muneer Khan said, “In Jammu, the situation is normal. In Kashmir, the situation is under control. All steps necessary to maintain law and order will be taken.”


The section 144 was already relaxed in Udhampur district where schools opened today after remaining closed for 5 days. The market is also opening from 11AM to 5PM, and the administration has informed that section 144 will be lifted gradually.

The people in the valley who were confined indoors in the last few days are now slowly moving out of their houses and happily interacting with each other. Residents dwelling there have welcomed the audacious decision of the Narendra Modi government, which will transform the future of Jammu and Kashmir.

Since the historic decision was made, certain political parties, media, and intelligentsia tried to hijack the agenda by scare-mongering. This cabal tried to incite the people of J&K making them believe that abrogation of Article 370 was against their rights and goodwill.

While the left-leaning liberal industry was expecting this move to backfire, Kashmiris seem to have ruined their plans by staying calm and maintaining law and order. Contrary to their narrative, the people of J&K have embraced the abrogation with warmth and have treated the bifurcation as a gateway to peace, progress, and opportunities.

The long delayed Vistadome trains in Kashmir finally to start operations after abrogation of Article 370?

OpIndia Staff
-
0
The long delayed Vistadome trains in Kashmir finally to start operations after abrogation of Article 370?

The 5th of August marked a tectonic shift in the nation’s history. After 7 decades of Jammu & Kashmir having a separate constitution for itself, the former state which is now a Union Territory has been finally integrated fully with the Indian Union.

With Articles 370 and 35A now abrogated, circumstances in the valley are expected to improve after a period of turbulence in the short-run. It is also expected that the Valley will be opened up for investment and business opportunities. The tourism industry, too, is expected to receive a significant boost.

One of the proposed ventures of the Railways Ministry to help boost tourism in the Valley that has been held up thus far due to terrorism and violence is the Vistadome train. Union Minister for Railways, Piyush Goyal, had announced in 2018 that Vistadome trains will run in Kashmir which will enable passengers to experience the scenic beautify of the region while travelling.

However, the train has been parked at Badgam railway station since last year. Even after the trial was completed, the train couldn’t be opened for the public. The reason was that due to violence in the valley, it was feared by local authorities and the railways’ administration that the train could be susceptible to attacks by stone-pelters which could threaten the passengers’ safety.

Recently, the train was given a green signal for service. Thus, it appears extremely probable that the proposed Vistadome train will finally be available for tourists to enjoy. Vistadome trains have glass ceilings that are made of glass and the windows are significantly larger as well so as to enhance the passengers’ visual experience.


The train is supposed to run from Banihal to Baramulla through Anantnag, Srinagar, and Badgam.


Due to violence in the valley, train services had to be stopped partially 60 times and on 30 occasions, services had to be stopped completely. With things expected to return to normalcy soon, tourists may finally get to experience the travel on a Vistadome train which promises to be enthralling.

Jammu and Kashmir: Schools in Udhampur district reopen after five days, markets open for six hours a day

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jammu and Kashmir: Schools in Udhampur district reopen after five days, markets open for six hours a day

Days after Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was put in a shutdown mode ahead of abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A along with bifurcation of the state, schools reopened in Udhampur on Friday, as the section 144 imposed in the state is being gradually relaxed in the district by the district administration.

According to a report, Deputy Commissioner Piyush Singla in conversation with ANI stated that section 144 was still imposed in the district with exceptions in some areas. “The administration will monitor the vulnerable areas very closely. Section 144 will be withdrawn gradually after analyzing the situation here. The security plan is in place,” he added.

In the run-up to the government of India’s (GoI) decision to abrogate Article 370 granting separate status to J&K, the government had pre-emptively imposed Section 144 in the state Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) prohibits the assembly of more than 4 people in an area.

Singla lauded the cooperation of the local residents in keeping the law and order situation under check, due to which the markets were open between 11 am 5 pm in the area. He informed that while district administration had ordered the reopening of the school, the colleges would continue to remain shut. He reassured the students by stating that teachers are also on the way and they should not worry.

Neelu Sharma, Principal of Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School in Udhampur said, “As per order of Chief Education Officer and district administration, the school was reopened almost after five days. As section 144 was imposed, several roads were blocked by the security forces. Despite having troubles reaching, almost all our staff members are present here.”

The students echoed her sentiments by expressing their joy at the reopening of the schools.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mudL_xpjqE]

The union government is trading with caution after abrogating Article 370. Thought schools have reopened, holding public rallies or meetings will not be allowed until further orders regarding the same are issued. During this period, identity cards of essential services officials would serve as movement passes.


Meanwhile, in a major relief to the residents across Jammu, Samba and Kathua, section 144 would be lifted from Jammu while schools and colleges would reopen tomorrow.

Read why a non-bailable warrant has been issued against MP CM Kamal Nath’s nephew Ratul Puri

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Read why a non-bailable warrant has been issued against MP CM Kamal Nath’s nephew Ratul Puri

CBI court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s nephew Ratul Puri in AgustaWestland case. According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Puri has been untraceable and has not joined the investigation after the cancellation of the anticipatory bail application.


The law enforcement agency had moved Delhi Court on Wednesday, seeking the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against Puri in connection with the money laundering case related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam. ED while seeking a non-bailable arrest warrant against Hindustan Power Projects Pvt. Ltd (HEPCL) chairman, told Special Judge Arvind Kumar that Puri was ‘non-cooperative’ and ‘untraceable.’ In its application, the ED mentioned that Puri who was directed to join the investigation on Tuesday had failed to turn up before the agency.

A few days ago, the nephew of Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath had disappeared from ED office when he was being questioned in connection with the Agusta Westland chopper scandal. According to reports, Puri escaped from the Enforcement Directorate office in Delhi using the excuse of going to the bathroom.

Although Puri has been maintaining that he has no relation with the chopper deal and the scam involved with it, ED had confronted him with evidence that they have collected recently. He is suspected of receiving kickbacks from the UPA era chopper deal, which was cancelled by the UPA government soon after the details of the scam emerged. The Income Tax department had also raided his home recently and recovered several documents. Rajiv Saxena, who has turned approver in the case, revealed about Puri’s link with the deal.

The probe agencies say that Puri’s bank accounts were used to divert the kickback money in the deal.

Supreme Court unit of Congress legal department endorses abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, and bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Supreme Court unit of Congress legal department endorses abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, and bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir

The dissent in the Congress party seems to be growing against the party’s stand on the Modi government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and 35A and to split Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. After several senior leaders supported the government going against the party position, now the Supreme Court unit of the Legal, Human Rights and RTI department of AICC has come out in support of the government.

A press note issued by the unit says that after a meeting held today, they have decided to fully endorse and support the decision to create Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh union territories by bifurcating the state. The note says that they are supporting this in the national interest.


The SC unit of AICC legal cell says that they support the stand of senior Congress leader Dr Karan Singh and fails the revocation of Article 35A which had discriminated against Kashmiri women. The committee also welcomes the possibility of delamination as it will ensure fair division of political power between Jammu and Kashmir.

The removal Article 35A gives voting rights in state and local body elections to the West Pakistani refugees who migrated during the partition, and reservation to Scheduled Tribes and economically weaker section which will be available like rest of the country. The Committee says that this is a long-awaited move.

The Committee also endorsed the abrogation of Article 370, as it was a temporary and transitional provision in the constitution and was never meant to be permanent. The legal unit of All India Congress Committee has directly contradicted senior Congress leaders like Manish Tewari, who had claimed in parliament that Article 370 was meant to be permanent.

The statement signed by the Anoop George Chaudhury, the chairman of the committee, concludes with saying that the steps taken by the Modi government have ensured complete integration of Kashmir with India.

1...6,0966,0976,098...7,572Page 6,097 of 7,572