Three AIIMS doctors killed in accident on Yamuna Expressway near Mathura

AGRA: Two people were killed in a road accident on Yamuna Expressway early on Tuesday morning. The victims Dharmendar Singh and Vijendar residents of Lukhriya village in Kannauj district worked as drivers of an ambulance owned by a private hospital. They were heading to Noida from Agra when their vehicle hit the rear of a trailer truck carrying a defunct electric pole. According to officials the accident took place around 5.30 am near milestone number 75 at Palkheda village http://programmermeetdesigner.com/user/profile/kkdigital/ under Naujheel police jurisdiction in Mathura district. Station in-charge of Naujheel Durgesh Kumar said It seems that Dharmendar who was driving the ambulance fell asleep and the speeding vehicle rammed into the truck. The victims were rushed to a nearby hospital but doctors there declared them brought dead. The bodies have been sent for postmortem and will be handed over to their families Kumar added. Police said that at the time of the accident the truck was being driven in the third lane. The impact of the accident was such that the front of the ambulance was torn apart. The rescuers took 20 minutes to pull out the two victims.
GREATER NOIDA: Commuters breaking the speed limit along the 165km-long stretch of Yamuna expressway will no longer get away scot-free. The concessionaire of the expressway has been directed by Yeida to integrate a traffic violation challan system which will issue a traffic violation detail included in the toll fee slip. In case a commuter violates a traffic rule the violation slip will be handed over to her/him at the next toll plaza before he exits the expressway. The expressway sees nearly 4 500 violations daily. Most of these challans remain pending as the traffic police are unable to get them received by the offender. According to officials about 4 lakh challans are pending till date and are yet to be served to errant motorists. The latest move comes following a meeting convened by Yeida CEO Arun Vir Singh SP (traffic) AK Jha and concessionaire of expressway Jaypee group on Wednesday. According to Yeida officials the system will be implemented with effect from March 10 2018. We have directed the concessionaire to have the system in place by the stipulated time Singh told TOI. The aim is to enforce traffic norms and deter commuters from speeding. Inability to serve the challans has led to a lack of enforcement by the traffic police he explained. The aim is to deter speeding by motorists and thereby to lessen the accidents on the high-speed stretch he added. Officials of the concessionaire said they will comply with the directions of YEIDA. We hope motorists will comply with the traffic norms and drive according to speed limits an official said. We see daily violations of speed limits totalling about 4 500. Details of these are shared with respective state RTOs every day. We hope the new integrated system will help us in further deterring speeding he added.
GREATER NOIDA: Nearly three weeks after the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) issued notices to eight builders for allegedly diverting Rs 840 crore meant for completing housing units in its area the authority has ordered action against at least two builders. While one of the builders has been directed not to sell any http://www.divephotoguide.com/user/d4int/ more units in its project another builder s temporary completion certificate has been cancelled. Both builders together have alleged to have diverted funds to the tune of Rs 355 crore. The move follows audit of accounts of 28 builder projects involving nearly 13 000 flats and plots in YEIDA. YEIDA chairman Prabhat Kumar who is also the divisional commissioner on Monday said they would soon issue a notice for cancellation of the project by SDS Infracon Pvt Ltd in Sector 26A of YEIDA. We had given the builder six months to complete the project after taking nod from the YEIDA board which has not been done said Arun Vir Singh CEO YEIDA. Both builders could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Disillusioned, divided cadre behind BJP bypoll loss

NEW DELHI: Though BJP leaders tried to play down the defeat in Gorakhpur and Phulpur bypolls many accept that it has come as a huge embarrassment and the reason for the loss is not just the SP-BSP tie-up but a host of factors including intraparty equations that have led to this outcome. The Brahmin-Thakur rivalry in the Gorakhpur region unit of BJP is said to be a big reason for the party not fighting the bypoll unitedly. While the candidate Upendra Shukla was chosen by the central leadership the onus of ensuring his victory was on both Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the other faction. The CM held almost two dozen rallies in the constituency but the party cadre did not participate actively in these campaigns. Sources said since BJP chief Amit Shah and his core team were not involved in the campaign the workers at the state and the constituency levels took it easy. Over confidence and complacency seem to have played a key role in the defeat. The low turnout in both the constituencies was the first indication for BJP leaders that it has done badly in the elections. The party has done badly even in the urban assembly segments which are a stronghold of the BJP. The BJP workers had high expectations but are now getting somewhat disillusioned as the ministers in the UP government are not accessible and their grievances are not addressed a party office bearer said. Though Yogi Adityanath has announced several sops for his Lok Sabha constituency over the last one year his failure to ensure victory on his turf has been a bigger embarrassment for him. He accepted that local factors were responsible for the disappointing outcome which has been read by the party as an indication of the party office-bearers working at cross https://able2know.org/user/kkarf/ purpose during the campaign. The party is now concerned about cadre disenchantment costing it dear in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The SP-BSP tie-up (with Congress also likely to join in) would mean consolidation of around 45-50% of the votes. In a threecornered contest a candidate needs only around 30%votes to win. With the opposition having drawn lessons from the 2014 elections it is unlikely that it will play into the hands of the BJP. It would suit the opposition to take the elections to the caste equation and not let BJP polarise it. BJP will have to take the outcome seriously and not dismiss it as a mere defeat in a bypoll that would have no bearing on the Lok Sabha seats in UP.
Mumbai: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party s tally may drop by 100-110 seats in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019 if the current trends and the results of the recent bypolls are an indicator its ally Shiv Sena said in a gloomy prediction on Friday. The twin wins by the Samajwadi Party in BJP bastions like Gorakhpur and Phulpur has created panic in the BJP camp even as they were busy celebrating the party s victory in a small state like Tripura last week the Sena said in a tough edit in the party mouthpieces Saamana (Marathi) and Dopahar Ka Saamana (Hindi).Though the BJP claims that by-elections do not reflect the mood of the country ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over the party has lost nearly nine seats in Lok Sabha by-polls slashing its tally from 282 to around 272 - the half-way mark in the 543-strong Lower House the editorial said. It was barely a year ago that the BJP won the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls creating a record by winning 325 seats. The saffron-clad Yogi Adityanath who has never lost the Gorakhpur seat since 1991 became the state Chief Minister. So despite the huge popularity they enjoyed why was their citadel shattered the Sena wondered.It could be said that in 2014 there was a huge wave of popularity and water had blocked the eyes and ears of the masses leading to BJP s victory but now the wave has receded and people can see everything clearly the edit said.The BJP is now blaming poor voter turnout lack of enthusiasm or a deal between the Samajwadi Party with Bahujan Samaj Party for its rout in the two critical seats in Uttar Pradesh. Since 2014 how many deals has the BJP entered into for power... What about Naresh Agrawal who was inducted in BJP with such fanfare? In Tripura the BJP could win only after the entire Congress and Trinamool Congress merged with it the Sena pointed out.Referring to the polls the Sena said the SP candidates secured big margins in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur indicating that the people went out of the way to defeat the BJP in both seats which were won with huge margins of two-three lakh votes in 2014.On the winning spree of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar s Jehanabad and Araria the Sena said some BJP leaders were living in a fool s paradise as they attributed it to a sympathy wave for the jailed RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav. Comments Lalu is in jail for corruption... and that could be a politics of vendetta. Despite that if he can get sympathy then it s a big blow to both Nitish Kumar and Modi... The outcome has thrown down the BJP from the sky to the ground the Sena said. Amidst all this it is clear now that in 2019 the BJP s numbers will not be 280 but it will plummet by at least 100-110 seats. The elections are not being fought in Russia America Canada France or Israel but in India. So they (BJP) should keep their feet on the ground here the Sena warned.
ALSO READ We ve waited enough: AP IT minister on alliance with BJP Andhra Congress approaches CEC against BJP TDP TDP decides to pull out of Narendra Modi government Even partial opposition unity enough to beat BJP: Sharad BJP stages walkout from K taka assembly over CM s remarks span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday asserted that the party was ready to do more than just give special status to Andhra Pradesh.The BJP s statement comes a day after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu pulled out Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the NDA alliance. We will explain to the people of Andhra Pradesh the things that we have done for them in last four years and things we will do. We are ready to do more than the special status BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav told reporters. We will pass a resolution in which we will explain to the people of Andhra Pradesh our stand on the issue raised by Andhra chief minister. We are as much committed to the people as him. We have done so much in the last four years Madhav added.On being questioned if TDP would come back to the NDA Madhav stated that You will have to ask that to the Telugu Desam Party. Madhav was speaking to media here after the meeting of Andhra leaders with BJP president Amit Shah.The meeting was held a day after TDP quit the alliance and initiated a motion of no-confidence against the NDA-led government in the Parliament.The tensions between the two parties have been brewing over non-issuance of the special category status to the state.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday said the Centre was committed on giving Andhra Pradesh a special package equivalent to a special category state and that it had been endlessly waiting for the state government to revert on a mechanism of receiving it.(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW DELHI: The victory of regional parties in the recent bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar has rung alarm bells for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However it isn t a very good news for the Congress either. Though the party cheered the defeat of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) hopeful of the NDA slowly losing ground before the next Lok Sabha elections the results bring little for it to celebrate. The surprise sweep by the alliance between Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Gorakhpur and Phulpur bypolls no doubt indicates viability of a joint front of opposition parties against the NDA. The Congress has already been trying to cobble up such a front. A day before the results United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi hosted leaders of 20 opposition parties to mull over a joint front against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections next year. But the dismal showing by the Congress and resurgence of regional parties in these elections will increase bargaining power of these parties in a joint front. The revival of regional parties means the Congress will lose its predominant position in the opposition space. The results will boost confidence of the SP BSP and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). These parties will set their own terms for the joint front. The Congress has projected its president Rahul Gandhi as an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with some success. Rahul emerged as a serious challenger in the Gujarat assembly elections in which the BJP saw erosion of its voter base. The Congress would want other opposition leaders to defer to Rahul in a joint alliance. However encouraged by the bypoll results Akhilesh Yadav Mayawati and Tejaswi Yadav may not allow projection of Rahul as the prime-ministerial candidate. Nor will an ambitious Mamata Banerjee like that prospect. The Gujarat elections had boosted Rahul s image and he was expected to be a dominant leader of an opposition alliance. With the resurgence of regional parties Rahul may get reduced to being just one of the many opposition leaders in a joint front against NDA. Telangana Rashtra Samithi head K Chandrashekhar Rao and Mamata Banerjee have even talked about a non-Congress front of opposition parties against the NDA indicating that these leaders do not want to play a second fiddle to the Congress. Even if the Congress is able to cobble up an opposition alliance it can no longer expect to be the chief arbiter. Assertive regional parties will not just set the terms of a joint front with the Congress but will also have more bargaining power for seat-sharing arrangements with it. If the opposition front defeats the ruling NDA in the next Lok Sabha elections and the Congress wins fewer seats than main opposition parties such as the BSP SP or Trinamool Congress Rahul Gandhi s dream of becoming the prime minister might get deferred indefinitely. That prize can go to the largest opposition party. The victory of SP-BSP alliance and the RJD has come just when Rahul s projection as the main opposition leader was steadily growing through his public speeches and statements on social media. That exercise boosted by the Congress performance in the Gujarat elections may now run out of steam.
The BJP is pulling out all the stops to deny Mayawati s Bahujan Samaj Party a seat in the Rajya Sabha turning the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh into a big political battle reminiscent of the Rajya Sabha election of Congress leader Ahmed Patel from Gujarat last year. With 324 MLAs of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and 37 needed to win one seat the party can secure eight Rajya Sabha seats from the state with 28 votes to spare. However UP BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi said the BJP is extremely determined to win the ninth Rajya Sabha seat . UP BJP spokesman Chandra Mohan said MLAs across party lines will vote for development and considering people s mood for BJP. The BJP s strategy involves bringing all three independent MLAs on its side including Raja Bhaiyya (a known adversary of Mayawati) and Amanmani Tripathi opening talks with Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav and his loyal MLAs to ensure they don t vote for the BSP and getting an MLA of the NISHAD party and one of Rashtriya Lok Dal parties which backed SP or BSP during the recent bypolls on its side as well. All three independents Shivpal Yadav some SP MLAs and the NISHAD MLA had voted for the BJP during last year s presidential polls. Instead of 324 votes of the NDA MLAs Ram Nath Kovind had got 335 votes due to the cross-voting. The same is expected to be the case in the ninth seat of the Rajya Sabha polls too a senior BJP functionary in the state told ET on condition of anonymity. He said this strategy is expected to ensure that the BSP candidate Bhimrao Ambedkar will stop short of getting 37 MLA votes that would guarantee him a Rajya Sabha seat. He is presently at 36 MLA votes after the son of Naresh Agarwal an SP MLA yesterday (Monday) decided to vote for our candidate. The count will go down further as voting day nears. Second preference votes will then come into the picture and our candidate will sail through the senior BJP functionary said. SP can get its candidate Jaya Bachchan elected with 37 out of its 47 MLAs and shift 10 of its votes to the BSP which has 19 MLAs. The Congress has also pledged support of its seven MLAs to the BSP. That will take the BSP tally to 36 votes and it is expected to get the vote of the RLD MLA as well to sail through with a figure of 37. But on Monday SP leader Naresh Agarwal joined the BJP and his son an SP MLA declared he would vote for the BJP bringing down the BSP figure to 36. Vijay Mishra the Nishad MLA will vote for BJP so will the three independents. The RLD MLA from Chaprauli may also shift to the BJP camp a BJP leader said. Tripathi said that the SP MLAs of the Shivpal Yadav camp might also vote for the BJP. BSP votes did not get transferred to the SP during the bypolls and the results will show that on March 14. SP MLAs enthusiasm to vote for the BSP will hence wane while voting for Rajya Sabha seats. SP would also like to keep some spare votes for its candidate Jaya Bachchan and not transfer all its nine spare MLA votes to the BSP he said.
In a blow to the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Naresh Agarwal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Agarwal addressed a press conference on Monday along with Union minister Piyush Goyal and announced his entry into the BJP. Agarwal in his address to media persons said he is influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. India is on the path to development under Narendra Modi he added. His son Nitin has also joined the BJP. File image of Naresh Agarwal. PTI Speaking about the SP Agarwal said that the party has lost its way in recent times. He also added I have no preconditions for joining the BJP. Please do not say that I am joining the party as I am hopeful of a Rajya Sabha seat or something of that nature. Piyush Goyal said that under the chief ministership of Yogi Adityanath Uttar Pradesh has seen a new era of development. The BJP has emerged as the only alternative for the people and the party is changing the face of the country. I held discussions with Agarwal about his joining the BJP and so did (party president) Amit Shah. Last week the SP named Jaya Bachchan as its Rajya Sabha nominee overlooking Agarwal according to a report in Financial Express. In January 2017 Agarwal refuted reports of his joining the BJP alleging that the party was spreading rumours due to its fear of losing voters among traders as per a PTI report carried by Economic Times Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections Agarwal in a controversial dig at Narendra Modi said that someone who had worked at a tea shop can never have a national perspective The Times of India reported.
NEW DELHI: The stellar performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent state elections in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya is a landmark for a party which had little traction in the region except in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The party never had any significant connect with the masses and was seen as an outsider. What changed the situation? BJP president Amit Shah in his first press conference after the results credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi s Act East policy for the upsurge in fortunes. Modi s Act East policy included a big push for road and railway infrastructure and various steps to boost the regional economy. While most of the infrastructural projects are at various stages of completion Modi s northeast agenda created a rhetoric of inclusiveness that helped bring the masses closer to the BJP. Below are a few important initiatives by the Modi government that may have made the BJP acceptable to the northeast voters: The railways push Before a metre-gauge line started in 2008 Tripura didn t have any railway link with the rest of the country. The Modi government converted it into broad gauge. All over the region the government has converted 900 km of tracks to broad gauge. It also launched a Rajdhani Express and the Tripura Sundari Express between Agartala and Delhi. In 2016 then railways minister Suresh Prabhu laid the foundation stone for the Rs 2 315 crore 88-km Dhansiri-Kohima railway track connecting Kohima to the national railway network. The government also began railway projects to connect Imphal Aizawl and Shillong. It has introduced more than two dozen new trains in the region. It also signed a deal with Bangladesh to develop a rail link between Tripura and Chittagong which would speed up flow of products especially grains to the region. Roads and highways Modi has branded his policy to build infrastructure in northeast as Transformation by Transportation . Lack of connectivity has been a major roadblock in the economic progress on the region. Modi s promise of connectivity resonates with the masses. More than 3 800 km of national highways with an investment of Rs. 32 000 crore have been sanctioned in the region in the past three years while nearly 1 200 km of roads have been constructed according to the government. In a public announcement in December last year Modi said the centre would invest another Rs. 60 000 crore under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in the northeast and Rs. 30 000 crore under the Bharatmala project over three years. Modi also dedicated to the nation a 271-km two-lane national highway connecting Tura in western Meghalaya to the state capital Shillong last year. Air connectivity The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has allocated Rs 3 400 crore for the upgradation of airports in the North East region. According to the government projects worth Rs 934 crore have already been completed while the rest would be over in the next two or three years. The aviation projects in the northeast include re-carpeting of the runway at Silchar and Lilabari airport and an aviation manpower training institute; development of Rupsi airport; a new integrated airport and an engineering workshop at Agartala; expansion and revamp of existing terminal building and runway at Dimapur; installation of an instrument landing system (ILS) at the Shillong airport; and operationalisation and development of the Tura airport. Other projects and policies Last year Modi dedicated the 60-MW Tuirial hydropower power project which made Mizoram the third power-surplus state in the northeast to Sikkim and Tripura. The project is expected to produce 251 million units of electricity annually. Announced in 1998 by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government it was the first major central government project to be successfully commissioned in Mizoram. Recently the government decided to fully fund various Central projects being implemented in the northeast instead of the previous practice of sharing 90 per cent of the cost. The Modi government has also made the 1360-km long India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway which is to be completed in 2020 a centerpiece of its Act East policy. Opening the northeast to the ASEAN countries the highway will boost the regional economy. In Budget 2018-19 the government re-classified bamboo from tree to grass which would enable easier cultivation for commercial purposes. Bamboo is central to the rural economy of the northeast. Its classification as tree meant various restrictions on its produce transport and sale.
.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ East turns Right? 10 takeaways of Tripura Meghalaya Nagaland poll results Poll Results LIVE: Hung Assembly in Meghalaya Cong single largest party Meghalaya saves Congress the blushes party may now try political courtship Northeast Assembly election results 2018: BJP read the tea leaves right span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday expanded its footprint further in India s ethnically and religiously diverse Northeast by ousting the Left Front government in Tripura and was on its way to forming a coalition government in Nagaland. But Meghalaya threw up a hung Assembly with the incumbent Congress emerging as the single-largest party. With the BJP s improved performance in the Northeast it now runs governments in Manipur and Assam as well the Narendra Modi government will now need to face the challenge of delivering on the contentious Naga Accord. In Nagaland the BJP had contested the polls with the Neiphiu Rio-led Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). On its own the BJP won a creditable 11 seats and 14.6 per cent if the votes. With its ally NDPP winning 15 seats the alliance fell short of the halfway mark. However Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said his party would form a coalition government with the Naga Peoples Front which won 27 seats four short of a majority in the 60-member Assembly. In Meghalaya the incumbent Congress won 21 seats. The National People s Party a BJP ally won 19 and the BJP won 2. The BJP improved its vote share to 9.6 per cent. However Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel landed in Shillong to reach out to smaller parties to explore the possibility of forming the government and prevent a repeat of Goa and Manipur where the party had emerged the single-largest party but was beaten by a fleet-footed BJP in government formation. Until 2016 the BJP never had a government in any of the northeastern states. Efficient election management and electoral tie-ups made the BJP win the Assam Assembly polls in 2016. By the end of that year behind-the-scenes work helped it form the government in Arunachal Pradesh. While the Congress emerged the single-largest party in Manipur in the 2017 Assembly polls the BJP had reached out to smaller parties to form the government in that state. As the results trickled in on Saturday the Tripura verdict brought much cheer to the BJP leadership. It had defeated its ideological enemy the CPI (M) which has won elections successively in the state since 1993. The Congress vote share collapsed from 36.53 per cent in 2013 to 1.8 per cent. The alliance of the BJP and Indigenous People s Front of Tripura (IPFT) was on course to win 43 of the 60 seats. The BJP along with its allies will now have governments in 21 states. But a jubilant party chief Amit Shah said the BJP s golden era would be when its wrested West Bengal http://www.threadsmagazine.com/profile/d4ints Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties. The Karnataka Assembly polls are scheduled for April-May. Aware that the BJP and its ally the National People s Party might struggle to cobble a coalition Shah ruled out the possibility of his party engaging in horse-trading in Meghalaya. Where is the question of tod-phod (horse-trading). The Congress does not have a majority there he said. Shah said the wins were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi s leadership. Assam minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma said Tripura s outgoing chief minister Manik Sarkar could take shelter in West Bengal Kerala or neighbouring Bangladesh. In a statement the CPI (M) said the BJP utilised massive deployment of money and other resources to influence the elections . It said the BJP was able to consolidate all the anti-Left votes and virtually appropriated the erstwhile main opposition party the Congress. The CPI (M) politburo thanked the 45 per cent of Tripura voters who voted for the Left parties. The defeat for the CPI (M) comes at a time of an internal battle between former party chief Prakash Karat and current chief Sitaram Yechury. The party conclave in Hyderabad in the later part of April is set to discuss the party s attitude towards electoral understandings with other secular democratic parties for the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP s wins in the Northeast tie well with its plans to compensate any losses it might suffer in northern India by winning seats in some of its electorally weaker areas.

Central Bureau of Investigation raids continue

.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ INX Media case: CBI detains Karti Chidambaram for manipulating tax probe INX Media case: Karti Chidambaram arrested by CBI in Chennai say reports Aircel-Maxis INX Media cases: ED raiding Karti s kin in Chennai Kolkata INX Media case: Two of India s former regulators may come under CBI lens span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Delhi s Patiala House Court on Wednesday sent Karti Chidambaram to one-day police custody after Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed his custodial interrogation was needed to unearth the conspiracy on the basis of confessional statements of INX Media Limited directors Peter and Indrani Mukerjea. The Mukerjeas alleged that they paid 700 000 to Karti on the instructions of his father former Finance Minister P Chidambaram https://app.hiive.co.uk/profile/4ff698e1-3e28-43e1-9d2d-ca00fbd05308/ as quid pro quo for an FIPB clearance officials said. The statements of the Mukerjeas were recorded by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing the money laundering angle in the case while the CBI had only recorded Indrani s statement before a magistrate as per section 164 of the CrPC they said. Earlier in the day CBI sought a 15-day judicial custody after producing Karti before Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand. His father former Finance Minister P Chidambaram was not available for comments. However he had earlier denied the involvement of his son in any case. Senior Congress leader and advocate Abhishekh Manu Singhvi who is representing Karti in court on Wednesday raised question over his sudden arrest at a time when the Centre is facing flak over the PNB scam involving businessman Nirav Modi. Karti was detained at the Chennai Airport on Wednesday and after the necessary formalities were completed he was put on a domestic flight to the national capital. The case relates to the approval given by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for the receipt of funds by INX Media which took place while Karti s father P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister. CBI has alleged that the Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema) was violated. The Chidambarams however have denied all charges made against them. The Congress has called Karti s arrest a vendetta and a diversionary tactic . The BJP for its part has said that this is the law. Here are the top 10 developments around Karti Chidambaram and the INX Media case: 1) CBI gets one-day custody: Karti Chidambaram arrested in connection with the INX Media case was on Wednesday sent to one-day CBI custody by a Delhi court after the agency claimed his custodial interrogation was needed to unearth the conspiracy over alleged payment of 1 million bribe to him by the media company through foreign entities. Karti was arrested on the basis of confessional statements of INX Media Limited directors Peter and Indrani Mukerjea alleging that they paid 700 000 to him on the instructions of his father P ChidaChidambaramquid pro quo for a FIPB clearance officials said. The statements of the Mukerjeas were recorded by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing the money laundering angle in the case while the CBI had only recorded Indrani s statement before a magistrate as per section 164 of the CrPC they said. In the statement under this section which is like a confessional statement before a judicial magistrate Indrani has stated that she and her husband Peter Mukerjea had acceded to Karti s demand of one million dollars for allegedly fixing the violations done in the FIPB clearance. Indrani they said had confirmed in her statement to the CBI and ED that a payment of 700 000 was made to the bank accounts of overseas firms linked to Karti. During the proceedings CBI prosecutor V K Sharma told the court that Indrani s statement under section 164 CrPC was recorded before a magistrate on February 17 in which she told the magistrate that in a meeting at a five-star hotel here she and Peter met Karti and he demanded 1 million. The money was later paid by Peter on behalf of INX Media through off-shore entities and it is being investigated the CBI claimed adding this was done to fix the violations done in FIPB clearance . The prosecutor said Karti was needed to be quizzed to unearth the total conspiracy and claimed he was not cooperating in the probe and was repeatedly travelling abroad which confirmed apprehensions that he will flee from India. #INXMediaCase : Delhi s Patiala House Court sends #KartiChidambaram to 1 day police custody pic.twitter.com/7gXx3Gmgwu ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 The CBI earlier in remand application on Wednesday asked for 15-day custody of Karti Chidambaram. INX Media case: CBI in remand application seeks 15-days custody of #KartiChidambaram ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 INX Media case: Earlier Indrani Mukherjea gave statement to CBI that #KartiChidambaram asked for 1 Million dollars for FIPB clearance and on this ground CBI seeks custody of Karti. ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 2) Karti Chidambaram produced before Patiala House Court: Karti Chidambaram on Wednesday was produced before Delhi s Patiala House Court after being flown to the capital from Chennai where the CBI had arrested him. Karti was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand who allowed the request of his lawyers to have an interaction with the accused inside the court room. The court allowed Karti and his lawyers to interact for 10 minutes after which the proceedings resumed. Karti Chidambaram being taken to Delhi s Patiala House Court he was taken into custody by CBI earlier today in connection with the INX media case. pic.twitter.com/tOOwNVX8mh ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 3) Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi to represent Karti: Congress leader and senior advocate appeared for Karti Chidambaram. Singhvi on Wednesday raised question over the sudden arrest of the former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram s son Karti Chidambaram. Singhvi who represented Karti in court in the INX media case pointed out that his arrest has come at a time when the Centre is facing flak over the PNB scam involving businessman Nirav Modi. According to ANI Singhvi said the arrest is motivated and there hasn t been given a single summon in past 6 months. Abhishek Manu Singhvi tells Court that it is most bizarre case against #KartiChidambaram by CBI. The arrest is motivated. He hasn t been given a single summon in last 6 months & allegations made by CBI that he is not cooperating when no summon has been issued after August 2017. ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 Sitting in CBI designated court room 4 at patiala Hs since 2 pm 2oppose Karti C remand but CBI not produced him yet. Hope they r not waiting for a late evening hearing. Why the delay? They landed frm chennai at 120 pm. No cause for this xcept to go to duty magis post 430 pm. Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) February 28 2018 4) P Chidambaram s premonition of Karti s arrest: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram appeared to have a premonition of the arrest of his son Karti when he filed a petition recently in the Supreme Court apprehending continued harassment to him and his family members. Chidambaram who has been closely monitoring the case of his son in the Supreme Court which is argued by his party colleague and senior advocate Kapil Sibal had sprung a surprise last week by filing a petition on his own accusing the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of carrying out a political vendetta against him and his family. In his petition Chidambaram has sought the apex court s direction prohibiting the CBI and ED from continuing their illegal investigations and from acting in any manner causing repeated harassment to him and his family members including his son. 5)Karti s CA moves bail plea: Karti Chidambaram s chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman arrested in the INX Media money laundering case has moved a plea seeking bail before a Delhi court which is likely to hear it on Thursday. The application filed by Bhaskararaman who is presently in judicial custody was filed before Special Judge Sunil Rana seeking bail on the ground that he was not required for custodial interrogation and no purpose would be served by keeping him in custody. The CA was sent to jail on February 26 on expiry of his custodial interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which had arrested him on February 16 from a five-star hotel in the heart of the national capital. 6) CBI to use Indrani Mukerjea s confession: CBI sources told news agencies that the probe agency will inform the court about Indrani Mukerjea s alleged confession that in 2007 the Mukerjea couple took help of Chess Management Service once their application for FIPB clearance of Rs 3.05 billion (Rs 305 crore) was rejected. The sources added that the FIPB allowed only Rs 50 million (Rs 5 crore) clearance. The CBI sources added that once Chess Management was hired and rules were made for Karti s services . Further Karti s management company was paid Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakh). This according to the sources would be the focus of the remand application. CBI will inform Court about Indrani Mukerjea s alleged confession that in 07 the couple took help of Chess Management Service once their application for FIPB clearance of Rs 305Cr was rejected. FIPB allowed only Rs 5 Cr clearance : CBI Sources #KartiChidambram ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 Once Chess Management was hired rules were made for his services Karti management company was paid Rs 10 lakh. This will be the focus of remand application: CBI Sources ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 7) BJP says this is law not a vendetta: Reacting to Karti Chidambaram being taken into CBI custody BJP s Sambit Patra said this was about the law and not vendetta. I believe no one should consider oneself above the law of country. If corrupt are being jailed and law is taking its own course I see no reason why any political party should cry vendetta Patra said. I believe no one should consider oneself above the law of country. If corrupt are being jailed & law is taking its own course I see no reason why any political party should cry vendetta. This is law not vendetta: Sambit Patra BJP on Karti Chidambaram being taken into CBI custody pic.twitter.com/eJkeDo30Kq ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 8) Congress won t be deterred : Reacting to Karti Chidambaram being taken into custody by the CBI Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said the party would not be deterred by unleashing of a vendetta against P Chidambaram and his family. We will continue to bring out the truth Surjewala added. Congress will not be deterred by unleashing of vendetta against P. Chidambaram & his family we will continue to bring out the truth: Randeep Surjewala Congress on Karti Chidambaram being taken in custody by CBI pic.twitter.com/59EwyQdLHU ANI (@ANI) February 28 2018 Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan said while the CBI might have evidence against Karti there was no justification to arrest him during investigation without a chargesheet being filed as there was no danger he would flee the country. Though CBI may have evidence against Karti Chidambaram yet there s no justification to arrest him during investigation without a charge sheet since there is no danger of his fleeing the country. This show while big fish like NiMo MehulBhai &Mallya are allowed to loot & scoot Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) February 28 2018 Mr Karti Chidambaram was arrested when he landed at Chennai airport he was not trying to escape from India like Nirav Modi then arresting him on his arrival at airport is funny. Karti Chidambaram was cooperating the CBI the CBI could have summoned him. Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) February 28 2018 ALSO READ: INX Media PMLA case: Karti Chidambaram appears before ED for questioning 9) Karti was under ED scanner too: On February 23 it was reported that the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the summons issued by the ED against Karti in the INX Media case. The apex court had asked him to appear before it on March 1. Refusing to interfere with the ED s summons the Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra Justice Amitava Roy and Justice D Y Chandrachud had however adjourned the hearing until March 6. The Bench had permitted Karti to make a representation to the ED seeking more time to appear before it. Earlier Karti had been questioned by the ED which had summoned him on February 2 after which he had informed the agency that he would be unable to depose as he had an interlocutory application pending in the Supreme Court in this case says reports. ALSO READ: Aircel- Maxis case: ED raids Karti Chidambaram s premises in Delhi Chennai 10) Raids and hours of grilling: On February 16 it was reported that the ED carried out fresh searches against people allegedly linked to Karti in connection with the INX Media case. Officials had told news agencies that the raids were conducted at three premises in Chennai under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) the anti-money laundering law. The officials added that the searches were carried out against people allegedly linked to Karti. On February 15 the ED had questioned Karti for over 10 hours in Delhi. ALSO READ: Aircel-Maxis case: Karti Chidambaram moves SC against CBI summon The CBI and ED cases: The CBI had filed an FIR on May 15 last year alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving funds from abroad to the tune of Rs 3.05 billion (Rs 305 crore) in 2007 when senior Chidambaram was the Union finance minister. It is alleged that Karti received funds to the tune of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakh) in the case they said. The CBI is also probing the alleged irregularities in grant of FIPB clearance to the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006. The ED had registered a money laundering case against Karti and others in May of 2017. It registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) the probe agency s equivalent of a police FIR against the accused who were also named in a CBI complaint including Karti INX Media and its directors -- Peter and Indrani Mukerjea. The ECIR was lodged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The central probe agency has been probing the alleged proceeds of crime generated in this case. It was the ED that had provided information about the alleged illegal payments made by INX Media based on which the CBI had filed its FIR. The ED has alleged that INX Media deliberately and in violation of the conditions of the approval made a downstream investment of 26 per cent in the capital of INX News Pvt Ltd without specific approval of FIPB. This included indirect foreign investment by some foreign investors. This generated Rs 3.05 billion (Rs 305 crore) foreign direct investment in INX Media Pvt Ltd against the approved foreign inflow of Rs 46.2 million (Rs 4.62 crore). The ED further alleged that INX Media entered into a criminal conspiracy with Karti to wriggle out of the situation without any punitive action. Moreover the agency alleged that the finance ministry s FIPB unit had not only granted an illegal approval but also misinformed the Income Tax Department s investigation wing. With agency inputs
NEW DELHI: ICICI Bank does not have any exposure to Nirav Modi group of companies but was working capital lenders to the Gitanjali group of companies along with several other banks in the consortium the bank has said in a statement.The statement comes after the Central Bureau of Investigation said it had questioned former Punjab National Bank (PNB) Managing Director Usha Ananthasubramanian who is currently Allahabad Bank CEO and ICICI Bank Executive Director NS Kanan as part of its probe into diamond trader Nirav Modi his uncle Mehul Choksi and others in connection with a multi-crore bank fraud.Mr Kanan was questioned because ICICI Bank leads a consortium of 31 banks that lent money to Mehul Choksi s Gitanjali Group CBI officials said emphasising that the senior official of ICICI Bank which lent Rs 773 crore to Gitanjali in 2016 is only being questioned for clarifications and not as an accused in the fraud case.The bank statement underlined that its exposure to these companies was limited. We have not issued any Letter of Undertaking (LOU) nor do we have any buyer s credit exposure against LOUs with respect to the Nirav Modi group of companies as well as the Gitanjali group of companies it said. CommentsClose X ICICI Bank which is the lead banker to Gitanjali Group loans said We are working capital lenders to the Gitanjali group of companies along with several other banks in the consortium.
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday registered a case of bank fraud worth Rs 515.15 crores against RP Infosystem and its directors reported news agency ANI. An FIR has been lodged against the company s directors Shivaji Panja Kaustuv Ray Vinay Bafna vice-president (Finance) Debnath Pal and unknown bank officials. The case has been registered under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) 468 and 471 (both related to forgery) of the IPC and the criminal misconduct by a public servant. CBI registered a case of bank fraud worth Rs 515.15 crores against RP Infosystem & its directors. (Visuals from RP https://t.co/MndJhX2Tpo ANI (@ANI) 1519814705000 In June 2017 according to reports Panja was booked along with his two colleagues and his company RP Infosystems for allegedly cheating IDBI Bank to the tune of Rs 180.44 crore. The company is located in West Bengal s Kolkata. (With ANI inputs)
WhatsApp Messenger is a free cross-platform end-to-end encrypted instant messaging app available for Android and other smartphones. It uses phone s Internet connection (4G/3G/2G/EDGE or Wi-Fi as available) to make voice calls one to one video calls; send text messages documents PDF files images GIF videos user location audio files phone contacts and voice notes to other users using standard cellular mobile numbers. WhatsApp was incorporated in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum both former employees of Yahoo!. WhatsApp Inc. based in Mountain View California was acquired by Facebook in February 2014 for approximately US 19.3 billion.WhatsApp is these days working on a new feature that will allow users to stream YouTube within the app itself. Presently the video links sent from YouTube open and take over the entire screen and launch the YouTube app. The new update will now allow users instead of shifting completely from one app to the other view the shared YouTube videos in picture-in picture-out mode inside the Whatsapp chats.As on July 19 2017 China partially blocked the popular messaging service as authorities tightened their grip on the internet ahead of a major leadership reshuffle in Beijing.On August 11 2017 WhatsApp rolled out a new update which lets users add a colourful background to text status. The functionality is similar to the one on Facebook where a selection of background color options pops up when typing a new status update.
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against Ghaziabad-based Simbhaoli Sugars on charges of causing a loss of about Rs110 crore to state-run Oriental Bank of Commerce. Ghaziabad-based Simbhaoli Sugars its directors CEO CFO unknown bank officials and other private persons have been booked by the agency on charges of cheating criminal conspiracy and under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The bank said it had sanctioned a loan of Rs 148.60 crore to the company in 2011 under an RBI scheme for financing individual/joint liability groups (JLG)/self help groups (SHG)/of 5 762 sugarcane farmers supplying sugar produce to the company between January 25 and March 13 2012. OBC said the company dishonestly and fraudulently diverted the loan for its own needs. The account according to the complaint turned NPA on March 31 2015. The bank classified the account as fraud on May 13 2015. The amount of fraud was pegged at Rs 97.85 crore. It was further alleged that in addition to the existing NPA the bank under multiple banking arrangements sanctioned another corporate loan of Rs 110 crore to the sugar company on January 28 2015 to pay its outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore. The bank also adjusted the total liability of the company on June 30 2016 by way of deposit of this new corporate loan. The corporate loan too turned NPA on November 29 2016 thus resulting in its first outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore (as alleged fraud) and the fresh corporate loan of Rs 109.08 crore (as fresh outstanding). On Sunday the CBI conducted searches at eight premises including residences of company directors its factories corporate and registered offices in Delhi Hapur and Noida.
Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday sealed the Brady House Branch of the Punjab National Bank in Mumbai as multiple probe agencies continue their probe into the Rs 11 515 crore fraud according to officials.The CBI pasted an official notice outside the branch in Fort -- the bank s flagship lending window in Mumbai and its second largest national outlet.All have been barred from opening or entering inside this branch without prior permission of the CBI or the CBI Special Court or the CBI Competent Authority.Accordingly all operations at the Brady House Branch came to a grinding halt and several bewildered staffers were seen waiting outside it for further orders from their bosses.The action came two days after the Special CBI Court in Mumbai remanded to police custody till March 3 three accused in the PNB fraud including two former staffers.The accused includes retired PNB Deputy Manager Gokulnath Shetty Single Window Operator Manoj Kharat and authorized signatory of the prime accused Nirav Modi s group companies Hemant Bhatt.The three were the very first arrests to be in the sensational case so far by the CBI from different parts of Mumbai and Raigad. More arrests are expected soon officials have indicated.Besides these the CBI earlier named 10 other directors and officials as accused in the scam which has created a nationwide furore.The prime accused diamond trader Nirav Modi and other associates fled the country in early January before the massive financial fraud came to light. CommentsClose X The multi-pronged action by the CBI Enforcement Directorate and others comes five days after PNB admitted to unearthing a fraud amounting to Rs 11 515 crore involving Mr Modi s companies and certain other accounts in the Brady House Branch.The fraud which includes money-laundering among others concerns the Firestar Diamonds group in which the CBI last week booked Nirav Modi his wife Ami brother Nishal Modi and Mehul Choksi.
A CBI court on Friday sent Rotomac owner Vikram Kothari and his son Rahul to one-day transit remand while the Income Tax department seized 12 bank accounts of the group and issued six prosecution against the businessman in connection with the Rs 3 695 crore loan default. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal at the Patiala House courts passed an order for a day s remand after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought a two-day transit remand to take the father and son to Lucknow. The duo will be produced before the court concerned in Lucknow on Saturday. Kothari and his son were arrested on Thursday for alleged default on loan repayment after their four-day consecutive questioning since the CBI filed the case against them and raided their residential and office premises in Uttar Pradesh s Kanpur. Defence advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey had raised objections to the jurisdiction of the court saying the accused should be produced before a sessions court and not before a magisterial court. The court then reserved its order till 2 p.m. on the issue of jurisdiction. Meanwhile an Income Tax department official said over 12 more bank accounts of the Rotomac Group Pvt Ltd have been attached in addition to the 14 bank accounts attached earlier and that six prosecutions have been sanctioned against Kothari. The agency filed the FIR on Sunday night after getting a complaint against Kothari his wife Sadhana and son Rahul from the Bank of Baroda. Kothari is the Chairman and Managing Director of Rotomac while his wife and son are Directors. Kothari had obtained Rs 2 919 crore from Bank of India (Rs 754.77 crore) Bank of Baroda (Rs 456.63 crore) Indian Overseas Bank (Rs 771.07 crore) Union Bank of India (Rs 458.95 crore) Allahabad Bank (Rs 330.68 crore) Bank of Maharashtra (Rs 49.82 crore) and Oriental Bank of Commerce (Rs 97.47 crore) the FIR said. Kothari his wife son firm Rotomac some unidentified bank officials and private persons were booked on charges of criminal conspiracy cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act. The Bank of Baroda complaint said that the banks had extended credit to the Kanpur-based firm and its related companies from 2008 onwards. The CBI had earlier confiscated several belongings of Kothari and his family including laptops and mobile phones.
NEW DELHI: Stung by the fraud at Punjab National Bank and more such cases being unearthed at other lenders the government has ordered all state-run banks to examine non-performing loans of more than Rs 50 crore for any sign of similar wrongdoing. They have been given 15 days to prepare a pre-emptive action plan to address risks. This raises the prospect of investigations in high-profile bankruptcy cases that are undergoing resolution putting their promoters under the scanner if any scams are uncovered. The directive comes a day after PNB revised its estimate of the fraud involving jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi and their companies to Rs 12 622 crore from Rs 11 300 crore earlier. The finance ministry in its note on Commitment to Clean and Responsive Banking called on banks to inform investigative agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) if any wrongdoing was detected. PSB (public sector bank) MDs (managing directors) directed to detect bank frauds & consequential wilful default in time & refer cases to CBI. To examine all NPA (non-performing asset) accounts Rs 50Cr for possible fraud department of financial services secretary Rajeev Kumar tweeted. All frauds identified thus far have to be examined to see if there have been any wilful defaults as well and referred to the investigating agencies. Scrutiny to Include Cases Under IBC Involve ED/DRI for PMLA/FEMA/EXIM violations if any Kumar said referring to Prevention of Money Laundering Foreign Exchange Management Act and export-import legislation. Gross NPAs at state-run banks stood at Rs 7.33 lakh crore at the end of September 2017. The scrutiny will include the existing 41 cases being dealt with through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) a senior finance ministry official said. The investigations will not have any impact on the resolution process followed through IBC but if the promoters are found guilty strictest action will be taken against them under existing laws he said. Under the framework for timely detection reporting investigation of large value bank frauds banks have been directed to seek borrower status reports from the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) on accounts turning into NPAs. The agency will revert in a week. https://www.sparkfun.com/users/1275632 The chief vigilance officers of banks are to vet complaints and coordinate with CBI on frauds exceeding Rs 50 crore. Besides banks have been told to take prompt action within the prescribed deadlines. Earlier this week CBI registered a case against UP-based Simbhaoli Sugars on charges of causing a loss of about Rs 110 crore to Oriental Bank of Commerce. RISK FRAMEWORK State-run banks have been asked to set up a group comprising executive directors and chief technology officers to prepare a blueprint to enhance preparedness to cover operational and technological risks within 15 days. Bank boards have been asked to assign clear accountability to senior functionaries for implementation and compliance with this framework. The framework needs to incorporate best practices from across the banking sector identify weaknesses in existing arrangements compare operational risk management with best practices and identify gaps and areas for improvement. The group has to suggest clear action points including technological solutions. Kumar tweeted: 15 day deadline for PSBs to take pre-emptive action & identify gaps/Weaknesses to gear up for rising Ops & Tech risks; To learn from best practices & pinpoint strategies including tech solutions; Clear accountability of senior functionaries. The effort is part of the Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (EASE) programme announced earlier.

Before Son's Arrest, P Chidambaram Had Filed Petition In Top Court

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram appeared to have a premonition of the arrest of his son Karti when he filed a petition recently in the Supreme Court apprehending continued harassment to him and his family members.Karti was arrested by the CBI today on his arrival from London even before Mr Chidambaram s petition could be listed for hearing by the top court.Mr Chidambaram who has been closely monitoring the case of his son in the Supreme Court which is argued by his party colleague and senior advocate Kapil Sibal had sprung a surprise last week by filing a petition on his own accusing the CBI and the ED of carrying out a political vendetta against him and his family.In his petition Mr Chidambaram has sought the apex court s direction prohibiting the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) from continuing their illegal investigations and from acting in any manner causing repeated harassment to him and his family members including his son.However the CBI swung into action by arresting Karti today even before the petition was heard by the top https://vimeo.com/kkamazon/about court.In his plea Mr Chidambaram himself a senior advocate has said that the position in the INX Media case was worse as though the CBI had lodged an FIR in May 2017 the probe agencies have not filed any report concluding that any criminal offence had been committed or that any proceeds of crime had arisen out of that criminal offence .An FIR filed by the CBI on May 15 last year had alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.While the CBI has alleged that Karti had received funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh in the case the ED has also registered a money laundering case in the matter.Mr Chidambaram in his petition before the apex court has said that his fundamental rights were being violated due to illegal investigations being carried out by the CBI and the ED and the central government has been misusing its probe agencies.He has said that being the Finance Minister then he had granted FIPB approvals in the INX Media case and the Aircel-Maxis case in the normal course of official business . In discharge of his functions he has never allowed any member of his family including his son or any other person to interfere with or influence the conduct of official business .Mr Chidambaram has said that the CBI and ED cannot harass Karti and others who were totally unconnected with the FIPB approval by issuing repeated summons to them. CommentsClose X The petitioner (Mr Chidambaram) feels sad that his son and his business friends are being targeted the plea said adding The entire investigation being conducted by the CBI and ED is a total farce and is being made only to malign the name of the petitioner and his son in the eyes of the public .He has also sought the apex court s direction declaring that the proceedings emanating from FIR registered by CBI in the INX Media case as well as the premature investigation being conducted by the ED were without jurisdiction an abuse of authority and violative of Articles 14 (equality before law) 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution which inhere in the petitioner and the members of his family and declare the said proceedings and investigations as null and void .
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram appeared to have a premonition of the arrest of his son Karti when he filed a petition recently in the Supreme Court apprehending continued harassment to him and his family members. Karti was arrested by the CBI on Wednesday on his arrival from London even before Chidambaram s petition could be listed for hearing by the top court. Chidambaram who has been closely monitoring the case of his son in the Supreme Court which is argued by his party colleague and senior advocate Kapil Sibal had sprung a surprise last week by filing a petition on his own accusing the CBI and the ED of carrying out a political vendetta against him and his family. In his petition Chidambaram has sought the apex court s direction prohibiting the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) from continuing their illegal investigations and from acting in any manner causing repeated harassment to him and his family members including his son. However the CBI swung into action by arresting Karti today even before the petition was heard by the top court. In his plea Chidambaram himself a senior advocate has said that the position in the INX Media case was worse as though the CBI had lodged an FIR in May 2017 the probe agencies have not filed any report concluding that any criminal offence had been committed or that any proceeds of crime had arisen out of that criminal offence . An FIR filed by the CBI on May 15 last year had alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Chidambaram was the Union finance minister. While the CBI has alleged that Karti had received funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh in the case the ED has also registered a money laundering case in the matter. Chidambaram in his petition before the apex court has said that his fundamental rights were being violated due to illegal investigations being carried out by the CBI and the ED and the central government has been misusing its probe agencies. He has said that being the finance minister then he had granted FIPB approvals in the INX Media case and the Aircel-Maxis case in the normal course of official business . In discharge of his functions he has never allowed any member of his family including his son or any other person to interfere with or influence the conduct of official business . Chidambaram has said that the CBI and ED cannot harass Karti and others who were totally unconnected with the FIPB approval by issuing repeated summons to them. The petitioner (Chidambaram) feels sad that his son and his business friends are being targeted the plea said adding The entire investigation being conducted by the CBI and ED is a total farce and is being made only to malign the name of the petitioner and his son in the eyes of the public . He has also sought the apex court s direction declaring that the proceedings emanating from FIR registered by CBI in the INX Media case as well as the premature investigation being conducted by the ED were without jurisdiction an abuse of authority and violative of Articles 14 (equality before law) 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution which inhere in the petitioner and the members of his family and declare the said proceedings and investigations as null and void .
Karti Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI today on the basis of confessional statements of INX Media Limited directors Peter and Indrani Mukerjea alleging that they paid USD 7 lakh to him on the instructions of his father P Chidamabaram as quid pro quo for a FIPB clearance officials said. The statements of the Mukerjeas were recorded by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing the money laundering angle in the case while the CBI had only recorded Indrani s statement before a magistrate as per section 164 of the CrPC they said. Karti (46) was arrested by the CBI from the Chennai airport on his return from London in connection with the agency s probe in the INX Media case. Both Peter and Indrani had alleged that they met the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram at his North Block office seeking clearance for foreign investments in their media company after the Income Tax department detected irregularities in these instances in 2007. Chidambaram had then asked them to help the business of his son and make foreign remittances for the purpose the officials said quoting from the statements of the Mukerjeas. The couple had also admitted that they subsequently met Karti at a five-star hotel in Delhi where he allegedly made a demand of USD 1 million they said adding that this was reiterated by Indrani before the magistrate as well. Indrani they said had confirmed in her statement to the CBI and ED that a payment of USD 7 lakh was made to the bank accounts of overseas firms linked to Karti. Peter and Indrani facing trial for allegedly killing their daughter Sheena Bora had said in their statement that Karti suggested to them the names of firms such as Chess Management and Advantage Strategic for the payments. The Sheena Bora murder case is being probed by the CBI. INX Media as part of the alleged quid pro quo (a Latin term meaning something for something ) had made a payment of over Rs 9.96 lakh to Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited (ASCPL) a firm allegedly controlled by Karti by a cheque issued on July 15 2008 the officials said. While the invoice issued by ASCPL claimed that the service rendered by it to INX Media was management consultancy the ledger extract sent by the latter to the probe agencies showed that the payment was made for replying towards FIPB notification and clarification they added. The ED they said had seized four invoices of USD 7 lakh drawn by ASCPL its Singapore subsidiary another linked company identified as NorthStar Software Solutions Pvt Ltd and Geben Trading Ltd after it recently raided the offices of Karti and his chartered accountant Bhaskararaman. During the raids the ED had also recovered digital evidence and invoices raised on INX Media Limited sources said. They added that ASCPL had also received payments on behalf of Karti in other cases where money was paid in proximity to approvals given by the Ministry of Finance including from Aircel Televentures Limited for an FIPB approval for the sale of its shares in Aircel Limited to Maxis in March 2006. The Congress said Karti s arrest was vendetta and a diversionary tactic of the BJP-led central government to hide its scams and mal-governance . Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the government was seeking political vendetta to mask the culture of colossal corruption and cronyism flourishing unchecked and that puppet CBI and ED were being used to divert deflect and distract attention from scams worth Rs 31 691 crore exposed in the last 10 days. The government s mask of a corruption crusader was in shambles with successive scams getting uncovered over the last 45 months and zero action being taken against the fraudsters he added.
Written by Deeptiman Tiwary Abhishek Angad | New Delhi | Updated: March 1 2018 6:47 am Indrani Mukerjea taken to JJ Hospital for a medical check-up. (Express File Phopto: Ganesh Shirsekar) Investigation agencies said the arrest of Karti Chidambaram followed a statement by accused Indrani Mukerjea in which she had alleged that P Chidambaram while he was Union Finance Minister had asked her and her husband Peter Mukerjea to help his son s business. In her statement recorded by the CBI under Section 164 of the CrPC Indrani Mukerjea who is already behind bars in the Sheena Bora murder case alleged that a deal of USD 1 million was struck between Karti and the Mukerjeas to swing FIPB approval in favour of INX Media. While P Chidambaram made no comment Wednesday on his son s arrest or the claims of the CBI his party came to his defence. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal called Karti s arrest malafide and said it was done to harass P Chidambaram. This is complete vendetta politics. This is completely malafide he said. Explained | The decade-old case of INX Media The CBI and Enforcement Directorate also claimed that searches of premises linked to the accused in the case led to discovery of vouchers of payments made by INX Media to companies connected to Karti and to foreign entities which received close to USD 700 000 in Greece and Spain. All vouchers were signed by Peter Mukerjea. According to CBI and ED Indrani and Peter have said in their statements that they met P Chidambaram at his North Block office in connection with FIPB approval for FDI in INX Media. Chidambaram the agencies claimed asked the Mukerjeas to help the business of his son Karti and to make foreign remittances for this purpose . Karti Chidambaram in New Delhi. Prem Nath Pandey The Mukerjeas the CBI and ED claimed also admitted to have met Sh. Karti Chidambaram in Hotel Hyatt in Delhi where a demand for illegal gratification of 1 million was made. Sh. Karti Chidambaram suggested the names of Chess Management and Advantage Strategic as alternatives to make payments. While Chess Management Global Pvt Ltd was engaged by INX Media to advise in the matter Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd (ASCPL) was made a payment of Rs 10 lakh as consultancy fee. ASCPL the CBI said was indirectly controlled by Karti . Also Read: INX Media: P Chidambaram s fear of harassment of his family turns true The ED investigators claimed that ledger extracts produced by INX Media Ltd showed that the payment (of Rs 10 lakh) has been made for reply towards FIPB notification and clarification . During the probe by CBI and ED INX Media also produced emails and letters sent to Sh B Sai Chandravardhan VP Chess Management Services Pvt Ltd on the FIPB issue . We have about 200 emails that establish the connection between Chess Management and ASCPL and FIPB negotiations a probe officer said. Also Read: INX Media case: Chronology of events Four invoices connected to the alleged illegal gratification paid for FIPB approval in the matter were drawn by ASCPL (Rs 35 lakh) its Singapore subsidiary (USD 20 000) Northstar Software Solutions Pvt Ltd (Rs 60 lakh) and Greece-based Geben Trading Ltd (USD 500 000). These vouchers recovered from the computer of Karti s chartered accountant Bhaskararaman were from September 2008 the time when INX Media Ltd applied for fresh approval for downstream investment in INX News Ltd. The Finance Ministry later cleared the matter and allowed INX Media to make the investment. The CBI and ED have argued that INX Media had not been given clearance by the FIPB to make 26 per cent downstream investment in INX News. But it went ahead in 2007 itself. When the matter was flagged by the I-T department and FIPB sought clarification from INX Media it brought in Karti to sort out the issue. Karti investigators claimed helped INX Media seek fresh approval for an investment which had already been made. The company is accused of bringing in foreign investments worth over Rs 300 crore through three Mauritius-based companies against approval of only Rs 4.6 crore. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya Tags: Indrani Mukerjea Karti Chidambaram P Chidambaram Sankaran KrishnanMar 1 2018 at 7:36 amIt is a known fact the Chidambaram and his family are very corrupt and as well power hungry and for the sake of money they will go and defend anyone which was true when the Advocate family defended Cocoa Cola Shard Scams and other high profile cases collecting huge fees for representing them and also misused the authority by the head of the family who was in Govt. under the corrupt UPA and hold important portfolios and the revelation of INX Media high profile arrested couples says the truth and hope the entire family is punished for the ill-gotten wealth and why not seize the assets held by the entire family to begin with in and around India followed at Foreign destinations !!!(0)(2) Reply rahil shakeMar 1 2018 at 7:32 amany evidence cbi can get would be from criminals only as anyone bribing would be part of crime as well. its nice to hear someone spilled the beans(1)(0) Reply rahil shakeMar 1 2018 at 7:25 amnot one person commenting favourably actually thinks he is not a crook just they are anti modi(1)(0) Reply rahil shakeMar 1 2018 at 7:23 amoh his son is innocent would anyone believe that.(1)(0) Reply GGanuMar 1 2018 at 7:08 amEvery one in India knows how corrupt PC and his family are .The Central Govt. does not need the help of a criminal to nail these scoundrels . PC should be arrested when he lands in India from UK . That will be the icing on the cake(1)(4) Reply Load More Comments
NEW DELHI: The CBI which has struggled to cap the leak of information pertaining to its investigations into sensitive cases managed to keep its plan to arrest Karti Chidambaram under wraps. Sources said the plan to pick up Karti from Chennai airport was kept a secret even from insiders to nip the possibility of tip-offs to the accused. The entire operation was kept top secret and not many in the agencies could get wind of the action leading to his arrest on Wednesday a top source said. Anticipating legal wrangles the Enforcement Directorate had even moved Chennai courts with caveats against any plea moved by Karti and his battery of lawyers against his arrest or obtaining a bail before the agencies could get hold of him. The precaution was considered necessary following the status report of CBI s probe into the Aircel-Maxis case being recovered from Karti s father P Chidambaram s house. The report was supposed to be shared only with the Supreme Court. Karti and others are under the scanner in the Aircel-Maxis case too. The surprise find led the CBI to drape additional veils of secrecy around their plans for Karti. The agencies sources claimed feared that Karti may have stayed on in London if he had been alerted about the plan to arrest him. They had earlier informed the SC that he was destroying evidence abroad on his regular visits. In his previous appointments with the agencies Karti was allegedly evasive in his answers to specific queries related to alleged payoffs received in companies associated with him. Since the CBI registered a case against him in May last year Karti has filed numerous applications in the Madras HC and the SC seeking reprieve from CBI and ED probes. Meanwhile ED is planning to seek Karti s custody to probe allegations about his role in facilitating FIPB approvals when his father held charge of the finance ministry
07:41 (IST) Karti Chidambaram to be produced before CBI court today #KartiChidambaram arrested in INX Media case to be produced before a #CBI court today. pic.twitter.com/x3SbobwbqP All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) March 1 2018
KOLKATA: Former Union minister P Chidambaram said today he would have resigned had he been in the shoes of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who was in an unenviable position while presenting this year s budget. If I was in Jaitley s position what I would have done? I would have resigned Chidambaram told an interactive session organised by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce here. He was speaking about fiscal consolidation in the context of the Union Budget for 2018-19. Jaitley must have been in an unenviable position to read out a Budget speech written by others he said. Criticising the Budget Chidambaram said the government was a total failure in terms of fiscal consolidation the consequences of which were frightening in the sense that it would cause inflation and borrowing plans to go haywire. In such a situation they might resort to savage taxation by hiking fuel prices as it is the biggest cash cow for any government the senior Congress leader said. Chidambaram a former Union finance minister said although the central government had the good fortune of lower crude prices it failed to pass the benefit on to the customers. The present Budget talked about pegging the fiscal deficit at 3.3 per cent of GDP by 2018-19 which seemed unlikely as the revenue and expenditure figures were suspect he said. About the Goods and Services Tax Chidambaram said it was not the one which the previous UPA government had thought of. We suggested a single neutral rate of 18 per cent. Now we have so many rates. This is not GST. It is giving a bad name to GST he said. He said due to demonetisation of high value currency notes the farm sector came under stress and joblessness was witnessed in the small and micro sector. He dubbed the National Health Protection Scheme announced in the Budget as nothing but jumla (rhetoric) . Chidambaram was also critical of former president Pranab Mukherjee also a finance minister in the UPA-II government over the latter announcing a series of stimulus packages for reviving the private sector hit by the recession of 2008. What I feel is that kind of spending done by the government was not wise. It did dent fiscal stability and caused huge inflation he added. Need to amend AFSPA Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said today it is time to amend the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act currently in force in Jammu and Kashmir and some other states. There is a need to amend the AFSPA if you cannot repeal it. The law and order should be entrusted to the Jammu and Kashmir police and not on the paramilitary forces Chidambaram a former Union minister said at a programme here. The act gives the security forces special rights and immunity in carrying out various operations in disturbed areas. There has been a long-standing demand from various quarters in J&K and the Northeast to withdraw it. Chidambaram also chairman of the panel on home affairs in the Rajya Sabha said the presence of paramilitary forces in the northern state should be whittled down drastically. He said it would lower the graph of violence there.
Hyderabad: Former Union minister P Chidambaram on Saturday advised the NDA government to appoint good managers to implement its various welfare programmes.The government is good owners of programmes but incompetent managers he said. Referring to the Economic Survey he said some of the flagship programmes such as Swachh Bharat Rural Electrification and LPG distribution are yet to produce tangible and measurable outcome.Toilets were built under the Swachh Bharat scheme but they lacked water connection and waste disposal system he said citing reports. Nobody is questioning the intentions of the government or the prime minister. I am sure the intentions are good. But what it proves is while they (government) are good owners of the programme they are very https://www.quotesdaddy.com/user/kkflipkart incompetent managers of programmes. If you want to have toilet programme to be implemented you must have a competent manager the former finance minister said at Manthan a forum that promotes public discussions.On the Union Budget Mr Chidambaram said it failed to address the issues of farmers youth and education.The Economic Survey had indicated that agricultural growth was stagnant which was not a good sign as over 50 per cent of our population depends on the farm sector the Congress leader said.The Budget also failed the test of fiscal consolidation he said.Indian economy has decoupled from the rest of the world and the Narendra Modi Government was very late to notice the decline of growth rate Mr Chidambaram said. CommentsClose X The government is whistling in dark. It has become intolerant and as a result the voices (of concern or dissent) are not heeded. If you don t listen or heed voices nobody is going to tell you the truth he said.To a question the former finance minister said people of the country may not accept privatisation of all public sector banks.

CBI arrests Karti for allegedly taking bribe when P Chidambaram was finance minister

New Delhi: The CBI arrested Karti Chidambaram the son of former finance minister P Chidambaram from Chennai on Wednesday for allegedly taking bribes to get clearance for TV venture INX Media to access foreign investment. The arrest was made on the basis of the statements of INX Media promoters Peter and Indrani Mukerjea who have alleged that they paid over Rs 3 crore in bribe to Karti at the instance of his father who as the then finance minister was in charge of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board the nodal agency for granting approvals to companies to access foreign funds. Indrani repeated the allegation in a statement recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC. This is admissible as evidence in court and can put Chidambaram senior in legal http://www.mapmytracks.com/kfrecharge bother should the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate decide to extend the ambit of the probe on the basis of the Mukerjeas claims. The ED is also likely to seek Karti s remand once the CBI finishes his custodial interrogation. This is the first instance of the arrest of the kin of a topnotch Congress politician and immediately attracted allegations of political vendetta from Congress. This come in the immediate wake of former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda being chargesheeted in a land scam case FIR against Punjab CM Amarinder Singh s son-inlaw Gurpal Singh and the I-T notice to party leader Abhishek Singhvi s wife for purchasing diamonds from Nirav Modi allegedly with unaccounted cash. Chidambaram who had last week moved the SC accusing the investigating agencies of harassing him and his family for political reasons was rushing back home dropping his plan to participate in the Oxford Union debate. On Wednesday Karti repeated the vendetta charge while being taken away from court. This is political vendetta he said. Karti who was arrested in Chennai upon his return from London was brought to Delhi and produced before a court which remanded him in CBI custody for a day. The CBI has alleged that in March 2007 INX Media breached the condition on which it had been allowed by FIPB to raise 46% equity through issue of shares. Against the permission to raise Rs 4.62 crore by issuing shares at face value the company got in Rs 305 crore by issuing shares at a premium. In addition it also bypassed FIPB to make 26% downstream investment in INX News Private Limited. Both the irregularities were caught by the income tax department upon which the Mukerjeas CBI and ED alleged approached Chidambaram in his North Block office to get the matter regularised . The then finance minister the Mukerjeas claimed guided them to his son with the suggestion that they help Karti s business. Karti allegedly asked the Mukerjeas for a bribe of 1 million when they met at Hyatt hotel in Delhi. As per the plan worked out between the INX Media promoters and Karti the Mukerjeas engaged Karti s company Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd (ASCPL). As part of the alleged quid pro quo ASCPL and its associated companies around this time raised four invoices for 700 000 (Rs 3.10 crore) on INX Media and were reimbursed. Soon FIPB gave its approval to fix the irregularities. Karti has defended himself by saying that he had parted ways with ASCPL. CBI and ED have refuted the claim by showing documents claimed to have been recovered from his premises which allegedly show that Karti remained a director in the firm which received money from INX Media through invoices. These invoices were recovered also from the computer of Karti s chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman who was arrested in Delhi on Feb 15. The two agencies also cited the individual wills of five directors of ASCPL who bequeathed their shares in the company to Karti s daughter Aditi Nalini Chidambaram.
New Delhi: Karti Chidambaram who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday in connection with a corruption case told a Delhi court that the arrest was malafide since he had travelled abroad with permission from the Madras High Court and had cooperated with investigators so far.Karti Chidambaram is accused of clearing foreign investments worth around Rs 300 crore in television company INX Media in exchange for bribes back in 2007. Investigators say he used the influence of his father P Chidambaram who was then the Union Finance Minister. The former minister and his son have called the arrest political vendetta . I m not a Hindustan leaver but Hindustan returner Karti Chidambaram told the court through his advocate Congress lawmaker Abhishek Manu Singhvi in what was seen as a dig at the BJP over the Rs 11 500 crore PNB fraud. The accused in the case celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi has fled India and the Congress has been targeting the Narendra Modi government over the issue since the matter became public.Karti Chidambaram was arrested on Wednesday from Chennai airport moments after he landed after a visit to the UK. Earlier this month the Madras High Court had given him permission to go abroad for business. On an earlier occasion too he visited the UK for his daughter s admission with permission from the Supreme Court.On Wednesday Karti Chidambaram told the court that he was being targetted in the issue since he was the son of a politician. The CBI petition is misrepresentation of the facts on my visits abroad. I went abroad with due permission from court... I did not receive any fresh summons since my return he said. He also said he had fully cooperated with the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate and has undergone 22-hour questioning in the case. My reward for compliance of summons is arrest... Arrest is most draconian in a person s liberty. Is the CBI making the arrest to show to their bosses? his lawyer said.The agency countered the argument saying Karti Chidambaram had cooperated only under the directions of the Supreme Court and had not submitted his itinerary before going abroad. It sought two weeks custody of the 46-year-old businessman so he could be properly questioned in the case.The agency also told the court that they had many things but could noy say it in open court .The court allowed a day s custody to the CBI. CommentsClose X Last week Karti Chidambaram had appealed to the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Enforcement Directorate s summons of March 1 and expressing apprehension that he might be arrested on his return from London.His father P Chidambaram had filed another appeal saying he was the real target of the BJP-led Central government and his fundamental rights were being violated.
NEW DELHI: The CBI today justified Karti Chidambaram s arrest in the INX Media case in a Delhi court by taking the ground of his non-cooperation and frequent foreign visits which was vehemently opposed by the defence counsel who said his client was not summoned by the central probe agency in the last six months. Seeking a 15-day custody of the son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram the CBI prosecutors contended before duty magistrate Sumeet Anand that Karti had not cooperated in the investigation and he had been repeatedly travelling abroad which confirmed the apprehensions of his tampering with the evidence lying abroad against him and others in the form of secret note received from the Ministry of Finance . CBI prosecutors V K Sharma and Padmini Singh argued that one of the grounds for arresting Karti was that the agency had recorded the statement of Indrani Mukerjea former director of INX Media (P) Ltd before a magistrate on February 17 in which she had said an amount of USD 1 million was paid to Karti on behalf of INX Media at the Hyatt hotel here. Opposing the CBI s arguments senior advocate A M Singhvi appearing for Karti said it was a bizarre case and that no grounds for arrest were made out. It is a bizarre case at the threshhold. It is not a case of arrest leave aside police custody or judicial custody Singhvi told the court while opposing the CBI s remand plea. He also argued that Karti was summoned twice by the CBI on August 23 and 28 last year and that he was interrogated for 22 hours by the agency during which he answered all the questions. After those two days I have not received any single summons from the CBI. It is a 180-day silence and then they say I am not cooperating. The fact is that they do not have anything to ask me now Singhvi said. Claiming that no reason was given for the arrest he said It is because you (CBI) want to show it to your bosses that you are doing some work. Unlike others I (Karti) am not a Hindustan leaver and instead I am a Hindustan returner Singhvi said adding that Karti was cooperating with the CBI and that the court might impose any condition while releasing him from the agency s custody. Am I (Karti) a fugitive from justice Singhvi who was assisted by senior advocates Dayan Krishnan and Mohit Mathur told the court. The defence counsel argued that the CBI had tried to stop Karti s foreign visits but he went abroad twice on court orders and another of his visits outside the country was prior to the issuance of the Look-Out Circular. Is it fair to say to the court that I am not cooperating? It is only to prejudice the court. It is a clear misrepresentation and distortion of facts by the CBI. They did not apprehend anything while I was going out but arrested me on my return he said. Singhvi further said Karti had gone to the UK after taking the Madras High Court s permission and that he was ready to abide by any condition including surrendering his passport daily visits to the CBI office and confinement to a city. I am not filing any formal bail application but opposing the remand application. They should have issued a fresh summons and test my non-cooperation but they arrested me when I landed at the Chennai airport today at 9 am. There is no allegation of violation of any conditions imposed by the high court the counsel argued adding that the arrest was mala fide. Singhvi further said it was not even an open-and-shut case but someone struggling to open a 10-year-old case. He told the court that Karti appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a case filed on similar allegations by the agency as late as 10 days back and that he was not a repeat offender and remanding him to police custody would add more insult to the injury. The CBI prosecutors rebutted saying Singhvi s arguments were false and that Karti had joined the probe only after the Supreme Court s intervention. They said all the procedures were followed and Karti was informed about the grounds of his arrest. They further argued that Karti had not complied with the Madras High Court s direction to give the itinerary of his stay abroad. Regarding the defence counsel s argument that the CBI had not filed a status report in any court claiming that Karti had not cooperated the prosecutor said the agency was never directed by any court to file any such report.
New Delhi: The arrest of Karti Chidambaram in the INX media case by CBI on Wednesday came after nine months of lodging of an FIR and bitter legal battle which the investigating agency fought from the Madras High Court to the Supreme Court.The case allegedly involving Karti Chidambaram son of former union minister P Chidambaram had first reached the Supreme Court after the CBI had challenged the stay granted by Madras High Court on two look out circulars (LOCs) issued against the accused.CBI had contended that there were good cogent reasons for issuing of LOCs dated June 16 2017 and July 28 2017 and had submitted some documents in sealed cover saying Karti s case was not simple as it involves jugglery of accounts and property abroad.Since the lodging of the FIR to his arrest yesterday Karti had sought permission several times to travel abroad from the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court for reasons including business interests in United Kingdom and France and daughter s admission at Selwyn College Cambridge United Kingdom.He was allowed to travel abroad on November 20 2017 by the apex court for his daughter s admission and on February 16 to February 28 for business engagements by the Madras High Court.The FIR lodged by the CBI on May 15 2017 had alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Karti s father was the Finance Minister.Karti and his father had denied the allegations saying there was no wrong-doing in the grant of FIPB approval to INX media.After the CBI challenged the interim stay on LOCs granted by Madras High Court on August 10 2017 the top court had stayed the order of the high court on August 14 2017 and asked Karti to join the investigation.The top court on January 31 this year had remanded back to the High Court the pleas relating to the issuance of the LOCs against Karti and others in a corruption case while making it clear that its interim order shall continue till the matter is finally disposed of .It had directed the division bench presided over by Chief Justice of the high court to decide the challenge to the LOCs within two months. CommentsClose X One of the issues pending with the apex court so far is the CBI s and Karti s challenge to order of Madras High Court dated August 22 2017 by which it had refrained itself from going into the merit of issue of quashing of FIR lodged in the INX Media case and rejection of the investigating agency s ground of maintainability due to lack of territorial jurisdiction.On February 23 Karti had also challenged the summons issued by Enforcement Directorate against him seeking his appearance on March 1 in connection with INX media case.
Written by Deeptiman Tiwary Abhishek Angad | New Delhi | Published: March 1 2018 5:00 am Karti Chidambaram in New Delhi. Prem Nath Pandey Karti Chidambaram son of senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI Wednesday in connection with its probe into the INX Media case. Flown to New Delhi from Chennai airport where he was held shortly after he stepped off a flight from the UK Karti was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand who directed the CBI to present Karti before the sessions court of Sunil Rana at 2.30 pm Thursday. Explained | The decade-old case of INX Media Seeking Karti s custody CBI counsel V K Sharma handed a remand application which stated: Karti Chidambaram had not cooperated with the investigation he also denied that he or his company had any interaction with INX Media including FIPB related matter despite evidence to the contrary. Further his frequent visits have confirmed apprehensions of his tampering with evidence lying abroad against him in the form of secret note received from Ministry of Finance. Such has been shown in sealed cover to the Supreme Court. Opposing the CBI s application senior advocate Abhishek M Singhvi who appeared for Karti said it was a bizarre case and no ground for arrest was made out. The remand application is based on two premises that the accused has not co-operated and he is repeatedly travelling abroad. Firstly this is bizarre because the CBI has interrogated him for 22 hours on August 23 and August 28 last year. After that he did not receive a single summon and now the CBI has arrested him Singhvi said. Also Read: INX Media: P Chidambaram s fear of harassment of his family turns true After the court hearing when a CBI officer tried holding his arms Karti said: Don t touch me I am going to take my jacket. As he was led away he told reporters: It s absolutely a political vendetta. I will be vindicated. In May 2017 the CBI filed an FIR naming among others Karti and INX Media for alleged irregularities in clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to the media group for receiving overseas funds in 2007 when Chidambaram was Union Finance Minister. The CBI alleged that INX Media s FDI proposal was deceitful and fallacious but was still granted approval. Also Read: INX Media case: Chronology of events The Enforcement Directorate which too was probing Karti in the case under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) arrested Karti s chartered accountant Bhaskararaman this February 16. It was on the ED s reference that the CBI had registered a case against Karti and INX Media. The ED which was already investigating a company associated with Karti in connection with the Aircel Maxis deal and FDI inflow into Vasan Healthcare claimed to have found documents related to the INX Media FDI inflow during searches. Karti Chidambaram at the CBI office. Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey. The ED said it had documents which showed Advantage Strategic Consulting a company that CBI claimed was indirectly controlled by Karti had been paid Rs 10 lakh as consultancy fee to help it get FIPB approval. After lodging the FIR the CBI conducted searches at premises linked to Karti and the residence of Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea of INX Media. The CBI FIR alleged that INX Media s FDI inflow had been initially flagged by FIPB for alleged irregularities and a clarification had been sought from the media house. But a company controlled by Karti was brought in for consultancy the CBI said and INX Media s fresh proposal was approved by FIPB by virtue of influence exercised over them by Karti P Chidambaram . By doing this the CBI alleged officials not only ignored the serious illegality on the part of M/s INX Media. but also embarked on showing undue favour to INX Group by abusing their official position . In return for the services rendered the CBI alleged Karti got a payment of Rs 10 lakh through Advantage Strategic Consulting which was controlled by him indirectly . The agency also alleged that it found invoices for Rs 3.5 crore in favour of INX Media raised by companies in which Karti had sustainable interest and had common directors . Countering the CBI in court Singhvi said: Now the frequent visits is a delightful phrase there are specific court orders which allow him to travel abroad He is not a Hindustan leaver like others he is Hindustan returner. He said the CBI had till date not filed any status report on the investigation. Where is your (CBI) status report on non-cooperation none of the FIPB officials have been questioned or summoned till date. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya Tags: Congress INX Media Karti Chidambaram Sathya ServiceMar 1 2018 at 6:08 amHello everyone i am Kumar i want to share a my story with you all i was in debt of 35 lacs and my life was in a bad stage i lost all i have gotten before so i made a decision that i want to my and i came online and met a lots of scammers and they took 2 lakh from me and still i could not my after a month i came back online and met one Dr Lau Bern online and he told me the procedure which did they paid my 1 Cr before the operation and balance 1 Cr after the operation i only spend little money on this process but today am a very happy man and my families are so happy Thank you so much Dr Lau Bern you can contact him on e-mail: (servicecenter249 ) Whatsapp Number 918015861823 or Call 918867434096(0)(0) Reply
CHENNAI: The CBI this morning arrested Karti Chidambaram at Chennai airport in connection with the INX money laundering case. Officials in the investigating agency have said that Karti s family members were informed before the arrest. Sources in the CBI said they detained Karti when he landed at Chennai airport after his foreign trip. Soon after Karti arrest he was taken to a secluded place where he was being questioned. A senior CBI officer said We have strong evidence to confirm his role in a cheating case. However the official denied to divulge more information about the case. The CBI arrested Karti following the detention of his chartered accountant S Baskararaman by the Enforcement Directorate officials recently. Karti s chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman was recently arrested from a five-star hotel in Delhi on February 16. The national investigative agency has alleged that Karti received money from INX Media for using his influence to manipulate a tax probe against it in a case of violation of Foreign Investment Promotion Board conditions to receive investment from Mauritius. The CBI has said that it also seized vouchers of Rs 10 lakh which were allegedly paid for the services. The Congress today said Karti s arrest is a classic diversionary tactic of the Modi government. Classic diversionary tactic of the Modi government to hide their own corrupt governance model that is being exposed on a daily basis-- be it Nirav Modi Mehul Choksi Dwarka Das Seth Jewellers. The BJP govt continues it s vendetta and vindictive politics to target opponents. however it will not stop the Congress from bringing the truth out to the people said the Congress. Last week Karti a son of Congress leader P Chidambaram moved the Supreme Court ( SC ) seeking a stay on the Enforcement Directorate s ( ED ) summons against him in the INX Media case. He reportedly told the ED that he was appearing before the agency under protest . He was first grilled by the agency on January 18. The ED had earlier summoned Karti on February 2 after which he informed them he would be unable to depose as he had an interlocutory application pending in the Supreme Court in this case. The central probe agency had registered the case against Karti and others in May last year. It had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) the ED s equivalent of a police FIR against the accused named in a CBI complaint including Karti Chidambaram INX Media and its directors -- Peter and Indrani Mukerjea . The ECIR was lodged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The sources said the ED was probing the alleged proceeds of crime generated in this case. It was the ED which had provided information about the alleged illegal payments made by INX Media based on which the CBI had filed its FIR. Karti will be produced before a CBI court in Chennai before taking him to Delhi for further questioning. ALSO READ: Karti Chidambaram appears before Delhi s Patiala House Court Read this story in Tamil
.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ INX Media case: Karti Chidambaram arrested by CBI in Chennai say reports Aircel-Maxis INX Media cases: ED raiding Karti s kin in Chennai Kolkata Zee Entertainment acquires 9X Media INX Music for Rs 160 cr Brief case: Arbitration clause insurance PMLA labour dispute and more Jewellery sales decline by half in four weeks on PMLA extension span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Former finance minister P Chidambaram s son and businessman Karti Chidambaram was detained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Chennai on Wednesday in connection with the INX money laundering case. It was alleged that he violated the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Chidambaram was detained at Chennai Airport while he was returning from a foreign trip according to his public relations officer. A few weeks ago Karti s chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman had been arrested from a hotel in Delhi. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier claimed that during the course of investigation it was revealed that Bhaskararaman had been assisting Karti Chidambaram to manage his ill-gotten wealth in India and abroad. The case relates to the approval granted by Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in 2007 for receipt of funds by INX Media during P Chidambaram s tenure as the Union finance minister. CBI alleged Karti Chidambaram received money from INX Media for using his influence to manipulate a tax probe against the firm for violating FEMA by receiving investments from Mauritius. CBI also seized vouchers of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakh) allegedly paid for the services. The central probe agency had registered the case against Karti Chidambaram and others in May last year. Last week Karti Chidambaram moved the Supreme Court (SC) seeking a stay on ED summons against him in the INX Media case. However the apex court did not grant a stay. He was also questioned by the ED which had summoned him on February 2. Karti had however said he would be unable to depose as he had an interlocutory application pending in the SC say reports. ED had alleged that INX Media violated norms by making a downstream investment of 26 per cent in INX News Private Limited s capital without specific approval of FIPB. These included indirect investment by foreign investors besides generating Rs 3 billion (Rs 305 crore) foreign direct investment in INX Media against the approved foreign inflow of Rs 46 million (Rs 4.62 crore). To wriggle out of the situation without any punitive action INX Media entered into a criminal conspiracy with Karti Chidambaram the ED said. The FIPB unit of the finance ministry had not only granted illegal approval but also misinformed the investigation wing of Income Tax Department ED added.
New Delhi: A Delhi court today sent Karti Chidambaram s chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman arrested in the INX Media money laundering case to 14-day judicial custody.Special judge NK Malhotra sent the chartered accountant (CA) to Tihar Jail after he was produced from the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) whose special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana had sought three more days of custodial interrogation.Mr Bhaskararaman was arrested from a five-star hotel in the heart of the national https://www.sharecg.com/kkmaketrip capital on February 16.Mr Karti s name had cropped up in the case which relates to Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval granted in 2007 for receipt of funds by INX Media when his father and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister during the previous UPA regime.The ED had earlier claimed that during the course of investigation it was revealed that Mr Bhaskararaman a qualified CA had been assisting Mr Karti to manage his ill-gotten wealth in India and abroad.The agency had said the investigation required the presence of Mr Bhaskararaman for collecting vital evidence and other information which was within his special knowledge and exclusive domain.It had alleged that INX Media had deliberately and in violation of the conditions of the approval made a downstream investment of 26 per cent in the capital of INX News Pvt Ltd without specific approval of FIPB which included indirect foreign investment by some foreign investors and generated Rs 305 crore foreign direct investment in INX Media Pvt Ltd against the approved foreign inflow of Rs 4.62 crore. CommentsClose X To wriggle out of the situation without any punitive action INX Media entered into a criminal conspiracy with Mr Karti the ED has alleged.The FIPB unit of the finance ministry had not only granted illegal approval but also misinformed the investigation wing of Income Tax Department it had alleged.