Can Arvind Kejriwal Sign Files From Jail? Asks Supreme Court

Is there any restraint order on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal performing his duties from jail? the Supreme Court asked the Delhi government on Friday after it was informed that files pertaining to the remission of sentences of eligible convicts were getting delayed for want of his signature.

Remission is the cancellation or reduction of a part of the sentence of a prisoner. Under section 432 of the CrPC, state governments may remit the whole or part of the punishment to which a convict has been sentenced based on factors such as the prisoner's conduct, rehabilitation, health and time served in prison.

The observation by a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih came while hearing a plea filed by a convict alleging delay in remission of his sentence.

"Is there any restraint order on chief minister performing his duties from jail? We want to examine this because this will affect hundreds of cases.

"So many files would be there as various orders are passed by the court concerning the chief minister. Whether there is any restraint on the chief minister signing such important files?" the bench said.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said she will take instructions on the issue and get back to the court.

The top court had in an earlier order directed the Delhi government to take a decision on the question of remission of the sentences of convicts within two months. The deadline was, however, extended by a month in July.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 26 in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.

On July 12, the top court granted him interim bail in the money laundering case.

According to legal experts, there is no bar either in the Constitution or in law on a jailed chief minister from continuing in office but running the government from a prison is "practically impossible".

The views of the legal experts are in line with the Delhi High Court's observations of March 28 when it had dismissed a PIL seeking removal of Mr Kejriwal from the post of the chief minister following his arrest.

They, however, opined that it would be impossible to run the day-to-day administration such as making cabinet decisions, signing official papers and transfer orders as these tasks cannot be completed in the secluded and protected area of a jail.

An application by a convict for grant of remission is submitted to the jail superintendent, who forwards the same to the presiding judge of the convicting or confirming court along with the history ticket, copy of the judgments, descriptive roll, and reports from the district magistrate and superintendent of police aboutthe convict's conduct.

Inspector General of Prisons, after his consideration, submits the proposal of remission to the state government with his recommendations. The state government then examines the proposal in accordance with its remission policy and the file is signed by the chief minister, if the same is accepted. 

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15 Of 24 Haryana Cities Among 100 Most Polluted In India: Analysis

Fifteen out of 24 cities in Haryana ranked among India's 100 most polluted cities based on PM2.5 levels in the first half of 2024, according to a new analysis.

According to India's National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), safe limits for PM2.5 and PM10 annual levels are 40 micrograms per cubic metre and 60 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively.

However, these limits are much higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2021 guidelines, which recommend 5 micrograms per cubic metre for PM2.5 and 15 micrograms per cubic metre for PM10.

Air quality data from January to June showed that every city in Haryana exceeded both NAAQS and WHO PM10 standards.

Faridabad was the most polluted city in Haryana, with an average PM2.5 level of 103 micrograms per cubic metre, far above NAAQS and WHO guidelines.

Only three cities -- Palwal, Ambala, and Mandikhera -- managed to keep PM2.5 levels below the NAAQS limits.

Gurugram had the highest PM10 concentration at 227 micrograms per cubic metre while Ambala recorded the lowest at 79 micrograms per cubic metre.

"All 24 cities in Haryana overshot the WHO standards for particulate matter in the first half of the year. Although some cities have not yet surpassed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) due to their more lenient thresholds, this disparity highlights that current national standards may be insufficient for protecting public health. A revision is needed to align more closely with international recommendations," said Manoj Kumar, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Although many cities in Haryana have poor air quality, only Faridabad is currently part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Other cities with persistent pollution problems lack action plans to address the issue.

India launched the NCAP in 2019 with a target to reduce particulate pollution by 20-30 per cent by 2024, using 2017 as the base year. The target was revised to a 40 per cent reduction by 2026, using 2019-20 as the base year.

However, the programme currently covers only 131 non-attainment cities -- those that consistently failed to meet national ambient air quality standards between 2011 and 2015.

Air quality is equally poor in smaller cities, towns and villages since pollution doesn't respect state or national borders, experts argue.

They have urged for the adoption of an airshed approach to manage air pollution in the region.

An airshed refers to a geographic area where air quality is influenced by similar factors, such as wind patterns and pollution sources. Since pollution in one area can easily spread to neighbouring regions, an airshed approach promotes coordinated efforts across states.

CREA said NCAP should be revised to include a stronger institutional framework that promoted coordination among states, cities and agencies.

This would ensure effective long-term management of air quality, requiring better monitoring systems, transparent data sharing, and strict enforcement to reduce pollution and protect public health, it said. 

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Suspect Junior Officers Getting Messages From Outside Parties: SEBI

Amid reports of "toxic work culture" at Sebi, the capital markets regulator on Wednesday termed the claims of unprofessional work culture "misplaced".

It further said that HRA issues of staff are misguided by external elements.

The statement came in the backdrop of media reports suggesting that employees of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had written a letter to the government on August 6, raising concerns over toxic work culture.

"The claims of unprofessional work culture in the letter dated August 6, 2024, are misplaced," Sebi said in a statement.

The regulator suspects that junior officers have been receiving messages from outside parties encouraging them to "go to the media, the Ministry, or the Board," possibly for the outsiders' own agendas.

"Sebi apprehends that the junior officers have been receiving messages from external elements outside their group, effectively instigating them to 'go to media, go to the Ministry, go to Board', perhaps to serve their own purpose. In fact, the letter of August 06, 2024, was not sent by the Sebi employee associations to the Government (and a section of the media)," the statement noted.

It was an anonymous email that was sent, and officers and associations have themselves condemned it and communicated the same to HRD through emails, the regulator said.

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Madrasa Teacher Sexually Abuses 13-Year-Old Boy In UP, Arrested: Cops

A Madrasa teacher in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing a 13-year-old student following a complaint by the boy's father, police said.

The teacher, identified as Saqib, hails from Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh and used to commit unnatural sexual activities, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ankur Vihar) Bhaskar Verma said.

"The police have arrested the teacher for sodomizing his 13-year-old student who was living inside the madrasa for study for the past several months," the ACP said.

"A complaint was lodged by the father of the student on Tuesday in which he alleged that the student was forced by the teacher to sleep with him in his room. The teacher had also threatened the boy of assault in case he revealed his activities to anyone else," he said.

On Monday, the traumatised boy somehow managed to narrate his ordeal to his father, who in turn approached the police and a case was lodged, leading to the teacher's arrest, Mr Verma added.

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As BJPs Membership Drive Starts, PM Modi's Old Picture Of Blood Donation Surfaces

Prime Minister Narendra Modi kick-started the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) massive membership drive on Monday by enrolling himself as the party's first member.

Amid BJP's massive membership drive, an old and undated picture of PM Modi shared by 'Modi Archive' has become the talking point on social media, eliciting people's interest and also evoking reactions on how he has always led from the front.

'Modi Archive', a popular social media handle on X, claims to narrate the journey of PM Modi through archival pictures, videos and newspaper clips.

On Monday, it shared the picture of a young Narendra Modi participating in a blood donation drive.

Captaining the picture, it wrote, "BJP worker Narendra Modi rolling up his sleeves for a blood donation drive organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha."

"Leading by example, since day one," it added.

Leading by example since day one!

BJP worker @narendramodi rolling up his sleeves for a blood donation drive organized by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.#BJPSadasyata2024 pic.twitter.com/FcNOfeNVhC

— Modi Archive (@modiarchive) September 2, 2024

Meanwhile, the 'Sangathan Parv' held at BJP headquarters to launch the membership drive was attended by the top party brass on Monday, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and many other BJP ministers, leaders and party functionaries.

Addressing the event, PM Modi said that the BJP is the only party that is expanding its work by strictly following the democratic process and is continuously working towards making itself capable of realising people's hopes and aspirations.

"This membership drive is not just a ritual, it's an extension of our family. It is an ideological and emotional movement," the Prime Minister said.

Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J.P. Nadda expressed confidence that the party will cross the 10 crore milestone in terms of numbers, a feat it achieved back in 2014.

Earlier in the day, the BJP also unveiled a phone number - 8800002024. A missed call on this number would enable the leaders, workers and volunteers to become a party member.

The NaMo App is another route via which leaders and workers can attain party membership and renew their association with the BJP.
 

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Congress Leader In Kerala Expelled Over "Casting Couch" Comment

Former Congress party and PSC member Simi Rose Bell John was expelled from the party on Sunday following her alleged derogatory remarks against women leaders of the Congress in an interview with a private TV channel.

The announcement was made in a statement by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) General Secretary M Liju, which stated that the KPCC President K Sudhakaran had "expelled former AICC member and PSC member Simi Rose Bell John from the primary membership of the party."

According to the statement, Simi Rose Bell John's accusations were aimed at mentally harassing and defaming lakhs of women leaders and workers in the Congress movement, allegedly in collusion with political adversaries.

Simi Rose Bell John had alleged that only those close to the leadership get opportunities in the party. There is a situation similar to the "casting couch" happening within the Congress party, she alleged yesterday. 

"Women leaders from the KPCC Political Affairs Committee, KPCC office bearers, and Mahila Congress State President, among others, had jointly requested the KPCC leadership to take action against her," the release stated.

The release further stated that the party was convinced that Simi Rose Bell John's actions constituted a serious breach of discipline, which led to disciplinary action.

In her reply to the charges by the Congress, Simi Rose Bell John in a news conference in Kochi lashed out at Congress LoP VD Sathesan saying, "Satheesan said that women who have dignity, pride, and dignity can not work in this party. A person who struggled for the party for some time was expelled."

She also alleged that women of dignity could not work in the Congress party.

"If they have any evidence of what is being alleged it should be released. If there is a conspiracy with the CPIM party, the proof should be released. Women of dignity, pride, and nobility can not work in this party," she said.

Earlier, KPCC President and Member of Lok Sabha K Sudhakaran said that the allegations made by Simi Rose Bell John are baseless and KPCC will investigate the matter following a complaint filed by the Mahila Congress against Simi Rose.

Kerala Congress chief K Sudhakaran said, "Mahila Congress has filed a complaint against Simi Rose Bell John's allegations. Simi made bad remarks against the leaders. Her allegations are baseless. KPCC will investigate the complaint filed by Mahila Congress," he said.

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On CCTV, Cops Seen Planting Drugs On Man In Mumbai, Suspended After Probe

Four cops were suspended today in Mumbai, police said, after a video showed them allegedly planting drugs on a man went viral on social media. In the video, two officers can be seen frisking a man as two others can be seen standing a few steps away. 

Moments later, one of the them slips something into the suspect's hip pocket, the video shows. The four men then take him into custody for possessing 20 grams of mephedrone.

मासूम को कैसे फंसाएं? मुंबई पुलिस से सीखिए

मुंबई के खार पुलिस स्टेशन में तैनात चार अधिकारियों ने कलीन इलाके में एक व्यक्ति की जेब में अपनी जेब से निकालकर ड्रग्स डाल दिया और फिर उसे सीजर दिखाया. पुलिस वालों की इस कलाकारी की पूरी कहानी वहां लगे सीसीटीवी कैमरे में कैद हुई तब जाकर… pic.twitter.com/biPDglNyc2

— NDTV India (@ndtvindia) August 31, 2024

After an investigation was launched, it was confirmed that all the four men seen in the video are police personnel posted at Khar Police Station in Mumbai.

Those suspended included a police sub-inspector and three constables, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone XI) Rajtilak Roshan told news agency PTI.

According to sources, the man searched by the officers and in whose pocket the drugs were planted was identified as Daniel. The four policemen, attached to the Anti-Terror Cell of the Khar police station, raided an open plot of land in Kalina area of the city on Friday evening and detained him.

While speaking to a local news channel, Daniel claimed that the cops initially threatened to frame him in a drugs case but when they realised that their act was caught on a CCTV camera, he was allowed to go.

DCP Rajtilak Roshan told news agency PTI that disciplinary action was initiated against the four cops for not following set procedure and after their suspected actions were seen in the video, they were suspended pending inquiry.

"They reached the spot after getting information about drugs, but everything (they did) is seen in the CCTV," he said.

An associate of Daniel alleged that he was targeted at the behest of a builder over a dispute regarding the plot where the incident took place.

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