Delhi CM and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal being brought out of the courtroom at Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

U.S. issues rare criticism of India in religious freedom report

The United States offered rare criticism of close partner India in a report published Wednesday on religious freedom, while also voicing alarm over rising bigotry worldwide against both Jews and Muslims. Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the annual report and said that the United States was also facing its own sharp increase of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in connection to the Gaza war.

Delhi Excise policy case: CBI arrests Arvind Kejriwal, gets three-day custody

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) formally arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy case on June 26, and was granted three days to interrogate him in its custody. The day also saw Mr. Kejriwal withdraw his petition from the Supreme Court, while promising to return with a fresh challenge against the stay of his statutory bail by the Delhi High Court on June 25.

CBI questions Jharkhand school principal and bank officials in NEET case

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team probing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) paper leak case on Wednesday reached Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh Oasis School over allegations of tampering of question papers. The CBI is conducting a nationwide probe into alleged malpractices in medical entrance exam NEET-UG and has taken over cases probed by the police in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bihar.

India asks Italy to take prompt action against persons responsible for Indian farm worker’s death

India on Wednesday asked Italy to take prompt action against those responsible for the death of a 31-year-old Indian worker who died after he was dumped on the road without medical assistance by his employer after his arm was severed by heavy farm machinery.

Former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey, at the helm when Cold War ended, passes away

Former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey, who steered India’s foreign affairs establishment towards the end of the Cold War and the post-Cold War phase in the early 1990s, passed away here on Wednesday at a private hospital, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, a think tank he was associated with, announced.

With dummy FIRs and pocket guides, police get ready to switch to new criminal laws

Ahead of the implementation of the new criminal laws from July 1, at least 23 modifications have been made to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network Systems (CCTNS), an online platform used by more than 16,000 police stations across the country to register first information reports. From July 1, the FIRs will be registered under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), instead of Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

India is looking at ‘potential’ institutional reforms: U.S. official

India is looking at “potential” institutional reforms against the backdrop of the Pannun issue and alleged assassination attempts, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell said on June 26, adding that the U.S. seeks “accountability” from the Indian government and has “consistently” asked for updates on the committee investigating the matter.

Coup attempt in Bolivia fails as president urges people to mobilize against democracy threat

Armoured vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia’s government palace Wednesday in an apparent coup attempt against President Luis Arce, but he vowed to stand firm and named a new army commander who ordered troops to stand down. The soldiers later pulled back as supporters of Arce waved Bolivian flags and cheered in a central square.

U.S. issues rare criticism of India in religious freedom report

The United States offered rare criticism of close partner India in a report published Wednesday on religious freedom, while also voicing alarm over rising bigotry worldwide against both Jews and Muslims. Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the annual report and said that the United States was also facing its own sharp increase of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in connection to the Gaza war.

Sri Lanka seals debt deal with Official Creditor Committee after financial crisis

In what it termed a significant milestone, Sri Lanka on Wednesday sealed a deal with the Official Creditor Committee [OCC], to restructure the debt owed to its bilateral lenders including India, and signed a separate agreement with China for debt treatment.

Kenya’s president withdraws finance bill that prompted deadly protests

Kenyan President William Ruto said on June 26 he won’t sign into law a finance bill proposing new taxes, a day after protesters stormed parliament and several people were shot dead. It was the biggest assault on Kenya’s government in decades. The government wanted to raise funds to pay off debt, but Kenyans said the bill caused more economic pain as millions struggle to get by. The chaos on Tuesday led the government to deploy the military, and Ruto called protesters’ actions “treasonous.”

Apple supplier Foxconn said to reject married women from India iPhone jobs 

A Reuters investigation has found that Foxconn has systematically excluded married women from jobs at its main iPhone assembly plant on the grounds they have more family responsibilities than their unmarried counterparts. S. Paul, a former human-resources executive at Foxconn India, said the company’s executives verbally convey the recruitment rules to its Indian hiring agencies, which Foxconn tasks with scouting for candidates, bringing them in for interviews and employing them.

ICC T20 rankings: Travis Head replaces Suryakumar Yadav as top T20 batter, Jasprit Bumrah moves to 24

Australia opener Travis head on June 26 toppled India’s Suryakumar Yadav as the number one batter in the latest ICC T20 rankings. Suryakumar was holding the number one spot since December 2023 but Head’s splendid run at the T20 World Cup catapulted him to the top even as his team has been knocked out.

New Delhi:

The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a case against a senior official of the Enforcement Directorate and the chief of a hotel chain, in connection with the ongoing investigation in the Delhi liquor scam. The case names Pawan Khatri, Assistant Director of the ED, Vikramaditya Singh, the chief of a popular hotel chain, and Deepak Sangwan — an employee of Air India.

The ED is probing the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case involving former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others, in which Amandeep Singh Dhall is also an accused. He was arrested by the agency earlier this year.

The ED has claimed Pawan Khatri, and Nitesh Kohar, a clerk in the ED, had allegedly received Rs 5 crore as bribe through conduits to help Amandeep Singh Dhall.

According to the complaint, Dhall and his father Birender Pal Singh informed ED officials that they have given Rs 5 crore to Praveen Vats, a Chartered Accountant, between December 2022 and January 2023 to “arrange help” in the ED investigation in the case against Dhall.

In its complaint to the CBI dated August 7, the ED said Praveen Vats and Deepak Sangwan, the Air India employee, had taken Rs 5 crore from Dhall on the pretext of helping him in the liquor policy money laundering case through Pawan Khatri.

“Vats stated that of the amount received from Dhall, 50 lakhs was given to Sangwan and Khatri as advance as demanded by them in mid-December,” the agency alleged in its complaint.

As Dhall was arrested in March this year, his father demanded a refund. On June 29, Rs 1 crore was returned to him in the presence of Khatri, as stated by Vats.

In his statement, Vikramaditya Singh has said that Aman Dhall had approached him for help and he had asked Vats to help him. Vats had told him that “after deducting expenses with ED officials and other expenses, remaining amount will be divided between them equally,” the ED’s complaint read.

Following the complaint, the CBI registered a corruption case against Khatri, Kohar, Sangwan, Vats, Vikramaditya Singh, Amandeep Singh Dhall and BP Singh for allegedly influencing ED’s investigation in Delhi liquor policy case through bribes.