Delhi News Highlights: BJP’s goal was to keep me and Arvind Kejriwal in jail, but your support made the difference, says Manish Sisodia (2024)

The NDMC on Friday approved the refurbishment of all road signages and decided to sign an agreement with the Central Road Research Institute to seek technical guidance for maintenance of the road network in the area.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) held its council meeting and approved various infrastructure-related proposals, vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay said.

The civic body approved New Delhi Municipal Council Plastic Waste Management Bye-laws 2024 for notification in the gazette.

The road of North West Moti Bagh is in deteriorating condition, Upadhyay said, adding the road of the colony lastly resurfaced in the year 2013.

The council also approved a project for the improvement of Street Lighting System for safer Pedestrian movement, especially for women at night.

The Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAIMS), Delhi, has announced that routine OPD and operation theatre services will be suspended on Saturday to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata and subsequent vandalism at the facility.

Doctors at the Centre-run hospitals Safdarjung and RML will hold a silent protest march, sporting black ribbons, in solidarity with the protesting doctors "As you are aware, in light of the heinous incident that occurred at R G Kar Medical College, Kolkata, involving a resident doctor, the residents of our institute are on strike, demanding the urgent implementation of a 'Central Protection Act' to ensure a safe environment for practising doctors," the FAIMS said in a communication to the AIIMS-Delhi director.

According to it, an urgent general body meeting was held with faculty members, and it was unanimously decided that apart from emergency medical services, including casualty, emergency operation theatre (OT), ICU, and wards, no routine hospital services such as OPD, OT, laboratory will function on Saturday.

It said that they have ensured that patients scheduled for OPD services tomorrow are informed. Their appointments have been rescheduled to minimise inconvenience, the FAIMS said. (PTI)

In a major security breach, a man in his early 20s scaled the wall and jumped inside the Parliament Annexe building premises on Friday afternoon, official sources said.

A purported video of the incident has also surfaced where the suspect, wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, is seen being held by armed CISF personnel.

Nothing incriminating was found by the man during frisking. He has been handed over to the Delhi Police, sources in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said.

They said the incident took place towards Imtiaz Khan Marg. The suspect scaled the wall and jumped inside the Parliament Annexe building premises around 2:45 pm. The man has been identified as Manish, a resident of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.

Delhi Police said the man appears to be mentally "unsound" as he could not tell his name properly. He was also questioned by central security agency officials, though nothing suspicious has come to light so far, an official said. (PTI)

(Express Photos by Amit Mehra)

Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia on Friday took to streets of Greater Kailash constituency launching his "padyatra", and meeting a greeting people ahead of Assembly polls in Delhi early next year.

The former deputy chief minister, who recently walked out of Tihar jail where he had been lodged for 17 months in connection with an excise policy case, said "he felt very happy to be among the people again."

"They prayed for me and now welcoming me back. Now, they are praying for Arvind Kejriwal and he will also be out soon," Sisodia said during the nearly two-hour-long march that started from DDA Flats, Kalkaji.

The AAP leader will take out similar marches in all 70 Assembly constituencies of Delhi in coming days.

Announcements were kept being made as Sisodia criss-crossed the area on foot, hailing him as the "father of education revolution in Delhi." Sisodia who showed special interest in meeting kids exchanged a few words with them.

"See these small children, they are future of Delhi. I have to work for them. The whole politics of Arvind Kejriwal is based on shaping a better country for them," he said.

Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj and several AAP leaders and volunteers accompanied Sisodia during the march. (PTI)

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi and Education Minister Atishi on Friday interacted with 47 school principals of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) who received training at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

The program was organised at the office of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) here.

During the event, the school principals shared their training experiences and discussed in detail the teaching techniques, school management, human resources, leadership development and other experiences taught at the IIM-Ahmedabad with Oberoi and Atishi.

Addressing the interaction session, Atishi said the purpose of sending the principals of the corporation schools to the IIM for training is to build capacity in them so that they can use their leadership qualities effectively.

The Delhi High Court Wednesday prohibited Hong Kong-based fashion brand Crocodile International from using a logo in India similar to the one used by French fashion giant Lacoste.

The single-judge bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula, however, rejected Lacoste’s plea for a permanent injunction against the use of any other saurian symbols by Crocodile International.

The ruling came after over two decades of Lacoste’s challenge to the use of the logo by Crocodile International and its Indian subsidiary Crocodile Products Pvt Ltd.

Crocodile International had disputed Lacoste’s claim, primarily placing reliance on a 1983 agreement between it and Lacoste, wherein the two had decided to promote “cooperation and co-existence” and resolve existing disputes, legal actions, and controversies, significantly reducing the potential for conflict in their respective trademark uses across different markets.

The agreement had also purportedly envisioned a “collaborative stance against third-party infringers” across various jurisdictions. Read More

Delhi minister Atishi on Friday said the party is fully prepared to contest all the seats in Haryana and exuded confidence about winning the assembly polls.

The Election Commission announced that polls for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on October 1.

Talking to reporters after the poll dates announcement, Atishi said, "Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, our party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal have addressed public meetings and they have seen huge crowds. Kejriwal is a son of Haryana, and thus, people have a connection with him."

She asserted that they will contest all the seats with complete strength and will win the polls.

When asked whether the party will enter into an alliance with the Congress for the polls, she said, "The decision will be taken after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal comes out of jail. We are holding door-to-door campaigns in all assembly constituencies and the work of formation of booth committees is underway." (PTI)

The Delhi University has released the first allocation list for the undergraduate admissions 2024-25, with 97,387 candidates offered programmes and college combinations in the 'round one' of the Common Seat Allotment System (CSAS).

For admissions to 71,600 sanctioned seats, the university considered 5,68,20,017 unique cutoffs and ranks for the allocations in this round, according to an official statement.

Delhi University received 1,72,18,187 number of preferences/choices submitted by the students seeking admission to various UG programmes in different colleges.

In the first round, the number of girls who have been allotted a seat for admission in DU is 52,838 while 44,549 boys have been given seats in the admission process.

The Delhi University had earlier said it would accept 50 per cent more applications this year to avoid vacant seats.

Furthermore, this year Delhi University has revised its tie-breaker rules for generating ranks based on which admissions are given. (PTI)

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Friday said it will challenge the Delhi High Court order that restored the mandate of IOA's ad-hoc committee to manage the affairs of the sports body, saying the "interference" could jeopardize the participation of Indian wrestlers at the upcoming World Championships.

The latest order came on a plea seeking a stay on the functioning of the WFI and prevent it from undertaking any activity as a national federation for the sport.

Justice Sachin Datta while passing the interim order on the plea by wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian, said it was open to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) re-constituting the committee which was earlier led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa.

"We are going to take it to double bench. The IOA had dissolved the ad-hoc panel . We will also approachthe world governing body UWW and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They had warned that outside interference may impact our athletes," WFI President Sanjay Singh said.

"Two World Championships are approaching. Indian wrestlers' participation could be blocked," he feared.

The U-17 World Championship is set to be held in Amman, Jordan from August 19-25 while the U-20 World championship is scheduled in Pontevedra, Spain from September 2-8. (PTI)

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met senior AAP leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia here on Friday and said he has got justice by "breaking the shackles of dictatorship".

This was Mann's first meeting with Sisodia after the Aam Aadmi Party leader was released on bail by the Supreme Court last week.

Sisodia was arrested in connection with the excise policy case on February 26 last year and was granted bail by the apex court on August 9.

"Today I met the leader and the person who brought a revolution of education. He came out of jail after 17 months, breaking the shackles of dictatorship. When nothing was found against him, we got justice from the court," Mann said.

Alleging that the investigative agencies have nothing against the party's leaders and only have false papers, he said, adding that efforts were made to break the party by scaring leaders or enticing them. (PTI)

Doctors in Delhi, who had been demonstrating inside their respective hospitals, united for a massive protest outside Nirman Bhawan as their indefinite strike, following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, entered its fifth day on Friday with all elective services remaining suspended.

The Nirman Bhawan, located near Parliament in Lutyens' Delhi, houses the Ministry of Health among other departments.

Resident doctors are standing on the side of the road outside Nirman Bhawan, with a heavy presence of police officers who have placed barricades on both sides of the road.

The doctors are holding posters and banners, and chanting slogans like 'We want justice', 'No safety, no duty', and 'Awaz do, hum ek hain' to express their anger and concerns about their safety.

The associations collectively agreed to implement a common unified action plan aimed at pushing for a central protection Act, which they believe is crucial to safeguarding the interests and lives of healthcare workers across the nation.

A Delhi court is likely to pass on August 30 an order on whether to frame the charges against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in a case related to the killing of three people at Pul Bangash during the 1984-anti Sikh riots.

Special CBI judge Rakesh Siyal on Friday reserved the order after getting some clarifications from the parties.

"There are no further clarifications required. I am reserving the order for August 30," the judge said.

In its charge sheet filed in May 2023, the CBI had accused Tytler, a former union minister, of “inciting, instigating and provoking the mob” that had assembled near the Pul Bangash gurdwara on November 1, 1984.

Citing a witness, it claimed, Tytler alighted from a white ambassador car in front of the gurudwara and instigated the mob, shouting "Kill the Sikhs, they have killed our mother!" Three people were then done to death by the mob that was enraged over the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards a day before.

The central probe agency has invoked charges under Sections 147 (rioting), and 109 (abetment) read with 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), among others, against Tytler.

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the reconstitution of the ad-hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that was tasked with overseeing and supervising the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI’s) operations, including selections and trials, after the sports ministry had suspended the wrestling body’s newly elected executive committee last year.

Hearing an application by wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, seeking suspension of the WFI, the court of Justice Sachin Datta held that the revocation of the ad-hoc committee appointed by the IOA was “incongruous” with the sports ministry’s December 2023 order. Read More

The Delhi High Court on Friday restored the mandate of IOA's ad hoc committee for Wrestling Federation of India on a plea seeking a stay on the functioning of the WFI in its present form and prevent it from undertaking any activity as a national federation for the sport.

While passing the interim order on the plea by celebrated wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian, Justice Sachin Datta said it was open to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) re-constituting the committee.

The wrestlers, who were at the forefront of last year's protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment of seven women grapplers, had moved the high court earlier this year for setting aside and declaring as illegal the elections held to elect the office bearers of the federation held in December.

Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan loyalist, was elected the new WFI chief in the polls held on December 21, 2023.

The Centre had suspended the WFI on December 24, 2023, three days after it elected the new office bearers, for allegedly not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions and requested IOA to constitute an ad-hoc committee to manage and control its affairs.

On March 4, the court issued notice to the central government, WFI and the ad-hoc committee of WFI on the petition by the top grapplers. (PTI)

Delhi Police issued prohibitory orders in the central areas of the national capital amid protest calls by multiple organisations against the Kolkata rape-murder case on Friday, officials said.

Deployment of police personnel has been increased and Section 163 (prohibitory orders) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has been imposed near the Parliament and other parts of central Delhi, they said.

A Delhi Police officer said the city remains on alert due to Independence Day celebrations. Due to the protests announced, traffic at some intersections in central Delhi has been diverted, he said.

Multiple resident doctors' associations (RDAs), including those from AIIMS, and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, have announced a protest meet near Nirman Bhawan on Friday.

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has given a call for a candle march at India Gate at 6 pm.

Delhi University's Krantikari Yuya Sangthan has announced a protest meeting at 2 pm at Mandi House, while Congress's student wing NSUI has given a call of protest at 7.30 pm at Jantar Mantar. (PTI)

Amid widespread protests over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, the Union Health Ministry on Friday said the heads of institutions will be responsible for filing an institutional FIR within six hours of an incident of violence against any healthcare worker on duty.

The office memorandum by Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Atul Goel was issued to directors and medical superintendents of central government hospitals, including AIIMS, and principals of all medical colleges across the country.

"It is stated that in the event of any violence against any healthcare worker while on duty, the Head of Institution shall be responsible for filing an institutional FIR within a maximum of 6 hours of the incident," the memo read.

Recently it has been observed that violence has become common against doctors and other healthcare staff in government hospitals, the memo said.

The OM said a number of health workers suffer physical violence during the course of their duty and many are threatened or exposed to verbal aggression. Most of this violence is done either by patients or their attendants, it added.

(With PTI inputs)

Four persons have been arrested in connection with a Rs 400 crore "fraud" online betting and gaming app allegedly linked to some Chinese nationals, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Friday.

Arun Sahu, Alok Sahu, Chetan Prakash and Joseph Stalin were taken into custody under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the case related to the app named 'Fiewin', the federal probe agency said in a statement.

The money laundering case stems from an FIR filed at the Cossipore police station in Kolkata against some unknown persons for "cheating" and "conspiracy" with a number of online gamers through the app.

"An amount of Rs 400 crore was generated from the Fiewin app fraud and thereafter was credited into eight Binance (global crypto exchange) wallets in the name of Chinese nationals. These wallets were operated from the Chinese mainland as revealed by the access IP logs.

"The Chinese nationals communicated with and instructed the four accused persons through digital communication especially groups on Telegram (social communication app)," the ED said.

Since these four persons played an "active role" in the Fiewin app-based scam and they are found to be involved in the offence of money laundering, they were arrested, the agency said.

(With PTI inputs)

PTI

Members of Resident Doctors' Associations of various of Delhi hospitals stage a joint protest over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical Hospital.

PTI

ANI

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Delhi Manish Sisodia today.

This was Mann's first meeting with Sisodia after the Aam Aadmi Party leader was released on bail by the Supreme Court last week.

Sisodia was arrested in connection with the excise policy case on February 26 last year, and was granted bail by the apex court on August 9, PTI reported.

The Delhi High Court is set to review SpiceJet's appeal against an order to ground three engines leased from Team France 01 SAS and Sunbird France 02 SAS. The court, led by Justices Manmohan and Tushar Rao Gedela, declined to hear the matter immediately after it was brought forth by SpiceJet's counsel. An earlier ruling by Justice

Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora required SpiceJet to ground the engines by August 16 and return them within 15 days, citing the airline's status as a defaulter with no legal right to continue using the engines. The court emphasized that allowing SpiceJet to retain the engines would cause financial distress to the lessors, who claim SpiceJet owes millions in unpaid dues.

Additionally, SpiceJet must facilitate an inspection of the engines at Delhi Airport within seven days for the lessors' representatives.

(With ANI inputs)