Aizawl: A senior Mizoram official on Saturday claimed that the Centre has turned down the state’s request to provide flights to evacuate its residents stranded in violence-hit Manipur.
The Mizoram government has urged both the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to charter flights for the stranded people hailing from the northeastern state, he said.
“The Centre turned down our request, and so has a private airline (to evacuate people of Mizoram stuck in Manipur),” the official told PTI.
The Centre is yet to make a comment on it.
Hundreds of people, mostly students, were reportedly stranded in Manipur following violent clashes between tribals and people belonging to the majority Meitei community, which has displaced thousands and resulted in the loss of lives of at least 54.
Meanwhile, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana convened a meeting with officials on Saturday to review the measures being taken to evacuate people from Manipur.
He said the state government is making massive efforts to bring back its residents at the earliest.
Tickets of commercial flights have been booked for those stranded in the neighbouring state, and they are expected to return in batches, state government sources said.
New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday expressed apprehension over the SEBI’s six-month extension request to probe the alleged stock market manipulation of Adani group shares, saying it hopes it was not an effort to bury the “scam.”
AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Securities and Exchange Board of India has asked for a six-month extension after the Supreme Court Committee ordered it to examine the stock market transactions of the Adani Group.
“Hope this request by SEBI is not an effort to bury the scam or drag it out in the hope that the furore will die down,” Ramesh said on Twitter.
“The Committee as it needs to be recalled – has limited terms of reference to begin with. It cannot (and will not want to) investigate the entire political science and business practices of the Group. That only a JPC can do,” he said.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in her turn termed the move a joke.
“This is a joke. SEBI has been investigating since October 2021 when they replied to my letter of July. While they prima facie see violations (no surprise)- they want 6 months to protect their favourite businessman so that he can get maximum time to cover up.
“The SEBI Chairperson told the Committee that the Adani matter is the elephant in the room. Surely then it deserves to be treated with greater urgency given the free run this particular ‘haathi mere saathi’ has had in all these years of Mitr Kaal,” she said on Twitter.
Market Regulator SEBI has moved the Supreme Court seeking a six-month extension to complete its probe into the allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group and any lapses in regulatory disclosures.
The top court had on March 2 asked SEBI to probe the matter within two months and also set up a panel to look into the protection of Indian investors after a damning report by a US short seller wiped out more than USD 140 billion of the conglomerate’s market value.
In an application moved before the court, SEBI submitted that to ascertain possible violations related to misrepresentation of financials, circumvention of regulations and/or fraudulent nature of transactions, it would take six more months to complete the exercise.
“I think I know what would happen to that invitation. It would be ignored,” Durbin said, without elaborating as to why he thought that would be the case.
Roberts’ appearance before the committee would be voluntary, and Durbin has said last week that there were no conversations about subpoenaing any of the justices. But Roberts should appear, Durbin urged Sunday.
“Why this Supreme Court, these nine justices, believe they are exempt from the basic standards of disclosure, I cannot explain. And I think [the] chief justice should appear before our committee and explain something or explain the changes that he’s going to make,” he said.
Thomas defended his decision to accept the trips he and his wife received from Harlan Crow without disclosing them to the court, saying he has “always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines.”
Further reporting showed that Crow also bought property from Thomas, a real estate deal he also did not disclose.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that his party was trying to build consensus among the country’s political leadership on holding elections, but asserted that any dialogue would be futile if it is carried out “with a gun to your head”.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman’s remarks came as the country’s Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial requested political leaders to hold negotiations earlier in the day after the Supreme Court resumed hearing a petition seeking to hold general elections for all national and provincial assemblies simultaneously.
Justice Bandial said that there could be no obstinacy in negotiations and that consensus could be built through bilateral talks, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
He asked the political leaders to meet and negotiate on Thursday rather than after Eid. During the hearing, he said the elections could be held in July after Eid.
Despite Justice Bandial’s request, no dialogue was held between the highly-polarised political parties.
Later, the hearing was adjourned till April 27 after Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan and PPP lawyer Farooq H Naek met Justice Bandial in his chamber and sought more time to hold dialogue with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by ousted prime minister Imran Khan to evolve consensus on the matter, the report said.
“We have made attempts in the past to unify the political leadership [on elections] and are willing to do that again, but dialogue cannot take place with a gun to your head as no one will agree,” Bilawal, 34, said.
He said the PPP supports holding elections on the same day and is prepared to talk to anyone to achieve this goal.
“Our efforts are aimed at saving democracy, which is currently in danger,” he said. Bilawal hoped that the CJP would establish consensus within his institution before leaving his post.
“Our history has never witnessed such fragmentation within the judiciary. The Supreme Court is currently undergoing a trial before the people,” he said.
Pakistan is currently in the grip of political and economic instability, compounded by the bitter tension between the judiciary and executive over the date of elections in the Punjab province.
Parliament and the judiciary are divided over the holding of elections in the two provinces as the former has refused to authorise the funds to meet the expenditures. The deadlock has increased political instability and with the economy already in freefall, the threat of default of the country has increased.
The federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserts that it has the power to delay the polls and hold them after August.
However, Khan’s PTI party was pushing for early polls and demanding that instead of delaying the Punjab elections, the National Assembly should be dissolved and general elections called in the country.
SRINAGAR: Seerat Naaz, a student from Lohai-Malhar village in Jammu & Kashmir, has expressed her disappointment with the condition of her school and made a heartfelt request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help in building a better school. Her request has touched the hearts of netizens, who have shared the video widely in the hope that it will reach the Prime Minister.
In the video, Seerat introduces herself as a student of a local government school and gives a tour of the school premises, highlighting the areas that need improvement.
She expresses her desire for a clean and safe school environment, saying, “Please Modi-ji, build a nice school for us.”
To watch the video, click here
The video, originally shared by a Facebook page called ‘Marmik News’ from Jammu and Kashmir, has garnered nearly 2 million views and over 116,000 likes. Seerat’s request has resonated with many, and people are hopeful that the government will take action to provide the students with a cleaner and safer school.
We hope that Seerat’s request is heard by the government officials, and steps are taken to provide the students with a better learning environment.
Johannesburg: South Africa said Friday that the UAE has turned down its request to extradite two brothers from the wealthy Indian-origin Gupta family to face trial in the country on fraud and corruption charges.
The three Gupta brothers, Ajay, Atul and Rajesh, are wanted in South Africa for their alleged roles in the looting of billions of rands from state enterprises. They are alleged to have used their closeness to former president Jacob Zuma to do this.
The South African government last year submitted a formal extradition application to the United Arab Emirates for Rajesh Gupta and Atul Gupta.
The family fled to Dubai five years ago as the net closed in on them following Zuma’s ousting by his own African National Congress when he refused to step down.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola says his government is “shocked and dismayed” after the UAE declined the request
Lamola said he only learnt about the decision after his office enquired with the local UAE embassy, which said that they had received a note verbale stating this.
“We learnt with shock and dismay that the extradition hearing had been concluded in the Dubai courts on February 13, 2023, and our extradition request was unsuccessful,” Lamola said.
“The reasons provided are of a technical nature, and fly in the face of (earlier) assurances given by the UAE authorities that our request meets their requirements,” he said.
Lamola said the decision would be appealed.
Legal experts however said such an appeal would be to no avail, as the Gupta brothers are believed to now be in Switzerland.
Originally from Saharanpur in India, the Guptas built an empire in the IT, media and mining industries after first arriving in the country to start a shoe shop soon after Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years as a political prisoner to become the first democratically-elected president.
“We have complied with every letter of the extradition treaty that we have between ourselves and the UAE authorities. To ensure this compliance, we have even allowed the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to go to the UAE for engagements with their counterparts before the papers were submitted,” Lamola said at a media briefing.
“The Central Authority in the UAE and the prosecution in the UAE confirmed that all our papers are in order. So from our side, we have complied and that is why we are bemused by this judgement that cites technicalities. We find it shocking,” he added.
Lamola said that even if there was a technical issue, the UAE should have sought clarity from South Africa in line with Article 17 of the UN Convention Against Corruption, which requires consultation with the applicant country before a decision is taken.
“We still intend to engage with our counterparts in the UAE to ensure that the decision of the court is promptly appealed, as well as to devise other mechanisms to deal with the matter. That discussion must also preserve the integrity of our bilateral relations,” Lamola said.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has rejected a request made by Justice V M Velumani to retain her at the Madras High Court judge.
The Collegium by its resolution dated September 29, 2022 had proposed to transfer Justice Velumani to the Calcutta High Court for the better administration of justice.
Justice Velumani sought reconsideration of the recommendation. However, the Collegium reiterated its recommendation for her transfer.
“Justice V M Velumani has by a communication dated March 17, 2023 sought a transfer to a High Court of the North-eastern States, preferably Manipur or Tripura, on the ground that she would then be able to retain her official accommodation at Chennai.
“The request made by Ms Justice V M Velumani to retain her at the Madras High Court has been rejected by the Collegium on an earlier occasion. There is no valid reason to reconsider the earlier decision of the Collegium by which her transfer has been recommended to the Calcutta High Court or to accede to her fresh request. Her request for transfer to either Manipur or Tripura or any High Court in the North-eastern States is rejected,” a resolution uploaded on the apex court website said.
The collegium also comprises justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, KM Joseph, MR Shah and Ajay Rastogi.
In another resolution, the Collegium accepted the request of Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma to be transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court from Patna High Court, where he is currently posted.
He had sought repatriation to the Rajasthan High Court on the ground of his poor health and unavailability of adequate medical facilities at Patna.
“The Collegium resolves that it is not possible to repatriate Mr Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma to his parent High Court.
“Bearing in mind the health reasons which have led the Judge to seek a transfer out of the High Court where he is posted at present, the Collegium resolves that Shri Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma be transferred, to the High Court of Punjab and Haryana,” the Collegium said in the resolution dated March 28.
In the third resolution, the collegium accepted the request of Justice Atul Sreedharan to be transferred to the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh from Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Justice Sreedharan had sought a transfer out of Madhya Pradesh on the ground that his elder daughter would enter practice next year and would be appearing before the District Court and the Indore bench of the high court.
“Mr. Justice Atul Sreedharan has stated that he does not desire to continue in the High Court of Madhya Pradesh when his daughter enters practice.
“The Collegium has resolved to accept the request of Mr Justice Atul Sreedharan and to recommend that he be transferred, in the interest of better administration of justice, to the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh,” it said.
Her letter amounts to a sharp rebuke of a GOP inquiry launched days after Trump personally predicted his own imminent arrest, nudging House Republicans to rally behind him. Dubeck indicated that Bragg’s office had adopted the Justice Department’s longstanding position to refuse to provide Congress with details of ongoing criminal investigations — while also saying that the office would “meet and confer” with the lawmakers’ aides to determine if any information could be shared.
“The District Attorney is obliged by the federal and state constitutions to protect the independence of state law enforcement functions from federal interference. The DA’s Office therefore requests an opportunity to meet and confer with committee staff to better understand what information the DA’s Office can provide that relates to a legitimate legislative interest and can be shared consistent with the District Attorney’s constitutional obligations,” Dubeck wrote.
The senior Republicans’ request for information — supplemented Wednesday by two additional letters from Jordan — raises unusual questions about the scope of Congress’ jurisdiction over state and local criminal matters. Democrats sharply rejected the notion that Congress plays any role in overseeing non-federal investigations.
Dubeck’s reply came just ahead of a 10 a.m. deadline that Republicans set for Bragg to set up an closed-door transcribed interview with their aides, as well as to hand over a broad swath of documents including any related to potential federal funding of or involvement in his work.
Dubeck said that Bragg’s office would submit a letter describing its use of federal funds — which Speaker Kevin McCarthy indicated could face revocation. She further requested a meeting with committee staff to determine if they had “any legitimate legislative purpose in the requested materials that could be accommodated without impeding those sovereign interests.”
But Dubeck emphasized that questions about the office’s use of federal funds does not justify a congressional attempt to unearth nonpublic information about the ongoing probe.
Broadly speaking, her letter emphasized that even though Bragg’s office sharply rejects the notion that its Trump probe is political, the forum for probing those allegations would be court proceedings in New York, not Congress.
Comer, Jordan and Steil didn’t immediately respond on Thursday. But House Judiciary Republicans’ Twitter account tweeted shortly after the letter that “Alvin Bragg should focus on prosecuting actual criminals in New York City rather than harassing a political opponent in another state.“
The initial letter from Comer, Jordan and Steil didn’t hint at what their next steps would be if Bragg didn’t comply with their request. Jordan, in particular, frequently hints at using a “compulsory” process — in other words, a subpoena — if his demands aren’t meant, but the trio’s letter did not include that phrasing.
Jordan also sidestepped questions on Wednesday about whether he would try to subpoena Bragg if they didn’t comply with their requests.
The House GOP letter to Bragg emerged in the middle of the conference’s three-day confab in Orlando, Fla., a gathering meant to focus on their broader agenda. Bragg is reportedly preparing for the possibility that the former president will be indicted on charges related to alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
The threat of an indictment loomed over the retreat, the latest example of House Republicans’ inability to escape Trump’s long shadow. McCarthy (R-Calif.) almost immediately vowed that he would direct committees to investigate the potential indictment, and Republicans got questions at nearly every press event they held in Florida.
And Trump’s social-media suggestion of an imminent arrest appeared to have achieved its intended goal by sparking a near-immediate rush of support from House Republicans, including McCarthy’s vow that he would direct committees to investigate.
Jordan also wrote to former special prosecutors Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, both worked on the investigation before leaving last year, on Wednesday night with a request for interviews and documents.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
The attempt to obtain Schmitt’s personnel file comes as House Republicans dig into a broader investigation of military records handling after Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) revealed the “unauthorized release” of their Air Force records to Due Diligence last year. The firm’s pursuit of documents on GOP candidates from a separate military branch indicates that Due Diligence cast a wider net than previously known.
And Schmitt is pointing a finger directly at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the attempt to obtain his personnel data. The House Democratic campaign arm paid Due Diligence just over $110,00 between January 2021 and December 2022, according to Federal Election Commission records.
“It appears that a coordinated campaign to target myself and other Congressional Republicans across the country who serve or have served our nation was for political gain,” Schmitt said in a statement, blaming the DCCC for “the illegal use of my social security number to attempt to gain access to my private military records.”
The Air Force said last month that an internal investigation it launched after POLITICO reported on former GOP candidate Jennifer-Ruth Green’s military records in October — when she was challenging Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-Ind.) in a battleground district — found that the private records of 11 individuals were improperly disclosed to a third party.
Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek has said that “virtually all” of the 11 unapproved releases were made to the same third party “who represented himself as a background investigator seeking service records for employment purposes.”
Payton, a former research director for the Democratic group American Bridge, sought Bacon’s personnel information, according to an official letter first reported by POLITICO. It is unclear if Payton was behind all of the 11 Air Force requests, however; Nunn has not publicly disclosed if Payton was the individual who sought his military personnel records, and Green has confirmed only that Due Diligence sought hers.
Due Diligence did not respond to requests for comment. Payton, whom POLITICO attempted to reach at an email address connected to the firm, did not respond to a request for comment. The DCCC did not respond to a request for comment.
In addition to Bacon, Nunn and Green, POLITICO first reported that Sam Peters, who challenged Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) in November, was notified of the improper release of his Air Force records. Another member of the group of 11 affected by the Air Force’s unapproved disclosures, Kevin Dellicker, fell short in last year’s GOP primary race to challenge Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.).
The other six individuals affected by the Air Force records releases are not publicly known. But the House Armed Services and Oversight Committees are jointly investigating the matter, and Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) vowed to keep pushing following the revelation about the attempt to access Schmitt’s records.
“I have asked the Secretary of Defense to provide our Committee with information on this reprehensible incident,” Rogers said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable that the Department of Defense continues to delay answering our Committee on the egregious mishandling of military personnel records. I will fight for the answers our service members deserve.”
Payton indicated on the form requesting Schmitt’s records that he sought them for benefits and employment purposes. The form also indicates that Payton had Schmitt’s social security number at the time of his request.
While Payton sent his request to the New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs, Schmitt said in an interview that he’s seeking clarification about whether a separate attempt was made on the federal level or another possible separate channel to obtain National Guard records.
“I am thankful that the New York Army National Guard notified me of the attempt to illegally access my information and worked to protect me. I am working with counsel to continue to review if any additional attempts were made to illegally use my social security number and steal my private records to weaponize against me for political purposes,” Schmitt said.
According to a copy of the military records request Payton filed, he sought to obtain Schmitt’s “releasable/redacted copy of Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF)” in August of last year.
Payton sought the information for the stated purpose of “Benefits,” “Employment,” and “Other,” to which he explained in the line below: “Services, awards, disciplinary history/records relevant to applicant’s qualifications for (potential) position’s duties, pay, and benefits.”
POLITICO was told by the person who gave it Green’s military records last year that they were obtained through a public records request. POLITICO reviewed the request for the records made by a third party, which sought a “publicly releasable/redacted copy of OMPF [Official Military Personnel File] per Freedom of Information Act statutes.” The requester identified the purpose of the request as relating to “benefits,” “employment” and “other.”
POLITICO also reviewed the letter sent in response to the requester. A military employee responded with a password-protected version of the file with limited redactions. After publication, the Air Force said it erred in releasing the records and launched an investigation.
Bacon said last month that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall informed him that material from the Air Force’s internal investigation into the records releases was turned over to the Justice Department for possible further action. And Schmitt is joining all five GOP Air Force veterans in calling for a DOJ inquiry into whether political opposition research crossed into criminal activity.
“We’re aware of the concerns raised, and the Department of Justice has been communicating with the U.S. Air Force about this matter,” a DOJ spokesperson in a statement Sunday.
The DOJ declined to comment on the status of any potential investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, Rogers and Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) asked the Pentagon for the full list of people affected by improper records disclosures and whether any criminal referrals have taken place, setting a deadline of Feb. 27 that came and went, with no response.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy, when asked about the missed deadline, has previously stated that House Republicans will move to subpoenas if the Air Force does not comply with their inquiries and is weighing legislation on the matter. He did not offer further details on what such a bill would look like.
Schmitt, himself, says he is willing to cooperate with the House GOP.
“I have spoken with Congressman Don Bacon and have offered to fully participate” in Rogers and Comer’s inquiry “into these illegal acts,” said Schmitt.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
