1. Vijay Mallya Arrested by Scotland Yard in London, Gets Bail After Appearing in Court
Scotland Yard arrested fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Tuesday morning and a London court granted him bail within hours, beginning the legal process to send him to India that may be drawn over months, if not years.
The 61-year-old flamboyant businessman, who called himself “The King of Good Times”, was the subject of an extradition request from India for alleged financial irregularities such a loan defaults and money laundering.
He left India for Britain on 2 March last year after a consortium of 17 banks accused him of defaulting on more than Rs 9,000 crores, mostly loans taken for his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Trouble-Hit AIADMK Eyes Merger of Warring Factions, Sidelines Sasikala and Her Kin
Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK party on Tuesday distanced itself from jailed general secretary VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dinakaran, brightening prospects of a truce with the O Panneerselvam faction that had rebelled against her leadership.
The decision was “unanimous” and based on the views of all ministers, including Chief Minister E Palaniswami, legislators, MPs and the people, state minister D Jayakumar said, stressing that a committee will now run the party.
The Sasikala clan will be completely kept away from the party and the government, which should not be controlled by one family, Finance and Fisheries Minister Jayakumar said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Supreme Court Overrules Govt, Says 3 Cases in Manipur From 2003 Must be Reinvestigated
The Supreme Court cited Bangladesh's prosecution of war criminals for atrocities committed in 1971 as it rejected the Centre's plea that cases of alleged extra-judicial killings by armed forces in insurgency-hit Manipur in 2003 should not be reopened as more than a decade had passed since.
A Bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice UU Lalit said a fair and impartial probe was needed to find out the truth behind the killings, and favoured the setting up of a committee comprising senior CBI and state police officials to investigate the cases. The government should not shy away from punishing the culprits accused of killing innocent people in the last three decades, it said.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi strongly opposed any reinvestigation, saying it would not be appropriate to reopen the cases after 14 years.
(Source: Times of India)
4. 13 Indians Reported Killed in US MOAB Bombing
An Afghanistan-based news agency said on Tuesday that 13 Indians were killed in the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) attack by the US military in Achin district of Nangarhar province last week. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it was not sure of the claims and was still verifying it.
Last year, as a well thought-out conspiracy, 21 men, women and children from Kerala had left for Afghanistan via Iran to live in the IS-controlled territory. Mainly comprising defectors from Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), the Wilayat Khorasan of Islamic State in Afghanistan came into existence in 2015.
The NIA was investigating the case and over the past two months, at least two of them Mohammad Hafezuddin and Murshid Mohammad, have been killed in drone attacks.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. ‘Just a Hype of Two Days’: Yogi Adityanath’s Anti-Romeo Drive Fizzles Out in Meerut
The boys are back outside while the girls are busy taking their exams inside. The scene in the immediate vicinity of RG Girls’ PG College on Meerut’s Kacheri Road seems every bit the same as it used to be a month before with men – some of them possibly eve-teasers – loitering around seeking out their next target.
Almost a month after Uttar Pradesh’s new chief minister Yogi Adityanath launched his ‘anti-Romeo squad’ initiative to crack down on sexual harassment of women at public places, Meerut has slipped back to its usual self.
Adityanath took over as the CM on 19 March and two days later, he announced the formation of the squads amid much fanfare and publicity.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Nationalist Sword Cuts Both Ways
Make in India, America First, Australians First....
The growing trend of nationalist postures abroad, similar to that pursued by the Narendra Modi government at home, is beginning to bite Indians.
Australia on Tuesday scrapped a visa scheme, called 457, for temporary skilled workers – the biggest beneficiaries of which were Indians.
India had provided the largest number of workers with 457 visas in the year that ended last September, accounting for nearly a quarter of all successful applications.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said the government was examining the consequences of Turnbull's announcement. "The government is examining the consequences of the new policy in consultation with all stakeholders," a spokesperson said. "This is also a matter we will be looking at in the context of CECA negotiations."
(Source: The Telegraph)
7. India Strongly Condemns Ontario Assembly Resolution on 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots During Jaitley-Sajjan Meeting
India on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent Ontario assembly motion that described the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as "genocide", with Defence Minister Arun Jaitley telling his visiting Canadian counterpart Harjit Singh Sajjan that it did not augur well for bilateral relations.
Defence Ministry sources said Jaitley very clearly conveyed to Sajjan, during the delegation-level talks, that the Ontario province resolution on 6 April had used "unreal and exaggerated language", which did not reflect the ground reality and conditions in India.
Jaitley also said the resolution with "such critical references to India", questioning its human rights record and democratic credentials, militated against the desire of the two countries to expand their bilateral ties with a new thrust in the defence arena.
(Source: Times of India)
8. Narada Case Probe: Lodging FIR Against 12, CBI Closes in on Trinamool Congress
Setting the stage for another bitter showdown between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, the CBI Monday booked 12 Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including MPs and state ministers, and an IPS officer and unidentified “others” for alleged corruption in the Narada ‘sting’ case involving visuals of money changing hands.
Maintaining that its inquiry revealed “prima facie material for registration of a regular case”, the CBI said an FIR had been lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code Section 120B on criminal conspiracy.
TMC leaders booked by the CBI include Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Roy, Lok Sabha MPs Saugata Roy, Aparupa Poddar, Sultan Ahmed, Prasun Banerjee and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.
(Source: The Indian Express)
9. SC to Examine Mandatory Singing of National Anthem in Parliament, Courts, Schools
After making playing of national anthem mandatory in cinema halls before screening of films, the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine the feasibility to expand ambit of its order to include singing and playing the anthem in Parliament/Assembly, public offices, courts and schools on every working day.
A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra, AM Khanwilkar and MM Shantanagoudar issued notice to Centre seeking its response on a plea for mandatory singing of national anthem and song in all public offices. The court also asked the government to respond on framing of a national policy to promote and propagate the national anthem, national song and national flag.
(Source: Times of India)
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