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<keyword id="19986658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ahmednagar" source="keywords">Ahmednagar</keyword> (Maharashtra), Anti-corruption crusader <keyword id="21049266" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="anna-hazare" source="keywords">Anna Hazare</keyword> on Friday said that he felt "deeply pained" by the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister <keyword id="19901384" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="arvind-kejriwal" source="keywords">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword>, "who is now paying for his own deeds". Interacting with a large crowd of mediapersons at his native village Ralegan-Siddhi this morning, Anna <keyword id="21049541" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hazare" source="keywords">Hazare</keyword>, 86, recalled his old association with Arvind Kejriwal during the India Against Corruption (IAC)'s long movement in New Delhi in 2011, and other places. "I remember, he was working with me and we both had raised our voices against liquor... But now he's trying to accord legal sanction to liquor. I felt very hurt by it," lamented Hazare. However, he said nothing can be done against the government and CM Kejriwal has been arrested for his own dark acts. "If he had not done such things (liquor policy), this (arrest) would not have happened. Now, the law shall take its course, the government will see and decide what has to be done," declared Hazare flatly. This was Hazare's first reaction after his former close associate Arvind Kejriwal was detained, questioned and then arrested by the <keyword id="19895344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="enforcement-directorate" source="keywords">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> late on Thursday, sparking an uproar from opposition political circles.

Arvind Kejriwal is paying for his deeds says his former mentor Anna Hazare

New Delhi: Senior AAP leader <keyword id="19909124" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manish-Sisodia" source="keywords">Manish Sisodia</keyword> on Saturday called upon party workers and people to fight against the "dictatorship" in the country, a day after he was released from jail in the Delhi excise policy case. Targeting the BJP, he also said these people are not more powerful than the Constitution. Every person has to fight against this "dictatorship" which is not just putting leaders in jail but also harassing citizens, Sisodia said while addressing <keyword id="19935664" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Aam Aadmi Party" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Aam Aadmi Party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> (AAP) workers at its headquarters here. He claimed that while in jail, he was not worried about getting bail but was pained seeing businessmen being put in prison in "fake cases just because they did not donate money to the BJP". The <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Supreme Court" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Supreme Court">Supreme Court</keyword> on Friday gave Sisodia bail in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged excise policy "scam" and said his long incarceration of 17 months without trial had deprived him of the right to speedy justice. On AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister <keyword id="19901384" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal" source="keywords">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword>, who is also in jail in the case, Sisodia said he is the symbol of honesty in the country. Conspiracies are being hatched to defame Kejriwal's work, he said and added that if opposition leaders unite against the "dictatorship", Kejriwal will come out of jail in 24 hours. Sisodia told AAP workers that "we are just horses of a chariot but our real 'saarthi' (charioteer) is in jail, he will come out soon". On his bail verdict, Sisodia said the Supreme Court used the power of the Constitution to "trample dictatorship" yesterday. He said he was hoping to get justice in seven-to-eight months but it took 17 months. But at the end truth triumphed, Sisodia said. Seeking to target the BJP over the Vinesh Phogat issue, Sisodia, without taking the wrestler's name, said she protested against its leader and people saw what happened at the Olympics. Phogat, who was disqualified from the Paris Olympics for being found 100 grams overweight ahead of her women's 50kg final, was at the forefront of a lengthy protest alleging government inaction against former Wrestling Federation of India head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by women wrestlers.

People have to fight against dictatorship in country: AAP leader Manish Sisodia

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> pacer <keyword id="1807915" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="mohammed-siraj" source="Orion">Mohammed Siraj</keyword> had reported a "corrupt approach" to BCCI's Anti Corruption Unit (<keyword id="159581" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="acu" source="Orion">ACU</keyword>) from an unknown person, who wanted "inside news" about his team before Australia arrived in the country for a full-fledged tour in February this year. The India pacer, who is playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ongoing IPL, promptly reported the matter to BCCI's ACU unit. It is understood that the gambler had lost a lot of money during the India games and messaged <keyword id="261464" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="siraj" source="Orion">Siraj</keyword> out of sheer frustration. India had played white-ball home series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in January-February before Australia arrived. India won the T20 series against Sri Lanka 2-1 before blanking them 3-0 in the ODI series. Against New Zealand, India won the ODI series 3-0 before triumphing in the T20 series with a 2-1 margin, with the Black Caps winning the lone game of the tour in Ranchi. "It wasn't a bookie who approached Siraj. He is a driver from Hyderabad who is addicted to betting on India matches. He had approached Siraj via WhatsApp after losing a lot of money on India games," a senior BCCI source privy to the developments told PTI on condition of anonymity. "Siraj reported the approach immediately. The law enforcement (Andhra Police) authorities had nabbed the person," the source added. The BCCI had beefed up its ACU network ever since the spot-fixing scandal, involving S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and then Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team principal Gurunath Meiyappan, was unearthed in 2013. Now, each IPL team has a dedicated ACU official who stays in the same hotel and is there at the ground monitoring all the movements. Also, there is a mandatory ACU workshop for players on the dos and don'ts, and if any player fails to report a corrupt approach, there are sanctions in place. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was suspended in 2021 for not reporting a corrupt approach during his IPL stint in the previous season. RCB are currently placed eighth with four points after two wins and three defeats. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/audi-india-reports-over-two-fold-jump-in-sales-in-january-march-quarter/articleshow/99607457.cms">Audi India reports over two-fold jump in sales in January-March quarter</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/10-little-known-facts-about-mukesh-ambani-the-worlds-12th-richest-man/slidelist/99607111.cms">10 little known facts about Mukesh Ambani - The world’s 12th richest man</a>

Siraj reported corrupt approach to BCCI ACU before Australia tour: BCCI source

The allegations of the US Short seller Hindenburg against <keyword id="19901201" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sebi" source="keywords">SEBI</keyword> Chairperson <keyword id="22743118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madhabi-Buch" source="keywords">Madhabi Buch</keyword> and her husband have drawn sharp political reactions from the opposition parties. Reacting to the Hindenburg report, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari on Sunday lashed out at the Modi government and said that the tenure of PM Modi will be known for 'Adani-waad'. "The whole world witnessed a different session with different ideologies but the term of PM Modi will be known as 'Adani-waad'. In this Adani-waad, they captured the whole economic system of India in such a way that Gautam Ad(<keyword id="19955648" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Adani-Group" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Adani Group" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Adani Group">Adani Group</keyword>) could benefit, it looks like this is the only motive of PM Modi," he said. Referring to the Hindenburg Report alleging SEBI chief Madhabi Buch and her husband's stakes in "both the obscure offshore entities used in the Adani money siphoning scandal", Tiwari stated, "Hindenburg's report regarding the SEBI chief has triggered the integrity of the market regulator. Hindenburg alleged that SEBI is not investigating properly. Questions are being raised on the Adani Group continuously by the opposition. Anybody with a basic investigation can simply question how the Adani Group with different allegations of corruption, whether it is a coal scam or power, through the medium of offshoring, invested in the share markets. SEBI whose duty was to investigate and find out the criminals was deviating from the core issues." Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the Modi government is steeped in corruption and is trying to save "their friend Adani". Taking it to a social media post on X, Sanjay Singh wrote, "The Hindenburg revelations were hinted at 3 days before Modi ended the Parliament session. Modi Government is steeped in corruption from head to toe. To save his friend Adani, Modi Ji got the investigation done by the same SEBI Chairman who had committed the scam in connivance with Adani. SC should reconsider its decision." <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword> MP Manish Tewari said that a JPC must be constituted to go into the entire Hindenburg saga. "There are certain revelations by the <keyword id="20016892" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindenburg-Research" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hindenburg Research" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Hindenburg Research">Hindenburg Research</keyword> which have been put out in the public space. They require closer scrutiny...There seems to be some semblance of an alleged conflict of interest and so therefore under those circumstances there has been a demand in the public space for a while that the entire Hindenburg saga needs to be investigated properly by a <keyword id="21964200" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Joint-Parliamentary-Committee" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Joint Parliamentary Committee" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Joint Parliamentary Committee">joint parliamentary committee</keyword>. It would be in the fitness of things if a joint parliamentary committee is constituted to go into all these issues at length," he said. Earlier in the day, shortly after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research on August 10 alleged that SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Buch and her husband had stakes in "both the obscure offshore entities used in the Adani money siphoning scandal," the SEBI Chairperson and her husband issued a joint statement rejecting the allegations. Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband accused Hindenburg Research, against whom SEBI has taken enforcement action, of character assassination. In the joint statement released to the media they said, "Our life and finances are an open book. All disclosures as required have already been furnished to SEBI over the years. We have no hesitation in disclosing any and all financial documents, including those that relate to the period when we were strictly private citizens, to any and every authority that may seek them. It is unfortunate that Hindenburg Research against whom SEBI has taken an Enforcement action and issued a show cause notice has chosen to attempt character assassination in response to the same." Earlier on Saturday, US short seller Hindenburg had alleged, "We had previously noted Adani's total confidence in continuing to operate without the risk of serious regulatory intervention, suggesting that this may be explained through Adani's relationship with SEBI Chairperson, Madhabi Buch." "What we hadn't realized: the current SEBI Chairperson and her husband, Dhaval Buch, had hidden stakes in the exact same obscure offshore Bermuda and Mauritius funds, found in the same complex nested structure, used by Vinod Adani," the report by the US hedge firm said. Hindenburg Research said it has made the new allegations based on documents provided by a whistleblower and investigations carried out by other entities. In January 2023, Hindenburg published a report accusing the Adani Group of financial irregularities, leading to a significant drop in the company's stock price. The group at the time had rubbished these claims. The Hindenburg report alleged stock manipulation and fraud by the conglomerate. The case is related to the allegations (part of a report by Hindenburg Research) that Adani had inflated its share prices. After these allegations were published, there was a sharp fall in the shares of various Adani group companies' stocks. In January 2024, the Supreme Court refused to transfer the probe into the allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group to an SIT and had directed market regulator SEBI to complete its probe into two pending cases within three months. Earlier this year, the SC also dismissed a plea seeking to review the verdict that had sought investigation by the market watchdog SEBI in the Adani-Hindenburg case.

Integrity of SEBI questioned, JPC probe into Hindenburg a must: INDIA bloc targets govt on Hindenburg allegations

<keyword id="19944940" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-athlete" source="keywords">Indian athlete</keyword> <keyword id="21523333" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dutee-Chand" source="keywords">Dutee Chand</keyword>, the country's first openly gay sprinter, on Friday, talked about the <keyword id="22634959" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-controversy" source="keywords">gender controversy</keyword> being faced by <keyword id="22652000" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Algeria-boxer" source="keywords">Algeria boxer</keyword> <keyword id="22646344" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Imane-Khalif" source="keywords">Imane Khalif</keyword>, at the ongoing <keyword id="20006192" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paris-Olympics" source="keywords">Paris Olympics</keyword> and defended the athlete's right to compete in the competition. Italian boxer <keyword id="22631089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Angela-Carini" source="keywords">Angela Carini</keyword> quit her 66 kg women's category boxing match against Algeria's Imane Khalif on Thursday, handing the latter, who was banned from competing in world championships following failures in testosterone and gender eligibility tests, a win in the opening round. Algeria's Khelif won the fight within just 46 seconds after her opponent quit. A very few punches were thrown before Carini abandoned the match, which is a rare occurrence in <keyword id="20634596" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Olympic-boxing" source="keywords">Olympic boxing</keyword>. Dutee shared her own experience of being dropped from the 2014 Commonwealth Games squad when the <keyword id="20386415" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Athletics-Federation-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Athletics Federation of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Athletics Federation of India">Athletics Federation of India</keyword> (AFI) decided to drop her, citing that she was ineligible to compete as a woman athlete, due to hyperandrogenism, which is a medical condition in which woman has a high level of androgens and how it was difficult for her to cope with such problems and immense pressure because of it. She extended her support to Imane, saying that if the <keyword id="20407227" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="International-Olympic-Committee" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="International Olympic Committee" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="International Olympic Committee">International Olympic Committee</keyword> (IOC) does not have any problems with her competing and has not raised any questions about her gender, then why her opponent had a problem with her. Speaking to ANI, Dutee said, "A lot of issues occur when such a situation comes up. I faced it in 2014. Before I was selected for the Commonwealth Games, I was dropped from the team. There were media reports that I had to undergo a gender test, that I am not a woman but a man and that is why I cannot play in the women's category. At that time, the biggest challenge was to lead a normal life in society. So, with what is happening at the Olympics, she (Imane) will perhaps face a lot of issues .She will face immense mental pressure.'' "Before we go to the Olympics, we face a number of tests - Doping Test, Hormonal Level Test, Gender Test. So, if she is facing a gender issue, how did she participate in the Olympics? She has played in a lot of competitions before this. She must have undergone tests there too. When IOC made no complaints that she is male by gender, how can someone question her? She has lost 9 games so far (in her career). Today, she (Angela Carini) is questioning as she lost the game. She would not have raised a question had she won," she added. Following the match, the Italian was in tears and refused to shake hands with Khelif, as per ESPN. In the post-match interview, Khelif said, as quoted by ESPN, that she felt severe pain in her nose during the fight. She also said that she was not going to judge if Khelif should be allowed to compete at the Olympics. "I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said 'enough,' because I didn't want to, I did not want to, I could not finish the match," Carini said. "I am not here to judge or pass judgment. If an athlete is this way, and in that sense, it is not right or it is right, it is not up to me to decide. I just did my job as a boxer. I got into the ring and fought. I did it with my head held high and with a broken heart for not having finished the last kilometre," she added. Just before her gold medal bout in the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women's Championships held in New Delhi last year, Khelif was disqualified as she had failed to meet IBA's eligibility criteria. She was not allowed to compete due to elevated testosterone levels, as per ESPN. But she was allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) task force, which is running past two Olympic boxing events, as IBA has been banned from the past two years in Olympics due to governance issues, lack of financial transparency and instances of corruption in judging and refereeing. IOC defended the rights of Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, another boxer under scrutiny due to failing an unspecified eligibility requirement in a biochemical test, to compete in the Olympics. Replying to the controversy, the IOC said on Thursday in a statement, "All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passports." "These rules also applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games, the ad hoc 2023 African qualifying tournament in Dakar (SEN) and two world qualifying tournaments held in Busto Arsizio (ITA) and Bangkok (THA) in 2024, which involved a total of 1,471 different boxers from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the Boxing Refugee Team and Individual Neutral Athletes, and featured over 2,000 qualification bouts," the IOC statement read. The IOC said that the athletes in question had been subjects of an arbitrary decision by the International Boxing Association earlier. "We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women's category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments. These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process," the IOC said. "According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should "establish a clear procedure on gender testing. The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure - especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years. Such an approach is contrary to good governance," the IOC added. The IOC said it was committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights. The IOC further said it was saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving, the release added.

Dutee Chand extends support to under-fire boxer Imane Khalif following controversial win in Paris Olympics

As the final five phases of polls draw closer, rift among <keyword id="20101713" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="INDIA-bloc-partners" source="keywords">INDIA bloc partners</keyword>, <keyword id="21533469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress-Left-combine" source="keywords">Congress-Left combine</keyword> and the <keyword id="19942089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="TMC" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="TMC" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="TMC">TMC</keyword>, which are fighting separately has intensified, triggering a fierce contest across half of the remaining 36 constituencies in West Bengal driven by local issues such as <keyword id="20074422" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sandeshkhali" source="keywords">Sandeshkhali</keyword> and the SSC scam. TMC's decision to contest independently in the state, rather than as part of the bloc, has led to a three-way contest, with the other contenders being the BJP and the Congress-Left alliance. Nevertheless, both TMC and Congress have asserted that they are part of the INDIA bloc at the national level and are authentic representatives of the opposition front in Bengal. Political analysts suggest that without a dominant national narrative like national security after the 2019 Pulwama attacks, local concerns such as corruption allegations, the cancellation of School Service Commission (SSC) jobs, incidents in Sandeshkhali and implementation of the <keyword id="19965573" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Citizenship-Amendment-Act" source="keywords">Citizenship Amendment Act</keyword> (CAA) are altering election dynamics. Maidul Islam, a political scientist at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, remarked, "Till a few months ago, it seemed the elections in Bengal will be a bipolar contest between the TMC and BJP. But with issues like corruption and Sandeshkhali gaining prominence, the Left-Congress alliance is fast gaining traction in several seats and turning the polls into a three-cornered contest in at least 18-20 LS segments." He said besides the two and three seats in Malda and Murshidabad districts, where TMC and Congress secured two each and the BJP one in 2019, there are 13 seats spread across South Bengal, where the TMC and the Left-Congress alliance are engaging in intense competition. "It's not that the Left-Congress will win many seats, but in segments where their vote share is above 10 per cent, there is a likelihood that they might influence the outcome, to the disadvantage of either the TMC or the BJP, if they manage to secure two per cent more votes," Islam added. According to sources in TMC and CPI(M), the electoral battleground extends beyond Malda and Murshidabad, encompassing Lok Sabha segments like Dum Dum, Srerampore, Arambagh, Hooghly, Howrah, Barrackpore, Bardhaman-Purba, Bardhaman-Durgapur, Bankura, Purulia, Tamluk, Kolkata North, and Jadavpur, all poised for a three-cornered fight. Notably, eight of these seats were won by TMC and the remaining by BJP in the 2019 parliamentary polls. "The shift in dynamics presents the Congress-Left alliance as a significant player, and its emergence complicates the electoral narrative, transcending the conventional TMC versus BJP dichotomy," political analyst Subhomoy Moitra said. While the Left Front is contesting 30 seats, the Congress has fielded candidates in 12 out of 42 seats. "We wanted an alliance with the Congress, but they were delaying the seat-sharing arrangements, so we decided to go alone. Now the Left-Congress alliance is helping the BJP by trying to eat into our votes," remarked TMC leader Santanu Sen. According to TMC leaders, the breakup of INDIA alliance in Bengal has both electoral advantages and disadvantages. "After the Left and Congress alliance fell apart in West Bengal in 2019, it had led to a four-cornered contest with BJP bagging the entire chunk of the anti-TMC votes in the state," they said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP bagged 18 seats and its vote share rose from 17 to 40 per cent. Meanwhile, despite a 3 per cent rise in vote share, the TMC lost 12 seats, dropping from 34 to 22. The Left drew a blank with a vote share decline from 24 per cent to 6 per cent, and the Congress lost two seats, shrinking its vote share from 9.5 per cent to 5 per cent and bagging just two seats. "Local issues such as corruption and SSC scam are helping the Left-Congress in the state as there is anger among a section of people against the TMC and also against the BJP over the perception of a tacit understanding," a TMC leader said. Analysts observe that <keyword id="43868" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mamata-banerjee" source="Orion">Mamata Banerjee</keyword>'s intensified criticism of Left and Congress, accusing them of aiding BJP, and the ensuing sharp responses from CPI(M) and Congress, alleging a secret pact between TMC and BJP, as indicative of the growing significance of Left-Congress alliance. Data from various local elections and by-polls conducted after 2021 assembly elections indicate a shift in anti-TMC votes as there has been a resurgence of Left-Congress combine. Incidentally, the BJP had witnessed a decline in its vote share as compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha and 38 per cent in 2021 assembly polls. In 2023, violence scarred panchayat polls which covered nearly 70 per cent of the state's electorate, the TMC had bagged 51 per cent of votes whereas the BJP had bagged 22 per cent. The Left-Congress-ISF alliance had, however, bagged 23 per cent votes. The ISF this time, however, has decided to contest alone in 17 seats. Congress leader Suvankar Sarkar emphasized, "People are disenchanted with the TMC and the BJP, as they are both sides of the same coin. People are coming out in large numbers to support the Left-Congress candidates." CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty expressed confidence in the Left-Congress alliance's potential to deliver surprising results in the elections, claiming initial success in breaking bipolar politics in Bengal. BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar downplayed the significance of the rift in opposition alliance and the three-cornered fight in various seats. "People know that BJP is only fighting TMC's misrule in Bengal. Those who want to vote against TMC, will vote for us only just like in the 2019 and 2021 polls," he said. Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty suggested that TMC stands to gain the most from the three-cornered contest. In minority pockets, the Left-Congress alliance could dent TMC's vote base, potentially aiding BJP's prospects, he noted.

West Bengal Elections: Rift among INDIA bloc partners triggers three-cornered intense contests

A French judge has been appointed to lead a "highly sensitive" judicial investigation into alleged "<keyword id="46183" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Corruption">corruption</keyword> and favouritism" in the Rs 59,000 crore <keyword id="6381048" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rafale">Rafale</keyword> fighter jet deal with India, French investigative website Mediapart reported. Following the development, Congress chief spokesperson <keyword id="498878" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Randeep-Surjewala">Randeep Surjewala</keyword> on Saturday urged Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> to come forward and order a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal. "Corruption in the Rafale deal has come out clearly now. The stand of the Congress party and <keyword id="5268" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rahul-Gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</keyword> has been vindicated today after the French government has ordered a probe," he told reporters at a press conference. However, there was no immediate reaction from the Indian government or the BJP. The Mediapart said the probe into the inter-governmental deal signed in 2016 was formally opened on June 14. "A judicial probe into suspected corruption has been opened in France over the 7.8-billion-euro sale to India in 2016 of 36 Dassault-built Rafale fighter aircraft," the Mediapart reported on the latest development on the controversial deal. It said the investigation has been initiated by the national financial prosecutors' office (PNF). The judicial investigation has been ordered by France's national financial prosecutors' office, following Mediapart's fresh reports in April of alleged wrongdoings in the deal as well as a complaint filed by French NGO Sherpa that specialises in financial crime. "The highly sensitive probe into the inter-governmental deal signed off in 2016 was formally opened on June 14th," the media report said. Mediapart journalist Yann Philippin, who filed a series of reports on the deal, said a first complaint was "buried" in 2019 by a former PNF chief. "The judicial investigation was finally opened following the revelations of the investigation #RafalePapers of @mediapart and a new complaint from @Asso_Sherpa. A 1st complaint was buried in 2019 by the former PNF boss, Eliane Houlette," he tweeted. In April, Mediapart, citing an investigation by the country's anti-corruption agency, reported that Dassault Aviation had paid about one million Euros to an Indian middleman. Dassault Aviation has rejected the allegations of corruption, saying no violations were reported in the frame of the contract. The <keyword id="105903" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Democratic-Alliance">National Democratic Alliance</keyword> (NDA) government had inked a Rs 59,000-crore deal on September 23, 2016, to procure 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation after a nearly seven-year exercise to procure 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the <keyword id="15141" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> did not fructify during the <keyword id="83449" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="United-Progressive-Alliance">United Progressive Alliance</keyword> (UPA) regime. The Congress accused the government of massive irregularities in the deal, alleging that it was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government during the negotiations for the MMRCA. Prior to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the Congress raised several questions about the deal and alleged corruption but the government rejected all the charges. SEE ALSO- <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/bharatpes-banking-licence-digits-funding-mswipes-new-ceo-and-more-mega-deals-and-launches-in-indias-fintech-space-/slidelist/84085401.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">BharatPe’s banking licence, Digit’s funding, Mswipe’s new CEO and more -- mega deals and launches in India’s fintech space</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/google-crypto-tokens-binances-regulatory-troubles-free-nfts-and-more/slidelist/84086617.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Google’s crypto tokens, Binance’s regulatory troubles, free NFTs and more — Here’s what happened in the world of crypto this past week</a>

India's deal to buy Rafale fighter jets will face a judicial probe for alleged corruption in France

<ul><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> ranks lowest among non-OECD countries in terms of ‘<keyword id="6878450" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="little-or-no-enforcement">little or no enforcement</keyword>’ against <keyword id="6878449" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="exporting-corruption">exporting corruption</keyword>. </li><li>While India hasn’t conducted any investigations into foreign bribery, Indian entities have come under scrutiny from other governments. </li><li>While the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Companies Act 2013 to address corruption, there is no targeted legislation against foreign bribery.</li></ul>A report by <keyword id="72551" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Transparency-International">Transparency International</keyword> Global found that India is a part of 22 countries with ‘little or no enforcement’ against <a href="https://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/publication/exporting_corruption_2018">exporting corruption</a>. The <a href="https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/exporting-corruption-2018">report specifically mentions</a> China, Hong Kong, India and Singapore as countries with the worst performance on the index. This is particularly worrisome since cumulatively these countries account for over 2% of world exports. Data dive The report shows how over the period of 2014 to 2017, there have been no foreign bribery cases filed or investigations conducted. That being said, the report also highlights that while the Indian government may not have been vigilant, Indian entities and individuals have been investigated by foreign governments in connection to alleged bribery charges. Even if there have been investigations conducted, it’s impossible to know because the authorities do not disclose any such information publically or on request. It’s also unclear whether there’s a dedicated system in place to collect data on foreign bribery within the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Ignoring policy Back in 2015, the Indian Law Commission did submit a report to the Indian government proposing changes to how foreign bribery cases are addressed. The draft bill included recommendations like including a prison sentence of up to seven years and higher sanctions. Come 2018, that bill has never made it to the parliament for a vote. That being said, the parliament did pass the Prevention of Corruption Act in July that covered foreign firms working in India. Even so, foreign bribery is yet to be exclusively criminalised. Even the Companies Act 2013 takes bribery into account but has several loopholes and vague articles that can be easily circumvented. Recommendations In addition to analysing the issue of foreign bribery, the report also suggests how the problem can be countered. One of those measures is initiating enforcement against foreign bribery and adjoining offences in line with the UN Convention against Corruption. Effective legislation should be put in place to protect whistleblowers in the private sector. And, in order for implementation to be effective, India should also publish the data and enforcement results of these case resolutions. It has also been recommended that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development - Working Group on Bribery (OECD-WGB) execute efforts to persuade India and the other nations to become a part of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, inclusive of effort carried out within the G20.

India’s soft against foreign bribery: Report

<ul><li>Panaki Chandra Ghose was just appointed as the chairman of India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman or Lokpal. </li><li>The Lokpal will look into incidents of corruption within the Indian government. </li><li>But the scope of its investigation is limited since it’s not allowed to investigate cases related to foreign affairs, space and defence.</li></ul>India’s first chairman of the Lokpal or anti-corruption ombudsman, Pinaki Chandra Ghose, is going to have his hands full as he takes on his new role. He’s already served as a former Supreme Court judge and is currently a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Corruption has been a burgeoning topic in India — especially with Modi’s recent #chowkidar campaign on Twitter — but there’s little to suggest to actual on-ground improvement. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI), India’s score only improved by one point between 2017 and 2018. In fact, the global watchdog pegs India as one of the worst <a href="https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018">offenders</a> in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s <a href="https://www.prsindia.org/media/articles-by-prs-team/lokpal-act-3095">unclear</a> whether the Lokpal will be looking into petty corruption or big-ticket corruption as its primary mandate. Deterring the problem from both ends is important in a country like India where, on the one hand, more than 62% of Indians have paid off a public official for a job and, on the other hand, you have the big-ticket scams like the allocation of funds during the Commonwealth Games in 2010. To probe or not to probe? While finally having a Lokpal in place might be good for the general public, one of sectors most vulnerable to corruption — is aerospace and defense and one that the ombudsman can’t touch. According to an Ernst and Young report, aerospace and defence is perceived to be the third most vulnerable sector to corruption. This means that incidents like the Rafale Deal or the BOFORS case — some of the most contentious armed deals in the country — won’t come under the Lokpal’s purview. But, on the other hand, the 2G spectrum case or ‘Coalgate’ — where the allocation of resources came into question — would be incidents that the Lokpal would look into. One of the more recent corruption allegations were actually within India’s Central Bureau of Investigation where Alok Verma, the CBI director and his deputy, Rakesh Asthana both accused the other of being corrupt. Both were, subsequently, asked to resign from their posts at the bureau. The investigation is still pending and several other senior officers have also been put on ‘indefinite leave’ until the matter is sorted. And corruption isn’t limited to India’s borders either. According to the ‘Export Corruption Report’ by Transparency International, India among four countries that has ‘little or no enforcement’ in place to check against against foreign bribery. But, then again, the Lokpal is restricted from looking into incidents of corruption when it comes to foreign affairs. India already has the Central Vigilance Commission to address governmental corruption but even though it’s an autonomous body, it’s not an investigative agency. And, the Prevention of Corruption Act is which aimed at combating corruption in the government has largely been misused due to Section 13(1)d, which allowed honest officials to be prosecuted serving as deterrent to bold decision making.

Here’s what India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman is up against

New Delhi, Mar 23 () The Petroleum Ministry has received several complaints of alleged corruption and irregularities against the CEO and other officials of Petronet LNG Ltd, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Pradhan said the complaints against the Managing Director and CEO of Petronet and other officers were forwarded to the Chairperson of Audit Committee of the company for appropriate action. Prabhat Singh has been the Managing Director and CEO of Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL), India's biggest liquefied natural gas importer, since September 2015. His five-year term comes to an end in six months from now and he is eligible for a two-year extension of service till he achieves the superannuation age of 65 years. "Several complaints have been received in Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas against MD &amp; CEO, PLL and other officers of PLL regarding alleged corruption/irregularities which were forwarded to Chairperson, Audit Committee, PLL for taking appropriate action," Pradhan said without giving details. He said PLL has its own board-approved vigilance mechanism whereby the board has nominated Chairperson, Audit Committee as nodal officer to deal with all the complaints received against functional directors. According to PLL's website, independent director Jyoti Kiran Shukla is the Chairperson of the Audit Committee. The panel comprises of three other independent directors. Shiv Sena MP Krupal Balaji Tumane had asked Pradhan if the government has conducted any investigation into the complaints received. Asked if the government has conducted any audit of the accounts of PLL regarding the irregularities during the last three years, the Minister said, "PLL is a board managed company and not a government company as per Companies Act." "Further, Audit Committee of the Board reviews and monitor auditing mechanism and ensures compliance to best auditing and corporate governance practices," he said. According to Pradhan, four government oil and gas public sector undertakings -- Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), GAIL India Ltd, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) -- hold 12.5 per cent equity stake each in PLL. ANZ RVK

Complaints of alleged corruption/irregularities against Petronet LNG CEO: Pradhan

Mumbai, The arrest of ICICI Bank's former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar by the Central Bureau of Investigation (<keyword id="19896633" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cbi" source="keywords">CBI</keyword>) in a loan fraud case was "without application of mind and due regard to the law", amounting to an "abuse of power", the Bombay High Court has said. A division bench of Justices Anuja Prabhudessai and N R Borkar had on February 6 held the <keyword id="20482859" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kochhars" source="keywords">Kochhars</keyword>' arrest as illegal and confirmed a January 2023 interim order passed by another bench granting them bail. In the order made available on Monday, the court said the CBI has been unable to demonstrate the existence of circumstances or supportive material based on which the decision to arrest was taken. The absence of such circumstances renders the arrest illegal, it said. "Such routine arrest without application of mind and due regard to the law amounts to an abuse of power," the court said. The court also refused to accept the probe agency's contention that the arrest was made as the Kochhars were not cooperating with the probe and said the accused had a right to remain silent during interrogation. "The right to silence emanates from Article 20(3) of the Indian Constitution, which gives an accused the right against self-incrimination. Suffice it to say that exercise of the right to remain silent cannot be equated with non-cooperation," it said in the order. The CBI arrested the couple on December 23, 2022, in the Videocon-ICICI Bank loan case. They immediately moved the high court challenging the arrest and sought for the same to be declared illegal, and by way of interim order, sought to be released on bail. On January 9, 2023, the court, in an interim order, granted the Kochhars bail, noting that the CBI had made the arrest casually and mechanically and without application of mind. In the February 6 order, the bench noted that section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was introduced to avoid routine arrests. It cited that this provision restricts the power to arrest when an accused person complies with the notice issued by the police to appear for questioning and mandates that an arrest shall be made only when the police are of the opinion that it is necessary. The court held that while it was within the domain of the investigating agency to interrogate an accused and to arrive at a subjective satisfaction on the issue, the same was not "wholly immune from judicial reviewability". "The court can consider whether the reasons for deprivation of liberty are rational, reasonable or fanciful," it said. The bench further said that the first information report (FIR) against the Kochhars was registered in 2019, and they were summoned for questioning only in 2022. "Despite the gravity of the offence, the petitioners (Kochhars) were not interrogated or summoned for a period of over three years from the date of registration of the crime," it said. From June 2022, the Kochhars have been appearing before the CBI as and when notices under section 41A were issued to them, the bench said. The CBI had claimed that the Kochhars were arrested as they were not cooperating with the probe and that their custodial interrogation was required to unearth the entire gamut of conspiracy. Apart from the Kochhars, the CBI had also arrested <keyword id="20060394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="videocon" source="keywords">Videocon</keyword> group founder <keyword id="20641998" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="venugopal-dhoot" source="keywords">Venugopal Dhoot</keyword> in the case. The high court granted him bail in January 2023 in its interim order. The probe agency has alleged that private sector lender ICICI Bank had sanctioned credit facilities to the tune of Rs 3,250 crore to the companies of Videocon Group promoted by Dhoot in violation of the Banking Regulation Act, <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reserve-bank-of-india" source="keywords">Reserve Bank of India</keyword>'s guidelines, and credit policy of the bank. The CBI had named the Kochhars, Dhoot along with Nupower Renewables (NRL) managed by Deepak Kochhar, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries Ltd as accused in the FIR registered in 2019 under the Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The agency has alleged that the ICICI Bank sanctioned credit facilities to the tune of Rs 3,250 crore to these companies in violation of norms. It further claimed that as a part of quid pro quo, Dhoot made an investment of Rs 64 crore in Nupower Renewables through Supreme Energy Pvt Ltd (SEPL) and transferred SEPL to Pinnacle Energy Trust managed by Deepak Kochhar through a circuitous route between 2010 and 2012.

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Arvind Kejriwal is paying for his deeds says his former mentor Anna Hazare

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