Police in Thane, Maharashtra, have increased security at the Irani locality following the killing of a robber from an Irani gang based there in an encounter with police in Chennai. Jaffer Gulam Hussein Irani was shot dead by police after allegedly opening fire on them in Chennai. The Irani Basti has been known as a base for chain-snatchers and motorbike thieves. Police have stepped up security in the locality to prevent any law and order issues. The incident comes after a series of chain-snatching incidents in Chennai, which led to the arrest of two other members of the Irani gang. The gang is known for its involvement in crimes across India, including chain snatching and "attention diversion crimes."
The Central Vigilance Commission on Thursday said the Central Bureau of Investigation was probing the alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation in an independent manner and there was no pressure on the investigating agency.
The Central Vigilance Commission has detected tax evasion of about Rs 1,000 crore by government departments and private companies in carrying out Commonwealth Games-related works.
Following a stampede at New Delhi railway station and large crowds arriving for the Maha Kumbh, authorities in Uttar Pradesh have implemented stringent security protocols at key railway stations including Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Lucknow and Mirzapur. Measures include restricted entry, holding areas for passengers, increased security personnel, and improved facilities to prevent overcrowding.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday told the Maharashtra assembly that he, as Union Minister of State for Personnel and Training, was unaware of any negative vigilance report or pending criminal case against P J Thomas before the latter's appointment as the Central Vigilance Commissioner.
Thousands of police personnel and CCTV cameras were deployed and traffic regulated across states on Tuesday to ensure public safety and prevent any untoward incident as the country geared up to welcome 2025.
The ministries have been asked to give details of any contracts that are valued at more than Rs 2 crore.
The government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that once a bureaucrat is given a vigilance nod for appointment as secretary, no further clearance is required for empanelment for appointment as the central vigilance commissioner. "Once a person is appointed as secretary on clearance by the CVC, he can be considered for empanelment and no further inquiry is required," Attorney General G E Vahanvati submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia.
With Bharatiya Janata Party demanding annulment of the government's decision to appoint Ranjit Sinha as the new Central Bureau of Investigation director, Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy on Friday said his selection has been done "in a fair manner following the due process".
Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar will hold a high-level meeting on Tuesday to decide on the next Central Bureau of Investigation director.
Verma came to the CVC office in the late afternoon and stayed there for about two hours, they said.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Lokpal Bill will meet in New Delhi on September 7 to decide its procedure to fast track the comprehensive exercise for formulating a strong legislation. It will kick off its work by hearing Central Bureau of Investigation director A P Singh and Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar who have been sent notices to appear before it.
A vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday posted to January 25 the trial in the Palmolein import graft case, in which former chief minister and Congress stalwart late K Karunakaran and Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas figure in the list of accused. When the case came up on Wednesday, the public prosecutor informed the court that first accused K Karunakaran was no more and he would file a report in this regard soon.
The anti-corruption watchdog posts have been vacant for the last nine months.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday slammed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre for defending the appointment of P J Thomas as the Central Vigilance Commissioner.
President Pratibha Patil cancelled the appointment of P J Thomas on Monday as Central Vigilance Commissioner, 11 days after the Supreme Court quashed his selection by a high-power committee headed by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
Aggrieved by being referred as "tainted" and being listed in the category of "men who shamed India" by the media, former Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas has approached the Supreme Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged distortion in the reporting of his case.
The former central vigilance commissioner, PJ Thomas has remained tightlipped ever since the Supreme Court ruled his appointment as illegal. In this candid interview, Thomas's counsel, Wills Mathews, tells rediff.com that the President's order is unconstitutional and that the Supreme Court order itself was shocking, as it did not have the jurisdiction to pass such an order.
Irked by delay in response to queries raised by it, the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) may summon officials of Union and State governments in connection with alleged financial irregularities in different Commonwealth Games related projects.
Prashant Bhushan has opposed the selection of K V Choudary as the next CVC, by a committee headed by PM Narendra Modi, alleging that he was "tainted" and not a proper choice for the post.
The Bhartiya Janata Party lashed out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday over the selection of Telecom Secretary P J Thomas as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner. The Opposition party claimed that the Centre had appointed Thomas to scuttle the ongoing probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the Rs 60,000 crore spectrum scam. The BJP urged President Pratibha Patil to cancel the appointment of Thomas, who will be administered the oath of office by her.
Over 40,000 complaints and appeals are pending in the Central Information Commission which is working without its chief for more than nine months.
The Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed the judgement of the Supreme Court of India quashing the appointment Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas. BJP spokeperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said that in view of the order of the honourable Supreme Court, 'the time has come for Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to introspect.'
The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on petitions challenging the appointment of former bureaucrat P J Thomas, who is facing a corruption case in a Kerala court, as Central Vigilance Commissioner.
The Centre on Monday strongly defended the appointment of controversial bureaucrat P J Thomas as the central vigilance commissioner, saying he was an 'outstanding officer' with 'impeccable integrity'. In an affidavit in the Supreme Court cleared by Attorney General G E Vahanvati, the government also said there was no need for 'consensus' of the three-member high powered committee on CVC's appointment.
Cancellation of 2G licenses by the Supreme Court clearly revealed a big scam and it was a "collective failure" of the government which "overlooked" warnings given by the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Central Vigilance Commissioner on the issue, Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy said on Thursday. "Everyone had warned, including the CAG and the CVC, but the government overlooked it," Swamy said soon after the Supreme Court cancelled the 122 spectrum licenses.
"The CVC is a very important Constitutional position and naturally the position should be held by a person who is absolutely above board. The government is seized of the matter and will deal accordingly," senior NCP leader and Union minister Praful Patel told reporters.
The SC on Monday transferred the entire Central Bureau of Investigation case file to the CVC.
Senior Indian Administrative Service officer P J Thomas was on Tuesday sworn in as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner amid a boycott by main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been objecting to his appointment to the post in view of his alleged tainted background.
The Lokpal Bill is set to be put on the fast-track with the Parliamentary panel on Law taking it for examination from Friday by hearing views of Aruna Roy and Jaiprakash Narayan who have presented their own drafts.
There is no need for increased superintendence over the CBI in the aftermath of the coal blocks allocation and 2G scam cases, CVC K V Chowdary said on Sunday.
The blame game over the Central Vigilance Commissioner appointment fiasco refused to die down with the surfacing of a letter on Thursday that the Kerala government wrote to the Centre in 2006 saying it wanted to go ahead with the graft case against P J Thomas.
Refusing to let Prime Minister Manmohan Singh off the hook over the appointment of P J Thomas as the central vigilance commissioner, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday asked Dr Singh if he would fix the responsibility for the error."Since the prime minister has very graciously accepted the error of judgment, would he now appreciate that responsibility and accountability co-exist? Does the prime minister now intend to fix accountability within the government," he asked.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday virtually blamed former Minister of State (personnel) Prithviraj Chavan for the fiasco involving appointment of P J Thomas as central vigilance commissioner, saying the note forwarded by him for the selection committee did not have information about corruption case against Thomas.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj on Saturday sought to downplay the divergent views expressed by her and the party after Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh owned responsibility for the central vigilance commissioner fiasco, saying there was "no difference" of opinion and blamed limitations of words in twitter for it.
A demand for a statement from Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling quashing the appointment of central vigilance commissioner, disrupted proceedings in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Immediately after the Question Hour, Left members as also the Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav raised the matter vociferously, leading to adjournment of the House for 45 minutes.
Contradicting Law Minister Veerappa Moily, Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas's counsel Wills Mathews said that Thomas has not resigned from his post. "It is incorrect. Thomas has not resigned."Citing the provisions in the CVC Act, Mathews said he can be removed only by the President or alternatively he can resign.
The Left Front on Thursday said the Supreme Court's quashing of the appointment of P J Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner was 'another serious blow' to the UPA government which is facing major corruption cases. "I think what the court said today only vindicates the position our party has taken at the outset. Now the government, which is facing major corruption charges, has to answer why they have been taking such decisions," said CPM leader Sitaram Yechury.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said he respected the Supreme Court verdict on the quashing of the appointment of P J Thomas as the Central Vigilance Commissioner.
Dealing a big blow to the United Progressive Alliance government, the Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the appointment of P J Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner. The apex court held that the recommendation made by the high-powered panel -- headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- did not consider the relevant material and therefore its advice "does not exist in law".
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