The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of former Chhattisgarh chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel as part of a money laundering investigation against his son in the alleged liquor scam case and seized about Rs 30 lakh apart from some documents, official sources said.
With these arrests, the total number of people arrested in the case so far has gone to seven.
Seasoned bureaucrat and a stickler for rules Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey will be at the helm of capital market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), for three years. The 1987-batch Odisha-cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Pandey, would replace Madhabi Puri Buch, whose three-year term ends on Friday.
Senior bureaucrat Smita Sabharwal courted controversy by questioning the need for reservation for the differently-abled people in the All India Services (AIS).
Senior bureaucrat Tarun Bajaj was appointed revenue secretary as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle by the Centre on Tuesday.
Sanjay Malhotra on Wednesday took charge as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Malhotra, a career bureaucrat, arrived at the central bank's headquarter this morning, where he was welcomed by senior RBI staffers. The central bank confirmed Malhotra's appointment through a post on the microblogging site "X" and also shared a few pictures.
The governor relieved Chakravorty of her duties on February 12.
An 'illegal' structure near trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar's family bungalow in Pune has been cleared, days after the civic body issued them a notice to remove it, an official said on Wednesday.
The government on Monday appointed Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared Malhotra's name, who has been appointed as the RBI Governor for three years, starting Wednesday. Malhotra, a 1990 Batch Rajasthan Cadre IAS Officer, will replace Shaktikanta Das, whose tenure ends on Tuesday (December 10, 2024).
Pahalgam Terrorist Attack: Dombivli families shattered in grief and grit. Demand dignity, justice and answers to unanswered questions.
The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a hearing on February 19 for pleas challenging the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners under the 2023 law. The court emphasized the potential consequences if any action is taken before the hearing. The pleas argue that the 2023 law, which excludes the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel, undermines the independence of the Election Commission and allows for undue influence from the executive branch. The court's earlier verdict in March 2023 called for an independent selection panel comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India to ensure the integrity of the Election Commission. The case highlights concerns about the independence of India's electoral process and the potential for political influence in the appointment of key election officials.
As per the cause list of October 21 uploaded on the apex court's website, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan is slated to hear the matter.
Two members of a three-member judicial commission formed by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the November 24 violence in Sambhal arrived in Moradabad on Saturday and are expected to visit the violence-hit town on Sunday. The commission, headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora, has been tasked with determining if the clashes were spontaneous or a planned conspiracy and assessing the police and administration's response. The commission will also analyze the events leading to the violence and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar also indicated that it may not take up the pending scheduled petitions, heard earlier by a three-judge bench, during the day as it was sitting in a combination of two judges.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, set to retire next month, plans to spend several months in solitude in the Himalayas. He also expressed a desire to teach underprivileged children, recalling his own humble beginnings. Kumar's tenure as CEC saw him oversee landmark elections, including the 16th Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections in 2022 and assembly elections in 11 states.
About the 34-year-old officer's alleged misuse of power, including the use of a private luxury car with a VIP number plate and red-blue beacon, during her tenure at the Pune collector's office, Dilip said she had taken permission for everything.
Given the possibilities that next year's assembly elections could throw up, Stalin told the state assembly that an interim report had to be submitted by January 2026. The outcomes may well find its way into the DMK's poll manifesto, thus seeking to keep the electoral focus still on the BJP-ruled Centre and Prime Minister Modi, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'If you are willing to shine like the sun, you must be willing to burn like it.'
The ED said its investigation also revealed that from 2019 to 2022, the sale of 'unaccounted illicit' liquor was almost 30-40 per cent of the total liquor sale in the state.
During the hearing on Monday, the court observed that officers were not taking court orders seriously.
'We are not opposed to any Indian language. We are against Hindi imposition.'
Kriti Kharbanda took a trip down memory lane when her rom-com Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana clocked seven years since its release.
He will succeed incumbent Rajiv Gauba, who completes his unprecedented five-year term in the top bureaucratic post this month-end.
The Uttar Pradesh government ordered a probe by a special investigation team after an IAS officer was seen in some video clips at a gathering at his home where religious conversion was being allegedly discussed.
Leaders who built and manage these incredible global companies cannot be tyrants, slave-drivers, or idiots. Essentially what they are saying falls under the definition of rallying the troops, inspirational talk, like the usual coach-speak with the team before a match, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
'Shivaji and Sambhaji followed the gospel of humanity. 'They did not discriminate based on religion, caste, or colour.' 'That is the beauty of Shivaji and Sambhaji's Hindvi Swaraj.'
'On the governmental level, we are saying all the right things, like beti bachao, beti padhao. Yet, a High Court judge in Prayagraj, who is highly educated, has studied the Constitution and its laws, says breaking the naada of a pyjama or touching the breasts of a minor girl is not part of the reform process. Just giving lip service is not enough, the general mindset has to change.'
A video purportedly showing controversial Indian Administrative Service officer Puja Khedkar's mother arguing with Metro rail construction workers in Pune has surfaced, days after another clip of her wielding a gun and threatening a group of men went viral.
The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the deaths of three civil services aspirants in the basement of a coaching centre in New Delhi and sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government.
The order also stated that the applicant shall not enter the jurisdiction of Pune's Paud police station, where the case has been registered, till the investigation was completed and cooperate in the ongoing probe.
"The complaint says that during Puja Khedkar's posting as an assistant collector, Dilip Khedkar allegedly used threatening language against tehsildar Dipak Akade, asking him to allot a cabin for his daughter even as he had no right to interfere in the administrative functioning," an official said.
The case relates to Aysha Makrani (from Madhya Pradesh) and Tushar (from Haryana) who fraudulently claimed that they have been finally recommended by the Commission in the civil services examination 2022 against two roll numbers of genuinely recommended candidates, it said.
The police have registered a FIR against Manorama and her husband Dilip Khedkar besides five others, after a video showing her allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute emerged.
The BJP government in Gujarat has formed a five-member committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, to assess the need for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state and to draft a bill for the same. The committee will submit its report within 45 days. The decision has sparked debate with the Opposition claiming it is an attempt to divert attention from pressing issues ahead of the upcoming local body polls, while the government insists the UCC will protect the rights of tribal communities. The committee will consult with religious leaders, including those from the Muslim community.
Probationary Indian Administrative Service officer Puja Khedkar, who is in the eye of a storm for alleged misuse of power and manipulating disability and OBC quotas, sidestepped questions related to the ongoing probe against her on Monday, saying the truth will eventually prevail, while the Pune police searched for her parents in a separate criminal case.
Ahead of the Basant Panchami Amrit Snan at the Maha Kumbh, top officials are emphasizing the implementation of "zero error" directives to prevent a repeat of the deadly stampede that occurred during a previous snan. The Uttar Pradesh government has deployed senior IAS officers with experience in crowd management and inter-agency coordination to oversee the event.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has sought control and management of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, citing its status as a protected heritage structure. The request comes after violence erupted during a court-ordered survey of the mosque, which was linked to a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the site. The ASI has argued that unauthorized changes to the mosque's structure by the management committee are unlawful and should be restricted. A three-member judicial commission has been formed to probe the violence and is expected to visit Sambhal on Sunday.
Indian National Lok Dal president and five-time Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala died in Gurugram on Friday at the age of 89.
A similar drive will later be carried out across the city against establishments operating illegally from basements, the official said.
Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday said the fiscal-monetary coordination was at its best during the last six years even as he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving the opportunity to head the monetary authority of the country. Das, in a series of posts on X, on his last day of his six-year term as RBI Governor, also thanked the Finance Minister, various stakeholders and his colleagues at the central bank.
