Crisis

Odisha chit fund: AT Group chief held, sent to jail

Bhubaneswar: Chief of controversial non-banking financial institution (NBFI) Artha Tatwa (AT) Group Pradip Sethi, was arrested and sent to jail on Monday on charges of cheating investors in different parts of Odisha. Sethi, who was playing hide and seek with police for the past three months, was finally nabbed on Sunday night and produced in a court here on Monday. "Sethi has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days,"...  

Pawan Kumar Bansal loses cool with reporters

New Delhi: After losing his job, it seems that former railway minister Pawan Bansal is not happy with the media's role in the Railways bribery and cash-for-jobs scam. When some reporters asked Bansal about his family and the role played by his relatives in the Railways bribery and cash-for-jobs scam, the former minister was very livid. Bansal claimed that he had no business relations with his nephew Vijay Singla who...  

Syria rebels free four abducted UN peacekeepers

Quinetra Crossing: A UN sergeant stationed on the Golan Heights said all Filipino UN peacekeepers abducted last week have been released and are in good condition. The peacekeeper, who gave his name as Sgt Ratton, told the reporters on Sunday that his comrades were freed at 08:30 local time. He said that all four are in good health. Four UN peacekeepers were seized along the UN-patrolled demarcation line separating the...  

Coal scam: Attorney General to continue in his position, say Govt sources

New Delhi: Attorney General GE Vahanvati, who was under scanner for trying to influence CBI's coal scam status report, will continue in his position. Government sources on Saturday confirm there will be no action against the top law officer. Meanwhile, sacked Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Saturday came out in his defence saying he resigned only to avoid any unnecessary controversy claiming that his conscience still remains clear. He also...  

Is the government distancing itself from Ashwani Kumar?

New Delhi: It seems that the government is distancing itself from sacked Law Minister Ashwani Kumar. Sources say that the government had prepared a statement to defend Ashwani Kumar after he resigned, however, it did not release that statement. Sources say the statement said, "Ashwani resigned because of perception and his resignation should not be seen as corruption. He has not been indicted by the Supreme Court in any way."...  

Ashwani says he resigned to avoid 'unnecessary controversy'

New Delhi: Sacked Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Saturday came out in his defence saying he resigned only to avoid any unnecessary controversy claiming that his conscience still remains clear. "I tendered my resignation to put an end to unnecessary controversy in a matter pending before the Supreme Court. My conscience remains clear and I believe I will remain vindicated," Ashwani Kumar said. He also said that his resignation was...  

Sibal may be new Law Minister, CP Joshi likely to get Railways

New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was forced to sack Ashwani Kumar as Law Minister and Pawan Kumar Bansal as Railway Minister, the Congress party has given full credit to party President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi for taking action against the tainted ministers. "Congress President and Rahul Gandhi never tolerate corruption and that is why they took the resignation of the two ministers," Congress...  

I was only a trustworthy employee of Sen, says Debjani

Kolkata: Chit fund aided Saradha Group promoter Sudipta Sen's close aide Debjani Mukherjee on Friday claimed she was only a "trustworthy employee" of Sen and that she was sacked for raising her voice against the company's fund collection method. "When I found out that my boss was doing business in a way that was against my principles, I started raising my voice against him. Not considering my dedication towards the...  

Crackdown on chit fund companies in Odisha, 110 arrested

Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown on chit fund companies and other non-banking financial institutions, Odisha Police on Friday launched statewide raids and arrested as many as 110 people involved in the trade. "Our sleuths raided 185 places and 97 cases have been registered. This is for the first time that a statewide raid is conducted on a single day," said Additional Director General (ADG), Crime Branch, BK Sharma. Stating that...  

After Ashwani Kumar, PM should resign: BJP

New Delhi: BJP on Friday stepped up its pressure on the government by demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the resignations of Railway Minister and Law Minister, saying the "consequences should follow." "Now, there is no logic in the Prime Minister's continuance. Having decided to drop the Law Minister who was protecting the Prime Minister, then the consequences should follow. The consequence is that the Prime Minister...  

Under fire over scams, PM cracks the whip, sacks Ashwani and Bansal

New Delhi: Just hours after the resignation of Pawan Kumar Bansal as Railways Minister, Ashwani Kumar, the other Congress leader embroiled in a controversy, resigned as Law Minister. On a day of dramatic developments, Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and it was decided that both should be asked to put in his papers to contain any further damage to the government that has already been plagued...  

Pawan Bansal quits as Railways Minister

New Delhi: Pawan Kumar Bansal on Friday evening resigned as Railway Minister following allegations of corrupt practices by his close relatives and aides. Sources say that Bansal resigned after Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and asked him to force the Railway Minister to put in his papers. Bansal has already sent his resignation to the Prime Minister. Mallikarjun Kharge, a senior Congress leader from Karnataka, is...  

Air India launches test flights of Dreamliner aircraft

New Delhi: Air India has launched test flights of its Dreamliner aircraft, which have been fitted with new battery packs following battery fire incidents in January, as the first of these sophisticated planes was flown from Mumbai to Delhi via Ahmedabad. By Friday, two of these Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes would be test-flown several times daily between Delhi and Amritsar so that the pilots and cabin crew get the experience...  

WB chit fund scam: Sudipta Sen, 2 aides sent to 9-day police custody

Kolkata: Chit fund company Saradha group's chief Sudipta Sen was on Thursday sent to 9-day police custody, along with two of his close aides - Debjani Mukherjee and Arvind Singh Chouhan. The Bidhan Nagar police had sought a 14-day extension of their custody. The Saradha group allegedly duped lakhs of investors in a chit fund scheme. The police have unearthed 254 bank accounts and close to 200 properties of the...  

Under fire over coal scam report, Vahanvati meets PM

New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court came down heavily on the government and the Central Bureau of Investigation for sharing the coal scam probe report, Attorney General GE Vahanvati met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday. Law Minister Ashwani Kumar had also reached the PMO to meet Manmohan Singh but he was not given an appointment. Vahanvati, Ashwani Kumar and the two officials of the PMO and the...  

'Manmohan backing Ashwani as his removal will make PM vulnerable'

New Delhi: As pressure builds on the Prime Minister to sack the Law Minister following the Supreme Court's observation on the affidavit filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the coal scam, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani has hit out at Manmohan Singh alleging he is defending Ashwani Kumar to save himself. "Having decided to brazenly defend its two ministers, more particularly its...  

Pak bans ACs to ease power crisis, issues new dress code

Islamabad: Grappling with power outages across the country, the Pakistan government on Wednesday banned the use of air conditioners in its offices from May 15 and introduced a "summer dress code" for employees. Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso decided to impose the ban in all government departments and offices, an official statement said. Khoso directed authorities to introduce a new dress code for government employees to help them...  

Coal scam: CBI assures SC of thorough probe, Cong rules out action against Ashwani

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, while examining the affidavit submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with coal scam, on Wednesday came down heavily on the government and the investigating agency for the probe mess and gave the Centre time till July 3 to file an affidavit before it on steps to make the agency autonomous. The apex court took a very strong stand and called the...  

WB chit fund scam: CPM seeks CBI probe into Saradha issue

New Delhi: Claiming that names of top political persons are surfacing in the chit fund scam in West Bengal, a CPI (M) member on Wednesday sought a CBI enquiry into unregulated money raising activities in the wake of Saradha Group allegedly defrauding investors of their money. Prasanta Chatterjee, a CPI-M MP, demanded a CBI probe into the issue through a Special Mention in the Rajya Sabha. "... since many poor...  

Coal scam: Supreme Court's 4-point directive to Centre, CBI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a four-point directive to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the government during its observations on the CBI affidavit on the coal scam probe. First: The apex court asked the Centre to come out with a law before July 10 to insulate the CBI from external influence and intrusion. Second: The CBI chief to ensure no access to any person, including...