Prashant Bhushan said that President Pranab Mukherjee and the governors accused in the AgustaWestland deal face immunity but can definitely be questioned by the CBI. ...
12:07 PM, Feb 15, 2013
The UPA government's factsheet could prove to be more embarrassing for itself and President Pranab Mukherjee during whose stint as the defence minister the AgustaWestland deal was cleared. The Defence Ministry's factsheet categorically states that the tender was finalised in 2005 during Pranab Mukherjee's stint as the Defence Minister. ...
08:20 AM, Feb 15, 2013
The UPA government went into damage control on Thursday over the AgustaWestland chopper deal, issuing a detailed factsheet on the AgustaWestland deal, putting the blame on the NDA. The Congress has alleged that in 2003, the then National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra wrote to the then defence secretary that the existing rules were unfair as it allowed only single bidding and that the qualifying height of the choppers should be...
07:49 AM, Feb 15, 2013
CNN-IBN's Surya Gangadharan joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the Agusta Westland chopper deal. ...
05:26 PM, Feb 14, 2013
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed state governments and union territories to disclose the amount of money being spent on providing security to VIPs. The court has also asked for clarification on how many people with criminal records are being provided security and how many relatives and family members of VIPs are being provided security. ...
02:55 PM, Feb 14, 2013
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Defence Minister Jaswant Singh has defended the NDA government's decision to change the chopper deal norms in 2003, saying it was taken for purely professional reasons. "That's true that technical parameters were changed during that time. I don't see why there is so much excitement as there was a plausible and good reason. The original proposal emerged in 2000 and the Air Force...
12:34 PM, Feb 14, 2013
The government has put on hold the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, sources said on Wednesday. The move came even as the government, under fire over allegations of kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal, announced a CBI probe. ...
11:58 PM, Feb 13, 2013
The government has put on hold the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, sources said on Wednesday. The move came even as the government, under fire over allegations of kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal, announced a CBI probe. "Nobody will be spared whatever may be the consequences," Defence Minister AK Antony told reporters on the alleged scam. ...
07:43 PM, Feb 13, 2013
Rejecting charges that it was not proactive in probing allegations of kickbacks in the Rs 3600 crore VVIP chopper deal, Government today said it would act only according to the law and not to please the Opposition in this case. ...
03:04 PM, Feb 13, 2013
A day after the Italian police arrested defence major Finmeccanica's CEO Giuseppe Orsi in an ongoing corruption inquiry, there are more details emerging. Reuters now reports that three cousins of former Indian Air Force Chief SP Tyagi allegedly helped twist rules in a helicopter tender won by AgustaWestland. ...
09:04 AM, Feb 13, 2013
The national capital has the highest number of security personnel on VIP-guarding duties in the country after Punjab. More than a dozen policemen guard each of the 427 VIPs, who are being given security in Delhi, according to the "Data on Police Organisations in India-2012". ...
01:05 AM, Feb 08, 2013
The Supreme Court has asked the Delhi Police why security personnel deployed on VIP security could not be provided to ensure security of women in the city. The court's observation came on a plea filed by Amicus Curiae Harish Salve. ...
02:14 PM, Feb 07, 2013
With security often seen as a status symbol, the Uttar Pradesh government is spending a whopping Rs 120 crores in public money a year to provide security cover to around 1,500 VIPs of different hues, deploying as many as 2,913 police officials, officials records show. ...
04:58 PM, Feb 04, 2013
With security often seen as a status symbol, the Uttar Pradesh government is spending a whopping Rs 120 crores in public money a year to provide security cover to around 1,500 VIPs of different hues, deploying as many as 2,913 police officials, officials records show. Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Badri Prasad Singh admitted that 1,476 VIPs (very important persons) were being given security based on "pre-emptive threat...
12:00 PM, Feb 04, 2013
The Supreme Court on Thursday criticised the culture of providing security to VIP personnel, questioning the usage of beacon lights by Sarpanches, Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) and Members of Parliament (MPs). ...
05:23 PM, Jan 17, 2013
Delhi Police is going to cut the security it provides to VIPs, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has said. This follows a request from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the minister told Rajat Sharma of India TV, the network said in a statement on Friday. ...
01:39 AM, Jan 12, 2013
Mumbai: Actor Vidyut Jamwal's next action-packed thriller 'Commando-The War Within' will hit theatres in March 2013. Produced by Reliance Entertainment and Vipul Shah's Sunshine Pictures and directed by ad filmmaker-turned-director Dilip Ghosh, the film will also launch Miss India- 2009 Pooja Chopra. In 'Commando- The War Within', Jamwal will essay the role of a special-operations secret agent of the Indian Armed Services. He will be seen flaunting his mixed martial...
03:09 PM, Nov 21, 2012
Meerut: A former member of the Maharashtra Under-19 cricket squad and another man have been arrested for allegedly abducting and murdering a youth. Keshav, a resident of Jagriti Vihar locality, was allegedly shot dead by cricketer Vipin Giri (22) with the help of three accomplices on November 9 after they abducted him, Superintendent of Police Om Prakash said on Thursday. Giri, who was a neighbour to Keshav's family, and one...
08:18 PM, Nov 15, 2012
New Delhi: Defence Minister AK Antony on Saturday said India has sought details from the UK in connection with corruption allegations in the VVIP helicopter deal with Italy. He said that "strong action" would be taken in case any foul play is found. "The contract is with a particular company based in the UK. We have also requested MEA to take up the case with UK. We are making all...
02:20 PM, Nov 10, 2012
New Delhi: The Defence Acquisition Council is set to meet on Monday where a decision is expected on replacing the military's ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters of the Indian Air Force. The meet comes amidst allegations of bribery which threaten to torpedo the VVIP helicopter deal. Italian defence major Finmeccanica stands to lose thousands of crores in Indian orders if it is proved that its subsidiary AgustaWestland did give bribe...
10:10 AM, Oct 29, 2012
