Page 3 - Corruption

Aaditya Thackeray seeks Dy CM Shinde's ouster over scrapped MMRDA tenders

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has demanded the sacking of Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and a probe into alleged irregularities after MMRDA scrapped tenders

SC interim bail for 3 bureaucrats, 3 others in Chhattisgarh coal-levy scam

Two days after being granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the Chhattisgarh coal-levy scam case, two suspended IAS officers and a former deputy secretary in the chief minister's office walked out of jail on Saturday. Defence counsel Faizal Rizvi told reporters that Sameer Vishnoi and Ranu Sahu, both IAS officers, and Saumya Chaurasia, a deputy secretary in the CMO during the previous Bhupesh Baghel government, and three others were released from Raipur central jail. The SC has granted interim bail to eight persons, of whom two individuals Suryakant Tiwari and Nikhil Chandrakar have not been released (due to other pending cases), he said. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has been probing the money laundering angle in the alleged coal-levy scam since 2022, had arrested Vishnoi in October 2022 and Chaurasia in December the same year. The central agency had taken Sahu into custody in July 2023. Rizvi said the bureaucrat trio has been granted interim bail in the two case

Raining cash: Engineer throws bundles from window during raid, ₹2 cr seized

The anti-corruption wing of the Odisha Police carried out raids at multiple locations linked to the government chief engineer in Bhubaneswar

NHRC asks DGP Odisha for detailed report in Balangir journo attack case

The NHRC issued a formal notice to the DGP Odisha in the case where a TV journalist was attacked in Balangir district

"T'gana turned into Congress ATM," says BRS leader Rama Rao

BRS Working President K T Rama Rao on Friday lashed out at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accusing him of turning Telangana into an "ATM of the Congress party", after Reddy's name was mentioned in a chargesheet filed by the ED in a money laundering case. Rama Rao, also known as KTR, claimed that central agencies have now confirmed what BRS has been alleging for months that Telangana's governance is riddled with "corruption and commission deals". The ED has officially exposed Telangana's bagman. Revanth Reddy has been caught influencing donors with political promises. He built a corrupt empire even before taking office. Since becoming the CM, he has expanded it into a multi-thousand crore scam. Those named in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chargesheet for seeking donations for Young Indian Private Ltd, include Telangana CM and former PCC president Revanth Reddy, late Ahmed Patel and Pawan Bansal. However, none of them have been named as accused in the chargesheet. KTR also slamm

ED searches at educational institutions linked to Karnataka Home minister

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting searches at educational institutions that are said to be linked to Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara at Tumakuru and on the outskirts of Bengaluru, official sources said on Wednesday. According to sources, the searches were underway at Sri Siddhartha Medical College and Sri Siddhartha Institute Of Technology in Tumakuru and Sri Siddhartha Institute Of Medical Sciences in Nelamangala on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The reasons for the searches are not yet known. When reporters questioned about this, Chief Minister Siddarmaiah said, "I don't know...I will check and speak." Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said, "What is there to do it (searches) on educational institutions. I don't have proper information. I get information and react to it.

Court dismisses graft plea against CM Siddaramaiah, minister on ads

A Special Court in Bengaluru has dismissed a complaint alleging a conspiracy involving Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Minister K J George, and three senior officials to cause significant advertisement revenue losses to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) between 2015 and 2017. The court ruled that the accusations lacked substance and were based on conjecture rather than concrete evidence. The complaint, filed by N R Ramesh, a former corporator and BJP leader, claimed that the BBMP suffered losses of Rs 68.14 crore during Siddaramaiah's earlier tenure as Chief Minister (20132018). Ramesh alleged that the state government used BBMP-owned bus shelters to advertise its achievements without paying the mandatory advertisement fee. He further claimed that Congress leaders may have bribed BBMP and Information Department officials to avoid raising dues. However, in its April 28 order, the Special Court, presided over by Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, found the allegations .

'Noida is a hell': Investor shares why he quit India to live in Luxembourg

Himanshu Upadhyay, now based in Luxembourg, says poor infrastructure, social decay, and safety fears pushed him to leave India despite living in a 'posh' locality

Cash row: SC panel submits report to CJI on charges against Justice Varma

The Supreme Court-appointed three-judge panel has submitted its inquiry report to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on the cash discovery allegations against Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. The three-member panel comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court finalised its report on May 3. The report, which was submitted to the CJI on May 4 for further actions, if any, reportedly contains the findings of the panel into the alleged cash discovery row following a fire at Justice Varma's Lutyens Delhi residence at around 11.35 pm on March 14, prompting the fire officials to rush to the spot and douse it. The controversy was raised following a news report in the cash discovery row and led to several steps, including a preliminary inquiry by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and taking away ...

Nepal parliamentary panel finds graft worth billions in China-built airport

A Nepal parliamentary committee has uncovered a large-scale corruption worth around Nepalese Rs 14 billion in the construction of the Pokhara International Airport, built by a Chinese company with a soft loan from China. A report by the sub-committee under the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) led by Member of Parliament Rajendra Lingden found irregularities in the airport's construction. The report highlighted an embezzlement of approximately Rs 14 billion and called for investigations and action against several senior officials involved in the project. The Pokhara Regional International Airport was built from a loan of around Rs 22 billion from the Exim Bank of China and was completed by the Chinese company on December 29, 2022. As per the agreement, Nepal is required to repay the loan at a 2 per cent interest rate for seven years after the completion of the airport construction and then clear the principal in the next 13 years. The sub-committee te

Robert Vadra's questioning over land deal case concludes for now

The agency is expected to summon others connected to the Gurgaon land deal case for further interrogation in the coming days

Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant for Hasina's niece Tulip Siddiq

A range of charges relate to corruption has been brought against Tulip Siddiq and other family members of Sheikh Hasina

Fresh arrest warrant issued against Sheikh Hasina, daughter in graft case

A Bangladeshi court on Thursday issued a new arrest warrant against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her daughter Saima Wajed Putul and 17 others in a graft case, accusing them of procuring a residential plot through "fraudulent" means. On Thursday, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib accepted the charge sheet submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). As the accused were absconding, the court issued arrest warrants against them. "Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Mohammad Zakir Hossain Galib issued the warrant accepting the ACC charge sheet in the case, the statutory graft agency's prosecutor Mir Ahammed Salam told reporters. He said the judge asked ACC to submit its investigation report on May 4 for hearing the charge involving the piece of leased out land by state-run Rajdhani Unyan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) in Purbachal area on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka. The ACC filed the case against the deposed premier on January 12, 2025, and the oth

ED arrests ex-chairman of Karnataka co-op bank in Rs 63-crore fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested a former chairman of a Karnataka-based cooperative bank for alleged financial irregularities of about Rs 63 crore at one of its branches. R M Manjunatha Gowda was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and produced before a special court in Bengaluru, which sent him to ED custody for 14 days, the federal probe agency said in a statement. The arrest came a day after the ED carried out raids in Bengaluru and Shivamogga districts of Karnataka in the probe against the financial affairs of the Shimoga District Co-Operative Central Bank, City Branch. "Large-scale misappropriation of funds took place at the said branch which was orchestrated primarily by the branch manager, B Shobha, on the instructions of Gowda," the ED alleged. The two and their legal representatives could not be contacted for comment on the ED's charges. According to the chargesheet filed by Lokayukta Police (of Karnataka Police), the E

CM's economic advisor denies saying 'K'taka is No. 1 in corruption'

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's economic advisor, Basavaraj Rayareddi, on Wednesday said he never claimed that "Karnataka is number one in corruption" during the tenure of the present Congress government. Rayareddi issued a clarification after a few publications in Karnataka reported that, during a review meeting by a committee for the redressal of regional imbalance, he had told officers that Karnataka tops the country in corruption. Accusing the media of twisting his statement made in Koppal, the Yelburga Congress MLA said he had only highlighted the perception that "Karnataka is branded as the most corrupt state", which, he said, is unfortunate. "I did not say that corruption has increased during Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's tenure. It's a phenomenon that has been prevailing for the past two to three decades," Rayareddi told reporters here. Insisting that he never made such a statement at a press conference, Rayareddi claimed, "I never said Karnataka is the number one corrupt sta

Gokhale Institute's parent body secretary held for fund 'misappropriation'

Police have arrested the secretary of the Servants of India Society, the parent body of the prestigious Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) here, for alleged misappropriation of funds and cheating, an official said. Milind Deshmukh was arrested on Saturday on a complaint by GIPE's deputy registrar Vishal Gaikwad, the Deccan Gymkhana police station official said on Sunday. "Funds of Rs 1.5 crore belonging to GIPE were allegedly diverted for the purchase of land for the Servants of India Society (SIS). The alleged misappropriation took place in 2022-23. Deshmukh has been booked under IPC sections 406, 420 and 34 for criminal breach of trust, cheating and other offences," the official said. Deshmukh, while working as SIS secretary, in December 2022 drafted a letter with his own signature to the Gokhale Institute in which he demanded to free hold SIS land in Nagpur valued at Rs 1.5 crore, the complaint stated. "Deshmukh didn't seek any permission. A letterhead of SIS was

French court finds Marine Le Pen guilty in case over misuse of EU funds

A French court found Marine Le Pen guilty Monday in an embezzlement case but didn't immediately say what her sentence might be and how it might impact the far-right leader's political future. Le Pen and 24 other officials from her National Rally are accused of having used money intended for European Union parliamentary aides to pay staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016, in violation of the 27-nation bloc's regulations. Le Pen and her co-defendants deny wrongdoing. The biggest concern for Le Pen is that the court may declare her ineligible to run for office with immediate effect" even if she appeals. That could prevent her from running for president in 2027. She has described such scenario as a political death. The Constitutional Council ruled Friday, in a separate case, that imposing the punishment immediately was constitutional. With so many defendants, the verdict could take several hours for the chief judge to read out. Le Pen was in court. If found guilty, she a

Long stays in postings breed corruption, rotate officers: Parl panel

Long stays of officers in postings breed corruption and remedial measures should be taken to ensure that they do not stay beyond the prescribed time limit in any ministry, a parliamentary panel has said. There has been a rotational policy for all officers but it is not being implemented in toto, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice said in its 145th report, tabled in Parliament on March 27, on the Demands for Grants (2025-26) pertaining to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). There are officers who are posted in potentially favourable ministries or places for over 8-9 years, especially in economic and sensitive ministries, and are continuing their stay despite heads of organisations being replaced four-five times. This trend should be assessed, it said. Instances have come to notice where officers have "manoeuvred their postings in such a way that their whole career has been in the same ministry and hen

Delhi govt adopts 'zero tolerance' against corruption, urges transparency

The BJP government in Delhi has adopted a zero tolerance stance against corruption, directing various departments to submit six monthly action taken reports. The Finance department recently issued a communication to various departments ensuring submission of half yearly reports on January 1 and July 1 each year on the steps taken to enhance transparency and efficiency of governance and delivery of services. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in a meeting with various departments on Thursday also said that her government will maintain "zero tolerance" against corruption and pay special attention to prevent irregularities in the implementation of schemes. The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked all Union Territories, including Delhi, for furnishing reports on the steps taken by them for ensuring transparency in the implementation of schemes, strengthening anti-corruption branches (ACBs) and procurement of goods through Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portals, said a senior Delhi governmen

Former HC judge Nirmal Yadav acquitted in 2008 cash-at-judge's door case

A special CBI court here on Saturday acquitted former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice (Retd) Nirmal Yadav and four others in the 2008 cash-at-judge's door case. In the sensational case, a packet containing Rs 15 lakh was allegedly wrongly delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, another sitting high court judge, on August 13, 2008. It was alleged that the cash was meant for Justice Nirmal Yadav as a bribe to influence a property deal. The Court of Special CBI Judge Alka Malik pronounced the verdict on Saturday. Defence counsel Vishal Garg said the court acquitted former Justice Nirmal Yadav and four others. There were a total five accused in the case, one of whom died during the trial. The court on Thursday had heard the final arguments in the case registered against Justice Yadav by the Central Bureau of Investigation and posted the pronouncement of verdict for March 29.