Page 40 - Delhi Government

Atishi declares order of appointing Delhi govt standing counsel 'invalid'

Delhi Law Minister Atishi has declared as "invalid" an order issued by the principal secretary (Law) appointing another lawyer as standing counsel to represent Delhi government before the Delhi High Court on interim basis instead of standing counsel (civil) Santosh Kumar Tripathi. The minister, in an order issued on February 15, said "Tripathi will continue to handle the responsibilities of standing counsel (civil), Delhi High Court, GNCTD". A copy of the order has also been sent to the registrar general of the high court. Earlier this month, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had said that government counsel have made "misleading" statements before the high court related to a report on the opening of liquor vends in conforming and non-conforming wards while implementing the now-rescinded excise policy in the national capital, officials had said. Later on February 14, the principal secretary (Law) issued an order stating, "As an interim arrangement and to ensure proper ...

Delhi L-G writes to CM to expedite 'stalled' process of Budget presentation

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urging him to expedite the "stalled" process of budget presentation in the Assembly. The Delhi government in a statement said the budget was en route to the LG office for his approval. "The budget was by Finance Minister Atishi with the presidential nod, around February 20. It is a financial document of utmost importance for the entire 2024-25 fiscal, so due diligence at micro level is required, and this takes time," read the statement. The Delhi Assembly's Budget Session, which started on February 15, was extended till the first week of March with the finance minister citing a delay in its finalisation and seeking approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Budget Session was initially scheduled to end on February 21. Saxena said that he addressed the Assembly on February 15, and the House was informed by the chief minister and the finance minister that the presentation of the budget

HC asks govt, police to inform about plan to tackle bomb threats to schools

The Delhi High Court has asked the city government and the police to inform it about an "action plan" to deal with frequent instances of bomb threats to schools in the national capital. The court also issued notice to the authorities on an application filed by the petitioner, lawyer Arpit Bhargava, who claimed out of five incidents of bomb threats to schools last year, three are yet to be investigated and taken to their logical conclusion. In a recent order, Justice Subramonium Prasad asked the Delhi government and the Delhi Police to file their response to the plea, and said, "The counter affidavit must indicate the action plan to be taken by the respondents". The petitioner is the father of a child studying at DPS, Mathura Road which received one such threat call last year. "Even this Hon'ble Court was targeted in a similar fashion when a bomb threat email on 15.02.24 sent everyone on their toes and a strict security drill had to be initiated in all courts across Delhi," the late

Delhi CM will be arrested in next 2-3 days, says AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj

Bharadwaj further claimed that the BJP is afraid that the party will face difficulty wherever the AAP and Congress form an alliance

Court dismisses bail plea of accused charged under UAPA In 2020 Delhi riots

A court here on Thursday rejected the bail plea of an accused charged in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 northeast Delhi communal riots, saying he could not claim parity with three other co-accused. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing the regular bail application of accused Tasleem Ahmed. The court noted that Ahmed sought parity with the co-accused, Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha who had been granted bail by the Delhi High Court on June 15, 2021. It further noted the submissions of Ahmed's counsel, saying according to the chargesheet, the role of his client and the three other co-accused was similar. The court said that the high court had granted relief to Kalita, Narwal and Tanha after observing that the allegations against them under UAPA provisions were prima facie not true. It said, "The opinion of the high court is with respect to the co-accused persons only and is not general and, therefore, cannot be ...

Notice issued to Centre, Delhi govt on plea against Manual Scavengers Act

he plea also sought a direction to rehabilitate the sewer cleaners and provide them with all the benefits received by manual scavengers under the act

'Will you apologise to L-G,' Delhi HC asks seven suspended BJP MLAs

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked seven BJP MLAs, suspended from the Delhi Assembly for interrupting the lieutenant governor's address, if they were willing to apologise to him. Justice Subramonium Prasad asked the senior counsel appearing for the suspended legislators to take instructions on this aspect after the senior lawyer for the assembly said a similar approach was adopted in the Supreme Court in the case of MP Raghav Chadha. Appearing for the assembly, senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog said the matter is not political and it involves the dignity of the office of the LG. "I spoke to the speaker. He also suggested the route followed by the Supreme Court in Raghav Chadha's case. If members were to come and meet the speaker and apologise to the LG, the whole thing could be put through," he said. Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, appearing for the MLAs, said there was no difficulty in apologising to the LG. The court asked the petitioners' counsel to come back in the post-lunch

Order inquiry into GST evasion in Delhi: LG Saxena advises CM Kejriwal

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Monday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal "advising" him to ask the finance minister to conduct a detailed inquiry into alleged Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion in the city. In a statement, the Delhi government condemned instances of tax evasion and said that despite its efforts to develop a software to address the problem, a proposal to this effect has been "languishing among bureaucratic offices for almost a year". In his letter to Kejriwal, Saxena said Delhi has achieved the "inglorious distinction" of recording the highest tax evasion in the country. In all, 483 "bogus firms" were detected which evaded Rs 3,028 crore of tax, he said. "It is indeed dubious that the capital of the country tops the list of tax evasion amongst all states and union territories, with the one on the second place behind Delhi by as much as Rs 827 crore. This is a serious matter in which the possibility of collusion of officials in the GST ...

Serious constitutional crisis has arisen in Delhi, says CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said a "serious constitutional crisis" has arisen in the national capital as officers are saying they will not work because of alleged "threats and pressure" from the BJP. This problem stems from Delhi not enjoying full statehood and the real power lies with the central government, which is led by a different party, and "that other party does not want that the elected government (of Delhi) does its work", he said during his address in the Delhi Assembly. Kejriwal also said the one-time settlement scheme to rectify water bills is being "obstructed" by some officers. The chief minister alleged that the officers are being threatened to block the one-time settlement scheme for correcting water bills because of pressure from the BJP. There was no immediate reaction from the BJP. Kejriwal also claimed the officers' unwillingness to work has led to a "serious constitutional crisis" in Delhi. He appealed to Lt Governor VK Saxena to call the

Delhi excise policy case: CM Kejriwal skips ED summons for sixth time

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Monday for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy, the AAP said. Terming the agency's sixth summons to its national convener as "illegal", the party said that the ED should wait for the court's decision instead of repeatedly sending summonses to Kejriwal. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had approached a city court after Kejriwal skipped multiple summonses. On Saturday, the court had granted exemption to Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in connection with the complaint filed by the central agency. The application moved by Kejriwal's counsel stated that the Budget Session of the Delhi assembly has commenced on February 15 and shall continue till the first week of March. He will physically appear before the court on the next date of hearing on March 16, it said.

Temporary structure falls at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 11 rescued

At least 11 people trapped under the debris of a collapsed temporary structure at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in south Delhi were rescued on Saturday, officials said. The incident occurred at 11 am, police said. A Delhi Fire Services official said a call was received about the pandal (temporary structure) collapsing at the stadium. Initially, two people were rescued from under the debris. Later, nine more people were brought out. A police officer said most of the injured are workers. "The pandal was being erected for a wedding function near Gate No 2. The injured have been taken to AIIMS trauma centre for treatment," the officer said, and added no casualties have been reported so far. Personnel from the police and the fire department, and ambulances are on the spot, the officer added.

Delhi court exempts CM Kejriwal from personal appearance in excise case

A Delhi court on Saturday granted exemption to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in connection with a complaint filed by the ED against him over non-compliance with its summonses in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra granted relief to Kejriwal after the AAP leader appeared before the court via videoconferencing and urged for exemption from physical appearance for the day. Kejriwal told the court that he was unable to appear before it due to the ongoing Budget session of the Delhi Assembly. Appearing for Kejriwal, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta told the court that the Delhi chief minister will appear before it in person on the next date of hearing. The court has adjourned the matter to March 16. In its complaint, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that the Delhi chief minister intentionally did not want to obey the summonses and kept on giving "lame excus

7 BJP MLAs suspended from Delhi Assembly's Budget session for disruptions

Seven BJP MLAs were on Friday suspended for the remainder of the Budget session of the Delhi Assembly for interrupting the Lt Governor's address. The BJP MLAs had interrupted Lt Governor VK Saxena multiple times during his address on Thursday as they sought to attack the Arvind Kejriwal government. Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had also sent the matter of disruption to the Privileges Committee. AAP MLA Dilip Pandey moved a resolution in the House seeking action on this issue, which was accepted by the Speaker. Pandey said that opposition members on Thursday acted in an "planned manner" while disrupting the LG's address which lowered the prestige of the House. "It was unprecedented and unfortunate," he said. While reading out from the rule book, he said the behaviour of the opposition members has lowered the dignity of the House, and demanded action. Speaker Goel while accepting the resolution of Pandey, said the matter be sent to the Privileges Committee. Seven members

Alipur fire: Delhi CM announces ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for kin of deceased

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the kin of those killed in the fire in a paints factory in Alipur here that left 11 people dead. The chief minister also visited the site to take stock of the situation in the aftermath of the blaze that broke out on Thursday evening. "We have full sympathy for the families of the deceased. We will provide a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the kin of the deceased. Two people have sustained minor injuries and they will be awarded a compensation of Rs 20,000 each and those with major injuries will be awarded a compensation of Rs two lakh each," he told reporters. He said those whose nearby shops and houses were affected due to the fire will be awarded compensation in line with the government's policy. The chief minister said there are allegations that there was delay in the arrival of fire tenders to the spot. "I will issue instructions for inquiry into the alleged delay in the arrival o

Protesting farmers stay put at Punjab-Haryana borders for heading to Delhi

Scores of farmers from Punjab continued to stay put at the two borders of the state and Haryana on Wednesday while security personnel fired some tear gas shells on the protesters at the Shambhu border near Ambala. As the peasants gather there to resume their 'Delhi Chalo' protest, farmer leaders will first hold a meeting before moving ahead with their plan to break multi-layered barricades at the Shambhu border in an attempt to march towards Delhi. With the farmers from several places in Punjab continuing to pour in to participate in the 'Delhi Chalo' march, a large number of tractor-trolleys could be seen parked along the national highway on the Punjab side. The protesting farmers from Punjab plan to make a fresh attempt to break past the multiple layers of barricades at the border with Haryana. The Haryana security personnel lobbed a few tear gas shells on Wednesday morning after some farmers gathered near the barricades at the Shambhu border, the protesters claimed. While the .

Delhi HC to decide cases concerning HIV positive individuals on priority

The Delhi High Court will take up and dispose of on priority basis the legal proceedings concerning an HIV positive person whose anonymity and confidentiality shall be strictly maintained. The practice directions' have been issued by the high court, on its administrative side, in compliance with the directions passed by the Supreme Court in a judgment on September 26, 2023. In compliance of the directions passed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in judgment dated September 26, 2023 in , Hon'ble the Acting Chief Justice has been pleased to issue following directions for compliance by all concerned. In any legal proceeding concerning or relating to an HIV-positive person, the courts shall take up and dispose of the proceeding on priority basis in terms of Section 34(2) of the HIV (Prevention and Control) ACT 2017, the practice directions issued through Delhi High Court Registrar General Kanwaljeet Arora on February 7 said. It further said that courts shall also ensure that the anonymity a

350 e-buses launched: CM Kejriwal says Delhi has highest such buses

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday flagged off 350 electric buses here. With the new buses, the number of electric buses in the DTC fleet has risen to 1650. Talking to reporters after the flag-off Saxena said, "These buses will contribute in a huge way in combating pollution. I am hopeful that we will be able to stop the pollution with these steps." Kejriwal said with the addition of these 350 buses, Delhi has become the first city in the country to have such a high number of electric buses. "Today, 350 buses have been flagged and now there are 1650 electric buses plying on the roads. Delhi is the first city in the country to have the maximum number of electric buses. This will definitely control pollution. Our effort is to phase out CNG buses," he added.

Delhi borders remain under tight security as farmers determined to march

With protesting farmers seeking to march to the national capital, security remained tight on Wednesday with personnel deployed in huge numbers and barricades regulating movement in central Delhi and at border points with Haryana, which can cause hardships to commuters. The traffic movement at Singhu (Delhi-Sonipat) and Tikri borders (Delhi-Bahadurgarh) is suspended, an official said, adding the security personnel in anti-riot gear are deployed and drones being used to keep an eye on the situation. Multiple layers of barricades, concrete blocks, iron nails and container walls have been placed at Singhu and Tikri borders as well as Ghazipur border. An official said the security arrangements at border points and in central Delhi could be increased if required. With massive security arrangements at the three border points, commuters may again face difficulties in reaching their destination. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the "De

Delhi march: Farmers attempt to breach barricades, teargas shells fired

The Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border witnessed chaotic scenes on Tuesday as the protesting farmers marching towards Delhi attempted to break police barricades

Delhi govt rejects Centre's proposal to convert Bawana stadium into jail

The Delhi government has rejected the Centre's proposal to convert Bawana stadium into a makeshift jail in view of the farmers' march to the national capital on Tuesday, officials said. Delhi Home Minister Kailash Gahlot wrote to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar denying permission and expressed solidarity with the farmers' march, they added. "The demands of the farmers are genuine. Secondly, it is the constitutional right of every citizen to make a peaceful protest. It is therefore, incorrect to arrest the farmers" Gahlot's letter to Kumar read. "The Central Government, infact, should invite them over for talks and try to find a solution of their genuine problems. Farmers of the country are our 'annadata' and treating them in this way by arresting them would be like rubbing salt into their wounds. We cannot be a party to this decision of the Central government," Gahlot added. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha begun marching towards Delhi on Tuesday