NEWS

In a setback to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant him interim protection from arrest in a money laundering case lodged by Enforcement Directorate which told the court that the politician, his family members and close aides are associated with shell companies used for suspicious transactions.

Though a bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Krishna Murari and V Ramasubramanian agreed to hear his petition along with many similar ones challenging Section 45(1) of PMLA which was amended by government to limit grant of bail to an accused, but it refused to grant Deshmukh interim protection.

The bench said Deshmukh can avail remedy under Criminal Procedure Code and approach the appropriate forum for relief. The court agreed with solicitor general Tushar Mehta who alleged anticipatory bail cannot be granted on petition challenging validity of a provision.

Indian Railways will operate 75 Vande Bharat trains across the country in the next 75 weeks, PM Narendra Modi announced on Sunday. This means these trains with maximum design speed of 180 kmph would be operational by August 2023. He also announced that the work of connecting all state capitals in the northeast by rail will be completed soon.

The railways have placed the order for 44 such trains and the first prototype will be rolled out by March next year.

The PM said, “Today, a new history of connectivity is being written in the northeast. The work of connecting all the state capitals of the northeast with rail service is going to be completed very soon.”

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said that a target has been set by the ministry to provide job opportunites to 7.5 lakh artisans and craftsmen through 75 ‘Hunar Haats’ (fairs) which will be set up over the coming months. To be organised across the country, the 75 Haats will be a part of the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ and will mark 75 years of India’s Independence.

Naqvi said that 75 “Amrit Mahotsav Parks” will also be constructed on the vacant Waqf lands across the country under Waqf Taraqqiati Scheme and Pradhanmantri Jan Vikas Karykram of the Union Minority Affairs Ministry. Naqvi said that under the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’, ‘Mera Watan, Mera Chaman’ mushairas and kavi sammelans will also be organised across the country till 2023, where poets will deliver the message of “Ek Bharat- Shrestha Bharat”. The minister said that the 75 haats will be organised with the resolve of “Vocal for Local” in all parts of the country. There will also be a section for traditional culinary experts, where people will enjoy traditional dishes from different regions.

Even as Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and his aides fled to Tajikistan, other countries have opened their borders to Afghan citizens who are fleeing violence and conflict. The tide of the takeover by the Taliban has meant that India, often regarded as a safe refuge of learning, education and health for Afghans, is also housing political refugees from the country now.

At the time of writing of this article, Taliban forces have already overrun most Afghan cities, including the capital, Kabul, with firing being reported near the city's airport as well.