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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she doesn't believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is 'misusing' central investigative agencies to harass and intimidate rivals. However, she blamed a section of the BJP leaders for misusing them to serve their interests.

Banerjee, who was speaking on a resolution in the Assembly against the “excesses” of the central probe agencies, urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the agenda of the union government and the interests of his party do not get mixed up.

Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora has directed all district DCPs to brief their staff to register FIRs under proper sections of law when they receive a PCR call, to ensure there is no “burking” – or a bid to suppress – any citizen’s complaint, it is learnt.

The directions came from the police chief in a crime review meeting held on September 15 in Vimarsh hall at Delhi Police headquarters. In the meeting, the Special Commissioner of Police (Operations) informed Arora that 478 PCR calls of robbery were received between August 17 and August 31, but only 21% calls were converted into FIRs under sections of robbery.

India is estimated to have gained Rs 35,000 crore by importing Russian crude at discounts since the Ukraine conflict began in February, people in the know said.

India went on bargain hunting for Russian crude as the conflict prompted Moscow’s traditional buyers to shun those barrels and traders, stuck with shipments, started offering big discounts. India has opted to import crude from Russia despite pressure from developed nations to shun shipments in the wake of Moscow’s decision to attack Ukraine.

The country has emerged as the second-largest buyer of Russian crude after China. Russian oil accounts for 12% of the country’s total oil purchase against less than 1% before the war. In July, Russia became India’s second-largest oil supplier, relegating Saudi Arabia to the third spot. Although Riyadh won back its position in August, Russia remains the third-largest oil supplier for India, Reuters reported, quoting trade data.

Income Tax Department has allowed compounding in cases where the applicant has been sentenced to up to two years of imprisonment. According to the I-T Department, compounding allows an individual to accept his offence and pay specified charges to avoid prosecution.

I-T Department, in a statement, said: “The scope of eligibility for compounding of cases has been relaxed whereby case of an applicant who has been convicted with imprisonment for less than 2 years being previously non-compoundable, has now been made compoundable. The discretion available with the competent authority has also been suitably restricted.”

The Delhi High Court Friday refused to stay criminal proceedings against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with three FIRs registered against him pertaining to his involvement in the 2020 riots in Northeast Delhi.

The counsel for Hussain had preferred three petitions under Section 482 (Saving of inherent powers of High Court) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) seeking quashing of three First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against him. Two of these FIRs were registered at the Dayalpur police station and the third at the Khajuri Khas police station under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rioting and the Arms Act.