Nps News

Claiming that the Assam government had paid to ferry nearly half of the over 500 people who attended Governor Jagdish Mukhi's swearing-in ceremony, the Congress party criticised the event for being "lavish". The cash-strapped state government booked top-end hotels and government guesthouses for the attendees, it added. The guests reportedly included 223 people from Sohna village in Haryana.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee revealed that after a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi before 2012 presidential elections, he was left with a "vague impression" that she was considering Manmohan Singh as UPA's presidential nominee. He thought that the Congress Chief might choose him as the Prime Minister if she selects Singh for the Presidential office, Mukherjee added.

After a local convenor of Hardik Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti alleged that he was offered ₹1 crore to join the BJP, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said, "Gujarat is priceless." Gandhi's tweet further said, "It (Gujarat) has never been bought. It can never be bought. It will never be bought." Notably, Gujarat polls are due before December 18.

The Rajasthan Assembly on Monday tabled a bill that seeks to shield serving and former public servants from being investigated without prior approval from the government. The bill, which aims to amend an older law, also bars the media from reporting on accusations against public servants till the sanction to proceed with the probe is obtained.

Chhattisgarh PWD Minister Rajesh Munat on Friday said that the sex CD, which former BBC journalist Vinod Verma claimed to have against him, was fake and manipulated. Verma, who has been arrested by the police, said, "I have a sex CD of a Chhattisgarh minister...he is Rajesh Munat and that is why the Chhattisgarh government is not happy with me."

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said that the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government has turned the "dev bhoomi" (land of gods) into "apraadh bhoomi" (land of crime). Claiming that only crime and corruption have increased under Congress rule in the state, Adityanath urged the people of Himachal Pradesh to vote for the BJP.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday gave a clean chit to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and filed a chargesheet against the 490 accused in the Vyapam scam case. The Vyapam scam is related to irregularities in the selection process for government colleges and jobs conducted by the MP Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam).

A Special CBI Court on Tuesday deferred hearing the verdict in the 2G Spectrum scam cases till December 5. The CBI had in 2011 filed a chargesheet against former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK leader Kanimozhi and others alleging a loss of ₹30,984 crore to the government exchequer in the allocation of 122 licences for 2G mobile waves.

Kerala Transport Minister Thomas Chandy on Wednesday submitted his resignation after Kerala High Court dismissed his petition for quashing land encroachment allegations against him. This comes after Alappuzha District Collector filed a report in August stating that Chandy illegally acquired land and violated conservation regulations for building a luxury resort and its parking lot.

A CBI court on Saturday sentenced former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda to 3 years' imprisonment in a coal scam case and imposed a ₹25-lakh fine. Ex-Coal Secretary HC Gupta and two others were also sentenced to 3-year imprisonment, with a ₹1-lakh fine on Gupta. However, all the accused have been granted two-month interim bail to appeal in a higher court.

Bombay High Court on Friday set aside Maharashtra Governor's 2016 sanction to prosecute former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Housing Society scam. The bench, which was hearing Chavan's petition against the sanction, ruled that though the CBI claimed to have fresh evidence against Chavan at the time of seeking the sanction, it "failed to present any fresh evidence".

After a CBI court acquitted former Telecom Minister A Raja and all other accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case on Thursday, A Raja wrote a letter of gratitude to DMK Chief Karunanidhi. "You are my saviour and I submit this historical verdict at your feet. You have always safeguarded and protected me through all these years," he wrote.

Adarsh Housing Society was a residential complex in Mumbai, originally meant to provide houses to Kargil war widows. The scam came to light in 2010 when it was found that houses were being allotted to politicians' relatives at below par prices. The then Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan resigned after it was revealed that he approved selling 40% flats to civilians.

RJD Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, ahead of the special CBI court's verdict on fodder scam case in Ranchi, said that he has faith that will get justice. "Whatever be the judgment, I appeal to people of Bihar to maintain law and order," Lalu Prasad added. Meanwhile, the judgement in the case will be announced at 3 pm on Saturday.

A special CBI court in Ranchi on Saturday acquitted former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra and five others in one of the six fodder scam cases. Meanwhile, 16 people, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, were found guilty in the case. This particular case is linked to the fraudulent withdrawal of around ₹90 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury during 1991-94.

The coal scam or Coalgate accounting for over ₹1.86 lakh crore was one of the biggest scams reported by the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2014. Another case was the ₹1.76 lakh crore 2G Spectrum Allocation scam reported by CAG in 2010, in which all accused were recently acquitted. The 2010 Commonwealth Games scam was estimated at ₹70,000 crore.

Congratulating Rajinikanth on his entry into politics, actor Kamal Haasan said, "I congratulate my brother Rajini for his social consciousness and his political entry. Welcome welcome." Haasan, who has also expressed his interest in joining politics, has met various political leaders like Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the last few months in this regard.

Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed a special CBI court's order awarding 3-year jail term to former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda in a coal scam case till January 22. An order imposing a fine of ₹25 lakh on Koda was also stayed by the court, granting him an interim bail till the next date of hearing.