Top stories on November 20 in a capsule

Supreme Court slams parties in CBI case for 'leaking' details in media

The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed the parties involved in the ongoing bribery charges against the officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and expressed reservation after it came to light that certain details pertaining to the case have been leaked to the media. According to news reports, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi presenting newspaper clippings to Justice Fali Nariman, who is appearing for CBI director Alok Verma, pointed out that certain ‘leaked’ details of the hearing that were specifically sought in a sealed envelope were out in the open. The top court also pointed at online news portal, The Wire publishing details of the case and said, “For reasons that need not be recorded, we don't want a hearing. None of you deserve a hearing.” The details in question refer to the application of CBI Deputy Inspector General Manish Kumar Sinha, who approached the SC on Monday and said Union Minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhri took money and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval intervened in the case involving CBI joint director Rakesh Asthana.

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Cong offered me Rs 25 lakhs to cancel Telangana polls: Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday alleged that the Congress party unit in Telangana offered him a bribe of Rs 25 lakhs to cancel the elections in the state. Charging at the Grand old party while addressing a rally in Nirmal, Owaisi said, “To stop our rally, they were offering Rs 25 lakh in party funds. This is a symbol of their pride.” Reacting to the allegations, Congress leader Meen Afzal said, “Owaisi is speaking without proof. Congress has emerged as a strong party in Telangana, which is why he is making these allegations." Owaisi further added that he has visual recordings to prove he was bribed.

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India signs $500 million naval deal with Russia for two warships

In a big boost for the defense industry, India on Tuesday signed a $500 million deal with Russia on Tuesday for ‘construction of two Grigorovich-class ‘Project 1135.6’ frigates warships in Goa for the Indian Navy under the technology transfer model,’ news agencies reported. The deal was signed between India’s PSU Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) and the Kremlin government’s Rosoboronexport, under a defense corporation understanding. Speaking to media agencies after the deal, Chief Managing Director of GSL Shekhar Mital said, “The construction of the warships will begin from 2020 and the first one will be ready for induction in 2026 while the second will be ready by 2027."
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Muzaffarpur shelter home case: Ex-Bihar Minister Manju Verma surrenders before court

Former Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma who had been absconding since the last two months surrendered before the Begusaria court in connection with an Arms Act case that surfaced in course of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal. Her arrest comes as a big relief to the state government and police as the Supreme Court on November 12 had blasted the Bihar police for failing to arrest her. She surrendered only the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Majaul passed an order to attach her properties. As reported by news agency PTI, Verma arrived in court in an auto-rickshaw with her face covered by a shawl. She fainted as soon as she entered the court premises and regained consciousness after water was sprinkled over her face by bystanders. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Prabhat Trivedi sent the minister to 14-day jail custody after a medical team examined her.

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1984 anti-Sikh riots: First death penalty awarded, life term for another

34 years after the horrific anti-Sikh riots, a Delhi court on Tuesday awarded the first death penalty in the case to convict Yashpal Singh and sentenced another convict Naresh Sehrawat to life imprisonment. The verdict was announced inside Tihar jail due to security concerns following an attack on the convicts in Delhi court premises during a hearing on November 15. The two were convicted for killing two Sikh men in South Delhi’s Mahipalpur during the riots. On November 1, 1984, Hardev Singh and two others were at their grocery shops in Mahipalpur when a mob armed with iron rods, hockey sticks, stones, kerosene oil attacked them and set their shops on fire. This was the first conviction in five of the eight cases — reopened and investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was constituted in 2015 — in which charge sheets were filed. The investigation into the other three cases, involving Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, are still pending.

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Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections: 71.9% voter’s turnout in second phase

Voting in Chhattisgarh for the second and final phase of Assembly election began on Tuesday morning for 72 seats across 19 districts. About 71.9% turnout was recorded till 6 pm as reported by the Election Commission. Both Congress and BJP are contesting all the 72 seats. BSP is contesting 25 seats and its ally and former Chief Minister Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) is vying in 46 seats. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded candidates in 66 constituencies. EVM malfunctioning was reported from 132 polling stations before the polling began and the polling began only after technical snags were rectified. Similar reports are also coming in from many other constituencies in Khallari, Raigarh Patan, Sihawa and few other constituencies in Bilaspur region. A BJP booth agent from Pathan constituency went missing right on the day of polls and speculations of him being kidnapped were cited by local officials.

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