The Delhi Police directed social media and e-commerce platforms to immediately cease the online sale and delivery of firecrackers within the National Capital Territory (NCT) amid rising Delhi air pollution, reported news agency ANI. According to an official statement issued on Wednesday, the directive comes in a bid to protect the health and well-being of citizens directly due to increasing pollution and to prevent the sale of firecrackers through e-commerce platforms. "As a crucial step in protecting the health and well-being of citizens getting directly affected due to increasing pollution and to prevent sale of firecrackers through e-commerce platforms, providing delivery options to addresses within NCT of Delhi, e-Commerce Websites/Social Media Platforms have been directed in writing through an e-mail, yesterday dated 19.11.2024," Delhi police said in its statement on the Delhi air pollution, reported ANI. Platforms have been instructed to remove firecracker listings, disable services for customers in Delhi, implement location-based restrictions to block sales and deliveries within the city, publish notices informing users about the prohibition in compliance with legal orders, and ensure delivery partners do not accept, transport, or deliver firecracker-related consignments during the ban period, reported ANI. The platforms have also been requested to provide written confirmation of their compliance. The Delhi Police underlined that the steps are crucial to addressing the critical issue of air pollution and protecting public health. The directive is expected to ensure strict enforcement of the ban and prevent violations through digital platforms. The action comes in compliance with the Supreme Court's recent order dated November 11, in the case of 'MC Mehta vs Union of India & Ors', which directed the implementation of a ban on firecrackers to combat rising air pollution levels. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the Environment Department of the Delhi Government had earlier imposed a blanket ban on the manufacture, storage, and bursting of all categories of firecrackers in the city from October 14, to January 1, 2025. According to Delhi Police this latest initiative is with the aim to curb online sales, which undermine the effectiveness of the ban, reported ANI. The Air Quality Index in the national capital was recorded at 379 on Thursday morning as per the data issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This falls in the 'very poor' category. Delhi has been grappling with severe to severe plus levels of air pollution for the last few days. (With inputs from ANI)
21 November,2024 02:05 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentBillionaire Gautam Adani has been charged by US prosecutors over his role in an alleged years-long scheme to pay USD 250 million bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts. US prosecutors charged Adani, 62, his nephew Sagar and other defendants for paying over USD 250 million in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to Indian government officials to win solar energy contracts on terms that could potentially bring in more than USD 2 billion in profit. This, they alleged, was concealed from the US banks and investors from whom the Adani group raised billions of dollars for the project. US law allows pursuing foreign corruption allegations if they involve certain links to American investors or markets. Here's the full statement of the US Justice Department A five-count criminal indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Gautam S. Adani, Sagar R. Adani and Vneet S. Jaain, executives of an Indian renewable-energy company (the Indian Energy Company), with conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud for their roles in a multi-billion-dollar scheme to obtain funds from U.S. investors and global financial institutions based on false and misleading statements. The indictment also charges Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal, former executives of a renewable-energy company with securities that had traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the U.S. Issuer), and Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal and Deepak Malhotra, former employees of a Canadian institutional investor, with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in connection with a bribery scheme also perpetrated by Gautam S. Adani, Sagar R. Adani and Vneet S. Jaain, involving one of the world’s largest solar energy projects. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Lisa H. Miller, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the charges. “As alleged, the defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars and Gautam S. Adani, Sagar R. Adani and Vneet S. Jaain lied about the bribery scheme as they sought to raise capital from U.S. and international investors,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “My Office is committed to rooting out corruption in the international marketplace and protecting investors from those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the integrity of our financial markets.” “This indictment alleges schemes to pay over $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials, to lie to investors and banks to raise billions of dollars, and to obstruct justice,” stated Deputy Assistant Attorney General Miller. “These offences were allegedly committed by senior executives and directors to obtain and finance massive state energy supply contracts through corruption and fraud at the expense of U.S. investors. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively prosecute corrupt, deceptive, and obstructive conduct that violates U.S. law, no matter where in the world it occurs.” “Gautam S. Adani and seven other business executives allegedly bribed the Indian government to finance lucrative contracts designed to benefit their businesses. Adani and other defendants also defrauded investors by raising capital on the basis of false statements about bribery and corruption, while still other defendants allegedly attempted to conceal the bribery conspiracy by obstructing the government’s investigation,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy. “The FBI maintains its steadfast mission to expose all corrupt agreements, especially with international governments, and protect investors from related harm.” As alleged in the indictment, between approximately 2020 and 2024, the defendants agreed to pay more than $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts with the Indian government, which were projected to generate more than $2 billion in profits after tax over an approximately 20-year period (the Bribery Scheme). On several occasions, Gautam S. Adani personally met with an Indian government official to advance the Bribery Scheme, and the defendants held in-person meetings with each other to discuss aspects of its execution. The defendants frequently discussed their efforts in furtherance of the Bribery Scheme, including through an electronic messaging application. The defendants also extensively documented their corrupt efforts: for example, Sagar R. Adani used his cellular phone to track specific details of the bribes offered and promised to government officials; Vneet S. Jaain used his cellular phone to photograph a document summarizing various bribe amounts the U.S. Issuer owed the Indian Energy Company for its respective portion of the bribes; and Rupesh Agarwal prepared and distributed to other defendants multiple analyses using PowerPoint and Excel that summarized various options for paying and concealing bribe payments (Bribery Analyses). During this same period, Gautam S. Adani, Sagar R. Adani and Vneet S. Jaain allegedly conspired to misrepresent the Indian Energy Company’s anti-bribery and corruption practices and conceal the Bribery Scheme from U.S. investors and international financial institutions in order to obtain financing, including to fund those solar energy supply contracts procured through bribery. As alleged, Gautam S. Adani, Sagar R. Adani and Vneet S. Jaain caused the Indian Energy Company and certain of its subsidiaries to raise capital on the basis of false and misleading statements in connection with (i) two U.S. dollar-denominated syndicated loans totalling more than $2 billion from lender groups comprised of international financial institutions and U.S.-based investors; and (ii) two Rule 144A bond offerings for more than $1 billion underwritten by international financial institutions, which were marketed and sold to investors in the U.S., among other places. In addition, Gautam S. Adani, Sagar R. Adani and Vneet S. Jaain caused the Indian Energy Company to make false statements in their consolidated financial statements and to the market and investors regarding the Bribery Scheme. The indictment further alleges that Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal, Deepak Malhotra and Rupesh Agarwal conspired to obstruct the grand jury, FBI and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations into the Bribery Scheme. Among other things, those four defendants agreed to delete electronic materials related to the Bribery Scheme, including emails, electronic messages and Bribery Analyses; caused the U.S. Issuer’s Board of Directors to initiate an internal investigation into the Bribery Scheme and then withheld material information from that investigation; and falsely denied their participation in the Bribery Scheme to representatives of the FBI, DOJ and SEC at meetings in Brooklyn, New York. For this conduct, Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal, Deepak Malhotra and Rupesh Agarwal are charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. In July 2022, Mr. Peace was selected as the Chairperson of the White Collar Fraud subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). As the leader of the subcommittee, Mr. Peace plays a key role in making recommendations to the AGAC to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of various financially motivated, non-violent crimes including bribery and fraud. The investigation was conducted by the FBI New York’s Corporate, Securities and Commodities Fraud and International Corruption Units. The government’s case is being handled by the Business and Securities Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah M. Evans, Matthew R. Galeotti and Jessica K. Weigel of the Eastern District of New York, Shy Jackson of the Criminal Division, Fraud Section’s FCPA Unit and Andrew Tyler of the Fraud Section’s Market Integrity and Major Frauds Unit are prosecuting the case with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Liam McNett, Angelina Tyler and Nadiya Singh. The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) matters. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the SEC’s New York Regional and Boston Regional offices provided valuable assistance during the investigation.
21 November,2024 01:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentLeader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded immediate arrest of industrialist Gautam Adani after the billionaire industrialist was charges in the US for alleged bribery and fraud. Addressing a press conference here hours after the US prosecutors charged Adani and associates for allegedly paying USD 250 million bribe to Indian officials, the Congress leader said it is now pretty clear and established in the US that the businessman has broken Indian as well as American laws. The Adani group has not yet reacted to the charges. Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek hain to safe hain' slogan, Gandhi said that as long as the prime minister and Adani are together, they are safe in India. He said Adani should be arrested immediately and interrogated, and his "protector" and Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch should be removed from her post probed. Gandhi further said he will raise the issue during the Winter session of Parliament beginning Monday. He also said the demand of the opposition for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe stands. "I can guarantee that Adani won't be arrested or investigated in India because the Modi government was protecting him," Rahul Gandhi alleged. He said investigations should cover all states, irrespective of which party was in power. US prosecutors charge Gautam Adani and others in alleged Solar Energy contract bribery case New York [US], November 21 (ANI): A five-count criminal indictment has been unsealed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, charging prominent Indian executives including Chairman of the Adani Group Gautam Adani by linking them to an alleged bribery and fraud scheme, Reuters reported citing US prosecutors. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, "A five-count criminal indictment was unsealed in federal court charging Gautam Adani, Sagar R. Adani, and Vneet S. Jaain, with conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud for their roles in a multi-billion-dollar scheme to obtain funds from U.S. investors and global financial institutions on the basis of false and misleading statements." The indictment also charges Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal, former executives of a renewable-energy company with securities that had traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the U.S. Issuer), and Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal and Deepak Malhotra, former employees of a Canadian institutional investor, with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in connection with the alleged bribery scheme. (With inputs from Agencies)
21 November,2024 01:19 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentA five-count criminal indictment has been unsealed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, charging prominent Indian executives including the Chairman of the Adani Group Gautam Adani by linking them to an alleged bribery and fraud scheme, Reuters reported citing US prosecutors. US prosecutors charged Gautam Adani, 62, his nephew Sagar and other defendants for paying over USD 250 million in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to Indian government officials to win solar energy contracts on terms that could potentially bring in more than USD 2 billion in profit. This, they alleged, was concealed from the US banks and investors from whom the Adani group raised billions of dollars for the project. US law allows pursuing foreign corruption allegations if they involve certain links to American investors or markets. What is Gautam Adani accused of? "The defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars," Breon Peace, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which brought the case, said in a statement. Adani, chairman of the ports-to-energy Adani Group, his nephew Sagar R Adani, who is an executive director at the conglomerate's renewable energy arm Adani Green Energy Ltd, and its former CEO Vneet Jaain were charged with securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. The Adanis were also charged in a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) civil case. The five-count indictment also accuses Sagar and Jaain of breaking federal laws. The US authorities also charged three former employees of a large Canadian pension fund, CDPQ, in connection with the alleged scheme, saying they obstructed an investigation into the bribes by deleting emails and agreeing to provide false information to the US government. CDPQ, which invests in infrastructure projects, is a shareholder in Adani companies. "Specifically, on or about March 17, 2023, FBI special agents approached Sagar Adani in the United States and pursuant to a judicially authorised search warrant, took custody of electronic devices in his possession," the court document said. Some conspirators, according to the documents, referred privately to Gautam Adani with the code names "Numero uno" and "the big man," while his nephew allegedly used his cellphone to track specifics about the bribes. "On or about March 18, 2023, the defendant Gautam Adani emailed himself photographs of each page of the search warrant executed and grand jury subpoena served on the defendant Sagar R Adani," it said. Others who were criminally charged include Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal, respectively a former CEO and former chief strategy and commercial officer of Azure Power Global, which authorities said agreed to pay some of the bribes. The complaint charges them with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and seeks permanent injunctions, civil penalties, and officer and director bars. How is Azure Power linked to the case? During the alleged scheme, Adani Green raised more than USD 175 million from US investors and Azure Power's stock was traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the SEC said in a statement. Simultaneously, the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York unsealed criminal charges against Adani and Sagar Adani, Cyril Cabanes, and others linked to Adani Green and Azure Power. The federal indictment unsealed in a federal court in Brooklyn charges five others with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in connection with the bribery scheme, involving one of the world's largest solar energy projects. Who are the defendants in the case? The complaint alleged the involvement of Gautam Adani and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar. The other named defendants are: Among the defendants are: Gautam S. Adani, 62, Chairman of Adani Group Sagar S. Adani, 30, Adani’s nephew Vneet S. Jaain, 53, Executive at Adani Green Energy Ranjit Gupta, 54, Former CEO of Azure Power Global Rupesh Agarwal, 50, Former Chief Strategy Officer, Azure Power Global Cyril Cabanes, 50, Former Director, Azure Power Global Saurabh Agarwal, 48 Deepak Malhotra, 45 Which laws are Adani accused of breaching? An arrest warrant has been issued against Adani and his nephew, and prosecutors plan to hand the warrants to foreign law enforcement. Adani and others allegedly violated antifraud provisions of federal securities laws, including the FCPA, by misleading US investors about their anti-corruption claims. Through the scheme, they allegedly raised over $3 billion in loans and bonds for the company while hiding the corruption from lenders and investors. (With inputs from Agencies)
21 November,2024 01:08 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA snake was found slithering around in the Jan Shatabdi Express train, which runs between Bhopal's Rani Kamlapati station and Jabalpur, prompting the Railways to launch a probe, an official said on Wednesday. The snake was found in the Jan Shatabdi Express two days back and the matter is being robed, West Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Harshit Shrivastava told PTI. The Railway Protection Force is investigating the matter from various angles, including possible involvement of an outsider in releasing the snake inside the train, he said. Shrivastava said the entire area where the train is cleaned has been sanitized and persons working there have been put on alert. Recently, snakes were found in Mumbai CSMT-Jabalpur Garibrath Express and Jaipur-Jabalpur Dayodaya Express. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 11:47 AM IST | Jabalpur | PTIA four-year-old boy died after falling into a borewell in Rajasthan’s Barmer on Wednesday evening, police said. The incident occurred in Arjun ki Dhani in the Gudhamalani area where Naresh fell into the borewell while playing. A rescue operation was immediately launched by the administration and the police after getting information from Naresh's family. The rescue team pulled the boy out from the borewell after nearly three hours but he had died by then, the police said. According to official information, Naresh, the only son of one Pappu Ram, was playing in the field near the house when he fell into the borewell about 150 feet deep while playing. The child was stuck at a depth of about 100 feet, the police added. The place where the child had fallen was an old borewell which was filled with water. A team of Civil Defence had arrived from the district headquarters. Other rescue teams had also been called. According to the child's family, his father Pappu Ram was in Punjab at the time of the accident. As soon as he received the information, he left for Barmer. He works as a driver in Punjab. The team led by Madharam, a resident of Meda (Jalore), a desi jugaad technology expert, was trying to rescue the child with PVC pipe, rope, wire, and other ways. Barmer Superintendent of Police, Narendra Singh Meena, had also reached the spot and collected information about the rescue operation. Teams of private companies -- Vedanta and Weatherford Company -- also reached the spot. Using borescope technology, the team got information about the depth at which the child was trapped. Different teams tried to pull out Naresh with every possible technique. Earlier on September 19, a two-year-old girl, who was trapped in a pit near a borewell in Bandikui in Rajasthan's Dausa, was rescued after around 20 hours of operation. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 11:38 AM IST | Jaipur | IANSAfter a week of "severe" pollution levels in Delhi, the city's air quality improved slightly but still remained "very poor", as it recorded the season's lowest temperature on Thursday morning, reported PTI. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 10.2 degrees Celsius, 2.1 notch below the season's average, the Indian Meteorological Department said, reported PTI. At 9 am, the national capital recorded an AQI of 376, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the Delhi air pollution. The weather department has predicted shallow fog during the day, reported PTI. According to the CPCB data as of 8 a.m., the AQI measured at Chandani Chowk is 338, IGI Airport (T3) is 370, ITO is 355, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is 354, RK Puram is 387, Okhla Phase 2 is 370, Patparganj is 381, Sonia Vihar is 394, and Aya Nagar is 359, categorized as 'very poor'. However, various places in Delhi are still in the cap of 'severe' category air pollution, as the AQI in Anand Vihar is 405, Ashok Vihar is 414, Bawana is 418, Dwarka Sector-8 is 401, Mundka is 413 and Wazirpur is 436. On Sunday, Delhi's air quality was recorded in the severe category, prompting authorities to impose the GRAP-IV measures. On Monday and Tuesday, it worsened further, reaching the severe plus category, with the AQI exceeding 450, reported PTI. By Wednesday, the AQI showed slight improvement but remained in the severe category. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". The IMD said the city's maximum temperature is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius. The humidity at 8.30 am was 80 per cent, reported PTI. For the past several days, toxic foam has been persisting on the surface of the Yamuna River in the Kalindi Kunj area, as the pollution level in the river has remained high. Meanwhile, a thin layer of fog also covered the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra as the winter season set in gradually, however, the air quality remained in the 'moderate' category in the city, according to the CPCB on Delhi air pollution. (With inputs from PTI)
21 November,2024 11:31 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentWelcome to Mid-Day's Top News at this hour! We bring you a curated selection of the most significant and compelling news from around the globe. Stay informed with the latest developments in the nation, Mumbai, entertainment, sports, and more. Let's dive into the headlines shaping our world today. Sensex, Nifty tumble in early trade; Adani group stocks crack Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled in early trade on Thursday amid sharp fall in Adani group stocks and unabated foreign fund outflows. Weak trends from Asian peers also drove the markets lower during the initial trade. The BSE benchmark Sensex tumbled 468.17 points to 77,110.21 in early trade. The NSE Nifty declined 179.75 points to 23,338.75. Maharashtra elections 2024: Why voting was a breeze Quick and efficient: While there were long queues and numerous issues during the Parliamentary elections held in May earlier this year, the voting process this time was faster and smoother, with no major complaints from most citizens. This time, polling booths were more widely distributed compared to the previous election. Read more. Maharashtra elections 2024: Mumbai sees marginal increase in turnout Despite a slew of measures and voter awareness campaigns by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to tackle urban apathy, efforts to motivate Mumbaikars to step out and vote appear to have yielded. The island city and suburbs recorded a lacklustre voter turnout of 53.18 per cent by the end of election day, reflecting the persistent challenge of engaging urban voters. Read more. India deal with sure scrap The gigantic Optus Stadium is a new cricketing venue, having hosted just four Tests since Australia locked horns with India in the inaugural five-day game here in December 2018. It’s an impressive but intimidating structure, a modern monstrosity of sorts inside which one can get the feeling of being trapped in a maze. It has also become somewhat of a modern bastion for the Australians, who have won all four previous Tests here and have therefore chosen its pace, bounce and carry with which to attack India in the latest showdown between the two cricketing powerhouses. Read more. R Madhavan to play a 40-year-old virgin opposite Fatima Sana Shaikh in new film There is a new romance brewing in the city, albeit for the cameras. Only last month, it was reported that R Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh were set to team up for a love story. Now, mid-day has learnt that the project has gone on floors. So, what is the actors’ maiden collaboration all about? From what we’ve heard, it’s a May-December romance of sorts, with Madhavan’s character coming across a younger woman on a dating app. Sources tell us that it is tentatively titled Tharki. Read more.
21 November,2024 11:08 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBillionaire Gautam Adani has been charged by US prosecutors over his role in an alleged years-long scheme to pay USD 250 million bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts, reported news agency PTI. US prosecutors charged Adani, 62, his nephew Sagar and other defendants for paying over USD 250 million in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to Indian government officials to win solar energy contracts on terms that could potentially bring in more than USD 2 billion in profit, reported PTI. This, they alleged, was concealed from the US banks and investors from whom the Adani group raised billions of dollars for the project, reported PTI. US law allows pursuing foreign corruption allegations if they involve certain links to American investors or markets. The Adani group did not immediately respond to requests for comments. "The defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars," Breon Peace, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which brought the case, said in a statement, reported PTI. Billionaire Gautam Adani, chairman of the ports-to-energy Adani Group, his nephew Sagar R Adani, who is an executive director at the conglomerate's renewable energy arm Adani Green Energy Ltd, and its former CEO Vneet Jaain were charged with securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. The Adanis were also charged in a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) civil case, reported PTI. The five-count indictment also accuses Sagar and Jaain of breaking federal laws. The US authorities also charged three former employees of a large Canadian pension fund, CDPQ, in connection with the alleged scheme, saying they obstructed an investigation into the bribes by deleting emails and agreeing to provide false information to the US government. CDPQ, which invests in infrastructure projects, is a shareholder in Adani companies. The indictment may throw the conglomerate again in a turmoil just as it rebounded from US short seller Hindenburg Reseach's damning fraud allegations. Hindenburg allegations of "brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud" in January 2023 had led to the conglomerate seeing USD 150 billion wipeout in market value at its lowest point. The group stocks have since recovered most of the losses, reported PTI. Adani Group had denied all allegations made by Hindenburg. A school dropout, Billionaire Gautam Adani founded his namesake group in 1988 as a commodities trading firm, and built a business empire that now spans airports, shipping ports, power generation, energy transmission and mining companies. "Specifically, on or about March 17, 2023, FBI special agents approached Sagar Adani in the United States and pursuant to a judicially authorised search warrant, took custody of electronic devices in his possession," the court document said. Some conspirators, according to the documents, referred privately to Gautam Adani with the code names "Numero uno" and "the big man," while his nephew allegedly used his cellphone to track specifics about the bribes, reported PTI. "On or about March 18, 2023, the defendant Gautam S Adani emailed himself photographs of each page of the search warrant executed and grand jury subpoena served on the defendant Sagar R Adani," it said, reported PTI. Others who were criminally charged include Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal, respectively a former CEO and former chief strategy and commercial officer of Azure Power Global, which authorities said agreed to pay some of the bribes, reported PTI. The complaint charges them with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and seeks permanent injunctions, civil penalties, and officer and director bars. During the alleged scheme, Adani Green raised more than USD 175 million from US investors and Azure Power's stock was traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the SEC said in a statement, reported PTI. Simultaneously, the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York unsealed criminal charges against Adani and Sagar Adani, Cyril Cabanes, and others linked to Adani Green and Azure Power. The federal indictment unsealed in a federal court in Brooklyn charges five others with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in connection with the bribery scheme, involving one of the world's largest solar energy projects. (With inputs from PTI)
21 November,2024 10:21 AM IST | New York/New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentPrime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 107th birth anniversary on Tuesday. PM Modi said in a post of X, "Tributes to our former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi Ji on her birth anniversary." Tributes to our former Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi Ji on her birth anniversary. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 19, 2024 Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to Indira Gandhi at Shakti Sthal on her birth anniversary today, ANI reported. सशक्त एवं प्रगतिशील भारत के निर्माण में अपनी दक्षता, दृढ़ इच्छाशक्ति, कुशल नेतृत्व, अद्वितीय कार्यशैली एवं दूरदर्शिता से भारत निर्माण में अग्रणी योगदान देने वाली भारत की प्रथम महिला प्रधानमंत्री व हमारी आदर्श, इंदिरा गांधी जी को भावभीनी श्रद्धांजलि। 📍शक्ति स्थल, दिल्ली pic.twitter.com/nVkEjXZlmF — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) November 19, 2024 Kharge took to X and said, "Crores of Indians shall continue to draw inspiration from the life of 'Iron Lady of India', Indira Gandhi for she was the epitome of lifelong struggle, courage and dynamic leadership, who selflessly contributed to nation building. She sacrificed her life to preserve the unity and integrity of India. Our humble homage on her birth anniversary." “We have believed - and we do believe now - that freedom is indivisible, that peace is indivisible, that economic prosperity is indivisible.”~ Indira Gandhi Crores of Indians shall continue to draw inspiration from the life of ‘Iron Lady of India’, Smt. Indira Gandhi for she… pic.twitter.com/VBcfTPcEwW — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) November 19, 2024 Congress party's official X handle termed Indira Gandhi as an embodiment of strength and resilience, ANI reported. "Her transformative leadership propelled India to new heights, breaking barriers and shaping India's future. We pay our heartfelt tribute to Indira ji, whose patriotism and devotion to the nation inspire millions," the party said on X. Indira Gandhi was an embodiment of strength and resilience. Her transformative leadership propelled India to new heights, breaking barriers and shaping India's future.We pay our heartfelt tribute to Indira ji, whose patriotism and devotion to the nation inspire millions. pic.twitter.com/QbtKJIQGKb — Congress (@INCIndia) November 19, 2024 Indira Gandhi, born on November 19, 1917 to India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru, she served as the first and the only woman prime minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and then again from January 1980 until her assassination on October 1984. She was also the second longest-serving Prime Minister after her father Nehru and was famous for implementing revolutionary social and economic reforms, such as nationalizing banks. She also abolished the privy purses of the erstwhile princely states. On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi, who was regarded as one of the tallest world leaders, was killed at her residence on Akbar Road by her own Sikh bodyguards. Her assassination came following the execution of Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where Gandhi gave the Indian Army orders to fight Sikh separatists who had taken refuge there.
21 November,2024 10:12 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe Supreme Court on Wednesday restored criminal proceedings in a trial court against former Kerala transport minister Antony Raju for alleged tampering of evidence in a drug seizure case reported in 1990. A bench of Justice CT Ravikumar and Justice Sanjay Karol held that it can’t be said that high court order allowing fresh proceedings against Raju was bad in law. “The accused shall appear before the trial court on December 20, 2024 or on the next working day of the court concerned,” the bench said. The Kerala High Court on March 10 last year had quashed the proceedings. The case was related to an alleged tampering of evidence in a drug seizure case reported in 1990. Raju was the lawyer of the accused in the drug case. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 08:45 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
