KOLKATA: A five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday granted interim bail to four Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including two West Bengal ministers, in the Narada case. The court, however, said that the interim bail with conditions granted to Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Shovan Chatterjee is only valid till the bench gives a final order in this case.

The CBI can further interrogate the accused but without physically summoning them to the CBI office because of the prevailing Covid-19 situation, the court said, adding that the investigations can proceed via video conferencing. Also, the leaders have been told not to give any interviews to the press on this case or any other legal matters pending on them.

On Friday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed grant of interim bail saying the four are influential people and could whip up public emotions again. Justice Mukerji asked the Solicitor General why the TMC leaders, who have not been arrested during the investigation for over four years, should be kept in house-arrest now, when they are required to do public functions during the pandemic.

The four TMC leaders have been under house arrest in the Narada sting operation case after the HC had stayed a bail given by the Special CBI court.

In an unusual incident, an Air India flight which had taken off from Delhi airport early on Thursday returned back after the pilot reported presence of bat to Air Traffic Control (ATC). Air India flight to Newark (EWR) left Delhi’s IGI Airport at 2:20 am as scheduled. The bat was spotted after the plane was in the air for about 30 minutes. The flight captain decided to take the plane back to the original base (Delhi).

“AI-105 DEL-EWR returned back to base (Delhi) after departure due to this local standby emergency was declared. On arrival, it was learnt that a bat was seen inside the cabin by crew members. Wildlife staff were called to catch and remove the bat from cabin. The aircraft landed safely at around 3:55 am. Later flight was declared Aircraft on Grounded (AoG),” Air India officials told ANI.

DGCA officials said fumigation was carried out and bat carcass was retrieved from the aircraft. “Air India B777-300ER aircraft VT-ALM operating Flight AI – 105 (Delhi- Newark) was involved in air-turn-back due to bat reported in the cabin by cabin crew after departure. Fuel was jettisoned and the aircraft landed safely at Delhi. After landing fumigation was carried out and a dead bat carcass was retrieved from seat 8DEF area,” a senior DGCA official told ANI.

He said the bat was found dead inside the plane in the business class area. The incident was reported to the airline’s flight safety department for a detailed investigation. Sources said the airline has asked the engineering team for a detailed report on the incident. The Air India engineering team submitted its initial report to flight safety and stated that unwanted mammals came from third parties.

“The probable reason/cause may be loading vehicles like those for catering because all the time rats/bats come from their vehicle only,” an Air India official told ANI. The passengers were shifted to another plane and Air India flight AI-105 landed in Newark at 11:35 am local time. ANI

The 43rd GST Council on Friday took several important decisions including exemption of duty on import of Covid-related items, and an amnesty scheme for small and medium taxpayers to reduce late fee burden on them. The online meeting was chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam and attended by Minister for State (MoS) for Finance Anurag Thakur, finance ministers of states and UTs and senior officers from Centre and states.

Speaking to reporters after chairing the 43rd GST Council meet, she said, “One of the biggest decisions today is reduction of compliance burden of small taxpayers and medium-sized taxpayers. Late fee and amnesty-related matters were also decided upon. To provide relief to small taxpayers, an amnesty scheme was recommended for reducing late fee payable in these cases.”

According to her, taxpayers can now file their pending returns and avail the benefits of this amnesty scheme with reduced late fees. “Late fees have also been rationalised. The rationalised late fee and the decision to reduce the maximum amount of late fee for small taxpayers will come into effect for future tax periods. This will provide a long-term relief to small taxpayers,” she said.

The Centre is in touch with suppliers/manufacturers including the Japanese and European Union for Covid-19 vaccines and a sum of Rs 4,500 crore has already been paid to two vaccine manufacturers as advance payment, said Sitharaman.

Speaking to reporters after chairing the 43rd GST Council meet, the Finance Minister said, “Rs 4,500 crores were paid to two vaccine manufactures, as advance payment. The country is engaging with suppliers/manufacturers including Japanese, European Union for vaccines. In the coming months, supply will be more than what it is.”

She further informed that due to rising cases of black fungus, Amphotericin B has also been included in the exemptions list. She also stated that issue of Covid-related equipment was one of the items on the agenda that was discussed. “Issues of Covid-related equipment were one of the items on the agenda that was discussed. Many issues were raised and discussed… The council has decided to exempt the import of relief items till 31 August 2021,” she said.

The Finance Minister said, “Ad hoc exemptions have been given for Covid-related equipment. The council has decided to exempt the import of many of these items with exemption extended to August 31, 2021.”

Sitharaman announced that a Group of Ministers has been formed who will submit their report within 10 days on whether any further reductions need to be done. “We’ve decided and announced in council that a Group of Ministers will be quickly formed who will submit their report within 10 days on or before 8 June, so that if there are any further reductions which need to be done will be done, in the sense, that rates will be decided by them,” she said.

At a time when the Chinese forces are holding exercises at their training areas opposite eastern Ladakh, Indian Air Force chief R.K.S. Bhadauria on Friday visited Leh to review the operational preparedness of the force deployed there. Sources said that the chief was briefed on the operational preparedness and the ongoing operations along the China border by the officials at the Leh air base. The chief was also briefed extensively about the air maintenance operations in support of the Indian Army and the paramilitary troops there, they said.

The Air Force has two major bases in Leh and those which help it look after both China and Pakistan border. It has also deployed troops at the forward locations all along the eastern Ladakh sector including the Nyoma advanced landing ground and the air field in Daulat Beg Oldi.

The Chinese military is holding exercises, which includes its Air Force and Army, close to locations from where they diverted troops towards Indian front last year.

The Rafale combat aircraft are also regularly deployed in the sector along with the MiG-29 fighters which have been based there for a long time now. The Air Force has also flown extensively since last year in support of the Army by helping it get its tanks and infantry combat vehicles at a fast pace. The Chinooks of the force also helped in quick mobilisation of the troops to the forward areas from Leh and other locations.

This year also, the IAF has ensured that the operations in northern areas are not affected due to the engagement in Covid relief work.

“The scale of operations this time is unprecedented. We’ve flown almost 1600 sorties amounting to almost 3200 hrs of flying. We have airlifted almost 14,000 tons of load and about 800 odd liquid medical oxygen containers,” Group Captain, Manish Kumar from IAF headquarters told ANI.

ANI

Delhi Police’s Crime Branch made its 9th arrest in the Sagar Rana murder case. The Crime Branch arrested a wrestler named Vijender from Tikri village in the national capital. During the interrogation, the accused confessed that he was among those who thrashed the wrestlers at the Chhatrasal Stadium’s parking area on the night of 4 May. He also confessed to beating up Sagar and his friends on the instructions of the prime accused, Sushil Kumar. Vijender was produced before the Rohini Court where the police demanded his custody to find out more information about the incident.

Earlier, the Delhi Police›s Crime Branch arrested Rohit Karor, a close aide of Sushil, in connection with the murder case. This was the eighth arrest in the case. Police had also arrested Sushil›s four associates. All the arrested men are members of Kala Asauda and Neeraj Bawana gang. Police said that Sushil Kumar, who is currently in six-day custody and being interrogated by the Crime Branch, is not cooperating with the investigation.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court declined to entertain Sushil’s mother Kamla Devi’s petition against his alleged “media trial”. The division bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh said the issue can be decided if Sushil himself approaches the court. 

The court said, “We see no reason to entertain litigation on behalf of a vigilant person. Liberty is reserved with the person who is actually aggrieved to approach the appropriate authority by the way of appropriate proceedings in accordance with law.”

According to Delhi Police sources, Sushil, during the interrogation, confessed that he had no intentions to murder Sagar. He only wanted to teach him a lesson and show others that no one should mess with him in the future or consider him weak. 

On Thursday, a video surfaced where Sushil can be clearly seen among a group of men beating Sagar and others on the intervening night of 4 and 5 May. Sushil Kumar too had a stick in his hand. He was dressed in a white shirt and appeared to be hitting the man on the ground in the video.

With Covid-19 cases seeing a substantial decline in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the ‘unlock’ process in the city will gradually begin from 5 am on Monday. Construction activities and factories will be allowed to reopen first, he said, while cautioning people to be careful so that the infection does not spiral out of control again.

The Delhi government had announced a lockdown on 19 April, a day before cases touched a peak of over 28,000 and the positivity rate was above 30 per cent. It has been extended every week since.

The CM said, “The people of Delhi have cooperated, and over the past month we have managed to bring down the number of cases in the city as well as the positivity rate… It was decided in a Delhi Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA) meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal that the lockdown will slowly be lifted starting 5 am on Monday.”

“The result of the hard work of 20 million people in Delhi is that we have controlled this second wave in one month. In the last 24 hours there has been an infection rate of around 1.5% and there are about 1,100 new cases. There are a lot of beds available in the hospitals,” Kejriwal added.

Explaining the reasons for initiating the unlock process, he said, “It is time to unlock slowly because lest people escape the corona but die of starvation. There is a need to balance. Today, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority met. The first thing in this is that now the process of opening the lockdown in Delhi will start gradually. Corona has come under control with great effort and difficulty but the entire battle has not been won. It should not be that the gains made in the last one month go in vain, so everyone believes that it should be opened slowly.”

The government is initiating the unlock process to give Delhi an economic boost, but the concern that the infection rate may increase again is very much there. The government is trying to do a balancing act between lives and livelihoods, especially with the working class in mind.

Kejriwal said, “We have to take care of the people who work on the daily basis. Such labourers see us working in the construction sector and factories. It has been decided that these two activities will be opened from Monday. Every week we get suggestions from the public. Based on the views of the experts, we will continue the unlock process slowly so that there is no spike in Covid cases again. If the cases start growing again, we will have to stop this process. So, all of us need to take precaution.”

He further reiterated that the lockdown is imposed under compulsion, urging people not to “leave the house unless needed”.

In Delhi, the Covid-19 graph has been going down. In the last 24 hours, there were 1,141 new cases of corona, while in the same period 139 people died from the infections. With this the positivity rate came to 1.59%.