A worker sanitizes the classroom of a school after the Delhi government allowed schools to reopen for classes 9 to 12 from February 7. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)Delhi Live News: Delhi continued to witness a decline in Covid-19 cases as the city reported 2,272 new Covid-19 cases and 20 deaths, as the positivity rate further dipped to 3.85 per cent. The city currently has 11,716 active cases. With the latest additions, Delhi’s caseload stands at 18,40,919 and toll at 25,952. On Thursday, Delhi had reported 2,668 Covid cases and 13 deaths.
Schools, colleges, and gyms will reopen in the city with strict Covid-19 protocols, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority said on Friday. The DDMA order said classes 9 to 12 will open in a phased manner and unvaccinated teachers will not be permitted. The night curfew will continue in the capital but will begin at 11 pm instead of 10 pm. Offices are now allowed to function with a 100 percent capacity and gyms will open with restrictions, the order added. Schools for nursery to class 8 will reopen from February 14.
The Centre on Thursday filed an affidavit before the Delhi High Court asking the court to defer the hearing of petitions seeking criminalisation of marital rape. This is the first time the government has made such a request on record. Earlier, the request was made orally by government counsels. The Ministry of Home Affairs further stated in the affidavit that the government can assist the court only after holding a consultative process.
With cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) declining, government hospitals in the city such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Lok Nayak, and Guru Teg Bahadue hospital have resumed routine hospitalisations and surgeries.
“In view of the decreased need of hospitalisation of Covid-19 positive patients and also considering the relaxation of curbs imposed earlier …, it has been decided that routine inpatient admissions including elective surgeries in general wards as well as private wards in AIIMS hospital and all centres be resumed with immediate effect on restricted basis as per availability of staff, inpatient beds, and OT services,” read an order by the hospital’s medical superintendent Dr DK Sharma. Read More
After a hiatus of many months in the matter connected to the Northeast Delhi riots, the Delhi High Court Friday said it will hear the Public Interest Litigations seeking SIT investigation into the violence and action against various political leaders for alleged hate speeches from February 8. Action against police officials for allegedly being complicit in the riots is also being sought by the petitioners.
The division bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, to which the matter was transferred last week from the division bench headed by Chief Justice D N Patel, asked the counsel to collate the prayers in the petitions to allow it make a determination that which of the reliefs sought still survive and which have become infructuous over time.
“The first step would be to figure out which of the prayers in which of the petition survive. We don’t want to flog a dead horse. If something is already over, done with, on the rails then we are not to interfere in that,” said the court, adding the question on the scope of a PIL in a criminal matter will also need to be dealt with. Read More
Schools are set to reopen again on Monday, without the 50% cap on classroom capacity this time. While some schools see this as paving the way back to “normalcy”, others think it will be limited by the continuation of the “hybrid mode” of teaching-learning.
Students of classes IX to XII will be back in school from Monday, and nursery to class VIII from February 14. Following the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that while they will reopen in the hybrid mode, the aim is to move towards doing away with it as cases decline further.
Though the Union Ministry of Education has left it to states and union territories to take a call on the need for parental consent, an education department official said that a nod from parents will continue to be a prerequisite for children attending physical classes. However, the earlier cap of education institutes being allowed to function at only 50% of classroom capacity is being done away with. Read More
The Delhi High Court Friday asked the Delhi government to consider and decide a representation claiming that 'GAMEKING 11', a fantasy sports game, is a skill, not gamble and the authorities including the police should not create any hindrance in its operation.
Justice V Kameswar Rao asked the authorities concerned to convey their decision to petitioner Dream7 Entertainment Pvt Ltd which argued that other high courts have held that other similar fantasy sports games amounted to games of skill.
Senior lawyer Vinay K Garg, appearing for the petitioner, contended that 'GAMEKING 11' required a player to select his team of 11 but “did not gamble on the performance of actual player”.
“What is the skill? There is no skill in choosing Messi and Maradona,” the court questioned. (PTI)
PMLA has no concept of local jurisdiction as it provides for a pan-India probe, the Enforcement Directorate argued on Friday before the Delhi High Court which reserved order on the petition by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife against the summons to appear in Delhi in connection with the money laundering probe linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal.
“We shall conclude this case today. This judgement, I'm reserving,” said Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar after hearing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the ED, and senior advocate Kapil Sibal on behalf of the petitioners.
Banerjee, who is the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and his wife Rujira have challenged the September 10 summons issued to them and sought a direction to the ED not to summon them for appearance in Delhi since they are residents of West Bengal. (PTI)
Following a dip in Covid-19 cases, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday decided to reopen schools for students in Class 9 to 12 in a phased manner from Monday (February 7). It has also allowed gyms to reopen, but with restrictions.
“Several restrictions have been lifted following talks with DDMA. The livelihood of people will now be back on track. Schools for Classes 9 to 12 will be reopened from Monday while following a hybrid model. If cases continue to decline, schools will be allowed to run on a hybrid mode only in the coming days,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia after the meeting. Read more
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said restaurants in Delhi can remain open till 11 pm. They were earlier forced to shut at 10 pm.
The night curfew in the capital will continue, the DDMA order said on Friday. The curfew which was earlier from 10 pm to 5 am is now from 11 pm to 5 am.
1. Schools, colleges, and coaching centres will open with strict Covid-19 protocols.
2, Classes 9 to 12 will reopen in a phased manner, unvaccinated teachers will not be permitted.
3. Night curfew will continue but will begin at 11 pm instead of 10 pm.
4. Offices will be allowed to function at 100 percent capacity.
5. Single drivers in cars exempted from wearing masks.
6. Gyms allowed to reopen with restrictions.
Schools, colleges, and gyms will reopen in the city with strict Covid-19 protocols, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority said on Friday. The order said classes 9 to 12 will open in a phased manner and unvaccinated teachers will not be permitted. The night curfew will continue in the capital but will begin at 11 pm instead. Offices are now allowed to function with a 100 percent capacity, the order added.
A 44-yar-old taxi driver was found murdered in Gurgaon on Thursday morning. The police said a preliminary probe has found that he was shot in the head from close range by an unidentified accused.
The deceased has been identified as Sanjay Singh, a resident of Rithoj village. He had been unemployed for over two months, said the police. Read more
The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) has launched a petition appealing to the President - the university's visitor - to institute a one-time absorption policy for adhoc teachers.
The DUTA stated: "These Assistant Professors, despite contributing prime years in their lives, have been languishing for a long time... They are deprived of all rightful benefits such as annual increments, promotions, medical benefits, leaves, child care leaves, despite performing the same duties as their professional counterparts." Read more
Gyms across the national capital requested the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to allow them to reopen for business as DDMA is set to hold a meeting today at 12 pm today regarding relaxation in Covid norms.
DDMA will review the Covid situation and discuss the re-opening of schools and easing of other restrictions like reopening of gyms, spas, and lifting of night curfew. Read more
The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has written to the Vice-Chancellor raising several issues with the new proposed undergraduate curriculum framework.
As is the case with almost all teachers’ bodies in the university, the prime concern raised by DUTA is the reduction of credits requirements of students to 164 for four years and 132 for a three-year honours degree. Read more
AAP leader and MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak Thursday alleged that the BJP-ruled South MCD was “looting crores of rupees” on the pretext of licences for EV charging stations, “despite PM Narendra Modi having ended the need for licences”.
The party was reacting to reports that the Corporation was planning to introduce a new policy to charge a licence fee to allow private entities to set up e-vehicle charging stations. The Delhi government has a policy in place that encourages businesses and establishments to set up stations at reasonable rates with no licence fee at all. Read more
Industry associations Thursday welcomed the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s stay on the Haryana government’s law that sought to reserve 75% jobs in the private sector for those from the state.
The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidate Act, 2020, a poll promise of the Jannayak Janta Party, stipulates that firms with 10 or more employees must reserve 75% of all jobs which offer a salary of less than Rs 30,000 a month to those having a domicile (resident certificate) of Haryana. Read more
Urging Delhi High Court to defer the hearings in a case seeking criminalisation of marital rape to await the outcome of a consultative process with stakeholders, the Centre on Thursday said the question involved “will have far-reaching socio-legal implications in the country”. It said the matter needs a comprehensive approach rather than a strictly legal one.
While the Centre’s counsel have made repeated requests in the court in the last few weeks for adjournment of the proceedings, the Centre for the first time placed its request on record by way of an affidavit on Thursday.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said in an affidavit before the court, “…considering the social impact involved, intimate family relations being the subject matter and this Hon’ble Court not having the privilege of having been fully familiarised with ground realities prevailing in different parts of society…taking a decision merely based upon arguments of (a) few lawyers may not serve the ends of justice.” Read More
Pulling up the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) for not paying salaries to doctors and other frontline workers posted in its hospitals, the Delhi High Court Thursday termed it “shocking” and said the corporation needs to set its house in order.
“We cannot set your house in order. You will have to do it. We cannot be running the EDMC. Were you a private enterprise, we would have asked you to be wound up. If you can’t manage your resources, then shut shop,” the division bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh told the EDMC.
The court further told the EDMC that it has employed people who have families to take care of and asked whether only doctors have not been paid their salaries. “Two months is shocking,” said the court, while referring to the non-payment of salaries for the months of November and December. Read More
Delhi on Thursday recorded a maximum temperature of 14.4 degrees Celsius. This is the lowest temperature recorded during the month of February in 19 years.