The Delhi High Court has asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a response to the bail request by former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia who was arrested by the probe agency in connection with the purported liquor policy scam case.

Delhi HC judge Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma on Thursady issued a notice to the ED on the regular bail plea and interim bail application of Manish Sisodia and asked the federal agency to file a verification report within a week while listing the matter for further hearing on May 11.

The high granted time to the ED to respond to Sisodia’s regular bail plea and an interim bail request which the senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has filed on the grounds of his wife’s ill health.

Sisodia’s counsel, senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and Mohit Mathur submitted that the former deputy CM’s wife has been suffering from multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease, for the last 20 years and it was likely to get worse. However, the Enforcement Directorate opposed the plea on the grounds that Sisodia was the prime accused and key conspirator in the case.

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On April 28, Sisodia was denied relief by a trial court  which dismissed his bail plea on April 28 while observing that evidence prima facie “speaks volumes of his involvement in commission of the offence.”

Sisodia’s regular and interim bail pleas in the case lodged by CBI are also listed for hearing during the day before Justice Sharma.

The senior AAP leader was arrested by the ED on March 9 in Tihar Jail where he was lodged after being arrested by the CBI in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam case.

Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in connection with its ongoing probe into the purported Delhi excise policy ‘scam’ case.

At an earlier hearing, the ED had told the court that Sisodia was allegedly involved in “large-scale destruction of digital evidence to impede the investigation” and had purportedly changed and destroyed 14 phones.

Manipur violence: Army called in, 4,000 people rescued; my state is burning, says boxing legend Mary Kom in plea for help

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The Indian Army has been called in to quell the violence that has raged in several areas of Manipur after clashes erupted during a protst march against the demand of non-tribal Meiteis in the tribal-dominated Churachandpur district of the northeastern state.

According to reports, violence rocked Manipur capital Imphal, where multiple vehicles and several places of worship were set ablaze by rioters, while violent protests continued in the Churachandpur district.

Following the widesread violennce the Army and Assam Rifles were deployed to restore peace and order in the violence-hit state.

A defence spokesman said the Army and Assam Rifles were deployed in the night and conducted flag marches in affected areas to keep the situation under control.

He said that the Army and the police in a joint effort succesfully quelled the violence by Thursday morning and around 4,000 people have been rescued by the forces so far from the violence-hit areas and shifted to safer places, adding that more people are being rescued by the security forces.

Meanwhile, boxing legend Mary Kom sent out a desperate plea for help, urging the Central government to help control the violence.

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In a tweet the boxing icon shared apocalyptic visuals of the Manipur violence and wrote: “My state Manipur is burning, kindly help” while tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in her post.

Violent demonstrations erupted in Torbung area of Churachandpur district on Wednesday during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

As per reports, thousands hit the streets and participated in the solidarity march. However, the protests turned violent as clashes erupted between tribals and non-tribals in the area, and soon spread to other districts.

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Amid the ongoing crisis, Go First on Thursday cancelled all its flights till May 9 citing operational reasons.

In an official statement, the airline said they regret to inform due to operational reasons, Go First flights have been cancelled till May 9, 2023. It further said a full refund will be issued to the original mode of payment of all affected passengers shortly.

DGCA directs Go First for a full refund

This came after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed Go First to refund all passengers. The DGCA said it has asked the airline to process the refunds to passengers as per the timelines specifically stipulated in the relevant regulation. The aviation regulator also said it is working to refund or reschedule existing bookings for upcoming dates.

On May 2, Go First Airlines filed for bankruptcy and cancelled its flight operations from May 3 to May 5 and also promised a full refund.

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Go First blamed US engine maker Pratt and Whitney for a severe cash flow problem following which they had to ground many of their planes. In a statement, the airline said it had to take this step due to the ever-increasing number of failing engines supplied by Pratt and Whitney.

It also accused the US engine maker of not following an order by an emergency arbitrator, that included supplying as many as 10 serviceable spare leased engines by 27 April 2023.

Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the government is assisting the airline in every possible way and has also spoken to stakeholders. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has agreed to hear Go First’s bankruptcy plea on May 4.

Go First’s financial creditors: Axis Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank Ltd, Bank of Baroda Ltd, Central Bank of India Ltd, and Deutsche Bank.

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