‘Ungaludan Stalin’ camps to be held from July 15 across Chennai wards

Raipur, March 11 (IANS) Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids against his son and close aides were nothing but part of BJP’s plot to damage his image and credibility. A team of ED officials had raided the Congress leader’s residence in Bhilai yesterday, allegedly in connection with the liquor scam.

Baghel, speaking to media in Raipur said, “Investigations were conducted in Mahadev Satta App case, yet no evidence has been found against me. My name was dragged into the liquor scam despite the court giving me a clean chit. These raids are nothing but an attempt to frame and defame me.”

He further claimed that the Centre was using investigative agencies to silence dissent.

“If you ask questions, they get you raided. Former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma raised a question, and within eight hours, the ED reached his house. I also asked questions from the government, and within four days, the ED was at my doorstep,” he claimed.

Baghel accused the government of intimidating Opposition leaders, saying, “This government wants to instill fear among us.”

On Monday, Congress workers protested against the raids, raising slogans against the government. Some even clashed with the police, and an ED vehicle was attacked during the confrontation. Protesters stopped an ED car after spotting a currency-counting machine being taken away. Amid the scuffle, Congress worker Sushil alias Sunny Agarwal allegedly hurled a stone at the vehicle, shattering its windshield.

The police have since registered an FIR against 25 persons on charges of obstructing government work, vandalism, and blocking roads. Officials have indicated that arrests are imminent.

Meanwhile, the ED has summoned Chaitanya Baghel, son of the former Chief Minister, for questioning regarding the alleged multi-crore liquor scam. The ED teams searched the residences of Bhupesh Baghel and his son in Padumnagar, Bhilai.

After an 11-hour search, Baghel addressed the media, while his office detailed the seized items in a post on X.

“The ED has left after recovering three items — a pen drive containing details of transactions worth crores involving Manturam and Dr Puneet Gupta (son-in-law of former CM Dr Raman Singh); documents related to a shell company owned by Abhishek, son of Dr Raman Singh; and records of farming, dairy, Stridhan (valuables of female family members), and Rs 33 lakh in cash, for which an account will be provided to the ED,” his office stated.

Baghel also pointed out that ED officials had not provided an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) number, calling it a sign of desperation. “It seems that asking questions in the Assembly has become a crime,” he remarked.

–IANS

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Kolkata, June 9 (IANS) A single-judge vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Monday, refused to conduct an urgent hearing of the petition challenging the May 30 notification of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSCS) to fill vacant posts of teachers in state-run schools.

The vacancies were created following the cancellation of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs by the Supreme Court in April this year.

The petition was filed claiming that in the fresh notification, WBSSC has brought some major changes in the recruitment norms existing in 2016. The entire panel of 2016 was cancelled first by the Calcutta High Court last year, and then by the Supreme Court in April this year.

However, the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya observed that there is no necessity for an urgent hearing in the matter, and for the time being, the recruitment process should continue as it is.

However, he observed that the court will look into the matter if any complications arise in the due course. The matter will come up for hearing again in July after the summer vacation.

The main ground on which the notification was challenged was that the weightage criteria in the distribution of total marks were changed from what was followed in 2016.

As per the new notification issued last week, the written examination in the fresh recruitment process will carry 60 marks, as against 55 for the 2016 panel.

Secondly, the weightage criterion for educational qualification in the fresh recruitment process is just 10 as against 35 for the 2016 panel.

Most importantly, two new weightage criteria, each carrying 10 marks, ‘past teaching experience’ and ‘lecture demonstration’, have been introduced in the new recruitment process.

In the petition, it was contended that while the two new weightage criteria were introduced to give an advantage to the teachers from the 2016 panel, who lost their jobs, at the same time, the changed criteria will be disadvantageous for the fresher candidates.

On April 3 this year, the Supreme Court’s division bench of erstwhile Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a previous order by the Calcutta High Court’s division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi cancelling 25,753 school jobs in West Bengal.

The apex court also accepted the observation of the Calcutta High Court that the entire panel of 25,753 candidates had to be cancelled because of the failure of the state government and the commission to segregate the “untainted” candidates from the “tainted” ones.

The state government and WBSSC had already filed review petitions in the apex court on this issue.

–IANS

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Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Relentless rainfall paralyzes life in Mumbai, as the city grapples with waterlogging, traffic disruptions, and flooded homes. One of the worst-hit areas is the Milind Vikas Samiti Society in Hanuman Nagar, Kandivali, where residents are trapped indoors since early Tuesday morning due to flooding.

Water entered several ground-floor homes around 4 a.m. and remained stagnant for over five hours. With rain showing no signs of slowing down, the situation has turned dire for many families. Daily life has come to a standstill as residents struggle for basic necessities like food, drinking water, and electricity.

IANS spoke to residents of Kandivali, where they talked about the difficulties they are facing with heavy rainfall.

“We are surrounded by water. It’s been five hours, and the water level hasn’t come down. We have no food, and no one has come to help us yet,” said Ranjan, a local resident, expressing frustration at the delay in relief efforts.

Uma, another resident, shared her distress: “Water entered our house at 4 a.m. We have no dry place left to sit. No authority has responded. This happens every year, and still, nothing changes.”

Sunil Vishwakarma added, “Mumbai has been battered by rain for the last four days. Everything is lost. Our children are huddled upstairs. There’s no food or water. It’s a nightmare.”

The ongoing monsoon fury has put much of Maharashtra on high alert, with Mumbai being one of the worst-affected cities. In the last 24 hours alone, several areas have received over 200 mm of rainfall. Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs recorded the highest at 255.5 mm. Major localities like Borivali, Andheri, Sion, Dadar, and Chembur have experienced relentless downpours, leading to severe waterlogging and disruptions in public transport.

As a precaution, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared a holiday for all schools and colleges across Mumbai on Tuesday. The Thane Municipal Corporation followed suit, announcing a two-day closure for all educational institutions — on August 18 and 19 — due to continuous rain and the ‘red alert’ issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD has warned of extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar districts, urging citizens to step out only if necessary. The department forecasts continued downpours until Thursday, with some relief expected by Friday.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited the State Emergency Control Room on Monday to assess the flood situation. He directed immediate relief measures for affected areas and urged coordination among various civic agencies.

At least eight people have lost their lives across Maharashtra due to rain-related incidents in the past few days. Rescue teams remain on high alert as the city prepares for more rainfall in the coming hours.

–IANS

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