SC directs Govt to probe Rs 6,500 crore investment in Reliance Industries

March 27, 2014

SC_directsNew Delhi, Mar 27: The Supreme Court, which is hearing the petitions seeking cancellation of Reliance IndustriesBSE 1.27 % Ltd's contract for exploration of oil and gas from Krishna-Godavari basin, today wanted to know from the Centre about the probe into the alleged money laundering issue raised during the hearing.

"We want to know about it," a bench headed by justice B S Chauhan told Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran who said the government had gone through it and would respond when it will argue the matter on its turn.

The NGO Common Cause's counsel Prashant Bhushan alleged all political parties were in collusion to help Mukesh Ambani-owned group RIL.

However, the bench, also comprising justices J Chelameswar and Kurian Joseph, said though it appeared to be an important issue no political party raised it.

"Here also only individuals have approached us," the bench said referring to the petition filed by senior CPI MP leader Gurudas Dasgupta and the NGO Common Cause.

After senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the MP, concluded his arguments, Bhushan, who was making the submission for the NGO, read out the letter written by the Indian High Commission in Singapore to the Centre relating to an investigation of investment of Rs 6500 crores of money from a "one-room defunct" company in Singapore.

He claimed the High Commission had stated that Rs 6530 crores have come into India from Bio Metrix Marketing Ltd., the one-room company in Singapore that does not do any business.

It was contended by him that this is a company with no assets, no equity and does not file income tax returns in Singapore claiming to be a small company.

The apex court had on March 11 commenced the hearing on the pleas challenging the government's decision to double the price of natural gas and seeking cancellation of Reliance Industries Ltd's contract for exploration of oil and gas from Krishna-Godavari basin.

RIL had refuted the allegation of extraneous consideration for the increase in the gas price from 4.2 dollar to 8.4 dollar per mmbtu for the gas taken from the existing fields like KG D-6 basin.

RIL had refuted the allegation of extraneous consideration for the increase in the gas price from 4.2 dollar to 8.4 dollar per mmbtu for the gas taken from the existing fields like KG D-6 basin.

PILs filed by senior CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta and the NGO, Common Cause, has sought imposition of penalty on private parties for failure to adhere to commitments.

The petitioners have also sought a direction for a thorough audit by CAG of the working of the production-sharing contract (PSC) governing KG block, gold plating by RIL, "underproduction" by RIL and all related issues.

The NGO has also filed an application seeking a direction to the Centre not to go ahead with its decision to double the gas price with effect from April 1.

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News Network
February 9,2020

Srinagar, Feb 9: Authorities on Sunday snapped mobile internet services in Kashmir as a precautionary measure to prevent any law and order disturbance on the seventh death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, officials said.

The mobile internet services were suspended early in the morning as the authorities apprehended violence in the valley in view of the bandh call given by separatist outfits, the officials said.

The authorities had restored 2G internet services in Kashmir on January 25, more than five months after snapping all communication facilities in the valley following abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 last year.

Police on Saturday lodged an FIR against the banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) for calling a strike on Afzal Guru's death anniversary.

Guru was hanged in 2013 inside Tihar jail for his role in the Parliament attack in December 2001.

Two journalists were summoned by police for reporting the JKLF press release, which had called for strike on Sunday and Tuesday -- the death anniversary of the outfit founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat.

They were let off after five hours of questioning. Bhat was hanged in 1984 and is buried inside Tihar jail.

Meanwhile, normal life in Kashmir was affected due to the strike, the officials said.

Markets and business establishments remained closed, while public transport was largely off the roads, they said.

There have been no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere in the valley so far, the officials added.

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News Network
April 5,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 5: Eight more COVID-19 positive cases were reported from Kerala on Sunday, four among whom attended the Tablighi Jamat congregation in Delhi and six people were cured, Health Minister K K Shailaja said.

With this, the total number of affected people under treatment in the state has gone up to 256, she said.

"Out of the eight cases, five are from Kozhikode, and one each from Pathanamthitta, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

In the case of Kozhikode, four out of the five returned from Nizammuddin meet and one from Dubai.

As of date, 10 people who had returned from Nizammuddin in Delhi have been tested positive," the minister said in a release

A total of 314 cases have been reported from Kerala so far and 56 people have been cured, she said

"We have sent 10,221 samples for testing," she said.

A total of 1.58 lakh people are under observation in the state, out of which 776 are in isolation wards in hospitals.

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News Network
June 24,2020

New Delhi, Jun 24: With the highest single-day spike of 15,968 cases and 465 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count reached 4,56,183 on Wednesday.

According to the latest update by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), 14,476 deaths have been recorded due to the infection so far in the country.

The count includes 1,83,022 active cases, and 2,58,685 cured/discharged/migrated patients.

Maharashtra with 1,39,010 confirmed cases remains the worst-affected by the infection so far in the country. The state's count includes 62,848 active, 69,631 cured, discharged patients while 6,531 deaths have been reported due to the infection so far.

Meanwhile, the national capital's confirmed coronavirus cases reached 66,602.

2,301 deaths have been reported in Delhi due to the infection so far.

Tamil Nadu has reported 64,603 cases so far with the death toll reaching 833.

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