The Evening Wrap: Prajwal Revanna remanded in SIT custody for six days

The 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court remanded Prajwal Revanna, Hassan MP accused in several sexual harassment cases, to Special Investigation Team (SIT) custody for six days. Soon after his arrival from Munich to Bengaluru in the wee hours of Friday (May 31), the Special Investigation Team (SIT) women’s team arrested him and escorted him to CID headquarters in the city. He was later subjected to medical test at Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru. He was then produced before the court. The 33-year-old Prajwal, grandson of Deve Gowda and the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of sexually abusing many women. He has been so far booked in three cases of sexual assault. Congress not to participate in Lok Sabha exit poll debates The Congress has decided not to participate in any Lok Sabha exit poll debates on the television channels and said it does not want to indulge in speculation and slugfest for TRP. Congress spokesperson and media department chairperson Pawan Khera said the voters have cast their votes and their verdict has been secured. “The results will be out on 4th June. Prior to that, we do not see any reason to indulge in speculation and slugfest for TRP,” he said in a statement shared on X. “The Indian National Congress will not participate in the debates on Exit Polls. The purpose of any debate should be to inform the people. We will happily partake in debates from 4th June onwards,” Khera said in a statement. The decision was taken after consultations within the party, the sources said. DGCA issues show cause notice to Air India for inordinate flight delays Aviation watchdog DGCA on May 31 issued a show cause notice to Air India for inordinate delay of at least two international flights and failure to take due care of passengers. The regulator mentioned about the inordinate delay of two international flights — AI 183 from Delhi to San Francisco on May 30 and AI 179 from Mumbai to San Francisco on May 24. Both flights were delayed and passengers were put to discomfort due to insufficient cooling in the cabin. Further, repeated incidents of passengers being put to discomfort by Air India in violation of DGCA norms have come to the notice of the regulator, as per the show cause notice. The regulator also noted that Air India is “time and again failing in taking due care of passengers”, and not complying with its provisions related to “facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights”. “Air India is hereby called upon to show cause as to why enforcement action shall not be initiated against the airline,” for the violations, the regulator said. An official said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia took cognisance of the flight delays and inconvenience caused to passengers, following which the DGCA issued the show cause notice. India moves 100 metric tonnes of gold from U.K. to domestic vaults India has moved 100 metric tonnes of its gold stored in the U.K. to domestic vaults in FY24, sources said on Friday. This is one of the biggest movements of gold undertaken by the country since 1991, when pledging a substantial part of the gold holding to tide over a foreign exchange crisis resulted in its movement out of vaults. The country’s overall gold holding increased 27.46 metric tonnes in FY24 and it stands at 822 metric tonnes, as per official data. A substantial part of the precious commodity is stored abroad, the sources said, adding that India also had its holding with the Bank of England like other countries. The movement of 100 metric tonnes into India has taken the overall quantity stored locally to over 408 metric tonnes of gold, which means the local and foreign holding is now split almost evenly. As per the annual report of the central bank for FY24 released on May 30, over 308 metric tonnes of gold is held in India as backing for notes issued, while another 100.28 tonnes is held locally as an asset of the banking department. Of the overall gold reserves, 413.79 metric tonnes are held abroad, the annual report said. According to the sources, given the gold buying over the last few years, a call was taken to reduce the holding abroad which is part of the standard review procedures. In 2009, India had bought 200 tonnes of gold from the International Monetary Fund, after which it has been buying the precious commodity from the secondary market as part of its foreign exchange asset diversification efforts. Officials from the Ministry of Finance, the RBI and other agencies took care of the movement of gold in complete secrecy given the high value, as per the sources. At present, the gold held locally is stored at high security vaults and facilities in Mumbai and Nagpur, the sources added. Arvind Kejriwal to surrender on June 2, says he won’t bow down to pressure Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing a press conference just a day before his interim bail ends, said that any attempts to break his silence will not be successful. “I don’t know how long I will be in jail for this time, but my spirits are high. To save the country from dictatorship I am going to jail and I am proud of that,” he said, and added, “They have tried to break me many times, even tried to silence me but have not been successful. When I was in jail too, I was tortured in many ways.” He further said, “My medicines were stopped, I don’t know why these people did that or what they wanted? My weight was 70kgs when I was arrested, today it is 64kgs. Even after being released, I have not gained weight. Doctors have indicated that this can also be a sign of some serious illness and many tests need to be done.” “I will leave my house to surrender around 3 p.m. [on June 2]. It is possible they may torture me more, but I will not bow down. No matter where I am, inside or outside jail, I will not let stop the welfare of Delhi,” he said. I will soon start providing ₹1,000 to my mothers and sisters, he said referring to a scheme to give ₹1,000 monthly honorarium. Kejriwal also asked people to pray for his mother who has been unwell. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court till June 1 for Lok Sabha election campaigning. After being released from jail, Kejriwal campaigned in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi and Maharashtra. Supreme Court to hear if Kerala can forcibly merge district co-op banks with State co-op banks The Supreme Court has ordered the status quo in the compulsory merger of Malappuram District Cooperative Bank with Kerala State Cooperative Bank. The Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud has agreed to examine the legality of amendments in law which allows for the compulsory merger of district cooperative banks with State cooperative banks. The order came in a petition filed by MLA U.A. Latheef, former president of the Malappuram District Cooperative Bank. The lawmaker, represented by advocate Haris Beeran, has challenged a judgment pronounced by a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on February 29 confirming a Single Bench decision. The Single Bench had upheld the amendments to the Kerala Cooperative Societies Act, 1969 and affirmed the order of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies for the compulsory amalgamation of the district cooperative banks with the State banks. “The seminal question of public importance is whether the State government can compulsorily amalgamate the district cooperative banks, particularly those having licences under Section 22 of the Banking Regulation Act, to the State cooperative banks through State largesse resorting to undemocratic methods and unconstitutional amendments without following due procedure of law solely to achieve arbitrary State objectives by any means,” the petition said. The plea questioned whether such amendments were beyond the legislative competence of the State Assembly. The petition also raised the issue of whether the provisions of Section 74H of the 1969 Act were inconsistent with the sections of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act of 1961. In Brief:Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody extended till July 3 A Delhi court on May 31 extended till July 3 the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Sisodia’s remand after he was produced before the court through video conference from jail on expiry of the judicial custody granted earlier. The judge also asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to supply a copy of the charge sheet, filed recently by the central probe agency, to Sisodia and other co-accused after redacting the name of a protected witness. The judge granted a month to the counsel of those accused in the case to go through the documents at the ED office. FY24 GDP growth speeds to 8.2%, as Q4 logs 7.8% expansion India’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for FY24 is estimated to have grown by a faster-than-projected 8.2%, quickening from FY23’s 7% pace, the National Statistical Office (NSO) said in its provisional estimates released on May 31. The NSO had in its first advance estimates, earlier this year, projected real GDP growth for FY24 at 7.3%. “Nominal GDP has witnessed a growth rate of 9.6% in FY24 over the growth rate of 14.2% in FY23,” the NSO said, adding that real Gross Value Added (GVA) had likely expanded by 7.2% in FY24, compared with FY23’s 6.7% pace. Temperatures to cool down gradually in North India over the next 2-3 days, says IMD The prevailing heatwave conditions over many parts of North, Northwest and Central India will abate gradually during the next two to three days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. India has been experiencing a blisteringly hot summer, with several States experiencing heatwaves for several days in May. Heatwave conditions have prevailed over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Rajasthan since May 17, while Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have experienced it since May 18. The IMD has noted that Sri Ganganagar (West Rajasthan) recorded the highest maximum temperature of 48.3°C on Thursday. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 31 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Prajwal Revanna remanded in SIT custody for six days The 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court [remanded Prajwal Revanna, Hassan MP accused in several sexual harassment cases, to Special Investigation Team (SIT) custody]( for six days. Soon after his arrival from Munich to Bengaluru in the wee hours of Friday (May 31), the Special Investigation Team (SIT) women’s team arrested him and escorted him to CID headquarters in the city. He was later subjected to medical test at Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru. He was then produced before the court. The 33-year-old Prajwal, grandson of Deve Gowda and the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of sexually abusing many women. He has been so far booked in three cases of sexual assault. Congress not to participate in Lok Sabha exit poll debates The Congress has [decided not to participate in any Lok Sabha exit poll debates]( on the television channels and said it does not want to indulge in speculation and slugfest for TRP. Congress spokesperson and media department chairperson Pawan Khera said the voters have cast their votes and their verdict has been secured. “The results will be out on 4th June. Prior to that, we do not see any reason to indulge in speculation and slugfest for TRP,” he said in a statement shared on X. “The Indian National Congress will not participate in the debates on Exit Polls. The purpose of any debate should be to inform the people. We will happily partake in debates from 4th June onwards,” Khera said in a statement. The decision was taken after consultations within the party, the sources said. DGCA issues show cause notice to Air India for inordinate flight delays Aviation watchdog DGCA on May 31 [issued a show cause notice to Air India]( for inordinate delay of at least two international flights and failure to take due care of passengers. The regulator mentioned about the inordinate delay of two international flights — AI 183 from Delhi to San Francisco on May 30 and AI 179 from Mumbai to San Francisco on May 24. Both flights were delayed and passengers were put to discomfort due to insufficient cooling in the cabin. Further, repeated incidents of passengers being put to discomfort by Air India in violation of DGCA norms have come to the notice of the regulator, as per the show cause notice. The regulator also noted that Air India is “time and again failing in taking due care of passengers”, and not complying with its provisions related to “facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights”. “Air India is hereby called upon to show cause as to why enforcement action shall not be initiated against the airline,” for the violations, the regulator said. An official said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia took cognisance of the flight delays and inconvenience caused to passengers, following which the DGCA issued the show cause notice. India moves 100 metric tonnes of gold from U.K. to domestic vaults India has [moved 100 metric tonnes of its gold stored in the U.K. to domestic vaults]( in FY24, sources said on Friday. This is one of the biggest movements of gold undertaken by the country since 1991, when pledging a substantial part of the gold holding to tide over a foreign exchange crisis resulted in its movement out of vaults. The country’s overall gold holding increased 27.46 metric tonnes in FY24 and it stands at 822 metric tonnes, as per official data. A substantial part of the precious commodity is stored abroad, the sources said, adding that India also had its holding with the Bank of England like other countries. The movement of 100 metric tonnes into India has taken the overall quantity stored locally to over 408 metric tonnes of gold, which means the local and foreign holding is now split almost evenly. As per the annual report of the central bank for FY24 released on May 30, over 308 metric tonnes of gold is held in India as backing for notes issued, while another 100.28 tonnes is held locally as an asset of the banking department. Of the overall gold reserves, 413.79 metric tonnes are held abroad, the annual report said. According to the sources, given the gold buying over the last few years, a call was taken to reduce the holding abroad which is part of the standard review procedures. In 2009, India had bought 200 tonnes of gold from the International Monetary Fund, after which it has been buying the precious commodity from the secondary market as part of its foreign exchange asset diversification efforts. Officials from the Ministry of Finance, the RBI and other agencies took care of the movement of gold in complete secrecy given the high value, as per the sources. At present, the gold held locally is stored at high security vaults and facilities in Mumbai and Nagpur, the sources added. Arvind Kejriwal to surrender on June 2, says he won’t bow down to pressure Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing a press conference just a day before his interim bail ends, [said that any attempts to break his silence will not be successful](. “I don’t know how long I will be in jail for this time, but my spirits are high. To save the country from dictatorship I am going to jail and I am proud of that,” he said, and added, “They have tried to break me many times, even tried to silence me but have not been successful. When I was in jail too, I was tortured in many ways.” He further said, “My medicines were stopped, I don’t know why these people did that or what they wanted? My weight was 70kgs when I was arrested, today it is 64kgs. Even after being released, I have not gained weight. Doctors have indicated that this can also be a sign of some serious illness and many tests need to be done.” “I will leave my house to surrender around 3 p.m. [on June 2]. It is possible they may torture me more, but I will not bow down. No matter where I am, inside or outside jail, I will not let stop the welfare of Delhi,” he said. I will soon start providing ₹1,000 to my mothers and sisters, he said referring to a scheme to give ₹1,000 monthly honorarium. Kejriwal also asked people to pray for his mother who has been unwell. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court till June 1 for Lok Sabha election campaigning. After being released from jail, Kejriwal campaigned in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi and Maharashtra. Supreme Court to hear if Kerala can forcibly merge district co-op banks with State co-op banks The Supreme Court has [ordered the status quo]( in the compulsory merger of Malappuram District Cooperative Bank with Kerala State Cooperative Bank. The Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud has agreed to examine the legality of amendments in law which allows for the compulsory merger of district cooperative banks with State cooperative banks. The order came in a petition filed by MLA U.A. Latheef, former president of the Malappuram District Cooperative Bank. The lawmaker, represented by advocate Haris Beeran, has challenged a judgment pronounced by a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on February 29 confirming a Single Bench decision. The Single Bench had upheld the amendments to the Kerala Cooperative Societies Act, 1969 and affirmed the order of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies for the compulsory amalgamation of the district cooperative banks with the State banks. “The seminal question of public importance is whether the State government can compulsorily amalgamate the district cooperative banks, particularly those having licences under Section 22 of the Banking Regulation Act, to the State cooperative banks through State largesse resorting to undemocratic methods and unconstitutional amendments without following due procedure of law solely to achieve arbitrary State objectives by any means,” the petition said. The plea questioned whether such amendments were beyond the legislative competence of the State Assembly. The petition also raised the issue of whether the provisions of Section 74H of the 1969 Act were inconsistent with the sections of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act of 1961. In Brief: Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody extended till July 3 A Delhi court on May 31 [extended till July 3 the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia]( in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Sisodia’s remand after he was produced before the court through video conference from jail on expiry of the judicial custody granted earlier. The judge also asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to supply a copy of the charge sheet, filed recently by the central probe agency, to Sisodia and other co-accused after redacting the name of a protected witness. The judge granted a month to the counsel of those accused in the case to go through the documents at the ED office. FY24 GDP growth speeds to 8.2%, as Q4 logs 7.8% expansion India’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for FY24 is [estimated to have grown by a faster-than-projected 8.2%]( quickening from FY23’s 7% pace, the National Statistical Office (NSO) said in its provisional estimates released on May 31. The NSO had in its first advance estimates, earlier this year, projected real GDP growth for FY24 at 7.3%. “Nominal GDP has witnessed a growth rate of 9.6% in FY24 over the growth rate of 14.2% in FY23,” the NSO said, adding that real Gross Value Added (GVA) had likely expanded by 7.2% in FY24, compared with FY23’s 6.7% pace. Temperatures to cool down gradually in North India over the next 2-3 days, says IMD The prevailing heatwave conditions over many parts of North, Northwest and Central India [will abate gradually during the next two to three days]( the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. India has been experiencing a blisteringly hot summer, with several States experiencing heatwaves for several days in May. Heatwave conditions have prevailed over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Rajasthan since May 17, while Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have experienced it since May 18. The IMD has noted that Sri Ganganagar (West Rajasthan) recorded the highest maximum temperature of 48.3°C on Thursday. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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