The Evening Wrap: CBI examining Lokpal-referred complaint against Mahua Moitra

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is looking into a complaint forwarded by the Lokpal regarding the allegation against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra related to certain questions raised by her in the Lok Sabha, according to sources. Clarifying that no preliminary inquiry has been instituted against Moitra so far, a source said the agency is currently examining the Lokpal reference. Last month, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had lodged the complaint with the Lokpal alleging that bribes were taken in exchange for raising questions. Moitra has been accused of sharing her Lok Sabha log-in and password with Dubai-based industrialist Darshan Hiranandani. Dubey also complained to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, which was then referred to the Ethics Committee. Moitra, who denied bribery charge, appeared before the Committee on November 2 to record her statement. Following the proceedings, the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee adopted a report recommending her expulsion from the House over the “cash-for-query” allegation. While six members voted in favour of the report, four Opposition MPs had filed dissent note opposing it. The report will be tabled before the Lok Sabha on the first day of the Winter Session scheduled to begin on December 4, for a voting in the House on the recommendation. Rajasthan Assembly polls | Over 68% voter turnout, stray incidents of violence recorded More than 68% voter turnout was recorded by 5 p.m. in the Rajasthan Assembly elections on November 25, with polling passing off peacefully barring a few stray incidents of violence. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said that the final voting figures will be issued once data is complied. In the last Assembly elections in 2018, the State recorded a voter turnout of 74.06%. The Election Commission has set a target of at least 75% turnout in each constituency this time. Voting at more than 51,000 polling booths in 199 assembly constituencies began at 7 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m. but officials said those already in queue at the polling booths were allowed to vote. “Polling percentage till 5 p.m. is 68.2%. The highest turnout was in Jaisalmer district, followed by Hanumangarh and Dholpur districts,” Gupta said at a press conference after the polling ended. Nearly 10% of the electorate cast their votes in the first two hours of voting and the figure went up to nearly 25% by 11 a.m. and to more than 40% by 1 p.m. Rejection by Governor does not mean death of Bill, says Supreme Court The Supreme Court, in a 27-page judgment, clarified that the rejection of a Bill by a Governor does not mean its death. Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, writing for a three-judge Bench, held that a law proposed by a State legislature is not extinguished merely because the Governor refuses to sign his assent. The judgment explains that the substantive portion of Article 200 of the Constitution provides the Governor with three options when presented with a Bill — consent to the proposed law, withhold consent, or reserve the Bill for the consideration of the President. The first proviso of Article 200 goes on to say that the Governor may send the withheld Bill, if it is not a Money Bill, back to the House as soon as possible with a message suggesting amendments or requesting the Assembly to re-consider the Bill or specific provisions of it. The judgment holds that the first proviso does not offer the Governor a fourth contingency. The court clarified that the Governor cannot choose between letting a Bill die after rejecting it and sending it back to the House for re-legislation. The Chief Justice held that a Governor should necessarily return a Bill back to the House for re-legislation after deciding to withhold consent. The court held that the procedure enumerated in the first proviso was the mandatory follow-up to the Governor’s choice of withholding consent. Thus, the court has inextricably linked the withholding of consent with the return of the Bill to the House for reconsideration. Further, the court had made it clear that the final word belongs to the legislature and not the Governor. That is, once the House re-passes the returned Bill, with or without amendments, the Governor has no choice but to grant consent. The judgment, based on a petition filed by the Punjab government against its Governor, bolsters Tamil Nadu’s push for gubernatorial assent to 10 Bills which were “re-passed” and returned to Governor R.N. Ravi for his assent. Soumya Vishwanathan murder | Four convicts sentenced to life imprisonment, fifth gets 3 years in jail A court in New Delhi on November 25 sentenced four convicts in the killing of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan in 2008 to life imprisonment while the fifth convict was sent to three years in jail. Ordering the quantum of punishment, the court said the offence does not fall in the category of rarest of rare cases. So request for death penalty is refused, it said. Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik and Ajay Kumar have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The fifth convict, Ajay Sethi, has been sentenced to simple imprisonment for three years. Soumya Vishwanathan, who was working with a leading English news channel, was shot dead in the early hours of September 30, 2008, on south Delhi’s Nelson Mandela Marg while she was returning home from work. Police claimed the motive was robbery. On October 18, the court convicted Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar under Indian Penal Code section 302 (murder) and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) provisions for committing organised crime resulting in the death of any person. Ajay Sethi was convicted under IPC section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) and MCOCA provisions for conspiring to abet, aid, or knowingly facilitate organised crime and receiving proceeds of organised crime. According to the prosecution, Ravi Kapoor shot Vishwanathan with a country-made pistol on September 30, 2008, on Nelson Mandela Marg in South Delhi while chasing the victim’s car to rob her. Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar and Baljeet Malik were also with Kapoor. Police recovered the car used in the murder from the fifth accused Ajay Sethi alias Chacha. Israel-Hamas war | Hamas due to release 13 Israeli hostages, says Israeli military Palestinian militant group Hamas is due to release 13 Israeli hostages on November 25 in exchange for 39 Palestinians, Israeli military spokesman Olivier Rafowicz told France’s BFMTV. Egyptian security sources said earlier in the day that they had received a list of 14 hostages from Hamas to be released on November 25. Israel too said it received a list of hostages to be freed from Gaza. Egypt also said it had received positive signals from all parties over a possible extension of the Gaza truce for one or two days. Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service, said in a statement that the country was holding extensive talks with all parties to reach an agreement over extending the four-day truce, which “means the release of more detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.” Meanwhile, a container ship managed by an Israeli-controlled company was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, a U.S. defence official said. The Malta-flagged CMA CGM SYMI, recently renamed Mayet, was struck on November 24 by an unmanned aerial vehicle, which appeared to be an Iranian Shahed-136 drone, in the northeast portion of the Indian Ocean, the official said. Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), which had rented Mayet, said it was aware a container ship was targeted in a possible security incident on November 24. “The vessel in question is currently sailing as planned. All crew are safe and well,” EPS said. EPS is controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and its ships have previously come under similar attacks. In London, thousands of protesters were expected to join a pro-Palestinian march, with city police warning demonstrators that anyone deemed to be racist would be arrested at the rally. The police also said more than 1,500 officers would be on duty to handle the protest. The U.K.-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which is organising the march on November 25, said the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas was “only a brief and partial respite for the people of Gaza” and called for a permanent halt to the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Uttarkashi tunnel collapse | Focus now on vertical drilling, says NDMA Rescuers working to bring out the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, will now focus on vertical drilling, after the rescue operation was again halted after the auger machine broke down. International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix said the auger machine engaged for drilling through the rubble at the Silkyara tunnel has busted with rescuers considering other options, including vertical and manual drilling. Meanwhile a new drilling machine used to dig vertically was brought to the accident site Saturday. There are only 10 metres of debris left between rescuers drilling in from the Silkyara end and the trapped workers, but officials say it is difficult to anticipate when this last leg of the operation will be completed. The option of manual drilling is also being considered for the remaining stretch of 10 to 12 metres, an official said. Manual drilling, however, takes more time, he said. In a press conference, the NDMA said that 47-meters of drilling has been done so far, while efforts on to retrieve broken part of auger machine. Rescue operations at Silkyara tunnel will take time, and the focus is now on vertical drilling. It added that 86 meters of vertical drilling needed to reach Silkyara tunnel’s crust. In Brief: Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a first-hand feel of the indigenous light combat aircraft Tejas as he took a sortie trainer version of the aircraft on November 25. Mr. Modi became the first Prime Minister to fly in the Tejas as he went on sortie which lasted a few minutes. Attired in a G-suit, PM Modi was aboard an aircraft flown by an Indian Air Force pilot that took off from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. airport in Bengaluru. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 25 November 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( CBI examining Lokpal-referred complaint against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra The [Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is looking into a complaint forwarded by the Lokpal regarding the allegation against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra]( related to certain questions raised by her in the Lok Sabha, according to sources. Clarifying that no preliminary inquiry has been instituted against Moitra so far, a source said the agency is currently examining the Lokpal reference. Last month, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had lodged the complaint with the Lokpal alleging that bribes were taken in exchange for raising questions. Moitra has been accused of sharing her Lok Sabha log-in and password with Dubai-based industrialist Darshan Hiranandani. Dubey also complained to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, which was then referred to the Ethics Committee. Moitra, who denied bribery charge, appeared before the Committee on November 2 to record her statement. Following the proceedings, the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee adopted a report recommending her expulsion from the House over the “cash-for-query” allegation. While six members voted in favour of the report, four Opposition MPs had filed dissent note opposing it. The report will be tabled before the Lok Sabha on the first day of the Winter Session scheduled to begin on December 4, for a voting in the House on the recommendation. Rajasthan Assembly polls | Over 68% voter turnout, stray incidents of violence recorded [More than 68% voter turnout was recorded by 5 p.m. in the Rajasthan Assembly elections on November 25]( with polling passing off peacefully barring a few stray incidents of violence. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said that the final voting figures will be issued once data is complied. In the last Assembly elections in 2018, the State recorded a voter turnout of 74.06%. The Election Commission has set a target of at least 75% turnout in each constituency this time. Voting at more than 51,000 polling booths in 199 assembly constituencies began at 7 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m. but officials said those already in queue at the polling booths were allowed to vote. “Polling percentage till 5 p.m. is 68.2%. The highest turnout was in Jaisalmer district, followed by Hanumangarh and Dholpur districts,” Gupta said at a press conference after the polling ended. Nearly 10% of the electorate cast their votes in the first two hours of voting and the figure went up to nearly 25% by 11 a.m. and to more than 40% by 1 p.m. Rejection by Governor does not mean death of Bill, says Supreme Court [The Supreme Court, in a 27-page judgment, clarified that the rejection of a Bill by a Governor does not mean its death.]( Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, writing for a three-judge Bench, held that a law proposed by a State legislature is not extinguished merely because the Governor refuses to sign his assent. The judgment explains that the substantive portion of Article 200 of the Constitution provides the Governor with three options when presented with a Bill — consent to the proposed law, withhold consent, or reserve the Bill for the consideration of the President. The first proviso of Article 200 goes on to say that the Governor may send the withheld Bill, if it is not a Money Bill, back to the House as soon as possible with a message suggesting amendments or requesting the Assembly to re-consider the Bill or specific provisions of it. The judgment holds that the first proviso does not offer the Governor a fourth contingency. The court clarified that the Governor cannot choose between letting a Bill die after rejecting it and sending it back to the House for re-legislation. The Chief Justice held that a Governor should necessarily return a Bill back to the House for re-legislation after deciding to withhold consent. The court held that the procedure enumerated in the first proviso was the mandatory follow-up to the Governor’s choice of withholding consent. Thus, the court has inextricably linked the withholding of consent with the return of the Bill to the House for reconsideration. Further, the court had made it clear that the final word belongs to the legislature and not the Governor. That is, once the House re-passes the returned Bill, with or without amendments, the Governor has no choice but to grant consent. The judgment, based on a petition filed by the Punjab government against its Governor, bolsters Tamil Nadu’s push for gubernatorial assent to 10 Bills which were “re-passed” and returned to Governor R.N. Ravi for his assent. Soumya Vishwanathan murder | Four convicts sentenced to life imprisonment, fifth gets 3 years in jail [A court in New Delhi on November 25 sentenced four convicts in the killing of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan in 2008 to life imprisonment while the fifth convict was sent to three years in jail.]( Ordering the quantum of punishment, the court said the offence does not fall in the category of rarest of rare cases. So request for death penalty is refused, it said. Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik and Ajay Kumar have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The fifth convict, Ajay Sethi, has been sentenced to simple imprisonment for three years. Soumya Vishwanathan, who was working with a leading English news channel, was shot dead in the early hours of September 30, 2008, on south Delhi’s Nelson Mandela Marg while she was returning home from work. Police claimed the motive was robbery. On October 18, the court convicted Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar under Indian Penal Code section 302 (murder) and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) provisions for committing organised crime resulting in the death of any person. Ajay Sethi was convicted under IPC section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) and MCOCA provisions for conspiring to abet, aid, or knowingly facilitate organised crime and receiving proceeds of organised crime. According to the prosecution, Ravi Kapoor shot Vishwanathan with a country-made pistol on September 30, 2008, on Nelson Mandela Marg in South Delhi while chasing the victim’s car to rob her. Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar and Baljeet Malik were also with Kapoor. Police recovered the car used in the murder from the fifth accused Ajay Sethi alias Chacha. Israel-Hamas war | Hamas due to release 13 Israeli hostages, says Israeli military [Palestinian militant group Hamas is due to release 13 Israeli hostages on November 25 in exchange for 39 Palestinians, Israeli military spokesman Olivier Rafowicz told France’s BFMTV.]( Egyptian security sources said earlier in the day that they had received a list of 14 hostages from Hamas to be released on November 25. Israel too said it received a list of hostages to be freed from Gaza. Egypt also said it had received positive signals from all parties over a possible extension of the Gaza truce for one or two days. Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service, said in a statement that the country was holding extensive talks with all parties to reach an agreement over extending the four-day truce, which “means the release of more detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.” Meanwhile, a container ship managed by an Israeli-controlled company was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, a U.S. defence official said. The Malta-flagged CMA CGM SYMI, recently renamed Mayet, was struck on November 24 by an unmanned aerial vehicle, which appeared to be an Iranian Shahed-136 drone, in the northeast portion of the Indian Ocean, the official said. Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), which had rented Mayet, said it was aware a container ship was targeted in a possible security incident on November 24. “The vessel in question is currently sailing as planned. All crew are safe and well,” EPS said. EPS is controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and its ships have previously come under similar attacks. In London, thousands of protesters were expected to join a pro-Palestinian march, with city police warning demonstrators that anyone deemed to be racist would be arrested at the rally. The police also said more than 1,500 officers would be on duty to handle the protest. The U.K.-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which is organising the march on November 25, said the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas was “only a brief and partial respite for the people of Gaza” and called for a permanent halt to the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Uttarkashi tunnel collapse | Focus now on vertical drilling, says NDMA [Rescuers working to bring out the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, will now focus on vertical drilling]( after the rescue operation was again halted after the auger machine broke down. International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix said the auger machine engaged for drilling through the rubble at the Silkyara tunnel has busted with rescuers considering other options, including vertical and manual drilling. Meanwhile a new drilling machine used to dig vertically was brought to the accident site Saturday. There are only 10 metres of debris left between rescuers drilling in from the Silkyara end and the trapped workers, but officials say it is difficult to anticipate when this last leg of the operation will be completed. The option of manual drilling is also being considered for the remaining stretch of 10 to 12 metres, an official said. Manual drilling, however, takes more time, he said. In a press conference, the NDMA said that 47-meters of drilling has been done so far, while efforts on to retrieve broken part of auger machine. Rescue operations at Silkyara tunnel will take time, and the focus is now on vertical drilling. It added that 86 meters of vertical drilling needed to reach Silkyara tunnel’s crust. In Brief: Prime Minister [Narendra Modi got a first-hand feel of the indigenous light combat aircraft Tejas]( as he took a sortie trainer version of the aircraft on November 25. Mr. Modi became the first Prime Minister to fly in the Tejas as he went on sortie which lasted a few minutes. Attired in a G-suit, PM Modi was aboard an aircraft flown by an Indian Air Force pilot that took off from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. airport in Bengaluru. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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