FIR filed against Nirmala Sitharaman over electoral bonds allegations
CM Siddaramaiah asks if Nirmala Sitharaman will resign
Bengaluru: A Bengaluru court has ordered the registration of an FIR against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, following a complaint alleging extortion linked to the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme. The complaint was lodged by Adarsh Iyer from the Janaadhikara Sangharsha Sanghatane.
The Special Court for People's Representatives in Bengaluru has directed the police to register the FIR, which implicates Sitharaman and others in the case.
In response to the allegations, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asks if Nirmala Sitharaman will resign.
"An FIR has been registered against Nirmala Sitharaman in the Special Court for People's Representatives. Who is she? She is a Union Minister, and there is an FIR against her too. They were involved in extortion through electoral bonds and the FIR has been registered on that. She should tender her resignation after the FIR has been registered. Will they (BJP) ask her to resign?" he said.
"Now, as per Section 17A (of Prevention of Corruption Act), the investigation must be completed and a report should be submitted within three months. Based on that, they have registered the FIR and are investigating further," he added.
"In my case, the lower court has passed an order. The Governor has asked for an enquiry under Section 17A, and the court has directed that the investigation be completed and a report should be submitted within three months," Siddaramaiah said.
Siddaramaiah will also be probed under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with alleged irregularities in the MUDA case.
Siddaramaiah also demanded resignation of JD(S) leader and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, accusing him of corruption.
"First, let Kumaraswamy resign. Shouldn't he tender his resignation too? Let them resign first. Even PM (Narendra) Modi should resign. In the election bond extortion case, PM Modi should also tender his resignation. Nirmala Sitharaman should resign as well. Kumaraswamy is out on bail and he should resign," he said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
