Journalist Upendra Rai sent to judicial custody
New Delhi, May 9: A court here on Wednesday rejected the CBI's plea for additional custody of senior journalist Upendra Rai, arrested for dubious transactions in his accounts, and sent him to 14-day judicial custody.
Rai was presented before Special Judge Santosh Snehi Mann who rejected the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea seeking extension of his custodial interrogation and remanded him to judicial custody till May 23.
Owner of Printlines Media Group and formerly employed with Tehelka, Rai was arrested for dubious transactions in his accounts to the tune of over Rs 100 crore during 2017-2018.
He is also accused of using false information to obtain a pass to access sensitive areas in airports across the country and is alleged to have committed the offence in connivance with the officials of aviation company Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd and some public servants of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
The CBI filed an FIR on Tuesday naming Upendra Rai, Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd, its Chief Security Officer Prasun Roy, some unidentified public servants of BCAS and others.
Rai, Roy, some public servants and other private persons were questioned by the CBI at its headquarters here, a CBI official said.
The CBI found that in 2017, Rai's bank accounts show credit of Rs 79 crore with several transactions of over Rs one lakh each while in the same period the accounts reflect debit amount of Rs 78.51 crore.
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Approval of registered housing societies must to operate liquor shops on their premises: Ajit Pawar
Nagpur (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said that shops selling Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) as well as country liquor will be required to obtain mandatory consent from registered housing societies before commencing operations from the commercial spaces on their premises.
Pawar, who also heads the excise department, directed that this new policy be implemented across the state.
"Permission from registered housing societies will now be compulsory for both categories of liquor shops. The policy must be enforced uniformly throughout Maharashtra," Pawar told the Lower House of the state legislature while responding to a question raised by BJP MLA Shankar Jagtap, who represents the Chinchwad assembly constituency in Pune district.
Jagtap sought cancellation of licences of liquor shops operating in Chinchwad-Kalewadi area of Pune.
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During the discussion, he said that Vikrant Wine, a liquor shop in Sahyadri Society, had begun operations in violation of norms.
The building was incomplete when permission was granted, and the licence had been issued on the basis of incomplete documents, Jagtap said, demanding action against those responsible.
Responding to this, Pawar reiterated the mandatory requirement of the respective housing society's consent for liquor outlets, and informed the House about the action taken regarding the two shops against which complaints had been received.
During the Budget session of the state legislature held in March this year, Pawar had announced that a no-objection certificate (NOC) from housing societies will be mandatory for liquor vends if they wish to migrate to their premises.
Many housing societies have commercial establishments, with some even having liquor vends.
