Jharkhand HC observes state police raid on ED office 'preplanned'
Ranchi (PTI): The Jharkhand High Court on Friday observed that the recent police raid on the ED office here prima facie appeared to be "preplanned".
Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, while hearing a writ petition filed by the ED, directed the central agency to make the Union home secretary a party to the case.
The court ordered the Union home secretary to depute CRPF/BSF or any other paramilitary force to provide security to the ED office and its officers.
Justice Dwivedi also directed Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rakesh Ranjan to ensure proper security of the ED office.
The court observed that if there is any lapse in the security of the ED office and its officers, the SSP Ranchi will directly be held responsible for that.
The high court also stayed the police investigation against ED officers on the basis of an FIR registered at the Airport police station by a former state government employee, Santosh Kumar.
The ED on Thursday moved the high court seeking a CBI probe into the raid conducted by the state police on its premises, alleging "direct interference" in the functioning of the central agency.
Counsel appearing for the ED told the court that the agency was probing an alleged scam involving Santosh Kumar amounting to Rs 23 crore, of which Rs 9 crore had already been recovered.
Police personnel had visited the ED office on Thursday and collected CCTV footage after Kumar, a former drinking water and sanitation department employee, lodged a complaint on January 12 alleging that he was "thrashed" by ED officials during interrogation in connection with an alleged water supply scam.
The development came close on the heels of a confrontation between the West Bengal Police and ED officials after the central agency conducted searches at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain, amid allegations of interference by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The latest development has triggered a war of words between the opposition BJP and the ruling JMM over the authority of the police force.
Leader of the Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, alleged that under the guise of police action at the central probe agency's office, attempts could be made to tamper with and destroy crucial evidence pertaining to cases involving Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also expressed apprehension that the state police action may result in arrest of honest officials.
Rejecting the allegations, JMM central spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said police were only performing their duty and demanded that a case be registered against Marandi for "provoking a clash between the central and state forces".
The Congress, a constituent of the ruling coalition, alleged that the BJP was blowing the matter out of proportion, as police had to investigate at the place of occurrence.
"People are convinced that the office of the BJP and that of the ED are the same," senior Congress leader Rajesh Thakur said.
In January 2024, Soren had lodged a police complaint against senior ED personnel at the SC/ST police station here over searches conducted by the agency at his Delhi residence in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.
Soren claimed that the ED conducted the searches to "harass and malign him and his entire community", according to the FIR.
The CM was questioned by the ED as part of an investigation into a "huge racket of illegal change of land ownership by the mafia" in Jharkhand.
The ED later prayed for a CBI probe before the Jharkhand High Court into allegations levelled by Soren that a section of its officers violated provisions of the SC/ST Act.
"My family members and I have suffered and experienced immense mental, psychological and emotional harm because of the acts committed...," Soren stated in the FIR.
The matter is pending before court.
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Refunds to all passengers hit by disruptions from Dec 3-5 processed, IndiGo tells DGCA
Mumbai (PTI): Domestic carrier IndiGo has processed refunds to all passengers affected by flight cancellations between December 3 and 5, aviation safety regulator DGCA said on Friday.
"Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is constantly engaging with domestic carrier IndiGo with respect to refunds and compensations provided to the affected passengers due to operational disruptions from December 3-5," it said.
"IndiGo informed that all refunds for IndiGo flight cancellations during the period of December 3rd to December 5 have been fully processed and cleared to the original source of payment," DGCA said in a statement.
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Further, as an additional measure to support affected passengers, the airline has extended a "gesture of care under which two travel vouchers of Rs 5,000 each are being provided with a validity of 12 months".
Passengers are entitled to compensation as per DGCA regulations that relate to "facilities" that are to be provided to passengers by airlines due to "denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights".
Meanwhile passengers' complaints regarding non-receipt of refunds for "the hundreds of flights cancelled abruptly between December 2-9 by the airline continue pouring in on the social media.
"Hey @IndiGo6E, I received an email to submit details for a flight cancellation in Dec to get a 5K refund per flight. It's been 10+ days since I submitted everything, but still no refund. Support hasn't been helpful. Please look into this urgently," a passenger said in a post on X, with a hashtag #RefundDelay, on Friday.
"Looking to connect with lawyers who have filed or are filing lawsuits against @IndiGo6E for the recent flight disruptions. Despite severe delays/ cancellations, I still have not received my refund," said another passenger in an X post on Thursday.
On December 9, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu had told Parliament that "IndiGo was ordered to issue refunds promptly and more than Rs 750 crore has already reached passengers".
Following the large-scale disruptions in IndiGo operations, aviation watchdog DGCA set up a four-member committee headed by Joint Director General Sanjay K Brahmane to carry out a comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances that led to the massive flight disruptions.
"We are not taking this situation easily. We are doing an inquiry. We will take very, very strict action not only for this situation but also as an example," Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu had said in Rajya Sabha on December 8.
The panel submitted its report to the DGCA on December 27 last year.
And on December 30, while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Bengaluru, he said, "The report has been submitted to the ministry. We are analysing the report, taking further comments from the DGCA, and we will follow up on the action on that."
