CBI arrests officer of National Institute of Unani Medicine in Bengaluru for bribery
New Delhi, Nov 26: The CBI has arrested an administrative officer of the Bengaluru-based National Institute of Unani Medicine for allegedly seeking Rs 1.10 lakh bribe from a canteen vendor for clearing his pending bills, officials said Sunday.
Nadeem A Siddiqui was arrested while allegedly receiving Rs 50,000 as a part payment of the total demanded bribe, they said.
According to the agency, the complainant company used to supply food to the patients of a Unani hospital, for which bills are paid by the National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), Bengaluru, on monthly basis in the account of its owner.
It was alleged in the complaint that the contract tenure was going to expire within two months and two months' bills amounting to Rs 3 lakh had been pending with NIUM.
In order to clear the amount, Siddiqui allegedly demanded Rs 1.10 lakh bribe from the owner, who had then approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
After verification, the CBI laid a trap where Siddiqui allegedly agreed to receive a part payment of Rs 50,000 from the complainant, they said.
"CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting part amount of bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant. Searches were conducted at the premises of accused which led to the recovery of Rs 2 lakh," the agency spokesperson said.
The accused was produced before a special judge for CBI cases in Bengaluru and was remanded in judicial custody, the spokesperson said.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
