Karnataka High Court dismisses plea challenging arrest of Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra by ED
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the arrest of Chitradurga Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra alias Veerendra Pappi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged money laundering case.
The petition was filed by Veerendra’s wife, R.D. Chaitra, seeking to declare her husband’s arrest illegal and to direct his immediate release. After completing the hearing earlier, Justice M.I. Arun of the single-judge bench pronounced the verdict on Wednesday, rejecting the plea.
The court ruled that the arrest of MLA Veerendra cannot be termed illegal and noted that the amendments made to Section 2(1)(u) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) had strengthened the powers of the Enforcement Directorate. The court observed that the amendment allows the ED to continue its investigation based on the pending case registered at Harohalli Police Station in Kanakapura.
The High Court also clarified that the dismissal of the current petition will not affect other proceedings, including the bail plea filed by Veerendra before different courts. It added that if the competent court accepts the ‘B Report’ filed by the police in the Harohalli case, the petitioner would still have the liberty to challenge Veerendra’s arrest order again.
The detailed order of the court is awaited.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
