Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention in retaining nine senior IAS officials who were transfered out of city government by Home Ministry earlier this month.

In a letter to Singh, Kejriwal said all these officials have vast experience and his new government required their services, top sources said.

We are new in government and need “good officers” who have been working with Delhi government for some time, he said in the letter.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday released a video showing three policemen beating a man and pulling out his wallet. The policemen have since been suspended.

This comes just days after Kejriwal led a protest Jan 20 and 21 against Delhi Police and staged a roadside sit-in in the heart of the capital.

The AAP posted the video online with a message that asked union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde whether action would be taken against the policemen caught on camera.

Delhi government employees working on contract will be given permanent jobs, Education Minister Manish Sisodia announced Friday.

A 13-member committee headed by Chief Secretary Sanjoy Kumar Srivastava will decide the policy and guidelines for this, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said.

According to an official, over one lakh employees are currently working in different departments of the Delhi government on contract.(IANS)

Arvind Kejriwal’s role in leading a protest while holding constitutional office today came under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court which slammed law enforcing agencies of allowing unlawful assembly of supporters of the Chief Minister in the heart of national capital.

The apex court disapproved the Delhi Police inaction in permitting people to gather outside the Rail Bhavan despite prohibitory orders under section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure barring assembly of five and more persons being in force.

Rebel AAP legislator Vinod Kumar Binny met Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi Friday and sought action against Law Minister Somnath Bharti for his vigilante action against Ugandan women during a raid in the national capital.

“The antics of our law minister has brought shame to Delhi and the country. The (Delhi) chief minister (Arvind Kejriwal) should have removed Bharti from his post by now, he must step down,” Binny said after meeting Bassi.

The Supreme Court Friday issued notice on a PIL seeking action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for violating the law while holding a constitutional position.

An apex court bench headed by Justice R.M. Lodha issued notice to the centre through the home secretary and also to the Delhi government after petitioner M.L. Sharma contended that a law maker cannot be a law breaker at the same time.

This invited an observation by Justice Lodha that there cannot be a dual personality.

It was a pleasant Friday morning in Delhi and the minimum temperature settled three notches above the season’s average at 11 degrees Celsius. The Met Office has forecast a clear day ahead.

“The afternoon will be clear and it will be sunny. There will be light fog in the evening,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 19 degrees Celsius.

Almost a month after it took power in the capital, the AAP Thursday announced its Delhi unit, to be headed by Ashish Talwar, Durgesh Pathak and Dilip K. Pandey.

An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) statement said the Delhi unit would “look after all political activities” in the city.

Talwar would be its convenor and Pathak the co-convenor. Pandey would be the secretary. The Delhi unit would be responsible for the preparations for the Lok Sabha election this year.

A three-day international kite festival beginning Friday will promote cultural tourism in Delhi and showcase the city’s heritage, officials said Thursday.

The third edition of the “Delhi International Kite Festival” will be held Jan 24-26 at the Golden Jubilee Park near the Old Yamuna bridge and will be inaugurated by Tourism Minister Somnath Bharti, said a statement by Delhi Tourism.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that his meeting with the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Najeeb Jung was a routine one, and added that there was no discussion on or about state law minister Somnath Bharti.

“It was a routine meeting. There was no discussion on Somnath Bharti,” he told media here today.

Somnath Bharti, who has been facing severe criticism for leading a midnight raid on the house of a Ugandan woman, had alleged that a sex trade and drug peddling racket was flourishing in the locality with the help of foreign nationals.

Delhiites experienced a cold but clear day today with the minimum temperature recorded at 13.5 degrees Celsius.

The city recorded 1.8 millimetres of rain between 8.30 AM yesterday till 8.30 AM today. Humidity level was recorded at 98 per cent.

The minimum temperature was six notches above normal, and the day temperature is expected to be 19 degrees Celsius.

Yesterday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 17.8 degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature was 12 degree Celsius, four notches above the normal.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and is believed to have discussed the controversy surrounding Law Minister Somnath Bharti, who is under attack for allegedly heading a group of assaulters in a midnight raid in south Delhi.

The meeting came a day after various women rights activists and Delhi Commission for Women sought action against Bharti for allegedly taking law into his hands.

The Delhi High Court Wednesday disposed of a plea seeking recruitment of officials in the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) after the Delhi government informed it that it was taking steps on the petition.

The government told a bench of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Jayant Nath that it was soon going to hire officials for the vacant positions.

The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal requesting directions to the government to fill the vacancies.

A Ugandan woman who was allegedly assaulted by Somnath Bharti during his vigilante-style raid last week has identified the Delhi law minister after seeing video footage from a news channel and newspaper clippings, police said Wednesday, as a woman sub-inspector was appointed to investigate the case.

Police said five women – two from Uganda and three from Nigeria – who were allegedly victimised by Bharti and supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the night of Jan 16 recorded their statements before a metropolitan magistrate Tuesday.

President of Women Congress Shobha Oza on Wednesday demanded proper investigation against Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti and his followers following his controversial midnight raid at the house of a Ugandan woman, and said that he should be punished for what he did. “It was very irresponsible on the part of Somnath Bharti to have acted like this, and take law in his own hands.

Women rights organisations here have written an open letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, urging him to take action against Law Minister Somnath Bharti for his alleged action against Ugandan women.

“It is with extreme dismay that we write to you regarding the horrific act of harassment and racial profiling of Ugandan women by a group led by Somnath Bharti, comprising other members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP),” the letter said.

“Such a targeting goes against the sense of security and human rights of all women in general, and of single and working women in particular.”

A case has been registered following a scuffle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters and police during a protest led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers near Rail Bhavan, an official said Wednesday.

“We have registered a case under various sections, including rioting,” a police official told IANS.

The case has been registered against “unidentified people” at the Parliament Street police station, the official added.

Delhi Transport Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj Wednesday defended Law Minister Somnath Bharti on the issue of trying to bust a sex-and-drug racket last week.

Talking to reporters, Bhardwaj said people should be asked, and a live survey should be done in the area to know the truth.

“Ask any random 100 people in the area whether there is a drug and sex racket operating, ask them if what Somnath Bharti did was wrong,” he said.

He also asked the media first to do their “exercise”.

“If you as a common citizen witness a sex and drug racket, won’t you inform the police?” he asked.

Delhi Metro Tuesday evening reopened four stations in the heart of the capital after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ended his protest near parliament.

A Metro spokesman said the Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course stations reopened shortly after 8 p.m.

The stations were closed Monday morning following the sit-in protest led by Kejriwal and his cabinet members demanding action against some police officers for alleged indifference to complaints made two ministers.

The agitation ended after an appeal by Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung.

Delhi Police must be made accountable to the elected government in Delhi and this should be decided through parliament, the CPI-M said Tuesday.

But the Communist Party of India-Marxist faulted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for defending Law Minister Somnath Bharti and AAP members who it said targeted some African women.

“The wider question of the accountability of the police in Delhi is of vital concern to the people especially in the context of the rising number of crimes against women,” it said in a statement.

Reacting to the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led protest demanding suspension of Delhi Police personnel, who have been accused by his administration of dereliction of duty; Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) leader Kirti Azad on Tuesday said that Kejriwal was looking for a way for government to fail.

The Delhi government Tuesday asked Delhi Metro why it had closed four stations in the heart of the capital causing misery to thousands of commuters.

Delhi Transport Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj wrote to the Delhi Metro chief demanding to know the reasons for the closure of Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk and Race Course stations.

“Yes, we have written to the DMRC asking for the reasons,” Bhardwaj told IANS.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would not be backing off any time soon over its demand for the suspension of Delhi Police personnel who have been accused by his administration of dereliction of duty.

Addressing AAP supporters near the Rail Bhawan in the centre of the national capital this morning, Kejriwal questioned whether it was the central government’s intention to take on the Delhi Government by refusing to accept what he termed were the genuine demands of the city administration.

It has been a grueling time for nearly 2,000 Delhi Police personnel, including 16 DCPs, protecting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is sitting on a dharna against city police’s alleged high-handedness.

The task for these personnel began from 6 AM in ensuring that the place is secured for Kejriwal who had decided to stage a protest despite prohibitory orders in place.

“Ensuring smooth flow of transport as it was the first day of the week for officegoers and safe passage of Republic Day rehearsal parade were also on agenda,” a senior police official said.

Following allegations of violence by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers, the Delhi Police on Monday said the police did not indulge in violence with any protestor and added that the police is functioning according to the law.

Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Meena said, “The police did not indulge in any kind violence with any protestor. I can officially say that we did not stop the minister from going anywhere. I can’t say anything else right now, but we haven’t detained or arrested anyone.”