BHUBANESWAR l tuesday l april 09, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION Combined m-cap of BSE-listed companies hits `400 lakh crore records 300% growth in a decade The combined market cap of BSE-listed companies zoomed 300% since March 2014 when it first crossed the `100 crore milestone. The `200 lakh crore mark was first touched in February 2021 and `300 lakh crore in July 2023—a mere nine months ago. During Monday’s trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 0.67% to settle at 74,742.50—up 3.4% year-to-date | P12 The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms reached all-time closing high of `400.86 lakh crore on Monday amid a record rally in equities Investors betting on q4 growth hopes ■ The unprecedented bull run in Indian equities comes amid rising retail participation as shown by sharp surge in the number of demat account holders from 36 million in 2019 to 151 million in 2023 ■ “Investors are betting big on Indian stocks on expectations of a strong growth momentum,” Prashanth Tapse of Mehta Equities said 266 stocks hit their 52-week high on the bombay stock exchange on Monday CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Court rejects interim bail to Kavitha in excise scam Says prima facie material shows her involvement in alleged offence SU C H I T RA KALYAN M OHAN T Y @ New Delhi evening show Altocumulus clouds float on the sky over Lingaraj temple at Old Town in Bhubaneswar, on Monday | Shiba prasad sahu C o a l sc a m Delhi HC stays conviction of Dilip Ray to help him fight polls P T I / e n s @ New Delhi The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed the conviction of former Union minister Dilip Ray, who was sentenced to three-year jail term in a coal scam case pertaining to irregularities in the allocation of a Jharkhand block in 1999, to enable him to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. Ray is likely to be fielded by BJP from the Rourkela Assembly segment. The saffron party has put on hold announcement of candidate for the seat. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma allowed Ray’s application in which he sought a stay on the conviction and said if it is not suspended, it would lead to an irreversible consequence in case he is acquitted at a later stage. “In case the applicant’s (Ray) prayer is not allowed, he will lose chance to contest election and an irreversible consequence and irreversible damage to his political career and desire to serve his constituency will be caused to him,” the court said. The high court directed that Ray’s conviction in the case shall stand stayed during the pendency of his appeal against his conviction and sentence by the trial court. Ray was sentenced to three years in jail on October 26, 2020, by a trial court which had also imposed a fine of `10 lakh on him. Ray (71) was minister of state (coal) in the erstwhile Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He said in his petition that he wishes to contest the upcoming Odisha Assembly elections and this could be his last chance to serve the people due to his advanced age. While he was represented by senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Pramod Kumar Dubey, senior advocate RS Cheema and lawyer Tarannum Cheema, appearing for the CBI, opposed the plea saying Ray did not merit a suspension of conviction in view of the extent of corruption involved. Moreover, the matter arises from a class of coal block allocation cases, the CBI arContinued on P5 gued. IN a setback to BRS leader K Kavitha, a Delhi court on Monday denied her interim bail in the Delhi excise policy case. Rejecting the bail plea, special Judge Kaveri Baweja said the material presented by the Enforcement Directorate prima facie shows the Telangana politician is actively involved in the alleged money laundering offence, destruction of evidence, and attempting to influence witnesses in the case. Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, had sought interim bail saying her 16-year-old son has exams and needs her ‘moral and emotional support’. The judge said there was no apparent reason why close relatives can’t provide moral support to the child, rejecting the argument that they can’t be a substitute for the mother to address the exam-related anxiety of the ward. The court also noted that Kavitha, 46, can by no standards be considered a ‘vulnerable’ woman who could be made a scapegoat for committing the alleged offences, adding there is no compelling reason to grant her interim relief at this stage. Kavitha was arrested by the ED on March 15 and remanded in the probe agency’s custody till March 23, which was subsequently extended. Since March 26, she has been in judicial custody . According to the ED, she is part of the ‘South Group’ lobby which allegedly paid `100 crore as , kickbacks to AAP leaders in return for a big share of Delhi liquor licences. AAP cries foul as ED grills MLA, Kejri aide U J W AL J ALAL I @ New Delhi THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal assistant Bibhav Kumar and Aam Aadmi Party legislator Durgesh Pathak in connection with the money laundering probe in Delhi excise policy case, evoking a sharp reaction from AAP that the BJP wants to stop it from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls. Sources said Kumar was questioned to seek some clarifications on some documents in the excise probe, while Pathak was called in connection with the party’s 2021-22 poll campaign for the Goa assembly polls. Pathak was the AAP’s in-charge for Goa elections. According to the ED, `45 crore from criminal activities were utilised in the electoral campaign of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for Goa. The probe agency had in its earlier chargesheets alleged that at least 36 accused, including former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Bibhav Kumar, had destroyed, used or changed 170 phones to conceal evidence of ‘kickbacks’ worth thousands of crores in the alleged scam. According to the ED, Bibhav’s mobile phone IMEI number had been changed four times between September 2021 and July 2022. e x p r e ss r e a d Naval veteran’s return from Doha still uncertain ‘New sensor can gauge disease spread’ New Delhi: Nearly two months after Qatar’s Interior Ministry released eight Indian naval veterans, uncertainty shrouds the return of the eighth naval veteran, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, who faces a travel ban. Seven naval veterans have returned home following the release of the eight on February 12 after being in captivity for over 16 months. “There was optimism that he would return home by Eid,’’ said a source | P9 New Delhi: Indian researchers have developed a sensor that will aid in tracking disease progression and providing rapid medical support. The sensor targets cytokines, an inflammatory biomarker used for disease diagnosis and understanding progression. This technique, developed by researchers from IIT Jodhpur, is crucial for developing therapeutics for conditions like multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s, among others | P9 Trump refuses to endorse abortion ban New York: Former President Donald Trump said he believes abortion limits should be left to the states, in a video released on Monday declining to endorse a national ban after months of mixed messages. Trump said in the video posted on his Truth Social site, “My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both.” | P11 Saudi push for Kashmir Broiler farm in Chandaka core, probe ordered talks between India, Pak Sudarsan Maharana @ Bhubaneswar Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi The issue of Kashmir figured in the talks visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Makkah. “The two leaders stressed the importance of dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve the outstanding issues between the two nations, especially for the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to ensure peace and stability in the region,’’ their joint statement released on Monday read after the bilateral talks a day earlier. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Gaza and supported the peace process in accordance with the resolutions of UN Security Counc i l a n d the UN General Assembly and the Arab Peace Initiative “for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital”. New Delhi’s long-held position is that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and there is no question of any third party role. Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan remain downgraded ever since 2019 after Article 370 that gave J&K special powers was read down. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished his newly elected Pakistani counterpart after the The two leaders stressed the importance of dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve the outstanding issues Joint statement latter assumed power. Though things haven’t improved on the ground yet, the business community in Pakistan is pressing for resumption of cross-border trade with India. But New Delhi has always maintained that ties with Islamabad can improve only if it stop its terror factory . Recently Pakistan denounced , defence minister Rajnath Singh’s comment in a televised interview where he said India would track down and liquidate terrorists and even if they manage to cross the border. These comments came after Pakistan cited a Guardian report alleging that India had killed 20 people in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a broader plan to target terrorists residing in foreign soil. A 1.514 acre land in the core of Chandaka-Dampara wildlife sanctuary where a private individual has been allowed to establish a broiler farm has startled the Forest department which has requested the Khurda collector to inquire and submit a report. The incident came to the knowledge of the department after the Khurda District Level Committee approved the commercial broiler farming project on February 20. A go-ahead was also given by Agriculture Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (APICOL) to the applicant for the project subsequently on March 2. The divisional forest officer (DFO) of Chandaka wildlife division received a grievance petition from the entrepreneur who claimed ownership of the land located in Paniora mouza under Jatni tehsil. It is part of Ratanpur reserve forest of the sanctuary . The petitioner also submitted the record of rights before the DFO office. The land had been sold to the petitioner by another party in 2007, department sources said. However, forest officials said, the area in question claimed by the petitioner is inside the core area of the sanctuary As per the . Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, there is bar on accrual of rights within the limits of a wildlife sanctuary. How this patch of land in the core area of the wildlife sanctuary was sold and recorded in favour of the petitioner has raised questions. Sources in the department said, the DFO office wrote to the Khurda collector, seeking a suitable action taken report. Forest department said Chandaka-Dampada wildlife sanctuary with an area of 193.39 square km was notified by the state government on June 10, 1988. Requesting an inquiry as per the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, the DFO office also sought an action taken re- port to be submitted to the government and chief wildlife warden for necessary action at their end. The division stated that in case of the petitioner’s claim was found to be genuine, the said patch of land forming prime habitat of wildlife may be acquired and retained intact undisturbed within the sanctuary . The division pointed out that the land patch located within Ratanpur reserve forest has forest growth ideal for wildlife movement. Asiatic elephant, a scheduled- I protected species, is the key species in the forest. This part there is also presence wild animals including spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, wild pig, porcupine, jackal, fox and civets in the sanctuary . Three killed, 35 injured in separate mishaps E X P RESS NE W S SER V I C E @ Berhampur/Phulbani/Baripada At least three persons were killed and 35 others sustained injuries in three separate mishaps in Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj and Ganjam districts on Monday . In Kandhamal, three youths died after their scooter rammed into a pole and fell off a culvert near Mandakia Budamaha within Raikia police limits. The deceased were identified as Basanta Panda (30) of Mujagada under Bhanjanagar police station, Kusal Digal (25) of Beredakia village and Brahmananda Bhoi (25) of Sugadabai village in Raikia area. The accident took place when the three were returning home after watching ‘Danda Jatra’ in Paburia. While crossing a culvert, the rider lost control of the scooter and all of them fell around 20-30 ft down the road. Locals found the three lying in the pool of blood and informed police. Police and fire brigade personnel reached the spot and rushed them to Raikia community health centre, where doctors declared them brought dead. Police recovered the bodies and sent them for autopsy The . two-wheeler was also seized from the spot and further investigation is on. In the second mishap which took place in Mayurbhanj’s Dwarsuni ghat, 20 people sustained injuries, three of them critical, when the bus they were travelling in hit a big stone lying on the side of NH49 on Monday The incident oc. curred when the passengers were on their way to Murshidabad in West Bengal from Angul district in the bus. On being informed, Bangiriposi police rushed to the spot and rescued the injured passengers. They were brought to Bangiriposi CHC for treatment. Three persons who sustained critical injuries were admitted to the CHC, the others were released after receiving first-aid. Police have registered a case and investigation is underway Continued on P5 . Bibi says date fixed to invade Rafah Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday escalated his pledge to invade southern Gaza’s Rafah, saying, ‘There is a date’. He said Rafah operation is essential for Israel’s victory over Hamas right to privacy Supreme Court seeks ‘pin-point’ response from Google S u c h it r a M o h a n ty @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday asked Google to explain how the pin location-sharing feature works on its Maps application so that it can decide whether asking an accused to share his pin location with the investigators as a pre-condition for granting bail would violate his right to privacy . “We need to examine if an accused (on the orders of the court) has to provide the investigators with detailed informa- tion about their whereabouts, then will it be likely to infringe the individual’s right to privacy or not,” a two-judge bench of the top court, headed by Justice Abhay S Oka and comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked. On the Union government’s advice, the Supreme Court had on February 23 asked Google India to file a detailed affidavit explaining the technical aspects of pin-location feature on Google Maps. Delhi High court’s bail order The Supreme Court was hearing a plea against an order of bail granted to a Nigerian national by the Delhi High Court in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The order required him to share his location with the investigators while on bail “The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has given an affidavit and has suggested that as far as working of the Google pin is concerned, it’s appropriate if the information is sought from Google India Pvt Ltd,” the court said. However, during Monday’s hearing, a counsel for Google India said since the product was developed by US-based Google LLC, it would be the appropriate entity to explain how the pin-location feature works. The court took notice of the submission and issued a notice to Google LLC. The top court had earlier remarked that requiring the accused to share their Google pin location with investigators prima facie violates the right to privacy of the accused. It had also observed that when an accused has been enlarged on bail by courts with the conditions set by them, it might be improper to know and track his or her whereabouts, as it could hamper their right to privacy .
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