New Delhi, Oct 15: The Delhi High Court on Thursday recorded the assurance given by the Delhi Police that all possible measures under the law would be taken to control the proposed protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its founder Abhijeet Dipke at Connaught Place on Friday.

A Bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma took on record the assurance given by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre and Delhi Police, after a petitioner expressed apprehension that the proposed demonstration could disrupt business activities in Connaught Place.

The High Court was hearing a plea filed by Anil Kumar Gupta, a street vendor at Palika Bazar in Connaught Place, seeking directions to restrain the CJP from organising any agitation, demonstration, march or gathering at Central Park or any other place not designated as a protest venue.

Senior advocate Sacchin Puri, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the proposed demonstration could severely affect business activities in the area, particularly as it coincides with a major Hindu festival and the festive weekend.

Puri urged the High Court to directly restrain Dipke from holding the protest, stating that the traders had already suffered substantial losses over the past week and would be severely affected if the disruption continued through the weekend.

The ACJ Sambre-led Bench was informed that Dipke had already been served notice through email.

Recording the assurance given by the Centre’s law officer, the High Court said that the petitioner’s apprehensions would be addressed and all possible measures under the law would be taken to control and regulate the activities of the CJP founder.

“The respondents (authorities) have already taken action to control and regulate the activities of respondent no. 6 (Dipike) and all possible measures under the law will be taken,” the High Court recorded in its order, posting the matter for further consideration on November 3.

The plea was mentioned before the Acting Chief Justice earlier in the day by Puri, who sought urgent intervention to prevent the proposed gathering, apprehending that it could lead to traffic congestion, disruption of public life, and financial losses to traders in Connaught Place.

The proposed demonstration follows a call by CJP founder Dipke asking people to gather at Central Park at 5 p.m. on Friday to wave the national flag in protest against the arrest of the party’s co-conveners, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.

In a video message posted on X on Wednesday, Dipke described the proposed agitation as ‘Lehra do Tiranga’ and urged people to participate, asserting that waving the national flag was not a crime.

Das and Ranka were sent to five days’ judicial custody on Wednesday in connection with the Jantar Mantar trespassing case, while another CJP leader, Ajinkya Shinde, was released on a personal bond. The three party members were placed under preventive arrest over allegations of trespassing at Jantar Mantar, which has been de-notified as a designated protest site.

They were booked for alleged trespassing, violation of bond conditions, and obstruction of public servants in the discharge of their duties.

Anand, Oct 15: Gujarat Police’s State Monitoring Cell (SMC) has seized fuel, chemicals and vehicles worth a combined Rs 1.72 crore in two separate raids in Anand district, arresting seven people in connection with the alleged theft of petroleum products and chemicals, officials said on Thursday.

In the first raid conducted at the premises of Rajpurohit Hotel on National Highway 48 along the Anand-Nadiad highway in Boriyavi, police seized 10,290 litres of diesel and petrol worth Rs 20.08 lakh, two vehicles valued at Rs 23 lakh, and four mobile phones worth Rs 15,500.

The total value of the seized property was Rs 43.25 lakh. A team led by State Monitoring Cell Police Inspector M.K. Malviya conducted the raid. Four people were arrested, and a case was registered at Anand Rural Police Station on October 14 under Sections 287, 316(4), 317(4), 61(2) and 112(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Sections 3, 7 and 8 of the Essential Commodities Act, the statement said.

The arrested accused were identified as Narvarbhai alias Natubhai Lakum, a resident of Dholka in Ahmedabad district; Swaroop Singh Rajpurohit, a resident of Barmer district in Rajasthan; Dhan Singh Rajpurohit, also from Barmer district; and Laxmanbhai Bharwad, a resident of Boriyavi in Anand district.

In a separate operation, the State Monitoring Cell seized chemicals weighing 65,312 kg, valued at Rs 71.84 lakh, from a location in Danteli village along the Vasad-Tarapur highway in Petlad taluka.

The seizure also included six plastic barrels worth Rs 700, three vehicles valued at Rs 57 lakh, and four mobile phones worth Rs 20,000. The total value of the seized property was Rs 1.29 crore.

The raid was conducted by Police Inspector A.J. Chauhan. A case was registered at Petlad Rural Police Station on October 14 under Sections 303(2), 316(3), 317(1), 317(2), 61(2)(a) and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Three people were arrested in the second case: Dharmendra Singh alias Munna Rajput and Rajan Singh Rajput, both residing in Kalali of Vadodara and originally from Sultanpur district in Uttar Pradesh; and Ramvikas Yadav, a resident of Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh.

A notice was issued to a 15-year-old boy, who is also from Uttar Pradesh and resides in Vadodara. Police identified two other accused, Vivek Vanvasi, from Pratapgarh district, and a person identified only as Vijay, as wanted.

Further investigation is ongoing in both cases.

New Delhi, Oct 15: The Ministry of Defence on Thursday said it has signed contracts worth Rs 4,106 crore for the acquisition of a dedicated communication satellite capability for the Indian Air Force, and Varunastra heavy-weight torpedoes for the Indian Navy.

Both contracts mark a significant step towards advancing the development of domestic defence manufacturing capabilities while promoting self-reliance in critical technologies in line with the government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make-in-India’ vision.

The contract for the GSAT-7C satellite, valued at Rs 2,563 crore, was signed with New Space India Limited, Bengaluru.

According to an official statement, this indigenously designed, developed and manufactured satellite will enhance the secure, resilient and seamless communication capabilities for the assets of the Indian Air Force, thereby strengthening operational effectiveness.

Meanwhile, the contract for Varunastra, worth Rs 1,543 crore, was signed with Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.

Varunastra is an indigenous ship-launched anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory.

“Equipped with advanced manoeuvring capabilities, it is capable of engaging enemy submarines at long ranges, thereby enhancing the anti-submarine warfare capability of the Indian Navy,” said the statement.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 661.50 crore deal with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited for the procurement of BrahMos fire control system and launchers for Indian Navy ships under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category.

With a minimum of 68 per cent indigenous content, the project encourages active participation of various Indian industries, including MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) in the supply chain. The project will generate employment over a period of three years.

It also bolsters India’s maritime security architecture and defence capabilities and marks a critical milestone in the ongoing efforts to indigenise advanced military technology, according to the Defence Ministry statement.

The BrahMos System fitted on board various frontline warships is the Indian Navy’s primary Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM) system for maritime strike operations. The weapon system is capable of targeting land and sea targets from extended ranges with pinpoint accuracy at supersonic speed.