Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while clarifying in a high-level meeting on the communal violence in Nagpur, said that the violence happened due to social media. The video of setting fire to Aurangzeb’s symbolic grave was shared on social media saying that Kalma Tayyaba’s chaadar was burnt, after which this video went viral on social media.

In the afternoon, the police had heard the complaint after hushing up the matter, but in the evening rumors were spread through social media and the situation worsened. He said that a report has been sought from Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singhal and senior officials on the Nagpur violence and the situation has been reviewed. Law and order is maintained.

He said that those who attacked the police will not be spared and strict action will be taken against them. He said that property loss and compensation will be recovered from the rioters who committed violence, otherwise their property will be confiscated. On the lines of UP, Devendra Fadnavis has now announced that the losses from the rioters will be compensated in Maharashtra as well. He said that so far many accused have been arrested, including four children.

So far 105 accused have been arrested. Curfew has also been relaxed. Addressing the press, Fadnavis said that social media accounts that disturb peace are being investigated. Many objectionable content has also been removed.

Fadnavis said that people were misled on social media and crowds were mobilized in it. Investigation of global conspiracy is also going on. So far investigation of controversial content on social media is going on. He said that there was never a riot in Nagpur since 1992, but this violence was spread.

Wellington, March 22: Calling India an “increasingly important partner”, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Saturday that the partnership between the two countries has “grown much stronger” during his five-day visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, earlier this week.

“India, the world’s most populous country, is an increasingly important partner for New Zealand. That partnership has grown much stronger during my visit this week,” Luxon said after returning home from an official visit to India from March 16-20.

“It was a pleasure to visit India this week and spend time with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss ways to strengthen ties between our countries. I am delighted that negotiations on a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement have now been launched,” he added.

This was Luxon’s first visit to India in his current capacity – also the first by a New Zealand Prime Minister since October 2016. During their discussions, both Prime Ministers welcomed the launch of FTA negotiations for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial trade agreement to achieve deeper economic integration.

“India is one of the fastest-growing economies and on track to become the third largest in the world over the next 10 years. Our Government is relentlessly focused on growing our economy so that all Kiwis can do better, and the launch of negotiations presents an opportunity to do exactly that,” Luxon posted on X on Saturday.

Bolstering bilateral defence cooperation, the two countries have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Defence Cooperation and noted the need for ensuring the safety and security of sea lanes of communication while agreeing that there needs to be regular dialogue to discuss enhancement of maritime safety.

“New Zealand’s commitment to regional security has also been reinforced, with New Zealand and India announcing a new Defence Cooperation Arrangement,” the New Zealand PM said on Saturday.

During his five-day visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, Luxon was also accompanied by Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston; Ethnic Communities, and Sport and Recreation Minister Mark Mitchell; Todd McClay, the Minister for Trade and Investment, Agriculture, and Forestry; and, a high-level delegation comprising of officials, and representatives of businesses, community diaspora, media and cultural groups.

“On top of that, I and our business delegation focused on enhancing New Zealand’s presence in key sectors, including education, technology, tourism, investment, manufacturing, food and primary industries. Unlocking new business opportunities, 33 MOUs and other commercial outcomes were progressed on the mission, reflecting the growing partnerships between New Zealand and Indian businesses,” Luxon said after returning home.

New Delhi, March 22: Key facts about the March 14 fire incident and subsequent developments at the residence of Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma are reported to have been mentioned in an in-house enquiry report being perused by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna over the alleged ‘cash at home’ episode.

The report was submitted by Delhi HC’s Chief Justice, D.K. Upadhyay, late on Friday, recreating the chain of events and the information gathered by fire-fighters and other first responders.

The findings of the in-house probe hold significance as the laid down procedure prescribes that if the enquiry finds credible evidence of wrongdoing against a judge the matter may call for a formal impeachment process.

Despite Justice Varma’s recommended transfer to the Allahabad High Court and speculation over recovery of unaccounted for cash at his home, his name on Saturday continued to appear in the Delhi High Court’s Roster for sitting of judges effective from March 17, 2025.

In the Roster, Justice Varma’s name appeared along with Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar under Division Bench-III which deals with writ petitions challenging Constitutional validity of any Act, Statutory Rule, Regulation or Notification pertaining to Municipal Tax. The Bench is also designated for dealing with matters related to Sales Tax and GST.

Even the Advance Cause list of the High Court for March 24 uploaded on the official website mentioned 45 matters likely to be taken up on Monday by DB-III headed by Justice Varma. On Friday, the day when the alleged ‘cash at home’ was reported, Justice Varma had not reported to office.

In response to the speculation, the Supreme Court issued a clarification stating that Justice Varma’s recommended transfer to the Allahabad High Court was not related to the alleged discovery of cash at his official residence. The court stressed that the transfer decision was made independently of the ongoing enquiry into the matter.

Chief of Delhi Fire Services (DFS), Atul Garg, on Friday denied reports attributing to him a statement claiming that no cash was found during firefighting operations at the residence of Justice Varma.

In a related development, some reports said that Justice Varma was earlier named in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR filed in 2018 over an alleged sugar mill bank fraud dating back to 2011-12.

The CBI registered an FIR against Simbhaoli Sugar Mills, its directors, and others, including Yashwant Varma, who was then a non-executive director of the company. The case originated from a complaint by the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC), accusing the sugar mill of defrauding the bank of nearly Rs 98 lakh through a fraudulent loan scheme.

The CBI FIR registered in Hapur in Uttar Pradesh against the firm was quashed by the Supreme Court in March last year, disagreeing with the Allahabad High Court’s decision to order a probe by the federal agency into the matter. The top court, however, said action by other agencies could be taken, if required.