National News
SC agrees to extend tenure of ED chief Sanjay Mishra till September 15 (Lead)
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to extend, till September 15, the tenure of the present ED Director Sanjay Mishra, who was due to demit office on July 31 in accordance with its recent judgement.
“In ordinary circumstances we would not have accepted such an application…taking into consideration larger public interest, we permit the ED Director to continue till September 15, 2023,” a special bench of Justices B.R. Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol ordered.
However, the bench clarified that it will not entertain any further application by the Centre seeking extension of tenure of the present ED Director. It said that Mishra will cease to hold the post from the midnight of September 15/16, 2023.
At the outset of the hearing, the bench asked whether the ED does not have any other competent officer to deal with the FATF review.
“Are you not giving a picture that your entire department is full of incompetent officers? You have only one officer? Is it not demoralising the entire force?” queried the special bench.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, repeatedly urged before the court that any change in leadership at the ED would adversely impact India’s national interests in view of the ongoing FATF Review which is at a critical stage.
“Circumstances are unusual. From November 3, FATF will visit India. This is a peer review of the past 5 years. This isn’t an annual exercise. Continuity will help the country,” he said.
“It is not that one person is indispensable. It’s just that continuity will help give a better presentation to the international body. We need continuity to put forth that before the international body,” he added.
The FATF is an inter-governmental body which has developed its recommendations to prevent and combat money laundering and terror financing. Around 200 countries, including India, have committed to implement these standards. The FATF conducts peer reviews of all its member countries on a regular basis to assess levels of implementation of the FATF recommendations and provide an in-depth description and analysis of each country’s system for preventing criminal abuse of the financial system.
On the other hand, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi opposed the application for extension, saying that Centre is making an attempt to get a review of the judgment rendered by the apex court.
Senior advocate Anoop G. Chaudhari, representing original writ petitioners, argued that in relation to FAFT, the main authority is Union Revenue Secretary and application filed by the Centre is “misconceived” and “deserves to be rejected”.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan went on to say that the Centre’s application is a “gross abuse of process of court” and a review application has been filed in guise of an application seeking extension.
In its order delivered in open court, the bench allowed the Union government’s request “in view of the larger public interest”, but granted an extension only till September 15, while the application moved by the Centre has requested extension up to October 15.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court agreed to constitute a special bench to hear the Centre’s application on July 27 after Mehta sought an urgent listing of the matter.
In a judgement on July 11, the Supreme Court dubbed the extension of Mishra as “illegal” for violating the mandate of the top court’s judgment in 2021. However, the top court had allowed him to continue in the post till July 31 taking into consideration the concerns expressed by the Union government with regard to the FATF review and taking into consideration that the process of fresh appointment would take some time.
The court had held that the extension granted to Mishra was contrary to an earlier 2021 judgment rendered by a division bench of the Supreme Court in this regard.
Mishra was first appointed as ED Director for a two-year term in November 2018. His term expired in November 2020. In May 2020, he had reached the retirement age of 60.
However, on November 13, 2020, the Central government issued an office order stating that the President had modified the 2018 order to the effect that a time of ‘two years’ was changed to a period of ‘three years.’ This was challenged before the Supreme Court by the NGO Common Cause.
The Supreme Court in a September 2021 verdict approved the modification, but ruled against granting more extensions to Mishra. After the court’s decision in 2021, the Central government brought in an ordinance amending the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act, giving itself the power to extend the tenure of the ED Director by up to five years, and the law in this regard was subsequently passed by the Parliament.
“Challenge to CVC Act and Delhi Special Police Establishment Act is dismissed to that extent. Extension granted to Sanjay Kumar Mishra after Supreme Court verdict is illegal. However, he is permitted to hold office till July 31, 2023,” the court had ordered on July 11.
Crime
Operation VISTA 1.0: Delhi Police arrest seven Bangladeshi nationals for violating visa conditions

New Delhi, Aug 11: In a major crackdown on foreign nationals violating immigration norms, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of Delhi Police’s Central District successfully carried out “Operation VISTA 1.0” (Visa Status Verification), leading to the apprehension of seven Bangladeshi nationals for violating the conditions of their visas and overstaying in India beyond the permissible period.
The operation was launched as part of an ongoing drive to identify foreign nationals residing illegally in the national capital by overstaying or breaching visa regulations. During the special verification campaign, police teams conducted extensive checks at hotels, guest houses, and other establishments accommodating foreign nationals across the Central District.
According to Delhi Police, the operation gained momentum when a police team patrolling the Nabi Karim area received specific information from a reliable source that several Bangladeshi nationals whose visas had expired were residing illegally there. Acting on the information, the police apprehended one individual, identified as MD Nazrul Islam Foisal, a resident of Noakhali district in Bangladesh.
During questioning, Foisal disclosed that he was a Bangladeshi national residing in the Nabi Karim area. He produced his Bangladeshi passport, which was verified on the spot. Police found that his passport had been issued on February 8, and that his authorised stay in India was valid only until August 7. However, he was found residing in the country beyond the permitted period without obtaining any extension or authorisation from the competent authorities.
During sustained interrogation, Foisal revealed that several other Bangladeshi nationals were also living in Delhi after violating the conditions of their visas. The information was immediately shared with Inspector Sandeep Dabas, In-Charge of AATS, Central District, who directed the formation of a dedicated team to verify the information and take necessary action.
Based on the disclosure, police teams conducted raids at multiple locations in Delhi, including Madanpur Khaddar and Janta Flats in Sarita Vihar. During the raids, six more Bangladeshi nationals were located and apprehended. Their passports, visas and travel documents were thoroughly examined.
Verification of their immigration records revealed that all seven individuals had entered India legally on Double Entry Visas. Under the conditions of these visas, each visitor was permitted to stay in India for a maximum of 15 days per visit. However, despite the validity of their visas, all seven had exceeded the permissible duration of stay without obtaining any extension or authorisation from the authorities.
Police said the violation constituted a breach of visa conditions and attracted legal action under the applicable provisions governing the stay of foreign nationals in India.
Following verification, all seven Bangladeshi nationals were produced before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which initiated legal proceedings against them. The FRRO subsequently issued Restriction Orders directing that the individuals be detained pending deportation proceedings.
The seven apprehended individuals have been identified as MD Nazrul Islam Foisal, 26, Mohammad Amjad Hossen, 26, Moinul Hossain, 24, Alamin, 25, MD Kawasae Ali, 25, Amran Hossain, 29, and Afranul Haque Bhuyan Sami, 23, all residents of different districts of Bangladesh.
During interrogation, the accused admitted that they had entered India on valid Double Entry Visas and were residing in various parts of Central and South Delhi. Detailed scrutiny of their travel documents established that although their visas remained valid, they had violated the mandatory condition restricting each stay to a maximum of 15 days.
Police officials said all facts were cross-verified with immigration records before legal action was initiated. The authorities emphasised that the action was taken strictly in accordance with immigration laws and established procedures.
As part of the proceedings, police seized and verified seven Bangladeshi passports, seven Indian Double Entry Visas and seven mobile phones. These documents have been taken into possession for verification and further legal action.
The apprehended individuals have been shifted to the Detention Centre at Sewa Dham, Shahzada Bagh, Sarai Rohilla, where they will remain until the completion of deportation formalities.
Police further stated that no previous criminal involvement of any of the seven Bangladeshi nationals has come to light during verification. The present action pertains solely to violations of visa conditions arising from overstaying beyond the permissible period prescribed under their visas.
National News
Don’t panic, don’t run away; listen to HM Shah’s reply: BJP sharpens attack on Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, Aug 11: Amid the ongoing Parliament stand-off, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a scathing critique of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, accusing them of holding the House to ransom and exploiting the students’ protest to gain political mileage.
In a pointed attack at the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, the BJP claimed that his arrogance was a key reason behind the Parliament logjam.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Constitution makers would never have imagined that the temple of democracy would become ‘hostage’ to whims, fancies, and the arrogant attitude of any ‘Shehzada’, a pointed reference to LoP Rahul Gandhi.
“Bhaago mat, daro mat, aur kaan kholkar .. grih mantri ka jawaab suno,” the BJP MP said in Hindi, roughly translating into “don’t run, don’t get frightened, and listen to Home Minister’s reply with open ears”.
Pinning the blame on Rahul and Congress for the Parliament washout, he said that the Opposition’s behaviour over the past few days clearly exhibited their disruption tactics and blatant bid to derail the House proceedings.
He said the government was quick and prompt in addressing the issues raised by the Opposition, but they didn’t keep their word.
“They (Opposition) have been consistently changing the goalposts. First, they demanded stern action against the paper leak mafia and strict regulations to address flaws in the NEET examinations. A new bill was approved by the Cabinet and passed by Parliament, the Education Minister stepped down from his post, and the cases against unruly elements during the Jantar Mantar demonstration were also withdrawn,” the BJP national spokesperson said.
Trivedi stated that the government also agreed to the Opposition’s demand for the Home Minister’s reply, but they decided to run away from debate.
“They insisted on Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on the Delhi Police crackdown. The government and Home Minister are ready to give a reply in the House, but the Congress party is bent on disrupting the House by now allowing it to function,” the BJP MP pointed out, accusing them of holding the House to ransom.
Claiming that Congress has a history of ‘running away’, he stated that whenever the government readies its reply on any issue, the Opposition develops cold feet and runs away from the House. He cited previous instances, including the Prime Minister’s reply on the Manipur crisis.
“You must not be frightened; you must not run away from debate. You are neither going to Ranchi, nor are you listening to debate that you are demanding,” he said.
Further taking a swipe at ‘Chhattron ki Goonj’, a Congress event to mobilise students’ anger over paper leaks, Trivedi said that the agony and pain of protesting students was not audible to Rahul and the Congress party because of their duplicity.
“Congress party is least worried about the causes and interests of students and is rather milking the issue for political point-scoring, and their leader (Rahul Gandhi) is leaving no opportunity to hold the House to ransom,” he said.
“When Parliament session is underway, he runs away from the House, and after the session is over, he heads on jaunts at foreign locations,” said Trivedi in a bitter taunt.
National News
Mixed response to Jharkhand bandh, ABVP workers held during protest in Ranchi

Ranchi : The bandh called by the BJP across Jharkhand and the Assembly gherao programme organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Ranchi on Tuesday, in protest against the police lathicharge on students agitating over alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations, witnessed a mixed response.
While BJP workers staged demonstrations and blocked roads at several locations in the state capital, ABVP activists attempting to march towards the Jharkhand Assembly were stopped and detained by the police.
Despite sporadic disruptions, normal life remained largely unaffected in many parts of Ranchi during the morning hours. Most commercial establishments stayed open and vehicular movement was largely smooth across the city.
From around 8 a.m., BJP workers took to the streets in several localities, urging traders to down shutters in support of the bandh. Road blockades were reported from Kanke Road, Ratu Road, Harmu Chowk, Argora Chowk, Bodeya and near the CMPDI gate.
Protesters also burnt tyres at several places, disrupting traffic for brief periods before police personnel cleared the roads and restored movement.
In Namkum, BJP workers staged a sit-in protest at Bazaar Chowk around 11 a.m. and blocked the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway after burning tyres. Police later detained the protesters and removed the blockade, resulting in long queues of vehicles on both sides of the highway.
A similar protest was organised in Lowadih under the leadership of BJP Mandal president Ashok Gop. According to police, 11 bandh supporters were detained from Lowadih and 17 from Namkum and taken to the local police station.
However, the impact of the bandh was uneven across the state capital. Markets remained open and traffic moved normally in several areas, including Main Road, Bariatu and Morabadi.
Meanwhile, the ABVP’s Assembly gherao programme saw activists from across the state gather near the old Assembly complex to protest Monday’s police action against students associated with the JPSC-JSSC movement.
Sloganeering activists sat on the road and attempted to proceed towards the Assembly premises, but were stopped by police.
A brief scuffle ensued between protesters and security personnel during the standoff.
Police subsequently detained the activists and escorted them into buses. In a dramatic show of protest, some student leaders climbed onto bus roofs and continued raising slogans, while others lay down on the road in front of and behind the vehicles.
Outside Ranchi, the bandh had a more pronounced impact in several districts, including Hazaribagh, Palamu, Giridih and Chatra, where BJP workers organised demonstrations and road blockades, affecting vehicular movement.
In Palamu district, BJP workers blocked roads at Chhahmuhan and Redma Chowk in Daltonganj from the early hours of the morning. BJP’s Palamu district president Amit Tiwari accused the state government of endangering the future of the state’s youth through alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
In Simdega, party workers blocked National Highway-143 at multiple locations, including Biru, disrupting traffic. Similar road blockades were reported from Dhanwar in Giridih district and Pratappur in Chatra district. Demonstrations backing the bandh were also reported from several other parts of the state.
The bandh call came a day after clashes erupted between students and police during a march towards the Jharkhand Assembly. Thousands of students had gathered on Monday demanding cancellation of the disputed JPSC and JSSC examinations, reforms in the recruitment process, and a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.
Police had erected multiple barricades to prevent protesters from advancing towards the Assembly. Water cannons and tear gas were used to disperse the crowd, following which a lathicharge was carried out. Several students and police personnel were reportedly injured in the confrontation.
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