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Supreme Court Grants Bail To Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal In Delhi Liquor Policy Case; To Walk Out Of Jail Today

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Supreme Court Grants Bail To Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal In Delhi Liquor Policy Case; To Walk Out Of Jail Today

In a major relief for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court on Friday granted him bail in a corruption case registered by CBI in the alleged excise policy scam. Supreme Court observed that prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty.

The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan pronounced the order.

They stated that Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI is legal. According to Bar and Bench, the AAP chief will be released subject to a bail bond of Rs. 10 lakh.

Placing conditions on Kejriwal’s release, the court said he cannot make public comments about the case. Kejriwal has been asked to appear for trial unless exempted.

In the last hearing, the CBI opposed Kejriwal’s bail plea, stating he directly approached the High Court without first going to the Sessions Court.

ASG SV Raju, counsel for the CBI, had argued before the court that Kejriwal used his influence to harass an excise license holder from Punjab through his party-led government.

The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is lodged in Tihar Jail, is expected to walk out of the jail this evening after nearly five months of incarceration.

Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 while he was in judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) related to the same scam.

Following this, the Delhi CM approached the High Court challenging his arrest. On August 5, the Delhi High Court refused Kejriwal’s petition and asked him to approach the trial court for bail.

After the setback from the High Court, Kejriwal filed two pleas before the apex court, challenging the legality of his arrest by the CBI and seeking bail.

After hearing all sides in the case, the bench reserved its verdict on September 5.

The court granted the bail plea and rejected the second plea challenging the legality of his arrest.

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan’s scathing observation against CBI

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, in his separate judgment, lashed out at the CBI and stated that Kejriwal’s arrest by the agency after securing bail in the ED case was only intended to frustrate his release from prison. “The CBI did not feel the need to arrest him, even though he was interrogated in March 2023, and it was only after his ED arrest was stayed that the CBI became active and sought custody of Kejriwal. Thus, there was no need for his arrest for over 22 months. Such actions by the CBI raise serious questions about the timing of the arrest, and this arrest by the CBI was solely to frustrate the bail granted in the ED case,” Bar and Bench quoted Justice Bhuyan as saying.

He further criticised the Central probe agency, stating, “The CBI must be seen as above board, and every effort must be made to ensure that arrests are not carried out in a high-handed manner. In this country, perception matters, and the CBI must dispel the notion of being a ‘caged parrot’ and show that it is an uncaged parrot. The CBI should be like Caesar’s wife, above suspicion,” he said in his order.

Investigative agencies have accused Kejriwal of misconduct in drafting the now-scrapped 2021-22 Delhi excise policy.

Kejriwal was initially arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with the case.

Although the Supreme Court later granted him interim bail in the ED case, he remained in jail because the CBI formally arrested him on June 26 while he was already in judicial custody related to the ED investigation.

Crime

Woman tourist harassment case: Two Kerala cops suspended, two taxi drivers arrested (Lead)

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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3: In a swift action following the viral video of a woman tourist being harassed by local taxi drivers in Munnar, the Kerala Police, on Monday, have suspended two officials and taken two taxi drivers — identified as Vinayakan and Vijayakumar — into custody.

The case has sparked widespread outrage on social media, prompting the state government to promise corrective steps to ensure tourist safety in the hill station.

The video, originally posted by Janvi, a Mumbai-based assistant professor, showed a group of taxi drivers confronting and intimidating her and her friends for booking an online cab instead of a local taxi near the KSRTC bus stand in Munnar on October 30.

The drivers, reportedly opposed to app-based taxi services, allegedly warned the tourists that they would not be allowed to travel unless they hired local taxis.

Janvi alleged that when she approached the police for help, officers failed to act, echoing the stance of the taxi union.

“We were forced to take another vehicle and eventually cut short our trip out of fear,” she said in the video, which has since been deleted but had already gone viral.

Following the public outcry, the Munnar police registered a suo motu case under Sections 126(2), 351(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation.

The FIR did not initially name any accused, but police have since identified three taxi drivers, two of whom are in custody, with the third expected to be taken into custody soon.

State Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas called the incident “unfortunate” and said it “should never have happened,” adding that steps will be taken to strengthen police vigilance and prevent the harassment of tourists in the future.

The incident has reignited debate over the monopoly of local taxi unions in tourist destinations and the challenges faced by app-based cab services in Kerala.

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Entertainment

Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’ hops on December 25 release after ‘Alpha’ moves to April

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Mumbai, Nov 3: Bollywood is a place where timing is of essence. Be it the box-office clashes or their aversion, timing plays a huge role in how things play out on the ticket windows.

The Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’, which was earlier scheduled to close the entertainment year on December 31, 2025, now has a new release date. The film is set to arrive in cinemas on December 25, 2025.

Over the past few years, Kartik Aaryan has emerged as one of the most bankable stars in the country, consistently delivering hits across genres. Whether it’s a mass entertainer, a romantic drama, the actor’s name alone now commands strong box office openings. His relatability, charm, and growing stardom have positioned him as the face of the new-age commercial cinema, someone who bridges the gap between youth appeal and family audiences.

However, the true star power also lies in being smart with the release of the films. The change in the release date of the film comes shortly after Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Alpha’ vacated December 25, and shifted to April 17, 2026. Kartik, and the makers made a quick decision to consolidate the closing week of 2025 at the box-office.

With Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri, Kartik seems to have found his festive rhythm from lighting up Diwali with laughter and emotion in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 to now taking over Christmas with love and melody. Well, the excitement is sky rocketing amongst the audience and business.

The film also marks the reunion of Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday, who are all set to recreate their sizzling on-screen chemistry after years. They were earlier seen together in ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’.

Produced by Dharma Productions and Namah Pictures, the rom-com is directed by Sameer Vidwans, with whom Kartik delivered the much-loved romantic drama ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’.

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Business

Indian stock markets end higher after two days of losses

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Mumbai, Nov 3: Indian equity markets ended a volatile session on a positive note on Monday, snapping a two-day losing streak.

Gains in real estate and state-owned bank stocks helped lift the indices despite early weakness.

After opening lower, the Sensex recovered to touch an intra-day high of 84,127 before closing 39.78 points, or 0.05 per cent, higher at 83,978.49.

The Nifty also gained 41.25 points, or 0.16 per cent, to end at 25,763.35.

“The Nifty oscillated between 25,700 and 25,800 through the day, showing resilience after briefly dipping below the October 24 low of 25,718,” analysts said.

“The zone between 25,660–25,700 once again acted as a strong demand pocket, helping the index recover intraday losses and maintain a constructive tone ahead of key global data releases,” they added.

Among the Sensex stocks, Maruti Suzuki fell over 3 per cent and was among the top losers along with Titan Company, BEL, TCS, ITC, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Steel and tech Mahindra.

On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, and HCL Tech were the major gainers.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index rose 0.77 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index advanced 0.72 per cent, showing strength beyond the frontline stocks.

Among sectoral indices, PSU bank shares led the rally, with the Nifty PSU Bank index climbing 1.92 per cent.

Bank of Baroda surged 5 per cent, while Canara Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, and Indian Bank also gained.

The Nifty Metal and Realty indices also added up to 2 per cent each.

Meanwhile, the FMCG, Private Bank, and IT indices slipped up to 0.4 per cent, capping the market’s overall gains.

Analysts said that despite mixed global cues and cautious investor sentiment, buying in select sectors helped the markets end the day in the green.

“The domestic market ended on a marginal positive note as profit booking was visible at the higher levels due to the absence of fresh domestic triggers,” market watchers said.

“While the broader market outperformed since the quarterly earnings are steering investors’ preference to take a short- to medium-term view,” they mentioned.

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