Delhi News Highlights : Heavy rain lashes parts of Delhi-NCR; downpour causes waterlogging, traffic jams in the city

The NHRC said on Tuesday that it issued a notice to the Delhi government and the city's police commissioner over reports of 23 child labourers being rescued from the Northwest district.

They were reportedly brought from nearby states and allegedly worked in various factories, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement.

A survey of Delhi is required to know if there are more industrial units where children are being engaged as labourers and what action has been taken against them, it said.

The rights body took suo motu cognisance of a media report from July 5 that said 23 child labourers, including nine girls, were rescued from the Saraswati Vihar area.

It observed that the content of the report, if true, raised a serious issue of violation of the rights of the children. (PTI)

With the growing number of cyber fraud incidents targeting electricity consumers being reported in Delhi, power discoms have urged consumers to exercise caution and follow safety tips.

"They (fraudsters) send messages claiming overdue payments and urging people to click on dubious links or call unfamiliar numbers. These links often lead to malware-infested websites, while the phone calls connect you to imposters posing as official representatives," a discom official said.

Recently, a doctor in Delhi fell victim to a similar cyber fraud after clicking on a fake link supposedly to pay his electricity bill, losing Rs 6 lakh, discom officials said, adding that an increasing number of electricity bill scams are being reported from across the country.

A spokesperson of BSES discoms -- BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) -- said that consumers need to remain vigilant and exercise caution while paying their electricity bills and use only bonafide BSES-authorised platforms. (PTI)

The Delhi BJP demanded that the AAP government call an all-party meeting on monsoon preparedness and desilting of drains after some parts of the national capital faced waterlogging following Tuesday's heavy rain.

The city government should call an all-party meeting within 24 hours on the cleaning of drains and monsoon preparedness or be ready to face a protest, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said in a press conference.

No immediate reaction was available from AAP.

A sudden downpour, accompanied by wind, swept parts of Delhi, catching people off guard and causing waterlogging and traffic jams.

The public works department said it received 22 calls regarding waterlogging and around three to four complaints of trees getting uprooted till the afternoon.

BJP leaders claimed that the rain once again exposed the shortcomings of the AAP government. (PTI)

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked Sunita Kejriwal to file her response to a petition against her for allegedly sharing on social media a recording of the trial court proceedings pertaining to her husband and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case.

Sunita Kejriwal's counsel argued that the petitioner was "sensationalising" the issue and "dragging people when they have nothing to do" with it.

Her senior lawyer urged the court to "drop her" from the list of parties in the petition, stating she had merely "re-tweeted" the recording and was not the "originator" of the recording.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan observed that court proceedings cannot be recorded and shared on the internet and asked the counsel to place her stand in the form of a reply. 

Lawyer Vaibhav Singh had moved the high court earlier claiming that when Arvind Kejriwal was produced before a trial court on March 28 after his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case, he chose to address the court in-person. The recording of the proceedings was posted on social media platforms which is prohibited under the High Court of Delhi Rules for Video Conferencing for Courts, 2021. (PTI)

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the authorities to publicise child helpline number 1098 to deal with instances of begging by children in the national capital.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, while dealing with a PIL against child begging, was informed by the Delhi government that any person can report such an incident on the helpline, and a mechanism has been created to then counsel and send the child to either their parental home or a child care institution.

The court closed the PIL after taking on record the stand of the authorities and asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit showing compliance after eight weeks.

"The writ petition is disposed of...Respondents are directed to ensure publicity is given to the child helpline number 1098," the bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, ordered.

Represented by standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi, the Delhi government assured the court that the mechanism is in place to ensure timely response to incidents of begging by children. (PTI)

More than 40,000 injured people were shifted to city hospitals by the PCR (police control room) unit in the past 15 months, according to the data shared by Delhi Police.

"PCR unit is the first responder to any emergency situation. Since April 1, 2023, to July 7, our PCRs shifted 40,371 people to different hospitals in the city. A total of 4,293 people were shifted to hospitals in outer north district, followed by 4,121 in the north east district," Deputy Commissioner of Police (PCR) Anand Kumar Mishra told PTI.

The officer said the staff of the PCR is fully trained and always ready to help people in emergency situations.

"Our staffs are fully trained to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), they are loaded with different equipments to provide first-aid initially and they even go under training to deal with emergency situation time to time," the DCP said. (PTI)

In view of water logging at the Railway Under Bridge on Ram Bagh Road, Azad Market, traffic diversions were in place today. Delhi Traffic Police has notified on its official X handle that the underpass is now open for movement of traffic. Heavy rain in parts of the national capital on Tuesday led to waterlogging at several places and set traffic out of gear as commuters struggled to reach their destinations.

Azad Market underpass is open for the movement of traffic. https://t.co/1sX37UApm5

— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) July 9, 2024

The BJP-led Centre is hatching a "big conspiracy" against AAP, its national secretary Pankaj Gupta alleged on Tuesday over a supplementary ED charge sheet naming the party in the alleged excise policy scam.

Gupta also accused the BJP of wanting to finish off AAP, which governs Punjab and Delhi, at any cost.

A city court on Tuesday took cognisance of the seventh supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy "scam".

The federal probe agency has named Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP in the supplementary charge sheet.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja took cognisance of the charge sheet and issued a summons to Kejriwal for July 12. (PTI)

The fact finding committee of the Delhi government on Tuesday visited Satbari in southern Ridge area, where 1,100 trees were allegedly felled without proper permission.

Urban development minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that "the stump and stem of the cut trees were being removed from the place to keep a lid on the whole thing".

He said the land of the nearby farmhouses could have been acquired to build the road but, instead, trees in the forested area were cut down.

Revenue minister Atishi, who is also a part of the three-member fact finding committee, alleged that the "officers were hiding facts from the them and avoiding to attend the meeting" and said the committee will submit its report before the Supreme Court that is seized of the matter.

The AAP leaders have alleged that 1,100 trees in the southern Ridge area were cut by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on the lieutenant governor's verbal instructions. (PTI)

Heavy rain in parts of the national capital on Tuesday led to waterlogging at several places and set traffic out of gear as commuters struggled to reach their destinations.

The Public Works Department (PWD) said until afternoon, it received 22 calls regarding waterlogging and around three to four complaints related to uprooted trees.

"Movement of traffic has been restricted at Azad Market underpass in the carriageway from Azad Market towards Shastri Nagar due to waterlogging," the Delhi Traffic Police said on X.

In another post, the police said the traffic movement was affected on the Windsor Palace roundabout in front of Ashoka road from C-Hexagon due to damage of sewerage pipeline.

The weather office predicted rainfall in areas such as Narela, Bawana, Alipur, Mundka, Paschim Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Najafgarh, Dwarka, Akshardham, Vasant Vihar, Mehrauli, Chhatarpur and Aya Nagar, among others, during the next two hours. (PTI)

A Delhi Court on Tuesday took cognizance of the seventh and 8th supplementary chargesheets filed by the ED in the money laundering case linked to the excise policy "scam". AAP, Kejriwal (Delhi's CM), Vinod Chauhan (alleged hawala operator) and his associate Ashish Mathur were named as an accused in the two prosecution complaints.  Production warrants have been issued to the accused for July 12. Chauhan and Kejriwal are already in judicial custody. Aam Aadmi Party has also been summoned.

The Delhi-NCR region witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday morning, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted the maximum temperature to settle around 33 degrees Celsius. The AQI was recorded in the satisfactory category with a reading of 76 at 9 am today.

#WATCH | Heavy rain lashes parts of Delhi-NCR.

Visuals from Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/nXO1Pk6aWA

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2024

“Guarantees”, which the Congress believes played a significant role in enhancing its performance in the Lok Sabha polls, will make a comeback as part of the party’s bid for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections as well as the “larger aim” of returning to the city’s political mainstream.

According to a senior Congress leader, this would especially be the case at the Capital’s slum clusters and unauthorised colonies where its “core voter”, who has gravitated towards the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the last decade, resides and whose inhabitants are a blend of the SC, ST and OBC communities which the party credits for its performance in the Lok Sabha elections. (Read More)

Early Tuesday in Delhi's Seelampur area, two men, Umar (19) and Waseem (35), were shot at while sitting in a park around 1:40 am by two assailants.

They sustained bullet injuries to their legs and were promptly hospitalized. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Joy Tirkey confirmed the apprehension of one of the attackers, identified as Azad (42), a resident of Mustafabad, who has a history of five cases related to theft and snatching. A 7.65 mm pistol was seized from him.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday predicted generally clody sky with light to moderate rainfall in the Delhi-NCR region during the next 2 hours. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 33 degrees Celsius, it stated. The AQI was recorded in the satisfactory category with a reading of 76 at 9 am today.

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday ordered an intensive fogging and sanitation exercise, hospital visits to assess availability of medicines and other arrangements, and running awareness campaigns to prevent any dengue outbreak this year.

Bharadwaj chaired a high-level meeting with senior medical officers of Delhi government-run hospitals and health department officials to review preparedness for dengue management.

The minister directed the medical officers for immediate examination of people arriving with symptoms of dengue and their proper treatment, if found positive.

Dengue is caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Bharadwaj instructed the officials concerned to intensify fogging and cleaning campaigns in dengue-prone areas and directed medical superintendents to visit the facilities daily, according to a health department statement.

In a post in Hindi on X, he said, "Held a review meeting with medical superintendents and directors of all Delhi government hospitals regarding dengue cases during the rainy season." "Detailed information was sought about the availability of medicines in hospitals, arrangement of beds for dengue patients and other preparations. Instructions were also issued to take necessary steps to prevent dengue," he said in the post.

Bharadwaj also directed to ensure special arrangements for dengue patients in hospitals, availability of necessary medicines and beds.

If any mosquito breeding spot is spotted around hospital premises, it should be promptly brought to the notice of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for necessary action, he said.

The minister also mandated to ensure availability of mosquito nets in sufficient quantities for dengue patients.

Instructions were issued to run awareness campaigns to make the public aware and identify the symptoms of dengue, with an emphasis on holding such programmes in schools and public places, the statement said.

The minister further instructed to increase rapid testing and treatment of dengue. Information about measures to prevent dengue is to be disseminated through social media and other media, it said.

According to information from officials, fogging was being done in hospitals to prevent mosquito breeding. There is adequate availability of medicines and other necessary items for dengue and malaria patients in hospitals, it said.

During the meeting, the officers said separate arrangements had been made for dengue patients in the hospitals. They informed the minister that some beds were reserved for dengue and malaria patients.

These beds would also be provided with nets to prevent further mosquito bites, the hospital officers said.

(With PTI inputs)

Days after a water tanker ran over a man in a waterlogged street in Delhi's Sangam Vihar area, a CCTV footage of the incident has surfaced online.

A group of people allegedly attacked a water tanker with stones in Delhi's Sangam Vihar area on Thursday, leading to a chain of events in which one man was killed and another injured, police said.

One of the attackers died after being run over by the tanker, while a bystander was allegedly stabbed by one of the attacker and is currently hospitalised, they said.

A CCTV footage of the incident which happened surfaced on social media.

According to a police officer, an autorickshaw broke down in a narrow waterlogged lane of Sangam Vihar and its occupants were busy fixing it. A water tanker arrived in the waterlogged spot, splashing the group of people near the autorickshaw with rainwater, the officer said.

Angry at the driver of the water tanker, three to four men are seen purportedly attacking the tanker with stones in the 2-minute CCTV footage. Initially, the attackers made an attempt to pull the driver out of the vehicle, the video showed.

Under attack from the group, the driver of the water tanker waited for some time but when the attack did not stop, he is seen speeding away, running over one of the attackers.

Auto driver Bablu Ahmed, who was a bystander, was then allegedly stabbed to death after he questioned the need to attack the tanker, police said.

Tanker driver Sapan Singh (35) fled from the spot, while Shahdab alias Saddam was mowed down in the incident, the officer said.

Saddam was rushed to Batra Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The tanker driver fled leaving the vehicle a short distance from the spot, police said.

Bablu Ahmed was rushed to Majeedia Hospital, where he was referred to Safdarjung Hospital. He is under treatment.

Another police police officer said three separate FIRs were registered in connection with the case and two persons, including the tanker driver, have been arrested so far. Further investigations were underway, police said.

(With PTI inputs)

In a significant move, the Delhi government has put on hold the transfer orders of around 5,000 school teachers who have been posted in the same school for more than 10 years. This decision comes after Lt Governor V.K. Saxena directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to keep the transfers in abeyance as an interim measure. The transfer orders, issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) on July 2, 2024, had sparked controversy and concerns among teachers, students, and parents. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that the transfers were a "conspiracy" of the BJP, while the Congress criticized both parties over the issue.

Education Minister Atishi congratulated the people of Delhi for the decision, stating that the BJP could not digest the transformation of government schools in the last 10 years and the record-setting results of students. She promised to not let Delhi's education revolution go to waste and assured teachers, students, and parents that their concerns would be addressed.

The education department has now constituted an appropriate committee, comprising representatives of all stakeholders and experts, to take a holistic, sympathetic, and fair view of the matter. The transfers have been kept in abeyance until further orders, and the postings of all such teachers have been restored as of July 1, 2024.

The Government Schools Teachers Association (GSTA), however, has criticized the Delhi government's education model, stating that the appointment of teachers is meant for teaching only and that the introduction of various curricula has led to a waste of teaching periods. The Delhi Congress president, Devender Yadav, has also accused the AAP and BJP of turning a routine procedure into a political slugfest.

Delhi Congress leader Anil Chaudhary has accused the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) of demolishing nearly 200 houses in Chilla Khader, driving hundreds of poor people into the open without providing an alternative relocation site, despite their possession of valid residential proof. Chaudhary alleged that the DDA misrepresented in court that the farmers living in Chilla Khader were engaged in commercial activities, and within two days of the court order, the DDA arrived with bulldozers early in the morning to demolish the houses of the farmers without even providing tents nearby for relocation, which he termed as inhumane and against the court's direction.

The Congress leader stated that from Okhla barrage to Chilla Khader, nearly 1,500 families carry out farming activities on the Yamuna floodplains and possess all relevant documents to do so, as it is their sole means of livelihood.

Chaudhary said the Delhi Congress will meet the lieutenant governor and other concerned authorities, and approach higher courts if needed to seek justice for these uprooted people, as they were about to harvest their farm products which will now get submerged due to the release of water from the Hathni Kund barrage in Haryana.

He alleged that the Kejriwal government changed the rehabilitation policy framed by the Congress government to harm the poor people living on lands owned by various government agencies. Chaudhary further alleged that the Congress government had constructed 45,000 flats under the Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojana at a cost of over Rs 2,000 crore, but these flats have not yet been allotted to the slum dwellers for whom they were constructed.

(With PTI inputs)

VIDEO | "In the last 10 years, the Arvind Kejriwal-government has completely destroyed the school education system in Delhi. There is a shortage of 600 teachers in Delhi schools. But, the government has deployed 5,000 teachers for such tasks that they can't teach students now.… pic.twitter.com/k6Sx2zDwWQ

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 8, 2024

Delhi cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Monday that the state government's fact finding committee will visit the Ridge area on Tuesday where 1,100 trees were allegedly felled.

The AAP leaders have alleged that 1,100 trees in the southern Ridge area were cut by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on the lieutenant governor's verbal instructions.

The government has constituted a fact finding committee comprising ministers Bharadwaj, Atishi and Imran Hussain to look into the matter.

"Fact Finding Committee will visit the site at SAARC Chowk, Satbari Chhattarpur tomorrow around 11:30 am where around 1100 trees have been illegally cut by DDA. It has been alleged that in the name of road widening, trees have been illegally cut in eco sensitive zone of Ridge," Bharadwaj said in a post on X.

(With PTI inputs)

The BJP's Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva on Monday appointed Raj Kumar Bhatia as a vice-president and Vishnu Mittal as a general secretary in the state organisation.

Bhatia is a former district president while Mittal served as a vice-president of the Delhi BJP.
The three general secretaries of the unit -- Harsh Malhotra, Yogendra Chandolia and Kamaljeet Sehrawat -- were recently elected to the Lok Sabha.

Malhotra is now a minister of state in the central government.

Party leaders said Mittal was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by Malhotra's elevation as a minister.
Chandolia and Sehrawat have been asked to continue to discharge their responsibilities as general secretaries, a senior party leader said.

(With PTI inputs)

VIDEO | PM Modi receives a ceremonial welcome on his arrival in Moscow.

(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/MtjyaO7Aop

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 8, 2024

The Delhi High Court has refused to set aside the Central government's order blocking the open-source messaging application ‘Briar' in Jammu and Kashmir as it is suspected to be used by terrorists and could be a potential threat to national security.

The high court observed that in matters of national security, principles of natural justice can be given a go-by.

“The interim order has been reviewed by the committee constituted under Section 7 of the Blocking Rules and as stated earlier, the committee consists of top officials of the Government of India. The blocking orders have been passed for 14 applications/ softwares, including the software/ application of the petitioner herein as it was being used by the terrorists and their supporters to disturb the security and sovereignty of the country.

“The application of the petitioner has been blocked only in Jammu and Kashmir and the same can be used in all other parts of the country. In view of the above, this court is not inclined to entertain the present writ petition. Accordingly, the writ petition is dismissed,” Justice Subramonium Prasad said.

Sublime Software Ltd, the petitioner, sought direction to the Centre to produce and publish the order passed by it under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, blocking its open-source messaging application ‘Briar' and also prayed for setting aside that order.

It was stated that Briar operates on a technology in which a person can directly send a message to another person even when there is no internet connectivity.

It added that the technology is crucial in times of emergency, natural calamities, and catastrophic disasters in providing emergency healthcare and disaster management as it enables smooth communication between persons and authorities during times of distress.

On the other hand, the Centre's counsel submitted that the software, which can work even when there is no internet connection, is suspected to be used by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

(With PTI inputs)

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court is hearing the third supplementary chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the corruption case linked to the excise policy "scam" against BRS legislator K Kavitha.

SPP DP Singh appearing for CBI said, "Cognizance of the case has already been taken. We are aware that a policy was made and the influence of South Group was there. All key persons in the group worked under Kavitha's command."

The Delhi High Court has refused to refer to a medical board the case of a 30-year-old man, who suffered head injuries in 2013 and is lying in a vegetative state, for allowing to undergo passive euthanasia.

Passive euthanasia refers to intentionally letting a patient die by withholding artificial life support such as a ventilator or feeding tube.

The high court said the facts of the case indicate the man is not being kept alive mechanically and he can sustain himself without any extra external aid.

“The petitioner is not on any life support system and the petitioner is surviving without any external aid. While the court sympathises with the parents, as the petitioner is not terminally ill, this court cannot intervene and allow consideration of a prayer that is legally untenable,” Justice Subramonium Prasad said.

The high court also referred to several Supreme Court judgments in which it was held that active euthanasia is legally impermissible.

“The petitioner is thus living and no one, including a physician, is permitted to cause the death of another person by administering any lethal drug, even if the objective is to relieve the patient from pain and suffering,” it said.

The court said it was not inclined to accept the request of the petitioner to refer him to a medical board to consider whether he could be allowed to undergo passive euthanasia and dismissed the petition.

(With PTI inputs)

The Delhi government, acting on Lt Governor V K Saxena's orders, has paused the transfer of 5,000 school teachers who have been in the same school for over 10 years. This decision follows a meeting between Delhi BJP leaders, teacher representatives, and the LG. Delhi Education Minister Atishi accused the BJP of conspiring behind these transfer orders but praised the withdrawal decision.

The education department cited numerous representations regarding the recent transfer orders by the Directorate of Education (DoE). An appropriate committee will be formed to review the situation fairly. Until further notice, the transfer orders dated 02.07.2024 are suspended, and teachers' postings are restored to their status as of 01.07.2024. A June 11 circular had mandated that teachers serving over 10 years in one school apply for a transfer or face reassignment by the DoE. Atishi had recently directed the chief secretary to halt these mandatory transfers amid corruption allegations. (PTI)

An umbrella group of the youth wing parties of the INDIA alliance gathered at the Jantar Mantar area on Monday to protest against the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.

The youth parties present include the All India Youth Federation, Democratic Youth Federation of India, SP youth wing - Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and Indian Youth Congress.

BRS legislator K Kavitha moved an application seeking bail in the corruption case linked to the excise policy scam. The court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja will also consider the charge sheet filed by the CBI against her at 2 PM.

A 20-year-old man was allegedly abducted from his house in Delhi by the relatives of a minor girl living in his neighbourhood, who claimed he had raped their niece, and beaten to death in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat over the weekend.

Rajni Sharma, the mother of Himanshu Sharma, lodged the First Information Report (FIR) at the Baghpat Kotwali police station on Sunday against eight people, including the mother of the minor girl. Two of those named in the FIR have so far been arrested while the hunt is on for the remaining accused, the police said.