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India Gazette
5 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Delhi HC reserves order on bail plea of Vedpal Singh Tanwar, ED opposed
New Delhi [India], June 9 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved an order on Vedpal Singh Tanwar's bail plea after hearing submissions from counsel for the petitioner and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court said it would pronounce the order today. Tanwar is an accused in a money laundering case linked to illegal mining in the Dadam area of Haryana. Justice Girish Kathpalia reserved the order after hearing the arguments advanced by Advocate Zoheb Hossain, Special Counsel for ED and rebuttal arguments by Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa. Special Counsel Zoheb Hosain for ED, while opposing the bail plea, submitted that the accused is not in long incarceration as he was admitted on interim bail and was in the hospital for a considerable time. There is a 165-day effective incarceration only. Hosain submitted that Tanwar is the mastermind in this case. He is not sick and infirm. As per the AIIMS report, he is perfectly fine. In his case, the twin conditions of PMLA squarely apply. ED's counsel opposed the submissions made by the counsel for the accused, saying that no offence was made against him as the Environment Protection Act was decriminalised. ED argued that excessive mining began in February 2019. There was excessive sand and stone mining by the accused persons in this case. Zoheb Hossain argued that the Punjab and Haryana High Courts have not issued an order quashing the FIR or the present ECIR. An FIR was registered in August 2023, and ECIR was registered in September 2023. Consequently, Tanwar was arrested in May 2024. ED's counsel argued that the alleged offences under section 420 (Cheating) and 120B (Criminal Conspiracy) were part of the ECIR. 'There is Illegal stone mining in this case. There are allegations of cheating. Fraudulent representations were made to the government as Tanwar was blacklisted by the Haryana government,' Zoheb Hossain said. 'His firm, Ridhi Siddhi, was blacklisted by the Haryana Government. He was not allowed to participate in mining auctions. He was blacklisted, he can't bid,' Hossain added. Hossain further argued that Tanwar did it through another firm, Goverdhan Mining and Mineral (GMM). Tanwar controlled the affairs of that firm. He was the CEO of GMM and withdrew his salary of Rs. 10 lakh per month. On the other hand, senior advocate Vikas Pahwa advanced rebuttal arguments for Tanwar. He submitted that cognisance is not taken against Tanwar; prima facie, there is no offence against him. The NGT order has been set aside, and the FIR is pending. The special director of ED has become the complainant; she is also the informant, the Senior advocate added. Tanwar has moved a plea through advocate Sumer Singh Boparai and Aman Sharma. ED had arrested Ved Pal Singh Tanwar under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on May 30, 2024, in connection with illegal mining in the Dadam area of Haryana. As per ED, it initiated an investigation on the basis of the Prosecution Complaint filed by the Regional Officer, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Bhiwani, before the Special Environment Court, Kurukshetra, against the Firm M/s. Govardhan Mines and Minerals for violating the conditions of the Environment Clearance under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Subsequently, an FIR was registered by the Haryana Police under various sections of the IPC, 1860. ED said that the investigation revealed that the Firm has been involved in large-scale illegal and unscientific mining in the Dadam area of Haryana. It had led to large-scale damage to the environment and a huge loss to the exchequer. It is worth mentioning here that rampant illegal mining in the area led to the killing of 5 persons due to landslides, ED said in a press note. (ANI)
The South African
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- The South African
‘Secret' Verstappen Nurburgring GT3 test goes VIRAL
A 'secret' Verstappen Nurburgring GT3 test that took place last weekend – in between the Miami and Imola F1 GPs – is drawing a lot more attention than the dutchman would've liked. Following the birth of his first child to Kelly Piquet, rather than return home on his rest weekend, he instead turned laps in a Ferrari 296 GT3 race car. The Verstappen Nurburgring GT3 test took place as part of a regular Nurburgring Langstrecken Series (NLS) practice session. And it was reportedly part of a larger record-breaking effort around the fabled Nordschleife track. In a bid for the Verstappen Nurburgring GT3 test to avoid detection, the quadruple world champion drove under the pseudonym 'Franz Hermann.' Video: F1Unrivalled on YouTube Verstappen's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, has a son who drives the Ferrari 296 GT3 car in various European championships. And it is understood Verstappen is something of a driver coach and mentor to the young dutchman. Nevertheless, footage of the not-so-secret Verstappen Nurburging GT3 test has gone viral. Onboard and offboard footage shows the Racing-branded car circulating at very high speed. There are even reports the 27-year-old set a new GT3 lap record around the treacherous racetrack. A rumoured time of 7min 47sec is faster than the official GT3 lap record. However, Ralf Schumacher, whose son also competes in various GT3 series', believes Verstappen went even faster than that. 'I think he did a 7min 35sec lap, which is a really top time. It's really outstanding,' he said. Were Red Bull bosses happy to see their lead driver risking everything on his weekend off? Image: NLS Another former F1 driver, Timo Glock, added: 'What I heard is that the first and second lap was already at the top level. He will have spent a lot of time in the simulator, but it proves his talent once again and how well he can adjust to any car.' Could this signify that Verstappen might take a sabbatical next year to observe F1's all-new regulations? 'I can't imagine that. He has his own GT3 team, but he also still has too much fun in Formula 1 to just leave. Look at how quickly he drove in Miami even though he had just become a father. That proves that he still likes doing it,' Schumacher said. 'I know many people don't like to hear it, but I find it (the Nurburgring) incredibly dangerous. Especially when you're driving at such a high speed. Of course, we know that Max can drive better than most others. Certainly, if I was Max's team boss, I wouldn't find it in any way beneficial to drive on the Nordschleife,' concluded Schumacher. – with GMM Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Freedom Front Plus demands audit from Govan Mbeki Municipality
The Freedom Front Plus (FFPlus) demanded a comprehensive audit from Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) of the stormwater drainage systems and infrastructure conditions in all the towns in the municipality. Aranda Nel-Buitendag FFPlus Clr said they sent a letter of grievance to the Department of Civil Engineering about the unacceptable state of the infrastructure, particularly the neglect of stormwater drains, overgrown streams and dilapidated sidewalks in various affected communities. She further said this demand follows the municipality's failure to act on several prior requests from the FFPlus. 'The FFPlus condemns the lack of action and oversight. The damage the heavy rainfall in January caused to infrastructure should serve as a wake-up call, as the municipality's failure to maintain critical infrastructure caused it,' said Nel-Buitendag. 'It led to significant flooding and damage to numerous properties. It left many families vulnerable as water damaged their houses because of blocked stormwater systems. 'The ongoing rains could cause further damage to the affected areas as the soil is saturated. More rain could lead to landslides, and areas with poor drainage are at risk of severe flooding. 'Although the municipality did a handful of clean-up efforts, it remained sporadic, incomplete and largely ineffective. 'Some streams they partially cleared, while they left debris and waste materials, such as branches. This creates environmental hazards and provides potential hiding places for criminals.' According to Nel-Buitendag, FFPlus receives many complaints from residents about safety concerns and crime in these neglected areas. ALSO READ: Mother of slain eMbalenhle learner speaks out after visiting scene for first time They believe every town deserves access to functional infrastructure and a team adequately equipped to maintain it. The FFPlus called on GMM to secure the resources for the sustained maintenance of drains, waterways, sidewalks and open spaces. They demanded that the municipality urgently compile a public infrastructure maintenance schedule and action plan involving the affected communities through continuous feedback and participation. 'The FFPlus will keep calling the municipality to account until the municipality deals with the matter,' said Nel-Buitendag. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
03-05-2025
- Climate
- The Citizen
Bethal residents complain about roads
After the recent rains, Cricket Street residents complained about the state of the roads and said they had voiced their concerns to the municipality several times to no avail. 'Somebody from the municipality even came here to look and take photos, but they have not done anything yet,' said a resident. 'When it rains, our street looks like a river, and you can barely drive here with a vehicle. If the municipality would just come to scrape the street once, it would make a big difference.' Donald Green, the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) spokesperson, said repairs to roads damaged during the recent floods are ongoing in Region 1 of Bethal and eMzinoni. 'The recent rains damaged some of the GMM's road infrastructure. The municipality understands the frustration and inconvenience caused by these road conditions to residents,' said Green. 'The mayor and municipal officials visited the affected areas in eMzinoni recently during the mayoral service delivery programme, Ijima lokuhlwengisa, to assess the damage caused by the rain and engage with the affected residents. 'This programme will continue until the end of April. The municipality is working tirelessly to repair some affected roads using existing resources.' ALSO CHECK: Thomas Banga wants to uplift Evander ALSO CHECK: DA in Govan Mbeki Municipality calls for accountability over R16m irregular expenditure At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
