Delhi News Today Live Updates: AAP leaders to take up water crisis with LG Saxena tomorrow (2024)

The Aam Aadmi Party has written a letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena regarding the shortage of water in the national capital.

A delegation of AAP MPs, MLAs, and leaders is scheduled to meet the Lieutenant Governor at 11 am tomorrow to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, Delhi Minister Atishi, who is sitting on an indefinite hunger strike against the water crisis, said on Saturday that she tried "everything" but was left with no choice but to sit on a fast when the Haryana government didn't agree to supply the required quantity of water.

"This is the second day of my fast. There is an acute shortage of water in Delhi. Delhi receives water from its neighbouring states. Delhi receives a total of 1005 MGD of water that is supplied to the houses in Delhi. Of this, 613 MGD of water comes from Haryana but for the past several weeks, it has been releasing only 513 MGD. Due to this, more than 28 lakh people in Delhi are not receiving water. I tried everything but when the Haryana government didn't agree to supply water, I was left with no choice but to sit on a fast," Atishi said in a video posted on her X handle. ANI

Atishi explains why she started the fast:

VIDEO | "Today is the second day of my fast. Since yesterday, several people have asked me why did I start this fast? People of Delhi are struggling for every drop of water. Delhi does not have its own water. All of Delhi's water comes from its neighbouring states. The total… pic.twitter.com/vy9WVlfjkx

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 22, 2024

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Saturday held the AAP government responsible for the prevailing water crisis in the city. There was no immediate reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The "shrill discourse" of the Delhi ministers over the last few weeks has been distressing and questionable at various levels, Saxena said in his statement on the water crisis.

"Political leaders of Delhi have turned a crisis into an opportunity for blaming the neighbouring states with the sole aim of gaining political mileage. This polemical exercise has ended up compounding the problems of Delhi people and antagonizing the neighbouring states grappling with water scarcity," he charged. PTI

On Delhi Minister Atishi's protest against the water crisis, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva, said, "This is a new 'Satyagraha' of the Kejriwal government, where you stay in an AC room for 18 hours after protesting for 4 hours... It is just a political drama to distract from the matters of water theft, tanker mafia and black marketing..."

#watch | On Delhi Minister Atishi's protest against water crisis, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva, "This is a new 'Satyagraha' of the Kejriwal government, where you stay in an AC room for 18 hours after protesting for 4 hours... It is just a political drama to distract… pic.twitter.com/VBfe2lFqGX

— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2024

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The Delhi Police on Saturday used a water cannon to disperse BJP workers demonstrating against the AAP government over water shortage in the the national capital.

Led by the BJP's former South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri, the protesters gathered outside a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) office in Okhla and raised slogans against the AAP government. The police dispersed them with a water cannon after they refused to move.

Amid a punishing heat wave battering the city, Delhi is facing a severe water shortage while the BJP and AAP continue to blame each other for the crisis.

Here's what Atishi has to say about the water crisis:

VIDEO | "Today, some people came at the place of my 'anshan' to protest, disturb and attack me. I want to tell this to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that I am walking on the path of 'satyagrah' taught by Gandhiji. I am not going to be afraid of such things. I won't stop my… pic.twitter.com/Hr9ULAO1ad

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 22, 2024

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

A Delhi court on Saturday asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond by July 1 to an application filed by Engineer Rashid, arrested in a 2017 Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case, seeking interim bail to take oath as an MP.

Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Baramulla.

Additional Sessions Judge Kiran Gupta fixed the matter for hearing on July 1 and directed the NIA to file its reply by then.

During the hearing, the judge observed that the charges levelled against Rashid were on a different footing from those faced by AAP leader Sanjay Singh, an accused in the Delhi excise "scam" money laundering case. PTI

Virendra Sachdeva, the Delhi BJP chief, on Friday alleged that the AAP has "brought Delhi to such a situation where on the one hand, there is a lack of water and on the other hand, light rain leads to water logging."

"Water logging shows that AAP has done corruption here also," Sachdeva said, alleging that the government's failure to address the city's water management challenges was a result of corruption.

North India has experienced a significant drop in temperatures over the past few days due to a highly active western disturbance, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

"If you see the temperatures over North India, due to a very active western disturbance, there was widespread clouding as well as thundershowers at some places. Temperatures have dipped by 4-5 degree Celsius throughout North India," says IMD Senior Scientist Soma Sen Roy. PTI

A fire broke out in a fireball factory in Gurgaon’s Daulatabad industrial area early today killing three and leaving at least 10 others injured.

The incident took place around 2.35 am in a factory manufacturing auto fire off (AFO) balls, which are used as fire extinguishers. Initially, two fire tenders were rushed to the spot near Dwarka expressway in Gurgaon and more were called in from IMT Manesar, Sector 29 and 37, Udyog Vihar, and Sohna fire stations.

The deceased include a security guard and two workers

Kumar was arrested on May 18. He was sent to police custody for five days the same day by a magisterial court, which observed that his anticipatory bail plea had become infructuous because of his arrest.

On May 24, he was sent to four days judicial custody, following which he was again remanded in police custody for three days.

Today, he was produced through video conferencing before Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal who extended his judicial custody till July 6.

Delhi CM Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar's judicial custody in the Swati Maliwal assault case has been extended till July 6. Bibhav was produced through video conferencing.

Kumar is accused of assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on May 13 at the chief minister’s official residence.

An FIR was registered against Kumar on May 16 under various Indian Penal Code provisions, including those related to criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to disrobe and attempt to commit culpable homicide.

Delhi Water Minister and AAP leader Atishi says:

"This is the second day of my fast. There is an acute shortage of water in Delhi...Delhi receives water from its neighbouring states. Delhi receives a total of 1005 MGD of water that is supplied to the houses in Delhi. Of this, 613 MGD of water comes from Haryana but for the past several weeks, it has been releasing only 513 MGD...Due to this more than 28 lakh people in Delhi are not receiving water...I tried everything but when Haryana Government didn't agree to supply water, I was left with no choice but to sit on a fast...Even today, the situation of water crisis persists. Yesterday, Haryana supplied 110 MGD lesser amount of water (than the designated)...I will continue my fast until Haryana Government supplies water to Delhi, until 28 lakh people of Delhi get water..."

A fire at a plastic bag manufacturing unit in outer Delhi's Nangloi area was extinguished early Saturday following a six-hour operation.

There is no report of anyone being injured in the blaze that broke out at around 9 pm on Friday, the official said, adding cooling operation was underway.

At least 28 fire tenders were pressed into service and the flames were doused by 3.30 am, as per officials.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh challenged the Delhi BJP MPs to join Atishi's indefinite strike over the water crisis in the National Capital. "... if you have the courage then come here and join Atishi in her indefinite strike and fight the battle of water for Delhi," news agency PTI quoted Singh as saying. He further said that those who were appointed as ministers at the Centre had not uttered a word on the crisis, adding that seven MPs from the BJP had been elected, but none of them was ready to speak for the people of Delhi.

Amid the ongoing tussle between the AAP and the BJP over a shortage of water supply, Water Minister Atishi decided to sit on an indefinite hunger strike from 12 pm Friday in Bhogal area of Jangpura, demanding the national capital’s share of water from Haryana. The Delhi Water Minister had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi prior to this, seeking his intervention to resolve the crisis.

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that what the ED said about the trial court judge who granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during High Court proceedings was "shameful." "The ED is not being able to submit any proof to the courts...the AAP has been saying this consistently -- this has also been noted in the trial court order ," Bharadwaj said.

The Delhi HC on Friday stayed the trial court order granting bail to Kejriwal till it pronounces its verdict on the ED's plea on June 25. "After the judge demolished the entire case of the ED, in panic, even before the trial court's order came out, the most senior lawyer that the Centre has, reached the High Court," Bharadwaj said. He added that the agency was behaving like it has "personal enmity" with the Delhi CM.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi concluded arguments in the Delhi High Court hearing. He said that assuming that the order is not stayed and Kejriwal walks out, how would it be irreversible. "Where will he go? What will he do? I'm only saying the HC has full reversibility," Singhvi said in his concluding remarks.

Counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said that the HC had noted that it was dealing with the matter of illegal arrest and not bail, which was "a line conveniently forgotten by the ED." "The HC and SC were dealing with section 19 (of the) PMLA - the legality of arrest and not bail. It is so elementary that it is elemental," Singhvi said. "Yet paras are read to suggest that trial court should not have gone against them," he added.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, said that the agency had showed before the trial court how Rs 45 crore had been used in the Goa elections. "Yet finding is we have not been able to show how the money was used," Raju said. He added that the trial court judge had himself admitted to not reading the papers. "How can you say I have not read papers and then say it is irrelevant? Order has to go on this finding alone," Raju said.

ED counsel S V Raju said that there couldn't be a better case of cancellation of the grant of bail than this one. This comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by a lower court in the excise policy case. "The finding should be that there is reasonable grounds of believing that Kejriwal is not guilty. At least some discussion should be there that he is not guilty. That is not there," Raju said.

He added that "holding a constitutional chair" could not be grounds for the grant of bail. " That means every minister will be granted bail," Raju said.

Solicitor General S V Raju said "malafides was demolished by a judgment of the hc which is binding on trial court which is between the same parties." He further argued that "we had shown material collected between January, February, March. Nothing was considered. If relevant facts are not considered and if irrelevant material is considered that itself is ground for setting aside of bail."

In response to Solicitor General S V Raju’s argument, the Delhi High Court asked, “Are you saying that the trial court did not consider all the points detailed in the High Court’s single judge judgment?”

Solicitor General S V Raju argued that initially, Chief Minister Kejriwal's arrest was challenged, but the remanding court confirmed its correctness. Kejriwal then approached the High Court (HC), where a single judge upheld the arrest's validity.

Raju noted that all the points raised in the April 9 judgment were addressed by the HC, but the trial court's impugned order did not consider these points. He emphasized "Common issues of arrest are binding unless set aside by the Supreme Court. Therefore HC ORDER stands. HC says no malafide but special judge says malafide on the same facts."

Solicitor General S V Raju on Friday refers to trial court order para 27

“27 . There are certain undisputed facts as specified on behalf of the applicant that in the month of July 2022, the material was available with the ED against the accused but he was called only in August 2023 which shows malafide of ED and ED has failed to answer this objection of the applicant”.

Raju says this is a wrong finding in the trial court order on the face of it.

Raju: ED’s ECIR (complaint) is of August 2022 how could there be material in july 2022. Wrong facts and wrong dates. But it comes to conclusion that this is malafide, without reading anything. If you had gone through the docs you would have known the correct date.

Solicitor General S V Raju contended that during the rejoinder, Kejriwal's counsel argued in detail. He said "The urgency with which the hearings were conducted deprived ED the proper opportunity of reading out/placing during arguments all material against the applicant (kejriwal)." He argued that the order should be set aside because the first mandatory right under Section 45 was affected.

He further criticized the impugned order, stating "You (trial court) say documents filed are irrelevant. Without going through it how can you say its irrelevant; that means the finding is perverse bcoz you havent looked at it.'

Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhari read the Supreme Court's interim order on bail. The Delhi High Court stated that there would be no time limit on arguments, ensuring equal rights for all parties.

ASG SV Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), began by criticizing the order as perverse and referred to Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Addressing the stay order for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sunita Kejriwal on Friday remarked, “As if Arvind Kejriwal is the most wanted terrorist of India, that is how he is being treated.” She also mentioned the heatwave concerns in Delhi, which have surged the water demand, expressing hope that the neighboring states would help.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's immediate agenda, upon release from Tihar Jail, includes addressing various administrative and political issues. His release follows a bail grant in the excise policy case after an earlier rejection of interim bail.

Key tasks include implementing a Rs 1,000 aid scheme for women outside the tax bracket, which was a significant budget promise. The scheme's draft was in the final stages before his arrest on March 21, with implementation expected by October-November.

Kejriwal must also address the postponed Mayoral elections, initially scheduled for April but delayed due to his arrest. Additionally, Kejriwal needs to convene the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) meeting to address pending bureaucratic issues and transfers, including the appointment of a new Divisional Commissioner. These tasks highlight the extensive responsibilities awaiting his return.

The Court staff of Judge Niyay Bindu have given a detailed 25 page order to the counsel representing Kejriwal.

In Kejriwal's bail order -

* Commenting on the argument of the ED that investigation is an art, the Court said that this could mean that material is "artistically" being procured against the accused. The agency was not acting without bias.

* Commenting on the ED relying on the approvers statements - Complete truth cannot be revealed by those who had resiled from their earlier statements.

* The agency has not been able to prove that co-accused Vijay Nair was acting on the directions of the accused (CM Kejriwal)

* Even if Vinod Chauhan and Chanpreet Singh have close relations with each other, and Kejriwal is acquaintanced with the two co accused, this doesn't mean that he is guilty.* "This is also noticeable that in the cases under PMLA bail of the accused becomes an impossible task to obtain as on one pretext or the other investigating agency gives it's own reasons which puts the accused in a situation almost equivalent to a convict without any hope to be released from the gloomy atmosphere of jail. The situation becomes more grave if later on, the accused comes out to be innocent and the agony he has undergone remains unexplained," the order reads.

The BJP was caught off guard when a city court granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, prompting internal discussions. The party is awaiting the Enforcement Directorate's next steps in the excise policy case. A senior BJP leader expressed concern over the potential activation of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Rashi scheme, which provides Rs 1,000 monthly to eligible women, ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls.

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva emphasized that the bail was a judicial matter and that Kejriwal is not acquitted, as the trial continues. The BJP plans to challenge the AAP Delhi government politically over the ongoing water scarcity crisis and highlight Kejriwal's "out-on-bail" status in public protests, aiming to bring the alleged corruption in the liquor policy back into focus.

Arvind Kejriwal's interim bail provides a significant boost to the AAP amid political challenges. The party, assessing its standing after a disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha election in Delhi and Punjab, is now focusing on the upcoming Assembly elections.

Despite past successes in bouncing back from Lok Sabha losses to win Assembly elections, AAP faces anti-incumbency issues and a severe water crisis in Delhi.

Kejriwal's return during this tumultuous period contrasts with the more hopeful atmosphere before the Lok Sabha polls, but his bail is seen as vital for unblocking several stalled projects and energizing the party.

With a high bar set for bail in cases related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, people have criticised it for long for being draconian as it expects the court to have trial considerations at the stage of bail. Given that money laundering offences attract three to seven years in prison, such long incarcerations before trial are seen by critics as akin to serving a sentence even before conviction.

Kejriwal’s deputies, former Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, have both spent more than a year in jail despite efforts to secure bail. NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in 2016, spent more than two years behind bars as he could not secure bail.

On Thursday night, a lower court in Delhi granted bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal which currently has been put on pause by the Delhi HC. The fact that bail was granted to Kejriwal is of significant legal import because of the high bar set by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for bail.

Section 45 (1) of the statute says that no accused shall be released on bail unless “the Court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offence and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail”. In effect, the bail order potentially puts a question mark on the Enforcement Directorate’s case against Kejriwal.

This is one key reason why securing bail under the PMLA is very difficult and most accused end up spending several months, if not years, behind bars before the courts grant them bail.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail, highlighting significant legal implications due to the stringent bail requirements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The law mandates that an accused can only be released if the court believes they are not guilty and won't commit an offence while on bail. This high standard often results in prolonged incarcerations before trial, as seen with Kejriwal's deputies and other political figures who spent years in jail before securing bail.

Critics argue that the PMLA's provisions are draconian, equating long pre-trial detentions with serving a sentence before conviction. The Supreme Court previously struck down this provision as unconstitutional but later upheld it.

Kejriwal's bail could cast doubt on the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) case against him. The ED plans to challenge the bail in the Delhi High Court, arguing potential evidence tampering and procedural issues. If unsuccessful, the ED may escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.

Read the full story here

The Delhi High Court has announced that the trial court order will “not be acted upon” till the HC hears the case.

This development comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) approached the High Court to challenge the bail granted to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in money laundering case related to an excise scam. The High Court further mentioned that if the necessary documentation is properly organized, the case will be listed for hearing.

AAP minister Sanjay Singh in his statement on Friday said "We have been saying this that a fake, baseless case was made up against Arvind Kejriwal. The was made to finish the politics of Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal. However, BJP has received a tight slap. Kejriwal's bail is a very big and happy news for the entire country, democracy and justice system and every AAP worker."

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), is seeking a stay on the trial court order that granted bail to Kejriwal in a money laundering case. Raju stated, "I'm requesting a stay of the bail order. The order was pronounced yesterday evening and hasn't even been uploaded yet. We were not given an opportunity to oppose the bail. They (Kejriwal's side) did not fully argue the case. I was instructed to finish my arguments quickly and was only given half an hour. My arguments were curtailed, and I wasn't even given time to file written submissions. This is unacceptable. I have an excellent case on merits.

Section 45 of the PMLA requires that the public prosecutor be given an opportunity to oppose the bail. In this case, the public prosecutor was denied this opportunity. I am making this allegation with all seriousness."

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) approached the Delhi High Court on Friday to contest the bail granted to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

The matter is expected to be mentioned in the high court soon for an urgent hearing.

The ED's challenge follows a trial court's decision on Thursday to grant bail to the AAP leader. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, shortly after the Delhi High Court denied his request for protection from arrest in response to summonses issued to him.

Water Minister Atishi has announced an indefinite strike starting this Friday due to the ongoing water shortage in Delhi. In a post on X, she highlighted that "28 lakh Delhiites are still without water. Despite our best efforts, the Haryana government has not provided the full water supply needed for Delhi."

Drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi's teachings on Satyagraha, Atishi stated, "To fight against this injustice, I will embark on a 'Water Satyagraha' today."

Her plans include visiting Raj Ghat at 11 am to pay tribute to Gandhi, followed by the commencement of her indefinite fast at Bhogal, Jangpura from 12 pm.

"I will continue fasting until the people of Delhi receive their rightful share of water from Haryana," Atishi declared.