Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh resigned today after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into the allegations of extortion against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. Deshmukh submitted his resignation letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP minister Nawab Malik said. Deshmukh also tweeted a copy of the letter, in which he said the high court had passed an order for a preliminary probe by the CBI into the petition filed by advocate Jayshri Patil into the allegations. "I don't have the moral right to continue in office after the court order. I have decided to quit. Kindly relieve me from my post," Deshmukh's resignation letter said.
The NIA has seized a high-end bike, suspected to be registered in the name of an alleged woman associate of API Sachin Vaze, arrested for his alleged role in planting an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence, an official said today. Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) brought the bike in a tempo to its office in south Mumbai, he said. The woman, an alleged associate of Vaze, was questioned by the NIA on Friday, reported PTI. The NIA suspects she accompanied Vaze to a city-based hotel on February 16, before the explosives-laden SUV was found near Ambani's residence on February 25, the sources told PTI.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may have been compelled to campaign from a wheelchair in recent weeks, but her political aspirations are far from subdued. Over the last few days, the Trinamool Congress has ignited buzz about a possible Lok Sabha campaign, with Mamata now seeming to confirm the rumours. "I will win Bengal on one leg and in the future, will get victory in Delhi on two legs," Banerjee proclaimed in Hooghly district's Debanandapur area today. A few days earlier, she had reportedly dubbed the state Assembly polls as the "semi-final" ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The fight against ultras will be intensified to end the Naxal menace, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said today as he took stock of the situation in the aftermath of the killing of 22 security personnel in an attack by the rebels in Chhattisgarh. Talking to reporters after chairing a high-level meeting on the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) situation, Shah said the sacrifices of the security personnel will always be remembered for taking this battle to a "decisive turn". "I want to assure the country that this fight will not be stopped, rather it will continue with more intensity till the end. In this fight, our victory is definite in the end," Shah said.
Equity benchmark Sensex tanked 871 points today, dragged by a selloff in financial stocks as spiking COVID-19 cases spooked investors and fanned concerns over economic recovery. After plunging over 1,400 points earlier in the day, the 30-share BSE index pared some losses to finish at 49,159.32, down 870.51 points or 1.74 per cent. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty sank 229.55 points or 1.54 per cent to 14,637.80.
(With input from agencies)
