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Karti Chidambaram arrested by CBI at Chennai airport, produced before magistrate at Patiala House Court

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Karti Chidambaram arrested by CBI at Chennai airport, produced before magistrate at Patiala House Court

Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s Son Karti Chidambaram, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Chennai on Wednesday (February 28) morning as soon he landed at the airport from his London trip was later in the day produced before Patiala House Court duty magistrate Sumeet Anand. The court heard submissions from both parties and till time of this being published, the decision had not been given by the magistrate.

The CBI said in court that Karti was arrested for not cooperating with investigators. The agency said that there were many things which “we cannot disclose in open court.” The asked for 15 days of remand of Karti.

The counsel for the CBI said: “He was not cooperating and was frequently flying abroad.”

Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for Karti.

Singhvi said on behalf of Karti: “I have nothing to fear, I have nothing to hide and I have gone to abroad and have come back also. Don’t use power of arrest. I will surrender my passport and will take any condition and I will appear whenever  summoned. This is not a case for arrest at all. The allegation is of Rs 10 lakh. The CBI has not filed a single status report. There is no point in marking remand application without status report. I have cooperated 110 percent with the CBI and with the ED.

He continued: “The CBI is apprehensive of my frequent foreign visits. Why?  Am I a threat to flight safety? It’s a distortion of facts. I went abroad only after getting permission from the Supreme Court.

“Forget remand it is not a case of even arrest. Karti has no connection with the Advantage Strategic Consulting (P) Limited which allegedly received kickbacks,” said Singhvi. “Not a single official has been questioned over FIPB clearance to INX. I am making a verbal prayer against the CBI’s remand application. The accused is entitled to make a verbal bail application.”

The counsel continued: “My reward for complying with previous summons is my arrest just after landing here. Instead of asking for bail I am asking for no remand.”

The CBI counsel said: “Karti cooperated with agencies only after the Supreme Court’s order. Karti didn’t provide itinerary of his foreign visits. Status report hasn’t been filed because there is no such direction by any Court. He left country without complying with directions. The matter is pending before the high court.

Karti Chidambaram met a person at Mumbai Hyatt Hotel on February 17 to arrange for $ 1 million dollars also,” the CBI counsel said.

Immediate questioning

The agency officials had stared questioning him within the airport premises and then took a flight to Delhi later in the day. A case against Karti is on at the Supreme Court [this is in a related Enforcement Directorate (ED) matter] and on February 23, the court’s bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, and Justices Amitava Roy and D Y Chandrachud had refused to stay a summon order issued by the ED against him. The court accepted the CBI’s comment that he was “not a common criminal”.

The court had decided to hear the matter on March 6. This time was available after Karti’s counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, sought time to file a proper application to challenge the ED proceedings.

The allegation against Karti is that he issued his father’s influence in arranging a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance for INX media. The CBI had said that Karti had received Rs 10 lakh for the ‘deal’ which provided tax avoidance routes.

In Delhi Karti told the media that he had denied the money laundering charges made against him and said that this was vendetta and that “I will be vindicated.” As per the CBI, apart from the Rs 10 lakh Karti also received Rs. 3.5 crore through a company linked to him.

Political voices started chirping immediately after. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala called it a “classic diversionary tactic of the government to hide their own corrupt governance model that is being exposed on a daily basis– be it Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Dwarka Das Seth Jewellers.”

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said: “This is law, not vendetta. If corrupt are being jailed and the law is taking its own course, I see no reason why any political party should cry vendetta.”

Karti Chidambaram arrested by CBI at Chennai airport, produced before magistrate at Patiala House CourtKarti Chidambaram arrested by CBI at Chennai airport, produced before magistrate at Patiala House CourtKarti Chidambaram arrested by CBI at Chennai airport, produced before magistrate at Patiala House Court

India News

Dreaming of Harvard? Tuition is now free for middle-income families

Harvard University will offer free tuition to students from families earning $200,000 or less per year, with full financial coverage for those under $100,000.

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Harvard University, free tuition, financial aid, middle-income families, Ivy League education, tuition-free college, Harvard admissions, student financial support

Harvard University has taken a major step toward making education more accessible and affordable by offering free tuition for undergraduate students whose families earn $200,000 or less per year. This initiative, set to begin in the 2025-26 academic year, is expected to benefit thousands of students from middle-income families who aspire to study at the prestigious Ivy League institution.

The university will also provide full financial coverage, including tuition, housing, food, health insurance, and travel expenses, for students from families earning $100,000 or less annually.

Eligibility criteria for Harvard’s tuition-free education

Harvard’s new financial aid structure will be based on household income:

Families earning $100,000 or less:

Full financial coverage, including tuition, food, housing, health insurance, and travel costs.

Additional $2,000 start-up grant in the first year.

A $2,000 launch grant during the junior year to support the transition beyond Harvard.

Families earning $200,000 or less:

Tuition fees waived.

Additional financial aid to cover billed expenses based on financial circumstances.

Families earning above $200,000:

Many will still qualify for financial aid, depending on their specific financial situation.

Harvard’s commitment to affordability

Harvard University previously offered free tuition to students from families earning less than $85,000 per year. The new financial aid expansion aims to make higher education more accessible to students from middle-income backgrounds, ensuring that cost is not a barrier to attending one of the world’s most prestigious universities.

Harvard University President Alan M. Garber and Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi Hoekstra announced the initiative on March 17, stating that the goal is to broaden access and remove financial constraints for talented students.

The university’s financial aid team will work individually with students and families to match assistance based on specific financial circumstances. Students can visit Harvard’s official website for further details and application guidelines.

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AAP leader Satyendar Jain faces fresh Rs 7 crore CCTV fraud allegations

Delhi ACB has filed a fresh corruption case against Satyendar Jain, alleging he took a Rs 7 crore bribe to waive penalties in a Rs 571 crore CCTV project. AAP denies all charges.

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AAP Minister Satyendar Jain

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) finds itself mired in yet another controversy as former Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain faces fresh corruption allegations in connection with a Rs 571 crore CCTV installation project. The Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a case against Jain, accusing him of taking a Rs 7 crore bribe to waive a Rs 16 crore penalty imposed due to project delays.

According to the ACB’s statement released on Wednesday, the case has been registered under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The allegations stem from the installation of over one lakh CCTV cameras across Delhi’s 70 Assembly segments, with a second order of an additional 1.4 lakh cameras allegedly placed after the initial delay.

The case is reportedly based on the testimony of an official from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), who detailed alleged irregularities and “shoddy” installations. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi has criticized AAP, accusing the party of suppressing the investigation when it was in power.

BJP Attacks AAP Over Corruption Allegations

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva has slammed AAP over the fresh charges against Jain. He alleged that the tender for the Rs 571 crore project was awarded to BEL, and Jain took a Rs 7 crore bribe to waive off financial penalties. “BJP had complained then also… but AAP tried to suppress the investigation. No matter how much you tried to hide corruption, you have to answer now,” Sachdeva stated.

Neither AAP nor Satyendar Jain has responded to the allegations yet.

More Legal Trouble for AAP Leaders

This fresh case adds to the mounting legal troubles for top AAP leaders. Satyendar Jain, who was granted bail in October last year after spending two years in custody in a money laundering case, is also facing prosecution in a disproportionate assets case.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia are also battling corruption charges. Kejriwal has been accused of misusing public funds for promotional posters, while Sisodia is embroiled in an alleged Rs 2,000 crore scam linked to classroom construction in Delhi government schools. Jain is also named in this case.

The controversial Delhi liquor excise policy scam also remains under investigation. Last month, a Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) report stated that the state suffered a Rs 2,002 crore loss due to policy irregularities.

AAP Denies Charges, Calls It a Political Vendetta

AAP has dismissed all allegations, claiming they are politically motivated and orchestrated by the BJP to tarnish its image. The party has also denied accusations that Kejriwal misused Rs 45 crore of taxpayers’ money for renovating his official residence.

Despite its denials, AAP suffered a massive defeat in the recent Delhi Assembly elections, where the BJP secured 48 of the 70 seats, marking a significant power shift in the capital after nearly three decades.

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Meerut murder: Muskaan Rastogi’s parents demand her hanging for killing husband

In a shocking turn, the parents of Muskaan Rastogi, accused of murdering her husband Saurabh Rajput, have demanded the death penalty for their daughter. They revealed chilling details of her confession and the role of drugs in the crime.

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Meerut murder case: Parents of Muskaan Rastogi demand death penalty for their daughter

The gruesome murder of Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput, allegedly at the hands of his wife Muskaan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla, has taken a shocking turn as Muskaan’s own parents have demanded the harshest punishment for their daughter.

Muskaan, accused of brutally killing her husband and concealing his body in a cement-filled drum, has been arrested along with Sahil. Speaking to the media, her parents, Pramod Kumar Rastogi and Kavita Rastogi, made it clear that they stand with Saurabh’s family and want justice for him.

Parents’ shocking stance: “She must be hanged”

Muskaan’s parents have taken a firm stand against their daughter, emphasizing that she must face the death penalty for her crime. “She should be hanged. She has lost the right to live,” said her parents in a heart-wrenching statement.

Her mother, Kavita Rastogi, recalled how they themselves ensured her arrest. “She confessed that she had killed Saurabh and we immediately took her to the police station. She told us, ‘Mummy, we killed Saurabh’,” she revealed.

Chilling details of the crime

According to police, Saurabh, who worked for a US-based company, had returned home for his six-year-old daughter’s birthday when he was murdered on March 4. Muskaan and Sahil allegedly stabbed him, dismembered his body into 15 pieces, and sealed them in a plastic drum with cement.

To mislead people, the couple used Saurabh’s phone to post pictures while escaping to the hills. However, their plan fell apart when Saurabh’s family, unable to reach him, reported his disappearance, leading to their arrest. After interrogation, they confessed to the crime, and Saurabh’s remains were recovered from the drum.

Drugs as a possible motive

Muskaan’s parents also alleged that drugs played a key role in the murder. “She told us that her friend (Sahil) feared Saurabh would stop their drug sessions,” said her father.

Her mother added that Saurabh always supported Muskaan, even after she moved away from his family. “Saurabh left everything for her, even his family and their property worth crores. And yet she got him killed,” she said.

A marriage that turned deadly

Saurabh and Muskaan had a love marriage in 2016. In an attempt to spend more time with his wife, Saurabh initially left his job in the Merchant Navy. However, this decision caused friction with his family, leading him to move out with Muskaan.

By 2019, the couple had a daughter, but trouble soon followed. Saurabh discovered Muskaan’s affair with Sahil, which led to tension and discussions about divorce. Ultimately, for the sake of his daughter, he decided to stay in the marriage and rejoined the Merchant Navy in 2023.

However, during his absence, Muskaan and Sahil’s relationship deepened, eventually leading them to commit the horrifying murder.

Now, their six-year-old daughter is in the custody of Muskaan’s parents, as legal proceedings move forward in one of the most chilling crimes to come out of Meerut in recent times.

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