National
SC seeks ED’s response on Karti Chidambram’s plea against searches
New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Enforcement Directorate to respond to a plea by Karti Chidambaram – son of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram – seeking top court declaration that searches carried out at his Chennai residence earlier this month were illegal, vexatious and without any jurisdiction.
The bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Amitava Roy sought the agency’s response on Karti Chidambaram’s application contending that the searches conducted at his premises on January 13 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, were “without jurisdiction, abuse of authority, vitiated by malafides, arbitrary and violative of Article 14” of the Constitution.
The searches relates to alleged irregularities in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance in Aircel-Maxis case, when his father was minister and Karti Chidambaram the alleged beneficiary.
He contended that searches were vexatious as they were ordered without recording reasons by the authorizing officer, adding vexatious searches are punishable under Section 62 of the Act.
Referring to the February 2, 2017 order of the Special CBI court discharging Maran brothers – Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi Maran, Karti Chidambaram said that that there was no offence relating to the FIPB approval to Global Communications Holdings Services Ltd, Mauritius to invest in Aircel to be investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.
“In the absence of a predicate/schedule offence, there is no proceeds of crime and hence the ED has no jurisdiction to investigate any offence of money laundering under PMLA or to invoke power under Section 5 of PMLA and attach the property of the petitioner,” he said in his application.
In his application, he also said that the authorization for searches at his residence in Chennai did not refer to any details of the case being investigated by the ED, but the search team clearly stated that the searched related to the FIPB approval granted by the then Finance Minister in the Aircel Maxis proposal.
Karti Chidambran has filed his application in the matter in which he has moved the top court in 2017 challenging the provisional attachment of Rs 90,00,000 by the ED on September 23, 2017.
Asking the ED to respond, the court directed the listing of the matter on March 8 for final hearing.
–IANS
pk/vd
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.