Kerala lashes out at Rawal remarks on firing from ship

April 21, 2012

Kochi, April 21: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Saturday lashed out at Additional Solicitor General Harin Rawal for his mark that the state government had no jurisdiction to detain the Italian ship as firing from it took place outside India's territorial waters.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a party function, Chandy said the additional solicitor general's remark before the Supreme Court was contrary to the stand of the state government and that it as "not the position of state or centre".

"We checked up with the central government and it has been found what he said in the court yesterday (Friday) was not the stand of the centre. The centre's stand is the same as to what we have taken," Chandy said.

All hell broke loose Friday when Chandy and the state government came under fire from the opposition after Additional Solicitor General Harin Rawal during a hearing informed the apex court that the state government had no jurisdiction to detain the Italian cargo ship as the firing from its took place outside the Indian territorial waters (20.5 nautical miles off the coast while Indian territory extends to only 12 nautical miles).

Two Italian marines Massimillano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, the Italian naval Marines detailed as security crew on cargo vessel Enrica lexie, were taken into judicial custody Feb 20 for the Feb 15 shooting of two Indian fishermen, Ajesh Binki, 25, and Gelastine, 45, about 14 nautical miles off Alappuzha coast in Kerala.

The Chandy government has decided to request the central government to ensure exclusion of Rawal in the next hearing of the case on April 30.

Central Minister M. Veerappa Moily, speaking to reporters in Thrissur, denied the opposition allegation that the change in the centre's stand was effected due to external influences.

"What was told in the court yesterday (Friday) was his personal opinion and not the position of the centre. Corrective measures would be taken," said Veerappa Moily.

CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan Friday alleged that the development proved the "relationship between the Congress party and Italy".

"There was a lot of delay as police got access to the ship after a few days of the shooting and by then vital evidences might have been erased. With Friday's stand of the centre, it is now clear that even the state government played hide and seek in this case," Vijayan said.

Apart from the already appointed state government counsel, a senior lawyer would appear for the April 30 hearing.

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You all can protest as much as you want, but Modi will surely amend Waqf Act: Amit Shah

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November 15,2024

Union minister Amit Shah on Friday, November 15, said PM Narendra Modi will amend the Waqf Act despite opposition from leaders like Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.

"Modi ji wants to change the Waqf Board law, but Uddhav ji, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule are opposing it," Shah said, addressing a rally at Umarkhed in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district.

"Uddhav ji, listen carefully, you all can protest as much as you want, but Modi ji will amend the Waqf Act," he said. Shah said there are two camps in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, one of 'Pandavas' represented by the BJP-led Mahayuti and the other of 'Kauravas' represented by Maha Vikas Aghadi.

"Uddhav Thackeray claims that his Shiv Sena is the real one. Can the real Shiv Sena go against renaming Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar? Can the real Shiv Sena go against renaming Ahmednagar to Ahilyanagar? The real Shiv Sena stands with the BJP," Shah said.

"Rahul Baba used to say that his government would credit money in the accounts of the people instantly. You were unable to fulfil your promises in Himachal, Karnataka, and Telangana," he said.

Shah said the Mahayuti alliance has promised that women will get Rs 2,100 per month under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. "Kashmir is an integral part of India and no power in the world can snatch it away from us," Shah said.

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Adani Group in Crisis: $30 Billion Wiped Out after US Bribery and Fraud Charges Emerge

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November 21,2024

Shares of Adani Group companies lost about $28 billion in market value in morning trade on Thursday after US prosecutors charged the billionaire chairman of the Indian conglomerate in an alleged bribery and fraud scheme.

Gautam Adani's flagship company Adani Enterprises tumbled 23 per cent, while Adani Ports, Adani Total Gas, Adani Green, Adani Power, Adani Wilmar and Adani Energy Solutions, ACC , Ambuja Cements and NDTV fell between 20 per cent and 90 per cent.

Adani group's 10 listed stocks had a total market capitalisation of about $141 billion at 0534 GMT, compared to $169.08 billion on Tuesday.

US authorities said Adani and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar Adani, agreed to pay about $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain contracts expected to yield $2 billion of profit over 20 years, and develop India's largest solar power plant project.

Adani Green in a statement on Thursday said the US Justice Department had issued a criminal indictment against board members Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani and the Securities and Exchange Commission had issued a civil complaint against them.

The US Justice Department also included Adani Green board member Vneet Jaain in the criminal indictment, it said.

Adani Green's units had decided not to proceed with the proposed US dollar denominated bond offerings due to developments, it added.

"Investors will shy away from Adani Group stocks ... and that's what this sharp selling is signifying," said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice president of retail equities research at SMC Global Securities.

"This could hurt the credibility of the group and maybe borrowing costs will rise," he said.

The indictment comes nearly two years after US shortseller Hindenburg Research alleged that Adani had improperly used tax havens and was involved in stock manipulation, allegations the conglomerate denied.

Also in early Asian trading on Thursday, Adani dollar bonds slumped, with prices down 3c-5c on bonds for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone. The falls were the largest since the Adani Group came under a short-seller attack in February 2023.

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