Delhi News Highlights: ‘Every person in Capital gets free treatment,’ Kejriwal responds to PM’s Ayushman Bharat scheme jibe

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted permission to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal to travel to the United States from November 2 to 15 to meet her ailing sister. Maliwal had also sought permission to attend the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Maliwal, who has been accused of allegedly abusing her official position as Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief to appoint people associated with AAP to different posts in the women’s rights body, had moved the Rouse Avenue Court on Monday.

(Inputs by Nirbhay Thakur)

Delhi's air quality index (AQI), that was predicted to take a turn for the worse, bettered to go into the ‘poor category’. The AQI, according to Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) at 9 am, stood at 272.

The recorded improvement from Monday’s 327 AQI in Delhi is due to slight increase in wind speed, the weather department officials said.

Further, AQI forecast say the air is expected to fall back into the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ range a day before Diwali, on Wednesday.

10 stations -- Anand Vihar, Alipur, Aya Nagar, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Narela, Wazirpur, Vivek Vihar, and Sonia Vihar -- were in the "very poor" category, while the remaining in the "poor" category.

According to the weather department, the wind speed was calm at 8:30 am.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 20.3 degrees Celsius, four notch above the season's average while the relative humidity was 85 per cent.

The weather department has forecast clear skies throughout the day, with the maximum temperature expected to reach around 33 degrees Celsius.

The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the DUSU election candidates for an undertaking to not deface or mutilate any public property in future and granted them more time to finish cleaning up the mess created during election campaigning.

Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed those students who had expressed "remorse" to file affidavits and photographs to show the removal of posters and hoardings from the Delhi University (DU) campuses and other areas.

"The candidates are directed to file affidavits along with photographs clearly showing they have removed all posters and hoardings, banners and graffiti and have taken steps for beautification of both the north and south campuses of the DU. They should also give an undertaking in future, they shall neither deface or mutilate any public property," the bench said.

PTI

The BJP on Monday called on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take immediate action against stubble burning in the state, citing the "increasing impact" of Punjab's crop residue fires on Delhi's air quality.

A delegation of Delhi BJP leaders led by state president Virendra Sachdeva went to Delhi's Kapurthala House to meet Mann and hand over a letter on the pollution issue.

However, the delegation could not meet the Punjab CM and submitted their letter through the Resident Commissioner of Punjab in Delhi.

The delegation included senior MLA and Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, MP Bansuri Swaraj, Manoj Tiwari, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri.

"We write to you today not with a political motive but as concerned and worried citizens of Delhi. As you may have read and seen, Delhi's AQI has already touched 400 and shows no signs of improving. And with the winter approaching, this problem looks to only get worse," the letter said.

The letter claimed that while incidents of stubble burning have reportedly decreased, the actual area burnt in 2023 rose by 26 per cent compared to 2022, reaching 19 lakh hectares.

Delhi LG VK Saxena has given prosecution sanction to the Anti Corruption Branch for an investigation against five engineers of the PWD in a corruption case related to construction work at government hospitals, Raj Niwas officials said on Monday.

The accused include two assistant engineers, three junior engineers of electrical division of Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi government.

"The approval for investigation has been accorded against the engineers related to the FIR filed on May 6 this year. The scam involving works related to Delhi government hospitals was estimated to have caused a loss of Rs 200 crore to the government exchequer," officials said.

It was alleged in the complaint that the accused engineers helped in awarding tenders to companies favoured by them under the guise of emergent work at various Delhi government hospitals -- Lok Nayak, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Science, GB Pant and Maulana Azad Medical College, they said.

In the inquiry conducted so far, it was found that the payments for them were cleared by the accused engineers using "forged bills", claimed the officials.

(PTI)

As the national capital gears up for Diwali, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) on Monday said it is putting in place elaborate plans to ensure a trouble-free "festival of lights".

The department has cancelled leaves and day-offs of its officers and staff for October 31 and November 1 to ensure maximum deployment and will be stationing fire-fighting equipment at 39 spots across the city.

PTI

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has removed names of 107 fake lawyers from its roll between 2019 and October 2024 in Delhi as a part of its ongoing drive to maintain "integrity and professionalism".

"This decisive action is aimed at eliminating fake advocates and those who no longer meet the standards of legal practice. By doing so, the BCI has tried to continue to protect the public's trust and the legal system itself from unethical practices," read a BCI statement on October 26.

BCI secretary Srimanto Sen said the names of 107 fake lawyers have been struck off from the roll in Delhi alone as part of its ongoing effort to maintain the integrity and professionalism of the legal community.

"Between 2019 and June 23, 2023, several thousands of fake advocates were removed after a thorough investigation into their credentials and practices. These removals are largely due to issues of fake and forged certificates, and misrepresentation during enrolment. Besides, failure to actively practise law, and non-compliance with the Bar Council's verification processes also gets advocates' names removed from active practice," read the statement.

(PTI)