A Raja

Oppn MPs, Rahul Gandhi, stage walkout in Lok Sabha over Sambhal violence

Almost the entire opposition in the Lok Sabha, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday staged a brief walkout from the House over the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal. As soon as the House assembled to take up the Question Hour, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav rose from his seat and raised the issue, seeking Speaker Om Birla's permission to speak on the subject. "This is a very serious matter. Five people have lost their lives," Yadav was heard saying. As the Speaker said members could raise the issue in the Zero Hour, Yadav and his party colleagues started to walk out in protest. Some SP members, meanwhile, rushed to the Well, raising slogans. While the SP members were protesting in the Well of the House, DMK member A Raja was seen exhorting other opposition members, including those from the Congress, to rise from their seats and join the SP protest. NCP and Shiv Sena-UBT members stood up in support of the Samajwadi Party MPs. Some of the

Judgement reserved on Raja's plea against order cancelling election as MLA

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its judgement on a plea filed by CPI(M) leader A Raja challenging the order of the Kerala High Court which set aside his election from Devikulam Assembly seat in Idukki district. Congress leader D Kumar, who was the runner-up in the 2021 Assembly polls, has alleged that Raja was not qualified to contest the Devikulam seat reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih heard submissions from senior advocates V Giri and Narender Hooda appearing for Raja and Kumar respectively. The top court was hearing a plea filed by Raja against the March 20, 2023 order of the Kerala High Court. The high court had passed the order on an election petition filed by Congress leader D Kumar, who was the runner-up in the 2021 Assembly polls, alleging that Raja was not qualified to contest the Devikulam seat reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. Raja, opposing the

HC admits CBI's appeal challenging acquittal of A Raja, others in 2G scam

The Delhi High Court on Friday admitted the CBI's appeal challenging acquittal of former telecom minister A Raja, firms and others in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma said on the basis of the material on record and the submissions made by the lawyers for the parties, a prima facie case is made out by the CBI which requires deeper examination and the appeal needs to be heard in detail. "Leave to appeal is granted. List the appeal for hearing in May," the judge said. The high court passed the judgement on CBI's "leave to appeal", paving the way for dealing with the appeal on merits against the trial court's verdict. The appeal was filed by the CBI in 2018. "Leave to appeal" is a formal permission granted by a court to a party to challenge a decision in a higher court. The judge had reserved his decision on this aspect on March 14. The special court had, on December 21, 2017, acquitted Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and others in the CBI and ED cases relate

ED takes possession of 15 'benami' assets linked to DMK MP A Raja

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has taken possession of 15 immovable "benami" properties, worth about Rs 55 crore, alleged to be belonging to DMK MP A Raja as part of a money laundering probe against the former Union telecom minister. In a statement, the ED said it has "taken possession of 15 immovable properties owned by A Raja in the name of his benami company Kovai Shelters Promoters India Pvt Ltd, under the PMLA, in the matter of a disproportionate assets case of A Raja, former Union cabinet minister of environment and forest, subsequent to confirmation of the provisional attachment order by the Hon'ble Adjudicating Authority". The assets, measuring about 45 acres of land in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), were attached by the central agency in December last year and the Adjudicating Authority of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) approved this order on June 1. Benami means 'no name' or 'without name' and such properties are those in which the real beneficiary

SC issues notice to Udhayanidhi, A Raja, TN govt over Sanatan remark

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remarks calling for the eradication of 'Sanatan Dharma'.A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi also issued notice to MP A Raja, MP Thol Thirumavalavan, MP Thiru Su Venkatesan, Tamil Nadu DGP, Greater Chennai Police Commissioner, Union Home Ministry, Minister for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowment Department PK Sekar Babu, Chairman of Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission Peter Alphonse and others.The apex court which was initially reluctant to entertain the plea and asked the petitioner to approach the High Court, agreed to hear the case.The bench asked about the context of the remarks, the advocate appearing for Chennai-based lawyer B Jagannath who filed the plea, said, "They have called for eradication of a faith, in an institution."The Counsel argued that if such a comment was made by an individual it would be understood, but the State ...

A Raja likens Sanatan Dharma to HIV; BJP says reflects oppn's 'Hinduphobia'

"Let any number of Stalins come, they cannot eradicate Sanatan Dharma," Eknath Shinde said, talking to the media in Thane after attending Dahi Handi (Janmashtami) celebrations

Sanatan Dharma row: Cong says it does not agree with DMK leaders' comments

The Congress on Thursday said it did not agree with the remarks of DMK leaders Udhayanidhi Stalin and A Raja on Sanatan Dharma and asserted the party believed in "sarvadharma sambhav" (equal respect to all religions). The opposition party also asserted that every single member of the INDIA alliance has immense respect for all faiths, communities and beliefs. The assertion came amid a political row after DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin blamed Sanatan Dharma for promoting division and discrimination among people and said it should be eradicated. Also, DMK leader A Raja reportedly said Sanatan Dharma should be compared to diseases such as AIDS and leprosy that have a social stigma attached to them. Asked about comments by leaders of ally DMK, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "The Congress has always believed in 'sarvadharma sambhav' wherein every religion, every faith has its space. No one can treat any particular faith as less than another faith." "Neithe

2G case: HC expresses strong displeasure over CBI's adjournment request

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma expressed his strong displeasure over the request for an adjournment and listed the matter for a day-to-day hearing for submissions

2G scam: HC asks CBI, ED, Raja and others to file submissions in appeal

The Delhi High Court Thursday asked the CBI, ED, former telecom minister A Raja and others to file their submissions in the appeals challenging the acquittal of the accused persons and firms in the 2G spectrum allocation case. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma said the parties shall file brief written submissions not exceeding five pages. As the counsel for the CBI urged the court to list the matter on an early date when he would argue on the aspect of granting leave to appeal, the judge fixed the matter for May 22 and 23. The matter requires urgent hearing. Fix anytime of the day for conducting day-to-day hearing in the matter, the CBI counsel submitted. Though the CBI had earlier concluded its submissions on the issue of leave to appeal, it will have to argue the matter afresh due to change of the judge. Leave to appeal is a formal permission granted by a court to a party to challenge a decision in a higher court. Earlier, the case was being heard on a day-to-day basis by Justice Bri

A Raja slams govt for not refuting Opposition's allegations on Adani

DMK leader A Raja claimed on Thursday that the opposition's allegations about businessman Gautam Adani stand true as the government has not "refuted" them. Participating in a discussion on the Union Budget for 2023-24, Raja said the claim of the government that it was the representative of 140 crore people of the country was also not true as the opposition has more than 200 MPs in Lok Sabha. "The allegations made by the opposition were not refuted at all by the government. Since it was not refuted, it stands true," he said. The opposition, including the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has stalled the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament for three days of the Budget Session, demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the fraud-allegation-triggered rout in Adani Group company stocks, before participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address. Raja said that out of the total MPs of the Lok Sabha, more than 200 belong to the ..

DMK MP A Raja summoned in disproportionate assets case worth Rs 5.53 cr

A special court here on Wednesday summoned DMK Lok Sabha MP A Raja to appear in person in connection with the disproportionate assets case. The case is related to the 2015 disproportionate assets case in which the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) chargesheet indicted Raja, now representing the Nilgiris parliamentary constituency. As per the chargesheet filed against Raja in August 2022, as a Union minister in 2007 he had allegedly granted infrastructure status to a Gurugram-based real-estate firm to build a hotel in Kancheepuram district in exchange for money. The chargesheet alleged that the real-estate firm routed the payment of Rs 4.56 crore to Raja through a company named Kovai Shelters Private Limited belonging to a close aide of the former Union minister. Raja's relatives are also the directors of the firm. The CBI had charged him with amassing assets worth Rs 5.53 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income. The case was transferred to a special court that

50 BJP women cadres arrested for trying to show black flags to DMK MP Raja

Over 50 BJP cadres, mostly women, were arrested on Saturday for attempting to show black flags to DMK MP A Raja for his alleged remarks against Hindu religion and women, police said. Raja was scheduled to arrive at the airport here this evening and the BJP Women's wing members and a few others assembled at Kalapatti near the airport to show black flags to him. The women cadres with flags raised slogans against the DMK leader and they were arrested, police said. Raja arrived by a flight and was welcomed by DMK cadres and alliance party members. Raja, the DMK deputy general secretary had recently stoked a controversy over his Shudra remark and drew the BJP's ire with the saffron party accusing him of spewing hatred against a community to appease others. Shudras, the Nilgiris MP claimed, were insulted in Manusmrithi and denied equality, education, employment and entry into temples. "You are a Shudra till you remain a Hindu. You are the son of a prostitute till you remain as Shudra.

CBI files charge sheet against A Raja in disproportionate assets case

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against DMK leader A Raja for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 5.53 crore during his tenure as Union minister, officials said. In its charge sheet filed before a Special CBI court in Chennai, the agency has alleged that a close associate of Raja, C Krishnamurthy, had set up a company Kovai Shelters Promoters in January, 2007 in which a payment of Rs 4.56 crore was received in February that year from a Gurugram-based real estate company as commission for purchase of land in Kanchipuram, they said. It is alleged that the payment was not for the land deal but a quid pro quo for giving the real estate firm the status of an infrastructure company by Raja during his tenure as Union minister, they said. In the charge sheet filed in August this year, the CBI has alleged that the company had not "undertaken any other real estate activity" other than the purported land deal for the real estate firm. The company had later bought ...

Tamil Nadu Polls 2021: EC bars DMK's A Raja from campaigning for 48 hours

Assembly polls will be held in Tamil Nadu on April 6 in a single phase for which campaigning would end in the evening of April 4

Apologies to Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami if hurt by speech: DMK leader A Raja

Recently the DMK leader said Stalin's slipper is worth Rs one more than that of Palaniswami

2G scam: CBI commences fresh arguments in HC in appeal against acquittals

CBI commenced arguments afresh in the Delhi High Court on Thursday in its appeal against the acquittal of former telecom minister A Raja and others

From Sukh Ram to Mukesh Ambani, here're the men who changed telecom

With a charge of Rs 18/min for voice calls to free voice calls now, and a burgeoning subscriber base, India's telecom sector has come a long way. We look at the men who made all of this possible

2G scam: CBI appeal infructuous in view of new anti-graft law, says A Raja

Apart from Raja, his then private secretary R K Chandolia and former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura have also raised the issue in separate applications filed by them.

Happy you stand vindicated in 2G case: Manmohan responds to A Raja's letter

In his letter, Raja, of the DMK, had said that he "understood the compulsions" that prevented the then Prime Minister from "openly supporting him".