Evening bulletin: AAP-Cong seat sharing in Delhi, HC on Indrani Mukerjea series
Evening bulletin February 22: Here are the top five news of the day so far.
Good evening! Here are the top stories in your evening news bulletin.
What AAP and Congress agreed upon
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to contest four of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and leave the remaining three to its alliance partner, the Congress, as part of a seat-sharing agreement being finalised by leaders of the two parties, people aware of the matter said. Citing the discussions between the two sides, a Congress leader said an agreement had been arrived between the two sides on the formula and the talks on the seats to be contested by the two parties were in the final stages. According to one arrangement being discussed, the Congress may contest East, Chandani Chowk and North East Lok Sabha seats; while AAP may contest New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and North West Lok Sabha seats. AAP minister Atishi declined to comment on the details of the negotiations. “The talks are on and we are hopeful of closing the deal,” she said. A senior Delhi Congress leader said the 4-3 formula was final but there could be some changes to the seats contested by the two sides. Full story here.
Bombay high court order to Netflix
The Bombay high court on Thursday ordered OTT platform Netflix to organise a pre-release screening of the documentary series “The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth” for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the agency sought a stay on the February 23 release of the series. The documentary revolves around Indrani Mukerjea, the main accused in the Sheena Bora murder case. The CBI has filed a plea in the high court seeking to halt the release of the web series due to the ongoing trial in the Sheena Bora murder case after it failed to obtain a stay from the trial court. A division bench of Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Manjusha Deshpande suggested that it will be suitable for the CBI to preview the series before presenting any arguments regarding their plea for a stay. Initially expressing concern about potential pre-censorship, Netflix eventually agreed to the suggestion and assured the court that the series will not be aired until the next hearing – February 29. The CBI, during the hearing on Thursday, emphasised that the series includes interviews with the accused and some witnesses in the case. Advocate Shreeram Shirsat, representing the agency, argued that since the CBI had only viewed the trailer, they were unaware of the number of witnesses featured in the series. The high court, therefore, requested Netflix to provide the exact count of witnesses interviewed. Senior advocate Ravi Kadam, representing Netflix, informed the court that five witnesses, including Indrani’s son, Mikhael, and her daughter, Vidhie Mukerjea, were interviewed in the series. Full story here.
Avalanche in Gulmarg
One skier died on Thursday after an avalanche hit Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir while several foreigners remained trapped. An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow on the slope of a mountain which may get triggered by many factors. There was an avalanche warning as J&K recorded incessant rainfall, snowfall in the past few days. Officials said the avalanche on Thursday struck the Kongdoori slopes where many foreigners went without local residents. Five skiers have been rescued and are being treated in a local hospital. Personnel of the Army and a patrolling team of the Jammu and Kashmir administration are carrying out rescue-cum-search operations. Full story here.
Griha pravesh at Smriti Irani's Amethi house
Union minister Smriti Irani and her husband Zubin Irani performed the rituals of griha pravesh at the minister's new residence in Amethi, the Lok Sabha seat that Smriti Irani wrested from Rahul Gandhi in 2019. The occasion comes months ahead of the Lok Sabha election 2024 in which Amethi may witness another high-octane fight as the Congress has not given up hopes on Amethi and negotiated for the seat in its seat-sharing deal with INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party. The griha pravesh occasion comes days after Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passed through Amethi. In 2019, Smriti Irani promised that she would have a permanent address in Amethi if she got elected. In February 2021, she bought a plot of 15,000 square feet of land in the Gauriganj area. In 2023, Smriti Irani hosted a 'khichdi bhoj ' at her new residence in Amethi. A year later, the griha pravesh ceremony was held on Thursday. Full story here.
IPL star's link in model death case
Police are delving into the friendship between model Tania Singh and Sunrisers Hyderabad player Abhishek Sharma as part of their investigation into Singh's suspected suicide. According to a statement from a Surat police officer on Wednesday, preliminary findings suggest a connection between the two, prompting authorities to send a notice to Abhishek Sharma for questioning. Tanya Singh, 28, was found hanging from the ceiling of her apartment in the Vesu area of the city on Monday. With no suicide note recovered at the scene, investigators have been piecing together clues to understand the circumstances surrounding her death. "We have so far learnt this much that Abhishek Sharma was in friendship with the deceased model. More details will be known in the investigation," said Assistant Commissioner of Police VR Malhotra. Authorities are now turning their attention to verifying the Call Detail Records (CDR) and IP Detail Record (IPDR) data from Singh's phone. Preliminary investigation revealed that the model had sent Sharma a message on WhatsApp chat but it was not responded to, he said. Full story here.