CBI raids on whistleblower

New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has carried out raids on a suspended IAS officer who blew the whistle on a teacher recruitment scandal in Haryana.

The CBI claimed in a release that assets valued at Rs 80.33 lakh have been traced to Sanjeev Kumar and his family members after raids on 16 places. The agency said it had earlier found documents suggesting investments of Rs 1.62 crore, taking Kumar?s total alleged assets to Rs 2.42 crore.

Kumar, against who the agency had filed two corruption cases, had shot into the limelight after the Supreme Court took note of his petition and ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers.

The CBI said the officer had acquired disproportionate assets valued at Rs 46.17 lakh, adding that most of the wealth linked to Kumar was acquired between April 1998 and March 2003.

The assets include Rs 9 lakh in bank accounts, a Rs 30-lakh farmhouse in the name of his mother who had no known source of income and several flats and plots, the investigative agency said.

Warrant against wife seller

Ahmedabad (PTI): A Jamnagar district court has issued search warrants against a man and his family members for allegedly selling his wife in Rajkot district of Gujarat.

Based on a complaint by the victim?s father Nagjibhai Tapubhai, the chief judicial magistrate in-charge issued the warrants on Wednesday and ordered the accused to be present on February 19.

The complaint stated that the woman was remarried and sold off by her in-laws to a man in Rajkot for Rs 1 lakh.

Councillors step down

Srinagar (PTI): Three more newly elected councillors resigned on Thursday following threats by militant organisations to kill those who had taken part in the Jammu and Kashmir civic elections. Six councillors have stepped down so far.

Nissar Ahmad Dahal and Shabir Ahmad Khanday of the Shopian municipal committee in Pulwama district and Aisha of the Beerwah municipal committee have announced their resignation.

Jet flight row

New Delhi (PTI): A passenger has approached Delhi High Court for a directive to police to register a case of criminal negligence against Jet Airways for allegedly endangering his life by operating a flight to Mumbai from here under adverse weather conditions on December 20, 2001. Sharma accused the airline of operating the flight though all other flights were cancelled on that day.

Ransack strike

Pune (PTI): Several teaching and non-teaching staff of most colleges abstained from work on Thursday to protest the ransacking of the principal?s room of Fergusson College. Angry over the management?s decision to fine those not attending physical training classes, two students allegedly ransacked the office on February 15.

Surjeet breather

Mumbai (PTI): A court on Thursday exempted CPM leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet from personal appearance in a defamation case filed by actor Anupam Kher but ordered him to appear on March 15 without fail. Surjeet sought the exemption on medical grounds.

Haryana vote

New Delhi: Counting of votes for the Haryana elections, earlier scheduled for February 27, has been brought ahead by four days to February 23, Election Commission sources said on Thursday. This has been done to allow for more time for the new Assembly to be constituted. The Commission also announced that repolling will be held in 262 polling stations in Bihar and 28 in Jharkhand on Friday.

Madhya Pradesh governor Balram Jakhar injured the middle finger of his left hand at the Gwalior airport on Wednesday. The finger got stuck when a guard closed the door of his car.