Can't provide Info on Nirav Modi's passport due to privacy clause: MEA

Want to understand how exactly billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi managed to travel around the world despite his passport being “cancelled”? Well, a Right to Information query to the Ministry of External affairs will not yield any answers.

Ever since he left India, Nirav Modi has reportedly been travelling through various countries, even as his passport was under suspension and eventually cancelled.

In June, an RTI query with multiple questions was submitted to the ministry to unravel the mystery of Nirav’s international travel itinerary despite him being a fugitive.

The questions were whether the MEA knew Nirav’s passport number, the date of its suspension, details of his multiple passport booklets, including issuing authority, if he held them. There were also queries about the route that Nirav Modi had travelled to flee India, whether Indian passport can be used to trace a person’s route and if the ministry had used this method. Lastly, MEA was asked whether it was aware of Nirav Modi’s location in June.

ED may investigate AirAsia case; Venkataramanan denies any wrongdoing

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) details of the case of alleged corruption filed against top executives of AirAsia, according to ED sources.

“We will analyse the case registered by the CBI to see if a fresh case has to be filed by us or what further action we can take,” said an ED official. The CBI on Tuesday named AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes and Tata Trusts’ R Venkataramanan for allegedly trying to subvert aviation laws for their joint venture AirAsia India by bribing government officials.

The ED is already probing corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar, the middleman named in the CBI FIR, in a case of alleged money laundering and had raided several premises linked with him a week ago.

Both AirAsia and Venkataramanan have denied the charges, saying the accusations were made with mala fide intention and will be defended in court.

DSP suicide case: CBI books K'taka Min K J George, senior police officials

The CBI on Thursday registered a case of abetment of suicide against Karnataka Minister KJ George and two senior state police officials in connection with the suicide of Deputy Superintendent of Police MK Ganapathy.

Apart from George, who was earlier the state Home Minister and is now the Bengaluru Development Minister, the police officers booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are Additional Director-General of Police (Intelligence) AM Prasad and Inspector-General of Police Pranov Mohanty.

The CBI's move comes following Supreme Court's September 5 directive to probe the death of the police officer and submit an investigation report within three months.

Ganapathy had hanged himself to death on July 7, 2016 in the state's Madikeri, about 250km to the west of the state capital.

In a television interview given hours before his death, Ganapathy had accused George, Prasad and Mohanty of harassing him.

"The complainant (Nehal) expressed the suspicion about the death of his father and had filed a written complaint before the police sub-inspector at the Kushalnagar police station (near Madikeri) on July 10, 2016. However, the police officer had allegedly refused to register the complaint," stated the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the CBI.
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