Mystery of the unknown victim

New Delhi, June 6 — Three days after the speeding car of a politician’s son rammed a taxi in South Delhi, the identity of the 28-year-old woman passenger killed in the incident remains a mystery. The police claim they have contacted individuals whose phone numbers were recovered from the victim’s phone but, curiously, “all of them have expressed ignorance about her identity”. Mystery also shrouds the whereabouts of the injured taxi driver, Naresh Kumar Kapoor (33), who was taken to AIIMS for treatment before he went untraceable. The taxi is registered with an authorised stand within the premises of The Lalit, a 5-star hotel, in Central Delhi. A senior police officer, strictly on the condition of anonymity, said, “He is in a state of shock and his version of the incident is yet to be recorded.” However, when asked whether the police knew where he was, the officer replied in the negative. The driver of the two-seater Mercedes Benz convertible, 26-year-old Dinesh Singh Tanwar, walked away scot-free by furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 just hours after the incident that took place at 3.35 am in Africa Avenue Marg. Dinesh is the son of Kanwar Singh Tanwar, the second richest candidate in Delhi to contest the 2008 Assembly polls on a BSP ticket, who later joined the Congress.

On speculations that the unidentified female belonged to an escort service, the DCP said, “We are investigating the case from all angles and these speculations are not relevant.”

Live cartridges found in Radisson; 3 Italians detained

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Three Italian nationals were detained Thursday after 24 live cartridges were recovered from their room in south Delhi’s Radisson hotel, police said.

The housekeeping staff of the five-star hotel found the cartridges while cleaning room number 448 Thursday morning. The foreigners had vacated the room Tuesday, a police officer said.

‘The Italian nationals checked in the room Tuesday morning and vacated the room the same day. One of them was detained in Mumbai while the other two where caught in Pune,’ the officer added.

Security has been beefed up at the hotel, located close to the Indira Gandhi international airport.

In February, two British nationals were caught from the same hotel while they were involved in plane spotting. They were later granted bail and let off.

Air India register easy win in GG Dutt, enter quarters

Air India beat South Delhi Colts by four wickets to enter the quarter-finals of the ongoing All-India Goswami Ganesh Dutt memorial cricket tournament on Tuesday. Set a target of 230, Air India completed the formalities with five balls to spare at the St Stephen’s ground.

At one point, Air India were in danger of losing the grip on the match, when they were three down with only 51 on the board. But the timely 125-run partnership for the fourth wicket between skipper Shafiq Khan and Reetinder Singh Sodhi got them closer to the target, before both the set batsmen were dismissed.

It was left to Naman Sharma, who struck 23 in quick time, to see the 11-time champions home. Khan made a run-a-ball 79, including nine hits to the fence, while Sodhi contributed 47 to the total. For South Delhi Colts, Manish Bhatia struck thrice and Gaurav Gambhir took two wickets, in a losing cause.

Earlier, put into bat, the Colts were reeling at 89 for 6 in only 22.2 overs. And only a late-order burst by Nischal Gaur and Gaurav Gambhir, ensured that they put on a fighting total of 228 after the end of their innings. They put on 140-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

Gaur struck six boundaries and four sixes in his 57-ball 81, while Gambhir made 54. Mohammad Arif, who made 32 and Amarjeet Singh (23), also contributed to the South Delhi Colts total.

For Air India, Sachin Rana was pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/57), while Amit Bakshi, Iresh Saxena and Ajit Chandela shared a wicket apiece.

Brief scores: South Delhi Colts 229 for 8 in 40 overs (Nishchal Gaur 81, Gaurav Gambhir 54, Mohammad Arif 32, Sachin Rana 2/57, Amit Bakshi 1/22, Iresh Saxena 1/44, Ajit Chandela 1/41); Air India 233 for 6 in 39.1 overs (Shafiq Khan 79, Chandan Madan 27, Reetinder Singh Sodhi 47, Naman Sharma 23 not out, Manish Bhatia 3/50, Gaurav Gambhir 2/39, Parveen Thapar 1/40)

Jessica murder case: Family hails Supreme Court verdict

New Delhi, Apr 19 (ANI): Sabrina Lall, the sister of murdered model Jessica Lall, on Monday expressed satisfaction and happiness over the Supreme Court upholding Delhi High Court’s verdict in convicting all accused.

Lall was shot dead by Manu Sharma on April 29, 1999, at the Tamarind Court Cafe restaurant, which was owned by socialite Bina Ramani in South Delhi.

Interacting with media after the Supreme Court order, Sabrina said: “After 11 years…I am glad that the final door has been closed on this case. It has given us a lot of relief and satisfaction that the Supreme Court has upheld the verdict of the high court. I am happy.”

An apex court bench consisting Justices P. Sathasivam and Swatanter Kumar upheld the Delhi High Court judgment on Monday.

On December 18, 2006, reversing the order of acquittal recorded by the trial court, the Delhi High Court had convicted Sharma and awarded him a life sentence.

The High Court also declared two other accused in the case — Vikas Yadav and Amarjeet Singh Gill — guilty for destruction of evidence.

They have also challenged their conviction and four-year jail sentence.

Sharma is the son of senior Haryana Congress leader Vinod Sharma while Yadav is the son of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav.

Sharma who is serving a life sentence in Tihar jail challenged his conviction and life sentence given by the Delhi High Court.

Sabrina described the apex court”s decision as a triumph for a common family.

“When the accused were acquitted by the lower court, that was a time that I had lost hope…In these cases where high profile and powerful people are involved, the important message is that it is not an impossible fight. If society works together and we continue to fight and don”t lose hope, it is not impossible to get the conviction…There is justice in the world and it”s possible not only for me, but for all those families fighting for it,” Sabrina said.

“In this case, middle-class people came out together in peaceful support. They created a movement for justice for Jessica. There are people I don”t even recognise who came out in open support,” she added.

Sabrina also demanded that witnesses be permitted who had turned hostile.

“Punishment to hostile witness should work as a deterrent in society. They will keep lying unless somebody is held accountable for the same,” she said. (ANI)

Jessica Lall case: SC upholds Delhi High Court verdict on Manu Sharma

New Delhi, Apr 19 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the verdict given by the Delhi High Court in the model Jessica Lall murder case, convicting prime accused Manu Sharma to life imprisonment.

On February 8, a bench of the apex court consisting Justices P. Sathasivam and Swantanter Kumar had reserved its verdict for April 19.

Lall was shot dead by Manu Sharma at the Tamarind Court Cafe restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani in South Delhi on April 29, 1999.

On December 18, 2006, reversing the order of acquittal recorded by the trial court, the Delhi High Court convicted Sharma and awarded him a life sentence.

The High Court also declared two other accused in the case — Vikas Yadav and Amarjeet Singh Gill — guilty for destruction of evidence.

They have also challenged their conviction and four-year jail sentence.

Sharma is the son of senior Haryana Congress leader Vinod Sharma while Yadav is the son of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav.

Earlier, on February 21, 2006, the trial court verdict had acquitted Sharma.

Sharma had challenged the conviction in the apex court.

Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Sharma, had argued that the judgment was pre-determined to hold the appellant guilty as one of the judges refused to withdraw from the bench.

Narrating the sequence of events, Jethmalani alleged that from everyday hearing, it was clear that the bench was going to reverse the acquittal by the trial court.

The High Court judgment was ‘nothing but perverse” and every finding of the trial court was rejected, he said.

Appearing for the Delhi Government, Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam, justified the conviction and submitted that there was sufficient evidence to convict and sentence Sharma to a life term. (ANI)

Jessica murder case: Family hails Supreme Court verdict

New Delhi, Apr 19 (ANI): Sabrina Lall, the sister of murdered model Jessica Lall, on Monday expressed satisfaction and happiness over the Supreme Court upholding Delhi High Court’s verdict in convicting all accused.

Lall was shot dead by Manu Sharma on April 29, 1999, at the Tamarind Court Cafe restaurant, which was owned by socialite Bina Ramani in South Delhi.

Interacting with media after the Supreme Court order, Sabrina said: “After 11 years…I am glad that the final door has been closed on this case. It has given us a lot of relief and satisfaction that the Supreme Court has upheld the verdict of the high court. I am happy.”

An apex court bench consisting Justices P. Sathasivam and Swatanter Kumar upheld the Delhi High Court judgment on Monday.

On December 18, 2006, reversing the order of acquittal recorded by the trial court, the Delhi High Court had convicted Sharma and awarded him a life sentence.

The High Court also declared two other accused in the case — Vikas Yadav and Amarjeet Singh Gill — guilty for destruction of evidence.

They have also challenged their conviction and four-year jail sentence.

Sharma is the son of senior Haryana Congress leader Vinod Sharma while Yadav is the son of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav.

Sharma who is serving a life sentence in Tihar jail challenged his conviction and life sentence given by the Delhi High Court.

Sabrina described the apex court”s decision as a triumph for a common family.

“When the accused were acquitted by the lower court, that was a time that I had lost hope…In these cases where high profile and powerful people are involved, the important message is that it is not an impossible fight. If society works together and we continue to fight and don”t lose hope, it is not impossible to get the conviction…There is justice in the world and it”s possible not only for me, but for all those families fighting for it,” Sabrina said.

“In this case, middle-class people came out together in peaceful support. They created a movement for justice for Jessica. There are people I don”t even recognise who came out in open support,” she added.

Sabrina also demanded that witnesses be permitted who had turned hostile.

“Punishment to hostile witness should work as a deterrent in society. They will keep lying unless somebody is held accountable for the same,” she said. (ANI)

Jessica Lall case: SC upholds Delhi High Court verdict on Manu Sharma

New Delhi, Apr 19 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the verdict given by the Delhi High Court in the model Jessica Lall murder case, convicting prime accused Manu Sharma to life imprisonment.

On February 8, a bench of the apex court consisting Justices P. Sathasivam and Swantanter Kumar had reserved its verdict for April 19.

Lall was shot dead by Manu Sharma at the Tamarind Court Cafe restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani in South Delhi on April 29, 1999.

On December 18, 2006, reversing the order of acquittal recorded by the trial court, the Delhi High Court convicted Sharma and awarded him a life sentence.

The High Court also declared two other accused in the case — Vikas Yadav and Amarjeet Singh Gill — guilty for destruction of evidence.

They have also challenged their conviction and four-year jail sentence.

Sharma is the son of senior Haryana Congress leader Vinod Sharma while Yadav is the son of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav.

Earlier, on February 21, 2006, the trial court verdict had acquitted Sharma.

Sharma had challenged the conviction in the apex court.

Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Sharma, had argued that the judgment was pre-determined to hold the appellant guilty as one of the judges refused to withdraw from the bench.

Narrating the sequence of events, Jethmalani alleged that from everyday hearing, it was clear that the bench was going to reverse the acquittal by the trial court.

The High Court judgment was ‘nothing but perverse” and every finding of the trial court was rejected, he said.

Appearing for the Delhi Government, Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam, justified the conviction and submitted that there was sufficient evidence to convict and sentence Sharma to a life term. (ANI)

Volunteers launch Delhi clean drive ahead of Commonwealth Games

New Delhi, Mar. 20 (ANI): As Delhi gears up to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games later this year, hundreds of volunteers have joined hands with the officials of civic bodies to take on the task of cleaning the city.

As part of a campaign called, Let”s Do It Delhi, volunteers swept the streets and collected garbage outside Bhikaji Cama Place in South Delhi, to reflect the message that if they can clean Bhikaji Cama in three hours and keep it clean, why not the whole of Delhi.

The campaign is aimed at educating people about the need to keep the city clean as it prepares to host the mega sports event in October.

Professionals, students and senior citizens pitched in with contributions for the initiative.

“School children, senior citizens and professionals, all have come here and supported the cause to make it successful,” said Monika Bhatia, a volunteer.

They say that public participation is very important to make the campaign successful.

“If the public supports us then we can definitely clean Delhi. Without public”s participation, we cannot clean Delhi,” said Air Commodore S K Meda, a volunteer.

The 19th Commonwealth Games, to be staged in New Delhi between 4 to 14th October, 2010, will be the country’s biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games.

New Delhi is only the second Asian city to host the Commonwealth Games after Kaula Lumpur. (ANI)

“Edwin wants to put an end to the fear among his team-mates from armed gangs targeting their homes,” the source said.

“Some of the players and especially the WAGs have been living in constant fear. They are petrified that they will become the gang””s next victim,” he added. (ANI)

Man held for murdering colleague at Delhi mall

New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) A man has been arrested here for murdering his colleague at a Delhi shopping mall after being asked to return the money he had borrowed, police said Tuesday.

Raj Kumar, 21, was arrested Monday for the murder of his colleague Vijay Yadav, a lift mechanic at one of the shopping malls in south Delhi area. Raj Kumar attacked Yadav Saturday with an iron rod.

‘Yadav was pressing hard for his money, but Raj Kumar showed his inability to pay back the Rs.10,000. Raj Kumar called Yadav on the pretext of returning the borrowed money and attacked him with an iron rod. Yadav’s body was later found in a pool of blood in the mall’s lift,’ a police officer said

High court dismisses plea to de-seal SIMI office

New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Student Islamic Movement of India’s (SIMI) plea to de-seal a south Delhi property housing its office was Tuesday rejected by the Delhi High Court, which said the request was ‘untenable in law’.

The building was sealed after the central government banned the outfit in 2001 for alleged involvement in terrorist activities.

Justice S. Muralidhar dismissed SIMI’s plea for de-sealing house number 151-C on Lane 9 in Zakir Nagar. He said: ‘Needless to say that as and when the declaration that the petitioner is an unlawful association ceases in accordance with law, the justification for the sealing of premises used by it will also cease.

‘However, as long as the petitioner continues to be declared an unlawful association, no further justification is necessary to be shown for the premises used by it continuing to remain sealed,’ he said.

The court rejected SIMI’s arguments that the organisation was banned but the sealing of the premises was not within the law.

He said: ‘There can be circumstances where a premises is used or occupied by persons who are themselves not members of the unlawful association which was using the premises for its activities. Such persons may have been using the premises either as a residence or for some other activity unrelated to the activity of unlawful association.

‘But it is the unlawful association itself which is seeking the restoration to it of the premises which it admittedly was using for its activities, even while it continues to be declared to be an unlawful association. Such contention is untenable in law,’ the court said.

Opposing the desealing plea, a home ministry director said that municipal records showed the house belonged to Habibullah Siddiqui and neither the SIMI nor its president Shahid Badar Falahi had any claim to the building.

Following the central government ban on the outfit in 2001, Falahi was arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Since then the office has remained locked.

DMRC sacks official for negligence in bridge collapse case

New Delhi, July 15 (ANI): The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has sacked official in-charge of the Badarpur Metro line, Vijay Anand, for neglecting his duty, following shocking collapse of an under construction Metro pillar in south Delhi.

Six persons were killed and 15 others injured when an under-construction bridge of the Delhi Metro collapsed on Sunday.

The collapse had prompted DMRC chief E Sreedharan to resign owing the moral responsibility for the worst mishap involving the modern transport system.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna had rejected Sreedharan’s resignation, saying the city needed the man to continue his work.

The accident took place at around 5 am when a pillar of the bridge gave in during some construction work near Lady Sriram College in South Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar.

Four labourers and a 28-year-old engineer of Gammon India, the contractor of the project, were killed in the mishap, the second such incident in nine months.

DMRC set up a four-member committee to examine reasons for the accident and it would submit its report in 10 days. (ANI)

Clearance operation continues at Delhi Metro mishap site

New Delhi, July 14 (ANI): Debris clearance operations continued at the Delhi Metro accident site in South Delhi on Tuesday.

Cranes, which toppled yesterday leaving six injured, have been removed from the site.

Vehicular movement towards Nehru Place area has been badly affected with traffic chaos in many places like Greater Kailash, Amar Colony, Moolchand and East of Kailash.

Commuters in the area had some respite this morning as one-way traffic was opened on the Moolchand-Zamrudpur-Nehru Place route.

Water supply has been affected after the under-construction bridge fell on a pipeline. Power supply has also been temporarily snapped.

The Delhi Government has set up a committee to be headed by A.K.Nagpal of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to investigate Sunday’s mishap in which six persons were killed after an under-construction bridge collapsed. (ANI)

Delhi Metro chief Sreedharan withdraws resignation

New Delhi, July 13 (ANI): A day after he put his papers owning moral responsibility for an accident at a construction site that killed six people, Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan has withdrew his resignation.

“E Sreedharan has decided to withdraw his resignation in view of the letter he received from Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit (asking him to continue as the DMRC Managing Director),” Metro Rail spokesperson Anuj Dayal told reporters at New Delhi on Monday.

Dayal said the Metro chief also took into consideration the persuasion of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna and Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy who asked him to withdraw his resignation letter and continue in the post.

The 77-year-old renowned technocrat quit his post within hours of the accident at the Metro construction site in south Delhi’s Jamrudpur area on Sunday where an under construction bridge collapsed killing six people and injuring 15 others.

On Sunday night, Dikshit had rejected his resignation saying that the Delhi Metro and the country needed his services.

“We respect his sentiments. But we also know that the Delhi Metro and the country need him. Not only he do good work for Delhi but also for the country,” she had said.

Highly placed sources said the government rejected Sreedharan’s resignation as it viewed that his continuation was necessary for successful completion of Metro projects ahead of the Commonwealth Games next year. (ANI)

Another Delhi Metro mishap leaves six injured

New Delhi, July 13 (ANI): A day after a Metro Rail bridge collapse caused six deaths in South Delhi’s Zamrudpur area, a launcher turned upside down, leaving another six persons injured on Monday.

The incident took place when two to three cranes were lifting the huge girder at the site but suddenly it just toppled over due to heavy weight and crumbled down, causing everyone standing by rush to safe place.

There was nearly a stampede at the incident site.

The inured were taken to the All India Medical Institute of Sciences (AIIMS).

The area has been cordoned off as a preventive measure. (ANI)

DMRC chief Sreedharan quits over metro bridge mishap

New Delhi, July 12 (ANI): Taking full responsibility for Sunday’s Metro bridge collapse in Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi, in which 6 people were killed and 13 injured, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) 77-year-old Managing Director, E Sreedharan announced that he was resigning with immediate effect.

“Technically, someone else should take the responsibility but I have decided to quit,” said Sreedharan.arlier, Sreedharan had said that he would take stock of the situation arising out of this morning’s DMRC bridge collapse, and then decide what action was to be taken against the project contractor, Gammon India.

Sreedharan’s comments came soon after he received a report that at least five people had been killed and 20 injured when an under-construction bridge of the Delhi Metro collapsed in Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi.

When reports last came in, at least one person was still trapped under the debris. The incident was reported from near Lady Shri Ram College in Dhamrutpur near Lajpat Nagar. The injured are being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Delhi police has been recording the statements of the people who were trapped and the witnesses at the site of the mishap, and police sources said that if there is evidence to indicate that despite the fault in existing construction, it was carried forward, then a case of culpable homicide will be registered.

Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said, “it was a structural collapse and we are investigating the matter.”

The under-construction bridge fell on a water pipeline which led to some flooding in the area. An eyewitness said 20-25 labourers were working on the site.

After retiring from the Indian Railways as Member Engineering in 1990, Sreedharan acquired worldwide recognition after supervising the building of the next to impossible Konkan Railway along India’s western coast in a record time of seven years.

Starting out 1990, the project was unique in many respects. It was the first major project in India to be undertaken on a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) basis; the organisation structure was different from that of a typical Indian Railway set-up; the project had 93 tunnels along a length of 82 km and involved tunneling through soft soil. The total project covered 760 km and had over 150 bridges. That a public sector project could be completed without significant cost and time overruns was considered an achievement by many.

He was made the managing director of Delhi Metro and by mid-2005, all the scheduled sections were completed by their target date or before and within their respective budgets.

Sreedharan was given the sobriquet of Metro Man by the media. In 2005, he was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by the French government.

He had announced that he would retire by the end of 2005, but his tenure was extended by another three years to oversee the completion of the second phase of Delhi Metro.

Recently he was invited by Pakistan to assess development of the Lahore Metro plan.

He was also called by the UAE govt in 2005 to Head the Dubai Metro Project, he however rejected their offer, because of his preoccupation with DMRC. (ANI)

DMRC chief says action will be taken against Gammon India

New Delhi, July 12 (ANI): The Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), E Sreedharan, on Sunday said he would take stock of the situation arising out of this morning’s DMRC bridge collapse, and then decide what action was to be taken against the project contractor, Gammon India.

Sreedharan’s comments came soon after he received a report that at least five people had been killed and 20 injured when an under-construction bridge of the Delhi Metro collapsed in Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi.

When reports last came in, at least one person was still trapped under the debris. The incident was reported from near Lady Shri Ram College in Dhamrutpur near Lajpat Nagar. The injured are being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Delhi police has been recording the statements of the people who were trapped and the witnesses at the site of the mishap, and police sources said that if there is evidence to indicate that despite the fault in existing construction, it was carried forward, then a case of culpable homicide will be registered.

Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said, “it was a structural collapse and we are investigating the matter.”

The under-construction bridge fell on a water pipeline which led to some flooding in the area. An eyewitness said 20-25 labourers were working on the site. (ANI)

Delhi Metro bridge tragedy: Police registers case against builders

New Delhi, July 12 (ANI): The Delhi Police on Sunday registered a case against the contractor, supervisor and construction company Gammon India Limited after an under-construction Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) flyover collapsed in the Lajpat Nagar area of South Delhi this morning.

A case of death due to negligence was registered under Section 304 (A).

Police have said that if they find evidence, they would file a case of culpable homicide.

At least five labourers were killed and 20 injured in the incident, which was reported from near Lady Shri Ram College in Lajpat Nagar around 5:00 am.

According to sources, the under-construction bridge fell on a water pipeline, which led to some flooding in the area.

The injured are under going treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). (ANI)

Delhi Metro bridge collapse, three killed

New Delhi, July 12 (ANI): At least three labourers were killed and seven others injured when an under-construction Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) flyover collapsed in Lajpat Nagar area in South Delhi early this morning.

The incident was reported from near Lady Shri Ram College in Lajpat Nagar around 5:00 am.

According to sources, the under-construction bridge fell on a water pipeline, which led to some flooding in the area.

The injured are under going treatment at AIIMS. (ANI)

19-year-old student hangs himself in INDIA

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) A 19-year-old student committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in Safdarjung Hospital in south Delhi Wednesday evening.

“We received a call at around 7:30 about the incident that a young boy admitted in Safdarjung hospital has hanged himself,” a senior police officer said.

“The victim Santosh Kumar, a BCA student, was undergoing treatment at the hospital for last six months for a leg injury which he had suffered in an accident. On Wednesday evening, he sent his father Brahmeshwar and mother to bring something. While they were away, he hanged himself from the ceiling,” the police officer added.

The victim was a native of Bihar.

“His parents told us that he was very frustrated due to his bad health. However, no suicide note has been recovered from the place. His body has been sent for post-mortem examination and further investigations in the matter are on,” the police officer added.

Nominations of 56 candidates in Delhi rejected

New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) As many as 56 nominations for the polls to the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi were rejected during scrutiny, the election office said Monday.

‘A total of 222 candidates had filed their nominations for the seven constituencies. Of those, 56 have been rejected,’ said an official statement.

The highest number of nominations, 55, were filed from New Delhi seat while the lowest, 20, were filed from south Delhi. ‘Of those 55 in New Delhi, 16 were rejected during scrutiny and of 20 in south Delhi, four were rejected,’ it said.

‘Of 44 nominations in Chandni Chowk, two were rejected, of the 30 in northeast Delhi, 13 were rejected, of the 25 in east Delhi, six were rejected, six were rejected out of 22 in northwest Delhi and of the 26 in west Delhi, nine were rejected,’ the statement added.

‘Now, the total valid candidates for the seven Lok Sabha Delhi seats are 166,’ it added.

The nomination process that started April 11 culminated April 19. The numbers may still change, as the last day for withdrawal of candidature is April 22.
Indo Asian News Service