New Delhi
Airport Authority Chief Srivastava Shunted out
In a sudden development, Airport Authority of India Chairman R K Srivastava, who was appointed in January last year for a five-year term, was removed from the post by the Centre on Thursday evening. The 1984-batch Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer is likely to be sent back to his parent cadre, sources said. His removal was confirmed by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma. However, he did not elaborate further. In fact, Srivastava had rushed back to Delhi from Hyderabad on Wednesday evening, leaving the air show there midway. Arun Kumar, Joint Secretary for Airports, has been given the additional charge of the AAI Chairman’s post. Srivastava is accused of committing certain irregularities. He is also accused of not relieving from his previous post before joining the AAI.
Mumbai
Bhujbal Sent to Judicial Custody Till March 31
The special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court on Thursday sent NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal to judicial custody till March 31 after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) argued that it needed more time to complete the investigation into the money laundering case against the former Maharashtra minister. In the evening, the police took Bhujbal to the Arthur Road Jail where his nephew Sameer is lodged in the same case. Bhujbal’s lawyer sought bail for him saying that the 69-year-old leader was suffering from asthma and needed medical attention. The ED has accused the Bhujbals of laundering the alleged kickbacks they had received in connection to the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi.