The Delhi High Court on Thursday extended its earlier order granting interim protection from arrest to now-sacked Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who allegedly submitted false OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) certificates and fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limits provided for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) by faking her identity.

A bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh decided to fix the hearing on October 4 after parties sought more time to file detailed submissions.

In the meantime, Justice Singh-led Bench ordered an extension of the benefit of interim relief granted earlier to Puja Khedkar shielding her from arrest.

In a brief hearing, the counsel representing the Delhi Police submitted that the probe revealed “a larger conspiracy”, hinting involvement of other people in the matter.

Last week, the Delhi High Court issued notice to Khedkar on an application filed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) alleging that she committed perjury by swearing a false affidavit and making a false statement in relation to her anticipatory bail plea. In its application, the UPSC disputed that it did not collect any biometrics (eyes and fingerprints) during Khedkar’s personality test and she made a “false statement” regarding the collection of her biometrics for obtaining favourable orders.

Asking Khedkar to cooperate with the investigation, the Delhi High Court, in an interim order passed on August 12, granted her protection from arrest.

Earlier, a court here turned down her anticipatory bail plea and asked the investigating agency to find out if anyone from inside the UPSC had helped Khedkar.

Widening the scope of the probe, Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala had asked Delhi Police to investigate if other people recommended by the UPSC have availed quota benefits without entitlement.

The Centre, on September 7, sacked Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect, a month after the UPSC cancelled her selection in government service.

Khedkar has been found guilty of faking and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits. After cancelling her selection, the UPSC also barred her for life from taking the entrance exam after finding her guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times.

In a status report submitted to the Delhi High Court, Delhi Police had contended that former Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Khedkar had submitted two separate disability certificates for her UPSC exam.

The disability certificates dated 2018 and 2021 citing ‘multiple disabilities’ were purportedly issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital for her UPSC attempts made in 2022 and 2023. However, as per Delhi Police’s status report, the hospital authorities had denied that the certificates claiming ‘multiple disabilities’ were issued to her by them.

It was found that Khedkar availed relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities. It then came to light that her father, a former Maharashtra government officer, had property to the tune of Rs 40 crore and that she did not qualify for the non-creamy layer OBC quota.

The UPSC had said that its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) “could not detect her number of attempts primarily because she changed not only her name but also her parents’ names”.

Last month, the Centre allowed the UPSC to utilise Aadhaar-based authentication to verify candidates’ identities voluntarily, both at the time of registration and during several stages of examinations and recruitment. AGENCIES

 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday in Delhi to press for the release of funds due to the state to implement various Central government schemes.

The Chief Minister will reach Delhi on Thursday evening. In a statement on Thursday, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s office said that the DMK government has been consistently fighting for the rights of the people of the state.

The statement said that “the struggle was the strength of the DMK” and the party continued to fight for the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu even while holding power.

The Chief Minister will be submitting a memorandum to the Prime Minister on various demands of the state in many sectors. The delay in the allocation of Central funds will be a main point of discussion taken up by the Chief Minister during the meeting with the Prime Minister.

The funding for the phase 2 development of the Chennai Metro rail network will be one of the main agendas during the Chief Minister‘s meeting. Another contentious issue that the Chief Minister will take up is the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) relating to the school education department.

It may be recalled that the state government has opposed linking the PM SHRI schools to the release of SSA funds. The Tamil Nadu government has not signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU )with the Central government to establish PM SHRI schools leading to the Centre’s delay in releasing the funds.

The Union Education Ministry has withheld the first instalment of Rs 573 crore for Tamil Nadu due to noncompliance with the National Education Policy.

The Tamil Nadu CM had earlier written to the Prime Minister seeking the release of SSA funds and the State School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has also come out against the Centre for penalising the state for not implementing the National Education Policy (NEP).

CM Stalin during his visit to Delhi will also call on the leaders of the Congress and other INDIA bloc members. It may be recalled that the DMK is holding a major public meeting on September 28 at Kancheepuram in which INDIA bloc leaders will participate. AGENCIES

 More than 3,000 registered senders have whitelisted more than 70,000 URLs, APKs (Android package kit) or OTT (over the top) links as per the government directive to safeguard consumers from unsolicited messages containing malicious links, it was announced on Thursday.

In a major step to curb the misuse of URLs (uniform resource locators) in messages, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had issued a directive on August 20, and then extended it till September 30.

The new rule, instructing all access providers to block any traffic containing URLs, APKs, or OTT links that have not been whitelisted, is set to be implemented by 1st October 2024.

To ensure smooth flow of SMS traffic containing URLs, TRAI advises registered senders to promptly upload their whitelisted URL/APK/OTT links to the portal of the respective Access Providers.

“So far, over 3,000 registered senders have complied with this requirement by whitelisting more than 70,000 links. Senders who fail to whitelist their links by the due date will not be able to transmit any messages containing URL/APK/OTT links,” said the Ministry of Communications.

This initiative is designed to foster a transparent and secure communication system.

“By complying with these new rules, both Access Providers and registered senders can help in creating a more reliable and safe messaging environment,” said the telecom regulator.

Whitelisting is a cybersecurity strategy under which only pre-approved or trusted users, entities, or actions are allowed to operate on a system or network. By preventing unauthorised access, whitelisting can greatly reduce the risk of malware infection and cyber intrusion.

Telecom service providers blocked over 50 entities and disconnected more than 2.75 lakh mobile numbers and telecom resources earlier this month.

The TRAI has also introduced punitive measures for non-compliance. Content templates registered under the wrong category will be blacklisted, and repeated offenses will lead to a one-month suspension of the sender’s services. AGENCIES

Indian frontline indices were trading at a record-high on Thursday following positive global cues.

At 9.46 a.m., Sensex was up 144 points or 0.17 per cent at 85,314 and Nifty was up 36 points or 0.14 per cent at 26,040.

In early trade, Sensex and Nifty made a new all-time high of 85,372 and 26,056 respectively.

In the Sensex pack, Maruti Suzuki, Wipro, Tata Motors, Nestle, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, ITC, TCS, Bajaj Finserv, HUL, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank and SBI were the top gainers. Power Grid, NTPC, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Titan, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, L&T and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the top losers.

Selling was seen in the midcap and smallcap stocks. Nifty midcap 100 index was down 375 points or 0.62 per cent at 60,089 and Nifty smallcap 100 index was down 104 points or 0.54 per cent at 19,252.

According to market experts, “There are no immediate near-term triggers that can take the market sharply up or down. Up moves may attract selling by FIIs who are likely to move some more money to China and Hong Kong since these markets are cheap and are witnessing an uptrend now. But FII selling is unlikely to push the market down significantly since the ample domestic liquidity can easily absorb such selling.”

“A range-bound market is a near-term scenario and, therefore, the real action will be stock-specific,” they added.

Among the sectoral indices, PSU Bank, metal, realty, energy, pvt bank, and infra were major losers. Auto, IT, pharma, FMCG, services and healthcare were major gainers.

A bullish trend is being seen in Asian markets. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jakarta and Seoul are trading in the green. The US markets closed mixed on Wednesday.

The foreign institutional investors (FIIs) extended their selling as they sold equities worth Rs 973 crore on September 25, while domestic institutional investors extended their buying as they further bought equities worth Rs 1,778 crore on the same day. AGENCIES

Healthy marketing margins on auto fuels could spur price reductions of Rs 2-3 per litre in petrol and diesel prices in the country if crude prices remain stable, leading rating agency ICRA said on Thursday.

The marketing margins on retail sales of auto fuels for the Indian oil marketing companies (OMCs) have improved in recent weeks with the reduction in crude prices.

The rating agency anticipates that there is headroom for the downward revision of retail fuel prices if crude prices remain stable at current levels. The outlook for the refining and marketing sector remains stable.

“ICRA estimates that the OMCs’ net realisation was higher by Rs 15/litre for petrol and Rs 12/litre for diesel compared to international product prices in September 2024 (till September 17),” said Girishkumar Kadam, SVP and Group Head – Corporate Ratings, ICRA.

Another leading rating agency CLSA said on Wednesday that petrol and diesel prices may be reduced after October 5.

According to ICRA, the retail selling price (RSPs) of these fuels have been unchanged since March 2024 (Rs 2/litre was reduced on petrol and diesel on March 15) and there appears to be headroom for their downward revision by Rs 2-3/litre, if crude prices remain stable, he added.

Crude prices have witnessed a sharp decline in the last few months, primarily due to weak global economic growth and high US production and the OPEC+ has pushed the rollback of its production cuts by two months to combat the declining prices.

The impact is mainly on account of weak demand from China due to rising electric vehicle (EV) sales, muted industry demand and real estate downturn.

Further, demand in Europe has also been subdued due to weak industrial activity and a structural shift in vehicle fleets towards EVs.

As per the report, a marketing gain of Rs 1/litre on petrol and diesel would compensate for the gross refining margin (GRM) loss of 0.9 $/barrel for the domestic refining and marketing industry.

Petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) consumption in India witnessed YoY growth of 5 per cent in FY24 and is likely to witness a 3-4 per cent growth in FY25, driven by economic progress, increasing mobility and air travel.

The OMCs have planned a significant capex in the refining segment. The domestic refining capacity is expected to increase to 306 million MT over the next three to four years from the current capacity of 256.8 million MT as of March 2024 to support the increased consumption and exports. AGENCIES

 The share of out-of-pocket expenditure out of total health expenditure has come down from 64.2 per cent in 2013-14 to 39.4 per cent in 2021-22, said Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog.

This decline in out-of-pocket expenditure “reflects a very positive indicator,” said Paul, while releasing the Union Health Ministry’s National Health Account (NHA) estimates for India 2020-21 and 2021-22.

“More than Rs 1 lakh crore savings have accrued from the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY and this has had a positive impact on the recent NHA estimates,” he added.

He also stated that other schemes “like the free dialysis scheme, launched in 2015-16 have benefited 25 lakh people”.

While calling the decline in out-of-pocket cost of health, “a good sign”, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said that “a substantial increase has been noticed in the health expenditure of the government”.

This, he said, “reflects the emphasis of the government towards health”.

Further, the NHA estimates for 2021-22 highlight the efforts of the government to increase public investments in the health sector.

The share of Government Health Expenditure (GHE) in the overall GDP of the country has increased from 1.13 per cent in 2014-15 to 1.84 per cent in 2021-22.

In terms of share in the General Government Expenditure (GGE), it has increased from 3.94 per cent in 2014-15 to 6.12 per cent in 2021-22, the estimates showed.

“In per capita terms, GHE has tripled, from Rs. 1,108 to Rs. 3,169 between 2014-15 to 2021-22. The government spending on health between 2019-20 and 2020-21 increased by 16.6 per cent, while between 2020-21 and 2021-22, it grew by an unprecedented rate of 37 per cent,” the estimates showed.

The increase in Government spending on health has an important implication for the reduction of financial hardship endured by households.

In the Total Health Expenditure (THE) of the country between 2014-15 and 2021-22, the share of GHE has increased from 29 per cent to 48 per cent. During the same period, the share of Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) in THE declined from 62.6 per cent to 39.4 per cent, the estimates showed.

Further, the Social Security Expenditure (SSE) on healthcare also increased during this period. This has a direct impact on reducing out-of-pocket payments, the health ministry said.

“The share of SSE on health, which includes Government-funded health insurance, medical reimbursement to Government employees, and social health insurance programs, in THE, has increased from 5.7 per cent in 2014-15 to 8.7 per cent in 2021-22,” as per the estimates.

The current NHA estimate is the eighth and ninth in the series of reports released annually by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. AGENCIES

 Ola Electric’s flagship S1 series EV scooter has turned out to be a nightmare for several customers as they continue to face issues like malfunctioning hardware and glitching software even from day one after purchase.

An angry customer from Agra on Thursday posted a video on X, showing an Ola Electric service station in the city in complete mess.

“This is the current situation of Agra Ola electric service station. People are so enraged because no solutions are provided for their problems. Ola electric is fastest growing when it comes to their scooters coming back to service stations for 2-3 months,” the customer posted.

Another grieving customer posted on X the reality of Ola Electric.

“Received scooter after month, in more broken and damage conditions what a hard-earned money I promise. @bhash shame on ur fake promise and commitment @OlaElectric”.

According to a media report based on interactions with several such customers, Ola S1 scooters are plagued with malfunctioning hardware and glitching software. Spares are hard to come by, resulting in inordinate delays.

An Ola Electric customer Manoj from Chembur here was quoted as saying that he has been making trips to the Ola centre frequently just to keep his scooter running.

He spent more than Rs one lakh to purchase the Ola Electric scooter to save money on petrol. “But I frequently visit the company service centre to get my EV scooter fixed,” he said.

Mayur Bhagat, another Ola Electric customer, said, he faced problems in his Ola electric scooter from day one after purchase.

“I purchased the vehicle in July this year. There is a software glitch — the app refuses to connect with the vehicle — which hasn’t been fixed despite the company keeping the vehicle for nearly a month. I have no other option but to continue making trips to the service centre”, lamented Bhagat.

“Ola Electric operates its dealership, It is the biggest problem with the company. If it is handled by franchise partners, the issues would’ve been resolved,” said Bhagat.

Ola Electric is based on a direct-to-customer model. The company owns and operates all 500 plus experience centres and 430 service centres across the country.

On Thursday, Bhavish Aggarwal-run Ola Electric’s stock was trading at 103 apiece in the morning trade, down 35 per cent from its peak.

As per reports, Ola Electric receives around 80,000 complaints monthly, overwhelming its service centres. On peak days, complaints even rise to 6,000-7,000. That resulted in a pile-up and a backlog. AGENCIES

Leading professional networking platform LinkedIn on Thursday announced it has added 10 new language options, including four Indian regional languages.

The new language options are Vietnamese, Greek, Persian, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, along with four Indian regional languages — Bengali, Marathi, Telugu and Punjabi.

The new additions bring LinkedIn’s support to five Indian languages, including Hindi, it said in a statement.

“We’re excited to announce that LinkedIn is now more inclusive and accessible than ever. We’ve expanded our language support to include 10 new languages, each representing a vibrant part of our global community,” said Chief Product Officer Tomer Cohen.

LinkedIn’s member base in India has surpassed 135 million, with engagement rates growing at 20 per cent year-over-year. India stands as LinkedIn’s second-largest and fastest-growing market.

By adding these languages, LinkedIn aims to bridge language barriers on the platform, allowing more people to establish deeper professional identities and engage more meaningfully with their networks.

“With these additions, our platform now supports a total of 36 languages, helping professionals around the world connect, communicate, and collaborate more effectively,” said Cohen.

Last month, the Microsoft-owned platform appointed Kumaresh Pattabiraman as new Country Manager and Product Head in India.

According to Pattabiraman, LinkedIn has evolved from being just a jobs platform to becoming a dynamic global community where professionals connect for jobs, learning, networking, and knowledge sharing.

India is among the top five countries with the fastest-growing AI talent and has the highest AI skill penetration globally, and LinkedIn members are using AI skills three times more frequently than the global average.

LinkedIn recently launched a new video experience in India, in a bid to tap into one of the fastest-growing markets with uploads growing 60 per cent year-on-year in the country. AGENCIES

To meet the growing demand, 64 per cent of employers in the travel and hospitality industry are expanding their workforce, according to a report on Thursday.

The sector is experiencing an unprecedented resurgence, spurred by a combination of rising air travel, religious tourism, and evolving consumer preferences for personalised, tech-driven experiences, revealed the report by TeamLease Services.

According to its Employment Outlook Report (EOR) for H1 FY25, 19 per cent of employers in the sector report reductions while 17 per cent indicate no change in workforce size.

This resurgence reflects a broader industry recovery, with the sector projected to grow by 8-10 per cent annually.

This renewed hiring momentum is further fueled by tech-enabled services such as ghost kitchens, AI-driven personalised guest experiences, and expanding domestic travel.

As a result, the travel and hospitality sector has seen a net employment change of 9.86 per cent, marking a significant rebound compared to previous years. Adaptive strategies like off-season travel incentives and premium travel experiences are driving the sector’s growth.

“India’s travel and hospitality sector is at the cusp of unprecedented growth. The rising demand for premium travel experiences, coupled with innovations in technology, is creating a catalytic impact on how the industry operates,” said Kartik Narayan, CEO- Staffing, TeamLease Services.

“As more travellers embrace digital platforms, companies focus on roles that enhance customer experience, positioning the sector as a major employment generator in the coming years,” he added.

Further, the report showed that workforce expansion is especially prominent in key cities. Delhi leads the way with 58 per cent of employers actively hiring, followed by Mumbai (57 per cent) and Bengaluru (55 per cent) in existing job locations.

New hiring hotspots include Bengaluru (16 per cent), followed by Pune and Chennai at 12 per cent each for emerging job markets. These cities are seeing robust hiring activity, driven by increased travel demand and the expansion of travel infrastructure.

Sales roles are at the forefront of this hiring boom, with 82 per cent of employers prioritising these positions in the travel and hospitality sector.

Marketing roles also remain crucial, with 44 per cent of employers focusing on digital and offline promotion efforts to capture new market opportunities. In addition, as gig work participation is expected to increase to 15-20 per cent by the end of 2025, there’s a growing reliance on seasonal hires, with a 25-30 per cent increase in seasonal hiring projected during peak travel periods.

The report noted that religious tourism is set to be a major growth driver, with faith-based travel becoming increasingly popular across regions. Solo travel is also contributing to this hiring boom, particularly for personalised tech-driven experiences, leading to an increase in roles centered on digital marketing, data analytics, and AI-driven platforms. AGENCIES

Homegrown battery-tech startup company Lohum Cleantech on Thursday announced to set up a lithium-ion battery materials processing facility in the US with ReElement Technologies and American Metals for $30 million.

The joint 15.5 gigawatt hours (GWh) facility will be set up with an initial investment of $30 million, creating 250 “green jobs”.

The partnership is expected to initially supply over 315,000 electric vehicles annually with continued growth based on feedstock availability.

The initial operating location will be at the Marion Advanced Technology Center in the state of Indiana, and expand to other locations as determined by the joint venture parties, the companies said in a statement.

“The joint venture will be instrumental in building resilient critical material supply chains in the US that can sustain themselves through circularity. This is an inspiring development in US-India technology collaboration through market entities,” said Rajat Verma, Founder and CEO, Lohum.

The integrated end-to-end battery and critical minerals lifecycle management facility will host the entire value chain from battery cell testing and segregation for second-life energy storage applications to recycling, mineral refining, engineered materials, and battery-grade products.

The facility will produce critical materials with purity levels greater than 99.5 per cent, which can then circulate in the US domestic battery ecosystem.

Mark Jensen, Chairman of American Metals and ReElement Technologies said they have been working with Lohum to figure out how to leverage “our unique capabilities and world-leading technologies at ReElement along with the innovative and scaled up approach to critical mineral’s recycling and refining that Lohum has established”.

In March this year, Lohum raised $54 million (Rs 450 crore) in series B funding from Singularity Growth, Baring Private Equity, Cactus Venture Partners and Venture East, among others. Lohum offers an end-to-end, in-house ecosystem of battery recycling, battery repurposing, transition materials refining and Cathode Active

Material (CAM) which is an integrated battery lifecycle management.

AGENCIES