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Susan Hall blasts Sadiq Khan’s pay-per-mile denial as Tories prove previous lies | Politics | News
Sadiq Khan is today battling allegations he plans on continuing his war against the motorist, this time by introducing a scheme to make drivers pay-per-mile in London.
This morning it was reported ULEZ is “just the start” of Labour’s plan to create a carless society, as Mr Mayor has called for an army of experts to build a “sophisticated” new pricing system for London’s roads.
The scheme would use Mr Khan’s ULEZ cameras and could mean drivers wracking up huge charges depending on the length of their journey, the congestion level of the roads and the amount of pollution their car emitted.
A source told the Mail on Sunday: “It is an open secret in City Hall that it is being worked on”.
Despite evidence to the contrary, this morning Sadiq Khan issued a blunt denial.
Taking to Twitter, he said: “This is nonsense. Let me be crystal clear – a pay per mile scheme is not on the table and not on my agenda.”
London Tories have claimed Mr Khan issues the exact same denials about introducing a ULEZ expansion, only for him to U-turn and do exactly that.
London Assembly Member Peter Fortune said that in May 2021 he asked the Mayor directly: “”Do you have any plans to extend the Ultra-Low Emission Zone to the Outer London boundary, and if so, when would this be likely to happen?”
Mr Khan replied in July that year: “I have no plans to extend the ULEZ to outer London”.
For good measure, the Mayor added such a policy would not be effective in tackling air quality.
“Air quality on the remaining roads will be more effectively addressed through targeted, local measures. I believe that this strikes the right balance to deliver the biggest air quality improvements as quickly as possible.”
This afternoon, Tory Mayoral candidate Susan Hall told the Express that Sadiq Khan is once again repeating his denials despite plans to do the opposite.
Ms Hall said: “Sadiq Khan pretended ULEZ expansion was not on the agenda, until it was. Now he is doing the same for his plans to charge motorists for every mile they drive, which TfL has openly admitted it is working on.
“As Mayor, I will stop all development on Sadiq Khan’s pay per mile scheme.”
Last night, Transport Secretary Mark Harper wrote to Sadiq Khan warning that the Government will back an amendment in the forthcoming Levelling Up Bill that would ensure councillors can block future Labour plans to use air pollution as an “attempt to justify” charges on drivers.
The London ULEZ will expand to cover the whole of Greater London on Tuesday, after a number of Tory councils failed in their efforts to get the courts to block the move.
Sadiq Khan has declared Tuesday a “landmark day”.
Justice Yashwant Varma faces allegations that a huge pile of cash was found at his house
New Delhi:
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna formed a three-member committee comprising high court judges to conduct an inquiry into allegations against Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma over alleged recovery of a cash stash on the premises of his official residence.
The Supreme Court on its website also uploaded documents into the matter including a report by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, videos and photos, and Justice Varma’s response to the allegation.
See the full report below:
The Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi, Devendra Upadhyaya, has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma for the time being.
New Delhi:
A report submitted by Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya into alleged finding of a cash stash at the house of high court judge Justice Yashwant Varma has been uploaded on the Supreme Court website, in an unprecedented move by the top court in the interest of transparency.
The report also includes Justice Varma’s response to the allegation and documents linked to the matter.
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna kept intact the unblemished legacy of the judiciary by consulting collegium members Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice AS Oka, and Justice Vikram Nath on making the documents public, and they all agreed on uploading the document on the Supreme Court website for transparency and to end misinformation being spread about the matter, sources told NDTV.
Justice Varma strongly refuted allegations that a huge pile of cash was found at his house.
“… I was totally shocked to see the contents of the video since that depicted something which was not found on site as I had seen it. It was this which prompted me to observe that this clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign me,” Justice Varma said, referring to a video shared by the police chief.
Some portions of the documents including names have been redacted to maintain confidentiality.
Read | Delhi High Court Chief Justice’s Full Report, Documents On Judge Cash Row
In the report submitted to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, the Delhi High Court Chief Justice said, “… He [Justice Varma] also informed me that at the time of the incident, he was in Bhopal and got the information from his daughter. Justice Verma further told me that at the moment, black burnt material (soot) is lying in the room. I thereafter showed him the photographs and the video on my WhatsApp which were shared with me by the Commissioner of Police. He [Justice Varma] then expressed some apprehension about some conspiracy against him.”
The documents uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website show that on March 21, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna shared three questions with the Delhi High Court Chief Justice that can be asked to Justice Varma.
The three questions were: how does he account for the presence of money/cash in the room located in his premises? Explain the source of money/cash which was found in the said room. Who is the person who had removed the burnt money/cash from the room in the morning of March 15, 2025?
The Chief Justice of India sought details of the official staff of the high court Registry, the personal security officers and the security guards who were posted at Justice Varma’s house in the last six months. He suggested contacting the mobile service provider(s) for giving call record details of the official or other mobile phone number(s) of Justice Varma for the last six months.
“Justice Yashwant Varma may be requested to not dispose of his mobile phone(s) or delete or modify any conversation, messages or data from his mobile phone(s). The reply submitted by Justice Yashwant Varma, along with your comments, may be furnished to me immediately for further action,” Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna said in a written communication to the Delhi High Court Chief Justice.
Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya asked these three and other questions to Justice Varma, with a request to respond by Saturday midnight since “the reported incident is very disturbing”.
Justice Yashwant Varma’s Response
Justice Varma said the fire broke out in the storeroom near the staff quarters of his official residence on the intervening night of 14-15 March.
“This room was generally utilised by all and sundry to store articles such as unused furniture, bottles, crockery, mattresses, used carpets, old speakers, garden implements as well as CPWD material. This room is unlocked and accessible both from the official front gate as well as the backdoor of the staff quarters. It is disconnected from the main residence and is surely not a room in my house as has been portrayed and suggested in the article which appeared in the Times of India and certain other news reports. On that date, my wife and I were not in Delhi and travelling in Madhya Pradesh and it was only my daughter and aged mother who were at home. I returned to Delhi only on the evening of 15 March from Bhopal travelling on an IndiGo flight with my wife,” Justice Varma said.
“We have, since that fateful night, been continuously trying to find an explanation for the allegations which are being levelled and with us being required to prove an allegation which is premised on cash being discovered and the same presumed to belong to me or my family members. That presumption requires me to not only furnish an explanation with respect to the existence of an article allegedly present in a commonly used outhouse and general storeroom which was freely accessible but also requires me to ‘account’ for the same.
“That takes me to the video clip which has been shared with me. Assuming without admitting that the video was taken immediately at the time of the incident at the site, none of it appears to have been recovered or seized. The second aspect which I need to underscore is that none of the staff was shown any remnants of cash or currency that may have been present on site. I have made my own enquiries from the staff present who have also stated that there was no ‘removal’ of currency which was allegedly found at the site or removed from the premises. The only thing which was cleared was debris and what they considered to be salvageable. That is still present in the house and can be seen kept apart in one part of the residence.
“What baffles me is the complete absence of any sacks of allegedly burnt currency which were ever recovered or seized. We categorically assert that neither my daughter, PS [private secretary] nor household staff were shown these so-called sacks of burnt currency. I stand by my consistent position that when they accessed the storeroom, there was no currency, burnt or otherwise, which could be seen. I request you to bear in mind that the storeroom is removed from my residence and is used as a general dump room for disused articles and other sundry household articles. I wonder who would countenance an allegation that currency would be kept in a storeroom in a corner of the house and which is freely accessible from amongst others the back wicker gate also.
“I would beseech you to also bear in consideration that no currency was recovered from the premises that we actually occupy and use as a family. That part of the premises is as indicated above removed from the living quarters. It is in the aforesaid background that I urge you to absolve me of these unfounded and baseless allegations. In the life of a judge, nothing matters more than reputation and character. That has been severely tarnished and irreparably damaged. The baseless allegations that have been levelled against me have proceeded on mere innuendos and an unproven assumption that the cash allegedly seen and found belonged to me,” Justice Varma said in his response.
Read the full response here.
Senior lawyer Harish Salve, who calls himself a “trenchant critic” of the collegium system, told NDTV on Friday it is “not equipped” to deal with cases like the alleged recovery of a huge pile of cash at the home of the Delhi High Court judge.
Mr Salve alleged the Delhi fire chief has said there was no recovery of cash from the judge’s bungalow, giving rise to an “odd and murky” situation.
The Delhi High Court website shows Justice Varma enrolled as an advocate in August 1992. He was appointed additional judge of the Allahabad High Court in October 2014. He took oath as a permanent judge of the Allahabad High Court in February 2016, before being appointed a judge of the Delhi High Court in October 2021.
He is currently heading a division bench, dealing with cases of sales tax, goods and services tax, company appeals, etc.
The process to transfer Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court was also unrelated to the inquiry into the alleged cash stash row, the Supreme Court said on Friday. It said the in-house investigation was being done as per the procedure prescribed by the Supreme Court, and the transfer had nothing to do with the investigation. The Supreme Court flagged “misinformation and rumours” as the reasons why Justice Varma’s transfer to Allahabad High Court was linked to the alleged cash recovery.
Top Stories
KKR vs RCB LIVE Scorecard, IPL 2025 LIVE Updates: RCB Win Toss, Opt To Bowl; Huge Star Missing In Playing XI
KKR vs RCB LIVE Cricket Updates, IPL 2025 LIVE Scorecard
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru LIVE Score, IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening match of IPL 2025 on Saturday at the Eden Gardens. Experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not in RCB’s squad today. Virat Kohli was felicitated during the opening ceremony, being the only player who has played all 18 seasons for the same team. Despite rain threat and an orange alert in Kolkata, no rain seems to be in forecast for the match. (LIVE SCORECARD)
KKR Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wK), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
RCB Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk), Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
IPL 2025 LIVE Updates: Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru LIVE Score, Straight from the Eden Gardens in Kolkata:
19:24 (IST)
KKR vs RCB, IPL 2025 LIVE: KKR Playing XI
KKR’s Playing XI vs RCB:
Quinton de Kock (wK), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
KKR going with Raghuvanshi in their playing XI. Expect either Anukul Roy or Vaibhav Arora to come in as an impact sub later on.
19:21 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: Will two new balls play into KKR’s favour?
Remember, this season, teams can have two new balls (second one introduced after the 10th over) depending on the umpire’s discretion. It is a rule that has been brought in to negate the effect of the dew. With the likes of Spencer Johnson in KKR’s XI, could this play into their advantage in the second innings?
19:18 (IST)
KKR vs RCB, IPL 2025 LIVE: RCB WIN TOSS!
Rajat Patidar has won the toss in his first game as RCB captain! Patidar chooses to bowl, so defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be batting first! Rahane also admits that he would’ve chosen to bowl had KKR won the toss.
19:15 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Spencer Johnson to debut for KKR!
Looks like we have an answer to Kolkata Knight Riders’ overseas pacer dilemma. Spencer Johnson has been handed his first KKR cap by Sunil Narine, so he must have got the nod over Anrich Nortje for the first game.
And it’s TOSS TIME!
19:12 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: Gearing up for toss!
We should be moments away from toss time. If you’re just tuning in, a mega IPL 2025 opening ceremony took place, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Virat Kohli. Kohli was also felicitated on the eve of the first game, while blockbuster performances by the likes of Shreya Ghoshal and Disha Patani wow-ed the Eden Gardens crowd.
The toss has been delayed, as a result.
19:08 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Will the start of the match be delayed?
The bombastic opening ceremony has caused the toss to be delayed by around 10 minutes here. Will the match start exactly at 7:30 PM local time, or will the start also be delayed? The teams are out on the practice pitches as well. Kohli is getting some batting done.
19:05 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: IPL 18 cake ceremony!
As the Indian Premier League (IPL) turns 18 years old, a big cake is cut in celebration by the two captains, the performers and the dignitories on stage. Shah Rukh Khan is still the emcee, by the way!
And now it’s time for the Indian national anthem.
19:00 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE, IPL 2025: Captains on the pitch
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane and RCB captain Rajat Patidar enter the pitch. Rahane brings the IPL trophy and places it in the centre as well. We are past scheduled toss time, but could we see some special arrangement here?
18:59 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Virat Kohli felicitated
And now RCB stalwart Virat Kohli is being felicitated. The only man to have played all 18 seasons for the same franchise, Kohli is undeniably an IPL legend. Shah Rukh announces the honour for the iconic No. 18. Huge roars from the Eden crowd.
18:56 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE, IPL 2025: Dance moves from Virat!
Virat Kohli, Rinku Singh and Shah Rukh Khan perform some dance moves on stage. And now, SRK is inviting BCCI dignitories and the performers today on stage. We are already well past 6:55 PM local time. As a result, toss looks set to be delayed!
18:51 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: Enter Rinku Singh on stage!
After Virat Kohli, Shah Rukh Khan has called KKR star Rinku Singh has been invited on stage! Rinku was retained by KKR for Rs 13 crore ahead of the mega auction, their highest retention. A conversation between players belonging to two generations, but lighting up cricket together!
18:48 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: SRK X Virat Kohli!
And now to finalize the IPL 2025 opening ceremony, Shah Rukh Khan has called RCB superstar Virat Kohli on stage. Kohli is the only player to have played for one franchise only for all 18 years. SRK kickstarts some ‘Kohli, Kohli’ chants from the Eden crowd!
18:41 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: 20 minutes to toss!
Amidst the hype of the opening ceremony, don’t forget about the big game! KKR vs RCB toss time in 20 minutes! Two new captains – Ajinkya Rahane for KKR and Rajat Patidar for RCB – leading two new eras for the franchises.
18:40 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: Karan Aujla now in action
After Disha Patani’s performance, rapper and singer Karan Aujla is now lighting up the Eden Gardens crowd and the IPL 2025 opening ceremony. Popular song ‘Tauba Tauba’ is one of the hits at the stadium today.
18:31 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Disha Patani takes centre stage
After an amazing performance by Shreya Ghoshal, where she performed songs like ‘Om Shanti Om’, now popular Bollywood actor Disha Patani is now gracing the IPL 2025 opening ceremony. The Eden Gardens is on its feet.
18:28 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: Expected playing XI
With fresh new rosters for each team in IPL 2025 for both KKR and RCB, let’s take a look at their probable starting lineups:
KKR Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora.
RCB Probable XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
18:17 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: Form on KKR’s side
Kolkata Knight Riders have won each of the last four games between these two teams, completing the season whitewash in both IPL 2023 and IPL 2024. The last time RCB beat KKR was in 2022, when games were still being played in Navi Mumbai due to Covid-19.
18:16 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: KKR eye huge record vs RCB
KKR vs RCB head-to-head record:
Matches played: 34
KKR won: 20
RCB won: 10
If KKR win today, they will equal CSK on the most number of wins against RCB in IPL history, with 21 each.
18:12 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: Shreya Ghoshal to perform first
Renowned singer, arguably the most recognized female voice in contemporary Indian music, Shreya Ghoshal, kickstarts the IPL 2025 opening ceremony with some songs. The atmosphere at the Eden Gardens is electric, as the crowd melts to her tune.
18:10 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: Opening ceremony starts!
The opening ceremony of IPL 2025 is underway! And getting us off with a bang, none other than Shah Rukh Khan, KKR’s owner. He introduces the ceremony with a booming speech, and the crowd at Eden Gardens is going absolutely wild!
17:55 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: Leadership change in KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders lost a few of their key stars from the IPL 2024 title-winning campaign, with the biggest one being Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by Punjab Kings. Now, they have Ajinkya Rahane at the helm, with Rs 23.75 crore-man Venkatesh Iyer. A lot of expectations around him too, especially given the pricetag.
17:50 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE, IPL 2025: Eyes on Virat Kohli
Undoubtedly the most popular man on the pitch today will be Virat Kohli. RCB’s iconic No. 18 is entering his 18th IPL season? Will this finally be the lucky year for them? Kohli won the Orange Cap last year, and will look forward to a big performance to kickstart the season.
17:41 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: So far, so good!
As emphasized earlier, the weather gods have so far been kind. No rain whatsoever in Kolkata as IPL 2025 gears up. Remember, not only do we have a lot of cricket action to look forward to, but also some huge stars are in show in the opening ceremony before that. Shah Rukh Khan, Disha Patani and Shreya Ghoshal are among the people confirmed!
17:40 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: What is an Orange Alert?
Security authorities have announced an ‘Orange Alert’ in Kolkata ahead of the KKR-RCB match. But what is it?
An orange alert is issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) when significant/heavy rainfall is anticipated, with the potential to disrupt power supply and transportation services. Hence, big rain predicted today during the match.
17:35 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Two new captains!
It is also the dawn of a new era for both franchises in action today! KKR let go of Shreyas Iyer despite winning the title, and will be led by Ajinkya Rahane this season. On the other hand, Rajat Patidar has taken over RCB’s captaincy, amid huge support from Virat Kohli.
17:23 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: But there is hope!
The weather in Kolkata, so far, has been exceptional. Still no hint of rain. In fact, not too long ago, there was a lot of sunshine over Eden Gardens. The stadium is also renowned for its exceptional drainage system, so even if rain does hit, fans can still be hopeful of a full game.
17:21 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Eye on the weather
We saw a purple wave take the IPL by storm in 2024, as KKR completed one of the most dominant seasons in history, winning 12 games en route to the title. This time, we may have a different storm to worry about, with the weather forecast in Kolkata not proving to be too encouraging.
17:19 (IST)
KKR vs RCB LIVE: Hello and welcome!
Hello and welcome to NDTV Sports! It is time for the festival to start all over again, it is time to set your alarms at 7:30 PM, it is time to enjoy the most blockbuster cricket event in the world. It is time for IPL 2025!
Welcome to the LIVE coverage of the IPL 2025 opening game, as defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru!
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