NEW DELHI, Jan 6: A chargesheet has been filed under the provisions of the anti-money laundering law against Himachal Pradesh-based Manav Bharti University and its promoters in a case linked to alleged sale of fake degrees, the Enforcement Directorate said on Friday.
A special court in Shimla that tries cases booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) took cognisance of the prosecution complaint (chargesheet) on January 4, the federal agency said in a statement.
A total of 16 entities have been named in the chargesheet that includes the Solan-based Manav Bharti University, promoter Raj Kumar Rana and others, it said.
“The accused Raj Kumar Rana with the help of other co-accused sold fake degrees in lieu of money in the name of Manav Bharti University, Solan,” the agency alleged.
“Funds obtained from this illegal activity were used by Rana to acquire various movable and immovable assets across various states in his own name and in the name of family members and entities,” it said.
The money laundering case stems from three Himachal Police FIRs filed against the accused “in the matter of fake degree scam of Manav Bharti University, Solan”, it said.
The agency earlier had attached assets worth ₹194 crore in this case. (Agencies)

Madhya Pradesh, Jan 6: One pilot died and another was injured after the plane they were flying in crashed into a temple in Rewa of Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Friday, police said.
The mishap took place early this morning and the flight was a training flight, Rewa SP Navneet Bhasin said.
The aircraft of a private company was taxiing from Chorhata Airstrip, when it crashed after colliding with the dome of a temple in Dumri Village of Rewa district.
“The plane collided with a temple during training, one pilot has died, and the other is injured and is being treated at Sanjay Gandhi Medical College,” Navneet Bhasin, SP, Rewa said.
A team of police personnel reached the spot. Prima facie, bad weather and fog condition prevailing in the area are being attributed as the reason for the crash.
Further information is awaited. (Agencies)

Coronavirus Highlights: India Records 188 New Covid Cases In 24 Hours
COVID-19 LIVE: Three Covid-related deaths were reconciled by Kerala.

New Delhi: India on Thursday reported 188 new Covid cases while the active cases declined to 2,554, according to Union health ministry.
There has been a decrease of 16 cases in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The total tally of Covid cases has been recorded at 4,46,79,319 and the death count stands at 5,30,710, with three deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data stated.

The daily positivity has been recorded at 0.10 per cent while the weekly positivity has been pegged at 0.12 per cent, the ministry said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that in the wake of the land subsidence at Joshimath in Chamoli district, he would hold a high-level meeting in Dehradun this evening.
“I will hold a high-level meeting with top officials in Dehradun this evening regarding landslides in Joshimath and cracks in houses,” Uttarakhand CM said while talking to ANI. Apart from the officials of the Disaster Management, Irrigation, Home Department, Commissioner Garhwal Mandal and District Magistrate Chamoli will also participate in the meeting.
Dhami further said that he would visit Joshimath on Saturday and take stock of the situation.
“A team from BJP has also been sent there,” he added.
Notably, the BJP state unit has also formed a 14-member committee, under the coordination of the party’s state general secretary Aditya Kothari to assess the land subsidence incident and the damages being reported.
Joshimath, in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, is seeing severe landslides. Currently, all of the wards in the area have been affected by landslides.
Cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town, stated the District Disaster Management Department.
Following the appearance of cracks in the houses, a total of 66 families are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as of now.
Residents of Joshimath, a sacred town in Uttarakhand, have become alarmed after noticing fissures in the town’s houses and roadways and have been evacuated and shifted to night shelters of the municipality by the administration.
The affected people, their families, and children are currently living in night shelters, officials said.
The locals said that the people affected by the landslide, have been assured by the government that they will get pre-fabricated houses. However, they are worried about when the houses will be allotted to them.
The Uttarakhand government has formed a team of scientists to find out the reason behind the occurrence of land subsidence in Joshimath and the resultant damage reported to the houses.
The team will be visiting the spot and investigate the reason behind the land subsidence, said an official statement from the government.
According to an official statement, engineers from the Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute, and IIT Roorkee have been included in the team formed on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town, stated the District Disaster Management Department.
Following the appearance of cracks in the houses, a total of 66 families are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as of now.
“Now the process of increasing cracks in Singhdhar and Marwadi has started. Badrinath NH near Singhdhar Jain locality and JP Company Gate in Marwadi, near the forest department check post, is continuously cracking. This crack is increasing every hour which is worrying,” said Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar