New Delhi, Nov 30: An all-party meeting was convened by the government on Sunday ahead of the winter session of Parliament, which is set to begin on December 1.

The meeting began at 11 am on Sunday. The Winter Session of Parliament will begin on December 1 and will continue till December 19.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met the floor leaders of political parties of both Houses of Parliament.

Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Ram Meghwal, JP Nadda and others took part in the all-party meeting.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that they would listen to the opposition parties.
Speaking to ANI, Kiren Rijiju said, “There’s an all-party meeting today. We’ll sit with all the leaders of all the parties and listen to them. We won’t be saying much on behalf of the government today. We’ll listen to the opposition parties. There’s a Business Advisory Committee meeting in the evening. The Lok Sabha meeting is at 4 pm, and the Rajya Sabha’s at 5 pm. We’ll present our business at the committee meetings.”

“Since it’s the winter session, we hope everyone works with a cool head and avoids heated debates. There will be a debate in Parliament, and I hope there will be no disturbances. If we work with a cool head, it’ll be beneficial for the country, and the Parliament session will run smoothly,” he added.

Senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav, AIADMK MP M Thambi Durai and other leaders participated in the all-party meeting.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said, “Certainly, when the country’s democracy is under threat, when democracy is being murdered, when votes are being stolen, then that issue will be raised. Delhi bomb blast, then there is the issue of restoring the democratic rights of Jammu and Kashmir. There is a diversion from the established Foreign policy.”

Parliament is set to have 15 sittings across 19 days. Private Members’ Bills are set to be taken for consideration on December 5 and 19, and Private Members’ resolutions on December 12.

New Delhi, Nov 30: The Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) filed a new FIR in the National Herald money laundering case on Sunday.

The FIR included six names, in addition to Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. It was registered after the ED headquarters filed a complaint with the EOW.

Meanwhile, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi again adjourned the decision on whether to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet in the National Herald money laundering case.

The chargesheet names several senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED has alleged financial irregularities involving Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the original publisher of the National Herald. The court is now set to pronounce its order on December 16.

Earlier, the court had issued notices to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others, noting that they have a “right to be heard” before any decision on cognisance is taken. Special Judge Vishal Gogne stressed that this right is essential for a fair trial, as supported by Section 223 of the new criminal law (BNSS).

The court highlighted that Section 223 allows the accused a special opportunity to be heard even before cognisance is taken. This provision, it said, does not conflict with the PMLA but, instead, strengthens fairness and transparency in criminal proceedings. The judge also noted that BNSS is a progressive law intended to protect the rights of the accused.

The court further observed that the predicate offence, already under trial at Rouse Avenue Court, includes IPC Sections 403, 406, 420, and 120B. As per PMLA rules, the predicate offence and the money laundering case must be heard in the same court.

The National Herald case originated from a complaint filed by former MP Subramanian Swamy, alleging misuse of funds by Congress leaders and companies linked to AJL.

New Delhi, Nov 29: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday revealed the number of Indian airline services impacted as global flight operations continue to face disruptions due to a software issue in Airbus A320 aircraft.

According to the regulator, a total of 338 flights in India have been affected by the problem.

The DGCA said that out of these 338 flights, 270 have already completed the required software update and are now cleared to resume commercial operations. The issue emerged after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ordered a global software upgrade for all Airbus A320 aircraft.

The update is needed in the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC), a crucial part of the aircraft’s flight control system. EASA identified the “ELAC B L104” units as the source of the vulnerability, leading to the worldwide directive that is set to impact nearly 6,000 flights.

Earlier in the day, Indian airlines such as IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express warned passengers about possible delays due to the mandatory update. However, the DGCA has now confirmed that more than half of all A320 aircraft operating in India have already completed the software fix.

IndiGo has been the most affected, with 200 of its aircraft requiring the update. By 12 noon on Saturday, 160 of those aircraft had already completed the process, and the airline has not cancelled any flights so far.

Air India had 113 aircraft impacted, and 42 of them have successfully undergone the software upgrade. Air India Express had 25 aircraft affected, but only four have been updated at this stage.

While Air India has also avoided flight cancellations, Air India Express has faced delays. The airline confirmed that eight of its flights have been delayed due to the ongoing software updates, making it the worst-affected among Indian carriers.

The DGCA said it is closely monitoring the situation to ensure smooth operations across the country’s airports.