Evening NEWS
DIGEST
14 Feb.2018:27 Jamadiul-1 1439:Vol:9, No:120
INDIA
Failure of justice system in Sohrabuddin fake encounter
case, HC should relook: Ex-judge Thipsay
Mumbai:The way several high-profile accused in
the Sohrabuddin Shaikh alleged fake encounter case were discharged, the
“absurd” inconsistencies in the legal process, signs of witnesses under
pressure or threat, evidence of “mischief” — all point to the “failure of
justice and of the justice delivery system”.These are among the series of
observations made by Justice Abhay M Thipsay, a former judge of the Bombay High
Court who ruled on four bail applications in the case, in an interview to the
Indian Express. Speaking out for the first time on the case since he retired
last year as judge of the Allahabad High Court in March 2017, Justice Thipsay
said the Bombay High Court must exercise its powers of revision, even suo-motu
if necessary, to relook at the case.Describing as “absurd” the inconsistencies
he found in orders passed by the special CBI court currently hearing the case
in Mumbai, Thipsay said the court believed there was an abduction and a staged
encounter but still discharged senior police officers. Several aspects of the case
raise suspicion, he said, and are “contrary to common sense.”A number of
accused were discharged by observing that the evidence against them is weak but
on the same evidence, the trial court found there is a case for proceeding
against some of the accused. “The version of the same witness, as reflected in
police statements, has been believed in the case of some accused and
disbelieved in respect of others discharged,” said Justice Thipsay.“You believe
that he (Shaikh) was abducted. You also believe that it was a fake encounter.
You also believe that he was illegally kept in the farmhouse. And you don’t
believe that Vanzara (then DIG Gujarat), Dinesh MN (then Rajasthan SP), or
Rajkumar Pandiyan (then Gujarat SP) are involved in that. How could the
constabulary or inspector-level officers have any contact with him (Shaikh)?
You mean to say a sub-inspector abducted him (Shaikh) from Hyderabad and
brought him to a different state? When, on the basis of the same material, you
say that there is no case against the SPs (Pandiyan, Dinesh). So the suspicion
is that superior officers have been treated differently,” he said.“These orders
need to be scrutinised properly before the appropriate fora, and the High Court
should look into it,” he said. “It is unusual that bail is denied to a number
of accused for several years and then the court holds that there is no prima
facie case against those accused. Lower level officers are not discharged but
senior officers are discharged though the nature of material against them is
the same,” said Justice Thipsay.15 of the 38 accused have been discharged in
the case, which is being heard by a CBI court in Mumbai. Those discharged
include BJP president Amit Shah, who was then a Gujarat Minister of State for
Home Affairs and, Gulab Chand Katariya, then Rajasthan home minister, apart
from Vanzara and Pandiyan.With 30 witnesses in the ongoing trial of 22 accused
turning hostile since Nov.2017, Justice Thipsay said, “There are many unnatural
things that I saw when I started looking at the orders about how discharge
orders have been passed in the case.”As a judge of the Bombay HC, Justice
Thipsay heard the bail applications of Vanzara, and M Parmar, former DySP, of
Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorism Squad; Narendra K Amin, DySP, Ahmedabad Crime Branch;
and BR Chaubey, sub-inspector, Gujarat Police. He rejected two and granted bail
to Amin in 2013 and Vanzara in 2014.
Former HC Justice says Sohrabuddin Case
‘Failure of Justice’ following acquittal of high-profile accused
I have seen the discharge orders… HC should
examine these orders: Justice (retd) Thipsay on Sohrabuddin case
Sohrabuddin case: All accused should be
present in court from today, says CBI judge
Mumbai: The special CBI court hearing Sohrabuddin
Sheikh alleged fake encounter case has directed all accused to remain present
in court for the trial from Wednesday. 22 accused — most of them policemen from
Gujarat, Rajasthan and AP — are facing trial. Most seek exemption from
appearance before the court through their advocates. “All accused are directed
to attend day-to-day trial as some of their advocates are engaged in other courts
and remain absent. Hence,the court has to sit waiting for them. Even the
witnesses to be examined in the future are required to be examined on the
identification of the accused. This also necessitates accused persons to attend
court. Any failure to obey this order will be seriously viewed,” Special Judge
S J Sharma said in the roznama or daily record of the court.The issue came up
on Tuesday when the court had to wait for advocates of the accused to come
before it for cross-examination of a prosecution witness. While 2 of accused —
Mukesh Parmar and Abdul Rehman — were present in court and most were
represented through their advocates, a few were not present to state whether or
not they want to cross-examine the witness.indianexpress
News portal carrying shocking report on BJP’s
Ram Madhav vanishes
BJP on Monday sought strict action against the
news portal that claimed that party leader Ram Madhav was caught red-handed by
separatist NSCN with two Naga women in a hotel room in Nagaland even as the
portal vanished."We are talking up with such cases very seriously and what
is more suspicious is that the news portal which carried the story has
completely vanished,"BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kolhi told
journalists.He said that the party has sought for appropriate action against
those responsible for the mischief under various sections of the law and IT
Act.Senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who was also present at news
conference said: "It is a fictitious report intended to tarnish the image
of Ram Madhav. Fake news cannot be tolerated. Suspiciously, the news portal has
vanished but we are following up with the case aggressively."Media portal
‘News Joint’ had claimed that last week, Madhav, BJP General Secretary
in-charge of the North East, “was caught red-handed and saffron faced, working
well beyond his brief, with 2 Naga women in a hotel room”. “Madhav was held in
captivity by NSCN (Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland) for hours. He
then made frantic SOS calls to Assam (minister) colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma,”
the report alleged, adding that Madhav was released only after Sarma reached
out to the NSCN Quoting sources, media portal ‘News Joint’ claimed that last
week, Madhav, the BJP General Secretary in-charge North East, "was caught
red-handed and saffron faced, working well beyond his brief, with two Naga
women in a hotel room"."Madhav was held in captivity by the NSCN
(Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland) for hours. He then made frantic SOS
calls to Assam (minister) colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP's trouble shooter
in the Northeast," the report alleged, adding that Madhav was released
only after Sarma reached out to the NSCN.The news portal also claimed that the
NSCN also has the video footage in possession, which it has threatened to
release in public, "if BJP-RSS do not give in to its demand to call off
the assembly elections in Nagaland, due on Feb. 27".IANS
PNB's $1.8 billion fraud may affect other
banks too
Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country's
second-biggest state-run bank has detected a $1.8 billion fraud at one of its
Mumbai branches, the impact of which could extend to other lenders as well. On
Wednesday, the shares of PNB plunged almost 10% on the BSE.In a filing to the
stock exchanges, PNB briefed about the fraud saying that it was “for the
benefit of a few select account holders with their apparent connivance”. “Based
on these transactions other banks appear to have advanced money to these
customers abroad,” it added.The case poses further questions about the health
of India’s banks, which are already grappling with one of the worst bad-loan
ratios among big economies. It’s also likely to create a challenge for Chief
Executive Officer Sunil Mehta, who took charge last May about a year after PNB
and 12 other lenders were fined for violating rules on some $1 billion of
foreign-exchange deals.RBI didn’t reply to an email seeking
comment.Investigative agencies have been informed about the latest fraud
transactions, PNB said. The bank didn’t elaborate on what impact the fraud may
have on its finances and it didn’t name the other lenders which could be
hurt.“So far there is no clarity on impact on the lender’s bottom line from
this,” said Asutosh Kumar Mishra, a Mumbai-based banking analyst at Reliance
Securities Ltd. “There is no clarity on whether these transactions are
reversed, whether the bank is holding collateral that could back part of these
transactions or whether enforcement authorities will be able to recover this
amount.”The fraudulent transactions are the equivalent of eight times the
lender’s 2017 net income of about Rs 1,320 crore, exchange filings show.TOI
PNB Rs 11,000-crore fraud: Recurring scams can
erode investor’s faith in banks; incident calls for stronger checks
Not RBI, Not Jaitley, RSS Planted Note Ban
Idea in PM Modi’s Mind: Rahul Gandhi
Bengaluru:Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has
again attacked the BJP Govt at the
Centre and said that RSS is running Govt and has planted its people in every department
and ministry.On the last leg of his four-day bus tour of Hyderabad–Karnataka
region ahead of Karnataka Assembly polls, Rahul, during his interaction with
professionals and business leaders, said, “RSS is running Govt. It has planted
its people everywhere.Even secretaries in ministries are appointed by RSS.” Rahul
said that even NITI Aayog had RSS people. “Institutions don’t belong to any
party or ideology. RSS has planted its people everywhere. Even India’s foreign
policy is in a mess. China enjoys a lot of clout in all neighbouring SAARC nations.
India has been isolated,” he said. He assured the business community that if
the Congress returns to power in 2019, they will revise the complicated GST. He
said “we will bring down the tax slabs. Currently GST is too high”.News18
J&K: 30-hour encounter ends, two militants
gunned down near CRPF camp
Srinagar : The encounter near a CRPF camp at
Karan Nagar in Srinagar, which began on Monday morning, ended with the killing
of two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants on Tuesday afternoon, 30 hours after it
started. The militants were killed after security personnel opened heavy fire
towards the five-storey building they were holed up in. While CRPF constable
Mujahid Alam was killed in the gunfight, a senior CRPF officer said one
constable was injured. Police said he is undergoing treatment at Shri Maharaja
Hari Singh hospital and his condition is stable. After failing to sneak into 23
Battalion CRPF camp, the two militants had taken shelter in a multi-storey building
near the camp. The holed-up militants gave tough resistance to the forces and
the operation continued through the night.“We could hear sound of bullets and
blasts every hour during the night,’’ said Mohammad Aslam, who lives close to
the encounter site.
Jammu's Sunjuwan attack: ‘Lost both son,
father… God knows what will happen to this family’
Rishipora : Hundreds had gathered outside the
residence when the bodies of Lance Naik Mohammad Iqbal and his father Ghulam
Mohiuddin Sheikh arrived in wooden caskets on Tuesday. The father and son were
among those killed in the terror attack on Sunjwan Army camp.Iqbal, 32, is
survived by his mother, wife and an 18-month-old son. He joined the Army 13
years ago. His neighbours said that around a week ago, he called his father to
Jammu for a medical check-up. “Unfortunately, this family lost both the son and
the father. Only God knows what will happen to them,” said neighbour Ghulam
Qadir.A relative said they broke the news to the family only on Tuesday
morning. ‘’We had not told them about the killings as Iqbal’s mother suffers
from several ailments.’’The body of Iqbal’s father Ghulam Mohiuddin Sheikh was
washed and taken to the nearby ancestral graveyard for burial. Later, Iqbal’s
body was also taken there. Hundreds of villagers participated in the
funerals.indianexpress
5 of 7 Jammu attack martyrs Muslims, why no
tweet from PM: Owaisi
Hitting out at the central Govt over the
terror attack at Jammu's Sunjwan Military Camp, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said
5 of the 7 soldiers martyred were Muslims. Owaisi also questioned why PM Narendra Modi has not tweeted about the attack
even after 4 days. "I want to ask the RSS why it is quiet when 5 out of 7
killed in in Sunjwan attack were Kashmiri Muslims. They question a Muslim's
love and loyalty for the country every night in TV studios. They call us
Pakistani, but we are the ones dying for the country," Owaisi said in Hyderabad,
his Lok Sabha constituency.indiatoday
India-China ties may worsen: 'Uneasy truce
could lead to unintentional escalation,' says US intelligence chief
New Delhi: India's ties with China and not
just Pakistan are likely to get even worse than they already are, according to
the US's intelligence chief."We expect relations between India and China
to remain tense and possibly to deteriorate further, despite the negotiated
settlement to their three-month border standoff in Aug, elevating the risk of
unintentional escalation," said Coats during a hearing on 'Worldwide
Threat Assessment' of the US intelligence community yesterday. US intelligence
chief was referring to the standoff between India and China in Doklam on the
border. The confrontation ended last August after both countries agreed they
will pulled out their troops from the face-off site.The uneasy truce continues
to be punctuated by aggressive rhetoric from China toward India, especially by
its foreign ministry as well its state-controlled media.What the US's
intelligence chief is talking about is the possibility that this tense truce,
because of its fraught nature, may escalate tensions even if India and China
don't provoke.As it is, China's doing plenty to provoke.TOI
Iran President Rouhani to visit India on Feb
15, to discuss bilateral relations with PM Modi: MEA
New Delhi:Iran President Hassan Rouhani will
pay a state visit to India at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi from Feb.15-17, 2018, said Ministry
of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday. During his visit, both sides would
review the progress achieved in bilateral relations and also exchange views on
regional and international issues of mutual interest, added MEA.President
Rouhani’s visit to India will be significant because only last year in
December, Iran launched the first phase of Chabahar port which holds strategic
and economic importance for India. The Indian Express had reported on December
4, 2017 that the Chabahar port allows India to bypass Pakistan and reach
land-locked Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.New Delhi views Chabahar
port project as a strategic response to China’s development of the Gwadar port
in Pakistan,and its aggressive pursuit of Belt and Road Initiative. It is also
key to accessing Central Asian markets for Indian goods. indianexpress
Trump criticises India for import tax on
Harley-Davidson bikes, threatens ‘reciprocal tax’
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday
criticised India for imposing a high import tax on Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
He said the US charges no tax on Indian bike imports and that India’s new tax
was an example of “unfair” trade practices. Trump said the US must impose
“reciprocal taxes” to fight back.“I’m not blaming India,” Trump said while
talking to lawmakers in the White House.scroll
Congress distances itself from Mani Shankar
Aiyar’s ‘Pakistan love’ remark
New Delhi:Congress party on Wednesday distanced
itself from the remark made by Mani Shankar Aiyar that he receives “much more
hatred in India than the love he receives in Pakistan”, saying the suspended
party leader doesn’t have any right to speak on the behalf of the party.“The
remark is his own, he is suspended from the Congress party. He doesn’t have any
right to speak on the behalf of the party,” ANI quoted Congress spokesperson
Abhishek Manu Singhvi as saying in a press conference. Aiyar, who is in Karachi
to attend a literature festival, on Tuesday said he receives “much more hatred
in India” than the love showered on him by people in Pakistan. He also claimed
that people applaud him in Pakistan because he talks of peace.indianexpress
With Aadhaar Act, consent is illusory: Kapil
Sibal in SC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court sought to know
whether the right of people to remain anonymous will come in the way of the
state identifying beneficiaries for providing social welfare benefits.“You are
claiming that preservation of anonymity is part of Article 21. Ancillary
question to this would be whether that would not come into conflict with the
identification of beneficiaries for social welfare measures,” CJI Dipak Misra
asked senior advocate Gopal Subramanian, who was appearing for some of the
petitioners. CJI Misra is heading a five-judge Constitution bench hearing a
batch of petitions challenging the Aadhaar Act. Subramanian said that privacy
includes dignity, and anonymity is an “important aspect of dignity”. He
contended that Constitutional mandate is in favour of protecting the identity
of marginalised sections who are entitled to state benefits.Earlier, senior
advocate Kapil Sibal, representing West Bengal Govt,said even identity
programme followed by Israel had provisions for both who give consent and those
who do not. But with Aadhaar Act, he said, “consent is illusory”.Sibal said, “I
don’t think anybody can say the state cannot ask for an identity. But it should
be such as to ensure my identity is not in public place…is not centralised.”indianexpress
Withdraw FRDI Bill or will launch nationwide
protest:Mamata
Kolkata : CM Mamata Banerjee announced that Trinamool
Congress will start a nationwide protest unless the Centre withdrew the
Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill, which proposes a
framework to oversee financial institutions, such as banks, in case of
insolvency. “People deposit their hard-earned money in banks. Now, if this Bill
is passed, there will be no guarantee that their money will remain secured. I
caution the central Govt . It should either withdraw the Bill or be ready to
face a nationwide protest,” Mamata said while addressing a public meeting in
Nadia’s Krishnanagar area. The CM claimed that the FRDI Bill was Centre’s ploy
to ruin the common people.indianexpress
Maneka says Centre may change laws to allow
confiscating property of NRI men who desert wives
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka
Gandhi said on Tuesday that the Centre is considering changes in criminal law
that will allow property of Non-Resident Indian men who desert their wives to
be confiscated, the Hindustan Times reported. The new law will also allow for
prosecution of NRIs who do not answer summons.“If three notices have been
served [to the husband on the ministry’s website] and the person does not
appear, it will be assumed that he is evading summons and will be treated as an
absconder,” Women and Child Development Secretary Rakesh Srivastava said. “The
enforcement agencies will be authorised to attach the property of such persons
and their families.”Srivastava said that MEA had already written to the
Ministry of Home Affairs, proposing changes to the Criminal Procedure Code in
this regard. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had headed an
inter-ministerial panel to review the legal and regulatory challenges faced by
women who are deserted by NRI men.scroll
Delhi Police arrest IM suspect Ariz Khan
New Delhi: Delhi Police Special Cell Wednesday
nabbed a 32-year-old IM suspect, Ariz Khan alias Junaid. He has been on the run
since the Sept.2008 Batla House encounter, where two IM suspects were gunned
down while two others were nabbed by the police. He had managed to escape.
Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma was also killed during the exchange of fire.
Junaid was nabbed from the Indo-Nepal border.DCP (Special cell) PS Kushwaha,
while confirming Junaid’s arrest, told The Indian Express that it was a big
catch as he was absconding since 2008. Junaid, a native of Azamgarh, UP and an
engineer by profession was allegedly hiding in house number L-18 in Batla
House, Jamia Nagar, during the encounter operation by the Special Cell, said
police.indianexpress
Deoband ulemas reject Shia scholar’s
suggestion of building a college on Ayodhya site
Meerut: Agreeing with the opinion of AIMPLB
that Babri mosque will remain where it is until the end of the world (qayamat),
the Deobandi ulemas rejected Shia scholar Kalbe Sadiq’s suggestion of erecting
a college on the disputed site in Ayodhya.Reacting on the issue, state
president of Tanzeem Ulema-i-Hind, Maulana Nadeem-Ul-Wajdi, said, “In Islam, a
mosque is the symbol of faith’s foundation and it cannot be changed once
established. Neither the site of mosque can be gifted away nor can it be
exchanged with some other land.”Another cleric and member of AIMPLB, Maulana
Islam Qazmi, said, “The dispute over the site came into existence only after
independence from the British. There was no dispute before and none is
mentioned in any of the gazettes of pre-Independence India.”Apart from going
with AIMPLB’s opinion, the clerics also exhibited “complete faith in the
Supreme Court’s decision” on the issue. TOI
It’s time to dissolve AIMPLB, says ousted member
Nadwi: news18
Lucknow:All India Muslim Personal Law Board
(AIMPLB) ousted member Maulana Salman Nadwi said that “it’s time to dissolve
the board”.Hinting at the ‘dictatorial attitude’ of the board members, Nadwi
said, “I want peace to prevail in the society but the board is certainly not in
this favour. I was not even given any show cause notice before being ousted.
Neither any answer was sought from me.” news18
CPIM expresses concern over VHP’s ‘Ram Raj
Rath Yatra’
New Delhil:CPI(M) expressed its concerns over
the “Ram Raj Rath Yatra” flagged off from Ayodhya and said it had the potential
to trigger communal polarisation in the country.The yatra was flagged off from
the VHP’s local HQRS Karsewak Puram in Ayodhya by party general secretary
Champat Rai. The 41-day yatra will reach Rameshwaram, in Tamil Nadu, after
covering parts of UP , Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.In a
statement issued today, the CPI(M) politburo said the yatra flagged off in the
presence of Faizabad BJP MP, Ayodhya’s BJP mayor and other BJP leaders had
already declared its “main agenda to construct Ram temple” on the disputed land
in Ayodhya and re-establish ‘Ram Rajya’.PTI
Ram mandir yatra begins; VHP, BJP leaders
attend
Malaysian Court junks suit seeking Zakir
Naik’s expulsion
Kuala Lumpur:High Court dismissed today a
lawsuit by a group of activists against the Govt for providing permanent residency to Indian
preacher Dr Zakir Naik.Lawyer Adnan Seman, who appeared for Malay rights group
Perkasa that acted as an intervenor,said Justice Datin Azizah Nawawi found that
Hindraf erred by failing to make Dr Zakir a party to the action. He added that
the judge said it was imperative to involve the preacher as any decision in the
case would “have an immediate impact on his life.”“This is the reason the suit
was struck out,” said Adnan.The plaintiffs were also instructed to pay RM5,000
in costs.Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali said today’s decision proved Dr Zakir
is a “world class preacher” and “clean”.“The allegations against Dr Zakir —
claiming that his sermons have inspired terrorists — are not true. The
perception against him has been created by certain parties with their own
agenda.“So I hope with this decision Dr Zakir can move freely, can give his
sermons and he will be left alone,” said Ibrahim.themalaymailonline
Complaint filed against viral song ‘Manikya
Malarayi Poovi’ for allegedly hurting Muslim sentiments
A group of Muslim men has filed a complaint at
the Falaknuma Police Station in Hyderabad against the song Manikya Malarayi
Poovi from the Malayalam movie Oru Adaar Love, CNN News18 reported on
Wednesday. The video of the song featuring actor Priya Prakash Varrier has gone
viral on social media. Muqeeth Khan, one of the complainants, told Times Now
that the video insults Prophet Mohammad. “After listening to the song, I went
for the translation of the lyrics,” he said. “The translation is about our
Prophet.”Khan said a boy and girl were shown romancing while, in the
background, the prophet’s name comes up. He added that he had filed a complaint
in an attempt to exercise his freedom of speech. However, Khan said that he had
nothing against the movie, the actor or the song itself. Oru Adaar Love will
come out in theatres on Eid at the end of June. The film’s director, Omar Lulu,
told Scroll.in that Manikya Malaraya Poovi means “a pearl flower that is very
precious”. He added that the song is about the love story of the Prophet
Mohammad and his first wife.scroll
Ajit Singh camps in Muzaffarnagar, appeals to
Jats, Muslims to reunite
Muzaffarnagar: With just a year to go for
general elections, political parties have begun their informal campaigns in UP.
On Tuesday, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh held a meeting with senior Jat
and Muslim leaders and appealed to them to bridge the gulf created between the
two communities during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.“Every Jat should shake
hands with at least one Muslim daily. Members of Jat community should also
start visiting homes of their Muslim brethren,” Singh said, adding that “the
beginning of the end of BJP rule will begin from this place (westernUP) only”.
Having completely lost political ground in his home turf in the past few years,
Ajit Singh’s visit is being seen as an attempt to reunite Jats and Muslims, a
strong political coalition his father and former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh had stitched together
many decades ago.Addressing a public meeting at the local party office, the ex-Union
minister said, “This is the region which remained unaffected even in the
aftermath of Babri mosque demolition in 1992. However, communal riots in 2013
split 2 communities here. But the time has come for them to reunite. Jats and
Muslims should celebrate Eid and Holi together. Forget what happened in the
past and focus on the future.”Many prominent Jat and Muslim leaders from the
region were present at the meeting. Jat Sangarsh Samiti has held several
similar meetings in the region in the recent past.timesofindia
Kasganj violence not a communal riot, was only
a group clash: UP DGP
UP DGP
OP Singh said that the violence in Kasganj in January was only a “group clash”,
and has now been “effectively checked”, PTI reported. One person was killed and
several people were injured in the violence.Singh added that there have been no
communal riots in the state for the last one year. “Tensions do arise due to
group clashes in some districts but, overall, UP has been a riot-free state in
the past one year,” he said. “There was tension in Kasganj due to group clash
but it was effectively checked. We contained its spread.”scroll
Prasar Bharati shortlists Abhijit Majumder,
Siddharth Zarabi for top editorial roles: Indian Express
Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is likely to
appoint journalists Abhijit Majumder and Siddharth Zarabi to top editorial
positions at DD News and AIR, Indian Express reported on Wednesday. A
high-level committee has zeroed in on Zarabi as head of TV news at DD News and
Majumder as the chief editor of Prasar Bharati News Service. Zarabi is the
executive editor of business news channel BTVI, and Majumder is managing editor
of Mail Today. If they are appointed, Zarabi may host DD News’s prime time
shows and will handle news production. Majumder is likely to take up news
service operations and lead digital platforms.3 days after one person died in
communal clashes in Kasganj, UP on Jan.26, Majumder sparked controversy when he
wrongly claimed on Twitter that a second person had also been killed. This was
based on rumours, for which the UP police arrested four people. Majumder’s tweet
had said: “We are told they deserved this for raising “provocative” slogans and
carrying saffron flags in a “Muslim locality”. Such a dangerous justification.”
He later deleted the tweet. scroll.in
Sahitya Akademi Winner Donates Prize Money to
Lynching Victim Junaid's Family
New Delhi: Noted Malayalam author KP Ramanunni
donated his Sahitya Akademi prize money to the mother of Hafiz Junaid Khan, the
teenage boy who was killed on a train in Haryana for allegedly carrying beef.
Ramanunni handed over the money to Junaid’s mother after receiving the award in
New Delhi on Monday. He kept a token amount Rs 3 from the total prize money of
Rs 1 lakh and gave the rest to the deceased’s family.KP Ramanunni, who is quite
vocal against religious extremism, won the award for his book 'God's Own Book',
which talks of harmony among Hindus and Muslims. “Junaid is someone who was
killed by Hindu communal forces for just being a Muslim. Let me place this
award amount as an offering at the feet of Junaid's mother as an act of penance
for that wicked sin, for penance is a special observance in true Hindu
tradition,” Ramanunni said. news18
Nagaland elections: BJP offers Christians free
Jerusalem trip if voted to power
Among the promises the BJP is making while
campaigning in poll-bound Nagaland is a free trip for Christians to Jerusalem,
The Hindu reported. “We plan to send groups of senior Christian citizens to
Jerusalem if our party comes to power,” Nagaland BJP spokesperson James Vizo said.
Congress, meanwhile, has promised voters in the Christian-dominated state a
subsidy for the trip. Nagaland Assembly polls are on Feb.27.The offer from BJP,
which is contesting the elections as an ally of the NDPP, comes a week after
the Nagaland Baptist Church Council warned voters against Hindutva forces in
the state. “We cannot deny that the Hindutva movement in the country has become
strong and invasive in the past few years with BJP, the political wing of the
RSS, in power,” the council wrote in its letter to presidents of all political
parties. Some other reports said it was unclear if the BJP’s offer of a free
trip to Jerusalem applied only to Christians in Nagaland or also to the other 2
poll-bound states in the North East – Tripura and Meghalaya. Meghalaya will
vote on Feb.27 along with Nagaland, and Tripura will have its polls on
Feb.18.scroll
Male and female guests eating food together at
wedding feast is un-Islamic: Barelvi fatwa
Bareilly: A fatwa passed by a cleric at the
Dargah Aala Hazrat on Tuesday said that it was against Shariat for male and
female guests to eat food together at weddings. The fatwa said that organisers
should maintain difference between mehram (close relatives) and non-mehram
(distant relatives, friends and acquaintances). It also said that DJs and dance
at weddings are un-Islamic.The fatwa was passed after a resident of Pilibhit,
Aniruddin, asked the seminary: “At a recent wedding ceremony of a cleric’s
brother, there was DJ and people were dancing. I want to know if it is okay
according to Islamic law. Besides, both male and female guests had food
together in that party. Is it fine in the light of Shariat?” “Responding to his
query, Mufti Kausahar Ali Razvi of Dargah Aala Hazrat has passed this fatwa. He
said that both DJ and dancing are against Shariat. Male and female guests
should not eat food together at weddings,” said Maulana Shahbudin Razvi.He
added, “Islam promotes the pardah system and females should not eat with
non-mehram members. Un-Islamic activities are rising during wedding ceremonies
so we have decided to conduct a meeting with the imams of mosques and qazis who
solemnize nikahs and chalk out a strategy of discouraging it. We had earlier
launched a campaign in this connection but it did not help.”timesofindia
Despite Evidence, SC Dismisses Plea for Probe
Into Chhattisgarh Chopper Scam: thewire
New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench of Justices
Adarsh Kumar Goel and Uday Umesh Lalit on Tuesday dismissed 3 writ petitions
seeking an impartial and independent probe by a SIT into what is known as the
Chhattisgarh chopper scam.The scam involves the purchase of an Agusta 109 Power
E helicopter by the Chhattisgarh Govt in
2007, resulting in payment of $1.57 million (approximately 30% of the total
cost of the helicopter) on the basis of a spurious global tender issued in May
that year for the purchase of a specific model of a specific company – Agusta –
despite several other manufacturers making helicopters with similar
specifications.The petitioners also sought an inquiry into the alleged offshore
accounts of Abhishek Singh, son of Raman Singh, the CM of Chhattisgarh, “a few months after the
alleged scam in the purchase of Agusta helicopter for VIP use”. It was alleged
that Abhishek had links with some companies in the British Virgin Islands, and
that these companies received kickbacks from Sharp Ocean Investments Limited
(SOIL), Hong Kong – the dealers of Agusta.A report by the Comptroller and
Auditor General (CAG) of India stated in 2011 that the procurement of the
helicopter led to a Rs 65 lakh loss to the exchequer. The CAG calculated the
loss on the basis of the extra cost paid by the state Govt due to the avoidable delay in taking a
decision on signing the contract by the due date for the purchase of the new
helicopter.thewire
Unease in MP BJP over Uma Bharti’s ‘Vyapam
conspiracy’ remark
Bhopal:Union drinking water and sanitation
minister Uma Bharti’s remark that her name was dragged into the Vyapam scam as
part of a political conspiracy has caused a flutter in the BJP, and insiders
believe it could lead to an intra-party feud ahead of assembly
elections.Addressing a press conference in Bhopal on Tuesday, Bharti had listed
her mother’s demise, sister-in-law’s suicide and her name being dragged into
the Vyapam scam as the three most agonising moments in her life. Notably, a
charge sheet filed at a special court in the state capital had mentioned the
Union minister’s name but not as an accused in the multi-layer examination
scam. HT
Delhi: Man who allegedly killed missing
7-year-old had told the family that he was a CBI officer
The man arrested in Delhi on Tuesday for
allegedly killing a 7-year-old boy had often faked his identity in front of the
boy’s family, but was actually preparing for the civil services examination,
the HT reported. He had told the family that he would soon join the CBI, and
promised to help find the missing boy. 27-year-old Avadesh Sakya had killed the
child on January 6 and kept his body in a suitcase at his home since then.
Police found the body on Tuesday.The police are investigating his relationship
with the women in the boy’s family to see if that had anything to do with the
murder.“He would sometimes say he works for the Intelligence Bureau,” the boy’s
father Karan Saini was quoted as saying. “At other times, he said he was with
the income tax department. In January, he said he had become a CBI officer and
would be taking up the job on February 12. He said he had been given a
bungalow, a car and a gun. He spoke fluent English and was educated and
confident. We believed him.”scroll
Campaign for minorities’ welfare: 1 lakh
signatures collected, civil rights body to meet Gujarat CM today
Ahmedabad;A delegation of minority communities
plans to submit to Gujarat CM Vijay
Rupani “one lakh” petitions listing their demands which were signed by members
of various religious groups as part of a month-long campaign, in Gandhinagar.
Prominent demands include setting up of minorities affairs department in
Gujarat and implementation of the PM ’s new 15-point programme.The signature
campaign which was started a month ago by the Minority Coordination Committee
(MCC), a civil rights organisation claims to have collected one lakh
signatures. Mujahid Nafees, convener, MCC, said a delegation plans to call on
Rupani with a charter of demands, seeking constitutional rights of minorities
in the state.“The state has a population of 80 lakh persons belonging to the
minority communities, but there is no department in the state Govt for minorities unlike other states in the
country,” said Nafees, adding that the budgetary provision for minority communities
in the state was Rs 55 lakh only. Other states have much bigger minority
budgets. “For example, UP has a provision of Rs 700 crore and West Bengal has
provided Rs 1,700 crore,” he said.indianexpress
WPI to mount pressure on KCR govt for Muslim quota
Hyderabad:Welfare Party of India alleged that
central and state Govt failed in
fulfilling their promises. Speaking to media persons, party’s national
president Dr. Qasim Rasool Ilyas accused BJP led NDA Govt of adopting
anti-people policies and said the PM is promising of Achhe Din which were far
from sight during the past four years. Every class of society is troubled due
to Govt ’s policies. Taking a dig at TRS Govt
in Telangana, Dr. Ilyas said that Govt had promised to provide 12 pc
reservations to Muslims but no progress has been made during the past 4 years.
While passing the bill in the assembly it was sent to the centre. It is
imprudent to expect that central Govt will do anything in this regard.He said
WPI will mount pressure on Govt for implementation of Muslim quota.siasat
WORLD
Israeli Opposition calls on Netanyahu to quit as
Police recommends bribery, fraud charges against him
Jerusalem;Israeli opposition leaders called on
PM Benjamin Netanyahu to step down
Wednesday as the embattled premier's allies rallied to his defense following
police recommendations that he be charged with bribery and breach of trust in
two corruption cases.The police announcement late Tuesday that Netanyahu
accepted nearly $300,000 in gifts from two billionaires dealt the PM an embarrassing blow after years of
investigations, but did not appear to immediately rattle his lengthy rule as
reaction largely fell along partisan lines.Nearly all of Netanyahu's Cabinet
ministers issued statements of support and no coalition partners appeared ready
to bolt. Netanyahu's coalition whip, David Amsalem, dismissed the
recommendations and accused the police of committing "an illegitimate act
here to attempt a coup d'etat in Israel."Opposition politicians,
meanwhile, called on Netanyahu to step down, and urged his coalition allies to
abandon his Govt . Labor Party leader Avi Gabbay said Finance Minister Moshe
Kahlon and Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leaders of two of the larger
parties in Netanyahu's coalition, need to choose between supporting the PM and upholding the rule of law.AP
Israel Police recommends bribery and fraud
charges against PM Netanyahu
UN slams Israel for violating Palestinian
teen’s rights
Israel is violating the international
Convention on the Rights of the Child by detaining a Palestinian teenager for
slapping an Israeli soldier, UN human rights experts said on Tuesday.After an
incident in which she slapped an Israeli soldier, Ahed Tamimi, 17, appeared
before an Israeli military court on Tuesday.UN experts called for her release,
saying that future hearings should be held in strict accordance with
international legal standards.“The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which
Israel has ratified, clearly states that children are to be deprived of their
liberty only as a last resort, and only for the shortest appropriate period of
time,” said Michael Lynk, the special rapporteur on the situation of human
rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967.middleeastmonitor
PA has to cancel punitive measures on Gaza or
quit, insists Hamas
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement is
insisting that the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah should cancel its punitive
measures against the Gaza Strip, Felesteen.ps has reported. Hamas denounced PA’s
decision to “intentionally reinforce” the measures.The current Govt was formed in 2014 based on a national
agreement but remains dominated by Fatah and PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, whose
term of office was supposed to end in 2009.A spokesman for Hamas, Fawzi
Barhoum, denounced the Govt ’s “justification” of the punitive measures, which
have contributed to the “miserable” situation faced by all Palestinians in the
besieged territory. The healthcare sector is particularly badly hit. According
to Barhoum, the Govt is not meeting the
needs of its hospitals and healthcare centres in Gaza and has not paid the
cleaning companies working in them, pushing them to go on
strike.middleeastmonitor
Israel extends education law to settlements
Israeli Knesset has approved a bill which will
extend the Israeli education law on academic institution based in illegal
settlements in the occupied West Bank, Quds Press reported yesterday.“Ariel
University Bill” was passed with 56 votes for and 36 against. It abolishes the
Council for Higher Education in the West Bank and brings the academic
institutions there under the wings of the Council for Higher Education in
Israel.The new law also allows for a medicine faculty to be opened at Ariel
University located in the illegal settlement of Ariel. Extremist right-wing
Knesset member Shuli Moalem-Refaeli, who submitted the draft law, said: “This
law allows Israel to apply its sovereignty over settlements.”middleeastmonitor
Haaretz: Phone call stopped imminent
Israeli-Iranian war
Isreali newspaper Haaretz revealed that
Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped an imminent Israeli-Iranian war, with
a telephone call, following recent escalation. This weekend Israel shot down an
Iranian drone over the occupied Palestinian territories and then later had a
Israeli F-16 fighter shot down over Syria. The newspaper described the call
between Putin and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday evening, as
“decisive and fateful as it immediately stopped the escalation.”The newspaper
concluded that the Russian President provided an acceptable solution to both
conflicting parties, and pointed out that this is a clear conclusion which can
be drawn from the sequence of events on Saturday, as translated by Arabi21. The
newspaper also said that the Israeli raids on targets in Syria raised Moscow’s
concerns, since they have targeted locations close to the areas of spread of Russian
advisers, especially at Tiyas Military Airbase (T-4 Airbase) in eastern
countryside of Homs.middleeastmonitor
Rights group: Syria regime has used chemical
weapons 211 times
The Syrian regime, headed by President Bashar
Al-Assad, has used chemical weapons 211 times since the start of the crisis,
the Syrian Network for Human Rights said yesterday.Some 1,421 people have been
killed in the attacks, group added.Of the chemical strikes committed, 33 were
before UN Security Council Resolution 2118 was issued in 2013 and 178 took
place after. The resolution provided a framework for the elimination of Syrian
regime’s chemical weapons arsenal.Some 109 occurred after 2015 UN adoption of
Resolution 2209 which condemns any use of chemicals as a weapon in the Syrian
Civil War and threatens to use force if chemical weapons are used again in conflict.middleeastmonitor
Leader of Yemen’s Islah party assassinated in
Aden
Unknown gunmen have assassinated a senior
leader of Yemen’s Al-Islah Party in the southern city of Aden.Local sources in
Aden said masked men riding a motorbike attacked the al-Islah party leader and
the imam of Thowar mosque, Shawki Kamadi while he was in his car in a
neighbourhood in the Mualla area and shot him.No one has claimed responsibility
for the assassination.The city of Aden witnessed a series of assassinations
against mosques imams, army officers and local officials.middleeastmonitor
Trump Lawyer Arranged $130,000 Payment for
Porn Star’s Silence
A lawyer for President Donald Trump arranged a
$130,000 payment to a former adult-film star a month before the 2016 election
as part of an agreement that precluded her from publicly discussing an alleged
sexual encounter with Trump, according
to people familiar with the matter.Michael Cohen, who spent nearly a decade as
a top attorney at the Trump Organization, arranged payment to the woman, Stephanie
Clifford, in October 2016 after her lawyer negotiated the nondisclosure
agreement with Cohen, these people said.wsj
Paid $130,000 To Porn Star, Linked To Donald
Trump, Says His Lawyer: Report
Trump wants to cut funds for UN missions in
Middle East
US President Donald Trump's administration is
seeking to decrease its financial contributions to the Middle East in 2019,
most notably to UN missions in Lebanon, the occupied Golan Heights, and Western
Sahara. The plan, revealed on Monday, is unlikely to make it past sceptical
politicians in Congress, however. Douglas Pitkin, the director of the state
department's Bureau of Budget and Planning, told reporters on Monday that
"because [the department is] looking for greater cost containment at UN
more generally,[it does] have lower funding level than the full peacekeeping
estimate".Pitkin added that these figures are subject to change.Trump's
plan includes slashing US contributions to the UN mission in Lebanon, as well
as international peacekeeping missions worldwide. aljazeera
Erdogan slams US 'support for Kurdish YPG
fighters'
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has slammed US'
support for Kurdish YPG fighters in northern Syria, warning that Washington's
move to fund the group will impact Ankara's future decisions towards its NATO
ally." US decision to give financial support to the YPG ... will surely
affect the decisions Turkey will take," Erdogan said on Tuesday."It
will be better for them not to stand with the terrorists they support today. I
am calling on the people of the United States - this money is coming out of the
budget of the US, it is coming out of people's pockets," Erdogan said.His
comments were a response to the Pentagon's new defence budget that allocates
$550m to military activities in Syria.The US defence department requested $300m
for Syrian "train and equip activities" and $250m for "border
security requirements related to the counter ISIS mission," according to a
copy of the budget.aljazeera
Egypt's former top auditor ordered detained
for 15 days
Egypt's former top auditor Hisham Genena has
been ordered detained for 15 days for questioning over his claims that the
country's former army chief Sami Anan was in possession of "documents and
evidence" that would undermine the country and its leadership.Genena's
lawyer confirmed to local media on Tuesday he was taken from his home in the
New Cairo district of the capital."The military prosecution has decided to
detain the former head of the Central Auditing Organization, Judge Hisham
Genena, for 15 days for investigation," the official news agency MENA
said.aljazeera
Islamabad High Court bans Valentine's Day
celebrations across Pakistan; rules it un-Islamic
Islamabad: Pakistan has once again banned
Valentine Day's celebrations and its media coverage after the Islamabad High
Court ruled the holiday as "un-Islamic".The Voice of America reported
that in order to comply with the court ruling, Pakistan's Electronic Media
Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) imposed guidelines to its TV and radio licenses to
remind them of the ban."Respondents are directed to ensure that nothing
about the celebrations of Valentine's Day and its promotion is spread on the
Electronic and Print media. No event shall be held on an official level and at
any public place. PEMRA is directed to ensure that all the TV channels shall
stop the promotion of Valentine's Day forthwith," the PEMRA said in a
statement.The judgment also prohibited any advertising or the sale of
merchandise associated with Valentine's Day.ANI
US Pushes to Put Pakistan on TerrorFinancing
Watchlist
US is
pushing to get Pakistan placed on an international terror-financing watchlist a
month after President Donald Trump suspended about $2 billion in military aid
to the nuclear-armed nation.US, along with the U.K., have reported to the
Financial Action Task Force that Pakistan hasn’t complied with terrorism
regulations, Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, a junior Pakistani minister for finance
and economic affairs, said by phone on Wednesday. Khan said the body’s review
is scheduled for early next week and that the charges were a “conspiracy.”
Pakistan gave a comprehensive reply to the allegations on Feb. 5, “but now they
are adding some more items.”The move is the latest attempt from Washington to
get Islamabad take more action against terror groups that allegedly have
support and sanctuary within Pakistan. Relations between the two nations have
deteriorated drastically in the past year and in his first tweet of 2018, Trump
said Pakistan gave “lies and deceit” in return for US funding. Being placed on
the list may impede Pakistan’s access to global markets at a time when its
foreign reserves are dwindling and external deficits widening ahead of national
elections in July.Bloomberg
Ahead of Paris terror meet, Pakistan moves to
ban Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawa, FIF
New Delhi : In a major development ahead of
the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris early next week,
reports have emerged that Pakistan has placed Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawa
(JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF)
on the list of proscribed groups. According to PTI, Pakistan President
Mamnoon Hussain signed an ordinance last Friday, aimed at reining in individuals
and organisations that have been banned by the UNSC. The development was made
public Monday. Last month, Shahid Abbasi-led Govt had also banned companies and
individuals from making donations to JuD, FIF and other organisations.The
ordinance amends a section of Anti-Terrorism Act, which will allow authorities
to take action against UNSC-proscribed individuals and terror outfits, like
sealing their offices and freezing their bank accounts. The move comes ahead of
the FATF plenary meeting on Feb.18, where Pakistan is likely to be
“grey-listed” for terrorist financing and money laundering.indianexpress
Mourners bid farewell to Pakistans human
rights icon
Lahore; The funeral prayers for Asma Jahangir,
Pakistans human rights icon were offered here at the Gaddafi Stadium which was
attended by thousands of mourners.Asma, 66, died of cardiac arrest last Sunday
in Lahore.Farooq Haider Maududi, the son of Jamaat-i-Islami founder and
prominent Islamic scholar Abul Ala Maududi, led the funeral prayer.PTI
UN: Rohingya still not allowed to return to
Myanmar
Rohingya refugees are still not allowed to
return to Myanmar, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees has told
the UN Security Council.According to Filippo Grandi, "conditions in
Myanmar are not yet conducive" for the 668,000 Rohingya to return home.The
refugees fled to neighbouring Bangladesh after the Myanmar authorities launched
a violent crackdown in northern Rakhine state last August."The causes of
their flight have not been addressed, and we have yet to see substantive progress
on addressing the exclusion and denial of rights that has deepened over the
last decades, rooted in their lack of citizenship," he said.Grandi also
said the office of the UNHCR lacks access to Rakhine, where hundreds of
villages have been burned down by the Myanmar military.aljazeera
Turkey, Saudi among allies pledging billions
for Iraq’s reconstruction; UN urges world support
Iraq received billions of dollars in credit
lines, loans, and investment from Turkey, Gulf Arab allies, Europe, and other
countries, their representatives announced at an international conference in
Kuwait on Wednesday.Turkey said it would give Iraq $5 billion in credit lines.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said his country was providing a $1
billion-loan through its Saudi Fund for Development and $500 million in export
credit. Qatar announced $1 billion in loans and investments while UAE pledged
$500 million for rebuilding. Germany said it would provide $350 million in
assistance.Britain pledged up to $1 billion annually in export credit over 10
years and Japan said it would contribute $100 million this year to Iraq through
UN agencies and international organisations.UAE minister of state for foreign
affairs Anwar Gargash later tweeted that there were also giving $5.5 billion
from the UAE in private investments in Iraq “in addition” to his country’s
pledge but it was not clear if this was a new announcement.Reuters
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Sohrabuddin case: The list of 15 discharged so
far
WebQoof: Old Video From Kerala Circulates As
Hindu-Muslim Clash:ARJUN Sidharth, Alt News
7 decades after independence,b most Dalit
farmers still landless: HARRY STEVENS
Exclusive: How RBI Forced National Payments
Body to Hire Govt Favourite as CEO:ANUJ SRIVAS
At India Today, Anchors Can Spread Fake News
While Editor is Sacked For Speaking Out:KARNIKA KOHLI
Why has the Reserve Bank of India Killed the
Indian Economy?PREM SHANKAR JHA
Why do Italian fascists adore Syria's Bashar
al-Assad?by Patrick Strickland
Questioning Discharge of High-Profile Accused,
Ex-Judge Says Sohrabuddin Case a ‘Failure of Justice’
‘Failure of justice’: Former Bombay HC judge
raises doubts over past hearings in Sohrabuddin case
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