Evening NEWS
DIGEST
08 April 2018:19 Rajjab 1439:Vol:9, No:159
INDIA
If Justice Gogoi isn’t made CJI, our fears
would come true: Justice Chelameswar
New Delhi: Concerns expressed over the Supreme
Court’s functioning by four of its most senior judges would come true if the
unprecedented press conference they addressed three months ago came in the way
of one of them, Justice Ranjan Gogoi,becoming the next CJI, according to Justice
J Chelameswar.In conversation with journalist Karan Thapar on ‘Role of
Judiciary in a Democracy’ at an event organised by the Harvard Club of India,
Justice Chelameswar said, “I hope it will not happen. If, if, if, I repeat, if
it happens, it will only prove whatever we said at the press conference is
true.”On Jan.12, Justice Chelameswar and three of his colleagues — Justices
Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph — had released a letter at the press
conference in which they raised questions on the court’s functioning,
particularly the allocation of cases by CJI Dipak Misra.Justice Chelameswar is
scheduled to retire in June and Justice Gogoi is next in line, in terms of
seniority, to take over from CJI Misra later this year. Thapar had asked
Justice Chelameswar if he was “apprehensive” that Justice Gogoi, “who was one
of the authors of the letter” addressed to CJI Misra, “might not be elevated to
CJI when Justice Misra retires”.At first, the judge said, “I’m not an
astrologer”. Thapar then asked if he was worried that what had happened in the
past — judges being superseded — would happen to Justice Gogoi. Responding to a
question on CJI’s role as master of the roster, Justice Chelameswar said,
“Undoubtedly, the CJI would have the power to constitute the benches. But under
the Constitutional system, every power is coupled with certain
responsibilities. The power is required to be exercised not really because the
power exists, but for the purpose of achieving some public good. Don’t exercise
the power merely because you have it, SC has been repeatedly saying in every
case wherever such question arose that every power is trust. It has be
exercised for benefit of the body politic.”Justice Chelameswar said he had no
fears over Govt’s delay in taking a decision on the Collegium’s decision to
elevate Uttarakhand Chief Justice K M Joseph and Advocate Indu Malhotra to the
apex court. “As of now, I don’t share any fear… So far they (Govt ) have not
said anything.indianexpress
SC admits Godhra convicts’ petition against
Gujarat HC order, issues notice to state on their bail plea
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has admitted the
Godhra train carnage convicts’ appeal challenging the Gujarat High Court order
of 2017. The SC has also issued a notice to the Gujarat Govt on their
application for bail.The SC on Friday clubbed separate petitions of 26 and one
convicts and agreed to hear their plea against the 9th Oct. 2017 order of the
Gujarat High Court. The HC had upheld the lower court order awarding life
sentence to 20 accused and commuted death sentence of 11 other accused into
life sentence.In all, more than 96 Muslims were made accused of the Godhra
train carnage in which 59 Hindu kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya in Sabarmati
train were burnt alive near the Godhra railway station in Gujarat on 28 Feb.
2002. However, the lower court in 2011 acquitted 63 of them and convicted 31. 2
had died during the trial. Hearing their bail petitions on Friday, the Supreme
Court bench of CJI Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Dr. Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud issued notice to Gujarat Govt and sought response within six
weeks.On behalf of the convicts, about half a dozen senior lawyers argued the
case. They included Sanjay R. Hegde, Irshad Ahmad, Abhimanue Shreshtha, Dr.
Dinesh Rattan Bhardwaj and K.G. Shaikh.Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind is providing legal
help to the convicts. caravandaily
SC admits Godhra carnage convicts’ appeals
When Amit Shah, CBI lawyer and HC judge all stayed
at Ravi Bhawan, Nagpur: nationalheraldindia
National Herald has learned that 3-and-a-half
months after the mysterious death of CBI Judge BH Loya, a curious mix of guests
all happened to stay at Ravi Bhawan in Nagpur at the same time. Ravi Bhawan is
the same state guest house where Judge Loya was reportedly staying when he felt
unwell and was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead on Dec 1,
2014.Judge Loya, at the time of his death, was hearing Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged
fake encounter case, in which BJP head Amit Shah was an accused. 2-and-a-half
months after he was discharged from this case by Loya’s successor, Amit Shah
also came to stay at Ravi Bhawan.Ravi Bhawan guest register for March 2015,
accessed by National Herald, shows that Amit Shah stayed there at the same time
as Additional Solicitor General Anil C Singh—presently representing CBI in
trial court in Mumbai in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. Also
staying there at the same time was Justice NW Sambre—presently hearing
petitions in the Bombay HC against discharge of several IPS officers accused in
the Sohrabuddin case.Page number 155 of Ravi Bhawan register shows, under entry
number 925, that cottage numbers 3 and 7 were booked for Amit Shah. The next
entry 926 shows that cottage number 8 was booked for Anil Singh. Entry number
926 A (a handwritten insertion) was booked in name of SC Judge UU Lalit. And
entry number 927 shows cottage number 9 was booked in name of Judge NW Sambre.
BJP MP Udit Raj alleges Dalits in UP, MP,
Rajasthan being harassed after Bharat Bandh
Dr Udit Raj, BJP MP for North West Delhi, put
out a series of tweets on April 7, Saturday alleging Dalits are being tortured
and slapped with false cases in several places in BJP-ruled Rajasthan, MP and UP.
Udit Raj had said that “Reports are pouring in that those Dalits who
participated in agitation on 2 April are being tortured and it must be stopped.
Dalits are tortured at large scale after April 2 country-wide agitation. People
from Barmer, Jalore, Jaipur, Gwalior, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Karoli and other
parts calling that not only anti reservationists but police also beating and
slapping false cases.” Barmer, Jalore and Jaipur are all in BJP-ruled
Rajasthan, Gwalior is in BJP-ruled MP and Meerut and Bulandshahr are in
BJP-ruled UP. It was unclear whether Udit Raj was referring to Karoli in
BJP-ruled Haryana or Karauli in Rajasthan.Dr Raj also said “My confederation
worker in Gwalior is being tortured whereas he had not done anything wrong. He
is crying for help.”On Sunday, Dr Raj claimed his tweets were being
"misconstrued" as “harming BJP” when in fact these, he claimed, would
strengthen the party. He said “My tweets are misconstrued that its harming BJP
rather it strengthens that at least there are people like me in BJP who are
concerned with Dalit atrocities after 2 April agitation. It will convince
Dalits and they will remain with party. Govt will check anti-Dalit officer/
people.” nationalheraldindia
Dalits being ‘tortured’ post Bharat Bandh
violence:BJP MP Udit Raj
3rd BJP MP from UP writes to PM
Modi, says ‘even after 4 yrs, nothing done by your govt to actively benefit
Dalits’
Lucknow;A third BJP MP from UP, this time from
Bijnor’s Nagina constituency, has targeted his own Govt alleging that even after 4 years of the party
being in power at the Centre, nothing has been done for the around 30 crore
Dalits of the country.In a letter to PM Narendra Modi on April 2, MP Yashwant Singh
has alleged that despite assurances, Dalits are yet to receive benefits of
reservation, including in jobs and promotions.Earlier, Robertsganj MP Chhote
Lal Kharwar and Etawah MP Ashok Kumar Dohre (all elected from reserved seats)
had taken on Govt on similar
issues.Singh, addressing PM, has stated:“When I was elected, then only I had
met you and requested that it should be ensured that a bill on reservation be
passed. Different organisations kept requesting us…but even after four years,
nothing has been done by your Govt to actively benefit around 30 crore Dalits
of the country…”A member of the Jatav community, Singh, who has an MD degree
from AIIMS, said he had “become an MP only because of the reservation system”.
He claimed reservation was “like the air that gives life” to people like him,
and without it, Dalit and backward communities would not exist.indianexpress
SC/ST Act: Meet 4 BJP Dalit MPs who spoke
against govt over caste bias
Dalit protests: BSP leader among 100 held for
inciting Hapur protests during Bharat bandh
Noida:Over 100 people, including ex-BSP
district president and son of an ex-party MLA, have been arrested in connection
with the violence in Hapur during the Bharat bandh called by Dalit
organisations on April 2.Former president of BSP’s Hapur unit Babli Ken and son
of former MLA Dharmpal Singh, Manish, have been booked on charges of inciting
protesters, police said. “We have video footage of them addressing a crowd and inciting
them,” said SP Hemant Kutiyal.On April 2, thousands of protesters gathered in
Hapur city and Garhmukteshwar to oppose the changes to the SC/ST (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act-1989. The protests had led to 10 deaths, including two in
neighbouring districts Muzaffarnagar and Meerut.BSP leaders alleged that
arrests of party leaders and workers was the Govt ’s strategy to muffle
dissent. “Administration had a list ready of people they wanted to arrest. Not
just BSP leaders, innocent youths are being arrested,” said Aslam Chaudhary,
BSP MLA from Dhalauna in Hapur.indianexpress
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind stands up for Dalits,
opposes dilution in SC/ST Act
New Delhi:Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has opposed any
dilution to weaken the stringent Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act.“Jamaat is opposed in principle to anything that
will affect the constitutional and legal protection given to the vulnerable
sections of our society. There cannot be any compromise when it comes to
protection of the downtrodden. Jamaat feels that these directives by the apex
court about the act would result in dilution of its provisions, reduce the fear
of law and result in more violations against the oppressed castes and tribes,”
said JIH Secretary General Muhammad Salim Engineer while addressing a press
conference here on Saturday.Jamaat leader expressed hope that the “Supreme
Court will reconsider those directives favorably and positively to rule out
apprehensions.”“We feel it is very clear that violence against Dalits, tribals,
backward sections and minorities has increased substantially in the past few
years. So anything which would impede the prosecution of those guilty of
oppressing the Dalits cannot be viewed in favor of social justice,” said the
Jamaat leader.“We support those fighting for the legitimate rights of the
Scheduled Castes and Tribes and express grief and offer our condolences at the
loss of lives during protests against the changes in SC/ST Act (during Bharat
Bandh on 2nd April). Jamaat advocates peaceful protests and condemns any
violence and destruction of public property,’’he said. Jamaat has also demanded
the passage of long-pending Communal Violence Bill “as it will offer protection
to the basic rights of minorities just as the SC/ST Act offers protection to
SCs and STs’’.While expressing concern at the recent incidents of communal
violence in West Bengal and Bihar, he said: “Attacking and vandalizing places
of worship has been a familiar style of operation adopted by the communal and
anti-social elements. But behind these acts on ground-zero is a diabolical
effort by the fascist and communal political leadership who want to polarize
society on the basis of caste and community in order to reap electoral benefits
and further their political agenda.” caravandaily
Saffron outfits torch 15 shops of Muslim
traders in Uttarakhand town over fake video
Dehradun: At least 15 shops of local Muslim
traders were torched by a mob comprising members of saffron outfits in the
Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand on Friday. The mob had gathered following a
fake rape video posted on Facebook night before, alleging that a Muslim boy had
raped a Hindu girl. But within hours, both the police and civil administration
trashed the video as fake and controlled the situation. 3 persons were booked
for posting the fake video on social media.Media reports said that at least
2,000 people, collected by some Hindu-right groups, gathered near the police
station in the Agastyamuni town demanding justice for the alleged rape victim. The
mob then vandalized up to 15 shops of native Muslim traders and set them on
fire.“ Shops (of Muslim traders) were emptied, and the materials in them,
including mobile phones, watches, clothes, and vegetables, were thrown onto the
streets and burnt by the agitating groups. However, no one was hurt,” Tripti
Bhatt, Rudraprayag district’s SP, said. Within hours of the incident,
Rudraprayag district magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal took to social media and
posted a video clarifying that the video that was going viral over social media
was “fake”. Gajendra Rautela, an Agastyamuni local, said: “Agastyamuni has a
small Muslim population. Many Muslim traders whose shops were vandalised have
been born and brought up in Agastyamuni…I had not witnessed any communal incident
in the town until today(Friday). What happened today was shocking.”Later in the
day, the local police booked 3 persons – 3 of them from Western UP – for posting fake video on the social media. Police
lodged an FIR against Mehkar Singh and Santu, both from Amroha in UP , and Soni
Kumar from Haridwar for uploading the picture and the post on Facebook, reports
HT.In a Facebook post, 3 people had claimed on Thursday evening that a Muslim
boy raped a Hindu girl at Agastmuni town in the Kedarnath valley. caravandaily
If cops don’t help us, Dalits won’t allow
upper caste baraats to pass through our area: Kasganj groom
Agra: After his plea seeking court’s intervention
into a row over his baraat route was dismissed, Dalit groom Sanjay Jatav said
if police and administration didn’t provide him an alternative route, the Dalit
community won’t allow wedding processions of upper caste people pass through
their area. On March 30, the Allahabad high court had dismissed his petition
seeking its intervention to allow him to take his baraat through a Thakur
dominated area in Kasganj’s Nizampur village. The wedding is scheduled for
April 20.Sanjay and his fiancée Sheetal claim that upper caste men in the
village threatened them and refused to allow horse-led wedding procession in
the village, which has only 50 Dalit houses and over 300 upper caste
families.Sanjay is a block-level panchayat member from Basai Bawas village of
Hathras. The groom said, “After the court's verdict, I met Kasganj district
magistrate R P Singh and gave him a proposal for 2 alternative routes. If the
administration and police don’t agree, Dalit community will never allow any
Thakur wedding procession to pass through their area.” “Like all other citizens
of the country, I am entitled to a regular wedding. Discrimination like this in
2018 is unacceptable. I will now move the SC in this regard,” he said. While
dismissing his plea, the HC advised Sanjay to either file an FIR in local
police station or appeal in a local court to file the FIR.Reacting to the
court's order, Sanjay said, “I won’t file any FIR against anybody. I don’t want
to flare up communal tension.” TOI
UP: Dalit lawyer booked for FB post on 'riot
remedy'
Muzaffarnagar: Close on the heels of massive
Dalit protests across UP, police in Muzzafarnagar on Friday booked a woman
Dalit lawyer under IT Act after she shared an inflammatory post on Facebook
advocating killing of upper caste men as a remedy to stop riots. In the post,
Lalita Devi, 42, blamed upper caste men for riots. Later, offended by the
widely-circulated post, a group of men approached the local police, which
registered an FIR under section 66 of IT Act. The charges entail jail term of two
to three years.The lawyer is yet to be arrested as the district police is
probing the charges.The post, in the form of a pamphlet, has the picture of
Qutubuddin Ansari, a tailor who became the face of 2002 Gujarat riots. And the
message written in Hindi says:“Wherever there are riots, kill five upper caste
men of the affected area. It is a guarantee that no communal riot will take
place in that region for another 10 years.”According to police, Devi shared the
post despite a strict warning issued by police, which had warned people against
writing or sharing inflammatory posts on social media.TOI
People should stand united to dislodge NDA
Govt : Church of South India
Kottayam: Even as BJP is trying woo the Christian
communities to get a base in Kerala and Northeast states, the Church of South
India (CSI) has taken strong exception to various policies of the NDA Govt at the Centre, including its alleged
pro-corporate and anti-poor policies, atrocities against Dalits and the tribals
and the hard-line Hindutva agendas.CSI Moderator Bishop Thomas K Oommen, the
supreme head of the church, has published an open letter to the people of the
country, asking them to stand united to bring down the Govt .The letter quoting
Gandhiji’s words on ‘salt march’ that “With this, I am shaking the foundations
of British Empire,” appeared as a symbolic call against the NDA Govt .newindianexpress
2 minor Muslim sisters spend 3 months in
up jail before release on bail
Lucknow: In the BJP-ruled UP , when thousands
of criminal cases pending against politicians including CM Yogi Adityanath were being withdrawn a few
months back, three minors, two of them girls, were arrested and sent to jail
meant for adult criminals.Since the day the two minor Muslim girls were
arrested and sent to a normal jail three months back, their family had been
running from pillar to post showing their Aadhaar cards to officials to prove
they are minors and should not be kept in the normal jail, but none heard them,
nor did the lower court grant them bail. After spending full three months in
the Muzaffarnagar jail, Sheeba and Layba came out of the prison Saturday
evening after Allahabad High Court granted them bail.Sheeba was below 17 and
Layba below 13 when they were arrested along with their mother and 4 other
relatives including a minor boy on 29th Dec. last year on the charges of cow
slaughter and attack on the raiding police team. Sheeba was born in January
2001 and Layba in Jan. 2005, show their Aadhaar cards. But in the FIR, the
police wrote their age as 21 and 19 respectively and presented them as adults
in the normal court. The police ignored the Aadhaar cards and said 2 girls are
major by their physical appearance. caravandaily
Islamic scholars warn against ‘interference’,
favour internal reform
New Delhi: The Supreme Court’s recent decision
to examine the constitutional validity of polygamy and nikah halala has created
a stir among the Muslim community.Moulana Mohammad Rahmani, president of Abul
Kalam Azad Islam Awakening Centre, said the interference in Muslim Personal Law
was unacceptable. “If there is any sort of fixing in nikah halala, it is a
crime and that marriage is invalid. But the community can curb this misuse on
its own. Nobody has the right to interfere in personal matters of any
religion.” The scholars also insisted that the use of these 2 practices was
rare in the country and therefore, the possibility of misuse was negligible.
All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Kamal Farooqui also condemned the
misuse of the two provisions, but said there are valid reasons why these
practices are allowed in Islam.The scholars explained that the practices are
permissible only with strict conditions and their purpose is to ensure
protection of women. “The purpose of polygamy is to ensure that a man does not
abandon his sick wife,” said Muhammad Raziul Islam, a senior functionary of
Jamat-e-Islami Hind. “What is being propagated as halala is not real halala.
These practices are based on the teachings of Quran and cannot be interfered
with.” Zafarul Islam, chairman of Delhi Minority Commission, and Muhammed Jafar
of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind claimed polygamy was more prevalent among Hindus
despite being banned in Hinduism. “Polygamy and nikah halala are hardly
practised in India, though these are practices that come with stringent
conditions. There are real problems of the community — such as lack of
education, health facilities and unemployment — and the Govt should be concerned about those,” Jafar
said.Citing Quran and other Islamic scriptures, they said a Muslim man is
permitted to have more than one wife only in extreme circumstance such as
terminal illness of the first wife or her incapacity to bear children. newindianexpress
Polygamy: Jamiat moves Supreme Court
http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/080418/polygamy-jamiat-ulama-i-hind-moves-supreme-court.html
New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has moved the
Supreme Court, opposing any judicial intervention in the Islamic religious
practice relating to polygamy and nikah halala, contending that courts cannot
interfere in personal laws of religion.The petitioner said it was engaged in
the protection of Islamic religion, culture, tradition, Islamic heritage and
places of worship besides protection and promotion of religious, cultural,
educational and citizenship rights of the Muslim community.On March 23, the apex
court had sought the response of the Centre and posted the matter for
adjudication before a five-judge constitution bench, a batch of petitions
challenging polygamy, nikah halala, nikah mutah and nikah misyar practised in
the Muslim community as being unconstitutional. While polygamy refers to the
practice of allowing a Muslim man to marry four women during the subsistence of
a valid marriage, in nikah halala, a Muslim woman if she chooses to remarry her
former husband, she has to marry another man, consummate the marriage, divorce
him and thereafter, enter into a fresh wedlock with the first husband.ASIAN AGE
SC told Ayodhya case more important than
polygamy, should be referred to larger bench
Muslim women hold rally against 'Triple Talaq'
in Beed
Beed: Hordes of Muslim women descended in a
rally at Adat Market ground on Saturday to protest against Govt’s interference
in Sharia and its intention to get the
contentious 'Triple Talaq' Bill passed in Parliament.As reported earlier, a
number of morchas were taken out in various cities of the state as per the
direction of the Muslim Personal Law Board. Eminent Muslim personalities and
scholars including Saleha Siddika from Parbhani, Sabhia Khan and Firdaus Fatima
from Aurangabad addressed the gathering at the ground. They alleged that the Act
was drafted without taking the Muslim community in confidence. They expressed
apprehensions that if the Act gets passed in the Rajya Sabha, the Muslim women
would not be able to live with dignity and would not enjoy freedom.Some
speakers advised the Govt to not
'interfere' in their lives and let them live as per the Muslim Personal Law.
Later, a 5-member delegation of Muslim women submitted a memorandum to the
resident district collector. UNI
Wife not a chattel, husband can’t force her to
live with him: SC
A wife is not a “chattel” or an “object” and
she cannot be forced to reside with her husband even if the man desires to live
with her, the Supreme Court has said.The SC observed this while hearing a
matter in which a woman, who lodged a criminal case against her husband
alleging cruelty, said that she does not want to live with him while the man
maintained that he wants to reside with her.“She is not a chattel. You (man)
cannot force her. She does not want to live with you. How can you say that you
will live with her,” a bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta
asked the man, who was present in the courtroom.The bench asked the man to
“re-consider” his decision and desire to reside with his wife in view of the
categorical statement by the woman’s counsel that she does not want to live
with him.“You better re-consider it,” the bench told the man.“How can he (man)
be so unreasonable? He is treating her as a chattel. She is not an object,”
bench told the lawyer appearing for the man and posted the matter for hearing
on August 8. Meanwhile, the lawyer representing the woman told the bench that
she want to get divorce on the ground of cruelty.PTI
Islam is the religion of peace: Muslim
scholars
New Delhi: 6 books authored by Dr Mohammed
Najeeb Qasmi Sunbhuli were released on Friday, April 6, at Ansari Auditorium of
Jamia Millia Islamia. The programme was presided over by Mufti Abul Qasim
Nomani Secretary Darul Uloom Deoband. Vice Chancellor JMI Prof Talat Ahmed
attended the programme as chief guest.Vice Chancellor Maulana Azad University
Jodhpur Prof. Akhtarul Wasey gave an impressive lecture on ‘Islam is the
religion of peace’.The writer of the books Dr Mohammed Najeeb Qasmi said that
after reading his books the reader, irrespective of the religion he belongs to,
can easily understand that Islam is a religion of peace.Mohammed Najeeb Qasmi
is an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband.siasat
Investing in Bitcoins is un-Islamic: clerics
Bareilly: A large number of clerics who
gathered at Jamiat-ur-Raza madrassa of Bareilly as part of Sharia Council of
India meeting on Saturday said that Bitcoins are against Islamic laws. They
said that the Govt also does not accept
Bitcoins as legal tender.“Investing in Bitcoins is like gambling, which is
considered illegal in Islam,” a senior cleric said.As new trend of acquiring
Bitcoins has emerged among people in the country, clerics who gathered in the
Sharia Council meeting discussed whether investing in them is fine in the light
of Islam or not. The meeting was headed by Mufti Mohammad Akhtar Raza Khan
Qadri, the chief cleric at Dargah Aala Hazrat.Salman Hasan Khan Qadri of Jamat
Raza-e-Mustafa, which organised the conference, said, “As the Govt is not supporting Bitcoins as a legal tender,
uncertainty is involved for those who are dealing with it. There is high chance
that people might suffer huge losses in it. Bitcoins is not even physical
currency or coins. Purchasing them is risky and similar to indulging in
gambling and hence, the clerics have termed it as un-Islamic. We will ask
people to stay away from dealing in it.’’The announcement of clerics on
Bitcoins comes days after RBI barred all the regulated entities, including
banks, with immediate effect from providing services to any individual or
business from dealing with or settling with the virtual currencies.TOI
Owaisi pitches for Dalit-Muslim unity
Hyderabad: Making a strong pitch for
Dalit-Muslim unity, MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said that he
believes that both communities could come together. Hyderabad parliamentarian
was speaking at Jamiat-e-Ulama Hind organised Qaumi Yekjehti (National
Integration) conference in the city.“Every 15 minutes, Dalits are being persecuted,
they are being beaten.Crimes against them have increased by 66%. We have to
work with our Dalit brothers.They have been persecuted for many years. Today,
Dalits are looking at Muslims with certain expectation, whether the 2
persecuted communities can come together? I believe we can,”Owaisi said.He
alleged that PM Narendra Modi made a
false promise to protect the interest of Muslim women and criticised him for
the CBSE examination paper leak. He said several people had ‘looted’ banks and
fled the country. “One such man is (Nirav) Modi. Is this the taseer (effect) of
the name?” he said.thehindu
UP: No action against BJP MLA, rape survivor,
kin attempt suicide outside Yogi Adityanath’s house
New Delhi:A woman and her family attempted
suicide outside CM Yogi Adityanath’s
residence in Lucknow on Sunday after police failed to take any action against a
BJP MLA who had allegedly raped her.According to ANI, the family alleged that
the woman was raped by Unnao MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his accomplices last
year. The kin added that the family was thrashed after a complaint was filed
with the police in this regard.“I was raped. I have been running pillar to post
for the last one year but no one is listening to me. I want to see all of them
arrested, otherwise I will kill myself,” the victim said. She added, “I had
even approached the CM to no result. When we lodged an FIR, we were
threatened.”indianexpress
UP govt seeks info on 'exoduses' due to
communal strife from all dists
Meerut: In a confidential letter marked to DGP
and divisional commissioners, UP Govt has sought information on "exoduses due
to communal reasons in all districts of the state". It has given a week's
time for the report to be furnished.The letter dated March 29 and signed by UP
home secretary Bhagwan Swarup (a copy of which is with TOI) has directed the
DGP office and divisional commissioners to collate information and data on all
exoduses up to Feb.28, 2017 to home dept. The issue of exodus was first raised
by Kairana MP, late Hukum Singh, in June 2016 when he submitted a list of 250
Hindu families which, he claimed, had to leave the town due to fear of members
of a particular community “in majority in the area”. A National Human Rights
Commission report later validated his claims.The issue became a major
controversy in the run-up to assembly polls in UP with BJP accusing the SP,
which was in power then, of pursuing a minority appeasement policy. Later, it
found prominent place in the BJP’s election manifesto, with top leaders
including party chief Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath raising it time and
again.In the strongly worded letter, Govt has also reprimanded senior officials for not
taking the matter seriously despite the fact that similar “directions had been
issued” in a previous letter dated June 20, 2017.TOI
Jamiat meets Rajnath, hands out memorandum to
deal with communal violence
A delegation of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind headed by
Maulana Mahmood Madani, the national General Secretary at JUH, met Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday to apprise him about the recent spurt in the
incidents of communal violence, on the occasion of Ram Navami Festival, in
various parts of the country including Bihar, West Bengal and Delhi. JUH
delegation discussed the ongoing events “wherein the fringe elements along with
targeting life and properties of the citizens also took to vandalize religious
places,” as alleged by the press statement released after the meet.The
delegation submitted a memorandum to Singh in the same regard. While expressing
deep concern over the rising incident of communal violence, Maulana Madani
said, “This is a matter of serious alarm and concern for all the peace-loving
people in the country. It has once again highlighted the urgent need to contain
the fringe elements against inciting the mobs and unleashing violence upon
innocent citizens.”TwoCircles
Muslim staffer sacked after TV channel calls
him ‘abusive troll’, ‘Hindu hater’
New Delhi: In an ugly turn of events for a
young Muslim professional Friday night, hours after Times Now TV channel
described him as a ‘Hindu hater’ and member of Congress President Rahul
Gandhi’s ‘troll army’, he got a shocking, sacking call from his boss.The young
man who identifies himself as Riyaz Ahmed and uses twitter handle @simpleriyaz
was terrified after the channel clubbed him with some other people whom the
channel described as ‘Modi baiter’, ‘Hindu hater’ and ‘Troll Army’ of Rahul
Gandhi.TV channel’s Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar was anchoring the prime
time show at 8 PM on Friday with focus on Rahul’s ‘Troll Army’. Under the
category, he counted several known and unknown persons including Riyaz and
former Gujarat IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. Around 9 PM, Riyaz went on Twitter to
say he has been sacked from his employer.“My boss just called me and yes I am
fired from my job because they can’t keep someone who apparently trolls and
abuse. This piece of crap journalism just cost me my job…thank you Times Now,”
said Riyaz. caravandaily
China objects to India’s ‘transgression’ in
Arunachal; India rejects protest
In yet another incident of discord, the
Chinese military last month strongly protested against what it called the
Indian Army’s transgressions into the strategically sensitive Asaphila area
along the disputed border in Arunachal Pradesh, but the Indian side roundly
dismissed the complaint, official sources said.They said the Chinese side
raised the issue at a ‘Border Personnel Meeting’ (BPM) on March 15 here but the
Indian Army rejected it, saying that the area in the upper Subansiri region of
Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India and it has regularly been carrying out
patrols there.The sources told PTI that the Chinese side called India’s
patrolling in the area a “transgression” and the Indian Army objected to the
terminology. “China’s protest to our patrolling in Asaphila is surprising,”
said a source, adding there were several instances of Chinese intrusions in the
area which had been seriously taken up by the Indian side in the past.Under BPM
mechanism, both sides can register their protest over any incident of
transgressions as there are varying perceptions about LAC between the two
countries.The delegation of China’s Peoples Liberation Army specifically
mentioned extensive patrolling in Asaphila by Indian troops, saying such
“violations” may escalate tensions between the two sides in the area. However,
rejecting the Chinese protest, the Indian side said its troops were aware of
the alignment of the LAC and the Army would continue to carry out patrols up to
the LAC, the de facto border between the two countries.PTI
PNB scam: CBI issues non bailable warrant
against Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi
New Delhi; A special CBI court in Mumbai on
Sunday issued non-bailable warrant against billionaire jewellers Nirav Modi and
Mehul Choksi in the cases related to PNB scam. NBW was issued on the request of
the probe agency as both Modi and Choksi had repeatedly refused to join the
investigation in the scam, a CBI spokesperson said.Both Modi and Choksi are
being investigated by multiple probe agencies after PNB disclosed a fraud,
worth over Rs 13000 crore, wherein they allegedly acquired fraudulent LoUs for
overseas credit from other lenders. While Modi runs a jewellery brand chain
under his name,Choksie is the promoter of Gitanjali Gems.indianexpress
8 journalist bodies demand govt intervention
in Press Council of India constitution
New Delhi: 8 journalist bodies on Saturday
expressed grave concern over decisions taken by Justice C K Prasad, Chairman of
Press Council of India, regarding constitution of the 13th Press Council,
saying that his actions cast doubts over the council’s autonomy.In a joint
statement issued Saturday, All India Newspaper Editors Conference, Indian
Journalists Union, Indian Newspaper Society (INS), Working News Cameramen
Association, Hindi Samachar Patra Sammelan, National Union of Journalists
(India), All India Small and Medium Newspapers Federation and Press Association
expressed “grave concern over the procedure followed” by Prasad. The statement
said Prasad “overlooked precedence and adopted a process to keep out certain
media associations and candidates”. His actions, it said, have “cast serious
doubts over the autonomy and neutrality” of PCI, which, it said, “is mandated
to preserve and protect the freedom of the press”.The organisations also said
Prasad has called a PCI meeting with only eight members whose names have been
notified, including 5 parliamentarians, and one representative each of Bar
Council of India, UGC and Sahitya Akademi. Remaining 20 names are yet to be
notified and “reconstitution is still underway”, it said.indianexpress
3 yrs after Aler Encounter, questions remain
unanswered, justice remains elusive
Hyderabad: 3 years ago, on the morning of
April 7, 2015, Syed Imtiaz Ali, 34 received a phone call from one of his
cousins, asking him to check news about his brother being aired on the news
channels. As he turned to a local channel, the news being aired shocked and
numbed him.The news said that his brother, Syed Amjad Ali, then 27 who along
with four other under trials, had been gunned down by police in Nalgonda
district when a 17-member escort police team of Warangal prison was taking them
to Nampally court in Hyderabad for hearing.“I was totally devastated by the
news,” recalls Imtiaz. “The arguments (in the ongoing case) were almost
complete and the evidence presented by the police was very weak…we were
expecting his release in few days,” he adds. That day along with Amjad, 4 other
undertrials Mohammad Viqaruddin, Izhar Khan, Dr. Mohammad Haneef and Mohammad
Zakir were killed in the encounter. All were arrested by Andhra Pradesh,
Octopus- the anti-terrorist agency, and the Counter Intelligence Cell back in
July, 2010 from different localities of Hyderabad for their alleged role in the
killing of two policemen and firing at intelligence agents as a retribution for
the dubious role played by Andhra police against Muslim youth post May 2007,
Makkah Masjid blasts in Hyderabad.TCN
Delhi Court Discharges BJP Leaders Ramesh
Bidhuri, Others in Rioting Case
A Delhi court has discharged BJP leaders
Ramesh Bidhuri, Vijay Goel, Vijay Joli and Balkishan in a case of rioting and
instigating public to attack police personnel during a protest in
2006.Additional CMM Samar Vishal granted the relief noting that the charge
sheet filed by Delhi Police was sketchy and dismissive in nature and there is
no investigation on the identity of the accused persons."The evidence
about the involvement of the accused is so bleak and inadmissible being
hearsay, that there exists no grave suspicion against them which is a sine qua
non for framing of charges against them,"court said while refusing to put
the accused persons on the trial in the case.It said that the investigation in
the case seemed to have been done in a perfunctory manner, which caused
prejudice to the accused persons.news18
WORLD
Syria chemical attack:at least 70 killed in
Douma, rescuers say
A chemical attack in Douma, the last
rebel-held stronghold near Syria's capital, Damascus, has killed at least 70
people and affected hundreds, rescue workers have said.White Helmets, a group
of rescuers operating in opposition-held areas in Syria, said on Saturday that
most of the fatalities were women and children."70 people suffocated to
death and hundreds are still suffocating," Raed al-Saleh, head of the
White Helmets, said, adding that the death toll was expected to rise as many
people were in critical condition.Al-Saleh said that chlorine gas and an
unidentified but stronger gas were dropped on Douma."White Helmet
volunteers are trying to help the people but all that we can do is evacuate
them to another area by foot because most of the vehicles and centres went out
of service."One member of White Helmets told Al Jazeera that an entire
family had suffocated to death as they hid in their cellar, trying to seek
shelter from air raids and barrel bombs. US Govt has warned of a global
response against Syria if reports of the chemical attack are confirmed.Syrian Govt,
however, is calling it a fabrication, dismissing talk of the Syrian army using
poisonous gas as "farcical".On Sunday, pro-Syrian opposition Orient
television reported that negotiations to reach a final agreement over Douma
were underway between the Jaish al-Islam rebel group and the Russians.There was
no immediate comment from Jaish al-Islam, which controls the city, the last
remaining under rebel control in Eastern Ghouta."Douma has been subject to
intense air strikes and much of the city is destroyed," Moayed al-Dayrani,
a resident of Douma and medical volunteer, told Al Jazeera, adding that doctors
were struggling to reach all the victims.aljazeera
At
least 70 killed in suspected chemical attack in Douma
Pope condemns Syria attack as unjustifiable
use of ‘instruments of extermination’
Pope Francis deplored the gas attack reported
in Syria as an unjustifiable use of “instruments of extermination”.At the end
of a Mass in St. Peter’s Square earlier today, he said:"There is no such
thing as a good war and a bad war. Nothing, but nothing, can justify the use of
such instruments of extermination on defenceless people and
populations."He urged that “military and political leaders choose another
path, that of negotiations, which is the only one that can bring about peace
and not death and destruction”.middleeastmonitor
Syria: 'Absentees law' could see millions of
refugees lose lands
As thousands of Syrians flee their homes in
Eastern Ghouta to escape a fierce air and ground offensive led by pro-Govt forces, President Bashar al-Assad has
introduced a new law which can potentially see the state confiscating the lands
of millions of displaced people.Law Number 10, introduced earlier this week,
calls on Syrians to register their private properties with the Ministry of
Local Administration within 30 days. Titleholders must either provide proof of
ownership documents themselves, or ensure a relative does so on their behalf.
Otherwise, they face having to relinquish their properties to the
state.According to Article 2 of the law, a regulatory body will be responsible
for drawing up a list of real estate owners - conditional on receiving
documentation in support of ownership claims - for areas under Govt control.Properties that are not reclaimed by
their owners within the month-long period will otherwise become part of a plan
to reorganise the areas they belong to into new residential zones.But with
about 13 million Syrians, internally or externally displaced and therefore unable
to access their lands, many families face the potential of losing their homes
forever. "This law can effectively deprive millions of Syrians of their
lands and properties," said Nizar Ayoub, an international lawyer and
expert on conflict resolution.aljazeera
Hijab-clad Muslim woman stabbed in US by 2
white males
Houston:A 31-year-old Hijab-wearing nurse in
the US was stabbed in a roadside attack by a man reportedly motivated by
anti-Muslim hate, police said.A reward of $5,000 has been announced for
information leading to the arrest of the attacker. The victim, who is white and
wears a Hijab, said that she was driving home early Thursday morning from her
job as a nurse when her car was almost sideswiped by a red vehicle in northwest
Harris county, according to the Houston chapter of Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-Houston).She got out of her vehicle to check for damage when
the car made a U-turn and pulled up behind her, it said.The driver got out of
the vehicle and began screaming obscenities and racial and religious slurs at
the woman. She tried to get back into her vehicle through the passenger side,
but the door was locked, the organisation said.The attacker then waved a knife
in her face, hitting her with the knife handle on her shoulder and arms.
Eventually, he stabbed the woman in the arm, severing an artery and staining
himself with blood in the process, it said. A passenger in the vehicle got out
and attempted to restrain the attacker, eventually getting him to climb back in
the car and leave scene, CAIR said.The woman returned to the hospital where she
worked and was treated for her stab wounds.PTI
Bangladesh launches billion dollar ‘model’
mosques to counter radicals
Dhaka: Bangladesh has launched a
billion-dollar campaign to build hundreds of “model mosques,” partly with Saudi
funding, to try to counter radical Islam in the Muslim-majority country,
officials said Friday.PM Sheikh Hasina,
who inaugurated work on nine mosques through a video conference on Thursday, is
also trying to bolster links with Muslim groups in an election year, according
to analysts.A senior official said 560 “model mosques cum cultural centers”
would be built in the next 30 months as part of a Govt attempt to fight extremism.“In the next one to
one and a half months, work on another 100 mosques will begin,” Shahmim Afzal,
who heads the Govt Islamic affairs
department, told AFP.They will be used to preach against “distorted islamic
philosophy” of groups such as Bangladesh’s largest opposition Islamic party
Jamaat-e-Islami and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the official added.AFP
Malaysian State Wants Quranic Recitals For
Cows To ”Improve Beef Quality”
Kuala Lumpur;Cows in a conservative Malaysian
state could be played Quranic recitals in the hope it will help them relax and
improve the quality of their beef, a senior official said .Che Abdullah Mat
Nawi, a member of the executive council in Kelantan state, put the idea forward
in the hope that it will be taken up by cattle farmers in the rural state.The
influential Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) is in charge of the state
legislature in Kelantan, in the north of the Muslim-majority country, and has
previously attracted controversy for promoting tough Islamic laws.“We believe that
(reading the Quran gives) peace of mind to people, so it might give peace of
mind to animals and produce better meat,” said Che Abdullah, who oversees the
agriculture portfolio in the local Govt .“We believe the quality of the beef
will get better if the animal is calm or in a relaxed situation.”AFP
Dubai-based firm issues gold-backed
cryptocurrency to draw Muslim investors
Dubai: In Dubai's decades-old Gold Souk,
customers from around the world haggle over bangles and necklaces. Elsewhere in
the emirate, the region's top centre for gold trade, bullion is playing a new
role in financial engineering.A local start-up company founded last year,
OneGram, is issuing a gold-backed cryptocurrency - part of efforts to convince
Muslims that investing in cryptocurrencies complies with their faith.The global
surge of interest in bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies extends into
the Gulf and southeast Asia, the main centres of Islamic finance.But because
they are products of financial engineering and objects of speculation,
cryptocurrencies sit uneasily with Islam. Sharia principles, in addition to
banning interest payments, emphasise real economic activity based on physical
assets and frown on pure monetary speculation.That has triggered debate among
Islamic scholars over whether cryptocurrencies are religiously permissible.
Cryptocurrency companies are seeking to sway the debate by launching
instruments based on physical assets and certified as valid by Islamic
advisors.Reuters
Conditions In Myanmar 'Not Conducive' To
Rohingya Return: UN
Yangon: Conditions in Myanmar's crisis-hit
northern Rakhine state are "not conducive" to bringing back Rohingya
from Bangladesh, UN told AFP, in remarks that jar with the country's insistence
that it is ready for returnees.Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled over the
border since August to escape a bloody military crackdown that has left a trail
of torched villages in its wake as refugees allege murder and rape by Myanmar's
armed forces.The army denies the allegations and casts its campaign as a
legitimate response to Rohingya militant attacks on August 25 that killed about
a dozen border guard police.Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal
in November but not one refugee has returned."Right now, the conditions
are not conducive to a voluntary, dignified and sustainable return,"said
Ursula Mueller, assistant secretary general for UNO for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs. Speaking to AFP at end of a 6-day trip to the country
during which she visited northern Rakhine, Mueller said Myanmar needs to
address "critical issues of freedom of movement, social cohesion,livelihoods,
and access to services".AFP
Detained Afghan refugees cry for help in
Indonesia's Balikpapan
14-year-old Rahmatullah Zahidi made a run for
the 10-metre high wall along with four others.But when the man who jumped over
the wall before him broke his leg, Zahidi was forced to rethink his move. That
night his depression worsened.Zahidi was not a criminal but has been a prisoner
for two years without a sentence or a release date. Boy from Afghanistan's
Ghazni province is one of 151 refugees, mostly ethnic Hazara, who fled
persecution in their country.They have been locked up in a detention centre in
Balikpapan on the Indonesian island of Borneo.Indonesia has not signed UN
Refugee Convention and considers them illegal immigrants. Despite a 2016
presidential decree to provide them temporary housing, over a 1000 are still
behind bars across Indonesia.aljazeera
Israeli forces kill Palestinian journalist
covering Gaza rally
A Palestinian journalist shot by Israeli
forces during a mass demonstration along the Gaza border has died of his
wounds. Yaser Murtaja, a photographer with the Gaza-based Ain Media agency, was
shot in the stomach in Khuza'a in the south of the Gaza Strip on Friday,
according to the Palestinian health ministry.Murtaja, 30, was hit despite
wearing a blue flak jacket marked with the word "press", indicating
he was a journalist. Hosam Salem, a photographer at the scene of the incident,
told Al Jazeera on Friday that he witnessed Murtaja drop to the ground after
being shot by Israeli forces."Yaser was filming with his camera next to me
when we heard the sound of gunfire," Salem said. "He just fell on the
ground and said, 'I've been shot, I've been shot.'"Palestinian Journalists
Syndicate said seven other reporters were injured in Friday's protest, in what
they described as "deliberate crimes committed by the Israeli army". aljazeera
'Free Gaza': London protesters denounce
killings of Palestinians
London:Demonstrators of all ages and
nationalities have gathered in central London to call for an end to the killing
of Palestinians by Israeli forces. Up to 2,000 people stood outside Downing
Street on Saturday, where the official residence of PM Theresa May is located, chanting slogans such
as "Free, free Palestine" and holding placards reading "Stop
Israel's War Crimes in Gaza" and "Gaza, Stop the Massacre".The
protest came a day after Israeli troops killed at least nine people, including
journalist Yaser Murtaja, during demonstrations along the Gaza border.A total
of 31 Palestinians have been shot dead in the besieged enclave since the start
of the peaceful protests on March 30, when tens of thousands took to the border
area with Israel to demand the right of return for Palestinian
refugees.aljazeera
Saudis begin investigating detainees who did
not settle, newspaper reports
Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor has begun
investigations and opening arguments in the corruption cases of princes, top
officials and businessmen who were detained late last year, an official told
pan-Arab paper Al Sharq Al Awsat on Sunday. Authorities rounded up dozens of
people in November on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s orders, with many
confined and interrogated at Riyadh’s opulent Ritz-Carlton Hotel.Most of them,
including global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, were released after being
exonerated or reaching financial settlements with the Govt . But 56 people who
had not reached settlements remained in custody and could face trial, the Govt said late in Jan.Saud al-Hamad, deputy
attorney general for investigations, told Al Sharq Al Awsat that whoever is
charged will be referred to court for prosecution in cases related to money
laundering or terrorism. He provided no other details about the
suspects.middleeastmonitor
Hamas slams US for blocking UN call for Gaza
probe
Palestinian resistance faction Hamas on
Saturday condemned US for vetoing a UNSC resolution calling for an
investigation into Israel’s acts of violence in the Gaza Strip.Hamas spokesman
Hazem Qassem said by blocking the resolution, US is complicit in Israel’s
attacks against unarmed civilians in Gaza.He said by blocking the Security
Council’s condemnation Friday of Israel’s actions against civilian
demonstrators in Gaza, the US is “taking part in the attacks against our
people”. US for a second week in a row blocked a Security Council statement
supporting the right of Palestinians to demonstrate peacefully and endorsing
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for an independent investigation into
the deadly protests in Gaza.Washington was the only member of the 15-member
Security Council to reject the statement condemning Israel’s response to the
‘March for Return’ demonstrations.Qassem also accused US of “encouraging the
occupation to continue with its crimes”.middleeastmonitor
CPEC being extended to Afghanistan, says
report
Beijing: The controversial China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor, the flagship project of China's ambitious Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI), is being extended to Afghanistan, a study report said on
Sunday.The BRI has injected "fresh vitality" to Asia's economic
cooperation and helped the continent to reshape its international relations,
said the Asian Competitiveness Annual Report 2018 released here on the
sidelines of China's Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference.China in
December had unveiled its plans to extend $50 billion CPEC to Afghanistan which
has sparked concerns in India.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his
meeting with his Pakistan and Afghan counterparts had offered to extend CPEC to
Afghanistan."China and Pakistan are willing to look at with Afghanistan,
on the basis of win-win, mutually beneficial principles, using an appropriate
means to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan," Wang
had said at the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting.PTI
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
From Coal to Education to Babri Masjid, How
Anil Swarup Has Been Firefighting Crisis After Crisis
Gamechangers in 2019: 2 Young Yadavs of
UP and Bihar:Seema Mustafa
Saudi Crown Prince, Trump Together Staring At
Syrian Exit Door:Saeed Naqvi
Private Schools Over Govt? Academic
Dishonesty:Sandeep Pandey & Priyanka Pandey
Forces of Hindutva are slowly but surely
destroying the Hindu vote:Tavleen Singh
Asking Muslims to shun religious symbols in
public is only to combat a vicious foe:Ashutosh
Babri Lawyer Asks Chief Justice: Why Isn’t
This Case Being Referred To Constitution Bench?
Sangh Parivar’s Deadly Calculus of polls in
Bihar:Subodh Varma
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:14 PM)
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