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Maharashtra: Fake patients, fake doctors and Rs 4,000 crore embezzlement under ED scanner as BMC Covid-19 jumbo centre scam probe comes to haunt Uddhav Sena

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Fake patients, fake doctors and Rs 4,000 crore embezzlement under ED scanner as BMC Covid-19 jumbo centre scam probe comes to haunt Uddhav Sena

In the ongoing investigation into the Covid-19 jumbo centre scam in Maharashtra, it has now appeared that not only fake doctors but fake patients were also listed in a bid to source funds from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The contract to run the centres was allotted to Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS).

The Enforcement Directorate suspects that the private contractors manipulated the number of patients admitted to fraudulently draw more money from the civic body. LHMS was operating four centres in Mumbai and allegedly took Rs 22 crore through shell companies from the BMC against the names of fake doctors.

The total estimate of the scam is amounting to Rs 4,000 crore involving other contractors besides LHMS. The agency also suspects the involvement of some BMC officials.

According to the central agency, 80% of the names of doctors submitted by the contractor to BMC were fake. Counterfeit resumes and certificates for about 150 doctors were also submitted which were not verified by the concerned authorities.

An ED source quoted in a report said, “We suspect that the management exaggerated the number of doctors required, and in order to meet this fabricated demand, patient numbers were also manipulated.”

A further probe has exposed the purchase of medicines and body bags at exorbitant rates, overbilling, and rents paid to hotels and other accommodations when there was no restriction on movement.

What is the case?

An FIR was filed on 24 August 2022 by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s partner Sujeet Patker & Lifeline Hospital Management Services under sections IPC 420, 406, 304A, and 34.

He alleged that the Worli, Mulund, Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mulund, and Pune Shivaji Nagar centres contracts were obtained by fraud amounting to at least ₹100 Crore.

The contract was granted by the BMC on 3 July 2020 and signed by the then Additional Commissioner Sanjeev Jayswal & BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal.

Somaiya alleged that the Rs 100 crore contract was granted even before LHMS came into being.

Uddhav camp in soup

Meanwhile, Aditya Thackeray’s close aide and Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Suraj Chavan was quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate on 26 June in the money laundering case linked to the BMC jumbo covid centre scam.

Raids linked to Sanjay Raut’s close aide Sujit Patkar were also conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on 21 June.

Another two of Sanjay Raut’s close aides, Rajiv Nandakumar Salunke and Bala Ramchandra Kadam, were arrested in the case in February this year.

The Human Rights Commission of Maharashtra on 12 June directed Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), PMC, Sujit Patkar and LHMS to file a reply to a petition for criminal negligence resulting in the alleged death of COVID Patients at Shivaji Nagar Jumbo COVID Center Pune.

WhatsApp chats, diaries, cash transactions

The ED has reportedly retrieved WhatsApp chats, dairies and details of cash transactions made allegedly by Suraj Chavan with the contractors, suppliers, politicians and BMC officials.

Aditya’s aide allegedly pressurised BMC officials to grant contracts to LHMS and its partners namely Sujit Patkar, Dr Hemant Ramsharan Gupta, Sanjay Shah and Rajiv Salunkhe.

Notably, LHMS is said to have no prior experience in the healthcare service.

BJP leader Smriti Irani slams Congress for filing FIR against Amit Malviya, questions Rahul Gandhi’s connection with George Soros

OpIndia Staff
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BJP leader Smriti Irani slams Congress for filing FIR against Amit Malviya, questions Rahul Gandhi’s connection with George Soros

On Wednesday, June 28, Union Minister and senior BJP leader Smriti Irani slammed Congress scion Rahul Gandhi for having links with controversial financier and billionaire George Soros. She also questioned if Rahul Gandhi met Sunita Vishwanath, the co-founder of a US-based organisation called “Hindus for Human Rights”. Notably, Vishwanath’s organisation, funded by George Soros, has a history of peddling vicious lies and propaganda against Hindus.

Minister Irani’s remarks came after an FIR was lodged by the Congress government in Karnataka against BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya who recently criticised Rahul Gandhi over his regular calls for foreign intervention in India’s internal affairs. 

“Even in Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, the Global Vice President of the Open Society Foundation funded by George Soros was found accompanying Rahul Gandhi. What is extremely distressing is the link with the Islamic Circle of North America. Those in the public domain who will research how the registration process for NRI interaction with Rahul Gandhi in New York ensued will find contact of Tazeem Ansari – he has an organisational link with Jamaat-e-Islami,” Irani said. 

The BJP leader further recalled her earlier press conference wherein she talked about George Soros’s intention to destabilise the democratically elected government in India. Smriti Irani then mentioned the 2019 resolution passed in the US House of Representatives in which concern was raised about the threat posed to democracy and human rights by theocratic groups operating in South Asia. 

During her press conference in February, Smriti Irani slammed George Soros for claiming that the Adani Group dispute would significantly weaken Modi’s grip on India’s federal government.

“The man who broke the bank of England, a man who is designated as an economic war criminal has now pronounced his desire to break the Indian democracy. George Soros, who hedges bets against many countries has now declared his ill intentions in the democratic processes of India,” Irani said on February 17 this year.

Pointing out at the resolution stating the affiliation between Jamaat-e-Islami and Islamic Circle of North America, Irani today (June 28) said, “Irrespective of these documents available in the public domain, the Congress has neither refuted a meeting between an individual supported and funded by George Soros nor has the Congress party rejected the role of certain Mr Tazeem Ansari who has links to an organisation the US resolution (H. Res. 160) openly declares is affiliated to Jamaat-e-Islami. 

The BJP leader also alleged that in view of Congress’s “draconian past, the party will leverage any instrument available to stifle those who voice their opinion against the Gandhi family.”

Moreover, Smriti Irani reiterated her question regarding Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with Sunita Vishwanath during his recent US visit. 

“Despite every Indian knowing the intentions of George Soros and his aides, what was compulsion behind Rahul Gandhi meeting an aide of Soros in the US,” Irani said. 

It is worth recalling that Rahul Gandhi on June 4, spoke at Javits Centre in New York. A registration form urging Muslims living in different areas around New York to attend the event was circulated on social media.

In the said form, the list of persons whom people can contact for more information has raised concerns as it contains the names of people who have alleged links to anti-India activities. List of people and mosques that have called for the registration are Tazeem Ansari and Niaz Khan of Masjid Al-WALI/MCNJ North Edison Woodbridge TWP NJ, Jaweed Syed, Habeeb Siddiqui and Mir Quadri of Masjid MCMC South Edison/Piscataway / East Brunswick NJ, Mohammed Aslam and Minhaj Khan of ISCJ/MCGP South Brunswick/ Kendall Park/Princeton NJ, Aquil Mohammed and Nazeer Syed of Masjid Sadar Sayreville/Old Bridge NJ and Shaheen Khateeb and Hashir Qazi of  (Darul Islah) Teaneck NJ.

After pointing out Tazeem Ansari and other Soros-funded individuals having connections with Jamaat-e-Islami, Irani said that “since it is the month of June, the Gandhi family reminded of the Emergency, as even if they have power in one state, they will go to any extent to suppress the truth.”

Notably, on Wednesday, the Congress government in Karnataka filed an FIR against BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya for tweeting out his criticism against former Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and his regular calls for foreign interference in India’s internal affairs.

The FIR has been filed under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 120b (criminal conspiracy), 505(2) (promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 34 (criminal conduct in pursuit of a common intention) of the Indian Penal Code in Bengaluru’s High Grounds Police Station based on the complaint filed by Congress’s Ramesh Babu.

Maharashtra: After complaint filed against ‘TV9 Marathi’ for hurting religious sentiments, ‘Analyser News’ starts campaign to call Aurangzeb ‘Aurangya’

Gopal Tiwari
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Maharashtra: After complaint filed against ‘TV9 Marathi’ for hurting religious sentiments, ‘Analyser News’ starts campaign to call Aurangzeb ‘Aurangya’

A man in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar filed a complaint at the City Chowk police station against TV9 Marathi for allegedly addressing Islamist tyrant Aurangzeb as “Aurangya”. A popular Marathi YouTube channel ‘Analyser News’ has now started a movement to essentially mention the Islamic tyrant as ‘Aurangya’ and challenged the Islamists to file complaints if they want. Shrikant Umrikar of Analyser News released a video in this regard on 28th June 2023.

The complaint filed at City Chowk police station was regarding a TV9 news report on Prakash Ambedkar’s visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb in Khultabad. Notably, the complainant is a former ACP who retired in 2016. Calling it a “cognizable offence”, Riyazuddin Ghiyasuddin Deshmukh said that the alleged insult to Aurangzeb hurt his religious sentiments.

In a video titled ‘Yes, we will call him Aurangya only, file the cases, we won’t be afraid’, Shrikant Umrikar challenged ex-ACP Riyazuddin Ghiyasuddin Deshmukh and anyone who bears a mindset like him. Shrikant Umrikar said, “Yes, we will call him Aurangya only. Whosoever wants to file cases against me or Analyser News is free to do so. Ex-ACP Riyazuddin Ghiyasuddin Deshmukh has filed a complaint against TV9 Marathi in a police station in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar saying that the news channel has hurt his religious sentiments by addressing Aurangazeb as Aurangya. The channel had used this word while reporting Prakash Ambedkar’s visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb on June 17.”

Shrikant Umrikar also shared an image from the OpIndia report about this matter and underlined how Riyazuddin Ghiyasuddin Deshmukh turned from a clean-shaved duty-bound cop to a maulana-look-alike within a few years after his retirement and said that his complaint is a deliberate attempt to unnecessarily glorify a villain as a hero towing him on religious lines.

Shrikant Umrikar said, “This is not the first time that someone has addressed Aurangzeb as Aurangya. Marathi seer and poet Samarth Ramdas was the first Marathi person to call him Aurangya. He wrote “बुडाला औरंग्या पापी” in his poetry “आनंदवनभुवनी” in the 17th century.”

It is notable that Samarth Ramdas wrote this 59-verse poetry to express his happiness as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established a Hindu Swarajya by getting himself coronated by Hindu rituals on 6th June 1674. The said reference is from the 33rd verse of the poetry.

Umrikar said, “In chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, we will call him Aurangya only. This is because that sinner is buried under the soil here. We can never forgive him for the cruel murder of our king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Whosoever wants to preach whatever secular liberal philosophy to the people, is free to preach to people other than us. We are not ready to listen to it at all. We will not only call him Aurangya but also abuse him even worse if someone is going to file cases against us for this. I – deliberately wearing this saffron colour shirt – challenge you and the people who think like you that if you will file cases for calling him Aurangya, then we all will come together and launch a movement to call him Aurangya again and again. File cases against whatever number of people you can.”

He added, “Let me make it clear that this all is against Islam in the first place. If nobody except Allah deserves worship as per Islam, even Prophet is just a messenger and not a deity, he too cannot be worshipped; then how come mentioning Aurangzeb as Aurangya hurts the religious sentiments?”

He further said, “Aurangzeb was just another man who died like everyone has to die one day. He was a sinner and cruel person. The history written by the court historians of this evil sinner Aurangya is full of references and numbers about the temples he destroyed, the people he converted and the women he and his forces looted and raped. They tell this all with pride. Committing some crime with a criminal mindset or perverted tendency is a different thing. Cases are lodged against the people who commit such crimes. But if someone commits some heinous crime just because his religion orders him to do so, then it becomes totally different case.”

Shrikant Umrikar further said, “I don’t think his religious feelings are really hurt. He is doing this deliberately. I am not doing this video just for our channel or supporting some other channel. I am doing this because this is a deliberate attack on the faith of people who believe in Sanatan Dharma. People like Mohan Bhagwat and other RSS officials have always taken a generous stand and said that the DNA of people living in this country is the same. Be it Hindus or Muslims, we are one entity. Sanatanis have at times shown generosity of even recognising Muslims as another caste or sect of Hinduism because most of the Muslims in India are originally Sanatanis who got converted at some point of time in history. The way they worship dargahs, Mazars, makbaras, etc. is all anti-Islamic. It is not at all acceptable in Puritan Sunni Islam which believes in a formless and shapeless deity and denies worshipping any symbols whatsoever.”

Shrikant Umrikar clarified how Islamists prefer Sharia in civil matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc. and opt Indian Penal Code in criminal cases. He also mentioned that no Muslim denies taking an interest in any FDs or other financial schemes citing Islamic rules regarding the same. He underlined how Islamists demand hijab for Muslim women and girls but when it comes to men, they comfortably forget that Islam specifies dress code for men with equal emphasis. “These are their double standards. This is how they are changing their stance according to their convenience. These intellectual corrupts oppose CAA, NRC, etc.”, he said.

Reiterating the movement undertaken, he said, “To condemn this in as harsh words as one can, we all should run a movement ‘Yes We will call him Aurangya only’. We are starting this movement and we are taking the whole responsibility of that. If a case is registered against me or Analyser News for addressing Aurangzeb as Aurangya, we will not seek any bail. Lock us in jail for any duration you can. But, yes, we will call him Aurangya. We will even abuse him more in a worse language. We cannot use that language on video, but we will use it in offline talks for sure.”

Analyser News is a Marathi YouTube Channel run by sushil Kulkarni and Shrikant Umrikar. While a complaint was filed against a Marathi news channel TV9 Marathi, no other Marathi news channel or newspaper or media house took any stand against it. Nobody cried that press freedom is endangered. Analyser News took this selective silence head-on and launched a campaign to address Aurangzeb as Aurangya every single time.

An engineer by education, Shrikant Umrikar is a well-known publisher in Marathi and has raised his voice on many civil, cultural, and civilisational issues from time to time. He also heads the activities of Devgiri Sangeet Pratishthan and Marathawada Prachin Waastu Samvardhan Samiti.

Sushil Kulkarni became a more known face in Marathi journalism when he fearlessly criticised the corrupt Maha Vikas Aghadi government in a series of videos on this channel. Sushil Kulkarni’s family was attacked by the MVA goons for this. Devendra Fadnavis who was the leader of the opposition during the MVA regime had mentioned the attacks on the voices against the government. He mentioned how the father of a young journalist Sushil Kulkarni who runs a youtube channel called Analyser News was attacked by goons because Sushil Kulkarni had criticized the MVA government in his videos.

Let’s forget about Sabrina Siddiqui’s Pakistani origins and anti-Modi hate for a moment: Here is deconstructing her question, proving her bias

Guest Author
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Let’s forget about Sabrina Siddiqui’s Pakistani origins and anti-Modi hate for a moment: Here is deconstructing her question, proving her bias

PM Modi took a question from the Wall Street Journal’s Sabrina Siddiqui, who asked him about “improving the rights of Muslims” in India.

“Mr Prime Minister, India has long prided itself as the world’s largest democracy, but there are many human rights groups who say that your government has discriminated against religious minorities and sought to silence its critics… What steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other religious minorities in your country and uphold free speech?” Siddiqui asked.

We shall leave Sabrina Siddiqui’s Pakistani origins, with its exceptional minority treatment out of study. We shall also ignore the fact that WSJ claims to be a business newspaper and the question was not business but political as well as WSJ leanings and history.

We shall only dissect the “Question” in this piece.

1. “There are many human rights groups who say..”

Playing with non-specifics. “Some people say” “some claim”… etc is just an acceptable way to put across your own invented statements. Reminds of old ladies in households inventing quotes to deliver their own versions and accusations in domestic power plays and conflicts.

2.
“What steps are you willing to…”
Now what “some people are saying ” has suddenly been converted into a statement and an established fact. The perception peddler aka journalist is now saying that it’s a fact and what are you going to do about it!

  1. ”Improve rights of Muslims”
    Now PP is claiming that it’s an established fact that Muslims and other religious minorities have lesser rights.
    We shall not comment on whether India’s second majority is a minority or not as the Indian govt already believe so, from and after PVNR.
    So, does any Indian law discriminates against the rights of Jews, Parsis, Sikhs etc vis a vis Hindus? No!
    Do Muslims have lesser rights?
    In fact, Muslims have more rights than Hindus such as:
    Personal Sharia laws,
    Right to polygamy which is denied to all others,
    Right to run Religious schools on taxpayers’ account,
    Right to own and operate own religious worship places, denied to Hindus,
    Right to have an almost sovereign Waqf board which can acquire any property it claims and no one including Supreme Court can do anything about it,
    Right to convert and marry even a Hindu minor, who even a Hindu can’t marry.
    Right to have a minority ministry and special funds and schemes and subsidies which are denied to Hindus.

So is there any shortage of rights for Muslims or any other Religious minority?

Then whats the question about?

Simply put, it wasn’t a question at all, it was heavy propaganda camouflaged as a question, with every word and clause carefully drafted and redrafted to deliver a targeted blow to cause damage to India.

But then that’s the core business of media houses, peddling paid propaganda and perceptions to their captive brains!

This article was first published on the author’s blog page. The blog was written by Twitter user XMuslimsXM. It has been reproduced here with the author’s permission.

India dropped from UNSC report on Children and Armed Conflict due to sustained efforts of Modi govt, list clubbed India with Pakistan, Burkina Faso & others

OpIndia Staff
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India dropped from UNSC report on Children and Armed Conflict due to sustained efforts of Modi govt, list clubbed India with Pakistan, Burkina Faso & others

India has been dropped from the list of Children and Armed Conflict report of the Secretary Generally of the United Nations Security Council. Marking the success of the sustained efforts of the government of India, most notably by Union Women and Child Development minister Smriti Irani, the report issued on 5th June declared that India has been dropped from the list.

The Children and armed conflict report is prepared by the UNSC Secretary General that details the impact of armed conflict on children in various countries, mostly in war-torn and conflict-hit regions. The report includes a list of parties engaging in violations against children, including the recruitment and use of children, the killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated against children, attacks on schools, hospitals and protected persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals, and the abduction of children.

Since 2010, India was also part of this list, which included other countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Lake Chad basin, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines. India was included for the alleged recruitment and use of boys by armed groups in Jammu and Kashmir, detainment of boys by Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir for their alleged association with armed groups, children allegedly killed or injured by security forces, terrorists and others.

However, the government of India was continuously making efforts to get India excluded from what the ministry called an ‘ignoble list’. The ongoing engagement of the Government of India with the Special Representative of the UNSC Secretary General sped up after an inter-ministerial meeting was held in November 2021 with MWCD Secretary Indevar Pandey, representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs, Permanent Mission of India at New York, and the Home Ministry from the Government of India, along with Virginia Gamba, Special representative of the Secretary-General for Children and the UN officials in New Delhi.

It led to an agreement to appoint a national focal point to identify priority national interventions to enhance protection of children, joint technical mission to hold inter-ministerial, technical-level meetings with the UN to identify areas of enhanced cooperation for child protection. Under the guidance and leadership of Union Women and Child Development minister Smriti Irani, a road map for cooperation and collaboration on child protection issues was developed by the Ministry. 

The technical team of the office of the Special Representative of the UNSC Secretary General visited India on 27-29 July 2022. After that, a workshop on strengthening child protection was held in Jammu & Kashmir in November 2022 by the ministry in collaboration with the home ministry, J&K govt, with the participation of United Nations officials.

In a press note, the ministry said that all statutory service delivery structures like the Child Welfare Committee and Juvenile Justice Boards under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 have been established.

In view of the measures taken by the Government to better protect children, India has been removed from the report in 2023, the ministry said.

In the 2022 report, the UNSC Secretary General had welcomed the ongoing engagement of the Government with his Special Representative, including the inter-ministerial meeting held in November 2021 and the appointment of a national focal point to identify priority national interventions so as to enhance the protection of children. The report had further welcomed the agreement to a joint technical mission to hold inter-ministerial, technical-level meetings with the United Nations during 2022 to identify areas of enhanced cooperation for child protection.

“This enhanced engagement may lead to the removal of India as a situation of concern from my next report on children and armed conflict, should all practical measures agreed to in such meetings be fully implemented,” the report had expresses hope.

Now, in the recently released 2023 report, the UNSC Secretary General confirmed that the Indian government and the women and child development ministry have implemented all the required measures for protection of children. “In view of the measures taken by the Government to better protect children, India has been removed from the report in 2023,” the report states.

However, the report urged India to implement the remaining measures identified in consultations with the UNSC office, including the training of armed and security forces on child protection, the prohibition of the use of lethal and non-lethal force on children, including by ending the use of pellet guns, ensuring that children are detained as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, and to prevent all forms of ill-treatment in detention, and the full implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Karnataka High Court declines to quash FIR against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh & Supriya Shrinate in copyright infringement case

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka High Court declines to quash FIR against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh & Supriya Shrinate in copyright infringement case

On the 28th of June, the Karnataka High Court refused to quash an FIR registered against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, and Supriya Shrinate in a copyright infringement case. The case was registered by a music company named MRT Music. They alleged that the Congress leaders violated copyright rules and used a song from the popular Kannada movie “KGF Chapter 2” in their promotional video for the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”.

Justice M Nagaprasanna observed, “Petitioner appeared to have tampered with source code, which would amount to infringement. Copyright of complainant is taken for granted and therefore prima facie all this requires investigation.”

The FIR against Congress leaders includes allegations of offences under sections 120-B, 403, and 465 read with Section 34 of the IPC, as well as Section 63 of the Copyright Act and Section 66 of the IT Act.

Earlier, on June 23, the Court heard the arguments from both sides and reserved its order. 

MRT Music had filed the case in November 2022, after it found that Congress used its music from ‘KGF Chapter 2’ in 2 promotional videos of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The complaint said, “Rahul Gandhi has resorted to getting videos created showcasing his heroism and to portray to the general public at large that he is a mass leader. For this reason, he has portrayed himself in the infringing video particularly considering the fact that the movie and more particularly the songs and the audio visual clippings of the two songs in the movie KGF chapter two have gained mass appeal and acceptance”. 

The songs used by the party to portray Rahul Gandhi as a ‘hero’ were ‘Falak Tu Garaj Tu’ and ‘Sulthan’ from the superhit movie KGF Chapter 2. 

The case proceedings

During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Vikram Huilgol appeared for the petitioners. He argued that Section 63 of the Copyright Act has stricter criteria to prove infringement. He said, “The question of infringement at large itself is before the civil court. They have preferred a suit under section 55.” 

He further added that Section 63 speaks of “knowingly” infringing copyright but, there is no indication of that in the complaint. Huilgol said, “All that A3 (Rahul Gandhi) has admittedly done has walked or portrayed to be walking with the music in the background. By being portrayed in a video, would that amount to A3 knowingly infringing a copyright? The onus in Section 63 is to show that person knowingly infringed the copyright.”

In this case, the complainant M Naveen Kumar was represented by Senior Advocate S Sriranga and Advocate Pranav Kumar Mysore. The complainant’s counsel argued that the petitioners-accused had taken the source code, meddled with it, and superimposed the video. 

The counsel said, “The Act provides for civil remedy and criminal prosecution, in the case of such infringement the outcome of one does not depend upon the outcome of other, subject to all just exceptions.” 

It was further argued that if the petitioners claim they were completely ignorant and unaware of what was happening or the usage of the video or audio, they will have to establish this in due process. Citing Section 2 (f) of the Act, the counsel said, “It is not only audio in the background that is used, here is a case where everything of my work is used, font, lyrics, animation, only the logo is changed.” 

The past antecedent of actions on the Copyright Infringement issue

Apart from this, MRT Music has also filed a civil suit against the Congress party and its leaders. On the 7th of November, a trial court ordered Twitter to block the social media handles of the Congress party and Bharat Jodo Yatra. 

However, a day later, on November 8, the Karnataka High Court lifted the ban on the Congress party’s social media handles with an undertaking that the party will have to remove material from their handles that offend MRT Music’s copyrights.

Government interferes with rituals of Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, HR&CE minister makes plans to take over

OpIndia Staff
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Government interferes with rituals of Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, HR&CE minister makes plans to take over

On June 27, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department official Velvizhi, accompanied by two female police personnel, entered the Kanagasabai amidst resistance from Dikshithars and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters. The development came days after a controversy erupted claiming Pothu Dikshitars of Chidambaram Natarajar temple declined permission to devotees to offer prayers from Kanagasabai during the Aani Thirumanjanam festival.

Pothu Dikshithars are the hereditary priests and custodians of Sri Sabanayagar Temple, popularly known as Lord Nataraja Temple.

As per a statement issued by Dikshitars, they were pushed down and their clothes were torn.

Notably, Deekshitars have been managing the temple for centuries. The temple has historically changed darshan timings and programs during festivals to ensure smooth management. The devotees and temple administration have been left confused and angered. Notably, Supreme Court has already ruled that the government cannot interfere in temple management. Despite the orders from the apex court, DMK continued to create controversy using HR&CE around the temple.

A petition has been filed by TR Ramesh, a devotee of the temple against TN government. He wrote, “I have today filed a PIL against the Arbitrary, Unlawful & Unconstitutional GO passed by TN Govt at the instance of TN HR&CE Dept regarding Chidambaram Sri Nataraja Temple. I shall expose the anti-Vedic agenda of this Govt in Court. I am exposing the financial frauds of the Dept too.”

Darshan from Kanagasabai is not allowed only for four days

During the Aani Thirumanjanam festival, just for four days, devotees are not allowed to enter Kanakasabai. The temple administration takes the step to ensure large crowds are managed smoothly, as a lot of devotees visit the temple during the annual festival.

A few days ago, Dikshithars placed a board in the temple informing devotees that there will be restrictions on entering the Kanagasabai till June 27 (Tuesday) due to the ongoing annual festival. However, it was removed by HR&CE officials on Monday. On Tuesday, PK Sekarbabu, HR&CE minister, said that the government would ensure the devotees would get access to the Kanagasabai even if the festival was happening. Furthermore, he added that the state government is gathering evidence to take over the temple claiming devotees have demanded it.

DMK minister attacked temple administration

In a statement, Sekarbabu said, “Devotees consider archakas next only to God. How can the government allow archakas to assault devotees? The Dikshithars are functioning in the Chidambaram temple by creating a power centre there. The HR&CE department has no intention to change any of the ongoing rituals being performed. At the same time, we have to remember that this temple was built by the kings in the past. But, the Dikshithars are trying to declare the Chidambaram temple a ‘denomination temple’ and are creating issues.”

He claimed that despite the temple being run on donations from the devotees, there is no “hundi”, and accounts are not maintained. He added, “Further, the Dikshithars are refusing to allow HR and CE officials to audit the revenue of the temple. They are also refusing to give details of costly gold ornaments in the temple and refuse to divulge details of income to the temple. In a nutshell, the Dikshithars are treating this temple as their own establishment, and the government is questioning this.”

Citing Madras High Court orders, he said devotees should be allowed to do darshan from Kangasabhai, but Dikshithars were not allowed in view of the ongoing annual festival. “The department will prove that the rule of law will be implemented in the temple,” he said. The festival was only for four days, during which the devotees were not allowed. What appears to be powerplay by the state government, the HR&CE department kept forcing the temple administration to let devotees do darshan even during the annual festival.

Following Velvizhi’s visit to the temple, the situation got tense. Revenue and police officials, including DSP B Ragubathy of Chidambaram, were present with Velvizhi. The officials demanded the temple administration to allow devotees to have darshan from Kanagasabai from Tuesday itself, but the Dikshithars emphasized it could be allowed only from Wednesday.

As per reports, after the official entered Kanagasabai with two female police officials, there was a heated argument between Congress workers who came with state executive council member M N Radha and BJP workers who came with Cuddalore west district secretary K Maruthai.

Dikshithars fear HR&CE officials may enter Kanagasabai again

On Tuesday, the Secretary of Podhu Dikshithars guild, TS Sivarama Dikshithar, issued a press release. “Over the past few days, HR&CE officials, with the assistance of police and revenue officials, have been threatening us with the aim to disrupt our puja and festival preparations during the festival.”

He continued, “On Monday evening, after discussions with the sub-collector and DSP, it was agreed that talks would take place after the festival. However, on Tuesday morning, police personnel were once again deployed in Keezha Veedhi, and HR&CE officials resumed interfering with our puja and other activities.”

He added, “We feel unsafe and apprehensive that HR&CE officials, with the support of police, may forcefully attempt to enter the Kanagasabai,” he added. They urged the administration to take action against the officials who removed the board placed by temple authorities at the entrance of the Kanagasabai. A complaint was also filed by them at Chidambaram Town Police Station, saying despite prior discussion with the officials, words were removed on Saturday from the board. It led to a vandalism case being filed against 11 Dikshithars, including the committee’s secretary.

The complaint read, “Similarly, on Monday evening, in the presence of police, revenue, and HR&CE officials, a person removed the board without prior notice while we were absent.” Podhu Dikshithars had asked for protection. They demanded legal action against the individual and submitted video evidence to support the claim.

Controversies around Chidambaram Temple

On May 4, OpIndia reported that Tamil Nadu governor Ravindra Narayana Ravi exposed the shocking truth about how minor girls were forced to undergo the two-finger test, also known as the virginity test, by the state administration in an effort to defame the podhu Dikshithars, in an explosive interview with the Times of India.

“Out of vengeance, government officers of the social welfare department lodged eight complaints of child marriage against the podhu Dikshithars, that they were getting their underage children married, whereas there were no such marriages,” Governor Ravi said.

(Update: This story is based on a report by Commune Magazine. Tamil Nadu police have since filed an FIR against the magazine and issued summons. You can read that report here)

Congress repeats Rafale lies: Here is how the party is using baseless claims and debunked falsehoods to derail drone deal with the US

Raju Das
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Congress repeats Rafale lies: Here is how the party is using baseless claims and debunked falsehoods to derail drone deal with the US

The Congress party has learnt no lesson from the humiliation it faced in the court in its allegations in the Rafale deal, as it has started to spread similar lies in the recently announced deal to purchased to MQ-9B drones from US. Days after the Union Defence Ministry clarified that no price has been finalised for the deal and called the reports on the price ‘fake news’, Congress party today repeated the same false allegations.

Congress leader Pawan Khera addressed a press conference making several unsubstantiated claims about the General Atomics MQ-9B drones and the deal to procure 31 of them for Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The Congress leader alleged that India is paying $3 billion or ₹25,000 crore for 31 ‘Predator’ drones, at the rate of ₹880 crore per drone. He also claimed that other other countries have bought the same drone at one-fourth the price.

Pawan Khera also claimed that the drone is ‘outdated’, that the US does not use it now, and that they are selling ‘scrap’ drones to India from storage.

He also claimed that India is buying the drones after investing ₹1,786 crores for developing indigenous Rustom and Ghatak drones by DRDO. Taking a dig at the state dinner hosted by president Biden in honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pawan Khera alleged that the dinner is costing ₹25,000 crore. He also claimed that General Atomics CEO has closed ties with someone in the Modi government.

The Congress leader repeated already debunked lies about ‘expensive vehicles, expensive suites, expensive mushrooms, expensive aircraft, expensive glasses’ used by PM Modi, alleging that the PM’s ‘expensive lifestyle’ is costing the country dearly. However, every single sentence uttered by the Congress leader was a lie, most of which are already debunked.

Cost

The Congress leader claimed that the drone deal is worth 3 billion US dollars, or Rs 25,000 crores, but the fact is, the Defence Ministry has already clarified that no price has been finalised yet. The ministry said that while the US govt has cited 3,072 million US dollars as the estimated cost, the final price will be determined only after detailed discussions and bargaining.

The ministry clarified that while issuing the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) on June 15 for the deal, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) noted the estimated cost of $3,072 million provided by the US Government, but it has not been accepted and finalised. The ministry added that the price offered by the company to other purchasers will be considered during the negotiations.

Referring to reports that the deal will cost $3 billion, the ministry said that it is fake news spread with a motive to derail the deal. In this regard, all are requested not to spread fake news/misinformation which can have a serious impact on the morale of the Armed Forces and adversely impact the acquisition process, the ministry added in its statement.

As part of the deal, apart from supplying 31 drones, which include 16 SkyGuardian and 15 SeaGuardian drones, General Atomics will also establish a Comprehensive Global MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility in India to support of India’s long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities. Importantly, the drones will be assembled in India.

Pawan Khera also claimed that price details are mentioned in the India-US joint statement issued after PM Modi’s meeting with president Biden. But the fact is, the statement only mentions the deal, and has no mention of any price.

Price Comparison

Congress party and others in the opposition are claiming that UK paid just $200 million for 16 of the same drones in 2016, and therefore the price per drone was $12.5 million. However, they are misquoting the price from the reports they themselves are sharing. The same reports that say UK was about to purchase 16 drones for £180 million (around $200 million), also said that the UK bought the first 3 drones at £65 million (around $83 million), which means the price per drone was $27.7 million per drone, not $12.5 million.

The UK has exercised the option of purchasing 13 more drones at £195 million, or around $250 million. Which means, the price per unit for the 16 drones in total was around $21 million, almost twice the claimed price of $12.5 million. It is notable that even in the same deal, UK paid two different prices for the same drone.

It is notable that the drone UK purchased is Protector RG Mk1, a variant of MQ-9B. Drones, or most high-value defence equipment, are rarely purchased off the shelf, and buyers require a lot of customisations. Therefore, the prices paid by one buyer may not be the same as the price paid by another.

All other countries that are using the drone purchased its previous versions, MQ1 Predator, and MQ-9A Reaper, while India is buying the most recent version, the MQ-9B. Therefore, any price comparison with other countries is meaningless.

Outdated drone

Pawan Khera claimed that the Reaper is an outdated technology, the drone is no longer used by the US, and India is buying ‘scraps’ kept in storage. The fact is, the MQ-9B is the latest version of the MQ drone program, and also one of the most advanced drones in the world at present.

In fact, the US is currently using its previous version, which is also not outdated. US Air Force currently operates over 250 MQ-9A Reapers, the previous version, and it is the largest number of UAVs operated by the USAF. Security forces in the US are in fact starting to acquire MQ-9B variants only recently.

The MQ-9B SkyGuardian and MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones are very recent additions. In March this year, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) purchased three MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, which became the first customer in the US to use this drone. US Navy is currently conducting exercises with SeaGuardian drones owned by General Atomics.

While several countries have ordered the MQ-9B drones, there are no reports of any delivery. Therefore, far from being ‘outdated’, it is the next generation drones that no country operates at present, apart from just 3 being operated by the US. The US and other users of the drone are using its previous version MQ-9A, and that is also not outdated.

Predator vs Reaper

Pawan Khera kept claiming that India is purchasing the Predator drone, which is MQ-1 Drone. On the other hand, India is purchasing MQ-9B, which is larger, heavier, and has more capabilities. Moreover, this drone is called the Reaper, although sometimes it is also referred to as Predator B. Reaper has a 950 hp engine compared to the 115 hp engine of the Predator, and can carry 15 times more ordnance payload. Therefore, the prices of Predator can’t be compared with Reaper.

Reaper vs Rustam and Ghatak

Congress also attacked the Modi govt for purchasing the Reaper from the US while already investing in the development of Rustom and Ghatak drones by DRDO. But the fact is, they are different machines, and India needs all of them. MQ-9B Reaper is a hunter-killer drone with surveillance capabilities. It can carry bombs, guns and missiles, and carry out targeted attacks.

The Reaper can be equipped with Hellfire missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, Stinger missiles, laser-guided bombs, and other such weapons. It is a long-endurance high-altitude UAV, which means it can fly for a long time and can fly at very high altitudes.

DRDO Rustom is a Short Range Remotely Piloted Aircraft System which is used for Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition/ Tracking and Image Exploitation. The Rustom-II, known as TAPAS-BH-201, is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, meant for aerial surveillance. While it was reported that Rustom-II will be armed, with media calling it ‘India’s Predator’, DRDO has clarified that it is a UAV and not UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle).

The Reaper is also four times bigger than Rustom-II, and twice the heavier. Therefore, Reaper is not replacing Rustom, as they fulfil different requirements.

Moreover, the Rustom program is on its track, its user trials are going on, and the drones will be inducted soon. Reportedly, a separate program is also underway for the weaponization of the drone. However, given that it is much smaller than Reaper, the weapons it will be able to carry will be different.

DRDO Ghatak is an ambitious Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle being developed by DRDO, but the project is in its initial phases. Even a prototype of the drone is yet to be built, while DRDO tested a scaled-down technology demonstrator UAV in 2021. This project is also ongoing, and when completed, Ghatak will provide Reaper like capabilities.  

But the drone will take substantial time to develop. Therefore, Indian defence forces require to purchase the Reaper from the US at present. The purchase is not undermining the indigenous drone development programs.

Rafale deal

Pawan Khera claimed that the drone deal is a scam just like the Rafale deal was a ‘scam’. But the fact is, despite tall claims of Rahul Gandhi, alleging Anil Ambani getting US$ 20 billion crore from the deal, the deal was cleared by the Supreme Court.

Multiple pleas were filed to stall the vital deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets, but the apex court had rejected them, finding no merit in them. The court later rejected review petitions also. In fact, Rahul Gandhi had to apologise for falsely claiming that Supreme Court had called PM Modi a thief while hearing the Rafale review plea.

Claims of PM’s Expensive lifestyle

Pawan Khera accused that lots of money are spent on ‘expensive lifestyle’ of PM Modi. Here are the facts in regard to that claim.

Vehicles: The vehicles used by the PM, President and other VVIPs are selected by the Special Protection Group (SPG). All heads of state and government use similar VIP armoured vehicles.

Aircraft: Earlier Indian PMs and Presidents used Air India’s Boeing 747 aircraft for international travel. The aircraft didn’t have critical security and communication facilities needs for the head of the state and head of the govt, therefore the govt decided to procure modern fuel-efficient aircraft for VVIP travel. Accordingly, two Boeing 777s have been converted for this purpose.

Notably, India didn’t purchase any new plane for this purpose, the two planes were taken from the planes purchased by Air India. The national airline went bankrupt due to ordering much greater number of planes that it needed during the UPA govt, and 2 777s from this was taken for converting to Air India One.

Suit: It was alleged by Congress in 2015 that PM Modi wore a suit worth ₹10 lakh, which was a completely baseless claim. It was later clarified that the pinstripe suit with the PM’s name monogrammed was a gift by a businessman.

Mushroom: For some reason, some Congress leaders and their allies believe that PM Modi consumes some very expensive mushrooms. In 2017, Congress ally in Gujarat Alpesh Thakor claimed that Narendra Modi turned fair because consumes mushrooms imported from Taiwan that cost Rs 80,000 per piece. “One mushroom costs Rs 80,000, and he eats five mushrooms a day,” he had claimed, saying that ‘someone told him’ about it. Thakor had claimed that PM Modi has been Mushrooms worth 1.2 crore in a month since he was Gujarat CM.
Obviously, it was a completely fake claim, but for some reason, the Congress leader chose to repeat it today.

Glasses: PM Modi is in fact known for sporting luxury sunglasses and watches, but nobody has ever alleged that these are purchased using public money. He is a PM and MP, and was CM and MLA for a long time. These jobs offer decent salaries and allowances, and has some of the best benefits, like free housing, travel etc. As a result, the PM, who is bachelor and vegetarian, can certainly save enough to spend his own money on glasses, watches, attire etc.

The purchase of the drones is done as per the requirement of Indian security forces, not some ‘lifestyle choice’ of the PM, as the Congress is alleging. Such high-value defence purchases go through a long process of deliberation. With ever-increasing threats from Pakistan and China in the north, India needs a lot of drones to monitor the vast border areas. Similarly, the navy needs to monitor a large area to protect against hostile forces and pirates.

Once again, the Congress party is trying to derail a defence deal with baseless allegations, just like it had tried with the Rafale deal.

Ilyas gives ‘triple talaq’ to wife, forces her into ‘Nikah-Halala’ with brother-in-law Rafiq, then abandons her

OpIndia Staff
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Ilyas gives ‘triple talaq’ to wife, forces her into ‘Nikah-Halala’ with brother-in-law Rafiq, then abandons her

In 2017, a law was passed in India against triple talaq and declared it illegal. However, the practice of instant talaq continues to haunt Muslim women. A similar case has come to light in Palanpur of Gujarat where a man gave triple talaq to his wife because the couple did not have children.

The man later said that he would bring his wife back if she undergoes Halala with his brother-in-law. Nikah-Halala according to Islamic customs, is a practice where the divorced wife has to temporarily marry another person, consummate the marriage and get talaq again. After performing Halala, the man refused to accept the woman. A complaint has been lodged in this regard.

According to reports, the victim woman Taslim, a resident of Palampur, was married to Ilyas Mankanojia of Mumnavas village in Vadgam in 2016. The couple lived together for 2 years, however, Ilyas was angry over them not having any children. Eventually, Ilyas started to beat his wife Taslim. In 2018, he gave talaq to Taslim twice.

Taslim continued to suffer from the atrocities unleashed by her husband Ilyas. Finally, in 2022, Ilyas gave talaq to Taslim for the third time. Ilyas, in a fit of rage, gave triple talaq to Taslim.

Shortly after giving triple talaq, Ilyas repented and tried to bring Taslim back. Now according to Islamic customs, when a triple talaq is given to a woman and later she has to be brought back, then she has to first undergo the ‘Nikah-Halala’ custom with another man. In most cases, this Halala is performed with a member of the family or a maulvi.

Halala was done with brother-in-law Rafiq

Ilyas took Taslim into confidence and made her undergo the Nikah-halala ritual with his brother-in-law Rafiq. They even went as far as drafting a contract to ensure the acceptance of Taslim back as his wife. However, Taslim’s trust was shattered when Ilyas refused the reconciliation with his wife, leaving Taslim and Rafiq feeling betrayed. Despite Rafiq’s persistent attempts to persuade Ilyas to accept Taslim back as his wife, Ilyas resorted to threats and coercion, ultimately forcing Taslim and Rafiq to leave their village. As a result, for the past year, Taslim and Rafiq have been living in exile.

It is important to mention that Rafiq is not only responsible for Taslim but also has a wife and four children of his own. Consequently, he is unable to reunite with his wife and children while accommodating Taslim.

Taslim files complaint against husband and 4 others

The complainant Taslim Mankanojia said, “After my husband gave me triple talaq, he regretted it and made me undergo halala with his brother-in-law to take me back. But he did not take me back with him after the halala. We have complained as we are being threatened.”

In this regard, Ilyas’ brother-in-law Rafiq Rajpura said, “My brother-in-law, after divorcing his wife, took me into confidence and executed her halala with me and has now trapped me.”

Taslim lodged a complaint against her husband Ilyas Mankanojia, Irfan Mankanojia, Mohammad Manganojia, Armaan Mankanojia and Ruksanaben Mankanojia at the Women’s Police Station in Palampur.

Union Cabinet approves schemes worth Rs 3.7 lakh crores for farmers: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

ANI
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Union Cabinet approves schemes worth Rs 3.7 lakh crores for farmers: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

The Union Cabinet has approved a total outlay of Rs 3.70 lakh crore aimed at benefitting farmers through schemes, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said here on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference Union Health Minister said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved a total outlay of Rs 3.70 lakh crore for farmers; the package has different components that are focused on the well-being and economic betterment of farmers by promoting sustainable agriculture.”

“The cabinet has approved the Urea Subsidy Scheme to ensure constant availability of urea to the farmers at the same price of Rs 242/45 kg bag excluding taxes and neam coating charges. Out of the above-approved package, Rs. 3,68,676.7 crore have been committed for urea subsidy for three years (2022-23 to 2024-25),” he said as he highlighted the approval of the Urea Subsidy Scheme, which ensures a consistent supply of urea to farmers at a fixed price.

Furthermore, he discussed the approval of the PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PMPRANAM) as another aspect of the scheme.

“Promoting natural/organic farming, alternate fertilizers, and innovations like Nano Fertilizers and bio-Fertilizers can help in restoring the fertility of our Mother Earth. Thus, it was announced in the Budget that “PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother – Earth (PMPRANAM)” will be launched to incentivize States and Union Territories to promote alternate fertilizers and balanced use of chemical fertilizers,’ he added.

He further said that another initiative of the package is that the Sulphur coated Urea (Urea Gold) is being introduced in the country for the first time. It is more economical and efficient than the currently used Neem coated urea.

Mandaviya also talked about the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PMKSKs) and said it has touched one lakh.
“PMKSKs have already come up in the country. For the convenience of farmers, farm inputs are being provided as a one-stop solution for all needs of farmers,” he said.

  (This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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