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‘I beg you to please have mercy on me and my family’: Sameer Wankhede releases alleged chats with Shah Rukh Khan on Aryan Khan’s arrest in drugs case

OpIndia Staff
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‘I beg you to please have mercy on me and my family’: Sameer Wankhede releases alleged chats with Shah Rukh Khan on Aryan Khan’s arrest in drugs case

Sameer Wankhede, an officer of the Indian Revenue Service and a former director of the Mumbai zonal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), who is facing corruption charges, has presented WhatsApp exchanges he allegedly had with Shah Rukh Khan in an effort to illustrate his innocence. Wankhede is accused of demanding Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan to not name Aryan Khan in the 2021 cruise ship drug case.

During a narcotics operation in 2021 that Sameer Wankhede oversaw, the NCB apprehended the Bollywood superstar’s son Aryan Khan, along with many others, and indicted him with drug possession, consumption and trafficking.

However, Aryan Khan was granted bail by the Bombay High Court and was released after spending 22 days in jail. It was later revealed that no drug was found on him, and later NCB gave him a clean chit due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Wankhede faced several allegations of irregularities and corruption during his tenure at NCB, following which he was transferred and an internal inquiry was ordered for a few of his controversial cases. The NCB’s SIT (Special Investigation Team) had re-examined the Aryan Khan case, and gave clean chits to 6 out of the 14 accused, including Aryan Khan.

Last week the CBI filed a case against Sameer Wankhede, accusing him of demanding Rs 25 crore bribe in exchange of not naming Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the drug case. The CBI further alleged that Wankhede, two former NCB officials, and some private workers had already collected Rs 50 lakh of the demanded Rs 25 crore bribe.

In a plea he submitted to a court in response to the lawsuit brought against him, he included a series of communications he said he exchanged with Shah Rukh Khan.

Sameer Wankhede submitted a petition arguing his innocence in response to the accusations made against him. It comprises attachments that appear to be screenshots of text messages and interestingly Shah Rukh Khan’s name is written at the top of the screenshots.

“Get your guys to go slow for God’s sake. I swear I will stand by you at all times to come and assist you with what all you are trying to achieve good. It’s a man’s promise and you know me enough to know I am good for it. I beg you to please have mercy on me and my family,” the celebrity allegedly begged the ex-NCB director.

He allegedly said that his son doesn’t deserve to be incarcerated like a seasoned felon, in the chats produced by the officer. “We are a simple set of people and my son has been a bit wayward, but he doesn’t deserve to be in jail like a hardened criminal. You also know that. Please have a heart man, please I beg you,” said the chat allegedly sent by the Shah Rukh Khan.

The pictures appear to show Shah Rukh Khan reportedly pleading with Sameer Wankhede, the NCB Mumbai Zonal director at the time, to prevent Aryan Khan from being imprisoned since it would wreak his spirit. “I beg you, man, please don’t let him be in that jail. He will break as a human being. His spirit will be destroyed because of some vested people. You promised you will reform my child not put him in a place where he may come out completely battered and broken,” the message said.

He even allegedly pledged to always remain indebted to Sameer Wankhede. “If in any way without losing your integrity as an officer of the law, you can help in whatever manner possible, please. I will always be indebted.”

The Pathaan actor also allegedly assured him of every possible assistance on behalf of his son Aryan Khan. “I don’t know the technicalities but if the department in charge feels all is ok and to your satisfaction. If then your authority furnishes a short reply with whatever conditions your team may have. I promise you whatever cooperation you would need from him will be done to the best of his abilities.”

“Just please consider this request favourably it will be a huge favour because the family just wants him home, and not get stamped with having been a convict in a notorious prison. It will really help with his future and that’s why I am making this, beyond reasonable request as a father. I hope you consider it please, for his sake,” the messages say.

Shah Rukh Khan also allegedly urged him to be gentle with his son and affirmed never to create any hindrance for the officer. The screenshots of the alleged messages say, “Please tell them to go easy man and let me get my son home. Please. There is nothing more I can say or do but beg you. You have noticed my behaviour through all this. You know I would never stand by anything against what you are doing. I believed it when you said you are thinking of Aryan as your own and want to make him a better person.”

“I haven’t done anything to not help my son get that reformation. I haven’t been in the press. I haven’t made a statement. I have just believed in your goodness. Please please don’t let me down as a father,” the message adds.

The actor allegedly added that the officer shouldn’t subject his son to such treatment because of certain self-centred people, but he didn’t identify them. “As a good man, why would you subject him to this for some selfish people doing what they are doing? I promise you I will go to them and beg them to not say another word in front of you. Will use everything in my power to make sure they listen and retract whatever they have said.”

“I promise you I will do all of it and won’t shirk away from begging them to stop. But please send my son home. You also know in your heart it’s been a bit too harsh for him by now. Please please I beg you as a father,” SRK repeatedly reiterated, as claimed by the screenshots.

‘Do not find any perversity in trial court order’: Allahabad HC upholds acquittal of union minister Ajay Mishra Teni in 23-year-old murder case

OpIndia Staff
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‘Do not find any perversity in trial court order’: Allahabad HC upholds acquittal of union minister Ajay Mishra Teni in 23-year-old murder case

The Allahabad High Court today upheld the acquittal of Union Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra Teni, by the trial court in a 23-year-old murder case. A division bench of justices Attau Rahman Masoodi and Om Prakash Shukla dismissed the UP Government’s appeal against the trial court’s 2004 decision to acquit him in the murder of Samajwadi Party’s student leader Prabhat Gupta in the year 2000.

This case was first heard by the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench in the year 2004. The High Court has three times since then and over the course of 14 years, withheld judgement in this matter.

This case dates back to 2000, when Prabhat Gupta, a budding student leader of the Samajwadi Party, was fatally shot close to his home in Tikonia (Lakhimpur Kheri). The murder took place around rural body polls in Uttar Pradesh. Four persons, including Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, Subhash Mama, Shashi Bhushan Pinky, and Rakesh Dalu were identified as perpetrators in the complaint.

The government’s legal representative had maintained that because the individual who died and the lawmaker belonged to different political parties, they were at odds. Police allegedly produced some eyewitnesses in the case, according to the government, but the trial court disregarded their testimony. The statements were discarded by the court since it did not find them to be credible.

The High Court also dismissed the revision plea preferred by the complainant against the acquittal order. The court said that the prosecution has utterly failed to establish the chain of events which could prove the guilt of the accused persons.

“Evidence recorded in the present case has been appreciated in its correct perspective and the Trial court has at no point of time missed the woods of the tree. Thus, we do not find any perversity in the order of acquittal passed by the Trial Court and in any case, the law presumes double presumption in favour of the accused after a due adjudication by the trial Court,” the Court said.

Santosh Gupta, the late father of Prabhat Gupta, declared in the FIR he filed in this matter that the Bharatiya Janata Party leader shot his son first. According to Rajeev Gupta, the brother of the victim, “Those people stopped my brother. Then a bullet was fired. The first shot came from Ajay Mishra, striking him in the temple. The second shot from Subhash Mama struck him in the chest. My brother then collapsed on the road and passed away instantly.”

Santosh Gupta filed a revision plea under Sections 397 and 401 of the Criminal Procedure Code before the High Court in opposition to the decision of the lower court. The amendment, which was tied to the state government’s Criminal Appeal against the acquittal ruling, was allowed in February 2005.

Ajay Mishra Teni requested a stay of arrest in this matter from the High Court after the case was registered. His arrest stay was overturned on January 5, 2001, after the charge sheet was submitted. The Lakhimpur police did not arrest him even after the arrest stay was rejected by the Lucknow bench of the High Court.

The deceased’s relatives returned to the High Court with this issue on May 10, 2001, and Justice Naseemuddin’s bench subsequently ordered the politician’s arrest. He finally turned himself into the authorities after a month and a half. Afterwards, he was sent to the hospital because he claimed to be sick and then got bail from the sessions court the next day. He was exonerated by the lower court in 2004.

Rajeev Gupta had said, “Despite being the main accused in the murder of my brother, Teni did not go to jail for a single day. The whole system was in his hands.”

Ajay Mishra Teni is a resident of Banveerpur village in the Lakhimpur district of Uttar Pradesh, just adjacent to the Nepal border. A straight route connects this hamlet with Tikinia, the location of Prabhat Gupta’s murder.

Notably, on 3 October 2021 at Banbirpur village near Tikunia in the Lakhimpur Kheri district, four protesting farmers and a journalist were run over by a vehicle that was part of the convoy of the minister. Two BJP members and Ajay Mishra Teni’s driver were lynched by the demonstrators in the subsequent violence.

The occurrence claimed the lives of 10 eight people and 10 others were injured. His son Ashish Mishra is the main accused in the case and is currently on interim bail. The farmers were protesting against the now withdrawn three farm laws passed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Union Government.

Ajay Mishra Teni was known as a history-sheeter criminal before entering politics. He was the subject of several cases, ranging from murder to drug trafficking. On the other hand, his history sheet was closed in 1996 under the High Court’s directives.

On the final page of the prosecution diary, RP Tiwari, who was in charge of the investigation into the murder of Prabhat Gupta, noted the following about Ajay Mishra Teni, “Ajay Mishra alias Teni is the General Secretary of the BJP and because of the special status of being an MLA and close to Ram Kumar Verma who is a minister in the Government of Uttar Pradesh, no one in the area dares to say or do the rightful thing.”

“Moreover, due to the region’s proximity to Nepali territory and the former’s involvement in smuggling operations, he also has a very strong financial standing,” he added.

Hyderabad: Hindu boy assaulted by Ikram, Sohail, Mohammad, Nayeem and others for meeting his Muslim girlfriend, case filed

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Hindu boy assaulted by Ikram, Sohail, Mohammad, Nayeem and others for meeting his Muslim girlfriend, case filed

The Rein Bazar police in Hyderabad have booked five Muslim youngsters for assaulting a Hindu boy with knives and iron rods in Hyderabad’s Yakutpura for dating a Muslim girl. The accused, identified as Ikram, Sohail, Mohammad, Nayeem, and two others have been charged with attempt to murder, kidnapping, and extortion by the police.

The incident took place on May 11 when S Karthik, a 19-year-old resident of L B Nagar, had gone to SRT Colony in Yakutpura to meet his Muslim girlfriend, who lives in the old city. The couple had been in a relationship for five months after meeting on Instagram.

Karthik called his girlfriend on the phone of a paan store owner and asked her to meet him near the paan shop. While Kartik was meeting his Muslim girlfriend, the attackers— Ikram, Mohammed, Nayeem, Sohail, and two others arrived at the spot and objected to the couple talking there, and later initiated a fight with them.

An FIR has been filed against the accused youths alleging that they attacked Karthik with knives, iron rods, and sticks and tormented him, causing severe injuries to his body.

It has been alleged that the accused persons made an extortion call to victim Karthik’s father, Narasimha Goud, and demanded Rs 50,000 over the phone. They also allegedly kidnapped Karthik on the spot and attempted to take him somewhere else, but he managed to escape and returned home. Following this, the victim lodged a complaint at the Rein Bazaar police station.

The Rein Bazar police station’s Detective Inspector A. Madhusudhan Reddy revealed that a case has been registered against the five accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A probe is now being conducted into the matter.

RBI withdraws Rs 2000 currency notes from circulation, to remain legal tender. Here is how and when the notes can be exchanged

OpIndia Staff
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RBI withdraws Rs 2000 currency notes from circulation, to remain legal tender. Here is how and when the notes can be exchanged

On 19th May 2023, the Reserve Bank of India announced that it is withdrawing the circulation of ₹2000 currency notes. However, the central bank said that the currency notes will still continue to be legal tender, and added that the public can exchange the notes till 30 September. RBI also said that printing of the high-value banknotes was stopped almost five years ago, and most of the notes in circulation have reached their end of life and have become mutilated.

The Reserve Bank of India has advised banks to stop issuing 2000 denomination banknotes with immediate effect.

In a press release issued by RBI’s Chief General Manager Yogesh Dayal, it is said that in pursuance of the “Clean Note Policy” of the Reserve Bank of India, it has been decided to withdraw the ₹2000 denomination banknotes from circulation.

The press release said, “The 2000 denomination banknote was introduced in November 2016 under Section 24(1) of RBI Act, 1934, primarily to meet the currency requirement of the economy in an expeditious manner after the withdrawal of the legal tender status of all 500 and 1000 rupee banknotes in circulation at that time. The objective of Introducing 2000 rupee banknotes was met once banknotes in other denominations became available in adequate quantities. Therefore, the printing of 2000 rupee banknotes was stopped in 2018- 19.”

Exchange of ₹2000 notes

The RBI said that the public can exchange the ₹2000 banknotes from 23 May to 30 September at any bank. However, only ₹20,000 can be exchanged at time, which means only 10 notes will be changed at a time.

The press release issued by RBI said, “The public may deposit 2000 banknotes into their bank accounts and/or exchange them into banknotes of other denominations at any bank branch. Deposit into bank accounts can be made in the usual manner, that is, without restrictions and subject to extant instructions and other applicable statutory provisions. In order to ensure operational convenience and to avoid disruption of regular activities of bank branches, the exchange of 2000 banknotes into banknotes of other denominations can be made up to a limit of 20,000/- at a time at any bank starting from May 23, 2023. To complete the exercise in a time-bound manner and to provide adequate time to the members of the public, all banks shall provide deposit and/or exchange facility for ₹2000 banknotes until September 30, 2023.”

The central bank added that separate guidelines have been issued to the banks in this matter. The facility for the exchange of 2000 banknotes up to the limit of 20,000/- at a time shall also be provided at the 19 Regional Offices (ROS) of RBI having Issue Departments from May 23, 2023, it said.

It is important to note that the ₹20,000 limit is only for the exchange of notes, that is for taking notes in other denominations by depositing ₹2000 notes. There is no limit on depositing the ₹2000 notes in bank accounts. In such cases, the usual rules of cash deposit will apply, like the requirement of PAN for deposits above ₹50,000.

Although the press release said that the notes can be exchanged till 30 September, reports state that the note will remain legal tender for some time even after some time. “Rs 2000 currency note will remain legal tender after 30th September too. RBI expects that 4 month time is enough for people to exchange notes with the banks. Most of the Rs 2000 notes that are in circulation will return to banks within the given time frame of 30th September. This is a routine exercise of RBI and people need not panic,” a RBI source told ANI.

Most ₹2000 notes have reached end of life

The RBI said that “about 89% of the 2000 denomination banknotes were issued prior to March 2017 and are at the end of their estimated life-span of 4-5 years. The total value of these banknotes in circulation has declined from 26.73 lakh crore at its peak of March 31, 2018 (37.3% of Notes in Circulation) to 3.62 lakh crore constituting only 10.8% of Notes in Circulation on March 31, 2023. It has also been observed that this denomination is not commonly used for transactions. Further, the stock of banknotes in other denominations continues to be adequate to meet the currency requirement of the public.”

RBI clarified that the banknotes in the 2000 denomination will continue to be legal tender and that RBI had undertaken a similar withdrawal of notes from circulation in 2013-2014.

The ₹2000 rupee note was introduced along with the new ₹500 note after demonetisation on 8th November 2016, when existing ₹500 and ₹1000 notes were withdrawn. It was widely speculated at that time that the highest denomination introduced is a temporary provision.

The ₹2000 note is not very popular among consumers and retailers, as it is difficult to return change if it is tendered for a purchase valued much less than the value of the note. As a result, the note has already mostly disappeared from circulation.

Gujarat: Owner of ‘Mubarak Designer Studio’ in Anand withdraws sponsorship for ‘The Kerala Story’ screening after backlash from Muslims

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Owner of ‘Mubarak Designer Studio’ in Anand withdraws sponsorship for ‘The Kerala Story’ screening after backlash from Muslims

On May 19, one owner of a designer menswear store in Gujarat’s Anand withdrew his sponsorship for a special screening of the blockbuster movie ‘The Kerala Files’ following boycott calls from angry Muslim customers. The owner identified as Dharmesh Darji alias Bali also posted a video online apologising for agreeing to sponsor the screening in the first place.

Darji owns a shop in Anand named Mubarak Designer Studio. He said that he was surrounded by controversy after a pamphlet advertising a free screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ on May 16 for women above 18 years of age was distributed by members of Shri Gurjar Sorathiya Darji Gyati Yuvak Mandal in the city. The pamphlet mentioned Darji as the sponsor along with a logo of his store.

“I was flooded with calls and people came up to me to tell me that I should stay away from this as it is a controversial movie. I did not know anything about the subject of this film. I was approached by my community members, who sought sponsorship to show the film to women and I agreed. When I learnt what it was about, I regretted it as I do not wish to malign anyone. I named my store Mubarak several years ago and many of my clients and friends are Muslims,” Darji said.

Darji said that he was not well-versed in Hindi and that he and his Muslim friends put videos on social media to appease the neighbourhood’s minority group after the leaflet was distributed and demands for a boycott of the business were made.

“The members of the community were hurt by my unintentional action. I do not watch Hindi movies and I was not even intending to watch this film. Two other tailors, who also sponsored this film from the community, are facing the same kind of boycott. It was not my intention. I have to continue to do my business so I have apologised because I did hurt their sentiments in my ignorance. I have not received any threats,” Darji added.

Darji also said that a social media page of his store had been blocked after alleged mass reporting of the account by members of the Muslim community. “The film was to be shown on May 16. I was not the organiser but I am paying the price for being willing to sponsor an activity of my community,” he said.

“I had no idea what this film is about. I have not watched the film… I became a sponsor but when I learnt what it was about, I decided to withdraw. I do not want women and daughters of our community to watch this film,” Darji could be heard saying in the video that has gone viral over social media platforms.

Sameer Wankhede made several foreign Trips, owns 4 Mumbai flats, land, Rolex watches: NCB report on the officer who arrested Aryan Khan

OpIndia Staff
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Sameer Wankhede made several foreign Trips, owns 4 Mumbai flats, land, Rolex watches: NCB report on the officer who arrested Aryan Khan

The vigilance report of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has made several revelations about the Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede who served as the Mumbai zone chief of the NCB, and was part of the team that arrested Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in an alleged drug party case.

The agency said that he and a few others had threatened to incriminate Aryan Khan in the alleged Cordelia cruise narcotics case unless a bribe of Rs 25 crore is paid by Shah Rukh Khan’s family. According to the report, some names were withdrawn while Aryan Khan and his companion Arbaaz Merchant were added at the last minute.

The investigation revealed that his average yearly income, as reported in the Income Tax Department, was about Rs 15.75 lakh (salary and rent), his wife Kranti Redkar who is an actress was approximately Rs 7 lakh (business), and his father Dnyandev Kachruji Wankhede’s was around Rs 3.45 lakh (pension and rent).

He and his family travelled abroad six times privately between 2017 and 2021, visiting the UK, Ireland, Portugal, South Africa, and the Maldives for a total of over 55 days. However, they only declared Rs 8.75 lakh, which is hardly enough to cover their air travel expenses.

In all of the visits, the amount he reported for travel, housing, food, VISA, and other expenditures ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh, which was an inaccurate declaration and underreporting.

His dubious dealings were exposed during his vacation to the Maldives in July 2021. The vigilance document further noted that a cash payment of Rs 9,03,055 made by Viral Jamaluddin, a friend of his, for a hotel reservation, which raised concerns regarding undisclosed money laundering.

He bought a Rolex Gold watch from Viral Jamaluddin for Rs 17,40,000 on credit, which is worth Rs 22,05,000. There are several invoices and quotations for Rolex watches. “My wife, who has only purchased one watch in her entire life, gifted me that watch, for which she paid money in instalments,” the ex-NCB director responded to the arraignment.

The report also referenced a suspicious transaction for four watches that he sold to Viral Jamaluddin for Rs 7,40,000 through cheque.

The SET discovered that he owned 41,688 acres of property in Washim and four apartments in Mumbai. He mentioned that he paid Rs 82,87,399 for a fifth apartment in Goregaon with a market worth of Rs 2,45,49,918.

Apart from the report, several people have come up with allegations against Sameer Wankhede. British citizen Karan Sajnani who was arrested by Sameer Wankhede in the 2021 drug seizure case charged that the official’s close aide and intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan stole his Rolex Daytona watch worth Rs 30 lakh while he was in custody. “The IO of the case took away my Daytona Rolex watch worth Rs 30 lacs and this wasn’t shown in the seized items list. The IO of the case was Ashish Ranjan.”

Model Munmun Dhamecha, who was apprehended along with Aryan Khan, has also levelled strong accusations against Sameer Wankhede. She declared that he framed her due to her profession as a model, with the intention of attracting media attention. She claimed that the officer used to target models and

“Now that the CBI has filed a case against him, I have hope that the truth will be revealed. He has falsely implicated many individuals like myself solely for garnering media publicity. Wankhede consistently targeted models and celebrities, well aware that the media would provide extensive coverage,” she remarked in an interview.

She said that she arrived at the cruise and a room was allocated to her. When NCB officials raided the cruise, the drugs were discovered in the room and were not found in her personal possession. Furthermore, she also gave the names of two other individuals Saumya Singh and Baldev who were also present in the room along with her and drugs were found in Saumya Singh’s possession, however, she was released.

“Initially, Wankhede assured me that there was nothing to worry about, as nothing incriminating was found on me, and they would complete the necessary formalities before allowing me to leave. However, as soon as he discovered that I am a model, he proceeded to arrest me. Later, I was presented in court, and they didn’t even allow me to speak with my family,” she added.

Meanwhile, Sameer Wankhede on Friday filed a plea with the Bombay High Court asking for the revocation of a first information report (FIR) that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed against him for allegedly soliciting payment of 25 crores from actor Shah Rukh Khan in exchange for not implicating his son Aryan Khan in the Cordelia cruise drug raid case.

He further requested that no coercive action be connected to the CBI’s FIR against him be taken in the petition that was brought before a vacation bench of the high court.

Sameer Wankhede had previously filed a petition with the Delhi High Court, asking for relief, asserting that he had provided factual responses to all of the court’s inquiries. He contended that he has been set up and is attempting to file a cross FIR against his superior officer, Gyaneshwar Singh.

Along with this, he also provided records of his WhatsApp conversations with top officials, in which he kept them updated on each step of the raid on the Cordelia ship and Aryan Khan’s subsequent imprisonment.

He argued that Gyaneshwar Singh, the NCB’s former deputy director, harassed and degraded him during an investigation because he is a member of an underprivileged community.

He told that he had protested to the Mumbai Police, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, and the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) about the treatment that had been extended to him during the inquiry.

“The FIR was registered against me only because I had lodged a complaint against Singh with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. I had filed a complaint with the SC Commission in Delhi, seeking an FIR against Singh for using abusive language against me as I was from a backward community,” he voiced.

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court gave him protection from coercive action for five days with the freedom to file a case in the proper court, which would be the Bombay High Court.

He was called by the CBI on Thursday to be questioned in Mumbai over the matter, but he failed to show up.

Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, after a raid on the Cordelia cruise ship. After three weeks, the Bombay High Court granted him bail since the anti-drug organisation was unable to support its allegations against him.

In October 2021, the NCB, Mumbai Zone, received information about various people using and possessing narcotics on a private cruise ship. The investigation agency proclaimed that some of the NCB’s officers conspired and received improper benefits in the form of bribes from the supposed culprits.

On the basis of a complaint from the NCB, the CBI lodged proceedings against Sameer Wankhede and others for suspected criminal conspiracy, extortion threats, and provisions related to bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

 

SC committee punctures ‘Adani scam’ claims of Rahul Gandhi, but history shows how Congress doesn’t let the truth come into the way of a nice propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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SC committee punctures ‘Adani scam’ claims of Rahul Gandhi, but history shows how Congress doesn’t let the truth come into the way of a nice propaganda

On Friday (May 19), a Supreme Court-appointed expert committee, led by retired judge Justice AM Sapre, has essentially given a clean chit to the Adani group in the much-hyped Hindenburg report controversy.

The committee found that the Adani Group did not engage in price manipulation and took the necessary procedures to reassure retail investors. It also did not find evidence of repeated artificial trading, violation of Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) compliances or a clear pattern of abusive trading.

The development comes amidst the ongoing efforts by the Congress party and its nefarious ecosystem to cast aspersions about the integrity of the Indian conglomerate.

Just today, the official Twitter handle of the Congress posted a photoshopped image to target businessman Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I can’t take my eyes off you”, it tweeted alongside a picture of PM Modi staring at Adani’s portrait.

This is not surprising, given that their party leader Rahul Gandhi had time and again accused the Modi government of indulging in crony capitalism and helping his ‘corporate friends’ without any shred of evidence.

Screengrab of the tweet by the Congress party

The Congress ecosystem struck gold when a US-based short seller namely Hindenburg Research made outrageous claims about the Adani Group and accused it of artificially inflating its stock price.

While the Indian conglomerate was quick to rubbish the allegations, the grand-old party and its cabal of activists and journalists exploited the opportunity to their advantage. Insinuations were openly made about the involvement of the ruling BJP dispensation in the alleged ‘scam.’

This was despite the fact that the Congress party themselves awarded several contracts to the same Adani Group in States such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Kerala.

Congress party and its disdain for Indian businesses

One would expect a national party like the Congress to make amends, following the ‘clean chit’ given to the Indian conglomerate by the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee. However, it is unlikely to happen for a number of reasons.

For the Congress ‘socialist’ ecosystem, Indian businessmen such as Gautam Adani and Mukhesh Adani are ‘evil capitalists’ who are somehow working in cahoots with the government to exploit the poor people.

As such, the Adani Group is a prop for the Congress party and its stooges to create hysteria in the minds of the public about the dealings of the Modi government. This also gives an additional advantage to Congress to falsely project itself as ‘pro-poor.’

Tendency to discover non-existent scams – Rafale Deal

The Congress-ruled era was marred with scams, totalling a whopping 4.82 lakh crores of public money. As such, the grand old party has the tendency to re-imagine ‘scams’ in every governmental transaction.

One of the most notable cases was that of Rafale jet procurement. Congress scion Rahul Gandhi had taken it upon himself to present a distorted version of the defence deal to the public. He had infamously coined the elitist slogan ‘Chowkidar Chor hai‘ to mock PM Modi’s humble beginnings and accuse him of receiving kickbacks.

In November 2018, Rahul Gandhi challenged Prime Minister Modi to a debate on Rafale. He had also falsely claimed that the government had removed then CBI Director Alok Verma to stop him from probing the Rafale deal.

At one point, the Congress President had claimed in the Lok Sabha that the French President had told him personally that there was no secrecy pact between the two countries which prevented the government from discussing the terms and price of the Rafale jets.

The French government then issued a statement which essentially proved that Rahul Gandhi lies on the floor of the Parliament. They stated that the secrecy pact was signed in 2008 (during UPA regime, AK Antony being the defence minister) whose provisions also apply to the deal of 36 Rafale aircraft and their weapons which was signed on 23rd September 2016.

Rahul Gandhi had also alleged that Reliance will benefit by US$ 4 billion, approximately the entire offset amount. Later, he added US$ 16 billion for “Rafale lifecycle Contract” that Reliance was supposed to get. 

The Congress also relied on a French NGO, Sherpa, which registered a complaint against the Rafale deal to peddle their narrative. But, as it turned out, it has been accused previously of filing motivated lawsuits to destroy the reputations of firms and gain media attention and funds. And as Opindia had reported, the NGO is partners with George Soros’ Open Society, Misereor and Oxfam among others.

Congress-friendly media conjectured a scam

The Congress party was aided, in part, by friendly journalists in the media, notably The Hindu newspaper, which cropped a Ministry of Defence (MoD) document to cast aspersions on the Rafale Deal.

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, N Ram, the Chairman of Kasturi & Sons Limited and publisher of The Hindu, desperately tried to create an anti-Modi wave by manufacturing a ‘defence scam’ in the Rafale deal.

On February 8, 2019, The Hindu had published a note from a defence ministry official who had objected to the Prime Minister’s office inquiring about the progress of the deal.

This was despite the fact that the officer was not involved in the negotiations of the deal. The Hindu wanted to project that there was opposition to the Rafale deal in the defence ministry and only the Prime Minister was pushing for it.

In doing so, the newspaper had cropped a vital part in the same document, a note by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The then defence minister had written that the officer was overreacting, and offices of Indian PM and French President were just monitoring the progress of the deal.

Immediately after the Hindu report, ANI had published the full document, which had proved that N Ram had used a cropped version of the document in his article. About 10 days after the incident, The Hindu came up with a clarification, saying that it did not doctor the document.

In its column Readers Editor, it has claimed that the document published by it was an earlier version, which didn’t include the Defence Minister’s note. As proof of the same, the newspaper had noted that the document published by ANI had serial numbers on each note, while there were no serial numbers on the document published by The Hindu.

To hide the evidence of Parrikar’s note, the Hindu cropped the document in two places, and even digitally erased part of a stamp that should have been visible even after cropping the same.

And its claim that it did not doctor the document turned out to be false, because a date stamp before the defence secretary’s note was clearly removed from the document.

Rahul Gandhi and his propensity to lie despite apex court rulings

Despite all-out efforts of the Congress ecosystem and Rahul Gandhi in particular, the Supreme Court found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the Indian government in the Rafale defence deal.

The French and the Indian Governments and Dassault have time and again issued clarifications on the matter. And yet, Rahul Gandhi along with his friends in the media created a narrative on the basis of half-truths and complete lies.

With nothing left to save face, Rahul Gandhi went on to lie that the Supreme Court has somehow vindicated his stance of ‘Chowkidar Chor hai.’ The Congress scion had to cite an unconditional apology, later on, to get away.

But this did not stop the ecosystem from bringing up the settled case of Rafale defence procurement and alleging ‘corruption’ time and again.

Given the party’s past record, it is safe to conclude that it will not stop hurling unsubstantiated accusations at the Adani Group in the near future (despite the clean chit by the SC expert committee).

Supreme Court stays scientific investigation of Gyanvapi Shivling in Varanasi by ASI after mosque committee challenged the Allahabad HC order

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court stays scientific investigation of Gyanvapi Shivling in Varanasi by ASI after mosque committee challenged the Allahabad HC order

On Friday, the Supreme Court ordered to hold the scientific investigation of the Shivling inside the Varanasi Gyanvapi complex, a week after the Allahabad High Court ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a scientific study of the Shivling to determine its age.

The order was made following a special leave petition filed by the Anjuman Islamia Masjid committee, which looks after the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, against the Allahabad High Court’s order on May 12 that ordered the scientific survey of the Shivlinga to determine its age. The bench that made the decision included Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice IN Viswanathan.

The bench ordered that the execution of the instructions in the High Court’s order be postponed until the next hearing date of the petition. The Masjid Committee’s senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi stated that the survey processes will start on Monday of next week. Meanwhile, Tushar Mehta, the Indian Solicitor General, spoke on behalf of the State of Uttar Pradesh and highlighted his worries about potential structural damage.

“Since the implications of the impugned order merit closer scrutiny, the implementation of the directions concemed in the order shall stand deferred till the next date,” the bench noted in the order.

According to Ahmadi, the High Court issued the decision despite the fact that the judgement on the petition the Masjid Committee filed contesting the suit’s maintainability has been on hold since December 2022. He said that the order was made the day after the ASI report was delivered to the Court on May 11 without providing the Mosque Committee enough time to submit specific concerns.

According to the ASI study, the survey may be completed without harming the structure, said attorney Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is representing the Hindu plaintiffs in the case. He has asked the court to order the report in this regard. The ASI in its report said that while direct dating of the Shivling is not possible, and the age can only be determined through proxy dating of materials that can directly correlate with the establishment of the Shivling if it is there.

ASI said that a small portion of an embedded layer seen on the top of the Shivling can be used for radiocarbon dating without causing any harm to the Shivling, which will give an idea of the age of the Hindu religious symbol.

On May 12, the Allahabad High Court ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to use contemporary scientific methods to inspect the Shiving that has been discovered inside the Gyanvapi Mosque premises in Varanasi in order to determine its age.

The order was passed by the bench of Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra-I while allowing a revision plea moved by 4 women Hindu worshippers challenging the Varanasi Court’s October 14 order wherein the court had rejected their plea. The High Court mandated that the procedure be carried out under the District Judge of Varanasi’s supervision. The responsible ASI official was ordered to appear before the trial judge on May 22 to request the proper guidance for completing the scientific study of the construction.

A request for a scientific investigation of the Shivling was filed previously before the Varanasi Court in September 2022, but it was denied in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to safeguard the location where the Shiva Linga was allegedly discovered on May 17, 2022.

The Anjuman Islamia Masjid committee requested a survey of the entire Gyanvapi mosque premises by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to determine whether the mosque had been built over an earlier structure of the Hindu temple. On May 16, the Varanasi District Court granted the committee until May 19 to file their reply or objection, if any.

SC declines, for now, stay on Calcutta HC’s order transferring Ram Navami violence cases to NIA, Abhishek Manu Singhvi calls violence ‘regular’, not fit for NIA investigation

OpIndia Staff
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SC declines, for now, stay on Calcutta HC’s order transferring Ram Navami violence cases to NIA, Abhishek Manu Singhvi calls violence ‘regular’, not fit for NIA investigation

On Friday, May 19th, 2023, the Supreme Court rejected the request to suspend the Calcutta High Court’s order to transfer the investigation of the Ram Navami violence cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Supreme Court expressed its unwillingness to stay the order and decided to postpone the hearing of the petition filed by the State of West Bengal against the High Court’s directive until after the summer vacation.

Representing the State Government, Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act should not be applied to regular cases of violence unless they directly impact national security or sovereignty. He further contended that the Calcutta High Court’s order was based on the assumption that the violence involved the use of bombs and explosives, thereby invoking the Explosives Act, which is classified as a scheduled offence under the NIA Act.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “NIA has a clear bar. There cannot be NIA just because you say there might have been a Bomb…all this is done in a PIL, by an active member of the BJP.” He also took objection to the High Court entertaining what he called a politically motivated PIL filed by opposition leader Suvendhu Adhikari. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan also appeared on behalf of the State in the proceedings.

During the hearing, Senior Advocate PS Patwalia, representing Adhikari, informed the bench that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has officially registered the First Information Reports (FIRs). Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta submitted, “We, after registration of FIR, we wrote to them that give us papers of investigation. They write a letter to us saying we’re before SC. So please clarify my lords…”

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, “We’re simply going to take this after vacation. We’re not staying the order of the HC.”

The bench of Acting Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya at the Calcutta High Court, while transferring the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), highlighted that a minimum of twelve violent incidents involving the use of weapons, arms, ammunition, artillery, and explosives had occurred in the State of Bengal since April 2021. These incidents resulted in significant loss of life and damage to public properties. The High Court observed in its decision on 27th April 2023 that the use of explosives and bomb-throwing had unfortunately become common occurrences during rallies and religious ceremonies. Furthermore, the Court noted that it had previously issued more than eight orders transferring investigations to the NIA due to concerns that the state police had downplayed the true gravity of the situation.

On 30th March 2023, Ram Navami processions were attacked and violence erupted in various places across the country. There were reports of stone-pelting and violence in many cities of the country. Ram Navami or the birth anniversary of Lord Rama is an auspicious occasion in the Hindu calendar year. On that day, Hindus seek blessings from Lord Rama, provide food to the needy, perform rituals, take out processions, and so on. But Islamists have attacked these Ram Navami processions at many places in the country, as part of growing attacks on Hindu festivals.

Will the real ‘Godi media’ please stand up: Ramchandra Guha calls out ‘The Wire’ and propagandist Arfa Khanum Sherwani for being blindly pro-Rahul Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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Will the real ‘Godi media’ please stand up: Ramchandra Guha calls out ‘The Wire’ and propagandist Arfa Khanum Sherwani for being blindly pro-Rahul Gandhi

On 19th May 2023, Congress supporter Ramchandra Guha was interviewed by Arfa Khanum Sherwani of ‘The Wire’ about the results of the recently held Karnataka assembly elections. In this interview, Ramchandra Guha called out ‘The Wire’ and its propagandist Arfa Khanum Sherwani. Self-styled historian Ramchandra Guha said that ‘The Wire’ supports Rahul Gandhi and Arfa Khanum Sherwani is a pro-Rahul Gandhi journalist, insinuating, that she too is ‘Godi media’ – a pejorative term that the Left media uses for media outlets that don’t, in totality, follow their ideological and political leanings.

The ‘liberal’ and Left journalists and media portals often use the term ‘Godi media’ to insinuate that those who don’t toe their ideological and political line are metaphorically sitting on PM Modi’s lap, which is to say, they are doing his bidding. Interestingly, Ramchandra Guha in his interview revealed who the real Godi Media is and that they are actually doing the bidding not for PM Modi but Rahul Gandhi.

Ramchandra Guha said, “You are partial to Rahul Gandhi. It is fine. Everyone is partial to people. But I don’t live in Delhi. I live in Bengaluru which is away from Delhi. There can be so many reasons behind this (being partial to Rahul Gandhi). Like he is a gentleman. He is soft-spoken at least softer than the ones on the other side. But the fact remains that you are partial to Rahul Gandhi. Journalists in Delhi are like that only. Even in your recent interview with Yashvant Sinha, you were asking him about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. There was not a single thing about DK Shivakumar and Siddharmaiah. If we want that the opposition should unite, then you are putting it at a loss by projecting Rahul Gandhi as an alternative to Modi. And it has a reason. Rahul Gandhi may have come up with Bharat Jodo Yatra, but he is yet to answer one question that comes to people’s minds when he is compared to Narendra Modi. And the question is ‘What is his CV? What prior experience he has?’ Has he worked as a minister? Or as a chief minister?”

He further added, “Look at Bengal, Mamata Banerjee of TMc is a chief minister for so many years. Sharad Pawar has been an important minister in the centre for years and he has also been the chief minister of Maharashtra. Nitish Kumar is working as a chief minister for so many years. The point is, rather than making Rahul Gandhi an alternative, the opposition and Congress should focus on policies.”

Ramchandra Guha said this when he was asked about how he looked at the way ahead to fight RSS, BJP, Amit Shah, and Narendra Modi whom Arfa Khanum Sherwani together called ‘communal forces’. While asking the question, she essentially praised Rahul Gandhi for the way has transformed during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Sherwani explained how closely she has seen Rahul Gandhi and how she has noticed common Congress workers and people in the country looking at Rahul Gandhi as the last hope to save secularism in this country.

In her sugarcoated narration, Arfa Khanum Sherwani underlined that she is not pro or against Rahul Gandhi but looking at him neutrally as a potential alternative national leader because he comes from the central mainstream of the opposition. It was at this point when Ramchandra Guha blasted her saying that you are partial to Rahul Gandhi. In simple words, Ramchandra Guha called The Wire and Arfa Khanum Sherwani to be the Godi media of Rahul Gandhi. He also said that the traditional media in Delhi is like this only. As he was completing this sentence, Arfa Khanum Sherwani cleverly interrupted him.

This is not the first time that a liberal propagandist journalist is called out for being biased toward Rahul Gandhi. In fact, Rahul Gandhi himself had suggested in one of the recent press conferences that Rajdeep Sardesai is his unofficial spokesperson.

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