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US: Fox News settles defamation lawsuit for $787 million after accusing voting machine company of ‘stealing’ the 2020 Presidential election

OpIndia Staff
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US: Fox News settles defamation lawsuit for $787 million after accusing voting machine company of ‘stealing’ the 2020 Presidential election

On Tuesday (April 18), Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit against it for a whopping $787.5 million after being sued for claiming that a voting machine company named Dominion helped ‘steal’ the 2020 US Presidential elections.

As per reports, the development came just before the opening statements were made in what was going to be a ‘blockbuster media trial.’ Dominion had initially sought $1.6 billion in damages from the American news network.

Fox News and Dominion later reached a settlement for half the ask at $787.5 million. In a statement, Fox News said, “We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”

The American news network also stated that the $787.5 million settlement reflected its continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.

Fox News had reportedly claimed that Dominion switched votes during the 2020 US Presidential elections, paid kickbacks to the government, and was founded in Venezuela.

The voting machine company said that its business was harmed by the ‘false claims’ of Fox News. Even before the matter went to trial, Judge Eric Davis noted in an earlier ruling that the claims made by the news network were ‘not true.’

He had said, “The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that is CRYSTAL clear that none of the Statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election is true.”

The trial in Delaware against Fox News was meant to decide whether it committed ‘actual malice’ while accusing Dominion of rigging the election. It had earlier come to light that the top executives of the news network did not believe in the ‘election conspiracy’ claims that they aired on TV.

Lies have consequences, says the attorney for Dominion

While speaking about the historic defamation suit settlement, Justin Nelson (the attorney for Dominion) said, “Lies have consequences.”

He added, “Over two years ago a torrent of lies swept Dominion and election officials across America into an alternative universe of conspiracy theories, causing grievous harm to Dominion and the country.”

Nelson concluded, “People across the political spectrum can and should disagree on issues, even of the most profound importance. But for our democracy to endure another 250 years and hopefully much longer, we must share a commitment to facts.”

Reportedly, Fox News has a pending defamation lawsuit filed by another voting machine company named Smartmatic. It is currently seeking $2.7 billion from the news network.

Atiq Ahmed killing: Shooters shifted from Prayagraj’s Naini Central Jail to Pratapgarh Jail

ANI
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Atiq Ahmed killing: Shooters shifted from Prayagraj’s Naini Central Jail to Pratapgarh Jail

The three assailants who gunned down Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed on the night of April 15, have been shifted from Prayagraj’s Naini Central Jail to the Pratapgarh district jail on Monday.

“All three shooters, Arun Maurya, Sunny Singh and Lovelesh Tiwari, are under threat of attack behind bars, owing to which they have been shifted to a high-security cell and are kept under CCTV surveillance,” official sources said.

Meanwhile, other prisoners present in the barrack have been shifted to another barrack as it is believed that keeping them with other prisoners could have been risky, sources added.

Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad were shot dead by men posing as press persons on Saturday night while being taken for a medical examination in Prayagraj. Both the gangsters collapsed on the spot after they were shot at nearly point-blank range.

The three shooters, Arun Maurya, Sunny Singh and Lovelesh Tiwari were sent to 14-day judicial custody by the district court on Sunday.

On Sunday, the last rites of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf took place at a family graveyard in the Kasari Masari area of Prayagraj.

Minor sons of gangster Atiq Ahmed were brought to the burial ground from a juvenile home.

Atiq Ahmed was accused in the 2005 Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal murder case and also in the Umesh Pal murder case which happened in February this year.

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

UP Police compiles a list of 61 mafias under surveillance as Yogi government tightens the noose on criminals

OpIndia Staff
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UP Police compiles a list of 61 mafias under surveillance as Yogi government tightens the noose on criminals

Yogi Adityanath’s administration in Uttar Pradesh is preparing to tighten the grip on notorious offenders and goons housed in various prisons throughout the state. This happened after three misguided youths shot dead Atiq Ahmed, a gangster-turned-politician, and his brother Ashraf on Saturday night as they were being taken by police to a medical college in Prayagraj.

With the intention of attaching properties worth Rs 500 crore, the administration has already compiled a list of 61 mafias as their target. Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, has not yet approved the list.

Prashant Kumar, Special DG for Law and Order, has asserted that the UP Police has compiled a list of 61 offenders in preparation for its upcoming crackdown on cattle smuggling, illegal sand mining, liquor mafia, and other organised crime groups. Some of the big names on the list include:

Sudhakar Singh, Pratapgarh

Sudhakar Singh is a liquor mafia who hails from Sultanpur. The largest illicit alcohol smuggler in Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, and the surrounding areas is Sudhakar Singh. The cops seized illicit alcohol worth millions of rupees from his home last year. Sudhakar Singh is currently incarcerated, and the police have offered a one lakh rupee reward for his capture.

Gabbar Singh, Behraich

Devendra Pratap Singh, better known as Gabbar Singh, is one of the feared mafias in Uttar Pradesh and is implicated in 56 crimes of theft, murder, dacoity, and land grabbing. In addition to being a district panchayat member, Gabbar Singh is wanted for one lakh rupees. Numerous districts, including Faizabad, Gonda, Sultanpur, Lucknow, and Bahraich, have lawsuits pending against Devendra Pratap Singh.

Guddu Singh, Kunda

Sanjay Pratap Singh, also known as Guddu Singh, is a liquor mafia who presently remains in jail and hails from Kunda in Pratapgarh. In the previous year, Hathigawa police found alcohol valued at roughly Rs 12 crore. Prior to this, police had conducted multiple searches and recovered alcohol from various locations. In each of these cases, Gaddu Singh’s name was mentioned.

Udham Singh, Meerut

During the first term of the government, Udham Singh’s name was already on the list of the top 25 criminals. His name appeared on the list once again at this point. Other than in Meerut, his goons killed people by means of extortion, dacoity, and looting in the West UP areas. He is now being held in the Unnao prison.

Yogesh Bhadaura, Meerut

Yogesh Bhadaura is Udham Singh’s main adversary; he is a known criminal from Meerut. Gang D75 is headed by Bhadaura. He resides in Meerut’s Bhadaura village. 40 cases have been filed against him in dangerous categories such as gangster, murder, abduction, and robbery. Siddharth Nagar Jail is where Bhadaura is detained.

Badan Singh Baddo

Mafia Badan Singh Baddo of Western UP is on the run after taking fashion and lifestyle cues from Hollywood stars. In several states, including UP, more than 40 instances of murder, extortion, theft, and dacoity have been filed against Baddo. He now has a 2.5 lakh reward issued for him. Baddo has not been seen since 2019. The top 25 mafias in the state are listed, and Baddo is one among them.

Ajit Chowdhary Akku

Ajit Chowdhary, a member of the Moradabad mafia who goes by the moniker “Wasuli Bhai,” is accused in 14 incidents, including extortion, murder, and robbery.

Dharmendra Kirthal

The notorious Dharmendra Kirthal of Baghpat is the subject of 49 cases, 15 of which are murder cases. The Special Task Force (STF) detained him in Dehradun in 2021.

Sunil Rathi

One of the most powerful mafias in western Uttar Pradesh is the notorious Sunil Rathi, a native of Baghpat. Rathi is incarcerated at Mandoli. Despite the change in government, Sunil Rathi was able to hold onto his power and authority in Uttar Pradesh. During the Yogi administration, he is suspected of killing Munna Bajrangi at the Baghpat prison. He is included on the top 25 mafias list as well.

Abhishek Singh Honey aka Jahar

The head of the ID-23 gang and renowned Varanasi criminal Abhishek Singh Honey, also known as Jahar. At least 20 murder, robbery, and extortion complaints have been filed in Varanasi against this Pandeypur inhabitant.

Nihal alias Bacha Pasi

D-46 gang leader Nihal Kumar alias Bacha Pasi, a resident of Dhumanganj, Prayagraj, has more than two dozen cases registered against him. He was first booked under the Excise Act. He hogged the limelight after his name appeared in the Kala Ghoda shootout in Mumbai in 2006. At present, he is on the run.

Rajan Tiwari

Rajan Tiwari was Prakash Shukla’s assistant and was originally from the Uttar Pradesh hamlet of Sohgaura in the Gorakhpur district. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the mafia known as Rajan Tiwari’s is well-known. Rajan, a two-time member of the Bihar legislature, joined the BJP in Lucknow right before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, he was dropped amid backlash over his affiliation with the party. Rajan had previously joined the BSP in 2016.

Sudhir Kumar Singh

Sudhir Singh, a leader of the BSP and a former block chairman of Piprauli in the Gorakhpur district, has a lengthy history of criminal activity. In the most recent elections for the assembly, Sudhir ran as the BSP’s candidate in the Sahjanwan assembly district. 26 charges have been filed against him, including one for attempted murder.

Vinod Upadhyay

Vinod Upadhyay, a criminal from Gorakhpur, has 25 complaints against him in several police stations, including extortion, attempted murder, and blackmail. He is now being held at Fatehgarh Jail.

Rizwan Zaheer

Balrampur is home to former MP and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Rizwan Zaheer. Police reports indicate that 14 charges, including severe accusations like murder and rioting, have been filed against former MP Rizwan Zaheer.

Dilip Mishra

A former BSP and SP leader from Prayagraj, Dilip Mishra is now being held at the Fatehgarh Jail. As of July 12, 2010, Nand Gopal Gupta In Bahadurganj, a neighbourhood of the Kotwali city of Prayagraj, Nandi was attacked by a remote bomb concealed on a two-wheeler. Dilip Mishra was the prime suspect in this incident. The list of the top 25 mafias also included Dilip Mishra’s name.

Anupam Dubey, Farrukhabad

Anupam Dubey, the head of the BSP, is the subject of 41 lawsuits. Ramniwas Yadav, the Gursahaiganj Kotwali who was in charge of Kannauj, was shot and killed aboard a train in 1996. Anupam Dubey’s name surfaced in this murder investigation.

Haji Iqbal

Mining mafia and former MLC Haji Iqbal alias Bala, a resident of Saharanpur, is also a director of the business that acquired the three sugar mills in Lakhimpur Kheri, Gorakhpur, and Sitapur. Additionally, a case has been filed against him in Lucknow’s Gomtinagar police station under the Companies Act and other provisions.

Bachchu Yadav

In Lucknow’s Krishna Nagar, Bachchu Yadav used to sell marijuana. Later, 25 cases were filed against him, including ones for extortion and robbery. He is currently fleeing the scene.

Jugnu Walia

A resident of Chandan Nagar in Lucknow, Jugnu Walia is a close associate of the gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. He has fled and there are twelve cases against him.

Lallu Yadav

A well-known figure in the crime world is Lallu Yadav, a resident of Lucknow’s Rajajipuram neighbourhood. 12 murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession, gangster, and assault cases involve Lallu Yadav. He is currently being held in custody.

Mukhtar Ansari, Brijesh Singh, Tribhuvan Singh, Khan Mubarak, Salim, Sohrab, Rustum, Bablu Srivastava, Vlumesh Rai, Kuntu Singh, Subhash Thakur, Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva, and Munir are also mentioned on the list.

A lot of criminals are also detained in Lucknow’s jails. Atiq Ahmed’s son Umar, Sanjeev Jeeva, a notorious felon from western Uttar Pradesh, Abhishek Singh alias Babu, Ehshan Ghazi, Firdaus, a criminal from Bihar, Raju alias Tauheed, Anand Prakash Tiwari, Rajesh Tomar, Javed Iqbal, and Asif Iqbal have all made the list from Lucknow’s Gosaiganj Jail.

Uttar Pradesh police refute media claims that bombs were hurled at Atiq Ahmed’s lawyer Vijay Mishra’s house in Prayagraj

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh police refute media claims that bombs were hurled at Atiq Ahmed’s lawyer Vijay Mishra’s house in Prayagraj

Hours after media reports claimed that low-intensity crude bombs were hurled at the deceased mafia don Atiq Ahmed’s lawyer Vijay Mishra’s house in Prayagraj, Police Commissioner Prayagraj tweeted about it, calling the news completely baseless.

The Prayagraj police shared a copy of a press release wherein it stated that as soon as the police received the information that crude low-intensity bombs were thrown in the area and a team was immediately dispatched to take stock of the situation. Upon probing the matter, the police learned that a scuffle had broken out between two local factions after which they hurled the bombs. The police clarified that the bombs were not thrown at Atiq Ahmed’s lawyer Vijay Mishra’s house as reported by various media outlets. Calling the news “entirely baseless,” the police advised people to not fall for such fake news.

The Prayagraj police were responding to a tweet by Bharat A to Z News, which claimed that bombs were hurled at Atiq Ahmed’s lawyer Vijay Mishra’s house in Prayagraj, which the news portal deleted after being fact-checked by the Prayagraj police.

The now-deleted post by Bharat A to Z News

Likewise, many other mainstream media outlets like Hindustan Times, News18, ABP News reported that crude bombs were hurled at Vijay Mishra’s house.

Notably, earlier in the day, Vijay Mishra had claimed that Atiq Ahmed had written a letter before his assassination wherein he predicted that he will be killed within 15 days.

He (Atiq) had informed me that a senior official had informed him about a murder plan,” Atiq Ahmed’s lawyer, Vijay Mishra said, adding that the letter by Atiq Ahmad with instructions to send it to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister and the chief justice of India in case of his death is being dispatched to them.

“That letter in a sealed envelope is neither with me nor sent by me. It is kept somewhere else and being sent by some other person. I don’t know the contents of the letter,” said his lawyer Vijay Mishra.

Atiq Ahmad had said that if there were any mishap or if he was murdered, the letter in the sealed envelope should be sent to the chief justice of India and Uttar Pradesh chief minister,” Mishra told the media.

Atiq Ahmed and brother Ashraf Ahmed killed

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead while being taken for a medical checkup on 15th April 2023 at around 10:40 pm. The incident was carried out by three youths, who came near the police convoy posing as journalists and opened fire.

The court has sent the three killers of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf Ahmed to judicial custody for 14 days. The police had arrested the three from the spot at the time of the incident. Many cases were already registered against the trio.

From ‘will snatch CM and PM’s chair’ to calling PM Modi ‘Ravana’: Atiq Ahmed’s past speeches reflect his arrogance of wielding political power

OpIndia Staff
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From ‘will snatch CM and PM’s chair’ to calling PM Modi ‘Ravana’: Atiq Ahmed’s past speeches reflect his arrogance of wielding political power

Politician turned dreaded gangster Atiq Ahmed was killed along with his brother Ashraf Ahmed on 15th April 2023 in the government hospital while being taken for a medical checkup at around 10:40 pm by three attackers.

He was a convicted criminal who arbitrarily ordered killings and kidnaps and sharked on lands illegally. There were more than 105 cases filed against him. His gang members brutally sodomised and raped minor children. Ten judges withdrew from hearing his cases out of concern for their own safety and the safety of their families.

Even though he was involved in such horrific acts, soon after his death, numerous Islamists and their apologists began to downplay the crimes he had committed. The left-liberal cabal of India, like its Islamist counterpart, started blatantly whitewashing the misdeeds of the dreaded criminal-turned-politician. BBC journalist Geeta Pandey, went so far as to highlight how the gangster Atiq Ahmed was a sort of “Robinhood” who helped people in need, paid for weddings and school uniforms, and gave money during Eid in order to arouse sympathy in the unsuspecting as well as ignorant minds of those who aren’t clued into the dark world of crime.

But as allegations of awful offences mount, this facade starts to disintegrate. As the leftist elites have been furiously projecting, Atiq Ahmed was no ‘Massiah,’ he was, in fact, a ruthless criminal who called for loot, executions and murders and openly issued threats and hurled abuses and expletives at his opponents and rivals at his whim. Atiq Ahmed, who was known to be extremely short-tempered, has on several occasions in the past seen using exceedingly vulgar, disrespectful, and derogatory language in public.

Gangster Atiq Ahmed had compared PM Modi to Ravan

Atiq Ahmed had compared Narendra Modi to Ravana before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Openly hurling insults at PM Modi, Atiq Ahmed referred to Modi as a faceless man and just one of the faces of Dashanan (another name given to Ravana because of his ten heads). He also asserted that Narendra Modi was no match for the late Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

When Atiq Ahmed publically threatened to grab the CM and PM chairs

After Atiq Ahmed passed away, a video of an earlier interview of his has been extensively shared on social media in which he was seen boasting about his history of criminal activities. In the 21-year-old interview with Zee News, the deceased mafia is overheard openly threatening to seize the Prime Minister’s and Chief Minister’s chair.

At around 8 minutes into the interview, Atiq Ahmed confesses that 20 criminal cases are already filed against him. However, rather than expressing any remorse, the mafia politician is heard saying, “If 20 more false cases are filed against me, I will take over the chief minister’s chair. If there are 50 more cases, I will grab the Prime Minister’s chair.”

When Atiq Ahmed openly hurled insults at Raja Bhaiya and his wife

Atiq Ahmed had once used a public platform to disparage Kunwar Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, an independent MLA from Pratapgarh’s Kunda district. “I have always wanted to be connected to Pratapgarh, but this place is governed by a random couple whom y’all, the people of Pratapgarh, have elevated to the level of king and queen,” he once declared during a speech in the Pratapgarh district, adding, “You continue to humbly honour them as the king and queen each time you pass by. Stop calling them the King and Queen,” he remarked, making a subtle jab at Raghuraj Pratap Singh, who has ruled the Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh since 1993.

Don’t be scared of police cases

Atiq Ahmed’s supporters are urging judicial intervention in the wake of his murder. However, it is clear from Atiq Ahmed’s Pratapgarh speech how much faith he personally had in the legal system. He is heard telling his supporters that “someone or other approaches him with an appeal to get his name struck off for a particular case or to get a particular section of law dropped from his case every other day.” Stop being so terrified of IPC sections and police cases. Your name will be heard throughout Pratapgarh the day you conquer this fear, he said.

Atiq Ahmed insulted Modi’s family

In his Pratapgarh speech he had gone on defame PM Narendra Modi by invoking his caste and family. Referring to a Samajwadi Party leader sitting on the dias he said, “Ohjaji, Modi ke naam ke aage na Nath hain na peech Pagha, na mehraru hain na ladka (He neither has a wife nor a son, nor does his last name begin with Nath or end with Pagha).”

How Atiq Ahmed falunted his political clout during Samajwadi party regime

Inciting his Muslim followers to run riots and violence in the country, Atiq Ahmed said during his Pratapgarh speech, “When either the BJP or the Mayawati government are in power, you are silenced in the house, however, when the Mulayam Singh’s government is at the helm, you can walk down the street with confidence. Riots happen because people become frustrated and jealous when they see you walking down the street with your heads held high. When you will be forced to go into hiding and sit cooped up inside your home, you cannot expect any riots to take place.

Throughout his entire Pratapgarh speech, Atiq Ahmed was either boasting about his political power as a criminal, insulting Modi and other opposition leaders, or encouraging the mob to riot. However, some of his Muslim supporters and their apologists have only shared the section of the speech where Atiq Ahmed is urging people to educate their children, to portray him as a kind-hearted person. This is at 9 minutes into the speech. But while talking about education, Atiq Ahmed does not forget to instigate his followers by asking them not to bow down and be always ready to use brute force and power.

Atiq Ahmed delivered each of the aforementioned speeches on a stage in front of the general audience. In addition to all of this, numerous call recordings of Atiq Ahmed making explicit threats to kill businesspeople and even the SP leader have gone viral on social media. In these audio recordings, Atiq is also heard abusing the mothers and sisters of his opponents and victims, yet for the left-liberal cabal of India, like its Islamist counterpart, the mafia don is no less than any sort of “Robinhood.”

Gujarat: Attendees asked to bring ‘Roti’ instead of paying money to enter singer Kirtidan Gadhvi’s event in Patan

Krunalsinh Rajput
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Gujarat: Attendees asked to bring ‘Roti’ instead of paying money to enter singer Kirtidan Gadhvi’s event in Patan

A video is being shared extensively on social media wherein a singer, singing bhajans on a stage, can be seen surrounded by mountains of rotis (bread). The video is reportedly from Gujarat’s Patan district where several residents turned up with Rotis to attend a musical event by singer Kirtidan Gadhvi on April 17. The unique event was organised at a Hanuman temple known as ‘Rotaliya Hanuman’ in the city of Patan in Gujarat 

In a video shared by the news agency ANI, the stage can be seen covered with rotis during the singer’s performance.

According to reports, the event’s organisers took a novel approach of feeding the starving animals and birds and asked attendees to bring rotis, which they accepted as entry fees rather than money, to the musical event. People who brought one Rotla (thick bread) or 10 Rotli (Rotli is relatively thinner) were given entry to the program at the Rotaliya Hanuman temple. 

Notably, the event called Lok Dhayaro was held to celebrate the completion of one year of the Rotaliya Hanuman temple. Before this event on April 16, 2023, singer Kirtidan Gadhvi urged attendees to bring rotis, which, in turn, would be used to feed animals and birds. On his call, people showed up carrying rotis. Within no time, the stage was stacked up with heaps of rotis.

The video of the program was also shared by Kirtidan Gadhvi on Instagram. It is being told that more than 50 thousand rotis were collected during the cultural event, the main aim of which was to gather food for the street dogs, and other animals. 

The locals applauded this innovative effort and asked for more activities like it in the future. The event helped with the noble cause of feeding hungry animals in addition to providing the public with an entertaining evening.

For the uninitiated, the Rotaliya Hanuman temple is the first such temple in the world where only Rotlas (thick bread) and Rotli (thinner rotis) are offered as Prasad. After the prasad is distributed amongst devotees, the remaining is stored in a huge pot from where it is fed to animals and birds.

In fact, when a devotee’s desires are fulfilled, they voluntarily offer 5 to 101 rotis in the temple. Prasad of any other kind is not allowed in this shrine.

SC accepts plea seeking probe into Atiq-Ashraf deaths: Know about petitioner Vishal Tiwari and his connection to Hindenburg report

OpIndia Staff
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SC accepts plea seeking probe into Atiq-Ashraf deaths: Know about petitioner Vishal Tiwari and his connection to Hindenburg report

The Supreme Court has granted permission to hear a plea on April 24th which requests an independent investigation into the deaths of Atiq Ahmed, a former gangster turned politician, and his brother Ashraf while in police custody.

While being escorted by police personnel to a medical college in Prayagraj for a check-up, Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot at close range by three individuals disguised as journalists during a media interaction on Saturday night.

The PIL was filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, who requested an investigation into the murders of Atiq and his brother Ashraf. The petition also sought a request to carry out an investigation under a team headed by a former Supreme Court justice. Vishal Tiwari also asked for an investigation of 183 encounters that occurred in Uttar Pradesh after 2017.

Who is Advocate Vishal Tiwari?

Advocate Vishal Tiwari has been working as a lawyer for several years and is a member of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). He has been submitting PILs on a multitude of subjects of public interest. He had submitted a PIL to the Supreme Court during the second wave of the Corona pandemic, which gained a lot of attention.

In this PIL, he had called for financial assistance and said that Corona’s inflation had shattered the backs of the populace. Exemptions from things like EMI and loan interest should be offered in such a circumstance. The Supreme Court then dismissed the application, stating that the Centre is responsible for handling economic problems. Later, he also sent the PM a letter.

Serial PIList wanted the creation of a commission to probe the Hinderburg report

He had also petitioned the Supreme Court in this instance, asking for the creation of a commission that would conduct an open investigation of the Hindenburg Report. In his PIL, lawyer Vishal Tiwari said that the central government had not acted decisively on the Hindenburg report. The economy of the nation was negatively impacted by this report.

In his plea, he made reference to SEBI and said that despite hundreds of investors losing millions of rupees as a result of the Hindenburg report, no effective action was done.

PIL filed for Menstrual leave

Vishal Tiwari filed yet another PIL that received attention. He had previously called for women to be granted menstruation leave and stated in his PIL that this was a woman’s right. In his appeal, Advocate Tiwari cited several workplaces where women receive leave for menstruation and argued that this merits a unified rule.

PIL filed on Morbi bridge collapse

The PIL sought direction for a probe led by a retired Supreme Court judge in the catastrophe of October 30 2022, which claimed the lives of over 130 people, including 50 children and 35 women.

In his appeal, Tiwari called for a thorough safety examination of all outdated public buildings nationwide and the establishment of permanent catastrophe investigation teams in each state to respond quickly to such incidents. Such an incidence “prima facie illustrates the serious situation of responsibility lapse, negligence, failure of administration, and dishonest duty of care by government officials towards the public. According to Tiwari’s PIL, the maintenance and repair work was given to a private operator who had utterly failed to keep the bridge operating.

Arguments in the PIL related to the Atiq murder case

Advocate Vishal Tiwari included a reference to the Vikas Dubey encounter and requested a CBI investigation based on his plea pertaining to the Atiq Ahmed murder case. He has stated that such behaviour poses a severe threat to any democracy ruled by the law. In a democratic society, the police shouldn’t have the ability to deliver justice. Punishment is only authorised by the legal system.

In his appeal, Advocate Tiwari criticised the police administration, claiming that the killing of an accused while they were holding him in custody demonstrated systemic flaws. The Atiq Ahmed murder case may have two facets. Atiq’s murder was either committed by another gang member or group, or a systemic plot led to it. It is vital to conduct an open investigation in such a case.

‘Choto choto ghotona’: Mamata Banerjee downplays post-poll violence in West Bengal, accuses BSF of conspiring with BJP in elections

Dibakar Dutta
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‘Choto choto ghotona’: Mamata Banerjee downplays post-poll violence in West Bengal, accuses BSF of conspiring with BJP in elections

On Monday (April 17), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stirred the hornet’s nest after she downplayed the post-poll violence, which claimed the lives of more than a dozen BJP workers.

She made the contentious remarks during a press conference at the State Secretariat. At about 5:30 minutes into the programme, she said, “They (BJP) are sending Central teams to West Bengal in the name of investigating post-poll violence.”

“This is despite the fact that the State was not under my control at that time. It was under the control of the Election Commission,” she further alleged.

Mamata Banerjee then went on to suggest that the 2021 post-poll violence, orchestrated by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons, were ‘small-time incidents’ that supposedly happen everywhere after elections.

“Koyekta choto choto ghotona ghote chilo election er por, samanno ghote thake sob jaigai (Some small-time incidents took place after elections. These happen all the time at other places),” she was heard as saying.

She also lamented how the Centre sent several fact-finding teams to the State, which had supposedly led to the ‘arrest’ of several TMC workers in false cases. “If something happens in Bengal, then, it does not mean that the government is responsible,” Mamata Banerjee refused to showcase accountability.

At about 33 minutes into the programme, she said, “Some incidents happened small-small (after elections) but the Centre sent all the teams (from Delhi). They arrested all of our boys and girls through agencies such as CBI, ED and Commissions.”

Mamata Banerjee demonises Ram Navami, alleges conspiracy for violence by BJP

During her press conference, she claimed that the Hindu devotees who took part in the Ram Navami procession were equipped with arms, tractors and bulldozers.

At about 6:40 minutes into the event, Mamata Banerjee alleged that they went from ‘area to area’ to create communal violence. It must be mentioned that the West Bengal Chief Minister had earlier given a clean chit to Islamists and absolved them of any wrongdoing during the Hindu festival.

At about 46 minutes into the press conference, she claimed that the violence committed during Ram Navami was ‘planned’ well in advance by the BJP. “They have a lot of plans. Don’t you think what happened in Howrah was engineered beforehand? Similar thing happened in 100 other places.”

West Bengal CM accuses BSF of conspiring with BJP in elections

During the event, the West Bengal CM also hit out at the Union government for increasing the area of jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) from 15 km to 50 km.

“Why did they do this? Because they know Panchayat elections are coming and that the new operation limit will cover several villages that will cast their vote. In this way, the BSF personnel can ‘harass’ the voters. They do this anyway,” she was heard saying at about 16:00 minutes into the press conference.

Later, at the 45-minute mark, Mamata Banerjee claimed, “Previously, we used to salute the BSF jawans. But BJP has turned BSF, CRPF ‘political’…The Central government is using them for their political work. They might harass TMC workers so that they cannot go out for election campaigning and do their work.”

“So we will not allow this. We have earlier announced that BSF cannot operate beyond 15km area from the international border. And West Bengal police will look into it,” she said.

It must be mentioned that Mamata Banerjee had asked her voters in Coochbear to gherao the Central forces and prevent them from performing their duties in the run-up to the 2021 Vidhan Sabha elections.

Aman Raja from Jharkhand vows to kill UP CM Yogi Adityanath, booked

OpIndia Staff
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Aman Raja from Jharkhand vows to kill UP CM Yogi Adityanath, booked

A police complaint has been registered against a Jharkhand resident who allegedly threatened to murder Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday. Aman Raja, the Jharkhand resident, declared on Facebook that he wanted to kill CM Yogi Adityanath.

A screenshot of the post was tweeted to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Director General of Police, and other officials. A complaint against Raja has been lodged at the Kotwali police station, according to DK Sharma, the circle officer for Baghpat.

Earlier, CM Yogi Adityanath stated that no one in the state of Uttar Pradesh can be threatened or intimidated by the mafias. Following Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf’s double murder, it was the first occasion where the chief minister addressed the general population.

Additionally, CM Yogi Adityanath noted that the state’s law and order situation was really bad before 2017 when daily riots used to break out. He said that since his administration took office in 2017, there haven’t been any riots in Uttar Pradesh. The CM asserted that his administration stopped riots in the state.

Yogi Adityanath further said that a time had come when the state’s identity had been obliterated, but now no one is ignorant of the state’s progress. “Now there is excellent connectivity in UP. Every capital of the investors will be protected in UP,” he said.

Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf, who were in custody and being brought by police officers to a medical college for a check-up, were shot dead at point-blank range by three men acting as journalists hours after Atiq’s son Asad was buried. The duo was killed while they were responding to questions from reporters in Prayagraj. 

‘Aadhar verification a ploy to implement CAA and NRC in Bengal’: Mamata Banerjee resorts to fear-mongering against Centre

OpIndia Staff
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‘Aadhar verification a ploy to implement CAA and NRC in Bengal’: Mamata Banerjee resorts to fear-mongering against Centre

On Monday (April 17), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resorted to fear-mongering after the Centre sought assistance from the State government in identifying illegal Aadhar cardholders.

At about 17 minutes into her press conference, she claimed that the Modi government is targeting a particular community by carrying out the ‘Aadhar exercise’ in North and South 24 Pargana districts.

Mamata Banerjee alleged that those whose Aadhar cards are found ‘incomplete’ would be declared non-citizens and dispatched to detention camps. “They are trying to play with the NRC (National Register of Citizens) card,” she claimed.

“They are playing this card since 2014. They (the Union government) had to withdraw the NRC exercise due to agitation by the public. But now they have sent this letter… You understand what is this? The same detention camps of Assam,” she brazened it out.

Mamata Banerjee then read out a letter, addressed to the CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), sent by an under-secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

“I am directed to refer to ongoing exercise for verification/ updation of illegal Aadhaar cards in the selected districts and to forward a list of the specific location of exact pockets of settlements of illegal foreigners in those selected districts to enable UIDAI to be more focussed in the exercise for the elimination of illegal Aadhaar cards,” the letter read.

It must be mentioned that the Centre has launched a pilot project in 8 different States to identify illegal Aadhar Card holders and had sought assistance from the respective State governments.

Aadhar not mandatory in West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

Ahead of the Panchayat elections, Mamata Banerjee used the said letter to cast doubts about the implementation of the NRC in West Bengal. “There will be a first phase, then a second phase… What is the point of this exercise? To bring about NRC,” she said at about 25 minutes into the press conference.

“Whenever there is an election, BJP resorts to polarisation, casteism, communal tension,” Mamata Banerjee alleged. At about 37 minutes into the event, she announced, “In our State, Aadhar is not mandatory. I will not allow this. I have no compulsion to carry out Central orders.”

“Law and Order is a State subject. I will not take part in NRC or CAB. Whoever lives here is already a citizen of this country. Here, people have ration cards, and run schools and colleges. Why should they be subjected to this citizenship test every year? How long will this continue?” she emphasised.

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