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As Ramzan starts, Pakistanis struggle with high prices, businesses forced to shut down due to all-time high inflation

OpIndia Staff
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As Ramzan starts, Pakistanis struggle with high prices, businesses forced to shut down due to all-time high inflation

As the Islamic holy month of Ramzan has started today, people in Pakistan are facing and feeling the pinch of inflation with food bills skyrocketing owing to one of the worst economic crises. Though people usually face price hikes in food products during Ramzan, this year the increased inflation rates have added to the woes of Pakistani citizens.

The 1st day of Ramzan ul Mubarak is being observed in Pakistan today, after Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, the government body responsible for sighting the new moon and announcing the same, issued a notification yesterday informing that the moon was sighted. The committee is equipped with telescopes and other optical devices to find the new moon to determine the accurate beginning of the Ramzan as per the Islamic lunar calendar.

However, given the acute financial crisis Pakistan is facing, everyone in the country is not able to celebrate the festival fully. According to local reports, inflation in food products increased to 47% in rural areas while it was recorded at 41.9% in urban areas. The local restaurants, caterers, and cafes state that they have found no substitute yet for the basic food ingredients like onion, cooking oil, and tomatoes used in the festive special dishes and that using substitutes might hamper their original respective tastes. Meanwhile, several other food businesses have closed down owing to high food prices.

On the other hand, families with low and severe low income are struggling to purchase food items due to affordability issues. Many families whose breadwinners have lost their jobs as a result of the economic downturn might further find it difficult to plan Iftari and Sehri for their dependents and will be forced to sacrifice their dignity by turning to assistance organizations or asking for loans from their family members.

Huge price rises for gas and electricity have made things even worse for customers. According to the data provided by the Sensitive Pricing Index (SPI) from the first week of Ramzan in April 2022 to the day before this holy month, customers remain distressed, especially while trying to buy wheat flour of medium quality. 

In different regions of the nation, the price of a 20 kg flour bag has increased to Rs 1,295-3,100 from Rs 800-1,500 during the previous Ramzan. The price of five and ten kg branded fine flour bags has soared by 80–90% today as compared to last year’s price which was Rs 820–870 and Rs 1,600, respectively.

Following a week of price stability, onions are now available for Rs 100–200 per kg, up from Rs 40–80 per kg during the previous Ramzan. Gram Pulse (Daal Channa) pricing increased from Rs 148-200 per kilogram to Rs 220-320. During the past Ramazan, the prices for masoor, moong, and mash were Rs 190-240, Rs 116-220, and Rs 200-310 per kg. However, now these are available in Pakistan at Rs 240-330, Rs 250-350, and Rs 280-480 per kg.

According to SPI statistics, one kilogram of Dalda’s ghee bag has increased to Rs 570-638 from Rs 399-484. The price of five litres of Dalda cooking oil has increased from Rs 2,060-2,485 to Rs 3,000-3,510. Several stores also charge Rs 650–670 for branded ghee and cooking oil.

The cost of a kg of live chicken varies from Rs 360 to Rs 550 as opposed to Rs 240 to Rs 350 last year.  Formerly priced at Rs 1,050-1,500 and Rs 350-750 per kg, mutton and beef with bones are now offered for Rs 1,100-1,800 and Rs 500-900, respectively. The price of potatoes have also crept up from Rs 25–60 per kg to Rs 40–100 per kg. The price of sugar has increased from Rs 83-95 to Rs 100-110.

Reportedly, several people have been forced to close down their businesses owing to the price hike in food and basic food ingredients. While many others are struggling to put food on their table amid the country’s worst economic crisis. Notably, the Sharif government took cognizance of the event and announced a special package for the month of Ramzan 2023.

The Ramzan Relief Package, which provides three bags of free wheat flour (atta) throughout the month of Ramzan 2023, was announced by the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad on March 21. According to the reports, 185,894 families enrolled with the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) with a PMT-60 score or below are receiving the Ramzan Relief Package. 

The qualified residents of Islamabad are to receive three bags of wheat flour (atta) during the holy month of Ramzan 2023 as part of the Ramzan Relief Package. The specifics state that people who have registered with BISP will initially get one bag of wheat flour (10 kilograms) and then two further bags of wheat flour (7 kilograms) after a week.

However, Pakistani citizens are criticizing the Sharif government as they have to wait in queues at the flour distribution centers to collect the flour bags which have been announced by the government to help people cope with inflation amid the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan.

Satluj Network – US-based pro-Khalistan channel spreading misinformation and hate against India

OpIndia Staff
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Satluj Network – US-based pro-Khalistan channel spreading misinformation and hate against India

On Saturday, March 18, Punjab Police launched a massive crackdown against pro-Khalistan separatist leader Amritpal Singh. Since then, pro-Khalistani elements worldwide have come out to support him, including Khalistani terrorist organisations Babbar Khalsa, Sikhs For Justice and notorious organisations like Dal Khalsa UK. Apart from a well-oiled campaign by pro-Khalistan individuals and organisations, media houses that promote Khalistani ideology are putting their might into the “cause” to save Amritpal Singh. One such channel that OpIndia came across is Satluj Network, based in Glendale, Arizona in USA.

The Government of India has already blocked selected videos of Satluj Network’s Satluj TV, an online channel. However, the channel is still accessible on YouTube and other social media platforms in India. In one of the videos that have been blocked on YouTube but accessible on Facebook, the news anchor, Ginger Jeffries, called Punjab “Indian Occupied Punjab”. It is similar to the notion used by Pakistanis for Kashmir, as they call it “IOJK” (Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir) or “IOK” (Indian Occupied Kashmir). The Indian government has blocked the video on YouTube. Keeping it in mind, we have refrained from sharing it in this report.

The report further claimed that the anti-drug drive of Amritpal Singh became a headache for the government and drug mafia, resulting in a crackdown against him. Notably, OpIndia recently reported how he was being projected as a good person for his “social activities”, including de-addiction centres. Interestingly, Singh was found to be using his de-addiction centre to recruit vulnerable addict youth for his private militia.

Source: Facebook/Satluj TV

Jeffries claimed the Police made over 1,000 arrests in the case linked to Amritpal Singh, while the actual number stood at just over 110. The report also claimed Amritpal Singh has already been arrested, which has been denied by the Punjab Police on several occasions. Jeffries’ LinkedIn profile says she is a freelancer.

A day earlier, another video with news anchor Bob Williams was published on YouTube by Satluj TV, where he also referred to Punjab as “Indian Occupied Punjab”.

Who is behind Satluj Network?

Satluj Network and Satluj TV were founded by Mangat Group, owned by Tony Mangat, at the beginning of 2022. According to a report by Local Today, it started producing news in September 2022. As per the report, Mangat Group’s Tony Mangat and Satluj Network’s co-founder and director Surinder Singh were planning to launch a news channel by the end of 2022.

The website of Satluj Network was registered in February 2022.

The YouTube channel of the network started in July 2022. However, the first video on the channel was only released in February 2023.

The Facebook page of the channel was started on February 9, 2023.

The one-month-old channel is owned by Mangat Group, which is a service provider in multiple sectors, including filmmaking, real estate, and trucking. According to Bloomberg, the Mangat group was founded in 2004. Its main business is trucking transportation services. Tony Mangat owns Mangat Group and co-founded Satluj Network. There is not much information available about him.

Source: LinkedIn

However, the co-founder of the channel, Surinder Singh, has an interesting history. According to his LinkedIn profile, Surinder did his graduation from Punjabi University. He started his career at ANI in March 2006. In January 2007, he shifted to Global Punjab. In January 2011, he joined Day and Night News Channel. In October 2013, he joined Global Punjab TV (USA). Simultaneously, he started his own media house by the name Talking Punjab. In June 2022, he joined Satluj Network as its co-founder.

Surinder Singh started his career at ANI. Source: LinkedIn

Surinder’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, social media accounts have been blocked in India.

Source: Twitter

However, it did not stop him from spreading misinformation about India and Punjab. He is the man behind calling Punjab “India Occupied Punjab”. In a post in Punjabi he wrote, “Indian Occupied Punjab” is a term that has never been discussed. But from the Sikh point of view, it should have been/is the first issue for the intellectuals and Sikh thinkers of Punjab. In the report presented by Sutlej TV, instead of answering on human rights, responsible Indian people working at a high level and with money got irked by only one thing. “Indian Occupied Punjab”.”

Source: Facebook

In 2022, Surinder’s Talking Punjab released a web series titled “And They Occupied Me”. Though it is not available in India, its description reads, “The Sikhs in Punjab started a peaceful movement for their rights and independence. In June 1984, the Indian military launched a massive attack to curb the Sikh movement in which thousands of Sikhs were killed. The army fails miserably to capture Sant Jarnail Singh and obtains permission to use the tanks’ main guns. Whereabouts of Sikh fighters are smashed with tanks.” The trailer shows the Government of India in a bad light and paints the Khalistani terrorists as if they were the victims.

Source: IMDB

His LinkedIn profile noted that he produced a 67 hours audio documentary on the “June 1984 attack on Sikhs”. It further reads, “Now working as a freelance news analyst and covering Punjab independence struggle. Hosting and presenting “Talking Punjab” show on social media”.

“Allah ke ghar gayi, wahan bhi adhi nangi”: Muslim Instagram users attack actress Hina Khan with filthy comments over her attire

OpIndia Staff
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“Allah ke ghar gayi, wahan bhi adhi nangi”: Muslim Instagram users attack actress Hina Khan with filthy comments over her attire

Reality TV star Hina Khan has again attracted hate and verbal abuse from Muslim Instagram users who disagreed with her choice of clothing for Umrah(an Islamic ritual of visiting the holy site of Mecca). Within minutes of posting pictures in which she was seen wearing salwar kurta and even a hijab, hateful comments piled up from Muslim users.

One user said, “You went half naked to Allah’s home, your whole body is exposed in these clothes. You will again start your shamelessness when you come back to India”

Another user was angry about the bikini pictures that she had earlier posted on her IG. He said “Have some fear of Allah, you can’t have one leg here and another one there”

A female user by the name of Rukhsar Khan knew for certain that Hina’s “Umrah” won’t be valid because she lives with Hindus.

Rizwan Khan wants Hina to never go back to her life in showbiz and specifically gave instructions not to play Holi as it is against Qu’ran. He added that colours are a big ‘Haram’ as per Islam.

Some comments were so mean and filthy that we can’t even reproduce them here. Another Twitter user questioned her Islamic credentials and went a little poetic afterwards, he said “The cat goes to the holy pilgrimage after eating 900 rats”, apparently a taunt on Hina committing ‘sins’ throughout the year and going to pilgrimage after that.

Nasim Ahmed wrote ” You will roam around naked again after returning”

One Nazmul wrote “There is not a single man who hasn’t seen your body, does your going to the holy site mean anything? First, you learn how to take care of yourself. You have made money by showing your body, your pilgrimage is unacceptable”

Muslim women on Instagram were not too far behind men when it came to coaching Hina on her clothing choices. Anylah Sajjad wrote “Why are you wearing such see-through clothes……your dignity would have been doubled had you chosen to follow the norms of decency.

It is to be noted that Hina Khan and many other Muslim celebrities have been subjected to hateful verbal attacks from fellow Muslims in the past too who often go about issuing certificates for modesty and Muslim-ness.

Question of same-sex marriage, the Judiciary and Indian society: The issues and why it might be a slippery slope

Sachin R
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Question of same-sex marriage, the Judiciary and Indian society: The issues and why it might be a slippery slope

Should same-sex marriage be legal in India? It is legal in about 55 countries either in the form of marriage or civil union. Almost all of these are western or south American countries. About 140 countries do not recognize it, mainly in Asia and Africa. What should India do? Various arguments exist for and against the recognition of same-sex marriage. Most are fundamental in nature. Of course, in popular culture, they take a banal form. “Don’t they have the right to be happy? How does it affect anyone else if two people marry?” These are the popular arguments one hears on the issue of same-sex marriage. These are obviously misleading and manipulative. Legally they are irrelevant.

Demand for the legalisation of same-sex marriage is in the Supreme Court where the argument makes the demand of a fundamental right. Naturally, the topic is a hot discussion point across the nation. The central government has opposed the demand. The affidavit submitted by the govt says “While other forms of unions may exist in the society which would not be unlawful, it is open for a society to give legal recognition of the form of a union which a society considers being a quintessential building block for its existence.” What do they mean by building blocks of society? Why are Marxists who reject the institution of marriage in favour of the marriage of same-sex people? Are the two positions in harmony? Do they achieve the same objectives? I won’t try to answer all these questions. Let the people come up with the answers, but nobody is asking the people. This is my first objection to the way this issue is shaping up in India.

Supreme Court making policy! An unelected court making laws should make everyone uneasy. I understand the argument of the Supreme Court being the custodian of fundamental rights. But history is proof that itself is a specious argument used when convenient. Courts that take cognizance of sporadic Tripura violence to protect fundamental rights of life and property fail to do so for bloody Bengal violence. The fundamental right of child safety is casually sacrificed by the same court at the altar of religious freedom of Islamic orthodoxy when it allows the marriage of 15-year-old girls. It is highly subjective as is, but to use it to formulate laws by circumventing the collective wisdom of our democratic process is just unethical.

We are an ancient civilisation that has time and again reinvented itself and found indigenous solutions. Let the people develop an adequate level of the issue at hand and the people will decide. Marriage is not a personal matter; it is a social contract, and it is literally the founding stone of our society and family. Let society deal with the issue of same-sex marriage, not some judge seeking western validation. An imported solution foisted on the people will be unnecessarily disruptive and sets a terrible precedent. This truly is a slippery slope. Next, the Supreme Court will force Pujaris in Hindu mandirs to do pujas with same-sex couples using the same fundamental rights arguments. Given how subjective such arguments are, it will lead to more intrusions into the religious rights of some and not others. To avoid this travesty, let society deal with the issue within our democratic setup. The judiciary exists to serve the people, the people don’t exist to serve the judiciary.

My second objection used to be the bedrock of liberal principles – your rights end where others’ rights begin. Despite the one-sided propaganda, the fact is marriage is about a family and children. It is not just about two men or women putting a legal seal on their union. It is about a family. There are many ways same-sex couples can start a family. One is to make children with external help, like surrogacy or artificial insemination. This option is open to all same-sex couples even now. But the option of child adoption is where many have apprehensions. This option will open up the legalisation of same-sex marriage. One concern is the welfare of children brought up only by two men or two women. It is conventional wisdom in our culture that it is best for children to have a mother figure and a father figure to develop well-rounded adults. While this may not always be possible in real life, this is still the norm.

When it comes to adoption, society needs to discuss if it is in the best interest of children to find a heterosexual home or a same-sex home. This needs to be studied in the Indian context and culture too. The data available on the matter is from the west, but it is very inadequate with most studies covering very few cohorts or covering a very short period. Given that same-sex couples are a relatively new phenomenon in the west too, that is expected. On the other hand, we have undisputed data available on higher-than-average juvenile delinquency rates of children from single-parent households. How much of this delinquency is attributable to the absence of a mother figure or father figure is something we must study in the Indian context.

We also need more Indian data on same-sex couples’ separation rates and their impact on children. The people of India should get all this data and carefully consider if the rights of children are adequately protected if same-sex marriage is legalised. But there is hardly anyone advocating for these children and the whole issue is being presented as a private matter between two consenting adults. It is not. Research suggests in the USA 70% of runways, juvenile delinquents and child murderers come from single-mother homes (Richard E. Redding, “It’s Really About Sex”, Duke Univ. Journal of Gender Law and Policy). While it does not prove children of same-sex couples necessarily face welfare issues, it proves beyond a doubt that children brought up in unconventional homes struggle. We need to study this impact on child welfare before we blindly ape the west. This we, as a society must do. We do not have enough information to take such fundamental steps that will affect the very nature of our society.

Don’t they have the right to be happy? No! No such right exists in any human rights charter. Stop trivialising serious issues with such banal arguments. Every person is unique and finds happiness in different things. Happiness is a pursuit, a duty, not a right. The proponents of same-sex marriage must make serious attempts to make merit-based arguments to the people of India. Convince the people and let society find the best way. I hope the Supreme Court also leaves it to the people of India instead of aping the west in a hurry. Lastly, common people must make an effort to study the issue more and see what impact this may have on society. Western society has changed drastically since the legalisation of same-sex marriage. For those who wish to completely break down traditional society and create a Marxist utopia in its place, same-sex marriage is the beginning, not the end. Are we ready?

Khalistan supporters throw eggs, ink at Indian High Commission building in London

ANI
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Khalistan supporters throw eggs, ink at Indian High Commission building in London

Even after assurances from the London Metropolitan Police to raise the level of protection to the Indian High Commission, pro-Khalistan supporters on Wednesday breached the security cover and threw eggs and inks to deface and vandalize the building.

The London Police had barricaded the Indian High Commission after the police in New Delhi removed traffic barricades outside the British High Commission, in a move interpreted by some as a demonstration of India’s displeasure with the security breach in London by pro-Khalistan supporters.

The pro-Khalistan supporters shouted slogans and threw water bottles and ink at the Indian High Commission. The police had deployed forces in 24 buses as well as the mounted police, however, they were successful in vandalizing and defacing the premises, putting the police under the scanner, and questioning their security promises to the Indian High Commission.

Earlier, in an epic reply to Khalistani supporters who vandalized the Indian High Commission in the UK, it put up a giant Tricolour atop the building.

On March 19, Khalistani radicals in large numbers protested and vandalized India’s flag at the Indian High Commission. India had strongly protested against pro-Khalistan elements, demanding the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators.

Earlier on Wednesday, barricades from outside British High Commission in New Delhi were removed.

The seniormost UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned on Sunday night after the Indian High Commission was vandalized, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release earlier.

An explanation was demanded the complete absence of British security that allowed suspected pro-Khalistan elements to enter the High Commission premises. The diplomat was reminded in this regard of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the Vienna Convention.

“India finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK,” the MEA release said.

The British High Commissioner Alex Ellis condemned the “disgraceful acts” outside the Indian High Commission, calling it totally unacceptable.

“I condemn the disgraceful acts today against the people and premises of the High Commission of India – totally unacceptable,” British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis tweeted earlier.

The desecration of the national flag last Sunday led to an unprecedented outpouring of support from the diverse Indian community settled in Britain.

Meanwhile, Khalistani radicals on March 22 staged anti-India protests once again outside the Indian High Commission in London. 

However, the protesters raising “Khalistan Zindabaad” slogans were restricted due to barricading. Metropolitan Police guarded the Indian High Commission against the pro-Khalistan radicals.

Since the weekend, several uniformed officers had been patrolling the area in Aldwych and Metropolitan Police vans were stationed at India Place.

India had launched a strong protest with the United Kingdom over the vandalization incident at the Indian High Commission in London and has conveyed that there is a need for the British authorities to put up adequate security set-up, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Monday.

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

Advocate Vineet Jindal writes to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla seeking disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the house

OpIndia Staff
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Advocate Vineet Jindal writes to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla seeking disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the house

Hours after Rahul Gandhi was convicted in a criminal defamation case by a Surat court and sentenced to two years in jail, advocate Vineet Jindal wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla seeking disqualification of the Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi is a member of Lok Sabha and represents the Wayanad constituency of Kerala. On 23rd March 2023, Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a court in surat in a criminal case of defamation booked against him in 2019 for his remarks against Modi’s surname in one of his speeches during the campaigning for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In his letter to the Lok Sabha speaker, advocate Vineet Jindal wrote, “I am seeking disqualification of Mr. Rahul Gandhi, MP Lok Sabha as a court in Gujarat’s Surat city, on 23.03.2023, convicted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case against him over his alleged Modi surname remark. Surat court after completing the trial in a Defamation complaint filed by one of the MLAs of Gujarat assembly convicted Rahul Gandhi for a 2-year sentence in jail under section 504 of IPC.”

Advocate Vineet Jindal further said in his letter, “As per Section 8 (3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951: MP/MLA convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of conviction. Section 8(3) of the Act defines any member MP/MLA convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for two or more years shall be disqualified from the date of conviction, from the definition of the above section of the act Mr. Rahul Gandhi shall be declared disqualified from the membership of the Lok Sabha from today itself. By the present complaint, I am requesting the Hon’ble speaker to issue orders to declare Mr.Rahul Gandhi as disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha from immediate effect.”

On 23rd March 2023, Surat District Court held Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi guilty in a criminal defamation case filed against him over his remarks insulting the Modi surname. During an election rally in 2019, Rahul Gandhi alleged that everyone with the Modi surname, including Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Narendra Modi, are thieves.

A case was filed against Rahul Gandhi by Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi for making derogatory comments against the Modi community in Gujarat. During an election rally in the run-up to the 2019 elections, Rahul Gandhi mocked an entire community by saying, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… how come they all have Modi as a common surname? How come all thieves have Modi as a common surname?”

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Surat Purnesh Modi had filed a complaint against the Congress leader for defaming the entire Modi community. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi was booked under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with criminal defamation.

The court found Rahul Gandhi guilty of the same and sentenced him to 2 years in prison while giving him a month to appeal against the verdict. The court also kept the sentence suspended till he files an appeal. Following this judgement, speculations are now being made about Rahul Gandhi’s probable disqualification from membership in the lower house of the parliament. Now, advocate Vineet Jindal has written a complaint to the Lok Sabha speaker in this regard.

It is notable that as mentioned by Jindal, Rahul Gandhi could be disqualified from Lok Sabha according to section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. According to this section, any MP or MLA convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of conviction. The Act had a provision under section 8(4), which had allowed convicted MPs, MLAs, and MLCs to continue in their posts, provided they appealed against their conviction/sentence in higher courts within 3 months of the date of judgment. However, this section was struck dow bythe Supreme Court in 2013.

Moreover, the UPA government at that time had tried to overturn this judgement by bringing an amendment to the law, and had also promulgated an ordinance to make it effective immediately. But Rahul Gandi had famously trashed it. He had called the amendment nonsense and had torn down a copy of the same, causing massive embarrassment for the Manmohan Singh government.

Khalistan supporters protest in Raipur against the crackdown on Amritpal Singh, effigy of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann burnt

OpIndia Staff
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Khalistan supporters protest in Raipur against the crackdown on Amritpal Singh, effigy of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann burnt

A group of individuals held a protest on Wednesday in the capital of Chhattisgarh, Raipur, in support of the fugitive pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh, which prompted the police to issue notices to the event’s organizers since they did not have prior permission from the officials.

Several members of the Sikh community participated in the protest, which began as a foot march from Telibandha and concluded in front of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) headquarters in the adjacent Panchsheel Nagar. The march was organised by the Chhattisgarh Sikh Samaj in support of Amritpal Singh.

The protesters also protested against the AAP government in Punjab for the crackdown on Amritpal Singh and his organisation. An effigy of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, a prominent member of the AAP, was also set ablaze by the protesters who later raised slogans in favour of Amritpal Singh. Around 50-60 people gathered on the streets of Raipur in support of the pro-Khalistani leader and accused the Punjab government of conspiring against the people of the Sikh religion.

The Khalistan supporters threatened an indefinite strike if the Punjab Police operation is not stopped. The protesters claimed that Amritpal Singh is being targeted by AAP because he is working against drugs in Punjab. They claimed that Amritpal was reforming drug addicts and connecting them with religion, and alleged that drug mafia was behind the crackdown.

According to Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police Prashant Agrawal, a notice was sent to the individuals who had organized the event when the police learned about the demonstration, which was held without prior authorization from authorities.

One of the supporters of Amritpal Singh, Diler Singh Randhawa talked to the media and said that Amritpal was innocent. He also accused the state government and said that the Waris Punjab De chief was being falsely implicated. He praised Amritpal Singh and said that he was working to eliminate addiction, keep young people away from it, and bring them closer to religion. “Our indefinite sit-in demonstration will continue at Tatiband Gurudwara until our voice reaches the Punjab government,” he was quoted as saying.

Reports mention that Randhawa organized and led the protest from Telibandha Gurudwara to Panchsheel Nagar without permission. Police Station Civil Lines has issued a notice to the organizer regarding this rally which was taken out without any prior permission. The police have directed to organizers to issue reply by Thursday ie today.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also commented on the issue and said that the local administration has been keeping an eye on the matter. BJP MLA Brijmohan Agrawal also condemned the rally and said that it was carried out when the Assembly is in session in the state capital.

It should be emphasized that Amritpal is still on the run, while a massive search effort is underway throughout the state, several soldiers have been stationed in Amritpal’s home village of Lallukheda. More than 120 people have been taken into custody so far including his driver and his uncle. Reportedly, Harjit Singh, Amritpal’s uncle has been transported by the Punjab Police to the Dibrugarh prison in Assam.

Drunk passengers in Indigo’s Dubai-Mumbai flight create a ruckus, handed over to CISF on arrival

ANI
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Drunk passengers in Indigo’s Dubai-Mumbai flight create a ruckus, handed over to CISF on arrival

 On Thursday, Indigo Airways expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to other passengers after two passengers were booked for being drunk and misbehaving with the crew.

A statement issued by the Airways said, “As per protocol, they were handed over to the CISF security staff for unruly behaviour. Post the incident, a complaint was filed at the nearby police station. We regret the inconvenience caused to other passengers.”

“Two passengers travelling on flight 6E 1088 from Dubai to Mumbai were observed to be in an inebriated state and continued consuming alcohol onboard despite multiple warnings from the crew. They verbally abused the crew and co-passengers”, reads the statement.

Mumbai’s Sahar Police on Thursday booked two IndiGo flyers travelling from Dubai to Mumbai for allegedly being drunk and misbehaving with the crew, said the police.

The arrested passengers have been identified as Dattatreya Bapardekar and John George D’Souza.

“Two Indigo flyers have been booked under section 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) & sections 21,22 and 25 of Aircraft rules for being drunk & misbehaving with the crew. Both were arrested formally but as the sections were bailable, they were granted bail from the police station itself”, DCP Dixit Gedam, Mumbai Police told ANI.

According to the police, the incident occurred on March 22. It is alleged that passengers John George D’Souza and Dattatreya Anand Bapardekar started drinking after the flight took off from Dubai on an Indigo flight from Dubai to Mumbai.

When the cabin crew found this, they informed them about the ban on drinking alcohol inside the flight. But both the accused got infuriated and stood up from their seat and started walking inside the flight drunk.

The police said that an FIR was registered against both passengers after a complaint was received from IndiGo.
Further probe is underway, as informed by the police.

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

Rahul Gandhi’s sentencing: Sushil Modi says Congress leader will be convicted in Patna Court as well, Priyanka Vadra says her brother is not scared

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi’s sentencing: Sushil Modi says Congress leader will be convicted in Patna Court as well, Priyanka Vadra says her brother is not scared

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname by a court in Surat, Gujarat. However, he was granted bail after paying a bail bond of ₹10,000.

Rahul Gandhi was present at the court when the verdict was announced. The development has led to a war of words between the leaders of Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Meanwhile, former deputy chief minister of Bihar and Rajya Sabha MP, Sushil Kumar Modi shared that he has also filed a defamation suit against the Congress leader in Patna’s Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court (CJM) court. He added, “He (Rahul Gandhi) is out on bail. Like Surat court, there is every possibility of punitive action in Patna court as well.”

Rahul Gandhi was received by the Gujarat unit of the Congress when he arrived in Surat earlier in the day for the verdict. In his initial remarks following the decision, he cited Mahatma Gandhi, “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence is the means to get it.”

Reacting to the conviction of the Wayanad MP, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted, “Scared rulers (BJP) are pulling out all the stops to suppress the voice of Rahul Gandhi ji. My brother has never been afraid, nor will he ever be. He will continue to speak the truth. Will continue to raise the voice of the people of the country. The power of truth and the love of crores of countrymen are with him.”

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that ‘we believe in law and judiciary and will fight against the judgement.’

Rahul Gandhi last appeared before the Surat court in the case, in October 2021 to record his statement.

A lawsuit was brought against him for a comment he made disparaging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last name, which he shares with fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, at a rally in Karnataka’s Kolar, Rahul Gandhi remarked, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname.” BJP MLA Purnesh Modi registered a complaint against him for defaming the entire Modi community.

The case was filed under Indian Penal Code Sections 499 and 500. Under Sections 499 and 500, a punishment of simple imprisonment for a term that may extend to two years, with a fine, or with both.

According to Rahul Gandhi’s attorney, the court proceedings were ‘flawed’ from the start. He further contended that because the PM was the primary focus of Gandhi’s speech, he, and not the MLA, should have lodged the complaint.

The former Congress president’s punishment has been kept for 30 days by the Surat court that pronounced him guilty on his legal team’s plea to give him time to appeal the ruling.

Will Rahul Gandhi be disqualified from Lok Sabha? What the law says and how he had trashed an ordinance that could have saved him

Gopal Tiwari
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Will Rahul Gandhi be disqualified from Lok Sabha? What the law says and how he had trashed an ordinance that could have saved him

On 23rd March 2023, Surat District Court held Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi guilty in a criminal defamation case filed against him over his remarks insulting the Modi surname. During an election rally in 2019, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that everyone with the Modi surname, including Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi, are thieves. Following this, Gujarat BJP leader Surat Purnesh Modi had filed a criminal defamation case against the Congress leader, accusing him of defaming the entire Modi community.

The court found Rahul Gandhi guilty of the same, and sentenced him to 2 years in prison, while giving a month to appeal against the verdict. The court also kept the sentence suspended till he files an appeal. Following this judgement, speculations are now being made about Rahul Gandhi’s probable disqualification from membership in the lower house of the parliament. It is therefore important to know the legal position in this case.

What is the case against Rahul Gandhi?

A case was filed against Rahul Gandhi by Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi for making derogatory comments against the Modi community in Gujarat. During an election rally in the run-up to the 2019 elections, Rahul Gandhi mocked an entire community by saying, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… how come they all have Modi as a common surname? How come all thieves have Modi as a common surname?”

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Surat Purnesh Modi had filed a complaint against the Congress leader for defaming the entire Modi community. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi was booked under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with criminal defamation.

What does the Representation of People Act say?

The Representation of the People Act, of 1951 specifies the qualifications and the disqualifications of Members of Parliament and state legislatures. Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951, contains provisions aimed at decriminalizing electoral politics. According to section 8(3) of this law, any MP or MLA convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of conviction.

As per sections 8(1) and 8(2) of the law, a person convicted under specific sections of the IPC will be disqualified, regardless of the quantum of the punishment. However, for convictions for all other crimes apart from those mentioned in 8(1) and 8(2), a person will be disqualified if that person is sentenced to minimum of two years in jail. Section 8(3) says, “A person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years [other than any offence referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2)] shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.]”

However, the lawmakers could avoid immediate disqualification using section 8(4) of this act until 2013. This section of the act earlier allowed convicted MPs, MLAs, and MLCs to continue in their posts, provided they appealed against their conviction/sentence in higher courts within 3 months of the date of judgment by the trial court. Therefore, just an appeal against conviction would work as a stay to the disqualification of the lawmakers.

Many people claiming that Rahul Gandhi will not be disqualified from the membership are also citing this section to support their claim. But while hearing the Lily Thomas versus Union of India case, the Supreme Court in July 2013 struck down section 8(4) of the RPA, 1951 and declared it ultra vires, and held that the disqualification takes place from the date of conviction.

Therefore, as section 8(4) no longer exists, there is no protection from disqualification despite filing an appeal, and therefore, according to section 8(3) of the RPA, Rahul Gandhi could be disqualified from Lom Sabha.

UPA-2 government had tried to overturn the decision, but Rahul Gandhi had trashed it

It is notable that the UPA-II had tried to overturn the 2013 Supreme Court judgement to protect the convicted politicians, but ironically Rahul Gandhi himself had prevented this attempt. After the Supreme Court verdict in 2013, then law minister in the UPA-2 government Kapil Sibal introduced the Representation of the People (Second Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 on 30th August 2013. On 24th September 2013, the Congress-led UPA-2 government attempted to bring this amendment to effect through an ordinance.

This ordinance was meant to prevent immediate disqualification of politicians sentenced to two years or more in jail. It had reintroduced the provision struck down by the Supreme Court, allowing convicted and sentenced lawmakers to evade disqualification by filing an appeal. The ordinance had said that such lawmakers will be able to take part in proceedings of Parliament or state legislatures, but they shall neither be entitled to vote nor draw a salary or allowances until their appeal is finally decided by the courts.

This is the same ordinance that Rahul Gandhi had famously trashed in front of the media, calling it complete nonsense. “I’ll tell you what my opinion on the ordinance is. It’s complete nonsense. It should be torn up and thrown away. That is my personal opinion,” Rahul Gandhi said in a press conference on Friday, 27th September 2013, causing a massive embarrassment for the Manmohan Singh government.

“I personally think what the government is doing on the ordinance is wrong. It was a political decision, every party does it, and there is a time to stop this nonsense,” he had added.

Following this, on 2nd October 2013, both the ordinance and the bill were withdrawn from the parliament.

Theoretically, had Rahul Gandhi not vetoed his own government and had the ordinance became a law, he could have evade disqualification just by appealing against the Surat Court verdict.

Will Rahul Gandhi be disqualified?

Speaking in legal terms, the Wayanad MP deserves to be disqualified with immediate effect according to the Supreme Court ruling of July 2013. However, after the verdict was delivered by the Surat court, Rahul Gandhi pleaded that his sentence be suspended and bail is granted to him to enable him to move an appeal against his conviction within 30 days.

Accordingly, the court suspended the decision of sentence on his request. Therefore, the legal implication of this suspension of sentence in regard to Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha membership is not clear yet.

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