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India set to breach 200 crore mark for COVID vaccines doses, surpasses the figure of 199 crores

OpIndia Staff
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India set to breach 200 crore mark for COVID vaccines doses, surpasses the figure of 199 crores

The COVID-19 vaccination coverage program of the Government of India will soon reach 200 crore doses, making it the largest in the world. In an unprecedented effort, the total number of COVID vaccines delivered in the country surpassed 199 crores on Friday, 15th of July 2022. The country is presently around 30 lakh COVID-19 vaccines away from achieving the 200 crore level.

The process of administering Made in India – Covaxin and Covishield vaccines to Indian citizens began under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direction on January 16 last year. According to the reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to make an announcement shortly on the 200 crore Covid vaccine achievement.

Since the pandemic’s onset, India has proven its dedication to safeguarding its citizens by taking on this arduous task, which necessitated significant resources, the undying support of the States and UTs, and the tireless efforts of health care workers, front-line workers, and the prompt participation of all stakeholders. It took India 17 months to inoculate its 1.4 billion population and reach over 199 crore vaccinations.

The government had begun its countrywide COVID 19 vaccination program on January 16 last year amid the severe spread of the virus. Through the 75-day COVID Immunization Amrit Mahotsava, the Centre is dedicated to accelerating and broadening the breadth of COVID-19 vaccination across the country.

To note, PM Modi while addressing the 90th edition of Mann Ki Baat on June 26 also said that it was a matter of satisfaction that the country today had a comprehensive protective shield of the vaccine. “We have reached close to the 200 crore vaccine doses. Precaution dose is also being administered in the country”, he had confirmed.

The immunization campaign has been stepped up with the availability of additional vaccinations, advanced awareness of vaccine availability to states and UTs for improved planning, and simplification of the vaccine supply chain. As part of the nationwide vaccination campaign, the Government of India has been providing free COVID vaccines to states and union territories. In the next phase of the COVID19 immunization program, the Union Government would acquire and deliver (at no cost) to States and UTs 75% of the vaccines manufactured in the country by the vaccine makers.

Aam Aadmi Party announces support to opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in Presidential elections

OpIndia Staff
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Aam Aadmi Party announces support to opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in Presidential elections

In the presidential election scheduled for July 18, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced today that it will back Yashwant Sinha, the nominee of the united opposition. The declaration was made by Aam Aadmi Party MP for Rajya Sabha Sanjay Singh. “We respect Droupadi Murmu but the AAP will support the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha,” Singh said.

The decision was made during a PAC meeting presided over by the party’s national convenor, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Senior party leaders such as Depuy CM Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak, Punjab MP Raghav Chadha, and others attended the meeting.

The Aam Aadmi Party has 156 MLAs in total, including 92 in Punjab, 62 in Delhi, and two in Goa. It has ten Rajya Sabha MPs from the two states, three of whom are from Delhi.

The presidential election will be held on Monday, and the results will be declared on July 21.

After NCP President Sharad Pawar, former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah dropped out, Yashwant Sinha emerged as the consensus presidential candidate of opposition parties, including the Congress. He is running against Draupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance candidate picked by the BJP.

On June 21, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) named former Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu as their Presidential candidate for the July 18, 2022 elections. Murmu has a political career spanning over 20 years. She was born on June 20, 1958, in the village of Uparbeda, district Mayurbhanj, to a Santal Tribal family. Murmu will be India’s first tribal woman president if she is elected.

Yashwant Sinha has now secured the support of Congress, NCP, TMC, SP, National Conference, CPI, CPI-M, AIMIM, RJD, AAP and AIUDF among others. But Draupadi Murmu is set to win the elections, as she has the support of more voters. Apart from the votes of NDA parties, she will also get votes from several other parties. The NDA candidate has already received support from several non-NDA parties, including BJD, YSR-CP, BSP, AIADMK, TDP, JDS and Shiromani Akali Dal, and this have ensured over 60% vote share for her. Apart from these supports, cross voting from other non-NDA parties is also expected, especially from SC and ST lawmakers.

Rana Ayyub 2.0? Netizens raise concerns over a potential scam as fundraiser seeking money for master’s at Harvard goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Rana Ayyub 2.0? Netizens raise concerns over a potential scam as fundraiser seeking money for master’s at Harvard goes viral

On Thursday (July 14), the popular Indian photoblog ‘Humans of Bombay’ posted the story of a 22-year-old Muskaan, who apparently required ₹23 lakhs to pursue a master’s in Psychology at Harvard University.

The Instagram post detailed her journey as an ‘anxious’ teenager who found guidance under her school counsellor. “After 2 years of counselling, my grades improved too. And after I topped college, I realized I wanted to do for other kids what my counsellor did for me – I, too, wanted to become a counsellor,” it read.

“And just then, I came across the Master’s course for Psychology at Harvard! I said, ‘I believe in myself’ & applied. And 2 months later, I got the best email, ‘You’re accepted to study at Harvard!’; I was the youngest Indian to get in! And the happiness in mom’s eyes was indescribable,” the Instagram post emphasised.


‘Humans of Bombay’ claimed that Muskaan spent ₹2.5 lakhs in application and visa fees. “My mom is a single mom & the breadwinner; she’s putting down her savings for me. Still, Rs. 23 lakhs more are required for me to study there…,” the post stated.

It further added, “I’ve worked extremely hard to get where I’ve gotten but to go further ahead, I need your help. It took me a long time to find the will to dream, & now that I’m close, I don’t want to give up on it…”

The popular photoblog posted the link to a fundraising campaign, which was hosted on Ketto. As of July 16, 2022, the campaign has amassed ₹12.94 lakhs ($18,494).

Screengrab of the Ketto fundraiser

Netizens highlight discrepancies in fundraiser floated by Muskaan; compare her with Rana Ayyub

Netizens were quick to point out obvious discrepancies in the fundraising campaign. Popular Twitter user (@BefittingFacts) informed that Muskaan had been running a similar fundraising campaign on Milaap.

He wrote, “Muskaan Bawa is collecting ₹25 Lakh in Milaap and ₹23.62 Lakh in Ketto for her ‘Education’. In Milaap she is from Dharmshala and in Ketto she is from Chandigarh.”

Another Twitter user (@Naarad_Munii) stated that the last date to confirm Muskaan’s admission to Harvard was April 15, 2022, and that she has been raising funds for the same in July of this year.

One user claimed that Muskaan Bawa is a model by profession. “So ‘Humans of Bombay’ has made a fake story about Muskaan Bawa, who is a model by profession, that she needs money for education at Harvard. Money can be easily attained by Loan. “

He also sought the intervention of the Mumbai police. “Please look into this fraud,” he tweeted.

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) handle ‘The Hawk Eye’ claimed that Muskaan had earlier put up a similar fundraising campaign in the past.

“In May’22 also she raised a similar campaign. Location was Kangra (H.P.), write-up name was Muskan (one “a” missing). Email Id was muskaanbawa7/Gmail. Now with an ultra enhanced write-up (maybe Ketto marketing help), email is now bawamuskaan7/Gmail. Too much for coincidences,” it stated.

‘The Hawk Eye’ also alleged that Muskaan had cited 2 different universities in different fundraising campaigns on Ketto.

Concerned netizens also posted in the comment section of the fundraising campaign in the hopes to deter naive people from donating to her. “It’s a scam. Big One. She’s a model,” wrote one Alex Hales. Another user Ishita urged benefactors to not donate a single rupee to Muskaan.

Muskaan fundraising
Screengrab of the comments on the fundraiser

Allegations of misappropriation of funds by Rana Ayyub

On February 10 this year, OpIndia reported that ED seized Rs 1.77 crore in Ayyub’s and her family’s accounts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. A few days after the expose, Ayyub alleged in a statement that she was being framed for her “journalism” and that she did not misuse the money.

However, all her claims were debunked by a Twitter user Hawk Eye who was the first to share details of alleged charity fraud last year. The ED has, in its attachment order, said, “Rana Ayyub has cheated the general Public Donors in a pre-planned manner and with the intention to cheat the general public donors.”

The order emphasised that the ‘scam’ started from the time she received the funds, which she did not use for Covid-19 relief work. She instead made a fixed deposit of ₹50 lakhs and transferred the amount to the savings account of her father, and sister through net banking. You can read the details about the allegations of misuse of Covid-19 funds by clicking on the link here. ED had also stated that the bills Ayyub had provided to show relief work do not add up.

On March 29, Rana Ayyub was stopped by Indian Immigration officials from boarding a flight to London due to the pending money laundering case against her. On April 4, she was granted permission to travel abroad by the Delhi High Court with the pre-requirement that she divulges details of her travel, contacts and her place of stay.

B R Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar requests Yashwant Sinha to withdraw from presidential election

OpIndia Staff
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B R Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar requests Yashwant Sinha to withdraw from presidential election

Just two before the presidential elections, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi president Prakash Ambedkar appealed opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha to withdraw from the contest. Prakash Ambedkar is the grandson of B R Ambedkar.

Ambedkar said that as many scheduled caste and scheduled tribe MPs and MLAs from across parties have declared their support for Draupadi Murmu, Sinha should withdraw from the election. “Requesting Mr. Yeshwant Sinha to withdraw from the Presidential race because many Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe members from across the parties are joining to vote in favour of Madam Draupadi Murmu,” he said in a tweet.

The election for the post of president is scheduled to be held on 18th July, where members or the parliament and state assemblies will vote. Current president Ram Nath Kovind’s tenure is ending on July 24.

Prakash Ambedkar urging Yashwant Sinha comes as another jolt for the opposition candidate, as he had to cancel his scheduled visit to Mumbai for campaigning after Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena announced support for Draupadi Murmu. While Congress and NCP are backing Sinha, their ally Uddhav Thackeray said his faction of Shiv Sena will vote for Murmu because this is the first time that a Scheduled Tribe woman has been nominated for the post of president, and many Shiv Sena activists had urged to support her.

Today Aam Aadmi Party announced its support for Yashwant Sinha. The party said that they respect Draupadi Murmu, but they will be voting for Sinha. He has already secured the support of Congress, NCP, TMC, SP, National Conference, CPI, CPI-M, AIMIM, RJD, and AIUDG among others. But Draupadi Murmu is set to win the elections, as she has the support of more voters.

Apart from the votes of NDA parties, she will also get votes from several other parties. The NDA candidate has already received support from several non-NDA parties, including BJD, YSR-CP, BSP, AIADMK, TDP, JDS and Shiromani Akali Dal, and this have ensured over 60% vote share for her. Apart from these supports, cross voting from other non-NDA parties is also expected, especially from SC and ST lawmakers.

‘Freebies culture is dangerous for country’s development’: Says PM Modi while inaugurating Bundelkhand Expressway in UP

OpIndia Staff
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‘Freebies culture is dangerous for country’s development’: Says PM Modi while inaugurating Bundelkhand Expressway in UP

On 16th July 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the people the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway from Chitrakoot to Etawah made at the cost of Rs 14,850 crore. The expressway passes through seven districts and the inauguration program was held at the toll plaza at Kaithri village in the Jalaun district.

While addressing a public meeting on this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Today I am getting a special pleasure in giving this gift of the expressway to the land of Bundelkhand which produced countless knights, in whose blood the devotion of India flows, where the valor and hard work of the sons and daughters have always brought laurels to the country.”

He further said, “The distance from Chitrakoot to Delhi has been reduced by 3-4 hours due to the Bundelkhand Expressway, but its benefit is even more. This expressway will not only speed up vehicles here, but it will also speed up the industrial progress of the entire Bundelkhand.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi further said, “In UP, where the Saryu canal project took 40 years to be completed, in UP, where the Gorakhpur fertilizer plant was closed for 30 years, in UP, where the Arjun Dam project took 12 years to complete, in UP where the Amethi Rifle Factory was lying with just one board, in UP where the Rae Bareli rail coach factory was only painting the coaches, in that same UP, now the infrastructure is being worked out so seriously, that it has outperformed even the other good states. The identity of UP across the country is now changing.”

Emphasizing his vision of development, Narendra Modi said, “At the core of the path of development on which the country is running today, there are two aspects. One is the intention and the other is dignity. We are not only creating new facilities for the present of the country but also forging the future of the country.”

Slamming the opponents and their freebies schemes, PM Modi said, “Attempts are being made to bring culture in our country where votes are cast in exchange for freebies. This freebies culture is dangerous for our country’s development. People should beware of this culture. Those who have this freebies culture will never build any new expressway, new airport, or defense corridor for you. They feel that they can buy people if they give freebies. We should come together to defeat this thought and remove this freebies culture from the polity of our country.”

Drawing attention to his next target of the Jal Jeevan Mission, PM Modi said, “Our government is constantly working to mitigate another challenge of Bundelkhand. We are working on the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide piped water to every household.”

Massive response by the people of Bundelkhand

There was a massive crowd of people present for this program. The expressway within a radius of five kilometers was decorated in a grand manner. Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed for security reasons. The Prime Minister shared the dais with Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and ministers and public representatives. Separate blocks were marked for people from different areas to sit in the pandal. The three pandals built here were divided into 96 blocks. 65 blocks were reserved for people coming from urban and rural areas.

The Bundelkhand Expressway

Previous governments were very vocal about announcing various schemes for Bundelkhand but nothing great actually happened on the ground. No project made in Lucknow could reach Bundelkhand as reaching somewhere needs good road connectivity in the first place. The Bundelkhand expressway is a 296KM long project which starts at Bharatkoop in the Chitrakoot district and meets the Agra Lucknow expressway at Kudrail village in Etawah district. By this highway, the remotest part of Bundelkhand is now directly connected to Delhi. This four-lane expressway which is expandable into a six-lane expressway covers seven districts viz Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya, and Etawah.

The transparent e-tendering process for this expressway has again benefitted the Uttar Pradesh Expressways and Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) as the minimum tender for the project has come down by about 12.72% from the estimated cost thereby saving Rs. 1132 Crores. The main carriageway of the expressway was opened in December 2021 and the Bundelkhand expressway is now inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Alt News’ Mohammed Zubair’s identity triggers speculation if he’s a living Kasab or a convicted rapist. Fact-checking these viral claims

Amit Kelkar
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Alt News’ Mohammed Zubair’s identity triggers speculation if he’s a living Kasab or a convicted rapist. Fact-checking these viral claims

Social media platforms are lately awash with several viral claims that raise questions about the identity of Mohammed Zubair, the Alt News co-founder under arrest for hurting religious sentiments, among other charges.

From Zubair being a close relative of the Mumbai 26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab to him being the living Kasab to him being one of the rapists of the Nirbhaya case in Delhi, social media is replete with conspiracy theories that challenge the prevailing beliefs held across the political spectrum—where some hail him for his habit of carrying out slanted “fact-checks” to others who consider him a chronic Hindu-hater, especially in the light of his disparaging tweets against Hindu Gods and his dog-whistling against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

The fact that Zubair has behaved inexplicably following his arrest—from donning a cap and a face mask to his quirk of covering his ears in front of cameras, along with viral claims that nothing is known about Mohammed Zubair before 2012—have only served to lend credence to the conspiracy theories that the Alt News co-founder has a shady past that he is jealously trying to guard.

Viral claims made against the Alt News co-founder amidst the secrecy surrounding his past

One of the claims massively going viral on the internet is that Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair is related to the lone terrorist captured during the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, Ajmal Kasab. The claims say ISI planted Zubair after Kasab’s hanging in 2012. It cites the lack of public information about Mohammed Zubair before 2012, along with his age, to bolster the claim that he is related to Kasab.

Yet another wild theory that is making rounds on social media is that Zubair is no one but Kasab, who somehow escaped with the help of ISI and the CIA and had undergone plastic surgery to avoid being captured.

Some conspiracy theorists are also citing his nebulous past and unavailability of his details before 2012 as grounds to claim that Mohammed Zubair is a Rohingya Muslim who had intruded India from Bangladesh during the influx of Rohingya Muslims in 2013 and got himself a bogus Aadhar card and other documents to live a secret life in Bengaluru.

Still another claim that is rapidly going viral on social media is that Mohammed Zubair might have been involved in the spine-chilling Nirbhaya rape case that shook the national capital and the country in December 2012. The proponents of this theory claim that since Zubair has no history prior to 2012 and the general air of obscurity surrounding his age point to the direction that he may have remained one of the elements of the “crime” that remained unaccounted for, a “juvenile” who needed protection from prying cameras, TV channels and newspapers that widely covered the Nirbharya rape case.

Mohammed Zubair
Source: Twitter

Do the viral claims against Mohammed Zubair hold water?

Even as social media is brimming with viral claims that link Zubair to Kasab, Nirbhaya rape and even Rohingya Muslims, some sympathisers of the Alt News co-founder took to Twitter to debunk the wild assertions made about Mohammed Zubair.

A Twitter user analysed the facial features of Mumbai 26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab with Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair to declare that the claims of him being related to Kasab or him being a living Kasab are far-fetched and absurd.

The user said no comparison was ever made between Zubair and Kasab until his arrest earlier this year for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus with his offensive tweets against Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Comparing the publicly available pictures of Ajmal Kasab and Mohammed Zubair, the Twitter user said the latter’s earlobes are larger than that of the Mumbai 26/11 attacker’s, and therefore, Zubair is unlikely to be a living Kasab.

Making a case that Zubair and Kasab may have been two distinct persons, the Twitter user highlighted Kasab’s eyebrows, which he said were thick, while Zubair had a receding and thin eyebrow line.

The social media user further added that Kasab was a trained terrorist, whereas Zubair came from a corporate background and had no prior experience in militant training. However, the reasoning is implausible since to declare that Zubair had no training in terrorism, one would need to know about his entire life, including what he did before 2012, which continues to remain under the shroud of secrecy.

The user also shared a picture of Mohammed Zubair, allegedly from 2010, to claim that the Alt News co-founder was on a trip to Paris when Ajmal Kasab was languishing in jail. However, OpIndia cannot independently verify if the picture is from Paris or was it taken in 2010.

Besides, a report published in The Frustrated Indian (TFI) makes it unlikely that Zubair was either a cousin of Kasab, a living Kasab, a Nirbhaya rapist or a Rohingya Muslim who crossed over from Bangladesh in 2013-2014. The report said Mohammed Zubair was a staunch Kejriwal supporter when India Against Corruption (IAC) movement was taking root. He was a routine fixture on the TFI Facebook comments section, always having a comment or two to reply to the posts, said the report. The TFI also reportedly awarded Zubair with the comments award for his comments on their Facebook posts, something he could not have done if he were Kasab as Kasab was alleged to have access only to biryani and not broadband in jail, and was counting his last days in 2012.

Taken together, the above discrepancies underscore how Mohammed Zubair, though there is still a cloud of obscurity about what he used to do before 2012, is unlikely to be Kasab, his cousin, a Nirbhaya rapist, or a Rohingya Muslim who had illegally migrated to India.

Attempt to recreate Silchar floods in UP: FIR against 6 including Wasim Khan, Zeeshan Ali and Muddrik Ali for damaging embankment of Sharda Canal

OpIndia Staff
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Attempt to recreate Silchar floods in UP: FIR against 6 including Wasim Khan, Zeeshan Ali and Muddrik Ali for damaging embankment of Sharda Canal

The Hardoi irrigation department officials averted a catastrophic flood-like situation on Friday by nabbing six miscreants trying to break the Sharda Canal embankment in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.

According to Akhilesh Gautam, the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department, Sub Engineer Satyendra Verma was on night patrol with his team when he saw the accused identified as Riksan Shah, Sikandar Shah, Wasim Khan, Sardar Ali, Zeeshan Ali and Muddrik Ali, trying to break the embankment. They were arrested and an FIR was filed against them in the Pasgawan police station.

According to reports, the six accused were breaking through the embankment between the Banikagaon village in Pasgawan block and the Hardoi water branch approximately 97 kilometres away from the Ucholia village in Lakhimpur Kheri.

The authorities said that the Hardoi water branch and Kheri water branch of the Sharda canal are running at full capacity right now. The canal had a discharge capacity of 2946 cusecs of water at the time of the incident. Hundreds of hectares of land in the densely populated villages of Ucholia, Bankagaon, Shivpuri, the Sitapur road and railway line would have been completely submerged if the miscreants had been successful in damaging the embankment. This would have led to a disastrous flood-like situation, said the officials.

It may be recalled that in the month of July, the Assam police arrested two miscreants Mithu Hussain Laskar and Kabul Khan in the state’s Cachar district in connection with the breaking of the Barak river embankment, which resulted in a catastrophic flood in Silchar. 

On May 24, the Water Resources Department filed a police complaint against unknown miscreants for breaking through the embankment at Bethukandi, some 3 kilometres from the town centre, to allow rainwater from a marsh to pour into the Barak river.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had in June stated that the flood was a man-made calamity and that those responsible will face harsh punishment. Sarma had then informed that six persons had been identified as the perpetrators of the embankment collapse that caused a deadly flood in Silchar town.

2006 Aurangabad arms haul case: Bombay HC suspends life imprisonment, grants bail to accused Bilal Ahmed Abdul Razaq

OpIndia Staff
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2006 Aurangabad arms haul case: Bombay HC suspends life imprisonment, grants bail to accused Bilal Ahmed Abdul Razaq

On Friday, the Bombay High Court granted bail to Bilal Ahmed Abdul Razaq, who was convicted of life imprisonment in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court. Bilal was detained on May 27, 2006. Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and V G Bisht issued an order granting Bilal’s request for bail until the hearing and ultimate disposition of his appeal against his conviction in the Aurangabad arms haul case.

The special court in July 2016 sentenced six others, including 26/11 plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, to life in jail until death in the Aurangabad case. It had also sentenced two prisoners to 14 years in prison, while the remaining three had received eight-year terms. The special court acquitted eight others on all charges.

According to the reports, on May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS squad pursued automobiles on the Chandwad-Manmad route near Aurangabad and apprehended three terror suspects. Jundal, the driver of one of the automobiles, had fled the scene. After being deported from Saudi Arabia, he was ultimately apprehended in 2012. Six AK-47 rifles, 3,200 live cartridges, 43 kg of RDX, and 50 hand grenades were also confiscated by the ATS in Khultabad, Yeola, and Malegaon. The prosecution claimed that the weapons were part of a bigger terror scheme.

Bilal’s lawyer, Mubin Solkar, told the court that there was no evidence to suggest his client was involved in any plot because no particular function was given to him. Solkar went on to say that because Bilal has been detained for over 13 years and his appeal would take some time to be heard, he should be freed on bail awaiting the outcome of his appeal. The state government’s special counsel, senior attorney Raja Thakare, however, rejected the plea, claiming that the nature of the offenses and overwhelming evidence showing Bilal’s guilt made it unfit for him to be released on bail.

The High Court, taking note of co-accused Mohd Amir’s confession stated, “It is clear that he Amir preached or asked Bilal on several occasions to be ready for jihad, which amounted to incriminating material against Bilal and also showed that he was involved in the common thought process/conspiracy to strike jihad.” The special judge further noted that Bilal followed other suspects to Kashmir, where he met a man named Junaid and was introduced to other terrorists.

“Merely because Bilal attended meetings or was urged to join Jihad, it cannot be construed as a preparedness or intent on his side to play a prominent role in Jihad, particularly where there is no prima facie cogent and persuasive evidence against him,” the HC stated adding that in Amir’s confessional testimony, no damning deed is attributed to Bilal.

It went on to say that because Amir’s confessional statement had been repudiated and disowned, the special judge’s findings based on it “looked to be not grounded on evidence on record.” The HC further ruled that the failure to produce call data records for Bilal’s cellphone number would not result in any adverse inference.

“We are prima facie of the view that (Bilal) has made out a good case for grant of bail and suspension of his sentences, pending the hearing and final disposal of his appeal. It has to be taken into consideration that he has been in jail for more than 16 years and therefore, this material aspect will have to be borne in mind. We are, therefore, inclined to grant the application”, the Court said.

The HC directed Bilal to be released on furnishing Rs 50,000 as a personal bond with sureties and asked him to report to the trial court once in three months till his appeal is disposed. It has also ordered Bilal to keep the trial court updated on his current address and contact information regularly. It cautioned that if there are two consecutive failures to appear before the trial court, the prosecution will be free to seek bail revocation.

Urban Naxal Himanshu Kumar refuses to pay fine imposed on him by SC for making ‘false and fabricated’ allegations against security forces

OpIndia Staff
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Urban Naxal Himanshu Kumar refuses to pay fine imposed on him by SC for making ‘false and fabricated’ allegations against security forces

On July 14, the Supreme Court of India imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Urban Naxal Himanshu Kumar while calling the allegations raised in a writ petition filed by him false and fabricated. Today (July 16), the Chhattisgarh ‘activist’ has said that he won’t pay the “exemplary” cost of Rs 5 lakh imposed on him by the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Speaking to Indian Express, Kumar said he will not pay the fine and instead he will go to jail. “I know I will go to jail. Paying the fine would mean accepting that I did something wrong,” he said.

SC rebukes Chhattisgarh petitioner calling allegations made by him “false and fabricated” 

Notably, the apex court had imposed the fine while dismissing the writ petition filed by Himanshu Kumar seeking a CBI probe against Central Security Forces and Chhatisgarh Police for allegedly killing 17 tribals in Dantewada in 2009. The apex court found the allegations raised in the petition false and fabricated. 

Furthermore, the apex court has given the central government liberty to book Kumar for conspiracy and forging evidence against the central security forces and state Police. It has also given the central government liberty to register offences for conspiracy and forging evidence against all involved in making false accusations against security forces.

The writ petition filed by the Chhattisgarh Urban Naxal Himanshu Kumar

In the petition, Himanshu Kumar had alleged that the security forces killed 17 innocent tribal people and tortured many others. Based on the alleged testimonies recorded by him in 2009, Kumar claimed to have been forced out of the Naxal-dominating regions of Jharkhand after he filed the petition. Kumar ran an NGO named Vanvasi Chetna Ashram.

In his petition, Kumar claimed he recorded testimonies of residents of three villages that were then in Dantewada district and now come under Sukma district. In the testimonies, the locals allegedly accused security forces of killing two villagers in Velpocha and Nalkathong and nine villagers in Gompad. Both incidents allegedly took place in October 2009. Another six were claimed to have been killed on September 17, 2009. Several others were allegedly injured by the security forces.

Reply from the central government

In its reply to the Supreme Court against the allegations by Kumar, the Union Home Ministry urged the apex court to hand over the matter to CBI or NIA to identify the individuals who file false cases against the security forces to protect Naxal extremists.

In its reply, the centre said that after examining the recordings and other evidence, it was found that the testimonies were false and fabricated. The recordings submitted before the apex court revealed that all the averments made by the petitioner were ex-facie false and fabricated.

Calcutta HC orders high-level probe into abduction of a pig from Kalyani district court, directs legal action against police officer for inaction

OpIndia Staff
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Calcutta HC orders high-level probe into abduction of a pig from Kalyani district court, directs legal action against police officer for inaction

On Friday, the Calcutta High Court ordered a high-level probe into the mysterious disappearance of Ghana, a pig that roamed the grounds of Kalyani Court before being allegedly kidnapped by a group of men four months ago. In addition, the court directed the Ranaghat SP to initiate legal action against the investigating officer for his failure to act.

The pig had lived on the Kalyani ACJM court grounds for a long time and was well-known to visitors. Every day, he and the stray dogs would be fed by a number of advocates. Consequently, when it sent missing, a group of his caretaker advocates and locals came together and filed a police case at Kalyani police station after he was “abducted” by unidentified individuals on March 25.

Justice Shampa Sarkar, who had already heard the case twice, castigated the police’s inaction on Friday. The court was interested to learn why, despite having video evidence of the pig kidnapping episode, the police were unable to locate the vehicle involved and the alleged criminals. She also asked the Ranaghat SP to keep a close eye on the inquiry.

From the CCTV footage. (Source: TOI)

The police were informed by the night guards on duty at the court that several unidentified individuals had arrived in a car and taken the pig away. However, it is claimed that the police did nothing. Days later, under the direction of Anumita Bhadra, a group of advocates went to the police and filed a missing complaint. “Four unknown people came in a white car and forcibly dragged the pig (Ghana) out of the court premises and took him away. The car had a yellow number plate. Two among the night security guards recorded the entire episode on their cellphones,” the complaint mentioned.

The Kalyani Police eventually filed an FIR based on the complaint. However, with the police probe having yielded no results, a group of advocates petitioned the Calcutta High Court last week, claiming police inactivity.

Justice Sarkar also instructed the Ranaghat SP to take legal action against the investigating officer for failing to incorporate certain provisions of the 1979 Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act into the complaint. The court additionally ordered that adequate security measures be maintained at the Kalyani ACJM court after taking notice of the incident.

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