Home Blog Page 3561

Delhi HC refuses to dismiss FIR against rape accused govt employee following settlement and marriage with the victim

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi HC refuses to dismiss FIR against rape accused govt employee following settlement and marriage with the victim

The Delhi High Court has refused to dismiss an FIR filed against a government employee charged with rape, stating that such an FIR cannot be dismissed on the basis of a settlement reached between the parties and their subsequent marriage because it does not absolve the claimed violation.

The Court was hearing a motion to quash an FIR filed under sections 376, 323, and 506 of the IPC against the man. The woman informed police that she got into an argument with her male companion, the petitioner, who is a government employee, and that he tried to attack her. Later, she revealed that the man had committed sexual assault on her when she went to talk to him about their marriage.

The lady alleged that she contacted the man via matrimonial website Jeevansathi.com, and that he wanted her telephone number. The man then informed her that he was 32 years old, single, and a Customs officer. He did, however, hide the fact that he had a prior love marriage and that his first wife had committed suicide, for which a court case was underway.

Later, the man put vermillion on her and told her that they were husband and wife, but he refused to let her meet his family. The woman further claimed in her complaint that the petitioner then raped her in a car, following which she filed another complaint against him.

She later dropped her case after the man returned to the police station and made another vow to marry her.

The Court noted that, while both parties had reached an amicable settlement and the lady had also filed an affidavit on record stating that they have married each other and has no objection if the FIR was quashed, charges could not be said to have been negated or that the accusations levelled by the lady regarding the alleged crime had lost their gravity.

Saying that rape is not a crime against individuals but an act against society, Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar stated that “In the present case, the petitioner is a Government Servant, working as Superintendent with Customs & CGST department, Govt. of India, holding a Gazetted post. So being a Government Servant, he is expected to maintain high moral rectitude and decent standard of conduct in his personal/private life and not bring discredit to his service by his misdemeanours.”

“In view of the settled position enumerated in Gian Singh’s case (supra) and other cases referred to hereinabove, the criminal proceedings emanating from FIR No. 219/2021 registered at Police Station Patparganj Industrial Area, with the allegations of rape cannot be quashed in exercise of powers vested in this Court under Section 482 Cr.P.C. on the basis of settlement between the complainant (Respondent No. 2) and the petitioner and their subsequent marriage as the same does not waive off the offence as alleged by the complainant against the petitioner,” the Court ordered accordingly dismissing the petition.

‘Allah gave birth to the Sun, we cannot worship it’: JDU MLC Gulam Rasool Balyawi opposes Surya Namaskar on January 12

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Allah gave birth to the Sun, we cannot worship it’: JDU MLC Gulam Rasool Balyawi opposes Surya Namaskar on January 12

Bharatiya Janata Party is observing ‘Surya Namaskar’ Day on January 12 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Swamy Vivekananda. It was expected that its allies in Bihar would participate in the celebrations. However, Janta Dal (United)’s Bihar MLC Gulam Rasool Balyawi has created a controversy by refusing to participate in the event, as it is not allowed in Islam. He added that as Allah gave birth to the sun, Muslims can’t pray to the sun.

Gulam Rasool Balyawi said, “In Islam, we worship only Allah. The followers of Allah and Islam cannot worship any other object that Allah has created. We worship the one who gives birth and not who are born.” Furthermore, he said ‘Surya Namaskar’ means worshipping the Sun, which is prohibited in Islam. Referring to the Constitution of India, he said, “Every individual has the freedom to follow Gods and Goddess as per their faith. In Islam, we believe that God is only one, and we worship Allah.”

Congress leader Kamal Nath has also opposed the Surya Namaskar day on January 12, although for different reasons. He has demanded that the event should be cancelled due to the Covid-19 situation, which has started to worsen in the country. “We are not against Surya Namaskar but seeing the increasing cases of Corona infections, we want children to do Surya Namaskar but in the safety of their homes. There should not be collective Surya Namaskar functions held in crowded public places because it will break the Corona guidelines,” he said.

Earlier, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board(AIMPLB) had objected to the central government’s directive to organise ‘Surya Namaskar’ in schools between January 1 to 7 on the 75th anniversary of Independence Day. In a statement issued by AIMPLB, the board stated that Islam prohibits ‘Surya Namaskar’ as it is a form of Surya puja.

“Such a program should not be organised in schools at all, which causes problems for students of other religions. The government should envision programmes keeping national security in mind. Muslim students should boycott such programmes of Surya Namaskar organised in their schools. They should refrain from attending such program as Islam does not allow them to participate in such program,” the official statement by AIMPLB said.

84-yr-old Bihar man, who allegedly took 11 doses of COVID -19 vaccine, to face probe

OpIndia Staff
-
0
84-yr-old Bihar man, who allegedly took 11 doses of COVID -19 vaccine, to face probe

The Bihar Police has booked an 84-yr-old man, Bramhadev Mandal, who had earlier claimed to have taken 11 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Mandal, a resident of the Puraini area of Madhepura, Bihar, allegedly misled healthcare workers at different places with different identity cards since the vaccination drive started last year in January. He had claimed the multiple vaccine doses also helped him in his knee pain.

According to Police officials, Primary health care (PHC), Puraini had earlier registered a complaint against Mandal and the investigation is underway. “It has been alleged in the complaint that Mandal misled health workers on different dates and places, on the basis of different identity cards, and got 11 vaccine doses, breaking the rules of vaccination. This has been done by him between February 13, 2021, and January 4, 2022,” the Station House officer added.

According to Bramhadev Mandal, he has never fallen ill after taking repeated doses of the vaccine and his health has started to improve. Responding to Mandal’s claims, Dr Amarendra Pratap Shahi, Civil Surgeon, Madhepura said, “Whether his claims are true or false is a matter of investigation. We will check the hospital records and take action against the persons involved in the matter if his claims are found to be true.”

Additional Secretary & Mission Director, National Health Mission, Vikas Sheel added, ”only one person named Brahmdev Mandal and age 85 has got vaccinated, that too with a unique Aadhaar number”. He reminded that the Co-Win app does not allow multiple beneficiaries on the same ID and doing so is against the vaccination rules.

Indian Express spreads fake news, claims BJP workers raised “Khalistani slogans” near Ludhiana DC’s office: Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Indian Express spreads fake news, claims BJP workers raised “Khalistani slogans” near Ludhiana DC’s office: Here is the truth

A report in English Daily Indian Express was published on January 8 with the title ‘Khalistani slogans raised by BJP workers near Ludhiana DC’s office’. The title, at first, clearly communicates that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers raised slogans favouring Khalistan. However, the reality is far from the clickbait title that IE has used.

Tweet by Indian Express Punjab with misleading title. Source: Twitter

The anti-Khalistan slogans raised by BJP

At the beginning of the report, IE said Ludhiana BJP workers, along with their supporters, reached the district Deputy Commissioner’s office to submit a memorandum in regards to the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozpur. As per the report, ‘Khalistani slogans were raised’.

Moving further, IE’s own report suggested the slogans that BJP workers raised were of ‘Khalistania da yaar Channi murdabad’ (friend of Khalistanis, Channi Murdabad), and ‘Attwadian nu panah den wala Channi murdabad’ (one who host terrorists, Channi murdabad).

Snippet from IE’s report clearly saying the slogans were anti-Khalistan. Source: Indian Express

IE quoted Pushpinder Singal, district president of BJP, saying that when BJP’s workers were going for the rally via buses, they were stopped multiple times. “At some of these stops, the protesters [allegedly] were raising slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ and were spotted tearing posters of PM Narendra Modi. These protesters were mostly youngsters, and we don’t know under whose influence they were raising these slogans. There were policemen everywhere, yet they did nothing when the slogans were raised. They just watched on as mute spectators. If you are quiet, then you become a party to the wrongdoing. The police were acting under the direction of the Punjab government. Hence, today slogans were raised to condemn those slogans. Today’s slogans mentioned the CM as a friend of Khalistanis and also as someone who acts as a host for terrorists.”

Speaking to OpIndia, Pushpinder Singal said he would look into the matter and talk to Indian Express about the misleading title.

CCI set to investigate Google after digital news publishers allege abuse of dominance in ad revenue share

OpIndia Staff
-
0
CCI set to investigate Google after digital news publishers allege abuse of dominance in ad revenue share

Fair Trade regulator Competition Council of India (CCI) has decided to initiate a probe against tech Giant Google. This came after a complaint filed by The Digital Publishers Association claiming that Google was abusing its position as a dominant player in news aggregation by imposing unfair conditions on news publishers.

The Digital Publishers Association is a private body that secures the interests of digital news publishers. In its petition, it had accused Google of denying fair share in online advertising revenue while hiding necessary information to reach a fair settlement. While speaking on behalf of its members, the organisation said that news portals are determined to invest a sizeable amount of effort and revenue in providing fair and credible news.

In response to the petition, The CCI has asked its Director General of Investigation to launch a probe on the basis of the case filed by the Digital Publishers Association and to submit a report in 60 days. In a 21-page initial order, The CCI said, “In a well-functioning democracy, the critical role played by news media can’t be undermined.” It asserted that Google appears acting as a gateway between various news publishers and readers. The commission added that in its prima facie view, Google has violated provisions of Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002 which accounts for abuse of dominant position.

“The allegations of the informant, when seen in this vertically integrated ecosystem operated by Google, makes it prima facie appear that news publishers have no choice but to accept the terms and conditions imposed by Google” added CCI on Friday. According to the body, while the tech giant channels 50% of total traffic on digital news portals, through its algorithms it determines which news website gets searched prominently through Google search.

Earlier in September 2021, Google India was found guilty of stifling competition by mandating the pre-installation of its product apps in mobile phones by the Competition Commission of India.

Intimate picture of Jacqueline Fernandez with conman Sukesh goes viral, actress requests people to respect her privacy

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Intimate picture of Jacqueline Fernandez with conman Sukesh goes viral, actress requests people to respect her privacy

Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez issued a statement asking fans and media to respect her privacy after her picture of an intimate moment with alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar was shared widely on social media.

An intimate picture Jacqueline and Sukesh went viral on the internet and was used by several media houses to establish a deeper link between the actress and the con artist.

Taking to Twitter and Instagram on Saturday evening (December 8) appealed to people not to circulate the images, intruding on her privacy and personal space. She said that she has been facing a tough and tumultuous time in her life and she hopes to bounce back soon.

“This country and its people have always given me tremendous love and respect. This includes my friends from the media, from whom I have learned a lot. I am currently going through a rough patch but I am sure that my friends and fans will see me through it. It is with this trust that I would request my media friends to not circulate images of a nature that intrude on my privacy and personal space. You would not do this to your own loved ones, am sure you would not do this to me either. Hoping that justice and good sense prevails. Thank you,” the statement read.

In the picture, she is seen in a compromising position with Sukesh who is an accused of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Rs 200 Crore money laundering case.

Aditi S Singh, the wife of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Fortis and Religare Enterprises Shivinder Singh, had charged Sukesh for cheating Rs 200 crore on the promise of helping her in her husband in a case of scam.

Notably, Jacqueline is linked in this case as the ED questioned her association and financial transactions with this conman who claimed to be the owner of Sun TV And many other things.

According to media reports Sukesh admitted to being in a relationship with Jacqueline and gave her costly gifts.

Money laundering investigation revealed had gifted diamond-studded jewellery sets, crockeries, four Persian cats worth 36 lakhs and a horse worth Rs 52 lakh. ED has found evidence of financial transaction between the two, and he had given gifts worth Rs 10 crore to her.

Sukesh also used to chat with Jacqueline over mobile from jail. After he received bail last year, he booked a chartered flight for himself and also arranged for chartered flights for Jacqueline to meet her in Chennai.

Jacqueline has been named in the chargesheet filed by ED against Sukesh along with his wife, dancer-actor Nora Fatehi, and others.

Sikh cab driver assaulted, turban ripped off by unidentified person in NY, State Dept condemns after India raised issue with US authorities

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Sikh cab driver assaulted, turban ripped off by unidentified person in NY, State Dept condemns after India raised issue with US authorities

An unidentified man assaulted an Indian-origin Sikh man earlier this week at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in a suspected hate crime. After a video of the event was shared on Twitter on Tuesday, it went viral on social media.

On January 4, Navjot Pal Kaur shared an undated 26-second video to the microblogging site Twitter, depicting a man attacking a Sikh Indian-origin cab driver outside the airport. A bystander at the airport, she said, captured the footage.

The assailant can be heard reportedly abusing the victim with vulgarities. The assailant was seen continually striking and punching him, causing his turban to fall off.

“This video was taken by a bystander at John F. Kennedy International Airport. I do not own the rights to this video. But I just wanted to highlight the fact that hatred continues to remain in our society and unfortunately, I’ve seen Sikh cab drivers get assaulted again and again,” Ms Kaur Tweeted.

There were no further facts regarding the driver or the reason of the accident available at the time of writing of this report.

Twitter users reacted angrily to the video. Many people were outraged by the occurrence and asked that it be investigated thoroughly.

“Another Sikh cab driver assaulted. This one at JFK Airport in NYC. So upsetting to see. But it’s crucial that we don’t look away… What I am sure of is how painful it is to watch our fathers and elders get assaulted while they’re just trying to live an honest life.”

“For those who aren’t Sikh, I can’t put into words what it means to have your turban knocked off — or to see someone else’s turban knocked off. It’s visceral and gut-wrenching and just so disheartening to witness,” Simran Jeet Singh tweeted.

“That humble man is on defensive because he is on a foreign land and he doesn’t know if he will have community support. You try this here!” tweeted Partho Chakravarty.

Executive response to the incident

The event has been termed as “deeply disturbing” by India’s Consulate General in New York, that raised it with US authorities and urged them to investigate.

On Saturday, the Indian Consulate General in New York tweeted, “The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate this violent incident.”

The attack on the Sikh cab driver at JFK International Airport was termed as “very disturbing” by the Department of State’s South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau, which condemned all forms of hate-based violence.

Similar incidents of attack on Indian-origin Sikh drivers in past

This is not the first time a Sikh cab driver in the United States has been assaulted. In a suspected hate crime, an Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was beaten and racially harassed in the US state of Washington in 2019. The driver informed cops that he believed his race led to the attack.

A 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was beaten and had his turban ripped off by intoxicated passengers in 2017.

Delhi police arrests mastermind behind Sulli Deals app: Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi police arrests mastermind behind Sulli Deals app: Here is what we know so far

In a major breakthrough, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) of Delhi Police Special Cell arrested the creator and mastermind of the Sulli Deals app. The development comes days after cops nabbed three accused in the Bulli Bai app case.

As per reports, the accused has been identified as 25-year-old Omkeshwar Thakur. He was nabbed based on the inputs given by the creator of the Bulli Bai app, Niraj Bishnoi. During interrogation, Thakur informed that he developed the Sulli Deals app on GitHub in July last year, where pictures of Muslim women were put up for ‘virtual auction.’

The creator of the Sulli Deals app is a BCA student. He has revealed the involvement of several people in the case.

Delhi Police arrests main culprit of ‘Bulli Bai’ app case from Assam

Months after the controversial ‘Sulli Deals’ app, which had offered pics of Muslim women as ‘deals’, one ‘Bulli Bai’ app appeared on the open-source code repository Github on January 1 this year. Niraj Bishnoi, the alleged mastermind behind the controversial ‘Bulli app’ was arrested by the Delhi Police, IFSO special cell on January 6 from Jorhat in Assam. The accused, a 21-year-old engineering student, has confessed to his act, police said in a statement.

Three other suspects were previously apprehended by Mumbai police. Bishnoi had criticised the Mumbai police for arresting the other suspect whom he claimed were innocent. Bishnoi disclosed during his interrogation that he created the ‘Bulli Bai’ app on Github as well as the @bullibai_Twitter handle and others too, police said.

During interrogation, he stated that the GitHub application was established in November 2021 and updated a month later. “The Twitter account was set up on December 31st. Bishnoi further revealed that he created a second Twitter account, @Sage0x1, to tweet about BulliBai, but that he later deleted it,” DCP IFSO KPS Malhotra stated.

Farmer leader turned politician says he has proof of AAP selling tickets after AAP workers thrashed each other and heckled Raghav Chadha for it

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Farmer leader turned politician says he has proof of AAP selling tickets after AAP workers thrashed each other and heckled Raghav Chadha for it

Balbir Singh Rajewal, founder of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) and the political front of farmer unions Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), has alleged he has proof that Aam Aadmi Party is selling tickets in Punjab. During an interview with Times of India, when Rajewal was asked if there was any possibility of forming an alliance with AAP, he denied the possibility and said, “AAP is behaving like other traditional parties, where tickets are sold. We have proof of it. AAP wants to take Punjab water to Delhi.”

On the contrary, Raghav Chadha, co-in-charge, AAP Punjab, refuted the allegations that his party was taking money to distribute tickets for Punjab assembly elections. Calling the allegations absurd, he said, “These are absurd allegations. There is no amount or person who can buy Raghav Chadha, the AAP, or Arvind Kejriwal. I want to say this very clearly to my opponents.”

Chadha further called the ‘fist-fight’ among AAP workers over ticket distribution an ‘internal matter of the party. He said there are always some differences among the workers that would be resolved within the party.

Interestingly, Chadha tried to present the ruckus AAP workers created on Friday as a good sign. He said, “Have you ever seen anyone fighting for BJPs ticket? I do not want to say anything about any party, but have you seen anyone fighting in any other party for a ticket from a particular constituency. Competition over tickets happens in only that party which is going to form the next government and the party which has a wave going for it.”

AAP workers indulged in a fist-fight in Jalandhar

On Friday, AAP workers created a ruckus at the press conference and indulged in a fist-fight over ticket distribution. The incident took place when Chadha was to induct Dinesh Dhall, a former Congress leader, into the party. Dr Sanjeev Sharma and Shiv Dyal Mali, who were looking forward to securing a party ticket to the contest from Jalandhar, reached Jalandhar Press Club, where the press conference was taking place with their supporters.

The supporters of the two raised black flags and slogans against Chadha, leading to an argument with the AAP workers present at the press club. Within a few minutes, the fist-fight started, and Chadha was seen escaping the Press Club in an SUV. The AAP workers protesting against their own party raised slogans like “Raghav Chadha Chor Hai”. The ruckus continued for around 40-50 minutes.

Alec Baldwin blames ‘right-wing hate’ for ‘misinformation’ about the ‘Rust’ shooting, compares hate against him to Capitol Hill siege

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Alec Baldwin blames ‘right-wing hate’ for ‘misinformation’ about the ‘Rust’ shooting, compares hate against him to Capitol Hill siege

On Saturday (January 8), Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin, currently under investigation, mysteriously blamed ‘right-wing hate’ for “misinformation” about the investigation process in the killing of Director of Cinematography Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie ‘Rust.’

In a video posted on Instagram, the actor said, “The best/only way we can honour the death of Halyna Hutchins is to find out the truth.” He claimed to have been insisting investigative agencies do everything in their power to find out what had actually happened.

“Any suggestions that we are not complying is a lie…As soon as we go for this process, by all means, we will comply. I have no worries about that. That will work itself out, regardless of what they say in these right-wing rag sheets and people who are all about hate,” Alec Baldwin alleged. He then went on to compare the ‘hate against him’ for the ‘accidental death’ of Hutchins to the US Capitol Hill siege of January 6.

During his 4:47 minute monologue, the actor claimed, “Any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone, that’s bullshit. That’s a lie.” His comments came at the backdrop of a search warrant issued by a New Mexico court.

Alec Baldwin suggested that the delay in investigation is due to the fact that he lived in New York while the incident took place in New Mexico. Alec Baldwin blamed the ‘investigation process’ for any ‘perceived delay’ in the probe, adding that the police force from another State need to follow certain protocols to seek information from him.

“They have to specify what exactly they want. They can’t simply go for your phone, your photos or love letters to your wife…We are 1000% going to comply with all that,” he concluded.

Journalist accuses Hollywood actor of not co-operating with investigation agencies

Jack Posobiec, the Senior Editor of Human Events, pointed out how the actor had tried to blame the shooting of Halyna Hutchins and the January 6 incident on right wing hate. While emphasising that Baldwin had not been cooperating with the authorities, Posobiec stated, “He also claims he is complying with the investigation while obviously recording the video on his phone that the sheriff has ordered him to turn over.”

The Background of the case against Alec Baldwin

On October 21 last year, American actor and producer Alec Baldwin was in the news for ‘accidentally’ shooting cinematographer Hutchins with a prop gun on the set of a movie ‘Rust’. Reportedly, the director of the movie was injured while the director of cinematography Halyna Hutchins was killed in the incident. The incident took place at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County in New Mexico during the shoot of the film.

In December 2021, a search warrant was issued by the police for Alec Baldwin’s phone to be searched in connection with the death of Hutchins. The warrant was issued by a Sante Fe court in New Mexico. It said, “there may be evidence on the phone” that could be “material and relevant to this investigation”. Investigators were asked to confiscate Mr Baldwin’s Apple iPhone that is “believed to be in his possession”.

Only two weeks after Alec Baldwin gave his first interview about the shooting, the police thought that there could be evidence on his phone. The police now want to check the emails, photos, text messages, call logs and web browser history on Baldwin’s phone. According to reports, the police also want to see if any private messages were sent over social media platforms.

The Hollywood Actor has been known over the years for his violent antiques and eccentric behaviour, from fights with photographers to calling his then eleven-year-old child Ireland Baldwin a “rude, thoughtless little pig”

1...3,5603,5613,562...7,585Page 3,561 of 7,585