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Circus of the damned: Mainstream media welcomes new digital media guidelines but begs to be exempt, left leaning outlets are heartbroken

K Bhattacharjee
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Circus of the damned: Mainstream media welcomes new digital media guidelines but begs to be exempt, left leaning outlets are heartbroken

Members of Digital News Publishers’ Association (DNPA) met I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar recently over the new guidelines for Digital Media and requested that news websites associated with traditional media houses be exempted from the new rules as they already follow norms set by the Press Council of India.

One of the participants told The Economic Times on the condition of anonymity, “We told the minister that our websites follow the same regulations set by the Press Council of India (PCI) and/or News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA). The newsrooms are the same, and the editors approving the content for websites are also mindful of the norms newspapers and TV follow. We already have similar systems in place. So why put us through these regulations?”

After the meeting, the DNPA issued a statement saying, “DNPA made suggestions that preserve freedom of the press and emphasised that all its members are bound by, and follow, regulations of PCI and/or NBSA.” Dainik Bhaskar, India Today Group, NDTV, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, The Times of India, Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran, Eenadu, and Malayala Manorama are the leading media houses of the organisation.

The amusing aspect of it is NDTV, fake news peddler in chief among traditional media houses, is part of the DNPA as well. It is perhaps the first time that the NDTV has welcomed any move by the NDA Government at the center. Such are the times we live in. The India Today Group, which boasts of propagandist luminaries such as Rajdeep Sardesai and Rahul Kanwal, is among its ranks as well.

The Ministry said in a statement, “The participants while welcoming the new rules stated that TV and print news media have been following the laid down norms of the Cable Television Network Act and the Press Council Act for a very long time. Further for publishing the digital versions, the publishers do follow the existing norms of the traditional platforms. They felt that they should be treated differently than those news publishers who are only on the digital platform.”

Thus, it appears that the meeting was constructive and all sides are happy with the discussions that transpired. Left-leaning digital media outlets, however, are not happy with the development. They feel that they have been thrown under the bus by the traditional media houses.

Dhanya Rajendran of The News Minutes expressed ‘hope’ that a clarification will be issued over the matter.

Jency Jacob, Managing Editor of Boom, called DNPA’s statement “shameful’ and said “not sure why it was needed”.

Supriya Sharma of Scroll asked why the association members called themselves ‘Digital News Publishers’.

Abhinandan Sekhri of Newslaundry was not too happy about it either.

The only thing that appears surprising here is that people associated with leftist media portals are surprised with the DNPA’s conduct over the matter. It is not clear why they expected their cooperation in the first place.

There does not appear to be an instance where the DNPA told them specifically that they would support their stance regarding the new regulations for Digital Media. The Leftist portals appear to be outraged that the DNPA is looking out for the interests of its own members.

On the part of the DNPA, their request makes sense. It is natural that they would want concessions for the member media houses. It is the very objective of interest groups, to ensure that the interests of its members are served.

The sheer level of entitlement that the leftist digital media outlets suffer from is mind-boggling indeed. On odd days, they curse and rant against the traditional media houses and call them ‘Godi Media’ despite the latter’s dedicated anti-Modi campaign that very often involves malicious fake news. One cannot blame the MSM for being annoyed and angry with the left-leaning media portals.

On even days, they want the same media houses to protect the interests of the leftist media portals. It seems they want to eat their cake and have it too. In fact, when the association was formed in 2018, Digital Media actively steered clear of it.

Nikhil Pahwa of Medianama expressed his unhappiness with the DNPA over recent events. But back in 2018, he did not see the need for norms to curb fake news. He had said, “Every publication has its own norms and editorial practices, just as we do. I don’t see the need for uniformity and a common code just as yet. We are not interested in signing up to a set of norms because that lays the groundwork for formal content regulation norms from the government, and suggests that our freedom of speech, which is restricted under Article 19(2) of the Indian constitution, is open to further control from the government. We don’t see the need for self-regulatory norms at this point in time, so I do not support this idea at this point in time.”

So after criticising and deliberately pouring insults on the formation of the association, they are now surprised that the DNPA is not looking after their interests. Colour me surprised. This is not in defense of DNPA in any manner. We are not vouching for their integrity, only admiring their ability to crawl when asked to bend.

After all, it is how those in the mainstream media have preserved their influence over the years. They can always be counted on to throw their friends under the bus if it can provide them with a competitive advantage.

Thus, we have a situation where mainstream media houses welcome the new regulatory framework for digital media websites but beg that they be exempted from it. It is quite convenient, indeed. It is now up to the government to decide whether their demands are legitimate or otherwise.

UP Police nab 3 persons for trafficking 15 minor children from Bihar to Delhi, rescue the children from a bus

OpIndia Staff
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UP Police nab 3 persons for trafficking 15 minor children from Bihar to Delhi, rescue the children from a bus

In a major development, the Uttar Pradesh Crime Branch has apprehended three people for trafficking 15 underage children to the National Capital from Bihar.

As per reports, the accused have been identified as Sayyaz Alam, Deepak Rishi and Vikrant Mandal. The child traffickers had gathered 15 children from different parts of Bihar under the pretext of offering them jobs. They claimed to have the consent of the family members of the victims, before boarding them on a bus. The accused were apprehended in Gorakhpur while they were trying to smuggle the children.

While speaking about the development, SP (Gorakhpur) Mahendra Pal Singh said that a case was registered against the three accused under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, Section 79 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 370 (5) for trafficking. He informed that three men are residents of Bihar and were arrested by the Crime Branch from Tendua toll plaza in Gorakhpur.

Victims counselled, claimed that they were being promised a trip to Delhi

SP Mahendra Pal Singh said that the Crime Branch had received a tip-off about an incoming bus (UP 83/2955) from Bihar, smuggling underage children. As such, the police stopped the said bus at the toll plaza at around 12:50 am and rescued the children. The police officer informed that the victims have been handed over to ChildLine and are being provided counselling. They will be soon be handed over to their family members. During the counselling, the children said that the trio told them that they were being taken for a trip to the National Capital.

Accused have been smuggling children to Delhi for money

On interrogating accused Sayyaz Alam, he confessed to smuggling 6 children from Bihar to Jaipur. He admitted that he had two minor in his possession. It must be mentioned that Alam is a neighbour of the two underage children. In his defence, he claimed that the other children had come along with him in search of work with consent from their family members.

The other accused, named Deepak Rishi, also trafficked 4 children to put them in dairy shops. He claimed to have travelled with the children for the first time, in search of jobs. SP Mahendra Pal Singh said that the accused had been smuggling children to the National Capital in exchange for a commission.

How I discovered that Bengal is full of ‘meat-eating vegetarians’

Abhishek Banerjee
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How I discovered that Bengal is full of ‘meat-eating vegetarians’

As a deeply secular, liberal and progressive person, you can imagine how I have felt about this country since 2014. Sure, the BJP won the 2014 elections, but that was because of all those Hindi speaking states. Okay, Gujarat and Maharashtra may not be Hindi speaking states, but close enough. What about Karnataka? There is always an exception somewhere to every rule. Just like the first past the post electoral system. It was good for sixty years. Suddenly in 2014, it was the worst.

But I have struggled to explain things that have happened after the 2014 election. First, the BJP swept all the states in the northeast. And now, the BJP has momentum on its side in states like Odisha and Telangana. The BJP is now polling a solid 15 per cent of the vote in Kerala and gaining ground in Puducherry. And then, there is Bengal.

Oh man, this hurts. Et tu, Bengal? All those decades we leftists spent in Delhi and New York glorifying the poverty of Calcutta and this is how you repay us? According to the 2011 census, Bengal had the highest number of beggars per lakh of population. I thought we were friends. You beg on the street. I take a photo of you begging and then go beg for an award at a film festival in Paris or Berlin. Our left-wing economists go to America to beg for Nobel Prizes. We are all in this together.

I was confused. According to my well accepted scholarly theories, the BJP was a party of Hindi speaking vegetarians. No, wait! Make that party of upper caste, Hindi speaking, vegetarian, cisgender, able-bodied males. Then how would I explain the BJP’s massive gains all over the northeast, Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Karnataka and now even Kerala or Puducherry?

They say that when in doubt, read more. And that’s what I did. So I began reading up the works of everyone who already agrees with me. I pored over pages of the New York Times, the Washington Post and scanned articles by some beloved Indian journalists who were present at my last award ceremony. Surely I was not the only one suffering from the post-2014 stress disorder.

Some patterns began to emerge. Like ‘undeclared emergency.’ Even if I can’t see it, I can believe that it exists. This continued for a while until I chanced upon a report by the famous V-Dem institute based in Sweden. They have concluded that India is now an ‘electoral autocracy.’

That’s when I had my epiphany. When confronted with evidence that contradicts my assumptions, I don’t have to reject my assumptions. I can pretend that both are true at the same time.

How? By simply juxtaposing the labels. For example, if I were to say that India is currently under a state of emergency, I could get contradicted on facts. But if I admitted that India is not under emergency, it would contradict my beliefs. But what if I said ‘undeclared emergency’? Then, I don’t have to reject the facts nor do I have to reject my beliefs. I can keep them both. Because undeclared emergency does not actually mean anything, I win.

Similarly, if I say that India is an autocracy, nobody would believe me. After all, which autocratic country would allow protesters to occupy a highway and literally build pucca houses on it? But if I admitted otherwise, it would hurt my feelings. So how about I say ‘elected autocracy’? Because nobody knows what that means, they have to accept my version of the story.

Like ’eminent citizen.’ If I told someone that they are not a citizen, they would feel insulted. On the other hand, if I admitted that I am equal to other people, I would feel insulted. That is why I have always called myself an eminent citizen. As with so many other things, the Communists figured it out first. Think ‘People’s Republic.’ I choose a label I want and then I add a qualifier which nobody understands. Now, it can mean anything that I want it to mean.

Armed with these revelations, I had my solution. Everyone who votes for BJP is upper caste, Hindi speaking, vegetarian, cisgender and able-bodied male. Even the females (I get bonus woke points for realizing this). What about the Bengalis who are voting for BJP? They are simply ‘Bengali Hindi-speakers.’ And what of the BJP voting Bengalis who love their fish and meat? No problem. They are ‘meat-eating vegetarians.’

Problem solved. Article in The Washington Post coming soon…

Election Commission says West Bengal government’s report on Mamata Banerjee’s injury is ‘sketchy’, asks to submit a new report with details

OpIndia Staff
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Election Commission says West Bengal government’s report on Mamata Banerjee’s injury is ‘sketchy’, asks to submit a new report with details

The Election Commission of India is not satisfied with the report filed by the West Bengal government on the incident in Nandigram that caused injury to chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The ECI has said that the report lacks key details, and has asked the chief secretary to submit a revised report by the end of the day today.

The West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay had submitted a report on the incident to the Election Commission, as per the instructions of the EC. In the report, the state govt had said that the CM was injured after the door of her car had hit her legs. The report also mentioned that a huge crowd was present at the spot in Nandigram when the incident happened.

Most importantly, the report didn’t mention anything about the CM being pushed by anyone. Just minutes after the incident, Mamata Banerjee had alleged that she was pushed by 4-5 people, and there was no police security around her. Following it, the TMC leaders had launched a massive attack against BJP and the Election Commission, accusing them of the ‘attack’.

However, a video message issued by Mamata Banerjee the next day from the hospital didn’t mention anything about being attacked, and had said that she was crushed by her car. It was after several eyewitnesses said that the CM was injured after the open door of her moving car had hit an iron pillar on the road, causing the door to hit her leg forcefully, causing the injury. Locals had said the Mamata Banerjee had kept the door open and kept the legs out of the car to greet the crowd standing on the roadside, which was confirmed by video footage of the incident.

The EC has asked the chief secretary to furnish details like how the incident took place and who could be behind it. “The report submitted by the West Bengal government appeared to be quite sketchy and without any details of the incident like how it happened or who could be behind it. We have asked the state administration to furnish more details,” an official of the poll panel told PTI.

Now the Election Commission has said that although the Chief Secretary’s report says that the CM’s leg was hit by the door, it does not mention how it happened. EC has said that the report is “sketchy”, as it lacks key details. The ECI wants to know the car door closed suddenly hitting the CM, was it hit by a pole on the road, whether it was accidentally pushed by the crowd, or whether it was a deliberate attack as the CM had initially alleged.

Shiv Sena forges an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi led AIMIM for Amravati Municipal Corporation Committee elections: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena forges an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi led AIMIM for Amravati Municipal Corporation Committee elections: Report

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Despite both parties being staunch rivals in the past and the tall claims of Shiv Sena being a Hindutva party, Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena has entered into an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi led AIMIM for the Standing Committee President polls in the Amravati Municipal Corporation, reports Swarajya.

According to the report, Shiv Sena will now contest the Amravati Municipal Corporation Committee elections in alliance with AIMIM.

Interestingly, in the last Amravati Municipal Corporation elections conducted in 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered an emphatic win by securing 42 out of 87 seats. Shiv Sena managed to bag 9 Congress 16 and AIMIM 10.

Probably, in its last efforts to take away the reigns from the hands of BJP this time, Shiv Sena has got into this unholy alliance with AIMIM, which until yesterday was railing against the “communal” Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

On March 12, during the release of its ally AMMK’s manifesto, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi had taken a dig at the Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra while slamming DMK for declaring itself secular. He questioned why then DMK had joined hands with the Congress that supported the “communal” Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

“The Shiv Sena was pleased with the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the Congress had supported the celebration in Maharashtra”, Owaisi said taking a dig at the Hindutva proponent, Uddhav Thackray led party.

In 2019, after the Shiv Sena announced an alliance with Congress and NCP, in Maharashtra, Owaisi had slammed Shiv Sena over their stand on ‘Secular’ ideology after the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. Owaisi had mocked the parties by saying that “let them perform Nikah (marriage) first”. He had also refused to support the alliance.

The way this sudden U-turn by Asaduddin Owaisi can be attributed to his hankering to emerge as a national party, likewise, Shiv Sena’s flip flops can also be accredited to its desperation to keep BJP at bay in Maharashtra, for which Uddhav Thackeray-led party had snapped its ties with the BJP and formed an alliance with the ideological rivals-NCP and Congress, sacrificing its support for Hindutva on the altar of chief ministerial position.

‘Mamata Banerjee had offered to go to Kandahar as hostage’: The bizarre assertion of latest TMC convert Yashwant Sinha

OpIndia Staff
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‘Mamata Banerjee had offered to go to Kandahar as hostage’: The bizarre assertion of latest TMC convert Yashwant Sinha

Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who joined the Trinamool Congress on Saturday, has issued a bizarre statement saying Mamata Banerjee wanted to offer herself as a hostage in exchange for passengers of the hijacked plane in the ‘Kandahar incident’ for the sake of the country.

After formally joining the party, Yashwant Sinha claimed that after the Indian Airlines IC 814 flight was hijacked by Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terrorists, who took the flight to Afghanistan’s Kandahar, Mamata Banerjee had offered to be a hostage to free the other civilians.

“At the time of the Kandahar plane highjack incident, Mamataji proposed to the cabinet that she was ready to be a hostage so others are freed. She was ready to give her life for the country,” Yashwant Sinha said.

Mamata Banerjee, who was then the ally of the BJP and part of the NDA coalition, served as the Minister of Railways in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government during the incident on December 24, 1999. Yashwant Sinha was the Minister of Finance in the Vajpayee government.

Kandahar hijack:

On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines IC 814, with 178 passengers and 11 crew members, left Kathmandu for Delhi. It entered Indian airspace at 5.30 pm and was hijacked shortly after. Harkat-ul-Mujahideen hijacked the airline with the support and active assistance of ISI before flying to several locations before landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The hostage crisis ended after seven days when India agreed to release three dreaded Islamic terrorists – Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and Maulana Masood Azhar.

IC-814 was en route from Kathmandu to New Delhi. The hijackers directed the pilot Captain Devi Sharan to fly to Lahore initially. However, The captain flew to Amritsar citing insufficient fuel and persuaded the hijackers to allow him to land the plane at Amritsar. While the Crisis Management Group (CMG), headed by the Cabinet Secretary, was still deliberating on dealing with the situation, the IC-814 had already left Amritsar. Even though there was a 45-50 minute window to carry out an operation to end the hostage crisis, the government of the day did not prefer to take the risk, fearing the casualties. The reluctance from the government to go for an NSG operation also came from the fact that the opposition led by the Congress party, aided by its friendly media, had put severe pressure to make sure that the Vajpayee government did not consider any military operation to release the hostages.

IC 814 was eventually taken to Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan from Amritsar, after briefly touching down in Lahore and Dubai. After the IC-814 reached Kandahar, which incidentally was the base of the Taliban government, headed by Mullah Mohammed Omar. The hijackers had demanded the release of 35 terrorists from Indian prisons, including the dreaded terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar and had demanded $200mn in cash.

The Indian government sent in a team of negotiators headed by Diplomat Vivek Katju, Ajit Doval, who was a high ranking Intelligence Bureau officer then, Nehchal Sandhu, and CD Sahay, along with few other representatives of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. On December 31, 1999, the crisis came to an end as India agreed to release three of the top militants including Masood Azhar, the founder of the terrorist outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammad. During these negotiations, Doval was also effective in bringing down the number of terrorists to be released from 35 to just three.

Years later, many senior government officials who were involved with the negotiating team, including NSA Ajit Doval had spoken about the negative role played by the media to put pressure on the release of hostages. 

Signs of tension between Pilot and Gehlot emerge in Rajasthan yet again, MLAs from Pilot’s camp threaten to quit alleging bias against SC/STs

OpIndia Staff
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Signs of tension between Pilot and Gehlot emerge in Rajasthan yet again, MLAs from Pilot’s camp threaten to quit alleging bias against SC/STs

The Congress government in Rajasthan appears to be set for fresh trouble. Months after Rajasthan CM and Congress senior leader Ashok Gehlot baited his colleague Sachin Pilot, yet another senior member of the Congress party, to turn rebel, pushing the Congress government in Rajasthan on the brink of collapse, he has once again managed to miff some MLAs from the latter’s faction.

On March 12 (Friday), three Rajasthan Congress MLAs, namely Ramesh Meena, Murari Lal Meena and Ved Prakash Solanki, who were part of the rebellion against CM Ashok Gehlot last year, accused the Rajasthan Govt led by Gehlot of being biased against the legislators of Scheduled Castes and other backward communities. Accusing the state government of discrimination, Ramesh Meena, the former Food and Civil Supplies minister in Ashok Gehlot’s cabinet, has also threatened to resign. 

Ashok Gehlot govt is trying to suppress the voice of legislators representing the backward class: Rajasthan MLAs

The MLAs alleged that the Ashok Gehlot government is trying to suppress the voice of legislators who represent the SC/ST and OBCs as they have been allotted seats in the assembly without microphones.

“I will meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding this issue. I have sought time for a meeting. If our problems are not resolved, then I will not step back from resigning,” Meena said outside the state assembly.

The development comes on the heels of an argument which ensued between Meena and Speaker CP Joshi inside in the Assembly over the former not having a microphone on his chair.

Ramesh Meena, who was ostracized from the cabinet after he joined the rebellion by former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot last year, said: “I don’t seek a ministerial post, but only development. I am a Congress worker. I have sought time from Rahul Gandhi. If he listens to us, then it is fine, or else I won’t hesitate in giving my resignation letter.”

If we are not getting heard, how will SC/STs and OBCs be heard: former minister Ramesh Meena

Talking to media persons outside the Assembly Friday, Meena said: “We are elected MLAs and are ruling party MLAs. I respect the Speaker, and he can seat me on the floor, but there should be an arrangement for us to speak. A message should not go in my Assembly constituency that I don’t have a microphone and I’m not being allowed to speak.”

“If we ourselves are not getting heard in the Assembly, and if we are not being taken seriously, how will other SC/STs and OBCs be heard. The present Congress government was formed with SC/STs, OBC and minorities, and if they themselves are facing discrimination…” he added, accusing Congress Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi of discrimination when it comes to seating “MLAs from the marginalised communities.”

Rajasthan crisis

It may be recalled that in July last year, rebel party leader Sachin Pilot had sent the Congress party in a tizzy when he along with 20-25 Congress and independent MLAs approached senior party leaders in Delhi to express his angst against the Ashok Gehlot government, leading people to speculate that the Rajasthan government was on the brink of collapse. Soon after, Sachin Pilot was ousted as Deputy CM and state Congress chief by the Congress party which accused him of conspiring with BJP to destabilise govt.

This was followed by a month-long enthralling drama, with Ashok Gehlot first disclosing that the two were not in talking terms for the past 1.5 years. The tussle became bitter when the Rajasthan CM lashed out at the rebel leader by calling him “nikamma and nakaara (useless)”.

The show reached its climax with ultimately Sachin Pilot returning to his home turf and conceding before Ashok Gehlot. Soon, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot informed that a 3-member committee has been constituted by the Congress party to resolve grievances with Sachin Pilot. He claimed that peace and brotherhood would always remain in the grand old party.

Now, with the fresh trouble brewing against Ashok Gehlot, people are being forced to speculate whether the Congress government in Rajasthan is once again heading towards a similar scenario.

Mumbai top cop Sachin Vaze embroiled in Antilla Bomb Scare case says ‘time to say goodbye to the world’ is coming closer in WhatsApp status: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai top cop Sachin Vaze embroiled in Antilla Bomb Scare case says ‘time to say goodbye to the world’ is coming closer in WhatsApp status: Report

Mumbai Police officer ‘Encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze, embroiled in the Antilla Bomb Scare case, has put out a WhatsApp status where he has hinted at his death in a cryptic message. In a WhatsApp status claiming that he has become the target of false allegations, Sachin Vaze said that his ‘time to say goodbye to the world’ is coming closer.

The WhatsApp status says, according to an India Today report, “3rd March 2004. Fellow officers from the CID arrested me in a false case. That arrest inconclusive till date. Sensing the history is going to repeat. My fellow officers are on to falsely trap me. There’s a slight difference in the scenario. Then probably I had 17 years of hope, patience, life and service too. Now I will have neither 17 years of further life nor service nor patience to live. I think the time to say goodbye to the world is coming closer.”

Meanwhile, Sachin Vaze has reached the office of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to record his statement in connection with the Antilla Bomb Scare case.

Earlier in the day, his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Sessions Court in Thane. The case revolves around the bomb threat to industrialist Mukesh Ambani and the subsequent death of Mansukh Hiren, who was the owner of the explosives-laden car and had reported it missing.

On Wednesday, Sachin Vaze was removed from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch after his name surfaced in connection with the matter. The case had gotten murkier and murkier after it was reported that Vaze was in touch with Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the car, since June 2020. Hiren was subsequently found dead in the Kalwa creek, which only served to deepen the mystery surrounding the attack against Mukesh Ambani.

‘Keyboard warrior Kunal Kamra can inculcate poisonous ideas in people’s minds,’ petitioner files rejoinder after alleged comedian plays victim

OpIndia Staff
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‘Keyboard warrior Kunal Kamra can inculcate poisonous ideas in people’s minds,’ petitioner files rejoinder after alleged comedian plays victim

A petitioner in the contempt of court case against far-left stand-up ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra case has filed a rejoinder to the Supreme Court stating that the affidavit filed by Kunal Kamra in the Supreme Court showed his “hubris”, “arrogance”, “ignorance” and “egotism” and “malevolent attitude”.

According to reports, law student Shrirang Katneshwarkar, one of the petitioners in the case, has filed his response to the Supreme Court saying that alleged comedian Kunal Kamra, who has 1.7 million followers, can influence the minds of at least some of them to shake public faith in the judiciary through his tweets.

In his rejoinder, the petitioner said that ‘keyboard warriors’ like Kunal Kamra can inculcate “poisonous ideas” in people’s minds. The rejoinder also added that Kunal Kamra’s “scandalous tweets” cannot be labelled as “jokes” as they undermine the dignity of the Court and shake the confidence which common people have about the judicial system.

“The affidavit filed by Kunal Kamra tried to teach the Supreme Court of its duties, and he should not justify his “scandalous tweets” as jokes/satire/comedy,” the petitioner said.

Further, the petitioner pointed out that Kunal Kamra, by suggesting that the contempt petitioner lacks a “sense of humour”, has shown acrimony in his mind. He should introspect and change his “malevolent attitude”, the rejoinder filed by the petitioner in the Supreme Court said.

The rejoinder by the petitioner came four weeks after the Supreme Court had adjourned the case following Kunal Kamra’s response to the contempt case initiated against him for making derogatory comments against the judiciary.

On February 22, a bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and RS Reddy had deferred the matter after petitioners had sought an adjournment for filing a rejoinder to the reply filed by Kamra.

In his reply, Kamra had defended his derogatory tweets against the judiciary, saying India would be reduced to a “country of incarcerated artists and flourishing lapdogs” if powerful people and institutions show an inability to “tolerate rebuke or criticism”. Facing contempt proceedings, Kunal Kamra had said that there was a growing culture of intolerance where taking offence is seen as a fundamental right and has been elevated to the status of a “much loved national indoor sport”. 

Contempt case against Kunal Kamra

On December 18 last year, the top court issued a show-cause notice to alleged comedian Kunal Kamra for his alleged scandalous tweets against the judiciary.

The notice had come after Attorney General K K Venugopal had granted consent for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against Kamra, saying the comedian’s tweets were in “bad taste”, and it was a time that people understand that attacking the judiciary brazenly would attract punishment.

AG KK Venugopal, granting his consent to initiate proceedings against Kamra said the tweets by Kamra, where he referred to the Supreme Court of India as Supreme Joke India, and said that humour has left the SC long ago, “were highly objectionable.”

A Mumbai based lawyer had sought the Attorney General’s permission to initiate contempt proceedings against Kunal Kamra for his tweets against the Supreme Court, after apex court had granted bail to Arnab Goswami.

‘Encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze reaches NIA office to record statement in Antilla Bomb Scare case

OpIndia Staff
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‘Encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze reaches NIA office to record statement in Antilla Bomb Scare case

‘Encounter specialist’ Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze has reached the office of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to record his statement in connection with the Antilla Bomb Scare case.

Earlier in the day, his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Sessions Court in Thane. The case revolves around the bomb threat to industrialist Mukesh Ambani and the subsequent death of Mansukh Hiren, who was the owner of the explosives-laden car and had reported it missing.

On Wednesday, Sachin Vaze was removed from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch after his name surfaced in connection with the matter. The case had gotten murkier and murkier after it was reported that Vaze was in touch with Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the car, since June 2020. Hiren was subsequently found dead in the Kalwa creek, which only served to deepen the mystery surrounding the attack against Mukesh Ambani.

The Maharashtra ATS have already interrogated and recorded his statement in the matter.

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