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Suvarna News reporters were attacked by the Muslim mob in Bengaluru, not by police: Channel issues statement, calls out lies by Editors Guild

OpIndia Staff
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Suvarna News reporters were attacked by the Muslim mob in Bengaluru, not by police: Channel issues statement, calls out lies by Editors Guild

After the Editors Guild of India issued a statement condemning the attack on media personnel in New Delhi and Bengaluru on 11th August, Suvarna News has issued a statement slamming the Editors Guild for spreading fake news.

Suvarna News has clarified that its journalists were not attacked by police as alleged by the Editors Guild, but they came under the attack of Muslim mob that had attacked two police stations in Bengaluru in reaction a Facebook post by Naveen, the nephew of Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasmurthy. The mob had alleged that Naveen had caused blasphemy against the prophet Muhammad, and attacked the police forces alleging inaction against Naveen by the police.

During the violence by the Muslim mob where they have attacked policemen and burnt down hundreds of vehicles, several media personnel covering the riot also came under their attack. But in the statement condemning the attack on journalists, the Editors Guild sought to defend the mob and instead blamed police for the attack on the reporters.

The statement had read, “on the same day in Bengaluru, as many as four journalists belonging to India Today, The News Minute and Suvarna News 24×7 were reportedly attacked by the city police. These journalists at that time were on duty, reporting on the vandalism and police shooting in the wake of a mob violence in the city.”

But Suvarna News 24×7 completely denied that allegation that their reporters were attacked by Bengaluru city police. The media house thanked the Editors Guild for their concern and condemnation of the attacked on their journalists, but added that the guild has got the identity of the attackers wrong.

“However, we would like to clarify that the attack on our journalists was by the mob and not the Bangalore City Police, as was indicated in the statement released by Editors Guild of India on 13th August,” the statement issued by Suvarna News said.

Suvarna News Statement

The channel informed that three of their reporters were beaten and one of them suffered injuries in the incident. Moreover, one camera and two news gathering vehicles of the media house were damaged by the mob during the riot, and the channel had subsequently filed FIR against the miscreants with the Bangalore City Police.

It is clear from the statement of Suvarna News that their reporters were attacked and their equipment were damaged by the Muslim mob in Bengaluru, but for some reason the Editors Guild chose to blame the Bangalore police for the same, who were actually the target of the mob.

ED yet to receive Sushant’s phone and call records even after 4 letters to Mumbai Police: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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ED yet to receive Sushant’s phone and call records even after 4 letters to Mumbai Police: Reports

The Mumbai police’ behaviour regarding the investigation into the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput has created a cloud of suspicion and has been fuelling speculations over its credibility. After impeding Bihar police and the CBI investigation into the case, the Mumbai police has now reportedly refused to hand over the phone of the deceased actor to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

According to a report by Times Now, ED has written four letters to the Mumbai police seeking Sushant’s seized mobile phone and call details. However, the Mumbai police have not yet provided ED with the same.

The ED has been interrogating Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members on a money laundering case. The ED has reportedly seized mobile phones belonging to the family, including 2 iPads and a laptop.

Even After 2 months, Mumbai Police is yet to file an FIR in the case

Meanwhile, Centre has also confirmed in SC that Mumbai police has not yet filed an FIR in Sushant Singh Rajput’s case. Centre Thursday told the Supreme Court that statements of witnesses said to have been recorded by Mumbai Police in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput death case have “no validity or legal sanctity”, as the state is yet to file an FIR in the matter.

“The Maharashtra Police in its affidavit has said that it has collected statements of 56 persons. In view of the admitted position that there is no FIR registered, and the police is merely discharging functions under Section 174 (of CrPC), such statements have no validity or legal sanctity and are nonexistent,” the Centre stated in its written submissions.

Mumbai police’ behaviour in Sushant’s death case

While the Bihar police said that the Mumbai police has been non-cooperative with them, the late actor’s family said that they “do not trust” the Mumbai police.

Mumbai Police Chief Param Bir Singh had said in a press conference on August 3 that no party was held at Sushant Singh Rajput’s place on June 13 and no politician was involved in the case. He also claimed that the late actor was suffering from a bipolar disorder and undergoing treatment and medicines for it.

The case was finally handed over to the CBI after the Bihar government advocated for it and the centre supported it. The Bihar Police team that had come to Mumbai had also stated that they are receiving no cooperation from the Mumbai Police regarding the issue. Senior IPS officer Vinay Tiwari was put under a forced quarantine by the BBMP.

Deccan Herald virtually helps Jihadis find a reason to kill Naveen when they can, paints him ‘serial offender’

Nupur J Sharma
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Deccan Herald virtually helps Jihadis find a reason to kill Naveen when they can, paints him ‘serial offender’

Amidst chants of Allah Hu Akbar and Naara e Taqbeer, a Muslim mob, ‘offended’ by a Facebook post allegedly against the Prophet of Islam went on a rampage, indulged in stone-pelting, rioting and arson in Bengaluru. They burnt the house of the Congress MLA whose nephew, Naveen, had allegedly written the Facebook post and injured over 60 police personnel.

One would imagine the media to take a hard stand calling out the Islamist mob and also analysing why and how the Muslim community seems only overeager to get offended enough to run riots. Especially after the brutal murder of Kamlesh Tiwari for alleged “blasphemy”, the media was expected to certainly call the spade a spade.

However, the media has chosen instead to paint a target on Naveen. Deccan Herald has published an article that virtually offers justification for his murder. In a report published by Deccan Herald, the publication calls Naveen a ‘serial offender’ essentially saying that he is in the habit of insulting the Prophet of Islam and posting “derogatory” messages against the community that seems to get offended at the drop of a hat.

The Deccan Herald report said, “Sources revealed that Naveen, nephew of MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and the second son of his sister, has a history of posting derogatory content triggering hatred. He posted abusive content on August 5 about the Padarayanapura incident”.

The Padarayanapura violence had erupted on April 19th after secondary contacts of a Coronavirus patient had refused to be escorted to quarantine and create a ruckus. 119 people were arrested for the violence and one Irfan was being probed after his name came up during the interrogation of 4 other suspects.

Interestingly, in both these incidents that Deccan Herald says that Naveen “hurt sentiments”, it was the Muslim mob that had indulged in actual violence on the streets, be it the Padarayanapura violence or even what happened in Bengaluru over Naveen’s Facebook post. However, instead of unequivocally condemning the violence, Deccan Herald has deemed fit to brand Naveen a ‘serial offender’ and paint a target on his back.

It is pertinent to note that thousands of people had gathered and indulged in rampant violence over one Facebook post by Naveen. And now, Deccan Herald is citing “sources” to brand him as a person who regularly insults Islam. In a scenario where one knows how radical elements within the Muslim community functions, and the great support they appear to enjoy within the community, one can only wonder what Deccan Herald’s intentions are over virtually directing Jihadis in his direction.

The mainstream media claims to speak truth to power but whenever such a moment arrives, the media invariably chooses to side with tyrants. Indeed, it is for very good reason that the media is often branded the enemy of the people. It is because they conduct themselves in a manner that betrays their actual loyalties.

It is of significance to note that the mainstream media has transformed into a propaganda machinery for the worst elements within Muslim society. Their reportage and conduct is tailor-made to suit the best interests of the radical sections of the Muslim community. In their defence of the Radical Islam, their submission is total and complete.

In this regard, one remembers that the tradition of the assassination of critics goes back to the time of Prophet Mohammed himself. One particular hadith is of particular import during the whole discussion. In the Book of Tribute, Spoils, and Rulership (Kitab Al-Kharaj, Wal-Fai’ Wal-Imarah), an interesting incident is mentioned during the time of the prophet of Islam.

Ka’ab bin Al Ashraf was a man who used to satire Prophet Mohammed and ‘hurt’ the prophet and his followers. When he refused to desist from insulting the prophet, Mohammed ordered his assassination. Muhammad bin Maslamah was sent to kill the satirist. Following the murder, the Jews and polytheists are said to have been frightened and came to meet the prophet. Then, an agreement was signed between the two factions and the non-Muslims agreed to not ‘hurt’ the prophet.

Source: Sunnah.com

Islamic scholars, too, brand Ka’ab bin Al Ashraf as a ‘serial offender’. They speak of how Allah ordered Mohammed to exercise patience and forgiveness when he initially insulted him. According to them, it was only after he refused to stop that Mohammed ordered him to be murdered. It is precisely the same justification that Deccan Herald appears to offer in its hitjob on Naveen.

Thus, it is a long tradition of violence for the insult to the prophet that Muslims of the 21st century is continuing. One would expect the mainstream media, whose journalists fancy themselves to be revolutionaries, to call out the culture of violence that has continued to fester within the community. Instead, they have prostrated to the ones who create violence.

When Deccan Herald paints Naveen as a ‘serial offender’, it is fully aware of the potential consequences. After what happened to Kamlesh Tiwari, no one could pretend otherwise. And yet, they went ahead and did it anyway. Under such circumstances, no one could be blamed for reaching the conclusion that the media network genuinely believes that death is the punishment Naveen deserves for his transgressions against the prophet.

Thus far, the mainstream media had restricted itself to justifying the actions of Muslim mobs after a crime had been committed. Deccan Herald, however, has crossed a significant border. It has now offered a justification that subtly says violence against Naveen is permissible because he is a ‘serial offender’. It marks a dangerous turn of events and the mainstream media would inevitably come to regret the Rubicon they have just crossed.

Twelve days after testing positive, Home Minister Amit Shah tests negative for Wuhan Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Twelve days after testing positive, Home Minister Amit Shah tests negative for Wuhan Coronavirus

Home Minister Amit Shah has tested negative for the Wuhan Coronavirus. In a statement on social media, the former BJP President confirmed the same. He said, “I thank God and I express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have blessed me and my family by wishing me well. I will stay in home isolation for a few more days on the advice of doctors.”

Amit Shah had announced that he had tested positive for the Coronavirus on the 2nd of August. He was admitted for treatment at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, Haryana. Twelve days after he was diagnosed, he has tested negative for the virus.

On the 9th of August, the Ministry of Home Affairs had to issue a clarification after rumours spread that he had tested negative for the Coronavirus. MHA had said that tests had not yet been conducted on the Home Minister.

After Amit Shah was diagnosed with the Coronavirus, Islamists on social media had wished death upon the Home Minister and celebrated the fact that he had contracted the Coronavirus. The architect of BJP’s dominance in electoral politics was forced to miss the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan event on the 5th of August as he was undergoing treatment for the virus at the hospital.

Prime Minister Modi’s 15th August speeches: Setting the agenda for the year ahead, putting a premium on credibility

G Kishan Reddy
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Prime Minister Modi’s 15th August speeches: Setting the agenda for the year ahead, putting a premium on credibility

This year, on August 15th, Prime Minister Modi will be speaking to all of us from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the seventh consecutive year. India would have completed 73 years of independence and the Prime Minister’s speech would be heard with anticipation and excitement. Over the last seven Independence Day addresses, the Prime Minister has leveraged his skilful oratory, transformational thinking, large scale vision and his own life experiences to announce large social benefit programs and deliver critical social messages. Right from the first speech in 2014, the Prime Minister has only strengthened his credentials as a visionary, statesman and as someone who strives ahead of the partisan and the momentary.

The Prime Minister’s speeches have followed an inspirational template: set the agenda for implementing a big idea that was earlier perceived as impossible, suggest crucial reforms and present a report card of the achievements over the past year to the people. From initiating monumental reforms in the socio-economic space to undertaking bold actions for the defence and security of the country, the PM clearly sends out a message from the ramparts of the Red Fort that he is a fearless and bold reformer.

The oft-asked question is how the Prime Minister is able to do this. To answer this, two successful implementations are worth discussing. When the BJP took over the reins of government in 2014, there were approximately 24.3 crore savings bank accounts in India. When the Prime Minister announced the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), to improve financial inclusion, he was mocked at by those who did not understand the importance of financial inclusion and access to banking instruments such as credit for the poor and underprivileged.

Today, in just a span of six years, more than 40 crore new beneficiary bank accounts have been opened with deposits in excess of INR 1.30 lakh crore. Similarly, when the government came to power in 2014, the sanitation coverage in India stood at a paltry 38%. But it was only in 2014 with the launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, that it has proved to be an effective instrument in addressing the issue of open defecation. As of October 2019, all the states and UTs have been declared defecation free, with 100% sanitation coverage.

Both these initiatives on Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and Swacch Bharat were first announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort during the Prime Minister’s 2014 Independence Day speech. The Prime Minister has been able to achieve financial inclusion and total sanitation while other governments in the past have struggled.

For any government program to succeed – there are two critical factors that are required 1) Enthusiasm from the bureaucracy to implement the program and 2) Enthusiasm from beneficiaries to avail of the government program or scheme. So how is it that when these are the same, i.e. bureaucracy and beneficiaries, that the Prime Minister was able to succeed where others struggled.   

In my view, this boils down to the credibility of the leader. The Prime Minister’s credibility has made it possible for the bureaucracy to work unhindered towards a common goal while the common citizen’s trust in the Prime Minister has ensured that there is a significant pull from them to avail of these benefits. 

One way to clearly appreciate the Prime Minister’s achievements is to contrast PM Modi’s speeches with his predecessor. In a 2005 Independence Day speech, there was a commitment to start a national campaign for cleanliness – so that our cities, towns, villages, roads, streets and homes are neat and clean. The speech went on to quote Gandhiji and recognized the need to stop the pollution of our rivers and atmosphere. Exactly, a year later, in 2006, the Independence Day speech promised sanitation and drinking water.

The total sanitation campaign of the predecessor government was termed Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA). If the intentions were the same then why is it that Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM) as envisioned by PM Modi succeed, while the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) failed? A big clue is provided in the CAG reports where government programs are audited. ACAG report that covered the progress of the NBA from 2009 to 2014, noted critical issues relating to the planning of Nirmal Bharat. 

An analysis of the Rs 10,000 crore allocated for the scheme revealed large-scale diversion, wastages, irregularities and violation of the scheme guidelines by engaging contractors and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). The report also noted that more than 30% of individual household latrines were non-functional for reasons like poor quality of construction, incomplete structure, non-maintenance etc. 

Such widespread misuse and diversion of funds demoralise both the bureaucracy and the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries who are entitled for such a program lose interest as they no longer feel the system is fair to them. Once they feel that genuine beneficiaries are no longer able to avail benefits their enthusiasm towards the program wanes.

Word of mouth and informal conversations further deepen distrust amongst the cohorts. Similarly, the bureaucracy will dither in implementing programs with adverse comments from the CAG as they will not want to be punished for the rent-seeking actions and corrupt practices of others.  

The successful delivery of a program starts at the top and the Prime Minister is able to provide dynamic leadership and credibility at the apex. He is further able to channelise enthusiasm in the bureaucracy while winning the trust of the common citizen for whom the programs are designed.

The Prime Minister has been able to stitch this wonderful coalition and the successes and clear outcomes of his Independence Day speeches bear testimony to that. As a result, the Narendra Modi government is undeniably pro-poor in contrast with the previous regime that only wanted to be seen as pro-poor.

(Shri G Kishan Reddy is the Minister of State for Home Affairs, and is a Member of Parliament from Secunderabad constituency)

‘Scrapping of Article 370, Babri Masjid verdict and CAA filled anger and hatred in my mind’: Meeran Haider reveals how he planned Delhi riots with PFI funds

OpIndia Staff
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‘Scrapping of Article 370, Babri Masjid verdict and CAA filled anger and hatred in my mind’: Meeran Haider reveals how he planned Delhi riots with PFI funds

Meeran Haider, the PhD student from Jamia Millia Islamia University who was arrested in April in connection with rioting and criminal conspiracy pertaining to anti-Hindu riots in north-east Delhi, has made some shocking revelations regarding the anti-Hindu riots that Islamists carried out in the month of February.

According to a report by Zee News, Haider who is also the president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal youth wing’s Delhi unit and a member of Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) revealed that the anti-Hindu riots were planned after the Jamia violence and that he was tasked to gather a crowd for the protests and demonstrations in Delhi and oversee other arrangements.

Popular Front of India funded the Delhi anti-Hindu riots

He disclosed that the riot was sponsored by Popular Front of India (PFI). Meeran told the police officer that he himself had received Rs 5 lakhs to engineer the riots. The Muslim dominated areas of Delhi, Zafarabad and Seelampur were chosen and Meeran and others were given the task to collect knives, petrol and stones etc.

Meeran Haider said he had prepared a register before the riots to maintain the record of all fund being collected for the purpose. He said that the money received as ‘Zakat’ was used by them to purchase gadgets, weapons and other things which they required to carry out the task.

Speaking on the sequence of events that inspired him to carry out the riots, Haider told the police that Centre’s scrapping of the Article 370, Babri Masjid verdict by SC followed by the implementation of CAA by the government had filled his mind with anger and hatred which pushed him to unite the Muslims against the government. 

Meeran Haider confesses that he was in Aam Aadmi Party before joining RJD

The accused told the police that he himself went to all the states to mobilise support and incite people against CAA-NRC and mentally prepare them for the riots. He, in fact, personally supervised the anti-government demonstrations on at least 20 sites in Delhi, revealed Haider, who claimed that he already knew Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi, the two main facilitators of the Delhi anti-Hindu riots.

Khalid had met Saifi during the 2016 Aam Aadmi Party election campaign in Punjab. Meeran Haider told the police that he too was in the Aam Aadmi Party from 2014 to 2017 but after failing to get the ticket for contesting municipal elections, he quit the party in 2017 and joined the RJD.

Speaking on how the horrific attack on Hindus in Delhi was a pre-planned one, Meeran said that after the Jamia violence and the ‘success’ of Shaheen Bagh protest, they thought that the protests should be held in more Muslim areas of Delhi, where there was resentment against the Centre about CAA-NRC.

Meeran Haider reveals the strategy devised to conduct the Delhi anti-Hindu riots

Speaking on the strategy devised to conduct one of the worst communal riots in decades, Meeran said that it was divided into 3 phases – protests, roadblocks and riots.

He divulged that while the members of DU’s Pinjatod group like one Natasha and Devangana were secretly associated with this movement, given the task to give inflammatory speeches, he was given the responsibility to mobilize the crowd at the protest sites at Shaheen Bagh, Khureji, Seelampur, Jaffarabad, Turkman Gate, Kardampuri, Mustafabad, Indralok. Meeran reportedly also ran Whatsapp groups to incite riots in Delhi.

He revealed how he roamed around all these places and collected information, which he, in turn, passed on to the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) so that further strategy could be devised.

Meeran confessed of knowing many members of the PFI (Popular Front of India), who gave money to incite the communal riots in Delhi, like PFI activists Sajid Mujid and Mohammad Sihad of Kerala who sent Rs 20 thousand to him for the riots.

Karnataka: Intoxicated man Milind mistakenly drapes Islamic flag on Shankaracharya statue in Sringeri, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Intoxicated man Milind mistakenly drapes Islamic flag on Shankaracharya statue in Sringeri, arrested

On Friday, the Chikmagalur police arrested one person for draping a religious banner on top of the statue of Adi Shankaracharya in the holy city of Sringeri on Thursday,.

Addressing the press conference, Chikmagaluru SP Hakay Akshay Machindra said that they have arrested one accused identified as Milind, son of Manohar for mistakenly draping the flag over the Shankaracharya statue in Sringeri.  

The Superintendent of Police Hakay Akshay Machindra also said that the person had mistakenly draped the flag and it was neither a pre-planned incident nor was carried out with any motive. He asserted that the arrested accused was under the influence of alcohol.

“On Wednesday night, Milind got drunk at a bar and then headed towards a mosque in the town and tried to sleep there. Realising that it was a mosque, he did not sleep near the premises and instead picked up a banner to cover himself to protect from the rains. From there, he came near Veerappa Gowda circle and dropped it near the statue of Shankaracharya and slept at the lorry yard” the SP said to the media adding that Milind had visited local government hospital on Thursday morning complaining of a headache.

The police said that he was identified after checking the CCTV footages of the mosque and the bar. The senior police officer also said that the accused confessed to the crime and added that he had done it under the influence of alcohol. No involvement of any organisation or party was found in the incident and the accused is not a member of any party or organisation, the SP said.

Earlier, the police had constituted a special team to investigate the incident of an Islamic flag being placed on the statue of Sankaracharya at Sringeri. The 10-member team has been formed under Chikmagalur and Koppa DySP. The team was formed after many complaints by the Matha’s devotees and former legislators.

Islamic flag draped on the statue of Adi Shankarcharya

We had reported earlier regarding how some miscreants had put up an Islamic flag with text written in Arabic on the statue of Adi Shankaracharya in the holy city of Sringeri. 

Following the incident, local residents and leaders had expressed concern, opining that it may be another ploy to stoke communal tensions after the Bengaluru riots. The flag was immediately removed while the devotees of Sharada Peetha gathered at the spot and protested against the attempt to stoke discord in the holy city.

Read the scathing observations made by the Supreme Court while holding advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court

OpIndia Staff
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Read the scathing observations made by the Supreme Court while holding advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court

Earlier today, the Supreme Court of India found the senior advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court. Bhushan was held guilty for two tweets where he had raised aspersions on the apex court, and specifically against the Chief Justice of India.

Soon after the verdict, detractors alleged that Bhushan had been targeted by the top court for his scathing comments on the Chief Justice of India. However, a deep-dive into the historic judgment passed by the Supreme Court reveals the distinction drawn by the apex court between criticising CJI as an individual and criticism in a judicial capacity, which allows invocation of contempt.

The Supreme Court judgment read that the first part of the first tweet: ‘CJI rides a 50 lakh motorcycle belonging to a BJP leader at Raj Bhavan, Nagpur, without a mask or a helmet’, could be categorised as criticism against the CJI as an individual and not against the CJI as CJI.

Prashant Bhushan lied about non-functioning of the Supreme Court during lockdown: SC judgment

However, it added that the second part of the tweet: ‘at a time when he keeps the SC in a lockdown mode denying citizens their fundamental rights to access justice’, is a criticism of the Chief Justice of India in his capacity of the CJI. The contempt against Prashant Bhushan was invoked against this part of his tweet where he had lied that the CJI had kept the top court closed during the lockdown.

The judgment further mentions that though the physical hearing of the Supreme Court was suspended in the view of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the court started functioning from March 23, 2020 to August 4, 2020, and various benches of the court have been sitting regularly and discharging their duties through video conferencing.

The total number of sittings during the period of 23.03.2020 to 04.08.2020 stands at 879 and the court had heard 12,748 matters.

The court has noted, “making such wild allegation thereby giving an impression, that the CJI is enjoying riding an expensive bike, while he keeps the SC in lockdown mode and thereby denying citizens their fundamental right to access justice, is undoubtedly false, malicious and scandalous. It has the tendency to shake the confidence of the public at large in the institution of judiciary and the institution of the CJI and undermining the dignity and authority of the administration of justice.”

Bhushan was one of the litigants at the SC during the lockdown

In fact, the judgment also goes on to cite the instance when Prashant Bhushan had approached the court during the lockdown, challenging an FIR filed against him at Bhaktinagar Police Station in Rajkot, Gujarat. The court had passed a judgment on the case on May 1, 2020.

“He has made such a scandalous and malicious statement having himself availed the right of an access to justice not just as a lawyer but also as a litigant,” the verdict read.

SC observed Prashant Bhushan’s second tweet was an attack on the institution of judiciary itself

In the second tweet, Bhushan had claimed that the Supreme Court of the country has played a role in destroying the democracy in the last 6 years, and last 4 CJIs had a crucial role in it.

The apex court observed that this insinuation by Bhushan is not an attack against an individual but on the institution itself and that the CJIs who presided over the court in the last 6 years, and particularly last 4, had a particular role in destroying the Indian democracy.

Slamming Bhushan for his tweet, the Supreme Court said, “The scurrilous allegations, which are malicious in nature and have the tendency to scandalize the Court are not expected from a person, who is a lawyer of 30 years standing. In our considered view, it cannot be said that the above tweets can be said to be a fair criticism of the functioning of the judiciary, made bona fide in the public interest.”

The Supreme Court also notes that tweets of Prashant Bhushan attempt to shake the public confidence on the judiciary, “which has the effect of destabilising the very foundation of this important pillar of the Indian democracy.” Saying that such attempt to shake the very foundation of constitutional democracy has to be dealt with an iron hand, the court added, “The tweet clearly tends to give an impression, that the Supreme Court, which is a highest constitutional court in the country, has in the last six years played a vital role in destruction of the Indian democracy. There is no manner of doubt, that the tweet tends to shake the public confidence in the institution of judiciary.”

The judgement declares that the said tweet undermines the dignity and authority of the institution of the Supreme Court of India and the CJI and directly affronts the majesty of law.

This is why Prashant Bhushan’s rants against judiciary were fit cases for contempt of court, don’t fall for ‘dissent’ propaganda

Editorial Desk
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This is why Prashant Bhushan’s rants against judiciary were fit cases for contempt of court, don’t fall for ‘dissent’ propaganda

On Friday, the Supreme Court of India convicted PIL Activist Prashant Bhushan of contempt of court, for his tweets slandering the apex court and the chief justice of India. The order has been passed by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, and Bhushan can land up in jail for six months, although that will be decided by the court after arguments on the sentencing on 20th August.  The suo moto contempt proceedings against Bhushan were initiated on the 22nd of July after his two tweets, dated 22nd and 29th of June.

After the judgement came out, the usual suspects started terming it as an assault on freedom of speech. According to them, including Prashan Bhushan, he was merely criticising the judges, and it should not be considered a contempt of the court. Prashant Bhushan, along with Arun Shourie and N Ram had even filed a petition challenging the provision in the law itself, but they decided to withdraw the petition after realising that they will not get a favourable verdict.

The slander against Judiciary

While the left-liberals try to paint Bhushan’s tweets as mere dissent against the establishment, the fact is, they are, and other dozens of tweets and comments against the judiciary by the advocate, are really harmful, and they can’t be defended by invoking the freedom of expression. As the tweets have been found guilty of contempt of the Supreme Court, we can’t reproduce them here. But it may be noted that Prashant Bhushan had alleged that the democracy was destroyed in the last 6 years, and the Supreme Court also played a role in this ‘destruction of democracy’ without even invoking a formal emergency. He also slandered the last 4 CJIs for ‘their role’.

In another tweet, Prashant Bhushan had alleged that the CJI had ridden a motorcycle worth Rs 50 lakh belonging to a BJP leader, saying that the CJI was enjoying himself while denying the citizens their fundamental right by keeping the country under lockdown. In this tweet, Bhushan tried to imply that CJI Bobde was gifted an expensive motorcycle by a BJP leader, a serious allegation without any proof. CJI Bobde is known for his love for motorcycles, and he had merely posed with a Harley Davidson motorcycle, photograph of which went viral on social media. The Harley Davidson CVO 2020 was reportedly brought to him by a dealer for a demonstration. But Bhushan made serious allegations based only on the photograph.

These are clearly not mere dissent, nor valid criticism of any judgement which is not considered contempt. By saying that democracy was destroyed in the last 6 years with the contribution of the supreme court and the CJIs, Prashant Bhushan was insinuating that Indian democracy was destroyed after Narendra Modi led BJP government came to power, and somehow the apex court helped the govt to destroy the democracy.

‘Destroyed the democracy’ is a pretty vague allegation, with no evidence of the same. Democracy has been destroyed only for the perennial opponents of the BJP and PM Modi. Moreover, by blaming last 4 CJIs for the same, Prashant Bhushan clearly alleged that they were somehow hand in gloves with Modi, again without any proof. One can criticise specific judgements on their merits, but alleging that as many as 4 Chief Justices of India were in the payroll of BJP without any proof is certainly a serious contempt of court.

Disrespect of courts and sedition

Prashant Bhushan’s comments have another serious issue, it encourages people to create anarchy whenever some court judgement comes contrary to the expectation, it encourages people to not respect judgements which are not favourable to them. The Activist-lawyer is trying to imply that fair judgement is not possible at the highest court in the country, which, by corporally, implies that one needs to overthrow the government to get justice. By repeatedly attacking the Supreme Court, Bhushan is creating a fertile ground for sedition, where people attack the government and the court with baseless allegations to remove them.

Prashant Bhushan’s tirade against the legal system has to been seen in the context of the repeated defeats he had to face in the recent times. From Rafale to CBI to Sahara Birla diaries to the Justice Loya’s death, the wise courts saw through his lies and threw away his petitions which were not based on any solid evidence. The activist-lawyer is trying to use the court as a weapon against his fight with the government, which the court is not allowing. This has clearly rattled him, and prompted him to launch an attack on the Supreme Court judges and Chief Justices.

A habitual offender

Several contempt of court cases have been filed against Prashant Bhushan for his slanderous comments, and while many of them are still in the courts, he had apologised in a few of them. During the CBI director case, Bhushan had apologised for making false claims against the court, admitting he had made a ‘genuine mistake’ by claiming Govt submitted fabricated documents.

The fact that Bhushan launches an attack on the court whenever he does not get favourable judgement is not lost on the judges. Earlier this year, the apex court had slammed Bhushan for ‘regularly insulting’ the court and its judges. A bench of the Supreme Court had noted that Prashant Bhushan regularly insults the judges and the court casts aspersions on them whenever he failed to get any relief.

Hearing his petition challenging the govt’s handling of the migrant crisis during the Coronavirus lockdown, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul had remarked, “Everytime there is an order in which you do not get any relief, you insult the institution, you cast aspersions on the judges. You don’t have any respect for constitutional bodies, you don’t have any faith in the judiciary.”

The other judge in the bench, justice B R Gavai had added, “If you don’t have faith in this institution, why should we hear you at all?”

The judges were referring to a tweet by Bhushan with similar contempt of court like the recent tweets. He had written, “I have watched the Supreme Court since Emergency. The kind of abject surrender to the government that we are seeing today was not seen even during the emergency. Most judges have totally forgotten their oath to protect the constitution and fundamental rights of people. Pathetic.”

This tweet also, against which no contempt proceeding was initiated, also clearly accuses the Supreme Court of surrendering to the Modi government, without any proof, just because his petitions are not accepted by the court on their merits. This is not dissent, but a clear case of contempt of court, for which the judges had correctly slammed him.

Prashant Bhushan is also facing another decade-old Contempt of Court case, which is also being heard by a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. The case, which was revived recently by the court, pertains to an interview Bhushan had given to Tehelka, where Prashant Bhushan had insinuated that Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia had committed ‘judicial impropriety’ by being a part of the forest Bench that heard the Niyamgiri Mining lease in Orissa and ruled in favour of Vedanta subsidiary Sterlite industries.

Prashant Bhushan has been particularly critical of Justice Arun Mishra, and have posted several slanderous comments against him. He had attached the judge for praising PM Modi at an event, and for BJP leaders attending family events of Justice Mishra’s son-in-law.

Angry over Israel-UAE peace deal, Pakistanis condemn Arab nations, say ‘We love you Turkey’

OpIndia Staff
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Angry over Israel-UAE peace deal, Pakistanis condemn Arab nations, say ‘We love you Turkey’

In a historic development, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel have signed a ‘historic’ peace deal to normalise relations between the two countries. The mutual agreement was mediated by US President Donald Trump with Israel suspending its plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

Although the agreement between an Arab nation and Israel meant stronger diplomatic ties in ensuring peace in the Middle East and the rest of the world, Pakistanis were clearly miffed with the historic development. After being deserted by its long-term ally Saudi Arabia over the Kashmir issue and the peace deal of UAE with Israel, Pakistanis are now seeking to endear themselves to Turkey.

Pakistanis shower love for Turkey

While replying to businessman Hassan Sajwani who emphasised that the UAE and Israel wrote history, a Pakistani Twitter user Zulqarnain Shah wrote, “And Now Turkey and Pakistan Also Write History.”

On Thursday, a Twitter user Imad Khan, residing in a make-believe world, claimed that Pakistan was “fully prepared” to fight Israel. Using the picture of a missile to ‘warn’ Israel, the Pakistani wrote: “Pakistan is about to wipe out your map (Israel) from the ground.”

Disenchanted by the UAE-Israel deal, another enthusiastic Pakistani Shabir Ahmad dubbed the agreement as ‘shameful.’ He suggested that Pakistan, Turkey and Iran together attack UAE and Saudi Arabia and arrest their leaders. Keeping up with the Islamic spirit, he recommended the three countries to spare the Islamic sites of Mecca and Medina.

Eyeing for the Prime Ministerial post, former cricketer Shahid Afridi too made his stance clear. In a bizarre display of solidarity, Afridi hoisted the Turkish flag on the roof of his house. Praising him for his love for Turkey, journalist Hasan Abdullah wrote, “As social media of various countries spurt hatred against Turkey, the people of Pakistan continue with their show of love & solidarity for Turkey. Here is Pakistan’s beloved cricketer, philanthropist and my good friend Shahid Afridi hoisting the Turkish flag.”

A Twitter user, Arslan Mehmood, declared, “Arabs are traitors of Muslim Ummah. They are puppets of Israel”. Anguished by the turn of events, he reiterated that Pakistan and Turkey would need to take a stand as all Arab countries would follow the suit of UAE. High on the idea of an Islamist brotherhood of nations, Mehmood cautioned, “They tested Muslims especially Pakistan on the day of Independence.”

Pakistanis have, for years, tried to endear themselves to Arab nations. Now, as Arab nations refuse to cater to theirs flights of fancy of an Islamic world, they are trying desperately to get close to Turkey.

Saudi Arabia irked with Pakistan’s threats over Kashmir issue

Earlier, Saudi Arabia has decided not to renew an agreement with Pakistan that allowed the supply of crude oil to Pakistan on deferred payments. As per the agreement, there was a provision of oil worth $3.2 billion on deferred payments per annum. The development came after Pakistan had threatened to split the OIC, (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) headed by Saudi Arabia.

A few days ago, Pakistan had expressed displeasure over the refusal of Saudi Arabia led OIC to hold a meeting on Kashmir on its request. Pakistan has been asking the OIC, the biggest bloc of Islamic countries in the world, to hold a meeting of the foreign ministers of the member nations to discuss Kashmir. Saudi Arabia had also asked Pakistan to pay back the 1 billion USD that it had borrowed.

Pakistan’s new love for everything Turkish

Back in May too, when the Turkish TV show Ertugrul was suddenly very popular in Pakistan, the Pakistani people were openly calling for Boycott of UAE and declaring that Turkey has made UAE its enemy so they will support only Turkey.

Pakistan owes huge debts to almost UAE and Saudi Arabia. The belligerent nation jumping high on the power of a TV show and dreaming about a new an Islamic mega-kingdom led by Turkey was also widely mocked by social media users.

Pakistan’s identity crisis mocked on Twitter
Pakistanis’ boycott call for UAE was subjected to some reality check earlier

Imran Khan has been promoting ‘Ertugrul’ as the right kind of entertainment for Pakistanis

Earlier in April, Imran Khan had claimed that Bollywood has been ‘spoiling’ Pakistanis and had urged all Pakistanis to watch Turkish TV drama Ertugrul instead. The Pakistani government has also called for a translation of the Turkish drama so the Pakistani public understands it better.

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