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Padmanabhaswami Temple: SC verdict upholds rights of Travancore royal family over the world’s richest temple, only Hindus to be part of temple management

OpIndia Staff
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Padmanabhaswami Temple: SC verdict upholds rights of Travancore royal family over the world’s richest temple, only Hindus to be part of temple management

The Supreme Court of India has ruled against the Kerala government’s attempt to bring the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram under its control. The apex court overturned the 2011 judgment of Kerala High Court that granted the power to the state government to take control of the temple, its management and assets. The High Court asked the government to run the temple in accordance with the traditions.

The verdict, passed by a 2-member bench of Justices Indu Malhotra and UU Lalit, stated that the death of a king of the Travancore family shall not affect the rights of the family and the temple, perceived to be the world’s richest, will continue to be managed by the family.

The SC has also stated that all members of the temple management committee will be Hindus.

The Travancore Royal family, the traditional custodians of the temple, have welcomed the verdict.

The apex court said that the Travancore Royal family has the right to the administration of the temple. The court also noted that the committee formed under the supervision of the Royal family would decide if Kallara B or Vault B would be opened. The court emphasized that all the members of the committee will be Hindus.

The Kerala government has also stated that they will abide by the Supreme Court decision. State Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran has stated that the state has always followed SC verdicts in letter and spirit.

The controversy around Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The Kerala government has been trying to take control of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, also known as the world’s richest temple. The historic temple is managed by the Travancore Royal family that had ruled Southern Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu. Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is the family deity of the Royal family.

Even after India’s independence, they managed the temple under a trust. On 31st January 2011, Kerala High Court ruled that the state government will control the temple administration. The court asked the state government to form a trust and take control of the temple within three months.

In accordance with the earlier order, 5 of the 6 vaults were opened and vast amounts of treasures were reportedly discovered. The rough estimate of the value was around Rs 90,000 crores.

The court also directed the government to open all Kallaras (vaults), make an inventory of the articles, and create a museum of the Temple’s treasures so that the devotees and general public can visit the temple to see them. The Royal family challenged the High Court orders in the Supreme Court. In September 2011, the Supreme Court asked the government of Kerala not to open the Kellaras till they pass final judgment. On 10th April 2019, a bench of Justices UU Lalit and Indu Malhotra reserved the judgment.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar accuses PM Modi of playing “Shudra-level politics” for ousting Priyanka Gandhi from her govt bungalow

OpIndia Staff
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NCP supremo Sharad Pawar accuses PM Modi of playing “Shudra-level politics” for ousting Priyanka Gandhi from her govt bungalow

In a casteist jibe at PM Modi, NCP chief and former Union Minister of India—Sharad Pawar said that by evicting Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi from her government accommodation at 35 Lodhi Estate—the central government has indulged in “Shudra-level politics”. Shudra is a casteist slur.

For the first time in the 33-year-old history of Shiv Sena mouthpiece–Saamana, it interviewed a political leader not associated with Shiv Sena. In a three-part interview, Sharad Pawar spoke on a range of issues, spanning from the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra to the central government’s move to ask Priyanka Gandhi to vacate her government bungalow.

“Nehru was one of the tallest leaders of the country. His daughter, Indira Gandhi, too sacrificed herself for the nation. Her son Rajiv Gandhi also immensely contributed to the country. A daughter of such a family, after the death of her father Rajiv Gandhi, is trying to consolidate her political party with the help of her mother Sonia Gandhi…There can be political differences over your ideologies but to oust her from her government bungalow is not vendetta politics but low-caste politics,” Sharad Pawar told Associate editor of Saamana, Sanjay Raut.

Responding to Raut’s question that Mamata Banerjee had accused Modi government of indulging in vendetta politics, Sharad Pawar said that the central government has not indulged in vendetta politics but in “low-caste politics”.

According to the former Maharashtra chief minister, the democratic republic of India is a Gandhi family fiefdom and Priyanka Gandhi, by the virtue of her familial lineage, should be entitled to the government accommodation for the rest of her life. Denying the Gandhi family their “privilege” to interminably stay in a government-sponsored bungalow with highly subsidised rent is akin to playing “low-caste politics” as per the NCP chief.

Priyanka Gandhi asked to leave her government accommodation

The remarks from Sharad Pawar came in the wake of a notice served to Priyanka Gandhi, asking her to vacate her government accommodation at 35, Lodhi Estate, which she was continuing to live in despite removal of SPG cover in November last year.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was served a notice to vacate her bungalow provided by the Government of India. She was allocated the bungalow because she was an SPG protectee. In a letter served to her, the Gandhi scion has been given a month time to vacate the bungalow which she has been occupying for the last 23 years as part of the entitlement which came to her along with her maiden name.

Casteist slur at PM Modi

This is not the first time that PM Modi has been subjected to casteist slurs. Earlier too, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had appallingly made casteist remarks against the Prime Minister. In 2017, Aiyar used an objectionable term “neech”- lowly, with casteist slurs for PM Modi.

“Mujhko lagta hai ki ye aadmi bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai, isme koi sabhyata nahi hai, or aise mauke par is kisam ki gandi rajniti karne ki kya avashyakta hai?” Mani Shankar Aiyar had said for PM Modi during the campaigning for the Gujarat elections in 2017.

Delhi Riot part of deep-rooted conspiracy, prima facie evidence that Tahir Hussain was part of the conspiracy: Delhi Court junks bail plea

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Riot part of deep-rooted conspiracy, prima facie evidence that Tahir Hussain was part of the conspiracy: Delhi Court junks bail plea

On the 9th of July, Delhi’s Karkardooma Court had reserved the order in the bail plea application of AAP leader Tahir Hussain in the case of the murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma, who was killed by a mob led by Hussain during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots. Today, the Delhi Court has rejected the bail plea of Tahir Hussain.

The Delhi Court has said that the Delhi Riots were the result of a deep-rooted conspiracy and was carried out in an organised manner. Saying this, according to reports, the Delhi Court also said that the role of Hussain is also being investigated and his connection to other members of Pinjra Tod, Jamia Co-ordination Committee, United Against Hate group etc are being probed.

Further, the Delhi Court said that there seems to be a prima facie involvement of AAP councillor Tahir Hussain the deep-rooted conspiracy that resulted in the gruesome Delhi riots that claimed the lives of over 50 people and left hundreds injured.

Involvement of Tahir Hussain in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots and his disclosure statement

Tahir Hussain, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) councillor who involved in the organisation and execution of the Delhi Riots. In the chargesheets filed by the Delhi Police and the Special Cell, it is revealed that Tahir Hussain met Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi of ‘India Against Hate’ group and hatched a plan for the Delhi riots way back on the 8th of January. This meeting was held at Shaheen Bagh where the anti-CAA protests were taking place.

The chargesheets also say that Tahir Hussain got money to organise these riots from several quarters in shell companies. In another disclosure, it was reported that Khalid Saifi had even travelled to Malaysia to meet Islamist Zakir Naik to collect funds for the Delhi Riots.

In his disclosure statement, Tahir Hussain details how he organised the riots to take revenge against Hindus and teach ‘Kafirs’ a lesson. He further talks about making PCR calls in between the riots to ensure that he had a solid alibi. Further, he also reveals how he had organised for thousands of Muslims to congregate in the Chand Bagh area to carry out the riots.

Amidst the political crisis in Rajasthan, I-T raids at premises of CM Ashok Gehlot’s close aides

OpIndia Staff
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Amidst the political crisis in Rajasthan, I-T raids at premises of CM Ashok Gehlot’s close aides

On Monday, about 200 Income Tax (I-T) Department officials reportedly raided the house of Congress leader Dharamender Rathore over suspicious foreign transactions. As per the report, Rathore is considered as a ‘close aide’ of Ashok Gehlot.

Besides, the residence of one Rajiv Arora, a jewellery firm owner, has also been raided. Arora is also said to be close to the Rajasthan Chief Minister. The I-T officials conducted searches at several locations in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jaipur, Kota, Mumbai, and Delhi. Reportedly, the raids were conducted following complaints of tax evasion. As per the report, the Rajasthan Police was not apprised of the raids by the Income Tax Department.

Sachin Pilot reaches Delhi with 25 MLAs

Speculations are rife that Rajasthan government may go the Madhya Pradesh way as the infighting between Congress leaders continue and Sachin Pilot reached Delhi on Saturday along with 20-25 Congress and independent MLAs. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had called for a meeting of Cabinet Ministers at his residence and asked all Congress MLAs to write a letter in his support. Following the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections, a power tussle ensued between Congress old guard Ashok Gehlot and youth leader Sachin pilot for the coveted post of the Chief Minister. Eventually, Gehlot was made the CM, and Pilot was sidelined. The divide between the two factions, within the State government, seemed to have widened over time.

Reports are also emerging claiming that Sachin Pilot may meet the BJP top brass soon to join the party. Earlier, former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was sidelined in an equal manner by the Congress party which preferred Kamal Nath as the CM had left the grand old party to Join the BJP. The Kamal Nath government had fallen, BJP’s Shivraj Sing Chouhan had become CM, and Scindia was given a Rajya Sabha nomination.

Gehlot accuses BJP of horse-trading

Accusing the BJP of indulging in horse-trading, Gehlot said, “I have tried to take everyone aboard in this fight against the Coronavirus. However, BJP leaders have crossed all levels of inhumanity. While we are proactively trying to save lives and means of livelihood, they are trying to destabilise the government.” Gehlot claimed that the State government was stable and would continue to remain so despite all efforts to the contrary allegedly made by leaders such as Satish Poonia, Rajendra Rathore, and Gulab Chand Kataria. He further alleged that efforts are being made to create a political crisis in Rajasthan, as was witnessed in Madhya Pradesh.

“Sachin Pilot is in BJP”, says Congress leader PL Punia, later claims it was a slip of tongue

OpIndia Staff
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“Sachin Pilot is in BJP”, says Congress leader PL Punia, later claims it was a slip of tongue

Congress in-charge of Chattisgarh, PL Punia, has alleged that Sachin Pilot, Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, has left Congress and joined Bharatiya Janata Party. He said that everyone is respected in the Congress Party, and they do not need a certificate from anyone, especially from BJP.

Later, Punia claimed that the question was about Scindia and he accidentally took the name of Sachin Pilot. He added, “Mistake is regretted.”

P L Punia’s tweet

There are rumors that Pilot was feeling sidelined by the Party leaders that led to his decision to end the alliance with the Congress. The power struggle between Pilot and Ashok Gehlot has been take-of-the-hour from the last two days. He also let Scindia in Delhi, after which he tweeted in favour of Pilot.

While Congress leaders are trying their best to control the situation, Sanjay Jha, who resigned as chief of Congress’ APIC Maharashtra unit last week, has tweeted in favour of Pilot. He said that after looking at the facts, he backs Pilot claims that Congress in Rajasthan no longer enjoys majority. In another tweet, Jha also questioned why Gehlot was made CM while Pilot played a vital role in defeating BJP in Rajasthan.

On Sunday, Pilot said that 30 Congress MLAs and few Independent MLAs support him and said that the Rajasthan government is in the minority now. When Gehlot was chosen as the CM of Rajasthan, there were speculations that Pilot was not in favor of the decision. His supporters had alleged that the power struggle got worse when Gehlot undermined Pilot’s authority several times since he became CM. Pilot may meet BJP President JP Nadda today.

West Bengal: BJP MLA from Uttar Dinajpur found hanging, party demands CBI inquiry over murder

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: BJP MLA from Uttar Dinajpur found hanging, party demands CBI inquiry over murder

On Monday morning, the West Bengal police reportedly recovered the dead body of Debendra Nath Roy, a BJP MLA from Hematabad, in a closed tea shop in the village of Balia in Bindol Panchayat in Rajiganj. Roy was found hanging from the roof of the shop. He had been missing from Sunday night.

The shop, from where the corpse of the BJP leader was retrieved, is located about 1.5km from his house. After he went missing on Sunday night, the local area was searched overnight but it was in vain. The family of the BJP MLA has alleged that it is a case of murder. Reportedly, the cops rushed to the crime scene after they received information about the incident.

The body has been sent for autopsy and an investigation is underway. Debendra Nath Roy was an elected representative from the reserved seat in Uttar Dinajpur. He was a former member of the CPI (M) and won from the party ticket in three consecutive terms. He had joined the BJP along with 50 other councillors in May last year. Reportedly, he had helped villagers financially through cooperative committees.

Reaction to the Alleged ‘Murder’

BJP leader Rahul Sinha has urged the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to order CBI inquiry in the case. He alleged, “Trinamool Congress (TMC) is behind the killing and has made it look like a suicide.”

Meanwhile, the wife of the deceased MLA, Chandima Roy, has alleged that her husband has been murdered as a part of a premeditated plan. Raiganj MP Debashree Chowdhury has demanded an inquiry into the matter. “Debendranath er mrittu onek sondeho jonok. Ek jan manush haath badha obostai kokhono attohotta korta parban na. Sokolai sondhoho korecha (Debendra Nath’s death is suspicious. None can commit suicide with his hands tied. Everyone is skeptical about his death).”

Vadodara Police detains social media user Shubham Mishra over allegations of issuing rape threats to comedian Agrima Joshua

OpIndia Staff
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Vadodara Police detains social media user Shubham Mishra over allegations of issuing rape threats to comedian Agrima Joshua

Vadodara Police has booked a 26-year-old man, Shubham Mishra, on Sunday night after his video surfaced on social media in which he was giving rape threats to a female comedian. The video was posted on his Instagram account on Saturday after Agrima Joshua’s year-old video on Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue started to go viral on social media.

Rekha Sharma, Chairperson National Commission for Women, wrote a letter to DGP Gujarat, Shivanand Jha, after which Gujarat Police tagged Vadodara Police for the same. Taking Suo Moto action in the case against Mishra, Vadodra police registered an FIR and detained him under relevant sections of IPC and IT act.

According to Indian Express, he was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 294 (Obscenity), 504 (Intentionally insults to break public peace) 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief), 506 (Criminal intimidation) and 509 (Intending to insult the modesty of a woman). Section 67 of the Information Technology Act (Transmission of electronic material which is lascivious or tends to deprave or corrupt people) was also included in the FIR.

Allegation on Joshua

Recently, an old video of stand up comedian Agrima Joshua had become viral in which she was seen making made fun of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue that is under construction in Maharashtra. She first alleged that “BJP IT cell” is behind the abuses on social media but later “apologized” specifically to Shiv Sena and MNS leaders for the same.

Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot says Gehlot government has lost majority, Congress MLAs to meet CM

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot says Gehlot government has lost majority, Congress MLAs to meet CM

There is a battle for leadership going on in Rajasthan and it does not look good for Congress. The struggle between deputy CM Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot has come to a point where Pilot has claimed that the state government is no longer in the majority. Congress has scheduled a legislative meeting on Monday morning.

The state police have registered an FIR against Pilot for allegedly plotting to topple the government. A special police team called Pilot to join the investigation and irked Pilot further and he released an official statement that Gehlot had lost majority. Pilot has claimed that he has the support of 30 Congress MLAs along with some independent ones.

Pilot met Scindia

Pilot also met Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday in Delhi, who had recently left the post of general secretary, Congress, and joined BJP. His departure made it possible for BJP to form government in Madhya Pradesh by removing Kamal Nath from the chief minister’s seat. The alleged meeting between the two young leaders has raised the speculations that BJP is supporting Pilot. Scindia said in a statement that Pilot is being sidelined by the Congress.

Reports have also stated that Sachin Pilot is scheduled to meet BJP’s JP Nadda today. However, a report in News 18 claimed from ‘BJP sources’ that no meeting has been scheduled between JP Nadda and Sachin Pilot and

There are speculations that Congress’s number is not at risk in Rajasthan and Gehlot is prepared to face any attempts of BJP and Pilot to topple his government. Last night, during a press conference, Congress party said that 109 MLAs had signed a letter to ‘express their support’ for the party. Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pande added, “A whip has been issued to all party MLAs to be mandatorily present at Congress Legislature Party meeting to be held tomorrow morning. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against any MLA who is absent without mentioning personal/special reason.”

Congress MLAs to meet CM

On Monday at 10:30 AM, the Congress legislature party will meet at the chief minister’s residence. As [er reports, it was scheduled for late Sunday night but got postponed after the central leadership asked Ajay Maken, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Avinash Pande to manage the crisis. The said meeting is an attempt to show strength by Gehlot.

While many Congress MLAs and senior leaders were seen meeting Gehlot to show their support for him, a few Congress MLAs, including Inder Raj Gurjar, PR Meena, Rakesh Pareek and more were untraceable. CM Gehlot had earlier tweeted, “CM, deputy CM, the chief whip, some other ministers and MLAs have received notices from SOG to record their statements in connection with Congress legislature party’s complaint regarding horse-trading by BJP. It is not appropriate to present it differently by some media outlets.”

Madhya Pradesh: Sex racket unearthed in Bhopal, 68-year-old newspaper owner Pyare Mian accused of raping a minor

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Sex racket unearthed in Bhopal, 68-year-old newspaper owner Pyare Mian accused of raping a minor

Madhya Pradesh police on Sunday morning unearthed a sex racket wherein an owner of Bhopal based Hindi daily, Pyare Mian, was accused of raping a minor. As per reports, five minor girls were found roaming in an inebriated condition in Ratibarh area. After the police found them, the minor girls were handed over to city child line where the girls said that they were forced into prostitution. All these girls were between the age of 14-17.

As per reports, the girls were made to drink alcohol and dance till late night at the parties of the wealthy men. These men would also rape these girls. After the minor girls would become adults, Pyare Mian would get them married. This racket has also revealed many big names and the investigation is currently on.

A case has been currently registered under POCSO and other relevant sections against 68-year-old Pyare Mian and his 21-year-old secretary, Sweety. While Sweety has been arrested, Pyare Mian is still on the run. A reward of Rs 10,000 has been announced on him.

As per reports, the girls were returning from a ‘party’ in a flat in Shapura area. They were sent there to dance at someone’s birthday party. One of the girls has even alleged that Pyare Mian raped her. The girls have alleged that Pyare Mian and Sweety would force them to do this.

Amid political crisis in Rajasthan Congress, news agencies and media houses publish report based on fake Twitter account of Sarah Pilot

OpIndia Staff
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Amid political crisis in Rajasthan Congress, news agencies and media houses publish report based on fake Twitter account of Sarah Pilot

Amid the ongoing political crisis in the ruling Congress party in Rajasthan, where reportedly deputy CM Sachin Pilot is rebelling and is camping in Delhi with around 25 MLAs, news agency IANS published a story saying that Sachin Pilot’s wife Sarah Pilot has attacked the state CM on Twitter. But the news agency mistook a fake account to be real account of Sarah.

The story, which was published by several news houses, said that Sarah Pilot posted a series of tweets directed at Rajasthan CM. The report quoted Sarah Pilot as saying that big magicians have started sweating when we go to Delhi, apparently referring to Ashok Gehlot as magician. It also mentioned that she said that for six years somebody struggled on roads in Rajasthan but when the moment came, Jaichand started taking advantage and usurped the throne.

The IANS report didn’t link or embed any of the tweets of Sarah Pilot. But the same tweets which were mentioned in the report were found in the Twitter account with the name Sarah Sachin Pilot, the account name of which is @SarahSachin. The tweets are in Hindi, but the content is same as the IANS report, which means that the report was based on this account.

Tweets posted by fake account of Sarah Pilot

Hindi news portal Newstract also published a report independently on the basis of the tweets, and they embedded the tweets from the account.

But a glance at the Twitter account shows that it is not the real account of Sarah Pilot, wife Sachin Pilot and daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah. The account was created in March 2019, but the account is not verified. Moreover, the account is neither followed by Sachin Pilot nor by Omar Abdullah, her brother, who is active on Twitter. The bio also mentions “RoyalPilot family with indian Poltics”, which is highly suspect. Therefore, it can be concluded that the account is fake.

Tabeenah Anjum, a journalist from Rajasthan, also confirmed that the Twitter account does not belong to Sarah Pilot. She asked media houses to not use tweets from the account to published reports, and said that she was surprised to see tweets from this account making it to mainstream news and agency stories.

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