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SC refuses to stay implementation of CAA, directs all High Courts not to hear any CAA related petition

OpIndia Staff
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SC refuses to stay implementation of CAA, directs all High Courts not to hear any CAA related petition

The SC today refused to put a stay on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Refusing to put a stay on Citizenship Law, and NPR, the top court gave the centre 4 weeks time to respond to the petitions contesting the legality of the Citizenship Amendment Act.


Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, requested the court to put on hold enforcement of CAA and postponement of the NPR exercise for the time being. Sibal contended that the interim stay should be granted till the time the Supreme Court hears the matter claiming that if the citizenship is granted, it will be difficult to revoke it.

Arguing on behalf of the centre, Attorney General KK Venugopal sought additional time from the court stating that the government had been given copies of only 60 of 143 pleas and thus it requires more time to respond to them.

The Bench of CJI SA Bobde with Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna heard the case involving as many as 143 petitions, most of them challenging the validity of the Citizenship Law while others extending support to the Act. Granting the centre four weeks’ time, the bench refused a stay on CAA until it heard the Centre’s response and suggested that it would set up a five-judge Constitution bench to hear the matter.

Senior Advocate Vikas Singh sought an interim order citing that the Act infracted the Assam accord.

Attorney General Venugopal asked the court to treat the case of Assam and Tripura separately, stating that the Assam NRC will not become operative unless the final list is shared by the Registrar General of India.

Furthermore, the CJI acknowledged that the case of Assam and Tripura matter is different from the rest of the country. The top court said that Assam and Tripura matters will be clubbed together to be dealt with separately. The Court asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal to assist in identifying these matters and asked the centre to respond on Assam related petitions in the next two weeks.

CJI Bobde also restrained all the High Courts from hearing any petition in favour or against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Brazil President Jair Messias Bolsonaro to attend Republic Day parade as chief guest, multiple deals and MoUs to be signed

OpIndia Staff
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Brazil President Jair Messias Bolsonaro to attend Republic Day parade as chief guest, multiple deals and MoUs to be signed

Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro will begin his four-day visit to India on January 24, on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, primarily to be the chief guest at the 71st Republic Day Parade and also explore ways to boost trade and the economic ties between the India and Brazil.

On his first visit to India after assuming power in January last year, the Brazilian President will be accompanied by seven ministers, top officials and a large business delegation.

“President of Brazil Jair Messias Bolsonaro will be paying a state visit to India from January 24-27 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will be the chief guest at India’s 71st Republic Day Parade on January 26,” the External Affairs Ministry said in an official release.

“This visit is expected to further enhance and strengthen the multi-faceted ties between India-Brazil,” the ministry said. During the visit, the two leaders will hold bilateral talks followed by joint press statements on Saturday.

The last presidential visit from Brazil was by President Michel Temer in October 2016 on the sidelines of the eighth BRICS summit in Goa. Narendra Modi visited Brazil in November to attend the eleventh BRICS Summit.

India-Brazil ties have been on an upswing ever since Modi has come to power.

The volume of bilateral trade was USD 8.2 billion in 2018-19. This included USD 3.8 billion worth of Indian exports to Brazil and USD 4.4 million as imports by India. Both the governments feel there is huge potential to enhance the bilateral trade further.

Moreover, Indian investments in Brazil were around USD 6 billion and Brazilian investments in India are estimated at USD 1 billion in 2018.

With this presidential visit, India and Brazil aim at reviving the “strategic partnership” by formulating an action plan which will restart the joint commission at foreign ministerial level that is supposed to meet every two years.

A senior diplomat in the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi said: “Most importantly in terms of diplomacy, an action plan for the strategic partnership will guide our work in the following years. The last time the joint commission met was in 2015.” The two sides are set to sign agreements and MoUs in various fields.

“India and Brazil share a close and multifaceted relationship. Our bilateral relations are based on a common global vision, shared democratic values, and a commitment to foster the economic growth of both countries. Bilateral relations were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2006, heralding a new phase in India-Brazil relations,” said a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

On Saturday, President Ram Nath Kovind will hold talks with Bolsonaro and will also host a banquet for him. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also call on Bolsonaro.

On January 27, Bolsonaro will address a group of Indian and Brazilian business leaders at the India-Brazil Business Forum, according to the MEA.

Following is the list of deals and action plan the two countries seek to discuss and hold in these four days:

  • Leader’s Joint Statement
  • Investment Cooperation and Facilitation Treaty
  • Agreement on Social Security
  • MoU on Cooperation on Bioenergy
  • MoU for Cooperation in the Field of Oil and Natural gas
  • Cultural Exchange Programme 2020-2023
  • MoU on Cooperation in the area of Cyber Security
  • MoU on Cooperation in Field of Geology and Mineral Resources
  • Cooperation Programme on Science and Technology
  • MoU for technical and scientific cooperation between UEPG, Fundação Auracária and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
  • MoU to Establish Nodal Institution in India to Conduct Bioenergy Research
  • Protocol Amending the Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, signed at New Delhi on 26 April 1988
  • Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty on Criminal Matters
  • MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Health and Medicine
  • MoU on Traditional Medicine and Homeopathy
  • MoU between APEX Brasil and Invest India

According to reports, the two countries along with having extensive discussions on food security, energy security, agriculture, defence and investment, will also focus on talks regarding converting ethanol into energy and boosting the tradition oil and gas trade.

Manipur: Assam Rifles denies IPS officer’s molestation charge against its jawan, says she brought suspicious items from Myanmar and tried to bypass scanning lane

OpIndia Staff
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Manipur: Assam Rifles denies IPS officer’s molestation charge against its jawan, says she brought suspicious items from Myanmar and tried to bypass scanning lane

On Wednesday, the Assam Rifles (AR) released an official statement to reject allegations of molestation against one of its jawans levelled by an IPS officer and termed it as “baseless” and “fabricated”.

The statement comes two days after a woman IPS officer had lodged a police complaint accusing an Assam Rifles rifleman of molesting her, while she was on duty at Indo-Myanmar border town Moreh. A complaint was also registered with the Women’s Commission of Manipur.


In the statement, Assam Rifles PRO has said that the woman officer Miss Anupam and her escort tried to bypass the designated scanning lane and jumped the vehicle queue at a checkpoint. It contended that the officer and her armed male escorts were all in civil dress and they started arguing in an “ignoble” and “indecorous” language on being enquired about their identity and reasons for jumping the queue.

Despite numerous requests from the troops, the officer refused to divulge her identity and rather “began questioning the troops who were performing their mandated duty”, added the statement.

“At this moment, the lady sitting in co-driver seat started clicking photographs of check post which was objected to by the rifleman. This was possibly with an aim to avoid checking of the unidentified and suspicious stores loaded in the vehicle,” alleged the statement.

The statement pointed out that the security grid along NH-102 has been strengthened due to Republic Day, with all checkpoints asked to be on high alert.

The statement also questioned why the woman officer, allegedly on official duty, “entered Myanmar illegally and bought suspicious goods from across the border”.

“Video footage of her entering Myanmar subsequently loading her so-called official vehicle with suspicious goods is available with Assam Rifle, which exposes her blatant lie in her complaint that she was on official duty,” it said. The statement says that the video will be released to the media at an appropriate time.

The Assam Rifles pointed out that the check-post where the incident took place is the designated frisking and checking point on the Moreh-Imphal route, and contraband worth Rs 500 crore has been seized here since January 2019 alone, underlining the importance of security checks.

Assam Rifles also said that the incident happened in broad daylight, at 2 PM, in front of multiple agencies, and it is unimaginable that a jawan will try to molest, assault or beat an IPS officer, while it was the other way around when the lady IPS officer was shouting on the jawan who was on bonafide duty and four escorts travelling with her had a commotion with the jawan on duty. It is a sheer misuse of official position, power and arrogance shown by the SDPO to blatantly flout the rules and possibly avoiding search of suspicious goods loaded in her vehicle, being a lady she is trying to play the sympathy card, the statement added.

Assam Rifles also said that as sentinels of the North East, they will investigate the matter and ensure that a free and fair trial is conducted on the matter raised by the IPS officer.

Reportedly, the Assam Rifles is also planning to file a case against the 2016-batch Manipur IPS officer.

Kerala: Nearly 5 lakh children miss polio vaccination, Muslim-majority Malappuram sees only 54% vaccination

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Nearly 5 lakh children miss polio vaccination, Muslim-majority Malappuram sees only 54% vaccination

Nearly 5 lakh children in Kerala have missed out on getting Pulse Polio drops as parents were not ready to take the children to the centres in Muslim-majority areas of Malappuram district, reports Mathrubhumi.

According to the reports, the Kerala health department could not administer pulse polio drops to 4,90,645 children in the polio vaccination drive held on January 19. The polio vaccine was not administrated to 46 per cent children in the pulse polio immunisation drive held on January 19 in Malappuram district, which also recorded the least number of administration in the state.

It is pertinent to note that Malappuram in Kerala has one of the highest concentration of Muslim population and according to Census data nearly 70% of residents of the district are Muslims.

Earlier, the health department had planned to administer polio drops to 24,50,477 children in the state. Among them, the polio vaccine was given to 19,59,832 children on January 19, which covered 80% of children. At the same time, 20 per cent of children were not vaccinated.

A total of 23,466 polio vaccination booths were opened in the state in various places, including KSRTC bus stand and railway stations.

However, it was reported that parents did not want to take their children to the booths for vaccination. It is not just Malappuram, but parents in Kasaragod and Palakkad also ignored the vaccination drive.

As parents did not bring their children to polio booths, the health department officials have decided to visit their houses and administer polio drops to children till Tuesday. At the same time, attempts are being made to make parents aware of the need to vaccinate children.

“Polio immunisation aims to check the disease which makes the person paralysed for a lifetime. This is not an injection. It is just dropped which is 100 per cent safe and there are no side effects to it. Every child should be taken for polio vaccination to completely prevent polio in the state,” said Dr B Padmakumar, a professor in Alappuzha medical college.

There have been many cases of Muslim communities being opposed to immunisation drives, not only in India but across the world. India’s success in eradicating polio by the Pulse Polio program was possible after collective efforts by several organisations to convince Muslim clerics and leaders to create awareness among their community members. Mass vaccination drives have often found resistance from Muslims, due to superstitions and a prevalent belief that the vaccines are against their religion, or may make their children sterile.

In rural Pakistan, Muslim locals have even killed and tortured health workers trying to administer vaccines to children against deadly diseases. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only nations in the world where polio has still not been eradicated. In Indonesia, Muslim clerics had even issued a ‘Vaccine Fatwa’, claiming that the Measles-Rubella vaccine carries products derived from pig’s body, hence they are ‘haram’.

There have been instances when the vaccines are also dubbed as ‘RSS Vaccine’, alleging it is an RSS conspiracy to make Muslim children impotent. The Muslim community often fears that the administration of vaccines to young children will cause sterility in the future. There have cases of students fleeing from schools when vaccination teams arrive at schools, or locals threatening the teams to go back.

The dangerous phenomenon of Muslim communities objecting to vaccinations was also seen in the state of Uttar Pradesh in 2018 when many madrassas across the state of Uttar Pradesh had denied permission to health department officials to enter their campuses to administer Measles-Rubella vaccines to students after falling for rumours claiming vaccination could expose children to deadly and contagious diseases and also could make children impotent.

Mangaluru Airport bomb case: Suspect Aditya Rao confesses planting bomb after he was denied security guard job at airport

OpIndia Staff
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Mangaluru Airport bomb case: Suspect Aditya Rao confesses planting bomb after he was denied security guard job at airport

A suspect who is accused of planting a bomb in Mangaluru International Airport on Monday surrendered before Bengaluru police in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to the reports, the suspect identified as 36-year-old Aditya Rao is said to be a resident of Udupi and landed in the DG and IGP office around 8 am and surrendered before police and confessed to them that he placed the bomb.

On Monday, a live bomb was found placed in an unattended bag near the ticket counters at the airport, creating a huge panic at the airport. According to police, the bomb was found in the unclaimed laptop bag. The CCTV footage showed a middle-aged man, dressed in formal attire and wearing a cap, placing the bag at the airport.

Reportedly, the accused Aditya Rao has been earlier arrested for making hoax calls to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport and the Krantivira Sangilli Rayanna (KSR) city railway station after he had failed to secure a job of security personnel at the airport at least three times.

Aditya Krishnamurthy Rao has refused to come to terms with his fate and continued to seek revenge. However, this time he has actually placed a live bomb at the airport premises.

A senior police officer said that the accused is a habitual offender who made calls as an act of revenge and the face of the accused who allegedly placed the bag at the Mangaluru airport matches his description.

According to a senior police officer, Aditya who has reportedly completed BE Mechanical and MBA course from the University of Mysore was a native of Manipal and was not seen in his hometown for some time now.

Police claim that Aditya’s mother has passed away and his father Krishna Murthy lives in Mangaluru.

The furore over CAA and NPR: A timeline of Congress’ contradictory stance

Dibakar Dutta
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The furore over CAA and NPR: A timeline of Congress’ contradictory stance

Ever since the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been passed by the Parliament, the Congress party has resorted to bizarre and inconsistent claims over time. The story became murky when prominent Congress leaders shifted from one rhetoric to the other.

The distinct narratives peddled by these Congress loyalists often contradicted each other and thus left the people hanging in the balance to figure out the party’s official stand on its own. One thing, however, remained common in their various statements – the attempt to club NRC (National Register of Citizens) and NPR (National Population Register) with CAA.

Here is a brief timeline of the various stances:

CAA is anti- Muslim

This claim was made immediately after CAA was passed in the Parliament. Speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival, Shashi Tharoor said that NPR will compel Muslims to prove their nationality by producing documents. A similar attempt to create hysteria among the Muslim community was made by Rahul Gandhi. It prompted Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, to challenge Rahul Gandhi to prove that CAA is “Anti-Muslim.”

CAA is anti-poor

The Anti- Muslim rhetoric soon changed to Anti-poor rhetoric. The Indian National Congress found itself in a state of dilemma while trying to defend Islamist mobs. It needed a course-correction. Rahul Gandhi, former President of the Congress, compared NRC and NPR to “demonetization” and claimed the exercise was a “tax on the poor”.

No implementation of CAA in the Congress-ruled States

Ashok Gehlot, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, had stated that NRC and CAA will not be implemented in Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was also quick to jump on the Anti-CAA bandwagon. He reiterated that CAA is “anti-people” and that the law shall not be implemented in MP. He also claimed that the BJP has displayed its real intentions by clubbing “NRC and NPR” together.

Read: Congress’ meeting against CAA, NRC dumped by Mamata and Maya, AAP says not invited

Captain Amarinder Singh even passed a resolution in the Punjab State Assembly, contending that the law spoilt the secular fabric of the country. He had earlier said that the Centre cannot force him to implement “divisive CAA” in Punjab.

States cannot stop implementation of CAA

While speaking at the Kerela Literature Festival, Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal categorically stated that States do not have the power to stop implementation of a law that has been passed by the Parliament. His comments directly contradicted the rigid stance that the CMs of the Congress-ruled States had assumed.

Sibal’s views were also shared by Congress old guard, Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday. He stated that a State cannot say no to a law passed by the Parliament from a Constitutional perspective. Hooda, however, said that the law can always be challenged in a Court of law.

NPR is good or bad depending on who’s in power

NPR is not being created by the Modi Government for the first time. It was prepared in 2010-2011 along with the Census by the then UPA government.

However, when the current political dispensation decided to repeat this exercise, Digvijaya Singh, former Chief Minister of MP, realised that NPR is “unconstitutional”. It begs a simple question: Was NPR conducted in 2011 constitutional or unconstitutional? If it was within the limits of the law in 2011, then, a change of government cannot make the very exercise illegal.


Conclusion

NPR is a part of the regular census and no individual has to furnish documents separately for the same. As for a nationwide NRC, no formal proposal has yet been laid down by the Government. CAA does not undermine the citizenship of any Indian Muslim. It also does not give a free pass to anyone currently residing in the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Plus, Article 245 and 256 empowers the Central Government to ensure compliance of laws by the State Governments

Despite these hard-hitting facts, the Congress party and its leaders did not back down from rumour-mongering and casting aspersions on CAA, NRC, and NPR.

Talk on JNU, Kashmir if you’re keen on joining politics: Scam accused Congress MP Karti Chidambaram advices Rajinikanth

OpIndia Staff
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Talk on JNU, Kashmir if you’re keen on joining politics: Scam accused Congress MP Karti Chidambaram advices Rajinikanth

Congress MP and an accused in INX Media scam along with his father, former union minister P. Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram has advised Rajinikanth to speak on JNU and Kashmir if he wants to join politics.


Taking to Twitter, Karti questioned Rajinikanth whether Periyar is the most relevant topic to discuss for the legendary actor. “Every historical leader will have many contradictions/controversies be it Gandhi/Churchill etc. a holistic view is needed. To judge a historical change maker by a few incidents or utterances is patently unfair. Periyar’s contribution to Tamil Nadu is humongous,” Karti tweeted. He then gave a tip to Rajinikanth that should he be keen to enter public debate, he should start with his views on current issues like the CAA protests, JNU violence and Kashmir. “Is he opposing or supporting the CAA? What is his stand on JNU violence? Is he condemning it? Is he supporting or opposing GST? Is he supporting or opposing the ongoing situation in Kashmir where three former CMs are under house arrest?” he questioned as reported by India Today.

Controversy broke out recently after South Indian film industry superstar Rajinikanth refused to apologise on his comments on Periyar at Thuglak magazine’s 50th-anniversary event last Friday.

Read: Why did CN Annadurai, the founder of DMK, part ways with Periyar?

Rajinikanth had said on the 14th of January, “In 1971, at Salem, Periyar took out a rally in which undressed images of Lord Sri Ramachandramoorthy and Sita -with a garland of sandal-featured and no news outlet published it.” “Cho strongly condemned the event by Periyar immediately and Thuglak was the only magazine to do so. This brought a bad name to the ruling DMK who did not want the magazine to be circulated. The issue was seized by the government but Cho reprinted it and the magazine was sold in black. What was sold for Rs 10, was then sold for Rs 50 and Rs 60. Dr Kalaingar had (inadvertently) promoted the magazine in that way and in the next issue Cho had thanked him as its publicity manager…” he had added.

Subsequently, on Monday, effigies of Rajnikanth were burnt in Tamil Nadu by ‘activists’. On Tuesday, Rajnikanth declared that he won’t be tendering any apology for his comments on Periyar. He said, “I did not makeup what I said, there are even published stories in media on it. I can show them. I will not apologize.”

If there was no ‘Bharat’ then what was Mahabharat? Kangana smashes Saif Ali Khan’s ‘no concept of India’ argument

OpIndia Staff
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If there was no ‘Bharat’ then what was Mahabharat? Kangana smashes Saif Ali Khan’s ‘no concept of India’ argument

Actress Kangana Ranaut has smashed by the recent comment by her Rangoon co-star Saif Ali Khan that there was no ‘concept of India’ till the British gave it one.

Speaking to Zee News over the promotions for her upcoming movie ‘Panga’, the firebrand actress said, “If there was no concept of Bharat, then what was Mahabharat then? The epic saga of the great battle that was written thousands of years back?

Kangana further added some people create narratives that suit them. She explained further that the great battle among the kings of Bharat was called Mahabharat. Bharat was ruled by numerous kings in their respective smaller kingdoms, but the collective identity has always been that of a unified civilisation called Bharat.

Kangana added, “It was called Mahabharat because Sri Krishna had led the Pandavas and the Kauravas to approach all the kings of Bharat to come and join the epic battle of Bharat, hence it was named ‘Mahabharat’.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf2-etXixOs]

In an interview with film critic Anupama Chopra, Saif had talked about his role in the recent superhit ‘Tanhaji, The Unsung Warrior’. Saif had said, “But when people say this is history, I don’t think this is history. I am quite aware of what the history was. I don’t think there was a concept of India till perhaps the British gave it one. I don’t think there is really any constructive point in arguing about it loudly, provided you yourself know why you’re doing it.”

Khan’s juvenile logic was slammed widely on social media.


Kangana finally ended her statement saying, “Now they say, that the territories should be different and should be split. But our land has been split in the past, and people are still suffering from the pain.”

West Bengal: Goddess Kali idol broken in Siliguri as thieves try to break into the temple for the 8th time

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Goddess Kali idol broken in Siliguri as thieves try to break into the temple for the 8th time

An eighth attempt of breaking in was made at Kali Temple in Sukant Palli in Siliguri, West Bengal. In their bid to steal the ornaments which were on the idol, the thieves even broke the idol. On getting the information of the attempted robbery, the New Jalpaiguri police reached the spot where they had to face anger of the people. The people were angry that there have been no arrests made till now in the previous seven attempts at robbery in the same temple.

As per the information, when devotees reached the temple in the morning to offer their prayers on Tuesday, they found the idol of Goddess Kali broken and lying on the ground. Some bamboo sticks and an iron rod were also found from near the broken idol. People there understood that this was a breaking-in attempt. The news of 8th attempt of robbery in the temple spread like wildfire in the area and people gathered there in large numbers. As per reports, police complaint has been made for previous attempts of robbery as well but there has been no action against anyone yet.

However, police maintains that some people are detained in this regard. The police is currently investigating the matter.

Uttar Pradesh: No loudspeakers for azaan, Allahabad High Court junks plea against no loudspeaker order at 2 mosques

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: No loudspeakers for azaan, Allahabad High Court junks plea against no loudspeaker order at 2 mosques

The Allahabad High Court on January 9 declined to quash an administrative order issued by Jaunpur district administration which refused permission to two mosques to use loudspeakers for azaan, call to prayer for Muslims. The order was uploaded on the court’s website on Monday. On 12th June, 2019, a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) had refused permissions to two mosques to use amplifiers and loudspeakers for azaan.

A bench comprising of justices Pankaj Mithal and V C Dikshit dismissed the petition filed by Masroor Ahmad stating that, “It becomes quite evident that the petitioners have been refused permission to use sound amplifying system at the mosque not only for the inherent reason of noise pollution but in order to maintain peace and tranquillity in the area.” Ahmad, in his petition said that the order be quashed so that they are able to offer their prayers “in accordance with their religion”. The court dismissed the argument that using loudspeakers for azaan at specific time was essential part of their religion.

Citing a Supreme Court judgement, the bench said that no one can claim fundamental right to create noise pollution by amplifying sound. Dismissing the petition, the court lamented that people do not understand the hazardous effects of noise pollution. “No religion prescribes or preaches that prayers are required to be performed through voice amplifiers or by beating of drums. If there is such a practice, it should not adversely affect rights of others, including that of not being disturbed,” the court observed.

Read: Anti CAA riots: Seelampur rioters halted their rampage after 5.30 pm azaan from nearby mosque, dispersed after namaz call

As per reports, the petition had applied to Jaunpur district administration in March 2019 to use loudspeakers in two mosques in Baddopur and Shahganj. On 7th March, 2019, Circle Officer of Shahganj carried out inspection and in his report stated that the area has mixed Hindu-Muslim population and if any of these communities are allowed to use loudspeakers, it could lead to communal tension. Following this, in June, the SDM denied permission to use loudspeakers by mosques.

A January 2018 order issued by Yogi Adityanath government in UP, no loudspeaker, public address system, sound-producing instrument or amplifier can be used in public place without official permission under Rule 5 of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.

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