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SC refuses to entertain Lt Col Purohit’s petition for SIT probe into his arrest and torture, asks to take up with Trial Court

OpIndia Staff
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SC refuses to entertain Lt Col Purohit’s petition for SIT probe into his arrest and torture, asks to take up with Trial Court

the Supreme Court of India has refused to entertain a petition filed by Lt Col Srikant Prasad Purohit seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into his abduction, detention and torture since 2008. According to reports, the apex court has asked him to approach the trial court for the matter.

A bench comprising of justices Ranjan Gogoi, KM Joseph and Naveen Sinha has today stated that entertaining Lt Col Purohit’s petition might impact the ongoing trial in the Malegaon blast case. Senior lawyer Harish Salve had asked for the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) probe into the matter. The SC bench reportedly asked him to raise the issue before the trial court.

Lt Col Purohit had on Monday approached the Bombay HC seeking a stay on a lower court’s decision to proceed with the framing of charges against him in the Malegaon blast case. He had petitioned that the court should stay the proceedings until the court decides on the applicability of UAPA charges against him. earlier today, the Bombay HC had refused to stay the UAPA proceedings against him and had stated that the validity of the sanctions for his prosecution too, will be decided by the trial court.


According to reports, the trial court will tomorrow hear first about the validity of the sanction to prosecute Lt Col Purohit and later will decide on framing of the charges. Lt Col Purohit had since last year been alleging that the as he was a serving officer, the Maharashtra police had to follow the due process of seeking the sanction of a proper authority before his prosecution and the same was not followed in his case.

Lt Col Purohit was accused in the Malegaon blast case and was detained by the Maharashtra ATS for almost 9 years since 2008. The Supreme Court had granted him bail in August last year. Since then many reports have surfaced that Lt Col Purohit along with Sadhvi Pragya Thakur had been deliberately framed in the Malegaon blast case to propagate the false idea of ‘Hindu Terror’. RVS Mani, a former top bureaucrat in the UPA government had stated that Lt Col Purohit was targeted because he was a key intelligence officer and had gathered sensitive information regarding groups involved with Islamic radicalisation. Lt Col Purohit was a serving army officer and even documents from the Army and communications from the army did clarify that he was under duty but the UPA government had chosen to ignore the facts. A former Maharashtra ATS officer had also reportedly claimed that RDX was planted on Lt Col Purohit.

2007 Hyderabad Blasts Case : NIA court convicts two Indian Mujahideen terrorists

OpIndia Staff
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2007 Hyderabad Blasts Case : NIA court convicts two Indian Mujahideen terrorists

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court today convicted two people and acquitted two others in the 2007 Hyderabad blasts that had killed 44 people.

The court has convicted two Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives Mohammad Akbar Ismail Chowdhari and Aneeq Shafique Sayeed in relation to 2007 twin blasts in Hyderabad. The court will announce the sentence for the two accused on Monday. Two others Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash and Mohammed Sadiq Israr Ahmed Shaik have been acquitted by the NIA court.


 

The simultaneous blasts at the popular eatery Gokul Chat had killed 32 people and 47 people had sustained injuries. Twelve others were killed and 21 were injured in another blast at an open-air theatre at Lumbini Park, a few meters away from the state secretariat. The police had found another as many as 19 unexploded bombs in another location in the city after the blasts.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in October 2008 had arrested five accused, who were allegedly Indian Mujahideen operatives. They were charged under section 302 (murder) and other relevant provisions of the IPC and sections of Explosive Substances Act in the twin blasts.

The Central intelligence wing of Telangana had filed charge-sheets against the accused and also had named three others who are absconding, Indian Mujahideen founder Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal and Amir Reza Khan. According to the prosecution Aneeq Shafique Sayeed, Riyaz Bhatkal and Ismail Chowdhari planted bombs.

Earlier, the judgment was to be delivered on August 27, but Judge T Srinivas Rao postponed it to September 4. All the five accused were produced before the court on August 27 through video conferencing from Cherlapalli Central Prison due to the security reasons.

 

 

Creating a nuisance aboard an airplane isn’t dissent, it’s a crime

OpIndia Staff
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Creating a nuisance aboard an airplane isn’t dissent, it’s a crime

A woman named Lois Sofia was arrested and remanded in 15 days judicial custody for raising anti-BJP slogans while travelling on a flight from Chennai to Tuticorin, in which Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan was also travelling. According to reports, the BJP leader then had an argument with the woman after landing at the airport, after which lodged a complaint against the woman with Airports Authority of India and Indigo airlines, the operator of the concerned flight.

The incident happened on the 3rd of September 2018. After obtaining a legal opinion, the Tuticorin police registered charges against Sofia under IPC sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 290 (public nuisance) and Section 75 of the Tamil Nadu City Police Act. In the evening, she was produced before a judicial magistrate who sent her for judicial custody of 15 days. A local court granted her bail on September 4th.

After these developments, the media immediately ran with the story and the incident went viral, as a perfect example of how ‘fascist’ BJP govt can’t tolerate dissent and will send anyone to jail who raises a voice against it.

The usual suspects, opposition parties, left-liberals etc started blaming the Modi government for the arrest of a student for exercising her right to speech.

Congress leader Manish Tewari tweeted, ‘Lois Sofia hit a very raw nerve when she called a spade a spade. The TN BJP President reacted to dissent just as Fascists do by imprisoning those who oppose them….’


DMK chief Stalin accused that Tamil Nadu govt is stifling the right to free speech.

She immediately became a hero of free speech against BJP govt.


Social media got flooded with such accusations. However, everyone who was supporting the lady raising ‘her voice of dissent’ missed a key point. They forget to mention that she raised the slogans inside an aircraft. That adds a totally different dimension to the case, it does not remain a case of dissent or free speech only. Unruly behaviour inside a flying aircraft is an offence as per DGCA rules.

Section 1.1 of DGCA circular on handling unruly passengers says ‘Unlawful/disruptive behaviour on board the aircraft may interfere with the performance of duties of the crew members or hamper the ability of the crew members to perform those duties or jeopardize the safety of the aircraft /persons/ property on board/good order & discipline on board, cause discomfort to other passengers & crew members and may invite penal action in accordance with applicable regulations.’

Section 1.3 says Unruly behaviour on-board aircraft has been declared as an offence and is a punishable act.

Moreover, section 23 of Aircraft Rules 1937 says that assault, intimidate or threaten, whether physically or verbally, any person, is an offence under the rule, which is punishable under the provision of Rule 161.

After the 9/11 attack on Twin Towers in New York, the air travel in the world has undergone a drastic change. The safety measures have become much tougher, the governments, security agencies and airlines have become much more sensitive to air travel safety.

Any kind of suspicious, unnatural, or unruly behaviour is not taken lightly by airlines and regulators. Such behaviour is punishable offences under guidelines of various regulators across the world including FAA. Hence, though the right to dissent and freedom of speech are sacrosanct and it must be protected, one must be objective about particular incidents. One has to respect legal and regulatory norms regarding time, place & occasion while conducting any kind of protest.

Amidst BJP’s NRC demand, Imams of West Bengal ask Muslims to keep citizenship records ready

OpIndia Staff
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Amidst BJP’s NRC demand, Imams of West Bengal ask Muslims to keep citizenship records ready

The Imams of prominent mosques and many Muslim organisations of West Bengal have urged people of their community to be prepared with the necessary documents and other legal records to prove their citizenship in the case National Registry of Citizens is implemented in West Bengal.

While Imams are making announcements in mosques during weekly prayers, the Muslim organisations have been arranging special awareness drives and workshops across the states to help people if NRC is implemented.

Recently, the Imam of Nakhoda mosque Maulana Shafique Qasmi at the congregation after the Friday prayers during Eid had asked the people of the Muslim community and other citizens of the state to keep their documents ready.

“Everyone should have the papers like voter identity card, Aadhar card, land records, property inheritance papers, etc – in short, every single document in order so that he can produce the same whenever required,” the cleric said.

The cleric said that other Imams during the prayers should educate people regarding the NRC. “Many who are not educated enough and don’t know whether their papers are in order or not due to glitches like misspellings, need to be informed by community leaders that they should update their records soon,” he said.

It is reported that the outreach programme will be in the form of a public address system, street corner meetings, social media and sermons at the mosques. The idea is to educate people regarding the necessity of including names in the electoral rolls, updating the spelling and errors in the details of the concerned person in case if it is wrongly updated.

Md Nooruddin, president of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind’s (JIH) said that there is more than 2.5 lakh Muslims youths in West Bengal who do not have a voter card.  He added that the names of these people are present in the Census and they have other documents, but, there are many errors in their voter and Aadhar Card, as they are not properly educated and mostly work outside West Bengal.

“From September 1, the Election Commission will start a drive in Bengal for updating and rectifying the voters’ list. Our volunteers will go door-to-door to make people aware that they need to include their names in the voters’ list”, said Mohammed Nooruddin.

A T M Rafiqul Hassan, president of the All Bengal Imam and Moizzin Samity said that he will issue a notification to all Imams at all mosques in every district that they should create awareness regarding the importance Aadhaar cards, voter IDs and other forms of identity.

Rahul Sinha, BJP’s national secretary said that the initiative is good as it creates awareness. He said that the BJP is not against the Muslims who are sons of the soil. He said that people should get their papers ready. “Our standpoint is clear. We want to identify infiltrators. Only voter cards won’t do. We also will give recognition to those who were forced to come here after religious persecution”, said Sinha.

This comes as the Supreme Court-monitored National Register of Citizens (NRC) was implemented in Assam and resulted in leaving out of names of 40 lakh people because of their failure to present proper documents at the time of verification. The BJP leaders of the West Bengal has said that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be updated in West Bengal if the BJP is voted to power in the State.

TMC leader caught on video asking party workers to get BJP worker arrested in false ganja case

OpIndia Staff
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TMC leader caught on video asking party workers to get BJP worker arrested in false ganja case

Trinamool Congress’s Birbhum chief Anubrata Mondal has been caught on camera telling his party workers to frame a local BJP leader in a fake Ganja case. in the video, that had gone viral on social media, the TMC leader is seen telling party workers that if they are not able to ‘control’ her, they should get her arrested. Mondal is also seen in the video telling the party workers to get the SP on the line so he can pass on the instructions.


The viral video is reportedly from a TMC meeting on Sunday where the West Bengal agriculture minister Ashish Banerjee and TMC vice-president Rana Singha were also reportedly present in the event. It was reported later that the ‘fat woman Sangita’ the TMC leader is seen referring to in the video is reportedly local BJP leader Sangita Chakraborty, who was earlier associated with TMC and had joined BJP later.

Sangita Chakraborty has reportedly stated to media that she is feeling threatened and she has lodged a complaint at the Aushgram police station and has also approached to the National Human Rights Commission. she has also added that she had been threatened and attacked before and if something untoward happened to her or her family members, Anubrata Mondal will be responsible. Chakraborty owns a clothes shop and is reportedly a local BJP worker.

According to reports, this is not the first time Anubrata Mondal has created controversy. In 2013, he had allegedly asked his partymen to throw bombs at police personnel and burn down the houses of panchayat election candidates who are contesting against TMC. during the 2016 assembly elections in the state, he was put under 24-hour police surveillance by the election commission. In 2017, he was caught in a video threatening a police DSP that unless he starts arresting CPM leaders his men will start burning houses.

It is notable here that under the anti-narcotics law, the possession of Ganja (cannabis) can land a person in jail for a minimum of six months and in case of larger quantities the punishment can be upto 20 years in prison.

It is notable here that in the recently concluded panchayat elections in the state, the TMC had won all the 42 Zilla Parishad seats in Birbhum uncontested. Anubrata, regarded as a part strongman, was stated to be behind the win.

Political violence and murders have marred the West Bengal politics since long. Before and even after the panchayat elections, there were many instances where BJP supporters have been strategically murdered in the state.

60 crores loan scam in Tamil Nadu, labourers shown as borrowers, many died mysteriously: Report

OpIndia Staff
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60 crores loan scam in Tamil Nadu, labourers shown as borrowers, many died mysteriously: Report

A Times of India investigative report has revealed that a multi-crore loan scam has been going on in some rural branches of SBI located in Virudhnagar and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu. According to the report, two individuals named Velumurugan and Shenbagan were the main culprits behind a series of loan frauds which were done by taking the signatures of daily wage labourers and listing them as ‘borrowers’.

The report states that the scam dates back to October 2017, when two men named OMS Velumurugan and his nephew Shenbagan had duped and fraudulently obtained signatures of as many as 169 people promising them government pensions and presented the papers to State Bank of India as farmers applying for loans. Each person was reportedly granted a loan of several lakh rupees. The loan amount was then credited into the temporary accounts of the borrowers and from there, the money was then syphoned off by Velumurugan and Shenbagan.

The scam was unearthed when the bank reportedly started sending demand notices to the borrowers. After a daily wage earner named Vijay Muthu Alaguraja lodged an FIR against the duo, eventually, as many as 400 different labourers had come ahead with allegations of being duped by the duo. Most of them were reportedly the workers in the factories owned by Shenbagan and Velumurugan.

According to reports, though the police had arrested both Shenbagan and Velumurugan on August 8th and another suspect yesterday on September 3, as many as 15 labourers under whose names the fraudulent loans have been taken have died in the past 6 months. All of them have reportedly died under mysterious circumstances and one person has gone missing. According to the report, the police had lodged cases of unnatural deaths and had closed the files. The police now say that the loan scam runs up to hundreds of crores.

The report says that both Velumurugan and his nephew Shenbagan had managed to avoid arrest for a long time and had even initiated insolvency proceedings to avoid legal hassles. This 60 crore heist was not even their first crime. According to Times of India, the duo had been arrested in 2013 for stealing oil imported from Malaysia and Singapore and cheating a company of Rs 18 crores. Shenbagan’s daughter Indumathi, who is a CA, is also an accused in the case. The collusion of bank officials is also being investigated in the case.

One Nation One Card policy soon for public transport services, says NITI Ayog CEO

OpIndia Staff
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One Nation One Card policy soon for public transport services, says NITI Ayog CEO

India is soon going to start a ‘One Nation One Card’ scheme for public transport services across the country. NITI Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant has today stated that it will benefit Indians and will ensure seamless connectivity between various modes of public transport.

According to reports, Amitabh Kant said at the ‘Future Mobility Summit 2018-India’s move to NextGen public transport systems’ that the objective of the strategy is to plan for the citizens first, rather than focusing on the vehicles alone, by providing sustainable mobility and accessibility by switching to cleaner modes of transportation.

The road transport sector alone reportedly contributes to 4% of India’s GDP. Amitabh Kant also stated that a seamless transportation network is the backbone of any nation’s economic development and sustainable public transport should be the focus of any mobility strategy.

The Mobility Summit had yesterday kicked off with a cyclathon from India gate where Amitabh Kant and MoS Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju led with hundreds of other enthusiastic participants. MoS Rijiju has stated that if we want to make our cities great, we must make them cycling friendly.


Amitabh Kant also reportedly said in the mobility summit that in the wake of worsening air quality, rising oil import bills and climate change, mobility is a crucial piece in the puzzle of development and is the key to unlock India’s economic potential.

NITI Ayog adviser Anil Srivastava stated that the governmnet of India is working towards the development of a robust mobility ecosystem in the country. He also reportedly added that the citizens should work towards sharing a ride rather than owning a ride.

Naxals kill two tribals from Chhattisgarh suspected to be ‘police informers’, chilling note reveals details

OpIndia Staff
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Naxals kill two tribals from Chhattisgarh suspected to be ‘police informers’, chilling note reveals details

Two tribal persons from Chhattisgarh, who were allegedly kidnapped by Naxals a few days ago from Bande in Chhattisgarh, have been found murdered near the Gatta village in Etapally Tehsil of Maharashtra’s Maoist infested district Gadchiroli. According to reports, the tribals were allegedly killed on suspicion of being police informers.

Sonu Pada and Somaji Pada were both reportedly kidnapped from the area near Tadveli forest on August 26. Another person named Panduram was also allegedly kidnapped along with the two. The bodies of Sonu and Somaji were reportedly found near the Tadguda road, which is a kilometre away from the Gatta Armed Out Post (AOP). According to reports, a pamphlet from the Bhamragarh area committee of the banned left-wing extremist outfit CPI)M) was left near the body of one of the victims. The pamphlet was reportedly addressed to the elders in the village. Both Sonu and Somaji were reportedly around 35 years old.

According to reports, the pamphlet read, “Today’s young boys and girls are mentally not equipped to understand the world. They do not have the understanding that you (the village elders) have. It is your duty to guide them on the right path. Sonu and Somaji pada have been handed down the people’s verdict for being police informers.” The pamphlet also reportedly included that Sonu and Somaji were the informers of Bande town station’s inspector Deshmukh. It went on to claim that the police were torturing villagers on the basis of the false information provided by Sonu and Somaji.

Sailesh Balkawade, the SP of Gadchiroli reportedly stated that the Bande police in Chhattisgarh will carry out the investigation as the FIR for the kidnappings was registered with them. He has also added that the police are yet to determine whether Sonu and Somaji were murdered there or have been murdered in Chhattisgarh and their bodies were brought near Tadguda road.

It is notable here that Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra has been the hotbed of Naxal activities in the region. In April this year, the security forces had killed 39 Maoist terrorists in separate encounters over a period of two days in the district. In the recent months, the central and state security forces have launched intensive anti-Maoist operations in areas of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand.

Here are some prominent members of the out-on-bail Mahagathbandhan

Shashank Bharadwaj
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Here are some prominent members of the out-on-bail Mahagathbandhan

The Mahagathbandhan- it is an antagonistic setup and a loose coalition of some opposition parties sharing one common feature-Contempt towards India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ‘Grand Alliance’, a combination of opposition parties which are sliding into irrelevance and facing an existential crisis against the strong, stable governments. This time, such sort of an opportunistic alliance is led by Congress party and has other regional players like SP, BSP from Uttar Pradesh, RJD from Bihar, Communist parties and Trinamool Congress from West Bengal and many other insignificant political parties from different states.

The Grand Alliance, since the inception of the idea, has been facing severe credibility issues. The past governance record with their controversial involvement in many criminal and financial irregularities have made the voters stay away from this rhetoric. The leaders of the alliance are themselves embroiled in various financial irregularities and scams, are also now being prosecuted by various agencies and tried by courts. Most of the prominent leaders of the Mahagatabandhan are either convicted for scamming people or facing charges while out on bail for time being. Let us look at some of the ‘honourable’ leaders of the Mahagathbandhan, who are out on bail for committing various crimes and frauds over the years.

Indian National Congress:

The Gandhis- Rahul and Sonia: 

National Herald scam is one of the most notable legal cases in Indian history, as the Gandhis are directly accused. The Mother-Son duo, along with their aides – Oscar Fernandez, Motilal Vohra and Sam Pithroda, who are out on bail, is alleged to have involved in massive ‘cheating and breach of trust’ in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YIL), as assets worth crores of rupees had been allegedly transferred for purposes other than originally intended for a paltry sum. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi got unconditional bail in December 2015.

P Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram:

P Chidambaram, alleged to be the ‘brain’ behind the humongous UPA scams, along with his son has been facing tough times, as the investigation agencies have been unearthing severe irregularities attached to the both P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram. The Enforcement Directorate has been chasing the former union finance minister for his alleged involvement in the irregularities during Aircel-Maxis deal of Rs 3,500 crore and INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore during his tenure as finance minister in the UPA-1 regime. P Chidambaram has been granted an anticipatory bail by the court which protects him from CBI arrests.

Karti Chidambaram, like his father, has been accused of involving in frauds and several other money laundering cases. He is alleged to be involved in both Aircel-Maxis and the INX media cases and is currently out on bail.

Shashi Tharoor:

Shashi Tharoor, the loverboy of the Lutyens cabal has been accused of abetment of suicide in his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s mysterious death. The former Union Minister has been granted a regular bail, who has been charged under sections 306 (Abetment of suicide) and 498A (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) of the IPC.

Virbhadra Singh and Vikramaditya Singh: 

The former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh has been facing several cases related to corruption charges and disproportionate asset cases. The former Chief Minister is out on bail currently in a case related to corruption charges, as he was charged by the CBI for being involved in dubious financial transactions.

Vikramaditya Singh is also accused of involving in money laundering and accused by the ED, along with his father for being involved in creating illegal wealth. The Delhi Patiala Court had recently given him bail after CBI had registered a disproportionate assets case against him and his father.

D K Shivakumar :

One of the most powerful leaders of the Congress, D K Shivakumar is also out on bail, after being charged by the Income Tax authorities for tax irregularities. The Income Tax department carried out raids on more than 67 locations across New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mysuru and Chennai.

Along with this, there are several leaders in the Congress who are facing probe and are out on bail. Sajjan Kumar, one of the masterminds of the Sikh genocide of 1984 under Rajiv Gandhi, is still facing charges and is out on anticipatory bail. In fact, Congress leader Sunil Chopra’s bail plea has been denied. He was involved in the alleged question paper leaks in the judicial officers. M Vincent, Congress MLA Kovalam constituency is out on bail who was arrested on charges of stalking and raping a 51-year-old woman accused him of raping her twice, and then, intimidating her.

Rashtriya Janata Dal :

Lalu Prasad Yadav : 

Lalu Prasad Yadav has been found guilty for indulging in series of fodder scams when he was the Chief Minister of Bihar and currently serving a total of 14 years in jail. He and his family, including daughter Misa Bharati and son Tejashwi Yadav, are facing several cases related to disproportionate assets and also for conducting benami transactions.

Tejashwi Yadav:

The Son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav-9th class failure, who was also the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar seems to be more interested in carrying his corrupt father’s legacy. Tejashwi Yadav, along with his mother Rabri Devi, who are out on bail now, has been accused in the IRCTC scam for allegedly granting operational contract of two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri to a private firm, owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, in return for a prime land plot in Patna in 2006.

Gayathri Prajapathi (Samajwadi Party):

Gayathri Prajapathi, the former minister of Uttar Pradesh was arrested, along with six others for alleged gang rape of a woman and attempting to rape her minor daughter. The rape accused Samajwadi leader has been granted bail in April this year.

Chhagan Bhujbal (National Congress Party):

The NCP leader was arrested in Chhagan Bhujbal by the Enforcement Directorate on chargers under Prevention of Money laundering act. The Enforcement Directorate on Monday attached properties 290 acres worth Rs.55 crore in Nashik in connection with a money-laundering case against the former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal. After two years of imprisonment, is now out on bail

Om Prakash Chautala (Indian National Lok Dal):

The Indian National Lok Dal, another prominent wannabe member of the Grand Alliance is also led by another scamster Om Prakash Chautala. He, along with his son Ajay Singh Chautala, one of the opposition leaders in Haryana is sentenced to ten years imprisonment under various provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act for involving in the Haryana teachers’ recruitment scam case.

H D Kumaraswamy (Janata Dal-Secular):

H D Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha are facing charges in the Janthakal mining scam. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing this scam on the direction of Supreme Court of India. He is accused of pressuring a senior bureaucrat to renew Janthakal Enterprise’s lease of iron ore mining for 40 years on the basis of forged documents and violating several rules. Earlier, he had moved anticipatory bails to avoid arrests from the SIT.

Jignesh Mevani:

Jignesh Mevani, the controversial MLA from Gujarat, along with Umar Khalid -one who was rusticated from JNU for organizing anti-India events to honour terrorists, are charged by the Pune police for instigating violence during the Bhima-Koregaon protest. The police have registered a case under sections 153(A), 505 and 117 of the Indian Penal Code for creating enmity between groups.

Hardik Patel:

Hardik Patel, who was once the face of Patidar agitation in Gujarat, is now convicted for causing riots in Mehasana. Hardik Patel has been found guilty of charges related to arson and creating a ruckus at the office of a BJP MLA Rushikesh Patel.

Apart from these leaders, there are many other fellow friends and allies of the Grand Alliance, who are being probed for their questionable involvement in various cases including disproportionate assets, financial irregularities and even in heinous crimes like murders etc.

The Mahagathbandhan is yet another sense of political falsehood offered by the opposition ranks to replace the existing government in the upcoming elections. The Opposition Parties devoid of any positive agenda, are mainly banking on Modi bashing aided its sycophancy intellectuals in the media. There are severe inherent contradictions within the coalition and it will be interesting to see how this rhetoric of so-called ‘Grand Alliance’ will play out next year.

Congress criteria for selecting candidates for election: 15,000 likes on FB, 5,000 followers on Twitter

OpIndia Staff
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Congress criteria for selecting candidates for election: 15,000 likes on FB, 5,000 followers on Twitter

Ahead of assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee has set a criterion of 15,000 likes on Facebook pages, 5000 followers on Twitter, and a WhatsApp group of booth-level workers for aspiring candidates hoping to get a party ticket. ANI tweeted a copy of the decision issued by the state party unit.


It says that party has decided to evaluate how active the aspiring candidates are on social media. And the social media activity will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

  1. Must have a Facebook page.
  2. Must have a Twitter account.
  3. Must be active on WhatsApp.
  4. Must have 15,000 likes on FB, 5,000 followers on Twitter, and must have a Whatsapp group of booth-level workers.
  5. Must Retweet and like all tweets by Madhya Pradesh Congress’s Twitter account and must share and like all Facebook posts of Madhya Pradesh Congress’s Facebook account.

This is mandatory not only for ticket aspirants but also for all party office bearers and current MLAs of the party also.

The order says that the Congress office-bearers, current MLAs and ticket aspirants must submit the detail of their Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp activities to the Social Media and IT Cell of Madhya Pradesh Congress by 15th September 2018.

Interesting to note here is that, before Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2017, BJP also had determined similar criteria for aspiring candidates for the election. Although the party did not issue an official order like MP Congress has done, according to reports party president Amit Shah told the ticket hopefuls that social media presence of the candidates will be a factor in deciding ticket allocation. Given that BJP won a spectacular victory in the assembly election, virtually eliminating all of the opposition in the state, the Madhya Pradesh unit of Congress party seems to be following the similar strategy in picking to most winnable candidates.

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