Stone pelting by TMC workers has been reported in West Bengal’s Chandamari polling booth in Cooch Behar on 19th April, when the first phase of voting began. One BJP leader is reportedly injured.
According to reports, TMC workers pelted stones to prevent people from reaching the polling booth amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
#BREAKING– Stone pelting reported in West Bengal's Chandamari.
Reportedly, BJP's booth president has suffered injuries & has been rushed to the hospital.
Allegations of electoral malpractice and violence have surfaced in Cooch Behar Ward 18 raising concerns about the safety and fairness of the voting process.
BJP leaders have filed several complaints alleging interference by the TMC at various polling booths. One such complaint highlighted the presence of TMC workers near voting booths, intimidating voters and prohibiting them from entering.
As per reports, shops within 100 meters of the polling booths were occupied by TMC workers to create an atmosphere of fear and prevent voters from casting their ballots.
Reports also state that houses of BJP workers were vandalised and destroyed by TMC supporters. BJP has said that even voters were threatened with violence and death if they cast votes.
Some polling agents were also reportedly prevented from entering designated areas. A booth president of the BJP sustained injuries amid clashes with TMC workers.
Reports also said that TMC workers allegedly intruded into the homes of voters and coerced them to support their party, particularly targeting BJP supporters.
Several visuals are doing the rounds from Cooch Behar district showing TMC goons lurking around polling booths, bombs place casually, and damaged houses of BJP workers. Another visual shows TMC workers beating up BJP workers in Sitalkuchi.
Under the TMC government, West Bengal has become synonymous with poll, pre-poll and post-poll violence.
On 17th April, dairy giant Amul issued a clarification over claims that it is setting up a slaughterhouse in Goa. In its statement, Amul India said that 36 lac farmers of Gujarat associated with the brand take care of their cows. This comes after a video of former Union Minister and Lok Sabha MP Maneka Gandhi went viral, claiming that Amul India set up the first slaughterhouse in Goa.
In its statement, Amul India refuted the claim that it has set up a slaughterhouses. It added that such “baseless claims” made in the video are false and belittle the contribution of women dairy farmers.
“This is for your kind information that a fake message is being forwarded on WhatsApp and Social Media platforms regarding Amul setting up a slaughterhouse in Goa. This is absolutely false. Many other baseless claims made in the video are incorrect and false. They are belittling the contributions of millions of women dairy farmers who have provided nourishment for generations of Indians and food security for our nation for the last 77 years. Today, India is the world’s largest milk producer in the world and Atmanirbhar in the dairy industry. It has provided respect, employment and steady income to our women dairy farmers,” the statement reads.
The dairy giant further assured that around 36 lakh farmers of Gujarat associated with Amul take care of their cows and Amul provides necessary attention and veterinary care as well. It also urged people not to share the “misleading” video which has been used to create misinformation and fearmongering.
“We wish to assure you that 36 lac farmers of Gujarat who own the brand Amul, take care of their cattle as members of their family. They are provided with love, attention and veterinary care at every stage of their life. This video has been used to create misinformation and spread unnecessary fear and concern among consumers. We request you to kindly share this message with your family and friends and assure them that Amul is a responsible brand and its 36 lac farmers love, protect and care for their cows,” Amul India added.
Notably, the video clip of BJP MP Maneka Gandhi claimed that the first slaughterhouse was set by Amul in Goa and that they help farmers in growing and selling cows for their slaughter. She also claimed that the maximum number of cows are slaughtered in Gujarat and illegally transported in trucks to slaughterhouses in Maharashtra. The said video clip is taken from Gandhi’s interview on a YouTube channel named “Kindness with Amy”.
“Amul is in Gujrat. The maximum amount of cow killing is from Gujarat. Every day, trucks and trucks and trucks of cows are taken illegally across the border to Maharashtra to Allana to be killed there. And they all go from the dairies. If I am not mistaken, the first slaughterhouse in India was set up by Amul in Goa. Because they could not in Gujarat…” Gandhi said.
Notably, Maneka Gandhi had made similar claims about ISKCON in September last year. As we reported earlier, ISKCON rejected the allegations made by Member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi against their organisation regarding their cow care standards calling it unsubstantiated and false. It asserted that it serves cows and bulls till their last breaths and it doesn’t sell them to butchers.
Israel launched missile strikes against Tehran during early hours on Friday morning (local time), ABC News reported citing a senior US official.
However, the official could not confirm whether Syria and Iraq sites were hit as well. The report came shortly after local sources reported blasts in Isfahan region in Central Iran.
Iran’s air defence systems were activated in several locations after multiple explosions were heard close to the airport and an army base in the Iranian city of Isfahan, state media reported early Friday morning.
The missile launches come after Iran launched an offensive on targets around Israel on Saturday last week, according to Israeli military authorities, in which the nation fired a barrage of over 300 unmanned drones and missiles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have said that they will counter by targetting the Israeli nuclear sites. The IRGC commander has also reportedly said that Iran Iran could review its “nuclear doctrine”. Haghtalab also said Iran would “definitely” reciprocate any Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities. “We know exactly where the enemy’s main nuclear sites are,” he said.
Meanwhile, as per Syrian media reports on Friday morning, the Syrian Army’s locations in the southern Syrian governorates of As-Suwayda and Daraa were also the target of attacks. The attacks targeted Syrian military radar sites between Qarda and Izraa in Daraa, southern Syria, according to the local news outlet As-Suwayda24.
Residents of Mosul and Erbil in Iraq reported hearing the sounds of fighter jets as well on Friday during early morning hours, the Jerusalem Post reported.
According to officials, Israel and its allies, which include the US, intercepted all but a small number of them. Iran launched its attack over six months after terrorists from Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and the Israeli military started bombarding the Gaza Strip.
Since the assaults on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the nation’s war cabinet have convened multiple times; as ABC News has reported, at least three of those meetings resulted in the cancellation of operations.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel against taking any military actions targeting Iranian interests. He stated Iran has concluded its “defense and counteroffensive measures” and urged the international community to stop Israel from carrying out any military operations against Iran.
During discussions on the Middle East situation at the UNSC in New York on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian said, “Iran’s legitimate defense and countermeasures have been concluded. Therefore, the Israeli regime must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our centres, assets and interests. Certainly, in case of any illegal use of force by the Israeli regime and violating our sovereignty, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate a bit to assert its inherent right to give a decisive and proper response to it to make the regime regret its actions.”
He accused Israel of carrying out a missile attack on Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus on April 1. He said that Israel’s action was a “clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations international law and the Vienna Convention.”
He criticised the US, UK, and France for not issuing a statement over the attack on the Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus. He even expressed regret that the UNSC did not take action on Iran’s repeated requests to prevent further attacks by Israel on Iran’s interests. He accused the White House of giving a green signal to Israel’s action.
He said, “Regrettably, the Security Council, had not taken any action during the past months to our official and repeated requests to prevent further attacks by the Israeli regime on Iran’s interests, centres and official military advisors who were there to fight terrorism and due to the unfortunate and completely irresponsible behaviour of the United States, the UK and France, in response to this illegal attack, failed even to issue a mere statement containing a simple condemnation.”
On Saturday, Iran launched several drones and missiles towards Israel in retaliation for an alleged Israeli air strike on its consulate in Syria, resulting in the killing of three top Iranian generals.
And, on Sunday morning, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that about 99 per cent of the 300 or so projectiles fired by Iran at Israel overnight were intercepted by air defences, as reported by The Times of Israel.
“The Iranian threat met the aerial and technological superiority of the IDF, combined with a strong fighting coalition, which together intercepted the vast majority of the threats,” Hagari had said.
On April 17, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed at a cabinet meeting that Israel will make its own decisions and do whatever is necessary to protect itself, even if it contradicts the advice given by its allies, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, according to Iran state media reports, the air defense systems were engaged in several provinces and that nuclear sites in Isfahan, in central Iran, are safe. Reports citing Iran news agency state that three drones have been brought down over Isfahan.
In a shocking incident, a 24-year-old female student in Hubballi was stabbed to death on her college campus on Thursday. The victim, Neha Hiremath, daughter of Congress Corporator Niranjan Hiremath, was repeatedly stabbed by Fayaz, who is also a student of the same college.
The incident took place at B V Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology in Hubbali, where Neha was studying in first year MCA. The attacker Fayaz was a BCA student of the same college and was a classmate of Neha. He is from Savadatti in Belagavi district. While Neha continued to MCA after completing BCA, Fayaz discontinued.
As per reports, Fayaz was waiting for her to come out of the college and attacked her with a knife. He stabbed her in the neck multiple times with the knife, which was caught on CCTV camera. He was covering his face with a mask. After the stabbing which left Neha profusely bleeding, the assailant fled the scene with the weapon in his hand.
Fayaz, A BCA student killed classmate Neha over rejection
Neha Hiremath was the daughter of Congress corporator Niranjan Hiremath
In the video, it can be seen as Fayaz confronted Neha, she tried to ran way. But he grabbed her, pinned her to the ground, and stabbed her several times. Soon after several persons rush to the scene, but then the attacker ran away.
The victim was rushed to the KIMS Hospital by fellow students who witnessed the horrific crime, but she died there because of the critical injuries.
Reportedly, Fayaz was pestering Neha to enter into a relationship with him, but she has been refusing his advances. Angered and frustrated with this rejection despite his stalking for several months, he killed her, it is believed.
The police have arrested Fayaz who was on the run after the murder, and further probe is underway. The police said that he was planning to kill Neha, as he told his friends that he will finish the girl who has rejected his offer. Given that he chose to stab her in the neck, it can be confirmed that his intention was to kill her.
City Police Commissioner Renuka K Sukumar said, “They were classmates during their BCA studies (last year). While Neha continued her education and pursued her MCA, Fayaz discontinued. He has been apprehended, and investigations are underway.”
An investigating officer said, “Its looks like a love reject case which forced him to act. We are also inquiring with friends and relatives of Neha to get more details on the motive of the murder.”
The family of the girl said that they don’t know Fayaz, and she never mentioned about him.
Several Congress leaders, including MLA Prasad Abbayya, visited the hospital to extend condolences to Neha’s grieving family. In the meanwhile, the city unit of ABVP staged a protest in front of the college demanding strict action against the accused.
The Election Commission of India has made all preparations to welcome voters to the biggest festival of democracy that any nation has witnessed, the elections to the 18th Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies in four states that starts off tomorrow with Phase 1. On this occasion, the Commission also reiterates its uncompromising commitment to deliver a free, fair, peaceful, accessible, participative and inducement free poll.
The Commission and its teams across States and Union Territories, in the last two years have put in necessary hard work and meticulous interventions to give India’s electors the best possible experience. The polling has come after numerous consultations, reviews, field visits, extensive training of officials and building of new and time appropriate operating procedures. It has also involved collaboration with a large spectrum of agencies, organisations countrywide.
The Commission comprising CEC Rajiv Kumar and ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu gave final touches to poll preparations today at 12 noon for a smooth run of phase 1 of General Elections 2024. Remaining 6 phases of polls will continue till 1st of June with around 97 crore voters lined up to vote. Counting of votes scheduled on 4th June.
The Commission considers that it is the time now for voters to act. It has with all sincerity appealed to voters to step out of their homes, go to the polling station and vote with responsibility and pride. In a nationally televised message, CEC Rajiv Kumar appealed to all voters to vote without fail.
Polling for Phase-I of the General Elections 2024 will be held on 19th of April, 2024 for 102 Parliamentary Constituencies in 21 States/ UTs. Of these seats, 73 are general, 11 are reserved for STs and 18 are reserved for SCs. Along with Lok Sabha polls, voting will took place in 92 Assembly Constituencies in the State Assembly Elections in Arunachal and Sikkim. The first phase has the highest number of parliamentary constituencies among all phases.
Voting begins at 7AM and ends at 6 PM. However, closure of Poll timings may differ constituency wise.
Over 18 lakh Polling officials will welcome over 16.63 crore voters across 1.87 lakh polling stations. The voters include 8.4 crore Male; 8.23 crore Female and 11,371 Third gender electors. 35.67 lakh first time voters are registered to cast their votes. Additionally, there are 3.51 crore young voters in the age group 20-29 years.
1625 candidates, 1491 male and 134 Females-134 are in the fray in the first phase tomorrow.
41 helicopters, 84 Special trains and nearly 1 lakh vehicles have been deployed to ferry polling and security personnel.
The Election Commission has taken a slew of decisive measures for peaceful and smooth conduct of the elections. Central forces have been deployed adequately at polling stations to secure the polling process.
Webcasting will be done in more than 50 % of the polling stations along with deployment of micro-observers in all polling stations.
361 Observers (127 General Observers, 67 Police Observers, 167 Expenditure Observers) have already reached their Constituencies days before the polls. They serve as the eyes and ears of the Commission to exercise utmost vigilance. Additionally, Special Observers have been deployed in certain states.
A total of 4627 Flying Squads, 5208 Statistics Surveillance Teams, 2028 Video Surveillance Teams and 1255 Video Viewing Teams are keeping surveillance round the clock to strictly and swiftly deal with any form of inducement of voters.
A total of 1374 inter-state and 162 international Border check posts are keeping strict vigil on any illicit flow of liquor, drugs, cash and freebies. Strict surveillance has been kept at sea and air routes.
There are over 14.14 lakh registered 85+ years old and 13.89 lakh PwD voters in 102 PCs who have been provided the option to vote from the comfort of their homes. The optional Home Voting facility is already receiving tremendous appreciation and response, the EC said.
Those among 85 + and PwD voters and deciding to come to polling stations will be provided with all facilities like pick and drop facility, signages, braille signage on EVM, volunteers etc. PwD voters can also book wheelchair facilities via ECI Saksham App.
Assured Minimum Facilities like water, shed, toilets, ramps, volunteers, wheelchairs, and electricity are in place to ensure that every voter, including elderly and persons with disabilities, can cast their vote with ease.
Model polling stations are being set up across the 102 PCs with local themes. More than 5000 Polling stations will be completely managed by women including security staff and at over 1000 Polling stations by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
Voter Information Slips have been distributed to all registered voters. These slips serve as a facilitation measure and also as an invitation from the Commission to come and vote. Voters can check their polling station details, and poll date on the election commission portal.
The Commission has also provided 12 alternative documents other than Voter id card (EPIC) for identity verification at polling stations. If a voter is registered in the electoral roll, voting can be done by showing any of these documents.
The Bombay High Court highlighted that a person’s fundamental right to reputation cannot be violated by using press freedom as a justification. The ruling was made after the court’s consideration of an interim plea filed by Dubai-based gold merchant Khanjan Thakkar (Plaintiff) who requested the removal of offensive material against him from social media. He mentioned that one Waahiid Ali Khan disseminated inaccurate and disparaging material while posing as an investigative journalist. Khanjan Thakkar also filed a Rs 100 crore defamation case against him in the order passed on 2nd April.
“The freedom of the press, which is being evolved as a species of speech, definitely will have to be balanced against a right, which an individual has to his reputation,” declared Justice Bharati Dangre who was presiding over the case. The court ordered the journalist to take down online articles and videos that were directed at the businessman accusing him of being involved in the Mahadev betting scam. The court stated that although the truth is a complete defence against charges of libel and slander, journalists must abide by the boundaries of the right to free speech and expression.
The notion that journalists might assert immunity by just stating that material was given to them and was in the public interest was rejected by the court. It added that publications that wreck someone’s reputation are not justified by investigative journalism, even in cases when there is an apparent public interest.
“Investigative Journalism definitely does not enjoy any special protection and the umbrage of public interest definitely does not permit a publication, which would amount to lowering down the reputation of any person, in any manner, particularly without justifying the publication on the basis of its truthfulness,” the court noted.
The court additionally pointed out that videos and articles lacked reliable sources and did not further the public interest, underlining the difficulty of cyber defamation in the digital age. The court stressed that a journalist’s track record of uncovering fraud does not give him the right to write or publish anything that could incite animosity, mockery or disdain for the plaintiff and does not release the journalist from accountability for their activities to simply argue that these publications serve the public interest.
“Every man possesses an inherent personal right to have his reputation reserved inviolate,” the court asserted focusing on the need to strike a balance between an individual’s right to capitalize on their reputation and the freedom of speech and expression of others.
The legal counsel for Waahiid Ali Khan contended that his actions were an exercise of his constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and expression and that it was his fundamental responsibility as a journalist to spread information for the public good. “A journalist or reporter is not expected to transgress the limits of his right of speech and expression and cannot claim protection by simply stating that the information was provided to him by someone and it is in the public interest to divulge the same,” the order read.
The court conveyed, “While journalists have a duty to inform the public, it cannot be at the expense of defaming the plaintiff.” As a result, the court mandated that Waahiid Ali Khan retract the disputed articles and videos. In addition, he was placed under temporary injunction by the court to refrain from printing, publishing, selling, exhibiting or circulating the contested articles as well as from streaming or distributing the video on any social media site or other public domain platform until the lawsuit is heard and decided.
He is also not allowed to take part in any other actions that could be construed as slandering the plaintiff. He has one week from the date of the upload of the order to carry out the instruction. The plaintiff is free to use the interim application to pursue more remedies in the case of non-compliance.
Background of the case
The journalist uploaded a number of pieces and videos against the businessman, making unfounded and defamatory claims, according to the application, which was launched after Mumbai police listed the man as an accused in a case involving Mahadev online betting/gambling application.
— Waahiid Ali Khan (Modi Ka Parivar) (@waahiidalikhan) December 13, 2023
On 13th December of last year, Waahiid Ali Khan uploaded a video and took the names of Ravi Uppal, Sahil Khan and Khanjan Jagdish Thakkar, among others. He claimed that Khanjan Thakkar played a major role in the hawala transactions to Pakistan, according to his sources. He portrayed Thakkar as one of the primary offenders and claimed that he and the other accused parties in the case would be deported to India. According to the journalist, Khanjan Thakkar’s name appeared in the First Information Report as well. He disclosed that Amit Majithia who is a kingpin behind such operations also named Khanjan Thakkar as a significant middleman for a long time who transferred millions of rupees from India to their people in Dubai.
On 15th December 2023, the journalist stated his post with, “Sahil Khan small time actor wanted, including Khanjan Thakkar. He further wrote that Sahil Khan and three other actors had received summonses from the Mumbai Cyber Cell’s Special Investigating Team (SIT) regarding the Mahadev app online betting incident. An alleged unlawful betting enterprise of Rs 15,000 crore is at issue in this case.
The journalist claimed, “Actor Sahil Khan, his brother Sam Khan, Hitesh Khusalani, and Amit Sharma have been instructed to appear before the SIT on Friday for questioning. This development follows the rejection of Sahil Khan’s anticipatory bail plea by a sessions court earlier this week. 32 accused names are there in Mumbai Police FIR Including Khanjan Jagdish Thakkar as a hawala operator.”
Mahadev App SIT Will Probe Links To Dawood Kin: Devendra Fadnavis Par Aropi Saurabh, Khanjan Farar. Mahadev App SIT Will Probe Links To Dawood Kin: Devendra Fadnavis NAGPUR : Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis informed the assembly on Thursday that… pic.twitter.com/pJJzQ04GmU
— Waahiid Ali Khan (Modi Ka Parivar) (@waahiidalikhan) December 16, 2023
On 16th December 2023, Waahiid Ali Khan posted that Khanjan Thakkar was absconding on his social media. He uploaded the speech of Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the assembly to claim that the government has formed an SIT that will submit its investigation report in two months and all the thirty-two people mentioned in the official complaint won’t be spared. The culprits will be brought back to India.
The journalist reiterated that Khanjan Thakkar is a hawala operator and has taken crores of amount from India to Dubai. He claimed that Khanjan Thakkar had been accused by Ahmedabad’s Sandesh newspaper of transporting around Rs 200 crore to Dubai through the World Cup. He conveyed, “He has a big business in Dubai and his paternal or maternal uncle Jagdish Thakkar is also involved in this nexus. Khanjan Thakkar’s name has clearly been mentioned by Sandesh in its investigative report which noted that he has taken Rs 200 crore to Pakistan and Dubai and is a big name in the hawala racket.”
Waahiid Ali Khan challenged, “Khanjan even if you consider yourself as Raja Harishchandra and claim to be innocent. You send defamation notices to news channels and media houses but it is true that your name is in the FIR and that is how the media is getting information. How many people will you register complaints against and how many defamation lawsuits will you file? I kindly ask you to travel to India and attempt to establish your innocence in front of law enforcement and courts.”
He then charged, “He (Khanjan Thakkar) is involved with many people who have ties with the D (Dawood Ibrahim) company. He does refute these allegations but denial won’t do anything as you are facing serious allegations and your name is in the FIR. You will have to come here. Since your name is on the FIR, I don’t think it will matter what defamation notices you submit to the media outlets. The media performs its duties. You don’t have to use your notices to intimidate the media. The lawyers are charging you and wasting your money.”
The journalist then again charged, “On the other hand, you have made hundreds of crores through hawala. It has already been proclaimed by our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and our Home Minister, Amit Shah, that you people would not be dispersed, regardless of your associations with the Congress and its prominent leaders which have also been unveiled. There won’t be enough ground for you to flee. So, I suggest that you travel to India and let the legal system decide.”
Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga slammed actor Adil Hussain after he criticized Kabir Singh and said that he had deep regrets about acting in the said film. Adil Hussain, who played the Dean of the College in Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani’s starrer, has expressed regret for appearing in what he called a misogynist movie. After his words went viral, the director of the film, Sandeep Reddy Vanga made a harsh remark about him on X. He stated that Adil’s ’20 art films’ did not receive as much fame as the blockbuster feature did alone.
He also stated that Adil’s visual will be replaced in the film utilizing Artificial Intelligence. “Ur ‘belief’ in 30 art films didn’t get as much fame to u as ur ‘regret’ of 1 BLOCKBUSTER film did I regret casting u, knowing that ur greed is bigger than ur passion? NOW I’ll save U from the shame by replacing Ur face with AI help Now smile properly,” the Animal director wrote.
Ur 'belief' in 30 art films didn't get as much fame to u as ur 'regret' of 1 BLOCKBUSTER film did ?https://t.co/BiJIV3UeyO I regret casting u,knwing that ur greed is bigger than ur passion. NOW I'll save U from the shame by replacing Ur face with AI help? Now smile properly ?
Adil, who appeared on the AP Podcast, claimed that he had no idea what Kabir Singh was about when he accepted the role. “That’s the only film in my life that I have done without reading the script, without seeing the movie which it is based on,” he went on to say. Adil added that he entered the theatre to watch the film and then left in 20 minutes. He labelled it a ‘misogynist’ film and rejected the idea of suggesting it to his wife.
“I think a film like this, it celebrates something which is not beneficial for society. It legitimizes male misogyny. It legitimizes violence against anybody for that matter, doesn’t have to be a woman. And it celebrates it, it glorifies it and it should not be glorified,” he said.
He claimed that he attempted to turn down the film by demanding a large pay cheque, but the producers agreed to pay him the requested sum. This left him with no choice but to play the role.
“I told my manager, ask them for a lot of money and they will say no but they agreed so I went and did it and I liked the scene. The scene I did was a good scene so I thought the film was also going to be good. So I went to watch the film and I thought what am I doing here? You have no idea how I felt. I felt so embarrassed,” he shared.
Kabir Singh emerged as one of 2019’s top blockbusters. It also became Shahid Kapoor’s biggest hit of his career. However, the movie was criticised by many who said that the movie glorified misogyny, as Shahid’s character behaved violently and dominantly with his love interest played by Kiara. Many of the critics called the movie chauvinistic, patriarchal and misogynistic. Even Mumbai Police had used the movie when appealing to not normalise misogyny.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga returned to theatres last year with Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor.
On Thursday (18th April), the Calcutta High Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation seeking a ruling by State authorities that no Muslim girl should be allowed to marry till she completes Class XII.
A bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya ruled that the representation submitted to the Minister of School Education cannot be considered. “In any event, this pertains to a policy matter. No mandamus as sought for can be issued. Dismissed,” the Court said.
The petition was submitted by Nazia Elahi Khan, who told the Court that State officials had failed to act on her request to make it necessary for all Muslim girls to complete Class XII before marrying. “This issue affects the public at large, particularly the Islamic community,” Nazia Elahi Khan said in her plea.
Khan contended that it has become hard for Muslim girls to study beyond Class XII because they are “thought to be better off getting married”. “Young girls from the Muslim Community are married off when she attains the age of puberty or adolescence which starts roughly from around the age of twelve,” the petitioner said.
Khan submitted a representation in this matter on 12th February and claimed that the State has taken no action since then. “Such inaction has increased their (Muslim girls) suffering and marginalised them even further,” Khan asserted.
On 17th April, Indian deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph, a crew member of an Israeli-flagged merchant ship seized by Iran, returned home safely. Reacting to the update, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said, “Great work, India in Iran. Glad that Ms Ann Tessa Joseph has reached home. #ModiKiGuarantee always delivers, at home or abroad.”
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) April 18, 2024
He quoted MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal who had informed on X about about safe return of Joseph. The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “With the concerted efforts of the Indian Mission in Tehran and the Iranian Government, Indian deck cadet Ms Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala, who was among the Indian crew members of container vessel MSC Aries, has landed safely at the Cochin International Airport today afternoon. At the airport, Ms. Joseph was received by the Regional Passport Officer, Cochin.
2. The Indian Mission in Tehran remains seized on the matter and is in touch with the remaining 16 Indian crew members of the container vessel. The crew members are in good health and in contact with their family members in India.
3. Indian Mission is also in touch with the Iranian authorities in ensuring the well being of the remaining crew members of MSC Aries. Earlier, External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar had spoken to his Iranian counterpart Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian on the matter.”
Notably, Iran’s ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi spoke to India Today and said that all 17 Indian nationals on board the container ship were safe. He further added that the weather situation in the Persian Gulf was not good and the Indian would be sent back home once the weather gets cleared. The Portuguese-flagged ship was seized by Iran on 13th April amid the tensions between Israel and Iran.
Joseph was the sole woman among 17 Indian crew members on the container ship MSC Aries seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards near the Strait of Hormuz. Joseph hails from Kerala and India’s MEA has been in constant touch with the Iranian authorities to ensure the return of all crew members back home.
Iran-Israel Conflict
On 13th April, Iran launched a full-fledged drone and missile attack on Israel. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that the attack was launched at specific targets in Israel. The attack was intercepted by Israel and other countries including Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
A war cabinet meeting was called by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Notably, face-to-face Israel-Iran war has never happened before. Earlier, Iran used to attack Israel using its proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon or Hamas in Gaza. Hundreds of missiles and drones were fired at Israel. IDF said 99% of them were intercepted outside Israeli border.
Later, Israel launched a counterstrike in southern Lebanon targeting Iran-proxy Hezbollah’s hideouts following Iran’s attack on Israel. As per Israel Defense Forces’ statement on their official channel on Telegram, IDF fighter jets struck a number of military structures linked to Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces in Jbaa. Soon after, Iran declared its military action was over.
India will enter into its 78th year of independence on 15th August 2024. But the English don’t seem to have moved on from their “white man’s burden”. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron while replying to questions on India in the Parliament on Thursday (18th April) said that India needs to grow and pull people out of poverty.
London Lectures: Tells India To Pull People Out Of Poverty
"The need for India to grow and pull people out of poverty is great," Foreign Secretary David Cameron said during his meddling into India affair at parliament on Wednesday (April 18).
Lecturing India on poverty, he said, “In terms of meeting the sustainable development goals, the most important thing India can do is to continue to grow and lift people out of poverty. Because there are still…I think it’s true to say…more people in India are below the poverty line than there are in sub-Saharan Africa. The need for India to grow and pull people out of poverty is very great.”
But data exposes just how ironic it is for the former British Prime Minister to tutor India when his own country is falling apart both economically, culturally and politically. Before we proceed to that, here’s the truth about India which the English have chosen to ignore.
How India is fighting against poverty
US think tank Brookings released a report in March this year annoucing that India has now officially eliminated ‘extreme poverty’, which can be seen through the sharp decline in headcount poverty ratio and stark increase in household consumption.
The report stated that this has resulted from the government’s strong policy thrust on redistribution, which has led to strong inclusive growth in India over the last decade.
According to government data, 24.82 crore people escaped multidimensional poverty in the last nine years. India has registered a significant decline in multidimensional poverty in India from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23 i.e. a reduction of 17.89 percentage points.
Uttar Pradesh registered the largest decline in the number of poor with 5.94 crore people escaping multidimensional poverty during the last nine years followed by Bihar at 3.77 crore, Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 crore and Rajasthan at 1.87 crore.
Data also shows that the pace of decline in poverty headcount ratio using exponential method was much faster between 2015-16 to 2019-21 (10.66% annual rate of decline) compared to period 2005-06 to 2015-16 (7.69% annual rate of decline).
As a result, India is likely to achieve its SDG target of halving multidimensional poverty well before 2030.
Moreover, over the past ten to eleven years, the economic gap between the village and the metropolis has narrowed.
The survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) revealed that people dwelling in villages now spend the same amount of money as those living in cities. People’s spending on other items has risen during this period, while their food expenses have declined. The nation’s rate of poverty has also gone down over this period.
Poverty in United Kingdom
According to recent data, 11.4 million people (17%) are in relative low income before housing costs and 14.3 million (21%) are in relative low income after housing costs in 2022/23.
9.5 million people (14%) are in absolute low income before housing costs and 12.0 million (18%) are in absolute low income after housing costs.
Moreover, England is reeling under rising cases of children in poverty. 3.2 million children (22%) are in relative low income before housing costs and 4.3 million (30%) are in relative low income after housing costs in 2022/23. This is the highest level of child poverty after housing costs since HBAI records began in 1994/95.
2.6 million (18%) children are in absolute low income before housing costs and 3.6 million (25%) are in absolute low income after housing costs.
Additionally, 6.0 million working age adults (15%) are in relative low income before housing costs and 8.1 million (20%) are in relative low income after housing costs in 2021/22.
5.1 million working age adults (12%) are in absolute low income before housing costs and 6.9 million (17%) are in absolute low income after housing costs.
Moreover, while 8% of 8% of UK citizens are suffering insecurity, a mere 11% are unable to heat their homes.
Sharing the same data, Russia Today (India) put out a post on X that ended with the words, “People in cold, unheated glass houses shouldn’t throw stones?”
However, Cameron did not stop at lecturing in India. He also raked up sensitive issues concerning India’s internal security just a day before the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Cameron said that there is a religious part to the strife in Manipur. “It is right to say that we should now downplay the religious aspects of some of this strife. Yes, sometimes it is communal, tribal or ethnic, but in many cases there is a clear religious part of it,” he said.
This is a typical attempt by the English to capitalise on the internal matters of a developing nation. This even as UK is jam-packed with Islamists wreaking havoc on its streets.
Unwilling and unable to fight Pakistani grooming gangs for the fear of being tagged as racists, responsible to a significant extent for the formation of Pakistan, embroiled in economic crisis, funding crisis in the NHS leading to lack of medical infrastructure, rising cost of living, unaffordable housing and an alarming rise in crime rate is just some of the problem that the UK is laced with.
But the Tory leader is worried about whether religious tolerance in India meets his expectations.
