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Who invented Butter Chicken: Delhi High Court to decide amid a dispute between Moti Mahal and Daryaganj restaurants

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The Delhi High Court is about to settle a legal battle between two Delhi-based restaurants Moti Mahal and Daryaganj. The core of the issue is the question- Who was the true creator of the famous dishes Dal Makhani and Butter Chicken, and now the court may soon provide the answer.

The proprietors of the Daryaganj restaurant have been sued by the owners of Moti Mahal for using the tagline “Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.” According to Moti Mahal, whose original location was in the Delhi neighbourhood of Daryaganj, the former is “misleading people into believing” that there is a connection between the two businesses.

The court issued a summons to the owners of the Daryaganj restaurant, when the matter was addressed before Justice Sanjeev Narula on 16th January, and demanded that they provide written responses to the claim within a month. Justice Narula set a hearing date of 29th May along with notifying Moti Mahal of the appeal for an interim injunction.

The two restaurants have been claiming to be the creators of Dal Makhani and Butter Chicken for years. The owners of Moti Mahal assert that their founder Late Kundal Lal Gujral was the one who developed the dishes that are now synonymous with Indian food worldwide, whereas the Daryaganj restaurant contends that Late Kundan Lal Jaggi was the one who developed the recipe.

Moti Mahal has insisted in their lawsuit that their ancestor Late Kundal Lal Gujral was the one who invented the first Tandoori Chicken as well as Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, which he brought to India following India’s partition. They state that in the beginning, Gujral worried about his cooked chicken drying out because unsold chicken leftovers could not be kept in the refrigerator. Therefore, he prepared a sauce to help him re-hydrate them. According to the claim, he invented “the makhani” or butter sauce which is a gravy made with tomatoes, butter, cream, and a few spices which provide a delicious and tangy flavour to the food.

Moti Mahal pointed out, “The invention of Dal Makhani is closely linked with the invention of Butter Chicken. He (Gujral) applied the same recipe with black lentils and gave birth to Dal Makhani around the same time.”

Daryaganj’s attorneys went before the court on 16th January and vigorously disputed the charges, calling the entire suit “baseless and lacking a cause of action.” However, they have not yet filed a response to the litigation. They declared that the accusations stated in the lawsuit are untrue and they have not participated in any misleading representation. They noted that the first Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshawar was founded by the forebears of both parties (Jaggi of the Daryaganj restaurants and Gujral of the Moti Mahal restaurants).

The owners of Moti Mahal were represented by senior advocates Sandeep Sethi, Chander M. Lall, and Shreya Sethi while the owners of the restaurant in Daryaganj were defended by senior counsel Amit Sibal along with lawyers Pravin Anand, Dhruv Anand, Udita, Revanta Mathur, Nimrat Singh and D Khanna.

ED team reaches Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence to question him in land scam case, heavy security deployed amid protests by JMM workers

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The Enforcement Directorate is set to question Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the land scam case at his official residence in Ranchi today. ED teams entered the CM house at 1 pm on Saturday.

Meanwhile, security has been heightened outside CM Soren’s official residence and several areas in Ranchi.

“Heavy forces have been deployed in several areas in Ranchi. No citizen has the right to take laws into their hands. Senior officers have been deployed at different places. All the safety parameters have been kept in mind,” said Rajkumar Mehta, Superintendent of Police, Ranchi.

Several workers of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) gathered at the Chief Minister’s residence and raised slogans against the ED probe.

Earlier this month, CM Hemant Soren wrote to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) stating that it could record his statement in the land scam case at his official residence on January 20.

ED had issued Soren the eighth summons on Saturday, asking him to join the investigation between January 16 to 20.

ED had previously issued a summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s press advisor, Abhishek Prasad to join its investigation on January 16 into an alleged money laundering probe linked to an illegal mining case.

The central agency concluded its day-long search of Soren’s media advisor Abhishek Prasad’s residence in Ranchi late on January 3.

The Chief Minister was issued a ‘last opportunity’ by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to record his statement on an alleged land scam days ago. Soren, in turn, replied to the agency, labelling the summons as ‘illegal.’

“Since you have not come to the office of the Directorate of Enforcement in obedience to the summonses issued to you, we are giving you this last opportunity to record your statement under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at the place, date and time, mutually convenient to you as well as the undersigned (ED), which should be within 7 days of receipt of this notice/Summons,” said the ED in its summons.

Soren was summoned by the ED earlier in mid-August, 2023, in connection with a land ‘scam’ case.

However, the CM ignored the summons, claiming that he was busy with the state’s Independence Day celebrations. He was asked again to appear on August 24 and September 9 but he skipped the dates, citing preoccupations. The agency then issued its fourth summons to the Jharkhand CM, asking him to report to the agency on September 23.

In his letter to the agency, Soren said he had provided all necessary documents and information to the ED. He wrote that if the ED needed any information, it could refer to the documents that he had already shared with the agency.


(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik marries actor Sana Javed, Sania Mirza hints at divorce in a cryptic post

Former Pakistani batter Shoaib Malik has tied the marital knot with Pakistani actress Sana Javed, as announced through his official X (Twitter) handle on Saturday (20th January). This comes amid rumored reports of his separation from Indian Tennis legend Sania Mirza. However, there has not been any official confirmation regarding whether he has divorced his first wife or not. Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik got married in 2010.

Taking to X, Malik tweeted, “And We created you in pairs.” In his post, Malik also shared pictures with his wife Sana Javed.

Following her marriage, Sana Javed updated her Instagram handle to Sana Shoaib Malik and also shared pictures of the wedding on Saturday. 

Reacting to his post, netizens were perplexed and asked about his marital status with Sania Mirza with some asking whether he had communicated Triple Talaq via the Internet.

As per reports, both of them had been dating for a long time as speculations were rife when the Pakistan cricketer wished the Pakistan actress on her birthday last year. Shoaib Malik had written, “Happy Birthday Buddy,” while sharing a photo of them together on his Instagram page.

Notably, Shoaib Malik had married Indian Tennis icon Sania Mirza in Hyderabad, India in 2010 in a traditional Muslim ceremony. It was followed by a Walima ceremony in Sialkot, Pakistan. They had their first child, Izhaan in 2018. 

While there have been reports of their separation for years, both Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza had remained tight-lipped about their marital life. Back then, the reports of their separation had died down when Mirza and Malik celebrated their son’s birthday in Dubai last year.

However, speculations resurfaced recently when Sania Mirza just three days ago shared a cryptic post which sparked rumours of her divorce with Shoaib Malik.

Sania Mirza’s Instagram post read, “Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Pick wisely.”

Meanwhile, on his part, Malik had updated his Instagram bio and removed the caption that once read, “Husband to a Superwoman @mirzasaniar.”

Delhi anti-Hindu riots: Court frames attempt to murder charge against former Congress MCD Councillor Ishrat Jahan and 12 others

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Delhi’s Karkardooma Court has framed charges of attempt to murder against ex MCD councillor and lawyer Ishrat Jahan and 12 other accused, including Khalid Saifi. This case pertains to an FIR lodged at Police Station Jagat Puri.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, now transferred to the Rouse Avenue court, framed charges under the section of attempt to murder and rioting.

“There are grounds for presuming that accused persons have committed offences under Section 147/148/186/188/332/353/307 IPC read with Section 149 IPC,” ASJ Rawat said in the order of January 19.

In this case, the accused are Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, Vikram Pratap, Samir Ansari, Mohd Salim, Sabu Ansari, Iqbal Ahmed, Anzaar, Mohd Ilyas, Mohd Bilal Saifi, Salim Ahmed, Mohd Yameen and Sharif Khan.

However, the court discharged the accused persons from the offences of common intention, criminal conspiracy and Arms Act.

The court said that all accused persons are discharged for the offences under Section 34 IPC, 120-B IPC, 109 IPC and 25/27 Arms Act.

Isharat Jahan is also an accused in the larger conspiracy case and is out on bail.

The special public prosecutor had argued that the present case inter alia relates to the CAA protest at Khureji Khas and to maintain law and order arrangement, on February 26, 2020, a flag march was held in the area of Khureji Khas and at about 12.15 PM, the police party reached at Masjidwali Gali, Khureji Khas and asked the crowd to disburse as Section 144 Cr.PC was imposed in the area and assembly had been declared unlawful.

The prosecution also argued that despite that the crowd refused to abide by the order. Accused

Ishrat Jahan along with Khalid, Sabu Ansari, Bilal, Sharif Khan, Sameer Pradhan, Mohd. Salim, Hazi Iqbal, Yamin, Anzar, Vikram Pratap and others (who were identified by Beat Staff) abetted the crowd to not leave the area and also throw stones at the police force.

“The crowd started protesting and throwing stones at the police party. Even firing also took place at the place of the incident towards police force,” the Prosecution alleged.

“The protesters also manhandled the police officials in the said incident. Constable Vinod was injured and admitted to hospital. To control the situation, fire and tear gas in the air were fired by the police party,” it alleged.

On which, the mob started to run. However, the accused. persons namely Ishrat Jahan, Khalid and Sabu Ansari were apprehended by the police.

Delhi police also said that from the place of offence, stones, iron-rod, wooden sticks, and five empty cartridges were recovered.

On the same day, at night, other co-accused namely Vikram Pratap, Md Salim and CCL Aaftab were arrested who had run away from the spot.

One desi katta was recovered from the possession of CCL who disclosed that he used this katta to fire upon a police party and ran away from the spot.


(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha: Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed issues fresh threat over Ram Mandir, equates it to Al Aqsa

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Pakistan-based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed made threats against Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya on the night of 19th January, per a report in News18. The terror outfit released a statement and claimed that the temple was going to be inaugurated following the “killing of innocent Muslims.”

Ayodhya has been placed on high alert in response to the threat. Leading intelligence sources have stated that all required safety measures are being implemented and the situation is currently under control. Prior to the Republic Day celebrations on 26th January, the nation’s security is already on high alert, according to the top sources.

The terror group’s proclamation was deemed insignificant by security agencies who asserted, “Jaish’s statement is meaningless and they are proxies of Pakistan ISI.” The former even compared the situation to that of Al Aqsa while threatening the temple in Ayodhya. Jordan is in charge of the Al Aqsa mosque situated in Jerusalem which is regarded as the third-holiest place in Islam. Visitation to the site is allowed, however, prayer is not allowed for non-Muslims there.

Tensions between Israel and Palestine have traditionally been sparked by the mosque. Rocket and aerial attacks were exchanged during a confrontation between Palestinians and Israeli police within the Al Aqsa mosque in April of last year. Before daybreak, armed police wearing riot gear raided the mosque’s prayer hall in an attempt to free “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” who had locked themselves inside after evening prayers.

The temple’s “pran pratishtha (consecration ceremony) is set to happen on 22nd January from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the event.

Over 7,000 people from an array of industries and occupations have received invitations to the event in which thousands of people are likely to participate.

3 suspects arrested doing recce in Ayodhya have links with Gurpatwant Singh Pannun led Khalistani outfit SFJ, says UP ATS

Amidst the enthusiasm and anticipation around the forthcoming pran pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS) arrested three people, reportedly related to the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice led by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The arrested individuals have been identified as Rajasthan residents Shankar Dussad, Ajit Kumar, and Pradeep Punia.

According to reports, the three planned on waving the SFJ flag during the pran pratishtha ceremony and raising pro-Khalistan slogans. The ATS said that the trio had been inspired by the recent Parliament security breach in Delhi. The arrested trio were doing recce in Ayodhya.

According to the UP ATS official, suspicion about the three grew after a recorded voice message from Khalistan leaders was circulated on the mobile phones of several people in Lucknow. The recorded voice message was delivered in a male voice. In the message, a man claiming to be Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun addressed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying that Sikh for Justice (SFJ) would hold the UP CM accountable on January 22 and that Ram Temple consecration would not save him. The recorded message also mentioned the arrest of two members of the Khalistani terrorist outfit from Ayodhya.

According to the ATS, among the 3 arrested, Shankar Dussad was in touch with Canada-based Khalistan supporter Sukhdool Gill before Gill’s murder in September of last year. Dussad had also been in contact with Khalistan supporter Harminder Singh alias “Landa,” who is based in a foreign country and relayed directions from SFJ leader Pannun.

On Friday, UP Police Director General (DG), Law and order, Prashant Kumar said that Dussad contacted Pannun through another Canadian guns smuggler, Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa. He stated that the pro-Khalistan leaders had directed Dussad to visit Ayodhya to make a map of the site. He added that Dussad and his two accomplices, in a white Scorpio (HR51BX3753), visited various sensitive locations before heading towards Trimurti Hotel. Their vehicle was intercepted in front of the Trimurti Hotel in Ayodhya on 18th January, and they were arrested. They had placed a saffron flag on the SUV so that police would not suspect them.

According to ATS officials, two distinct identity proofs were obtained from Dussad. Dussad was using a SIM card in the name of Dharamveer Mahala, and his SUV’s registration documents were also fabricated.

In a press release, ATS officials stated that Shankar Dussad was released on bail from Central Jail, Bikaner, on May 15, 2023, after spending more than seven years in jail since March 21, 2016.

While in Bikaner Jail, Dussad met a prisoner named Lakhbinder Singh, who invited him to meet his nephew Pampa, through whom he connected with Canada-based Khalistani leader Sukhdool Singh Gill alias Sukha Duneke, who was assassinated in September 2023 by unknown assailants. He added that Dussad was communicating with Duneke and Landa via WhatsApp.

Bihar: Stage collapses in a Pasmanda Muslim program as speaker questions Pran Pratishtha of Ram Mandir, former RJD MP Ali Anwar Ansari injured

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On Thursday (18th January), a public program in Bihar’s Dihuri village experienced a sudden stage collapse when a speaker began criticising the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. This incident occurred during the Pasmanda Vanchit Mahasangathan in Gaya, where leaders gathered to commemorate the 51st death anniversary of freedom fighter Abdul Qaum Ansari. The organisers had erected a substantial stage for the event, and former MP Ali Anwar Ansari was also present on the stage when it collapsed. The video of the collapse went viral on social media.

The incident unfolded in Dihuri village, situated in the Atari block of Gaya district, during a gathering of the Pasmanda Muslim community. A speaker was addressing the assembly of Pasmanda Muslims, discussing political matters while invoking the name of Lord Ram.

The local speaker said, “The consecration function of Shri Ramchandra Ji on 22nd January is being organised to garner votes. The question is why it is not celebrated on the day when Shri Ramchandra Ji is born.” As soon as he said this, the stage collapsed. Several people, including former MP Ali Anwar Ansari, who was present on the stage, were injured. Ali Anwar Ansari is a former Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar and a RJD leader.

The main speaker in the program former MP Ali Anwar Ansari in his speech said that a belt was already tied to the knee of his right leg. Now the stage collapse has caused further injury. The video of this incident was made by a local person present there. The video went viral on social media.

BJP’s former Gaya district president Dhanraj Sharma reacted to this incident. He said, “Lord Ram’s name is not for political gains. Hindu Sanatan Dharma is the pride of the country. The Mughals demolished the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram and built a structure. After years of struggle, the grand and divine temple is being constructed as per the decision given by the Supreme Court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on 22nd January. All Indians should express happiness by joining that consecration, not protesting.”

I.N.D.I. Alliance: Mamata Banerjee tells party workers to prepare for all 42 seats in Bengal, had earlier offered 2 seats to Congress

Amid the ongoing turmoil within the I.N.D.I. Alliance of the opposition parties, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee said that her party is ready to contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state if due importance is not given to her party. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her stand during the organisational meeting of the Murshidabad district unit of the party. Murshidabad has a significant minority population and is traditionally seen as a Congress stronghold.

The district of Murshidabad comprises three Lok Sabha constituencies – Jangipur, Behrampur, and Murshidabad. In the 2019 elections, the Congress secured victory in the Behrampur seat, while the remaining two were claimed by the TMC. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been an MP from Behrampur since 1999.

According to reports, Mamata Banerjee told her party workers in this meeting, “If you all fight unitedly, you can defeat Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.” A TMC leader reportedly said, “She (Mamata Banerjee) said that Trinamool Congress is one of the biggest partners of the I.N.D.I. Alliance. In Bengal, if we are excluded and more importance is given to RSP, CPI, and CPI(M), we will pave our own path. If Congress favours anyone else in Bengal, Trinamool will think for itself. Preparations should be made to fight in all the 42 constituencies in the state.”

Party leaders have conveyed that Mamata Banerjee indicated the possibility of the TMC contesting the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal independently, as seat-sharing discussions are still pending finalisation. Reportedly, she asked party members to prepare for potential participation in all 42 constituencies in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Another TMC leader reportedly said, “Our party chief has said we need to prepare to win all three Lok Sabha seats in Murshidabad district. When one of our MLAs, Humayun Kabir, pointed out that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was a factor in a minority-dominated district, Banerjee refused to give much importance to the claim and said the TMC would succeed if it fought unitedly.”

Cracks within the I.N.D.I. alliance have become apparent, notably between prominent partners Congress and TMC, over seat-sharing arrangements for the imminent Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. Tensions escalated as the TMC’s proposal of two seats, determined by Congress’ 2019 Lok Sabha election performance, was considered inadequate by Congress. Banerjee’s comments closely follow remarks from Chowdhury, a vocal TMC critic, who asserted that the Congress would not “beg” for seats from the Trinamool Congress.

Jodhpur: Trying to escape pet dogs chasing them, two children crushed to death by a goods train

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Two school going children were killed on Friday, 19th January, in the Banar area of Rajasthan’s Jodhpur as they were struck by a train while trying to run away from aggressive dogs chasing them. The tragic incident took place in the afternoon when Jodhpur Army Children Academy School students, 11-year-old Yuvraj Singh, and his cousin 9-year-old Ananya Kanwar, residents of Ganeshpura were leaving the school. The mothers of the two deceased children are sisters.

Both children bolted for their lives, according to the officials, after a neighbour’s pet dogs started following them. They both got on to a railroad track in order to protect themselves when a goods train struck them. They died within a short distance from the Banar Cantt train station, per the authorities.

The grieving family and locals protested and demanded that the dog owner be held accountable and immediate capture of the pets by a dog squad. The neighbourhood is dangerous, according to the residents, because the owner Omprakash Rathi maintains a lot of dogs in his home and these canines bark at passersby. A group assembled near the railroad tracks, laid out the bodies of the deceased, and called for severe punishment of the pet owner. The crowd offered support to the victims’ fathers who were in the army and are currently employed by a private company after retirement.

Najim Ali, Assistant Commissioner of Jodhpur Police said, “The police received a call around 2 PM regarding the incident and the team responded immediately. The families kept the bodies on the track as a mark of protest, which lasted for almost three hours. The police persuaded the families and requested them to allow the bodies to be taken to the hospital for a post-mortem.”

The Jodhpur Municipal Corporation (South) dog squad was contacted by the police team which hurried to the scene upon receiving information about the incident. The family members accepted the corpses when the dogs were apprehended by the dog squad. A case was filed and legal proceedings were initiated against the pet owner and his relatives. A municipal team was dispatched to remove four canines from the premises and place them at the municipal dog centre.

Babar Road to Ayodhya Marg: Hindu Sena activists affix poster of Ayodhya Marg on Babar Road signboard in New Delhi

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Hindu Sena activists on Saturday put a sticker of ‘Ayodhya Marg’ on the Babar Road sign board in New Delhi.

Vishnu Gupta, Hindu Sena National President, told ANI that the organisation has been demanding for a long time that the name of Babar Road should be changed.

“Hindu Sena had been demanding for a long time that the name of Babar Road should be changed after one of our great men. We have written letters to the Home Ministry and NDMC several times but no action has been taken yet. When Babar’s Mosque is no more in Ayodhya after the order of the Supreme Court, then what is the function of Babar Road in Delhi?” he said.

“When we see this road, it seems that even today we are living in the days of Babar. That is why we changed it to Ayodhya Marg,” he added.

However, the sticker was later removed by the Delhi Police.

Meanwhile, ahead of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya’s temple and Republic Day, security has been heightened at Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad Railway Station.

The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony will be held on January 22; while the country observes Republic Day on January 26. The state police, along with the dog squad, were seen carrying security checks at the Railway Station.

The idol of Ram Lalla was placed in the ‘Garbha Griha’ of the Ram Temple on Thursday amid joyous chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram.’

The idol is carved by Arun Yogiraj – a famed sculptor from Karnataka. The idol is 51 inches tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The idol portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus also crafted from the same stone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform rituals to mark the ‘Pran Pratishtha’, a team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will lead the main rituals. Several celebrities and noted personalities have also been invited to the ceremony. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)