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Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan oppose legalisation of same-sex marriage, four other states seek more time for ‘extensive study on the complex issue’

OpIndia Staff
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Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan oppose legalisation of same-sex marriage, four other states seek more time for ‘extensive study on the complex issue’

After the central govt sought the views of the governments of states and union territories on the matter of same-sex marriage, petitions for which are being heard by the constitution bench of the supreme court, seven of them have submitted their responses. Of the 7 states, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have opposed legal validation of same-sex marriage, while the other four have sought more time, saying the matter needs very intense and expansive debate.

This was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta at a hearing on the matter by the five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud. He said that while Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have opposed the petitions, others like Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Sikkim said they can’t submit their views immediately as the matter is very complex and needs extensive discussions.

Andhra Pradesh govt has said that it consulted the religious heads of various religions in the State, and all of them opposed the demand for legal recognition of same-sex marriages. The special chief secretary to Andhra Pradesh government said, “After considering the above views, I am to inform that the state of Andhra Pradesh is against the same sex marriage and/or persons belonging to LGBTQIA+ community”.

The Rajasthan government has said that same-sex marriages will create imbalance in the social fabric, leading to far reaching consequences for the social and family system. The state govt said that based on a report by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, it is opposed to the petitions seeking recognition of same-sex marriage.

Assam govt made several arguments in its opposition to the demand. In its response, Assam govt said that the recognition of marriage for same-sex couples and the LGBTQIA+ community invokes new interpretations and challenges the validity of existing laws concerning marriage and various personal laws enforced in the state which has diverse cultures, creed, customs and religions.

The government of Assam said that while the matter calls for wide ranging discussions on the various aspects of the institution of marriage as a social phenomenon, across cross-sections of societies, the legal understanding of marriage has been that of an agreement or a contract between between two persons of opposite genders.

The state govt further argued that legislation is the prerogative of legislature at centre and states, adding that the courts should view matters related to legislation in accordance with the core principles of the country’s democratic structure. “The Legislature reflects the collective wisdom of the nation and its citizens, and it solely possesses the power to enact a law governing human relationships,” the Assam government said.

The response by Assam govt also said that the matters of marriage, divorce, and ancillary subjects fall under entry 5 of the Concurrent list of the Constitution, and therefore the matter is also in the domain of the state legislature along with the centre.  Accordingly, the Assam government opposed the demand for recognition of same-sex marriage and sought time to place its views further.

“The state government which is not made a party in the instant litigation while the ramifications clearly affect the state, would therefore also request for copies of the documents, pleadings, etc., made before Supreme Court, so that it can reasonably advance its necessary views before the apex court at the earliest,” Assam govt said.

Responding the centre’s letter seeking views on the matter, Uttar Pradesh govt said that it cannot formulate its comprehensive response without wide consultation with all sections of the society. It said that it is not possible for the govt to provide any comprehensive response in such a short period of time, and sought more time.

Maharashtra also made similar comments, saying it is unable to provide a comprehensive response in the absence of complete material, including the pleadings of various parties before the apex court. The state govt said that the issue is sensitive and would potentially affect a cross section of the society in the state cutting through various religious sections.

Manipur govt said that its views or comments on the matter will require detailed assessment on the existing social customs, practices, values, rules etc that may be prevalent in different sections of the society. Therefore, the govt sought more time for proper examination for furnishing the views/comments on the matter.

The Sikkim govt said that it will constitute a committee to conduct an in-depth study to assess the ramifications of same-sex marriages on social customs, practices, values and norms after due consultation with all the stakeholders. Therefore, the state said that it will submit its comments after the committee submits its report on the matter.

It is evident that out of seven states that have submitted their views on the matter, none of them have supported same-sex marriage. Three have directly opposed it, while the other four are seeking more time to deliberate on the matter.

Kerala: 23-year-old female doctor stabbed to death by a man in custody brought to a hospital for a checkup

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: 23-year-old female doctor stabbed to death by a man in custody brought to a hospital for a checkup

The Kerala High Court today decided to intervene in the murder of a 22-year-old female doctor named Vandana Das by S Sandeep (42) while she was doing his medical check-up at a hospital in Kollam.

The perpetrator stabbed the on-duty doctor to death in the wee hours of Wednesday in the Kottarakkara neighbourhood. She was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was at the taluk hospital as part of her training.

He is reportedly a teacher at an upper primary school called Nedumbana UP School and was taken there earlier today by police following an altercation with his family.

She sustained multiple stab wounds on her chest and neck and died after a few hours at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was admitted after the gruesome incident.

He also attacked the policemen, who attempted to stop him and brought him there for medical examination. He injured four people along with the doctor and vandalised some areas of the hospital.

In response to this startling instance, a division bench composed of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath agreed to hold a special session today at 1.45 pm.

An official of the Kottarakkara police informed that the accused was having a wound on his leg treated by the doctor when he became enraged and assaulted everyone nearby with a scissor and a scalpel. The young doctor took the brunt of the assault, while the police officers who were with him were also wounded.

The man had called the emergency helpline to save him from his family members after a fight with them. He was injured when police reached the scene, and they transported him to the Taluk hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.

“He had consumed alcohol and was violent when we took him to the hospital. He was alone with the doctor as we are not allowed into the room when a patient’s wound is being dressed. Suddenly, there was a commotion and the doctor ran out screaming for help followed by the man who was carrying a scissor and a scalpel and was shouting ‘I will kill you’,” disclosed a police officer.

“He was later subdued with much difficulty and taken into custody,” he added. Although a case for attempted murder under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code was filed following the attack, he revealed that murder charges would likely be brought against the individual in light of the doctor’s passing.

In light of the unfortunate occurrence, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a twenty-four-hour statewide strike today which will last until 8 am on Thursday and will not affect the intensive care units and emergency wings.

In Kottarakkara, medical professionals protested against the tragedy by taking to the streets. Other hospitals throughout the state also witnessed similar demonstrations. Doctors from the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) both protested against the episode throughout the state.

All services would be discontinued today in the Kollam district, with the exception of emergency care, according to a statement from the union of government medical professionals’ president, Dr T N Suresh. It demanded that strong steps be taken to prevent similar situations from happening again and called for exemplary punishment for those accountable for what happened.

Additionally, KGMOA requested the government to swiftly put in place a triage system, ensure proper safeguards are adhered to while putting suspects into custody for medical examinations, and bolster security in hospitals.

“Such incidents should not happen. We (doctors) cannot continue working in such circumstances. It is unacceptable that our lives are in danger when we are trying to save lives. We had in the past too indicated our objections to such attacks on medical professionals. We are angry and sad over the incident,” an IMA official asserted while reacting to the deadly assault.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan arrived at KIMS hospital where the deceased’s body is kept.

The governor offered his condolences and consoled the grief-stricken parents of the murdered doctor.

The CM also expressed his condolences for the doctor’s passing and described the tragic event as shocking and extremely painful. He declared that the matter will be thoroughly investigated.

Based on media accounts of the attack, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission opened a case on its own and sought a report from the District Police Chief of Kollam within seven days.

The occurrence sparked a political controversy after Health Minister Veena George told the media that the victim was inexperienced and responded fearfully under the circumstance.

“Does she mean the doctor was inexperienced to counter or defend against an attack by a man addicted to drugs and alcohol? The statement is a joke,” countered Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran.

Both the Congress and the BJP slammed the state government, arguing that it had not done enough to safeguard the safety of healthcare personnel at their workplaces.

While expressing shock and worry over the horrific development, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan remarked it was unfortunate that medical professionals were not protected in Kerala.

He noted that the Pinarayi Vijayan administration’s misgovernance, apathy and callousness were destroying the state’s reputation and bringing it into contempt.

V. D. Satheesan charged that it was regrettable that the state administration had not taken more steps to safeguard the safety of healthcare professionals. He proclaimed that the health department was experiencing widespread issues, and that little more than inquiries were made public in each case.

The Congress leader also criticised the health minister as well, adding that the minister had commissioned the most investigations in the history of the state.

Exit polls result: Hung assembly likely in Karnataka as polls predict a close fight between BJP and Congress, with JDS as kingmaker

OpIndia Staff
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Exit polls result: Hung assembly likely in Karnataka as polls predict a close fight between BJP and Congress, with JDS as kingmaker

Following the assembly elections in Karnataka, the exit polls have predicted a hung assembly in the state, with a close fight between the BJP and Congress to emerge as the political party with the highest number of seats in the polls.

The Asianet Suvarna-Jan Ki Baat exit poll has predicted 94 to 117 seats to the BJP, 91 to 106 to the Congress party, 14 to 24 to the JDS, and 0-2 to others. The polls have reported Congress to be the number 1 party in terms of vote share, with the grand old party predicted of receiving 38 to 40 per cent of the vote share.

The ABP-Cvoter exit poll, too, has predicted a hung assembly in Karnataka, with a slight edge to the Congress party. As per the polls, out of the 224 seats, BJP is slated to bag 83 to 95 seats, 100-112 seats to Congress, 21-29 to JDS, and 2 to 6 by others.

The Republic-PMARQ poll has granted 84 to 100 seats to the BJP, 94 to 108 seats to Congress, 24-32 to JDS, and 2 to 6 to others.

Similarly, the TV 9 Bharatvarsh exit poll too predicted a hung assembly in Karnataka, with JDS as the kingmaker. The Congress is expected to rack up 99 to 109 seats, the BJP 88 to 98 seats, and the JDS 21 to 26 seats, the polls say.

However, the exit polls conducted by News Nation-CGS say that BJP would pass the 113 mark to form a government in Karnataka. Its results grant BJP 114 seats while predicting 86 for Congress and 21 for JDS.

The voting process in Karnataka for 224 assembly constituencies, featuring a total of 2,615 candidates vying for victory concluded on Wednesday. The outcome for these candidates will be revealed on May 13, which marks the day of the vote counting.

‘This man is Pol Pot. I find him more dangerous’: Interview of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap resurfaces amid harassment of Times Now journalist by AAP govt

OpIndia Staff
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‘This man is Pol Pot. I find him more dangerous’: Interview of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap resurfaces amid harassment of Times Now journalist by AAP govt

On May 9, an old interview of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap went viral on social media in which he called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a dangerous man and compared him to Cambodian dictator Pol Pot. The interview resurfaced at a time when Times Now journalist Bhawana Kishore, cameraperson Mritunjay Kumar and driver Parmender Singh Rawat are fighting a legal battle in Punjab.

In the interview with YouTuber Samdish, Kashyap said he saw the signs of what Kejriwal would become in the future. Samdish asked him to choose between Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi. Kashyap replied he would definitely not choose Kejriwal. When asked the reason, he recalled the time when Kejriwal was just an RTI activist during the time when he had not entered politics.

He said, “There was another person called Shekhar who used to work with him [Kashyap was possibly talking about RTI activist Shekhar Singh]. They were both sitting side by side on the stage. Shekhar or someone had asked him a question; he replied to the question and pointed at the crowd’s reaction. At that moment, I realised that this man was playing in the crowd. He will play to the crowd.” When Kejriwal had not entered politics, he and Shekhar had appeared in several interviews and debates on News Channels.

Samdish asserted that playing to the crowd was necessary for his profession, to which Kashyap pointed out he was talking about the time when Kejriwal was not a politician but an activist. He added, “He [Kejriwal] followed the exact thing that I had expected that he would get into politics. Before he got into politics, my and my ADs [Assistant Directors] had a long discussion where I spoke about him turning out to be like this. And that is exactly what he has become. And I said, you give him power, and he’ll be worse. That man is Pol Pot.”

For those who are not aware, Pol Pot was the dictator of Cambodia who ruled the country between 1975 and 1979. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, around a million people were killed under the leadership of Pol Pot.

Kashyap added, “Pol Pot was the dictator of Cambodia. The man who thinks he knows what is right for people with good intentions and will restrict everyone. That kind of a man who thinks he’s doing it for them, but he’s not. He will only impose his opinions, and for him, there is only one correct way to live life, which is what he thinks is correct. I find him more dangerous.”

Kashyap ignored the question about what he thinks about Rahul Gandhi. He continued, “The problem is not what you are before you get power. The problem is what you become after you get power. Name one leader who can take criticism. A leader who’s gotten critiqued on social media and has not tried to silence the critic?”

The case against Times Now’s journalist Bhawana Kishore

Bhawana Kishore was booked under SC/ST Act after the car she was travelling in the district Ludhiana of Punjab got into an accident with an e-rikshaw in Ludhiana. The woman riding the e-rikshaw accused Bhawana, Parmender and Mritunjay of abusing her and accused Bhawana of using casteist slurs in a complaint filed with Ludhiana Police. Based on her complaint, Bhawana and the other two were booked and sent to judicial custody by the Special Court for 14 days. Later, Punjab and Haryana High Court granted all of them bail till May 22. The court said prima facie the accusations under SC/ST Act against Bhawana did not make out as she did not know the victim before the accident.

Karnataka polls: ‘DK Shivakumar blackmailed me to back up from the polls by threatening to release a CD’, says BJP leader

ANI
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Karnataka polls: ‘DK Shivakumar blackmailed me to back up from the polls by threatening to release a CD’, says BJP leader

Former minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Gokak Assembly constituency Ramesh Jarkiholi on Wednesday alleged that Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar tried to blackmail him to “back up” from the polls by threatening to release a CD.

Requesting the Union Home Minister to hand over this alleged case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Jarkiholi said, “I am strong. I am not scared of any CDs and threats.”

“Whatever it could be I don’t and I’ll never stay back. I request the upcoming CM and Home Minister to take action against him and give a case to CBI so that hundreds of families live peacefully,” he added.

The BJP leader alleged that he got a call at midnight.

“I got a call and I don’t want to reveal from where I got a call, DK Shivakumar blackmailed me at midnight at 12:30 and treated me to backup from Belagavi rural constituency. We will win 13 seats. He (Shivakumar) should come out of “Vishakanya” hands (Laxmi Hebbalkar). You should ask him, he again said last night that he will release one more CD,” Jarkiholi told reporters.

The BJP leader further claimed that he will again be “blackmailed”.

“He will blackmail me again. I know that, but I’ll tell him, he must come out of “Vishakanye”. He threatens me because he knows BJP high command loves me,” the leader said.

The BJP has fielded Nagesh Manolkar from Belagavi Rural while the Congress has fielded Laxmi Hebbalkar, the sitting MLA as its candidate.

Jarkiholi tendered his resignation on March 3, 2021, from his post over his alleged involvement in the sexual assault of a woman.

The purported sex tape showed the minister in a compromising position with the woman.

The case had come to light on March 2, 2021, when Kallahalli, a social activist, lodged a complaint with the police and demanded a probe into a sex scandal against Jarkiholi, while he was Karnataka’s Major and Medium Water Resources Minister.

Jarkiholi, however, has been denying all allegations and claiming the videos as fake.

Earlier in January this year too, the leader had accused the latter of hatching a conspiracy against him over the sex CD case.

Voting is currently underway for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray.

According to the Election Commission of India, the majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.

A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections.

Some of the key constituencies which will make a major mark in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur.

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

No protesting against the Congress govt, raising voice only against corruption: Sachin Pilot ahead of his Jan Sangharsh Yatra

ANI
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No protesting against the Congress govt, raising voice only against corruption: Sachin Pilot ahead of his Jan Sangharsh Yatra

Ahead of his Jan Sangharsh Yatra, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said that he is not protesting against his government, but is just “raising voice” against “corruption.”

Pilot will be taking out a Jan Sangharsh Yatra in protest against the inaction of the Rajasthan government in the alleged corruption cases during the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in the state. The five-day Jan Sangharsh Yatra that will start on May 11 will be carried out from Ajmer to Jaipur.

On being asked why he is carrying out the yatra against his own government, Pilot told ANI that he is just raising his voice against “corruption”.

“I am not protesting against my government, but just raising my voice against corruption. When we had come to power, we had promised a zero-tolerance against corruption, but no investigation was done by this government,” he said.

He refused to comment anything on how the Gandhi family regarded the issue. But when asked about the party high command’s reaction to the yatra, he said, “Congress has always had zero-tolerance against corruption and we will continue to fight against it”.

“We had come to power by fighting against corruption, but the way no action was taken against Vasundhara Raje and other leaders, I have to take the decision of carrying the Jan Sangharsh yatra,” Pilot said.

Earlier it was speculated that Pilot will go to Ajmer by car along with a huge number of supporters, but the former Deputy CM told ANI that he will be reaching Ajmer by train. He will catch the train at 8 am and will reach Ajmer at 12 noon.

Pilot will also stop at different locations during his yatra. He has affirmed receiving immense support from the public.

“The way several exams were cancelled, and medical students had to come out on the streets– there are many such issues under this government, but the Gehlot government is not paying attention to it,” he had said.

As per the sources, he will receive a grand welcome by his supporters at Ajmer railway station. He will address a public meeting where he will focus on the issues of youth. He will also highlight the corruption allegations against previous BJP government.

Pilot had held a day-long fast last month, even as the party leadership had cautioned him against it, over his demand for action by the Gehlot government for alleged corruption during the BJP rule in the state.

Both Pilot and Gehlot have taken potshots at each other in the past forcing the party leadership to intervene. 

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

As Pakistan descends into chaos, netizens share 2009 tweet of PM Modi: Here is what happened back then which made Modi tweet about Pakistan

Shraddha Pandey
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As Pakistan descends into chaos, netizens share 2009 tweet of PM Modi: Here is what happened back then which made Modi tweet about Pakistan

As protests erupted in Pakistan after the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan was arrested, an old tweet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi about Pakistan is going viral with Indian netizens reacting to it. 

“Brothers and sisters, you’ll must be watching the news coming out from Pakistan on television,” Narendra Modi tweeted on 4th May in 2009. 

The viral tweet sparked speculation regarding what was the “news” coming out from Pakistan. To find this out, OpIndia checked the Twitter timeline of PM Modi and found some tweets posted minutes after the viral one.

In another tweet posted by the then chief minister of Gujarat on the same day, he had asked for proof from the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh if his government was not weak.

“I wish to ask the Prime Minister, are you not weak? If indeed you are a strong government, the country needs proof of that,” Modi tweeted.

Back then Modi raised the issue of the persecution of Pakistani Sikhs by the Talibani terrorists as is evident from this tweet, “The Taliban is persecuting my Sikh brothers, is destroying Gurudwaras, the persecution that Guru Gobind Singh had borne,” in continuation to this, Modi wrote another tweet which read, “that persecution is once again being inflicted by the Taliban on Pakistan’s soil. Prime Minister, tell me what has your government done?”

To understand the background, it is necessary to first learn about the events in Pakistan that prompted Modi to post these tweets at that time 14 years ago.

Taliban forced Hindus and Sikhs to pay the ‘Jaziya’ tax

Back in 2009, the Taliban wanted to impose Islamic Sharia law across Pakistan and collect Jaziya, an Islamic tax collected from non-Muslims. Jaziya was a tax imposed even in India during the reign of Islamic tyrants like Aurangzeb. In February of the year 2009, the Taliban and Pakistan’s local administration struck a controversial ‘peace deal’ to achieve a permanent ceasefire in the restive north-western Swat Valley. As per the ‘deal’, the provincial government had offered to reinstate Sharia law in Malakand in the Taliban agreed to a ceasefire. 

The deal could not last long as the Taliban attacked a Pakistan army convoy in Swat Valley. The Talibani terrorists had also entered the Buner district to impose Islamic Sharia law. Following this, the Pakistan Army in May had launched an operation against the Taliban and killed around 80 Talibani terrorists in the Buner area. Talibanis had captured over 2000 villagers to use them as human shields against army attacks. Moreover, the Taliban had rejected the setting up of a Sharia-compliant appellate court by the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) government citing it as a unilateral decision by the government.

Taliban had also secured control of the Swat Valley region and subjected Hindus and Sikhs to all sorts of discrimination including the imposition of Jaziya and persecution for failing to pay the tax.

In 2009, over 150 Hindu and Sikh families In NFWP and nearby tribal areas were compelled to leave their homes and take shelter in Pakistan’s Punjab amidst targeted attacks by Taliban terrorists. “So far, over 150 Sikh and Hindu families have arrived at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal and Rawalpindi from places like Buner, Swat, and Aurakzai Agency,” Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman Asif Hashmi had said back then. 

It was also reported that 11 homes of the Pakistani Sikhs Aurakzai tribal agency were destroyed by Talibani terrorists on failing to pay the Jaziya. The Taliban had imposed a deadline of April 29, 2009, to pay the tax imposed on ‘Kafirs’. Taliban had directed Sikhs to pay Rs 50 million per year as ‘protection money’.

Although the Congress-led Indian government had verbally demarched Pakistan its concerns about the discriminatory treatment meted out to non-Muslims in Pakistan, no other stringent action was taken. Pakistan in its standard response dismissed India’s concerns saying that Sikhs in the Aurakzai agency are Pakistani citizens so it should not be a concern for India.

Raising the issue of the persecution of Pakistani Sikhs, Narendra Modi had posted the aforementioned tweets and on the same day (May 4, 2009) he said during a rally in Haryana that being a Sikh himself, the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh should have done something to safeguard the interests of Sikhs in Pakistan. 

“He remained mum over the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. But now, he should make his stand clear on the atrocities being inflicted on Sikhs in Pakistan, not only as a prime minister but also as a Sikh,” Modi said.

While Narendra Modi was referring to the attack of the Taliban in Pakistan, another incident had happened in Pakistan at that time. Former prime minister Imran Khan, when he was an opposition leader, was barred from entering Karachi by the govt amid ethnic violence in the city. He was off-loaded from a Karachi-bound flight at the airport in Lahore.

Islamabad HC indicts former PM Imran Khan in Toshakhana case even as Pakistan Twitter posts rumours about his deaths: What is actually happening

OpIndia Staff
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Islamabad HC indicts former PM Imran Khan in Toshakhana case even as Pakistan Twitter posts rumours about his deaths: What is actually happening

On Wednesday, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and PTI chief Imran Khan was indicted in the Toshakhana case. This is a day after Khan was detained from outside the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Khan was sued in August 2022 by the coalition government, which was led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on the grounds that he failed to disclose information about presents given to Toshakhana and the money made from the illegal sale of some of the goods.

In the meanwhile, earlier today during the hearing, the court postponed making a decision on the National Accountability Bureau’s request for a 14-day physical detention of Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Security at Police Lines in Islamabad’s H-11 was intensified with a significant increase in the number of police personnel deployed before Khan was brought before the court.

In addition, protests grew in intensity in a number of Pakistani cities, including Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, and Lahore, resulting in at least one fatality and several injuries. According to local media sources, PTI supporters stormed the Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander’s home in Lahore in unprecedented scenes.

According to the reports, today around 130 police officials were injured in clashes with Imran Khan’s supporters in Punjab province and over 25 police vehicles were set on fire. More than 14 govt buildings were gutted and looted after Khan’s arrest, the police confirmed.

Earlier last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified former Pakistan PM Imran Khan from Parliament for submitting fake statements in the Toshakhana case. He had been disqualified for five years after parliamentarians from the governing coalition government in August last year filed a lawsuit seeking Khan’s disqualification for failing to declare the earnings from the sale of presents acquired at a discounted price from the state repository, also known as Toshakhana.

Toshakhana gifts case:

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been mired in controversies ever since he was elected to the highest office in Pakistan. He has been accused of retaining gifts, received by the Office of the Prime Minister from other countries, either for free or at throwaway prices. As reported earlier, the controversies surrounding him only intensified after his removal from office in a no-confidence vote on April 10 this year.

Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi retained 112 valuables that were gifted to the PM’s Office between August 2018 and December 2021. The duo obtained 52 of the items worth PKR 800200 without ‘paying a single penny’. The former Pakistani Prime Minister retained the remaining 60 valuables worth over PKR 141 million by paying a total of PKR 38.17 million. Among the presents retained were a Graff wristwatch, cuff links, an expensive pen, a ring, and four Rolex watches.

The former Prime Minister was further accused of selling the Toshakhana gifts in Dubai. Current Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and his party members including Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Ahsan Iqbal had further alleged that Khan had sold a watch, necklace, gold plated AK47 and a jeep and had failed to show the sales in the income tax returns. Also, in an exclusive report published by Fact Focus, it had come to light that Imran Khan earned more from Toshakhana gifts in 2 months than he did in the first 66 years of his life.

However, Khan defended his actions by claiming that he had paid 50 per cent of the value of the gifts. He conceded that he sold the Toshakhana valuables (which allegedly belonged to him) to repair the Bani Gala road (located next to his residence).

Notably, the Islamabad High Court had earlier noted that gifts received by the Office of the Prime Minister cannot be retained by him after vacating office. “Individuals come and go but the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan is permanent. These gifts are not meant for taking home,” Justice Aurangzeb said adding that all such gifts must be recovered by the State if they have been retained.

Viral news claimed the death of Imran Khan

On May 9, some of Pakistani viral tweets claimed that Imran Khan was dead. The Twitter users also shared two old photographs of Khan to support their claim regarding Khan’s death. This is after the PTI chief was detained by the Rangers from the premises of the Islamabad High Court.

However, on May 10 it was confirmed that the leader was alive but was being treated dreadfully by the Pakistan Police. The leader was not allowed to go to the washroom for last 24 hours and that his health had deteriorated. According to one of the viral tweets, he had requested to see some Doctor Faisal.

Later one of the Twitter users stated that the images of Khan which went viral claiming leader’s death were from the time when he had fallen from the stage.

Imran Khan was detained in Islamabad

Following Imran Khan’s detention in Islamabad on Tuesday, there were several large-scale and violent demonstrations all around Pakistan. The leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was detained as he entered the grounds of the Islamabad High Court to attend the hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust case. Pakistan Rangers, a government paramilitary law enforcement organisation, took him into custody. Videos indicated that the Rangers smashed off the glass windows to enter the room after PTI employees refused to unlock the door.

Khan was detained in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, in which he and his wife Bushra Bibi are charged with forcibly buying land from a business tycoon. According to a report, they are under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for allegedly collecting Rs 5 billion and hundreds of kanals (of land) from Bahria Town [a real estate corporation located in Islamabad] in return for the company’s defence in a money laundering case.

Leaders of the PTI have claimed that the ex-PM has been transferred to a “secret location” and raised concern that he would be tortured. In many cities around the nation, protesters flocked to the streets and got into fights with police and other security officials. In Quetta, there has already been one death and five injuries. Unrest was also reported from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi. In light of the events, mobile and internet services have been halted throughout the nation. In Pakistan, access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube has also been blocked.

AAP claims court said that there is no evidence to prove the Delhi liquor scam, here is how they are lying and misquoting a bail order by court

Raju Das
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AAP claims court said that there is no evidence to prove the Delhi liquor scam, here is how they are lying and misquoting a bail order by court

In the Delhi Liquor police case, a Delhi court granted bail to two persons on 6 May, Rajesh Joshi and Gautam Malhotra. Special Judge MK Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Courts granted them bail and ordered their release from custody subject to the furnishing of a personal bond of Rs. 2 lakhs each.

After the court order came, the Aam Aadmi Party started its familiar lies and misinformation, claiming that the court had said that there is no evidence in the case, and further claimed its leader Manish Sisodia is kept in jail despite having no evidence against him.

AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi Marlena demanded an apology from BJP for allegedly defaming Sisodia, claiming that the court has stated in its order that there is “no evidence” to substantiate or corroborate the alleged corruption. She also alleged that BJP was pressuring people to give false statements.

She said, “There were two major allegations. First: Rs 100 crore bribe was received. Second: The amount was spent for Goa elections. But the Rouse Avenue court order, through which two people got bail, should be read properly, as it makes it clear that ED and CBI have no evidence of the corruption of even 1 Rupee. The judge repeatedly said in the 86-page order that there is no evidence.”

Atishi further claimed that the court has said that “There is no specific evidence showing any such cash evidence of bribe or repayment of kickbacks. The only evidence presented has been some vague statements by witnesses, and on the basis of these statements, it cannot be inferred that cash payments were given as bribes.”

She also claimed that while earlier it was alleged that a bribe of Rs 100 crore was paid in the scam, ED has now reduced it to Rs 30 crore.

All these claims by the AAP leader attributing the court order are completely false and baseless, and a perusal of the court order shows that the court never said that there is no evidence in the liquor scam case. All the observations made by the court in the judgement are related to the bail plea by the two petitioners, and they don’t apply to the case as a whole.

In fact, the order makes it clear that the observations are related to the bail applications only, and they are not comments on the merits of the case. In para 80 of the judgement, the judge states, “However, it is made clear that the observations made in this order are only for the purpose of deciding the bail applications of applicants and nothing contained in this order shall tantamount to the expression of any opinion on merits of the case.”

Now, even in the observations in the bail, the court has actually not said that there is no evidence, as opposed to the claim by Atishi that “tthe judge repeatedly said in the 86-page order that there is no evidence.”

What the court said

Most of the text in the 86-page order are reproduction of the arguments made by the counsels of the applicants, where they argued that there is no evidence against their clients in the case. Just because such text appear in the judgement, it does not mean the court said that, and the judgement clearly names the relevant advocates while quoting their arguments.

The court granted bails to Rajesh Joshi and Gautam Malhotra for specific reasons, and not for ‘no evidence that the scam took place’. The court has found that the two accused have no direct links with the alleged scam.

The court found that Rajesh Joshi is not in the liquor business and he did take part in any of the meetings between the other co­accused or conspirators in the case. He is not part of the cartel formed to take undue benefits, and he is found to be not part of the South lobby or any other liquor lobby. Joshi is also not accused of paying bribes to Manish Sisodia, and there is no evidence that he was involved in the transfer of kickback amount of Rs 20 crore or Rs 30 crore. Moreover, there were contradictions in statements regarding the monetary transactions. For these reasons, the court granted bail to him, citing the absence of any satisfactory corroborative material. The court also said that he has been cooperating in the probe, and that he is not a flight risk.

For the other applicant Gautam Malhotra, the court said that he is involved in the liquor business, and while he was part of a cartel, there is no evidence showing that he was involved in paying bribes. The court stated that while he had formed a cartel, that is not enough to claim that it was formed as part of a criminal conspiracy. The court stated that a cartel can be formed for legitimate business purposes.

The court further noted that while Gautam Malhotra is accused of paying Rs 2.5 crore bribe, it was allegedly paid in May 2022, months after the liquor policy was implemented. The ED had said that he was not part of the criminal conspiracy, and he was allegedly forced by Vijay Nayar representing AAP to be involved in the scam.

Considering all the material facts, the court stated that the evidence presented against Gautam Malhotra is not sufficient to attract the provisions of Section 45 of the PMLA to deny bail to him. The court also said that the applicant Gautam Malhotra also cannot be considered to be a flight risk as he belongs to a family having well-established liquor manufacturing business in the State of Punjab and also selling their liquor brands in other States and his father is also stated to be a senior politician in the State of Punjab.

For these reasons, Rajesh Joshi and Gautam Malhotra were granted bail against personal bonds of Rs 2 lakh each with one surety for the same amount.

AAP lies that bribe amount came down from Rs 100 crore to Rs 30 crore.

AAP leader Atishi also claimed that ED had reduced the bribe amount from Rs 100 crore to Rs 30 crore, which is another misquote from the judgement. She said, “The story of ED started with Rs 100 crore, but then itself came down to Rs 30 crore, as the agency has mentioned Rs 30 crore in its chargesheet. It was also alleged that a person named Rajesh Joshi took these Rs 30 crore of bribes to Goa. The court has also stated that there is no independent evidence collected by the agency to substantiate or corroborate this fact.”

The fact is, ED has not reduced the amount of alleged bribe paid in the case in total. The Rs 30 crore figure comes from the judgement, where it was referring to the allegation that Rajesh Joshi was involved in the transfer of a kickback amount of Rs 30 crore from the South Lobby to Vijay Nair through Dinesh Arora, who has turned approver in the case.

While the court said that there is no strong evidence to link Rajesh Joshi with the bribe amount, nowhere did the judgement mention that the total amount of the bribe has come down from Rs 100 crore to Rs 30 crore. This Rs 30 crore was only a part of the total bribe amount, which was allegedly paid in several parts.

In fact, the judgement makes it clear that the Rs 30 crore is part of the total Rs 100 crore alleged kickback. It says, “It can be observed that the alleged kickback amount is very huge i.e. around Rs. 100 crores and even a huge amount of around Rs. 20­-30 crores is alleged to have been transferred through this applicant.”

The judgement mentioned in multiple places that according to the prosecution, a kickback of around Rs 100 crore was paid by the South Lobby. Therefore, the allegation that the alleged bribe amount has come down is absolutely false, and a blatant misquote of the court order.

One Tipu Sultan absconded after raping 5 year old, arrested after Uttar Pradesh police shoots him in the leg: Details

OpIndia Staff
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One Tipu Sultan absconded after raping 5 year old, arrested after Uttar Pradesh police shoots him in the leg: Details

After an encounter, the Uttar Pradesh Police nabbed Tipu Sultan, a resident of Kasna, who is accused of raping a 5-year-old girl. He was shot in the left leg and has been checked into a hospital. He had escaped after the incident and was apprehended after the confrontation with the police.

The Kasna police station in Greater Noida received secret information regarding the perpetrator’s whereabouts on Wednesday. He was surrounded by police personnel during checking in the area of Dadha Gol Chakkar.

He was trapped and started shooting in an attempt to break through the police’s protective perimeter so he can flee to safety. However, the cops retaliated, shooting him in the left leg which eventually led to his capture.

Just as the bullet struck the culprit, he collapsed on the ground and began to wither in pain. The cops grabbed him and he was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Two live and one hollow bullet cartridge, as well as one illegal firearm, were found in his possession.

The police revealed that they were informed that he would be visiting his family and therefore they surrounded the area to arrest him.

A five-year-old girl child was playing outside her house in the vicinity of the Kasna police station, on Tuesday. The offender, who also lived in the same neighbourhood, kidnapped her and took her to a remote location where he raped the minor.

The instance resulted in the victim receiving serious injuries. Passers-by reached the scene after hearing her cries and took her to a hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment. The assailant spotted an opportunity during the commotion and took off from the crime site.

Her family and relatives arrived at the hospital as soon as they learned about the catastrophe. A case was registered following her father’s complaint.

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