A video of the Hanuman Chalisa recital at a cafe in Gurugram recently went viral. In the video, a group of youngsters could be heard reciting Hanuman Chalisa in a musical manner at a cafe with drums, guitars, and other musical instruments.
This cafe named ‘Cake Desire’ is in the Sector 22 market of Gurugram and is owned by Vivek Gulati. Spiritual jamming is his brainchild, and he is leading the youth associated with it.
In a conversation with OpIndia, 40-year-old Gulati described his success as the grace of Hanuman ji. Hanuman Chalisa is also the caller tune on his number. According to Gulati, his caller has been Hanuman Chalisa for the last 10 years.
Cafe owner Vivek Gulati and the artists associated with ‘Artist Chowk’
Originally from Ghaziabad, Vivek Gulati moved to Gurugram about 20 years ago to set up a business of his own. Talking about his business struggles, Vivek Gulati said that after shifting from Ghaziabad, he sold flowers in Gurugram for a long time. He opened a bakery shop 5 years ago. However, during the Covid lockdown, it had to be shut down. After Coronavirus, when the situation became normal, he opened the cafe. “Today I have 3 cafes in Gurugram. All are because of the grace of Hanuman ji”, Gulati said.
The viral video of Hanuman Chalisa is from Tuesday, March 14. Vivek Gulati said that the recital started in the cafe two weeks ago on Tuesday. There are about 50 youths associated with him. These are artists who are struggling for big opportunities in their careers. Their group has been named ‘Artist Chowk’. The artists associated with it are all from Delhi NCR.
#WATCH | Haryana: Spiritual jamming by youths outside a cafe in Gurugram.
Vivek Gulati said that customers coming to the cafe also feel relaxed when they listen to Hanuman Chalisa recitations. He has completely dedicated the Tuesday music sessions to Lord Hanuman. Spiritual jamming takes place from around 7 pm to 9:30 pm on Tuesdays. Vivek Gulati is also planning to travel from Ayodhya to Rameswaram with youngsters associated with spiritual jamming.
On 24th March 2023, the Public Works Department of the AAP govt in Delhi demolished the stairs outside the under-construction headquarters of the Congress party in Delhi, saying that it was encroaching on a footpath. This has come hours after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from his Lok Sabha membership owing to his conviction in a case of criminal defamation by a court in Surat.
A bulldozer arrived at the under-construction congress headquarters on Deendayal Upadhyay Road and demolished the stairs. PWD officials said that it was found that the stairs were encroaching on the footpath towards the Deendayal Upadhyay Road.
Public Works Department today conducted an anti-encroachment drive at the under-construction new headquarter of the Congress party on DDU Marg in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/6qA4Q7rvpe
“A PWD survey revealed that the stairs were encroaching a footpath, thus necessitating the demolition,” the PWD official who accompanied the demolition team said.
According to photos, the demolished stairs led to a small single-story house in front of the main building, probably meant for security or similar purpose, and they were not connected to the main 6-story building. It can be clearly seen that the 5-step stairs were built on the footpath. After the removal of the stairs in front of the structure, it will difficult to access the small structure from the road, and they will have to make changes to it to make it accessible.
It is notable that although located on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Road, the main entrance of the Congress headquarters, named Indira Gandhi Bhawan, is on Kotla Road on the opposite side. The new Congress office will have two gates, which open on the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg on the south and the Kotla Road on the north. However, the party has decided to make the Kotla Road entrance its main gate, which will also serve as the official address of the party, even though it is narrower than the DDU road. Apparently, this has been done to avoid getting associated with the road named after the RSS ideologue, and also to have a different address than the BJP headquarters.
At present, the Congress has its headquarters at a government bungalow on 29 Akbar Road in Delhi. The grand old party was allotted land on DDU Road in 2019 to build a permanent headquarters, but the construction was started much later, and it has not been completed yet. The party has been issued several notices to vacate the govt house and move to the allotted permanent location. At Present, BJP and AAP have their headquarters on Deendayal Upadhyay Road.
The BJP headquarter was inaugurated by PM Modi in February 2018. Prior to this, the party’s headquarter was located at a govt bungalow at 11 Ashoka Road.
Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership has been disqualified today. He was convicted by a Surat court in Gujarat in a defamation case. He was sentenced to 2 years. Rahul Gandhi was an MP from Wayanad. Now, a bulldozer action is also taken at the under-construction Congress headquarters.
This is not the first time that an anti-encroachment drive is conducted at a political party’s office. Earlier, a bulldozer action was taken at the Aam Aadmi Party office on Deendayal Upadhyay Road. The only difference is that the party itself had removed the illegal construction. In fact, the new office of AAP and Congress is situated adjacent to each other. A few days ago, the Aam Aadmi Party demolished the porta cabin on the footpath outside the office after a notice was received from PWD.
On Friday, March 24, a video went viral wherein a knife-wielding man can be seen randomly stabbing people at a residential building. According to reports, the incident happened around 3.30 pm at Parvati Mansion on Grant Road.
The accused reportedly stabbed as many as five of his neighbours leaving them critically injured. The injured were rushed to the HN Reliance Hospital and the Nair Hospital. Two victims, a husband-wife duo identified as Jayendra and Neela Mistry have reportedly succumbed to their injuries, while the other three are undergoing treatment.
The police arrested the accused under IPC section 302 (murder) and launched an investigation into the case.
Viral | 54 year Chetan Gala created terror by going on rampage attacking people with a knife at Parvati Mansion building near Grant Road station in Mumbai. 5 people injured in the attack have been admitted to HN Reliance Hospital & Nair Hospital. Gala has been taken in custody. pic.twitter.com/DmRvmE4oQf
“The incident took place at the Parvati Mansion building in the DB Marg area, the police were informed about the matter and rushed to the spot. At least five people sustained injuries in his attack and were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment,” Midday quoted an official as saying.
According to the police, the man’s family members had left him, and he suspected that his neighbours had instigated them.
He had been mentally disturbed ever since, and on Friday, upon spotting his neighbours, he went to his house, picked up a knife and allegedly attacked five persons from neighbouring families, the police added.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of India granted interim protection to the Christian community organization which has been accused of practising forceful religious conversion in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The defendant’s advocate held that the community members were being issued death threats and that no police or local administration was issuing protection to the community.
The court was hearing the anticipatory bail plea filed by Broadwell chairman Dr Samuel Mathew in the case of forceful religious conversion at the Broadwell Christian Hospital Society in Fatehpur District of Uttar Pradesh. The bench chaired by CJI DY Chandrachud assured protection and directed the UP government against coercive action against the petitioner.
Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for the Broadwell Christian Hospital Society, warned the court that things were going out of control for the Christians. He also pointed to a video in which he claimed someone was openly advocating the killing of Christians.
“What is happening is that things are going out of control. A Christian missionary sent me a video where a gentleman is telling me openly to kill Christians. Magistrate has recorded it and yet remand given, not protected by police and not by the subordinate judiciary. Your lordships can alone save us. these forcible conversion cases…some word from you needed,” Dave said.
In addition to giving notice to the state of Uttar Pradesh, the CJI reassured Dave that the Court would treat the situation seriously. The Court also mandated a moratorium on coercive measures taken against the petitioner. “We are here and that is why we are entertaining all this. Issue notice to the state of Uttar Pradesh. Stay on coercive action against the petitioner,” the Court said.
90 Hindus were being converted at church which manages the hospital
The Kotwali police station filed a First Information Report (FIR) on January 23 of this year accusing the defendants and others of practising and propagating forceful religious conversions. According to the reports, the FIR was registered based on the complaints filed by the members of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The accused at the hospital including its chairman Dr Samuel Mathew and clerk Parminder Singh were booked under Sections 420 (Dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (Forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), 120-B (Party to a criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Sections 3 (Prohibition of conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, etc.) and 5(1) (Punishment for contravention of section 3) of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
The hospital authorities meanwhile claimed that the hospital had been shut down as a result of continuous police raids at the facility and in the rooms of staff members who were staying there. Due to suspicions of conversion, the employees including the physicians and nurses alleged that they were subjected to ongoing harassment by Hindutva sympathizers and the police.
Reports mention that the hospital was sent two notices under Section 91 of CrPC (summons to produce documents or other things) amid the investigation. One notice was sent in December last year and the other one was sent in January this year.
The saga began in April last year when the church located 10 minutes distance from the Hospital had hosted a gathering allegedly for converting the non-Christians to Christianity. Around 90 Hindus were being forcefully converted in the church in Fatehpur’s Hariharganj area. The VHP took cognizance of the event and lodged 7 FIRs against the church authorities. They stated that the Hindus were being allured and coerced into conversion. Later the Police booked around 56 people in the case and arrested around 41 by November last year.
Church and hospital have connections with the notorious NGO world Vision whose FCRA licence was suspended by govt
At present, out of 56, 36 have attained anticipatory bills and 15 are still serving imprisonment. Reports mention that the hospital in question is managed by the Evangelical Church of India (ECI) and both have connections with the global Christian charity organization named World Vision India (WVI). Reportedly, the reminder notices were put up by the police outside the church and on the walls of the WVI.
It is important to note that the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) in November 2022 suspended the FCRA license of the notorious Christian NGO World Vision India (WVI). According to the reports, the NGO had received funds for ‘religious’ purposes which contradicted the actual purposes declared in their application to the MHA.
FCRA License of ‘World Vision India’ has been suspended by the Government of India.
Earlier, we filed multiple complaints against World Vision India for: 1. Violating its own objectives by utilizing FCRA money for religious activities and + https://t.co/E8EZnNQufEpic.twitter.com/hPhTL4B13t
Non-Christian patients were provided with free groceries, cycle, confirmed Police
Kotwali police station SHO Amit Kumar Mishra confirmed the case and revealed that the hospital authorities were providing free groceries and cycles to the patients at the hospital. “The hospital has a license for the treatment of patients and administering vaccines, not for distributing goats, cycles, and kirana (grocery) items. Hospital officials admitted that they gave these items to 16 people in different villages of Fatehpur. We have taken a list from them in writing. They have people associated with their mission working in every block, and most of them are Dalits and the poor,” he said.
It is believed that the hospital authorities allured non-Christians from nearby villages as well including Asalpur, Hariyapur, Manipur, Dhundera, Jindapur, Dudua Colony, Sangaon and Brahman Tara.
The accused hospital termed it a ‘charity’
The hospital chairman claimed that providing people with ‘required’ help is part of their charitable activities. “They (police) have interpreted this as an allurement for conversions, which is a completely wrong interpretation. Under the program, a pair of goats are given to the poor villagers for earning a livelihood. Cycles are given so that they can open small shops,” he was quoted.
The SC, however, on Friday granted interim protection to the accused persons and held that the community members were being issued death threats and that no police or local administration was issuing protection to the community.
After his conviction and sentencing in a 2019 defamation case by a Gujarat court, India’s parliament disqualified Congress senior leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha on Friday. Following Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, the Indian opposition needed a PM candidate to counter the incumbent Narendra Modi. OpIndia managed to get their secret cameras inside that meeting and recorded the conversation that took place.
What follows below is the transcript of that conversation.
Mallikarjun Kharge– We have gathered here today because Rahul Gandhi ji is no longer with us
Sonia Gandhi– Areyyyyyy
Kharge– Oh Sorry Madam, I meant, he is no longer an MP and we need to find an alternative PM candidate for the united opposition
Arvind Kejriwal– PM candidate should be a well educated engineering graduate
KCR– I was the only one who was preparing for this day. I even changed my party’s name from TRS to BRS in preparation for this day, so I think the answer is obvious.
Uddhav Thackeray– Yes, the answer is obvious, I sacrificed my party and party symbol to show that I can be the next Manmohan Singh, surely I get the chance?
Akhilesh Yadav– Papa ka sapna that ki wo ek din PM banein, ab papa nahi rahe to kam se kam unke bete ko PM bana ke unki aatma ko shaanti dein?
Sharad Pawar– Beta Akhilesh tumhare papa ka sapna THA, mera sapna to abhi bhi HAI, aur tumhare papa se pehle ka sapna hai
Stalin– Pawar Sir, please no Hindi
Sharad Pawar– Abey Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, PM is PM in every language, don’t pretend like you don’t understand
Arvind Kejriwal– PM candidate should be a well educated engineering graduate
Tejashwi Yadav– Jab se papa bimaar hain, public sympathy hamare saath hai to hum….
Sharad Pawar– Arey tumhare aur Akhilesh ke papa, where is Supriya, wo batayegi apne papa ke baare me
Stalin– Please, no Hindi
Arvind Kejriwal– PM candidate should be a well educated engineering graduate.
Mamata Banerjee– Nobody here mentioned my name, everyone here is a communist!
Sitaram Yechury– Thats right Mamata, one place we still have the majority!
Arvind Kejriwal– PM candidate should be a well educated engineering graduate.
Pinarayi Vijayan– Anyone can be PM as long as they have a liberal policy towards gold smuggling.
Arvind Kejriwal– PM candidate should be a well educated engineering graduate.
Sonia Gandhi- So everyone wants to be a PM candidate, guess this meeting was useless. Anyway, we will revisit this after a few months. Ok, bye for now
Kharge– Bye Ma’am
KCR– Bye Ma’am
Uddhav– Bye Ma’am
Akhilesh– Bye Ma’am
Tejashvi– Bye Ma’am
Sharad Pawar– Bye Ma’am
Mamata Banerjee– Bye Ma’am
Sitaram Yechury– Bye Ma’am
Arvind Kejriwal– PM candidate should be a well educated engineering graduate
Stalin- Ma’am please speak in English, I don’t understand Hindi
France has become the most recent to join the list of countries that have outlawed the Chinese short video app TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance, on phones of govt officials over security issues. The public was informed of this recent government decision by French Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerini, who is also in charge of Digital Transmission and Telecommunications.
Pour garantir la cybersécurité de nos administrations et de nos agents publics, le @gouvernementFR a décidé d’interdire les applications récréatives comme TikTok, sur les téléphones professionnels des fonctionnaires d’État. @jnbarrotpic.twitter.com/avxtpKZ6uu
He released a statement which read, “In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants.”
The statement said that in recent weeks, several of their European and international partners have adopted measures restricting or prohibiting the downloading and installation of the TikTok by the govt officials. ‘After an analysis of the issues, particularly security, the government has decided to prohibit henceforth the downloading and installation of recreational applications on professional telephones provided to public officials,’ it stated.
The statement states that recreational applications do not have sufficient levels of cybersecurity and data protection, and therefore they can constitute a risk if installed on government-issued devices.
Accordingly, minister Stanislas Guerini sent the directions to all the ministers and secretaries of the ministries to ensure the implementation of the decision. The prohibition comes into effect immediately and applies to all government officials. The Interministerial Digital Department will ensure the implementation of this instruction, in close collaboration with the National Agency for Information Systems Security.
The statement by the minister stated that cybersecurity of the administrations and public servants constitutes a crucial issue, and the ministry is fully geared to tackle this issue.
In response to rising privacy and cybersecurity concerns, an increasing number of nations in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific have banned the popular video-sharing app from use on personal and/or government devices. Invoking ‘concerns’ about cybersecurity, privacy, and false information, Belgium temporarily banned TikTok on devices purchased or owned by the federal government.
TikTok is not permitted on government-issued smartphones in Canada. The authorities asserted that the app presents an ‘unacceptable’ risk to privacy and security. The future downloading of the application by government employees is likewise prohibited.
The Danish Defense Ministry ‘forbade personnel’ from installing TikTok on their work phones and instructed those who had already done so to remove it as soon as possible.
The three major institutions of the 27-member bloc, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the EU Council, have all banned TikTok on employee devices.
Following the ‘recommendations’ of government cybersecurity experts, New Zealand legislators and employees of the country’s Parliament are not allowed to have the app on their work phones. After the Justice Ministry of Norway issued a ‘warning’ that the app shouldn’t be put on government employees’ phones, the Norwegian parliament barred Tiktok on work devices.
Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok after the FBI warned that it posed a ‘national security risk.’ Chinese-made software, including other apps like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, are not permitted to be used on government equipment, including smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers.
British authorities banned TikTok from mobile phones used by government ministers and civil servants as a ‘precautionary move’ on security grounds. The U.S. also notified government agencies to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems over ‘data security concerns.’
Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership banned TikTok and the game PUBG on the grounds of protecting young people from ‘being misled.’ TikTok has been temporarily banned four times in Pakistan due to worries over the app’s promotion of ‘immoral content.’
India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and many other Chinese apps, including PUBG Mobile, WeChat, Shein and AliExpress over ‘privacy and security’ concerns. More than 250 Chinese applications, including those for betting and lending loans, have already been blocked by the government because they possess content that is harmful to India’s sovereignty and integrity.
Despite the reservations raised by so many countries, Bytedance has maintained that it does not share any information with the Chinese government. The company claims that it is independently managed and refutes allegations that it collects more user data than other social media sites.
However, many governments are still wary of the platform and its connections to China.
Punjab police took to Twitter on Friday (March 24) to share the details of the FIR filed against fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, who has been evading arrest for the past week, and several of his aides. The FIR, the details of which were made public, was filed on March 18, 2023. As can be seen from the details shared by the Punjab police, UAPA charges were not invoked in the FIR filed by them against Amritpal Singh and his aides.
The Punjab police also shared pictures of the weapons recovered from Amritpal Singh’s vehicle and his aides.
In the FIR, the Punjab police invoked IPC Sections 279 and 188. Additionally, sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act against Amritpal Singh and his three aides. Notably, the stringent UAPA has not been invoked in the FIR filed against him on March 18, 2023.
The details of the sections and their maximum punishment are as follows:
Section 279 of IPC: Rash driving or riding on a public way- Whoever drives any vehicle, or rides, on any public way in a manner so rash or negligent as to endanger human life, or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
Section 188 of IPC: Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant- Whoever, knowing that, by an order promulgated by a public servant lawfully empowered to promulgate such order, he is directed to abstain from a certain act, or to take certain order with certain property in his possession or under his management, disobeys such direction, shall, if such disobedience causes or tends to cause obstruction, annoyance or injury, or risk of obstruction, annoyance or injury, to any person lawfully employed, be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees, or with both.
The sections of the Arms Act imposed relate to various provisions regarding the manufacturing and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition, with a punishment of imprisonment for up to 3 years, 10 years and for life.
The second FIR was filed against Amritpal Singh’s aides and his wife under sections 212/216 of the IPC and 25/27/54/59 of the Arms Act.
Screenshot of FIR filed against Amritpal Singh and his aides.
In another tweet, the Punjab police informed about the arrest of Tajinder Singh Gill alias Gorkha Baba, the core team member of Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh and also a member of Anandpur Khalsa Fauj (AKF). The police further informed that arrested Tejinder Gill informed them that all members of the AKF were assigned belt numbers like AKF 3 and AKF 56 and were given martial and weapon training, including firing practice. “Further investigation is going on and forward-backward linkages are being established,” tweeted the police.
He revealed that all members of the AKF were assigned belt numbers like AKF 3, AKF 56 and were given martial and weapon training, including firing practice.
Further investigation is going on and forward-backward linkages are being established. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/5pBkl77v4C
Notably, as of now, a total of six FIRs have been filed against Amritpal Singh and his aides. Punjab inspector general Sukhchain Singh Gill addressed the media and warned against rumour-mongering. He said that strict action will be taken against the perpetrators. He also added that the law and order situation in the state was normal. “6 FIRs registered against his aides… Amritpal still absconding, he hasn’t been arrested,” he said.
“So far, 114 people have been arrested for attempting to disturb peace and harmony. As many as 78 of them were arrested on the first day, 34 on Day 2, and two others were arrested last night. Ten weapons have been recovered so far,” IGP Punjab, Sukhchain Singh Gill said.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand DGP has said that an alert has been issued in the Dehradun, Haridwar and Udhamsinghnagar districts of the state as a precaution in view of the possibility of ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh entering the state. Intensive checking is being done on the borders of all 3 districts in other areas.
Several arrested leader of the Waris Punjab De has been shifted to Dibrugarh in Assam and are lodged in the central jail there.
MHA mulls ban on Amritpal Singh’s outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’ under UAPA
Notably, the Intelligence and security agencies are preparing a detailed dossier on the fugitive pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh, as the MHA is considering declaring ‘Waris Punjab De’ a banned organisation under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
According to security sources, the current crackdown on Amritpal and his supporters is being carried out by the Punjab Police with the assistance of Central forces and agencies based on information inputs obtained against him over time.
“But to ban an organisation, we need documentary evidence to nail him before the adjudicating authority. And for this a foolproof dossier is required,” said a senior security official.
Police suspect Amritpal Singh stayed in Haryana’s Shahbad area based on new CCTV footage
On Thursday, March 23, cops in pursuit of Amritpal Singh, have claimed to have recovered CCTV footage which showed the last location of the fugitive Khalistani leader in Haryana’s Shahbad area. The CCTV footage shows a man walking with an umbrella, who is suspected to be Amritpal Singh. The footage is from Sidhartha Colony in Shahbad Markanda, Kurukshetra.
As per media reports, police is suspecting that Amritpal crossed over to Haryana after escaping Punjab, where he took shelter in a lady’s house in Shahbad on the intervening night of March 19-20.
Police invoke NSA
The Punjab Police have said that a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Amritpal Singh on March 18 and the strict National Security Act has been invoked.
Punjab HC raps up police over “intelligence failure” resulting in Amritpal Singh evading arrest
Meanwhile, during the hearing of the habeas corpus petition on Amritpal Singh, the Punjab and Haryana High Court pulled up the Punjab police over the “intelligence failure” that led to the pro-Khalistan preacher giving police the slip.
“When there was a threat to the security of the country, what was the government doing till now? They were roaming around with weapons. How did he manage to escape despite so many police? What are 80,000 police doing when the country’s security is in danger?” the High Court said.
The Punjab police, in turn, told the High Court that the stringent National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Amritpal Singh. Besides, a non-bailable warrant has also been issued against the Khalistani leader.
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that membership in an organisation that the Central government has deemed illegal is sufficient to qualify as an offence under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
As a result, Section 10(a)(i) of the UAPA, which had previously been read down by a division bench of the Court in 2011, was sustained by the bench comprising Justices MR Shah, CT Ravikumar, and Sanjay Karol.
While upholding Section 10(a)(i) of UAPA, the SC declared that membership of an unlawful association is enough to constitute an offence.
“Aim of UAPA is to prevent certain unlawful activities and prevent the same…at the cost of repetition, UAPA is to punish the person a member of an unlawful organisation in furtherance of the provisions of the UAPA…Thus Section 10(a)(i) is absolutely in consonance with Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(2) of the Constitution and thus in consonance with the objectives of the UAPA,” the Bench held.
Another question that appeared before the Court was whether provisions of Central legislation could be read down in a case where the same was not assailed, and without having heard the Central government. On this, the Court held,
“Enormous harm would be caused to State if they are not heard…and Centre should have made submissions to justify 10(1)(i) and what were the objects and purposes…in view of the above, Section 10(a)(i) should not have read down by this Court, especially when the constitutional validity of the Section was not in question.”
Notably, the Bench also recognised the reliance placed on United States’ court judgments by the apex court in its 2011 judgments that read down the provision. The SC noted,
“This Court in Arup Bhuyan and in Raneef case has referred to US cases without relying on Indian case and differences…Thus this Court followed US decisions, which we are not agreeable with. We do not say for a moment that the United States Supreme Court decisions may not guide us…But Indian courts are required to consider differences in the nature of laws between two countries.”
Arup Bhuyan and Indra Das were exonerated in 2011 by a court bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Mishra for violations of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA).
The top court had opined that the TADA court had relied on a purported confession statement and that conviction for merely belonging to an organisation that was prohibited by the Act could not stand.
In its 2011 ruling, the SC had observed that “In our opinion, Section 3(5) cannot be read literally otherwise it will violate Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution…Hence, mere membership of a banned organisation will not make a person a criminal unless he resorts to violence or incites people to violence or creates public disorder by violence or incitement to violence.”
The Supreme Court stated in 2014 that a larger bench should consider the three cases since they involved more complicated issues. The result was the current reference.
The Union government and certain state governments argued that the top court’s interpretation of the UAPA decisions had effectively read down the aforementioned proviso by using the American Bill of Rights, making it more difficult to combat terrorism.
The Central Government contended that the Court could not read down the terms of an anti-terror statute without hearing its views and by relying on potential legal abuse. The Court’s reliance on the Bill of Rights was misplaced, given the top court’s earlier five-judge bench decision in Babulal Parate v. State of Maharashtra in which it was held that ” … American doctrine cannot be imported under our Constitution because the fundamental rights guaranteed under Art. 19 (1) of the Constitution are not absolute rights but, as pointed out in the State of Madras … are subject to the restrictions placed in the subsequent clauses of Art. 19. There is nothing in the American Constitution corresponding to cls. (2) to (6) of Art. 19 of our Constitution.”
For the Central government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had argued that it was inherently difficult to demonstrate formal participation in prohibited groups. The conditions listed were a deterrent and a precaution, he continued. The SG emphasised that under the current system, terrorist activities will go below the radar of security agencies provided it isn’t purportedly carried out in the name of banned or terrorist organisations.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Parikh argued that provisos could be read down in cases affecting fundamental rights like personal liberty even when they are not directly challenged. He was speaking on behalf of an intervenor-NGO.
He argued that as civil freedoms are protected by the Indian as well as US constitutions, it would be improper to invalidate the earlier ruling solely for its reliance on US court judgements.
On Thursday, March 23, Darbhanga Police in Bihar registered an FIR against four named and hundred unidentified accused persons after ‘Hindu Rashtra’ banners were found at some locations in Laheriasarai city in Bihar’s Darbhanga. Reportedly, two saffron flags with ‘Hindu Rashtra’ written on them in Hindi were seen near a Durga Temple in the Maulaganj locality of Laheriasarai. The images of the same soon went viral on social media with a section of people demanding police action in the matter.
District Magistrate Dr. Rajeev Roushan acted quickly after receiving the information and directed the concerned police station to remove the flags from that location. Following this, the alleged contentious flags were removed from the spot.
Taking to Twitter, Darbhanga Police informed about the action taken in the matter. “On March 23, an FIR was registered at Mohalla Maulaganj, Laheriasarai Police Station, Darbhanga District, against four identified accused and hundred unidentified persons for allegedly disturbing social and religious harmony by displaying offensive posters and banners on the occasion of Navratri, a Darbhanga Police press statement in Hindi read.
दिनांक 23.03.23 को दरभंगा जिला के लहेरियासराय थाना अंतर्गत मुहल्ला मौलागंज में कुछ असमाजिक तत्वों द्वारा नवरात्रि के अवसर पर आपत्तिजनक पोस्टर/बैनर लगाकर समाजिक एवं धार्मिक सदभाव बिगाड़ने को लेकर 4 नामजद अभियुक्त एवं 100 अज्ञात के विरुद्ध प्राथमिकी दर्ज की गई है।#Biharpolicepic.twitter.com/EIpBAc9EdU
The District Magistrate stated that the SSP has been directed to act after being made aware of the issue. ‘India is a democratic nation that upholds constitutional principles. The flags have already been taken down. People are being identified, and action is being taken,’ he added.
Notably, after the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ flags went viral on social media, Nazre Alam, who is the national president of a non-profit organisation named All India Muslim Bedari Karwan, wrote to the District Magistrate seeking action against those who allegedly attempted to disrupt the communal harmony in the area.
In his letter, Alam accused Bajrang Dal of placing Hindu Rashtra banners and also claimed that Hindus and Muslims have been peacefully residing in Darbhanga for centuries, however, if such banners will be put up to hurt the sentiments of the ‘other community’ then neither Bihar nor India will be able to progress. He also added that demanding Hindu Rashtra in a democratic country like India comes under the category of a criminal offence.
Meanwhile, Vishwa Hindu Parishad activist Rajeev Prakash Madhukar said, “if somebody is opposing Hindu Rashtra banners then they are ‘moorkh’ (fools). When you can say Hindustan and we as Sanatanis (Hindus) in our Hindi language if say Hindu Rashtra what is the offence in it, what is there to oppose in it adding that some people are doing these things to promote their politics.”
The last date for linking the Aadhar Card with the Permanent Account Number (PAN) is March 31, 2023.
While the Indian government had initially set the deadline to March 31, 2022, it extended the last date by another year with a mandatory fine of ₹500 (till June 30, 2022) and ₹1000 (between July 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023).
Those who fail to avail of the opportunity by March 31 this year will have their PAN cards turned inoperative permanently. So, here are the simple steps one can follow to ensure Aadhar-PAN linkage before the last date.
Click on the ‘Link Aadhar’ option on the left-hand panel of the site.
Screengrab of the Income Tax Website
3. A new window will open, wherein you will be asked to fill in your PAN card and Aadhar card details.
4. If you have already linked your Aadhar and PAN card, then, you will be presented with the following message – Your PAN XXX is already linked to given Aadhaar YYY
Screengrab of the Income Tax Website
5. However, if your Aadhar and PAN Card are not linked, then, you will be presented with the following message – PAN not linked with Aadhar. Then, click on the ‘Link Aadhar’ hyperlink text and you will then be redirected to the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) website.
6. Click on ‘proceed‘ under ‘CHALLAN NO./ITNS 280’ and choose the ‘0021’ option under Tax Applicable. Select ‘500’ from the drop-down menu of ‘Other Receipts.’
Screengrab of the NSDL website, image via Clear Tax
Screengrab of the NSDL website
7. You will then be prompted to fill in your PAN CARD, Assessment Year and bank details before making the payment of ₹1000/-
8. Once payment is complete on the NSDL website, you are advised to wait 4-5 days before moving ahead with the next steps.
9. Repeat Step No.3 and you will receive the following message – Your payment details are verified. Please click on Continue to proceed with the submission of the Aadhar-PAN linking request.
10. You will be taken to a new window and prompted to fill in details such as PAN, Aadhar Number, Name as per Aadhar and mobile number. Click on ‘I agree to validate my Aadhar details’ to proceed.
11. Once this step is complete, you will receive a 6-digit one-time password (OTP) on your registered mobile number.
12. Fill in the details and then click on the ‘validate’ option. You will see a new window with the ‘success message.’
Screengrab of the Income Tax website, image via Clear Tax
According to the Income Tax Department website, non-resident Indians, non-citizens of India, individuals above 80 years or above during the previous year and those residing in Meghalaya, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir are exempted from the mandatory Aadhar-PAN linkage requirement.
