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Bihar govt grants permission to Muslim employees to change office timing for the month of Ramzan, decision taken for ‘their convenience’: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar govt grants permission to Muslim employees to change office timing for the month of Ramzan, decision taken for ‘their convenience’: Details

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the CM Nitish Kumar-led government has started with its attempt to woo Muslim voters. On Friday, March 17, the Bihar government announced its decision to change office hours for Muslim employees during the month of Ramzan.

In a circular issued by the General Administration Department of the state government, it has been stated that Muslim officials and staffers will be allowed to arrive one hour before the usual working hours and leave one hour before accordingly during the month of Ramzan if they so choose.

According to the official circular issued by the general administration department, “Taking into account the convenience of Muslim employees and officials, the government has granted permission for them to arrive at the office one hour before the scheduled time and leave the office one hour before the scheduled time during the month of Ramzan”.

Moreover, the circular stated that this government order would be effective every year during the month of Ramzan.

Circular issued by Bihar government’s General Administration Department

Sunil Kumar Singh, the leader of Janata Dal United claimed that with this decision of the government, Muslim employees would have adequate time to break their fast in the evening without having any impact on their office work as they will come to the office one hour before the office timings.

Notably, a similar decision was made by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government recently ahead of Ramzan. During the holy month of Ramadan, the Andhra Pradesh government has issued directives allowing its Muslim employees to leave work an hour earlier in the evening.

A circular issued by principal secretary Revu Mutyala Raju will come into force most likely on March 24 and will be effective till  April 23.

According to the circular, all Muslim government officials and teachers, as well as volunteers from villages and wards, will be permitted to leave early unless their presence is essential due to work-related emergencies.

3 days a week with each wife, Sunday free: Man and her 2 wives reach an innovative settlement after his 2nd marriage is discovered

OpIndia Staff
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3 days a week with each wife, Sunday free: Man and her 2 wives reach an innovative settlement after his 2nd marriage is discovered

A 28-year-old software engineer from Noida and two women he married have arrived at a strange mutual agreement saving the married life of the three. The three have decided that the man will stay for three days a week with each wife and will be free on Sunday. The man has also agreed to divide his salary equally for both his wives and will give one flat each to both the women he married. Though bigamy is unlawful, the man will continue to live with both his wives while the first wife will retain all her legal rights despite the settlement ensuring that the matter does not reach the court.

According to reports, the 28-year-old man from Noida married a 26-year-old woman from Gwalior in 2018. Both of them worked as software engineers in Gurugram. In 2020, the woman became pregnant and her husband dropped her in Gwalior at her parents’ house. She was also advised not to move anywhere owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The husband returned to Gurugram and married another woman in 2021.

This second wife also worked in the same software company. As the man moved into this second marriage, his second woman also became pregnant. She delivered a baby in July 2021. During this time, the first wife continued to ask her husband to come back, but he did not visit Gwalior again.

Finally, the first wife went to Noida in January 2023 to confront her husband and was shocked to learn about the second marriage and the child born out of it. Following this, the first wife filed a complaint at the Noida police station but no FIR was filed in this case. After coming back to Gwalior, she wanted to file a case against her husband under section 498A of the IPC at the Gwalior family court. However, when she approached a lawyer for the same, he advised her against it, it finally resulted in the arrangement.

Advocate Harish Dewan, the counsellor appointed by the Gwalior Family Court, told the first wife that she can file the case under IPC section 498A, but the case will go on for years, and her husband will continue to live with his second wife. Moreover, she will get nothing while the case is heard by the court. He asked her to device some other solution so that her livelihood is not affected. He advised that she should go and live her with husband, and try to get the second wife out of the house.

The woman understood the situation and asked how to go ahead with it. He asked her to call her husband to Gwalior. Hearing that she is filling a case in court, he went to Gwalior, accompanied by his second wife. The advocate then told the man that he has committed a crime, and asked him to divorce the first woman and legally marry the second wife. But the man was not willing to do that, after which advocate Harish Dewan asked them to devise some other solution so that the first wife is taken care of.

Accordingly, all three sat together for a discussion and arrived at the strange settlement, which will mean that the man will live with both wives.

The advocate said that the three mutually reached an agreement outside the court that saved their married life. According to the agreement, the man will divide his salary Rs. 1.5 lakh per month equally between the two wives. He is also giving his wives one flat each, with the first wife getting a flat worth Rs 80 lakh.

The first wife agreed to the settlement, under which the flat will be transferred to her name, and the man will pay her Rs 75000 each month, half of his salary. The second wife also agreed to it as she also got a flat and half of his salary. But, this was not all. The main question to be solved was with whom will the man live. The second wife said that he has married her also, so the matter should be resolved.

To solve this problem, the three persons again sat for a discussion, and again arrived at a solution. They mutually agreed that the man shall live for three days a week with each of his wives. From Monday to Wednesday, he will live with one wife, and Thursday to Saturday with the other. On Sundays, the man will be free to live with either of the wives, or he can go somewhere else. He is set free for Sundays.

Though bigamy is illegal, the three have agreed to follow this agreement, and the first wife agreed to not file a legal case against the man. However, all the legal rights of the first wife shall remain protected. If the husband breaks any condition of this agreement, the first wife will file a case against the husband.

Advocate Harish Dewan said, “Being a counsellor, the first attempt is to resolve the issue. The first wife wanted security for her baby and did not necessarily want to send her husband to jail. The second wife was ready to live with the first, but the man himself did not want to live with the first.”

He added, “Though it is not legal according to the Hindu Marriage Act and the IPC, the three can live according to the terms of the contract with mutual understanding. If the contract is violated, the first wife can move court.” He said that the court did not remark anything in this regard because the matter is settled outside the court.

PM Modi shares ‘Kesariya’ song rendition in various languages amid anti-Hindi divisive conversations on social media

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi shares ‘Kesariya’ song rendition in various languages amid anti-Hindi divisive conversations on social media

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took to Twitter to share a rendition of Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt starrer Brahmastra’s Kesariya song by one Snehdeep who sang the song in five Indian languages.

Sharing the video, PM Modi tweeted on March 17, “Came across this amazing rendition by the talented @SnehdeepSK. In addition to the melody, it is a great manifestation of the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.’ Superb!”

Snehdeep Singh Kalsi, the artist, shifts from Malayalam to Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi while maintaining the rhythm and tunes of the song. Kalsi first shared the rendition on Instagram in July 2022 but it grabbed attention today after Twitter users shared it. He had also shared it on YouTube at that time.

Snehdeep Singh Kalsi identifies himself as a singer and songwriter, and he has posted several covers of Hindi and Punjabi songs on social media.

This tweet comes amid social media chatter around so-called ‘stop Hindi imposition’ activists who have been spewing hate on Hindi language while alleging ‘imposition’ of Hindi language in the Southern Indian states. So much that the anti-Hindi hatred has led to vicious social media attacks on individuals with differing view point. These divisive anti-Hindi movements are often backed by politicians and predominantly raise their hoods during elections.

NIA files chargesheets against 68 PFI cadres in Kerala, Tamil Nadu

ANI
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NIA files chargesheets against 68 PFI cadres in Kerala, Tamil Nadu

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed two chargesheets against a total of 68 Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders, cadres and members in two separate cases in Kochi (Kerala) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu).

With these, the total number of chargesheets filed by NIA against PFI cadres this month has gone up to four. The first such chargesheet was filed in Jaipur on March 13 and the second in Hyderabad on March 16.

The chargesheets filed on Friday in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the two states where PFI is the most active, relate to separate criminal conspiracies hatched by the PFI to create a wedge between people of different communities through the radicalisation of impressionable Muslim youth, providing them with training in handling of weapons, and raising funds for carrying out acts of terror and violence with the ultimate objective of establishing an Islamic Rule in India by 2047, said the NIA statement.

Kerala PFI case was registered in September 2022 by the NIA to probe the criminal conspiracy hatched by the PFI and its leaders and cadres to create a wedge between people of different communities through the radicalisation of impressionable Muslim youth, training them in the handling of weapons and raising funds for carrying out acts of terror and violence with the ultimate objective of establishing an Islamic Rule in India by 2047.

In addition to the above-mentioned criminal conspiracy, the NIA has, in its Kerala chargesheet, also included the connected case of the brutal killing of a Palakkad resident, Sreenivasan, who was hacked to death by armed PFI cadres.

NIA investigations had shown some of the accused in the PFI criminal conspiracy case (September 2022) to have been involved in the Sreenivasan killing too, according to an agency spokesperson.

The accused in the two chargesheets filed today have been charged under various sections of IPC, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and the Arms Act, 1959.

In the Kerala case, registered in September 2022, the chargesheet has been filed in the Special Court for NIA Cases, Ernakulam, against the PFI as an organisation and 58 other accused persons. NIA had arrested 16 of the accused after taking over the case in 2022, while the others were arrested earlier by Kerala Police.

The Kerala chargesheet has been filed after searches conducted by the NIA at more than 100 locations across the state. The NIA has also attached 17 properties as they were identified as ‘proceeds of terrorism’ and frozen 18 bank accounts of the accused during the course of its investigations.

Investigations in the case revealed that the accused had been conspiring to drive a wedge between different communities and groups living in India, spread the concept of violent extremism and Jihad in India with the objective of dismembering the country and taking it over by establishing Islamic Rule in India by 2047.

To achieve these objectives, PFI established various wings and units, such as ‘Reporters Wing’, ‘Physical and Arms Training Wing’ and ‘Service Teams’, said the NIA statement.

Investigations by the NIA revealed that PFI was using its various campuses, facilities and infrastructure to impart arms training to selected cadres in the guise of physical education, yoga training etc. They also established a ‘Reporters Wing’ and ‘Service Teams or Hit Teams’ to eliminate their ‘targets’. Whenever required, PFI pressed into service it’s loyal and highly trained cadres of their ‘Service Teams’, as ‘executioners’ of the Orders pronounced by their parallel Courts, called ‘Dar-ul-Qaza’.

In a separate case registered and investigated by NIA Branch Office in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, NIA has also filed a chargesheet against 10 accused on Thursday. This case was also registered in September 2022 to probe the criminal conspiracy, hatched by the PFI and its leaders to divide people based on religious affiliations through radicalization and weapons training.

Some of the prominent PFI leaders and office bearers charge-sheeted in this case on Friday include Abdul Sathar state general secretary, Yahiya Koya Thangal state executive member, Shihas MH Ernakulam zonal secretary, along with district secretaries/president Sainudhen TS, Sadik AP, CT Sulaiman and PK Usman state general secretary Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) Kerala.

In the Tamil Nadu case, the chargesheet filed before the NIA Special Court Chennai has named 10 accused, including Khalid Mohammed, the state vice president of PFI. This case was also registered in September 2022, when nine of the accused were arrested by NIA. The 10th accused was taken into custody a few months later.

NIA investigations in the case had shown that the accused had conducted radicalization programmes to motivate, instigate and recruit gullible Muslim youth, who were then provided weapons training in training camps. PFI cadres used to carry out instructions of PFI office bearers and leaders to conduct recce and attack adversaries and commit unlawful and violent activities.

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

Uttar Pradesh: Agra police arrest Shahid Usmani who raped a 9-year-old girl and attempted to kill her by hitting her head with a brick

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Agra police arrest Shahid Usmani who raped a 9-year-old girl and attempted to kill her by hitting her head with a brick

On 13th March 2023, a 9-year-old girl was raped near a railway track in the area under the Shahganj police station of Agra city. The accused in this case also attempted to kill the girl after the rape which left the girl injured. The police arrested the accused on 17th March 2023, who has been identified as Shahid Usmani.

The victim girl left her house at around 5 am on Monday and went near the railway track for defecation. The accused Shahid Usmani who lives in the neighbourhood of the victim’s house was already present around there. As the minor girl was alone, he dragged her away and took her to a nearby railway cabin where he raped her. After raping the minor girl, the accused Shahid Usmani hit the victim’s head with a brick with the intent to kill her. The girl was injured and she started bleeding. Shahid Usmani immediately left the spot.

The girl somehow reached her home and told her family members about the incident. The girl’s parents filed a complaint at the Shahganj police station and police registered a case in this regard. The girl was sent to the hospital for treatment.

It is notable that miscreants often gather at the spot of the incident right from early in the morning. Youths also roam around the track early in the morning and consume alcohol there. After the incident took place, angry people staged protests as the police did not take action against the miscreants even after several complaints.

The police took swift action in this case. Six teams of Agra police were formed to locate the absconding accused Shahid Usmani. CCTV footage of the areas surrounding the crime spot was checked. The accused was arrested in the morning on 17th March 2023.

Vikash Kumar – SP of Agra city said, “A case of rape of a 9-year-old girl came to light in the Shahganj police station area of Agra on 13th March 2023. Police took action in this case and arrested the accused in this case. He is identified as Shahid Usmani – the son of Zahir Usmani. He is a resident of Shiv Nagar which comes under the Shahganj police station of Agra. The accused was present around the railway track when the victim minor girl went there for defecation early in the morning. Spotting the girl alone, he forcibly took her away and raped her. He also caused injuries to this girl. After committing this crime, the accused went absconding.”

SP Vikash Kumar added, “The police arrested the accused and took him to the spot and made a video in which the accused explained in detail the crime he committed. The police have also recovered the clothes worn by the accused on the day of the crime. We will send those clothes for a forensic investigation. Samples of the victim are also collected and they are sent for forensic investigations. Based on all the statements collected and the scientific evidence obtained in this case, the investigation will further go on. After collecting all the data we will file the charge sheet in this case as soon as possible. We will try our best so that the accused gets a punishment very soon.”

Activist alleges Rs 400 crore missing from Samayapuram Mariamman Temple fund, Tamil Nadu govt refutes the claim

OpIndia Staff
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Activist alleges Rs 400 crore missing from Samayapuram Mariamman Temple fund, Tamil Nadu govt refutes the claim

T R Ramesh, an activist based in Tamil Nadu has alleged that over Rs 400 crores has been missing from the Samayapuram Mariamman Temple fund. The activist filed an RTI requesting a 5-year income and expenditure statement of the Temple. He alleged that up until 2021, the funds looked intact, however, in December 2022, 92% (approximately ₹422 crores) were missing from just this temple.

Tamil Nadu government’s HR&CE dept has, however, refuted the claim and said that the funds are safe.

In a tweet posted on March 7, Ramesh accused officers of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department of reducing temple deposits by 92% of savings, which is both illegal and against temple welfare.

Ramesh accused the department of buying cars with temple funds and appointing drivers for minister use, in addition to taking 12% of fees as administration charges and 4% as audit fees.

He claimed that the department purchased automobiles for Rs 12-15 lakhs (Innova/Scorpio) with funds from the Samayapuram Mariamman temple and had them delivered to the Commissioner’s office for use by some officer there. Fuel and insurance costs are included in the costs. TR Ramesh stated that this is in addition to the 12% that they take.

According to the activist, the car is being utilised in Chennai, and money is being delivered to a certain petrol bunk where they have an account for petrol purchases. This procurement of vehicles and appointing drivers for state ministers is not limited to one temple, but also to Swami Malai temple, Kapaleeshwarar temple, and Tiruvannamalai temple, among others, he alleged.

Ramesh stated that it was also found that there is no trustee for this temple, and the board of trustees has sole authority over all administrative matters pertaining to the temple. He claimed that the disappearance of large sums of money is not limited to this temple. Supposedly, 70 crores have vanished from the Kapaleeshwarar temple (from an existing saving of about 80 crores) and about 100 crores have vanished from the Madurai Meenakshi temple, he said.

Notably, T R Ramesh discussed this issue, as well as other fraudulent activities carried out by the TN HR&CE department, in a video interview with Pesu Tamizha Pesu’s YouTube channel.

After the matter was brought to the fore by the activist, Tamil Nadu HR&CE Department Minister Sekar Babu clarified that the temple deposits are safe. T R Ramesh, today took to Twitter to inform about the same, He tweeted, “Hon’ble @tnhrcedept Minister @PKSekarbabu has clarified that Samayapuram Sri Mariamman Temple Deposits are safe. Devotees can have a big relief. The Dept shd NOW clarify why on 30.11.2022 it was ₹421.98 crores less as per the temple records.”

It’s worth noting here that last year n December, the Supreme Court demanded the Government of Tamil Nadu’s statement to a petition alleging that the administration indirectly had taken over the operation of over 38000 temples in the state of Tamil Nadu by recruiting executive officials but without nominating temple trustees. According to the petition, the act had resulted in the mishandling of the finances of large temples. 

3-year-old girl Ariha Shah separated from her Indian parents by German authorities: Read about her heartbreaking story

OpIndia Staff
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3-year-old girl Ariha Shah separated from her Indian parents by German authorities: Read about her heartbreaking story

On Thursday, 16th March 2023, Arindam Bagchi – the spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry said in a press conference that the foreign secretary is dealing with the issue of the 3-year-old girl Ariha Shah who is in German child rights custody for the last one-and-half year. It is notable that the Indian parents of the 3-year-old Jain girl are struggling to get their daughter’s custody from the German government. The girl was taken into custody by the German authorities because of suspected sexual abuse.

During the press conference, Arindam Bagchi said, “It is a sensitive case. Foreign Secretary is dealing with the case. Both the embassy and foreign ministry have been in close touch with parents and German authorities to find a way forward. It includes baby-infant child and there are issues related to privacy.” The parents of the child came to India last week and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help in bringing their daughter back from German foster care.

Dhara Shah, mother of the kid Ariha Shah said, “In September 2021, our daughter was taken away by German child services. She accidentally hurt her private part and we took her to a doctor. The doctors sent us back saying that she was fine. Then we went for a follow-up check. My daughter was again said to be fine, but the doctors, this time, called child services and gave them my daughter’s custody. And we later learned that because of the nature of her injury, they suspected sexual abuse.”

Earlier on 25th February 2023, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, “This is something of great sensitivity, something which we deeply care about, and our embassy has been in very close touch with the parents and German authorities in trying to find a way forward.”

Ariha Shah was 14 months old when German authorities took her into custody

The Shah family members have also started an online petition to gather public support to get their daughter back into custody. In this petition, the details of the ordeal are also described. According to this petition, Ariha Shah’s father was posted in Germany on a work visa as a software engineer. In September 2021, the infant Ariha Shah was accidentally hurt by his paternal grandmother. When her parents brought her to the hospital, they were charged with sexual assault and the baby was taken away.

It is said in the petition that the criminal inquiry was concluded without charges in February 2022, but Ariha Shah is still in the custody of German authorities. Berlin Child Services has filed a civil custody case to terminate the parental rights of the Shah couple. This lawsuit will take 2-3 years to complete, the petition says.

It further mentions, “The parents are fighting the case in Germany but fear that Child Services are dragging it out in order to take advantage of the “continuity principle” of child law under which if a child has spent a significant time with the state-appointed carer, it is said to be settled there and should not be shifted back to the parents, even if they are found to be fit.”

The petition also adds, “The German child services are completely insensitive to the baby’s cultural and religious identity, insisting on a meat diet for her though she comes from an observant Jain family. They say they plan to have her adopted by a German family. This is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to which both India and Germany are parties.”

Therefore, Ariha Shah’s parents are demanding that the baby Ariha Shah be repatriated to India and placed with the maternal family or a Jain family under the care and responsibility of Indian child welfare authorities. The family has alleged that the German authorities are deracinating little Ariha from her Jain roots and conditioning her to a European life, which is in stark contrast to the teachings of Jainism. It is notable that similar steps have been taken earlier in the case of Indian children in foster care in Norway, the USA, and other countries.

The mother of the kid underlines cultural differences adding to the problem

In a video appeal to PM Narendra Modi, Dhara Shah – mother of Ariha Shah – said that there are many problems related to cultural nuances that are also adding up to the problems faced by the parents in Germany. She mentioned that the Shah family hails from Gujarat but the interpreter in the hospital and the one with the German authorities is an Urdu-speaking individual. She also noted that parents feeding a toddler with their hands is considered forced feeding in the western country while it is looked at as love and care in India.

Likewise, she mentioned a few more differences between the two cultures and emphasized how the couple faced multiple problems arising from them as they faced the case. She also insisted that the authorities of the same hospital where the child was first examined have clarified that there was no sexual abuse with the child. In an emotional appeal to the Prime Minister, she urged with folded hands to bring back her daughter Ariha Shah.

She said, “We’re not getting a fair trial there (in Germany). We need to bring the child into our custody. We appeal to PM Modi to personally pay attention to this case & help bring back my daughter. A case of sexual abuse of the child was registered against us. Later, this case against us was closed & the hospital ruled out sexual abuse of the child. But still, we haven’t got Ariha’s custody.”

The external Affairs Minister raised Ariha Shah’s issue to his German counterpart

In December 2022, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar raised this issue during a discussion with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.

Informing about this in a joint press conference, he said, “We have concerns that the child should be in her linguistic, religious, cultural, and social environment. This is her right. And our embassy is pursuing the matter with German authorities, but it was also a subject which I had brought up with the minister.”

Has Kejriwal dumped his friend? Netizens speculate as Delhi govt asks Manish Sisodia to vacate his bungalow and allots it to Aatishi

OpIndia Staff
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Has Kejriwal dumped his friend? Netizens speculate as Delhi govt asks Manish Sisodia to vacate his bungalow and allots it to Aatishi

Jailed former Delhi deputy minister and AAP senior leader Manish Sisodia’s official residence in Delhi has been allotted to newly state Education Minister Atishi, a notice issued by Public Works Department Secretariat read on Friday. Sisodia’s family has been given five days till March 21 to vacate Bungalow No. AB-17, Mathura Road, Delhi.

The letter added that only 15 days retention period is permissible under the relevant rules.

Manish Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on 28 February, just two days after he was arrested by the CBI on 26 February in the excise policy case. On the same day, minister Satyendar Jain, who is in jail since May last year after his arrest in a money laundering case.

The AAP government’s hasty move to ask Sisodi to vacate his bungalow has left Netizens wondering if Arvind Kejriwal, the party’s chief, had abandoned his close friend Manish Sisodia.

Sharing a video of Arvind Kejriwal refusing to talk about Sisodia in public, alongside a PWD notice issued to Sisodia to vacate the bungalow, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawala wrote, “Kejriwal ka Motto Kaam khatam, paisa hajam, Manish Sisodia kaun ho tum ? After publicly snubbing Manish Sisodia now Manish Sisodia’s official residence, Bunglow No. AB-17, Mathura Road allotted to newly-sworn in Minister Atishi; Sisodia’s family given 5 days, that is till…

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya pointed out that Manish Sisodia was removed from the post of minister immediately after his arrest, while Jain was kept as minister for 9 mothers after his arrest. He also said that before Sisodia’s arrest, Arvind Kejrwal had promised to look after him and his family, but now his family has been asked to vacate the govt house so that it can be given to Aatishi.

Sharing the same video of the Delhi PM, another Twitter user @delhichatter quipped in Hindi that Kejriwal dropped Sisodia out of his life and the party like a hot potato. “He threw Manish uncle out of tea like a fly,” he wrote in Hindi.

“Kejriwal ditched Sisodia,” @Mohit_ksr captioned a funny meme he shared on Twitter.

Some others also tweeted funny memes in response to Kejriwal’s treatment towards his close confidante Manish Sisodia.

Some people posted unparliamentary tweets that we can’t publish here.

Meanwhile, according to the official letter from the Public Works Department dated March 14, Atishi has been asked to give her acceptance within eight days of the issuance of the letter.

The bungalow which Sisodia has been directed to vacate was allotted to him in 2015 when the AAP government came to power in Delhi. Justifying the AAP Government’s decision an official said, “It is a routine exercise. Since Sisodia had resigned, his bungalow will be reallotted to Atishi.”

Notably, after the resignations of Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, both currently in Tihar jail in alleged corruption and money laundering cases, respectively, two Cabinet berths had fallen vacant. Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were later inducted into the Cabinet. 

Sisodia was arrested by CBI on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on 6 March had sent Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to judicial custody in Tihar jail till 20 March, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

ED arrested Sisodia on March 9 and on March 10 had gotten his 7-day custody which expired on 17 March. The ED filed a petition seeking an extension of Sisodia’s custody, which the court heard today and extended by 5 more days.

Opposition MPs write to President Draupadi Murmu and Attorney General over social media ‘trolling’ of CJI Chandrachud

OpIndia Staff
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Opposition MPs write to President Draupadi Murmu and Attorney General over social media ‘trolling’ of CJI Chandrachud

On Thursday (March 16), several Opposition Parliamentarians wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking strong action against those trolling Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on social media.

The letter, written by Congress leader Vivek Tankha and signed by 12 like-minded politicians, alleged that the CJI was being harassed on social media platforms for heading a Constitutional Bench in the Sena Vs Sena case.

“While the matter is subjudice, the troll army, presumably sympathetic to the interest of the ruling party in Maharashtra, has launched an offensive against the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India. The words and contents are filthy and deplorable, which has garnered views in lakhs on social media platforms,” he claimed.

The Congress leader further alleged that the CJI was being trolled at the behest of the ruling BJP government and sought immediate intervention from the President.

“We expect immediate action not only against the persons indulging in troll, but also against people behind it, i.e., supporting and sponsoring it,” he further pleaded.

Vivek Tankha also fired off a letter to the Attorney General of India and wrote, “As the first law officer of the country, it is your beholden duty as the protector of Law and the Constitution on behalf of the Union of India to take the following prompt and strict actions.”

“Seek a report from the Police Commissioner of Delhi about the names and details of the people involved in the trolls and the ones supporting and encouraging them,” he dictated.

The Congress leader further added, “Direct the Ministries of IT and Law to demonstrably ensure visible action against the despicable trollers and their IDs as what is at stake is the Majesty of Law, the Dignity of Court and image of our Constitutional Institutions.”

“On the basis of the information which is sought from the Police Commissioner and the two Ministries, initiate strong and exemplary legal action against the despicable troll leaders and their sympathisers,” Vivek Tankha emphasised.

“We parliamentarians & law abiding citizens cannot be mute spectators to such filthy & vicious attack on judiciary whilst hearing in progress,” he lamented in a tweet.

‘Entrepreneur’ Sana Sheikh, accused in forced circumcision & conversion case, gets funding for her ‘modest clothing’ brand in Shark Tank

OpIndia Staff
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‘Entrepreneur’ Sana Sheikh, accused in forced circumcision & conversion case, gets funding for her ‘modest clothing’ brand in Shark Tank

The Sambhajinagar-based ‘Entrepreneur’ Sana Farheen Shahmir Sheikh who is accused by one Deepak Sonawane of forcefully converting and circumcising him during their relationship, got Rs 20 lakhs funding from the popular TV show Shark Tank for her clothing brand named ‘Forever Modest’. Sana made the sharks close their 100th deal at the show for a clothing brand that offers a wide range of ‘modest’ clothing for people who opt for clothes that cover most of their body parts.

According to the reports, Sana who has recently been granted anticipatory bail by the Bombay High Court in the Deepak Sonawane case asked for Rs 20 lakhs for a stake of 10% in her company. She impressed the Sharks (judges of the Shark Tank show) and later asked all of them, Namita Thapar, Amit Jain, Vineeta Singh, Peyush Bansal and Aman Gupta to be a part of the deal, for Rs 20 lakhs for 20% equity.

Sana was recently granted anticipatory bail in connection to a case related to a Dalit man named Deepak Sonawane, who stated that Sana forced him to embrace Islam before marriage. He also said that he was tortured and humiliated by the woman and her family.

It was reported earlier, that Sana had lured Deepak into a relationship and later forced him to convert his religion to Islam. Deepak was also tortured and humiliated for money by the family members of the accused who got constant support from the influential local MP Imtiaz Jaleel at every step in this matter.

Sana accused by Deepak Sonawane of forced circumcision and conversion

Deepak Sonawane studied mechanical engineering at the Marathwada Institute of Technology in Sambhajinagar. Sana was his classmate. Both first became friends and then fell in love with each other. She later lured the former into marriage and asked him to embrace Islam and read Namaz.

The victim then met her parents and told them that he was a Dalit and that he had no intentions to convert his religion to Islam. He also said that he loved Sana but would not change his religion for marriage. However, he was later abducted by Sana’s family members and was tortured. They urinated on him and performed his forceful circumcision (Khatana). The accused said that they would make Deepak Muslim before he would marry Sana. They also threatened Deepak saying that they would kill his family and make his video of circumcision viral over the internet.

Further Deepak Sonawane had also given a detailed account of how he was extorted by these Muslims and how they hurled casteist abuse at him. He said that Sana his mother had demanded Rs 11 lakhs and threatened to defame him on the internet. Later they demanded an additional Rs 25 lakh and registered a fake rape case against him as he refused to give the money.

According to Deepak, Sana Sheikh and her family were supported by local AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel at every step. He filed several complaints at the local police stations and approached several police officers but none of them took his case seriously. He said that the police refused to register the case due to the involvement of the AIMIM MP.

Notably, Deepak was granted bail by the sessions court in the rape case filed against him. The victim then said that the judge had to give the bail because the allegations were fake, though the sections are meant for an unbailable offence.

Bombay HC grants anticipatory bail to Sana

However, on March 2, Sana and her family approached the Bombay High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the case filed by Deepak in which he claimed that he was tortured, looted, forcefully circumcised and forced to convert his religion to Islam. Granting relief, the bench dismissed the allegations of ‘love jihad’ and said, “It appears that the colour has been tried to be given of love-jihad, but when love is accepted then there is less possibility of the person being trapped just for converting him into the other’s religion…Merely because the boy and girl are from different religions, it cannot have a religious (sic) angle. It can be a case of pure love for each other.”

The woman meanwhile claimed that the case was deliberately given a ‘love jihad’ angle after Deepak was asked to perform some financial transactions for the woman’s family. The Bench then noted that the man in the complaint had agreed that he was in love with the woman and that he had good relations with her family. “When the initial relationship was good and the caste or the religion was not the barrier for them, then the question of raising the issue of caste or community or religion at a later point of time will not arise,” the Court noted.

On the ‘claims’ of forceful circumcision, the court said that the expert was unable to say whether the circumcision was natural or was due to any surgical intervention. The expert was also unable to say when it would have been done. The Court also said that there was an inordinate delay in lodging the FIR by Deepak and that the delay affects the story which ‘may’ lose its importance.

‘Forever Modest’ hosts an Islamic clothing collection

‘Entrepreneur’ Sana Farheen Shahmir Sheikh who attained anticipatory bail in the case is the founder of the clothing brand named ‘Forever Modest’. According to the brand’s official website, the brand is believed to have launched in the year 2022 at Connaught Place in Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra.

Screenshot from Forever Modest website

Sana through her brand offers a wide range of ‘modest’ clothing for people who opt for clothes that cover most of their body parts. Her brand website features a wide range of varieties of Islamic styles of clothing which include Jilbab, Hijab, Abaya, Kaftan and more.

collections by modest forever (website screenshot)

As per her Instagram bio, she is also the founder of Kloud Kampus which is believed to be a computer training school. It is worth noting here that Sana and her family members have been accused by Deepak Sonawane of looting and torturing him. Deepak mentioned in his complaint earlier that Sana and her mother had demanded Rs 11 lakh from him after performing his forceful khatna. Later they also demanded Rs 25 lakh. It is quite possible that Sana might have utilized this money for establishing and developing her ‘Forever Modest’ clothing brand.

screenshot of Sana Farheen Shahmir’s Instagram profile

The woman and her family have been granted anticipatory bail by the Bombay HC. However, Deepak Sonawane has said that he would appeal in the Supreme Court, against the High Court order giving anticipatory bail to the accused.

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