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UP: Nimaj and Gulfam damage Hindu temple in Agra and issue death threats to the priest, booked

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Nimaj and Gulfam damage Hindu temple in Agra and issue death threats to the priest, booked

On Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh Police booked two Islamists named Nimaj and Gulfam for damaging portions of a Hindu temple and issuing death threats to the temple priest in the Khandouli area of Agra. The accused also created a ruckus in the temple premises in an inebriated state and brutally assaulted the temple priest.

According to the Police report, the incident is said to have happened on September 11 at around 6 pm at Shri Balaji Mandir, Shah Nagar in the Khandouli area, Agra. The Police booked the duo based on the complaint that was filed by Ravi Kumar who is the president of the Balaji Mandir temple trust.

Ravi Kumar in the FIR mentioned that temple priest Umesh Kumar who is a resident of the Shah Nagar looks after the temple and performs ceremonial worship of the temple deity including rituals and offerings daily. On September 11, two Islamists named Nimaj and Gulfam from the same locality entered the temple in an inebriated state and began to create a ruckus inside the temple.

FIR Copy attained by Opindia

“They were drunk and continued to consume alcohol even after entering the temple. Further, they began using derogatory language toward priest Umesh after he asked them to stop drinking alcohol inside the temple premises. They also brutally thrashed him and issued death threats to him”, the complaint copy filed by temple trust president Ravi Kumar read.

temple
FIR Copy attained by Opindia

The Islamist also have damaged a few portions of the temple, as per the FIR. The Uttar Pradesh Police have booked the duo under sections 302 (offense of murder), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 295 (damaging any place of worship), and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigations in the case are underway.

Earlier on September 8, a similar incident was reported from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh when a man named Taufeeq Ahmed vandalised Lord Hanuman’s idol at Lete Hanuman Mandir in the city. Ahmed allegedly had entered the temple premises donning a ’tilak’ on his forehead and began vandalizing the deity’s idol while screaming ‘Jai Shri Ram’. He also tore the temple’s flag, prompting the priests to notify authorities. Two idols at the temple have reportedly suffered damage and the accused has been arrested.

Jharkhand: Congress leader Sultan Ansari booked for assault and rape of a tribal woman in Lohardaga

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Congress leader Sultan Ansari booked for assault and rape of a tribal woman in Lohardaga

On Wednesday, the Jharkhand Police registered an FIR against Congress leader Sultan Ansari for sexually assaulting a 35-year-old woman in Kuru village of Lohardaga district, Jharkhand. The accused dragged the victim woman to the farm and thrashed her on the ground, as per reports. He later assaulted her with sticks and raped her.

According to the reports, the victim woman is a widow and belongs to the tribal community. Her husband had died five years ago leaving a son behind. The woman worked in the fields to survive and look after her now 10-year-old son. On August 3, the accused who is a resident of the Urumuru village came to the field where the victim was working and sexually assaulted her.

The woman said that the incident happened a month ago but she could not file a complaint immediately as her health had deteriorated after the incident and also she was scared. Ansari is the district president of the National Congress Workers Committee. The victim in the complaint mentioned that Ansari often used to take sand-laden tractors from her field. He abused and beat her up after she protested against him on the day of the incident.

Reports mention that the Jharkhand Police had earlier refused to register the case. The woman had alleged that the Jharkhand Police was trying to help Ansari and so had refused to book him. According to her, the accused Sultan Ansari had also threatened her earlier by saying that he had good relations with the police officers and that no one would register a case against him, no matter how much she tries.

The woman reportedly went to court to get her complaint registered by the police, as per reports. Ansari raped her on August 3 and also threatened her saying, “I will kill you in this field”.

BJP leader Deepak Prakash took cognizance of the event and said that the incident was extremely unfortunate. He also slammed the Hemant Soren-led state government and said, “Tribals and Dalits are being tortured continuously by a particular community in Jharkhand, but Hemant Sarkar who is sitting on the lap of Congress, is silent for vote bank”.

“Sultan Ansari, who raped the tribal woman, is the Lohardaga district president of the National Congress Workers Committee. Congress should first stop giving protection to rapists. Dividing the country and practising atrocities on citizens is as if in the DNA of Congress”, he added.

In the current case, the Jharkhand Police have filed an FIR agaisnt Lohardaga district president of the National Congress Workers Committee Sultan Ansari. He has been booked under the relevant sections of the IPC. Kudu police station in charge Abhinav Kumar said that the matter is being investigated. “Appropriate action will be taken in this regard. Accused Sultan Ansari is still absconding. Police are conducting raids to make arrests. The situation will be more clear once he is arrested and questioned.

Delhi HC rejects Subramanian Swamy’s plea to retain Lutyens’s Bungalow allotted to him, directs to vacate within 6 weeks

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi HC rejects Subramanian Swamy’s plea to retain Lutyens’s Bungalow allotted to him, directs to vacate within 6 weeks

Delhi High Court has directed former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy to vacate the government bungalow that was assigned to him in 2016. The High Court ordered Swamy to hand over the possession of the house to the estate officer within six weeks.

In January 2016, the urban development ministry of the union government allotted a bungalow on Pandara Road in the Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone in Delhi to Subramanian Swamy on security grounds. Swamy was a private citizen at that time, but he was allotted the VVIP house based on threat perception.

Subramanian Swamy was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member in April 2016, and he continued to live in bungalow number AB-14 as an MP. His Rajya Sabha term ended in April this year, but he wanted to retain the house and approached the Delhi High Court seeking re-allotment of the bungalow. In his plea, he had said that it was originally allotted to him on security grounds, and he still faces threats due to his political activities.

The disgruntled BJP leader claimed that the type 7 bungalow should be re-allotted to him as he is a Z-category protectee and there are security guards that stay with him. Swamy’s lawyer Jayant Mehta also told the court that he has been paying the lease and licence charge of the property after his Rajya Sabha term ended.

But the central govt opposed the plea, saying that the house is required to allot other ministers and MPs. Central Government’s Standing Counsel Asheesh Jain said that while Swamy’s Z-category security has not been downgraded, the question is on the bungalow, which was allotted for five years, and that term has expired. He stressed that Swamy has been declared an unauthorised occupant after the expiry of 5 years under the Public Premises Act, and he has to vacate the place.

Asheesh Jain also stated that Swamy has a nice house in Nizamuddin East, and he can easily shift there. After that, Swamy’s lawyer said that the former MP still faces threats, and he can shift only if the government ensures his security. The central government’s counsel agreed to provide security during the shifting.

After hearing the arguments, the High Court rejected the plea filed by Swamy and ordered him to vacate the bungalow within 6 weeks. The court noted that the appellant has a residence in Nizamuddin East, and directed the govt to arrange for his security and safety there.

After Arvind Kejriwal promised to build 7 hospitals but built none, Gujarat AAP chief claims every area in Delhi has a govt hospital

OpIndia Staff
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After Arvind Kejriwal promised to build 7 hospitals but built none, Gujarat AAP chief claims every area in Delhi has a govt hospital

With the Gujarat assembly elections approaching closer, Gujarat AAP chief Gopal Italia made an outrageous claim about the Delhi government’s focus on strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in the national capital. 

Speaking to journalist Sushant Sinha, Italia claimed that the Delhi government had built a hospital in every area of the city, drawing peals of laughter from the journalist and fellow co-panellist and BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla. 

“The AAP government in Delhi has built magnificent hospitals in every area of the district,” said Italia during his interaction with Sinha.

The far-fetched claim came weeks after an RTI response that exposed promises made by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who had assured of building seven hospitals in Delhi in a matter of 6 months. 

RTI reveals no hospitals built in Delhi, Kejriwal had promised of building 7 in 6 months

On August 2, Twitter user Amit Kumar shared a reply to the RTI application that he had filed with the Health Department of the AAP-led Delhi government to find out how many hospitals the Delhi government has built between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022. The RTI was filed to see if the promise Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal had made about constructing seven hospitals in October last year was fulfilled or not.

Amit had asked four questions in his RTI application. The first question was about the new hospitals constructed by AAP Government in Delhi between July 1, 2021, to July 2, 2022. In the reply, the Public Information Officer of the Directorate General of Health Services said that no hospitals were constructed in Delhi from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022, by the Delhi Government.

In October 2021, CM Kejriwal at an event after laying the foundation stone of a government hospital that was supposed to be built in Shalimar Bagh said that the government of Delhi was going to build seven new hospitals with a total capacity of 6800 beds. Those hospitals were supposed to be completed in six months.

A Times Now report from February 2022 suggested that the work was delayed and the hospitals were supposed to be completed by mid-2022. The report said that the first hospital would be completed by June and the rest six by September. We could not find any reports of a hospital being inaugurated by the Delhi government in June.

Delhi: Irshad Ali became Guddu Chaudhary to marry a Hindu woman, kept her locked and forced to read Kalma-Namaz after getting exposed, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Irshad Ali became Guddu Chaudhary to marry a Hindu woman, kept her locked and forced to read Kalma-Namaz after getting exposed, arrested

In yet another case of love Jihad, police arrested a lawyer named Irshad Ali from Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar. Accused Irshad Ali had married a Hindu woman by catching her in a trap while pretending to be a Hindu. Irshad Ali is a lawyer by profession. When his true identity was revealed to his Hindu wife, he started tormenting her for converting to Islam, reading Kalma, and offering Namaz. 

According to the reports, In 2011, the victim went to work for Irshad Ali as an intern. The culprit had presented himself as a Hindu and given his name as Guddu Chaudhary. He even acquired a tattoo of Maa Durga on his body to entice the victim into his trap and prove himself to be a Hindu. Their friendship blossomed into love, and they married in 2015. The marriage was conducted as per Hindu rituals.

According to the victim, soon after their marriage, when she went to his husband’s house, she found out that Guddu Chaudhary is actually Muslim and his real name is Irshad Ali Khan. She also learnt that he was already married and a father of three children. The victim revealed how Irshad Ali used to beat her and pressure her to convert to Islam after his real identity was exposed.

As days passed, the assault had harassment also increased. In 2021, he took her to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and kept her in the house of his relative. Irshad had kept the woman under strict watch, and had deliberately kept her in a Muslim area so that she can’t escape. She was kept locked in a room, and was not allowed contact with the outside world. She was regularly beaten by her husband in Bhopal also. He tried to convert her to Islam and forced her to read Kalma and offer Namaz. Irshad also had sex with her repeatedly without her consent.

Allegedly, Irshad also made compromising videos with her, and threatened to release them if she does not accept Islam. The woman said that as she had married with the consent of her family, her family members and relatives already didn’t like her, and therefore she had nowhere to go to seek help. Irshad was aware of this, and therefore he continued the assault on her without any fear. He had also threatened her that if she approaches the police, he will get out within three days, and then he will subject her to such atrocities that she can’t imagine.

However, after spending months locked in a room, the room one day got an opportunity to escape, and she reached Meerut from Bhopal. There she started to live at a PG, and contacted the police. After that she moved to Delhi and reached Jyoti Nagar police station to lodge a complaint against Irshad Ali. The police conducted her medical examination, in which it was found that the woman has 28 wounds on her body and her bone had also been broken due to the beating.

On the basis of her statement, the police registered a case on 7 September and arrested the accused Irshad Ali Khan the very next day on 8 September. Following a medical examination of the victim, police filed a case against Irshad Ali under sections 323, 341, 342, 354D, 376, 377, 493, 495, and 506 of the IPC. Apart from the current case, police said that several other criminal cases are already registered against him.

Talking about the crime, DCP (North East) Sanjay Sen said that Irshad Ali had posed as a Hindu to trap and marry the Hindu girl, and he is already married and has three children. Police have charged under various sections of IPC including rape, assault, harassment etc. In the meanwhile, the victim has been shifted to a Nari Niketan. The woman says that even after the arrest of Irshad, she is still scared because he had threatened that if arrested he will come out soon and harm her. She has appealed to the court that he should not be granted bail, else her life will be in danger.

Pakistan writes to Afghanistan seeking arrest of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Indian officials call it a hogwash

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan writes to Afghanistan seeking arrest of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Indian officials call it a hogwash

On Wednesday, the Pakistan government is said to have issued a letter to Afghanistan’s Taliban administration demanding the arrest of Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Amid the mounting pressure over terror funding in Pakistan, the country is establishing a narrative that Azhar who is most wanted by the Indian government is in Afghanistan.

According to the reports, banned terrorist organization chief Maulana Masood Azhar accused of the Pulwama blast is in the Nangarhar and Kanhar provinces of Afghanistan. However, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 14 sent a letter for the second time to Afghan officials seeking Azhar’s arrest. The first letter was sent by the country in January this year when it took up the issue with Afghanistan at a ministerial level.

“He could be in Nangarhar and Kunar areas, so he should be found, arrested, and informed”, the letter by Pakistani officials read. The news comes as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has increased pressure on Islamabad to take action against terror funding flowing from its territory. The Paris-based watchdog has also suggested that Pakistan might be removed from the grey list if it works effectively against terror organizations.

Taking cognizance of the event, India has termed this move led by Pakistan as hogwash. “This could be Pakistan’s attempt to comply with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) mandate and get off the intergovernmental organization’s grey list”, the Indian officials were quoted by CNN-News18.

Very recently, the country of Pakistan convicted and jailed 26/11 Mumbai attack architect and Lashkar e Taiba commander Sajid Mir. This is after the FATF increased pressure on Pakistan to act against the terrorists. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) then also questioned the decision’s ‘timing,’ claiming that it was made to get ‘leniency’ from the FATF.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has said unequivocally that Azhar is not present in Pakistan and is most likely to be found in Afghanistan. Interestingly, Azhar routinely posts articles on Pakistani social media networks encouraging JeM cadres to join the fight and stating that a Taliban win in Afghanistan will pave the way for Muslim conquests everywhere in the globe.

Masood Azhar’s name was added to the list of internationally designated terrorists by the United Nations on May 1, 2019. In 2008, the United States placed his name on the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

8 Goa Congress MLAs join BJP while Rahul Gandhi walks in Kerala for ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

OpIndia Staff
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8 Goa Congress MLAs join BJP while Rahul Gandhi walks in Kerala for ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

On September 14, eight out of eleven MLAs of Congress in Goa, including former Chief Minister of Goa Digambar Kamat and leader of opposition Michael Lobo are set to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as per reports.

With the shift of eight MLAs, Congress has reduced to three MLAs in the state. BJP, which has 20 MLAs out of 25 MLAs of NDA, is set to improve its number. Reports of Congress MLAs leaving the party came at the time when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on the “mission” to “jodo” India via his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’ The eight ‘rebels’ also had a meeting with the Goa CM Pramod Sawant.

As per reports, Lobo had a crucial meeting with the members of the Congress Legislature Party and resolved to merge with BJP. Other leaders joining BJP are Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira, and Rudolf Fernandes. In July this year, the Congress party removed Michael Lobo from the position of the leader of opposition in the Goa state legislative assembly hours after rumours of him leaving the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Notably, before the reports came out about the shift, Congress leader Manish Tiwari had hinted ‘something was cooking’ in Goa. He said in a Tweet, “A cuckoo bird is chiming. Something is apparently cooking in an erstwhile Portuguese Territory. Does not smell good! Hope the cuckoo bird is wrong.”

In January 2022, those who contested the elections on Congress ticket had taken an oath in front of the Gods to remain loyal to the party.

Interestingly, this is not the first time Goa Congress leaders broke away from the party and joined BJP. In July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs shifted to BJP. As a result, BJP became the single largest party allowing them to toss away the coalition partner Goa Forward Party. At present, Goa Forward Party has only one MLA in the assembly who sits in the opposition under UPA’s banner.

Maharashtra: Hindu saints attacked, assaulted by locals in Sangli over rumours of child trafficking

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Hindu saints attacked, assaulted by locals in Sangli over rumours of child trafficking

A mob assaulted four Hindu saints, on suspicion of being child lifters in Maharashtra’s Sangli district. The incident’s video has since gone viral on social media. Sangli police have said that the Sadhus have not lodged a formal complaint yet.

The incident happened in Lavana village in Jat tehsil while four sadhus from Uttar Pradesh were driving from Bijapur in Karnataka to the temple town of Pandharpur.

On Monday, they stopped outside a temple in the Lavana village. According to a police official, when they resumed their journey on Tuesday, they asked a youngster for directions. This caused some locals to think that they were members of criminal groups which abduct children.

“There was an altercation, which suddenly escalated, and the sadhus were beaten up with sticks by locals,” the police official explained.

The police official said that when a police unit arrived on the scene, they found that the sadhus were actually the members of an ‘akhada’ in Uttar Pradesh.

Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam condemned the incident and said the state government will not condone such “misbehavior” with the sadhus. He said in a video address that the accused will face harsh punishment.

“In the sadhus killing case in Palghar, then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s government meted out injustice to them. But the present Maharashtra government will not allow any injustice against any sadhu,” he said making reference to the 2020 incident in which Hindu saints were beaten to death.

A mob in Maharashtra’s Palghar district had lynched two Sadhus of Juna Akhara and their 30-year-old driver on April 16, 2020. They were on their way to Surat, Gujarat when they were lynched by a hysterical crowd of more than 100 individuals.

The cops were present at the incident, but they did nothing to stop the mob or save the sadhus.

Saudi Arabia: Yemeni man arrested after he performed Mecca pilgrimage requesting Allah to accept Queen Elizabeth in heaven

OpIndia Staff
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Saudi Arabia: Yemeni man arrested after he performed Mecca pilgrimage requesting Allah to accept Queen Elizabeth in heaven

On Tuesday, the Saudi Arabian Police arrested a Yemeni national for performing an Umrah pilgrimage on behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The man had travelled from Yemen to the Muslim holy city of Mecca to honour the Queen who died on September 8 this year.

According to the reports, the Yemeni man performed the Umrah pilgrimage and held a banner that read, “Umrah for the soul of Queen Elizabeth II, we ask God to accept her in heaven and among the righteous”. He also published a video of the banner which went viral over social media. Many internet users on September 13 took cognizance of the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the man.

The Police during the arrest stated that the Yemeni national had violated the rules and regulations for umrah. While performing umrah on behalf of deceased Islamists is permissible, it does not apply to non-Muslims such as the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II who breathed her last on Thursday, September 8 acted as the supreme administrator of the Church of England, the mother church of the international Anglican communion.

According to the statement released by the authorities, the man was also arrested for carrying the banner inside the Grand Mosque of Mecca. “He was arrested, legal steps were taken against him, and he was referred to the public prosecution”, the authorities were quoted. The video that was extensively shared on social media was also published by several state television broadcast segments, but with the banner blurred. The mosque’s white and gray marble complex could be seen behind the Yemeni man.

Reports mention that Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, which can be performed at any time of the year. However, the Yemeni man violated the rules of umrah by performing it on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II who was a non-Muslim. The Saudi Arabian Police arrested the individual and referred him to the public prosecution.

To note, after the death of the Queen on September 8, various statements emerged, reinvigorating a long-debated claim that the monarch had ancestral links to Prophet Muhammad, the founding leader of Islam. After tracing her family tree back 43 generations, a historian claimed that the Queen is a descendant of Islam’s founder.

According to the claim that first appeared in the year 2018, the British monarch is a great descendant of Prophet Muhammad. A March 2018 report in the Moroccan daily Al-Ousboue reiterated assertions made by Harold B Brooks-Baker, publishing director of Burke’s Peerage Partnership, claiming the queen is the Prophet’s 43rd direct descendant through Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah. The Queen died on September 8, 2022.

Twitter shareholders approve Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter shareholders approve Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer

On September 13 (local time), Twitter shareholders approved the $44 billion bid of billionaire Elon Musk to buy the social media platform. At present, Twitter’s trading price is under $42 compared to the approval of Musk’s offer at $54.20.

Notably, Musk has attempted to back out from the deal, alleging there were problems with the business of the company. However, Twitter is using all its might to go ahead with the deal. Both Musk and Twitter are currently in a court battle over the deal.

Twitter, in a statement, said that the shareholders had given their assent to the deal. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal gave brief remarks at the virtual meeting for the voting following which the assent was given. Twitter said, “Based on a preliminary tabulation of the stockholder vote, approximately 98.6% of the votes cast at the Special Meeting approved the proposal to adopt the Merger Agreement.”

The company further added, “Twitter stands ready and willing to complete the merger with affiliates of Mr Musk immediately, and in any event, no later than on September 15, 2022, the second business day following the satisfaction of all conditions precedent, which is the timeline required by the merger agreement.”

The court battle between Musk and Twitter

Musk and Twitter are currently fighting a court battle following the announcement Musk made suggesting he was cancelling the $44 billion purchase of the company. The reason that he gave was he was misled by the social media giant about the number of bot accounts on the platform. However, Twitter rejected his claims.

Reports suggest that Twitter claimed that it had suffered substantial financial losses as a result of Musk’s announcement of withdrawing from the deal. Earlier in September, Musk had suggested that he might go ahead with the acquisition of Twitter and provided complete details on fake and bot accounts. A shareholder lawsuit was also filed in late July, suggesting the reason to pull the plug on the deal given by Musk was ‘lame.’

In a recent hearing that was held on September 7, a US Judge allowed Musk to amend his complaint against Twitter after his attorneys requested the same following a whistleblower’s complaint about the security standards of the social media giant. However, the judge did not allow to delay in the lawsuit over pulling the plug on the deal to acquire Twitter.

Kathaleen McCormick, the chancellor of the Delaware court, said in her order that Musk could add the revelations made by the ex-security chief Peiter Zatko that surfaced in the month of August. However, she denied Musk’s request to push back the litigation.

Notably, former Twitter security chief Peiter Zatko alleged in his revelations that Twitter was indulged in wrongdoings, including “and measurement of user engagement.” A Subpoena for Zatko was also filed by Musk’s lawyers, asking for “documents and communications” in connection to the allegations made by him against the company. Following Zatko’s allegations, a second deal termination letter was sent by Musk to Twitter.

In the second letter, Musk’s attorneys argued that if Zatko’s allegations were true, it “demonstrates that Twitter has breached” a set of provisions from its merger agreement with Musk. That included company’s compliance with all laws and assertion that it never filed misleading information to the security regulators.

Zatko, in his revelations, suggested that Twitter had violated a 2011 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consent decree regarding user data privacy. He also alleged that the social media company violated “its general obligations under data privacy, unfair trade practice, and consumer protection laws and regulations.”

The decision over the deal between Musk and Twitter will be taken in a five-day trial that is scheduled for October 17 in the Delaware court.

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