Home Blog Page 2891

Thailand Constitutional Court suspends prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha till the court decides whether his term has ended or not

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Thailand Constitutional Court suspends prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha till the court decides whether his term has ended or not

The constitution court of Thailand today temporarily suspended prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha over allegations that he has continued in the post after the expiry of his term. The court ruled that the PM will remain suspended till it probes the allegation.

Opposition MPs had approached the court alleging that Prayuth should have resigned from his office as he has spent eight years in power. According to the constitution of Thailand, prime ministers can’t be on post for more than eight years. Prayuth Chan-ocha had become the prime minister following a coup in 2014, and therefore eight years have passed since then.

The former army chief had seized power in the 2014 military coup and then was re-elected in 2019 in a heavily restricted election. As the military leader, Prayuth had seized power in May 2014 after the coup and in August 2014, he had appointed himself the prime minister of the new military government. Therefore, opposition argues that his term as the PM started in August 2014 and it ended this week.

“The court considered the petition and supporting documents and deems the facts according to the request indicate reasonable grounds to suspect that there is a case as requested,” the court said in the judgement. It added that Prayuth is suspended as prime minister, effective 24 August 2022, by a majority vote of four out of five, until the court issues a final verdict.

Prayuth has been given 15 days to respond to the petition.

Deputy Prime Minster Prawit Wongsuwan will be the interim head of the govt for the time being. Wongsuwan is also a former army chief and a close aide of Prayuth.

Rejecting the claim of the opposition, the suspended PM and his supporters claim that his term has not ended as because the new constitution came into force only in 2017, and therefore his term as PM began in 2017. Some even claim that his term should be counted from 2019, when he had won an election and was re-elected to office.

If the court rules in Prayuth’s favour, he could stay in the office till 2025 or even 2027, while the next general elections in Thailand are scheduled for next year. However, polls show that majority of the people in the country want him to leave office, and protests against the PM as growing over various including his handling of the economy.

Noida Court grants bail to lawyer Bhaavya Roy, arrested for abusing a security guard and using casteist slurs against him

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Noida Court grants bail to lawyer Bhaavya Roy, arrested for abusing a security guard and using casteist slurs against him

On Wednesday, a Noida court granted bail to advocate Bhaavya Roy, who was detained and taken into judicial custody after being charged with abusing security officers at her residential community at Jaypee Wish Town in Noida sector 126.

According to the reports, Richa Upadhyay, Chief Judicial Magistrate granted Roy’s bail application. The incident is said to have happened on August 21 when Roy abused her society’s security guard named Anoop Kumar. She called the security guard ‘Bihari’ and used other sexually filthy words for him.

Roy was intoxicated at the time of the incident, the video of which went viral over social media. In the video, she could be seen punching the guard, claiming that three other girls had also filed a complaint against him. She first grabbed the guard’s hand and later hurled abuses at him.

Meanwhile, the guard’s colleagues and the other security guards gathered at the spot and tried to pacify the situation. The viral video also showed her grabbing the guard’s collar and abusing him by calling him a ‘Bihari’. After the incident, the security guard identified as Anoop Kumar filed a complaint at Sector 126 police station.

Additional Commissioner of Police Bharati Singh also had taken cognizance of the event and confirmed that the woman had misbehaved with security personnel of the society. “Police registered a case based on the complaint of the security guard. Her vehicle has been brought to PS and she has been arrested”, she had said on August 21.

Bhaavya Roy was arrested on the very same day of the incident and was sent to 14 days of judicial custody. She was booked for offences under Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code.

Kerala: CPI(M) MLA KT Jaleel brazens out his ‘Azad Kashmir’ remark after magistrate directs police to file a case against him

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kerala: CPI(M) MLA KT Jaleel brazens out his ‘Azad Kashmir’ remark after magistrate directs police to file a case against him

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA KT Jaleel of Kerala justified his ‘Azad Kashmir’ remark after a district magistrate in Kerala directed the police to file a case against the leader based on the complaint given by a local RSS leader. KT Jaleel said that many other politicians have used the term ‘Azad Kashmir’ but he is selectively being targetted.

Accordingly, a case is registered in the Pathanamthitta police station against KT Jaleel under section 153B of the Indian Penal Code (Assertions prejudicial to national integration). This case is registered over his Facebook post in which he used the words ‘Azad Kashmir’ to describe Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).

MLA KT Jaleel said, “There are many scholars & politicians who have used Azad Kashmir. Some people are trying to target me. Many Congress leaders and BJP leaders have criticized me harshly for using Azad Kashmir.”

The controversy erupted after MLA KT Jaleel called POK ‘Azad Kashmir’ in one of his Facebook posts when he visited Jammu and Kashmir. He wrote this post on 12th August 2022.

Calling PoK ‘Azad Kashmir’, he wrote, “The part of Kashmir, which was annexed to Pakistan, came to be known as ‘Azad Kashmir’. It is an area where the Government of Pakistan has no direct influence. Only currency and military aid are under Pakistan’s control. Azad Kashmir had its own army. When Zia-ul-Haq was the president of Pakistan, the unified army became the common army of Azad Kashmir. In short, the Government of Pakistan does not have any significant powers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) administratively.”

The Thavanur MLA criticized the abrogation of Article 370 while describing Kashmir’s Occupied Territories as truly independent. It is notable that KT Jaleel is supposed to be a close ally and advisor of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Gurugram: CBI raids Urban Cubes mall allegedly owned by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the Bihar Deputy CM denies ownership

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Gurugram: CBI raids Urban Cubes mall allegedly owned by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the Bihar Deputy CM denies ownership

On 24th August 2022, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids at a mall in Gurugram in Haryana. The Urban Cubes mall which was raided is reportedly owned by Bihar’s deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav. This mall is situated in Sector 71 and the CBI raid is in connection with the land-for-job scam in Bihar.

Besides this mall, the CBI also raided many other places including Whiteland Corporation Private Limited located in the Worldmark building in Sector 65 of Gurugram. According to a report by ABP News, construction of the Urban Cubes mall was done by the Whiteland company. Tejashwi Yadav’s family owns a share in this company. Bihar’s deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav has denied that he owns the mall. He said that the mall does not belong to him and that a BJP MP inaugurated it.

The investigative agency is conducting raids at various sites related to the RJD leader as it is probing an alleged scam that dates back to Lalu Yadav’s time as the UPA-I government’s minister of railways. Raids are currently taking place at the homes of RJD MP Ashfaque Karim, Rajya Sabha MP Faiyaz Ahmad, RJD MLC Sunil Singh, EX MLC Subodh Rai, and Former RJD MLA Abu Dojana. The agency is simultaneously raiding 25 locations.

While it has been widely reported that Tejashwi Yadav owns the Urban Cubes Mall, the Bihar Deputy CM has rejected the claim. He said that he does not own the mall, adding that it was inaugurated by a BJP MP. Tejashwi Yadav said in the Bihar assembly today that he has enquired about the mall, and found that its director is one Krishna Kumar from Bhiwani in Haryana. He said that his name was being linked with the mall under a conspiracy by the BJP, and he has all the documents to prove it.

On May 18, 2022, CBI filed a case against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, and his daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav. The CBI also named 12 others in this case who were given jobs in the railway zones of Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur.

Lalu Prasad’s family paid the sellers in cash for lands measuring 1,05,292 square feet in Patna. These lands allegedly belong to job seekers’ families and were transferred or purchased in exchange for group-D jobs on the railways. According to the FIR, the people were appointed based on forged documents without any advertisement or public notice.

Jaiveer Shergill resigns as Congress Spokesperson and quits party, says leadership only listening to sycophants

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jaiveer Shergill resigns as Congress Spokesperson and quits party, says leadership only listening to sycophants

On August 24, Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill resigned from the post of National Spokesperson. He tendered his resignation to the Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, in which he claimed that the vision of the decision-makers was no longer in sync with the aspirations of the youth.

He wrote, “I hereby resign from the post of National Spokesperson of the Panty. The primary reason being that the ideology and the vision of the current decision-makers of the Indian National Congress are no longer in sync with the aspirations of the youth and modern India.”

Shergill has confirmed to ANI that he has quit the Congress party too.

Source: Twitter

He added, “Furthermore, it pains me to say that decision making is no longer for the interests of the public and the Country, rather, it is influenced by the self-serving interests of individuals indulging in sycophancy and consistently ignoring on-ground reality. This is something I cannot morally accept or continue to work with. However, I shall forever remain indebted for all the opportunities the Party has granted me during my association with the Party.”

Hailing from Punjab, Shergill, who is a lawyer by profession, is considered to be one of the most prominent young Congress leaders. News agency ANI quoted him saying, “I’ve resigned from all posts in the Congress party. The primary reason for the resignation is that the decision-making in INC is no longer being done, keeping the interests of the public. It’s purely being influenced by a coterie who merely indulges in sycophancy.”

Anand Sharma’s resignation from Steering Committee

Shergill’s resignation came only three days after senior Congress leader Anand Sharma’s resignation from the chairmanship of the Steering Committee for Himachal Pradesh. In a letter to Sonia Gandhi, Sharma said he could not negotiate when it came to his self-respect, and he resigned from the post. Sharma said he was being ignored in the consultation process. He alleged that he was neither being consulted nor invited to the party meetings. However, he added that he would continue to campaign for the party candidates for upcoming elections. Sharma was appointed as Steering Committee Chairman on April 26.

‘Arrest Raja Singh or I will turn his constituency into ashes’: Telangana Congress leader threatens to take law in his hand over Prophet row

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Arrest Raja Singh or I will turn his constituency into ashes’: Telangana Congress leader threatens to take law in his hand over Prophet row

Telangana Congress Committee Secretary Rashed Khan on Tuesday threatened of entering into Goshamahal, the constituency of T Raja Singh, and turning it into ashes if the police did not arrest him. 

The video of the threat, made during an interview with Aaj Tak, has since gone viral on social media platforms. Khan threatens that there will be law and order issues if Singh is not arrested. 

“If Raja Singh is not arrested on 23, I will turn Goshamahal (Raja Singh’s constituency) into ashes on 24,” Rashed Khan said. “I am ready to break law and order and enter Goshamahal. I will not be responsible for it then.”

In the interview, Khan also appeared to justify “Sar Tan Se Juda” chants raised against the suspended BJP leader, contending that Singh’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad triggered the beheading slogans against him. 

“The people are on street and demonstrating against Raja Singh because he made provocative remarks against Prophet Muhammad,” Khan said when asked about ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ chants raised against the Goshamahal MLA. 

Khan’s interview threatening of dire consequences came before police arrested T Raja Singh over his allegedly defamatory post against Prophet Muhammad. 

This is not the first time that Rashed Khan had openly dished out threat. Last year, he had announced a bounty of Rs 25 lakhs for anyone who beheads Wasim Rizvi after he had recommended changes in some Quranic verses.

BJP MLA T Raja Singh arrested over post on Prophet Muhammad, received bail hours later

According to the reports, the BJP MLA had posted a comedy video on Monday in which the demonstrators claim that he used abusive language toward Prophet Muhammad. Multiple people filed a complaint against Singh and said that he had hurt the religious sentiments of the Islamists.

Protests swept Telangana as Islamists chanted provocative slogans against Singh over his social media post. The BJP suspended the MLA and sought an explanation from him within 10 days. As protests swelled, the police arrested him.

Raja Singh was booked under IPC Sections 153a (promoting enmity between different groups), 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion) and 505 (public mischief).

However, hours later, the 14ACMM court ordered an immediate release of suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh. The court returned the remand application for the suspended BJP MLA and granted him bail.

Suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh says he’d release part-2 of his video as Islamists demand punishment, puts ‘Dharma over party’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh says he’d release part-2 of his video as Islamists demand punishment, puts ‘Dharma over party’

Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Thakur Raja Singh has said that protecting Dharma is more important for him than the party. He added that he has done nothing wrong and would remain a “loyal foot soldier” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said, “More than the party, protecting dharma is important for me.”

Raja was arrested by Hyderabad Police yesterday for alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad, following which he was also suspended from the party and asked to submit a reply within ten days on why strict action should not be taken against him. However, he was released on bail on the same day.

He had published a video in which he allegedly used derogatory words for Prophet Muhammad, which led to backlash. Former IT cell head of AIMIM and social media influencer Syed Abdahu Kashaf had led a protest against him and raised ‘sar tan se juda’ (call to behead) against T Raja. Following the backlash, the video was removed from social media platforms. However, now T Raja has asserted that he would publish the second part of the video purportedly with similar remarks.

Multiple cases were registered against T Raja at Dabeerpura and Mangalhat. In a statement, the Police said, “We have been receiving complaints against him at various police stations across the city. All cases will be clubbed.”

T Raja uploaded a video in opposition to comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show

It has to be noted that the whole controversy erupted because of the show of controversial comedian Munawar Faruqui in the city that T Raja had opposed. He had threatened that if the show happened, he would set the venue on fire. The video was published on August 20, which led to his arrest. However, the TRS government provided heavy security to Faruqui, and he performed as scheduled.

The Assembly elections are scheduled for 2023 in Telangana. BJP has set momentum against the TRS government in the state. It is believed that swift action against T Raja was taken to ensure the campaign against the state government did not get diverted because of the controversy. However, owing to T Raja’s popularity in the region, his presence in the campaigning will be highly sought out by the party.

As per the recent reports, T Raja has got two threatening calls from unknown numbers. The case of T Raja is very much similar to former BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma, where she is getting threats and has to go underground to save herself from Islamists. On the other hand, those who instigated Islamists against her, including Alt News’ Mohammed Zubair, are roaming freely.

In the case of T Raja, he was arrested and now receiving threat calls after beheading calls were made on Monday. However, those who gave death threats, including Syed Abdahu Kashaf and the comedian Munawar Faruqui who is the reason Raja made the video, are roaming free.

Jharkhand illegal mining case: ED recovers 2 AK-47 rifles from CM Hemant Soren’s close aide Prem Prakash

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jharkhand illegal mining case: ED recovers 2 AK-47 rifles from CM Hemant Soren’s close aide Prem Prakash

On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered 2 AK-47 rifles and 60 cartridges from the residence of Prem Prakash, an alleged close associate of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The weapons were found during the raids conducted by ED at multiple locations in Ranchi as a part of an ongoing investigation into illegal mining and extortion case.

According to the reports, the ED officials while conducting searches at the residence of Prakash in Harmu Housing Colony found two rifles hidden in the old iron cupboard. SHO Argora Police Station, Vinod Kumar confirmed the incident and said that the arms recovered belonged to the Jharkhand Police. However, the ED said that the rifles would be handed over to the police only after the investigation was completed.

The ED conducted raids at Prem Prakash’s premises after it received specific information regarding his alleged association with CM Hemant Soren. Apart from Prem Prakash’s premises, the ED is conducting searches at 16 other premises in Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi-NCR over the illegal mining case. The agency is probing the trail of Rs 100 crore of proceeds of crime generated from illegal mining operations in Jharkhand.

“The evidence collected during the course of the investigation, including statements of various persons, digital evidence, and documents revealed that the seized cash along with the bank balance was derived from illegal mining being rampantly done in the Sahibganj area, including the forest area. A trail of further Rs 100 crore of proceeds of crime generated from illegal mining has also been unearthed and being worked upon”, the ED was quoted saying earlier.

Earlier on July 29, the ED as a part of its ongoing investigation into money laundering in connection with illegal mining and extortion in the state had seized a vessel worth Rs 30 crore that was being operated at the behest of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s associate Pankaj Mishra.

According to the reports, the ship allegedly transported illegally mined stone chips and boulders from the Sukargarh Ghat in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj at the instruction of Rajesh Yadav alias Dahu Yadav, in collusion with Pankaj Mishra and others.

On July 19, Pankaj Mishra, a close adviser to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, was arrested in connection with the money laundering case involving purported illicit mining near Ranchi. Mishra was apprehended after many hours of interrogation by ED officials. He was sent for another 6 days of remand on July 26.

On July 8, the ED raided 18 properties in Jharkhand purportedly associated with Pankaj Mishra and the latter’s suspected business connections in Sahebganj, Berhait, Rajmahal, and Mirza Chauki. The agency reportedly confiscated Rs 11.88 crore in cash from 37 bank accounts connected to Pankaj Mishra. During the search, the ED also discovered five unlawfully operational stone crushers and five illicit pistol cartridges.

Previously, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that politicians and officials were participating in the illicit mining activity that has been going on in Jharkhand, and they gained profit by leveraging their power. The agency discovered a trail of more than Rs 100 crores linked to illicit mining in the state.

Jammu and Kashmir: Pakistani terrorists step on a landmine while trying to infiltrate India, killed in the blast at Naushera

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jammu and Kashmir: Pakistani terrorists step on a landmine while trying to infiltrate India, killed in the blast at Naushera

Two Pakistani terrorists were killed along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district’s Naushera sector. These terrorists were killed in a landmine blast that took place as one of them stepped over a landmine while infiltrating on the night of August 22. The Indian Army shared this information on Tuesday.

A video of this incident was captured on a nearby CCTV camera. This video was also released along with the information. In this video, the blast of the landmine is clearly seen. The CCTV clock shows that the incident took place at around 09:04 pm.

Defence spokesperson, lieutenant colonel Devender Anand said, “On the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, Indian Army foiled an infiltration attempt in Nowshera sector. In reconnaissance by a quadcopter, two bodies of infiltrators have been observed. The area is being scanned further.”

Another officer told that a detonation occurred in the landmine last night between 10:30 and 11:00 pm as one of the terrorists stepped over a minefield, which triggered off the blast.

In the dead of night, a group of terrorists attempted to cross the border into Naushera’s Pukharni village in Laam. On Tuesday morning, army personnel who were watching the terrorists’ movements, set up a cordon and began searching the area.

The latest incursion attempt in the Naushera sector comes in the wake of the detention of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) guide who also operated for a Pakistani army intelligence unit. This arrest was done on Sunday 21st August 2022. Tabarak Hussain (32), a resident of Sabzkot village in Kotli in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was apprehended for the second time in six years while attempting to cross the border.

Raja Singh’s lawyer receives two threat calls, cops conduct a flag march amid protests in Hyderabad

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Raja Singh’s lawyer receives two threat calls, cops conduct a flag march amid protests in Hyderabad

Advocate Karuna Sagar who took up the case of now suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh stated on Wednesday that he received two threatening calls from unknown numbers. This is a day after Singh was granted bail in the case lodged against him for his alleged ‘blasphemous’ comments against Islam.

According to the reports, the suspended BJP MLA was released on bail on Wednesday hours after the Hyderabad Police arrested him for his alleged blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad. The court accepted Raja Singh’s lawyer’s argument that the police did not issue a notice under CrPC 41(A) to the accused before the arrest.

The saga began when Singh Monday posted a video in which he, according to the Islamists, used derogatory language toward the Prophet Muhammad. Several people gathered at the South Zone DCP office in Hyderabad and staged a protest against the BJP MLA. Hundreds of them shouted Islamist slogans like, “Allah-hu-Akbar”, “Gustakh E Rasool ki ek he saza sar tan sejuda, sar tan se juda” and demanded the arrest of Raja Singh.

The Police then booked the former BJP MLA under IPC section 153A (Promoting enmity between two groups) and similar sections at the Dabeerpura police station for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Islamist community.

On August 23, the Bharatiya Janata Party also suspended the leader for the said post, though Raja Singh had not used the Islamic prophet’s name in the video. BJP in the letter stated that Raja’s views were contrary to Party’s stand on religious matters. The letter also mentioned that the leader had violated Rule XXV 10(a) of the constitution of the party which reads, “breach of discipline includes acting or carrying on propaganda against any program or decision of the party”.

Reports mention that mild tension continued to prevail at the court on Wednesday as supporters of Raja Singh and also the protesters gathered and indulged in slogan shouting, forcing the police to resort to lathi-charge to disperse them. The Police also carried out a flag march in the city of Hyderabad amid protests against suspended BJP leader Singh.

Earlier, former spokesperson of BJP Nupur Sharma was also suspended on similar grounds after a clip of her remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a debate went viral on social media. Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair had shared an incomplete video of Nupur Sharma’s debate on Times Now where she was defending her faith after a fellow co-panelist mocked the Shivling discovered at the Gyanvapi compound.

The row had escalated after Alt news co-founder Zubair and his supporters on Twitter sought help from the Muslim accounts from the Middle East, creating a diplomatic nightmare for the Indian missions in the Persian Gulf.

Reportedly, Singh was also arrested on August 19 for objecting to stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui’s program in Hyderabad. Singh stated that Faruqui had previously insulted Hindu Gods in his shows, resulting in criminal prosecutions. The MLA had requested that the police prevent Faruqui from performing in Hyderabad but the police had arrested him instead of acting on his request.

1...2,8902,8912,892...7,571Page 2,891 of 7,571