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Jharkhand High Court rejects Rahul Gandhi’s plea to dismiss defamation suit over targeting Modi community by calling them thieves

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand High Court rejects Rahul Gandhi’s plea to dismiss defamation suit over targeting Modi community by calling them thieves

The Jharkhand High Court recently rejected a petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to have a defamation action against him dropped. An attorney from Ranchi’s prominent Modi family had filed the defamation suit in response to Gandhi’s allegedly insulting statements towards the whole ‘Modi’ community.

After Rahul Gandhi’s speeches on March 2, 2019, in Ranchi, and on April 13, 2019, in the town of Kolar, Karnataka, the complainant, a lawyer named Pradip Modi, had filed a complaint in 2019. The Congress leader had targeted the Modi surname after the scam of Nirav Modi was exposed. In the Ranchi rally, Rahul Gandhi had said, “After all, why are all Modi thieves?” In the Karnataka rally, Rahul Gandhi reportedly said, “I have a question. Why do all thieves have Modi in their names, whether it is Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, or Narendra Modi? I don’t know how many more such Modi will come out.”

The complaint claimed that Gandhi’s comments were disparaging and defamatory toward all people with the surname or title Modi. He stated in his complaint, “This has lowered the reputation of Modi clan in public eyes and has caused immense hurt and anguish to a person having Modi surname.”

In light of this, the complainant claimed that Gandhi had defamed Modi community in accordance with section 499 of the Indian Penal Code when he made the generalization that all Modis are thieves. He was therefore deserving of the harshest possible punishment, which included an exemplary fine and jail. The case is now ongoing before the Judicial Magistrate, First Class, Ranchi court after being given cognizance under section 500 of the I.P.C.

Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer pointed the High Court to the complaint’s numerous parts in his argument that, according to Explanation-2 of Section 499 of the I.P.C., only a person who has been aggrieved may make a petition under Section 499 I.P.C.

Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer argued, “The complainant did not have any specific legal injury as Gandhi’s remarks were not directed at any individual or a readily identifiable group of people, therefore, the complaint was not maintainable.”

The complainant’s advocate, however, disagreed with the arguments and asserted that since the comment against the Modi community was uttered in Ranchi and the plaintiff was a native of Ranchi, he was the party who was hurt in the case. He also argued that all of these details—including whether the complainant could file the case—could be examined by the trial court during the hearing and that the high court should not go into them in order to declare Gandhi not to be the subject of valid action.

The bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi said that it was an admitted fact that the statement was made at Ranchi. The high court also held that the speech was made at Ranchi, thus, the Modi community of Ranchi was also affected.

The court said, “The Court has perused the cognizance order dated 07.06.2019 and finds that the learned court has applied his judicial mind and after disclosing the prima facie materials took the cognizance.” The court concluded that all the contentions were required to be proved in the trial and dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s plea to quash the defamation suit.

Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders spread lies that Modi govt has ‘banned’ certain words, here is the truth of booklet of Unparliamentary Words

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders spread lies that Modi govt has ‘banned’ certain words, here is the truth of booklet of Unparliamentary Words

After the opposition parties launched an attack over words which have been identified as ‘unparliamentary’ for use in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has clarified that no word has been banned from use in parliament. He added that members are free to express their views using any word while maintaining decorum of the House.

Earlier it was reported that the Lok Sabha secretariate has issued a booklet ahead of the monsoon session containing words which will be considered as unparliamentary in the both houses of the parliament. It said that words like ‘jumlajeevi’, ‘baal buddhi’, ‘Covid spreader’, ‘Snoopgate’, ‘ashamed’, ‘abused, ‘betrayed’, ‘corrupt’, ‘drama’, ‘hypocrisy’, ‘incompetent’,  ‘anarchist’, ‘Shakuni’, ‘dictatorial’, ‘taanashah’, ‘taanashahi’, ‘Jaichand’, ‘vinash purush’, ‘Khalistani’, ‘khoon se kheti’ etc will be considered unparliamentary, and they will be expunged from the records.

This had triggered attacks from the opposition parties on the Modi government, terming it ban on the use of the words. Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi tweeted, “What is the point of parliament if you can’t be creative in your criticism? Jumlajeevi ko jumlajeevi nahi bolnege to kya bolenge? Banning words is uncalled for!”

Rahul Gandhi, who is on yet another vacation, also tweeted alleging that “words used in discussions and debates which correctly describe the PM’s handling of the government, now banned from being spoken”. He also claimed that the listed words are now banned and they can’t bs spoken.

Similar claims were made by several other opposition politicians, saying that words have been banned by the government.

However, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has clarified that no word has been banned from speaking, and they have published the booklet of unparliamentary words just like previous years. He also added while the booklet was published in printed form earlier, now they have decided to publish it on the internet to about wastage of papers.

Om Birla clarified that the booklet only contains a compilation of words which have already been expunged from parliament or assembly records earlier. “It’s a routine practice continuing since 1959,” he said, adding that if the opposition reads the 1100-page dictionary of unparliamentary words, they would have known that it is released regularly.

“No words have been banned”, he made it clear, adding that no one can snatch the rights of the members of legislative houses to express their views, but it should be as per decorum of the parliament. He denied allegations by the opposition that it is a gag order, saying people unaware of parliamentary practices are making all kinds of comments. He also added that the legislatures are independent of the government.

The clarification by Om Birla means that there no ban use of the words listed in the booklet of Unparliamentary Words, but when they are used in the house, the speaker can order them to be expunged from the records of the proceedings. Therefore, it is not a gag order and there is no ban on the words.

Om Birla also clarified that the words are not automatically expunged every time they are used in the house. He said that decision to expunge words is taken keeping in mind context and objections raised by other members.

The list is updated every year, and this year reportedly 62 new words have been added. Importantly, the words were added because they were expunged from records of parliament or legislative assemblies. Therefore, it is not complied by Modi govt as alleged by the opposition. It is notable that there non-BJP non-NDA governments in several states, which means words expunged from those assemblies of those states also have been added to the booklet.

Several of the ‘unparliamentary’ words which have been highlighted in media reports and used by opposition to target the govt were considered unparliamentary even before Modi government, and they were actually added to the list much earlier. For example, the words ‘corrupt’ and ‘corrupt man’ were added to the list in 1980, while the expression ‘incompetent ministers’ was expunged in 1976.

Many new words included in the list have been contributed by state assembles. For example, ‘Lollipops’, ‘gossipers’, ‘hooliganism’, ‘humiliated’, ‘Shame’, ‘Shameful’ etc words were expunged by Punjab Assembly last year, when Congress was in power in the state. Words ‘atam, shatam, aksham’ and ‘anpadh, anargal’ were expunged from Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan assemblies respectively.

Similarly, several words expunged from assemblies of other states, including non-NDA ruled states, have been included in the booklet. The booklet also contains words and expressions which were expunged from records of parliaments of other countries, mostly commonwealth nations.

An official of the parliament said that most of these words were considered unparliamentary even during the UPA government. “If certain words are found objectionable and not in consonance with decorum and dignity of Parliament, it is under the jurisdiction of the Chair of the either houses to expunge those words,” the officer said.

It is notable that the booklet is a mere compilation of the words, and it is not suggestion or order. The booklet only works as a guide for the members on what words may be considered unparliamentary, it does not prohibit members from using them. But they may be expunged if it is deemed unparliamentary based on the context.

Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi announces he is dating former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen, posts images of the couple on Instagram

OpIndia Staff
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Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi announces he is dating former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen, posts images of the couple on Instagram

Former IPL commissioner and fugitive Indian businessman Lalit Modi has announced he is dating Bollywood actress and former Ms. Universe Sushmita Sen. Modi, who has been living in exile in London ever since BCCI ousted him, shared the news on Twitter on Thursday evening.

Sharing the news, Lalit Modi said, “Just back in london after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families – not to mention my #betterhalf @sushmitasen47 – a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon.”

Lalit Modi shared the vacation pics of the couple on Instagram

In a later tweet, Modi clarified that even though he used ‘better half’, they are still only at the dating phase, though marriage too will happen one day.

Rumours of Lalit Modi and Sushmita Sen’s affair used to float as far back as 2010 when Modi was running things as the IPL Czar. Now years later, the duo has rekindled their relationship and formally announced that they are dating.

Adani Ports and Israel’s Gadot win the bid to privatize the Haifa port: Israel’s Finance Ministry

OpIndia Staff
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Adani Ports and Israel’s Gadot win the bid to privatize the Haifa port: Israel’s Finance Ministry

On Thursday 14th July 2022, the finance ministry of Israel announced that India’s Adani Ports and Israel’s Chemical company Gadot have won a tender for the privatization of the port of Haifa. Haifa is one of the largest sea ports in Israel.

The consortium that bid for the port consists of the Israeli company Gadot (70%) and the Indian Adani group (30%). Gadot controls chemical terminals in Haifa and temporarily the Haifa silo (formerly Dagon), and holds a monopoly on the import of grain and chemicals to Israel. Gadot owns Keren Tene (60%) and Valio HBL (40%) as well.

The finance ministry of Israel promised that the deal will lead to lower costs for the consumers. The ministry further added that the group will buy the Mediterranean port for a sum of 4.1 billion New Israeli Shekels (NIS) ($1.18 billion). It is notable that $1 is equivalent to 3.4876 shekels.

Israel’s Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, “The privatization of the port of Haifa will increase competition at the ports and lower the cost of living.” According to a report by Reuters, Adani and Gadot were one of three groups to reach the final stage in the government tender.

The bid amount is NIS 1 billion more than the valuations of NIS 1.5 to 3 billion. In doing so, Adani Group and Gadot defeated the DAO groups, Israel Shipyards, and Shafir Engineering, which withdrew from the tender earlier today (Thursday) after submitting the lowest bid.

Haifa Port is the second largest port in Israel after the Port of Ashdod. Last year, about 47% of all container cargo in Israel passed through it. Apart from the cargo sector, the Port of Haifa is the main port in Israel in terms of passenger traffic and cruise ships. After the port of Haifa is privatized, the port of Ashdod will remain the only government port in Israel.

It is notable that in an effort to reduce import costs and cargo ship wait times, Israel has recently sold its state-owned ports and allowed the construction of new, private piers.

Haryana: Murad Ali poses as Sameer to marry Hindu woman in a temple, forces to convert to Islam and withdraw FIR by sending goons to attack

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: Murad Ali poses as Sameer to marry Hindu woman in a temple, forces to convert to Islam and withdraw FIR by sending goons to attack

A horrifying case of Grooming Jihad has come to the fore from Faridabad in Haryana, where a man named Murad Ali masqueraded as Sameer to lure a Hindu girl. He married her in a temple as per Hindu customs. However, after his identity was revealed, he started pressurising her to convert to Islam. The accused, on multiple occasions, physically assaulted her and got her beaten up by goons when she refused to succumb to his demands. The victim has approached the police in Faridabad and Noida but alleges no action has been taken in her case so far.

Swarajya journalist Swati Goel Sharma has shared the details of the case in a thread of Tweets, as narrated to her by the victim and the police.

Image source: Swati Goel Sharma

According to the journalist, the victim was divorced and living with her family in Faridabad, when she came in contact with Murad Ali in 2021 over the phone for a job opening. Since the victim had recently lost her father she was in search of job opportunity and Murad Ali who posed as Sameer offered her exactly that.

Image source: Swati Goel Sharma
Image source: Swati Goel Sharma
Image source: Swati Goel Sharma

After the accused helped the victim get a job, they started talking over the phone regularly and eventually grew close to each other. The girl told Sameer aka Murad Ali that she was only interested in a serious relationship. To assure her, the accused made her speak to his sister and mother over the phone. Then he took her to a temple and married her as per Hindu customs.

When the victim objected to getting married in that fashion, saying that no one else was present during the ceremony, the accused assured her that he would soon take her to his family and hold a formal but private ceremony. Murad Ali then established a physical relationship with her claiming to be her husband. He eventually took her to his home in December 2021.

On reaching Murad Ali’s home, his real name and religion were revealed to the victim. The family, thereafter pressurised her to convert to Islam and perform Nikah as per Islamic traditions, but the victim refused. She left home and filed a case against Murad Ali at a local police station in Faridabad in December 2021.

Copy of FIR filed in Faridabad PS (source: Swarajya journalist Swati Goel Sharma)

As the Haryana government has not yet enacted any law against love jihad, the police registered a case under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent).

The victim alleged that the police instead of helping her, mocked her by asking how she did not notice the circumcision, to which the victim replied that she was not aware of such things.

As police delayed the arrest, Murad Ali went absconding and managed to take a stay order on arrest in May. The same month, the victim filed another case in Faridabad against Murad Ali’s family. She alleged that the family assaulted her for the police case she had previously filed against Murad. In the second case, some of Murad’s family members were arrested but granted bail shortly after the arrest.

The journalist further revealed that since the victim’s family is unsupportive and has been asking her to withdraw both cases or fight on her own, she has been working and living in Noida all by herself.

The victim, while narrating her ordeal revealed that she has been attacked twice on her way home from the office by unknown men. Since both the times, the goons asked her to take back the cases she had filed against Murad Ali and his family, she was sure that the goons who attacked her were Murad’s aides.

The victim was quoted by the journalist as saying that the last attack on her was carried out on June 26, 2022. She had then dialled 100 and the police arrived to save her. The victim also reportedly created a new Twitter account and shared her ordeal on the social media platform tagging the Noida police but she says no action has been taken in her case yet.

Tweet posted by the victim (source: Swati Goel Sharma)

The journalist further wrote, “Please note that cheating and false identity are not her only accusations against Murad. She told me about being violated physically in words that left me horrified. She was also made to undergo abortions at late stages several times, medical copies of which she showed me.”

Image source: Swati Goel Sharma

Swati Goel Sharma added that the victim gave a complaint to a local police station in Noida, but they did not convert the complaint into an FIR. Murad Ali has not been arrested yet.

Sharing a video posted by her on June 14, wherein the victim is heard narrating her horrifying story, the Swarajya journalist Swati Goel Sharma said that she herself tried meeting two senior officers through references but none showed interest in the victim’s case.

“In taking up the case. I offered the victim monetary help to change her location, but she says it’s of no use because “Murad will find out”. End of the thread. It’s up to the police and govt now to show they take safety of women seriously,” the journalist wrote while ending the thread.

Singer Daler Mehndi sent to two years of imprisonment by Patiala Court in a human trafficking case

OpIndia Staff
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Singer Daler Mehndi sent to two years of imprisonment by Patiala Court in a human trafficking case

Famous Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi has been sent to jail by the Patiala court on Thursday 14th July 2022. In a 2003 human trafficking case, Daler Mehndi and his brother Shamsher Singh were sentenced to two years in prison. The additional sessions judge of the Patiala court, while upholding the sentence, arrested Daler Mehndi and sent him to jail.

The Patiala Sadar police station had registered an FIR against Daler Mehndi in the case in 2003. Daler Mehndi was sentenced to two years by the trial court, against which Mehndi filed an appeal in the court of additional session judge through his lawyer.

Complainant’s lawyer Advocate Gurmeet Singh told the news agency ANI, “Singer Daler Mehndi has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment in a human trafficking case of 2003. He has been taken into custody (by police). His application for release on probation was also dismissed by court.”

What is the Daler Mendi Human Trafficking case?

Daler Mehndi was booked in this case in 2003. Mehndi and his brother Shamsher Singh were accused of human trafficking. There were 31 cases registered against the two in the United States of America. According to media reports, the two were accused of illegally taking huge sums of money and sending people abroad.

According to a report by Aaj Tak, between 1998 and 1999, Daler Mehndi illegally took at least 10 people to San Francisco and New Jersey and left them there. A case was then filed against Mehndi and his late brother Shamsher Singh. After the registration of the first case, over 30 complaints were received against the two brothers.

The brothers used to charge Rs 1 crore as passage money to take people abroad. According to people’s complaints, the deals never matured and their money was never refunded. In 2006, the singer’s office in Delhi’s Cannaught Place was raided from where the documents related to the case and the passage money were recovered.

In this case, the court sentenced the singer to two years in jail after 15 years i.e. in 2018, but just 30 minutes after the sentencing, Daler Mehndi was granted bail by the court. Mehndi’s lawyer challenged the decision in the Patiala court, where the court upheld the verdict and sent the singer and his brother to jail.

Supreme Court returns a 60-year-old land dispute case to Allahabad High Court after keeping it for 16 years

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court returns a 60-year-old land dispute case to Allahabad High Court after keeping it for 16 years

Supreme Court on Tuesday 12th July 2022, sent a 60-years-old land dispute back to the Allahabad High Court after keeping the case with itself for 16 years. Interestingly, the Allahabad High Court had pronounced its verdict in this case in 2006 after hearing the matter for 31 years.

Even while the higher courts frequently sermonize the trial courts on the need for swift justice and describe it as a basic right of the litigants, it is astonishing that this case was languishing in the High Court and Supreme Court for 31 years and 16 years, respectively.

In 1964, the UP government had filed a lawsuit to reclaim 12 acres of property that were allegedly handed over to Farooqi Begum, one of the widows of the former Nawab of Rampur, Hamid Ali Khan, in 1924 as a rent-free endowment. After the Nawab’s death in 1930, his successor inherited the land, which was eventually taken over by the UP government.

In sharp contrast with the High Court and the Supreme Court, the trial court had quickly reached a conclusion. Within two years of the lawsuit’s initiation, the trial court had issued a ruling in the UP government’s favour in 1966. When an appeal was filed with the High Court, it was returned to the district judge, who recorded the appeal in 1967 and remanded the case for a new trial by the trial court four years later. The trial court yet again ruled in favour of the government in the case in 1973.

Farooqi Begum challenged the trial court’s ruling to the district judge, who in 1975 maintained the verdict that was being contested. She then appealed to the Allahabad High Court, which took 31 years to rule in favour of the government in the civil dispute. She passed away while the lawsuit was pending, and her legal successors continued the fight.

After a 16-year delay, a Supreme Court bench of Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and Vikram Nath resolved the appeal against the High Court ruling on Tuesday, but only to restart the six-decade-old legal dispute by returning it to the HC for further adjudication.

In the 27-page judgment, Justice Vikram Nath said, “We are of the view that the HC fell in error in not taking into consideration the relevant material and instead relying upon inadmissible evidence or evidence which had no bearing to the findings. Even the burden had been wrongly placed on the defendant/appellant. Further, the HC ought to have carefully scrutinized the evidence available on record and only thereafter arrived at a conclusion. The judgment of the HC is set aside. The matter is remitted back to the HC.”

Threats of beheadings, threatening India with a shake-up, abusing Hindu Gods, and links to Kanhaiya Lal beheading: Ajmer Dargah’s reaction to Nupur Sharma controversy

OpIndia Staff
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Threats of beheadings, threatening India with a shake-up, abusing Hindu Gods, and links to Kanhaiya Lal beheading: Ajmer Dargah’s reaction to Nupur Sharma controversy

Ever since Nupur Sharma controversy was ignited by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, hatred against Nupur Sharma in general and Hindus in general has poured in from several corners of the world, including from the world famous Ajmer Dargah. While Nupur Sharma has braved death threats and rape threats since then, people supporting her on social media like Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe had to pay with their lives for extending their support.

One of the major sources of all the hatred that has been generated is the famous Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah in Ajmer, Rajasthan. From issuing threats of beheading to supporting the murderers of Kanhaiya Lal, the Dargah’s Khadims have been at the forefront of the hate campaign.

Links of Khadim Gauhar Chishti of Ajmer Dargah to Kanhaiya Lal’s murderers

Days after the gruesome murder of Kanhaiya Lal, it came to light that a Khadim of Ajmer Dargah named Gauhar Chishti had met one of the killers of the Hindu tailor. Citing sources, journalist Nikhil Choudhary reported that Gauhar had called for the beheading of ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on June 17 this year for allegedly committing ‘blasphemy’.

After making the provocative speech, he travelled to Udaipur to meet Riyaz Attari, one of the murderers of Kanhaiya Lal. Interestingly, Riyaz issued threats to Sharma and her supporters through a video on the same day. Reportedly, Khadim Gauhar Chisti had asked Riyaz to make the disturbing video after brutally beading the Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur.

Khadim Salman Chishti issuing beheading threats in the wake of the Nupur Sharma controversy

On July 5, a video of Ajmer Dargah Khadim Salman Chishti surfaced on social media platforms in which he threatened to kill the former spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nupur Sharma. In the video, Chishti, who is a history-sheeter with over 13 cases filed against him, including murder and attempt to murder, claimed that he would hand over his house to anyone who brings Sharma’s head. Salman Chishti has since been arrested, even though even in custody, Rajasthan Police was trying to save him.

Sarwar Chishti issued threats to launch an agitation that will ‘shake India up’

Sarwar Chishti of the Anjuman Committee of the Ajmer dargah had made a provocative statement adding to the violence and controversy around the alleged blasphemous remarks against the Prophet Mohammad. In a video that surfaced on July 6 Sarwar Chishti said, “The situation in the country right now, is such that people are committing blasphemy. They are doing mischief in the glory of the Prophet, in the glory of the Khwaja. We will not tolerate this at all. We will launch such a massive agitation that the whole Hindustan will shake.” According to the reports, Sarwar Chishti calls himself a member of the Popular Front of India. In 2020, he defended PFI saying the organisation was ”saving India’s constitution”.

Sarwar Chishti also called for economic boycott of Hindus from Ajmer Dargah

A phone call recording of Sarwar Chishti had also gone viral in which he is heard calling for an economic boycott of Hindus. Earlier the same Sarwar Chishti was seen in a viral video calling for a movement that will shake the whole Hindustan.

In this audio, he said, “Hindus of Nalla Bazar and Dargah Bazar in the Ajmer Sharif organized a rally supporting Nupur Sharma. They have called to close the shops till 12 in the noon. I request you all to make these people (Hindus) look miserable. Do this work through our groups of KGN (Khwaja Garib Nawaj). No one should buy anything from their shops in the Dargah Bazar area and the Nalla Bazar area. They earn only through the lovers of the Khwaja Sahab. And see what courage they are attempting, they are closing the shops in front of us. They are supporting Nupur Sharma. Spread this word everywhere you can, so that no one transacts a single rupee with them.”

After threatening to ‘shake India’ and calling for an economic boycott of Hindus, Sarwar Chishti even attended a ‘peace rally’ by the religious leaders following communal tension after the brutal beheading of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal by Islamists in Udaipur.

Syed Aadil Chishti abusing Hindu Gods

Continuing the streak of hate-filled comments from Ajmer Dargah, Syed Aadil Chishti – son of Sarwar Chishti – mocked Hindu deities. Aadil Chishti made the comments in an interview with Times Now in which he was saying derogatory things about Hindu gods.

During his Times Now appearance, Aadil Chishti said, “If Nupur Sharma is a Hindu, I have a few questions for her. How can one believe in the existence of 333 crore gods? How is this logical? We can understand if there is one god. We all are equal as humans irrespective of our religions. We believe in the existence of god and that there is an absolute god. There can be different interpretations of people of different religions. But, 333 crore gods, a wholesale of gods, how can that be believable? I feel that even if a person lives a thousand years, he cannot possibly please all 333 crore gods and goddesses.”

Further, he added, “Secondly, I would also like to remind Nupur Sharma that in Hindu mythology there is also a mention of Lord Vishnu’s 10 avatars. A few of these incarnations are in Human form, a few in the form of the animal, and a few are hybrids of human and animal forms. I would like to ask her, are these 10 avatars possible or believable? You say that he is one God and then he appears in ten different forms. Some in the form of humans, some in the form of animals and then some in a fusion form.”

Aadil Chishti went on to say, “Thirdly, how will she justify the existence of Lord Ganesh or Lord Hanuman? What I am trying to say that they were not of the human form, but you consider them to be your deities. Do these things sound logical? No they do not.”

While the hate against Hindus continues to flow from Ajmer Dargah, there have been some repercussions in the form of a boycott as the footfall in Ajmer has significantly dropped since the Khadims started airing their views publicly. However, it remains to be seen if this is a permanent boycott or people will return to fund the hate-filled Khadims and their businesses.

Anonymous donations, FCRA violations, and deliberate tweets against Hindu Gods: Court to pronounce order on bail plea by Mohammad Zubair on July 15

Anurag
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Anonymous donations, FCRA violations, and deliberate tweets against Hindu Gods: Court to pronounce order on bail plea by Mohammad Zubair on July 15

On July 14, Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala of Patiala House Court said that the orders on the bail plea by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair would be announced on Friday. Zubair had approached the court to seek bail in the FIR registered by Delhi Police via his advocate Vrinda Grover. The FIR was based on a tweet that allegedly hurt the Hindu community’s sentiments. On July 2, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria had denied his bail.

Delhi Police arrested Zubair on June 17, and since then, he has been in judicial custody for one or the other case. During the hearing, Advocate Grover suggested there was nothing wrong with Zubair’s tweet as it was a scene from a Hindu film titled ‘Kisi Se Na Kehna’ released in 1983. Countering her argument, Special Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava said the tweet made by Zubair in 2018 still exists, and the repercussions and effects of the tweet have continued. He suggested that it was not only about the image but also the text he had used pointing towards the then-newly elected NDA government.

Zubair was initially arrested under Sections 153A and 295 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). As the case progressed, more Sections, including 295A, 201, 120B of the IPC and Section 35 of the FCRA Act, were invoked against him.

Speaking about the case filed against Zubair for hurting religious sentiments, Grover said an anonymous account dug out an old tweet by Zubair, and Delhi Police acted promptly. She said, “However, no investigation has been made as to who this person is, is this even an Indian handle.”

Countering her argument, SSP Shrivastava said, “He is not as simple as my learned friend has projected, that it was a joke. It was a planned way. And you’ve added these things on post just to attract such type of people…Here at this stage, the gravity has been checked by SC also, and for this reason, bail has not been granted. Interim relief has been granted that is too conditional. In our case, FCRA is also there where the economy is also involved…This is not the only tweet. Some other tweets are also there that reveal that his intentions were not…”

SSP said, “As per telephone number #MohammadZubair has been staying in Saudi Arabia for many years. That tweet was PLANNED and was not a ‘mere joke’ as mentioned by the counsel of Zubair.”

SPP alleged FCRA violation

During the hearing, Grover denied the allegations of Foreign Donations. She added that Zubair did not get any foreign contribution. She said, “I have received no foreign contribution either in my personal or Pravda Media foundation account. Just below that is a donate now button. In bold, it’s written we don’t accept foreign…as we’re not registered under FCRA. Therefore, I don’t take foreign remittance.”

Notably, it was alleged that Zubair had received foreign donations from countries like Pakistan, Syria, and others that would require further investigation. SSP Srivastava alleged he had “received 20 thousand and many more amounts received by the accused from many places.”

He added, “Cleverly, they have done all this. Someone is paying, and you’re accepting it. It’s like saying I’ll only take murder cases, but I am taking dacoity cases also…If something is in your special knowledge, the burden shifts on you. You have not responded to the date which the persons are. It’s on you to disclose. During PC, he was asked, he said Razorpay se jo paise aate the, wahi the. It’s your guilty mind and mens rea that you have taken the picture and put it on social media. Why have you chosen Hanuman ji? If you’re saying you’re a journalist, then you should be more careful.”

He further said a notice was sent to Razorpay for information about the donors. A few days back, fintech Razorpay issued a statement after it was accused of sharing the personal data of the donors with investing agencies. The company had said only the required information was given and not the bundled information of all the donors.

Grover further claimed that people often visit abroad for work, and thus IP addresses of the donors cannot be seen as evidence. She argued that an Indian citizen might be on a foreign land using an Indian bank account to donate the money that does not mean he had received money from the nations mentioned by the Police.

Over 56 lakh received in violation of FCRA

SSP alleged that Zubair had received over Rs 56 lakh in violation of FCRA. He further added there might be more forgeries in the case. The investigating team has sent notices to banks.

SSP said, “There might be a chance his own people have sent money to his account to get away with the liability of Income-tax Act.”

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair moves to Supreme Court seeking quashing of all FIRs registered by UP Police against him

OpIndia Staff
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Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair moves to Supreme Court seeking quashing of all FIRs registered by UP Police against him

On Thursday, Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of AltNews, filed a petition with the Supreme Court requesting that six FIRs filed against him in Uttar Pradesh be dismissed. The plea filed by him challenges the FIRs recorded in Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, and two in Hathras. The petition also challenges the formation of the SIT by the Uttar Pradesh Police.

According to the reports, the Uttar Pradesh government has formed a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate six cases that have been lodged against already arrested Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair. The SIT has been headed by IG Preetinder Singh and also DIG Amit Kumar Verma has been made a part of the team.

The SIT is to investigate six cases that have been lodged in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Ghaziabad, Hathras, and Muzaffarnagar. Of the total six cases, two cases are lodged in Hathras district while one case each is registered in Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Ghaziabad, and Muzaffarnagar. Zubair is held in Tihar jail after being detained on June 27 by Delhi police in connection with an FIR filed against him for hurting religious sentiments through derogatory tweets targeted against Hindus.

To note, Mohammed Zubair was given temporary bail in the Sitapur case on July 8, 2022, by a vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari. The bench had made it plain that the relief was subject to the requirement that he refrain from posting any more tweets, that the investigation in the FIR had not been delayed, and that the temporary respite did not extend to any other cases against him that were ongoing. Further, the interim bail in the Sitapur case was renewed on July 13 by a court chaired by Justice DY Chandrachud, and his request to have the FIR quashed is set for hearing in September.

However, a decision on his bail application in a case involving a 2018 tweet that offended religious sensitivities has been delayed till Friday in Delhi. Advocate Vrinda Grover, who represents Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, told a Delhi court on Thursday that the investigation into the case does not require him to be in custody because all investigation is electronic, and that any further restriction on his liberty would violate a Supreme Court ruling. Meanwhile, Special Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava argued that Rs 56 lakh was credited to Zubair’s account through Razorpay.

The court was considering Zubair’s bail application in a case involving a 2018 tweet that allegedly offended religious feelings. “We gave notice to Razorpay. They provided UPI. Through NPCI, we can get particulars of the bank. There is certain forgery also in this case that may be done, we are looking at that. Banks notice have already been issued,” Srivastava added. When the court asked Srivastava why Zubair’s custody is necessary, he said, “The persons who are Gumnaam (anonymous) will remain Gumnaam if he comes out. We have been trying our best to contact them.” The court then reserved the order in the case for Friday, at 2 pm.

Zubair had reportedly received Rs 56 lakhs in his bank accounts from foreign sources, and in violation of FCRA. Today in UP, a 7th FIR was also lodged against him in UP’s Chandauli.

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