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‘Please do a scripted conversation with a journalist for max impact’: Shruti Kapila, ThePrint columnist who will interview Rahul Gandhi at Cambridge

Dibakar Dutta
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‘Please do a scripted conversation with a journalist for max impact’: Shruti Kapila, ThePrint columnist who will interview Rahul Gandhi at Cambridge

On Thursday (May 19), ThePrint columnist Shruti Kapila took to Twitter to inform that she will be interviewing Congress scion Rahul Gandhi on May 23, 2022.

The event titled ‘India at 75’ is set to be held at the McCrum Lecture Theatre in Corpus Christi College of the University of Cambridge. In a tweet, she wrote, “Very much looking forward to my conversation with Rahul Gandhi on Monday! On India at 75.”

As per her profile, Shruti Kapila is the Associate Professor of Indian History and Global Political Thought Fellow at the University of Cambridge. She is also the author of the book, ‘Violent Fraternity: Indian Political Thought in the Global Age.’

While the political opponents of Rahul Gandhi have labelled his upcoming interview as an ‘image building exercise’ on an international platform, the choice of Shruti Kapila as the interviewer makes for an interesting case.

Not until long ago, she was seen suggesting that the Congress scion should only hold ‘scripted interviews’ for high impact messaging. In a tweet in April 2020, ThePrint columnist had lamented how supposedly ‘excellent ideas’ were ruined by an impromptu presser of Rahul Gandhi.

While sharing an article by The Economic Times, Kapila wrote, “Watched live the v g intervention by Rahul Gandhi. Excellent ideas RUINED by Congress media unsavviness. IMHO, please do a scripted convo with a journo or another leader for MAXIMUM IMPACT. And pressers not same as high impact messaging!”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shruti Kapila

As such, it cannot be claimed with certainty that the upcoming interview with Rahul Gandhi will not be ‘fixed in advance.’ While a scripted interview will essentially make the task easier for the Congress leader, the choice of Shruti Kapila as the interviewer is not a matter of coincidence. She is, after all, one of their own.

Shruti Kapila is a seasoned Congress apologist

ThePrint columnist was earlier spotted sharing the stage with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor during the launch of his book ‘Inglorious Empires. “A total triumph Shashi Tharoor. Thanks for the book”, she tweeted in March 2017. The latter was seen thanking her in a tweet for the ‘amazing reception’ at Cambridge University.

Screengrab of the tweet by Shruti Kapila

While the electoral performance of the Congress party has been dismal in the past 8 years, loyalists of the party have often tended to intellectualize political catastrophes in the hopes of remaining in the good books of the Gandhi dynasty.

One such attempt was made by Shruti Kapila in an article in ThePrint in June last year. She suggested that the defection of Congress stalwarts to the saffron fold, which further weakened the party, was supposedly a ‘good thing’. The columnist went on to claim that splits in Congress had the potential to weaken the BJP instead.

“The ability to decide, then prosecute that decision to split, even at the cost of a dilution of some numbers in Parliament or legislatures, will alone guarantee the remaking of the Congress and any possible return to power,” the article claimed.

Screengrab of the article by Shruti Kapila

Besides providing intellectual cover fire, Shruti Kapila had been at the forefront of defending the Congress party from political criticism. Following the victory of the BJP in the 2019 General Elections, ‘activist’ Yogendra Yadav had called for the extermination of the grand-old party.

“The Congress must die,” Yadav had said in May 2019. Unable to bear the scathing criticism, Shruti Kapila had asked the Congress party to ignore him. “In my experience, Yogendra Yadav has always been anti-Congress. So why act so surprised? INC should ignore him,” she appealed.

Screengrab of the response by Shruti Kapila

In December 2019, ThePrint columnist had defended the Congress from accusations of being responsible for the Partition of India.

She had said, “Completely disagree. 1937 was a matter of principle: religion versa non-religion. Why should the League be given concessions when Muslims voted en masse for INC in 1937. Fed up of revisionism that continues to give a free pass to the ML (Muslim League) and Jinnah.”

Peddling hysteria, and casting aspersions on the ‘idea of India’

Besides being a full-fledged Congress apologist, The Print columnist was seen casting aspersions about India turning into a ‘religious State’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following the victory of the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha polls of 2017, she claimed, “Will India’s constitution change? Or eroded as the country goes Hindutva”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shruti Kapila

While responding to one Uday Chandra in August 2020, she questioned whether the ‘Bhoomi Pujan‘ in Ayodhya and the associated Ram Janmabhoomi verdict was an instance of ‘land encroachment’ or ‘announcement of Hindu State.’

Screengrab of the tweet by Shruti Kapila

“The annihilation of India’s political opposition is almost complete. Narendra Modi’s ruling party has captured national politics for the foreseeable future,” Shruti Kapila tried to portray the Indian Prime Minister as the villain for the dismal electoral performance of the Opposition.

In an article published by The Print, Shruti Kapila claimed that the ‘mercy plea debate’, which if often raked up by the Opposition Congress, was in fact a ploy of the BJP to project Veer Savarkar as the ‘Father of New India.’

“If Gandhi was the face, name and supreme agent of free India, Savarkar is the unacknowledged ‘father of New India’. Whether through public history, commemorations in portraits and statues especially in government and public buildings or in controversies regarding the past, these are all but mechanisms to instal Savarkar,” the article read.

Screengrab of the article by Shruti Kapila in The Print

Besides peddling hysteria among the masses about a possible ‘change in the secular fabric of the Indian Constitution,’ her work remained largely fixated on equating Hindutva with extremism.

One of the quotes on Hindutva by Shruti Kapila, which is popular among Congress stooges, goes as, “Hindutva is a theory of violence in search of a history.”

In an article in Financial Times, Shruti Kapila claimed, “India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, spoke of the ‘idea of India. This grand vision was of a nation based on diversity…”

She then went on to say, “That history is now being rewritten by Mr Modi and his supporters as a revenge saga. To avenge the crimes of partition is to assert a Hindu state.”

Screengrab of the article by Shruti Kapila in Financial Times

Conclusion

The outlandish claims by The Print columnist about a ‘changing India’ and ‘rising Hindu nationalism’ make her camaraderie with the Congress party pretty evident. Given that both thrive on weaponising fear among the masses, Shruti Kapila makes the perfect fit as an interviewer for Rahul Gandhi.

The constant targeting of the Indian State on global platforms, and downplaying of criticism directed at the grand old party has earned her accolades from the Congress loyalists.

Thus, her recommendation to Rahul Gandhi to use ‘scripted interviews’ as a political messaging tool was not influenced by the Congress leader’s limited oratory skills but a clear understanding of what might turn around the fortunes of the grand old party.

Gujarat: Scrap godown manager Liaquat Khan arrested after bundles of scrap found tied in national flag and Hindu religious banners

લિંકન સોખડિયા
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Gujarat: Scrap godown manager Liaquat Khan arrested after bundles of scrap found tied in national flag and Hindu religious banners

A scrap godown manager named Liaquat Khan was arrested Valsad district in Gujarat for insulting the symbols of the country and Hinduism. It was found that in a scrap godown on the highway near Morai Gate in Vapi town of Valsad district, the national flag of India, banners with photos of Lord Ram, and banners of Hanumanji were used as scrap bags, where scrap materials were tied in such flags and banners. came to light in an open scrap godown. After spotting the national flag and Hindu religious flags and banners being used to tie scrap, locals were outraged and filed a case with the police, after which Khan was arrested.

There is an open scrap godown of a man named Liaquat Khan near Morai Gate on the highway from Vapi to Surat. Yesterday, locals while passing by it found bundles of scrap tied in a new cloth in a heap of scrap. Suspicious of seeing it from a distance, the locals went to the spot and checked, and found that the cloth was the national flag of our country. People immediately called up Vapi’s Vishwa Hindu Parishad president and social leader Narendra Payak and informed him about the incident of insulting the national flag.

Warehouse manager Liaquat Khan (Photo: Narendra Payak)

In an exclusive conversation with OpIndia, Narendra Payak said, “When I got a call about this, I immediately reached the spot. There I also saw scrap bundles tied with the national flag. Then we investigated further there and found the national flag, as well as the banners of Lord Shri Ram and Hanumanji, a symbol of the faith of Hinduism, with scraps tied up. So we rushed to the nearby Vapi Town police station immediately. After we informed the Vapi Town police station, the police rushed to the spot.”

Payak told OpIndia that he, on checking the godown, found a total of 30 national flags, 12 banners with a picture of Shri Ram, and 4 banners with a picture of Shri Ram and Hanuman Ji’s portrait filled with debris, which were seized by the police immediately. It was also reported that some banners of other religions were also found at the godown.

Scrap filled with national flag and photos of Hindu deities (Photo: Narendra Payak)

Police acted swiftly and detained the manager of the scrap godown, Liaquat Khan, and seized all these national flags and religious banners. Interrogation of Liaquat Khan revealed that he had purchased the same from a scrap dealer who was filling scrap from a textile mill in Surat. The police have also summoned the mill owner and the scraper from Surat for questioning.

Preliminary investigation revealed that in a textile mill in Surat, where the work of making such flags and religious banners is going on, the entire quantity from the mill was sold in scrap due to some mistake in the printing of a lot of the national flag, which had reached this godown in Vapi on the move. But according to the Indian Flag Code, 2002, this is considered a criminal act.

The Indian Flag Code, 2002 and the insult to the National Flag

According to the Indian Flag Code, 2002, there are two ways to dispose of a torn or damaged national flag – burning or burying it. A strict rule should also be followed while choosing any procedure. These rules are notified as follows.

The code says, “To bury the national flag, collect all the damaged flags in wooden boxes, fold them and place them properly. Bury the box in the ground. Observe silence for a moment after the flag is buried. Another option is to cremate the flag. Choose a safe place and clean it, fold the flag, light the fire and place the flag carefully in the center of the flame. It is also a criminal act that the national flag is cremated without being folded properly or burnt first and later put into the fire.”

It should be noted here that the national flag is a symbol of pride and its dignity should be maintained while disposing of it. Insulting the national flag is a criminal act.

There has been an incident of Hindu hatred in Vapi before

Earlier in March, there was an incident of insult to the Hindu religion at St Mary’s School in Chanod, Vapi. The school had sought an apology from two students of St Mary’s School as they addressed each other by saying ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Vapi district president had Narendra Payak reached the school and protested after the incident was reported to local Hindu organizations. After this, the school management apologized to the parents in writing.

The incident was also taken note of at the three-day representative meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Ahmedabad at that time and the Sangh’s Sarkaryavah Dattatreyaji Hosabale had made a statement in this regard.

A police investigation is currently underway into the insult to the national flag and Hindu gods. The picture is likely to become clearer after the interrogation of the mill owner in Surat and a local scrap worker from Surat.

India receives the highest annual FDI inflow of USD 83.57 billion in FY21-22, IT sector bags the largest share

OpIndia Staff
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India receives the highest annual FDI inflow of USD 83.57 billion in FY21-22, IT sector bags the largest share

In the fiscal year 2021-22, India has recorded the largest annual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow of USD 83.57 billion. In 2014-2015, India received 45.15 billion USD in FDI, compared to the highest ever annual FDI inflow of USD 83.57 billion reported for the fiscal year 2021-22, surpassing the previous year’s FDI by USD 1.60 billion.

Since FY03-04, when inflows were barely USD 4.3 billion, India’s FDI inflows have surged 20-fold. It demonstrates that India is growing as a desirable destination for international investment in a variety of areas.

The growth is particularly remarkable, given that it has come against the backdrop of global uncertainty and a pandemic-wracked world as the emergence of the coronavirus outbreak had rendered economies shut and chipped away at investor confidence.

In addition, India is quickly becoming a popular destination for international investment in the industrial sector. When compared to the previous fiscal year, FDI equity inflows into the manufacturing sector surged by 76% in FY 2021-22 (USD 21.34 billion) (USD 12.09 billion). In India, FDI inflows have grown by 23% post-Covid (March 2020 to March 2022: USD 171.84 billion) compared to pre-Covid (February 2018 to February 2020: USD 141.10 billion).

Computer Software & Hardware has emerged as the leading recipient sector of FDI Equity inflows for FY 2021-22, accounting for around 25% of total inflows, followed by the Services Sector (12%) and the Automobile Industry (12%), respectively. For the fiscal year 2021-22, Singapore ranks first with 27 per cent of FDI equity inflows, followed by the United States (18 per cent) and Mauritius (16 per cent).

Karnataka is the leading beneficiary state, accounting for 38 per cent of total FDI equity inflows recorded for the fiscal year 2021-22, followed by Maharashtra (26 per cent) and Delhi (14 per cent). During the fiscal year 2021-22, the majority of Karnataka’s equity inflows were recorded in the sectors of Computer Software & Hardware (35 per cent), Automotive Industry (20 per cent), and Education (12 per cent).

The reforms implemented by the government over the previous eight years have shown fruit, as seen by the rising amounts of FDI inflows into the nation, which are establishing new records. The government has implemented a liberal and transparent FDI policy, with most industries available to FDI under the automatic route. Reforms have recently been implemented in sectors such as coal mining, contract manufacturing, digital media, single-brand retail trading, civil aviation, defence, insurance, and telecommunications to further liberalise and simplify FDI policy in order to provide ease of doing business and attract investments.

India can become a  $5 trillion economy by 2026-27

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which forecasted in April that India will not reach $5 trillion in GDP until 2028-2029, has revised its projection in the World Economic Outlook database. According to the most recent IMF estimate, India will attain its $5 trillion economic objectives by 2026-2027, two years earlier than previously expected.

According to Swarajya, the shift in projection is due to the assumption that the rupee will fall to 84 versus the US dollar rather than 94. The International Monetary Fund did not examine the Indian economy’s growth in nominal or real terms and instead focused on the dollar-rupee exchange rate.

“Both bridges are in areas under illegal occupation of China since 1960s”: MEA objects to China building another bridge over Pangong lake

OpIndia Staff
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“Both bridges are in areas under illegal occupation of China since 1960s”: MEA objects to China building another bridge over Pangong lake

On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs strongly objected to the Chinese administration for constructing the second bridge across the Pangong Lake in the Union Territory of Ladakh. Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated that the bridge is being built in an area that is illegally occupied by China and that India does not accept such illegal construction activity.

“We have seen reports of a bridge being constructed by China on Pangong Lake alongside its earlier bridge. Both these bridges are in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since the 1960s. We have never accepted such illegal occupation of our territory, nor have we accepted the unjustified Chinese claim or such construction activities”, the spokesperson said in the statement on May 20.

He also said that the government of India is developing the infrastructure along the national security borders to ensure that the nation’s security interests are fully protected. “Government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas to not only meet India’s strategic and security requirements but also facilitate the economic development of these areas”, the statement read.

Further reiterating that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India, spokesperson Arindam Bagchi called on for other countries to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also affirmed that India would continue to keep a constant watch on all developments that have a bearing on India’s security and would take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Yesterday, reports revealed that China had begun construction of the second bridge across the Pangong Lake to accommodate heavily armored vehicles and ensure better movement of the troops. Earlier, the Chinese had built the first bridge in April and used it to move equipment such as cranes needed to build the second one. India at that time also had objected such illegal occupation.

According to the reports, the first bridge is located to the south of a crucial People’s Liberation Army (PLA) position on the north bank of Pangong Lake, at a spot where the two banks of the lake are 500 metres apart. However, the new bridge is being built also to reduce the distance (currently 180 km) between Khurnak Fort and Rutog, the main staging area for the Chinese Army.

‘Prince’ and ‘Little Jesus’ carrying narcotics worth Rs 1526 crores seized by Coast Guard and DRI off the Lakshadweep Islands coast 

OpIndia Staff
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‘Prince’ and ‘Little Jesus’ carrying narcotics worth Rs 1526 crores seized by Coast Guard and DRI off the Lakshadweep Islands coast 

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Coast Guard seized 218 packets of 1 kg each of high-grade heroin off the coast of Lakshadweep Islands on Friday. Two boats named ‘Prince’ and ‘Little Jesus’ carrying the contraband were intercepted by the authorities. 

According to ANI, the DRI launched an operation after developing specific intelligence over a period of several months that two Indian boats would be sailing from the coast of Tamil Nadu and receive narcotics in big quantities somewhere in the Arabian sea, during the second half or third week of May 2022.

After receiving the intelligence input, the Indian Coast Guard and the DRI launched a meticulously planned operation, codenamed as Operation Khojbeen, on 7 May 2022 to nab the suspected boats and contraband onboard. The DRI said after several days of continuous search and monitoring amidst inclement weather, the two suspected boats ‘Prince’ and ‘Little Jesus’ were noticed moving towards India. 

The two boats were intercepted by officers of ICG and DRI on May 18, off the coast of Lakshadweep Islands. Several crew members confessed to having received narcotics in huge quantities on the high sea that they concealed in their boats. A thorough search of both boats yielded 218 packets of 1 kg each of heroin. The seizure proceedings under the provisions of the NDPS Act,1985 are currently being undertaken by the DRI.

“The operation was meticulously planned and executed by them & ICG and entailed extensive surveillance in the rough seas over a period of several days. The seized drug appears to be high-grade heroin and its value in the international illicit market is estimated to be around Rs.1,526 crore,” ANI quoted DRI as saying.

Krishna Janmabhoomi: Mathura Court rules that Places of Worship Act is not applicable to suit seeking removal of Shahi Idgah

OpIndia Staff
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Krishna Janmabhoomi: Mathura Court rules that Places of Worship Act is not applicable to suit seeking removal of Shahi Idgah

The Mathura Court, while allowing the petition seeking the removal of the Shahi Idgah disputed structure near Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, also stated that the Places of Worship Act, 1991 is not applicable to the suit, since the suit was originally filed in 1964, and the current 2020 suit challenges a ‘compromise agreement’ signed in 1968, years before the Places of Worship Act came into force in the year 1991.

The Court clarified that the provisions of the Act are not applicable to the aforementioned suit by virtue of section 4 (3)(b) of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

The Court also ruled that the suit to remove the Mathura Shahi Idgah Mosque is maintainable on the ground that it was built over the Krishna Janmbhoomi land. The matter has been sent back to the civil court to be heard on merits.

The Places of Worship Act, which came into effect in the year 1991, prohibits “conversion of any place of worship” and provides “for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”. While the Act explicitly said that it will be not applicable on the Ram Janmabhoomi case as it was being heard by courts, the Act also contained exepmtios which mean that the Act is also not applicable on several other disputed structures as well.

Section 4(1) of the Act states that “the religious character of a place of worship existing on the 15th day of August, 1947 shall continue to be the same as it existed on that day”. Section 4(2) of the Act further states that “any suit, appeal or other proceedings with respect to the conversion of the religious character of any place of worship, existing on the 15th day of August 1947, is pending before any court, tribunal or other authority, the same shall abate, and no suit, appeal or other proceedings with respect to any such matter shall lie on or after such commencement in any court, tribunal or other authority”. 

However, the section 4(3)(b), which has been cited by the court, says that if any suit, appeal or other proceeding has been finally decided, settled or disposed of by a court, tribunal or other authority before the commencement of this Act, that the Act will not apply in that case. The section 4(3) also includes other exempted cases where the Act is not applicable, which includes any ancient and historical monument or an archaeological site, if any dispute was settled by the parties before commencement of the Act, etc.

Why the Places of Worship Act, 1991 is “not applicable” to the 2020 suit seeking removal of the disputed Shahi Idgah structure

Essentially, the original suit in the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah mosque case was filed in 1964 by the Sangh regarding ownership of the land, which was dismissed in the year 1974 after a “compromise agreement” was signed between Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, the temple management authority and the Trust Masjid Idgah in 1968.

The agreement granted ownership of the land to the temple trust even as the management rights of the masjid were left to the Idgah committee.

In September 2020, another suit was filed on behalf of the deity Bhagwan Shrikrishna Virajman seeking the removal of the disputed structure of the Shahi Idgah mosque near the Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and the transfer of 13.37-acre land to the deity. The petitioners had challenged the “fraudulent” 1968 ‘compromise agreement’, on the basis of which the earlier suit filed in 1964 was dismissed, and sought to cancel the same.

Since the original suit was filed in 1964 and the present 2020 suit challenges the ‘compromise agreement’ signed in 1968, the court ruled that the Place of Worship Act 1991 is not applicable to the suit as the case dates back before 1991, when the ‘Place of Worship Act’ came into effect. The Court said that the agreement between the two parties resulted in a compromise decree, which was drawn before the commencement of the Act enacted in 1991, and as the same is the subject matter of challenge in the current suit moved by the petitioner, the act shall not be applicable on this dispute by virtue of section 4 (3)(b) of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

The case

The suit in the Krishna Janmabhoomi case challenges a compromise between Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan and Trust Masjid Idgah in 1968, under which the Sansthan had conceded 13.37 acres of land in favour of the Masjid Trust. Based on this compromise, a decree was drawn in a Mathura court in 1974. However, this compromise and and the decree has been challenged based on the claim that the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan didn’t own the land and therefore can’t hand it over.

The land in question was purchased by Seth Jugal Kishore Birla from the heirs of Raja Patnimal through a registered sale deed in 1944. The land situated in Katra Keshav Dev was purchased in the name of Mahamana Pt.Madan Mohan Malviya, Goswami Ganesh Dutt and Professor Bhikanlal Attrey. Later in 1951, Seth Birla had formed a trust named Shri Krishna Janmbhoomi Trust, and entire property of 13.37 acres was dedicated to the deity and given to the trust. The Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan was formed in 1958 and had overpowered the Trust.

Therefore, the current 2020 suit argues that Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan didn’t own the land to hand it over to the Masjid Trust, and therefore the compromise agreement should be declared void. Now the court has ruled that the suit is maintainable, and said that a worshipper, as the next friend of the deity, can file suit for the restoration and re-establishment of religious rights of the deity. Regarding the merits of the case, the court said, “whether Shri Krishna Janma Bhoomi Seva Sangh had the power to enter into compromise with Trust Masjid Eidgah is a matter of evidence which can be determined only on the basis of the evidence adduced by both the parties during the trial.”

Aurangzeb’s descendants living in abject poverty: Wife of Mughal ‘prince’ lives in Howrah slum, survives on govt pension

OpIndia Staff
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Aurangzeb’s descendants living in abject poverty: Wife of Mughal ‘prince’ lives in Howrah slum, survives on govt pension

As the debate over Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb’s destruction of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir rages on, an image of one of the last surviving Mughals has gone viral. Sultana Begum, who married the great-grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar, is the woman whose photo has gone viral in the aftermath of the discovery of a Shivling inside the Gyanvapi mosque.

While her ancestors lived in grand palaces and forts, Sultana Begum has been confined to a life in the slums of Kolkata. 69 years old Sultana, who married the great-grandson of the last Mughal emperor survives on a government pension and lives her life from one meal to the next. Ever since her husband ‘Prince’ Mirza Bedar Bukht died in 1980, she has been descending into poverty.

Mughal heiress now lives in a slum in Kolkata (Image source: Daily Mail)

Sultana Begum also petitioned the Supreme Court of India to hand over the Red Fort to her, saying that the fort belongs to her family so she should get possession of it. However, the court refused to entertain her plea asking where were they for the past 150 years.

Sultana Begum washing utensils in people’s homes to survive (Image source: Daily Mail)

Living in obscurity, Sultana’s photos started doing the rounds again on social media during the Gyanvapi row. The disputed stricture in Kashi, which was constructed by Aurangzeb after demolishing Kashi Vishwanath Temple, is currently under litigation in the Supreme Court.

Gyanvapi mosque controversy

 The Gyanvapi Mosque was built by the Islamic invader Aurangzeb after destroying the original Kashi Vishwanath temple. However, the remnants of the ancient Hindu temple can still be seen on the walls of the Gyanvapi Mosque. The temple was an earlier restoration of the original Kashi Vishwanath temple, which was destroyed and rebuilt several times in history. The current Kashi Vishwanath was built on a site near the Mosque in 1777 by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar.

A plea was filed by five Delhi-based women seeking permission to perform daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are located on the outer wall of Gyanvapi Mosque. The court-appointed a committee to survey and videography of basements in the Gyanvapi-Gauri Shringar complex. Following the survey, reports of a Shivling being present in the wuzukhana of the mosque came out.

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Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu finally surrenders, heads to Patiala jail

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu finally surrenders, heads to Patiala jail

Congress leader and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has finally surrendered in the road rage case where he was sentenced to 1-year imprisonment. Sidhu will be lodged in Patiala jail during the course of his imprisonment.

Navjot Singh Sidhu surrendered before Patiala chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Amit Malhan on Friday after he was given a 1-year prison sentence by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road rage case when he caused the death of an elderly person named Gurnam Singh

Earlier, Sidhu had tried to seek more time to surrender on medical grounds, but his plea was not entertained by the Supreme Court.

Sidhu road rage case

On December 27, 1988, Sidhu and one of his friends had beaten Patiala resident Gurnam Singh for allegedly blocking his vehicle. While Gurnam Singh was taken to a hospital, he was declared dead. Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu were booked in the case.

In 1999, the Patiala district and sessions court acquitted them citing a lack of evidence. The state govt had appealed against it, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court found them guilty in 2006 and had awarded them a three-year jail term. In 2007, the Supreme Court had stayed the conviction on Sidhu’s appeal, and in 2018, the apex court had reduced the term to a Rs 1000 fine, while Sandhu was acquitted.

However, after a plea in the Supreme Court, Sidhu’s punishment was enhanced to 1-year imprisonment.

Gyanvapi case: ‘Diamond was embedded in the Shivling found in the structure, extracted after possession’, says lawyer of the Hindu side

OpIndia Staff
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Gyanvapi case: ‘Diamond was embedded in the Shivling found in the structure, extracted after possession’, says lawyer of the Hindu side

As the Gyanvapi case is heard by the Supreme Court and Varanasi court, advocate Hari Shankar Jain representing the Hindu side in this case has come up with a new claim about the Shivling found in the Wazukhana of the so-called mosque erected at the disputed site of the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi. Advocate Hari Shankar Jain, while speaking with news channel Aaj Tak, said that the Shivling found in Varanasi was originally studded with a diamond which was removed after occupation. He said that because of this reason the upper part of the Shivling shows cracks.

Hari Shankar Jain said, “I have submitted a 274-page document along with evidence to the Supreme Court, on the basis of which the hearing will be held today. In this document, there is information on what is Kashi, and what is the importance of Kashi. Kashi is a religious city that was settled by Lord Shiva. It is mentioned in the Puranas and Scriptures.”

He further said, “I have told the court how Aurangzeb came and destroyed the temple. However, he could not demolish it completely and the servants in the temple continued the Puja rituals.” Hari Shankar Jain also said that on the western wall of the mosque there are artistic inscriptions that are usually seen in temples.

The lawyer of the Hindu side in this case further said, “The dome is placed just above the old temple. We have also reported about the dome, below it is the crest of the temple. I also have a picture of it. According to my information, on top of the original Shivling, which was there, there was a place to keep diamonds. The talks going on about it being a fountain is a matter of fooling people. There is a place to keep diamonds on top of the Shivling, from where the diamonds are missing and it is a complete Shivling.”

On Friday 20th May 2022, the Supreme Court of India refused to strike down the Varanasi court’s orders to do a survey of the disputed structure of Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the subsequent orders to seal parts of the structure after Hindu symbols including a Shivling was discovered in the survey. The court said that its order in the case will continue, which included the sealing of the Wazukhana on the premises, which reportedly contains the Shivling. The status quo is to be maintained till the case is heard by the local courts.

‘Gyanvapi not a mosque, property vests with deity Adi Vishweshwar since time immemorial’: Hindu side in SC

OpIndia Staff
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‘Gyanvapi not a mosque, property vests with deity Adi Vishweshwar since time immemorial’: Hindu side in SC

Rakhi Singh and others, representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi controversy, have filed a reply in the Supreme Court outlining all of the facts justifying the temple’s existence at the Gyanvapi edifice site. The reply was filed in response to the Masjid Committee’s special leave petition challenging the Civil Court’s orders for a survey and sealing of the mosque premises. According to the submissions, the property has belonged to Adi Vishweshwar for centuries, even before the Islamic rule in India, and hence the deity’s property cannot be handed to anybody.

In the reply submitted on behalf of the plaintiffs by Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, it is claimed that the property is vested in the deity Lord Adi Vishweshwar and that Gyanvapi is not a mosque since Aurangazeb did not form a Waqf by dedicating the property. According to legend, the property had belonged to Adi Vishweshwar for thousands of years and was forcibly removed by Aurangazeb.

As stated in the reply, “The property in question does not belong to any Waqf. The property had already vested in deity Adi Vishweshwar lakhs of years before the start of the British Calendar year and is continuing to be the property of the deity. No Waqf can be created on the land already vesting in a deity. In the historical books written during the Mughal regime and thereafter even Muslim historians have not claimed that Aurangzeb after demolishing the temple structure of Adi Vishweshwara had created any Waqf or thereafter any member of the Muslim community or Ruler was dedicated such property to Waqf.”

“The alleged Gayanvapi Mosque is only a structure and same cannot be regarded as Mosque. Another aspect is that the disputed construction has not been erected over any Waqf property. The principle Waqf by the user cannot be applicable as the alleged Gyanvapi Mosque was constructed after demolishing a Hindu temple in 1669 at the same very place and the date of construction of the alleged Mosque is well known,” the reply further maintained.

“A Waqf can be created only on the land dedicated to Waqf by wakif who is the owner of the land. In the instant case, it is clear that from the time memorial the land and property belong to the deity and therefore there can be no Mosque there”, the reply mentions. It is asserted that a structure built on the site of a temple under the authority of any Muslim king or by any Muslim cannot be considered a mosque.

The reply asserted that in this case, “Aurangzeb did not create any Waqf and did not bequeath the property in question to the God. Therefore, the construction in question cannot be even presumed to be a mosque.” As a result, the property in question continues to be a Hindu place of worship. It is contended by the Hindu side that the religious character of the property has always been that of a Hindu temple and that it can never be interpreted as a mosque, therefore, the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991 is not applicable because the lawsuits have no intention of changing the religious character of the place.

The response further mentions that remains of the Hindu temple may be seen on the walls of the disputed Gyanvapi structure, which stands on the site of the demolished original Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It further states that on December 30, 1810, the then-District Magistrate, Mr Watson, wrote to the President Council requesting that the Gyanvapi area be permanently given to Hindus.

The matter was heard today by the Supreme Court, which reassigned the Gyanvapi dispute case from the Varanasi civil court to the Varanasi district court. Given the intricacies of the case and the sensitive issues involved, a three-judge bench comprised of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and PS Narasimha stated that the matter should be handled by a senior and experienced judge.

The court went on to say that under the Places of Worship Act of 1991, there is no prohibition on determining a place’s religious character. The bench further stated that there are certain intricacies of the Act that will be considered further.

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