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‘Jab kutte pe sassa aaya, tab Badshah ne shehar basaya’: Read the fascinating trivia about Ahmedabad on its 610th Foundation Day

OpIndia Staff
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‘Jab kutte pe sassa aaya, tab Badshah ne shehar basaya’: Read the fascinating trivia about Ahmedabad on its 610th Foundation Day

Interspersed by towering minarets with delicate carvings, beautiful and elegant temples, iconic gates, and over 2600 heritage sites and two dozens of ASI protected monuments and sites, the Walled City of Ahmedabad is celebrating its 610th Foundation Day on 26 February 2021.

Ahmedabad is the biggest city of Gujarat and is located on the banks of the Sabarmati river, 32 KMs from the state capital Gandhinagar. The city earned its nickname as the ‘Manchester of the East’ after it established itself as the home of a booming textile industry. The city also houses the well-known Sabarmati ashram, one of the many residences of Mahatma Gandhi.

The contemporary city of Ahmedabad is most famously known for the magnificent Sabarmati riverfront, the Akshardham temple and most recently, for the Narendra Modi stadium that holds a unique feat of being the largest cricket stadium in the world and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

Sultan Ahmed Shah founded the city on 26 February 1411 AD

The city was founded on 26 February 1411 AD by Sultan Ahmed Shah after a seer, Manek Nath advised the city’s founder to begin the construction of Manek Burj. According to popular folklore, Sultan Ahmed Shah saw a hare (large rabbit) chasing a dog while camping on the banks of the Sabarmati River. Impressed by the act of hare’s bravery, he decided to locate his capital here. He named the city ‘Ahmedabad”. This incident is popularly described in a saying in Hindi: “Jab kutte pe sassa aaya, tab Badshah ne shehar basaya” which means seeing the hare chasing the dog, the Emperor built the City.

However, the city is also known as Amdavad and Karnavati. Though Ahmed Shah laid the foundation stone of the city in the 15th century, archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Ahmedabad was inhabited since the 11th century when it was known as Ashaval (or Ashapalli). According to some accounts, King Karandev I, the Solanki ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), fought a successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval and established a city called Karnavati located at Maninagar close to the river Sabarmati.

The resilience of Ahmedabad: From weathering Mughal atrocities to outliving British depredations

Soon after it was established as a Sultanate city, Akbar conquered it in 1572 and transformed it into a Mughal state. The infamous Mughal ruler Aurangzeb had served as the Governor of the Mughal state before revolting against his father Shah Jahan and ascending the throne of Delhi. The city, which spreads over 5.43 square kilometre, is remarkably resilient and is known for weathering many plunderers, wars, and cruel regimes, including the governorship of Aurangzeb, known for being particularly violent against his non-Muslim subjects.

As the Mughal rule in the country weakened, the city was among the first places in the country to bear the brunt of the ensuing political uncertainty. Around 1757, the city was divided into two—with Gaikwads ruling one half and the Peshwas controlling the other half. In the early nineteenth century, the city fell under the rule of the British regime. In the meanwhile, the city continued to spread, attracting people from nearby towns and villages. After India gained independence, Ahmedabad became one of the important centres of trade in the country.

Ahmedabad accorded with the “World Heritage City” by UNESCO in 2017

In 2017, the unique heritage that Ahmedabad represents was recognised by UNESCO, who accorded it with the “World Heritage City” title. The 5.5 km walled city area with an approximate population of four lakh living in century-old wooden residences in around 600 pols or neighbourhoods is regarded as living heritage and the UNESCO had preferred Ahmedabad’s entry over Delhi and Mumbai, the country’s two main metro cities. With that, Ahmedabad became the first Indian city to be granted the title of “World Heritage City”.

Our govt has freed over 67,000 acres of land from clutches of land mafia since 2017: CM Yogi Adityanath

OpIndia Staff
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Our govt has freed over 67,000 acres of land from clutches of land mafia since 2017: CM Yogi Adityanath

In his address to the Uttar Pradesh legislative council on Tuesday, 23 February, CM Yogi Adityanath informed that his government has freed up over 67,000 acres of government land from the clutches of land mafia in the state after it came to power in 2017.

As per reports, CM Yogi was replying to a question raised by MLC Suresh Kumar Tripathi. UP CM Yogi Adityanath stated, “After this government was formed in 2017, an anti-land mafia task force was constructed to free public and private land that was grabbed by mafias under the patronage of those in power and using various tricks. The task force has so far freed up over 67,000 acres of land of the revenue department.”

CM Yogi hinted that the recovered land will be utilised to develop sports grounds in the state for children and youth. He further added, “Priority has been given to sports grounds, whether it is under the sports department, the youth welfare department or under MGNREGA. Our effort is that sports grounds should be made in rural areas at the Panchayat level. If the land is found near primary or upper primary schools, then children will get space for themselves and villagers will also get space for holding public programmes.”

CM Yogi further stated that district magistrates have been instructed to exchange land if needed. “Thousands of village Panchayats have got sports grounds so far”, the CM said.

Yogi govt goes after land mafia

Immediately after assuming power in the state, the Yogi government has been cracking down on the land mafia in the state. Many of the so-called land mafias have been political leaders themselves or connected to political parties. Bulldozers and earthmovers demolishing illegal buildings have become a common sight in the state.

The UP government had demolished illegal structures constructed by MP Azam Khan in Rampur and other areas. Hundreds of acres of land originally owned by private citizens, poor farmers and the government had been occupied by politically powerful goons in the state that had been recovered. The government had taken back the Jauhar University land that was illegally occupied by Azam Khan’s family.

Hundreds of acres of lands occupied by mafia dons like Mukhtar Ansari, Vikas Dubey, several MLAs and self-proclaimed religious preachers have been taken back under government possession in the state.

Rahul Gandhi lies about India clearing millions of dollars of Chinese FDI after a 9-month freeze: Here are the exclusive details

Nupur J Sharma
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Rahul Gandhi lies about India clearing millions of dollars of Chinese FDI after a 9-month freeze: Here are the exclusive details

Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have been rabble-rousing about China for a long time. As India and China started to disengage at Pangong Tso, one of the locations for the stand-off between the two countries, Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to spread fake news yet again. On the 25th of February, Rahul Gandhi shared a media report on Twitter that relied solely on sources, to claim that after a 9 month-long freeze, India had started clearing FDI from China.

The report shared by Rahul Gandhi was a Times of India report written by two ‘journalists’ called Surojit Gupta and Sidharta. The report essentially came that in the backdrop of easing tensions between India and China at Pangong Tso, India had decided to start clearing FDI proposals from China that had been pending for the past 9 months since the tensions began with China.

The Times of India report shared by Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government of India has decided to start clearing FDI from China after tensions eased at Pangong Tso. The report, relying solely on ‘sources’, claimed that the government will be clearing FDI proposals on a ‘case to case basis’ and that the smaller proposals would be cleared before the larger ones are considered.

In fact, the report went as far as to say that over the last few weeks, the clearing of proposals has already started. Another report in Reuters on similar lines claimed that 45 such proposals were to be cleared by the Modi government. Reuters claimed that about 150 investment proposals from China worth more than $2 billion were stuck in the pipeline and the 45 proposals that are set to be cleared are from the manufacturing sector.

The Reuters report published by Economic Times claimed that two of the 45 proposals passed were that of the Great Wall and SAIC.

Rahul Gandhi lies about India clearing Chinese FDI when only 3 proposals have been cleared, none of them, of a Chinese company: Details
Reuters report published by Economic Times

The Reuters report claimed that Great Wall and General Motors had made a proposal seeking consent for the Chinese makers to purchase the US plant in India. The value according to Reuters was upto $300 million. It quoted similar figures for SAIC alluding that a proposal for pending for millions of dollars. According to Reuters, these two proposals were passed by the government of India – which would made the FDI from China just in these two proposals well above $500 million. However, as we demonstrate further, not one fact reported by the Reuters is factually correct.

Is the Modi govt clearing FDI proposals from China? The great lie by Reuters, Times of India and Rahul Gandhi

Sources have told OpIndia that no such FDI proposal by China is being cleared by the government. Government officials said that there has been no change in their position with respect to FDI from China and the government will not be changing the rules abruptly, given the Chinese aggression in Ladakh and India’s position thereof.

Further, OpIndia was told that only 3 FDI proposals have been cleared, two out of the three proposals are from companies of Japan and one is a proposal from a non-resident Indian group.

Detailing the three proposals, OpIndia learnt that one of the three proposals passed is that of Nippon Paints that has its headquarter in Japan. The investors proposing FDI are Nippon Paint Holdings Co. Ltd, Japan (Nippon Japan) which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Nipsea International Limited, Hong Kong. Nipsea International Limited is a 100% subsidiary of Nipsea Holdings International Limited whose ultimate beneficial owners are the Goh family (citizens of Singapore, Netherlands and Australia), and Fraser (HK) Limited, Hong Kong.

The Japanese company intends to invest in Nippon Paint (India) Private Limited engaged in the manufacture and trade of paints, varnishes, Berger Nippon Paint Automotive Coatings Private Limited engaged in the manufacture of automotive paints and Noroo Bee Automotive Coatings India Private Limited engaged in manufacture and trade of industrial paints, pigments and related products. In this transaction, no direct investment was proposed, in fact, it was a proposal for the increase or acquisition of shareholding.

The second proposal passed is that of Citizen Watches (HK) Ltd. Hong Kong which is 100% held by Citizen Watches Company Limited, Japan (a company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange). The company that the Japanese company proposes to invest in is Citizen Watches (India) Private Limited, Bangalore. Citizen Watches Hong Kong (owned by Japan company) currently holds 98.91% in Citizen Watches India and post the investment, this will increase to 99.38%. Other shareholders in Citizen Watches India are Doshi Time Industries Private Limited, an Indian entity (holding 0.62% after current FDI) and Tadahiro Suzuki, a Japanese national resident in India (holding 1 share). According to the proposal, The investment funds are proposed to be utilized for working capital requirements as operations of Citizen Watches India has been impacted by Covid 19. The amount of investment is proposed to be Rs 28.1 crores (2.81 crore shares proposed to be issued at Rs 10 per share face value).

The third proposal that has been passed by the government of India is that of Netplay Sports Private Limited. The foreign investors, in this case, include Allshores Capital Limited, Hong Kong, owned by 2 NRIs, Sandeep Singh and Ashwin Mehta; and Rajeev Leekha, also an NRI. The company itself is involved in sports, amusement and recreation activities. The investee company, which is Netplay Sports Private Limited (Netplay India), Hyderabad, has set up a chain of sports facilities for badminton, basketball, football and with the proposed investment fund, 4 more sports centres were proposed to be opened. The total investment, in this case, is that of Rs 1.5 crores where 4,225 Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (face value of Rs 10) are proposed to be issued at a premium of Rs 3,450 per CCPS.

Essentially, the entire value of the three proposals passed by the government combined is that of about Rs 30 crores. The value of the Netplay Sports Private Limited proposal is that of Rs 1.5 crores, the value of the Citizen Watches proposal is Rs 28.1 crores and the Nippon Paint proposal is about the restructuring of the company and thus, there is no specific inflow involved. For three proposals that value a total of Rs 30 crores, the media concocted a lie that 45 projects worth millions were being passed by the Modi government. Also, as is clear from the details, the proposals passed pertain to Japanese companies and no FDI proposal by China has been passed.

Therefore, it appears that Reuters and the Times of India peddled source-based news about India clearing 45 projects worth millions of dollars of FDI from China (about $500 million only by two companies) and that lie, was further peddled by Rahul Gandhi to muddy the waters and target the Modi government. However, the truth is that no China FDI has been cleared by the government. Only three proposals as detailed above have been cleared, that too from 2 Japanese companies and one NRI based company, and the total value of these proposals is a mere Rs 30 crores.

China forces US diplomats to undergo anal swab tests, Biden administration calls it undignified: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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China forces US diplomats to undergo anal swab tests, Biden administration calls it undignified: Reports

On Thursday, the Chinese government promised the United States government that they will stop carrying out anal swab tests on US diplomats to test for Covid-19 after Washington complained that such practices were ‘undignified’, as per reports.

According to reports in US media, the US State Department had protested with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday after the Chinese authorities had subjected US diplomats to anal swab tests for Covid-19.

The authorities in a few Chinese provinces have been ordering anal swabs for people under quarantine, including travellers from abroad. China has now reportedly enforced anal swab tests for Covid-19 as they think throat or nasal swabs can miss infections.

China’s National Health Commission has contended that the coronavirus can be more readily detected in anal samples than in throat and nasal samples as traces of the virus stay in the faecal matter for a longer time than that in the respiratory tract.

However, It is not clear how many US diplomats or their family members were subjected to such tests. 

Anal swab tests were done on US diplomats by mistake

As per reports, the US State Department spokesperson had said that they were committed to guaranteeing the safety and security of American diplomats and their families while ‘preserving their dignity’, consistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, as well as other relevant diplomatic law provisions.

A report in Vice quoted a US State Department official as saying, “The State Department never agreed to this kind of testing and protested directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when we learned that some staff were subject to it”.

Initially, China denied carrying out such tests on the US diplomats. Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also said that he had checked with his colleagues and said China has never asked US diplomats stationed in China to have anal swab tests.

However, the Chinese authorities later acknowledged carrying out such tests and assured that they would not be using anal swabs on American diplomats to test for COVID-19 in the future. The spokesperson insisted that Beijing has promised the US government that the tests were given “in error” and that diplomatic personnel were exempt from the test, which was mandatory for incoming travellers in some parts of China.

“We have instructed staff to decline this test if it is asked of them, as was done in the past,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Tipu Sultan pretended to be Satish Rai to try and marry, convert a 19-year-old, was nabbed because of alert villagers: Read what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Tipu Sultan pretended to be Satish Rai to try and marry, convert a 19-year-old, was nabbed because of alert villagers: Read what happened

A married Muslim man has been arrested by the Masanjore police on Wednesday, for faking his identity and trying to lure a Hindu girl to marry him, and convert her to Islam. Tipu Sultan has been booked under Section 417 of the IPC for ‘cheating’ and section 376 of IPC which pertains to rape since Jharkhand has no law to curb the menace of Grooming Jihad.

30-year-old Tipu Sultan originally hails from Dhawan Rampur village under the jurisdiction of Palajori police station of Deoghar district in Jharkhand but had pretended to be Satish Rai of Dhanbad while introducing himself to the 19-year-old girl belonging to Patsimla village under the jurisdiction of Masanjore police station of the district.

How Tipu Sultan pretended to be Satish Rai to lure a Hindu woman and what led to his arrest

Reportedly, Tipu Sultan, who was pretending to be a Hindu man called Satish Rai had introduced himself to the 19-year-old Hindu girl about 6 months ago at a local mall. Tipu Sultan has been married for the past 7 years and has 2 children.

The officer-in-charge of Masanjore police, Vijay Kumar Singh, said that the Hindu girl belonged to a marginal family and Tipu Sultan, who was pretending to be Satish Rai introduced himself as a bachelor. He claimed that he was a petrol pump owner and a Horlicks dealer to lure the girl. “He posed as a petrol pump owner and to be Horlicks dealer in a bid to influence the girl who otherwise belongs to a marginal family”, Vijay Kumar Singh is quoted as saying in a report by ewoke.

3 months ago, the police said, Tipu Sultan got into a physical relationship with the Hindu girl and recently, reached her village to marry her. However, alert villagers got suspicious since he had reached the village all by himself to solemnise the marriage. The villagers then asked Tipu Sultan to produce some identification. When he failed to do so, the police was called.

“Further, the accused failed to produce his Aadhaar card or any other document to prove his identity. Police were summoned, leading to his arrest after verification of his original credential to be a Muslim and a native of Palajori police station of Deoghar district”, said Vijay Kumar Singh.

The police then filed an FIR based on the complaint by the girl and took Tipu Sultan, alias Satish Rai, into custody.

Grooming Jihad- an extremely deep-seated phenomenon gaining a foothold in India

This is, however, not the only case in which a Muslim faked his identity as a Hindu to lure innocent and vulnerable girls. Over the years, several victims of Grooming Jihad have come forward with their stories. Their horrifying experiences include being deceived into a relationship or marriage by a Muslim boy disguised under a Hindu name, who only revealed later that he is a Muslim and forced the woman to convert. The pressurising tactics mostly include threatening to make viral their intimate photographs and videos, isolating the victim from her family, boy’s family members ganging up against the woman, beatings or threatening them with physical assault, force-feeding beef, insulting Hinduism and Hindus etc.

Though this phenomenon is long-established and extremely deep-seated, the year 2020 has seen many states not only acknowledging the occurrences but also enacting laws to curb the menace of Grooming Jihad. This includes many BJP ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

Did Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan elope with her Hindu servant? Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Did Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan elope with her Hindu servant? Here is the truth

Over the past few days, a picture of controversial Bollywood actor Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan with a young man has gone viral on the internet. Adorned with a saffron saree, Ira Khan was seen embracing a Tilak-carrying guy.

As these images went viral on the internet, fans of Aamir Khan could not control their excitement and went on to make several assertions about their relationship. Social media users claimed that the guy spotted in the green shirt was a Hindu servant of Aamir Khan, who has now run away with the actor’s daughter.

A user named Udharam alleged that Aamir Khan, who has a history of looking down on Hindus as inferior people, had employed a Hindu servant for his daughter Ira Khan. However, his daughter has now eloped a Hindu guy, claimed the social media user.

Another user also said that he has come to know that Ira Khan has fallen in love with a ‘Sanghi’ servant. Jeenal Patel, a social media user, said justice has been delivered for Aamir Khan as his daughter elopes a Sanghi man.

Anita Singh took to social media to claim that Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan has run away with their Hindu servant. She continued saying that it was good to know that Ira Khan has now been rescued from the barbaric Islamic practice of Halala and hoped that the same happened to the Muslim sisters of the country.

A few Twitter users, too shared the same images to claim that Ira Khan had eloped her Hindu servant. A user Deepak Sharma said that Aamir Khan used to hire Hindu servants to humiliate Hindus, however, the same Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan has now eloped with his own Hindu servant.

Another user, pointing out the same, Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan absconds with her Hindu minion and took dig at Aamir Khan’s wife Kiran Khan Rao saying she might feel intolerance in the country again.

However, the claims of Ira Khan eloping with a Hindu servant of Aamir Khan are not true.

Fact Check

The above image of Ira Khan was first shared by a person named Nupur Shikare on Instagram on the occasion of Deepavali last year. The person standing next to Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan in the viral image is Nupur Shikare, who is her fitness trainer.

Sharing the viral photo on social media on 17 November 2020, Nupur wrote, “Because we like to dress up and smile, Happy Diwali!”

Nupur Shikare’s Instagram post

Last year, Nupur and Ira celebrated festivals like Christmas and Diwali together. Nupur had posted a picture of them on social media. It is also reported that Nupur Shikare was also the trainer of Ira’s father Aamir Khan.

Nupur Shikare is the founder of Fitnessism. He is also the personal trainer of Bollywood diva Sushmita Sen. The 24-year-old Ira Khan is the daughter of Aamir Khan and his ex-wife Reena Dutta.

There are rumours that Ira and Nupur started dating during the lockdown when he also trained her. Both Nupur Shikare and Ira Khan had shared videos and images of their training sessions on social media. Recently, there were reports that Iran Khan has confirmed that she is in a relationship with Nupur Shikare, her fitness trainer.

However, we could not find any media reports or substantial evidence to categorically say that Ira Khan has ‘eloped’ with Nupur Shikare. Nupur Shikare, though presumably a Hindu, is not a servant of Aamir Khan but is a professional fitness trainer. The social media users’ claim of Ira Khan running away with ‘Hindu Sanghi servant’ is not true.

Watch: BJP Party President JP Nadda gives his own spin to ‘Pawry Ho Rahi Hai’ meme at West Bengal rally

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: BJP Party President JP Nadda gives his own spin to ‘Pawry Ho Rahi Hai’ meme at West Bengal rally

Unless you have been living under a rock, the internet was taken by storm after a Pakistani artist Dananeer, also known as Geena. She posted a video of her having fun with her friends, and instantly, ‘#PawriHoRahiHai’ making a trending subject. Now, BJP Party President JP Nadda seems to have put his own spin on the ‘Pawri’ meme during a rally in West Bengal ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections.

Speaking in West Bengal, JP Nadda said, “Ye Bengal ki janta hai, ye hum sab hai, aur Bengal main parivartan ki tayyari ho rahi hai” (This is Bengal’s people, this is us, and in Bengal, people are getting ready for change).

The phrase used by JP Nadda was an interesting turn on the ‘Pawri Ho Rahi Hai’ trend that has taken social media by storm in the past few days.

As several on Twitter were left wondering whether the spin on the meme was actually intentional by the BJP President JP Nadda, the video posted by BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga is now going viral.

What is the ‘Pawri Ho Rahi Hai’ meme

Only a few days ago, Pakistani influencer and content creator Dananeer, also known as Geena, posted a video where she was seen having fun with her friends. Little did she know that her little video would turn into an internal meme. In the video, Dananeer is heard saying: “Yeh humari car hai, Yeh hum hain, aur yeh humari pawri ho rahi hai (This is our car, this is us and this is our party).”

Giving their own take to the last line, netizens in India have been posting hilarious takes on the video.

Hilariously, even Amul, known for their witty ads, released their spin on the meme.

In their latest cartoon, Amul posted their spin on the Pawri Ho Rahi Hai meme and spun it to ‘Pav Tea Ho Rahi Hai’.

‘His opinion less than objective and reliable, his conduct questionable’, says UK court about justice Markandey Katju in Nirav Modi extradition order

OpIndia Staff
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‘His opinion less than objective and reliable, his conduct questionable’, says UK court about justice Markandey Katju in Nirav Modi extradition order

On Thursday, an extradition court in the UK ordered that fugitive Nirav Modi will be extradited to India to face trial in the ₹14,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. The UK’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court also acknowledged that the diamantaire conspired to destroy evidence and intimidate witnesses, and said that he is “satisfied that there is evidence that Mr Modi could be convicted”. Dismissing pleas of poor condition of Indian jails, the judge said that Barrack 12 at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai is fit for Nirav Modi.

The Westminster Magistrates’ Court issued a detailed order, mentioning various arguments during the hearing, and giving reasons why he accepted or rejected those arguments. In the 83 page, the comments of the court on two individuals who had given statements as experts in defence of Nirav Modi stand out. Both of them are former judges in India, and the UK court made some very scathing remarks criticising their biased opinions, and rejected their contentions.

The first one is former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju, who had deposed before the UK court as an expert witness on Nirav Modi’s behalf. He had opposed the extradition plea of the Indian government saying that Modi would not get a free and fair trial in India. In a written statement submitted to the court, justice Katju had alleged that Modi was being subjected to a media trial in India, and had said that the judiciary in India was highly politicized and corrupt.

However, Judge Sam Gooze of Westminster Court discarded the comments made by Katju, and made some sharp observations against him. The UK judge said that he attached “little weight to Justice Katju’s expert opinion”, and said that despite being a former judge in Supreme Court of India, his opinion was “less than objective and reliable”.

The UK court also noted that “his evidence in Court appeared tinged with resentment towards former senior judicial colleagues.” The judge further said regarding Katju’s opinions, “it had hallmarks of an outspoken critic with his own personal agenda. I found his evidence and behaviour in engaging the media the day before giving evidence to be questionable for someone who served the Indian Judiciary at such a high level appointed to guard and protect the rule of law.”

The court was referring to Justice Katju going to the media before giving evidence in the court, calling it a questionable conduct. The judgement also reveals that during cross-questioning, Katju had admitted that he has not considered the evidence give by the court in the court.

The judge also strongly objected to certain comments the former Supreme Court judge made during the cross-examination, saying that “Justice Katju made some astonishing, inappropriate and grossly insensitive comparisons.” Katju had said that because the BJP cannot solve the economic crises it is just like “Hitler and the Jews”. He had said, “Nirav Modi is the Jew that must be blamed for all the problems in India”. But when he was challenged for such a comment, he had stated that he was not commenting on the merits of the case but, saying that Nirav Modi cannot get a fair trial in India under BJP.

Interestingly, the UK court judge also pointed out several contradictions in the comments and actions of Katju. He noted that while Katju was blaming trial by media in the case, he himself had gone to media before giving his statement to the court.

Kajtu had also brought up the matter of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi appointed as Rajya Sabha member, saying that it was done on a quid pro quo basis against a Supreme Court judgement, and asserted that it was an example of collusion and corruption. However, the UK court reminded that Katju had himself accepted government appointment after he was retired from the Supreme Court, as he was appointed as Chairman of the Press Council of India by the Indian government after his retirement.

During the trial, the Indian government’s lawyer Helen Malcom QC and Nicholas Heren quoted some outrageous comments Kajtu has made in the past. They mentioned how Katju had said “90% Indians are fools”, “gay relationships are humbug and non-sense”, “women who remain single are prone to psychological problems”, “50% of judges are corrupt” etc.

The Westminster Court in London also disregarded the opinion of Justice Abhay Thipsay, former judge of the Bombay High Court, saying that he “attach no weight to his opinions set out in his reports and in oral testimony.” Justice Thipsay had claimed that the case against Nirav Modi will fail in an Indian court, as it didn’t have any victim. He had claimed that “if the victim is not deceived, there would be no cheating”.

“There must have been a victim who has been deceived …But I cannot find anybody deceived by the issuing LOU”, the former high court judge had claimed. The Court also noted that the government of India had alleged that Thipsay’s comments were directed by the Congress party, as he had joined Congress after retirement. After Union Low Minister Ravi Shankar had criticised him for defending Nirav Modi in the UK Court, Thipsay had refused to give further evidence. As a result, the Court said that his evidence could not be subjected to scrutiny.

Rejecting the arguments supporting Nirav Modi, which were mostly based on alleged of corrupt system in India not ensuring fair trial, the court expressed confidence on Indian democracy. The court said, “India is governed by it written constitution which has at its core the fundamental principle of the independence of the judiciary by virtue of the separation of powers between judiciary, the executive and the legislature. There is no cogent or reliable evidence that the judiciary in India are no longer independent, or capable of managing a fair trial even where it is a high-profile fraud with significant media interest.”

‘Hindi filmmakers repeatedly insult Hindu Gods and Goddesses’: Remarks Allahabad HC rejecting bail of Amazon Prime’s Aparna Purohit in Tandav case

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hindi filmmakers repeatedly insult Hindu Gods and Goddesses’: Remarks Allahabad HC rejecting bail of Amazon Prime’s Aparna Purohit in Tandav case

Coming as a big set back for the makers and actors of the web series Tandav, a single-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court Thursday rejected an anticipatory bail application filed by Aparna Purohit, over a UP Police FIR in Noida against the makers of the web series ‘Tandav’. Aparna Purohit is the head of Amazon India’s creative development team and also the in-charge of the platform’s original web series. She has been accused of hurting religious sentiments by pushing anti-Hindu content and scenes mocking Hindu gods in the web series.

Making strong observations while rejecting Purohit’s anticipatory bail plea, Justice Siddharth said in a 20-page order: “Such People Make The Revered Figures Of Religion Of Majority Community Source Of Earning Money”.

The judge furthered: “Whenever such crimes are committed by some citizens of the country, like the applicant and her co-accused persons, and it is made the subject matter of demonstration and public protest, the forces inimical to the interest of this country become active and they make it an issue and raise it before different national and international forums alleging that the Indian citizens have become intolerant and ‘India’ has become an unsafe place to live.”

The order further said, “even in the liberal democracies of the West, it becomes a topic of debate and the Indian diplomacy has to face tough time protecting the interest of the country and assuring the international community that the protests made against such acts are stray and genuine and it is not mark of any intolerance in the country as a whole.”

Giving the reference of stand-up ‘comedian’ Munnawar Faruqui who was arrested by the Indore police and sent to judicial custody for passing indecent remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show in the city, the judge observed that for such people the revered figures of the Hindus are used as a source of income.

“Western filmmakers have refrained from ridiculing Lord Jesus or the Prophet, but Hindi filmmakers have done this repeatedly and still doing this most unabashedly with Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Things are worsening as is evident from the fact that an obscure stand-up comedian, Munawar Faruqui, from Gujarat made comments on Hindu God and Goddesses in a New Year show at Indore and gained undue publicity on being arrested in a case”.

Observations made by the Allahabad HC single judge bench while rejecting Aparna Purohit’s bail plea

The judge raised concerns about how this disturbing trend of mocking Hindu deities had passed from films to the comedy shows.

Furthering that the applicant (Aparna Purohit) had not been vigilant and acted irresponsibly making her open to criminal proceedings.

The court also commented on what it called a “growing tendency” on the part of the Hindi film industry to subvert the image of the figures revered by Hindus. “If not curbed in time, it may have disastrous consequences for the Indian social, religious and communal order”, observed the court, worrying about the adverse effect it would have on the younger generations which is not much aware of the social and cultural heritage of this country. It gradually starts believing what is shown in the movies by people like the accused persons in the present movie in dispute”, said Justice Siddharth while rejecting Aparna Purohit’s bail application.

Observations made by the Allahabad HC single judge bench while rejecting Aparna Purohit’s bail plea

It is important to note that Purohit has protection from arrest in a second, separate case filed by the police in Lucknow, and a different judge in the Allahabad High Court extended that protection till March 9 three days ago.

SC rejects anticipatory bail pleas of ‘Tandav’ makers asks to apply in concerned courts in the states

Last month, the Supreme Court bench, comprising of justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy, and MR Shah had also refused to grant any interim protection to the makers and actors of Tandav against FIRs filed in six different states. While delivering its verdict, the apex court had then stated that the makers have no liberty to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments. It had, however, permitted them to seek bail from concerned courts in the states where FIRs have been filed. 

Did the Congress party pay fishermen in Kerala Rs 30,000 to swim with Rahul Gandhi? What we know

OpIndia Staff
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Did the Congress party pay fishermen in Kerala Rs 30,000 to swim with Rahul Gandhi? What we know

On Wednesday, Congress leader and Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi took part in a fishing exercise in poll-bound Kerala’s Kollam district. During the exercise, Rahul Gandhi jumped into the sea along with fishermen as they cast their nets. However, now claims have emerged that it was a pre-planned drama and the fishermen were paid to play their parts in this.

Rahul Gandhi had reportedly spent around 10 minutes swimming in the sea with the fishermen. A few Congress party leaders had accompanied Rahul Gandhi to the sea. A PTI report had quoted a Congress leader as saying, “He (Rahul Gandhi) jumped from the boat when he saw some fishermen jumping into the sea after casting their net to catch fish. After coming to know from their fellow fishermen that their companions were adjusting the net underwater, Gandhi also jumped into the sea”.

However, the fishermen who witnessed Rahul Gandhi’s theatrics on Thursday has now made some sensational disclosure saying that the Congress party had staged the whole event and had paid Rs 30,000 to fishermen who accompanied him.

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘swimming’ event was staged, Congress party paid money to fishermen

According to a report from Deshabhimani, a Malayalam newspaper owned by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), two ‘sea farmers’ R Robin, who hails from Mothakkara and Biju Sebastian, a resident of Vaddy, were eyewitnesses to the fishing expedition of Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. Speaking to the media, the two fishermen said that the whole fishing expedition of Rahul Gandhi was nothing but a PR event and the ‘swimming in the sea’ theatrics of the Gandhi-scion was a pre-planned act.

Robin, who saw fishermen’s group leaving the shores from Kollam on Thursday with Rahul Gandhi, said the drama was staged, and they were paid Rs 30,000 to accompany Rahul Gandhi. Calling Rahul Gandhi a ‘good actor’, Robin narrated the sequence of events that followed on Wednesday when Rahul Gandhi decided to join fisherfolks at sea.

According to Robin, Rahul Gandhi did not join the fisherfolks for any fishing expedition at sea as they had already brought a load of fishes much before his arrival. Robin said Rahul Gandhi arrived at six in the morning and boarded the fishing boats. He said that fishing boats were already filled with the fishes. After spending two hours at sea, Rahul Gandhi returned to the shore. During his time at sea, Rahul Gandhi jumped into the sea along with a few other fishermen.

As per Robin, on an average day, it takes at least two and a half hours to undertake one side journey to the deep sea and to place their nets at specific fishing pockets. It takes at least four hours to fish on a normal day, said Robin contending that it was not possible for Rahul Gandhi to fish and return back in just a short span of time.

No sincerity in Rahul’s gesture, he mocked at us by jumping to sea: Fishermen, who accompanied Rahul Gandhi

Another fisherman Biju, confirming the same, said there was no sincerity in Rahul Gandhi’s gesture. If he had sincerity he should have been prepared to see the sufferings of the fishermen first hand, said Biju adding that fishermen usually jump into the water to prevent the fish from escaping from their nets.

When the fishermen were finding it tough to survive, Rahul mocked the fishermen community by jumping into the sea, lamented Biju. “Elections will come and go. Do not distort the truth. In five years, there will be nothing left for the benefit of the fishermen. And yet why this drama,” asked Biju Sebastian.

OpIndia could not independently verify the claims of the two fishermen. The Congress party is yet to react to the allegations.

Rahul Gandhi’s fishery ministry fiasco

The latest swimming’ fiasco of Rahul Gandhi comes just days after he was openly caught spreading lies about the country not having a separate fishing ministry. Not once but twice, Rahul Gandhi repeated the same lies by demanding for a separate fisheries ministry, despite being admonished last week by the Centre that India already has one.

On February 17, 2021, just days before the Congress government in Puducherry collapsed, Rahul Gandhi had promised to give the fishermen their own ‘ministry’ in Delhi. However, the Ministry of Fisheries – Giriraj Singh had to himself school the Gandhi-scion about the existence of a dedicated ministry for shipping.

Despite a rebuke from the centre the first time, Rahul Gandhi again peddled the same lies in Kerala saying he would strive to have a separate ministry for fisheries at the Centre.

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