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Coronavirus: Daily new cases show a perceptible decline as India registers highest ever recovery at over 1 lakh cases

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Daily new cases show a perceptible decline as India registers highest ever recovery at over 1 lakh cases

On Monday, India registered highest ever recovery at over 1 lakh cases against confirmed new cases of little below 75,000.

Coronavirus cases in India

In fact, if trends continue, India seems to have bent the curve.

Graph courtesy: worldometers.info

As one can see, since past few days, the daily recoveries are higher than daily new cases of coronavirus, thereby, the graph of active cases of coronavirus has curved.

As per data shared by Professor Shamika Ravi, the growth rate of active coronavirus cases in India has fallen to -0.3% for the first time. The negative growth rate is at a 7 day average and hence reduces the weekend effect of reduced testing.

7-day moving average of daily confirmed cases shows a perceptible decline.

India has currently registered a recovery of over 80%.

Daily active cases are also showing a continued decline along with a consistent upward trend in daily recoveries.

She further explained that nearly all major hotspot states in India have shown a considerable decline in daily new cases over last week.

While it is too soon to celebrate, if the trend continues, we can take a sigh of relief that the worst is behind us.

Chinese coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic that originated in Wuhan province of China has till now infected over 3 crore people worldwide and resulted in deaths of almost 10 lakh people. United States of America has been worst affected with highest positive cases recorded, followed by India and Brazil.

Al-Qaeda terrorists nabbed by NIA possessed explosives, had mobilised masses for anti-CAA violence in Murshidabad: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Al-Qaeda terrorists nabbed by NIA possessed explosives, had mobilised masses for anti-CAA violence in Murshidabad: Reports

Days after the National Investigative Agency (NIA) nabbed 9 Islamic terrorists linked to Pakistan-sponsored Al Qaeda from West Bengal and Kerala, several shocking revelations have come to light.

Citing NIA sources, ABP Ananda reported that the terrorists had travelled to Karnataka and Kerala as migrant workers in 2019 where they came in contact with Al-Qaeda handlers. Besides, three terrorists had also travelled to Delhi to work as migrant labourers.

The NIA investigators have informed that during December last year, at least 6 of the Al-Qaeda terrorists were stationed in Murshidabad. They had participated in Anti-CAA violence and mobilised masses to hit the streets. The central investigative agency has also recovered laptops from the terrorists that contained inciteful videos to brainwash the youth.

Al-Qaeda terrorist shared pro-Pak posts, explosives recovered

The National Investigative Agency has informed that one of the terrorists, namely Leu Yean Ahmed had shared pro-Pakistan posts on his Facebook timeline. He had also lamented the killing of Iranian major General, Qasem Soleimani, at the hands of the US forces. The central investigative agency has also recovered chocolate bombs from the accused who were conspiring to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Terrorists had a ‘secret’ meeting prior to their arrest

It has also come to light that the apprehended terrorists had organised a secret meeting before they were nabbed by the NIA. The said meeting took place at the residence of fellow Al-Qaeda terrorist, Al-Mamun Kamal and lasted for 1.5-2 hours. The Central investigative agency is yet to ascertain the objective of the meeting and the number of times such meetings have been held in the past. The NIA had tracked their GPS locations and closed in on the area. Even though the meeting was concluded by then, the investigative officials were able to hunt them down using their GPS location.

NIA launches manhunt for absconding terrorist

The NIA has also launched a man-hunt to nab one Mamu Ansari. He had been on the run from the law enforcement authorities. On Monday, raids were conducted at several locations, including the residence of his relatives. The terrorists were escorted to the National Capital on Monday and will be produced before the Patiala High Court today. As per international protocols, not more than two terrorists connected to a globally banned extremist group can be taken together. Hence, the apprehended terrorists were brought to Delhi in separate flights. The NIA has sought 14 days custody of the Al-Qaeda terrorists before the Court.

NIA nabs 9 Al-Qaeda terrorists

The National Investigation Agency had arrested nine terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda from Murshidabad in West Bengal and from Ernakulam in Kerala on Friday. The officials also seized some digital devices and documents. The arrested terrorists have been identified as Murshid Hasan, Iyakub Biswas, Mosaraf Hossein, Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal, Atitur Rehman. Al Qaeda was founded in the 1980s by Osama Bin Laden and is an Islamic terrorist organisation that has been responsible for carrying out several terrorist attacks all around the world.

“Mujhe darr lag raha hai, mujhe maar denge”: Sushant Singh Rajput’s SOS five days before his death

OpIndia Staff
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“Mujhe darr lag raha hai, mujhe maar denge”: Sushant Singh Rajput’s SOS five days before his death

Five days before his untimely death on 14th June 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput had reportedly written to his family expressing fear to his life and safety. As per reports, he had messaged his sister Meetu Singh on 9th June. His former manager, Disha Salian, was also found dead under mysterious circumstances on 8th June, 2020. Both the deaths were at that time alleged to be suicides but now investigation is being carried to to see if they were murders.

In the SMS that Sushant sent to his sister Meetu, he wrote, “Mujhe darr lag raha hai, mujhe maar denge (I am scared, I think they will kill me)”. He had further written to her that he has been trying to get in touch with Rhea who had not been responding. He had said that it is very urgent that he speaks to Rhea as he was afraid he may be implicated in something.

Disha Salian and Sushant Singh Rajput death

Recently, a sensational new information had come to light where an eyewitness had told News Nation that Disha Salian was gang-raped by 4 men in the party which she attended on the eve of her death on June 8. The eyewitness confirmed that there were a total of 6 people in the party, including Disha Salian’s fiance Rohan Rai. He has since been away from Mumbai. However, India Today report suggests he is now back in Mumbai and met investigating officials as well.

‘Maal you have?’ Deepika Padukone’s name emerges in the Bollywood drug abuse probe as NCB investigation intensifies

OpIndia Staff
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‘Maal you have?’ Deepika Padukone’s name emerges in the Bollywood drug abuse probe as NCB investigation intensifies

In a sensational revelation, Bollywood’s top actress Deepika Padukone’s name has emerged in the latest drug abuse probe carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). WhatsApp conversations have reportedly gone viral where the actress is allegedly asking for hash (or hashish, drug made from cannabis plant) from a certain person named ‘K’, who many believe is her manager, Karishma Prakash.

Prakash has now been summoned by the NCB for questioning. The update comes after Rhea Chakraborty’s talent manager Jaya Saha’s name appeared in some of the text messages with the former. As reported by Republic, both, ‘D’ and ‘K’ were part of WhatsApp group discussing drugs. Republic has confirmed that the ‘D’ in drugs chat is Deepika Padukone.

As per Republic, the conversation on 28th October, 2017 went something like this:

10:03 AM (+91-992——-) ‘D’ (believed to be Deepika): K…Maal you have?

10:05 AM (+91-961——-) ‘K’: I have but at home. I am at Bandra…

10:05, K: I can ask Amit if you want

10:07, Deepika: Yes!! Pllleeeeasssee

10:08, K: Amit has. He’s carrying it

10:12, Deepika: Hash na?

10:12, Deepika: Not weed

10:14, K: What time are you coming to Koko

10:15: Deepika: 1130/12ish

10:15: Deepika: Till what time is Shal there?

K: I think she said 11:30 because she needs to at the other place at 12

Another conversation between ‘N’ and ‘J’, accessed by Times Now, two people are reportedly discussing procurement of MDMA, the banned drug.

As per the chats, N messaged J, “You promised me, get me some nice MD (apparently referring to MDMA) in Bombay and we will party together.”

To which, J replied, “How you are making me into a peddler. However, your wish is my command.”

In another WhatsApp exchanges, J messaged ‘S’, “Hello, I’m sending the CBD oil with Jinal today.” To which, S said, “Thank you.”

‘N’ and ‘S’ are believed to be top Bollywood actresses while ‘J’ is believed to be Jaya Saha.

Jaya Saha’s name had appeared during interrogation of Rhea Chakraborty where talking to Rhea on November 25, 2019, Jaya had advised, “Use 4 drops in tea or water and let him (presumably Sushant Singh Rajput) sip it… Give it 30-40 minutes to kick in”. Thank you so much,” Rhea had texted Jaya Saha. To that, Jaya had replied to Rhea saying “No problem bro, hope it helps”.

Rhea was arrested on 9th September and is currently lodged in Byculla jail.

Drug-link up

Karishma Prasad and Jaya Saha worked with KWAN Talent Management Agency in Mumbai which was co-founded by film producer Madhu Mantena Varma. He was earlier married to fashion designer Masaba Gupta and Bollywood actress Nandana Sen, daughter of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. He also co-founded Phantom Films with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap along with Vikas Bahl and Vikramaditya Motwane. Phantom Films was dissolved after October 2018 #MeToo allegations on Vikas Bahl where he was accused of sexually harassing an actress. Recently, Anurag Kashyap, too, was accused of sexually assaulting an actress, Payal Ghosh.

Even as Pune continues to suffer from the Coronavirus crisis, jumbo covid centres still operating at 50 per cent capacity

OpIndia Staff
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Even as Pune continues to suffer from the Coronavirus crisis, jumbo covid centres still operating at 50 per cent capacity

Pune is amidst the throes of a raging coronavirus outbreak, with the total number of caseloads in the district crossing the 2.6 lakh mark. 2580 new cases were reported on Monday with 42 more deceased due to the virus, taking the death toll to 5306.

However, despite being smaller than many other cities in the country and having substantially lower population than Mumbai and Delhi, Pune’s emergence as the newest and the most potent coronavirus hotspot raised questions on the state government’s ability to contain the virus.

The state apathy towards taming the virus in Pune was also highlighted by BJP MLA Siddharth Shirole in August this month, who had remarked that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was not dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in Pune in a professional manner, leading to a meteoric rise in the number of cases.

Now, the details received by OpIndia confirm the allegations levelled by Siddharth Shirole against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The details reveal that the medical facilities in Pune remain woefully underutilised even as patients and hospitals in the city grapple with the paucity of medical equipment, ventilators and beds.

Jumbo covid facilities in Maharashtra remain woefully underutilised

After months of persuasion and persistent requests, the Maharashtra government had agreed to build JUMBO COVID hospitals, with the view to provide medical facilities to the sick and contain the spread of the virus. The hospitals were inaugurated by CM Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar via video conference on August 23 and 25.

A total of 1914 beds (critical care ICU + Ventilators) were launched with pomp and celebrations almost a month back. However, the hospitals have not been operating on its original capacity. Within the first week of its operation, the original medical care contractor was dismissed, and the responsibility of managing the health facilities was pushed on the ill-prepared Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). But this is not the worst part. Despite having the capacity of 1914 beds, the facility is operating at approximately 50 per cent of its original potential, even after a month since its start.

Here are the utilisation numbers of the JUMBO hospitals launched in August:-

  • COEP Ground, PMC – 330 ( 41% of the total capacity of 800 )( 270 Oxygen,  30 ICU w/o Ventilator, 20 ICU with Ventilator )
  • Aundh-Baner DCH, PMC – 227 ( 65% of the total capacity of 350 )( 200 Oxygen,  19 ICU w/o Ventilator, 8 ICU with Ventilator )
  • Magar Stadium, PCMC  – 500(62.5% of the total capacity of 800)( 450 Oxygen, 30 ICU w/o Ventilator, 20 ICU with Ventilator )Total Ventilators Currently Available in Pune – PMC ( including all other Govt and Private Hospitals )

Even when Pune has emerged as the worst-hit from the coronavirus outbreak, the state government has not utilised the medical facilities to its true potential. Patients suffering from serious complications induced by the virus are being turned away, citing overcapacity and lack of medical equipment, ventilators and beds necessary for their treatment.

The failure to suppress the escalating coronavirus cases in Pune, and subsequently, its incompetence in utilising the health infrastructure to its optimum capacity to provide medical attention to the needy is a scathing indictment of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s bungled handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Far from devoting time, resources, and energies in building and utilising the health capacities in Pune, the state government was more interested in fighting to prevent the CBI from assuming the investigation of the Sushant Singh Rajput’s death and meting out retribution on actor Kangana for her critical remarks against them.

BJP MLA Siddharth Shirole’s intervention led to the creation of dedicated coronavirus facilities in Pune

It is pertinent to note that it was BJP MLA Siddharth Shirole’s intervention that had led to the establishment of two of the jumbo coronavirus centres, an 800-bed-facility each at Pune and PCMC. With private facilities already stretched and also being used for non-COVID related cases, Shirole had fought hard for a dedicated coronavirus facility in Pune to free up the private and other healthcare facilities to treat non-COVID patients from in and around the city. 

While talking to OpIndia last month, Shirole had opined that the medical infrastructure in both Pune and PCMC were sufficient to avert the crisis and the coronavirus outbreak could be brought under control, provided the state government acted responsibly and sincerely managed the jumbo coronavirus centres. Shirole’s suggestions fell on deaf ears as Pune continue to witness an alarming rise in the number of coronavirus cases, with its health infrastructure remaining massively underutilised.

As NCB delves deeper into the drug angle in Sushant’s death case, Bollywood’s connection with drug mafias in Amritsar and Pakistan emerge

OpIndia Staff
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As NCB delves deeper into the drug angle in Sushant’s death case, Bollywood’s connection with drug mafias in Amritsar and Pakistan emerge

Hours after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) chief in an interview with Outlook magazine exposed how the Bollywood drug racket has international links to Dubai and terror organisations, a report by Hindustan Times states how large drug cartels in Amritsar and Pakistan are also supplying cocaine and other hard drugs to Mumbai, and to Bollywood.

According to the report, one NCB official privy to the investigations into the drug angle in film actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death said that the department is working on tracing the backtrail from consumer to peddler to supplier to those controlling the trade.

“We have a fair idea as to who is involved in the Bollywood drug scene and (who the) Mumbai suppliers (are). The evidence is being collected before the consumers of hard drugs including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine and their suppliers are charged,” said the senior NCB official on the condition of anonymity.

Names of drug dealers linked with Maharashtra politicians and companies managing film actors under the scanner: NCB official

He informed that the main Amritsar link is expected to be summoned this week by NCB. He also confirmed that the Narcotics Department, leaving no stone unturned, has also sought the help of the US, UK, Canada and Australian drug enforcement agencies to unearth suppliers of cocaine to Mumbai. 

The official added that the drug angle in Sushant’s case has to be handled carefully as names of drug dealers linked with Maharashtra politicians and companies managing film actors and actresses are also coming under the scanner.

According to NCB officials, the majority of cocaine lands in India through the Columbia-Brazil-Mozambique route, while other African destinations and the Dubai area are sometimes used as an alternative route. They furthered that since India is the largest producer of potassium permanganate, a chemical compound which is used in processing cocaine, these international cartels are eyeing at setting up a cocaine processing unit in the country.

Pakistan using drug funds to sponsor terrorism: NCB

Moreover, considering India consumes nearly one ton of heroin every day, there are possibilities that these international organisations are planning to set up a processing unit in India for Afghan heroin, which they believe enters India either through Pakistan’s Punjab province or through the sea route from Gujarat. The terror state of Pakistan has always used drug money for terrorist funding.

NCB Chief Rakesh Asthana had also concurred to the fact that the drug funds were used for narco-terrorism. He said that the drug syndicate of the film industry could just be the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

80% Bollywood stars on drugs, claimed Rhea Chakraborty

Earlier, Rhea Chakraborty had revealed to the NCB that 80% of Bollywood stars are on drugs. In her statement, Rhea had reportedly accepted her role in procuring drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput. She had also stated that actress Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh, designer Simone Khambatta had consumed narcotics substances. The names of Sushant’s friend Rohini Iyer and filmmaker Mukesh Chhabra had also been mentioned by Rhea during her interrogation.

‘There are govt and intelligence report that show insurgency increased in the Northeast with FCRA money’: BJP MP SP Singh in Lok Sabha

OpIndia Staff
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‘There are govt and intelligence report that show insurgency increased in the Northeast with FCRA money’: BJP MP SP Singh in Lok Sabha

Amidst severe brouhaha from the Opposition, the Lok Sabha on September 21 passed the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2020 by voice vote. Defending the amendments to the regulation, BJP MP SP Singh said in Parliament that there are government and intelligence reports that confirm how insurgency has increased in the northeastern region of the country through money received under the FCRA.

During the debate in the Parliament, the BJP MP alluded that cases of forced conversions have been on the rise in the Northeast as the Christian missionaries have, over a period of time, systematically lured and coerce the gullible tribals into religious conversion by utilising the unrestricted foreign aids received by them under the FCRA. “We know what happened in the northeast, how things changed there over the past 50 years and a particular religion became prominent,” said BJP leader SP Singh.

SP Singh went on to add, “There was uproar over Graham Staines. What happened to him and his 2 children was wrong. But CBI, Odisha Crime Branch and Justice DP Wadhwa Commission probe concluded that tribals were being converted there. It was the biggest reason that people turned against him.” Graham Staines was a Christian missionary who was murdered in Odisha by a mob allegedly for his conversion activities.

MHA suspends FCRA licences of 13 NGOs

It is pertinent to note here that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA) licences of 13 NGOs after allegations were raised against them for indulging in forced religious conversions of tribals to Christianity in tribal-dominated areas. The MHA had also frozen the bank accounts of these NGOs after intelligence inputs pointed out their conversion-related activities targeting the tribal areas of several states, including Jharkhand and Manipur.

Bill proposed to bring more transparency and accountability in the functioning of NGOs

Meanwhile, the amendments to the FCRA Bill, which was tabled by HM Amit Shah on September 20 (Sunday), will streamline the provisions of the FCRA by strengthening the compliance mechanism, enhancing transparency and accountability in the receipt and utilisation of foreign contribution worth thousands of crores of rupees every year. It will now make Aadhaar mandatory for NGOs to receive foreign funds.

Further, the amendments will limit the use of foreign funds received under FCRA for administrative purposes from the current limit of 50% to 20%.

Bihar to become first state to connect all villages by Optical Fibre Internet, PM Modi inaugurates project to improve infra and connectivity

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar to become first state to connect all villages by Optical Fibre Internet, PM Modi inaugurates project to improve infra and connectivity

In a major boost to internet connectivity in Bihar, PM Modi today inaugurated an infrastructure project to connect all 45,945 villages across the state of Bihar with Optical Fibre Internet Service.

Launching the high-speed internet services project, PM Modi said that the day is not only historic for Bihar, but the entire country as the Government is taking major steps to make its villages the mainstay of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. PM Modi added that in the next 1,000 days six lakh villages across the country will be connected through Optical Fibre Internet Service.

PM Modi spoke at a virtual event, elaborating on the benefits of the high-speed Internet services by stating that it would enable access to best reading material to students, along with access to telemedicine and access to information on seeds, new techniques, nationwide markets to the farmers and equip them with real-time data on weather conditions. Farmers can also easily transport their products all over the country and world, he added.

The Prime Minister said that it was inconceivable a few years ago to imagine that the number of Internet users in India’s rural areas would exceed those in urban areas. He also said that India has become a leading nation across the globe in terms of digital transactions, with the amount transacted through UPI crossing Rs 3 lakh crore mark in August this year.

“With the increased usage of Internet in rural areas, it is important that the villages are powered by good quality and high-speed Internet,” he said. He said that his aim is to provide urban facilities to the rural population of the country.

As per the press release, the project will be completed by combined efforts of Department of Telecom, which has already connected 1.5 lakh Gram Panchayats across India with optical fibre internet service, along with Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and Common Service Centres(CSC). There are 34,821 CSC centres across the state of Bihar and they will use their workforce, not just for implementing the project, but also for running it professionally to provide Optical Fiber Internet Services for common citizens at every village of Bihar. Bihar will also become the first state to have all its villages connected through optical fibre internet, the press release says.

PM Modi laid foundation stone for 9 new national highway projects in Bihar

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for 9 new national highway projects worth Rs 14,258 crore in poll-bound Bihar. The nine highway projects involve a road length of over 350 kilometres.

Stating that the pace of the construction of highways has doubled since his party came to power in 2014 and expense on it rose to five times since then, Modi said that Rs 110 lakh crore will be spent on infrastructure in the next 4-5 years, with Rs 19 lakh crore earmarked for highway construction alone.

As of now, the construction of national highway grid in Bihar is progressing at breakneck speed, with 5 projects already underway to connect the eastern and western parts of the state through the four-lane highway. Modi also added that all the rivers in the state will have bridges in accordance with the 21st-century specifications and all major national highways will be widened and strengthened.

Nepal: Former Deputy PM reiterates demand for reinstatement of country’s Hindu identity on Constitution Day

OpIndia Staff
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Nepal: Former Deputy PM reiterates demand for reinstatement of country’s Hindu identity on Constitution Day

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, Kamal Thapa, reiterated his demand for the government to abdicate the ‘secular’ tag and restore the country’s Hindu identity on the Himalayan country’s Constitution Day on the 19th of September, reports Hindi Daily Jagran.

The long-pending demand for the restoration of Nepal’s earlier status as a Hindu state, which the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, led by Kamal Thapa has been putting forward in front of Nepal’s Communist Party-led government time and again, gained momentum amidst the escalated tensions between India and Nepal over the border issue.

Kamal Thapa tweeted that Nepal should be declared a Hindu republic in view of the larger interests of the nation. His party workers are also raising this demand by running a signature campaign. Jitendra Kumar, secretary of the World Hindu Council of Nepal, opined that about 82 per cent of Nepal’s population is Hindu. The original nature of Nepal has been tampered with by snatching the status of Hindu nation. Hence he said that it is the collective demand of the people of the country that the status of Hindu nation is restored.

Former Deputy PM of Nepal hoped to get support from PM Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath

Kamal Thapa said that people of Nepal are hopeful that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindutvavadi CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath would cooperate and help them to attain complete religious freedom by revoking the provision of secularism and reinstating Nepal’s Hindu identity.

Last year too, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which has been in continuous pursual, in a memorandum handed to Prime Minister K P Oli demanded that Nepal should be declared a Hindu state. Nepal was declared a secular state in 2008 after the success of the communist movement of 2006 that saw the abolition of the monarchy.

Abolition of the monarchy led to an increase in conversion cases in the Himalayan country

Hinduism is the largest religion in Nepal. Abolition of the monarchy in the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom had led to evangelical Christian missionaries flooding the country and converting poor and vulnerable Hindus to Christianity. This alarming shift in the country’s demographic profile had triggered calls for jettisoning secularism that has facilitated and encouraged rampant proselytism by Christian missionaries and restoration of the country’s Hindu identity. 

Christian evangelicals have targeted the Dalits and marginalised communities like the Tharus in Nepal. They have lured them into Christianity by not only offering free education in missionary institutions,but also money and other material benefits. Another preferred method of conversions is through miracles and faith-healing which many people unwittingly fall prey to.

‘Whoever doesn’t want to watch the show, can go and read a novel, or turn off the TV’: Justice Chandrachud on Sudarshan News ‘UPSC Jihad’ case

OpIndia Staff
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‘Whoever doesn’t want to watch the show, can go and read a novel, or turn off the TV’: Justice Chandrachud on Sudarshan News ‘UPSC Jihad’ case

Hearing a plea that had sought a stay on the Sudarshan News’ ‘UPSC Jihad’ show, the Supreme Court justice Chandrachud remarked today that if the show is putting allegations on Zakat Foundation, people having an issue with it should refrain from watching the show and instead ‘read a novel’, or turn off the TV. 

Justice Chandrachud’s remarks were in response to the prosecution counsel’s assertions that Sudarshan TV Editor-in-chief Suresh Chavhanke’s statements on the ‘UPSC Jihad’ show amounted to “classic hate speech” and alleged that photographs which can inspire students appear for civil services had been misrepresented by Suresh Chavhanke and the channel to portray them as a part of wider ‘jihadi conspiracy’.

However, Justice Chandrachud retorted back, stating that nobody is forcing people to watch the show and those who are uncomfortable with the telecast can choose to ignore it. Justice Chandrachud also wondered if the Supreme Court should spend the time it is spending on the case if the show is about allegations against the Zakat Foundation.

SC had put a stay on the broadcast of the ‘UPSC Jihad’ show

Earlier, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and KM Joseph had passed an order restraining the telecast of the programme. 

Justices Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra had noted that the pictorial representation of ‘Muslims’ with a beard, donning a green t-shirt, with flames in the background serves to alienate even the good members of the community and defended the injunction order lamenting that in absence of a potent regulatory mechanism, the courts had to step in and prevent the channel from broadcasting controversial content.

However, Sudarshan News filed a plea challenging the stay order from the court on their ‘UPSC Jihad’ programme. The counsel representing the channel argued that the programme shed light on the funding received by the Zakat Foundation that finances civil services coaching. 

The Editor-in-chief had then said that it is in national interest that a debate and discussion is held on source of such funding for organisations like Zakat Foundation. Chavhanke further clarified that in the four-episode series there is no such statement that member of particular community should not join the UPSC.

OpIndia, Indic Collective and UpWord Foundation file an intervention application in the Sudarshan TV case

Earlier today, OpIndia, Indic Collective and UpWord Foundation had filed an application in SC seeking intervention in the Sudarshan TV case. 

The applicants have moved an intervention application in the matter of Firoz Iqbal Khan v. Union of India concerning permissible free speech which the apex court is seized of in the Writ Petition as also in light of the ad-interim order dated September 15, 2020, passed in the Petition, both of which have implications on the treatment of content under the legal framework in India.

They have raised pertinent questions regarding the jurisdiction of the court to directly restrain content during the pendency of an examination by the appropriate State authority on the legality of the content under applicable laws.

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