On Thursday, 9th November, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, relating to Personal Guarantors’s Insolvency Resolution. The petitioners including Reliance ADA Group chairman Anil Ambani challenged on the grounds of violating principles of natural justice and absence of due process.
A bench comprised of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued a ruling on a batch of more than 200 petitions challenging Sections 95(1), 96(1), 97(5), 99(1), 99(2), 99(4), 99(5), 99(6), and 100 of the IBC. The Supreme Court rejected the challenge and reaffirmed that the IBC was constitutionally valid and that its provisions were not arbitrary, as the petitioners claimed.
“IBC cannot be held to be operating in a retroactive manner in order to hold it violative of the constitution. Thus we hold that the statute does not suffer from the vices of manifest arbitrariness,” the Court said.
The Supreme Court bench ruled that it could not read an adjudicatory role into these rules and that changing the adjudicatory role would render the entire chronological procedure null and void. Changing the Court’s adjudicatory role under these clauses would amount to “rewriting the legislative functions.”
The Court stated that the implementation of natural justice principles cannot be considered as a straightjacket and that it might vary depending on the situation.
“In one case, it can be full-fledged evidentiary hearing and in some, a bare minimum is given to explain the nature of allegations,” the Supreme Court said.
The bench stated that “sufficient safeguards” have been read into the way a resolution professional (RP) functions during an insolvency proceeding.
“Parliament has not contemplated a roving enquiry by the resolution professional, but an enquiry for recommendation. The resolution professional, after carrying out process, is required to make an ascertainment in terms of clause (6). The process which takes place before the resolution professional is not ex parte and the legislature has ensured that even for a recommendation made, there is explanation taken from the debtor for the purpose,” the Court said.
The Court agreed with the Central government’s submissions made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, that the IBC provisions putting a stay on other legal procedures against corporate debtors were for the interest of the debtors.
Back in 2021, the Supreme Court affirmed the rules of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code relating to the insolvency of personal guarantors, which went into effect in 2019.
Notably, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016, is a bankruptcy law in India brought by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government seeking to consolidate the existing framework by creating a single Law for Insolvency and Bankruptcy. The Code provides a time-bound process for resolving insolvency in companies and among individuals resulting in much-needed impetus to solving the problem of stressed assets and NPAs in the financial sector of the country.
A 75-year-old entrepreneur in Mumbai recently became the victim of a cyber fraud scheme and lost Rs 3.3 crore to a Ukranian woman. The incident came to the fore only after the victim, who owns a private company in Maharashtra’s Mumbai reported the fraud to the West Region Cyber Crime Police Station.
The scam, according to the reports, involved a Ukrainian woman named Esema who lured the entrepreneur with promises of starting a new company in India. She explained that her home country, Ukraine, was in chaos as a result of the ongoing war and claimed that her business has been destroyed. The woman managed to convince the Mumbai businessman that she has money and wants to start a new business in India. She first contacted the businessman via email, expressing her company’s interest in buying factory equipment.
Later, she stated she would send him a box containing $9.7 lakh in cash (roughly Rs 8 crore in Indian currency) to help him launch a new company in India in her name. In the next mail, however, she claimed, that the box had been confiscated by police in Jakarta, Indonesia. She demanded that the man pay several different fees in various accounts online for her to release the box.
The communication via emails continued and over eight months, the elderly man transferred money to 101 different Indian bank accounts, as instructed by Esema. He sent Rs 3.3 crore in total, hoping to receive the Rs 8 crore as promised. But he never received anything in return.
“The mail sender gave 101 account numbers to the complainant, asking him to pay fees for various certificates. He kept sending money for eight months to various accounts. In all, he sent Rs 3.3 crore, hoping to get the Rs 8 crore,” the police was quoted as saying by TOI.
The woman continued to make excuses and demanded more money, including fees for certificates such as anti-drug and money laundering clearance, transfer certificate fees, and other charges. She threatened to sue the man if he did not pay.
He was additionally compelled to provide income tax reports, a power of attorney, insurance, an original fund authorization certificate, and ministry of finance certificates, in addition to the money, to convince him of the authenticity of the transactions.
Pakistan Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on 8th November that there has been an increase in terror incidents in Pakistan since the Taliban came to power in 2021, Dawn reported.
Kakar linked the ongoing deportation drive of illegal immigrants to counter-terrorism actions, reported Dawn, a Pakistani English-language newspaper.
The Pakistan Caretaker Prime Minister, while addressing the media in Islamabad, said, “After the establishment of the interim Afghan government (Taliban) in August 2021, we had a strong hope that there would be long-term peace in Afghanistan. […] Strict action would be taken against Pakistan-opposing groups, especially the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and they would absolutely not be allowed to use Afghan soil against Pakistan.”
“But unfortunately, after the establishment of the interim Afghan govt, there has been a 60% increase in terror incidents and 500 per cent rise in suicide attacks in Pakistan,” he said.
He further added, “In the past two years, 2,267 innocent citizens’ lives have been lost to this tragic bloodshed, for which the terrorists of TTP are responsible who are conducting cowardly attacks on Pakistani using Afghan soil.”
“During this time, 15 Afghan citizens were also among the people involved in suicide attacks. Other than this, till now, 64 Afghan citizens were killed while fighting Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies during the counterterrorism campaign,” he added.
Kakar did not provide any further details about the alleged involvement of Afghan nationals in any specific terror attack.
His statement comes after the country witnessed a sharp rise in terror incidents during the past week, including at Mianwali Training Air Base claimed by the Tehreek-i-Jihad Pakistan and an ambush in Gwadar claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Front, while no group claimed responsibility for attacks in Dera Ismail Khan, as per Dawn.
Kakar went on to recall that the above details were in the knowledge of the Taliban.
The premier said that according to a monitoring report released in July this year by the United Nations, there was “clear mention of TTP centres in Afghanistan and increase in its activities against Pakistan”.
The prime minister added that even after reassurances from the Afghan government of taking action against the TTP, “no actions were taken against anti-Pakistan groups”. “Instead, in a few instances, clear evidence of enabling terrorism also came forward,” he said without providing further details, as per Dawn.
While Pakistan tries to shift the blame on Afghan migrants for growing terrorism in the country, it seems to have forgotten that Pakistan once played an active role in the creation of the Taliban in 1990s and then again, its resurgence in 2021.
The very Pakistan that is now admitting that terrorist attacks in its country have only increased ever since the Taliban came to power, had openly batted for the return of the terrorist group in Afghanistan.
And yet, the terror-sponsoring state of Pakistan continues to train terrorists to infiltrate its neighbouring countries, especially India while it decries terrorist attacks by its homebred radicals.
How was Pakistan involved in building the Taliban?
Several Afghans who joined the Taliban were known to have received madrassa education in Pakistan. The head of the new Taliban government formed in 2021 in Afghanistan, Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who is also on the UN sanctions list, had studied at a seminary in Pakistan.
Pakistan is known to be the Taliban’s principal benefactor and one of the only three countries that recognised the Taliban when they first took power in Afghanistan. Pakistan was also the last country to break diplomatic ties with the Taliban after the US invaded Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks.
Google’s India headquarters was previously located in Hyderabad, but the corporation plans to significantly increase its footprint in the region and has begun construction on its new Hyderabad campus. It is going to be the largest Google office outside of the United States and the second largest globally, behind the Mountain View, California, headquarters.
Indian billionaire businessman and the chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra is also in awe of the magnitude of the major development which he termed as “a geopolitical statement” and took to social media to express his opinion about the same. He posted, “This is not news about just one new building project. I read this slowly to let it sink into my mind. When a global, iconic giant like Google decides to build its largest office outside the U.S. in a particular country, it’s not just commercial news, it’s a geopolitical statement. It’s all happening here now finally.”
This is not news about just one new building project. I read this slowly to let it sink into my mind. When a global, iconic giant like Google decides to build its largest office outside the U.S in a particular country, it’s not just commercial news, it’s a geopolitical statement.… https://t.co/dtYR0pxETJ
Anand Mahindra tweeted this referring to an October 14 tweet by Indian Tech & Infra, which included a video of the construction activity of the upcoming Google office. The video shows that foundation of the building is being prepared.
Telangana’s financial district would serve as home to the new, three million-square-foot edifice. The campus was motivated by India’s national objective to create and support centres for knowledge and innovation in its technology industry, according to Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), the British design firm behind the project. The office is being constructed as a climate-sensitive and adaptable shelter that would require less energy because it has several glass structures.
The Google Hyderabad headquarters is going to include a variety of recreational areas with “upgradable servicing for comfort,” per the architectural firm. The central areas of the offices would be evenly spaced throughout the levels to promote promenades around the structure. According to the layout, the iconic ellipse would be open to the sky, letting sunshine flood the building.
The firm stated, “The Google Hyderabad office’s porous envelope will help to moderate the local climate, offering relief, shade, light and air to staff and visitors.”
Google is well renowned for its elegant workspaces, and the amenities and privileges offered there are legendary within the business community. While many businesses currently provide benefits akin to these, Google was the first to introduce play areas, gourmet meals in the workplace, and on-site washing facilities. Many of these qualities were already at Google’s India headquarters, but now that the company is creating a gigantic new office from the ground up, it is expected to rank among the most remarkable and iconic corporate spaces in the nation.
A brawl has reportedly occurred outside the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles where the screening of the October 7 Hamas attack organised by Israeli actor Gal Gadot is scheduled to take place. On Thursday, November 9, a video appeared on X showing some men getting into a scuffle with each other. Visegrad24, which reshared the video, alleged that anti-Israeli protestors attacked some Jews for attending the screening of the video.
The 0.53-second video of the violence was originally shared by an X user named Rabid Dentite.
BREAKING:
Anti-Israel protesters are physically attacking Jews attending a screening of the Oct. 7th Hamas Massacre organized by actress Gal Gadot at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
In the clip, a man wearing a white hoodie is seen assaulting people who are attempting to cross the street. When the cops arrive and attempt to apprehend him, he flees. Towards the middle of the clip, one person could be seen holding both the Israeli and the US flags. Some women can be heard shrieking in the background, and one woman wearing a pink t-shirt can be seen filming the exchange that is taking place right across the street.
The violence reportedly happened outside the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles where the screening of 47 minutes of uncensored harrowing Hamas massacre footage titled “Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre” will take place this week. Besides, the screening will also take place in New York.
Israeli actor Gal Gadot is organising the event. The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League are helping organize screenings of the footage.
The IDF reportedly collected the clip, and it has already been screened for UK journalists in London last week.
According to reports, around 120 prominent figures in Hollywood have been invited to attend the initial screening organised by Gal.
The Israeli actor, who served in the Israeli Defence Forces before pursuing acting, has not made a public statement about the screenings yet. She has, however, come under fire from Islamists and Hamas sympathisers who while choosing to overlook the terrorism inflicted by Hamas on Israeli people, criticised her for not talking about the Palestinian plight.
It may be recalled that earlier in 2021 Gal Gadot came under fire for wishing for the safety of Israelis. When the Israeli actress sent out a prayer tweet amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihadis, she received a barrage of angry and insulting responses from “liberals” and Islamists on her timeline. They accused her of being a genocide enabler. They also gave a call to boycott her movies and called her a ‘murderer’.
Meanwhile, Israeli security officials have been collecting witness testimonies to gather evidence and confirm the allegations of sexual assaults committed by Hamas terrorists during the brutal terrorist attack on 7th October. This is being done to prosecute the surviving terrorists whom Israel captured.
The Israeli police are reportedly scanning about 50,000 video files to identify the terrorist rapists. Permission to use facial recognition systems has also been granted to officials.
Moreover, captured terrorists revealed to Israeli security that they had planned to seize control of a town or a city in central Israel for a substantial amount of time and take its residents hostage. They also had plans to plant mines in the area.
On Wednesday (8th November), Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma took a strong jibe at the Congress party and its leaders for using Hinduism as a tool ahead of the elections. While addressing a public meeting in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, Sarma stated that the Congress leaders ‘show off’ their love towards Hinduism and Hindu deities only during elections. “They say that they are Hindus but do nothing to be called enough as Hindus,” he said.
The Assam CM also recalled how Congress chief Kamal Nath from Madhya Pradesh had last year cut a cake with a picture of Lord Hanuman on it. “When elections come, they (Congress) people become Hindus. When Kamal Nath celebrates his birthday, Lord Hanuman is placed on the cake. They get the idols printed and then cut them with a blade to eat. Is Lord Hanuman an edible thing? If you were a Hanuman devotee, you would go to a temple and pray,” Sarma slammed.
#WATCH मध्य प्रदेश: असम के मुख्यमंत्री हिमंत बिसवा सरमा ने खंडवा में जनसभा को संबोधित करते हुए कहा, "जब चुनाव आते हैं तो वे(कांग्रेस) लोग हिंदु हो जाते हैं… कमलनाथ जन्मदिन मनाते हैं तो केक के ऊपर भगवान हनुमान की प्रतिमा को छपवाते हैं फिर ब्लेड से उनको खाने के लिए काटते हैं। अरे… pic.twitter.com/suao4lmKRg
On 16th November 2022, former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath sparked controversy after he cut a ‘temple-shaped’ cake during his birthday celebrations. The video of Kamal Nath cutting a four-tier cake with an image of Lord Hanuman and a saffron flag on top had gone viral on social media drawing strong reactions online as well as from several political leaders.
CM Chouhan had taken to Twitter to slam the Congress party over the issue. He said, “Congressis have nothing to do with devotion to God. His party used to oppose the Shri Ram temple. There is Hanuman Ji’s image on a cake and still, you are cutting the cake. This is an insult to Sanatan tradition and Hindu religion, which our society will not accept.”
Meanwhile, Himanta Biswa Sarma also slammed Congressi leader and CM of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel for his alleged involvement in the controversial Mahadev betting app case. This is after Shubham Soni, the owner of the Mahadev Book betting app claimed that Rs 508 crore had been given to ‘Baghel saheb’ and others so far.
The Central Probe agency also claimed that a forensic analysis and a statement made by a ‘cash courier’ had led to ‘startling allegations’ that Mahadev betting app promoters paid about Rs 508 crore to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
While the allegations are being investigated by the agency, the Assam CM slammed the Chhattisgarh CM for his involvement in the Mahadev Betting App case. “Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh brings Mahadev into a betting app and here Kamal Nath cuts cake having picture of Lord Hanuman,” Sarma said.
Meanwhile, Sarma pointed out that encouraging the Congress corresponds to endorsing individuals with historical associations such as “Babars and Aurangzebs” in the country. He also warned that if the Congress came to power in Madhya Pradesh, there would be an increase in oppressive actions against the people. Sarma cited the situation in Karnataka in which the Congress gained power and urged people to oppose the “Chunavi Congress’s Hindutva.”
#WATCH | Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says, "… Voting for Congress means encouraging the 'Babars' in the country. When Congress gets votes, 'Aurangzebs' get vitamins. If Congress wins, the Babars and Aurangzeb will start their atrocities on our people… pic.twitter.com/Pnp8foXU6t
2023 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held on 17 November 2023 to elect all 230 members of the state’s Legislative Assembly.
On Wednesday (8th November) Republican presidential candidate and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy took a brutal swipe at his fellow GOP candidate and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley calling her “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels”. Ramaswamy also attacked Florida Governor and fellow presidential candidate Rob DeSantis over his cowboy boots said to contain hidden lifts to boost his height.
Speaking at an MSNBC News debate, Ramaswamy was asked about his stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. He opined that both Nikki Haley and Rob DeSantis could end up dragging America into a war in Europe.
“Do you want a leader from a different generation who is going to put this country first or do you want Dick Cheney in three-inch heels? Because you’ve got two of them on stage tonight,” Ramaswamy said.
It is pertinent to note that Richard Bruce Cheney also known as Dick Cheney was former President George W. Bush’s vice president and a main force behind the United States’ 2003 invasion of Iraq. Cheney is said to have undermined the CIA by ordering staff to funnel raw intelligence straight to his office. He also worked with then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to establish an alternative intelligence agency within the Pentagon. It is alleged that Cheney’s endeavours contributed significantly to the erroneous information that inspired the United States’ decision to invade Iraq.
Taking to X, Vivek Ramaswamy reiterated his “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels” jibe against Nikki Haley as he wrote, “The choice should be clear: We can elect a president who will keep us out of World War III or we can elect a Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels.”
The choice should be clear: We can elect a president who will keep us out of World War III or we can elect a Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels. Because there are two of them on stage with me tonight. @RonDeSantis@NikkiHaleypic.twitter.com/i21U4tErmU
Nikki Haley responded to Ramaswamy’s 3-inch heels remark saying that she wears 5-inch heels and they are not for fashion statement but are for ammunition.
“Yes. I’d first like to say they’re 5-inch heels and I don’t wear them unless you can run in them. The second thing I would say is I wear heels and they’re not for a fashion statement. They’re for ammunition,” Haley said.
Nikki Haley to Vivek:
“Yes. I'd first like to say they're 5-inch heels and I don't wear them unless you can run in them. The second thing I would say is I wear heels and they're not for a fashion statement. They're for ammunition." #GOPDebatepic.twitter.com/n2vnevlvcl
On Wednesday Vivek Ramaswamy responded to Haley mocking him earlier for joining Chinese shot video platform Tiktok often accused of spying on Americans for the Chinese government, saying that Haley’s daughter also used Tiktok.
“In the last debate, [Haley] made fun of me for actually joining TikTok while her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time. So you might want to take care of your family first,” Vivek Ramaswamy said.
Vivek calls out Nikki Haley for criticizing him for using TikTok despite her daughter also using the app.
This, however, did not go well with Haley who replied, “Leave my daughter out of your voice.”
While Vivek continued, “You have her supporters propping her up, that’s fine,” Haley said, “You’re just a scum.”
For the uninitiated, Vivek Ramaswamy is an Indian American billionaire campaigning for the US President. Currently, Ramaswamy stands out as the youngest major Republican presidential contender. He hails from Ohio and holds a biology degree from Harvard University and a Yale Law School diploma. In his speeches, he has taken an anti-war, anti-immigrant, anti-wokeism, and delinking Russia-China alliance stance.
The Uttar Pradesh Police’s ‘Anti-Terrorism Branch’ (ATS) has apprehended another ISIS terrorist from Durg, Chhattisgarh. The name of the terrorist who has been arrested is Wajihuddin Ali Khan. He has been pursuing PhD at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh. On Tuesday (7th November), the ATS apprehended him from Durg, Chhattisgarh. Later, the terrorist was moved to Lucknow on transit remand.
According to information obtained by OpIndia from police sources, the arrested terrorist Wajihuddin is originally from Durg in Chhattisgarh. He was pursuing his PhD at AMU. Wajihuddin used to teach social science subjects (history, geography, and civics) to his junior students including Hindu students in Aligarh. He was known as ‘Amir’ by those who embraced his ideology. The word Amir is considered the title of a king among Muslims.
ATS also arrested AMU associates and ISIS terrorists Abdullah Arshlan and Maaz bin Tariq earlier this week. Wajihuddin, Abdullah Arshlan, and Maaz Bin Tariq are also connected to the Pune ISIS network. According to a report by Times of India, Wajihuddin’s name had emerged while the ATS was questioning Arshlan and Tariq. ATS has said that Wajihuddin had ISIS handlers and was planning a terror attack in the state – he would also train Muslims to wage jihad and recruit them to ISIS.
According to the ATS, Wajihuddin was the mastermind who had recruited Arshlan (BTech in petroleum and chemical engineering) and Tariq (pursuing Bcom) to be ISIS terrorists.
The UP ATS press release categorically mentioned that Shahnawaz and Rizwan, arrested in the Pune ISIS module earlier in the year were closely associated with students from SAMU (Students of AMU group). They were ISIS terrorists who were recruiting other ISIS terrorists from SAMU.
From Wajihuddin and the others arrested, ISIS literature was recovered and it was also discovered that they were sharing this ISIS literature among each other and other students as well. Pertinently, Shahnawaz, Rizwan and Arshad Warsi, who were arrested in the Pune ISIS module, were planning terror attacks in Ayodhya, Akshardham Temple and Chabar House.
Pune ISIS module and Delhi Riots connection – ISIS terrorist Arshad Warsi and Sharjeel Imam
On 3rd October, NIA arrested three Jihadis connected to the ISIS Pune terror module. They were planning terror attacks against India. The prime accused – Shahanawaz, had a bounty of Rs 3 lakh on his head. According to the Delhi Police, the module planned to carry out terror attacks across India through instructions from foreign-based handlers. Shahnawaz alias Shafi Uzzama was arrested by the Delhi Police special cell from a hideout in the national capital.
The NIA has also recovered chemical substances from Shahnawaz and other incriminating material suspected to be used for IED fabrication. The NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh each for information about Shahnawaz and three other terror suspects namely Rizwan Abdul, Haji Ali, Abdulla Faiyaz Shaikh alias Diaperwala, and Talha Liyakat Khan. Reportedly, Shahnawaz, Abdulla, and Rizwan were radicalised into joining the ISIS mission over the Telegram app and planned to engineer violence and terror in the country.
Police said the accused are Shahnawaz Alam (31), a resident of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand; Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf (28) from Lucknow; and Mohammad Arshad Warsi from Garhwa district in Jharkhand. The latter was presently residing in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar. While Rizwan Ashraf was arrested from Lucknow, Shahnawaz was arrested from Jaitpur and Warsi from Moradabad. Iron pipes, chemicals, time devices, and pistol cartridges, among other items used to make explosives, were recovered from Shahnawaz’s possession.
Most interestingly, the authorities have released that Pakistan ISI and ISIS were handling the activities of the three terrorists now arrested. The police said that the three terrorists had sworn allegiance to ISIS and their Pakistani ISI handlers also had connections to ISIS. They added that ISIS operated from the background to ensure that they did not come to the notice of international agencies and law enforcement organisations.
Shahnawaz, who is the prime accused in this case, had come to Delhi in the year 2016. The police said that he would go to Shaheen Bagh and listen to speeches by the Radical Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahrir. It was during his time in Shaheen Bagh that he swore allegiance to ISIS. Shahanawaz met Rizwan during this time and they became friends. Both of them were influenced by ISIS at this time. Interestingly, Arshad Warsi also came to Delhi in 2016 after completing his B-Tech from Aligarh Muslim University. He had crossed paths with Shahnawaz and become friends while they were attending one of the programs together. It is not clear what the program was, but since Warsi was settled in Jamia Nagar, one could possibly conclude that they met during the radical Islamic programs in Shaheen Bagh too.
It was Mohammad Arshad Warsi who facilitated the sheltering of Shahnavaz, a most-wanted terrorist with a reward of 3 lakh rupees on his head. Warsi was also involved in plotting terrorist attacks. Following the information revealed in the interrogation of Mohammad Arshad Warsi, the Delhi Police Special Cell managed to locate and arrest Shahnavaz.
Hailing from Jharkhand, Mohammad Arshad Warsi holds a BTech degree from Aligarh Muslim University and is presently enrolled in a PhD program at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), where he specialises in ‘Islamic Principles in Management’.
Arshad Warsi, who is now arrested for being an ISIS terrorist and planning bomb blasts in Delhi along with other ISIS terrorists, was intricately involved in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots as well. In fact, Arshad Warsi along with Sharjeel Imam planted the seed of the violence which culminated in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots in 2020.
In the 2700-page chargesheet filed pertaining to FIR 59/2020, the Delhi Police dedicate almost 700 pages to the chronology of the conspiracy hatched for the Delhi anti-Hindu riots in 2020. In fact, the chargesheet displayed evidence that the conspiracy started right from the 5th of December 2019. It is in these crucial stages of planning that Arshad Warsi features along with Sharjeel Imam.
According to the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police, after CAB was tabled in both houses of the parliament on the 4th of December, on the 5th of December a group called Muslim Students of JNU (MSJ) was formed by Sharjeel Imam who was the main member of the group and its creation was also his brainchild.
The chats that have been procured by the Delhi police after a perusal of the phones confiscated from Sharjeel and other accused, it was revealed that Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi (student of Jamia) were in constant touch and Sharjeel was also in touch with “radical communal group” Students of Jamia (SOJ).
While the chargesheets were being reported and even during the investigation into the Delhi anti-Hindu riots, Arshad Warsi seemed like a smaller player whose role was limited to coordination with Jamia radicals and Sharjeel Imam. However, with the latest revelations, it is evident that Arshad Warsi was an ISIS terrorist who was involved in planning and coordinating the violence from the beginning.
Who is Wajihuddin Ali Khan – Now arrested by UP ATS for being an ISIS terrorist
Wajihuddin Ali Khan was pursuing PhD at AMU. He was also a national player at the Ball Badminton Federation of India. A prominent Islamic preacher in AMU, he was regarded as an Amir (king) by other Muslim students and was regularly promoted by SAMU (Students of AMU).
On 16 May 2023, OpIndia stumbled upon Wajihuddin Ali Khan while covering a story about a dangerous campaign being carried out at AMU by SAMU. The students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University floated a platform to find the “right path and purpose of life”. How simple and benign the idea may appear, the sinister plan behind an organisation that has been flourishing in Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia raises serious concerns. ‘Al Haya Min Allah’, an organisation formed in 2019 and runs the ‘Haya’ Program in educational institutes to spread Islam among students, has been operating under the radar, carrying on undeterred with its patriarchal, supremacist, and profoundly communal agenda.
The Haya Campaign was a month-long Dawah campaign that Al Haya Min Allah ran at the university campus that includes an “awareness program” about Islam, workshops, offline and online competitions and Haya Conference at the end.
Under its program, the organisation talks extensively against democracy. For example, in a post from February 2020, they said, “Rule is for Allah, the Highest, the Almighty, and it is not permissible to give legislative rights to any human being, no matter who he is.” In simple words, the organisation is against the democratic system and wants Sharia (The rule of Allah) to be implemented.
In a post from February 2020, the organisation called nationalism a “ridiculous ideology” as it binds people to a piece of land. The post read, “Nationalism forces people inside one walled piece of land to have brotherhood for one another and espouse enmity against those on the other side of the wall whom he/she has never met.”
In a post from March 2020, the organisation said that the Quran is the Constitution for Muslims and no human has the right to decide what is lawful and what is unlawful. It further talked about Taghoot, a person who has attained extreme in ‘kufr’. Taghoot ” misleads others, that he calls others to his own worship or obedience or following, against the sole rights of Allah,” it added.
They asked their fellow Muslims to reject Taghoot and its followers. It read, “This means one has to identify the rapids, the Jews, the Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists – all as kafir; otherwise, he is not a Muslim himself. If a person cannot distinguish between a mushrik and a Muslim, then he doesn’t know what Islam is! How can a person who doesn’t know Islam bring Eeman (Iman) on it?”
While promoting Sharia, rejecting nationalism and asking Muslims to consider Hindus and Jews as ‘Kafirs’, the group also promoted Hijab and campaigned against Hindus festivals.
While following this group, we also came across Wajihuddin Ali Khan.
Wajihuddin Ali Khan was an Islamic preacher associated with the Al Haya Min Allah campaign and group and used to preach ‘Haya’ extensively. In our report, we discovered how he used to go from place to place at AMU with a portable mic and talk about following Islamic principles. In fact, one of Wajihuddin’s speeches was shared by Students of AMU on its page during anti-CAA protests. The speech was given during Jinnah’s poster row before anti-CAA protests. SAMU said it was relevant during those protests as well. Wajihuddin was extensively active during anti-CAA protests.
Interestingly, he had also extended support to PFI and Sharjeel Imam.
In his post, he had written: “Sharjeel Imam had said, ‘From day one, this Constitution is fascist’. I agree with his statement. But why? What can you expect from something that was built on the foundation of Kufr? You have to understand PFI. The Constitution is the biggest Chariot of Kufr that all the political parties and organisations are pulling. If we remove these organisations (RSS etc.), others will pull this Chariot. If this Chariot is the Chariot of justice in your eyes, then why look at the other? Tomorrow, you will pull this Chariot and become part of the injustice. Wouldn’t you?”
Connection between Wajihuddin Ali Khan and Arshad Warsi – both arrested for being ISIS terrorists
Wajihuddin Ali Khan had extended his support to Sharjeel Imam on his Facebook profile. As of now, Wajihuddin’s Facebook profile stands either locked or suspended.
However, there is a deeper connection between Wajihuddin Ali Khan and Arshad Warsi.
Arshad Warsi has on multiple occassions hailed Wajihuddin Ali Khan as the “amir” (king).
On the 6th of December, Arshad Warsi posted a video of Wajihuddin Ali Khan speech at AMU. He hailed Khan and SAMU.
In the video, Wajihuddin was scaremongering about how Namaz was being stopped and Muslims were not being allowed to talk about the Quran and Sunnat. It is pertinent to note that this video is from the 6th of December 2019. On the 6th of December, an event to mark the Babri demolition was held at AMU. Anti-Hindu slogans were also reportedly raised. Muslim students had cried persecution after 2 students were booked for their posts.
Unsurprisingly, it was China-funded NewsClick, Left portal Scroll, Wire etc that came to the defence of the demonstration by SAMU – in which Wajihuddin made a speech – shared by Arshad Warsi – both now arrested for being ISIS terrorists.
On the 4th of May 2019 too, Arshad Warsi had hailed Wajihuddin.
The speech that Warsi talks about cannot be accessed because Wajihuddin’s Facebook profile is no longer accessible, however, Warsi endorses his view, also articulated by the Al Haya Min Allah group, that all Hindus and Jews must be treated as Kafirs.
Arshad Warsi and Wajahuddin were connected far earlier than the anti-CAA protest. In 2018, Warsi posted on Facebook that Wajahuddin’s Facebook ID had been blocked after his Jumma sermon while protesting against “RSS terrorism”.
It is pertinent to remember that in 2018, a controversy over Jinnah’s portrait had erupted at AMU. In May 2018, after a portrait of Jinnah was found at AMU, some students protested against the divisive Islamist being hailed. The Muslim students, who supported the portrait clashed with other students opposed to it. In May 2018, Muslim students of AMU also raised objectionable Azadi slogans.
Wajihuddin Ali Khan was also holding weekly Dawah meetings inside AMU on a regular basis for many years. Here is a post from 2018.
From these posts, it is evident that Wajihuddin Ali Khan and Arshad Warsi were close for several years, at least since 2018. They have both been arrested for being ISIS terrorists. It is also pertinent to note that Arshad Warsi and Wajihuddin were closely involved in the anti-CAA protests that were taking place in Jamia and AMU at the time.
Wajihuddin Ali Khan, Arshad Warsi and the Delhi anti-Hindu riots connection
As discussed above in great detail, Arshad Warsi was intimately in touch with Sharjeel Imam during the early phases of the Delhi violence. Above, we had evidenced how Arshad Warsi shared a video of Wajihuddin Ali Khan on the 6th of December 2019. This is when the conspiracy of the Delhi violence had already taken seed and Arshad Warsi was intimately in touch with Sharjeel Imam. From Arshad Warsi’s post, it is evident that he was not merely praising Wajihuddin but was also connected with him on a personal level.
For example, on the 7th of December 2019, Sharjeel Imam said that he would be joining the protests called by United Against Hate. This fact was revealed by his WhatsApp conversation with Arshad Warsi. While joining a protest is not wrong in itself, here is the clincher – on the 7th of December, Sharjeel Imam categorically said that he was planning something big in the next week and for that purpose, he would mobilise students from DU, AMU etc with the help of MSJ members.
Subsequently, Arshad Warsi put up the minutes of the meeting that was held at the Tefla Dhaba between the core committee members of the MSJ group. The aim of the meeting was rather simple – to make the UAH rally a resounding success and also, to ensure that both Muslim and non-Muslim students turn up at the protest.
It is important to note that it was the following week that the Jamia riots took place and violence broke out in several parts of Delhi and even Uttar Pradesh.
The violence began on the 15th of December when Muslim mobs rampaged through the national capital. Amanatullah Khan, a prominent MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party, and Delhi’s Sunni Waqf Board chief was spotted leading the riots in Jamia Nagar. Chants of ‘Hinduon se Azadi’ were raised in the same area that very day. Buses were also set on fire during those violent protests. On the same night, the Delhi Police cracked down on the Jamia Milia Islamia University and entered the campus to flush out the miscreants.
Two days later, massive riots broke out in Seelampur. Delhi turned into a war zone. A school bus was attacked and set on fire as well. The mob taunted the policemen to run after them following which stones were pelted.
Interestingly, on the 8th of December, an underground meeting had taken place where Sharjeel Imam, Yogendra Yadav and others were present.
It was in this meeting, that according to the chargesheet, a plan was hatched on how to implement the Chakka Jam. It was decided that it would be Sharjeel Imam who would organise and lead students from various universities and colleges in and around Delhi.
The fact that this meeting took place was also confirmed by the chats that were discovered between Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi.
On the same day, a WhatsApp group was formed called the ‘CAB TEAM’. The core members of the team were following:
Yogendra Yadav
Umar Khalid
Sharjeel Imam
Nadeem Khan
Parvej Alam etc.
Thereafter, there was a spate of violence almost on a daily basis leading right up to the Delhi anti-Hindu riots 2020.
How it all ties together, proving the ISIS angle to Delhi anti-Hindu riots yet again
With multiple angles emerging, it has now been proven yet against that there was a definitive ISIS angle to the Delhi anti-Hindu violence – a conspiracy that took seed on the 5th of December 2019 and culminated into planned violence against Hindus in February 2023.
Following is a summary of what we know so far:
On the 3rd of October, NIA arrested three ISIS terrorists – Shahnawaz Alam (31), a resident of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand; Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf (28) from Lucknow; and Mohammad Arshad Warsi from Garhwa district in Jharkhand
UP ATS has said that Shahnawaz and Rizwan were closely associated with SAMU (Students of AMU group) and were recruiting for ISIS in that group.
Thee three – Shahnawaz, Rizwan and Arshad Warsi were planning terror attacks in Ayodhya, Akshardham Temple and Chabar House.
Arshad Warsi holds a BTech degree from Aligarh Muslim University and is presently enrolled in a PhD program at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), where he specialises in ‘Islamic Principles in Management’. He is therefore connected to both JMI and AMU.
Arshad Warsi is intimately connected to the mastermind of the Pune module – Shahnawaz – because it was Warsi who had given shelter to Shahnawaz when the police placed a bounty on his head.
Arshad Warsi was intimately connected to Sharjeel Imam – one of the masterminds of the Delhi anti-Hindu riots.
In the Delhi Riots chargesheet, the Whatsapp chats between Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi have been included.
Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi were connected since the 5th of December when protests against CAA were being planned. It was in these chats with Warsi that Imam had spoken about “doing something big” – essentially – creating violence.
It was on the 6th of December that Arshad Warsi had hailed Wajihuddin Ali Khan and SAMU on Facebook. It was the anniversary of the Babri demolition.
The pamphlets that were being printed by Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi also had communal messages about Islam and Babri.
On the 7th of December 2019 too, Arshad Warsi (who hailed Wajihuddin and SAMU) and Sharjeel Imam were closely involved in the planning of the violence.
It was on the 8th of December that an underground meeting had taken place where Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and Yogendra Yadav were present. In that meeting, it was decided that Sharjeel Imam would organise and lead the Chakka Jam.
It was soon after that on the 15th of December that violence broke out.
Ever since, almost on a daily basis, Hindus had come under violence by Islamists – leading up to the Delhi anti-Hindu riots of February 2020.
Wajihuddin Ali Khan, now arrested for being an ISIS terrorist, was active in AMU up until very recently – OpIndia had covered his association with an AMU group called Al Haya Min Allah in May 2023.
Wajihuddin Ali Khan had also extended supported to Sharjeel Imam in his Facebook post dated 26th September 2022.
Arshad Warsi, Wajihuddin Ali Khan and other terrorists had ISIS and Pakistan ISI handlers.
It is evident that there are several tentacles of ISIS in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots case – now, with the arrest of ISIS terrorist Arshad Warsi, the arrest of ISIS terrorist Wajihuddin Ali Khan, their connection and the link to Sharjeel Imam, it becomes imperative that the Delhi Police and NIA investigate the terror angle and the extent of ISIS’ involvement in the 2020 violence that left several Hindus dead.
Pakistan media has seemingly come to certain realisations about their country’s ‘all-weather friend’ China. An editorial in one of the country’s largest English newspapers Dawn has raised questions about the skewed nature of the close ties between the two countries. The article “What China wants from Pakistan” by Pakistani economist Khurram Husain sheds light on the mounting trade deficit and stark economic differences between the two neighbouring nuclear powers.
He stated that China seeks to maintain an unending trade surplus in its favour with Pakistan, just as they do with any other nation. “There might be a few specific things beyond this, such as Gwadar for instance, but those are marginal and nowhere near as central to Chinese designs in Pakistan and the rest of the world as we might imagine.”
Gawadar Port is operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC), a state-run Chinese firm. Its most important feature is its geographic position as a gateway between western China and the Indian Ocean and hence is an asset for the communist country.
Khurram Husain emphasised that Pakistan has had a total trade deficit of about $90 billion with China since 2010. “This means capital worth $90bn has flowed from Pakistan to China against goods and services coming the other way. The next big deficit region includes the oil-producing countries of the Gulf.”
Furthermore, he examined the figures in relation to other Western powers and noted that during the same time frame, Pakistan had a $34 billion trade surplus with the United States. “With the UK (United Kingdom), it ran a trade surplus of almost $12bn. For the EU (European Union), it is harder to give a figure because the State Bank does not report EU trade data as a region, and the member countries have changed over the decade, making it difficult to manually compute the cumulative trade for these years. But it is safe to assume that there would be a sizeable trade surplus here too.”
He wrote that Pakistan gains capital through its participation in the US, UK, and EU economies and utilises the same to invest in the markets of China and oil-producing states of the Gulf.
He pointed out that the glaring economic disparity with China solidified itself after 2010. “The interesting thing is, if you look at the decade between 2000 and 2010, China would not factor as the top country with which Pakistan ran a trade deficit. It attained that position post-2010, and cemented it further with the second China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement agreed to in 2019.
The agreement mentioned that China and Pakistan aim to reach US$15–20 billion in bilateral trade by the completion of the second phase. It was put into force on 1 January 2020, and will last until 2024.
The economist further added, “This is not unique to Pakistan. There are not many countries in the world that run a trade surplus with China. The single largest trade surplus that anyone ran with China last year, for example, was Taiwan, coming in at $156bn. Other countries that ran a trade surplus with China include Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil and a few others. By and large, the rest of the world runs a deficit.”
He also brought up India and conveyed that the country “ran a $100bn deficit with China last year alone” and also addressed the important distinction between Pakistan and other countries. “The difference between them and us, however, is they can afford this deficit whereas we can’t.”
Khurram Husain cited India and commented that another difference is that the country has pursued its commercial interests with other nations in Southeast Asia while forgoing a bilateral free trade agreement with China in order to protect its trade interests with its hostile neighbour. He reiterated, “Pakistan, on the other hand, has not only gone deeper into this loss-making relationship with China but increased reliance on Chinese credit as well along the way. A report released by Aid Data, a research lab based in the College of William and Mary, provides some useful data.”
He highlighted China’s $70 billion development finance commitment to Pakistan since 2000, which included emergency loans for budgetary assistance. “Of this, $56bn was committed in the post-2013 period, when the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) began. The report provides data on commitments only, not actual disbursements, but in some categories, it is easy to see how commitments would equal disbursements.”
He added, “One of these categories is the general budget support. Of the $56 billion committed by China to Pakistan in the post-BRI period, $16 billion was for budget support. In the pre-BRI period, the years running from 2000 to 2012, budget support credits were $4.6 billion.”
He observed that China started giving Pakistan increasing amounts of credit for budgetary support as the trade gap widened. “What is the purpose of these credits,” he asked and answered, “To keep us in the game. So we can keep losing more and more to them with every passing year.”
However, he claimed that China is not doing anything wrong and alleged, “This is, in fact, fairly normal trade policy for an emerging great power. All great powers have run a similar trajectory. They run trade surpluses with the rest of the world for prolonged periods, gathering more and more capital within their economy as the years pass.”
He added, “Then they become exporters of this capital to others. Eventually, as their economy becomes the single largest producer of goods and services, as well as the single largest supplier of capital to the world, they remake the rules of the game to make their currency the medium of exchange in global trade settlements as well as the key reserve asset.”
China, Khurram Husain argued, is following this path even though it has encountered certain obstacles on its journey from becoming the world’s “workshop” to becoming a major financier. He reaffirmed that he did not blame China and stated, “This is normal trade policy for an emerging power, and its relationship with much of the world looks like this. It is Pakistan that has to learn something here. The first thing to do is to drain all emotion out of the relationship.”
He called for an objective assessment of the relationship between the countries which is devoid of any emotion. “This business of ‘higher than the highest mountain’ needs to end. The second thing is to take stock of the two free trade agreements we have had with China thus far and decide whether we want to renew this in 2024 or not, and if so, on what terms.”
He noted that understanding that the goal of the game is to earn capital and not borrow it or bring it in with sporadic fire sales of assets is crucial. “Centre your relationships with all countries around this principle. Relationships that help you earn capital are to be built upon. Those that drain capital from you are to be reformed and changed. Build a foreign policy with this in mind. That is the only way the country can pull itself out of a cycle of endless borrowing.”
It is important to note that China is notorious for its debt-trap diplomacy. Debt-trap diplomacy is a term to describe an international financial relationship where a creditor country or institution extends debt to a borrowing nation partially, or solely, to increase the lender’s political leverage.
The creditor country is said to extend excessive credit to a debtor country with the intention of extracting economic or political concessions when the debtor country becomes unable to meet its repayment obligations. The conditions of the loans are often not publicized. The borrowed money commonly pays for contractors and materials sourced from the creditor country. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government lends and then leverages the debt burden of smaller countries for geopolitical ends.
India is also a major focal point in the relationship between China and Pakistan. China exploits Pakistan as a tool for its expansionist foreign policy, especially with regard to India, in exchange for monetary assistance while Pakistan under its doctrine of religious extremism tries to infiltrate terrorism on Indian soil.
According to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US fighter planes executed airstrikes on a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria on 8 November that was connected to Iran in reaction to attacks against American personnel. Nine persons connected to organisations supported by Iran were killed in the assault, per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor.
This is the second time in about two weeks that the US has struck a Syrian location that was reportedly connected to Iran. Washington accuses Tehran of supporting several armed organisations and holds it accountable for an increase in offensives against US soldiers in the Middle East.
While the Western power is working to prevent Iran and its allies from escalating the Israel-Hamas conflict into a regional war, the two countries could clash as a result of the continuing assaults and counterattacks.
Lloyd Austin released a statement which read, “US military forces conducted a self-defence strike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. This strike was conducted by two US F-15s against a weapons storage facility.”
He mentioned, “This precision self-defence strike is a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)-Quds Force affiliates. The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.’
The senior official added, “The United States is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities. We urge against any escalation. U.S. personnel will continue to conduct counter-ISIS missions in Iraq and Syria.”
The strike is being accompanied “with very clear messaging through multiple channels,” based on a senior US military official and senior Iranian leaders are being told, “We want you to direct your proxies and militia groups to stop attacking us.”
The site in Deir Ezzor province had been monitored, stated a senior American military official, allowing the US to choose a moment to do the strike with “a minimal number of casualties” albeit the action might have still resulted in some. “We were tracking just a couple (people) max that we don’t have any confirmation of just prior to the strike.”
On 26 October, the US military also attacked two locations in Syria that it claimed were used by the IRGC and its allies, however, it concluded that no one was hurt. Washington said that the other two strikes, like the most recent one, were in retaliation for attacks on US soldiers, who had been the target of more than 40 rocket and drone assaults since 17 October.
The war between Israel and Hamas, which started on 7 October when the terrorist organisation unleashed a surprise cross-border incursion from Gaza that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 people, is connected to the spike in attacks against US forces.
There are 900 American troops in Syria and another 2,500 in Iraq as part of the campaign to stop the Islamic State organisation from rising again. The jihadists had previously controlled a sizable portion of both nations, but after a brutal and multi-year battle, local ground forces with the help of international airstrikes drove them out.
The Houthi rebels in Yemen who are backed by Iran claimed on 8 November that they had shot down an American drone in another episode connected to the Israel-Hamas conflict. “Our air defences were able to down an American MQ-9 while it was carrying out hostile surveillance and espionage activities in Yemeni territorial waters as part of American military support for Israel,” they disclosed in a press release.
Senior US officials have confirmed that one of the nation’s drones was shot down. Following the 7 October attack, the US promptly provided military support to Israel and increased US personnel in the area.
Houthis are part of the “axis of resistance” of outfits positioned against Israel and are hostile to Yemeni government forces. The US Navy intercepted missiles fired by the rebels last month and they have taken credit for numerous drone and missile attacks against Israel throughout its conflict with Hamas.
The United States assessed that one of the MQ-9 drones was shot down by the Huthis in 2019. A number of MQ-9 drones, which are capable of flying more than 1,100 miles (1,700 kilometres) at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,000 meters) and be used for both surveillance and strikes have been lost or damaged in recent years.
