The Supreme Court on Friday passed an order allowing three Jain temples of Shri Parshwatilak Shwetambar Murtipujak Tapagacch Jain Trust to remain open for the Paryushana festivities for the remaining two days. The verdict added that COVID-19 protocols have to be strictly followed while carrying out the religious functions in the temples.
Breaking : SC allows religious functions at the Jain temples of SHRI PARSHWATILAK SHWETAMBER MURTIPUJAK TAPAGACCH JAIN TRUST by strictly following COVID19 protocols for “Paryushana”.
A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde passed the order, granting permission for the Jain Temple to remain open for the last two days of the Paryushana, that end on Saturday. The court has allowed opening of Jain temples at Dadar, Byculla and Chembur in Mumbai.
Furthermore, the apex court cautioned against using the verdict as a precedent for celebrations of festivals by other communities or trusts and stated that the order pertains to a single Jain Temple that the petitioner represents.
“At the outset, we must note that the interim prayer of the Petitioner before the HC was limited to open one Jain temple with Standard Operating Procedure during the Paryushan period” the order read.
CJI Bobde stated that the concession was granted to Jain Temples only and it cannot be applied to any other temple or Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, where a large number of people congregate.
“We must make it clear that the order, in this case, does not extend to any other Trust or any other temples. Our order is not intended to apply in any other case, particularly which involves a large congregation of people which by their very nature cannot be controlled,” the order said.
Bombay HC had denied permission to Jain Trust earlier
Earlier last week, the Shri ParshwatilakShwetambarMurtipujak Jain Trust had approached the top court seeking permission to keep Jain Temples open during the Paryushana festival which commenced on August 15. The petition was against the interim order passed by the Bombay High Court on August 13.
Weeks after Turkish President Erdogan converted the 1500-year-old Hagia Sophia into a mosque, the authorities in the country have now issued another presidential decree to convert the Byzantine Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora into a mosque.
According to the reports, the decision to convert the former church and current museum into a mosque was already taken in December 2019 but the decision of the State Council of Turkey had not been implemented. The Turkish government headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday passed a decree to convert the 4th-century church into a mosque.
Turkish Council of State has ruled last year that the state has a responsibility to return the Chora Museum into its original mosque form because it was endowed as such.
The decision later become a foundation for Hagia Sophia ruling
Interestingly, the Chora Church was built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 4th-century, who had also built the iconic church Hagia Sophia, which was converted into a mosque recently. The building, which was constructed as a monastery during the Byzantine period, was converted by the Ottomans into a mosque in 1511.
The Chora Church, after serving as a mosque for 434 years was converted into a museum by a Council of Minister’s decree in 1945 after the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923. The church is registered as a UNESCO heritage site.
The walls and the ceilings of the church-turned-museum are covered with some of the finest Byzantine mosaics and frescoes.
Hagia Sophia church converted to mosque
The decision to convert Chora museum into a mosque comes at the backdrop of the recent decision by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convert the 1500-year-old Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Istanbul, Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
Originally built as a cathedral in 537 AD by Byzantine emperor Justinian I, it was believed to be the largest church in the world. The Byzantines held it for centuries before it was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman rule in 1453.
Following the decision to convert the 1500-year-old church to a mosque, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had expressed deep regret and urged Turkey to initiate dialogue without delay, to preserve world heritage and not to alter the status of the site without discussion.
Following intel that Pakistan backed Islamists are planning attacks on selected BJP, VHP, RSS and ABVP- Hindu leaders associated with Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the Centre has placed three states on red alert. It is being seen as a sinister plot by Pakistani establishments to avenge the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
According to a report by Times Now, the Islamic fundamentalists are planning the assassination of select Hindu leaders and for this purpose, the ‘Indian assets’ have been tasked to collect details like office and residential addresses as well as the day-to-day movement of these leaders.
Construction of the temple in Ayodhya begins. TIMES NOW accesses an intel report that was sent to 3 states that details Pakistan’s plan to assassinate Hindu leaders.
Sleeper cells of Dawood Ibrahim’s D-gang have already been activated to carry out the attacks: Intel reports
The state governments have reportedly been told by the Centre to follow the 3-pronged security approach after intel reports suggested that the sleeper cells of Dawood Ibrahim’s D-gang have already been activated to carry out the attacks.
The state intelligence units have been asked to apprise the respective state’s prominent Hindu leaders of the possible attacks and also keep their Personal Security Officers informed of the input.
In another note, Centre had instructed the states to intensify security at airports, airstrips, seaports, atomic/nuclear power installations and major water resources.
Quoting the intel reports, the note reportedly said that some Pakistani intelligence agency-backed banned extremist outfits have planned a major attack in the country and had specific plans to infiltrate along the country’s border with Bangladesh or Myanmar.
Gujarat ATS apprehended a Pakistan backed sharpshooter who was plotting to kill BJP leader
On August 19, Gujarat’s Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) had nabbed one alleged sharpshooter belonging to the gang of Dawood aide and dreaded underworld gangster Chhota Shakeel, It was reported that the sharpshooter was plotting the assassination of BJP leader Gordhan Zadafia.
In a shocking revelation, journalist Raj Shekhar Jha has revealed that the Delhi Police have arrested two businessmen who were transferring money to Aam Admi Party, headed by Arvind Kejriwal, through shell companies.
Delhi Police arrests two businessmen operating shell companies and transferring money to Aam Aadmi Party. Identified as Mukesh and Sudhanshu Bansal. More details awaited.
The two businessmen have been reportedly identified as Mukesh and Sudhanshu Bansal.
A shell corporation is a corporation without active business operations or significant assets. These types of corporations are not all necessarily illegal, but they are sometimes used illegitimately, such as to disguise business ownership from law enforcement or the public.
With the police arrested businessmen who were transferring money to AAP, who used to tout themselves to be anti-corruption crusaders, a Pandora’s box might be set to open with ill-gotten donations being revealed.
Streaming platform Netflix has issued a semblance of an apology, without addressing any of the core concerns that were raised, after it was accused of sexualizing children in an upcoming French movie on its platform ‘Cuties’. In its statement, Netflix apologised for the ‘inappropriate artwork’ for the movie and said that they have updated the pictures and description.
The description of the movie had read, “Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions.” The trailer of the movie and the manner in which it depicted the children was slammed by people across the board.
Apology by Netflix
There are no plans to scrap the movie and it is set to release on the platform on the 9th of September. However, a petition has been launched demanding that the movie be scrapped altogether. It received over 20,000 signatures in a single day. It received widespread criticism on social media for the manner in which it depicted the children.
Because @netflix is promoting and streaming the movie "Cuties", I have cancelled my account.
This is disgusting. Exploiting and normalizing child sexuality is heinous and must not be tolerated.
Who made the poster for Cuties sexualizing children, @netflix? Who approved posting the film’s description celebrating 11-year-old girls twerking? Have those degenerates been fired? Have police been notified? #NetflixPedophiles
The movie is said to be based partly on the childhood experiences of Director Maïmouna Doucouré growing up. She said in a recent interview, “This is most of all an uncompromising portrait of an 11-year-old girl plunged in a world that imposes a series of dictates on her. It was very important not to judge these girls, but most of all to understand them, to listen to them, to give them a voice, to take into account the complexity of what they’re living through in society, and all of that in parallel with their childhood which is always there, their imaginary, their innocence.”
People have also observed that the original poster for the movie depicts the children in a much more age-appropriate way. However, in the Netflix poster, the children have been portrayed completely different and heavily sexualised.
Ok so the Netflix Cuties movie.
I did some research and the director is a French Senegalese Black woman who is pulls from her own experiences as an immigrant and comments on the hyper-sexualization of preadolescent girls.
There are more disturbing aspects of the matter that have come to light. Screenshots of conversations people have had with the customer service of Netflix regarding the movie has raised a lot of concerns. While the streaming platform was unwilling to provide a satisfactory answer on how the movie got approved, they were also unwilling to unequivocally condemn pedophilia, the purported screenshots reveal.
When asked by a customer whether Netflix supported pedophilia or not, Netflix is claimed to have said, “We cannot really comment on that but while we believe in creative freedom, at Netflix we respect all religions and their cultures, traditions and values.” It appears that allegations of Islamophobia bothers them more than accusations of tolerating pedophilia.
Source: Twitter
It remains to be seen whether the movie is removed from the platform by the 9th of September. But given the widespread prevalence and tolerance for sexual abuse in Hollywood circles, as evidence by the conduct of Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski, it appears that Netflix will brazen it out.
Earlier this month, Supreme Court held Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court for his reckless behaviour on social media. The apex court had taken suo moto cognisance against the senior advocate’s two tweets, one on the last 4 CJIs ‘murdering democracy’, and another tweet on CJI riding a bike and issued notice to Bhushan and Twitter.
While the advocate stood firm on not apologising for his Tweets, the SC on Thursday rejected Prashant Bhushan’s plea to review his statement on the quantum of his sentence in two days by another bench. The next hearing of the case may take place on 31st August 2020.
While this case against the Prashant Bhushan remains pending in the apex court and we are yet to see where the lawyer’s defiance will lead him to, let us look at some of the other cases for which the SC has reprimanded the advocate in the last decade.
2010 contempt case against Prashant Bhushan
In September 2009, the ‘PIL activist’ in an interview with Tehelka magazine had made serious allegations against former Chief Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia. He insinuated that Justice Kapadia had committed ‘judicial impropriety’ by being a part of the forest Bench that heard the Niyamgiri Mining lease in Orissa and ruled in favour of Vedanta subsidiary Sterlite industries. In the same interview, Bhushan claimed that out of the last 16 to 17 Chief Justices, half have been corrupt.
A contempt petition was moved by Senior Advocate Harish Salve, who helped the court as ‘amicus curiae.’ The petition was held to be maintainable and is pending before the Supreme Court for final judgement.
Coal Scam
The ‘PIL crusader’ had found himself in trouble in 2013 when the SC began scrutinising coal block allocation since 1993. The three-judge bench headed by Justice R M Lodha had pulled up Bhushan for making “disturbing” remarks against the bench hearing the coal scam case.
In an interview, Bhushan had raised questions on why the bench did not take any action against Attorney General Goolam E. Vahanvati after it was found that he allegedly lied to the court by saying he did not go through the CBI affidavit before it was filed in the apex court.
The bench had taken strong exception to the statement. However, it refused to proceed against Bhushan and turned down the plea made by other lawyers involved in the coal scam case to take action against him for his contemptuous remarks after the latter apologised.
SC came down heavily on Prashant Bhushan for CPIL
The advocate also steers an organization called the Center for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL). The Supreme Court in 2016 was quite flummoxed with the fact that filing PILs was the sole activity of an NGO. The bench headed by then Chief Justice T.S. Thakur said, “Prashant Bhushan, you have an image of a crusader. But can you become the centre for public interest litigation? Can the system be taken for a ride in such a manner? We cannot allow this.”
Sahara-Birla cases
In 2017, the NGO Common Cause, through Bhushan, had also filed an interim application in the Court accusing Prime Minister Modi of taking bribes from Sahara and Birla when he was the CM of Gujarat. What followed was a major embarrassment for the senior advocate. The Supreme Court dismissed Prashant Bhushan’s plea seeking probe against PM Narendra Modi, observing that mere diaries and loose sheets cannot be taken as admissible evidence in a court of law against constitutional functionaries.
Pulling up Bhushan for submitting documents with “no evidentiary value” the SC said: “Given the shape in which these documents have been collected and filed, we are of the opinion that it would not be safe and proper to order investigation”.
Flustered with the Court’s decision, Bhushan insinuated that the Court was scared of big corporates. He slammed the Supreme Court’s verdict stating that it will go down as “one of the worst judgement” in history, adding that “it is a black day”.
Chit Fund Scheme
Once again in 2017, Prashant Bhushan had managed to irk the Supreme Court during the hearing of a PIL by NGO Humanity Salt Lake, which had sought investigation into banned chit fund schemes. In stern words, the Supreme Court had reprimanded Bhushan, telling him that a private person does not have the right to question the Court.
A Bench led by then CJI Khehar said: “Who are you to ask? If there is something, the parties concerned will approach us or hire you as a counsel. You are a private person who has no authority to ask questions. Whenever there is something substantial, we will pass directions. You point out if a serious fraud has been committed.”
Without mincing its words, the Court questioned Bhushan’s approach regarding the public interest litigation and asked him whether he wanted a “super agency over and above” the apex court.
Medical College bribery case
The year 2017 did not prove to be a very good year for the senior advocate. Yet again, in 2017, there was the medical college case in which the then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Mishra had observed: “Mr Bhushan you are now liable for contempt. But you are not worthy to even of contempt.” Bhushan had walked out of the courtroom alleging that he was not allowed to argue.
Judge Loya case
In 2018, while dismissing a host of PILs seeking a probe into the death of Judge Loya, the Supreme Court slammed Prashant Bhushan and his NGO CPIL saying “attempts were made to misrepresent and mislead the court by manufacturing evidence to cast a doubt on the circumstances leading to the death of judge Loya”.
The conduct of Prashant Bhushan also led the Supreme Court to express grave concern over the rising misuse of PILs in its Judge Loya verdict. “The misuse of public interest litigation is a serious matter of concern for the judicial process. It is a travesty of justice for the resources of the legal system to be consumed by an avalanche of misdirected petitions purportedly filed in the public interest which, upon due scrutiny, are found to promote a personal, business or political agenda.”
Prashant Bhushan and his lie on Rafale deal
Prashant Bhushan, who was also one of the founding members of Aam Aadmi Party before Arvind Kejriwal fired him, had submitted a rejoinder affidavit at the Supreme Court on May 9, 2019, in the review petition filed against the Rafale deal. He had then alleged that the government has misled the government in various aspects of the deal in its response which was submitted in a sealed cover. He also accused the government of suppressing information and said that the government obtained the judgement on the basis of fraud.
However, it was seen that in the rejoinder affidavit, Prashant Bhushan had not brought any new allegation, he had merely repeated the same complaints which had been comprehensibly rebutted already. The SC had dismissed the review petition saying that “they lack merit”.
It is reported that Bhushan has argued over 300 PILs in the Courts. While he has seen a significant amount of success with his judicial activism in matters such as the 2G scam and Radia Tapes, it appears that he has tasted only bitter defeat off late.
The 10 cases for which Supreme Court reprimanded Advocate Prashant Bhushan can be viewd here:
Days after the Supreme court found senior advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt, a group of 103 intellectuals including former High Court judges, retired IAS, IPS, and army officers have condemned the statement made by ‘Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR)’ wherein they had criticised the judgment and sought ‘reconsideration’ of the verdict.
Earlier, the apex court observed that the insinuation by Bhushan is not an attack against an individual but on the institution itself. The CJAR had made comments in support of Bhushan and had condemned the SC judgement.
Group exposes ‘hidden political’ agenda of CJAR
The dignitaries who condemned the CJAR statement made on August 15 included the likes of former Chief Justice of the Mumbai High Court Justice KR Vyas, former Foreign Secretary Amar Sinha, former Chief Secretary of Punjab Sarvesh Kaushal and others. The group accused the CJAR of claiming themselves to be the sole representatives of the civil society or the only custodians of the Constitution and democracy. The dignitaries objected to the said group with ‘hidden political agendas’ to use opportunities such as the contempt case against Prashant Bhushan to hurt Indian democratic institutions such as the Parliament, Election Commission of India, and the apex court as well.
Statement made by the group Page 1 (Image Courtesy: The Times of India)
Dignitaries highlight constitutional obligations of Prashant Bhushan
The group further noted, “This is not the first occasion when he has made utterances which were inflammatory in nature. CJAR counts, among its community Prashant Bhushan himself, apart from a few others, such as Arundhati Roy, etc, which shows that they are working on an agenda that you plead their own cause extra-judicially.” The signatories emphasised that the legal profession is a serious occupation with professional, constitutional, and ethical obligations. ” Any violations of the principles of professional ethics by an advocate is unfortunate and unacceptable,” they argued.
Group opposes ‘pseudo activism’ in the name of civil society
Highlighting the case of Morris versus Crown office, the group quoted Lord Dennings to emphasise, “The course of justice must not be deflected or interfered with. Those who strike at it strike at the very foundations of our society. They concluded, “The statements issued by the CJAR and a few other pressure groups condemning the judgment of the Supreme Court deciding the process of judgment delivery are highly objectionable and unacceptable. We, the concerned citizens, unequivocally oppose such pseudo activism hidden in the garb of the civil society.”
Statement made by the group Page 2 (Image Courtesy: The Times of India)
700 lawyers write to SC supporting verdict against Prashant Bhushan
Earlier, 700 lawyers had written a letter, addressed to the Chief Justice of India, and said, “India has witnessed a series of attacks by institutional disruptors against judges who are unwilling to agree with them and toe the line drawn by them. It is unfortunate that when political ends of lawyers are not served by a decision of the court, they vilify the court by making scandalising remarks.” They added, “The Supreme Court of India, as well as the judges, are subject to both scurrilous language, malicious attack and scandalising remarks.”
In the letter, the lawyers also stated that if the judiciary is to perform its duties and functions effectively, it is essential to protect the dignity and authority of the courts. The lawyers’ letter also stated that statements by these disruptors, such as “Supreme Court is killing the constitution” have the tendency to destroy the people’s faith in the judiciary.
On Friday, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, who announced his retirement on August 15, took to Twitter to share a letter written to him by Prime Minister Modi acknowledging his contributions to cricket and wishing him wishes following his retirement from international cricket.
In a tweet, Suresh Raina shared the letter of appreciation sent to him by the Prime Minister. The former Indian cricketer, in response to the PM Modi’s letter wrote, “When we play, we give our blood & sweat for nation. No better appreciation than being loved by people of this country & country’s PM. Thank you PM for your words of appreciation & best wishes. I accept them with gratitude.”
When we play, we give our blood & sweat for the nation. No better appreciation than being loved by the people of this country and even more by the country’s PM. Thank you @narendramodi ji for your words of appreciation & best wishes. I accept them with gratitude. Jai Hind!?? pic.twitter.com/l0DIeQSFh5
In his letter, Prime Minister Modi acknowledged Suresh Raina’s contribution to the country and praised him for the impact that Raina had on the cricket field, saying that not only would he be remembered for his batting but also for being an “exemplary and inspiring” fielding.
Suresh Raina announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, the same day as former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Meanwhile, Suresh Raina will continue to play for Chennai Supers Kings in IPL 2020, alongside Dhoni, which is scheduled to start from September 19 in the UAE.
Read the letter written by Prime Minister Modi to former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina after he announced retirement
On 15 August, you decided to make what would surely have been one of the toughest decisions of your life. I do not want to use the word ‘retirement’ because you are way too young and energetic to ‘retire’. You are padding up for the next innings of your life, after an extremely fruitful innings on the cricket field.
You have lived and breathed cricket. Your interest in the sport began early in life, in the by-lanes of Muradnagar and subsequently found feet in the playgrounds of Lucknow. There on, what an eventful journey it has been, culminating in the most important honour of representing India – a country you love deeply – in all three forms of the game.
Generations will remember you not only as a fine batsman but also as a very useful bowler who the captain could tum to when the situation demanded. Your fielding was exemplary and inspiring. Some of the best catches in recent international cricket have your distinctive imprint. It would take days to count just the number of runs you have saved by your alertness on the field.
As a batsman, you especially distinguished yourself across all mediums and particularly in the newest form of the game, the T-20 cricket. This is not an easy format. In tune with our times, it requires quick fixes in double quick time. Again, your promptness and speed were assets for this form.
India can never forget your inspiring role during the 2011 World Cup, especially during the later matches. I saw you live in action at the Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad, during the Quarter Final against Australia. Your anchoring innings had a big role to play in our team’s victory. I can confidently say that most fans will miss seeing your elegant cover drives, one which I was lucky to witness live that day.
Sportspersons are admired not only for their conduct on the field but also off the field. Your fighting spirit can motivate many youngsters. During your cricketing career, you sometimes faced setbacks including injuries but every time you overcame these challenges, thanks to your tenacity.
At the same time, Suresh Raina will always be synonymous with team spirit. You played not for personal glory but for the glory of your team and the glory of India. Your enthusiasm on the field was infectious, and we could all witness that you would be among the first and most animated players to celebrate the fall of the opposing team’s wicket.
Your care and compassion towards society is visible in your numerous community service efforts. You have passionately supported efforts towards women empowerment, Swachh Bharat and helping the needy. I am glad you are attached to India’s cultural roots and proud of deepening youth’s connect with our glorious ethos as well as value systems.
I am confident you will have an equally fruitful and successful innings in whatever you wish to pursue in the times to come. I do hope you will use this opportunity to spend even more quality time with Priyanka, Gracia and Rio.
Thank you for doing whatever you can to make India a leader in sports and constantly inspiring young minds.
PM Modi’s letter of appreciation to former Indian Captain MS Dhoni
On Thursday, former Indian captain MS Dhoni, who retired from international cricket on August 15, had shared a letter of appreciation written to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Taking to Twitter, Dhoni shared the letter saying, “An Artist, Soldier and Sportsperson what they crave for is appreciation, that their hard work and sacrifice is getting noticed and appreciated by everyone. thanks PM @narendramodi for your appreciation and good wishes.”
In a two-page letter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the former India captain by penning a touching letter. In his letter, the Prime Minister also acknowledged Dhoni’s contributions to cricket and highlighted how big an impact he left on the national discourse.
Samajwadi Party leader Chaudhary Lautan Ram Nishad on Tuesday made objectionable remarks on Ram Mandir and went on to question the very existence of Lord Ram.
Raising doubts over the existence of Lord Ram, Lautan Ram Nishad – who is also the president of Samajwadi Party (SP) Backward Class Cell, said that Lord Shri Ram was just a fictional character just as in the movies. Nishad was in Ayodhya on Tuesday to select local office bearers for the party.
SP leader’s statement
Continuing his anti-Hindu rhetoric, SP leader Nishad further claimed that the Constitution has also accepted that no hero like Lord Ram was ever born in India.
Speaking to the media, Lautan Ram Nishad said, “I have nothing to do with the construction of Ram’s temple or Krishna’s temple… I have no faith in Ram, this is my personal thought. My faith is on the constitution made by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, Karpoori Thakur, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule and Sabitribai Phule, from whom we have got the right to read, write, sit in government jobs.”
Further, the Samajwadi Party leader added that he only believed in them from whom he had benefited directly. Raising doubts over Lord Ram’s existence, Nishad said, “On the question of Rama, I question his existence as well. Ram is a fictional character, similar to a movie script of the film. Ram is a character who does not exist. The Constitution has also said that Ram was not born a hero, no hero named Ram was born in India.”
Meanwhile, BJP has reacted to the statements made by SP leader Lotan Ram Nishad and has demanded a clarification from SP National President Akhilesh Yadav.
Bollywood actress who has recently been extremely vocal about the nepotism in the industry has now announced her entry into Social Media. So far, Kangana Ranaut was not personally on Twitter.
Her team posted a video message by Kangana Ranaut on Twitter where she said that she has been in the industry for 15 years but despite several contracts specifically asking her to join Twitter, she has stayed away from the platform. However, after seeing how Netizens rallied for Sushant Singh Rajput and eventually, the court decided to order a CBI probe into his death, she has developed a lot of hope from the platform.
She said that she believes Twitter can be used to rally for the changes people want to see in India and hence, she will be joining Twitter this month.
