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Mahesh Bhatt plants a paid article praising himself after finding himself at the centre of nepotism debate in Bollywood

OpIndia Staff
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Mahesh Bhatt plants a paid article praising himself after finding himself at the centre of nepotism debate in Bollywood

In a desperate act, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who is at the centre of the ongoing controversy over allegations of nepotism the movie industry, has now resorted to paid promotions to boost his image.

On Thursday, the Bollywood filmmaker, whose image has taken a hit following the raging debate of nepotism in the industry after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, got caught on social media after he allegedly planted paid articles that praised and crediting him for the success of various Bollywood stars.

In a sponsored article published in the Hindustan Times titled, “Mahesh Bhatt has given wings to many young dreams in Bollywood”, the writer has glorified Mahesh Bhatt, claiming that the director-cum-producer had spotted several talents and gave breakthroughs to them.

Interestingly, the paid article comes a day after the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into the death of 34-year-old actor.

Image Source: Hindustan Times

The paid article, perhaps planted by Mahesh Bhatt himself, hails him for encouraging and providing an opportunity for lots of young talents like Kunal Kemmu, Anupam Kher, Sonali Bendre, Arijit Singh, Kumar Sanu and others, who went on to become accomplished actors in the future.

“He (Mahesh Bhatt) has often said in interviews that he feels he is “blessed to discover new talent and watch them bloom”. In an era when more and more confident, young people are coming to Mumbai to chase their Bollywood dream; Bhatt’s efforts come as a whiff of fresh air in the merciless, cut-throat environment,” read the sponsored article.

Mahesh Bhatt credits himself for success of actors, musicians

In an act of narcissism, evident through such planted paid stories on the media, Mahesh Bhatt credits himself for providing a platform to Anupam Kher in the movie ‘Saaransh’. The article also cites how Anupam Kher had once credited Bhatt for his success in the movie industry.

Further, the HT report credits Mahesh Bhatt for finding talents such as John Abraham, who was also launched by Mahesh Bhatt. The story goes on to say that Bhatt saw a junior Sanjay Dutt in Abraham and called the actor personally to offer the lead role in the film.

“He is credited with bringing in raw talent, who went on to become highly successful actors,” the HT sponsored story read.

The HT report, in its mission to promote Mahesh Bhatt and his latest movie ‘Sadak 2’, also claimed that Bhatt had a good ear for great music, who offered the right platform to several singers, who shot to stardom. Expectedly, Mahesh Bhatt also claims credit for even singer Kumar Sanu’s success.

Arijit Singh, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan came to spotlight due to Mahesh Bhatt

Not just Kumar Sanu, Mahesh Bhatt also unearthed talent in the form of Arijit Singh. The HT report says that Bhatt was instrumental in spotting the singing prowess of Arijit Singh, who apparently got his first big breakthrough in Aashiqui 2.

The most bizarre claim made by Hindustan Times paid promotional article is that Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan came into the spotlight only after he sang the song Mann ki Lagan in Bhatt’s movie ‘Paap’.

The report pitching for Bhatt’s new movie ‘Sadak 2’, said that his movies on their own have explored unchartered territories, which many other filmmakers steer clear of. 

“His body of work has been loved by the audience and critics alike. They offered many established actors a new lease of life in their careers,” read the HT report praising Mahesh Bhatt for introducing talents actors such as Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Paresh Rawal and music composer duo Nadeen Shravan, who all vowed their success to Mahesh Bhatt.  

Charges of nepotism against Mahesh Bhatt

The sudden and untimely demise of actor Sushant Singh Rajput has opened a can of worms and sparked a debate over nepotism in the cinema industry. Many celebrities have opened up on how the big and influential families in Bollywood have been propagating it over the years.

One such name which came out in the public domain was Mahesh Bhatt, who was accused of deliberately sidelining talented actors and instead promoting his own kids and other actors connected to the bigwigs of the industry. Many blamed filmmakers such as Mahesh Bhatt, Karan Johar for their favouritism in the industry, which according to a few resulted in the death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

Following the actor’s death, the veteran filmmaker was summoned for questioning by the Mumbai Police along with several other Bollywood directors and producers.

Recently, the National Commission of Women had summoned Mahesh Bhatt over his alleged with modelling firm, which is accused in a sexual abuse case.

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris says Coronavirus is a racist virus during her speech accepting her nomination

OpIndia Staff
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Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris says Coronavirus is a racist virus during her speech accepting her nomination

On the third day of the virtual Democratic National Convention 2020, Kamala Harris officially accepted her nomination for the Vice President post. She said, “On that day, she [Harris’s mother] probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now speaking these words: I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America.”

Kamala Harris started her speech by saying that this week marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment that gave women of the United States the right to vote. She narrated the story of her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who came to the US when she was 19. She talked about how her parents fell in love during the march for justice in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. While mentioning the support she got from her family, and how proud her mother would be to see her standing there, Harris accepted her nomination for the post of Vice President.

Covid-19 is racist

While talking about President Donald Trump’s leadership, she said that it has cost lives and livelihoods. She pointed out the current situation in America because of the Covid-19 pandemic and said that the nation is grieving the loss of life, jobs, opportunities and normalcy and certainty. Continuing her speech, she called Covid-19 a racist virus.

She said, “And while this virus touches us all, let’s be honest, it is not an equal opportunity offender. Black, Latino and Indigenous people are suffering and dying disproportionately. This is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism. Of inequities in education and technology, health care and housing, job security and transportation. The injustice in reproductive and maternal health care. In the excessive use of force by police. And in our broader criminal justice system. This virus has no eyes, and yet it knows exactly how we see each other—and how we treat each other.”

Racism in America and George Floyd

Harris added that there is no vaccine for racism and the people of the US have to work on finding a way to end racism. In her speech, she specifically mentioned the name of George Floyd whose killing in May 2020 resulted in protests in the US and other parts of the world. The protests soon turned into violent riots in the US and some other parts of the world, resulting in loss of billions of dollars and lives. A worldwide campaign on #BlackLivesMatter was started as a result of Floyd’s killing.

Harris urged people to choose Joe Biden as the President

She further praised Joe Biden for his role as the Vice President and a single father. Harris said,” In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. We’re all in this fight. You, me, and Joe—together.” She ended her speech by saying, “Years from now, this moment will have passed. And our children and our grandchildren will look in our eyes and ask us: Where were you when the stakes were so high? They will ask us, what was it like? And we will tell them. We will tell them, not just how we felt. We will tell them what we did.”

Pre-partition Hanuman Mandir razed to the ground in Pakistan: Here is how builder took advantage of lockdown to demolish Temple

OpIndia Staff
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Pre-partition Hanuman Mandir razed to the ground in Pakistan: Here is how builder took advantage of lockdown to demolish Temple

A pre-partition Hanuman Mandir in Pakistan’s Lyari district was demolished by a builder on Monday. The next day, the narrow thoroughfare on Fida Hussain Sheikh Road in Lyari where the temple stood until Monday was flooded by dozens of Hindu families after they heard that the Hanuman Mandir had been razed the previous evening. The Karachi Police sealed the construction site after the temple was razed, reports a Pakistan daily, The Express Tribune.

According to the report, Lyari’s assistant commissioner Abdul Karim Memon who reached the site with the police informed that a probe has been initiated and the site, where a residential building is to be erected, has been sealed so that an inquiry can be conducted.

A resident Hindu named Heera Lal, while speaking to the media, expressed grief as well as his anger as he informed that the Hindus in the area had been given assurance by the builder that the temple will not be harmed. The resident, who was one amongst the 18 Hindu families living near the temple, added that the demolition had taken place late on Sunday evening.

Builder took advantage of the lockdown in Pakistan to raze the Hanuman temple

Another onlooker Mohammad Irshad Baloch said: “It is an injustice as a place of worship has been destroyed. It was an old temple. We have been seeing it since we were children.”

A resident who opined that the builder had taken advantage of the lockdown said: “No one was allowed to visit the temple during the lockdown. The builder exploited the situation and demolished our place of worship while we could not visit it, lamented one Harish while demanding that the temple be restored immediately.

He, too, claimed the builder had promised the area’s Hindu residents that the temple would not be demolished, adding that all the families living around it were even assured of alternative housing.

Similarly several Hindus living in the area, who collected near the temple site, after the news of the demolition spread, voiced their disappointment as well as their acrimony on their place of worship being destroyed.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Mohan Lal, a Hindu activist, accused the builder of threatening members of the minority community who had assembled at the site and highlighted the temple’s demolition.

“We tried to enter the temple but were denied entry by the builder,” he narrated, adding that the man had deceived the residents living there. “We will not allow anyone to demolish our places of worship in this manner,” he added.

According to the report, the builder could not be reached for his comment on the matter.

Hardline Islamists impeded construction of Sri Krishna temple in Islamabad

Last month, the construction of a new Sri Krishna temple in Islamabad was halted after radical extremists razed the boundary wall of the temple to the ground. Videos of radical extremist dismantling the temporary boundary wall and speaking to the camera in an agitated manner had gone viral on social media.

The hardline-radical Islamists in Pakistan had earlier opposed the construction of Hindu temple in Pakistan claiming that it was contrary to the idea of Pakistan, which is Islam. Terming it to be against Pakistan’s ideologies, the Islamic fundamentalists had attacked the Imran Khan government for granting funds to the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad. The Islamic leaders claimed that building a temple on the taxes of Muslims could not be tolerated in Pakistan.

Congress era NSA with links to George Soros insinuates India’s domestic policy should be decided by the USA

OpIndia Staff
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Congress era NSA with links to George Soros insinuates India’s domestic policy should be decided by the USA

Shivshankar Menon, India’s former National Security Advisor under the Manmohan Singh government has written an article in Foreignaffairs.com, a USA-based publication, on the India-US relationship under the Modi and Trump administrations.

As NSA, Menon was cited as one of Manmohan Singh’s most trusted men and had also gained the confidence of many UPA ministers.

In the article, the former NSA has implied that India’s domestic policies should be made in a way that the USA, or rather, a particular set of politicians in the USA approve of.

In the article titled “League of Nationalists: How Trump and Modi Refashioned US-Indian Relationship” in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, Menon has written that Trump and Modi go along well because they both, like Israel’s Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Bin Salman and Brazil’s Bolsonaro, view foreign policy as a ‘give and get favours’ relationship.

Menon also says that Modi and Trump go along well because, like Trump, Modi had “resorted to ultranationalism to compensate for his divisive domestic agenda”.

Fromer NSA peddles blatant lies against India

The former NSA’s article is mostly about how Trump (and his friends) are bad people who do bad things. He writes baout a number of changes in India’s policy and trade relationship with the USA, but fails to explain how exactly they have been ‘bad’ for either countries. Most of the issues he has mentioned, are discussed because they have been ‘changes’, steering away from old conventions and old dynamics of ‘strong USA and weak India’.

In order to make his point, Menon has resorted to blatant lies against India and the policies of the Modi government, to the extent of undermining India’s national interests and belittling India’s sovereignty to ‘appease’ a certain group of politicians.

Shivshankar Menon’s article in Foreign Affairs

In the same article, Menon has resorted to blatant lies. He has written that under Modi, India has “excluded Muslim immigrants from the path to citizenship”. This is in reference to the CAA, where India had shortened the number of years required for religiously persecuted minority refugees from its three Islamic neighbours, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to apply for an Indian citizenship.

The blatant lie that it takes away the ‘right of Muslims’ and endangers their citizenship, or even restricts Muslims from applying for Indian citizenship was peddled by a large group od ‘secular-liberals’ including the Congress, and other opposition parties in India, a number of leftist NGOs, Pakistan, UK’s Labour Party and a section of democrats in the USA.

The CAA neither concerns exiting Indian citizens, regardless of their religion, nor it affects the usual process of applying for citizenship for non-Indians, regardless of their religion. What Menon, a former NSA, has written, is a big, fat, shameless lie.

Menon’s lie on Kashmir

The second part of Menon’s lies concerns Jammu and Kashmir, where India had last year abrogated the discriminatory, misogynist, anti-Dalit and anti-minority Article 370 and brought all the residents of the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir under the ambit of the Indian constitution, with all the rights and benefits that the Indian constitution grants to its citizens, regardless of their gender, birth, religion and sexual orientation.

Why exactly a former NSA serving under the then UPA government harbours the views that an Indian state should be governed by a set of sectarian laws dictated by the Muslim majority of that region and its residents should not enjoy the rights and benefits granted by the constitution of India is a big mystery. May be Menon himself, or the people who appointed him as the NSA should answer that question.

Menon wants USA to interfere in India’s domestic policies?

The reason why he has written a long article on ‘Bad-Trump bad-Modi’ is explained on the later lines. Menon has explicitly mentioned that Trump has never ‘objected’ to Modi’s domestic policy. He has given a “free pass” to Modi’s divisive domestic agenda and it was only a few Democrat leaders, like Pramila Jayapal, and Ro Khanna who had spoken against Modi’s policy.

Why does a former NSA think that India’s democratically elected government should need the permission, evaluation and approval of the USA before deciding on its domestic policies is another large question mark.

Pramila Jayapal, and some other politicians, were among those who had tried to pressurise India through various channels against its domestic policy decisions of CAA and abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. India’s current foreign minister S Jaiashankar had refused to meet a delegation of USA politicians where Jayapal was a part, over the same issue.

India, under the Modi government, has steadfastly refused to bow down to foreign politicians. The UK Labour Party had also passed a resolution against India’s decisions in Kashmir. India, under Modi, has made it clear that it will not let foreign powers decide its policies. Perhaps a strong, independent India that refuses to bend to a certain group of lobbyists and their masters, is not a favourable idea for some.

Shivshankar Menon is the board member of a George Soros organisation

Shivshankar Menon, who served as the National Security Advisor (NSA) of India from January 2010 to May 2014 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Crisis Group along with George Soros.

For the uninitiated, George Soros, the so-called ‘progressive philanthropist’, who through his network of NGOs and funding agencies works to interfere in internal matters of other nations, influence elections and change governments, has stated that his organisation intends to fight ‘nationalism’ in India.

At Davos, in his speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Soros had committed $1 billion towards fighting nationalism and nationalists. George Soros claimed that the “biggest and most frightening setback” was in India and accused Narendra Modi of “creating a Hindu nationalist state.

In India, Soros’ organisation Open Society Foundation has been working through a number of NGOs and so-called ‘intellectuals’. These organizations are extensively involved in shaping the mainstream narrative and they often engage in ‘judicial activism’ that seeks to use the Courts in order to undermine Indian national interests. Harsh Mander is the Chairman of the OSF’s Human Rights Initiative Advisory Board.

Some of OSF-supported HRLN’s efforts have been involved in include the campaign against ISKCON’s Akshaya Patra, a campaign against Indian sedition laws, and it has been providing free legal aid to Rohingya Muslims in India. It has also been engaging in activism for the implementation of the RTE Act that works against Hindu-run institutions. Furthermore, it is also linked to a plethora of organizations across the country that seeks to undermine India’s territorial integrity.

Facebook removes hundreds of pro-Trump QAnon groups ahead of US elections, limits their reach

OpIndia Staff
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Facebook removes hundreds of pro-Trump QAnon groups ahead of US elections, limits their reach

On Wednesday, the social media giant Facebook in a controversial decision removed around 800 QAnon groups for posts that allegedly ‘celebrated violence’ and showed ‘intent to use weapons’ or try to attract followers with ‘patterns of violent behaviour’.

According to the reports, Facebook has also imposed restrictions on 1,950 more public and private QAnon accounts. These accounts will not be recommended to users and will be harder to find in Facebook searches as well. 

QAnon is a collective term for groups of activists and right-wing conspiracy theorists, who are often known for supporting United States President Donald Trump ever since he announced to contest for the US presidential elections of 2016. The internet activists have made serious allegations stating that key Democrats are part of a child-sex racketing and ran a paedophile ring out of a restaurant basement in Washington DC.

The movement centres on posting anonymous information using the nickname Q, who claims to be a high-ranking official in the Trump administration. The movement began in secret corners of the internet, has now entered mainstream politics recently.

The conspiracy theorists had once asserted that Democratic and Hollywood elites worship the devil, eat children, and they have already been executed after secret military tribunals and replaced by actors. 

New QAnon groups have been created

Removing these accounts, Facebook said that some of these followers have formed new groups with code words, hence tracking them down would be an ongoing task. Facebook said that thousands of its users belong to one or more QAnon group, but declined to give more information. 

Facebook has been under increasing pressure to check the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories, leading to the 2020 presidential elections.

Previously, Twitter had also removed thousands of QAnon accounts from its network. Even Google had blocked QAnon-related videos from YouTube for violating its guidelines. Earlier, the FBI has identified QAnon as a potential domestic terror threat, and that some of its followers have been charged with murder and kidnapping.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump reacted to banning of QAnon accounts on Facebook, said that he did not know much about the QAnon groups, but said that they held a favourable view of him. “I don’t know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much,” he said.

Trump ‘cancels’ Goodyear, calls for boycott of its tyres after company policy banning MAGA attire goes viral, the company distances itself from the policy

OpIndia Staff
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Trump ‘cancels’ Goodyear, calls for boycott of its tyres after company policy banning MAGA attire goes viral, the company distances itself from the policy

In the politically charged environment in the USA ahead of the Presidential elections, US-based Tyre maker Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company had to face major embarrassment after President Donald Trump called for its boycott. “Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES”, tweeted President Trump after a slide from the company went viral banning MAGA branded attire. MAGA, or Make America Great Again, is a slogan popularized by Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Sharply criticising the Ohio headquartered company for allegedly banning merchandise carrying the MAGA slogan, he justified the call for boycotting Goodyear tyres and buying better tyres for far less as the Radical Left Democrats do the same. “Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now”, the POTUS declared.

President Trump’s tweet came after an employee of the company posted a slide displayed at a plant of the company, which listed MAGA hats under the unacceptable category. According to the employee, the slide was displayed by an area manager kiat the Topeka plant of the company, who had said that the slide came from the corporate office in Akron, Ohio. The slide displayed items under two categories, acceptable and unacceptable.

Under acceptable, it listed Black Lives Matter (BLM), and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride. While under unacceptable, the slide listed: Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, MAGA Attire, Political Affiliated Slogans or Material. The employee took a photo of the slide and posted the same on social media, after which it went viral.

After the tweet of President Trump, the company went into damage control mode and issued a statement distancing itself from the slide. The company claimed that the visual in question was not created or distributed by Goodyear corporate, nor was its part of a diversity training class. The company said, “a widely circulated image sparked a strong reaction, and we wanted to take the opportunity to provide some context to the visual and our policies”.

“To be clear on our longstanding corporate policy, Goodyear has zero tolerance for any forms of harassment or discrimination. To enable a work environment free of those, we ask that associates refrain from workplace expressions in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party, as well as similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of racial justice and equity issues,” the statement added. Goodyear also clarified that it is not anti-police, as some were claiming after seeing the slide.

In the current election campaign, President Trump is speaking against what he calls the left-wing “cancel culture”, the practice of the left-liberals to punish people for not allying with their political ideology. “One of their political weapons is ‘cancel culture’ — driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America,” Donald Trump had said during a speech a few weeks ago. Therefore, by calling for the boycott, Trump sought to pay back the left in their own coin.

President Trump in the Beast

It is interesting to note that the Presidential Limousine used by the US President, known as the Beast, uses custom-made tyres made by Goodyear.

AMU organises webinar to discuss Khilafat movement, BJP calls it a threat to country’s internal security, seeks action against varsity

OpIndia Staff
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AMU organises webinar to discuss Khilafat movement, BJP calls it a threat to country’s internal security, seeks action against varsity

The leaders of the Aligarh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has written to the Ministry of Education demanding inquiry and action against the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) after the varsity organised a webinar to discuss the Khilafat movement.

The Aligarh Muslim University had conducted the webinar on August 13 and a Turkish professor also took part in the discussion on the movement. It was presided over by AMU’s Vice-Chancellor (VC) and the keynote speaker was a Turkish professor named H Hilal Sahin.

BJP criticised AMU for conducting the webinar on Khilafat movement calling it a threat to the country’s “internal security”

Terming the matter a threat to the country’s “internal security”, the BJP’s former media spokesperson Nishit Sharma said that strict action should be taken against the AMU V-C and organisers of the event.

“The webinar details should be looked into by an Inquiry Committee as the matter is related to internal security. AMU invited Sahin to express her views on the Khilafat movement despite knowing that Turkey supports Pakistan and opposes India in every decision, including the revocation of Jammu & Kashmir’s special status in August last year,” Sharma said.

BJP’s District Vice-President Gaurav Sharma also claimed that the Khilafat movement was responsible for the division of the country and “massacre across the world”.

“There is now some network which is working to revive this movement and organising such webinars in the AMU signal that preparation is being made for Khilafat 2.0 movement,” he added.

Manvendra Pratap Singh, member of National Monitoring Committee for minority educational institutes and also the BJP’s Vice-President for Braj region, said, “It is unfortunate that a Turkish professor was invited for the webinar in AMU despite the fact that Turkey has opposed India multiple times. The initiative is aimed at restarting the Khilafat movement which amounts to treason.”

Khilafat movement which fuelled the 1921 Hindu genocide

Khilafat movement was an uprising of Indian Muslims in 1920 in support of the Islamic caliphate, in the wake of World War 1. It was aimed at Islamic dominion over India, by destroying the British empire, with support of the Ottoman Empire (which was eventually exterminated in late 1922). The Indian National Congress, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, had thrown its weight behind the movement and promised the support of Hindus as well to the Ali brothers, Jauhar and Abul Kalam Azad, the four who had led the movement in 1920.

Due to Gandhi’s patronage, the Khilafat movement gained force in Malabar as well, which ultimately fuelled the 1921 Hindu genocide in Malabar also known as the Moppalah riots 1921, one of the worst pogroms against Hindus recorded in the annals of Indian history.

AMU proctor defends decision

Meanwhile, defending the varsity, AMU Proctor Prof Wasim Ali said: “The Turkish professor was a speaker because she is an expert on Khilafat movement. It was purely an academic programme and there was no politics involved in it. The varsity always organises such events in which international speakers participate.”

“There is no advisory from the government over inviting speakers in webinars. We invite well-known academicians for discussions and the Turkish professor’s invite was routine,” he added.

“We will send the webinar proceedings to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and MoE which is the usual process,” he said.

Retired judges, bureaucrats, lawyers write to CJI demanding action against those opposing Prashant Bhushan’s conviction in contempt of court case

OpIndia Staff
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Retired judges, bureaucrats, lawyers write to CJI demanding action against those opposing Prashant Bhushan’s conviction in contempt of court case

A group of citizens, including retired judges, bureaucrats and others, has railed against naysayers who have been criticising the Supreme Court over the conviction of senior advocate Prashant Bhushan in contempt of court case, raising concern over the recent trend of browbeating and intimidating the judiciary.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India, the group 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,” the statement read, adding “The Supreme Court of India as well as the judges are subject to both scurrilous language, malicious attack and scandalising remarks.”

More than 100 retired judges, bureaucrats, lawyers and others have signed the letter. Some of those who had been signatories to the letter include–former Mumbai High Court chief justice K R Vyas, former Sikkim HC chief justice Permod Kohli, former petroleum secretary Saurabh Chandra and former Punjab DGP P C Dogra.

The statement also pointed out that while legitimate criticism of both judgments and the functioning of the courts had existed since a long time, however, recently the court’s authority is undermined by criticism that is designed and motivated by malice.

The argued that for the courts to perform their duties and carry out their functions effectively, it is sine qua non to protect their dignity and the authority. It stated that usage of malicious phrases such as ‘Supreme Court has destroyed democracy’, ‘The Supreme Court is killing the Constitution’ and several such vitriolic descriptions erode the public faith in the judiciary.

“We urge you to uphold the edifice of the judicial system and protect the third pillar of our democracy from those who peddle falsehood to destroy the institution. We sincerely hope that the Supreme Court of India ensures that such persons are dealt with in an exemplary manner,” the letter to the CJI read while asking for punitive action against those who indulge in sharing lies about the courts and tarnish their image.

Following Supreme Court’s conviction, several lawyers and bodies come up in support of Prashant Bhushan

The letter has come in the wake of criticism directed at the Supreme Court for the conviction of senior advocate Prashant Bhushan for his tweets maligning the apex court. In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court held advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court. The case pertained to two tweets where Prashant Bhushan had cast aspersions against the Supreme Court and specifically, CJI Bobde. The order has been passed by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra and the arguments on sentencing, that can go up to 6 months, will be heard by the bench on the 20th of August.

The apex court observed that the insinuation by Bhushan is not an attack against an individual but on the institution itself and that the CJIs who presided over the court in the last 6 years, and particularly last 4, had a particular role in destroying the Indian democracy.

Around 41 lawyers have appealed against his conviction to the apex Court on Monday. On August 14, the Supreme Court found Prashant Bhushan guilty for two tweets where he had raised aspersions on the apex court, and specifically against the Chief Justice of India.

Several bodies, including the Bar Association of India (BAI), had come out in support of Bhushan after his conviction, defending him by asserting that at the time when the citizenry is facing huge challenges, the stature of the top court would stand enhanced by allowing criticism rather than taking offence at his remarks.

Besides, a bevvy of left-leaning liberals, including prominent public personalities, who harbour animosity towards the current regime, has sided with the beleaguered lawyer, raising aspersions over the Supreme Court’s decision of holding him guilty of contempt of court. 

D-Company aide Chhota Shakeel’s gang member apprehended by Gujarat ATS, was plotting to kill BJP leader

OpIndia Staff
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D-Company aide Chhota Shakeel’s gang member apprehended by Gujarat ATS, was plotting to kill BJP leader

Gujarat’s Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) apprehended one alleged sharpshooter belonging to the gang of Dawood aide and dreaded underworld gangster Chhota Shakeel. Illiyas Sheikh was nabbed after an exchange of fire in the wee hours of August 19 (Wednesday).

According to reports, the sharpshooter was plotting the assassination of BJP leader Gordhan Zadafia. Zadafia, a Leuva Patel leader from Saurashtra was Gujarat MoS Home in 2002 and is the co-in charge for BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking to media, Gujarat MoS Home Pradipsinh Jadeja informed that Illiyas Sheikh’s mobile contained pictures and videos of the BJP leader. Jadeja had got in touch with Zadafia, who is currently accompanying Gujarat BJP President CR Patil in his four-day tour to Saurashtra. and arranged to enhance his security.

As per reports, the Gujarat ATS and crime branch had received intel regarding two contract killers hiding in Hotel Vinus in Ahmedabad’s Relief Road. Based on the information, a team raided the hotel in the wee hours of Wednesday. They were fired upon by the men who were hiding in the hotel. Luckily no one was injured and the ATS apprehended one of the two contract killers.

Two pistols were recovered from the possession of Illiyas Sheikh, who had come from Mumbai to Ahmedabad with the intention to kill the BJP leader.

Delhi police registered an FIR against Chhota Shakeel after his plan to kill influential politicians and judges was unearthed

On February 7, 2020, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell had registered an FIR against Chhota Shakeel after it received inputs that underworld don is plotting to kill influential political and judicial figures in Delhi and neighbouring states.

“The underworld operatives of D-gang have managed to arrange high-grade weapons. The delivery of weapons was also arranged by Shakeel and the communication for delivery was done through ”end-to-end” encrypted messaging applications,” read the FIR which was registered against the underworld gangster on January 27 on the complaint of a police officer, who had received information from a source about the “planned killings”, the Delhi police said.

Though no specific target had been named in the FIR, on the basis of technical analysis, the police said that this plan was made to “infuse terror in the minds of the people and create instability in the country.” 

Senior leaders from parties like the Shiv Sena and the RSS have remained on the hit list of the D-Company and international criminal organization had earlier plotted to assassinate BJP and RSS leaders in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Posters come up in Aligarh threatening to burn Muslim women alive, banish from Islam, for worshipping Ram Lalla

OpIndia Staff
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Posters come up in Aligarh threatening to burn Muslim women alive, banish from Islam, for worshipping Ram Lalla

Posters have been put by Islamists in Aligarh threatening to burn alive two Muslim women for performing pooja of Raam Lalla during the Bhoomi Pujan for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Rubi Asif Khan, a BJP leader in the area, and another woman Nargis Mehboob, lodged a complaint with the police after receiving the threats.

The threat to burn Rubi and Nargis alive, and also to banish them from Islam, came after they had performed aarti of Ram Lalla on 5th August, and also for sending a Rakhi for the Hindu God. Rubi Asif Khan is the president of the Mahavir Ganj BJP Mahila Morcha.

Rubi had sent the ‘rakhi’ to Ram Lalla on 30th July, and on 5th August when the Bhoomi Pujan for Ram Mandir was conducted by PM Modi, she had organised a pooja at her home along with some other women including Nargis Mehboob. She had also donated Rs 5,100 via cheque to Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust as a contribution towards the construction of the Ram Temple.

The posters with image of Rubi, Nargis and others performing the pooja has been put up in entire Aligarh. The poster says that Rubi and her friends worshiped Hindu God at her home, and such people should be banished from Islam under Sharia law. The poster also threatens to burn them alive along with their family members in her house.

After receiving the threats, Rubi and Nargis accompanied by local BJP workers went to the Delhi Gate police station in Aligarh and submitted a written complaint. They also requested the to the district administration to provide them security as they fear for their life.

The police have registered the complaint and started a probe. Delhi Gate police station in-charge Ashish Kumar said an investigation has been launched after receiving the complaint.

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