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Madhya Pradesh High Court grants bail to rape accused to marry the victim

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh High Court grants bail to rape accused to marry the victim

In a strange incident in Madhya Pradesh, an accused in a rape case was granted two-months bail by the Madhya Pradesh High Court to marry the victim. The victim complainant had filed a rape case against the accused under sections 376 (2) (n) and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 3(I), (W-II), 3(2)(V) and 3(2)(V-a) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

The victim had made allegations against the accused that she was having a love affair with him while she was still married. The accused first has had sexual intercourse with her in 2017. Thereafter, the accused started coming to her house regularly and had sexual intercourse with her on the pretext of marriage. The victim had even divorced her husband on the insistence of the accused. However, later the accused went back on his promise and refused to marry her. Therefore, the victims filed a rape case against the accused.

But in a strange turn of events, the accused appealed to the Madhya Pradesh High Court against the order of Special Judge Dewas district wherein his request for regular was declined. Actually the accused was seeking bail for the purpose of marrying the victim. The families of the accused and the victim had agreed to their marriage. The HC granted bail to the accused. “Looking at the fact that the appellant and the prosecutrix are major and now they are ready to solemnise a marriage. In these circumstances, the present appeal is allowed and the appellant is granted temporary bail for a period of two months from the date of release so that during this period the appellant can solemnise the marriage with the prosecutrix”, the court order read. The bail plea was opposed by the Public Prosecutor in the case who contended that there were no sufficient grounds for releasing him on bail.

There is no provision of law expressly dealing with the cases of sexual intercourse on the pretext of marriage. The courts look into the facts and the circumstances of each case to infer whether a case of rape is made out or not. The courts generally look for two things, whether the promise of marriage was the sole reason behind the woman agreeing for the sexual intercourse and whether the promise was dishonest i.e. the man did not have an intention to keep the promise. The courts are usually reluctant to treat the cases of sexual intercourse on the promise of marriage as rape cases and the reason is that many times such cases either arise from the breach of promise to marry or the cases of elopement wherein the parents of the girl charge the boy for rape.

Bengaluru Archbishop, who criticised CAA, now accused of a multi-million dollar scam: Read the full details

Dibakar Dutta
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Bengaluru Archbishop, who criticised CAA, now accused of a multi-million dollar scam: Read the full details

In a shocking development, the Karnataka Catholic Christian Association (AKCCA) has accused the Bengaluru Archbishop Peter Machado of being involved in a multi-million dollar scam. Machado, a vocal critic of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), was appointed as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangalore by Pope Francis. 

Catholic group alleges fraud of $42 million, archbishop denies charges

On August 28, AKCCA has demanded an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the financial misappropriation of Asha Charitable Trust, which is owned by the archdiocese. The group, in a press conference held at Bangalore, has accused the Trust of siphoning off ₹3 billion ($42 million).

“It is a scam worth three billion, and it needs investigation, “AKCCA leader Raphael Raj informed the media. Raj stated that even though the archdiocese collected funds from foreign donors, it was not utilised as promised. He added that the annual audit report highlighted financial irregularities but the archdiocese ignored it and did not take action against the ‘guilty’.

Dismissing the charges levelled against him, Machado said on Wednesday, “I am open to any probe as I have nothing to hide. (They are trying) to make a mountain out of a molehill.” He claimed to have taken action against an official after discovering ‘manipulation’ to the tune of ₹2 million ($28,000). The matter is reportedly being investigated by the Bangalore police.

Retired Karnataka High Court Judge revealed details of financial impropriety

As per a report in Goa Chronicle, former Karnataka High Court Judge Michael F Saldanha had accused Peter Machado and Bishop of Mysuru, K A William, of ‘criminally misappropriating’ ₹49.5 crores collected for Coorg Disaster Relief work in 2018. Accusing William of fraud, he wrote, “Everybody overlooked the fact that this man was virtually cheating and looting because even after four months, not one rupee reached the victims. In the instances of natural calamity the relief has to be immediate and fast. In this case, neither happened.”

The former Judge revealed that both William and Machado together raised ₹6 crores in the name of charity. He stated that the duo convinced singer Sonu Nigam to perform free of cost at the St. Joseph High School Grounds while they charged for tickets, sponsors and enmassed ₹13 crores. All in all, they collected ₹49.50 crores. While William promised path-breaking relief work, the affected people were still struggling to make ends meet after 24 months. “This was the impressive package put out by this man who said that in the name of Jesus the rehabilitation would be real and meaningful,” the former Judge lamented.

Accusing Machado of misappropriation, ex-Judge Michael F Saldanha wrote, “Perhaps Archbishop Peter Machado can tell us how many night shelters for homeless persons he has constructed because this was one of his appeals made more than a year back at the time of the concert. If it is there in writing in the annexure so he is certainly accountable.”

Letter by Justice Michael F Saldanha – Page 1 (Image Courtesy: Goa Chronicle)


In his defence, Peter Machado stated, “great respect for Justice Saldanha but I don’t know why he levels such allegations without verifying the facts. If we were not transparent, why did we inform the police? Allegations of this magnitude from a person like Saldanha will only tarnish the image of the Church. We account for every penny we get. We audit our accounts every year and file income tax returns.”

Bangalore Archbishop a vocal critic of CAA

Earlier in January, the Bangalore Archbishop had appealed to the Prime Minister to ‘reconsider’ his decision on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). With complete disregard to the fact that the minorities in the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh were persecuted on religious lines, Peter Machado stated in a memorandum, “We appeal to the central government to grant citizenship to the illegal migrants not on the basis of their religions, but on the merit of each individual case.” Highlighting ‘dangers’ of polarisation, he further advocated, “Religion should never be the criterion for citizenship of a country. Nor is violence a solution when there is a difference of opinion.”

Book published by Union Ministry of Culture and ICHR glorifies the chief architects of Moplah Massacre, that resulted in genocide of Hindus, as ‘martyrs’

OpIndia Staff
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Book published by Union Ministry of Culture and ICHR glorifies the chief architects of Moplah Massacre, that resulted in genocide of Hindus, as ‘martyrs’

A ‘Dictionary of Martyrs’ published by the Union Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Indian Council of Historical Research eulogises the Islamic genocidal maniacs responsible for the Moplah Massacre and refers to the campaign of genocide against Hindus as a ‘rebellion’. Variankunnath Kunhamad Haji and Ali Musliyar, the chief architects of the Moplah Massacre, are deemed to be martyrs by the book published. The book was published in 2019.

Collage of screengrabs from the document

The book says of Ali Musliyar, “Born in Nellikottu amsom in Eranad, distt. Malappuram, Kerala; s/o Kunju Moideen Sahib and Amina; Education at Ponnani, higher education at Mecca. Scholar in Islamic History, Shariat and Theology. Chief quasi at Kavaratti Island. Chief Musaliar of Tirurangadi Mosque in 1907. Great orator; organized Madrasas in different parts of Malabar; wide following in many parts of south Malabar; the most influential leader of the Khilafat movement.”

It adds, “In search of a Khilafat leader police in full uniform entered Tirurangadi Mosque and this aroused religious passion. Ali Musaliar accompanied by followers reached the police station to release the arrested Khilafat leaders. Police opened fire and killed hundreds of volunteers. The rebellion began on 21 August 1921 and spread to Eranad, Valluvanad and Ponnani taluks. Martial Law was declared. Gurkha Regiment was rushed to Malabar. Tirurangadi mosque was seized and rebels were flushed out. Ali Musaliar and followers surrendered and after trial he was sent to gallows. Executed by hanging on 17 February 1922.”

The book conveniently skips around the fact that the Khilafat Movement led directly to the creation of Pakistan. And therefore, glorifying the leaders of the Khilafat as ‘martyrs’ is shocking indiscretion. Similarly, Variankunnath Kunhamad Haji is also glorified in the book. It says of him, “Born in Nellikottu in Eranad, South Malabar, Kerala; s/o. Moideen Haji and Aminakutty Hajjumma. A close associate and relative of Ali Musaliar, an important rebel Mappila leader, he and his father were exiled to Mecca for a short period for anti-government activities.”

It stated further, “Thereafter they came back, but continued with their anti-Britis demeanour. He became a significant Khilafat leader in Majeri and Nilambur, and led an attack on the British army at Kallamala, as well as on the Gudalur Police Training Camp. He also proclaimed himself a ruler in the area, paralyzing the British administration there for a short period. But Haji was captured from Kallamoola in January 1922, and after a summary trial at Martial Law Court, shot dead on 20 January 1922.”

It is intriguing how the book skips around Haji’s critical role in the Moplah Massacre. Haji fancied himself the ‘Sultan of Eranad’ and was eventually put to death. He is, in fact, considered the ‘Father of the Moplah Riots’. He ran a parallel government for more than a half year before it was crushed by the British.

What the book calls a ‘rebellion’ was, in reality, a campaign of Jihad against Hindus. The estimated Hindu deaths of the ethnic cleansing in Moplah massacre tantamount to somewhere around 10,000 and it is believed that as many a 100,000 Hindus were forced to leave Kerala in the wake of the massacre. The number of Hindu Temples that were destroyed in the genocide is speculated to be a hundred. Forcible conversion of Hindus were rampant and unspeakable atrocities were poured upon Hindus.

Babasaheb Ambedkar in his book, Pakistan or the Partition of India, described the Moplah Massacre in the following manner: “The blood-curdling atrocities committed by the Moplas in Malabar against the Hindus were indescribable. All over Southern India, a wave of horrified feeling had spread among the Hindus of every shade of opinion, which was intensified when certain Khilafat leaders were so misguided as to pass resolutions of “congratulations to the Moplas on the brave fight they were conducting for the sake of religion”.”

Update: After the intervention of the state unit of the BJP and central government, the 5th volume of the book that had the problematic portions has been withdrawn. The website of the ministry that has all the books, now does not display the 5th volume of the series that is mentioned in this article.

Tipu Sultan: a freedom fighter or Islamic bigot?

Nivan
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Tipu Sultan: a freedom fighter or Islamic bigot?

Tipu Sultan is often credited in our history textbooks as a ‘secular’ ruler of Mysore who fought against the British in the late 1700s. While the latter part of the sentence does hold merit, the former is nothing but blatant propaganda planted in History textbooks by the Congress party. 

Tipu Sultan was one of the most ruthless Islamic invaders in South India. There have been several recorded instances of Tipu’s army forcefully converting, raping and kidnapping Hindus on his orders. Many temples are recorded to have been demolished under his reign. Historians such as Khan Hussain Ali Kirmani have pointed out that Tipu Sultan had animosity for the local Hindus and tribals in the area. 

Letters to army commanders ordering them to kill Hindus

(Cited from K M Panicker’s article in ‘Basha Posini magazine’ dated August 1923 and also mentioned in ‘Tipu Sultan: Villain or Hero’, by Sita Ram Goel, also cited by Rediff in their article ‘The truth about Tipu Sultan’)

Letter dated March 22, 1788, to Abdul Kadir: ‘Over 12,000 Hindus were honoured with Islam. There were many Namboodri Brahmins among them. This achievement should be widely publicised among the Hindus. Then the local Hindus should be brought before you and converted to Islam. No Namboodri Brahmin should be spared.’

The letter set a precedent and it followed several other orders by Tipu Sultan, calling for violence against Hindus. 

One of his letters to an army commander in Calicut on 14th December 1788 says- 

“I am sending two of my followers with Mir Hussain Ali. Along with them you should capture and kill all Hindus. Those below 20 years may be kept in prison and 5000 from the rest should be killed by hanging from tree tops. These are my orders.”

In a letter dated January 18, 1790 to Syed Abdul Dulai, Tipu Sultan openly condones the killing and forced conversions of Hindus, and proclaims this as a ‘Jihad’. The letter reads- 

‘… almost all Hindus in Calicut are converted to Islam. I consider this as jihad.’

In 1790, Tipu sent a letter to Syed Abdul Dulai (an army commander under his reign)- “With the grace of Prophet Mohammad and Allah, almost all Hindus in Calicut are converted to Islam. Only on the borders of Cochin State a few are still not converted. I am determined to convert them also very soon. I consider this as “Jehad” to achieve that object.” (Source: Sharma, 1991, pp. 111-112)

Destruction of temples

It has been recorded that atleast 3 temples in South India were demolished by Tipu Sultan’s army, such as Harihareswara temple at Harihar, the Varahaswami temple at Srirangapatnam, and the Odakaraya temple at Hospet. (Source: Archaeological Survey of India)

Historian Roderick Mackenzie in 1793 wrote about Tipu’s campaign to Trinomaly, recording the barbarism and brutality unleashed on the Hindu population in areas he passed. 

“Here neither respect, for the grandeur and antiquity of their temples, nor veneration for the sacred rites of a religion whose origin no time records, proved any protection for the persons or property, even of the first Brahmins. Their pagodas, breached with sacrilegious cannon, were forcibly entered, their altars defiled, their valuables seized, their dwellings reduced to ashes, and the devastation was rendered still more horrible by the scattered remains of men, women and children, mangled beneath a murderous sword.” (Ref: Roderick Mackenzie’s records cited by Narasingha Sil)

The following was found inscribed onto a stone in Seringapatam- 

“Oh Almighty God! dispose the whole body of infidels! Scatter their tribe, cause their feet to stagger! Overthrow their councils, change their state, destroy their very root! Cause death to be near them, cut off from them the means of sustenance! Shorten their days! Be their bodies the constant object of their cares (i.e., infest them with diseases), deprive their eyes of sight, make black their faces (i.e., bring shame).” (Source: Mysore Gazetteer)

Like other Islamic invaders in India, Tipu Sultan was known to brutally suppress the local Hindu population and forcefully convert several Hindus. In Tamil Nadu and Malabar, Tipu was referred to as ‘Killer of Brahmins and demolisher of Temples’. 

Murdering and converting local Hindu populations of South India

Historian IM Muthanna, in his book ‘Tipu Sultan X-Rayed’ states that Tipu’s raids weren’t a compulsion for the expansion of his territory, but was simply a barbaric intent backed by religious bigotry and cultural invasion. Muthanna claims that he murdered 40,000 Hindus in Coorg, and converted an equal number to Islam in his campaigns there. 

Several European historians have also recorded the gross brutality of Tipu on Hindus. In Calicut, several men and women were found to be tied by the neck on trees, with even young children’s neck tied to their mothers on the side of roads. Often considering the Hindus and Christians as animals, Tipu tied naked Christians and Hindus to the legs of elephants and made the elephants move around. He continued to make the elephants move until the helpless Hindus and Christians were torn into pieces or squashed by the gigantic weight of the animal. (Source: A Voyage to the East Indies by Fra Bartolomeo, a Portugese traveler in India)

A French soldier named Francois Fidele Ripaud de Montaudevert who came to Mysore to aid Tipu in his fight against the British was absolutely disgusted by his barbarism. According to him, the heads of Brahmins were daily exposed (split) by Tipu’s soldiers in forts during the siege of Mangalore, to show the Hindu population the inferiority of their religion. 

The Tyrant Diaries by Outlook magazine comments on Tipu’s campaigns in Calicut: 

“Kozhikode was then a centre of Brahmins and had over 7,000 Brahmin families living there. Over 2,000 Brahmin families perished as a result of Tipu Sultan’s Islamic cruelties. He did not spare even women and children..”

Tipu Sultan himself claimed to be the direct descendant of Islamic prophet Mohammed, and even inscribed the following words on his ceremonial sword, “My victorious sabre is lightning for the destruction of the unbelievers.” (Source: Sil, Narasingha. (2013). Tipu Sultan in History Revisionism)

In 1788, Tipu had reportedly ordered his Calicut governor Sher Khan to convert the local Hindus to Islam. According to Nishan-e-Haidari, 200 Brahmins were forced to consume cow-meat by July 1788. (Source: Sil, Narasingha 2013)

Tipu Sultan’s reign ended when Mysore was defeated in the Anglo-Mysore wars, when the Marathas and Britishers squashed the brutal rule of Tipu Sultan.

There have been malicious attempts by Marxist and Islamist historians to make Tipu gain a ‘secular’ image in modern India, however such attempts have often been futile. Recently, when the Congress government of Karnataka tried to glorify this barbaric murderer, staunch opposition was seen in Coorg, where most of the barbaric acts were committed.

Even today, several villagers in Tamil Nadu call Tipu “killer of Brahmins and demolisher of temples”, in a bitter memory of his murderous regime.

Man tied to a tree and beaten up on suspicion of theft, Congress leader gives it a communal spin: Here are the facts

OpIndia Staff
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Man tied to a tree and beaten up on suspicion of theft, Congress leader gives it a communal spin: Here are the facts

On Saturday, controversial Congress leader Salman Nizami, who has a history of peddling anti-India propaganda on social media platforms, took to Twitter to spread misinformation by attempting to give a communal spin to an incident that occurred in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

Taking to Twitter, the Congress leader claimed that a 32-year-old person identified as Basheed Khan was tied to a tree and beaten for hours by a mob in Bareilly. Nizami went on to allege that the BJP government had given a free rein to torture and kill Muslims at will in the state.

Through his tweet, Salman Nizami went on to insinuate that the person identified as Basheed Khan was killed by the mob because of his religion.

Following Nizami, several other social media users took to Twitter to peddle a similar misinformation to give it a communal angle saying that the person was killed by a mob after they had realised that he was a Muslim.

A social media user named Syed Rafi, joining the likes of Nizami, twisted facts pertaining to the case to claim that the person Basheed Khan was killed by a ‘Hindu mob’. Communalising the fateful incident, Rafi declared that there will not be any convictions in this case.

One social media user said that Muslims and Dalits are being killed in the name of cow or suspicious of theft.

Another social media user said that the mob lynchings have become the new normal in India.

Fact Check

The Congress leader Salman Nizami’s claim that the person Basheed Khan was killed because he was a Muslim is untrue.

According to the reports, the 32-year-old man Basheed Khan died after he was allegedly tied to a tree and thrashed by a mob on suspicion of theft at a village in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday night. 

Later, it was found that the deceased man, identified as Basheed Khan, was not a thief, but a drunkard. A security guard suspected Khan to be a thief and had caught him on Thursday night. The crowd gathered at the spot and beat him up on the suspicion of being a thief. Later, he was handed over to the police.

Reportedly, the police had, in fact, let the alleged thief go as nobody had formally lodged a complaint against him. Khan succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital after his family admitted him for treatment. Basheed Khan died due to internal bleeding.

Contrary to the claims of Nizami and other social media users, there is no communal angle to the incident as the villagers had only acted against Khan after suspecting him to be a thief and not because he was a Muslim. The villagers had also handed the alleged thief to the local police to initiate a legal action.

Caretaker and Devotees of Panchbakhtar Mahadev temple in Jammu protest against the construction of multilayer parking and commercial complex on the temple land

OpIndia Staff
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Caretaker and Devotees of Panchbakhtar Mahadev temple in Jammu protest against the construction of multilayer parking and commercial complex on the temple land

The caretaker and devotees of the Panchbakhtar Mahadev temple in Jammu are protesting against the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) for planning to construct a multilayer parking and a commercial complex on the temple land, as reported by Dailyexcelsiar News.

Suresh Kumar Sharma, the caretaker of the temple alleged that the JMC and the JDA were trying to grab the temple land. He said that the land belongs to the temple and there were documents to prove that. “As per the documents available with us, the whole land belongs to the temple”, he said.

Sharma said they wanted to approach the court in relation to this matter but the court is closed for two days due to corona. He accused the administration of ignoring such a serious issue. “Not just the JMC and the JDA, even the administration is not addressing the issue. So now, when the court is closed and the administration is asleep and has turned deaf to our problem, there is only one way left, that is, to protest”, Sharma said in disappointment.

“I will pray to Mahadev to grant wisdom to the administration and the concerned authorities. These people have started grabbing the temple lands. This is the time to fight for our rights”, he added. Sharma said that people of Jammu will come in large numbers to protest but considering the corona breakout, he would request them to pray at their homes.

This is not the first time that a temple land has been targeted. There have been various instances where the lands or other property belonging to temples were encroached.

How an old Soviet joke explains Bollywood’s stance on free speech

Abhishek Banerjee
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How an old Soviet joke explains Bollywood’s stance on free speech

While Maharashtra may be No. 1 in COVID cases, with a test positive rate around 20%, here is the No. 1 priority of the state government. How dare someone disrespect Mumbai Police? That person has no right to live in Mumbai or anywhere else in Maharashtra. You heard it from the Home Minister of Maharashtra, the secular and liberal Shri Anil Deshmukh.

Article by The Times of India

This raises all sorts of questions. First of all, Article 19 of the Indian Constitution gives Indian citizens the fundamental right to “reside or settle in any part of the territory of India.” Is this right subject to an ideological test?

Who do I ask? Perhaps Madam Sonia ji or Rahul ji can clarify this? Sorry, as Rahul ji has explained long ago, he is not responsible for the Govt of Maharashtra. He only has 10 Cabinet ministers in it.

Perhaps some eminent activist lawyer can clarify this point? But seems no PIL has been filed in this matter. I guess they are not interested.

Journalists know everything. We could ask them. But they are not speaking on this either. Then, there’s intellectuals and comedians. Same thing really. They also know everything. Why don’t they tell us?

There are always poets who have got Sahitya Akademi awards for stuff like “Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thode hai.” Help us, please!

Anyway, another question. Now that we know that those who disrespect Mumbai Police have no right to live in Mumbai, what can be said about people who call India as intolerant, Nazi and Fascist? How about those who label the Indian Army as occupiers in Kashmir? How about those who go to global newspapers and accuse Indian Army of attacking innocents, raping women and blinding children? Do those people have a right to live in India or not?

Most of all, dear Bollywood, I am talking to you. Earlier this year, you were selling this rhetoric of “kaagaz nahin dikhayenge“. Remember? Why so silent now? What happened to the highest values of constitution and civil liberty? Will not show papers to prove citizenship, but we all need to have our tweets approved by Maharashtra Home Minister before traveling to the state?

Therein lies the hardcore cowardice and intellectual dishonesty of the showbiz crowd. Have you seen any of the glitterati dare to say one word against the policies of the government of Maharashtra? Of course not. They know which side is really intolerant. So they pander to it.

An old joke about the Communist Soviet Union, best told by Reagan himself, explains how Bollywood is behaving right now. Listen in.

An American and a Russian are arguing about freedom in their respective countries.

The American says proudly, “In my country, I can walk into the Oval Office, I can pound the president’s desk, and I can say, Mr. President, I don’t like the way you’re running our country.”

And the Russian said, “I can do that.”

The American says “You can?”

Russian: “Yes. I can go into the Kremlin to the general secretary’s office, I can pound his desk and say, Mr. General Secretary, I don’t like the way President Reagan’s running his country.”

So here is what all this Bollywood lecturebaazi on “speaking truth to power” comes down to. Their idea of free speech in Maharashtra is going to the Maharashtra CM’s office to say “Mr Chief Minister, I don’t like the way PM Modi is running the country.“

One last question. Now that Indian liberals have established that you cannot disrespect the police, how are they going to explain this to their bosses in America? Right now, American liberals despise the police. They are calling to defund the police all across the United States. They are calling to disband the police.

Our own liberals were so inspired by this movement in the US. They wanted something similar in India. Now they have to explain to their American bosses that you can’t disrespect the police. That should be an awkward conversation, no?

California Legislature passes bill lowering criminal penalty for LGBT adults who have sexual relations with minors

OpIndia Staff
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California Legislature passes bill lowering criminal penalty for LGBT adults who have sexual relations with minors

A new bill seeking to reduce criminal penalty for LGBT adults indulging in consensual sex with a minor was passed by the California General Assembly, comprising of a Democratic supermajority. 

The new bill—SB 145—which is headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, was tabled by Sen. Scott Wiener (D), an avowed gay man. The bill seeks to prevent the gay adults who sodomise or perform oral sex with underage teenagers from being enlisted to California’s sex offender registry.

New bill grants judges with discretionary power to decide if accuse needs to be registered as a sexual offender

The legislation will grant judges to use there discretion on listing an individual to the sex offender registry if the victim was an underage minor between the age of 14 to 17 and the age gap between the offender and the victim is less than 10 years. 

The bill was passed by both the houses of the State Legislature on Monday evening. The California State Senate passed the bill by 23-10 vote and the Assembly passed it by 41-18 votes. 

As per the existing law, it is illegal for an adult to enter into a consensual sexual relationship with a teenager between 14 and 17 years old, who can’t legally provide consent. However, vaginal intercourse does not require the offender to be listed on the state’s sex offender registry, as long as the offender is within 10 years of age of the minor.

With the new law, the judge will have the authority to decided, on a case to case basis, if the sex offender registration is required.

According to Wiener, who proposed the bill, the new legislation would serve to eliminate the discrimination against LGBTQ youth. Wiener added that the bill won’t change the potential sentence for having sex with minors but would grant the judges with discretionary power of whether to register the accused as a sexual offender. 

Critiques argue the bill attempts to help accuse to get away without registering as sexual offenders

However, critiques of the bill contend that instead of changing the existing law to include vaginal intercourse with an underage teen as an act that needs compulsory sex offender registration, the bill passed by the California Legislature attempts to make all criminal sex acts with a minor over 14 equal by providing offenders with an opportunity to avoid necessary registration.

UP government orders inquiry into the construction of SP leader Azam Khan’s dream project Ala Hazrat Haj House in Ghaziabad

OpIndia Staff
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UP government orders inquiry into the construction of SP leader Azam Khan’s dream project Ala Hazrat Haj House in Ghaziabad

The predicaments for Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who is currently lodged in Sitapur jail, might just become worse after Yogi Adityanath government ordered inquiry into the construction of the Ala Hazrat Haj House in Ghaziabad, built during the Samajwadi Party era at a cost of Rs 51 crore. The State Minorities Welfare Minister Nand Gopal Nandi has handed over the probe to SIT after gross financial anomalies were detected in the construction of Haj House.

The State government in its order issued to UP director general of police HC Awasthy on August 31, said the special investigation team (SIT) should submit its report within two months.

According to the Home Department, the secretary and executive officer, UP State Haj Committee, Rahul Gupta in a communique dated June 11 had alerted the Yogi government about the irregularities in the construction of the Haj house. He had written that despite the huge amount of money spent on the construction, no attempt were made to rectify the shortcomings and make the establishment ready for public use. He also pointed out that the executing agency, Construction & Design Services (C&DS) had not provided any details of the expenditure incurred during construction until now.

The Ala Hazrat Haj house built during Samajwadi Party era at the cost of Rs 51 crore

The Haj House in Ghaziabad was built, when the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was at the helm of affairs in Uttar Pradesh and SP leader Azam Khan, who has been accused in multiple cases of theft and forgery, was a part of his cabinet. The Ala Hazrat Haj House was constructed at the cost of Rs 51 crore in order to give assistance to Muslims on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia’s Mecca. 

The complex, which is spread over an area of 4.3 acres and includes 47 dormitory halls and 36 VIP rooms, and can accommodate 1,886 persons, was inaugurated by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and former state minority minister Azam Khan on 4 September 2016.

Haj house sealed by NGT

The National Green Tribunal, in February 2018, sealed the property due to lack of a Sewage Treatment Plant.

Complex converted into a 500-bed isolation centre

In the wake of the coronavirus scourge, Yogi government had announced to convert the giant Aala Hazrat Haj House situated in Ghaziabad’s Arthala into a 500-bed isolation centre in order to avoid any further medical repercussions in the sensitive environment. 

Old tweet by Saba Naqvi that peddled fake news about ‘Brahmin Sambar powder’ goes viral: Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Old tweet by Saba Naqvi that peddled fake news about ‘Brahmin Sambar powder’ goes viral: Here is the truth

On Friday, entrepreneur Arun Pudur dug out an old tweet posted by ‘journalist’ Saba Naqvi in 2018. In the said tweet, Naqvi peddled her political agenda by casting aspersions about the saffronisation of Sambhar masala powder. Posting a picture of ‘Brahmin Sambhar powder’ sachet, manufactured by Eastern Condiments Pvt Ltd, the journalist had tweeted, “My discovery in Karwar region near coast of Karnataka. Anant Kumar hedge country (suggesting a Hindu land)…”

Responding to her allegations that the product is the result of Brahmanical hegemony, Arun Pudur tweeted, “‘Journalists’ keep attacking Brahmins even though none of them did any riots or blow themselves up!”, accusing Naqvi of intellectual dishonesty, the entrepreneur pointed out the real story behind the said masala powder.

The Truth about Brahmin Masala powder

On visiting the website of the Eastern Condiments Pvt Ltd, we found about the history of the company. The company (earlier knows as Eastern Trading Company) was founded by one M.E. Meeran, who hailed from a Muslim family in Kerala. To ascertain that he was Muslim by faith, we checked for online reports. In one such article published after his death in 2011, it read, “The burial was held at Adimaly Jamaath Mosque at 5 pm on Thursday in the presence friends and relatives.”

Screengrab of the Eastern Condiments website

The idea behind ‘Satvik food’

It is clear by now that the ‘Brahmin Sambar powder’ is not manufactured by a company run by Hindus. Brahmin cuisine or Tamil Brahmin cuisine essentially is ‘satvik’ food which does not include onion or garlic. Some traditional TamBrahm households also do not include drumsticks, bottle gourd, carrots, etc because they are not considered ‘satvik’. This, however, does not imply that people from other cannot purchase or eat it. In the case of ‘Brahmin Sambar Powder’ as well, it is a recipe or a cuisine specific ingredient, rather than anything sinister.

Satvik food does not discriminate like Halal

Unlike Satvik food, Halal can only be performed by a Muslim man. Thus, non-Muslims are automatically denied employment at a Halal firm. There are certain other conditions that must be fulfilled that makes it quite clear that it is intrinsically an Islamic practice. Guidelines for the procedure make it clear that non-Muslim employees cannot be employed in any part of the slaughtering process. Even the labelling of the meat can be done by Muslims only. The guidelines also say that if at the time of slaughtering the name of anyone else other than Allah is invoked (i.e. animal sacrificed for him/her), then the meat becomes Haram “unlawful.”

The pervasiveness of the practice and the insistence of the Muslim community on consuming only Halal meat has resulted in Muslims effectively creating a monopoly over the process for people of their community. It is a process through which non-Muslims are deliberately denied employment while being fed meat that goes against their religious beliefs.

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