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Read the scathing observations made by the Supreme Court while holding advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court

OpIndia Staff
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Read the scathing observations made by the Supreme Court while holding advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court

Earlier today, the Supreme Court of India found the senior advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court. Bhushan was held guilty for two tweets where he had raised aspersions on the apex court, and specifically against the Chief Justice of India.

Soon after the verdict, detractors alleged that Bhushan had been targeted by the top court for his scathing comments on the Chief Justice of India. However, a deep-dive into the historic judgment passed by the Supreme Court reveals the distinction drawn by the apex court between criticising CJI as an individual and criticism in a judicial capacity, which allows invocation of contempt.

The Supreme Court judgment read that the first part of the first tweet: ‘CJI rides a 50 lakh motorcycle belonging to a BJP leader at Raj Bhavan, Nagpur, without a mask or a helmet’, could be categorised as criticism against the CJI as an individual and not against the CJI as CJI.

Prashant Bhushan lied about non-functioning of the Supreme Court during lockdown: SC judgment

However, it added that the second part of the tweet: ‘at a time when he keeps the SC in a lockdown mode denying citizens their fundamental rights to access justice’, is a criticism of the Chief Justice of India in his capacity of the CJI. The contempt against Prashant Bhushan was invoked against this part of his tweet where he had lied that the CJI had kept the top court closed during the lockdown.

The judgment further mentions that though the physical hearing of the Supreme Court was suspended in the view of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the court started functioning from March 23, 2020 to August 4, 2020, and various benches of the court have been sitting regularly and discharging their duties through video conferencing.

The total number of sittings during the period of 23.03.2020 to 04.08.2020 stands at 879 and the court had heard 12,748 matters.

The court has noted, “making such wild allegation thereby giving an impression, that the CJI is enjoying riding an expensive bike, while he keeps the SC in lockdown mode and thereby denying citizens their fundamental right to access justice, is undoubtedly false, malicious and scandalous. It has the tendency to shake the confidence of the public at large in the institution of judiciary and the institution of the CJI and undermining the dignity and authority of the administration of justice.”

Bhushan was one of the litigants at the SC during the lockdown

In fact, the judgment also goes on to cite the instance when Prashant Bhushan had approached the court during the lockdown, challenging an FIR filed against him at Bhaktinagar Police Station in Rajkot, Gujarat. The court had passed a judgment on the case on May 1, 2020.

“He has made such a scandalous and malicious statement having himself availed the right of an access to justice not just as a lawyer but also as a litigant,” the verdict read.

SC observed Prashant Bhushan’s second tweet was an attack on the institution of judiciary itself

In the second tweet, Bhushan had claimed that the Supreme Court of the country has played a role in destroying the democracy in the last 6 years, and last 4 CJIs had a crucial role in it.

The apex court observed that this 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.

Slamming Bhushan for his tweet, the Supreme Court said, “The scurrilous allegations, which are malicious in nature and have the tendency to scandalize the Court are not expected from a person, who is a lawyer of 30 years standing. In our considered view, it cannot be said that the above tweets can be said to be a fair criticism of the functioning of the judiciary, made bona fide in the public interest.”

The Supreme Court also notes that tweets of Prashant Bhushan attempt to shake the public confidence on the judiciary, “which has the effect of destabilising the very foundation of this important pillar of the Indian democracy.” Saying that such attempt to shake the very foundation of constitutional democracy has to be dealt with an iron hand, the court added, “The tweet clearly tends to give an impression, that the Supreme Court, which is a highest constitutional court in the country, has in the last six years played a vital role in destruction of the Indian democracy. There is no manner of doubt, that the tweet tends to shake the public confidence in the institution of judiciary.”

The judgement declares that the said tweet undermines the dignity and authority of the institution of the Supreme Court of India and the CJI and directly affronts the majesty of law.

This is why Prashant Bhushan’s rants against judiciary were fit cases for contempt of court, don’t fall for ‘dissent’ propaganda

Editorial Desk
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This is why Prashant Bhushan’s rants against judiciary were fit cases for contempt of court, don’t fall for ‘dissent’ propaganda

On Friday, the Supreme Court of India convicted PIL Activist Prashant Bhushan of contempt of court, for his tweets slandering the apex court and the chief justice of India. The order has been passed by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, and Bhushan can land up in jail for six months, although that will be decided by the court after arguments on the sentencing on 20th August.  The suo moto contempt proceedings against Bhushan were initiated on the 22nd of July after his two tweets, dated 22nd and 29th of June.

After the judgement came out, the usual suspects started terming it as an assault on freedom of speech. According to them, including Prashan Bhushan, he was merely criticising the judges, and it should not be considered a contempt of the court. Prashant Bhushan, along with Arun Shourie and N Ram had even filed a petition challenging the provision in the law itself, but they decided to withdraw the petition after realising that they will not get a favourable verdict.

The slander against Judiciary

While the left-liberals try to paint Bhushan’s tweets as mere dissent against the establishment, the fact is, they are, and other dozens of tweets and comments against the judiciary by the advocate, are really harmful, and they can’t be defended by invoking the freedom of expression. As the tweets have been found guilty of contempt of the Supreme Court, we can’t reproduce them here. But it may be noted that Prashant Bhushan had alleged that the democracy was destroyed in the last 6 years, and the Supreme Court also played a role in this ‘destruction of democracy’ without even invoking a formal emergency. He also slandered the last 4 CJIs for ‘their role’.

In another tweet, Prashant Bhushan had alleged that the CJI had ridden a motorcycle worth Rs 50 lakh belonging to a BJP leader, saying that the CJI was enjoying himself while denying the citizens their fundamental right by keeping the country under lockdown. In this tweet, Bhushan tried to imply that CJI Bobde was gifted an expensive motorcycle by a BJP leader, a serious allegation without any proof. CJI Bobde is known for his love for motorcycles, and he had merely posed with a Harley Davidson motorcycle, photograph of which went viral on social media. The Harley Davidson CVO 2020 was reportedly brought to him by a dealer for a demonstration. But Bhushan made serious allegations based only on the photograph.

These are clearly not mere dissent, nor valid criticism of any judgement which is not considered contempt. By saying that democracy was destroyed in the last 6 years with the contribution of the supreme court and the CJIs, Prashant Bhushan was insinuating that Indian democracy was destroyed after Narendra Modi led BJP government came to power, and somehow the apex court helped the govt to destroy the democracy.

‘Destroyed the democracy’ is a pretty vague allegation, with no evidence of the same. Democracy has been destroyed only for the perennial opponents of the BJP and PM Modi. Moreover, by blaming last 4 CJIs for the same, Prashant Bhushan clearly alleged that they were somehow hand in gloves with Modi, again without any proof. One can criticise specific judgements on their merits, but alleging that as many as 4 Chief Justices of India were in the payroll of BJP without any proof is certainly a serious contempt of court.

Disrespect of courts and sedition

Prashant Bhushan’s comments have another serious issue, it encourages people to create anarchy whenever some court judgement comes contrary to the expectation, it encourages people to not respect judgements which are not favourable to them. The Activist-lawyer is trying to imply that fair judgement is not possible at the highest court in the country, which, by corporally, implies that one needs to overthrow the government to get justice. By repeatedly attacking the Supreme Court, Bhushan is creating a fertile ground for sedition, where people attack the government and the court with baseless allegations to remove them.

Prashant Bhushan’s tirade against the legal system has to been seen in the context of the repeated defeats he had to face in the recent times. From Rafale to CBI to Sahara Birla diaries to the Justice Loya’s death, the wise courts saw through his lies and threw away his petitions which were not based on any solid evidence. The activist-lawyer is trying to use the court as a weapon against his fight with the government, which the court is not allowing. This has clearly rattled him, and prompted him to launch an attack on the Supreme Court judges and Chief Justices.

A habitual offender

Several contempt of court cases have been filed against Prashant Bhushan for his slanderous comments, and while many of them are still in the courts, he had apologised in a few of them. During the CBI director case, Bhushan had apologised for making false claims against the court, admitting he had made a ‘genuine mistake’ by claiming Govt submitted fabricated documents.

The fact that Bhushan launches an attack on the court whenever he does not get favourable judgement is not lost on the judges. Earlier this year, the apex court had slammed Bhushan for ‘regularly insulting’ the court and its judges. A bench of the Supreme Court had noted that Prashant Bhushan regularly insults the judges and the court casts aspersions on them whenever he failed to get any relief.

Hearing his petition challenging the govt’s handling of the migrant crisis during the Coronavirus lockdown, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul had remarked, “Everytime there is an order in which you do not get any relief, you insult the institution, you cast aspersions on the judges. You don’t have any respect for constitutional bodies, you don’t have any faith in the judiciary.”

The other judge in the bench, justice B R Gavai had added, “If you don’t have faith in this institution, why should we hear you at all?”

The judges were referring to a tweet by Bhushan with similar contempt of court like the recent tweets. He had written, “I have watched the Supreme Court since Emergency. The kind of abject surrender to the government that we are seeing today was not seen even during the emergency. Most judges have totally forgotten their oath to protect the constitution and fundamental rights of people. Pathetic.”

This tweet also, against which no contempt proceeding was initiated, also clearly accuses the Supreme Court of surrendering to the Modi government, without any proof, just because his petitions are not accepted by the court on their merits. This is not dissent, but a clear case of contempt of court, for which the judges had correctly slammed him.

Prashant Bhushan is also facing another decade-old Contempt of Court case, which is also being heard by a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. The case, which was revived recently by the court, pertains to an interview Bhushan had given to Tehelka, where Prashant Bhushan had insinuated that Justice Sarosh Homi 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.

Prashant Bhushan has been particularly critical of Justice Arun Mishra, and have posted several slanderous comments against him. He had attached the judge for praising PM Modi at an event, and for BJP leaders attending family events of Justice Mishra’s son-in-law.

Angry over Israel-UAE peace deal, Pakistanis condemn Arab nations, say ‘We love you Turkey’

OpIndia Staff
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Angry over Israel-UAE peace deal, Pakistanis condemn Arab nations, say ‘We love you Turkey’

In a historic development, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel have signed a ‘historic’ peace deal to normalise relations between the two countries. The mutual agreement was mediated by US President Donald Trump with Israel suspending its plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

Although the agreement between an Arab nation and Israel meant stronger diplomatic ties in ensuring peace in the Middle East and the rest of the world, Pakistanis were clearly miffed with the historic development. After being deserted by its long-term ally Saudi Arabia over the Kashmir issue and the peace deal of UAE with Israel, Pakistanis are now seeking to endear themselves to Turkey.

Pakistanis shower love for Turkey

While replying to businessman Hassan Sajwani who emphasised that the UAE and Israel wrote history, a Pakistani Twitter user Zulqarnain Shah wrote, “And Now Turkey and Pakistan Also Write History.”

On Thursday, a Twitter user Imad Khan, residing in a make-believe world, claimed that Pakistan was “fully prepared” to fight Israel. Using the picture of a missile to ‘warn’ Israel, the Pakistani wrote: “Pakistan is about to wipe out your map (Israel) from the ground.”

Disenchanted by the UAE-Israel deal, another enthusiastic Pakistani Shabir Ahmad dubbed the agreement as ‘shameful.’ He suggested that Pakistan, Turkey and Iran together attack UAE and Saudi Arabia and arrest their leaders. Keeping up with the Islamic spirit, he recommended the three countries to spare the Islamic sites of Mecca and Medina.

Eyeing for the Prime Ministerial post, former cricketer Shahid Afridi too made his stance clear. In a bizarre display of solidarity, Afridi hoisted the Turkish flag on the roof of his house. Praising him for his love for Turkey, journalist Hasan Abdullah wrote, “As social media of various countries spurt hatred against Turkey, the people of Pakistan continue with their show of love & solidarity for Turkey. Here is Pakistan’s beloved cricketer, philanthropist and my good friend Shahid Afridi hoisting the Turkish flag.”

A Twitter user, Arslan Mehmood, declared, “Arabs are traitors of Muslim Ummah. They are puppets of Israel”. Anguished by the turn of events, he reiterated that Pakistan and Turkey would need to take a stand as all Arab countries would follow the suit of UAE. High on the idea of an Islamist brotherhood of nations, Mehmood cautioned, “They tested Muslims especially Pakistan on the day of Independence.”

Pakistanis have, for years, tried to endear themselves to Arab nations. Now, as Arab nations refuse to cater to theirs flights of fancy of an Islamic world, they are trying desperately to get close to Turkey.

Saudi Arabia irked with Pakistan’s threats over Kashmir issue

Earlier, Saudi Arabia has decided not to renew an agreement with Pakistan that allowed the supply of crude oil to Pakistan on deferred payments. As per the agreement, there was a provision of oil worth $3.2 billion on deferred payments per annum. The development came after Pakistan had threatened to split the OIC, (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) headed by Saudi Arabia.

A few days ago, Pakistan had expressed displeasure over the refusal of Saudi Arabia led OIC to hold a meeting on Kashmir on its request. Pakistan has been asking the OIC, the biggest bloc of Islamic countries in the world, to hold a meeting of the foreign ministers of the member nations to discuss Kashmir. Saudi Arabia had also asked Pakistan to pay back the 1 billion USD that it had borrowed.

Pakistan’s new love for everything Turkish

Back in May too, when the Turkish TV show Ertugrul was suddenly very popular in Pakistan, the Pakistani people were openly calling for Boycott of UAE and declaring that Turkey has made UAE its enemy so they will support only Turkey.

Pakistan owes huge debts to almost UAE and Saudi Arabia. The belligerent nation jumping high on the power of a TV show and dreaming about a new an Islamic mega-kingdom led by Turkey was also widely mocked by social media users.

Pakistan’s identity crisis mocked on Twitter
Pakistanis’ boycott call for UAE was subjected to some reality check earlier

Imran Khan has been promoting ‘Ertugrul’ as the right kind of entertainment for Pakistanis

Earlier in April, Imran Khan had claimed that Bollywood has been ‘spoiling’ Pakistanis and had urged all Pakistanis to watch Turkish TV drama Ertugrul instead. The Pakistani government has also called for a translation of the Turkish drama so the Pakistani public understands it better.

After Air Force wrote a letter against Netflix movie, Gunjan Saxena says no gender bias experienced by her in the IAF

OpIndia Staff
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After Air Force wrote a letter against Netflix movie, Gunjan Saxena says no gender bias experienced by her in the IAF

A day after the Indian Air Force wrote a letter against Netflix movie ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ for the “undue negative” portrayal of its work culture in the movie, the real life Gunjan Saxena has come forward and opened up about her experiences serving in the Indian Air Force as compared to what has been depicted in the film. Gunjan said that her superiors, colleagues and commanding officers all supported her in the Air Force.

The growing rate of women officers in the IAF is a testament to its strong values and ethos: Gunjan Saxena

Speaking to IANS, Saxena extolled the culture at the Indian Air Force, saying that it was the training and the strong ethos of the Indian Air Force which provided her with the courage to do all the extraordinarily courageous accomplishments she is associated with. She also added that it was just her, all the women officers from all branches of the Indian Armed Forces who have served or are still serving in the organisation are driven by the strong values and rich cultural ethos of the Air Force.

“Yes, as a commercial movie or as a work of fiction, the film has tried to capture my story. But what is beyond any doubt is that doors were opened and opportunities were given and that is also shown in the movie,” Saxena said, who cleared her entrance exam and joined the Indian Air Force in 1994.

Saxena says that there were no impartiality observed at the Indian Air Force and equal opportunities were granted to her and other officers to perform. She added that the rising rate of number of women officers in the Indian Air Force is a testament to the egalitarian policies of the organisation. “This shows that the Indian Air Force, which is a deeply respected institution in the country, has been so progressive and positive about bringing change in itself. So that’s how I would like to address this question,” Saxena said on the question about the gender discrimination faced by her during her initial years in the IAF.

The controversy surrounding the movie ‘Gunjan Saxena’

The issue came to the fore when the Netflix movie ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’, that essays the role of India’s first woman pilot Gunjan Saxena, landed in a controversy after viewers and Armed Forces veterans raised objections over the negative portrayal of the Indian Air Force in the commercial film. The Indian Armed Force shot off a letter to Dharma Productions, Netflix and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), protesting against the inaccurate representation of gender discrimination in the Air Forces as portrayed in the movie. The Air Force said that certain scenes and dialogues in the movie portrays it in a bad light.

According to an official privy to the details, before the release of the movie, the Indian Air Force had requested Dharma Productions to modify or delete the objectionable scenes. However, no such action was taken by the Karan Johar-owned production house.

It is also pertinent to note that the letter by the IAF was written after the Defence Ministry’s letter to the CBFC last month, raising objections to the depiction of armed personnel in some web series.

Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, martyred in the Batla House encounter, to be honoured with police gallantry medal

OpIndia Staff
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Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, martyred in the Batla House encounter, to be honoured with police gallantry medal

Late Delhi Police officer Mohan Chandra Sharma, who was martyred during the Batla House encounter in 2008, will be honoured with the police gallantry medal posthumously on the occasion of the Independence Day this year. The Home Ministry has released the list of personnel who are to be honoured with the gallantry medals this year.

As per reports, along with Mohan Chand Sharma, who was martyred, another serving police official Dharmendra Kumar will also be awarded the gallantry medal. It is notable here that Mohan Chand Sharma was earlier awarded the Ashok Chakra in 2009.

Sharma has received the President’s medal seven times.

Some ‘liberals’ who wanted ‘contempt of court’ proceedings against those they did not agree with, but are now defending Prashant Bhushan

OpIndia Staff
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Some ‘liberals’ who wanted ‘contempt of court’ proceedings against those they did not agree with, but are now defending Prashant Bhushan

Prashant Bhushan was found guilty of contempt of court by the Supreme Court of India. The order was passed by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. The verdict against the ‘PIL Activist’ has, along expected lines, set the proverbial cat among the pigeons and ’eminent citizens’ are jumping out of the woodwork to defend him.

Journalists, who had previously wanted action against those they disagree with, have suddenly come to believe that action against the senior advocate could undermine the credibility of the Supreme Court. Prominent among them was Rajdeep Sardesai who had recently landed in hot soup after spreading fake news regarding the death of former President Pranab Mukherjee.

Tajdeep Sardesai’s changing stance on Contempt of Court

While Rakdeep Sardesai lamented in 2018 that a leaked audio of state BJP President of Kerala claimed that the party had planned and executed the Sabarimala agitation against the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry of women and how no one bothered about contempt of court, two years later, he was more concerned about the fact that the matter of detainees in Kashmir was pending before the Court while the Court ruled adversely against Prashant Bhushan.

Nidhi Razdan commented on the matter in a similar vein. In a tweet dripping with sarcasm, the former NDTV ‘journalist’ said that the Supreme Court ought to be complimented for the speedy resolution of the contempt of court proceedings against Prashant Bhushan “just like the habaes corpus petitions the court has heard and disposed off to ensure justice”. In 2018, however, she was singing a different tune.

During Sabarimala, she had termed it a “mass contempt of court”.

Nidhi Razdan’s hypocrisy

Abusive troll masquerading as a journalist, Swati Chaturvedi, too, appears to have undergone a change of stance. While she now believes that the Supreme Court ought to wear its powers lightly and it is not beyond criticism, she enquired in 2019 why was it that the Court was silent on two cases related to contempt of court.

Tweets by Swati Chaturvedi

On a similar note, so-called ‘journalist’ Nikhil Wagle appears to have altered his stance on matters that hurt the credibility of the Supreme Court. While earlier, he said that ‘fake news peddlers’ deserve to be jailed, after the guilty verdict on the contempt of court proceedings against Prashant Bhushan, he came to the conclusion that this will hurt the Court’s credibility.

Nikhil Wagle’s shenanigans

Thus, quite evidently, such propagandists would have had no issues if those they disagree with had been found guilty of contempt of court but now that someone they perceive to be on their side was held guilty of it, they have suddenly developed an aversion towards the whole concept. It is much like the manner in which Prashant Bhushan challenged the law criminalising contempt of court in the Supreme Court when he realised there was a serious threat he might be held guilty under the same law.

Contempt proceedings against Prashant Bhushan over defamatory tweets

Earlier, the Supreme Court of India took Suo Moto against Prashant Bhushan’s reckless behaviour on social media and initiated contempt of Court case against him and Twitter India. The apex court issued a show-cause notice to the senior advocate asking him to explain why actions should not be taken against him on contempt of court charges. 

The court has also asked Attorney General KK Venugopal to assist the court, in the case, and a notice for the same has been issued to the AG. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra heard the suo moto case against Prashant Bhushan. The court stated that the case been filed against Prashant Bhushan for his tweet on last 4 CJIs, and another tweet on CJI riding a bike.

Bengaluru riots, Wikipedia and the impossible staircase of Indian secularism

Abhishek Banerjee
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Bengaluru riots, Wikipedia and the impossible staircase of Indian secularism

Let me start by showing you this famous artwork by MC Escher, titled “Ascending and Descending.” Although he was an artist, MC Escher has a cult following among mathematicians because of the exploration of infinity in his work. So, look closely.

We will come back to what is special about this picture.

The Bengaluru riots of Aug 11, 2020 are still fresh in our memory. But public memory is short. Which is why we have Wikipedia, a website which is now more powerful than any history text book.

Promptly enough, there is now a Wikipedia page for the Bengaluru riots, which begins thus.

“Clashes” “Armed assailants”

Who could these people be? Aliens from Mars? Compare to the Wikipedia article on Delhi riots, which takes a much more direct approach towards identifying people.

“Hindu mobs attacking Muslims”

If you think there is a difference in tone between the two articles, you are not alone. So, is Wikipedia biased? No, not at all. To find out why the tone of the two articles is so different, every Indian must read the “Talk” page on this article.

Somebody asks why the religion of the rioters is not being highlighted properly in the Bengaluru article just like it was in the case of Delhi riots?

The stock reply comes from other editors in the form of a question: Which (media) source clearly mentions the religion of the rioters? Are multiple third party sources stating the religion of the rioters?

No! So, don’t blame Wikipedia. They’re blameless. Go somewhere else with your demand.

But where? Secular media sources have not highlighted the religion of the rioters. Why? Because they are committed to “Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb.” They are noble people with the best of intentions who just want peace and harmony to rule in India. Go somewhere else.

Okay, how about “right wing” media sources then? Like Opindia. They’ve not hidden the religion of the rioters. Justice at last, right?

Oops! Forgot to tell you. Opindia is banned from being used as a source on Wikipedia.

So where do you go? Back to Wikipedia? They’re blameless. It’s not their fault you don’t have a source to support your claim.

So if Wikipedia is not at fault, if secular media is not at fault, whose fault is it? It is you and your memory which is at fault. How dare you remember the religion of the rioters in Bengaluru? You are guilty of thoughtcrime.

Now look again at the artwork by MC Escher. In particular to the stairs at the top of the building. Pick any point and follow one set of those human-like figures facing one way. They just go up and up, always ascending, but somehow ending up at exactly the same point. Now follow the other set of human like figures facing the other way. They just go down and down, always descending the same stairs but somehow ending up exactly at the same point.

That’s secularism.

The truth goes round and round, always appearing to get somewhere. When in reality it is getting nowhere.

The same with all other narratives of Indian secularism. You want to say that Hindus suffered oppression during 800 years of Islamic rule? Go find a reputable historian to support your claim. But wait! Don’t forget that “reputable” historian is defined to mean a historian who rejects your claim.

Good luck proving your claim now. They’ve got all bases covered. You can keep ascending or descending the impossible staircase of Indian secularism. You’ll never reach the top, or the bottom. You can only let go of the truth and accept Big Secularism into your heart.

As George Orwell would have said, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength.

My family has lived here for 50 years, I considered Muslims my brothers: MLA breaks down while narrating how his house was burnt down by rioters

OpIndia Staff
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My family has lived here for 50 years, I considered Muslims my brothers: MLA breaks down while narrating how his house was burnt down by rioters

I considered Muslims as my brothers and lived like one for the last 25 years at the least…yet today I lost my 50-year-old house, said Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy as he broke down during a press conference on Wednesday.

During the recent Bengaluru riots, rabid Islamists ran amok, resorting to stone-pelting, arson and vandalism. A huge mob of Muslims rampaged on the streets and burnt down the house of a Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, attacked the DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations, torched police vehicles and numerous other vehicles and caused immense damage to public property.

They burned down my brother’s house too: Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy cried at the press conference

Reminiscing the horrifying incident, the Congress MLA said that a mob of 3000-4000 Muslim rioters arrived at his house, pelted stones, poured petrol, burnt tires and set the house on fire. “They attacked with swords, hatchets, sticks and also threw petrol bombs at my residence”, he recollected.

Breaking down on camera, the MLA stated that the house is where he had grown up with his siblings and has been living with his parents. The family has been living there for the last 50 years, he said. MLA Srinivas Murthy is from the Dalit community and despite a heavy Muslim vote share in his constituency, has been winning since last 4 terms with a good margin. He is also reported to have a good relationship with local Muslim leaders.

The MLA also blamed ‘outsiders’ for instigating the riots and urged the local residents to help him nab the culprits.

The Congress MLA requests a CBI or CID inquiry in the case

“Question arises as to how can I protect common citizens if this is what a lawmaker has to suffer”, Murthy lamented, urging the Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa and home minister Amit Shah to provide him and his family members adequate security. He requested that the case be handed over to the CBI, or CID for a thorough investigation.

“Being a lawmaker and having won by the biggest margin in Karnataka, this is my condition today. What could be the condition of other lawmakers?”, he asked.

Congress link emerges in Bengaluru riots

Meanwhile, details which had emerged soon after the horrific riots, hint that Kaleem Pasha, the husband of the corporator from Nagawara Irshad Begum, along with other SDPI leaders orchestrated the riots.

Kaleem Pasha, who is a former corporator of Nagawara ward, reportedly has close links with the Congress leadership in the state and is known to be an associate of former Karnataka Home Minister and senior Congress leader KJ George. His Facebook profile also highlights the fact that he was an active Congress worker. Pasha was booked by Bengaluru police along with local SDPI leader Muzammil Pasha for orchestrating the Bengaluru violence.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slams India Today for its ‘sting operation’ on Air India, says action already taken against touts selling tickets at high prices

OpIndia Staff
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Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slams India Today for its ‘sting operation’ on Air India, says action already taken against touts selling tickets at high prices

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday slammed India Today network for its so-called ‘sting operation’ to allege that no action has been taken by the government against agents and travel operators, who were caught selling Vande Bharat tickets of Air India to stranded passengers at a high premium.

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, without naming India Today, said that the media group should have done homework before publishing such sting operation.

The India Today group had carried out a ‘sting operation’, which showed agents “soliciting customers” by offering tickets under Vande Bharat Mission at a higher price than Air India’s published prices. The India Today investigation had claimed black-marketeers who have been hijacking the country’s massive repatriation mission amidst virus restrictions.

Responding to the allegation, Minister Puri said how Air India has been extremely vigilant and has time and again repeatedly warned citizens against such touts who were soliciting customers. The Minister also stated that Air India has repeatedly advised customers to buy tickets only at published prices. The airline has continuously publicised its efforts, said Minister Puri.

The Minister was referring to Air India’s recent circular on the issue of touts and agents luring customers to pay higher fares for tickets under Vande Bharat Mission. In its circular, Air India had categorically mentioned that it has come under its notice that some touts have been extracting higher prices from customers than listed fares for certain VBM flights.

The national career had also mentioned that it had already warned three agents for selling tickets at a higher price, much before India Today’s sting and also blacklisted them after fresh allegations surfaced.

Additionally, the Minister also said that an FIR was lodged regarding this malpractice by agents at Parliament Street police station as early as on 8 June 2020 nearly 2 months before this ‘sting.’

“Lazy journalism has its own pitfalls. If only the media group had checked with AI or just browsed through social media it would have got its facts right,” said Hardeep Singh Puri as he took a dig at India Today for carrying out a sting operation to reveal information which was already in the public domain.

The Minister also clarified that the persons who are featuring on the ‘sting’ are not even agents. He added that they were sub-agents and the agents are appointed by IATA. An FIR has already been lodged against these touts, said the Minister while advising India Today network for self-introspection.

Union Minister had refuted similar false narrative by media previously

This is not the first time that the Union Minister himself had to clarify on the misinformation peddled by the media on the Vande Bharat Mission. In June, Union Minister Hardeep Puri had slammed Economic Times for a misleading report on Air India’s Vande Bharat Mission.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had slammed the Economic Times for allegedly becoming a mouthpiece for foreign aviation companies and accused them of making misleading claims on the repatriation operation being run by the Indian government to bring back stranded Indians in different parts of the world in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

In its report, the ET had claimed that those people wanting to come back to India or fly out are more than ‘fed up’ with the Vande Bharat Mission. Further, the report alleged that the national carrier Air India has been charging exorbitant charges to bring back stranded Indians from different parts of the world.

However, Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had responded to the allegations made by the Economic Times and had called it a ‘new low’ and also gave a point-to-point explanation debunking all the claims made by ET in its report.

The Vande Bharat Mission

Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) is a major repatriation exercise by the Indian government to bring back Indian citizens stranded abroad amidst the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions.

Under VBM, Air India Ltd and its subsidiary Air India Express have repatriated thousands of stranded Indian citizens from various nations after the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdowns in several nations.

Jesus Christ’s photo inside Hindu temple goes viral claiming police SP had ‘pressurized’ priest to put it there, temple priest and police deny allegations

OpIndia Staff
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Jesus Christ’s photo inside Hindu temple goes viral claiming police SP had ‘pressurized’ priest to put it there, temple priest and police deny allegations

An image has gone viral on social media claiming that the newly appointed Superintendent of Police of Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka allegedly forced the priests of a local Hindu temple to place the photo of Jesus and Mary inside the Garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

According to a report, on August 5, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu groups had reportedly organised a special pooja at the local Anjaneya Swamy temple in Chamarajanagar to celebrate the historic event of Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan. After the pooja, the police officer Divya Sara Thomas, the SP of the district visited the temple, pressurised the priest of the temple and made him place the photo of Jesus and Mary which she was carrying, in front of the temple idol inside the sanctum of the temple, as claimed by social media users.

It has been claimed that the priest succumbed to the pressure exerted by the officer and placed the photo inside the Garbhagriha of the temple while performing the pooja. The pictures of the same have become viral on the internet.

Following the incident, several Hindus have demanded action against the police officer and has also called for the sacking of the officer.

Read- Has social service become a way of Conversion for the Missionary mafia?

Temple priest clarifies

Meanwhile, the temple priest has denied that he was forced to place the photo inside the Garbhagriha. The Priest clarified that it is the custom of the temple to offer guests the Hindu idols after puja. But as the SP was Christian, they decided to gift her a photo of Jesus Christ instead. He also apologised for the incident and said that they did not have any evil intentions to hurt any religious sentiments by placing the photo of Jesus Christ inside the Garbhagriha of the temple.

“On August, on the occasion of Ayodhya Bhoomi Pujan event, there was a special pooja. We performed pooja by placing photos of a different faith. There is no evil intentions or any attempt to hurt any religious sentiments. It is a routine activity, where we pray for people irrespective of their identity,” said the temple priest.

Police deny the allegations

After the message went viral on social media, Karnataka Police issued a statement denying the allegations. They have informed that the SP was not carrying any photograph while visiting the temple, and the photo of Jesus was actually given to her by the priest after the rituals, along with photos of Hindu deities.

The statement says, “the devotees of Veeranjaneya Temple Kollegal town requested the SP to visit the temple. The temple is frequently visited by devotees of different faith. On realizing that the new SP is from a different faith the priest after completing the puja rituals gifted her a photo of Jesus Christ along with photos of Hindu deities also. The SP has not forced the priest or the devotees to offer archana for Jesus Christ nor did she carry any photos on her person to the temple. The photos of the incident has been misinterpreted and is being circulated in social media with incorrect information. The priest of the temple also has issued a clarification in this regard through a video.”

IPS officer Divya Sara Thomas has also denied the charges that she forced the priest to put the photo inside the temple. Speaking to India Today, she said, “On August 5, I was on rounds in Kollegal Taluk for flood-related arrangements and that’s when the locals invited me to the temple. But the social media posts that came later are very unfortunate and disheartening. Till now I have never thought of myself as a minority or Christian and I have done my work with utmost sincerity and dedication. As a public servant, we are ready to take bouquets and brickbats with equal vigour. Will continue to work with the same level of enthusiasm.”

Both the Karnataka police statement and the SP are silent over the issue of placing the photo of Jesus Christ inside the Garbhagriha of the temple.

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