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Gargi College harassment case: Delhi Police files FIR, initiates probe, college admits lax administration

OpIndia Staff
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Gargi College harassment case: Delhi Police files FIR, initiates probe, college admits lax administration

Day after mass-molestation and sexual harassment was reported at Delhi University’s Gargi College, the college principal has reportedly accepted laxity in administration and apologised to students. The Gargi College Student Union had earlier called for an indefinite strike starting Monday after many students alleged a large scale of molestation incidents that occurred during their annual Festival, ‘Reverie’ in Delhi. The Delhi Police has registered an FIR in the matter on the basis of a complaint filed by the Principal.

Students allege that around 200-400 people entered the premises without showing any ID and indulged into mass molestation of girl students. Many students in the condition of anonymity have alleged that those men masturbated, groped and even followed some of them to the Green Park metro station.

Students also accused the acting principal, Promila Kumar for negligence as they allege that she had reportedly remarked in a personal interaction, “If you feel unsafe, don’t come to these fests.” The acting principal had also reportedly stated, “The event was open for boys studying in other DU colleges. We had police, commandos and bouncers on campus, and staff was also on duty. There was an arena in the campus meant only for girls. If they were outside that, it was their personal choice.”

On Monday, hundreds of female students staged a massive demonstration outside the college campus protesting against the inaction of the college. NSUI students today protested outside the college campus, targeting the Delhi police for inaction and lack of preparedness to the incident.

Students allege that a similar incident also occurred last year at the same fest. “But the college administration treated it as a security issue and not a sexual one. I was personally harassed the last time” said a student in anonymity.

When this issue reached the parliament, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in Lok Sabha said that the college administration has been asked to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken cognizance and sent a team to the college to probe the incident and will record the statements of the college students. Delhi Commission For Women Chief Swati Maliwal also arrived at Gargi College to inquire about the allegations.

Wayanad, Kerala: Major sex racket busted, scores of men suspected of sexually abusing and raping teen girl

OpIndia Staff
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Wayanad, Kerala: Major sex racket busted, scores of men suspected of sexually abusing and raping teen girl

The Kerala Police has stumbled upon a major sex racket while investigating the rape case of a teen girl from Chikmagalur in Karnataka, Manorama news has reported. An interstate sex racket that facilitated the sexual exploitation of a 16-year old girl by over 100 men at four resorts in Wayanad has been busted in its wake.

The case came to light last year after the girl, aged 16, was raped at a resort in Kakkadampoyil in Wayanad. Subsequent investigations revealed that the girl had been abused by numerous men at three other resorts. Following the investigation, TL Iliyas, a human trafficker who trafficked girls from Karnataka to Kerala, was arrested by the Police who gave them the details of the sex racket.

Quite a few people have already been arrested by the Police in the matter. P Mansoor (28) of Pookkottur, Malappuram; Nisar Babu of Thurakkal, Kondotty, the resort owner Muhammed Basheer (50) of Cheekkode and a woman named Farzana (25) have been arrested for their involvement in the racket. As per the report, Farzana used to trap girls and bring them over to Kerala from Karnataka. The said girl was in class 8 when she dropped out of school after being trapped by Farzana.

Read: Walayar Rape Case: Protests erupt against Kerala government over lapses in investigation after four accused gets acquittal

A larger number of people questioned by the Police are now absconding. The involvement of political leaders and government officials in the sex racket is also suspected. Allegations are being made that efforts are underway to scuttle the probe after a key member of the Police team that busted the racket is sought to be transferred.

Son locks up father for being BJP supporter to prevent him from casting vote in Delhi elections: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Son locks up father for being BJP supporter to prevent him from casting vote in Delhi elections: Report

As per an Indian Express report, a son locked up his father inside the house for being a BJP supporter to prevent him from casting his vote in the recently concluded Delhi assembly elections.


A news snippet was shared by journalist Padmaja Joshi wherein it was claimed by Indian Express that a college going student in his 20s had locked up his father knowing that he was going to vote for the BJP.

Indian Express journalist Anya Shankar on Facebook

The same was also claimed by Indian Express journalist Anya Shankar on Facebook.

At Munirka, a 20 something guy has locked his father inside the house because he was going to vote for BJP. Father from the window : “MC, BC, aa tu Ghar wapas. Ek paisa nahi milega saale.” Guy: “Kaunsa Ambani ke ghar paida kiya hai mujhe”. ? He says he’s inspired by his friend who did the same in Palam. Some days I love my job.

The same claim was shared by Deputy Editor, Al Jazeera, Nadim Asrar on Twitter citing Shankar.


OpIndia could not independently verify the claims.

Can a 4-month old go to protests: SC fumes over infant’s death in Shaheen Bagh protests, issues notice to centre and Delhi govt

OpIndia Staff
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Can a 4-month old go to protests: SC fumes over infant’s death in Shaheen Bagh protests, issues notice to centre and Delhi govt

Taking suo motu cognisance on the death of a 4-month old infant, the Supreme Court on Monday took a tough stand on the matter saying how could a 4-year-old visit Shaheen Bagh to protest, questioning the mother’s wisdom on taking the child with her to the protest site.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde issued notices to the centre and the Delhi government on suo-motu plea to “stop the involvement of children and infants in demonstrations”.


A lawyer representing a group of mothers from Shaheen Bagh argued in the apex court that even Greta Thunberg was a child when she became a protester and raised concerns over the children from the area being called Pakistani in their schools. The CJI asked the counsel how can a 4-month-old go to the protest site and how could the mothers justify this.

Read: Infant’s death was ‘Qurbani’ in the ‘jihad’: Shocking video emerges where anti-CAA protestor justifies using children for protests

The SC bench also expressed displeasure at two women lawyers representing the Shaheen Bagh protestors trying to make extraneous arguments on someone calling a child Pakistani in school and other arguments deviating from the issue. “In this proceedings, we are considering the death of a four-month-old child,” said CJI Bobde.

CJI Bobde further added, “We respect motherhood, social peace. Don’t make arguments to generate guilt.”

The court took the suo moto cognisance on the involvement of children in protests after a National Bravery Award winner Zen Gunratan Sadavarte wrote to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) seeking directives for stopping children from being used in protests days after reports had emerged that at least one infant had died after parents took them to Shaheen Bagh for protests and exposed them to Delhi’s bitter cold.

In one of the most heart-wrenching incidents of recent times, four-month-old infant Mohammed Jahan lost his life after suffering from severe cold and congestion during anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh. However, Nazia, the mother of the four-month-old infant Mohammad Jahan, is unapologetic about her son’s death but instead has chosen to ignore his death and rejoin the ‘protests’ at the Shaheen Bagh.

4 AMU students to lose Rs 1 lakh each in surety bonds due to involvement in anti-CAA violence: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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4 AMU students to lose Rs 1 lakh each in surety bonds due to involvement in anti-CAA violence: Reports

The Aligarh District Administration is planning to seize surety bonds worth rupees 1 lac each from four students of Aligarh Muslim University. The surety bonds were signed by the students assuring peace on the campus prior to 15 December’s violence.

As per a report in Swarajya Magazine, Additional city magistrate(ACM), Ranjit Singh, said on Sunday that under section 107 of CrPC, the surety bonds were signed by four students and two former students assuring that they will maintain peace.

ACM Singh named the students as Huzaifa Amir, the former secretary of the students union, former Vice-President of students union Hamza Sufiyan, research scholar Salman Imtiaz, the former President of Students Union and Moinuddin, a student of post-graduation.

Salman Imtiaz, the research scholar confirmed that the bond was signed by him along with other students on August 1 after a ruckus was created at the Vice-Chancellor’s office over a decision of the administration to take disciplinary action against three students in separate incidents.

Despite signing the surety bonds, the four students were allegedly found involved in the violence occurred on December 15. The district administration also identified 44 persons from AMU and is serving them notices for disrupting peace in the city.

ACM Ranjeet Singh said that the university administration has been asked to provide their addresses but no response has been received despite sending a reminder to them.

As per the Swarajya report, AMU’s proctor Wasim Ali denied the allegations claiming a lack of evidence of their involvement in violence. He said, “On the basis of just names, we cannot confirm that these are the same persons identified by the administration”.

The AMU proctor said that the campus is coming back to normalcy. He said, “Classes are now being attended by students and pending exams have also been conducted by faculties”.

Recently, a former AMUSU president and student leader Faizul Hasan was booked for hate speech. Speaking to a group of people, Hasan was seen inciting Muslims for violence, claiming that ‘Muslims can destroy anything’.

The Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh had emerged as one of the epi-centres of the anti-CAA agitations being perpetrated in the name of ‘peaceful protests’. The students and Muslim mob associated with the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) had unleashed violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The ‘students’ of AMU had clashed with UP Police on December 15.

‘The Indians have f**ked Kashmir. They have been f**king Kashmir for fifty years,’ said Vidhu Vinod Chopra as per award winning book

K Bhattacharjee
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‘The Indians have f**ked Kashmir. They have been f**king Kashmir for fifty years,’ said Vidhu Vinod Chopra as per award winning book

The movie ‘Shikara’, which claimed to be the ‘untold story of Kashmiri Pandits’, has received great criticism for watering down the extent of the atrocities the community was forced to suffer. Shikara was expected to be the first real effort by the entertainment industry to bust the organized campaign of genocide denial but the movie disappointed on all fronts.

Expectedly, people were greatly disappointed when the movie did not deliver on what it promised. One Kashmiri Pandit woman broke down and directed her ire against director Vidhu Vinod Chopra for the movie. Chopra, in an attempt to placate her, said, “truth has two sides”. Everyone has his own perspective and may have different opinions, said the filmmaker. He did not stop there and went on to mock the anguished woman. He said that he will make ‘Shikara 2’ for her. The insensitive conduct by Chopra subtly hinted towards his ideological inclinations.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ideological inclinations become even clearer when one reads what Suketu Mehta, the screenplay writer of Chopra’s 2000 movie Mission Kashmir, wrote in his book ‘Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found’. Chopra is quoted by Mehta as saying, “The Indians have f**ked Kashmir. I’m a Kashmiri, I know. They have been f**king Kashmir for fifty years.”

Mehta wrote: Vinod wants the film to reinforce in the popular imagination the syncretic idea of Kashmiryat, the age-old ideology that allows Muslims at the Hazratbal mosque and Hindus at the Shankaracharya temple to worship in the same country. He is not blind to the recent history of his troubled homeland. At one point, he says, “The Indians have fucked Kashmir. I’m a Kashmiri, I know. They’ve been fucking Kashmir for fifty years.”

From Mehta’s words, it appears that Vidhu Vinod Chopra believes Kashmir was all hunky-dory with diverse communities singing ‘Boomro Boomro’ before the Central Government intervened. It is the same worldview that finds voice in Mission Kashmir, a movie that provides ample justification for Islamic Terrorism and dilutes the true nature of the terrorism that Kashmir faces.

Mehta also wrote: What is fascinating to me is not so much the scriptwriting process as hearing Vinod explain what is politically acceptable and what’s not. Infinite care has to be taken, as the papers put it, to avoid “hurting the sentiments of a particular community.”

The screenplay writer of Mission Kashmir himself holds extremely problematic views. He writes in the book, “I feel distanced from many of the scenes in Mission Kashmir. In writing them, I am a lawyer, putting words I do not believe in the mouths of my characters. Politically, I am at left angles to the film. I argue that we need to insert something about the social and economic conditions that go into the making of a terrorist, especially in Kashmir. I talk about visiting Kashmir in 1987 and seeing perhaps the most corrupt state government in India; about the wishes of most of the locals I had spoken to not to be part of the Indian Union; about the double standard in India’s keeping Muslim-majority Kashmir on the grounds that the maharajah had acceded to us at independence, and refusing to let the Muslim princes of Hyderabad and Junagadh accede to Pakistan because they ruled over Hindu-majority states. But I don’t push the point. I do not have the necessary weight on the script-writing team.”

Maximum City is an award-winning book. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 and won the Kiriyama Prize. It also won the 2005 Vodafone Crossword Book Award. The Economist named Maximum City one of its books of the year for 2004. It was shortlisted for the 2005 Samuel Johnson Prize.

From the perspective provided by the book, ‘Shikara’ appears to be consistent with how Vidhu Vinod Chopra sees Islamic Terrorism in the valley. From Mehta’s words, it appears fairly obvious that Shikara could never be what it was advertised as by the makers of the movie. An individual who believes “The Indians have f**ked Kashmir” cannot be expected to narrate what happened to the Kashmiri Pandit community on the big screen. As such, the audience has every right to feel cheated and the Kashmiri Hindu community has every right to feel angry about the fact that someone decided to mint money from whitewashing the genocide they suffered.

Viewers have said that the movie empathizes more with the Jihadists than the Kashmiri Pandits. They have also said that there was a blatant distortion of facts and attempts were made to whitewash Radical Islam. The movie was also accused of romanticizing the Hindu Genocide. Kashmiri Pandits have said that it only adds further salt to their wounds.

Himachal Pradesh: The progress story of a beautiful hill state under dynamic vision of BJP’s leadership

Guest Author
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Himachal Pradesh: The progress story of a beautiful hill state under dynamic vision of BJP’s leadership

Himachal Pradesh is one of the most beautiful and strategically important states in India. It shares sensitive borders with China occupied Tibet region, which makes it a guard on border frontiers for nation.

Himachal, on matters of identity worldwide has been acknowledged as “Dev Bhoomi” (Land of Deities and Gods) with roots in divinity, richness of culture, traditions as well as abundance of natural resources. The state is significantly rich with flora and fauna, surrounded by Himalayan ranges, the Pir Panjal mountains and mighty rivers that make it most successful hydro energy producing state of India.

Our state is also blessed with gifts of mother nature in from mountains to rivers, to glaciers and adventure sports, with richness of historical and religious monuments makes it one of the favourite destinations tourist destinations from across the globe. With such a favourable climate for fruit production, horticulture and tourism now have become the major source of employment and income generation for Himachal residents in very promising manner.

Due to our smaller geographical area, Himachal Pradesh has somehow suffered from lack of rapid development as compared to other states of India. The regime carried by previous Congress governments have also ignored to carry out developmental activities on excuses of challenging weather conditions, improper roads, infrastructure and lack of heavy investments despite the fact they were in power both in state as well as in Centre.

In spite of having so much potential and resources Himachal has been categorically and politically neglected out from the league of progressive states since independence. However, since 2017 assembly elections and formation of BJP government under Jairam Thakur, the tide has swinged towards development and achievements. The momentum set by earlier BJP governments which were politically derailed by opposition parties during their tenures were picked up by the present government under its leadership and during the last three years, the government has attained new strides of development and progress.

Under the dynamic vision of PM Narendra Modi and able leadership of Himachal CM Jairam Thakur, the State has been progressing strategically and has made overall development in many dimensions including agriculture, horticulture, tourism, milk production, trade commerce, public health, sanitation etc. We are continuously progressing in all dimensions of economics excellence with vision to make himachal as one of most glorious state in India.

E-governance

The first step towards governance was communication between the government and the people so that their grievance could be redressed and also the government could sense the pulse of the people. Janmanch, a forum organised monthly where CM including the ministers and administration sit to hear public grievances and provide instant solution and directions for their redressal also. To extend the reach of the people to the government, the CM Sewa Sankalp Helplines are started, by which people can register their complaints from every corner of the state. To monitor and analyse the various schemes and programs by the government, the Him Pragati Portal was initiated by which the CM himself monitored them. The state has been emphasising to provide e-governance to its citizens for better administration and benefit to the people. HP is the first state to provide online family register to nearly 62 lakh families. 201 Gram Panchayats have been upgraded with high speed Internet facility. The e-office program has been initiated in 46 offices which is being accessed by 1887 officers and officials of the government. Wi-fi Choupal scheme has been initiated in 170 gram panchayats. The Citizen charter and HP Public Service Guarantee Act are applaudable initiatives of the government in the field of e-governance.

Tourism

The state has been the favourite destination for vacation and tourists and visitors across the country and world. Every corner of the state has been blessed by the nature with beautiful landscape and sight seeing. The State Government has left no stone unturned for promoting it across the globe. Better conncectivity by road, air is being ensured for access to remote locations. The Heli Taxi Service has been started to and fro frm Chandigarh to Shimla. Adventure sports are being promoted and developed in various parts of the state. Various other efforts are being made in this regard. The administration is also working upon Eco Tourism so that not only tourism but employment could be provided to local youth and citizens. Bir Billing activities are being out in Jhanjheri and Chanshal for promoting tourism in theses areas under the Nayi Rahein Nayi Manzilein scheme. Also a Tourism Development Program of RS 1900 Crore has been intitiated under the aegis of Asian Development Bank.

Woman Empowerment

Towards women empowerment, the state has provide adequate safeguards for their safety and security. It includes the Gudiya Helpline, a 24 hr Helpline for women in case of emergency. Also, the Shakti button App Provides police assistance to the needy women in case of news. For their empowerment, the government has initiated various schemes to provide financial assistance to them in various stages of their lives from childhood to old age. It includes the Mother Teresa Asahay Matra Sambal Yojna, CM Kanyadan Yojna, Beti hai Anmol Yojna, Nutrition Scheme, Women Swarozgar Shayata Yojna etc. They have helped in economic strengthening of the position of women in Himachal Pradesh and has brought smile of hope in their faces. In furtherance of the Ujjwala Yojna, the HP government has also initiated the HP Grahini Suvidha Yojna which provides gas connection to women and saves them from the smoke and suffering caused by smoke by chulhas earlier. HP is the first state to implement 50% reservation in Panchayati Institutions.

Trade and Commerce

To attract global investment in the state, the Global Investors summit was organised for the first time in Dharamshala. About 703 MoUs worth 96720 crore were signed during the event. Around 2800 investors participated in the event. The CM promised to provide assistance to the investors in establishing and investing their business in HP which includes relaxation in investment policy, land acquisition policy, encouraging cottage industries etc. The recent 15 Finance Commission has granted Rs 11,000 crores to the state, second after Kerala for development initiatives.

Social security

For providing social security to the poor, old and deprived class the government has run down various welfare schemes under which over 5 lakh people are granted social
security pension. The age limit of beneficiary of old age pension scheme has been reduced from 80 to 70 years. The physically challenged are provided a pension of RS 1500 pm benefiting 60,555 people.

Education

In the field of education, the government has attained its targets in a time bound manner through its constant efforts and monitoring. Not only the school education, but also higher studies is being given equal consideration for quality based education. It is being taken as a challenge that not only the results but also the overall development of the child along with child enrolment ratio is to be focused upon. Smart classes are being set up in schools and colleges for imparting smart and upgraded education to children. They are provided free uniforms under Atal Vardi Yojna, Scholarships to needy children through Medha Protsahan Yojna and other scholarship schemes. Towards establishing new schools, the Atal Adarsh Vidhya Kendras are being opened. It is the effort of the government that the state stands second in the ranking of states. The ER is 100 % in Bilaspur and Spiti. The state has also collaborated under Skill India program to impart vocational education to children and provide them employment according to their skills n talent.

Healthcare

Healthcare has always been a primary issue in the geographical locations of HP. The government has addressed this issue seriously and started the Himcare Scheme which works on the lines of Ayushman Scheme. The Ayushman Beneficiaries are 43813 In the state within a year. Free medicines are being provided in village level Hospitals. The 108 Ambulance scheme has been initiated across the state. Towards eradication of Deug menace , the state in collaboration with other states is working upon drug rehabilitation program to aware and rescue youth from its addiction. The government has also promoted the Swachch Bharat Campaign across the state resulting Mandi District to be on top. The State is also being granted AIIMS in Bilaspur district which will be functional shortly.

Agricultural reforms

Agriculture is the primary occupation of the people of HP, contributing to the economy of HP significantly about 9% of the GDP of the state. The government has not only emphasised on modern methods of farming but also provided assistance to the farmers in growing quality and good produce. It includes the CM new pot house scheme, Kushal Sinchai Yojna, HP Pushp Kranti Yojna etc. The state has also encouraged horticulture in the state by providing subsidies to farmers. It has also run the CM Saur Urja Yojna for using electricity produced by solar energy.

Conclusively, whenever BJP has been in power it has worked undoubtedly for the welfare of state and public. Himachal has always been identified with new development schemes initiated by BJP governments, be it initiation of big hydro projects or provisioning of tourism friendly policies, Himachal has always been attaining new heights under the previous as well as present government.

With gradual, and regular milestones being achieved, the state would be at the pinnacle of excellence of in long run ahead along with providing more opportunities to its youth and giving a stable value based governance for over all welfare of state.

Author Prajwal Busta is Chairperson, Panchayat Samiti Jubbal-Kotkhai. She is a member of Himachal Pradesh State Planning Board and NEC, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

Protests cannot continue indefinitely on public road: Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, Delhi govt on Shaheen Bagh

OpIndia Staff
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Protests cannot continue indefinitely on public road: Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, Delhi govt on Shaheen Bagh

The apex court on Monday stated that Shaheen Bagh protesters cannot carry out indefinite protests in common area inconveniencing people for eternity. It also issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government and the Delhi Police on the pleas seeking removal protesters from Shaheen Bagh.

Regarding petitions seeking the removal of anti-CAA protesters from Shaheen Bagh, the Supreme Court said, “There is a law and people have a complaint against it. The issue is pending in the court. Despite the matter pending in the court, some people are protesting. They are entitled to their protest.”

However, a bench comprising of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph said that the protests cannot continue on a public road for perpetuity. It said that there must be identified areas where such protests can be carried out.

“If you want to protest, there can be some area where you protest. You cannot block a public road. There must be designated areas of protest,” the court said.

The counsel for the petitioner seeking removal of Shaheen Bagh protests sought interim directions citing inconvenience. However, the bench issued a notification on the plea but refused to grant interim relief.

Read: Days after death of infants at Shaheen Bagh, Supreme Court takes suo motu cognizance to stop involvement of children in protests

The court stated that the protests that have now been going on for more than 50 days can go a little longer. Declining interim relief, the bench has given February 17 the next date of hearing on the matter.

For about 55 days now, protesters in Shaheen Bagh have blocked one of the busiest thoroughfares in the national capital in protest against the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act that intends to grant citizenship to a persecuted minorities from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The blockade of the road is causing massive inconvenience to lakhs of daily commuters who now have to circumvent the blocked road to reach their destination.

In addition, there have been allegations that the protesters at Shaheen Bagh are treating it as an independent enclave, with strict regulations enforced in allowing on who joins them in their protest based on their ideological inclinations. Recently, political analyst Gunja Kapoor was heckled and was tried to convert into Islam by the unruly protesters at Shaheen Bagh for wearing a Burkha and entering the protest area. Earlier, Shaheen Bagh protesters were also accused of shouting anti-India and pro-Jinnah slogans.

Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of SC/ST Amendment Act, nullifies its previous order

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of SC/ST Amendment Act, nullifies its previous order

On Monday, a 3-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justices Vineet Saran, Arun Mishra, and Ravindra Bhat upheld the constitutionality of the SC/ST Amendment Act, 2019. The Court bulldozed its previous judgment of March 2018 that diluted certain provisions of the Act.

The Parliament had made amendments to the Scheduled Cates and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in 2019 such that it nullified the 2018 Supreme Court ruling. The verdict challenging its constitutionality after several PILs were filed was reserved on October 3 last year.

In March 2018, a two-Judge bench of Justice AK Goel and Justice UU Lalit ruled that there would not be automatic arrest on the basis of a complaint filed under the Act. The Court also introduced the provisions of preliminary inquiry by the police and anticipatory bail for the accused.

This prompted the Union Government to file a review petition against the decision. In the review judgment, directions 3, 4, and 5 of the 2018 judgment was kept set aside. As a matter of fact, the amendment to the Act had already nullified the effect of directions 3 and 4. The direction 5 provided for disciplinary action against the cops in case the other two directions were not followed.

However, the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra recalled the March 2018 verdict and ruled the need for a preliminary probe. The Court observed that bail can only be granted where a prima facie case is not made out under the stringent SC/ST Act.

Justice S Ravindra Bhat added that bail can be granted only during “extraordinary” circumstances where “denial of bail” would imply “miscarriage of justice”. The apex court also observed that the directions issued by the 2018 Division Bench were not within the parameters of Article 142 of the Indian constitution.

It has sparked a debate on social media whether the lives of innocent people falsely implicated under the stringent SC/ST Amendment Act matter to the Supreme Court.

1993 Mumbai blast accused Munaf Moosa arrested by Gujarat ATS, was living in Nairobi with a Pakistan passport

OpIndia Staff
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1993 Mumbai blast accused Munaf Moosa arrested by Gujarat ATS, was living in Nairobi with a Pakistan passport

In a major development, the Gujarat ATS has nabbed 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts accused Munaf Halari Moosa at the Mumbai airport earlier today. As per reports, Moosa was living in Nairobi under an alias Mohammad Anwar Hajri, under a Pakistani passport. He was accused of planting bombs at Zaveri Bazaar.


Moosa was one of the main accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. As per his profile in the CBI database, Musa had procured three scooters and loaded them with explosives. One of the scooters had exploded at Zaveri Bazar, while the other two exploded scooters were recovered from Naigaum Cross Road in Dadar, Mumbai.

As per reports, Moosa was also wanted for in involvement in international drug rackets. He was also allegedly involved in a case where narcotics worth Rs 1500 crores were captured last year.

As many as twelve serial blasts in a span of two hours had taken place in Mumbai on 12 March 1993. The blasts killed 257 people and injured 713 others. The blasts took place at Bombay Stock Exchange, Katha Bazaar, a petrol pump near Sena Bhavan, opposite Passport office near Century Bazaar, Fishermen’s colony at Mahim Causeway, at the basement of Air India Building, Zaveri Bazaar, Hotel Sea Rock, Plaza Theatre, Centaur Hotel of Juhu, Bay No-54 of Sahar Airport and Centaur Hotel near airport.

Read: All you need to know about 1993 Mumbai blasts convicts

In June 2017, a special TADA court in Mumbai had convicted key mastermind of the blasts Mustafa Dossa, gangster Abu Salem and four others for their involvement in the blasts.

In June 2018, Gujarat ATS had nabbed another major accused named Ahmad Kamal Sheikh alias Lambu from the Valasad area. He was a key aide of Mustaffa Dossa. A few months prior to Lambu’s arrest, another key Dawood aide, Mohammad Farooq alias Takla was arrested after being extradited from UAE.

The main conspirators in the Mumbai Blasts case, Tiger Memon, Dawood Ibrahim, Anees Ibrahim and Mohammad Dossa are still wanted.

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