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Atul Subhash suicide: PIL in court seeks laws to prevent harassment of innocent men, misuse of IPC Section 498A

OpIndia Staff
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Atul Subhash suicide: PIL in court seeks laws to prevent harassment of innocent men, misuse of IPC Section 498A

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court to ensure that husbands and their family members are not harassed in cases filed under domestic violence and dowry laws, following the suicide of a man named Atul Subhash (34), who reportedly ended his life as a result of harassment by his wife through matrimonial cases. Advocate Vishal Tiwari’s Public Interest Litigation asked the Union to follow the Supreme Court’s rulings in Preeti Gupta v. State of Jharkhand (2010) and Achin Gupta v. State of Haryana (2024).

The plea requested the creation of an expert committee headed by a retired high court judge to examine legislation pertaining to domestic abuse and dowries and recommend ways to stop their abuse. It will include renowned attorneys, retired judges, and legal scholars. The appeal also asked for a directive to document any gifts or objects given during marriage registration. Additionally, it aimed to implement the remarks made by the Supreme Court in a 2010 judgment that highlighted the misuse of IP Section 498A.

The appeal stated that to prevent its exploitation and abuse, it was time to review and amend the current Domestic Violence Act and dowry laws, citing the latest suicide case. According to the petition, innocent men’s lives could be saved and the true intent of the dowry laws would not be undermined. It also asked that a writ of mandamus or any other suitable writ be issued by the highest court.

The court called attention to the misuse of Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which allows the husband and his family members to be unduly involved in criminal proceedings where the wife is accused of domestic abuse and it encouraged the legislature to alter this, in the case of Preeti Gupta. In the Achin Gupta case, the Supreme Court asked the Parliament to reflect upon changing Sections 85 and 86 of the new criminal code, which are the equivalent of Section 498A IPC, to stop their misuse. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which went into effect on 1st July 2024, has kept the clause, nevertheless.

The petitioner cited Atul Subhash’s suicide, which triggered heated online discussions, and stated that “the time has come to make review and reforms in existing Dowry laws and Domestic Violence Act so that its misuse and abuse could be stopped and innocent men can be saved and the real purpose of the Dowry laws may not be defeated.” The plea submitted that laws prohibiting dowries and domestic abuse were introduced to safeguard married women, however, these regulations have now been used by women as a tool to harass their husbands and their parents.

The PIL added, “There have been many incidents and cases of false implication of man in dowry cases, which has led to very tragic end and also raised question on our justice and criminal investigation system.” It further read, “Before he died by suicide, Atul Subhash recorded an 80-minute video in which he accused his estranged wife and her family of slapping multiple cases on him and his family to extort money from them. Atul Subhash also criticised the justice system in his 24-page suicide note. The Suicide note has also made allegations upon the judge of being demanding the money for settlement which is a very serious issue.”

The petitioner submitted, “The gross misuse of the dowry laws has defeated the purpose of these laws for which they were enacted. These cases not only impact the lives and careers of husbands and wives but also have a very deep impact in negative form upon their children. It affects their mental health behaviour which could result in the ruin of their proper growth.”  

Atul Subhash mentioned that the 2013 Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace (POSH) Act was passed to provide safe working conditions for women, but, he noted, that there have been instances where women have wrongly accused bosses or coworkers of settling personal scores. “Although stringent rape laws are essential to protect women against sexual violence, there have been instances of false accusations for personal vendettas or financial gains. In cases of divorce and child custody battles, some women misuse laws favouring mothers to gain sole custody of children, regardless of the child’s best interests,” he asserted.

According to the police, Subhash, who worked for a private company in the city, left behind a 24-page suicide note in which he described his years-long emotional agony over marital problems, many lawsuits brought against him, and harassment from his wife, family and a court in Uttar Pradesh. A police official informed that his wife Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha, father Anurag, and uncle Sushil were all charged with aiding and abetting suicide after his passing.

Impeachment motion by Kapil Sabil and other Rajya Sabha MPs against Justice Yadav over alleged anti-Muslim comments at VHP event: The false ‘secularism’

Rukma Rathore
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Impeachment motion by Kapil Sabil and other Rajya Sabha MPs against Justice Yadav over alleged anti-Muslim comments at VHP event: The false ‘secularism’

A motion to remove Allahabad High Court Judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav from office was submitted to the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General on 13th December over his allegedly controversial statements. The motion was signed by 55 members of the Rajya Sabha which is more than the 50 MPs needed to file an impeachment resolution. The motion was submitted by a delegation headed by Kapil Sibal and others including Vivek Tankha, Digvijaya Singh, P. Wilson, John Brittas, KTS Tulsi, Manoj Kumar Jha and Saket Gokhale.

The request to begin the process of impeaching Justice Yadav was filed under Article 218 of the Constitution and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, of 1968. The motion is anticipated to be discussed during the current Winter Session of Parliament. According to the motion, Justice Yadav “engaged in hate speech and incitement to communal disharmony in violation of the Constitution of India” in his speech and lecture at a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) event. The motion further contended that his comments specifically target minorities, demonstrating bias and prejudice against them. It added that he breached the Restatement of Values of Judicial Life, 1997, by openly voicing opinions on political issues pertaining to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

The members of parliament have asked Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to send the motion to the President of India, in line with the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968, to form an inquiry committee to look into the accusations of hate speech, judicial ethics violations and communal disharmony. The committee will then begin the appropriate steps to remove Justice Yadav from office if the claims are verified. The Supreme Court also requested a report on Justice Yadav’s remarks from the Allahabad High Court in response to many objections made to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna.

“We have given a notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretary General to impeach Allahabad High Court judge, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav. He had given an inflammatory speech on 9th December at the High Court premises. We believe that the judge has no right to hold that post and he should be removed. We have moved a motion to remove the judge. This is not a political issue but an issue of protecting the Constitution and the independence of the judiciary. We urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and leaders of the ruling party to join us in protecting the Constitution. The Supreme Court should also order the removal of the judge and he should not be assigned any work until a decision is taken on the motion. 55 MPs have signed the motion,” stated Kapil Sibal.

What’s inside the notice

Three accusations are made in their 21-page petition: that Justice Yadav engaged in hate speech and incitement to communal disharmony in violation of the Constitution, that he targeted minorities and displayed bias and prejudice against them and engaged in public debate or expressed his views in public on political matters relating to Uniform Civil Code in violation of the Restatement of Values of Judicial Life 1997.

The notice read, “On 9th December, Justice Yadav made public remarks during event organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) that were inflammatory, prejudiced, and directly targeted minority communities. Justice Yadav, in his lecture has asserted the country would function according to the wishes of the majority (bahusankhyak) in India.” It claimed, “Justice Yadav’s actions contravene the directive principles enshrined in Article 51A(e) of the Constitution of India, which mandate promoting harmony and renouncing practices derogatory to the dignity of individuals.”

The notice also charged, “Speech/lecture delivered by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, Judge of the Allahabad High Court, on Sunday i.e. 9th December, in an event organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, prima facie shows that Justice Yadav, has engaged in hate speech and incitement to communal disharmony in violation of the Constitution of India.” Furthermore, it added, “That speech/lecture delivered by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, Judge of the Allahabad High Court, on Sunday i.e. 9th Decmber, in an event organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, prima facie show evidence that Justice Yadav has targeted minorities and displayed bias and prejudice against the minorities (Katmullah).”

According to the motion for impeachment, he broke both “the secular ethos of the Constitution and the judge’s oath of office.” The assertion that Muslim youngsters cannot be expected to be kind since they are exposed to animal killing at an early age was also met with objection in the motion which claimed that Justice Yadav had damaged public trust in the judiciary through his divisive and biased utterances.

It even charged that his remarks about the Ram Janambhoomi movement are political in nature and affect the judiciary’s independence. “Such statements jeopardise the judiciary’s role as a neutral arbitrator and protector of rights, it leads to a complete lack of faith in a litigant approaching the court with folded hands,” the motion stated. A judge may be dismissed from office for conduct that compromise judicial ethics, impartiality, and public confidence in the judiciary under Articles 124(4) and 124(5) read with Article 217(1)(B) and Article 218 of the Indian Constitution.

The opposition argued that Justice Yadav’s actions were against the fundamental principles outlined in Article 51 A(e) of the Indian Constitution, which call for fostering unity and refraining from actions that diminish human dignity. The petition claimed that the judiciary’s function as a “neutral arbiter” and “protector of rights for all citizens” hasjeopardized by the use of discriminatory terminology against Muslims.

Two communities, two different rules: Judiciary’s version of ‘secularim’

‘Secularism’, the colloquial term for anti-Hindu bias in Indian politics, has also permeated the walls of the judiciary, where anything deemed anti-Muslim could lead to the impeachment of a high court judge while smiling over calls for Brahmin genocide and abusing the majority community for reclaiming their ancient places of worship through legal system, by present and former justices is accepted as normal. Secularism and cohesion in this nation appear to be impacted only when Muslims are purportedly targeted, otherwise, everything appears to be hunky dory when Hindus are subjected to disparaging comments and unwarranted criticism.

Surprisingly, as our esteemed judges have repeatedly demonstrated, attacking the Hindu majority does not contravene either the constitution or the ethics of the judiciary in the secular state of India. Notably, not just incumbent judges but those who retired have voiced similar controversial views. On 6th December, former Supreme Court Justice Rohinton Nariman denounced the five-judge panel that rendered the 2019 Ayodhya calling it a “mockery of justice” that went against the fundamental tenets of secularism. Notably, he is also an ordained Parsi priest.

He referred to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s karseva movement as the “dictatorial” and “tyrannical” push for the temple’s construction. The Hindu community was also accused by Nariman of constantly breaking the law during the Ram Mandir movement. A former Supreme Court judge displayed open bias against Hindus and publicly denigrated the most significant legal struggles spanning over 500 years to peacefully regain one of their holiest sites, dismissing both their effort and patience. His remarks are a testament to his ‘impartiality’ as a Supreme Court judge especially when he handled cases related to Hindus.

As if humiliating Hindus for having the audacity to seek legal justice for their ancient temples which were destroyed by Islamic invaders wasn’t enough, Kurian Joseph, another former Supreme Court judge, asked the Chief Justice of India to abandon the Supreme Court’s motto, “Yato Dharmastato Jaya” (Where there is Dharma, there is Victory). He claimed that it deviates from the national motto and, implicitly, the national spirit while speaking at a gathering hosted by left-liberals and the controversial website “The Wire,” in February. “Truth is the Constitution. Dharma is not always the truth. Dharma is the discharge of your duty in terms of the need of the hour,” he alleged.

Notably, he compared the Catholic Church to the Preamble of India in 2018 during a seminar. “The Catholic Church is one that has always assimilated in itself all the traditions and cultures brought in by the believers from all over the world. This is similar to the preamble of our Constitution, which starts with the word ‘We’.” He then addec that the Pope is the “one person who holds this Church in a single entity.”

He disregarded the fact that the Supreme Court functions as a check on the authority of legislative and executive to guarantee that all decisions are in accordance with the nation’s Constitution and its motto represents the division of powers. It’s further interesting to note that our neutral judiciary can compare the “secular” Constitution to the Catholic Church, but, a phrase that is ingrained in the country’s cultural ethos and connects to its historical heritage without any religious connotations should be eliminated since it is inconsistent with the nation’s motto and spirit.

If attacks on Hindu temples, their heritage, and the willingness of the majority to stand up for what was rightfully theirs through legal framework weren’t enough to annoy our judiciary, then grinning at references of genocide and mass murder of a large group of Hindu Brahmins is also part of their repertoire. Former justice of the Supreme Court K. M. Joseph smiled when Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta discussed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader R Rajiv Gandhi’s statement that one should kill all Brahmins in the name of equality, in March of this year.

How can anyone forget how the sitting justices humiliated Nupur Sharma, a former spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janta Party when she went to the highest court to seek justice after Islamists took to the streets for her blood with “Sar Tan Se Juda” slogans following the dog whistling by Mohammed Zubair of Alt News. Justice Surya Kant criticized her “loose tongue” for the turmoil rather than defending her fundamental right to freedom of speech and safety.

She was even held accountable by Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala for the actions of two Islamists who brutally beheaded Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and flaunted that they had done it for Islam. Why didn’t anyone realize that the top court’s remarks set a very dangerous precedent wherein violence is justified in the name of provocation by someone, particularly a woman? The Supreme Court of India essentially affirmed the Islamic calls for Nupur Sharma’s murder and execution, declaring her guilty of blasphemy which should have caused an uproar among all political parties and the judiciary, but sadly, nothing of the sort occurred.

Conclusion

Most significantly, none of the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, or even local politicians recognized the threat to secularism in any of the aforementioned incidents. Therefore, no impeachment motion was filed against a single incumbent judge for their controversial opinions.

This is because one of the most obvious characteristics of the Indian version of a secular democracy is the blatant disrespect of Hindus and their religious sentiments. Secularism in India, in fact, flourishes when Hindus are at the receiving end of such abuses. However, everything that is even considered slightly offensive to Islamist sensitivities is actively countered because, in practice, the minority is the only one who benefits from this perverted system, while the majority community bears the brunt of it. The same has been illustrated by the current action initiated against Justice Yadav.

Bangladesh has become third most dangerous place for journalists after Palestine and Pakistan, finds Reporters Without Borders

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh has become third most dangerous place for journalists after Palestine and Pakistan, finds Reporters Without Borders

As the new year 2025 draws closer, a crucial report by the ‘Reporters without Borders’ has revealed that the country of Bangladesh has emerged as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Reporters Without Borders, called Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) in French, is an international non-profit organization safeguarding the right to information. Its headquarters is in Paris, France.

As per the 2024 Round-up published by RSF, Palestine is the most dangerous country for journalists, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh. The ranking was done based on various attacks on journalists, including murder and kidnappings.

In its recently published 2024 Round Up report, the RSF has stated that there has been an alarming increase in targeted attacks on journalists, especially during political unrest and protests. As per the report, both India’s neighbouring countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh saw disturbing protests that claimed the lives of several journalists while on duty.

“A violent crackdown in Bangladesh during July protests over a controversial public job quota system claimed the lives of five journalists. The protests led to a major political crisis and the eventual ouster of Sheikh Hasina. The targeting of journalists by security forces was not coincidental, as the authorities sought to suppress coverage of the mass uprising that resulted in the overthrow of the government,” the report said.

It further added that Bangladesh’s security Forces had also posed threats to press freedom in the year 2024. As per the report, around 54 journalists lost their lives in the year 2024 among whom 2 were women. Of these 54, around 16 breathed their last in Palestine, 7 in Pakistan, 5 in Bangladesh, 5 in Mexico, and 4 in Sudan. Further, it said that over half of the journalists died while reporting facts from the conflict zone.

Image RSF

“Dying is not an acceptable risk of journalism. This fatalism cannot prevail, and passive tenses should not be used: journalists do not die, they are killed; they are not in prison, regimes lock them up; they do not disappear, they are kidnapped. These crimes violate international law and too often go unpunished. Journalists are no longer collateral victims but targets, inconvenient witnesses, and even bargaining chips, pawns in a political game,” said Thibaut Bruttin, Director General, RSF while condemning the deaths.

On 28th August this year, 32-year-old Sarah Rahanum a newsroom editor at Bengali language Gazi Television (GTV) who lived in Kallyanpur was found dead in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Her body was found in Hatirjheel Lake. On 4th August, a Hindu journalist named Pradip Kumar Bhowmik was murdered by the ‘protesters’ in Bangladesh. He died as the ‘protestors’ laid siege on the Rayganj Press Club in Sirajganj. Mehedi Hasan, a journalist with Dhaka Times, was killed while covering clashes between protesters and security forces in Dhaka. Apart from these, two more deaths of journalists were reported from the country in the recent times.

The data further highlighted that Palestine was the most dangerous country for journalists on duty. It stated that since October 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israeli civilians, around 35 journalists have been killed in connection with their work. Otherwise, around 145 of a total of 157 media deaths have been reported alone from the country.

“Palestine is the most dangerous zone for journalists, recording a higher death toll than any other country or territory in the past five years. Worldwide, the number of journalists killed for covering conflict zones — in the Gaza region, Iraq, Sudan, Myanmar, and Ukraine has reached a record high since 2020. Due to the large number of journalists killed in Pakistan (7) and the protests that rocked Bangladesh (5), Asia kept its place as the region with the second-highest number of murders,” the report added.

It is crucial to note that the Islamists in Bangladesh have been launching targeted attacks on the minorities in the country since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. The interim government recently accepted that around 88 such incidents had happened in the past 3.5 months. Now it has come to the fore that not only minorities but also media professionals have been facing threats by the Bangladesh security personnel.

Apart from this, the RSF reports state that countries like China, Myanmar, and Israel have topped the list of countries that have detained journalists in the due course of their jobs. China has detained around 124 journalists, Myanmar 61 and Israel 41.

Further, 55 journalists have been kept hostage in the past year of which 38 are held hostage in Syria, 9 in Iraq, 5 in Yemen, 2 in Mali, and 1 in Mexico. Of these further, 25 have been held hostage by ISIS.

Image RSF

Notably, around 100 journalists are currently missing around the world as stated by the RSF. “More than a quarter of them have disappeared in the last 10 years. Mexico stands out as the most dangerous country, accounting for over 30% of all cases of missing journalists,” it said.

These disappearances, often attributed to authoritarian or negligent governments highlight the urgent need to strengthen the protection of journalists and combat impunity.

UP: IIT scholar accuses IPS Mohsin Khan of rape and exploitation, says despite having a child and a pregnant wife, he promised to marry her, FIR registered

OpIndia Staff
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UP: IIT scholar accuses IPS Mohsin Khan of rape and exploitation, says despite having a child and a pregnant wife, he promised to marry her, FIR registered

A 26-year-old research scholar at IIT Kanpur has accused Collectorganj ACP Mohsin Khan, of rape and sexual exploitation by making false promises of marriage. Mohsin Khan, an already married police officer, reportedly became closer to the girl studying criminology under the guise of studies and tricked the student into believing he would divorce his first wife to marry her. On the student’s complaint, the police have filed an FIR in this case. Meanwhile, Khan was relieved of his current responsibilities and reassigned to the Director General of Police (DGP) headquarters in Lucknow.

Notably, Mohsin Khan is a 2013 batch UP Police PPS officer and was posted in Kanpur in December 2023. In December 2023, Mohsin Khan and a IIT student from West Bengal met. This meeting was regarding a program of Kanpur Cyber ​​Cell and IIT Kanpur where the two exchanged phone numbers. The student is a research scholar in the fourth semester of Criminology at IIT Kanpur. After this, Mohsin Khan contacted the complainant in June 2024.  

ACP Mohsin Khan (Image via TheHindu)

Mohsin Khan reportedly said that he wanted to do PhD and sought advice from the student. After this, the conversation between the two started and the student helped Mohsin Khan get admission for his PhD. She also told him about the interview. Even the program fees were paid by the student on behalf of Mohsin Khan, as per the complaint. After Mohsin Khan got admission, the closeness between the two increased. Mohsin Khan then told the student that he was not married yet. He claimed that he loves the complainant very much and wants to be in a relationship.

The student somehow believed Khan’s alleged claims. She said that one of the reasons behind easily believing Khan’s words was that she was going through a breakup at that time. Both of them started meeting in the hostel inside IIT and the student alleged that the rape happened during this time. A few days later, the student came to know that Mohsin Khan was already married, has a child and his wife was pregnant for the second time. There was a fight over this matter but Mohsin Khan convinced the student again by saying that he would divorce his first wife because they have been having a dispute for a long time.

The Hindu student alleged that Mohsin’s wife gave birth to a second child on 27th November 2024. After this, the student started investigating the matter further and checked his wife’s Instagram account. Then she contacted Mohsin’s wife and found out that there was no such thing as a dispute. Mohsin Khan’s wife also behaved rudely without showing sympathy towards the student and advised her that she could live with them as per her wish. The student said that after this she came to know how she had allegedly been defrauded by Khan.

Upon realising the supposed truth, the IIT student first informed the IIT administration about the alleged sexual exploitation and cheating that happened to her. She got the matter investigated and informed the Kanpur Commissionerate about the same. Media reports say that in the initial phase of the Kanpur Commissionerate’s investigation, the matter was “settled amicably.” However, the student took a tough stand on this and then decided to register an FIR for rape on Thursday (12th December). A team of Kanpur Police has taken the student’s statement. The police have formed an SIT to investigate the matter, in addition, a cyber expert has also been appointed.

After the FIR, the administration removed Mohsin Khan from his posting in Kanpur and transferred him to Lucknow. Khan is yet to issue a statement to present his side.

’Poora desh jaanta hai aapko kiski taarif achhi lagti hai’: VP Jagdeep Dhankar takes a brutal dig at Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha

ANI
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’Poora desh jaanta hai aapko kiski taarif achhi lagti hai’: VP Jagdeep Dhankar takes a brutal dig at Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned until December 16 after a war of words erupted between Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday amid a row over the no-confidence motion against the Chairman. The RS Chairman lambasted the opposition and said that he would “sacrifice his life for the country” and that the opposition was insulting the constitution.

“I am a farmer’s son; I will not show weakness. I will sacrifice my life for my country. You (opposition) have only one job 24 hours a day, why is a farmer’s son sitting here…look what you are saying. I have tolerated a lot…you have the right to bring a motion but you are insulting the Constitution,” the Rajya Sabha Chairman said.

Replying to Dhankhar, Rajya Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that they have not come here to listen to his praises.

“You are encouraging the (BJP) members to speak against members of other parties… I am also a son of farmer. I have faced more challenges than you… You are insulting our party leaders; you are insulting the Congress… We have not come here to listen to your praises, we have come here for discussion,” Kharge said.

Responding to Kharge, Rajya Sabha Chairman said, “The whole world knows whose praises you like. It is important that the House should function.”

The Rajya Sabha failed to function on Friday with uproar from the Treasury and Opposition benches over the no-confidence notice against House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The INDIA bloc submitted the no-confidence motion on December 10 to the Secretary-General of the Upper House of Parliament. INDIA bloc parties held a joint press conference and said they were forced to resort to the step to “safeguard the democracy and Constitution”.

The Winter Parliament Session commenced on November 25, with both Houses getting adjourned fairly early due to disruptions. The winter session is scheduled to go on till December 20.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Atul Subhash suicide: Bengaluru police arrive at accused wife’s house in Jaunpur, paste notice instructing to appear in Bengaluru in 3 days for interrogation

ANI
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Atul Subhash suicide: Bengaluru police arrive at accused wife’s house in Jaunpur, paste notice instructing to appear in Bengaluru in 3 days for interrogation

A four-member team of Bengaluru Police, including one woman police personnel, arrived in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur which is the residence of the wife of Atul Subhash, the techie who died by suicide and pasted a notice.

“There are reasonable grounds to interrogate you to ascertain the facts and circumstances. You are directed to appear before the investigating officer at Bengaluru within 3 days,” reads the notice.

Atul Subhash, the 34-year-old deputy general manager of a private firm, died by suicide on Monday in his Bengaluru apartment, leaving behind a 24-page suicide note, accusing his wife and her relatives of harassment. In his suicide note, he also alleged that a judge had demanded Rs 5 lakh to “settle” the case.

The father of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash who died by suicide, said his son had been “broken from inside” after multiple cases were filed against him and his family by his wife.

“My son used to say that there is a lot of corruption but he will fight as he is on the path of truth…He was broken from inside, though he didn’t tell anyone anything,” Subhash’s father Pawan Kumar told ANI.

Kumar, who currently stays in Bihar’s Samastipur, said Subhash’s wife started filing cases against them in January 2021.

“She started filing cases since January 2021…My son had thought that she had left (their home) after Corona and that their 1-year-old son would grow up a little at his maternal uncle’s home… she also started filing cases against our entire family,” the father said.

Earlier on December 11, the SC also expressed concern over the growing tendency to misuse Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which penalises cruelty by husbands and their relatives against married women.

While quashing a Section 498A IPC case against a husband and his parents in a different case, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh said that the Section became a tool for unleashing personal vendetta against the husband and his family by a wife.

Atul Subhash died by suicide in the early hours of December 9 after alleging harassment from his wife and her family. Subhash wrote “Justice is due” on every page of a 24-page note.

He also alleged in his suicide note that his wife had filed nine cases against him under various sections, including murder, sexual misconduct, harassment for money, domestic violence, and dowry.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Return to roots: Naushad uses Dubey, Irshad calls himself Pandey as Muslims adopt Hindu surnames after tracing their ancestory in Dehri village of Jaunpur

OpIndia Staff
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Return to roots: Naushad uses Dubey, Irshad calls himself Pandey as Muslims adopt Hindu surnames after tracing their ancestory in Dehri village of Jaunpur

The predominantly Muslim Dehri village of Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh has become quite a hot topic these days because of the names of its residents. At least sixty-seven Muslims in the village assert to have Hindu ancestors and hence adopted Hindu surnames. The individuals maintained that they have not done “ghar wapsi” or intend to convert to Hinduism in the future.

However, Gufran is now Thakur Gufran, Irshad Ahmed is now Irshad Ahmed Pandey, Abdullah is now Adbullah Dubey and Naushad Ahmed is now Naushad Ahmed Dubey. Hindu surnames, according to some, “bridge” the gap between the two communities. The change came after a campaign led by Vishal Bharat Sansthan, an organization encouraging people in the state’s Purvanchal region to reconnect with their roots to end religious conflicts. 7000 Muslims and 5000 Hindus live in the village.

Naushad who tends to his nine cows and was wearing a saffron scarf around his neck expressed, “Many Muslims elsewhere had been using titles such as Chaudhary, Solanki, Tyagi, Patel, Rana, Sikarwar for decades and no eyebrows were raised. But the use of titles like Dubey and Thakur have drawn attention. I never used ‘Sheikh’ with my name, like my relatives, as it’s an Arabic title and not Indian.” He further informed, “We started this practice around two years back when we came to know about our genuine ancestry. We got to know that we all were Hindus who got converted many generations ago.”

As per the Indian Express report, “As people used to address the senior members of my family as ‘Panditji’, I was curious about my ancestry and lineage. My great-grandfather told me that eight generations back, our ancestor Lal Bahadur Dubey of Rani ki Sarai had arrived in Dehri and purchased a ‘Zamindari’ from Hazari Singh. When he came here, he had already converted to Islam.” He has yet to learn the reason behind Lal Bahadur’s conversion.

Naushad offers namaz five times a day and performs Islamic rites. “I have no desire to reconvert,” he declared, however, doesn’t mind putting tilak on his forehead. He mentioned that two years ago, he sought assistance from historian and Vishal Bharat Sansthan president Rajiv “Guruji” Srivastava to discover his ancestry. According to records, Naushad’s ancestors were Brahmins and “Vatsa” was their gotra after which he embraced “Dubey” voicing he had “discovered that his forefathers were Hindus” who carried the same last name.

As he still doesn’t know the title his ancestors used, another villager Ehtesham has yet to take a Hindu surname. “Many families in the village have started adopting Hindu titles,” he stated and adding that they are now also taking care of cows. According to Dehri gram Pradhan (the head of the village) Farhan, he learned that his forefathers were Hindu after tracking them down four generations.

“These surnames like Sheikh, Pathan, Sayyad and Mirza are not our original surnames. These have been brought in by foreigners. We have not come from Afghanistan or Gulf. I cannot say under what conditions our ancestors had to convert to Islam but we can always use our original surnames to strike a harmonious chord with our Hindu brothers and live peacefully. This will also strengthen the nation,” stated Israr Ahmad who also embraced Dubey surname.

They all observe Islamic practices but also visit temples to honor Hindu gods. They participate in aarti at the village temple in addition to following the Quran. Meanwhile, Naushad faced criticism after publishing his full name on his daughter’s wedding invitation. Some people spread rumors that he had changed his religion and the wedding was called off. He has also been threatened, a report in Jansatta stated.

Local Kerakat police station in-charge Avnish Kumar Rai held a meeting in the village on 10th December after the development assured that the authorities will identify the mischievous elements and also take action against them. Meanwhile, Jaunpur Superintendent of Police Ajaypal Sharma added that additional police personnel have been deployed in the area as a precaution, though no official complaint has been lodged. He added that they are in contact with the locals.

Rajeev Srivastava mentioned that the organization’s goal is to assist people in discovering their ancestors again. He noted that many people have come forward to learn about their family history as a result of our “Reconnect with Roots” project. He informed that the campaign has extended beyond Jaunpur as families in Azamgarh, Ghazipur and Varanasi are also adopting Hindu surnames. He pointed out that Kunwar Naseem Raza Sikarwar of Ghazipur and others such as Irshad Ahmed Pandey and Rehan Dubey have played an important role in this movement.

He highlighted that the aim of thie campaign is to end religious disputes and voiced, “People can forget animosity toward one another if they are aware of their origins. Religion can be changed but not caste. Muslims have just as many castes as Hindus do. There are also Brahmins, Thakurs, and Vaishyas among Muslims. People might forget their enmity toward one another if we can identify their ancestry and demonstrate that such and such a person is also a Brahmin.”

He added that they also look through the gazetteer, historical land records and other pertinent old documents to determine the ancestry of people. They take people’s names and prove their caste lineage. He stated that the project commenced 5 years prior but it started bearing results in the districts of Purvanchal two years ago. The acceptance of ancestry is the goal of adopting Hindu surnames, not religious conversion or reconversion. Many Dehri locals emphasized that their decision is motivated by a desire for harmony and respect for one another. The village’s collected sentiment was expressed by Naushad who stated, “Religion should promote humanity, not hatred.”

UP: Muslim hotel worker caught spitting on rotis, two arrested in Ghaziabad

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Muslim hotel worker caught spitting on rotis, two arrested in Ghaziabad

In the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, an incident of alleged spitting on food has been reported wherein a minor Muslim boy working at a hotel was allegedly spitting on rotis while making it at a hotel. The CCTV footage of the incident went viral online prompting the police to initiate action. The police have taken the hotel owner into custody.

The incident reportedly unfolded in the Modinagar Police Station area when a person named Prakash Singh went to the same hotel with his friend and noticed the accused spitting on the rotis. To prove this, he made a video of the worker. When he complained about this act to the hotel owner, the hotel owner, Anuj, and his associate Abid attacked Prakash and his friend.

Subsequently, Prakash Singh lodged a complaint at Modinagar police station. The police started investigating the matter and took the hotel owner Anuj into custody. During interrogation, it was found that Anuj had hired the minor Muslim youth, a resident of Baghpat, as a worker a few days ago. Reports say that the accused has been absconding since the incident and the police have deployed several teams to nab the accused.  

Modinagar Additional Police Commissioner Gyan Prakash Rai said that the hotel owner and his associate have been arrested. He further said that legal action is being taken against the minor under the Juvenile Justice Act. At the same time, a case has been registered against the accused hotel owners under Section 275 (sale of harmful food or drink) and 131 (use of criminal force) of the Indian Penal Code. The police added that action will be taken under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act.

Uttarakhand doubles its revenue from mining in 2024, earns Rs 650 crores

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand doubles its revenue from mining in 2024, earns Rs 650 crores

Uttarakhand has achieved a remarkable milestone in the mining sector, with revenue soaring to Rs 650 crore from April to November 2024, marking a 100 per cent increase in comparison to Rs 324.81 crore during the same period last year.

According to an official release from the Department of Information and Public Relations, “In line with the vision of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, there has been significant progress in the mining sector during the current financial year 2024-25.”

“From April to November 2024, the state earned a revenue of Rs 650 crore, which is 100 per cent more than the Rs 324.81 crore of the previous year,” it said.

In the last three years, the Directorate of Geology and Mining has made several policy reforms while working with transparency.

These include the e-tendering process, e-Ravanna portal upgrade and effective enforcement to stop illegal mining.

These efforts have taken the state’s mining revenue to new heights. In the year 2023-24, the state earned a revenue of Rs 645.42 crore against the target of Rs 875 crore, which was 40 per cent more than in 2022-23. At the same time, this revenue has increased by 100 per cent in the first 8 months of 2024-25.

The state government has taken steps to make the mining sector transparent and robust using modern technology.

45 mine check gates are being installed under the “Mining Digital Transformation and Surveillance System”.

Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) have been signed with ITI Limited and the scheme is progressing rapidly.

The e-Ravanna portal is being monitored from time to time for effective prevention of illegal mining and transportation.

Mineral lots have been allotted through e-tendering in four major districts of the state, Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital.

These steps have proved helpful in increasing revenue. To increase mining revenue, the state government has promoted the process of simplification along with policy reforms.

Better use of mineral resources has been ensured by amending the Uttarakhand Sub Mineral Parihar Niyamavali and Stone Crusher Policy. 


(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

When global halal can exist, why are people upset with World Hindu Economic Forum, says Organising Committee secretary Ravikant Mishra

ANI
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When global halal can exist, why are people upset with World Hindu Economic Forum, says Organising Committee secretary Ravikant Mishra

The World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) has strongly refuted claims by some opposition parties in Bharat that its upcoming conference, WHEF 2024, is ‘divisive’. It also dismissed the controversy surrounding the invitation extended to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a keynote speaker, according to a release issued by the forum.

“WHEF invited 24 Chief Ministers on June 28, excluding the Chief Ministers of Delhi and Jharkhand, who are facing corruption allegations, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, whose party DMK has endorsed anti-Hindu hate speech. This includes his son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, comparing Hindu Dharma to diseases like dengue and malaria at an ‘Eradicate Sanatan Dharma’ conference. We also extended invitations to Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, requesting them to serve as keynote speakers. However, we did not receive any response from them,” said Swami Vigyananand, the founder of WHEF.

“When a global Halal economy exists, why are some people uncomfortable with Hindus worldwide collaborating for mutual benefit? There are numerous faith-based economic forums, business networks, and professional organisations formed by Muslims and Christians in Bharat and abroad, such as the Christian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Christian Business Mentors Council of India, The Muslim Chamber of Commerce India, Indian Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Association of Muslim Doctors, All India Catholic University Federation, and the World Islamic Economic Forum (wief.org). Why not have a World Hindu Economic Forum, based on the universal idea of Dharma, which upholds society and embraces pluralism?” said Ravikant Mishra, Secretary of the Organising Committee for WHEF 2024.

“A Congress spokesperson suggested that the country should progress only with Gandhian thought, implying our conference is ‘divisive’. While there is no doubt about Gandhiji’s significant role in the independence movement, we must embrace responsible industrialisation and scientific innovation,” said Shailesh Trivedi, Joint Secretary of the Organising Committee for WHEF 2024, who is leading the WHEF Launchpad programme. This initiative offers a platform for start-ups to pitch their ideas during the conference.

The aim of the World Hindu Economic Forum is to unite financially successful individuals to share knowledge, resources, and mentorship with budding entrepreneurs. The presence of Chief Ministers from certain states does not indicate a focus solely on those regions. The goal is to encourage Hindu businesses worldwide to collaborate and grow, fostering wealth creation and sharing in the process, the organisers stated.

WHEF is not confined to the geographical boundaries of Bharat but connects Hindus across 60 countries. This includes the Bharatiya-origin Hindu diaspora and Hindus from South America, Africa, Nepal, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, who, while not Bharatiya, proudly identify as Hindus. A notable example is Tulsi Gabbard, an American politician and former nominee for US Intelligence Chief under Donald Trump, who spoke at WHEF 2016 in Los Angeles, the release mentioned.

Hindus, who once contributed over 35% of the global economy, lost their wealth and self-confidence due to centuries of colonial plunder. One of WHEF’s objectives is to revive awareness of this legacy of economic excellence, wealth creation, and innovation. A dedicated forum for the economic upliftment of Hindus is essential, the release emphasised.

The Vedic wisdom of Sat Hasta Samahara, Sahastra Hasta Sankira encourages Hindus to earn with 100 hands and share with 1,000 hands, reinforcing the belief that the prosperity of Hindu society will benefit the entire world.

WHEF is committed to working in a spirit of harmony and mutual respect with all. While the forum is specifically for Hindus, individuals and organisations aligning with its objectives are welcome to collaborate. For instance, Israeli speakers will address a special session on Bharat-Israel collaboration at WHEF 2024. In the past, WHEF held a bilateral conference with representatives of New Zealand’s indigenous Maori community. Similarly, government bodies from the Netherlands, Kenya, South Africa, the UK, and Australia have partnered with WHEF to host economic conferences, the release added.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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