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Mohd Zubair's interim bail extended by SC in UP case

12-Jul-2022 415

New delhi PTI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended till further orders the interim bail of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in a case lodged against him in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly outraging religious sentiments.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna was told by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the State government, that it wants to file a counter affidavit to Zubair's plea seeking quashing of the FIR lodged in the case.

Raju said that since Zubair has already been granted bail in the matter, there should not be any objection from his side for grant of time to file the affidavit.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Zubair, said he has already been granted interim bail by the vacation bench of this court and they would also like to file their reply to the counter affidavit to be filed by the state government.

The bench then listed the plea for final hearing on September 7 and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file its response in four weeks.

It said that rejoinder, if any needs to be filed by Zubair's side, then it should be filed in two weeks thereafter.

On July 8, a vacation bench of the top court had granted five-day interim bail to Zubair in the case.

Zubair is in judicial custody as per the order of a Delhi court in another case.

Earlier, the top court had barred Zubair from posting anything on Twitter and said he shall not tamper with any evidence, electronic or otherwise.

It had also clarified that its interim bail order is with respect to the First Information Report(FIR) lodged in Sitapur and has nothing to do with a separate case registered against the journalist in Delhi.

The FIR was lodged against Zubair in Uttar Pradesh under Indian Penal Code section 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) and section 67 of the IT Act here on a complaint by Hindu Sher Sena Sitapur district president Bhagwan Sharan on June 1.

Zubair was arrested by the Delhi Police on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets.

Seeking bail from the top court, Zubair, in his plea, has submitted that there is a "new" police strategy afoot in hate speech cases and communal crimes where FIRs are registered against criminals as well as those monitoring and protesting such crimes.

He has alleged the strategy is to "stifle" freedom of speech of secular persons in society who stand up against communal elements.

Bombs hurled at RSS office in Kerala

12-Jul-2022 403

Kannur (Ker), Jul 12 (PTI) Bombs were hurled at a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Payyannur area of this northern district of Kerala on Tuesday with the party accusing CPI(M) of carrying out the attack.

The incident occurred around 1.00 AM, police said.

The number of attackers is not yet known and CCTV footage of the area was being examined to ascertain the same, they said.

An FIR under relevant provisions of the Explosives Act has been registered and the investigation was going on to trace the culprits, they added.

The RSS has accused CPI(M) workers of 'carrying out' the attack.

According to CCTV visuals of the attack several explosions could be seen within the boundary wall of the RSS office with many of its windows damaged in the incident.

The attack comes days after a bomb was hurled at the wall of CPI(M)'s state headquarters, AKG Centre, on the night of June 30 and the attacker in that case is yet to be identified by police.

Amarnath Yatra resumes on Baltal route

12-Jul-2022 998

Srinagar, Jul 12 (PTI) The Amarnath Yatra resumed on the Baltal route in Ganderbal district on Tuesday after a four-day suspension following flash floods that claimed 15 lives and left several injured, officials said.

They said a fresh batch of the pilgrims left the Baltal base camp early morning for the cave shrine.

Flash floods near the shrine on July 8 left at least 15 people dead and over 30 missing, forcing the temporary suspension of the pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage had resumed on Monday via the Pahalgam route.

Humble appeal to Baba Sadguru to join us in saving Aarey Forest

10-Jul-2022 1267

Jagdish K Kashikar

Freelancer Journalist cum Placement/Legal Consultant, Maharashtra.

WhatsApp - 9768425757

At the very outset we wish to profusely thank you for taking up the cause of Conscious Planet – Save Soil, a global movement envisioned by you seeks to bring about a concerted, conscious response to saving soil of Mother Earth.

We take this liberty of writing to you directly in connection Metro -3 Project in Mumbai, which has telling effect on the fragile Green Lung of Mumbai (Aarey Milk Colony), with a hope that your kind intervention in this matter will go a long way in protecting the environmental cause, which the citizens of Mumbai are fighting. Thirty percent of the Earth's surface is covered in forests. These forests are home to millions of creatures and plant species, as well as a source of clean water and air. However, growing populations and desertification are contributing to unprecedented levels of forest coverage loss in Africa. In Ethiopia, Belete-Gera Forest is facing similar pressures as surrounding inhabitants cut down trees on the edges of 150,000 hectares of forest, to expand agricultural land as well as for construction and firewood. The recent devastating fires at Amazon have destroyed many trees and wild life habitat. Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods around the world.

In Mumbai, the Aarey Milk Colony, came in the existence in the year 1949 and is spread over an area of 3160 acres of land, out of which more than 50% of the is allotted for various commercial purposes. The recent decision of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. ( JICA being equity partner in the project) to construct Metro car shed at Aarey by the cutting of 2238 trees was environmentally suicidal decision. It is the last green, open space in Mumbai. The Aarey Milk Colony is contiguously touching the boundary of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, which is a large protected area. The park is home to a number of endangered species of flora and fauna. The forest area of the Park houses over 1000 plant species, 251 species of migratory, land and water birds, 50,000 species of insects and 40 species of mammals. In addition, the Park also provides shelter to 38 species of reptiles, 9 species of amphibians, 150 species of butterflies and a large variety of fish.

The proposed Metro Car Shed is along the catchment area of the Mithi River. Tampering with flood plains like this have recently led to disastrous monsoon flooding of entire Mumbai city during high tides, a disaster which we are sure even yourself does not want.The felling of so many large number of trees which are the habitat of the wildlife as well as the nestling ground of many endangered species of birds.

Respected Sir, sustainable development is the need of hour, we Mumbaikars need the metro but not at the cost of destruction of Green Lung of Mumbai.

WE THEREFORE URGE YOU TO KINDLY INTERVENE IN THE MATTER TO SAVE MUMBAI FROM IMMINENT PERIL

Watchdog Foundation

Nicholas Almeida /Adv. Godfrey Pimenta

Adv. Vivian D'Souza/Rita D'Sa

Advisors

Adv. Tulip Brian Miranda

President

Bombay East Indian Association

Write to Diya Mali

Congress to hold press conferences across India to 'expose' BJP

10-Jul-2022 460

New Delhi : (PTI) Seeking to corner the ruling BJP over the issue of terror and its alleged links with terrorists, the Congress will on Saturday hold a series of press conferences in 22 cities across the country.

Congress leaders said the aim is to counter the BJP's "fake nationalism claims" and to take the message to the grassroots level that the ruling party has "connections" with individuals who have indulged in heinous crimes and terror acts.

"Today, 22 of our senior leaders and spokespersons will hold press conferences in 22 cities to expose the "links of terrorists with BJP"," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi, alleging that "evidence of terrorists having links with the BJP has come out".

"The BJP has links with terrorists, what is this relationship called? he posed in the tweet.

The Congress has alleged that Riyaz Attari, one of the prime accused in the killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan's Udaipur was a BJP member. It has also released his photographs purportedly with BJP leaders in Rajasthan.

The BJP, however, has denied any link with such elements and claimed that some of them had clicked pictures with its leaders after infiltrating the party ranks.

The Congress also claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Talib Hussain Shah who was nabbed by people in Reasi town in Srinagar recently was an office-bearer of the BJP's minority cell in Jammu and Kashmir, a charge denied by the BJP leadership in the Union Territory.

Congress leader Pawan Khera has asked how Talib Hussain Shah, who was allegedly planning to attack the Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir, was seen in a photograph with Amit Shah. He wondered whether it was not a security breach.

This is the second series of press conferences being organised by the Congress after the first such effort was made against the new Agnipath military recruitment scheme.

The Congress has decided to take the BJP head-on over issues of national importance, and the party will continue to hold countrywide pressers to take its message to the people and to "expose" the claims of the BJP.

Top Congress leaders who are going to address the press conferences include Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda in Ahmedabad, Shaktisinh Gohil in Jaipur, Ajoy Kumar in Mumbai, Uttar Kumar Reddy in Bangalore, former Union minister M M Pallam Raju in Chennai, media and publicity head Pawan Khera in Raipur, Rajeev Gowda in Kolkata, Ranjeet Ranjan in Guwahati and Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka in Visakhapatnam.

India records 18,840 Covid cases, 43 deaths in a day; active case count up by 2,693

10-Jul-2022 424

New Delhi :(PTI) India's COVID-19 case tally rose by 18,840 in a day to reach 4,36,04,394 while the number of active cases increased to 1,25,028, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday

The death toll has climbed to 5,25,386 with 43 more people succumbing to the viral disease, the data updated at 8 am stated

The active case count increased by 2,693 in a day and now comprises 0.29 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.51 per cent, the health ministry said

The daily positivity rate was 4.14 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 4.09 per cent, according to the health ministry

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,29,53,980, while the case fatality rate was 1.20 per cent

According to the ministry, 198.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far

India's COVID-19 case tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29, and 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed one crore on December 19

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid infections on May 4, three crore on June 23 last year and four crore on January 25 this year

The 43?new fatalities include 19 from Kerala, seven from Maharashtra, three each from Delhi and West Bengal, two each from Assam and Uttar Pradesh and one each from Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim and Uttarakhand

A total of 5,25,386 deaths have been reported so far in the country including??1,47,971?from Maharashtra, 70,108 from Kerala, 40,123 from Karnataka, 38,028 from Tamil Nadu, 26,280 from Delhi, 23,547 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,236 from West Bengal

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and?reconciliation.

PM Modi in Jharkhand, Bihar on July 12

09-Jul-2022 436

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various developmental projects worth over Rs 16,000 crore in Deoghar, a famous pilgrimage site in Jharkhand, and address the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of the Bihar Legislative Assembly in Patna on July 12.

After launching the development projects, he will pay obeisance at the Lord Shiva temple in Deoghar, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, the PMO said.

The new projects in Jharkhand are a step towards boosting infrastructure development, enhancing connectivity and giving an impetus to ease of living in the region. They will help significantly in socio-economic prosperity in the region, it said.

As a key step towards providing direct connectivity to Baba Baidyanath Dham (the Shiva temple), which is an important religious destination for devotees from all over the country, Modi will inaugurate an airport at Deoghar, constructed at an estimated cost of around Rs 400 crore.

The terminal building of the airport is equipped to handle over five lakh passengers annually.

The prime minister will dedicate to the nation the In-Patient Department (IPD) and operation theatre services at AIIMS, Deoghar. This is in accordance with his vision to develop excellent healthcare facilities in all parts of the country, the PMO said.

It added that his goal to develop world-class infrastructure at places of religious importance across the country and improve facilities for tourists will get a further boost as the components of project 'Development of Baidyanath Dham, Deoghar' sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism will also be inaugurated.

The projects include the development of two large pilgrimage congregation halls with a capacity of 2,000 pilgrims each; Jalsar lake front development; Shivganga Pond development among others. The new amenities will further enrich the tourism experience for lakhs of devotees who visit Baba Baidyanath Dham, it said.

Modi will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple road projects worth over Rs 10,000 crore and various energy infrastructure projects of around Rs 3,000 crore for the region. He will also launch several rail projects.

In Patna, Modi will address the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of the Bihar Legislative Assembly and inaugurate the Shatabdi Smriti Stambh which has been built to commemorate 100 years.

He will also lay the foundation stone of the 'Vidhan Sabha museum.

Different galleries in the museum will demonstrate the history of democracy in Bihar and the evolution of the current civic structure, the PMO said.

History of freedom struggle not about a few years and some people: PM Modi

04-Jul-2022 504

Bhimavaram (AP), Jul 4 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the history of the country's freedom struggle was not about a few years or some people but was about the sacrifice from every nook and corner of the country.

In his address after unveiling a 30-ft bronze statue of Alluri Sitarama Raju here, Modi said the legendary freedom fighter's 125th birth anniversary and the centenary of the Rampa Rebellion will be celebrated throughout the year.

"On one side the country is celebrating 75th year of independence and along with that the 125th birth anniversary of Alluri Sitarama Raju and also 100th year of Rampa rebellion are also being celebrated, he said.

Alluri led the Rampa rebellion, which was launched in 1922. He is referred to as "Manyam Veerudu" (Hero of the Jungles) by the local people.

Modi said, "the freedom struggle is not just the history of a few years, some regions or some people. It is the history of sacrifices from every nook and corner of the country." .

Paying rich tributes to Alluri Sitarama Raju, the PM said he involved himself in the country's fight for independence early, dedicating himself for Adivasi welfare and the country and was "martyred" at a young age.

His life is an inspiration, he said, adding Alluri "was a symbol of India's culture, Adivasi identity and values". He dared the British to stop him, Modi recalled.

Modi said no one can stop from making a 'New Bharat' when our youth, tribals, women, dalit and the downtrodden lead the country.

"I am fully confident that inspiration from Alluri Sitarama Raju will take the country to infinite heights," he said.

"I bow to the great freedom fighters born in Andhra Pradesh. We have not forgotten our freedom fighters, we will not forget and we will move forward by taking inspiration from them," he said and recalled icons from the state including Pingali Venkayya, "who prepared our national flag," and Potti Sriramulu.

Much like the youth joined the freedom struggle in hordes, they should now come forward to realise the dreams of the country, Modi said exhorting the younger sections of the population.

Dwelling on tribal welfare, the Prime Minister said that for the first time since independence, tribal museums are being established to highlight tribal pride and heritage.

Through programmes like Skill India Mission, tribal art was receiving a new identity while Vocal for Local was ensuring income for the community members.

The government has changed decades old laws, that prevented the tribal people from cutting forest produce like bamboo and gave them rights over them, he added.

Earlier, Modi unveiled the 15-tonne statue of Alluri, carved out at a cost of Rs 3 crore and installed by the Kshatriya Seva Samiti in the Municipal Park at ASR Nagar in Bhimavaram, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

State Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, former Union Minister and film star K Chiranjeevi and others were present on the occasion.

The dignitaries paid floral tributes to Raju on the occasion.

Modi felicitated Alluri Srirama Raju, Alluri's nephew, and Bodi Dora, son of Alluri's close lieutenant Mallu Dora. Popularly known as "Manyam Veerdu", Sitarama Raju, also referred to by his surname Alluri, was born on July 4, 1897 at Pandrangi village in the then Visakhapatnam district.

Active COVID-19 cases rise to 1,11,711

03-Jul-2022 545

PTI

India logged 16,103 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,35,02,429, while the active cases increased to 1,11,711, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

The death toll climbed to 5,25,199 with 31 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.26 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.54 per cent, the ministry said.

An increase of 2,143 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.27 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was 3.81 per cent, according to the ministry.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed four crore on January 25 this year.

The newly appointed Collector of Janjgir-Champa, Mr. Taran prakash Sinha presented his book of articles to Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel.

03-Jul-2022 1578

Chief Minister Mr. Baghel congratulates Mr. Sinha for the publication of "Ab Ke Pehle Ab Ke Baad"

Shri Taran Prakash Sinha, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service and newly appointed Collector of Janjgir-Champa district, met Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel this evening and presented him with his book of articles "Ab Ke Pele Ab Ke Baad". Earlier he was handling the responsibility of Rajnandgaon District Collector. Chief Minister Shri Baghel congratulated Shri Taran Prakash Sinha on the publication of the book.

Culture, rural life, local art, livelihood, administration, management, economy, folk traditions, beliefs, mythological legends, health of Chhattisgarh in the collection of articles of Shri Sinha recently published by Vani Prakashan "Ab Ke Pehle Ab Ke Baad" And from agriculture to almost all types of articles are included. In these articles, Shri Sinha has discussed the various developments in the world before and after the Covid period from both social and administrative point of view.

The two-day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Executive meeting will start in Hyderabad today.

02-Jul-2022 448

The posters showcase the achievement of the central government. Every nook and cranny of the city is decked up with big cutouts and banners of top BJP leaders.

The two-day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Executive meeting will start in Hyderabad today.

The meeting will be attended by BJP national president JP Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers of 19 states and other BJP senior leaders at Hyderabad International Convention Centre. The entire city of Hyderabad has donned a saffron hue with the BJP flags and banners ahead of the party’s mega show. The posters showcase the achievement of the central government. Every nook and cranny of the city is decked up with big cutouts and banners of top BJP leaders.

Meetings of the national general secretaries and national office bearers followed by the national executive meeting will be held on July 2 and a public meeting will be held at the Parade Ground on July 3 with the address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to a senior BJP leader, the expansion of the party will be the key agenda of the meeting. They will also discuss areas where there is a need to induct more party workers.

“After 18 years, a national executive committee is being held in Hyderabad. The city is decked up. National leaders, CMs and other leaders are visiting 119 constituencies wherein a massive public rally is supposed to be held on July 3. We are expecting a huge crowd,” Telangana BJP spokesperson NV Subhash told ANI.

There will be a photo exhibition where the senior leaders and photos from the earlier national executive meet and important events will be exhibited today at 6 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive in Hyderabad on July 2 and is likely to address the meeting.

“Tomorrow, PM Modi will arrive in Begumpet. We will have a public reception there,” added NV Subhash.

“National executive meeting will start from 3 pm tomorrow and will continue till July 3 evening. At 6.30 pm on July 3, the Prime Minister will arrive at Parade Ground where a massive rally and public speech are organized…These three days will be influencing, wherein people will turn in favour of BJP,” said NV Subhash.

Meanwhile, former MP K Visweshwar Reddy has announced that he will joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana.

“I decided today that I’ll join BJP in Telangana. Once Telangana achieved statehood, we all had great aspirations. We can do wonders with funds for one of the richest states. But what happened is exactly the opposite,” said Reddy. He quit Congress last year.

Earlier on Friday, Nadda held the meeting of the party’s general secretaries in Hyderabad. The BJP chief held a mega roadshow upon arrival in Hyderabad.

“It was a source of pride for me to lead this road show today in Hyderabad as it gave me the opportunity to be around our dedicated karyakartas and the people of the city. This love and affection I saw, shows the BJP’s undeniable growing presence in Telangana,” Nadda said in a Twitter post after the roadshow.

Odisha BJP President Samir Mohanty, MoS Tourism Sripad Naik, BJP National spokesperson KK Sharma, Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai, Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel and other big BJP leaders arrived in Hyderabad ahead of BJP’s National Executive Meeting.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and other top leaders are yet to arrive in Hyderabad.

The BJP’s initiative comes at a time when Telangana is heading for Assembly polls in 2023 and the BJP sees a huge prospect of bringing down the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi government.

Earlier, the BJP had held its national executive meeting in the city in 2004 when the party promised to carve out a separate state of Telangana without delay if it came to power.

Success in the recent Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections as well as the recent interaction of the corporators with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to be a huge turning point for the saffron party which is looking to make inroads in the Southern part of the country.

The Hyderabad city police, along with state government departments, have put elaborate security arrangements in place ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Hyderabad.

AGENCY IN PUT

Udaipur murder: Curfew relaxed for 4 hours

02-Jul-2022 365

Udaipur, Jul 2 (PTI) The district administration here has relaxed the curfew, imposed in seven police station limits in the aftermath of a tailor's murder by radical elements recently, for four hours from 12 pm, an official said.

Kanhaiya Lal was hacked to death on Tuesday allegedly by two men for extending support on social media to a controversial remark against Prophet Mohammad by now suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

The two alleged killers were arrested hours later in Rajsamand.

"Curfew has been relaxed from 12 pm to 4 pm on Saturday," a district administration officer said.

It was imposed in Dhan Mandi, Ghanta Ghar, Hathi Pole, Amba Mata, Suraj Pole, Bhupalpura and Savina police station areas on Tuesday night.

The decision was taken after reviewing the situation. With peaceful conduct of the Jagannath Rath Yatra on Friday, in which thousands of people took part, the administration has decided to give a relaxation today, official sources said.

Eknath Shinde to prove majority on Monday; special session from July 3

01-Jul-2022 555

(SNS )

Mumbai :A day after Eknath Shinde took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, he will now have to prove his test of strength on Monday, 4 July a high-voltage day as the Supreme Court is set to hear petitions by Team Thackeray seeking to disqualify 15 Sena rebels including Mr Shinde.

According to the official, a special two-day session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will also take place from July 3.

In a press communication issued by the state legislature secretariat to the members of the assembly, election to the post of the Speaker of the House will be held on July 3 while nominations for the post will be accepted till 12 noon on July 2.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court will also hear a set of pleas, including one filed by the Shiv Sena on 11 July seeking the disqualification rebel leaders led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Shinde, on Thursday, after taking the oath as the CM of Maharashtra, said not only his colleagues in the Assembly but also Maharashtra is happy that “Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sainik has become the chief minister”.

Apart from this, Uddhav Thackeray will also address a press conference and has met party workers now.

The Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will hold a meeting with BJP and will skip the celebrations.

At BJP office, the party workers were seen celebrating BJP’s comeback to power in Maharashtra.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated both Shinde and Fadnavis.

As per reports, Shinde alongwith rest of the MLAs will reach Mumbai today from Goa. On Thursday, after Shinde’s swearing in ceremony, the rebel MLAs were celebrating.

Demonstration in front of Parliament against PIB.

01-Jul-2022 622

TNIS

New Delhi,The Joint Forum of Journalist's Association has announced a protest against PIB in the upcoming session of Parliament. They are fighting against dictatorship in PIB renewal and new accreditation.

During this a demand will also be made for the Journalist Protection Act and the acquisition of the country's old news agency UNI.

Joint Forum, convener Sultan S. Qureshi has given this information, here today. Apart from the organizations involved in the Joint Forum, Press Club of India and National Women's Press Club and other organizations are also being invited for this, he said.

Joint Forum includes SAARC Journalist Forum, United Indian Journalist Association, Periodical Press of India, Indian Journalist Association and Save UNI Movement etc.

A memorandum was given to the Principal Director General of PIB, Mr. Jaideep Bhatnagar, on May 14, but he has not yet given any reply. This makes his intention clear.

SAARC International Vice President Ram Nath Vidrohi, India Chapter General Secretary Sushil Bharti, UIJA President Umendra Dadhich and PPI Chief Dr. Surendra Sharma said that this is a democracy and there is no place for dictatorship.

Udaipur murder: CM Gehlot to meet victim's family

30-Jun-2022 457

Udaipur, Jun 30 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will meet family members of Kanhaiya Lal, who was brutally murdered in Udaipur on Tuesday, even as the curfew continued in the city on Thursday.

Mobile internet services also remained suspended.

The chief minister is scheduled to arrive in Udaipur in a special plane at 1 pm. He will meet the family members, official sources said.

Gehlot will be accompanied by the minister of state for home Rajendra Yadav, chief secretary Usha Sharma, DGP ML Lather and other senior officials, the sources said.

At the same time, members of Hindu outfits are planning to take out a rally from Town Hall to the Collectorate in protest against the gruesome murder.

The call of the rally has been given by 'Sarv Samaj'.

Heavy deployment of police is there in Udaipur for maintaining law and order and two Additional Director General, one Deputy IG and other senior officials are camping in the city to monitor the situation.

Kanhaiya was hacked to death by two Muslim men who entered his shop in the city's Dhan Mandi area posing as customers. As the tailor took the measurements of one of them -- who later identified himself as Riaz - attacked him with a cleaver. The other man shot the brutal murder with his mobile phone.

The two men fled from the scene and later uploaded the clip on social media. In another video, the alleged assailant said they beheaded the tailor and threatened the prime minister for lighting this fire

They were arrested hours after in Rajsamand district.

The case is being investigated by National Investigation Agency (NIA) with cooperation by Rajasthan ATS.

Day after Uddhav's resignation, BJP to hold meetings in Mumbai to decide next course of action

30-Jun-2022 438

Mumbai, Jun 30 (PTI) The BJP, which is expected to stake claim to form the next government in Maharashtra soon following the resignation of Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister, will be holding a series of meetings here on Thursday to decide the future course of action, where party's state in-charge C T Ravi will remain present, party sources said.

Ravi, who has arrived in Mumbai on Thursday morning, will attend a meeting at 'Sagar' bungalow, the official residence of Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis with senior party leaders, including its state chief Chandrakant Patil. The BJP has also asked all of its MLAs to remain in Mumbai city till the next steps are taken, they said.

Following Thackeray's resignation on Wednesday night, Chandrakant Patil had said that Fadnavis and rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who claims to have the support of 39 rebel Sena legislators and 11 independent MLAs as well as small parties, would decide the next court of action.

"While BJP has 106 MLAs of its own and support of some 10 independent MLAs, it will have to undertake a lot of deliberations and negotiations for seat sharing formula with rebel Sena MLAs and independents. It will take some time, but a clear picture would emerge by Friday," Patil had said.

Thackeray had resigned soon after the Supreme Court refused to stay Governor B S Koshyari's direction to his government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday. His resignation capped over a week-long drama of resort politics, where rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led Shinde camped in luxury hotels and hopped on chartered jets from Mumbai to Surat and Guwahati, before landing in Goa on Wednesday night.

Fadnavis is expected to make a comeback as chief minister after holding the post from 2014 to 2019.

Kangana Ranaut to appear before Mumbai court on July 4

29-Jun-2022 458

Mumbai, (PTI) Actor Kangana Ranaut will appear before a metropolitan magistrate court here on July 4 in connection with a defamation complaint filed against her by Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar.

As the matter came up for hearing before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate's court on Monday, her lawyer sought an exemption from the actor's personal appearance for the day. The court then directed Ranaut's legal team to file Pursis (written statement /information given to the court pertaining to any matter pending before it), stating that the accused will remain present on the next date of hearing (July 4).

The court granted an exemption for the day after the Pursis was filed by Ranaut's lawyer.

The court also reserved the hearing on a plea seeking the issuance of a warrant against Ranaut till the next hearing.

Akhtar (76) had filed the complaint in court in November 2020, claiming that Ranaut had made defamatory statements against him in a television interview, which allegedly damaged his reputation.

In his complaint, Akhtar claimed that Ranaut dragged his name during the interview while referring to a 'coterie' existing in Bollywood, following the alleged suicide by actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June last year.

Tailor murder: Curfew continues in some areas of Udaipur

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Udaipur, Jun 29 (PTI) Curfew remained clamped in seven police station areas of the city on Wednesday and mobile Internet services suspended across all 33 districts of Rajasthan after a tailor was brutally murdered here by two men, triggering stray cases of violence.

Heavy deployment of police has been made in the city, a day after the gruesome murder of Kanhaiya Lal, the tailor, by two men who had posted videos online that said they were avenging an insult to Islam

Postmortem of the body is underway at the mortuary of the district government hospital, police said.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was in Jodhpur, returned to Jaipur and will hold a meeting with officers to review the situation, official sources said.

Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria demanded action against the Superintendent of Police Udaipur.

"Suspension of one ASI is not enough. Action against the SP should be taken. It was his failure that the local police failed to ensure security of Kanhaiya Lal despite threat to his life," Kataria told reporters here.

Prohibitory orders banning people from assembling were clamped across the state for a month and mobile internet services suspended after the incident.

At 8 pm on Tuesday, curfew was declared till further orders in seven police station areas of Udaipur city.

The Union Home Ministry dispatched a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Udaipur.

The Rajasthan Police also announced a special investigation team (SIT) soon after the arrest of the two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad.

In a video clip, Akhtari declared that they had beheaded the man and went on to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Indirectly, the assailants also referred to Nupur Sharma, the BJP leader suspended from the party over a remark on Prophet Mohammad.

Lal was recently arrested by the local police over a post on social media. On June 15, while he was on bail, he told police that he was receiving threat calls.

The local SHO summoned both sides to the police station and settled the matter, an official said. After the murder, police suspended an assistant sub inspector for negligence at that time.

The assailants entered Lal's shop in Dhan Mandi posing as customers. As the tailor took measurements Akhtari attacked him with a cleaver, nearly severing his neck. The other man shot the brutal murder with his mobile phone.

The men fled from the scene and later uploaded this clip on social media. In another video, the alleged assailant said they beheaded the tailor and threatened the prime minister for lighting this fire .

Yet another provocative video was recorded on June 17, in which Akhtari said he will post it the day he carries out the murder. He asked other members of the community to continue with similar attacks.

Police sources said Akhtari works at a local mosque and the other assailant runs a grocery shop.

As the videos circulated on social media, tension escalated. Shopkeepers in local markets downed shutters and a mob pelted stones and set two motorcycles on fire.

For several hours, shopkeepers stopped police from taking away the body, saying they will allow the removal of the corpse only after the murderers are arrested and compensation -- Rs 50 lakh and a government job -- given to the victim's family. Later, they agreed to assurances given by the authorities.

On Twitter, Gehlot had appealed for calm and asked people not to share the videos.

"The guilty will not be spared. The entire police team is working on it with full alertness. I can imagine the anger which is there among people due to the murder. We are taking action accordingly," he had told reporters in Jodhpur.

Gehlot said there is communal tension in the country and the prime minister should address the people. He said both Hindus and Muslims are worried.

"It is more impactful if the prime minister speaks. I believe that the prime minister should address the country on this occasion and should make an appeal that we will not tolerate violence at any cost. What is the problem in saying so?" he said.