Women leaders and activists demand action against Brij Bhushan Singh over sexual harassment charges 2
India’s International Wrestlers are protesting at the Jantar Mantar maidan in Delhi for the last three days against the alleged sexual harassment charges levelled against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and other coaches.
Top wrestlers who have won glory for the country Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and others are a part of the protest demanding justice.
We spoke to some women leaders and activists from India on their thoughts on this case:
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi told Afternoon Voice, “Whenever a woman comes forward with harassment charges, the people in power force them to be quiet. It is shameful that the accused has still not resigned and the government has failed in taking any action.”
“Cases of sexual harassment and crime against women are on the rise, and any person involved in such a heinous crime should be punished strictly”, said Navneet Rana, MP from the Amravati constituency.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat who was also attending in solidarity with the protesting wrestlers said, “The women of our country are credible and are making us proud on all fronts, but harassment of these kinds is forcing them to think otherwise.”
Karat further added, “The accused whosoever should be strictly punished and sacked from his job. The protest will continue until justice is delivered.”
NCP leader Fauzia Khan hit out at the Modi government and said, “This government doesn’t have the will to support the women or give them a safe environment; their ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ slogan is for namesake.”
Women rights activist Hasina Khan said, “In such cases, the person involved should be immediately sacked and a thorough investigation should be conducted, as it is a human violation. The demands of the protesters should not be ignored and must be taken up by the government on priority.”
Women activist Chayanika Shah said, “These women wrestlers work so hard for our country. The elected government representatives should be the ones protecting them at all stages, but unfortunately, they themselves are indulging in such crimes.”
Losing weight is one of the most popular new year’s resolutions, yet it is one which most of us struggle to achieve.
By the time the second or third week of January rolls around, many of us are finding it harder to stick with the lifestyle changes needed to lose, or at least maintain our weight.
But one strategy that may work better when it comes to managing our weight is the “small change approach”. This starts with the understanding that for the long haul, it might be best to start small.
Large changes can be hard to sustain Most people who are watching their weight tend to start by making large changes to their diet or physical activity habits. But large changes can be difficult to sustain over time because they require high levels of motivation. Since motivation naturally rises and falls, it’s no wonder these big lifestyle changes can be so hard to sustain.
This is where the small change approach could be useful.
This weight management strategy recommends that people should decrease the calories they eat and/or increase the calories they burn by just 100-200 each day. To put that into perspective, that could mean eating just one or two fewer chocolate biscuits or walking for an extra 10-20 minutes each day.
It’s likely you will only need to make minor changes to your current behaviour to eat 100-200 calories less or burn 100-200 calories more each day. These small changes might be easier to fit into your everyday life and, unlike larger changes, will not require additional time and effort outside your normal routine.
A small change approach is also more flexible, as there are several different ways you could decrease the calories you eat and/or increase the calories you burn by 100-200 each day. This flexibility might help to keep you engaged with the approach for longer.
And research shows that when it comes to health, making small changes to your usual habits may be more effective. We’re also less likely to fail when making small changes, which may help motivate us to make bigger ones over time.
According to previous research, our team has conducted, the small change approach can indeed be an effective strategy for helping people manage their weight. Our study combined the results of 21 trials which used the small change approach for weight management. We found that adults who used the approach gained around one kilogram less over a 14-month period, compared with people who received generic weight management advice.
This is important because it suggests a small change approach could be used to prevent the 0.5kg to 1.0kg of weight gain currently seen in the adult population each year, which can contribute towards the development of overweight and obesity over time.
Further research will be needed to understand whether a small change approach could be a more effective long-term weight gain prevention, and potentially weight loss, strategy.
How to do it If you want to give the small change approach a try, there are two questions you should ask yourself to help get you started: What changes can I make to reduce the calories I eat and/or burn by just 100-200 kcal each day? Will I be able to achieve these changes even when my motivation is low? Small changes designed by you are more likely to fit into your everyday life and therefore might be easier to sustain over time. But if you’re struggling to design your own small changes, here are a few examples: Walk and talk: Whether it’s a phone call with colleagues or a catch-up with friends, adding an extra 20-30 minutes of walking into your day can help you burn up to 100 calories.
Take a break: Most television ad breaks last about 2-3 minutes. Take this time to exercise by doing some crunches, lunges or squats. During an hour-long programme with three ad breaks, you could burn up to 100 calories.
Avoid add-ons: Although many of us like adding things such as cheese, butter, mayonnaise and ketchup to our meals for more flavour, these tend to contain more calories than many of us realise. For instance, as little as 30g of cheese (about the size of a small matchbox) is 100 calories, while 30g of mayonnaise (about two spoonfuls) is close to 200 calories. Limiting portions, or cutting them out entirely, can make a big difference in the long term.
Take your coffee black: Hot drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos and hot chocolate can be more calorific than you think. You could reduce your calorie intake by about 100-200 calories by cutting them out. If you can’t bear to go without your day’s coffee, consider getting a smaller size or drinking it black. Watching your weight doesn’t have to be complicated. Making small changes to your diet and lifestyle can add up over time and make all the difference, as the small change approach shows.
The "Sonar Bangla" has become "Jong Dhara Bangla" 5
The people of Bengal had much more expectations from TMC, especially from Didi, who fought tremendously with the barbaric CPM (called Harmard) and gave Bengalis freedom of speech, freedom of vote and freedom of discerning but after passing almost 11 years again the West Bengal is becoming worst Bengal through massive scams (not only recruitment scam but coal scam, sand scam, cow export and much more). In the CPM ruling of Bengal, there were just a few politicians in political corridors who had voices but now Bengal is seeing mushrooming politicians who are nothing but loose cannons. Bengal in control of TMC has a lot of corrupt leaders. If you travel to WB after visiting Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore or Hyderabad, you will definitely believe that WB is extremely underdeveloped. But this scenario was not always there.
In the 1960s, West Bengal, especially Kolkata was extremely developed. Even though there was a refugee crisis, during the 1950s and 1960s, the state still managed to be on the top list. The problem started with the rise of the political crisis in the late 1960s. The Congress Govt of S S Ray and Leftists under the politburo managed to wage a war against each other. Their extreme politics in all fields made things worse. Also, not to forget the over-excited Bengalis when it comes to ideology politics. When India was short of food and Indian cities like Mumbai and Delhi were trying industrialization, the Bengalis of Kolkata were busy fighting for Venezuela and Vietnam. Some young people went ahead to clash with Kolkata police, the reason being why the US attacked Vietnam.
When the Left came to power, they stopped industrialization. They literally made two generations deprived of foreign languages and personal growth. They made stringent anti-business laws; people were being trained to become party volunteers rather than skilled manpower. I have seen young 25–26-year-olds in Kharagpur town during 1996–97. Their only job was to get fed on fathers’ money and sleep, and above all, adda at the party office. They have spoiled their whole career. What can you expect them to impart to their kids? Youngsters were mortgaged and lured in political selfish motives.
During the 1970s and 1980s, a huge number of educated and skilled Bengalis left WB and settled in Delhi NCR, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai and Bangalore. The trend increased after the IT boom and people had mainly two destinations, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The people of Bengal even trusted BJP and voted for them realizing the recklessness and power misuse of TMC political leaders but BJP broke all trust by indirectly supporting the big fish like Soven Chatterjee and many more and worked as a washing machine of scam. BJP welcomed all the shameful and scamster leaders of TMC and gave them clean chit and this is the reason Bengalis were so confused.
Once upon a time people of Bangladesh crossed the borders and came to Bengal for job opportunities. Now Bengalis are Crossing their Border and looking for job opportunities across the country. You will find many waiters, bar managers, construction workers and even IT engineers in Mumbai. For Good medical facilities, West Bengal people are running towards Vellore, Chennai, Mumbai or Bangalore. Unfortunately, bad administration, directionless politics, and brain drain that occurred for more than three decades ensured that the state gets hurled towards a very steep decline.
Mamata Banerjee has overtaken the Leftists in brutality. Her goons do not hesitate to kill. Many BJP workers got killed either shot or killed and hanged. The hate politics is limitless, Hindu holds no grounds and has no say. Since the 13th century, the Bengal region (including modern Bangladesh and parts of Bihar) was ruled by Islamic rulers. The region with its fertile plains & broad rivers was a significant centre of trade & agriculture. In fact, at its peak, Bengal used to contribute roughly around 50% of the Mughal empire’s GDP. As such, there was a steady influx of Turks & other Muslims into Bengal. Many local Hindus & tribals were converted to Islam. Murshidabad became one of the major cities in South Asia. This domination continued unperturbed till the iconic 1757 Battle of Plassey between British East India Company forces led by Robert Clive & the Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula army. The Nawab was routed & humiliated. This victory actually paved the way for the British to rule India for the subsequent 200 years.
The 1905 Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon was another key moment in Bengali history. Citing administrative reasons, the British government decided to divide Bengal into Hindu-dominated West Bengal and Muslim-dominated East Bengal. This sowed the seeds of communal disharmony which escalated violently during the 1947 Partition riots. Post-independence, the Murshidabad district of Bengal was probably the only district outside Kashmir which had Muslims as the majority.
The 1970s saw the rise of Communism in Bengal. Their egalitarian views meant Muslims got strong political support, unlike elsewhere in India. Also, the leftist ideology among educated middle-class Hindus enabled Hindu-Muslim peaceful co-existence within Bengal. The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War brought in a wave of immigrants, many of whom were Muslims. So, judging the above historical facts, we can conclude that West Bengal already had a solid Islamic presence, unlike most other parts of India.
Now if we look at the current situation, the Politics of appeasement is Riding an absolute majority, Mamata Banerjee became Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2011. Immediately, she started pandering to the hardcore Islamists in order to ensure their 27% voter bank. Grants to Madrasas, Haj Subsidies, and financial grants to Muslim clerics, all these steps were taken just to solidify her voter base. The Islamic fundamentalist got encouraged by these & they ran roughshod over vast tracts of North Bengal. Even the police & bureaucrats were discouraged by the State Government to take any anti-measures.
The census revealed that Muslims are now the majority in Murshidabad district (66%), and Malda district (52%), with significant growth in U. Dinajpur (48%), and Birbhum (38%). In several sub-districts, they are in the absolute majority (Sujapur constituency has 90% of its population as Muslims). This rise in the Muslim population is primarily due to illegal immigration across the porous Bangladesh border. Malda district is infamous for opium cultivation, fake currency note production, girl trafficking etc. The ruling party for their own convenience turns a blind eye to this menace.
The lack of education & development in Bengal further fuels the hardcore Islamic elements. It’s an absolute pity that the fertile land of Bengal which gave world personalities like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, AJC Bose etc has now become the playground for religious fundamentalists, and drug and arms smugglers. All these are just because Madam CM Banerjee is hesitant to lose her popular support among minorities. If the appeasement politics is not stopped and killings of Hindus, and insulting their deities continues, then there will be irrecoverable communal violence ahead.
Prior to Saturday, the lowest temperature for the season was recorded on December 27 at 12.4 degrees C. The lowest February night temperature over the past 10 years was recorded on February 9, 2012 at 8.8 degrees C. The all-time lowest monthly minimum temperature was recorded on February 8, 2008 at 8.5 degrees C. On Saturday, most of the automatic weather stations in the city recorded minimum temperatures between 11 and 16 degrees Celsius.
The drop in mercury was also seen in other parts of Maharashtra, which recorded the decade’s lowest temperature at 5.2 degrees C. This was also the city’s lowest temperature in February in 100 years, according to IMD data. On December 29, 2018, Pune recorded 5.9 degrees C. According to the IMD, northerly winds flowing in from Jammu and Kashmir via Rajasthan and Gujarat are responsible for the cold wave like conditions in the state.
Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra’s popular hill station, woke up to frozen dew drops on Saturday with minimum temperature at Venna Lake dipping to one degree Centigrade, the lowest this winter.The Regional Wheat Rust Research Station at Venna Lake recorded 1 degrees Celsius on its campus, while mercury was at -2 degrees Celsius at the lake location.
Nupur Sharma will become her own saviour or carry a gun to kill? 9
Suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma has received a weapons license. She had requested permission to possess weapons because of the danger to her life. The question here is who is threatening her? If she is getting threats, what is the police doing? Isn’t it a question mark on the efficiency of government? Meanwhile, why is there no protection for the common public who got killed and are still under danger for her statements? From whom she frequently received death threats and why her call records are not investigated to nab the culprits?
Just to remind you, on May 26, 2022, Nupur Sharma made a contentious remark against the Prophet Muhammad during a TV debate. This sparked violent protests at several locations and calls for Nupur Sharma’s imprisonment. There was also the possibility of beheading. Sharma was part of the news debate on the Gyanvapi mosque issue, which was aired on Times Now, during which she made certain comments about Islam and the Prophet Mohammed that sparked widespread outrage in the Muslim community.
Soon after the controversy Nupur Sharma was suspended from the party following outrage. It is Nupur Sharma who kicked up a storm triggering international repercussions after she made a derogatory comment about the Prophet on a television channel debate. The party suspended her and distanced from the comment while several Islamic countries issued statements condemning the comment. Violent protests were witnessed in several parts of India and many innocent people had to shed their lives.
Nupur Sharma withdrew her remark and said her comment was not to hurt any religious feeling but a rebuttal at the television channel to the mocking of Shivling. Amid the protests across the country against Nupur Sharma, the Supreme Court in July 2022 held her responsible for setting the country on fire and said Nupur Sharma was single-handedly responsible for what was happening in the country at that time.
The Supreme Court in August 2022 noted the life threats to Nupur Sharma and clubbed all cases against her so that she does not have to travel to all states where cases against her are going on. In the petition filed by Nupur Sharma, it was said that 9 FIRs are registered against her at different places and all of them should be transferred to one place so that she does not have to travel to different cities of the country.
Nupur Sharma’s lawyer Maninder Singh had said that her client’s life is in danger and she is getting threats from all over the place. To this the court said that we want to uphold your legal options. Interestingly, many have not taken lightly to the remarks of the top court pointing out that the plea for clubbing of FIRs is a reasonable prayer made by Sharma and also a procedural safeguard laid down by the apex court itself.
The Court was not convinced about the impartiality of the probe by a police force which falls under the party to which Sharma belongs. That said, the bench could have exercised its powers to club and transfer the case for trial to a State not under the BJP rule.Multiple FIRs in different States for the same offence is an unhealthy and incorrect precedent.
Several offshoot incidents followed the Nupur Sharma row as a 54-year-old chemist in Amravati was killed for a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma. In Udaipur, a tailor was hacked to death after he extended support to Nupur Sharma on social media.
Following the suspension, Nupur Sharma, a prominent face in television debates, has been living in the shadows though the controversy is far from being a thing of the past. Recently, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said he will not be surprised if Nupur Sharma contests from Delhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
What Nupur Said was not in good taste but are those who got offended by what Nupur Sharma said, and threatened to kill her genuine or good Muslims? No, none of them are good Muslims. Why so much noise around the world for Nupur Sharma Statement? Politics demands more people to die or lose livelihood in the name of gods and prophets and religious books? I don’t support Nupur Sharma, neither do I support those Muslims making noise and threatening to kill her or demand her death.
Oppn aggressive on ED action against Mushrif; Accusations of revenge politics on BJP 11
It seems that the action taken by the ED on Wednesday morning against Nationalist Congress Party {NCP) MLA and former minister Hasan Mushrif has not gone down well with the Mushrif supporters in Kolhapur and the big leaders of the NCP in Maharashtra. Mushrif’s supporters took to the streets in Kolhapur, raised slogans, and expressed their anger, taking an aggressive stance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Investigation agencies.
Earlier, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had already predicted that Hasan Mushrif would go to jail, and soon after, ED raided Mushrif’s house.
NCP leaders are accusing the BJP of collusion between them and the central investigation agencies. However, BJP leaders are saying that there is no interference in the investigation agencies and that this action is right.
On this, NCP spokesperson Ravikant Varpe said, “This is yet another attempt of revenge politics. The way an investigation agency is taking action in the absence of any strong evidence, even if the court has been pulled over before. The political culture of Maharashtra was inclusive. But since the BJP came to power, the political environment of Maharashtra has changed. It’s become Toxic.”
NCP spokesman Clyde Crasto said, “There have been many cases of abuse of central agencies but nothing has come out of it. It is dangerous for democracy if the investigation agency is acting according to someone’s opinion.”
Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut said, “This action has been taken for the sake of political ambition and dirty politics. Since, the BJP came to power, the activities of the investigative agencies have been carried out only on the opposition party. The opposition party is going to take an agitating stance on this but they have to remember the dissatisfaction of the people is also increasing.”
ED officials conducted raids in Mumbai, Pune, and Kolhapur on Wednesday morning.
In 2021, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya accused former Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif of engaging in corrupt practices through family members and companies. After that, the opposition questioned the action taken by the ED.
On this, BJP leader Bhalchandra Shirasath said, “Hasan Mushrif has been facing corruption cases for many years and ED action has been taken against him after his investigation. This is not a one-day action and the government has nothing to do with it because there are many miscreants in the opposition party. So, they have to face such trouble.”
Hasan Mushrif is an NCP MLA from the Kagal constituency in Kolhapur. He is also the Vice President of the Nationalist Congress Party. Earlier, he held the post of Rural Development Minister.
Earlier, some senior leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra faced interrogation by investigative agencies. Among them are former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, Nationalist Congress Party leader, and former minister Nawab Malik. Anil Deshmukh and Sanjay Raut have been released on bail by the court and the case of Nawab Malik is still pending in the court.
Ahead of PM Modi's Mumbai visit, oppn takes a jibe at BJP; calls it act of wooing before BMC elections 13
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Mumbai on January 19 for the inauguration of Metro projects and many projects for the development of Mumbai. But, opposition leaders in Maharashtra believe that these are all fake promotions before the BMC elections and asked why the election commission is not declaring the date for the BMC elections.
Anant Bhiku Nar, Shivsena’s former Corporator told Afternoon Voice, “Projects and tenders passed by the BJP are only for promotions before the elections and all fake hopes are been given to people but they won’t win this time”.
Former corporator of Shiv Sena (UBT) Dilip Shinde, said, “BJP is trying all its strategies but PM Modi’s visit in Mumbai will not create much impact”.
Sadanand Waman Parab, Shiv Sena (UBT) ex-corporator, said, “It is all BJP strategy to win BMC elections. Even elections are purposely kept on hold but we are sure of winning the elections and PM Modi’s visit before elections will not make any difference”.
Anil Kokil, Shiv Sena (UBT) worker said, “PM Modi’s visit to Mumbai will not create any impact and Shiv Sena party has been working for many years and we are confident in winning the elections.”
Bhalchandra Shirsat, BJP, former Corporator said, “Uddhav Thackeray government was not able to complete any projects proposed by BMC though being in power but after the formation of Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis government, there are many pending projects are completed. BJP wants to take over BMC”.
Aakash Raj Purohit, BJP former Corporator said, “Shiv Sena is not working in favour of the people and we are only working for people. If BMC is taken over by the BJP then entire issues faced under BMC will be taken care of by PM Modi”.
Preeti Sharma Menon, an AAP spokesperson said, “ED Sarkaar has failed in Maharashtra and BJP is trying its strategy of calling PM Modi to Mumbai. This is all election strategy to win and this is why BMC elections are kept on hold for so long”.
Why Hasan Mushrif, the NCP leader facing ED raids? 15
Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former rural development minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, Hasan Mushrif is under the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED’s) scanner in an alleged corruption case related to a sugar mill. Places linked to Mushrif were raided by the agency. In 2019, the Income Tax Department similarly raided Mushrif’s residences and factory premises. The opposition MVA hit out at the ED raid, with NCP MP Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut accusing the Shinde-Fadnavis govt. of misusing investigating agencies to target opposition leaders.
Multiple teams formed by the investigation agency conducted searches at locations linked to the NCP leader in Pune and Kolhapur. However, Mushrif has alleged that the development came as a result of a ‘political vendetta’ against him. It is important to note that Mushrif is accused in a Rs 100-crore corruption case linked to a sugar mill in Kolhapur through a private firm allegedly owned and controlled by his relatives.
Hasan Mushrif, an MLA from Kolhapur’s Kagal Assembly constituency, is one of the senior-most leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and is believed to be the loyalist of the party chief Sharad Pawar. Notably, Mushrif has consistently been elected from Kagal since 1999. He is an influential leader in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district and is close to Sharad Pawar. He was also one of the key leaders who stood with the NCP chief in 2019 when Ajit Pawar rebelled against him.
On 10 January 2017, Mushrif, along with NCP MP Dhananjay Mahadik, former NCP MP Nivedita Sambhajirao Mane, Kolhapur mayor Hasina Faras, and 400 others, were arrested for blocking traffic on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway as part of a protest against the effects of demonetisation. He is always vocal against BJP leaders. Presently all powerful leaders are on the radar because that is the way opposition can be weakened in the state.
BJP leaders in Maharashtra think that central investigation agencies like ED, and CBI are in their pockets and at their behest, they can threaten political opponents. BJP’s only policy is to divide the opposition or force them to quit the party. At least 14 Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders were investigated by central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax (IT) department and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). While many of them were under the scanner of the ED for alleged money laundering, a bulk of them are also being probed for alleged tax evasion by the IT department. Two of these leaders were arrested by the ED. Most of the probes were initiated after the MVA formed the government in Maharashtra.
Anil Deshmukh was arrested on November 2 last year in connection with an extortion case for allegedly demanding Rs 100 crore of ‘‘good luck” money from orchestra bars and restaurants for their “smooth functioning”. On December 29, the ED filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case against Deshmukh, calling him the “prime mover” in the case. The ED said its probe revealed that at least 13 companies, which are directly controlled by family members of Deshmukh and at least 14 which the family-controlled through close associates, were utilised for the purpose of “infusion of ill-gotten money of Deshmukh”. The ED has attached assets worth Rs 4.20 crore. He was in jail for one year but nothing could be proven against him and he recently got bail. Sanjay Raut was also arrested and many stories were made against him, he was in jail for months but here also no guilt was proven and he is out on bail. Those who did not Bowdon to the pressure were harassed by ED and IT.
All others on the radar joined hands with Shinde and toppled the Thackeray government by joining hands with BJP. All those who were under the scanner are now given a clean chit. The ED attached assets worth Rs 11.35 crore of Pratap Sarnaik in a Rs 5,600 crore fraud linked to the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) scam. According to the agency, one of the defaulters of NSEL, Aastha Group, diverted Rs 21.74 crore to Vihang Aastha Housing Project LLP between 2012-2013. Out of this, Rs 11.35 crore was transferred to Vihang Enterprises and Vihang Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, controlled by Sarnaik and his family, it said. Aastha Group owes Rs 242.66 crore to the NSEL. But since Sarnaik is with Eknath Shined, ED and IT maintained silence on him.
Every central government used CBI and ED-like agencies to ride the opposition. Be it now BJP or then the UPA. Earlier only CBI was taking opposition on Radar, but since Anna Hazare agitated against corruption the term economic offence became too much accustomed and here entered ED. Opposition always has fear for the CBI, regardless of who’s in power in Delhi. The Modi government is doing the same thing that Congress used to do: that is using a caged parrot to sing its tune. Now it seems to be more open and more ruthless in using it. However, this time the opposition is more fearful and the central government is more powerful. In the previous decade, we have seen state-level leaders being picked to target those who are making it difficult for BJP to retain and seize power.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday posted for February 14 the hearing of a batch of petitions filed by rival factions Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in relation to the Maharashtra political crisis.
A five-judge Constitution bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha said, “We will hear it on February 14.”
At the outset, senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for the Thackeray faction told the bench that in the last hearing he had indicated that he wants to argue on the need for a seven-judge bench to hear the case.
The top court will first hear arguments on whether the matter is heard by a seven-judge bench or by a five-judge bench. Sibal on the last date of the hearing told the apex court that he would argue on the reference of the matter to the seven-judge bench. Sibal sought a reference of the five-judge bench judgment in the Nabam Rebia case to a seven-judge bench.
On July 13, 2016, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court in the Nabam Rebia case held that Speaker could not initiate disqualification proceedings when a resolution seeking his removal is pending.
Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray-led group told the apex court that there is an unconstitutional government running in Maharashtra.
In August, the top court’s three-judge bench had referred to a five-judge Constitution bench the issues involved in the petition filed by rival groups of Shiv Sena in relation to the Maharashtra political crisis.
It had said that some of the issues involved in the Maharashtra political crisis may require a larger Constitutional bench for consideration.
It had also asked the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Rahul Narwekar not to take any action on the new disqualification notices issued against the members of Shiv Sena. There are various petitions pending before the apex court filed by both factions of Shiv Sena.
The Thackeray-led faction had approached the top court challenging the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari’s decision to invite Eknath Shinde to form the government and also the Speaker’s election and floor test.
Later they challenged the Shinde group approaching the poll panel claiming they were ‘real’ Shiv Sena. They had also challenged the newly appointed Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s action recognising the whip of the Eknath Shinde group as the whip of Shiv Sena.
The plea said the newly appointed Speaker has no jurisdiction to recognise whips nominated by Shinde as Uddhav Thackeray is still the head of the Shiv Sena official party.
Thackeray camp’s Sunil Prabhu had filed a plea seeking suspension from the Maharashtra Assembly of new Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 15 rebel MLAs against whom disqualification pleas are pending.
Shinde group’s challenged the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to 16 rebel MLAs as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, is also pending before the apex court.
On June 29, the top court gave a go-ahead to the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on June 30. Refusing to stay the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority support on the floor of the House on June 30, the bench had issued notice on Prabhu’s plea against the floor test.
After the apex court’s order, Uddhav Thackeray announced his resignation as the Chief Minister and Eknath Shinde was later sworn in as the Chief Minister.
Gangster Chhota Shakeel running his own underworld gang in Mumbai 18
The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai police has claimed that fugitive gangster Shakeel Babu Mohiddin Shaikh aka Chhota Shakeel, associated with Dawood Ibrahim, has been running a separate gang along with a few of his close associates including, Riyaz Bhati and his brother-in-law Salim Qureshi aka Fruit.
Riyaz Bhati is a builder and a gangster. Riyaz has been twice accused of forging passports – in October 2015 and in February 2020. On 28 October 2015, he was arrested while trying to escape to South Africa, and he remained in police custody for five days after which he was sent to judicial custody. Riyaz was granted bail on 3 November 2015. In 2020, Bhati was again arrested in violation of court orders on his bail after he was caught at the Mumbai international airport for attempting to flee the country to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), using a fake passport. In 2013, he was caught again with a fake passport.
According to police, Riyaz had travelled eight times abroad and 10 times from the Mumbai international airport between 2009 and 2012, using a fake passport as his original passport expired in 2006 that couldn’t get renewed on account of the criminal cases registered against him. In July 2019, Bhati was arrested for fabricating the documents and signatures of Wilson College trustees to get honorary membership of a club of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). According to MCA, Riyaz had been enjoying membership in the club since 2013. Riyaz Bhati was also one of the accused including the former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh and dismissed Assistant Inspector Sachin Vaze in the extortion case in 2021.
The AEC had recently filed a chargesheet against Fruit, Bhati and five others in connection with an extortion case registered by a city-based businessman with the Versova police. The 1,000-page chargesheet included statements from around 25 witnesses and other evidence against the accused persons. The agency claimed that Chhota Shakeel has been operating a separate gang since 1999.
The businessman had approached the Versova police in September last year, alleging that Fruit and Bhati had extorted a sum of Rs 7.5 lakh and also forcibly taken away his Range Rover worth around Rs 30 lakh. The case was registered with the Versova police and then transferred to the AEC. Apart from Bhati, and Fruit, AEC has also named Ajay Gosaliya, Firoz Shaikh, Sameer Khan, Amjad Redkar, and Javed Khan Alias Papa Pathan as accused in the case. In its chargesheet, the AEC claimed the probe revealed that the seven are active members of Shakeel’s gang.
Mumbai police have claimed that a probe has revealed that Shakeel’s own gang has been in operation since the year 1999 and that several new as well as old members are a part of it. It is further claimed that the seven booked in the case are old members of the Dawood gang and have worked together for many years. The AEC has claimed that the seven are active members and have been threatening people to terrorise them and extract financial benefits for both themselves and the gang.
In this case, the businessman had good relations with Bhati and hence, was invited to his birthday celebration at a five-star hotel in Andheri. It was at this party that he was introduced to Fruit. It was alleged that the complainant started playing cards with the accused and won around Rs 62 lakh in the game. However, on certain occasions, Fruit won the games and started demanding money. The complainant claimed that the accused started threatening him for money showing his connection with Shakeel.
The complainant alleged that Fruit forcibly took his Range Rover car and further demanded Rs 32 lakhs. When Fruit came under the radar of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Fruit had asked the complainant to urgently deposit Rs 6 lakhs to Rs 11 lakhs in some other account. Owing to continuous demands and threats, the complainant deposited Rs 7.5 to the account of a close associate of Fruit. In the meantime, Fruit was being questioned by the ED and also by the NIA. Bhati is alleged to have threatened the complainant and told him not to mention any transactions with Fruit to the agencies. Hence, the businessman finally lodged a case with the police.
