Security heightened in city spots frequented by foreigners

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November 19, 2015

Maharashtra government has put on ‘high alert’ some spots in Mumbai that see a substantial inflow of foreign tourists, after the State Intelligence Department (SID) received inputs of possible terror strike in those areas.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who held a security review meeting, ordered that security be stepped up in such areas.

The meeting was chaired by Fadnavis, who also heads the Home department, and included both Ministers of State for Home Ranjit Patil and Ram Shinde, along with Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K P Bakshi, state Director General of Police Pravin Dixit, senior officials from the SID and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

“Following inputs by the SID of a possible terror strike, the Mumbai Police was on Wednesday asked to enhance the security cover at all places that see a substantial footfall of foreign tourists. Places like Gateway of India, 5 and 7-star hotels have been put on high alert,” an official, who was part of Wednesday’s meeting said.

The enhanced security measures will be in place for the next 15 days, following which another security review meeting will be held, the official said.

“If the high threat risk persists even after a fortnight, we will continue with the security arrangements,” he said.

The threat of a terror attack on establishments comes in the backdrop of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, in which 129 people were killed and over 350 wounded.

Hit-and-run case: HC poses searching queries to prosecution

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

The Bombay High Court today raised several queries on the prosecution’s case and the method in which investigation was carried out against actor Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case in which one person was killed and four were injured.

Justice A R Joshi is hearing an appeal filed by Salman Khan challenging a sessions court order of May 6 convicting him for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced him to five years in jail.

During prosecution lawyer Sandeep Shinde’s arguments, Justice Joshi asked several questions regarding who was driving the car and if the actor had consumed alcohol. While the prosecution has maintained that Salman was at the wheel, the actor in his defence had claimed that his driver Ashok Singh was driving the car.

When Shinde said the prosecution need not go into minute details, Justice Joshi said “when the prosecution and the investigating agency are not coming upto the standard to assist the court, then every minute detail has to be analysed.”

The court said the police should have examined one Yogesh Kadam, the valet parking attendant at J W Marriot hotel where Salman was alleged to have been drinking before driving off.

“The prosecution case is that every car that comes to Marriot hotel has to be valet parked. If that is so, then before valet a tag is given either to the driver or the owner of the vehicle, which has to be handed over later before taking the car. In this case, who took the tag and who gave it back later? Has any witness said that Salman gave the tag and sat in the car? Had Yogesh been examined, he would have thrown some light on this,” Justice Joshi said.

While Salman’s counsel Amit Desai has concluded his arguments, public prosecutor Sandeep Shinde is arguing the prosecution case.

Shinde pointed out to the court that there is another witness who says that Salman sat in the driver’s seat of the car at the porch of Marriot hotel and shut the door.

However, Justice Joshi said the door must have been closed so that it does not hinder other cars from coming and going.

The court also raised queries where Salman’s friend and singer Kamaal Khan was seated in the car. “One witness in his evidence says Kamaal sat in the back seat on the right side behind Salman. But the same witness in the next sentence says Kamaal was sitting on the left side. Does that mean Salman was also sitting in the left side?”

Shinde told the court that Salman claimed to have been not driving the car only when the trial was at the fag end.

“After the accident when Salman appeared before the police then he did not say that his driver Ashok Singh was driving. When the state government invoked the provisions of culpable homicide against him, even then he did not say that he was not driving the car. He (Salman) had ample oppurtunities to put forth this claim but he did not,” Shinde said.

‘Modiji, Investigate Me. Show Your 56-Inch Chest’: Rahul Gandhi

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

Rejecting the allegations labelled against him and his family members as baseless, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday dared the BJP government to put him in jail and said that he has not done anything wrong.

Rahul said different allegations had been levelled at him but there was no truth in them. “Modiji, you have got agencies. Get investigations done. If you get anything in six months, put me in jail. The muck that you are throwing at me, at my family…. Send me to jail if I have done any wrong,” he said.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy alleged on Monday that Rahul Gandhi had declared himself a British citizen in the registration papers of a private company in London.

The Congress leader said he was not afraid of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“I will fight for the farmers, for the labourers,” he said, adding that he would continue to expose the government’s failures.

Addressing a convention of the Indian Youth Congress here to mark the 98th birth anniversary of slain former prime minister Indira Gandhi, he said that his party has a good reason to oppose the BJP government and RSS, and the Bihar election result stands vindicated of the “people’s support to our ideology”.

Rahul said the RSS and the BJP had been targeting his family including his slain grandmother and father. “Indira Gandhi believed in bringing people together, that is what we focus on doing. Not dividing people, that’s what RSS does,” Rahul said here at a function of the Youth Congress to celebrate 98th birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi.

“People say we only have few MPs. If we only have a few MPs then how did we manage to stop the land acquisition bill?” Rahul said.

He said that the RSS and the BJP trigger riots but Congress provides succor, and “that is why our ideology won in Bihar,” the Congress vice president said.

Praising the Youth Congress workers, Rahul said “We have the experience and you have the enthusiasm, it is my job to combine the both.”

“Indira ji gave an identity to the Congress,” he said, expressing hope, that his party “will win coming elections too”.

Make the best use of your first ten years of service, says PM Modi to young IAS officers

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday has advised the young IAS officers to make the best use of their first ten years of service, when they would be working in the field, and asked them to create an opportunity to contribute the most for the good of the people.

While having an interactive session with the young IAS officers of 2013 batch on Thursday, PM said it’s very often that your new ideas and vision may meet resistance from the older generation, but the key is to integrate people by working hard and taking people along.

“Tensions and struggles don’t bring change. It is about how many people to integrate. You are the people going to manage several districts across India. The positive change you bring will be beneficial for the nation,” he said.

In a statement issued by the Union Home Ministry, these officers have completed a three-month stint with the government, as Assistant Secretaries. “This is the first ever batch of IAS Officers to commence their career with a stint in the Central government,” it reads.

MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi may discharge as cops fails to submit chargesheet after 34 months

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

In a startling revelation, the Hyderabad police have not filed any chargesheet, even after registering a FIR on January 2, 2013, against Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi for making hate speech in a public meeting in 2012.

As per law, if the investigation officers failed to file a chargesheet in the court within a span of 36 months from the date of registration of the FIR, the accused will be eligible for a discharge petition in the court under Section 468 of the CrPC.

Owaisi made the first hate speech in 2010 and the second in January 2013. Two FIRs were registered against him but now it came to know through a RTI enquiry that no chargesheet has been filed.

In the second case, it was found that the case was transferred from the Nizamabad court to the Hyderabad court and then handed over to the CID. However, CID officers refused to divulge anything in the matter.

There are allegations that the Telangana cops went slow in the case after Owaisi allegedly made defamatory and derogatory comments against people of a specific community naming BJP and RSS in Adilabad in 2012.

Telangana police sources said that they are still waiting for the forensic reports of Owaisi’s hate speech video.

Follow footsteps of Nehru, Indira for development: Manmohan Singh’s jibe at PM Modi

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

Taking a jibe at the ‘directionless’ policies of the BJP-led NDA regime, former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Thursday advised his predecessor Narendra Modi to follow the footsteps of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

“Pandit Nehru and Indira ji are responsible for developing the agricultural sector in India. In light of the recent crisis, Prime Minister Modi should take a lesson from them. Indira Gandhi tried her best to ensure that the East Pak crisis was resolved through diplomacy,” said Dr. Singh while speaking at the 98th birth anniversary celebration of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“A look at history will show you the role which the Congress played in making our economy strong. Compare it to directionless policies of today,” he added.

Dr. Singh recalled that former prime minister and BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee had addressed Indira Gandhi as ‘Durga’ in the Parliament when he was the Leader of Opposition.

“In 1971, the opposition said ‘Indira Hatao’, Indira responded with ‘Garibi Hatao’. She laid the foundation for removing poverty in the nation,” he said.

India undecided on whether Sushma Swaraj will attend Pakistan conference

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

India is undecided on whether External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will participate at the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference for which host Pakistan has invited her, it was officially said.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup confirmed that a formal invitation has been received for the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference on Afghanistan that will take place in Islamabad on December 7 and 8.

But added that “We are yet to decide on the level of our participation.”

The pros and cons of Pakistan’s invitation are being weighed with one view being that Swaraj should attend the conference given India’s strategic interest in Afghanistan and any low-level participation to the ministerial meet may not be good.

However, a counter view to this was that Swaraj’s travel may undermine India’s concerns over terror emanating from Pakistan and she may have to hold a bilateral meeting with her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz which is not how India wants to sequence its interactions with that country.

Swarup also made it clear that India was “more than willing” to start the process that was agreed in Ufa between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Under the Ufa understanding, the next meeting should be between the National Security Advisors of the two countries on all issues pertaining to terror.

Fresh standoff between Centre, Supreme Court over collegium system of appointing judges

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

A standoff is brewing between the Centre and the Supreme Court.

The Central government on Thursday refused to formulate a draft memorandum of procedure (MoP) to be followed by the Supreme Court collegium for appointments of judges to the higher judiciary.

The development came just a day after the apex court had asked the Centre to frame the draft MoP for future appointments in higher judiciary after considering all suggestions on the issue.

Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi, on behalf of the Centre, told the Supreme Court today that it is not possible to give draft MoP for vetting by judiciary.

Rohtagi, instead, asked the court to pass directions on the issue.

The government is believed to be upset after its bid to replace the collegium system was thwarted by the Supreme Court recently.

During the hearing, senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam had opposed the apex court’s direction to the Centre arguing “suggestions are welcome” but the executive cannot be allowed to draft even the draft memorandum.

He referred to the judgement, striking down the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act and 99th constitutional amendment, and said the prime reason for his objection was the endeavour to protect judicial independence and hence, the executive cannot be allowed now to have a role.

SonakshiSinha debuts as singer

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

Actress SonakshiSinha, who judged the second season of singing reality show “Indian Idol Junior”, has made her debut into singing with a new single titled “Ishqoholic”, which she has already recorded.

The youth-friendly and hip-hop number is composed by Meet Bros, and Kumaar has written the lyrics, read a statement.

T-Series head Bhushan Kumar, who is glad to be the one to make Sonakshi’s debut in the singing industry, said: “Sonakshi has a beautiful voice and the song has turned out to be very likeable and easy to hum. I am so glad we got a chance to work on something which binds the world together – music.”

In the song, the “Dabangg” actress will also be heard rapping a few lines.

“‘Ishqoholic’ will make her fans see the unseen unheard side of her and cherry on the top is they will hear her rap too. The song will welcome Sonakshi to the music world easily,” Kumar added.

“The video for the song will be shot later this month, by Gifty whom I have worked with on the ‘DesiKalakaar’ number along with YoYo Honey Singh,” Sonakshi said.

On the silver screen, Sonakshi will next be seen in the upcoming thriller “Akira”, a directed by A.R. Murugadoss and “Force 2”, which is directed by AbhinayDeo.

RanbirKapoor on under ‘Pressure’ to deliver hits

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2015

Actor RanbirKapoor, who is going through a lean patch in his career, says there is pressure on him to deliver a success with his upcoming film Tamasha.

“Of course, my last three films, Besharam, Roy and Bombay Velvet haven’t worked, so there is pressure because we don’t make films for ourselves, but make it for the audience,” Ranbir said.

“That audience or my fans who had trusted me might have said that ‘Ranbir does good films’. But when they came to the theatre, perhaps I didn’t perform to make their money worth it,” he said, when asked if there was pressure on him to deliver a hit after his failures.

Surprisingly, the string of flops came after Ranbir delivered the biggest hit of his career YehJawaaniHaiDeewani.

Ranbir had famously made his debut in Sanjay LeelaBhansali’sSaawariya eight years ago. Ranbir called it ‘the most important film’ of his life, and accepted that it was a disaster.

Talking about his selection of films, the Barfi actor said, “It is my aim with every film, that I do good films and good acting. My method of choosing the kind of films that I do is the same. It’s not that a year ago I was doing less acting and I will now do more acting.”

“What I can do is work with my heart, but I don’t have any control over the final destiny of the film — whether it’d be hit or flop.”

Ranbir said he was now praying that Tamasha proved to the audience that ‘there is still something’ about him.

“I’m very attached to films and very passionate about acting. I don’t know anything else,” added the actor, who belongs to Bollywood’s famous Kapoor family.

Despite the failures and pressure, Ranbir has an interesting line-up of films including JaggaJasoos and AeDilHaiMushkil. He has also given his nod to the biopics on Kishore Kumar and Sanjay Dutt.