Days after rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharatshet Gogawale’s remarks on the ongoing legal case against the dissidents, Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wondered “if he is implying that the Supreme Court is in cahoots with the BJP.” Will the SC take action against Gogawale over his remarks, she asked.
Gogawale is the chief whip of the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, while Chaturvedi supports the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
Gogawale had at an event said the case before the Supreme Court pertaining to two factions of the Shiv Sena has gone before the SC’s constitution bench. It will go on for four-five years.
By that time, there will be 2024 elections and the rebel Shiv Sena faction along with the BJP will win the polls, he had claimed.
Chaturvedi in a tweet said, “This loudmouth MLA thinks SC is deliberately holding on to the Maharashtra decision so as to help BJP+BJP Junior. Is he implying SC is in cahoots with BJP?” “This sentiment of SC aiding a party to delay judgement damages the credibility of the SC, will it take action against him?” the parliamentarian sought to know.
The rebellion in the Shiv Sena pivoted by Shinde led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in June this year.
The Thackeray faction has sought disqualification of the rebel group MLAs.
Amid speculation that the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to woo Maharashtra Navnirman Sena ahead of Mumbai civic polls, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday met MNS president Raj Thackeray at the latter’s residence here.
Bawankule reached the MNS chief’s residence ‘Shivtirth’ in Dadar’s Shivaji Park area around noon. The BJP leader didn’t speak to reporters but later said in a social media post that he had discussed various social and political issues related to Maharashtra and the country with Raj Thackeray.
A day earlier, another BJP leader and former Maharashtra minister Vinod Tawde had met Raj Thackeray.
The BJP, which had won 82 seats in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls in 2017 just two short of Shiv Sen’s tally, is trying to woo MNS for Marathi votes amid the split in Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
The schedule for the BMC polls is not announced yet.
The Supreme Court deferred to Thursday the hearing on the bail plea of activist Teesta Setalvad, arrested for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame “innocent people” in the 2002 Gujarat riots cases.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and justices S Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia, which was to take up the plea for hearing at 3.45 pm, adjourned the matter to September 1 due to paucity of time.
“Because of the paucity of time, the matter could not be taken up. List this matter at 3 pm on Thursday,” the bench said in its order.
In response to the bail plea, the Gujarat government has said that the activist had “enacted” the conspiracy along with other accused at the behest of a senior political leader.
The state government, in an affidavit, claimed that Setalvad had held meetings with the said political leader and received “large amounts of money”.
The affidavit, filed by the chief of the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the case lodged in June this year, said the FIR was not solely based upon the June 24, 2022 judgement of the top court.
Prior to this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat, had told the bench that a response to Setalvad’s petition was ready and would be filed after some corrections.
On August 22, the apex court sought a response from the Gujarat government on the bail plea of Setalvad, who was arrested in June in the case.
The Gujarat High Court, on August 3, issued a notice to the state government on the bail plea of Setalvad and fixed the matter for hearing on September 19.
The top court had on June 24 dismissed a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, the wife of former Congress MP Ehsaan Jafri who was killed in Ahmedabad during the riots, triggered by the torching of a coach of Sabarmati Express by a mob near Godhra station on February 27, 2002.
Fifty-nine passengers were charred to death in the incident.
A sessions court at Ahmedabad, on July 30, rejected the bail applications of Setalvad and former Director General of Police R B Sreekumar in the case, saying that if they were released, it will send a message to wrongdoers that a person can level allegations with impunity and get away with it.
Setalvad and former Director General of Police (DGP) R B Sreekumar, both arrested in June, are accused of fabricating evidence to frame “innocent people” in the post-Godhra riots cases.
They are lodged in the Sabarmati central jail. Sreekumar has also moved the high court for bail.
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, the third accused in the case, has not applied for bail. Bhatt was already in jail for another criminal matter when he was arrested in this case.
They were arrested by the Ahmedabad city crime branch in June after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against them under Indian Penal Code sections 468 (forgery for cheating) and 194 (fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction for capital offences).
Mumbai-based Setalvad and Sreekumar were arrested within a couple of days after the Supreme Court on June 24 dismissed a petition filed by Zakia Jafri.
Irish actor Colin Farrell’s upcoming Apple series ‘Sugar’ has added five new names such as James Cromwell, Anna Gunn, Dennis Boutsikaris, Alex Hernandez and Lindsay Pulsipher. Cromwell and Gunn will recur, while Boutsikaris, Hernandez and Pulsipher will be series regulars.
Along with Farrell, previously announced cast members include Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Amy Ryan, reports ‘Variety’.
Exact plot and character details for the show remain under wraps, aside from the fact that it is described as a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles.
Mark Protosevich serves as writer and executive producer on ‘Sugar’.
Farrell will executive produce in addition to starring. Fernando Meirelles will direct and executive produce. Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon of Genre Films also executive produce, as do Scott Greenberg and Chip Vucelich.
Apple Studios will produce. ‘Sugar’ is the second series that Kinberg and Genre Films have at Apple.
The company also produces the streamer’s show ‘Invasion’. That series, which is a sci-fi drama about an alien invasion of Earth, debuted on Apple in 2021 and was renewed for a second season in December. Kinberg co-created the series with David Weil.
Activist Jyoti Jagtap, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has moved the Bombay High Court for bail claiming false implication but the National Investigation Agency (NIA) opposed her plea saying she was spreading activities of the banned CPI (Maoist) in urban areas.
The NIA in its affidavit stated that Jagtap was an active member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) who was spreading activities of the banned “terror group” in urban areas and had undergone training for using weapons and explosives. Jagtap’s plea came up for hearing before a division bench headed by Justice Ajey Gadkari on Tuesday.
The high court posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.
While Jagtap, a singer-cum-artist, claimed she was innocent and the NIA has failed to establish any prima facie evidence against her, the agency said Jagtap had made efforts to mobilise Dalits at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, to protest against the government and to create hatred against the government.
The NIA further alleged that Jagtap underwent training for using weapons and explosives in 2011.
This claim was refuted by Jagtap in her petition. “Jagtap had made efforts to gather a huge public mob of Dalits and other organisations to the Elgar Parishad conclave held on December 31, 2017, to protest against the government and to create hatred against the government,” the agency said in an affidavit.
“Jagtap was also responsible for maintaining the accounts of funds in order to facilitate the organization of the Elgar Parishad conclave,” the NIA said. According to investigators, provocative speeches were allegedly made at the conclave triggering violence around Koregaon Bhima in the Pune district on January 1, 2018.
The Pune Police had claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. Jagtap (34) had filed an appeal in the HC challenging a February 2022 order of the special court refusing to grant her bail.
She is accused of singing and raising provocative slogans at the Elgar Parishad conclave along with other members of the Kabir Kala Manch group. According to the NIA, Kabir Kala Manch is a frontal group for the banned terror outfit CPI (Maoist).
Jagtap was arrested in the case in September 2020 and has been lodged at the Byculla women’s prison in Mumbai since then.
“The appellant (Jagtap) is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case and she has nothing to do with the alleged offence,” the plea said, adding that the NIA has failed to establish any prima facie case against Jagtap.
The petition further said while she was named as an accused in the case by the Pune police (which was initially probing the case), her name was not included in the charge sheet (filed by the Pune police).
Jagtap was arrested only after the NIA took over the probe, it said.
“The prosecution has failed to bring anything on record to suggest that the appellant was a member of Kabir Kala Manch or any banned terror organisation,” the petition said.
It added that Kabir Kala Manch is a cultural group which through music and poetry tries to bring communal harmony and secularism back into Indian society.
The NIA in its reply to the bail plea claimed that Jagtap and other accused, who are members of the Kabir Kala Manch, used the Elgar Parishad conclave to establish contact with CPI (Maoist) members.
The agency alleged that Jagtap and other accused attended meetings organised by Elgar Parishad conclave members and efforts were made to gather a huge mob of Dalits and other organisations against the government and to create hatred against the government.
“In furtherance to the conspiracy and directions from CPI (Maoist) senior members, in order to propagate their agenda, planning and coordination were done all over Maharashtra,” the NIA said.
Actress Laverne Cox, who was mistaken for Beyonce at US open, turned to her social media page to share her reaction.
Some Beyonce fans thought they spotted the ‘Naughty Girl’ hitmaker in the crowd at the 2022 US Open, but it was actually the four-time Emmy-nominated actress, reports aceshowbiz.com.
The 50-year-old star was sitting in the stands in an all-black outfit and a matching black face mask in New York City. She was at the match to cheer on Serena Williams, who is playing in her final US Open ahead of her retirement from tennis.
After her name and Beyonce trended on Twitter, Cox, who is the first transgender person to be on the cover of Time magazine, shared her reaction on Instagram.
“Not me getting mistaken for @Beyonce at the #USOpen tonight then trending on Twitter as the Internet cackles over the mistaken identity. These tweets are funny as hell. Enjoy!!! Go @serenawilliams #GOAT #SerenaWilliams #Beyonce,” she wrote along with a series of funny tweets.
This began after a Twitter user who goes by the name Choni shared a short clip of Cox in the middle of the audience. “#Beyonce at the #USOpen,” Choni captioned the footage. Shortly after, people corrected him, noting that it was actually Laverne.
“Baby. That’s Laverne Cox,” movie director Angel Lenise quote-retweeted Choni’s post.
Actor Kamal R Khan, also known as KRK, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody by the Borivali Court on Tuesday.
KRK was presented in the Borivali Court after he was arrested by the Malad Police earlier today.
According to the police, KRK was arrested over FIR against his controversial social media posts back in 2020.
The FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint by Yuva Sena leader Rahul Kanal on April 30, 2020, where he alleged that KRK’s tweets on the late Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor allegedly spread “hatred”.
Rahul had said in the FIR that a person named Kamal R Khan is “regularly spreading hatred” on social media. “He came into Bollywood with a movie named ‘Deshdrohi’ and is really acting like one.
Even when the world is going through a pandemic, I can’t understand his inhumane behaviour and spreading hatred in all spheres of life. The complainant said KRK was making hateful comments against late actors Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor.
“After Irrfan Khan, who is India’s pride, passed away, he was making poor claims and statements on him. He was also talking crap about senior actor late Rishi Kapoor also,” the complainant further stated. He also said that KRK is not in the country and requested PM Modi to file a case against him.
“This person is surely not in our country. I would like to urge our Prime Minister to kindly register a case against him under sections 505, 504, 501, 188, 117, 121 and 153 (A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), thereby setting an example for everyone to follow,” the complainant Rahul said in the complaint.
As per the information, Khan on Tuesday landed at the Mumbai airport after which he was apprehended.
64 Congress leaders resign as Ghulam Nabi Azad looks set to launch party 9
As many as 64 senior Congress leaders, including former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, resigned from the party in support of veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
According to sources, the leaders submitted their resignations to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. On Saturday, several political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir met veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is planning to launch a new national party, a day after tendering resignations from all posts of Congress.
“MLAs from Jammu and Kashmir are here. A few more, some senior leaders and exministers will come in the evening. Azad Sa’ab said a national party will be formed, we’ll begin from J&K and the upcoming poll will be fought strongly. Don’t want to reply to comments, we’ll reply with a victory,” said former Congress leader Salman Nizami.
The meeting came soon after Azad’s resignation from all posts in Congress. Azad’s decision to form a political party also holds importance as the Valley is likely to go to polls later this year.
“Under the leadership of Azad Ji we will launch a national party and the work will begin from Jammu and Kashmir. Azad Ji will go to J&K and will form an alliance with like-minded parties and leaders. All the criticism coming Azad Ji’s way will be answered by winning elections,” ex- Congress leader Salman Nizami had earlier announced.
FC Goa will clash with Bengaluru FC to keep their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages alive today in Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata.
Facing an in-form Bengaluru FC that boasts of some of the biggest names in Indian football may be a tough task, but the young-looking FC Goa squad will look to tame the tides in the Durand Cup will be up to meet the challenge.
While their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage took a major hit following Friday’s loss to Jamshedpur FC, Deggie Cardozo’s boys will look to keep their hopes alive with a win against the Blues.
When FC Goa took on Mohammedan SC (Sporting Club) in their campaign opener on August 16, the I-League outfit, who had experience, got the better of the Boys in Orange.
The Goan boys showed their class in the following game against Indian Air Force as they put up a great fighting spirit to come out winners in a tight contest.
Against Jamshedpur FC, the youngsters put up a brave fight right till the end but fell short owing to a late goal, and now they find themselves with three points from as many matches.
Bengaluru FC, on the other hand, has won both the matches that they have played so far. They began their run in the Durand Cup with a close victory over the Men of Steel, before trouncing the Air Force by four goals to none. It is not surprising, given Simon Grayson chose a full-strength squad to represent the club in the tournament. Overall, they have six points from two matches.
Among the Goa players, Hrithik Tiwari, Salman Faris, Lalremruata HP, Jovial Dias and Phrangki Buam will be the key players to watch out for. Goalkeeper Hrithik has been in fine form of late, making several fine saves including a save from a penalty in the last game.
The Blues, meanwhile, have Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna who have gelled well up front and have found the back of the net consistently.
The likes of Suresh Wangjam and Bruno Ramires add strength to their midfield, while the defence boasts of Jhingan, Alan Costa and Hira Mondal among others.
The coach’s call on the performance, “Coming to this tournament as the defending champions, taking the trophies back home has indeed been our top objective all along. We may have lost our way a bit, but it’s not because we played poorly,” Cardozo said.
“Across all the three games that we played, there were several phases where we dominated our opponents. Our midfield play has been fine, and this experience will serve the youngsters well in the days to come. Being a young squad, my players lacked experience at the topmost levels of Indian football and also in terms of physicality when compared to the senior players of our opponents yet they never made that an excuse to give up.”
“I’m proud of my boys for the way in which they fought so far. And the fight is not over, because we are facing Bengaluru FC tomorrow. We want to play a good game, and that’s what we are focusing on,” the FC Goa head coach added.
“Bengaluru FC may be a strong team, but we faced similar sides prior to this. We’re confident of doing well.”, the coach said before the game with Bengaluru FC.
The clash between FC Goa and Bengaluru FC will be held at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Tuesday, with the kick-off slated to happen at 03:00 pm IST.
A California owner of a Tesla Model 3 sued the electric vehicle maker in a proposed class action over cars suddenly stopping for non-existent obstacles, calling it a “frightening and dangerous nightmare,” according to the lawsuit.
Tesla has rushed its autonomous driving cars to market with unsafe technology, including its driver assistant system which the company calls Autopilot or Full Self-Driving, and its emergency braking system, according to the lawsuit by Jose Alvarez Toledo of San Francisco.
This adds to growing public and regulatory scrutiny of Tesla’s driver assistance technology, despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk promising full self-driving by this year-end.
“When the sudden unintended braking defect occurs, they turn what is supposed to be a safety feature into a frightening and dangerous nightmare,” said Toledo’s lawsuit, which was filed on Friday in federal court in the northern district of California.
The lawsuit seeks class-action status for all U.S. owners or those leasing a Tesla that suffers from the sudden unintended braking defect.
Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments.
In February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into 416,000 Tesla vehicles over reports of unexpected brake activation tied to Autopilot.
The lawsuit accused Tesla of fraudulently hiding the safety risks associated with Autopilot, breaching its warranties, unfairly profiting from Autopilot, and violating California’s unfair competition law.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for expenses to repair vehicles, diminished value of Tesla cars, and a refund of the added cost attributed to the Autopilot feature, according to the lawsuit.
