Archives for November 2020

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Friday allowed private buses to operate with full capacity ahead of the Diwali holidays and issued an SOP to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.

The state government has directed private bus owners not to allow passengers without masks to board their vehicles and keep sanitizers at the entrance of buses along with extra masks.

Every passenger will be screened with a thermal gun before boarding, and those with fever, cough, and cold will not be permitted to travel.

Drivers should ensure that proper social distancing is maintained among passengers while boarding and alighting from buses, the SOP stated.

Buses should be disinfected at the end of each journey and even reservation offices should be cleaned and sanitized, it was stated.

As per the guidelines, permit holders of buses will have to maintain proper records of the disinfection of their buses.

The state government has also warned action against permit holders under the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989, and Disaster Management Act 2005, in case the SOP is violated.

Private operators have been seeking to ply buses with full capacity, especially after the state government permitted the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) to so.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Friday registered a case against YouTuber Gaurav Wasan for allegedly misappropriating funds received as a donation for the owner of Baba Ka Dhaba’, an eatery in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.

Kanta Prasad (80), the owner of the eatery, had shot to fame after a video of him tearfully recounting the desperation of the months since the lockdown was shot by Wasan and shared widely across social media platforms recently.

The case was registered against the YouTuber following a complaint lodged by Prasad on October 31, nearly a month after the video went viral.

In his complaint to police, Prasad alleged that Wasan “intentionally and deliberately shared only his and his family/friends bank details and mobile numbers with the donors and collected a huge amount of donation… without providing any information to the complainant”.

Wasan, however, denied the allegations.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, “After we received a complaint, a preliminary enquiry was done and an FIR was registered under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of Indian Penal Code and an investigation has been initiated.”

Earlier in the day, Prasad said he was hurt over being called “greedy” by some people on the social media after he lodged a complaint against Wasan and challenged the YouTuber to disclose his bank details to prove his innocence.

Talking to reporters at a press conference, Prasad, accompanied by his lawyer Prem Joshi and blogger Tushant, claimed that Wasan gave him a cheque of 2.33 lakh on October 26 after the YouTuber was trolled for not handing over the donation amount to Prasad.

Tushant alleged that Wasan has only disclosed his bank account statements from October 7 to 10 whereas he received more money after that. He demanded that Wasan must reveal his bank account statements till October 26.

Joshi highlighted that in the initial videos shared by Wasan, he had claimed that Prasad did not have a bank account or a mobile phone but that was a “lie”.

Joshi also claimed that on October 26, when Wasan gave the cheque to Prasad, he made him sign a paper claiming that all dues had been settled. However, later he again gave Rs 1.45 lakh to Prasad.

Wasan, however, said that he has submitted to the police his bank account statements till November 2 and maintained that he gave all the amount received as a donation for Prasad to him.

The police officer added that prosecution sanction from the Union Home Ministry against Khalid in connection with the Delhi riots conspiracy case had also been received. 

NEW DELHI:  The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has given prosecution sanction against former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid, who was arrested under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with a case related to the February communal violence in north-east Delhi.

A senior official of the Delhi Police Crime Branch confirmed the development and added that the sanction was given about 10 days ago, and Khalid might now be named in the supplementary charge sheet. “The sanction for prosecution has been approved in all the Delhi riots-related cases registered by the police. Now, it is up to the courts to see who are the accused,” a senior Delhi government functionary said.

The police officer added that prosecution sanction from the Union Home Ministry against Khalid in connection with the Delhi riots conspiracy case had also been received. “To prosecute one under Section 13 of the UAPA, we need sanction from the MHA, which we have already received. For prosecution under Section 16,17 and 18 of the UAPA, we have received the sanction from the Delhi government,” the officer added. Khalid was arrested on September 13 under the UAPA Act in a case related to the communal violence. 

He was arrested after 11 hours of interrogation. Earlier, he was questioned by the Crime Branch for a couple of hours on September 2 and also booked under the UAPA in another case related to the riots. At least 53 people had lost their lives and around 200 were injured in the communal violence that broke out on February 24 after a clash between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation spiralled out of control.

In April, Khalid’s name figured in the FIR registered in connection with the riots. In the FIR, the police had claimed that the communal violence was a “premeditated conspiracy”, which was allegedly hatched by Khalid and two others. He was booked for the offences of sedition, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and rioting.

Slamming Kejriwal, Khalid’s father SQR Ilyas tweeted: “Arvindkejriwal unveiled.” Taking to Twitter, JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh said: “Mr Kejriwal, each and every betrayal won’t be forgotten.” “I am happy for my friends in the US. Regardless of the outcome, they can take solace in the fact that they at least have a real opposition,” Shehla Rashid tweeted

Pinjra Tod members and JNU students Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, JMI student Tanha, Gulfisha Khatoon, ex-Cong councillor Ishrat Jahan, JCC members Zargar, Meeran Haider, Shafa-Ur-Rehman, suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, activist Khalid Saifi, Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Salim Malik, Mohd Salim Khan and Athar Khan

Mumbai: Republic TV Editor-in Chief Arnab Goswami has petitioned the Bombay High Court challenging his “illegal arrest” in a 2018 case of abetment of suicide of an interior designer, and sought quashing of the FIR lodged against him by Alibaug police in Maharashtra.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik will hear the plea on Thursday afternoon.

Goswami was arrested on Wednesday from his residence at Lower Parel in Mumbai for allegedly abetting the suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik, and was taken to the Alibaug police station in neighbouring Raigad district.

He was later produced before a magistrate’s court in Alibaug which remanded him in judicial custody till November 18. Goswami is currently kept at a local school which has been designated as a COVID-19 centre for the Alibaug prison.

In his petition, Goswami has challenged his “illegal arrest” and sought an urgent order of stay in the investigation into the case and also a direction to the police to release him immediately.

The plea has also sought the FIR against him to be quashed. It alleged that Goswami was assaulted by the police team that barged into his house on Wednesday.

“He has been wrongly and illegally arrested in a motivated, false and closed case. This is another attempt of political witch-hunt and vendetta politics against the petitioner and his channel,” the petition said.

“The arrest was conducted in blatant violation of the fundamental rights to life and personal liberty of the petitioner (Goswami) and his dignity. The petitioner and his son were assaulted and dragged into the police van when Goswami was arrested,” it added.

As per the plea, the investigation into the case was closed last year and a closure report was filed which was accepted by Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Alibaug court by an order dated April 16, 2019.

“It is shocking that a case that was decisively closed has been reopened with the sole purpose of misusing power, concocting facts and forcibly arresting the petitioner in a prime facie act of revenge and vengeance for his news coverage which questioned those in power in Maharashtra,” the petition said.

The petition claimed that in May 2018, the police had recorded the statements of Goswami and two senior officials of the Republic TV and after conducting a thorough investigation, the case was closed.

“The petitioner had at that time provided detailed documents to the police in relation to the business transactions with the deceased’s company and had fully cooperated in the matter,” the petition said.

It also said Goswamis company ARG Outlier Pvt Ltd had paid over 90 per cent of the amount due to the deceased Anvay Naiks company Concorde Designs, as per the contract.

“In July 2019, the entire balance amount due was transferred to the bank account of Naik’s company but the amount returned because the account was inoperative,” the petition said.

It said the petitioner has been fully cooperating with the police in the past and will continue doing so in future also.