Delhi: A Delhi court has issued summons to YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in a defamation case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suresh Karamshi Nakhua, after Rathee allegedly referred to him as a “violent and abusive” troll in a YouTube video.

District Judge Gunjan Gupta of the Saket Court passed the order on July 19.

The court also issued a notice to Rathee on Nakhua’s plea for interim relief, scheduling the next hearing for August 6.

Advocates Raghav Awasthi and Mukesh Sharma appeared for Nakhua.

The defamation case revolves around a video titled “My Reply to Godi Youtubers | Elvish Yadav | Dhruv Rathee,” which Rathee uploaded on his YouTube channel on July 7, 2024. In the video, Rathee allegedly referred to Nakhua, the spokesperson for the Mumbai unit of the BJP, as part of “violent and abusive trolls.” Nakhua claims these allegations are baseless and have tarnished his reputation.

The suit argues, “That the Defendant No.1 [Dhruv Rathee], in a highly provocative and incendiary video that spread like wildfire across digital platforms, made bold and unsubstantiated claims against the Plaintiff. The insidious intent behind this video lies in its unfounded insinuation that the Plaintiff is somehow linked to violent and abusive troll activities.”

Nakhua stated that Rathee’s allegations have led to widespread condemnation and ridicule against him. The suit further contends, “Through this cunningly crafted video, a deliberate campaign to besmirch the Plaintiff’s integrity and reputation is apparent, as baseless accusations and malicious connections are artfully insinuated. The primary creator of this video, that is the Plaintiff, seeks not only to cast doubt on the Plaintiff’s character but also to tarnish his hard-earned standing in society. This has planted seeds of suspicion and mistrust that can have far-reaching consequences. The repercussions of such false allegations are manifold, extending well beyond the realm of the video itself to irrevocably impact both the personal and professional domains of the Plaintiff, leaving scars that may never fully heal.”

Yoga guru Ramdev

Haridwar: Yoga guru Ramdev on Sunday justified the order for all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners’ names, saying no one should have any problem in introducing themselves.

“When Ramdev has no problem in revealing his identity, then why should Rehman have any problem?” he told reporters in Haridwar.

Ramdev’s remark comes after the Muzaffarnagar Police last week sparked a controversy by asking all hotels, restaurants and dhabas along the Kanwar Yatra route to put up signboards with their owners’ names, address and mobile number.

On July 19, the Uttar Pradesh government extended the controversial order across the state and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said similar instructions are already in place there.

Agreeing with the decision of both the state governments, Ramdev said one does not need to hide their name, but do one’s work with truth and honesty.

“If the work is done with truth and honesty, then whether the person is a Hindu or a Muslim or belongs to any other religion or class, he should be proud of himself,” the yoga guru said.

He added that the things being fabricated in this matter are wrong.

Regarding the opposition parties’ criticism of the order, Ramdev said their protest has a political motive and some people even oppose the “god-like” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is condemnable.

“This kind of hatred and feeling of animosity, whether it is for the prime minister of the country, for Hindus, or for any other religion or caste, is not acceptable in any way. This is not the eternal culture or ‘sanskaar’ of India. The culture of India is based on non-violence, love, coexistence, harmony and unity,” he added.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand authorities on Sunday said the state police and administration have completed their preparations for the Kanwar Yatra starting from Monday.

Additional Director General of Police A P Anshuman and Inspector General of Police of Garhwal Karan Singh Nagnyal took stock of the preparations for the Kanwar Mela, officials said.

For the sake of arrangements, the entire Kanwar fair area has been divided into 13 super zones, 31 zones and 126 sectors, they said.

Apart from the state police, a bomb disposal squad, eight companies of paramilitary forces of the Centre and four teams of sniffer dogs will also be deployed for the fair, they added.

Apart from this, 22 drone cameras will be used to keep an eye on the activities, while CCTV cameras will also monitor people’s movements.

Every year in the month of Saavan, devotees of Lord Shiva from many states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana reach Haridwar and Rishikesh carrying Kanwad to collect holy water from Ganga.

SAYS JOB QUOTA BILL COMMENTS NOT INTENDED TO INSULT K’TAKA, PEOPLE

PhonePe CEO and Founder Sameer Nigam, PhonePe logo

New Delhi: Amid a furore over his comments on the now-stalled Karnataka job quota bill, PhonePe CEO and Founder Sameer Nigam on Sunday offered an “unconditional apology” and said he never intended to insult the state and its people.

The move assumes significance as PhonePe drew criticism and boycott calls on social media after Nigam had slammed the now-suspended Karnataka government’s quota-for-jobs bill, that had originally proposed reservation for locals in private sector.

Issuing a personal statement on Sunday, Nigam said PhonePe was born in Bengaluru and the team is incredibly proud of its roots in this city, which is well known for its world-class technology talent and vibrant diversity.

“I read some recent media articles, relating to a few personal comments that I made last week regarding the draft job reservation bill. I would first and foremost like to clarify that it was NEVER my intention to insult Karnataka and its people,” Nigam said.

He added, “If my comments hurt anyone’s sentiments in such a way, I am truly sorry and would like to offer you an unconditional apology.”

Nigam said he has highest regards for Kannada, and all other Indian languages, and truly believes that linguistic diversity and rich cultural heritage is a national asset that all Indians should be proud of.

Emphasising on PhonePe’s roots in the city, Nigam said from Bengaluru, over the past decade, the company expanded across the length and breadth of India and been able to deliver secure and efficient digital payments for over 55 crore Indians.

Bengaluru’s reputation as the ‘Silicon valley of India’ is truly well-deserved, he said.

“The city thrives on an incredible culture of innovation, and attracts the most brilliant young minds from Karnataka and the rest of India. As a company, we are deeply grateful for the supportive business environment that Karnataka’s governments and its local Kannadiga populace have offered us,” he said, adding that without an inclusive ecosystem and progressive policies, Bengaluru would not have become a global technology superpower.

“As a company we also thrive on celebrating diversity, we have always tried hard to deliver fair, unbiased and meritocracy-based employment opportunities for all Indians — including all local Kannadigas.

“We believe such an approach gives every Indian a good job a chance to shine, and ultimately helps create more societal and economic value for Bengaluru, Karnataka and India,” Nigam said.

Bengaluru’s Indian startups are competing against trillion dollar giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. To do so, these companies must be able to employ the very best talent available in India purely based on their technology skills and proficiency in fields such as coding, design, product management, data sciences, machine learning, AI and beyond, he pointed out.

As a nation, that is the only way to build world-class companies that can compete globally, Nigam noted.

“I also want to help create lakhs of jobs for Bengaluru and Karnataka. And, I believe with more dialogue and discussion, we can find ways to create more sustainable employment avenues,” he said, adding, “Let’s all work together to do this meaningfully and while creating long-term impact”.

Last week, Nigam post on the controversial, and now-stalled bill had sparked off a backlash on social media.

“I am 46 years old. Never lived in a state for 15+ yrs. My father worked in the Indian Navy. Got posted all over the country. His kids don’t deserve jobs in Karnataka? I build companies. Have created 25000+ jobs across India! My kids dont deserve jobs in their home city? Shame,” Nigam had posted on X recently.

His post had unleashed massive trolling, as social media users in Karnataka lashed out at Nigam and called for a boycott of PhonePe.

Police have registered an FIR against a 28-year-old autorickshaw driver from Thane district for allegedly kidnapping a 17-year-old girl and threatening her with an acid attack if she continued her relations with another man, an official said on Monday.

Police said the victim and the accused were previously acquainted.

The incident took place at around 10 AM on Saturday near Vicco Naka on Kalyan-Shil Road when autorickshaw driver Nitesh Gaikwad forcibly pulled the girl into his rickshaw, snatched her headphones, and threw them away.

He then slammed her head against the iron rod of the rickshaw before driving away with her, the police official said.

After travelling a short distance, Gaikwad stopped the rickshaw under a tree, physically restrained the victim by holding her neck and hands, and accused her of maintaining a relationship with another man.

He demanded that she stay in contact with him, threatening to disrupt her education and to throw chemicals on her face if she refused, the official said.

The Manpada police station has registered the FIR under various sections related to kidnapping, assault, and threats, as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Further investigation is underway and no arrest has been made so far.

New Delhi: Delhi High Court judge Justice Amit Sharma on Monday recused himself from hearing the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid in a UAPA case related to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the riots here in February 2020.

The matter was listed for hearing before a division bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Sharma.

This has to go before another bench, Justice Singh said.

“List before another bench, of which Justice Amit Sharma is not a member, on July 24,” the court ordered.

Khalid, who was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, has assailed a recent trial court order refusing to grant him bail in the case.

Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots in the national capital, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

On May 28, the trial court had rejected Khalid’s plea seeking regular bail for the second time, saying its previous order dismissing his first bail application had attained finality.

“When the Delhi High Court has already dismissed the criminal appeal of the applicant (Khalid) vide order dated October 18, 2022, and thereafter, the applicant approached the Supreme Court and withdrew his petition, the order of this court as passed on March 24, 2022 (on the first bail plea), has attained finality and now, in no stretch of imagination this court can make analysis of the facts of the case as desired by the applicant and consider the relief as prayed by him,” the trial court had said.

On October 18, 2022, the high court had upheld the dismissal of the first bail plea and said the city police’s allegations against him are prima facie true.

The high court had said the anti-CAA protests “metamorphosed into violent riots”, which “prima facie seemed to be orchestrated at the conspiratorial meetings” and the statements of the witnesses indicate Khalid’s “active involvement” in the protests.

A photo of Shivalik Class frigate of the Indian Navy.

Mumbai: A fire erupted onboard an indigenous frigate ship undergoing refit at Mumbai’s Naval Dockyard which was swiftly doused, an official said on Monday.

No casualties were reported in the incident which occurred on Sunday evening.

The Indian Navy in a statement said an inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the fire which was detected by the ship’s duty staff while carrying out routine maintenance work.

“A fire broke out onboard an Indian Naval Ship undergoing refit at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on 21 July 2024 evening,” the Navy stated.

Details about the extent of the damage caused to the ship due to the fire are not available.

“The ship’s firefighting team immediately commenced firefighting action and was augmented by the fire brigade from the Naval dockyard, Mumbai and other units in the vicinity. The fire has been brought under control and no casualties have been reported in the incident,” the Navy said.

Mumbai : Heavy rains continued to lash Mumbai on the second consecutive day on Monday, with some areas receiving up to 34 mm of rainfall in just one hour in the morning, affecting local train services during the rush hour between Kalyan and Thakurli stations of the Central Railway network.

In the last 24 hours ended at 8 am, the island city recorded an average of 135 mm of rainfall, eastern Mumbai 154 mm, and western Mumbai 137 mm, officials said.

Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Mumbai to tackle any situation amid the forecast of a high tide and heavy rains in the city and its suburbs.

In its forecast for the next 24 hours starting at 8 AM on Monday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted “heavy to very heavy rain in the city and suburbs, with the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places.”

According to the civic body, a high tide of 4.59 meters is expected at 12.59 PM.

Malabar and Mulund Hill recorded 34 mm of rainfall between 6 am and 7 am, followed by Bhandup with 29 mm, Wadala East with 24 mm, and Versova with 20 mm.

Western Railway stated that local train services were running normally on Monday morning, however, commuters claimed trains were running late by 5 to 10 minutes.

Central Railway also stated that local services on all four corridors were normal. Commuters, however, said train traffic was affected between Kalyan and Thakurli stations in the morning rush hour due to a signal problem.

“Many commuters are walking on the tracks as trains are halted for a long time,” a passenger said.

A civic official said buses of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) were not diverted.

A day earlier, heavy downpours pounded Mumbai and suburbs, inundating roads in many areas, diverting flights, and briefly affecting local train traffic between Dadar and Matunga stations.

The Mithi River, which originates in Sanjay Gandhi National Park and meets the Arabian Sea at Mahim, swelled due to continuous rainfall in Mumbai since Sunday. It was flowing at 1.5 meters on Monday morning, but its flood level reached 2.26 meters Sunday night.

In other parts of Maharashtra, Konkan and Vidarbha regions have been receiving heavy rainfall since the weekend, causing rivers to swell and low-lying areas to submerge. As a result, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Mumbai and other parts of the state.

“We have deployed NDRF teams at Vasai (Palghar district), Thane, Ghatkopar and Powai (in Mumbai), Mahad (Raigad), Khed and Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kudal (Sindhudurg), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara due to the monsoon season as pre-positioning, apart from three teams in Mumbai and one team in Nagpur as regular deployment,” an NDRF official said.

He said teams are on alert for any emergent response at their locations, conducting reconnaissance in low-lying and landslide-prone areas.