Surat: Activists of right-wing Bajrang Dal on Monday took down and set on fire a huge flex banner announcing “Pakistani food festival” to be organised at a restaurant here in Gujarat, a senior office-bearer said and claimed that the concerned restaurant has accepted its “mistake”.
This banner put up atop a building housing the restaurant in the Ring Road area was taken down and set blaze amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram.”
The said food festival was supposed to be organised at the ‘Taste of India’ restaurant between December 12-22.
South Gujarat Bajrang Dal president Deviprasad Dubey said the member activists took down the flex banner from the building and set it on fire because they are against such an event.
“We ensured that such a festival is not organised at that restaurant. No such festival will be tolerated. The restaurant has accepted its mistake,” he said.
Sandeep Dawar of ‘Sugar N Spice Restaurants’, which operates ‘Taste of India,’ said they will continue to serve the Mughlai cuisine and will strike out the word “Pakistani” from the food festival as it hurts the sentiments of some people.
“We will not use the word ‘Pakistani’ anymore in the food festival as it hurts the sentiments of some people. When we were using that word we felt that some people might not like it, but we did not know it would turn out like this…We are just serving cuisine which has nothing to do with Pakistan as such. The second name of Mughlai cuisine is Pakistani food,” Dawar said.
Archives for 2021
Supreme Court sets aside Karnataka High Court’s verdict in Prajwal Revanna case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday said that an election petition cannot be thrown out at the threshold on a plea of the elected candidate that the petition is not supported by an affidavit, as prescribed under Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
A bench comprising justices S K Kaul and M M Sundresh set aside an order of the Karnataka High Court dismissing an election petition against Prajwal Revanna’s win from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency in 2019.
BJP candidate A Manju had challenged the election of Revanna on the grounds that there was allegedly non-disclosure of assets held by him in his election affidavit.
The question for consideration before the apex court was whether an election petition can be thrown out at the threshold on a plea of the respondent/elected candidate that the petition is not supported by an affidavit in Form 25, as prescribed under Rule 94A of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, even though the petition is based on allegations of corrupt practices.
“We are not persuaded to agree with the conclusion arrived at by the High Court that the non-submission of Form 25 would lead to the dismissal of the election petition,” the bench said.
The top court said if we look at the election petition, the prayer clause is followed by a verification.
“There is also a verifying affidavit in support of the election petition. Thus, factually it would not be appropriate to say that there is no affidavit in support of the petition, albeit not in Form 25.
“This was a curable defect and the learned Judge trying the election petition ought to have granted an opportunity to the appellant to file an affidavit in support of the petition in Form 25 in addition to the already existing affidavit filed with the election petition,” the bench said.
The bench granted liberty to Manju to file an appropriate affidavit in Form 25 within 15 days from today.
“The further proceedings in the election petition are required to be taken up urgently as almost two and a half years have gone on the preliminary skirmishes rather than the meat of the matter, which we are sure the single Judge of the High Court would so do,” the bench said.
The appeal filed by Manju said that Prajwal had resorted to unfair and corrupt practices and his election should be set aside.
Prajwal was declared the winner with 6,76,606 votes. Manju came as a first runner up with 5,35,282 votes.
Contractors in Karnataka seek high-level inquiry into charges of corruption
Karnataka State Contractors’ Association President D Kempanna
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Contractors’ Association on Monday demanded a high-level inquiry int all irregularities including in government projects after having sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to this effect.
Also, the association sought an overhaul of the tender allotment process and stressed the need for a transparent system in place for tenders and bill payments.
In their letter to the Prime Minister in July, the association claimed harassment by Ministers, elected representatives and others accusing them of demanding up to 30 per cent of the tender amount for approving a contract and 5-6 per cent towards release of ‘Letter of Credit’ against pending bills.
Welcoming the inquiry ordered by the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai into the tender process and bill payment, the association in a press release questioned the government on its silence over corruption charges and sought the high-level probe into them.
Depending on the government’s response, the association said it would also try to meet President Ramnath Kovind and the Prime Minister in person to bring to their notice the issues faced by contractors.
In the release, the association made it clear that it is not accusing only the present government of corruption, but also the increasing irregularities year on year from government to government.
Letters have also been written to the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, former JD(S) chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and all the MLAs seeking cooperation in removing corruption, the association said adding that it has even planned for a protest in Bengaluru in January in this regard.
Hamstring injury rules Rohit Sharma out of SA Test series; Priyank Panchal named replacement
C: @BCCI | Twitter
New Delhi: India’s Test vice-captain Rohit Sharma was on Monday ruled out of the entire three-Test series against South Africa as his old left-hamstring injury resurfaced during the team’s net session in Mumbai where he also took a hit on his hand.
India A captain Priyank Panchal will be Rohit’s replacement opener in the Test series.
“Team India Test vice-captain Rohit Sharma sustained a left hamstring injury during his training session here in Mumbai yesterday. He has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match Test series against South Africa. Priyank Panchal will replace Rohit Sharma in the Test squad,” BCCI stated in a press release.
The Board has not announced a stand-in vice-captain but it is expected that KL Rahul is the front-runner for being Virat Kohli’s deputy during the Tests.
Other contenders could be Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin considering that Ajinkya Rahane has been removed from the role with his place in the eleven not being assured. The Tests will wind up on January 15 followed by three ODIs, scheduled to begin on January 19 in Paarl.
The 34-year-old Rohit also sustained a hit on his hands at the Mumbai nets while taking throwdowns from Raghavendra aka Raghu.
“Yes, Rohit did suffer an injury on his hand but even after that he had batted. So we can presume that hand injury isn’t serious. But thereafter, it seemed the old hamstring problem resurfaced once again and it might take some time before he is fully fit and available.
“They are trying to sort it out. Hamstring injuries normally take four weeks which could effectively rule him out of Test series,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on Monday.
As of now, the extent of Rohit’s injury is not very clear. It is not known whether it’s a strain which is a less serious injury or a tear, which will have to be graded.
“There are some issues but the medical team is trying to sort it out,” a source close to the cricketer told PTI.
The BCCI is yet to share the details of his scan report which will ascertain the degree of the injury.
“Any hamstring injury, even the lowest grade takes a month to heal with rehabilitation sessions. In Tests we have Mayank Agarwal ready to open with KL Rahul, who could potentially be the vice-captain.
“And now we have Priyank Panchal also as cover. We would be hoping that he is fit and ready for the ODI series,” the source added.
It is learnt that Panchal reported at the team hotel this evening.
“Panchal has been asked to report at the Mumbai team hotel tonight. He is there as a cover for Rohit. Also because he recently played in South Africa and scored runs, he was asked to join,” an official associated with the India A team informed.
Panchal is no greenhorn as he has 100 first-class matches under his belt with 7011 runs, including 24 hundreds.
He has been a part of a very successful Gujarat team that won the Ranji Trophy under Parthiv Patel and has been an India A captain.
He was fighting for the reserve opener’s slot with Abhimanyu Easwaran but pipped the Bengal man as the latter batted at No.3 in the A series.
COVID-19: China reports first case of Omicron amid outbreak of new Delta strain
Beijing: China has reported its first case of Omicron variant of COVID-19 amid a spike in coronavirus infections stated to be that of new Delta strain “sub-lineage AY.4”, prompting authorities to bar millions of people in the eastern province from travelling.
The first case of Omicron variant of coronavirus was reported in Tianjin city in north China, state-run CGTN-TV reported on Monday.
A person who came from overseas was tested positive for the new variant, the report said.
Details on the person’s nationality or travel history were not immediately disclosed.
Officials said the individual is an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient and its respiratory specimen has shown existence of the Omicron variant on December 9 after tests.
The person was under closed-loop management since entry to Tianjin and is now being treated in isolation in hospital, the report said.
Meanwhile, China is experiencing a major outbreak of the Delta strain sub-lineage AY.4 in Zhejiang province where 138 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic carrier were reported between December 5 and 12, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
Of the 138 cases, 44 were reported in Ningbo, 77 in Shaoxing and 17 in the provincial capital of Hangzhou.
The whole-genome sequencing and analysis found that the cases in the three cities were caused by the Delta strain sub-lineage AY.4, which is stated to be more transmissible and carries a higher viral load than the original novel coronavirus, the report said, quoting an official of the Zhejiang provincial centre for disease control and prevention.
Local authorities have imposed restrictions on public gatherings and travelling out of the province to prevent the virus from spreading further, it said. The province has a population of 64.6 million.
The Chinese mainland recorded 101 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with 80 linked to local transmissions and 21 from overseas, according to National Health Commission (NHC) data released on Monday.
A total of 17 new asymptomatic cases were also recorded and 444 asymptomatic patients remain under medical observation.
NHC on Monday reported 80 new Covid cases, including 74 in Zhejiang, five in Inner Mongolia and one in Shaanxi provinces.
The spurt of coronavirus cases came ahead of the February 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, causing anxiety among the officials here.
China, which has effectively curbed international travel, has been reporting sporadic spurt of cases, raising questions of its zero-case policy of coronavirus.
As on Sunday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on mainland China reached 99,780 since the virus broke out in the central city of Wuhan in 2019. The death toll stands at 4,636.
While 1,381 patients, 27 in serious condition, are still under treatment, 93,763 have recovered so far, the NHC said.
2 TMC MPs submit privilege motion notice against ex-CJI, RS member Ranjan Gogoi
New Delhi: Two TMC MPs on Monday submitted a notice to move privilege motion against former Chief Justice of India and Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi over his remarks about attending Parliament, sources said.
The notice from Trinamool Congress (TMC) members Jawhar Sircar and Mausam Noor is yet to be admitted by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
Besides them, several other MPs from various opposition parties are also expected to file notices of privilege motion against Gogoi, the sources said.
Sircar and Noor have filed the notice for privilege motion over Gogoi’s remarks about attending Parliament, they said.
In an interview to a news channel, Gogoi reportedly said in the wake of Covid curbs and lack of social distancing, he likes to attend Rajya Sabha when he feels like and when he thinks there are matters of importance on which he should speak, the sources said.
Gogoi also purportedly said he is a nominated member, and not governed by any party whip, the sources said citing his remarks.
MPs from the TMC are also expected to file a complaint against Gogoi with the Ethics Committee, they said.
Electricity bills of places of worship will not be waived off: Karnataka Minister
Belagavi: Karnataka Energy Minister Sunil Kumar on Monday stated that the no electricity bills of any places of worship will be waived off.
The minister was answering a question posed by BJP leader Munirajugouda during the Question and Answer session in the assembly on Monday.
“Electricity bills of several places of worships of all religions are pending. But there is no proposal before the government to waive off any of those bills,” he said.
“Because of the COVID, we have extended time for the payment of these bills. We have also announced certain concessions. But there is no point of waiving off the bills,” he added while stating that legal action will be taken against those places of worship who have acquired illegal electricity connections in their premises.
Britain reports world’s first known Omicron variant death
London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday confirmed the UK’s first death from the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the first known fatality from the highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 in the world.
Johnson used the case to highlight the importance of not being complacent that the new variant is milder compared to the currently dominant Delta variant and urged people to get their top-up booster vaccine doses, now being offered to all adults aged 18 and over.
During a visit to a vaccine clinic in west London as part of the Omicron Emergency Boost campaign, Johnson also refused to rule out bringing in further restrictions in the coming days and weeks to control the rapid spread of the variant which has now crossed over 3,000 cases in the country.
“Sadly yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron, Johnson told reporters.
“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population,” he said.
Early data has suggested the new variant, first detected in South Africa, produces only mild symptoms of runny nose, fatigue, headache and sore throat but UK experts have said it could still result in a big rise in hospital admissions due to its sheer rate of transmissibility.
Johnson noted that the new variant now accounts for roughly 40 per cent of coronavirus cases in London alone.
“The risk is plainly there, we can see Omicron spiking now in London and some other parts of the country. Here in the capital it probably represents about 40 per cent of the cases. By tomorrow, it’ll be the majority of the cases and it’s increasing the whole time,” he said.
Asked repeatedly by reporters if he would rule out more lockdown and social distancing measures before Christmas, he said: “Throughout the pandemic I’ve been at great pains to stress to the public that we have to watch where the pandemic is going and we take whatever steps are necessary to protect public health.
“We think the steps that we are taking so Plan B, combined with a hugely ambitious acceleration of the booster campaign, bringing it forward by a month so we offer a booster to every adult by the end of the year we think that’s the right approach.”
Johnson was also asked about a reported shortage of the free lateral flow tests (LFTs) distributed by the National Health Service (NHS) as part of the strategy for all close contacts of a COVID positive individual to test daily and get a confirmatory PCR test if also positive.
“We do have a ready supply of lateral flow tests. If you can’t get one online for any reason, then there are ample supplies in the shops, urged Johnson, adding that the higher demand shows that most people are doing the “sensible thing and testing themselves regularly.
It comes as long queues were seen outside walk-in vaccination centres across the UK on Monday with people queuing for their booster vaccine doses, which now have an accelerated timelines to cover all adults by the end of this year.
The enhanced booster rollout is in response to Omicron, after early analysis suggested two doses of a COVID vaccine were not enough to stop people catching the variant. However, a third booster dose gives around 70-75 per cent protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron, analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found last week.
According to the UK government, currently 10 people are in hospital in England with the Omicron variant, which recorded another jump of 1,239 new cases over the weekend.
Bill against love jihad soon, says Karnataka minister V Sunil Kumar
Belagavi: Even as the BJP government in Karnataka prepares to table the anti-conversion Bill during the ongoing winter session of legislature, state’s Energy Minister V Sunil Kumar on Monday said that a law prohibiting ‘love jihad’ will also be introduced in the days to come.
“Some organisations publicly claim that they don’t indulge in religious conversion and it is not their intention, then why are they opposed to anti-conversion law? On one side they say they don’t do such things and on the other side they oppose (the bill), they have ambiguity, not us,” Kumar said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the winter session of Karnataka legislature that began today in this border district, he said, “We had been stating from the beginning that the BJP government will bring in anti-cow slaughter and anti-conversion law, we are committed to it. I will go a step ahead and say that in the days to come we will bring a law against love jihad.”
The government had earlier enacted the anti-cow slaughter law in the state; it is now preparing to table the anti-conversion Bill during the ongoing winter session.
Regarding a law against ‘love jihad’, the government had earlier this year said that officials have been directed to gather information on an ordinance promulgated in Uttar Pradesh in this regard.
Defending the proposed anti-conversion Bill, the Minister said, religious conversions are taking place in a big way targeting poor and weaker sections, either by force or through inducements, and hence it was considered necessary to bring in a law to stop such activities.
“Let Congress say, as to why they are opposed to it, we are ready to debate and respond,” he said, adding that the proposed bill is keeping in mind the entire society and not targeted at any particular religion or community.
Plea against PM photo on vaccination certificate: Kerala HC asks petitioner if ashamed of PM?
Kochi: Examining the maintainability of a plea seeking removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph from the COVID-19 vaccination certificate, the Kerala High Court on Monday asked the petitioner whether he was ashamed of the PM.
Justice P V Kunhikrishnan said the Prime Minister was elected to power by the people of the country and therefore, what was wrong with having his photograph on the vaccination certificate.
When the petitioner’s counsel told the court that in other countries there was no such practice, the judge orally remarked, “They may not be proud of their PMs, we are proud of our PM.”
“Why are you (petitioner) ashamed of the Prime Minister? He came to power through the mandate of the people…. We may have different political views, but he is still our PM,” the court further said.
The counsel for the petitioner — Peter Myaliparampil — said that the certificate was a “private space” with personal details on record and therefore, it was inappropriate to intrude into the privacy of an individual.
He contended that adding the PM’s photo to the certificate was an intrusion into an individual’s private space.
To this the court, said that the more than 100 crore people of the country do not appear to have a problem with having the PM’s photo on the vaccine certificate, “why do you?”
The court said it will examine whether the plea has any merits and if not, it will dispose of the matter.
During the more than an hour long hearing, advocate Ajit Joy, appearing for the petitioner, said that whether to be proud of one’s PM was a personal choice.
Joy also told the court that it was not a matter of political differences, as the Supreme Court has laid down guidelines for advertisements and campaigns using public money.
He said having the photo on the certificates would also influence minds of voters and this issue was raised during the recent state assembly elections.
The central government opposed the plea saying it was a publicity interest litigation.
The petitioner, a senior citizen, has contended in his plea that the PM’s photo on his vaccination certificate was a violation of fundamental rights.
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