In a huge relief, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the five human rights activists arrested across the country in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon incident in Maharashtra should be kept under house arrest.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra ordered house arrest on a petition by eminent historian Romila Thapar and four others challenging the Tuesday arrests.

Taking a dim view of the crackdown, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said: “Dissent is a safety valve of democracy. If it is not allowed, the pressure cooker will burst.”

He noted that the arrests had taken place nine months after the violence in Maharashtra.

Talking to reporters later, lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the Supreme Court had issued notices to the central and Maharashtra governments.

Those arrested on Tuesday included Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, Gautam Navlakha in Delhi, Sudha Bharadwaj in Haryana and Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonzalves in Maharashtra.

The Supreme Court will hear later on Wednesday a plea by well-known historian Romila Thapar and activist Maja Daruwala on the arrest of five left-wing activists and a lawyer on Tuesday for their alleged naxal links.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said it would hear the matter at 3.45 p.m. after counsel Prashant Bhushan appearing for Thapar, Daruwala and three other activists mentioned the matter for an urgent hearing.

Maharashtra Police had arrested five left-wing activists — Sudha Bhardwaj, Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves, and Arun Ferreira — on Monday.

Police had also raided the houses of tribal rights activist Stan Swamy and Anand Teltumbde, a management professional and civil rights activist, and others.

Militants attacked the home of former Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister and National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather in Badgam district on Tuesday, police said.

Police said the militants fired at the ancestral home of Rather in Badipora village. “Guards posted there repulsed the attack, forcing the militants to flee,” a police officer said.

The National Conference leader was not at his house during the attack, which did not injure anyone.

This is one war widow of Ahmednagar cast in the mould of her husband Kondaji Lakshman Malunjkar, who was killed in the 1965 India-Pakistan war.

Over five decades after she was widowed, Lahanbai Malunjkar is now waging a different battle with the local and state authorities to get possession of a 10-acre plot awarded to her as part of the compensation following the death of 23-year-old Kondaji on the war front.

“I am already 71. That land is my right, but I am too old and unable to take possession. I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to help me before it is too late,” Lahanbai told IANS at her home in Rumbhodi village.

She said her simple life as a teenager was shattered when she was informed on October 2, 1965, that her young husband Kondaji, a soldier with the Maratha Light Infantry, had died in action in Jammu & Kashmir.

“My only son, 18-month-old Deepak was in my lap then. There were no other close male relatives on both sides in our families. I started all over as a widowed, teenager mother, and encountered huge difficulties, but somehow I managed,” recalls Lahanbai.

In 1972, a ray of hope appeared: Defence authorities allotted her 10 acres of agricultural land in Aurangpur village, around 6 km from Rumbhodi.

“My grandmother’s travails just began,” says Sachin Malunjkar, Lahanbai’s grandson.

“The people of Aurangpur would not allow us in. It meant that our land remained only on paper. We had no means to take physical possession of it,” says Sachin Malunjkar.

After waging a four-year war of nerves with the villagers, the family retreated by seeking another plot of land — measuring 2.5 acre — which the district administration allotted to Lahanbai.

But that land was was more than 25 km away, most of it rocky and unfit for cultivation. So Lahanbai rejected it and finally surrendered it after 30 years in 2007, according to Sachin Malunjkar.

Lahanbai’s son Dipak became adult, married and they have two sons, Sachin and Sagar. The joint family continued to eke out a modest living by farming on their own nine-acre ancestral plot in Rumbhodi, supported by Lahanbai’s war-widow pension which started with Rs 27.50 in 1965 and is now around Rs 25,000 per month.

Ahmednagar Resident Deputy Collector Prashant Patil says that the plot in question belongs to the woman. “It has not been taken away, but she will have to take possession and start cultivation there,” he said.

“If there are any legal issues, we are ever ready to help her, she can approach the local revenue official (tehsildar) for guidance,” Patil told IANS.

Local Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Vaibhavrao Pichad has promised to raise the issue in the Maharashtra Assembly and through the NCP, even in Parliament.

Aurangpur villagers claim they are opposed to the land allotment in their village since they are facing a shortage of grazing land for their cattle. Possession of land by Lahanbai could result in some farmers losing their land, they say.

“Besides, it is a forest land and cannot be allotted for farming,” said a villager.

Sachin pointed out that they had even approached former Maharashtra minister Babanrao Pachpute, tehsil officials, the collectorate and other officials, but nothing has happened in the last 46 years.

“My efforts with the tehsil office continue. Now they have asked us to measure and demarcate the plot, which we hope to complete soon,” said Sachin.

Unaffected by her 45-year experience, Lahanbai is grooming her younger grandson Sagar to either the join the armed forces or the police.

(Ians)

A special court here today fixed September 3 as the next date of hearing in the Vijay Mallya fugitive economic offender declaration case as some other parties have sought to implead themselves in the matter pertaining to the alleged default of over Rs 9,000 crore bank loans, officials said.

Officials said at least five parties, including a family member of Mallya, has sought court documents with regard to the ED seeking to get declared the businessman a fugitive economic offender under the new law and hence the court posted the matter for the next week.

The next date for the hearing in the case is September 3, as ordered by the court of special PMLA judge M S Azmi, they said.

A counsel for Mallya also appeared in the court today, as per the scheduled date of hearing, and sought some documents, they said.

The same court, on June 30, had issued notice to Mallya to appear before it on August 27 after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) charged the liquor baron under the new law as it enlarged its money laundering probe against him and others in a RS 9,000 alleged bank fraud case.

The central probe agency has also sought immediate confiscation of assets worth about Rs 12,500 crore of Mallya as part of this latest action. The court had earlier issued non-bailable warrants against the businessman in two cases filed by the ED.

Mallya, his now defunct venture Kingfisher Airlines Limited and others availed loans from various banks and the outstanding amount, including interest, against him is Rs 9,990.07 crore at present, the officials had said while filing the plea under the new law.

The businessman is currently contesting his extradition case in London filed by the Indian government on behalf of the CBI and ED.

Mallya, in the past, has said that he has become the “poster boy of bank default and a lightning rod for public anger.

I have been accused by politicians and the media alike of having stolen and run away with Rs 9,000 crores that was loaned to Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). Some of the lending banks have also labelled me a wilful defaulter, he said.

The ED has furnished evidences in its two charge sheets, filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the past, to make a case for seeking a fugitive offender tag for Mallya from the court.

He is currently contesting the money laundering charges in London after India initiated extradition proceedings to bring him back to the country.

Both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have filed cases for alleged loan default against him.

Modi government brought the new law as there have been instances of economic offenders fleeing the jurisdiction of Indian courts, anticipating the commencement, or during the pendency, of criminal proceedings .

The law has provisions for special courts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 to declare a person as a fugitive economic offender and order immediate confiscation of assets.

A fugitive economic offender is a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution, the government had said.

The cases of frauds, cheque dishonour or loan default of over Rs 100 crore would come under the ambit of the ordinance.

(PTI)

Twenty years ago, India scripted a success story on May 11 and May 13, 1998 when five nuclear tests were performed in Rajasthan’s Pokhran under the guidance of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had assumed power only a little while ago.

It was a completely secret exercise only known to a select few.

On May 11, 1998, Jaisalmer woke up to an ordinary day. However, there were a few bulldozers heading to a particular site to dig up well-like sites. Sand was filled into these wells.

Within a few minutes, they were ignited. It was followed by a huge thunder that brought loud cheer from a few scientists at the site who had kept a constant vigil on all the developments.

In Delhi, Vajpayee along with the then Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani, former Defence Minister George Fernandes, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Brijesh Mishra, were sitting with bated breath.

However, the moment, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who happened to be the Scientific Advisor to Vajpayee, sent a message on the hotline, saying, “Buddha smiles again”, all of them jumped with joy.

The former Prime Minister immediately called the scientists to congratulate them on their success.

The tests left the Western world shocked and surprised.

India gained a new identity after the tests. However, there were economic sanctions imposed by the US.

An unfazed Vajpayee, however, continued with the next round of nuclear tests two days later.

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator V.P. Singh Badnore on Wednesday flagged off a rally to generate awareness against drugs and paid homage to the martyrs as he launched the Independence Day celebrations in the state here.

Badnore flagged off the bike rally of the Riders for Awareness and Welfare Club from the Raj Bhavan as they pledged to make Punjab a Drug-Free State.

He visited the War Memorial and later proceeded to the Independence Day celebrations venue here to hoist the national flag. He took the salute from various contingents of the police and NCC cadets.

Addressing a gathering, Badnore remembered the martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation.

Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki hoisted the flag at Yamunanagar.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh unfurled the tricolour at a state-level function in Ludhiana town, while Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar unfurled the flag in Hisar town.

President Ram Nath Kovind asserted on Tuesday that contentious issues and extraneous debates should not be allowed to distract us at a “pivotal moment” when the country is at the cusp of achieving many long-awaited goals

In his televised address to the nation on the eve of India’s 72nd Independence Day, Kovind recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s “most noble mantra” on the power of ‘ahinsa'(non-violence) being far greater than the power of ‘hinsa’ (violence), remarks that come against the backdrop of incidents of lynching and mob violence in some parts of the country “The power to stay your hand is far greater than the power to strike with your hand and ‘hinsa’ has no place in the society”

Touching upon a range of issues, the president also said women were entitled to a life of their choice and security to fulfill their potential, amid concerns over their privacy and safety “We are at a juncture in our history that is very different from any period we have so far experienced. We are on the cusp of achieving many of our long-awaited goals

Universal access to electricity, the elimination of open defecation, the elimination of homelessness, the very elimination of extreme poverty is achievable and attainable. We are at a pivotal moment. Let contentious issues and extraneous debates not distract us,” Kovind said

The president said that every Indian who does not jump the queue and respects the civic space and rights of those ahead in the line lives up to the principles of the country’s freedom struggle “It’s a very small gesture. Let us try and abide by it,” Kovind said

Highlighting the role of farmers in providing food security to fellow citizens and the contribution by the country’s armed and police forces in battling terrorism and ensuring law and order, he said every Indian who does his or her job with sincerity and commitment is upholding the principles of our freedom struggle

He said the decisions the country takes today, the foundations we lay, the projects we undertake, the social and economic investments we make today? whether for the immediate future or for the medium term ? will determine where we stand

“The pace of change and development in our country is rapid and appreciable. And as per our civilizational traditions, it is driven by our people, by civil society and by a partnership between citizen and government. Its focus, again in keeping with the essence of Indian thought, is on a better life for the less fortunate,” the president noted

Stressing that women have a special role in the society, he said the expansion of freedom in our country in many senses amounts to the expansion of freedom for women in our country. “This is true whether we see them as mothers, sisters, daughters or simply as women who are entitled to a life of their choosing? and deserving of the opportunity and the security to fulfil their potential”

The president said women could do this as sheet-anchors of families or as absolutely critical entrants to institutions of higher learning and India’s workforce “The choice is theirs; as a nation and as a society we must ensure that they have the right and the ability to exercise that choice,” the president said

Kovind said the reality is that every Indian who does his or her job with sincerity and commitment, who contributes to society by being true to a professional ethics, be it the doctor’s ethics, the nurse’s ethic, the teacher’s ethic, the public servant’s ethic, the factory worker’s ethic, the business person’s ethics, the ethics of those who have to care for ageing parents who brought them up with love and sacrifice ?-each of these and many others are in their own way upholding the values of freedom

He said Independence Day is always special, but this year there is an unusual significance attached to it as in a few weeks, on October 2, India will begin the commemoration of the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi

“Mahatma Gandhi Everywhere, across continents, Gandhiji is mentioned, cherished and remembered as an icon for all humanity. He is the embodiment of India,” the president said Kovind said Gandhi spoke of swadeshi with an uncommon zeal and to him Indian civilization was defined by open windows and not closed doors

“This was his concept of swadeshi and it is still relevant to us as we engage with the world? whether for our economy, our health, education, and social aspirations, or our policy choices,” the president said and asked all to adopt Gandhi’s ideas and maxim to every day’s work to celebrate our freedom and Indianness

He said this Indianness is not for us alone. “It is part of what our country and our civilization bring to the global stage,” Kovind said the outcome of education is not merely a degree or a diploma, but the commitment to help improve the life of another in a way that is sustainable

“This is empathy and fraternity in action. This is the Indian spirit. This is India because India belongs to the people of India ? not just to the government,” he added.

The Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) constable Sharief-ud-Din Ganaie and Head Constable Mohammad Tafail, who lost their lives in 2017 while fighting militants in Jammu and Kashmir, have been posthumously selected for the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) — the highest police medal.

Their names are among the 942 Central and state police personnel whom the government has selected for ‘Police Medals’ on the 72nd Independence Day on Wednesday.

Ganaie and Tafail succumbed to their bullet injuries while fighting three Jaish-e-Mohammed militants who, on December 30, 2017 midnight, attacked the CRPF’s South Kashmir-based Lethpora camp, one of the largest security establishments. Both the personnel were deployed in the CRPF’s 185 Battalion.

Of the medal winners, 117 personnel have been selected for the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG), 88 for President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Services (PPM) and 675 for Police Medal for Meritorious Services, the Union Home Ministry announced on Tuesday, adding that the list of awardees was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind.

The 3.5 lakh strong paramilitary force bagged the highest number of 154 police medals. It is the only force whose two personnel were chosen for the PPMG awards posthumously. The force also bagged a record 89 PMG awards among all armed forces and 58 PM awards. The CRPF is in the fourth place in bagging PPM awards.

This is the highest-ever gallantry medals tally for the CRPF, a senior official said.

In the PMG awards list, the CRPF is followed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police (37), Odisha Police (11), Border Security Force (10), Maharashtra Police (8), Chhattisgarh Police (6), five each from Delhi and Meghalaya Police, Assam Police (3); and one each by Bihar, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh Police.

The Intelligence Bureau bagged the highest eight PPM awards followed by six each by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Uttar Pradesh Police; CRPF (5); four each by Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha Police and the Border Security Force; three each by the Central Industrial Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu Police forces; two each by Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal Police; and one each by Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura, Chandigarh and Lakshadweep Police.

The Sashastra Seema Bal, the National Investigation Agency, the National Disaster Response Force, Ministry of Home Affairs and Railways also bagged one award each.

Besides police medals, the President has approved Correctional Service Medals to 36 prison personnel. The list of awardees includes five President’s Correctional Service Medal for Distinguished Service and 31 Correctional Service Medal for Meritorious Service.

A total of 59 personnel have been selected for Fire Service Medals. Of these, President’s Fire Service Medal for Gallantry will be awarded to one, Fire Service Medal for Gallantry to three, President’s Fire Service Medal for Distinguished Service to five and Fire Service Medal for Meritorious Service to 50 personnel.

Fifty-five personnel have also been bestowed with Home Guard and Civil Defence Medals. Of these, President’s Home Guard and Civil Defence Medal for Distinguished Service have been awarded to five personnel and Home Guard and Civil Defence Medal for Meritorious Service to 50 personnel.

{TO COMMEMORATE THE INDEPENDENCE DAY ON 15TH AUGUST}

There seems to be a very thin line demarcating the war films, the historical films or even the patriotic films of the Hindi Cinema, in a way all these 3 categories are totally interlinked. As the real or even the reel life warriors have always fought the varied battles out of sheer patriotism, for the intense love for their country and have then become historical figures in the process.

So some of the earliest Black & White Patriotic Films, steeped in extreme patriotism, of the Hindi Cinema have been made as early as the year 1925 onwards for i.e. Charkha & Veer Kunal in the year 1925, Bhagwa Jhanda alias Saffron flag in the year 1926, Flag Of Honor in the year 1929, Patriot in the year 1930, The Battle, Martyr & Sword Of Allah in the year 1931, Shan – E – Hindustan & Hindustan in the year 1932 & Bharat Veer in the year 1933 to name just a handful of them.

And then with the advent of the color era it was Manoj Kumar, more popularly known as Mr. Bharat, who had totally dominated the patriotic scenario in the 60’s & the 70’s decade firstly by acting in a Black & White film titled Shaheed in the year 1965, in which even the Late Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had made a cameo appearance, and 2ndly by going on to make more & more such patriotic films in color like Upkar, Kranti, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan et al and of course all his films not only emphasized but also reflected his intense patriotic fervor and even his deep-rooted love for his motherland, India. In fact, Manoj Kumar was to Patriotic films, what the Ramsay’s were to Horror films.

Then it took a Hollywood director like Richard Attenborough to rekindle the patriotic loyalty of the Indians by making a Celluloid Masterpiece film Gandhi starring who else but a Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley in the title role. No wonder then, that the Indian directors followed suit with Shyam Benegal leading the brigade when he made a film titled The Making Of Mahatma Gandhi starring Rajat Kapoor in the title role of Mahatma Gandhi.

Thereafter the decade of the 60’s also saw a few classic yet very successful Patriotic Films made by the late Producer – Director Chetan Anand titled Haqueequat {Not to speak of the Ajay Devgan starrer of the same name but made in the 90’s decade} starring Dharmendra & the Late Priya Rajvansh besides a host of other stars of that era. Then there were also films like Hum Hindustani starring rank newcomers & Producer – Director Mehboob Khan’s film Son Of India also starring newcomers.

While some of the other such patriotic films of the 40’s & the 50’s decade include Pyara Watan, Hum Dono starring the evergreen the Late Dev Anand in a double role, Sher – E – Watan, Hind Ke Lal, Hamara Watan, Hamara Desh, Hindustan Hamara, Bharat Ke Lal, Bharat Ki Beti and the most talked about film of that era namely Dharti Ke Lal. And a series of films, of the funster duo the late Mehmood Ali – the Late I. S. Johar starrer like Johar Mehmood in Goa, Johar Mehmood In Hong Kong et al. Yet all these films were like just a few drops in an ocean.

Cut to the decade of the 60’s to the 90’s where apart from the Manoj Kumar brand of Patriotic Films there were other notable films too like 5 Rifles, Leader, Jhanda Ooncha Rahe Hamara, Desh Ke Dushman, the Late Rajesh Khanna starrer Apna Desh, Azaad Desh Ke Ghulam, Bharat Ke Shaheed, Mithun Chakroborty starrer Watan Ke Rakhwale, Kamal Hasan starrer Mayor Saab {Dubbed version of the original Tamil film} and then even the mighty Big B had acted in a couple of such Deshbhakti oriented films like Desh Premee, Inquilab, Main Azaad Hoon, 7 Hindustani, Hindustan Ki Kasam, Major Sahab & Khuda Gawah. Besides how can one forget the midget hero Aamir Khan’s earlier film Sarfarosh and the last released patriotic saga Lagaan albeit being a little off the pitch.

Besides how can one overlook the Punjabi Jat Dharmendra & director Anil Sharma’s contributions in this field as together the duo have given quite a few of such hit films like Elaan – E – Jung, Hukumat & Tehelka, While Dharmendra on his own did Ramanand Sagar’s film’s like Aankhen & Lalkar. Next, patriotically following in the footsteps of his father even Sunny Deol has served his own doses or rather sometimes overdoses of patriotism from time to time with a few notable films like Indian, The Hero, Zor, Gadar – Ek Prem katha and many more besides the dud caper Jaal – The Trap. So what if terrorism had also seeped in, in some of them, by raising its ugly head.

In between there were other such highly impressive films too like the Nana Patekar starrer Krantiveer directed by Mehul Kumar, Krantishetra & Sardar. While one more released patriotic film turned out to be Subhashchandra Bose. Incidentally the last 2 films both directed by Shyam Benegal had also given a great insight into the life & times of these patriotic leaders of our Nation.

A special, well deserved mention at this juncture should also be made of the Vidhu Vinod Chopra film 1942 – A Love Story starring Anil Kapoor & J. P. Dutta’s film Border & LoC – Kargil starring a galaxy of Bollywood stars. But the earlier mentioned film had also claimed quite a few of the casualties in the Capital State New Delhi, a result of a bomb explosion allegedly planted by some anti – social elements, while the devout & the patriotic patrons were engrossed in watching the same film Border in Uphaar theatre out there.

And finally in the new millennium one also witnessed a new trend of patriotic filmmaking, in fact a mad rush to jump onto the bandwagon of simultaneously making films based on one subject, on one particular patriotic figure and this time around and in this case it was our nation’s most revered martyr Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Hence as many as 5 films were made on the legendary cult figure namely Tips films The Legend Of Bhagat Singh starring Ajay Devgan, Dharmendra’s home production banner Vijeta film’s 1931 Shaheed Bhagat Singh starring Sunny Deol as Chandrashekhar Azaad & Bobby Deol in the title role, Shaheed – E – Azam Bhagat Singh starring the then rank newcomer Sonu Sood, besides 2 other unreleased films with inane titles which incidentally also got dumped into the trash cans of the cine laboratories of Mumbai.

Not only this, as believe it or not there were as many as 5 films being made on another legendary political figure the Late Indira Gandhi. But nothing of those films was heard after its initial launch with a big fanfare.

Besides not to be left behind and out of the rat race of this patriotic wave even the small screen at that time had dabbled with its own version of the patriotic brand of teleserials like Kashmeer on Star Plus channel which was also later on unceremoniously pulled off the air midway and then there was Mulk on Zee TV Channel which had also suffered the same fate.

To round it off on a patriotic note all the Satellite Channels are now in the mad rush of being one up on each other, as each one of them are drawing up their own schedules & plans to telecast most of the past patriotic films of those times, no doubt, to commemorate the eve of the republic day on the 15th of Aug this year. Besides even reams & reams of papier-mâché would be insufficient to recount each & every Indian patriotic films till this date. Period!