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HC to hear doc’s family CBI convict before deciding on admission of state’s appeal in RG Kar case

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Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday said it would hear the CBI, the victim’s family and the convict before deciding on the admission of an appeal filed by the West Bengal government claiming inadequacy of sentence given by a trial court in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case.

The high court said it will hear the matter on Monday.

The CBI opposed the state’s right to file an appeal in the case, claiming that it was the prosecuting agency and had the right to prefer the appeal on the grounds of inadequacy of the sentence.

The Sealdah court on Monday sentenced Roy to life imprisonment till death for the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

A division bench, presided by Justice Debangshu Basak, said that it would hear the CBI, the family of the victim and the convict through their lawyers before deciding on the admission of the state government’s appeal.

Netanyahu says ‘last-minute crisis’ with Hamas holding up approval of Gaza truce hostage deal

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Netanyahu says 'last-minute crisis' with Hamas holding up approval of Gaza truce, hostage deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | PC: PTI

Tel Aviv (Israel), Jan 16 (AP): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that a last-minute dispute with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited ceasefire that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages.

Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory.

The statement from Netanyahu’s office signaled complications with the deal shortly after US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced it was complete.

That created a dual reality: War-weary Palestinians in Gaza, the relatives of hostages held there and world leaders all welcomed an agreement, expected to begin Sunday, even as Netanyahu said it was not yet finalized.

“Hamas is backing out of the understandings and creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement,” Netanyahu’s office said.

It was not yet clear if Netanyahu’s statements merely reflected jockeying to keep his fractious coalition together or whether the deal was at risk.

The Israeli Cabinet was expected to vote on the deal Thursday, but Netanyahu’s office said that officials won’t meet until Hamas backs down, accusing the group of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions, without saying which parts.

A US official with knowledge of the negotiations said Hamas made a last-minute revision that relates to the distance Israeli forces would withdraw from at least one largely populated area in Gaza that the official would not identify.

The issue is expected to be resolved quickly and enable the ceasefire to begin as planned this weekend, according to the official, who was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

In a briefing Thursday, David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesman, said the Israeli delegation of negotiators remained in Qatar, “continuing its efforts to reach a solution”.

Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators”.

The deal announced on Wednesday would see scores of hostages held in Gaza released and a pause in fighting with a view to eventually wind down a 15-month war that has destabilised the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Hamas triggered the war with its October 7, 2023, cross-border attack into Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.

Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and Hamas members but say women and children make up more than half of those killed. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

The military campaign has also levelled vast swaths of Gaza, and pushed around 90 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people from their homes. Hundreds of thousands are struggling with hunger and disease in squalid tent camps on the coast, according to United Nations officials.

Netanyahu faces heavy internal pressure

Netanyahu’s office earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.

The Israeli prime minister has faced great domestic pressure to bring home the scores of hostages, but his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he makes too many concessions.

He has enough opposition support to approve an agreement even without those partners, but doing so would weaken his coalition.

One of his far-right allies, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has already come out against the deal. Another, Bezalel Smotrich, posted on X late Wednesday that he was demanding “absolute certainty” that Israel can resume the war later, calling the current deal “bad and dangerous” for Israel.

The departure of both of their factions would seriously destabilise the government and could lead to early elections.

A night of heavy Israeli strikes

Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.

“We were expecting that the occupation would intensify the bombing, like they did every time there were reports on progress in the truce (negotiations),” said Mohammed Mahdi, who fled his home a few months ago and is sheltering in Gaza City.

Ahmed Mattar, who lives near the city’s Al-Ahly hospital, said he heard “massive airstrikes” overnight.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli strikes have killed at least 72 people since the ceasefire deal was announced. It said the toll from Thursday’s strikes only includes bodies brought to two hospitals in Gaza City, and that the actual toll is likely higher.

“Yesterday was a bloody day, and today is bloodier,” said Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministry’s registration department.

An Associated Press reporter on the Israeli side of the border near Gaza heard more airstrikes and artillery fire on Thursday.

A phased withdrawal and hostage release with potential pitfalls

Under the deal reached on Wednesday, 33 of some 100 hostages who remain in Gaza are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what’s left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance.

The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second — and much more difficult — phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.

Ceasefire leaves questions about Gaza’s future unanswered

Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the agreement, which came after a year of intensive talks with repeated setbacks.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy joined the talks in the final weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trump’s team are taking credit for the breakthrough.

Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.

Israel has come under heavy international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll in Gaza.

It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, accusing it of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.

Hamas, a group that does not accept Israel’s existence, has come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gaza’s largest cities and towns and the takeover of the border between Gaza and Egypt.

Its top leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, who was believed to have helped mastermind the October 7, 2023, attack, have been killed.

But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.

Tharoor urges Kerala govt to swiftly resolve Waqf land dispute in Munambam

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Tharoor urges Kerala govt to swiftly resolve Waqf land dispute in Munambam
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor

Kochi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged the Kerala government on Thursday to act swiftly in resolving the Waqf land dispute in Munambam.

He also appealed to the government not to turn it into a communal issue.

Residents in Cherai and Munambam in Ernakulam district allege that the “Waqf Board has been unlawfully claiming” their land and property, despite them holding registered deeds and land tax receipts.

Protesters from Munambam village have urged Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to find a lasting solution to their ongoing land dispute with the Waqf Board.

Interacting with reporters after visiting the locals who have been on a hunger strike for the past 96 days, Tharoor said, “It’s not a Muslim-Christian issue, it’s a technical-legal issue and should be resolved in that way.”

“So let’s not make it a communal conflict. It’s an administrative, legal confusion which should be clarified in the earliest possible moment,” he said while urging the state government to act immediately to resolve the issue.

The MP from Thiruvananthapuram said, “My appeal is no one should wait much more and the state government should not delay in establishing the facts on file what is happened.”

“Whatever judicial process has already begun should be expeditiously concluded so that these people should get their lands,” he added.

Responding to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark that India got “true independence” after the Ram temple consecration, Tharoor said, “Independence was won with a lot of sacrifices and hard work of a lot of people in our minds, starting with Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation.”

Bhagawat may have several other ways of being happy in his political career or political interests but it’s not the right category in which it was discussed, he added.

How can any responsible Indian denigrate the achievements of freedom fighters who have given their lives in several cases as well as their freedom in British jails to fight for the freedom that we take for granted today, he posed.

Welcoming the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, the former union minister said, durable and permanent peace should be established.

China’s population falls for third straight year, posing challenges for its government economy

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Taipei (Taiwan) (AP): China’s population fell last year for the third straight year, its government said on Friday, pointing to further demographic challenges for the world’s second most populous nation, which is now facing both an ageing population and an emerging shortage of working age people.

China’s population stood at 1.408 billion at the end of 2024, a decline of 1.39 million from the previous year.

The figures announced by the government in Beijing follow trends worldwide, but especially in East Asia, where Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and other nations have seen their birth rates plummet. China three years ago joined Japan and most of Eastern Europe among other nations whose population is falling.

The reasons are in many cases similar: Rising costs of living are causing young people to put off or rule out marriage and child birth while pursuing higher education and careers. While people are living longer, that’s not enough to keep up with rate of new births.

Countries such as China that allow very little immigration are especially at risk.

China has long been among the world’s most populous nations, enduring invasions, floods and other natural disasters to sustain a population that thrived on rice in the south and wheat in the north. Following the end of World War II and the Communist Party’s rise to power in 1949, large families re-emerged and the population doubled in just three decades, even after tens of millions died in the Great Leap Forward that sought to revolutionize agriculture and industry and the Cultural Revolution that followed a few years later.

After the end of the Cultural Revolution and leader Mao Zedong’s death, Communist bureaucrats began to worry the country’s population was outstripping its ability to feed itself and began implementing a draconian “one child policy.”

Though it was never law, women had to apply for permission to have a child and violators could face forced late-term abortions and birth control procedures, massive fines and the prospect of their child being deprived an identification number, effectively making them non-citizens.

Rural China, where the preference for male offspring was especially strong and two children were still ostensibly allowed, became the focus of government efforts, with women forced to present evidence they were menstruating and buildings emblazoned with slogans such as “have fewer children, have better children.”

The government sought to stamp out selective abortion of female children, but with abortions legal and readily available, those operating illicit sonogram machines enjoyed a thriving business.

That has been the biggest factor in China’s lopsided sex ratio, with as many as millions more boys born for every 100 girls, raising the possibility of social instability among China’s army of bachelors. Friday’s report gave the sex imbalance as 104.34 men to every 100 women, though independent groups give the imbalance as considerably higher.

More disturbing for the government was the drastically falling birthrate, with China’s total population dropping for the first time in decades in 2023 and China being narrowly overtaken by India as the world’s most populous nation in the same year. A rapidly aging population, declining workforce, lack of consumer markets and migration abroad are putting the system under severe pressure.

While spending on the military and flashy infrastructure projects continues to rise, China’s already frail social security system is teetering, with increasing numbers of Chinese refusing to pay into the underfunded pension system.

Already, more than one-fifth of the population is aged 60 or over, with the official figure given as 310.3 million or 22% of the total population. By 2035, this number is forecast to exceed 30%, sparking discussion of changes to the official retirement age, which one of the lowest in the world. With fewer students, some vacant schools and kindergartens are meanwhile being transformed into care facilities for older people.

Such developments are giving some credence to the aphorism that China, now the world’s second largest economy but facing major headwinds, will “grow old before it grows rich.”

Government inducements including cash payouts for having up to three children and financial help with housing costs have had only temporary effects.

Meanwhile, China continued its transition to an urban society, with 10 million more people moving to cities for an urbanization rate of 67%, up almost a percentage point from the previous year.

Man arrested from Karnataka over break-ins in Navi Mumbai Rs 60 lakh valuables recovered

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The Navi Mumbai police have detected at least seven break-ins with the arrest of a 41-year-old man and recovered valuables worth about Rs 60 lakh from him, an official said on Friday.

Asif Jahir Shaikh, who had allegedly broken into several houses in Airoli, Rabale and Vashi areas in November and December of last year, was arrested from Gulbarga in Karnataka a few days ago, he said.

Police have recovered gold and silver ornaments and Rs 16 lakh cash, collectively valued at nearly Rs 60 lakh, from Shaikh, he added.

Shaikh, who lived in Mumbra, used stolen motorcycles with fake number plates while committing the crimes, the official said, adding that he is also named in a case registered in Gulbarge.

IICCB Hosts Groundbreaking Event at Hotel Grand Sheraton on 15th January 2025

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Nasheman News

The Indian Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Bureau (IICCB) proudly organized a landmark event at the prestigious Hotel Grand Sheraton on 15th January 2025. Hosted by Dr. Rafiulla Baig and Syed Ali, this extraordinary gathering brought together over 250 participants from across the globe, including attendees from Kuwait, Canada, and the UAE. The event successfully bridged the gap between real estate, affiliated businesses, and academic institutions, fostering collaboration and inclusivity.

Notable Guests of Honor and Speakers

The event was graced by several distinguished personalities who enriched the occasion with their presence and insights:

Father Victor Lobo – St. Joseph’s University, Sri Sri Sri Agastya Swamy, Mr.Farook Mahmood – Silverline Realty, Mr.Aril Vakil – Vakil Housing,Mrs. Kauser Nissar – Presidency Group,Mr.Syed Abbas – India’s Award-Winning National Television Media Panelist,Mrs. Noor Ayesh – International Award-Winning Educationist, Canada,Dr. Abdul Salaam – CEO, Markaz Knowledge City,Mr. Salman Ahmed – Vice President, Presidency University,Ms.Husna Rahman – International Award-Winning Architect,Mr. Abdulla Hassan – CEO, Kuwait,Mr.Amitava Ghosh,Dr.Abdul Subhan -Falcon Group,Dr.Inayathulla,Mr.Sadiq Ahmed,Dr.Aafaq Hussain.
Their thought-provoking speeches and invaluable contributions added immense value to the event, inspiring attendees to explore new opportunities and build meaningful connections.

Launch of 100 Days Business Consultation Panel

A key highlight of the event was the launch of the Expert Panel for 100 Days Business Consultation Services, an initiative aimed at empowering deserving businesses within the community. The panel comprises professionals in IT, HR, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, and Management, who will provide tailored guidance to help businesses thrive and succeed.

Recognizing Excellence

The event also celebrated the achievements of prominent entrepreneurs and professionals by presenting several awards for their outstanding contributions in their respective fields.

Esteemed Sponsors

The event’s success was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors, including:

Jammu and Kashmir Bank

HM

Prestige Group

KCIC

Zillion Properties

Township Real Estate Dubai

Falcon Group

Iqra International

Space & Designs

Essel Farmlands

HumTum

Embuild Promoters & Developers

Areirnce

Acknowledging the Managing Committee Members

The IICCB extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Managing Committee Members for their tireless efforts and unwavering dedication, which were instrumental in the event’s success. Special recognition is given to:

  1. Numan Afzal Saab
  2. Shakeel Mohammed
  3. Dr. Munara
  4. Azeem Khan Saab
  5. Afsar Khadri Saab
  6. Hidayath Bhai
  7. Syed Ali Saab
  8. Nadeem Bhai
  9. Mrs Fatima Ajmal
  10. Arif Bhai
  11. Dr. Najam
  12. Ateeq Bhai
  13. Dada Peer Saab
  14. Syed Ommair
  15. Dr. Rafiulla Baig

A Platform for Unity and Collaboration

The event maintained an electrifying atmosphere of networking and collaboration from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Despite a delayed start, the energy and enthusiasm of participants remained unwavering. The event provided a unique platform for marginalized business owners to connect with elite industry leaders, fostering meaningful exchanges and inspiring future collaborations.

This groundbreaking event has set a new benchmark for inclusivity, innovation, and collaboration, significantly elevating the image of IICCB on a global scale.

President.
Indian Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Bureau (IICCB)

VERTICAL ENDRAVED CERTIFICATE LIST WITH PHOTO IICCB’s “Pioneer of Thinking Big  Awards Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed.    Chairman -TAISI   The Association of International Schools of India  

  IICCB’s “Visionary leadership in skilling & education award” Mr.Amitava Ghosh COO Strategic Initiatives    Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information & Communication Technology.    

IICCB’s  “Earth care award” Viswaguru Sri Sri Sri Agastyaa.IRCEI. Takshasheela.

IICCB recognizes efforts towards climate change,mitigation & adaptation globall  IICCB’s  “Empowering Global Connections  Award” Mr.Abdulla Hassan    CEO -Connect Souq – Global e-commerce networking platform.

 IICCB’s “Honoring Excellence in Women Leadership: Empowering Change, Inspiring Generations Mrs Kauser Nissar Madam Chancellor  Presidency University

 IICCB ‘s “Global Sustainability & Technology Advancements award” Dr.Abdul Salaam CEO -Markaz Knowledge City

 IICCB ‘s “The Legacy of Light Award ” Mr. Arif Vakil   Director Vakil Housing Development Corporation  

IICCB’s  “India’s Celebrated Anchor and Global Voice for Youth and Unity Award” Mr. Syed Asad Abbas

India ‘s award winning  National Television media panelist IICCB’s “Global Excellence in Real Estate Vision Award ” Mr.Farook Mahmood  Chairman & MD of Silver Line group

IICCB’s ” Mentor for Tomorrow’s Visionary  Award” Dr.Rafiulla Baig Handwriting Expert & Ceo of Succesminds     IICCB’s ” Pioneer of Transformative leadership award in education

Mrs. Noor Ayesha .    Founder of Iqra International     IICCB’s “Icon of Inclusive Business Leadership Award

Mr. I.A.Siddiqui Chairman & MD  KCIC IICCB’s” Legacy of Excellence in Educational Leadership and National Advancement Award”

Reverend, Dr. Victor Lobo ,S.J    Vice-Chancellor St.Joseph’s  University ,Bangalore  

 IICCB’s Visionary Female Architect of The Year 2025 Mrs Husna Rahman   Fulcrum Studio

IICCB’s “Inspirational Leadership in Education Award Mr.Abdul Subhan  Managing Director   Falcon Group of Institutions

India to achieve 20 pc ethanol blending target in 2 months: Gadkari

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India to achieve 20 pc ethanol blending target in 2 months: Gadkari
Union minister Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi:: India will achieve its target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in the next two months, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.

The practice of blending ethanol with petrol began in 2001 as a pilot project.

“We will achieve this target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in the next two months. Use of E20 (petrol with 20 per cent ethanol) will help in reducing pollution,” Gadkari said while speaking at an event.

The road transport and highways minister said Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, and Hyundai Motors have started manufacturing vehicles that run on 100 per cent bio-ethanol.

Gadkari said pollution is a serious problem in the country as 42 Indian cities are among 50 most-polluted cities in the world.

“We import fossil fuels worth Rs 22 lakh crore, which is also causing pollution,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the higher 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol in 2023.

In the first phase, 15 cities was covered.

Use of ethanol, extracted from sugarcane as well as broken rice and other agri produce, will help India — the world’s third largest oil consumer — bring down its reliance on overseas shipments.

India is 85 per cent dependent on imports for meeting its oil needs.

Use of E20 leads to an estimated reduction of carbon monoxide emissions by about 50 per cent in two-wheelers and about 30 per cent in four-wheelers compared to E0 (neat petrol).

The target of achieving average 10 per cent blending was achieved in June 2022, much ahead of the target date of November 2022.

Automobile engines can run on E20 with minor modifications in engine for corrosion, etc.

India beat Ireland by 304 runs in third women’s ODI

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India beat Ireland by 304 runs in third women's ODI

Rajkot: Records tumbled like nine pins as the Indian women’s cricket team, powered by skipper Smriti Mandhana’s 70-ball century, demolished Ireland by a whopping 304 runs to claim its biggest-ever ODI win and complete a 3-0 clean sweep here on Wednesday.

The result of the match was a mere formality once India set Ireland a massive target of 436, and Ireland could only garner 131 before getting bundled out in 31.4 overs.

India put the first step forward towards a crushing victory through record-breaking Mandhana (135, 80b, 12×4, 7×6) and her opening partner Pratika Rawal (154, 129b, 20×4, 1×6), reaching 435/5, highest total by an Indian team — men’s or women’s — in ODIs.

India men’s highest ODI total is 418/5 made against the West Indies in Indore in 2011.

Mandhana and Rawal added a whopping 233 runs for the first wicket in just 26.4 overs and there was no looking back.

Then spinners Tanuja Kanwar (2/31) and Deepti Sharma (3/27) took over, sharing five wickets among them to decimate the Irish line-up, which was well short on experience.

Orla Prendergast (36) and Sarah Forbes (41) added 64 runs for a fluent third wicket stand that helped Ireland to recover from a shaky 24 for two to reach 88 without further damage.

But once Prendergast was cleaned up by Kanwar, India were all over the tourists like a bad rash, claiming the remaining seven wickets for just 33 runs.

It also helped India eclipse their previous largest margin of victory (by runs) — 249 registered against the same opposition in 2017 at Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Mandhana’s 10th ODI century came off just 70 deliveries as the left-hander surpassed Harmanpreet Kaur’s 87-ball hundred mark against South Africa last year.

It also set the tone for India breaching the 400-run mark for the first time, joining Australia and New Zealand in that elite list.

Mandhana was in her usual destructive self, and was not afraid to take the aerial route over the ‘V’ and clear the 30-yard circle.

Pratika complemented her captain brilliantly with a measured knock, making the occasion even more special by notching her maiden international century in her sixth innings.

Pratika relied on precise placement and deft touches in the point region and she showed her aggression only after reaching the ton, hitting Freya Sargent for her first six.

Demonstrating hunger for a bigger knock, she powered her way to an impressive 150 — a perfect blend of composure and aggression.

Their 233-run partnership made them only the fourth Indian pair to record a 200-run stand in Women’s ODIs.

It was also the third instance of both Indian openers scoring hundreds in ODIs, following Reshma Gandhi and Mithali Raj’s feat at Milton Keynes in 1999 and Deepti and Raut’s partnership at Potchefstroom in 2017 — all against Ireland.

The duo added 90 runs during the Power Play and 67 in the subsequent 10 overs, maintaining a brisk scoring rate.

Mandhana reached her first century of the calendar year with an exquisite drive off Arlene Kelly.

Kelly bore the brunt of her onslaught, conceding successive sixes in one over.

Even Kelly’s variations, including back-of-the-hand deliveries, were dispatched with ease, with the Indian batter following a six with another boundary in the 24th over.

Mandhana also took on Ireland’s leading bowler, Prendergast, smashing her for a boundary down the ground and a towering six over long-on.

Promoted to No. 3, Richa Ghosh also returned to form, making a 37-ball fifty, her fifth in ODIs.

Bangladesh Supreme Court acquits former prime minister Khaleda Zia

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Bangladesh Supreme Court acquits former prime minister Khaleda Zia
Bangladesh former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia

Dhaka: Bangladesh Supreme Court on Wednesday acquitted former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a corruption case, overturning the High Court’s earlier 10-year prison sentence.

The verdict was delivered by a bench led by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed after reviewing 79-year-old Zia’s appeal against the High Court’s ruling on Wednesday, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The Supreme Court acquitted Zia, the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, and all other suspects in their appeal over the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, the report added.

The Appellate Division noted that the case was motivated by revenge.

Zia was sentenced on February 8, 2018, by Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-5 to five years of imprisonment for alleged embezzlement of government funds in the name of the Zia Orphanage Trust.

The same verdict handed down 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for five other accused, including Zia’s son Tarique and former chief secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui. Each of the accused was also fined Tk2.1 crore.

Among the accused, Tarique, Siddiqui, and Ziaur Rahman’s nephew Mominur Rahman have remained absconding.

Zia appealed the trial court’s verdict to the High Court, but the sentence was increased to 10 years by a High Court bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman on October 30, 2018.

Zia subsequently filed a leave-to-appeal petition against this sentence.

Following years of delays due to legal procedural issues and a lack of initiative from lawyers, the Appellate Division accepted Zia’s leave-to-appeal on November 11, 2024.

The court also stayed the High Court’s 10-year sentence pending the final hearing of the appeal.

After concluding the hearing, the Appellate Division announced its decision to acquit Zia, officially clearing her of the charges in the case.

Zia is ailing and travelled to London earlier this month for medical treatment.

Zia served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006.

FIR against Haryana BJP chief in gang-rape case Cong seeks his removal questions PM’s ‘silence’

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FIR against Haryana BJP chief in gang-rape case: Cong seeks his removal, questions PM's 'silence'
Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli

New Delhi: The Congress Wednesday slammed the BJP over the FIR registered against the party’s Haryana unit chief for alleged gang rape, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi must answer why the accused has still not been removed from the post despite such a serious allegation against him.

Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli and a singer were booked after a woman alleged that she was raped by them in a hotel in Himachal Pradesh’s Kasauli. Police have registered an FIR against the two men, officials said.

According to the complainant, the two men made videos of the act and threatened to kill the victim if she informed anyone about the incident.

Addressing a press conference here, Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba alleged that the Haryana BJP state president was involved in the girl’s gang rape on the pretext of getting her a permanent government job.

She claimed BJP leaders have been involved in committing crimes against women earlier too.

BJP MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh was accused of sexual harassment and BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was accused of rape, while in Karnataka, the BJP gave a poll ticket to “mass rapist” Prajwal Revanna and the Prime Minister went to campaign for him, she said.

“BJP leaders are able to muster the courage to commit sexual harassment because their party is standing with them,” she said, alleging that the prime minister’s ‘Beti Bachao’ slogan is a sham.

“The truth is that daughters have to be saved from BJP leaders only. The Congress government will not allow injustice to happen to any daughter,” Lamba said.

Demanding that Badoli be removed from his post, the Congress leader said, “BJP president J P Nadda ji, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, the law is in your hands. You create pressure, hence no action is taken against the criminals and daughters do not get justice.”

“The BJP will have to answer how their (Haryana) state president is still in his post after such a serious allegation. The prime minister, home minister, BJP Mahila Morcha, BJP’s national president and big leaders must answer,” she said.

“On one hand, an FIR has been filed against Haryana BJP president on rape charges… in Madhya Pradesh, BJP leader Ajit Pal Singh Chauhan has been arrested for raping a woman. In such an environment, the Women’s Commission, which has the responsibility of providing justice to women, is silent. The daughters of the country are demanding justice, but PM Modi is silent,” Lamba said.

Referring to the BJP’s Delhi Assembly poll candidate Ramesh Bidhuri’s remark that he will make roads which will be like Congress leader “Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks”, Lamba said the comments prove how much respect his party has for women.

“Bidhuri’s eyes are more on the cheeks of mothers, sisters and daughters than on the roads. Women protested against the lowly statement, after which he had to apologize. However, Bidhuri is continuously making objectionable statements,” she said.

The BJP is silent over Bidhuri’s statements and is promoting such language instead, the Mahila Congress chief claimed.

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