Opinion April 24, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Longowal Visit
The government is likely to adopt its strategy on Punjab after the visit of the Akali Dal president, Harchand Singh Longowal, to the capital. Longowal is visiting Delhi and the SGPC president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, is likely to accompany him. The government is concerned over the proposal put forward by Tohra to demolish the Akal Takht.
20 Killed In Gujarat
At least 20 persons were killed in police firing and other violent incidents (unofficial sources put the toll at over 50) and over 115 received bullet, knife or burn injuries as the situation in Ahmedabad turned very grave with large-scale arson, looting and communal clashes reported from hitherto peaceful labour localities. Indefinite curfew was extended to Bapunagar, Rakhival and Gomtipur. The police fired over 135 rounds at the mobs.
Maintenance Law
A divorced Muslim woman is entitled to maintenance from her husband under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held. A five-judge bench, presided over by Chief Justice Y V Chandrachud, emphasised that there was no conflict between the provisions of the CrPC and the Muslim personal law on the question of the Muslim husband's obligation to maintain his divorced wife.
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The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
From street name to gobbledygook
The street sign says it all – Yahali 3rd Street. There are three of them, all connecting Anna Salai with GN Chetty Road, at Teynampet, very close to Semmozhi Poonga. Only Yahali is not the correct name. Google maps has compounded matters further. You need to search under Yaya Hali Street if you need to find it. The correct name is Yahya Ali Streets – 1, 2 and 3, and they take their names from Justice Yahya Ali of the High Court of Madras. The learned judge is not in public memory. When I spoke to a friend on this, he said that the Internet has no reference to such a judge, and I guess that would mean such a person did not exist. But he did. And when he died as a sitting judge in 1949, the High Court convened to condole his passing. The brilliant barrister and then Public Prosecutor V.L. Ethiraj led the mourners. He dwelt on the 'keen intellect, great learning, profound human understanding and exquisite courtesy we found in that frail figure.' But to get full biographical details we need to turn to the speech of an illustrious contemporary, V.C. Gopalaratnam who spoke on behalf of the Madras Advocates Association. Yahya Ali was born in August 1893 in Nellore, his father serving as Assistant Secretary in the Finance Department of the Nizams of Hyderabad. He graduated in History and Economics from the Presidency College in 1916 and then qualified in Law. He set up practice in Nellore and became Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor. He was a member of the Madras Legislative Council as well. In between he became Chairman of Nellore Municipality, his election being testimony to the regard he enjoyed from all residents of the town. It was a place notorious for communal tension and being a Hindu majority, it was considered impossible for a Muslim to win the ballot. In 1926, Yahya Ali became District Judge, being posted in that capacity to various parts of Madras Presidency. His specialisation in matters concerning finance led to his being appointed by the then Imperial Government in 1942 as the Chairman of the Appellate Income Tax Tribunal where he equipped himself 'with a thorough and exhaustive knowledge of Income Tax Law and Procedure.' In 1945 he became a judge of the High Court of Madras. It is interesting to note that he sat in judgement till the last day of his life, taking ill on April 21, 1949, and passing away the next day. While these details are from Gopalaratnam's speech during the condolence meet, we learn some more from what the then Chief Justice had to say. Yahya Ali he noted, was a connoisseur of Telugu poetry and 'he was a deeply cultured person- culture with the best ingredients of what I may call Moghul culture – urbanity, catholicity and instinctive love of all that was beautiful.' What was his link to Teynampet? He was at the time of his death Mutawalli (trustee or guardian) of the Teynampet Mosque in which his family had taken a deep interest. It was also in the precincts of this mosque that Yahya Ali was buried. And eventually a locality was named after him. And from there, the name has morphed phonetically as it were, to what it is now with street names changing accordingly. I wish the Corporation would be more careful with street signs. We have suffered enough mutilation with truncation of many names to initials, morphing of others, and of course, name changes at the drop of a hat.
Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- Indian Express
BJP at Shaheen Bagh: Muslim girls should aim for the Army
In a move aimed at expanding its outreach into the Muslim-dominated areas of the national capital, the BJP's Minority Morcha held a 'minority chaupal' in Shaheen Bagh on Tuesday. The main purpose of this chaupal was to encourage young Muslim girls to consider careers in the Indian Army, it said. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, an Indian Army officer who garnered attention during Operation Sindoor, was repeatedly cited as a role model throughout the event. This was the BJP's first such chaupal in the Capital under a broader national campaign celebrating the first-year anniversary of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's third term in office. The event was held in a modest hotel room in the heart of the neighbourhood that rose to national prominence during the 2020 anti-CAA protests. 'Our daughter should become strong, she should be educated, she should be independent…,' said Jamal Siddiqui, National President of the BJP Minority Morcha and chief guest at the event. 'If anyone tries to harass, scare, or intimidate her, she should be able to give a befitting reply. We have to take our daughters out of their homes and into society. They should also go to the border… and show the strength of Indian women.' 'To teach Pakistan a lesson, the leadership of (explaining) air strikes on terrorist bases was handed over to two daughters, Colonel Sophia and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, and the world has been introduced to the courage, valour and bravery of Indian women,' he added. The chaupal featured a small but engaged gathering of two women and 20 party workers, and sought to familiarise attendees with the Agniveer recruitment scheme and other opportunities in the Armed Forces. Organisers also distributed copies of the Constitution and announced a one-stop camp for registrations under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. 'This is not just about Army recruitment,' said Ashu Chaudhary, Delhi State Executive Member of the Minority Morcha and the event's coordinator. 'It's about rights, awareness, and helping women from our community imagine a future where they are leaders.' Attendees were also handed 'data books' — kits detailing key government schemes across sectors such as education, employment, and health — with instructions to imitate similar minority chaupals in their localities and to share the data with other members of the Muslim community. The BJP's choice of Shaheen Bagh for the pilot chaupal carries political weight. Once the epicentre of the months-long protests, led largely by Muslim women against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the neighbourhood had become a symbol of resistance — and now, as the BJP frames it, potential transformation. 'We all are sons of India. We all are citizens of India. These 11 years of the Modi government have brought light where there was darkness,' Siddiqui declared. Launching a scathing attack against the BJP's political rivals, he added, 'The Congress and AAP created that darkness. Now, it is our duty to spread awareness, take the government's message and schemes to the people.'
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Can't jail a man for marrying outside his faith: Supreme Court
The state cannot object to two consenting adults living together merely because they belong to different religions, the Supreme Court asserted while granting bail to a Muslim man jailed for nearly six months after marrying a Hindu woman. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma passed the order as it allowed an appeal filed by a man, who was denied bail by the Uttarakhand High Court in February 2025. The petitioner was arrested under provisions of the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for allegedly concealing his religious identity and fraudulently marrying the woman under Hindu rites. In an order issued recently, the Supreme Court said: 'The respondent-state cannot have any objection to the appellant and his wife residing together inasmuch as they have been married as per the wishes of their respective parents and families.' The bench further clarified that the ongoing criminal proceedings would not come in the way of the couple living together by choice. ALSO READ | 'Failure of marriage not end of life', Supreme Court tell young couple The court directed the petitioner's release on bail, noting that he had been incarcerated for nearly six months and that a charge sheet had already been filed. 'Considering the facts on record, in our view, the case for bail is made out,' said the bench. The court also took note of the argument made by the senior counsel for the petitioner, who contended that the FIR was lodged only after certain individuals and organisations objected to the interfaith marriage. It was pointed out that the wedding took place with the full knowledge and presence of both families, and that Siddiqui provided an affidavit the day after the marriage affirming he would not force his wife to convert and that she would be free to follow her faith. The FIR in question was lodged on December 12, 2024, at Rudrapur Police Station in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district, just two days after the couple's wedding on December 10. The Uttarakhand High Court earlier declined to grant Siddiqui bail, holding that facts relating to his religion had allegedly not been disclosed to the woman and her family before the marriage. In its February 28 order rejecting bail, the High Court accepted the prosecution's argument that the man's religious identity was deliberately concealed. The High Court observed that while the wedding was solemnised under Hindu customs, and the applicant and his family failed to reveal their Muslim identity until after the marriage. The complaint was lodged by a cousin of the woman, alleging that the family discovered the groom's religious background only upon visiting his residence in Delhi, where they noticed that 'most of the people belonged to a different community.' The FIR was filed the very next day, despite an affidavit submitted by Siddiqui on December 11 assuring that he would not pressure his wife into converting and would respect her religious autonomy. While Siddiqui's counsel highlighted that his mother is a practising Hindu and that he grew up in a Hindu environment, the High Court remained unconvinced. It noted that the couple did not marry under the Special Marriage Act, which governs interfaith unions in India, and that key facts were allegedly kept from the woman's family, pointing to the affidavit as evidence that 'correct facts had not been disclosed.' Rejecting the defence that the information was known to both sides, the High Court concluded, 'The applicant does not deserve bail.' In contrast, the Supreme Court viewed the matter through the lens of personal liberty and marital autonomy, reiterating that the right of adult individuals to live together cannot be curtailed by the state on the ground of religious difference. 'This is an appropriate case where the relief of bail ought to be granted,' held the bench, noting the petitioner's submissions that the couple may choose to live separately from their families and continue to live peacefully without any hindrance.
