MP High Court orders FIR against Vijay Shah
The Court described his remarks as 'disparaging,' 'dangerous,' and 'language of the gutters'-not merely targeting the officer in question but denigrating the armed forces as a whole.
It further observed that, prima facie, offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, are made out against the minister. "The armed forces, perhaps the last institution existing in this country, reflecting integrity, industry, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, character, honour and indomitable courage with which any citizen of this country who values the same can identify themselves with, has been targeted by Vijay Shah who has used the language of the gutters against Col Sofia Quraishi,' it said. A division bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Anuradha Shukla held that a prima facie offence under Section 152 of the BNS, which criminalises any act that endangers the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India, was attracted in the instant case.
"Prima facie, the statement of the minister that Col. Sofia Quraishi is the sister of the terrorist who carried out the attack at Pahalgam encourages feelings of separatist activities by imputing separatist feeling to anyone who is Muslim, which thereby endangers the sovereignty or unity and integrity of India," the bench noted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
9 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Pimpri Chinchwad police arrest 2 men, including US national, for trying to convert people by offering financial assistance
The Pimpri Chinchwad police said Monday they have arrested two men, including an American national, and apprehended a minor boy for allegedly trying to convert people to Christianity by offering financial assistance. The police identified the arrested US national as Schaefer Javin Jacob, 41, a resident of California, who lives in an apartment near Mukai Chowk in Pimpri Chinchwad. The police said they have also arrested Steven Vijay Kadam, 46, a resident of Raisoni society in Pimpri, and handed over the minor, a 16-year-old boy, to his mother. Pimpri resident Sunny Dhanani, 27, who belongs to the Sindhi community, lodged the First Information Report (FIR) in this case at the Pimpri Police Station Sunday night. The police have booked them under sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). They have also invoked sections 14 (b) and (c) of the Foreigners Act against the American national in this case. As per the FIR, the accused allegedly approached Dhanani at his residence in Pimpri at around 11.30 am Sunday. They allegedly told Dhanani that he would get 'happiness, peace, wealth, and good mental health' if he embraced Christianity. They also allegedly claimed that Jesus Christ is the only God, while other Gods are just stories, the FIR stated. It added that the accused allegedly offered financial assistance to the complainant if he accepted Christianity. Dhanani then approached the police and filed a complaint against the accused for allegedly hurting his religious sentiments. Ashok Kadlag, Senior Police Inspector, said further investigation is underway. Kadlag said the probe so far shows that the American citizen has been coming to India since 2016 on tourist and business visas. 'But he was not found doing any business activity here,' said Kadlag.
Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
West Bengal govt trying to ‘legitimise Rohingya Muslims, illegal Bangladeshi immigrants': Suvendu Adhikari writes to Election Commission
West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari Monday expressed concerns over an alleged increase in voter registration applications and the issuance of domicile certificates in the border districts, claiming that this is an attempt by the state administration to legitimise 'infiltrating Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants'. Sharing a copy of a letter he wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on July 26, the BJP leader wrote on X, 'A disturbing trend has emerged in West Bengal's border districts. Over 70,000 Form-6 applications have been submitted on average in the last week, a sharp rise from the usual 20,000-25,000, especially in Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, North Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, and North & South 24 Parganas districts.' Form-6 is used for registering as a new voter for the first time. He said this surge, coupled with reports of domicile certificates being issued, raises concerns about the government's 'unethical and illegal efforts' to facilitate the 'legitimising of the infiltrating Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants' to manipulate voter lists. Adhikari has urged the CEC not to accept any domicile certificates issued after July 25, during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, if such an activity is conducted in West Bengal. He said this step is crucial to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process'. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday started training booth-level officers (BLOs) in West Bengal, amid speculations that the SIR of electoral rolls, similar to the one being held in neighbouring poll-bound Bihar, will be held in the state, too. Adhikari alleged in his letter that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offfice has issued directives to the district magistrates (DMs) and subdivisional magistrates (SDMs) of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Malda, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Coochbehar districts for hte issuance of a large number of domicile certificates in these border districts with Bangladesh. 'The integrity of our Democracy must be protected and can't be allowed to get diluted for vested interests of Vote Bank Politics. The District Election Officers must remember that they are entrusted with the responsibility of conducting free and fair elections, and their allegiance is with the country and protecting the interests of the country,' he wrote. Earlier, on Saturday, Saturday Adhikari said the Bengal BJP would take to the streets from August 17 demanding a 'Rohingya-free Bengal' in a bid to counter Trinamool's 'Bangla-Bangali' narrative in the run-up to next year's Assembly elections. 'Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee gifted this homeland to Bengali Hindus, and we will protect it,' Adhikari said. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
New Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
'Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan': Chidambaram's remark on Pahalgam attackers stirs row
A political row has erupted ahead of the high-stakes parliamentary debate on 'Operation Sindoor', India's military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The controversy was sparked by remarks from former finance minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who, in an interview with The Quint, questioned the narrative that the attackers came from Pakistan. 'There is no evidence so far that the killers were Pakistani,' Chidambaram said, suggesting that "homegrown terrorists" could have been involved. He also slammed the government's handling of the investigation, asking why the attackers had not yet been apprehended or identified. His comments triggered a sharp backlash from the BJP, with the party accusing Congress of undermining national security. 'Once again, the Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan, this time after the Pahalgam terror attack,' BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on X, sharing a clip from the interview. He further added, 'When it comes to national security, there should be no ambiguity. But with the Congress, there never is – they always bend over backwards to protect the enemy.'
