Court restrains Bihar lawyer from posting content in Sonu Nigam's name on X
The court allowed the user, who goes by the name "Sonu Nigam Singh", to use his full name on social media platforms as long as it does not cause misrepresentation, confusion or deception among the public.The matter will be heard next on August 4, and a notice has been issued to the Bihar resident.Sonu Nigam had approached the court seeking protection of his personality rights - including his name, image, likeness and reputation - which he alleged were being misused by Singh, a self-described criminal lawyer and social activist.The singer claimed that Singh had created a profile on X using only the name "Sonu Nigam", deliberately omitting "Singh" to create confusion.Nigam, who quit X in 2017, argued that the absence of his own presence on the platform allowed Singh to impersonate him more easily and attract followers who mistakenly believed the account belonged to the singer.Sonu Nigam also alleged that the account has been used to post polarising and inflammatory content, causing misattribution and criticism. Despite being approached privately and requested to change the display name, Singh allegedly refused to comply.The singer said that the impersonation had caused significant reputational damage, especially as Singh continued to engage with users on X as if he were the singer.- EndsMust Watch
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The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Solan court allows woman's plea challenging closure report in gang rape case against Haryana BJP chief
On 1 April this year, judge Malhotra admitted the revision petition and sought case records from the Kasauli court. Sessions judge Arvind Malhotra directed the Kasauli court to record the woman's statement and objections by 30 July, and decide whether to uphold the police closure report or reopen the case. Gurugram: The Solan district and sessions court in Himachal Pradesh has allowed a revision petition of a Delhi-based woman seeking to reopen a gang rape case filed by her against Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli and Haryanvi singer Rocky Mittal, alias Jai Bhagwan. The judge heard arguments from both sides 5 July and announced its order in open court Tuesday, allowing the woman's plea and ruling the complainant must appear before the Kasauli court to record her statement and submit objections by 30 July. The Kasauli court will then decide whether to proceed with the case or uphold the closure report. The case has drawn significant attention due to Badoli's position as Haryana BJP president. He was appointed to the post in July 2024, ahead of the assembly elections, relieving Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini of the dual charge. Badoli is hopeful of getting a full term in the office. ThePrint tried to reach Badoli through texts and calls Tuesday, but his number was found switched-off. This report will be updated if and when a response is received. He had earlier dismissed the woman's allegations as 'baseless' and politically motivated. The BJP Tuesday shared his pictures with party leaders including state general secretary (organisation) Phanindranath Sharma and Haryana Minister Rajesh Nagar from the Amarnath cave. On Monday, the BJP shared a press note with his pictures with other BJP leaders aboard a flight to Srinagar. Mittal told ThePrint Tuesday that his lawyers have explained to him that the Solan court's order was between the police and the woman and that it does not affect him. Also Read: Solan court admits appeal against closure report in gang rape case against singer, Haryana BJP chief 'Gangraped while visiting as tourist' The case originates from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the woman 13 December last year at the Kasauli police station in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh under Sections 376D (gang rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The allegations, which became known to public 14 January, claim that the incident occurred 3 July 2023 at the Himachal Tourism Corporation's Ros Common Hotel in Kasauli. The complainant, a Delhi resident, alleged she was visiting Kasauli as a tourist with her friend and employer Amit Bindal when she met Badoli and Mittal. According to her complaint, the accused coerced her into consuming alcohol, gangraped her in the presence of her friend, and recorded compromising photos and videos. She further claimed the duo threatened to kill her if she reported the incident and later attempted to implicate her in a false case in Panchkula to silence her. The Kasauli police investigated the case for over two months but found no corroborating evidence. According to the Kasauli police, the complainant refused a medical examination and the 17-month delay in filing the FIR hindered the collection of critical evidence such as CCTV footage, alcohol glasses or bedsheets. Consequently, on 4 February this year, the police filed a closure report, which the Kasauli judicial magistrate's court accepted on 12 March after the complainant failed to appear despite summonses issued to two addresses. Complicating the matter, Rocky Mittal filed an extortion case against the woman 6 February 2025 at Panchkula's Sector 5 police station. The FIR, lodged under Sections 308(2) (extortion), 308(5) (extortion by fear of death or grievous hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), also named Amit Bindal, another woman, and an unidentified person. Mittal alleged the complainant demanded Rs 50 lakh and political favours to settle false the rape case. He cited WhatsApp calls 21 and 22 January this year, and earlier threats between 1 and 18 September 1 last year. He claimed the rape allegations were part of a 'honey-trap' plan using audio and visual evidence. He accused the complainant of using AI-generated videos to blackmail him and Badoli. The woman, who was granted anticipatory bail 12 March by a Panchkula court, alleged the extortion case was filed to pressure her into withdrawing the rape case. She claimed the fear of arrest prevented her from attending the Kasauli court hearings 6 and 12 March this year. The complainant, represented by her advocate Rajeev Negi, challenged the Kasauli court's order on the police closure report in the Solan sessions court by way of a revision petition. Her advocate argued the extortion case was a retaliatory move by the accused to discredit her. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: Haryana BJP chief, singer Rocky Mittal booked in Kasauli for gang-rape, criminal intimidation
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Syria announces ceasefire after latest outbreak of deadly sectarian violence
Syria's defence minister announced a ceasefire shortly after government forces entered a key city in southern Sweida province on Tuesday, a day after sectarian clashes killed dozens there. Neighbouring Israel again launched strikes on Syrian military forces, saying it was protecting the Druze minority. The latest escalation under Syria's new leaders began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province, a centre of the Druze community. Syrian government forces, sent to restore order on Monday, also clashed with Druze armed groups. A ceasefire announcement On Tuesday, Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said an agreement was struck with the city's 'notables and dignitaries' and that government forces would 'respond only to the sources of fire and deal with any targeting by outlaw groups.' However, scattered clashes continued after his announcement — as did allegations that security forces had committed violations against civilians. Syria's Interior Ministry said on Monday that more than 30 people had been killed, but has not updated the figures since. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said on Tuesday that 166 people had been killed since Sunday, including five women and two children. Among them were 21 people killed in 'field executions' by government forces, including 12 men in a rest house in the city of Sweida, it said. It did not say how many of the dead were civilians and also cited reports of members of the security forces looting and setting homes on fire. Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in a statement that he had tasked authorities with 'taking immediate legal action against anyone proven to have committed a transgression or abuse, regardless of their rank or position.' Associated Press journalists in Sweida province saw forces at a government checkpoint searching cars and confiscating suspected stolen goods from both civilians and soldiers. Israel's involvement draws pushback Israeli airstrikes targeted government forces' convoys heading into the provincial capital of Sweida and in other areas of southern Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes sought to 'prevent the Syrian regime from harming' the Druze religious minority 'and to ensure disarmament in the area adjacent to our borders with Syria.' In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the armed forces. Meanwhile, Israeli Cabinet member and Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli called on X for al-Sharaa to be 'eliminated without delay." A soldier's story Manhal Yasser Al-Gor, of the Interior Ministry forces, was being treated for shrapnel wounds at a local hospital after an Israeli strike hit his convoy. We were entering Sweida to secure the civilians and prevent looting. I was on an armored personnel carrier when the Israeli drone hit us," he said, adding that there were 'many casualties.' The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Israeli strikes had killed 'several innocent civilians' as well as soldiers, and called them 'a reprehensible example of ongoing aggression and external interference" in Syria's internal matters. It said the Syrian state is committed to protecting the Druze, 'who form an integral part of the national identity and united Syrian social fabric.' Suspicion over Syria's new government Israel has taken an aggressive stance toward Syria's new leaders since al-Sharaa's Sunni Islamist insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in December, saying it doesn't want militants near its borders. Israeli forces have seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border with the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria. Earlier on Tuesday, religious leaders of the Druze community in Syria called for armed factions that have been clashing with government forces to surrender their weapons and cooperate with authorities. One of the main Druze spiritual leaders later released a video statement retracting the call. Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, who has been opposed to the government in Damascus, said in the video that the initial Druze leaders' statement had been issued after an agreement with the authorities in Damascus but that 'they broke the promise and continued the indiscriminate shelling of unarmed civilians.' 'We are being subjected to a total war of annihilation,' he claimed, without offering evidence. Some videos on social media showed armed fighters with Druze captives, beating them and, in some cases, forcibly shaving men's moustaches. Sectarian and revenge attacks The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Since Assad's fall, clashes have broken out several times between forces loyal to the new Syrian government and Druze fighters. The latest fighting has raised fears of more sectarian violence. In March, an ambush on government forces by Assad loyalists in another part of Syria triggered days of sectarian and revenge attacks. Hundreds of civilians were killed, most of them members of Assad's minority Alawite sect. A commission was formed to investigate the attacks but no findings have been made public. The videos and reports of soldiers' violations spurred outrage and protests by Druze communities in neighbouring Lebanon, northern Israel and in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, where the Israeli military said dozens of protesters had crossed the border into Syrian territory. The violence drew international concern. The US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, called the violence 'worrisome on all sides' in a post on. 'We are attempting to come to a peaceful, inclusive outcome for Druze, Bedouin tribes, the Syrian government and Israeli forces,' he said.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Syria announces ceasefire after latest outbreak of deadly sectarian violence
Syria's defence minister announced a ceasefire shortly after government forces entered a key city in southern Sweida province on Tuesday, a day after sectarian clashes killed dozens there. Neighbouring Israel again launched strikes on Syrian military forces, saying it was protecting the Druze minority. The latest escalation under Syria's new leaders began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province, a centre of the Druze community. Syrian government forces, sent to restore order on Monday, also clashed with Druze armed groups. On Tuesday, Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said an agreement was struck with the city's 'notables and dignitaries' and that government forces would 'respond only to the sources of fire and deal with any targeting by outlaw groups.' However, scattered clashes continued after his announcement — as did allegations that security forces had committed violations against civilians. Syria's Interior Ministry said Monday that more than 30 people had been killed, but has not updated the figures since. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said Tuesday that 166 people had been killed since Sunday, including five women and two children. Among them were 21 people killed in 'field executions' by government forces, including 12 men in a rest house in the city of Sweida, it said. It did not say how many of the dead were civilians and also cited reports of members of the security forces looting and setting homes on fire. Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in a statement that he had tasked authorities with 'taking immediate legal action against anyone proven to have committed a transgression or abuse, regardless of their rank or position.' Associated Press journalists in Sweida province saw forces at a government checkpoint searching cars and confiscating suspected stolen goods from both civilians and soldiers. Israeli airstrikes targeted government forces' convoys heading into the provincial capital of Sweida and in other areas of southern Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes sought to 'prevent the Syrian regime from harming' the Druze religious minority 'and to ensure disarmament in the area adjacent to our borders with Syria.' In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the armed forces. Meanwhile, Israeli Cabinet member and Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli called on X for al-Sharaa to be 'eliminated without delay.' Manhal Yasser Al-Gor, of the Interior Ministry forces, was being treated for shrapnel wounds at a local hospital after an Israeli strike hit his convoy. We were entering Sweida to secure the civilians and prevent looting. I was on an armored personnel carrier when the Israeli drone hit us,' he said, adding that there were 'many casualties.' The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Israeli strikes had killed 'several innocent civilians' as well as soldiers, and called them 'a reprehensible example of ongoing aggression and external interference' in Syria's internal matters. It said the Syrian state is committed to protecting the Druze, 'who form an integral part of the national identity and united Syrian social fabric.' Israel has taken an aggressive stance toward Syria's new leaders since al-Sharaa's Sunni Islamist insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in December, saying it doesn't want militants near its borders. Israeli forces have seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border with the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria. Earlier Tuesday, religious leaders of the Druze community in Syria called for armed factions that have been clashing with government forces to surrender their weapons and cooperate with authorities. One of the main Druze spiritual leaders later released a video statement retracting the call. Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, who has been opposed to the government in Damascus, said in the video that the initial Druze leaders' statement had been issued after an agreement with the authorities in Damascus but that 'they broke the promise and continued the indiscriminate shelling of unarmed civilians.' 'We are being subjected to a total war of annihilation,' he claimed, without offering evidence. Some videos on social media showed armed fighters with Druze captives, beating them and, in some cases, forcibly shaving men's moustaches. The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Since Assad's fall, clashes have broken out several times between forces loyal to the new Syrian government and Druze fighters. The latest fighting has raised fears of more sectarian violence. In March, an ambush on government forces by Assad loyalists in another part of Syria triggered days of sectarian and revenge attacks. Hundreds of civilians were killed, most of them members of Assad's minority Alawite sect. A commission was formed to investigate the attacks but no findings have been made public. The videos and reports of soldiers' violations spurred outrage and protests by Druze communities in neighbouring Lebanon, northern Israel and in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, where the Israeli military said dozens of protesters had crossed the border into Syrian territory. The violence drew international concern. The US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, called the violence 'worrisome on all sides' in a post on. 'We are attempting to come to a peaceful, inclusive outcome for Druze, Bedouin tribes, the Syrian government and Israeli forces,' he said.
