PM Modi in Tamil Nadu LIVE: Security tightened ahead of PM's Gangaikonda Cholapuram visit
The village and the Brihadisvara Temple, situated along the Tiruchi-Chidambaram National Highway, have been decked up with flags and garlands to welcome the Prime Minister, who will participate in the valediction of the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival marking the birth anniversary of Rajendra Chola I.
Watch: Gangaikonda Cholapuram: PM Modi to visit Rajendra Chola's lost capital
Mr. Modi will release a commemorative coin in honour of the king, accepting a request made by R. Komagan, Chairman of the Gangaikondacholapuram Development Council Trust.
The king had built Gangaikonda Cholapuram along with the Brihadisvara Temple and the Cholagangam, a massive lake, after his victorious expedition to the Gangetic plains about 1,000 years ago.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
15 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Asaduddin Owaisi's first reaction to 2008 Malegaon blast case verdict by NIA court: ‘Shoddy investigation'
Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM on Thursday expressed disappointment over the acquittal of all accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, calling it a result of a 'deliberately shoddy investigation and prosecution'. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi speaks to media.(ANI file) 'The Malegaon blast case verdict is disappointing. Six namazis were killed in the blast and nearly 100 were injured. They were targeted for their religion. A deliberately shoddy investigation/prosecution is responsible for the acquittal,' the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief posted on X. Asaduddin Owaisi questioned whether the Centre and Maharashtra governments would challenge the verdict. 'Seventeen years after the blast, the Court has acquitted all of the accused for lack of evidence. Will the Modi & Fadnavis governments appeal the judgement the way they swiftly demanded stay in the Mumbai train blasts acquittals? Will Maharashtra's 'secular' political parties demand accountability? Who killed the 6 people?' Also Follow | Malegaon Blast Case Verdict LIVE Updates Owaisi also recalled former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian's allegation that she was asked to "go soft" on the accused. 'Remember, in 2016 the then prosecutor in the case Rohini Salian went on record to say that NIA had asked her to 'go soft' on the accused. Remember, in 2017, NIA had tried to get Sadhvi Pragya acquitted. The same person would go on to be a BJP MP in 2019.' Also Read | What is Malegaon blast case? Verdict today: What we know about 17-year-long probe He further mentioned slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who had initially probed the blast case before being killed in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. 'Karkare had uncovered the conspiracy in Malegaon & was unfortunately killed by Pakistani terrorists in the 26/11 attacks. The BJP MP went on record saying that she had cursed him and his death was a consequence of his curse.' Taking aim at the current government, Owaisi asked, 'Will NIA/ATS officers be held accountable for their faulty investigation? I think we know the answer. This is the 'tough on terror' Modi government. The world will remember that it made a terror accused a Member of Parliament.' 2008 Malegaon blast case: Court acquits all 7 accused Nearly 17 years after the Malegaon blast claimed six lives, the special court acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, noting there was "no reliable and cogent evidence" against them. No religion teaches violence, the court said. Terrorism has no religion, but the court cannot convict on mere perception, it added. Special Judge AK Lahoti, assigned to hear cases of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) here, flagged several loopholes in the prosecution's case and the investigation carried out, and said the accused persons deserved the benefit of doubt. An explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in the town, located about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008 killing six persons and injuring 101 others. Besides Thakur and Purohit, the accused comprised Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni. Once the court acquitted the seven accused, they looked relieved with smiles on their faces. They thanked the judge and their lawyers. The court while reading out the judgment said there was no "reliable and cogent" evidence to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. "Mere suspicion cannot take the place of real proof," the court said, adding that in the absence of any evidence, the accused persons deserve the benefit of doubt. "The overall evidence does not inspire confidence in the court to convict the accused. There is no reliable and cogent evidence to warrant conviction," the judge said while reading out the judgment. The court also said provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were not applicable to the case.
Hans India
15 minutes ago
- Hans India
Malegaon blast case verdict disappointing, says Owaisi
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has termed as 'disappointing' the verdict of the NIA court, acquitting all accused in the Malegaon blast case, and wanted to know if the Centre and Maharashtra government will seek a stay as they did in the Mumbai train blasts case. In a post on the social media platform 'X', the Hyderabad MP stated that a shoddy investigation led to the acquittal of the accused in the Malegaon blast case. 'The Malegaon blast case verdict is disappointing. Six namazis were killed in the blast and nearly 100 were injured. They were targeted for their religion. A deliberately shoddy investigation/prosecution is responsible for the acquittal,' said Owaisi. '17 years after the blast, the Court has acquitted all of the accused for lack of evidence. Will the Modi & Fadnavis governments appeal the judgement the way they swiftly demanded stay in the Mumbai train blasts acquittals? Will Maharashtra's 'secular' political parties demand accountability? Who killed the 6 people?' asked the MP. He recalled that in 2016, the then prosecutor in the case, Rohini Salian, went on record to say that NIA had asked her to 'go soft' on the accused. 'Remember, in 2017, NIA had tried to get Sadhvi Pragya acquitted. The same person would go on to be a BJP MP in 2019.' Owaisi also mentioned Hemant Karkare, former chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad. 'Karkare had uncovered the conspiracy in Malegaon & was unfortunately killed by Pakistani terrorists in the 26/11 attacks. The BJP MP went on record saying that she had cursed him and his death was a consequence of his curse,' wrote Owaisi. The MP wanted to know if NIA/ATS officers should be held accountable for their faulty investigation. 'I think we know the answer. This is the 'tough on terror' Modi government. The world will remember that it made a terror accused a Member of Parliament.' Earlier, in the day, in a significant judgment, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit. The court dropped all charges against the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), citing a lack of sufficient evidence.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'This is what we get from PM Modi's friend...': Priyanka on Trump imposing 25% tariff on India
Congress and other opposition leaders on Wednesday took jibes at the Modi government over Donald Trump announcing a 25 per cent tariff and an extra penalty on Indian goods, but also slammed the US President's move, terming it unfortunate. "PM Modi goes everywhere, makes friends and then this is what we get," Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said. Show more Show less
