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NDTV
03-08-2025
- NDTV
UP Man Booked For Raping Minor, Pressuring Her To Convert Religion
Budaun: A man here been booked for allegedly raping a minor girl while impersonating as a Hindu, police said on Sunday. Arbaaz is a former hookah bar operator, they said, and is on the run. His hookah bar shut down in 2022. He was booked at Sadar Kotwali Police Station on Saturday at the direction of Senior Superintendent of Police Brijesh Singh. The girl, about 17, in her complaint, alleged that when she first met Arbaaz in July 2022, he introduced himself as Shivam alias Bobby and wore a red thread on his wrist. Over time, he befriended her and took her to Delhi in September 2022, where he allegedly drugged and raped her multiple times, the FIR said. The girl alleged that Arbaaz filmed the assaults and threatened to make the videos public if she did not convert to Islam. The FIR says that several men used to operate from the now-closed hookah bar, allegedly targeting Hindu girls, drugging them, filming them, and blackmailing them for sexual and psychological exploitation. On July 16, this year, Arbaaz allegedly intercepted the girl, assaulted her, and threatened her against pursuing legal action. She approached Sadar Kotwali police, who detained the accused briefly but released him within half an hour, the FIR states. Dissatisfied, the girl submitted a written complaint to the SSP, after which a formal case was registered under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. Circle officer Rajnish Upadhyay said that Arbaaz was earlier booked under the Gangster Act and was jailed.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Indian Express
How Mumbai train blasts case fell: Court flags torture signs, identical statements, dodgy witnesses
The veracity of 'identical confessions' by 11 accused made to the police; allegations of custodial torture before confessions were made; and the lack of any reliable material for the state to grant 'prior approval' to invoke the stringent anti-terror laws — a combination of these factors were behind the Bombay High Court's acquittal Monday of the 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai blasts case. To illustrate the discrepancies in the prosecution, the court flagged statements by two prosecution witnesses, Deputy Commissioners of Police Brijesh Singh and D M Phadtare, recorded on two different dates, at different places and time. 'By any stretch of imagination, it is highly impossible to have (the) same questions, and its sequence in both the statements with same answers. Thus, it speaks volume and create(s) doubt about the genuineness of the procedure followed while recording confessional statements of these accused,' the Court said. Essentially, the Court accepted the arguments made by the defence that raised questions about the 'genuineness' of the confessions. While different DCPs recorded the confessions, evidence showed that the questions asked, answers provided and even the ellipsis in the statements were identical. 'Even if, for a moment, it is presumed that a format of questions were used by them for convenience, it cannot be ignored that the answers…are identical verbatim, which is highly improbable, if not copied or a format was provided,' the Court held. Significantly, the Court reproduced 'handwritten' statements by each of the accused who said that they had signed confessional statements under duress by the agencies. These notes contain serious allegations of custodial torture. The Court, apart from looking at medical evidence, noted the timeline of the confessions to hold that doubts are cast on the confessions. The court perused medical evidence of doctors of KEM Hospital and Bhabha Hospital and noted that it 'sufficiently hinted at the possibility of torture' being inflicted on the accused to extort a confession. '…while seeking remand of the accused, it was the consistent case of the prosecution that the accused are not co-operating. However, immediately after invocation of the provisions of the MCOCA on 24/09/2006, the first confessional statement was recorded on 04/10/2006 and then there was a series of such statements which continued till 25/10/2006,' the Court noted. Under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, confessional statements made to the police are admissible as evidence. This is a departure from ordinary criminal law where only statements made in judicial custody have evidentiary value. The Court closely examined each confession to find glaring gaps in the answers on the events of the crime. For example, accused number 6, Shaikh Mohd. Ali Alam Shaikh did not disclose as to whether the whole 15 kg RDX substance was used, or some quantity was left over. And if it was left over, who had taken the remaining RDX and where was it kept, although he confessed to RDX being brought to his house. MCOCA also requires 'prior sanction' by a competent authority, a police officer not below the rank of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, before the law is invoked in a case. This procedure is an essential safeguard against the misuse of the law that reverses the burden of proof, allows prolonged detention and relaxes evidentiary standards. The court noted that the sanction was obtained based on a '2.5 pages long proposal' with no supporting documents. 'Mere reproduction of some expressions, used in the definition of 'organised crime', 'continuing unlawful activities' or 'organised crime syndicate' to show the compliance, cannot be said to be in tune with the letter and spirit of the law relating to grant of approval for invocation of the provisions of the MCOCA,' the court said. Discarding the Test Identification Parade (TIP) of the accused, the court noted that the Special Executive Officer (SEO) who conducted it did not have the authority to do so. The court noted that the prosecution examined eight witnesses, including taxi drivers who drove the accused to Churchgate station; witnesses who saw the accused planting bombs in trains; witnesses to the assembly of bombs, and witnesses to the conspiracy. About the taxi drivers, the court said they were silent for over 100 days after the incident, and gave their statement to the police only on November 3, 2006, that two of the accused had travelled in their taxis. It observed that there was no special reason to trigger their memory about the faces and description of the accused, to enable their identification after such a long gap. Similarly, the court flagged the long gap in the case of witnesses who claimed to have seen the accused planting the bombs in the trains. The court noted that while one of the witnesses said that he saw the accused and some more persons making bombs when he entered the house of one of the accused, he changed his version during cross examination, saying he did not enter the house, but a friend who accompanied him told him about the bombs. 'Thus, since the defence succeeded in shattering his oral evidence in cross-examination, for this reason and other reasons recorded, we have not considered his evidence worth relying,' the HC noted. On the version of a person who claimed to be a witness to the conspiracy, the bench noted that while he said the accused were discussing some issues in secret meetings, he was unaware of the subjects discussed. On the statement of the witness who helped to draw sketches of the accused, the HC noted that he was not called for the trial and was not asked to identify the accused in the court. On evidence related to recoveries of explosives, including RDX granules, detonators, cookers, circuit boards, hooks, maps, etc, the HC noted that 'evidentiary value of these recoveries does not attach any importance on the ground that the prosecution failed to establish and prove the proper custody and proper sealing which ought to be intact till the articles were taken to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).' The judges observed that circuit boards recovered from two accused were of 'no help to the prosecution to establish as the prosecution failed to bring any evidence on record and to establish the type of bombs used in the present case'. Apurva Vishwanath is the National Legal Editor of The Indian Express in New Delhi. She graduated with a B.A., LL. B (Hons) from Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow. She joined the newspaper in 2019 and in her current role, oversees the newspapers coverage of legal issues. She also closely tracks judicial appointments. Prior to her role at the Indian Express, she has worked with ThePrint and Mint. ... Read More
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Time of India
Cops crack snatching case in 24 hrs, fake CBI, I-T officials held
Prayagraj: Pratapgarh Police have swiftly cracked a Rs 5 lakh cash snatching racket within 24 hours, arresting five individuals who impersonated CBI and income tax officers. The gang was caught in Mahdaha village near Patti tehsil. The incident occurred on July 14, when the complainant Rajesh Tripathi and his acquaintance Ram Vishal Tiwari were stopped by fake officers, who searched their car and snatched a bag containing the cash. An FIR was registered against Vishal and others, leading to the arrests. SP Dr Anil Kumar promptly ordered the formation of special teams to investigate the crime. Utilising surveillance, intelligence, and technical support, the teams executed the operation swiftly and arrested five accused within a day. The police recovered Rs 3.30 lakh in cash, a motorcycle, six mobile phones, and counterfeit currency worth Rs 3.69 lakh (1,294 fake notes of Rs 500 and Rs 200 denominations). Additionally, fake ID cards of the CBI and I-T department were seized from the accused. One of the arrested, Brijesh Singh, was also found in possession of an illegal .315 bore pistol with two live cartridges. An FIR (No. 215/25) under the Arms Act (sections 3/25) was filed, and the motorcycle was seized under section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act. During interrogation, the accused confessed to orchestrating organised crime by scamming people under the guise of CBI and I-T accused revealed that Ram Vishal Tiwari lured the victim by promising to supply laborers. Brijesh, Ram Sakal Kevat, and Lallu Kevat then posed as officials, conducted a fake search, and snatched the money bag, handing it over to Ranjit Yadav. They planned to divide the loot, with specific amounts allocated to each member. The gang also admitted to mixing fake notes with real currency to circulate them and creating fake ID cards to intimidate victims. Brijesh Singh confessed to carrying a concealed firearm to threaten people. The arrested accused have been identified as Brijesh Singh (50), Ram Vishal Tiwari (51), Ram Sakal Kevat (52), Lallu Kevat (47), and Ranjit Kumar Yadav (30).
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
UP min reviewsPlantation 2025 preps
Lucknow: Minister of state for environment, forest and climate change (independent charge) Arun Kumar Saxena on Wednesday reviewed the preparation for Plantation-2025 and provided guidelines for the successful planting of 35 crore trees. The minister suggested that 1% of the legislative area development fund should be used by public representatives for thematic tree planting along roadsides using tree guards. He also emphasised promoting agroforestry by encouraging plantation on the boundaries of agricultural fields. Large-scale plantation is being done on forest land, community land, other govt land, agricultural and private land with the cooperation of 26 govt departments and the general public. As a result of extensive plantation done in the years so far, the state's forest and tree cover increased by approximately 1.38 acres according to the ISFR report 2023 released by the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, last year, which is the second-highest increase in India. Ministers from other departments also participated in the review meeting. PWD state minister Brijesh Singh said that tree protection ensures water security and also proposed establishing 'Sindoor Van' in the state.
The Print
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Maharashtra govt floats tender for fact check unit to track ‘malicious, inaccurate' content
Brijesh Singh, principal secretary, DGIPR, told ThePrint: 'Every day, we treat media reports as feedback on governance. During his previous tenure, Chief Minister Fadnavis made our approach clear: 'either the media is right, or we are right. If they are right, we need to take note. If they are wrong, we should inform them of factual inaccuracies'. This unit serves exactly that purpose.' The unit will be set up under the state government's Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR), and will use technological interventions to speedily screen all information concerning the state government and check its credibility across languages for any supposedly malicious or inaccurate content. Mumbai: The Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has floated a tender to set up a fact-check unit to track all content about the state government across traditional media as well as social and digital media platforms. 'It is not intended to have any chilling effect (on the public) or create the fears some people are expressing,' he added. Government departments routinely identify any alleged discrepancies in media reports and send rejoinders as and when required. Singh said the fact-check unit will make this exercise more thorough and faster, bringing in technological interventions. 'We lack the capability to handle the current volume of misinformation, and it requires significant technical capabilities. When altered photos claim a bridge has collapsed, or old images are used out of context, we need to respond promptly and accurately, pointing out, for instance, that an image is from 2016. This requires forensic capabilities, making technical expertise essential,' Singh said. According to the tender, which ThePrint has seen, the fact-check unit will have a dashboard that would offer detailed reports and alerts on any 'misinformation, disinformation and malinformation' detected. The dashboard, the tender states, should help government officials to quickly review the content that has been flagged, understand the scope of the issue and respond in a timely manner. The agency chosen to set up the unit will also conduct training sessions and workshops for officials from the DGIPR and other government departments on how to use the dashboard, and view and analyse reports. Also Read: Trump dismisses as 'fake news' CNN report saying US strikes didn't destroy Iranian nuclear sites 'Fact-check unit proposal legally vetted' The Bombay High Court had in September last year declared a 2023 amendment in the Centre's Information Technology Rules, as part of which the government planned to fact-check social media content, as 'unconstitutional'. The amended rules were to restrain social media 'intermediaries' from publishing content about the government which its own fact-check unit identified as fake. Multiple petitions from organisations such as the Editors Guild of India, News Broadcasters and Digital Association, Association of Indian Magazines as well as comedian Kunal Kamra had challenged the amendment, saying the rules infringe upon freedom of speech and expression. In a 2023 letter, the Editors Guild of India had said: 'While admittedly there is a problem of misinformation and fake news, especially in the online space, efforts to check such content have to be by independent bodies that are not under the sole purview of the government, lest they become tools to clamp down on voices of dissent.' In December last year, the Centre filed a special leave petition against the high court's decision in the Supreme Court. It is, however, yet to be admitted. According to Singh, however, the Maharashtra government has got the proposal for the DGIPR's fact-check unit legally vetted and it will not be in contravention of the court's orders. 'The central fact-check unit was ruled unconstitutional by courts in an earlier decision because it required platforms to take down content based on the unit's report. Our approach is fundamentally different: it is not binding. The state government lacks such enforcement powers. Since that ruling, PIB (Press Information Bureau) has continued fact-checking, as have many other states,' Singh said. What the tender says According to the tender document, the fact-checking unit is expected to track social and digital media platforms, websites, online news aggregators and blogs for the state government to identify and respond to 'instances of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation being published' in a timely manner. 'If someone posts false information—say, claiming a statue has been desecrated somewhere—the government has a responsibility to respond with accurate information. Our primary objectives are serving public interest and increasing transparency and trust,' Singh told ThePrint. The unit will be expected to validate and assess the credibility of content not just in English, but also in Hinglish (an informal blend of Hindi and English) as well as regional languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali. The tender document states the agency setting up the fact-check unit should also provide a solution to conduct predictive analytics so that the government can identify potential outbreaks of alleged misinformation based on historical patterns and social media activity. 'Using AI, it must forecast which topics are likely to be misrepresented, manipulated, or misused, allowing government agencies to respond proactively and mitigate potential damage,' it says. Further, the agency selected to set up the fact-check unit will enable sorting the allegedly malicious content into categories based on why it is malicious—whether it is inflammatory, insulting, obscene, profane or adverse. It will be required to detect deepfakes as well as content using code language with a 'harmful intent without explicit terminology'. The agency's solution will also classify accounts allegedly using media manipulation tactics to gain social media traction, posts that make derogatory remarks about someone based on their identity, and content by entities lacking credibility or verifiable accuracy, among other things, the tender document states. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: India's Chief of Information War during Op Sindoor night was fact-checker Mohammed Zubair
