Latest news with #Gaikwad
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mumbai blast acquittals: AIMPLB leader questions Mumbai Cong chief remarks, asks party to clarify stand
Former Rajya Sabha MP and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) vice-president Maulana Obaidullah Khan Azmi has written a strongly worded letter to senior Congress leaders, accusing the party of failing Muslims with regard to the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case and demanded action against Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad for seeking a Supreme Court appeal in the case. The letter, addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, terms the 2006 case 'a profound miscarriage of justice' and Gaikwad's response to the acquittals as 'heartless' and 'reminiscent of RSS-like ideologies'. 'All Mumbaikars feel deeply betrayed today. The acquittal of all accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts is extremely unfortunate and disheartening. I appeal to the state to put all its legal might and challenge this case in the Supreme Court. Justice must be delivered to those who lost their near and dear ones in this cowardly act of terror,' Gaikwad had said after the Bombay High Court verdict. Azmi, a three-term Rajya Sabha MP and a key voice during the Shah Bano case debates of the 1980s, said 'the colossal failure of justice' took place under the Congress government in Maharashtra and at the Centre. He criticised the police for allegedly arresting the wrong people and filing a '44,500-page chargesheet' that collapsed in court nearly two decades later. 'These innocent men have been let off by the court after 19 years. The court rejected the police report. The real culprits have never been caught. And the Congress, which advocates for welfare of Muslims, is making such a statement. Varshaji wants the men released by the court to be rearrested. She should have instead been meeting them, putting balm on their wounds. Her statement is a slap on the face of the Congress. She is president of the Mumbai Congress. The party cannot say this is her personal view. It must clarify,' Azmi told The Indian Express. Gaikwad told The Indian Express she respected the law as 'a follower of B R Ambedkar'. 'I have made my stand clear and said that those who are innocent should be given compensation for their ordeal. But at the same time, I attacked the government for failing to bring the guilty to justice. As an ordinary Mumbaikar, my heart also goes out to the hundreds who died or got injured. It is closure and justice for them that I demand. The real culprits must be caught and action must be taken against those who botched up the investigation,' she said. The Bombay High Court, earlier this month, acquitted all 12 accused in the case, slamming the prosecution for lapses in the probe, and citing lack of credible evidence. The 671-page judgment noted procedural irregularities and allegations of torture to extract confessions. The 2006 Mumbai train bombings had killed over 180 people and injured more than 800. The case was one of the most complex terror investigations in India, with multiple agencies involved. 'The case devastated families, leaving children fatherless and lives in ruins, and remains a stain on Congress's legacy,' Azmi wrote. Azmi alleged that Gaikwad's stance — especially given her political career's 'dependence on unwavering Muslim support'— has caused 'deep hurt' in the community and eroded trust in the party's secular credentials. 'Her rhetoric, disturbingly akin to BJP's tactics…signals a departure from the Congress's commitment to fairness and inclusion,' he said. He urged the Congress leadership to publicly condemn Gaikwad's remarks and to clarify that her statements do not represent the party's position. He also sought compensation for the men who were acquitted after spending 19 years facing trial and imprisonment. 'Failure to act will further erode the party's credibility among Muslims and weaken its moral foundation,' Azmi warned. A firebrand speaker and a former student leader, Azmi was one of the most prominent Muslim voices in the Rajya Sabha during the Shah Bano controversy, when he vocally opposed the Supreme Court's judgment and rallied support for Muslim Personal Law.
India Today
4 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Pune Court reopens 2017 suicide case, orders fresh probe against industrialist
The Additional Sessions Court of Khed Rajgurunagar in Pune has directed the police to reopen and reinvestigate a 2017 abetment to a suicide case involving industrialist Amit Kalyani, vice chairman and joint managing director of Bharat case, which had previously been closed following a trial court's acceptance of a closure report filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), will now be reopened based on a revision appeal filed by the family of the case pertains to the death of Nilesh Gaikwad, an assistant manager at Kalyani Technoforge Ltd (KTFL), a company under the Kalyani Group. On August 20, 2017, Gaikwad died by suicide, leaving behind an 11-page note in which he named Amit Kalyani. The note claimed Gaikwad had given Kalyani Rs 15 crore with the promise of receiving Rs 60 lakh in stated that Kalyani had not returned the money, placing Gaikwad under intense pressure from company auditors, ultimately leading to his suicide. Based on the note, Gaikwad's brother Manoj filed an FIR under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code with Chakan Police Station, then under Pune Rural to the Gaikwad family, within days of the incident, KTFL's then whole-time director and CEO-now its managing director-wrote to Pune Rural Police alleging that Gaikwad had siphoned off Rs 8.72 crore from the company's bank accounts into his personal account. The case was subsequently transferred to the its investigation, the EOW filed a 'B' summary closure report with the Khed Magistrate Court, stating the allegations were maliciously false and exonerating Kalyani. The trial court accepted this closure report in 2023, effectively closing the wife Karuna and brother Manoj challenged the trial court's decision, filing a revision application before the district court. They called the trial court's ruling "illegal, perverse and against all the cannons of reasonableness", alleging it lacked proper application of mind and amounted to a "travesty of justice".They also alleged the case was transferred to the EOW on Kalyani's request and claimed the investigation had been conducted in a partisan manner to protect the petition, filed through advocate Hrishikesh Subhedar, raised several concerns, including that Amit Kalyani left the country for an extended period after Gaikwad's questioned why former and current employees were not interrogated, who had access to the bank's email and SMS alerts, and why an alleged fraud remained undetected between 2015 and 2017 in a publicly listed company with reputed auditors. The Gaikwads presented eight specific points before the district a recent order, Additional Sessions Judge AS Sayyad rejected the EOW's closure report and directed police to reinvestigate the case. The court noted that Gaikwad's suicide note named the accused and raised allegations that warranted further judge observed that the initial investigation lacked thoroughness and failed to address the points raised in the suicide note and the complainant's stated, "This Court is of the considered opinion that in order to arrive at a proper conclusion and to find out the truth behind the incident, no prejudice would be caused to prosecution or suspected accused if direction for further investigation is passed."The court instructed police to conduct a detailed probe on the issues raised and submit their findings at the earliest.- EndsTrending Reel
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Varsha Gaikwad clarifies stand after criticism over remarks on 11/7 blasts acquittals
Mumbai: A day after Congress city president and MP Varsha Gaikwad was criticised by Muslim leaders for calling the acquittals of the 11/7 blasts accused "disheartening and unfortunate", she clarified her stand. In a video clip, Gaikwad said: "Do not put your words in my mouth. I am a follower of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and follow the Constitution written by him. I asked the govt how the 11/7 accused, who lost their 19 years in jail, will be compensated. I also asked the govt what it is doing to catch the real culprits and how justice will be done to the families who lost their loved ones." Several community leaders slammed Gaikwad for her social media post, requesting the state govt to challenge the High Court verdict in the Supreme Court. Leaders said that Gaikwad won her Lok Sabha seat because Muslims overwhelmingly supported her.
News18
6 days ago
- Health
- News18
Man Finds Worm In Food Served At Rameshwaram Cafe's Bengaluru Airport Outlet
Last Updated: A passenger at Bengaluru airport found a worm in his breakfast at a Rameshwaram Cafe outlet. The staff initially tried to cover it up but later apologised to him. A passenger at the Bengaluru airport found a worm in the food served to him at the outlet of a prominent cafe, NDTV reported. The incident happened on Thursday morning, when the passenger had visited an outlet of the popular Rameshwaram Cafe at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. According to the report, the passenger had ordered Pongal for breakfast at the airport. As he confronted the staff over the worm in his food and raised a complaint, they initially tried to cover up the incident. However, the staff members apologised to him as he began recording a video of the food served to him, the report claimed. He was later issued a full refund of Rs 300 for the item he had ordered. Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe formed headlines in March last year, when an IED explosion at one of its outlets in the city injured many people. In December last year, A passenger at Jaipur International Airport found a cockroach in his bread pakora, highlighting food safety concerns. He alleged the staff were not listening to his complaints. Later, a purported video of Gaikwad allegedly slapping a canteen worker went viral on social media. In response to the complaints of the MLA, the state's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) briefly suspended the license of Ajanta Caterers, the manager of the Akashwani canteen. The FDA officials also took food samples from the Akashvani MLA canteen. Even as the controversy flared, Gaikwad refused to apologise and said that he had 'no regrets" for his actions, saying that the food in the canteen was akin to poison. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gaikwad comes up with an ‘agreement' to ‘fight' AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel
Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad on Wednesday said that he is ready to 'fight it out' with former AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel, who had allegedly threatened to beat Gaikwad. He also said that he has made an 'agreement' on Rs 500 stamp duty paper for the 'fight' with Jaleel. Responding to Gaikwad's challenge Jaleel said that the chapter is closed for him and asked the Sena MLA to not indulge in cheap publicity gimmicks. Gaikwad was caught in a controversy after he slapped a staffer of the Akashwani MLA hostel canteen in Mumbai earlier this month. Following this Jaleel had said, 'If I was in place of the canteen owner, I would have thrashed Gaikwad,' On Wednesday speaking at a rally in Buldhana Gaikwad said, 'I have come up with an agreement duly signed on Rs 500 stamp paper. Jaleel has given me a personal challenge. Jaleel and I will fight it out. There will be no use of weapons. Whatever happens in this fight, we both will be responsible for it. Jaleel should decide the day, time and venue for this fight,' he said. 'The chapter is closed for me..I do not want to indulge in unnecessary verbal duel with him. I want to continue to focus on development in my area as well in Maharashtra. I have no time to indulge in such publicity gimmicks. I would urge Gaikwad too to stop indulging in such tactics,' Jaleel told The Indian Express.
