Latest news with #Keralite
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Confusion prevails over Nimisha's death sentence revocation
Kochi: Confusion prevails over the revocation of death sentence of Keralite nurse Nimisha Priya, who is now in Sana'a prison in Yemen on death row for the murder of Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi. The office of Sunni leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar had on Monday claimed that Nimisha's death sentence was revoked following mediation talks between Yemeni religious scholars and govt officials. However, Talal's brother Abdul Fattah Mahdi rejected the claim on Tuesday. External affairs ministry (MEA) of India too didn't verify reports of death sentence cancellation. Samuel Jerome, who holds the power of attorney for Nimisha's mother Prema Kumari, also denied reports regarding Nimisha's death sentence cancellation. "I personally verified with jail authorities and officials from the public prosecutor's office. It is completely false to claim that the execution was overturned," said Jerome in a social media post. He added that Fattah submitted an official request to govt to proceed with the execution in accordance with Yemeni law. When Kanthapuram's office on Tuesday maintained that an agreement was reached to revoke the death sentence, Fattah asked the office to clarify which party communicated with Talal's family and who contacted the blood heirs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Emergency Generators in Guatemala City: (Prices May Surprise You) Emergency Generator | Search Ads Search Now Undo "I do not believe that the preacher's (Kanthapuram's) office would issue such statements unless someone provided them with false information that we accepted reconciliation and that the death sentence was cancelled, which is absolutely untrue. The Yemeni constitution and judicial system are based on our just Islamic law. Respecting court rulings issued against the murderer is a duty that must not be neglected. Respecting the blood heirs, acknowledging their suffering and their right to implement God's law is also a duty, as ensuring the execution of rights is one of the most sacred meanings of justice and its deepest implications," says Fattah in a Facebook post. Nimisha, a native of Kollengode in Palakkad, was accused of murdering Talal — with whom she started a health clinic in Sana'a and later reportedly entered into a marriage — in July 2017. A trial court sentenced her to death in 2018, a verdict later upheld by an appeals court. Though her execution was scheduled for July 16, it was postponed.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Latest example of Sangh Parivar's aggression: CM
1 2 3 4 T'puram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the attack on nuns in Chhattisgarh was a clear demonstration of Sangh Parivar's true nature. It was unequivocally established that the nuns were arrested and imprisoned based on a false complaint filed by Bajrang Dal activists, he said. "This is the latest example of Sangh Parivar's aggression against the Christian community. The same groups that enter Christian homes and palaces with cakes and friendly smiles are now hunting down nuns under the guise of religious conversion and human trafficking," the CM said in a statement. Sangh Parivar fears the country's pluralism and coexistence. This is why attacks against minorities continue to occur. Upon learning about the arrest of the Keralite nuns, a letter was sent to the Prime Minister demanding intervention to ensure justice. However, the Chhattisgarh CM, among others, justified the arrest, he said. Sangh Parivar is attempting to constantly harm the secularism of the country by promoting hate and divisive politics. It is essential to oppose and defeat the encroachments on minority rights and the fundamental rights granted by the Constitution, he added.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala CM Pinarayi says nuns' arrest reveals Sangh Parivar's true anti-Christian character
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the arrest of two Keralite nuns on 'trumped-up' charges of human trafficking and forced conversion has let slip the Sangh Parivar's true anti-minority character. In a statement here, Mr. Vijayan said the local Bajrang Dal activists were responsible for the wrongful detention and subsequent incarceration of the sisters. He said the supporters of the perpetrators of the atrocities against Christians had no compunction in calling on Bishops' palaces in Kerala with cakes and smiles. Mr. Vijayan said he had written to Prime Minister Modi seeking justice for the nuns immediately after their arrests. Mr. Vijayan said the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, had defended the arrests and endorsed the charges of human trafficking and coerced conversion. Mr. Vijayan urged civil society to close ranks against the Sangh Parivar, which has obstinately sought to undermine secularism and negate the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Keralite nuns' arrest in Chhattisgarh: bipartisan protests roil Kerala for third consecutive day
Bipartisan protests over the controversial arrest of two Keralite nuns at the Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh last Friday on 'questionable charges' of attempting to spirit out three women, including a tribal community member, to Agra for 'forced conversion,' roiled Kerala for the third consecutive day on Tuesday (July 29). The demonstrations over the arrest of sisters Preeta Mary and Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) order, hailing from Kannur and Angamaly respectively, also radiated out to Chhattisgarh. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) delegations led by Lok Sabha members and top leaders from New Delhi protested outside the Durga Central prison, seeking permission to visit the imprisoned nuns and demanding justice. Initially reluctant Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader N.K. Premachandran, MP, who led the UDF delegation, told The Hindu that the prison authorities were initially reluctant to allow them access to the prisoners. In stark contrast, he said, the authorities had no compunction in allowing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation headed by State general secretary Anoop Antony through. He said that the UDF MPs protested outside the prison gates, and were finally allowed in following the intervention of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Mr. Premachandran, who spoke to the nuns, said the sisters were extremely distressed. 'Bajrang Dal activists mobbed them at the railway station, conducted a humiliating public trial and handed the nuns and their fellow travellers to the police. The sisters' entreaties that they were operating within the law fell on deaf ears,' he said. The police denied entry to the LDF delegation headed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat citing prison timings. Ms. Karat told reporters outside the jail that the nuns and their fellow passengers were travelling with the requisite papers and proper sanction. She termed the arrests a trespass on fundamental rights, secularism and the right to freedom of religion and movement. Closer to home in Kerala, members of the clergy and laity protested in strength in Thrissur district against the 'extra-judicial arrest and harassment of the nuns' allegedly orchestrated by the Sangh Parivar affiliates. Protest march In Thiruvananthapuram, Vicar General of the Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram Father Eugene Periera said Church leaders, including Bishops and members of the laity, would gag their mouths and march in protest to the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday (July 30) evening from the Martyr's Square at Palayam. He termed the arrest an infringement on minority rights enshrined in the Constitution. CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan stated separately that Kerala would rise as one for the early release of the sisters and also for the protection of minority rights guaranteed under the Constitution.
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Mar Thoma Metropolitan condemns arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh
The arrest of two Keralite nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh, is a deplorable act and a blatant violation of fundamental rights, Theodosius Mar Thoma Metropolitan, head of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, has said. Holding that the nuns serve society without religious or social discrimination, the Metropolitan said their arrest amounted to infringement of constitutional guarantees and posed a serious threat to India's democratic values. 'It is the government's responsibility to ensure justice and legal protection to every citizen, irrespective of caste or creed,' the Metropolitan said in a statement on Tuesday. He further demanded that the arrested nuns be released at the earliest and that due process of law be followed without bias.
