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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
UP Congress workers, close to state chief Ajay Rai, arrested for 'harassing' woman over shop; party cries fowl
Two local Congress workers, said to be close to party's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Ajay Rai, were arrested on charges of molestation, robbery, and theft, police said on Friday. The arrest came after a woman lodged a complaint against the two and alleged she was harassed and forcibly evicted from her shop in Varanasi's Chetganj area. Local Station House Officer (SHO) Dilip Kumar Mishra said that the complainant, Chetganj resident Sachina Khatoon, had rented a shop in Hathua Market from Sanjay Singh and ran a boutique there, news agency PTI reported. Khatoon alleged that following Singh's death during the Covid-19 pandemic, two of his friends, Anand Pandey and Amit Pathak, began intimidating her and extorting money in the name of protection fees. "When she refused, they allegedly pressured her to vacate the shop and subjected her to various forms of harassment," SHO Mishra added. Khatoon reportedly claimed that she even got a stay order on the eviction from the court. Despite this order, in May last year, Pandey and Pathak planned a break-in into her shop and made off with all her belongings, she added. When she and her daughters resisted this, the two men berated and harassed them, police said as per her complaint. "Both Anand Pandey and Amit Pathak are said to be close associates of Congress state president Ajay Rai. A case of robbery, theft, and molestation has been registered against them. Both were arrested on Thursday and presented before the court, which subsequently sent them to jail," said the SHO. Meanwhile, the allegations were dismissed by Congress Metropolitan president Raghavendra Chaubey, who said that the arrests are a "premeditated conspiracy by the BJP government" to discredit their state chief Rai and the entire Congress party. Chaubey also defended the two arrested persons, describing them as "strong activists" of the Congress and instead accusing Khatoon of having filing a similar cases against "almost half a dozen individuals" in Varanasi. "This is her profession," Chaubey alleged, the news agency report mentioned.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Time of India
Police officer fails to include triple talaq section in FIR, SP orders probe
Patna: A shocking case of triple talaq has come to light in Muzaffarpur district, where a woman alleged that her husband divorced her under the banned practice after physically abusing her. What's even more disturbing is that when victim Afsana Khatoon approached Turki police station of Muzaffarpur on May 20 to file a complaint, the officer in charge failed to include the relevant section pertaining to triple talaq in the FIR. However, after the woman reached out to the senior officers, the police acknowledged the lapse and ordered an investigation into the matter, police said on Wednesday. Khatoon has also written to the Bihar DGP and Tirhut range DIG, seeking justice. According to the police, the victim, a resident of Sakri Saraiya village, told them that she married one Mohd Reyaz on Nov 25, 2020, and that they have a child. She alleged that her in-laws used to harass her for dowry. In 2021, she was even thrown out of her in-laws' house. After a community meeting was held, and she went back to her in-laws' place, however, after about three months, the harassment resumed. Rural superintendent of police (SP) Vidya Sagar said according to the complaint, lodged on May 20, Khatoon's in-laws beat her up and her husband gave her triple talaq. "When she went to file a case at the Turki police station, the officer did not include the section on triple talaq in the FIR. The case was only registered under ordinary sections of assault and dowry practice," he said, adding this was a serious oversight. He said that the matter will be investigated by subdivisional police officer (west)-II, and a correction letter will be submitted in the court to add the relevant section. "The matter is being probed, and departmental action will be taken against the officers, if found responsible, for dereliction of duty," the Rural SP said. The central govt enacted the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act in 2019, prohibiting divorce by pronouncing talaq. Section 4 of this law provides for a sentence of up to three years. Under this act, the accused cannot easily obtain bail.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
HC upholds appointment of AMU's 1st woman vice-chancellor
AGRA: Dismissing all petitions that challenged the selection process, Allahabad high court upheld the appointment of professor Naima Khatoon as the vice-chancellor (VC) of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Saturday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Khatoon, who earlier served as principal of women's college in AMU, became the first woman to hold the VC's post in the varsity's over 100-year history, reports Mohammad Dilshad. HC division bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Donadi Ramesh found no procedural lapses, asserting the selection process adhered fully to the AMU Act, statutes and regulations. The court also emphasised the symbolic and progressive nature of her 'historic appointment', calling it a 'major stride for gender representation and constitutional values in academic leadership'. Khatoon says HC ruling reaffirmation of democratic values The HC division bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Donadi Ramesh further recognised that the 'final discretion to appoint the VC lay with the 'visitor' of the university — the President of India, and no allegations of mala fide were established at that level'. The court had reserved the verdict on April 9 after hearing arguments from counsels representing the petitioner, AMU and the central govt. The petitions were filed in late 2023 by Prof Syed Afzal Murtaza Rizvi of Jamia Millia Islamia, Mujahid Beg from AMU's medicine department and retired AMU prof M U Rabbani. They had raised objections after Khatoon, wife of then acting VC Mohd Gulrez, was 'shortlisted' for the post. After HC's decision, Khatoon, said, 'I've always had the highest regard and faith in our judiciary. This verdict is not just a personal vindication, but a strong reaffirmation of institutional processes and democratic values in our higher education system. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Let this judgment inspire confidence among all stakeholders and reaffirm our shared mission to uphold the university's legacy of knowledge, justice and progress.' In Nov 2023, controversy erupted after the AMU's executive council shortlisted 'five eligible names'. An AMU professor wrote to the President, claiming 'the process of selecting a new VC was not followed'. The 'AMU court' then forwarded three names, including that of Khatoon, to the ministry of education and the President, and the matter also went to HC.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
HC bins plea challenging appointment of AMU VC
Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court on Saturday dismissed a writ petition challenging the process of appointment of Prof Naima Khatoon as the vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University . The petitioner, Prof Mujahid Beg, had challenged Prof Khatoon's appointment on the ground that her husband, Prof Mohammed Gulrez, was the acting AMU VC and had presided over the key meetings of the executive council and the university court where his wife's name was recommended for the university's top post. Prof Beg further claimed the meetings were manipulated to secure the selection and appointment of Prof Khatoon. Earlier on April 9, a bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Donadi Ramesh had reserved its judgment in the case. The court has also consolidated two additional petitions filed on the same issue and both were decided in Saturday's judgment. Dismissing the petition, the bench observed: "We have noticed that qualification of Prof Khatoon to be appointed as the vice-chancellor is not an issue. Her ultimate selection is by the Visitor against whom no allegation of bias is made. She was erstwhile Principal of Women's College of the University." "Merely because her husband was acting as vice-chancellor and had presided and participated in the meetings of executive council and university court, which also recommended her name, in addition to others, for appointment as VC cannot be a ground to interfere with her appointment as the first woman VC of the university," it added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch Bitcoin và Ethereum - Không cần ví! IC Markets BẮT ĐẦU NGAY Undo T he court further noted: "Though, we are of the opinion that Prof Gulrez Ahmad ought not to have presided and participated in the meetings, yet, considering the nature of appointment process and the limited recommendatory role of executive council and university court in making of appointment of VC, we are of the considered view that participation of Prof Gulrez Ahmad has not vitiated the selection proceedings." The court further said: "We hold that discretion exercised by the Visitor in appointing Prof Khatoon as the AMU VC from a panel of three names recommended by the university court merits no interference." Regarding the qualifications of Prof Khatoon, the court said she possesses qualifications for appointment to the post of VC. "For well over a century no woman has ever been appointed as (AMU) vice-chancellor. Appointment of women as VC of a premier institution of higher learning sends a message that the constitutional objective of advancement of the cause of women is being promoted. In such circumstances, the question is as to whether this court would unseat the first woman VC of AMU only because her husband had presided over the meeting of executive council and university court, which included her name in the panel to be sent to the Visitor? The answer has to be a definite no." Khatoon, who completed her PhD in psychology from AMU, was appointed as a lecturer in the same department in 1988 before being elevated to professor in 2006. She continued there before being appointed the principal of the Women's College in 2014.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Allahabad HC upholds Naima Khatoon's posting as AMU V-C
The Allahabad High Court dismissed writ petitions challenging Prof. Naima Khatoon's appointment as the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Saturday. The Division Bench comprising Justices Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Donadi Ramesh upheld that the procedure laid down in the AMU Act, statutes, and regulations was duly followed. In one of the petitions, petitioner Prof. Mujahid Beg had alleged irregularities in the appointment process, which favoured a particular candidate. The HC acknowledged that while Prof. Khatoon's husband, Prof. Mohd. Gulrez, had chaired meetings of the Executive Council and the University Court as acting Vice-Chancellor, his role was limited and did not vitiate the multilayered, democratic process of selection. According to a press statement released by the university, the HC recognised that the final discretion to appoint the V-C was with the visitor of the University — the President of India — and no allegations of malafide were established at that level. The judgment emphasised that Prof. Khatoon's merit and qualifications were undisputed and her appointment, as approved by the highest constitutional authority, deserves respect and recognition. Prof. Khatoon made history in April 2024 by becoming the first woman appointed as the Vice-Chancellor in the university's 100-plus-year history. She described the verdict as 'not just a personal vindication' but a strong reaffirmation of institutional processes and democratic values in the higher education system. 'Let this judgment inspire confidence among all stakeholders and reaffirm our shared mission to uphold the university's legacy of knowledge, justice, and progress,' she said.
