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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
No FIR yet by Parbhani cops in Santosh Suryawanshi custodial death case despite high court directive
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Parbhani police have not yet registered an FIR in the Somnath Suryawanshi custodial death case more than three weeks after the Bombay high court's Aurangabad bench issued a directive to this effect. State govt on July 10 moved the Supreme Court against the high court bench's order of July 4 but the apex court has not yet taken cognisance of the appeal. There is no stay on the HC order that required the Parbhani police to register the FIR within a week (by July 11). The state's application to HC seeking an extension to implement its directive, is pending. "State govt's appeal was listed for a hearing today (Friday) before the SC bench but was adjourned to July 30," Siddharth Dharmadhikari, Maharashtra's chief standing counsel in the Supreme Court, told TOI. He preferred not to get into the specifics of the matter, explaining that the same was sub judice. On Friday, TOI made repeated calls and also sent text messages to Parbhani superintendent of police Ravindra Singh Pardeshi seeking his response on the matter. However, there was no response till the time of going to press. Lawyer Milind Sandanshiv, who represented Somnath's mother and petitioner Vijayabai in the high court, told TOI, "The Parbhani police should have registered the FIR. They have failed to take cognisance of the HC order as well as the reminder applications we have made to them to register the FIR. We will take a call on the next step at an appropriate time." On Dec 11, 2024, protests and a riot broke out in Parbhani over reports of an alleged desecration of a replica of the Indian Constitution. Somnath (35), a law student residing with his family in Pune and pursuing his studies at a college in Parbhani, was among the people arrested by the police in connection with the rioting case. After his initial custody remand, he was sent to jail in magisterial custody but succumbed on Dec 15, 2024, to injuries sustained in alleged police brutalities. His mother, Vijayabai, filed a petition in the HC seeking registration of an FIR against the policemen responsible for the alleged brutality. On July 4, the high court, while observing in an interim order that there was "prima facie material" indicating "custodial brutality and violation of constitutional rights, had directed the FIR to be registered at Mondha police station in Parbhani district within a week (by July 11). The FIR was to be based on a complaint application of Dec 18, 2024, by Vijayabai.
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
State moves apex court over FIR against cops in Parbhani custodial death, a day before HC's July 11 deadline
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Parbhani police are yet to register an FIR against the policemen concerned in the Somnath Suryavanshi custodial death case, even a week after the July 11 deadline set by the Bombay high court's Aurangabad bench lapsed. State govt, instead, filed a petition in the Supreme Court on July 10 against the HC's July 4 order that directed registration of an FIR within a week. This matter has been listed for a hearing before an SC bench on July 25, but there is no stay yet on the HC's directive. The HC had directed Parbhani superintendent of police (SP) to register the FIR on the basis of a complaint application filed on Dec 18, 2024, by Somnath's mother, Vijayabai, at Mondha police station and hand over the investigation to an officer of the rank of deputy SP. Sandanshiv Milind, one of the lawyers representing Somnath's mother in the HC, told TOI: "The court specifically asked state to register the FIR within a week. As far as we know, police have neither obtained any extension from the HC nor have secured any stay or relief from the SC. This means there is already contempt of court." Milind said, "Two representations have already been made to the Parbhani SP with a request to register the FIR in accordance with the HC directive." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mr. Chirag's Ultimate Option Selling Strategy – Learn For Free TradeWise Learn More Undo When contacted, Parbhani SP Ravindrasingh Pardeshi said, "I have no comment to offer on this matter for now." On Dec 11, 2024, protests and a riot broke out in Parbhani over reports of an alleged desecration of a replica of the Indian Constitution. Somnath, a resident of Pune who was on a visit to Parbhani to appear for his final-year law examination, was among the people arrested by police in connection with the rioting case. After his initial custody remand, he was sent to jail in magisterial custody but succumbed on Dec 15, 2024, to injuries sustained in the alleged police brutality. His mother, Vijayabai, filed a petition in the HC seeking registration of an FIR against the policemen responsible for the alleged brutality. On July 4, the HC bench of justice Vibha Kankanwadi and justice Sanjay Deshmukh said that there was "prima facie material" indicating "custodial brutality and violation of constitutional rights" and ordered registration of an FIR against the policemen within a week. The court then said that the postmortem report and a magisterial inquiry under section 196 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita revealed "24 visible injuries" on Somnath's body and concluded that the probable cause of death was "shock following multiple injuries". "Now, when there was prima facie material on record i.e. on the basis of inquest panchnama, postmortem report, report of learned judicial magistrate first class… a cognisable offence was made out and, therefore, state ought to have registered the FIR," the HC said. When contacted, Maharashtra's chief standing counsel in the Supreme Court, Siddharth Dharmadhikari, told TOI: "I have no comments to offer for now as the matter is sub judice." Maharashtra director general of police Rashmi Shukla could not be reached for her comments on the issue.
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- The Hindu
Author Prajwal Parajuly goes in search of God and gets distracted by a rooster
The Kapaleeshwarar temple, which I refer to as Kapali because locals call it that, isn't the most beautiful temple in the world. But I feel more at peace here than I do at any other place of worship. Kapali is one of my stops on every trip to Chennai. I only have to step into traffic-clogged Mylapore, with its bylanes of chaos and colour, to be swept up in holy frenzy. I spot from the alleys, amidst a tangle of wires, the temple's multi-hued entrance-tower reach for the sky. Before I make my way in, I leave behind competing fragrances from oleander, chrysanthemum and jasmine garlands, and release my flip-flops into a sea of footwear. I know I don't frequent Kapali just for the carvings, intricate and bursting with stories, or for the offerings, to eat fistfuls of which I sometimes queue twice. There's something more. I was brought up in a Hindu family, next to a Protestant church and went to a Bahai school, followed by a school whose leanings were Buddhist. There was, therefore, some serious confusion growing up. At Sunday school, which we went to because the pastor was our closest neighbour in the Himalayan town of Gangtok, we were taught there was only one God. But then I'd go home to my cobweb-addled family altar with its many-limbed gods and goddesses and wonder if the Sunday school teacher was lying. How disapproving the family priest was when he discovered that my parents allowed — even encouraged — us to go to church. Added to this mix was a lot of Buddhist talk, simplistically distilled into something about life being suffering. When a plethora of religions is foisted on you as a kid, you become a lifelong spirituality enthusiast. So, yes, I walk the Camino de Santiago, the 900-kilometre Catholic pilgrimage across Spain, and hike up to the Paro Taksang in Bhutan. I regret not having done the Kumano Kodo while in Japan. I have contemplated fasting for Ramadan but am nervous it will be seen as gimmicky. I want to go on a Kailash-Mansarovar trip because it looks soul-cleansing. Do I attempt these pilgrimages for absolution? I still don't know. I understand that a majority of these spiritual experiences entail copious hiking and have often wondered if I crave them because there's walking involved. Unfortunately, I seldom find this quest for spirituality fulfilled in famous places of worship. It evaded me all three times at the Jagannath temple in Puri and in the crowds of the Somnath in Gujarat. I frantically hunted for it at the Santiago de Compostela as I did at the Vatican. I am envious of you if you feel a certain energy at dargahs and mosques. I want to be you when you claim a calm descends on you at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu. I tried feeling at one with God at the Kamakhya in Guwahati but failed. Neither the Meenakshi temple at Madurai nor the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram did much. When I didn't find spirituality, whatever that means, at the Golden Temple — what wretched human isn't moved by the Golden Temple? — I abandoned rustling up a relationship with God via man-made structures. That is why my being in thrall of Kapali from the get-go astounded me. I am certain I don't frequent the temple for the aesthetics. Like many houses of worship, it has history, but it's not history I am here for. Nor the quiet, which you will only find if your visit coincides with the sun being at its zenith on a working day. The temple is laidback. You can wear what you want. No priest solicits you for donations or looks at you with desperation. No one asks for your caste, your sub-caste, your sub-sub-sub-caste and your gotra. (Many proud South Indians are quick to point out the South-North dichotomy here and claim that this is normal at most South Indian temples, but I don't feel as positive in all these other temples as I do at Kapali, so Kapali wins). I like the hilarious rooster that catwalks down the stage at the most opportune moments. And the cat that tries to unsuccessfully bully the rooster. I like the white vibuthi a priest plasters on my forehead. I like the rose-and-vilva-leaf garland I am offered. I like the concerts even if I understand nothing. I like my circumambulations, if I can call shuffling from one bare foot to another on the temple's scorching floors that. Every time I come here, my mind stills. Every time I am here, I feel grateful. The older I get, the more jaded I become with organised religion — all organised religions. So much evil happens in the name of God, so much polarisation. I am happy (and stunned) that a temple — this bastion of organised religion — helps alleviate the cynicism somewhat. I have decided to embrace that for now and not allow any form of overthinking to get in the way of Kapali and me. Prajwal Parajuly is the author of The Gurkha's Daughter and Land Where I Flee. He loves idli, loathes naan, and is indifferent to coffee. He teaches Creative Writing at Krea University and oscillates between New York City and Sri City.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sooraj Pancholi says actors' ‘visibility' and ‘perception' can be managed by money: ‘Everybody is doing it'
Sooraj Pancholi , who was last seen sharing screen space with Suniel Shetty , Vivek Oberoi and Akanksha Sharma in the historical drama 'Kesari Veer', has never really managed to stay away from controversies. Over the years, the actor has often found himself in the middle of heated discussions, yet he has largely chosen to stay quiet rather than respond to every accusation or bit of negativity that came his way. 'If it was up to me, I wouldn't have social media' In a chat with Hindustan Times, Sooraj opened up on how social media has changed everything in the world of showbiz. Talking about how he feels when he sees other actors staying away from social platforms, he said, 'If it was up to me, I wouldn't have social media. There are so many actors who do not have social media, and I am so jealous of them.' He then spoke about how money plays a huge role in deciding how people see a star. 'Everything can be managed by the amount you have in your bank, at least your visibility can be, and sometimes even your perception... Everybody is doing it,' he added. Young actors know how to play the game Sooraj also praised the younger lot of actors for being clever with social media and PR. 'They are very smart. I wish I thought like that. People like me can do damage control, but that's about it. As for perception about me, pehle kaam to karoon (first let me do some work),' he shared. 'There is no mystery now' Sooraj went on to talk about how things were different before social media became such a big deal. Back then, there was a certain magic around stars because people didn't know every little detail about their lives. Now, everything is out in the open. 'There are people as hardworking as the superstars. But, social media has made everything so available now. Agar yeh nahi hota, people would have still been superstars. Mystery nahin hai ab (If this wasn't there, people would still be superstars. There is no mystery now). And there is nothing without it,' he said. His latest film 'Kesari Veer' Sooraj was last seen in 'Kesari Veer: Legends of Somnath', a 2025 Indian Hindi-language historical action film. 'Kesari Veer' was a grand period drama set against the backdrop of the legendary battle of Somnath. However, despite its big scale and powerful story, it did not fare well at the box office.
India Today
04-07-2025
- India Today
Court orders FIR within a week in custodial death case of 35-year-old law student
The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government and the Mondha Police Station in Parbhani to register a First Information Report (FIR) within one week in connection with the alleged custodial death of 35-year-old Somnath a final-year law student, died on December 15, 2024, while in judicial bench comprising Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Sanjay A Deshmukh said they were 'constrained' to pass the direction and stressed that the investigation must be conducted by a Deputy Superintendent of The directive came while hearing a petition filed by Vijayabai Vyankat Suryawanshi, the mother of the to the petitioner, Somnath was one of around 50 individuals detained after violence broke out during a protest in Parbhani on December 11, 2024. The unrest was reportedly a reaction to the vandalism of a replica of the Indian Constitution near a statue of Dr. B R Ambedkar outside the Parbhani Railway Station. That vandalism had occurred a day earlier during a protest organised by the Hindu Sakal Samaj Morcha against alleged atrocities on Hindus in who was reportedly carrying a copy of the Constitution at the time of his arrest, was first kept in police custody until December 14 and later sent to judicial custody. He died early the next morning, allegedly after complaining of chest pain. However, his family claims he had been severely beaten in custody.A postmortem report cited 'shock following multiple injuries' as the probable cause of death, noting 24 injuries, including contusions and abrasions inflicted between a few hours to four days before her petition, Vijayabai Suryawanshi alleged that she was taken to meet a senior police officer who offered her Rs 50 lakh and jobs for her other sons in the police department if she refrained from filing a complaint. The family was also reportedly urged to perform Somnath's last rites in their village in Latur rather than in Prakash Ambedkar, appearing for the family, argued that although a judicial inquiry had been conducted, no FIR had been filed, and the law lacks clarity on the procedure following such an inquiry. He emphasized the need for legal guidelines to address such gaps and demanded that an FIR be registered immediately for the alleged court took serious note of the injuries found on Suryawanshi's body and remarked that those in custody remain under the protection of the Constitution. 'If constitutional rights are violated in custody by an officer or even another inmate, the court must interfere at a prima facie stage,' the bench court also highlighted the nature and timing of the injuries - some of which were consistent with abuse sustained over several days - further strengthening the suspicion of custodial light of these findings, the court directed the police to file an FIR and proceed with an impartial investigation. The move has been welcomed by rights activists and legal experts as a significant step toward ensuring accountability in custodial death cases.- EndsTune InMust Watch
