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The Print
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Solan court allows woman's plea challenging closure report in gang rape case against Haryana BJP chief
On 1 April this year, judge Malhotra admitted the revision petition and sought case records from the Kasauli court. Sessions judge Arvind Malhotra directed the Kasauli court to record the woman's statement and objections by 30 July, and decide whether to uphold the police closure report or reopen the case. Gurugram: The Solan district and sessions court in Himachal Pradesh has allowed a revision petition of a Delhi-based woman seeking to reopen a gang rape case filed by her against Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli and Haryanvi singer Rocky Mittal, alias Jai Bhagwan. The judge heard arguments from both sides 5 July and announced its order in open court Tuesday, allowing the woman's plea and ruling the complainant must appear before the Kasauli court to record her statement and submit objections by 30 July. The Kasauli court will then decide whether to proceed with the case or uphold the closure report. The case has drawn significant attention due to Badoli's position as Haryana BJP president. He was appointed to the post in July 2024, ahead of the assembly elections, relieving Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini of the dual charge. Badoli is hopeful of getting a full term in the office. ThePrint tried to reach Badoli through texts and calls Tuesday, but his number was found switched-off. This report will be updated if and when a response is received. He had earlier dismissed the woman's allegations as 'baseless' and politically motivated. The BJP Tuesday shared his pictures with party leaders including state general secretary (organisation) Phanindranath Sharma and Haryana Minister Rajesh Nagar from the Amarnath cave. On Monday, the BJP shared a press note with his pictures with other BJP leaders aboard a flight to Srinagar. Mittal told ThePrint Tuesday that his lawyers have explained to him that the Solan court's order was between the police and the woman and that it does not affect him. Also Read: Solan court admits appeal against closure report in gang rape case against singer, Haryana BJP chief 'Gangraped while visiting as tourist' The case originates from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the woman 13 December last year at the Kasauli police station in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh under Sections 376D (gang rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The allegations, which became known to public 14 January, claim that the incident occurred 3 July 2023 at the Himachal Tourism Corporation's Ros Common Hotel in Kasauli. The complainant, a Delhi resident, alleged she was visiting Kasauli as a tourist with her friend and employer Amit Bindal when she met Badoli and Mittal. According to her complaint, the accused coerced her into consuming alcohol, gangraped her in the presence of her friend, and recorded compromising photos and videos. She further claimed the duo threatened to kill her if she reported the incident and later attempted to implicate her in a false case in Panchkula to silence her. The Kasauli police investigated the case for over two months but found no corroborating evidence. According to the Kasauli police, the complainant refused a medical examination and the 17-month delay in filing the FIR hindered the collection of critical evidence such as CCTV footage, alcohol glasses or bedsheets. Consequently, on 4 February this year, the police filed a closure report, which the Kasauli judicial magistrate's court accepted on 12 March after the complainant failed to appear despite summonses issued to two addresses. Complicating the matter, Rocky Mittal filed an extortion case against the woman 6 February 2025 at Panchkula's Sector 5 police station. The FIR, lodged under Sections 308(2) (extortion), 308(5) (extortion by fear of death or grievous hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), also named Amit Bindal, another woman, and an unidentified person. Mittal alleged the complainant demanded Rs 50 lakh and political favours to settle false the rape case. He cited WhatsApp calls 21 and 22 January this year, and earlier threats between 1 and 18 September 1 last year. He claimed the rape allegations were part of a 'honey-trap' plan using audio and visual evidence. He accused the complainant of using AI-generated videos to blackmail him and Badoli. The woman, who was granted anticipatory bail 12 March by a Panchkula court, alleged the extortion case was filed to pressure her into withdrawing the rape case. She claimed the fear of arrest prevented her from attending the Kasauli court hearings 6 and 12 March this year. The complainant, represented by her advocate Rajeev Negi, challenged the Kasauli court's order on the police closure report in the Solan sessions court by way of a revision petition. Her advocate argued the extortion case was a retaliatory move by the accused to discredit her. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: Haryana BJP chief, singer Rocky Mittal booked in Kasauli for gang-rape, criminal intimidation
The Print
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Day before her execution, a ray of hope for Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen
'It's good news that they have stayed the order. And it gives us some breathing time to initiate negotiations,' Advocate Subhash Chandran K.R, a member of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, told ThePrint. This comes a day after Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar, the general secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama and chancellor of Jamia Markaz, initiated a new mediation effort through his long-time friend and Yemeni Sufi Islamic scholar Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz. Thiruvananthapuram: The execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row in Yemen since 2020, was postponed Tuesday, a day before the scheduled date. Subhash said the amount of blood money—monetary compensation offered to the family of a murdered person—and further proceedings will be decided in the upcoming days. Hailing from Kerala's Palakkad district, Priya was convicted of murdering Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017. He was her partner in setting up a clinic in the Yemeni capital city of Sana'a in 2015. Mahdi began embezzling money and torturing Priya soon after the clinic was set up, according to the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council. He also seized her passport and other documents. The nurse then attempted to sedate him in order to retrieve the documents, and he died of an overdose in the process, it has been alleged. The council was formed in September 2020 by a group of non-resident Keralites in different parts of India and abroad with the objective to ensure 'access of justice' to Priya and to raise funds through donations for paying blood money. Sana'a, where she is imprisoned, is under Houthi control, complicating the matter. The central government informed the Supreme Court Monday it cannot do anything further in the matter. 'There is nothing much the government can do. Looking at the sensitivity of Yemen, it's not diplomatically recognised. Blood money is a private negotiation,' Attorney General R. Venkataramani, representing the Centre, told the court. Reacting to the news of the execution being postponed, Thiruvananthapuram MP and former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor said interventions have been taking place since 2020. 'Although India has an embassy in Yemen, due to the political and security situation in the country, the Indian embassy in Sana'a has been functioning temporarily from a camp office in Djibouti since April 2015. Because of this, our diplomatic efforts have so far not been successful,' he wrote on social media Tuesday. He also lauded Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar's efforts. 'At a time like today, when efforts are being made to divide people in the name of religion and community and to spread hatred and animosity, the respected Kanthapuram Ustad is showing us that humanity is of the utmost importance,' Tharoor wrote. Also Read: Appeal rejected, Indian nurse on death row in Yemen has 2 options: President's pardon or 'blood money' The case and the family A trained nurse, Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 with her husband to work at a private hospital in Sana'a. After working for a few years, her husband and minor daughter returned to India in 2014 due to financial issues. They were unable to go back because of the civil war in Yemen and visa restrictions. At present, her husband works as an auto-rickshaw driver, and her 12-year-old daughter lives in a convent in their native place. In 2015, Priya joined hands with Mahdi to set up her own clinic in Sana'a, since Yemeni law mandates no clinic or businesses can be opened without a local partner. A petition filed by the council earlier this month in the Supreme Court, seeking the Centre's intervention to facilitate diplomatic negotiations with the victim's family, states that Mahdi accompanied Priya to Kerala in 2015 when she came on a month-long holiday. At that time, he stole a wedding photograph of Priya, which he later manipulated to claim he was married to her. The petition also alleges that Mahdi started cornering all the revenue after the clinic was set up. 'He became hostile when Nimisha questioned him about the embezzlement. He later threatened her, forged documents to claim that she was married to him as per his religion, and brutally tortured her,' the petition states. It further alleges that Mahdi manipulated ownership documents and took money from her monthly earnings, claiming she was his wife. Later, Mahdi seized her passport, physically tortured and threatened her at gunpoint on multiple occasions under the influence of drugs, the document states. The petition also states that Priya was put in jail for six days when she tried to complain against him. In July 2017, following advice from a warden of a jail near her clinic, where Mahdi had previously been imprisoned, Priya planned to sedate him to retrieve her documents. 'However, sedation did not affect Mr. Mahdi, who was a substance abuser. She tried sedating him again, using a stronger sedative to retrieve her passport, but he died within a few minutes due to a drug overdose,' it says. After her sentencing by a trial court in 2020, she filed appeals against the death penalty, which were dismissed both by the first appellate court and by the Supreme Judicial Council of Yemen. 'What we understood is that there was huge pressure from tribal groups on the family not to give her a pardon. That is why they weren't coming forward. Yesterday, Kanthapuram Musliyar's involvement made it easier to talk to the cleric,' the petition said. It added Priya was forced to sign confessional documents at the beginning, which complicated the case. 'She didn't know it was a confession. She didn't have anyone to help her, no lawyer to defend her. The political situation was also such that there was an ongoing civil war. She was forced to sign those.' (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: Will do whatever we can, says Iranian official on Nimisha Priya, nurse facing death sentence in Yemen
The Print
5 hours ago
- The Print
Attack on Pune journalist Sneha Barve: She was beaten with rods for reporting on land grab, says father
Describing the incident in a conversation with ThePrint on the phone, Sneha's father, Dattatray Barve said, 'The local gundas had illegally taken over a plot of land near the riverbed. Sneha went there to report on the issue. They came from behind and hit her very badly. She fell to the ground but locals saved her and carried her to the hospital.' The incident took place on 4 July, but it was only after a video of the attack went viral that there has been public outrage. The video shows Sneha, the editor of Samarth Bharat newspaper and SBP Youtube channel, lying on the ground while a few men assault her. New Delhi: Sneha Barve, a 27-year-old journalist, was reporting on land grab and illegal construction of tin sheds in Nighotwadi village in Ambegaon taluka of Pune district, when she was brutally assaulted with rods, causing serious injuries on her arms, back and head. Shrikant Kankar, a senior police inspector at the Manchar Police Station told ThePrint that an FIR was filed the night of the incident, and that five people were arrested and later released after they were granted bail. 'The main accused (Pandurang Morde) was not arrested because he is admitted in the hospital for surgery in his foot,' he said. An FIR with sections 118 (2), 115 (2), 189 (2), 191 (2), 190 and 351 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, retaining to grievous hurt, intimidation, unlawful assembly and intimidation, which attract a maximum punishment of between one to two years only, were filed. Sneha's father Dattatray told ThePrint that during her reporting on the land grab, Sneha had not accused anyone in particular. 'In fact, when one of the accused stood there while she was recording the video, she even asked him to share his opinion on the whole issue,' he said, adding that her microphone was snatched from her before the brutal attack. Dattatray was informed about the incident some time after the assault. On reaching the local D.Y. Patil hospital, he said that he found her in a serious condition. 'Sneha has been working as a journalist for at least eight years. A few times before as well, people had threatened her but she continued doing her work fearlessly,' he said. He said Sneha would continue to report on the case as soon as she recovered. 'We are not going to be scared. We support her passion for reporting,' said Dattatray, a father of three daughters. 'This violence against journalists should be stopped. Reporters don't deserve it.' Also read: Global support for press freedom high, but only 28% feel media Is truly free, finds Pew survey Attack on press freedom As per the FIR report, 69-year-old farmer Sudhakar Baburao Kale from Ambegaon, Pune, had accused several individuals of attempting to illegally seize his 0.9 acres of agricultural land which is currently under litigation. Kale has said that one Vishwas Bhingari Thosar and his associates, including Pandurang Sitaram More, Sanjay Thosar, and Prashant More, have repeatedly tried to take unlawful possession of the land. 'We will kill you if you don't withdraw the court case and stop working on the land,' the FIR quotes the accused as telling Kale and his family. Despite the land being under judicial dispute, the accused allegedly ploughed and prepared the land for sugarcane cultivation. On 4 July 2025, Kale witnessed Pandurang More and others leveling the land using tractors. As per the FIR, he brought Sneha to the spot to document the act. 'She then took pictures on her mobile phone and recorded a video, which they tried to stop. They warned her not to report it or post it on any media platforms,' says Kale, who added that the accused also threatened to kill him, his son and his wife, if he didn't withdraw the case and stop claiming ownership of the land. The violence against the young female journalist has been condemned by senior journalists and coalitions advocating freedom of speech and journalists. Expressing anger over the attack on Sneha, the Network of Women in Media India (NWMI) demanded the immediate arrest of the assailant on charges of attempt to murder. 'Morde, who has a criminal record, is already out on bail in an attempt to murder case. He is a local businessman, allegedly having close ties to the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. Thus far, there has been no condemnation of this attack on a journalist from the Maharashtra government,' the statement read. NWMI added that it was 'shocking' that more 'serious charges' were not applied in the case. 'Sneha Barve, who has faced threats for her reporting earlier, too, must not end up as an addition to these abysmal figures,' the statement added. In a statement against the attack, the 'Free Speech Collective', an independent initiative advocating for freedom of expression and press freedom, wrote that the attack against Sneha 'typifies' the fragile state of press freedom, 'especially in district areas where journalists are subject to immediate and violent reprisal if they dare to report on corruption and illegal activities by local powers.' (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: 4 dead, 32 injured in bridge collapse over Indrayani River near Pune, 10-15 people feared swept away
The Print
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
Bihar Cabinet approves proposal of one crore jobs, employment opportunities
The CM on Sunday had announced that 'For the next five years (2025 to 2030), we are setting a target to double the 2020-25 goal by providing government jobs and employment opportunities to one crore youth. To achieve this, new job and employment opportunities will also be created in the private sector, particularly in industrial areas. For this purpose, a high-level committee is being constituted. The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, approved the proposal of the Labour department in this regard and also decided to constitute a 12-member committee headed by the Development Commissioner to explore the possibilities and take decisions in this effect. Patna, Jul 15 (PTI) The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday cleared a proposal of 'one crore jobs and employment opportunities' in the next five years. Soon after the Cabinet meeting, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) S Siddhartha told reporters, 'The state Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Labour department proposal to provide one crore jobs and employment opportunities to youth in the state in the next five years (from 2025-2030). The government has also decided to constitute a 12-member committee, headed by the chief secretary, for the same.' The cabinet also approved 30 proposals of different departments on Tuesday. The decision assumes significance ahead of the assembly polls due later this year. 'I am delighted to share that, so far, 10 lakh youth in the state have been provided with government jobs, and approximately 39 lakh people have been given employment, and the target of providing government jobs/employment to over 50 lakh youth will certainly be achieved. 'Currently, under the Saat Nischay programme, the youth of the state are being provided with skill development training to connect them with self-employment opportunities. In the next five years, the ongoing programme under Saat Nischay for youth skill development will be expanded,' the CM wrote on X on Sunday. The cabinet also approved more than Rs 179 crore for the maintenance of the priority corridor of metro rail which will become operational from August 15, 2025, in Patna. A proposal of sanctioning of more than 179 crore for the maintenance of the priority corridor of metro rail and Rs 21.15 crore for hiring three metro car single sets on rent were also approved by the cabinet. The three-coach train set will run on a 6.49-km elevated section between Malahi Pakri and the New ISBT, a priority corridor designed to serve one of the busiest traffic zones in the city. PTI PKD RG This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
Arunachal sees robust economic growth, GSDP rises by 166 pc in one decade: CM Khandu
'Arunachal Pradesh is marching ahead with strong economic indicators,' the chief minister posted on X. Highlighting the state's progress under his government's reform-oriented policies, Khandu said the number of Goods and Services Tax (GST) taxpayers has gone up by 141 per cent since 2017-18, while per capita income has risen by 105 per cent since 2016. Itanagar, Jul 15 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday said the state has witnessed significant economic transformation over the past decade, with the gross state domestic product (GSDP) recording a 166 per cent increase between 2014 and 2024-25. According to the data shared by him, the state has also seen a 731 per cent increase in GST collection since the implementation of GST in 2017-18. Similarly, the State's Own Resources (SOR) have surged by 384 per cent between 2014-15 and 2024-25. Budget allocations for the state have also grown by 218 per cent between 2015-16 and 2025-26, reflecting a sustained focus on capital expenditure and inclusive development. The chief minister described the trend as a 'decade of transformative growth', underscoring his administration's emphasis on fiscal prudence and resilient development under the 'Pema 3.0' model of governance. PTI CORR SBN SBN This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
