Crime
Delhi Court reserves appeal seeking restoration of Hindu, Jain temples at Qutub Minar
A Delhi court on Tuesday reserved the appeal against the dismissal of a suit seeking restoration of the Hindu and Jain temples and the deities at the Qutub Minar complex.
Additional District Judge Nikhil Chopra of the Saket Court was hearing the appeal challenging the rejection of a suit alleging that the Quwwat-Ul-Islam Masjid situated within the Qutub Minar complex in Mehrauli was built in place of a temple complex.
After the detailed hearing, the court said the verdict will be delivered on June 9.
During the course of the hearing, the appellant alleged that around 27 Hindu and Jain temples were desecrated and damaged in 1198 under the rule of Mughal Emperor Qutub-Din-Aibak raising the construction of the said mosque in place of those temples.
The Archaeological Survey of India opposed the suit, submitting that the ‘fundamental rights cannot be availed in violation of any status of the land’.
“It will be contrary to the provisions of the AMASR Act, 1958 to agree to the contention of the Respondents or any other person claiming a fundamental right to worship in this centrally protected monument,” read the affidavit submitted by the ASI.
Earlier on February 22, allowing the appeal, Additional District Judge Pooja Talwar issued notice to the Union of India through the Ministry of Culture, Director General of Archaeological Survey of India, and Superintending Archaeologist, Delhi Circle, ASI.
The civil suit, filed on behalf of Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev and Hindu deity Lord Vishnu (through their next of friends), was seeking restoration of the alleged temple complex, comprising as many as 27 temples.
As per the suit, the temples were dismantled, desecrated, and damaged under the command of Slave Dynasty Emperor Qutub-Din-Aibak, who raised some construction at the same very place and named it the Quwwat-Ul-Islam Mosque.
The ruler failed to completely demolish the existing temples and only partial demolition was carried out after reusing the material of the temples, the said mosque was erected, it read.
In December last year, Civil Judge Neha Sharma noted that the plaintiffs have no absolute right to restore and worship in the property as public order which is an exception under Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution. This requires the status quo be maintained and the protected monument to be used for no religious purpose. It is also an established fact that Quwwat-Ul-Islam Masjid was built atop existing temples, but the property was not being used for any religious purposes and no prayers were being offered here.
The court had observed that wrongs may have been committed in the past, “but such wrongs cannot be the basis for disturbing the peace of our present and future”.
Referring to a portion of the Ayodhya judgment, the court had said: “Cognisant as we are of our history and of the need for the nation to confront it, Independence was a watershed moment to heal the wounds of the past. Historical wrongs cannot be remedied by the people taking the law into their own hands.”
Crime
Delhi cop shoots wife dead in Kalyanpuri after marital dispute

New Delhi, July 13: A Delhi Police constable allegedly shot his wife dead in East Delhi’s Kalyanpuri area following a domestic dispute, police said on Monday.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the couple had been experiencing frequent marital discord for some time and were often involved in arguments over personal issues.
According to the police, the incident took place after another altercation broke out between the couple on Sunday.
The officials said the husband and wife had left their residence together on a scooter, but the argument reportedly continued while they were travelling.
During the course of the investigation, police recovered CCTV footage that allegedly captured the couple stopping their scooter on the roadside before stepping off the vehicle.
The footage is said to show them engaging in a heated argument moments before the shooting took place.
According to sources, the CCTV footage shows the constable and his wife stopping their scooter and stepping off the vehicle. They were seen arguing when the constable took out his service pistol and shot his wife.
The investigators said that the accused allegedly fled the spot immediately after the incident. Police teams have since launched a search operation to trace him and are scanning CCTV footage from the surrounding area as well as along the possible escape routes to reconstruct his movements and establish the exact sequence of events.
The accused constable was posted with the Anti-Theft Squad of the East district at the time of the incident.
As part of the investigation, police are also questioning family members and other individuals known to the couple to understand the circumstances that allegedly led to the fatal shooting.
Police have registered a case in connection with the incident and said further investigation is currently underway.
Crime
J’khand toddler raped; panchayat imposes Rs 1 lakh fine on accused, uses part money on liquor party

Ranchi, July 13: A horrifying case has come to light from Jharkhand’s Gumla district, where officials on Monday said a three-year-old girl was raped, following which a village panchayat attempted to stifle the case by imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the accused instead of reporting the crime to police.
The incident took place in Palma village of the Gumla district.
According to the officials, the accused, identified as Sunil Lohra, was directed by the panchayat to pay Rs 20,000 — which was later to be used by those present to organise a feast involving meat and liquor — while the remaining Rs 80,000 was ordered to be paid within a week.
However, the police were tipped off, and subsequently the officials intervened before the matter could be buried. An FIR was registered, and the accused was arrested.
The police received a tip-off that the village panchayat was trying to settle the rape of the minor through a small fine to prevent the case from reaching the authorities, according to the investigators.
The officials said that due to pressure from villagers, the family of the victim did not report the matter to the police. However, after receiving information, the police reached the village and recorded the victim’s mother’s statement. Subsequently, an FIR was registered, and the accused was arrested.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on Saturday when Lohra visited the victim’s home. According to the officials, the victim’s mother was at home with her when the accused offered to look after the child so that she could finish her household chores.
According to the police, accused Lohra then took the child into a room and sexually assaulted her. When the mother heard the child crying, she rushed inside the room to find her bleeding.
However, the matter was taken to the panchayat instead of reporting the crime to the police.
The victim’s family alleged that some of the members of the panchayat took the child to a private doctor and then convened a public meeting on Sunday, when it was decided to impose a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the accused to settle the issue inside the village. Rs 20,000 was paid by the accused on the spot.
According to the officials, the feast, funded with the Rs 20,000 given by the accused, was underway when police arrived.
Further proceedings are underway, and details are awaited.
Crime
Speeding Ferrari crashes into apartment building in Hyderabad Jubilee Hills

Hyderabad, July 12: A speeding Ferrari car crashed into the gate of an apartment building in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills area in the early hours of Sunday. There were no casualties, said officials.
The incident occurred on Road Number 5 in the upscale Jubilee Hills under the Film Nagar Police Station limits.
The occupants abandoned the heavily damaged Ferrari Roma, said to be worth more than Rs 3.50 crore, and fled before police arrived at the scene.
The gate of Fort View Apartments was completely damaged in the collision. The front portion of the luxury car was badly mangled.
The man driving the vehicle escaped after the accident. Police suspect that the person at the wheel was under the influence of alcohol and driving the vehicle at a high speed and in a rash manner.
Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. Police were examining the CCTV footage to ascertain if there were other persons in the vehicle.
Police shifted the damaged Ferrari to the police station with the help of a towing vehicle.
This is the second such incident in Jubilee Hills in less than a week. An SUV had crashed into Tollywood actor Dharma’s residence on the night of July 9.
A man who was under the influence of alcohol had rammed the SUV into the residence of Dharma on Road Number 10. The compound wall of the actor’s house was damaged in the incident.
The accused was identified as Karthik Kumar, who drove the SUV in a rash and negligent manner before losing control and ramming into Dharma’s house. Luckily, there were no casualties.
The actor alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused. A breathalyser test confirmed that the accused was drunk while driving the SUV.
Police registered a criminal case against Kartik Kumar and launched further investigation.
-
Crime4 years agoClass 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra2 years agoFalse photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News2 years agoMinistry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMaharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News2 years agoJ&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface
-
Crime2 years agoBaba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
