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Gyanvapi dispute: Petitioner says plea based on ‘British map’

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Jitendra Singh Vishen, head of the Vishwa Vaidik Sanatan Sangh (VVSS), which is among the petitioners in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex case, has said their petition is based on a “British-era map”, which also formed the basis of a court case filed in 1936 by three Muslims who had demanded that the land be handed over to the community.

Visen told reporters, “If you inspect the premises today, you can find that 90 per cent of the structures are according to the map. Moreover, in the ‘shastras’, Lord Ganesha is on the northern side of the Adi Vishweshwar Temple, while Shringar Gauri is on the western side and the southern side has Kartikeya. Many parts in the books may be correct but some questions may remain,” he added.

Advocate Anupam Dwivedi, one of the lawyers representing the petitioners, however, said the purpose of the court-ordered survey was to find out the exact location of the deities and admitted that only an examination could determine the correct location.

Earlier, Acharya Ashok Dwivedi, who was chairman of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust between 2013 and 2019, had claimed that two books about the history of Varanasi say the idols are located elsewhere.

The two books, he said, were ‘Varanasi Vaibhav’, written by scholar Kubernath Sukul, and ‘Kashi Gaurav’ by Shivananda Saraswati, a disciple of ‘Dharm Samrat’ Karpatri, a renowned spiritual leader.

“In the book by Sukul, on page 221, the presence of Maa Shringar Gauri has been mentioned (as located) on the ishan side (north-eastern) of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and inside the Annapurna Temple (within the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor). In another book by Shivananda Sarasvati, the presence of the deity has been mentioned as plot 3/58 in Mohalla Bansphatak (at a distance of over 100 metres from the Kashi Vishwanath Temple),” Dwivedi stated.

He alleged that, “People are trying to gain cheap publicity by filing such petitions.”

He further said, adding that a commission should be set up to locate the Maa Shringar Gauri idol.

Maa Shringar Gauri is believed to be a manifestation of Hindu God Shiva’s wife Parvati. A carving of the deity, according to the petitioners’ plea, is located along a platform to the back of the Gyanvapi Mosque, outside the barricading that surrounds it. The public is not allowed to offer prayers here except twice a year during Navratri.

It is the location of this ‘sthal’ that is being contested by Dwivedi, who claims that worship at the site mentioned in the petition began only after campaigns by Hindutva organisations.

“We and our families have been staying here for the past 800 years but have never heard that there was a Shringar Gauri Sthal at the place where it is being talked about. We only got to know about it when outfits like Shiv Sena and VHP started to offer water to the carvings there in 2004-2005,” Dwivedi said.

He also claimed that the Gyanvapi Mosque was previously known as ‘Alamgiri Masjid’, adding that this was acknowledged by historian James Princep in his book ‘Benares Illustrated’ (1833).

National News

Navi Mumbai: CM Devendra Fadnavis Inaugurates Sanpada Police Station And State-Of-The-Art Cy-Fi Unit

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Navi Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the newly constructed building of Sanpada police station and dedicated a state-of-the-art Cyber and Financial Crimes (Cy-Fi) investigation unit to the public, making Navi Mumbai Police Commissionerate the first in the state to have such an advanced facility at the police station level.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Minister said the initiative marks a milestone in modern policing. “With the Cy-Fi unit and e-communication system in place, Navi Mumbai Police will be able to respond faster, investigate smarter and deliver quality services to citizens,” he said.

Navi Mumbai commissionerate is the first in Maharashtra to house the Cy-Fi unit and the e-Samvad online communication service, aimed at strengthening cybercrime investigation, financial fraud detection and seamless citizen-police interaction.

“This was the vission of Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe to have a Cy-Fi unit in all police stations and also e-communication system for people who cannot come to police station individually to file a complaint. This is replicated at all police stations in Navi Mumbai and formal inauguration was done at Sanpada police station,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Ajay Landge said.

Cy-Fi unit will investigate only cyber and financial fraud related cases of the police station. E-Samvad (e- communication) is for those who cannot physically come to police station. An online application can be provided to police station along with the contact number. Once the police receives the application, police will contact the applicant through video call and record the statement. The applicant would be verified with an OTP.

Alongside the inauguration of the new police station premises, the Chief Minister also presented ISO certification certificates to CBD, Vashi and Panvel taluka police stations under the Navi Mumbai Commissionerate. He also launched daily operations of the Sanpada police station through the CCTNS computer system.

The event was attended by Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, Public Works Department Minister Shivendra Singh Raje Bhosale, MLAs Mandatai Mhatre and Prashant Thakur, MLCs Vikrant Patil and Niranjan Davkhare, senior dignitaries and eminent citizens. Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe and Director General of Police (Housing & Welfare) Archana Tyagi were also present.

The Chief Minister lauded the efforts of Navi Mumbai Police and expressed confidence that the new facilities would ensure citizens receive speedy and high-quality policing services, while reinforcing the city’s safety network.

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National News

IND vs SL, Asia Cup 2025, Super 4: When & Where To Watch As Final-Bound Team India Look To Finetune Their Shortcomings?

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Team India will meet Sri Lanka in their final match of Super 4 of Asia Cup 2025 as the Men in Blue will hope to finetune some of their areas ahead of the multi-nation tournament’s final. With Sri Lanka effectively out of the race for the final, it will be an inconsequential contest.

India stormed to the final after beating Pakistan and Bangladesh handsomely in Dubai. However, both the matches saw the Men in Blue drop plenty of catches, which could be concerning for the final. India’s batting experiments also almost cost them the game against Bangladesh; hence, Suryakumar Yadav and co. will want to stick with a stable batting line-up to ensure things don’t go awry.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, were well in the game during both their Super 4 matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan. But the failure of their batting line-up to step up at crucial stages cost them a place in the final. The Island nation threw away the momentum against Bangladesh and failed to have any against Pakistan. After having Pakistan in a spot of bother at 80/5 in defence of 133, Sri Lanka began bowling erratically to let their opposition win by five wickets.

Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel.

Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Janith Liyanage.

The toss for the Super 4 match between Team India and Sri Lanka in Dubai will take place at 7:30 PM IST, while the play will kickstart at 8:00 PM IST on September 26, Friday. Fans in India can catch the action on Sony Sports Network in India.

The live streaming of the same will take place on the SonyLiv App and Website.

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Entertainment

Aryan Khan lands in legal trouble again as Sameer Wankhede files defamation suit

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Mumbai, Sep 25: Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, has once again landed into troubled waters. In a new development, the IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation suit against Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, owned by actors Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, the streaming giant Netflix and other parties.

The lawsuit has been filed in the Delhi High Court. In his petition, Sameer has sought a permanent injunction against the web series and damages. The issue has emerged after Aryan took a dig at Sameer, who detained him from a cruise in Mumbai in October 2021 over the alleged possession of narcotics.

Sameer Wankhede has alleged that the recently released OTT series ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’, directed by Aryan, has shown false, malicious and defamatory content. He also alleged that the image of anti-drug enforcement agencies has been tarnished and shown negatively, thereby undermining public trust in law enforcement agencies.

The series features a sequence where a drug enforcement agency officer, bearing striking resemblance to Sameer, raids a party, similar to how the latter raided a cruise party in the October of 2021.

Sameer Wankhede has claimed that the webseries has deliberately biased and defamatory content against him. He also alleged that the Sameer Wankhede and Aryan Khan case is currently pending in the Bombay High Court and a special NDPS court in Mumbai.

He alleged that a character in the web series is shown saying, “Satyamev Jayate” and immediately after that the character is seen making an obscene gesture. It is an insult to the slogan which is part of the national emblem and is an offence punishable under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.

It has also been alleged that the content of the series violates various sections of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code as it attempts to hurt national sentiments by using obscene and objectionable content.

In his suit, Sameer Wankhede has sought damages of Rs 2 crore, which he proposes to donate for the treatment of cancer patients at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.

The series is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, and is available to stream on Netflix.

On 2 October 2021, the NCB, headed by Sameer, had raided a cruise ship off Mumbai during a party and alleged possession of drugs among some attendees. Aryan Khan, along with others, was arrested on charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

However, Aryan received a clean chit from the NCB, as the agency stated that no material evidence was found to connect him to the case, leading to the dropping of charges against him. The NDPS court had also asked Aryan’s passport to be given back to him after he was given the clean chit.

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