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Kashmir propaganda: SC lawyer seeks ban on Hyundai, KIA, KFC, Pizza Hut

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A Delhi-based Supreme Court lawyer on Tuesday wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal seeking de-registration of Hyundai India, KIA India, KFC India and Pizza Hut India over their offensive statements on social media regarding the union territory Jammu and Kashmir.

“Recently, the said companies have posted on their social media accounts offensive statements and posts challenging the sovereignty of our country,” Advocate Vineet Jindal wrote in his letter.

On February 5, Hyundai Pakistan called for the ‘freedom of Kashmir from India’ through its official Twitter channel in Pakistan. The day is observed by Pakistan as the ‘Kashmir solidarity day’.

The Indian Twitter users, livid after this obnoxious propaganda by Pakistan, began criticising Hyundai on social media, forcing the parent company to issue a response.

“Hyundai Motor India has been committed to the Indian market for more than 25 years now and we stand firmly for our strong ethos of respecting nationalism. The unsolicited social media post linking Hyundai Motor India is offending our unparalleled commitment and service to this great country. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards insensitive communication and we strongly condemn any such view,” the statement from Hyundai read.

Not only Hyundai but its subsidiary Kia too had tweeted similar things.

Pizza hut Pakistan shared a post on its Instagram account that read, “This Kashmir solidarity day, let’s join hands and stand united for the freedom of our Kashmiri brothers and sisters.”

KFC PAK also made a similar Twitter missive.

Jindal told IANS that the statement made by Hyundai India is a mere condemnation of its own act and does not support the acceptance of the offence and the statement is not an apology for the grave offence made publically.

The Advocate also sought an immediate registration of an FIR under sections 121A, 153, 153a, 504, 505 of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act . He has also forwarded his letter to Delhi Police commissioner Rakesh Asthana.

Jindal said that the controversial post targeting the sovereignty of India by these multinational companies to gain business profit in Pakistan is highly deplorable. “These MNC’s have intentionally made atrocious statements on public platforms accessed by millions of users to challenge the sovereignty and integrity of India and their act can cause national riots, communal disharmony and is an act of waging war against India,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took up the issue in Parliament and without naming any company said the content “they have posted on their platforms calls for freedom for Kashmir.”

“These companies are doing business both in India and Pakistan, yet have posted content in solidarity with Pakistan over Kashmir. Such posts that are challenging the sovereignty of our country should not be acceptable. It has been surprising that it has been ignored till now. And also keeping in mind that these companies have been flourishing in India for the past many years yet choosing to take stances that are contentious is unacceptable,” the Parliamentarian said.

Chaturvedi demanded that the government should ensure that these companies apologise unequivocally for the seditious posts and “further ensure that companies operating in India do not challenge the sovereignty of the country.”

Responding to Shiv Sena MP’s demand, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the government has asked the company to be more forceful in unequivocal apology.

Crime

Parents of Kolkata law college rape victim should be ready for long battle like us: RG Kar victim’s parents

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Kolkata, June 28: In the midst of the outrage and politics over the rape of a woman in a Kolkata law college, the parents of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder victim stated on Saturday that the law student’s parents should also be ready to fight a protracted legal battle.

Their comments came days after a Kolkata-based law college student became a victim of rape within the college premises on June 25 evening.

They stated that the woman’s parents should also be ready for a long battle considering the influential backing enjoyed by the three accused in the case.

The mother of the junior doctor who became a victim of a ghastly rape and murder in August last year, expressed apprehension that like the case of her daughter, there might be attempts to protect the accused in the law college rape case also in the due course.

Hence, they feel that what is required now is a mass movement exactly in line with what happened after the heinous crime with their daughter.

“What is even more shocking is that even after the tragedy with my daughter, there was not enough initiative to ensure the safety of women within educational institutions where they study. The administration and ruling party are now trying to shy away from their responsibilities over the crime in the law college rape. It is natural. But the reality is that the influential backing that the accused persons enjoyed gave them the courage to conduct such a heinous crime within the college premises,” the R.G Kar victim’s mother said.

The father of the R.G. Kar victim said that he fears that like the case of his daughter, there might be attempts by influential people and even a section within the administration to protect the accused.

“So I also feel that the parents of the victim in the law college case should also be prepared for a long battle like us. They should understand that the administration will not do anything and they will have to fight their own battle as we have been doing. What the victim’s parents need now is the spontaneous public support which we have received,” he said.

All the three accused in the case, namely Monojit Mishra, Zaib Ahmed, and Pramit Mukhopadhyay were linked to Trinamool Congress’ students’ wing Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP).

Pictures of Mishra with different top and heavyweight Trinamool Congress leaders have already flooded social media. While Mishra is a former student of the same law college, the other two are existing students.

All three of them, on Friday, were remanded to police custody till July 1.

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25 prison officials in Punjab suspended in crackdown against drug networks

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Chandigarh, June 28: In a major action against corruption and drug networks in prisons, the Punjab government on Saturday said it has suspended 25 officials, including three Deputy Superintendents and two Assistant Superintendents.

The government said the action is part of the drive to root out corruption and dismantle drug networks operating inside prisons.

“Following reports of irregularities and drug-related activities within jails, the government said the action was to end corruption and drug networks. The big action was taken as per information received about corruption and drug networks in jails,” the government said in a statement.

In March, the government shifted notorious jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria from the high-security Bathinda Central Jail to Silchar Jail in Assam as authorities suspected that detained gangsters were running drug syndicates from Punjab’s prisons.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested Bhagwanpuria, also an accused in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (PIT NDPS) Act.

Bhagwanpuria, against whom 128 FIRs have been registered in Punjab and other states, was arrested in a murder case in 2015 and, since then, has been lodged in several jails, previously in Punjab.

In the singer Moosewala’s murder case, it was Bhagwanpuria and gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who had hatched a conspiracy to kill him.

However, later, both fell apart. Bhagwanpuria, a native of Gurdaspur district, is considered the most dreaded gangster of Punjab after Bishnoi and has more than five cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for hatching conspiracies to disturb communal harmony in Punjab.

Bhagwanpuria is facing 15 cases of arms and drug smuggling. On his shifting to Assam, the NCB had said then that Bhagwanpuria was moved out of Punjab as he had “established linkages” with international operatives in Canada, the US and Pakistan. His relocation was a must to disrupt the ecosystem, facilitating continued criminal activities, it added.

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Mere recovery of blood-stained weapon matching deceased’s blood group not sufficient to prove murder: SC

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suprim court

New Delhi, June 27: Upholding the acquittal of an accused, the Supreme Court has ruled that mere recovery of a blood-stained weapon bearing the same blood group as that of the deceased would not be sufficient to prove the charge of murder.

A bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and P.B. Varale was dealing with a criminal appeal filed by the Rajasthan government challenging a judgment of the Rajasthan High Court, which had acquitted the respondent-accused of the offence of murder.

In its impugned order, a division bench set aside the judgment passed by the Additional Sessions Judge in December 2008, which had convicted the respondent for the offence punishable under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and sentenced him to undergo life imprisonment and pay a fine of Rs 100, and in default of payment of fine, to further undergo 3 months simple imprisonment.

During the trial, the respondent was charged with the murder of Chotu Lal, which took place on the intervening night of March 1 and 2, 2007.

Initially, an FIR was filed against unknown assailants, and at a later stage, the respondent was arraigned in the case on the basis of suspicion and circumstantial evidence.

The prosecution led circumstantial evidence in the form of motive, alleging the respondent was having an evil eye on the wife of the deceased; recovery of the weapon of offence and the FSL report indicating that the blood group on the weapon matched with the blood group of the deceased (B +ve).

Contrary to the findings of the trial court, the Rajasthan High Court opined that the prosecution could not prove the complete chain of circumstances required to bring home the guilt of the accused in the case, which was based entirely on circumstantial evidence, and proceeded to acquit the respondent.

Concurring with the view taken by the Rajasthan HC, the Justice Mehta-led Bench said: “We find that the incriminating circumstances relied upon by the prosecution, i.e., the motive and the recovery of the blood stained weapon, even taken in conjunction cannot constitute the complete chain of incriminating circumstances required to bring home the charges against the accused.”

“The High Court seems to have overlooked the FSL report, which fact was stressed upon by learned counsel for the appellant (state government). However, in our view, even if the FSL report is taken into account, then also, other than the fact that the weapon recovered at the instance of the accused tested positive for the same blood group as that of the deceased (B +ve), nothing much turns on the said report,” it added.

The apex court, relying upon a previous judgment of the apex court, opined that mere recovery of a blood-stained weapon even bearing the same blood group of the victim would not be sufficient to prove the charge of murder.

It discarded the theory of motive, saying the evidence in that regard seems to be very vague and vacillating.

The Justice Mehta-led Bench added that the law is well settled by a catena of apex court decisions that in an appeal against acquittal, interference can only be made if the only possible view based on the evidence points to the guilt of the accused and rules out his innocence.

Dismissing the appeal of the state government, the Supreme Court said: “In the present case, we are duly satisfied that the prosecution failed to lead clinching evidence to bring home the charges. The only possible view is the one taken by the High Court, i.e., the innocence of the accused.”

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