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NCB lets off Aryan: MVA feels ‘vindicated’, says its a ‘slap’ for BJP

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The ruling 3-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government on Friday said it stands ‘vindicated’ after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) gave ‘clean chit’ to Aryan Khan and five other accused in the sensational raids on a cruiser in October 2021.

The MVA allies — Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress — had slammed the NCB from day one for the swoop carried out by the agency’s then Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

NCP Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik — currently in custody of the ED — had run a major expose-campaign against the NCB city head Wankhede and termed the Cordelia Cruise ship raid as a “farjiwada (fraud)” perpetrated in collaboration with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

NCP Chief Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that Malik’s observations of how the entire raid was conducted and selection of witnesses having ‘close affinity with BJP’ was valid and now is laid bare by the NCB.

“We have always maintained that NCB is a very credible organisation with an impeccable track record, but recent actions put a question mark on its reputation. Malik’s serious allegations against Wankhede earned the ire of some powerful people in New Delhi and he is now paying the price for speaking the truth,” said Tapase.

Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said the cruiser raid and subsequent happenings were part of the “huge conspiracy by the BJP government misusing the central probe agencies to discredit and topple the MVA government” which have failed.

“Now, they have got a slap on their face… Instead of continuing to indulge in such tactics, it will be better if the BJP learns now that it works for the welfare of the people,” Londhe said, terming the development as ‘Satyameva Jayate’.

Sena’s MoS Kishore Tiwari said that his statements in the PIL filed by him stand ‘fully vindicated” that the entire raids was a ‘fake’ perpetrated by Wankhede and his BJP supporters to tarnish the MVA regime and hog publicity.

“I will pursue the PIL and seek criminal proceedings against Wankhede, all the BJP men who were exposed later by Minister Malik, how innocents like Aryan Khan were trapped in their extortion rackets and the fake raids, etc., till its logical conclusion,” said a grim Tiwari.

Following the NCB’s statement giving a ‘clean chit’ to Aryan and others, Malik’s Team demanded to know: “Will the NCB take action against Wankhede, his team and the private army, or will it shield the culprits.”

An NCB official said that it will prosecute only the 14 against whom solid evidence along with circumstantial evidence has been found, and charges will be dropped against the remaining (six).

He also said there was no evidence of any ‘conspiracy’, ‘international drug syndicate’, ‘common intent’, based on WhatsApp chats, etc., as claimed by the previous team led by Wankhede which probed the case.

The matter started a furious debate on social media with the NCB coming under fire for the ship raids and how its credibility lay shattered, though no prominent BJP leaders have reacted so far.

National

BJP leader Amit Malviya explains key insertions in Waqf Bill

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New Delhi, April 3: BJP leader Amit Malviya has elaborated on the implications of key insertions in the Waqf Amendment Bill, highlighting major changes aimed at protecting historical monuments and tribal land rights.

Taking to the social media platform X, Malviya shared a detailed explanation of the amendments.

“One of the significant insertions in the bill, Clause 3D, states: Any declaration or notification issued under this Act or under any previous Act in respect of waqf properties shall be void, if such property was a protected monument or protected area under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904 or the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, at the time of such declaration or notification,” he wrote on X.

Explaining its impact, Malviya stated that ASI-protected monuments have now been excluded from the Waqf’s ambit.

He emphasised that since the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is merely a custodian, protected properties may not necessarily be government assets.

“Another key amendment, Clause 3E, reads: “Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or any other law for the time being in force, no land belonging to members of Scheduled Tribes under the provisions of the Fifth Schedule or the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution shall be declared or deemed to be waqf property,” he said.

Malviya highlighted that this provision ensures the exclusion of tribal land from Waqf’s jurisdiction, thereby protecting the interests of tribal communities and preventing land encroachment.

He noted that this issue has been particularly pressing in states like Jharkhand and other tribal-dominated regions.

“This is a major step in protecting Tribal rights, benefiting Bengal’s Tribals and many others,” Malviya remarked.

The amendments in the Waqf Act have sparked discussions across political and social circles, with proponents asserting that they safeguard historical heritage and tribal communities.

Earlier, addressing the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asserted that misconceptions about the Waqf (Amendment) Bill were being deliberately spread by certain parties to bolster their vote banks.

He said that the proposed legislation was in line with fulfilling the wishes of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, something the opposition had failed to do.

The Home Minister explained that the new law might not have been necessary had the Waqf (Amendment) Act of 2013, passed under the Congress-led UPA II government, not been rushed through just months before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

At that time, Lalu Prasad, whose party had been part of the ruling coalition before withdrawing and later offering support, had raised concerns about the state of Waqf properties.

Quoting Lalu Prasad, HM Amit Shah said: “We welcome the amendment bill presented by the government. I support the statements made by (BJP’s) Shahnawaz Hussain and others. Most of the land has been grabbed, be it government-owned or otherwise. People in the Waqf Board have sold all the prime land. In Patna, apartments have been constructed on Dak Bungalow property. There has been a lot of loot like this.”

The Home Minister also reiterated that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was not aimed at any particular religion and that the Congress and other opposition parties were spreading misinformation about the bill to serve their vote-bank politics.

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National

After LS nod, Waqf Bill to be presented in Rajya Sabha today

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New Delhi, April 3: After the Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, it will be tabled by the government in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The Lok Sabha intensely discussed the bill for more than 12 hours, which began at Wednesday noon and continued till the early hours of Thursday. The Waqf Bill was passed with 288 votes in favour and 232 against.

Apart from the Waqf bill passage, a resolution was adopted by the Lower House confirming the President’s Rule in Manipur.

As per the Business List for Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move in the Rajya Sabha the Statutory Resolution confirming the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur.

HM Shah will “move the following Resolution – that this House approves the Proclamation issued by the President on the 13th February 2025 under Article 356(1) of the Constitution in relation to the State of Manipur.”

The Lok Sabha early Thursday passed the Statutory Resolution confirming the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur. Even though members across party lines supported the decision, some opposition members slammed the Centre for the situation in Manipur. HM Shah said that the government has taken every possible measure to bring back normalcy in the restive Northeastern state.

Minister Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani will lay a statement regarding the withdrawal of funds from the Contingency Fund of India for servicing Interest on Sovereign Guarantee Bonds (SGBs) raised by Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

In the Lok Sabha, the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, will be put up by Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for consideration and passing. The motion was moved by Sonowal on April 1, namely – “That the Bill to consolidate and amend the law relating to regulation of coastal shipping, promote coasting trade and encourage domestic participation therein, to ensure that India is equipped with a coastal fleet, owned and operated by the citizens of India for its national security and commercial needs, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, be taken into consideration.”

Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu will move The Protection of Interests In Aircraft Objects Bill, 2025, for consideration and passing. The Bill seeks to “provide for protection of interests in aircraft objects and to implement the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and the Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment, each signed at Cape Town on 16th November, 2001.”

Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will make a statement in the Lower House regarding “the status of implementation of the recommendations contained in the 10th Report of the Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs on PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) pertaining to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs”.

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Maharashtra

It is unconstitutional to deprive SP MLA Raees Sheikh of his right to handle religious affairs under Article 26 of the Constitution

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Mumbai: Maharashtra MLA Raees Sheikh has opposed the introduction of the Wakf Bill in the Lok Sabha. Raees Sheikh has strongly criticized the BJP for creating a false narrative and called the bill a misconception and unconstitutional bill which is harmful for the poor of the society.

Shaikh further said that Article 26 of the Constitution guarantees freedom to run religious institutions. It is unconstitutional to take away the right of a person to run his institution under Article 26 of the Constitution. MLA Shaikh said that this move is against the constitutional guarantee of dealing with religious matters.

Shaikh said that the BJP government is showing the UPA government that it is doing politics of appeasement of a particular community, while the BJP-led government is not doing so. This is an attempt to spread a lie that allows the community to seize any land under Waqf or claim it to be Waqf. The Waqf Board is not a private organisation of the Muslim community but a statutory body established under the Waqf Act. In the process of declaring a property as Waqf, a government surveyor conducts a survey and officially declares the property as Waqf. Sheikh remarked that it is completely wrong to present the idea that Muslims can arbitrarily declare any property as Waqf.

Shaikh further said that he strongly opposes the false image being created by the government and the government has not considered the suggestions given by Muslims or the opposition. All Waqf governing boards and trusts have been given the option to exit the Waqf framework. This has weakened the system. “This is an unimaginable and unimaginable bill that only harms the poor of the society,” Sheikh said.

He further said that some provisions, such as the condition that the person making the donation should have been a Muslim for five years, are strange. Earlier encroachment on wakf property was a non-bailable offence, but now it has been made a criminal offence

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