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Pvt Haj tour operators’ quota for 10,000 pilgrims restored as govt seeks Saudi help

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New Delhi, April 15: With the intervention of the Indian government, the Saudi Haj Ministry has offered a lifeline to private Haj operators whose quota of sending about 10,000 pilgrims faced cancellation due to delayed documentation, an official said on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) said that the Saudi Haj Ministry, in a rare gesture, has agreed to re-open the Haj Portal (Nusuk Portal) to all Indian Combined Haj Group Operators (CHGOs) to complete their work with respect to 10,000 pilgrims.

The portal had been closed earlier as CHGOs, despite reminders, had failed to comply with the necessary timelines set by the Saudi authorities to finalise the mandatory contracts, including for Mina camps, accommodation, and transport of pilgrims, as required under the Saudi regulations.

The Minority Affairs Ministry has now issued directions to Haj group operators to avail of the special relaxation offered by the Saudi authorities and urgently complete the formalities on the Nusuk Portal.

The matter of ‘cancellation’ of private tour operators’ quota was raised by Former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister and President of the ruling National Conference (NC) Dr Farooq Abdullah on Monday.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and President of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti also expressed concern over the development.

“Urge the Ministry of External Affairs to immediately intervene by taking up this matter with the Saudi government to seek a resolution”, she said on social media platform X.

The Minority Affairs Ministry said that due to the Indian Government’s efforts, the Haj quota allocation for India has increased from 136,020 in 2014 to 175,025 in 2025.

These quotas are finalised by the Saudi authorities closer to the time of the pilgrimage, it said.

The Ministry, through the Haj Committee of India, manages arrangements for the bulk of the quota allotted to India, which is 122,518 in the current year.

The balance of over 52,000 slots of the quota were allotted, as is customary, to private tour operators, said a statement.

Due to changes in Saudi guidelines, more than 800 Private Tour Operators were consolidated into 26 legal entities termed Combined Haj Group Operators (CHGOs), by the Ministry this year.

Addressing legal challenges, the Haj quota was allocated by the Ministry to these 26 CHGOs well in advance. However, despite reminders, they failed to comply with the necessary timelines set by the Saudi authorities and failed to finalise the mandatory contracts, including for Mina camps, accommodation, and transport of pilgrims.

The Saudi Haj Ministry later informed that due to delays, the available space in Mina became occupied.

However, due to the Indian Government’s intervention, the Saudi Haj Ministry has agreed to re-open the Haj Portal (Nusuk Portal) to all CHGOs to complete their work in respect of 10,000 pilgrims, said a statement.

Mumbai Press Exclusive News

Mumbai Dandoshi Court dismisses Sameer Wankhede’s defamation case against Bads of Bollywood, Delhi High Court dismisses case

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Mumbai: IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation case against The Bads of Bollywood in the City Civil Court, Mumbai, Dandoshi. Wankhede had earlier filed a case in the Delhi High Court against The Bads of Bollywood, Netflix, Meetha and other agencies, which the court had dismissed saying that the matter was not within its jurisdiction, so Wankhede should file a case in Mumbai in this matter, after which the court has allowed Sameer Wankhede to file a defamation case in Mumbai. Today, Sameer Wankhede has officially filed a case against film actor Shah Rukh Khan’s company Red Chillies Entertainment and related social media platforms and has demanded damages. Earlier, Wankhede had demanded a compensation of Rs 2 crore and this compensation he is going to pay as a donation to the cancer hospital Tata Memorial Hospital.

Sameer Wankhede had arrested Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the Cordelia Cruise drugs case, after which Wankhede has been his target. In Bollywood, Wankhede has been criticized. In Bads of Bollywood, Sameer Wankhede has been described as a clown officer and an actor has been presented as his likeness, in which this character has committed a crime due to Sameer Wankhede’s malice and prejudice. Not only that, he has desecrated the national emblem and phrase by pointing his finger and saying “Satyamev Jeete”. The court accepted the petition in this matter for hearing and ordered the parties concerned to be present to file their reply on February 12 and has also issued summons, due to which Shah Rukh Khan, Aryan Khan and Red Chillies Entertainment and other parties concerned have been shocked. In the petition, Wankhede has demanded compensation along with the removal and deletion of the controversial parts of the film.

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Crime

Mumbai: Court Relies On Dying Declaration, Acquits Husband And Other Relatives In 2018 Dowry-Linked Murder Case

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Mumbai: The sessions court has convicted two brothers for setting their sister-in-law ablaze while she was sleeping in Shivaji Nagar in March 2018. The two, Tejim Shaikh and Kafil Shaikh, were found guilty based on the victim, Farida Shaikh’s dying declaration and sentenced to life imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, the accused were residing with Farida and her husband Aftab Shaikh in Rafiq Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, due to work-related reasons. It was alleged that Farida was under physical and mental pressure following the death of her three-month-old daughter and was subjected to harassment over an insufficient dowry.

As per the case registered with the Shivaji Nagar police, a quarrel broke out on March 6, 2018, after Farida allegedly refused to allow Aftab to join his brothers. Later that night, around 2am, Farida felt kerosene being poured over her. She stated that Tejim was pouring the kerosene while Kafil stood nearby, and that Kafil then set her on fire with a matchbox.

Aftab later tried to extinguish the flames and rushed her to Rajwadi Hospital. Farida suffered burn injuries over about 92-95% of her body. Her statement was recorded by police during treatment, followed by a formal dying declaration before a Naib Tahsildar. She succumbed to her injuries on March 11, 2018, after which the accused were booked for murder and dowry harassment.

The defence argued that Farida had committed suicide by pouring kerosene on herself and challenged the dying declaration. However, the court rejected the claim and relied on her statement.

The court did not accept allegations of cruelty against the other family members, noting that they were vague and lacked specific details. It also acquitted Aftab, observing that Farida had not accused her husband of any role in the incident and had instead stated that he attempted to save her after she was set on fire.

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Crime

Maharashtra Shocker: Man Arrested For Killing 6-Year-Old Daughter To Meet Two-Child Norm For Panchayat Polls

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Hyderabad: A man from Maharashtra killed one of his three children to overcome the two-child norm to contest the upcoming Panchayat elections in that state.

Pandurang Kondmangale, a resident of Kerur village in Mukhed taluka of Maharashtra’s Nanded district, pushed her six-year-old daughter into a canal in Telangana’s Nizamabad district.

Nizamabad Police on Monday announced the arrest of Pandurang (28) and village sarpanch Ganesh Ramachandra Shinde.

Nizamabad Police Commissioner P. Sai Chaitanya told media persons that the body of a girl was found in the Nizam Sagar canal in Yedapally a few days ago. The investigation led to her identification as Prachi (6), a resident of Kerur village in neighbouring Nanded district of Maharashtra.

Police picked up her father for questioning. He tried to mislead the police by stating that she was undergoing treatment at a health centre. When grilled by the investigating officer, he confessed to killing the child.

What he revealed during the questioning was shocking for everyone. Pandurang, who runs a barber shop in his village, was keen to contest the upcoming Panchayat elections. As he had a three-year-old boy and twin girls aged six, he was ineligible to contest in view of the two-child norm for candidates contesting local body polls in Maharashtra.

He consulted his friend and current sarpanch of the village, Ganesh Shinde how to overcome the norm. They conspired to get rid of one of his children, Prachi, the elder of the twins.

According to police, they initially considered putting Prachi up for adoption. But that would not have served the purpose because she would still be registered as his child in the birth certificate.

Pandurang also thought of abandoning the child, but was worried about the consequences in the event of her return. They then conspired to kill the child and make it seem like an accident.

As Nizamabad district is only a few kilometres away from his village, Pandurang took Prachi on a motorcycle to the Nizam Sagar canal. He pushed her into the canal and fled. Some villagers who were working in the field nearby heard something plunge into the water and rushed there to find the girl’s lifeless body floating in the canal. They alerted the police, which launched an investigation.

The girl’s pictures were circulated widely on social media. Someone from the Maharashtra village identified Prachi when they saw her photo as the display picture on the WhatsApp number of one of the police personnel.

A police team reached the village and began an investigation, which led to the arrest of Pandurang and the sarpanch.

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