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SC grants custody parole to Tahir Hussain for campaigning in Delhi polls

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New Delhi, Jan 28: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted custody parole to the 2020 Delhi riots accused Tahir Hussain to campaign ahead of the February 5 Assembly polls in the national capital.

Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded Hussain as a candidate from the Mustafabad constituency.

A bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath ordered that Tahir Hussain walk out of jail for 12 hours every day under police custody from January 29 to February 3.

The Bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta, recorded the undertaking given on Tahir Hussain’s behalf that he may deposit the expenses incurred towards his security arrangements. The expenses for the first two days of police custody need to be paid by 6 p.m. Tuesday, said the apex court.

Further, it restrained Tahir Hussain from making any public comments regarding the merits of the cases pending against him.

Justice Nath-led bench clarified that its order granting custody parole will have no bearing on the merits of the bail application pending adjudication before the Delhi High Court in connection with Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma’s murder case.

Earlier in the day, the top court asked the Delhi Police to apprise it of the security measures that would be needed if Tahir Hussain is allowed to campaign under custody parole. It told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, to give an estimate of how much security personnel would be required if Tahir Hussain is given custody parole and the expenses it would entail.

Senior advocate Siddharth Agarwal, appearing on Tahir Hussain’s behalf, stated that he was restricting his prayer to grant custody parole in view of the limited time of 3-4 days left for campaigning.

Agarwal said that Tahir Hussain is willing to stay away from his residence and will stay in a hotel room and provide details. Opposing this, ASG Raju said that granting relief to Tahir Hussain would set a “wrong precedent” as every prisoner would then file a nomination to contest elections to walk out of jail.

After the Justice Nath-led Bench sought to know the details of security arrangements and costs if Tahir Hussain is granted custody parole, the law officer sought an adjournment to seek instructions.

Last week, a 2-judge Bench of the top court delivered a split verdict on Tahir Hussain’s petition. While Justice Pankaj Mithal dismissed his plea, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah was inclined to order Tahir Hussain’s release on interim bail in view of his incarceration of over four years on the charge of being an instigator during the 2020 riots in the national capital. Resultantly, the 2-judge Bench ordered the file to be placed before the Chief Justice of India, who is the master of the roster, for referring the matter to another bench.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had turned down Tahir Hussain’s plea for interim bail but granted him parole to enable him to file nomination papers for the upcoming Assembly polls. Following the order of the Delhi High Court, Hussain, while out on custody parole, did not have any access to the phone or Internet, did not interact with any person except the officials concerned in the nomination process, and also could not address the media.

On January 14, the Justice Neena Bansal Krishna-led Bench reserved its decision after hearing the arguments raised by senior advocate Rebecca John, representing the former Councillor, and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, who appeared on behalf of Delhi Police. Opposing Hussain’s interim bail plea, ASG Sharma said the AIMIM candidate, facing “gruesome allegations”, may file his nomination papers from Tihar jail or under custody parole. Sharma added that there is no fundamental right to contest elections and if released on interim bail, Hussain may influence witnesses.

National News

14 Dead, 6 Missing As 45-Year-Old Gambhira Bridge Collapses In Gujarat Despite Prior Safety Warnings In 2022

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Vadodara: The death toll in the collapse of a span of the 45-year-old Gambhira Bridge over the Mahisagar River, connecting Central Gujarat to Saurashtra, has risen to 14, while six persons are still missing. In this incident, vehicles including two trucks, two pickups and a rickshaw passing over the bridge fell into the Mahisagar River flowing on both banks.

Official sources said that 14 people have died in this accident, while more than 8 people were rescued. On Thursday morning, during the search operation of the NDRF, one more body was found, which has been sent to the Padra Community Health Center. Six people are still missing and the rescue operation is going on in the river.

Three members of the same family from Vadodara’s Mujpur village have died in this accident. Mujpur village was in a state of shock as the last rites of a father, son and daughter were done simultaneously. Father Rameshbhai, son Naiktik, and daughter Vaidika were all on their way to complete the Bagdana Badha and met death on the way.

In less than a month of the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad killing 260 people, Gujarat witnessed yet another incident where the dilapidated bridge’s span of Gambhira bridge collapsed killing 14 people.

This accident took place around 7 to 7-30 am on Wednesday. According to the locals, three trucks, two Eco, one rickshaw, one pickup and two bikes have fallen into the river due to the collapse of the bridge.

The deceased have been identified as Vaidika Rameshbhai Padhiyar, Naitik Rameshbhai Padhiyar, Hasmukhbhai Mahijibhai Parmar,Rameshbhai Dalpatbhai Padhiyar, age 32, Vakhatsinh Manusinh Jadav, Pravinbhai Raojibhai Jadav, age 26, village-Undel and three other unidentified persons.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel tweeted, “The tragedy caused by the collapse of one of the 23 spans of the Gambhira Bridge connecting Anand and Vadodara is tragic. I pray for the peace of the souls of the deceased who lost their lives in the accident. Instructions have been given to arrange for the immediate treatment of the injured by talking to the Vadodara Collector and making arrangements on priority”

“The fire brigade team of the local municipality and Vadodara Municipal Corporation are working with boats and swimmers at the accident site for rescue and relief operations, as well as the NDRF team has also reached the scene and joined the rescue operation. Orders have been given to the Road Construction Department to immediately investigate this accident”

Ignored Warnings Since 2022

In August 2022, Harshadsinh Parmar, a member of the Vadodara District Panchayat, warned authorities in writing. He addressed a letter to the Executive Engineer of the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division, urging an immediate site inspection of the Gambhira Bridge and called for its closure.

“The bridge was in a very dilapidated condition, and I clearly feared an accident due to heavy vehicle traffic,” Parmar told reporters. “I demanded it be shut and a new bridge constructed. But they only did superficial repairs.”

Not only that — Parmar even cited the Morbi Bridge collapse in his correspondence to stress the consequences of neglect. His warnings were echoed by the Additional Secretary of the Vadodara Collector’s Office, who issued an order to inspect the bridge and publish a test report. However, no action followed beyond minor patchwork.

A Bridge Known to Be Unsafe

Despite being officially declared unsafe in 2022, the Gambhira Bridge continued to serve full vehicular traffic, including trucks and buses. Sources reveal that while a new bridge project worth ₹212 crore had been approved, no groundwork ever began.

“The administration chose to ignore every red flag,” said Rekha Solanki, a local activist. “This isn’t an accident. It’s administrative murder.”

The bridge’s collapse comes just two days after the state government held a meeting on infrastructure affected by heavy rains. The timing has only intensified public outrage.

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National News

Gujarat Rains: Tanker Hangs By A Thread On Broken Gambhira Bridge

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Vadodara: At least nine people lost their lives after the Gambhira bridge connecting Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat collapsed on Wednesday, July 9. Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River. However, a tanker had a close shave as it stopped just at the edge of the broken bridge.

A video of the tanker hanging in the middle of the broken bridge surfaced online. In the video, it could be seen that a slab of the Gambhira bridge fell into the river. The front part of the vehicle was on the broken portion of the bridge.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall is reported in several parts of Gujarat, received heavy rainfall in the past few days, throwing normal life out of gear.

The bridge connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region. The bridge was located near Padra town in the district. According to the details available, around nine persons have died and another nine persons have been rescued, out of whom five have been referred to the SSG Hospital in Vadodara. None of the rescued persons is in critical condition. The rescue operation is still going on,” Superintendent of Police (Vadodara rural) Rohan Anand said as reported by news agency.

As per the police official, a 10 to 15 metres long slab of the bridge collapsed at around 7.30 am. Five vehicles — two trucks, two vans and an autorickshaw — fell into the river after the bridge collapsed, Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya said. Three people on a two-wheeler, which fell into the river, managed to swim to safety, Dhameliya added.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed grief over the tragedy and said an order has been given to the state’s roads and buildings department to conduct a probe into the collapse and submit a report.

Gujarat minister Rushikesh Patel said the bridge was constructed in 1985, and its maintenance was carried out periodically as and when required. “The exact reason behind the incident will be probed,” he said.

The nearly 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and was inaugurated in 1985.

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National News

Bihar: Trains Halted, Highways Blocked As INDIA Bloc Erupts In Protest Over Voter Roll Revision & Labour Code

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Patna: Massive protests swept through Bihar on Tuesday, July 8, as members of the INDIA bloc, including the RJD, Congress, other Left parties, and the Mahagathbandhan allies, took to the streets against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the central government’s new labour code.

Roads were barricaded with burning tyres and railway tracks were blocked, bringing movement to a standstill in several districts across Bihar.

Early visuals from Hajipur showed RJD supporters blocking the Gandhi Setu, one of the key road links in the state. In Sonpur, the protest was led by RJD MLA Mukesh Roshan, with thick police presence deployed to manage the crowd. Jehanabad saw students from the RJD’s youth wing occupying railway tracks, disrupting train services.

Local leaders are leading demonstrations in multiple districts, including Sonpur, Hajipur, and Jehanabad, raising slogans against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to carry out the SIR process just months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. Protesters allege the revision is being conducted hastily and is designed to benefit the ruling NDA by selectively altering voter lists.

Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav to Lead March in Patna

Later in the day, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is expected to join RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for a protest march in Patna. The two leaders will walk from the Income Tax office at Golambar to the Election Commission office, raising their voices against what they call “undemocratic” actions.

At a press conference on Monday, Tejashwi Yadav criticised both the SIR and the implementation of the new labour code. “This process is creating confusion and is clearly rushed. It is meant to manipulate the voter base ahead of elections,” he said, flanked by Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar and leaders from Left parties.

The protest also coincides with a Bharat Bandh called by 10 central trade unions demanding a nationwide minimum wage and labour reforms.

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