New Delhi, March 4: The Allahabad High Court will hear the petition related to the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal on Tuesday. The case, which has drawn significant attention, will be heard by a bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal at 10 a.m.

The mosque management committee has filed the petition requesting permission to whitewash the mosque premises ahead of Ramzan, a matter that has sparked considerable debate in recent months.

During today’s hearing, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team will submit a report on the cleanliness of the mosque. The ASI was previously directed by the court to inspect the mosque and ensure its cleanliness. In addition, the legal representatives of the mosque committee will file a reply in response to the ASI’s report.

In response to a plea from the mosque management committee, the court had earlier issued a directive on Friday, instructing the ASI to clean the premises of the Shahi Jama Masjid but stopped short of ordering the whitewashing of the mosque before Ramzan. The court also ordered the ASI to appoint a team of three officers to inspect the mosque and submit their findings.

This case remains a focal point of legal, historical, and communal discussions, with its resolution likely to have a significant impact on both the region’s religious dynamics and its legal landscape. The developments will be closely followed by both local communities and legal observers.

The dispute surrounding the mosque stems from a claim that the Shahi Jama Masjid was constructed after the demolition of the historic Harihar Temple, which some believe was located at the same site.

The controversy surrounding the mosque’s origins escalated following a court-ordered survey of the mosque on November 24, 2024. The survey led to violent clashes, with four people losing their lives, further intensifying the sensitive religious and historical dispute.

New Delhi, March 3: The Supreme Court on Monday permitted popular YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia to resume airing his podcast on the condition that he will maintain the “standards of decency and morality”.

Allahbadia and several other YouTubers, including Ashish Chanchlani and Apoorva Mukhija, have been embroiled in the controversy for vulgar and crass comments made during an episode of Samay Raina’s ‘India’s Got Latent’ show.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh relaxed an earlier condition which had prohibited Allahbadia or his associates from airing any show on YouTube or any other audio/video visual mode of communication till further orders.

During the hearing, the Justice Kant-led Bench asked the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the second highest law officer of the Centre, to consider regulating the content in online media.

“We don’t want any regulatory regime which leads to censorship, but it can’t be a free for all,” it said.

The apex court clarified that Allahbadia’s shows should not comment upon the proceedings which are sub-judice.

Earlier, on February 18, the top court had stayed Allahbadia’s arrest subject to the condition that he would join the investigation, as and when summoned by the Investigating Officers.

“The interim protection against arrest is granted further subject to the condition that the petitioner will extend full cooperation to the ongoing investigation,” it had ordered.

The Supreme Court had added that no further FIR would be registered against Allahbadia on the basis of the episode aired on the show ‘India’s Got Latent’, for which two-three FIRs have already been registered.

Amid the controversy, Samay Raina had removed all videos of the show from YouTube, asserting that his intention was only to entertain and make people laugh.

Several complaints seeking legal action have been filed against popular YouTubers Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahabadia, Ashish Chanchlani, and Apoorva Mukhija over allegedly obscene and offensive remarks about parents in the comedy show ‘India’s Got Latent’.

As the legal proceedings unfold, the incident has sparked a broader debate about the limits of comedy and the responsibility of content creators on digital platforms.

Chandigarh, March 3: Two days after Youth Congress activist Himani Narwal’s body was found in a suitcase on a highway in Haryana’s Rohtak, the arrested man, Sachin, on Monday confessed that he knew the deceased and accused her of blackmail and extortion.

Haryana Police arrested the accused, a resident of Bahadurgarh, who was in an alleged relationship with Himani.

The suspect confessed to the crime during interrogation, saying they had been in a relationship for some time, a police official said.

During his arrest in Delhi, Sachin was found in possession of Himani Narwal’s mobile phone. The crime hogged the limelight after images of her walking with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra went viral.

The victim’s family, who has been demanding justice, suspected that some party leaders jealous of her swift rise in party ranks were behind the murder.

The woman’s body was found inside a suitcase near a flyover next to the Sampla bus stand in Rohtak on March 1. She had been missing for three days.

According to a preliminary investigation by the police, she was likely assaulted before being strangled to death. The autopsy report conducted in Rohtak’s PGIMS is awaited. She reportedly attended a wedding on February 27 in Rohtak and was supposed to attend a Congress roadshow on February 28. Her cell phone had been switched off since then.

“The government took swift action by arresting the killer within 24 hours,” said state Transport Minister Anil Vij.

Responding to allegations made by Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda regarding her murder, Vij countered by saying, “The government acts with complete promptness and seriousness… Hooda keeps making statements, it’s his habit.”

The victim’s brother, Jatin, said, “One accused has been arrested, and today we will cremate her body. A lot of rumours are being spread in the media… We will get justice.”

The police on Sunday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajneesh Kumar told the media that the victim, who was pursuing an LLB (Bachelor of Law), used to live alone in the state while her family was in Delhi.

The victim’s mother, on Sunday, blamed the elections and the party. “The election and the party took my daughter’s life. Because of this, she made some enemies. They (the accused) could be from the party, or they could be her friends as well…On February 28, she was at home,” the victim’s mother Savita said.

“She was going with Rahul Gandhi and was close to the Hooda family, which is why people were having problems; they were jealous,” she added.