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Emotional homecoming for Mangalorean youth after 9 years in Saudi prison

April 8, 2014

Mangalore, Apr 8: The Mangalore international airport witnessed scenes of an emotional reunion on Monday afternoon when Mangalorean Ayyoob Kannur returned home after spending more than nine years behind bars in Jeddah on the charges of Saudi Telecom Co. fraud.

For Mr Ayyoob the homecoming was dreamlike. “Alhamdulillah (Thank God). I never expected that I would be able to make it,” he said when he was received at the airport amidst an emotional reunion with his family.Airport

Tears welled up in his eyes as he hugged his mother, relatives with shivering hands.

Mohammed Ayyoob, a resident of Kannur in Mangalore was in jail for more than 10 years after Saudi Telecom Company (STC) charged him and seven others with very heavy fines, when a person who ran illegal international phone call business in the building where they stayed,  escaped from Saudi Arabia following the arrest of all inmates of the building.

He said “I am coming back to Mangalore after 13 years. I had been to Saudi Arabia to earn my livelihood. I was working in a Indian mess in Riyadh. Later, I moved to Jeddah and was into a petty job. The salary was not enough to meet my requirements. I had even decided to return. However, the destiny had something else in store. I was arrested by the Jeddah police on June 1, 2003. The court had sentenced us to eight years of imprisonment and slapped a huge penalty. As I was not able to pay the fine, I could not come out after serving eight years in jail,” he said.

Hussain Ahammed, Riyaz Ahammed from Kudroli, Nasir Mohammed from Ullal, Mohammed Ashraf from Surathkal, Fayaz from Bajpe, Mohamed Sharif from B C Road and Fairoz who were arrested along with Ayub are still languishing in the jail.

“With the help of India Fraternity Forum, I was released. It took more than four months to complete the formalties. Understanding the miserable plight of these young men and their poor families, India Fraternity Forum took interest in the matter and sought the help and support of Consulate General of India. The Forum had set up an adhoc committee, consisting the Welfare coordinator of IFF Karnataka chapter Ashraf Bajpe, IFF Jeddah President Ashraf Murayoor, Mudassar Akkarangadi, Haris Goodinabali and Hussain Jokatte to mobilise the support to ensure the regular follow up of the case,” Ayyoob said.

The families had submitted several petitions to the External Affairs minister and to the all MPs from Karnataka requesting the support of government for their release, said a family member. “My aged mother is on cloud nine. I am happy to return back to India. I only wish God for the welfare of all those who helped me to get released from the jail,” said a beaming Ayyoob.

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News Network
May 26,2020

Bengaluru, May 26: The state government today hinted that places of religious worship belonging to Hindus will be allowed to reopen from June 1, keeping social distancing and other norms in place.

In principle, the government has decided to open temples coming under the Muzrai department after Lockdown 4.0 ends on May 31. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.

“Movement of people on air and rail has started. We have been receiving repeated pleas from devotees that temples should be opened. When this was discussed with the CM during a review of the Muzrai department, it was decided that temples can start from June 1,” Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary told reporters. 

Poojary said all day-to-day activities will be allowed in temples. “But religious fairs and ceremonies will not be permitted,” he said. 

Mosques and churches

Asked whether his government will allow opening of mosques and churches too from June 1, he replied that they don't come under his Muzrai dept.

Howvever, government sources said this may apply to mosques, churches and other places of religious worship as well. However, this decision will be subject to whether or not the Centre will allow places of religious worship to be open for the public after Lockdown 4.0, an official said. 

All places of religious worship have been closed for the public ever since Karnataka enforced a state-wide lockdown on March 24 to contain COVID-19. 

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News Network
July 19,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 19: A man protested in front of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's residence on Saturday alleging lack of medical care claimed the life of his one-month-old infant girl, police said on Saturday.

Venkatesh sat with the baby's photograph in front of the Chief Minister's house, saying the girl developed health issues on July 11 and he rushed her to a hospital, but it turned him away, the police said.

He said he had approached about a dozen hospitals and all of them refused to provide the baby any medical care. Eventually, the baby died.

This forced Venkatesh to hold a protest to draw the Chief Minister's attention to the issue, the police said.

The demonstration drew public attention and a few people joined him in the protest, they said.

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News Network
July 29,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 29: The Karnataka High Court’s division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice H P Sandesh today rejected an application that wanted Amulya Leona’s case to be transferred from Karnataka Police to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The bench, while observing that extraordinary jurisdiction can’t be exercised for transferring the case to the NIA, asked “What is so special that investigation should be transferred to NIA?”

The court, in its previous hearing, had questioned the maintainability of the petition seeking transfer of the sedition case against Leona to the NIA.

According to the petitioner, advocate Pavana Chandra Shetty, the case is a serious matter against national integration and unity and has not been investigated properly by the police. The state police also failed to file the chargesheet within 90 days, he said, and also asked for cancellation of her bail.

The bench asked the petitioner as to how a bail, already granted to a person, can be cancelled. “Is it not the indefeasible right of the accused to be released on bail if chargesheet is not filed within stipulated time? How can you make a prayer for cancellation of bail?”  the Court asked.

The counsel for the petitioner also stated that in cases of a cognizable offence, when the chargesheet is purposely not filed within the stipulated time, the matter will have to transferred to the appropriate authority.

The court responded to his contention by asking him how could the court override law and cancel the bail. “Where is the question of cancellation of bail? Can we override the law and say that bail should be cancelled?” said the bench.

Advocate Vishal Raghu had filed the petition for transfer of Leona’s case, who was accused of raising pro-Pakistan slogans at an anti-CAA rally on February 20 at Freedom Park. The advocate had blamed the probe team for not filing a chargesheet on time and has asked the state government to approach the higher court against bail granted to Leona.

Bengaluru student Amulya Leona was charged with sedition for her actions in the presence of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi. She was arrested by the Bengaluru police for allegedly shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans at an anti- CAA Protest in Bengaluru in February this year. On June 11, she was granted conditional bail by the Bengaluru civil court.

Her bail plea was earlier rejected by a Bengaluru court, after she had spent a three-month period in jail, stating that she may abscond if she is released. The sessions judge Vidhyadhar Shirahatti had also stated that if the petitioner is granted bail, she may abscond and may involve in similar offence which affects peace at large and hence her petition is liable to be rejected. The court had also noted that Amulya Leona is an influential person who may threaten and influence the witness and hamper the case in case of the prosecution and will abscond if released on bail.

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