Santosh Hegde too slams Amnesty International, justifies sedition charge

August 19, 2016

Hyderabad, Aug 19: Former Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde has said slapping of sedition charges against Amnesty International for hosting an event in Bengaluru where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised is justified, even as he questioned the credibility of the NGO.

He said Amnesty International cannot "run away" from its responsibility by saying that none of its employees shouted slogans.

"What's the responsibility of Amnesty International? They should have known that when you bring these people and allow whatever they want to speak, (and) then to say I am not responsible. No, you have made a platform available to them... You are an abettor. You cannot run away from that," Hegde, also the former Solicitor General of India told PTI.

"Raising pro-independence slogans amounts to sedition. It amounts to sedition according to me," he said.

"Let's take the institution's (Amnesty's) crediblity. What did Amnesty International do when soldiers were killed ? What did Amnesty International do when other terrorist activities were taking place in this country? Did they ever call a meeting like this? You try to get some popularity and when it backfires, you run away from it," he said.

"Taking into consideration what was spoken in the Bengaluru incident, I would say it certainly amounts to sedition," the former Karnataka Lokayukta said.

At the event organised by the Amnesty on Saturday, anti-India slogans were allegedly raised during a discussion on Kashmir, prompting the authorities to book the NGO under relevant IPC sections including sedition.

Amnesty, on its part, has rejected as "without substance" the allegations made by ABVP, which had also filed a police complaint in connection with the event and submitted a CD of the proceedings, and claimed that none of its employees shouted any anti-India slogans at any point.

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Hegde yavare.....before pointing the fingers to others, look in your heart.....How many blunders you have committed by prolonging the cases.......There is a need for you go back to the school and learn the meaning JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED......

Hegde was good officer in controlling corruption. However everyone knows that like Arnab goswammy he has ideological and ancestral link with saffron party. His father ks hegde was bjp activist and leader. When he resigned from lokayukta finally he took his resignation back on advani's advise. He distanced himself from kejrival like many other saffron sympathizers such as kiran bedi. No wonder he gave this statement.

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Stop using loudspeakers for Azaan; it causes discomfort to ‘others’: Javed Akhtar

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May 10,2020

May 10: Azaan is an integral part of the faith, not the gadget, says veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar, asking that the Islamic call to prayer on loudspeakers should be stopped as it causes "discomfort" to others.

In a tweet on Saturday, Akhtar wondered why the practice was 'halaal' (allowed) when it was, for nearly half a century in the country, considered 'haraam' or forbidden.

"In India for almost 50 years Azaan on the loud speak was Haraam. Then it became Halaal and so halaal that there is no end to it, but there should be an end to it. Azaan is fine but loud speaker does cause of discomfort for others. I hope that atleast this time they will do it themselves (sic)," Akhtar tweeted.

When a user asked his opinion on loudspeakers being used in temples, the 75-year-old writer said everyday use of speakers is a cause of concern.

"Whether it's a temple or a mosque, if you're using loudspeakers during a festival, it's fine. But it shouldn't be used everyday in either temples or mosques.

"For more than thousand years Azaan was given without the loud speaker. Azaan is the integral part of your faith, not this gadget," he replied.

Earlier in March, Akhtar had supported the demand to shut mosques amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country, saying even Kaaba and Medina have been closed due to the pandemic.

He had also appealed to the Muslim community to offer prayers from home in the holy month of Ramzan, which began on April 24.

"I request all the Muslim brothers that now that Ramzan is coming, please say your prayers but make sure that this doesn't cause problems to anyone else. The prayers that you do in the mosque, you can do that at home. According to you, the house, the ground, this all has been made by Him. Then you can do your prayers anywhere," he had said.

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Around 3 lakh Bangladeshis are in Karnataka, claims top cop

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January 30,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 30: There are around 3 lakh Bangladeshis across Karnataka and around 3,000 of them left Bengaluru following the recent crackdown, according to Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru city police commissioner.

It's the first time a high-ranking official has put a number to Bangladeshis in Karnataka following the debate over the new citizenship law.

At a conclave on 'Construction Workers Safety, Health and Welfare' organised by the labour department and IIMB here, he said the estimate was arrived at based on information sourced from Bangladeshis deported recently.

There's been no study to ascertain the Bangladeshi population in the state, Rao said, adding that most illegal Bangladeshis in Bengaluru are victims of human trafficking.

"They come to Bengaluru for employment. Unlike other cities, Bengaluru has a lot of job potential and pays good salaries too. There are a lot of Bangladeshis working in the construction industry," Rao said.

Workers from Bangladesh demand lower wages. While other labourers demand around Rs 500 to Rs 600 per day, Bangladeshi workers don’t complain about being paid around Rs 100-150,” Rao said, adding that this has encouraged human traffickers to increasingly bring in Bangladeshis.

Suresh Hari, chairman, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India, however, said they’re not aware of the nationality of their workers as contractors bring workers registered for tasks. “It’s difficult to say where they are from as there’s also construction work outside Credai’s purview,” Hari said.

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