Category: News

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed former IPL chairman Lalit Modi to tender an unconditional apology on social media platforms and national newspapers for his remarks against the judiciary.

A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar slammed Modi for his remarks and warned him that any repeat of such conduct will be viewed “very seriously”.
The bench observed that Modi is not above the law and the institution and also directed him to file an affidavit before it tenders an apology.

The affidavit has to state that no such posts on social media will be made in future which would be tantamount, even remotely, to tarnishing the image of the Indian judiciary, the apex court said.

While posting the matter for hearing on April 24, the bench said that it has gone through the counter affidavit filed by Modi and it was not at all satisfied with the explanation given.

Senior advocate CU Singh had filed the contempt plea against Modi saying he made a tweet on March 30, 2023 which tarnished the image of judiciary and made scandalous remarks against judges.

Earlier, the apex court while hearing an application in connection with remarks made by Modi against senior advocate and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had orally observed that lawyers should not be involved in a family outburst.

It had orally instructed Lalit Modi’s counsel senior advocate Harish Salve to use his ‘good office’ and advise his client to take ‘remedial measures’.

Salve had told the bench that the post made against Rohatgi has been taken down.

Lalit Modi had made some comments on the Instagram post about Rohatgi. Later, through another post, he reportedly apologised to the senior advocate.

Former Attorney General and senior advocate Rohatgi is one of the counsels representing Bina Modi, mother of Lalit Modi, in the vexatious property dispute.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Bina Modi, had submitted that there was an undertaking that there would be no posts while mediation was going on.

On January 19, the apex court agreed to examine a plea alleging former IPL chairman Lalit Modi made some “scurrilous” remarks in a social media post against Rohatgi and the judiciary.

In August 2022, the apex court-appointed former top court judge Justice RV Raveendran as a mediator to settle the family property dispute involving the former IPL head and his mother Bina Modi, wife of late industrialist KK Modi. (ANI)

Makers of the upcoming horror comedy film ‘Stree 2’ on Wednesday, officially announced their film at a grand event in Mumbai.

Actors Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee marked their presence at the event to make an official announcement of the film.
Team ‘Stree’ enacted a skit to announce the release date of the horror comedy sequel.

The team revealed that ‘Stree 2’ is set to release on August 31, 2024.

Helmed by Amar Kaushik ‘Stree’ was released in the year 2018 and was declared a blockbuster hit.

Rajkummar and Aparshakti also had a cameo in Varun Dhawan’s horror comedy film ‘Bhediya’ which was released in November last year.

The makers of ‘Bhediya’ also announced the sequel of the film. At the gala, Varun unveiled the logo of Bhediya 2 and even made a wolf sound, expressing his excitement.

Earlier, Abhishek Banerjee also talked about the much-awaited sequel of ‘Stree’ and said, “2023 is here!!! And I am very thrilled to kickstart this year, but looking back at the work I did last year- I was very nervous about JD aka Jana as it had to be similar yet difficult from Stree. But thankfully it was received well by the audience. Now the journey of Stree 2 will be super exciting.. recently I wrapped up Apurva. I’m thrilled to see how people will react to some very extreme characters. The playground is going to get bigger and better this year… so I am looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Rajkummar will also be seen in an upcoming sports drama film ‘Mr and Mrs Mahi’ opposite Janhvi Kapoor. (ANI)

Uddhav Thackeray’s son and former Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray claimed that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, before joining hands with Bharatiya Janata Party last year, “cried” at Matoshree fearing being jailed by the investigative agencies “if he did not ally with BJP”.

It is pertinent to mention that Eknath Shinde led a rebellion with over 40 MLAs in June last year which ultimately toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut further certified Aaditya Thackeray’s claims, saying that “it is correct” and that Shinde had told him the same thing.

“Eknath Shinde cried after coming to Matoshree and said – If he does not go with BJP, he will be put in jail,” Thackeray had claimed on April 11.

Raut also claimed that fear of Eknath Shinde being jailed was “clearly visible” in his “mind and heart”.

“This is 100 per cent correct! Eknath Shinde had also said this after coming to me. I tried to make him (Shinde) understand.. But the fear of jail was clearly visible in his mind and heart. Aaditya is right,” Raut tweeted.

Speaking to the reporters, the Uddhav Thackeray faction leader said that Eknath Shinde had told him that he did not want to go to jail and asked him to break the alliance with the Congress and NCP.

“What Aaditya Thackeray is saying is completely true, the present Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) also said the same after coming to my house that I do not want to go to jail, you break this alliance. …There is a pressure system going on all over the country but we need not fear. He (CM Eknath Shinde) said no, I am afraid that I will be put in jail, he was afraid of going to jail,” Raut claimed.

Retorting to Thackeray’s claims, Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar alleged that Aaditya Thackeray has a “professional team that teaches him how to lie”.

“There is a team that teaches him to lie. This is what happens in politics,” he said.

BJP leader Narayan Rane questioned Aaditya Thackeray to reveal when did Shinde visit Matoshree.

“I will not speak on that. He says anything. There is childishness in him. When did Shinde go? When did he cry? In which year did he cry? This is all nonsense,” he said. (ANI)

In continuation with the ‘Azaadi Ka Amrutkal’ theme, national broadcaster Doordarshan is set to soon launch a two-part series titled “Dharohar Bharat Ki”

The series that airs on April 14-15 will focus on the rich cultural, and historical heritage under the present Modi regime during which special emphasis has been placed on conserving India’s rich civilisational and cultural heritage, glorifying India’s freedom fighters, and the supreme sacrifice of India’s soldiers.
“Our soldiers devoted their entire lives and sacrificed their every being to safeguard every inch of our motherland. Their sacrifice cannot just be measured in words; its grandeur and import have to be brought made alive to inspire future generations,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his interaction in the documentary.

Over the years the Modi government has laid an emphasis on showcasing India’s glorious heritage. Right from setting up the National War Memorial to honour the sacrifice of our soldiers to the Police Memorial as a mark of respect to the fallen policemen, has been to imbibe the clarion call by the prime minister.

Spiritual sites like Ram Janmabhoomi, Somnath Temple, Mahakal Temple Corridor, Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor, and Kartarpur Sahib Corridor have been some of the most prominent steps undertaken to protect India’s cultural and religious heritage.

The documentary will showcase the huge strides made by India in the last few years for the revival of our spirit of cultural unity and pride.

Ascertaining the security as well as the sanctity of venerable patriotic sites, such as the Jallianwallah Bagh; resuscitating the splendid fervour of our civilizational centres such as Ram Janmabhoomi, Kashi Vishwanath Dham; Somnath Dham and Kedarnath Dham; according to respect to such spiritual sites such as the Karatrpur Sahib; celebrating the lives of freedom fighters at inspirational sites such as the Cellular Jail; centre-staging the contribution of Netaji Bose through the grand Netaji statue at India gate canopy; and honouring the legendary contribution of our patriots – past and present – such as the War Memorial are some of the themes that the documentary will present.

“Bharat’s Renaissance” documentary is a reflection of this very idea. While our combined pride has rejuvenated us with a sense of belongingness especially over the last few years, it is imperative for the youth of today to fully understand the significance of the sacrifices of our freedom fighters and their honourable commemoration,” sources say on the idea behind this series.

In essence, the two-part documentary is a visually compelling showcase of India’s vast and vibrant culture, rejuvenating, embracing, and in doing so, celebrating our rich and diverse inheritance. (ANI)

Shanti Devi, mother of slain lawyer Umesh Pal on Thursday thanked Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and expressed her full faith in the Uttar Pradesh government, for giving “justice” after the son of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed was shot dead in a police encounter.

“I thank CM Yogi ji for serving justice and I appeal to him to give us justice ahead also. We have full faith in CM,” said Shanti Devi, mother of Umesh Pal, the advocate who was killed in broad daylight in Prayagraj earlier this year.
“This is a tribute to my son. I thank the Chief Minister and the police department which discharged their duties,” Shanti Devi told reporters in Prayagraj.

Asad along with his associate Ghulam, both of whom were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were shot dead in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi today.

Jaya Devi, Umesh Pal’s widow also thanked the chief minister.

“I thank the Chief Minister who took such a decision. He gave punishment to the killers of his daughter’s husband. It is justice. I expect that the Chief Minister will do good whatever he does. I express my gratitude to the Chief Minister who is like a fatherly figure,” she said.

Both Asad and Ghulam carried rewards of Rupees five lakhs each on their heads.

The police said that foreign-made weapons were recovered from the duo.

“Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Ghulam S/o Maksudan, both wanted in Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying a reward of Rupees five lakhs each; killed in encounter with the UPSTF team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi. Sophisticated foreign made weapons recovered,” UP STF said.

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were this morning brought to the CJM Court in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Umesh Pal was killed in broad daylight on February 24 this year. He was a prime witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case. (ANI)

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya hailed the state Special Task Force and termed the action as a “message to criminals”.

While speaking to ANI, Maurya said, “I congratulate UP STF for this action. Police fired in retaliation after they (Asad and his aide Ghulam) fired upon them.” (ANI)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting on ‘law and order’ after the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son, Asad, in an encounter.

CM Yogi also lauded the Special Task Force (STF) team which was involved in the shootout.
According to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office, Yogi was apprised about the encounter by the Principal Secretary (Home).

A report was also placed before the Chief Minister on this whole matter.

“After the encounter of former MP Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad and his aide, CM Yogi Adityanath took a meeting on law and order. CM Yogi praised UP STF as well as DGP, Special DG law and order and the entire team,” UP CMO said in a statement.

“Sanjay Prasad, Principal Secretary Home informed the CM about the encounter. A report was placed in front of the CM on this whole matter,” the statement said.

Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi, police said on Thursday.

Asad was killed along with Ghulam, both of whom were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj. Each of them carried a reward of Rs5 lakh.

The police said that foreign-made weapons were recovered.

“Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Ghulam S/o Maksudan, both wanted in Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying a reward of Rupees five lakhs each; killed in encounter with the UPSTF team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi. Sophisticated foreign made weapons recovered,” UP STF said.

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were brought to the CJM Court in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh this morning.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya hailed the state Special Task Force on the encounter of Asad and his aide, and termed the action, “message to criminals”.

While speaking to ANI, Maurya said, “I congratulate UP STF for this action. Police fired in retaliation after they (Asad and his aide Ghulam) fired upon them.”

“It is a message to criminals that this is the new India. It is Yogi govt in UP, not Samajwadi Party in power which gave protection to criminals,” he said.

Earlier in a tweet, Maurya said that the killers of Umesh Pal and police personnel had to meet this fate.

“Congratulations to UP STF, this was the fate of the killers of Umesh Pal Advocate and police personnel!” the Deputy Chief Minister tweeted in Hindi.

The family of Umesh Pal who was killed in broad daylight in Prayagraj in February this year thanked the Chief Minister and said that it is a tribute to the slain lawyer. (ANI)

It was one star-studded affair in Mumbai where many big names were in attendance as Jio Studios unveiled their upcoming projects on Wednesday.

Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan attended the event. Adding extra dose of excitement to their fans’ joy, the ‘Dhoom 2’ pair posed for the shutterbugs at the red carpet. Later, they were joined by Hrithik’s cousins Eshaan and Pashmina. Abhishek was dressed in all blue suits. He accentuated the geeky charm with his red specs. Hrithik Roshan sported a grey blazer topping it with a black tee.
Apart from being colleagues, Hrithik and Abhishek are childhood buddies. They acted together in ‘Main Prem ki Diwani Hoon’ apart from ‘Dhoom 2’.

Jio Studios has collaborated with talents like Raj Kumar Hirani, Sooraj Barjatya, Dinesh Vijan, Ali Abbas Zafar, Aditya Dhar, Prakash Jha, Amar Kaushik, Laxman Utekar to treat the audience with cinematic glitz. The production houses promise projects with both new and experienced filmmakers as well as actors.

The intriguing film lineup consists of movies like Dunki (Shah Rukh Khan), Bloody Daddy (Shahid Kapoor), Bhediya 2 (Varun Dhawan), Bhul Chuk Maaf (Kartik Aryan & Shraddha Kapoor), Untitled (Shahid Kapoor & Kriti Sanon) Stree 2 (Rajkummar Rao & Shraddha Kapoor), Section 84 (Amitabh Bachchan), Hisaab Barabar (R Madhavan), Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (Vicky Kaushal & Sara Ali Khan), BlackOut (Vikrant Massey & Mouni Roy), Mumbaikar (Vijay Sethupathi), The Storyteller (Paresh Rawal & Adil Hussain), Dhoom Dhaam (Pratik Gandhi & Yami Gautam), Empire (Taapsee Pannu & Arvind Swamy), to name just a few.

Meanwhile, in the work front, Hrithik Roshan has ‘Fighter’ in his kitty. He will also helm the sequel of ‘War’, though, he has not made any official comment till date.

Abhishek Bachchan will be seen in the new season of Amazon Prime Original ‘Breathe’. (ANI)

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi, police said on Thursday.

Asad was killed along with Ghulam, both of whom were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj.

Each of them carried a reward of Rupees five lakhs each.

The police said that foreign-made weapons were recovered.

“Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Ghulam S/o Maksudan, both wanted in Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying a reward of Rupees five lakhs each; killed in encounter with the UPSTF team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi. Sophisticated foreign made weapons recovered,” UP STF said.

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were this morning brought to the CJM Court in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

Indian singer Mika Singh, on Wednesday, expressed gratitude towards PM Narendra Modi for enabling the usage of Indian currency like dollars.

Taking to Twitter, Mika shared a video which he captioned, “Good morning. I felt so proud to be able to use Indian rupees whilst shopping at #Dohaairport in the @LouisVuitton store. You can even use rupees in any restaurant.. Isn’t that wonderful? A massive salute to @narendramodi saab for enabling us to use our money like dollars.”

In the video, Mika could be seen inside a luxury brand store.

“Hello, I am in Doha right now. And it is a very proud moment that using the Indian currency, we can shop. You can buy the things you want by using Indian currency. Thanks to Modi Ji. Salute to you. Because of you, this Indian currency will be accepted in the whole world, like it is accepted in Qatar,” he said in the video.

Soon after Mika dropped the video, fans flooded the comment section with red heart emoticons and praised PM Modi for his work.

“Indian currency getting stronger,” a user wrote.

Another user wrote, “Thank you Modi ji.”

He shared another video in which he could be seen using the Indian currency at a restaurant in Doha which he captioned, “I was able to use Indian money. You can even use rupees in any restaurant, or shopping outlet. Isn’t it so wonderful? A massive thanks to @narendramodi saab for enabling us to use our money like dollars..Salute.”

Mika is known for his super hit songs like ‘Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag’, ‘Jumme Ki Raat’, ‘Aankh Maarey’, ‘Dhinka Chika’ and many more. (ANI)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 75 lakhs of Indian and foreign currency as well as some documents pertaining to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities from the premises of jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his associates.

The seizure followed a massive raid conducted by the ED sleuths at 15 locations in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Wednesday.
The documents pertaining to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities, which were seized during these raids, the ED said were used for laundering of ill-gotten money generated out of extortion, land grabbing and other criminal activities.

“Documents of over 100 properties in the name of Atiq Ahmad’s close associates and firms have also been found. These properties are suspected to be Atiq’s benami properties,” said the federal agency.

“Cash transactions worth more than 50 crores have also been unearthed in the searches.

Documents of properties (forcibly) purchased from farmers apparently through criminal intimidation have also been found.”

The agency on Wednesday searched the premises of Atiq and his relative Khalid Zafar, his advocate-cum-accomplice Saulat Hanif Khan, his associates Asad, Vadood Ahmad, Kali, Mohsin, chartered accountant Sabeeh Ahmad, chartered accountant Asif Jafri, Seetaram Shukla (accountant), real estate developers Sanjeev Aggarwal and Deepak Bhargav.

The ED raids were part of its ongoing money laundering investigation against Atiq and those linked to him.

The raids were conducted at a time when Ahmad is being brought to Prayagraj from the Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat for his production in a local court in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.

The case in which Ahmad is facing trial is linked to the murder of Pal and his two police security guards who were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year.

Uttar Pradesh Police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) on February 25 against Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others following a complaint lodged by Pal’s wife.

In 2021, the ED had attached immovable and movable assets, consisting of land and money in several bank accounts worth Rs 8.14 crore, belonging to mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his wife in connection with the money laundering case.

Land property situated at mauza Katka, Paragana Jhunsi, Tehsil Phulpur, in name of Shaista Parveen, wife of Ahmad was attached. This was acquired by Ahmad for only Rs 4.5 crore which is far below the government’s value of Rs 6.86 crore. In addition, the ED had also attached a bank account balance of Rs 1.28 crore lying in 10 bank accounts of Ahmad and one account of Shaista Parveen.

The ED initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognizance of several FIRs lodged against Ahmad in different police stations, related to murder, extortion, cheating, forgery, land grabbing and crimes of similar nature.

After its investigation under PMLA, the ED said that Ahmad through criminal activities used to earn black money in cash and the same was deposited in several bank accounts of the gangster, his kin and close associates.

It has been noticed by the ED that these funds are being credited to their accounts from various firms and companies of his aides, the ED had said earlier, adding “These funds have been further utilized for buying land in the name of his wife at the consideration price far below the government’s value”.

The ED has said that it had gathered data from the IT department and other agencies related to the companies being run by Ahmad’s aides. (ANI)