Author: LokMarg

A 1991 plaintiff related to Varanasi’s Gyanvapi case received death threats and Police registered a case on Saturday.

According to Police, Harihar Pandey, aged 60, one of the other three plaintiffs of the 1991 case named ‘Lord Vishweshwar Nath Swayambhu Jyotirlinga’, on August 24, 2022, received death threats from an unknown international caller. At around 8 am, Harihar Pandey received a voice call and on the phone call, some persons threatened to kill him and his family.
After the phone call, Pandey, a resident of Aurangabad, Varanasi, also received some photos showing the decapitation on the social media platform WhatsApp and soon those messages were deleted.

According to the police, the number is linked to Pakistan.

Shocked by the threat, Harihar Pandey claimed an unsafe environment for him and his family. After Pandey’s complaint, a case was registered against an unknown person at the Laksa police station of Varanasi.

Police personnel were deployed in his security after the registration of the case.

Earlier, Harihar Pandey received threats in the same case on April 8, 2021, on behalf of Harihar Pandey’s ancient idol Swayambhu Jyotirling Lord Visheshwarnath, Pandit Somnath Vyas, Ramrang Sharma and he as a plaintiff in the year 1991. The suit was filed in the civil court.

Pandit Somnath Vyas, Ramrang Sharma and Harihar Pandey, on behalf of the ancient idol Swayambhu Jyotirlinga Lord Visheshwarnath, filed a case in the civil court in the year 1991 as plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs Pandit Somnath Vyas and Ramrang Sharma died a few years after the case was filed in court. Now, Harihar Pandey is the only representative left in this case.

Meanwhile, Civil Judge Senior Division Ravi Kumar Diwakar had received threats by sending a letter. In the same case, the advocate of the Hindu side, Dr Sohan Lal Arya, also received death threats. (ANI)

Soon after the demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers, Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari on Sunday said that 10 metres boundary wall of a nearby society, ATS has been damaged after being hit by the debris.

The Supertech twin towers in Noida came crashing down within a span of nearly nine seconds after the use of 3,700 kg explosives on Sunday, thus ending a nine-year-long legal battle.
Now the cleaning process is underway in the vicinity of the Supertech Twin Towers that were demolished.

Speaking to ANI, Noida Authority CEO said that the demolition was successfully done and the residents of nearby vacated societies will be allowed to return to their homes at around 7 pm.

“The planned demolition of Supertech Twin Towers was successfully done at 2:30 pm. The cleaning work has started and supplies restoration will start soon,” said Maheshwari.

She further said that the pre and post-demolition AQI data is almost the same.

“Around 7 pm, the residents of nearby vacated societies will be allowed to return to their homes. Around 100 water tankers and 300 cleaning staff have been deployed here,” she said.

“10 metres boundary wall of a nearby society, ATS has been damaged after being hit by the debris. No information of damage from anywhere other than this has been received,” Maheshwari added.

Chetan Dutta, Edifice Official said that the demolition was 100 per cent successful and it took 9-10 seconds for the entire building to demolish.

“I was just 70 metres away from the building. The demolition was 100 per cent successful. It took 9-10 seconds for the entire building to demolish. There were 10 people in my team, 7 foreign experts and 20-25 people from Edifice Engineering,” said Dutta.

Noida Police Commissioner said that the team is going to the site to assess the remnants and leftover explosives if any are left there.

“Largely exercise was executed as per plan, expert teams are on spot. Assessment is being done as of now. Only experts can ascertain the post-demolition situation. We’re going to the site to assess the remnants and left-over explosives if at all they are left there,” said Noida CP.

Clouds of dust have engulfed the area after the demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers.

The rubble of demolished Supertech Twin Towers laid bare along with a cloud of dust in the vicinity after the demolition.

Taking precautionary measures, the hospitals near Sector 93A have made preparations to render emergency medical services if the need arises.

The health expert suggests people in surrounding areas to stay indoors, keep the doors closed and windows of houses, turn on air purifiers and wear N-95 masks when they step outside their homes.

The towers, Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors), which are taller than the Qutub Minar in the national capital, were 100 metres tall and were brought down with explosives weighing at least 3,700 kg, in the biggest ever planned tower demolition bid.

Soon after the explosion that took place at the press of a button, the towers came crashing down, generating a cloud of massive dust and thus polluting the atmosphere around.

However, the Environment Department of the Uttar Pradesh government has installed six Special dust machines at the demolition site to monitor pollution levels.

Anti-smog guns also sprayed water droplets in the air to bring down dust installed in an area nearby the demolition site.

The demolition of the Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys) towers would have left behind about 35,000 cubic metres of debris that would take at least three months to be cleared.

The Supreme Court had given the go-ahead for the towers’ demolition, which it had set for August 21, but was extended to August 28 at the Noida Authority’s request. (ANI)

On the 418th Parkash Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib, a special Nagar Kirtan will be held and a Sikh Marshal art team and a school army band will perform here.

“In Sikhism, there’s no boundation of Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji being taken by Sikhs only. People from every religion, be it Hindu, Muslim, Christians, can come here and pay there in front of Guru Granth Sahib. We should follow the words which are written in the Guru Granth Sahib,” said Partap Singh, Additional Secretary, SGPC.
For celebrating the 418th anniversary of Guru Granth Sahib’s first Prakash ceremony, we have gathered here and we feel so peaceful. Devotees from all over the world have been here to bow down and pay their respects,” said a devotee.

The occasion marks the completion of the holy book of Sikhs, Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, under the supervision of the fifth Guru Arjan Dev ji in 1604 at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib. (ANI)

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said that Rahul Gandhi should take the lead of the Congress party since he has the ability to lift the party from the crisis.

Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, “Today the whole situation has become clear regarding the election of Congress Party President. I have my personal opinion and it is the feeling of all the workers that Rahul Gandhi should take the lead of the Congress party at this time. He should become the president of the Congress party.”
“Rahul Gandhi is the only one who can lift the Congress. He can unify and strengthen the party. Only he has the ability to assemble people even in the Bharat Jodo programme,” added the veteran leader.

Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting was held on Sunday to decide the election schedule for the party president post. The meeting was chaired by party interim president Sonia Gandhi. The meeting was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also attended the meeting via virtual mode.

In the meeting, it was decided that the election for the Congress president will be held on October 17 and the counting of votes will be done on October 19.

According to the party statement, the election notification will be released on September 22. The nomination can be filed between September 24 and September 30. The scrutiny will be on October Further, the last date of withdrawal of nomination is October 8. Finally, the results will be declared on October 19.

The CWC reiterated its resolve to make the Mehangai Par Halla Bol rally in New Delhi on September 4 and the launch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari on September 7 and its continuation thereafter a resounding success.

Asked whether there was any discussion on who should be president and if there was discussion on whether Rahul Gandhi should become president, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, It is an open and fair election. Whosoever wants to be president, should file a nomination.”

The CWC meeting came against the backdrop of the party’s senior leader Gulam Nabi Azad’s resignation on Friday. The sources had said that the election for the post of president has now become a challenge for Congress with the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to contest the polls.

According to sources, the Central Election Authority has already made preparations to complete the election process on time.

Sources said the process was stuck since Rahul Gandhi is not willing to contest the election for the post of Congress president, although all the efforts to convince him are still going on.

Meanwhile, Congress plans to embark on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Kanyakumari on September 7 under the leadership of party leader Rahul Gandhi and the 148-day march will culminate in Kashmir.

The five-month yatra is scheduled to cover a distance of 3,500 kilometres and more than 12 states. The padayatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.

The Yatra will include padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (ANI)

As Bollywood actor Neha Dhupia turned 42 on Sunday, the actor dropped a beautiful picture of herself along with a thank note for the birthday love on her social media.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Neha posted a thank you note.

Sharing the picture, the ‘Julie’ actor wrote, “Thank you for the birthday love…My heart is full… Mentally I was on a bicycle by the ocean, watching sunsets and physically it was a day at work and now post a red eye flight and 4 days away from home …the birthday blues are real.”

In the picture, the ‘Chup Chup Ke’ actor struck a pose with a mesmerizing ocean view while riding a bicycle. She was seen donning a white dress and a cute big smile.

Neha Dhupia was crowned Femina Miss India on July 4, 2002. She became a household name after the glorious victory and entered the film industry.

Neha made her Bollywood debut with Ajay Devgn starrer ‘Qayamat: City Under Threat’ in 2003. Also have done films including ‘Chup Chup Ke’, ‘Ek Chalis Ki Last Local’, ‘Singh is Kinng’, ‘Moh Maya Money’ and many others.

Recently, Neha wore the crown again as she completed 20 years of bagging the Miss India crown.

On the work front, Neha was last seen in the film ‘A Thursday’ alongside Yami Gautam. The movie hit the OTT platform Disney + Hotstar in February this year. (ANI)

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday confirmed a discussion with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in connection with the irregularities reported in the Uttrakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) paper leak case.

“Since the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha is a constitutional body, I will speak to the Speaker of Legislative Assembly in regards to the reported irregularities,” CM Dhami told ANI.
He further added that the inquiry will be conducted into all the appointments made in Uttarkhand Vidhan Sabha, irrespective of the tenure.

“All the appointments, in past or present, wherever the discrepancies have been reported should have unbiased inquiries,” he said mentioning that there should be a fair probe in the matter of the recruitments done this way.

He has also assured the government’s cooperation for further details and investigation in the UKSSSC paper leak case n 2021.

On August 23, Hakam Singh Rawat, the mastermind who was arrested in connection with the UKSSSC question paper leak was also accused of using the government resources for his personal use.

Rawat was arrested earlier this month for allegedly taking money from candidates for providing solved question papers in the graduate-level examination held on December 4 and 5 last year.

It was alleged that Rawat, the Uttarkashi panchayat member had asked for a government helicopter to transport his ailing mother for her treatment. It has also been alleged that his mother was treated at government expense by the Disaster Management Relief Fund.

Notably, Special Task Force (STF) detained Rawat in connection with the issue on August 13 from Arakot on the Himachal border for questioning.

The case pertains to a written exam conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSC) in December 2021. This was one of the major examinations conducted by the commission for 854 posts across 13 departments.

However, there were widespread allegations that there were irregularities in the conduct of the test. Following these allegations, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami called for a probe and a strict action against those guilty. Following this, the secretary of the commission was removed from the post. A Special Task Force (STF) was also constituted to investigate the alleged irregularities.

Initially, the Dehradun police registered a case against the unidentified accused. After that, the Police Headquarters (PHQ) handed over the investigation to the STF.

Since then, 20 people have been arrested in the case. These include some prominent names like district panchayat member Hakam Singh. Singh was arrested near the Mori area near the Himachal Pradesh border after he returned to the country from a trip abroad on August 7.

Gaurav Chauhan, an Additional Private Secretary working in the Public Works and Forest Department of State Secretariat, was also arrested in connection with the case. Also, several officials and directors of a Lucknow-based printing press were called for questioning. This came after a staffer of the company was named a prime accused in the case post-arrest. (ANI)

Mom-to-be Alia Bhatt dropped a series of pictures flaunting her pregnancy glow in a beautiful red-orange dress on social media.

Taking to her Instagram handle, the Raazi actor treated her fans with a new look from the ‘Brahmastra’ promotions.
She captioned the picture,” another day another wall. 9th September —- BRAHMASTRA.”

In the first picture, Alia was seen wearing holding her wrapped dress while looking at the camera. The second was a close-up of her giving the camera a stunning look. Alia completed her look with dewy makeup and nude lips and left her tresses open to raise the chic quotient of the outfit.

She accessorized her look with stylish golden hoop earrings.

Her post not only amazed her fans but her family and industry friends also showered love in her comment section.

The actor’s sister Shaheen Bhatt dropped a hilarious comment. She wrote,” Hi ladybug.”

Proud Bua Karisma Kapoor wrote a lovely comment, ‘So Pretty’

Alia’s mother Soni Razdan wrote, “Hahaha lovely.”

Director Karan Johar also chimed into the comment section and wrote, “Love.”

Meanwhile, Alia announced that she is expecting her first child with Ranbir in June this year. The ‘Brahmastra’ couple tied their knot on April 14, 2022, after dating for many years at Ranbir’s Mumbai residence in an intimate ceremony.

Just after two months of their marriage, the couple treated their fans with such a big surprise.

On the work front, Alia was last seen in ‘Darlings’ which received a lot of love and praise from critics and audiences. The film was released last weekend and has been on top of the Netflix charts.

Alia will next be seen sharing the screen with Ayan Mukherji’s ‘Brahmastra: Part 1 Shiva’. The film is set to hit the theatres on September 9. Apart from Ranbir and Alia, ‘Brahmastra Part One: Shiva’ also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, and south actor Nagarjuna in prominent roles. ‘Brahmastra’ was in limelight from the very day it was announced and it took over four years to get the production work done for this film. (ANI)

Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Sunday decided that the election for the Congress president post will be held on October 17, said sources.

The counting of the votes will be done on October 19.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is underway today to discuss the final schedule for the election of the Congress president.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the meeting via virtual meeting. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also joined the meeting virtually.

This comes in the backdrop of the party’s senior leader Gulam Nabi Azad’s resignation on Friday.

The sources had said that the election for the post of president has now become a challenge for Congress with the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to contest the polls.

According to sources, the Central Election Authority has made preparations to complete the election process on time.

Sources said the process seems to remain stuck since Rahul Gandhi is not willing to contest the election for the post of Congress president, although all the efforts to convince him are still going on.

Meanwhile, Congress plans to embark on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Kanyakumari on September 7 under the leadership of party leader Rahul Gandhi and the 148-day march will culminate in Kashmir.

The five-month yatra is scheduled to cover a distance of 3,500 kilometres and more than 12 states. The padayatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.

The Yatra will include padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (ANI)

The Edifice official Chetan Dutta said that the demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida was 100 per cent successful.

Expressing that he was “just 70 metres” away from the building, Dutta said, “The demolition was 100 per cent successful. It took 9-10 seconds for the entire building to demolish.”
“There were ten people in my team, seven foreign experts and 20-25 people from Edifice Engineering,” the Edifice Official added.

“Our production was 100 per cent successful. We were crying when we entered the tower after the explosion. Our major concern was Emerald court which is completely safe,” he further said.

As the twin towers in Noida were reduced to rubble on Sunday, Supertech maintained that the building plans of the project including the two towers were “approved by the Noida Authority in 2009, which was strictly in accordance with the then prevailing Building Bye-laws announced by the State Government”.

The real-estate developer said that while it respects the order by the top court, no deviation from the building plan was made and the building was constructed after making full payment to the Authority.

“The building plans of the Project including the two towers were approved by the Noida Authority in 2009 which was strictly in accordance with the then prevailing Building Bye-laws announced by the State Government. No deviation from the Building Plan was made and the Building was constructed after making full payment to the Authority. However, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has not found the construction satisfactory on technical grounds and accordingly issued orders to demolish the two towers. We respect the orders of the Apex Court and are committed to implementing the same,” the statement issued by the developer said.

It further said that the work of demolition has been awarded to a “world-renowned agency”.

The Supreme Court had, in its order reaffirmed the order of the Allahabad High Court which stated that Supertech has to demolish the towers at its own expense.

“We have awarded the work of demolition to a world-renowned agency, Edifice Engineering which has expertise in carrying out safe demolition of high-rise buildings,” it said.

However, Supertech assured the home buyers that the order of the Supreme Court will not affect any other ongoing project and that all other projects will continue. “And we are committed to complete construction and delivering the flats to the allottees as per the scheduled time,” it said.

In 2011, the Residents Welfare Association filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court. It was alleged that the UP Apartment Owners Act, 2010 was breached during the construction of the towers. The homeowners claimed that the two towers had less than 16 metres of distance between them which was in violation of the law. The original space designated for the garden in the original plan was allegedly used to erect the twin towers.

In 2012, the Authority approved the new plan proposed in 2009, ahead of the commencement of the hearing in the Allahabad High Court.

In April 2014, the Allahabad High Court delivered the judgment in favour of the RWA while also passing an order to demolish the twin towers. It asked Supertech to demolish the towers at its own expense and also refund the money of the homebuyers along with 14 per cent interest.

In May 2014, the Noida Authority and Supertech moved to the Supreme Court stating that the construction of the twin towers was according to the regulations.

In August 2021, however, the Supreme Court affirmed the order of the Allahabad High Court and ordered to demolish the towers while also stating that the construction had been made in violation of the regulations.

Meanwhile, the Supertech twin towers came crashing down within a span of nearly nine seconds after the use of 3,700 kg explosives on Sunday, thus ending a nine-year-long legal battle.

The towers, Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors), which are taller than the Qutub Minar in the national capital, were 100 metres tall and were brought down with explosives weighing at least 3,700 kg, in the biggest ever planned tower demolition bid.

Soon after the explosion that took place at the press of a button, the towers came crashing down, generating a cloud of massive dust and thus polluting the atmosphere around.

However, the Environment Department of the Uttar Pradesh government has installed six Special dust machines at the demolition site to monitor pollution levels.

“Pollution levels will be recorded before, during and after the explosion. The amount of PM 10 and PM 2.5 will be checked through this machine. Its report will come in the next 24 hours,” said a technician, Umesh. (ANI)

Former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy initiated a legal notice against Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, and others including the makers of the upcoming movie ‘Ram Setu’ on Sunday.

In this regard, Swamy took to Twitter and said, “Mumbai cinema [or is it sin-e-ma] wallas have a bad habit of falsifying and misappropriation. Hence to teach them Intellectual Property Rights, I have through Satya Sabharwal Adv issued Legal Notice to Cine Actor Akshay Kumar(Bhatia) and 8 others for distorting Ram Setu saga.”
Advocate Satya Sabarwal in the legal notice stated, “my client in 2007, has successfully argued before the Supreme Court for the preservation and protection of the Rama Setu and had opposed the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project of the Government of India which envisaged rupturing the Rama Setu [held to be sacred by Hindus], on August 31, 2007, the Supreme Court was pleased to pass stay Order against any plan to demolish or damage the Rama Setu. This was on the grounds that faith and worship is a constitutional imperative.”

The notice further stated, “It has come to my Client’s knowledge that, a Movie namely Ram Setu has been filmed and is set to be released on August 24. That Court proceedings are an integral part of saving the Ram Setu being demolished by previous Governments and if the same is being picturized in the Addressee’s film, then my Client has contributed in the film vide the Court proceedings initiated and my Client is bound to be recognized for the same with correct picturization of original facts and the Original Petitioner’s name used anywhere in the film.”

It is submitted that this Notice is being sent to check and prevent any false, wrong, and mala fide representation of facts with respect to the Court proceedings [including but not limited to] or otherwise in the Movie namely Ram Setu. That it is also important to mention, the Script/frames with respect to the Court proceedings related to Ram Setu be shared with my Client to further prevent any falsification of facts and wrong picturization of facts and circumstances which transpired in the past.

The legal notice also stated that in order to attempt to amicable resolve the issue, give an undertaking of acknowledgement of Swamy’s contribution through the Courts in the opening credits of the Film.

The Notice also advised that in the event of any clarification with respect to any content of the movie the filmmakers may seek assistance from Swamy for correct picturization in any frame/scene related to the Legal proceedings related to Ram-Setu and “share a copy of the final script and also to invite my Client to watch the Film before release to check the picturization of facts accurately.”

Ram Setu is the upcoming movie directed by Abhishek Sharma. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and Satya Dev, who follow an archaeologist investigating the nature of Ram Setu.

Adam’s Bridge or Ram Setu is a chain of natural limestone shoals, connecting India and Sri Lanka. (ANI)