Peace rally in Hyderabad seeks justice for arrested nuns
Organised by the Catholic Association of Hyderabad, the peaceful rally began with candlelight, placards and banners, voicing collective anguish over the rising climate of hostility faced by minority communities in India.
In an appeal issued during the rally, the association called upon the people of the nation and its institutions to uphold the Constitution and take meaningful steps to protect vulnerable communities. 'We urge the Government of India and all political parties to take immediate action against those who incite violence and promote communal hatred. The safety and security of minority communities must be ensured, constitutional morality and freedom of conscience upheld, and the rule of law protected. Institutions must function impartially,' said the organisers in a statement.
Prominent figures from the community who participated in the rally included Bishop Antony Prince Panengaden, Rev. Fr. Raju Alex, Rev. Fr. Abraham Palathinkal, Sister Alphosa Vattoly, Sister Carmali Thaniath, retired IAS officers Ms. Minnie Mathew and Mr. Mathew C. Kunnumkal, and community leader Mr. Roydin Roach.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Son of soil' Gavai attributes his rise to Ambedkar, Constitution
1 2 Nagpur: CJI Bhushan Gavai on Saturday made an emotional return to Deekshabhoomi, not as a guest but as "a son of the soil", crediting his rise from a semi-slum school in Amravati to the nation's highest judicial office, transformative legacy of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. "If there was no Dr Ambedkar and no Constitution, I would not be in the Chief Justice's chair," he said, addressing students at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar College diamond jubilee celebrations at Deekshabhoomi on Saturday. Gavai said he had visited the sacred Deekshabhoomi every Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din since childhood. "This is not a ceremonial visit. It's deeply personal. I have a lifelong emotional connect with this place," he said, standing alongside CM Devendra Fadnavis, senior judges including Shree Chandrashekhar, Nitin Sambre, Anil Kilor, Anil Pansare, Prafulla Khubalkar, Abhay Mantri, and others. Praising Ambedkar's choice of Buddhism over other religions, Gavai said, "Despite offers to embrace Islam and Christianity, Babasaheb chose Buddhism because it ensures equality for all." He cited the 1981 silver jubilee of the Buddhist movement when former Governor and his late father RS Gavai brought Dr Ambedkar's ashes to Nagpur. "I remember the massive procession in the city. My father carried the ashes on his head. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Are The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo It was a defining moment," he recalled. The CJI also reflected on the Ambedkar college's early struggles when staff salaries were unpaid, and operations ran out of a temporary structure. "My father and Dadasaheb Kumbhare sought help from Manoharbhai Patel in Gondia, who agreed to support on the condition they'd have meals with him at his home one day," he said, praising such sacrifices that built the institution "brick by brick". He lauded the college's evolution into a NAAC-accredited institution. "Back then, the college struggled to get students. Today, under principal Deepa Panekar, it is thriving. It's a symbol of what grit and Ambedkarite values can achieve," he said. Highlighting women's empowerment as a true tribute to Dr Ambedkar's vision, Gavai noted that "80% of today's achievers here are girls". Among them was his own daughter Karishma, who bagged 15 gold medals in LLB and seven medals in LLM, presented by CM Fadnavis during the event. "Ambedkar always said the progress of a society is reflected by the progress of its women. This campus is proving that," he added. Gavai also praised young changemakers like Nikhil, a student who worked with malnourished tribal children in Melghat. "Even after I could no longer work there, doctors like Abhay Bang, Ashish Satav, and Madhukar Kolhe selflessly continued their mission. They could have earned lakhs in cities but chose to serve the poor," he said, calling them "real leaders". He urged students to rise in their careers but never forget their roots. "Dr Ambedkar said there's a difference between a great person and an eminent one — the latter serves society. Always remember your responsibility, no matter how high you rise," he advised. Recounting his student days, the CJI also revealed his contribution to the popular Bhim Geet composed by poet Suresh Bhat. "I helped Bhat Saheb with lyrics when he was in Mumbai and was moved to tears while reciting it. That journey — from the narrow lanes of Amravati to the Supreme Court — is thanks to Babasaheb's ideology of socio-economic equality, justice, and the Indian Constitution," he concluded. The event was attended by Maharashtra social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat, Bhadant Nagarjun Arya Surai Sasai of Deekshabhoomi Smarak Samiti, former Nagpur University registrar Puran Meshram, and others. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Opposition mounts attack on EC, panel rebuts charge
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It is literally like an atom bomb,' LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said at the inaugural function of the day-long legal conclave on the theme 'Constitutional Challenges: Perspectives and Pathways'. Gandhi cited data collected by the Congress from an assembly constituency in Karnataka, where the party checked the photographs and names of electors physically and reportedly found out that 150,000 votes were 'fake' out of a total of 65,000 voters. 'Out of 6.5 lakh voters, we found 1.5 lakh to be fake. It's all documented; we obtained physical papers from the Election Commission,' he claimed. He added: 'The truth is that the election system in India is already dead. Please remember one thing that the prime minister of India enjoys a very slim majority. If 10-15 seats were rigged, and we suspect the actual figures to be closer to 70-80 to 100, he would not have been the prime minister of the country... In the coming few days, we are going to prove to you without any doubt how a Lok Sabha election can be rigged, and it was rigged.' Gandhi said he will make public details of the 'anomalies' in voter list in the constituency in Karnataka on August 5 at Bengaluru's Freedom Park. Sharpening his attack on the ECI, the former Congress chief said, 'It's very clear that the institution that protects this (Constitution), and defends it has been obliterated and taken over.' Gandhi also said that he did not have the proof earlier and that is why he could not make such statements before. 'But, I am making this statement confidently now because I have 100% proof. And, whoever I have shown it to has fallen off the chair. They literally said how it is possible. But it is possible, it's happening, literally,' he added. The Congress has repeatedly accused the ECI of acting like a 'biased umpire', particularly in its handling of the 2024 general elections and multiple assembly polls. Later in the day, EC shared Gandhi's remarks on its official X account, saying: 'The statements made are Misleading and Baseless.' On Friday, too, the poll panel had termed the LoP's 'atom bomb' remark 'baseless and wild allegations'. The BJP, meanwhile, dared Gandhi to detonate at once the 'atom bomb of evidence of vote theft'. 'Rahul Gandhi says he is in possession of an atom bomb. If it is so, he should detonate it at once. He should just ensure that he is himself out of harm's way', said defence minister and former BJP president Rajnath Singh. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that voters were 'changed' in the Maharashtra assembly and Lok Sabha elections. 'How can there be nine voters in a small room and nine thousand voters in a single hostel in Maharashtra? Is this Election Commission or Modi ji's puppet,' he asked at the legal conclave on Saturday. Echoing Gandhi's recent warnings, Kharge asserted that accountability will follow for those in the poll body. 'Whether they are serving or retired, ECI officials won't be spared if they break the rules. They're in a dangerous position –– lying for the BJP –– and that cannot go on unchecked.' Slamming the contentious special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Kharge described the exercise as a 'deliberate' move to disenfranchise the poor, marginalised and minorities even as he called the ECI a 'puppet' to the Narendra Modi-led government. 'If 6.5 to 10 million voters are being excluded in a state of 70 million, it's not an error, it's a calculated decision to remove the marginalised from the democratic process.' Kharge's comments come a day after ECI published the draft electoral rolls for poll-bound Bihar after the conclusion of the first phase of the SIR. ECI said of the 6.5 million names missing from the rolls, deaths accounted for 2.2 million, people who permanently shifted or not found accounted for 3.6 million and people enrolled in multiple places accounted for 700,000. The EC did not respond to the latest allegations, but said in a press note that along with the draft rolls, a list of voters who were part of the June 24 electoral roll but are missing from the new draft has been shared with political parties. A total of 1.60 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs), nominated by district presidents of the 12 political parties, are currently participating in the SIR process. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha also alleged that Opposition voices, including his own and Gandhi's, are routinely muffled in Parliament. 'Mics are switched off the moment we try to speak,' he said. 'Modi and Shah used to cheer when the former Rajya Sabha Chairman expelled us. This is what they call democracy.' (With PTI inputs)
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘Constitution under siege': Sonia accuses BJP-RSS of plotting ‘ideological coup'
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