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New Indian Express
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Three accused get seven-year RI after pleading guilty
BENGALURU: Marking the first conviction in the 2020 KG Halli-DJ Halli riots case, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Wednesday sentenced three accused, who had pleaded guilty during the framing of charges, to seven years rigorous imprisonment with penalty. Accused no. 14 Syed Ikramuddin alias Syed Naveed (44), A-16 Syed Asif (46) and A-18 Mohammed Atif (26) were charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Karnataka Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act (KPDLP) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). On August 11, 2020, a mob attacked the KG Halli and DJ Halli police stations as well as the residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy. The violence was triggered by a provocative social media post allegedly made by the MLA's nephew, Naveen. The riots involved incidents of stone throwing, petrol bomb attacks and assaults on police personnel. Four people died when the police opened fire to bring the situation under control. Of the 199 accused in the case, 187 have been arrested and chargesheets filed against 138. The NIA took over the investigation on September 21, 2020, and filed its chargesheet on February 2, 2021. The NIA also established that the accused had links to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). 'The police are charged with the duty of maintaining law and order as well as public order. When such custodians of law and order are attacked, public confidence in the efficiency of the police is likely to be shaken, thereby disturbing public order. We, the people, feel secure when we have a robust police force. The act of the accused in torching the KG Halli police station has shaken the confidence of the public and their sense of security,' said special public prosecutor for NIA, Bengaluru, P Prasanna Kumar. He added, 'This judgment has not only restored public confidence in the police force, but has also vindicated the action of the Central government in declaring the Popular Front of India (PFI) as an unlawful association.'
NDTV
23-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
3 Bengaluru Riots Case Convicts Jailed In Huge Win For Anti-Terror Agency
Bengaluru: In a major development in the 2020 Bengaluru riots case, a special NIA court has sentenced three accused to seven years of rigorous imprisonment after they pleaded guilty during the charge-framing stage. The convictions mark a significant win for the National Investigation Agency, which has been investigating the larger conspiracy behind such violent incidents. The convicted men Syed Ikramuddin alias Syed Naveed (44), Syed Asif (46), and Mohammed Atif (26) were charged under many sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Karnataka Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act (KPDLP), and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The case pertains to a violent mob attack on August 11, 2020, which targeted the houses of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and police stations in KG Halli and DJ Halli. The violence followed a provocative Facebook post allegedly made by the MLA's nephew. The riots left three people dead in police firing and caused widespread destruction and panic in the area. Conspiracy Linked to Banned PFI The NIA earlier established links between the accused and the banned outfit Popular Front of India, along with its political wing SDPI. The agency had laid out how PFI members orchestrated the violence in a bid to incite communal unrest and attack the state machinery. These findings were key in the Union Home Ministry's decision to ban the PFI in 2022. "The police are charged with the duty of maintaining law and order as well as public order. When such custodians of law and order and public order are attacked, the confidence of the public in the efficiency of police is likely to be shaken and thereby public order is likely to be disturbed," said special public prosecutor for NIA in Bengaluru, P Prasanna Kumar. "We the people feel secure when we have a robust police force. By the act of the accused in torching KG Halli police station, the confidence of the people at large and their sense of security was shaken. The judgment has not only secured the confidence of the public at large in the police force but also has vindicated the action of the central government in declaring PFI (Popular Front of India) as an unlawful association," he said.
Hindustan Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Special NIA court revokes attachment orders of 10 properties linked to PFI
Kochi, A special NIA court has revoked the order of attachment in connection with 10 properties that were linked with Popular Front of India which was banned by the Centre in 2022 for its alleged links with global terrorist organisations. Special NIA court revokes attachment orders of 10 properties linked to PFI Special NIA court judge P K Mohandas revoked, for varying reasons, the attachment order passed in 2022 by the Designated Authority under the Unlawful Activities Act in respect of all the properties. In the case of properties owned by Malappuram-based Green Valley Foundation Trust which has been a major focus of the NIA investigation and the Karunya Foundation in Kollam, the court said that materials on record prima facie show "proceeds of terrorism". It, however, revoked the attachment orders in respect of those properties, saying that "the Designated Authority has decided the matter without giving reasonable opportunity of being heard to the appellant and there is no proper compliance of the principles of natural justice". In the other eight cases, including properties of private persons or trusts, the court found that the owners were not accused in the cases registered by the NIA and the materials before it were not enough to find that the properties were 'proceeds of terrorism'. It also held that the order passed by the Designated Authority, in each of those cases, was done without following the principles of natural justice. "... the impugned order of the Designated Authority is passed without following the principles of natural justice and is liable to be set aside on that ground alone. Further, building under attachment is not 'proceeds of terrorism' and the same is not liable to be attached under the UA," the court said in each of the eight cases. The special court's 10 separate orders came on the pleas by the owners of the attached properties. The Designated Authority had passed the attachment orders under the UA by holding that the properties were 'proceeds of terrorism'. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Main intent behind PSA is to crush dissent: Mihir Desai
Mumbai: At an event to mark the 19th anniversary of a series of bomb blasts on local trains in the city, popularly known as the 7/11 blasts, senior advocate Mihir Desai on Friday questioned the motive of the state government after the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill on Thursday, and said the main intent behind it was to crush dissent. Senior advocate Mihir Desai (HT Photo) 'Laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) already have provisions to ban an organisation. So what was the need for a new law,' Desai, who practises in the Bombay high court, asked. Organisations like the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) had been banned under the UAPA in the past, he said. 'But under the new law, if the government thinks you are an organisation, it can ban you.' It would not matter in such cases if the organisation was registered or unregistered, he mentioned. Though the Bill was purportedly targeted against 'urban naxals', it did not define who an urban naxal was, leaving scope for anyone to be implicated, Desai said. He said the new legislation was aimed at 'crushing dissent'. It was important to hit the streets and protest against the law, he noted, referring to massive protests in 2020 over the three farm laws which were eventually repealed by the central government. 'Such laws need to be protested against, so that they are taken back or at least, not misused,' the senior advocate said. Desai was speaking at an event organised by the Innocence Network founded by Abdul Wahid Shaikh, the only person acquitted by the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in the 7/11 bomb blasts trial in 2015. Among twelve other accused convicted in the case, five men were sentenced to death while seven others were sentenced to life imprisonment. All twelve accused subsequently challenged their conviction before the Bombay high court, which reserved its judgment in the case after hearing both the prosecution and the defence at length. Shaikh Sohail, son of Mohamed Ali who was sentenced to life imprisonment, hoped his father would return home soon. 'We have faith in the judiciary. My father has been in jail for 19 years and we have faced great hardship in these years. We are hopeful that he will return home,' he said. Lawyers and relatives of the other accused read statements issued by their families, recounting their fight for justice over the past 19 years.
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Indian Express
The tragedy of Raseena and other women who continue to be policed by men
On National Reading Day (June 19), social media handles of several publishers and book lovers came alive, and readers discussed their favourite books, authors, quotes and more. One post by a publisher asking readers to talk about their favourite book in one line caught my eye. Comments from several women/girls, as they wrote about the books that most resonated with them, went like this: 'The book that spoke my inner voice… the woman that wore the sun', 'the book that taught me how women break the cages and fly high', 'the book that inspired me to travel', 'the one that made me love myself', 'the book that empowered the woman in me', 'the one that inspires to move on, taking on the challenges in a woman's life', 'the one that compares a woman to a bird', 'the one that made me understand myself.' And so on. Cut to a rather disturbing piece of news that came out the same day. A 40-year-old woman — mother of three minor children — in Kerala's Kannur district allegedly died by suicide after she was publicly shamed by a group of men for 'talking to a male friend'. The woman, Raseena, left a note saying she was taking the extreme step due to the humiliation of the experience. According to police, she was insulted in front of her family by self-styled moral vigilantes who also subjected her male friend to a mob trial, besides snatching his gadgets. Three men, allegedly belonging to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) — the political wing of the outlawed right-wing Popular Front of India — were arrested in connection with the incident. Back to the social media comments on National Reading Day: Several women who picked young writer Nimna Vijay's Ettavum Priyappetta Ennodu (To My Dearest, Myself) said it helped them love themselves. Add this to the several other comments mentioned earlier. Why do such books still inspire women in the 21st century? The answer lies in moral strictures imposed on women to this day, the kind that resulted in the death of Raseena in Kannur. Women are eager to break these shackles and be rebellious. They want to spread their wings because their 'normal' is the opposite of free. They are policed by a society that does not allow them to be themselves or love themselves. After much struggle, some give up. Some become tougher, prepared for much more vicious battles. Very few are lucky to have a robust support system. Women are expected to be pillars of the home, taking care of their families without ever faltering, without ever talking about it. They are expected to make everyone happy at home, but if they try to find any happiness for themselves, they are branded immoral and are humiliated or ostracised. When it comes to policing women, there is no dearth of vigilantes. After the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi in 2012 which triggered nationwide outrage, the accused showed no remorse. One of them even remarked that a 'girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy'. Women are to be 'taught a lesson' if they put up even the most feeble resistance. And rebellion is to be 'nipped in the bud', such as when they try to be independent or have friends of their choice, gain some confidence and take on life with a smile. Here's a request to self-styled moral policemen. If a woman knows how to take care of everyone in the family — and the extended family — and raise her children, she knows how to take care of herself as well. You don't have to 'help' her to be 'morally right'. It is far better to divert your energy towards empowering your daughters and teaching your sons to live with and celebrate empowered women. Rest in peace, Raseena.
